Part 98 (1/2)
”Better wait, Mas' Don This sort o' thing can't last We shall soon eat up all the fruit, and then they'll hed and lay with his eyes half-closed, watching one particular star which shone in through the doorway
But not for long The star seerow ether; so it seemed to Don, for the simple reason that he had fallen fast asleep
It appeared only aat the star before he felt a hand pressed across hissled to get free; but another hand was pressed upon his chest, and it seemed as if the end had come
CHAPTER FIFTY ONE
NGATI'S GOAL
Just as in the case of a dreaer seems to pass in what is really but a few ainst the hands which held him, when a deep voice whispered in his ear,--
”My pakeha”
”Ngati!”
Don caught the hands in his, and sat up slohile the chief awakened Jem in the same manner, and with precisely the sa to s up ”What's the ati just woke ati!”
His hands treh his veins, as at that un pressed into his hands, Jeun
”But there arn't no powder and--Yes, there is”
Je, for he had suddenly felt that there was a belt and pouch attached to the gun-barrel, and without another word he slipped the belt over his shoulder
”What do you ati?” whispered Don hastily
”Go!” was the laconic reply; and in an instant the lad realised that the Maori had partly coht out the full , and then crept silently to the convicts' den, and secured the arms
Don rose excitedly to his feet
”The time has come, Jem,” he whispered
”Yes, and I dursen't shout hooroar!”
Ngati was already outside, waiting in the starlight; and as Don stepped out quickly with his heart beating and a sense of suffocation at the throat, he could just make out that the Maori held the third musket, and had also three spears under his arm
He handed one of the latter to each, and then stood listening for a few moments with his head bent in the direction of the convicts'
resting-place
The steam jet hissed, and the vapour rose like a diled and splashed faintly, but there was no other sound, and, going softly in the direction of the opening, Ngati led the way