CHAPTER XIX.
A NIGHT OF ADVENTURE.
The tar flowed freely during Monday night and Tuesday, and by the timethat Tuesday's labors were finished, there was enough in the deep vat tomake all the pitch that was required. The salt-making was finished too,and the big kettle was ready for use the next day in boiling the tar tomake pitch of it.
On Tuesday evening Ned determined to go fishing, as he did nearly everynight when the tide was at a proper stage. He had learned now the spotsmost frequented by the mullets, and usually succeeded in bringing back agood supply of them to camp. The boys had grown very tired indeed oftheir restricted diet. For three weeks now they had not tasted meat ofany kind--for they never repeated their snake supper,--but had lived onfish, shrimps, oysters, and a few crabs; and being without bacon or anyother kind of fat with which to fry their fish, they could not make anappearance of variety by changing the way of cooking them. They had toeat every thing boiled, or roasted, or broiled on the coals, and in theabsence of butter and other seasoning for broiled fish, the roast,baked, broiled, and boiled all tasted alike. They had lost their relishfor such food as they could get, but having nothing else they wereforced to eat it.
On this Tuesday night Ned remained away from camp longer than usual, andat about eleven o'clock Charley went to bed, Jack mounting guard. Aboutan hour later Jack waked Charley, saying:
"I'm uneasy about Ned, Charley. It must be midnight and he hasn't comein yet."
Charley sprang up quickly, and the two looked and listened. Finally itwas decided that as Charley was less able to run than Jack--because ofthe dog-bite, which had not yet entirely healed,--he should remain onguard while Jack should go out in search of Ned.
Ten minutes later Jack came back, running as quietly as he could, andhastily pushed through the eastern gate. Fastening this, he exclaimedin an excited way:
"The squatters are all around us, and I'm afraid they've captured Ned."
"Why? Where are they? Tell me all about it, quick."
"I don't know much about it myself," answered Jack. "I only know that asI walked down along the shore in the direction that Ned took, I almoststumbled over one of the squatters. I retreated, of course, and bykeeping in the bushes and looking and listening, I made out that therewere at least half a dozen of them about. As I could see nothing, andhear nothing of Ned, I'm afraid they've caught him. You see they cameright along the shore where he was wading about and fishing, and if theyhadn't caught him, of course he would have run in to give us the alarm.Poor fellow! I wonder if they'll kill him?"
"I'm afraid of worse than that," said Charley, solemnly
"What?" asked Jack.
"I'm afraid they'll flog him. That would be horrible! for my part I'd agood deal rather be killed, and I'm sure Ned would."
"Yes, of course," said Jack. Then, after a pause, he added:
"I'll tell you what, Charley, we mustn't let that happen."
"How'll we help it?"
"Well, they won't try that till after they've made their attack on thefort. They'll simply tie Ned, and keep him till they're through with us,and so we have time to make a diversion in his favor. We've got to givethem battle outside the fort. If we can drive them off we may find Ned.When he finds what's up he'll let us know where he is quickly enough."
"Yes, if he hasn't been carried too far away already," said Charley. "Atany rate, we'll try. Where were the darkies when you saw them?"
"About two hundred yards away, in the woods near the shore."
"All right. Now let's remember that we've got to stick together, andthat our object is to do not as much but as little fighting asnecessary, and to get past the enemy if we can, and go on down the shorein search of Ned. We mustn't stop to do any unnecessary fighting."
"No, we'll try first to creep past without any fighting at all," saidJack.
Arming themselves with their best clubs the two boys crept out of theeastern gate and made their way as secretly as they could through thewoods. They saw two of the squatters, but managed to slip past themwithout discovery, and when they had got well beyond them they madetheir way rapidly along the beach, calling Ned at the top of theirvoices and listening for his answer. At last they heard a shout inreply, but it seemed a long way off, and singularly enough it was in thedirection of the camp. Turning around, they were filled with horror andamazement at what they saw. A great red blaze was shooting up from thecamp.
"They're burning us out!" exclaimed Jack.
"Yes, and they must have Ned there with them. His shout came from thatdirection."
"Come, let's run with all our might. We may get there in time to saveNed at any rate!"
They ran like deer-hounds and were quickly at the burning camp.
They encountered three of the negroes just outside the camp, but comingupon them by surprise they were able to run past and to enter the gatebefore their enemies could lay hold of them. Once inside they fastenedthe gate log. As they did so and turned they discovered that they hadcaught one of their assailants--a negro boy not older thanthemselves--inside. This lad showed fight, but with two against him hewas quickly secured, and tied with the boat's anchor rope.
