In Strange Company: A Story of Chili and the Southern Seas

  CHAPTER II.

  GAOL-BREAKING EXTRAORDINARY.

  When I left the hotel I hurried with all the speed I could command inthe direction I knew the gaol to lie. As I went, I kept my eyes open fora kharti of the required description. It was late, I knew, for a cabbyto be abroad, but I had little doubt that I should soon find some driverwho would be glad to earn a few additional guilders, in spite of thedangerous nature of the business for which I wanted him. Apart from anyconsideration of the time to be saved by driving, it was very necessarythat I should obtain a conveyance soon, or my wanderings with a largeand heavy parcel (for sixty feet of stout rope is no light burden) wouldbe more than likely to attract the attention and suspicion of some ofthe curious night watchmen, one of whom I passed about every hundredyards. Fortunately, however, it was a wet night, and these gentrypreferred the shelter of their boxes to following mysteriouspedestrians, otherwise I might have been called upon to stop and give anaccount of myself, and my reason for being so late abroad.

  As no sign of any conveyance was to be seen, I began to despair ofobtaining one, and was in the act of turning down a by-lane, throughwhich it would be impossible for a vehicle to pass, in order to reachthe prison, when I heard the sounds of a pony's feet behind me, and thecries of the driver urging it forward.

  As soon as he was close enough, I sang out to the cabby to stop.Thereupon he hauled up, and waited for me to approach him. As thislooked like my last chance, I wasn't going to give him an opportunity ofsaying whether he wanted another fare that night or not, but jumped upon the back seat before he could expostulate, and pressing five guildersinto his hand, bade him drive to the gaol.

  He must have thought me mad or drunk, for he approached a smile as nearas a Malay can get to it without breaking his neck, and urged the ponyforward at increased speed. Ten minutes later we had drawn up oppositethe gaol wall, under cover of some over-hanging trees, and I wasanxiously waiting for the passing of the sentry, and the approach oftwelve o'clock.

  By this time my charioteer had some idea of what was going forward, forhe gave unmistakable signs that he wished to be off. This, however, Ihad no intention of allowing him to do, so placing another five guildersin his hand, I repeated the sentence Veneda had taught me so carefully,to the effect that "he should have ten more if he helped me." Thisseemed to decide him, for he jabbered something in reply, and I saw bythe way he settled himself down in his seat, that not only had heresigned himself to his fate, but that I could safely count upon hisco-operation.

  Hardly had I finished my talk with him than I espied something darkmoving against the further end of the long bare wall. My heart gave ajump _as I recognized the Malay sentry_. He was armed with rifle andbayonet, and was muffled up like the watchmen I had met on my journeythrough the town. So narrow was the road that, to my horror, I saw hewould be compelled to pass within fifteen feet of where our conveyancestood; so close indeed, that it seemed impossible he could fail to beaware of our presence. But he was no doubt tired and sleepy, and as onthis side of the prison no eye could observe his actions, he was in thehabit of indulging himself with a nap as he passed round it.

  Directly he had turned the corner I hastened across the road, andprepared to hurl the rope I had previously uncoiled over the wall.

  Beckoning my cabman to me, I bade him lay hold of one end, and nextmoment the other was whistling through the air. As I threw it, Iwondered if Veneda had managed his part of the contract, and also whatwould befall me if he did not make his appearance before the sentryshould pass that way again. But I was not to be kept very long insuspense, for a minute had hardly elapsed before I felt a sharp twitchupon the line; a signal, I did not doubt, that all was right on theother side. A second jerk bade me pull.

  I promise you it was no easy task to haul a heavy man like Veneda overa thirty feet wall, more especially as the rope had to draw over the_cheval de frise_ above the stone coping. It seemed as if we shouldnever get him to the top, and that the sentry _must_ appear before wecould accomplish it. I don't think I ever spent a longer five minutes inmy life. But every second the pile of rope was increasing at our feet;Veneda could not surely be more than a few feet from the top. Suddenlythere was a crack, a big jump on the rope, and a dull and ominous thudon the other side. What had happened?

  I soon realized it all. The _cheval de frise_ had given way under thestrain upon it, and the rope had dropped on to the coping of the wallitself. The thud must have been Veneda's body striking against it.

  Once more we pulled till we could get no further draw on the rope. Ithad jammed against the broken iron-work.

