Maori and Settler Part 9

Miss Mitford said. "They are not in their line, you see."

"That they certainly are not, Miss Mitford," the mate laughed. "I saw some of them the last time I came through here, and hideous-looking creatures they are, and wear no clothes to speak of."

So laughing and chatting with their eyes fixed on the sh.o.r.e the party never looked seaward, until a sudden exclamation from the mate called their attention to that direction.

"Be Jabers!" he exclaimed, "here is a sea-fog rolling down on us from the south!"

They looked and saw what seemed like a wall of white smoke rolling along the water towards them. At this moment the boat was about half-way between two headlands, which were a mile and a half apart, and the sh.o.r.e abreast of it was three-quarters of a mile distant. The sun was s.h.i.+ning brightly upon the rolling mist, and the girls uttered an exclamation of admiration.

"How fast it comes!" Marion said. "Why, it will be here directly!"

The mate put the tiller a-starboard. "Row, men!" he said in a sharp voice; for they had for a moment ceased to pull.

"Have you a compa.s.s?" Mr. Atherton asked in low tones.

The mate shook his head. "I am no better than an idiot to have come without one," he said. "But who could have dreamt we should want it?"

A minute later a light wreath of mist crossed the boat, and almost immediately the great fog-bank rolled over it. An exclamation broke from several of those on board. So sudden was the change of temperature that it seemed as if an icy hand had been laid upon them.

"It is fortunate that we are not far from sh.o.r.e," Mr. Atherton said to the mate. "There is nothing for it but to coast along close in."

"That is the only thing to do," Mr. Ryan replied. "But it will be an awkward business; for, as we noticed when we came along, the sh.o.r.e is in many places studded with rocks. However, we must risk that, and by going on slowly and carefully we may get off with slight damage even if we hit one. It is not as if the water was rough."

The fog was so thick that they could scarcely see the ends of the oar-blades.

"How are we to find the s.h.i.+p?" Marion asked.

"There will be no difficulty about that, Miss Renshaw. They will be sure to be firing guns as signals for us. There!" he broke off as the boom of a cannon came across the water. "Besides, with the land on our right hand and this icy breeze from the south, we cannot go far out of our way."

"Row easy, men," the mate commanded. "We cannot be far from sh.o.r.e now, and we must begin to look out sharp for rocks. Row light and aisy, and do not make more noise with your oars than you can help. The natives may be listening for us; and we do not want a shower of spears in the boat.

Mr. Allen, will you go forward into the bows, and keep a sharp look-out for rocks?"

James Allen went forward, and two or three minutes later cried, "Easy all! Hold her up!" Quickly as the order was obeyed the boat's stem grated on the sh.o.r.e before her way was lost.

"Back her off, lads!" the mate cried. As the boat glided off into deep water again there was a yell from the sh.o.r.e, and a dozen spears struck the water round her. Fortunately none of them struck her, for she was invisible to the natives, who had been guided to the spot by the sound of the oars.

"Not an encouraging reception," Mr. Atherton remarked quietly. "Well, ladies, you have not seen the cannibals as yet, but you have heard them.

I think the best plan, Mr. Ryan, will be to tear up one of these rugs and m.u.f.fle the oars."

"I think we may as well do so," the mate replied "However, their sharp ears are sure to hear us if we are close insh.o.r.e, and we dare not go far out or we might lose our bearings altogether."

"I do not think we can do that. In the first place, you see, there is the breeze that brought down the fog to guide us, and in the second the guns of the s.h.i.+p. We cannot go far wrong with them; and I should say that when we once get out as far as we believe the headland to lie, the best thing will be to steer direct for the s.h.i.+p. The danger in that way would certainly be far less than it is from rocks and savages if we keep near the sh.o.r.e."

"I think you are right. We will row straight out against the wind for a quarter of an hour, that will take us clear of the headland, and we will then shape our course direct for the guns."

CHAPTER VI.

PUTTING IN THE REFIT.

The boat rowed steadily in the course that was believed would take them straight out to sea, the mate listening attentively for the sound of the distant guns. The reports came up every two or three minutes, their sound m.u.f.fled by the fog. "Sure it's mighty difficult to tell where the sound comes from, but I think it is well over there on our beam. Do not you think so?" the mate asked Mr. Atherton.

