Free The Castaways of the Flag by Jules Verne Page B

too; they are excellent beasts—excellent for making soup, I
mean!"
     
                A moment
later the boatswain and Frank had turned a score of them over on to their
backs. They were quite helpless in that position. Laden with half a dozen of
them, and twice as many eggs, they went back towards the boat.
     
                Captain Gould
listened eagerly to John Block's story. Since he had been spared the shaking of
the boat his wound had been paining him less, the fever was beginning to go
down, and a week's rest would certainly put him on his feet again. Wounds in
the head, unless they are exceptionally serious, generally heal easily and
soon. The bullet had only grazed the surface of the skull, after tearing away
part of the cheek; but it had been within an ace of going through the temple. A
speedy improvement could now be looked for in the condition of the wounded man,
thanks to the rest and care which he could now obtain.
     
                It was with
much satisfaction Captain Gould learned that turtles abounded in this bay,
which was named Turtle Bay in their honour. It meant the guarantee of a
wholesome and plentiful food, even for a considerable time. It might even be
possible to preserve some of it in salt and load the boat with it when the time
came to put to sea again.
     
                For of course
they would have later to seek a more hospitable shore to the northward, if the
table-land at the top of the cliff proved to be as unfertile as that of Turtle
Bay, if it had no woods or grass lands, if, in short, the land on which the
passengers of the Flag had come ashore proved to be nothing more than a
mere heap of rocks.
     
                "Well,
Dolly, and you, too, Jenny," said Frank when he got back, "are you
satisfied? How has the fishing gone while we have been away?"
     
                "Pretty
well," Jenny answered, pointing to several fish lying on the poop.
     
                "And
we've got something better than that to offer you," added Dolly, merrily.
     
                "What's
that, then?" Fritz asked.
     
                "Mussels,"
the girl answered. "There are heaps of them at the foot of the promontory.
Look at those boiling in the saucepan now!"
     
                " Congratulations!''
said Frank. '' And you owe us congratulations, too, Jenny, for we have not come
back empty-handed. Here are some eggs –"
     
                "Hens'
eggs?" Bob exclaimed eagerly.
     
                "No;
turtles'," Frank replied.
     
                "Turtles'
eggs?" Jenny repeated. "Did you find turtles?"
     
                "A
regiment of them," the boatswain told her; "and there are lots more;
there are enough to last us all the time we shall be at anchor in the
bay."
     
                "Before
we leave this bay," Captain Gould put in, " I think we ought to
reconnoitre along the coast, or climb to the top of the cliff."
     
                "We'll
try it, captain," John Block answered. '' But don't let's be in a greater
hurry than we need be, since it is possible to exist here without touching what
we have left of the biscuit."
     
                "That's
what I think, Block."
     
                "What we
want, captain," Frank went on, "is that you should have a rest to
allow your wound to heal, and you to get back your strength. A week or two is
nothing to spend here. When you are on your feet again you will have a look at
things for yourself, and you will decide what is best to be done."
     
                During the
morning they proceeded to unload the boat of all that it contained, the bag of
biscuit, the casks, the fuel, the utensils, and the clothing, and everything
was carried within the cave. The little stove was set up in the corner of the
bastion, and was first employed in making the turtle soup.
     
                As for