CHAPTER XII
Captain of a Fleet
"Halt!" The whispered word of command to which Tyler gave vent oncehe and his followers had set foot upon the opposite bank was scarcelynecessary, so well did each man understand his duties, and so sensiblydid they act. But Li Sung interpreted the order, and instantly somefifty dripping figures came to a stand-still and dropped full lengthupon the mud.
"Advance those who have to keep watch and beat back the enemy," saidTyler, with difficulty keeping calm. "John, that is your command. Postthe men so as to hold the entrance, and look out for me when I come. Nowfor the boat party."
Leading half the company to the left, he took them to the spot where thesampans were drawn up on the beach, and stood by while the men carriedthe tiny boats down into the water. Then, as silently as ghosts, theypushed off from the bank, half the number making direct for the oppositeshore, while the remainder drifted down-stream to the prahus.
"Commence to embark the women and children and the remaining men," saidTyler, as soon as the party which he had accompanied had reached theopposite bank. "Let there be no crushing or pushing. Each will come downin turn and be rowed to the prahus. Men last of all, as a general rule;only, as soon as one of the vessels is filled, the crew will be put onboard, so as to be prepared to manoeuvre it should the alarm be given.Quickly, please, for the morning is dangerously near at hand."
Standing beside the spot where the sampans had been drawn up, he watchedas the Dyak women and children embarked, enjoining strict silence uponall of them. But they had been well drilled to the movement, and, thanksto that, they all passed swiftly and without confusion from theirhiding-place in the jungle above to the sampans, and in the latter tothe prahu selected for them. Once a certain number were on board, thesampans returned for a crew of men, and thus in an incredibly shortspace of time all but the half-company watching beside the stockade, andthose who had gone amongst the fleet of prahus, were safely on boardawaiting the order to let go. But there was still something else to do,and all watched anxiously as they realized that the stockade was tobe entered, and that the figure of a man crawling across the firelitclearing would be that of their leader.
"Now for the two captives," said Tyler in matter-of-fact tones, when theembarkation had been carried out to his satisfaction. "I feel satisfiednow that the larger proportion of the tribe will make good its escape,for they are on board, and even if the alarm be given now, they are safefrom Hanns Schlott and his friends. Even at this moment I think I seesome of the prahus sinking, and certainly more than one has been cutfrom its moorings and is floating away upon the river, and graduallygetting lower. That being the case, the Dutchman and his friends willhave to swim after us if they discover our trick, for we shall leavenothing. And now for the captives."
For a few moments he stood up in the sampan, while Li Sung went ashorewith some of the Dyaks and hunted carefully through the jungle near athand, lest by chance some child should have been overlooked, or oneof the women, tired out by the long journey which she had borne sowell, and by this long night of anxious watching and waiting, shouldhave fallen asleep and remained behind, forgetful of the fact that hersisters were embarking.
"That is well," he said in tones of satisfaction, when the Chinaman hadreturned with the report that not a soul was to be seen, and that thejungle was untenanted. "We can now see to the other matter. Li, you willcome with me to the other shore, while the men here who have managed theembarkation will ferry their boats after us, and will lie off the bankprepared to come in close and take the remainder of the party off. Tellthem that they are to leave an interval between each sampan, so as tohave plenty of room in case of having to beat a rapid retreat, and thatthey are on no account to retire till all their comrades have joinedthem. Take the oars now, and let us push over."
He gave the words of command in a calm voice, which betrayed no signof excitement or of confusion, but for all that Tyler could scarcelykeep his limbs from trembling, while his lips twitched spasmodicallyand he was obliged to press them close together to keep them still; forthe thought of those helpless captives stirred him strangely, the fearthat their fate depended upon himself, and that upon his courage anddiscretion their rescue or continued imprisonment would result, kept hismind ill at ease and filled him with a feeling of nervousness to whichhe had up to this been a stranger.
"It must be done," he kept saying to himself as he was being wafted tothe opposite shore, "and after all, why should I not be successful?for the part which has already been carried out so silently has beenfar larger and more full of difficulties, and yet see how smoothly ithas worked. Yes, I will rescue those two helpless prisoners whateverhappens."
