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Tales of Daring and Danger - G A Henty · Revolt of the Birds

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Speaker 1: Section one of Tales of Daring and Danger. This is
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Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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Speaker 1: For more information or a volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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Speaker 1: Recording by Keith Sallis Tales of Daring and Danger by
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Speaker 1: g A. Henty Bears and Dacoits. Chapter one. A merry
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Speaker 1: party were sitting in the veranda of one of the
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Speaker 1: largest and handsomest bungalows of Poona. It belonged to Colonel Hastings,
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Speaker 1: colonel of a native regiment stationed there and at present,
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Speaker 1: in virtue of seniority commanding a brigade. Tiffin was on
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Speaker 1: and three or four officers and four ladies had taken
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Speaker 1: their seats in a comfortable cane lounging chairs which form
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Speaker 1: the invariable furniture of the veranda of a well ordered bungalow.
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Speaker 1: Permission had been duly asked and granted by Missus Hastings,
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Speaker 1: and the cheer roots had just begun to draw when
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Speaker 1: Miss Hastings, niece of the colonel, who had only arrived
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Speaker 1: the previous week from England, said, Uncle, I am quite disappointed.
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Speaker 1: Missus Lyon showed me the bear she has got tied
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Speaker 1: up in her compound, and it is the most wretched
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Speaker 1: little thing, not bigger than Rover Papa's retriever, and it's
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Speaker 1: full grown. I thought bears were great, fierce creatures, and
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Speaker 1: this poor little thing seemed so restless and unhappy that
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Speaker 1: I thought it quite a shame not to let it go.
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Speaker 1: Colonel Hastings smiled rather grimly. And yet small and insignificant
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Speaker 1: as that bear is, my dear, it is a question
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Speaker 1: whether he is not as dangerous an animal to meddle
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Speaker 1: with as a man eating tiger. What that wretched little bear, Uncle, Yes,
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Speaker 1: that wretched little bear. Any experienced sportsman will tell you
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Speaker 1: that hunting those little bears is as dangerous a sport
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Speaker 1: as tiger hunting on foot, to say nothing of tiger
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Speaker 1: hunting from an elephant's back, which there is scarcely any
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Speaker 1: danger whatever. I can speak feelingly about it, For my
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Speaker 1: career was pretty nearly brought to an end by a
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Speaker 1: bear just after I entered the Army some thirty years ago,
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Speaker 1: at a spot within a few miles from here. I
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Speaker 1: have got the scars on my shoulder and arms still. Oh,
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Speaker 1: do tell me all about it, Miss Hastings said, and
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Speaker 1: the request being seconded by the rest of the party,
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Speaker 1: none of whom, with the exception of Missus Hastings, had
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Speaker 1: ever heard the story before. For the Colonel was somewhat
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Speaker 1: chary of relating this special experience. He waited until they
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Speaker 1: had all drawn up their chairs as close as possible,
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Speaker 1: and then, giving two or three vigorous puffs at his
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Speaker 1: cheer root began as follows. Thirty years ago. In eighteen
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Speaker 1: fifty five, things were not so settled in the Dekan
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Speaker 1: as they are now. There was no idea of insurrection
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Speaker 1: on a large scale, but we were going through one
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Speaker 1: of those outbreaks of decor which have several times proved
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Speaker 1: so troublesome. Bands of marauders kept the country in confusion,
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Speaker 1: pouring down on a village now carrying off three or
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Speaker 1: four of the Bombay money lenders, who were then as
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Speaker 1: now the curse of the country, sometimes making an onslaught
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Speaker 1: upon a body of traders, and occasionally venturing to attack
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Speaker 1: small detachments of troops or isolated parties of police. They
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Speaker 1: were not very formidable, but they were very troublesome and
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Speaker 1: most difficult to catch. For the peasantry. Regarded them as
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Speaker 1: patriots and aided the shielded them in every way. The
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Speaker 1: headquarters of these gangs of dacoits were the Guts, in
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Speaker 1: the thick bush and deep valleys and gorges. There they
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Speaker 1: could always take refuge, while sometimes the more daring chiefs
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Speaker 1: converted these detached peaks and masses of rock, numbers of
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Speaker 1: which you can see as you come up the gut
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Speaker 1: By railway, into almost impregnable fortresses. Many of these masses
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Speaker 1: of rock rises sheer up from the hillside as walls
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Speaker 1: of masonry, and look at a short distance like ruined castles.
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Speaker 1: Some are absolutely inaccessible, others can only be scaled by
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Speaker 1: experienced climbers, and, although possible for the natives with their
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Speaker 1: bare feet, are impracticable to European troops. Many of these
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Speaker 1: rock fortresses were, at various times a headquarters of famous
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Speaker 1: d Koit leaders, and unless the summits happened to be
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Speaker 1: commanded from some higher ground within gunshot range, they were
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Speaker 1: all but impregnable, except by starvation. When driven to bay,
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Speaker 1: these fellows would fight well well. About the time I joined,
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Speaker 1: the dacoits were unusually troublesome. The police had a hard
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Speaker 1: time of it and almost lived in the saddle, and
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Speaker 1: the cavalry were constantly called up to help them, while
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Speaker 1: detachments of infantry from the station were under canvas at
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Speaker 1: several places along the top of the guts, to cut
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Speaker 1: the band off from their strongholds and to aid, if necessary,
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Speaker 1: in turning them out of the rock fortresses. The natives
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Speaker 1: in the valleys at the foot of the guts, who
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Speaker 1: had always been a semi independent race, ready to rob
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Speaker 1: whenever they saw a chance, were great friends with the Dakoits,
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Speaker 1: and supplied them with provisions whenever the hunt under the
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Speaker 1: Khan was too hot for them to make raids in
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Speaker 1: that direction. This is a long introduction, you will say,
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Speaker 1: and does not seem to have much to do with bears,
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Speaker 1: but it is really necessary, as you will see. I
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Speaker 1: had joined about six months when three companies of the
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Speaker 1: regiment were ordered to relieve a wing of the fifteenth
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Speaker 1: who had been under canvas at the village, some four
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Speaker 1: miles to the north of the point where the line
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Speaker 1: crosses the top of the guts. There were three white
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Speaker 1: officers and little enough to do, except when a party
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Speaker 1: was sent off to assist the police. We had one
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Speaker 1: or two brushes with the dakoits, but I was not
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Speaker 1: out on either a. However, there was plenty of shooting
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Speaker 1: and a good many pigs about, so we had very
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Speaker 1: good fun. Of course, as a raw hand, I was
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Speaker 1: very hot for it, and as the others had both
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Speaker 1: passed the enthusiastic age. Except for pig sticking and big game,
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Speaker 1: I could always get away. I was supposed not to
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Speaker 1: go far from camp, because in the first place I
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Speaker 1: might be wanted, and in the second because of the dacoits,
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Speaker 1: and Norworthy, who was in command, used to impress upon
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Speaker 1: me that I ought not to go beyond the sound
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Speaker 1: of a bugle. Of course, we both knew that if
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Speaker 1: I intended to get any sport, I must go further
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Speaker 1: afoot than this. But I merely used to say, all right, sir,
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Speaker 1: I will keep an ear to the camp, and he,
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Speaker 1: on his part, never considered it necessary to ask where
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Speaker 1: the game which appeared on the table came from. But
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Speaker 1: in point of fact, I never went very far, and
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Speaker 1: my servant always had instructions which way to send for
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Speaker 1: me if I was While as the dacoits, I did
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Speaker 1: not believe in their having the impudence to come in
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Speaker 1: broad daylight within a mile or two of our camp.
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Speaker 1: I did not often go down the face of the guts.
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Speaker 1: The shooting was good, and there were plenty of bears
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Speaker 1: in those days, but it needed a long day for
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Speaker 1: such an expedition, and in view of the dacoits who
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Speaker 1: might be scattered about, was not the sort of thing
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Speaker 1: to be undertaken except with a strong party. Nor Worthy
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Speaker 1: had not given any precise orders about it, but I
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Speaker 1: must admit that he said one day, of course, you
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Speaker 1: won't be fool enough to think of going down the
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Speaker 1: guts Hastings. But I did not look at that as
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Speaker 1: equivalent to a direct order. Whatever I should do now,
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Speaker 1: the colonel put in, on seeing the furtive smile on
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Speaker 1: the faces of his male listeners. However, I never meant
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Speaker 1: to go down, though I used to stand on the
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Speaker 1: edge and look longingly down into the bush. In fancy.
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Speaker 1: I saw bears moving about in scores. But I don't
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Speaker 1: think I should have gone into their country if they
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Speaker 1: had not come into mine. One day, the fellow who
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Speaker 1: always carried my spare gun or flask, and who was
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Speaker 1: a sort of shaikhari in a small way, told me
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Speaker 1: he had heard that a farmer whose house stood near
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Speaker 1: the edge of the guts some two miles away, had
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Speaker 1: been seriously annoyed by his fruit and corn being stolen
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Speaker 1: by bears. I'll go and have a look at the
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Speaker 1: place tomorrow, I said. There is no parade, and I
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Speaker 1: can start early. You may as well tell the mess
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Speaker 1: cook to put up a basket with some tiffin and
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Speaker 1: a bottle of claret, and get a boy to carry
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Speaker 1: it over. The bears may not come in day, Ramin said,
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Speaker 1: of course not, I replied, still, I may like to
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Speaker 1: find out which way they come. Just do as you
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Speaker 1: are told. The next morning, at seven o'clock I was
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Speaker 1: at the farmer's spoken of, and there was no mistake
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Speaker 1: as to the bears. A patch of Indian corn had
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Speaker 1: been ruined by them, two dogs had been killed. The
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Speaker 1: native was in a terrible state of rage and alarm.
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Speaker 1: He said that on moonlight nights he had seen eight
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Speaker 1: of them, and they came and sniffed around the door
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Speaker 1: of the cottage. Why don't you fire through the window
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Speaker 1: at them, I asked scornfully, for I had seen a
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Speaker 1: score of tame bears in captivity, and like you, Mary
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Speaker 1: was inclined to despise them. Though there was far less
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Speaker 1: excuse for me, for I had heard stories which should
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Speaker 1: have convinced me that small as he is, the Indian
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Speaker 1: bear is not a beast to be attacked with impunity.
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Speaker 1: Upon walking to the edge of the guts, there was
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Speaker 1: no difficulty in discovering the route by which the bears
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Speaker 1: came up to the farm. For a mile to the
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Speaker 1: right and left. The ground fell away as if cut
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Speaker 1: with a knife, leaving a precipice over a hundred feet
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Speaker 1: sheer down. But close by where I was standing was
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Speaker 1: the head of a water course, which in time had
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Speaker 1: gradually worn a sort of cleft in the water up
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Speaker 1: or down which it was not difficult to make one's way.
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Speaker 1: Further down, this little gorge widened down and became a
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Speaker 1: deep ravine, and further still a wide valley. There it
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Speaker 1: opened upon the flats far below us. About half a
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Speaker 1: mile down, where the ravine was deepest and darkest, was
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Speaker 1: a thick clump of trees and jungle. That's where the
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Speaker 1: bears are, I asked Ramen. He nodded. It seemed no
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Speaker 1: distance I could get down and back in time for
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Speaker 1: tiffin and perhaps bag a couple of bears. For a
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Speaker 1: young sportsman, A temptation was great. How long would it
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Speaker 1: take us to go down and have a shot or
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Speaker 1: two at them? No good, go down, master, come here
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Speaker 1: at night, shoot bears when they come up. I had
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Speaker 1: thought of that, But in the first place, it did
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Speaker 1: not seem much sport to shoot the beasts from cover
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Speaker 1: when they were quietly eating. And in the next place,
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Speaker 1: I knew that Norworthy could not, even if he were willing,
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Speaker 1: give me leave to go out of camp night. I waited,
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Speaker 1: hesitating for a few minutes, and then I said to myself,
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Speaker 1: it is of no use waiting. I could go down
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Speaker 1: and get a bear and be back again while I
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Speaker 1: am thinking of it. Then to Ramen, no, come along,
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Speaker 1: we will have a look through that wood. Anyhow, Ramin
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Speaker 1: evidently did not like it. Not easy find bear Sahib
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Speaker 1: he very cunning. Well, very likely we shan't find them,
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Speaker 1: I said, but we can try anyhow, Bring that bottle
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Speaker 1: with you. The tiffin basket can wait here till we
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Speaker 1: come back in another five minutes. I beg on the
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Speaker 1: climb down the water course, the shakiri following me. I
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Speaker 1: took the double barreled rifle and handed him the shotgun,
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Speaker 1: having first dropped a bullet down each barrel over the charge.
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Speaker 1: The ravine was steep, but there were bushes to hold
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Speaker 1: on by, and although it was hot work and took
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Speaker 1: a good deal longer than I expected, we at last
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Speaker 1: got down to the place which I had fixed upon
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Speaker 1: as likely to be the bear's home. Sahib climb up top.
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Speaker 1: Ramen said, come down through wood. No good fire a
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Speaker 1: bear when he above. I had heard that before. But
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Speaker 1: I was hot. The sun was pouring down. There was
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Speaker 1: not a breath of wind, and it looked a long
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Speaker 1: way up to the top of the wood. Give me
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Speaker 1: the claret. It would take too long to search the
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Speaker 1: wood regularly. We will sit down here for a bit,
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Speaker 1: and if we can see anything moving up in the wood,
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Speaker 1: well and good. If not, we will come back again
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Speaker 1: another day with some beaters and dogs. So saying, I
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Speaker 1: sat down with my back against a rock, at a
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Speaker 1: spot where I could look up among the trees for
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Speaker 1: a long way through a natural vista. I had a
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Speaker 1: drink of claret, and then I sat and watched till
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Speaker 1: gradually I dropped off to sleep. I don't know how
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Speaker 1: long I slept, but it was some time, and I
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Speaker 1: woke up with a sudden start. Ramen, who had I fancy,
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Speaker 1: been asleep too, also so started up. The noise which
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Speaker 1: had aroused us was made by a rolling stone striking
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Speaker 1: a rock, and looking up, I saw some fifty yards away,
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Speaker 1: not in the wood, but on the rocky hill side,
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Speaker 1: on our side of the ravine, a bear, standing, as
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Speaker 1: though unconscious of our presence, snuffing the air as was natural.
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Speaker 1: I seized my rifle, cocked it, and took aim, unheeding
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Speaker 1: a cry of no, no sahib from Ramen. However, I
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Speaker 1: was not going to miss such a chance as this,
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Speaker 1: and I let fly. The beast had been standing sideways
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Speaker 1: to me, and as I saw him fall, I felt
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Speaker 1: sure that I had hit him in the heart. I
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Speaker 1: gave a shout of triumph and was about to climb up,
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Speaker 1: when from behind the rock on which the bear had
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Speaker 1: stood appeared another, growling fiercely. On seeing me, it at
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Speaker 1: once prepared to come down. Stupidly, being taken by surprise
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Speaker 1: and being new at it, I fired at once at
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Speaker 1: his head. The bear gave a spring, and then it
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Speaker 1: seemed instantaneous. Down it came at me. Whether it rolled down,
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Speaker 1: or slipped down, or ran down, I don't know, but
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Speaker 1: it came almost as if it had jumped straight at me.
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Speaker 1: My gun ramin, I shouted, holding out my hand. There
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Speaker 1: was no answer. I glanced round and found that the
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Speaker 1: scoundrel had bolted. I had time, and only just time,
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Speaker 1: to take a step backwards and to club my rifle.
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Speaker 1: When the brute was upon me, I got one fair
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Speaker 1: blow at the side of its head, a blow that
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Speaker 1: would have smashed the skull of any civilized beast into pieces,
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Speaker 1: and which did fortunately break the brute's jaw. Then in
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Speaker 1: an instant he was upon me, and I was fighting
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Speaker 1: for life. A hunting knife was out, and with my
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Speaker 1: left hand I had the beast by the throat, while
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Speaker 1: with my right I tried to drive my knife into
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Speaker 1: his ribs. My bullet had gone through his chest. The
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Speaker 1: impetus of his charge had knocked me over, and we
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Speaker 1: rolled on on the ground, he tearing with his claws
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Speaker 1: at my shoulder and arm. I stabbing and struggling, my
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Speaker 1: great effort being to keep my knees up so as
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Speaker 1: to protect my body with them from his hind claws.
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Speaker 1: After the first blow with his paw, which laid my
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Speaker 1: shoulder open, I do not think I felt any special
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Speaker 1: pain whatever. There was a strange, faint sensation, and my
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Speaker 1: whole energy seemed centered in the two ideas to strike
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Speaker 1: and to keep my knees up. I knew that I
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Speaker 1: was getting faint, but I was dimly conscious that his efforts, too,
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Speaker 1: were relaxing. His weight on me seemed to increase enormously,
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Speaker 1: and the last idea that flashed across me was that there
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Speaker 1: was a drawn fight. The next idea of which I
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Speaker 1: was conscious was that I was being carried. I seemed
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Speaker 1: to be swinging about, and I thought I was at sea.
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Speaker 1: Then there was a little jolt and a sense of pain,
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Speaker 1: a collision. I muttered and opened my eye beyond the
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Speaker 1: fact that I seemed in a yellow world, a bright
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Speaker 1: orange yellow. My eyes did not help me, and I
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Speaker 1: lay vaguely wondering about it all till the rocking ceased.
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Speaker 1: There was another bump, and then the yellow world seemed
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Speaker 1: to come to an end, and as daylight streamed in
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Speaker 1: upon me, I fainted again. This time, when I awoke
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Speaker 1: the consciousness things were clear. I was stretched by a
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Speaker 1: little stream. A native woman was sprinkling my face and
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Speaker 1: washing the blood from my wounds, while another who had
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Speaker 1: with my own knife cut off my coat and shirt,
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Speaker 1: was tearing the ladder into strips to bandage my wounds.
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Speaker 1: The yellow world was explained. I was lying on the
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Speaker 1: yellow robe of one of the women. They had tied
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Speaker 1: the ends together, placed a long stick through them, and
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Speaker 1: carried me in the baglike hammock. They nodded to me
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Speaker 1: when they saw that I was conscious, and brought water
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Speaker 1: in a large leaf and poured it into my mouth.
17:01
Speaker 1: Then one went away for some time and came back
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Speaker 1: with some leaves and bark. These they chewed and put
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Speaker 1: on my wounds, bound them up with strips of my shirt,
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Speaker 1: and then again knotted the ends of the cloth, and
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Speaker 1: lifting me up, went on as before. I was sure
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Speaker 1: that we were much lower down the gut than we
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Speaker 1: had been when I was watching for the bears, and
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Speaker 1: we were now going still lower. However, I knew very
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Speaker 1: little Hindustani, nothing of the language the women spoke, and
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Speaker 1: I was too weak to stand, too weak even to
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Speaker 1: think much. And I dozed and woke and dozed again,
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Speaker 1: until after what seemed to me many hours of travel,
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Speaker 1: we stopped again, this time before a tent. Two or
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Speaker 1: three old women and four or five men came out,
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Speaker 1: and there was great talking between them and the young women,
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Speaker 1: for they were young who had carried me down. Some
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Speaker 1: of the party appeared angry, but at last things quieted
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Speaker 1: down and I was carried into the tent. I had
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Speaker 1: a fever and was I supposed delirious for days. I
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Speaker 1: afterwards found that for fully a fortnight I had lost
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Speaker 1: all consciousness, but a good constitution and the nursing of
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Speaker 1: the women pulled me round. When once the fever had gone,
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Speaker 1: I began the men rapidly. I tried to explain to
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Speaker 1: the women that if they would go up to the
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Speaker 1: camp and tell them where I was, they would be
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Speaker 1: well rewarded. But although I was sure they understood, they
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Speaker 1: shook their heads. And by the fact that as I
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Speaker 1: became stronger, two or three armed men always hung about
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Speaker 1: the tent, I came to the conclusion that I was
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Speaker 1: a sort of prisoner. This was annoying, but it did
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Speaker 1: not seem serious. If these people were dacoits, or, as
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Speaker 1: was more likely, allies of the dacoits, I could be
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Speaker 1: kept only for ransom or exchange. Moreover, I felt sure
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Speaker 1: of my ability to escape when I got strong, especially
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Speaker 1: as I believed that in the young women who had
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Speaker 1: saved my life, both by bringing me down and by
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Speaker 1: their careful nursing, I should find friends. Were they pretty,
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Speaker 1: Uncle Mary Hastings broke in. Never mind whether they were pretty, Mary,
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Speaker 1: they were better than pretty. No, but we like to
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Speaker 1: know uncle well. Except for the soft dark eyes common
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Speaker 1: to the race, and the good temper and light heartedness
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Speaker 1: also so general among Hindu girls, and the tenderness which
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Speaker 1: women feel towards a creature whose life they have saved,
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Speaker 1: whether it is a wounded bird or a drowning puppy.
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Speaker 1: I suppose there were nothing remarkable in the way of beauty,
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Speaker 1: but at the time I know that I thought them charming.
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Speaker 1: And of section one, section two of Tales of Daring
19:55
Speaker 1: and Danger by G. A. Henty. This LibriVox recording is
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Speaker 1: in the public domain Bears and dakoits chapter two. Just
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Speaker 1: as I was getting strong enough to walk and was
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Speaker 1: beginning to think of making my escape, a band of
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Speaker 1: five or six fellows armed to the teeth came in
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Speaker 1: and made signs that I was to go with them.
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Speaker 1: It was evidently an arranged thing. The girls only were surprised,
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Speaker 1: but they were at once turned out and as we started,
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Speaker 1: I could see two crouching figures in the shade with
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Speaker 1: their cloths over their heads. I had a native garment
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Speaker 1: thrown over my shoulders, and in five minutes after the
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Speaker 1: arrival the fellows found myself on my way. It took
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Speaker 1: us some six hours before we reached our destination, which
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Speaker 1: was one of those natural rock citadels. Had I been
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Speaker 1: in my usual health, I could have done the distance
20:47
Speaker 1: in an hour and a half. But I had arrest
20:50
Speaker 1: constantly and was finally carried rather than helped up. I
20:54
Speaker 1: had gone not unwillingly, for the men were clearly by
20:57
Speaker 1: their dress dakoits of the Dekhan, and I had no
21:00
Speaker 1: doubt that it was intended either to ransom or exchange me.
21:04
Speaker 1: At the foot of this natural castle were some twenty
21:07
Speaker 1: or thirty more robbers, and I was led to a
21:10
Speaker 1: rough sort of arbor, in which was lying on a
21:12
Speaker 1: pile of maids straw. A man who was evidently their chief.
21:17
Speaker 1: He rose and we exchanged salaams. What is your name, Sahib,
21:21
Speaker 1: he asked in Mahratta Hastings, Lieutenant Hastings, I said, and
21:28
Speaker 1: yours Sivaji Punt. He said, this was bad I had
21:33
Speaker 1: fallen into the hands of the most troublesome, most ruthless,
21:37
Speaker 1: and most famous of the dacoit leaders. Over and over again,
21:41
Speaker 1: he had been hotly chased, but had always managed to
21:44
Speaker 1: get away. And when I last heard anything of what
21:47
Speaker 1: was going on, four or five troops of native police
21:50
Speaker 1: were scouring the country after him. He gave an order
21:53
Speaker 1: which I did not understand, and a wretched Bombay writer,
21:57
Speaker 1: I suppose, a clerk of some money lender, was dragged forward.
22:02
Speaker 1: Sivaji Punt spoke to him for some time, and the
22:05
Speaker 1: fellow then told me in English that I was to
22:08
Speaker 1: write at once to the officer commanding the troops, telling
22:11
Speaker 1: him that I was in his hands and should be
22:14
Speaker 1: put to death directly he was attacked. Ask him, I said,
22:19
Speaker 1: if he will take any sum of money to let
22:21
Speaker 1: me go, Sivgi shook his head very decidedly. Piece of
22:25
Speaker 1: paper was put before me in a pen and ink,
22:28
Speaker 1: and I wrote as I had been ordered, adding however,
22:31
Speaker 1: in French, that I had brought myself into my present
22:34
Speaker 1: position by my own folly, and would take my chance.
22:38
Speaker 1: For I well knew the importance which the government attested
22:41
Speaker 1: to Sivagi's capture. I read outloud all that I had
22:45
Speaker 1: written in English, and the interpreter translated it. Then the
22:49
Speaker 1: paper was folded and I addressed it the officer commanding,
22:53
Speaker 1: and I was given some chupatties in a drink of water,
22:57
Speaker 1: and allowed to sleep. The dacoits had appear, only no
23:00
Speaker 1: fear of any immediate attack. It was still dark, although
23:04
Speaker 1: morning was just breaking. When I was awakened and was
23:07
Speaker 1: got up to the citadel. I was hoisted rather than climbed,
23:11
Speaker 1: two men standing above with a rope tied around my body,
23:14
Speaker 1: so that I was half hauled, half pushed up the
23:17
Speaker 1: difficult places, which would have taxed all my climbing powers
23:20
Speaker 1: had I been in health. The height of this mass
23:23
Speaker 1: of rock was about one hundred feet. The top was
23:26
Speaker 1: fairly flat, with some depressions and risings, and about eighty
23:30
Speaker 1: feet long by fifty wide. It had evidently been used
23:34
Speaker 1: as a fortress in ages past. Along the side facing
23:38
Speaker 1: the hill, where the remains of a rough wall in
23:40
Speaker 1: the center of a depression was a cistern some four
23:43
Speaker 1: feet square, lined with stone work, And in another depression
23:48
Speaker 1: a gallery had been cut leading to a subterranean store
23:52
Speaker 1: room or chamber. This natural fortress rose from the face
23:56
Speaker 1: of the hill at a distance of a thousand yards
23:59
Speaker 1: or so from the edge of the plateau, which was
24:02
Speaker 1: fully two hundred feet higher than the top of the rock.
24:06
Speaker 1: In the old days, it would have been impregnable, and
24:09
Speaker 1: even at that time it was an awkward place to
24:11
Speaker 1: take for the troops were armed only with brown busts
24:14
Speaker 1: and rifled cannon were not thought of. Looking round, I
24:17
Speaker 1: could see that I was some four miles from the
24:20
Speaker 1: point where I had descended. The camp was gone, But
24:23
Speaker 1: running my eye along the edge of the plateau, I
24:25
Speaker 1: could see the tops of tents a mile to my right,
24:28
Speaker 1: and again two miles to my left. Turning round and
24:32
Speaker 1: looking down into the wide valley, I saw a regimental camp.
24:36
Speaker 1: It was evident that a vigorous effort was being made
24:39
Speaker 1: to surround and capture the dacoits, since troops had been
24:42
Speaker 1: brought up from Bombay. In addition to the troops above
24:45
Speaker 1: and below, there would probably be a strong police force
24:48
Speaker 1: acting on the face of the hill. I did not
24:51
Speaker 1: see all these things at the time, for I was,
24:53
Speaker 1: as soon as I got to the top, ordered to
24:55
Speaker 1: sit down behind the parapet. A fellow armed of the teeth,
24:59
Speaker 1: squatting down by me and signifying that if I showed
25:02
Speaker 1: my head above the stones, he would cut my throat
25:04
Speaker 1: without hesitation. There were, however, sufficient gaps between the stones
25:09
Speaker 1: to allow me to have a view of the crust
25:11
Speaker 1: of the gut, while below my view extended down to
25:15
Speaker 1: the hills behind Bombay. It was evident to me now
25:18
Speaker 1: why the dacoits did not climb up into the fortress.
25:21
Speaker 1: There were dozens of similar crags in the face of
25:24
Speaker 1: the guts, and the troops did not as yet know
25:27
Speaker 1: their whereabouts. Was a sort of blockade of the whole
25:30
Speaker 1: face of the hills which was being kept up, and
25:33
Speaker 1: there were probably enough several other bands of dakoits lurking
25:37
Speaker 1: in the jungle. There were only two guards of myself
25:40
Speaker 1: on the rock plateau. I discussed with myself the chances
25:44
Speaker 1: of my overpowering them and holding the top of the
25:46
Speaker 1: rock till help came. But I was greatly weakened and
25:50
Speaker 1: was not a match for a boy, much less for
25:52
Speaker 1: the two stalwart mahratas. Besides, I was by no means
25:57
Speaker 1: sure that the way I had been brought up was
25:59
Speaker 1: the only possible path to the top the day passed
26:02
Speaker 1: off quietly. The heat on the bare rock was frightful,
26:06
Speaker 1: but one of the men, seeing how weak and ill
26:08
Speaker 1: I really was, fetched a thick rug from the storehouse,
26:12
Speaker 1: and with the aid of a stick, made a sort
26:15
Speaker 1: of lean to against the wall under which I lay,
26:18
Speaker 1: sheltered from the sun. Once or twice during the day
26:21
Speaker 1: I heard a few distant musket shots, and once a sharp,
26:24
Speaker 1: heavy outburst of firing. Must have been three or four
26:28
Speaker 1: miles away, but it was on the side of the gut,
26:32
Speaker 1: and showed that the troops or police were at work.
26:35
Speaker 1: My guards looked anxiously in that direction and uttered sundry curses.
