THE RESULT.
As Stump rolled on, he turned his glances seaward, and perceived
that a light breeze from the north-west was beginning to wrinkle
the surface of the water. He could feel it fanning his temples and
stirring the pigtail upon his back. He glanced uneasily toward his
dusky shipmates and saw a momentary gleam of exultation flash across
their dark features as they were turned in the direction of the
ripples gradually spreading over the bosom of the ocean.
Driko stood a little apart from the rest of his shipmates and Stump
did not fail to notice that the eyes of this savage were now directed
significantly aloft as though he felt impatient to loosen the
topsails.
The watchful seaman felt that he could no longer entertain a doubt
in regard to the intentions of the conspirators, and gliding behind
the try-works, he seated himself upon the cooper’s bench, in the
hope that a few moments’ reflection might suggest to him some plan
that would enable him to defeat their schemes. But scarcely had he
begun to reflect, when, chancing to turn his eyes in the direction
of the main-top, his glances alighted upon a roll of red bunting
that had been carefully placed in that quarter. It was the recall
signal, which was used as a summons to the boats to return when they
were absent from the vessel, and it was deemed expedient that they
should come back. On every such occasion, the bunting was hoisted to
the main truck by means of the signal halliards which were always
kept rove for that purpose. Stump sprung from the bench, mentally
pronouncing himself a fool because the idea suggested by the sight of
the red cloth had not occurred to him before. The boats he thought
could not by this time be so far from the vessel that their occupants
would not perceive the signal when he should have hoisted it to its
proper position; but feeling conscious that there was no time to
lose, he began at once to waddle toward the main rigging as fast as
the bulky proportions of his body would permit.
Not until he had gained the seventh ratlin in the shrouds, did he
venture to direct a glance toward the spot where he had last seen his
five shipmates, and he then gave his lips a satisfactory twist toward
his right ear, for the men were engaged in earnest conversation and
the face of each of them was turned from him. He continued his way as
speedily as he could, and presently succeeded in passing the futtock
shrouds and in drawing himself into the top. Seizing the bunting, he
at once proceeded to unroll it, and a few moments afterward it might
have been seen dancing merrily aloft, as he pulled upon the slender
halliards. The breeze, which by this time had freshened considerably,
rustled among the folds of the cloth as it ascended, and when it
had reached its proper position, its broad red surface streamed out
from the mast in a manner that elicited a sigh of the most intense
satisfaction from the lips of Stump.
“Ay, ay,” he muttered, as he continued to gaze aloft, “there’ll be
a rumpus among the boats off there in the ice, when they see that.
Those rascally ‘pow-wows’ are in for it now.”
At this moment a yell of surprise and rage broke upon the ears of the
speaker, and turning his head, he saw Driko directing the attention
of his companions to the signal at the truck. No sooner was the red
bunting perceived by the other four seamen, than the whole number,
with curses and ejaculations, rushed into the waist and ordered the
shipkeeper to pull down the signal at once and to come down himself,
if he valued his life.
“Not a bit of it,” replied the sturdy seaman, thrusting his hands
in his pockets and calmly gazing upon the upturned faces of the
conspirators, “not a bit of it. That rag at the truck doesn’t come
down while I have an arm to keep it where it is. You may make up your
minds upon that point.”
The men exchanged glances and then held a moment’s whispered
consultation, after which they rushed simultaneously toward the main
shrouds upon the larboard side.
Stump waited very quietly until Driko, the foremost of the party,
had swung himself into the rigging, and then drawing his revolver,
which, although it was quite rusty, looked very formidable with its
six loaded barrels, he pointed it at the head of the astonished New
Zealander and ordered him back.
“Ay, ay, blast you!” he added, giving his lips an ominous twist as he
spoke. “You see I’m prepared. I know all about your infarnal plans to
take the ship, and if you make another step in this direction, you
are a dead pow-wow, that’s sartain!”
The Kanaka paused, and after he had ducked his head three or four
times, in a vain effort to get it out of the range of the threatening
weapon, he looked up with an expression of surprise, which, if not
real, was certainly well feigned.
“Me no understand. You speakee me take ship. Don’t know what you
mean. No want to take ship--me likee capen too much. De signal me no
like to see, because capen he no like to come aboard when he after
whale. He make plenty angry when he see de signal!”
“Bosh! you deceitful blueskin; it’s all bosh. Just as though I didn’t
hear you and your chums there a-whispering and plotting to free the
mutineer, Tom Lark!”
