Nic Revel Part 22

"Hold hard, lads, and come and help," he yelled.

The help came; and, with the dogs barking furiously and getting in every one's way, Nic and Pete, tightly embraced, were dragged over into the bottom of the boat, the blacks, as soon as this was done, standing shivering, and with a peculiar grey look about the lips.

At that moment there was a distant hail from the landing-stage, and the big smith pulled himself together and hailed in reply.

"Ah, look!" he cried; "you white fellow lose one oar. Quick, sharp!

come and pull. Ma.s.sa Saunders make trebble bobbery if we lose dat."

The oars were seized, and with two of the prisoners helping to row, the oar was recovered from where it was floating away with the tide, the others trying what they could do to restore the couple, who lay apparently lifeless; while the dog which had behaved so strangely earlier in the day stood snuffing about Nic, ending by planting his great paws upon the poor fellow's chest, licking his face two or three times, and then throwing up his muzzle to utter a deep-toned, dismal howl, in which the others joined.

"Say, um bofe dead," groaned the big smith. "Pull, boy; all pull you bess, and get back to the ma.s.sa. Oh, lorimee! lorimee! what ma.s.sa will say along wi' dat whip, all acause we drown two good men, and couldn't help it a bit. Oh, pull, pull, pull! Shub de boat along. What will ma.s.sa say?"

CHAPTER TWENTY.

FISHING FOR MEN.

Those with the boat had been too much occupied in their own adventure to heed what had taken place at the landing-stage; and, even had they glanced in that direction, the distance the swift tide had carried them up-stream would have made every movement indistinct.

But busy moments had pa.s.sed there, for the overseer was a man of action, and prompt to take measures toward saving the life of the drowning man.

For a human life was valuable in those early days of the American colonies, especially the life of a strong, healthy slave who could work in the broiling sunshine to win the harvest of the rich, fertile soil.

So, as the boat drifted away, he gave his orders sharply, and the black slaves, who had stood helplessly staring, rushed to the help of their companion, who was hanging by the boat-hook, half in the water, afraid to stir lest the iron should give way and the tide carry him off to where, as he well knew, there were dangers which made his lips turn grey with dread.

The help came just as the poor fellow was ready to lose his hold and slip back into the river, and in another minute he was shivering on the stage.

"Take hold of that boat-hook," cried the overseer, speaking with his eyes fixed upon one spot, where the water ran eddying and forming tiny whirlpools, and not daring to look round for fear of losing sight of the place where it seemed to him that his white slave had gone down like a stone; and this had kept him from giving much heed to the proceedings in the boat.

One of the men seized the pole and waited for the next order.

"He went down there," cried the overseer, pointing. "Sound with the pole, and try how deep it is."

The man obeyed, the pole touching the muddy bottom about four feet below the surface.

"That's right; jump in," cried Saunders.

The man started, and then remained motionless, gazing piteously at his companions.

"Do you hear? Quick!" roared the overseer.

"There big 'gator, sah--'gator gar, sah," cried the man piteously.

"Bah! In with you," cried the overseer fiercely, and he cracked his whip, with the result that the man lowered the pole again, and then half-slipped, half-jumped down into the water, which rose breast-high, and he had to hold on by the boat-hook to keep himself from being swept away.

But the next moment he steadied himself.

"There, wade out," cried Saunders; "quick, before it is too late.

Quick, sir; do you hear?"

He cracked his whip loudly as he spoke, and the man raised the pole after separating his legs to increase his support, as he leaned to his left to bear against the rushing tide, which threatened to sweep him from his feet. Then, reaching out, he thrust down the boat-hook again to get another support before taking a step farther from the staging.

But it was in vain. The water deepened so suddenly that as he took the step the water rose to his nostrils, and he uttered a yell, for the current swept him from his feet to fall over sidewise, and the next moment lay, as it were, upon the surface, with only one side of his face visible; but he was not borne away.

The other blacks, and even the overseer, stared in wonder, for there the man lay, with the tide rushing by him, anch.o.r.ed, as it were, in the stream, rising and falling gently like a buoy for a few moments before beginning to glide with the current.

"It's of no use," said the overseer sharply; "the hound's dead before now. Clumsy fool! Two of you jump in, and one reach out to get hold of Xerxes; we must give the new fellow up."

The men shrank, but they obeyed, lowering themselves into the water and joining hands, one of them taking hold of the end of the staging, while the other waded a step or two and reached out, as he clung to his fellow's extended hand till he was just able to get hold of the cotton jacket.

That was sufficient; the black was drawn a trifle sh.o.r.eward, and then came more and more, as if dragging with him whatever it was that had anch.o.r.ed him to the bottom.

That mystery was soon explained, for the pole of the boat-hook, to which the poor fellow clung, appeared level with the surface, and as the drag was increased more and more of the pole appeared, till all three were close up to the piles; after which first one and then another climbed out to drag at the long stout staff, till, to the surprise of all, they found that what it was. .h.i.tched into was the clothes of Humpy Dee, who had lain nearly where he had sunk, anch.o.r.ed by the weight of his irons, in some hole where the pressure of the current was not so great as at the surface.

In another minute the heavy figure had been hauled upon the platform, to lie there apparently dead; while the blacks began, after their homely, clumsy fashion, to try and crush out any tiny spark of life which might remain, and kept on rolling the heavy body to and fro with all their might.

"It's no good, boys," said the overseer, frowning down at the prisoner.

"Keep on for a bit, though;" and he turned away to watch the coming of the boat, just as Pete sat up, looking dazed and strange, and Nic rose to his knees, and then painfully seated himself in his old place.

"Better than I thought for," muttered the overseer. "One gone instead of three--pull, boys," he shouted.

The blacks needed no telling, for they were exerting themselves to the utmost, and in a few minutes one of the blacks on the landing-stage caught the prow with the hook, and the boat was drawn alongside of the woodwork, the dogs having quietly settled themselves in their place behind the stern seat as soon as the two half-drowned men had shown signs of recovery.

The overseer scanned the two dripping figures hard, uttered a grunt, and turned once more to where the blacks were busy still with the heavy figure of Humpy Dee, which they were rolling and rubbing unmercifully, with the water trickling between the boards, and the sunset light giving a peculiarly warm glow to the man's bronzed skin.

"Well," cried the overseer, "is he quite dead?"

"No, sah; am t'ink he quite 'livo," said one of the blacks.

"Eh? What makes you think that?"

"Him bit warm, ma.s.sa--and just now him say _whuzz_, _whuzz_ when we rub um front."

"No," said the overseer; "impossible. He was under the water too long.

Here, what are you doing?"

The black had laid his ear against the patient's breast, but he started up again.

"Lissum; hear whever him dead, ma.s.sa. You come, put your head down heah, and you hear um go _wob_, _wob_ berry soffly."

Saunders bent down and laid his head against the man's bull-throat, to keep it there for a few moments.

"No go _wob_, _wob_, sah?" cried the black. "You two and me gib um big shake. Um go den."

"No, no; let him be," cried the overseer; and the blacks looked on in perfect silence till their tyrant rose slowly to his feet, scowling.

"Clumsy brute," he said, "causing all this trouble and hindrance.

Nearly drowned two men. There, two of you take him by his head and heels and drop him in."