"Now, Hampton, what can you suggest?"
"Well, sir, I've been thinking that if you gents--Pst!"
He ceased whispering in at the cabin-window, for just then we heard
steps overhead as if two people were walking along the deck, and
directly after I could make out voices in eager conversation fairly loud
for a few moments, and then they died away, and I knew by the sounds
that the speakers had gone right aft. Then Jarette's voice was heard
making inquiries of the man at the wheel, to whom he stopped talking for
a few minutes, which seemed to extend into an age of anxiety to me who
listened so anxiously and in such dread lest the scoundrel should return
and lean over the bulwark, or run his hand along, feel the rope, and so
discover poor Hampton. Then I felt sure that he would have no
hesitation in cutting him adrift, and that meant death to a brave and
true man.
I felt a horrible pang of dread at these thoughts, and softly thrusting
out my hand, I felt for and gripped Bob Hampton's great paw as it held
on to the rope, and then whispering to Mr Frewen to do the same, I took
tightly hold of the man's wrist with some idea of saving him if the
scoundrel on deck should hear, and cut the rope.
The next minute, to my horror, as with one hand grasping the rope and
the other Bob Hampton's arm, Mr Frewen and I stood face to face close
to the cabin-window, we heard the voices on deck come nearer, then stop
just overhead, and as far as I could judge, the speaker stood leaning
against the bulwarks, so that we could distinctly hear Walters say--
"Why don't you send them all adrift in one of the boats?"
"Because we are not near enough to land, my son," replied Jarette; "and
I am so anxious about my young lieutenant. It would grieve me to death
to see him hung for a pirate."
"I wish you would talk common-sense, Jarette, and not be so fond of
chaffing me. You'll make me wish some day that I had not joined you."
The Frenchman laughed derisively. "Why, my little brave," he cried,
"what a dust-filled-eyed one you think me. Do I not know that you have
been in a tremble ever since?"
"No, you don't," said Walters, sharply. "I'm sure I've done everything
I can."
"My faith, yes; we will say it is so," said Jarette, with another
sneering laugh. "It is wonderful how nervous men are who have their
necks in the noose--boys too."
At that moment we felt Hampton softly loosen his hold of the rope with
one hand, and pass it and his arm in at the window so as to get a grip
inside, for evidently he expected that the rope would be discovered and
cut. Though even then, unless Jarette were willing to save him, it
would only be prolonging his existence for a few minutes, since it would
have been impossible for us to draw so bulky a man through the circular
hole which lit and ventilated Mr Frewen's cabin.
But he was safe for the time, come what might, and we remained there
listening to the conversation overhead, gathering that there was very
little friendship existing between Walters and his new captain, who let
us know that he was in great perplexity about his prisoners, and
certainly not in the mind then to end their lives. What might happen
afterwards we could not say.
At last, after some minutes that felt like hours, they went on and down
the ladder to the lower deck.
"Phew!" panted Bob Hampton. "Oh, my lad, my lad, why didn't you whistle
a jig out of the window?"
"Why didn't I what?" I cried.
"Whistle a toon, my lad. That would ha' let 'em know you could hear 'em
talking, and they'd ha' gone. Hold me tight, please, for I'm 'bout
spent."
The man spoke so faintly that we took alarm.
"No, no, Bob," I whispered. "Don't say that. Rest for a few moments,
and then climb back on deck."
"Rest?" he said, in so pitiful a tone that I tightened my grasp all I
possibly could, and felt how absurd my advice was to a man in such a
position.
"You couldn't haul me in?" he whispered faintly.
"No," I said despairingly. "It is impossible."
"Impossible it is," he groaned. "Well, I shall have to face it."
"What do you mean, man?" whispered Mr Frewen.
"What we've all got to face, doctor. I couldn't swarm up that rope
again."
"Dale, could we get the rope round his waist, and hold him?" whispered
Mr Frewen.
"Here! hist! quick!" came through the opening where Mr Preddle was
listening all the time.
"Silence!" cried Mr Frewen, sternly. "What do you say, Hampton?"
"I says as if you takes the line from under my feet for half a moment
down I goes, for all the feeling's gone out of my arms. I'm done."
