Part 21 (1/2)
”Now is our time,” whispered Murray. ”One, two, three, and away!” Down the square they dashed at full speed. Paddy leaped like a wild man of the woods on a sudden on the astonished sentry's back, and pressed his hand tightly over his mouth, while Murray grasped his musket, putting his hand on the pan, to prevent it going off (he need not have taken so much trouble, as it had no flint in it), while Wa.s.ser climbed up to the top of the hut, where he had ascertained there was a hole. It was his honest countenance Jack saw looking down upon him. Jack little thought all the time how near his friends were, and what essential service they were rendering him. Wa.s.ser put down his hand, and Jack catching it, Wa.s.ser, with a strong tug, enabled him to grasp some of the rafters.
Jack very quickly was on the roof, and seeing two negro lads struggling with the sentry, guessing that they were in some way trying to serve him, leapt down to help them. The sentry had very little chance against four stout lads, and so they soon had him down and gagged, and dragged inside the hut.
”Now run, run,” whispered Wa.s.ser, ”no moment lose.”
Away they all ran as hard as they could pelt. They reached the palisade and began to scramble over it. Jack had not recognised any of his deliverers, but he was much obliged to the little black fellows for the help they had afforded him. Just then a dog barked, then a man's voice was heard shouting, then another and another joined in the outcry.
There could be no doubt that the town was aroused.
The wild hubbub in the negro town increased. The mids.h.i.+pmen and their sable ally had too much reason to fear that they should be captured.
Wa.s.ser led the way over the palisade, Jack followed, Alick and Paddy brought up the rear. Jack had not yet discovered his friends, as in consequence of their dread of being discovered no one had spoken. Jack only thought that some negro lads, for some reason or other, had come to his a.s.sistance.
”Run, run!” cried Paddy, as they jumped down on the outside of the palisades. There was little necessity for his saying this though.
”Who are you?” exclaimed Jack, the truth breaking oh him.
”Alick--Terence,” they answered.
”Oh, capital! just what I should have thought you'd have done, if I had fancied it possible,” said Jack. ”Then let's stop and fight them.”
”No, no,” said Wa.s.ser, ”too many men come to fight. Run on, run on!”
His advice was evidently the wisest, so run they did, and at a very great rate too. It was clear that by some means or other the sentry had made himself heard. He probably did not describe, in the most complimentary of terms, the people by whom he had been knocked down, gagged, and bound. Some horrible fetish had done it, that of course he believed and a.s.serted. The blacks must have thought that their town was attacked, and very quickly tumbled up from their beds (they had not many clothes to don) and flew to their arms. Shots were heard in different quarters, and the previous stillness of the night was rudely broken by shouting and hallooing of men, barking of dogs, and crying of children, and screaming of women to each other to inquire what it was all about.
The noise, however, was not a thing to be much-dreaded. It showed that the negroes were awake, but it was also pretty evident that they had not yet begun the pursuit, so Jack and his companions thought. Wa.s.ser led them back into the chief pathway up the hill. There was no other by which they could reach the boat. They had, therefore, to pa.s.s very close again to the princ.i.p.al gate of the city. There was a great chance of their being seen as they did so. There was no help for it, so on they dashed. Never had any of them ran faster in their lives, for they were running for their lives. Down the hill they went. They heard a shout; some men were rus.h.i.+ng out of the gate of the city in pursuit.
”On, on--mans come--neber fear,” cried Wa.s.ser.
”I should think not,” observed Jack, but he did not slacken his speed.