26:40
Speaker 1: When it was dusk, Suvagi and eight of the dacoits
26:43
Speaker 1: came up. From what they said, I gathered that the
26:47
Speaker 1: rest of the band had dispersed, trusting either to get
26:50
Speaker 1: through the line of their pursuers or, if caught, to
26:53
Speaker 1: escape with slight punishment. The men who remained being too
26:57
Speaker 1: deeply concerned and murderous outrages to hope for mercy. Sivgi
27:01
Speaker 1: himself handed me a letter which the man who had
27:04
Speaker 1: taken my note had brought back. In reply, Major Knapp,
27:08
Speaker 1: the writer who was the second in command said that
27:11
Speaker 1: he could not engage the government, but that if Lieutenant
27:14
Speaker 1: Hastings was given up, the act would certainly dispose a
27:17
Speaker 1: government to take the most merciful view possible, but that
27:21
Speaker 1: if on the contrary, any harm was suffered by Lieutenant Hastings,
27:25
Speaker 1: every man taken would be at once hung. SIVG did
27:29
Speaker 1: not appear put out about it. I do not think
27:32
Speaker 1: he expected any other answer, and imagined that his real
27:35
Speaker 1: object in writing was simply to let them know that
27:38
Speaker 1: I was a prisoner, and to enable him to better
27:41
Speaker 1: paralyze the attack upon a position which he no doubt
27:44
Speaker 1: considered all but impregnable. I was given food and then
27:48
Speaker 1: allowed to walk as I chose, upon the little plateau.
27:52
Speaker 1: Two of the dakoits taking posts as centuries in the
27:55
Speaker 1: steepest part of the path, while the rest gathered, chatting
27:58
Speaker 1: and smoking in the depression in front of the storehouse.
28:02
Speaker 1: It was still light enough for me to see for
28:04
Speaker 1: some distance down the face of the rock, and I
28:07
Speaker 1: strained my eyes to see if I could discern any
28:09
Speaker 1: other spot at which an ascent or descent was possible.
28:13
Speaker 1: The prospect was not encouraging. At some places the face
28:17
Speaker 1: fell sheer away from the edge, and so evident was
28:20
Speaker 1: the impracticability of escape that the only place which I
28:23
Speaker 1: glanced at twice was the western side, that is, the
28:27
Speaker 1: one away from the hill. Here it sloped gradually for
28:30
Speaker 1: a few feet. I took off my shoes and went
28:33
Speaker 1: down to the edge. Below, some ten feet was a
28:36
Speaker 1: ledge under which with care I could get down, But
28:39
Speaker 1: below that was a sheer fall of some fifty feet.
28:43
Speaker 1: As a means of escape, it was hopeless, but it
28:46
Speaker 1: struck me that if an attack was made, I might
28:49
Speaker 1: slip away and get on to the ledge. Once there,
28:52
Speaker 1: I could not be seen except by a person standing.
28:54
Speaker 1: Where I now was just on the edge of the slope,
28:57
Speaker 1: a spot to which it was very unlikely that anyone
29:00
Speaker 1: would come. The thought gave me a shadow of hope,
29:04
Speaker 1: and returning to the upper end of the platform, I
29:07
Speaker 1: lay down, and, in spite of the hardness of the rock,
29:10
Speaker 1: was soon asleep. The pain of my aching bones woke
29:14
Speaker 1: me up several times, and once, just as the first
29:17
Speaker 1: tinge of dawn was coming, I thought I could hear
29:20
Speaker 1: movements in the jungle. I raised myself somewhat, and I
29:23
Speaker 1: saw that the sounds had been heard by the dacoits,
29:27
Speaker 1: for they were standing listening, and some of them were
29:30
Speaker 1: bringing spare firearms from the storehouse in evident preparation for attack.
29:36
Speaker 1: As I afterwards learned the police had caught one of
29:38
Speaker 1: the dacoits trying to effect his escape, and by means
29:41
Speaker 1: of a little of the ingenious torture to which the
29:44
Speaker 1: Indian police then frequently resorted when their white officers were absent,
29:49
Speaker 1: they obtained from him the exact position of Sivagi's band,
29:53
Speaker 1: and learned the side from which the ascent must be made.
29:57
Speaker 1: That the dacoit and his band were still upon the
29:59
Speaker 1: slopes the guts they knew, and were gradually narrowing their circle.
30:04
Speaker 1: But there were so many rocks and hiding places that
30:07
Speaker 1: the process of searching was a slow one, and the
30:10
Speaker 1: intelligence was so important that the news was off at
30:13
Speaker 1: once to the colonel, who gave orders for the police
30:15
Speaker 1: to surround the rock at daylight and to storm it
30:18
Speaker 1: if possible. The garrison was so small that the police
30:22
Speaker 1: were alone ample for the work, supposing that the natural
30:25
Speaker 1: difficulties were not altogether insuperable. Just at daybreak, there was
30:30
Speaker 1: a distant noise of men moving in the jungle, and
30:32
Speaker 1: the Dakoit, halfway down the path, fired his gun. He
30:35
Speaker 1: was answered by a shout and a volley. The Dakoits
30:38
Speaker 1: hurried out from the chamber and lay down on the edge,
30:41
Speaker 1: where sheltered by the parapet, they commanded the path. It
30:45
Speaker 1: paid no attention to me, and I kept as far
30:48
Speaker 1: away as possible. The fire began, a quiet, steady fire,
30:52
Speaker 1: a shot at a time, and in strong contrast to
30:56
Speaker 1: the rattle kept up from the surrounding jungle. But every
30:59
Speaker 1: shot must have told, as man after man who strove
31:02
Speaker 1: to climb that steep path fell. It lasted only ten minutes,
31:07
Speaker 1: and then all was quiet again. The attack had failed,
31:12
Speaker 1: as I knew it must do, for two men could
31:14
Speaker 1: have held the place against an army. Quarter of an
31:17
Speaker 1: hour later, a gun from the crest above spoke out
31:21
Speaker 1: and a round shot whistled above our heads. Beyond annoyance,
31:24
Speaker 1: an artillery fire could do no harm, for the party
31:28
Speaker 1: could be absolutely safe in the store cave. The instant
31:31
Speaker 1: the shot flew overhead, However, sivjy Punt beckoned to me
31:34
Speaker 1: and motioned me to take my seat on the wall
31:36
Speaker 1: facing the guns. Hesitation was useless, and I took my seat,
31:41
Speaker 1: with my back to the dacoits and my face to
31:43
Speaker 1: the hill. One of the dacoits, as I did so,
31:47
Speaker 1: pulled off the native cloth which covered my shoulders, in
31:49
Speaker 1: order that I might be clearly seen. Just as I
31:52
Speaker 1: took my place, another round shot humby. But then there
31:56
Speaker 1: was a long interval of silence. With a field glass,
32:00
Speaker 1: every feature must have been distinguishable to the gunners, and
32:03
Speaker 1: I had no doubt that they were waiting for orders
32:06
Speaker 1: as to what to do next. I glanced round and
32:09
Speaker 1: saw that, with the exception of one fellow squatted behind
32:12
Speaker 1: the parapet some half dozen yards away, clearly as a
32:15
Speaker 1: sentry to keep me in place, all the others had disappeared. Some,
32:19
Speaker 1: no doubt, were on sentry down the path, the others
32:23
Speaker 1: were in the store beneath me. After half an hour's silence,
32:27
Speaker 1: the guns spoke out again. Evidently the gunners were told
32:30
Speaker 1: to be as careful as they could, for some of
32:32
Speaker 1: the shots went wide on the left, others on the right.
32:35
Speaker 1: A few struck the rock below me. The situation was
32:39
Speaker 1: not pleasant, but I thought that at a thousand yards
32:42
Speaker 1: they ought not to hit me, and I tried to
32:44
Speaker 1: distract my attention by thinking out what I should do
32:47
Speaker 1: under every possible contingency. Presently I felt a crash and
32:52
Speaker 1: a shock, and fell backwards to the ground. I was
32:55
Speaker 1: not hurt, and on picking myself up, I saw that
32:58
Speaker 1: the ball had struck the pair pit to the left,
33:01
Speaker 1: just where my guard was sitting, and he lay covered
33:04
Speaker 1: with its fragments. His turban lay some yards behind him.
33:08
Speaker 1: Whether he was dead or not, I neither knew nor cared.
33:11
Speaker 1: I pushed down some of the parapet where I had
33:13
Speaker 1: been sitting, dropped my cap on the edge outside so
33:17
Speaker 1: as to make it appear that I had fallen over,
33:19
Speaker 1: and then, picking up the man's turban, ran to the
33:21
Speaker 1: other end of the platform and scrambled down to the ledge.
33:25
Speaker 1: Then I began to wave my arms about. I had
33:27
Speaker 1: nothing on above the waist, and in a moment I
33:31
Speaker 1: saw a face with a uniform cap peer out through
33:33
Speaker 1: the jungle, and a hand was waved. I made signs
33:37
Speaker 1: to him to make his way to the foot of
33:39
Speaker 1: the perpendicular wall of rock beneath me. I then unwound
33:43
Speaker 1: the turban, whose length was I knew amply sufficient to
33:46
Speaker 1: reach to the bottom, and then looked round for something
33:49
Speaker 1: to write on I had my pencils still in my
33:52
Speaker 1: trousers pocket, but not a scrap of paper. I picked
33:57
Speaker 1: up a flatish piece of rock and wrote on it,
34:00
Speaker 1: get a rope ladder quickly I can haul it up.
34:03
Speaker 1: Ten men in garrison, they are all under cover. Keep
34:07
Speaker 1: on firing to distract their attention. I tied the stone
34:11
Speaker 1: to the end of the turban and looked over. A
34:13
Speaker 1: non commissioned officer of the police was already standing below.
34:17
Speaker 1: I lowered the stone, He took it, waved his hand
34:21
Speaker 1: to me, and was gone. An hour passed, it seemed
34:25
Speaker 1: an age. The round shot still rang overhead, and the
34:28
Speaker 1: fire was now much more heavy and sustained than before. Presently,
34:32
Speaker 1: I again saw a movement in the jungle, and Norworthy's
34:36
Speaker 1: face appeared, and he waved his arm in greeting. Five
34:40
Speaker 1: minutes more and a party were gathered at the foot
34:42
Speaker 1: of the rock, and a strong rope was tied to
34:44
Speaker 1: the cloth. I pulled it up. A rope ladder was
34:47
Speaker 1: attached to it, and the top rung was in a
34:50
Speaker 1: minute or two in my hands. To it was tied
34:53
Speaker 1: a piece of paper with the words can you fasten
34:56
Speaker 1: the ladder? I wrote on the paper no, but I
34:59
Speaker 1: can hold it for a light weight. I put the
35:02
Speaker 1: paper with a stone in the end of the cloth
35:04
Speaker 1: and lowered it again, and then I sat down, tied
35:07
Speaker 1: the rope round my waist, got my feet against two projections,
35:11
Speaker 1: and waited. There was a jerk, and then I felt
35:14
Speaker 1: someone was coming up the rope ladder. The strain was
35:17
Speaker 1: far less than I expected, but the native policemen who
35:20
Speaker 1: came up first did not weigh half so much as
35:22
Speaker 1: an average Englishman. There were now two of us to hold.
35:26
Speaker 1: The officer in command of the police came up next,
35:30
Speaker 1: then nor Worthy, then a dozen more police. I explained
35:34
Speaker 1: the situation and we mounted to the upper level. Not
35:37
Speaker 1: a soul was to be seen. Quickly we advanced and
35:41
Speaker 1: took up a position to command the door of the
35:43
Speaker 1: underground chamber, while one of the police waved a white
35:46
Speaker 1: cloth from his bayonet as a signal to the gunners
35:49
Speaker 1: to cease firing. Then the police officer hailed the party
35:52
Speaker 1: within the cave, Sivajee punt, you may as well come
35:56
Speaker 1: out and give yourself up. We are in possession and
35:59
Speaker 1: resistance is useless. A yell of rage and surprise was heard,
36:04
Speaker 1: and the dacoits. All desperate men came bounding out, firing
36:08
Speaker 1: as they did so. Half of their number were shot
36:11
Speaker 1: down at once, and the rest, after a short sharp struggle,
36:15
Speaker 1: were bound hand and foot. That is pretty well all
36:19
Speaker 1: the story. I think Sivaji Punt was one of the killed.
36:23
Speaker 1: The prisoners were all either hung or imprisoned for life.
36:27
Speaker 1: I escaped my blowing up for having gone down the
36:29
Speaker 1: guts after the bear, because after all, Sivagi Punt might
36:33
Speaker 1: have defied their force for months had I not done so.
36:37
Speaker 1: It seemed that the scoundrel Rahman had taken back word
36:40
Speaker 1: that I was killed nor worthy, had sent down a
36:44
Speaker 1: strong party who found the two dead bears, and who,
36:47
Speaker 1: having searched everywhere without finding any signs of my body,
36:52
Speaker 1: came to the conclusion that I had been found and
36:54
Speaker 1: carried away, especially as they ascertained that natives used that path.
37:00
Speaker 1: They had offered rewards. But nothing was heard of me
37:02
Speaker 1: till my note saying I was in Sivaji's hands arrived.
37:06
Speaker 1: And did you ever see the women who carried you off? No, Mary,
37:11
Speaker 1: I never saw them again. I did, however, after immense trouble,
37:15
Speaker 1: succeed in finding out where it was that I had
37:17
Speaker 1: been taken to. I went down at once, but found
37:21
Speaker 1: the village deserted. Then, after much inquiry, I found where
37:25
Speaker 1: the people had moved to, and sent messages to the
37:28
Speaker 1: women to come up to the camp. But they never came,
37:32
Speaker 1: and I was reduced at last to sending them down
37:34
Speaker 1: two sets of silver bracelets, necklaces and bangles, which must
37:39
Speaker 1: have rendered them the envy of all the women on
37:41
Speaker 1: the guts. They sent back a message of grateful thanks,
37:45
Speaker 1: and I never heard of them afterwards. No doubt, their relatives,
37:49
Speaker 1: who knew that their connection with the Dakoits was now known,
37:53
Speaker 1: would not let them come. However, I had done all
37:56
Speaker 1: I could, and I have no doubt the women were
37:59
Speaker 1: perfectly satis. So you see, my dear, that the Indian bear,
38:04
Speaker 1: small as he is, is an animal which it is
38:07
Speaker 1: well to leave alone at any rate when he happens
38:09
Speaker 1: to be up on the side of a hill while
38:11
Speaker 1: you are at the foot. End of section two, section
38:22
Speaker 1: three of Tales of Daring and Danger by G. A. Henty.
38:27
Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Section three
38:31
Speaker 1: the patternosters a yachting story. And do you really mean
38:37
Speaker 1: that we are to cross by the steamer, mister Virtue,
38:40
Speaker 1: while you go over in the Sea Bird. I do
38:43
Speaker 1: not approve of that at all. Fanny, Why do you
38:46
Speaker 1: not rebel and say that we won't be put ashore?
38:49
Speaker 1: I call it horrid. After a fortnight on board this
38:52
Speaker 1: dear little yacht, to have to get on to a
38:54
Speaker 1: crowded steamer with no accommodation, and lots of seasick women
38:58
Speaker 1: perhaps and crying children, you surely cannot be in earnest.
39:04
Speaker 1: I do not like it any more than you do, Minnie.
39:06
Speaker 1: But as Tom says we had better do it, and
39:10
Speaker 1: my husband agrees with him, I am afraid we must submit.
39:14
Speaker 1: Do you really think it's quite necessary, mister Virtue. Minnie
39:18
Speaker 1: and I are both good sailors, you know, and we
39:20
Speaker 1: would much rather have a little extra tossing about on
39:23
Speaker 1: board the Sea Bird than the discomforts of a steamer.
39:26
Speaker 1: I certainly think it will be best. Missus Grantham, you
39:30
Speaker 1: know very well we would rather have you on board,
39:32
Speaker 1: and we shall suffer from your loss more than you
39:34
Speaker 1: will by going the other way. But there's no doubt
39:38
Speaker 1: the wind is getting up, and though we don't feel
39:40
Speaker 1: that much here, it must be blowing. Pretty hard outside.
39:44
Speaker 1: The Sea Bird is as good a sea boat as
39:46
Speaker 1: anything of her size. It floats, but you don't know
39:49
Speaker 1: what it is to be out in anything like a
39:50
Speaker 1: heavy sea and a thirty tonner. It would be impossible
39:54
Speaker 1: for you to stay on deck, and we should have
39:56
Speaker 1: our hands full and should not be able to give
39:59
Speaker 1: you the benefit of our society. Personally, I should not
40:02
Speaker 1: mind being out in the Sea Bird in any weather,
40:05
Speaker 1: but I would certainly rather not have ladies on board.
40:09
Speaker 1: You don't think we should scream or do anything foolish,
40:11
Speaker 1: mister Virtue, Minnie Graham said, indignantly, not at all, Miss Graham.
40:17
Speaker 1: Still I repeat the knowledge that there are women on board,
40:20
Speaker 1: delightful at other times, does not tend to comfort in
40:23
Speaker 1: bad weather. Course, if you prefer it, we can put
40:26
Speaker 1: off our start till this puff of wind has blown
40:29
Speaker 1: itself out. It may have dropped before morning. It may
40:33
Speaker 1: last some little time. I don't think myself that it
40:36
Speaker 1: will drop, for the glass has fallen, and I'm afraid
40:39
Speaker 1: we may have a spell of broken weather. Oh no,
40:42
Speaker 1: don't put it off, missus. Grantham said, we have only
40:46
Speaker 1: another fortnight before James must be back in London, and
40:50
Speaker 1: it would be a great pity to lose three or
40:52
Speaker 1: four days perhaps, and we have been looking forward to
40:55
Speaker 1: cruising about among the Channel islands and to Saint Malo
40:58
Speaker 1: and all those places. Oh no, I think the other
41:02
Speaker 1: is much the better plan. That is, if you won't
41:05
Speaker 1: take us with you. It would be bad manners to
41:08
Speaker 1: say that I won't missus, Grantham, but I must say
41:11
Speaker 1: that I would rather not. It will be a very
41:14
Speaker 1: short separation. Grantham will take you on shore at once,
41:18
Speaker 1: and as soon as the boat comes back, I shall
41:20
Speaker 1: be off. You will start in a steamer this evening
41:24
Speaker 1: and get into Jersey at nine or ten o'clock tomorrow morning,
41:28
Speaker 1: and if I am not there before you, I shall
41:30
Speaker 1: not be many hours after you. Well, if it must be,
41:34
Speaker 1: it must missus, Grantham said, with an air of resignation. Come, Minnie,
41:39
Speaker 1: let us put a few things into a handbag for
41:41
Speaker 1: to night. You see, the skipper is not to be
41:44
Speaker 1: moved by our pleadings. That is the worst of you
41:47
Speaker 1: married women, Fanny, miss Graham, said, with a little pout.
41:51
Speaker 1: You get into the way of doing as you were ordered.
41:54
Speaker 1: I call it too bad. Here. We have been cruising
41:57
Speaker 1: about for the last fortnight with scarcely a breath of wind,
42:00
Speaker 1: and longing for a good brisk breeze, and a little
42:03
Speaker 1: change and excitement. And now it comes to last, and
42:06
Speaker 1: we are to be packed off in a steamer. I
42:09
Speaker 1: call it horrid of you, mister Virtue. You may laugh,
42:12
Speaker 1: but I do. Tom Virtue laughed, but he showed no
42:16
Speaker 1: signs of giving way, And ten minutes later mister and
42:19
Speaker 1: missus Grantham and Miss Graham took their places in the
42:22
Speaker 1: gig and were rowed into Southampton Harbor, off which the
42:26
Speaker 1: Sea Bird was lying. The last fortnight had been a
42:30
Speaker 1: very pleasant one, and it had cost the owner of
42:32
Speaker 1: the Sea Bird as much as his guests to come
42:34
Speaker 1: to the conclusion that it was better to break up
42:36
Speaker 1: the party for a few hours. Tom Virtue had, up
42:40
Speaker 1: to the age of five and twenty been possessed of
42:43
Speaker 1: a sufficient income for his wants. He had entered at
42:46
Speaker 1: the bar, not that he felt any particular vocation in
42:50
Speaker 1: that direction, but because he thought it incumbent upon him
42:53
Speaker 1: to do something. Then, at the death of an uncle,
42:56
Speaker 1: he had come into considerable fortune and was able to
42:59
Speaker 1: indulge his tape for yachting, which was the sole amusement
43:02
Speaker 1: for which he really cared to the fullest. He sold
43:05
Speaker 1: the little five tonner he had formerly possessed and purchased
43:08
Speaker 1: the Sea Bird. He could well have afforded a much
43:11
Speaker 1: larger craft, but he knew that there was far more
43:14
Speaker 1: real enjoyment in sailing to be obtained from a small
43:17
Speaker 1: craft than a large one, For in the latter he
43:19
Speaker 1: would be obliged to have a regular skipper and would
43:22
Speaker 1: be little more than a passenger, Whereas on board the
43:26
Speaker 1: Sea Bird, although his first hand was dignified by the
43:29
Speaker 1: name of skipper, he was himself the absolute master. The
43:33
Speaker 1: boat carried the aforesaid skipper, three hands and a steward,
43:37
Speaker 1: and with them he had twice been up the Mediterranean,
43:39
Speaker 1: across the Norway, and had several times made the circuit
43:43
Speaker 1: of the British Isles. He had unlimited confidence in his
43:46
Speaker 1: boat and cared not what weather he was out in her.
43:50
Speaker 1: This was the first time since his ownership of her
43:52
Speaker 1: that the Sea Bird had carried lady passengers. His friend Grantham,
43:57
Speaker 1: an old school and college chump, was a hard working
44:00
Speaker 1: barrister and virtue, had proposed to him to take a
44:03
Speaker 1: month's holiday on board the sea bird. Put aside your books,
44:06
Speaker 1: old man, he said, you look fagged and overworked. A
44:10
Speaker 1: month's blow will do you all the good in the world.
44:13
Speaker 1: Thank you, Tom. I have made up my mind for
44:15
Speaker 1: a month's holiday, but I can't accept your invitation. Though
44:18
Speaker 1: I should enjoy it of all things, but it would
44:21
Speaker 1: not be fair to my wife. She doesn't get very
44:24
Speaker 1: much of my society, and she has been looking forward
44:27
Speaker 1: to our having a run together. So I must decline.
44:30
Speaker 1: Virtue hesitated a moment. He was not very fond of
44:33
Speaker 1: ladies society, and thought them especially in the way on
44:37
Speaker 1: board a yacht. But he had a great liking for
44:40
Speaker 1: his friend's wife, and was almost as much at home
44:43
Speaker 1: in his house as in his own chambers. Why not
44:46
Speaker 1: bring the wife with you, he said, as soon as
44:49
Speaker 1: his mind was made up. It will be a nice
44:51
Speaker 1: change for her too, And I have heard her say
44:53
Speaker 1: that she is a good sailor. Accommodation is not extensive,
44:57
Speaker 1: but the after cabin is a pretty good size, and
45:00
Speaker 1: I would do all I could to make her comfortable.
45:03
Speaker 1: Perhaps she would like another lady with her, if so,
45:06
Speaker 1: by all means bring one. They could have the after cabin,
45:10
Speaker 1: and you could have the little stateroom, and I could
45:12
Speaker 1: sleep in a saloon. It is very good of you, Tom,
45:16
Speaker 1: especially as I know it will put you out frightfully.
45:19
Speaker 1: But the offer is a very tempting one. I will
45:21
Speaker 1: speak to Fanny and let you have an answer in
45:23
Speaker 1: the morning that will be delightful. James, Missus Grantham said,
45:28
Speaker 1: when the imitation is repeated to her, I should like
45:31
Speaker 1: it of all things, and I am sure that the
45:33
Speaker 1: rest and quiet in the sea air will be just
45:35
Speaker 1: the thing for you. It is wonderful Tom virtue making
45:39
Speaker 1: the offer, and I take it as a great personal compliment,
45:42
Speaker 1: for he certainly is not what is generally called a
45:45
Speaker 1: ladies man. It is very nice too of him to
45:48
Speaker 1: think of my having another lady on board. Whom shall
45:51
Speaker 1: we ask? I know, she said suddenly that will be
45:56
Speaker 1: the thing of all others. We will ask my cousin Minnie.
46:00
Speaker 1: She is full of fun in life and will make
46:03
Speaker 1: a charming wife for Tom. James Grantham laughed, what schemers
46:08
Speaker 1: you all are, Fanny. Now I should call a downright
46:11
Speaker 1: treachery to take any one on board the Sea Bird
46:14
Speaker 1: with the idea of capturing its master. Nonsense, treachery, Missus
46:19
Speaker 1: Grantham said indignantly, Minnie is the nicest girl I know,
46:24
Speaker 1: and it would do Tom a world of good to
46:26
Speaker 1: have a wife to look after him. Why he is
46:29
Speaker 1: thirty now and will be settling down into a confirmed
46:32
Speaker 1: old bachelor before long. It's the greatest kindness we could
46:35
Speaker 1: do him to take Minnie on board. And I am
46:38
Speaker 1: sure that he is the sort of man any girl
46:40
Speaker 1: might fall in love with when she gets to know him.
46:44
Speaker 1: The fact is he's shy. He never had any sisters
46:47
Speaker 1: and spends all his time in winter in that horrid club,
46:50
Speaker 1: so that really he has never had any women's society.
46:54
Speaker 1: And even with us, he will never come unless he
46:56
Speaker 1: knows that we are alone. I call it a great pity,
47:00
Speaker 1: for I don't know a pleasanter fellow than he is.
47:03
Speaker 1: I think it will be doing him a real service
47:05
Speaker 1: in asking Minnie. So that's settled, I will sit down
47:09
Speaker 1: and write him a note. In for a penny, In
47:12
Speaker 1: for a pound, I suppose, was Tom Virtue's comment when
47:15
Speaker 1: he received Missus Grantham's letter, thanking him warmly for the invitation,
47:20
Speaker 1: in saying that she would bring her cousin, Miss Graham
47:23
Speaker 1: with her if that young lady was disengaged. As a
47:27
Speaker 1: matter of self defense, he at once invited Jack Harvey,
47:30
Speaker 1: who was a mutual friend of himself and Grantham, to
47:33
Speaker 1: be of the party. Jack can help Grantham to amuse
47:36
Speaker 1: the women. He said to himself, that will be more
47:39
Speaker 1: in his line than mine. I will run down to
47:42
Speaker 1: Cows tomorrow and have a chat with Johnson. We shall
47:46
Speaker 1: want a different sort of stores altogether to those we
47:49
Speaker 1: generally carry, and I suppose we must do her up
47:52
Speaker 1: a bit below. Having made up his mind to the
47:55
Speaker 1: infliction of female passengers, Tom Virtue did it handsomely, and
47:59
Speaker 1: when the Alarady came on board at Ryde, they were
48:02
Speaker 1: delighted with the aspect of the yacht. Below. She had
48:05
Speaker 1: been repainted. The saloon and lady's cabin were decorated in
48:09
Speaker 1: delicate shades of gray, picked out with gold, and the upholsterer,
48:14
Speaker 1: into whose hands the owner of the Sea Bird had
48:16
Speaker 1: placed her, had done his work with taste and judgment,
48:19
Speaker 1: and the lady's cabin resembled a little boudoir. Why, Tom
48:24
Speaker 1: I should hardly have known her. Grantham, who had often
48:27
Speaker 1: spent a day on board the Sea Bird, said I
48:30
Speaker 1: hardly know her myself, Tom said rather ruefully, but I
48:34
Speaker 1: hope she's all right, Missus Grantham, and that you and
48:37
Speaker 1: miss Graham will find everything you want. It's charming, Missus
48:42
Speaker 1: Grantham said enthusiastically. It's awfully good of you, Tom, and
48:46
Speaker 1: we appreciate it, don't we. Minnie. It is such a
48:50
Speaker 1: surprise too, for James said that while I should find
48:53
Speaker 1: everything very comfortable, I must not expect that a small
48:56
Speaker 1: yacht would be got up like a palace. So of
49:00
Speaker 1: fortnight had passed. They had cruised along the coast as
49:03
Speaker 1: far as Plymouth, anchoring at night at the various ports
49:06
Speaker 1: on the way. Then they had returned to Southampton, and
49:09
Speaker 1: it had been settled that, as none of the party,
49:11
Speaker 1: with the exception of Virtue himself, had been to the
49:14
Speaker 1: Channel Islands, the last fortnight of the trip should be
49:18
Speaker 1: spent there. The weather had been delightful, save that there
49:21
Speaker 1: had been some deficiency in wind, and throughout the cruise
49:25
Speaker 1: the sea Bird had been under all the sail she
49:27
Speaker 1: could spread. But when the Gentleman came on deck early
49:30
Speaker 1: in the morning, a considerable change had taken place. The
49:34
Speaker 1: sky was gray and the clouds flying fast overhead. They
49:38
Speaker 1: are going to have dirty weather. Tom Virtue said at once,
49:42
Speaker 1: I don't think it's going to be a gale, but
49:44
Speaker 1: there will be more sea on than will be pleasant
49:46
Speaker 1: for the ladies. I tell you what, Grantham. The best
49:49
Speaker 1: thing will be for you to go on shore with
49:52
Speaker 1: the two ladies and crossed by the boat to night.
