"All this time sailing here and there," said Mark one day, "and not done
a bit of good."
"Do you hear that, Mr Whitney?" cried Bob. "There's gratitude, when it
has been just as if we were under orders to keep at sea so as to get him
and Mr Russell well again; and look at 'em now. Why, it has quite
cured 'em both."
"And their doctor has done nothing, Mr Bob Howlett?"
"Oh, I didn't mean that, sir, exactly," said that gentleman, colouring a
little. "Of course you have done them a lot of good, sir, and--"
"There, you are only floundering about, young gentleman, and making
worse of it," said the doctor, gruffly.
"Wait a bit; you will be laid by the heels one of these days, and then
you will sing a very different song. But you are a wonderful deal
better, Vandean, and I congratulate you. I shall not have to ask for
you to be sent home."
"Oh yes, I'm much better, sir," cried Mark.
"Well, don't talk as if you were afraid I was going to order you pills
and draught. I've done with you, but you had better be careful Mr
Russell can go on without me now. As for Mr Howlett here--well, we'll
wait for that."
He gave Bob a curious look and strolled away, leaving that gentleman
with his face screwed up in a way which made Mark burst out laughing.
"Oh yes, it's all very well for you to grin," grumbled Bob; "you're out
of the wood. He don't like me, and you see if he doesn't serve me out
first chance he gets."
"Then you should have been more careful about what you said."
"Well, I was. I do believe he'd like to have me down in his cabin to
cut up for experiment, and to practise physic on. Ugh! the old wretch!"
he continued, with a shudder.
"Hallo! what's the matter now?" he added, as the man up aloft shouted
"Sail ho!" and glasses were rapidly brought to bear upon a point miles
away down south, where a few palm trees were dimly-seen through the hot
haze.
"What do you make of her, Mr Russell?" said the captain to the young
officer, who had gone aloft.
"Barque, sir. Small. Heavily-rigged. She's going right in. There
must be either a bay there, or a large river."
"No mention of any bay or harbour there," said the captain. "Looks
bad--or good," he added. "What else can you make out?"
"Nothing, sir. The trees hide her now completely."
"Slaver, then, without a doubt. Now, gentlemen, she has gone in without
seeing us, and it will be our fault if she gets away. We must have no
mistake this time."
"Hurray!" whispered Bob to his companion. "Prize-money at last."
"Chickens," said Mark.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't count 'em till they're hatched."
"Get out, croaker!"
Just then the two blacks came along the deck, looking very smart in
their white sailor trousers, and not a little proud of their straw hats.
Each man brightened up and displayed his teeth, as he saw the
midshipmen, muttering something incomprehensible in reply to Bob's "How
do, Soup? How are you, Taters?" and passing on.
"I say," said Mark, "it's too bad to nickname the poor fellows like
that."
"Not a bit of it. What's in a name? They answer to 'em right enough,
and the men like 'em."
"Yes, of course they do. Whoever heard of a sailor who didn't like a
bit of fun of that kind?"
"Oh, then you call it fun?"
"Yes--ill-natured fun."
"Bother! Here's the skipper. Let's seem to be doing something, or we
shall be lectured."
But Captain Maitland was too eager about the sailing of his ship, and
paid no heed to the midshipmen's idleness, only thinking as he was of
getting round the land in front, and overhauling the stranger, who was
now quite out of sight beyond the point, and it took two hours to get
within sight again. But they found that, instead of there being a
river, the coast turned sharply to the east, and the barque, in place of
being close to them, was sailing steadily away east and south, and
farther from them than ever.
"Bah! another false alarm," cried Mr Staples; "are we never to capture
one of the scoundrels?"
Just then Mark touched his elbow, and pointed to a vessel which had been
unnoticed before, lying as it did close under the shore, with bare poles
raked well back, and the whole of the long, low, schooner-rigged vessel
wearing a look of having been built for swift-sailing more than for any
ordinary trading purpose.
