CHAPTER XVIII
"The night was warm enough, however, in all conscience; and, if one hadbeen fit to eye it calmly, a glorious scene to see was the sky that roseabove our heads, glowing dark as indigo-blue through the rigging aloft,as the ship's tall spars stood up into it, from one rope-ladder toanother; her main-truck like a white button against the midmost depth,with every line running distinct to its place across knots of stars, andsingle bright ones piercing sharp through the black squares of theshrouds; while all round from her it widened away, glittering andseething with lights, that brought the woods looming out bigger andblacker along the nearest shore, making the dirty brown river lookdirtier and drearier than before, as the steam spread over the closemangrove bank on the other side, and began to creep low out upon thewater like fleeces of wool, with the stars here and there sparkling fromthe far horizon through the straggling fringe of cocoas beyond, and thehuge bloated baobabs that twisted up out of the tall guinea-grass, as iftheir roots were in the air. The next glance I caught from Violet Hydeshowed nothing but the distress she was in; and I walked forward to hailJacobs on the fore-to'-gallant-yard, asking if he saw the signal yet.'No, no, sir,' answered he, 'not a sign on it up to this time.'
"So back again I went, gloomy enough myself, but trying to keep up mycountenance, and saying I was sure we should see the boats come downwith the tide when it turned.
"'Have you noticed the stars aloft, Miss Hyde?' said I, in a cheerfulway, to take off her thoughts till the upshot came; 'they never sawthese in Europe, nor a night like this!' She looked up, and for a momentor two the soft blue dark of the hollow seemed to sweep round both ofus, catching you up into it; the Milky Way falling over to westward,like a track astern of the great star-ship down in the south; andOrion's figure to be made out overhead, with the belt about him,stretching off west out of the Milky Way--the Serpent streaming far upto his foot; then Magellan's two shining bits of cloud, and the dim one,seaward. There were patches to be seen blacker than ink, too, where youseemed to look _through_ the sky, while every now and then a meteor shotfar across it and fell, leaving a trail like a silver thread. 'Twasterrible, though, to see up into it, far away as they stood, and assteady as if we weren't there, when heaven only knew _what_ might comedown river next half-hour. I felt her shoulder touch me as she leantback--the starlight glistening in her blue eyes, and nothing but itbetween her lovely young face and the stars; and I don't know how, butit appears to me I thought during that half-minute as I never thoughtbefore, and as if I looked off the other side of the world for the firsttime--yet you couldn't expect a fellow's brain to breed such notions ina merchantman's forecastle, or a frigate's steerage or gun-room, as itdid beside an Indiaman's bulwarks, entering for a moment or two into thevery feelings of a creature like the judge's daughter, when her warmbreath almost lighted on his cheek!
"Next minute I noticed over my shoulder, low down in the deep blue swellof the south, where the five bright stars of the Southern Cross weregleaming nearly upright over the top of a cocoa-clump on the oppositebank, for all the world like some diamond ornament; and I pointed it outto her, though I knew by the bearings of it how far the night was gonetoward the middle. Its top and bottom stars flashed out of the pure faceof heaven like jewels, each fit to buy the Great Mogul ten times over.The dark fringes of her two eyes showed brown over the light in them,while it looked like the hearts in violet flowers, as she turned. 'Atsea,' said I, 'we mids used to know by it when eight-bells would come,to let us go below and turn in. Soon after you lose sight of thePole-star you rise the Southern Cross--and the men had a notion it was abrooch the Virgin Mary lost from her breast, in the daylight, when shewent up to heaven! 'Twas her son gave it her, they fancied, but 'twasalways to be _found_ in the dark--though, meanwhile, 'tis a sign to theFlying Dutchman, as he tries to weather the Cape, that he'll be forgivenat the day of judgment--so that's the reason it has the power of showingwhat's o'clock until _then_, and why the Cape is the Cape of Good Hope!''Yes, yes!' said she; 'in Paul and Virginia, I remember, when they wereso unwilling to part, _it_----' But she stopped with a blush, as her eyemet mine; and we were both so confused that, before I knew, I foundmyself beginning to stammer out all manner of tender words, I daresay,and to whisper her first name near her ear, she scarce seeming to markthe difference--in fact _one_ bewildered sort of look was all she gaveme at the moment, as if she were listening more to the hum rising out ofthe woods than to me.
