"Ahoy-y-y! _Seafowls_ ahoy-y!" came again after a pause, and though he
felt that he ought to have hailed in reply, Frank Murray's lips remained
closed, and he still clung there listening for the hail to come again.
It was not until he heard the hail for the fourth time that the
midshipman was able to throw off the nightmare-like feeling, and,
drawing a deep breath, shout with all his might--
"_Seafowls_ ahoy!"
Then he held his breath and waited, feeling that his voice could not
have been heard, and a feeling of despair began to assail him and the
fancy grew that he was sinking back into that horrible sensation of
inertia which had mastered him for a time.
But it was fancy, for throwing off the weakness he shouted now joyously
and lustily--
"_Seafowl_ ahoy!"
There was silence for a few moments; then came the inspiring sound of
some one struggling through the tangled growth and splashing over the
mud and water--sounds which were followed by--
"Where away there? Ahoy!"
"Here! Is that you, Tom May?" shouted Murray, and from not far from the
foot of the cypress where the lad clung there was a wallowing sound and
a splash in the water which sent a wave-like movement across the little
lake at the end of the tunnel.
"Tom May it is, sir! Where are you?"
"Up here in this fir-like tree, Tom. Where's Titely?"
"What, ain't you got him along o' you, sir?"
"No! I haven't seen him since we parted. Haven't you any notion where
he is?"
"Not a haporth, sir. I on'y hope he arn't gone through."
"Gone through!" cried Murray, in horror.
"Yes, sir; I hope not, but it's solid soft everywhere I've been. I've
been most through half-a-dozen times, and twiced over I've felt as if
some of them there lizardy crorkendillo things had got hold of my toes
and tugged at 'em to get me down."
"Oh, don't talk about it, Tom," groaned the midshipman.
"All right, sir; on'y you arksed me."
"But you have no right to think such a horror as that. He may have got
down to the boat."
"Yes, sir, he may," said the man, in a low growl, "but I've been trying
my best, and I couldn't."
"Then you haven't seen the boat-keepers, Tom?"
"Not a squint of 'em, sir, and there's going to be the wussest row that
ever happened aboard ship if we don't make haste and find them and fetch
the first luff help."
"It's horrible, I know, Tom, but I've tried all I could. What's to be
done?"
"Dunno, sir. But anyhow I've found you--leastwise, a'most; and I'm
coming to jyne yer. Whereabouts are you, sir? Hail again; it's rayther
puzzling like."
"It is, Tom--dreadful. But here, where I told you--up in this fir
tree--cypress. But mind how you come, for it's very soft."
"Soft ain't the word for it, sir. I've been going to make a swim on it
over and over again. But it's reg'lar hugga-my-buff, sir; neither one
thing nor t'other. It's too soft to walk in, and it ain't soft enough
to swim."
"That's true, Tom," said the lad.
"Oh, you've found it so, have you, sir? Then look here; you arn't so
heavy as I am, so s'pose you comes to me 'stead o' me coming to you.
What do you say to that?"
"I'll try, Tom," cried Murray; and he began to descend, feeling the
elastic evergreen begin to sway and vibrate as if before long it would
double down with the weight of its load; and this it finally did,
leaving the midshipman floundering on the surface of the cane and
reed-covered swamp, so that it was only by a vigorous effort that he
managed to scuffle along in the direction of the man, who kept on
shouting encouragement until he was able to reach out a hand and drag
the lad to his side.
"Hah!" panted Murray, with a sigh of relief.
"Hah it is, sir," said the man. "But beg your pardon, sir; arn't you
a-spoiling your uniform?"
"Don't talk about it, Tom," said Murray, breathing hard. "Let's be
thankful that we've saved our lives."
"Saved our lives! But have we, sir? Don't seem to me that we're out of
the muddle yet. There, look at that!" added the man.
"Look at what?" cried Murray.
"I meant feel that, sir," said the man, correcting himself, and stamping
with one foot. "It felt just as if one of them short four-legged
sarpints had laid hold of my leg to pull me down for supper."
"Surely not, Tom," said Murray, with a shudder, as he felt attacked by a
sense of horrible insecurity.
"All right, sir. Say so if you like; I'm willing. But I'd keep on
stamping as long as we're here in this lovely place. I do hope, though,
as they arn't making a meal of poor old Titely; he do desarve better
luck after being speared as he was over yonder across the herring pond."
