Hunting the Skipper Part 86

"Nay, he arn't, Tom, lad, 'cause he's here," came in the familiar tones.

"Say, Mr Roberts, sir, is that there Tom May talking, or has my wound made me a bit dillylerous. I wish you'd just say."

"Is d.i.c.k Roberts there?" whispered Murray excitedly.

"I should say he was, sir, only I keep on going off giddy like."

"But you ought to be right on ahead of Mr Anderson and the men," cried Murray.

"There, I telled you, sir, Mr Roberts, sir," said t.i.tely. "I could feel like as we was somehow got into the wrong watch, and I did say so, sir."

"Oh, bother!" cried Roberts. "It was so dark, and my head was all of a swim. Well, never mind; let's get into our right place again. Where is it?"

"I dunno, sir. These here black chaps as is guiding us will show us right enough."

"Hist! Hist!" whispered Murray. "Can't you understand? We're the rear-guard of the column, Tom May and I, and the enemy is somewhere close behind. Haven't you got your men with you, and some blacks?"

"We had," replied Roberts, "but somehow we've got separated from them, or they've got separated from us; I don't know how it is. It's all through my wound, I suppose. Here, Murray, old chap, you'd better put us right again."

"Will you hold your stupid tongue, d.i.c.k?" whispered Murray excitedly.

"Here, both you and t.i.tely follow me. Get behind them, Tom May, and look sharp, or we shall be too late."

"Ay, ay, sir!" replied the big sailor; and Murray heard him throw his musket from one shoulder to the other before seeming to loosen his cutla.s.s in the scabbard, which the lad could only interpret as putting himself in readiness for an immediate encounter.

"Listen again, Tom," whispered Murray.

There was a pause, and for a few minutes nothing broke the strange silence which reigned.

"Well?" whispered the middy impatiently.

"Well, sir, I can't make nothing of it," replied the sailor.

"Not so loud, Tom."

"All right, sir, but I don't think that was much of a pig's whisper."

"Oh, nonsense! What do you make of it now?"

"Nowt, sir, only as we've got ourselves into a great hobble. I can't hear nothing of our chaps."

"No; they've gone on, and we must overtake them and let Mr Anderson know that Roberts and t.i.tely have lost their way, and have doubled back so that we have met them."

"Ay, ay, sir, that's the way; but how are we going to do it?"

"You take t.i.tely by the arm, and I'll hurry on Mr Roberts. Let's start at once."

"Right, sir. Which way?"

"Follow Mr Anderson's track at once."

"Yes, sir, of course; but which way's that?"

"Why, you don't mean to say you've lost touch, Tom?" said Murray excitedly.

"Nay, sir, I arn't had nothing to touch lately. I s'pose I've turned stoopid through coming upon them two so sudden. But just you start me, sir, and then I shall go on as steady and reg'lar as can be."

"Tom!" groaned Murray.

"Ay, ay, sir! Which way?"

Murray uttered a gasp as he stood trying to pierce the darkness, turning slowly in different directions the while.

"Ready, sir," said the sailor. "I've got hold of Bill t.i.tely, sir, quite tightly too," added the man, with a low chuckle.

t.i.tely groaned aloud.

"Steady, sir!" whispered the man. "That was a regular pig's whisper, and no mistake.--Quiet, you lubber!" he added, giving his messmate a shake. "Don't bully him, sir; his wound's made him a bit silly like, and he don't quite know what he's about, or he wouldn't howl aloud like that."

"Here, stop that," came from out of the darkness. "Who is it--you, Frank? Don't play the fool with a fellow. It makes me so jolly giddy, and it hurts."

"I'm not doing anything, d.i.c.k," whispered Murray. "Oh, do be quiet, old chap! Can't you understand that your wound has made you turn weak, and that the enemy are somewhere close at hand?"

"No! It all goes round and round and round. Stop it, will you?"

"d.i.c.k, I'm doing nothing," said Murray despairingly. "Be quiet, or you'll betray us to the enemy."

"Hang the enemy! Who cares for the enemy? I'm not going to run away from a set of woolly-headed n.i.g.g.e.rs. Let's fight them and have done with it."

"Say, Mr Murray, sir, we've got in a hole this time. Arn't you 'most as bad as me?"

"Worse, Tom--worse!" groaned Murray.

"Oh, you couldn't be worse, sir," said the man hastily; "but you can't tell me which way to go, can you?"

"No, Tom; the darkness seems to have quite confused me, and if I tell you to make a start we're just as likely to run upon the enemy as to go after Mr Anderson."

"That's so, sir; and that arn't the worst of it."

"There can be no worse, Tom," said Murray despondently.

"Oh yes, sir, there can, for you see it arn't you and me alone to look after one another; we've each got a messmate on our hands, for I s'pose it wouldn't be right for you to leave Mr Roberts to s.h.i.+ft for hisself, no more than it would for me to leave Billy t.i.tely."

"Of course not, poor fellows; we must stand by them to the last."

"That's your sort, sir. A sailor allers stands by his messmate; but they are a pair of okkard ones just now, just at a time when it's dark as the bottom of a pitch kettle full right up to the very top. But do say something, Mr Murray, sir."

"Say, Tom! I've got nothing to say."

"I know some one who will have, sir, when we come acrorst him, and that's Mr Anderson, sir." Murray groaned.