Part 61 (2/2)
”Powder! an explosion?”
”Yes, sir; no, sir”
”Mr Vandean,” cried the lieutenant, ”do you want to aggravate me?”
”No, sir,” cried Mark; and he told him hastily what had taken place
”Lucky for you that you did stop the train,” cried the lieutenant; ”why, ood sir, it was too desperate; not one of you would have been left alive But where is Mr Russell?”
”In the cabin, sir, wounded”
”Tut--tut--tut! Signal for the surgeon, Mr Howlett,” he cried; and Bob went off, while the lieutenant looked sharply around
”Where are the rest of your men?”
”Dance and Grote are in the other schooner we took, sir”
”Another? Well, this is a curious state of affairs You are left in charge of a prize--”
”Yes, sir, and we lost her and took her again, and then captured a second prize Dance and Grote have charge of her Haven't you seen her, sir?”
”No--yes Of course, that is the vessel we sighted just before we attacked here to-day But the other three men?”
”Don't know, sir, unless they are prisoners in the forecastle”
”Go and see, ht of their messmates, the others were set free from where they had been imprisoned
”Then we are all accounted for,” said Mark, holding his hand to his burning face, ”But where are the Yankees, sir?”
”Oh, they performed their old manoeuvre,” said the lieutenant, bitterly; ”as soon as we set off from the _Nautilus_ to board, they took to the boat they had ready trailing alongside, and ers'll catch 'em and turn 'em into slaves Hah, here co like this?”
”Yes, sir; all the time since the Yankees came off in their boat and surprised us”
”Then you--you--Why, Mr Vandean, you don't mean to say you've been in command all the time?”
”Yes, sir,” said Mark, modestly ”Fillot has been my first lieutenant”
”Huri,” said Mark ”It has been too serious for that”
”So I should suppose, ain Been insensible for days”
”And this lad--burned?” said the doctor, sharply ”Why, Mr Vandean!
why,at once I'll dress your face soon”
Mark was quite ready to walk, but he was carried and laid down under the shelter of a sail, and in a few minutes Mr Russell was laid beside him, and the doctor went down on one knee to make a careful examination