was the anchorage and so good the holding-ground that, on arriving on
board, Ned was not at all surprised to find that the steward, instead of
keeping watch, had gone below and turned in, trusting to luck that, once
on shore, nobody would dream of going off again to the ship that night.
This arrangement, however, though it might be perfectly satisfactory to
the steward, by no means suited Ned, who at once went below and
unceremoniously routed the poor man out of his berth.
"Price," said he, "I have something of the utmost importance to say to
you. I have noticed that in the course of conversation, when nobody
else has been present, you have frequently gone out of your way to
remind me that I am an unwilling member of the piratical crew in the
midst of which we find ourselves, and you have also dropped sundry hints
that if ever I happen to hit upon a way of escape you will be more than
pleased to accompany me. Now, I want to know exactly what you have
meant by this."
"Just exactly what I have said, Mr Damerell--or rather what _you_ have
just said," answered Price. "I joined the party because I had no fancy
for being left to die on a desert island, like those unfortunate
passengers or the poor skipper and Mr Manners; but I didn't then know
what was before me, sir. I am a peaceable man, I am, and though I've
had no hand in any of the bloodshed that has occurred since we sailed
from here, I know that murder has been committed, and I want to separate
myself from the murderers. If I could I would have prevented the mutiny
in the first place; but I never knew that anything serious was
intended--"
"Well, never mind about that just now," interrupted Ned; "the present
question is this. If I happened to have formed a plan of escape--a
plan, we will say, involving a considerable amount of risk and a great
deal of hard work, would you be willing to join me in it?"
"Would I? Only try me, Mr Damerell--try me, sir! Why, there is _no_
risk, _no_ labour I would not willingly face for a good chance to escape
from that pack of yelling savages over yonder. Why, what are they doing
now, sir? Blest if it doesn't look as though they had been and set fire
to the hut, sir!"
Ned ran into the saloon and brought the glass on deck.
"_They have_!" he exclaimed, looking through the instrument at a bright
blaze which was leaping up among the trees on shore. "Well, never
mind," he continued; "it does not matter, for I intend attempting an
escape from them to-night--now, at once--and glad enough shall I be to
have your assistance. I intend nothing less than to run off with the
ship; so--"
"To run off with the ship?" echoed Price. "Oh, Mr Damerell, we can
never do that, sir--"
"I shall _try_, at all events," interrupted Ned. "So whilst I slip out
and cast loose the jib, do you go below to the boatswain's locker and
bring me from thence a cold chisel and a good heavy hammer."
Without further parley, Price did as he was bidden, and very soon he and
Ned were busy knocking out the pin from the shackle in the cable which
happened to be nearest the hawse-pipe. The job occupied them fully a
quarter of an hour, for the pin was rusted-in; but at length out it
came, and in another minute away went the end of the cable out through
the hawse-pipe and into the water with a loud rattle and a splash.
"So far, so good," said Ned. "Now, Price, I want you to take the glass
and keep a sharp watch upon the shore. The ship is now adrift, and
driving slowly stern-foremost toward the outer basin. So long as we see
no sign of alarm from the people on shore I shall let her drive; that
will increase our chances of a good start. But the moment you see any
indication of an attempt to launch a boat give me the word; and we must
then get the jib on the ship and put her head round. There is a fine
breeze blowing, and if we can only get outside the heads without being
overtaken, I have no fears whatever."
So saying, Ned ran aft and placed himself at the wheel, which he
manipulated in such a way as to keep the ship head to wind with her bows
pointing toward the shore, thus keeping up the appearance that she was
still riding to her anchor. Price meanwhile posted himself on the
forecastle, and kept the telescope levelled at the shore.
For some time all went well. The ship, under the influence of the fresh
breeze, which effected her with increasing power as she lengthened her
distance from the land, drove steadily astern; and still no warning word
came from Price. At length, however, when she had drifted about a mile,
and had arrived within about a mile and three-quarters of the contracted
channel between the north and south bluffs which divided the inner from
the outer basin, the steward cried out:
"They are after us, Mr Damerell; I can see the flash of oars in the
moonlight!"
"All right!" answered Ned, sending the wheel hard over with a spin, and
leaving it to rush forward. "Now, Price, aft with the starboard jib-
sheets, and belay them--not too flat, man; let them flow a bit--so,
that's well! Now tail on here to the halliards with me and let us set
the sail. Up with it! that's your sort! Now take it under the
belaying-pin and let me browse it up. Yo-ho; ho-hip; ho-ho! Belay
that! Now, the main-topmast staysail. Let go the down-haul; that is
it, that rope you have your hand on--cast it off! That's right. Here
are the sheets; hook the clips into that ring-bolt there close to the
second gun. That is all right. Now take a turn with the running part
round that cleat! Capital! Now wait a moment."
