Date: Thu, 02 Nov 2006 02:26:57 -0800
I'll drop down and pick a bouquet, he exclaimed, and a few moments later his feet touched the firm earth of the island But before he could gather a dozen of the brilliant flowers a glad shout reached his ears, and, looking up, he saw two men running towards him from the trees.
They were dressed in sailor fashion, but their clothing was reduced to rags and scarcely clung to their brown, skinny bodies.
As they advanced they waved their arms wildly in the air and cried in joyful tones: A boat! a boat! Rob stared at them wonderingly, and had much ado to prevent the poor fellows from hugging him outright, so great was their joy at his appearance One of them rolled upon the ground, laughing and crying by turns, while the other danced and cut capers until he became so exhausted that he sank down breathless beside his comrade, How came you here? then inquired the boy, in pitying tones.
We're shipwrecked American sailors from the bark 'Cynthia Jane,' which went down near here over a month ago, answered the smallest and thinnest of the two.
We escaped by clinging to a bit of wreckage and floated to this island, where we have nearly starved to death.
Indeed, we now have eaten everything on the island that was eatable, and had your boat arrived a few days later you'd have found us lying dead upon the beach! Rob listened to this sad tale with real sympathy, But I didn't come here in a boat, said he.
The men sprang to their feet with white, scared faces.
No boat! they cried; are you, too, shipwrecked? No; he answered I flew here through the air.
And then he explained to them the wonderful electric traveling machine, But the sailors had no interest whatever in the relation.
Their disappointment was something awful to witness, and one of them laid his head upon his comrade's shoulder and wept with unrestrained grief, so weak and discouraged had they become through suffering.
Suddenly Rob remembered that he could assist them, and took the box of concentrated food tablets from his pocket.
Eat these, he said, offering one of each to the sailors, At first they could not understand that these small tablets would be able to allay the pangs of hunger; but when Rob explained their virtues the men ate them greedily Within a few moments they were so greatly restored to strength and courage that their eyes brightened, their sunken cheeks flushed, and they were able to converse with their benefactor with calmness and intelligence.
