Black Bar

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

  IN THE SCHOONER'S HOLD.

  It was undoubtedly a terrible cry of despair from a human being indeadly peril, and with all the force of Englishmen sent to answer such acall for aid, the boat was rushed through the water, the coxswain hookedon, and setting at defiance that which had horrified and disgusted them,the two officers, followed by all their men but the boat-keeper, sprangon board the beautifully clean, trim-looking schooner, where the remainsof the broken spar, axes that had been hastily thrown down, and a tangleof cordage and canvas cumbered the deck.

  "What is it?" cried Mark, excitedly. "Is someone being killed?"

  "Some dozens," cried Russell, fiercely, as the cry was repeated frombeneath their feet, followed by a horrible scuffling sound mingled withgroans. "The wretches have battened down the hatches, and the poorcreatures below are suffocating."

  As he spoke, he caught up one of the axes from where it lay, an examplefollowed by Mark, and they struck off the fastenings which held down thehatches close by where they stood.

  The horrible sounds ceased at the first blow of the axe, and a deathlysilence succeeded, followed by a low, deep, murmuring roar.

  "Stop!" cried Mr Russell. "Stand by, lads, and be prepared. The poorwretches may not know friends from foes."

  The next minute the hatch was thrown up, and there was a fearful rush,not that for which they had prepared, but one perhaps worse. Thewretched blacks crowded down in the stifling hold were too much cowed bythe brutality from which they had suffered to dare then to raise a hand;and, instead of making a dash for liberty as anticipated, they waited inexpectation of death being the portion of the man who first reached theopening.

  The boat's crew shrank away from the hatch, driven back by the rush ofpoisonous air of so fearful an odour that the lieutenant turned ghastlyas he cried,--"Oh, horror! how can the poor creatures exist?" Howindeed? Relief had only come in time. The captain of the schooner hadprobably intended to pretend that he had no slaves on board, but hadaltered his mind and fled after the poor wretches had been shut down;and, without doubt, if they had been unable to break out to the deck, inless than an hour not a soul would have been left alive.

  "Here, Vandean," cried Mr Russell, "we must risk their attacking us,and have them on deck. How are we to make them understand? Hi! belowthere! Come up into the fresh air."

  But there was no reply, save a stifled moan or two.

  "Volunteers," cried the lieutenant. "Two men to go down and bring oneof the poor wretches up. We can show him that we mean well, and then hecan act as interpreter."

  For a few moments no one spoke, and Mr Russell cried:--"I know it's aterrible task, my lads. Who'll come with me?"

  "No, with me," said Mark, quickly; and he stepped to the mouth of thenoisome pit.

  "Oh, I'll go with you, Mr Vandean, sir," cried Tom Fillot; and withouta word Mark drew a deep breath, stepped in on the ladder, and descended,the light being shut out directly by the sailor.

  The heat was awful, and after holding his breath till he reached thebottom, at the first inspiration Mark felt giddy and sick; but making abrave effort, he took a step forward, trying to pierce the darknessaround--black darkness to one who had just come out of the blazingsunshine--and made a snatch at the arm of the man nearest to him in thecrowd.

  He only held on for a moment, and then the arm was wrested free. Heseized another, speaking gently the while. The man uttered a yell ofhorror, and struggled so fiercely, that Mark was fain to let go.

  "We must get one on deck, Tom," cried Mark. "Lay hold of one as gentlyas you can, and let's pull him up."

  Tom Fillot seized the first he could distinguish in the herd of poorcowering wretches, but this one, too, filled the foul air with hispiercing yells, and fought so hard to free himself, that Tom let go, andstepped back below the hatch.

  "They think we want to chuck 'em overboard, Mr Vandean, sir. I don'tknow what to say to 'em. No good to tell 'em that under the Britishflag they're free."

  "Let's go and breathe for a few moments, Tom," said Mark, his voicesounding as if he were half-stifled.

  "I'd rather do that, sir, than have the best glass o' grog ever mixed,"said the man.

  "Now below there!" came from the hatch; "how are you getting on?"

  Mark answered the question by stumbling up the ladder till he could puthis face over the combings of the hatch, and breathe the air blowingover the vessel, Tom Fillot following suit.

  "You look white as ashes, Vandean," said the lieutenant. "I had nobusiness to let you go down. But the men are not dangerous?"

