The Cruise of the "Esmeralda" Part 18

At the same moment I felt my arm seized by a white figure that unexpectedly appeared at my side, and Miss Merrivale's voice, rendered almost inarticulate by scorn and anger, exclaimed--

"Leave the cowardly brutes alone. You _shall not_ humiliate yourself further by stooping to ask a favour from them, even on our behalf; nor shall you wantonly expose yourself to the risk of being murdered in cold blood. I will not have it!"

With which, she dragged me unresistingly to the spot where her sister and the children stood, and then, without a word of warning, flung herself p.r.o.ne upon the sand and burst into a perfect pa.s.sion of tears.

"Nay, do not give way thus, I pray you," I said, as I knelt beside her and raised her prostrate form in my arms. "Our plight is bad enough, I grant you, though not so bad that it might not easily be very much worse. And if you will only try to be brave and patient we will soon arrange matters so that you shall not be altogether dest.i.tute of comfort and--"

"Do you think I care for my own comfort?" she interrupted me, pa.s.sionately. "No! as that wretch said, we are not likely to starve; and I suppose you and Edgar will be able to build such a shelter as will suffice to protect us from the sun and rain. It is not that; it is--oh, the base, ungrateful, contemptible creatures, to treat you like this! I am _sure_ they will be punished for it."

"Ay, that they will!" exclaimed Sir Edgar, cheerily, as he joined the group. "Well, Emmie darling--and you, chicks--will it be a very dreadful hardship for you all to sleep on this beautiful, soft, white sand to-night? To-morrow we shall have light enough to work by, and I have no doubt that before the end of the day Saint Leger and I will have contrived to stick up a hut or something to cover you. Why, children, this is a regular genuine picnic, in which we shall have everything to do for ourselves, and you will be able to help, too. It will be glorious fun for you, will it not?"

And so on. Never in all my life before had I seen a man take a heavy, bitter blow so bravely as this gallant gentleman did. He knew--for he had already had time to fully realise it--all that so cruel an abandonment meant to him and his; yet his courage never faltered for a moment; not the faintest glimpse did he allow to appear of the anguish that must have at that moment been wringing his heart. No; his voice, his manner, and his whole bearing were inflexibly dominated by the determination to cheer and encourage the dear ones who were now absolutely dependent upon him, and him alone, for support and encouragement to meet and face this sudden, dreadful reverse of fortune.

As I looked at and listened to him in astonishment and admiration I felt ashamed at my own despondency--at the condition--temporary only though I believed it to be--of complete helplessness to which the blow had reduced me; and in contemplating such indomitable courage I not only learned a lesson that I trust has benefited and toned my whole life since then, but I also gathered fresh courage and resolution to face the responsibilities and demands of the immediate present.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

THE RECAPTURE OF THE BARQUE.

Under the soothing influence of her brother-in-law's admirable manner, Miss Merrivale soon recovered her wonted serenity of manner; while Lady Emily seemed never to have lost hers, so absolute was her trust and confidence in her husband, and his power to strengthen and rea.s.sure her.

In less than half an hour, therefore, after the departure of the boat we were all sitting in a circle upon the sandy beach of the basin, regaling ourselves upon some of the fruit that the ladies had gathered earlier in the day, and discussing, meanwhile, the possibilities of our situation.

Notwithstanding the brutally callous behaviour of Rogers, I still hoped, and Sir Edgar fully believed, that a majority of the men on board would be sufficiently swayed by motives of humanity to insist upon bringing us ash.o.r.e our clothing, and at least a few of the more obvious necessities of life, such as a spare sail, a coil or two of line, a few nails, a hammer, a saw, a trifle of crockery, some cooking utensils, and, above all, our fowling-pieces and some ammunition. Miss Merrivale, however, was positive that they would not; and as the time dragged slowly by without any sign of the reappearance of the boat, I began at last to fear that she would prove to be right.

A brightening in the sky to the eastward, over the crest of the lofty heights that towered above us in that direction, at length announced the rising of the moon, and, at the same time, made us aware that some four hours had elapsed since sunset. As the mild radiance of the silver luminary met my gaze I started to my feet, and said--

"There is the moon rising, and we shall soon have light enough to make our final dispositions for the night. Meanwhile, as you are all perfectly safe here, I will endeavour to make my way round to the beach abreast of the ship, and see what they are about on board. If they intend to go to sea to-night they will soon be making a move to get under way; and if they do _not_, there may yet be a chance for us to do something, with Martin's a.s.sistance."

