Sail Ho! Part 39

At last, after some minutes that felt like hours, they went on and down the ladder to the lower deck.

"Phew!" panted Bob Hampton. "Oh, my lad, my lad, why didn't you whistle a jig out of the window?"

"Why didn't I what?" I cried.

"Whistle a toon, my lad. That would ha' let 'em know you could hear 'em talking, and they'd ha' gone. Hold me tight, please, for I'm 'bout spent."

The man spoke so faintly that we took alarm.

"No, no, Bob," I whispered. "Don't say that. Rest for a few moments, and then climb back on deck."

"Rest?" he said, in so pitiful a tone that I tightened my grasp all I possibly could, and felt how absurd my advice was to a man in such a position.

"You couldn't haul me in?" he whispered faintly.

"No," I said despairingly. "It is impossible."

"Impossible it is," he groaned. "Well, I shall have to face it."

"What do you mean, man?" whispered Mr Frewen.

"What we've all got to face, doctor. I couldn't swarm up that rope again."

"Dale, could we get the rope round his waist, and hold him?" whispered Mr Frewen.

"Here! hist! quick!" came through the opening where Mr Preddle was listening all the time.

"Silence!" cried Mr Frewen, sternly. "What do you say, Hampton?"

"I says as if you takes the line from under my feet for half a moment down I goes, for all the feeling's gone out of my arms. I'm done."

"No, no," I whispered in desperation. "Hold on, Bob; we must--we will save you."

"Ay, lad," he said dolefully, "I'll hold on as long as I can; but if you two are going to save me, you'll have to be very smart about it, I'm afraid."

"Mr Frewen! Dale!" came from the opening.

"Silence, I say!" cried the doctor, fiercely.

"I won't be silent," cried Mr Preddle. "Here, Dale, take this; I've pushed it through as far as I can reach. Give it him. Brandy."

"Ah!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Mr Frewen. "Quick."

I had already reached out with the hand which I had taken from Hampton's wrist, and was fishing about with it in the dark, but without a bite.

"Where is it?" I cried; but as I spoke my knuckles came in contact with the leather-covered flask so sharply, that I knocked it out of Mr Preddle's hand, and it fell with a bang on the floor, upon which the spirit began to gurgle out.

Bob Hampton groaned, and I felt that all was over; but hanging on to the rope I bent down, and guided by the sound seized the flask, gave it a shake, which told me that there was yet a good deal inside, and the next moment I was holding it to the poor fellow's lips, and listening to the gurgling the spirit made as he gulped quite a couple of mouthfuls down.

I knew he had taken it all, for I had at last raised the flask quite upright, and he drew his lips away.

"Now, Hampton," whispered Mr Frewen, "hold on for a little till the spirit begins to stimulate you."

"It's begun a'ready, doctor," was the answer. "It's put new life into me, sir, and I'm going to make a try for it directly."

"Not for a minute, man, not for a minute."

"In half a minute, sir, or it's of no good, for I'm a heavy man."

I tried to speak, but no words would come, for I felt as if my mouth and throat were quite dry, and there I stood hanging on to the rope, till in a curious hoa.r.s.e whisper the man said--

"I'd say make fast the end o' the rope about me; but--"

"Can you hold on the while?" I said; for my voice came back at this.

"Try, lad."

I don't know how I did it in so short a time; but it was Bob Hampton's teaching that made me so quick, as, leaving Mr Frewen to hold up the bight, I seized the end, pa.s.sed it round the man's chest, and made it fast, and as I finished he said softly--

"Here goes!"

Then he began to climb, and as he went up I soon found that the rope was being drawn through our hands. But we kept our touch of it, so that if he fell we could still let it glide till he reached the water, and then hold on till a boat was lowered to save him. Up he went, breathing very hard, higher and higher, with a loud, rustling noise. Then he stopped a little, and we tightened our hold, for we thought he was gone; but he struggled on again, up and up, and at last hung quite still, and now we felt that it was all over, for he was exhausted. I listened for the horrible splash, but it did not come, for he began again, and we heard one of his hands give a sharp smack.

"What's that?" whispered Mr Preddle through the opening, but neither of us replied.

We could not, though we knew that Bob Hampton must have loosened his grip of the rope with one hand to make a dash at the top of the bulwarks. Then there came a faint sc.r.a.ping sound, and I turned giddy from the cessation of the intense drag upon my brain. For I knew that the poor fellow had reached the deck. In proof thereof the rope was shaken sharply, and then jerked out of our hands. A faint sc.r.a.ping sound followed, and I knew it was being drawn up.

I heard no more till Mr Frewen spoke to me; his voice sounding strange through a peculiar, loud, humming noise in my ears.

"Feel better, my lad?"

"Better!" I said wonderingly. "I'm not ill."

"Oh no," he said, "not ill; only a little faint."

"Here," I said sharply, "why did you lay me on the floor?"

"You fell," he said; "or rather you slipped down. There, drink a little of this water."

"Is he all right again?" came out of the darkness in a sharp whisper.

"Yes, coming round now," I heard Mr Frewen say.

"Yes, I remember now," I cried quickly. "But Bob Hampton, did he get up safely?"

"Yes, quite safely."

Just then there was a sharp rattling of the door, and it was thrown open, while I closed my lids, so dazzling did the light of the lanterns which were held up above the heads of Jarette and Walters seem to my aching eyes.