Sail Ho! Part 63

"Lot o' preserved vegetables and herbs and all in it, sir," he exclaimed. "If I don't stir they'll go to the bottom."

"Oh, keep stirring!" I said huskily, as I took a tin, made Dumlow lay some biscuits on the wooden boarding over the hatch, and I held the tin ready while the cook filled it from the ladle.

The next minute, with my hand trembling, I handed the first tin and a biscuit down, for both to be s.n.a.t.c.hed from me. Then I shivered and felt that all was over, for a familiar voice said--

"Taste that, one of you, and see if it's all right."

"Oh, that's all right! Mister Jarette. Plenty o' salt, pepper, and dried herbs in it," said the cook.

Then there was a peculiar noise below, slightly suggestive of pigs, and a voice said--

"Jolly hot, but--suss!--good--capital!"

"Here, look sharp, skipper, make haste! Here, I'm first," and a dozen other expressions greeted my ear, as, gaining courage, I had a second one filled and pa.s.sed it down, leaving it to Dumlow now to hand down the biscuits, while as every portion was served there were grunts of satisfaction, and the cook smiled and looked as proud as could be.

"Here you, cookie, _bon chef_," cried Jarette; "I'll promote you as soon as I come to my rights. Ladle away."

The cook did ladle away, and I handed the tins, moved by a kind of frenzy, so eager was I to get the horrible task over, while my heart beat furiously. I shivered as I heard the men below laughing and talking, as they praised the cook's performance, little imagining the hand I had had in the preparation. But I thought of how horrible it would be if the drug proved too strong for some of the men, or if others got more than their share through its settling down, and in spite of the vigorous use the cook made of his ladle as we neared the bottom, I felt worse and worse, feeling as I did at last, that we were sending down to some of the men that which might prove to be their death.

"That's all!" shouted the cook at last, giving the upturned tin bucket a loud banging with his ladle, and a loud murmur of disappointment came up through the opening.

"Be good boys, then, and I'll make you another lot to-morrow. Why, Mr Dale, sir," he said, turning to me, "it has made you hot; your face is all over great drops."

"Is it?" I said, rather faintly; "I suppose it is very hot."

But all the same I felt cold and ready to shiver, while to escape notice I hurried aft and entered the saloon where the gentlemen were waiting, Mr Brymer following me in.

"Well!" he said eagerly.

"They've taken it to the last drop," I panted, and then to the doctor--"Oh, Mr Frewen, I feel as if I had been committing a dozen murders. I wish I had not said a word about the soup."

CHAPTER THIRTY.

Seeing how thoroughly upset I was, the mate told Mr Frewen to speak to me as soon as he was gone; for he was about to join the men on the watch by the forecastle-hatch, so as to be ready to take action as soon as possible after the drug had acted.

"How soon will it be?" he asked Mr Frewen.

"I cannot tell you. I never administered it like this before, only in small doses as an opiate in cases of intense suffering. It may be soon, it may be an hour or two. If they have, as we suppose, an ample supply of spirits and tobacco below, it is possible that they may r.e.t.a.r.d the action."

"Well," said Mr Brymer, "be ready to come well-armed when I give the signal--two whistles, mind. I shall call upon you the moment I fancy it can be done. Hist!--the men."

For the two sailors whom we had made prisoners through their being at the wheel had been apportioned the duty of taking the steward's place, that poor fellow having without doubt gone overboard on the night of the rising; and as Mr Brymer left the cabin, these two quickly and roughly prepared the table for our mid-day meal, went forward, and brought back a tureen of soup, with a kind of ragout of the kangaroo's tail from the tin.

The dinner was just ready, when there was a noise from forward; and we hurried to the door-way, but it was only to hear a roaring chorus rise from the forecastle-hatchway.

"They have begun at the spirits," said Mr Frewen. And then telling the two sailors to ask Mr Brymer to come and join us, the men went forward, spoke to the mate, and he came to the saloon entrance.

"Better come and join us, Brymer," said Mr Frewen. "You want food: and we can tell by the cessation of the noise they are making when the time for action has come."

"Oh, I can't eat, man, at a time like this!" said the mate, excitedly.

"You must, to keep up your strength. Will Miss Denning join us?"

This to Mr Denning, who shook his head.

"No; let her stay in her cabin. She would only be in our way. I will take her in some dinner."

"You had better keep up appearances, so that the men may not notice anything. Mr Preddle, help the soup."

I shuddered, and every one turned pale.

"Oh, there is no risk," said the mate quickly. "But here, make the plates and spoons look as if they had been used, and then throw all the soup out of the stern-window."

I brightened a little at hearing this, for the possibility of the cook having made a mistake was always before my eyes. So after satisfying ourselves that the men were not likely to return yet, I was one of the busiest in dirtying the plates and spoons, and ended by emptying the soup from the window with a feeling of the most intense relief.

"Will it send the fishes to sleep, Mr Frewen?" I whispered, as I placed the empty tureen back in its place.

"Bad for them if it does," he said, with an attempt at looking merry.

"For their enemies are safe to swallow them while they are napping."

"With both eyes open," said Mr Preddle.

The departure of the soup acted like a charm on all; and after Mr Brymer had been down once more as far as the forecastle, we all began to partake of the savoury Australian dish the cook had prepared, with an abundance of rich gravy, and the whole surrounded by a thick wall of beautifully cooked white rice.

Though our meals had been rough and unsatisfactory for many hours, every one began his dinner with manifest distaste, for it was impossible to avoid thinking of what had been done; but after a portion had been taken into the cabin by Mr Denning for his sister, and a little of the gravy and rice to the captain by the doctor's orders, first one made a little pretence of eating by nibbling at his biscuit, then another tasted the savoury-looking dish and commented upon it, and a minute later, as a jovial chorus came rolling out of the forecastle-hatch, Mr Frewen began to eat.

"Come, Dale," he said, "have some dinner, and forget all that. It was your duty, my lad."

"Yes; I will try," I said; and making an effort, I mastered my disinclination and swallowed a mouthful.

"Capital, isn't it?" said Mr Frewen, smiling.

"Yes, it is good," I replied; and I went on, feeling surprised at my returning appet.i.te.

The result was that Mr Brymer and Mr Denning fell to, and we were all--perhaps in a forced manner, to encourage each other--loud in our praises of the dish, of which we ate heartily.

In fact, when I had nearly finished my plateful, a thought struck me, and after a little hesitation I turned to Mr Brymer.

"Well?" he said. "What is it, Dale?"

"I was thinking, sir," I said.

"What of--the gang singing? They're pa.s.sing the bottle round pretty freely."

"No, sir," I said. "I was thinking how tantalising it must be to hear this dinner going on, and smell it, and not get some."