"It's all over," thought Murray, and he turned sharply from watching for
the approach of the enemy, for the big sailor whispered--
"Don't get up, sir, till they close in; then make one jump for it and
stand back to hit, but take distance and give me plenty of room for a
good swing."
The midshipman did not reply, but crouched down with his time divided
between waiting for the enemy's approach and listening for the next
utterance made by Titely or his brother officer.
The attention of the slaver's men had evidently been attracted by the
sounds, for from where Murray crouched down among the thick growth, he
saw that two of the party had stopped short to gaze straight away before
them, but not in the direction where the fugitives waited to be
discovered; and the young officer, when he afterwards thought over the
matter, decided that though they must have heard the noise that was
made, it was when several of their companions were talking aloud, so
that the listeners had not been able to tell with certainty from whence
the cry had come. For after a short colloquy, during which Murray could
distinctly see that the two men in question were addressing their
fellows who surrounded them, there was a little gesticulating, a
pointing towards a different portion of the forest, and the gang went
off along what proved to be a well-beaten track.
"Hah!" ejaculated Murray, after waiting impatiently for what seemed to
be a full quarter of an hour. "I think we'll make a movement soon, Tom
May."
"Right, sir. Where to? One moment first. You'd better take my musket,
sir, because I shall have to carry Mr Roberts. I wish they'd come to
their senses so as we could make sure that they don't let out again as
if they wanted to tell the enemy where we are."
"What's the matter?" cried Roberts, in a tone which made his brother
midshipman start. "Has some one been hurt?"
He was in pain, but seemed to be quite calm and sensible now, as he
listened to Murray's explanation of the position in which they were.
"It's bad," he said. "I can hardly understand it, for I've been in a
regular feverish dream. But tell me, what are you going to do?"
Before Murray could answer, Titely sat up suddenly.
"That you, Tom May?" he said huskily.
"Ay, messmate," was the reply. "Me it is. What is it?"
"Take the tin, mate, and dip me a drink o' water.--Why, hullo! Where
are we now? Not out in the forest?"
"Out in the forest it is, my lad, and the enemy's close arter us,"
replied the big sailor.
"Enemy?" said the poor fellow, in a wondering tone of voice. "Why, that
means--Yes, I remember now. I'm hurt, arn't I?"
"Yes, messmate; you got just touched by a bullet."
"To be sure," said Titely. "Yes, I remember now. Well, somebody's got
to be hurt, of course. Anybody else just touched by a bullet?"
"Mr Roberts."
"Has he now? Well, orficers leads, and they has the best chance of it.
Doctor seen him?"
"No."
"Course not; he wasn't with the expedition. Arn't seen me neither, I
s'pose?"
"No," growled Tom May; "but look here, messmate, you and Mr Roberts
atween you nearly give us up to the enemy."
"Me? I don't know about Mr Roberts, but you're not going to make me
believe I should try and give you up to the enemy. Is it likely, Mr
Murray, sir?"
"No, Titely; it's the last thing you would do."
"There, Tommy! Hear that?"
"Oh yes, I hear it plain enough," growled the big sailor, "but can't you
see that you were off that thick head o' yourn, and began shouting just
when the enemy was close at hand?"
"Was that it, Mr Murray, sir?" cried the man.
"Yes, Titely; but you could not help it. Now be quiet and help us to
watch," said the midshipman, "for the enemy can't be very far away, and
they're evidently searching for us."
"_Phee-ew_!" whistled the man softly. "I do understand now. Very
sorry, Mr Murray and Mr Roberts."
"Pst!" whispered Tom May. "Down flat, everybody. Here they come
again;" and as the order was obeyed the sound of breaking twigs and the
rustling of tropical leaves was heard; and before long the hiding party
began to make out that the slaver's men were for some reason or another
returning in their direction, spread over a pretty wide surface of the
thick brake, and apparently so arranged that they were bound to cover
the hiding-place of the unfortunate party.
But somehow the difficulties of the search favoured the concealed
man-o'-war's men, who from where they lay saw the thick undergrowth so
beaten that the outer leader of the line came within a few yards only of
the hiding-place, giving Tom May a clue to the reasons for the enemy's
return in the shape of one of the _Seafowl's_ muskets, which he held on
high as he pressed forward through the trees.
"But how could you tell?" whispered Murray, as soon as their foes had
passed. "You can't be sure, Tom, that it was one of our muskets."
"Well, no, sir, I can't be sure, but it seems to me it was one of ours;
elsewise why should he be carrying it like he was? P'raps I'm wrong,
but there he was, holding it up in a niminy piminy way, as if he felt it
was what them half-bred niggers calls a fetish as would help 'em to find
the chap as let it fall. Anyhow just harkye there! I'm blest if they
arn't coming again!"
"Yes," said Murray, after listening. "They are coming back."
"Well," said Tom May, "bad luck to 'em! There's four on us now to give
'em a shot."
"On'y three, messmate," said Titely, with a sigh. "I arn't got no gun.
That there one the whitey brown chap carried must be mine."
There was no time nor chance for further conversation respecting their
position. Nothing could be done but lie low crouching beneath the
densest part of the undergrowth in the hope of escaping the keen eyes of
the slaver's men; and twice over Murray caught sight of the man who
seemed to be the leader, who evidently attached a great deal of
importance to the gun he still carried on high, till at last, sick at
heart, the middy gave up their position as hopeless, for the
savage-looking wretch was leading his men straight for them.
Murray passed the cutlass he carried into his left hand, while he bent
over his wounded comrade and stole his right down beside him to grasp
that of Roberts.
"In case of the worst," he whispered, and he felt his brother middy's
fingers close round his own, before he snatched his hand away so as to
seize the cutlass, ready to strike at the leader of the final rush, when
as the man turned his head and shouted to his followers to come on, he
raised the musket to give it a wave in the air, but somehow caught it
amongst the twining canes, when his progress was checked, and he fell
headlong amongst the dense growth, the piece exploding with a loud
concussion, upon which the men uttered a loud yell and dashed away,
evidently under the impression that they had been attacked.
The leader staggered to his feet growling like some savage beast, and
roared out to his followers to return. His words were unintelligible to
the listeners, but their tones suggested plainly enough that he was
cursing them fiercely and hurling anathemas and threats at them as to
what he would do when he overtook them.
Then, as he found himself left alone, he snatched at the musket again,
but without result, for it was fast in the tangle of twining canes, at
which he tore and tore again till the tough green growth gave way and he
stood up, examining lock and trigger now as if to try and make out
whether the weapon was injured, when he roared again to his men and
stood listening, but without avail.
If he had only turned upon his heels and taken half-a-dozen steps he
must have walked over the hidden party of Englishmen, but the falling
and explosion of the weapon and the flight of his men seemed to have
completely upset his calculations; and hence it was that Murray, after
giving up all hopes of escaping, saw the ruffian stand in the midst of
the silence, snapping the flint and pan of the musket to and fro three
or four times, begin to try and reload the piece without success, and
then shoulder it and start off in search of his followers, now muttering
angrily, now shouting to them again and again, without, however, any
appearance of success.