Sail Ho! Part 59

"And there was?"

"Oh yes, sir, a terrible row. You see Mr Walters couldn't forget that he had been an officer, and Jarette couldn't forget he had been a fore-mast man, and feel jealous of Mr Walters, who used to make-believe amongst the men that he was the real captain of the ship, and that everything depended upon him. So at last there was a terrible row about something in the navigation, and Mr Walters told Jarette that he didn't know anything about it. Then the Frenchman hit him, kind of boxed his ears, and Mr Walters whips out a pistol. That was enough. Jarette whistled up the men, who none of 'em liked Mr Walters, and before he knew where he was, they had him on his back with his pistol gone and him helpless. He made a bit of a fuss, and threatened to have Jarette punished if he did not give it up, and then the skipper pointed the pistol at him, and told the men who were holding Mr Walters down to hang back as far as they could while he shot the prisoner. That was enough. The poor boy began to holloa out and beg for mercy, and Jarette set to and teased him, sir, horribly.

"'Oh, very well,' he says, 'you don't want to be shot?'

"'No, no!' cries Mr Walters, crying now like a little child.

"'Well, then, sir,' says Jarette, 'I'll try and oblige you.'

"Mr Walters lay watching him with his eyes rolling, but they wouldn't let him turn his head, while Jarette whispered something to some of the men, who went forward, and I saw them stoop down, but I didn't know what they were doing there even when they came back, and at a word four of them seized him, taking hold of his ankles and wrists.

"'What are you going to do?' cried Mr Walters, who looked white, sir, as so much dough.

"'What you wanted,' says Jarette. 'You didn't want to be shot, so I thought I'd humour you, and have you pitched overboard.'

"Then Mr Walters begins to howl for mercy, but Jarette shakes his head.

"'Off with him!' he cried; and in spite of the poor fellow's kicks and struggles, they trotted with him right forward and close up to the bows.

Then I shut my eyes, for I thought it was all over, and I put my head a little farther out of the door-way here to listen for the splash. But there came a shriek and a loud slap down of a lid, and then I opened my eyes and saw the men all laughing, and found what they had done. For they had given the poor fellow a few swings to make him believe he was going over, and then all at once took a few steps and shot him down feet first into the cable-tier, shutting the lid over him directly after."

"The cowardly brute, to torture any one like that!" I said to myself, as I went aft and into the saloon, stopping for a few moments by Walters' prison, and feeling sorry for him till I pa.s.sed my hand over my face.

That night pa.s.sed quietly enough, and a soft breeze rose to send us gently through the water, Mr Brymer giving his instructions to the men at the wheel as to the course they were to steer, though I had not the least notion where we were bound for now.

A strict watch was kept, of course, and there was a slight alarm once, but it pa.s.sed off; and the sun rose again, with the wind dropping, and leaving us once more rocking gently upon the smooth ocean.

We were all in better spirits though, thanks to the cook and the few hours of rest every one had managed to s.n.a.t.c.h. Mr Frewen gave us the news, too, that the captain was decidedly better, and that Miss Denning was nursing him constantly.

This was a bit of relief to me, for it kept Miss Denning in the cabin, and I was determined not to let her see my face till I looked different.

About an hour later, first one and then another crawled along the deck very silently to try and make out what was going on in the forecastle.

I did not go, neither did Mr Frewen or Mr Preddle. Mr Denning was in the captain's cabin resting; but all came back with the same story, one which relieved me, for I was startled, thinking that the party were all smothered by being shut down in the cabin place in such hot weather.

Dumlow, Blane, and Bob Hampton all said that the men were sleeping, and that they thought they had been at the drink.

Mr Brymer crept close up in his turn, listened for some time, and confirmed the men's statement.

"Getting ready for a fresh attack," he said. "I'll have a talk to the captain as to what is to be done."

He placed another trusty man on duty, ready to give the alarm if the mutineers woke and tried to break out, and then proposed that we should all go into the captain's cabin and have a council of war once more.

"Think he can bear it, Frewen?" he said.

"Oh yes, if we do not stay too long. It will rouse him up and do him good mentally, to feel that he has some interest in the management of the ship."

"Then come along," said the mate. "But where is Mr Preddle?"

"Gone to look after his fish," I said; for he was always s.n.a.t.c.hing every opportunity to go and see how the salmon and trout fry were getting on.

"Go and fetch him, Dale."

I had to pa.s.s Mr Frewen on my way, and I seized the opportunity to whisper to him--

"I shall hang back till you come to the door, and signal to me that Miss Denning has gone. She mustn't see me like this."

He smiled, and I went forward to where Mr Preddle was making himself very hot by using the bellows to aerate the water.

"Yes--yes, of course," he said. "I'll come." And hastily putting on the light flannel jacket he had removed, he followed me toward the saloon.

"They will not make a rush and get out while we are away, will they?" he said, with an uneasy look over his shoulder.

"They are well watched," I replied, "and we shall not be very long."

"Ah! It would be very dreadful if they did, Dale. Have they been fed this morning?"

"Why, you talk as if they were wild beasts in a cage, Mr Preddle," I said merrily.

"So they are," he cried,--"worse. I feel sometimes as if I could kill them all."

"Gone to her own cabin, Dale," said Mr Frewen, meeting us at the saloon-door-way, and Mr Preddle looked at us inquiringly.

"Dale is afraid of Miss Denning seeing his wounds," said Mr Frewen, laughing. "He does not think they look the proper kind to be proud of."

"I wish you wouldn't joke me about my bad face, Mr Frewen," I said, as we entered the far cabin, where the mate was seated by Captain Berriman's cot, and I was startled to see how changed he looked.

But his eyes were bright, and he held out his hand to each in turn, as we stood about with the door well open, the place of course being very small.

"Now, sir," said Mr Brymer, firmly, "you know how we stand. I'm horribly averse to taking life, but things cannot go on as they are."

"No," said the captain, in a voice hardly above a whisper. "You must act now, and firmly, before there is loss of life on our side."

"That means then," said Mr Frewen, "shooting down every man who attacks us."

"Of course," said a low, firm voice, and I started to see that Mr Denning was standing outside.

"My practice is always to save life if I can, Mr Denning," said the doctor, sadly. "Are you not too hard and revengeful?"

"Neither, sir," replied Mr Denning, sternly. "If I were alone I would say nothing, but I have my sister to protect, and I say that at any cost these ruffians must not leave that place alive."

There was so absolute a silence in the captain's cabin, that we all heard distinctly a piteous sigh from that which Mr Denning had just left.

"Yes, Mr Denning is quite right," said Mr Preddle, in his highly-pitched voice. "I hate all this, and I am not a fighting man; but I know that I shall fire on the first wretch who tries to break out without a qualm."

"You hear, Mr Frewen," said the mate; "I am forced by circ.u.mstances to take very strong measures."

"That may mean the death of several of those misguided men?" said Mr Frewen, excitedly.