Their pursuers came on at a great rate. They knew the ground and their feet were accustomed to it. Alick and Paddy found theirs hurt horribly, while Jack, having on shoes, could not run as fast as the negroes. It was a long way to the boat. Happily, however, the path wound about a good deal, or probably their pursuers, who had arms, would have fired, that is to say, if the arms had locks and were loaded--slight points in which negro soldiers are not always very particular. Luckily they had to go down the hill instead of up it. At length they reached the bottom; still they had some way to go. The voices of their pursuers grew louder and louder. They fancied that they heard some Spaniards among them, uttering their usual horrid oaths. They knew that those wretches were far more barbarous than their black brethren. With the negroes they might have had some chance of escape, with the Spanish pirates none. On they went. They dared not look round. There was a sharp report of a pistol--a bullet flew by them. Another and another followed. Happily, as their pursuers were running, they could not take steady aim; still they were getting dreadfully near. Another enemy was added to the pursuers. The mids.h.i.+pmen heard the baying of a bloodhound.
There could be no doubt about the sound. The brute was still at a distance though; probably let loose by some of the Spaniards not roused till late to join in the chase. Murray and Adair remembered their pistols, and it was a satisfaction to feel that they might possibly shoot him before they were torn to pieces. Not that the task would prove an easy one though. Just then appeared before them through the dark foliage a sheet of silvery hue; it was the river. The sight nerved their limbs afresh; they had need of something to encourage them.
Scarcely thirty yards behind them came the savage rabble. The fugitives had difficulty to keep ahead of them. Fierce were the shouts of blacks and Spaniards, and more savage was the baying of the bloodhound. Paddy, who brought up the rear, could scarcely help shrieking out, for he felt the brute close at his heels. He cared much more for it than he did for the bullets. He was certain that in another moment the animal would have hold of his legs, when up there started, just in front of the fugitives, honest d.i.c.k Needham and two seamen, well-armed with muskets and cutla.s.ses. d.i.c.k, springing forward, made a cut at the savage brute, which almost severed its head from its body, and then shouted, ”Back, back, you villains, or we'll blow you into the sky!” and then, in another tone, he cried out, ”Run for the boat, young gentlemen, we'll cover your retreat.” No one required to be told this a second time, and Needham and the seamen, facing the crowd of blacks, and firing as they retreated, kept the enemy completely at bay till the mids.h.i.+pmen and Wa.s.ser had reached the boat. They were not long in jumping in after them, and, shoving off, away they pulled, shouting with delight at their success, and leaving their enraged pursuers swearing and grinning with rage on the sh.o.r.e.
”A miss is as good as a mile,” cried Paddy, as he seized one of the oars; but they were not altogether out of the fire. Many of the people collected on the sh.o.r.e had muskets, and began blazing away at them, several of the shots striking the boat, and others coming uncomfortably near; this only made them pull the faster however. While some of the slave-dealers' people were firing, others ran along the bank, and, launching several canoes, paddled off in pursuit. This was much worse than their shooting. The British boat, a light gig, pulled well, but the canoes would probably paddle faster. Nothing daunted, however, Jack and Murray set to work to reload all the muskets and pistols, to make as good a fight of it as they could, should they be overtaken. They could count the canoes as they appeared darting out from among the bushes on the banks--one, two, three, four, five, six, came out one after the other. It was a long way down to the spot where Hemming had said he would await their return. Before they could reach it the blacks must have overtaken them, unless Jack and Murray could manage to pick off some of their chief men, and so perhaps frighten them back; both said that they would do their best to effect that object, however. Wa.s.ser sat quiet; he could do no more for the present--not all men even _can_ sit quiet. The canoes drew nearer and nearer. However, a sailor feels very differently on the water and on sh.o.r.e, for even when compelled to run away on his own element, he can face his enemy and show fight: this Murray and Rogers now did to some effect. The canoes had got well within range of their muskets: the sooner, therefore, they began to fire, the better chance they would have of stopping their pursuers. Old Brown Bess, however, was never celebrated for carrying very straight, and neither Jack nor Alick did much execution. At the same time, now and then, they saw the negroes bob their heads as the bullets whistled unpleasantly near them. Some of the people in the canoes fired in return, but, as d.i.c.k Needham observed, they might as well have been firing at the moon for all the harm they did.