"What!" exclaimed Sir Edgar, "do you still believe in that fellow's fidelity?"

"Yes," said I, stoutly. "Do not you?"

"Well," answered Sir Edgar, "I _did_, most implicitly. But since the shameful business of this evening I must confess that I have begun to entertain doubts of him. All your plans and precautions, you see, have been framed upon the information with which he has supplied you; and if he really were in the men's confidence, and anxious to serve you, how came it that he was not aware of the _coup_ which the men have so successfully executed, or, if aware of their intentions, why did he not make an opportunity to warn us? I confess that, to me, it appears very much as though the men had all along feared some suspicion on your part, and had employed him to throw you off your guard."

"No," said I, meditatively, "no; I cannot think that. There are certainly one or two circ.u.mstances connected with his behaviour that I cannot at present fully understand, and perhaps we shall now never know whether he was really faithful or not; but I still believe him to be so, and I feel confident that, if he cannot help us in any other way, he and Forbes between them will devise some means for procuring our speedy rescue. Now, I am off for the beach. You, I suppose, will remain here; you can scarcely do better to-night, and it is desirable that I should know exactly where to find you again without difficulty, should any unforeseen contingency arise."

While I was speaking, Miss Merrivale had risen to her feet impetuously, with all the eager, determined look in her face of one who is about to say or do something of a very decisive character; but if such was her intention she checked herself, seemingly, at the moment when the words were about to escape her lips, and contented herself by saying instead--

"Pray be _very_ careful what you do, captain; remember that we are all now utterly dependent upon _you_!"

I a.s.sured her that she might depend absolutely upon my discretion-- smiling, rather bitterly, meanwhile, at the reflection that, throughout this business at least, my discretion had been by no means brilliantly conspicuous--and so, with a bow, left the little party cl.u.s.tered together upon the white sand; a curious, yet pretty, picture to any one who could have been suddenly transported from the surroundings of civilisation to that lonely island of the Pacific.

Making my way rapidly along the margin of the basin, close to the water's edge, where the sand was firm and the walking consequently easy, I soon reached the projecting point that marked the junction of the creek with the river, and bent my steps along the narrow beach toward the estuary. For some distance in this direction the only sound to break the silence of the night was the loud, continuous, indescribable _chirr_ of the countless myriads of insects that haunted the recesses of the jungle; but at length, on rounding a bend in the river, I caught sight of the barque, still at anchor, and at the same moment became conscious of a new sound that, as I progressed toward the mouth of the river, gradually resolved itself into the tones of human voices uplifted in an attempt at melody. The thought that struck me, as this sound first met my ear, was that the men had decided to go to sea forthwith, and were now heaving short the cable--an impression that at once determined me to push on and watch the departure of the sweet little craft. But as I worked my way cautiously along toward the open beach, keeping well within the shadow of the trees, in order that my movements might not attract attention--for the moon, somewhat past the full, now rode high enough in the cloudless sky to render the most minute objects distinctly visible--I bethought me that the mutineers could not be getting their anchor, or I should by this time hear the sharp clank of the windla.s.s pawls mingling with their song; moreover, I was now near enough to distinguish that the singing was not the wailing, monotonous chant and rousing chorus of a "shanty," but a confused medley of sound, as though all hands were singing at once, and every man a different tune; and I at once came to the conclusion that the fellows had secured some liquor and were indulging in a carouse. Should this be indeed the case--and I fervently hoped that it was--they would probably not desist until every man had become helplessly intoxicated, as they had doubtless secured Forbes so effectually that there would be no possibility of his recovering his freedom until some one chose to release him; while they would scarcely deign to give a thought to us on sh.o.r.e, with the knowledge that the ship was distant at least half a mile from the nearest point of the beach, and that both gigs were securely swinging at the davits.

As this conviction dawned upon me a feeling of renewed hope and fierce exultation leapt up in my heart, and my brain at once became busy with plans for the recovery of the ship. For one of my few accomplishments was that I was a fast and tireless swimmer, and--provided that there were no sharks in the neighbourhood--the half-mile of water that intervened between me and the _Esmeralda_ was no more formidable an obstacle than had it consisted of firm, level roadway. Judging, however, by the present vigorous character of the singing that came pealing across to me from the ship, the opportune moment for such an attempt as I meditated was yet a good hour distant, and I therefore determined to stroll leisurely back to the party at the creek, and acquaint them with the new phase of affairs.

