The prisoners had been sitting in the dark warehouse-like place for some
hours, Nic sleeping soundly, and Pete watching and listening to his
companions in misfortune, judging from their behaviour that he was to be
treated as an outcast, but caring little, for he was conscious of having
been true to them in their nefarious doings.
"Let them think what they like," he said to himself. "Humpy has got
that into their heads, and if I talk to them for a week they won't
believe me."
Then he began to muse upon the subject which forms seven-eighths of a
prisoner's thoughts--how he and Nic were to escape, and whether it would
be possible to get to a boat and float down the river of which they had
had a glimpse, and of which he had heard his companions speaking, when
suddenly there was the deep, heavy barking of a dog, followed by that of
two more; and, as he listened, the sounds came nearer and nearer, in
company with the shuffling of feet. Voices were heard too, and directly
after there was a loud snuffling sound and a deep growling, as the dogs
they had heard thrust their noses under the big door, tore at it, and
growled savagely, till a fierce voice roared:
"Come here! Lie down!" and there was a crack of a whip, and a sharp
yelp to indicate that one of the dogs had received a blow.
Directly after there was the rattle of a big key in the lock, the bolt
snapped back, and the door was thrown open, to fill the place with the
glow of the afternoon sunshine; and three great hounds bounded in, to
rush at once for the prisoners and begin snuffing at them, growling
loudly the while.
"Call those dogs off, Saunders," said a stern voice, as the entrance was
darkened by the figures of a group of men.
"In a moment," was the reply, made by a tall, active-looking man, "They
only want to know the new hands, and their flavour.--Here: down, boys!"
The speaker accompanied his order with a sharp crack of the whip, and
the dogs came back unwillingly from the groups seated on the floor.
"Take care," said the first speaker; "that man has a knife."
Pete turned sharply, to see that a knife-blade was gleaming in Humpy
Dee's hand.
"Knife, has he?" said the man addressed as Saunders, and he stepped
forward to where Humpy was crouching down.
"Give me that knife," he said sharply.
"I don't want to be eat by dogs," said Humpy in a low, surly tone.
"Give me that knife," was reiterated sternly, "or I set the dogs to hold
you while I take it away."
Humpy hesitated for a moment and glared in the speaker's eyes; but he
read there a power which was too much for him, and he closed the blade
with a snap and slowly held it up.
The man snatched it from him with his left hand, and the next instant
there was a sharp whish through the air and a smart crack, as the
stinging lash of a whip fell across Humpy's shoulder, making him utter a
yell of rage.
"Saunders, Saunders!" said the first speaker reproachfully.
"All right, Mr Groves; I know what I'm about," said the man sharply.
"That fellow was armed with a knife which he must have stolen from one
of the sailors; and he was ready to use it. The sooner a savage brute
like that is taught his position here the better for him. You have done
your part and handed the scoundrels over to me, so please don't
interfere."
The first speaker shrugged his shoulders, and turned to a couple of men
who were carrying a basket and a great pitcher; while Saunders went on
sharply:
"You hear what I am saying, my lads; so understand this: You have been
sent out here from your country because you were not fit to stay there;
and you will have to serve now up at your proprietor's plantation.
Behave yourselves, and you will be well fed, and fairly treated over
your work; but I warn you that we stand no nonsense here. The law gives
us power to treat you as you deserve. Our lives are sacred; yours are
not--which means, as Mr Groves here will tell you, that if you venture
to attack any one you will be shot down at sight, while I may as well
tell you now that we shall fire at any man who attempts to escape."
Pete's head gave a throb, and his hand glided slowly to Nic's and held
it tightly.
"When you get up to the plantation you will see for yourselves that you
cannot get away, for you will have jailers there always ready to watch
you or hunt you down. There are three of them," he continued, pointing
to the dogs which crouched on the warehouse floor, panting, with their
long red tongues out and curled up at the ends.
At their master's gesture the sagacious animals sprang up and gazed
eagerly in his face.
"Not now, boys; lie down.--Ah, what's that?" he cried sharply, and the
dogs made a movement as if to rush at the prisoners, for Humpy leaned
sideways and whispered to his nearest companion:
"More ways than one o' killing a dog."
"Talking about the dogs," said the other surlily. "You are making
yourself a marked man, my friend. Take care. Who are these--the two
who have been in hospital, Mr Groves?"
"I suppose so," was the reply.
