Part 90 (1/2)

Five minutes later the boat was swinging to the davits.

”Don't want to punish them any more, Sir John, I suppose?” cried the captain.

”No, no, let the miserable wretches go,” said Jack's father.

”Then we'll go back to the old anchorage, sir, for there's a look about the sky I don't like.”

The signal was given, and the yacht began to glide rapidly through the water, back toward where the volcano rose up glowing with colour in the morning light, while Jack was at Ned's side as he lay coming to on the deck.

He stared about him for a few moments, and then fixed his eyes on those of Jack, breaking out half hysterically--

”I couldn't help it, Mr Jack, sir; don't set me down for a cowardly cur.”

”Help what?” said the lad wonderingly.

”Turning like a woman, and fainting away that how. Oh, do give me a dose o' something, doctor, I feel sick as a dog.”

”No, no; lie still for a minute or two, and you'll be all right,” said the doctor, patting his shoulder, and Ned uttered a cry.

”Don't, don't, sir. It's agony--my bad shoulder--the arrow--and he hit me there with his club.”

”Ned, Ned,” said Jack softly, as he bent over the poor fellow and held his hand, ”who could think you a coward for saving my life?”

The men began to cheer again when Ned was helped by the doctor and Jack down to his berth, wincing at the slightest touch, for his arm had received a nasty jar, but a smile came into his drawn face as he heard the hearty welcome.

”Thankye, lads, thankye kindly,” he kept on saying till he got below, where the steward helped him to change his clothes, and Jack went to his cabin for the same purpose.

”Ever so much better, sir,” cried Ned half-an-hour later, when Jack went to see him, and found him dressed and ready to go on deck. ”That crack was just like one on the funny-bone, sir, but it's all gone off now. My eye, though! suppose it had been where he meant it! What a headache I should have had!”

By the time Jack reached the deck, the islands from whence the blacks came were hidden by a peculiar-looking haze, and the _Star_ was racing through the sea to gain the shelter of the lagoon.

”A hurricane, my lad,” said the captain, ”and we shall get into shelter none too soon.”

”A nice hunt you gave us, Jack,” said his father. ”Here have we been with half the crew hard at work every day looking for you two. Well, thank Heaven you are both back safe and sound.”

”We did our best to get back, father,” said the lad, looking at Sir John wistfully.

”Of course, I know that, my boy, and I hope you think we did our best to find you. The doctor here pretty well lamed himself with walking.”

”Of course I did,” said that gentleman. ”Doctors don't like to lose their patients, do they?”

Go where he would during their run back to the harbour, Jack found the men ready to smile and salute him with a hearty ”Glad to see you back, sir,” till it set him wondering, and finding Ned forward alone, he went to him and said something about it.

”Yes, sir, ain't it queer? I was thinking the same. I ain't done nothing but be civil to the chaps since we come aboard, but they're as pleased as Punch to see us back again. They're a bit disappointed though that Sir John didn't go in for giving the black beggars an out-and-out good thras.h.i.+ng.”

”My father says he came for a pleasure-trip,” said Jack quietly, ”and he does not wish to go back home feeling that it was obtained at the cost of killing a number of fellow-creatures.”

”No, no, of course not,” said Ned quickly; ”only you must draw the line somewhere, and I want to know whether black fellows who shoot poisoned arrows into you, and when you're swimming for your life, and ain't never interfered with them, and they come and try to knock your brains out with clubs, is fellow-creatures. Why, if it was me, I'd rather try to make friends with a respectable set o' wild beasts. They wouldn't eat you unless they was hungry. Strikes me that if I hadn't dodged that gentleman when he hit at me, I shouldn't have been here; nor I shouldn't neither if some one hadn't fired that shot. I say, Mr Jack, sir; it was Sir John, wasn't it?”

”No, Ned, it was Doctor Instow.”