CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN.
A STERN CHASE--VERY.
"Ah!" ejaculated Ned, as he sat wiping the salt spray out of his eyes;"can't say as I should like to go through that again, Mr Jack, but nowwe have done it I like it. My word, how I can brag now to our chaps onboard!"
"Do you think they will try and follow us, Ned?" panted Jack, who spokeas if he had been running hard.
"Surely not, sir. Never be so mad."
"But I'm afraid they will. My father would never sit there and make noeffort to save us."
Ned was silent for some minutes, and the foam of the breakers on thereef began to soften as the blacks paddled hard straight out to sea.
A few minutes later it was night, with the stars beginning to shine outclearly from the purpling sky, and the paddles making the water flashinto phosphorescent foam.
"You're right, Mr Jack," said Ned at last; "Sir John wouldn't mindrunning any risk to save us, but he might see that it was only throwingaway a chance to get the boat capsized, and he may have to row back tothe yacht so as to get her out of the lagoon and after us to cut us offbefore these black ruffians can get home to where they came from."
"It means slavery after all, Ned," said Jack bitterly. "Why didn't wejump overboard and--and try to swim to the boat?"
"What the doctor calls `law of self-preservation,' sir," said Nedquietly. "We'd seen too much in that lagoon, very pretty to look at,but too many ugly things about in the blue waters. Been just about asmad as for them to try and follow the canoe. What do you say to makingourselves comfortable, sir, and having a nap?"
"What, now? At a time like this?" cried Jack.
"Yes, sir, that's what I was thinking, so as to be ready for workto-morrow."
"I could not sleep," said Jack sadly, as he sat gazing back in thedirection of the reef.
"Very well, sir; then you take the first watch while I go below, onlythere ain't no below. It's of no use for you to look back at the reef,sir, for they couldn't have got through, and if they could this canoegoes two miles to their one. What we've got to do is to wait forto-morrow morning, and hope for the best."
Jack said nothing, but he knew that all his companion said was right,and he sat there silent, while Ned stretched himself in the bottom andwas off soundly to sleep. Almost directly after about half the blackswithdrew the paddles from the water and lay down in the bottom, leavingthe rest to urge the boat along.
It was hard work in the solitude of that night to keep from giving wayto despair, and to cling to the hope that those in the boat had notattempted the daring feat performed with the canoe, but had turned backto the yacht to get her under weigh and come in chase. For always therecame the thought that by morning the canoe would be out of sight, and heand Ned still on the way to some state of captivity, preserved forHeaven only knew what terrible fate.
From time to time the resting half of the savages sprung up, summoned bya thump given with the handle of a paddle, each rower awakening the manwho was to relieve him after about an hour's spell; and Jack watched allthis in a dull, apathetic way again and again, till somehow the longweary night sluggishly drew near its end. Over and over again an angryfeeling of resentment attacked the watcher, and when the sleepingsavages were aroused he felt disposed to kick Ned and make him wake upand talk.
But a better feeling soon prevailed. "Poor fellow!" he said to himself;"why shouldn't he rest and forget all his troubles for a few hours? Itis only selfishness to rouse him."
It was still dark when Ned suddenly sat up. "Morning, sir," he said;"been to sleep?"
"I? No, Ned, I couldn't sleep."
"That's a pity. I could, like a top. It's done me a lot of good, andI'm ready now for anything, fighting, swimming, or breakfast, speciallythe last. Hot coffee, toast, fried ham, or a bit of fish. Notparticular. Don't do to be when you're at sea."
"You don't seem to trouble much about our position, Ned," said Jackbitterly.
"Not a bit, sir. What's the good? Don't make it any better to go onthe dump. It can't last. It's like the weather--either gets better orit gets worse. My word, what a fine thing a bit o' sleep is! Bit coolthough. Always is just before sunrise. Seen anything of the yacht,sir?"
"Bah! Impossible! How could I?"
Ned said nothing, but glanced at the dimly-seen paddlers working away,and at the sleeping party who were in the bottom of the canoe, and thenturned his attention astern.
"Wonder where they are taking us, sir," he said. "There must be a bigisland somewhere out in this direction, and--"
He became silent so suddenly that Jack turned to him in surprise, andsaw that he was gazing fixedly over the stern of the canoe into theblack darkness, for there was no sign of the coming day.
