Part 9 (2/2)
When Ned reached the p.o.o.p, to which he naturally directed his steps, he found Williams there, fuming at the protracted absence of the boats, which could clearly be seen, with their noses hauled up on the sandy beach, and the two boat-keepers sitting in lazy att.i.tudes on their gunwales, quietly smoking. That the remainder of the crews were not delayed by a.s.sisting the marooned pa.s.sengers to ”shake down” was evidenced by the fact that the latter could be seen grouped together on a little gra.s.sy knoll, the ladies and children seated upon boxes, whilst the two men were vigorously attacking with their axes a couple of young straight-stemmed palms at no great distance.
”What can the rascals be about?” growled Williams impatiently. ”I'll bet anything they are off skylarking in the woods, instead of hurrying back to the s.h.i.+p, as they ought. For'ard, there! pa.s.s the word for the boatswain to clear away one of those signal-guns. We'll give them a shot by way of a reminder to quicken their motions.”
The gun was cleared away, loaded, and fired--not once but nearly a dozen times before the laggards appeared. They were seen at last, however, hurrying down to the beach, in little straggling groups, one after the other, and finally the boats pushed off and headed for the s.h.i.+p.
A quarter of an hour later they were alongside; and in another moment the two men who had been sent away in charge stood on the quarter-deck, confronting their angry chief.
”Come, Rogers I come, Martin! what the mischief have you been about, keeping us dodging in the offing all this while?” demanded Williams fiercely. ”Hook on the tackles, and let us be off,” he continued.
”Wait a minute, cap'n,” answered Rogers; ”we've a bit of news for you that I expect you won't particularly relish. One of the men has cut and run; and it was hunting for him that kept us ash.o.r.e so long.”
”Who is if!” demanded Williams.
”Why, it's Tom Nicholls, one of the steerage pa.s.sengers that Blyth s.h.i.+pped after we fell in with that barque on her beam-ends.”
”So he has bolted, has he, the white-livered hound!” e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Williams furiously. ”Well, he shall not escape us. Take your boats' crews, both of you; give each man a rifle and half a dozen rounds of ball cartridge, and pull ash.o.r.e again and hunt the cur until you find him, and bring him aboard here to me, dead or alive! I'll anchor the s.h.i.+p and wait for you, if it takes you a week to do the job.”
”Ay, ay, we'll get him before the day is over, never fear!” exclaimed Rogers, apparently in high glee at receiving the brutal order. ”Come along, mates, and get your rifles; it isn't every day that we get the chance of such a spree as a man-hunt!”
The boats' crews had, during this short colloquy, scrambled up the s.h.i.+p's side to the deck, and had gathered round the speakers, curious to see how Williams would receive the news of the loss; and it was to these that Rogers had addressed himself.
They did not, however, appear to by any means enter into the spirit of the thing, hanging back so coldly unresponsive to the mate's jovial invitation that the latter paused in blank astonishment.
”Why--why--what the--” began Rogers, when he was brusquely interrupted by one of the men, who stepped forward and said:
”Get somebody else to go in my place, matey. I don't understand man- huntin', as you calls it, and should only make a poor fist at it, I'm afraid.”
”Same here,” said another. ”I never done anything of the sort yet, and don't know how to set about it.”
The others were expressing themselves to the same effect, when Williams darted forward, and, seizing the first speaker roughly by the collar, savagely demanded:
”Look here, you scoundrel, do you mean to say that you _won't_ go?”
”Ay, ay, s.h.i.+pmate, that's just exactly what I _do_ mean,” was the answer, given good-naturedly enough. ”But take your hand off my collar,” the man continued more sternly. ”Two can play at that game, you know; and I doubt whether you are man enough to thrash me.”
Williams, white as death with pa.s.sion, prudently withdrew his hand from the man's collar, and stepped back a pace or two.
”What does this mean?” he demanded. ”Are you going to mutiny, men, before our cruise has even commenced?”
An insolent laugh greeted this inquiry; and the man who had just spoken answered:
”Call it what you like, Cap'n Josh; mutiny is as good a name for it as any other, I reckon. And what I mean is, that I, for one, ain't goin'
ash.o.r.e on no man-huntin' expedition. There was nothing said about man- huntin' when the articles for this here cruise was drawed up; and what I say is, if Tom Nicholls wants to cut and run, let him do it.”
”Ay, ay; so says I,” added another of the men. ”He never entered into the thing with no spirit, anyhow; and if he'd rather be ash.o.r.e there than makin' his fortune aboard here with us, why, let him stay ash.o.r.e, says I. 'No manhuntin'' is my sentiments.”
Several of the other men now declared themselves to the same effect, whereupon Williams, finding himself in the minority, said, with as perfect an a.s.sumption of indifference as he could command at the moment:
”Very well, lads; just as you please. It was of you, not of myself, that I was thinking. The work will be so much the heavier for you if Nicholls is allowed to escape; but, if you do not mind it, I am sure I need not. If, as you say, the fool prefers slaving ash.o.r.e there for a bare living to making his fortune with us afloat, let him go. Up with the boats, and be smart about it! Up with your helm, abaft there, and let her go off square before the wind! Square the main-yard; and away aloft there, some of you, and rig out the topmast and topgallant- studding-sail booms!”
These orders were rapidly obeyed. The s.h.i.+p squared away before a freshening breeze; and two hours later the island was left so far astern that a landsman might easily have mistaken it for a grey cloud on the edge of the horizon.
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