King o' the Beach Part 46

"What, Mallam?"

"Yes, sir; you can hear him talking to himself as you stand at the top o' the stairs listening. He was at it when I was there, and he's at it again."

"What is he doing?" whispered Carey.

"Seems to me, sir, as if he's tearing a way through a bulkhead so as to get a clear opening to the powder barrels."

"If there are any," said Carey, sharply. "O' course, sir; that's what I mean. Hear that?"

Yes, Carey had heard that--a sharp cracking tearing sound as of wood splitting and snapping, and as the sounds continued it was easy enough for the listeners in the dark to imagine what was going on, and that the old beachcomber was preparing his mine.

"Here, Jack.u.m," said Carey, in a sharp whisper.

There was a quick movement, and the black squatted beside the lad.

"You had better go ash.o.r.e and join your men."

"Jack.u.m men? Jack.u.m boys."

"Yes, go and join them."

"Jack.u.m 'top 'long o' Car-ee boy."

"No, it is not safe. You must go. Big Dan is going to shoot powder and kill."

"Big Dan shoot big gun; mumkull eberybody?"

"Yes; be off while you can."

"Car-ee boy come too?"

"No, I am going to stay here with the doctor."

"Jack.u.m 'top 'long doc-tor too."

"But it is bad. Big Dan mumkull--kill. Shoot powder."

"Jack.u.m don't care fig," said the man, nonchalantly. "Jack.u.m baal want be mumkull."

"But you will be killed if you stop," said Carey, excitedly.

The black laughed softly.

"Jack.u.m be mumkull, Jack.u.m 'top? Car-ee no kill Jack.u.m. Like Jack.u.m lots. Give Jack.u.m ticky-ticky."

"You don't understand," cried Carey. "Big Dan will kill us all if we stop."

"Hey? Big Dan brok.u.m."

"Going to shoot. Powder--gun."

"Ho!" exclaimed the black, who seemed now to have some idea of there being danger. "Car-ee no 'top. Come 'long sh.o.r.e. Eat snake."

"No," said Carey. "You go; I must stop with the doctor."

"Doctor not go," said the black, thoughtfully. "Hole in leggum. Jack.u.m won't go. 'Top 'long o' Car-ee."

"Better give it up as a bad job, sir," said Bostock, from the light.

"He means he won't go away and leave you. They're rum chaps, these black fellows, when they take to a man."

"Because they won't leave me, Bob?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then some white fellows are as queer, don't you think so?"

Bostock chuckled, but made no reply.

"Bob," said Carey, suddenly, "it is quite plain, isn't it, that we can't move the doctor?"

"Well, sir, I s'pose so."

"Then it is impossible for me to leave him. If there is an explosion I hope and pray that we two may escape."

"What about me, then, sir?"

"You will go to the boat directly with Jack.u.m. I shall make him go."

"Right, sir, and wait in the boat till the s.h.i.+p blows up. And some day if I get away from here and reach Brisbane and your father comes to me and says, 'Where's my boy?' I ups and says, 'He wouldn't leave the doctor, sir, who was lying bad, having been shot; so me and a black fellow takes to the boat and rows half a mile away so's to be out o'

reach o' the falling bits when the _Soosan_ blew up as she did; and a werry beautiful sight it was.' Then he says to me, he says--Yah! I'm blessed if I know what he'd say; all I knows is that I aren't going to meet him; not me, my lad; I'd sooner have a blow up from the _Soosan_ than one from him."

"Bob," said Carey, softly, "I wish I could reach up and shake hands with you."

"Well, so you can, dear boy," said the old sailor, huskily. "Thankye, my lad. Go and sneak away at a time like this? I'm made of a different bit o' stuff to that. I say, lookye here, Master Carey; I bleeve it's all flam and bunk.u.m. He aren't got no magazine to fire, or else he aren't got no pluck to do it. There won't be no blow up, and we're a-going to face it with a bit o' British waller, eh?"

"Yes, Bob, we must face it," replied Carey.

"That's right, sir; then we'll do it comf'table and like men. Lookye here, my lad, you must be 'bout starving."

"Starving, Bob? I had not thought of it," said the boy, sadly.

"Then I'll think for you. I say you must have something, and so must I.

Fellow's engine won't work without coal. Hi! Jack.u.m! Something to eat?"

The black bounded to his side.

"Jack.u.m want eat. Baal hab bit snak.u.m."