Captain of a Fleet
"Halt!" The whispered word of command to which Tyler gave vent once
he and his followers had set foot upon the opposite bank was scarcely
necessary, so well did each man understand his duties, and so sensibly
did they act. But Li Sung interpreted the order, and instantly some
fifty dripping figures came to a stand-still and dropped full length
upon the mud.
"Advance those who have to keep watch and beat back the enemy," said
Tyler, with difficulty keeping calm. "John, that is your command. Post
the men so as to hold the entrance, and look out for me when I come. Now
for the boat party."
Leading half the company to the left, he took them to the spot where the
sampans were drawn up on the beach, and stood by while the men carried
the tiny boats down into the water. Then, as silently as ghosts, they
pushed off from the bank, half the number making direct for the opposite
shore, while the remainder drifted down-stream to the prahus.
"Commence to embark the women and children and the remaining men," said
Tyler, as soon as the party which he had accompanied had reached the
opposite bank. "Let there be no crushing or pushing. Each will come down
in turn and be rowed to the prahus. Men last of all, as a general rule;
only, as soon as one of the vessels is filled, the crew will be put on
board, so as to be prepared to manoeuvre it should the alarm be given.
Quickly, please, for the morning is dangerously near at hand."
Standing beside the spot where the sampans had been drawn up, he watched
as the Dyak women and children embarked, enjoining strict silence upon
all of them. But they had been well drilled to the movement, and, thanks
to that, they all passed swiftly and without confusion from their
hiding-place in the jungle above to the sampans, and in the latter to
the prahu selected for them. Once a certain number were on board, the
sampans returned for a crew of men, and thus in an incredibly short
space of time all but the half-company watching beside the stockade, and
those who had gone amongst the fleet of prahus, were safely on board
awaiting the order to let go. But there was still something else to do,
and all watched anxiously as they realized that the stockade was to
be entered, and that the figure of a man crawling across the firelit
clearing would be that of their leader.
"Now for the two captives," said Tyler in matter-of-fact tones, when the
embarkation had been carried out to his satisfaction. "I feel satisfied
now that the larger proportion of the tribe will make good its escape,
for they are on board, and even if the alarm be given now, they are safe
from Hanns Schlott and his friends. Even at this moment I think I see
some of the prahus sinking, and certainly more than one has been cut
from its moorings and is floating away upon the river, and gradually
getting lower. That being the case, the Dutchman and his friends will
have to swim after us if they discover our trick, for we shall leave
nothing. And now for the captives."
For a few moments he stood up in the sampan, while Li Sung went ashore
with some of the Dyaks and hunted carefully through the jungle near at
hand, lest by chance some child should have been overlooked, or one
of the women, tired out by the long journey which she had borne so
well, and by this long night of anxious watching and waiting, should
have fallen asleep and remained behind, forgetful of the fact that her
sisters were embarking.
"That is well," he said in tones of satisfaction, when the Chinaman had
returned with the report that not a soul was to be seen, and that the
jungle was untenanted. "We can now see to the other matter. Li, you will
come with me to the other shore, while the men here who have managed the
embarkation will ferry their boats after us, and will lie off the bank
prepared to come in close and take the remainder of the party off. Tell
them that they are to leave an interval between each sampan, so as to
have plenty of room in case of having to beat a rapid retreat, and that
they are on no account to retire till all their comrades have joined
them. Take the oars now, and let us push over."
He gave the words of command in a calm voice, which betrayed no sign
of excitement or of confusion, but for all that Tyler could scarcely
keep his limbs from trembling, while his lips twitched spasmodically
and he was obliged to press them close together to keep them still; for
the thought of those helpless captives stirred him strangely, the fear
that their fate depended upon himself, and that upon his courage and
discretion their rescue or continued imprisonment would result, kept his
mind ill at ease and filled him with a feeling of nervousness to which
he had up to this been a stranger.
"It must be done," he kept saying to himself as he was being wafted to
the opposite shore, "and after all, why should I not be successful?
for the part which has already been carried out so silently has been
far larger and more full of difficulties, and yet see how smoothly it
has worked. Yes, I will rescue those two helpless prisoners whatever
happens."
