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Syd Belton: The Boy who would not go to Sea, a fiction by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 28 |
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_ CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT. As Syd stood outside the effect was very curious. The wind was blowing with hurricane violence, and in a dull distant way the sea was breaking wave after wave against the rocks, but where he stood there was hardly a breath of air. Then with the novelty of his sensations increasing, and feeling that all this seemed to him like a dream from which he would awake in the morning, he walked to where the watch was posted, and started a little on seeing two figures in the darkness instead of one. "On'y me, Mr Belton, sir," came in the boatswain's gruff growl. "Rogers here felt it a bit lonesome like with no company but a long gun. And look ye here, mate," he whispered to the man, "don't you never forget to reload arter you've fired your pistol." "Seen or heard anything more?" said Syd, making an effort to keep up his new dignity. "No, sir. Fancied I did once, but it warn't nothing." "Blowing very hard, bo'sun." "Well, sir, tidy, tidy; most a capful o' wind. Thought I'd come and stay with him, sir," he whispered, as they walked aside to gaze out to sea; "bit scared like arter seeing that there thing again." "There was something, Barney, I'm sure." "Steady, Master Syd, sir, steady," growled the boatswain. "You can't lower yourself to call me Barney now you're commander of a fort, and a werry strong one too." "Oh, very well, bo'sun. But about that thing, whatever it was. What do you think it could be?" "Well, sir, I don't see how it could get here; but it's either a monkey or some small kind o' nigger as lives nateral like on rocks." "But what could he live on?" "Dunno, sir; lickin' on 'em p'r'aps." "But there's no water." "No, sir; that's what puzzles me. The worst on it is it scares the lads." "Well, it is startling. He did not hit it, I suppose?" "Hit it?" said the boatswain, contemptuously; "not him, sir. Get's thinking it's--there, I arn't going to say what he thinks. Sailors has all kind o' Davy Jonesy ideas in their heads till they gets promoted, and then o' course they're obliged to be 'bove all that sort of thing." "When do you think the frigate will be back?" "Can't say, sir. Not so long as the wind's blowing like this." "Oh!" ejaculated Syd; "so unfortunate. Just as we want the surgeon so badly." "What for, sir?" "Mr Dallas, of course." "Surgeon? What do he want with a surgeon? You mended him a deal better than I've seen poor chaps patched in the cockpit during an action, when the surgeon and his mates was busy. Look ye here, Master Syd, I've knowed you ever since you was a bit of a toddlin' thing as held on to my finger--this here one--and couldn't get your little dumpy things right round it; and you know me, sir, I wouldn't say a word to praise you as I didn't mean." "Oh, I don't know, Strake." "Then you may know, sir; I wouldn't--theer! And I says to you now as a honest man as never took nothin' worse than one o' them yaller gummy plums off the wall--them as crack right open like wide mouths, and seems to be putting out their stones at you laughin' like, and sayin', eat me if you dare. Well, sir, I say as a honest man, if ever I'm wounded I don't want no surgeon but you." "Oh, nonsense, man! There'll be a long serious time yet when he wants the surgeon's attention." "Not him, sir. No: we'll do all that." "I hope so, Strake. But now we are alone, tell me what I am to do to-morrow." "Just what you like, sir. If it was me I should mast-head Master Terry, if he come any of his games." "Without a mast-head?" "No, sir; you'll have to set up one o' them spars, the one with the little truck for the halliards right a top o' the highest pynte, to fly the Bri'sh colours, and you can send him there." "But about this place, and men?" "Oh, I dunno, sir. If it was me I should set the lads to level the gun-platforms a bit, and some o' the others to build up two or three walls with the loose rocks for us to roof in. One for the men, one for the orficers, and one for the stores." "Yes, I thought of doing that." "Why, of course you did, sir. And then you could give the men some gun-drill, and arter that wait till the enemy comes." "Yes, and when the enemy comes?" "Send him back with a flea in his ear. No room for no Frenchies here." "I hope they won't come," said Syd, half to himself. "Now, now, now, sir; no yarns to an old sailor," said the boatswain, chuckling. "I can believe a deal, but I can't believe that." "Don't talk nonsense, Strake. Look here, is there anything else to be done?" "Well, sir, it seems to me, going over it all as I have been, that you've been thinking that we've got our prog here, and some water, and not enough of it till the frigate comes back, so that you might put the lads on 'lowance so as to make sure." "Ah, I had not thought of that." "Beggin' your pardon, sir, you had, only it hadn't come up yet. That there was a thing to be thought on by a