CHAPTER 4 The desert island
CHAPTER 4 The desert island CHAPTER 4 The desert island Ah, she was a one, that Grace! Who else would have the courage and sense to stay alive on a desert island? Years later, she told me about it. This is her story, if I remember rightly. She was almost done for when she crawled up the beach, half drowned, scared and very angry. She lay there for a couple of hours. But it was never her way to stay down for long. She staggered to her feet and started to explore. Straight away she saw that the
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CHAPTER 4 The desert island
CHAPTER 4 The desert island
Ah, she was a one, that Grace! Who else would have the courage and sense to stay alive on a desert island?Years later, she told me about it. This is her story, if I remember rightly.
She was almost done for when she crawled up the beach, half drowned, scared and very angry.She lay there for a couple of hours. But it was never her way to stay down for long.She staggered to her feet and started to explore.
Straight away she saw that there were banana, coconut and date palms. Now, at least, she had food.
Shaking off her tiredness, she shinned up a coconut palm, and shook down some nuts.
She then broke off several broad green leaves, each bigger than herself.Soon she had also piled up dates and yellow-green bananas.
'At least I won't starve to death,' she told herself.
But besides food she needed somewhere safe to sleep.She picked a spot on the beach, in the open; there she could keep an eye out for passing ships.
First she combed the beach for wood.Soon she made a big pile of broken branches, seaweed and grasses - there was even an old sun-bleached oar.
The dried seaweed and grasses covered her floor.She used wood for the walls, slanted like a tent.Then she tied banana leaves over the cracks with coconut fibre.
'It may not be a palace,' she sighed, 'but it'll do.At least it'll save me from the worst of the rain, wind and sun.'
The sun was hanging low over the sea. She was stiff and sore - and very hungry.First she ate some dates and bananas, and then she split open a coconut on a stone to drink the sweet milk.
At last, she lay down upon the grass floor in her new houseand watched sea-fleas jumping up and down on her new mattress.
'I've got through one day,' she told herself.'Tomorrow, I'll explore the whole island. Who knows?Maybe I'll find some company.' Little did she know she already had some!
Someone was watching her even as she fell asleep.
She must have slept for many hours, for when she awoke, the sun was already high in the sky.What was that noise outside? Suddenly, she heard it again.Someone was moving about outside the hut.They were creeping up on her - no doubt to slit her throat!
Grabbing her only sandal, she sat up, her heart in her mouth.
All at once, an ugly bearded figure poked its head through the doorway...
She didn't scream. Instead, she giggled with relief and the bearded figure scuttled away, tail between its legs.
'A fine pirate you'd make, Billy Goat,' she cried.'Fancy running away at the sight of a girl!'
