Quicksilver: The Boy With No Skid to His Wheel

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.

  AN AWKWARD PURSUER.

  It was wonderful how different the future looked after that picnicdinner by the river-side. The bread and butter were perfect, and thecray-fish as delicious as the choicest prawns. The water that glidedpast the bank was like crystal; the evening sun lit up the scene withorange and gold; and as the two boys lolled restfully upon the banklistening to the murmur of the running water, the twitter of birds, andthe distant lowing of some ox, they thoroughly appreciated everything,even the rest after their tiring night's work and toilsome day.

  "Are we going on now!" said Dexter at last.

  "What for?" asked Bob, as he lay upon his back, with his head in a tuftof heath.

  "I don't know."

  "What's the good of going on? What's the good o' being in a hurry?"

  "I'm not in a hurry, only I should like to get to an island wherethere's plenty of fruit."

  "Ah, we shan't get to one to-day!" said Bob, yawning. Then there wassilence; and Dexter lay back watching the beautiful river, and the brownboat as it swung easily by its chain.

  Soon a butterfly flitted by--a beautiful orange brown butterfly coveredwith dark spots, dancing here and there over the sylvan nook, and thenext minute Dexter as he lay on his back felt cool, and began wonderingwhile he looked straight up at the stars, fancying he had been called.

  He felt as if he had never seen so many stars before glittering in thedark purple sky, and he began wondering how it was that one minute hehad been looking at that spotted butterfly, and the next at the stars.

  And then it dawned upon him that he must have been fast asleep for manyhours, and if he had felt any doubt about this being the right solutionof his position a low gurgling snore on his left told that Bob Dimstedwas sleeping still.

  It was a novel and curious sensation that of waking up in the silenceand darkness, with the leaves whispering, and that impression still uponhim that he had been called.

  "It must have been old Dan'l," he had thought at first. "Perhaps he wasin search of them," and he listened intently. Or it might have been themen who had come upon them where they had the first fire, and they hadseen this one.

  "No, they couldn't see this one, for it was out."

  Dexter was about to conclude that it was all imagination, when, from faraway in the wood he heard, in the most startling way:--_Hoi hoi_--_hoohoo_!

  He started to his feet, and was about to waken Bob, when a greatghostly-looking bird came sweeping along the river, turned in at thenook quite low down, and then seemed to describe a curve, passing justover his head, and uttered a wild and piercing shriek that wasappalling.

  Dexter's blood ran cold, as the cry seemed to thrill all down his spine,and in his horror he made a rush to run away anywhere from the terriblething which had startled him.

  But his ill luck made him once more startle Bob from his slumbers, for,as he ran blindly to reach the shelter of the wood, he fell right overthe sleeping boy, and went down headlong.

  "Here! I--oh, please sir, don't sir--don't sir,--it was that other boy,sir, it wasn't me, sir. It was--was--it was--why, what games are you upto now!"

  "Hush! Bob. Quick! Let's run."

  "Run!" said Bob excitedly, as the frightened boy clung to him. "Ithought they'd come."

  "Yes, they're calling to one another in the wood," whispered Dexterexcitedly; "and there was a horrid something flew up, and shrieked out."

  "Why, I heerd it, and dreamed it was you."

  "Come away--come away!" cried Dexter. "There, hark!"

  _Hoi hoi_--_hoi hoi_! came from not far away.

  "Ha, ha, ha!" laughed Bob. "You are a one!" and putting his hands tohis mouth, to Dexter's great astonishment he produced a very goodimitation of the cry.

  "Why, you'll have them hear us and come," he whispered.

  "Yah! you are a coward! Why, it's an old howl."

  "Owl! calling like that!"

  "Yes, to be sure. I've heerd 'em lots o' times when I've been latefishing up the river."

  "But there was a big thing flew over my head, and it shrieked out."

  "That was a howl too. Some of 'em shouts, and some of 'em screeches. Isay, I hope you've kept a heye on the boat!"

  "Are you sure that other was an owl too!" said Dexter excitedly.

  "Course I am. Think I've been out in the woods with father after thefezzans, and stopping out all night, without knowing a howl?"

  Dexter felt quite warm now.

  "I never heard one before, and it frightened me."

  "Yes, you're easily frightened," said Bob contemptuously. "You haven'tbeen to sleep, have you!"

  "Yes, I have."

  "Then you oughtn't to have been. If you've been to sleep and let thatboat go, I'll never forgive you."

  Bob had hardly uttered the words when Dexter, who had forgotten allabout the boat, ran to the water's edge feeling sure that it was gone.

  But it was quite safe, and he went back to Bob.

  "What shall we do now!" he said.

  "Do?" said Bob, yawning. "You sit and keep watch while I go to sleepfor a quarter of an hour. Then you may call me, and I'll take my turn."

