Part 12 (1/2)
It was tedious work, and a couple of hours pa.s.sed before, pale and spirit-like at first, the other cutter came into sight in the pale moonlight, followed by the sloop, when the American had the lugger's grapnel hauled up and ran his boat alongside of the first cutter.
”Look here,” he said angrily, ”yewr skipper's just making a fool of me, and I may as well run ash.o.r.e to my plantation, for we shan't do no good to-night.”
The man's words were repeated when the sloop came up, and a short discussion followed, which resulted in the captain changing his orders.
”The man's honest enough, Anderson,” he said, ”and I must trust him.”
”What do you mean to do, then, sir?” said the first lieutenant, in a low tone.
”Let him pilot us to where the slaver lies.”
”With the lead going all the time, sir?”
”Of course, Mr Anderson,” said the captain shortly. ”Do you think me mad?”
”I beg your pardon, sir,” replied the chief officer. ”Perhaps it will be best.”
It proved to be best so far as the American's temper was concerned, for upon hearing the captain's decision, he took his place at the tiller of his lugger and led the way up the great river, followed by the stately sloop, whose lead as it was lowered from time to time told the same unvarying tale of deep water with a muddy bottom, while as the river's winding course altered slightly, the width as far as it could be made out by the night gla.s.ses gave at least a couple of miles to the sh.o.r.e on either hand.
From time to time the first cutter, in obedience to the captain's orders, ran forward from where she was sailing astern--the second cutter swinging now from the davits--crept up alongside of the lugger, and communicated with her skipper; and Murray's doubts grew more faint, for everything the American said sounded plausible.
The night was far spent when another of these visits was paid, and as the c.o.xswain hooked on alongside of the lugger the American leaned over to speak to the lieutenant, but turned first to Murray. ”Well, young mister,” he said; ”sleepy?”
”No, not at all,” was the reply. ”Good boy; that's right; but if your skipper hadn't been so tarnation 'spicious yew might have had a good snooze. Wall, lieutenant, I was just waiting to see you, and I didn't want to hail for fear our slave-hunting friend might be on his deck and hear us. Talk about your skipper being 'spicious, he's nothing to him.
The way in which the sound of a shout travels along the top of the water here's just wonderful, and my hail might spyle the hull business.”
”But we're not so near as that?” asked the lieutenant.
”Ain't we? But we jest are! See that there bit of a glimpse of the mountains straight below the moon?”
”Yes,” said the lieutenant; ”but I should have taken it for a cloud if you had not spoken.”
”That's it,” said the skipper; ”that's where the river winds round at the foot, and the quieter yewr people keep now the better. Oh yes, yewr skipper has knocked all my calc'lations on the head, I can tell yew.
That there sloop sails A1, and she's done much more than I 'spected.”
”I'm glad of it,” said the lieutenant, while Murray's spirits rose.
”So'm I,” said the man, with a chuckle; ”and now it's turned out all right I don't mind 'fessing.”
”Confessing! What about?”
”Why, this here,” said the man. ”Your skipper had wasted so much time with his soundings and messing about that I says to myself that if I tried to see the business out our Portygee friend would see me mixed up with it all and take the alarm. Yewr sloop wouldn't get near him, for he'd run right up the river where you couldn't follow, and he'd wait his time till you'd gone away, and then come down upon me as an informer.
D'you know what that would mean for me then?”
”Not exactly,” replied the lieutenant, ”but I can guess.”
”Zackly,” said the man, and he turned sharply upon Murray and made a significant gesture with one finger across his throat.
”Look here,” said the lieutenant, ”don't talk so much, my friend.”