CHAPTER FORTY.
FIRING A TRAIN.
A sound like a sigh or the escape of some pent-up emotion came from thelittle group of prostrate men, all of whom, save the black, knew thatthe powder might after all, while driving out the cabin door and itsbarricading, injure, perhaps kill them, in its explosion.
But no one flinched, as the schooner careened over in obedience to aturn or two of the wheel, and glided rapidly off on a fresh tack, whilethe flame of the heavy train ran here and there over the cabin floor,its peculiar hiss suggesting to Mark the idea of a fiery reptile, andthe strain of those exciting moments growing till they appeared to beminutes.
Away it sped in its serpent-like trail, for Tom had made liberal sweepsof the powder, and the whole course was marked by an ever-increasingcloud of white smoke, which rapidly filled the cabin, till only aboutfour of the bends remained between the fire and the heap of powder, whenwith a suddenness that sent a thrill through all, there was a tremendouscrash, followed by a heavy, dull jar which shook the vessel from stem tostern. Mark Vandean sprang up, gave one glance toward the stern windowas if he were going to spring out, and then flung himself between theburning train and the powder tins, rolling himself over and over in thehissing flame, and at the same time sweeping the powder, so carefullylaid in zigzag curves, right and left and away toward the cabin window,where it sputtered and flashed innocuously.
"Quick, Tom!" he panted; "sweep away. Mind it don't go off."
"Why, it has gone off," cried Tom, rising up on his knees and speakingfrom out of the dense white smoke, which now completely filled the cabinand rendered the men invisible to each other.
He was making for the cabin door, when Mark seized and clung to him.
"Come on, my lads," cried Tom. And then, "All right, sir; you leadthem."
"Don't--don't you see?" panted Mark.
"No, sir; who is to see in this blessed smoke? But you're losing time.Come on."
"The door isn't open."
"What? It must be. Come on."
"I mustn't go near," cried Mark. "Look. These sparks."
"Ay, you're all afire, sir. What made you go so soon? You ought tohave waited."
"You don't understand," cried Mark, who could hardly sneak fortrembling. "That was not the explosion. I--I stopped it."
"You stopped it, sir," cried Tom Fillot, as he kept on passing his handsover Mark's garments to press out a few sparks which lingered there.
"Yes, of course. Didn't you hear what that was?"
"Course I did, sir, though I was down on my face with my fingers in myears. It went off well. Come on, the door must be down."
Another heavy report seemed to strike the schooner again, as the smokecurled rapidly out of the cabin window, and Mark pressed to it, thrustout his head, and uttered a loud cheer.
"Why--no--yes--hooray!" roared Tom Fillot, as he caught a glimpse ofsomething half a mile away, seen through the thick white smoke. "Cheer,lads, cheer! It's the _Naughtylass_ just astarn."
"I--I knew it," panted Mark, "and stopped the train just in time. Lookat the floor and sweep away any sparks that are left. I--I can't now.Mind the powder doesn't go off."
The smoke in the cabin was less dense now, and, awakening fully to thefact that there were sparks here and there where the train had ignited afew tindery spots between the boards, Tom Fillot and Bannock carefullytrampled them out and swept away with their caps any portions of theloose powder which might communicate with the heap by the cabin door.
"That's about right now, sir," said Tom; "and that's about safe, but I'mblessed if I didn't think it had all gone off."
_Bang_! went another gun.
"Go it, old gal," cried Tom. "I say, sir, that first shot must have hitus somewheres forrard. Oughtn't we to give 'em a cheer?"
"Yes," cried Mark; and the men pressed to the cabin window, but beforethey could shout there was the smashing of glass overhead, and thebarrel of a pistol was thrust down.
"Say, there," came in the skipper's voice. "Just yew all lie down. Yewshow yewrselves at that winder any one of yew and I'll send a bulletthrough the fire that signals."
