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Hunting the Skipper: The Cruise of the "Seafowl" Sloop, a fiction by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 47. "Wait Till Dark" |
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_ CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN. "WAIT TILL DARK" Long hours of weary waiting and expectation of being discovered, for at intervals movements could be detected amongst the tall swaying canes and patches of maize that could be made out beyond the wilderness of undergrowth that lay between the little party of fugitives and the cottage whose presence the black insisted upon as being in the direction he pointed out. But Murray had the satisfaction of noting that his brother midshipman was slowly recovering his senses. Twice over he had opened his eyes to gaze wonderingly in the face that looked down at him, and once when Murray whispered a few encouraging words he shook his head and seemed to sink back into a deep sleep again. "What's to be done, Caesar?" said Murray softly. "Do nothing, sah. Wait till come dark. Then creep, creep, creep froo trees and tell massa officer not to shoot. Then run fas', get in cottage." Night at last, and with every nerve throbbing from excitement Murray started up in readiness, for the black had bent over to whisper to him that he was going to try and find a way past the several parties of the enemy who were beleaguering the holders of the little cottage, whom it was their aim now to rejoin. "Massa stop now," said the man. "Wait till Caesar see." The next minute there was a faint rustling sound, and Murray was alone with the big black and his companion, both silent, the former watchful and alert, and the latter as motionless as if plunged in the deepest sleep. This silence was to the midshipman the most painful part of the task which he had been called upon to bear. His imagination began to set to work at once and surrounded him with perils that were ever on the increase. He knew from what he had seen that a strong body of the enemy must be lying between him and his friends, but directly Caesar had passed out of hearing it appeared to him that the crews of the slaver's schooners had started into motion and were creeping round behind him to cut him off, and twice over this was enforced by the great black beginning to creep away and leaving him alone with Roberts. Then when he was beside himself with anxiety as to what he had better do, and more and more certain that he was completely left, he started to find that the great fellow had returned, to seat himself beside his burden, evidently ready to make a fresh start at any moment. At last, when Murray felt that he could bear no more, there was a faint rustle and a whisper to prove that the black had returned, to lay a hand upon his shoulder. "Well," whispered the lad excitedly, "have you found a way to get by them?" "Caesar get by," said the man sadly, "but big slabe, Murray Frank, Roberts, not get by." "Then what do you mean to do?" "Try," said the man. "Murray Frank ready?" "Yes, ready for anything," said the lad, springing up eagerly. Caesar whispered a few words to his big fellow and as Murray strained his eyes he tried to make out the movements of the black when he caught hold of the midshipman, swung him round over his shoulder, and followed closely behind his leader and Murray, who now began to advance cautiously, hand in hand, pausing to listen from time to time, Caesar progressing more by thought than touch and evidently conscious that at any moment he might stumble upon those who were waiting ready to pounce upon him. There were moments when hope began to illumine the lad's path, for so silent did everything remain that it seemed as if the enemy must have changed his position; and in this hopeful mood he was about to whisper his belief to his companion when the path was brightened by a totally different illumination. For there was utter silence one moment, and the next, flash, flash, from musket after musket, and the enemy's position was marked out by points of light as he concentrated his fire upon the cottage hidden amongst the trees. This went on for a time without reply, and it now seemed to the midshipman that it must be the little party of his friends who had gone off. Then crack, crack, the reply began, and plainly mingled with the reports came the strange whistling whirr of bullets about their ears, in company with the crackling of cut-down leaves and twigs which now began to patter upon the earth. "Come," whispered the black. "Come where?" asked Murray excitedly. "Back again," was the reply. "Massa no want sailor shoot massa?" "No," whispered the lad; "but we were to shout to them that we are friends." "Yes, massa," said the man drily, "but sailor man shout so loud um no hear massa speak, and massa get shoot dead long o' Caesar and big slabe. No talk; other fellow hear um, and sailor man shoot one side, Massa Huggin man shoot other side, and no get to cottage at all. Come back." The lad submitted without a word, though it seemed to him maddening to give up when they were so near that every flash was quite plain, and he fully expected to hear himself hailed. They seemed to him then to have crept exactly into the centre of the firing, and every whizzing whistle sounded as if it must be coming straight for its billet that would end one of their careers; but the moments passed on with the marvel growing more strange that they escaped being laid low; and then the excitement came suddenly to an end, when Caesar literally snatched the lad to earth and the big slave subsided with a low sigh of relief which indicated that he had sunk down too with his silent burden, to lie listening to the cross fire