49:55
Speaker 1: If you don't mind going directly after breakfast, I shall
49:58
Speaker 1: start at once and shall be as sa ain't Hellier's
50:00
Speaker 1: as soon as you are. And so it had been agreed,
50:03
Speaker 1: but not as has been seen without opposition and protest,
50:07
Speaker 1: and the part of the ladies, Missus Grantham's chief reason
50:10
Speaker 1: for objecting had not been given. The little scheme on
50:14
Speaker 1: which she had set her mind seemed to be working satisfactorily.
50:18
Speaker 1: From the first day. Tom Virtue had exerted himself to
50:21
Speaker 1: play the part of hosts satisfactorily and had ere long
50:24
Speaker 1: shaken off any shyness he may have felt towards the
50:27
Speaker 1: one stranger of the party, and he and Miss Graham
50:30
Speaker 1: had speedily got on friendly terms. So things were going
50:34
Speaker 1: on as well as Missus Grantham could have expected. No
50:37
Speaker 1: sooner had his guests left the side of the yacht
50:39
Speaker 1: than her owner began to make his preparations for a start.
50:43
Speaker 1: What do you think of the weather, Watkins, he asked
50:45
Speaker 1: his skipper. It's going to blow hard, sir, that's my
50:49
Speaker 1: view of it. And if I was you, I shouldn't
50:51
Speaker 1: a anchor to day. Still, as just as you likes
50:55
Speaker 1: the sea bird won't mind if we don't. She has
50:58
Speaker 1: had a rough time of it before. Now Still it
51:00
Speaker 1: will be a case of wet jackets and no mistake. Yes,
51:03
Speaker 1: I expect we shall have a rough time of it, Watkins,
51:06
Speaker 1: but I want to get across. We don't often let
51:09
Speaker 1: ourselves be weather bound, and I'm not going to begin
51:12
Speaker 1: it to day. We'd better house the top mast at
51:15
Speaker 1: once and get two reefs in the mainsail. We can
51:18
Speaker 1: get the other down when we get clear of the island.
51:21
Speaker 1: Get number three jib up and the leg of Mutton
51:23
Speaker 1: Mizzen put two reefs in the foresail. Tom and his
51:27
Speaker 1: friend Harvey, who was a good sailor, assisted the crew
51:29
Speaker 1: in reefing down the sails, and a few minutes after
51:32
Speaker 1: the gig had returned and been hoisted in, the yawl
51:35
Speaker 1: was running rapidly down Southampton waters. We need hardly have
51:40
Speaker 1: reefed quite so closely, Jack Harvey said, as he puffed
51:43
Speaker 1: away at his pipe. Not yet, Jack, but you will
51:47
Speaker 1: see that she is as much as she can carry
51:48
Speaker 1: before long. It's all the better to make all snug
51:52
Speaker 1: before starting. It saves a lot of trouble afterwards, and
51:55
Speaker 1: the extra canvas would not have made ten minutes difference
51:58
Speaker 1: to us. At the outside. We shall have pretty nearly
52:01
Speaker 1: a dead beat down the solent. Fortunately, tide will be
52:05
Speaker 1: running strong with us, but there will be a nasty
52:08
Speaker 1: kick up there. You will see that we shall feel
52:11
Speaker 1: the short, choppy seas there more than we shall on
52:13
Speaker 1: the outside. She is a grand boat and a really
52:16
Speaker 1: heavy sea, but in short waves she puts her nose
52:19
Speaker 1: into it with a will. Now, if you will take
52:22
Speaker 1: my advice, you will do as I am going to do.
52:25
Speaker 1: Put on a pair of fishermen's boots and oil skin,
52:27
Speaker 1: and sow wester. There are several sets for you to
52:30
Speaker 1: choose from below. As her owner had predicted, the sea
52:34
Speaker 1: bird put her bowsprit under pretty frequently. In the Solent.
52:37
Speaker 1: The wind was blowing half a gale, and as it
52:40
Speaker 1: met the tide, it kicked up a short angry sea
52:43
Speaker 1: crusted with whiteheads, and Jack Harvey agreed that she had
52:46
Speaker 1: quite as much sail on her as she wanted. The
52:49
Speaker 1: cabin doors were bolted and all made snug to prevent
52:52
Speaker 1: the water getting below before they got into the race
52:55
Speaker 1: off Hurst Castle, and it was well that they did so,
52:59
Speaker 1: for she was as much underwater as she was above.
53:02
Speaker 1: I think that if I had given way to the
53:04
Speaker 1: ladies and brought them with us, they would have changed
53:06
Speaker 1: their minds with this time, Jack tom Virtue said, with
53:10
Speaker 1: a laugh, I should think so. His friend agreed, this
53:14
Speaker 1: is not the day for a fair weather sailor. Look
53:17
Speaker 1: what a sea is breaking on the shingles. Yes, five
53:20
Speaker 1: minutes there would knock her to match wood. Another ten
53:23
Speaker 1: minutes and we should be fairly out, and I shan't
53:26
Speaker 1: be sorry. One feels as if one was playing football,
53:30
Speaker 1: only just at present. The sea bird is the ball,
53:32
Speaker 1: and the way he's the kickers. Another quarter of an
53:35
Speaker 1: hour and they had passed the needles. That is more pleasant, Jack,
53:39
Speaker 1: as a short chopping motion was exchanged for a regular
53:42
Speaker 1: rise and fall. This is what I enjoy, a steady
53:46
Speaker 1: wind and a regular sea. The seabird goes over like
53:50
Speaker 1: one of her namesakes. She is not taking a tea
53:53
Speaker 1: cupful over her bows. Hawkins, you may well take the
53:57
Speaker 1: helm for a spell while we go down to linech.
54:00
Speaker 1: I'm not sorry to give it up for a bit,
54:03
Speaker 1: for it has been jerking like the kick of a horse.
54:06
Speaker 1: That's right, Jack, bring up your old skin there, Johnson,
54:09
Speaker 1: give us a couple of towels. We've been pretty well
54:11
Speaker 1: smothered up there on deck. Now what have you got
54:14
Speaker 1: for us? They's some soup ready, sir, and that cold
54:18
Speaker 1: pie you had for dinner yesterday. I will do open
54:22
Speaker 1: a couple of bottles of stout lunch over. They went
54:26
Speaker 1: on deck again. She likes to have a good blow
54:29
Speaker 1: as well as we do, Virtue said enthusiastically, as he
54:32
Speaker 1: all rose slightly over each wave. What do you think
54:35
Speaker 1: of it, Watkins? Is the wind going to lull a
54:38
Speaker 1: bit as the sun goes down? I think not, sir.
54:41
Speaker 1: Seems to me it's blowin harder than it was. Then
54:44
Speaker 1: we will prepare for the worst, Watkins. Get the try
54:47
Speaker 1: sail up on deck. When you are ready, we will
54:50
Speaker 1: bring her up into the wind and set it. That's
54:52
Speaker 1: the comfort of a yawl, Jack. One can always lie
54:55
Speaker 1: too without any bother, and Punk hasn't got a tremendous
54:58
Speaker 1: boom to handle. The trysail was soon on deck, and
55:02
Speaker 1: then the sea bird was brought up into the wind,
55:05
Speaker 1: the weather fore sheet hauled aft, the mizzen sheeted almost
55:09
Speaker 1: fore and aft, and the sea bird lay head to wind,
55:13
Speaker 1: rising and falling with a gentle motion, in strong contrast
55:16
Speaker 1: to her impetuous rushes. When under sail, she would ride
55:20
Speaker 1: out anything like that, Her owner said. Last time we
55:24
Speaker 1: came through the bay on our own way from GiB
55:26
Speaker 1: we were caught in a gale strong enough to blow
55:29
Speaker 1: the hair off one's head, and we lay to for
55:31
Speaker 1: nearly three days and didn't ship a bucket of water
55:34
Speaker 1: all the time. Now, let us lend a hand to
55:37
Speaker 1: get the mainsail stowed. Ten minutes work and it was
55:40
Speaker 1: securely fastened and its cover on. Two breefs were put
55:44
Speaker 1: in the trysail. Two hands went to each of the halliards,
55:47
Speaker 1: while as the sail rose, Tom Virtue fastened the toggles
55:51
Speaker 1: round the mast. Already Watkins, all ready, sir, slack off
55:56
Speaker 1: the weather fore sheet then and all after leeward slack out.
55:59
Speaker 1: The miss isn't she a little jack. That's it. Now
56:03
Speaker 1: she's off again like a duck. The sea bird felt
56:06
Speaker 1: the relief from the pressure of the heavy boom to
56:08
Speaker 1: leeward and rose easily and lightly over the waves. She
56:12
Speaker 1: certainly has a splendid sea boat. Tom I don't wonder
56:15
Speaker 1: you're ready to go anywhere in her I thought we
56:18
Speaker 1: were rather fools for starting this morning, although I enjoy
56:22
Speaker 1: a good blow. But now I don't care how hard
56:24
Speaker 1: it comes on. By night it was blowing a downright gale.
56:30
Speaker 1: We'll lie two till morning, Watkins, so we get in
56:33
Speaker 1: by daylight tomorrow evening. That is all we want see.
56:37
Speaker 1: Your side lights are burning well, and you had better
56:39
Speaker 1: get up a couple of blue lights in case anything
56:41
Speaker 1: comes running up the channel and don't see our lights.
56:44
Speaker 1: We had better divide into two watches. I'll keep one
56:48
Speaker 1: with Matthews and Dawson. Mister Harvey, we'll go in your
56:50
Speaker 1: watch with Nichols. We had better get the trysail down
56:54
Speaker 1: altogether and lie two under the foresail and Mizzen. But
56:57
Speaker 1: don't put many lashings. Onder trysail one be enough, and
57:01
Speaker 1: have it ready to cast off in a moment. Case
57:03
Speaker 1: we want to hoist the sail and hurry. I will
57:06
Speaker 1: go down and have a glass of hot grog first,
57:08
Speaker 1: and then I will take my wash to begin with.
57:11
Speaker 1: Let the two hands with me go down. The steward
57:14
Speaker 1: will serve them out a toot each jack. You had
57:17
Speaker 1: better turn in at once. Virtue was soon on deck again,
57:20
Speaker 1: muffled up in his oil. Skins, Now, Watkins, you can
57:23
Speaker 1: go below and turn in. I shan't go below tonight, sir,
57:27
Speaker 1: not to lie down. There's nothing much to do here,
57:31
Speaker 1: but I couldn't sleep if I did lie down, very well,
57:35
Speaker 1: you'd better go below and get a glass of grog.
57:37
Speaker 1: Tell the steward to give you a big pipe with
57:39
Speaker 1: a cover like this out of the locker. There's plenty
57:41
Speaker 1: of chewing tobacco. If the man are short, I will
57:44
Speaker 1: take that instead of a pipe, Watkins said. There is
57:48
Speaker 1: nothing like a quid in weather like this, and it
57:50
Speaker 1: ain't never in your way. And at last, even with
57:54
Speaker 1: a cover, a pipe would soon be out. Please yourself,
57:58
Speaker 1: Watkins tell the two hands forward to keep a bright
58:01
Speaker 1: lookout for lights. The night passed slowly. Occasionally a sea
58:05
Speaker 1: heavier than usual came on board, curling over the bow
58:08
Speaker 1: and falling with a heavy thud on the deck, but
58:11
Speaker 1: for the most part the seabird breasted the waves easily.
58:15
Speaker 1: The bow spread had been reefed in to its fullest,
58:18
Speaker 1: thereby adding to the lightness and buoyancy of the boat.
58:21
Speaker 1: Tom Virtue did not go below when his friend came
58:24
Speaker 1: up to relieve him at the change of watch, but
58:27
Speaker 1: sat smoking and doing much talking in the short intervals
58:30
Speaker 1: between the gusts. The morning broke gray and misty. Driving
58:34
Speaker 1: sleet came along with the wind, and the horizon was
58:37
Speaker 1: closed in as by a dull curtain. How far can
58:40
Speaker 1: we see, do you think, Watkins? Perhaps a couple of miles, Sir,
58:44
Speaker 1: that'll be enough. I think we both know the position
58:47
Speaker 1: of very reef to within a hundred yards, So we
58:50
Speaker 1: will shape our course to Guernsey. If we happen to
58:53
Speaker 1: hit it off, we can hold on the Saint Hellier.
58:56
Speaker 1: But if when we think we ought to be within
58:58
Speaker 1: sight of Guernsey and see nothing else, it we must
59:00
Speaker 1: lie to again till the storm has blown itself out
59:03
Speaker 1: or the clouds lift. It would never do to go
59:05
Speaker 1: groping our way along with such currents as run among
59:08
Speaker 1: the islands. But the last reef in the drysail before
59:11
Speaker 1: you hoist it, I think you had better get the
59:14
Speaker 1: foresail down altogether and run up the spit fire jib.
59:18
Speaker 1: The sea bird was soon under weigh again. Now Watkins,
59:21
Speaker 1: you take the helm. We will go down and have
59:24
Speaker 1: a cup of hot coffee, and I will see that
59:26
Speaker 1: the steward has a good supply for you and the hands.
59:29
Speaker 1: But first do you take the helm, Jack, whilst Watkins
59:32
Speaker 1: and I have a look at the chart and try
59:34
Speaker 1: to work out where we are, and of course we
59:36
Speaker 1: had better lie for Guernsey. Five minutes were spent over
59:40
Speaker 1: the chart. Then Watkins went up and Jack Harvey came down.
59:43
Speaker 1: You've got the coffee ready, I hope Johnson, yes, sir,
59:47
Speaker 1: coffee and chocolate. I didn't know what you would like
59:50
Speaker 1: chocolate by all means, Jack, I recommend the chocolate. Bring
59:55
Speaker 1: two full sized bowls, Johnson, and put that cold pie
59:58
Speaker 1: on the table, and a couple of knives, and never
1:00:00
Speaker 1: mind about a cloth. First of all, bring a couple
1:00:03
Speaker 1: of basins of hot water. We shall enjoy our food
1:00:06
Speaker 1: more after a wash. The early breakfast was eaten, dry
1:00:09
Speaker 1: coats and mufflers put on pipes, lighted, and they then
1:00:12
Speaker 1: went up on deck. Tom took the helm. What time
1:00:16
Speaker 1: do you calculate? We ought to make Cuernsey, Tom, about twelve.
1:00:20
Speaker 1: The wind is freer than it was, and we were
1:00:23
Speaker 1: walking along at a good pace. Matthews cast the log
1:00:27
Speaker 1: and let's see what we are doing about seven knots.
1:00:29
Speaker 1: I should say seven and a quarter, sir, the man
1:00:33
Speaker 1: said when he checked the line. Not a bad guess, Tom,
1:00:37
Speaker 1: It's always difficult to judge pace in a heavy sea.
1:00:40
Speaker 1: At eleven o'clock, the mists ceased. That's fortunate, Tom, Virtue said,
1:00:45
Speaker 1: I shouldn't be surprised if we get a glimpse of
1:00:47
Speaker 1: the sun between the clouds. Presently, will you get my
1:00:50
Speaker 1: sect into the chronometer? Up, Jack and put them handy?
1:00:54
Speaker 1: Jack Harvey did as he was asked, but there was
1:00:57
Speaker 1: no occasion to use the instruments for ten minute. Minutes later, Watkins,
1:01:01
Speaker 1: who was standing near the bow gazing fixedly ahead, shouted,
1:01:04
Speaker 1: there's Guernsey, Sir, on a lee bow about six miles away.
1:01:08
Speaker 1: I should say that's it. Sure enough, Tom agreed, as
1:01:13
Speaker 1: he gazed in the direction in which Watkins was pointing.
1:01:16
Speaker 1: There's a gleam of sunshine on it, or we shouldn't
1:01:19
Speaker 1: have seen it yet. Yes, I think you're about right
1:01:22
Speaker 1: as to the distance. Now let us take its bearings.
1:01:25
Speaker 1: We may lose it again directly. Having taken the bearings
1:01:28
Speaker 1: of the island, they went below and marked off their
1:01:31
Speaker 1: position on the chart, and they shaped their course for
1:01:34
Speaker 1: Cape Croseness, the northwestern point of Jersey. The gleam of
1:01:38
Speaker 1: sunshine was transient. The clouds closed again overhead, darker and
1:01:43
Speaker 1: grayer than before. Soon the drops of rain came flying
1:01:47
Speaker 1: before the wind. The rising closed in, and they could
1:01:50
Speaker 1: not see half a mile away. But though the sea
1:01:54
Speaker 1: was heavy, the sea bird was making capital weather of it,
1:01:57
Speaker 1: and the two friends agreed that, after all the excitement
1:02:00
Speaker 1: of a sail like this was worth a month of
1:02:02
Speaker 1: pottering about in calms. We must keep a bright look out. Presently,
1:02:06
Speaker 1: the skipper said, there are some nasty rocks off the
1:02:10
Speaker 1: coast of Jersey. We must give them a wide berth.
1:02:14
Speaker 1: We had best make round to the south of the
1:02:16
Speaker 1: island and lay there till we can pick up a
1:02:18
Speaker 1: pilot to take us into Saint Helier. I don't think
1:02:20
Speaker 1: it'll be worth while trying to get into Saint Aubin's
1:02:23
Speaker 1: Bay by ourselves. I think so too, Watkins. But we
1:02:27
Speaker 1: will see what it is like before it gets dark.
1:02:30
Speaker 1: If we can pick up a pilot at all, the better.
1:02:32
Speaker 1: If not, we will lie two till morning if the
1:02:34
Speaker 1: weather keeps thick, but if it clears so that we
1:02:37
Speaker 1: can make out all the lights we ought to be
1:02:39
Speaker 1: able to get into the bay anyhow, an hour later
1:02:42
Speaker 1: the rain ceased and the sky appeared somewhat clearer. Suddenly,
1:02:46
Speaker 1: Watkins exclaimed, there's a wreck, sir. They're three miles away
1:02:51
Speaker 1: to leeward. She is on the patternosters. Good heavens, she's
1:02:56
Speaker 1: a steamer, Tom exclaimed, as he caught sight of her
1:02:59
Speaker 1: the next time the sea bird lifted on a wave.
1:03:02
Speaker 1: Can she be the Southampton boat? Do you think like enough? Sir?
1:03:08
Speaker 1: She may have had it thicker than we had. They
1:03:10
Speaker 1: may not have calculated enough for the current. Op elm
1:03:14
Speaker 1: jack and bear a way towards her. Shall we take
1:03:16
Speaker 1: out a reef, Watkins? I wouldn't, sir. She has got
1:03:19
Speaker 1: as much as she can carry on her. Now we
1:03:22
Speaker 1: must mind what we are doing, sir. The currants run
1:03:25
Speaker 1: like a mill stream, and if we get that reef
1:03:28
Speaker 1: under our lee, and the wind and current both setting
1:03:30
Speaker 1: us on to it. It'll be all up with us
1:03:33
Speaker 1: in no time. Yes, I know that, Watkins. Jack, take
1:03:37
Speaker 1: the helm a minute while we run down and look
1:03:39
Speaker 1: at the chart. Our only chance, Watkins, is to work
1:03:42
Speaker 1: up behind the reef and try to get so that
1:03:44
Speaker 1: they can either fasten a line to a booye and
1:03:47
Speaker 1: let it float down to us, or get into a
1:03:49
Speaker 1: boat if they have one left, and drift to us.
1:03:53
Speaker 1: They are an awful group of rocks, Watkins said, as
1:03:56
Speaker 1: they examined the chart. You see some of them show
1:03:58
Speaker 1: merely at high tide, and a lot of them are
1:04:01
Speaker 1: above at low water. It'll be an awful business to
1:04:05
Speaker 1: get among them rocks, sir, just as about a near
1:04:08
Speaker 1: certain death as a thing can be. Well, it's got
1:04:11
Speaker 1: to be done, Watkins, Tom said firmly. I see the
1:04:14
Speaker 1: danger as well as you do. But whatever the risk,
1:04:16
Speaker 1: it must be tried. Mister Grantham and the two ladies
1:04:19
Speaker 1: went on board of my persuasion. I should never forgive
1:04:22
Speaker 1: myself if anything happened to them, but I will speak
1:04:26
Speaker 1: to the men. He went on deck again and called
1:04:28
Speaker 1: the man to him. Look here, lads, you see that
1:04:31
Speaker 1: steamer ashore in the patternosters. In such a sea as this,
1:04:35
Speaker 1: she may go to pieces in half an hour. I
1:04:37
Speaker 1: am determined to make an effort to save the lives
1:04:40
Speaker 1: of those on board. As you can see for yourselves,
1:04:43
Speaker 1: there is no line the weather of her. With the
1:04:45
Speaker 1: current and wind driving us on to the reef, we
1:04:48
Speaker 1: must beat up from behind now, lads, the sea there
1:04:52
Speaker 1: is full of rocks, and the chances are ten to
1:04:55
Speaker 1: one we strike on to them and go to pieces.
1:04:58
Speaker 1: But anyhow, I'm going to try, but I won't take
1:05:01
Speaker 1: you unless you are willing. The boat is a good
1:05:04
Speaker 1: one and the zinc chambers will keep her afloat if
1:05:06
Speaker 1: she fills well minutes. You ought to be able to
1:05:09
Speaker 1: make the coast of Jersey in her, Mister Harvey Watkins
1:05:12
Speaker 1: and I can handle the yacht, so you can take
1:05:15
Speaker 1: the boat if you like. The men replied that they
1:05:18
Speaker 1: would stick to the yacht wherever mister Virtue chose to
1:05:21
Speaker 1: take her, and muttered something about the ladies. For the
1:05:24
Speaker 1: pleasant faces of missus Grantham and Miss Graham had during
1:05:28
Speaker 1: the fortnight they had been on board won the men's
1:05:30
Speaker 1: hearts very well. Lads, I'm glad the vine you will
1:05:34
Speaker 1: stick by me if we pull safely through it, I
1:05:37
Speaker 1: will give each of you three months wages. Now set
1:05:40
Speaker 1: the work with a will and get the gig out.
1:05:42
Speaker 1: We will tow her after us and take to her
1:05:45
Speaker 1: if we make a smash of it. They were now
1:05:47
Speaker 1: near enough to see the white breakers in the middle
1:05:49
Speaker 1: of which the ship was lying. She was fast breaking up.
1:05:53
Speaker 1: The jagged outline showed that the stern had been beaten in.
1:05:56
Speaker 1: The masts and funnel were gone, and the cold way
1:06:00
Speaker 1: seemed to make a clean breach over her, almost hiding
1:06:03
Speaker 1: her from sight with a white cloud of spray. What
1:06:06
Speaker 1: an iron can't stand much longer, Jack Harvey said, another hour,
1:06:10
Speaker 1: and I should say there won't be two planks left together.
1:06:14
Speaker 1: It's awful, Jack, I will give all I have in
1:06:16
Speaker 1: the world if I had not persuaded them to go
1:06:18
Speaker 1: on board, keep her off a little more, Watkins. The
1:06:22
Speaker 1: sea bird passed within a cable's length of the breakers
1:06:25
Speaker 1: at the northern end of the reef. Now, lads, take
1:06:29
Speaker 1: your places of the sheets, ready to halder. Let go
1:06:31
Speaker 1: as I give the word, so saying Tom Virtue took
1:06:35
Speaker 1: his place in the bow, holding on by the forestay.
1:06:38
Speaker 1: The wind was full and the sea bird's beam as
1:06:40
Speaker 1: she entered the broken water. Here and there, the dark
1:06:43
Speaker 1: heads of the rocks showed above the water. These were
1:06:46
Speaker 1: easy enough to avoid. The danger lay in those hidden
1:06:49
Speaker 1: beneath the surface, and whose position was indicated only by
1:06:53
Speaker 1: the occasional break of the sea as it passed over them.
1:06:57
Speaker 1: Every time the sea birds sank on a wave, those
1:06:59
Speaker 1: on board involuntarily held their breath. But the water here
1:07:03
Speaker 1: was comparatively smooth, the sea having spent its first force
1:07:07
Speaker 1: upon the outer reef. With a wave of his hand,
1:07:10
Speaker 1: Tom directed the helmsman as to his course, and the
1:07:13
Speaker 1: little yacht was admirably handled through the dangers. I begin
1:07:17
Speaker 1: to think we shall do it, Tom said to Jack Harvey,
1:07:20
Speaker 1: who was standing close to him. Another five minutes and
1:07:23
Speaker 1: we shall be within reach of her. It could be
1:07:25
Speaker 1: seen that there was a group of people clustered in
1:07:27
Speaker 1: the bow of the wreck. Two or three light lines
1:07:30
Speaker 1: were coiled in readiness for throwing now Watkins, Tom said,
1:07:34
Speaker 1: going aft, make straight for the wreck. I see no
1:07:37
Speaker 1: broken water between us and them, and possibly there may
1:07:39
Speaker 1: be deep water under their bow. It was an anxious moment,
1:07:43
Speaker 1: as with the sails flattened in the yawl forged up
1:07:46
Speaker 1: nearly in the eye of the wind towards the wreck.
1:07:49
Speaker 1: Her brogus was slow, for she was now stemming the current.
1:07:53
Speaker 1: Tom stood with a coil of line in his hand
1:07:55
Speaker 1: in the bow. You get ready to throw jack if
1:07:58
Speaker 1: I miss. Nearer and nearer the yacht approached the wreck
1:08:02
Speaker 1: until the bow spread of the ladder seemed to stand
1:08:04
Speaker 1: almost over her. Then Tom threw the line. It fell
1:08:08
Speaker 1: over the bowspread, and a cheer broke from those on
1:08:11
Speaker 1: board the wreck and from the sailors of the seabird.
1:08:14
Speaker 1: A stronger line was at once fastened to that throne,
1:08:17
Speaker 1: and to this a strong hawser was attached down with
1:08:20
Speaker 1: the helm. Watkins, Now, lads, lower away the trysails fast
1:08:24
Speaker 1: as you can. Now, one of you clear that hawser
1:08:27
Speaker 1: as they haul on it. Now out with the anchors.
1:08:30
Speaker 1: These had been got into readiness. It was not thought
1:08:33
Speaker 1: that they would get any hold on the rocky bottom. Still,
1:08:35
Speaker 1: they might catch on a projecting ledge, and at any
1:08:38
Speaker 1: rate their weight and that of the chain cable would
1:08:40
Speaker 1: relieve the strain upon the hawser. Two sailors had run
1:08:44
Speaker 1: out on the bow spread of the wreck as soon
1:08:46
Speaker 1: as the line was thrown, and the end of the
1:08:48
Speaker 1: hawser was now on board the steamer. Thank god, there's Grantham,
1:08:53
Speaker 1: Jack Harvey exclaimed. Do you see him waving his hand?
1:08:57
Speaker 1: I see him, Tom said, But I don't see the ladies.
1:09:01
Speaker 1: They're there, not out, Jack said, confidently, crouching down. I
1:09:06
Speaker 1: expect you would not be there if they weren't. You
1:09:09
Speaker 1: may be sure. Yes, there they are. Those two muffled
1:09:13
Speaker 1: up figures there. One of them is thrown back her
1:09:16
Speaker 1: cloak and is waving her arm. The two young men
1:09:19
Speaker 1: wave their caps. Are the anchors holding watkins. There's a
1:09:23
Speaker 1: tremendous strain on that hawser. I think so, sir, They're
1:09:26
Speaker 1: both tight. Put them round the windlass and give them
1:09:29
Speaker 1: a turn or two. We must relieve the strain on
1:09:32
Speaker 1: that hawser. Since they had first seen the wreck, the
1:09:34
Speaker 1: waves had made great progress in the work of destruction,
1:09:38
Speaker 1: and the steamer had broken in two just after the engines.
1:09:41
Speaker 1: Get over the spare spars watkins and fasten them the
1:09:44
Speaker 1: float in front of her bows like a triangle. Matthews.
1:09:47
Speaker 1: Catch hold of that boat hook and try to fend
1:09:49
Speaker 1: off any piece of timber that comes along. You get
1:09:52
Speaker 1: hold of the sweeps lads and do the same. They
1:09:55
Speaker 1: would stave her like a nutshell if they struck her.
1:09:58
Speaker 1: Thank God, here comes the first of them. Those on
1:10:01
Speaker 1: board the steamer had not been idle. As soon as
1:10:04
Speaker 1: you all was seen approaching, slings were prepared, and no
1:10:07
Speaker 1: sooner was a hawser securely fixed than the slings were
1:10:09
Speaker 1: attached to it and woman placed in them. The hawser
1:10:13
Speaker 1: was tight and the descent sharp, and without a check,
1:10:15
Speaker 1: the figure ran down to the deck of the Sea Bird.
1:10:18
Speaker 1: She was lifted out of the slings by Tom and
1:10:20
Speaker 1: Jack Harvey, who found she was an old woman and
1:10:23
Speaker 1: had entirely lost consciousness. Two of you carry her down below.
