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Jack at Sea, a novel by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 36. Running The Reef. |
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_ CHAPTER THIRTY SIX. RUNNING THE REEF. The whole of that journey down the rugged gash in the mountain side was a prolonged agony to Jack, but he fought like a hero to keep his feet, and at last, satisfied that he could not escape, the man who had surprised him and treated him as his own prize caught him by the shoulder as he was tottering down the descent, with the stones every here and there giving way beneath his feet, and about to fall heavily. The next minute his numbed and swollen hands were set at liberty, so that he could better preserve his balance, and the first use he made of them was to point to Ned's bonds, with the result that the man's captor entered into a short colloquy with Jack's; and the savage fitted an arrow to his bow and took aim, half drawing the arrow to the head, while he jabbered away and scowled menacingly, showing his white teeth the while. "What does he mean by that, Mr Jack? going to shoot me--a coward?" "No, no; he means he will untie your hands, but that if you attempt to escape an arrow will go faster than you can run, and he will bring you down." "And very kind of him too, sir. But I shan't run away without you, sir. Here, undo 'em then, blackie." He bent forward so as to raise his tied hands, and the black began to unfasten the cane. "I always knew you were a big scholar, Mr Jack, sir," continued Ned, "but I didn't think you were up to this jibber-jabber.--Thankye, old chap. Nice state you've got my hands in though. Why, I don't believe the size gloves I should want are made. Look, Mr Jack, about four-and-twenty they'd take, wouldn't they? How's yours?" "They ache horribly, Ned." "Oh, mine don't. I shouldn't know I'd got any if I couldn't see 'em. Plain enough though, ain't they?" Ned had no time to say more, for his captor urged him on. "Just like driving a donkey, sir, ain't it?--All right, blackie, I'll go." The party descended as rapidly as they could till just after the great orange sun had descended over the rim of the sea, and then, as if perfectly familiar with the place, they turned suddenly off to the left, down a second ravine much steeper than the larger one they had left, and after going down about a quarter of a mile to where dwarf trees were beginning to grow thickly again, they stopped short in a natural shelter close by a rock pool, into which a clear thread of water trickled. Jack's captor pointed to the pool, and the lad lay down and drank deeply, Ned following his example without orders, and upon being satisfied they rose, to find the men busily preparing a fire.--Then one of the party rubbed a couple of pieces of wood together till the friction produced sparks, which began to glow in the wood dust fanned by the fire-maker's breath, and soon after the fire was burning merrily. Jack did not see it dug out, but a quantity of closely-packed green leaves were lying about, and a rough hollow was close at hand where it had evidently been buried--_it_ proving to be the hind-quarters of a small pig, which as the fire burned up well was put to roast, and soon began to send out a pleasant odour. The prisoners had taken the place pointed out to them, and found that they were well guarded, Ned drawing Jack's attention to this fact. "And that means, sir," he said, "that it's of no use to try and run unless they go sound off to sleep again as soon as they've had a feast. We might perhaps steal off then, but not if we're watched. I don't want any more arrows in me, and I'm sure you feel the same. I say, sir, I hope they mean to ask us to dinner. Only fancy niggers dining at quality hours in black soots!" "Don't talk about eating, Ned; the idea makes me feel sick." "Fight it down then, sir. You must eat, or you can't try to get away, and if you can't try to get away, I can't." "I'll try, Ned," said Jack abruptly. "That's right, sir; only let's wait and see if they give us any first. Shame on 'em if they don't." The pig extracted from the blacks' hiding-place began to smell tempting enough to excite any one's appetite, and as a good-sized piece was handed to each by their captors-- "Don't mean to kill us yet, Mr Jack," said Ned merrily. "Hope they don't mean any of that nonsense later on." But Jack was too weary and low-spirited to reply to his companion's jokes, and he lay back after a time, watching the soft glow over the volcano far