The Coral Island: A Tale of the Pacific Ocean

Morning, and cogitations connected therewith—­We luxuriate in the sea, try our diving powers, and make enchanting excursions among the coral groves at the bottom of the ocean—­The wonders of the deep enlarged upon.

What a joyful thing it is to awaken, on a fresh glorious morning, and find the rising sun staring into your face with dazzling brilliancy! to see the birds twittering in the bushes, and to hear the murmuring of a rill, or the soft hissing ripples as they fall upon the seashore!  At any time and in any place such sights and sounds are most charming, but more especially are they so when one awakens to them, for the first time, in a novel and romantic situation, with the soft sweet air of a tropical climate mingling with the fresh smell of the sea, and stirring the strange leaves that flutter overhead and around one, or ruffling the plumage of the stranger birds that fly inquiringly around, as if to demand what business we have to intrude uninvited on their domains.  When I awoke on the morning after the shipwreck, I found myself in this most delightful condition; and as I lay on my back upon my bed of leaves, gazing up through the branches of the cocoa-nut trees into the clear blue sky, and watched the few fleecy clouds that passed slowly across it, my heart expanded more and more with an exulting gladness, the like of which I had never felt before.  While I meditated, my thoughts again turned to the great and kind Creator of this beautiful world, as they had done on the previous day, when I first beheld the sea and the coral reef, with the mighty waves dashing over it into the calm waters of the lagoon.

While thus meditating, I naturally bethought me of my Bible, for I had faithfully kept the promise, which I gave at parting to my beloved mother, that I would read it every morning; and it was with a feeling of dismay that I remembered I had left it in the ship.  I was much troubled about this.  However, I consoled myself with reflecting that I could keep the second part of my promise to her—­namely, that I should never omit to say my prayers.  So I rose quietly, lest I should disturb my companions, who were still asleep, and stepped aside into the bushes for this purpose.

On my return I found them still slumbering, so I again lay down to think over our situation.  Just at that moment I was attracted by the sight of a very small parrot, which Jack afterwards told me was called a paroquet.  It was seated on a twig that overhung Peterkin’s head, and I was speedily lost in admiration of its bright green plumage, which was mingled with other gay colours.  While I looked I observed that the bird turned its head slowly from side to side and looked downwards, first with the one eye and then with the other.  On glancing downwards I observed that Peterkin’s mouth was wide open, and that this remarkable bird was looking into it.  Peterkin used to say that I had not an atom of fun in my composition, and that I never could understand a joke.  In regard to the latter, perhaps he was right; yet I think that, when they were explained to me, I understood jokes as well as most people.  But in regard to the former, he must certainly have been wrong, for this bird seemed to me to be extremely funny; and I could not help thinking that, if it should happen to faint, or slip its foot, and fall off the twig into Peterkin’s mouth, he would perhaps think it funny too!  Suddenly the paroquet bent down its head and uttered a loud scream in his face.  This awoke him, and, with a cry of surprise, he started up, while the foolish bird flew precipitately away.

“Oh, you monster!” cried Peterkin, shaking his fist at the bird.  Then he yawned, and rubbed his eyes, and asked what o’clock it was.

I smiled at this question, and answered that, as our watches were at the bottom of the sea, I could not tell, but it was a little past sunrise.

Peterkin now began to remember where we were.  As he looked up into the bright sky, and snuffed the scented air, his eyes glistened with delight, and he uttered a faint “Hurrah!” and yawned again.  Then he gazed slowly round, till, observing the calm sea through an opening in the bushes, he started suddenly up as if he had received an electric shock, uttered a vehement shout, flung off his garments, and, rushing over the white sands, plunged into the water.  The cry awoke Jack, who rose on his elbow with a look of grave surprise; but this was followed by a quiet smile of intelligence on seeing Peterkin in the water.  With an energy that he only gave way to in moments of excitement, Jack bounded to his feet, threw off his clothes, shook back his hair, and, with a lion-like spring, dashed over the sands and plunged into the sea with such force as quite to envelop Peterkin in a shower of spray.  Jack was a remarkably good swimmer and diver, so that after his plunge we saw no sign of him for nearly a minute; after which he suddenly emerged, with a cry of joy, a good many yards out from the shore.  My spirits were so much raised by seeing all this that I, too, hastily threw off my garments and endeavoured to imitate Jack’s vigorous bound; but I was so awkward that my foot caught on a stump, and I fell to the ground; then I slipped on a stone while running over the sand, and nearly fell again, much to the amusement of Peterkin, who laughed heartily, and called me a “slow coach,” while Jack cried out, “Come along, Ralph, and I’ll help you.”  However, when I got into the water, I managed very well, for I was really a good swimmer and diver too.  I could not, indeed, equal Jack, who was superior to any Englishman I ever saw; but I infinitely surpassed Peterkin, who could only swim a little, and could not dive at all.