The ship was by this time broadside-on to the wind and gathering headway
under the powerful influence of the jib, necessitating a hand at the
wheel. Ned therefore ran aft, and, summoning the astonished Sibylla
from her cabin, where she was making her preparations for passing
another night on board, he sent her to the wheel, with instructions how
to act, but concealing from her for the present the fact that they were
pursued. Most fortunately for the runaways, the young lady was by this
time quite a practised helmsman--or _helmswoman_ rather. She could not
only steer straight, but she also knew the difference between port and
starboard, and understood in which direction to turn the wheel upon
receiving either of those mystic words of command. She consequently now
proved a most useful auxiliary, and left Ned at full liberty to devote
himself to the toilsome task of getting canvas upon the ship.
With the aid of the winch the two men succeeded in getting the main-
topmast staysail set, after which they hauled out the spanker. They
were now running for the passage between the two bluffs, with the wind
over their starboard quarter, the ship in her best possible sailing trim
going through the water at a speed of nearly three knots. This,
however, was not fast enough to suit Ned, for though they had secured a
capital start, and he conjectured that the pursuers were too thoroughly
intoxicated to be capable of pulling a boat at any very great speed, he
knew that at the south-western extremity of the outer basin they would
reach the most difficult part of their navigation. This consisted of a
channel only half a mile in width by about a mile and a quarter in
length, bending to the south-east, where the ship would be almost
completely becalmed under the high land. And it was here, if anywhere,
that he expected to be overtaken. So, without wasting time to ascertain
the whereabouts of the pursuing boat, he hurried aloft and cast off the
lashing from the main-topgallant-staysail, and, sending the sheets down
on deck, descended and helped Price to set the sail. He now had as much
canvas upon the ship as he believed he and the steward could
conveniently manage for the present. He was, therefore, compelled to
content himself with making a tour of the decks and so trimming the
sheets as that the different sails set should draw to the utmost
advantage. Then, and not until then, did he allow himself leisure to
take a peep through the glass at what was going on astern. The sight
which met his eyes was by no means reassuring, for he now saw that there
were no less than _three_ boats in pursuit, the foremost of which--one
of the gigs--was distinctly gaining upon him.
"If they have no firearms with them," said Ned to Price, "I think we may
perhaps be able to keep them from boarding, even in the event of their
overtaking us; and, in any case, I think it will be advisable to have up
on deck and load a few of those rifles from the arm-chest, for having
gone so far it will never do now for us to allow ourselves to be taken.
Get the keys of the arm-chest and magazine, Joe, and bring up a couple
of dozen rifles and a few packets of cartridges."
The rifles were brought on deck and loaded carefully, half of them being
stacked in the waist of the ship, whilst the other half, with a liberal
supply of ammunition, were taken up on the poop.
By the time that this was done the ship had reached the passage between
the bluffs, and as soon as she was fairly through Ned kept away dead
before the wind for the mouth of the "Narrows," as the contracted
entrance channel was called. The ship being under fore-and-aft canvas
only, this alteration in her course was a disadvantage rather than
otherwise, the staysails refusing to stand properly; moreover the high
land was now once more close aboard of them on both quarters, rendering
the wind light and shifty, in consequence of which the ship lost way
perceptibly. Ned became increasingly anxious; so much so, indeed, that
he resolved to get more canvas upon the ship, and running out to the
flying-jib-boom he loosed the flying-jib, set it with Price's
assistance, and then went aft and set the mizen-topmast staysail--a very
large sail, reaching from the mizen-topmast head down to within twelve
feet of the main deck. This addition to the amount of canvas spread had
an immediately perceptible effect; and going aft to the taffrail, and
from thence watching the approach of the boats, Ned believed he should
be fairly in the Narrows before the gig reached him.
The ship was fully half-way across the outer basin when the gig--the
leading boat--opened fire upon her. The weapon employed was evidently a
rifle, for though the boat was half a mile astern Ned distinctly heard
the whistle of the bullet overhead, showing not only that they were well
within the range of the piece, but also that it had been skilfully and
steadily aimed, a circumstance which led him to conjecture that
Williams, probably the only perfectly sober man in the entire crew, must
be in charge of the boat. The ship being thus proved to be within
range, Ned now took the wheel himself, sending Sibylla below to the
saloon, with instructions not to venture from thence out on deck until
he should intimate to her that she could do so with safety. The firing,
however, was not maintained, and a quarter of an hour later Ned had the
satisfaction of putting his helm down and rounding East Point at the
inner extremity of the Narrows. The sheets now had to be trimmed over,
but the ship being found to steer herself, this was not a matter of any
very great difficulty, Ned leaving the helm to itself for the short time
necessary to enable him and Price to perform the operation; but when he
returned to his post he was greatly concerned to discover that the gig
was less than a quarter of a mile astern, and coming up rapidly, though,
from the unsteady way in which the oars were being handled, it was
evident that the crew were pretty nearly exhausted with their long pull.
