CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
MARK'S REST IS DISTURBED.
The boat started back with the doctor, while the other took out ananchor right astern, the capstan was rigged, a good strain got upon thecable, and after a great deal of tugging with the handspikes the mengave a hearty cheer and began to strain harder, for the tide had risen alittle, and the schooner gradually glided off into deeper water.
An answering cheer came back from the _Nautilus_, and a signal washoisted, which Mr Russell read to mean, "Well done!"
Five minutes after they were lying at anchor, and Tom Fillot took theopportunity of passing to whisper to Mark,--
"We did tug at them bars, sir. It means no end o' prize-money--thesaving of a smart craft like this; but, beg pardon, sir, ain't we goingto have a bit of a wash and swab?"
"More signals, sir," cried Bob, who was watching the _Nautilus_ and theflags being run up.
"Yes, I see," said the lieutenant. "Take the boat, Mr Howlett, and askfor stores to be sent on board here. We are to remain."
Bob looked disappointed, and then pleased.
"You're in for it, Van," he whispered, as they walked to the gangway."I say, shall I send you a bottle of eau-de-cologne with the stores?"
Mark made a gesture as if to kick him, but Bob dropped down into theboat, was rowed off, and in due time the supplies arrived.
"Not quite the sort of duty we expected, Vandean," said the lieutenant,"but we must take the rough with the smooth, I suppose."
"Shall we have to stop on board here?"
"Not a doubt about it, my lad; but she's a valuable prize, and byto-morrow we'll have her different from this, or know the reason why."
He set to work giving orders after the men had been refreshed; and, nowthat the two black sailors grasped the object of the taking of theschooner, and comprehended that the slaves were to be set free, theybegan to work with tremendous energy. Though speaking a dialectsomewhat different from that of the poor creatures on board, they madethem understand that their lot had been bettered, and, as soon as thiswas understood, a complete change came over the scene. The womenlaughed and cried, and the men evinced a desire to help, so that beforenight the hold had been cleansed and ventilated, and the deck opened tolet in light, till, though still far from being pure, the place began tobe bearable.
The task had not been completed, though, without attendant horrors, forupon the first steps being taken to examine the hold, no less than sixpoor creatures, victims to the hideous traffic, were found lying wherethey had fallen--dead.
It was horrible in the extreme, Mark felt, but nothing else could bedone, and the sufferers were committed to the deep by their morefortunate companions, with a few wails of grief and beatings of thebreast. Then all was over, and the cleansing went on, till Mr Russellgave orders for the men to cease.
"And pretty well time," grumbled Tom Fillot. "There's been some hundredmillions o' buckets o' water slooshed about this here schooner."
"More or less, Tom," said Mark, laughing.
"Well, sir, I dessay you're right," said the man, "for I didn't count;but I've been hauling up buckets and swabbing till I don't seem to haveno arms. Howsoever, we are a little bit more decent, and I don't thinkwe shall have anything on our consciences to-night."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't think any niggers'll die 'cause of our not taking care on 'em,sir, that's all."
Just before dark, Bob Howlett was back on board with a despatch for thelieutenant, and soon after he had gone Mr Russell told Mark thecontents.
"We're to make sail as soon as there's a breath of wind," he said, "andsteer for Port Goldby, so as to get the blacks ashore and in charge ofthe authorities as quickly as possible. But there will be no windto-night, my lad, and I shouldn't be surprised if it was calm all dayto-morrow. Still, there, one never knows what the weather is likely tobe."
"It's calm enough now," said Mark, as he looked shoreward over theglassy sea to where a thin haze veiled the shore. "How hot it is!"
"Yes; Africa deserves its character," said the lieutenant, smiling.Then, as he looked toward the groups of blacks--slaves no longer--lyingabout the deck in comparative bliss, after what they had gonethrough--"I must send those poor creatures below," he said. "I don'tthink there is the most remote idea among them of an attempt to turnagainst us, but the land is near, and they might think they would liketo strike off for liberty, and it would be a cruelty to let them go backto slavery, as they would if they got ashore."
"It does seem hard to send them down into that stifling hold," saidMark; "but I suppose it must be done."
"Yes, and at once," said Mr Russell, firmly. "Call that big black."