With this resolution before him he became calmer and more at his ease,and prepared to set about the task in a manner which at once showed thathe was full of courage and determination.
"Stand ready to embark rapidly," he said, as he crept to John Marshalland lay down beside him in the darkness. "If you hear me shout you willknow that I require help, but otherwise you are not to come nearer tothe stockade. Now I am going, but before I go I will remind you thatthis company will embark on the English vessel which the pirates towedin. Men have already made a small prahu fast to her bows, and once thesignal is given, and we are aboard, they will cut the cables and swingher round. After that she will be carried down by the stream."
"And it won't be long afore we get some of her canvas up," whispered thesailor. "Then if this here Dutchman and his men come after us, or anyof them coves down the river attempt to stop us, why, we shall be ableto tackle 'em in proper style. Now, sir, be careful, please, for you'reour leader. Jest think of that, for these here Dyaks jest think a dealof yer and would be sorry if yer came to harm. There's me, too, youmust remember"--and the honest fellow felt for Tyler's hand and grippedit firmly,--"what would I do to get on without yer? But you'll takethe best of care, that I'm sure of, and you'll carry this through likethe rest. If yer shout I'll be there in a twinkling, and if yer shouldhappen to come up with that Dutch chap, jest think of how I downed him.Put yer fist in his face, and it'll silence him sooner than anything.Good-bye, and good luck!"
With another squeeze of the hand he released Tyler, the latter springingto his feet at once.
"Then all is settled," he said quietly. "If I shout, you come to help;if not, you remain here or embark at once. My orders are that the safetyof the tribe is not on any account to be risked on my behalf."
A second later, when the sailor would have spoken to his leader, he wasastonished to find that he had gone, and that his place was occupied bythinnest air. It gave him a start when he considered with what silenceTyler had gone, but a moment's reflection reminded him of the fact thathis leader was dressed in native costume, and that he wore soft sandalsupon his feet.
"All the better," murmured John Marshall, "for it'll make his chancesbrighter. I don't half like this game of his, and never did, though Isee that he's right in making the attempt. But it's risky. It's theworst part of all this little adventure, and I shall be thankful when Isee him safe amongst us again. Ah! there he goes through the entrance,and it will be well for him to hurry, for a few minutes ago the stockadewas out of sight, while now one can see it fairly easily, showing thatmorning is coming."
That this was the case became evident to all the watchers, for as theylay there on the bank their figures up to this had been invisible to oneanother, while now a keen searcher of the spot would have discoveredthem to a certainty had he been within close range of them. Indeed thenight seemed to have gone quite suddenly, while a damp mist, which oftenprecedes the morn in Borneo, lay over river and land, wrapping them insemi-obscurity.
"In ten minutes it will go, de sun will suck up de water from de air,and all will be bright," whispered Li Sung, who had thrown himself downbeside John Marshall. "When massa comes, and we get aboard, de piratesee us sailing away, and dey get velly angry at de sight. He, he, he! DeDutchman him rave velly fine, and say many tings, but him not be able
tofollow, for he no havee ships."
The Chinaman again indulged in a half-audible chuckle, which caused thesailor to stretch out his hand and grip him by the shoulder.
"Silence," he said sternly, "and listen! Laugh and cackle as much as youwish when the master is with us again, but make a sound now and I'll--"
Exactly what the boatswain would have threatened to do to the faithfulChinaman it would be difficult to state, though his wrinkled foreheadand the scowl upon his face might have indicated something terrible.However, a sound within the stockade suddenly arrested the altercation,and both lay there listening eagerly.
Creak! creak! Was it the door of the hut in which the prisoners werekept, or could some native have suddenly awakened before the dawn hadcome, as was so often their custom, and thrown wide the gate of hishumble abode?
