Before Nic Revel's mental sight the difficulties rose like a great black
rock, but he did not shrink. He rose softly from his bunk, striving
hard to keep the corn-stalks from crackling, and felt Pete as the man
took a couple of steps from his sleeping-place and stood with his face
to the back of the shed.
Then, in the midst of a very faint rustling, Nic knew that his companion
had thrust a couple of pegs into the knot-holes in the stout planks, and
raised himself by hand and foot till he could softly draw the wooden
shingles of the roof aside, and the cool, moist air of the night came
down. Then for a moment or two Nic saw a bright star, which was blotted
out by something dark as the faint rustling continued.
Nic turned to listen, but all was well within the shed. He could hear
the deep breathing of sleepers, and the low humming song of the sentry
outside the door.
"How long will it be?" thought Nic, who was trembling with excitement;
but the suspense was soon over. All at once there was a dull sound,
such as might be made by two bare feet alighting on the earth outside,
and he knew that his turn had come.
He was lightly enough clothed, merely in short-sleeved, striped cotton
shirt, and breeches which did not reach the knee, and his feet were
bare, so that there was nothing to hinder his efforts as he reached up
till he could place one foot upon the first peg. Then, seeking for the
other, he seized it in his hand, and drew himself into a standing
position upon the first, reached up to the rafters, drew himself farther
up till he could rest his foot on the second peg and pass his head and
shoulders through the hole in the roof; then, resting a hand on either
side, he drew his legs through, turned and lowered himself down, and
dropped upon the ground almost without a sound.
It was intensely dark, but every step was familiar enough, and there was
no need for words: their plans had been too well made. But as they
moved off towards the house, one thought was in both minds as presenting
the greatest obstacle they had to dread:
Where were the dogs? If loose, and their approach were heard, the great
brutes would set up a fierce baying directly, preliminary to a savage
attack; and then--
They neither of them cared to reckon more in advance than that, and went
softly on, to receive proof directly that the dogs were not loose, for
there came from the back of the house the rattle of a chain being drawn
over wood, followed by a low, muttering growl, as if one of the animals
was uneasy.
This ceased directly; and, treading cautiously, Nic went straight up to
the front of the building, feeling as if, at any moment, he might see
the flash of a musket and hear its roar.
But the place was dark and still, and the croaking and other sounds
which came in chorus were quite loud enough to drown their light
footsteps as they approached.
The door was closed, but the two long, low windows in the veranda proved
to be open; and, as Nic approached the one upon his right and listened,
he could distinctly hear the heavy breathing of a sleeper. He drew
cautiously back, to come in contact with Pete, who was taken by surprise
at the sudden movement made.
Then they stood with hearts thumping against their ribs, feeling certain
that they must have been heard; but not a sound followed. After waiting
nearly a minute, a fresh movement was made, Nic stepping softly to the
window on his left, the perspiration streaming down his face, for the
heat was intense.
He listened here, with Pete close behind, but all was still, the window
wide open to admit the air; and he knew that all he had to do was to
pass softly in, take down a couple of the guns, passing one out at a
time through the window to Pete, beat a retreat, and then all would be
as easy as possible. It was only cool, quiet action--that was all; but
Nic for a time could not move, only stand there, breathing heavily, in
the full expectation of hearing his companion say something to urge him
on.
Pete did not stir: he felt that he must trust to his companion's
common-sense, and leave him to act as was best.
Then the power to act seemed to come, and Nic softly grasped the
window-sill, passed one leg in, then the other, and stood upon the bare
floor, fully expecting to hear a bullet whiz past his head, even if it
did not strike.
But he could hear nothing; the house might have been unoccupied; and,
drawing a deep breath, he acted quickly now, turned to his left, raised
his hands, and pressed forward till they touched one of the weapons
hanging upon the wall.
A sudden feeling of elation now came over him, for it all seemed to be
so astonishingly easy, as he stepped softly to the window to pass out a
musket with its flask and pouch, feeling it taken from his hand
directly.
