There was plenty of excitement on board the steamer, as the falls were
hooked on and the light gig was run up to the davits, the boat then
being swung on board; and as lights were brought, the body of the man
they had tried to save was laid upon the deck.
"Why, it's a nigger!" exclaimed Bob Roberts; and then, with a cry of
horror, "Oh, Mr Johnson, it's old Ali! Here, quick! help, brandy! Oh,
he's dead! he's dead!"
"No, he aren't, sir," said Dick gruffly; "leastwise, I don't think so."
"Carry him into the cabin," said Lieutenant Johnson sharply; and this
being done, the poor fellow was stripped, briskly rubbed, and the
customary plans adopted to restore respiration, Bob Roberts eagerly
taking his turn, till, to his delight, as he watched Ali's arms being
worked up and down, so as to empty and fill his chest, there was a faint
flutter, a sigh, and the doubts as to the young Malay's life being
spared were at an end.
"Hooray!" cried Bob, who was only in his shirt and trousers, his collar
open, and his sleeves rolled right up to his shoulders. "Hooray!" he
cried; and forgetting all his dignity as second officer in command of
Her Majesty's ship, he indulged in a kind of triumphal dance, which
ended with a flop, caused by his bringing one foot down flat on the
cabin floor.
"I think that will do, Mr Roberts," said the lieutenant quietly; and
Bob coloured up and looked confused.
"I felt so delighted, sir, to see the poor old chap better," he
stammered.
"So I see," said the lieutenant. "There, put on your jacket, and give
the men a glass of grog apiece for what they have done towards saving
our friend here. Dick, there, has pretty well rubbed his skin off."
"Well, sir," said Dick in an ill-used tone, "I rubbed as hard as ever I
could."
"That you did, Dick," said the middy.
"And he is coming to, sir," continued Dick.
"Yes," said the lieutenant, "a good sleep will set him right, I think.
It is a pity the doctor has gone on the expedition; but we must do the
best we can."
"Expedition!" said Bob sharply, "of course; but I thought Ali here had
gone. He was going. Oh, I know; he has stopped behind because Tom Long
and I were not going."
"Very likely," said the lieutenant drily; "but had you not better see
about the men's refreshment?"
"Oh! yes, sir; of course," said Bob, hurrying on his light jacket; and
Dick and a couple of men, who had been helping, followed him out of the
cabin, smiling and wiping their lips in anticipation of the promised
drink.
They had hardly left the cabin when Ali opened his eyes, and lay gazing
up at the ceiling, then, in a curious, puzzled way, at the light, his
mind struggling to recover itself and master his confusion.
A sigh and a few muttered words took the lieutenant to his side; and on
seeing him Ali started, and said something to him in the Malay tongue.
"Are you better?" said the lieutenant kindly.
"Better?" he said, "better? Where am I? what place is this?"
"You are on board the steamer. We found you drowning in the river."
Ali clasped his forehead with his hands for a few moments, and then all
seemed to come back like a flood.
"Yes," he said hoarsely, "I know now. I was swimming to the island."
"I see; and you were swept away," said the lieutenant kindly. "I think
you had better lie down, and have a good sleep," he continued, as the
young man struggled up.
"No, no!" cried Ali excitedly. "I recollect all now. Quick! call your
men; there is great danger!"
"Come, come," said the lieutenant gently, "calm yourself. Try and
sleep."
He laid his hand firmly on the young man's arm, but Ali caught his
wrist.
"What, do you think," he cried, "that I am speaking no sense?"
"Well," said the lieutenant, smiling, "I think you are excited and ill."
"No, no," cried Ali. "Give me clothes; I will fight for you. There is
danger!"
"Nonsense!" said the lieutenant. "There, lie down; and Roberts, your
friend, you know, shall come and sit with you."
"Oh, listen to me!" cried Ali piteously. "I am not as you think. I
swam off to warn you. Hamet has got half your men away by treachery. I
am sure they are going to attack you. Quick! get ready; there is great,
great danger! Give me clothes, and I'll fight for you!"
As he spoke excitedly, Bob Roberts entered the cabin, and stood
listening.
"Come and speak to him, Roberts," said the lieutenant quietly. "Poor
fellow! he is overdone, and it has flown to his head."
"Ah! You here?" cried Ali joyfully. "He will not believe me, Bob.