Both longed to clear up the question, but found it impossible, for fromthe position which they had taken up they were unable to command a viewof the whole of the clearing within the stockade. Those on the prahus,however, could have enlightened them, for from the river the dull glareof the embers of the dying fires, the bamboo stockade, and every hutwithin were distinctly within view, while the dusky figure crawlingacross to that part where the captives had been taken was plainlydiscernible. With straining eyes each one of the Dyak tribe aboard theprahus watched the young leader whom they had come to look up to andadmire. They saw him creep rapidly, but with every caution, through theentrance to the stockade and then across the clearing. As they stared athim through the misty haze, which was gradually and insensibly givingplace to the light of day, they noted how he paused before the hutoccupied by the rascally Dutch leader of the pirates, and each wonderedwith beating heart whether any sound had alarmed him.
Creak! creak! Ah! they, too, heard the noise of a wicket thrown open,and started at the sound. Then they stood there on the sloping deckslistening for a shout, for a pistol-shot, for the roar of a hundred andmore voices to tell them that the young Englishman had been discovered.But no, not another sound disturbed the silence of the awakening day,and the dusky figure was seen to be advancing again. Ah, he was at thehut where the prisoners were kept! Was he entering? Why did he pauseat the door, and for what reason did he so hurriedly dart behind thedwelling?
Well might each member of the watching tribe of Dyaks ask the question,for the movements of their leader seemed unaccountable. But Tyler knewwell what he was doing, and sounds which failed to spread so far as themen lying on the bank without the stockade, or those others waitingaboard the prahus, reached his ears distinctly.
"There is someone moving," he said to himself, as he reached the hutwhich harboured the prisoners. "Who can it be? Perhaps some fellowturning in his couch."
Sitting up as high as possible, he listened eagerly, and then crept on afew paces. Then of a sudden he became aware of the fact that a door hadbeen thrown open, and realizing that the sound came from the Dutchman'shut, he scrambled hastily behind the one close to which he was crouching.
"Hanns Schlott!" he exclaimed in tones of vexation. "His guilty mindwill not allow him to sleep, and so he has come out to walk about theclearing. Ah, I have had my mind so fully occupied that I did not noticethat it is already getting light, and he will be able to see me! Yes,even now I can observe his figure."
Staring through the mist and haze, which had so suddenly risen, Tylerwatched the Dutchman emerge from his abode and stalk out into theclearing. Then, realizing with a start that to delay would be moredangerous than to proceed with the rescue, he waited for a few momentsto allow a second hut to come between himself and the Dutchman, and thenscrambled at his fastest pace to the door which would give access to thedwelling within which were the prisoners. A second later he had thrustit in, and was crawling through the opening.
"Who is that?" he heard someone demand in frightened tones, while therewas the sound of a shriek commenced but suddenly arrested. "Oh, what ishappening to us?"
"Hush! Do not make a sound for your lives," answered Tyler in low tones,crawling right into the hut and closing the door. "Do not be frightened,for I have come to help you and take you away."
"Then you are English? But I caught sight of a native, and that is whatfrightened me. Who are you?"
The question was asked in a whisper, while the young woman leant forwardtill she was close to Tyler, for his voice had reassured her.
"It is too long a story to tell you, but I have come to rescue you andthe little girl. Follow me at once, please, and do exactly as I say.Now, to the door!"
Waiting only to see that they had risen, and that the young woman hadwhispered reassuring words to the child, and had cautioned her againstmaking a sound, Tyler went to the door and gently opened it.
"We shall have day with us in a few moments," he said, turning swiftlyand with an involuntary exclamation of dismay. "Now, listen to me. Wehave captured the English ship from the pirates, and have also taken theprahus. My men are Dyaks, and they will be your friends. You must followme at once, keeping well behind the huts. When we get to the openingthrough the stockade we will run. Do you understand? Then follow."
Glancing swiftly around, and failing to catch sight of Hanns Schlott,Tyler led the way into the clearing, and then, stealing along throughthe mist, he directed the prisoners amongst the huts so as to keep themout of sight. Very soon they came to a point where the dwellings ended,and where nothing but open ground stretched between the fugitives andthe stockade. And here they came to an abrupt halt, while a feeling ofdismay came over them; for there in the opening stood the burly figureof Hanns Schlott, his face turned to the river, while he stared into themist as if something had occurred to awaken his suspicions.
