CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.
DON'S DECISION.
"It's tempting, Jem," said Don.
"Yes, Mas' Don; and it's untempting, too. I had a book once aboutmanners and customs of foreign parts, but it didn't say things so plainas you've found 'em here."
"Yes, I'm afraid it won't do, Jem. Even if we got away from the ship,it might be to a life that would be worse."
"That's it, sir, as I said afore, `out of the frying-pan into the fire.'Wonder how long they'll be 'fore they come back."
"Not till sundown. I say, shall we try it or sha'n't we?"
Jem scratched his head, and seemed to be hesitating.
"I don't know what to say, Jem. If they treated us well on board, Ishould be disposed to say let's put up with our life till we get backhome."
"But then they don't treat us well, Mas' Don. I don't grumble to you,but it's a reg'lar dog's life I lead; bully and cuss and swear at you,and then not even well fed."
"But we are to be paid for it, Jem," said Don, bitterly.
"Paid, Mas' Don!" replied Jem, contemptuously. "What paying will makeup for what we go through?"
"And I suppose we should have prize-money if we fought and took a Frenchship."
"But then we're sent right out here, Mas' Don, where there's no Frenchships to fight; and if there were, the prize-money is shared among themas aren't killed."
"Of course."
"Well, how do we know as we shouldn't be killed? No, Mas' Don, theydon't behave well to us, and I want to get home again, and so do you."
"Yes, Jem."
"P'r'aps it's cowardly, and they'll call it desertion."
"Yes, Jem."
"But we sha'n't be there to hear 'em call it so."
"No, Jem."
"Therefore it don't matter, Mas' Don; I've thought this all overhundreds o' times when you've been asleep."
"And I've thought it over, Jem, hundreds of times when you've beenasleep."
"There you go again, sir, taking the ideas out of a man's brain. Youshouldn't, Mas' Don. I always play fair with you."
"Yes, of course you do."
"Well, then, you ought to play fair with me. Now look here, Mas' Don,"continued Jem, seating himself on the gunwale of the boat, so as to lethis bare feet hang in the water.
"'Ware sharks, Jem," said Don quickly.
Jem was balanced on the edge, and at those words he threw himselfbackward with his heels in the air, and after he had struggled up withsome difficulty, he stood rubbing his head.
"Where 'bouts--where 'bouts, sir?"
"I did not see a shark, Jem, but the place swarms with them, and Ithought it was a risk."
"Well, I do call that a trick," grumbled Jem. "Hit my nut such a whack,I did, and just in the worst place."
"Better than having a leg torn off, Jem. Well, what were you going tosay?"
"Bottom of the boat's nearly knocked it all out of my head," said Jem,rubbing the tender spot. "What I meant to say was that I was stolen."
"Well, I suppose we may call it so."
"Stolen from my wife, as I belongs to."
"Yes, Jem."
"And you belongs to your mother and your Uncle Josiah, so you wasstolen, too."
"Yes, Jem, if you put it in that way, I suppose we were."
"Well, then," said Jem triumphantly, "they may call it cowardly, ordesertion, or what they like; but what I say is this, a man can't bedoing wrong in taking stolen goods back to them as they belong to."
"No, Jem, I s'pose not."
"Very well then, Mas' Don; the question is this--Will you or won't you?"
"I will, Jem."
"First chance?"
"Yes, I am decided."
"That's a bargain then, my lad. So shake hands on it. Why! How roughand hard and tarry your hands have grown!"
"Look out, Jem!"
Don caught hold of the grapnel rope ready to haul up and get away fromthe shore, but Jem seized his hand.
"It's all right, Mas' Don. Only them two running back with a basket,and I'm in that sort o' way of thinking that they've only got to coax mea bit, and swear as there shall be no tattooing and meat-pie nonsense,and I'd go ashore with them now."
"No, Jem, that would not do till we know a little more of them, and Ican't help hesitating now it comes to the point."
"That's just what I felt, Mas' Don," said Jem, with a perplexed look onhis face.
"Come, Jem, who's stealing some one else's ideas now?"
"Like fruit?" said the tattooed Englishman, coming down to the water'sedge.
"That depends," said Jem, dubiously. "What is it?"
"Karaka," said their new friend, offering a basket of an olive-likefruit.
"Good to eat?"
"Yes; try it."
