Part 27 (1/2)
”A jolly abode for the monkeys,” observed Adair. ”I wonder whether my friend Queerface would like to take up his lodgings there, if I were to leave him on sh.o.r.e?”
Queerface seemed to understand the remark, and jumping up on Adair, showed no inclination to leave him. Murray had held up wonderfully during all the hards.h.i.+ps he had undergone, and even after he came on sh.o.r.e he was able for some time to go about, but a few days after this the fever, which had been hovering about him, seized him. He would have had to go to the hospital, but Mr Wilkie sent a litter for him, and had him carried to his own house, and nursed him as if he had been his son.
Jack and Terence went there every day, and a.s.sisted in nursing him, but for long he appeared to be hovering between life and death. Often his two messmates left him with sad and sorrowing hearts, believing that they might never see him again. At last he rallied, and seemed to be getting better. Now they longed for a s.h.i.+p, because they hoped that breathing again the pure sea air, unmixed with any exhalation from the land, might restore him. He was at last able to accompany them about the town.
Everybody will remember old Hobnail, the coloured boot and shoe-maker at Freetown. What a jolly, good-natured, genial-hearted man he was! Every naval officer was welcome at his shop, not because he wanted to make customers of them, for it seemed all the same to him whether they bought his boots and shoes, but really from his genuine kindliness of heart.
He had a little room, cool and at the same time airy, with the last newspaper from England, and lemonade, or some other refres.h.i.+ng beverages, and not unfrequently a cigar of a quality rarely to be surpa.s.sed. Hobnail's shop, as may be supposed, was often visited by the three mids.h.i.+pmen. They were good customers too, for Murray and Adair had worn out their shoes before landing, and Jack very soon finished off his with walking about.
The first s.h.i.+p which looked into the river was the _Ranger_ herself, and as it was very important for Murray's health that he should get afloat, Captain Lascelles carried him off, as well as his own two mids.h.i.+pmen, with, of course, Queerface and the two parrots. The _Ranger_ went away to the southward, where she cruised without much success. Those only who have been long on the coast know what dreary work it often is, how homesick many poor fellows become, how easily, when the coast fever gets hold of them, the destroyer gains the victory. They had been some two or three weeks at sea, when a man-of-war schooner fell in with them, and handed a letter-bag from England, with some letters from Sierra Leone.
Murray got several. One from the latter place. It was from no less a person than Mr Hobnail, who had taken a great fancy to him. It ran as follows:--
”Honoured and respected Sir,--You are a member of that profession which I deem the n.o.blest and most praiseworthy of any in which man is employed, and more especially that branch of it which is engaged, like that of the squadron on this coast, in relieving suffering humanity, and thus I feel a great satisfaction in the privilege I enjoy of inditing a few lines to make inquiries respecting you. I trust, dear sir, that you may now be enjoying that _seabreezetical_ health which a residence on the bounding billows of the free ocean is calculated to bestow. May you soon again return to this truly charming and delectable, though much and unjustly abused town, when I may again have the pleasure of holding those agreeable conversations on subjects of interest which have formed the solace of many hours which might otherwise have been spent in the society of ungenial spirits, whose base-born spirits cannot soar to those exalted heights of poetical sentiment in which I, it must be confessed, with due humbleness, delight to roam. Hoping soon to receive a response congenial to my heart, no more at present from your attached friend, if I may take the liberty of so calling myself,
”Peter Hobnail.”
The worthy shoe-maker's epistle caused great amus.e.m.e.nt in the mids.h.i.+pmen's berth, and Murray lost no time in replying to it in a strain which he hoped would be congenial to Mr Hobnail's heart. The s.h.i.+p was some way to the southward, and had stood in for the land at a place called Elephant Bay. The boats were sent on sh.o.r.e to bring off water, the weather being fine, and the state of the surf allowing of a landing. Paddy and one of the a.s.sistant-surgeons were in one boat.
While the casks were being filled, they came to a shallow pool, where the medico discovered a quant.i.ty of leeches.
”These will be most welcome on board,” he exclaimed. ”We have been out of them for some time, and Dr McCan will be most thankful for a supply.”
Paddy had been carrying a jar for Frazer, the a.s.sistant-surgeon, for the purpose of holding any aquatic specimens of natural history they might fall in with. They were all now turned out, and the jar filled with leeches. They had got further than they intended, and when they returned to the beach they found all the boats gone, and only one canoe manned with Kroomen left to bring them off. The surf had in the meantime got up; however, the canoe was as well able to pa.s.s through it as any of the other boats.
”We must not run the risk of losing the leeches,” observed Paddy. ”I will fasten the jar with a lanyard round my neck, and then, if the canoe is capsized, that will be saved at all events, as we can easily scramble into her again.”
