Turned Adrift Part 17

"Oh, very little," was the answer. "A few feet--ten or fifteen feet of three-inch stuff would serve--but the mischief of it is that we haven't got it. Even the remains of the wreck will not yield us another inch."

"Then," said I, "all that remains is to break into the catamaran, and take out of her as much as is required. She has served her turn; we shall not require her any more if we can get the schooner into the water; and--"

"Kick me; kick me hard!" shouted Cunningham in an ecstasy of delight, as he smote me a blow between the shoulders that made me stagger. "The catamaran!" he continued. "Of course. Oh, what a lot of fools we were not to have thought of that before! But," suddenly bethinking himself, "if we had, it would have been of no use, for you had her. She is available now, however, and in ten minutes we'll rip enough stuff out of her to finish our job. I know exactly where to find the kind of stuff we want. Chips ahoy! bring your tools down to the catamaran, my son; we're going to break her up!"

The carpenter flung his hand aloft in joyous intimation that he understood, and at once made a dash for his tools, while Simpson and I wended our way to the schooner, to see how things looked in that direction, and also to forage for a morsel of food, for we had eaten nothing since breakfast, and were feeling pretty hungry.

A single glance at the cradle, which, when wedged up, would lift the schooner off the keel blocks and throw her weight upon the launching ways, sufficed to reveal the pitiful straits to which Chips had latterly been reduced; for worked into it there were sc.r.a.ps of wood less than a foot in length, fastened to other pieces of similar size with nails or plugs, and presenting a most flimsy and unsatisfactory appearance. But when I came to look more closely I saw that the only unsatisfactory part of the work was its appearance; it was not nearly so flimsy as at first sight it had appeared to be. Chips had evidently fully realised his responsibility, and had taken care that, let the material be what it might, there should be nothing faulty about his workmans.h.i.+p. And I saw also that, given the necessary amount of material, he would be able to finish his work in a very short time.

The boatswain routed out some food for us, and while Simpson and I sat down to eat and drink, Murdock, upon my instructions, went down to the catamaran--which the carpenter and Cunningham had already attacked--and brought away from her the two guns and the ammunition that remained from our engagement with the savages. And when he had performed this errand I bade him get aboard the schooner, rout out a few extra guns and a further supply of ammunition, load the weapons, and then station himself in the bows as a lookout, with special instructions to keep a wary eye upon the neighbouring cliffs and report the very first indication of the approach of an enemy.

The boatswain had scarcely been on the lookout a matter of twenty minutes when he hailed me.

"Mr Temple," he shouted, "I wish you'd come up here, sir, for a minute, and bring that there gla.s.s of Mr Cunnin'ham's along with ye. There's some'at up there on top o' them cliffs that I can't rightly make out, and I'd like you to come and have a look at it."

Accordingly up I went, with Cunningham's telescope still slung over my shoulders, and joined Murdock where he stood right in the eyes of the schooner, peering intently at a particular spot on the top of the cliffs.

"Now then," said I, withdrawing the telescope from its case, "where is this mysterious something that you can't make out?"

"Ye see that there big tree with the thick, k.n.o.bbly-lookin' trunk, up there, sir?" he demanded, pointing. "Well, just to the nor'ard of it there's a bush with a lot of white flowers upon it. See that?"

I replied that I did.

"Very well," continued my companion. "Two or three times I've seemed to see somethin' movin' among them there white flowers, but I can't be quite--"

"Yes, you are right, I see it; there is something--somebody--there," I interrupted, having brought the gla.s.s to bear upon the spot while Murdock was speaking. "Ah! now I have lost it again," I continued, "but I am certain I saw a dark face peering through the branches. Here! let me have your gun. If there is really anybody there we'll give him a scare, if nothing worse."

So saying, I took the loaded gun, and, keeping my eyes firmly fixed on the spot, stretched myself p.r.o.ne on the deck, with the barrel of the weapon resting upon the rail of the schooner's very low bulwark.

Sighting the piece carefully, I brought it to bear immediately on the spot where I thought I had seen the face, and then waited patiently for its reappearance. But minute after minute pa.s.sed and nothing appeared; and presently Cunningham and the carpenter came up the beach staggering under a load of timber that promised to be amply sufficient for all our needs. I began to think that I must have been mistaken, and was about to lay aside the gun and descend to the beach again, when the boatswain, who had taken the gla.s.s from me and had been intently peering through it, murmured:

"There 'tis again, Mr Temple--no, stop a minute, it's gone--no 'tain't!

