Part 41 (2/2)
The manacles were clapped on his wrists again; he was dragged once more to his feet.
”Take him out,” said Hovey to the grinning sailors who had lingered in the door. ”Take him back to the waist of the s.h.i.+p before the wireless house. Wait for me there. And see that Van Roos and Borgson are brought there also.”
CHAPTER 34
As Campbell was dragged away, the bos'n said to his companions: ”Now, lads, you see where Campbell stands!”
They growled for answer.
”But I'll get him!” went on Hovey. ”I'm going to kill Van Roos and Borgson by inches before his eyes. And when he sees 'em die--they'll have to die, anyway, before we reach sh.o.r.e--Campbell will be water in our hands. He'll see 'em die, an' them in the wireless house will see 'em die. Their throats are thick with thirst by now. We'll show 'em water an' food, an' offer it to 'em if they'll give up Henshaw. If they won't, we'll show 'em how we'll kill 'em when they're too weak to resist. They'll see a sample in Van Roos and Borgson. Every yell they let out'll be an argument for us. We'll have Henshaw before the day's done.”
Sam Hall pushed his thick fingers slowly through his hair, stupefied by this careful cruelty, and even the one eye of Jacob Flint grew dim, but Garry Cochrane slapped the bos'n on the shoulder heartily.
”Jerry,” he said, ”you got the makin's of a great man. Let's go start the fun.”
On the way aft they pa.s.sed the firemen sprawling on the shady side of the deck. They stumbled to their feet at sight of Hovey, and swore volubly that the hole of the s.h.i.+p was too hot for a man to live in it five minutes. Hovey pa.s.sed them without a word. He had to tend to Campbell now, and without an engineer it was useless to work men in the fireroom.
First of all he had two buckets of water carried aft and placed just below the edge of the raised deck which supported the wireless house.
There were dippers floating invitingly on the surface of the water in each bucket. Then from the galley of the s.h.i.+p Kamasura and s.h.i.+da, the cabin boys, brought out steaming meats and cut loaves of bread and displayed the feast near the buckets of water. Upon this outlay gazed the famine-stricken fugitives, Sloan, McTee and Harrigan; Kate did not see, for she was caring for the sick captain. Hovey advanced and made a speech.
”We're actin' generous and open to you,” he began. ”We're offerin' you food an' water--all you want--in exchange for White Henshaw. He sold his soul to h.e.l.l long ago, an' we've come to claim payment. It's overdue, that's what it is!”
”Aye, aye!” came a chorus of yells from the sailors. ”White Henshaw's overdue.”
”Look at this here water,” went on Hovey, with a tempting wave of his hand. ”Why not take this up an' help yourselves--after you've given us Henshaw?”
Sloan crowded in between Harrigan and McTee; his voice was a slavering murmur: ”For pity's sake, boys, what we going to do?”
Harrigan and the big Scot exchanged glances. Faintly and slowly they smiled. There was a profound mutual understanding in that smile.
”I'm dying,” went on Sloan eagerly and still in that slavering voice.
”I'm burnin' up inside. For G.o.d's sake let 'em take him and finish him off!”
And always as he spoke his quick eyes went back and forth from face to face. They had neither eye nor voice for him. They turned their attention back to Hovey, who now spoke again hastily.
”But if you don't give us Henshaw, we'll take him, anyway. In one more day--or maybe two at the most--we'll come an' get you--understand? An'
what we'll do to you when we get you will be this!”
He gestured over his shoulder. Eric Borgson was being led out on the deck by some of the crew.
”Look him over, Cap'n McTee. He's a big man, an' we're goin' to kill him by inches. So we're goin' to finish Van Roos--the same way. Speak out, lads; d'you want to die like these two are goin' to die, or will you turn over Henshaw--who needs killin'?”
McTee smiled benevolently down upon the upturned, furious faces of the mutineers, and muttered: ”Harrigan, I could drink blood.”
”An' lick your lips afther it,” groaned the Irishman softly. ”An' so could I, Angus! They're startin' their devil work. Let's go inside. I can't be standing the sight of it, McTee.”
<script>