The next minute he was in front of the other pieces, and took down a
second musket, felt that the flask and pouch were attached to it, and,
with his pulses hard at work, he was about to make for the window when
every drop of blood in his veins seemed to stand still. For there was a
sharp, angry oath, a quick start, and the overseer, who had been
sleeping upon a rough couch, rose to a sitting position.
It was too dark for Nic to make out anything more than a shadowy figure
within ten feet of him; and he stood as if petrified, holding the
musket, meaning to use it as a club at the first attack; one which
seemed to be strangely deferred, for the figure sat as if staring at him
in astonishment.
How long this pause lasted it is impossible to say, but to the intruder
it seemed like minutes before he heard a faint rustling movement as if
the overseer was about to lie down again.
"He can't see me," thought Nic. "It is too dark."
Then his heart seemed to stand still again, as the horrible thought
occurred that the rustling meant getting something out of a pocket, and
that something must be a pistol.
Instinct taught the listener that to save his life he must spring at his
enemy before he could take aim, and, nerving himself for a leap forward
to dash the musket he held upon the man's face, he was almost in the act
of bounding across the room when there was a low gurgling sound, and his
nerves and muscles relaxed, for he realised the fact--the overseer had
awoke suddenly from some nightmare-like dream, and it was no pistol he
had taken out, but a flask of spirits.
It was plain enough now--the gurgling of the flask, the smack of the
lips in the darkness, and the long, satisfied breath taken, before the
bottle was replaced and its owner sank back upon his couch.
In another minute the breathing had grown deeper and sounded stertorous;
and, without pausing longer, Nic stepped to the window, handed out the
gun, and felt it taken quickly from his hands.
Just then there was a faint muttering which almost paralysed Nic, who
turned to meet an attack; but none came, and in another instant or two
he had slipped out of the window and was following Pete, who had handed
back one gun, with the warning to beware of the dogs.
Pete's stooping figure was just visible as Nic followed, him in silence
till they were about a hundred yards away, making for the spot where the
boat was hidden, when one of the dogs barked loudly.
"Mustn't stop to load," whispered Pete. "Let's get to the water, and
then they can't take up the scent."
They hurried on, listening the while; but the dog quieted down again;
and with his spirits rising, Nic closed up alongside of his companion.
"That was a near touch, master," whispered Pete. "I waited ready to
jump in and help you, for I zomehow thought it was too dark in there for
him to zee you, and you hadn't made any noise. Lucky for him he lay
down again."
Nic made no reply, but he thought a great deal; and no more was said
till they had crossed a couple of the great fields and knew by the
sounds they heard that they must be close to the long, low band of reedy
growth which ran by the river-side.
"You lead now, my lad," whispered Pete. "Get as nigh as you can to
where you think the creek is on the other side."
"It is so dark," whispered Nic; "but I think we are right."
He went to the front, assailed by a horrible doubt now that he had taken
the wrong way, and was some distance farther up the river; but, as he
bent down to part the low growth, to peer through over the dark water,
there was a scuffle and a splash, telling of some reptile taking flight,
and he shrank back.
But he hardly heeded it, for he had dimly made out a solitary tree
across the river, some eighty or a hundred yards away, which he had
marked down for bearings.
"This is the place, Pete," he whispered. "If you stand here and look
across, the creek is a little way up to the right."
"That is good, my lad; I was beginning to be feared that we should have
to wait for daylight, and be missed. Now then, take my gun and the
tackle, and while I'm gone you load both on 'em."
"While you are gone?" whispered Nic excitedly. "You are not going; I
know the way, and I'll fetch the boat."
"That you don't, Master Nic," said the man sturdily. "That there
water's full o' them great brutes, and one of 'em might pull you down."
"I know it is; and one of them might pull you down."
"He'd be zorry for it if he did, for I'd zoon zend my knife through his
carcass. It's my job, zir, and I'm going."
"I tell you I know just where it is, and I'm going to fetch it."
"That you aren't, zir. I won't have you risk it."
"Then we'll swim the river together, Pete."
"And what about the guns?"