Have ye got your piece bearin' dead upon that spot, sir?"

I answered that I had.

"Then stand by, and when I gives the word just you press the trigger, sir, please. Wait a bit; I don't--Ah! there he is--fire!"

On the instant I pressed the trigger, and as the smoke cleared away I thought I saw a slight momentary disturbance of the foliage about the spot at which I had aimed, and then all was still again.

"You got him, sir, as sure as eggs is young chickens!" exclaimed Murdock, still peering through the gla.s.s. "Or, if you didn't actooaly get him," he amended, "you give him a scare that he won't forget in a blue moon. Shall I just slip up there, Mr Temple, and see if I can find anything?"

"Certainly not," I replied severely. "We cannot afford to take any risks. Besides, what does it matter? No, you remain here, reload that gun, keep the gla.s.s, maintain a bright lookout, and if you see any savages attempting to sneak down upon the beach, shoot without hesitation. What I am chiefly afraid of is that they will muster up there in force, and attempt to overwhelm us with a rush. I am going below to lend the others a hand."

I found Cunningham, Parsons, and Simpson all working at high pressure under the bows; for they had of course heard the shot, and did not need to be told that it indicated the presence of the enemy, though whether in force or only in the form of a scout none of us could tell. But the fact that even one of the savages had already made his way across to our side of the island was spur enough to our energies, and now we worked as probably none of us had ever worked before, in an endeavour to complete the cradle, wedge up, and launch the schooner before the enemy should muster courage enough to charge home upon us. If such a thing as that last should happen--and it would only mean the loss of a few lives by the savages--nothing could possibly save us.

I had been down on the beach about five minutes when a slight hissing sound reached my ear, and the next moment a long, triple-barbed, and exceedingly formidable-looking spear struck the sand and remained quivering there within about ten feet of us, and at the same instant Murdock shouted from above:

"Mr Temple--Mr Temple, sir, I wish you'd come up here and take my place. They're musterin' up there on top o' the cliff--I can see 'em movin' about among the bushes--and I ain't ne'er a good enough shot for the job you've told me off for. If I shoots and misses once or twice they'll rush us, as sure as you'm alive, sir; while if two or three of 'em was bowled over it might hold 'em back a bit and give us more time.

Come quick, sir, if you please; I believe they'm gettin' ready for a rus.h.!.+"

There was sound sense in what the boatswain said: he was not a good enough shot, or quite cool enough in the handling of firearms, to stop a rush, and I therefore determined to act on his suggestion. Only Cunningham was quite as good a shot as myself, if not better; therefore I turned to him.

"Cunningham," said I, "you hear what Murdock says; and he is right. But you are the crack shot of the party, so please go up and relieve him at once. But before he comes down get him to bring up every gun from below, and our entire stock of cartridges, and make him load every weapon and place it handy for you. Go at once, please; and remember you must shoot to kill."

"But, my dear chap--" began Cunningham, and then I cut him short.

"Go at once, sir," I exclaimed sharply. "This is no time for arguing; and please remember that I command here."

"Right you are, old chap; I understand," he replied, and went without further ado. And, as he turned to leave, another spear came whizzing through the air and stuck in the sand exactly where he had been standing a second earlier. Matters were beginning to look serious, for if the savages had among them--as they certainly had--men capable of hurling a spear from the top of the cliff as far as the schooner, one or the other of us might be hurt or even killed at any moment.

A couple of minutes pa.s.sed, and I heard the voices of Cunningham and Murdock as they talked together overhead, showing that the engineer had taken up his post. Simpson and I were holding a piece of timber in position, while Parsons secured it, when I suddenly saw a tall savage step boldly out from among the bushes on top of the cliff, poising a long spear in his hand. He gave the weapon a preliminary jerk, as though to test its balance, and then flung it high above his head in the act of casting. I was about to shout to Cunningham, calling his attention to the fellow, when a gun cracked sharply out overhead, and the savage spun round upon his heel, staggered backward, and fell cras.h.i.+ng in among the bushes.

"Good shot!" I shouted. "I say, Cunningham, keep Murdock up there with you to reload; we can do very well without him down here."

"All right," came the answer; "I will, if you are sure that you don't need him. Ah, by Jove! there's another of them!"