above their heads, then the brilliant stars, which looked larger than at home, and glided suddenly into a deep sleep, from which he was awakened by a rough prod from the butt end of a spear. The lad flushed angrily, but tried to curb his resentment, and turned away as he rose, to find Ned standing watching him in the early morning light. "Never mind, Mr Jack," he said softly. "It's hard to bear; but this isn't the time to show fight. That black brute kicked me to wake me, and it made me as savage as a bear. If he'd had boots on I should have hit him, I know I should, I couldn't have helped it even if he'd killed me for it; but then you see he hadn't boots on, though the sole of his foot's almost like hoof." "They're going on directly, Ned." "Are they, sir? Well, I must have a drink of water first." He took a step toward the pool; but a spear was presented at his breast, and it was not until Jack had made a sign of drinking that they were allowed to bend down over it. Directly after they started back up the side gorge to where it joined the greater, and then began to descend again by what proved to be a very precipitous but direct way down toward the sea, water soon after making its appearance in a mere thread, which suddenly leaped down from a crack in the side and found its way to the bottom: while as they were hurried on by their more nimble captors, the stream kept on increasing in volume by the help of the many tiny tributaries which joined it. Under different auspices the walk would have been glorious. Sir John and the doctor would have found it one grand preserve for birds and insects; but the prisoners had hard work to keep up with their sure-footed captors, and any hesitation on arriving at a difficult bit of the descent was looked upon as an attempt to escape. The blacks were evidently quite at home in this one of the many ravines which carried the water condensed upon the mountain down to the sea, and consequently made pretty good speed; but this came hard upon their prisoners, who occupied so much time in descending the worst parts that they became at last menacing, and Jack trembled for the consequences of Ned retaliating with a blow. "It would do no good, Ned," he said earnestly. "But it makes us seem so cowardly to let them poke at us with their spears, sir, and never do anything." "Never mind how it seems, Ned. You are not cowardly." "Well, I'd punch any fellow's head who said I was, sir, or who said the same about you." "They can't say it so that we can understand, and let them think what they like. We'd fight if there was anything to be got by it; but there isn't, Ned. Let's pretend to be beaten now, and then they will not be so watchful. To-night they will sleep somewhere down near the shore, and we may get a chance to escape." "Then I'm not to hit out, no matter what they do to me?" "Certainly not." "But suppose I see 'em hitting or prodding you, sir? Must do something then." "Nothing whatever, Ned; I'll bear it patiently in the hope of getting a chance to escape later on." "All right, sir; but I'm getting very hungry for a bit of revenge." "Wait, Ned, and perhaps it will come." The difficulties of the descent detained them so that it was fast nearing sunset when the ravine began to widen out and pass beneath the branches of the huge forest monarchs which clothed the lower slopes of the mountain, and wearied out with the day's exertion, Jack began to look out eagerly for the green, park-like expanse which followed the dense jungle, to be succeeded in turn by the sands that ran down into the lagoon. The more open part appeared sooner than he expected, and with it the river widened into a good-sized pool of open water, where, to the prisoners' surprise, they suddenly found themselves face to face with another party of blacks, who welcomed the new-comers with an eager jabbering as they closed round and examined their captives curiously. "Our chance of escape cut shorter, Mr Jack," said Ned. "Yes, I'm afraid so, Ned. They must have been camping here; and I suppose we shall have to stop in this place for the night?" "Dunno. P'r'aps," said Ned. "See that, Mr Jack?" He glanced down beneath the trees, where the water lay dark and deep; but for a few moments Jack saw nothing unusual. The next moment though he uttered a little cry of surprise. "Yes," he said, "I see it now, the boat--drawn right up beneath the boughs." It was impossible to comprehend the words of the reunited parties of the blacks, but easy to grasp the meaning of their gestures, and as Jack's attention was