Part 3 (2/2)
”Got him?” came faintly from the distant shi+p
”No, sir,” shouted the second lieutenant, through his hands
”Oh, look! look!” cried Mark, wildly ”Pull, my lads Starboard men, back water He ain”
The men obeyed, and in those terrible
Then caun--the last fired then at the now distant schooner--and Mark sank down fro away from thehimself half over the side of the boat, andwhich just rose above the water Then hand grasped hand, the white holding the black in a desperate clutch, as the lieutenant dropped the rudder-lines, and saved Mark fro hi, followed by a cheer, as the nude figure of a stalwart black was dragged in, to sink helpless, perfectly insensible, in the bottom of the boat
”Now pull, my lads!” shouted the lieutenant; ”pull all you know, and let's get aboard We've got to take that schooner before we've done”
The men cheered, and pulled for the shi+p, fro cheer; but as Mark knelt down by the black he felt they had been a little too late, for the ht, apparently quite dead He had not stirred, neither did there seeside the _Nautilus_ and run up to the davits, the graceful vessel beginning to glide once more rapidly in pursuit of the schooner, which had by the cruel manoeuvre placed a considerable distance between her and her pursuer
”The black-hearted scoundrel!” cried the captain, as he stood looking down at the slave ”I'll follow him to America but what I'll have him
Well, doctor, all over with the poor fellow?”
”Oh no,” said the gentle round”
Almost as he spoke there was a faint quiver of the black's eyelid, and a fewwildly round at the white faces about hi of exultation such as he had never before experienced caused a strange thrill in the midshi+pman's breast
”He may thank you for his life, Vandean,” said the second lieutenant, ”for we should never have seen hiaain”
”Safe to, Russell,” said the first lieutenant, gruffly ”Here, ive hi, and a free man at any rate”
”I say, Van,” said Bob Howlett, ”aren't we all er? Wonder whether you'd all make as much about me”
”Go overboard and try,” said Mark
”Eh? Thankye Well, not to-night I say, can't that schooner sail?”
”So can we--and faster What a rate we're going at Shan't capsize, shall we?”
”Hope not, because if we did that schooner would escape Why don't they fire?”
”Waste of powder and shot,sharply round, there stood the first lieutenant with his glass to his eyes, watching the flying boat ”Ha! we're et on a lifebelt, Mr Vandean, if you feel afraid”
He walked away, leaving the lad flushed and indignant ”Needn't catch a fellow up like that,” heafraid?”
Bob Howlett laughed, and then turned his eyes in the direction of the schooner
CHAPTER FOUR
IN GREAT JEOPARDY