CHAPTER IX.BOUND SOUTH.
After having fired four or five rounds of ammunition without other effect than the grazing of Andy’s ear, the mutineers appeared to have grown tired of such useless work, and ceased to waste their cartridges.
The calm was still “raging.” There was not wind enough to have caused any perceptible motion in a feather, and those who had taken possession of their own again could not do otherwise than remain idle, waiting for that which, by filling the white sails, would carry them far from their enemies.
On the shore the mutineers sat watching the schooner, unable to do anything toward regaining her, and, as Jenkins expressed it, “eating their hearts out” with anger, because they had been so foolish as to take all the weapons ashore, leaving the ship-keepers virtually defenseless.
The man who had been bowled over by a belaying-pin recovered consciousness after the firing ceased, and, with a very disagreeable sensation in his head, sat on the main hatch, probably wondering what was to become of him.
“Are you going to keep that thing?” the mate asked of Captain Mansfield, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb at the disconsolate-looking mutineer.
“Let him swim ashore when there’s a chance of our crawling away from this key.”
“Why not use him first?”
“How do you mean?”
“If a breeze should spring up now those fellows on the beach would amuse themselves by making targets of us while we were raising the anchor and making sail.”
“I have thought of that; but do not see how it is to be avoided.”
“Make this fellow do such work as he can, with our assistance, while we remain under cover. Give me the word and I’ll guarantee to have the little craft ready for the first cat’s-paw which comes over the sea, and without exposing myself.”
“Act as you please, Mr. Jenkins. It is no more than fair that he should do something to repay for the trouble and loss which his crowd have cost us.”
The mate could have asked for no more congenial task, and Andy was in an ecstacy of delight as the mutineer was forced to play the part of a barricade for the others.
At first the man appeared disposed to rebel against doing the work demanded of him; but Mr. Jenkins said, sternly, brandishing a belaying-pin to give greater emphasis to his words:
“You ought to have a pretty good idea by this time that we shouldn’t feel very bad to be obliged to break your head, and that’s exactly what will happen if you don’t step lively. It may be well to tell those scoundrels on the beach who it is doing this work, otherwise they might put a bullet into your hide.”
The fellow began to realize that his captors were notto be trifled with, and very meekly went to the rail, where he shouted:
“Hi! Mike! This crowd have got the drop on me, an’ I’m bound to do as they say; so don’t shoot, will yer?”
“Why not swim ashore? They can’t do anything, if you only show a little nerve, ’cause we’ve got all the shootin’ irons.”
“My leg’s about the same as broken, ’an I couldn’t swim a stroke.”
Mike was silent for a few seconds, and then he asked:
“Is the captain countin’ on leaving us here?”
“You have brought it on yourselves, and can be mighty certain that we wouldn’t raise a finger to help you now, if the whole gang was starving,” Captain Mansfield shouted from his place of vantage under the rail.
The mutineers began to understand that a speedy punishment was about to overtake them, and the leader cried in a whining tone:
“We’ll die for the want of something to drink, if you leave us.”
“There’s little chance the world will be so lucky as to get rid of you. I shall notify the authorities at Nassau of your whereabouts, as well as of the likelihood that at least a portion of the brig’s cargo will be found on Walker Key, and I reckon you’ll not be left alone very long.”
This acted like a douche of cold water upon the mutineers, who were also, probably, wreckers, and they exhibited every symptom of uneasiness.
“It is time for you to go to work,” Mr. Jenkins saidto his prisoner. “Get into the boat with me, and we’ll pull the schooner’s head around so your friends won’t have so good a chance to interfere with us while we weigh the anchor; but remember that if you attempt to give me the slip, I’ll split your head open with this,” and the mate flourished the belaying-pin savagely.
Sheltered from those on the shore by the yacht herself, this portion of the task could be done in comparative safety, and while one of the sailors payed out on the cable the craft was swung around stern on.
Then the men managed to rig up the quarter-deck awning as a screen, without exposing themselves very much, and all hands could now work while hidden from view of the angry scoundrels on the shore.
After this had been done the anchor was weighed, and then the two in the boat pulled and tugged at the oars until theDay Dreamwas fully a mile from the shore.
This had not been accomplished without some show of remonstrance from the mutineers. When the yacht first began to move through the water, and they understood what was being done, a volley of bullets was discharged at random, many finding their way through the canvas screen; but finally this useless evidence of rage ceased, probably because the ammunition had been exhausted.
