The Malay pirates surrounded the fort, uttering the loudest shrieks and
cries, in the hope of terrifying the defenders, but they did not know
what British seamen were made of; and in spite of the fierce and
terrific looks of the enemy, Jack and his little band stood fast,
prepared to receive the onslaught. Poor Harry Bevan had sunk to the
ground, not through fear, but weakness; and Jack had placed himself over
his body, determined to defend him as long as he himself had life or
strength. He felt and looked not a little like a lion prepared to do
battle for her young. Jack had now grown into a very strong fine young
man. He was not very tall, but he had broad shoulders and an expansive
chest; and now, as he stood cutlass in hand, with a profusion of light
hair streaming back from his honest sunburnt countenance, he was the
picture of a true British sailor, and might well have been likened to
the noblest type of the king of beasts. Adair was not a whit behind him
in courage, though his physical powers were not so great. What hope was
there though for them and their gallant men? At that moment there
appeared but very little. Both of them knew that braver savages than
the Malays were not to be found. Jack, as he stood there, with his
muscular arm bared and his sharp weapon in his hand, did not put his
trust in either. He knew and felt that the arm of One alone who is
mighty to save could preserve him and his companions; and with deep
earnestness and perfect faith he lifted up his heart to heaven, and
prayed that assistance might be sent them. The British seamen returned
the shrieks of the Malays with shouts of defiance, and kept up a rapid
fire as they came on. Now their weapons cross. There is the loud
sounding clash of steel, the sharp crack of muskets and pistols, the
shouts and shrieks of the combatants. There is the thick smoke from the
firearms mixed with the mist, rapid flashes of flame, and all the other
sounds and appearances of a desperate struggle. Still, though the
pirates hemmed them closely round, the seamen stood as before, boldly at
bay, and no impression was made on their front.
"Jack," cried Adair, in the middle of the fight, "I don't think Polly
came here for nothing. Hold on for a short time, and we shall be
relieved, depend on it. She and the monkey have been talking away
together, and Master Queerface looks as if he knew all was right."
I rather suspect that Adair was allowing his imagination to run away
with him, or that he spoke thus to keep up the spirits of his men.
Still the appearance of Polly was very extraordinary, and could only be
accounted for by supposing that the frigate was not far off; or that she
had accompanied Mr Cherry, and that his boat was in the neighbourhood.
The idea might have encouraged the seamen to still further resistance,
but the Malays pressed them hard; and, overwhelmed with numbers, it
appeared as if their fate was sealed. Even Jack began to fear that this
was the case. He saw that the fire of his men began to slacken, and the
dreadful report ran round among them that their ammunition was almost
expended.
"What is to be done, Rogers?" said Adair in Jack's ear.
"Trust to Heaven, Terence," answered Jack, warding off a blow which a
Malay who had leaped forward made at his head. The next moment the
savage rolled over, a lifeless corpse, down the embankment. For another
minute the desperate struggle continued with unabated fury. Then a
sound was heard which made the hearts of the British seamen leap within
their bosoms--it was the loud report of a heavy gun which echoed among
the rocks. The seamen answered it with a hearty cheer, for no guns but
those of their own ship could give forth that sound. Another and
another followed. At the same time the breeze which the frigate had
brought up blew away the mist; and just above the rocks her topsails
could be seen as she stood after the Malay prahus. The pirates saw her
too. If they would save their vessels and their lives, they knew that
there was not a moment to be lost. At a sign from their chiefs, as if a
blast of wind had suddenly struck them, before the English knew what
they were about, they rushed away like a heap of chaff before the gale.
Jack and Terence, knowing their cunning nature, and fancying that they
might rally again, hesitated to follow, and kept back their men.
"They are off," at length cried Terence. "Hurrah, my lads. Let's after
them!"
Jack did not spring forward at once. He had not forgotten for a moment
his young charge. He knew that, driven to desperation, the Malays were
very likely to run amuck, and, if they found him, to kill him. He felt
sure that he would only be safe if he had him with him. Stooping down,
therefore, he seized the little fellow in his arms, and, holding him as
much as possible behind his back, he sprang on, and overtaking his
companions, made chase after the retreating Malays. The other wounded
men, in the excitement of the fight, had forgotten their hurts, and were
pursuing with the rest. Queerface and Polly had, therefore, no fancy to
be left behind, so off they set also, though they took care to keep in
the rear of their friends.
The Malays had reached the beach, and some were swimming and others
wading off to their boats, when the two midshipmen and their followers
got up with them. All were too eager to escape to attempt to offer any
resistance. Jack had to recollect that they really were most atrocious
robbers, or he could scarcely have brought himself to allow his men to
fire on them. Not many shots, however, were fired, for the last
cartridge in their pouches was expended. Happily, the Malays were in
too great a hurry to be off, to turn and let fly at them. The frigate,
under all sail, was coming round the point on the left hand, while the
prahus were endeavouring to get away out of the range of her shot to the
right or south side of the island. They were catching it, however,
pretty severely, and more than one appeared to be in a sinking
condition. The midshipmen were now eager to try and get their own boats
afloat, but they were in an utterly unfit state for launching, so all
they could do was to make signals to the frigate that she might return
and take them off, after she had destroyed the pirates. This there was
very little doubt she would do. In the eagerness of the chase, however,
Jack bethought him that those on board would very likely not observe
their signals.