"Well done, sharp eyes!" cried the lieutenant; "that's one of the
scoundrels;" and the course of the _Nautilus_ was changed directly with
a peculiar result.
The minute before not a soul was to be seen on board the schooner, which
might have been absolutely deserted; but, as soon as the course of the
_Nautilus_ was changed and those on board saw that, in spite of lying
close up under the trees of the muddy shore of what appeared to be a
creek, they had been observed, sails were rapidly hoisted, and the
slight, graceful vessel began to glide so swiftly through the water that
it was evidently no slow ship that would catch her should she once get
into the offing.
She was about a mile away and promised to escape, but Captain Maitland
did not mean to be out-manoeuvred this time. The crew were beat to
quarters, a gun fired, and the colours run up as the course of the
_Nautilus_ was again altered so as to cut the schooner off, and in due
time a second gun gave out its puff of smoke.
But no heed was taken, and the schooner kept along close in shore till
her captain saw that escape was impossible in the direction he was
taking, and altering his helm, the swift vessel glided round and made
off in the opposite direction.
But the _Nautilus_ was again too quick for her, and in a few minutes was
once more hard in chase and sending shot after shot, till one better
directed than the rest went through her maintopmast.
The crew of the _Nautilus_ sent up a tremendous cheer as the great spar
came down with its gaff sail, leaving the schooner for the time like a
bird with a broken wing.
"We shall have her now for certain," said Bob Howlett.
"Yes; and she has shown no colours," replied Mark; "but suppose she does
not turn out to be a slaver, after all."
"Suppose pigs were to fly," cried Bob. "She's a slaver for certain, and
we've got her."
"Doesn't look like it," replied his companion; "where's she making for
now? Why, she sails as well as ever."
This was a slight exaggeration, but all the same the vessel glided along
rapidly, and through the glasses the crew could be seen rapidly cutting
away the damaged rigging, while her helm was manipulated so that she
appeared to be sailing right for the shore.
Another shot and another was fired, but not the slightest heed was paid;
and as the _Nautilus_ went swiftly on, it was noted that, unseen before,
there was a narrow river running up through the trees, with its regular
fringe of mangroves, and the schooner was being steered for this.
"She'll get right up that river, after all," said Mark, who in the
excitement had forgotten all his past illness, and appeared to be as
strong as ever.
"Not she. We shall have her first, my lad. Hurray! look, she has given
in. They've stopped and surrendered."
"She has struck on one of the banks, sir," cried Lieutenant Staples,
excitedly, for the schooner's way through the water had suddenly ceased,
and she slowly swung round broadside on, with her sails shivering and
flapping.
"A prize at last!" cried Mark, as the men cheered, and the _Nautilus_
glided on, till, when they were about a quarter of a mile away, Mr
Russell announced that a couple of boats were leaving the schooner, and
it was seen that her captain and crew were making for the shore.
"No doubt now about what she is, gentlemen," said the captain. "Pipe
away the cutter's crew. Mr Russell, you would like to begin work
again. Jump in, sir, and go and take possession."
"And pursue the boats, sir?"
"Bah! no! They are not worth the labour. You can take one of the young
gentlemen with you."
Bob took a step forward, but Mr Russell turned to Mark.
"You'll come, Vandean," he said; and the lad leaped into the cutter,
which was rapidly rowed away through the muddy water, just as the
schooner's boats disappeared round a headland covered with trees, which
screened the outlet of a stream far larger than had been imagined, and
for which without doubt now the schooner's captain had been making.
"A splendid prize, Vandean," said Mr Russell, as they drew near and saw
the admirable build of the vessel, which looked nearly new. "She was
evidently on her way for a cargo of the poor wretches. We ought to have
taken her afterwards, when she was laden."
"Yes, we should have done more good then. But if they had no slaves on
board, why did they run? Oh!"
The midshipman uttered an ejaculation expressive of the utter disgust
which he felt as they neared the schooner's side.
"What is it? What's the matter?" cried the lieutenant; and then his
countenance changed. "Back water!" he exclaimed, as he turned away his
head. "How horrible!"