"You made me feel horribly bad, Roy," whispered Syd, hastily. "How
could you do such a fearfully dangerous thing?"
Roylance smiled feebly and pointed down at the boat, which was yielding
slowly to the drag kept on it by the men.
"That may be the means of saving our lives," he said.
"Are you going to leave those other two poor fellows to fall off the
rock as food for the sharks, Mr Belton?" said Terry, who had been put
out of temper by the action of the men.
"I think you can answer that question yourself, Mr Terry," said
Roylance, flushing up angrily.
Syd made no reply, but quietly gave his orders.
"Mr Roylance," he said, "are you well enough to take charge of the men
here, as they haul the boat along, while I go and see to the bo'sun and
Rogers being got up the cliff?"
"Well enough? yes," cried Roylance, upon whom the short encounter with
Terry had acted like a stimulus.
Terry turned pale with rage at being passed over, and he followed Syd
and four of the men as they hurried along with the rope set at liberty
coiled up.
It was with no little anxiety that the party approached the spot where
Rogers had gone down, while Terry, who had expressed so much interest in
the fate of the two men, oddly enough hung behind.
Syd was the first to reach the place, and looked over to be greeted by
Rogers with a hail.
"Is Mr Strake all right?"
"Ay, ay, sir; all but my bark," said the boatswain. "Don't say, sir, as
you haven't got Mr Roylance off the boat."
"Got him off, Strake, and they're towing the boat along."
"Hurrah!" shouted the two men, whose position in an indentation of the
rock line had prevented them from seeing what was going on.
The rope was lowered down with the loop all ready, and Strake was hauled
up first, his appearance over the side being greeted with a cheer, and
plenty of hands were ready to help him into a sitting position, for it
was evident that he could not lift one leg.
"Never mind me, my lads," he said, quietly. "Get Rogers on deck first."
This was soon effected, the smart young sailor displaying an activity as
he scrambled over the edge of the rocks that contrasted strangely with
the boatswain's limp.
"Now, Strake," said Syd, as soon as he had seen Rogers safe, "are you
hurt?"
"Hurt, sir? Did you say hurt?"
"Yes, yes, man."
"Well, I s'pose I am, sir, for I feels as if I'd got a big sore place
spread all over me. Mussy me, sir, that's about the hardest rocks to
fall on as ever was."
"But no bones broken?"
"Bones broken? Nay. I've got none of your poor brittle chaney-ladle
kind o' bones; but my head's cut and the bark's all off my right leg in
the front. Left leg arn't got no bark at all, and I'm reg'larly shaken
in all my seams, and stove in on my starboard quarter, sir. So if
you'll have me got into dock or beached and then overhaul me a bit, I'd
take it kindly."
"Of course, of course, Strake; anything I can do."
"Ahoy!" cried the old man, raising a hand as he sat in the sunshine upon
the rock, but lowering it directly. "Oh, dear; I wanted to give them a
hearty cheer yonder, but, phew! it's bellows to mend somewhere. Yes,
I'm stove in. Old ship's been on the rocks; all in the dry though."
A cheer came back, though, as Roylance and his men caught sight of the
two who had been rescued, while they towed the boat slowly along.
"How are we to get you back to the huts, Strake?" said Syd, anxiously.
"Oh, never mind me just at present, my lad," said the boatswain; "what I
want to see is that there boat got alongside o' our harbour--on'y
'tarn't a harbour--and made fast with all the rope you can find. Maybe
she's got a cable aboard. I should break my heart if she weer to break
adrift now."
"Mr Roylance has her in charge, Strake, and I'll see to you. Where are
you in pain?"
"Ask me where I arn't in pain, Mr Belton, sir. I got it this time."
"I'm sorry for you, Strake."
"Thank ye, sir; but I'm sorry for you. There's a big job to patch me up
and caulk me, I can tell you. It's horspittle this time, I'm feared."
"But how are we to move you without giving you pain?"
"I'll tell you, sir. Sail again, and some un at each corner. We shan't
beat that."
The sail was procured, and the injured man was carried as carefully as
possible back to the foot of the gap, hoisted up, and then borne into
the hospital.
"Strake! Hurt?" cried the lieutenant.