"Let's hail him again."
"All right, sir. I've wanted to do so ever so much more, but I
wouldn't, for it was telling the enemy where we are, and if we do much
of that sort of thing we shall be having that pleasant Yankee coming
shooting with his men, and we don't want that."
"Of course not, Tom, but we must risk it, for the poor fellow may be
somewhere within reach waiting for help."
"Then why don't he holler, sir?"
"Perhaps he has shouted till he is worn-out, Tom."
"Then he can't be within reach, sir, or else we should ha' heered him,
for he's got a pretty good pipe of his own."
"Well, hail him, Tom."
"All right, sir, but 'tween you and me and the starn post your voice
would go farther than mine would."
"Think so, Tom? Very well, then. _Seafowl_ ahoy!"
It was a loud tenor shout that doubtless penetrated the cane jungle
farther than would the deep bass of the able-seaman, and after a
minute's listening, Murray hailed again; but somehow the shout did not
seem to have any result.
"Let me have a try, sir," growled the sailor, and upon the middy
nodding, the man shouted five times at intervals, listening with his
hand to his ear after every hail.
"It's of no good, Tom," said Murray bitterly. "Come along, and let's be
doing something."
"That's what I was a-thinking, sir, for if we stop here much longer we
shall be reg'larly sucked down into the mud. 'Sides which, if my poor
mate hears us he won't come here. He'd on'y hail."
"And if the enemy hear us they are quite at home here, and they'll come
down upon us and put a stop to our getting across to the boat. What do
you mean by that?--What are you chuckling about?"
"You, sir," said the man. "I was thinking what an orficer you will make
some day."
"Do you mean that for banter, my man?" said Murray angrily.
"Banter, sir? What, chaff? Not me, sir. I meant it. I felt a bit
proud of you, sir, for using your head like that."
"Well, this is no time for paying compliments, Tom. You take the lead."
"I'll do what you orders, sir, of course, you being my orficer, but you
might tell me which way I oughter lead."
"I can't, Tom, my lad. We want to get down to the boat, and hope to
pick up Titely on the way. I've tried till I grew more and more puzzled
than ever; so now you try. You must chance it, my lad."
"Mean it, sir?"
"Mean it? Of course!" cried Murray; and the man shut his eyes close,
knit his brow, and then began to mutter in a low tone, much to the
midshipman's surprise.
"What are you doing, Tom?" he cried at last.
"What you telled me, sir--charnshing of it."
"Chancing it?"
"Yes, sir; that's right," said the man. "Same as we used to when we was
little uns playing at _Blind Man's Buff_. `How many horses has your
father got?' Then the one as had the hankychy tied over his eyes used
to answer, `Black, white and grey.' Then the one who arksed about the
horses used to say, `Turn round three times and ketch who you may.'"
And as soon as the man had repeated these words with his eyes still
closely shut he turned round three times and then opened them and stared
straight before him.
"This here's the way, sir; right ahead."
"What nonsense, Tom!" said the middy sadly. "You're old enough to know
better."
"Maybe, sir, but you said I was to charnsh it, and that's what I'm
a-doing of; and if I don't find the way down to the boat it won't do us
no harm as I can see; so come along."
The man stepped off, keeping as nearly as he could to the line he had
marked down, and without turning his head he called back to his young
officer--
"Don't you mind me giving o' you orders, sir, but you telled me to lead
on, and I should like to say, sir, as you'd find it better if instead of
walking hard and stiff, sir, like the jollies march up and down the
deck, you'd try my way, sir, trot fashion, upon your toes, with a heavy
swing and give and take. You'd find that you wouldn't sink in quite so
much, seeing as one foot's found its way out before t'other's got time
to sink in."
"I'll try, Tom," said the middy quietly; and after following the man for
a few dozen yards he whispered, "Yes, I think that's better, Tom; but I
have no faith in your _Blind Man's Buff_ plan."
"Give it time, sir; we arn't half tried it yet."
"Go on, then," cried Murray; and the man trotted on as fast as the
tangled growth would allow him, pausing from time to time to listen
before going on again.
"I'm afraid we must make a change, Tom," said Murray, at last, when the
man drew up suddenly. "Are you, sir?"
