That had been a tremendously hot day, but in the excitement of the
silver-seeking the weather had been unnoticed; but as the night came on
it seemed almost suffocating to those who were not moved by such
passionate emotions as Dutch Pugh and his wife.
Sam Oakum had been till quite late standing chewing his tobacco, as he
looked over the side watching the golden green water that heaved gently
against the stern of the vessel, for, moored as she was, she did not
swing with the tide, and after a time he went and joined 'Pollo, whose
galley was, after all, no hotter than the rest of the ship.
From where they sat talking in a low voice, the encounter between Laure
and Hester had not been heard, and when from time to time Oakum thrust
out his head and took a look round to see the faint glow from the cabin
skylight, all was as still as death, and he drew his head in again and
went on talking.
"Don't gawp like that, 'Pollo," said Oakum at last, as his companion
yawned in a fashion that was quite shark-like.
"I berry sleep and tired, Mass' Oakum, sah; I had berry hot day."
"There, I'll soon wake you up, my lad."
"No, sah, I hope you do nuffum ob de sort, for I want go asleep."
Oakum chuckled softly to himself, and then, just as 'Pollo was in the
midst of a second yawn, he said:
"I wonder how much apiece the governors mean to give us."
'Pollo was wide awake on the instant.
"I no know, Mass' Oakum, sah, but dey get so much for demselves dat they
give us great big whack."
"I dunno," said Sam. "We ought to have made a bargain. But there,
let's go down and turn in."
"No, sah, I tank you," said 'Pollo; "it ten time more hot down below
dere dan in my galley, where de fire full go. Nuff to cook all de boys
in de forksel, and make 'em come up brown in de morning. I not bit
sleepy now, and when I am I lie down here on de deck and hab rest."
"Well it is a bit better up here, 'Pollo, for you can breathe."
"Yes, sah; can get de wind 'nuff to kip going. But 'bout de silber,
sah. You tink dey get up all from down below?"
"Yes, 'Pollo, and I suppose we shall start next to get to another sunken
wreck, and unload her."
"I tink, sah, I take de schooner close up to dat old wreck off de lilly
island."
"So do I, 'Pollo; and what's more I will."
"I tink, sah, we ought get berry big lot ob silber for ourselb. If I
tought dey turn shabby, I say let Mass' Oakum and me go and get de whole
ob de oder ship and cut de silber in two half, and take one apiece."
"Very pretty, 'Pollo, if we could do it: but as we can't, let's be
content with what we get from the governors."
"Yah--yah--yah--yah," laughed 'Pollo softly.
"Now then, what are you grinning about?" said Oakum.
"I tink, sah, about de sunken ship and de silber."
"What of it?"
"I tink, sah, how funny it am if we came out here, find de sunk ship,
pull up all de silber, and den if we go and lose de ship somewheres
else, and all de silber go to de bottom again."
"I say, young fellow," growled Sam, "don't you get croaking like that.
'Taint lucky."
"No, sah; wouldn't be lucky lose all de silber again. I tink I know how
much I go to hab for my share."
"Enough to make you an independent gentleman for life, 'Pollo."
"You tink so, sah?" chuckled 'Pollo.
"Sartin sure."
"Den I wear white hankcher and white wescoat ebery day; and make some
darn niggah clean my boots free times over. Yah, yah, yah."
"Here, I shall be smothered if I stop up here much longer, 'Pollo," said
Oakum, stepping out upon the deck, where all was dark and silent, only a
very faint light now coming up through the cabin skylight.
"It am hot, sar, berry hot," said 'Pollo, and they stood at the side
staring at the shore, where the undergrowth seemed to be lit up by a
shower of fallen stars, which leaped and danced from leaf to leaf, while
the very sea beneath them seemed alive with pale shining points of
light, which glided softly along till some fish darted through the water
and made the little starry dots flash into a long line of light.
Against the side of the ship there seemed to be so much pale golden
light rising and falling, showing the copper sheathing of the vessel,
and surrounding it with a soft halo which made its shape just faintly
outlined from stem to stern. The cables, too, by which it was moored
could be faintly traced as lines of light illuminated and sparkling
right to the sand below, and for some little time the two men stood
watching in silence.
"Dat's shark," whispered 'Pollo, suddenly, as he pointed down to where
the points of light flashed more vividly as they were agitated, and
though they could not make out the shape of the monster, it was plain to
see that some great fish was slowly gliding through the water.
"What's he hanging about after?" said Oakum, watching the place
intently. "I should have thought it had been made too warm for them
gentlemen, and they'd have give us a wide berth."
"He know somebody go to die soon," said 'Pollo, in a low voice. "Dat
Mass' Studwick or pretty Missee Pugh."
"Don't you talk humbug," said Oakum, with a growl. "Phew! it's strange
and hot; I shall go and turn in."
