Home > Authors Index > George Manville Fenn > Old Gold; or, The Cruise of the "Jason" Brig > This page
Old Gold; or, The Cruise of the "Jason" Brig, a novel by George Manville Fenn |
||
Chapter 29. The Crew Down With The Golden Fit |
||
| < Previous |
Table of content |
Next > |
|
________________________________________________
_ CHAPTER TWENTY NINE. THE CREW DOWN WITH THE GOLDEN FIT The gold had got into Brace's head so much that, though he fell off fast asleep directly, it was only to begin dreaming of the sand and gravel beneath the swiftly-flowing shallow water, the ruddy pebbles seeming to change when he turned them over with his foot as he stood ankle-deep, for they grew yellower and glistened, till upon stooping to pick one up he saw that all he had supposed to be stones were really nuggets of gold. He was about to stoop and pick up all he could gather, when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right ankle, and to his horror found that a tremendous shoal of the tiny carnivorous fish had come up the river, dimming the clear water like a cloud of silvery mud, and with a sharp cry he turned to escape to shore, and awoke. But the pain in his ankle was no dream, for it stung sharply, and, sitting up, he drew up his foot, to find that he had been bitten by some insect. His first thought was to rise and plunge the bitten place in the cool fresh water, and, creeping cautiously away so as not to awaken the rest, he had nearly reached the water-side when he was brought up short by a low whispering away towards where a tree stood alone. His blood seemed to turn cold, for the thought came that a party of Indians had been attracted by the fire, and that this, their first night passed ashore, was to prove a fatal mistake. But his common-sense soon told him that savages bent upon a night attack would never betray themselves by whispering loudly together in eager discussion, while directly after his nose became as fully aware of something being on the way as his ears. Brace began to sniff. That was smoke, certainly, but not the smoke of the fire, that he could smell, for it was plainly enough the familiar strong plug Cavendish tobacco which the men cut up small and rubbed finer between their horny palms before thrusting it into their pipes. That explained all, no doubt. The flies had been attacking them in spite of the wood-smoke, and they had crept away to get under the boughs of the big tree to try what the stronger fumes of tobacco would do in the way of keeping off the noxious stinging insects. "And no wonder," he said to himself; as he bent down to lay his hand upon his tingling ankle. "Poor fellows! They--" Brace started upright again, and was in the act of taking a step to reach the running water, when a voice sounded louder from among the whisperers, and in the intense silence of the night he plainly heard the words: "Not a foot furder do I go, mates, and leave that gold." There was silence for a few moments, and then a voice said: "You can do as you like, my lads: here I am, and here I stays till I've made my pile." "That was Jem's voice," thought Brace; and then he listened again intently. "What about the skipper?" said a voice. "Skipper'll have to put up with it," said another of the men. "I like the skipper, and I haven't a word to say about the two mates. I like Mas' Dellow as well as I like Mas' Lynton, and t'other way on; but gold aren't silver, messmates, and what we might do over a shilling's a diffrun thing to what a man feels boun' to do over a pound. Here we are with the gold lying in shovelfuls among the sand o' this here river, plenty for all on us to make our fortuns, and I says it would be a sin and a shame to leave it behind to go shooting red and yaller and blue cock robins and jenny wrens to get their skins. There, that's the longest speech I ever made in my life, but it had to be done. So I says I'm your side, messmate Jemmy, and my name's gold." There was a low murmur here, and Jem spoke again: "Anyone else got a word to say?" "Yes, I have," said a fresh voice. "I'm with you, Jemmy, my lad, and there's my hand on it; but there's some'at in the way." "What's that?" growled Jem. "What about the Yankee chap as found the gold, and Sir Humphrey and Master Brace?" "What about 'em?" said Jem, while Brace's ears tingled. "On'y this, messmates. They've took the 'Jason' and paid for her for as long as they like. S'pose they say we shan't stop