"Yes; this seems hopeless."
"That's what it all seems, sir, but I don't like being in too great a
hurry to pitch a hidee overboard. There's nothing like trying, sir, and
just as like as not we may be getting nigher and nigher to poor old
Titely."
"I'm afraid--"
Murray did not finish his sentence, but made a spring forward and
clapped his hand hard upon his leader's shoulder.
"What's wrong, sir?" cried the sailor, turning sharply upon him.
"Hark! Listen!" cried Murray excitedly.
"Oh, Mr Murray, sir," groaned the man despairingly, "you've been and
gone and done it now!"
"Nonsense! What do you mean?"
"Pitched me off my bearings, sir. I've looked round, and I shall never
pick 'em up again."
"Well, what does that matter?" cried Murray. "Don't you hear?"
"Hear, sir? Hear what?"
"Oars. I heard them rattling in the rowlocks as plain as possible."
"Whereabouts, sir?"
"Away there through the canes yonder. Didn't you?"
"No, sir," said the man gloomily; "I didn't hear no oars."
"I did, quite plainly," said Murray, leaning forward and straining his
ears. "No, it's stopped now."
"Yes, sir," said the man, shaking his head; "it's stopped now."
"Well, don't talk like that, Tom. You look as if you didn't believe
me."
"Oh, I wouldn't go for to say as I don't believe anything you say, sir,"
said the sailor; "but all the same it do seem queer."
"Yes, queer because they've stopped rowing to listen. Don't you see?"
"No, sir," said the man, shaking his head sadly. "I don't see nothing,
on'y as you're a bit overdone, sir, in the head, and gets fancying
things."
"Fancy, man!" cried the middy angrily. "It was no fancy, I tell you.
Now then, listen."
Tom May shut one eye and cocked his head on one side in obedience to his
young officer's command; but all was perfectly still.
"It's very strange," said Murray.
"Yes, sir; very," said the sailor, in a tone of voice which made the
young officer turn upon him fiercely.
"Oh, you obstinate--"
Murray did not say what, but ceased speaking and stood straining
forward.
"Of course you thought you heered oars, sir, because you wanted to hear
'em," said the sailor; "but it's a pity you did, sir, because it made me
lose my bearings, and I know I shall never--"
"There, then," cried the middy excitedly. "Now, did I fancy I heard
rowing?"
"No, sir; that's oars, sure enough," replied the sailor; "and it seems
to come from right for'ard there, and not far away."
"Hail the boat, then," cried Murray excitedly.
"I dunno as I would, sir," whispered the man, "because it mightn't be
our boat."
"What! Oh, we must chance that. Hail away."
Tom May, who looked exceedingly unwilling, clapped his hand to his cheek
and yelled out, "_Seafowls_ ahoy!" just as the regular beat of oars had
ceased once more.
But there was no further doubt, for in a dull smothered tone, as if the
reply came through so much dense forest, there was the answering hail--
"Ahoy there! Where away?"
"Ahoy!" shouted Tom May. "That's the right sort, sir. Come along;" and
stepping out, the sailor beat the dense growth to right and left, with
his feet sinking deeper in the soft soil, till the cane brake began to
open out and the forest grew lighter, the splashing of oars sounding
nearer and nearer till there was a shout of welcome and the sloop's
cutter came into sight, gliding towards them till the light vessel's
nose was run into the river bank.
"At last!" cried Murray, as he scrambled over the bows, to sink
exhausted into Titely's arms. "Why, how did you get here, my lad?" said
the young officer.
"I d'know, sir. Lost my way, and couldn't find it nohow."
"But you managed to find the boat."
"Nay, sir; not me, sir! I didn't find her. I did find the side o' the
river, but couldn't get no furder. I was hanging on to a branch and
trying to keep up because I was sinking into the boggy shore, when my
two mates here come pulling up stream and picked me up. It was them
found me, sir, not me found them."
"Well, never mind that now," cried Murray angrily. "What about you two?
Your orders were to stay by the boat where we landed."
"Yes, sir," said the first boat-keeper, "but they wouldn't let us, sir."
"They!" cried Murray. "Whom do you mean by they?"
"Oh, I dunno, sir, who they was, only that it was a big party o' rough
uns with guns and rifles as come up all to wunst as we sat hanging on by
the grapnel and line, out in the middle o' the river, and one on 'em
hails us and tells us to pull ashore."