With this resolution before him he became calmer and more at his ease,
and prepared to set about the task in a manner which at once showed that
he was full of courage and determination.
"Stand ready to embark rapidly," he said, as he crept to John Marshall
and lay down beside him in the darkness. "If you hear me shout you will
know that I require help, but otherwise you are not to come nearer to
the stockade. Now I am going, but before I go I will remind you that
this company will embark on the English vessel which the pirates towed
in. Men have already made a small prahu fast to her bows, and once the
signal is given, and we are aboard, they will cut the cables and swing
her round. After that she will be carried down by the stream."
"And it won't be long afore we get some of her canvas up," whispered the
sailor. "Then if this here Dutchman and his men come after us, or any
of them coves down the river attempt to stop us, why, we shall be able
to tackle 'em in proper style. Now, sir, be careful, please, for you're
our leader. Jest think of that, for these here Dyaks jest think a deal
of yer and would be sorry if yer came to harm. There's me, too, you
must remember"--and the honest fellow felt for Tyler's hand and gripped
it firmly,--"what would I do to get on without yer? But you'll take
the best of care, that I'm sure of, and you'll carry this through like
the rest. If yer shout I'll be there in a twinkling, and if yer should
happen to come up with that Dutch chap, jest think of how I downed him.
Put yer fist in his face, and it'll silence him sooner than anything.
Good-bye, and good luck!"
With another squeeze of the hand he released Tyler, the latter springing
to his feet at once.
"Then all is settled," he said quietly. "If I shout, you come to help;
if not, you remain here or embark at once. My orders are that the safety
of the tribe is not on any account to be risked on my behalf."
A second later, when the sailor would have spoken to his leader, he was
astonished to find that he had gone, and that his place was occupied by
thinnest air. It gave him a start when he considered with what silence
Tyler had gone, but a moment's reflection reminded him of the fact that
his leader was dressed in native costume, and that he wore soft sandals
upon his feet.
"All the better," murmured John Marshall, "for it'll make his chances
brighter. I don't half like this game of his, and never did, though I
see that he's right in making the attempt. But it's risky. It's the
worst part of all this little adventure, and I shall be thankful when I
see him safe amongst us again. Ah! there he goes through the entrance,
and it will be well for him to hurry, for a few minutes ago the stockade
was out of sight, while now one can see it fairly easily, showing that
morning is coming."
That this was the case became evident to all the watchers, for as they
lay there on the bank their figures up to this had been invisible to one
another, while now a keen searcher of the spot would have discovered
them to a certainty had he been within close range of them. Indeed the
night seemed to have gone quite suddenly, while a damp mist, which often
precedes the morn in Borneo, lay over river and land, wrapping them in
semi-obscurity.
"In ten minutes it will go, de sun will suck up de water from de air,
and all will be bright," whispered Li Sung, who had thrown himself down
beside John Marshall. "When massa comes, and we get aboard, de pirate
see us sailing away, and dey get velly angry at de sight. He, he, he! De
Dutchman him rave velly fine, and say many tings, but him not be able to
follow, for he no havee ships."
The Chinaman again indulged in a half-audible chuckle, which caused the
sailor to stretch out his hand and grip him by the shoulder.
"Silence," he said sternly, "and listen! Laugh and cackle as much as you
wish when the master is with us again, but make a sound now and I'll--"
Exactly what the boatswain would have threatened to do to the faithful
Chinaman it would be difficult to state, though his wrinkled forehead
and the scowl upon his face might have indicated something terrible.
However, a sound within the stockade suddenly arrested the altercation,
and both lay there listening eagerly.
Creak! creak! Was it the door of the hut in which the prisoners were
kept, or could some native have suddenly awakened before the dawn had
come, as was so often their custom, and thrown wide the gate of his
humble abode?