Mark's first idea was to commence war on their side, but he waited histime, and sat down smarting and throbbing, as the black came across tohim and laid a hand upon his knee, looking commiseratingly in his face.
"Oh, it's nothing much," said Mark, hastily, though he was quiveringwith pain.
"But it is much, sir," said Tom Fillot, who, at a sign from Mark, haddrawn back and now stood gazing at his young leader.
"Does it show, Tom?"
"Want me to tell you the hull truth, sir?"
"Yes, of course."
"Hair's all singed off, sir, and you ain't got a bit a' eyebrow oreyelash left."
Mark groaned.
"But they'll all grow again, sir," cried the sailor, eagerly, "and itmight ha' been worse."
"Couldn't, Tom. It does smart so."
"But s'pose your whiskers had growed, sir. Why, it would ha' took allthem off too."
"Don't--don't talk, man," cried Mark impatiently. "Only try if you cansee what's going on. How was it we didn't see the _Nautilus_ before?"
"She must ha' come round some pynte sudden-like, and took 'em on thehop, sir. We couldn't make her because we can only see just astarn.They're luffing a bit aboard the _Naughtylass_ to fire. There shegoes."
Almost as he spoke there was a white puff of smoke, a shot came skippingalong the surface and then went right over the schooner, and splashed inthe sea beyond.
"Hadn't we better hyste them colours out o' winder?" said Tom.
"What for?" said Mark, trying to suppress the manifestations of painwhich would keep showing.
"They'll think we've surrendered and cease firing."
"But that would be helping the schooner to escape."
"Why, of course, sir," cried Tom, slapping his leg; "that wouldn't do nogood. I was only thinking of its being onpleasant to sit here and beshot at by one's own messmates. But it don't matter; they can't hitvery often."
Mark glanced up at the skylight, to see if they were being watched, andhad ample proof of that being the case, for he could see the skipperlooking down at him.
Directly after the man walked away, and they heard him giving someorders, which were followed by a quick trampling, and directly after, tothe lad's annoyance and disgust, the cabin was partially darkened by asail being hung down over the stern.
"To keep us from seeing what is going on," grumbled Dick Bannock.
"No," said Mark; "to keep us from signalling."
But though they could not see, they could hear, and they all satlistening with intense excitement as shot followed shot, and theschooner lay so much over to one side that it was evident that she wascarrying a very heavy press of sail, and that the slaver captain wasstraining every nerve to escape.
"Now, then," cried Mark, "be ready for a rush either at the door or upthrough the skylight, in case the boats board. We can then take theYankee between two fires."
"Ay, ay, sir," cried Tom; "strikes me, begging your pardon, sir, as someof us aboard the _Naughtylass_ is terrible bad shots. I want 'em to hitus--forrard, o' course; not here."
"They could hit fast enough," said Mark, petulantly, for he was in greatpain, "only they are firing at the rigging, so as not to injure theslaves."
"Course. I forget that, sir; only if they don't bring down a spar, andthe beggars escape again, where are we?"
Just at that moment there was a rattling and thumping at the cabin door,as if something was being removed; and as the prisoners listened, theskipper's voice was heard at the skylight.
"Below there!" he cried. "Ah, it's of no use. I'm covering yew withthis pistol. Look here, I've got a boat alongside ready; that door'sa-going to be opened, and one of yew will come out a time, and tumbleinto the boat. One at a time, mind; and if there's any show o'fighting, we'll shoot you down without mercy. Do yew hear?"
"Yes, I hear,
" said Mark bitterly.
"Soon as yew're all over the side, we'll cut yew adrift; and when yew'reskipper picks yew up, yew may tell him that I'll throw every niggeroverboard before he shall take us, and run the schooner aground and blowher up this time."
"You can give your message when Captain Maitland has you safely inirons, sir," said Mark, stoutly.
"Thankye," said the skipper; and at that moment, in obedience to anorder previously given, the cabin door was dragged open.
