How long I sat on the cross-trees I could not say, but presently the
voices in the cabin grew less noisy, and at length ceased altogether.
Whereupon I imagined that the ruffians had drunk so much that they had
fallen asleep. I listened for some time longer, and at length, as all
was quiet, and I was getting numb with sitting so long in one position,
I quietly quitted my eyrie, and with trembling steps descended to the
deck, and peeped through the small aperture left for ventilation at
the edge of the cabin skylight. Although I could hear voices I could
perceive no one in the cabin; however, I noticed one thing which
surprised me--that a small trap-door in the cabin floor stood slightly
raised, and from the space beneath came rays of light, showing that
the conspirators were doing something in the hold. Now I thought, if I
could only steal down the companion, I could not only look round the
cabin for some signs of the captain, but I might also get a glimpse
beneath the trap-door and see what was going on below. I doubted my
courage, but not for long, as it occurred to me that the captain, after
all, might not be dead; and in the fact of his being still alive laid
my only chance of escape.
I felt my way cautiously down the dark stairway, and peered down the
partly-open trap-door. I could see the three villains on their knees
sorting over papers, which might have been one-pound bank-notes by
their size, and the care with which they were being counted out. In
front of the giant stood a large leathern bag, with its mouth wide
open, displaying bright golden guineas in great numbers; evidently
the gang were dividing the spoil. The place in which they were now
gloating over their crime-bought wealth appeared to be only about six
feet square, and to contain nothing but some large iron-bound chests,
the contents of which I could not even guess at, but I should say that
the place had been used as a kind of strong-room, and the only mode of
ingress and egress was evidently the trap-door through which I was now
looking.
But what of the captain?
Carefully, in the total darkness, I felt my way to his bunk, and put
my hand in. Yes, he was there, for I touched him. It was his leg I
touched. I slid my hand up towards his head, and my fingers rested upon
his cheek. It was warm, but, alas! there was a feeling about the flesh
that told me he was dead!
At the awful discovery I could scarcely repress a wild, hysterical
shriek--a shriek which would have cost me my life, for the assassins
below would instantly have sprung up and murdered me with as little
compunction as they would kill a fowl or a rabbit.
I clutched the side of the bunk for support; I could scarcely breathe!
I staggered; and stumbling, kicked against something which fell and
sounded like a knife. It made a noise on the cabin floor, and I heard
a voice say with an oath, “What’s that?” Then I saw the light move and
the shadows of the men sway about.
They were coming up into the cabin! I was lost!!
Stay; was there not time to reach the companion and fly on deck?
No.
My faintness vanished instantly, being put to flight by the new and
greater horror which presented itself. The discovery of the captain’s
death had unhinged me, but the approach of my own death braced my
nerves and spurred my limbs into immediate action; for without an
instant’s hesitation I sprang into the dead man’s berth and hid behind
the corpse, placing myself between the dead skipper and the side of
the vessel. The head and shoulders of the giant came upward through
the trap, but it was too dark for him to discern anything. Oh, for a
pistol! I could then have defied the villains, who would have been
caught like rats in a trap of their own setting.
The head suddenly disappeared, but presently made its reappearance, and
the lantern was handed from below and stood on the cabin floor, while I
in my hiding-place quaked with fear, imagining that I should now for a
certainty be discovered and slaughtered.
Here was a contrast to the cosy bar-parlour of the “Jolly Waggoner”;
but I could give but little thought even to my dear old dad, knowing
that my life hung on a mere thread. My eyes were riveted on the
gigantic head and shoulders emerging from the floor. The lantern came
first through the trap, and was swung aloft by the brawny arm of the
giant, who looked around beneath it. He gazed steadfastly at the face
of the dead man by my side to see if any movement was apparent. The
dead man hid and saved me, for the giant quietly pronounced one word,
“Rats!” and then he and the lantern vanished below again.
Here was a dilemma for me to be in! What should I do?
To lie where I was simply meant being discovered in a very short time.
What _could_ I do?
If I attempted to get in the boat and lower myself down from the davits
I should be heard. Could I feel for the knife on the floor and stab the
rascals one by one as they ascended the ladder into the cabin?
Bah! my very heart recoiled at the notion. I could not have killed them
even to save my own life. I thought of the sensation of feeling the
knife drive through the flesh and jar upon the bones, and the spurt of
warm life-blood over my hand, and I shuddered at the idea. No, I was no
coward, but as a lad of fifteen I could not take a human life, even for
the sake of saving my own. With a pistol it might have been different,
a touch of the trigger and all would have been over; but to stab and
stab again--no, I could not do it.
But stay, a bright idea struck me. Surely the trap-door had a bolt or
bolts!
Out of the berth I immediately crept, over the silent form of the man
who in death had saved my life, and stole on tiptoe to the trap-door.
The villains below were jangling over the doling, and their noisy
altercation served to hide any little noise I made searching my way
across the cabin, which was in utter darkness.
Joy! there were two bolts!
I carefully felt the bolts to ascertain if they worked easily, and with
my fingers examined the staples to see if they were clear and strong.
Yes, both were clear and in order. Then noiselessly and tremblingly I
lowered the lid and shot the bolts, and so expeditiously and quietly
was it done that had there been even less noise below, it is probable
that the men would scarcely have known the moment of their trapping,
though they would soon perceive the fact from the air becoming hot and
vitiated.
Groping about I soon found the knife on the cabin floor, and sprang on
deck, noticing that the night had grown much darker, and sombre clouds
hid the moon; still there was plenty of light for me to see to lower
the boat. But now another fact arrested my attention, a startling fact:
there was smoke quietly curling up from the fo’castle. I rushed to
the hatch, but, looking down, could see nothing for the dense smoke;
on listening intently, however, I heard a faint crackling sound as of
burning wood.
_The ship was on fire!_
Should I release the prisoners?
No, that would never do, my life would be forfeited to my humanity
without a doubt. Probably they would break out of the strong-room long
before the fire reached so far aft, and although I had the only boat,
they would probably have sufficient time to rig up some kind of raft,
upon which they could remain safely till they were picked up and taken
into port by a passing trading vessel.