"S'pose you eat some first," said Jem suspiciously.
The Englishman laughed, and took some of the fruit, and began to chewit.
"Afraid these would drug you so that I could steal the boat?"
"I didn't know," said Jem sulkily. "Wouldn't be the first who hasstolen a boat, I suppose."
Don took some of the berries, and began to eat, and this emboldened Jem,who tasted one in a very suspicious and doubting way.
"Hullo!" he said, with his countenance brightening; "know what thesehere taste like, Mas' Don?"
"Very mellow apple?"
"No; like the medlars that grew in my grandmother's garden."
"That's right!" said the Englishman; and his New Zealand companion beganto select the best and ripest of the fruit from the basket and handedthem to Don, watching him eat with what was meant for a pleasant smile;but as his face resembled one that had been carved in a piece ofmahogany, and afterwards ornamented with streaks and scrolls, the effectwas more repellent than attractive.
"My pakeha," said the great fellow with a childlike show ofsatisfaction; and he looked from one to the other and laughed.
"Here, he's took to you regular, youngster; only look out, for he'llwant _utu_ for it some time. Eh, Ngati? Utu?"
"_Utu_, _utu_" said the chief, smiling.
"What's utu?" said Jem, in a surly tone.
"Payment."
"Oh, then we'll give him a bit of 'bacco."
He offered the New Zealander his tobacco-bag, which was quietly annexedwith a smile.
"There, we'll leave you the fruit. They're good eating, my lads, and ifat any time before you go, you feel disposed to settle down with us,there's plenty of room, and it won't be very long before you'll growinto chiefs."
He nodded, and then said a few words to his companion, who smiled at thetwo strangers in turn, after which they went off together into theforest, and were gone.
"Ugh!" ejaculated Jem. "Don't know whether it arn't safer aboard shipafter all."
"Why do you say that?" cried Don.
"Because whenever that black chap looks at me, he gives me the shivers."
"Why?"
"Seems to me that he's too fond of you, Mas' Don, and as if he wasthinking how good you'd be."
"Nonsense!" cried Don, who was enjoying the fruit. "Have some more ofthese. I wonder whether there are any more good kinds of fruit growashore."
"Sure to be."
"Do you think if we left the ship, Jem, and found our way right alongthe coast to some place where we could live till the ship had gone, andthen wait till another ship came, we could get enough to eat?"
"Dessay we could."
"Because if we did, we should be quite independent, and could do as weliked."
"To be sure, that's the way it seems to me; but just now, Mas' Don, Ican only think of one thing."
"What's that, Jem?"
"How to get a bit of sleep, for the sun has made me as drowsy as abeedle."
"Well, then, sit down and sleep."
Jem wanted no persuasion, and in five minutes he was breathing veryheavily, while Don sat watching the beauties of nature, the clouds ofsteam floating above the volcanic island, the wondrous sheen of the seain the sun,
the great lace-like tree-ferns which drooped over the mossygrowth at the forest edge, and the beautiful butterflies which floatedabout like gaily-painted flowers in the golden light.
Every now and then there was the sweet note of some bird ringing clearlyin the air; then a loud and piercing screech heralded the coming of aparrot or cockatoo, which seemed tame enough to care little for thestranger who was watching its actions.
Then all would be still again--a dreamy, sleepy stillness that waswonderfully attractive to Don as he sat with his eyes half-closed. Inthe distance he could see some of the Maoris coming and going in alistless, careless way, as if their life was a very pleasant indolencewithout a care.
It was very beautiful and wonderfully attractive. On board the shipthere were hard work, hard living, peremptory orders, and what seemed tothe proud boy a state of slavery, while on shore offered itself a lifeof ease where there would be no battling with storm, and risk of war orshipwreck.
Why should he not take advantage of this or some other opportunity, andsteal ashore?
It would be desertion, and setting aside the punishment held out to theone who forsook his ship after being forced into His Majesty's navy,there was a feeling troubling Don that it would be dishonourable to go.
On the other side there was home, the strong desire to be free, and alove of adventure prompting him to escape.
"No," he said decidedly at last; "it would be cowardly and base todesert. They treat me badly, but not hardly enough to make me run away.I'll stop and bear it like a man."