1:10:27
Speaker 1: Tell Johnson a poor little brandy down her throat, give
1:10:30
Speaker 1: her some hot soup as soon as she comes too.
1:10:33
Speaker 1: Another woman was lowered and help below. The next to
1:10:36
Speaker 1: descend was Missus Grantham. Thank god you are rescued, Tom said,
1:10:40
Speaker 1: as he helped her out of the sling. Thank God, indeed,
1:10:44
Speaker 1: Missus Grantham said, and thank you all, oh Tom. We
1:10:48
Speaker 1: have had a terrible time of it and had lost
1:10:50
Speaker 1: all hope till we saw your sail. And even then
1:10:53
Speaker 1: the captain said that he was afraid nothing could be done.
1:10:56
Speaker 1: Minnie was the first to make it out. It was you,
1:10:59
Speaker 1: and then we began and to hope she has been
1:11:01
Speaker 1: so brave, dear girl. Ah, here she comes. But Minnie's
1:11:06
Speaker 1: firmness came to an end now that she felt the
1:11:08
Speaker 1: need for it was over. She was unable to stand
1:11:11
Speaker 1: when she was lifted from the slings, and Tom carried
1:11:13
Speaker 1: her below. Are there any more women, missus Grantham? No,
1:11:17
Speaker 1: there was only one other lady passenger and the stewardess,
1:11:21
Speaker 1: and you had better take possession of your own cabin.
1:11:23
Speaker 1: I ordered Johnson to spread a couple more mattresses and
1:11:26
Speaker 1: some bedding on the floor, so you will all four
1:11:29
Speaker 1: be able to turn in. There's plenty of hot coffee
1:11:31
Speaker 1: and soup. I should advise soup with two or three
1:11:34
Speaker 1: spoonfuls of brandy in it. Now, excuse me, I must
1:11:37
Speaker 1: go upon deck. Twelve men descended by the hawser, one
1:11:41
Speaker 1: of them with both legs broken by the fall of
1:11:43
Speaker 1: the mizzen. The last to come was the captain. Is
1:11:48
Speaker 1: that all? Tom asked? That is all? Captain said. Six
1:11:53
Speaker 1: men were swept overboard when she first struck, and two
1:11:56
Speaker 1: were killed by the fall the funnel. Fortunately, we had
1:11:59
Speaker 1: only three jumpmen, passengers and three ladies on board. The
1:12:03
Speaker 1: weather looks so wild when we started that no one
1:12:05
Speaker 1: else cared about making the passage. God bless you, sir,
1:12:09
Speaker 1: for what you have done. Another half hour and it
1:12:11
Speaker 1: would have been all over with us. But it seems
1:12:14
Speaker 1: like a miracle you are getting saved through the rocks
1:12:16
Speaker 1: to us. He was fortunate, indeed that we came along,
1:12:20
Speaker 1: Tom said. Three of the passengers are dear friends of mine,
1:12:24
Speaker 1: And as it was by my persuasion that they came
1:12:26
Speaker 1: across from the steamer instead of the yacht, I should
1:12:30
Speaker 1: never have forgiven myself if they had been lost. Take
1:12:33
Speaker 1: your men below, Captain. You'll find plenty of hot soup there. Now, Watkins,
1:12:37
Speaker 1: let us be off. That steamer won't hold together many
1:12:40
Speaker 1: minutes longer, so there's no time to lose. We will
1:12:43
Speaker 1: go back as we came. Give me a hatchet. Now, lads,
1:12:47
Speaker 1: two of you stand at the chain cables. Knock out
1:12:50
Speaker 1: the shackles the moment I cut the causer. Watkins, you
1:12:53
Speaker 1: take the helm and let her head pay off till
1:12:55
Speaker 1: the jib fails. Jack, you let a hand to the
1:12:58
Speaker 1: other two and get up to try sail again, ye,
1:13:00
Speaker 1: and as soon as we are free. In a moment,
1:13:02
Speaker 1: all were at their stations. The helm was put on
1:13:05
Speaker 1: the yacht, and she paid off on the opposite tack
1:13:08
Speaker 1: to that on which she had before been sailing. As
1:13:10
Speaker 1: soon as the jib filled, Tom gave two vigorous blows
1:13:13
Speaker 1: with his hatchet on the hawser, and as he lifted
1:13:16
Speaker 1: his hand for a third, it parted. Then came the
1:13:19
Speaker 1: sharp rattle of the chains as they ran round the
1:13:21
Speaker 1: hawser holes. The trysail was hoisted and sheeted home, and
1:13:26
Speaker 1: a sea bird was under way again. Tom, as before,
1:13:29
Speaker 1: conned the ship from the bow. Several times she was
1:13:32
Speaker 1: in close proximity to the rocks, but each time she
1:13:35
Speaker 1: avoided them. A shout of gladness rose from all on
1:13:38
Speaker 1: deck as she passed the last patch of white water.
1:13:41
Speaker 1: Then she tacked and bore away for Jersey. Tom had
1:13:45
Speaker 1: now time to go down below and look after his passengers.
1:13:48
Speaker 1: It consisted of the captain and two sailors, the sole
1:13:51
Speaker 1: survivors of those who had been on deck when the
1:13:53
Speaker 1: vessel struck, three mail passengers, and six engineers and stokers.
1:13:58
Speaker 1: I have not had time to shake you by the
1:14:00
Speaker 1: hand before Tom Grantham said, as Tom Virtue entered, and
1:14:04
Speaker 1: I thought that you would not want me on deck
1:14:06
Speaker 1: at present. God bless you, old fellow. We all owe
1:14:10
Speaker 1: you our lives. How did it happen, Captain Tom asked,
1:14:14
Speaker 1: as the captain also came up to him. It was
1:14:17
Speaker 1: the currents, I suppose, the captain said. It was so
1:14:21
Speaker 1: thick we could not see a quarter of a mile anyway.
1:14:24
Speaker 1: The weather was so wild, and were not put into
1:14:26
Speaker 1: Guernsey and passed the island without seeing it. I steered
1:14:30
Speaker 1: my usual course, but the gale must have altered the currents,
1:14:34
Speaker 1: for I thought I was three miles away from the
1:14:36
Speaker 1: reef when we saw it on our beam, not a
1:14:38
Speaker 1: hundred yards away. It was too late to avoid it then,
1:14:42
Speaker 1: and in another minute we ran upon it, and the
1:14:44
Speaker 1: ways were sweeping over us. Everyone behaved well. I got
1:14:49
Speaker 1: all except those who had been swept overboard or crushed
1:14:52
Speaker 1: by the funnel up into the bow of the ship.
1:14:55
Speaker 1: And there we waited. There was nothing to be done.
1:14:58
Speaker 1: No boat would live for for a moment in the
1:15:00
Speaker 1: sea on that reef, and all I could advise was
1:15:04
Speaker 1: that when she went to pieces, everyone should try to
1:15:06
Speaker 1: get a hold of a floating fragment, but I doubt
1:15:09
Speaker 1: whether a man would have been alive a quarter of
1:15:11
Speaker 1: an hour after she went to pieces. Perhaps Captain, you
1:15:15
Speaker 1: will come on deck with me and give me the
1:15:16
Speaker 1: benefit of your advice. My skipper and I know the
1:15:20
Speaker 1: islands pretty well, but no doubt you know them a
1:15:22
Speaker 1: good deal better, and I don't want another mishap. The
1:15:26
Speaker 1: Sea Bird avoided all further dangers, and as it became dark,
1:15:30
Speaker 1: the lights of Saint Helier's were in sight, and an
1:15:33
Speaker 1: hour later the yacht brought up in the port and
1:15:35
Speaker 1: landed her involuntary passengers. A fortnight afterwards, the Sea Bird
1:15:40
Speaker 1: returned to England, and two months later Missus Grantham had
1:15:44
Speaker 1: the satisfaction of being present at the ceremony, which was
1:15:47
Speaker 1: a successful consummation of her little scheme in inviting Minnie
1:15:51
Speaker 1: Graham to be her companion on board the Sea Bird. Well,
1:15:55
Speaker 1: my dear, her husband said, when she had indulged in
1:15:58
Speaker 1: a little natural triumph. I do not say that it
1:16:01
Speaker 1: has not turned out well, and I am heartily glad
1:16:04
Speaker 1: for both Tom and Minnie's sake as it has so,
1:16:07
Speaker 1: but you must allow that it very nearly had a
1:16:09
Speaker 1: disastrous ending, and I think if I were you, I
1:16:12
Speaker 1: should leave matters to take their natural course in the future.
1:16:16
Speaker 1: I have accepted Tom's invitation for the same party to
1:16:19
Speaker 1: take a cruise in a sea bird next summer, but
1:16:22
Speaker 1: I have bargained that next time a storm is brewing up,
1:16:25
Speaker 1: we shall stop quietly in port. That's all very well, James,
1:16:30
Speaker 1: missus Grantham said saucily, but you must remember that Tom
1:16:34
Speaker 1: Virtue will only be first mate of the sea bird
1:16:37
Speaker 1: in the future, that I shall be able to tell
1:16:39
Speaker 1: you better, my dear, after our next cruise. All husbands
1:16:43
Speaker 1: are not as docile and easily led as I am.
1:16:48
Speaker 1: End of section three, Section four of Tales of Daring
1:16:57
Speaker 1: and Danger by G. A. Henty. This LibriVox recording is
1:17:02
Speaker 1: in the public domain. Section four A pipe of Mystery.
1:17:08
Speaker 1: A jovial party were gathered round the blazing fire and
1:17:11
Speaker 1: an old grange near Warwick. The hour was getting late.
1:17:15
Speaker 1: The very little ones had, after dancing round the Christmas tree,
1:17:18
Speaker 1: enjoying the snap dragon and playing a variety of games,
1:17:21
Speaker 1: gone off to bed, and the elder boys and girls
1:17:24
Speaker 1: now gathered round their uncle, Colonel Harley, and asked him
1:17:28
Speaker 1: for a story. Above all a ghost story. But I
1:17:32
Speaker 1: have never seen any ghosts, the colonel said, laughing. And moreover,
1:17:37
Speaker 1: I don't believe in them one bit. I have traveled
1:17:40
Speaker 1: pretty well all over the world. I have slept in
1:17:42
Speaker 1: houses said to be haunted, but nothing. Have I seen,
1:17:46
Speaker 1: no noises. It could not be accounted for by rats
1:17:49
Speaker 1: or the wind. Have I ever heard? I have never?
1:17:53
Speaker 1: And here he paused, never, but once met with any
1:17:56
Speaker 1: circumstances or occurrences, it could not be accounted for by
1:18:00
Speaker 1: the light of reason. And I know you prefer hearing
1:18:03
Speaker 1: stories of my own adventures to mere invention. Yes, uncle,
1:18:08
Speaker 1: but what was the once when circumstances happened that you
1:18:11
Speaker 1: could not explain? It's rather a long story, the colonel said.
1:18:16
Speaker 1: And it's getting late. Oh no, no, uncle, it does
1:18:20
Speaker 1: not matter a bit how late we sit up on
1:18:22
Speaker 1: Christmas Eve. And the longer the story is the better.
1:18:25
Speaker 1: And if you don't believe in ghosts, how can it
1:18:28
Speaker 1: be a story of something you could not account for
1:18:30
Speaker 1: by the light of nature. You will see you when
1:18:33
Speaker 1: I have done, the colonel said. It is rather a
1:18:36
Speaker 1: story of what the Scotch call second sight than one
1:18:39
Speaker 1: of ghosts. As to accounting for it. You shall form
1:18:43
Speaker 1: your own opinion when you have heard me to the end.
1:18:46
Speaker 1: I landed in India in fifty and after going through
1:18:50
Speaker 1: the regular drill work, marched with a detachment up country
1:18:53
Speaker 1: to join my regiment which was stationed at Jubalpour in
1:18:58
Speaker 1: the very heart of India. It has become an important
1:19:01
Speaker 1: place since the railroad across India passes through it, and
1:19:05
Speaker 1: no end of changes have taken place. But at that
1:19:09
Speaker 1: time it was one of the most out of the
1:19:11
Speaker 1: way stations in India, and I may say one of
1:19:14
Speaker 1: the most pleasant. It lay high, there was capital boating
1:19:19
Speaker 1: on the Nebruda, and above all it was a grand
1:19:22
Speaker 1: place for sport, for it lay at the foot of
1:19:25
Speaker 1: the hill country, an immense district and but little known,
1:19:29
Speaker 1: covered with forests and jungle and a pounding with big
1:19:32
Speaker 1: game of all kinds. My great friend there was a
1:19:35
Speaker 1: man named Simmons. He was just of my own standing,
1:19:38
Speaker 1: and we had come out in the same ship and
1:19:41
Speaker 1: marched up the country together, and were almost like brothers.
1:19:44
Speaker 1: He was an old Etonian, I and old Westminster, and
1:19:49
Speaker 1: we were both fond of boating and indeed of sport
1:19:52
Speaker 1: of all kinds. But I'm not going to tell you
1:19:55
Speaker 1: of that now. The people in these hills are called Gons,
1:19:59
Speaker 1: a true U hill tribe, that is to say, Aborigines,
1:20:03
Speaker 1: somewhat of the Negro type. The chiefs are of mixed blood,
1:20:07
Speaker 1: but the people are almost black. They are supposed to
1:20:11
Speaker 1: accept the religion of the Hindus, but are in reality
1:20:14
Speaker 1: deplorably ignorant and superstitious. Their priests are sort of compound
1:20:19
Speaker 1: of Brahman priest and a Negro fetish man, and among
1:20:23
Speaker 1: their principal duties is that of charming away tigers from
1:20:26
Speaker 1: the villages by means of incantations. There, as in other
1:20:31
Speaker 1: parts of India, were a few wandering fakirs who enjoyed
1:20:36
Speaker 1: an immense reputation for holiness and wisdom. The people will
1:20:40
Speaker 1: go to them from great distances for charms or predictions,
1:20:44
Speaker 1: and believed in their power with implicit faith. At the
1:20:47
Speaker 1: time when we were at Jubapur, there was one of
1:20:50
Speaker 1: these fellows whose reputation altogether eclipsed that of his rivals,
1:20:54
Speaker 1: and nothing could be done until his permission had been
1:20:57
Speaker 1: asked and his blessing obtained. All sorts of marvelous stories
1:21:02
Speaker 1: were constantly coming to our ears of the unerring foresight
1:21:05
Speaker 1: with which he predicted the termination of diseases both in
1:21:09
Speaker 1: men and animals, and so generally he was believed in
1:21:12
Speaker 1: that the colonel ordered that no one connected with the
1:21:15
Speaker 1: regiment should consult him, for these predictions very frequently brought
1:21:19
Speaker 1: about their own fulfillment. For those who were told that
1:21:23
Speaker 1: an illness would terminate fatally lost all hope and literally
1:21:27
Speaker 1: lay down to die. However, many of the stories that
1:21:31
Speaker 1: we heard could not be explained on these grounds, and
1:21:34
Speaker 1: the fakir and his doings were often talked over at mess,
1:21:38
Speaker 1: some of the officers scoffing at the whole business, others
1:21:41
Speaker 1: maintaining that some of these fakirs had, in some way
1:21:44
Speaker 1: or another the power of foretelling the future, citing many
1:21:48
Speaker 1: well authenticated anecdotes upon the subject. The older officers were believers.
1:21:54
Speaker 1: We young fellows were the scoffers. But for the well
1:21:57
Speaker 1: known fact that it is very seldom indeed that these
1:22:00
Speaker 1: fakirs would utter any of their predictions to Europeans, some
1:22:04
Speaker 1: of us would have gone to him to test his powers,
1:22:07
Speaker 1: as it was none of us had ever seen him.
1:22:10
Speaker 1: He lived in an old, ruined temple in the middle
1:22:13
Speaker 1: of a large patch of jungle at the foot of
1:22:15
Speaker 1: the hills, some ten or twelve miles away. I had
1:22:19
Speaker 1: been a jubil boar about a year when I was
1:22:22
Speaker 1: woke up one night by a native who came to
1:22:24
Speaker 1: say that about eight o'clock a tiger had killed a
1:22:26
Speaker 1: man in his village and had dragged off the body.
1:22:30
Speaker 1: Simmons and I were constantly out after tigers, and the
1:22:33
Speaker 1: people in all the villages within twenty miles knew that
1:22:37
Speaker 1: we were always ready to pay for early information. This
1:22:41
Speaker 1: tiger had been doing great damage and had carried off
1:22:43
Speaker 1: about thirty men, women and children. So great was a
1:22:47
Speaker 1: fear of him, indeed, that the people in the neighborhood
1:22:50
Speaker 1: he frequented scarcely dared stir out of doors, except in
1:22:54
Speaker 1: parties of five or six. We had had several hunts
1:22:57
Speaker 1: after him, but like all man eaters, he was old
1:23:01
Speaker 1: and awfully crafty, and although we got several snapshots at him,
1:23:06
Speaker 1: he had always managed to save his skin. In a
1:23:09
Speaker 1: quarter of an hour after the receipt of the message,
1:23:12
Speaker 1: Charlie Simmons and I were on the back of an elephant,
1:23:15
Speaker 1: which was our joint property. Our SHAKERI a capital fellow
1:23:20
Speaker 1: was on foot beside us, and with the native trotting
1:23:23
Speaker 1: on ahead as guide, we went off at the best
1:23:26
Speaker 1: pace of Old Begaum, for that was the elephant's name.
1:23:29
Speaker 1: The village was fifteen miles away, but we got there
1:23:32
Speaker 1: soon after daybreak and were received with the light by
1:23:35
Speaker 1: the population. In half an hour, the hunt was organized.
1:23:40
Speaker 1: All the male population turned out as beaters with sticks, guns,
1:23:43
Speaker 1: tom toms, and other instruments for making noise. Trail was
1:23:47
Speaker 1: not difficult to find. A broad path with occasional smears
1:23:51
Speaker 1: of blood showed where he had dragged his victim through
1:23:53
Speaker 1: the long grass to a cluster of trees a couple
1:23:56
Speaker 1: of hundred yards from the village. We scarcely expected to
1:23:59
Speaker 1: find him him there, but the villagers held back while
1:24:02
Speaker 1: we went forward with cocked rifles. We found, however, nothing
1:24:06
Speaker 1: but a few bones and a quantity of blood. The
1:24:09
Speaker 1: tiger had made off at the approach of daylight into
1:24:12
Speaker 1: the jungle, which was about two miles distant. We traced
1:24:16
Speaker 1: him easily enough and found that he had entered a
1:24:19
Speaker 1: large ravine from which several smaller ones branched off. It
1:24:24
Speaker 1: was an awkward place, as it was next to impossible
1:24:28
Speaker 1: to surround it. With the number of people at our command,
1:24:31
Speaker 1: we posted them at last all along the upper ground
1:24:34
Speaker 1: and told them to make up in noise what they
1:24:36
Speaker 1: wanted in numbers. At last all was ready, and we
1:24:40
Speaker 1: gave the signal. However, I am not telling you a
1:24:43
Speaker 1: hunting story, and need only say that we could neither
1:24:46
Speaker 1: find nor disturb him. In vain, we pushed pegomb through
1:24:50
Speaker 1: the thickest of the jungle, which clothed the sides and
1:24:52
Speaker 1: bottom of the ravine, while the men shouted, beat their
1:24:55
Speaker 1: tom toms and showered imprecations against the tiger himself and
1:24:59
Speaker 1: his ancestors up to the remotest generations. The day was
1:25:03
Speaker 1: tremendously hot, and after three hours march we gave it
1:25:07
Speaker 1: up for a time lay down in the shade while
1:25:11
Speaker 1: the Shakiris made a long examination of the ground all
1:25:14
Speaker 1: round the hillside to be sure that he had not
1:25:17
Speaker 1: left the ravine. They came back with the news that
1:25:20
Speaker 1: no traces could be discovered, and that beyond the doubt,
1:25:24
Speaker 1: he was still there. A tiger will crouch up in
1:25:27
Speaker 1: an exceedingly small clump of grass or bush, and must
1:25:31
Speaker 1: sometimes almost allow himself to be trodden on. Before moving, however,
1:25:36
Speaker 1: we determined to have one more search, and if that
1:25:39
Speaker 1: should prove unsuccessful, to send off to Jublepour for more
1:25:43
Speaker 1: of the men to come out with elephants, while we
1:25:45
Speaker 1: kept up a circle of fires and of noise of
1:25:48
Speaker 1: all descriptions, so as to keep him a prisoner until
1:25:51
Speaker 1: the arrival of the reinforcements. Our next search was no
1:25:54
Speaker 1: more successful than our first had been, and, having as
1:25:58
Speaker 1: we imagined, examined every clump and crevice in which he
1:26:00
Speaker 1: could have been concealed, we had just reached the upper
1:26:04
Speaker 1: end of the ravine when we heard a tremendous roar,
1:26:08
Speaker 1: followed by a perfect babble of yells and screams from
1:26:11
Speaker 1: the natives. The outbursts came from the mouth of the ravine,
1:26:15
Speaker 1: and we felt at once that he had escaped. We
1:26:18
Speaker 1: hurried back to find, as we had expected, that the
1:26:20
Speaker 1: tiger was gone. He had burst out suddenly from his
1:26:24
Speaker 1: hiding place, had seized a native, torn him horribly, and
1:26:27
Speaker 1: had made across the open plain. This was terribly provoking,
1:26:31
Speaker 1: but we had nothing to do but follow him. This
1:26:34
Speaker 1: was easy enough, and we traced him to a detached
1:26:37
Speaker 1: patch of wood and jungle two miles distant. This wood
1:26:41
Speaker 1: was four or five hundred yards across, and the exclamations
1:26:45
Speaker 1: of the people at once told us that it was
1:26:47
Speaker 1: the one in which stood the ruined temple of the
1:26:49
Speaker 1: Fakir of whom I have been telling you. I forgot
1:26:53
Speaker 1: to say that as the tiger broke out, one of
1:26:55
Speaker 1: the village shakiris had fired at and he declared wounded him.
1:27:00
Speaker 1: It was already getting late in the afternoon, and it
1:27:03
Speaker 1: was hopeless to attempt to beat the jungle that night.
1:27:05
Speaker 1: We therefore set off a runner with a note to
1:27:08
Speaker 1: the colonel asking him to send the work elephants and
1:27:11
Speaker 1: to allow a party of volunteers to march over night
1:27:14
Speaker 1: to help surround the jungle when we commenced beating it
1:27:17
Speaker 1: in the morning. We based our request upon the fact
1:27:20
Speaker 1: that the tiger was a notorious man eater and had
1:27:23
Speaker 1: been doing immense damage. We then had a talk with
1:27:26
Speaker 1: our SHAKERI sent the man off to bring provisions for
1:27:30
Speaker 1: the people out with us, and then set them to
1:27:32
Speaker 1: work cutting sticks and grass to make a circle of fires.
1:27:36
Speaker 1: We both felt much uneasiness respecting the Fakir, who might
1:27:40
Speaker 1: be seized at any moment by the enraged tiger. The
1:27:43
Speaker 1: natives would not allow that there was any cause for fear,
1:27:46
Speaker 1: as the tiger would not dare to touch so holy
1:27:49
Speaker 1: a man. Our belief in the respect of the tiger
1:27:52
Speaker 1: for sanctity was by no means strong, and we determined
1:27:56
Speaker 1: to go in and warn him of the presence of
1:27:58
Speaker 1: the brute in the wood. It was a mission which
1:28:00
Speaker 1: we could not entrust to anyone else, for no native
1:28:03
Speaker 1: would have entered the jungle for untold gold. So we
1:28:07
Speaker 1: mounted the begarm again and started. The path leading towards
1:28:12
Speaker 1: the temple was pretty wide, and as we went along
1:28:15
Speaker 1: almost noiselessly, for the elephant was too well trained to
1:28:19
Speaker 1: tread upon fallen sticks. It was just possible we might
1:28:22
Speaker 1: come upon the tiger suddenly, so we kept our rifles
1:28:26
Speaker 1: and rediness in our hands. Presently we came in sight
1:28:29
Speaker 1: of the ruins. No one was at first visible, but
1:28:33
Speaker 1: at that very moment the fakir came out from the temple.
1:28:36
Speaker 1: He did not see or hear us, for we were
1:28:39
Speaker 1: rather behind him and still among the trees, but at
1:28:42
Speaker 1: once proceeded in a high voice to break into a
1:28:45
Speaker 1: sing song prayer. He had not said two words before
1:28:49
Speaker 1: his voice was drowned in a terrific roar, and in
1:28:52
Speaker 1: an instant a tiger had sprung upon him, struck him
1:28:55
Speaker 1: to the ground, seized him as a cat would a mouse,
1:28:58
Speaker 1: and started off with him at a trot. The rude
1:29:01
Speaker 1: evidently had not detected our presence, for he came right
1:29:04
Speaker 1: towards us. We halted the begomb and with our fingers
1:29:08
Speaker 1: on the triggers, awaited the favorable moment. He was a
1:29:12
Speaker 1: hundred yards from us when he struck down his victim.
1:29:15
Speaker 1: He was now more than fifty When he caught sight
1:29:17
Speaker 1: of us, he stopped for an instant In surprise. Charley
1:29:22
Speaker 1: muttered both barrels, Harley, and as the beast turned the
1:29:26
Speaker 1: plunge into the jungle and so showed us his side,
1:29:29
Speaker 1: we sent four bullets crashing into him, and he rolled
1:29:32
Speaker 1: over lifeless. We went up to the spot, made the
1:29:35
Speaker 1: begamb give him a kick to be sure that he
1:29:38
Speaker 1: was dead, and then we got down to examine the
1:29:41
Speaker 1: unfortunate fakir. The tiger had seized him by the shoulder,
1:29:45
Speaker 1: which was terribly torn and the bone broken. He was
1:29:49
Speaker 1: still perfectly conscious. We at once fired three shots, our
1:29:53
Speaker 1: usual signal that the tiger was dead, and in a
1:29:56
Speaker 1: few minutes were surrounded by the villagers, who hardly knew
1:29:59
Speaker 1: whether to delighted at the death of their enemy or
1:30:02
Speaker 1: to grieve over the injury to the fakir. We proposed
1:30:06
Speaker 1: taking the latter to our hospital, a Jubilpour, but this
1:30:09
Speaker 1: he positively refused to listen to. However, we finally persuaded
1:30:14
Speaker 1: him to allow his arm to be set and wounds
1:30:16
Speaker 1: dressed in the first place by a regimental surgeon, after
1:30:20
Speaker 1: which he could go to one of the native villages
1:30:22
Speaker 1: and have his arm dressed in accordance with his own notions.
1:30:26
Speaker 1: The litter was soon improvised, and away we went to Jublepour,
1:30:30
Speaker 1: which we reached about eight in the evening. The Fakir
1:30:34
Speaker 1: refused to enter the hospital, so we brought out a
1:30:37
Speaker 1: couple of trustles, laid the litter upon them, and the
1:30:40
Speaker 1: surgeon set his arm and dressed his wounds by torchlight.
1:30:43
Speaker 1: When he was lifted into a dully and his bears
1:30:46
Speaker 1: again prepared to start for the village. Hitherto he had
1:30:50
Speaker 1: only spoken a few words, but he now briefly expressed
1:30:54
Speaker 1: his deep gratitude to Simmons and myself. We told him
1:30:57
Speaker 1: that we would ride over to see him shortly and
1:31:00
Speaker 1: hoped to find him getting on rapidly. Another minute and
1:31:04
Speaker 1: he was gone. It happened that we had three or
1:31:07
Speaker 1: four fellows away on leave or on staff duty, and
1:31:10
Speaker 1: several others knocked up with fever just about this time,
1:31:13
Speaker 1: so that the duty fell very heavily upon the rest
1:31:16
Speaker 1: of us, and it was over a month before we
1:31:18
Speaker 1: had time to ride over to see the Fakir. We
1:31:21
Speaker 1: had heard he was going on well, but we were
1:31:24
Speaker 1: surprised on reaching the village to find that he had
1:31:26
Speaker 1: already returned to his old abode in the jungle. However,
1:31:30
Speaker 1: we had made up our minds to see him, especially
1:31:32
Speaker 1: as we had agreed that we would endeavor to persuade
1:31:35
Speaker 1: him to do a prediction for us, So we turned
1:31:38
Speaker 1: our horses heads towards the jungle. We found the Fakirs
1:31:42
Speaker 1: sitting on a rock in front of the temple, just
1:31:44
Speaker 1: where he had been seized by the tiger. He rose
1:31:48
Speaker 1: as we rode up. I knew that you had come
1:31:50
Speaker 1: to day, Sahibs, and was joyful at the thought of
1:31:53
Speaker 1: seeing those who have preserved my life. We are glad
1:31:57
Speaker 1: to see your looking pretty strong again, though your arm
1:32:00
Speaker 1: is still in a sling, I said, for Simmons was
1:32:03
Speaker 1: not strong in Hindustani. How do you know that we
1:32:06
Speaker 1: were coming, I asked, when we had tied up our horses.