  Funnelling my mouth with my hands, I called to Veneda, but received noanswer. What could be the matter? Could the bump against the wall havestunned him? As I wondered, to my consternation I heard footstepsapproaching round the corner. It was the sentry again. Now we were in apretty fix! To let go the rope would be to allow Veneda to drop thirtyfeet down on to the ground on the other side; yet, on the other hand, Iknew it would be fatal to permit the sentry to discover us in thisinvidious position. I ransacked my brains for a way out of thedifficulty. The sweat streamed over my face; it was like some horriblenightmare from which, strive how I would, I could not awake. And everymoment the steps were coming closer.

  So far as I could see there was only one thing to be done; feeble reedthough he was to lean upon, I must trust to the fidelity of the Malaydriver. Signing to him to hang on to the rope, as if his very lifedepended on it, I left him, and crept towards the corner. It was my ideato jump upon the sentry as he came round it, hoping to being able tosilence him before he could give the alarm.

  What I went through during the thirty seconds or so in which I laycrouched behind the buttress of that wall no man will ever understand.The steps came nearer and nearer--I pulled myself together inpreparation for the spring. It seemed as if the beating of my heart mustbe plainly audible yards away.

  Then suddenly a dark figure appeared before me, and I leapt upon it.

  So swift was my onslaught that the man had not time to guard himselfbefore my left arm was round his waist and my right hand tightening onhis throat. My left leg I crooked round his right, with the intention ofthrowing him. He was a plucky fellow, and did his best against me. Buthis surprise was no match for my despair. As we swayed backwards andforwards his rifle fell from his grasp, striking the wall with an awfulclatter. When I heard that I gave myself up for lost.

  Exerting all my strength, I lifted him clear off the ground (a feat Icould never have accomplished in cold blood), and dashed him from meagainst the buttress edge. His head struck it with a ghastly thud; heslipped, fell, and lay upon the ground a huddled up mass of groaninghumanity. Ascertaining that he was powerless, I turned and ran in thedirection of the rope, to which I was relieved beyond all measure tofind the Malay still clinging.

  What to do now was a puzzle. I reflected there were only two ways out ofit--I must either be content to abandon the enterprise altogether, andto leave Veneda to his fate, or, as he could not come down to me, go upto him. But whatever I intended to do must be accomplished quickly, forit might be the sentry's duty to report himself as he went by theguardhouse every round, and in that case his nonappearance would be thesignal for search, and we should be irretrievably lost.

  With this thought in my mind I clutched the rope and began to swarm upit, trusting to Providence that whatever was keeping it at the top wouldhold it until I could get there.

  Even now, when I think about the climb to the top of that prison wall, Ifeel a shudder pass over me. It was interminable. I seemed to be doomedto climb thousands of feet of rope, and never to get any farther. But atlast it was accomplished, and I was hauling myself along the broken_cheval de frise_, to where a black mass lay blocked between it and thestones. Needless to say, that mass was Veneda, and unconscious. He hadtied the rope round his waist before starting, and its sudden drop fromthe iron-work on to the coping must have inflicted on him a terriblewrench; in swinging round, his head had struck
the wall with sufficientforce to stun him.

  One glimpse was enough to show me that it was impossible for him to helphimself, so drawing the rope up, I made it fast round the stanchions ofthe iron, and pulling his body over to the other side, lowered it asgently as I could, under the circumstances, to the ground. It was adangerous undertaking, for, as I have said, he was a heavy man, and Ihad only the narrow top of the wall on which to take a purchase with myfeet.

  How it was that no one saw us from the prison side I am at a loss tounderstand. I can only attribute it to the fortunate darkness of thenight; for had the moon been visible we must certainly have beendiscovered.

  As soon as Veneda reached the ground I slipped down the rope to hisside, and with the assistance of the Malay bore him to the cab. Then,without waiting to ascertain the condition of the unfortunate sentry,who still lay where I had thrown him, off we set as fast as the ponycould take us in the direction of the port.

  At the best of times, and under the most pleasant circumstances, it is amiserable drive; but with a sick man to support, for Veneda had not yetreturned to consciousness, a treacherous Malay to watch, and my ownbalance in the tiny cart to keep, it was one long-continued horror.

  The awkwardness of my position was increased ten-fold by Veneda'sinsensibility, for, not being able to speak Malay myself, I had no onenow to fall back upon. I could only repeat "Tanjong Priok, TanjongPriok," over and over again, prefacing my remarks with a guilder, andaccompanying each repetition with hints of more. But such was mydespair, that had my driver attempted to play me false, I believe Ishould have terminated his existence without thinking twice about thematter.