"What d'yer say to a rush, sir?" whispered Tom Fillot.
He had hardly uttered the words, when there was a fresh crashing noise,a heavy report, and a splintering of wood, accompanied by a strangerustling sound. The door was clapped to again and fastened, and asthere was a rush of feet, a shouting of orders, and the sound of axesbeing used, the schooner swung round, stopped, and the prisoners set upa cheer.
"Mainmast down by the board," cried Tom Fillot, slapping his leg. "Wecan aim straight, sir, arter all."
Mark forgot the smarting and throbbing from his burns on the instant, ashe snatched out his dirk, for knowing as well as if he could seeeverything that the whole of the after-rigging was lying across the deckand dragging at the side, so that the schooner lay on the water like agull with a broken wing, he felt that in a few minutes a couple ofboats' crews from the _Nautilus_ would be aboard; and if there was to beany resistance, now was the time to make a diversion.
"Make ready, my lads," he cried. "Cutlasses only. Quick!"
Just then there was a fresh crackling and breaking sound, and theskylight, through which he had meant to lead his men, was also darkenedby the falling over it of a part of the great sail and the gaff; so thatthey were in twilight.
"Better try the door, sir," cried Tom Fillot. "We'll kick it out now,sir; there's nothing behind."
"Quick, then, quick!" cried Mark, excitedly; and the men went at it witha cheer, while the shouting of orders on deck grew more loud and angry.
"We must get out, Tom," cried Mark, "and make a desperate effortourselves. If the boats get here first, they will claim to have takenthe schooner, and rob us of all the honour."
"We'll try, sir," cried Tom. "Go it, my lads! Lay your backs into it.Soup, heave!"
But the door resisted all their efforts, and it was evident that theAmericans had wedged it with a couple of pieces of wood.
"Oh, this is maddening," cried Mark. "They mustn't find us prisonershere below."
"Let's try the skylight, sir," cried Tom Fillot; and at a word fromMark, he mounted the little table, and began to drag at the heavycanvas, so as to get it aside, but came down with a crash, as there wasa flash and the report of a pistol.
"Hurt, Tom?" cried Mark, in agony, as he went down on one knee in thedim cabin, and caught at the sailor's arm.
"Hurt, sir!" grumbled the man. "Just you lose your footing, and comedown with your ribs on the edge of that table, and see if you wouldn'tbe hurt."
"But I mean shot--wounded."
"Yah! no. He couldn't hit a hay-stack, sir. I'm all right."
"Let me try," said Dick Bannock, "while he's loading his pea-shooter."
The man mounted the table, and began to drag at the canvas and tangle ofrope, and blocks, but there was no attack made upon him, and hestruggled on till he was obliged to give up with a sigh of despair.
"Can't you do it?" cried Mark.
"No, sir, nohow. Wants someone on deck with a hax."
"Let's try the window again," cried Mark; but a few minutes decidedthat. Hampered by the great sail hanging down, there was no exit therewithout cutting a way through, while those who tried would have beenquite at the mercy of the men on deck.
Back at the door, they hammered and beat and thrust, trying all theyknew without avail, till suddenly, as a cheer was heard alongside, oneof the pieces of wood which wedged them in so securely gave way alittle, then a little more, and with the tramping of feet increasingoverhead, the door flew open.
Mark bounded out, but was driven back into the cabin by Bob Howlett, whoforced his way in with his men, his first words shouted in the darkcabin--doubly dark to those who entered from the glaring Africsunshine--silencing Tom Fillot and his comrades, who shrank back puzzledat first, then full of mirth and enjoyment at the midshipman's mistake.
For, seeing in the blackened object whom he had helped to drive backinto the cabin a foe of a calibre suited to his size, and one whom hecould tackle, Bob Howlett shouted to his men--"Cut 'em down if theyresist," and then to Mark. "Now you slave-catching dog, surrender, orthis goes through you like a spit."