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ship was flung right up into the air a hundred feet or more。
〃Tidal wave; I expect;〃 shouted Bickley。
Almost as he spoke she came down with the most appalling crash
on to something hard and nearly jarred the senses out of us。 Next
the saloon was whirling round and round and yet being carried
forward; and we felt air blowing upon us。 Then our senses left
us。 As I clasped Tommy to my side; whimpering and licking my
face; my last thought was that all was over; and that presently I
should learn everything or nothing。
I woke up feeling very bruised and sore and perceived that
light was flowing into the saloon。 The door was still shut; but
it had been wrenched off its hinges; and that was where the light
came in; also some of the teak planks of the decking; jagged and
splintered; were sticking up through the carpet。 The table had
broken from its fastenings and lay upon its side。 Everything else
was one confusion。 I looked at Bickley。 Apparently he had not
awakened。 He was stretched out still wedged in with his cushions
and bleeding from a wound in his head。 I crept to him in terror
and listened。 He was not dead; for his breathing was regular and
natural。 The whisky bottle which had been corked was upon the
floor unbroken and about a third full。 I took a good pull at the
spirit; to me it tasted like nectar from the gods。 Then I tried
to force some down Bickley's throat but could not; so I poured a
little upon the cut on his head。 The smart of it woke him in a
hurry。
〃Where are we now?〃 he exclaimed。 〃You don't mean to tell me
that Bastin is right after all and that we live again somewhere
else? Oh! I could never bear that ignominy。〃
〃I don't know about living somewhere else;〃 I said; 〃although
my opinions on that matter differ from yours。 But I do know that
you and I are still on earth in what remains of the saloon of the
Star of the South。〃
〃Thank God for that! Let's go and look for old Bastin;〃 said
Bickley。 〃I do pray that he is all right also。〃
〃It is most illogical of you; Bickley; and indeed wrong;〃
groaned a deep voice from the other side of the cabin door; 〃to
thank a God in Whom you do not believe; and to talk of praying
for one of the worst and most inefficient of His servants when
you have no faith in prayer。
〃Got you there; my friend;〃 I said。
Bickley murmured something about force of habit; and looked
smaller than I had ever seen him do before。
Somehow we forced that door open; it was not easy because it
had jammed。 Within the cabin; hanging on either side of the bath
towel which had stood the strain nobly; something like a damp
garment over a linen line; was Bastin most of whose bunk seemed
to have disappeared。 YesBastin; pale and dishevelled and
looking shrunk; with his hair touzled and his beard apparently
growing all ways; but still Bastin alive; if very weak。
Bickley ran at him and made a cursory examination with his
fingers。
〃Nothing broken;〃 he said triumphantly。 〃He's all right。〃
〃If you had hung over a towel for many hours in most violent
weather you would not say that;〃 groaned Bastin。 〃My inside is a
pulp。 But perhaps you would be kind enough to untie me。〃
〃Bosh!〃 said Bickley as he obeyed。 〃All you want is something
to eat。 Meanwhile; drink this;〃 and he handed him the remains of
the whisky。
Bastin swallowed it every drop; murmuring something about
taking a little wine for his stomach's sake; 〃one of the Pauline
injunctions; you know;〃 after which he was much more cheerful。
Then we hunted about and found some more of the biscuits and
other food with which we filled ourselves after a fashion。
〃I wonder what has happened;〃 said Bastin。 〃I suppose that;
thanks to the skill of the captain; we have after all reached the
haven where we would be。〃
Here he stopped; rubbed his eyes and looked towards the saloon
door which; as I have said; had been wrenched off its hinges; but
appeared to have opened wider than when I observed it last。 Also
Tommy; who was recovering his spirits; uttered a series of low
growls。
〃It is a most curious thing;〃 he went on; 〃and I suppose I must
be suffering from hallucinations; but I could swear that just now
I saw looking through that door the same improper young woman
clothed in a few flowers and nothing else; whose photograph in
that abominable and libellous book was indirectly the cause of
our tempestuous voyage。〃