Mark went forward and summoned Soup, who came smiling, to look from oneto the other inquiringly.
With some difficulty he was made to understand what was wanted; and assoon as he did he called his companion, and in a very few minutes theyhad cleared the deck, the women and children going below docilelyenough, and the men making not the slightest opposition, though giving alonging look round at the soft evening sky.
"No trouble there," said Mr Russell. "Now, Vandean, I propose that wedivide the night. I'll take the watch, and will call you for the next,unless the wind springs up, and then of course it will be all hands ondeck. Who will you have in your watch--Dance, or Fillot?"
"Fillot," said Mark, promptly.
"Most amusing companion, but Dance is the better seaman."
"Shall I have Dance, then, sir?"
"I would rather you did, my lad, as the responsibility is great, and Ishould lie down to rest with more confidence. Not that I doubt you," hehastened to add. "There, I'll join you at a bit of supper at once.Things seem pretty comfortable in the cabin, and, as it is our prize, wemay make free with what we like. Come along."
Mark gave a sharp look round as they walked toward the cabin-hatch, tosee through the hot glow the _Nautilus_ at anchor, looking trim, andwith every yard squared. She seemed to stand up out of the water in thetransparent atmosphere, with every rope clearly seen, but there was apeculiar look seaward, as if the transparent darkness were sweeping overthe ocean to shut her in. He looked shoreward to faintly discern thetops of some palms, but all below these was shut in by haze which rosefrom the mouth of the river.
"Doesn't look a healthy place, and this can't be a healthy ship,Vandean, but we must make the best of it, and be off to sea at the firstchance."
They both stood at the head of the cabin stairs, and took another lookround, to see if anything had been left undone; and just then Dance thecoxswain came up and touched his hat.
"Shall I hoist an anchor-light, sir, as soon as it's dark?" said theman, respectfully.
"No," replied the lieutenant, decisively. "No one is likely to run usdown, here. Now, Vandean."
He led the way into the cabin, saying, "We don't want to show peopleashore where we are. Hah! that's right. This is Tom Fillot's doing.He's a handy fellow."
He pointed to the preparations for a meal of no mean proportions, forthe skipper of the schooner and his crew had been liberally provided forby their owners; and now, feeling hungry for the first time that day,Mark ate a hearty supper. After a little chat they went on deck again,to find that the sky was now literally black, and the only thing visibleas they lay there in the utter silence was a star-like light lyingapparently close by--a light which Mark knew at once must be that of the_Nautilus_.
"Why, she has come in closer while we've been below," he said.
"On the contrary, she has run out with the tide, and is a good two milesaway. Let's have a look round."
The first movement was to the sentry on guard over the hatch, from whichcame the sounds of heavy breathing, and the man reported in a whisperthat the blacks had not made another sound.
The rest of the watch were next visited, and there was nothing toreport.
"There," said the lieutenant, "all's well. Go and sleep, my lad. I'llkeep a faithful watch over you; when
your turn comes do the same for me.Good-night."
"Good-night, sir," said Mark, eagerly taking the hand extended to him,and gripping it firmly. Then going below, feeling weary, but unwillingto leave the deck, he crept into the skipper's comfortable bunk to resthimself, feeling certain that he would not sleep. For it was very hotdown there, in spite of the open cabin window; the mosquitoes wereuttering their tiresome fine-drawn hum, and he was excited by the eventsof the day.
"It's like going to sleep on the edge of a volcano," he thought."Suppose the blacks do rise, and, led by our two fellows, attack us. Weshould be taken by surprise, and it would be all over in a minute. Ican't go to sleep. I'll lie still a bit, and then go on deck."
Mark lay still a bit, but did not go on deck, for he dropped off into adeep sleep, which seemed only to have lasted five minutes when MrRussell came and roughly told him to turn out, flashing the lanthorn inhis eyes as he awoke, puzzled and confused at the rough way in which hisfellow-officer spoke. Then with a start he grasped the reality.
It was not the lieutenant holding the light, but someone else, whogrowled,--"Make so much as a sound and it will be your last--all but thesplash going overboard. D'yer see this? Guess you do. Mind it don'tgo off."
There was no need for guessing; the object named was plain enough in thelight of the lanthorn, being a pistol barrel, whose muzzle was about twofeet from the lad's head.
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