CHAPTER XII
"They are some of the king's fisherfolk," said Tepi, scanning themclosely; "that is their village, Only fishermen and two of the king'spilots live here. I have heard them spoken of many times."
"Then they are just the very fellows we want," I said to Lucia; "there'senough of them, with us, to put the boat off this ledge into the wateragain. They'll be here in a few minutes. Niabon, do you think we can beseen from the king's village? I can see the houses there quite plainly."
"I fear so, Simi," she replied.
"Then we must make these fellows who are coming to us work hard. I'llpay them well for it if they get us afloat again in another hour. Let medo all the talking. Take my glasses and let me know the moment you seea boat coming. We must not be caught here like this; and the tide won'tturn for another hour at least."
There were eleven natives, and when they were close to I noticed withsatisfaction that most of them were sturdy, well-built fellows. Theycame up to us, and we all shook hands, and before even asking them tohelp me, I inquired if they would like some grog to dry their skins.
Lucia had a quart bottle of Hollands all ready, and in less than fiveminutes it was empty, and our visitors said I was a noble-minded andthoughtful man.
"Friends," I said, "behold me and my friends--and this our boat castupon the reef like a stranded porpoise. Wilt help us float again, sothat we may get to the king's town to-night and sleep in peace? AndI shall pay every man twenty sticks of rich, sweet tobacco and fourbottles of grog between thee."
My munificent offer was received with acclamation, though at first theywanted a preliminary smoke and gossip, but I bade them hurry.
"No time have we for talk now, friends," I said, jocularly slapping oneof them on his brawny shoulders; "'tis but this morning the king senta white man to me in his own boat to bid me welcome; and, as we hurrieddown the lagoon, that devil's rain sent me astray, so that the boat wascaught in the current and swept down into the passage, where we struck,as thou seest."
My explanation was quite satisfactory, and they went to work with awill, lightening the boat--after a first and fruitless attempt to moveher--by taking out all our water, stores, &c. We were but fifty or sixtyfeet away from the edge of the channel; and in half an hour, by ourunited effort, had dragged her half the distance, when Niabon beckonedme to her.
"There are two boats half-way down the lagoon," she said in a low voice:"one is that of Tully, and they are using both sails and oars. See, theyare plainly in sight."
I jumped back again amongst the natives. I knew that they would havealready seen the coming boats had they not been toiling so hard, so Icalled to Niabon to open another bottle of grog and serve it out.
"Hurry, hurry, O strong men," I cried, as we moved the boat another footastern, "else shall I be laughed at by the king's white men, for twoboats are coming. And instead of twenty it shall be forty sticks oftobacco each if ye get this boat in the water before the king's men arehere to laugh at me."
The poor beggars were working like Trojans, their naked bodies streamingwith perspiration, as Niabon held out to each of them half a pannikinfulof raw gin, which was tossed off at one swallow. Then both she andLucia, who was now on the reef, began digging the promised tobacco outof a case with sheath knives.
"Don't bother to count the sticks!" I cried, as the boat made a suddenmove and was kept going for nearly a dozen feet. "Toss out about half ofthe case and be ready to jump on board and get under cover."
At last, with a yell of satisfaction from the natives, the stern postwas seen to be over the ledge of the coral, and then with one finaleffort the boat went into the water with a splash like a sperm whale"breaching."
"Now, in with everything," I shouted to Tematau, as one glance showedme the two boats, now less than half a mile away, coming along at whatseemed to me to be infernal speed.
Tematau and the natives made a rush at the boxes of stores, bundles ofsails, water breakers, and everything else, and tumbled them on boardanyhow, Lucia and Niabon taking the lighter articles from them anddropping them into the cabin, so as to give us more deck room, whilst Iran up the jib, and big Tepi the mainsail.
"Take all the loose tobacco there, my friends," cried Niabon to thefishermen, who with panting bosoms stood looking at us as if we had allgone mad, "and here are the four bottles of _rom_."
One of them sprang to the side of the boat just as I, feeling everymoment that I should drop with exhaustion, pushed her off with an oarinto deep water. And then we heard a chorus of yells and cries from thetwo boats, as we eased off the jib and main sheets, and Niabon put herbefore the wind. Then _crack! crack!_ and two bullets went through themainsail just below the peak, and I heard Tolly's voice shouting to meto bring to again.
"Come aft here, you two," I cried to Tepi and his mate; "get out theguns, quick. Sit down in the cabin and fire, one on each side of me."
I did not speak a moment too soon, for the leading boat suddenly loweredher sail, took in all her oars but two, and began firing at us at lessthan three hundred yards, and every bullet hit us somewhere, either inthe hull or aloft. Then they took to their oars again, and I saw thatunless we could knock some of them over she--and those in the secondboat as well--would be aboard of us in a few minutes, for there was nowbut little wind and the strength of the ebb tide was fast slackening.
Tematau and Tepi each fired two or three shots in quick succession, butmissed, and then a very heavy bullet struck the side of the coaming ofthe steering-well in which I was seated, glanced off and ploughedalong the deck, and the second boat now began firing into us withbreechloading rifles of some sort.
