CHAPTER XXXII.
WE ARE ENCOMPASSED WITH BLACKAMOORS, TO OUR GREAT PERIL.
It was drawing near morning, and a breeze had sprung up, ruffling thewaters, so that I had to keep the boat away from the rock with my oar,lest the bumping and grating of its side should disturb Lady Biddy'srepose, which I would not have had for the world, and the tide beingagain at the ebb, my face was turned towards the opening in the rocks bywhich, as I say, we entered this little harbor, when I first heard thesound of a voice.
It seemed to my ear like a cry of triumph or discovery, and for themoment I believed that our pursuers had spied us from the cliff above;but on looking up where the black rock cut off the view of the starrysky I could see nothing but its jagged edge; moreover, I was convincedthat no one from that height could spy us in this dark nook, for thelight of the stars was only sufficient to show Lady Biddy's white facevaguely to me, and that only distant a few feet.
I looked around me, but naught was there but the dark rocks and the graysea spread out beyond the outlet. Then I concluded this cry came fromsome owl or night-gull. Nevertheless, I kept very watchful, with eyeswide open, and would not suffer my thoughts to return to that sweetmelancholy which the contemplation of Lady Biddy's face had provoked.
Presently I was seized with fresh alarm, as I perceived that one of therocks that rose from the sea at the mouth of the cove glowed with astrange light, which could by no reasoning be explained, and the ripplesof the sea were lit up in like manner. Every moment this glow grewstronger, yet very slowly as it seemed to me by reason of my greatanxiety.
At length, this light growing so strong that I knew something mustquickly come of it, I rose in the boat, grasping my oar in readiness,yet knowing not what in the world to expect.
Just as I got to my feet a great blazing fire shot into sight, so thatmy two eyes were so dazzled I could see naught else for a moment.However, as this confusion of my sight subsided, I perceived that thelight came from a brazier or beacon basket of flaming wood fixed to theprow of a canoe, and behind it stood a savage as stark as he was born,with a long spear in his hand, while another savage behind him sat withhis knees up to his chin, paddling with a single oar.
While I was wondering what this could mean, the fellow behind the beaconplunges his spear into the sea, and brings out a great silvery fishwrithing on the barb.
I was overjoyed to find that these were no enemies, but only two simplenaturals fishing in the manner of their country; and I resolved not tomeddle with them in any way if I could help it. Turning to Lady Biddy,who had been awaked by the light, and was rising hastily to her feet, Imotioned her to sit down, fearing her light gown might reflect thelight, and be seen by the savages.
He with the paddle was heading the canoe across the mouth of the cove,when the other, having taken the fish from his spear, muttered a word ortwo, whereupon the first, with a deft stroke of his oar, turns the boatabout, and so bears down upon the very place where we lay.
Now what to do I knew not; for, God knows, I wished these men no harm,and yet could I not risk to be treated like a fish by the fellow withthe spear. Following the irregularities of the rocks the canoe came on,till shooting out in front of that rock behind which our boat lay, didthe beacon blaze not two yards from my face. There was no time forfurther consideration, so, lifting my oar, I gave as loud a whoop as Icould, at the same time swinging my oar with such force down on thebrazier as every spark of fire was scattered out of it.
With a most heathenish howl of terror the two Indians leaped into thesea and got away without so much as showing their heads above water tillthey were clear of the cove, which, doubtless, they believed to behaunted by some devil or sea-monster.
At first I was disposed to make merry over this adventure, but after abit I reflected that these fellows, coming from some adjacent village ortown, would certainly carry the news to their neighbors, and return atdaybreak in force to find out what manner of thing it was that hadserved them this trick, and what had become of their canoe. And as itwas more than likely that, finding we were not the terrible creaturetheir fears had figured, they would bear us no good-will, but ratherseek to revenge themselves in cruel sort, I resolved that as soon as itgrew light enough to see my way through the rocks, which were renderednow more dangerous by the freshening of the breeze and a chopping sea,we would go forward on our journey as speedily as we might. In the meanwhile I prepared myself for a good spell of work by making a heartymeal, Lady Biddy also eating a little to keep me in countenance, thoughshe had not yet come to her appetite.
As soon, then, as the darkness began to lift, I unhitched the grappleand shoved out towards the open, yet not without foreboding, for Ifancied I saw certain moving patches upon the water across the mouth ofthe cove, as if the savages were already abroad. Nor was I wrong in thisconjecture, for scarcely had I pulled from the shadow of the rock intothe gray light than they set up a terrible shout, and let fly a showerof arrows, whereof one went clean through the sleeve of my coat, butwithout scathing my arm, thanks be to God.
