Day had scarcely broken next morning ere Harry and Roger tumbled out of
their bunks, dressed, and went up on deck, so eager were they once more
to be on shore after their many long days at sea.
As they came on deck the sun rose in all his tropic grandeur, and
transfigured the little inlet--with the ships floating on its bosom, its
environment of green palms and tropical verdure, and its golden sands
running down to the water's edge--into a veritable nook of fairyland.
For a distance, so far as they could judge, of about three miles the
ground appeared to be fairly level, rising very gradually, and thickly
covered with tropical foliage. Beyond that there was a range of hills,
apparently about a thousand feet high; and beyond these again rose peak
after peak of lofty mountains, the bare summits of the tallest glowing
like jewels in the brilliant tropical light. Close at hand, on the
southern shore of the inlet, lofty cliffs ran sheer down to the water's
edge, where a ledge of rocks ran out some little distance into the bay,
and these rocks seemed to be literally honey-combed with caves. On the
northern side of the inlet the water shoaled gradually, terminating on a
beach of clean yellow sand, which again stretched for some distance
above water mark, and was then lost among the bush foliage. Tall
coco-nut palms graced the margin of the inlet, and, behind them, trees
bearing oranges, guavas, bananas, lemons, mangoes, and various other
kinds of tropical fruits could be discerned close at hand. It was in
truth a lovely scene that the lads gazed upon that bright morning.
There was a moderately good rise and fall of tide, judging from the
marks on the beach, and the northern shore was undoubtedly the one that
would be chosen by Cavendish for careening his vessels, as the ground
sloped steeply but evenly, the sand was firm and hard, and the trunks of
the palm-trees would be very useful for securing the hawsers, by means
of which they would heave the vessels down on their beam-ends.
The sun mounted higher in the clear blue of the heavens as they looked,
and all about them rose the sounds of awakening nature. Away back in
the woods they could hear the chattering of monkeys; parrots and birds
of bright plumage screamed and sang and fluttered among the trees near
the beach; and several bright-plumaged flamingoes stalked gravely about
the shallows, seeking their morning meal in the limpid water.
Presently, too, life on board the vessels was stirring, and the shrill
whistle of the boatswain's pipe roused all hands to their duties. The
men came tumbling up from below, and the business of the day commenced.
The officers of the ship and the two lads went down presently to
breakfast, after which leave to go on shore was granted to several of
them, including Roger and Harry.
Those who were going ashore quickly determined to make up a party and
keep together, because as yet they knew nothing of the country, and
there was the chance that it might be inhabited; in which case, if
separated, and any savages were in the neighbourhood, the whites might
find themselves awkwardly situated.
As many of the crew as could be spared were also allowed to go on shore
for a few hours before the business of careening and refitting
commenced; and, needless to say, they were delighted at the prospect of
having a little more space wherein to walk about than the narrow decks
of their own ships, and also of being able to get some fresh fruit--of
which they stood in great need, scurvy having already appeared among
them.
After breakfast, therefore, they quickly got the boats over the side,
and soon there was a regular procession of them from the vessels to the
shore.
Once there, the seamen immediately began to gather the fresh fruit, and,
collecting a pile of what they most fancied, they lay down beside it,
and ate at their ease, their past perils forgotten for the moment, and
all of them supremely happy.
A few of the more adventurous spirits, however, went off into the woods
on a tour of investigation, taking their muskets and bows with them, in
the hope of procuring a little fresh meat.
Roger and Harry, who had, of course, gone ashore with the first
boat-load, stood for a while on the beach at the edge of the water,
undecided for the moment what to do first.
Harry suggested having a bathe in the limpid water of the little bay,
first of all; and indeed it looked so inviting that Roger was not slow
in seconding the proposition.
Accordingly they soon slipped off their clothes, and were quickly
disporting themselves like young dolphins in the water, when Harry,
glancing up, saw the ships lying, as it seemed, only some quarter of a
mile away, their shapes reflected in the water with such distinctness
that it was difficult to say where the substance ended and the shadow
began.
This apparent proximity of the ships immediately put an idea into both
their heads at the same moment, and they both shouted together: "Let us
have a race off to the _Stag Royal_."
They laughed that they should have spoken the same words together, and
they immediately decided that they would have a wager of a noble on the
event.
"Are you ready, then, Roger? 'tis a race to the _Stag Royal_; and the
first up the ship's side and on her deck will win the noble," exclaimed
Harry.
"Agreed, lad; away we go!" replied Roger.
And the two started off, swimming strongly, with a side stroke instead
of the breast; for although the former required more power, yet it was
the faster stroke, and they reckoned their strength to be quite equal to
a much longer distance than that to the ship.
But, as is invariably the case, distance viewed over water is deceptive,
and by the time that they had done three-quarters of the course both
were feeling pretty well fagged out with their unusual exertions, though
neither would admit it; and the fact remained that they were swimming
much slower than at the start. Suddenly they were startled by a loud
hail from the deck of the _Stag Royal_--the ship for which they were
making,--in the voice of Cavendish.