"You soon turn out again. Mass' Oakum, you go below. De cockroach hab
fine game night like dis hyar, sah, and de skeetas buzz bout like
anyfing. You top on deck and lay down under de awning. Dey coming on
deck dose oder chap half baked, sah."
"How do you know?" growled Sam.
"I hear some one, sah, just now come crawl up, and--Oh, Goramighty, who
hit me on de head?"
For just then there was a dull thud, a fall, and Sam Oakum felt himself
seized from behind, and a hard hand placed over his mouth.
He was too sturdy a fellow, though, to submit to that, and wrenching
himself free he sent one of his assailants one way, and the other
sprawling over the body of 'Pollo, and darting aside, he gave a spring,
caught at the inner side of the main shrouds, swung his legs up, and as
the two men ran in pursuit of him they passed beneath him in the
darkness, and he climbed softly up higher and higher, then crawling
round to the outside, and clung there, gazing down into the darkness
below, feeling that he had had a narrow escape for his life.
"The ship's been boarded in the dark," he muttered, as he listened
attentively, seeing nothing, but making out something of the proceedings
by the sounds below.
Now came the noise of the cabin hatches being secured; then there were
short, sharp orders here and there, followed by a struggle, a wild cry,
and a heavy fall. Then came the splash heard below in the cabin, and
Oakum muttered to himself:
"There's one poor fellow gone to his long home."
Then he set himself to make out who it could be, but his attention was
taken off directly by sounds of the alarm having spread below.
"And now how about all the silver?" muttered Oakum. "That's about the
size of what this here means."
Sam was right, for the ship had been seized for the sake of the silver
found, and that which was to be discovered, for Laure had decided that
it was not safe to stay any longer. He had been waiting his time, and
had there been no chance of discovery he intended to let Parkley and
Dutch go from wreck to wreck, and obtain all the sunken treasure
possible before seizing the vessel. But now the plot seemed so ripe
that if allowed to go further it might fail, so, exasperated by his
encounter that evening, he had whispered his intentions to the men under
his orders, unfortunately more than half the crew, and as Sam Oakum
listened from aloft he could hear the scoundrels hurrying about, the
hatches secured, and then proceedings followed that showed him that the
alarm had fully spread.
First there was the shivering of a skylight, Captain Studwick calling
out to know what the noise meant, followed by beating and kicking at the
door; and then several shots were fired followed by a dead silence,
broken by Laure's voice giving orders in a sharp, business-like way.
"I wonder where poor old 'Pollo is," said Sam Oakum as he sat upon his
perch thinking, and by force of habit he took out his tobacco-box,
helped himself to a bit, and began to consider about the perils of his
position. Where he was would do very well for now, he argued, but as
soon as the day began to break he would be seen, and then the
probabilities were that he would be shot down.
"Leastwise, p'haps, they'll let me off as soon as I say I'll jyne 'em,
but that won't come off. Now, who's in this game, I wonder? That
yaller-skinned mulatto chap's one for a dollar, and there's roughs
enough among those as came aboard with him to make up a pretty crew,
I'll swear."
Sam sat thinking while the captors of the vessel were pretty busy down
below, and at last, one plug of tobacco being ended, he started upon
another, but this time not being so cautious, or rather having his
attention taken up by what was passing below, he closed the steel
tobacco-box with a loud clear snap, and in the stillness of the night
this sounded so clearly that he knew he must be discovered.
To change his position was the work of a few moments, and while he was
in the act of moving there was a sharp flash, and the report of a
pistol, followed by another and another, the bullets whistling close by
him.
"There's some one up in the rigging," said Laure sharply. "It's that
black cook."
"No," said another voice, "we fetched him down first off, and he's been
pitched below."
"Who is it, then?" said Laure sharply.
"I think Oakum was on deck," said another voice.
"Here you, Sam Oakum, come down," said Laure, in a clear, loud voice.
"Come down and you shall not be hurt."
"That's nice palaver after sending bullets to fetch a man down," said
Sam to himself, "and after pitching one poor chap to the sharks. I
think I'll stay where I am."
"Here, two of you to the port, and two to the starboard shrouds. Take
your knives with you, and if the scoundrel won't give in, fetch him down
best way you can."
Sam Oakum drew a long breath as he heard these words, and then, the
rigging beginning to quiver, he set his teeth, and began to make
cautiously for one of the stays, intending to get to the next mast if he
could, and so steal down on deck, where, if he could contrive to reach
the poop, he might climb over and join those below through the cabin
windows.
It was ticklish work, though, for as he glided and swung from place to
place, he could hear by the hard breathing that he was closely pursued.
Spider-like, too, the touching of the various ropes by his enemies gave
him fair warning that he was in danger, though, unfortunately, his
movements were in the same way telegraphed to his enemies.
At last they came so near that his capture seemed certain, or if not
capture, he felt sure that a blow from a knife would be his portion.