I begged Lady Biddy, for the love of Heaven, to lie down in the bottomof the boat, at the same time that I pushed back into the haven fromwhich we had ventured, for here were we safe from arrows, and if theIndians had the stomach to come to close quarters I counted I could givea very good account of myself with my sword. But as to jeopardizing mydear lady's life by running through the flight of their arrows, thatwould I not do, though they kept us prisoner a whole day.
So here, having fastened the boat, I waited with my sword drawn, feelingpretty safe, for, thanks to the figure of the rocks, no canoe couldenter the cove to shoot us down at a distance without passing so closethat I might lay on them with my sword. This daunted them exceedingly,and though we could hear them hallooing and shouting close at hand, notone ventured to push his canoe beyond the cleft where we lay snug.
Lady Biddy put a bold face on this business; yet as the sun rose, andthe whooping and hallooing increased, showing that our enemies weregathering in greater numbers, her eyes betrayed uneasiness. Indeed, Imyself did by no means feel so sure of our safety as I pretended. If onecanoe contrived to get past me into the inner part of the cove, thenmight the savages in it shoot us down at their ease. And though hithertonone had dared to slip by, I doubted but presently, by egging each otheron with their taunts and cries, one would pluck up courage to make theattempt; then all would depend upon my address, for if but one of thosewicked, cruel heathens got by alive with his bow and arrows, as I say,we might measure the length of our existence by minutes.
Nothing is so wearisome and fatiguing as to await the onslaught of ahidden foe. The nerves and muscles must be kept braced up, the mind mustnever relax its energy, and one's very breath comes with painful labor.Maybe those savages were wise enough to know this, for though they neverceased to make themselves heard, yet for hours they made no endeavor todo more. But at length, about eight o'clock, as I judge, my ear caughtthe dash of oars in the water above the din of voices, and the nextmoment the prow of a canoe shot into sight. And now, first of all, Iflings one of my oars out so that it caught against a rock opposite, andanother on the hither side, barring the passage, and the result of thiswas that, as the canoe shot forward, the oar catches the first naturalin the loins and pitches him forward upon the next, and that one in histurn upon the third, to their great discomfiture; still, the oarsmen(who squat at the stern of the canoes in these parts) pushed forward,notwithstanding this cheek; but by this time I had snatched up my sword,and did lay on with such vigor that only two of the oarsmen out of thefour escaped with their lives by backing out the way they ventured in.Of spear and bow men I believe I cut down five, not to speak of the twooarsmen, and this without getting a scratch myself, nor being any waythe worse except for a prodigious sweat in every part.
Lady Biddy had covered her face with her hands when I took up the sword,for her delicate spirit could not abide the sight of bloodshed; and whenit was all over she still hid her eyes, so that I wa
s enabled to rinsemy hand over the side of the boat unseen, and cleanse it from the bloodthat trickled down the blade and splashed beyond the cross in thisfight. Also I wiped my sword clean, but I perceived pretty clearly Ishould never again be able to use that blade for cutting up tortuga norany other manner of meat that my lady was to eat.
This business was hardly concluded when Lady Biddy asks timorously if itis all over.
"Yes," says I, "and I reckon the blackamoors have had enough for thisday."
And so it seemed, for after the howling which was set up upon the defeatof the canoe, there was considerably less whooping than before, so thatwe did begin to comfort ourselves by thinking they had given up theattempt for a bad job, and would soon leave us in peace. But here werewe grievously out of our reckoning, as we soon had occasion to know, foras I was sitting myself on a thwart to ease my legs a bit, an arrowflies down betwixt my knees, and sticks bolt upright in the bottom ofthe boat.
Now this I did think to make light of as a curious accident, deemingthat a savage had fired up in the air and that his arrow had fallen thusnigh me by chance; but the next minute a second arrow falls but a footaway from the first, and then a third and fourth plump down in the wateralongside the boat with a noise like great hailstones. Then casting myeyes up I perceived a row of these red savages along the edge of thecliff above. Not a minute did I lose, but snatching up the lug-sail Icast one side over the rocks beside us in such a manner as it formed akind of roof over Lady Biddy's head; and though more than one arrowstuck in the canvas while this was a-doing, yet got I never so much as agraze, which shows how Providence does favor Christians, to themortification of the heathen.
This being done I crept under the shelter beside Lady Biddy; yet was Icareful to see that my oar still barred the passage well, and that mysword was ready to my hand in case of need.
The arrows came now thicker than ever; but though some came through thesail, yet was their force so broken that they could do us no mischief.
Seeing this, the savages gave over presently. Yet by the clatter theymade with their kind of conversation above, I was fearful that they wereonly seeking to do us some fresh injury; nor did they keep us waitinglong to perceive the turn their ingenuity had taken.