"Oh dear me--dear me, Alison Dale," said Mr Preddle, rising up from his
stooping position very slowly and wiping his broad fat face, which was
covered with drops of perspiration, "this is a very sad business, isn't
it?"
"Horrible!" I said, "but it will all come right." He laid his hand
upon my shoulder.
"Come into my cabin," he whispered; and I followed him.
"You think it will come right?" he said, looking at me in a terribly
perplexed way.
"Oh yes, I think so," I said; "Mr Denning and Mr Frewen will give the
rascals a good peppering and bring them to their senses."
"And so will I!" he cried excitedly. "I never tried to fight seriously
since I left school, but I don't see why I shouldn't be able to if I
tried,--do you?"
"Of course not sir," I replied, smiling. I wanted to laugh outright,
for he did not at all come up to my ideas of a fighting man.
"I can see," he went on mildly, "you don't think I could, but I shall
try."
"I won't laugh at you, Mr Preddle," I said; "indeed you have more cause
to laugh at me when I say that, boy as I am, I mean to fight and try to
defend Miss Denning."
He caught hold of my hand, held it in his left, and brought his big soft
right down into it with a sounding slap, and then squeezed my fingers as
hard as he could.
"That you will, Alison. You're a brave lad, I know. We'll all try and
fight like men against the ruffians. Like lions, eh, Dale? Like
lions."
"To be sure, sir," I said; "but hadn't we better go back into the
saloon?"
"Yes, yes, directly," he said hastily, and I saw him turn very red in
the face. "I suppose the mutineers know that we have a very valuable
cargo?"
"Yes, sir; I expect that's it," I replied. "But they're not going to
have it. We'll sink the ship first, and escape in one of the boats."
"To be sure we will, but it's a sad business, Dale. There is my
consignment of salmon and trout. Do you think the scoundrels would let
me go and see to them?"
"No, sir," I said, "I don't believe they would. Come along."
"I'm afraid you are right. Yes; I'll come directly; but there was
something else that I wanted to say to you. Dear me, what a memory I
have! Oh, I know!"
He stopped short and turned redder than ever, while I stared and waited.
"Yes; it was about--oh yes--that was it. It's a terrible business,
and--how does Miss Denning seem? Does she bear up about it all?"
"Well, pretty fairly, sir. Of course she is very much alarmed, and she
is anxious about her brother."
"Is she, though?" he said. "Poor girl. Of course, yes, she would be.
Did she seem very anxious about any one else--Mr Frewen, for instance?"
"No, sir; I don't remember that she mentioned him."
"Poor girl. No, of course not, nor me neither, I suppose?"
"Oh no, I'm sure of that, sir," I said decisively. "She certainly did
not mention your name. But we must go back now, sir, and see if we are
wanted."
"Of course. Come along," said Mr Preddle, hurriedly; and we went into
the saloon, where I found the captain standing by the table in the
middle, looking very white, and I saw now that his arm was in a sling,
and the lower part of his head bandaged.
He was arranging some pistols and rifles on the table as we entered, and
he looked up, nodded at us, and said--
"Two more. There, boy, you'll have to try and fight with the rest of
us."
"I'll try, sir," I said, and I looked at him wonderingly, for I had been
under the impression that he was unwell in the cabin; I had forgotten
the fact that he too had been on deck and received several severe
injuries when the mutineers made their attack.
"Oh, look here, Dale," he said suddenly, "while I think of it, my lad.
I went on deck last night to have a look round at the weather, and when
I came back I found that my cabin-door was fastened up. Was that your
doing?"
"No, sir," I replied. "Certainly not."
"That's right," he said, looking at me searchingly. "I went back on
deck to make some inquiries, and when I reached the men's quarters, I
was attacked. But I should like to clear that matter up. The steward
swears it was not his doing; it would not have been one of the crew.
Where is your messmate, Walters?"