Old Gold Part 26

"Here, I shall be having all the skin rubbed off my knees," said the mate, nodding at Brace. "Nature never meant me to go along like a four-footed beast."

"It is awkward," said Brace, smiling.

"Awkward isn't the word for it," grumbled the mate. "Got your knife handy?"

Brace nodded, and drew it from his pocket, and the mate slit open one of the bags so as to pour about half its contents into the mouth of the little cannon.

"It's all very fine of the skipper to talk," he said, placing the whole cartridge now in its place, "but I'm very fond of the first mate of the 'Jason' brig, and I should be sorry to do him any mischief. I should look well, I should, if I had to go back home as a ghost to tell my wife all my bits had been eaten by the savage fish in this river. I know her ideas well, and she wouldn't like it, I can tell you. There you are; down it goes," he continued, taking the little rammer from where it was strapped to the carriage and driving the bag home on to the top of the loose charge. "Is the powder up, sir?"

"Yes," said Brace; "the touch-hole's full."

"That's right, then. Avast there; be smart with that red-hot poker."

The man who had taken it to the galley trotted away again in his dog-like fas.h.i.+on, disappeared, and then came into sight again directly, to shout out to the mate:

"Cook says it aren't half hot enough, sir."

"Bring the poker," roared the mate. "Told you to fetch it, didn't I?

What do I want with what the cook says?"

The man darted into the galley again and reappeared directly with the poker. The other men commenced roaring with laughter when they saw him, for he limped aft like a lame dog now, one hand being occupied with the poker.

"Ahoy there!" shouted the captain; "be smart with that gun. Look out."

For just then the prow of a good-sized canoe appeared from beneath the overhanging boughs of the trees, and was paddled out quickly by four men, while two more stood in the stern fitting arrows to their bows.

"Steady!" growled the mate, as he slewed the mouth of the cannon round in the direction of the coming boat. "Now then, pa.s.s me that poker.

Here, Mr Brace, you'd better get into shelter away from the pieces.

That's right, my lad. Be off."

The man trotted back and settled himself down under the bulwark, and just then Brace laid hold of the poker.

"Let me fire," he said.

"What, aren't you skeart, sir?" said the mate, with a grin, as he relaxed his hold.

"Not very much," said Brace quietly; "only that the poker isn't hot enough."

"She'll do it, my lad. One moment; there's nothing except the wad inside, but I may as well sight the gun at the enemy and let 'em have the benefit of the blast."

Brace stood back from the gun for a moment or two while the mate ran his eye along the little barrel, and then as the canoe was within forty yards the latter cried:

"Now then, sir; let 'em have it."

Brace applied the end of the poker to the loose grains lying in the little rounded depression about the touch-hole of the cannon; but the cook was right: the poker was far from hot, and the end failed to ignite the powder.

"Have you a match?" said Brace, impatiently throwing the implement down.

"No," was the reply. "A match over here, someone."

Men began fumbling; but at sea men chew their tobacco instead of smoking, and no box was forthcoming. At that moment Brace tried again, for, though wanting in the power to ignite the priming at the end, the poker was fairly hot a few inches from the point, and he noted that it was making the pitch bubble in the seam it lay across.

"Sight the gun again," cried Brace hurriedly, and the mate sprang to obey his order, exposing his head and shoulders in doing so, and very nearly paying the penalty, for a couple of arrows whizzed by pretty closely.

Directly after, in response to another touch from the middle of the poker, there was a flash, a puff of white smoke, and a roar like thunder. The gun-carriage in its recoil leaped from the deck and fell with a loud bang upon its side, while the crew burst into a hearty cheer.

The effect of the shot had been beyond the captain's expectation. In their utter astonishment and dread the Indians had to a man sprung out of the canoe, overturning it in the act, and were swimming and diving their best to reach the shelter of the hanging boughs, while their frail vessel was floating bottom upward rapidly down the stream.

"Good aim, Dellow," cried the captain. "Well fired, squire."

Brace glanced at the result of the shot, and then darted to the companion-ladder, to hurry down into the cabin so as to see what the consequences of the heavy report had been there, for in the hurry and excitement of the preparations he had for the moment forgotten his brother.

To his surprise and satisfaction, however, Sir Humphrey lay back sleeping heavily, with a soft dew beading his face, and evidently perfectly free from suffering.

Brace laid his hand upon his brother's forehead, to feel that it was comparatively cool, and upon touching his wrist it was to find the pulse beating steadily and well.

The next minute he was stepping gently back, and ascended once more to the deck.

"Oh, here he is," said the captain. "Look sharp, squire, if you want a shot at the blackguards before they get into shelter."

"Not I," said Brace half-angrily. "Ah, look, look!"

There was no need for him to shout, for a wild cry drew the attention of all to one of the swimmers, who suddenly threw up his arms and then began to beat the surface wildly, but only for a second or two, before with a couple of sharp jerks he was dragged under water, while another cry from the savage nearest to the sh.o.r.e gave warning that his was to be a similar fate, one jerk, however, sufficing to drag him under, just as his companions reached the shelter of the trees.

"Horrid," growled the captain, as, evidently satisfied that there were no others to shoot, he stood close to the bulwark.

"What was it drew them under?" said Brace hoa.r.s.ely.

"Can't say, squire," replied the captain. "Might be alligators, snakes, or a shoal of the savage fish that swarm along these rivers. Lesson to us not to try bathing."

"Could nothing be done for them? Can we launch a boat?" faltered Brace.

The captain shook his head slowly, frowning the while.

"Impossible, my lad; but we don't know that we're safe here. There may be scores more in hiding under the trees by the bank yonder; so keep down, everyone."

The order was obeyed, but no more arrows came on board, while from behind the deckhouse Brace stood with Briscoe watching the upturned canoe growing smaller and smaller in the distance, Brace expecting to see some daring swimmer appear from the sh.o.r.e, trying to get on board.

He said something of the kind to Lynton, who joined them just before the canoe disappeared round a curve of the river, but the latter smiled before he made a reply.

"You forget what sort of a sh.o.r.e it is," he said. "Those fellows could not get along through that jungle a quarter so fast as the canoe drifted with the stream, if they could get along at all. Well, it's been a bad time for them: they've lost their boat and two of their crew."

"And serve 'em right," said Dellow, who had overheard the conversation.

"They should have left us alone. It isn't their fault that Sir Humphrey isn't lying below there dead and cold instead of getting better fast."

"Ah! you have seen him, then?" cried Brace anxiously.

"Been below with the skipper, sir, and there won't be much the matter by this time to-morrow if the savages leave us alone."