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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 32 |
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_ CHAPTER THIRTY TWO. "And where have you been?" said Syd next day, after examining his second patient's injury. "Down in a big hole yonder," said the boy. "It's on'y a sort o' crack, but as soon as you gets through there's plenty o' room; and when I'd got a blanket and a bit o' sail to sleep on, it beat the straw corner up in the tater-loft at home all to nothing, on'y I was getting very tired o' nearly always biscuit. I say, Master Sydney, sir, you won't let father give me the rope's-end will you?" "You deserve it for smuggling yourself on shore." "Didn't you smuggle yourself ashore too, sir?" said Pan, innocently. Sydney and Roylance exchanged glances, and went to see how Mr Dallas was getting on. The morning had broken bright and fine, the wind had gone down, though the sea was still fretting and breaking on the rocky islet; but the high spirits in which the lads were became damped directly as they stood gazing down at the wreck of the fine handsome man lying there before them, hovering as it were between life and death. "I wouldn't care, Roy," said Syd, "if I could only do anything but attend to those wretched bandages." "You do a good deal," was the reply. "Oh, it seems like nothing. One gets no further, and I always go in to see him feeling as if it was for the last time." Partly to get rid of his painful thoughts Sydney worked hard with the men till everything possible under the circumstances had been done. Rocks had been shifted, breastworks built, and the place was so added to, that if an enemy should come, the scaling of the cliff over the landing-place and capture of the lower gun did not mean defeat. There was quite a little fort to attack half-way up the gap, and then there was a stout wall built across behind the second gun, which could be slewed round ready for an attack from the land side. Two mornings later, just after Sydney had been again combining the duties of surgeon and commander, Strake came up to him. "Going to order that boy a rope's-ending now, sir?" he said. "Not yet, Strake." "Done with him, sir?" "Yes." "Then I'd like a word with you in private." The privacy consisted in a walk to the upper gun, where, after a look round in the calm sunlit sea in search of the frigate, the boatswain said-- "Enemy's here, sir." "Where?" cried Syd, excitedly, looking out to sea again. "I was up at the flagstaff an hour ago, and Mr Terry's there now. He has not given the alarm." "Didn't look in the right place," said the boatswain, oracularly. "I did." "Don't play with me, Strake; where is he?" "In the tubs, sir." "What!" "On'y water enough to last four more days." Syd looked at him aghast. "We must have sails and casks ready to catch every drop when the rain comes," cried Syd. "Ay, sir, when it comes; but it don't come." "Then what shall we do?" "I ought to say die o' thirst, sir, on'y it sounds so unpleasant." "But my father, surely he'll be here soon. He knows how we are situated, and the other ship knows too. They will be sure to come." "I don't want to upset you, sir, but I do say the captain's a long while coming." "What's to be done, Roy? Hi, Mr Terry, will you join here?" said Syd, who had gone in search of his companion. Terry came up smiling pleasantly. "I have bad news for you. The water is nearly done. Can you make out why it is the frigate does not come?" Roylance shook his head, and Syd turned to Terry. "Of course I cannot say," replied the latter; "and I don't like to make you uncomfortable; but the captain seemed to me to be such a particular man, that I fear something has happened." "Happened?" "Yes; his frigate has either been taken by the enemy, or gone ashore in the storm." "Oh!" ejaculated Sydney, with an agonised look at Roylance. "You don't think this?" Roylance was silent. "Why don't you speak?" cried Syd, excitedly. "It's absurd to pretend to help one, and then stand and stare at him like this." "I did not want to hurt your feelings," said Roylance, quietly. "Never mind my feelings; speak out." "I have thought so for the past two days," said Roylance, gravely. "When Captain Belton put us ashore here, he meant to be in constant communication with the rock. He knew that we could do little without his help, and his being close at hand." "But the storm made him put to sea," said Syd, excitedly. "I know enough of navigation for that, though I've not been a sailor long. I've heard my father and my uncle talk about it; and he has not had time yet to come back." His two companions were