Gascoyne, the Sandal-Wood Trader

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

  DOINGS ON BOARD THE "FOAM."

  The nature of this part of our story requires that we should turn back,repeatedly, in order to trace the movements of the different partieswhich co-operated with each other.

  While the warlike demonstrations we have described were being made bythe British cruiser, the crew of the _Foam_ were not idle.

  In consequence of the capture of Bumpus by the savages, Gascoyne'smessage was, of course, not delivered to Manton, and the first mate ofthe sandalwood trader would have known nothing about the fight thatraged on the other side of the island on the Sunday, but for the threeshots, fired by the first lieutenant of the _Talisman_, which decidedthe fate of the day.

  Being curious to know the cause of the firing, Manton climbed themountains until he gained the dividing ridge--which, however, he did notsucceed in doing till late in the afternoon, the way being rugged aswell as long. Here he almost walked into the midst of a flying party ofthe beaten savages; but dropping suddenly behind a rock, he escapedtheir notice. The haste with which they ran, and the wounds visible onthe persons of many of them, were sufficient to acquaint the mate of the_Foam_ with the fact that a fight had taken place in which the savageshad been beaten; and his knowledge of the state of affairs on the islandenabled him to jump at once to the correct conclusion that the Christianvillage had been attacked.

  A satanic smile played on the countenance of the mate as he watched thesavages until they were out of sight; then, quitting his place ofconcealment, he hurried back to the schooner, which he reached some timeafter nightfall.

  Immediately on gaining the deck he gave orders to haul the chain of theanchor short, to shake out the sails, and to make other preparations toavail himself without delay of the light breeze off the land which hisknowledge of the weather and the locality taught him to look for beforemorning.

  While his orders were being executed, a boat came alongside with thatpart of the crew which had been sent ashore by Gascoyne to escape theeye of the British commander. It was in charge of the second mate--ashort, but thick-set and extremely powerful man, of the name ofScraggs--who walked up to his superior the moment he came on board, and,in a tone somewhat disrespectful, asked what was going to be done.

  "Don't you see," growled Manton; "we're getting ready to sail."

  "Of course I see that," retorted Scraggs, between whom and his superiorofficer there existed a feeling of jealousy as well as of mutualantipathy, for reasons which will be seen hereafter; "but I should liketo know where we are going, and why we are going anywhere without thecaptain. I suppose I am entitled to ask that much."

  "It's your business to obey orders," said Manton, angrily.

  "Not if they are in opposition to the captain's orders," repliedScraggs, firmly, but in a more respectful tone; for in proportion as hebecame more mutinous, he felt that he could afford to become moredeferential. "The captain's last orders to you were to remain where youare; I heard him give them, and I do not feel it my duty to disobey himat _your_ bidding. You'll find, too, that the crew are of my way ofthinking."

  Manton's face flushed crimson, and, for a moment, he felt inclined toseize a handspike and fell the refractory second mate therewith; but thelooks of a few of the men who were standing by and had overheard theconversation, convinced him that a violent course of procedure would dohim injury. Swallowing his passion, therefore, as he best could, hesaid--

  "Come, Mr Scraggs, I did not expect that _you_ would set a mutinousexample to the men; and if it were not that you do so out of respect forthe supposed orders of the captain, I would put you in irons at once."

  Scraggs smiled sarcastically at this threat, but made no reply, and themate continued--

  "The captain did indeed order me to remain where we are, but I havesince discovered that the black dogs have attacked the Christiansettlement, as it is called, and you know as well as I do, that Gascoynewould not let slip the chance to pitch into the undefended village ofthe niggers, and pay them off for the mischief they have done to us morethan once. At any rate, I mean to go round and blow down their log hutswith Long Tom; so you can go ashore if you don't like the work."

  Manton knew well, when he made this allusion to mischief formerly doneto the crew of the _Foam_, that he touched a rankling sore in the breastof Scraggs, who in a skirmish with the natives some time before had lostan eye; and the idea of revenging himself on the defenceless women andchildren of his enemies was so congenial to the mind of the second mate,that his objections to act willingly under Manton's orders were at onceremoved.

