CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
THE ENEMY ONCE MORE.
"All this time sailing here and there," said Mark one day, "and not donea bit of good."
"Do you hear that, Mr Whitney?" cried Bob. "There's gratitude, when ithas been just as if we were under orders to keep at sea so as to get himand Mr Russell well again; and look at 'em now. Why, it has quitecured 'em both."
"And their doctor has done nothing, Mr Bob Howlett?"
"Oh, I didn't mean that, sir, exactly," said that gentleman, colouring alittle. "Of course you have done them a lot of good, sir, and--"
"There, you are only floundering about, young gentleman, and makingworse of it," said the doctor, gruffly.
"Wait a bit; you will be laid by the heels one of these days, and thenyou will sing a very different song. But you are a wonderful dealbetter, Vandean, and I congratulate you. I shall not have to ask foryou to be sent home."
"Oh yes, I'm much better, sir," cried Mark.
"Well, don't talk as if you were afraid I was going to order you pillsand draught. I've done with you, but you had better be careful MrRussell can go on without me now. As for Mr Howlett here--well, we'llwait for that."
He gave Bob a curious look and strolled away, leaving that gentlemanwith his face screwed up in a way which made Mark burst out laughing.
"Oh yes, it's all very well for you to grin," grumbled Bob; "you're outof the wood. He don't like me, and you see if he doesn't serve me outfirst chance he gets."
"Then you should have been more careful about what you said."
"Well, I was. I do believe he'd like to have me down in his cabin tocut up for experiment, and to practise physic on. Ugh! the old wretch!"he continued, with a shudder.
"Hallo! what's the matter now?" he added, as the man up aloft shouted"Sail ho!" and glasses were rapidly brought to bear upon a point milesaway down south, where a few palm trees were dimly-seen through the hothaze.
"What do you make of her, Mr Russell?" said the captain to the youngofficer, who had gone aloft.
"Barque, sir. Small. Heavily-rigged. She's going right in. Theremust be either a bay there, or a large river."
"No mention of any bay or harbour there," said the captain. "Looksbad--or good," he added. "What else can you make out?"
"Nothing, sir. The trees hide her now completely."
"Slaver, then, without a doubt. Now, gentlemen, she has gone in withoutseeing us, and it will be our fault if she gets away. We must have nomistake this time."
"Hurray!" whispered Bob to his companion. "Prize-money at last."
"Chickens," said Mark.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't count 'em till they're hatched."
"Get out, croaker!"
Just then the two blacks came along the deck, looking very smart intheir white sailor trousers, and not a little proud of their straw hats.Each man brightened up and displayed his teeth, as he saw themidshipmen, muttering something incomprehensible in reply to Bob's "Howdo, Soup? How are you, Taters?" and passing on.
"I say," said Mark, "it's too bad to nickname the poor fellows likethat."
"Not a bit of it. What's in a name? They answer to 'em right enough,and the men like 'em."
"Yes, of course they do. Whoever heard of a sailor who didn't like abit of fun of that kind?"
"Oh, then you call it fun?"
"Yes--ill-natured fun."
"Bother! Here's the skipper. Let's seem to be doing something, or weshall be lectured."
But Captain Maitland was too eager about the sailing of his ship, andpaid no heed to the midshipmen's idleness, only thinking as he was ofgetting round the land in front, and overhauling the stranger, who wasnow quite out of sight beyond the point, and it took two hours to getwithin sight again. But they found that, instead of there being ariver, the coast turned sharply to the east, and the barque, in place ofbeing close to them, was sailing steadily away east and south, andfarther from them than ever.
"Bah! another false alarm," cried Mr Staples; "are we never to captureone of the scoundrels?"
Just then Mark touched his elbow, and pointed to a vessel which had beenunnoticed before, lying as it did close under the shore, with bare polesraked well back, and the whole of the long, low, schooner-rigged vesselwearing a look of having been built for swift-sailing more than for anyordinary trading purpose.
"Well done, sharp eyes!" cried the lieutenant; "that's one of thescoundrels;" and the course of the _Nautilus_ was changed directly witha peculiar result.