When at length I rejoined the group, I found that during my absence Sir Edgar had so far completed his arrangements for the night that the maids and the children were comfortably bestowed upon the warm, yielding sand, fast asleep, with their heads and faces well shielded from the rays of the moon by a small tent-like structure, consisting of a shawl stretched over an arrangement of sticks cunningly bound together with tough, pliant monkey-rope, while Lady Emily slumbered peacefully by her husband's side, with his arm about her waist, while her head rested upon his shoulder. Miss Merrivale, however, and Sir Edgar _were_ still awake, and as I approached them the former started to her feet and, with her finger upon her lips as she pointed to the little group of sleepers, murmured softly--

"How long you have been! And what an eager, glad look there is in your face! What has happened? I am sure you have good news to tell us."

"Good, thus far," I admitted, "that the ship has not yet gone to sea; and I believe that she will not now go until to-morrow. The men appear to have obtained possession of some liquor, and are indulging in a royal carouse--if one may judge by the singing and noise that I heard going on aboard when I was down at the beach--and I am not without the hope that ere the night be much older the fellows will have drunk themselves into a helpless state of intoxication. Now, if upon my return presently to my late post of observation I should have reason to believe that such a thing has happened, I shall swim quietly off to the ship, and endeavour to get on board her without disturbing anybody; and should I be able to manage this, my next task will be to discover and liberate the mate.

This once accomplished, it shall go hard with us if we do not succeed in retaking the ship from the drunken rascals, and repaying them in their own coin."

"By Jove, Saint Leger, you are 'grit all through,' as the Yankees say.

It is a bold scheme, and I believe you will succeed," exclaimed Sir Edgar, admiringly. "I would that I could accompany you," he added wistfully, "for in such an undertaking every additional man on your side is of incalculable value. But, unfortunately, my swimming powers are not equal to anything like such a stretch of water as that between the sh.o.r.e and the ship, and I should only be an embarra.s.sment instead of a help to you, unless, indeed, I could contrive to do the distance with the aid of a log to float me."

"No," said I; "I am infinitely grateful to you, Sir Edgar, for your readiness to a.s.sist in this undertaking; but it is not to be thought of.

Your place is manifestly here, by the side of your family, so that, should events turn out awkwardly, they may not be left on the island without a defender. We will not, however, contemplate any such unfortunate ending as that to the adventure; on the contrary, let us rather look forward hopefully to the prospect of your all breakfasting on board as usual, to-morrow morning. You understand, of course, that should I succeed, my first act, after securing the mutineers, will be to come ash.o.r.e in a boat for you."

"Do you suppose we do not know that?" exclaimed Miss Merrivale, impetuously. "But it is a desperately dangerous enterprise; and if--oh, _why_ is it that women are such shamefully useless creatures in crises like these? If our strength were only equal to our courage--"

"You could not, even then, be more absolutely irresistible than you now are," I interrupted, with a low bow, and a poor attempt at gallantry.

"Your turn will come, however, be a.s.sured of that," I continued; "for, whichever way this project of mine turns, you will have ample opportunity for the display of both courage and helpfulness. Should we ever succeed in recapturing the ship it is more than probable that I shall sometimes be compelled to call upon you all to afford help in such matters as the steering of her, and so on. But it is full early yet to talk like this."

"So far as I am concerned, your call shall not be in vain!" exclaimed the spirited girl, with a flash of her eyes that thrilled through me like an electric shock. "If I have not the physical strength of a man, I have at least as resolute a will, which is no mean subst.i.tute for it.

And now, good-bye; for I see that you are longing to get away. You will be careful, though, will you not? and not run any unnecessary risks?"

I took the hand that was so frankly extended to me, and gave it a hearty squeeze; gazed for an instant into the eyes that dwelt so anxiously upon mine; and, immeasurably cheered and encouraged by the interest and sympathy that I read there, turned away quickly and stepped briskly out toward the mouth of the creek once more.

The time I had taken to walk to and from the basin appeared to have sufficed the carousers to drink themselves well on toward a condition of oblivion; for when I again reached the beach opposite the ship, the singing had subsided into an occasional maudlin howl that, in its turn, soon afterwards yielded to the stupefying effects of the liquor, and a dead silence fell upon the ship.