"Strange!" he was murmuring; "is it the wine which I drank last night,or can it be the thought of that beggarly Englishman, by name TylerRichardson, who threatened to follow me and see me hanged as a murderer?Tush! My eyes are playing me a trick, and I am out of sorts."
He stamped upon the ground in his vexation, and turned from the riverfor a moment. But again his eyes went back in that direction as ifhe were fascinated, while on this occasion he started forward, and,sheltering his eyes with his hand, stared into the cloud of wateryvapour with an eagerness which showed that he was still ill at ease.
"Surely that is strange!" he said in hesitating tones. "Of course themist is thickest over the water, but the prahus are outlined in it,though dimly, I admit. But how comes it that the ship which we capturedis turned with stern this way, and her bows pointing to the sea? It isbeyond my comprehension, for the tide does not make this way for threehours at least. And--am I really bewildered this morning and muddled bythe wine?--half the fleet seems to have disappeared!"
He rubbed his eyes with his knuckles, and, tearing his hat from hishead, thrust his fingers through his hair. Then once more he fixed hisattention on the river, and stood there as if undecided still, andas though hesitating how to act. Meanwhile Tyler and his charges hadwatched him with feelings approaching dismay.
"We cannot possibly afford to wait more than three or four minutes,"said the former, "and if he does not move then, we must rush past him.But I do not like to see him staring so hard at the river, for it seemsto me that he suspects something, and I know that whatever he thinks atthe moment he will soon realize what is happening once the sun clearsthe mist away. Get ready, miss, and if you see me start forward at awalk, be prepared to rush after me and go straight through the opening.I will see to that fellow."
The seconds seemed to be minutes, so slowly did they pass, and thoughTyler only permitted some three of the latter to elapse before making amove, almost half an hour seemed to have been occupied in watching theburly Dutchman. Indeed, now that he had come so close to success in theundertaking which he had set himself, the fear that, after all, he wouldbe beaten, that Hanns Schlott would cut off his retreat and retain hisprisoners, filled Tyler's mind with apprehension and anxiety, and thosefew minutes seemed almost a lifetime. And all the while the Dutchmanstood as if rooted to
the spot, still unable to make up his feeble mindas to what was happening, and hesitating to awake his followers at thisearly hour and bring them rushing forth on a fool's errand, which wouldcause them to grumble and laugh at their leader.
Suddenly, as he turned to the collection of huts behind him, his eyefell upon the figure of a swarthy Dyak, with sandalled feet, who wasadvancing towards him, and taking him for one of his own men he calledeagerly to him.
"Come here and tell me what you see," he said in commanding tones. "Mysight is not very certain in these early morning mists, and often playsme false. Say, are the prahus still at their moorings, and why is itthat the vessel which we captured has her head turned to the sea?"
He was in the act of turning once more to the river, to direct thegaze of the native who had advanced towards him, when another doubt,something unusual about the man, seemed to strike him, and he swunground, to face Tyler with a start of surprise.
"Sandals!" he gasped. "Sopping waist-cloth, and--and colour which runsin streaks down the body and leaves white beneath!"
Like a flash he recognized who this native must be, and stood therestaring at him as though the discovery stifled him, as though theboldness of the Englishman took his breath away. Then, quick aslightning, a thought, a horrible dread, came over him.
"Had the Englishman come to the stockade with others of his country? Wasthat the reason of the disappearance of some of the prahus? And had thisman, this youth whom he had openly called a cub, but whom in his hearthe feared not a little, and whose persistence had amazed him, had thisTyler Richardson tracked him to this spot, and by some uncanny meansinduced him, the leader of this gang of pirates, to emerge from his hutat that early hour in the morning and walk alone, like a helpless fly,into the web which had been woven to catch him?"
The thought sent the blood surging to his face, only to recede in aninstant and leave him deadly pale. He gasped, threw back his head totake in a much-needed breath, and would have set the air ringing with ashriek of dismay had not Tyler suddenly stopped him. Instantly realizingthat he had been recognized, and that his disguise was discovered, hethrew himself upon the Dutchman like a hound, and, mindful of the advicewhich John Marshall had given him just before they had parted, dealtHanns Schlott a terrific blow between the eyes.
