Part 5 (1/2)
I followed his advice, and got into the canoe. As the black paddled me on sh.o.r.e, I asked him if he would like to obtain a doubloon. I knew very well what would be his answer. Being a discreet personage, he asked no further questions, but promised to be alongside at the hour I named.
On landing, I hurried to the house, which was some way up the beach, and told Harry of the arrangements I had made. I then explained more clearly to Caspar Caper than I had hitherto done the plan Harry and I proposed, which was to direct our course to the southward, and then to strike directly for the coast, where we might hope to be taken off, or to find a canoe or craft of some sort, in which to make our way to one of the European settlements. The means of subsistence we hoped to find in the forest if we could obtain firearms. As I had been going about the house one day, I had seen a couple of fowling-pieces, with powder-horns and shot-belts, hanging against the wall Harry doubted whether we had a right to take them; but necessity has no law, and in this case we came to the conclusion that we were justified in taking possession of them. Our a.s.sociates had no scruples on the subject Caspar fully agreed to carry out the plan we proposed, and now told us that his s.h.i.+pmates were perfectly ready to escape, and try for the future to lead peaceable lives. We did not inquire too minutely into their motives, but I suspected that these arose not so much from their hatred of piracy, as from being compelled constantly to fight with the fear of a rope's end before their eyes. I told the two old blacks that the wounded men required as much food as they could obtain, and they brought us an abundant supply. We accordingly had a hearty supper, but we were to make a scurvy return to them for their kindness. As soon as it was dark, the men got up and dressed themselves. Harry and I groped our way to the room where we had seen the fowling-pieces, which, with the ammunition, were at once secured.
”There's more to be found in the house than those things,” observed Jansen. ”We shall want a fresh rig out. What say you, mates? Besides which, if old Dobbo and his wife hear us moving about, they will give the alarm, so we must settle them first.” Saying this, he took up the lamp, and, followed by the rest, quitted the room, leaving Harry and me in darkness. Soon afterwards we heard a slight scream, then all was silent. We waited a quarter of an hour or more. The time was approaching when we expected to see Tubbs. Presently we heard a knock at the shutter of the room. Of course there was no gla.s.s. I opened it, and Tubbs sprang in. We knew him by his figure, though there was not light sufficient to see his countenance.
”Are you alone?” he whispered.
”Yes,” answered Harry; ”the others have gone to see what they can find in the house likely to be useful on the journey. We secured some fowling-pieces; we could not defend our lives without them.”
”And I have brought off a brace of pistols and a hanger,” said the boatswain.
”We shall do very well then; but I almost wish that we had attempted to escape without those other fellows--they are likely to bring us into trouble by their lawless ways,” said Harry.
This was indeed too probable. While we were speaking they returned.
They had sense enough to suppress their voices, and as Caspar, who carried the light, entered, I saw that they were all rigged out in the trader's clothes, which they had appropriated. One had got a musket, another a sword, and others richly ornamented pistols, while the legs of another were encased in high boots, and he had on a handsomely embroidered coat, used by the owner on grand occasions.
”The old people will not follow us or give the alarm,” said Jansen. ”We have gagged and bound them, for we heard them moving about in the next room, and if we hadn't been quick about it they would have given the alarm, and the whole village would soon have been awake.”
The men had not returned empty handed. Some had brought in a further supply of provisions which they had found in the house, and several articles they had picked up.
Having made a hearty supper, ”Now, my lads,” I said, ”it is time to start. The people in the village must be fast asleep, and the further off we get, the better chance we shall have of keeping ahead of our pursuers. One of us must act as leader. Who will do so?”
The men at once unanimously chose Tom Tubbs. Harry and I were glad of this, as we felt sure that he was the best person for the post. ”Well, my lads, if you will obey me, I'll do what I can to lead you well,” he said. ”Now, the first thing I have to charge you is to keep silence.
Follow me!” He noiselessly opened the door and looked carefully about.
Neither seeing nor hearing any one, he gave as the signal to move on.
Harry and I went next, and the other men followed in single file. They knew that the slightest noise would betray them. For what they could tell, the captain himself might be on sh.o.r.e; and should we be caught, he would certainly visit us with severe punishment. We treaded our way silently through the village, keeping at a distance from the barrac.o.o.ns, the guards at which would otherwise have discovered us. The country was sufficiently open to enable us to see the stars overhead, by which we guided our course to the southward. When we approached any huts, we turned aside, taking care not to go through any plantations, where, by breaking down the stalks, we should leave traces of our pa.s.sage.
After going some distance we stopped to listen. We could hear two or three dogs barking, one replying to the other, but no human voices.
This made us hope, at all events, that we were not discovered. Again we went on at a pretty quick rate, considering that five of our party had not been on their feet for several weeks. At last the men called a halt. ”We had better not stop yet, lads,” said Tom Tubbs; ”we must put a good many miles between us and the village before we are safe. Your skipper is not the man to let any of his crew get away without an effort to bring them back.”
A short time, however, served to restore our companion's strength, and we once more set off as fast as our legs could carry us, breaking into a run whenever the ground was sufficiently level for the purpose. We had made good, I calculated, fully twenty miles when morning broke. It was a distance, I hoped, which would prevent the pirates from successfully pursuing us, but it would not do to rest here, for as soon as it was discovered that we had fled, Captain Roderick would be informed of it, and he would certainly tend a party after us.
”If he does, I hope that he'll send some of his white crew, for they'll soon get tired and give up the chase,” observed Harry.
”I am afraid, sir, he won't trust them,” remarked Tubbs; ”he'll get a band of black fellows, who will keep on through the heat of day. I would advise that we should go forward during the cool of the morning, and try and find a place to conceal ourselves.”
To this proposal Harry and I agreed, so did our other companions, though they would have preferred resting where they were. After a short halt by the side of a stream to take some food and quench our thirst, we again pushed on, the vegetation in many places being so dense that it was not without difficulty that we could force our way through it. The worst of this was, that while we were thus delayed we should form a road for our pursuers. However, that was not to be avoided should they get upon our track.
We had made good nearly a dozen miles, I should think, when we came upon a broad river, flowing, as we supposed, into the sea.
”If we can find a canoe, or a craft of some sort, we may easily reach the coast, and save ourselves a good deal of fatigue,” observed Tubbs.
The rest of the men, who were pretty well knocked up, seemed highly pleased at the proposal. Instead of attempting to cross the stream, we proceeded down it. Harry suggested that we should form a raft if we could not find a canoe, and should a party be sent in pursuit, they would thus be puzzled to know what had become of us. I proposed that, before commencing out voyage down the stream, we should cross to the opposite bank, and there trample down the gra.s.s, and make other marks as if we had continued our course to the southward. We had not gone far when we saw a smoke ascending from amid trees on the banks of the river.
”Some native traders or white men are encamped there,” observed Tubbs.
”They are probably proceeding up the river, and will tell us what sort of people we are likely to meet with on the pa.s.sage down. If they are traders, they are likely to prove friendly and we may consider ourselves fortunate in falling in with them.”
”But suppose they are not traders, suppose they are not friendly, what are we to do then?” asked Harry.