The Cave proves Useful
During the two days following all hands were kept busily employed. In
addition to carrying out the usual routine, they made preparations to
lay in a stock of provisions. Mostyn tried his hand at obtaining salt
by evaporation, and succeeded in making about a pound of very saline
powder. Minalto cut up the porker, reserving some of the meat for
present use and pickling the rest. Hilda experimented with making
biscuits of taro root finely powdered and bruised between two large
stones.
In addition the three men took turns at climbing to the summit of the
look-out hill. This they did every four hours in calm weather, and
every two hours when the wind blew with any strength, so that no
sailing vessel could close with the island between those intervals
without first being sighted in the offing.
On the morning of the fourth day Jasper called Burgoyne's attention
to a rectangular object lying on the top of a low-lying part of the
reef. The tide had fallen exceptionally, and more of the reef was
exposed than they had seen before.
"I believe it's our water-tank," declared Alwyn. "That's about where
the boat broke her back."
"So I thinks, too, sir," agreed Minalto.
"In that case we'll have the thing ashore," declared Burgoyne. "It
would never do to leave such a monument to our mishaps lying in such
a conspicuous position."
"How would you bring it across?" asked Mostyn.
"It looks as if it is lying on its side," replied the Third Officer,
shading his eyes with his hand. "We'll have to up-right it and let
the rising tide float it off. A couple of us could easily swim over
there and push it across the lagoon. No, not yet. We'll have to wait
for the young flood to make. Meanwhile it's your turn, Jasper, to
climb the hill. Nothing like exercise before breakfast."
Minalto swung off, and hurried to perform his task of look-out man.
In less than a quarter of an hour he was back again, breathless with
running.
"A sail!" he announced pantingly. "Away to nor'ard."
"Dash it all!" exclaimed Burgoyne.
The information disconcerted him. For the sake of his companions both
on Swan Island and in the hands of the pirates at the secret base, he
would have welcomed the intelligence if he knew for certain that the
strange craft was a friendly one. But an instinctive feeling told him
that the craft was manned by some of Ramon Porfirio's ruffianly
crowd, and that the object of her voyage was to recapture the four
fugitives.
Without undue delay all hands hurried to the summit of the hill,
Alwyn pausing only to scatter the burning logs over which the morning
meal was boiling, Hilda suffering the interruption of her culinary
task without protest.
From the elevated look-out post the vessel could be seen fairly
clearly. The morning was bright, with no sign of haze, and the craft
appeared nearer than she actually was. In spite of the light breeze
she was approaching rapidly, so that it was evident that she was
equipped with a motor.
She was then about a mile and a half or two miles off the northern
part of the island, shaping a course for the eastern side. She was a
fore-and-aft schooner, carrying jib-headed top-sails, and was of
about eighty tons displacement. She flew no colours.
"What would I not give for my prism binoculars?" sighed Alwyn. "Seen
her before, Minalto?"
Jasper nodded. He was still rather breathless.
"Yes," continued Burgoyne, "unless I'm much mistaken she was one of
those small craft lying in the pirates' harbour; but I'm hanged if I
noticed whether any of them had motors. Well, we'll have to get a
move on, Miss Vivian. I'm sorry to say that your wish of a few days
ago will have to be complied with. We must hide in the cave, perhaps
for several days. I don't suppose those rascals will abandon the
search until they've examined every visible part of the island."
"How about the water-tank?" asked Mostyn.
"Too late, now, I'm afraid," replied his chum. "It will be as much as
we can do to transfer ourselves and our traps to the cave.... This
way down; in case they've a glass bearing on us."
Keeping to the south slope of the hill until the tree-tops shut out
the sight of the approaching vessel, the fugitives returned to the
camp.
There was much to be done in a very short time. The tent was levelled
and packed up in the smallest possible compass. The canvas between
the two upturned parts of the broken life-boat was removed. The hot
embers of the dying fire was carefully scattered, lest they might
kindle into flame and smoke. Then, heavily laden with stores and
provisions, the four hastened towards the cave.
"One minute, sir!" exclaimed Jasper, stopping short in his tracks and
setting down his burden. "If us ain't forgotten the li'l ole cask o'
rum."
Burgoyne glanced behind towards the lagoon, a small portion of which
was visible through the glade.