"What's the matter with you?" said the overseer--for such he proved to
be--addressing Pete. "Jump up."
Pete softly lifted Nic's head from his knee and rose quickly.
"Was cut down, sir," said Pete; "but I'm getting better fast now."
"Good job for you. Now, you, sir; wake up."
The overseer raised the whip he held, to make a flick at Nic as he lay
soundly asleep; but Pete stepped forward to save his companion, and in
bending over him received the slight cut himself without flinching,
though the lash made him feel as if he had been stung.
"He has been a'most dead, zir," said Pete sharply; "but he's getting
better now fast. Hasn't got his zenses, though."
"Wake him up, then," said the overseer sharply; "and you can get your
meal now.--Here, my lads, bring that stuff here and serve it out."
Pete obeyed the order given, and began by gently shaking Nic, who made
no sign. Pete shook him again more firmly, starting violently the next
moment, for, unnoticed, one of the great hounds had approached him and
lowered its muzzle to sniff at the prostrate man.
Pete's first instinctive idea was to strike fiercely at the
savage-looking intruder, but fortunately he held his hand and bent over
his companion wonderingly, and hardly able to believe what he saw; for
as the dog nuzzled about Nic's face, the young man, partly aroused by
the shaking, opened his eyes, looked vacantly at the brute for some
moments, and then, as if his intellectual powers were returning, he
smiled, the animal stopping short and staring down at him closely.
"Well, old fellow," he said gently; "whose dog are you?"
Pete looked up sharply, and saw that every one's attention was centred
on the basket and pitcher, the two men serving out the provisions and
their two superiors looking on.
Then he glanced back again, to see in horror that Nic had raised his
hand to the dog's muzzle, and followed that up by taking hold of and
passing the animal's long, soft ears through his hand.
Pete would have seized the dog, but he felt paralysed by the thought
that if he interfered he might make matters worse; and then his heart
seemed to rise in his throat, for the great hound uttered a deep, short
bark, which had the effect of bringing the others to its side.
"Quiet, you, sirs!" cried their master, but he did not turn his head,
and the three dogs now pressed round Nic, the first planting his
fore-paws on the young man's chest, blinking at him with his jaws apart
and the long red tongue playing and quivering between the sets of keen
milk-white teeth, evidently liking the caresses it received, and of
which the other two appeared to be jealous, for they suddenly began to
whimper; and then the first threw up its head, and all three broke into
a loud baying.
"Quiet, there!" roared Saunders, and he turned sharply now, saw what had
taken place, and came back cracking his whip. "Ah!" he shouted. "Get
back! How dare you?"
The dogs growled, stood fast, and barked at him loudly.
"Good boys, then!" cried Saunders. "Yes, it's all right; you've found
him. There, that will do."
The dogs began to leap and bound about the place, while their master
turned to Pete.
"Why didn't you call me?" he said. "Have they bitten him?"
"No; haven't hurt him a bit," said Pete quietly.
"Lucky for him," said the man. "There, you see what they're like, and
know what you have to expect--What?"
"I said, are they your dogs?"
Pete stared, for it was Nic who spoke, perfectly calmly, though in a
feeble voice.
"Yes," replied Saunders. "Why?"
"I could not help admiring them. They are magnificent beasts."
"I am glad you like them, sir," said Saunders, with a mocking laugh; and
he turned and strode away, to order the men to take some of the food
they had brought to the other two prisoners, leaving Nic gazing after
him.
"Rather brusque," he said, half to himself, and then he passed his hand
over his eyes, drew a long, deep, restful breath, and turned over as if
to go to sleep again; but he started up on his elbow instead as he
encountered Pete's face, and a look of horror and dislike contracted his
own.
"You here?" he said wonderingly.
"Hush! Don't speak aloud, dear lad," whispered Pete excitedly.
"Dear lad?"
"Master Nic Revel, then. You haven't quite come-to yet. You don't
remember. You were took bad again after being bad once--when you asked
me questions aboard ship, and I had to tell you."
"Taken bad--aboard ship?"
"Here you are; catch hold," said a voice close to them; and one of the
men handed each half a small loaf, while his companion filled a tin mug
that must have held about half-a-pint, and offered it to Nic.
The young man had let the great piece of bread fall into his lap, but
the gurgling sound of the water falling into the mug seemed to rouse a
latent feeling of intense thirst, and he raised himself more, took the
vessel with both hands and half-drained it, rested for a few moments,
panting, and then drank the rest before handing the tin back with a sigh
of content.
