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Old Gold; or, The Cruise of the "Jason" Brig, a novel by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 30. Frying-Pan To Fire |
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_ CHAPTER THIRTY. FRYING-PAN TO FIRE A good breakfast was eaten upon that eventful morning, Dan having plenty of materials for producing a capital meal, and, to judge from appearances, the men were quite ready to settle down to their tasks again, as they made no sign. Brace had hard work to keep from casting uneasy glances at them, but he did pretty well, joining in the chat over the meal, and listening to a yarn from the captain about how he had traced out the deep channel years before in just such a shallow river as this, and how he was going to find one now. "This'll be ten times as easy," he said, "for we only want water enough for these boats. I wanted water enough then for a big schooner, heavily laden.--What's the matter, sir?" This was to Brace, who passed the question off. "Nothing, nothing," he said aloud. "Go on." "Oh, there's nothing more to tell. I found a winding channel by sounding from the schooner's boat with an eighteen-foot bamboo," said the captain loudly; and then, as Sir Humphrey was speaking to Briscoe, he bent forward to pick up a biscuit, and whispered to Brace: "What was it, my lad?" "Half the guns and rifles have been taken away! and I think they're hidden behind those bushes close to the boats." "Very likely," said the captain, without moving a muscle. "All right, sir, all right. My lads have got gold dust in their eyes, and can't see right. We'll dust it out of 'em by-and-by." The by-and-by was not long after, for the captain suddenly cried out: "Now, my lads, lighten the cutter all you can. Jem, you and three more will man her. Like to come with me, Mr Brace?" "Yes, I'll come," said the young man firmly, and he gazed anxiously at the men to see what was to happen next. Nothing. No one stirred till the captain sprang to his feet. "Did you hear me?" he roared. For answer the crew clustered together on the shore, and there was a quick whispering, several of the men urging Jem to speak. This he did at last, desperately, his words following one another in a hurried way. "We've been thinking, captain, that now we've found plenty of gold we don't want to go no farther up this here river." "Oh! have you?" cried the captain sarcastically; "_we_ have? You mean you have, my lad. Well, it was very kind of you, but you see these gentlemen say that though we've found plenty of gold they would like to go a bit farther, so tumble into the boat at once, and don't you ever speak to me again like that, or maybe you'll be saying more and getting yourself into trouble." "That's all very well, captain," said the man, after a desperate glance at his messmates; "but we think, all of us, that it won't do to leave all this gold. There's a fortune apiece for us, you and all, so we're going to--" "Lighten that boat, I say!" roared the captain, making a rush at the man, who was, however, too quick, for he darted aside and ran back behind his fellow-mutineers. "Bring that fellow here," shouted the captain, to the two mates, and Dellow and Lynton stepped forward at once, as if to seize the sailor and drag him to the captain's feet. But the men stood firm, closing in round their chosen leader, backing away the while, and suddenly making a dash for the bushes close to the boats. The evolution was well performed and showed that it had been carefully thought out, for the next minute six of the men disappeared, and after stooping down came again to the front, each carrying a gun or rifle, while the other six darted behind them to arm themselves with boathooks and bamboos. "Just you keep off, Mr Dellow, and you too, Mr Lynton, and you won't be hurt," cried Jem fiercely. "If you do come on, mind, it's your own fault if you get a charge of shot through you." At this moment Brace made for his gun, but the captain shouted at him. "No, no!" he roared; "we don't want anything of that kind, sir. I can bring my lads to reason without guns. Here, you sirs, throw down those tools, or it will be the worse for you. Do you hear?" "Yes, and it'll be the worse for you, captain, it you don't keep back. Stand fast, lads. It's to make us rich men for life." "It's to make you convicts, you dogs," roared the captain. "Now, my lads, let 'em have it." "They're four to one, Brace," cried Sir Humphrey, through his clenched teeth. "I can't stand this. Come on." "You might ask me to chip in," said Briscoe fiercely; "I'm coming