"They're a long time sending those boats, Herrick," said the lieutenant
to me soon after we had finished our meal.
"It's rather a long way, sir," I ventured to suggest.
"Oh yes, it's a long way; but with the state of dishipline to which I
have brought the _Teaser_ they ought to have been here by now. Suppose
we were surrounded by the enemy, and waiting for their help to save us!"
"We should think it longer than we do now, sir." Mr Reardon turned to
me sharply, and looked as if in doubt whether he should treat my remark
as humorous or impertinent. Fortunately he took the former view, and
smiled pleasantly.
"So we should, Herrick, so we should. But if they knew it was to fetch
all this loot on board, they'd make a little more haste."
"They know it by this time, sir," I said. "They must have met the first
boat."
"Oh, I don't know," he said rather sourly. "The men are very slow when
I am not there."
"Here they are, sir!" I cried; for the marine sentry down by the river
challenged, and then there was a loud cheering, and soon after Mr
Brooke appeared, followed by a long train of fully-armed Jacks.
"Why, I thought when we started that we had come to fight," cried Mr
Brooke as he reached us. "We met the two loaded boats. Is there much
more?"
"Come and look," said Mr Reardon; and we went first into one and then
the other store, while our party of Jacks communicated our luck to the
newcomers, the result being that, as we came out of the second long hut,
the men cheered again lustily.
Then no time was lost; and the way in which the crew attacked those two
stores of loot was a sight to see. It was tremendously hot, but they
laughed and cheered each other as those returning met the laden ones
going down to the boats. They would have liked to make a race of it to
see which crew could load up their boat first, but Mr Reardon stopped
that; and the strength of all was put to work to load one boat and get
it off, so that there were two streams of men going and coming; and the
first boat was deeply laden in an incredibly short space of time, the
men leaving themselves no room to row, but placing the chests amidships
to form a platform, and two smaller ones in the bow and stern.
They would have laden the boat more deeply still but for Mr Brooke, who
superintended at the side of the creek, while Mr Reardon was at the
stores.
Then the first of the boats Mr Brooke had brought was sent off, and by
the time the next was loaded one of those we had previously sent off
returned.
"Velly plime lot of plize-money," Ching said to me every time we met;
and he toiled away with the rest, his face shining, and while our men
grew red he grew more and more yellow. But, in spite of the
tremendously hard work of carrying down those loads, the men took it all
as a party of pleasure; and when, later on in the day, after boatload
after boatload had gone down the creek for hours, I had to go up to Mr
Reardon with a message from Mr Brooke, I was astonished to see how the
contents of the stores had disappeared.
It was getting close upon sundown when the last load was packed into the
longboat. Silk bale, tea-chest, rice-bag, crate, and box, with an
enormous amount of indescribable loot, including all kinds of weapons,
had been taken aboard; and the men who had come up for fresh burdens
began cheering like mad as they found the task was done.
"That will do, my lads; steady--steady!" cried Mr Reardon. "Fall in."
_Bang_!
It was not a loud report, only that of the rifle fired by the sentry on
the ridge; and immediately the men stood to their arms, and were ready
for what promised to be an interruption.
"See the sentry, Mr Herrick?" cried the lieutenant.
"Yes, sir," I said; "he's running in fast."
The next minute the man came up, breathless.
"Strong body of John Chinamans, sir, coming across from over yonder."
"Time we were off, then," said Mr Reardon; and, giving the word, we
started away at the "double" from before the empty stores and huts,
toward the creek.
Our run through the wood, though, was soon brought to a walk, for we
overtook the last laden men, and had to accommodate our pace to theirs.
But they hurried on pretty quickly, reached the boat just as another
empty one returned; the loading was finished, and as soon as the boat
was ready, an addition was made to her freight in the shape of a dozen
Jacks and marines, and she pushed off just as a loud yelling was heard
from the direction of the empty stores.
"They'll be down on us directly," muttered Mr Reardon; and we all
crowded into the empty boat and pushed off after the loaded one, but had
not descended the creek far before we were stopped by the loaded boat,
and had to arrange our pace by hers.
"Now for a slow crawl," I thought, "and they'll be after us directly."
A loud bang behind us told that I was right, and the handful of rough
slugs in the heavy matchlock flew spattering amongst the leaves
overhead, cutting off twigs which fell into the boat.
"Lie down all who can," cried the lieutenant; and we waited for the next
shot, which, to be rather Irish, was half-a-dozen in a scattered volley.
But though the twigs and leaves came showering down, no one was hit; and
the coxswain steadily poled us along as fast as the progress of the
other boat would allow.
I saw that Mr Reardon was on the _qui vive_ to order a return of the
fire; but so far we could not see from whence it came, and it seemed as
if nothing could be done but keep steadily on with our retreat.
"They might have given us another half-hour, Herrick," he said. "I
should like to get the boys on board unhurt."
"Think they can get on ahead, sir?" I whispered.
"I hope not. The forest on each side is so dense that I don't fancy
they can get along any faster than we do. Make haste, my lads, make
haste," he said, almost in a whisper; "we shall have it dark here under
these trees before long."
Crash came another volley, accompanied by a savage yelling, but we were
so low down between the muddy banks that again the slugs went pattering
over our heads.
"Would you mind passing the word to the other boat, messmate," said a
familiar voice. "Tell 'em not to hurry themselves, as we're very
comfortable."
"Who's that? Silence!" cried Mr Reardon.
No reply came to his question, but I could hear the men chuckling.
The next minute they were serious enough, for there was a burst of
voices from very near at hand.
"Aim low, my lads," said Mr Reardon. "You six in the stern-sheets, as
near to where the shooting is as you can."
The rifles were levelled, three of the barrels being passed over our
shoulders. Then came the usual orders, and the pieces went off like
one.
This silenced our pursuers for a few minutes, during which we continued
our progress, snail-like at the best, for the boat in front looked like
a slug.
"I'd give the order to them to draw aside and let us pass, Herrick,"
whispered the lieutenant, who now, in this time of peril, grew very warm
and friendly; "but--ah, that's getting dangerous."
For another volley from very near at hand rattled over us, and was
answered by our men.
"What was I going to say?" continued the lieutenant coolly, "Oh, I
remember! If we tried to get by them they might take the ground with
all that load, and be stuck."
"And it would be a pity to have to leave that load, sir," I said.
"Velly best load--allee best silk!" cried Ching excitedly, "Good, velly
good plize-money!"