Witness to the Deed Part 28

"I don't think he's shamming, mate," whispered the warder, "but cover him with your piece; I don't want to be hurt."

It was an awkward place to use a rifle, but the warder addressed altered his position a little, and brought the muzzle of his piece to bear on the convict's breast.

"Well, you two below there," shouted the governor. "What do you make out?"

"One moment, sir. Ugh! No shamming here, mate. Feel his head."

"Take your word for it," said the other gruffly.

"Let's have your rope, then, and send him up."

"Badly hurt?" cried the governor.

"Very, sir," shouted the warder who was manipulating the rope. "Wait a minute," he continued, and, stripping off his tunic, he threw it over the injured man's head, and pa.s.sed the sleeves under the rope about his chest.

"Mind what you're doing, or he'll slip away."

"He'll slip away if I do mind," muttered the warder. "Here, steady, mate; I only wanted to keep the rocks from chafing you."

For the convict had suddenly torn at the tunic; but his hands dropped again directly, word was given to haul gently, and holding on by either side of the loop about the prisoner's breast, the warders climbed as the rope was hauled, and kept the unfortunate man's head from the rock.

This last was a slower process than the sending up of the first prisoner, but the rest of the warders were searching about still, especially down close to the edge of the sea, in the expectation of seeing the third man hiding among the rocks half covered with the long strands of the slimy fucus that fringed the tide-washed sh.o.r.e. And all the while the two boats made the water glisten, and the blue lights threw up the face of the rock so clearly that, unless he had found some deep, dark, cavernous niche, there was but little chance for an escaping convict to cling anywhere there unseen.

By the time the second man was taken to the shelf a fresh arrival was upon the scene in the person of the jail surgeon, who, fresh from attending sergeant and warder, made a rapid examination of the first prisoner, and then began to open a case by the light of one of the lanterns.

"Dangerous?" said the governor sharply.

"No. Bullet clean through one thigh and the other regularly ploughed.

Send for stretchers."

He knelt down as he spoke, and with the convict groaning piteously he rapidly plugged one of his wounds, and bandaged both.

"Now the other," he said; and he turned to the second patient, who was lying, talking quickly, a few yards away.

Just then the governor hailed the men below.

"You must find him, my lads," he cried. "Who heard him plunge in?"

"I did, sir," came back.

"Well, then, he is ash.o.r.e again somewhere, holding on by the rocks; no man would swim out to sea with such a tide on. He would be carried right away. Keep a good lookout, and if he's wise he will surrender.

Well, doctor, this one much hurt?"

"Yes, horribly. Head crushed."

"Not by a bullet?"

"No: fall. How long are those stretchers going to be?"

"Some distance for the men to go, doctor," said the governor quickly.

"You forget they were being used for the sergeant and the man."

"Poor fellows! yes," said the doctor, rapidly continuing his manipulations; "there, that is all I can do."

He rose from his knee and stood looking out at the boats below turning the water into silvery blue as port fire after port fire was burned, while others lit up the man-of-war from which the boats had come.

"I'm glad it was not a bullet," said the governor quietly, as his men below searched the rocks and shouted--now to their companions who paid out the rope, now answered hails from the boats.

"Yes; one man's enough to shoot a night," said the surgeon grimly.

"Beg pardon, sir," said a warder, coming up, lantern in hand, and saluting.

"Yes; what is it?"

"I don't think you'll find the other poor chap, sir."

"Why?"

"Blades, who was one of the men here first, and tired, says there was a shriek just before they heard the splash in the water."

"Tut--tut--tut!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the governor. "Poor wretch! Where is Blades?"

"Here, sir," said a man who was holding one of the ropes.

"Why didn't you say this before, man?"

"Didn't like to, sir; and besides, I thought the others knew."

"One does not seem to have been enough," whispered the surgeon.

"Aynsley, I did not know your men could shoot so well. Hah! the stretchers."

For lanterns were seen approaching, and directly after a party came up with the ambulance apparatus. The two convicts were lifted on and borne off along the path traversed only a short time before by their victims-- one of them groaning piteously; the other lying silent and calm, gazing straight up at the black darkness, while his lips moved slightly from time to time.

"Most unfortunate! most unfortunate!" muttered the governor as soon as he was left alone with his subordinates. "Poor, blind fools! how they rush upon their fate! Well," he shouted, "see him?"

"No, sir. Boats are coming back, sir."

This was plain enough, and a few minutes later both rowed up in close with fresh blue lights illuminating the scene.

"Ahoy! Who's up yonder?" shouted a naval officer.

"I am," cried the governor.

"Oh, you, Sir William! Well, sir, I'll keep my men on if you like, but no swimmer could have got to sh.o.r.e from hereabouts. If there is a man living he must be somewhere on these rocks."

"My men say they have searched thoroughly," said the governor. "Every ledge and crack is well known. There can be no one here."

"Shall we patrol the place a little longer?"