Both longed to clear up the question, but found it impossible, for from
the position which they had taken up they were unable to command a view
of the whole of the clearing within the stockade. Those on the prahus,
however, could have enlightened them, for from the river the dull glare
of the embers of the dying fires, the bamboo stockade, and every hut
within were distinctly within view, while the dusky figure crawling
across to that part where the captives had been taken was plainly
discernible. With straining eyes each one of the Dyak tribe aboard the
prahus watched the young leader whom they had come to look up to and
admire. They saw him creep rapidly, but with every caution, through the
entrance to the stockade and then across the clearing. As they stared at
him through the misty haze, which was gradually and insensibly giving
place to the light of day, they noted how he paused before the hut
occupied by the rascally Dutch leader of the pirates, and each wondered
with beating heart whether any sound had alarmed him.
Creak! creak! Ah! they, too, heard the noise of a wicket thrown open,
and started at the sound. Then they stood there on the sloping decks
listening for a shout, for a pistol-shot, for the roar of a hundred and
more voices to tell them that the young Englishman had been discovered.
But no, not another sound disturbed the silence of the awakening day,
and the dusky figure was seen to be advancing again. Ah, he was at the
hut where the prisoners were kept! Was he entering? Why did he pause
at the door, and for what reason did he so hurriedly dart behind the
dwelling?
Well might each member of the watching tribe of Dyaks ask the question,
for the movements of their leader seemed unaccountable. But Tyler knew
well what he was doing, and sounds which failed to spread so far as the
men lying on the bank without the stockade, or those others waiting
aboard the prahus, reached his ears distinctly.
"There is someone moving," he said to himself, as he reached the hut
which harboured the prisoners. "Who can it be? Perhaps some fellow
turning in his couch."
Sitting up as high as possible, he listened eagerly, and then crept on a
few paces. Then of a sudden he became aware of the fact that a door had
been thrown open, and realizing that the sound came from the Dutchman's
hut, he scrambled hastily behind the one close to which he was crouching.
"Hanns Schlott!" he exclaimed in tones of vexation. "His guilty mind
will not allow him to sleep, and so he has come out to walk about the
clearing. Ah, I have had my mind so fully occupied that I did not notice
that it is already getting light, and he will be able to see me! Yes,
even now I can observe his figure."
Staring through the mist and haze, which had so suddenly risen, Tyler
watched the Dutchman emerge from his abode and stalk out into the
clearing. Then, realizing with a start that to delay would be more
dangerous than to proceed with the rescue, he waited for a few moments
to allow a second hut to come between himself and the Dutchman, and then
scrambled at his fastest pace to the door which would give access to the
dwelling within which were the prisoners. A second later he had thrust
it in, and was crawling through the opening.
"Who is that?" he heard someone demand in frightened tones, while there
was the sound of a shriek commenced but suddenly arrested. "Oh, what is
happening to us?"
"Hush! Do not make a sound for your lives," answered Tyler in low tones,
crawling right into the hut and closing the door. "Do not be frightened,
for I have come to help you and take you away."
"Then you are English? But I caught sight of a native, and that is what
frightened me. Who are you?"
The question was asked in a whisper, while the young woman leant forward
till she was close to Tyler, for his voice had reassured her.
"It is too long a story to tell you, but I have come to rescue you and
the little girl. Follow me at once, please, and do exactly as I say.
Now, to the door!"
Waiting only to see that they had risen, and that the young woman had
whispered reassuring words to the child, and had cautioned her against
making a sound, Tyler went to the door and gently opened it.
"We shall have day with us in a few moments," he said, turning swiftly
and with an involuntary exclamation of dismay. "Now, listen to me. We
have captured the English ship from the pirates, and have also taken the
prahus. My men are Dyaks, and they will be your friends. You must follow
me at once, keeping well behind the huts. When we get to the opening
through the stockade we will run. Do you understand? Then follow."
Glancing swiftly around, and failing to catch sight of Hanns Schlott,
Tyler led the way into the clearing, and then, stealing along through
the mist, he directed the prisoners amongst the huts so as to keep them
out of sight. Very soon they came to a point where the dwellings ended,
and where nothing but open ground stretched between the fugitives and
the stockade. And here they came to an abrupt halt, while a feeling of
dismay came over them; for there in the opening stood the burly figure
of Hanns Schlott, his face turned to the river, while he stared into the
mist as if something had occurred to awaken his suspicions.