"What are you thinking?" said Jack at last.
"That I shall have to report you to the captain, sir, for not keepingbetter watch. I didn't set you to it. You volunteered."
"What do you mean, Ned?" cried Jack excitedly.
"You said, when I asked you whether you had seen anything of the yacht,`Bah! Impossible! How could I?'"
"Well, how could I in the dark?"
"By keeping a bright look-out, sir. There's her light."
"What!" cried Jack.
"Steady, sir, steady. Don't jump out of the boat."
"But you don't mean--"
"Oh yes, I do, sir. Look yonder."
"Oh, nonsense!" cried Jack bitterly; "that must be a star setting in thewest."
"Well, it may be, sir, and if it is, it's so close down that in anotherfive minutes it'll be one; but it strikes me that there's a littlelighter look yonder, and that it's the east. Of course I don't know forcertain like, and I've been asleep. Let's watch for a bit. I believeit's our star as the guv'nor's had lit up to let us know he's comingafter us--that's what I think, sir."
"It is too much to hope," said Jack despondently.
"Not a bit, sir. You can't say but what it's as likely as likely. Butthere, we shall soon know. I wonder whether the niggers have seen ityet."
Evidently they had not, and this, knowing how sharp-eyed they were,strengthened Jack's belief that it was only a star, and he said so.
"All right, sir," said Ned, after a long watching, "pr'a'ps you'reright; but it's a new kind if it is, for it don't come up nor it don'tgo down. Anyhow that's the east, for the sun means to come up there, orI'm a Dutchman."
They sat watching for about a quarter of an hour longer, and then Jackexclaimed softly--
"You were wrong, Ned, it was a star, and it has sank out of sight."
"Down in the east, sir?"
"It cannot be the east, Ned, it must be the west."
"Then it's last night again, sir, and that's a speck left up to showwhere the sun went down."
As Ned spoke he pointed to where there was a faint flush of light, whichgrew warmer and warmer as Jack sat trying to keep from being toosanguine. Then he turned away and feared to gaze aft any more, ohaccount of the blacks, who were paddling steadily away, for against apale streak of light in the east, there, plainly enough to be seen, werethe hull and spars of the _Silver Star_, while like a pennon therefloated out behind her a long dark cloud of smoke, telling that herengine fires were roaring away and her propeller hard at work.
"I was afraid to hope, Ned," whispered Jack. "Think they see us?"
"Think they see us, sir! Why, of course. Mr Bartlett's up in themain-top with his glass to his eye, you may be sure, and the lads beloware shovelling in the coals as if they cost nothing. Look at the smoke.I say, see how the niggers are at it. They know. Shouldn't besurprised if we catch sight of the place we're going to when the sun'sup. All I hope is that it's so far away that they can't reach it."
The sun rose at last, and the mountain became glorified once more, butit was a long time before a glimpse could be caught of theirdestination, and then, like a faint cloud extending right and left formiles, there was land--dim, low-lying misty land, without a sign ofelevation or
peak.
"That's it sure enough, Mr Jack, sir," said Ned, shading his eyes fromthe glare of the sea; "and now it's a question of paddles againstscrew."
"Yes. Which will win, Ned?"
"Screw, sir. If it was wind and sails in this changeable sort of placeI should be a bit doubtful, but I ain't the least."
A stern chase is always a long one, they say, and to the prisoners itseemed to be here, and Hope and Doubt alternately held sway, while toJack's agony the dim, distant flat land, which by degrees began toassume the aspect of a long range of extremely flat islands, appeared tocome steadily nearer, while the yacht hardly seemed to stir.
"She will never catch us, Ned," said Jack despondently.
"Go along with you, sir. She'll do it before we get near. Not but whatthese fellows paddle splendidly. Hallo! what are they going to do?"
The answer came in the quick hoisting of a couple of low masts and thesame number of matting sails, for the water was beginning to be fleckedby a coming breeze. In addition, the men rapidly rigged out a couple ofbamboos on one side, and lashed their ends to another which lay alongthe bottom of the boat, so as to form an outrigger to counteract thepressure of the sails.
A few minutes later the paddles were laid in, for the great canoe wasgliding through the water faster than the men could propel her.
At last, though, hope began to grow stronger in the prisoners' breasts,for it was plain now that with full steam on the yacht was rapidlycoming up.