"Never mind," cried Adair, as a bright thought struck him; "we'll send
Polly off; she'll carry our message." A note was accordingly written on
the leaf of a pocket-book, and being secured under Polly's wing, Adair
lifted her up, and showing her the frigate, gave her a shove off towards
it. She seemed to know exactly what was expected of her, for, giving
one glance only round at her friends, away she darted towards the ship.
They watched her anxiously till she was lost to sight. Still, they had
little doubt about her reaching her destination, and in the course of a
very few minutes their anxiety was relieved by their seeing a flag run
up to the mast-head of the frigate, while a gun was fired to leeward.
She, however, passed before them, and soon disappeared again on the
other side of the island. A rapid and continuous fire told them what
she was about. Jack and Adair would gladly have gone round to see what
was occurring, but the distance was considerable, over hot burning sand
and rocks, and they would not leave their wounded and tired men to
gratify their curiosity. They very soon remembered, after the
excitement of the work in which they had been engaged was over, that
they had not breakfasted; so all hands who could move about set to work
to collect sticks to light a fire. It soon blazed up, and speedily
coffee and cocoa were boiling, and bits of meat were roasting away at
the ends of ramrods and sticks. The poor wounded men, when the
excitement was over, began to feel not hunger, but the pain of their
hurts, and several sank to the ground unable to move. Their shipmates
did their best for them, and rigged an awning with the boats' sails,
under which they were placed. Some of the men wandered away, and
brought back a supply of cocoa-nuts, the milk of which afforded a
deliciously cooling beverage to the poor fellows. Jack, meantime, was
tending his young charge with as much care and tenderness as a mother
would a child. At length he was rewarded by seeing Harry come to
himself. The boy looked up in his face, and the first words he uttered
were--
"We've beat them, Rogers, have we? Hurrah! hurrah!"
"Yes, Harry," answered Jack, "it is all right. The enemy have taken to
flight, and we shall soon, I hope, be on board the frigate. But here,
you will be the better for some cocoa. Take this."
Jack sat down under the shade of the sail, and Needham having brought
him a mug of cocoa, he broke some biscuit into it, and stirring it up
while the boy's head rested on his knee, he fed him as he would have
done a baby. Harry, who had soon again relapsed into apparent
unconsciousness, opened his lips and ate a little with a dreamy
expression of countenance, as if he himself fancied that he was still a
baby being fed by his nurse. The food, however, Jack saw was doing him
good, for the colour slowly returned to his cheeks, and his pulse began
to beat more regularly.
"He will be all right soon," exclaimed Jack to Adair. "It is wonderful
what Nature will do if we don't play tricks, and take liberties with
her."
Harry Bevan, though delicately nurtured, was of a sound constitution,
which he had not injured by either drinking or smoking, or by any other
means, as many poor silly lads do, thinking they are behaving in a manly
way by so doing. Had he been inclined to do so, Jack Rogers would have
taken very good care to prevent him. Thus it was, however, that he did
not succumb to the fearful injury he had received. Still Jack was very
anxious to get him safe on board, and under the doctor's care. Time
went on, and still the frigate did not appear. Adair proposed starting
off to the other side of the island to ascertain what had become of her,
when a boat was seen rounding the point. "She is Mr Cherry's boat,"
was the cry. "Hurrah! hurrah!" With hearty cheers, Mr Cherry was
welcomed on shore. He had had a severe struggle, and had lost two of
his men killed, and three wounded, but had succeeded in putting the
pirates to flight. His boat was not large enough to carry all the
party, but he had one of the carpenter's crew with him, and some tools;
and, after a little examination, Tom Gimlett declared that he could
patch up one of the boats so as to make her in a fit condition to
launch. All hands helping, and with the aid of some planks from the
other boat, this was done, and at length the two boats were on the
water, on their way to look for the frigate. When Mr Cherry heard how
long it was since she had passed the island, he began to be somewhat
anxious about her. The boats, however, were so heavily laden, that they
could not make much speed to satisfy themselves as to what had happened.
The men did their best, and it was wonderful how they kept up their
spirits under the hot broiling sun, which, as Paddy observed, "was
roaring away like a furnace, right over their heads." No sooner had
they rounded the island than the sound of a gun, booming over the smooth
waters, reached their ears. At slow intervals another and another
followed. "The ship is in distress," observed Adair to Jack. "What can
have happened?"
"Give way, lads," cried Jack, seizing the stroke oar, and bending his
back to it with a will. It was the only answer he made to Adair's
remark. Little Harry looked up at him with admiration and affection,
and the men exerted themselves more than ever. On they pulled, hour
after hour. No one proposed resting, even to take any refreshment,
except a piece of biscuit, which the men chewed during the intervals
that they were relieved at the oars.
"There she is at last," cried Jack, standing up on the stern-sheets. He
took a steady look at her through his glass. So did Mr Cherry through
his. Her sails were set, but with heavy hearts, they both agreed that,
from her appearance, she must be hard and fast on shore, and if on a
coral reef there was too great a probability that she might not be got
off again.