Hunting the Skipper Part 95

Then he would start awake with a strange suddenness, feeling as if his conscience had p.r.i.c.ked him for his drowsiness and neglect, and he would begin to tremble with anxiety, for he felt that he must have spoken aloud just at a time when they were near their pursuers, and so have betrayed their whereabouts.

Thoroughly wakened then, Murray found that they were motionless with his black companions listening, while Caesar's fingers were pressing his arm very tightly.

"No speak," he whispered; and the man's breath came hot into his ear.

"Huggins fellow chap everywhere. No catchee."

Murray's brain was closing up again, so it seemed to him, back into a deep sleep, and he remembered afterwards that during the latter part of that night he woke up from time to time when Caesar pinched his arm for him to stop, but directly the journey was continued he dropped asleep again.

Then it seemed to the middy that he must have been asleep an immensely long time, and he started up awake, staring hard at his guide, who had laid one hand over his lips while the other was offering him a ready-opened cocoanut.

"No speak, ma.s.sa."

"Why?"

"Huggins man over dah. See sailor officer--see slabe boy--see Caesar-- shoot, kill."

The man pointed over where Roberts lay half hidden by the undergrowth, while beyond him the big black was seated munching away at some half-ripe bananas, and ready to meet his eyes with a pleasant smile.

"It's morning, then!" whispered Murray, in surprise.

"Yes: to-morrow morning, sah," said the man, smiling; and it appeared to Murray that he had made a very absurd remark, for it must have been daylight for many hours, the sun being high.

"Whereabout do you think Mr Allen's cottage is?" he whispered now, as his head seemed to clear.

"Over dah," was the confident declaration. "Huggins man all round about come to fight."

"Fight? Who with?"

"Ma.s.sa officer sailor men."

"Do you think they have got back to the cottage?"

The black nodded.

"Big very much fight. Sailor kill big lot Huggins man."

"How do you know that?" said Murray sharply, for it seemed to him now that the last dreamy feeling of exhaustion had pa.s.sed away.

"Caesar find free dead men. Him tread on two," was his ready reply, "him" being the big black.

"But not white men!" said the midshipman, with his voice sinking to a whisper that was almost inaudible.

"Huggins man, ma.s.sa. Bad fellow. Caesar berry glad."

"Hah!" sighed Murray, and he crept to where Roberts lay apparently sleeping comfortably now.

"Is it far to Mr Allen's cottage?" asked the lad, after a pause.

"Over dah, sah," replied the black, pointing.

"Then why not go on at once?"

The black showed his teeth as his face lit-up in a smile.

"Lots Huggins man all about. Wait shoot white man. Wait shoot ma.s.sa sailor officer. Shoot big slabe boy and Caesar. 'Top here get dark again and Ma.s.sa Murray Frank crawl up close to cottage 'long o' Caesar show de way. Ma.s.sa Murray Frank put hand to mouf so how, like Caesar and say, Ahoy! No shoot, my boy! Friend!"

"Yes, I understand," said Murray eagerly.

"Dat's de way," said the black, laughing with satisfaction; and he placed his hollowed hand to the side of his mouth and cried very softly again: "Ahoy! No shoot, my boy! Friend! British sailor boy shoot more than Huggins man. Shoot drefful bad. Kill friend in a dark. Kill Murray Frank. Kill Roberts officer. Kill big slabe boy, and kill poor ole Caesar; and dat drefful bad job, eh, sah?"

"Yes," said Murray, responding to the black's smile most heartily; "that would be a dreadfully bad job, and no mistake."

"And no mistake, sah," cried the black, bringing to bear his natural imitative faculty apparently with a feeling of intense enjoyment, and repeating the expression, "And no mistake, sah. Ha, ha, ha, ha! Hallo!

'Top, 'top!" he added, in an excited whisper. "Caesar make too much noise enough and tell Huggins man where we hide umself. Ma.s.sa Murray Frank eatum Caesar nut. Do um good and mak.u.m fight like sailor man."

"Yes, I'll eat it soon," replied Murray. "But you're right, Caesar; we must wait till it is dark, for fear that my people should shoot us by mistake."

