"Murray!" came from the _Seafowl's_ boat, as Murray gave orders for the
men to let it float down from beneath the trees where he had kept it
moored with his men, partly screened by the overhanging boughs, while
lying down in the bottom firing from behind the bulwark.
"Thankye, sir," cried the lad excitedly. "We have been longing for
you."
"But the enemy, my lad?"
"Place four men behind the trees there, sir, ready to fire. You'll see
their boat come stealing out from round the bend, sir, directly. We
have driven them back for the moment."
"A boat attacking from below?"
"Yes, sir; a lugger, full of men. We were quiet for some time;" and the
lad hurriedly explained to his chief how that the enemy must have
cleared away the tree-trunk with which the river had been dammed, and
brought up a boat, from which for quite an hour they had been firing,
after making one fierce attack, and being met with a steady fire which
drove them back.
"Bravo! Well done, my lad!" said the lieutenant warmly.
"But it was quite time you came, sir. We couldn't have held out much
longer."
"Nonsense!" said the lieutenant, laughing encouragement. "You would
never have given up. Why, you had plenty of water."
"Yes, sir," said Murray, with a grim smile; "but the cartridges had
nearly run out."
"Ours have not, Murray," said the lieutenant, for the men whom he had
posted according to the middy's advice just then opened fire upon a
boat, which looked at the first glance uncommonly like the dismasted
lugger which had been seen lying in the mouth of the little river when
the _Seafowl_ first entered the river.
A shot or two came in reply from the enemy before the lugger drew back
round the bend, to be followed by the cutter, which came in sight of the
enemy at last in time to see that the lugger's masts had been stepped
and her sails hoisted, to be filled out by the breeze, which sent the
boat rapidly gliding down stream.
The men looked sharply at their commander, as if fully expecting to
receive orders to row with all their might; and Mr Anderson noticed it,
for he turned to the two middies, and by way of answering the silent
question--
"No," he said; "we're all fagged as it is, and no pulling on our part
will bring us alongside of a boat that can sail like that. Pull
steadily, my lads, and let the stream do the rest. The chances are that
the captain has sent a boat up the river to look after us, and that we
shall catch the lugger between two fires, if Mr Munday has not been
first."
A good lookout was kept as the cutter dropped down the stream, and at
every bend the men were ready to fire, but they searched with eager eyes
in vain, and a general feeling of disappointment had attacked the hungry
and exhausted party, while the lieutenant's countenance was over-clouded
by a stern look which betokened the bent of his thoughts in connection
with the coming meeting with his chief, when a glimpse was seen through
the trees at a sharp curve which sent a thrill of excitement through the
boat and made Murray spring to his feet.
"What's that?" cried the lieutenant.
"The lugger, I think, sir," whispered the middy. "I just caught sight
of one of her masts."
"Hist! Silence!" said the lieutenant. "Dip as quietly as you can, my
lads. Two of you there, Titely and Lang, be ready to fire, and drop the
steersman if they don't lower their sails."
"Ay, ay, sir!" came back, in a whisper, followed by the clicking of
musket locks, and the oars dipped into the water with scarcely a sound.
"I can't make her out, Mr Murray," whispered the lieutenant. "Are you
sure that you were not deceived?"
"Certain, sir," was the reply.
"I saw her too, sir," put in Roberts, "but the trees were very thick and
there's a big bend there."
"Humph! Yes; the stream winds and doubles upon itself like a snake.
You, Tom May, you've got a voice like a speaking trumpet; be ready to
hail them, and if they don't lower their sail directly, fire, as I said
before, at their steersman."
The minutes which followed were full of excitement, and then a low
murmur arose, for one of the men forward turned to draw the attention of
the officers in the stern sheets to the head of a mast which was seen
for a few moments passing along above the bushes apparently at the edge
of the river, and only some five hundred yards from where the cutter was
gliding swiftly down.
"We shall do it, my lads," whispered the lieutenant to the middies.
"But they've altered their course, sir," said Roberts softly. "They're
coming to attack."
"No, no; that's only because the stream winds so; or else--yes, that's
it. They've caught sight of one of our boats coming up, and, bravo! we
shall take the scoundrels, as I expected, between two fires."
The lieutenant sprang to his feet and clapped his hand to his sword, for
a clean white lug sail came fully into sight. But he thrust his sword
back into its sheath before dropping into his seat, for Tom May growled
out in his siren-like voice--
"Second cutter, sir, and yon's Mr Munday, sir, in the starn sheets."
"Then where's the slaver's lugger?" cried the first lieutenant, and a
voice from the man-o'-war boat which was coming up stream under oars and
a couple of lug sails shouted--
"_Seafowls_ ahoy!"
"Bah!" cried Mr Anderson. "Then we must have passed some branch of the
river; and I'm sure we kept a sharp lookout. How stupidly blind!"
"Perhaps Mr Munday's lads passed a branch, sir," cried Murray eagerly.
"Thank you, Mr Murray," said the lieutenant, clapping the lad on the
shoulder. "I hope you're right, for I could never have forgiven myself
if we had been met by this fresh misfortune."