"Once or twice the still shine of the lamp up through the openskylight-frame drew my eye to it in spite of me--it was the only lightburning in the ship, and you saw the gleam of it from the starboardport-window of the cuddy, drawn in as it was for air, thrown on thedusky water, not many fathoms, apparently, off the jungly bank nearestthe ship. I can't tell you how, but somehow or other the appearance ofit there, like a yellow break in the misty shadow, letting one see thevery froth floating over it, and the muddy tint of the river on itsedges--with the hush below us in the cabin--awed me more than aughtbesides; and whether it was from mixing the thing with what happenedafterwards, or how--perhaps the missionary moved inside--but when Inoticed the gleam on the water quiver and darken for a moment, thenshine out again, I felt I _knew_ it was then the captain's spirit passedaway. I slipped with a thrill of my blood to the skylight, and sawMacleod still asleep, the missionary settling his spectacles on his noseto read again, as if _he_ had looked up too when I did; while the cotand bedclothes were hanging white in the shade as before, except thatthe knees were drawn up, and the head turned away. He might be dozing,though it came into my head I had heard the captain say he should lasttill the _turn of the tide_; and in fact all the sick men I ever knewdie, unless there was something uncommon, died as the ebb came on. As Istepped back to the young lady's side, I could mark the Southern Crossby the after-edge of the mainmast, sparkling fairly upright above thecocoa-nut trees, and Orion high up nor'-westward seemed farther away--itwas midnight. The thought flashed through me how something in the skycould draw up a man's soul, as the shot at his hammock-foot would sinkhis body down deep through blue water at sea--but the first light plashof the ebb alongside brought me back to the case in hand, and I gaveJacobs a quiet sign to look out sharp aloft.
"'Hark!' whispered Violet Hyde, suddenly, glancing sideways to me withher ear eagerly toward the shore, and putting back her hair with onehand to listen--'what is _that_?' I thought at first I could see a stiralong the thick aloe-bushes, and make out the rustle of leaves; but theland-breeze was sighing in puffs through them already, and the fogbeginning to creep out from over the bank, as if to meet the muddystream from the other side; till next minute I heard what she meant,like wild cries from human creatures half choked, or out of breath,sounding along deep in the woods; then free out it rose in a clearchorus of savage screams and yells, and then seemed smothered up again.'Twas only a pack of jackals hunting from thick bush to opening, butViolet pressed closer to me as the devilish noise drew nearer the river;and suddenly my hand met hers--to say what I felt, passes me--but thevery next moment I had it fast clasped in my own, though I hadn't timeenough to say what the thing was, before the entire pack of throatsseemed to break out right upon the bank a little higher up than theship, barking and yelping like the very hounds of Satan. ''Tis only thechase has taken to the water!' continued I, in a low voice, as theinfernal uproar stopped at once.
"However, _then_, the sweet girl was trembling like a leaf; and, byJove! madam, take it as you will, the man who wouldn't have had one armround her before that, could have been no sailor--that's all. 'For God'ssake, dear, dear Miss Hyde,' whispered I--'dearest Violet, let me takeyou under shelter--we may have dangerous work before long!'