〃Indeed!〃 replied Bickley。 〃Well; so long as she has not got on
the broken…down stays and the Salvation Army bonnet without a
crown; which you may remember she wore after she had fallen into
the hands of your fraternity; I am sure I do not mind。 In fact I
should be delighted to see anything so pleasant。〃
At this moment a distinct sound of female tittering arose from
beyond the door。 Tommy barked and Bickley stepped towards it; but
I called to him。
〃Look out! Where there are women there are sure to be men。 Let
us be ready against accidents。〃
So we armed ourselves with pistols; that is Bickley and I did;
Bastin being fortified solely with a Bible。
Then we advanced; a remarkable and dilapidated trio; and
dragged the door wide。 Instantly there was a scurry and we caught
sight of women's forms wearing only flowers; and but few of
these; running over white sand towards groups of men armed with
odd…looking clubs; some of which were fashioned to the shapes of
swords and spears。 To make an impression I fired two shots with
my revolver into the air; whereupon both men and women fled into
groves of trees and vanished。
〃They don't seem to be accustomed to white people;〃 said
Bickley。 〃Is it possible that we have found a shore upon which no
missionary has set a foot?〃
〃I hope so;〃 said Bastin; 〃seeing that unworthy as I am; then
the opportunities for me would be very great。〃
We stood still and looked about us。 This was what we saw。 All
the after part of the ship from forward of the bridge had
vanished utterly; there was not a trace of it; she had as it were
been cut in two。 More; we were some considerable distance from
the sea which was still raging over a quarter of a mile away
where great white combers struck upon a reef and spouted into the
air。 Behind us was a cliff; apparently of rock but covered with
earth and vegetation; and against this cliff; in which the prow
of the ship was buried; she; or what remained of her; had come to
anchor for the last time。
〃You see what has happened;〃 I said。 〃A great tidal wave has
carried us up here and retreated。〃
〃That's it;〃 exclaimed Bickley。 〃Look at the debris;〃 and he
pointed to torn…up palms; bushes and seaweed piled into heaps
which still ran salt water; also to a number of dead fish that
lay about among them; adding; 〃Well; we are saved anyhow。〃
〃And yet there are people like you who say that there is no
Providence!〃 ejaculated Bastin。
〃I wonder what the views of Captain Astley and the crew are; or
rather were; upon that matter;〃 interrupted Bickley。
〃I don't know;〃 answered Bastin; looking about him vaguely。 〃It
is true that I can't see any of them; but if they are drowned no
doubt it is because their period of usefulness in this world had
ended。〃
〃Let's get down and look about us;〃 I remarked; being anxious
to avoid further argument。
So we scrambled from the remnant of the ship; like Noah
descending out of the ark; as Bastin said; on to the beach
beneath; where Tommy rushed to and fro; gambolling for joy。 Here
we discovered a path which ran diagonally up the side of a cliff
which was nowhere more than fifty or sixty feet in height; and
possibly had once formed the shore of this land; or perhaps that
of a lake。 Up this path we went; following the tracks of many
human feet; and reaching the crest of the cliff; looked about us;
basking as we did so in the beautiful morning sun; for the sky
was now clear of clouds and with that last awful effort; which
destroyed our ship; the cyclone had passed away。
We were standing on a plain down which ran a little stream of
good water whereof Tommy drank greedily; we following his
example。 To the right and left of this plain; further than we
could see; stretched bushland over which towered many palms;
rather ragged now because of the lashing of the gale。 Looking
inland we perceived that the ground sloped gently downwards;
ending at a distance of some miles in a large lake。 Far out in
this lake something like the top of a mountain of a brown colour
rose above the water; and on the edge of it was what from that
distance appeared to be a tumbled ruin。
〃This is all very interesting;〃 I said to Bickley。 〃What do you
make of it?〃
〃I don't quite know。 At first sight I should say that we are
standing on the lip of a crater of some vast extinct volcano。
Look how it curves to north and south and at the slope running
down to the