Masterman Ready; Or, The Wreck of the Pacific

by Frederick Marryat

  CHAPTER SIXTY FIVE.

  After returning twice for water, to satisfy those in the house, MrSeagrave came to the assistance of William, who had been removingReady's clothes to ascertain the nature of the wound he had received.

  "We had better move him to where the other cocoa-nut boughs lie; he willbe more comfortable there," said William.

  Ready whispered, "More water." William gave him some more and then,with the assistance of his father, Ready was removed to a morecomfortable place. As soon as they laid him there, Ready turned on hisside, and threw up a quantity of blood.

  "I am better now," said he in a low voice; "bind up the wound, William;an old man like me has not much blood to spare."

  Mr Seagrave and William then examined the wound; the spear had gonedeep into the lungs. William threw off his shirt, tore it up intostrips, and then bound up the wound so as to stop the effusion of blood.

  Ready, who at first appeared much exhausted with being moved about,gradually recovered so as to be able to speak in a low voice, when MrsSeagrave came out of the house.

  "Where is that brave, kind man?" cried she, "that I may bless him andthank him."

  Mr Seagrave went to her, and caught her by the arm. "He is hurt, mydear; and very much hurt. I did not tell you at the time."

  Mr Seagrave related what had occurred, and then led her to where Readywas lying. Mrs Seagrave knelt by his side, took his hand, and burstinto tears.

  "Don't weep for me," said Ready; "my days have been numbered; I'm onlysorry that I cannot any more be useful to you."

  "Dear good man," said Mrs Seagrave, "whatever may be our fates, andthat is for the Almighty to decide for us, as long as I have life, whatyou have done for me and mine shall never be forgotten."

  Mrs Seagrave then bent over him, and kissing his forehead, rose andretired weeping into the house.

  "William," said Ready, "I can't talk now; raise my head a little, andthen leave me. You have not looked round lately. Come again in abouthalf an hour. Leave me now, Mr Seagrave; I shall be better if I doze alittle."

  They complied with Ready's request; went up to the planks, and examinedcarefully all round the stockade; at last they stopped.

  "This is a sad business, William," said Mr Seagrave.

  William shook his head. "He would not let me go," replied he; "I wishhe had. I fear that he is much hurt."

  "I should say that he cannot recover, William. We shall miss himto-morrow if they attack us."

  "I hardly know what to say, papa; but I feel that since we have beenrelieved, I am able to do twice as much as I could have done before."

  "I feel the same, but still with such a force against us, two peoplecannot do much."

  "If my mother and Juno load the muskets for us," replied William, "weshall at all events do as much now as we should have been able to do ifthere were three, so exhausted as we should have been."

  "Perhaps so; at all events we will do our best, for we fight for ourlives and for those most dear to us."

  William went softly up to Ready, and found that he was dozing; hetherefore did not disturb him, but returned to his father. Now thattheir thirst had been appeased, they all felt the calls of hunger. Junoand William went and cut off steaks from the turtle, and fried them;they all made a hearty meal, and perhaps never had they taken one withso much relish in their lives.

  It was nearly daylight, when William, who had several times been softlyup to Ready, found him with his eyes open.

  "How do you find yourself, Ready?" said William.

  "I am quiet and easy, William, and without much pain; but I think I amsinking, and shall not last long. Recollect that if you are obliged toescape from the stockade, you take no heed of me, but leave me where Iam. I cannot live, and were you to move me, I should only die thesooner."

  "I had rather die with you, than leave you, Ready."

  "No, that is wrong; you must save your mother, and your brothers andsister; promise me that you will do as I wish."

  William hesitated.

  "I point out to you your duty, William. I know what your feelings are,but you must not give way to them; promise me this, or you will make mevery miserable."

  William squeezed Ready's hand; his heart was too full to speak.

  "They will come at daylight, William; you have not much time to spare;climb to the look-out, and wait there till day dawns; watch them as longas you can, and then come and tell me what you have seen."

  Ready's voice became faint after this exertion of speaking so much.

