Part 25 (2/2)
”It's the man-of-war's boat,” said the second mate.
”What s.h.i.+p's that?” was now asked from the darkness, but in anything but the loud hearty hail of a sailor.
”Sarah Ann, port of London,” answered the mate. ”Are you from the sloop?”
”Ay, ay,” was the reply.
”Bring a lantern here, and swing over the side,” said Murray uneasily; and one of the anchor-lights was brought, and sent a feeble ray, cutting as it were the dense curtain that hung around. Then the bows of a boat were seen swiftly advancing, and for a moment Murray gazed at its occupants with a mixture of astonishment and terror; but the next instant he had seized one of the capstan-bars, and stood ready.
”Here, Smith, Norris, Jackson, be smart!” he shouted, ”or we shall lose the s.h.i.+p. Convicts!”
That last word seemed to electrify the men into action; and as the boat grated against the side of the heavily-laden vessel, just beneath the fore-chains, man after man armed himself with the capstan-bars, and stood ready by the first mate.
The lantern was dashed out directly; and it was evident that men were climbing up the side by means of boat-hooks. .h.i.tched into the fore-chains. Now followed a struggle--short, sharp, but decisive; for first one and then another convict was knocked back into the boat as he tried to gain a foothold. There was a little shouting, a few oaths; and then, apparently satisfied that the reception was too warm, and that they were fighting against odds, the occupants of the boat shoved off, just as the s.h.i.+p's crew was reinforced by the captain and men who had gone below.
”That was a narrow escape,” said the captain. ”Mr Murray, I sha'n't forget to mention this to the owners.”
”Suppose we keep a sharp look-out for the rest of the night? They may come back, unless they find some other vessel less on the alert.”
”Oars again,” whispered one of the men.
They listened attentively, and once more could plainly make out the soft smothered dip of oars floating across the water.
Ten minutes pa.s.sed, and then, as the crew stood with beating hearts waiting for the next a.s.sault, there came another hail out of the darkness.
”What s.h.i.+p's that?”
”Never you mind!” answered the captain roughly. ”What boat's that?”
”First cutter--his Majesty's s.h.i.+p Theseus,” was the reply. ”Heard or seen anything of a boat, or boats, this way?”
”Nearly boarded by one, only we beat them off,” said the captain.
”Convicts, weren't they?”
”Hold hard a minute, and I'll come on board,” was the answer. ”Bows there--in oars, men!” and the boat was heard to thump against the vessel's counter.
”Keep down there,” shouted the captain, c.o.c.king a pistol, ”or I fire!”
”Confound you! don't I tell you we're friends?” said the same voice.
”Yes, you tell me,” muttered the captain. ”Bring a lantern here.”
A light was brought, and swung down, to show the blue s.h.i.+rts of the crew, and the red uniforms of half-a-dozen marines in the stern-sheets; when, apparently satisfied, the captain grumbled an apology.
”All right, my man!” was the laughing response; and a young lieutenant sprang up the side. ”And so they nearly took you, did they? Lucky for you that you had so good a look-out. Can't tell me where they steered for, I suppose? But of course not--too dark. Confound the rascals!
They say there's about half a hundred of them got away--killed a couple of warders, and done the deuce knows what mischief. Good-night!” and he sprang down the side. ”If you see any more of them, just burn a blue light, and you shall have a boat's crew aboard in no time. Give way, my men.”
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