"Too late, now," he replied. "The schooner's passing through the
reef. Yes, she has an engine right enough. The water-tank must have
given us away. Come along, Jasper; you've seen the last of your li'l
ole cask, I'm thinking."
There was a stubborn look on Minalto's bronzed and bearded face as he
reluctantly re-shouldered his burden. It went sorely against the
grain, this tame surrender of what he considered to be his property
by finding.
"Come along!" repeated Burgoyne sternly.
"Ay, ay, sir," replied Minalto; then under his breath he added: "an'
I hope th' li'l ole cask'll poison the lot o' they."
It was now a slow and cautious business getting the stores and gear
into the cave, and in spite of every care Burgoyne noticed with
concern that the tracks under the scrub were by no means covered. A
keen Malay tracker would be able to find their retreat with little
difficulty. The only hope lay in the fact that the crew of the
schooner were unskilled in woodcraft, and that the broken twigs and
brushwood would escape notice.
"Here's our present abode, Miss Vivian," announced Burgoyne, when the
four and their portable property were inside the cave, a couple of
candles lighted, and a double sheet of canvas hung across the
entrance to screen any gleam from within.
"It reminds me of London during an air-raid," observed Hilda. "I had
to spend several nights in a cellar--I was made to go down, but I
would have much preferred to stop in an upper room. But there is
nothing to be afraid of here as far as bombs are concerned."
"No; silence is the chief consideration," cautioned Alwyn. "I don't
suppose they've sent a boat ashore yet, but I think I'll find out."
"Don't run unnecessary risks, please, Mr. Burgoyne," said Hilda.
"Trust me for that, Miss Vivian," declared the Third Officer
earnestly. "Risks, yes; unnecessary risks, no. I've no use for the
fellow who goes out asking for trouble."
"I'm going with you, old son," said Peter.
"My festive Sparks, you are not," decided Burgoyne. "For the present
this is a one-man show. You stop here, and don't stir outside till I
come back. All being well, I'll return in twenty minutes, if not
before."
Withdrawing the cartridges from his revolver, Alwyn carefully tried
the mechanism of the little weapon. Then, after reloading, he thrust
the revolver into his hip-pocket, and, with a wave of his hand,
disappeared behind the canvas hanging.
It was a tedious wait for the three who remained. Without means of
knowing the time, the minutes passed very, very slowly. Peter tried
to gauge the interval by observing the burning down of one of the
candles. The others waited and listened intently for any sounds that
might reach their ears from without the cave. Even the practical
Hilda Vivian looked anxious and worried. Mostyn, not usually
observant of people's characters, noticed that, and wondered whether
the girl was anxious on Burgoyne's account or merely because of the
peril that threatened her.
At length Minalto stood up, stretched his huge arms and picked up the
cutlass, which Mostyn had brought to a state bordering on perfection,
for the blade had been cleaned and sharpened, and the hilt shone like
a convex mirror in the candle-light.
"I'm going to look for 'e," he declared in a hoarse whisper.
"You're going to stay here," said Mostyn firmly. "Officer's orders,
you know."
Minalto was about to frame an argumentative reply, when a chorus of
raucous voices sounded in the distance.
Without further delay Jasper pulled aside the canvas screen, only to
collide violently with Alwyn Burgoyne.
"Ssh!" exclaimed the latter warningly. "Get back. They're ashore."
"The pirates?" asked Mostyn.
"Yes, unfortunately," replied Burgoyne. "They brought up off the
little creek and hoisted Yankee colours. Thought they'd have us cold,
but it didn't come off. I waited under a bush--rather longer than I
intended, perhaps; but, you see, I wanted to make sure of their
little game. After a bit they got tired of seeing the Stars and
Stripes at the main truck, so they hauled the bunting down. Up to
that point I'd seen only three men aboard; but by this time they'd
come to the conclusion that we weren't having any. So they launched a
boat and rowed ashore: eight men armed with rifles, and our old
friend Strogoff sporting a pair of automatics. I thought it high time
to sheer off, so I crept back for about fifty yards and again watched
developments."
"Eight of 'em, not a-countin' Black Strogoff, were you sayin', sir?"
inquired Minalto thoughtfully. "Sure, 'tes long odds, wi' only a
pistol an' a cutlass 'twixt three on us. Was there more on 'em left
aboard, sir?"