The minute before not a soul was to be seen on board the schooner, whichmight have been absolutely deserted; but, as soon as the course of the_Nautilus_ was changed and those on board saw that, in spite of lyingclose up under the trees of the muddy shore of what appeared to be acreek, they had been observed, sails were rapidly hoisted, and theslight, graceful vessel began to glide so swiftly through the water thatit was evidently no slow ship that would catch her should she once getinto the offing.
She was about a mile away and promised to escape, but Captain Maitlanddid not mean to be out-manoeuvred this time. The crew were beat toquarters, a gun fired, and the colours run up as the course of the_Nautilus_ was again altered so as to cut the schooner off, and in duetime a second gun gave out its puff of smoke.
But no heed was taken, and the schooner kept along close in shore tillher captain saw that escape was impossible in the direction he wastaking, and altering his helm, the swift vessel glided round and madeoff in the opposite direction.
But the _Nautilus_ was again too quick for her, and in a few minutes wasonce more hard in chase and sending shot after shot, till one betterdirected than the rest went through her maintopmast.
The crew of the _Nautilus_ sent up a tremendous cheer as the great sparcame down with its gaff sail, leaving the schooner for the time like abird with a broken wing.
"We shall have her now for certain," said Bob Howlett.
"Yes; and she has shown no colours," replied Mark; "but suppose she doesnot turn out to be a slaver, after all."
"Suppose pigs were to fly," cried Bob. "She's a slaver for certain, andwe've got her."
"Doesn't look like it," replied his companion; "where's she making fornow? Why, she sails as well as ever."
This was a slight exaggeration, but all the same the vessel glided alongrapidly, and through the glasses the crew could be seen rapidly cuttingaway the damaged rigging, while her helm was manipulated so that sheappeared to be sailing right for the shore.
Another shot and another was fired, but not the slightest heed was paid;and as the _Nautilus_ went swiftly on, it was noted that, unseen before,there was a narrow river running up through the trees, with its regularfringe of mangroves, and the schooner was being steered for this.
"She'll get right up that river, after all," said Mark, who in theexcitement had forgotten all his past illness, and appeared to be asstrong as ever.
"Not she. We shall have her first, my lad. Hurray! look, she has givenin. They've stopped and surrendered."
"She has struck on one of the banks, sir," cried Lieutenant Staples,excitedly, for the schooner's way through the water had suddenly ceased,and she slowly swung round broadside on, with her sails shivering andflapping.
"A prize at last!" cried Mark, as the men cheered, and the _Nautilus_glided on, till, when they were about a quarter of a mile away, MrRussell announced that a couple of boats were leaving the schooner, andit was seen that her captain and crew were making for the shore.
"No doubt now about what she is, gentlemen," said the captain. "Pipeaway the cutter's crew. Mr Russell, you would like to begin workagain. Jump in, sir, and go and take possession."
"And pursue the boats, sir?"
"Bah! no! They are not worth the labour. You can take one of the younggentlemen with you."
Bob took a step forward, but Mr Russell turned to Mark.
"You'll come, Vandean," he said; and the lad leaped into the cutter,which was rapidly rowed aw
ay through the muddy water, just as theschooner's boats disappeared round a headland covered with trees, whichscreened the outlet of a stream far larger than had been imagined, andfor which without doubt now the schooner's captain had been making.
"A splendid prize, Vandean," said Mr Russell, as they drew near and sawthe admirable build of the vessel, which looked nearly new. "She wasevidently on her way for a cargo of the poor wretches. We ought to havetaken her afterwards, when she was laden."
"Yes, we should have done more good then. But if they had no slaves onboard, why did they run? Oh!"
The midshipman uttered an ejaculation expressive of the utter disgustwhich he felt as they neared the schooner's side.
"What is it? What's the matter?" cried the lieutenant; and then hiscountenance changed. "Back water!" he exclaimed, as he turned away hishead. "How horrible!"
Then, altering his order, he cried, "Row--row, my lads--pull!"
For from somewhere on board, now not a dozen yards from them, there rangout in smothered tones a piteous cry of despair.