Somehow Don felt lighter in heart after coming to this determination;and after looking round and wondering how long the explorers would bebefore they returned, and also wishing he could have been of the party,he leaned his elbows on the side of the boat and gazed down into theclear water, and through it at the beautiful lace-like pattern made bythe sun, casting the netted shadow of the ripples on the soft pebblysand.
Now and then a shoal of fish glided in and dashed away. Then onebrilliantly decked in gold and silver and blue came floating by, and Donwatched it eagerly, wishing the while that he had a line.
He was leaning over the side in this way, gazing down at the water, nowabout four feet deep where the boat had swung, when he became aware ofsomething pale and shadowy some little distance off. Looking at it in asloping direction made the ocean water seem so dense that he could notmake out what it was for some little time. At first it seemed to be adimly-seen patch of seaweed; then it appeared to be too regular androunded, and it struck him that it must be a large transparentjelly-fish floating in with the tide, till he made out that it wascontinued backward from him, and that it was larger than he hadimagined; and as he looked the object gradually grew plainer and moredistinct. It was still shadowy and grey, and had a peculiar, strangeattraction, which made him lean more over the side till a curiousnightmare-like sensation came over him, and as he realised that theobject was alive, and that he was looking down at two strange dull eyes,he felt that he could not shrink back, although the creeping chillyfeeling which came over him seemed like a warning of danger.
Then it all appeared more like a dream, in which he was striving hard toget away, and all the time obliged to crouch there gazing at thatcreature whose eyes were fixed upon him, and which imperceptibly grewplainer to his sight.
The intensity of the position grew more and more painful during whatappeared to be a long time. He tried to call to Jem, who was asleep notsix feet away, but his mouth felt dry. He endeavoured to reach out andkick him, but he could not stir, and still the creature advanced till,all at once, there was a tremendous disturbance in the water; somethingseemed to rise and strike him a violent blow in the chest, and the nextmoment he was seated in the bottom of the boat, which was rockingviolently, and staring stupidly at Jem, who sat up staring back.
"What yer do that for?" cried Jem angrily. "I'd only just closed myeyes."
"I did not do anything," faltered Don, shivering.
"Yes, you did!" cried Jem. "Asked me to sit up and watch, and I'd ha'done it. Needn't ha' played tricks."
"I--I--"
"There, don't say you didn't, Mas' Don. Boat's rocking now, and you'dbetter swab up that water. Nice row there'd be if the skipper come backand found the boat all wet."
Jem picked up the swab and began to remove the water himself, and indoing so he noticed Don's face.
"Why, hullo, Mas' Don! What's the matter? You look as white as--Why,what now?"
Jem was about to lean over the side and wring the swab, when Don sprangastern and dragged him back.
"Look! Look!" he cried, pointing.
Jem followed the direction of the pointing finger, and shrank away witha shudder.
"What? A shark!" he exclaimed.
"Yes; it rose at me out of the water, and struck me in the chest, and Ifell back, and so did he."
"Ugh!" ejaculated Jem, as he seized the boathook, and rested it on thegunwale.
"Don't touch, it," whispered Don; "it may spring out of the water atyou."
"It had better not," said Jem. "Hah!"
He drove the boathook down with all his might, striking the great fishjust as it was slowly rising toward the surface, close to the boat; andso well aimed was the stroke, that there was a tremendous swirl in thewater, the side near Jem resounded with a heavy blow from the fish'stail, and the boathook seemed to be snatched out of the striker's handto go slowly sailing away oceanward.
"Look at that!" cried Jem. "Why, I must have driven it right into him.How are we to get it back?"
"Watch it," said Don, excitedly. "It will come out and float directly."
Don's prophecy did not come to pass, for as they watched, they saw abouta foot of the boathook shaft stand sloping out of the water, and go hereand there in a curious manner.
"Let's row after it," suggested Don.
"Wouldn't be no good, Mas' Don; and we've got nothing to fight him withbut pistols. Let him be, and the thing will soon wriggle out."
Jem proved as far wrong as his companion, for, after a time, as theywatched and saw the end of the shaft bob here and there; it suddenlydisappeared about fifty yards away.
"Why, Mas' Don," said Jem, laughing, "it's like fishing; and afterbiting ever so long, the float's gone right under water. Now's yourtime. Strike!"
"And we've no line," said Don, who was beginning to get rid of hisnervous sensation.