1:32:10
Speaker 1: Siva has given to his servant to know many things,
1:32:13
Speaker 1: he said quietly. Did you know beforehand that the tiger
1:32:17
Speaker 1: was going to seize you? I asked. I knew that
1:32:20
Speaker 1: a great danger threatened, and that Siva would not let
1:32:23
Speaker 1: me die before my time had come. Could you see
1:32:27
Speaker 1: into our future? I asked. The Fakir hesitated, looked at
1:32:32
Speaker 1: me for a moment, earnestly to see if I was
1:32:35
Speaker 1: speaking mockery, and then said, the Sahibs do not believe
1:32:39
Speaker 1: in the power of Siva or of his servants. They
1:32:42
Speaker 1: call his messengers impostors and scoff at them when they
1:32:46
Speaker 1: speak of events of the future. No, indeed, I said,
1:32:50
Speaker 1: my friend, and I have no idea of scoffing. We
1:32:53
Speaker 1: have heard of so many of your predictions coming true
1:32:56
Speaker 1: that we are really anxious that you should tell us
1:32:59
Speaker 1: something of a future. The Fakir nodded his head, went
1:33:02
Speaker 1: into the temple, and returned a minute or two with
1:33:05
Speaker 1: two small pipes used by the natives for opium smoking,
1:33:09
Speaker 1: and a brazier burning charcoal. The pipes were already charged.
1:33:14
Speaker 1: He made signs to us to sit down, and took
1:33:17
Speaker 1: his place in front of us. Then he began singing
1:33:20
Speaker 1: in a low voice, rocking himself to and fro, and
1:33:23
Speaker 1: waving a staff which he held in his hand. Gradually
1:33:28
Speaker 1: his voice rose, and his gesticulations and actions became more violent.
1:33:32
Speaker 1: So far as I could make out, it was a
1:33:34
Speaker 1: prayer to Siva that he would give some glimpse of
1:33:37
Speaker 1: the future which might benefit the Sahibs who had saved
1:33:40
Speaker 1: the life of his servant. Presently, he douted forward, gave
1:33:44
Speaker 1: us each a pipe, took two pieces of bread hot
1:33:47
Speaker 1: charcoal from the brazier in his fingers, without seeming to
1:33:50
Speaker 1: know that they were warm, and placed them in the pipes.
1:33:53
Speaker 1: Then he recommenced his singing and gesticulations. A glance at
1:33:57
Speaker 1: Charlie to see if, like myself, he was ready to
1:34:00
Speaker 1: carry the thing through. And then I put the pipe
1:34:03
Speaker 1: to my lips. I felt at once that it was opium,
1:34:07
Speaker 1: of which before I had made experiment, but mixed with
1:34:10
Speaker 1: some other substance, which was I imagine hashish a preparation
1:34:14
Speaker 1: of hemp. A few puffs, and I felt a drowsiness
1:34:18
Speaker 1: creeping over me. I saw, as through a mist the
1:34:21
Speaker 1: Fakir swaying himself backwards and forwards, his arms waving, and
1:34:26
Speaker 1: his face distorted. Another minute and the pipe slipped from
1:34:30
Speaker 1: my fingers, and I fell back insensible howlong. I lay there,
1:34:34
Speaker 1: I do not know, awoke with a strange and not
1:34:37
Speaker 1: unpleasant sensation, and presently became conscious that the Fakir was
1:34:42
Speaker 1: gently pressing with a sort of shampooing action my temples
1:34:46
Speaker 1: and head. When he saw that I opened my eyes,
1:34:49
Speaker 1: he left me and performed the same process upon Charley.
1:34:53
Speaker 1: In a few minutes, he rose from his stooping position,
1:34:56
Speaker 1: waved his hand in token of adieu, and walked slowly
1:34:59
Speaker 1: back into the temple. As he disappeared, I sat up,
1:35:03
Speaker 1: Charlie did the same. We stared at each other for
1:35:06
Speaker 1: a minute without speaking, and then Charlie said, this is
1:35:10
Speaker 1: a rum go and no mistake, old man. You're right, Charlie,
1:35:14
Speaker 1: my opinion is we've made fools of ourselves. Let's be
1:35:17
Speaker 1: off out of this. We staggered to our feet, for
1:35:21
Speaker 1: we both felt like drunken men made our way to
1:35:24
Speaker 1: our horses, poured a mussak of water over our heads,
1:35:27
Speaker 1: took a drink of brandy from our flasks, and then,
1:35:31
Speaker 1: feeling more like ourselves, mounted and rode out of the jungle. Well, Harley,
1:35:36
Speaker 1: if the glimpse of futurity which I had is true,
1:35:39
Speaker 1: all I can say is that it was extremely unpleasant.
1:35:43
Speaker 1: That was just my case, Charlie, my dream or whatever
1:35:46
Speaker 1: you like to call it, was about a mutiny of
1:35:48
Speaker 1: the men. You don't say so, Charlie, so was mine.
1:35:52
Speaker 1: This was monstrously strange, to say the least of it. However,
1:35:56
Speaker 1: you tell your story first, and I will tell mine.
1:35:59
Speaker 1: It was very short, Charley said. We were a mess
1:36:03
Speaker 1: not in our present mess room. We were dining with
1:36:06
Speaker 1: the fellows of some other regiment. Suddenly, without any warning,
1:36:10
Speaker 1: the windows were filled with a crowd of sip boys,
1:36:13
Speaker 1: who opened fire right and left into us. Half the
1:36:16
Speaker 1: fellows were shot down at once. The rest of us
1:36:18
Speaker 1: made a rush to our swords, just as the niggers
1:36:21
Speaker 1: came swarming into the room. There was a desperate fight
1:36:24
Speaker 1: for a moment. I remember that Subadar Piran, one of
1:36:27
Speaker 1: the best native officers in the regiment by the way
1:36:31
Speaker 1: made a rush at me, and I shot him through
1:36:33
Speaker 1: the head with a revolver. At the same moment a
1:36:36
Speaker 1: ball hit me, and down I went. At the moment
1:36:39
Speaker 1: the sapoy fell dead across me, hiding me partly from sight.
1:36:44
Speaker 1: The fight lasted a minute or two longer. I fancy
1:36:47
Speaker 1: a few fellows escaped, for I heard shots outside. Then
1:36:51
Speaker 1: the place became quiet. In another minute, I heard crackling,
1:36:56
Speaker 1: and I saw that the devils had set the mess
1:36:58
Speaker 1: room on fire. Of our men, who was lying close
1:37:01
Speaker 1: by me, got up and crawled to the window, but
1:37:04
Speaker 1: he was shot down the moment he showed himself. I
1:37:07
Speaker 1: was hesitating whether to do the same or to lie
1:37:10
Speaker 1: still and be smothered, when suddenly I rolled the dead
1:37:13
Speaker 1: Sepoy off, crawled into the anteroom, half suffocated by smoke,
1:37:18
Speaker 1: raised the lid of a very heavy trap door, and
1:37:21
Speaker 1: stumbled down some steps into a place half storehouse, half
1:37:25
Speaker 1: cellar under the mess room. How I knew about it
1:37:28
Speaker 1: being there, I don't know. The trap closed over my
1:37:31
Speaker 1: head with a bang. That is all I remember, well, Charlie.
1:37:36
Speaker 1: Curiously enough, my dream was also about an extraordinary escape
1:37:39
Speaker 1: from danger. Lasting like yours, only a minute or two.
1:37:43
Speaker 1: The first thing I remember there seems to have been
1:37:46
Speaker 1: something before, but what I don't know. I was on
1:37:49
Speaker 1: horseback holding a very pretty but awfully pale girl in
1:37:52
Speaker 1: front of me. We are pursued by a whole troop
1:37:55
Speaker 1: of Sepoy cavalry who were firing pistol shots at us.
1:38:00
Speaker 1: We were not more than seventy or eighty yards in front,
1:38:03
Speaker 1: and they were gaining fast. Just as I rode into
1:38:06
Speaker 1: a large deserted temple and the center was a huge
1:38:09
Speaker 1: stone figure. I jumped off my horse with the lady,
1:38:13
Speaker 1: and as I did so, she said, blow up my brains, Edward,
1:38:16
Speaker 1: don't let me fall alive into their hands. Instead of answering,
1:38:20
Speaker 1: I hurried her round behind the idol, pushed against one
1:38:24
Speaker 1: of the leaves of a flower in the carving, and
1:38:26
Speaker 1: the stones swung back and showed a hole just large
1:38:29
Speaker 1: enough to get through with a stone staircase inside the
1:38:33
Speaker 1: body of the idol. Made no doubt for the priests
1:38:36
Speaker 1: to go up and give responses through the mouth. I
1:38:39
Speaker 1: hurried the little girl through, crept in after her, and
1:38:42
Speaker 1: closed the stone just as our pursuers came clattering into
1:38:45
Speaker 1: the courtyard. That is all I remember well. Its monstrously brum,
1:38:51
Speaker 1: Charley said, after a pause. Did you understand what the
1:38:54
Speaker 1: old fellow was singing about before he gave us the pipes? Yes?
1:38:58
Speaker 1: I caught the general drift. It was an entreaty Deceiva
1:39:02
Speaker 1: to give us some glimpse of futurity which might benefit us.
1:39:06
Speaker 1: We lit our chee roots and rode for some miles
1:39:08
Speaker 1: at a brisk canter without remark. When we were within
1:39:12
Speaker 1: a short distance of home, we reined up. I feel
1:39:15
Speaker 1: ever so much better, Charlie said, We've got that opium
1:39:19
Speaker 1: out of our heads. Now are Do you count for
1:39:22
Speaker 1: it all? Harley? I account for it in this way, Charlie.
1:39:25
Speaker 1: The opium naturally had the effect of making us both
1:39:28
Speaker 1: dream and as we took similar doses of the same
1:39:32
Speaker 1: mixture under similar circumstances, it is scarcely extraordinary that it
1:39:37
Speaker 1: should have effected the same portion of the brain and
1:39:40
Speaker 1: caused a certain similarity in our dreams and all nightmarre
1:39:44
Speaker 1: something terrible happens or is on the point of happening,
1:39:47
Speaker 1: And so it was here, not unnaturally in both our cases.
1:39:51
Speaker 1: Our thoughts turned to soldiers, do you remember there was
1:39:54
Speaker 1: a talk at mess some little time since as to
1:39:57
Speaker 1: what would happen the extremely unlikely event of the Sepoys
1:40:01
Speaker 1: mutinying in the body. I have no doubt that that
1:40:04
Speaker 1: was a foundation of both our dreams. It is all
1:40:07
Speaker 1: natural enough when we come to think it over calmly.
1:40:10
Speaker 1: I think, by the way, we had better agree to
1:40:13
Speaker 1: say nothing at all about it in the regiment. I
1:40:16
Speaker 1: should think not. Charley said we should never hear the
1:40:20
Speaker 1: end of it. They would chaff us out of our lives.
1:40:24
Speaker 1: We kept our secret and came at last to laugh
1:40:26
Speaker 1: over it heartily when we were together. Then the subject dropped,
1:40:31
Speaker 1: and by the end of a year had as much
1:40:33
Speaker 1: escaped our minds as any other dream would have done.
1:40:36
Speaker 1: Three months after the affair, the regiment was ordered down
1:40:39
Speaker 1: to Alabad, and the change of place, no doubt, helped
1:40:42
Speaker 1: to erase all memory of the dream. Four years after
1:40:46
Speaker 1: we had left Jublepore, we went to Beerapoor. The time
1:40:50
Speaker 1: is very marked in my memory because the very week
1:40:53
Speaker 1: we arrived there, your aunt than Missus Gardner, came out
1:40:57
Speaker 1: from England to her father, our colonel. The instant I
1:41:01
Speaker 1: saw her, I was impressed with the idea that I
1:41:03
Speaker 1: knew her intimately. I recollected her face, her figure, in
1:41:08
Speaker 1: the very tone of her voice, but wherever I had
1:41:11
Speaker 1: met her I could not conceive. Upon the occasion of
1:41:15
Speaker 1: my first introduction to her, I could not help telling
1:41:18
Speaker 1: her that I was convinced that we had met, and
1:41:20
Speaker 1: asking her if she did not remember it. No, she
1:41:23
Speaker 1: did not remember, but very likely she might have done so.
1:41:27
Speaker 1: And she suggested the names of several people at whose
1:41:30
Speaker 1: houses we might have met. I did not know any
1:41:33
Speaker 1: of them presently. She asked how long I had been
1:41:36
Speaker 1: out in India Six years, I said, and how old,
1:41:40
Speaker 1: mister Harley? She said, do you take me to be?
1:41:44
Speaker 1: I saw in one instant my stupidity and was stammering
1:41:47
Speaker 1: out an apology when she went on, I am very
1:41:51
Speaker 1: little over eighteen, mister Harley, although I evidently look ever
1:41:55
Speaker 1: so many years older. But Papa can certify to my age.
1:42:00
Speaker 1: So I was only twelve when you left England. I
1:42:03
Speaker 1: tried in vain to clear matters up. Your aunt would
1:42:06
Speaker 1: insist that I took her to be forty, and the
1:42:09
Speaker 1: fun that my blunder maid rather drew us together and
1:42:12
Speaker 1: gave me a start over the other fellows at the station,
1:42:15
Speaker 1: half of whom fell straightway in love with her. Some
1:42:19
Speaker 1: months went on, and when the mutiny broke out, we
1:42:21
Speaker 1: were engaged to be married. It is a proof of
1:42:24
Speaker 1: how completely the Opium dreams had passed out of the
1:42:27
Speaker 1: minds of both Simmons and myself, that even when rumors
1:42:31
Speaker 1: of general disaffection among the Sepoys began to be current,
1:42:35
Speaker 1: they never once recurred to us. And even when the
1:42:38
Speaker 1: news of the actual mutiny reached us, we are just
1:42:41
Speaker 1: as confident as were the others of the fidelity of
1:42:43
Speaker 1: our own regiment. It was the old story foolish confidence
1:42:47
Speaker 1: and black treachery, as at very many other stations. The
1:42:51
Speaker 1: mutiny broke out when we were at Mess. A regiment
1:42:54
Speaker 1: was dining with the thirty fourth Bengales. Suddenly, just as
1:42:58
Speaker 1: dinner was over, the window was open and a tremendous
1:43:01
Speaker 1: fire poured in. Four or five men fell dead at once,
1:43:05
Speaker 1: and the poor colonel who was next to me was
1:43:08
Speaker 1: shot right through the head. Everyone rushed to his sword
1:43:11
Speaker 1: and drew his pistol, for we had been ordered to
1:43:13
Speaker 1: carry pistols as part of our uniform. I was next
1:43:16
Speaker 1: to Charlie Simmons as the surpoys of both regiments, headed
1:43:20
Speaker 1: by Subadir Piran, poured in at the windows. I haven't now,
1:43:25
Speaker 1: Charlie said, it is a scene that I dreamed. As
1:43:28
Speaker 1: he spoke, he fired his revolver at the Subadar, who
1:43:30
Speaker 1: fell dead in his tracks. A sepoy close spy, leveled
1:43:34
Speaker 1: his musket and fired. Charlie fell, and the fellow rushed
1:43:38
Speaker 1: forward to bayonet him. As he did so, I sent
1:43:41
Speaker 1: a bullet through his head, and he fell across Charlie.
1:43:45
Speaker 1: It was a wild fight for a minute or two,
1:43:47
Speaker 1: and then a couple of us made a sudden rush together,
1:43:50
Speaker 1: cut our way through the mutineers, and darted through an
1:43:53
Speaker 1: open window on to the parade. There were shouts, shots
1:43:57
Speaker 1: and screams from the officer's bungalows, and so several places.
1:44:00
Speaker 1: Flames were already rising. What became of the other men
1:44:04
Speaker 1: I knew not. I made as hard as I could
1:44:06
Speaker 1: tear for the colonel's bungalow. Suddenly I came upon a
1:44:10
Speaker 1: sour sitting on his horse, watching the rising flames. Before
1:44:14
Speaker 1: he saw me, I was on him and ran him through.
1:44:17
Speaker 1: I leaped on his horse and galloped down the gardener's compound,
1:44:21
Speaker 1: I saw lots of sepoys in and around the bungalow,
1:44:23
Speaker 1: all engaged in looting. I dashed into the compound. May May,
1:44:29
Speaker 1: I shouted, where are you? I had scarcely spoken before
1:44:33
Speaker 1: a dark figure rushed out of a clump of bushes
1:44:35
Speaker 1: close by with a scream of delight. In an instant,
1:44:39
Speaker 1: she was on the horse before me and shooting down
1:44:41
Speaker 1: a couple of fellows who made a rush at my reins.
1:44:44
Speaker 1: I dashed out again. Stray shots were fired after us,
1:44:48
Speaker 1: but fortunately some boys were all busy looting. Most of
1:44:52
Speaker 1: them had laid down their muskets, and no one really
1:44:55
Speaker 1: took up the pursuit. I turned off from the parade ground,
1:44:58
Speaker 1: dashed down between the hedges the two compounds, and in
1:45:01
Speaker 1: another minute we were in the open country. Fortunately the
1:45:05
Speaker 1: cavalry were all down looting their own lines, or we
1:45:08
Speaker 1: must have been overtaken at once. May happily had fainted
1:45:12
Speaker 1: as I lifted her under my horse, happily because the
1:45:15
Speaker 1: fearful screams that we had heard from the various bungalows
1:45:18
Speaker 1: almost drove me mad and would probably have killed her,
1:45:22
Speaker 1: for the poor ladies were all her intimate friends. I
1:45:26
Speaker 1: rode on for some hours till I felt quite safe
1:45:28
Speaker 1: from any immediate pursuit, and then we halted in the
1:45:31
Speaker 1: shelter of a clump of trees. By this time I
1:45:35
Speaker 1: heard May's story. She had felt uneasy at being alone,
1:45:38
Speaker 1: but had laughed at herself for being so, until upon
1:45:41
Speaker 1: her speaking to one of the servants, he had answered
1:45:44
Speaker 1: in a tone of gross insolence, which had astonished her.
1:45:48
Speaker 1: She at once guessed that there was danger, and the
1:45:51
Speaker 1: moment that she was alone, caught up a large dark
1:45:54
Speaker 1: carriage rug, wrapped it around her so as to conceal
1:45:57
Speaker 1: her white dress, and stole out into the verandah. The
1:46:00
Speaker 1: night was dark, and scarcely had she left the house,
1:46:03
Speaker 1: and she heard a burst of firing across at the
1:46:05
Speaker 1: mess house. She at once ran in among the bushes
1:46:08
Speaker 1: and crouched there as she heard the rush of men
1:46:11
Speaker 1: into the room she had just left. She heard them
1:46:14
Speaker 1: searching for her, but they were looking for a white dress,
1:46:18
Speaker 1: and her dark rug saved her. What she must have
1:46:21
Speaker 1: suffered in the five minutes between the firing of the
1:46:24
Speaker 1: first shot semi arrival, she only knows. May had spoken
1:46:28
Speaker 1: very little since we started. I believe that she was
1:46:31
Speaker 1: certain that her father was dead, although I had given
1:46:34
Speaker 1: an evasive answer when she asked me, and her terrible
1:46:38
Speaker 1: sense of loss, added to the horror of that time
1:46:41
Speaker 1: of suspense in the garden, had completely stunned her. We
1:46:44
Speaker 1: waited in the tope until the afternoon, and then set
1:46:47
Speaker 1: out again. We had gone but a short distance when
1:46:51
Speaker 1: we saw a body of a rebel cavalry in pursuit.
1:46:54
Speaker 1: They had no doubt been scouring the country generally, and
1:46:58
Speaker 1: the discovery was accidental. For a short time we kept
1:47:01
Speaker 1: away from them, but this could not be for long,
1:47:04
Speaker 1: as our horse was carrying double I made for a
1:47:08
Speaker 1: sort of ruin that I sought the foot of a
1:47:10
Speaker 1: hill half a mile away. I did so with no
1:47:13
Speaker 1: idea the possibility of concealment. My intention was simply to
1:47:17
Speaker 1: get my back to a rock and sell my life
1:47:20
Speaker 1: as dearly as I could, keeping the last two barrels
1:47:23
Speaker 1: of Revolver for ourselves. Certainly, no remembrance of my dream
1:47:28
Speaker 1: influenced me in any way, and in the wild whirl
1:47:31
Speaker 1: of excitement, I had not given a second thought to
1:47:34
Speaker 1: Charlie simmons exclamation. As we rode up to the ruins,
1:47:38
Speaker 1: only a hundred yards ahead of us, May said, blow
1:47:42
Speaker 1: out my brains, Edward, and don't let me fall alive
1:47:45
Speaker 1: into their hands. A shock of remembrance shot across me.
1:47:49
Speaker 1: The chase, her pale face, the words the temple, all
1:47:53
Speaker 1: my dream rushed into my mind. We are saved, I
1:47:58
Speaker 1: cried to her amazement, as we rode into the courtyard,
1:48:02
Speaker 1: And who sent her? A great figure was sitting. I
1:48:05
Speaker 1: leapt from the horse, snatched the mussock of water from
1:48:07
Speaker 1: the saddle, and then hurried May round the idol, between
1:48:11
Speaker 1: which in the rock behind there was but just room
1:48:13
Speaker 1: to get along. Not a doubt entered my mind, but
1:48:17
Speaker 1: that I should find the spring as I had dreamed.
1:48:20
Speaker 1: Sure enough, there was a carving fresh upon my memory,
1:48:23
Speaker 1: as if I had seen it but the day before.
1:48:26
Speaker 1: I placed my hand on the leaflet without hesitation, A
1:48:29
Speaker 1: solid stone moved back. I hurried my amazed companion in
1:48:33
Speaker 1: and shut to the stone I found, and shot to
1:48:37
Speaker 1: a massive bolt, evidently placed to prevent the door being
1:48:40
Speaker 1: opened by accident or design when anyone was in the idol.
1:48:44
Speaker 1: At first it seemed quite dark, but a faint light
1:48:47
Speaker 1: streamed in from above. We made our way up the
1:48:50
Speaker 1: stairs and found that the light came through a number
1:48:53
Speaker 1: of small holes pierced into the upper part of the head,
1:48:56
Speaker 1: and through still smaller holes lower down. Not much larger
1:49:00
Speaker 1: than a good sized knitting needle could pass through. These holes,
1:49:04
Speaker 1: we afterwards found were in the ornaments round the idol's neck.
1:49:09
Speaker 1: The holes enlarged inside and enabled us to have a
1:49:12
Speaker 1: view all round. The mutineers were furious at our disappearance,
1:49:16
Speaker 1: and for hours they searched about. Then, saying that we
1:49:20
Speaker 1: must have hidden somewhere, and that they would wait till
1:49:22
Speaker 1: we came out, they proceeded to Bivuwock, the courtyard of
1:49:25
Speaker 1: the temple. We passed four terrible days, but on the
1:49:29
Speaker 1: morning of the fifth, a scout came to tell the
1:49:31
Speaker 1: rebels that a column of British troops marching on Delhi
1:49:35
Speaker 1: would pass close by the temple. They therefore hastily mounted
1:49:39
Speaker 1: and galloped off. Three quarters of an hour later we
1:49:42
Speaker 1: were safe among our own people. A fortnight afterwards, your
1:49:45
Speaker 1: aunt and I were married. It was no time for ceremony. Then.
1:49:50
Speaker 1: There were no means of sending her away, no place
1:49:52
Speaker 1: where she could have waited until the time for her
1:49:55
Speaker 1: mourning for her father was over. So we were married
1:49:58
Speaker 1: quietly by one of the che gaplains of the troops, and,
1:50:02
Speaker 1: as your story books say, have lived happily ever after.
1:50:07
Speaker 1: And how about mister Simmons uncle, did he get safe
1:50:10
Speaker 1: off too? Yes, his dream came as vividly to his
1:50:14
Speaker 1: mind as mine had done. He crawled to the place
1:50:17
Speaker 1: where he knew the trap door would be and got
1:50:19
Speaker 1: into the cellar. Fortunately for him, there were plenty of
1:50:23
Speaker 1: eatables there, and he lived there in concealment for a fortnight.
1:50:28
Speaker 1: After that he crawled out and found the mutineers had
1:50:31
Speaker 1: marched for Delhi. He went through a lot, but at
1:50:34
Speaker 1: last joined us. Before that city, we often talked over
1:50:37
Speaker 1: our dreams together, and there was no question that we
1:50:40
Speaker 1: owed our lives to them. Even then, we did not
1:50:44
Speaker 1: talk much to other people about them, for there would
1:50:46
Speaker 1: have been a lot of talk and inquiry and questions,
1:50:49
Speaker 1: and you know, fellows hate that sort of thing, so
1:50:52
Speaker 1: we held our tongues. Or Charley's silence was sealed a
1:50:56
Speaker 1: year later at Lucknow, for on the advance with Lord
1:50:59
Speaker 1: Cla he was killed. And now, boys and girls, you
1:51:04
Speaker 1: must run off to bed five minutes more, and it
1:51:06
Speaker 1: will be Christmas Day. So you see Frank that although
1:51:11
Speaker 1: I don't believe in ghosts, I have yet met with
1:51:13
Speaker 1: a circumstance which I cannot account for. It's very curious anyhow, Uncle,
1:51:19
Speaker 1: and beats ghost stories into fits. I like it better, certainly,
1:51:24
Speaker 1: one of the girls said, for we can go to
1:51:26
Speaker 1: bed without being afraid of dreaming about it. Well, you
1:51:30
Speaker 1: must not talk any more now, off to bed. Off
1:51:32
Speaker 1: to bed, Colonel Harley said, or I shall get into
1:51:36
Speaker 1: terrible disgrace with your fathers and mothers, who have been
1:51:39
Speaker 1: looking very gravely at me for the last three quarters
1:51:42
Speaker 1: of an hour and a Section four, Section five of
1:51:53
Speaker 1: Tales of Daring and Danger by G. A. Henty. This
1:51:57
Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Section five White
1:52:02
Speaker 1: Faced Dick, A story of Pine Tree Gulch. How pine
1:52:08
Speaker 1: tree Gulch got its name no one knew, for in
1:52:11
Speaker 1: the early days every ravine and hillside was thickly covered
1:52:15
Speaker 1: with pines. It may be that a tree of exceptional
1:52:18
Speaker 1: size caught the eye of the first explorer, that he
1:52:21
Speaker 1: camped under it and named the place in its honor.
1:52:25
Speaker 1: Or may be some fallen giant lay at the bottom
1:52:28
Speaker 1: and hindered the work of the first prospectors at any rate,
1:52:32
Speaker 1: pine Tree Gulch it was, and the name was as
1:52:35
Speaker 1: good as any other. The pine trees are gone, now
1:52:39
Speaker 1: cut up for firing, or for the erection of huts,
1:52:42
Speaker 1: or the construction of sluices, but the hillside was ragged
1:52:46
Speaker 1: with their stumps. The principal camp was at the mouth
1:52:50
Speaker 1: of the gulch, where the little stream, which scarce afforded
1:52:53
Speaker 1: water sufficient for the cradles in a dry season, but
1:52:57
Speaker 1: which was a rushing torrent in the winter, joined the Uba.
1:53:01
Speaker 1: The best ground was at the junction of the streams,
1:53:03
Speaker 1: and lay indeed in the Yuba valley rather than in
1:53:06
Speaker 1: the gulch. At first, most gold had been found higher up,
1:53:11
Speaker 1: but there was here comparatively little depth down to the
1:53:14
Speaker 1: bed rock, And as the ground became exhausted, the miners
1:53:17
Speaker 1: moved down towards the mouth of the gulch. They're doing
1:53:20
Speaker 1: well as a whole, how well no one knew, for
1:53:24
Speaker 1: miners a charriot of giving information as to what they're making.
1:53:28
Speaker 1: Still it was certain that they were doing well, for
1:53:31
Speaker 1: the bars were doing a roaring trade, and the store
1:53:34
Speaker 1: keepers never refused credit, a proof in itself that the
1:53:37
Speaker 1: prospects were good. A flat at the mouth of the
1:53:40
Speaker 1: gulch was a busy scene. Every foot was good paying stuff,
1:53:45
Speaker 1: for in the Eddy, where the torrents and the winter
1:53:47
Speaker 1: rushed down into the Yuba, the gold had settled down
1:53:50
Speaker 1: and lay thick among the gravel. But most of the
1:53:53
Speaker 1: parties were sinking, and it was a long way down
1:53:56
Speaker 1: to the bed rock, for the hills on both sides
1:53:59
Speaker 1: slowed steeply, and the Yuba must here at one time
1:54:02
Speaker 1: have rushed through a narrow gorge, until in some wild
1:54:06
Speaker 1: freak it brought down millions and tons of gravel and
1:54:09
Speaker 1: resumed its course seventy feet above its former level. Quarter
1:54:13
Speaker 1: of a mile higher up, a ledge of rock ran
1:54:15
Speaker 1: across the valley and over it. In the old time
1:54:18
Speaker 1: the Yuba had poured in a cascade seventy feet deep
1:54:21
Speaker 1: into the ravine, but the rock now was level with
1:54:24
Speaker 1: the gravel, only showing its jagged points here and there
1:54:27
Speaker 1: above it. This ledge had been invaluable to the diggers.
