CHAPTER THIRTY NINE.
EBO'S SONG OF TRIUMPH.
When I came to, it was with a terrible pain in my head, and a mistyfeeling of having been taken by the savages, who had laid me down andwere having a war-dance of triumph around me.
"Hi, yi, yi--Hi, yi, yi--Hi, yi, yi!"
Then it kept on in a shrill tone till it seemed, as my head ached sobadly, almost maddening.
At last I raised my heavy eyelids and saw that instead of lying on thesand surrounded by savages, I was some distance from the shore and inthe boat. I could dimly see, as through a mist, the savages on thebeach, and they were shouting, yelling, and threatening us with theirwar-clubs; but it was Ebo who was apparently about to dance the bottomout of the boat, and keeping up that abominable "Hi, yi, yi!" his songof triumph for the victory he had won.
"Hi, yi, yi--Hi, yi, yi--Hi, yi, yi! _hey_!"
The _Hey_! was accompanied by a tremendous jump, and a flourish of thespear at the savages on shore, whom the defiance seemed to madden asthey rushed about furiously waving their clubs and yelling with alltheir might. Sometimes they dashed into the water right to theirchests, some swam out with their war-clubs in their teeth, and some wentthrough a pantomime in which we were all supposed to be beaten down andbeing pounded into jelly upon the shore.
All this delighted Ebo, who varied his war-song by making derisivegestures, showing his utter contempt for his cowardly enemies, all ofwhich seemed to sting them to fury, and I began to wonder how we shouldget on if they had canoes.
For our boat was floating gently along about sixty yards from the shorewith the sail flapping about, the current driving her away, but therollers carrying her in.
At first I could do nothing but sit there and gaze, sometimes at Ebo,and sometimes at the savages. Then in a sleepy stupid way I looked atmy uncle, who was lying in the bottom of the boat with his eyes closedand perfectly motionless.
Somehow my state then did not trouble me much, only that I wished myhead would not ache quite so badly. I was quite aware that we were indanger, but that seemed to be quite natural; and at last I began towonder why I did not begin doing something, and why my uncle did not getup.
At last it seemed to occur to Ebo that it was time for him to finishshouting, and he laid his spear down, came to me, and lifted me, so thatmy head was over the side of the boat, and he then scooped up the coolwater and bathed my face, with such satisfactory effect that I was ableto think clearly; and thanking him, I was about to perform a similarduty for my uncle, when, to my horror, I saw a crowd of savages runninga couple of canoes over the sands, evidently to launch them, and finishthe treacherous work that they had begun.
For a few moments I felt paralysed, but recovering myself I made a signto Ebo, hoisted the great sail to its fullest height, and as the boatcareened over I hurried aft to the tiller and the sail began slowly tofill, and our boat to move gently through the water.
But never had it moved so slowly before, for the breeze was very light,and it seemed as if the savages must get their canoes launched, and havepaddled out to us before we could get up any speed.
They saw this, and kept on shouting and working with all their might,moving first one canoe and then the other to the edge of the water,launching them, springing in, and the next moment the air was black withpaddles.
Again an instant and the sea was foaming with their vigorous strokes.
But for the fact that the canoes were very large and heavy and took timeto get well in motion, we must have been overtaken, for the wind seemedto be playing with our sail, one moment filling it out, the next lettingit flap idly as the boat rose and fell upon the waves.
Seeing that I could do no more I fastened the tiller with a piece ofcord and rapidly reloaded the guns, Ebo picking up his spear, and, to myhorror, beginning to shout at and deride the savages.
It would have made little difference, I suppose, for the blacks wouldhave killed us without mercy had they overhauled us, and that theyseemed certain to do, for they were paddling steadily and well, theirblades being plunged into the water with the greatest regularity, makingit foam and sparkle as they swept along.
So fast did they seem to come, uttering in chorus a sort of war-cry ateach plunge of the paddles, that I wondered why they did not overhaulus, so slowly did we seem to move, and at last, as they got their canoesin full swing, they came on hand over hand, getting so near that the menin the bows made ready their spears to hurl, and I raised my gun,meaning to make as brave an end as I could.
I was too much excited to feel frightened now. I suppose there was nottime, all my thoughts being turned upon the acts of the savages, one ofwhom now threw a spear, which fell short.
I took aim at him, but did not fire, thinking that I would reserve theshot till we were in greater danger, and hoping that a couple ofwell-directed charges might have the effect of deterring them fromfurther pursuit. But still on they came just abreast, and it wasevident that they meant to attack on each side of our poor little boat,which looked so small beside the long war-canoes, each of whichcontained about forty men.
They uttered a loud yell now, for the boat seemed to stand still and thesail began to flap, and, somehow, just then, as I felt what dreadfuldanger we were in, I began thinking about Clapham Common, and runningthere in the sunshine, while Uncle Joe looked blandly on, evidentlyenjoying my pursuits.
Just then half a dozen spears were thrown, and I nearly fell overboard,only saving myself by making a snatch at one of the stays.
It was not that I was struck by a spear, but that the boat had given aleap and bent down till it seemed as if she would capsize. In fact shewould have gone down with her sail flat upon the water if I had noteased off the sheet as she went slipping through the waves at atremendous rate.
It was a work of moments, and then when I turned my head it was to seethat the canoes were double the distance behind, with the savagespaddling furiously; but I saw that if the wind held, their case was likethat of a pet spaniel running after a greyhound, for our boat keptcareening over and literally racing through the sea.
In five minutes I found that the canoes were so far behind that we hadno more cause for fear, and, altering our course so as to sail gently onabout a mile from the shore, I gave Ebo the sheet to hold, knelt down,bathed Uncle Dick's face, and bound up a great cut that had laid openhis head.
My work had its reward, for, partly from the freshness of the water,partly from the pain I must have caused him, my uncle revived, staredwildly about him for a few minutes, and then, as he realised ourposition, he muttered a little to himself, and ended by shaking handswith me and Ebo, holding the black palm of the latter in his own forsome moments, as he looked our follower in the face.
"I was much to blame, Nat," he said at last.
"I ought to have been more guarded; but I could not think that thesepeople were so treacherous."
Nat the Naturalist: A Boy's Adventures in the Eastern Seas Page 39