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when the world shook-第14部分

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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
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