Two Sailor Lads by Gordon Stables

Captain Fred Arundel, of the _Island Queen_, now left the island of King Ota far astern, and proceeded to take a quiet survey of the whole group.

The islands were five in all, although one was so small as hardly to be worthy of notice. It is nevertheless the most important of all to our story. This little isle, although well treed, was evidently not inhabited, and had only one landing-place, all the rest of its shore being as inaccessible as the Bass Rock itself.

The other islands were inhabited, as well they might be; for in rugged grandeur of contour, and in beauty of tropical foliage, they exceeded anything that Fred or Frank could have imagined or dreamt about.

Waving cocoa-nut and palm trees, gigantic tree ferns, bananas, pandanus, and bread fruits, and a wealth of waving woods and grasses and flowers, that made them look like veritable fairy-lands afloat, or the fabled islands of the blessed dead we read of in the classics. Yet everyone of them was the abode of savages and cannibals. No boats came off from either, though in one of the bays Fred lay at anchor for very many hours.

He was concocting a bold and daring scheme, which if successful should mean freedom for the white prisoners, whatever might befall them next; but if unsuccessful it would mean death, or a slavery far worse than death, for all concerned.

That the inhabitants of these islands were not really bad at heart was Fred's evident thought, from the kindly way their own two prisoners took to work and civilization.

Could the latter be trusted in a matter of life and death? Fred made up his mind to try them.

So they were now brought on deck and questioned by Quambo, questions and answers being very much as follows:

Why did they -- the white men -- see nothing of their brothers who were held as slaves by King Ota? King Ota was too clever. He kept them in the forest prison. Did they know the road from the beach to this prison? They knew many roads to it.

Could they and would they be willing to guide a party to this bamboo prison through the forest at the darkest hour of midnight? Yes, they could and would gladly, the white men had been very good to them; but if they guided them to their white brothers they must promise to take them -- the guides -- away with them, else King Ota would put them to death with much terrible torture.

So far then everything seemed satisfactory, and Fred and Frank resolved to risk all in one bold effort to set the white men free.

"To dare is to do, Frank," said Fred.

"Yes," replied Frank, "and I should never forgive myself if we went away and left these poor fellows prisoners and slaves among these terrible cannibals. I cannot forget, Fred, that the Yankee skipper was kind to me when I was sick, and that he was my captain, you know."

"Well, then, Frank, when does the moon rise, to-night?"

"What, will you venture so soon?"

"Oh, you know what a nervous coward of a chap I am! If I've got to face anything I like to go at it at once. Besides, it is best to strike the iron when it is hot."

"All right," said Frank. "I must say, however, Fred, that your cowardice is of a very peculiar kind, from all the specimens I've had of it lately."

And now the two savages were once more interrogated, and it was soon found that from the back part of the island, where the pandanus forest grew right down to the water's edge, a footpath led up through the woods to the bamboo prison or fort. It would no doubt be well guarded, but nothing venture nothing win.

"He either fears his fate too much, / Or his deserts are small, / Who dares not put it to the test, / To win or lose it all."

These lines are well worth remembering, and everyone who reads British history must be struck with the fact, that nearly all our greatest victories have been won by downright pluck and derring-do.