"Strange!" he was murmuring; "is it the wine which I drank last night,
or can it be the thought of that beggarly Englishman, by name Tyler
Richardson, who threatened to follow me and see me hanged as a murderer?
Tush! My eyes are playing me a trick, and I am out of sorts."
He stamped upon the ground in his vexation, and turned from the river
for a moment. But again his eyes went back in that direction as if
he were fascinated, while on this occasion he started forward, and,
sheltering his eyes with his hand, stared into the cloud of watery
vapour with an eagerness which showed that he was still ill at ease.
"Surely that is strange!" he said in hesitating tones. "Of course the
mist is thickest over the water, but the prahus are outlined in it,
though dimly, I admit. But how comes it that the ship which we captured
is turned with stern this way, and her bows pointing to the sea? It is
beyond my comprehension, for the tide does not make this way for three
hours at least. And--am I really bewildered this morning and muddled by
the wine?--half the fleet seems to have disappeared!"
He rubbed his eyes with his knuckles, and, tearing his hat from his
head, thrust his fingers through his hair. Then once more he fixed his
attention on the river, and stood there as if undecided still, and
as though hesitating how to act. Meanwhile Tyler and his charges had
watched him with feelings approaching dismay.
"We cannot possibly afford to wait more than three or four minutes,"
said the former, "and if he does not move then, we must rush past him.
But I do not like to see him staring so hard at the river, for it seems
to me that he suspects something, and I know that whatever he thinks at
the moment he will soon realize what is happening once the sun clears
the mist away. Get ready, miss, and if you see me start forward at a
walk, be prepared to rush after me and go straight through the opening.
I will see to that fellow."
The seconds seemed to be minutes, so slowly did they pass, and though
Tyler only permitted some three of the latter to elapse before making a
move, almost half an hour seemed to have been occupied in watching the
burly Dutchman. Indeed, now that he had come so close to success in the
undertaking which he had set himself, the fear that, after all, he would
be beaten, that Hanns Schlott would cut off his retreat and retain his
prisoners, filled Tyler's mind with apprehension and anxiety, and those
few minutes seemed almost a lifetime. And all the while the Dutchman
stood as if rooted to the spot, still unable to make up his feeble mind
as to what was happening, and hesitating to awake his followers at this
early hour and bring them rushing forth on a fool's errand, which would
cause them to grumble and laugh at their leader.
Suddenly, as he turned to the collection of huts behind him, his eye
fell upon the figure of a swarthy Dyak, with sandalled feet, who was
advancing towards him, and taking him for one of his own men he called
eagerly to him.
"Come here and tell me what you see," he said in commanding tones. "My
sight is not very certain in these early morning mists, and often plays
me false. Say, are the prahus still at their moorings, and why is it
that the vessel which we captured has her head turned to the sea?"
He was in the act of turning once more to the river, to direct the
gaze of the native who had advanced towards him, when another doubt,
something unusual about the man, seemed to strike him, and he swung
round, to face Tyler with a start of surprise.
"Sandals!" he gasped. "Sopping waist-cloth, and--and colour which runs
in streaks down the body and leaves white beneath!"
Like a flash he recognized who this native must be, and stood there
staring at him as though the discovery stifled him, as though the
boldness of the Englishman took his breath away. Then, quick as
lightning, a thought, a horrible dread, came over him.
"Had the Englishman come to the stockade with others of his country? Was
that the reason of the disappearance of some of the prahus? And had this
man, this youth whom he had openly called a cub, but whom in his heart
he feared not a little, and whose persistence had amazed him, had this
Tyler Richardson tracked him to this spot, and by some uncanny means
induced him, the leader of this gang of pirates, to emerge from his hut
at that early hour in the morning and walk alone, like a helpless fly,
into the web which had been woven to catch him?"
The thought sent the blood surging to his face, only to recede in an
instant and leave him deadly pale. He gasped, threw back his head to
take in a much-needed breath, and would have set the air ringing with a
shriek of dismay had not Tyler suddenly stopped him. Instantly realizing
that he had been recognized, and that his disguise was discovered, he
threw himself upon the Dutchman like a hound, and, mindful of the advice
which John Marshall had given him just before they had parted, dealt
Hanns Schlott a terrific blow between the eyes.
