Sail Ho! Part 53

I did not then understand him as I did afterwards, what a strange jealous hatred and dislike there was burning within him as he caught my arm, and held it tightly.

"Help me quickly!" he whispered. "Take me back before my weakness masters me, and I break down."

"But if you are so weak?" I said anxiously. "Take me forward!" he whispered angrily. "You cannot understand."

I saw Miss Denning looking wonderingly at her brother as we went out, and again fought our way back to the forecastle-hatch, no easy task with the ship heeling over, and the spray flying as it did; but I felt hardened to it now, and the darkness did not appear so terrible, nor the danger so great, with the warm glow I felt spreading through me. Then I looked at my companion quite wonderingly, as I could just see his pale thin face, for he said quickly in a lull of the wind--

"I think I've conquered, Dale."

"Conquered? It's wonderful how brave you have been."

I saw him smile, and then wondered afresh that I could have seen the change in his face. "Why, it's getting light!" I said joyfully.

I was quite right, and as we were in the tropics the change was coming rapidly. But just then we reached the watch, and to my surprise Mr Denning said as well as the rushing wind would let him--

"Mr Frewen, Mr Preddle, my sister has hot coffee ready, and will be glad if you can go at once."

I saw Mr Frewen give quite a start, and Mr Preddle regularly jumped, but they were both so surprised that they could neither of them speak, while Mr Denning turned to Bob Hampton.

"Your turn must be when they come back," he said.

"Oh, all right, sir, I can wait," growled Bob--I mean roared--for though there was a momentary cessation in the shrieking of the wind, he spoke as if Mr Denning were by the wheel; and there was no doubt now--we could not see it, nor were we likely to, through the mist and spray, but the sun was rising, and ten minutes after I was gazing at the sea, which was churned up into one chaos of foam.

"It's all over!" yelled Bob, a minute or two later.

"What's all over?" I asked.

"The hurry-cane, sir. We're most through it, and the wind's beginning to drop."

"But it's blowing terribly," I cried.

"Ay, sir, it is; but 'nour ago it was blowing ten times as terrible.

Why, there was a time when it most shaved my head, and another time when I put my hands up to feel if my ears was cut off. Strikes me as they would ha' gone if they hadn't been tied down with the flaps of this here sou'-wester."

"Yes, it's getting lighter fast," cried Mr Denning. "But how rough the sea is!"

"Ay, sir, she be a bit tossy like," said Bob; "but this here's nothing to what it is on a rocky coast. Ah, that's bad if you like."

"But we've had an awful night, Bob."

"Tidy, sir, tidy. Not so bad as it might ha' been."

"Oh, it couldn't have been worse!" I cried.

"What? Not been worse, sir? Why, where's your mainmas' gone by the board, and your fore-mast cut off at the top-mast-head, and your mizzen splintered into matchwood? Why, my lad, this arn't been nothing. And look yonder, there's the sun a-coming out, leastwise it's making the clouds look red-like. We're coming out of it well. Why, you ought to be proud, Mr Dale, o' belonging to such a ship as the Burgh Castle.

She's a clipper, if ever there was one built."

"I am proud of her, Bob," I said, "but I'm not proud of her crew."

"Well, no, sir," said Bob, rubbing his red nose, which looked wet and shiny now; "they arn't turned out a werry good lot, but then arter all they might ha' been worse. You see it's just like having so much soup as the cook's made for you, and all as good as can be, till the cook's mate tilts the lamp aside by a-hitting it with his head, and a drop o'

hyle goes into the soup. That one drop o' train-hyle spyles all the pot. See what I mean?"

"That Jarette is the drop of oil?"

"That's it, sir, and a werry, werry rancid drop he be."

Mr Denning laughed, and I saw him turn his back to the direction in which Mr Frewen had gone.

"_Tlat_!" went Bob Hampton's lips in a loud smack. "Glad when they gents come back, for I want some o' your young lady's hot coffee, bless her! to take the taste o' the hyle out o' my mouth."

"You shall have it soon, Hampton, my good brave fellow," cried Mr Denning, and I saw the weak tears in his eyes, "and you tell my sister that she is to find my little silver flask, and give you some brandy in your coffee."