"I started up from the bulwarks, in fact, for the river by this time wasall aplash alongshore in the haze, and under the ship's bends, beginningto run past her side seaward, as the branches and loose stuff camefloating out with the current off a point; the sedge and bulrushesopposite us moaning and clattering, as the breeze rushed through them,bring
ing the fog rolling down stream. The mist was closing overhead fromboth sides already, though the stars sparkled through the middle yet;and I knew the moon must be rising, fit to show us anything that cameout of the upper reach. 'No--no!' faltered out Violet, in tears, as sheslid herself quickly out of my hold, drawing the shawl over her with ashudder; 'I cannot go inside till we see them come back--my dear, dearfather, I must see that he is safe!' 'By heaven! though,' exclaimed I,jumping upon the carronade to look out, 'those brutes are swimming afterthe deer, and the stream is bringing them down on our stern!' TheIndiaman was swinging her stern down to the ebb, and through the dusk Ifancied I just saw their black heads tipping here and there out of thewater, amongst the driftwood and froth, where the light from the cabinport swung slowly into the mist, with the ship. However, they went past;and she hadn't got her bow fair to the current, when a man from the bowsung out, 'Hurrah! here's the boats now!'
"'Where, where?' said I, springing forward to the fore-chains, while theyoung lady stood as if her life hung on the next word. 'There, sir,right ahead almost as she swings,' said the sailor; and thick as theblue fog was close to us, the cream-coloured haze filling up the reachof the river beyond, was lighting up like white gauze with the moon, inwhich I saw two or three black objects come dropping out as if from thecreek, their oar-blades flashing in it. But I thought they crowdedtogether awkwardly, like maimed craft, and the weight seemed to keepthem down, unless, as I hoped, they were waiting for the others. 'No,no, Mr Collins!' whispered Jacobs, suddenly sliding down a topmastbackstay to my side, 'they're canoes, sir!' 'By the Lord! so they are,'said I, seeing a flourish of the paddles that betrayed them. 'They'rehanging on yet, though, to catch us napping--keep cool, Bob, my man,'continued I, for my spirits rose, to find my fears mistaken as yet aboutour boats. 'But the cable--the cable!' added I hastily--'by George,they'll try to cut it, as sure as fate! Ready there--don't fire a shottill they're close--nothing but stupid nigger heathens after all, mylads! Quick, a couple of you,' said I, 'bowse up the jib at once, anddown fore-topsail sheets--brace the yard sharp up, to cast her head downif they do cut! If we go aground, Jacobs, we're gone!'
"'Twas vain to think of hindering them, few as we were, and scarce ableto see what they did for the fog; but the land-breeze already blewpretty fresh, and the ebb rushing on her bows made the Indiaman heave toit as her jib rose from the boom. I had no time to stand uponceremony--to think of the pilotage again--with the savages, the narrowchannel in the dusk, and the breakers together, was quite enough.
"In the very nick of such a breathless moment, I had just fancied Icaught the stroke of their paddles coming on--when all at once, out ofthe open cabin-skylight aft, rose a sound, the like of which I neverheard in my life--between a yell and a cry; but the mouth of theskylight seemed to send it up higher than the mast-heads, loud andlong, into the slit of starlight between the fog. For a single secondthe marrow curdled in my bones, and I lost all thought even of thecanoes ahead, 'twas so unearthly; till, catching a glimpse of Violet'swhite figure crouching in terror to the round-house door, I rushed aft,and looked down at the cuddy. It was all black as midnight below, thestink of the swinging lamp coming out; but by the horrible tumbling,staggering, struggling sound inside, you'd have thought it full of someawful thing, doing God knows what in the place--then a thump and agroan. I scarce believe I could have mustered heart to go down thecompanion and see--till next moment the Scotch mate's bare head and hisshoulders came thrusting up out of the stair, wrestling wildly withthree or four pitch-black naked figures--the narrow booby-hatchhindering them from sticking together to him, except one that leapt outalmost on his back, aiming a fierce stroke with a club at his skull.Quick as thought, however, my coolness had come back to me, and I justsent the bullet from the ship's musket I had snatched up fair flashthrough his lungs, the blood spouting out of his mouth almost over us,as he spun round with his club in the air, and fell back--while smashafter smash I brought the stock of my piece down on the crowns of theothers, trying to get on deck too thick together; and Macleod was doingthe same like a man, at the skylight, where they were catching at theedge of the frame. The shrieks of the ladies came off the poop above;and as for the men, they were dodging under the forecastle bulwarks asthey fired at the canoes ahead, from the spears and arrows that camewhistling over, and quivering into the planks near me. What else thefiendish wretches might be doing I didn't know, but I had no soonermanaged to shove the scuttle over the booby-hatch, the second mateloading as fast as he could, and blazing away down into the skylightlike a perfect devil, lighting up the black faces and sharp teeth of thesavages below at every shot, rushing back, than I felt the Indiaman wasbroadside on to the tide and current, sweeping down to open the nextreach with her jib and topsail full to the land-breeze. I sprang back toseize the wheel, near which Violet Hyde stood cowering with her twohands over her eyes, when, in the midst of it all, you may fancy myhorror to catch a glimpse of one hideous black stealing round towardsher in the shadow of the round-house, with a hatchet gleaming in onehand, and the other stretched out to clutch her. 'Twas the work of asecond. I made one leap, and barely caught the blow on my gun-stock, ashe took hold of her dress; then over he and I rolled on the deck, firstone uppermost, then the other, till I found his strength was too muchfor me, breathless as I was.