  Bob curled himself up after the fashion of a dog, and went off to sleepdirectly, while, as Dexter, who felt chilly, began to walk up and downbetween the water's edge and the steep cliff-like bank, he could nothelp once more wishing that he was in his comfortable bed at thedoctor's.

  He waited for long over a quarter of an hour, keeping his lonely watch,but Bob slept on and snored.

  At the end of about an hour and a half he thought it would only be fairto call his companion to take his turn, but he called in vain.

  Then he tried shaking, but only to elicit growls, and when he perseveredBob hit out so savagely that Dexter was fain to desist.

  "I'll let him sleep half an hour longer," he said to himself; and hewalked to and fro to keep himself warm.

  It must have been after an hour that he called Bob again.

  "All right," said that worthy.

  "But it isn't all right," cried Dexter. "It ain't fair. Come: get up."

  "All right! I'll get up directly. Call me in about ten minutes."

  Dexter waited a little while, and called his companion. But in vain.

  And so it went on, with the sleeper sometimes apologetic, sometimesimploring, till it was broad daylight; and then Bob rose and shookhimself.

  "I say, 'tain't fair," said Dexter ill-humouredly.

  "Well, why didn't you make me get up!"

  "I did try, lots of times."

  "But you didn't half try. You should have got me quite awake."

  "It's too bad, and I'm as sleepy as can be," grumbled Dexter.

  "Here! whatcher going to do?" cried Bob.

  "Lie down and sleep till breakfast-time."

  "Oh, are yer?" cried Bob. "We've got to go and catch our breakfasts."

  "What, now?"

  "To be sure. I'm getting hungry. Come along. I'll find a good place,and it's your turn now to get some cray-fish."

  "But I'm so cold and sleepy."

  "Well, that'll warm yer. There, don't look sulky."

  Bob got into the boat and unfastened the chain, so that there wasnothing left for Dexter to do but follow; and they rowed away down theriver, which was widening fast.

  The exercise and the rising sun sent warmth and brighter thoughts intoDexter, so that he was better able to undertake the task of searchingthe holes for cray-fish when the boat was brought up under a suitablebank, and urged on by Bob he had to undress and take an unwilling bath,and a breakfast-hunt at the same time.

  He was clumsy, and unaccustomed to the task, but driven by Bob'sbullying tones, and helped by the fact that the little crustaceans werepretty plentiful, he managed to get a dozen and a half in about an hour.

  "There, come out, and dress now," said Bob ill-humouredly. "It's moretrouble to tell you than to have got 'em myself. I'd ha' found twice asmany in the time." />
  Dexter shivered, and then began to enjoy the warmth of his garmentsafter as good a wipe as he could manage with a pocket-handkerchief. Butit was the row afterwards that gave the required warmth--a row which wascontinued till another farm-house was seen beside a great cider orchard.

  Here Dexter had to land with sixpence and the empty bottle.

  "I promised to take that there bottle back," said Bob, with a grin, "butI shan't now. Lookye here. You make 'em give you a good lot of breadand butter for the sixpence, and if they asks you any questions, you saywe're two gentlemen out for a holiday."

  Dexter landed, and went up to the farm-house, through whose open door hecould see a warm fire, and inhale a most appetising odour of cookingbacon and hot coffee.

  A pleasant-faced woman came to the door, and her ways and looks were thefirst cheery incidents of Dexter's trip.

  "Sixpennyworth of bread and butter, and some milk?" she said. "Yes, ofcourse."

  She prepared a liberal exchange for Dexter's coin, and then afterfilling the bottle put the boy's chivalry to the test.

  "Why, you look as if you wanted your breakfast," she said. "Have a cupof warm coffee?"

  Dexter's eyes brightened, and he was about to say _yes_. But he said_no_, for it seemed unfair to live better than his comrade, and justthen the vision of Bob Dimsted looking very jealous and ill-humouredrose before him.

  "I'm in a hurry to get back," he said.

  The woman nodded, and Dexter hastened back to the water-side.

  "I was just a-going without yer," was his greeting. "What a whileyou've been!"

  "I was as quick as I could be," said Dexter apologetically.

  "No, you weren't, and don't give me none of your sarce," said Bob."Kitch holt o' that scull and pull. D'yer hear!"

  Dexter obeyed, and they rowed on for about a mile before a suitableplace was found for landing and lighting a fire, when, after a good dealof ogreish grumbling, consequent upon Bob wanting his breakfast, asimilar meal to that of the previous day was eaten, and they startedonce more on their journey down-stream to the sea, and the golden landwhich would recompense Dexter, as he told himself, for all thisdiscomfort, the rough brutality of his companion, and the prickings ofconscience which he felt whenever Coleby occurred to his mind, and theface of Helen looked reproach into the very depth of his innerconsciousness.

  All that morning, when they again started, he found the river widen andchange. Instead of being clear, and the stones visible at the bottom,the banks were further away, so were the hills, and the water was muddy.What was more strange to Dexter was that instead of the stream carryingthem along it came to meet them.

