[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
I told my plan to the captain, and between us we settled on the details of its
accomplishment.
We put old Redruth in the gallery between the cabin and the forecastle, with
three or four loaded muskets and a mattress for protection. Hunter brought the
boat round under the stern-port, and Joyce and I set to work loading her with
powder tins, muskets, bags of biscuits, kegs of pork, a cask of cognac, and my
invaluable medicine chest.
In the meantime, the squire and the captain stayed on deck, and the latter
hailed the coxswain, who was the principal man aboard.
"Mr. Hands," he said, "here are two of us with a brace of pistols each. If any one
of you six make a signal of any description, that man's dead."
They were a good deal taken aback, and after a little consultation one and all
tumbled down the fore companion, thinking no doubt to take us on the rear. But
when they saw Redruth waiting for them in the sparred galley, they went about
ship at once, and a head popped out again on deck.
"Down, dog!" cries the captain.
And the head popped back again; and we heard no more, for the time, of these
six very faint-hearted seamen.
By this time, tumbling things in as they came, we had the jolly-boat loaded as
much as we dared. Joyce and I got out through the stern-port, and we made for
shore again as fast as oars could take us.
This second trip fairly aroused the watchers along shore. "Lillibullero" was
dropped again; and just before we lost sight of them behind the little point, one of
them whipped ashore and disappeared. I had half a mind to change my plan and
destroy their boats, but I feared that Silver and the others might be close at hand,
and all might very well be lost by trying for too much.
We had soon touched land in the same place as before and set to provision the
block house. All three made the first journey, heavily laden, and tossed our stores
over the palisade. Then, leaving Joyce to guard them one man, to be sure, but
with half a dozen muskets Hunter and I returned to the jolly-boat and loaded
ourselves once more. So we proceeded without pausing to take breath, till the
whole cargo was bestowed, when the two servants took up their position in the
block house, and I, with all my power, sculled back to the HISPANIOLA.
That we should have risked a second boat load seems more daring than it really
was. They had the advantage of numbers, of course, but we had the advantage of
arms. Not one of the men ashore had a musket, and before they could get within
range for pistol shooting, we flattered ourselves we should be able to give a good
account of a half-dozen at least.
The squire was waiting for me at the stern window, all his faintness gone from
him. He caught the painter and made it fast, and we fell to loading the boat for
our very lives. Pork, powder, and biscuit was the cargo, with only a musket and a
cutlass apiece for the squire and me and Redruth and the captain. The rest of the
arms and powder we dropped overboard in two fathoms and a half of water, so
that we could see the bright steel shining far below us in the sun, on the clean,
sandy bottom.
By this time the tide was beginning to ebb, and the ship was swinging round to
her anchor. Voices were heard faintly halloaing in the direction of the two gigs;
and though this reassured us for Joyce and Hunter, who were well to the
eastward, it warned our party to be off.
Redruth retreated from his place in the gallery and dropped into the boat, which
we then brought round to the ship's counter, to be handier for Captain Smollett.
"Now, men," said he, "do you hear me?"
There was no answer from the forecastle.
"It's to you, Abraham Gray it's to you I am speaking."
Still no reply.
"Gray," resumed Mr. Smollett, a little louder, "I am leaving this ship, and I order
you to follow your captain. I know you are a good man at bottom, and I dare say
not one of the lot of you's as bad as he makes out. I have my watch here in my
hand; I give you thirty seconds to join me in."
There was a pause.
"Come, my fine fellow," continued the captain; "don't hang so long in stays. I'm
risking my life and the lives of these good gentlemen every second."
There was a sudden scuffle, a sound of blows, and out burst Abraham Gray
with a knife cut on the side of the cheek, and came running to the captain like a
dog to the whistle.
"I'm with you, sir," said he.
And the next moment he and the captain had dropped aboard of us, and we had
shoved off and given way.
We were clear out of the ship, but not yet ashore in our stockade.
17
Narrative Continued by the Doctor: The Jolly-boat's Last Trip
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]