  "Ha!" said he, commencing to pace to and fro on the quarter-deck withhis superior officer, while the men made the necessary preparations forthe intended assault, "that alters the case, Mr Manton. I don't think,however, that Gascoyne would have taken advantage of the chance to givethe brutes what they deserve, for I must say he does seem to beunaccountably chicken-hearted; perhaps it's as well that he's out of theway. Do you happen to know where he is or what he's doing?"

  "Not I. No doubt he is playing some sly game with this British cruiser,and I dare say he may be lending a hand to the settlers, for he's gotsome strange interests to look after there, you know," (here both menlaughed,) "and I shouldn't wonder if he was beforehand with us inpitching into the niggers. He is always ready enough to fight inself-defence, though we can never get him screwed up to the assaultingpoint."

  "Ay, we saw something of the fighting from the hill tops, but as it isno business of ours, I brought the men down in case they might be wantedaboard."

  "Quite right, Scraggs. You're a judicious fellow to send on a dangerousexpedition. I'm not sure, however, that Gascoyne would thank you forleaving him to fight the savages alone." Manton chuckled as he saidthis, and Scraggs grinned maliciously as he replied--

  "Well, it can't exactly be said that I've _left_ him, seeing that I havenot been with him since we parted aboard of this schooner, and as to hisfightin' the niggers alone,--hasn't he got ever so many hundred_Christian_ niggers to help him to lick the others?"

  "True," said Manton, while a smile of contempt curled his lip. "Buthere comes the breeze, and the sun won't be long behind it. All thebetter for the work we've got to do. Mind your helm there. Here, lads,take a pull at the topsail halyards; and some of you get the nightcapoff Long Tom. I say, Mr Scraggs, should we shew them the _red_, by wayof comforting their hearts?"

  Scraggs shook his head dubiously. "You forget the cruiser. She haseyes aboard, and may chance to set them on that same red, in which caseit's likely she would shew us her teeth."

  "And what then?" demanded Manton, "are _you_ also growingchicken-hearted. Besides," he added in a milder tone, "the cruiser isquietly at anchor on the other side of the island, and there's not acaptain in the British navy who could take a pinnace, much less a ship,through the reefs at the north end of the island without a pilot."

  "Well," returned Scraggs, carelessly, "do as you please. It's all oneto me."

  While the two officers were conversing, the active crew of the _Foam_were busily engaged in carrying out the orders of Manton, and thegraceful schooner glided swiftly along the coast before the same breezewhich urged the _Talisman_ to the north end of the island. The former,having few reefs to avoid, approached her destination much more rapidlythan the latter, and there is no doubt that she would have arrived firston the scene of action had not the height and form of the cliffsprevented the wind from filling her sails on two or three occasions.

  Meanwhile, in obedience to Manton's orders, a great and very peculiarchange was effected in the outward aspect of the _Foam_. To oneunacquainted with the character of the schooner, the proceedings of hercrew must have seemed unaccountable as well as surprising. Thecarpenter and his assistants were slung over the sides of the vessel,upon which they plied their screwdrivers for a considerable time withgreat energy, but, apparently, with very little result. In the courseof a quarter of an hour, however, a long narrow plank was loosened,which,
when stripped off, discovered a narrow line of bright scarletrunning quite round the vessel, a little more than a foot above thewater-line. This having been accomplished, they next proceeded to thefigurehead, and, unscrewing the white lady who smiled there, fixed inher place a hideous griffin's head, which, like the ribbon, was alsobright scarlet. While these changes were being effected, others of thecrew removed the boat that lay on the deck, bottom up, between themasts, and uncovered a long brass pivot-gun of the largest calibre,which shone in the saffron light of morning like a mass of burnishedgold. This gun was kept scrupulously clean and neat in all itsarrangements; the rammers, sponges, screws, and other apparatusbelonging to it, were neatly arranged beside it, and four or five of itsenormous iron shot were piled under its muzzle. The traversing gearconnected with it was well greased, and, in short, everything about thegun gave proof of the care that was bestowed on it.