The dark blood rushed to the faces of those who listened, and they
exchanged rapid glances. Driko, however, presently looked up again
and replied:
“Hi! hi! You hear we speak about Tom Lark! Why we so speak? Because
de ice ’e come to jam de ship and ’sposing we bring Tom Lark from de
run, Tom Lark good sailor--good navigatem--and he save de ship. Dat’s
why we speak so much Tom Lark!”
“Bosh again, blast you! For you know that, although I know nothin’ of
navigation, I’d be as handy in working the ship clear of the ice, as
Tom Lark!”
“Me no believe so,” replied Driko, shaking his head. “Navigatem more
good as plenty go to sea. But no use me speak to you. You no think me
tell truth. Me leaves you. You keep signal at de truck and when capen
come, he scold you much.”
The islander sprung to the deck, and rejoined his shipmates, who
had been listening to the foregoing conversation with sullen faces,
and with their uneasy glances directed, at intervals of every few
moments, toward the red bunting fluttering at the mast-head. The
whole party now withdrew to the forward part of the vessel, but
presently they changed their position, sitting down close to the
try-works, where they were screened from the watchful eyes of the
shipkeeper.
“Blast ’em!” muttered the latter, “they are planning some deviltry
or other, and I must keep on my guard, until the rest of the crew
returns, which won’t be long, unless they are so wedged in the ice
that it’s difficult for ’em to get out.”
He turned his eyes toward the floe, as he spoke, and gazed long and
earnestly in that direction. But he was unable to see the boats, and
a sigh of disappointment rose to his lips.
He gave his pigtail an impatient jerk, and again directed his glances
toward the try-works, just in time to witness a spectacle which was
certainly a startling proof that the utmost vigilance on his part
could not be thrown away in his present position.
Towering above the try-works, with his tall, lithe figure drawn back,
and his keen, glistening eyes blazing with a deadly purpose, stood
the savage, Driko, holding in his uplifted hands a well-sharpened
harpoon, which he was in the act of darting, point foremost, into the
corpulent body of Stump.
The latter had so much respect for the wonderful skill of the
islander in the use of the barbed weapon with which he was now armed,
that he drew back, screening himself behind the mast, with a celerity
which was remarkable in a man of his caliber. The movement, however,
was well-timed, for the next moment the deadly iron flew whistling
upon its way, and, passing close to the mast, struck the revolver
held in his hand with a force that sent the weapon flying from the
grasp of its owner into the sea!
A yell of exultation followed, and then the mutineers rushed to the
main rigging, and, leaping into the shrouds, proceeded to mount in
the direction of the top, with cat-like agility.
Stump, however, did not lose his self-possession, but, seizing both
parts of the signal halliards, he gave them a sudden jerk, that
served to unfasten them, and, still contriving to keep them taut,
commenced to ascend the topmast rigging, intending to make his way to
the top-gallant cross-trees, and, when there, keep his adversaries at
bay, as long as possible, by means of his legs and his fists.
Unfortunately, as the reader is already aware, the corpulent body of
this seaman rendered him incapable of very active exertion, and, as a
natural consequence, his enemies gained upon him rapidly.
He was still in the topmast rigging, when he felt two strong hands
pulling the bottom of his pants, in an unceremonious manner, and
with a force that made it difficult for him to keep his position. He
vainly strove to disengage himself from the vice-like grasp, and,
while he was still struggling to free himself, he saw Driko, who had
crossed from the topmast rigging on the other side, descending toward
him, with his long knife between his teeth.
“Go down, quick, you, Stump!” gritted the savage, as he seized his
knife with his right hand. “Go down, me say, or knife quick cut de
windpipe. No care kill you now, unless you like. Plenty time, by and
by!”
“Ay, ay, blast you; you’ve got me in your toils, at last. But it’s a
deep sea that hasn’t any bottom, and you may boil me in one of your
pow-wow pots if I don’t come out even with you yet!”
Before replying, Driko severed the signal halliards with his knife,
and, pulling down the red bunting, rolled it up, and allowed it to
drop to the deck.
“Hi! hi! you poor Stump!” he then said; “you think you play me more
trick. But me put you, by and by, where you no more make tricks. You
see, more soon you like!”
He motioned, as he spoke, to the man who still maintained his hold
of Stump’s pants, and, finding himself released for the present, and
resistance useless, the shipkeeper proceeded to descend the rigging,
Driko following, closely, with his long knife held in readiness for
use, in case of opposition.
They had no sooner gained the deck, than Stump was surrounded by the
five savages, and thrown down.
They fastened his arms behind his back with strong cords; secured his
ankles in like manner, and then dropped him into the main hold, like
a pig, closing and fastening the hatch above him.