"I think so; yes, I feel sure that we are rowing nearly due south. Even without the sound of the guns I should feel sure that we cannot at present be far out of that course. I noticed that as we came along you hardly had to use any helm, and that the strength on both sides was very evenly balanced. So that starting out as we did from the sh.o.r.e, we must be travelling pretty straight. Of course in the long run we should be sure to sweep round one way or the other and lose our bearings altogether were it not for the guns. Wilfrid, we will appoint you time-keeper."

"What am I to keep time of, Mr. Atherton?"

"You are to keep time of the guns. I think they are firing about every three minutes, but you had better time the first two or three. If you find them three minutes apart, it will be your duty a quarter of a minute before the gun is due to say in a loud voice 'Stop,' then all conversation is to cease till we hear the report. Unless we are all silent and listening, it is very difficult to judge the exact direction from which the sound comes, and it is important to keep as straight a line as we can. There is the gun now, begin to count."

[Ill.u.s.tration: A DOZEN SPEARS STRUCK THE WATER ROUND HER

_Page 103_]

"I think we can turn our head in that direction now," the mate said. "It is just twenty minutes since we left the sh.o.r.e, and we ought to be fully a mile out beyond the headland."

"I quite agree with you. We have certainly a clear course now to the s.h.i.+p if we do not make any blunder in keeping it."

The mate put the tiller a-starboard.

"I wonder how long I am to keep it over?" he said. "It is a queer sensation steering without having an idea which way you are going."

"The next gun will tell us whether we have gone too far round or not far enough," Mr. Atherton observed.

"Well, we will try that," the mate said after a short pause. "I should think we ought to have made half a turn now."

"Stop!" Wilfrid exclaimed a minute later. "Easy rowing, lads, and listen for the gun."

The mate ordered silence in the boat. Half a minute later the report of the gun was again heard. There was a general exclamation of surprise, for instead of coming, as they expected, from a point somewhere ahead, it seemed to them all that the sound was almost astern of them.

"Now, who would have thought that?" the mate said. "I had no idea she had gone round so far. Well, we must try again, and go to work more gently this time. Row on, men!"

The tiller was put slightly a-port, and the boat continued her way. The talk that had gone on among the pa.s.sengers was now hushed. Mr. Atherton had been chatting gaily with the girls from the time the fog came on, and except at the moment when they went ash.o.r.e and were attacked by the natives, no uneasiness had been felt, for the sound of the guns had seemed to all an a.s.surance that there could be no difficulty in rejoining the s.h.i.+p. The discovery that for a moment they had been actually going away from the s.h.i.+p had, for the first time since they rowed away from the sh.o.r.e, caused a feeling of real uneasiness, and when Wilfrid again gave notice that the report would soon be heard, all listened intently, and there was a general exclamation of satisfaction when the sound was heard nearly ahead.

"We have got it now," the mate said. "Row on, lads; a long steady stroke and we shall be in before dinner is cold yet."

The conversation now recommenced.

"Is it any use my stopping here any longer?" Jim Allen cried from the bow; "because if not I will come aft to you. It is a good deal warmer sitting together than it is out here by myself."

"Yes, you may as well come aft," the mate replied. "As long as we keep the guns ahead we know that we are clear of rocks. It certainly has come on bitterly cold." There was a general chorus of a.s.sent.

"I should think it would be a good thing, Ryan, to get the sail aft and unlash it from the gaff and put it over our legs, it will make a lot of difference in the warmth."

"I think that that is a very good idea," the mate a.s.sented. "Lay in your oar for a minute, Johnson, and get that sail aft."

The sail was pa.s.sed aft, unlashed from the yard, and spread out, adding considerably to the comfort of all those sitting astern; and now that the s.h.i.+p's guns were booming ahead, and they had become accustomed to the thick curtain of cloud hanging round them, the feeling of uneasiness that the girls had felt was entirely dissipated, and Mr. Atherton had no longer any occasion to use his best efforts to keep up their spirits.

All laughed and chatted over their adventure, which, as they said, far exceeded in interest anything they had been promised when they started from the s.h.i.+p. The only drawback, as they all agreed, was the cold, which was indeed really severe.