With Cochrane the Dauntless Part 2

Things went on quietly for another five minutes, then I heard a heavy blow given, followed by a fall; and, as if this was the signal, the quiet crowd of natives became in a moment a mob of yelling fiends; screams filled the air, pistol-shots rang out, and you may guess we fell to work in earnest.

I fancy we did not throw away a shot between us, and cleared a s.p.a.ce in front of us, then s.n.a.t.c.hing up the axes we made at them tooth and nail. We first fought our way aft. The first mate was fighting like a demon; he had caught up a handspike, and, being a very powerful man, kept off his a.s.sailants fairly till we cut our way through and joined him. The moment he was free from the group that was attacking him, he rushed forward, sweeping the natives over with his handspike like ninepins. Two of us kept on each side of him. There was just breadth enough on the deck to give free play to our axes, and though the Malays came at us furiously, they could not stand the blows of our heavy weapons. The cook and the steward came rushing up behind us.

"'Turn the cannon on the canoes!' Pearson shouted. 'Depress them as much as you can, and give it them hot.'

"I had no time to look round, but half a minute later I heard one of the cannon go off, followed by yells and screams from the water.

"'Train two of them along the deck,' I shouted, 'but don't fire until you have orders.'

"The Malays were swarming up from the canoes and joining the crowd in front of us, and I saw a rush of some of our fellows up on to the top of the forecastle. We could make no way now, and it was as much as we could do to hold our own. I fought on until I thought the guns were ready; then, looking round, saw the two men standing behind them with lighted matches.

"'The cannon are trained to sweep the deck, Conklin!' but it was not until I touched him and shouted in his ear again that the mate heard me.

"'Now!' Pearson yelled, 'throw yourselves on to them, cut down one or two of the rascals, and when I shout 'Run!' get back behind the guns.'

"The thought of what was coming gave us fresh strength. We went at them with a will, and drove them back a couple of yards. Then Pearson shouted 'Run!' and back we went aft as hard as we could tear, Pearson and I almost dragging Conklin with us. As we pa.s.sed between the guns, with the Malays close at our heels, both men fired; the guns were crammed almost to the mouth with bullets, and the execution was awful. In a moment we dashed at them again, while the men forward, who had armed themselves with the capstan-bars, ran down the ladder and fell upon them. In another minute it was all over. The Malays who remained alive sprang over the bulwark, and we discharged the remaining five cannons into the canoes, smashing up numbers of them, and the rest paddled for the sh.o.r.e for their lives. We had time now to look around. It was an awful sight. Over fifty Malays lay dead, together with eleven of our men, besides the captain. If it had not been for Pearson not a soul would have lived to tell the tale. After it was over, we found that, as the crowds on deck had increased, most of our old hands, who were the men that had taken the pistols, had gradually gathered near the forecastle. Some of the others had joined them, and when the outbreak came, they had for a time been able to make a stout resistance, until one of their number, who was on the forecastle when the fight began, shouted to them that we were training the cannon forward, and they then made a rush up and joined him.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "WE WENT AT THE TREACHEROUS MALAYS WITH A WILL AND DROVE THEM BACK."]

"Every man who had been among the natives had been cut down at the first alarm. Out of the twenty-eight hands on board when the fight began only sixteen remained. Many of these had desperate wounds from the Malay creases, and two of them died a day or two afterwards. Conklin had been very badly cut about. None of the wounds ought to have been dangerous, but he had heated his blood by drink, and that in a hot climate is fatal, so we buried him ten days after the fight. Thus, you see, we lost two officers and thirteen men, and all for want of taking precautions. Of course we sailed at once for Calcutta, and luckily had fine weather on the way; we should have fared badly with but half a crew had we fallen in with a hurricane. Pearson was a good navigator, and, after taking six more hands on board at Calcutta, he brought her home safely. The owners made us both handsome presents, and the next voyage he sailed as first mate and I as second. So it turned out a lucky stroke for both of us. Three years later he went as captain, and a year afterwards I sailed as his first mate."

"When was it you had your other adventure, captain?"

"That was in the year before. I did not sail with Pearson that year, for he was promoted suddenly to a ship ready to sail. It was a piece of luck for him. One of the owners went down to the docks late one afternoon and found the captain blind drunk. So he was sent straight on sh.o.r.e, and Pearson got his billet. I was very sorry that I could not go with him, as after that business we became great friends, and in his report of the affair he gave me more credit than I deserved for my idea of getting those hatchets up, which, he said, alone enabled us to make a successful defence. I had the more cause to regret his transfer, since the captain was an obstinate man, as we found out during the voyage, and just as much inclined to treat the natives with contempt as my former skipper had been.

However, the man appointed to take Pearson's place as first mate was a sharp fellow, and lucky he was so. We were lying one night in a harbour where the natives had appeared particularly friendly the day before.

Purvis, the mate, suggested to the captain that it would be as well to have the watches kept as if at sea, but the old man pooh-poohed the idea.

"'I don't like it,' the mate said to me; 'those fellows were too friendly.

They did not bargain over the goods, but took them at our own terms, which is not their way. I believe they did it just to lull us into a sense of security. As soon as the skipper turns in for the night I will get the guns quietly loaded, and you and I will keep watch, while I will order the crew to turn in all standing, so as to be ready to tumble out at once. It is mighty hard to keep awake on these soft nights when the anchor is down, and with neither you nor I on deck the betting is two to one that the hands on anchor watch will drop off to sleep. The skipper will be snoring by ten o'clock, and you had better turn in now. I will see to getting the guns loaded, and to having plenty of ammunition handy. I will call you at four bells. If we are going to be attacked it is likely to be just as day is breaking.'