"They'd got no pressure on at first, sir, only enough to send her alonga bit. What do you say to it now?"
"It's in doubt, Ned. They may run us into shallow water where the yachtdare not come."
"But she dare send her boats, sir. Oh, we're all right now.--If theydon't knock us on the head when they find they're beaten," Ned added tohimself.
The faces of those on board the yacht began now to grow plain as themountain seemed to be steadily sinking in the distance, and figurescould be made out on the low shore in front.
"Ned, Ned, look," whispered Jack excitedly. "It's all over with us."
"Why, what for?"
"Can't you see they are getting out two more canoes?"
"You've got better eyes than I have, sir; I can't see anything."
Jack proved to be right, for soon after a couple of great canoes camethrough an opening in a line of breakers, and made straight for the onewhich bore the prisoners.
"It's going to be a close shave, Mr Jack," said Ned at last. "If theyget near enough to the land they'll win, because the _Star_ won't dareto follow, but I don't give up yet. Only look here, sir, if matterscome to the worst they'll try and kill us, so be on the look-out. Youcan swim now after those lessons I gave you."
"Oh, Ned, only a few strokes. I cannot trust myself," groaned Jack.
"Oh dear! and you a gent, and your education neglected like that. Why,to be able to swim now, sir, is worth all the Latin and Greek in theworld. But never mind, I can, though all the Greek I know is _quantumstuff_, and p'r'aps that's Latin. You do as I tell you; the moment yousee that one of the niggers means mischief, over you go; I shall bethere, and I'll help you swim, sir, and the yacht's sure to have a boatready to drop and pick us up."
On they went, with the wind sending the canoe rapidly along, and theblacks sat on the edge to keep her well down, and on the outrigger. Thespeed now was wonderful, the long elastic vessel bent and glided likesome live creature over the swell, and had the blacks had another mileto go, the fate of the two prisoners would have been sealed; but at fullspeed now the yacht, with sail after sail shaken out to the help of thepropeller, came up hand over hand, and when pretty close swayed off towindward, curved round as she glided by, and was once more answering herhelm in the other direction, racing for the canoe's bows, the steeringbeing so true that the fore-part was forced under water while the sternrose slowly in the air. "Now for it," said Ned sharply. Jack hesitatedfor a moment or two, and then tried to plant one foot upon the side andleap after his companion; but his momentary hesitation was nearly fatal,for one of the blacks made a dash at him, caught him by the shoulder,and struck at him with his raised club.
In his despair the lad forced himself forward, and instead of the headof the heavy club, it was the man's arm which struck him across theshoulder, and the next moment they were thrown by the rising of thestern headlong amongst the struggling crowd as the canoe filled. Thenall was darkness and confusion as the lad felt himself dragged downlower and lower, till it seemed as if he would never rise again.
Moments are changed to minutes at such times as these, but prolonged asthe agony seemed, he was soon at the surface once more, panting forbreath and beating the water like a drowning dog.
But coolness came with the strong desire for life, and he now struck outbravely as he saw the water about dotted with the black heads of hisenemies, one and all swimming for the floating wreck of their canoe,whilst the yacht was far away, and Jack's courage became despair as hekept on swimming slowly, better than he could have believed, so as tokeep himself afloat.
"That's the way, Mr Jack, sir," came from behind him; "and you said youcouldn't swim."
"Ned," gasped the boy, turning in the direction of the sound, and hisslow, steady strokes became on the instant fast and wild.
"Ah, don't do that!" cried Ned, swimming alongside. "Slow and steady,sir. Don't wind yourself. There, it's all right; I could keep you up,but I want you to try yourself. Strike out as I told you last time webathed. Slow and steady. Let your legs go down as far as they like.Never mind if the water comes right up to your mouth; lay your headsideways and screwed round so that you can look over your rightshoulder, and rest the back of it on the water. That's the way. Thinkyou're having a lesson in swimming, and do just as I do. See? We onlywant to keep afloat till a boat comes from the yacht to pick us up.Well done, sir. This is the best lesson in swimming you ever had."
Jack took stroke for stroke feebly enough, and kept well afloat, but hefelt all the time that if Ned were not at his side he would have begunto strike out again in frantic despairing haste, wearied himself in avery short time, and gone down.
