Part 11 (2/2)
”Ay, ay, sir!”
The engineer still lingered. ”I _could_ get up steam in twenty minutes,” he said; ”those American hams, sir--”
”Oh, bother the hams?” said the captain, laughing. ”No, no; we may be glad of those yet when frozen in at the Pole. Bear-and-ham pie, engineer; how will that eat, eh?” and he bowed him kindly out.
By two bells in the middle watch the good s.h.i.+p _Arrandoon_ was off the needle rocks of the Portland Huck. They stood up out of the water like tall sheeted ghosts, with the moonlight and starlight s.h.i.+mmering from their shoulders. The sea was calm, with only a gentle heave on it; and there were but a few snowy clouds in the sky skirting the southern horizon, so the vessel ploughed along as beautifully as any sailor could wish, with a steady, contented throb of engine and gride of screw, leaving in her wake a long silvery line for the moonbeams to dance in.
Save the noise of the s.h.i.+p's working there was not another sound to be heard, only occasionally a gull would float past overhead emitting a strange and mournful cry. What makes the sea-birds, I have wondered, sometimes leave the rocks at the midnight hour, and go skimming alone through the darkling air, emitting that weird and plaintive wail of theirs? It is a wail that goes directly to one's heart, and you cannot help thinking they must be bereaved ones mourning for their dead.
Our heroes walked long on deck that night, talking quietly, as became the hour, of the prospects of their having a brush with the pirate. But they got weary at last, and turned in. Next morning they found the decks wet and slippery, more clouds in the sky, a fair beam wind blowing, and a trifle of canvas displayed.
After breakfast McBain called all hands aft. In calm, dispa.s.sionate language he told them the story of the poor girl who had risked her life on their account, of her murdered brother and captive father, and of the pirate he was about to try to find and capture. Then he paused; and as he did so every one of the crew turned eyes on Ted Wilson, who strode forward.
”Captain,” said Ted, firmly, ”we didn't sign articles to fight, did we, mates?”
”No,” from all hands.
”_But_,” continued Ted, ”for such a captain as you be, and in such a cause, we _will_ fight, every man Jack of us, as long as the saucy _Arrandoon_ has a timber above the water. Am I right, mates?”
A ringing cheer was all the reply, and Ted retired.
Now, reader, were I a landsman novelist I would very likely here make my captain give the orders to ”splice the main-brace,” but I'm a sailor, and I tell you this, boys, that British seamen never yet needed Dutch courage to make them do their duty.
Captain McBain only waved a hand and said, ”Pipe down.”
An hour afterwards the crow's-nest was rigged and hoisted at the main-truck, and either the mate or the captain was in it off and on the whole day. But no pirate appeared that day nor the next. In the evening, however, some fishermen boarded the _Arrandoon_, and reported having seen a large barque, answering to the description of the suspected craft, that same morning lying at anchor off Suddersoe, with boats pa.s.sing to and fro 'twixt s.h.i.+p and sh.o.r.e.
”It is my precious opinion, captain,” said old Magnus Bolt, ”that this craft does a bit o' smuggling 'tween here and Shetland.”
”And it is my precious opinion, my dear Magnus,” said McBain, ”that the rascal doesn't care what he does so long as he lands the cash.”
The _Arrandoon_ was now kept away for the island named by the honest fishermen. Not straight, however; McBain gave it a wide berth, and pa.s.sed it far to the west, and held on his course until many miles to the southward. In the morning it was ”bout s.h.i.+p” and stand away north and by east again. They sighted the island about seven bells in the morning watch. Suddenly there was a hail from the crow's-nest. It was the captain's voice.
”Come up here, Magnus Bolt, if your old bones will let you, and see what you shall see.”
Magnus sprang up the rigging somewhat after the fas.h.i.+on of an antiquated monkey, but with an agility no one would have given him credit for.
”It is she!” he shouted, after he had had a look through the long gla.s.s in towards the iron-bound sh.o.r.es of the islands; ”it is she! it is she!
Ha! ha! ha!” and he positively danced and chuckled with delight.
”You'll fight? you'll fight?” he gasped. ”Rather,” replied McBain; ”but we'll run first. She shall fire the first shot, and, Magnus, you shall fire the second.”
Half an hour afterwards, when our heroes came on deck to have their morning look around, they stared at each other in blank astonishment.
The _Arrandoon_ looked as if she had just come out of a tornado and had been dreadfully handled. The foretop-gallant mast was down, the jibboom inboard, the screw was hoisted up, the funnel itself had been uns.h.i.+pped and was lashed to the deck, and the flag was flying at half-mast, as if the vessel were in distress, or had death on board.
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