Hunting the Skipper Part 52

"What nonsense, Tom!" said the middy sadly. "You're old enough to know better."

"Maybe, sir, but you said I was to charnsh it, and that's what I'm a-doing of; and if I don't find the way down to the boat it won't do us no harm as I can see; so come along."

The man stepped off, keeping as nearly as he could to the line he had marked down, and without turning his head he called back to his young officer--

"Don't you mind me giving o' you orders, sir, but you telled me to lead on, and I should like to say, sir, as you'd find it better if instead of walking hard and stiff, sir, like the jollies march up and down the deck, you'd try my way, sir, trot fas.h.i.+on, upon your toes, with a heavy swing and give and take. You'd find that you wouldn't sink in quite so much, seeing as one foot's found its way out before t'other's got time to sink in."

"I'll try, Tom," said the middy quietly; and after following the man for a few dozen yards he whispered, "Yes, I think that's better, Tom; but I have no faith in your _Blind Man's Buff_ plan."

"Give it time, sir; we arn't half tried it yet."

"Go on, then," cried Murray; and the man trotted on as fast as the tangled growth would allow him, pausing from time to time to listen before going on again.

"I'm afraid we must make a change, Tom," said Murray, at last, when the man drew up suddenly. "Are you, sir?"

"Yes; this seems hopeless."

"That's what it all seems, sir, but I don't like being in too great a hurry to pitch a hidee overboard. There's nothing like trying, sir, and just as like as not we may be getting nigher and nigher to poor old t.i.tely."

"I'm afraid--"

Murray did not finish his sentence, but made a spring forward and clapped his hand hard upon his leader's shoulder.

"What's wrong, sir?" cried the sailor, turning sharply upon him.

"Hark! Listen!" cried Murray excitedly.

"Oh, Mr Murray, sir," groaned the man despairingly, "you've been and gone and done it now!"

"Nonsense! What do you mean?"

"Pitched me off my bearings, sir. I've looked round, and I shall never pick 'em up again."

"Well, what does that matter?" cried Murray. "Don't you hear?"

"Hear, sir? Hear what?"

"Oars. I heard them rattling in the rowlocks as plain as possible."

"Whereabouts, sir?"

"Away there through the canes yonder. Didn't you?"

"No, sir," said the man gloomily; "I didn't hear no oars."

"I did, quite plainly," said Murray, leaning forward and straining his ears. "No, it's stopped now."

"Yes, sir," said the man, shaking his head; "it's stopped now."

"Well, don't talk like that, Tom. You look as if you didn't believe me."

"Oh, I wouldn't go for to say as I don't believe anything you say, sir,"

said the sailor; "but all the same it do seem queer."

"Yes, queer because they've stopped rowing to listen. Don't you see?"

"No, sir," said the man, shaking his head sadly. "I don't see nothing, on'y as you're a bit overdone, sir, in the head, and gets fancying things."

"Fancy, man!" cried the middy angrily. "It was no fancy, I tell you.

Now then, listen."

Tom May shut one eye and c.o.c.ked his head on one side in obedience to his young officer's command; but all was perfectly still.

"It's very strange," said Murray.

"Yes, sir; very," said the sailor, in a tone of voice which made the young officer turn upon him fiercely.

"Oh, you obstinate--"

Murray did not say what, but ceased speaking and stood straining forward.

"Of course you thought you heered oars, sir, because you wanted to hear 'em," said the sailor; "but it's a pity you did, sir, because it made me lose my bearings, and I know I shall never--"

"There, then," cried the middy excitedly. "Now, did I fancy I heard rowing?"

"No, sir; that's oars, sure enough," replied the sailor; "and it seems to come from right for'ard there, and not far away."

"Hail the boat, then," cried Murray excitedly.

"I dunno as I would, sir," whispered the man, "because it mightn't be our boat."

"What! Oh, we must chance that. Hail away."

Tom May, who looked exceedingly unwilling, clapped his hand to his cheek and yelled out, "_Seafowls_ ahoy!" just as the regular beat of oars had ceased once more.

But there was no further doubt, for in a dull smothered tone, as if the reply came through so much dense forest, there was the answering hail--

"Ahoy there! Where away?"

"Ahoy!" shouted Tom May. "That's the right sort, sir. Come along;" and stepping out, the sailor beat the dense growth to right and left, with his feet sinking deeper in the soft soil, till the cane brake began to open out and the forest grew lighter, the splas.h.i.+ng of oars sounding nearer and nearer till there was a shout of welcome and the sloop's cutter came into sight, gliding towards them till the light vessel's nose was run into the river bank.

"At last!" cried Murray, as he scrambled over the bows, to sink exhausted into t.i.tely's arms. "Why, how did you get here, my lad?" said the young officer.

"I d'know, sir. Lost my way, and couldn't find it nohow."

"But you managed to find the boat."

"Nay, sir; not me, sir! I didn't find her. I did find the side o' the river, but couldn't get no furder. I was hanging on to a branch and trying to keep up because I was sinking into the boggy sh.o.r.e, when my two mates here come pulling up stream and picked me up. It was them found me, sir, not me found them."