  "Like so many sheep," replied Mark, rather faintly; "but we could notget one to come."

  "Come out, and I'll go myself."

  "No," said Mark, stoutly. "I have only half done my work. Come along,Tom Fillot."

  Before he could be stayed, he stepped down once more into the terriblehold, where, his eyes growing now more accustomed to the darkness, hebegan to make out eyes everywhere--glistening, starting eyes--allapparently staring fiercely, and in a threatening way.

  The whole scene was horrible, every surrounding was sickening. The poorcreatures had been herded together down in the foul place, with lesscare for their health than if they had been cattle, while in theemergency of the slave captain's escape, they had been left to die.But, horrible as the place was, Mark made a brave effort to master hisdread and compunction. Risking attack from some one or other of the menwho might very well have been infuriated by his wrongs, the youngmidshipman once more made an effort to seize one of the blacks and gethim on deck. Watching his opportunity, he stepped boldly forward towhere the crowd had shrunk back together, and again caught a man by thearm.

  "Now, Tom Fillot," he cried, "help me."

  The sailor seconded him well, but the poor wretch, in an agony of fear,made a desperate plunge, got free again; and at that moment, in alarmabout his young officer's safety, Mr Russell sternly ordered him tocome back on deck.

  It was with a mingling of satisfaction and disinclination that the ladobeyed; and as they stood about the open hatch, Mr Russell said,--"Wemust give them time to find out that we are friends. This is my firstexperience, in spite of all our chasing, Vandean, and it is worse than Icould have believed."

  "Signal from the _Naughtylass_, sir," said Tom Fillot. "Yes; thecaptain is getting anxious. Here, Vandean, go back in the boat, andtell them the state of affairs."

  "And leave you alone with these people? There must be fifty or ahundred down below."

  "I shall have four defenders with me," said the lieutenant, quietly,"and you will be back soon with a reinforcement. We must get the poorwretches on deck, out of that loathsome den, or they will half of thembe dead of fever in four and twenty hours."

  "You wish me to go?" said Mark, hesitating.

  "I order you to go, my lad," said the lieutenant, speaking sternly, butwith a friendly light in his eye. "There, off at once."

  Mark passed over the side with half the boat's crew, and, feelingextremely uneasy about his officer's fate, had himself rowed back, andstated the case to the captain.

  "Horrible!" he said. "Well, the men must be brought on board if theschooner is a fixture. Take back ten men with you, and tell Mr Russellto get out an anchor and see if he cannot haul off the vessel. If hecannot, the slaves must be brought on board, and the schooner burned."

  "But how are we to get the men out of the hold, sir? They arefrightened to death of us," said Mark.

  "To be sure, yes. Try fair means, and if they do not answer, the poorwretches must be hoisted on deck with ropes. They will soon growsatisfied when they feel that we mean them no harm."

  "But--I beg your pardon, sir," faltered Mark; "we cannot make themunderstand that we are friends."

  "May I speak, sir?" cried Bob Howlett.

  "Silence, sir; don't interfere," said Mr Staples, sternly.

  "Oh, you lucky beggar," whispered Bob; "you get all the fun."

  "Go back at
once, Mr Vandean," said the captain. "You understand. Getthe schooner off if possible. If not, bring the slaves on board, andthe vessel is to be set on fire. Well, Mr Howlett, why are you makingsigns?"

  "I beg pardon, sir, but I could make the slaves understand."

  "_You_?"

  "Yes, sir; I should take Soup and--I mean the two black fellows--andmake them interpret."

  "Of course; a capital idea, my lad; but--stop. How are you going tounderstand the men you would take?"

  "Oh, I think I could manage that, sir," said Bob, importantly.

  "Indeed?"

  "Yes, sir. I am making a study of their language, and I've learned afew words and taught them."

  "Take them with you in the boat, then, sir, by all means;" and Bobdarted a triumphant glance at the first lieutenant, in ignorance of thefact that this gentleman was watching him, and met his look in aterribly stony fashion, which made Bob's face turn blank in the extreme.

  To hide his confusion, he ran off forward, and, partly by signs, partlyby hauling, he drew the two blacks to the waiting boat, into which theystepped willingly enough, and five minutes later the little party wereon their way back to the schooner.