Part 8 (1/2)
Charley could say no more. The lieutenant went below to look out for a suitable cabin in which to place Captain Roderick--Tubbs, Harry, and I, with three men, accompanied him. To our surprise, we found the pirate quiet enough. His mad fit had apparently pa.s.sed away.
”I am sorry to give you all this trouble,” he said quite calmly. ”You young gentlemen will, I hope, return good for evil, and I shall be grateful.”
We were, however, not to be deceived by such an address. Charley replied that his orders were to place him in his cabin by himself, and that was better treatment than he might have expected.
”Certainly,” answered Captain Roderick, looking quite pleased; ”it is a favour I should not have ventured to ask for. If my steward has escaped, I'll trouble you to tell him I should like some food. He is a good cook, and if you order him, he will prepare supper for you, gentlemen. He knows where all the provisions are stowed and will speedily carry out your directions.”
On this being reported to Mr Hallton, he immediately ordered supper to be prepared in the chief cabin.
As I moved across the deck, the only difference I could see between the man-of-war's men and the pirates was, that the former were armed and that the latter were not; but as they still numbered more men than the party from the ”Rover,” it struck me that they might easily possess themselves of the means of offence and master their captors. During daylight it was not likely that they would venture to do this, as the frigate would quickly have retaken the s.h.i.+p. I clearly remember this idea pa.s.sing through my mind. As Harry and I had had nothing but farina for the past three days, and for several hours we had been without food, we were very glad when we were summoned into the cabin. Here we found a really handsome repast spread out, everything secured by ”fiddles” and ”puddings,” for the s.h.i.+p was tumbling about too much to allow the plates and gla.s.ses otherwise to have remained on the table.
As Tubbs was a respectable man in his appearance, the lieutenant, with more politeness than might have been expected, invited him to supper.
It may be supposed that we all did justice to the meal placed before us.
Charley had to go on deck until the lieutenant had finished supper; when he had done so, he went up saying that he would send my brother down to have some food.
Charley, however, had to hurry again on deck, as he said Mr Hallton wanted him to keep a look-out. The lieutenant had, considering the time he had been occupied, imbibed no small amount of liquor, though it did not appear to have affected his head.
Harry, Tubbs, and I ate our suppers more leisurely. As may be supposed, having obtained but a few winks of sleep the two previous nights, we soon became drowsy Harry proposed turning in.
”If we do, we must keep one eye open and our hangers by our sides,”
observed Tubbs. ”I don't quite like the freedom of the lieutenant with these buccaneering fellows. If we hadn't got the King's s.h.i.+p close to us, they would be playing us some scurvy trick, depend upon that.”
As Harry and I could be of no use on deck at night, and Tubbs really required rest, we all lay down, Harry and I each taking a sofa at the further end of the cabin, while Tubbs stowed himself away in a berth which had been occupied by one of the mates who had been killed in the late action. I was just dropping off to sleep when I heard a scuffle, and on looking up, what was my dismay to see two seamen grasping the arms of the lieutenant, who had just before entered the cabin, while two others were hauling Charley along. The sentry, instead of attempting to a.s.sist Mr Hallton, presented his musket at us, exclaiming--
”If you interfere, gentlemen, I am ordered to shoot you.”
As we saw several other men at the entrance of the cabin with muskets in their hands, we knew that resistance was useless. I was indeed too much astonished and confused, suddenly awakened as I had been out of my sleep, to say or do anything. I fancied for some seconds that I was dreaming. Here were the tables turned, and that with a vengeance. It was very evident that the pirates had tampered with the man-of-war's men, who were probably a bad lot, as was too often the case on board King's s.h.i.+ps in those days, and that thus they had easily been won over.
Mr Hallton's folly and obstinacy had also greatly contributed to enable the pirates to carry out their project. I should have been less surprised had Captain Roderick been at liberty, but, as far as I could then see, he had had no hand in the business. I had good reason to dread the way he would serve us when he once more found himself in command of the s.h.i.+p and that we were in his power, when he would, I feared, wreak his vengeance on our heads for the way we had treated him.
These thoughts pa.s.sed rapidly through my mind. Harry and Tubbs, who had been fast asleep, were awakened by the entrance of the party, and now sat up rubbing their eyes, as much astonished as I had been.
Tubbs, who was but partly awake, sprang to his feet and made a step forward as if to interfere, but seeing the sentry pointing his musket at his head, he sat down again.
”Well, this is a pretty go,” he exclaimed. ”Who commands this s.h.i.+p I should like to know, and then I can settle whether I'll do duty or turn in and go to sleep again?”
”Belay your jaw-tackle, master,” growled out one of the pirates who had advanced into the cabin. ”You're mighty too free with your tongue, fine fellow as you think yourself. A better man than you commands her, and he'll soon show you whose master.”
I must own I cared very little about Mr Hallton, but I felt the deepest anxiety as to how Charley might be treated. I feared the pirates less than I did the ”Rover's” men, who had thus turned traitors to their King and country, for they were too likely to add crime upon crime, and to murder their officers. Had Mr Hallton and Charley been armed, we might have made an effort to release them, but they had both been deprived of their swords and I felt sure that Harry, Tubbs, and I would be unsuccessful, and only make matters worse.
The seamen, having now bound the arms of the two officers behind them, led them into an inner cabin, where, shutting the door, they locked and bolted it.
”Now, you three, go on deck and help work the s.h.i.+p,” said one of the men, whom I recognised as the third officer of the ”Vulture,” but who had slipped into sailor's clothes, probably to deceive his captors.
I could scarcely suppose that all this time Captain Roderick had any hand in the mutiny, for, to the best of my belief, he had been shut up in the cabin, and was still there. The mate teemed to be of the same opinion, for he bade the sentry open the door. He did so, when Captain Roderick was seen stretched on his couch. At the first glance I thought he was dead, but he was only in a deep sleep, so deep that all the noise outside had not aroused him. The mate shook him by the arm, but it had no effect. I was thankful for this, for I dreaded that, should he awake and find us in his power, he might commit some act of violence. Lest he should be awakened, Harry, Tubbs, and I gladly made our escape on deck.
I prayed that no harm would be done to Charley, for I felt more anxious about him than about myself. On reaching the deck, I looked out for the frigate, I could just see her light away to windward, but it seemed to me much further off than before. The gale had abated somewhat, but both s.h.i.+ps were still hove to. The mate speedily followed us up, and gave orders to the men to bring some long spars to the quarter-deck. He then got a grating, to which he fixed the spars upright, so as to form a cone-shaped structure; then turning it over, he secured some rather shorter spars in the same way, fixing a shot at the point where they united. Inside the points of the upper end, a s.h.i.+p's lantern was securely hung, when the machine was carefully lowered overboard, the light we had hitherto carried being extinguished. Immediately this was done, the order was given to put the helm up, and the foresail being squared away, we ran before the gale, leaving the light burning at the spot where we had been. There was no doubt about its object; it was to deceive the man-of-war, so that, until the trick was discovered, it was not likely that we should be chased. The hope that I had hitherto entertained that we might, after all, be quickly recaptured, now vanished. The mate a.s.sumed the command--the crew seemed willing to obey him. Whether he intended to retain it or not I could not tell, but I thought that he certainly would should he find that Captain Roderick remained as mad as I was convinced he was when he attempted to blow up the s.h.i.+p.
As the gale slightly decreased, more sail was made, and before morning the ”Vulture” had as much canvas packed on her as she could carry. We were kept on deck pulling and hauling until our arms ached. When dawn broke I looked astern. The frigate was nowhere to be seen.
CHAPTER SIX.