CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
It was quite a minute before Tom Bodger opened his eyes again, to liestaring blankly up at the dazzling blue sky. He looked, for a mahoganyand red sun-tanned individual, particularly unwholesome and strange withhis fixity of expression, and in his anxiety Aleck forbore to speak tohim, but watched for the complete return of his senses, wondering thewhile that so sturdy a fellow could be affected in a way which he hadalways understood was peculiar to women.
After staring straight upward for some little time the man began toblink, as if the intense light troubled him. Then his eyes began toroll slowly round, taking a wider and wider circle, till at last theyincluded Aleck in their field of view and remained fixed, staring at himwonderingly.
Aleck's lips parted to ask the natural question, "How are you now?" Butbefore he could utter a word Tom frowned and said, severely:
"What are you up to, my lad?"
"It's what are you up to, Tom? Here, how are you now?"
"Quite well, thankye, Master Aleck. How are you? But, here," he cried,changing his manner, "what does it all mean? Why, what--when--wh-wh-what--ah, I know now, Master Aleck! I say, don't tell me theboat's gone down!"
As he spoke he rose quickly into a sitting position and stared downthrough the opening where the steps began, uttered a sigh of content,and then said:
"I was afraid you hadn't made them knots fast."
"Oh, they're all right. But has your faintness gone off?"
"Yes, sir, that's gone."
"To think of a big sturdy fellow fainting dead away!"
"Ah, 'tis rum, sir, arn't it? All comes o' having no legs and feet. Inever knew what it was till I lost 'em, as I telled yer."
"Well, you're better now. But, I say, Tom, how did you manage to getthe boat full of water like this?"
"Oh, come, Master Aleck," cried Tom, indignantly. "I like that! Howcome you to chuck that great lump o' paper down and make that great holein her bottom?"
"I do what?" cried Aleck. "Here, wait a bit and rest. You haven'tquite come to yet."
"Me, sir? I'm right as a trivet," cried Tom; and to prove it he turnedquickly over on his face propped himself up on his hands, with hiselbows well bent, and then gave a sharp downward thrust which threw himup so that he stood well balanced once more upon his stout wooden legs.
"That's right," said Aleck, after a glance at the half-submerged boat."Now, then, how did you manage it?"
"Me manage it, sir? Oh, that's how I allus gets up when I'm down."
"No, no, no," cried Aleck, impatiently. "I mean about the boat. Didsome other boat foul her?"
"No-o-o!" cried Tom. "You chucked that great lump of paper down and itwent through the bottom."
"Paper? What, the paper I went to fetch?"
"Ay, sir."
The lad went and picked up a small parcel he had dropped on the pier andheld it up in the man's sight as he gazed wonderingly at him again, andthen said, very severely:
"Look here, Tom, you are mad, or have you been--you know?"
Aleck turned his hand into a drinking vessel and imitated the act ofdrinking.
"No-o-o-o!" cried Tom, indignantly. "Haven't had a drop of anything butwater for a week."
"Then how did you get my boat half full of water?"
"I didn't, sir. You came and chucked that heavy lump of paper down, andit broke the middle thwart, being a weak 'un, because of the holethrough for the boat's mast, and went on down through the bottom."
"What! I did nothing of the sort, sir."
"Oh, Master Aleck! Why, I seed yer shadow come right over me with yerhands up holding the lump o' paper, and afore I could straighten myselfup down it come, and went right through the bottom."
"You don't mean to tell me that there's a hole right through the bottomof my beautiful Seagull?" cried Aleck, wildly.
"Why, how could she have got full o' water if you hadn't chucked thatdown? I would ha' come up and fetched it, sir. That comes o' yourbeing so rannish."
"How dare you!" cried Aleck, passionately. "I tell you I did nothing ofthe sort."
"What's the good o' telling an out-an'-outer about it, Master Aleck,sir, when I see yer quite plain; leastwise, I see yer shadow when yercome to the edge."
"You saw nothing of the sort," cried Aleck, fiercely. "You scoundrel!You've been sailing her about while I've been up the town, and run heron a rock. I did trust you, Tom, and now you try to hoodwink me with amiserable story that wouldn't deceive a child. Tell me the truth atonce, sir, or never again do you sail with me."
