Part 3 (2/2)

When I again sat down the captain told the last of his stories for the night, and Mary sang another song; but scarcely had her sweet notes died away than Pepper's rough voice was heard shouting, ”Who go dere! Stop or shoot!”

”Who says that?” exclaimed an English voice, though as gruff as the black's.

”I say dat,” cried Salt, who was at some distance from his companion.

”Take care--I see you.”

I guessed that the Kroomen, favoured by the colour of their skins, had concealed themselves, so that the intruders were puzzled as to their whereabouts, and afraid to approach. Medley and I hurried out of the tent, and calling up the seamen, who followed us with their muskets, went to where the Kroomen were posted. The ground rising slightly, we could see several dark figures in front of us against the sky moving about, but I doubted whether they could make us out. If the pirates, for such we had good reason to suppose they were, had expected to take us by surprise they were disappointed. Our men c.o.c.ked their muskets with loud clicks, which might easily have been heard by them. We waited in silence to see what they would do, but they seemed undecided.

Presently we were joined by Captain Bland.

”What is it you want here, my men?” he shouted. ”We can receive no visitors to-night. To-morrow morning if you come back we will hear what you have to say.”

The pirates must have guessed who spoke to them, for one of them immediately answered, ”Just listen, captain; we want some bread and rum, and salted pork, and a supply of powder and lead, with some shot, and a few other things. We wish to be moderate, but the things we must have to-morrow morning as soon as you can send on board for them if you haven't brought enough on sh.o.r.e.”

”As to that I can make no promise, so goodnight to you, men,” said the captain, in a firm tone.

The strangers made no reply, but we could hear them talking among themselves. Presently one of them shouted, ”We must take what we want!”

and the whole gang, numbering three times as many as our party, uttering savage shouts, came rus.h.i.+ng on, till, when they were within twenty yards of us, the Kroomen, without waiting for orders, fired at them. They, on this, hesitated for a moment, and then there came a random volley from muskets and pistols, the shots whistling past our ears. A dreadful idea occurred to me.

”Mrs Bland and Mary may be hurt, sir,” I exclaimed.

”No fear of that, my lad,” said the captain; ”I bade them lie down under their bedding, for I thought that the rascals might use their fire-arms.”

Just as he spoke the pirates began again to advance, though with more caution than at first, but they had not moved many steps when the four seamen fired, and the Kroomen, who had quickly reloaded, did the same.

This again checked the advance of the pirates, who probably did not expect to meet with so warm a reception.

”Reserve your fire the rest of you,” shouted the captain, to give the fellows the idea that we had more men ready to receive them should they venture to come on. Strange to say, none of our party were hit, nor, as far as we could tell, were any of them brought to the ground.

Providentially for us, the whole of the pirates being drunk, and many of them cowards at heart, instead of rus.h.i.+ng forward, as we had expected them to do, they retired to a distance, shouting and swearing at us as they went off. I thought that Captain Bland would now send his wife and daughter out of danger on board the ”Eagle,” but he considered that by so doing the few men who remained might be overpowered, and his property left to the mercy of the pirates.

”I don't think that the fellows will return, and if they do we must treat them as before,” he observed. ”The chances are that in a short time they will be all fast asleep. They attacked us in a drunken freak more than with any settled plan.”

For some time it appeared that he was right. He returned to the tent to relieve the anxiety of his wife and daughter, while Medley and I mounted guard with Pepper and Salt, telling the other men that we expected them to relieve us in a couple of hours. Before half that time, however, had expired, we heard the pirates again coming on. Presently, giving vent to the most fearful shouts and shrieks, they fired a volley at us and then came rus.h.i.+ng on. Their voices aroused our companions, who sprang out to our a.s.sistance, while Captain Bland, who had been on the alert, also joined us.

”Kneel down, lads, and do not fire till I give the word,” he said, in a low voice.

We obeyed him, and scarcely had we done so than the pirates, still shouting and shrieking, discharged their pieces, the shot, however, flying over our heads; then on they again came, but before they got much nearer, a hearty cheer rose from the direction of the beach, and some thirty men or more from the two s.h.i.+ps, armed with pikes, cutla.s.ses, and muskets, came tramping up, again cheering l.u.s.tily. We all fired just before they joined us. The pirates did not stop to encounter them, but scampered off as fast as their legs could carry them, several throwing down their weapons the more quickly to escape. Captain Hake, who led the party just landed, followed with most of the men for some distance, but no one could move rapidly over the rough ground, and the pirates, favoured by the darkness, and better acquainted with the country than we were, effected their escape. Though there was very little chance of their again molesting us, watch was kept during the night. Captain Hake said that on hearing the firing, suspecting that we were attacked, though by whom he could not conjecture, he had lowered his own boats, and summoned Captain Bland's crew to our a.s.sistance. The next morning a party set off to try and capture our a.s.sailants, but they had managed to reach their schooner, which was seen standing out to sea. Though no dead bodies were found, marks of blood seen on the rocks showed that several had been wounded.

Mary was unwilling to make any more distant excursions, but she and her mother continued to reside on the island till the ”Lady Alice” was ready for sea. Now came the moment of trial. Captain Hake had been specially civil whenever he met me in company with Captain Bland, and I began to hope that he would allow me to join the ”Lady Alice.” My old friend at length once more pressed the point. Captain Hake at once a.s.sumed the stern manner he knew well how to put on.

”I mustn't let the lad think too much of himself; but it's just this, Captain Bland, you want him and so do I, and as I have a right to him I intend to keep him. He rejoins the 'Eagle' this evening.”

Captain Bland could not complain. He had received great a.s.sistance from Captain Hake, who lent him Pepper and Salt and two Sandwich islanders, with which addition to his crew, now that the rest were well, he was able to continue his fis.h.i.+ng. Mary, however, was very indignant with Captain Hake, and went so far as to call him a hard-hearted, cruel man, who wanted me to do all his drudgery, instead of allowing me to act as an officer with her father.

The next morning we sailed, and for some time kept company. I was glad to see the ”Lady Alice” shortly afterwards take two whales, for I felt as much interest in her success as in that of our own s.h.i.+p. Twice we were becalmed when close together, and Medley and I got leave to pay a visit to our friends. I need not say that we were most kindly received.

It seemed to us like going out of the rough world into a small paradise when we entered the pretty neat cabin, and were seated at the table with Mary and good Mrs Bland. Medley had a talent for drawing, and used to make pictures of s.h.i.+ps and scenes descriptive of whale-catching for Mary, which we thought very good and true to nature. Among them were two--one of a s.h.i.+p leaving port, another of one returning.

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