Fitz the Filibuster Part 62

"Oh, by climbing up, father, a bit at a time, getting hold of the bushes and hauling oneself up sometimes."

"Ah," said the skipper quietly. "You would be very clever if you did.

It might be managed for a little way up, but all that upper part isn't perpendicular; it hangs right over towards us. Impossible, my lad.

Nothing could get up there but a bird or a fly. We must give up that idea. Burgess, you will have to lower a boat and let her drift down to the headland there, stern on, and with the men ready to pull for their lives, as you may be fired at. When you get to the head you must let her slide along close under the bushes till you get a sight of the boats and see what they're doing."

"Right," said the mate. "Now?"

"Yes; the sooner the better."

Poole glanced at Fitz, and then started to speak to his father; but before he could open his lips there was an emphatic--

"No! You would only be in the way, my lads. I want four strong men to row, and one in the stern to look out; and that one is Mr Burgess."

"Very well, father," said the lad quietly, but he looked his disappointment at Fitz, whose vexation was plainly marked on his countenance, as he mentally said, "Oh, bother! He might have let us go."

Things were done promptly on board the _Teal_, and in a few moments the cutter was lowered down with its little crew after the netting had been cast loose and raised; and then they watched her glide down with the stream, stern on, with the rowers balancing their oars, the stroke dipping his now and then to keep her head to stream, and the mate standing with his back to them till the headland was reached, when he knelt down, caught at the overhanging bushes and water-plants, and let the boat drift close in and on and on without making a sign, till she disappeared.

Just then Fitz heaved a sigh.

"What's the matter, old chap?" said Poole.

"Oh, we shall have nothing to do but wait now, perhaps for hours, for I expect the enemy has gone right back to the gunboat, and waiting is a thing I do thoroughly hate. Eh? Is that you, Camel?"

"Andy Cawmell it is, sir. A'm thenking that it would be joost a good time for a wee bit food. Ah've been watching Mr Burnett here, and the puir laddie looks quite white and faint. Would you mind telling the skipper that I've got a wee bit hot dinner a' ready? and if he will gi'e the word I'll have it in the cabin in less time than Duncan Made-Hose took his pinch of sneeshin."

"Well done, Camel!" cried Poole, who darted to his father, leaving the cook blinking and smiling at Fitz, who looked at him in admiration.

"Why, Camel," he said, "you are a deal too clever for a ship's cook, and I don't know what I owe you for all you have done for me."

"Oh, joost naething at all, laddie."

"Nothing! I want to make you a big present when I can."

"You do, laddie? Vairy weel, and I'll tell you what I'd like. Ye'll just gi'e me one of them quarter-poond tins of Glasgie sneeshin."

"Snuff!" said Poole contemptuously. "Ay, laddie; snuff, as ye call it.

Nay, don't turn your nose up at sneeshin. Ye should turn it down.

Thenk of what it is to a man condemned to get naething but a bit of dirty black pigtail tobaccy that he has to chew like the lads do in their barbarous way. Ye'll mind that: a four-ounce tin of the rale Glasgie."

"Oh, but--"

"Nay, nay, laddie. That'll make us square. Now then, what's the young skipper got to say?"

"The sooner the better, Camel, for he's half-starved; but you are to keep a bit hot for Mr Burgess."

"Ou, ay," said the Camel, smiling. "I never forget the mate. He wadna let me if I would."

The two lads watched anxiously for the return of the boat, but in vain, and then, in answer to the summons, went reluctantly below as far as their minds were concerned, but with wondrous willingness on the part of their bodies, to join the skipper over a capital meal, which was hastily discussed, and then the trio went on deck to where the men were keeping watch, and ordered them to go below.

"Get your dinner, lads, as quickly as you can, and then come up again.

We'll keep watch until you do."

