CHAPTER THREE.
SAVING A BROTHER'S LIFE.
There was a moment's dead silence after Mark had, in his excitement,cried for help. Then the word "Fire!" was uttered sharply, and therewas the deafening report of a gun, whose shot again passed between theschooner's masts, but without doing the slightest harm. Then, almostmingled with the bass roar of the cannon, the captain's orders rang out;the boatswain's pipe sounded shrilly, and as the _Nautilus_ was thrownup into the wind, and her sails began to shiver, down went the boat withits crew, Mark, at a sign from the captain, who gave him a friendlysmile, having sprung in. Then there was a quick thrust off by thecoxswain, the oars fell on either side with a splash, and the youngmidshipman stood up, balancing himself on the thwart in thestern-sheets, directing the officer who held the rudder-lines how tosteer, for far-away on the moonlit water, when the swell rose high, hecould still see the dark head and the rippling made by the swimmerstruggling for his life.
"Starboard!" shouted Mark. "Pull, my lads, pull. Starboard a littlemore."
"Starboard it is," cried the officer. "See him still?"
"Yes," cried Mark. "Oh, pull, my lads, pull, or he'll go down before weget to him. Now port a little: they're pulling stronger on one sidethan on the other--not too much. That's right. Yes, I can--no, he isdown in the hollow. There he is again. Pull your hardest," he cried,excitedly; and the men jerked at their oars as they cheered.
"Hold on; we're coming," cried Mark to the drowning man, thoughtless ofthe fact that the negro would not understand his words, even if he heardthem, which was doubtful in the wild agony of his struggle, as withbreath growing short, weak as he was from confinement, he struck outmore quickly, and fought hard with the waves for his unhappy life.
"See him still?" cried Mark's companion, as the boat made the waterfoam.
"Yes--no--no," said Mark, hoarsely; "he's down in the hollow again.Straight on. We're going right for him, and--"
"Don't say he has gone down," cried the officer.
"No; I shall see him directly. We must be close to him now. Readythere with the boathook."
"Ay, ay, sir," cried the man in the bows, as he stood up ready to make asnatch at the drowning man. "See him, sir?"
Mark was silent as he strained his eyes over the surface of the sea,looking vainly for the struggling figure which had been making so bravea fight for life. There was a terrible feeling of dread oppressing him,as for the first time he was face to face with death; and in those awfulmoments he was unconscious of the regular reports of the guns as the_Nautilus_ kept up her fire at the flying schooner. He heard nothing,saw nothing but the sea shimmering in the moonbeams. For after a longand desperate fight, with the water rising higher about his lips, theunfortunate black had grown weaker and weaker, and at last had given onetremendous plunge, which raised him high, so that he could glare wildlyround for help; then he had ceased his struggle and gone slowly down,the water closing over his staring eyes and glistening teeth; there werea few bubbles, and the sea heaved and fell gently over the spot where hesank.
"I have been close here, sir," cried the coxswain.
"Easy, my lads," cried the young lieutenant in command. "Can't you seehim, Van? Oh, hang it, lad, look! We mustn't let the poor beggardrown, even if he is a nigger."
Mark uttered a groan. He had come to save a human being--afellow-creature cast to destruction by the brutal captain of theslaver--and he had failed.
"Got him?" came faintly from the distant ship.
"No, sir," shouted the second lieutenant, through his hands.
"Oh, look! look!" cried Mark, wildly. "Pull, my lads. Starboard men,back water. He must be somewhere here. He is sure to come up again."
The men obeyed, and in those terrible moments the silence was appalling.Then came the deafening roar of a gun--the last fired then at the nowdistant schooner--and Mark sank down from the thwart and was turningaway from the men to hide his drawn face, when he uttered a wild cry,flung himself half over the side of the boat, and made a desperateclutch at something which just rose above the water. Then hand graspedhand, the white holding the black in a desperate clutch, as thelieutenant dropped the rudder-lines, and saved Mark from going overboardby seizing him round the waist.
Then came a little hauling, followed by a cheer, as the nude figure of astalwart black was dragged in, to sink helpless, perfectly insensible,in the bottom of the boat.
"Now pull, my lads!" shouted the lieutenant; "pull all you know, andlet's get aboard. We've got to take that schooner before we've done."
The men cheered, and pulled for the ship, from which came an answeringcheer; but as Mark knelt down by the black he felt they had been alittle too late, for the man lay there, in the moonlight, apparentlyquite dead. He had not stirred, neither did there seem to be theslightest pulsation as the boat was pulled alongside the _Nautilus_ andrun up to the davits, the graceful vessel beginning to glide once morerapidly in pursuit of the schooner, which had by the cruel manoeuvreplaced a considerable distance between her and her pursuer.
"The black-hearted scoundrel!" cried the captain, as he stood lookingdown at the slave. "I'll follow him to America but what I'll have him.Well, doctor, all over with the poor fellow?"
"Oh no," said the gentleman addressed; "he's coming round."
Almost as he spoke there was a faint quiver of the black's eyelid, and afew minutes after he was staring wildly round at the white faces abouthim. The men set up a cheer, while a feeling of exultation such as hehad never before experienced caused a strange thrill in the midshipman'sbreast.
"He may thank you for his life, Vandean," said the second lieutenant,"for we should never have seen him. Now I wonder whether that scoundrelwill try the same game over again."
"Safe to, Russell," said the first lieutenant, gruffly. "Here, my lads,get the black below; give him a place to lie down. He'll be all rightin the morning, and a free man at any rate."
"I say, Van," said Bob Howlett, "aren't we all making a precious lot offuss about a nigger? Wonder whether you'd all make as much about me."
"Go overboard and try," said Mark.
"Eh? Thankye. Well, not to-night. I say, can't that schooner sail?"
"So can we--and faster. What a rate we're going at. Shan't capsize,shall we?"
"Hope not, because if we did that schooner would escape. Why don't theyfire?"
"Waste of powder and shot, my boy," said a voice behind them; and,looking sharply round, there stood the first lieutenant with his glassto his eyes, watching the flying boat. "Ha! we're moving now. Betterget on a lifebelt, Mr Vandean, if you feel afraid."
He walked away, leaving the lad flushed and indignant. "Needn't catch afellow up like that," he muttered. "Who said anything about beingafraid?"
Bob Howlett laughed, and then turned his eyes in the direction of theschooner.