CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE.
SAFE AT LAST.
"Looks like a ship's longboat, sir; but she's right under the sun, and Ican't make her out."
"Any one in her?"
"No, sir; not a soul."
The conversation was between the captain and one of the foremast men ofthe good ship _Sultan_, bound from a western city with passengers andsugar to the port of Bristol. The wind was very light, and men were upaloft, setting the main top-gallant sail, when the boat was sighted onlya little way out of the vessel's course.
Then the captain argued, as he took a look at her from the main-top,that a boat like that might be battered, and not worth the trouble ofpicking up; but, on the other hand, she might; and finally, after takingthe first-mate into debate, it was decided to steer a point or two tothe west and pick her up.
"For who knows what she may have aboard, or what good ship may have beenwrecked?" the skipper said to one of the passengers brought on deck bythe news of a boat in sight, for such an event broke the monotony of thetedious voyage.
As the news spread through the ship the rest of the passengers came ondeck, and when the boat was neared, the captain, as he stood inspectingthe object through his glass, began to be satisfied that the find was ingood condition, and then the announcement came from aloft that therewere two bodies lying in the bottom.
The excitement now became fierce; one of the ship's boats was swung outon the davits ready for lowering, manned, and dropped, and finally theprize was brought alongside, with its freight still alive, butapparently at their last gasp.
Fortunately the captain was a man of old experience in the tropics, andnoting that there was neither food nor water on board, he put the rightconstruction upon the poor fellows' condition--that they were dying ofhunger and thirst, after escaping from some wrecked or sinking vessel.
Merchant captains have a smattering of knowledge, and a medicine cheston board, and there were willing hands to take charge of "the poorshipwrecked men;" but it was a hard fight with the raging fever anddelirium from which both suffered, and again and again they were givenover, and were still too weak to answer questions when Bristol port wasreached, and they were taken to hospital ashore.
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It was quite a month before the journey home could be taken in the oldstage-coach bound from Bristol to Plymouth.
But Nic bore it well, for Captain Revel was seated by his side, holdinghis hand as if afraid that after all his son might slip from his graspand the old suffering recommence.
"It nearly killed me before, my boy," he said piteously, as he urged hisson to be careful not to exert himself in the least. "I gave you up fordead, and I was following you fast, Nic, for I don't believe I shouldhave lived another year."
"I'll take care, father; never fear," said the young man cheerily, for,though thin and worn, his eyes were brightening, and there were signs ofreturning health in his cheeks. "I only need a good, quiet rest in theold place, where I can lie and watch the sea, or go down the shady oldcombe, to listen to the falls and watch the salmon leap."
"Ugh! don't talk about the fish," cried the Captain, with a shudder;"they were the cause of all this suffering."
"Oh no," said Nic, smiling. "It was all that terrible mistake."
"Well, don't let's talk about the past," said the Captain hurriedly; "oronly about one thing, my boy. I did want to consult you about thatfellow who's up aloft with William Solly."
"About Pete, father?"
"Yes, the scoundrel! He was as bad as the salmon."
"Poor old Pete!" said Nic, smiling. "He saved my life over and overagain, father. I want you to take him into your service."
"What! that poacher who used to defy us all?"
"Poachers make the best keepers, father, when they reform; and Pete hasproved himself a good man and true. Will you tell him he is to stay?"
"I'll keep a dozen of such fellows if you'll only get strong and wellagain, my boy," said the old sailor eagerly. "I'll tell him next timewe change horses. But I shall never forgive Lawrence."
"What, father!" cried Nic, smiling. "Why?"
"An old comrade like he has always been, to have such a stupid blundermade by those under his command."
"A terrible mistake, father; but, to be quite fair, it was all my doing,and I was hoist with my own petard."
"No, no, Nic; you're wrong," said the old man, "and William Solly--animpudent rascal!--was right."
"How, father?"
