CHAPTER XXXIII
The boy was pale and haggard and so weak he could hardly stand alone,but he looked about him with an eager grin as Tom and Jeremy helped himtoward the companion.
"Why," he gasped, "here's old Job! What's he doing up here!" as thelatter strode aft to seize his hand.
"Ay, lad," laughed the big mariner, a mighty relief showing in his face,"we're all your friends aboard here. But how came those devils to letyou off so easy? We figured we'd have to fight to get you, and mightylucky to do it at that!"
The schooner had come into the wind again and was heading westward inpursuit of the pirate, now hidden in the murk ahead. Bob was helped tothe cabin and propped up in a bunk while his friends hastened to getsome dry clothes on him. A pull of brandy stopped his shivering.
"I thought none of you would ever see me alive," he said soberly. "But,Job, before I tell you all about it, are you sure you've lost sight ofDaggs' sloop? They were worried about your shooting, and figured theonly chance they had was to set me adrift and then get away in thedirty weather, while you were fishing me out. They'd never have given meup if that second shot hadn't mighty near gone through and through theold _Revenge_."
"The _Revenge_!" said Job. "I thought I knew the cut of that bigmainsail, and she was painted black, too! Well, their trick succeeded.Just this minute we'd have no more chance of finding 'em than a needlein a haystack. But it may clear again before night, and then we'll see!Go ahead now and spin your yarn, my lad!"
And Bob, swigging hot tea and munching a biscuit, began once more totell his story.
"After we separated, and started to run, up on the hill that night," hesaid, "I seemed to lose all my sense of direction for a while. I wasscared for one thing, I'll freely admit. When I saw Daggs' face in thetorchlight leaning over us, there by the treasure barrel, it frightenedme pretty nearly out of my senses. So I started to run, without an ideaof where I was going, and by the time I got my wits back, I couldn'ttell just where I was, in the rain and the dark. I seemed to be right ontop of the ridge, but I had zig-zagged several times, I remembered, andwhen I tried to figure which side of the hill I should go down, Icouldn't for the life of me decide. Finally I said to myself, 'Here,don't be a fool! Which way was the wind blowing when we set out from theshack? Aha, it was north,' says I. 'Very well, then, this must be theway to the cabin--straight into the wind,' And down the hill I started,bearing over to my right, so as to come out just above the sheep-pen."
"But--" interrupted Jeremy, "when that storm came up the wind backedclear round into the south--"
"I know it now," Bob answered, "but I didn't then. I kept right on,tickled that I was out of it so well, and wondering where the rest ofyou had gotten to. Pretty soon I came to some low land that I didn'tremember, but I saw a light off ahead and to my right, and decided thatwas the cabin. I blundered along through the trees till I was quiteclose, and then I discovered that the light came from a bonfire. Istopped for a second, puzzled, for I was sure I must be near the cabin.I wondered if the pirates had captured it. I stole up still closer andwatched the light and presently a buccaneer walked in front of it.
"That was enough for me. I turned and started to run. And at about thethird step I fell plump into the arms of a pirate. You see I had walkedstraight toward their part of the island by making that silly mistake.
"This fellow got a grip on my collar, and I couldn't break loose, thoughI'll warrant his shins are tender yet, where I kicked him. He hauled medown to the fire, and he and three others who were there looked meover. The one that had caught me was a big mulatto--as ugly-looking acustomer as I ever saw. And the others were no lambs. I'll tell you, myhearties, Daggs has gathered up a pretty lot of rascals in this crew.Not one of 'em but looks as if he'd knife you for a copper farthing!
"These four by the fire wasted no time, but went through my pockets in ahurry. They took my pistol and were quarreling about dividing thegoldpieces I had, when the rest of the crowd began to appear. They wereall wet, and in a bad temper for a dozen other reasons. Plenty of cursescame my way, but no one laid a hand on me, for they had a mighty fear ofPharaoh Daggs. When he finally came, he swore at them till they slunkaround like whipped curs.
"He was in an ugly mood that night. Seemingly he was disappointed in theamount of treasure they had found. Besides that, they had come on one oftheir best men with his head beaten in, and you and your father hadgotten clean away. Things looked black enough for me, I can tell you.
"Daggs and the mulatto, who is his mate, started in to question me,after they had grumbled awhile. They knew already how many of you therewere at the cabin, but they asked about your guns and supplies. Ofcourse, I didn't make the stronghold any weaker in the telling. Whenthey had all the information they thought they could get out of me,they held a sort of council. Some wanted to go right over before lightand attack the cabin. Others were for broaching a barrel of rum first,and making thorough preparations. Finally Daggs decided to put it offuntil they could get some pitch and dry grass ready, so as to set fireto the roof.
"It was nearly daylight by this time, and they started back through thereeds toward their sloop, leading me along with them. We travelled halfa mile or so, down a crooked black trail only wide enough for one man ata time, and ankle deep in the mud of the swamp. When we reached theschooner they stuck a pair of handcuffs on me and put me down on theballast. In spite of the filth and the cold I was so dog-tired that Itumbled on the nearest pile of old chains and went to sleep.
"I woke up late in the afternoon, and I don't think I was ever so stiffand uncomfortable and hungry in my life. I made my way over to the hatchand found I could reach the combing with my hands, so I pulled myselfup, after a mighty hard tussle. Try it some time with your hands tied!
"Most of the pirates were forward in their bunks, but one who waskeeping watch on deck took pity on me and gave me a couple of biscuitsand a swig of water. He was more or less talkative, besides, and fromhim I learned that Daggs planned to start about midnight for your sideof the island, carrying buckets of pitch and tinder, so as to roast youout.
"As you may imagine, this kind of talk nearly turned me sick with fear,and right in the midst of it Pharaoh Daggs came on deck.