I did not wait, however, for this final stage of insensibility to arrive among the mutineers; but kicked off my shoes, and laying them, with my hat and jacket, upon the sand, immediately upon my arrival at my former post of observation, at once entered the water and started to swim with long, steady, deliberate strokes toward the ship. The water was perfectly calm and smooth, as well as deliciously warm; so that, despite the leisurely character of my exertions, I made excellent progress, and, in a shorter time than I had thought possible, found myself within the deep shadow of the ship's hull. Everything was by this time as silent as death on board, save for the slight jerk of the wheel-chains and the sob of the water along the bends and about the rudder as the ship swung gently upon the long, low ground-swell, the edge of which just caught her as it crept up from the westward across the mouth of the small estuary where she lay at anchor. So still and silent was the breathless night that the volume of sound raised by the insects on sh.o.r.e rang in my ears almost as distinctly out here as it had done when I stood upon the beach; it was, however, so far mellowed and softened by the intervening distance that it was possible to hear other sounds distinctly _through_ it, even when they were so faint as the slight, almost imperceptible creak of the yard-parrels aloft, and the light _flap_ of a coiled-up rope striking against the bulwarks with the slight, easy roll of the ship. I was therefore particularly careful not to make the faintest splash, as I drew up alongside, lest the unaccustomed sound should reach the ear of and startle some individual not yet completely overpowered by the drink he had swallowed. Fortunately for me, the gangway ladder had not been hauled up, and I was consequently free to board the ship well aft, thus greatly lessening the risk of detection; I had, therefore, only to wait until the roll of the ship brought the ladder within my grasp, seize it, and draw myself noiselessly out of the water. This was precisely the course that I followed; and I had already drawn myself up clear of the water when there occurred a rush and swirl immediately beneath me, and I received so smart a blow that I narrowly escaped being knocked off the ladder, as a large shark sprang half his length out of the water after me and fell back with a terrific splash, loud enough, I am sure, to have been distinctly heard on sh.o.r.e, had there been any one on the beach to hear it. The brute had evidently been lurking under the ship's bottom--attracted there, doubtless, by the refuse thrown overboard from time to time by the cook--and had only become aware of my presence just in time to make a rapid, ill-directed rush that had very narrowly missed me. Oh, how fervently I thanked Heaven, as I sprang up the side beyond the reach of a possible second rush, that the necessity for a cautious approach to the ship had rendered my movements so noiseless that the great fish had not discovered me until too late!

That the sudden and violent disturbance alongside had, however, not pa.s.sed unnoticed on deck was immediately apparent by the appearance of a human head over the rail by the fore-rigging, only to disappear instantly, however, and make its reappearance at the gangway. As it did so, a voice that I instantly recognised as Joe's murmured, in low, cautious tones--

"Is that you, cap'n?"

"Yes, _Joe_," I replied, with equal caution, as I paused with my eyes on a level with the rail. "How is it on board? Have the rascals drunk themselves stupid?"

"Ay! that's just exactly what they _have_ done," answered Joe; "and I was just creepin' quietly aft to cast Mr Forbes loose, by way of a start, when I heard the row alongside. How did it happen, sir? Did you slip and fall back'ards?"

"No," I returned; "it was a shark that rose at me from under the ship's bottom, and a narrow escape I have had of it; the brute struck me with his snout, as he sprang out of the water, and all but knocked me off the ladder."

"A shark?" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Joe, in dismay. "My word, sir, you _have_ had a narrer squeak, and no mistake! You stop where you are, sir, out of sight, for a minute, while I goes for'ard and just sees whether the rumpus have roused any of 'em. I'll be back in a brace of shakes."

So saying, Joe sauntered carelessly away forward again; loitered aimlessly about the foredeck for a few minutes; sauntered quietly aft again past the larboard gangway, and so round abaft the mainmast and capstan until he rejoined me again.

"All right, sir," he whispered. "They ain't all asleep; but every mother's son of 'em is that helplessly drunk we can do anything we likes with 'em. Now, sir," as I stepped in on deck, "if you likes to go to your cabin and shift into dry clothes, I'll go and cut poor Mr Forbes adrift. I am afraid he ain't none too comfortable, for it seemed to me as the beggars was pa.s.sin' the seizings pretty taut when they lashed him up to-night."

"Is that so?" said I, indignantly. "Then we will go and cut him adrift before doing anything else, Joe. He may be enduring cruel torments all this time. Where is he?"

"Locked in his own berth, sir," answered Joe. "And that reminds me, I don't know who's got the key."

"They may have left it in the door," I hazarded. "Who locked him in?"

"Rogers and Moore, sir. They are the two ringleaders in this here business."

We had by this time reached the mate's cabin; but found the door locked, and the key missing. As I tried the door-handle I thought I heard a groan from the interior; so, without wasting time to search about for the key, I set my back against the bulkhead of the pa.s.sage and my foot against the door by the lock, and the next moment we had the door open.