caught by the eager conversation going on, he pretty well saw that those who had been waiting had seen danger, for they kept on pointing and making other signs, the end being that the prisoners were hurried down to the edge of the water, and pushed toward the great canoe. "All right!" cried Ned angrily. "I ain't a sack of oats: I can get in. Don't chuck a fellow into the tub." Expostulation was useless, and the two were thrust down in the bottom; the blacks hurried in and took their places, each man seizing his paddle, and in perfect silence they began to dip their blades into the smooth water, the huge canoe began to move very slowly, and then by degrees faster, the men paddling almost without a splash. "The _Star_ must be pretty close at hand, Mr Jack," said Ned, as they glided at last out of the little dark river into the bright, golden waters of the lagoon, "and they know it; that's how I take all their play-acting jigging about to mean." "Yes, Ned, that's it. Oh, if we could only see her, or one of the boats! Which way are they going?" "Well, Mr Jack," said Ned grimly, "I don't like to tell you; but it seems to me that we're off on a voyage to nigger-land, and yet the newspapers say that slavery's nearly done away with now." "Slavery?" said Jack, and his heart sank within him. "Oh, Ned, that would be awful." "Better than being made beef and mutton of, Mr Jack. But don't you be down-hearted; p'r'aps we may be together after all, and if we are, there ain't nothing I won't do to make it easier for you, sir, and we'll cut and run, as the sailors say, some day. Ups and downs in life we see; right-tooral-looral-looral-lee. There's only heads and tails to a penny, and if you spin it up in the air, it sometimes comes down one side, and sometimes the other. Well, it's come down wrong way for us this time, next time p'r'aps it may come down right. If it don't, well, you've got too much pluck in you to howl about it: so have I. Here, I don't care; let's look at the bright side of things." "Oh, Ned, how can we at a time like this?" groaned Jack. "Easy, sir. It's all adventures, and it might be a jolly deal worse." "How?" "Why, this might be a poor old leaky canoe as wasn't safe, and all the time it's a fizzer. See how it goes. Then we might have had a shabby, common-looking crew; but I will say it for them, spite of all the love I don't bear for 'em, they're the blackest and shiniest set of fellows I ever did see. Look at their backs in the warm light; why, you might see to shave in 'em--well, I might; you're lucky enough not to have any beard yet." "It don't seem as if I shall live to have one, Ned." "Tchah! nonsense. You'll live to a hundred now. This voyage has made a man of you, my lad. All you've got to do is to keep up your pluck. I say, look at 'em, Mr Jack; they paddle splendid. Talk about our boat-races; why look here, I'd back these chaps. What's that old song? You know; voices keep toon and our oars keep time--only it's paddles. Row, brothers, row. Keep it up, niggers. Slaves indeed! why they're the slaves, not us; we're sitting here as jolly as two lords in a 'lectric launch, going down to Richmond to eat whitebait and drink champagne. Let's see though, I don't mean Richmond, I mean Blackwall. Let's think we've got a crew of blacks taking us to Blackwall." "Why, Ned!" cried Jack excitedly, "they're paddling straight across the lagoon for the reef." "That's right, Mr Jack; so they are," said Ned recklessly. "Hooray! who cares! Go it, you black beggars. I say, Mr Jack, sir, look; did you ever see such lovely heads of hair? They'd make splendid grenadiers, and be an advantage to Government to 'list a lot of 'em. They'd come so cheap. They wouldn't want any clothes, and there they are with their busbies a-growing already on their heads. Might call 'em the Blackguards, and that's what they are." "But, Ned, this long low canoe can never weather the waves on the reef." "It can, sir, or they wouldn't go for it. Tend upon it they know a place where they can get over, and that's how they came. What do it matter to them if she fills with water? they only pop out over both sides, and hold on and slop it out again, and then jump in. Water runs off them like it does off ducks' backs. I believe they oil themselves all over instead of using a bit of honest soap. Don't matter though; the dirt can't show. My word, we are going it. Straight for the reef." Ned was right; the long canoe with its fifty men paddling glided over the calm lagoon straight for where the great billows came curving over