Part 46 (1/2)
”The _Orient_!”
Iris was dazed. The uniforms, the pleasant faces of the English sailors, the strange sensation of hearing familiar words in tones other than those of the man she loved, bewildered her.
”Yes,” explained the officer, with a sympathetic smile. ”That's our s.h.i.+p, you know, in the offing there.”
It was all too wonderful to be quite understood yet. She turned to Robert--
”Do you hear? They say my father is not far away. Take me to him.”
[Ill.u.s.tration: ”WE ARE THE SOLE SURVIVORS,” ANSWERED THE SAILOR.]
”No need for that, miss,” interrupted a warrant officer. ”Here he is coming ash.o.r.e. He wanted to come with us, but the captain would not permit it, as there seemed to be some trouble ahead.”
Sure enough, even the girl's swimming eyes could distinguish the grey-bearded civilian seated beside an officer in the stern-sheets of a small gig now threading a path through the broken reef beyond Turtle Beach. In five minutes, father and daughter would meet.
Meanwhile the officer, intent on duty, addressed Jenks again.
”May I ask who you are?”
”My name is Anstruther--Robert Anstruther.”
Iris, clinging to his arm, heard the reply.
So he had abandoned all pretence. He was ready to face the world at her side. She stole a loving glance at him as she cried--
”Yes, Captain Anstruther, of the Indian Staff Corps. If he will not tell you all that he has done, how he has saved my life twenty times, how he has fought single-handed against eighty men, ask me!”
The naval officer did not need to look a second time at Iris's face to lengthen the list of Captain Anstruther's achievements, by one more item. He sighed. A good sailor always does sigh when a particularly pretty girl is labeled ”Engaged.”
But he could be very polite.
”Captain Anstruther does not appear to have left much for us to do, Miss Deane,” he said. ”Indeed,” turning to Robert, ”is there any way in which my men will be useful?”
”I would recommend that they drag the green stuff off that fire and stop the smoke. Then, a detachment should go round the north side of the island and drive the remaining Dyaks into the hands of the party you have landed, as I understand, at the further end of the south beach. Mir Jan, the Mahommedan here, who has been a most faithful ally during part of our siege, will act as guide.”
The other man cast a comprehensive glance over the rock, with its scaling ladders and dangling rope-ladder, the cave, the little groups of dead or unconscious pirates--for every wounded man who could move a limb had crawled away after the first sh.e.l.l burst--and drew a deep breath.
”How long were you up there?” he asked.
”Over thirty hours.”
”It was a great fight!”
”Somewhat worse than it looks,” said Anstruther. ”This is only the end of it. Altogether, we have accounted for nearly two score of the poor devils.”
”Do you think you can make them prisoners, without killing any more of them?” asked Iris.
”That depends entirely on themselves, Miss Deane. My men will not fire a shot unless they encounter resistance.”
Robert looked towards the approaching boat. She would not land yet for a couple of minutes.