Cunningham's shot took that fellow in the leg, for we saw him clap his hand to his right one, just above the knee, and go limping away out of sight. Apparently the savages believed that the discharge of the weapon left us temporarily harmless, for another man instantly sprang into view and hurriedly poised his spear; but Cunningham was too quick for him, for he, too, dropped and lay still. Then they lay _perdu_ for a few minutes, during which we, at work upon the cradle, put in some splendid work.

Suddenly, with a final tap of his hammer, Chips sprang back and tossed the tool in the air, cleverly catching it by the handle as it fell.

"Finished!" he yelled, on a note of exultation. "Now, Mr Temple and Simpson, get the mauls, and let's wedge up. It'll have to be a rather rough-and-ready job, I'm afraid; but once the weight of her is off the blocks and on to the ways we needn't trouble much. And now, if Mr Cunnin'ham can spare the bo'sun, he'll be useful to us. Come along, Sails, you and I'll take the starboard side, while Mr Temple and Murdock takes the port, and we'll see which gets finished first."

I hailed Cunningham, asking if he could spare Murdock, and he replied that they were at that moment reloading the whole battery of guns, after which he would send him down. And presently Murdock came.

"Now then, boatswain," said I, "'wedge up' is the word, so take that maul and strike with me. Chips and his mate think they can beat us; but we'll show them a thing or two. Now then, strike!"

Forthwith the air began to resound with the blows of iron on wood, as, with more or less dexterous strokes, we drove the wedges home, one pair after another; and in about ten minutes we all met under the little vessel's counter, our work completed. But the savages evidently suspected that matters were approaching a crisis; possibly the idea was suggested to them by the carpenter's triumphant yell of "Finished!" upon the completion of the cradle, for during that momentous ten minutes several of them had made desperate efforts to transfix us with their spears, and as they had now adopted the plan of making the attempt in groups of half a dozen or more--to all of whom it was manifestly impossible for Cunningham to attend at the same moment--we four at work under the schooner's bottom had had two or three exceedingly narrow escapes.

"Now, Mr Temple," exclaimed the carpenter excitedly, "I'll just take a look fore and aft under her bottom, to make sure that she's clear everywhere; and when I sing out 'All clear!' will you and the rest please jump aboard and stand by to cover me with your rifles and protect me from a rush while I knock away the spur sh.o.r.es and launch the little hooker? And you might drop a few ropes' ends over the sides, and especially over the bows, for me to swing aboard by as soon as she starts to run down the ways. And if them bronze-coloured s...o...b..nks up on the cliffs there tries to run in upon me with their spears while I'm down under, give 'em toko; for if I'm hurted afore them spur sh.o.r.es is knocked away, we may have a lot of trouble yet. Ah! blest if I didn't think so," as Cunningham's shots cracked out thrice, and two natives tumbled headlong down the face of the cliff, while a third hurriedly scrambled back to cover; "they're guessin' that if they don't look sharp we'll get away from 'em a'ter all, so please keep a keen eye on 'em, sir."

"Ay, ay, Chips, we will," answered I. "Now, get along with your inspection, man, as lively as you please, for I see signs of a movement among them up there. Simpson," to the sailmaker, "jump aboard and lend Mr Cunningham a hand to reload those guns; and when you have done that, drop a few ropes' ends over the sides for Chips to climb aboard by."

By the time I had finished speaking the carpenter had crept in under the schooner's bottom and was hastily yet carefully a.s.suring himself that the vessel's keel had been everywhere lifted clear of the keel blocks.

Less than three minutes sufficed him to complete his examination, when he shouted the signal "All clear!" and immediately began to pound upon the heels of the spur sh.o.r.es with his maul, while Murdock and I made a dash for the ladder which afforded access to the schooner's deck. But it was clear that the savages had by this time gained a tolerably accurate conception of what we were about, and had begun to realise that unless they acted at once we were likely to slip through their hands after all; for no sooner did the boatswain and I jump for the ladder than they set up a fierce yell, and about a hundred of them broke cover and began to scramble down the cliff face, shouting encouragement to each other as they swung or sprang from one projection to another, tossing their spears and war clubs down to the beach beneath, in order that they might have the use of both hands during their hurried descent.

I naturally expected that Cunningham would open fire upon them forthwith; but he did not, for he was at the moment busily reloading the discharged weapons--moreover, it appeared that he had a better plan.

