"WAIT TILL DARK."
Long hours of weary waiting and expectation of being discovered, for at
intervals movements could be detected amongst the tall swaying canes and
patches of maize that could be made out beyond the wilderness of
undergrowth that lay between the little party of fugitives and the
cottage whose presence the black insisted upon as being in the direction
he pointed out.
But Murray had the satisfaction of noting that his brother midshipman
was slowly recovering his senses. Twice over he had opened his eyes to
gaze wonderingly in the face that looked down at him, and once when
Murray whispered a few encouraging words he shook his head and seemed to
sink back into a deep sleep again.
"What's to be done, Caesar?" said Murray softly.
"Do nothing, sah. Wait till come dark. Then creep, creep, creep froo
trees and tell massa officer not to shoot. Then run fas', get in
cottage."
Night at last, and with every nerve throbbing from excitement Murray
started up in readiness, for the black had bent over to whisper to him
that he was going to try and find a way past the several parties of the
enemy who were beleaguering the holders of the little cottage, whom it
was their aim now to rejoin.
"Massa stop now," said the man. "Wait till Caesar see."
The next minute there was a faint rustling sound, and Murray was alone
with the big black and his companion, both silent, the former watchful
and alert, and the latter as motionless as if plunged in the deepest
sleep.
This silence was to the midshipman the most painful part of the task
which he had been called upon to bear. His imagination began to set to
work at once and surrounded him with perils that were ever on the
increase. He knew from what he had seen that a strong body of the enemy
must be lying between him and his friends, but directly Caesar had
passed out of hearing it appeared to him that the crews of the slaver's
schooners had started into motion and were creeping round behind him to
cut him off, and twice over this was enforced by the great black
beginning to creep away and leaving him alone with Roberts.
Then when he was beside himself with anxiety as to what he had better
do, and more and more certain that he was completely left, he started to
find that the great fellow had returned, to seat himself beside his
burden, evidently ready to make a fresh start at any moment.
At last, when Murray felt that he could bear no more, there was a faint
rustle and a whisper to prove that the black had returned, to lay a hand
upon his shoulder.
"Well," whispered the lad excitedly, "have you found a way to get by
them?"
"Caesar get by," said the man sadly, "but big slabe, Murray Frank,
Roberts, not get by."
"Then what do you mean to do?"
"Try," said the man. "Murray Frank ready?"
"Yes, ready for anything," said the lad, springing up eagerly.
Caesar whispered a few words to his big fellow and as Murray strained
his eyes he tried to make out the movements of the black when he caught
hold of the midshipman, swung him round over his shoulder, and followed
closely behind his leader and Murray, who now began to advance
cautiously, hand in hand, pausing to listen from time to time, Caesar
progressing more by thought than touch and evidently conscious that at
any moment he might stumble upon those who were waiting ready to pounce
upon him.
There were moments when hope began to illumine the lad's path, for so
silent did everything remain that it seemed as if the enemy must have
changed his position; and in this hopeful mood he was about to whisper
his belief to his companion when the path was brightened by a totally
different illumination. For there was utter silence one moment, and the
next, flash, flash, from musket after musket, and the enemy's position
was marked out by points of light as he concentrated his fire upon the
cottage hidden amongst the trees.
This went on for a time without reply, and it now seemed to the
midshipman that it must be the little party of his friends who had gone
off. Then crack, crack, the reply began, and plainly mingled with the
reports came the strange whistling whirr of bullets about their ears, in
company with the crackling of cut-down leaves and twigs which now began
to patter upon the earth.
"Come," whispered the black.
"Come where?" asked Murray excitedly.
"Back again," was the reply. "Massa no want sailor shoot massa?"
"No," whispered the lad; "but we were to shout to them that we are
friends."
"Yes, massa," said the man drily, "but sailor man shout so loud um no
hear massa speak, and massa get shoot dead long o' Caesar and big slabe.
No talk; other fellow hear um, and sailor man shoot one side, Massa
Huggin man shoot other side, and no get to cottage at all. Come back."
The lad submitted without a word, though it seemed to him maddening to
give up when they were so near that every flash was quite plain, and he
fully expected to hear himself hailed.
They seemed to him then to have crept exactly into the centre of the
firing, and every whizzing whistle sounded as if it must be coming
straight for its billet that would end one of their careers; but the
moments passed on with the marvel growing more strange that they escaped
being laid low; and then the excitement came suddenly to an end, when
Caesar literally snatched the lad to earth and the big slave subsided
with a low sigh of relief which indicated that he had sunk down too with
his silent burden, to lie listening to the cross fire which still went
on above their heads, till all at once a familiar voice shouted--
"Now, my lads, all together, forward! Let them have it!"
The order thrilled through Murray's breast, and seemed to rouse Roberts,
helpless as he was, to action.