silent. "Do you hear what I say? He has not had time to come back." Still there was no reply, and Syd turned sharply away to go to the stores and make out for himself how long their provisions would last. But in his bewildered state, with the cares of his position increasing at a terrible rate, the task was more than he cared to see to, and asking himself what he should do, he took his way up the higher side of the gap, climbing slowly, with the heat making him feel faint, higher and higher, till he stood where the well-guyed flag-pole rose up with its halyards flapping against the side. "It seems too much for me," he thought, "and I may be wrong, but Terry looked pleased at my being so worried. No water; the provisions running out; my father's ship lost--no, I will not believe that. He's too clever. It only wants the enemy to come out now and attack us to make it more than I can bear." He stood with one arm round the flagstaff, gazing at the distant port of Saint Jacques, wondering whether the people there knew of the English occupying the rock, and if they did, whether they would make an effort to drive them out. But though he gazed long at the houses, which looked white in the sunshine, there was nothing to be seen, and he swept the horizon once more to see the dazzling blue sea everywhere, but no sail in sight. He sighed as he let his anxious eyes rest on the deep soft blue of the water, close in, and became interested directly, for in one spot a cloud of silver seemed to be sweeping along--a cloud which, from his south coast life, he was not long in determining to be a great shoal of fish playing on the surface, and leaping out clear every now and then as they fed on the small fry that vainly endeavoured to escape. Syd's countenance cleared directly. "Why didn't I think of it before? I ought to have known that a rock is of all places the best for fish. We need not starve." He hurried down to find the boatswain, and propose to utilise some of the men, who were idling about in the shade cast by the overhanging rocks, and met the old sailor looking more serious than before. "I say, Strake," cried Syd, "why should not some of the men fish?" "Got no boat, sir." "Then let them fish from the rock." "That's just what Rogers has gone off to do, sir, by that patch o' rocks where we landed, and Mr Roylance and Mr Terry's gone to look on." "Mr Terry should be on duty," said Sydney, colouring slightly. "Ought he, sir? I thought he was under arrest." "We are not in a position here to study such things as that, Strake. Mr Terry is friendly now, and we want his help." Syd walked straight to the lower gun, descended a rope-ladder, which had been made and slung down for their convenience, and found the little group on the natural pier. "Mr Terry, a word, please, with you." "With me? yes," said the midshipman, looking at him wonderingly as he followed his young companion aside. "What is it?" "You have forgotten that you are under arrest, sir," said Syd. "I know it may seem absurd," he added quickly, as he saw Terry smile, "but it would be the captain's wish that good discipline should be kept up on the rock. Be good enough to stay with the men." "Oh, this is too--I beg your pardon, Mr Belton," cried Terry, mastering an outbreak of passion, and speaking in a cold, formal way. "You are right, sir; I'll go back." He went off at once, with Syd watching him till he had mounted the rope-ladder, where he paused to speak to the men by the gun, and then went on up the gap. "One don't feel as if he was to be trusted," said Syd to himself, wearily. "He is too easy and obedient, and I'm afraid he hates me. I wish he was in command instead. It would be much easier for me, and I feel such a boy." A shout behind him made him start and look round, to see that Rogers, who had been seated on the edge of a piece of stone waiting patiently, had now started up, and was playing at tug with a fish he had hooked-- one which was splashing about on the top of the water as the man began to haul in his long line. All at once, as the silvery sides of the fish were seen flopping about, the water parted and a long, lithe, snaky-looking creature flashed out like lightning, seized the hooked fish, and flung itself round it in a complete knot, making Rogers cease hauling, and watch what was going on in dismay. "Haul, my man, haul! You'll get them both," cried Syd, excitedly; and two other men who were looking on ran to help. But as they drew hard on the line, there was abundant floundering, the water flew up in a shower of silver, and then the line came in easily, for the captive was gone. "Look at that now," said