"Leave them on the bank, and come back and fetch them."
"Never find 'em again in the darkness and hurry, my lad. Now, do be
zensible."
"I'm master, and I order you to stay."
"Which you aren't master, zir, for we're both zlaves, and if you talk so
loud you'll be bringing down the dogs and I'm off."
Almost before Nic could realise it, Pete had slipped across the narrow
space, lowered himself into the water, and swum away, leaving his
companion horrified at the sounds he heard. For directly after the man
had struck out there was a tremendous wallowing splash, which Nic felt
certain had been caused by some monstrous reptile; and he crouched there
grasping the guns, with a chilly perspiration breaking out over his
brow.
It was some minutes before he thought of the loading, and when he did he
could not follow out his instructions for listening and staring across
the dark, gliding water, which was full of life, startling him with the
belief that Pete had been attacked when some louder splash than usual
came from the direction the man had taken. Then the horrible thought
came that the poor fellow had been seized the moment he plunged in, and
that that loud wallowing noise was when he was dragged underneath. For,
though he listened so hard, there was nothing to prove that his comrade
was still swimming across the river; and his heart sank at the thought
of what would be a most horrible death.
Everything served to depress him more as he crouched there in the
enforced inaction; he could hear rustlings in the low water-growth as of
reptiles creeping along, the splashes in the river, and all about him
the croaking, hooting, and barking of the nocturnal creatures which made
the place their home; while, as if these were not sufficient, there was
the dread of pursuit, with their enemies hounding on the savage dogs,
which might spring upon him at any moment.
"Not without giving notice, though," he said to himself. "What a
nervous coward all this has made me! Why, the hounds would begin to bay
as soon as they took up the scent."
He listened again; but all was still save a splash or two, and he
bitterly repented that they had not thought of some signal--a whistle or
the like--to give warning that the river had been successfully crossed.
"He would do it," thought Nic, trying to be firm. "He is a splendid
swimmer. Why, it was wonderful what I believe he did when he tried to
save me--in irons, too."
Nic paused for a few moments longer to listen to the splashing which
went on; and then, recalling once more his companion's words, he
prepared to load the muskets.
But the first he tried proved to be loaded, and, on replacing the ramrod
and opening the pan, he found the priming all right. The next proved to
be in the same condition; and, once more laying the pieces down, he
crouched with his ear near the water to listen to the lapping and
splashing which went on. But there was nothing that he could interpret
to mean the movement of an oar or pole on a boat, and his heart began to
sink again lower and lower, till wild thoughts arose about his
companion's fate.
He would not give harbour to the suggestion that he had been dragged
down by the reptiles, but fancied that the boat might be securely
padlocked, or that Pete had got it out, and, not knowing the force of
the stream, had been swept away past where he should have landed, and
with so big and heavy a boat he might not be able to get back. If this
were the case Pete would escape, and he would have to go back to his
prison.
"No, he would not forsake me," muttered Nic, with a strange glow about
his heart as he thought of the man's fidelity to his cause; and he had
just come to this conclusion when he heard a rustling behind him as of
some creature creeping up. It was forgotten, though, the next moment,
for unmistakably there was the sound of an oar whishing about in the
water, as if someone had it over the stern and, fisherman fashions was
sculling the boat towards the bank.
Then for a moment Nic was doubtful, for the sound ceased.
"It was one of the alligators," he muttered through his teeth, "and the
poor fellow--"
There was a faint chirrup off the river, and once more Nic's heart beat
wildly as he answered the signal. Then the sculling began again, the
rustling was repeated somewhere behind where Nic crouched, and he felt
for the muskets to take them up.
"Whatever it is, I shall be aboard in a moment or two," he thought, with
a strangely wild feeling of exultation; for he heard the oar drawn in,
the head of the boat suddenly appeared close at hand, and it was run
into the muddy, reedy bank a couple of yards away, while Pete leaped
ashore with the painter.
"Now!" cried a loud voice, when, with a rush, half-a-dozen men sprang
upon them from the bed of reeds and a fierce struggle began.