The fugitives were now fairly within the Narrows, and in their narrowest
part, moreover; the shore being within a quarter of a mile of them on
either hand. This of itself would have been a matter of no consequence,
however, had the configuration of the land been different; but,
unfortunately, the cliffs towered high above the mast-heads on both
sides of the ship, and as the wind happened to be blowing athwart the
channel the canvas was almost becalmed; indeed, had it not been for a
little draught of air which now and then came down the channel astern of
her, the _Flying Cloud_ would have lost headway altogether. As it was
she still moved through the water, though at a speed barely sufficient
to give her steerage-way; and the crew of the gig, seeing her almost
helpless condition, raised a loud confused shout, which they doubtless
meant for a cheer, and redoubled their efforts at the oars.
Ned lashed the wheel and took up one of the rifles, Price taking
another.
"Now," said Ned, "I have no wish to shed blood if I can help it, so we
will not fire until the very last moment; but if the gig approaches near
enough to enable us to distinguish Williams' eyes--there he sits in the
stern-sheets with the yoke-lines in his hands--we _must_ fire in self-
defence. And mind, Joe, it is the oarsmen we must fire at; we must
disable _them_, and so prevent the nearer approach of the boat, for if
she once gets alongside and they succeed in boarding us, our throats
will be cut within five minutes afterwards. Look out! Williams is
going to fire again!"
They saw the pirate raise his rifle and take a long steady aim; then
came the flash. The bullet struck the taffrail just at their feet.
Williams dashed the piece down, savagely disappointed at his ill-
success; and Ned stepped to the wheel and gave it a slight adjusting
touch. When he turned again Williams was standing up in the boat, with
his hands to his mouth, and next moment came the hail:
"_Cloud_ ahoy! If you will heave-to at once I solemnly swear that no
harm will come to either of you. I will pass over and forgive your mad
attempt to run away with the ship; but if you compel us to pull
alongside and recapture her, look out! Your punishment shall be such
that I will make you positively _pray_ to be put out of your misery. Do
you hear me, there?"
"I can see his eyes now," said Ned. "I will fire first; and directly
the smoke clears away you must follow suit, taking care to fire into the
thick of the crew so as to do all the mischief possible. Now!"
As Ned spoke he levelled his piece, and aiming carefully, pulled the
trigger. Simultaneously with the report came a sharp yell of agony and
a groan, and as the smoke drifted away two oars were seen to drop
overboard and two forms to sink down into the bottom of the boat. Then
Price's piece spoke out, and Williams himself sprang convulsively from
his seat and fell forward. This caused a great deal of confusion and a
temporary suspension of the pursuit, during which Ned again went to the
helm. By this time the ship, having drifted past the highest point of
land to windward, once more began to feel the breeze; and when the gig--
having lost a good hundred yards' distance--again resumed the chase the
ship was creeping ahead at a speed of fully three knots, with the wind
coming truer and fresher at every fathom of progress. The men in the
gig now pulled most furiously, and actually crept up to within about
twenty feet of the ship's quarter, but--she increasing her speed every
moment--they could get no nearer, try as they would. At length one of
them bethought himself of the rifle, which he picked up and with some
difficulty loaded; then, standing up unsteadily in the stern-sheets, he
pointed and fired the piece, harmlessly so far as the fugitives were
concerned, but not so for himself, for the recoil and his intoxicated
condition together combined to upset his equilibrium so completely that
as the piece exploded he staggered backwards and, amid the jeers and
loud laughter of his comrades, disappeared with a splash over the stern
of the boat. The pause made to pick him up terminated the pursuit,
which had now become hopeless, and ten minutes later the _Flying Cloud_
glided past West Point and was rising and falling on the swell of the
open ocean.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.
THE ARRIVAL HOME OF THE "FLYING CLOUD."
As soon as the ship was fairly clear of the harbour Ned kept her away on
a south-west by west course for the island on which the skipper and
Manners had been landed; and then, resolved to make the most of the fair
wind and the fine weather, he ran aloft and loosed the three topsails,
which, with a considerable amount of labour, and with the aid of the
winch and a snatch-block, he and Price actually succeeded in getting
sheeted home and mast-headed. The yards being laid square, the
adventurers had now nothing to do but to steer the ship, Sibylla
spending the greater part of the day at the wheel--thus affording her
companions an opportunity to snatch a little rest--whilst Ned and Price
alternately steered and kept the look-out through the night; and such
excellent progress did they make that at noon on the day but one
following that of their escape from Refuge Harbour, they had the
satisfaction of heaving-to the ship off the skipper's island. Here the
colours were hoisted and a gun was fired at frequent intervals, a keen
scrutiny of the island being maintained meanwhile with the aid of the
telescope, so that if the captain and Manners were still there they
might have an opportunity afforded them to paddle off to the ship, or at
least to signal their presence. Hour after hour passed away, however,
without any sign being discoverable of the existence of living beings
upon the island; and at length, just as the sun was setting, Ned once
more filled upon the ship and headed for Gaunt's island, shrewdly
surmising--what he afterwards found to be the truth--that the skipper
and Manners had found means to rejoin the passengers.
