Part 92 (1/2)
And setting his teeth, the middy sprang to his feet and stole quickly and silently to the doorway to peer out and listen as he gazed at the scene of beauty that opened out before him.
The rough plantation was mingled with wild growth, both of which, the cultivated and the natural, were flouris.h.i.+ng luxuriantly. Wondrous creepers tangled themselves in the boughs which sheltered the hut from the morning suns.h.i.+ne, and bell-flowers of exquisite beauty hung in the pure limpid air; and as his eyes roamed here and there in search of danger, a couple of ruby-crested humming birds darted into a patch of suns.h.i.+ne, and chased one another round, sparkling, flas.h.i.+ng and quivering in the light, till one of them darted away and seemed to suspend itself in front of one of the most beautiful bells, so as to probe the honied depth of the great blossom like a gigantic bee.
The lad s.n.a.t.c.hed himself from this to gaze in a fresh direction, for all at once there was a prolonged whistle; but at its repet.i.tion he knew that it was no human utterance; and when fresh bird-calls came from the verdant tangle beyond the plantation, he felt encouraged by the feeling that even if there were no friends forcing their way towards the wild-looking hut in the forest, no enemy could be near, for the birds that played about were too bold.
The next thought which came to the lad's eager, busy brain was of Tom May and his intent of the previous night to go in search of him. ”But I can't go now,” he thought, and, satisfied himself now that there was as far as he could make out no immediate danger, he hurried back to the side of Roberts, to try and take in his position and promptly decide upon his actions.
This was soon done.
There was water at hand; rough vessels in which to fetch it; and after a moment's thought as to whether he should carry his companion out into the light, a smile crossed his lips as he thought of the old legend about carrying the well to the pitcher, and making use of his unsheathed cutla.s.s, a few strokes resulted in his hacking away a portion of the rough leafy thatching and admitting a broad band of light right across his comrade's reclining figure.
A few touches convinced the amateur surgeon that the injury was too tightly bound, and after removing the covering he set to work and bathed the wound with the soft cool water till the temperature was reduced, re-bound it tenderly, and soon after had the satisfaction of noting that his patient's irritation and evident pain had grown less, while when he raised his head and applied the freshly-drawn nut-full of water to the poor lad's lips he drank with avidity, and then sank back with a sigh of relief. The muttering grew less frequent, and he sank into a quiet sleep.
It was Murray's turn to sigh now that he had achieved thus much; but it was not with relief, for he was dripping with perspiration, the heat was dense within the hut, and a sense of faint weariness stole over him of so strange a nature that it seemed to him that his senses were pa.s.sing away.
”I am going to be bad now,” he thought, feeling that perhaps in spite of pluck and effort his time had come.
”What will poor Roberts do?” he felt in a queer, strange way, and somehow it never seemed in the midst of the feeble dizzy sensation that he was of any consequence himself.
”How hot!” he muttered feebly, and he made an effort to crawl out of the hut, and then on and on almost unconsciously until he had dragged himself to where a bright ray of light flashed from the glowing surface of the clear amber water and played upon the great, green, glossy leaves of a banana plant, one from whose greeny-yellow bunch of fruit he had plucked the night before.
That all seemed dream-like, but it did not trouble him, for his nature had prompted him to thrust forward his lips till they touched the water just where the ray shot forth glowing light and life as well, for he drank and drank, and as he imbibed the fluid, which looked like fire but tasted like water, the feeling of faintness grew less, his senses began to return, and he drew back to lie over with a sigh and gaze dreamily at the great arum-like leaves of the banana and the huge bunch of green and yellow finger-shaped fruit.
”Finger-like--thumb-like,” he muttered, ”just as if it was so many huge hands resting one upon the other.”
Murray sighed at his fancy, closed his eyes for a few moments to dream about the refres.h.i.+ng water, and soon after opened them again to let them gaze up the curve of a tree till it rose higher and higher, perfectly straight now, and ended by resting his vision amidst the great fount of green leaves which started from the crown and curved outwards.
There was a curious clump of fruit there, flowers too, and small and large nuts; huge, semi-triangular and rounded ma.s.ses of fibre, and he looked at the high-up cl.u.s.ter, realising the while that hanging far above him, where they would fall in front of the hut, was an abundance of good satisfying food in the shape of pulpy nut, milk and cream, as well as sweet water that he might drink; so that the occupant of that humble hut might partake, but which was out of his reach, for the fruit would not fall and he could not climb.
Murray lay thinking, as his senses grew stronger, of how blessed by nature the black who lived in that hut must be, with a home that he could easily construct, and with such ripe fruits ready to his hand with hardly a care in the production; and then somehow the feeling of envy seemed to turn to equally profound pity, as it flashed into his mind that the poor wretch paid for it at the cost of labour, misery, and despair forced upon him by some of the vilest wretches that lived beneath the sun.
”Slavery!” muttered the lad, and again slavery mingled with the thoughts of the horrible sufferings inflicted aboard the slave-s.h.i.+ps--sufferings that he and those with him were there to check and sweep away.
As these thoughts flooded the lad's brain, he at the same time grew clearer and began to think of Tom May and t.i.tely, of where they were, and whether they would come to him and Roberts. He even pictured to himself the former, big, hulking, and strong, coming staggering into sight with his wounded comrade upon his back. Then his thoughts floated away to Mr Anderson and his men. How had they got on? he asked himself. Would the captain soon come with their vessel and by means of a few shots sweep the place clear of the slave-hunting miscreants?
The mids.h.i.+pman's brain was fast growing clearer still, and all at once he found himself gazing in imagination at the faithful black, s.h.i.+ny of face, and clothed in white. Would he find him and his wounded comrade and guide them back to the boats, or only perhaps to where he hoped Mr Anderson was holding out at Plantation Cottage? And as he thought, strangely enough it seemed to Murray in his faint, dreamy state, he stretched out one hand to separate the great green leaves of the banana near at hand so as to open a way for him to look beyond the great plant through the plantation and see if the blacks were coming.
Then somehow, half unconsciously, the middy's hand closed upon something soft to the touch and smooth--something that he plucked and peeled and ate, and then plucked and ate again and again, till he began to grow less faint, and refreshed as well as clear of brain, ending by feeling strengthened and ready to crawl back into the hut, half wondering at what had happened, until he fully realised it all and was able to tell himself that he had been thoroughly exhausted and was now refreshed as well as rested and ready to take fresh steps to help his less fortunate comrade.
”Asleep still, d.i.c.k, old chap?” he whispered cheerfully.
But there was no reply, and after bathing the poor fellow's injury again and watching him anxiously by the clear light that struck through the roof, Murray rose to his feet, feeling more and more refreshed and ready to act. He was encouraged, too, by the growing restfulness that came like a soft flood through his senses.
”Well,” he said to himself, ”there's nothing wrong with me now. I was completely done up. It's of no use to despair, for it is only cowardly.
I'm in a bad position, but it might be worse, even as poor old d.i.c.k's is horribly bad, but as soon as I got to work I found that I could make him better. It was a very simple thing to do, and if I could make him better when he was so bad, now he is better I ought to be able to make him better still.”
But first of all he tried to settle thoroughly within himself what it was his prime duty to do.
”Nature says to me, Try and save your own life. But then that seems to be so horribly selfish and unnatural. I am fairly healthy and strong now that I have got over that bit of a fit--bit of a fainting fit, I suppose.”