CHAPTER XIII.
Gandy is Rescued from the Honey Pots.
WILL was but a few seconds in getting the necessary rope out of thecuddy. Then, taking an oar with him, he followed Reube as fast as hecould run, casting wary eyes at the oily patches which were dottedaround his path.
The wretch in the honey pots had evidently no thought that his enemieswould attempt his rescue. When he saw them approaching he thought theycame to mock him or to gloat over his last agony, and he nerved himselfto control the terror which had unmanned him. Then he saw the boat hook,the oar, the rope, and he knew that these meant help if help werepossible. A wild hope, mixed with wonder, lit up his deep-set eyes.Could it be that Reube Dare would try to save him after all that he haddone? To let him perish would be just, and so easy and so safe. To helphim would be perilous indeed, for no one could go among the honey potswithout taking his life in his hands; and yet here was Reube, here wasthat interfering Carter chap, running toward him as if there were nosuch things as honey pots. He could not understand it. The deadly mudwas sucking, sucking, sucking at his feet, his knees, his thighs. It waslike dumb, insatiable tongues of strange monsters curling about him.Nevertheless, he half forgot the horror in a new feeling which brokeupon his spirit, and this emotion spoke in his eyes as Reube arrived atthe edge of the honey pot. Reube saw it, and it insensibly softened hisvoice as he said:
“Keep up your nerve now, and we’ll get you out all right.” At the sametime he stretched out the boat hook, which Mart grasped with desperatestrength, pressing it to his breast with his one sound arm.
Flinging all his weight into the pull, Reube surged mightily on the boathook. But his utmost force produced no effect. The pull of the twistingmud was mightier. Instead of extricating Gandy, even by an inch, hefound himself sinking. He was on treacherous ground. With a quick wrenchhe freed the leg that was caught by dragging it from its boot. Then,leaving the boot where it was, he ran around to the other side of thehoney pot and felt for firm standing ground.
As he did so, Will came up breathing quickly.
“Be keerful on your right!” cried Gandy, sharply, and Will sprang aside,just avoiding a bad spot.
“Thanks, Gandy,” he remarked, in a casual way, as if Gandy had picked uphis hat for him or handed him a match. Then he flung a coil of rope,saying:
“Fix the end of that under your arms; fix it firm, so that it won’tslip.”
Then he went round the honey pot to where Reube was standing, with palebrow knitted closely.
“What are we going to do?” asked Reube. “I can’t budge him.”
Gandy, in spite of shattered arm, had succeeded in fastening the ropeabout his waist, and now, placing the long, light shaft of the boat hookin front of him, was bearing down upon it as hard as he could.
“That’s a good idea,” cried Will. “But here, Mart, the oar will bebetter because it’s bigger round and flat in the blade. Fling us theboat hook and take the oar!”
These efforts, though they had not at all availed to extricate thevictim, had kept him from being dragged further down. With the oar hewas able to exert his strength to more advantage. Will now made a loopin the rope and passed the handle of the boat hook through it. Then, oneon each side of the rope, and each with the shaft across his breast, sothat the whole formed a sort of rude harness, Will and Reube bent theirbodies to the pull like oxen in a yoke. At the same time Gandy, usinghis unwounded arm, lifted with all the force that despair could givehim.
For two or three seconds there was no result. Was it all to be in vain?Then from Gandy’s white lips came a gasping cry of “She gives!” andslowly, slowly at first, then with a sudden yielding which nearly threwthe rescuers to the ground, that terrible hold gave way, and Gandy, wasjerked forward upon solid ground.
White and panting from the strain, they turned to free him from therope. He had fainted and lay as if dead. The anguish of his wound and ofhis terror and the gigantic effort which he had just put forth hadovercome him.
Will and Reube bent their bodies to the pull.]
“Let’s get the poor wretch down to the water,” proposed Will.
“We’ll take him right aboard the _Dido_, where we can see to his arm andfix him a place in the cuddy,” said Reube. “The _Dido’s_ hard and fastnow for another six hours, so we can take our time. But I wish we couldget the chap to a doctor sooner than that.”
So saying, he picked up Gandy’s long form and walked with it easily downto the boat. The wounded man was still unconscious. A bed of quilts wasfixed for him, and Reube was just about to cut the sleeve from his shirtto examine the arm and bathe it when Will cried:
“Hold on a minute, Reube. The way the boat lies now I think we can pryher off with the oar. See how the sands dip away on the outside.”
