The Madman and the Pirate Part 13

Wearied at length with waiting, the savages arose, and began to put f.a.gots and other combustibles under the wicker-basket on which the pirate stood. Then, indeed, was Rosco's courage tried nearly to the uttermost and when he saw the fire actually applied, he uttered a cry of "Help! help!" so loud and terrible that his enemies fell back for a moment as if appalled.

And help came from a quarter that Rosco little expected.

But to explain this we must return to Zeppa. We have said that he gave up the chase of the pirate under the impression that the whole affair was a dream; but, on returning to his cave, he found that he could not rest. Old a.s.sociations and memories had been too violently aroused, and, after spending a sleepless night he rose up, determined to resume the chase which he had abandoned. He returned to the spot where he had lost sight of his enemy in the swamp, and, after a brief examination of the place, advanced in as straight a line as he could through the tangled and interlacing boughs.

Naturally he followed the trail of the pirate, for the difficulties or peculiar formations of the ground which had influenced the latter in his course also affected Zeppa much in the same way. Thus it came to pa.s.s that when the Raturans were about to burn their prisoner alive, the madman was close to their village. But Zeppa did not think of the Raturans. He had never seen or heard of them, except on the occasion of their attack on the Mountain-men. His sole desire was to be revenged on the slayer of his boy. And even in this matter the poor maniac was still greatly perplexed, for his Christian principles and his naturally gentle spirit forbade revenge on the one hand, while, on the other, a sense of justice told him that murder should not go unpunished, or the murderer remain at large; so that it required the absolute sight of Ros...o...b..fore his eyes to rouse him to the pitch of fury necessary to hold him to the execution of his purpose.

It was while he was advancing slowly, and puzzling his brain over these considerations, that Rosco's cry for help rang out.

Zeppa recognised the voice, and a dark frown settled on his countenance as he stopped to listen. Then an appalling yell filled his ears. It was repeated again and again, as the kindling flames licked round the pirate's naked feet, causing him to writhe in mortal agony.

Instantly Zeppa was stirred to action. He replied with a tremendous shout.

Well did the Raturans know that shout. With caught breath and blanched faces they turned towards the direction whence it came, and they saw the madman bounding towards them with streaming locks and glaring eyes. A single look sufficed. The entire population of the village turned and fled!

Next moment Zeppa rushed up to the stake, and kicked the fire-brands from beneath the poor victim, who was by that time almost insensible from agony and smoke. Drawing his knife, Zeppa cut the cords, and, lifting the pirate in his arms, laid him on the ground.

The madman was terribly excited. He had been drenched from frequent immersions in the swamp, besides being much exhausted by his long and difficult walk, or rather, scramble, after a sleepless night; and this sudden meeting with his worst enemy in such awful circ.u.mstances seemed to have produced an access of insanity, so that the pirate felt uncertain whether he had not been delivered from a horrible fate to fall into one perhaps not less terrible.

As he lay there on his back, scorched, tormented with thirst and helpless, he watched with fearful anxiety each motion of the madman.

For some moments Zeppa seemed undecided. He stood with heaving chest expanding nostrils, and flas.h.i.+ng eyes, gazing after the flying crew of natives. Then he turned sharply on the unhappy man who lay at his feet.

"Get up!" he said fiercely, "and follow me."

"I cannot get up, Zeppa," replied the pirate in a faint voice. "Don't you see my feet are burnt? G.o.d help me!"

He ended with a deep groan, and the ferocity at once left Zeppa's countenance, but the wild light did not leave his eyes, nor did he become less excited in his actions.

"Come, I will carry you," he said.

Stooping down quickly, he raised the pirate in his arms as if he had been a child, and bore him away.

Avoiding the swamp, he proceeded in the direction of the mountain by another route--a route which ran so near to Ongoloo's village, that the Raturans never ventured to use it.

He pa.s.sed the village without having been observed, and began to toil slowly up the steep ascent panting as he went, for his mighty strength had been overtaxed, and his helpless burden was heavy.

"Lay me down and rest yourself," said Rosco, with a groan that he could not suppress, for his scorched lower limbs caused him unutterable anguish, and beads of perspiration stood upon his brow, while a deadly pallor overspread his face.

Zeppa spoke no word in reply. He did, indeed, look at the speaker once, uneasily, but took no notice of his request. Thus, clasping his enemy to his breast he ascended the steep hill, struggling and stumbling upwards, as if with some fixed and stern purpose in view, until at last he gained the shelter of his mountain cave.