"For you!" he shouted, throwing silence and caution to the winds in hisexcitement as he delivered the blow. "That to show you that a Dutchmancannot stop an Englishman!"
Had he been struck by a hammer Hanns Schlott could not have been morestaggered, or thrown off his balance. Indeed, the suddenness and theunexpected nature of the attack, and the force with which the fistcrashed upon his face, had combined to send him to the ground, and butfor the fact that the edge of the stockade happened to be close at handhe would have gone upon his back in the clearing, just as he had on aformer occasion fallen crash to the floor of the schooner's cabin beforethe fist of John Marshall. Instead, however, his bulky figure was drivenheavily against the bamboos, and, recoiling from them with the force ofthe impact, he was thrown once more in the direction of his opponent.Nor did Tyler hesitate how to act. Drawing back a pace he leapt again atthe leader of the pirates, sending both his fists beneath his chin. Ah!That was sufficient to stop Hanns Schlott, in spite of his great weight.As the doubled fingers struck him his chin shot into the air and hishead was doubled back. Then, throwing his arms helplessly before him, hefell like a log, his back coming into violent contact with the ground.
"Quickly!" called Tyler, turning to beckon to the two who followed him."Now give me a hand and together we will run to the boats."
Grasping the child by her disengaged hand he, together with the youngwoman whom he had rescued, ran at their fastest pace down to the river,bearing their charge between them. A second later John Marshall and hismen confronted the fugitives and hastened them to the boats.
"Jest a proper whop!" cried the former in tones of delight, hisenthusiasm urging him to give his congratulations without delay. "I tellyer I saw it all, for I had taken good care to creep to a spot where Ihad the entrance under view, and I reckon I could hear the fist strikehim. But he's only downed for a minute. He's silly just now, but he'llbe shouting afore we are well on the river, and then there will be somefun. This way, my dear. Give the child to me, and you'll see that JohnMarshall can take care of her."
Lifting the child in his arms he went to one of the sampans andembarked, the young woman following. As for Tyler, he too ran down tothe water's edge, and stood there while his men scrambled aboard theirboats.
"All there?" he demanded quietly. "Then push off at once and make forthe English ship. Li Sung, you can shout to the others to cut away fromtheir moorings and make for the sea."
Leaping into one of the sampans he took his place in the bows and stoodthere eagerly watching the scene before him. Nor had he any difficultyin observing each one of the prahus which the tribe commanded, for,as is so often the case in the East, the sun had risen with startlingsuddenness, and, streaming along the open space left by the river,had swept the mist away as if with a broom. And there, as if with themovement of a magician's wand, a brilliant day had suddenly displacedthe gloom, showing the broad surface of the Sarebus flashing in themorning rays, and stirred here and there by the keels of the prahus,while on either side and behind was a net-work of green, enormous treesstanding in serried lines and huddled together till it scarcely seemedto need the trailing creepers, the ferns, and the festoons of dazzlingblooms to fill up the intervals. And lower down, with the rising sun asa setting to them, were a score of piratical vessels, some with mastsalone to be seen, while others floated upon the river in ungainlypositions, careening this way and that, some with bows thrust high intothe air, and others with their decks on the point of being submerged.
"The remainder of Hanns Schlott's fleet," said Tyler with just the traceof a smile wreathing his lips. "He will be at a loss without them. Butlisten to the noise he is making. He is bellowing as if he had beenhurt."
"And he will shout so loud and will rush by the paths along the river sothat de men below hear," chimed in Li Sung, who stood by his master'sside. "You see; China boy him tellee you dat de Dutchman havee a vellybig try to turn de table. He shout and him halloo, and as me say, hesend de men along de river bank. But who cares? Li him quite happy. Hehab big ship velly soon, and him sail to meet him wife and family."
"If those below will let you," laughed Tyler, feeling now as though aload of anxious care had been lifted from his mind. "But, as you say,Li, it does not matter very much, for the tribe is now a hundred timesbetter off than an hour ago, for we have ships, and we have weapons, andthere is liberty and freedom before us. But here is the ship. Up we go!"