"For you!" he shouted, throwing silence and caution to the winds in his
excitement as he delivered the blow. "That to show you that a Dutchman
cannot stop an Englishman!"
Had he been struck by a hammer Hanns Schlott could not have been more
staggered, or thrown off his balance. Indeed, the suddenness and the
unexpected nature of the attack, and the force with which the fist
crashed upon his face, had combined to send him to the ground, and but
for the fact that the edge of the stockade happened to be close at hand
he would have gone upon his back in the clearing, just as he had on a
former occasion fallen crash to the floor of the schooner's cabin before
the fist of John Marshall. Instead, however, his bulky figure was driven
heavily against the bamboos, and, recoiling from them with the force of
the impact, he was thrown once more in the direction of his opponent.
Nor did Tyler hesitate how to act. Drawing back a pace he leapt again at
the leader of the pirates, sending both his fists beneath his chin. Ah!
That was sufficient to stop Hanns Schlott, in spite of his great weight.
As the doubled fingers struck him his chin shot into the air and his
head was doubled back. Then, throwing his arms helplessly before him, he
fell like a log, his back coming into violent contact with the ground.
"Quickly!" called Tyler, turning to beckon to the two who followed him.
"Now give me a hand and together we will run to the boats."
Grasping the child by her disengaged hand he, together with the young
woman whom he had rescued, ran at their fastest pace down to the river,
bearing their charge between them. A second later John Marshall and his
men confronted the fugitives and hastened them to the boats.
"Jest a proper whop!" cried the former in tones of delight, his
enthusiasm urging him to give his congratulations without delay. "I tell
yer I saw it all, for I had taken good care to creep to a spot where I
had the entrance under view, and I reckon I could hear the fist strike
him. But he's only downed for a minute. He's silly just now, but he'll
be shouting afore we are well on the river, and then there will be some
fun. This way, my dear. Give the child to me, and you'll see that John
Marshall can take care of her."
Lifting the child in his arms he went to one of the sampans and
embarked, the young woman following. As for Tyler, he too ran down to
the water's edge, and stood there while his men scrambled aboard their
boats.
"All there?" he demanded quietly. "Then push off at once and make for
the English ship. Li Sung, you can shout to the others to cut away from
their moorings and make for the sea."
Leaping into one of the sampans he took his place in the bows and stood
there eagerly watching the scene before him. Nor had he any difficulty
in observing each one of the prahus which the tribe commanded, for,
as is so often the case in the East, the sun had risen with startling
suddenness, and, streaming along the open space left by the river,
had swept the mist away as if with a broom. And there, as if with the
movement of a magician's wand, a brilliant day had suddenly displaced
the gloom, showing the broad surface of the Sarebus flashing in the
morning rays, and stirred here and there by the keels of the prahus,
while on either side and behind was a net-work of green, enormous trees
standing in serried lines and huddled together till it scarcely seemed
to need the trailing creepers, the ferns, and the festoons of dazzling
blooms to fill up the intervals. And lower down, with the rising sun as
a setting to them, were a score of piratical vessels, some with masts
alone to be seen, while others floated upon the river in ungainly
positions, careening this way and that, some with bows thrust high into
the air, and others with their decks on the point of being submerged.
"The remainder of Hanns Schlott's fleet," said Tyler with just the trace
of a smile wreathing his lips. "He will be at a loss without them. But
listen to the noise he is making. He is bellowing as if he had been
hurt."
"And he will shout so loud and will rush by the paths along the river so
that de men below hear," chimed in Li Sung, who stood by his master's
side. "You see; China boy him tellee you dat de Dutchman havee a velly
big try to turn de table. He shout and him halloo, and as me say, he
send de men along de river bank. But who cares? Li him quite happy. He
hab big ship velly soon, and him sail to meet him wife and family."
"If those below will let you," laughed Tyler, feeling now as though a
load of anxious care had been lifted from his mind. "But, as you say,
Li, it does not matter very much, for the tribe is now a hundred times
better off than an hour ago, for we have ships, and we have weapons, and
there is liberty and freedom before us. But here is the ship. Up we go!"
