CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
CHAINS AND SLAVERY.
Pete calmed down after a while, and began to feel a bit sulky. He hadcommon-sense enough to begin looking at the state of affairs from amatter-of-fact point of view, and he lay conning the position over.
"Just as he likes," he said. "He pitches me over, and won't have anymore to do with me. Well, it aren't no wonder, zeeing what I've been.Wonder what made me turn so zoft and zilly about him! Zeeing how hardit was for him to be zarved as he was, and then hooked off along withus."
"Dunno that it's any worse for him than it is for me," he muttered; "butzeemed to feel a bit sorry about him, poor lad!--there I go again: poorlad! No more poor lad than I be. Got it into my thick head that it wasnice to help him while he was so bad, and that, now our lads havepitched me overboard, we was going to be mates and help one another.But we aren't, for he's pitched me overboard too."
"Well," muttered Pete, with a bitter laugh, "I can zwim as well as moston 'em, and I shan't hurt much; and as for him, he must take his chancewith the rest on us. He's got his wits back again, and don't zeem liketo go wool-gathering again; and, if he's sharp, he'll speak up and makethat t'other man understand it's all a blunder about him being sent offalong o' we. But there, he wants to go his own fashion, zo he must.But if I was him I should kick up a dust before we start, and havemyself zent back home by the next ship."
He glanced in the gloom at where Nic was seated, and a feeling of sorrowfor the poor fellow filled him again; but after the rebuff he hadreceived he fought it off, and began to watch Humpy Dee and the others,as they sat together talking in a low tone, and then to meditate ontheir position towards himself.
"They're half-afraid of Humpy," he thought, "and he's made 'em thinkthat I zet the sailors at them. If I go on talking till it's a bluemoon they won't believe me, zo things must go their own way, and zomeday they'll find Humpy out; on'y I'm not going to let him do as he likeswith me. This isn't going to be a very cheerful zort of life out here;but, such as it is, it's better than no life at all; zo I aren't goingto let him pitch me into the river or down some hole, or knock me on thehead, or stick a knife into me. That won't do. It's murder--leastwiseit is at home; p'raps it aren't out here. Zeems not after the way thatchap talked about shooting us down and zetting them dogs at us. Why,one of 'em's stronger than us, and a zet-to wi' one of 'em wouldn't benice. Bit of a coward, I s'pose, for I can't abide being bitten by adog."
"Best thing I can do will be to slip off first chance; for I zeem, whatwith Humpy and these folk, to have dropped into a nasty spot. Dessay Ican take care of myself, and--nay, that won't do; zeem sneaky-like to goand leave that poor lad, for I do zort o' like him. Wonderful how theydogs took to him. Nay, that aren't wonderful. Got a lot o' zense, dogshave. Allus zeem to take to zick people and little tiny children, andblind folk too. How they like them too!"
At that moment there was a deep baying sound not far-away, and Pete hadnot long to wait before there were steps, the door was unlocked andthrown open, and the overseer entered, accompanied by the dogs, andfollowed by a party of blacks, one of whom carried a roughly-madebasket.
They were big, muscular fellows, and shiny to a degree whenever thelight caught their skins, a good deal of which was visible, for theirdress consisted of a pair of striped cotton drawers, descending half-wayto the knee, and a sleeveless jacket of the same material, worn open sothat neck and breast were bare.
The dogs barked at the prisoners, and repeated their examination byscent, ending by going well over Nic, who made no attempt to caressthem, nor displayed any sign of fear, but sat in his place stolidlywatching the proceedings, the dogs ending their nasal inspection bycrouching down and watching him.
The overseer was alone now, and his first proceeding was to take hisstand by the black, who had set down the heavy basket, and call HumpyDee to come forward, by the name of Number One.
The man rose heavily, and this seemed to be a signal for the threehounds to spring to their feet again, making the man hesitate.
"Them dogs bite, master?" he said.
"Yes; they'll be at your throat in a moment if you make the slightestattempt to escape," said the overseer sharply.
"Who's going to try to escape?" grumbled Humpy.
"You are thinking of it, sir," said the overseer. "Mind this," hecontinued--drawing the light jacket he wore aside and tapping his belt,thus showing a brace of heavy pistols--"I am a good shot, and I couldeasily bring you down as you ran."
"Who's going to run?" grumbled Humpy. "Man can't run with things likethese on his legs."
"I have seen men run pretty fast in fetters," said the overseer quietly;"but they did not run far. Come here."
Humpy shuffled along two or three steps, trailing his irons behind him,and the overseer shouted at him:
"Pick up the links by the middle ring, sir, and move smartly."
He cracked his whip, and a thrill ran through Nic.
Humpy did as he was told, and walked more quickly to where the overseerstood; but before he reached him the herculean black who stood by hisbasket, which looked like a coarsely-made imitation of the kind used bya carpenter for his tools, clapped a hand upon the prisoner's shoulderand stopped him short, making Humpy turn upon him savagely.
"Ah!" roared the overseer, as if he were speaking to one of the dogs.