  But these were not the only alterations made in the mysterious schooner.Round both masts were piled a number of muskets, boarding-pikes,cutlasses, and pistols, all of which were perfectly clean and bright,and the men--fierce enough and warlike in their aspect at all times--hadnow rendered themselves doubly so, by putting on broad belts withpistols therein, and tucking up their sleeves to the shoulders, therebydisplaying their brawny arms as if they had dirty work before them.This strange metamorphosis was finally completed when Manton, with hisown hands, ran up to the peak of the mainsail a bright scarlet flag withthe single word "AVENGER" on it in large black letters.

  During one of those lulls in the breeze to which we have referred, andwhile the smooth ocean glowed in the mellow light that ushered in theday, the attention of those on board the _Avenger_ (as we shall call thedouble-faced schooner when under red colours) was attracted to one ofthe more distant cliffs, on the summit of which human beings appeared tobe moving.

  "Hand me that glass," said Manton to one of the men beside him. "Ishouldn't wonder if the niggers were up to some mischief there. Ah!just so," he exclaimed, adjusting the telescope a little more correctly,and again applying it to his eye. "They seem to be scuffling on the topof yonder precipice. Now there's one fellow down; but it's so far offthat I can't make out clearly what they're about. I say, Mr Scraggs,get the other glass and take a squint at them--you are farther sightedthan I am."

  "You're right; they are killin' one another up yonder," observedScraggs, surveying the group on the cliffs with calm indifference.

  "Here comes the breeze," exclaimed Manton, with a look of satisfaction."Now, look alive, lads; we shall be close on the nigger village in fiveminutes--it's just round the point of this small island close ahead.Come, Mr Scraggs, we've other business on hand just now than squintingat the scrimmages of these fellows."

  "Hold on," cried Scraggs with a grin; "I do believe they're going topitch a feller over that cliff. What a crack he'll come down into thewater with, to be sure. It's to be hoped the poor man is dead, for hisown sake, before he takes that flight. Hallo!" added Scraggs with anenergetic shout and a look of surprise, "I say, that's one of _our_ men;I know him by his striped flannel shirt. If he would only give upkicking for a second I'd make out his--humph! it's all up with him now,poor fellow, whoever he is."

  As he said the last words, the figure of a man was seen to shoot outfrom the cliff, and, descending with ever increasing rapidity, to strikethe water with terrific violence, sending up a jet of white foam as itdisappeared.

  "Stand by to lower the gig," shouted Manton.

  "Ay, ay, sir," was the hearty response of the men, as some of themsprang to obey.

  "Lower away!"

  The boat struck the water, and its crew were on the thwarts in a moment.At the same time the point of the island was passed, and the nativevillage opened up to view.

  "Load Long Tom--double shot!" roared Manton, whose ire was raised not somuch at the idea of a fellow-creature having been so barbarouslymurdered, as at the notion of one of the crew of his schooner havingbeen so treated by contemptible niggers. "Away, lads, and pick up thatman."

  "It's of no use," remonstrated Scraggs; "he's done for by this time."

  "I know it," said Manton, with a fierce oath, "bring him in, dead oralive; if the sharks leave an inch of him, bring it to me. I'll makethe black villains eat it raw."

  This ferocious threat was interlarded with and followed by a series ofterrible oaths which we think it inadvisable to repeat.

  "Starboard!" he shouted to the man at the helm, as soon as the boat shotaway on its mission of mercy.

  "Starboard it is."

  "Steady!"

  While he gave these orders, Manton sighted the brass gun carefully, and,just as the schooner's head came up to the wind, he applied the match.

  Instantly a cloud of smoke obscured the centre of the little vessel asif her powder magazine had blown up, and a deafening roar went ringingand reverberating from cliff to cliff as two of the great iron shot weresent groaning through the air and pitched right into the heart of thevillage.

  It was this tremendous shot from Long Tom, followed almostinstantaneously by the entire broadside of the _Talisman_, that savedthe life of Alice, possibly the lives of her young companions also,--that struck terror to the hearts of the savages, causing them toconverge towards their defenceless homes from all directions, and thatapprised Ole Thorwald and Henry Stuart that the assault on the villagehad commenced in earnest.