"Yes, sah; dat be bad job and no mistake," whispered the black, bringing in the fresh expression again. "What Ma.s.sa Allen do widout Caesar?

Hey?"

"Mr Allen trusts you, then?" said Murray.

"Yes, sah. Ma.s.sa Allen berry much trust Caesar. Ma.s.sa Allen tell Caesar he berry sorry he ebber trust Ma.s.sa Huggin. Wish um nebber come plantation. Caesar see big tear in Ma.s.sa Allen eye, and make Caesar berry sorry. Make um fink a deal. Ma.s.sa Huggins kill poor black n.i.g.g.ah, sah, lots o' times. Ma.s.sa Huggins got bad brudder come sometime with ship schooner full o' slabes. Flog um and sell um. Make um die sometime. Ma.s.sa Huggins' brudder tell um bad sailor man. Talk like dis way;" and the man as he knelt by Murray's side gave an exact imitation of the keen Yankee skipper. "Say 'Chuck um overboard,' sah." As the black uttered the command he acted it, and added grimly: "'Chuck um overboard to de shark?'" and added now a horrible bit of pantomime, dashing and waving his arms about to represent the terrible fish gliding over one another in a wild struggle to seize their prey.

"Don't! Don't!" whispered Murray, with a look of horror which proved the realism of the black's word-painting and gesticulation.

"No, ma.s.sa," whispered Caesar solemnly. "Um nebber chuck black n.i.g.g.ah overboard. But," he added, with a fierce look that was even ferocious, "Caesar like chuck Ma.s.sa Huggins overboard. Like see shark fish bite all a pieces and eat um. So--so--so!"

As he uttered the last words with hideous emphasis he brought his imitative faculty once more into action by laying bare his fine white teeth, throwing his head from side to side, and snapping like a savage animal.

"Horrible!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Murray.

"Yes, sah; dreffle horrible see shark bite poor half-dead n.i.g.g.ah a pieces."

"But you have never seen this?"

"Yes, ma.s.sa--long time ago. Caesar brought in schooner ship from Caesar own country. Bring lot of poor n.i.g.g.ah all shut up down below. Ship quite full, and ebery night some shut um eyes, and to-morrow morning some won't open eyes again. Gone dead. Sailor chap come along rope, haul n.i.g.g.ah up on deck--haul on deck, and Ma.s.sa Huggins brudder say: 'Chuck um o'erboard,' and chap come and take rope off Caesar and make um open um eye like say: 'What's de matter?' Den Ma.s.sa Huggins' brudder say, 'What's dat, you lubber? Dat one not dead!'"

"Did you hear that?" said Murray, with his lips apart as he listened in horror to the black's narrative.

"Yes, sah. Caesar no understand den what um mean, but um say--'What's dat, you lubber? Dat one not dead!' Nebber forget um--nebber! Caesar shut um eye now and see it all again--those n.i.g.g.ah chap chuck overboard and shark fish coming up out of water and roll over and over and snap, snap, snap--so. Make Caesar keep eyes open so dat couldn't go to sleep again for long time. Ma.s.sa Huggins man come take hold of um by arm and leg and chuck down below. Caesar not dead a bit. Caesar quite 'live now. Go and talk lot o' time to pore black n.i.g.g.ah when Ma.s.sa Huggins'

brudder bring schooner ship full of n.i.g.g.ah. Caesar talk to um, not like um talk to Ma.s.sa Murray Frank. Talk to um in own way sometime.

Sometime poor n.i.g.g.ah can't understand, but berry glad find Caesar sorry for um. Make um happy; laugh again."

"Poor creatures!" said Murray.

"Yes, ma.s.sa. Poor creature! Come and talk togedder in de night sometime. Ma.s.sa Huggins flog um when him find um out, but poor n.i.g.g.ah don't mind dat. Like to talk about de ole country where um come from.

Ma.s.sa Allen find um out too, but um only laugh and say, 'Poor fellow!'

But Ma.s.sa Huggin flog um, and some shut eye and nebber open um again.