"Oh, not much, sir; bit of a tumble, that's all, sir. Don't you be
skeared. I arn't going to make no row about it. No, no, sir, please,"
continued the boatswain, "not yet. I don't feel fit to be boarded.
Just you go and give your orders to make that there boat safe, and then
I'm ready for you. One word though, sir."
"What is it?"
"Have that there boat well fended, or she'll grind herself to pieces
agen the rock."
Syd hesitated, but being full of anxiety to see the boat that had cost
them so much thoroughly secured, and feeling perhaps that after all a
rest after his rough journey would make the boatswain more able to bear
examination and bandaging, he hurried off to find that he need not have
troubled himself, for Roylance was doing everything possible, and the
vessel was being safely moored head and stern.
But he was in time to have the boatswain's proposition carried out, and
a couple of pieces of spar were hung over the side to keep her from
tearing and grinding on the edge of the natural pier.
As Syd was returning he came upon Terry, looking black as night, and
held out his hand.
"I'm sorry there should have been any fresh unpleasantness," he said.
"Can't we be friends, Mr Terry?"
"That's just what I want to be, Belton," cried Terry, eagerly, seizing
the proffered hand. "I'm afraid I did interfere a bit too much to-day."
"And somehow," mused Syd, as he went on to the hospital, "I can't feel
as if it's all genuine. It's like shaking hands with a sole and five
sprats. Ugh! how cold and fishy his hand did feel."
The lieutenant was lying in the hospital with his eyes closed, and Pan
was bathing his father's brow with water, using his injured arm now and
then out of forgetfulness, but putting it back in the sling again as
soon as it was observed.
"Arn't much the matter with it, I know, Pan-y-mar," the injured man
whispered, as Syd halted by the door to see how his new patient seemed,
trembling terribly in his ignorance at having to put his smattering of
surgery to the test once more.
"Ah, you dunno, father," grumbled the boy. "You've ketched it this
time. I don't talk about getting no rope's-ends to you."
"No, my lad, you don't. I should jest like to ketch you at it. But you
won't see me going about in a sling."
"Ah, you dunno yet, father."
"Don't I? You young swab; why, if I had my head took off with a shot, I
wouldn't howl as you did."
"Why, yer couldn't, father," said Pan, grinning.
"What, yer laughing at me, are yer? Just you wait till I gets a few
yards o' dackylum stuck about me, and you'll get that rope's-end yet,
Pan-y-mar."
"Oh, no! I shan't," said Pan in a whisper, after glancing at the
lieutenant, who was lying with his eyes closed. "You'll be bad for two
months."
"What? Why, you sarcy young lubber, if the luff warn't a-lying there
and I didn't want to wake him, I'd give yer such a cuff over the ear as
'd make yer think bells was ringing."
"Couldn't reach," said Pan, dabbing his face.
"Then I'd kick yer out of the door."
"Yah!" grinned Pan. "Can't kick. I see yer brought in, and yer
couldn't stand."
"Keep that water out o' my eye, warmint, will you," whispered the
boatswain. "Water's too good to be wasted. Give us a drink, boy."
Pan rose and dipped a pannikin full of the cool water from a bucket, and
held it to his father's lips.
"Wouldn't have had no water if it hadn't been for me coming ashore," he
said.
"Ah, you've a lot to boast about. Just you pour that in properly, will
yer; I want it inside, not out."
"Who's to pour it right when yer keeps on talking?" said Pan, as he
trickled the water into his father's mouth.
"Ah, you're a nice sarcy one now I'm down, Pan-y-mar," said Stoke, after
a long refreshing draught. "But you may be trustful, I've got a good
memory for rope's-ends, and you shall have it warmly as soon as I'm
well."
"Then I won't stop and nuss yer," said Pan, drawing back.
"You just come on, will yer, yer ungrateful swab."
"Shan't," said Pan.
"What! Do you know this here arn't the skipper's garden, and you and me
only gardeners, but 'board ship--leastwise it's all the same--and I'm
your orficer?"
"You arn't a orficer now," said Pan, grinning. "You're only a wounded
man."
"Come here."
"Shan't!"
"Pan-y-mar, come here."
"Say you won't rope's-end me, and I will."