"Be not frightened, lads, but pull out as fast as you can for the ship;
there are sharks coming after you!"
Their hearts leapt in their breasts at this startling news, and, looking
hurriedly round, they perceived, to their horror, that several black
triangular dorsal fins were cleaving the water in their wake, and
closing rapidly in upon them.
Fortunately the water in the direction in which they were swimming was
as yet clear, to all appearance.
"Cannot you send a boat, sir? We are nearly exhausted with the swim,"
hailed Roger, who was slightly in advance of Harry.
"Nay, that I cannot, lad, for all the boats are still on shore. You
must swim, and for your lives' sake swim hard," answered Cavendish from
the deck of the ship.
He was leaning anxiously over the bulwarks, and the rail was lined with
the faces of the few seamen who were left on board, while two of them
had gone down the accommodation ladder and were waiting at the foot,
ready to haul the lads in as soon as they were near enough.
The men on board now quickly seized whatever missiles they could lay
their hands on, and stood ready to bombard the sharks, in the hope of
driving them off, if they did not seize the lads before they got within
range.
As for Harry and Roger, they struck out with the energy of terror; but
each felt that he was tiring with every stroke, while the knowledge that
at any moment they might feel themselves in the jaws of one of those
sea-tigers seemed to paralyse their limbs. Their flesh crept with the
horror of the thought.
Harry, especially, was showing manifest symptoms of increasing distress;
while Roger, resisting the impulse to swim on and reach safety, kept
valiantly at his side, encouraging him.
"Go on, Roger," at length gasped Harry; "I am done, and cannot reach the
ship. Swim you on and get on board; I will follow if I can."
"Nay, Harry, lad," answered Roger, "either we both get on board, or--or
not; we did not make our compact to break it at the first sign of
danger. Do your utmost, and we shall yet get on board all right."
Even in his extremity Harry could not avoid noticing that Roger
hesitated when he came to "or--or not;" the brave lad could not bring
himself to utter the alternative in words.
Before leaving the shore the boys had stripped down to their pantaloons
and vests, which they had retained as a makeshift bathing-costume. Now,
as luck would have it, Roger invariably wore a belt round his waist, to
which was attached a very fine Venetian dagger, slender of blade, sharp
as a razor, and very strong.
This had been given him by his father as a parting keepsake, and he
looked upon it almost as a kind of talisman; he therefore never allowed
it to leave his person.
Merely by force of habit he had buckled this belt and dagger about him
before starting for the swim, and now, in the moment of his deadly
danger, he suddenly recollected that he had it on him, and an idea came
to him like an inspiration.
"Harry, swim you on and reach the ship," said he. "I am not at all
tired, and I have my dagger with me; swim on, and I will swim after you.
Argue not, lad, you will but waste your breath; do as I say, and make
all haste to the ship."
Harry, knowing that when Roger spoke thus it was useless to argue, did
as he was ordered, and struck out for the vessel with such energy as he
could muster.
For his part, Roger drew his dagger, and held it firmly in his hand; and
then, swimming after Harry, began to splash and shout with all his
might.
The fins, which had by this time come very close to them, paused
suddenly and scattered at the unexpected commotion; and a little time
was thus gained for the fugitives, who made the utmost of it.
The sharks, however, were not so easily to be denied, and presently they
began to close in again; by which time Harry was approaching the side of
the _Stag Royal_, while Roger was still some distance behind, splashing
and shouting vigorously.
The fins drew nearer and nearer with deadly determination.
Abandoning now the splashing, which was greatly exhausting him, Roger
put out all his remaining strength and swam for his life, while, the
splashing having ceased, the sharks were after him again at once.
It was now a race, not between two boys for a wager of a noble, but
between a boy and a school of sharks, with the boy's life as the stake.
The sharks were fast gaining upon Roger, and he and they were as yet
quite out of range of the missiles with which the men were ready to pelt
the ravenous monsters. But Harry had meanwhile reached the ship and
been hauled in and deposited on deck, where he immediately sank down
fainting with exhaustion.
Then, seeing his friend safe, Roger redoubled his efforts, and the
distance between the sharks and him lessened but slightly, while he
decreased the distance between himself and the ship very perceptibly.
These herculean efforts could not last long, however, and the sharks
once more began to draw in upon him.
The men on the deck of the ship now shouted, and flung their missiles as
far as they could; but the swimmer and the sharks were still too far off
for the latter to be frightened by the bombardment.
Inch by inch the ravenous fish closed in on the lad.
He glanced over his shoulder as he swam, and as he perceived how close
the monsters were, the men on board the ship could see, even at that
distance, that his face turned livid.
The foremost shark was nearly on him now, and there was yet a
considerable distance to cover ere he could reach safety.