Thanks to the careful drilling which the Dyaks had received there was noconfusion at this, almost the last stage of their adventurous journey.Obedient to the orders of their leader, those who had been told off tolook to the English schooner had warped her round till her head pointeddown-stream, and had then hung on to her, prepared at any moment to towher towards the bend, while two of their comrades, placed in a sampanat the stern, severed the cables with their swords. Waiting, therefore,for a shout from Tyler, they pulled at their sweeps, and hardly had therescued prisoners and their escort scrambled aboard than the schoonerwas under weigh.
"We will keep in rear," said Tyler, calling John Marshall to his side."Take the tiller, my lad, and keep her in the centre of the stream.I will go with Li Sung, and will arrange to have a sail or two bent.There will be no difficulty either, for many are hanging in their placeshalf-furled."
"And what wind there is is down-stream," added the boatswain. "Give thesheets a pull to bring 'em tight, and then get the darkies to shy abucket or two of water over the sails. It'll make 'em draw, and send usalong bowling."
"I'll see what can be done about guns, too," went on Tyler, "for I fancythat we shall have to fight for it later on. But it will be a smallaffair compared with what we have had already, and somehow I don't seemto mind m
uch."
"And I don't think no more of the idea than that," burst in the sailor,snapping his fingers. "I'm jest light-hearted, I am, and I keeps ona-roaring at the Dutchman. Lor', didn't he catch it!"
The honest fellow went to the tiller with a broad grin upon hisfeatures, looking a peculiar object indeed as he stood there in hisstrange garb of a Dyak. As for Tyler, it was a wonder that he did notsee the ridiculous side of his appearance also, for the swim across theriver had not improved his disguise by any means. In fact the merestglance was sufficient to show that he was no native, for long whitestreaks extended from his neck to his feet, while his face presented amottled appearance. Then, owing to his swim across the river, and tothe subsequent grovelling in mud and in the dust within the stockade,he had obtained a coating which matched but badly with the stain of thebetel-nut, while his waist-cloth and turban were much discoloured. Buthe had no time for the subject, and indeed, when he looked toward thestern to see the boatswain in similar attire, he found nothing wrong,nothing out of the ordinary, and it seemed only what was to be expectedto have a big raw-boned native there, watching the rigging with nauticaleye, and standing at his tiller in a business-like manner which showedthat he was a sailor born and bred.
"The sails first and the guns afterwards," said Tyler, running forwardwith Li Sung. "Get to work, like a good fellow, and take charge of onegang. I will do what I can with the other."
Thanks to the fact that the vessel had been sailed into the river, andthat those who had captured her had not taken the trouble to strip herof her canvas, but had merely furled the sheets to the yards, the newowners of the schooner had little difficulty in setting a large amountof sail, so much so that ere long those on board the prahu were beingoverhauled, and seeing that their sweeps were no longer needed, preparedto come aboard.
"Make her fast to the stern and we will drop a ladder for you," shoutedTyler, Li Sung interpreting the order. "She may be useful to us lateron, or I would have her scuttled. Now, how are the others doing?"
He turned his face down the river, and watched the other prahus whichbore the tribe of Dyaks who had journeyed with him so far.
"Good!" he exclaimed. "My followers evidently understand all aboutvessels of that description, and they have them now fairly under weigh.Then the stream is helping them along, and as they are smaller and moreeasily manoeuvred than this schooner, they should be able to keep wellahead. But we will see to that, and should any be lagging we will keepthem company, for it would never do to leave them behind. How are theybehaving at the pirate's stronghold?"
"Dey velly angry," said Li Sung with twinkling eyes, shaking his headat Tyler. "Dey not know velly fine what have happened, but dey see deprahus going, and dey watch dose which have not sunk. Ah! dis morning ama velly bad one for dem."
"But there will be a worse to follow, Li. I hope to come this way againlater on, and drive them out altogether. But for the time being we haveenough to do without talking of that. I see that a number of the pirateshave plunged into the jungle, and are no doubt bound for their friendslower down. When can we expect to come across another stockade?"