  The endurance of the little rat of a pony was nothing short ofmarvellous; along heavy roads, through slushy pools, up and down hill,he dashed with a vigour of which, had I not seen it for myself, I shouldhardly have believed him capable. Now and again the moon struggled outbetween the clouds to reveal a waste of horrible country. Dense mangroveswamps, reeking paddy fields, slimy canals, funereal barges, and nativedwellings slid past us, like the ever-changing patterns of akaleidoscope.

  Once or twice my companion showed signs of returning consciousness, butit was only for a few seconds, and after each he inevitably sank backagain into his former comatose condition. Seeing him so long in thisstate, I began to be alarmed for his life, and even seriouslycontemplated abandoning the flight and taking refuge somewhere, until Icould bring trustworthy medical advice to his assistance. But thisextreme measure was, after all, not necessary, for as we approached theport he opened his eyes.

  "What's the matter?" he asked faintly, trying to lift his head up tolook about him.

  I explained as briefly as I could, and asked him how he felt.

  "I don't know," he said; "somehow I seem to be dead below my waist. Whathappened to me? Oh, I remember, that cursed rope."

  Turning his face to the driver he said something in Malay, to which theboy offered a vigorous reply.

  "I have been asking him," said Veneda, "if he can get us anywhere nearthe docks without exciting attention, and he says he thinks he can. Hedeclares there'll be the devil and all to pay for this night's work,which, all things considered, I don't think unlikely."

  Then taking my hand, he continued, but in a different tone--

  "I don't know what to say to you for what you've done for me. I'mafraid, though, you've had your trouble in vain; I'm in an awful state."

  "I'm more than sorry to hear it," I replied; "but bite on the bullet,old man, we'll never say die."

  "It's devilish good of you, Ramsay; but don't you think you'd betterclear out without me? I shan't think a bit the worse of you for it, andit will only be spoiling your own chance to burden yourself with me."

  I cannot remember what reply I made to this, but I believe it was to theeffect that we were in the same boat, and must sink or swim together.Somehow my heart was more warmly disposed towards the poor fellow in hishelplessness than it had ever been in his strength. Such a strange andwonderful thing is the responsibility of protection.

  By this time we were close to the shore. I could smell the sea-breezedistinctly; and the first whiff of it put new life into me. It was thebreath of freedom, and with that in my nostrils I felt there was nothingI could not do or dare. Like the old war-horse, whose courage rises andwhose old deeds of derring-do come back to him with the ring of thetrumpet-call, so all my powers and energies derived a fresh fillip fromthat glorious ozone.

  When we reached a safe place the driver pulled up, and I lifted mycompanion out of the cab.

  Only a wall separated us from the docks. With the Malay's assistance,and a vast deal of pain to the sufferer himself, whom I could heargrinding his teeth in his endeavour to prevent any cry escaping him, Igot Veneda over it.

  This accomplished, I gave the driver the sum I had promised him, and sawhim start away on his journey back to the city. Then I rejoined Veneda,and taking him up in my arms, proceeded towards the wharf side. Layinghim down, I started off in search of a boat.

  On every side were numerous big craft, mail-steamers, men-of-war, etc.,but further inland, towards the river, was the sort of vessel Iwanted--a small native sailing boat of about two tons. The moon emergedfrom behind a cloud as I stepped on board her to investigate. Only oneman was to be seen, and he lay asleep under a sort of thatch place aft.Without disturbing him, I crept off again and back along the wharf toVeneda. Taking him up, I carried him to the boat and aboard, placing himvery gently under the shelter beside the sleeping man.

  Just as I did so, three bells struck on a big steamer in the pool withalarming distinctness. The clang was taken up by some of the other boatsround about, and it was well-nigh a minute before they'd all donechiming. To make sure of my defence I drew my revolver from my pocketand examined the chambers; they were all charged. Then, signing myintentions to Veneda, I placed my fingers round the sleeping man'sthroat and shook him back to consciousness. I must leave you to imaginehis astonishment when he woke.

  As soon as he was able to understand matters, Veneda explained in Malaythat we wanted the loan of his boat for a day or two, and that itbehoved him to go ashore quietly and peaceably, or he'd get intotrouble. But a brilliant thought had struck me. The craft was too bigfor one man to manage, so, since Veneda was unable to assist, whyshouldn't we take the man as well as his property? Besides husbandingour strength, this would prevent the authorities from obtaining any clueas to the manner of our departure from the island.

