Part 43 (1/2)

A couple of well-directed shots settled their accounts; but the mulatto, in rus.h.i.+ng to Ellerton's a.s.sistance, failed to notice that the edge of the cliff above him swarmed with natives.

Even as he bent over the bodies of Ellerton and his a.s.sailants, a spear thrown with terrible force struck him in the back. Hardly knowing what hurt him, the mulatto sprang to his feet, and with his dying strength discharged his revolver at one of the blacks who was descending the rope, ere he fell across the bodies of the victims of his first two shots.

This episode had caused the crowd of savages, who had previously been congregating immediately above the name, to rush to that part of the cliff nearest to the scene of the tragedy, and thus the actual explosion did not inflict very great damage upon the invaders.

Nevertheless the moral result was a good service to the sore-pressed white men, for the savages refrained from renewing the attack, and withdrew to the shelter of the palm-groves.

The approach of night also prolonged the mutual cessation of hostilities, for the natives dreaded the great flas.h.i.+ng beams of light more than anything else.

Terence, in spite of himself, fell asleep several times beside the searchlight, while Andy, weary-eyed and stricken with grief, was kept awake solely by his devotion to his wounded comrade.

Fortunately Ellerton's injuries were not so bad as Mr. McKay had at first supposed. The missile had struck him a glancing blow, and although reducing him to insensibility, was more of the nature of a cut than a contusion. There had been a copious flow of blood which relieved the pressure on the scalp that a bruise would have otherwise caused.

Before midnight Ellerton had recovered sufficiently to relate the circ.u.mstances of the affair so far as he knew, although he was ignorant of the actual ambush. Neither did Mr. McKay think fit to tell him at present of Quexo's death in his heroic and successful attempt to save his master from mutilation.

With the return of daylight the savages renewed the attack. Large stones, brought to the brink of the cliff by their stupendous efforts, came cras.h.i.+ng down upon the frail defences, till only a small section of the barricade midway between the walls of the defile remained intact.

Here Mr. McKay and Terence kept up a continuous but apparently ineffectual fire, while Ellerton, still weak and showing signs of light-headedness, did his best with a revolver.

Andy, nearly done up for want of rest, resumed his solitary vigil at the cliff path, occasionally adding to the fusillade whenever a group of natives appeared at the edge of the cliff to hurl another of the weighty missiles.

With parched lips and swollen eyes the weary little band continued the unequal combat, almost unable to raise their rifles to their aching shoulders, till, to add to their misfortunes, Andy perceived ten large canoes rounding the south-eastern promontory of the island.

The natives had at length grasped the importance of a simultaneous rear and frontal attack.

”We must retreat to Blight's cave,” exclaimed Mr. McKay, when his son had shouted the disheartening intelligence. ”Let us hope the explosion has not closed up the entrance. Pull yourself together, Hoppy! We've got to make a rush for it.”

”I'm going to stay here--I'm quite comfortable where I am,” replied Ellerton with astonis.h.i.+ng determination.

”But you can't, man; you'll be cut to pieces in less than a minute.”

But Ellerton refused to move. His comrades looked at each other anxiously. In ordinary circ.u.mstances it would have been no easy task to compel the lad to get up and walk, and with a few hundred savages hanging round, the difficulties were increased tenfold.

”I'll risk it,” muttered Mr. McKay. ”It's either kill or cure.” And raising his voice he said: ”Hoppy, old man, Quexo is missing. He went to look for you and has not returned.”

”What?” exclaimed Ellerton wildly. ”Quexo missing? I'll go and look for him.”

”We are all going,” replied Mr. McKay. ”Take your rifle and keep with us.”

The savages saw the white men deserting the shelter of the barricade, and with shouts of triumph they redoubled the hail of missiles, while numbers of them rushed to the head of the defile and thence straight for the abandoned defences.

Edging cautiously along the base of the cliff, the forlorn little band continued its retreat till Ellerton, who was leading, came across the body of the faithful mulatto.

For a moment he gazed at the ghastly scene with drawn face and staring eyes; then, his scattered wits returning, he burst into tears.

”Good!” exclaimed Mr. McKay to his son. ”That's saved his reason. But here they come.”

Already the leading pursuers were appearing on the edge of the cliff-path, while others, rus.h.i.+ng down the gorge, had scrambled over the debris of the barricade, and with brandished clubs and spears were charging down upon their white foes.

”Pick him up, Hoppy; we must not leave him to those fiends,” shouted Andy.