CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT.
NOT BEATEN YET.
"How are you, boy?"
The voice seemed to come from a great distance, and the face of thespeaker looked far away, and yet his hand was being held in his father'sfirm palm.
"Ah!" sighed Jack in answer. Then quickly, "Ned! Ned! Where's Ned?"
"Safe here," said Sir John. "In the boat. We were only just in time."
"He's coming to," said another familiar voice. "Pull away, my lads.Well, Jack, old fellow, you've been carrying on a nice game. How areyou? Glad to see you. No, no, lie back for a bit. We'll soon have youon board."
Jack said nothing for a few moments. Then quickly--
"Who was it fired that shot?"
"Oh, never mind about who fired it," said the doctor gruffly; but hepicked up a double rifle lying against one of the thwarts, andmechanically opened the breech, drew out a spent cartridge, and thrustin another.
"Have your pieces ready, my lads. Half at the word cease rowing, aim,and fire. Are you ready, gentlemen? They're coming on very fast."
"Yes; all right," said the doctor; and Sir John rose in the boat, riflein hand, and gave the mate, who had spoken, a nod, and then he smiled asJack rose up quickly and picked up one of the loaded pieces at his side.
But no one fired at the rapidly advancing canoes, which were crowdedwith men; for suddenly there was a deep roar from the yacht, a heavycharge of grape-shot ploughed up the water in front of the first canoe,and the paddling in both ceased.
Another shot sent the water flying over the second canoe, and as ifanimated by one brain, the paddles began to work again, not to send thevessels forward, but back toward the island; and five minutes later theboat was alongside the yacht.
The men sent up a hearty cheer as Captain Bradleigh held out his hand toassist Jack on board, and his words were almost drowned in the welcomingcries; but Jack heard him, as the warm grip retained his hand, andanother pressed his shoulder.
"The best day's work, my lad, we ever did. God bless you, and thank Himfor giving you safely back."
Five minutes later the boat was swinging to the davits.
"Don't want to punish them any more, Sir John, I suppose?" cried thecaptain.
"No, no, let the miserable wretches go," said Jack's father.
"Then we'll go back to the old anchorage, sir, for there's a look aboutthe sky I don't like."
The signal was given, and the yacht began to glide rapidly through thewater, back toward where the volcano rose up glowing with colour in themorning light, while Jack was at Ned's side as he lay coming to on thedeck.
He stared about him for a few moments, and then fixed his eyes on thoseof Jack, breaking out half hysterically--
"I couldn't help it, Mr Jack, sir; don't set me down for a cowardlycur."
"Help what?" said the lad wonderingly.
"Turning like a woman, and fainting away that how. Oh, do give me adose o' something, doctor, I feel sick as a dog."
"No, no; lie still for a minute or two, and you'll be all right," saidthe doctor, patting his shoulder, and Ned uttered a cry.
"Don't, don't, sir. It's agony--my bad shoulder--the arrow--and he hitme there with his club."
"Ned, Ned," said Jack softly, as he bent over the poor fellow and heldhis hand, "who could think you a coward for saving my life?"
The men began to cheer again when Ned was helped by the doctor and Jackdown to his berth, wincing at the slightest touch, for his arm hadreceived a nasty jar, but a smile came into his drawn face as he heardthe hearty welcome.
"Thankye, lads, thankye kindly," he kept on saying till he got below,where the steward helped him to change his clothes, and Jack went to hiscabin for the same purpose.
"Ever so much better, sir," cried Ned half-an-hour later, when Jack wentto see him, and found him dressed and ready to go on deck. "That crackwas just like one on the funny-bone, sir, but it's all gone off now. Myeye, though! suppose it had been where he meant it! What a headache Ishould have had!"
By the time Jack reached the deck, the islands from whence the blackscame were hidden by a peculiar-looking haze, and the _Star_ was racingthrough the sea to gain the shelter of the lagoon.
"A hurricane, my lad," said the captain, "and we shall get into shelternone too soon."
"A nice hunt you gave us, Jack," said his father. "Here have we beenwith half the crew hard at work every day looking for you two. Well,thank Heaven you are both back safe and sound."
"We did our best to get back, father," said the lad, looking at Sir Johnwistfully.
"Of course, I know that, my boy, and I hope you think we did our best tofind you. The doctor here pretty well lamed himself with walking."
"Of course I did," said that gentleman. "Doctors don't like to losetheir patients, do they?"
Go where he would during their run back to the harbour, Jack found themen ready to smile and salute him with a hearty "Glad to see you back,sir," till it set him wondering, and finding Ned forward alone, he wentto him and said something about it.
