For the most part of that night all thought of sleep had passed away,
and a feeling of wonder filled the middy's brain at the ease with which
the black forced his way through the darkness.
"Black as a bat," thought Murray, "and just like one. It's wonderful
how these fellows can see as they do. It can't be because they are used
to it, for my eyes would never be of any good, I am sure."
But there it was all the same.
"Come 'long. Massa Huggins man dat way want to find Caesar;" and the
black led the way and seemed to put pressure upon his white companion
just at the right moment, "steering" him, Murray mentally called it, in
and out among tree and cane so that he never came in contact with any
obstacle, while the lad's anxiety about his wounded comrade was always
alleviated when a halt was made by the comforting whispered assurance
from Caesar after an examination.
"Massa sailor Roberts fas' 'sleep. No know nothing at all."
There were times, though, when at one of their many halts Murray's heart
sank very low, for generally when all was silent save for some strange
cry of night bird, croak of reptile, or weird whirr of insect that
seemed to be magnified in power by the heated misty air, the black's
fingers would tighten upon the lad's arm with spasmodic suddenness, in
company with what seemed to be the piercing humming trumpet of a
mosquito. Twice over Murray as he toiled on in the black darkness took
it for granted that the black had stopped short to avoid being bitten or
stung, but only to find afterwards that the sound came with perfect
realism from the black's lips, being his warning to his big companion to
halt while he reconnoitred as to the position of the enemy.
And now a fresh direction would be taken, or more than once it seemed to
Murray that they completely retraced their steps; but after a time a
feeling of dullness akin to despair came over the lad, and he resigned
himself to his fate, satisfying himself that Roberts was being carefully
carried, and then plodding on and on, plunging as it seemed to him in a
state of torpidity or stupid sleep in which he kept on dreaming about
the ship and the boats and going through various adventures at sea.
Then he would start awake with a strange suddenness, feeling as if his
conscience had pricked him for his drowsiness and neglect, and he would
begin to tremble with anxiety, for he felt that he must have spoken
aloud just at a time when they were near their pursuers, and so have
betrayed their whereabouts.
Thoroughly wakened then, Murray found that they were motionless with his
black companions listening, while Caesar's fingers were pressing his arm
very tightly.
"No speak," he whispered; and the man's breath came hot into his ear.
"Huggins fellow chap everywhere. No catchee."
Murray's brain was closing up again, so it seemed to him, back into a
deep sleep, and he remembered afterwards that during the latter part of
that night he woke up from time to time when Caesar pinched his arm for
him to stop, but directly the journey was continued he dropped asleep
again.
Then it seemed to the middy that he must have been asleep an immensely
long time, and he started up awake, staring hard at his guide, who had
laid one hand over his lips while the other was offering him a
ready-opened cocoanut.
"No speak, massa."
"Why?"
"Huggins man over dah. See sailor officer--see slabe boy--see Caesar--
shoot, kill."
The man pointed over where Roberts lay half hidden by the undergrowth,
while beyond him the big black was seated munching away at some
half-ripe bananas, and ready to meet his eyes with a pleasant smile.
"It's morning, then!" whispered Murray, in surprise.
"Yes: to-morrow morning, sah," said the man, smiling; and it appeared to
Murray that he had made a very absurd remark, for it must have been
daylight for many hours, the sun being high.
"Whereabout do you think Mr Allen's cottage is?" he whispered now, as
his head seemed to clear.
"Over dah," was the confident declaration. "Huggins man all round about
come to fight."
"Fight? Who with?"
"Massa officer sailor men."
"Do you think they have got back to the cottage?"
The black nodded.
"Big very much fight. Sailor kill big lot Huggins man."
"How do you know that?" said Murray sharply, for it seemed to him now
that the last dreamy feeling of exhaustion had passed away.
"Caesar find free dead men. Him tread on two," was his ready reply,
"him" being the big black.
"But not white men!" said the midshipman, with his voice sinking to a
whisper that was almost inaudible.
"Huggins man, massa. Bad fellow. Caesar berry glad."
"Hah!" sighed Murray, and he crept to where Roberts lay apparently
sleeping comfortably now.
"Is it far to Mr Allen's cottage?" asked the lad, after a pause.
"Over dah, sah," replied the black, pointing.
"Then why not go on at once?"
The black showed his teeth as his face lit-up in a smile.