Thanks to the careful drilling which the Dyaks had received there was no
confusion at this, almost the last stage of their adventurous journey.
Obedient to the orders of their leader, those who had been told off to
look to the English schooner had warped her round till her head pointed
down-stream, and had then hung on to her, prepared at any moment to tow
her towards the bend, while two of their comrades, placed in a sampan
at the stern, severed the cables with their swords. Waiting, therefore,
for a shout from Tyler, they pulled at their sweeps, and hardly had the
rescued prisoners and their escort scrambled aboard than the schooner
was under weigh.
"We will keep in rear," said Tyler, calling John Marshall to his side.
"Take the tiller, my lad, and keep her in the centre of the stream.
I will go with Li Sung, and will arrange to have a sail or two bent.
There will be no difficulty either, for many are hanging in their places
half-furled."
"And what wind there is is down-stream," added the boatswain. "Give the
sheets a pull to bring 'em tight, and then get the darkies to shy a
bucket or two of water over the sails. It'll make 'em draw, and send us
along bowling."
"I'll see what can be done about guns, too," went on Tyler, "for I fancy
that we shall have to fight for it later on. But it will be a small
affair compared with what we have had already, and somehow I don't seem
to mind much."
"And I don't think no more of the idea than that," burst in the sailor,
snapping his fingers. "I'm jest light-hearted, I am, and I keeps on
a-roaring at the Dutchman. Lor', didn't he catch it!"
The honest fellow went to the tiller with a broad grin upon his
features, looking a peculiar object indeed as he stood there in his
strange garb of a Dyak. As for Tyler, it was a wonder that he did not
see the ridiculous side of his appearance also, for the swim across the
river had not improved his disguise by any means. In fact the merest
glance was sufficient to show that he was no native, for long white
streaks extended from his neck to his feet, while his face presented a
mottled appearance. Then, owing to his swim across the river, and to
the subsequent grovelling in mud and in the dust within the stockade,
he had obtained a coating which matched but badly with the stain of the
betel-nut, while his waist-cloth and turban were much discoloured. But
he had no time for the subject, and indeed, when he looked toward the
stern to see the boatswain in similar attire, he found nothing wrong,
nothing out of the ordinary, and it seemed only what was to be expected
to have a big raw-boned native there, watching the rigging with nautical
eye, and standing at his tiller in a business-like manner which showed
that he was a sailor born and bred.
"The sails first and the guns afterwards," said Tyler, running forward
with Li Sung. "Get to work, like a good fellow, and take charge of one
gang. I will do what I can with the other."
Thanks to the fact that the vessel had been sailed into the river, and
that those who had captured her had not taken the trouble to strip her
of her canvas, but had merely furled the sheets to the yards, the new
owners of the schooner had little difficulty in setting a large amount
of sail, so much so that ere long those on board the prahu were being
overhauled, and seeing that their sweeps were no longer needed, prepared
to come aboard.
"Make her fast to the stern and we will drop a ladder for you," shouted
Tyler, Li Sung interpreting the order. "She may be useful to us later
on, or I would have her scuttled. Now, how are the others doing?"
He turned his face down the river, and watched the other prahus which
bore the tribe of Dyaks who had journeyed with him so far.
"Good!" he exclaimed. "My followers evidently understand all about
vessels of that description, and they have them now fairly under weigh.
Then the stream is helping them along, and as they are smaller and more
easily manoeuvred than this schooner, they should be able to keep well
ahead. But we will see to that, and should any be lagging we will keep
them company, for it would never do to leave them behind. How are they
behaving at the pirate's stronghold?"
"Dey velly angry," said Li Sung with twinkling eyes, shaking his head
at Tyler. "Dey not know velly fine what have happened, but dey see de
prahus going, and dey watch dose which have not sunk. Ah! dis morning am
a velly bad one for dem."
"But there will be a worse to follow, Li. I hope to come this way again
later on, and drive them out altogether. But for the time being we have
enough to do without talking of that. I see that a number of the pirates
have plunged into the jungle, and are no doubt bound for their friends
lower down. When can we expect to come across another stockade?"