Listen; there is going to be an attack made upon you--at the island, and
here. They have got your men and officers away to lead them into a
trap. I escaped to tell you."
"Oh! come, old chap, don't talk like that," cried Bob, taking his hand.
"Don't talk such wild nonsense and bosh. Lie down and have a good
sleep. I say, Mr Johnson, I wish old Bolter was here."
"You do not believe me!" cried Ali passionately. "What am I, that you
treat me so? Is it that I always lie?"
"Lie? No, old boy," said Bob kindly; "but it isn't you talking. Your
head's all in a muddle."
"Head? muddle? Not I!" cried Ali excitedly. "There! Hark! I told you
so!"
As he spoke there was the sharp crack of a rifle, then another, and
another, and a rattling scattered volley.
"Something wrong at the island, sir," reported one of the watch.
"By Jove! he's right!" cried the lieutenant, rushing out of the cabin.
"Quick, Roberts!"
"Yes--clothes--my kris!" cried Ali joyfully. "I'll fight with you."
For answer Bob ran to his own berth, hastily threw the young Malay one
of his spare suits; and then, quickly buckling on his sword, ran on
deck, where the lieutenant was striding up and down, giving his orders.
"That's right, Roberts," he cried. "They're hard at work at the
island."
The next moment Bob was running here and there, seeing that his
superior's orders were executed. The drums had already beat to
quarters, and with the wondrous business-like rapidity with which
matters are done on board a man-of-war every man was at his place, the
ports flew open, the magazine was unfastened, and while the moorings
were cast off astern, and those ahead ready to be dropped at a moment's
notice, the furnaces were roaring furiously, and every effort being made
by the firemen to get up steam.
It was like the turning of a handle. There was no confusion; the whole
machine was ready for action; guns loaded, and marines and sailors armed
ready for any contingency that might befall the steamer.
Directly after, Ali came hurrying from the cabin, and made his way to
where the middy was eagerly looking for his next order.
"Give me arms," he said; "I have lost my kris."
"And a good thing, too," said Bob sharply; "a murderous skewer! May I
give him a sword, sir?"
"Yes, and a revolver, if he means to fight on our side," said Lieutenant
Johnson sharply; and Bob hurriedly ordered the armourer to take the
young Malay and supply what was needed. "They are making no signals at
the island, Roberts," continued the lieutenant, "and I don't know what
to do. I would man a boat and send on--"
"Under me, sir?" said Bob slowly.
"Of course, Mr Roberts; but we are so short-handed, I don't know what
to do for the best. Ah! here is your friend. Now, sir; tell us in a
few words what this all means."
Ali rapidly told him of his belief, and the lieutenant frowned.
"Certainly there is confirmation of what you say, sir," he said sternly,
"but the story sounds wild and strange."
He gazed suspiciously at the young chief; but Ali did not blench in the
slightest degree.
Just then the firing seemed to become furious on the island, and the
lieutenant stamped his foot impatiently.
"How long is this steam going to be?" he cried. "How I hate being tied
by the leg like this, Roberts."
"It's horrible, sir!" cried Roberts, who was stamping up and down the
deck, when he was not trying to make out what was going on upon the
island, by means of a small glass. "Let's do something, sir, or the
people there will think we are not going to help them."
"What can we do, lieutenant," said the other, "except send a boat?"
"Let's fire a big gun, captain," said Bob; "that'll let 'em know we are
all alive; and then send the boat. I'll be very careful, sir."
The lieutenant hesitated as he watched the island through his glass, and
could see the flashes of the pieces as they were fired. In a short time
steam would be up, and the vessel could pass right round the island and
engage the prahus, if there were any attacking. Besides, he was very
loth to reduce his already short ship's company.
"If it were not already so confoundedly dark," he exclaimed, "we could
see what to do. Ah! at last, there goes the signal."
For just then there was a rushing noise, and a rocket went up from the
island, far into the blackness of the night, burst, and the bright blue
stars fell slowly, lighting up the palms and fruit-trees upon the
island.
"Ready there with a rocket," exclaimed the lieutenant. "Be smart, Mr
Roberts."
"Ay, ay, sir," was the reply; and, with a mighty rush, away on high sped
the answering signal, to burst and fill the air above them with lambent
light.
"That is better than your big gun, Roberts," said the lieutenant.