Suddenly the leading fin disappeared, and the watchers knew that the
shark had dived, in order the better to seize its prey. Their warning
was roared over the water to him, but apparently too late, for with
their shout, Roger's body disappeared!
A cry of horror at once went up from the ship, and strong men turned
away, unwilling to witness the death of their favourite.
Those who still watched, however, almost immediately saw a tremendous
disturbance of the water just below the spot where Roger had
disappeared; and presently a broad blotch of red stained the blue water
of the inlet, while a deep groan went up from the assembled crowd on
deck. But the groan quickly changed to a mighty cheer as they saw
Roger's form appear again at some considerable distance nearer the ship,
and evidently safe and sound, for he was still swimming strongly. And
immediately after, in his rear, the body of the shark rose to the
surface, floating on its back, dead! The remainder of the sharks
instantly flung themselves upon the carcass, tearing it to pieces, and
churning up a bloody froth as they struggled and tore and fought for
their share of the spoil.
Roger had done the only thing possible to save his life. As the shark
dived, so did he, and, swimming below the brute, he had ripped up its
belly with several strong slashing blows from his keen dagger, thus
effectually ridding himself of one adversary, and trusting that the
remainder of the school would wait to devour it--as indeed they had
done,--thus giving him a further chance to escape.
He was now quite near the ship; but the sharks had quickly disposed of
the carcass of their companion, and were again after him. Roger,
however, was now within range. So, as the sharks came on in pursuit,
they were bombarded with every description of missile upon which the men
could lay their hands, a proceeding which checked them slightly, and
gave Roger a little more grace.
At length, utterly exhausted, the plucky lad reached the foot of the
accommodation ladder, but just in time, for, as he was pulled clear of
the water, a pair of huge jaws clashed behind him with a sound that made
him nearly faint, so suggestive was it of what he had so narrowly
escaped.
By the time that he reached the deck Harry had fully recovered, and he
was the first to grasp Roger's hand and wring it convulsively as the
latter stepped inboard. Harry could find no words wherewith to express
his feelings adequately, but the pressure of his hand spoke for him, and
Roger felt amply repaid for all he had done.
"And now, young gentlemen," said Cavendish sternly, when the young hero
of the adventure had been recovered somewhat by the administration of a
liberal dose of rum, "let this be a warning to you never again to go
bathing in these seas. You have both had a most miraculous escape, and
I for one had given the pair of you up as lost. But, thank Heaven, you
are safe after all. Only never let it occur again. But I suppose you
will take care of that," he added with a twinkle in his eye. "Your
first experience with Johnny Shark has been enough for you, hasn't it?"
They reassured him on that point, and both then went below to dress.
When they were again clothed, Harry said:
"And now, how shall we spend the remainder of the day, Roger? I don't
feel like going ashore again to-day, even if we had a boat. The idea of
crossing that sheet of water again does not very greatly appeal to me
just now."
"I feel pretty much as you do," replied Roger. "I have had quite enough
of the water for to-day. As an alternative, I suggest that we
investigate that sheaf of documents that we took out of the _Gloria del
Mundo_ at the time of the battle. That fellow Alvarez seemed feverishly
anxious to find a certain paper, and bitterly disappointed at his
failure, so perhaps there may be something of value among them."
So saying, Roger went to his sea-chest, and, having unlocked it, drew
out the bundle of papers to which he had referred, and laid it on the
table.
They ran through most of them without finding anything of interest,
those examined proving to be merely papers relating to the provisioning
of the ship, and one or two old charts with courses marked off on them.
On another chart, however, they found something that claimed a moment's
attention. It was one upon which the position of the Spanish
intercepting fleet had been laid down, together with the supposed course
that the English vessels would steer, thus proving that they had
correctly anticipated the movements of the English. This they put
aside, intending to hand it to Cavendish, as it would be of interest to
him.
"This is probably the document that scoundrel Alvarez was looking for
while the _Gloria del Mundo_ was sinking," said Roger, who had related
to Harry all that had happened while he was awaiting death in the cabin
of the Spanish vessel.
"Hardly that," demurred Harry. "I should think it would be something of
much more importance; because, you see, this would not be of much value
to him after the action. Let us search further."
They did so, and presently came upon a sheet of rough parchment, which
had escaped the search of Alvarez through its having worked its way into
a folded chart.
They spread it open upon the table, and found that they could make
nothing of it, as it appeared to be a mass of figures, and nothing else.
"I wonder what on earth this can be," said Roger. "It seems to be
nothing but a lot of figures put down anyhow. I expect it is merely a
sheet of scribbling-paper, upon which some rough calculations have been
worked. At any rate it is of no importance, and clearly is not what
Alvarez was looking for."
"Wait one moment, Roger," said Harry; "be not over-hasty, lad. I
believe this is more important than it looks. May it not be a cipher of
some kind? Let us have another look at it."