Owen Hartley; or, Ups and Downs Part 22

"The sound travels further than you suppose," answered Langton. "We have made good way already."

On they went, every now and then speaking a word of encouragement to each other.

"I am thankful you came with me," said Langton; "it would have been far more trying had I been alone."

On and on they went, still the dark outline of the sh.o.r.e appeared as far off as ever. Now and then Langton proposed that they should turn on their backs. They could not venture to make way for any length of time in that position for fear of getting out of their proper course. Owen had somewhat overrated his strength. He began to feel his arms and legs ache, but he would not tell Langton of his sensations. At last he was compelled to propose that they should float for a short time. Langton guessed the cause, and willingly agreed.

In a minute Owen felt rested, and once more they proceeded. He was again about to propose taking another rest, and was turning on his back, when he saw rising above the water, a few feet from him, a triangular fin. Though certain that it was that of a huge shark, he resolved not to tell his companion. Dreadful were his feelings. At any moment the monster might discover them. As yet it had not apparently done so. The dark fin glided on, but another and another came into sight. There might be many more astern. Not one, however, deviated from its course, and the creatures at length disappeared. Not until then did Owen utter an exclamation.

"What was it?" asked Langton.

Owen confessed that he had seen the sharks.

"A good sign," said Langton, "it shows that they are not given to attack human beings in these waters. Don't let us trouble our heads about them."

This Owen found it was not so easy to do. It appeared to him that they had been hours in the water. The courage of the two swimmers was greatly tried, for still the land seemed as far off as ever.

More than once Owen felt that he could go no further. He prayed that strength might be given him, and again struck out bravely. The sight of the sharks made him unwilling to rest even for a moment, for he knew as long as he kept his arms and legs moving there was less danger of being seized. At last a feeling came over him that he must give in.

"Push on ahead, Langton," he said, in a faint voice, "I will follow slowly; but I only detain you now."

"No, no, Hartley," answered Langton. "I will not desert you; cheer up, cheer up."

Just at that moment Langton felt his feet strike the ground. For an instant he feared that it was a shark, or some other monster fish, but, again putting down his foot he felt the hard, soft sand.

"Thank Heaven, Owen, it's all right, here's the bottom!" he exclaimed.

Both swimming on a few strokes more, Owen found that his feet also could touch the sand, and that he could stand up with his head out of water.

They waded on; the depth decreased but slowly, but still it did decrease. Langton's shoulders rose above the surface, he could now a.s.sist Owen. Exerting all their strength they made rapid way, and in a few minutes more found themselves standing on the dry beach.

Both offered up their thanks to Heaven for their preservation, when, Owen's strength failing, he sank down on the sand. Langton was the first to recover.

"Do not wait for me," said Owen. "I suppose you'll make the best of your way along, the sh.o.r.e until you get abreast of the s.h.i.+p, unless you can find a native boat before then to take you off to her?"

"That's what I propose doing," answered Langton; "but I will not leave you until you regain your strength."

In a few minutes Owen declared himself able to walk.

"Before we start let us try to find out whether any natives are near; they may be able to help us," said Langton.

They shouted at the top of their voices, but no reply was heard. They did so, believing that all the natives were friendly in that region.

"We must get help without delay," said Langton. "That we may have a double chance, I suggest, Owen, that you try to make your way back to Gorontello, which cannot be more than three or four miles off, while I go down towards the s.h.i.+p. If I fall in with a native boat, I will go off at once; if not, I will make a signal from the sh.o.r.e with a big bonfire, and Mr Leigh is pretty sure to send in a boat to learn the cause. You must, in the meantime, endeavour to obtain a boat. You are certain to find some one to interpret for you; promise a handsome reward to those who succeed in discovering the captain and the rest."

The plan was no sooner arranged than acted on. Owen, as fast as his legs could carry him, started along the sh.o.r.e in one direction, and Langton in the other. Sometimes Owen found the sand smooth enough, but at others he came to rough rocks, over which he had to climb. Now and then he saw a light on his left twinkling in the distance, but he pa.s.sed no human habitation. Again and again, however, he shouted, hoping that some fisherman's boat might be concealed among the rocks. No one came near him, and he concluded that the people had retired for the night to their homes. Often, overcome by fatigue, he felt inclined to stop, but remembering that the lives of his captain and s.h.i.+pmates were at stake, he pushed on, now running at full speed along the sand, and now climbing over the rough ground.

At length, greatly to his joy, he saw some lights ahead, they showed that he was approaching the town. "I hope that all the people have not gone to bed. It will be a hard matter to rouse them up," he thought.