all the same." And the three lookers-on turned themselves into combatants and rushed to the support of the captain and his two officers, who, regardless of the weapons held by the crew, rushed at them with doubled fists. There were shouts and yells of defiance, and directly after _thud, thud, thud_, the dull heavy sounds of well-delivered blows, for the captain was a very truthful man: he said he hit hard, and he did, while his two officers showed that they were worthy pupils; and with such an example before them in the wild excitement of the combat, the three passengers followed their fists again and again, science helping them, so that their adversaries went down or fell back struggling. As previously intimated, the crew had six guns among them, but not a shot was fired. In fact, they were presented merely as a menace and under the vain belief that the sight of the weapons would be sufficient to make the captain's party yield at once to any arrangements the men proposed respecting the gold. Consequently, in the confusion of the attack, first one piece and then another was thrown down and trampled under foot, those who had held them taking to their natural weapons of defence, and faring very badly. At the end of a minute, instead of the enemy being two to one, and all picked, big muscular fellows, the numbers were even, six not wounded but half-stunned sailors lying or sitting upon the earth. One was holding his jaw, literally, and not in the metaphorical fashion of keeping silence; another was carefully rubbing his forehead as if to get rid of a lump; another had made a compress of his left hand to hold over his left eye; again another was upon all-fours like a dog, gazing ruefully at the earth and shaking his head slowly, not because he was sorry, but to rid himself of a strange dizzy sensation, while the nearest man to him was sitting down contemplating something white which lay glistening in his hand and looking wonderfully like a fine front tooth. Just at that moment the captain shouted a warning, for the second half of the crew suddenly gave way and made a rush for the boats. "Quick!" roared the captain; "cut them off!" Wild with excitement now, Brace bounded forward, running faster than he had ever run before, reaching one of the men, who proved to be Jem, and planting a blow on his ear just as the fellow was stooping to raise the grapnel from where a couple of its flukes were driven firmly into the earth. The result of this was that Jem went over side-wise just in front of another fugitive, who tripped over him and took a flying plunge, hands first, into the shallow water, sending it up in splashes which sparkled in the sunshine. By this time Lynton was up with the rest, hitting right and left, before facing round with Brace to defend the boats, while Briscoe and Dellow came to their help, and, thus cut off; the six sailors turned off along the river bank and made for the nearest clump of trees, among which they disappeared, leaving their wounded upon the field. "Hah!" cried the captain breathlessly, "I've 'most lost my wind. Now, gentlemen, I call that a neat job. Will you do the crowing, Mr Brace?" "I don't think there's any need, captain," said Brace, who was examining one hand. "Not a bit, my lad. Hullo ... hurt?" "Only knocked the skin off my knuckles. Your men have such hard heads." "Yes, but we've softened some of 'em," said Lynton. "Given 'em a thoroughly good licking," cried the captain; "eh, Sir Humphrey? Better than shooting the idiots ever so much. Be a lesson to 'em," he continued, raising his voice. "You, Lynton, collect those pieces that the thieving dogs took. They dropped 'em all, didn't they?" "Yes, sir; they've left every one of 'em," said the second mate. "That's right. Mr Brace, just you take one of the shot guns and keep guard over these six chaps littering the deck--ground, I mean. They're prisoners, and I'm going to make slaves of them to row us up the river. I'll give 'em gold. If one of 'em tries to run after those other cowardly swabs you fire at him, sir. Pepper him well in the legs, and if that doesn't stop him, give him the other barrel upwards." "All right," said Brace, laughing. "I'll be ready too," said Briscoe, "in case you miss. But wouldn't it be better to put 'em in the small boat for the present, and take out the oars and sail?" "Good idea, Mr Briscoe," said the captain. "See to it, Dellow, and make her fast to the stern of the other boat with the grapnel-line." The first mate nodded, strode to the man who was looking at his tooth, ordered him into the lesser boat, and the man rose