"No, sir, I don't think it is," said Bob, "for it won't frighten the
niggers, and my gun would."
The night seemed to have come on darker than ever, and the rocket stars
shone with wonderful brilliancy as they descended lower, and lower, and
lower, some even to reach the water before they went out, and just as
the last was floating down, Ali, who was close to the two officers,
suddenly started, grasped Bob's arm, and exclaimed sharply,--
"Prahus!"
He was pointing with one hand down the stream, but on the middy gazing
in the required direction it was too dark to see anything.
"I can see none," he said. "Where?"
"Two prahus coming up rapidly," said Ali; "be ready to fire."
"Not so fast, young sir," said the lieutenant. "Will that steam never
be up? Roberts," he cried, "touch the trigger of that life-buoy."
The middy obeyed, and a life-buoy dropped over the side with a splash, a
port-fire at the same moment bursting out into a brilliant blue glare,
which, as the buoy floated down rapidly with the stream, lit-up the
trees on either shore, made the water flash, but above all showed out
plainly to all on board a couple of large prahus coming rapidly up the
stream, the many sweeps out on either side making the water foam and
flash in the blue light shed by the buoy.
"There!" said Ali excitedly, "they are Rajah Gantang's prahus. Fire at
them."
"Not so fast, sir," said the lieutenant. "I must first be sure that
they are enemies."
He was soon assured of that fact, for as the steamer was lit-up by the
port-fire as well as the prahus, _bang, bang, bang, bang_, one after the
other, came the reports of the brass guns the two long boats had on
board, and a hail of small iron balls came whistling through the
rigging.
"There's no doubt about it now," said the lieutenant grimly; and giving
the orders as the prahus rapidly advanced, evidently with the intention
of boarding, the two big guns on the port-side thundered out a reply,
splashing the water all over one prahu, and going through the matting
boarding-screen of the other; but otherwise doing no harm.
The prahus replied, and for a few minutes there was a sharp duel kept
up, at the end of which time the oars were seen being swiftly plied, and
the two boats went on up stream at a rapid rate, the steamer firing at
them as long as they were visible by the lights they had on board.
"Was anything ever so vexatious?" cried the lieutenant. "Here we lie
like a log upon the water. Will that steam never be up?"
Just then the welcome news was given, and the order was passed down to
the engine-room; the screw began to revolve, and the men cheered as the
vessel's head was freed from the buoy, to which she had been moored, and
they began to steam rapidly in the wake of the two prahus, whose lights
had evidently passed to the left of the island.
Meanwhile a sharp engagement had evidently been going on in the
neighbourhood of the little fort. Once or twice the nine-pounder they
had there spoke out, but the principal part of the firing was that of
rifles. Lights were seen from the deck, here and there amidst the
trees, and were moving upon the shore, where the people were evidently
in a state of alarm. Still the occupants of the island seemed to be
making a good fight, and the lieutenant felt that he could not be doing
them better service than by disposing of the two prahus, and to this end
the steamer went on, its commander having a sharp look-out kept, and a
man busy with the lead in the forepart of the vessel.
At the end of a few minutes the lights on the prahus were seen; the
order, "Full speed ahead!" given, for they were now in the middle of the
open reach of the river, and Lieutenant Johnson hoped to sink one or the
other of his adversaries by using a little energy.
The shadowy shapes of the two boats were made out at the end of a
minute, and a couple of guns were brought to bear upon them, the firing
being replied to for a time, the flashes from the guns serving to light
up the darkness of the night for a moment, while the roar of the big
guns went rolling along the surface of the water, and was echoed from
the trees upon the bank.
"Keep that lead going more quickly," shouted the lieutenant, as the last
of the prahus, apparently unharmed, passed round the head of the island,
placing the wooded land between her and the steamer, which followed
rapidly in their wake.
The lieutenant's orders were obeyed, and the sounding shouted by the man
who handled the lead line.
The river was very deep, but as no good chart existed, and it was dark,
extra caution was being used, and all was going on well. In another
minute she would have rounded the bend of the island and been in full
chase of the fleet enemy, when just as the man had shouted out the
depth, there was a sudden shock, which threw several men off their legs,
and to the dismay of all, the steamer was tightly fixed upon a mudbank,
every effort to release her only seeming to make her settle more firmly
down. And this at a moment when her presence might serve to change the
fortunes of the attack being made upon the residency.