"Plenty quick, massa. De pirates havee anoder place a mile below, on de
right of de bank, and before velly long we be dere. Dey be ready for us
too, me tink, and den de guns fire and de swords flash."
"We shall see to that," said Tyler calmly, "and as there seems to be no
doubt that we shall have to encounter these fellows I will see what can
be done in the way of defence. But let us get our men aboard, and then
set more sails."
Turning abruptly to the stern again, he ran there with the Chinaman and
threw a rope-ladder overboard, up which the dusky Dyaks ascended with
the agility of monkeys. Then he took them along the deck with him and
set them to work at the rigging. Fortunately there was little difficulty
about the matter, and very soon the schooner was showing quite a large
amount of canvas, which, now that it was drenched with water, as John
Marshall had advised, caught the wind and sent the ship surging towards
the sea. And meanwhile the other prahus had made good way, and, keeping
to the centre of the river, which broadened rapidly now that they had
passed out of sight of Paddi, went sweeping along in front of the
English vessel which bore their leader. That the Dyaks were full of
excitement and of courage there was no doubt, for they crowded to the
bulwarks of their several prahus and flung shouts of defiance at the
pirates who raced along beside them. Indeed, never before had they been
in the position of being able to taunt these fierce enemies, and now
that the opportunity had come, and they realized to the full that for
the very first time it was they who were masters of the situation, while
those who had so often attacked them and caused them untold suffering
were helpless and beaten, they taunted them till the pirates raged with
anger, and waved swords, blow-pipes, and spears at them as if bidding
them wait but a little time and then join in combat with those who in
former days had trembled at the approach of one even of these fierce
warriors of the sea.
As for the pirates, they were utterly beaten and baffled, and helpless
to follow those who had made such an audacious attack upon them, by
means of the river, for not a sampan had been left to them, while every
prahu that they had possessed was now sailing for the sea or was beneath
the water. They raced down the stream by forest paths, sometimes being
within full view of Tyler and his men, and at others buried in the
jungle which completely hid them from sight. But their intention was
obvious, for as they ran they fired their flint muskets and shouted at
the top of their voices, with the one object of warning their comrades
below.
"The shots will have been heard long ago," said Tyler quietly, as he
gazed with satisfaction at the rigging, "and when we come to this other
stronghold we shall have to face more enemies. Let us see at once to the
guns."
With Li Sung in close attendance he went to the cabin, and then
thoroughly searched the ship, returning before very long with an
abundance of ammunition and small-arms, while the Chinaman staggered
beneath the weight of shot for a swivel-gun which was secured to the
deck amidships.
"Can the Dyaks be trusted to fire these weapons?" asked Tyler,
indicating the flint-locks. "It would never do to give them into their
hands if they were unaccustomed to firearms, for otherwise they would be
shooting one another."
"Massa need havee no fear. De Dyaks plenty knowee de gun, but dey too
poor to buy, and de powder and de shot too dear for dem to havee when
at home," replied Li Sung with elevated eyebrows. "But dey knowee allee
about dese tings. Oh yes, massa, dey fire de gun plenty time before, and
you see, Li soon showee dem allee about dese."
With a knowing wag of his head the Chinaman called the Dyaks about him
and began to distribute the firearms amongst them, cautioning them at
the same time to be careful in their use of them, for fear of accidents.
"And let them know that they are not to open fire until I have given the
word," interposed Tyler in the middle of Li's explanations. "A scattered
volley will be useless to us, and I have been told that natives always
waste ammunition by firing when still long out of range of the enemy. We
must endeavour to cool their excitement, and to make them wait till the
prahus are close upon us. But what is that down lower? Surely I see a
stockade of some sort there?"
"Dat de oder place," responded Li Sung quickly, shading his eyes from
the glare of the sun for the space of a minute ere he gave the reply.
"Dat Pakoo, massa, and dere am de pirates. Li see dem wid de boom, and
dey trying to close de river."