"Man never knows what he can do till he tries, sir," said Ned cheerily."It's all right. Just keep your mouth above water while you take a goodlong breath, and then shut it again. Lower you are the easier youfloat. When you're tired you shall turn on your back, and I'll guideyou."
"Shall we be drowned, Ned?" panted the lad. "We'll talk about that byand by, sir. We can go on like this easy in the sea for an hour, if youdo as I tell you. Now then, we're not running a race. Just try tothink you're standing in the water, and to move your hands as slowly asyou can. It's all right, Mr Jack, sir. We've escaped. Here's theyacht coming back to pick us up, and they've got one of the cuttersready to drop with the men in her. Don't you say nothing. You justattend to your swimming lesson: I'll do all the talking. I learnt toswim when I was a little bit of a nipper and went with the boys atschool. They used to pitch me in, so that I was obliged to swim, I cantell you. That was only fresh water. It's ever so much easier to swimin the sea--when it's smooth. Mind you, I don't know nothing about itwhen it's rough."
"Is the yacht near, Ned?" said Jack huskily. "What's that to you?"cried the man fiercely. "You mind your lesson. Ought to know betterthan that. I want to see you swim well, and you were doing beautifulbefore you began to talk. No, you ain't getting tired. If you was, asI told you, I'd make you float. Ur-r-r!"
Ned uttered a sound like a savage dog, for a panting and splashing hadmade him turn his head to see, not six yards behind him, afierce-looking black face, with grinning teeth and flashing eyes,looking the more savage from the fact that, to leave his arms both atliberty, the black was holding his war-club in his grinning teeth.
The partly submerged canoe, burdened with its clinging crew, was ahundred yards away, the two which had been launched to her assistancequite three, and the yacht still two, but cutting the water fast.
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bsp; Ned set his teeth; and for a brief instant thought of getting out hisknife, but he knew it would be madness to attempt it, and he preparedwith desperate energy for the worst.
"Don't you take any notice of me," he growled fiercely to his youngmaster. "You keep on swimming. Do you hear?"
In utter ignorance of the peril behind, and influenced in his weaknessand helplessness as a swimmer by one whom he instinctively felt to be athome in the water, and his master, Jack obeyed, keeping to the slowstroke with his arms, while his action with his legs was that of thewell-known treading water.
All this was but brief.
After savagely shouting at Jack, Ned drew a deep breath and turned tomeet the black, whose eyes glowed with race hatred as he raised one handfrom the water, took the short melon-headed nulla-nulla club from histeeth, rose a little higher, and struck at his fellow-swimmer with allhis might.
But it was for dear life. Ned threw himself sidewise, the head of theclub grazed his shoulder as it splashed the water. Then, quick asthought, Ned retaliated by dashing out his left fist, and struck hisenemy full on the cheek.
But it was a feeble blow, and did no more than make him fiercer as heturned to renew the attack.
"It's all over!" groaned the poor fellow. "If they'll only pick up thepoor young governor in time!"
A hoarse sob of despair escaped from Ned's breast, as he prepared tododge the next blow from the club, meaning not to strike anothernerveless, helpless blow from the water, but to grapple with the black.
"And then it's who can hold his breath longest," he thought. "Oh, whydid I come on a trip like this?"
Thought comes quickly at a time like this.
The club was once more raised and held suspended in the air for a fewmoments, the wily black feinting twice over, and making Ned dodge. Thethird time he made another quick feint, and was in the act then ofdelivering a tremendous blow, when Jack uttered a wild cry, for he hadturned his head to appeal to his companion for help.
At that moment Ned heard a whizz, as if some beetle had suddenly passedhis ear; there was instantaneously a sharp pat, and the moment after thereport of a rifle. The club fell into the water with a splash.
"Hah!" ejaculated Ned, turning on his side, and in a dozen side strokeshe was alongside of Jack once more, as he was making a brave effort tocome to his companion's aid.
"Back, my lad, back!" cried Ned as he swam. "No, no; you're not beatenyet. Hooray! the boat! They're close here, and--Mr Jack, sir--it's--it's too much--I--I--Swim, sir, swim--don't--don't mind me!"
The poor fellow's look seemed fixed and staring, his arms refused theiroffice, and Jack caught at him to try and support him. Then strugglingvainly the water closed over his head, as his starting eyes saw theflashing of the water thrown up by six oars, and a figure standingleaning toward him, boat-hook in hand.