"Hurrah!" cried the midshipman, as he sprang to his feet, followed by
his wounded comrade, who staggered for a moment or two, and then fell,
clutching at Murray, dragging him down upon his less active comrade,
just as there was a rush of feet, the crackling of wood, and the minute
later a fierce yell of raging voices, and the sailors who had responded
to the first lieutenant's call were borne back again by four times their
number and driven as far as the entrance to the cottage, where they
stood fast and delivered a little volley, which sent their enemies to
the right-about, giving them time to barricade themselves again and hold
the entrance fast.
"Answer to your names there," panted the lieutenant, who was breathless
with his exertions. "What's that?" he cried directly after.
"Prisoners! Two of them?"
"Four, sir," growled a deep voice. "Two black fellows, sir, and here's
two youngsters, sir, as far as I can make out. One of 'em's wounded,
sir."
"Well, we don't want prisoners," cried the lieutenant, "but we must take
them. See that you bind them fast."
"We don't want binding, sir," gasped Murray. "We've got away from the
enemy and reached you at last."
"Mr Murray! This is grand!" cried the chief officer. "But have you
seen anything of poor Roberts?"
"I've got him here, sir, but he's badly wounded."
"And we've no doctor with us."
"I don't think it's dangerous, sir; but have you had any news of May and
Titely?"
"Tom May is with us, my lad."
"Hurt, sir?"
"Here, answer for yourself, my lad," cried the lieutenant.
"Hurt, sir? Yes, sir; pretty tidy, sir," growled the big sailor. "One
of them slavers fetched me a crack on the head as knocked all the sense
out on it; but I shall get a chance at 'em again one o' these times.
But is it really you, Mr Murray, here and all right, sir?"
"It's your turn to answer, Mr Murray," replied the chief officer.
"Yes, sir; and yes, Tom May; I've got back safely. Where's Titely?"
"In the plantation house, sir--in hospital--sick bay, sir; doing pretty
tidy. But they're coming on again, I think, sir, and we've them two
blacks with us, sir. Where shall we put them?"
"They're not prisoners, sir," cried Murray. "They're friends, and have
helped us to escape."
"Do you think we can trust them?" asked the lieutenant.
"Trust them, sir? Yes, and they'll fight for us to the end."
"You answer for them, my lad?"
"Yes, sir," cried Murray. "They're staunch enough."
"Here they come, sir!" cried Tom May.
For with a fierce yelling mingled with an imitation of the hearty
cheering of a body of seamen, a strong party dashed up to the hastily
barricaded entrance, and sent a volley crashing through the panels of
the door and the window.
"You were ready for that, my lads?" cried the lieutenant. "No one
hurt?"
"Nay, sir; we're used to that bit o' business," growled the big sailor.
"Then give it them back, my lads."
The words had hardly passed the officer's lips before a dozen muskets
bellowed out their reply, lighting up so many roughly-made portholes,
and as the volley was responded to by a fiercer yelling than before,
mingled with the hurried footsteps of the repulsed attacking party,
Murray turned in the darkness to his leader.
"I can't understand it, sir," he said. "I thought Caesar, the black,
was retreating with us to the cottage by the lagoon."
"No, no, my lad; this is the plantation house where we came first. I
only wish we could have reached the cottage by the water-side. We
should have had help from the captain before now if we could have got
there."
"Then we are right in the middle of the cane fields, sir?"
"Yes, Murray, and very glad I was to come upon it, for it has been
strong enough to hold. Here: your black fellow who guided the
expedition--where is he?"
"Here somewhere, sir."
"Ask him then if he can lead us by some path to the water-side."
"Do you hear this, Caesar?" asked Murray. "Is there any path down to
the water-side without using a boat along the river?"
"Yes, sah, but Massa Huggin men all dah, and um think they come 'long
again to burn Massa Allen house up. Murray Frank look! All de window
burn fire."
"Yes, they're trying another way of attack," said the chief
officer--"one that I have been wondering that they did not try before.
Up-stairs with you, my lad. You go too, Mr Murray. You must pick off
those who come up with their firebrands. You'll be able to see the
scoundrels now. This is better than that horrible darkness. Ah, the
business is warming up. Give them a cheer, my lads, as soon as you are
up at the windows. The captain will hear our response, and it will let
him know where we are."
"But is that the _Seafowl_, sir?" cried Murray excitedly.
"Without doubt, my lad; but she sounds a long way off."
For the steady fire of big guns had begun, but as the chief officer had
said, sounding some distance away.
"Dat Massa Huggin big schooner, sah," said Caesar sharply; and he had
hardly spoken when the heavy but sharp brassy sound of a big gun came
from quite another direction. "And dat Massa Huggin oder schooner, sah.
Dat um Long Tom."
"Confound the scoundrel!" cried the lieutenant excitedly. "Up with you,
Mr Murray. Here they come to the attack again. Take May with you, or
we shall be burnt out before help can come. Well, what's that then?" he
shouted excitedly, as Murray rushed up the stairs towards the rooms he
had helped before to put in a state of defence. "Surely that is one of
our brig's carronades. It was time she began to speak."