Blue Jackets Part 46

"Yes, my man, and I wish we had brought one." Then, after a few minutes' consideration, Mr Reardon decided what to do.

"Now, Mr Herrick," he said, "take a marine and one man with the signal flags, and go up to the ridge yonder. Place your marine where he can command the plain, and he will fire if he sees the enemy approaching.

The man is to signal for two more boats."

I started for the ridge after getting my two men, which was about two hundred yards away, the ground rising in a slope; and, as we went off at the double, I heard orders being given, while, by the time we were up on the top, I looked back to see our men going in a regular stream down to the boats, laden with bales of silk, the white frocks of the Jacks showing through the thick growth from time to time.

My sentry was soon posted in a position where he could command the plain for miles, and the Jack hard at work waving flags till his signal was answered from the ship, which seemed from where we stood to be lying close at hand.

Then we two returned, to find that one boat was already packed as full as it would hold; and Barkins and Mr Grey went off with it back to the river, while the second was rapidly laden, and in half an hour followed the first. Then Smith and I followed the lieutenant into the store, with its low reed-thatched roof, and gazed about wonderingly at the richness of the loot upon which we had come.

"I say, Gnat, we shan't go home without prize-money this voyage,"

whispered Smith; and then, nothing more being possible, the sentries-- four, posted at different distances--were visited, and we all sat down in the shade to rest, and partake of the refreshments in the men's haversacks.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

FRESH DANGER.

"They're a long time sending those boats, Herrick," said the lieutenant to me soon after we had finished our meal.

"It's rather a long way, sir," I ventured to suggest.

"Oh yes, it's a long way; but with the state of dishipline to which I have brought the _Teaser_ they ought to have been here by now. Suppose we were surrounded by the enemy, and waiting for their help to save us!"

"We should think it longer than we do now, sir." Mr Reardon turned to me sharply, and looked as if in doubt whether he should treat my remark as humorous or impertinent. Fortunately he took the former view, and smiled pleasantly.

"So we should, Herrick, so we should. But if they knew it was to fetch all this loot on board, they'd make a little more haste."

"They know it by this time, sir," I said. "They must have met the first boat."

"Oh, I don't know," he said rather sourly. "The men are very slow when I am not there."

"Here they are, sir!" I cried; for the marine sentry down by the river challenged, and then there was a loud cheering, and soon after Mr Brooke appeared, followed by a long train of fully-armed Jacks.

"Why, I thought when we started that we had come to fight," cried Mr Brooke as he reached us. "We met the two loaded boats. Is there much more?"

"Come and look," said Mr Reardon; and we went first into one and then the other store, while our party of Jacks communicated our luck to the newcomers, the result being that, as we came out of the second long hut, the men cheered again l.u.s.tily.

Then no time was lost; and the way in which the crew attacked those two stores of loot was a sight to see. It was tremendously hot, but they laughed and cheered each other as those returning met the laden ones going down to the boats. They would have liked to make a race of it to see which crew could load up their boat first, but Mr Reardon stopped that; and the strength of all was put to work to load one boat and get it off, so that there were two streams of men going and coming; and the first boat was deeply laden in an incredibly short s.p.a.ce of time, the men leaving themselves no room to row, but placing the chests amidships to form a platform, and two smaller ones in the bow and stern.

They would have laden the boat more deeply still but for Mr Brooke, who superintended at the side of the creek, while Mr Reardon was at the stores.

Then the first of the boats Mr Brooke had brought was sent off, and by the time the next was loaded one of those we had previously sent off returned.

"Velly plime lot of plize-money," Ching said to me every time we met; and he toiled away with the rest, his face shining, and while our men grew red he grew more and more yellow. But, in spite of the tremendously hard work of carrying down those loads, the men took it all as a party of pleasure; and when, later on in the day, after boatload after boatload had gone down the creek for hours, I had to go up to Mr Reardon with a message from Mr Brooke, I was astonished to see how the contents of the stores had disappeared.

It was getting close upon sundown when the last load was packed into the longboat. Silk bale, tea-chest, rice-bag, crate, and box, with an enormous amount of indescribable loot, including all kinds of weapons, had been taken aboard; and the men who had come up for fresh burdens began cheering like mad as they found the task was done.

"That will do, my lads; steady--steady!" cried Mr Reardon. "Fall in."

_Bang_!

It was not a loud report, only that of the rifle fired by the sentry on the ridge; and immediately the men stood to their arms, and were ready for what promised to be an interruption.

"See the sentry, Mr Herrick?" cried the lieutenant.

"Yes, sir," I said; "he's running in fast."

The next minute the man came up, breathless.

"Strong body of John Chinamans, sir, coming across from over yonder."

"Time we were off, then," said Mr Reardon; and, giving the word, we started away at the "double" from before the empty stores and huts, toward the creek.

Our run through the wood, though, was soon brought to a walk, for we overtook the last laden men, and had to accommodate our pace to theirs.

But they hurried on pretty quickly, reached the boat just as another empty one returned; the loading was finished, and as soon as the boat was ready, an addition was made to her freight in the shape of a dozen Jacks and marines, and she pushed off just as a loud yelling was heard from the direction of the empty stores.

"They'll be down on us directly," muttered Mr Reardon; and we all crowded into the empty boat and pushed off after the loaded one, but had not descended the creek far before we were stopped by the loaded boat, and had to arrange our pace by hers.

"Now for a slow crawl," I thought, "and they'll be after us directly."

A loud bang behind us told that I was right, and the handful of rough slugs in the heavy matchlock flew spattering amongst the leaves overhead, cutting off twigs which fell into the boat.

"Lie down all who can," cried the lieutenant; and we waited for the next shot, which, to be rather Irish, was half-a-dozen in a scattered volley.

But though the twigs and leaves came showering down, no one was. .h.i.t; and the c.o.xswain steadily poled us along as fast as the progress of the other boat would allow.

I saw that Mr Reardon was on the _qui vive_ to order a return of the fire; but so far we could not see from whence it came, and it seemed as if nothing could be done but keep steadily on with our retreat.

"They might have given us another half-hour, Herrick," he said. "I should like to get the boys on board unhurt."

"Think they can get on ahead, sir?" I whispered.

"I hope not. The forest on each side is so dense that I don't fancy they can get along any faster than we do. Make haste, my lads, make haste," he said, almost in a whisper; "we shall have it dark here under these trees before long."

Crash came another volley, accompanied by a savage yelling, but we were so low down between the muddy banks that again the slugs went pattering over our heads.

"Would you mind pa.s.sing the word to the other boat, messmate," said a familiar voice. "Tell 'em not to hurry themselves, as we're very comfortable."

"Who's that? Silence!" cried Mr Reardon.

No reply came to his question, but I could hear the men chuckling.

The next minute they were serious enough, for there was a burst of voices from very near at hand.

"Aim low, my lads," said Mr Reardon. "You six in the stern-sheets, as near to where the shooting is as you can."

The rifles were levelled, three of the barrels being pa.s.sed over our shoulders. Then came the usual orders, and the pieces went off like one.