1:54:31
Speaker 1: Without it, they could only have sunk their shafts with
1:54:34
Speaker 1: the greatest difficulty, for the gravel had been full of water,
1:54:38
Speaker 1: and even with the greatest panes and puddling and timber work,
1:54:42
Speaker 1: the pumps would scarcely have sufficed to keep it down
1:54:44
Speaker 1: as it rose in the bottom of the shafts. But
1:54:47
Speaker 1: the miners had made common cause together, and giving each
1:54:51
Speaker 1: so many ounces of gold or so many days work,
1:54:53
Speaker 1: had erected a dam thirty feet high along the ledge
1:54:56
Speaker 1: of rock, and had cut a channel for the Euba
1:54:59
Speaker 1: along the lower slip hopes of the valley. Of course,
1:55:02
Speaker 1: when the rains set in, as everybody knew, the dam
1:55:04
Speaker 1: would go, and the river diggings must be abandoned til
1:55:08
Speaker 1: the water subsided and a fresh dam was made. But
1:55:11
Speaker 1: there were two months before them yet, and everyone hoped
1:55:15
Speaker 1: to be down to the bed rock before the water
1:55:17
Speaker 1: interrupted their work. The hillside, both in the Yuba Valley
1:55:21
Speaker 1: and for some distance long pine tree gults, was dotted
1:55:25
Speaker 1: by shanties and tents, the former constructed for the most
1:55:28
Speaker 1: part of logs roughly squared, the walls being some three
1:55:32
Speaker 1: feet in height, on which the sharp sloping roof was placed,
1:55:36
Speaker 1: thatched in the first place with boughs, and made all snug,
1:55:39
Speaker 1: perhaps with an old sail stretched over All the camp
1:55:43
Speaker 1: was quiet enough ter in the day. A few women
1:55:46
Speaker 1: were away with their washing at the pools. A quarter
1:55:49
Speaker 1: of a mile up the goats, and the only persons
1:55:52
Speaker 1: to be seen about were the men told off for
1:55:54
Speaker 1: cooking for their respective parties. But in the evening the
1:55:57
Speaker 1: camp was lively. Groups of men in red shirts and
1:56:00
Speaker 1: corded trousers tied at the knee in high boots, sat
1:56:04
Speaker 1: around blazing fires and talked of their prospects or discussed
1:56:08
Speaker 1: the news of a lucket other camps. The sound of
1:56:11
Speaker 1: music came from two or three plank eructions, which rose
1:56:14
Speaker 1: conspicuously above the huts of the diggers, and were bright
1:56:18
Speaker 1: externally with the glories of white and colored paints. Two
1:56:22
Speaker 1: and from these men were always sauntering, and it needed
1:56:26
Speaker 1: not the clink of glasses and the sound of music
1:56:28
Speaker 1: to tell that they were the bars of the camp. Here,
1:56:31
Speaker 1: standing at the counter are seated at numerous small tables.
1:56:35
Speaker 1: Men were drinking villainous liquor, smoking and talking and paying
1:56:39
Speaker 1: but scant attention to the strains of the fiddle or
1:56:41
Speaker 1: the accordion, save when some well known air was played,
1:56:45
Speaker 1: when all would join in a boisterous chorus. Some were
1:56:49
Speaker 1: always passing in and out of a door which led
1:56:52
Speaker 1: to a room behind. Here there was comparative quiet, for
1:56:56
Speaker 1: men were gambling and gambling high, going backwards and forwards
1:57:00
Speaker 1: with liquors into the gambling room of the Imperial Saloon,
1:57:03
Speaker 1: which stood just where Pine Tree Gulch opened in the
1:57:06
Speaker 1: Yuba Valley. Was a lad whose appearance had earned for
1:57:09
Speaker 1: him the name of white Face Dick. White Face Dick
1:57:13
Speaker 1: was not one of those who had done well at
1:57:15
Speaker 1: Pine Tree Gulch. He had come across the plains with
1:57:18
Speaker 1: his father, who had died, went half way over, and
1:57:21
Speaker 1: Dick had been thrown on the world to shift for himself.
1:57:24
Speaker 1: Nature had not intended him for the work, for he
1:57:27
Speaker 1: was a delicate, timid lad, what spirits he originally had,
1:57:31
Speaker 1: having been years before beaten out of him by a
1:57:33
Speaker 1: brutal father. So far, indeed, Dick was the better rather
1:57:38
Speaker 1: than the worse for the event which had left him
1:57:40
Speaker 1: an orphan. They had been traveling with a large party
1:57:43
Speaker 1: for mutual security against Indians and Mormons, and so long
1:57:47
Speaker 1: as the journey lasted, Dick had got on fairly well.
1:57:50
Speaker 1: He was always ready to do odd jobs, and as
1:57:53
Speaker 1: the draft cattle were growing weaker and weaker, and every
1:57:56
Speaker 1: pound of weight was of importance, no one grudged him
1:57:59
Speaker 1: his rations and returned for his services. But when the
1:58:02
Speaker 1: company began to descend the slopes of the Sierra Nevada,
1:58:05
Speaker 1: they began to break up, going off by twos and
1:58:08
Speaker 1: threes to the diggings of which they heard such glowing accounts. Some, however,
1:58:14
Speaker 1: kept straight on to Sacramento, determining there to obtain news
1:58:17
Speaker 1: as to the doings of all the different places, and
1:58:20
Speaker 1: then to choose that which seemed to offer the best
1:58:23
Speaker 1: prospects of success. Dick proceeded with them to the town,
1:58:27
Speaker 1: and there found himself alone. His companions were absorbed in
1:58:31
Speaker 1: the busy rush of population, and each had so much
1:58:34
Speaker 1: to provide and arrange for that none gave a thought
1:58:37
Speaker 1: to the solitary boy. However, at that time, no one
1:58:41
Speaker 1: who had a pair of hands, however feeble to work,
1:58:43
Speaker 1: needs starve in Sacramento, and for some weeks Dick hung
1:58:47
Speaker 1: around the town doing odd jobs, and then, having saved
1:58:51
Speaker 1: a few dollars, determined to try his luck at the diggings,
1:58:54
Speaker 1: and started on foot with a shovel on his shoulder.
1:58:56
Speaker 1: In a few days, provisions slung across it at his destination.
1:59:01
Speaker 1: The lad soon discovered that gold digging was hard work.
1:59:04
Speaker 1: For brawnie and seasoned men, And after a few feeble
1:59:07
Speaker 1: attempts and spots abandoned as worthless, he gave up the
1:59:10
Speaker 1: effort and again began to drift, and even in pine
1:59:14
Speaker 1: tree gulch, it was not difficult to get a living.
1:59:17
Speaker 1: At first he tried rocking cradles, but the work was
1:59:20
Speaker 1: far harder than it appeared. He was standing ankle deep
1:59:24
Speaker 1: in water from morning till night, and his cheeks grew paler,
1:59:27
Speaker 1: and his strength, instead of increasing, seemed to fade away.
1:59:31
Speaker 1: Still there were jobs within his strength. He could keep
1:59:34
Speaker 1: a fire alight and watch a cooking pot. He could
1:59:37
Speaker 1: carry up buckets of water or wash a flannel shirt.
1:59:40
Speaker 1: And so he struggled on until at last some kind
1:59:44
Speaker 1: hearted man suggested to him that he should try to
1:59:47
Speaker 1: get a place at the new saloon, which was about
1:59:49
Speaker 1: to be opened. You're not fit for this work, young un,
1:59:53
Speaker 1: and you ought to be at home with your mother.
1:59:55
Speaker 1: If you like, i'll go up with you this evening
1:59:57
Speaker 1: the Jeffreys. I knew him down on the flat, and
2:00:00
Speaker 1: I dare say he'll take you on. But I don't
2:00:03
Speaker 1: say as a saloon is a good place for a boy. Still,
2:00:06
Speaker 1: you'll always get your belly full of victuals and a
2:00:08
Speaker 1: dry place to sleep in. If it's only under a table,
2:00:11
Speaker 1: what do you say? Dick thankfully accepted the offer, and
2:00:14
Speaker 1: on read George's recommendation was that evening engaged. His work
2:00:19
Speaker 1: was not hard now. For till the miners knocked off,
2:00:22
Speaker 1: there was little doing in the saloon. A few men
2:00:24
Speaker 1: would come in for a drink at dinner time, but
2:00:27
Speaker 1: it was not until the lamps were lit the business
2:00:29
Speaker 1: began in earnest and then for four or five hours
2:00:32
Speaker 1: Dick was busy. A rougher, healthier lad would not have
2:00:36
Speaker 1: minded the work, but to Dick it was torture. Every
2:00:40
Speaker 1: nerve in his body thrilled whenever rough miners cursed him
2:00:43
Speaker 1: for not carrying out their orders more quickly, or for
2:00:46
Speaker 1: bringing them the wrong liquors, which, as his brain was
2:00:49
Speaker 1: in a whirl with the noise of shouting and the
2:00:51
Speaker 1: multiplicity of orders, happened frequently, he might have fared worse
2:00:56
Speaker 1: had not read George always stood his friend, and read.
2:00:59
Speaker 1: George was an authority and pine tree gulch, powerful and frame,
2:01:04
Speaker 1: reckless and bearing in temper. He had been in a
2:01:07
Speaker 1: score of fights and had come off them, if not unscathed,
2:01:10
Speaker 1: at least victorious. He was notoriously a lucky digger, but
2:01:14
Speaker 1: his earnings went as fast as they were made, and
2:01:17
Speaker 1: he was always ready to open his belt and give
2:01:19
Speaker 1: a bountiful pinch of dust to any mate down on
2:01:22
Speaker 1: his luck. One evening Dick was more helpless and confused
2:01:25
Speaker 1: than usual. The saloon was full, and he had been
2:01:28
Speaker 1: shouted at, and badgered and cursed till he scarcely knew
2:01:31
Speaker 1: what he was doing. High play was going on in
2:01:34
Speaker 1: a saloon, and a good many men were clustered round
2:01:37
Speaker 1: the table. Red George was having a run of luck,
2:01:41
Speaker 1: and there was a big pile of gold dust on
2:01:43
Speaker 1: the table before him. One of the gamblers, who was losing,
2:01:46
Speaker 1: had ordered old rye. Instead of bringing it to him,
2:01:50
Speaker 1: Dick brought a tumbler of hot liquor, which some one
2:01:52
Speaker 1: else had called for with an oath. The man took
2:01:55
Speaker 1: it up and threw it in his face. You cowardly hound,
2:01:59
Speaker 1: read George, exclaimed. Are you mad enough to do that
2:02:02
Speaker 1: for a man? You bit a gambler who was a
2:02:06
Speaker 1: new rival at Pine Tree, Gulch replied, and picking up
2:02:09
Speaker 1: an empty glass, he hurled at Red George. The bystanders
2:02:13
Speaker 1: sprang aside, and in a moment the two men were
2:02:15
Speaker 1: facing each other with outstretched pistols. The two reports rung
2:02:19
Speaker 1: out simultaneously. Red George sat down unconcernedly, with a streak
2:02:23
Speaker 1: of blood flowing down his face where the bullet had
2:02:26
Speaker 1: cut a furrow in his cheek. The stranger fell back
2:02:30
Speaker 1: with a bullet hole in the center of his forehead.
2:02:33
Speaker 1: The body was carried outside, and the play continued as
2:02:36
Speaker 1: if no interruption had taken place. They were accustomed to
2:02:40
Speaker 1: such occurrences at Pine Tree Gulch, and the piece of
2:02:43
Speaker 1: ground at the top of the hill that had been
2:02:45
Speaker 1: set aside as a burial place was already dotted thickly
2:02:49
Speaker 1: with graves, filled in almost every instance by men who
2:02:53
Speaker 1: had died in the local phraseology with their boots on.
2:02:57
Speaker 1: Neither then nor afterwards that read George allude to the
2:03:00
Speaker 1: subject to Dick, whose life after this signal instance of
2:03:04
Speaker 1: his championship was easier than it had hitherto been, For
2:03:07
Speaker 1: there were few and Pine Tree Gulchs who cared to
2:03:10
Speaker 1: excite Red George's anger, and strangers going to the place
2:03:14
Speaker 1: were sure to receive a friendly warning that it was
2:03:17
Speaker 1: best for their health to keep their tempers over any
2:03:19
Speaker 1: shortcomings on the part of White faced Dick. Grateful as
2:03:23
Speaker 1: he was for Red George's interference on his behalf, Dick
2:03:27
Speaker 1: felt the circumstance which had ensued more than any one
2:03:29
Speaker 1: else in the camp. With others, it was a subject
2:03:32
Speaker 1: of five minutes talk, but Dick could not get out
2:03:35
Speaker 1: of his head the thought of the dead man's face
2:03:37
Speaker 1: as he fell back. He had seen many such phrase before,
2:03:41
Speaker 1: but he was too full of his own troubles for
2:03:43
Speaker 1: them to make much of an impression upon him. But
2:03:46
Speaker 1: in the present case, he felt as if he himself
2:03:49
Speaker 1: was responsible for the death of the gambler. If he
2:03:52
Speaker 1: had not blundered, this would not have happened. He wondered
2:03:55
Speaker 1: whether the dead man had a wife and children, and
2:03:58
Speaker 1: if so, were they expecting his return? Would they ever
2:04:02
Speaker 1: hear where he had died? And how? But this feeling,
2:04:06
Speaker 1: which tired out as he was when the time came
2:04:09
Speaker 1: for closing the bar, often prevented him from sleeping for hours,
2:04:13
Speaker 1: and no way lessened his gratitude and devotion towards Red George,
2:04:17
Speaker 1: and he felt that he could die willingly if his
2:04:19
Speaker 1: life would benefit his champion. Sometimes he thought too, that
2:04:23
Speaker 1: his life would not be much to give, for in
2:04:26
Speaker 1: spite of shelter and food, the cough which he had
2:04:28
Speaker 1: caught while working in the water, still clung to him, and,
2:04:32
Speaker 1: as his employers said to him angrily one day, your
2:04:35
Speaker 1: victuals don't do you no good, Dick. You get thinner
2:04:38
Speaker 1: and thinner. The folks will think I starve you. Darn
2:04:42
Speaker 1: if you ain't a disgrace to the establishment. The wind
2:04:45
Speaker 1: was whistling down the gorges, and the clouds hung among
2:04:48
Speaker 1: the pine woods where still clothed the upper slopes of
2:04:51
Speaker 1: the hills, and the diggers, as they turned out one morning,
2:04:54
Speaker 1: looked up apprehensively. But it couldn't be, they assured each other.
2:04:59
Speaker 1: Everyone knew that the rains were not due for another
2:05:02
Speaker 1: month yet, and it could only be a passing shower
2:05:05
Speaker 1: if it rained at all. But as the morning went on,
2:05:08
Speaker 1: men came in from camps higher up the river, and
2:05:10
Speaker 1: reports were current that it had been raining for the
2:05:13
Speaker 1: last two days among the upper hills, while those who
2:05:16
Speaker 1: took trouble to walk across to the new channel could
2:05:19
Speaker 1: see for themselves at noon that it was filled very
2:05:21
Speaker 1: nigh to the brim, the water rushing along with thick
2:05:24
Speaker 1: and turbid current. But those who repeated the rumors, or
2:05:29
Speaker 1: who reported that the channel was full, were summarily put down.
2:05:33
Speaker 1: Men would not believe such a calamity as a flood,
2:05:35
Speaker 1: and the destruction of all their season's work could be impending.
2:05:39
Speaker 1: There had been some showers, no doubt, as there had
2:05:42
Speaker 1: often been before, but it was ridiculous to talk of
2:05:45
Speaker 1: anything like rain a month before its time. Still, in
2:05:48
Speaker 1: spite of these assertions, there was uneasiness at Pine and
2:05:52
Speaker 1: tree Gulch, and men looked at the driving clouds above
2:05:55
Speaker 1: and shook their heads before they went down to the
2:05:58
Speaker 1: shafts to work. After dinner, when the last customer had
2:06:01
Speaker 1: left and the bar was closed, Dick had nothing to
2:06:04
Speaker 1: do until evening, and he wandered outside and sat down
2:06:07
Speaker 1: on a stump, at first looking at the work going
2:06:10
Speaker 1: on in the valley, then so absorbed in his own
2:06:13
Speaker 1: thoughts that he noticed nothing, not even a driving mist,
2:06:17
Speaker 1: which presently set in. He was calculating that he had,
2:06:21
Speaker 1: with his savings from his wages and what had been
2:06:23
Speaker 1: given him by the miners, laid by eighty dollars. When
2:06:27
Speaker 1: he got another hundred and twenty, he would go. He
2:06:30
Speaker 1: would make his way down to San Francisco, and then
2:06:33
Speaker 1: by ship to Panama, and up to New York, and
2:06:37
Speaker 1: then west again to the village where he was born.
2:06:40
Speaker 1: There would be people there who would know him, and
2:06:42
Speaker 1: who would give him work for his mother's sake. He
2:06:46
Speaker 1: did not care what it was. Anything would be better
2:06:48
Speaker 1: than this. Then his thoughts came back to pine tree gulch,
2:06:52
Speaker 1: and he started to his feet. Could he be mistaken?
2:06:56
Speaker 1: Were his eyes deceiving him? No. Among the st oones
2:07:00
Speaker 1: and boulders of the old bed of the Yuba, there
2:07:03
Speaker 1: was the gleam of water, and even as he watched,
2:07:06
Speaker 1: he could see it widening out. He started to run
2:07:09
Speaker 1: down the hill to give alarm, but before he was
2:07:11
Speaker 1: halfway he paused, for they were loud shouts, and a
2:07:15
Speaker 1: scene of bustle and confusion instantly arose. The cradles were deserted,
2:07:19
Speaker 1: and men working in the surface loaded themselves with their
2:07:22
Speaker 1: tools and made for the high ground, while those at
2:07:25
Speaker 1: the windlass worked their hardest to draw up their comrades below.
2:07:28
Speaker 1: A man coming down from above stopped close to Dick
2:07:31
Speaker 1: with a low cry, and stood gazing with a white,
2:07:34
Speaker 1: scared face. Dick had worked with him, and he was
2:07:37
Speaker 1: one of the company to which Red George belonged. What
2:07:40
Speaker 1: is it, Saunders, My god, they're lost, the man replied,
2:07:45
Speaker 1: was that the wind last When they shouted up to
2:07:47
Speaker 1: me to get up and fetch him a bottle of rum.
2:07:49
Speaker 1: They had just struck it rich and wanted to drink
2:07:51
Speaker 1: on the strength of it. Dick understood at once. Red
2:07:55
Speaker 1: George and his mates were still at the bottom of
2:07:57
Speaker 1: the shaft, ignorant of the danger which was threatening them.
2:08:00
Speaker 1: Come on, he cried, we'll be in time yet, and
2:08:04
Speaker 1: at the top of his speed, dashed down the hill,
2:08:06
Speaker 1: followed by Saunders. What is it? What is it? Asked
2:08:10
Speaker 1: parties of men mounting the hill. Red George's gang are
2:08:13
Speaker 1: still below. Dick's eyes were fixed on the water. There
2:08:17
Speaker 1: was a broad band now of yellow with a white
2:08:20
Speaker 1: edge down the center of the stony flat, and was
2:08:22
Speaker 1: widening with terrible rapidity. It was scarcely ten yards from
2:08:26
Speaker 1: the windlass at the top of Red George's shaft when Dick,
2:08:29
Speaker 1: followed closely by Saunders, reached it. Come up, mates, quick,
2:08:33
Speaker 1: for your lives. The river's rising. You'll be flooded out directly.
2:08:36
Speaker 1: Everyone else is gone. As he spoke, he pulled at
2:08:40
Speaker 1: the rope by which the bucket was hanging, and the
2:08:42
Speaker 1: handles of the windlass flew round rapidly as it descended.
2:08:46
Speaker 1: When it had run out, Dick and he grasped the
2:08:48
Speaker 1: handles all right below. An answering call came up, and
2:08:52
Speaker 1: the two began their work, throwing their whole strength into
2:08:55
Speaker 1: it quickly as the windlass revolved. It seemed an endless
2:08:59
Speaker 1: time to Dick before the bucket came up and the
2:09:01
Speaker 1: first man stepped out. It was not Red George. Dick
2:09:05
Speaker 1: had hardly expected it would be Red George would be
2:09:08
Speaker 1: sure to see his two mates up before him, and
2:09:11
Speaker 1: the man uttered a cry of alarm as he saw
2:09:13
Speaker 1: the water now within a few feet of the mouth
2:09:15
Speaker 1: of the shaft. It was a torrent now, for not
2:09:19
Speaker 1: only was it coming through the dam, but it was
2:09:21
Speaker 1: rushing down in cascades from the new channel. Without a word,
2:09:25
Speaker 1: the miner placed himself facing Dick in the moment the
2:09:27
Speaker 1: bucket was down again. The three grasp of handles as
2:09:30
Speaker 1: quickly as they worked. The edge of the water was
2:09:33
Speaker 1: within a few inches of the shaft. When the next
2:09:35
Speaker 1: man reached the surface, but again the bucket descended before
2:09:38
Speaker 1: the rope tightened. However, the water had begun to run
2:09:41
Speaker 1: over the lip, and at first a mere trickle, and
2:09:44
Speaker 1: then almost instantaneously in a cascade which grew larger and larger.
2:09:50
Speaker 1: The bucket was half way up when the sound of
2:09:52
Speaker 1: thunder was heard and the ground seemed to tremble under
2:09:55
Speaker 1: their feet. And then at the turn of the valley
2:09:58
Speaker 1: above a great wave of yellow water crusted with foam
2:10:01
Speaker 1: was scene tearing along at the speed of a race horse.
2:10:05
Speaker 1: The damn is burst. Saunders shouted, run for your lives.
2:10:08
Speaker 1: We were all lost. The three men dropped the handles
2:10:11
Speaker 1: and ran full speed towards the shore, while loud shouts
2:10:14
Speaker 1: to Dick the follow came from a crowd of men
2:10:17
Speaker 1: standing on the slope. But the boy still grasped the handles, and,
2:10:21
Speaker 1: with lips tightly closed, still toiled on slowly. The bucket ascended,
2:10:26
Speaker 1: for red George was a heavy man. Then suddenly the
2:10:29
Speaker 1: weight slackened and the handle went round faster. The shaft
2:10:33
Speaker 1: was filling, and the water had reached the bucket and
2:10:35
Speaker 1: had risen to red George's neck, so that his weight
2:10:38
Speaker 1: was no longer on the rope. So fast did the
2:10:41
Speaker 1: water pour in that it was not half a minute
2:10:44
Speaker 1: before the bucket reached the surface, and Red George sprang out.
2:10:48
Speaker 1: There was but time for one exclamation, and then the
2:10:51
Speaker 1: great waves struck them. Red George was whirled like a
2:10:54
Speaker 1: straw in the current, but he was a strong swimmer,
2:10:57
Speaker 1: and at a point where the valley widened out half
2:11:00
Speaker 1: a mile lower, he struggled to shore. Two days later,
2:11:04
Speaker 1: news reached Pine Tree Gulch that a boy's body had
2:11:07
Speaker 1: been washed ashore twenty miles down, and ten men, headed
2:11:12
Speaker 1: by Red George, went and brought it solemnly back to
2:11:15
Speaker 1: Pine Tree Gulch. There among the stumps of pine trees
2:11:20
Speaker 1: a grave was dug, and there, in the presence of
2:11:23
Speaker 1: the whole camp, White Faced Dick was laid to rest.
2:11:29
Speaker 1: Pine Tree Gulch is a solitude now the trees are
2:11:32
Speaker 1: growing again, and none would dream that it was once
2:11:35
Speaker 1: a busy scene of industry. But if a traveler searches
2:11:39
Speaker 1: among the pine trees, he will find a stone with
2:11:42
Speaker 1: the words here lies white Faced Dick, who died to
2:11:46
Speaker 1: save Red George. What can a man do more than
2:11:50
Speaker 1: give his life for a friend. The text was the
2:11:53
Speaker 1: suggestion of an ex clergyman working as a miner in
2:11:56
Speaker 1: Pine Tree Gulch. Red George worked no no more at
2:12:00
Speaker 1: the diggings, but after seeing the stone laid in its place,
2:12:04
Speaker 1: when east, and with what little money came to him
2:12:07
Speaker 1: when the common fund of the company was divided after
2:12:10
Speaker 1: the flood on the Yuba, bought a small farm and
2:12:14
Speaker 1: settled down there. But to the end of his life
2:12:17
Speaker 1: he was never weary of telling those who would listen
2:12:19
Speaker 1: to it. The story of Pine Tree Gulch end of
2:12:25
Speaker 1: section five Section six of Tales of Daring and Danger
2:12:34
Speaker 1: by G. A. Henty. This LibriVox recording is in the
2:12:38
Speaker 1: public domain. Section six. A Brush with the Chinese and
2:12:42
Speaker 1: what came of it. It was early in December that H. M.
2:12:47
Speaker 1: S Perseus was cruising off the mouth of Canton River.
2:12:50
Speaker 1: War had been declared with China in consequence of her
2:12:54
Speaker 1: continued evasions of the treaty she had made with us,
2:12:57
Speaker 1: and was expected that a strong naval force would soon
2:13:00
Speaker 1: gather to bring her to reason. In the meantime, the
2:13:03
Speaker 1: ships on station had a busy time of it, chasing
2:13:06
Speaker 1: the enemy's junks when they ventured to show themselves beyond
2:13:09
Speaker 1: the reach of the guns of their forts, and occasionally
2:13:12
Speaker 1: having a brush with the piratical boats, which took advantage
2:13:15
Speaker 1: of the general confusion to plunder friend as well as foe.
2:13:19
Speaker 1: The Perseus had that afternoon chased two government chunks up
2:13:22
Speaker 1: a creek. The sun had already set when they took
2:13:25
Speaker 1: refuge there, and the captain did not care to send
2:13:28
Speaker 1: his boats after them in the dark. As many of
2:13:30
Speaker 1: the creeks ran up for miles in the flat country,
2:13:33
Speaker 1: and as they not unfrequently had many arms or branches,
2:13:36
Speaker 1: the boats might in the dark miss junks altogether. Orders
2:13:40
Speaker 1: were issued that four boats should be ready for starting
2:13:42
Speaker 1: at daybreak the next morning. The Perseus anchored off the
2:13:46
Speaker 1: mouth of the creek, and the two boats were ordered
2:13:48
Speaker 1: to row backwards and forwards off its mouth all night
2:13:51
Speaker 1: to ensure that the enemy did not slip out in
2:13:53
Speaker 1: the darkness. Jack Fothergill, the senior midshipman, was commanding the gig,
2:13:58
Speaker 1: and two of the other midshipmen were going in the
2:14:00
Speaker 1: pennance and launch, commanded respectively by the first Lieutenant and
2:14:04
Speaker 1: the Master. The three other midshipmen of the Perseus were
2:14:08
Speaker 1: loud in their lamentations that they were not to take
2:14:10
Speaker 1: share in the fun. You can't all go, you know,
2:14:14
Speaker 1: father Ghil said, And it's no use making a row
2:14:17
Speaker 1: about it. The captain has been very good to let
2:14:20
Speaker 1: three of us go, so very well for you. Jack
2:14:23
Speaker 1: Percy Adcot, the youngest of the lads, replied, because you're
2:14:27
Speaker 1: one of those chosen. It's not so hard for Simmons
2:14:30
Speaker 1: and Lynthorpe, because they went the other day in the
2:14:33
Speaker 1: boat and chased those junks over the shelter of the
2:14:35
Speaker 1: guns of their battery. I haven't had a chance for
2:14:38
Speaker 1: ever so long. What fun is there and chasin the junks,
2:14:42
Speaker 1: Simmons said. We never got near the brutes, that they
2:14:45
Speaker 1: were close to their battery. And then just as the
2:14:47
Speaker 1: first shot came singing from their guns, and we thought
2:14:50
Speaker 1: that we were going to have some excitement, the first
2:14:52
Speaker 1: lieutenant sung out easy all and there was nothing for
2:14:56
Speaker 1: it but to turn round and row for the ship,
2:14:58
Speaker 1: and a nice hot row two hours and a half
2:15:02
Speaker 1: in a broiling sun. Of course, I'm not blaming all
2:15:04
Speaker 1: the hunt for the Captain's orders were strict that they
2:15:07
Speaker 1: were not to try to cut the junks out if
2:15:09
Speaker 1: they got under the guns of any of their batteries. Still,
2:15:13
Speaker 1: it was horribly annoying, and I do think the captain
2:15:15
Speaker 1: might have remembered what beastly luck we had last time
2:15:18
Speaker 1: and given us a chance tomorrow. It is clear we
2:15:21
Speaker 1: could not all go, father Gill said, and naturally enough
2:15:25
Speaker 1: the captain chose the three seniors. Besides, if you did
2:15:29
Speaker 1: have bad luck last time, you had your chance. And
2:15:32
Speaker 1: I don't suppose we shall have anything more exciting now.