"I won't," growled Tom, sturdily.
"What! You won't tell me the truth?"
"I didn't say I wouldn't tell you the truth, Master Aleck. I mean Iwon't say as I took her out and run her on a rock."
"But you did, sir."
"Tell yer I didn't, Master Aleck; she've been tied up ever since youwent away, and I've given her a thorough clean up."
"And started a plank or two by jumping down upon her with your woodenlegs."
"Nay, I wouldn't be such a fool, sir. Of course if I did I should gothrough."
"I'd have forgiven you the accident," said Aleck, sternly, "but I can'tforgive the lie."
Tom stared up at his young employer, and took off his hat to give hishead a thorough good scratch, before saying, quietly:
"Say, Master Aleck, you says to me just now with a sign like as I'd beenhaving a drop o' rum. Well, I arn't; but, you'll scuse me, sir, haveyou happened to call and see anyone as has given you some cake and wineas was rather too strong for a hot sunny day like this?"
"No!" roared Aleck, in a thorough passion now. "Such insolence! Sayagain that I threw a weight of paper and broke a hole through her."
"Well, sir, I see your shadder."
"You did not, for I've not been back till just now."
"Then it was somebody else's, sir."
"Somebody else's, sir!" cried Aleck, scornfully. "Own at once that youhad an accident with her."
"Me say that?" cried Tom, waxing angry in turn. "I won't. I'd do adeal for you, Master Aleck, and if I'd stove in the boat I'd up and sayso; but I arn't a-going to tell an out-an'-out wunner like that toscreen you when you've had an accident. Why, if I did you'd never trustme again."
"I never will trust you again, sir. But, there, what's to be done? Howam I to get back to the Den? Would a plug of oakum keep the water out?"
"Would a plug o' my grandmother keep the water out?" growled Tom,scornfully. "Why, she couldn't keep it out if we set her in it. I jestgot one peep, and then the water hid it, but there's a hole pretty nighbig enough for you to go through."
"My poor boat!" cried Aleck, in agony. "But, there, it's of no use tocry after spilt milk. What's to be done?"
"Well, I've thought it out, sir, and seems to me that what's best to bedone is to make her fast between two big boats, run her up on to thebeach, get two or three of the fisher lads to turn her over, and thensee what I can do with a bit o' thin plank. Patch her up and pitch upthe bit where I claps the plaster on, and I dessay she'll be watertightenough for you to run home in. I can mend her up proper when we get herback in the creek."
"How long would it take to put on the patch?"
"I can't say till I sees the hole, sir, but I might get it done byto-night."
"By to-night? How am I to get back in the dark?"
"Oh, I dessay we could steer clear o' the rocks, sir."
"We? No, thank you, sir. I don't want a man with me whom I can'ttrust."
Tom took his hat off and had a good rub before looking wistfully up inhis young employer's face.
"Say, Master Aleck, arn't you a bit hard on a man?" he said.
"No, not half so hard as you deserve. You told me an abominable lie."
"Nay, sir. I see your shadow just as you were going to throw down thatthere lump o' paper."
"You--did--not, sir!" cried Aleck, fiercely.
"Well, then, it must ha' been somebody else's, sir; t
hat's all I cansay."
"Whose, pray?" cried Aleck. "Who would dare to do such a thing as that?Stop!" he cried, as a sudden idea flashed through his brain. "I sawtwo lads in a boat sculling away from the pier as hard as they couldgo."
"You see that, Master Aleck?"
"Yes, when I came down from High Street."
"Where was they going, sir?" cried the man, staring hard.
"Towards the curing sheds."
"Could you see who they was, sir?"
"No; they seemed to be two big lads, just about the same as the rest."
"Where was they going from?" asked Tom, excitedly.
"From the pier; there was nowhere else they could be coming from. Theywouldn't have been fishing at this time of day."
"Look here, Master Aleck, you mean it, don't you? It wasn't you aspitched something down?"
"Look here, Tom, do you want to put me in a passion?"
"No, sir, course I don't."
"Then don't ask such idiotic questions. Of course I didn't."
"Then it was one of they chaps, Master Aleck."
"Well, it does look like it now, Tom. But, nonsense! It must have beenvery heavy to go through the boat."
"It weer, sir."