While Peterkin enjoyed himself in the shallow water and in running along the beach, Jack and I swam out into the deep water, and occasionally dived for stones.  I shall never forget my surprise and delight on first beholding the bottom of the sea.  As I have before stated, the water within the reef was as calm as a pond; and, as there was no wind, it was quite clear from the surface to the bottom, so that we could see down easily even at a depth of twenty or thirty yards.  When Jack and I dived into shallower water, we expected to have found sand and stones, instead of which we found ourselves in what appeared really to be an enchanted garden.  The whole of the bottom of the lagoon, as we called the calm water within the reef, was covered with coral of every shape, size, and hue.  Some portions were formed like large mushrooms; others appeared like the brain of a man, having stalks or necks attached to them; but the most common kind was a species of branching coral, and some portions were of a lovely pale pink colour, others were pure white.  Among this there grew large quantities of seaweed of the richest hues imaginable, and of the most graceful forms; while innumerable fishes—­blue, red, yellow, green, and striped—­sported in and out amongst the flower-beds of this submarine garden, and did not appear to be at all afraid of our approaching them.

On darting to the surface for breath, after our first dive, Jack and I rose close to each other.

“Did you ever in your life, Ralph, see anything so lovely?” said Jack, as he flung the spray from his hair.

“Never,” I replied.  “It appears to me like fairy realms.  I can scarcely believe that we are not dreaming.”

“Dreaming!” cried Jack; “do you know, Ralph, I’m half tempted to think that we really are dreaming.  But if so, I am resolved to make the most of it, and dream another dive; so here goes—­down again, my boy!”

We took the second dive together, and kept beside each other while under water; and I was greatly surprised to find that we could keep down much longer than I ever recollect having done in our own seas at home.  I believe that this was owing to the heat of the water, which was so warm that we afterwards found we could remain in it for two and three hours at a time without feeling any unpleasant effects such as we used to experience in the sea at home.  When Jack reached the bottom, he grasped the coral stems, and crept along on his hands and knees, peeping under the seaweed and among the rocks.  I observed him also pick up one or two large oysters and retain them in his grasp, as if he meant to take them up with him, so I also gathered a few.  Suddenly he made a grasp at a fish with blue and yellow stripes on its back, and actually touched its tail, but did not catch it.  At this he turned towards me and attempted to smile; but no sooner had he done so than he sprang like an arrow to the surface, where, on following him, I found him gasping and coughing, and spitting water from his mouth.  In a few minutes he recovered, and we both turned to swim ashore.

“I declare, Ralph,” said he, “that I actually tried to laugh under water.”

“So I saw,” I replied; “and I observed that you very nearly caught that fish by the tail.  It would have done capitally for breakfast if you had.”

“Breakfast enough here,” said he, holding up the oysters, as we landed and ran up the beach.  “Hallo, Peterkin! here you are, boy.  Split open these fellows while Ralph and I put on our clothes.  They’ll agree with the cocoa-nuts excellently, I have no doubt.”

Peterkin, who was already dressed, took the oysters, and opened them with the edge of our axe, exclaiming, “Now, that is capital.  There’s nothing I’m so fond of.”

“Ah! that’s lucky,” remarked Jack.  “I’ll be able to keep you in good order now, Master Peterkin.  You know you can’t dive any better than a cat.  So, sir, whenever you behave ill, you shall have no oysters for breakfast.”

“I’m very glad that our prospect of breakfast is so good,” said I, “for I’m very hungry.”

“Here, then, stop your mouth with that, Ralph,” said Peterkin, holding a large oyster to my lips.  I opened my mouth and swallowed it in silence, and really it was remarkably good.

We now set ourselves earnestly about our preparations for spending the day.  We had no difficulty with the fire this morning, as our burning-glass was an admirable one; and while we roasted a few oysters and ate our cocoa-nuts, we held a long, animated conversation about our plans for the future.  What those plans were, and how we carried them into effect, the reader shall see hereafter.