2:15:35
Speaker 1: These fellows always set fire to their junks and row
2:15:38
Speaker 1: for the shore directly they see us after firing a
2:15:41
Speaker 1: shot or two wildly in our direction. Well, Jack, if
2:15:44
Speaker 1: you don't expect any fun, Simmons replied, perhaps you wouldn't
2:15:48
Speaker 1: mind towing the first lieutenant. You do not care for going,
2:15:51
Speaker 1: and that I'm very anxious to take your place. Perhaps
2:15:54
Speaker 1: it'll be good enough to allow me to believe you
2:15:57
Speaker 1: a likely thing that Father Gill laughed. No, Tom, I'm
2:16:01
Speaker 1: sorry you're not going, but you must make the best
2:16:03
Speaker 1: of it till another chance comes, don't you think, Jack
2:16:07
Speaker 1: Percy Addick said to his senior in a coaxing tone.
2:16:10
Speaker 1: Later on, you could manage to smuggle me into the
2:16:13
Speaker 1: boat with you not, I, Percy, suppose you got hurt,
2:16:17
Speaker 1: and what would the captain say then? And firing as
2:16:20
Speaker 1: wildly as the Chinese do, a shot is just as
2:16:23
Speaker 1: likely to hit your little carcass as to lodge into
2:16:25
Speaker 1: one of the sailors. Oh, you must make the best
2:16:28
Speaker 1: of it, Percy. And I promise you that next time
2:16:30
Speaker 1: there is a boat expedition, if you're not put in,
2:16:33
Speaker 1: I will say a good word to the first luft
2:16:35
Speaker 1: for you. That promise is better than nothing, the boys said.
2:16:40
Speaker 1: But I would a deal rather go this time and
2:16:41
Speaker 1: take my chance next. But you see you can't, Percy,
2:16:45
Speaker 1: and there's no use talkin any more about it. I
2:16:47
Speaker 1: really do not expect there would be any fighting. Two
2:16:50
Speaker 1: junks would hardly make any opposition to the boats of
2:16:52
Speaker 1: the ship, and I expect we shall be back by
2:16:55
Speaker 1: nine o'clock with the news that they were well on fire.
2:16:57
Speaker 1: Before we came up. Percy had got, however, was determined
2:17:01
Speaker 1: if possible to go. He was a favorite among men,
2:17:04
Speaker 1: and when he spoke to the bow War of the Gig,
2:17:06
Speaker 1: the latter promised to do anything he could to aid
2:17:09
Speaker 1: him carry out his wishes. We are to start at
2:17:12
Speaker 1: daybreak tom so that it'll be quite dark when the
2:17:14
Speaker 1: boats are lowered. I will creep into the gig before
2:17:17
Speaker 1: that and hide myself as well as I can under
2:17:19
Speaker 1: your thwart, and all you have to do is to
2:17:21
Speaker 1: take no notice of me when the boat is lowered.
2:17:24
Speaker 1: I think they will hardly make me out from the deck,
2:17:26
Speaker 1: especially as you'll be standing up in the bow holding
2:17:29
Speaker 1: on with the boat hook till the rest get on board. Well, sir,
2:17:33
Speaker 1: I'll do my best, but if you are caught, you
2:17:35
Speaker 1: must not let out that I knew anything about it.
2:17:38
Speaker 1: I won't do that, Percy said. I don't think there's
2:17:41
Speaker 1: much chance of my being noticed until we get on
2:17:43
Speaker 1: board the junks, and then they won't know which boat
2:17:46
Speaker 1: I came off in, and the first lieutenant will be
2:17:49
Speaker 1: too busy to blow me up. Of course, I shall
2:17:51
Speaker 1: get it when i'm on board again, but I don't
2:17:53
Speaker 1: mind that so that I see the fun. Besides, I
2:17:56
Speaker 1: want to send home some things to my sister, and
2:17:59
Speaker 1: she will like them all the better if I can
2:18:01
Speaker 1: tell her that I captured them on board some junks
2:18:03
Speaker 1: we seized and burnt. The next morning, the crews mustered
2:18:07
Speaker 1: before daybreak. Percy had already taken his place under the
2:18:10
Speaker 1: bow thwart of the gig. The davits were swung overboard,
2:18:14
Speaker 1: and two men took their places in her as she
2:18:16
Speaker 1: was lowered down by the falls. As soon as she
2:18:19
Speaker 1: touched the water, the rest of the clue clambered down
2:18:22
Speaker 1: by the ladder and took their places. The father Gill
2:18:25
Speaker 1: took his seat in the stern, and the boat pushed
2:18:28
Speaker 1: off and lay a few links away from the ship
2:18:30
Speaker 1: until the heavier boats put off. As soon as they
2:18:33
Speaker 1: were under way, Percy crawled out from under his hiding
2:18:35
Speaker 1: place and placed himself in the bow, where he was
2:18:38
Speaker 1: sheltered by the body of the oarsmen. From Fathergill's sight,
2:18:42
Speaker 1: day was just breaking now, but it was still dark
2:18:44
Speaker 1: on the water, and the boat rowed very slowly until
2:18:47
Speaker 1: it became lighter. Percy could just make out the shores
2:18:50
Speaker 1: of the creek. On both sides, there were but two
2:18:53
Speaker 1: or three feet above the level of the water, and
2:18:55
Speaker 1: were evidently submerged at high tide. The creek was about
2:18:58
Speaker 1: one hundred yards wide, and the lad could not see
2:19:01
Speaker 1: far ahead, for it was full of sharp windings and turnings.
2:19:04
Speaker 1: Here and there branches joined it, but the boats were
2:19:07
Speaker 1: evidently following the main channel. After another half hour's rowing,
2:19:11
Speaker 1: the first lieutenant suddenly gave the order easy all, and
2:19:15
Speaker 1: the men, looking over their shoulders, saw a village a
2:19:17
Speaker 1: quarter of a mile ahead, with the two junks they
2:19:20
Speaker 1: had chased the night before lying in front of it.
2:19:23
Speaker 1: Almost at the same moment, a sudden uproar was heard,
2:19:26
Speaker 1: drums were beaten, and gongs sounded. They're on the lookout
2:19:30
Speaker 1: for us. The first lieutenant said, mister Mason, do you
2:19:34
Speaker 1: keep with me and attack the junk highest up the river.
2:19:37
Speaker 1: Mister Billew and mister Fothergill, do you take the lower down?
2:19:41
Speaker 1: Row on, men, yours all touched the water together, and
2:19:44
Speaker 1: the four boats leaped forward. And a minute a scattering
2:19:47
Speaker 1: fire of jingles and matchlocks was opened from the junks,
2:19:50
Speaker 1: and the bullets pattered on the water round the boats.
2:19:53
Speaker 1: Percy was kneeling up in the bow. Now as they
2:19:56
Speaker 1: passed the branch channel three or four hundred yards from
2:19:58
Speaker 1: the village, he started and left to his feet. There
2:20:01
Speaker 1: are four or five junks in that passage, Father Gill,
2:20:03
Speaker 1: they're pulling out. The first lieutenant heard the words, row on, men,
2:20:08
Speaker 1: let us finish with these craft. Ahead before the others
2:20:11
Speaker 1: get out. This must be that piratical village we have
2:20:14
Speaker 1: heard about. Mister Mason is lying up one of these creeks.
2:20:18
Speaker 1: That accounts for those two junks not going higher up.
2:20:21
Speaker 1: I was surprised at seeing them here, for they might
2:20:23
Speaker 1: guess that we should try to get them this morning.
2:20:25
Speaker 1: Evidently they calculated on catching us in a trap. Percy
2:20:29
Speaker 1: was delighted at finding that any excitement caused by his news,
2:20:33
Speaker 1: the first Lieutenant had forgotten to take any notice of
2:20:35
Speaker 1: his being there without orders, and he returned a defiant
2:20:38
Speaker 1: nod to the threat conveyed by Fathergill, shaking his fist
2:20:41
Speaker 1: at him. As they neared the junks, the fire of
2:20:44
Speaker 1: those on board redoubled and was aided by that of
2:20:47
Speaker 1: many villagers gathered on the bank of the creek. Suddenly,
2:20:50
Speaker 1: from a bank of rushes, four cannons were fired. A
2:20:53
Speaker 1: ball struck the pinnace, smashing in her side. The other
2:20:57
Speaker 1: boats gathered hastily round and took her crew on Boardard
2:21:00
Speaker 1: then dashed at the junks, which were about a hundred
2:21:03
Speaker 1: yards distant. The valor of the Chinese evaporated as they
2:21:07
Speaker 1: saw the boats approaching, and scores of them, leaped overboard
2:21:10
Speaker 1: and swam for shore. In another minute, the boats were alongside,
2:21:14
Speaker 1: and the crew scrambling up the sides of the junks.
2:21:17
Speaker 1: A few chinamen only attempted to oppose them. These were
2:21:20
Speaker 1: speedily overcome, and the British had now time to look
2:21:24
Speaker 1: round and saw that six junks, crowded with men, had
2:21:26
Speaker 1: issued from the side creek and were making towards them.
2:21:30
Speaker 1: Let the boats tow astern, the lieutenant ordered, we should
2:21:34
Speaker 1: have to run the gauntlet of that battery on shore
2:21:36
Speaker 1: if we were to attack them, and might lose another
2:21:38
Speaker 1: boat before we reach their side. We will fight them here.
2:21:42
Speaker 1: The junks approached those on board, firing their guns, yelling
2:21:45
Speaker 1: and shouting, while the drums and gongs were furiously beaten.
2:21:49
Speaker 1: They will find themselves mistaken, Percy, if they think they
2:21:52
Speaker 1: are going to frighten us with all that row Farthergill said, you,
2:21:56
Speaker 1: young rascal, how did you get on board the boat
2:21:58
Speaker 1: without being seen? The captain will be sure to suspect
2:22:01
Speaker 1: I had a hand in concealing you. The tars were
2:22:04
Speaker 1: now at work firing the jingles attached to the bulwarks
2:22:07
Speaker 1: and the matchlocks with which the deck was strewn at
2:22:10
Speaker 1: the approaching junks as they took steady aim, leaning their
2:22:14
Speaker 1: pieces on the bulwarks. They did considerable execution among the
2:22:17
Speaker 1: Chinamen crowded on board the junks, while the shot of
2:22:20
Speaker 1: the Chinese, for the most part whistled far overhead. But
2:22:24
Speaker 1: the guns of the shore battery, which had now been
2:22:26
Speaker 1: slewed round to bear upon them, opened with a better aim,
2:22:30
Speaker 1: and several shots came crashing into the sides of the
2:22:32
Speaker 1: two captured junks. Get ready to board, lads, Lieutenant Oliphant shouted,
2:22:38
Speaker 1: don't wait for them to board you, but the moment
2:22:40
Speaker 1: they come alongside, lash their rigging to ours and spring
2:22:44
Speaker 1: on board them. The leading junk was now about twenty
2:22:46
Speaker 1: yards away and presently grated alongside half a dozen sailors.
2:22:51
Speaker 1: At once sprang into her rigging with ropes, and after
2:22:54
Speaker 1: lashing the junks together, leapt down upon her deck, where
2:22:57
Speaker 1: Father Gill was leading the gig's crew and some of
2:22:59
Speaker 1: those rescued from the penance, while mister Beelo with another
2:23:03
Speaker 1: party had boarded her at the stern. Several of the
2:23:06
Speaker 1: Chinese fought stoutly, but the greater part lost hard at
2:23:09
Speaker 1: seeing themselves attacked by the white devils, instead of as
2:23:12
Speaker 1: they expected, overwhelming them with their superior numbers. Many began
2:23:17
Speaker 1: at once to jump overboard, and after two or three
2:23:20
Speaker 1: minutes sharp fighting, the rest either followed their example or
2:23:23
Speaker 1: were beaten Below fothergill looked round. The other junk had
2:23:27
Speaker 1: been attacked by two of the enemy, one on each side,
2:23:30
Speaker 1: and the little body of sailors were gathered in her
2:23:33
Speaker 1: waist and were defending themselves against an overwhelming number of
2:23:36
Speaker 1: the enemy. The other three piratical junks had been carried
2:23:39
Speaker 1: somewhat up the creek by the tide that was sweeping inward,
2:23:42
Speaker 1: and could not for the moment take part in the fight.
2:23:45
Speaker 1: Mister Oliphant is hard press, sir, He asked the master,
2:23:49
Speaker 1: Shall we take to the boats? That will be the
2:23:52
Speaker 1: best plan. Mister Beelo replied, quick, lads, get the boats
2:23:56
Speaker 1: alongside and tumble in. There's not a moment to be lost.
2:24:00
Speaker 1: The crew at once sprang to the boats and rowed
2:24:02
Speaker 1: to the other junk, which was but some thirty yards away.
2:24:06
Speaker 1: The Chinese, absorbed in their contest with the crew of
2:24:08
Speaker 1: the Pennance, did not perceive the newcomers until they gained
2:24:11
Speaker 1: the deck, and with a shout fell furiously upon them.
2:24:14
Speaker 1: In their surprise and consternation, the pirates had not pause
2:24:17
Speaker 1: to note that they were still five to one superior
2:24:20
Speaker 1: in number, but made a precipitate rush for their own vessels.
2:24:24
Speaker 1: The English at once took the offensive. The first lieutenant
2:24:27
Speaker 1: with his party, boarded one, while the newcomers leaped on
2:24:30
Speaker 1: the deck of the other. The panic which seized the
2:24:33
Speaker 1: Chinese was so complete that they attempted no resistance whatever,
2:24:36
Speaker 1: but sprang overboard in great numbers and swam to the shore,
2:24:39
Speaker 1: which was but twenty yards away, And in three minutes
2:24:42
Speaker 1: the English were in undisputed possession of both vessels. Back again, mister, futhergo,
2:24:48
Speaker 1: or you will lose the craft you captured, Lieutenant Oliphant, said,
2:24:52
Speaker 1: They have already cut her free. The Chinese, indeed, who
2:24:55
Speaker 1: had been beaten below by the boarding party, had soon
2:24:57
Speaker 1: perceived the sudden departure of their captors, and, gaining the
2:25:00
Speaker 1: deck again, had cut the lashings which fastened them to
2:25:03
Speaker 1: the other junk, and were preceding to hoist their sails.
2:25:06
Speaker 1: They were too late, however, Almost before the craft had
2:25:09
Speaker 1: way of her, Father Gill and his crew were alongside
2:25:12
Speaker 1: the Chinese did not wait for the attack, but at
2:25:15
Speaker 1: once sprang overboard and made for the shore. The other
2:25:18
Speaker 1: three junks, seen the capture of their comrades, had already
2:25:21
Speaker 1: hoisted their sails and were making up the creek. Father
2:25:24
Speaker 1: Gill dropped an anchor, left four of his men in charge,
2:25:27
Speaker 1: and rode back to mister Oliphant. What should we do next, sir?
2:25:32
Speaker 1: We shall give those fellows on shore a lesson and
2:25:34
Speaker 1: silence their battery. Two men have been killed since you left.
2:25:38
Speaker 1: We must let the other junks go for the present.
2:25:41
Speaker 1: Four of my men were killed and eleven wounded before
2:25:43
Speaker 1: mister Below and you came to our assistance. The Chinese
2:25:47
Speaker 1: were fighting pluckily up to that time, and it would
2:25:49
Speaker 1: have gone very hard with us if you had not
2:25:51
Speaker 1: been at hand. The beggars will fight when they think
2:25:54
Speaker 1: they have got it all their own way. But before
2:25:57
Speaker 1: we land, we shall set fire to the five junks
2:25:59
Speaker 1: we have taken. Do you return and see that the
2:26:02
Speaker 1: two astern are well lighted, mister Fothergill, mister Mason will
2:26:06
Speaker 1: see to these three. When you have done your work,
2:26:09
Speaker 1: take to your boat and lay off until I join you.
2:26:13
Speaker 1: Keep the junks between you and the shore. To protect
2:26:15
Speaker 1: you from the fire of the rascals there. I cannot
2:26:18
Speaker 1: come with you, I suppose, Fathergill. Percy Adcock said, as
2:26:23
Speaker 1: the midshipman was about to descend into his boat again. Yes,
2:26:26
Speaker 1: come along, Percy. It doesn't matter what you do now.
2:26:29
Speaker 1: The captain will be so pleased when he hears we
2:26:31
Speaker 1: have captured and burnt five chunks that you will get
2:26:34
Speaker 1: off with a very light wigging. I imagine it's just
2:26:37
Speaker 1: what I was thinking. Jack, hasn't up been fun? You
2:26:40
Speaker 1: wouldn't have thought it fun if you had got one
2:26:42
Speaker 1: of those matchlock balls in your body. There are a
2:26:45
Speaker 1: good many of our poor fellows, just at the present moment,
2:26:47
Speaker 1: who do not see anything funny in the affair at all.
2:26:51
Speaker 1: Here we are lammer up. The crew soon set to work.
2:26:54
Speaker 1: Under Fathergill's orders. The sails were cut off the masts
2:26:58
Speaker 1: and thrown down into the hold. Bamboos, of which there
2:27:01
Speaker 1: were in abundance down there were heaped over them. A
2:27:04
Speaker 1: barrel of oil was poured over the mass, and the
2:27:08
Speaker 1: fire then applied. That will do, lads, Now take to
2:27:11
Speaker 1: your boats and let's make a bond fire of the
2:27:13
Speaker 1: other junk. In ten minutes, both vessels were a sheet
2:27:16
Speaker 1: of flame, and the boat was lying a short distance
2:27:18
Speaker 1: from them, waiting for further operations. The inhabitants of the village,
2:27:23
Speaker 1: furious at the failure of the plan which had been
2:27:25
Speaker 1: laid for the destruction of the White devils, kept up
2:27:28
Speaker 1: a constant fusilade, which however, did no harm, for the
2:27:31
Speaker 1: gig was completely sheltered by the burning junks close to her.
2:27:34
Speaker 1: From their missiles. They go the others, Percy exclaimed after
2:27:38
Speaker 1: a minute or two, as the three columns of smoke
2:27:41
Speaker 1: arose simultaneously from the other junks, and the sailors were
2:27:44
Speaker 1: seen dropping into their boats. Alongside the killed and wounded
2:27:49
Speaker 1: were placed in the other gig, with four sailors in charge.
2:27:52
Speaker 1: They were directed to keep under shelter of the junks
2:27:54
Speaker 1: until rejoined by the Pennance and Fathergill's gig, after these
2:27:58
Speaker 1: had done their work on shore. When all was ready,
2:28:01
Speaker 1: the first Lieutenant raised his hand as a signal, and
2:28:04
Speaker 1: the two boats dashed between the burning junks and rowed
2:28:07
Speaker 1: for the shore. Such of the natives has had their
2:28:10
Speaker 1: weapons charged, fired a hasty volley, and then, as the
2:28:13
Speaker 1: sailors leapt from their boats, took to their heels. Mister Fothergill,
2:28:17
Speaker 1: take your party into the village and set fire to
2:28:20
Speaker 1: the houses. Shoot down every man. You see. This place
2:28:23
Speaker 1: is a nest of pirates. I will capture that battery
2:28:26
Speaker 1: and then join you. Fathergill and his sailors at once
2:28:30
Speaker 1: entered the village. The men had already fled. The women
2:28:33
Speaker 1: were turned out of the houses, and these were immediately
2:28:36
Speaker 1: set on fire. The tires regarded the whole affair as
2:28:39
Speaker 1: a glorious joke, and raced from house to house, making
2:28:43
Speaker 1: a hasty search in each for concealed valuables, before setting
2:28:46
Speaker 1: it on fire. In a short time, the whole village
2:28:49
Speaker 1: was in a blaze. There's a house there, standing in
2:28:52
Speaker 1: that little grove a hundred yards away. Percy said, it
2:28:56
Speaker 1: looks like a temple. Fathergill replied, however, we'll have a
2:29:00
Speaker 1: look at it, and calling two sailors to accompany him,
2:29:03
Speaker 1: he started at a run towards it, Percy keeping by
2:29:06
Speaker 1: his side, it is a temple, Father Gill said, when
2:29:09
Speaker 1: they approached it. Still, we will have a look at it,
2:29:13
Speaker 1: but we won't burn it. It will be as well
2:29:15
Speaker 1: to respect the religion, even of a set of piratical
2:29:18
Speaker 1: scoundrels like these. At the head of his men, he
2:29:21
Speaker 1: rushed in. At the entrance. There was a blaze of
2:29:24
Speaker 1: fire as half a dozen muskets were discharged in their faces.
2:29:27
Speaker 1: One of the sailors dropped dead, and before the others
2:29:30
Speaker 1: had time to realize what had happened, they were beaten
2:29:32
Speaker 1: to the ground by a storm of blows from swords
2:29:35
Speaker 1: and other weapons. A heavy blow crashed down on Percy's head,
2:29:38
Speaker 1: and he fell insensible even before he realized what had occurred.
2:29:43
Speaker 1: When he had recovered, his first sensation was that of
2:29:45
Speaker 1: a vague wonder as to what had happened to him.
2:29:48
Speaker 1: He seemed to be in darkness and unable to move
2:29:51
Speaker 1: hand or foot. He was compressed in some way that
2:29:53
Speaker 1: he could not at first understand, and was being bumped
2:29:56
Speaker 1: and jolted in an extraordinary manner. It was some little
2:30:00
Speaker 1: time before he could understand the situation. He first remembered
2:30:04
Speaker 1: the fight with the junks, and he recalled the landing
2:30:07
Speaker 1: and burning the village. Then, as his brain cleared, came
2:30:10
Speaker 1: the recollection of his start with Fathergill for the temple
2:30:13
Speaker 1: among the trees, his arrival there, and a loud report
2:30:17
Speaker 1: and flash of fire. I must have been knocked down
2:30:20
Speaker 1: and stunned, he said to himself. I suppose I'm a
2:30:23
Speaker 1: prisoner now to these brutes, and one of them must
2:30:26
Speaker 1: be carrying me on his back. Yes, he could understand
2:30:29
Speaker 1: it all. Now his hands and his feet were tied,
2:30:32
Speaker 1: Ropes were passed round his body in every direction, and
2:30:35
Speaker 1: he was fastened back to back upon the shoulders of
2:30:37
Speaker 1: a chinaman. Percy remembered the tales he had heard of
2:30:40
Speaker 1: the imprisonment and torture of those who fell into the
2:30:43
Speaker 1: hands of the Chinese, and he bitterly regretted that he
2:30:46
Speaker 1: had not been killed instead of stunned in the surprise
2:30:49
Speaker 1: of the temple. It would have been just the same feeling,
2:30:52
Speaker 1: he said to himself, and there would have been an
2:30:55
Speaker 1: end of it. Now there's no saying what's going to happen.
2:30:59
Speaker 1: I wonder whether Jack was killed and the sailors. Presently
2:31:02
Speaker 1: there was a jabber of voices. The motion ceased. Percy
2:31:06
Speaker 1: could feel that the cords were being unwound, and he
2:31:09
Speaker 1: was dropped on his feet. Then the cloth was removed
2:31:11
Speaker 1: from his head, and he could look round a dozen
2:31:14
Speaker 1: Chinese armed with matchlocks and bristling with swords and daggers
2:31:18
Speaker 1: stood round and among them, bound like himself and gagged
2:31:22
Speaker 1: by a piece of bamboo forced lengthwise across his mouth,
2:31:25
Speaker 1: and kept there with a string going round the back
2:31:27
Speaker 1: of his head, stood Fathergill. He was bleeding from several
2:31:31
Speaker 1: cuts in the head. Percy's heart gave a bound of
2:31:34
Speaker 1: joy of finding that he was not alone. Then he
2:31:37
Speaker 1: tried to feel sorry that Jack had not escaped, but
2:31:40
Speaker 1: failed to do so. Although he told himself that his
2:31:42
Speaker 1: comrade's presence would not in any way alleviate the fate
2:31:46
Speaker 1: which was certain to befall him. Still the thought of companionship,
2:31:50
Speaker 1: even in wretchedness, and perhaps a vague hope that Jack,
2:31:54
Speaker 1: with his energy and spirit, might contrive some way for
2:31:56
Speaker 1: their escape, cheered him up. As Percy, too was gag.
2:32:00
Speaker 1: No word to be exchanged by the midshipmen, but they
2:32:03
Speaker 1: nodded to each other. They were now put side by
2:32:06
Speaker 1: side and made to walk in the center of their captors.
2:32:09
Speaker 1: On the way, they passed through several villages whose inhabitants
2:32:13
Speaker 1: poured out the gaze at the captives, but the men
2:32:16
Speaker 1: in charge of them were evidently not disposed to delay.
2:32:19
Speaker 1: As they passed through without a stop. At last, they
2:32:23
Speaker 1: halted before two cottages, standing by themselves, thrust the prisoners
2:32:27
Speaker 1: into a small room, removed their gags and left them
2:32:30
Speaker 1: to themselves. Well, Percy, my boy, so they caught you too.
2:32:35
Speaker 1: I'm awfully sorry. It was my fault for going with
2:32:38
Speaker 1: only two men into that temple, But as the village
2:32:41
Speaker 1: had been deserted and scarcely a man was found there,
2:32:43
Speaker 1: it never rented my mind that there might be a
2:32:46
Speaker 1: party in the temple, of course, not Jack. It was
2:32:49
Speaker 1: of surprise altogether. I don't know anything about it, for
2:32:52
Speaker 1: I was knocked down, I suppose, just as we went in,
2:32:55
Speaker 1: and the first thing I knew about it was that
2:32:57
Speaker 1: I was being carried on the back of one of
2:32:59
Speaker 1: those fellows. I thought it was awful at first, but
2:33:01
Speaker 1: I don't seem to mind so much now you are
2:33:03
Speaker 1: with me. It's a comfort to have some one to
2:33:06
Speaker 1: speak to. Jack said, Yet I wish you were not here, Percy.
2:33:11
Speaker 1: I can't do you any good, and I shall never
2:33:13
Speaker 1: cease blaming myself for having brought you into this scrape.
2:33:17
Speaker 1: I don't know much more about the affair than you do.
2:33:20
Speaker 1: The guns were fired so close at us that my
2:33:22
Speaker 1: face was scorched with one of them, and almost at
2:33:25
Speaker 1: the same instant I got a lick across my cheek
2:33:28
Speaker 1: with a sword. I had just time to hit at
2:33:31
Speaker 1: one of them, and then almost at the same moment
2:33:33
Speaker 1: I got two or three other blows, and down I went.
2:33:36
Speaker 1: They threw themselves on the top of me and tied
2:33:38
Speaker 1: and gagged me in no time. Then I was tied
2:33:41
Speaker 1: to a long bamboo, and two fellows put the ends
2:33:44
Speaker 1: on their shoulders and went off with me through the fields.
2:33:47
Speaker 1: Of course, I was face downwards and did not know
2:33:50
Speaker 1: you were with us until they stopped and loosed me
2:33:52
Speaker 1: from the bamboo and set me on my feet. But
2:33:55
Speaker 1: what are they going to do with us, do you think, Jack?
2:33:57
Speaker 1: I should say that they're going to take us into
2:33:59
Speaker 1: canton and claimer reward for our capture, and there I
2:34:03
Speaker 1: suppose they will cut off our heads or saw us
2:34:05
Speaker 1: unto or put us to some other unpleasant kind of death.
2:34:09
Speaker 1: I expect they are discussing it now. Do you hear
2:34:12
Speaker 1: what a jabber they are kicking up? Voices were indeed
2:34:15
Speaker 1: heard raised in angry altercation in the next room. After
2:34:19
Speaker 1: a time, the din subsided and a conversation appeared to
2:34:23
Speaker 1: take a more amiable turn. I suppose they have settled
2:34:27
Speaker 1: it as far as they are concerned, Jack said, anyhow,
2:34:31
Speaker 1: you may be quite sure that they mean to make
2:34:33
Speaker 1: something out of us. If they hadn't, they would have
2:34:36
Speaker 1: finished us at once, for they must have been furious
2:34:39
Speaker 1: at the destruction of their junks and village. As to
2:34:43
Speaker 1: the idea that Mercy has anything to do with it,
2:34:45
Speaker 1: we may as well put it out of our minds.
2:34:48
Speaker 1: The Chinaman, at the best of times, has no feeling
2:34:51
Speaker 1: of pity in his nature, and after their defeat, it
2:34:54
Speaker 1: is certain they would have killed us at once had
2:34:56
Speaker 1: they not hoped to do better by us. If they had, Indians,
2:35:01
Speaker 1: I should have said that they carried us off to
2:35:03
Speaker 1: enjoy the satisfaction of torturing us. But I don't suppose
2:35:06
Speaker 1: it is that with them. Do you think there's any
2:35:09
Speaker 1: chance of our getting away, Percy asked, after a pause.
2:35:12
Speaker 1: I should say not the least in the world. Percy.