"Let me try," I said to Tematau, clambering out of the well into thecabin. "Go and steer, but sit down on the bottom, or you'll be hit."
Niabon handed me my Evans' rifle in the very nick of time, for at thatmoment Tully stood up in the stern sheets of his boat and, giving thesteer oar to a native, began to take pot shots at Tepi and myself. Iwaited until my hand was a bit steady, and then down he went headlongamongst his crew. I knew I could not possibly have missed him at such ashort distance.
I waited until my hand was a bit steady 166]
"Good!" cried Niabon exultingly, as both Tepi and myself fired togetherand three of the native paddlers who were sitting facing us, rolled overoff their seats, either dead or badly wounded, for in an instant theutmost confusion prevailed, some of the crew evidently wanting to comeon, and the others preventing them. By this time the first boat waswithin easy pistol range the other, which was much larger and crowdedwith natives, being about forty yards astern of her, but coming alongas hard as she could, two of her crew in the bows firing at us with adisgusting kind of a foreign army rifle, whose conical bullets were halfas big as pigeon's eggs, and made a deuce of a noise, either when theyhit the _Lucia_, or went by with a sort of a groanlike hum.
"Take this," I said to Niabon, giving her my Deane and Adams pistol,"and do you and Tepi keep off those in the nearest boat if they come onagain."
But she waved it aside, and seizing Tematau's carbine, stood up and senther first shot crashing through the timbers of the boat.
"Quick, Tematau," I cried, "get another rifle and fire with me at thesecond boat. Let ours come to the wind--it matters not."
Picking out one of the two fellows who were shooting so steadily at usfrom the bows of their boat, I fired and missed, but another shot didfor him, for he fell backwards and I saw his rifle fly up in the air andthen drop overboard.
This was enough for them, for the steersman at once began to slew herround, and then he too went down as a bullet from Tematau took him fairand square in the chest, and we saw the blood pouring from him as hefell across the gunwale. In another ten seconds they were paddling awayfrom us, leaving the other boat to her fate.
"That is enough," I cried to Tepi, who I now noticed for the firsttime was bleeding from a bullet wound in the left arm, which had beenhurriedly tied up by Lucia, "that is enough. Put down your gun. There isnow n
o one in the second boat shooting at us."
"They are lying down in the bottom," said Niabon, "we can see themmoving, but some have dived overboard, and swum ashore. See, there arefour of them running along the reef."
"Let them go, Niabon," and then I turned to Lucia. She was deathly pale,but had all her wits about her, for although she could barely speak fromexcitement, she had some brandy and water ready for us.
"Thank you," I said, as I poured a stiff dose into the pannikin, andtaking first pull, passed it on to Tepi and the other man. "Now we musthave a look at that boat. We can't leave wounded men to drown."
The wind was now very light, but the boat was so near that we weresoon alongside and looking into her. There were three dead, two badlywounded, one slightly wounded man, and one unhurt man in her. The latterlooked at us without the slightest fear, even when Tepi, picking up acarbine, thrust the muzzle of it almost into his face. Niabon gentlytook the weapon from Tepi's hand, laid it down and waited for me toquestion our prisoner.
"Is the white man dead?" I asked.
"Ay, he died but now. The bullet went in at where the ribs join."
To make sure that Tally was really dead I got down into the boat. Hewas lying on his face and was dead enough, though he had evidently liveduntil a few minutes previously.
I jumped on board the _Lucia_ again, and looked anxiously around. Therewas still a light air, but the tide was now setting in, and I did notwant our boat to be carried back into the lagoon again. Then I turned tothe prisoner, and asked him if he could tell me why he ought not to beshot. He made a gesture of utter indifference, and said he didn't care.Did I think he was a coward, he asked? Could he not have swum ashore?The king would kill him to-morrow.
Pitying the poor wretch, I gave him a pipe, tobacco, and matches, andtold him to help my men put the dead and wounded men on the reef, asI wanted the boat. The people at the fishing village, who had beenwatching the fight throughout from a safe distance, were within sight,so telling the prisoner he must go to them and get them to carry theirdead and wounded up to the houses before the tide covered the reefagain, I sent him off with Tematau, Tepi, and Niabon. Their gruesometask was soon done, and the boat rid of her ensanguined cargo; then assoon as she came alongside again, I called Niabon on board, and tellingher to steer, went into the smaller boat and took the _Lucia_ in tow.
As we slowly crept out through the passage, we saw the fisher folk comedown to the reef, and, lifting up the three dead men, carry them away,others following with the wounded. It was not a pleasant sight to see,nor even to think of, now that it was all over, and so we none of usspoke as we tugged at the oars.
We got outside at last, and then ceased towing, as a light air carriedus well clear of the outer reef. Coming alongside, we stepped on board,after having pulled out the boat's plug. Then we watched her driftastern to fill.
At dawn when I was awakened, after a good four hours' sleep, Apamama wasthirty miles astern of us, and we were running free before a nice coolbreeze, steering N.W. for Kusaie Island, the eastern outlier of theCarolines, eight hundred miles away.
The two women had not heard me move, and were both sound asleep, theirfaces close together and their arms intertwined.