"No, no," I whispered in desperation. "Hold on, Bob; we must--we will
save you."
"Ay, lad," he said dolefully, "I'll hold on as long as I can; but if you
two are going to save me, you'll have to be very smart about it, I'm
afraid."
"Mr Frewen! Dale!" came from the opening.
"Silence, I say!" cried the doctor, fiercely.
"I won't be silent," cried Mr Preddle. "Here, Dale, take this; I've
pushed it through as far as I can reach. Give it him. Brandy."
"Ah!" ejaculated Mr Frewen. "Quick."
I had already reached out with the hand which I had taken from Hampton's
wrist, and was fishing about with it in the dark, but without a bite.
"Where is it?" I cried; but as I spoke my knuckles came in contact with
the leather-covered flask so sharply, that I knocked it out of Mr
Preddle's hand, and it fell with a bang on the floor, upon which the
spirit began to gurgle out.
Bob Hampton groaned, and I felt that all was over; but hanging on to the
rope I bent down, and guided by the sound seized the flask, gave it a
shake, which told me that there was yet a good deal inside, and the next
moment I was holding it to the poor fellow's lips, and listening to the
gurgling the spirit made as he gulped quite a couple of mouthfuls down.
I knew he had taken it all, for I had at last raised the flask quite
upright, and he drew his lips away.
"Now, Hampton," whispered Mr Frewen, "hold on for a little till the
spirit begins to stimulate you."
"It's begun a'ready, doctor," was the answer. "It's put new life into
me, sir, and I'm going to make a try for it directly."
"Not for a minute, man, not for a minute."
"In half a minute, sir, or it's of no good, for I'm a heavy man."
I tried to speak, but no words would come, for I felt as if my mouth and
throat were quite dry, and there I stood hanging on to the rope, till in
a curious hoarse whisper the man said--
"I'd say make fast the end o' the rope about me; but--"
"Can you hold on the while?" I said; for my voice came back at this.
"Try, lad."
I don't know how I did it in so short a time; but it was Bob Hampton's
teaching that made me so quick, as, leaving Mr Frewen to hold up the
bight, I seized the end, passed it round the man's chest, and made it
fast, and as I finished he said softly--
"Here goes!"
Then he began to climb, and as he went up I soon found that the rope was
being drawn through our hands. But we kept our touch of it, so that if
he fell we could still let it glide till he reached the water, and then
hold on till a boat was lowered to save him. Up he went, breathing very
hard, higher and higher, with a loud, rustling noise. Then he stopped a
little, and we tightened our hold, for we thought he was gone; but he
struggled on again, up and up, and at last hung quite still, and now we
felt that it was all over, for he was exhausted. I listened for the
horrible splash, but it did not come, for he began again, and we heard
one of his hands give a sharp smack.
"What's that?" whispered Mr Preddle through the opening, but neither of
us replied.
We could not, though we knew that Bob Hampton must have loosened his
grip of the rope with one hand to make a dash at the top of the
bulwarks. Then there came a faint scraping sound, and I turned giddy
from the cessation of the intense drag upon my brain. For I knew that
the poor fellow had reached the deck. In proof thereof the rope was
shaken sharply, and then jerked out of our hands. A faint scraping
sound followed, and I knew it was being drawn up.
I heard no more till Mr Frewen spoke to me; his voice sounding strange
through a peculiar, loud, humming noise in my ears.
"Feel better, my lad?"
"Better!" I said wonderingly. "I'm not ill."
"Oh no," he said, "not ill; only a little faint."
"Here," I said sharply, "why did you lay me on the floor?"
"You fell," he said; "or rather you slipped down. There, drink a little
of this water."
"Is he all right again?" came out of the darkness in a sharp whisper.
"Yes, coming round now," I heard Mr Frewen say.
"Yes, I remember now," I cried quickly. "But Bob Hampton, did he get up
safely?"
"Yes, quite safely."
Just then there was a sharp rattling of the door, and it was thrown
open, while I closed my lids, so dazzling did the light of the lanterns
which were held up above the heads of Jarette and Walters seem to my
aching eyes.