"But why should anyone do that? You don't think that a boy would havebeen guilty of such a bit of mischief as that?"
"What, Master Aleck?" cried the sailor, bursting into a loud guffaw."Why, there arn't anything they Rockabie boys wouldn't do. Why, they'rehimps, sir--reg'lar himps; and mischief arn't half bad enough a word forwhat they'd do."
"Oh, but this is too bad. Why, the--the--"
"Stone, I should say it were, sir. Bet a halfpenny as it was a ballastcobble as was hev down."
"But it might have come down on you and killed you."
"Shouldn't wonder, sir."
"But you have no one with such a spite against you as to make him dothat?"
"Haven't I, Master Aleck? Why, bless your innocence, there's dozens aswould! I'd bet another halfpenny as that young beauty as I brought downwith my stick this mornin' felt quite sore enough to come and drop astone on my head. 'Sides, they've got a spite agen you, too, my lad,and like as not Big Jem would try to sarve you out by making a holethrough your boat for leathering him as you did a fortnit ago."
"Tom!"
"Ah, you may shout `Tom!' till you're as hoarse as a bull, Master Aleck,but that seems to be about the bearings of it; and now I think more onit, that's about the course I means to steer. Two on 'em, you says asyou saw?"
"Yes, two biggish lads."
"Sculling hard?"
"Yes, the one who stood up in the boat was working the oar as hard as hecould."
"Which means as he was in a hurry, sir."
"It did seem like it, Tom."
"On a hot day like this here, sir. Boys, too, as wouldn't work a scullif they warn't obliged. Why, they'd been and done it, and was cuttingaway as hard as they could."
"It does look likely, Tom."
"That's it, sir. We've got the bearings of it now. It were Big Jem andyoung Redcap, warn't it?"
"One of the boys had on a red cap, Tom. I remember now."
"Then don't you wherrit your head no more about it, Master Aleck. Itwas them two as did it, and I shall put it down to their account."
"But we ought to be sure."
"Sure, sir? Why, we are sure, and they'll have to take it."
"Take _it_? Take what?"
"Physic, sir. Never you mind about it any more; you leave it to me.It's physic as they've got to take when the time comes; and all I've gotto say is as I hopes they'll like it."
"Well, never mind that now, Tom. What about my boat?"
"Oh, I'll see about her at once. I'll stop and take care of her whileyou go up to the houses on the cliff yonder, and you says as you havehad an accident with your boat and you wants Joney to come with a coupleo' mates to help. They'll come fast enough."
"Very well. Let's have a look first, though."
They stepped to the edge of the pier and looked down into the disabledboat, while the water being still and as clear as crystal, they couldsee through the broken thwart and the splintered jagged hole through thebottom.
Aleck drew a deep breath like a sigh, and Tom nodded his head sagely:
"Stone as big a killick, Master Aleck; that's what did that. Preciousbig 'un too. Now, then, you be off and get they chaps here while Ichews it over a bit about how I'm to manage; but I tell yer this--it'sgoing to be dark afore I gets that done. What d'yer say about walkingover to the Den to tell the captain what's happened?"
"I say no, Tom. I'm going to stay here and help you. You won't mindsailing over with me in the dark?"
"Not me, sir, and you needn't wherrit about what to do wi' me. I shallspread a sail over the boat when we've got her moored back in the creek,and creep under and sleep like a top. You'll give me a mug o' milk anda bit o' bacon in the morning afore I start back?"
"Of course, of course, Tom. There, I'll run off at once."
"Hold hard a moment, Master Aleck. Mebbe you'll see them two beauties."
"I shouldn't wonder, Tom."
"Looking as innercent as a pair o' babbies, sir," said Tom, with aknowing wink. "Then what you've got to do, sir, is look innercent too.You arn't going to suspeck them for a minute, cause they wouldn't dosuch a thing. We're a-going to wait till the right time comes."
"And we're quite sure, Tom?"
"That's it, Master Aleck; and then--physic."
Aleck laughed, in spite of the trouble he was in, for Tom's face was astudy of mysterious humour and conspiracy of the most solemn nature.The next minute the lad was going an easy dog-trot along the piertowards the town.
The Lost Middy: Being the Secret of the Smugglers' Gap Page 14