"Thankye, sir, thankye, that's very good of you. Why, Mr Dale, sir, you talk of our having a bad night. Tchah!--nothing, lad, nothing. How could it be a werry bad 'un when you have the luck to be shipped aboard a craft with a angel aboard? A angel, that's what I says, and Neb Dumlow and Barney says the same. We all said it arter the mutiny had begun, and that if we didn't get the best of old Frenchy somehow we'd eat our heads.--Lie down, will yer?" he roared, as he gave the side of the hatch so fierce a kick that I thought his heavy boot would have gone through.

There was a heavy rustling sound, and the grumbling of voices plainly heard now, for the wind was rapidly falling.

"That was French Jarette a-listening, sir, for a penny-piece," whispered Bob, for it was growing possible to whisper now. "Strikes me we arn't done with him yet, and if I might adwise, I should say as Mr Frewen ought to be sent down below with some of his doctor's stuff to pyson that chap like you would a rat, for there'll never be no peace while he's aboard. Hah!" he continued, smacking his lips. "There's your sort; here's Mr Preddle coming back with his face shining and smelling o' hot coffee like a flower-garding."

Mr Denning turned round sharply, but checked himself as he saw that Mr Frewen was coming too.

"Looks like my turn now."

"Miss Denning is waiting to give you some coffee, Mr Hampton," said the naturalist.

"Thankye for the mister, sir, and thank her for the coffee," said Bob, smiling, and he straddled off, the sloping of the deck as the ship rose and fell and heeled over being apparently of no consequence to him.

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.

A few minutes later Mr Brymer joined us, rubbing his hands.

"We shall almost have a calm in an hour, gentlemen," he said, "and smooth water, with nothing but a long heavy swell before night. I think we may all congratulate ourselves upon what we have done, for we've saved the ship."

"Not yet," said Mr Frewen, pointing at the fore-castle-hatch.

"No, not yet, doctor; but we've only one enemy to deal with now, and can devote all our attention to him. I think I can relieve two of you gentlemen now. Mr Frewen, will you fight out another hour or two, while these gentlemen go and change, and have an hour or two's sleep?"

"I'll go and change," said Mr Denning; "but no sleep to-day."

"Please yourselves, gentlemen; but you must have rest, and be in readiness for a call. Hah! that's grand; what should we do without the sun?"

For as he was speaking, a bright gleam suddenly shot almost level across the spray, which still flew over the waves, and made it flash like a rainbow. It did more, for it sent light and joy into our b.r.e.a.s.t.s as Mr Preddle and Mr Denning went aft, meeting Bob Hampton with some boards, a saw, hammer, and nails with which he was soon busily at work strengthening the sides and top of the hatch, nailing down board after board, and only leaving one small opening in case communication should be needed with the prisoners below, who, saving for the light filtering through a small sky-light, and also through the ventilator, were in the dark.

An hour later a sort of council of war was held in the captain's cabin, and it was decided to well nail up the hatch of the cable-tier as well, there being no dread of the men breaking out in other directions on account of the closely-packed-in heavy cargo, much of which consisted, as I said, of machinery--agricultural implements and the like--for the Antipodes. Then arrangements were made as to the men being fed with biscuit and water, just sufficient for keeping them alive, and this starvation policy it was considered would be the means of setting the mutineers thoroughly against their leader, with the probable result that they would open up negotiations, and end by binding Jarette hand and foot and delivering him up. After that, as many as the captain thought could be trusted might be released to a.s.sist in navigating the ship, and the rest could be kept in prison.

Mr Brymer was quite right about the weather; we sailed right through the circular storm, and long before sunset of what proved to be a very hot day, the ship was gently gliding up one side of a long wave, and after pausing for a moment on the top, gliding down the other, so that it was hard to imagine that we had just pa.s.sed through so terrible a storm.

That evening I asked Mr Frewen to take me with him when he went into Mr Preddle's cabin to see Walters, and this resulted in his leaving me behind to sit down by where my brother midshipman lay, looking white, or rather grey as ashes.