Hunting the Skipper Part 99

"Yes, I suppose so, Tom; but look here, my lads," cried Murray sharply.

"Lay hold of that big old bedstead and draw it across the window. It will block it up. Then clap that big wardrobe on the top."

"Ay, ay, sir!" cried the men, as they seized the heavy framework and ran it across the opening, fastening it directly after in its place by laying the heavy wardrobe across.

"That's done it tidy," cried the big sailor; "and that's the beauty of having your orficer with yer to show yer what to do."

"None of your banter, Tom," cried the midshipman sternly.

"Beg pardon, sir," said the man, in protest. "'Twarn't done for that.

I meant it honest, sir. I shouldn't never have thought on it."

"All right," said Murray, smiling in the broad frank face. "Why, Tom, it's a treat to be with you again."

"Is it, sir?" cried the man.

"That it is, Tom."

"But you don't mean it, sir. I say, ain't that what you called banter?"

"Banter? No, Tom; I'm only too glad to get back to you. But how are you, Tom? Haven't you got hurt over these tussles?"

"Hurt, sir?" said the man, beginning to feel himself over. "I dunno, sir. Bit sore like just there, and my shoulder's just a shade stiff."

"Yes, and there's some paint off your nose, Tommy," said the boatswain, chuckling.

"Is there?" said the man, touching his rather prominent feature tenderly. "Humph! It do feel a bit like it. Never mind; I'll report mysen to the doctor when I get aboard again, and he'll put on a patch of his solid black--that as he keeps ready to lay on all at once. But I say, Mr Murray, sir," he added, closing up to his young officer, "you did me good in saying what you did. I felt real bad without you, sir, and as if I'd not been doing my dooty like to let you get away from me as I did."

"Nonsense, Tom! Who could help it? But it was awkward to be separated like that. I began to be afraid that we should never get together again."

"Well, sir, that's just what I got a touch of, sir, but I pulled myself up short, sir, and I says to myself, 'Mr Murray's too good an orficer,'

I says, 'not to find his way out of any hole as these slave-hunting varmint would dig for him.'"

"There you go again, Tom," cried Murray angrily. "You know how I hate flam."

"I'm blest, sir!" cried the man, in an ill-used tone. "Oh, you are hard upon me, sir."

"Then you shouldn't stoop to flattery."

"Flattery, sir? Well, if that warn't honest I'm a Dutchman. I only wish I'd got a witness, sir, as heared me say it, sir; but I only says it to myself, and you don't believe him."

"Yes, I do, Tom," cried Murray.

"Hullo, sir! They're at it again somewhere else."

"Pst!" whispered Murray, holding up his hand and stepping on tiptoe towards a door at one end of the room, partly hidden by a thick curtain.

The next moment he was signing to the men to follow him.

They were just in time, for a ladder had been raised against a narrow slit of a window of what was fitted up as a bathroom, and as the lad dashed in, it was to find that one of the slaver's men was in the act of leaping down into the room, striking at the middy in his bound, and with such force that he drove the lad headlong backwards, half stunning him in his fall.

"Here, what is it?" cried Murray, after a few minutes, in a confused manner. "Who did that?"

"Why, it was this here chap, sir," said Tom May. "Here, ketch hold of his heels, man, and let's send him back to his mates; we don't want him here."

"Who wounded him--who cut him?" cried Murray excitedly.

"I'm not quite sure, sir," said Tom May drily, "but I think as it was me, sir. You see, he let himself go at you, sir, and I just give him a tap."

"You've killed him, Tom," said the lad, in rather an awe-stricken tone.

"Nay, sir. Tap like that wouldn't take it out of him. I might ha' hit a bit softer, but I was 'bliged to be sharp, or he'd ha' finished you off, sir, and of course we didn't want that. There, let go your end, messmate," continued the man, and still half dazed, Murray stood staring as he saw one of their fierce-looking, half European, half Lascar-like enemies pa.s.sed out of the narrow window, bleeding profusely, and disappear, his pa.s.sing through the opening being followed by the dull sound of a heavy fall.

"You've killed him, Tom!" cried Murray again, with his face drawn-looking and strange.

"Nay, sir," grumbled the sailor, "but 'twouldn't ha' been my fault, sir, if I had. Some un had to have it, and it was my dooty to see as it warn't my orficer, sir. I do know that."

Murray was silent.

"Why, I say, sir, you'd ha' tapped one on 'em pretty hard on the head if you'd ha' seen him coming at me; now wouldn't you?"

"Yes, I should," said Murray, with something like a sigh. "Look here, Tom," he added hastily, "we have too many holes to keep closed. I want some of the pieces of furniture crammed into these places. It ought to have been done before."

"It was done, sir," grumbled the man. "That's what the first luff said, sir, and we've been doing nothing else; but as fast as we stopped up the beggars kep' on shoving the stuff out again with bamboos."

The high narrow window was, however, once more pretty securely blocked, and for many hours to come the defenders of the place had their work cut out to repel the attacks that were made, the two blacks proving invaluable in keeping up a supply of water to drench the woodwork that the enemy attacked with fire, so that pretty well a day had glided by without much change having taken place.

It was evident that the slaving chief had a strong force at his disposal in carrying on a desultory kind of siege of the plantation house, while at the same time it seemed to the besieged that a sort of running fight was being carried on with the _Seafowl_, whose guns were heard pretty constantly, though during the afternoon that followed Murray's arrival at the plantation it seemed that the brig must have followed the slaving craft to the opposite side of the island, where firing was still going on.

During a lull in the attack upon the planter's house, Lieutenant Anderson busily inspected his defences, and, like a prudent officer, saw to his supplies and examined as to whether he could not take further measures for their protection and the setting at defiance of the enemy for some time to come.

"He ought to have driven us out or taken us prisoners hours ago, Mr Murray," he said, "for he has five times our force."

"Yes, sir; he seems to have," replied Murray.

"And yet we have managed to keep him at bay. He has the advantage of being able to set scores of blacks to work fetching fuel to try and burn us out, bringing up provisions, doing everything but fight--they are of no use for that--while we have only two of the dark-skinned fellows; but I must say those two have proved to be invaluable."

"Yes, sir. That man, Caesar--we have him to thank for showing us how to utilise the water-tanks."

"Yes, and the underground supplies," said the lieutenant.

"And the whereabouts of the warehouses; otherwise we should have been starved out."

"Yes, Mr Murray; we have been pretty fortunate, and I think we should have been able to hold out if it were not for one thing."

"Should have been, sir?"

"Yes, of course, my lad. You see, I should have contented myself with having remained standing upon the defensive until the captain came to our help, though I should strongly have advocated a sally and the cutting of the way to the sloop so as to receive the help of the doctor for poor Mr Roberts--Eh? What were you going to observe?"