For just as he was going to pass on to the shrouds he had reached, he
felt by their vibration that some fresh men were coming up, and seizing
a rope he swung himself out clear from the top and hung there, gently
swaying about, hearing his pursuers pass close by him, so near that he
could have stretched out one hand and touched them.
As far as he could judge, he was now just over the cabin skylight, and
his heart bounded, for somewhere about here ought to be the top of the
wind-sail hung up in the rigging, so that the great canvas tube might
convey the fresh air below to take the place of the hot.
"If I could only reach that," thought Sam, "I might slip inside, and go
down with a run into the cabin."
He felt about gently for some few moments--not a very easy task,
swinging as he was--and then to his great joy he felt his leg come in
contact with the rope that suspended the sail, threw his legs round it,
and slid down to the top; then, feeling for the opening in the side, he
thrust in his leg and held on for a moment while he drew his knife and
opened it with his teeth, determined to sell his life dearly if he
should be assailed.
It was well he did so, for, directly after squaring his elbows so as to
make all the resistance possible to a rapid descent, he let himself
glide into the long canvas sack; but, in spite of his efforts, he went
down with a rapid run, not as he expected into the cabin, but upon the
deck, where he lay struggling for a few moments before he could get his
knife to work and rip up a sufficiently-large slit to allow of his
rolling out, and then leaped to his feet, ready to meet the first attack
that came.
The darkness befriended him, for no one dared fire for fear of hitting a
friend, and though the noise of his fall brought his enemies round, it
was only to seize one another; and in the midst of the confusion he
escaped, and dashed off in a hard race, closely pursued by half-a-dozen
scoundrels, whose purpose evidently was to hunt him overboard.
Twice over he ran right into some one's arms, and once he ran full tilt
against an enemy, and sent him rolling over on to the deck. Shouts and
oaths rang around him, and over and over again poor Oakum felt that his
only chance of escaping from one horrible death was by seeking another.
"But no," he muttered, "I'm not going to be served like that;" and he
dodged round mast, galley, and boat, crouching under bulwarks, and
escaping over and over again by a miracle as he tried hard to think of
some means of baffling his pursuers. The cabin skylight was too
strongly covered with wirework, he thought, or he would have tried to
leap through; and as to leaping overboard, swimming beneath the cabin
window, and calling to those who were prisoners to lower down a rope,
that was not to be thought of after the sight he had seen that night in
the luminous water.
"I should be torn to pieces," he muttered. "Take that, you mutinous
ruffian," he added, as he struck out fiercely at one of his enemies,
lying down the next moment flat on the deck, so that a pursuer fell over
him, and fell with a crash.
Try how he would, the fugitive was beaten; at every turn in the darkness
an enemy seemed to spring up in his way, and as he heard the whish of
blows directed at him he wondered he had escaped so long.
But a man running for his life is hard to overtake, especially if he
have the darkness for his ally: and so it was that at the end of five
minutes, during which Sam had been a dozen times within an ace of being
taken, he was still at large, standing panting close to the forecastle
hatch, while his enemies were creeping cautiously up, ready to make a
spring.
"If I'm to be threw overboard," muttered Sam, "I won't go alone, anyhow.
If the sharks is to be fed, they shall have a double allowance;" and
setting his teeth with a vicious grating noise, he prepared for a run
aft.
The darkness was now more intense than ever, for a thick mist had come
off the land, enshrouding the deck so that Sam could not see the knife
he grasped in his hand, but his ears were strained so that he could make
out the panting breath of his enemies as they came nearer and nearer,
and to his horror he found that they had spread themselves right across
the deck; and his imagination suggested that they had joined hands so as
to make sure that he did not escape, literally dragging the deck from
astern forward, so he knew that they were certain of him this time.
His only chance seemed to be to run out on the bowsprit, and to try to
get by one of the stays upon the foremast, but the men were so close
that he felt sure they would cut him down before he had gone a yard.
Crouching down, and backing, he was close to the capstan, when his foot
came in contact with a fender--one of those heavy pads of cordage and
network used to keep ships' sides from grinding on a stone wharf.
In an instant he had caught it up, and raising it in both hands above
his head he waited his time, and then, as the men closed up, he hurled
it with all his force against the nearest, catching him full in the
chest, and sending him down like a skittle, when, as he uttered a cry,
the others believing that the man they sought to capture had sprung upon
him, closed in with a shout, and Oakum dashed by them again.
His triumph was but short-lived, for the men were after him directly,
chasing him now more savagely than ever. Once or twice his bare feet
had slipped on the wet deck, and he had shuddered, believing it to be
blood; and forgetting the place, as now, panting and nearly exhausted,
he was running on, feeling that the time had come to stand at bay, one
of his feet glided over the boards and as he made an effort to save
himself by a leap, there was a heavy crash, a fall, and he knew no more.