gold-digging and tells us to go on?" "We must tell 'em we won't leave the gold, and that they must stop and dig and wash, and go shares with us." "Tchah! they won't. Chaps like they, who can hire brigs and skippers and crews, are chock full o' money. They'd on'y laugh at us, for they'd rather have a noo kind o' butterfly than a handful o' gold," continued the speaker. "Suppose they says we shall go on?" "Then we tells 'em we won't, and there's an end on it." "But the skipper won't pay us for breaking our bargain." "Well, what's a few months' pay to men who've got their sea chesties chock full o' gold?" "That's true enough, messmate, but s'pose they turns nasty and picks up their guns. They're wunners to shoot." "They dursen't," said Jem scornfully. "It would be murder. Finding gold like this upsets everything else. We don't mean them no harm: all they've got to do is to jyne in and share, for not a yard further do we go, messmates, till we've got to the bottom of that gold." "Then they'll sail without us." "No, they won't," said Jem meaningly; "for we shall want that there brig to take us back with all our gold." "Then there'll be a fight." "Very well then, my lads, we must fight. Now then, it's come to this-- are we going to stand together like men?" Brace held his breath as he waited for the answer, and the time seemed long; but it was only a few moments before a murmur of assent came which told only too plainly that the thirst for gold had swept every feeling of duty or allegiance aside. "And I've been playing the mean treacherous part of an eavesdropper," thought Brace, as he drew back softly and returned to the side of the smouldering fire, and after carefully judging the distance he made out where Briscoe was lying, and, proceeding cautiously to his side, knelt down and laid a hand upon his companion's lips. There was a violent start, and then the American lay perfectly still, and a husky whisper arose from his lips: "What is it?" Brace placed his lips to Briscoe's ear and said: "You've done it now." "Eh? Done what?" Brace acquainted him with all that had passed, and ended with a word or two about listening and eavesdropping. "Listening--eavesdropping?" said Briscoe. "You did not go to listen. It was forced upon you. Why, Brace, man, it means mutiny." "And all through your miserable craze for gold," said Brace angrily. "Come, I like that!" replied the American. "Haven't I kept it all a secret between us two? Who was it began about the gold this evening, and made all the men prick up their ears?" Brace was silent for a few moments. "Yes," he said, at length; "but you jumped at the chance, and began to wash." "I should have been a queer sort of fellow if I had not, sir. The fruit was popped into my mouth by the skipper, and of course, as it was so much to my taste, I ate it. Well, it's no use to begin shouting before we're hurt. There's one good thing over tonight's work: we've had warning, and know what to do." "That's just what we don't know," said Brace sharply. "Oh, yes, we do. Let's see: there's Sir Humphrey, the skipper, the two mates, and our two selves--that makes six." "And the men are a dozen--two to one," said Brace. "Unarmed, and in the wrong," said Briscoe; "we're armed, and in the right." "Then you would force the men to go on--you'd fight?" "Of course--if necessary. I'd force the men to do their duty." "And their duty is to obey orders," said Brace quickly. "Of course." "Then we ought to wake and warn the others before the men come back to camp." "To be sure, and hear what your brother and the skipper say. I'll take a look round first to make sure there's no one within hearing, for it will be another point in our favour to give the scamps a surprise by being ready for them." "It's all right," whispered Briscoe five minutes later. "They're all whispering and plotting together yonder. Now for it. You tackle the skipper, and I'll tell your brother. Be as quiet as you can." Brace thought that the duty of warning his brother should be his, but he said nothing, and, creeping to the captain's side, he bent over in the dark, and laid a hand upon his shoulder. In an instant two powerful hands had him by the throat, and he had hard work not to struggle. "Who is it?" said the captain hoarsely. "I--Brace Leigh," said the young man, in a hoarse whisper. "You shouldn't rouse me like that, my lad. What is it--Indians?" Brace told him, and the captain lay back, perfectly