  I explained my idea to Veneda, who fell in with the notion at once. Itwas a case of Hobson's choice for the nigger; he had no option but tosubmit. Giving Veneda the tiller, such as it was, I escorted the ownerforward, and assisted him to get sail on her. Then, casting off, webegan to tack slowly down the harbour, past the Singapore mail-boat,the Dutch gun-boat, and astern of the big mud-dredger, out into the opensea. Fortunately the wind was in our favour, and though the boat was notbuilt on the latest yachting lines, yet it was astonishing what pace itwas possible to get out of her. What most puzzled me was the course weought to steer, for I hadn't the remotest acquaintance with thesewaters. I put the question to Veneda, who called the man aft and soundedhim on the subject. A long jabbering ensued.

  "He says it would be best for us to make further down the coast; but Idon't cotton to that notion at any price."

  "What do you think then?"

  "Why, my idea is, one of the small islands off Sumatra. They're right inthe way of ships. Then we'll get rid of this fellow and his boat, andwait our chance to be picked up and carried on to Singapore or Colombo,as the case may be."

  "Very well," I said, "we'll just let her run her present course for anhour or two, and at the same time keep our eyes open for an island thatwill suit us."

  Fortunately the boat was well provisioned, even to the extent of a smallsupply of arrack, or native spirit, which came in handy for Veneda, sowe were not likely to want for food for some time to come.

  As soon as we were clear of the land, I took my place
by my poorfriend's side, and endeavoured to discover in what way he had hurthimself. Save, however, for a few large bruises, and a cut or two,there was nothing to indicate the nature of his injuries. Advising himto try and obtain some sleep, which I felt sure would have a bettereffect than anything I could do for him, I took the tiller and preparedto stand the first watch. The Malay sulked forward, looking as if he'dlike to stick his _crease_ into the pair of us, which under thecircumstances perhaps was not to be wondered at.

  By this time it was hard upon sunrise, and such a sunrise too! The firstsign that came to us was the paling of the larger stars in the east;this was followed by a long thin streak of silver-grey, just balanced onthe edge of the horizon. As, bit by bit, this grey died out, its placewas taken by a faint tint of salmon-pink, which in its turn againsurrendered to all manner of other colours as the darkness drew off theremainder of the sky. Even the sea participated in the general glory. Awonderful hush overspread everything, and to me it seemed that anintense melancholy had assumed possession of the world. Like the man inthe _Ancient Mariner_, we might have been the "first who had ever burstinto that silent sea." The very ripple of the water under our squatbows, and the creaking of the boat's timbers, were subdued into harmonywith the general effect. Gradually long shafts of light pierced theeastern heavens. Then, with almost startling suddenness, the sun leapedabove the horizon, and the sea resumed its natural hue; as if by magic,the colours faded out of the sky, and day was born to us.

  About seven o'clock Veneda woke, much refreshed by his sleep. Callingthe Malay aft I gave him the helm, getting Veneda to instruct him as tothe course I wanted steered. This done, I went forrard to prepare somerice for breakfast. Though he never allowed a sign of it to escape him,I knew Veneda's sufferings must be intense. As far as I could see I waspowerless to alleviate them; and whenever I asked him how he felt, heonly laughed grimly, and said--

  "Get me to an island, that's all I want, get me to an island!"

  All that day we sailed on and on. About midday the wind dropped, and theboat's progress was consequently very slow. It was monotonous work, but,as we both agreed, it was better than prison in Batavia. Towards eveningthe coast of Sumatra was just distinguishable, and this we followed upin the hope, before dark, of hitting an island that would suit us. Wesighted several, but for some reason Veneda found an objection for themall. At last, just as I was beginning to think we should have to passthe night at sea, we came abreast of one of which he expressed hisapproval. It was very small, not more than a mile in length, but thicklytimbered, and with a broad strip of sand running all round it.

  Having decided on the best spot to land, I steered the boat in, andafter a bit of manoeuvring, beached her on a good sandy bottom towardsthe most northerly point. The first business was to discover if theisland contained fresh water. And here arose a difficulty. I could nottake Veneda ashore with me, and I dared not go myself and leave him atthe mercy of the Malay. He divined what was passing in my mind, andsolved the problem with his usual quickness.

  "Give me your revolver, and prop me up here. I'll watch him till youcome back, never fear."

  I did as he desired me, and then bidding him "good-bye," clambered overthe side and waded ashore.