"The fellow had his huge hand round my throat, choking me, and ready tospring up with the hatchet in his other fist--'twas the mulatto that hadbeen with the Portuguese--when I saw Violet Hyde dart forward between meand the stars, throwing her large shawl round his head and arm frombehind him, and holding it tight, her face turned away white as death.The mulatto loosened his grasp and jumped up, throwing her reeling backto the door; but I was on my feet as soon as he, twisting his hatchetfrom his grip, and sent the edge of it with all my force clean down intohis brain, through cashmere and everything. Ere he had time to pull itoff, he was stretched, breast and knees up, over the carronade-slide atmy feet.
"The dear girl had fainted. I lifted her, and hurried with her to thesofa in the round-house, my heart swelling toward her in a way no mancan tell, though there was not a moment to stay, for when I reached thewheel again, a sight broke upon me that showed the fearful danger wewere in. The savages in the cuddy could be heard plunging out of theport to swim ashore; and though the ebb-tide was taking the shipapparently clear round the woody turn, she had no sooner opened the widereach, where the fog was scattering before the breeze, than we began tosee a stretch of the nearest bank, off our starboard bow, glimmering outto a huge fire on the edge, that lighted up the thick white haze likesulphur--throwing a bloody red glow on the eddies in-shore, with two orthree black canoes dipping up and down in them; a crowd of dark nakednegroes rushing round the fire, bringing logs and branches to throw in,till up it blazed again; the sparks flying into the smoke, the featheryblack jungle sinking back behind, and the banyan branches shooting outinto it, as if they were alive, licking the crimson gleams with theirsharp leaves; while a horrible noise of tree-drums beating andbuffalo-horns blowing floated off to us.
"The wretches seemed to expect we were coming straight in to them, andthey waited for us. And no wonder; for it wasn't till Jacobs camerunning aft, to tell the mate and me, that, to our horror, we found thecanoes had got the rest of the cable fastened somehow or other low downto her cutwater, and were coolly towing us in by it. We could neithercut it nor dispose of them, as at every shot there were plenty more tofill places; while the helm was only enough to steer her, had she beenfree.
"'Jacobs,' said I, 'for heaven's sake bear a hand with two or three ofthese heavy shot in a hammock--let's sling it out to the flying-jibboomend, and I'll stand by to drop it fair over them--quick!' Three of usran out from the bowsprit, with the end of the line, swinging out theweight and hauling it up, till we were nearly over their heads in thefoggy gleam from the blaze ashore. The cable tautened fair under us asthe blacks gave a stroke ahead together with their paddles, and 'Watch!'I sung out above them, in a voice that made t
hem huddle all three canoesin a lump, peering up at us. 'Let go, my lads,' whispered I, and downwent the weight of shot full slap upon them, crash through theirgunwales, leaving no more than the bits, with the woolly heads bobbingabout in the stream. The second mate whirled round the spokes of thewheel, on deck, and her jib and topsail drawing the breeze right again,she began to stand out toward the middle once more. I watched the glareof the fire sinking back into the blue fog, while the hubbub of wildcries showed that they had taken the alarm, and were pushing off as fastas possible in their canoes from the bank in chase.