Humpy was overawed, and he stood still, while the black bent down, tooka ball of oakum out of the basket, cut off about a foot, passed thepiece through the centre ring of the irons, and deftly tied it to theprisoner's waist-belt. Then, as Nic and Pete watched, the action goingon fascinating them, the black made a sign to one of his companions, whodropped upon his knees by the basket, took out a hammer, and handed itto the first black. Then the kneeling man lifted out a small block ofiron, which looked like a pyramid with the top flattened, clapped it onthe floor, and the first black began to manipulate Humpy as a blacksmithwould a horse he was about to shoe, dragging him to the little anvilwith one hand, using the hammer-handle to poke him into position withthe other.
"Going to take off his irons," thought Pete, and the same idea flashedacross Nic's mind.
He was mistaken.
Another black stepped up, as if fully aware of what was necessary, andstood behind Humpy, ready to hold him up when necessary; for the secondblack now seized one of the prisoner's ankles, lifted his foot on to thelittle anvil, and the first examined the rivet, grunted hisdissatisfaction, and Humpy's foot was wrenched sidewise by one man, whoheld the rivet upon the anvil, while his leader struck it a few heavyblows to enlarge the head and make it perfectly safe.
This done, Humpy was marched nearer the door, scowling savagely athaving had to submit to this process; but he grinned hisself-satisfaction as he saw his companions brought forward in turn fortheir irons to be examined--one to have them replaced by a fresh set,which were taken from the basket, and whose rings were tightly rivetedabout his ankles, the rivets of the old ones being quite loose.
The men were ranged near the entrance, which, at a look from theoverseer, was now guarded by the three unoccupied blacks.
"Now you," said the overseer to Pete, who rose from where he sat aloneand approached the anvil with a curious sensation running through him.
"Why didn't they iron you?" said the overseer harshly.
"Wounded and sick," replied Pete gruffly.
"Ah, well, you are not wounded and sick now.--He's a big, strong fellow,Sam. Give him a heavy set."
The big black showed his fine set of white teeth. A set of fetters wastaken from the basket, and with Pete's foot held in position by thesecond black--a foot which twitched and prickled with a strong desire tokick--the first ring was quickly adjusted, a soft iron rivet passedthrough the two holes, and then the head was rested upon the littleblock of iron, and a few cleverly-delivered blows from the big black'shammer spread the soft iron out into a second head, and the open ringwas drawn tight.
The second ankle-ring was quickly
served in the same way, and the centrelink was lifted and tied to the prisoner's waist-belt, Pete turningscarlet, and wiping the perspiration from his dripping brow from time totime.
"Over yonder with the others!"
There was a movement among the men at the door as this order was given,and Pete winced; but even a man newly fettered can still feel pride, andthe poor fellow determined that his old comrades should not think he wasafraid of them. He walked boldly up to take his place, meeting Humpy'smalignant look of triumph without shrinking, and turning quicklydirectly after with a feeling of pity as he heard the overseer summonNic to take his place in turn.
"Now's your time, my lad," Pete said to himself. "Speak out like a man,and if you ask me to, I'll back you up--I will."
He looked on excitedly, wondering whether Nic's wits were still withhim, as but so short a time ago they had only returned to him like aflash and then passed away, leaving him, as it were, in the dark.
It was very still in the hot, close place, and every word spoken soundedstrangely loud in the calm of the late afternoon.
"Lighter irons," said the overseer to the big black; and there was theclinking sound of the great links as the man handed the fetters from thebasket.
"And him not shrinking," thought Pete. "Give me quite a turn. He can'tunderstand."
The big black took the fetters and balanced them in his hand, looking athis superior as much as to say, "Will these do?"
The overseer took a step or two forward and grasped the chain, to standholding it, gazing frowningly the while at Nic, who met his gaze withoutblenching.
"Why don't you speak--why don't you speak?" muttered Pete. "Can't yousee that now's your time?"
"You've been bad, haven't you?" said the overseer roughly.
Nic raised his hand slowly to his head and touched the scar of a greatcut on one side, the discoloration of a bruise on the other.
"But quite well again now?"
Nic smiled faintly.
"I am weak as a child," he replied.
"Humph! Yes," said the overseer, and he threw the chain upon the floor.
Pete, who had been retaining his breath for some moments, uttered afaint exclamation full of relief.
"But why didn't he speak out and tell him?" For a few moments hisbetter feelings urged him to speak out himself; but he shrank fromexposing both to the denials of the other men again, and stood frowningand silent.
Then the chance seemed to be gone, for the overseer gave the youngprisoner a thrust towards the others, and Nic walked towards themstraight for where Pete was waiting. Then he raised his eyes, saw whowas standing in his way, and he went off to his right, to stop besideHumpy Dee, while a feeling of resentment rose hotly in Pete's breast.
"Oh, very well," he muttered to himself; "it's no business of mine."
The next minute the overseer gave a sharp order; the big black raisedthe basket and put himself at the head of the prisoners; the otherslaves took their places on either side, and the overseer followedbehind with the dogs, which began to bound about, barking loudly for aminute or two, and then walked quietly as the party left the gloomywarehouse behind.