STORY ONE, CHAPTER THIRTY.
AFTER THE FIGHT.
The silence on the deck now seemed ominous to those who were listeningintently for some warning of the enemy coming down, but the long, wearyhours passed without any fresh alarm, and they all stood in that pitchydarkness and stifling heat, waiting for the danger that did not come.
"I'm getting so anxious about my birds," said Mr Wilson suddenly fromone corner of the cabin. "How shall I get to feed them?"
_No_ one spoke for a moment or two, and then Sam Oakum exclaimed:
"You won't want no more birds, sir. You're a-going to be kep' in a cageyourself;" and the two sailors tittered to themselves, but no one elsespoke.
"I say," exclaimed Oakum, all at once, "what's come o' the stooard andold 'Pollo?"
"I'm here, Mr Oakum, sir," said a weak voice, and then there was a lowwailing noise.
"That's old fatty, sure enough," said Oakum, "and he's a-crying. Butwhat's come of 'Pollo?"
There was no answer to this, and Sam was heard to bring his hand down onhis leg with a vigorous slap.
"I remember now," he exclaimed. "They brought him down on the deck whenthey went at me, but it was all knocked out of my head. Poor old'Pollo! Poor old chap! I liked his honest old black physog somehow, ifit wouldn't wash white. If he's killed," he muttered sternly betweenhis teeth, "someone's got to answer for it afore long."
The hours dragged on, and then it seemed as if the darkness had suddenlygrown less opaque; then one haggard face and then another could be dimlymade out, and at last, as if with a rush, up came the sun, and thesaloon was flooded with light reflected through the windows off theglorious dancing water; and the prisoners began to look from one to theother, and always at haggard anxious faces.
Dutch, finding that all was still outside, walked softly to the littlecabin where Bessy Studwick and his wife had been placed for safety; andas the door was open he could see that Hester was sleeping peacefullywith her head resting on her friend's lap, while pale and anxiouslooking, Bessy held only her hands, and sat up watchful as she had beenall night.
Dutch stole in, and bending down kissed his wife's forehead tenderly,making her start slightly and utter a low sigh, but a happy smile cameupon her lip directly, and the sunshine which flooded the little cabinlit up her thin, worn face, giving it so sweet and pure an air thatDutch groaned to himself as he thought of the past, and then stole away,but with a load taken from his breast, as he thought of the revelationhe had heard from the doctor, and his heart leaped with joy as hethought of how in the future he would try to wipe away the misery he hadinflicted upon the suffering woman.
He was brought back to the present, though, directly by finding a kindof conference going on amongst his friends as to the future, and theirproceedings to defend themselves and retake the ship.
The meagreness of the resources was now seen at a glance, for though aportion of the party was pretty well-armed, the others were helpless.
The captain made a full inspection of his cabin to find that everyweapon had been carefully removed; and, to make matters worse, not anarticle likely to be used as a means of defence had been left behind.
At least this was the first impression, but the doctor suddenly remarkedthat he had a stick in his cabin, and running in he returned with it,and handed his keen long diver's knife to Oakum.
"You'd better keep it, sir," said the old fellow contemptuously. "Themchaps has got heads and hearts too hard to be hurt with a bit of astick. Oh, that's the game, is it? Well, I'll keep the knife then."
This remark was made on seeing Mr Meldon draw a long, keenly-pointedthree-edged sword out of the stick, a weapon likely to prove fatal toany one upon whom it was used.
Unfortunately for the defenders of the cabin, they had but little withwhich they could make a barricade. There was the bedding, and a fewchairs, but even if these were piled up, but little could be done, asDutch pointed out to the captain in a low voice.
"I am no judge of fortifications," he said with a bitter smile, "butlook up."
The captain glanced at the skylight, and stamped with vexation.
"We have not so much as a pistol, Captain Studwick, and the enemy haveonly to place three or four there to fire down upon us and we are donefor."
"Would you give up then, Pugh?" said the captain sternly.
"Not so long as I can strike a blow," was the reply; and the same spiritseemed to nerve all present.
There was not much time left them for consideration, for it was evidentthat full preparations were going on above. Voices were heard talkingand orders being given, but the men kept away from the broken skylight,and the suspense grew more intense.
It was during this interval that Mr Meldon went to the inner cabin,where, weak and feverish, John Studwick lay, watched over now by hissister and Hester Pugh, who seemed to have awakened to a new life as sheexchanged glances once with her husband, the trials they were in seemingas nothing compared to the horrors of the past.
As the doctor approached, the young man turned to him impatiently.
"Well," he said, "have you come to make me strong, so that I can fightthese scoundrels with you?"