"No, we haven't a line," said Jem. "Keep your eye on the place where hewent down; we mustn't lose that hitcher. Say, it won't do to try andswim ashore. That's a shark, that is, and a big one, too. Did he hurtyou?"
"Not much. It was like a tremendous blow with somebody's fist. Look!"
"Told you so!" cried Jem. "Here he comes with a rush to give us backthe boathook."
"Or to attack the boat," said Don, as the end of the shaft suddenlyappeared away to their right; and then came rapidly nearer in a directline for where they were.
"Not he," said Jem sturdily. "Too stupid."
All the same, there was soon a peculiar rising in the water comingdirect for them, as the boathook seemed to plough through the sea, whichrapidly grew shallower. Onward it came, nearer and nearer, till Jemgave a warning shout, and placed one foot on the side ready to plungeoverboard.
"Don't do that, Jem; it's certain death!" cried Don.
"Don't you stop, Mas' Don; that's certain death, too. Let's swimashore. Now, my lad, now, now. Don't stop a fellow; don't!"
Jem shouted these words excitedly, as Don clung to him and held himback, gazing wildly all the time at the disturbed water, as the greatfish swiftly approached, till, just as it was within a few yards, theshallowness of the water seemed to startle it, making it give quite abound showing half its length, and then diving down with a kind ofwallow, after which the occupants of the boat saw the wooden pole gotrailing along the surface, till once more it was snatched, as it were,out of sight.
"Don't seem as if he's going to shake it out," said Jem.
&n
bsp; "You must have driven the spike in right over the hook, and it acts likea barb. What a blow you must have given!"
"Well, I hit as hard as I could," said Jem. "He was coming at me. Canyou see it now?"
"No."
"Keep a sharp look-out; it's sure to come up sometime."
The sharp look-out was kept; but they did not see the boathook again,though they watched patiently till nearly sundown, when a hail came fromthe woods; and as the boat-keepers got up the grapnel and ran the lightvessel in shore, the captain and his men appeared slowly to their left,and came down as if utterly wearied out.
"Look at 'em, Mas' Don; they've been having a fight."
Jaded, their clothes torn in all directions, coated with mud, and withtheir faces smeared and scored, the blood stains on their cheeks andhands gave the returning party all the appearance of those who had beenengaged in a fight for life.
But it had only been an encounter with the terrible thorns and spines ofthe wild land they had explored, and the wounds, much as they had bled,were but skin deep.
The boat-keepers leaped out, and ran the stern in as close as theycould, and the captain was in the act of stepping in, placing a hand onDon's shoulder to steady himself, worn out as he was with his longtramp, when it seemed to Don that he felt the cold, slimy touch of ashark gliding up against his bare legs, and with a start of horror hesprang sidewise, with the result that the captain, who was bearing downupon the lad's shoulder, fell sidewise into the sea.
"You clumsy idiot!" cried the captain; and forgetting himself in hisannoyance, worn out as he was, and irritable from his great exertions,he caught at Don's extended hand, and then as he rose struck the boy aheavy blow with his doubled fist right in the chest.
Don staggered heavily, fell into the water, and then struggled updrenched as the captain was before him. Then, forgetting in his hotrage everything about their relative positions and the difference inage, the boy made for the tall, frowning officer before him, and wouldhave struck him in his blind wrath but for Bosun Jones, who had seeneverything, and now hastily interposed.
"No, no, my boy," he said. "Keep back, you are too wet to do any good.Allow me, sir."
Don shrank back, realising the heinousness of the social sin he wasabout to commit, and a dead silence fell on the group, the men staringwonderingly as the captain accepted Bosun Jones' help, stepped into theboat, and stood wringing himself.
"Why, the young dog was going to strike me!" cried the captain.
"Surely not, sir," said the boatswain hastily. "Only going to help you,sir."
"Help me! I believe he was going to hit out. Here, sir, what made youstart away like that?"
"He thought it was a shark, sir," cried Jem. "One's been about the boatall the aft'noon."
"Hold your tongue, sir!" cried the captain sternly. "Here, you boy,what made you flinch!"
"Thought I felt the shark touch me, sir," said Don, sullenly.
"Oh, then I am to be thrown into the water because you are a cowardlyyoung idiot," cried the captain. "I'll talk to you to-morrow. In withyou, my lads, and give way."