"Well, my boy, it was all my fault for making such a fuss about a fewsalmon. William Solly had the insolence to tell me I made a troubleabout nothing, and wanted a real one to do me good. This has been areal one, Nic, and I've suffered bitterly."
"But there's fair weather ahead, father."
"Please God, my boy," said the old man piously, and with his voicetrembling, "and--and there, Nic, I've got you back again, and you willget well, my boy--you will get well, won't you?"
"Fast, father," replied Nic, pressing the old man's hand.
Nic did mend rapidly in the rest and quiet of his old home, where oneday Captain Lawrence, newly returned from a long voyage, came to see hisold friend, and heard Nic's adventures to the end.
"A bitter experience, my dear boy," he said; "but let's look to thefuture now: never mind the past."
But one day, when the convalescents had been for two months drinking inthe grand old Devon air, Nic was rambling through the combe with Pete,both pretty well strong again, when the latter said:
"I want to be zet to work now, Master Nic, or to be zent away; for Ifeel as if I ought to be doing zomething, instead of idling about here."
"You've talked like that before, Pete," said Nic, smiling. "Have alittle patience, and then you shall begin."
"But it zeems zo long, zir. I zay, though, it's rather queer, isn't it,for me to be water bailiff and keeper over the vish as I used to take.Think Humpy Dee and them others will get away and come back again?"
"I hope so," said Nic slowly and thoughtfully. "They deserved theirpunishment, but they will have had enough by now."
"Nay, you're a bit too easy, Master Nic. Humpy's a down bad one, and Ishould like the others to have one year more out yonder, and Humpy too."
"Too long for white slaves, Pete," said Nic. "We have suffered withthem, and know what the sufferings are; so I forgive them. What sayyou?"
"Zame as you do, Master Nic; o' course, that is, if they don't come backand meddle with our zalmon again--_our zalmon_! That zounds queer,Master Nic, don't it? I can't quite feel as if it's all true."
"But it is true, Pete; and we are here safe in the good old home, afterwhat seems now like an ugly dream."
"Dinner-bell's rung twice, Master Nic," said William Solly, coming uponthem suddenly from behind the trees; "and you can't 'spect to get yourstrength up proper if you aren't reg'lar at the mess. I run out to lookfor you, to keep the skipper from--Well, there now--if he aren't come tolook for you hisself! Give him a shout, and say you're coming."
Nic hailed, and hurried back to meet the old officer, while WilliamSolly turned to Pete:
"Come along, messmet; the beef and soft tack's waiting. And so you'regoing to stop here altogether!"
"I s'pose so," said Pete.
"And we're to be messmets reg'lar sarving under Captain Revel and MasterNic?"
"That's it," said Pete sturdily.
"Well," said Solly, "I aren't jealous, for you did the right thing bythe young master; so let's shake hands."
This was solemnly done, and Solly went on:
"As good a skipper as ever stepped a deck, and as fine a boy as everbreathed. Pete, messmet, you've dropped into a snug thing."
"Which that zame I know," said Pete gruffly.
"But you saved Master Nic's life, and the skipper's too, by bringing theyoung master back; and I'm glad you're going to stay. So suppose weshakes hands agen?"
They did, as if they
meant it, too.
They did mean it, and somehow a great attachment sprang up between thosetwo men, while as time rolled on Nic smiled more than once on meetingthem consulting together about matters connected with the estate, andmade Solly wince.
At last, after a good deal of hesitation, Solly turned upon his youngmaster.
"Beg pardon, sir," he said; "speaking respeckful like--"
"What is it?" said Nic, for the man stopped.
"Well, sir, you know; and it goes hard on a chap as is doing his dootyand wants to keep things straight."
"I still don't understand you, Solly," said Nic.
"Well, sir, it's all along o' that there chap, Pete: you never ketch mea-talking to him, and giving him a bit o' good advice about what theskipper likes done, but you grins."
"Grins?"
"Oh, it's no use to make believe, Master Nic, because you do, and ithurts."