"Lots Huggins man all about. Wait shoot white man. Wait shoot massa
sailor officer. Shoot big slabe boy and Caesar. 'Top here get dark
again and Massa Murray Frank crawl up close to cottage 'long o' Caesar
show de way. Massa Murray Frank put hand to mouf so how, like Caesar
and say, Ahoy! No shoot, my boy! Friend!"
"Yes, I understand," said Murray eagerly.
"Dat's de way," said the black, laughing with satisfaction; and he
placed his hollowed hand to the side of his mouth and cried very softly
again: "Ahoy! No shoot, my boy! Friend! British sailor boy shoot more
than Huggins man. Shoot drefful bad. Kill friend in a dark. Kill
Murray Frank. Kill Roberts officer. Kill big slabe boy, and kill poor
ole Caesar; and dat drefful bad job, eh, sah?"
"Yes," said Murray, responding to the black's smile most heartily; "that
would be a dreadfully bad job, and no mistake."
"And no mistake, sah," cried the black, bringing to bear his natural
imitative faculty apparently with a feeling of intense enjoyment, and
repeating the expression, "And no mistake, sah. Ha, ha, ha, ha! Hallo!
'Top, 'top!" he added, in an excited whisper. "Caesar make too much
noise enough and tell Huggins man where we hide umself. Massa Murray
Frank eatum Caesar nut. Do um good and makum fight like sailor man."
"Yes, I'll eat it soon," replied Murray. "But you're right, Caesar; we
must wait till it is dark, for fear that my people should shoot us by
mistake."
"Yes, sah; dat be bad job and no mistake," whispered the black, bringing
in the fresh expression again. "What Massa Allen do widout Caesar?
Hey?"
"Mr Allen trusts you, then?" said Murray.
"Yes, sah. Massa Allen berry much trust Caesar. Massa Allen tell
Caesar he berry sorry he ebber trust Massa Huggin. Wish um nebber come
plantation. Caesar see big tear in Massa Allen eye, and make Caesar
berry sorry. Make um fink a deal. Massa Huggins kill poor black
niggah, sah, lots o' times. Massa Huggins got bad brudder come sometime
with ship schooner full o' slabes. Flog um and sell um. Make um die
sometime. Massa Huggins' brudder tell um bad sailor man. Talk like dis
way;" and the man as he knelt by Murray's side gave an exact imitation
of the keen Yankee skipper. "Say `Chuck um overboard,' sah." As the
black uttered the command he acted it, and added grimly: "`Chuck um
overboard to de shark?'" and added now a horrible bit of pantomime,
dashing and waving his arms about to represent the terrible fish gliding
over one another in a wild struggle to seize their prey.
"Don't! Don't!" whispered Murray, with a look of horror which proved
the realism of the black's word-painting and gesticulation.
"No, massa," whispered Caesar solemnly. "Um nebber chuck black niggah
overboard. But," he added, with a fierce look that was even ferocious,
"Caesar like chuck Massa Huggins overboard. Like see shark fish bite
all a pieces and eat um. So--so--so!"
As he uttered the last words with hideous emphasis he brought his
imitative faculty once more into action by laying bare his fine white
teeth, throwing his head from side to side, and snapping like a savage
animal.
"Horrible!" ejaculated Murray.
"Yes, sah; dreffle horrible see shark bite poor half-dead niggah a
pieces."
"But you have never seen this?"
"Yes, massa--long time ago. Caesar brought in schooner ship from Caesar
own country. Bring lot of poor niggah all shut up down below. Ship
quite full, and ebery night some shut um eyes, and to-morrow morning
some won't open eyes again. Gone dead. Sailor chap come along rope,
haul niggah up on deck--haul on deck, and Massa Huggins brudder say:
`Chuck um o'erboard,' and chap come and take rope off Caesar and make um
open um eye like say: `What's de matter?' Den Massa Huggins' brudder
say, `What's dat, you lubber? Dat one not dead!'"
"Did you hear that?" said Murray, with his lips apart as he listened in
horror to the black's narrative.