"But I will rope's-end you."
"Then I won't come."
The boatswain made an effort to rise, but sank back with a groan. Pan
took a couple of steps forward, and looked at him eagerly.
"Why, you're shamming, father," he said.
The boatswain lay back with the great drops of sweat standing on his
face.
"I say, you won't rope's-end me, father?"
There was no reply.
"Why, you are shamming, father."
Still all was silent, and the boy darted to the injured man's side and
began to bathe his face rapidly.
"Father," he whispered, hoarsely, "father. Oh, I say! Don't die, and
you shall give it me as much as you like. Father--Oh, it's you, Master
Syd. Be quick! He's so bad. What shall I do?"
"Be quiet," said Syd, quietly. "Don't be frightened; he has fainted."
"Then why did he go scaring a lad like that?" whimpered Pan, looking on.
"Hush! Be quiet. There: he is coming round," said Syd, as the injured
man uttered a loud sigh and looked wonderingly about him.
"Just let me get hold--Oh, it's you, sir. Glad you've comed. I'm ready
now.--Stand aside, Pan-y-mar, and give the doctor room.--Say, Master
Syd," he whispered, "don't let that young sneak know what I said, but I
do feel a bit skeared."
"You are weak and faint."
"But it's about my legs, Master Sydney. Don't take 'em off, lad, unless
you are obliged."
"Nonsense! I shall not want to do that. You are much bruised, but
there are no bones broken."
"Ay, but there are, my lad," said the boatswain, sadly. "I didn't want
to say much about it, but I am stove in. Ribs."
"How do you know?"
"Feels it every time I breathes, my lad. Bad job when a ship's timbers
goes."
Sydney knew what to do under the circumstances, and sending Pan for
Rogers to help him, he proceeded to examine his fresh patient, to find
that two ribs were broken on the right side, the rest of the injuries
consisting of severe bruises and grazings of the skin. In addition
there were a couple of cuts on the back of the head, which called for
strapping up.
Part of these injuries had been attended to by the time Pan returned
with Rogers, and then the ribs were tightly bandaged with a broad strip
of sail-cloth.
"I say, sir," growled the boatswain, "not going to do this all over me?"
"No! Why?"
"'Cause I shan't be able to move, and my boy's been a-haskin' for
something hot 'fore you come."
"That I didn't, father."
"Oh, yes, you did, my lad. You didn't ask with yer mouth, but have a
way of asking for what you're so fond on without making no noise."
Pan screwed up his face, and the lieutenant, who had been lying
apparently asleep, burst into a loud laugh.
"Come, Strake," he said, "you had better leave that, and think of
getting better."
"Ay, ay, sir; but I hope I see you better for your nap."
"I wish you did, my man, and I wish you the same. But there, we've such
a skilful young doctor to look after us, we shan't hurt much."
"Not us, sir. I am't nothing to what you was, and see what a job Mr
Belton's made o' you."
"Yes; it's wonderful. I can never be grateful enough."
"Beg pardon, sir," said Sydney, "but I want to finish bandaging the
boatswain; and if you keep on talking like that I can't."
"I am silent, O doctor!" said the lieutenant, laughing. "And so you've
got a boat, have you?"
"Such as it is, sir."
"Then if the captain does not come back we shall have the means of
getting away from this place. No; that will not do, Mr Belton: we must
hold it till we are driven out. Keep to it to the very last. I say we:
you must, for you are in command. I suppose it will be months before I
am well."
"I'm afraid it will," replied Syd.
"Then you must hold it, as I said."
"Hurrah!" cried Strake, and then screwing up his face--"My word! that's
bad. You're all right, Pan-y-mar. There won't be no rope's-end for you
this week."
"No," said Syd, merrily, "I think he's safe for quite that time."
"And when may I move, doctor?" said Mr Dallas, smiling.
"As soon as you can bear it, sir, I'll have you got out in the morning
to lie in the shade and get the fresh sea-breeze before it grows hot."
"Ah! thank you, my lad," he said, with a longing look. "I'm beginning
to think I would as soon have been a surgeon as what I am."
Syd started and coloured up, as he wondered whether the lieutenant knew
anything about his life at home.