"'You had better call me at two bells,' I said, 'and then you can get three hours' sleep and be up at eight bells. It won't begin to get light until after that, and you may be sure that if I hear any sound I will wake you at once.'

"So we arranged it, and at one o'clock he came down quietly. I had only taken off my shoes and carried these in my hand, so as to avoid making any noise that might wake the skipper, as I went out on deck.

"'Everything is quiet,' the mate said, 'and has been ever since you turned in. Even that is not natural, for, as you know, the natives when they have been doing a trade generally keep on feasting and making a row half the night. Keep your ears well open, for there is no trusting the watch. Every time I have gone forward I have found them sound asleep. Naturally they think that, as there is only an anchor watch, there can be no fear of disturbance; so you must trust to your own ears and not to theirs.'

"'All right!' I said; 'I will keep awake-never fear.'

"I think if I had not been confident that the first mate was not the man to take alarm easily, I should have had difficulty in keeping my eyes open, for the night was sultry and not a breath of air was moving. I went forward to the two men on watch and told them that they must keep a sharp look-out, for that it was likely enough we might be attacked before morning. Then I lit my pipe and paced up and down the deck, stopping occasionally to listen intently. It was nearly eight bells when I thought I heard a grating sound on sh.o.r.e. I walked forward and found, as I expected, that the two men on watch were half-asleep. 'Wake up, you fools!' I said; 'there is something moving.' Again I heard the low grating sound.

"'Did you hear that?' I asked.

"The men were wide awake now.

"'Yes, sir, I heard a noise; but I don't know what it was.'

"'They are launching their canoes,' I said. 'I will call the first officer.'

"I went aft. Purvis woke directly I touched him.

"'I fancy they are launching their canoes,' I said. 'I have twice heard a grating sound.'

"He was up in a moment. We stood listening intently for some minutes.

There was certainly a movement on sh.o.r.e, but it was difficult to say of what kind. It was just a low confused murmur.

"'You are right,' the mate said presently; 'look at the water.'

"For a moment I scarcely understood him; then I saw what he meant. It had been as smooth as oil before; it was no longer so, but it was broken with tiny ripples as if disturbed by the faintest possible breeze.

"'These ripples must be made by launching the canoes,' he went on. 'A strong body of men might carry them almost noiselessly down that sandy beach and put them in the water without making a splash, but the stir made in wading and in lowering them down, however quietly, would break up this gla.s.sy surface, and the ripples once started would run out here. Anyhow we will get the men out. Tell them to come noiselessly. We will serve out the arms and ammunition to them, but we won't load the guns till we have something more to go upon. It may be some time before they attack. I think it is likely enough that they will wait until they hear the boats-which I have no doubt they have sent for-coming up, before they make a move.'

"'Shall I wake the skipper?'

"'Certainly not. As likely as not he would blow us all up and send the men back to their bunks again. He has made up his mind that there is no danger, and the obstinate beggar would risk our having all our throats cut rather than own there was any ground for alarm.'

"I went into the forecastle and roused the men, warning them to muster as quietly as possible. Half an hour pa.s.sed without the slightest sound being heard. Then the men fidgeted and whispered together, and were evidently of opinion that they had been turned out on a false alarm.

"'Hush, men!' Purvis said sharply, 'I can hear something.'

"You could have heard a pin drop in a moment, and I believe every man held his breath. There was a sort of quiver in the air rather than a sound, and Watkins the boatswain, who had been years and years in vessels trading among the islands, said: 'You are right, Mr. Purvis, that is sweeps; and what is more, it is not one boat, but I should say half a dozen.'

"'That is what I think,' the mate said. 'How far off should you say they were?'

"'It is difficult to tell. I should say three or four miles. That is the best of these proas. A canoe, if the men take pains with their paddling, will come within a hundred yards of you before you hear them, but as the proas row oars, you can make them out a long way off on a still night like this.'

"'Well, we will wait a few minutes longer before we wake the skipper,'

Purvis said to me. 'He will swear that he does not hear any noise at all, and that it is all our fancy. In ten minutes there will be no mistaking it. Watkins, you had better get up that boarding-netting'-for among these islands all the ships carry them, and very useful they are in repelling an attack.

"'I have got it handy,' the boatswain said, and soon brought it on deck.

'Shall we lash it up, sir?'

"'No; we had better wait till the captain comes out. It won't take above a couple of minutes, especially if you run it all along by the bulwarks.'

"In a few minutes the sound of the oars was unmistakable, and Purvis went in to call the captain.

"'What is it?' the skipper said as the mate knocked.

"'There are five or six proas coming towards us, sir, and we have reason to believe that the canoes on sh.o.r.e are all launched and ready to attack us.'

"'I believe it is all nonsense,' the skipper said angrily as he came from his door. 'You are always fidgeting about pirates, Mr. Purvis.'

"He came out on deck, listened a moment, and then said: 'Stuff and nonsense! What, have you got the men out? Send them to their bunks at once!'

"'With the greatest respect to you, sir, I shall do nothing of the sort, and if I did the men would not obey me. They can all hear the proas, and we are not going to submit to have our throats cut tamely, Mr. Pinder thoroughly agrees with me, and so does the boatswain, that these proas can be coming for no good purpose at this time of night, and it were madness not to be ready for them. What do you say, Mr. Pinder?'

"'I entirely agree with you, sir,' I replied.

"'This is rank mutiny!' the skipper said furiously.

"'I would rather be tried for mutiny than have my throat cut here. Now, sir, will you give orders, or shall I?'