The mountain on Gaunt's island was made about three o'clock next
morning, from the deck of the _Flying Cloud_, the atmosphere being
somewhat hazy at the time; and daybreak found the ship off the north-
eastern extremity of the island, some two miles distant, when the
colours were again hoisted and guns fired as before, the reports
serving, as has already been seen, to greatly disconcert the Malays and
expedite their departure.
The first thing seen by the anxious watchers on the ship's deck was the
proa crowding sail out of the harbour, a sight which filled them with
the keenest anxiety; and Ned, thinking it possible that his friends
might at that moment be prisoners on board the vessel, was busying
himself in making preparations to open fire upon her, with the hope that
he might be able to dismast her and so frustrate her attempt to escape,
when his mind was set at rest by the sight of the punt pulling off to
him with Manners and Nicholls in her. Filling upon the ship and running
down toward the tiny craft, Ned and his companions soon had the
satisfaction of shaking hands with their two former shipmates, after
which came mutual hurried inquiries and explanations, in which, on the
part of the islanders, the adventures of the past night naturally
occupied an important place. To hear that the entire party were safe,
with the exception of a few comparatively trifling scratches, was a
great relief to the minds of the new arrivals, as also was the statement
that a capital harbour existed, into which the ship could be taken and
moored with perfect safety. For the mouth of the harbour the _Flying
Cloud_ was now headed, under Manners' pilotage, and half an hour later
she rounded-to and let go her anchor in mid-stream exactly opposite the
creek, to the unbounded astonishment and delight of Henderson and Gaunt,
the latter having rejoined the doctor just in time to witness the
arrival.
The halliards were let go and the sails rolled up as smartly as possible
by the four men on board; and then, the side-ladder being rigged for
Sibylla's accommodation, all hands descended to the punt, the paddles
were tossed out and the boat was headed for the beach.
The unbounded delight and exultation on all hands when at length a
general meeting took place at the fort must be left to the lively
imagination of the reader; an entire chapter would be needed for its
adequate portrayal, and time presses. Suffice it to say that there was
only one bitter drop in the cup of happiness quaffed by the party that
morning, and that was the sad loss of poor Captain Blyth, which Ned felt
with exceptional keenness, not only because it was wholly unexpected by
him, but also because he had, ever since making good his escape, been
looking forward with pleasurable anticipation to the moment when he
should be able to hand over the ship to her rightful commander.
The whole of that day was spent by the party in the interchange of a
full and detailed recital of the various events which had transpired
since the moment of their separation; and when it came to Ned's turn he
was, as may be supposed, especially eloquent upon the subject of the
treasure which he had discovered. His description of the contents of
the cave, together with the exhibition of the pearls and precious stones
already secured, made a profound impression upon his hearers, who fully
agreed with him that such vast possibilities of wealth were not to be
lightly abandoned. How to secure it was, however, the question--a
question which Ned solved the moment he set eyes upon the _Petrel_. He
proposed that she should at once be completed and launched, and that,
whilst the rest of the party should effect a leisurely removal of
themselves and whatever they wished to take with them on board the
_Flying Cloud_, he, with Manners, should proceed in the cutter to Refuge
Harbour, and, watching their opportunity, run in during the night,
secure the treasure, and leave again next morning--as they could easily
manage to do--before the pirates could gain an idea of their being at
hand. It was a risky thing to attempt, certainly, though not nearly so
risky as it at first sight appears; and after a full and exhaustive
discussion of the chances for and against success the bold scheme was
agreed to.
Accordingly, on the following morning all hands went to work with a
will; and they laboured to such good purpose that the last finishing
touches were put to the little craft on the Friday following, leaving
nothing to be done on the Saturday but the actual launching, and such
trimming of the ballast as might be found necessary when she was afloat.
The launch was effected successfully, the ceremony of christening being
performed by little Lucille; and, it being found when the craft was
afloat that only a very trifling alteration was necessary in the
distribution of the ballast, the alteration was at once made, after
which all hands repaired on board, sail was made, and they went outside
to try the cutter's paces. The result was more than satisfactory--it
was a delightful surprise; for not only in her sea-going powers but also
in the qualities of speed and weatherliness did the _Petrel_ far exceed
the most sanguine anticipations of everybody, including her designer.
They worked to windward for about three hours and then returned to the
harbour, where the remainder of the day was spent in getting on board
the provisions, water, and other necessaries for the projected trip.