"Yes, sir, ain't it queer? I was thinking the same. I ain't donenothing but be civil to the chaps since we come aboard, but they're aspleased as Punch to see us back again. They're a bit disappointedthough that Sir John didn't go in for giving the black beggars anout-and-out good thrashing."
"My father says he came for a pleasure-trip," said Jack quietly, "and hedoes not wish to go back home feeling that it was obtained at the costof killing a number of fellow-creatures."
"No, no, of course not," said Ned quickly; "only you must draw the linesomewhere, and I want to know whether black fellows who shoot poisonedarrows into you, and when you're swimming for your life, and ain't neverinterfered with them, and they come and try to knock your brains outwith clubs, is fellow-creatures. Why, if it was me, I'd rather try tomake friends with a respectable set o' wild beasts. They wouldn't eatyou unless they was hungry. Strikes me that if I hadn't dodged thatgentleman when he hit at me, I shouldn't have been here; nor I shouldn'tneither if some one hadn't fired that shot. I say, Mr Jack, sir; itwas Sir John, wasn't it?"
"No, Ned, it was Doctor Instow."
"Then that's two I owe him. I always used to think that Sir John wasbest man with a gun, but after that--well, I'm done. All I can say is,I hope my turn 'll come to do something for the doctor, and till it doesI'll take anything he likes to give me, even if it's jollop, and won'tmake a face."
Jack laughed.
"Oh yes, it's easy to smile a grin, sir," said Ned, "but if you'd tastedsome of the stuff he gave me you wouldn't."
"Ah, well, you will not want any physic now, Ned."
"Hah! it seems more natural on board now," said the mate, coming upsmiling. "You two have given us an anxious time. We must have it allover as soon as we're safe from the hurricane."
"Hurricane?" said Ned, staring. "What hurricane? Where?"
The mate pointed astern, and Ned stared out to sea as the yacht racedalong.
"Well, I can't see anything," he said.
"Can't you see that thick, hazy look astern?"
"What, that bit o' fog?"
"Yes; it is chasing us pretty sharply; I'm afraid we shall not get intoharbour before it's down upon us. Ah, there's the skipper."
The speaker walked quickly aft, and found Captain Bradleigh, who hadjust come on deck from the cabin, and after a look round there was abrief consultation, and all hands were piped on deck. Then for the nexthour there was a busy scene. The tops were sent down, the sails doublysecured, boats swung inboard and lashed, and every possible precautiontaken to make all that could be caught by a furious tempest thoroughlysecure.
"Well, I suppose they know what they're about, Mr Jack, sir," said Ned;"but it looks to me like taking a lot of trouble because the sky'sgetting a bit dark, and a shower's coming."
But Ned's knowledge of the typhoon of the eastern tropical seas wasnaturally not very extensive, and he altered his opinion an hour later,when, in spite
of the speed with which the yacht had rushed away beforethe terrible storm sweeping after them, the sea was white, and half theheavens black as night. It was at half-speed the yacht ran in throughthe gates of the reef into smooth water, and then turning round at fullspeed again, went on and on, till she was well under the lee of thegreat volcano, which did its part when anchors were down, and head tothe wind they lay facing the quarter from which the awful hurricaneblew.
There was no narrative of adventure given by the seekers or the soughtthat night, nor any thought of sleep, for officers and men never leftthe deck, but passed a terrible time of anxiety in the expectation thatone of the terrific blasts would tear the little vessel from hermoorings and cast her upon the inner side of the reef. But the steamwas kept up, and the propeller gently turning, sufficient to ease thestrain upon the cables, and the anchors held fast.
"She's a splendid craft, gentlemen," said the captain, when they hadassembled for refreshment in the cabin, during one of the brief lulls ofthe furious blast; "but I'm afraid we should none of us have seenanother day if we had been caught outside. A man feels very small at atime like this. The worst hurricane I was ever in. Didn't think thewind could blow so fiercely, Mr Jack, eh?"
Jack shook his head.
"It feels," he said slowly, "as if the world had broke away, and wasrushing on through space faster and faster, and never to stop again."
"Yes, sir," said the captain quietly, as he gazed at the thoughtful lad."You're a scholar, and have read and studied these things. So have I,sir, but not from books, and it seems to me that these things work bytheir wonderful laws for reasons far beyond our little minds to grasp,and all are working for some great end."
No one answered, and the wind began to increase in violence again, thenoise almost stifling the captain's next words:--
"But we have not broken away, sir, and the sun will rise to a minute inthe morning, just as if this hurricane had not come, and please Godeverything around us will be calm; but be sure yonder you will hardlyknow the island, it will be such a wreck."