"No, no; hold it," said the man sharply; and Nic had to retain it in his
trembling hands while it was refilled.
"There, give it to your mate," said the water-bearer.
The two young men's eyes met over the vessel in silence, Nic's full of
angry dislike, Pete's with an appealing, deprecating look, which did not
soften Nic's in the least.
"Well, why don't you take it?" said the man with the pitcher.
"Don't seem to kinder want it now," replied Pete hoarsely.
"Drink it, man, and don't be a fool. You'll be glad of it long before
you get there. Sun's hot yet, and the water's salt for miles, and then
for far enough brackish."
Nic looked at the speaker wonderingly, for the blank feeling seemed to
be coming with the forerunner of the peculiar sensation of confusion
which had troubled him before, and he looked from one to the other as if
for help; while Pete took the mug and drained it, but contented himself
with slipping his bread inside the breast of his shirt, and stood
looking down at Nic, whose lips parted to speak, but no words came.
"Seem decent sort of fellows," said the water-bearer, as he turned off
towards the door with his companion; and the dogs rose to follow them,
sniffing at the basket.
"Yes, poor beggars!" said the other. "Whatever they've been up to in
the old country, they've got to pay pretty dearly for it now."
Nic's hearing was acute enough now, and he heard every word.
"Here, you," he gasped painfully. "Call them back."
"What for, Master Nic?" said Pete in an appealing whisper. "Don't; you
mustn't now. Ask me for what you want."
"I want to know what all this means," panted the young man. "Why am I
here? What place is this? I'm not--I will know."
"No, no; don't ask now, Master Nic," whispered Pete. "You aren't fit to
know now. I'm with you, my lad, and I swear I won't forsake ye."
"You--you will not forsake me?" said Nic, with a look of horror.
"Never, my lad, while I've got a drop o' blood in my veins. Don't--
don't look at me like that. It waren't all my fault. Wait a bit, and
I'll tell you everything, and help you to escape back to the old
country."
"To the old country!" whispered Nic, whose voice was panting again from
weakness. "Where are we, then?"
"Amerikee, among the plantations, they say."
"But--but why? The plantations? What does it mean?"
"Work," said Saunders, who had come up behind them. "Now then, look
sharp, and eat your bread. You'll get no more till to-morrow morning,
and in less than half-an-hour we shall start."
"Start?" cried Nic huskily, as he clapped his hands to his head and
pressed it hard, as though he felt that if he did not hold on tightly
his reason would glide away again.
"Yes, man, start," said Saunders. "Can you two fellows row?"
"He can't, sir; he's too weak," cried Pete eagerly; and the overseer's
face contracted. "But I can. Best man here with an oar. I can pull,
sir, enough for two."
"I'll put you to the proof before you sleep," said the overseer sharply.
"Now, Mr Groves, I'm at your service. I suppose I have some papers to
sign?"
"Yes," said the agent, and he led the way, while the overseer followed,
closing the door, placing a whistle to his lips and blowing a shrill
note which was answered by a deep baying from the dogs.
"Escape!" muttered Nic wildly. "Plantations! Why, I shall be a slave!"
"No, no, my lad; don't take it like that. I'll help you to get away."
"Will ye?" growled Humpy Dee, coming towards them. "Then I tells that
chap next time he comes. I splits on you as you splits on we; so look
out, I say, both of you; look out!"
"It's a lie, Master Nic--a lie," cried Pete fiercely. "I swear to you,
I never--"
Pete caught at the young man's arm as he spoke, and then loosened it
with a groan, for, with a look of revulsion, Nic cried hoarsely:
"Don't touch me; don't come near me. Wretch--villain! This is all your
work."
"And so say we, my fine fellow," cried Humpy Dee, whose eyes sparkled
with malignant joy. "His doing, every bit, 'cept what you put in, and
for that you've got to take your share the same as us. And all because
a few poor fellows wanted a bit o' salmon. Hor, hor, hor! I say, take
it coolly. No one won't believe ye, and you may think yourself lucky to
get off so well."
Nic turned from the man with a look of disgust, and sat up, resting his
throbbing head in his hands; while, as Humpy Dee went back to his
companions, whistling as he went, Pete threw himself upon the floor,
watching him, with his hands opening and shutting in a strange way, as
if they were eager to seize the brutal ruffian by the throat.