Rogers, good-temperedly. "They're beginning to bite, though, and no mistake." He rebaited his hook, and threw out as far as he could, beginning to tighten the line directly after, and then hauling in rapidly, for the bait was taken at once, and though some longish creature made a savage dash at it, the sailor was successful in getting a good-sized mullet-like fish safe on the rock. "Got him that time, sir," he said, merrily, as he rebaited and threw in again. Syd was delighted at the man's success, and stood watching eagerly for the next bite. "I don't know what it is," said Roylance, who was examining the capture, "but it must weigh four pounds, and it looks good to eat." "Here you are again, sir," cried Rogers, hauling away, with another fish at the end of his line. "You've brought me good luck, sir. Hah! Look at that!" For there was another splash and a sudden check, followed by a battle between the sailor and some great thing which had seized his captive. "'Tarn't one o' them snaky-looking chaps this time, sir. Hooray! he's gone.--Well, now, I do call that mean." For he hauled in about a third of the fish he had hooked, the other two-thirds having been bitten off. "Cut a piece off the silvery part and put on your hook." "To be sure, sir; but hadn't I better cut off all but the head, and leave that on?" "Try it," said Syd, who forgot all his cares of government over the sport. The man whipped out his knife and cut through the remains of his fish just at the gills, throwing out the bright silvery lure, and the moment it touched the water, all fresh and bleeding, it was seized by a heavy fish, which he dragged in successfully, for it to be flapping about with its scales as large as florins flashing in the sun, all silver and steely blue. "Ten pounds, if he's an ounce," cried Roylance. "I say, Rogers, are you going to have all the fun?" "No, sir. Have a try," cried the man. "I'll soon put you on a good bait. Look here, sir, this head's on tight. Try it again." Roylance threw in his line, but there was no answering attack; and he waited a few minutes, with the waves carrying it here and there. "No good," he said. "Cut a fresh bait." But as he spoke there was a jerk which made the line cut into his hand, followed by a desperate struggle, and another, the largest fish yet, was landed; one not unlike the last caught, but beautifully banded with blue. "Why, here's provision for as long as we like to stay," cried Syd. "And how are we to cook it? We have not much more wood?" "We'll dry it in the sun, if we can't manage any other way. Now throw out just to the left of that rock." Roylance was already aiming in that direction, the bait falling a couple of yards to the left; and if it had been aimed right into a fish's mouth, the answering tug, which betokened the getting home of the hook, could not have been more rapid. Then followed a minute's exciting play, a tremendous jerk, and the hook came back baitless and fishless. "Never mind, sir; try again. Strikes me it's sharks is lying out there, waiting to get hold of all we ketches, 'cause the weather's too hot for 'em to do it themselves. There you are, sir; as shiny silver a bait as any one could have." There was another cast, and in less than a minute a fresh fish was hooked, and this escaped the savage jaws waiting to seize it, and was hauled in. "There, that's the biggest yet," cried Syd. "Fifteen pounder, I know." "You try now," said Roylance, and for the next half-hour, with varying success, they fished on, for there was to be quite a feast that evening, the men hailing with delight so capital a change from their salt meat diet; while there was supreme satisfaction in Sydney's heart, for he had solved one of the difficulties he had to face--the sea would supply them with ample food. "If we could only find water, and get some drift-wood, we could hold on till my father comes back." As he said these last words, he saw a peculiar look of doubt in his companion's eyes--a look which sent a chill of dread through him for a few minutes. "No," he said, "I will not think that; he'll come yet, and all will be right." Just then Pan came down from the hospital, where he had been placed to keep watch by Mr Dallas's rough bed and call if there seemed any need. "Mr Dallas says, sir, will you come to him directly." "Mr Dallas--he said that?" cried Syd, joyfully. "Whispered it, sir, so's you could hardly hear him, and then he said, 'Water!'" "Water!" thought Syd, with the feeling of despair coming back, "and we have hardly a drop left." As he thought this, he hurried up to the little canvas-covered place. _ |
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