"The lights show that some are up at all events." At length he got among the houses, or rather huts, for few of the buildings deserved a grander name. Some of the natives came out and stared at him, but he could not make them understand what he wanted. They did not, probably, recognise him as one of the smartly dressed officers who had paid a visit to the sultan in the morning. They saw, however, that he was a stranger. At last one made signs to him that he would show him where a person lived who could understand what he said; so Owen fancied was the meaning of the native's gesticulations. "Yes, quick," answered Owen.

The native led the way along several rows of huts, until they reached the door of a building of superior pretensions with a broad verandah overlooking the harbour. Owen at once called out--

"Does any one understand English here? If so, I want their a.s.sistance without delay. I can promise a handsome reward to all who give it."

"Come in, come in," said a voice in a foreign accent. A native appeared at the door with a light in his hand. "Mynheer Van Wijk will see you,"

said he, as he conducted Owen into a room where a white man was reclining in a hammock, with a huge pipe in his mouth, whom he supposed to be Mynheer Van Wijk, the owner of the mansion.

"Vat you want?" exclaimed Mynheer, gazing at Owen, as he stood, shoeless and hatless, in his still damp s.h.i.+rt and trousers.

Owen, in as few words as possible, explained who he was, and the accident which had happened.

"Donder en bliksem, dat is bad," exclaimed the Dutchman, tumbling out of his hammock and putting on his coat and shoes. "Dare is no time to lose; we must go off at once. And you, young gentleman, want food and clothing. You'll be getting fever if we don't look after you. Mine young son's clothes will fit you; you must put them on."

He shouted, when a servant appeared, to whom he gave some orders. In a few minutes the servant returned with a bundle of clothes and a towel.

Owen thankfully exchanged his wet garments for the young Dutchman's dress, although he was conscious that he cut a somewhat unusual appearance in it. He had scarcely time to finish his toilet before another servant came in with several dishes of food.

"Fall to," said Mynheer Van Wijk; "we have no time to lose I have sent down to ze harbour to order two boats to be got ready. You and I will go in one, and my friend Jacob Leefkens will take charge of ze other.

He known ze set of ze tides about here as well as any native."

Owen quickly finished his repast, of which he stood greatly in need.

"My captain and the men with him have no provisions, and I should be thankful to take a supply if you will enable me to procure them," said Owen.

"Of course we will carry food and water and scheidam for ze poor fellows," said the Dutchman.

Owen accompanied Mynheer Van Wijk down to the harbour, where they found two boats, each manned by eight powerful-looking natives. Jacob Leefkens was evidently a seafaring man by the way in which he received Mynheer Van Wijk's directions. Owen was thankful when he found himself thus far successful in commencing the search for his s.h.i.+pmates. He had described as minutely as he could the position of the boat when she was upset, and the two Dutchmen arranged their courses accordingly. The boats pulled on and on. Owen thought that they ought to have got up to the spot where he had left his s.h.i.+pmates. He shouted several times as loudly as he could, aided by Mynheer Van Wijk. The wind had risen considerably, and the further they pulled out the higher the sea was running. Owen began to fear that the people might have been washed off the boat, or that perhaps righting, she had filled and gone down. He thought, too, of Langton, and the dangers he might have to encounter.

On speaking on the subject to Mynheer Van Wijk the reply was--

"They are not good people down there; they are too fond of cutting off heads, and a white man himself would be looked upon as a prize."

"I trust such has not been the fate of my friend," said Owen.

"The natives have probably gone to their huts, and his safety will depend on his not falling in with them," observed Mynheer Van Wijk.

From time to time Owen continued to shout, so that they should not pa.s.s the boat without being discovered. Jacob Leefkens at last rejoined them.

"I am afraid she's gone to the bottom," he observed.

"Do not say that, Jacob," answered Mynheer Van Wijk. "We will search for them until to-morrow night, if we do not find them before."

This last remark was consolatory to Owen, and thankful he was that he had fallen in with the honest Dutchman. Now the boats rowed further off sh.o.r.e, now pulled along parallel with it. Owen saw that it would have been impossible for Langton to have found the boat, and, having righted her, to have towed her back to the s.h.i.+p.

Again Jacob, shouting from his boat, declared that the boat must have gone down, as not a sign of her appeared.

"Perhaps I mistook her position," suggested Owen.

"Well, we will push on further," said Mynheer Van Wijk. "Let us give one more hearty shout together."