At that moment the savages were moving so rapidly and so erratically as they swung down the cliff face that accurate shooting would have been exceedingly difficult; but the instant that the first native reached the beach and paused for a second to seize a club and a handful of spears from those which had been cast down from the summit of the cliff, the engineer, lying p.r.o.ne on the deck, with his weapon resting on the low rail of the schooner's bulwarks, covered him, and the next instant the shot rang out and the man toppled over, mortally hit. Then Cunningham pa.s.sed the empty weapon back to Simpson, receiving a loaded one in its stead, and in like manner bowled over the second and third of the savages who reached the beach. But this could not last long, as I could easily see upon reaching his side, for the savages were now swarming down the cliff so rapidly and in such numbers that it was impossible to load the guns quickly enough to cope with them. As Murdock and I dashed forward and joined the other two in the eyes of the schooner I saw that about a dozen of the savages had reached the beach unhurt, and were at that instant gathering themselves together to make a combined rush.

"Now, lads," said I, "this is where our revolvers are going to come in useful. Wait until they arrive within twenty yards of us, and then open upon them with the 'barkers'; but don't get excited and fire wild, whatever you do--we must make every shot tell. And--Hurrah, my hearties, there go the spur sh.o.r.es!" as I heard them clatter down and felt a sudden tremor thrill through the schooner. "Now, look out, here they come! Watch for the men who pause to hurl their spears, and do your best to bowl them over. She's moving, lads, she's moving! Hurrah!

Another minute and we shall be afloat. Now, look out, and give 'em beans! Here they come!"

Yes; they were coming with a vengeance, not only the dozen who formed as it were the vanguard of the rush, but some twenty or thirty more, who in the course of a few seconds had flung themselves down from the rocks to the soft, yielding sand below, while others were following down the cliff face at breakneck speed. They came running and leaping down the beach in pursuit of the now fast-moving schooner, each man grasping a single spear in his right hand and three or four more and a war club in his left, the whole of them yelling like demons. At that moment Chips appeared under the bows, and the sight of him was greeted by the savages with a howl of exultation, for they seemed to think that since he was down on the sand they had him in their power. But the carpenter knew perfectly well what he was about, and as the stem of the gliding schooner slid past him he made a spring at her wire bobstay, caught it first with one hand, then with the other, pulled himself up and flung his legs over it, and then rapidly hauled himself up it to the bowsprit end, which he reached just as the schooner plunged into the water, swung himself astride the spar, and so worked his way inboard. But it was touch and go with him, for the moment he showed himself about a dozen of the leading natives pulled up short and prepared to hurl their spears at him, and I am convinced that but for the hot revolver fire which we instantly opened upon the daring savages, bowling three of them over and so seriously disconcerting the aim of the others that they missed, Master Chips would, even at the last moment, have lost the number of his mess. But with the plunge of the schooner into the water all danger was over, for the little craft held her way in the most wonderful fas.h.i.+on, making so long a stern board into the waters of the bay that she shot far beyond the extreme range of the savages' spears before she finally came to rest.

Meanwhile her canvas was all loose and ready for setting; therefore the moment I felt her to be water borne I dashed aft to the tiller, at the same time shouting to the others to man the foresail and fore staysail halyards and hoist away: and by the time the foresail was hoisted the vessel was beginning to lose sternway, whereupon I jammed her tiller hard-over to port, and thus canted her with her head to the northward.

This caused her head sails to fill, whereupon she quickly gathered headway, when, putting the helm hard up, I headed her out to sea, while the others proceeded to set the jib and mainsail; and within ten minutes of her first plunge into the water the little _Nautilus_--as we named her--was clear of the reef and fairly in the open sea.

There were several trifling jobs that we would have preferred to finish off before proceeding to sea, several articles that we would fain have carried away from the island with us, had we been afforded the opportunity; but the presence of the savages of course precluded this, and therefore the moment that we were under way and clear of the western extremity of the island we flattened in our sheets, fore and aft, and proceeded to the northward, close-hauled on the starboard tack on our way to Honolulu, which was to be our first port of call.

Naturally the first and most engrossing question claiming our attention was that of the behaviour of our little s.h.i.+p, and we had not been under way a quarter of an hour before we were all agreed that she far exceeded our most sanguine expectations; she was a magnificent little sea boat, riding the long Pacific surges as buoyantly as a gull, very stiff under her canvas, and extraordinarily fast and weatherly. The only thing that caused us any concern was that we found she was leaking to a somewhat alarming extent; but we were quite prepared for that, as she had been standing so long on the hot beach that her planks had shrunk somewhat, opening her seams. She "took up" however during the course of the night, after keeping us busy at the pump for the first three or four hours of our voyage, and after that we had no further trouble with her.