He was right. Using the big oar as a lever, they got the _Dido_ afloatin a very few moments. Then Reube said:
“You sail the boat, Will, and I’ll see to the patient.”
“You had better let me attend to him while you steer,” suggested Will.
“No,” said Reube; “he’s my own private enemy, and I must look after himmyself. You see to the boat.” And Will obeyed without more ado.
Had they been watching Gandy’s face they would have seen the eyes openand instantly close again. But Reube was delicately cutting the sleeveaway and Will was watching the process, the sail, and the _Dido’s_course all at the same time. Gandy was conscious, but in a faint way hewas wondering over the situation in which he found himself. Presently heheard Will speak again:
“Well, now you’ve got him, and the poor rascal is a good deal worse forwear. I can’t for the life of me see what you’re going to do with him.”
Will’s voice was kind, in a bantering way. He found it hard to maintaina proper degree of righteous indignation against a man whose life he hadjust saved. And that helpless arm he could not but contemplate withpity.
“I’m going to get him home and into the doctor’s hands,” said Reube. “Itseems to me he’s punished enough this time, and maybe he’ll realize it.Anyway, I’m not going to take action against him after all the troublewe’ve had to save him. We’ll just say nothing about that shot from therocks till we see how he turns out when he gets well. If there’s anygood in him, this experience ought to bring it out. And there must besome good streak in a fellow that’s faithful to his family the way Martis.”
By this time the arm was bare, and Reube was bathing it tenderly. Then,covering the wound with a wet compress, he bandaged it loosely and roseto fix a shelter over the patient’s face. To his amazement the tearswere rolling down Gandy’s sallow cheeks.
“What’s the matter, Mart? Feeling worse?” he inquired, anxiously.
But Gandy made no reply. He covered his face with his one available arm,and Reube could perceive his thin lips working strangely. Having seenthat he was as comfortable as he knew how to make him, Reube seatedhimself by Will in the stern. Save for a few chance and commonplaceremarks, there was silence between the two comrades for an hour, whilethe _Dido_ sped merrily homeward. They had enough to occupy theirthoughts in that day’s adventures, but they did not wish to talk of whattheir captive could hardly like to hear about. At last Will remarked:
“It’s warm, Reube, and your patient must be thirsty.”
“That’s so,” said Reube, springing up. With a tin of fresh water hestepped over to Gandy’s side, slipped an arm under his head to raise it,and said:
“Here, Mart, take a sup to cool your lips. They look parched.”
Instead of complying, Gandy grasped and clung to the hand that held thecup.
“Forgive me,” he begged. “Reube Dare, forgive me. I never knowed what Iwas doin’. To think of all I’ve done to you, an’ then you to treat melike this!” And he covered his face again.
“Mart,” said Reube, more moved than he was willing to let appear, “nevermind about that now. We’ll let bygones be bygones. Here’s my hand onit.”
And he grasped the hand that hid Mart’s eyes.
In his weakness Gandy was so overcome that he tried to laugh just whilehe was struggling not to cry, and he made a poor mixture of the attempt.But, raising himself for a second on his elbow, he managed to murmurunsteadily:
“I can’t talk, but, ’fore God, I’ll show you both what I think of yous.”
And Mart Gandy kept his word through after years of loyal devotion tothese two young men who on this day had taught him a new knowledge ofthe human heart. An ambition to seem worthy in their eyes led him tomend his life, and the Gandy name soon grew in favor throughout theTantramar countryside.
As for the _Dido_, fate looked kindly on her trips all that season andfor several seasons thereafter. That autumn Reube took his mother toBoston. Mrs. Carter, with Will and Ted, went at the same time; and aftera simple operation, much less painful than had been expected, Mrs. Dareregained the perfect use of her eyes. On their return to the TantramarWill and Ted set out again for college, and this time Reube went withthem. His _Dido_ had proved herself a fair match for the new marsh inthe matter of giving her master an education. During successive summerholidays she carried Reube and Will and Ted on many a profitable andmerry trip, but never again did she experience one so eventful as thatwith which she began her career as a Tantramar shad boat.
THE END.
TRANSCRIBER NOTES
Misspelled words and printer errors have been corrected.
Inconsistencies in punctuation have been maintained.
Some illustrations were moved to facilitate page layout.
A cover was created for this eBook.
[The end of _Reube Dare's Shad Boat: A Tale of the Tide Country_, byCharles G. D. (George Douglas) Roberts.]
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