"There's no boathook!" cried the coxswain; and on the keepers beingcalled to account, their story was received with such manifest doubt,that Don writhed and sat sullenly in his place in the boat, as it wasrowed back to the sloop.
"Rather an absurd story that, Jones--about the boathook," said thecaptain as he stepped on board. "Mind it is reported to-morrow morning.I believe the young scoundrel was going to strike me."
"But you struck him first," said the boatswain to himself, as he saw thecaptain descend. "Hot-headed young rascal. Ah! Here, Lavington, whatabout that boathook? Let's have the simple truth. One of the Maorisstole it, and you were afraid to speak?"
"I was not afraid to speak the truth, sir," said Don; "and I told it."
"But that's such a wild story. Your messmate could not have driven itinto a shark over the hook."
"I don't know whether it was driven in over the hook, sir," replied Don;"but it stuck in the fish's back and would not come out."
The boatswain looked at him thoughtfully, while Don waited to hear hiswords.
"Look here, Lavington," he said, "I liked you, my lad, from the first,and I should be sorry for you to be in serious trouble. I have beenyour friend, have I not?"
"I can't see much friendship in dragging one away from home," said Don,coldly.
"I had my duty to do, young man, and a sailor is not allowed to askquestions as to what's right or wrong."
"But I was treated like a criminal," said Don.
"You were treated far better than pressed men are as a rule especiallythose who try to break away. But I can't argue that with you. You andyour companion are king's men now, or king's boys, and have to do yourduty. Let's come back to to-day's work. The captain's offended, and Iwant to save you from trouble if I can."
"It's very kind of you, sir," said Don.
"Now tell me this. Do you know what you were going to do when thecaptain knocked you backwards?"
Don was silent.
"Well, I'll tell you," said the boatswain. "You were going to strikehim again. That's the truth, is it not?"
Don remained silent.
"It is the truth. Well, have you any idea of what a bit of madness thatwould have been here?"
Don shook his head.
"Why, my good lad, you could not commit a greater crime. It meansdeath."
"Does it, sir?"
"Does it, sir! Why, goodness me, my lad, you must be half mad."
"People are sometimes, sir, when they are hit."
"Yes, that's true enough; but you must master your temper. Save allthat sort of thing up till you fight the French, and then you will beallowed to grow quite mad if you like. Now once more, about thatboathook. You did not lose it?"
"Yes, sir; we did lose it."
"Ah, I thought so."
"Because the great fish carried it off."
"Humph! Well, go and get yourself dry. If you are lucky, you will hearno more about this, only have the cost of the boathook deducted out ofyour pay, and perhaps the captain will have forgotten all about yourconduct by to-morrow."
"What did he say to you?" said Jem, as Don went below.
Don told him.
"Pay for the boathook?" said Jem. "Well, I'll do that, my lad. Butwhat did he say--the skipper would forget it by to-morrow?"
"Yes, Jem."
"I hope he will."
"But I can't forget that he hit me," said Don sternly.
"Now, now, Mas' Don, you mustn't speak like that."
"And you must not speak like that, Jem,--_Master Don_. You'll have someof the men hear you."
"Well, I'll mind; but you mustn't think any more about that, my lad.He's captain, and can do as he likes. You were going to hit him,weren't you?"
"Yes, Jem, I'm afraid I was. I always feel like that if I'm hurt."
"But you mustn't now you're a sailor. Say, my lad, things looks ratherugly, somehow. Think the captain will punish you?"
"We shall see, Jem."
"But hadn't we better--I say, my lad," he whispered, "we could swimashore."
"And the shark?"
"Ugh! I forgot him. Well, take a boat, and get right away, for I'vebeen thinking, Mas' Don, it's a very horrid thing to have hit yourofficer."
"But I didn't hit him. He hit me."
"But you were going to, Mas' Don," whispered Jem. "Strikes me thetime's come for running away."
Don shook his head.
"Why, you was red hot on it the other day, my lad."
"Yes, but I've been thinking a great deal about it since, Jem; and itseems to me that it would be too cowardly to run now we are king'ssailors."
"But not if you were going to be punished for doing nothing."
"N-o, Jem," said Don hesitatingly.
"And for being hit as the captain hit you."
"N-no, Jem; but--but somehow--There, don't say any more about it now."<
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Adventures of Don Lavington: Nolens Volens Page 22