"I wish I could," was the quiet reply.
"Bah! Doctor's talk," said John Studwick bitterly. "You know you cando me no good. Why do you pester me?"
"Don't speak to me like that," he replied; "I have tried my best to helpyou."
"Yes, yes, I know. But there, go. You worry me by staying, and thisheat makes me so weak."
"Yes, I will go directly," said the doctor; but he first went to thecabin window, secured a piece of string to a cloth, and lowered it down,soaking it, and drew it up.
As he did so, a good-sized shark turned over and made a snap at thewhite, moving cloth, and the doctor shuddered, for it seemed to him thatany attempt to escape from the ship to the shore would be in vain, for,as if in anticipation of coming carnage, the sharks were gathering roundthe doomed ship.
"Lay that upon his forehead, Mrs Pugh," he said quietly; and as sheturned to the locker upon which the young man lay, Mr Meldon hastilycaught Bessy's hand in his and held it.
"I shall fight for you to the last," he said in a low whisper. "Do notthink ill of me for speaking now; but, Bessy, I love you--very dearly,and--and we may never meet again. Say one kind word to me before I go."
She snatched her hand from his hastily, and looked upon him in a scaredmanner. What she would have said was checked by a sharp cry from thecaptain.
"Quick all!" he shouted, "they are coming."
The doctor rushed back into the little saloon, and he was only just intime, for the door had been quietly unfastened from without, and headedby Laure, armed to the teeth, the enemy, to the number of eight,suddenly appeared, and the two sides stood face to face.
"There, throw down those knives," he said in a sharp voice, "fools andidiots. The tables are turned now. Parkley, Pugh, you little thoughtthat my day would come, but it has. Now, surrender!"
There was no reply by words, and the Cuban read the intention of thosehe sought to master by their determined front.
"Do you want to be shot down where you stand?" he cried.
"Better that than trust to the mercies of such a scoundrel as you,"cried Dutch, passionately.
"Ah, my brave diver and shark slayer, are you there? Put down thatweapon; I don't want you hurt, nor you neither, Master Rasp, for youhave to work for me." There was no reply for a moment or two, and thenDutch spoke to the men who were with the Cuban.
"I warn you all," he said; but as he spoke he could see that he wasaddressing men who were infuriated with drink. "I warn you all that weare desperate, and shall fight to the last. Come over to our side, andhelp to secure that scoundrel, and you shall all be richly rewarded.Fight for him, and if you escape death now, the law must overtake youfor piracy, and you will be hung."
There was a loud laugh at this, and the captain whispered:
"Shall we make a bold charge?"
"No: stand firm," said Dutch; and the little poorly-armed party closedup more determinedly.
"What does that mean?" thought Dutch as, at a word from the Cuban, threeof the men ran back up the cabin steps.
His answer came almost directly.
"Will you surrender?" cried Laure savagely.
"No," was the reply.
"Then your blood be upon your own heads," he yelled. "Fire!"
He raised his own revolver as he spoke, and began to fire shot aftershot at those before him, while at the same moment three shots camecrashing from behind them through the skylight.
Then, headed by the Cuban, the enemy dashed into the cabin, strikingright and left with the cutlasses with which they were armed, and for afew minutes there was a desperate struggle, in which for the time,though weakened by two of their men going down at the first shots, andothers being wounded, the cabin party held their own, everyone fightingmanfully: but the three men who had been sent to fire through theskylight came shouting down to reinforce their comrades, and thus turnedthe scale.
The captain went down with a terrible cut across the forehead; MrParkley had a bullet through the shoulder. The doctor drove his swordthrough one of the scoundrels, and then it broke short off, whileanother stabbed him in the back.
As for Dutch, he singled out Laure, and made a desperate attack upon himwith his long, keen knife, the shot the Cuban fired at him having merelygrazed his neck, but directly after they were separated in the struggleas the furious knot of combatants swayed to and fro. But he rid himselfof another antagonist, and seizing the cutlass with which he was armedagain made at the Cuban.
As he approached, Laure raised his revolver once more, took steady aim,and was about to fire; but regardless of this, Dutch struggled to get athim, when a wild shriek from a voice he knew made him turn for a moment,and that threw him off his guard. Poor Hester had been a horrifiedwitness of the struggle, and had seen Laure's deadly aim. Till thatmoment her lips had been. Sealed, but now the involuntary cry escapedher, and as Dutch turned, the shot struck him on the shoulder,fortunately only ploughing a shallow flesh wound; but the next moment ablow from another hand struck him down, and the rest being mastered, themen, by Laure's orders dragged out two injured comrades and, securingthe weapons, left the slippery cabin and secured the door.