"They were not grins," said Nic. "I only smiled because I was glad tosee you two such good friends."
"Ho!" ejaculated Solly; "that was it, sir? I thought you was grinningand thinking what an old fool I was."
"Nothing of the sort."
"Well, I'm glad o' that, Master Nic, though it do seem a bit queer thatI should take a lot o' notice of a feller as fought agen us as he did.But we aren't friends, sir."
"Indeed!" said Nic.
"It's on'y that I can't help taking a bit to a man as stood by you as hedid over yonder in furren abroad. You see, a man like that's got themaking of a good true mate in him."
"Yes, Solly, of as good a man as ever stepped."
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Two years had passed, when one day Solly watched his opportunity ofcatching Nic alone in the grounds, and followed him.
"Master Nic!" he whispered hoarsely.
The young man turned round, and Solly "made a face" at him. That is tosay, he shut his left eye very slowly and screwed up the whole of hiscountenance till it was a maze of wrinkles.
"What is it, Solly?"
"Pete's over yonder, sir, by the combo, and wants to speak to you."
"Oh, very well, I'll go," said Nic, and the old sailor nodded, lookedmysterious, slapped his mouth to indicate that it was a secret mission,and hurried away.
"What does it all mean?" said Nic to himself. "Why, I do believe Peteis going to tell me that he wants to be married, and to ask if my fatherwill object."
He reached the combe, to find Pete, now a fine sturdy-looking Devon manin brown velveteen jacket and leather gaiters, counting the salmon inthe pool.
Pete turned sharply directly he heard Nic approach, and the serious lookin the man's face told that something unusual had occurred.
"Morn', Master Nic, zir."
"What is it, Pete? Surely you don't mean that we've had poachersagain?"
"Poachers it be, zir," said the man mysteriously; "but they won't comehere again. Master Nic, there's three on 'em come back, and I've zeen'em."
"What! From the plantation?"
"Yes, zir; after a long spell of it they managed to give the dogs zomepoison stuff they got out of the woods. The blacks told 'em of it.Manshy something it was."
"Manchioneel! I know," said Nic.
"That's it, zir, and it killed 'em. They got away in a boat--a new un,I s'pose."
"I'm glad they escaped, poor fellows," said Nic; "but is that scoundrelDee with them?"
Pete was silent.
"Dead, Pete?"
"Yes, zir, 'fore we'd been gone two months," said the man gravely. "Hewent at Zaunders one day with his hoe, and nearly killed him; but thedogs heard the fight, and rushed down."
"Ah! the dogs!" cried Nic.
"Yes, zir, and what with their worrying and a shot he'd had fromZaunders, it meant a couple o' the blacks with spades, and a grave inthe woods."
"Horrible!" ejaculated Nic.
"Yes, zir, horrible. Humpy allus hated me, and I s'pose I never likedhim; but if I'd been there, zir, I'd ha' helped him fight for his lifeagen them zavage dogs."
"I know you would, Pete," cried Nic warmly. "But what about these men--are they going to stay in the neighbourhood?"
"Not they, zir. They belong to the crew of a ship in Plymouth harbour;and zomehow they got to know that I was here. They walked all the wayo' purpose to wish me luck and zhake hands and zay they hadn't aughtagen me, for they'd found out how it was they was took. It was poorHumpy as made 'em believe it was me. They went back lars night."
"Poor Humpy!" said Nic wonderingly.
"Well, yes, zir. You zee, he waren't like other men," said Pete simply."He was born all crooked and out o' shape and ugly, and got teased andkicked about when he was a boy; and I zuppose it made him zour andevil-tempered. Then he grew up stronger than other men, and he got tolove getting the better of them as had knocked him about. I dunno, butit allus zeemed zo to me. Well, poor chap, he's dead, and there's anend on it."
"Yes," said Nic, gravely repeating the man's words, "there's an end ofit."
THE END.
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