"Yes, sah. Caesar no understand den what um mean, but um say--`What's
dat, you lubber? Dat one not dead!' Nebber forget um--nebber! Caesar
shut um eye now and see it all again--those niggah chap chuck overboard
and shark fish coming up out of water and roll over and over and snap,
snap, snap--so. Make Caesar keep eyes open so dat couldn't go to sleep
again for long time. Massa Huggins man come take hold of um by arm and
leg and chuck down below. Caesar not dead a bit. Caesar quite 'live
now. Go and talk lot o' time to pore black niggah when Massa Huggins'
brudder bring schooner ship full of niggah. Caesar talk to um, not like
um talk to Massa Murray Frank. Talk to um in own way sometime.
Sometime poor niggah can't understand, but berry glad find Caesar sorry
for um. Make um happy; laugh again."
"Poor creatures!" said Murray.
"Yes, massa. Poor creature! Come and talk togedder in de night
sometime. Massa Huggins flog um when him find um out, but poor niggah
don't mind dat. Like to talk about de ole country where um come from.
Massa Allen find um out too, but um only laugh and say, `Poor fellow!'
But Massa Huggin flog um, and some shut eye and nebber open um again.
Poor Massa Allen good massa, but won't do what Caesar say. He berry ill
now, and get frighten of Massa Huggins. Tell Caesar one day he wish
Massa Huggins die."
"He told you that!" said Murray, for the black had ceased speaking, and
his narrative had so great a fascination for the lad that he wanted to
hear more.
"Yes, massa; um say he wish Massa Huggin die so that poor niggah boy be
happy again and do um work. Massa Allen say so free time to Caesar, and
den Caesar wait till Massa Huggins go out and Caesar go in to Massa
Allen in de cottage, where um sit down by de table like dat." And the
black rested his head sidewise upon his elbow and hand. "`What you
want, Caesar, lad?' he say, and um put um white hand on Caesar black
arm. `Poor niggah ill and can't work? Bad time, Caesar, to be sick
man.' `Yes, massa,' I say to um. `Berry bad to be sick man.' `Who is
it, my lad?' he say. `Caesar, massa,' I say to um. `Caesar berry
sick.' `You bad, Caesar!' him say. `Your massa berry sorry, for you de
only frien' I got in de worl' now, Caesar.' `Yes, massa,' I say.
`Caesar know dat.' `What de matter, boy?' he say. `Caesar bad to see
massa so berry sick. Caesar 'fraid massa die.' `Ah, dat's berry good
of you, Caesar,' he say--`berry good. Then you no want me to give you
doctor 'tuff?' `No, massa,' I said. `Nigger know what to do when
niggah ill. Shut um mouf up tight free day, and niggah quite well
again.' `Ah, Caesar,' he say, `dat do me no good, dat not do for your
massa.' Then I say to um, `No, massa, but you let Caesar do massa good
and um quite well again and make all de poor niggah happy over again.'
`No, no, my boy,' um say; `nebber again.' `Yes, massa,' I say; `you let
Caesar try.' `What wiv?' um say, laughing; and den I say in um whisper
like: `Fetish, massa.'"
"What!" cried Murray, half indignantly. "You don't believe in that
nonsense, Caesar?"
"Not nonsense, massa."
"Well, my good fellow," said Murray, rather coldly, "I'm not going to
argue with you now, but some other time, I hope. Now tell me, what did
Mr Allen say?"
"Um say, `No, my lad, no; I'll hab none of dat.'"
"Of course; but surely he does not believe in it?"
"Yes, massa; um believe for sure. Massa Allen know what niggah know and
bring from own country. But Massa Allen say, `Nebber, nebber, Caesar.
Your massa done too much bad in dis worl', and he nebber do no more
now.'"
"Well, that's very good of him, Caesar, but I don't quite understand
what you mean."
"No, massa? Dat Huggins bad man do bad things to everybody. Make Massa
Allen ill and go die. Massa Allen say not fit to live."
"And quite right too, Caesar."
"Yes, sah. Massa Allen quite right, and Caesar come one night and bring
niggah Obeah and put in bad Massa Huggin rum. Den Massa Huggin drinkum,
drinkum, and go drefful bad and nebber flog no more poor niggah.
Nebber. Poor niggah dance and sing, and Massa Allen get well."
"But--what--here--I say, Caesar!" cried Murray, staring hard at the
black--"You don't mean to say that you mean you would poison the
wretch!"
"Yes, massa," said the black, in the most innocent way. "Gib um Obeah
snake poison. Gib um manchineel in um rum. Make um curl up and go
dead."
"Oh, that wouldn't do at all, Caesar," cried Murray earnestly. "He's a
horribly bad wretch, of course."