commanding orficer, and course you thought on it, on'y talking to me promiskus like you forgetted it. Then there's another thing. The skipper never thought 'bout going far away from here, I s'pose, and there's precious little wood, so I'll tell the cook he's to let it off easy, if so be as you says I am." "Yes, of course, Strake. Tell him." "Ay, ay, sir. We may have the luck to get some drift timber chucked up among the rocks; but if we do it'll want a deal o' drying 'fore it's good to burn." "No, we must not reckon on that." "Arter seeing to these two or three little things 'cordin' to your orders, sir, I should say that you've got as snug a little fort to hold as any one could wish, and all you'll want then is a sight o' the enemy to make you quite happy." The boatswain ceased speaking, and Syd stood laughing to himself, but treasuring up what had been said, as the wind swept overhead, and the waves kept on thundering in over the natural pier; though strangely enough the noise of the waves at this end of the gap also passed right up and away, so that it was possible to talk in a low tone, and hear the slightest sound anywhere near. They had been standing like this for some time when Syd suddenly laid his hand on the boatswain's arm. "What's that?" he said, in a low whisper. "Dunno, sir," whispered back the boatswain. "Trying to make out. I heard it twyste afore. What did it sound like to you?" "One stone striking against another." "That's it, sir, exact. Don't say any more here. It'll only scare yon chap. Sailors is easily frightened 'bout what they don't understand." They stood listening for some few minutes, but there was no farther sound, so they bade the man on guard keep a sharp look-out, though for what Syd could not have said, and turned to go up to the tent and see if Mr Dallas was awake. As they approached the place where the fire had been, a faint waft of the wind passed down the gap, and as it swept over the embers they brightened up, and shed sufficient light for Syd to see something creeping softly by the spot. Syd caught the boatswain's arm, and a gentle tap from the rough fellow's hand seemed to express that he knew, and had noticed. This was so evidently the object that had twice before been seen, that now was the time to convince themselves whether it was human, or some quadruped dwelling on the rock. "If I whisper," thought Syd, "it will take alarm, I know." He caught the boatswain's arm again and tried to draw him away back into the darkness. For the moment Strake resisted, then he gave way and allowed himself to be drawn toward the man on guard. "Now we shall lose him, sir," said the boatswain in a gruff whisper. "I'd got my eye on him, and was just a-going to give a pounce when you stopped it." "Yes; but look here, Strake," whispered Syd. "Each time it has been seen it came up this way from somewhere close to the gun. If we stop here we shall trap it." "But will it come back by here?" "Yes, I feel sure. It goes up there to prowl about and get food, and then it comes back to hide somewhere here in these cracks among the rocks." "Werry good, sir; I dare say you knows best. What shall I do--shoot it, or give it a chop with the cutlash?" "No; it may be a man--and we don't want to shed blood." "Right, sir. Then we watches here?" "Yes," said Syd, taking his place behind a block of stone, though it was so dark there was hardly need to hide. Strake followed his example, and they crouched down, with their ears on the strain, satisfied now that the clicking sound of stones striking together was made by this creature, whatever it was. "You must be on your guard, sir," whispered Strake. "Whatever it is, it'll be sure to scratch or bite. But so sure as you make a grab I shall be there, and he won't kick much with me atop of him. Hist!" Syd listened, but there was no sound, and he waited so long that he was going to speak to the boatswain and say, "We'll give up now," when a curious crunching noise fell upon his ear, and the next moment something dark was evidently trotting by them, looking in the darkness like a great dog. With one bound the young midshipman was at it, but it eluded his grasp, and ran right at Strake, who was the next moment down on his face. "Stand, or I fire!" came from a short distance away. "No, no. Avast there; it's the captain--I mean Mr Belton and me, my lad," growled Strake, getting up. "See that, Mr Belton, sir; I'd just got it when it went right through my legs, and I was down. Which way did it go?" "Don't know. I did not even feel it." "It's a big monkey, sir, or else--I know, sir, it's one o' they small bears, and that was biscuit he was chawing. We'd better shoot him. They bites as well as scratches and hugs, besides being very good eating, so they say." "Well, it's of no use to try to catch it now. Better hunt it from its hole by daylight. Isn't it time Rogers was relieved?" "Gettin' nigh, sir; on'y it's all on the guess.--Look here, sir, I know; we'll smoke the beggar out." "A capital way," said Syd; "only we've first got to find the hole." _ |
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