"Well," said Murray, "and did you?"
"You go on, messmate," said the man. "You can spin the yarn better nor
I can."
"Yes, go on," cried Murray; and the second boat-keeper took up the
narrative.
"Well, sir, we just didn't."
"Just did not what?" asked Murray.
"Pull ashore, sir. They warn't our people, and him as hailed us warn't
our officer. 'Sides, we didn't like the looks of 'em."
"Well done, my lads," said the middy; "that was right. But what did you
do then?"
"I hystes up the grapnel, sir, and Harry Lang there gets an oar over the
side."
"Well?"
"Well, sir, then a Yankee sort of a chap as seemed to be the head on 'em
leans hisself up again' a bush and rests his gun upon a bough of one of
the trees on the bank, and he says to me, he says, as he looks along the
barrel, `Now, you sir,' he says, `just you run that boat's nose into
this here bank, and tidy quick too, 'fore I draws this here trigger.'
"`All right, sir,' I says, and I shoves another oar over the side; and
as soon as he sees me do that, quite easy like, he lowers down his gun--
rifle, I think it was--and turns his head to say something to the chaps
who was with him.
"`Easy, messmate,' I says then; `get her head straight first,' making
believe as Harry warn't doing right. The 'Merican chap was just turning
round then, but I sees my chance, and I whispers to Harry, `Up stream,
lad, for all you're worth.' `Right you are,' he says, and my word! sir,
we did take hold of the water and put our backs into it, 'gainst stream
as it was; and as I pulled I was all the time wishing as hard as I could
that you'd got hold of the rudder lines so as to steer, sir, and leave
us nothing to do but pull while you kept the boat's head right in the
middle of the river. `Here, hi, there! What are you doing? Pull
ashore, or--' He steps to the same tree again and rests his gun on the
bough and takes aim, while I thinks to myself what a pity it was that we
hadn't turned the boat's head down stream."
"You said arterwards, messmate, as that would ha' been like leaving the
first luff and the lads in the lurch," said the other boat-keeper.
"So I did, messmate; and so it would," said the narrator.
"But he didn't fire at you?" cried Murray eagerly.
"Didn't fire at us, sir?" said the man. "But he just did, while we
pulled with all our might."
"And missed you?"
"He missed me, sir, but he hit the boat. Sent his bullet slap through
the bow planks just between wind and water, and the brown juice come
trickling in quite fast, but we couldn't stop to plug it."
"Hah!" ejaculated Murray, who was breathing hard with excitement. "Oh,
do go on a little faster!"
"That we did, sir--pulled faster, for some of the enemy come shouting
after us along the side of the stream. You see, they couldn't come on
the far side, 'cause it was all trees, while luckily for us they
couldn't get along much where they were, for it was all boggy, and I see
three of them sink in up to their knees and stick fast cussing and
swearing. But they warn't the only ones, for him as we took to be their
boss, he let go at 'em orful, sir, and yelped at 'em to follow us up,
knowing all the time that they couldn't do nowt o' the sort, and him not
trying a bit, because he warn't going to fill his boots."
"But they kept on firing at you?" cried Murray.
"Fast as ever they could, sir. They kep' on loading and firing, and
Harry and me kep' on pulling like hooray. You see, the shooting spurred
us on a bit, for they kep' on hitting the boat when they didn't send the
bullets spattering into the trees over our heads, and cut the little
twigs and leaves and make them fall upon us."
"But didn't they get to the bank higher up?" asked Murray.
"I dunno, sir," replied the man. "We was too busy to think about that.
Precious hot it was too, pulling under boughs as kept all the air away.
I don't want to brag, Mr Murray, sir, but we had a precious nice time
on it, pulling, and hearing the beggars shouting and firing till we got
well round a bend and out o' their sight, same as they was out of our
sight, when I says to Harry Lang as best thing we could do was to see to
damages, and seeing as it warn't likely that they could get at us for a
bit we run the boat's nose into the far side bank where Harry could get
hold of a branch, and then he outs with his Jack knife and whittles a
peg to fit into the shot-hole, for the water kep' on coming in tidy
fast."
"Is that the hole?" said Murray eagerly.