At once all eyes were turned down the stream, where, some hundreds of
yards away, a number of prahus and sampans of large size could be seen
floating on the water. A careful inspection soon showed Tyler that the
Chinaman had made no mistake, for as he looked he distinctly saw four of
the largest sampans linked together in line, while their crews tugged at
the sweeps which the craft carried instead of the oars used on smaller
boats of a similar description. Behind the boats a long curling cable of
large dimensions was being towed, and very soon it became clear to all
aboard the escaping prahus that this was a boom which the pirates were
endeavouring to make fast to the opposite shore and so bar the progress
of the fugitives.
"We will soon make an end of that for them," said Tyler quietly, "for I
should think that the boom would hardly hold a couple of the prahus, and
much less the fleet which we have captured. But this schooner will rip
through the chains and logs as if the boom were composed of string, and
will open the passage to our comrades. Keep her for the very centre," he
shouted, turning his head towards the boatswain, "and see if you cannot
overtake our friends."
Coming down-stream with a brisk breeze and a swift current to aid them,
Tyler and his friends approached the boom, which had by now been firmly
secured, at a rapid pace, and very soon two of the prahus, which were
somewhat in advance of their consorts, reached the obstruction, and were
brought to a stand-still, for the boom was unusually powerful. A third
struck against it with the same result, and it began to look as though,
after all, escape for the tribe and their young leader would not be so
easy. Indeed, to the pirates, who had streamed from their stronghold at
the warning shouts of their comrades of Paddi, victory already appeared
to be on their side, and they rent the air with hoarse shouts of
delight. Crowded upon their prahus, which they had manned in all haste,
they pulled into the river to the lower side of the boom, and there hung
on their oars while they watched the enemy coming down upon the stream.
As a fourth and a fifth vessel lodged upon the boom their excitement
and delight became even greater, and, unable to contain themselves any
longer, and being led by the largest of their prahus, they pulled at the
boom, and prepared to come to close quarters with the men who had dared
to make such an attack upon their friends. Leaping into sampans, which
each of the prahus towed in her wake, some rowed at once for the boom,
and gliding over it, or lifting their boat across the logs and chains,
embarked again and came towards their victims at a furious pace. Others,
discarding the aid of a boat, leapt into the water and swam to the boom,
upon which they climbed. Then, balancing upon it with as much ease as
an average European does on a wide pavement, they came splashing along,
brandishing their weapons and shouting fiercely to terrify those whom
they were about to attack.
"For the centre!" shouted Tyler, turning again to John Marshall. "Cut
through the boom, and then throw her up into the wind till we see that
all our friends are through. If we fail to break it, I will lead a party
with axes."
Knowing that he could have full confidence in the boatswain, he left him
to carry out the order unaided, and at once ran in search of something
with which to cut the boom should the weight of the schooner prove
insufficient. But there was really no need for him to have fears on
the matter, for, thanks to the powerful stream and to the pull of her
canvas, the English vessel which he and his men had appropriated rushed
at the obstruction at such a pace that it was clear that nothing could
stop her. Steered by the deft hand of the sailor, she headed for the
very centre, the weakest spot, and, striking it with all her force,
severed it as if it had been paper. Then, plunging on in her course,
she bore down upon the large prahu which had led the attack upon those
who had been arrested by the boom, and ere the latter could be moved
aside by means of her sweeps the schooner was upon her. Ah! The crash
of rending wood-work filled the air, while shrieks and shouts of alarm
were heard on every side. But the schooner never faltered, indeed her
frame never even seemed to feel the jar, but, plunging on, she rolled
the prahu upon her beam-ends, and then drove clean over her, sending her
straight to the bottom. As for those of her crew who had leapt upon the
boom, or had taken to the sampans, they were left upon the surface of
the river gazing at the retreating fleet in consternation, as yet unable
to realize that those who a minute before seemed at their mercy had so
suddenly made good their escape, and had robbed them of one of their
finest prahus. With fear in their hearts they turned to their stockade
again, and disappeared within, feeling that to attempt pursuit of such
an enemy would end only in further suffering.
"And now for Sarawak!" shouted Tyler, as the fleet of prahus sailed
clear of the boom, and headed for the sea once more. "Our troubles are
almost over, and within a day we should be safely amongst friends.
Hurrah for Sarawak!"