The captain's words were true enough as to the calm, for just beforedaylight the intense blackness which had covered the heavens passedaway, leaving the stars glittering with a most wondrous brilliancy;there was a deep murmur dying away in the distance, and, utterlyexhausted, Jack laid himself down on one of the cabin lounges, to dropoff into the deep sleep of utter exhaustion, one from which he awoke tofind the warm glow of evening shining in at the open window, and hisfather watching him with an anxious expression upon his face.
Captain Bradleigh was quite right. The hurricane had passed, and theaspect of the island from where Jack stood with his glass on deck,sweeping the mountain slopes, in places a terrible wreck. The hollowsand deep ravines had naturally escaped, but the higher portions, even onthat side, were swept bare, and every now and then the lad gazed throughhis binocular at piled-up masses of tangled bough and branch shatteredand splintered as if they had been straws.
"Yes, my lad, it looks a terrible ruin here and there," said thecaptain, as Jack handed him the glass to try; "but changes take placequickly out here, and the sun's hard at work already repairing damages.Those heaps will soon rot away, and fresh growth cover the bare patches.It's bad enough, but an eruption from the mountain there would havedone more mischief than this."
Over a late meal there was a discussion about their future proceedings,and the elders went into the pros and cons of their position.
"You could find us another island, captain, couldn't you?" said SirJohn.
"Oh yes, sir; several that I dare say would answer your purpose, but I'mafraid that we shall have the native difficulty go where we may, forthese sanguinary blacks are a restless lot, and wherever there is abeautiful spot they generally take possession of it."
"Of course," said the doctor gruffly. "We should do the same."
"We have done the same all the world round," said Sir John, laughing.
"Of course. `It is their nature to,'" quoted the doctor. "For my partit seems a sin to go away when we have not secured half the grandspecimens of birds to be found."
"And my cases of insects not half filled," said Sir John.
"But after his rough experience," said the captain dryly, "I cannotwonder at Mr Jack here feeling anxious to be homeward bound."
"I?" cried Jack, turning upon the captain excitedly. "I anxious to goback? Why, what made you think that, Captain Bradleigh?"
"Oh, I thought you must be, sir, after what you have gone through.Nobody could like that."
"Of course I did not," said the lad, flushing. "It was terrible andrisky while it lasted, but I don't mind it all now, and we might stayhere for months and never see the blacks again."
"That means you would like to stay a little longer?"
"Yes, father," cried the lad excitedly. "It would be dreadfullydisappointing to go away and not climb right to the crater now I havebeen so near, and know the way."
An hour later Jack was on deck watching the stars, and listening to thedeep, heavy boom of the surf on the reef, thinking of how wonderful thecontrast was, and mentally going over the horrors of the past night,when he heard a familiar air being whistled forward, one he had oftenheard coming from the pantry at home, and he walked ahead, to find Nedleaning over the side.
"Ah, Mr Jack! here you are then. I say, I'm not going to have any moreof this nonsense. Doctor's all very well, but it's a strange thing if aman don't know best how he is."
"Why, what's the matter?"
"Doctor Instow's the matter, sir; and after all he ain't my master. Ifthe guv'nor says I ain't to do a thing, or you, my young guv'nor, saysit, why that's enough; but Doctor Instow don't pay me my wages."
"What has he been saying to you?"
"Put his foot down, and wouldn't let me wait dinner, sir. But I mean togo on as usual to-morrow morning."
"Oh, very well; go on, then. But what do you think of our starting forhome to-morrow morning, Ned?"
"What, sir? Start for home--to-morrow morning?"
"Yes, aren't you glad?"
"Glad, sir? Will you excuse me asking you a question?"
"Of course. What is it?"
"Would you be good enough to tell me why we come out here, if, as soonas we find a place like this, we want to start back?"
"The place is dangerous. These blacks--"
"Bother the blacks! Who cares for the blacks, sir? Why, haven't welicked 'em over and over again? Oh, well, sir, I'm not master. AllI've got to say, sir, is, I'm jolly sorry we came."
"Then you are glad we are going back?"
"That I ain't, sir. I say it's a shame. Why, the fun has only justbegun."
"Ah, well, we're not going yet. I said I should like to stay and seemore, and do more collecting, and ascend the mountain by the way we camedown."
"There, I beg your pardon, Mr Jack, sir, I do indeed, for I was allwrong. Thought you were saying that because of the niggers; and I didhope you were too English for that."
"Well, Ned, I hope I am."
Jack at Sea: All Work and No Play Made Him a Dull Boy Page 38