"That's it, sir, and there's two more plugged up astarn, 'sides that
there chip out o' the back by the starn sheets."
"But you neither of you got hurt?"
"No, sir; you see they warn't very handy with the guns, and we kep'
going pretty fast."
"But there's a blood-stain upon your shirt, my lad."
"Oh, that, sir? It did bleed a little bit, but it was only a scrat--
nowt to speak about."
"Indeed!" said Murray. "Well, it has left off bleeding, but the doctor
must see to it when we get back to the _Seafowl_."
"Oh yes, sir; that'll be all right," said the man, smiling; "and that's
all, I think, 'cept that we baled out the boat till we began to pull on
again, for we was obliged to put some distance 'twixt us in case they
should find some way up to the bank and begin practice again. Same
time, sir, of course we had to think of not getting too far, so as to be
handy when our fellows came back and wanted the cutter."
"Well, but about finding Titely?" said Murray.
"Oh, there's nothing to say about that, sir, on'y we didn't quite get it
settled whether he found us or we found him. Theer he was, hung up in
one of the trees over the river, and glad he was to be took aboard--just
as glad as we was to take him, sir, for you see it made another to share
the 'sponsibility like of our not being where we ought to be with the
boat. After that, sir, I wanted to hang about as close as we could to
the enemy, ready to be handy and help our officers and men; but messmet
Titely says we must go on pulling up stream in search of you and Tom
May, and this must be all, sir, and my throat's as dry as dust. Think
this here water's good to drink, sir? It looks too much like beer to be
quite to my taste."
"No, my lad; I wouldn't venture to drink it. Better wait."
"That's what I says to Harry Lang, sir."
"And very wisely too. Now, Tom," continued Murray, turning to his
companion in adversity, "you have said nothing. What do you think of
the state of affairs?"
"I think it's hard, sir--precious hard on a man."
"But they have done splendidly, Tom."
"Yes, sir, I s'pose so, for them," said May sourly; "but I warn't
thinking about them. I mean it comes hard upon a man like me, shut out
of a fight like that. Don't you think we might drop down with the
stream now, seeing as we're tidily strong like?"
"Yes, I do think something of the kind," replied Murray.
"And give 'em a right down good dressing, sir?"
"No; we have got something else to think of, Tom," said the middy
sternly. "Dressing them down is tempting, but that is not what we want
to do. We must get down to the bay as quickly as we can, and without
the loss of a man. The fighting must rest till the captain sends up
reinforcements."
Tom May nodded his head.
"Bit disappointing, though, sir."
"Yes, my lad, but we can wait. Now then, we must drop down a little
farther, and then drop the grapnel or hook on to one of the trees of the
farther bank."
"And not make a dash of it, sir?"
"No, my lad; not till it is quite dark."
Tom May stared.
"According to what your messmates said, the enemy was in pretty strong
force. How many of them were there?"
"'Bout twenty, sir," said Lang.
"And all armed?"
"Yes, sir; they'd all got guns," said the other.
"Then they will be lying in wait for us," said Murray decisively. "I
only said that we shall be trying to run by them as soon as it is dark."
"Well, sir, but we could do it," said May warmly.
"Yes, we could run by them if I risked everything, my lad," said the
middy, "but I can't afford to lose a man. Besides, they will have been
making arrangements to receive us. There is that lugger we saw lying in
the mouth of the river; they have plenty of men, I am sure, and they may
have brought her up to block our way, for they are bound to try and
capture us if they can."
"Yes, sir; bound to take us if they can," assented the sailor.
"How long do you think it will be before it is dark?" asked Murray.
"Not half-an-hour, sir," was the reply.
"And how far are we above the landing-place?" said the middy, speaking
in a low tone now and turning to the first boat-keeper.
"Can't say, sir, for sartain," replied the man. "What do you say, Harry
Lang?"
The man shook his head.
"You see, sir, we put our backs into it when we started to row, and
pulled and pulled, thinking of nothing else but getting as far up'ards
as we could. Hour's hard rowing, I should say, in and out, and we got a
long ways before we come upon Bill Titely."
"Then we'll begin moving as soon as it is quite dark, my lads," said
Murray. "Till then, a careful watch and silence, for there is no
knowing whether the enemy may not have a way through the cane brake
which will enable them to come upon us by surprise."