CHAPTER TEN.

We change the scene once more, and transport our readers over the ocean waves to a n.o.ble s.h.i.+p which is breasting those waves right gallantly.

It is H.M.S. "Furious."

In a retired part of the s.h.i.+p's cabin there are two savage n.o.bles who do not take things quite as gallantly as the s.h.i.+p herself. These are our friends Tomeo and b.u.t.tchee of Ratinga. Each is seated on the cabin floor with his back against the bulkhead, an expression of woe-begone desolation on his visage, his black legs apart, and a s.h.i.+p's bucket between them. It were bad taste to be too particular as to details here!

On quitting Ratinga, Tomeo and his brother chief had said that nothing would rejoice their hearts so much as to go to sea. Their wish was gratified, and, not long afterwards, they said that nothing could rejoice their hearts so much as to get back to land! Such is the contradictoriness of human nature.

There was a stiffish breeze blowing, as one of the man-of-war's-men expressed it and "a nasty sea on"--he did not say on what. There must have been something nasty, also, on Tomeo's stomach, from the violent way in which he sought to get rid of it at times--without success.

"Oh! b.u.t.tchee, my brother," said Tomeo (of course in his native tongue), "many years have pa.s.sed over my head, a few white streaks begin to--to--" He paused abruptly, and eyed the bucket as if with an intention.

"To appear," he continued with a short sigh; "also, I have seen many wars and suffered much from many wounds as you--you--ha!--you know, b.u.t.tchee, my brother, but of all the--"

He became silent again--suddenly.

"Why does my brother p-pause?" asked b.u.t.tchee, in a meek voice--as of one who had suffered severely in life's pilgrimage.

There was no occasion for Tomeo to offer a verbal reply.

After a time b.u.t.tchee raised his head and wiped his eyes, in which were many tears--but not of sorrow.

"Tomeo," said he, "was it worth our while to forsake wives and children, and church, and hymns, and taro fields, and home for th-this?"

"We did not leave for this," replied Tomeo, with some acerbity, for he experienced a temporary sensation of feeling better at the moment; "we left all for the sake of a.s.sisting our friends in--there! it comes-- it--"

He said no more, and both chiefs relapsed into silence--gazing the while at the buckets with undue interest.

They were interrupted by the sudden entrance of Ebony.

"Come, you yaller-cheeked chiefs; you's die if you no make a heffort.

Come on deck, breeve de fresh air. Git up a happet.i.te. Go in for salt pork, plum duff, and lop-scouse, an' you'll git well 'fore you kin say Jack Rubinson."

Tomeo and b.u.t.tchee looked up at the jovial negro and smiled--imbecile smiles they were.

"We cannot move," said Tomeo and b.u.t.tchee together, "because we--w--"

Together they ceased giving the reason--it was not necessary!

"Oh dear!" said Ebony, opening his great eyes to their widest. "You no kin lib long at dat rate. Better die on deck if you _mus'_ die; more heasy for you to breeve up dar, an' more comf'rable to fro you overboard w'en you's got it over."

With this cheering remark the worthy negro, seizing the chiefs each by a hand, half constrained, half a.s.sisted them to rise, and helped them to stagger to the quarter-deck, where they were greeted by Orlando, Captain Fitzgerald, Waroonga, and the missionary.

"Come, that's right," cried the captain, shaking the two melancholy chiefs by the hand, "glad to see you plucking up courage. Tell them, Mr Zeppa, that we shall probably be at Sugar-loaf Island to-morrow, or next day."

The two unfortunates were visibly cheered by the a.s.surance. To do them justice, they had not quite given way to sea-sickness until then, for the weather had been moderately calm, but the nasty sea and stiff breeze had proved too much for them.

"Are you sure we shall find the island so soon?" asked Orlando of the captain in a low, earnest tone, for the poor youth's excitement and anxiety deepened as they drew near to the place where his father might possibly be found--at the same time a strange, shrinking dread of what they might find made him almost wish for delay.

"I am not sure, of course," returned the captain, "but if my information is correct, there is every probability that we shall find it to-morrow."

"I hopes we shall," remarked Waroonga. "It would be a grand blessing if the Lord will gif us the island and your father in same day."

"Mos' too good to be true," observed Ebony, who was a privileged individual on board, owing very much to his good-humoured eccentricity.

"But surely you not spec's de n.i.g.g.e.rs to tumbil down at yous feet all at wance, Ma.s.sa Waroonga?"