The English boat pulled on, the canoes following. A long reach was before them. Surely and steadily the canoes were gaining on the boat.
The greater portion of the distance to the end of the reach was got over, and now in another five minutes, perhaps less, the canoes would be up with her. ”While there is life there is hope;” so thought Jack and his companions, and so they continued making every effort to escape.
The voices of the negroes chattering away in the headmost canoe, sounded very loud. Jack and Murray had ceased firing--for the best of reasons-- they had come to the end of their ammunition. Perhaps it was fortunate; they could have done no good, and would only the more have enraged the negroes. The latter also had not fired for some time, probably on the same account.
”I feel somewhat inclined to squeak, as a hare does when a greyhound catches hold of her, but I won't,” said Jack, as the headmost canoe got almost up to them. ”You two in the bows, Johnson and Jones, keep pulling, while all the rest lay about them to drive off the blacks. We are not going to be beat by a parcel of pirates and n.i.g.g.e.rs.”
The men cheered at Jack's address, and, grasping their cutla.s.ses, stood ready to obey his directions. Now came the tug of war. The other canoes got up and crowded round them, but again the undaunted seamen cheered, and firing their pistols right and left among the pirates, laid about them most l.u.s.tily with their well-sharpened cutla.s.ses. As they cheered, what was their surprise to hear their cheers answered, and at the same moment five dark objects on the water were seen coming round the next point. Murray exclaimed that they were men-of-war boats. They must have made out that their presence was much needed. On they dashed towards the canoes. The pirates saw them coming, and dared not stand their onslaught. Before they turned to fly, they made a desperate attempt to capsize the boat, and to carry off some of the English as prisoners. They very nearly got hold of Paddy, whom, in spite of his costume and colour, they had discovered not to be a negro; but Jack and Alick hauled him back, with the loss only of part of his s.h.i.+rt. Poor Wa.s.ser was in the same manner saved by Needham; had they got him they would, to a certainty, have killed him. The other boats, now das.h.i.+ng on, put them to flight, and off they went at a great rate up the stream.
Hemming himself had come to their rescue. He had felt some misgivings about them, and had returned, intending, if he did not meet them, to land and threaten to ravage the black king's whole territory with fire and sword if they were not given up. Jack was received with warm congratulation by his friends; but there was not much time for compliments, as Hemming instantly went off in pursuit of the canoes.
The canoes paddled fast, but the men-of-war boats pulled just then faster, and the negroes and their Spanish allies, finding escape problematical, ran the canoes in on the bank, and, leaping on sh.o.r.e, left them to their fate. As they were undoubtedly employed to a.s.sist, directly or indirectly, the nefarious slave-trade, Hemming set fire to them all with the exception of one, which he carried off as a trophy.
As it was important to get on board as soon as possible, Hemming pulled at once back to the place where the rest of the boats, with the prisoners and liberated slaves, had been left. They were all safe, and by noon the next day the expedition returned once more to the s.h.i.+p. Sad indeed was the loss they had to report--so many fine fellows cut down in a nameless fight with a band of rascally pirates. The captives not only exonerated Hemming of all blame, but a.s.sured him that they believed he had done all that a man could do under the circ.u.mstances of the case.
Everybody on board both s.h.i.+ps welcomed Jack, and poor Wa.s.ser was highly delighted with the way he was received and praised for the a.s.sistance he had afforded in rescuing him from the slave-dealers; nor did Murray and Adair fail to get their meed of applause.
”I am much obliged to you for all what you have to say,” answered Paddy, laughing, ”but I wish some of you would tell me how to wash a blackamoor white. I have heard that it was a difficult operation. The burnt cork would have come off by itself, but d.i.c.k Needham rubbed in the oil and grease so hard that soap and water won't do it.”
Doctor McCan, when applied to, looked rather grave, and, after he had heard the circ.u.mstances of the case, delivered a long lecture to prove that black powder rubbed in in that way, in such a climate, when the pores were open, would take root and become ineradicable.