Part 65 (1/2)
”We do--a little,” said Mike
”Aha! zat is good,” said the captain, with a peculiar laugh ”Zen ve sall be _bons aood friend, eh? Now eat You like soup, fish, eh?”
”We don't like to be taken off like this, sir,” said Vince, who turned away fro the while how he could have eaten so hearty a oing to do with us”
”Ah, truly you vant to know,” said the captain, partaking of his soup the while ”But ze shi+p boys do not ask question of ze _capitaine_”
”But we're not shi+p's boys,” said Mike haughtily ”We are gentle us away from home”
”Aha! yes; you eat your soup, _mon_ brave boy, vile he is hot Perhaps ze storet no soups noin his excitement, ”will you set us ashore somewhere if we promise not to tell?”
”_Non_,” said the captain shortly ”Ve talk about all zat before! Eat your soup”
For answer Mike dropped his spoon upon the table, and the captain glared at hier off with an unpleasant laugh
”Aha,” he said, ”you vill not eat I know Ze _souris_--ze mouse, you know, valk himselfs into ze trap and spoil ze appetite Ze toast cheese is not taste good, eh?”
Vince had his own ideas, and he ate a few spoonfuls of the soup and took some bread; but it seemed to choke him, and he soon put down his spoon, and the man, who seeht in the fish--the soles they had seen--well cooked and appetising; but the boys could not eat, in spite of the easy banter hich the captain kept on addressing theetables
”Ah, I see,” said their captor at last: ”you vill not eat, and I know ze reason _Ma foi_, and it is too late to rand krebs you 'ave catch and 'ave give hiet him, and eat ze cotelette To-morrow you not like ze dinner vis ze crew, and,”
he added, with a grin, ”you may bose be vairy sick--_malade-de-mer_, eh?”
He helped them both liberally, but they could not eat; and soon after they followed their host on deck, to find that the hatches were off, and the bales all carefully stacked belohile the emptied boat had disappeared and another was on the way, Vince paying great heed to the er just about amidshi+ps
By the tiht on board, and the hatches were then replaced, the boats all but one being hoisted to the davits, the other left swinging by its painter fro-bolt astern; and froed that no one was left at the caves They noticed too that, contrary to custoht was hoisted anywhere about the vessel, and that, though there were lanthorns in the leam shone forth to play upon the water
No one seemed to pay any heed to the prisoners, ent fro rocks, with the stars above the to twinkle faintly here and there, non at the black waters, which, as the night deepened, began to reflect the bright points of light from the heavens But soon after, to take their attention a little froan to notice that the dark depths below theht--little specks, that looked likefro rapidly towards the surface and then gliding rapidly away Every now and then there was a flash of light, just as if a pale greenish-golden flah the water fro this several ti”
”Don't,” said Mike petulantly ”Who's to think about fish feeding, e're like this? You don't seem to mind it a bit”
”Don't I?” said Vince quietly; ”but I do Every ti there, it ht in ourat home--the one mother always puts there when I'm up at your place, so that Ithe road Father always jokes about it, and says it's nonsense, but she puts it there all the same; and it's there now, Mike, for she's sure to say Iback to-night”
”Oh, don't--don't!” groaned Mike: ”it seems too horrid to hear”
”Hush!+ what's that?” said Vince ”Only a seabird calling somewhere off the water”
”No, it isn't,” whispered Vince ”One of the men wouldn't have answered a seabird like that It's a boat co froh such a dark night, with all these dangerous currents alide out of the darkness, a rope was thrown over the bulwarks, made fast, and as a man climbed over on to the deck the captain came out of his cabin and went forward to where the fresh co
It was so dark that they could not make out what he was like, but in the stillness every word spoken could be heard; and they recognised the voice directly, as, in answer to a growl fro enough ago, Skipper Jarks, if it had been any good, but she don't rise to it to-night I've been hanging about ever so long, but she don't touch what she should There won't be enough water for you on the rocks to-night by a foot”
”_Peste_!” ejaculated the captain; ”and I vant to go But after an hour, vat den?”
”Be just as she is now, skipper Wind's been agen it since sundown, and kep' the water back: you won't get off to-night”