The Wonder Island Boys: Treasures of the Islands Part 20

"I became desperate. One day, while they were bringing me the finest roasts, I rebelled, and taking a club, scattered the food, swinging the club at them and shouting defiance, because human nature began to rebel, and I could not stand the suspense any longer.

"To my surprise they scattered, and fell on their faces. Among them was the head man, whom I had always regarded as the Chief. Finally he came up timidly, and fell on his knees before me. I was so astounded that I did not know what to do. I went to the Chief and raised him up, because I was in a quandary, and could not understand them.

"This seemed to rea.s.sure him, and he told me to follow him. I had been here long enough to understand most of their jargon. I was surprised when he led me to his own hut, and brought out his daughter, who knelt before me. Then I began to understand. I was no longer the expected victim, but the prospective son-in-law. This was better than antic.i.p.ating death daily.

"I accepted the situation. The daughter became my wife. It was she who welcomed you when we came in. When her father died I became Chief, but long before his death, I controlled the people, as I knew so much more, and had superior wisdom, judged by their standard, that they obeyed me in everything.

"But much as I abhorred, and tried to prevent it, as I did on many occasions, they practiced their rites, and had their Korinos, the real offenders, who taught them the necessity of sacrifices.

"But when I became Chief, I sternly refused to permit them to kill their captives, and cannibalism was practiced only by stealth. I succeeded in stamping out the practice only by putting the Korinos to death, and in shutting up their caves."

The boys, as well as John were riveted to their seats during this entire recital, until he referred to the caves, when they relaxed, and indicated their pleasure and anxiety. That meant still further quests in that direction.

The Chief noticed their movement, and continued: "I am tiring you, but permit me to add only a few things. I have endeavored to better the condition of these people, and have succeeded. To the south of us was a powerful tribe. My first care was to make ourselves secure against them.

"Like my people they, too, were cannibals. They were ruled over by a Chief who was cruel, and whenever any of their people escaped I took them in and cared for them, and there are now many of those living with us who could not be induced to go back. For more than forty years no one has been killed and eaten by my people."

"Your work here is certainly most commendable. There is nothing which needs apology. Under the circ.u.mstances you have done all that was possible, and to the best of your ability. No one can do more," was John's timely observation.

"I thank you for the compliment. I owe everything to the few books which my comrade taught me to read. When I left the United States my heart was bitter toward all mankind. I could not see why I should have been treated in such a harsh manner among civilized people, but when I landed here and saw how much worse the conditions were, I began to reflect. It would have been an easy and a natural thing for me to be brutal to others, as they had been to me."

"You have shown a n.o.ble spirit, and I shall try to help you in caring for your people. Our s.h.i.+p is here, and we have some things for you, as soon as they can be unloaded," rejoined John.

During the afternoon communication was established with the _Pioneer_, and the natives were willing helpers in bringing up the packages, but it was too late to distribute them. Before leaving John said: "You have not told us your name."

"I was christened Ephraim Wilmar."

John seized him by the hands, as he said: "And was your father's name William?"

"Yes," said Ephraim, as his great eyes grew still bigger. "Did you know him?"

"I knew him well; he died about thirty years ago. He was my father's friend."

This information established a bond of friends.h.i.+p between the two.

"I have forgotten to take note of time, and I may be out a year or two in my reckoning," continued Ephraim, "but according to the best information I have this must be the year 1911."

"You are short one year; it is now 1912."

"Then let me see! We sailed from China in January, 1860; and during that same month the s.h.i.+p went down. From that time to the present I have no idea of what has taken place."

"Then you know nothing of the four years' war between the North and the South?"

"No; I remember there was some trouble about the slaves, or something of that sort before we left China."

"But there are no more slaves in the United States."

"You surprise me! Then they were freed by the war?"

"Yes; and Cuba is also free, and is now a republic, and the Hawaiian Islands belong to the United States, as also do the Philippines."

"That does not seem possible. Why, if I remember correctly Cuba and the Philippines belonged to Spain. When did the United States purchase them?"

"We had a war with Spain, and we took the Spanish possessions, as well as Porto Rico. Manila was captured three days after war was declared."

"Three days after war was declared! How could our fleet, which must have been half the way around the world, get the news that war had been declared in that time?"

"The commander of our fleet at Hongkong, was notified by telegraph."

"How could that be done without a telegraph line? Over what part of the earth are the lines now running?"

"Everywhere; but there are many running under the sea and are called _cable lines_."

Ephraim looked at John for a moment, as though he doubted the meaning of the words just uttered, and then slowly inquired: "That must be a remarkable thing. I do not see how it would be possible to string wires under the sea."

"They are encased in water tight coverings, and some of the lines are four thousand miles long. But nowadays we do not need wires for telegraphing."

The deformed figure arose, and appeared to be agitated, as he said: "Do you mean to say that messages can be sent without wires?"

"Stations for that purpose are now in operation all over the world."

"That is as improbable to me as though you should tell me that it would be possible to talk over a wire," he answered.

"But we do talk over wires, and it is possible to talk over distances hundreds of miles apart, without wires even."

He glanced at those about him, and shook his head. He appeared to hesitate about asking any more questions, and after shambling back and forth a dozen times, or more, he stopped at the pile of debris, and picked up a thick disk-like piece of metal, to one side of which was a short broken tube attached.

"I have examined this many, many times. Perhaps you can tell me what it is?" and he handed it to John.

"This is the disk of a phonograph."

"What is that?"

"An instrument which will reproduce the human voice, or any noise, or the sound of music."

"I do not understand what you mean. If I talk to it will it talk back to me?"

"No; it is so arranged that one form of the instrument receives the sound of your voice, and impresses it on material in the form of a cylinder, or a disk, and if this cylinder or disk is put into another instrument, this little apparatus, which I hold in my hand will speak the same words you uttered."

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Fig. 11. Phonograph Disk._]

"Then electricity must be a wonderful thing, to be able to be used by men to talk to each other all over the world, and even to preserve what they say."

"But the phonograph is not an electrical apparatus. The disk, here, with the little stylus, or pointer on it, vibrates and gives forth the sound."

"All this is most marvelous, and I would like to see some of those wonderful things," he exclaimed.

"If you will come to the s.h.i.+p we will show you many of the things that electricity does, as we have a phonograph there, and we have a search light that operates by electricity, and which enables us to see many miles," added Harry.