and went like a lamb, the rest following slowly and in a more sheepish way, as the big mate walked to them in turn and pointed meaningly ahead. "What about the others, captain?" said Sir Humphrey. "T'other six, sir?" replied the gentleman addressed. "Oh! they've cut and run. Let 'em go gold-washing and making their fortunes. They're off on a holiday, and as they'll have no dish-washing or other dooties to do they'll have plenty of time, and I hope they'll enjoy themselves." "You mean to leave them behind?" "That's about it, sir. They've gone. It isn't my doing. I didn't drive them away." "What, skipper?" cried Briscoe, laughing. "It that wasn't driving, what was it?" The captain's face puckered up into a peculiar grin in which the corners of his eyes participated with those of his mouth. "Well, it wasn't a bad charge, was it?" he said. "But now then, business. Let's have all those cooking traps and things aboard again. Eh? Oh, there's your chap hard at work over them, Mr Briscoe. I missed him, and thought he'd gone off with the gang." "What, my Dan?" cried Briscoe. "I say, skipper, did you get a crack in the fight?" "Nary crack, sir, as you'd say," replied the captain. "Why?" "Because your head doesn't seem clear this morning." "I beg his pardon, then," said the captain, in a gruff voice. "Now then, all on board as soon as we can, and let's be off before we catch Mr Briscoe's complaint and want to stop and wash for gold." The American laughed at the captain's dry remark, and joined in with the rest, working away till all that had been landed was on board the larger boat, when Brace turned to the captain. "This is all very well," he said; "but we were aground last night, and you were speaking about searching to-day for a channel along which we could pick our way." "That's right, sir," said the captain grimly; "but Nature's been on our side." "I don't know what you mean," said Brace, staring at him. "River's a foot deeper than it was last night. There's been a storm somewhere up there in the mountains." "I see no sign of it," said Sir Humphrey. "Oh, yes, I do. Look, Brace: the water is nothing like so clear." "That's right, sir," said the captain. "These rivers alter a deal sometimes in twenty-four hours. Have we got everything on board?" "Ay, ay, sir," cried Lynton. "Except the rest of the crew, captain," said Sir Humphrey. "Oh, yes, of course, sir; but we shall ride lighter without them." "You never mean to leave them to starve in this wilderness, captain?" "Aren't this a matter of navigation, Sir Humphrey?" asked the captain sternly, but with a twinkle in the eye. "Certainly not," said Sir Humphrey. "It is a question of common humanity." "About six common men, sir," said the captain. "Well, we shall see. Anyhow, I'm going on up the river to give them a lesson; and if we come back and find them all reduced to skins and skeletons down upon their marrow-bones asking to be took aboard, why, then, perhaps, we shall see, and--what in the name of wonder's up now?" For all at once, as the boats pushed off and the sail of the foremost was being hoisted, the six men reappeared from where they had hidden in the woods and came running towards them, shouting and making signs. "They've caved in at once, skipper," said Briscoe laughingly. "Look here, you'd better have a court-martial and sentence them to give each other a round dozen with a rope's-end upon the bare back." "Look, look!" shouted Brace, springing to his feet and shading his eyes, before snatching up a rifle, an example immediately followed by the rest, for there in the distance appeared the whole of the six deserters running hard in a knot, and dodging in and out among the trees as they made for the shore, while in full pursuit there was about double their number of savages apparently armed with bows and arrows, of which they made use by stopping from time to time to send a shaft in pursuit of the fugitives. "Shall we land and go to their help?" said Brace. "I don't think we need," said Sir Humphrey. "They seem to be holding their own in running, and I suppose now, captain, you'll have no objection to them on board?" "Not a doubt of it, sir," said the captain drily. "Here, Lynton, haul that boat alongside. We shall want them now, Mr Brace." "Of course," replied the young adventurer. "But you haven't looked down the river, sir." "What at?" said Brace, staring; and then, panting with his excitement: "I say, there are four large canoes coming up." "That's right, sir," said the captain gravely. "Now look the other way. See that?" _ |
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