which still went on above their heads, till all at once a familiar voice shouted-- "Now, my lads, all together, forward! Let them have it!" The order thrilled through Murray's breast, and seemed to rouse Roberts, helpless as he was, to action. "Hurrah!" cried the midshipman, as he sprang to his feet, followed by his wounded comrade, who staggered for a moment or two, and then fell, clutching at Murray, dragging him down upon his less active comrade, just as there was a rush of feet, the crackling of wood, and the minute later a fierce yell of raging voices, and the sailors who had responded to the first lieutenant's call were borne back again by four times their number and driven as far as the entrance to the cottage, where they stood fast and delivered a little volley, which sent their enemies to the right-about, giving them time to barricade themselves again and hold the entrance fast. "Answer to your names there," panted the lieutenant, who was breathless with his exertions. "What's that?" he cried directly after. "Prisoners! Two of them?" "Four, sir," growled a deep voice. "Two black fellows, sir, and here's two youngsters, sir, as far as I can make out. One of 'em's wounded, sir." "Well, we don't want prisoners," cried the lieutenant, "but we must take them. See that you bind them fast." "We don't want binding, sir," gasped Murray. "We've got away from the enemy and reached you at last." "Mr Murray! This is grand!" cried the chief officer. "But have you seen anything of poor Roberts?" "I've got him here, sir, but he's badly wounded." "And we've no doctor with us." "I don't think it's dangerous, sir; but have you had any news of May and Titely?" "Tom May is with us, my lad." "Hurt, sir?" "Here, answer for yourself, my lad," cried the lieutenant. "Hurt, sir? Yes, sir; pretty tidy, sir," growled the big sailor. "One of them slavers fetched me a crack on the head as knocked all the sense out on it; but I shall get a chance at 'em again one o' these times. But is it really you, Mr Murray, here and all right, sir?" "It's your turn to answer, Mr Murray," replied the chief officer. "Yes, sir; and yes, Tom May; I've got back safely. Where's Titely?" "In the plantation house, sir--in hospital--sick bay, sir; doing pretty tidy. But they're coming on again, I think, sir, and we've them two blacks with us, sir. Where shall we put them?" "They're not prisoners, sir," cried Murray. "They're friends, and have helped us to escape." "Do you think we can trust them?" asked the lieutenant. "Trust them, sir? Yes, and they'll fight for us to the end." "You answer for them, my lad?" "Yes, sir," cried Murray. "They're staunch enough." "Here they come, sir!" cried Tom May. For with a fierce yelling mingled with an imitation of the hearty cheering of a body of seamen, a strong party dashed up to the hastily barricaded entrance, and sent a volley crashing through the panels of the door and the window. "You were ready for that, my lads?" cried the lieutenant. "No one hurt?" "Nay, sir; we're used to that bit o' business," growled the big sailor. "Then give it them back, my lads." The words had hardly passed the officer's lips before a dozen muskets bellowed out their reply, lighting up so many roughly-made portholes, and as the volley was responded to by a fiercer yelling than before, mingled with the hurried footsteps of the repulsed attacking party, Murray turned in the darkness to his leader. "I can't understand it, sir," he said. "I thought Caesar, the black, was retreating with us to the cottage by the lagoon." "No, no, my lad; this is the plantation house where we came first. I only wish we could have reached the cottage by the water-side. We should have had help from the captain before now if we could have got there." "Then we are right in the middle of the cane fields, sir?" "Yes, Murray, and very glad I was to come upon it, for it has been strong enough to hold. Here: your black fellow who guided the expedition--where is he?" "Here somewhere, sir." "Ask him then if he can lead us by some path to the water-side." "Do you hear this, Caesar?" asked Murray. "Is there any path down to the water-side without using a boat along the river?" "Yes, sah, but Massa Huggin men all dah, and um think they come 'long again to burn Massa Allen house up. Murray Frank look! All de window burn fire." "Yes, they're trying another way of attack," said the chief officer--"one that I have been wondering that they did not try before. Up-stairs with you, my lad. You go too, Mr Murray. You must pick off those who come up with their firebrands. You'll be able to see the scoundrels now. This is better than that horrible darkness. Ah, the business is warming up. Give them a cheer, my lads, as soon as you are up at the windows. The captain will hear our response, and it will let him know where we are." "But is that the _Seafowl_, sir?" cried Murray excitedly. "Without doubt, my lad; but she sounds a long way off." For the steady fire of big guns had begun, but as the chief officer had said, sounding some distance away. "Dat Massa Huggin big schooner, sah," said Caesar sharply; and he had hardly spoken when the heavy but sharp brassy sound of a big gun came from quite another direction. "And dat Massa Huggin oder schooner, sah. Dat um Long Tom." "Confound the scoundrel!" cried the lieutenant excitedly. "Up with you, Mr Murray. Here they come to the attack again. Take May with you, or we shall be burnt out before help can come. Well, what's that then?" he shouted excitedly, as Murray rushed up the stairs towards the rooms he had helped before to put in a state of defence. "Surely that is one of our brig's carronades. It was time she began to speak." _ |
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