"Plenty quick, massa. De pirates havee anoder place a mile below, on deright of de bank, and before velly long we be dere. Dey be ready for ustoo, me tink, and den de guns fire and de swords flash."
"We shall see to that," said Tyler calmly, "and as there seems to be nodoubt that we shall have to encounter these fellows I will see what canbe done in the way of defence. But let us get our men aboard, and thenset more sails."
Turning abruptly to the stern again, he ran there with the Chinaman andthrew a rope-ladder overboard, up which the dusky Dyaks ascended withthe agility of monkeys. Then he took them along the deck with him andset them to work at the rigging. Fortunately there was little difficultyabout the matter, and very soon the schooner was showing quite a largeamount of canvas, which, now that it was drenched with water, as JohnMarshall had advised, caught the wind and sent the ship surging towardsthe sea. And meanwhile the other prahus had made good way, and, keepingto the centre of the river, which broadened rapidly now that they hadpassed out of sight of Paddi, went sweeping along in front of theEnglish vessel which bore their leader. That the Dyaks were full ofexcitement and of courage there was no doubt, for they crowded to thebulwarks of their several prahus and flung shouts of defiance at thepirates who raced along beside them. Indeed, never before had they beenin the position of being able to taunt these fierce enemies, and nowthat the opportunity had come, and they realized to the full that forthe very first time it was they who were masters of the situation, whilethose who had so often attacked them and caused them untold sufferingwere helpless and beaten, they taunted them till the pirates raged withanger, and waved swords, blow-pipes, and spears at them as if biddingthem wait but a little time and then join in combat with those who informer days had trembled at the approach of one even of these fiercewarriors of the sea.
As for the pirates, they were utterly beaten and baffled, and helplessto follow those who had made such an audacious attack upon them, bymeans of the river, for not a sampan had been left to them, while everyprahu that they had possessed was now sailing for the sea or was beneaththe water. They raced down the stream by forest paths, sometimes beingwithin full view of Tyler and his men, and at others buried in thejungle which completely hid them from sight. But their intention wasobvious, for as they ran they fired their flint muskets and shouted atthe top of their voices, with the one object of warning their comradesbelow.
"The shots will have been heard long ago," said Tyler quietly, as hegazed with satisfaction at the rigging, "and when we come to this otherstronghold we shall have to face more enemies. Let us see at once to theguns."
With Li Sung in close attendance he went to the cabin, and thenthoroughly searched the ship, returning before very long with anabundance of ammunition and small-arms, while the Chinaman staggeredbeneath the weight of shot for a swivel-gun which was secured to thedeck amidships.
"Can the Dyaks be trusted to fire these weapons?" asked Tyler,indicating the flint-locks. "It would never do to give them into theirhands if they were unaccustomed to firearms, for otherwise they would beshooting one another."
"Massa need havee no fear. De Dyaks plenty knowee de gun, but dey toopoor to buy, and de powder and de shot too dear for dem to havee whenat home," replied Li Sung with elevated eyebrows. "But dey knowee alleeabout dese tings. Oh yes, massa, dey fire de gun plenty time before, andyou see, Li soon showee dem allee about dese."
With a knowing wag of his head the Chinaman called the Dyaks about himand began to distribute the firearms amongst them, cautioning them atthe same time to be careful in their use of them, for fear of accidents.
"And let them know that they are not to open fire until I have given theword," interposed Tyler in the middle of Li's explanations. "A scatteredvolley will be useless to us, and I have been told that natives alwayswaste ammunition by firing when still long out of range of the enemy. Wemust endeavour to cool their excitement, and to make them wait till theprahus are close upon us. But what is that down lower? Surely I see astockade of some sort there?"
"Dat de oder place," responded Li Sung quickly, shading his eyes fromthe glare of the sun for the space of a minute ere he gave the reply."Dat Pakoo, massa, and dere am de pirates. Li see dem wid de boom, anddey trying to close de river."