  At last Bob decided that they would moor by the bank, and begin oncemore to fish.

  They landed and got some worms, and for a time had very fair sport,taking it in turns to catch some small rounded silvery and creamytransparent fish, something like dace, but what they were even Bob didnot know. He was never at a loss, however, and he christened themsea-gudgeon.

  Dexter was just landing one when a sour-looking man in a shabby oldpaintless boat came by close to the shore, and looked at themsearchingly. But he looked harder at the boat as he went by, turned in,as it seemed, and rowed right into the land.

  "There must be a little river there," Bob said. "We'll look presently.I say, didn't he stare!"

  Almost as he spoke the man came out again into the tidal river and rowedaway, went up some distance, and they had almost forgotten him when theysaw him come slowly along, close inshore.

  "Bob," whispered Dexter, "he's after us."

  To which Bob responded with a contemptuous--

  "Yah!"

  "Much sport?" said the man, passing abreast of their boat about half adozen yards away, and keeping that by dipping his oars from time totime.

  "Pretty fair," said Bob, taking the rod. "'Bout a dozen."

  "What fish are they!" said Dexter eagerly, and he held up one.

  "Smelts," said the man, with a peculiar look. "Come fishing?"

  "Yes," said Bob sharply. "We've come for a day or two's fishing."

  "That's right," said the man, with a smile that was a little lesspleasant than his scowl. "I'm a fisherman too."

  "Oh, are yer?" said Bob.

  "Yes, that's what I am."

  "He ain't after us," whispered Bob. "It's all right."

  Dexter did not feel as if it was. He had an innate dislike to the man,who looked furtive and underhanded.

  "Got a tidy boat there," said the man at last.

  "Yes, she's a good un to go along," said Bob.

  "Wouldn't sell her, I s'pose!" said the man.

  "What should we sell her for?" said Bob, hooking and landing a fishcoolly enough.

  "I d'know. Thought you might want to part with her," said the man. "Iwouldn't mind giving fifteen shillings for a boat like that."

  "Yah!" cried Bob mockingly. "Why, she's worth thirty at least."

  "Bob!" whispered Dexter excitedly. "You mustn't sell her."

  "You hold your tongue."

  "I wouldn't give thirty shillings for her," said the man, coming closenow and mooring his own crazy craft by holding on to the gunwale of thegig. "She's too old."

  "That she ain't," cried Bob. "Why, she's nearly new."

  "Not she. Only been varnished up, that's all. I'll give you a poundfor her."

  "No," said Bob, to Dexter's great relief.

  "I'll give you a pound for her, and my old 'un chucked in," said theman. "It's more than she's worth, but I know a man who wants such aboat as that."

  "You mustn't sell her, Bob," whispered Dexter, who was now in agony.

  "You hold your row. I know what I'm a-doing of."

  "Look here," said the man, "I'm going a little farder, and I'll fetchthe money, and then if you like to take it we'll trade. It's more'nshe's worth, though, and you'd get my little boat in, as is as good aboat as ever swum."

  He pushed off and rowed away, while, as soon as he was out of sight,Dexter attacked his companion with vigour.

  "We mustn't sell her, Bob," he said.

  "Why not? She's our'n now."

  "No, she isn't; and we've promised to take her back."

  "Look here!" said Bob, "have you got any money?"

  "No, but we shan't want any as soon as we get to the island."

  "Yes, we shall, and a pound would be no end of good."

  "But we would have to give up our voyage."

  "No, we shouldn't. We'd make his boat do."

  "But it's such a shabby one. We mustn't sell the boat, Bob."

  "Look here! I'm captain, and I shall do as I like."

  "Then I shall tell the man the boat isn't ours."

  "If you do I'll knock your eye out. See if I don't," cried Bobfiercely.

  Dexter felt hot, and his fists clenched involuntarily, but he sat verystill.

  "If I like to sell the boat I shall. We want the money, and the otherboat will do."

  "I say it won't," said Dexter sharply.

  "Why, hullo!" cried Bob, laughing. "Here's cheek."

  "I don't care, it would be stealing Sir James's boat, and I say itshan't be done."

  "Oh, yer do--do yer!" said Bob, in a bullying tone.

  "You won't be happy till I've given you such a licking as'll make yerteeth ache. Now, just you hold your row, and wait till I gets yerashore, and you shall have it. I'd give it to yer now, only I shouldknock yer overboard and drown'd yer, and I don't want to do that thefirst time."

  Bob went on fishing, and Dexter sat biting his lip, and feeling as heused to feel when he had had a caning for something he had not done.

  "I shall do just as I please," said Bob, giving his head a waggle, as ifto show his authority. "So you've got to sit still and look on. And ifyou says anything about where the boat came from, I shall tell the manyou took it."

  "And, if you do, I shall tell him it's a lie," cried Dexter, as fiercelyas his companion; and just then he saw the man coming back.r />