Part 13 (1/2)

The situation had been accepted by the rest of the s.h.i.+p's company without any great display of emotion. Biler's melancholy remained unchanged, and still, as of yore, he pa.s.sed much of his time at the mast-head, contemplating the universe, and eating raw turnips.

Jericho remained as busy as ever, and cared for his pots, and his kettles, and his pans, without apparently being conscious that his master was a slave now, as well as himself. Upon Terry, also, the yoke of captivity lay but lightly. It was not in the nature of Terry to be downcast or sullen; and the simple expedients which had led him to fraternize with the s.h.i.+pwrecked sailors had afterwards enabled him to fraternize equally well with the crew of the Aigle that had been put on board. These had gone, and it remained now for him to come to an understanding with the Acadians. Constant practice had made him more capable, and, in addition to his own natural advantages, he had also learned a few French words, of which he made constant use in the most efficient way. The Acadians responded to Terry's advances quite as readily as any of the others had done; and before they had been on board one day they were all singing and laughing with the merry Irish lad, and going into fits of uproarious mirth at Terry's incessant use of the few French words which he had learned; for it was Terry's delight to stop each one of them, and insist on shaking hands, whenever he met them, saying at the same time, with all the gravity in the world,--

”_Commy voo party voo, bong tong. Bon jure, moosoo_!”

Thus nearly a week pa.s.sed, and during all that time Zac had heard nothing about the fate of his friends ash.o.r.e. Neither the priest nor Margot sent him any message whatever. The Acadians themselves did not hold any communication with the sh.o.r.e, but remained on board quite placidly, in a state of calm content--as placidly, indeed, as though they had been living on board the Parson all their lives.

During all the time Zac had been meditating over his situation, and trying to see his way out of it. At length a ray of light began to dawn into his mind, which illuminated his present position, and opened up to him a way of action. One day after dinner, while the Acadians were lolling in the sun, and while Terry was smoking his pipe forward, Zac sauntered up to him in a careless fas.h.i.+on, and placing himself near Terry, where he could not be overheard, he began to talk in an easy tone with the other,

”Terry, lad,” said he, ”I'm getting tired o' this here.”

”Faix, an' it's mesilf that's been waitin' to hear ye say that same for a week an' more--so it is.”

[Ill.u.s.tration: ”I Think We Can Manage To Get The Schooner From These Chaps.”]

”Wal, ye see, I ben a turnin' it over in my mind, and hain't altogether seen my way clear afore; but now it seems to me as how it's a burnin' shame to stand this here any longer.”

”Thrue for you; an' so it is,” said Terry. ”An' so, ef ye've got anythin' on yer mind that ye want to do, why, out with it, for I'm your man.”

”Wal, ye see,” resumed Zac, ”it's this here; I don't want to go away out o' this jest yet.”

”Not go away! Tare an ages,” cried Terry; ”d'ye want to be a prisoner?”

”Course not. I mean this: I don't want to go an' leave my friend here, Motier, in the hands of the Philistines.”

”Sure ye can't do anythin' for him; an' he's among his own kin--so he is; for he jabbers French ayqual to the best of thim.”

”No, I can't do anything for him as I am; that's a fact; and so I'm bound to put myself in a position whar I can do somethin'; that is, I'm bound to seize this here schewner, an' bring the old Parson back to the fold.”

”Arrah, sure, an' that's the right sort of talk--so it is; an' it's mesilf that's glad to hear ye. An' so, what is it, captain dear? Out with it. Tell me what yer plan is, an' I'm wid ye--so I am.”

”I think, Terry, that we can manage to get the schewner from these chaps--can't we?”

”Sure we can. Sure, an' I'd ingage to do it alone, almost.”

”They don't watch much.”

”Not a bit of it.”

”The two that watch at night sleep half the time.”

”Sure, an' that's thrue for you, for I've seed thim at it whin I was asleep mesilf.”

”We can git Jericho to bar down the cabin door, Terry, an' then you an' I can seize the two on deck.”

”Aisy enough--so it is. They'll all be dead asleep--so they will.”

”Wal, thar we'll have them; an' then I hope to be able to bring a pressure on the natyves of these regions by which I may git my friend out of their clutches.”

”Sure, an' I don't onderstand ye at all, at all.”