till, gazing up at the smoke. "Bless 'em!" he said softly. "That's trouble to-morrow morning then-- not to-night. Well, have you told Dellow and Lynton?" "No; but Mr Briscoe is telling my brother." "Mr Briscoe, eh? Think he's siding with the men?" "Oh, no: I'm sure he is not." "I don't know," said the captain thoughtfully. "He jumped at that gold to-day like a baby at sugar. I've always been a bit suspicious about him, and now I see I've been right." "What do you mean?" said Brace warmly. "That chap's natural history has all been a cloak to screen him while he has been gold-hunting. I would bet that he came up this river with us in the hopes of finding that El Dorado place the Spaniards used to swear by." "Quite right," said Brace drily. "That's it, my lad; but he won't find it here. It's in quite another place." "Indeed! Do you know?" said Brace eagerly. "Oh, yes, I know. It's in the moon. Well, let's hear what Sir Humphrey thinks." "Hist, captain," whispered the latter, almost at the same moment. "Yes, sir. What do you think of it all?" asked the captain. "It is horrible," whispered Sir Humphrey. "These men must be brought to reason." "Don't you flurry yourself about that, sir," said the skipper grimly. "I'm going to have a few words with my two bulldogs, just to put them up to what's going on, and then we shall just keep quiet and take no notice of anything till the lads begin. Then I shall let Dellow and Lynton loose at 'em, holding myself in reserve. That will settle 'em. But if we did seem to be getting the worst of it you three gentlemen might come and lend us a hand." "And all be ready armed," said Sir Humphrey, "as you three will be." The captain chuckled softly. "Armed--guns and pistols?" he said at last. "Oh, no. I daresay you gents have had the gloves on and know how to use your fists?" "Well, yes," said Sir Humphrey; "I must confess to that. Brace is particularly smart with his." "I'll be bound to say he is," said the captain, chuckling. "Then we are likely to have some fun to-morrow." "You don't apprehend danger, then, skipper?" said Briscoe: "no shooting?" "Not a bit, sir," was the reply. "We Englishmen are not so fond of using shooting-irons as you Yankees are. As to danger? Well, yes, there will be a bit for the lads if they really do begin to play the tune called mu-ti-nee. For there'll be a few eyes closed up and swelled lips. Lynton's a very hard hitter, and when I do use my fists it generally hurts. Good three years, though, since I hit a man. He was a bit of a mutineer too: an ugly mulatto chap, full of fine airs, and given to telling me he wouldn't obey orders, and before the crew. I did hit him--hard." "Right into the middle of next week, skipper?" said Briscoe, laughing. "No, but right overboard," said the captain, "and one of the men threw a noose about his neck and pulled it tight, bringing him alongside. There he was between drowning and hanging when I looked over the bows at him. 'Now, young fellow,' I says, 'what's it to be: obey orders or no?' 'Oh, captain, captain,' he whines, 'take me aboard.' 'Climb up by the bobstay,' I said. He wasn't long coming aboard, and I kept an eye on him, half-expecting to see him come at me with his knife; but, bless you, no: he was showing his teeth at me an hour after in a real smile, and he seemed to feel a sort of respect for me all the rest of the voyage." "Then I hope you will be as successful with these men, captain," said Brace. "Oh, we'll try, Mr Brace: we'll try. Well, there's nothing to mind to-night, gentlemen, so we may as well have our sleep out." "Sleep?" said Brace. "What! with the men in a state of mutiny?" "Pah!" ejaculated the captain. "Hallo! who's here?" "Me--Dellow," said the first mate, in a hoarse whisper. "Lynton's here too. Is anything wrong?" "Yes," said the captain, and the two mates were made acquainted with the trouble. "Oh, that'll be all right, gentlemen," said the first mate quietly. "I was afraid it was Indians and poisoned arrows. You can't reason with them: you can with our lads. Lynton here is a wonderful arguer if there's any trouble there, eh?" Lynton laughed softly, and in obedience to the captain's request all took their places again about the fire, to lie listening till the men returned, when, to Brace's great surprise, next morning at sunrise he found himself being shaken by his brother, and ready to ask whether the events of the night had been another dream. _ |
||