"I cannot say, Jasper. More than likely there were, but I didn't see
them. They'd hardly all go ashore."
"Ef us could slip along, like," resumed Jasper, "an' swim off to the
schooner---- When all's nice an' dark like."
"They'll probably go on board again to-night," said Burgoyne. "We'll
have to think things out a bit. But when I left them they were
smashing up our happy home just out of sheer mischief. When they've
got tired of that they'll begin searching the island, so we had
better lie low and keep quiet."
Presently the four fugitives heard the sounds of men forcing their
way through the undergrowth, uttering fierce oaths in half a dozen
different languages and occasionally firing their rifles. During
intervals between the din, Black Strogoff's voice could be heard
shouting an ultimatum to the objects of his search, to the effect
that if they gave themselves up without further trouble, "including
the young woman" ("so they know," thought Alwyn), their lives would
be spared. Otherwise he, Strogoff, would search the island from end
to end and shoot the men down without mercy.
The pirates were evidently following a trail, which turned out to be
the well-trodden path leading to the summit of the look-out hill. So
keen were they on the obvious track that they failed entirely to
notice the tell-tale broken brushwood concealing the mouth of the
cave.
After the sounds of the pursuit had died away in the distance, Jasper
proposed that he should go out and see what was happening in the
lagoon.
"No, you don't," said Burgoyne decidedly. "Ten to one you'll play
straight into their hands, if you did. I shouldn't be at all
surprised to know that they had posted snipers at various intervals
to pick us off if we ventured out. Patience and discretion, Jasper.
That's our motto for the present. How about grub?"
Another candle was lighted. They were of a kind known in the Royal
Navy as "candles, lantern, ship's police ", and in their present
condition might be reckoned upon to burn four or five hours; so with
the stock at their command the fugitives were not likely to be
compelled to sit in the darkness.
Slowly the long day passed. At intervals the voices of the pirates
could be heard, as they returned to the boat apparently to hold a
council as to the next course to pursue. Black Strogoff had abandoned
his delivery of an ultimatum. He was still sanguine of success, since
the discovery of the wreckage of the life-boat and the hot ashes of
the camp-fire proved almost conclusively that his quarry was on the
island and unable to leave it.
At last night fell upon the scene. Although it made no visible
difference to the interior of the cave, the darkness was noticed by
the four fugitives mainly by the change of temperature, and the fact
was confirmed when Burgoyne cautiously drew the screen and looked
out.
"We'll have to be jolly careful with that light now," he observed. "A
glimmer escaping and shining on the brushwood would give the show
away in a brace of shakes. Put the candle in the old chest, Jasper;
that will screen it a bit."
After a cold supper Hilda and Mostyn dropped off into fitful
slumbers. Alwyn and Jasper remained on watch, straining their ears to
catch any sound that might indicate the presence and occupation of
their pursuers.
Soon there were no doubts on the matter. The rogues had not gone on
board the schooner but were carousing on shore. Some of them in
wanton mischief and with the lust of destruction had fired the
brush-wood. The roaring of the flames outvoiced that of the pirates,
but fortunately the nor'east wind kept the fire from spreading
towards the mouth of the cave.
"They're going it strong," remarked Burgoyne. "It must be long after
midnight. They've started to quarrel now, I think."
"An' the li'l ole cask," said Minalto broodingly. "Ef I'd but taken
ut away...."
The distant pandemonium waxed and waned according to the temper and
excitability of the roysterers. The ribald singing was succeeded by a
volley of oaths and rifle-shots and blood-curdling shrieks.
Minalto jogged his companion's elbow.
"That's fine!" he exclaimed with marked approval.
For the next hour the loud roar of the flames, as the fire
overwhelmed the coco-palms, completely muffled all other sounds, but
when at length, towards morning, the conflagration burnt itself out,
there was a strange uncanny silence.
"Have a caulk, sir," said Jasper. "I'll be wide awake, if you'm of a
mind to sleep."
"I think I will, then," replied Burgoyne gratefully, and for the next
two hours he slept like a log.
The slanting rays of the sun were penetrating the brushwood when
Alwyn awoke and lifted the canvas covering the entrance to the cave.
The air was thick with pungent smoke.
"Wake up, Peter!" exclaimed Burgoyne. "Stand by till we return. We're
going out to see what's doing."