"Yes, massa; ollible bad wretch, and ought to be killed dead; but Massa
Allen say no, he won't do any more wicked thing."
"And he is quite right, Caesar."
"No, sah," said the black, shaking his head. "Not do no wicked thing.
Caesar do it, and it not wicked thing. All good."
"No, no; it would be murder, Caesar," cried the middy.
"What murder, massa?"
"Eh? What is murder? Why, to kill innocent people."
"What innocent people, massa?"
"What are innocent people, my man? Why, those who have done no harm."
"Massa Huggin not no innocent people, Murray Frank. Massa Huggin bad
man; kill poor niggah. Try kill poor Massa Allen, take um plantation."
"Yes, that's all very bad," said Murray thoughtfully.
"Yes, sah; berry bad. What British captain do Massa Huggin?"
"Well, I hardly know, Caesar," said Murray thoughtfully. "I should say
that if he catches him fighting against the king and setting those
blackguards of his to murder the poor creatures he has been dealing in--
throwing them overboard so as to escape--the captain will have him hung
at the yard-arm."
"Yes, sah," cried the man, with his eyes flashing. "Dat what Massa
Allen tell um. Massa Allen say he desarve be hung at um yard-arm for
kill an' murder poor black niggah, and Massa Huggin laugh and say Massa
Allen hang too. Dat right, sah?"
"No, no; that wouldn't be right, Caesar."
"Bri'sh captain not kill Massa Allen?"
"Certainly not, my man," said Murray earnestly. "No, sah. Much a bes'
way for Caesar gib Massa Huggin Obeah."
"No, no, and that would not do either. Hallo! what do you mean by
that?"
The black had suddenly thrown himself down upon his face and dragged the
midshipman beside him, a movement instantly imitated by the big slave
who was seated among the bushes beside Roberts, who lay motionless as if
asleep.
"Massa see?" whispered Caesar.
"See what?" asked Murray excitedly.
The black slowly and cautiously extended his right hand while he placed
the fingers of his left to his lips.
Murray gazed with wonder in the direction indicated, but for some
minutes he could make out nothing more than the closely-packed canes
that commenced before the patch of jungle in which they were concealed.
Everything seemed to be dim, and in the distance it was as though the
thick growth was formed into a soft twilight, but as the lad strained
his eyesight, he fancied that in one part the canes were swaying
slightly here and there, as if the wind was pressing them on one side.
Then as he turned his head a little he started and his heart began to
beat with excitement, for what had been for a time indistinct now grew
plainer and plainer and shaped itself into what looked to be quite a
strong body of men, evidently rough sailors, creeping slowly through a
plantation of sugar-cane and making for some definite place. One minute
they would be quite indistinct and faint; the next they would stand out
quite clearly; and it soon became plain that they were well-armed, for
from time to time there was a faint gleam that Murray made out to be
shed from the barrel of some musket.
"Massa Murray Frank see um?" whispered the black.
"Yes, quite plainly," replied the lad.
"Dat Massa Huggin man go creep round plantation."
"What plantation is that?" asked Murray excitedly.
"Massa Allen plantation, sah. Massa Allen plantation cottage over dah,
sah."
"And is he back there now?"
"No say dat where Caesar tink de lieutenant massa wait long o' Bri'sh
sailor. Fink um wait till Massa Huggin bring all a men from two, free
schooner. Wait kill all a Bri'sh sailor, sah."
"And if he doesn't look out, my man, he'll be killed instead."
"Caesar hope so, sah."
"When do you mean to go on and join Mr Anderson, then?" asked the
midshipman.
"Caesar wait till come dark, sah. No go yet. Massa Huggins men watch
all round and take--kill--Murray Frank if um go now."
"But can't you go and warn our people that they are in danger?"
"Massa Anderson know," said the black coolly. "Bri'sh sailor officer
keep eye wide open. Dah!"
He uttered the last word in a low, excited fashion, for just then there
was the distant smothered report of a musket, and Murray pressed the
growth before him a little on one side.
"Was that one of the slavers' crew?" he whispered.
"No, sah. Dat sailor shoot. Look now."
The lad pressed forward again, but nothing was visible, for the densely
packed party of sailors who the minute before had been seen to be in
motion had quite disappeared, though Murray could grasp the fact that
they must still be there.