Part 18 (1/2)

”Oh! then, don't move, dear Corrie,” said Alice, in an imploring tone of voice; ”we can lie here quite comfortably till papa comes.”

”Ah! yes,” said Corrie, ”that reminds me that I was saying we men feel and act so different from you women. Now it strikes me that your father will go to all the most _unlikely_ parts of the island first; knowin'

very well that n.i.g.g.e.rs don't hide in _likely_ places. But as it may be a long time before he finds us”--(he sighed deeply here, not feeling much confidence in the success of the missionary's search)--”I shall tell you my plan, and then try to carry it out.” (Here he sighed again, more deeply than before, not feeling by any means confident of the success of his own efforts.)

”And what is your plan?” inquired Alice, eagerly, for the child had unbounded belief in Corrie's ability to do almost anything he chose to attempt, and Corrie knew this, and was proud as a peac.o.c.k in consequence.

”I'll get up on my knees,” said he, ”and then, once on them, I can easily rise to my feet and hop to you, and free you.”

On this explanation of his elaborate and difficult plan, Alice made no observation for some time, because even to _her_ faculties, (which were obtuse enough on mechanical matters,) it was abundantly evident that, the boy's hands being tied firmly behind his back, he could neither cut the ropes that bound her, nor untie them.

”What d'ye think, Alice?”

”I fear it won't do, your hands are tied, Corrie.”

”Oh! that's nothing. The only difficulty is how to get on my knees.”

”Surely that cannot be _very_ difficult, when you talk of getting on your feet.”

”Ha! that shews you're a--I mean, d'ye see, that the difficulty lies here, my elbows are lashed so fast to my side that I can't use them to prop me up, but if p.o.o.py will roll down the hill to my side, and shove her pretty shoulder under my back when I raise it, perhaps I may succeed in getting up. What say you, Kickup?”

”Hee! hee!” laughed the girl, ”dat's fuss rate. Look out!”

p.o.o.py, although sluggish by nature, was rather abrupt and violent in her impulses at times. Without further warning than the above brief exclamation, she rolled herself towards Corrie with such good-will that she went quite over him, and would certainly have pa.s.sed onward to where Alice lay--perhaps over the cliff altogether--had not the boy caught her sleeve with his teeth, and held her fast.

The plan was eminently successful. By a series of jerks on the part of Corrie, and proppings on the part of p.o.o.py, the former was enabled to attain to a kneeling position, not, however, without a few failures, in one of which he fell forward on his face, and left a deep impression of his fat little nose in the mud.

Having risen to his feet, Corrie at once hopped towards Alice, after the fas.h.i.+on of those country wights who indulge in sack races, and, going down on his knees beside her, began diligently to gnaw the rope that bound her with his teeth. This was by no means an easy or a quick process. He gnawed and bit at it long before the tough rope gave way.

At length Alice was freed, and she immediately set to work to undo the fastenings of the other two, but her delicate fingers were not well suited to such rough work, and a considerable time elapsed before the three were finally at large.

The instant they were so, Corrie said, ”Now we must go down to the foot of the cliff and look for poor b.u.mpus. Oh! dear me, I doubt he is killed.”

The look of horror which all three cast over the stupendous precipice shewed that they had little hope of ever again seeing their rugged friend alive. But, without wasting time in idle remarks, they at once hastened to the foot of the cliff by the shortest route they could find.

Here, after a short time, they discovered the object of their solicitude lying, apparently dead, on his back among the rocks.

When b.u.mpus struck the water, after being tossed over the cliff, his head was fortunately downward, and his skull, being the thickest and hardest bone in his body, had withstood the terrible shock to which it had been subjected without damage, though the brain within was, for a time, incapacitated from doing duty. When John rose again to the surface, after a descent into unfathomable water, he floated there in a state of insensibility. Fortunately the wind and tide combined to wash him to the sh.o.r.e, where a higher swell than usual launched him among the coral rocks, and left him there, with only his feet in the water.

”Oh! here he is, hurrah!” shouted Corrie, on catching sight of the prostrate form of the seaman. But the boy's manner changed the instant he observed the colour of the man's face, from which all the blood had been driven, leaving it like a piece of brown leather.

”He's dead,” said Alice, wringing her hands in despair.

”P'rhaps not,” suggested p.o.o.py, with a look of deep wisdom, as she gazed on the upturned face.

”Anyhow, we must haul him out of the water,” said Corrie, whose chest heaved with the effort he made to repress his tears.

Catching up one of b.u.mpus's huge hands, the boy ordered Alice to grasp the other. p.o.o.py, without waiting for orders, seized hold of the hair of his head, and all three began to haul with might and main. But they might as well have tried to pull a line-of-battle s.h.i.+p up on the sh.o.r.e.

The man's bulky form was immovable. Seeing this, they changed their plan, and, all three grasping his legs, slewed him partially round, and thus drew his feet out of the water.

”Now, we must warm him,” said Corrie, eagerly, for, the first shock of the discovery of the supposed dead body of his friend being over, the sanguine boy began to entertain hopes of resuscitating him. ”I've heard that the best thing for drowned people is to warm them; so, Alice, do you take one hand and arm, p.o.o.py will take the other, and I will take his feet, and we'll all rub away till we bring him too--for we must, we _shall_ bring him round.”