on to the coral reef with a deep boom, and it was now not above a quarter of a mile away. "Take tightly hold of the side, Ned," said Jack excitedly. "You are right, they will manage it, I suppose, or they would not attempt it." "Trust 'em for that, sir. I'll stick to the canoe like one of those limpet things; mind you do too. I say, I'm beginning to like it, ain't you?" "It is exciting, Ned, and I don't think I mind." "That's your style, sir. That's the true British boy speaking. Ah, it's no wonder we carry all before us when we don't get licked. There now, you look every inch of you like Sir John, and he'd be proud of you. Hooray! who cares! Go it, you black rascals. We shall go over that reef like a flash. One of our boats with a big crew dare not attempt it, and--Oh, I say, look, Mr Jack, look. You were wishing for it, and there it is, half-a-mile away--one of our boats coming to save us, and--" "She'll be too late, Ned," groaned Jack, and, unseen by their captors, every man of whom had his back to them, and was working away with his paddle, the lad rose softly in his place and waved his hand above his head. "Sit down, sir," whispered Ned excitedly. "It means a topper if they catch you at it. But look, look, there's some one waving his helmet." "Yes, yes," whispered back Jack, "it's father." "Hooray!" said Ned softly. "But what are they firing for?" "Signal that they see us, Ned," whispered back Jack hoarsely, as there were two faint puffs of smoke seen and the reports followed. "Too far off to try and swim to 'em, sir?" "Yes, Ned," said Jack sadly, "and there are the sharks." "Ugh! yes, sir. That won't do. Never mind, let's sit still. They've seen us, and they'll have us now." "But our boat can't follow through the surf." "Can't!" cried Ned; "it has to. Never know what you can do till you try." The rush through the water had been exciting before; it was tenfold more so now, and the prisoners looked wildly over the lagoon at the cutter, which was being pulled after them evidently with all the rowers' might, the oars dipping and the water flashing in the last rays of the sun as it dipped swiftly down. But Jack's heart sank again as he saw that they would be crossing the reef while the rescue party were still half-a-mile away. Ned felt with him, and said softly-- "Oh, why don't they go back to the yacht and signal to 'em to get under weigh and go out in chase of us--cut us off on the other side?" "But where is the yacht, Ned?" cried Jack. "She may be the other way." "Ah, that's what we don't know, sir. There, we can't do anything but sit fast. You get your arm over that side, I'll hold on this." There was little talking now, the two prisoners' attention being turned to the reef in front, which the paddlers were now straining every nerve to reach at full speed. Suddenly a couple of the blacks sprung up, came aft past where Jack and Ned sat, and thrust a long paddle over the stern to help in the steering, which so far had been managed by the paddlers themselves, one side easing when it was necessary. The two men said something as they passed, but took no more notice of them, and after looking sharply ahead for a few moments, Jack turned to gaze at the pursuing boat, coming on steadily now. But the next minute it looked dim, then it died out of sight, for the canoe had entered into the mist of fine spray raised by the billows on the reef, and directly after they were in a thick fog, as they rushed into the tremendous race of waters leaping and surging about them. The long canoe quivered, the men behind them yelled, and were answered by a fierce shout as the crew frantically plunged their paddles into the yielding foam water, while the spray blinded, the canoe bumped again and again, and then all at once began to rise, till she seemed as if she were going to fall backward prow over stern. "It's all over with us," thought Jack; but the next moment she began to sink toward the horizontal, hung for a second or two level, and then glided down after a tremendous pitch, rose again, and then began to race along on the top of a huge billow which foamed and raved hungrily by their side. This was repeated again and again, but the canoe shipped very little water, and before Jack could realise that they were in safety, the wild excitement and confusion of the tumbling water was at an end, and they were being paddled away out to the open sea in the fast-coming transparent darkness of the brief evening, with a wall of white waters behind. _ |
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