Mother Carey's Chicken Part 73

"Did you hurt yourself much?"

"Hurt myself! I should think I did. I must have half my bones broken.

But what a roar!"

"What was it like?"

"Like, sir! Oh, I can't tell you what it was like."

"What! didn't you see it?"

"Don't you talk so loud, my lad, or we shall have him arter us."

"No, I won't, Billy; but did you see it?"

"'Cause, if we gets it arter us, it's all over."

"Yes, yes, I know that; but I want to know what sort of a beast it was.

Did you see it?"

"Did you hear it roar, Mr Mark, sir?" said Billy, still fencing with the question.

"Of course I did. What was it like?"

"Well, you see, I didn't, as I may say, exactly see it, Master Mark, sir, so I wouldn't venture to say what it was like."

"But you saw something?"

"Well, I won't deceive you, Mr Mark, sir; I didn't see nothing."

"I wish you had, Billy. But what an escape! The thing must have been asleep when we went there last night, and did not wake till we came away. But we've found out its hole."

"Yes," said Billy, dolefully, as he rubbed one leg; "we've found out its hole, Mr Mark, sir, only, as you may say where is it?"

"Why, we could find our way back there, surely?"

"I don't believe n.o.body could find their way. I can't, sir. You're always going where you don't want, and turning up somewhere else. I feel like the needle in the bottle of hay, sir, and give it up."

Mark stood listening, but all was still.

"Shall we go back and try if we can see it?" he whispered.

"Go back! Now, my dear lad, don't. Don't think about that. Ugh! after such an escape! Come along."

"Wait a moment. Where's the sun? It should be on our right."

"Well, it's on our left, now," said Billy.

"Then we've been going farther away from the sea. Well, we can't go back."

"Go back, my dear lad! no! let's go this way, and make on till we come to somewhere. Anything, so as to get right away from that horrible beast."

In spite of his proposal to go back and try and get a glimpse of their enemy, Mark felt more disposed to hurry away; and for the next two hours they climbed and struggled on, half aware, and yet not willing to alter their course, that they were going farther from help.

Mark said so at last.

"But we don't want help so much now, sir, as miles of distance. Let's get away, right away, Mr Mark, and when we feels we're safe then we'll talk about going for camp."

Mark said no more, but trudged on, and struggled through the trees, with the ground growing higher and higher, till at last they came upon a sight which made Billy Widgeon try to throw up his cap; but he only struck it against a bough, and then made a dash forward in the direction of something which quite for the moment overmastered all his feelings of dread.

"Food!" he shouted; and Mark saw that he was making for a tall cocoa-nut tree; but before he had gone many steps the report of a gun rang out on the morning air, and this brought both to a stand-still.

"Ahoy!" they shouted as nearly as they could together, and a faintly-heard shout answered their call.

"Hurrah!" shouted Mark, and he hailed again and went in the direction of the response, closely followed by Billy, who cast longing eyes on the cocoa-nuts.

The rest was but a matter of time, and was achieved by keeping up the calls and answers. Sometimes they found they were going wrong, but this was soon rectified, and in half an hour Mark's eyes were gladdened by the sight of his father's face, as he forced his way out of a cane-brake.

"Oh, father," the lad exclaimed, "I am so sorry!"

"Oh, Mark, my boy, I am so glad!" cried the captain, catching him by the shoulders, and then pressing him tightly to his breast.

"You young dog! Here, Strong, give me leave to thrash him, and I'm yours truly for ever. Why, Mark, my dear boy, what a stew you put us in! There, if you'll go and look where I lay down to sleep for half an hour you'll find some tears on the leaves."

"I'm so sorry, Major O'Halloran."

"Bedad, and it don't matter, for we've found you again. Ugh! you ugly young ruffian! to go frightening your father into fits."

"It was an accident, sir."

"That's what your father said. He would have it that you had gone down a hole to see what made the mountain burn, and couldn't get out."

"If you wouldn't mind, Mr Mark, sir, I'd like to shake hands," said Small, "afore I punch Billy Widgeon's head."

"It wasn't his fault, Small," cried Mark, shaking hands heartily with the boatswain before turning to the captain.

"Was my mother very much frightened, father?"

"I hope not, my lad."

"Hope not! What! haven't you been back to camp?"

"Not likely, my boy. We found you did not come back so we went off from the mud-stream path to the right and searched for you till we could not see, and have fired off half our ammunition for signals."

"But we went off to the left, father," said Mark.

"And so we got farther and farther apart, so no wonder we did not find you."

"Did you shout?"