They took their places aft at once, and the watch began, lasting till, headed by the boatswain, the men hurried up again, looking inquiringly in the faces of those they relieved; but they looked in vain, for nothing had been seen of the cutter, and quite an hour had pa.s.sed when she came round the bend, being rowed swiftly, for the mate to hail the skipper and make the announcement--

"They have gone right back to the gunboat, and I waited till they were run up to the davits, and then came back. Is there anything we can have to eat?"

CHAPTER FORTY THREE.

WINKS'S PLANS.

The mate and the boat's crew went below, and the skipper took a turn or so up and down the deck, thinking deeply, while the two lads went and settled themselves down aft to keep a keen look-out for any danger that might approach, and naturally dropped into conversation, first about the fight, a subject which they thoroughly exhausted before they began a debate upon their position.

"What's to be done, eh?" said Poole, in response to a question. "I don't know. We are regularly boxed up--trapped. You heard what was said, and here we are. We can't attempt to sail out in the daylight because Don Cousin would sink us as sure as his great gun, and we can't sneak out in the dark because, even if we got a favourable wind, old Burgess couldn't find the way."

"We might take to the boats, and slip off as soon as it was dark, and row along close in sh.o.r.e. We should be out of sight long before daybreak, and join Don Ramon at Velova."

"Exactly," said Poole sarcastically; "and leave a note on the binnacle, 'With father's compliments to Don Cousin, and he begged to make him a present of the smartest little schooner, just as she stands, that ever crossed the Atlantic.' Likely, isn't it?"

"Oh no," said Fitz hurriedly. "Of course that wouldn't do."

"Oh, I don't know," said Poole, in the same mocking vein. "It doesn't do to be in too much of a hurry over a good idea. There, you wait till the dad turns and is coming back this way, and then you go and propose it to him."

"Likely, as you say," said Fitz, with a laugh. "But look here, what is to be done?"

"I only know of one thing," replied Poole; "keep a strict watch for the next prank they will play, and beat them off again till they get tired and give it up as a bad job."

"That they will never do," said Fitz decidedly. "Think they could land and get up on one of these cliffs from the sh.o.r.e side, and pick us off by degrees with their rifles?"

"No," said Poole, leaning back and gazing upwards. "I think that would be impossible."

"Well," said Fitz, "what do you say to this? Man the boats after dark, row out to the gunboat, board her, and take her. Now, I think that would be grand."

"Oh yes, grand enough; but she's a man-of-war with small guns as well as the big one, and a large, well-drilled crew. No, no, they would be too keenly on the watch. I don't believe we could do that. I've a good mind to mention it, though, to father. No, I won't. He'd have thought of that, and he'd only look upon it as so much impudence, coming from me."

"I dunno," said Fitz. "Here he comes. Try."

"Here, you two," said the skipper, coming close up to them; "I have a nice little job for you. Take four men, Poole, and drop down in a boat cautiously. Don't be seen, and get down to where you can watch the gunboat till dark, and then come back here and report what you have made out. Of course if they make any movement you come back directly and let me know."

These orders put all farther scheming out of the lads' heads, and a very short time afterwards Poole had selected Chips and three other men, and the boat was gliding down with the current, each bend being cautiously rounded in the expectation of the enemy being seen once more ascending the river. But the last headland was pa.s.sed with the boat kept well under shelter of the overhanging growth, and the open sea lay before them; and there, about two miles away, and exactly opposite the mouth of the river, lay the gunboat with a film of smoke rising from her funnel, indicating that steam was being kept up, while by means of the gla.s.s that this time had not been left behind, they could plainly make out that she was lying at anchor, keeping watch upon the sh.o.r.e.

"There," said Poole, "I'll be bound to say she's just at the mouth of the channel by which we came in, and as close as she dare come. We should look nice sailing down nearer and nearer to her. Bah! We should never get half-way there."

"Well, what's to be done?" said Fitz.

"What we were told. Make ourselves comfortable till the sun's just beginning to go down, and then get back as quickly as we can.--Make her fast, my lads, with the painter--there, to that branch, only so that we can slip off in a minute, for we may have to go in a hurry at any time."