Then Jack and Charley had time to see the extent of the mischief done.The stockade itself was uninjured, and thus far the boat also was safe,but the vat of tar was afire, and the bush hut in which the boys slepthad either caught from the blazing tar or been set on fire by the negroboy. It was obviously too late to save the hut, even if the boys hadbeen free to work upon it, as they were not, for the danger to the boat,which lay very near the fire and was already scorching, was too great tobe trifled with. Jack managed to rescue the salt from the hut, and thenhe and Charley began wetting moss and laying it over the boat.
"This won't do, Jack," said Charley; "those rascals outside will maketheir way over the stockade if they aren't watched. Can't you keep themoss wet now?"
"Yes, I'll attend to that. You go to the platform at once. If you needme call out and I'll come."
Charley sprang to the platform, and was none too soon. The negroesoutside, hearing the cries of their imprisoned companion, were alreadytrying to make their way within the enclosure. One of them havingclimbed upon the shoulders of another, had taken hold of the top of thestockade, and in another second would have drawn himself up. In thatcase the boys would have had to encounter him on equal terms, andperhaps another squatter would have been over the wall by that time.Luckily the light from the burning tar revealed the situation to Charleyin an instant. Running along the platform to the point of danger, herapped the knuckles of the climber with a degree of violence which atonce ended his climbing. He dropped to the ground as if his hands hadbeen cut off at the wrists, and then Charley began offensive measures.Throwing his clubs one after another--for a large supply of them hadbeen stored along the platform--he compelled the assailants to beat aretreat. They threw some sticks at him in return, but he managed tododge them, and Jack joining him for a few minutes, the pair fairlydrove the assailants off. Then Jack returned to his task of protectingthe boat, while Charley, promenading all the way around the barrier,kept guard against surprises.
No further assault being made, and the fire gradually dying down untilthe boat was no longer in danger, Jack and Charley had time to think ofNed again, and their anxiety was intense.
"At least we've got a hostage," said Jack, "and perhaps poor Ned will beable to arrange for an exchange. At any rate I hope so. There must besome of them who can speak English, and, besides, Ned understands theirjargon a little."
"Well, we'll hope for the best," said Charley, "but oughtn't we to makeanother effort to find Ned?"
"I don't see what we can do," said Jack. "They've carried him off bythis time, and to follow in the dark would be useless."
"Yes, that's true. Listen! What was that?"
Jack listened, but could hear nothing.
"What did you hear?" asked he.
"I thought I heard Ned shout."
Jack gave a loud, long call,
and then the two listened again. A shout inreply was this time distinctly heard.
"That's Ned," said Charley.
"Yes," answered Jack. "He's making all the trouble he can, I suppose, todelay their march and give us time to catch up. Come, Charley, we _must_rescue him."
Again the boys sallied out, this time through the western gate. They ranalong the shore, stopping occasionally to halloo and to listen for Ned'sreplies, which came promptly now.
"They aren't getting on very fast with him," said Jack; "we're gainingon them at any rate."
Again the boys ran. When they made their next pause to shout, they wereastonished to hear Ned cry out, in his natural voice, from no greatdistance:
"Is every thing burnt up?"
Strangely enough the voice seemed to come from the water on the right,and both Jack and Charley were bewildered by the fact.
"Where on earth are you?" called Jack.
"Here," answered Ned, "out here on the oyster reef."
The moon was near the zenith, and by carefully scanning the sea the boyscould make out the figure of Ned, standing knee-deep in water, aboutfifty yards from shore. What to make of the situation they did not know.
"What are you doing out there, Ned?" cried Jack.
"I'm waiting for the tide to go down. Never mind me, but tell me aboutthe fire. Did it burn the boat?"
"No, only the tar in the vat and our hut. The boat is safe, and so isthe stockade."
"How did it catch fire?"
"Why, the squatters set it afire while we were out hunting for you."
"Have they been there, then?"
"Yes. Haven't they had you prisoner?"
"Not a bit of it. But don't stand there talking. Go back and take careof the camp. When the tide goes down I'll return. Hurry now, or thoserascals will get in again and burn the boat."
"But what in the world----"
"Never mind that now. Go on to camp. You've no time to lose. I'll makeexplanations when I get there."
The necessity for hurrying back was plain enough, and so, withoutfurther delay, Jack and Charley started toward the camp at a brisktrot.