"He had that empty sort of glare in his eyes that we used to seesometimes when he was drunk. Of course, he walked straight and even, butas he came over toward us, with his teeth showing and his eyes fixed ona point just above the pirate's shoulder, I almost yelled 'Look out!' IfI had, it might have cost me my life right there. He walked along, lighton his toes like a cat, till he stood two feet from us. Then, so fast Ihardly knew what happened, he hit the other man on the chin with hisfist. That was all. The man dropped with his head back against the rail.And Daggs went off, chuckling to himself but not making any noise. Idon't think he saw me at all, for his attack was more like the work of amad dog than of a man.
"I crept away and got below decks as fast as might be, and there Istayed hidden till after dark, when some of the buccaneers rousted meout. A keg of rum had been opened in the waist, and the liquor was goingfreely. Most of the crew were already drunk, but they had the sense tochain me by one leg to the foremast, and then made me run back andforth between them and the barrel. I was only too glad. No cannikin wasskimped while I was at the spigot. I looked around and remembered someof the wild nights we had seen on the old _Revenge_. And then for thefirst time I realized that the deck I stood on was the same! They'dgotten hold of the old black sloop when she was auctioned at CharlesTown, patched up her bottom and here she was--buccaneering once more!Where the gang of cut-throats aboard her were gathered, I don't know,but they put Stede Bonnet's famous crew to shame.
"Pharaoh Daggs was somewhere ashore with two of the crew till nearlymidnight. When he returned, the rest were lying like pigs about thedeck. He had sobered slightly--enough to remember the night'sundertaking--but it was useless to think of rousing those sots to anysort of endeavor. He kicked one or two of them savagely with his heavyboot, too, but
it got hardly more than a grunt from them.
"He stood there cursing for a minute, then came over and looked at theshackle that held me to the foremast-foot, and shook it to make sure itwas solid before he went below. He had something done up in a cloth thathe held mighty tenderly, and he seemed in a better humor.
"I curled up on the deck and by wrapping myself in a greatcoat which Ifound beside one of the drunken pirates, succeeded in keeping reasonablywarm.
"When morning came Daggs and his mulatto mate managed to wake most ofthe men and forced them to get out and forage for wood and water, whilethey themselves crossed the ridge to reconnoitre. I think it was abouttwo hours after sunrise when those of us who stayed aboard the sloop sawfigures running down the hill. The buccaneers got out boarding-pikes andpicked up cutlasses, but in a moment Daggs reached the side, out ofbreath with his haste.
"'There's a ten-gun schooner in the northern cove!' he cried. 'They'relanding a boat now. We haven't any time to lose--the tide's past fullalready! Cut those moorings!'
"The hemp lines were slashed through with cutlasses and the men, withone accord, jumped to the push-holes. The sloop was on an even keel andjust off the bottom. A few strong shoves started her down the creek.
"My hopes of escaping began to go down, for there I was, still chainedto the fore-stick like a cow put out to grass. I looked around me indesperation, for I wanted to leave you some sign at least of mywhereabouts. Then my eye fell on a little heap of small arms that hadbeen thrown down near the forehatch. The pistols were useless to me, asI had no powder, but among them I saw the bright silver mountings of myown--the one that used to be Stede Bonnet's.
"We were drawing near the creek mouth, and those of the crew who werenot at the poles were busy unfurling the sails. I picked the pistol upunobserved and waited till we were just hauling clear of the creek. ThenI threw it overside and saw it strike in the mud. Did you find it?"
"Yes," said Jeremy. "That's how we knew for certain that you'd beencaptured."
"Well," the Delaware boy went on, "there's not much more to tell. Thepirates made all sail to the southwest, but after we cleared theislands, there you were, roaring along in our wake. Daggs thought thatthe _Revenge_ was a faster sailer than your craft, but he found hecouldn't keep her as close to the wind on this tack. I don't think hewants to fight if he can help it, but he was getting desperate thisafternoon before the weather began to thicken up. I heard him tell themate he'd rather come to broadside grips than risk having you drop ashot through the black sloop's bottom with that bowchaser. Then the miststarted to come over, and I guess Daggs saw his chance right away. Hecalled the crew aft and told them what he was going to do, and a momentlater I found myself being lowered in a boat into that wicked sea. Ithought they were trying to drown me out of hand, till they gave me apiece of white cloth to wave. Then I got an inkling of their idea.
"Sure enough, no sooner was I fairly adrift than I saw you put over inmy direction, and thinking Jeremy might be aboard, I gave him our oldsignal. It worked, and here I am safe enough. But meanwhile those devilshave got off into the mist, and it'll be hard to follow them."
Job sat thoughtful, pulling at his pipe. He seemed to be cogitating someof the points in Bob's narrative, and the others kept silent, unwillingto interrupt him. At length he blew a great cloud of blue smoke towardthe deck-beams above and turning to the boy, asked, "Did Daggs or any ofthe rest ever speak of the place where they were going?"
"They never talked about it openly," Bob replied, "but from wordsdropped now and then by the mulatto mate I figured they were headingdown for the Spanish Islands. I don't think they intend putting inanywhere first, unless they land for water in one of those out of theway inlets along the Jersey coast."
Job nodded. "That's about as I thought," he answered. "So we'll hold onthis tack till nightfall--we're just off the Kennebec, now--and thenwe'll run sou'-sou'east before the wind, to clear Cape Cod. Daggs--if hefiggers as I would in his place--won't start to leeward right away, forhe'd rather have us in front of him than behind. And unless I'm muchmistaken he's in too much of a hurry to waste time in doubling back upthe coast. All right Bob, lad, you'll be wanting sleep now, so we'llleave you. On deck with you, boys!"
And tucking the blankets about the drowsy youngster in the bunk, Job ledthe way to the companion.