2:35:15
Speaker 1: My hands are fast and so tight now that the
2:35:18
Speaker 1: ropes seemed cutting into my wrists. And after they had
2:35:21
Speaker 1: set me on my feet and cut the cords of
2:35:23
Speaker 1: my legs, I could scarcely stand at first. My feet
2:35:26
Speaker 1: were so numbed by the pressure. However, we must keep
2:35:29
Speaker 1: up our pluck. Possibly they may keep us at canton
2:35:33
Speaker 1: for a bit, and if they do, the squadron may
2:35:36
Speaker 1: arrive and fight its way past the forts and take
2:35:38
Speaker 1: the city before they have quite made up their minds
2:35:41
Speaker 1: as to what kind of death will be most appropriate
2:35:43
Speaker 1: to the occasion. I wonder what they're doing now. They
2:35:47
Speaker 1: seem to be chopping sticks. I wish they would give
2:35:50
Speaker 1: us some water, Percy said, I'm frightfully thirsty, and so
2:35:55
Speaker 1: am I Percy. There is one comfort. They won't let
2:35:58
Speaker 1: us die of thirst. They could get no satisfaction out
2:36:01
Speaker 1: of our deaths Now. Two hours later, some of the
2:36:04
Speaker 1: Chinese re entered the room and led the captives outside,
2:36:07
Speaker 1: and the lads then saw what was the meaning of
2:36:10
Speaker 1: the noise they had heard. Cage had been manufactured of
2:36:13
Speaker 1: strong bamboos. It was about four and a half feet long,
2:36:17
Speaker 1: four feet wide, and less than three feet high. Above
2:36:21
Speaker 1: it was fastened two long bamboos. Two or three of
2:36:24
Speaker 1: the bars of the cage had been left open. My goodness,
2:36:28
Speaker 1: they never intend to put us in there, Percy exclaimed
2:36:32
Speaker 1: that they do. Jack said, they're going to carry us
2:36:35
Speaker 1: the rest of the way. The cords which bound the
2:36:38
Speaker 1: prisoner's hands were now cut, and they were motioned to
2:36:41
Speaker 1: crawl into the cage. This they did. The bars were
2:36:45
Speaker 1: then put in their places and securely lashed. Four men
2:36:49
Speaker 1: went to the ends of the poles and lifted the
2:36:51
Speaker 1: cage upon their shoulders, Two others took their places beside it,
2:36:56
Speaker 1: and one man, apparently the leader of the party, walked
2:36:58
Speaker 1: on ahead. Rest remained behind. I never quite realized what
2:37:03
Speaker 1: a fowl felt in a coup before, Jack said, but
2:37:07
Speaker 1: if its sensations are at all like mine, they must
2:37:10
Speaker 1: be decidedly unpleasant. It isn't high enough to sit upright in,
2:37:15
Speaker 1: It is nothing like long enough to lie down, And
2:37:19
Speaker 1: as to getting out, one might as well think of flying,
2:37:23
Speaker 1: do you know, Percy, I don't think they mean taking
2:37:26
Speaker 1: us to Canton at all. I did not think of
2:37:29
Speaker 1: it before. But from the direction of the sun, I
2:37:32
Speaker 1: feel sure that we cannot have been going that way.
2:37:35
Speaker 1: What they are up to I can't imagine. In an
2:37:38
Speaker 1: hour they came to a large village. Here, the cage
2:37:42
Speaker 1: was set down and the villagers closed round. They were, however,
2:37:46
Speaker 1: kept a short distance from the cage by the man
2:37:48
Speaker 1: in charge of it. Then a wooden platter was placed
2:37:52
Speaker 1: on the ground, and persons throwing a few copper coins
2:37:55
Speaker 1: into this, were allowed to come near the cage. They
2:37:58
Speaker 1: are making a show of us, Father Gill exclaimed, that's
2:38:02
Speaker 1: what they are up to. You see, if it isn't,
2:38:05
Speaker 1: they are going to travel up country to show the
2:38:07
Speaker 1: white devils whom their valor has captured. This was indeed
2:38:11
Speaker 1: the purpose of the pirates at that time. Europeans seldom
2:38:15
Speaker 1: ventured beyond the limits assigned to them in the two
2:38:18
Speaker 1: or three towns where they were permitted to trade, and few, indeed,
2:38:22
Speaker 1: of the country people had ever obtained a sight of
2:38:24
Speaker 1: the white barbarians, of whose doing they had so frequently heard. Consequently,
2:38:30
Speaker 1: a small crowd soon gathered round the cage, eyeing the
2:38:33
Speaker 1: captives with the same interest they would have felt as
2:38:36
Speaker 1: to unknown and dangerous beasts. They laughed and joked, passed
2:38:40
Speaker 1: remarks upon them, and even poked them with sticks. Father Gill,
2:38:45
Speaker 1: furious that this treatment, caught one of the sticks and,
2:38:47
Speaker 1: wrenching it from the hands of the Chinamen, tried to
2:38:50
Speaker 1: strike at him through the bars, a proceeding which excited
2:38:53
Speaker 1: shouts of laughter. From the bystanders. I think Jack Percy
2:38:57
Speaker 1: said he'll be best to try and keep our tempers
2:39:00
Speaker 1: and not to seem to mind what they do to us.
2:39:03
Speaker 1: Then if they finally can't get any fun out of us,
2:39:05
Speaker 1: they will soon leave us alone. Of course, that is
2:39:08
Speaker 1: the best plan. Father Gill agreed, but it's not so
2:39:12
Speaker 1: easy to follow. That fellow very nearly poked out my
2:39:16
Speaker 1: eye with his stick, and no one's going to stand
2:39:19
Speaker 1: that if he can help it. It was some hours
2:39:21
Speaker 1: before the curiosity of the village was satisfied. When all
2:39:25
Speaker 1: had paid who are likely to do so, the guards
2:39:28
Speaker 1: broke up their circle, and, leaving two of their number
2:39:30
Speaker 1: at the cavee to see that no actual harm was
2:39:33
Speaker 1: caused to their prisoners, The rest went off to a
2:39:35
Speaker 1: refreshment house. The place of the elders was now taken
2:39:39
Speaker 1: by the boys and children of the village, who crowded
2:39:42
Speaker 1: around the cage prodded the prisoners with sticks, and, putting
2:39:45
Speaker 1: their hands through the bars, pulled their ears and hair.
2:39:49
Speaker 1: This amusement, however, was brought to an abrupt conclusion by
2:39:52
Speaker 1: Father Gil suddenly seizing the wrist of a big boy
2:39:54
Speaker 1: and pulling his arm through the cage until his face
2:39:57
Speaker 1: was against the bars. Then he proceeded to punch him
2:40:00
Speaker 1: until the guard, coming to his rescue, poked Fathergill with
2:40:04
Speaker 1: his stick until he released his hold. The punishment of
2:40:07
Speaker 1: their comrade excited neither anger nor resentment among the other
2:40:10
Speaker 1: boys who had yelled with the light at his discomfiture,
2:40:15
Speaker 1: but it made them more careful in approaching the cage,
2:40:18
Speaker 1: and though they continued to poke prisoners with sticks, they
2:40:21
Speaker 1: did not venture again to thrust a hand through the bars.
2:40:25
Speaker 1: At sunset, the guards again came round, lifted the cage,
2:40:28
Speaker 1: and carried it into a shed. A platter of dirty
2:40:32
Speaker 1: rice and a jug of water were put into the cage.
2:40:35
Speaker 1: Two of the men lighted their long pipes and sat
2:40:37
Speaker 1: down on guard beside it, and the doors being closed,
2:40:41
Speaker 1: the captives were left in peace. If this sort of
2:40:44
Speaker 1: thing is to go on, as I suppose it is,
2:40:47
Speaker 1: Father Gill, said, the sooner they cut off our heads,
2:40:50
Speaker 1: the better. It's very bad, Jack. I am sore all
2:40:54
Speaker 1: over with those probes from their sharp sticks. I don't
2:40:57
Speaker 1: care for the pain percy so much as a human
2:41:00
Speaker 1: humiliation of the thing to be stared at and poked,
2:41:03
Speaker 1: as if we were wild beasts by these curs, when
2:41:06
Speaker 1: with half a dozen of our men we could send
2:41:08
Speaker 1: a hundred of them scampering. I feel as if I
2:41:11
Speaker 1: could choke with rage. You had better try and eat
2:41:14
Speaker 1: some of this rice. Jack. It is beastly, but I
2:41:17
Speaker 1: dare say we'll get no more until tomorrow night, and
2:41:20
Speaker 1: we must keep up our strength if we can at
2:41:23
Speaker 1: any rate. The water is not bad. That's a comfort.
2:41:26
Speaker 1: No thanks to them, Jack growled. There had been any
2:41:30
Speaker 1: bad water in the neighborhood, they would have given it
2:41:32
Speaker 1: to us. For six weeks, the sufferings of the prisoners continued.
2:41:36
Speaker 1: The captors avoided towns where the authorities would probably at
2:41:40
Speaker 1: once have taken the prisoners out of their hands. No
2:41:43
Speaker 1: one would have recognized the two captives as the midshipmen
2:41:46
Speaker 1: of the Perseus. Their clothes were in rags, torn to
2:41:49
Speaker 1: pieces by the thrusts of sharp pointed bamboos to which
2:41:53
Speaker 1: they had daily been subjected. The bad food, the cramped position,
2:41:58
Speaker 1: and the misery which they suffered had worn both lads
2:42:01
Speaker 1: a skeletons. Their hair was matted with felt, their faces
2:42:05
Speaker 1: begrimed with dirt. Percy was so weak that he felt
2:42:08
Speaker 1: he could not stand. Fathergill, being three years older, was
2:42:12
Speaker 1: less exhausted, but he knew that he too could not
2:42:15
Speaker 1: support his suffering. For many days longer, their bodies were
2:42:19
Speaker 1: covered with sores, and try as they would, they were
2:42:22
Speaker 1: able to catch only a few minutes sleep at a time.
2:42:25
Speaker 1: So much did the bamboo bars hurt their wasted limbs.
2:42:29
Speaker 1: They seldom exchanged a word during the daytime, suffering in
2:42:33
Speaker 1: silence to persecutions to which they were exposed. But at
2:42:37
Speaker 1: night they talked over their homes and friends in England
2:42:40
Speaker 1: and their comrades on board ship, seldom saying a word
2:42:43
Speaker 1: as to their present position. They were now in a
2:42:47
Speaker 1: hilly country, but had not the least idea of the
2:42:50
Speaker 1: direction in which it lay from Canton, or its distance
2:42:53
Speaker 1: from the coast. One evening, Jack said to his companion,
2:42:57
Speaker 1: I think it's nearly over now, Percy. Last two days
2:43:00
Speaker 1: we have made longer journeys and have not stopped at
2:43:04
Speaker 1: any of the smaller villages we passed through. I fancy
2:43:08
Speaker 1: that our guards must see that we can't last much longer,
2:43:11
Speaker 1: and are taking us down to some town to hand
2:43:14
Speaker 1: us over to the authorities and get their reward for us.
2:43:18
Speaker 1: I hope it is so, Jack, the sooner the better,
2:43:21
Speaker 1: Not that it makes much difference now to me. I
2:43:25
Speaker 1: do not think I can stand many more days of it.
2:43:28
Speaker 1: I'm afraid I'm tougher than you, Percy, and shall take
2:43:31
Speaker 1: longer to kill. I do hope with all my heart
2:43:34
Speaker 1: that I may be right, and that they may be
2:43:36
Speaker 1: going to give us up to the authorities. The next
2:43:40
Speaker 1: evening they stopped at a large place and were subjected
2:43:42
Speaker 1: to the usual persecution. This now was less prolonged than
2:43:46
Speaker 1: during the early days of their captivity, but they had
2:43:49
Speaker 1: now no longer strength or spirits to resent their treatment,
2:43:53
Speaker 1: and as no fun was to be obtained from passive victims,
2:43:57
Speaker 1: even the village boys soon ceased to find any amusement
2:44:00
Speaker 1: tormenting them. When most of the visitors had left them,
2:44:03
Speaker 1: an elderly chinaman approached the side of the cage. He
2:44:07
Speaker 1: spoke to their guards and looked at them attentively for
2:44:09
Speaker 1: some minutes. Then he said, in pigeon English, you officer men. Yes, Jack, exclaimed,
2:44:17
Speaker 1: starting at the sound of the English words, the first
2:44:20
Speaker 1: they had heard spoken since their captivity. Yes, we are
2:44:23
Speaker 1: officers of the Perseus. Me speak English very well. The
2:44:27
Speaker 1: chinaman said me, pilotmen, many years in Canton River, how
2:44:32
Speaker 1: you get here? We were attacking some piratical junks and
2:44:35
Speaker 1: landed to destroy the village where the people were firing
2:44:38
Speaker 1: on us. We entered a place full of pirates and
2:44:41
Speaker 1: were knocked down and taken prisoners and carried away up
2:44:44
Speaker 1: the country. That is six weeks ago. And you see
2:44:48
Speaker 1: what we are now? Pirate men? Very bad, The chinaman said,
2:44:53
Speaker 1: plunder many junk on river and kill crew me much
2:44:57
Speaker 1: you hate them? Can you do anything for us? Jack asked,
2:45:01
Speaker 1: you'll be well rewarded if you could manage to get
2:45:03
Speaker 1: us free. The man shook his head. Me no, see
2:45:07
Speaker 1: what can do me? Stranger here? Come stay with wifey people?
2:45:13
Speaker 1: No do what me asked them. English ships attack Canton, march,
2:45:17
Speaker 1: fight and take town. People all hate English, bad country,
2:45:21
Speaker 1: diss people in one village fight against another. Very bad
2:45:26
Speaker 1: men here. How far is Canton away? Jack asked, could
2:45:31
Speaker 1: you not send down to tell the English we are here?
2:45:34
Speaker 1: Fourteen days journey off? The man said, don't see, how
2:45:38
Speaker 1: can do anything well? Jack said, when you get back
2:45:43
Speaker 1: again to Canton, let our people know what has been
2:45:45
Speaker 1: the end of us. We shall not last much longer.
2:45:49
Speaker 1: All right, the man said, we will see what we
2:45:52
Speaker 1: can do. March ye think tonight, And after saying a
2:45:55
Speaker 1: few words to the guards, who had been regarding this
2:45:58
Speaker 1: conversation with an air of surprise, a chinaman retired. The
2:46:02
Speaker 1: guards had for some time abandoned the precaution of sitting
2:46:05
Speaker 1: up at night by the cage. Convinced that their captives
2:46:08
Speaker 1: had no longer strength to attempt to break through its fastenings,
2:46:11
Speaker 1: or to drag themselves many yards away if they could
2:46:13
Speaker 1: do so, they therefore left it standing in the open,
2:46:17
Speaker 1: wrapping themselves in their thickly wadded coats, for the knights
2:46:20
Speaker 1: were cold lay down by the side of the cage.
2:46:24
Speaker 1: The coolness of the knights had indeed assisted to keep
2:46:27
Speaker 1: the two prisoners alive. During the day, the sun was
2:46:30
Speaker 1: excessively hot, and the crowd of visitors round the cage
2:46:34
Speaker 1: impeded the circulation of the air and added to their sufferings.
2:46:38
Speaker 1: It was true that the cold at night frequently prevented
2:46:41
Speaker 1: them from sleeping, but it acted as a tonic and
2:46:43
Speaker 1: braced them up. Did he mean about the villages attacking
2:46:47
Speaker 1: each other, Percy asked, I have heard Jack replied that
2:46:51
Speaker 1: in some parts of China, things are very much the
2:46:53
Speaker 1: same as they used to be. In the Highlands of Scotland,
2:46:56
Speaker 1: there was no law or order. The different villages like
2:47:00
Speaker 1: clans and wage war on each other. Sometimes a government
2:47:04
Speaker 1: sends a number of troops who put the whole thing
2:47:06
Speaker 1: down for a time, chop off a good many heads,
2:47:09
Speaker 1: and then march away, and the whole work begins again
2:47:12
Speaker 1: as soon as their becks are turned. That night, the
2:47:15
Speaker 1: uneasy slumber of the lads was disturbed by a sudden firing.
2:47:19
Speaker 1: Shouts and yells were heard, and the firing redoubled. The
2:47:22
Speaker 1: villagers attacked. Jack said, I noticed that, like some other
2:47:26
Speaker 1: places we have come too lately, there is a strong
2:47:29
Speaker 1: earth and wall around it with gates. Well, there is
2:47:32
Speaker 1: one comfort. It does not make much difference to us
2:47:35
Speaker 1: which side winds. The guards of the first alarm leapt
2:47:38
Speaker 1: to their feet, caught up their matchlocks, and ran to
2:47:41
Speaker 1: aid in the defense of the wall. Two minutes later
2:47:44
Speaker 1: a man ran up to the cage. Alrighty, he said,
2:47:49
Speaker 1: just what me hopee. With his knife, he cut the
2:47:51
Speaker 1: tough wives that held the bamboo in their places and
2:47:54
Speaker 1: pulled out three of the bars. Come along, he said,
2:47:58
Speaker 1: no time to lose. Jack scrambled out, but in trying
2:48:02
Speaker 1: to stand upright he gave a sharp exclamation of pain.
2:48:05
Speaker 1: First he crawled out more slowly. He tried to stand
2:48:08
Speaker 1: up and could not. The Chinaman caught him up and
2:48:11
Speaker 1: threw him on his shoulder. Come along, quickie, he said
2:48:14
Speaker 1: to Jack. If jicky village kill every one, He set
2:48:18
Speaker 1: off at a run. Jack followed as fast as he could,
2:48:21
Speaker 1: groaning at every step from the pane the movement caused
2:48:24
Speaker 1: to his bruised body. They went to the side of
2:48:27
Speaker 1: the village opposite to that at which the attack was
2:48:29
Speaker 1: going on. They met no one on the way, the
2:48:32
Speaker 1: inhabitants having all rushed to the other side to repel
2:48:35
Speaker 1: the attack. They stopped at a small gate in the wall.
2:48:39
Speaker 1: The chiman drew back the bolts and opened it, and
2:48:42
Speaker 1: they passed out into the country. For an hour. They
2:48:46
Speaker 1: kept on. By the end of that time, Jack could
2:48:48
Speaker 1: scarcely drag his limbs along. The Chinaman halted at length
2:48:51
Speaker 1: in a clump of trees surrounded by a thick undergrowth.
2:48:55
Speaker 1: All is safety here, he said, No searchee so far here.
2:48:59
Speaker 1: Food he produced from a wall. The cold chicken and
2:49:02
Speaker 1: some boiled rice and unslung from his shoulder a gourd
2:49:05
Speaker 1: filled with cold tea. You go back now, see what
2:49:09
Speaker 1: happened to morrow night? He come again, bring more food,
2:49:14
Speaker 1: and without another word, he went off at a rapid pace.
2:49:17
Speaker 1: Jack moistened his lips with the tea, then turned to
2:49:20
Speaker 1: his companion. Percy had not spoken a word since he
2:49:23
Speaker 1: had been released from the cage and had been insensible
2:49:26
Speaker 1: during the greater part of his journey. Jack poured some
2:49:29
Speaker 1: cold tea between his lips. Cheer up, Percy, old boy,
2:49:34
Speaker 1: We are free now, and with luck and that good
2:49:36
Speaker 1: fellow's help, we will work our way down the canton.
2:49:39
Speaker 1: Yet I shall never get down there. You may, Percy
2:49:44
Speaker 1: said feebly, Oh nonsense, you will pick up strength of
2:49:47
Speaker 1: a steam engine. Now here. Let me prop you against
2:49:50
Speaker 1: this tree. That's better. Now, drink a drop of this tea.
2:49:54
Speaker 1: It's like nectar after that filthy water we've been drinking.
2:49:57
Speaker 1: Now you'll feel better. Now you must try. I need
2:50:00
Speaker 1: a little of this chicken and rice. Nonsense, you've got
2:50:03
Speaker 1: to do it. I'm not going to let you give way.
2:50:06
Speaker 1: When your trouble is just over. Think of your people
2:50:09
Speaker 1: at home, Percy and make an effort for their sakes.
2:50:13
Speaker 1: Good heavens now, I think of it. It must be
2:50:15
Speaker 1: Christmas morning. We were caught on the second and have
2:50:18
Speaker 1: been just twenty two days on show. I'm sure that
2:50:21
Speaker 1: it must be past twelve o'clock and it is Christmas day.
2:50:25
Speaker 1: It is a good omen, Percy. This food isn't like
2:50:28
Speaker 1: roast beef and plum pudding, but it's not to be despised.
2:50:31
Speaker 1: I can tell you. Come fire away. That's a good fellow.
2:50:36
Speaker 1: Percy made an effort and ate a few mouthfuls of
2:50:38
Speaker 1: rice and chicken. Then he took another draft of tea
2:50:41
Speaker 1: and lay down and was almost immediately asleep. Jack ate
2:50:46
Speaker 1: his food slowly and contentedly until he finished half the supply.
2:50:50
Speaker 1: Then he too lay down, and after a short, red
2:50:52
Speaker 1: hearty thanksgiving for his escape from a slow and lingering death,
2:50:56
Speaker 1: he too fell off to sleep. The sun was rising,
2:51:00
Speaker 1: and he woke, being aroused by a slight movement on
2:51:02
Speaker 1: the part of Percy. He opened his eyes and sat up. Oh, Percy,
2:51:06
Speaker 1: how do you feel this morning? He asked cheerily. I
2:51:10
Speaker 1: feel too weak to move. Percy replied languidly. Oh, you'll
2:51:15
Speaker 1: be all right when you have sat up and eaten breakfast.
2:51:18
Speaker 1: Jack said, here you are, here's a wing for you,
2:51:23
Speaker 1: and this rice as white as snow, and the tea
2:51:26
Speaker 1: is first rate. I thought last night, after I lay
2:51:29
Speaker 1: down that I heard a murmur of water. So after
2:51:31
Speaker 1: we have had breakfast, I will look about and see
2:51:34
Speaker 1: if I can find it. We should feel like new
2:51:36
Speaker 1: men after a wash. You look awful, and I am
2:51:39
Speaker 1: sure I am just as bad. The thought of a
2:51:42
Speaker 1: wash inspired Percy far more than that of eating, and
2:51:45
Speaker 1: he sat up and made a great effort to do
2:51:47
Speaker 1: justice to breakfast. He succeeded much better than he had
2:51:51
Speaker 1: done the night before, and Jack, although he pretended to grumble,
2:51:55
Speaker 1: was satisfied with his companion's progress and finished off the
2:51:58
Speaker 1: rest of the food. Then he set out to search
2:52:01
Speaker 1: for water. He had not very far to go. A
2:52:04
Speaker 1: tiny stream a few inches wide and two or three
2:52:07
Speaker 1: inches deep ran through the wood from the higher ground.
2:52:10
Speaker 1: After throwing himself down and taking a drink, he hurried
2:52:13
Speaker 1: back to Percy. It's all right, Percy, I've found it.
2:52:16
Speaker 1: We can wash to our heart's content. Think of that,
2:52:19
Speaker 1: lad Percy could hardly stand, but he made an effort,
2:52:23
Speaker 1: and Jack half carried him to the streamlet. There the
2:52:26
Speaker 1: lads spent hours. First they bathed their heads and hands,
2:52:30
Speaker 1: and then, stripping lay down in the stream and allowed
2:52:32
Speaker 1: it the flow over them. Then they rubbed themselves with
2:52:35
Speaker 1: handfuls of leaves dipped in the water, and when they
2:52:39
Speaker 1: at last put on their rags again felt like new men.
2:52:42
Speaker 1: Percy was able to walk back to the spot they
2:52:44
Speaker 1: had quitted with the assistance only of Jack's arm. The latter,
2:52:48
Speaker 1: feeling that his breakfast had by no means appeased his hunger,
2:52:52
Speaker 1: now started for a search through the wood, and presently
2:52:55
Speaker 1: returned to Percy laden with nuts and berries. These nuts
2:52:59
Speaker 1: are sure to be all right, I expect the berries
2:53:01
Speaker 1: are too. I have certainly seen some like them in
2:53:04
Speaker 1: native markets, and I think it will be quite safe
2:53:07
Speaker 1: to risk it. The rest of the day was spent
2:53:10
Speaker 1: in picking nuts and eating them. Then they sat down
2:53:13
Speaker 1: and waited for their arrival of their friend. He came
2:53:16
Speaker 1: two hours after nightfall with a wallet stored with provisions,
2:53:20
Speaker 1: and told them that he had regained the village unobserved.
2:53:24
Speaker 1: The attack had been repulsed, but with severe loss to
2:53:27
Speaker 1: the defenders as well as the assailants. Two of their
2:53:31
Speaker 1: guards had been among the killed. The others had made
2:53:33
Speaker 1: a great clamor over the escape of the prisoners, and
2:53:36
Speaker 1: had made a close search throughout the village and immediately
2:53:39
Speaker 1: round it. They were convinced that their captives had not
2:53:42
Speaker 1: had the strength to go any distance. He thought, however,
2:53:45
Speaker 1: that although they professed the greatest indignation and had offered
2:53:49
Speaker 1: many threats as to the vengeance that the government would
2:53:52
Speaker 1: take upon the village, one of those inhabitants at least
2:53:55
Speaker 1: must have aided in the evasion of the prisoners. They
2:53:58
Speaker 1: would not trouble themselves any further in the matter. They
2:54:02
Speaker 1: had already reaped a rich harvest from the exhibition, and
2:54:05
Speaker 1: would divide among themselves a share of their late comrades.
2:54:09
Speaker 1: Nor was it all improbable that if they were to
2:54:11
Speaker 1: report the matter to the authorities, they would themselves get
2:54:14
Speaker 1: into serious trouble for not having handed over the prisoners
2:54:17
Speaker 1: immediately after their capture. For a fortnight, the pilot nursed
2:54:21
Speaker 1: and fed the two midshipmen. He had already provided them
2:54:25
Speaker 1: with native clothes, so that if by chance any villagers
2:54:28
Speaker 1: had kept sight of them, they would not recognize them
2:54:31
Speaker 1: as the escaped white men. At the end of that time,
2:54:34
Speaker 1: both the lads had almost recovered from the effects of
2:54:36
Speaker 1: their sufferings. Jack indeed had picked up from the first,
2:54:40
Speaker 1: but Percy, for some days continued so weak and ill
2:54:43
Speaker 1: that Jack had feared that he was going to have
2:54:45
Speaker 1: an attack of fever of some kind. His companion's cheery
2:54:49
Speaker 1: and hopeful chap did as much good for Percy as
2:54:52
Speaker 1: the nourishing food with which their friends supplied them, and
2:54:55
Speaker 1: at the end of the fortnight he declared that he
2:54:58
Speaker 1: felt sufficiently strong to attempt to make his way down
2:55:01
Speaker 1: to the coast. The pilot acted as their guide. When
2:55:04
Speaker 1: they inquired about his wife, he told them carelessly that
2:55:07
Speaker 1: she would remain with her kinsfolk and would travel on
2:55:10
Speaker 1: to Canton and join him there when she found an opportunity.
2:55:15
Speaker 1: The journey was accomplished at night, by very short stages
2:55:18
Speaker 1: at first, but by increasing distances as Percy gained strength.
2:55:23
Speaker 1: During the daytime, the lads lay hid in the woods
2:55:25
Speaker 1: or jungles, while their companion went into the village and
2:55:29
Speaker 1: purchased food. They struck the river many miles above Canton,
2:55:33
Speaker 1: and the pilot, going down first to a village on
2:55:35
Speaker 1: its banks, bargained for a boat to take him and
2:55:38
Speaker 1: two women down to the city. The lads went on
2:55:41
Speaker 1: board at night and took their places in the little
2:55:43
Speaker 1: cabin formed of bamboos and covered with mats, at the
2:55:46
Speaker 1: stern of the boat, and remained thus sheltered not only
2:55:50
Speaker 1: from the view of the people in boats passing up
2:55:52
Speaker 1: or down the stream, but from the eyes of their
2:55:55
Speaker 1: own boatmen. After two days journey down the river without incident,
2:56:00
Speaker 1: they arrived off Canton, where the British fleet was still
2:56:03
Speaker 1: lying on negotiations for peace for being carried on with
2:56:06
Speaker 1: the authorities at Pekin. Peeping out between the mats, the
2:56:10
Speaker 1: lads caught sight of the English warships, and, knowing that
2:56:13
Speaker 1: there was now no danger, they dashed out of the cabin,
2:56:16
Speaker 1: to the surprise of the native boatmen, and shouted and
2:56:19
Speaker 1: waved their arms to the distant ships. In ten minutes
2:56:23
Speaker 1: they were alongside the Perseus when they were hailed as
2:56:26
Speaker 1: if restored from the dead. The pilot was very handsomely
2:56:30
Speaker 1: rewarded by the English authorities for his kindness to the prisoners,
2:56:34
Speaker 1: and was highly satisfied with the result of his proceedings,
2:56:37
Speaker 1: which more than doubled the little capital with which he
2:56:40
Speaker 1: had retired from business. Jack Fothergill and Percy Adcock declared
2:56:45
Speaker 1: that they had never since eaten a chicken without thinking
2:56:48
Speaker 1: of their Christmas fare on the morning of their escape
2:56:50
Speaker 1: from the hands of the Chinese pirates. The end end
2:56:56
Speaker 1: of section six, end of Tales of Tearing and Danger
2:57:00
Speaker 1: by G. A. Henty, recording by Keith Sallas