This was done, and into the surf the canoe was launched. She breasted the rising seas bravely, for she was very light, and her black crew handled her beautifully. Both Adair and Frazer thought the last rollers pa.s.sed, and were congratulating themselves on being certain to get on board without a ducking, when unexpectedly a white-topped sea rose directly upon them, and in a moment they found themselves rolled over into the water. They clung to the canoe, and the black crew swam round her, and striking out before they attempted to right her, towed her away entirely from the influence of the breakers. Paddy and Frazer had some unpleasant misgivings about sharks, but the blacks shouted and shrieked so loudly, that if there were any they were kept at a distance. They were soon, however, again seated in the canoe; and as the frigate had stood in to meet them, it was not long before they were close to her.
”I say, doctor, I feel some rather unpleasant sensations about my neck,”
observed Paddy. ”I can't help thinking that some nettle-fish must have got hold of me in the water. I feel the stinging all over me, right down my breast. What can it be?”
”Bear a hand there and get that canoe up alongside,” sang out the officer of the watch from the deck of the frigate.
The order was speedily obeyed, and the dripping officers and black crew were soon standing on the deck.
”Hillo, Paddy, why what's the matter with you?” exclaimed Jack, who had been watching the canoe, ”you are all streaming with blood.”
”It's a jelly-fish got hold of me, I conclude,” answered Paddy; but looking down he saw the jar into which he had put the leeches dangling at his neck, but the cork was out, so were the leeches, and they, of course, had fixed themselves to the first body with which they had come in contact. This was Paddy's neck. They had just now begun to drop off, and streamlets of blood were running down from him in every direction. Poor Paddy was indeed a most pitiable object, with his hair all lank and wet hanging down his face, for he had lost his hat, and he had on only a linen jacket over his flannel s.h.i.+rt, inside of which some of the greedy leeches had crawled, while the rest hung round his neck and throat, their black bodies quickly swelling out and looking like so many pendants of polished ebony.
No sooner did Queerface, who happened to be up the rigging sunning himself, recognise his master, than down on deck he scuttled and hurried up to him. He seemed very much astonished at the look of the leeches, and evidently could not make out what they were. Adair held out his hand, when up he jumped, and thrusting his paw down his s.h.i.+rt pulled out a leech which had not yet fixed itself. The monkey's first impulse was to put it to his nose, towards which the creature made a twist and fixed itself firmly. Poor Queerface opened his paw, and not knowing what had happened, off he scuttled again up the rigging with the leech hanging to his nose, and apparently not liking the feel of it, he had not the courage to pull it off till it dropped off itself on the deck.
Everybody laughed, so did Adair, in spite of the pain and annoyance he was suffering.
”A pretty sort of a necklace for a nice young Irish gentleman of polite manners and respectable connexions,” he exclaimed, still laughing away.
”But I say, doctor, do bear a hand and get these brutes off me, for they are becoming remarkably troublesome.”
”That I will, my boy,” answered Dr McCan, to whom he had spoken. ”You are suffering in my service, and I am bound to do my best for you.”
The doctor at once got Adair below, and by applying salt to the tails of the leeches made them let go. And then a little cooling ointment set him all to rights, while the bleeding did him no particular harm. It was many a day, however, before he got rid of the marks of the bites.
As the appearance of the frigate off the coast put all the slave-dealers on the alert, Captain Lascelles adopted a plan which has frequently been successful. Standing in-sh.o.r.e, he would suddenly make all sail away, either to the northward or southward, as if in chase of some vessel, and then when the s.h.i.+p could no longer be seen from the land he would heave-to and send the boats in-sh.o.r.e, when very frequently they would pounce upon slave-vessels totally unsuspicious of their presence. While the boats were on sh.o.r.e watering, Hemming had with a few hands walked along the coast and ascertained that a number of blacks, prisoners-of-war they were called, were collected in the neighbourhood, and there could be no doubt that a vessel would soon be coming to take them off. Accordingly the usual ruse was put in practice, and the pinnace, under the command of Hemming, with Jack Rogers and Adair, left the s.h.i.+p to watch for her. Murray was still too unwell to engage in any such duty. They left the s.h.i.+p in the evening, so that it was dark by the time they neared the land. Hemming had fixed upon a spot among some high rocks where the boat might remain completely concealed either from people on the sh.o.r.e or from any one afloat. The only difficulty was finding the way into it among the rocks at night, still he hoped to effect that. There was a slight crescent moon, which shone on the calm waters and showed the white sandy breach and the tall wide-topped palm-trees rising up against the clear sky. There hung also over the land a slight gauze-like mist, which somewhat distorted objects. They rowed steadily on with m.u.f.fled oars, making as little splash as possible.