At once all eyes were turned down the stream, where, some hundreds ofyards away, a number of prahus and sampans of large size could be seenfloating on the water. A careful inspection soon showed Tyler that theChinaman had made no mistake, for as he looked he distinctly saw four ofthe largest sampans linked together in line, while their crews tugged atthe sweeps which the craft carried instead of the oars used on smallerboats of a similar description. Behind the boats a long curling cable oflarge dimensions was being towed, and very soon it became clear to allaboard the escaping prahus that this was a boom which the pirates wereendeavouring to make fast to the opposite shore and so bar the progr
essof the fugitives.
"We will soon make an end of that for them," said Tyler quietly, "for Ishould think that the boom would hardly hold a couple of the prahus, andmuch less the fleet which we have captured. But this schooner will ripthrough the chains and logs as if the boom were composed of string, andwill open the passage to our comrades. Keep her for the very centre," heshouted, turning his head towards the boatswain, "and see if you cannotovertake our friends."
Coming down-stream with a brisk breeze and a swift current to aid them,Tyler and his friends approached the boom, which had by now been firmlysecured, at a rapid pace, and very soon two of the prahus, which weresomewhat in advance of their consorts, reached the obstruction, and werebrought to a stand-still, for the boom was unusually powerful. A thirdstruck against it with the same result, and it began to look as though,after all, escape for the tribe and their young leader would not be soeasy. Indeed, to the pirates, who had streamed from their stronghold atthe warning shouts of their comrades of Paddi, victory already appearedto be on their side, and they rent the air with hoarse shouts ofdelight. Crowded upon their prahus, which they had manned in all haste,they pulled into the river to the lower side of the boom, and there hungon their oars while they watched the enemy coming down upon the stream.As a fourth and a fifth vessel lodged upon the boom their excitementand delight became even greater, and, unable to contain themselves anylonger, and being led by the largest of their prahus, they pulled at theboom, and prepared to come to close quarters with the men who had daredto make such an attack upon their friends. Leaping into sampans, whicheach of the prahus towed in her wake, some rowed at once for the boom,and gliding over it, or lifting their boat across the logs and chains,embarked again and came towards their victims at a furious pace. Others,discarding the aid of a boat, leapt into the water and swam to the boom,upon which they climbed. Then, balancing upon it with as much ease asan average European does on a wide pavement, they came splashing along,brandishing their weapons and shouting fiercely to terrify those whomthey were about to attack.
"For the centre!" shouted Tyler, turning again to John Marshall. "Cutthrough the boom, and then throw her up into the wind till we see thatall our friends are through. If we fail to break it, I will lead a partywith axes."
Knowing that he could have full confidence in the boatswain, he left himto carry out the order unaided, and at once ran in search of somethingwith which to cut the boom should the weight of the schooner proveinsufficient. But there was really no need for him to have fears onthe matter, for, thanks to the powerful stream and to the pull of hercanvas, the English vessel which he and his men had appropriated rushedat the obstruction at such a pace that it was clear that nothing couldstop her. Steered by the deft hand of the sailor, she headed for thevery centre, the weakest spot, and, striking it with all her force,severed it as if it had been paper. Then, plunging on in her course,she bore down upon the large prahu which had led the attack upon thosewho had been arrested by the boom, and ere the latter could be movedaside by means of her sweeps the schooner was upon her. Ah! The crashof rending wood-work filled the air, while shrieks and shouts of alarmwere heard on every side. But the schooner never faltered, indeed herframe never even seemed to feel the jar, but, plunging on, she rolledthe prahu upon her beam-ends, and then drove clean over her, sending herstraight to the bottom. As for those of her crew who had leapt upon theboom, or had taken to the sampans, they were left upon the surface ofthe river gazing at the retreating fleet in consternation, as yet unableto realize that those who a minute before seemed at their mercy had sosuddenly made good their escape, and had robbed them of one of theirfinest prahus. With fear in their hearts they turned to their stockadeagain, and disappeared within, feeling that to attempt pursuit of suchan enemy would end only in further suffering.
"And now for Sarawak!" shouted Tyler, as the fleet of prahus sailedclear of the boom, and headed for the sea once more. "Our troubles arealmost over, and within a day we should be safely amongst friends.Hurrah for Sarawak!"