  William immediately climbed up the cocoa-nut tree, and waited there tilldaylight. At the dawn of day, he perceived that the savages were atwork, that they had collected all the faggots together opposite to wherethe old house had stood, and were very busy in making arrangements forthe attack. At last, every one shouldered a faggot, and commenced theiradvance towards the stockade; William immediately descended and calledhis father, who was talking with Mrs Seagrave. The muskets were allloaded, and Mrs Seagrave and Juno took their posts below the planking,to reload them as fast as they were fired.

  "We must fire upon them as soon as we are sure of not missing, William,"said Mr Seagrave, "for the more we check their advance, the better."

  When the first savages were within fifty yards, they both fired, and twoof the men dropped; they continued to fire as their assailants came up,with great success for the first ten minutes; after which the savagesadvanced in a larger body, and took the precaution to hold the faggotsin front of them, for some protection as they approached. By thesemeans they gained the stockade in safety, and commenced laying theirfaggots. Mr Seagrave and William still kept up an incessant fire uponthem, but not with so much success as before.

  Although many fell, the faggots were gradually heaped up, till theyalmost reached to the holes between the palisades, through which theypointed their muskets; and as the savages contrived to slope them downfrom the stockade to the ground, it was evident that they meant to mountup and take them by escalade. At last, it appeared as if all thefaggots had been placed, and the savages retired farther back, to wherethe cocoa-nut trees were still standing.

  "They have gone away, father," said William; "but they will come again,and I fear it is all over with us."

  "I fear so too, my boy," replied Mr Seagrave; "they are only retreatingto arrange for a general assault, and they now will be able to gain anentrance. I almost wish that they had fired the faggots; we might haveescaped as Ready pointed out to us, but now I fear we have no chance."

  "Don't say a word to my mother," said William; "let us defend ourselvesto the last, and if we are overpowered it is the will of God."

  "I should like to take a farewell embrace of your dear mother," said MrSeagrave; "but, no; it will be weakness just now. Here they come,William, in a swarm. Well, God bless you, my boy; we shall all, Itrust, meet in Heaven!"

  The whole body of savages were now advancing from the cocoa-nut wood ina solid mass; they raised a yell, which struck terror into the hearts ofMrs Seagrave and Juno, yet they flinched not. The savages were againwithin fifty yards of them, when the fire was opened upon them; the firewas answered by loud yells, and the savages had already reached to thebottom of the sloping pile of faggots, when the yells and the reports ofthe muskets were drowned by a much louder report, followed by thecrackling and breaking of the cocoa-nut trees, which made both partiesstart with surprise; another and another followed, the ground wasploughed up, and the savages fell in numbers.

  "It must be the cannon of a ship, father," said William; "we are saved--we are saved!"

  "It can be nothing else; we are saved, and by a miracle!" replied MrSeagrave in utter astonishment.

  The savages paused in the advance, quite stupefied; again, again, again,the report of the loud guns boomed through the air, and the round-shotand grape came whizzing and tearing through the cocoa-nut grove; at thislast broadside, the savages turned, and fled towards their canoes: notone was left to be seen.

 
"We are saved!" cried Mr Seagrave, leaping off the plank and embracinghis wife, who sank down on her knees, and held up her clasped hands inthankfulness to Heaven.

  William had hastened up to the look-out on the cocoa-nut tree, and nowcried out to them below, as the guns were again discharged:

  "A large schooner, father; she is firing at the savages, who are at thecanoes; they are falling in every direction: some have plunged into thewater; there is a boat full of armed men coming on shore; they are closeto the beach, by the garden-point. Three of the canoes have got offfull of men; there go the guns again; two of the canoes are sunk,father; the boat has landed, and the people are coming up this way."William then descended from the look-out as fast as he could.

  As soon as he was down, he commenced unbarring the door of the stockade.He pulled out the last pole just as he heard the feet of theirdeliverers outside. He threw open the door, and, a second after, foundhimself in the arms of Captain Osborn.