Not until they were beyond range did Mr. Jenkins allow his prisoner to cease his efforts, and then, wiping the perspiration from his face, he said:
“Now there is nothing to prevent your going ashore, if you feel so disposed.”
“Will you let the men pull me in to that point?”
“Not much. What is to prevent your swimming?”
“I couldn’t do it, even if there were no sharks hereabout, as there are sure to be. My leg feels as if it was broken.”
“You got off cheaply, and that’s more than can be said for the rest of the gang, since they will have to answer to the authorities for what has been done. If you don’t want to swim, get on board, for I sha’n’t give you the chance of stealing one of these boats.”
The man obeyed without another word, and once on the schooner he crouched under the rail forward as if anxious to escape observation.
Meanwhile, as soon as the yacht was at a reasonably safe distance from the shore, Gil and Nelse went below to learn what the mutineers had done there, and the scene which met their gaze was well calculated to fill them with mingled feelings of anger and dismay.
One would have said that a hundred men had been amusing themselves with trying to see how much mischief could be done in a given length of time. The contents of the staterooms were dragged into the cabin, where they might be examined leisurely, and left lying on the floor. Food of all kinds was scattered in every direction, and as much wasted as would have served the rightful crew of the yacht for many days.
“We ought to be thankful we have got theDay Dreamback in any condition,” Gil said, with a long-drawn sigh; “but it is more than provoking to think we gave that crowd the opportunity of destroying things.”
“All the weapons, watches and money are gone,” Nelseadded; “but from what your father said I don’t fancy the amount of cash is enough to make them very rich, and we’ll soon repair damages, so it won’t pay to mourn a great deal. Let’s do what we can toward setting things to rights.”
While the boys were engaged in this work, Andy was surveying his quarters, and if harsh words could have injured the mutineers, not one would have been left alive five minutes after he saw the condition of his kitchen.
They had not spent so much time in the galley as aft; but the same scene of wanton destruction met the cook’s gaze, and he attributed the greater portion of it to the voudoos, whose especial domains the boys had threatened to invade.
“Dere’s gwine ter be de berry debbil raised on dis yere cruise, ef de captain consists in runnin’ to Hayti,” he muttered, while trying to repair the damage. “I’se done gone boun’ ter tork ter dem boys ag’in, kase dey mus’ know wha’s sartin ter happen, ef dat pirates’ gol’ ain’ got out ob dere min’s.”
During this time those on deck had not been idle. Every inch of canvas belonging to the yacht was spread to catch the first breath of air which should come over the sea, and the captain and mate amused themselves by watching the mutineers, who still remained on the beach as if unable to understand that they had lost the little craft so suddenly.
“There comes what we are waiting for,” Mr. Jenkins said, as he pointed toward the west, where a faint ruffling of the water into a deeper blue betokened the risingof the wind. “Now, what is to be done with the fellow forward?”
“Call him aft, and let him decide the question.”
The man obeyed Mr. Jenkins’ summons in a slouchy, shamefaced manner, touching his hat when he reached the quarter-deck, and standing there as if expecting punishment was about to be meted out to him.
“We hope to be under way in a short time,” Captain Mansfield began, “and you are to say what is to become of your precious self. I should be warranted in taking you to Nassau in chains; but it will be too much trouble.”
“I would like to be set ashore, sir.”
“You can leave at any time; but I don’t propose the men shall exert themselves in your behalf by so much as pulling an oar.”
“I can’t swim,” the man said, piteously.
“That may be; but if we row you ashore your precious friends will probably gain possession of the boat, considering the fact that they are well armed, while we would be helpless.”
“I can rig up a sort of raft on which he could manage to reach the land,” Mr. Jenkins ventured to say, observing that the captain hesitated.
“Very well; if he chooses to go in that manner, I have no objection,” and Captain Mansfield turned away, for he was eager to be rid of the mutineer, but did not propose to take any risks.
Two empty casks, with a plank from one to the other, formed quite a seaworthy raft for one man, and ten minutes later, just as the oncoming breeze filled the yacht’ssails, the mutineer was paddling for dear life toward the key.
There was no time to watch his movements, for theDay Dreambegan to draw away from the land in a manner which told that the run to Nassau would be quickly an accomplished fact, providing the wind held.
Once more the yacht was bound south, and, despite all the misfortunes which Andy persisted in believing were caused by the voudoos, Gil and Nelse allowed themselves to dream again of the pirates’ gold.