"The next thing I saw, two or three minutes after, was the flash of alarge gun away on our starboard quarter, flaring out in the mist roundthe strange schooner herself, as she came swiftly down astern of us,under her two boom-sails and flying-jib, the froth whitening up from herforefoot, and she crushing through amongst the canoes, letting drive atthem right and left, flash after flash, and roar after roar--her deckcrowded with men, too, amongst whom I thought I could make out the darkFrenchman's broad-leafed Manilla hat. However, the wreaths of thicksmoke blew curling from her towards us; and directly after nothing wasto be heard but the ripple under our bows, as we went surging towardthe river's mouth, with the clear plash upon her copper coming nearer.
"Jacobs and I, as well as the other hand, hung over the boom togetherfor a little to loose the flying-jib, then out of pure weariness, till Isent Jacobs to take the wheel and steer by my signals; for the Indiamanhad the full force of current and breeze astern of her, carrying herfast toward the bar, as I guessed; while the second mate let her yawdreadfully, from fear of going wrong. As for the schooner, we could makeout her lights through the fog, the wind bringing us the sound of hercutwater--though probably they couldn't know whereabouts we were; so Ihoped she might perhaps go past us in the dark, if she were actually inchase of the Indiaman, as I feared.
"However, the moment the cheep of our flying-jib hanks on the stay washeard as the sail was hoisted, a sharp hail came along the water.'_Hola!_' sang out the creaking voice of the little French skipper, whohad bamboozled me so at sea. None of us answered, and I ran down thespar to be ready for what might happen, when '_Hola! ou etes-vous?_'shouted he again. 'Hullo! the _Seringapatam_, ahoy!' roared our chiefofficer himself; to which no sooner had Macleod replied, than we caughtthree hearty English cheers, and next minute the schooner's canvas waslooming up from the yellow glimmer of her lanterns a few fathoms on ourstarboard quarter--the foam hissing off her sharp bright bows, while sheraced up with us. Everyone of us started at the jovial sound of oldRollock the planter's voice, shouting, 'All's right, my boys!' as if hehad risen from the dead out of the sea--the schooner slipping easily by,abreast of our high bulwarks; and the crowd of heads from stem to stern,English, French, and Kroomen, gliding past below, for all the world likea dream to most of us, with the light from the lanterns flaring up redunder hats, caps, and tarpaulins, and the black shadow of their figuresand small-arms thrown high in two clusters on the broad glare over herfore and main boom-sails. 'Have ye actually taken the blackguards, sir?'hailed the Scotch mate; at which a shout of laughter ran from one end ofher to the other; while one of the cadets seemingly half-drunk, could beseen staggering aft to the stern as she forged swiftly ahead, just inorder to call out, 'Macleod, my old cock, _comment vous portez-vous_?'The little French master jumped up on the schooner's taffrail, wavinghis hand politely: '_J'aurai l'honneur pour vous conduire en debouchant,Messieurs!_' shouted he; 'follow de light een my starn!'
"In fact, by this time we were already in the suck of the channel, sothat longer speaking was out of the question, as the boom of the surfcould be heard wide ahead of the ship. Suddenly a broad gleam of lightoff the sea struck over our starboard bow, beyond the tumbling waterupon the bar, and to starboard the rocky headland broke through the fogrolling out with the breeze: the schooner's stern lifted glimmeringbefore our figure-head, and we lost sight of her again, till we hadswept safe round the point. Five minutes more, and both Indiaman andschooner were heaving on the waves from the shadow of the high land, thedark-blue swells cresting up all round against a bank of cloud on thehorizon, and the long _send_ of the sea to be felt once more underyou--the moon rising out of the river, while a fresh breeze blew in theoffing, and promised to get a good deal stronger.
"The schooner soon hove to, and before we could have beaten up to her,being to leeward, we saw one boat after another dropped astern or offthe side, till the whole five could be made out pulling for the ship;but the minute after they were alongside, she filled away again,standing almost right before the breeze up to north-westward.
"Well, you can fancy the confusion on board of us for a short time, whatwith questions and explainings, and what with seeing worthy old Rollockagain, Ford, Winterton, the Brigadier, and Mrs Brady, after being partedfor a number of days in such a way. The young lady Miss Fortescue'smeeting with her mother was touching enough to witness, though of coursethe gentleman had got it all over before; and in fact they seemed tohave made pretty merry aboard the French craft, while we were fightingfor fair life with those infernal Congo savages. The dead blacks on deckand below had been thrown overboard already, and the Indiaman crowdingsail on her course; but I saw the judge for a minute before theround-house door was shut, with his daughter sobbing on his neck; and assoon as the rest met below in the cuddy, a scene was to be found therewhich one doesn't easily forget--the steward lying in one doorway,dead, with his head smashed by a club; the missionary under the table,still bleeding, though he was alive, and not very much hurt after all.Neither he nor Macleod could tell very well how the thing happened,plain as it was now to me; but the strangest part of it to see, horridas it seemed at first, was the body of Captain Williamson. His cot hadbeen knocked to the deck, some of the devilish wretches had given hisforehead one gash, and his breast another, each fit to kill a man. Therewas little or no blood, however; his face had a peaceful look on it,almost smiling, you'd have said, by comparison with the poor steward's;and as soon as his eyelids were down, the old seaman appeared to besleeping yet. For my part, I felt as sure as if I'd seen it, that whenthe savages struck _that_ body, they might as well have struck at thestars we had seen over the deck.
"Still, when all was cleared away, and the passengers gone tired out totheir berths, I couldn't turn in without a walk on the poop beside theplanter, to hear something from him--the ship all the time rising on thebrisk seas, every stitch of canvas spread, the African coast beginningto drop in the moonshine, and the schooner a dim speck to north-westthrough the long gleam on the horizon. I found to my great surprise,there was no reason he could think of for the French craft's detainingthem, except that the Brigadier had sworn at Bonaparte in the brig'scabin, or else Mrs Brady's having said she would give the world to seehim just now at St Helena; in fact she would go through fire and wateronly to kiss the hand of such a great hero--such an enemy to all Saxonsand tyrants, she vowed. But in fact they had been sitting below at thetime our boat came aboard, and knew nothing about it; the French masterswore to Rollock, and to the chief officer afterwards, he had mistaken_my_ meaning--because I spoke bad French, no doubt; after which the galecame on, and they never saw the Indiaman again till to-night. As fortheir going into the river, and changing her rig, the little Frenchmansaid he found a brig's rig didn't suit a schooner's hull. For my part,however, I didn't see how their course for the Isle of France could be_north-west_. 'By-the-by, though,' added Rollock, 'Mrs Brady made somemystery about the whole affair. She seemed to have a few privatediscourses with that strange dark-faced passenger of theirs, who, Isuspect, had more to do with the vessel than he pretended. But Idaresay, Collins, my boy,' said he, laughing, 'she wanted to make usthink the foreigner had taken a fancy to her.'
"As we were both going below, I said, 'By-the-way, where is Mr DanielSnout?--I haven't seen _him_ yet.' 'Ah!' said the planter, turninground, 'where is Daniel, after all! _I_ haven't seen him either, sincewe left the schooner's deck--no, by Jove! sir, he really hasn't come onboar
d, now I think of it! I recollect we were the last boat, and hewasn't in it, although he was behind me just before I got down.' 'Whatcan the man mean?' said I; and we both stood at the top of the hatchwayladder, looking toward the horizon, at the speck of a schooner. 'Byjingo, Collins!' exclaimed the planter, chuckling, 'the Yankee is goneto be a pirate!'"
The Green Hand: Adventures of a Naval Lieutenant Page 21