The Ocean Cat's Paw: The Story of a Strange Cruise

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.

  STRANGE PROCEEDINGS.

  "Is it a wreck, uncle?" panted Rodd.

  "I thought so, boy," cried Uncle Paul; "but don't talk. Slip on two orthree things."

  He was still speaking, when there was a rush down the cabin stairs, andthe captain shouted--

  "Quick, doctor! Your pistols and a gun! We are attacked!"

  The words thrilled through Rodd, and the next minute he had seized adouble gun and was ready to follow his uncle and the skipper on deck,where in the faint light of morning he found nearly the whole of thecrew gathered across the after part of the deck, armed with capstan barsfor the moment, while the mate and Joe Cross were rapidly handing roundcutlasses and pikes. The forward part of the schooner was in the handsof strangers, all well-armed; others were climbing over the bows from aboat which was made fast alongside, while hurried orders were beinggiven to them in French by a tall, dark, grey-haired man, sword in onehand, pistol in the other.

  "What's the meaning of this?" panted Uncle Paul to the skipper, whileRodd felt as if he were not yet awake, and suddenly recalled the factthat he had armed himself with a perfectly useless weapon, for in hisexcitement he had forgotten powder flask and bullets, having instead ofthe latter brought a belt containing small shot.

  "Pirates or privateers, sir," replied the skipper hotly, "but just giveus time. Be smart, my lads. Pikes and cutlasses, and then all togetherwith a will!"

  "For heaven's sake let's have no bloodshed, Captain Chubb!" cried UnclePaul, catching the skipper by the arm.

  "Not my wish, sir," said the captain shortly; "but this is my schoonerwhile I command her, and I'm going to clear this deck."

  "Ay, ay, sir!" came in a low, eager murmur from the men.

  "There, sir," said the skipper; "you and the lad stand back. Ready, mylads?"

  "No, no!" cried Uncle Paul, who saw that the strangers forward, all aswell-armed as the schooner's crew, were eagerly waiting for the order toadvance from their leader, each party being ready to be let slip forwhat might prove to be a desperate encounter.

  Rodd grasped this, and then felt puzzled as he saw a youth of about hisown age suddenly elbow his way to the front to stand beside the leader.

  Suddenly awakened as he had been from sleep, Rodd felt more confusedthan ever, for the sight of the youth, who from his dress seemed to bethe second officer, added to his confusion, though for the moment hecould hardly tell why.

  And this just as Uncle Paul was grasping the skipper's arm and saying--

  "Don't be hasty. These cannot be pirates. There must be some mistake."

  "Maybe, sir, but these fellows who have boarded us have made it. Now,sir, once more, stand back and let us clear the deck. They can talkwhen they are back in their boats."

  There was a few moments' silence, each side seeming unwilling to begin,and taking advantage of an apparent hesitancy on the part of the strangeleader, Uncle Paul instead of stepping back raised his hand andadvanced, Rodd springing to his side, while their movement was exactlyfollowed by the chief intruder and the youth who stepped to his side.

  "Now, sir," cried Uncle Paul firmly, in French.

  "I understand English," was the reply.

  "I am very glad," said Uncle Paul. "Now, sir, you see that we arewell-armed and prepared. What is the meaning of this attack?"

  "Ah, I am glad, sir," said the stranger courteously. "Pray keep yourmen back, and I will mine."

  "Tell them to clear off the deck, then, doctor. There must be no talkhere."

  "Be silent, Captain Chubb!" cried Uncle Paul sternly. "We must have nobloodshed."

  "No, sir," cried his opponent quickly, and in very excellent English."We are no pirates. I am the captain of that brig, and in urgent needof help."

  "And this is a very strange way of asking for it, sir."

  "Yes, yes, I know, my friend," cried the other hotly, "but it was forcedupon me by circumstances. I have need of your vessel, and I must haveit at all costs--peacefully if you will, and I am ready to recompenseyou, the owner, for any loss of cargo at your destination which you mayincur; but I must have the use of this little ship."

  "Indeed, sir!" said Uncle Paul, with a peculiar smile. "And if I sayyou cannot have it; what then?"

  "Then, sir," said the stranger haughtily, "you see we are prepared. Ishall be compelled to take it from you by force."

  "Ah-h-h!" came like a low growl of satisfaction from the schooner'screw, and Rodd was conscious of a rather ominous movement on the part ofthe men, who began moistening their hands and taking a firmer grip oftheir weapons.

  Rodd was drinking in this colloquy, which filled him with wildexcitement; but all the time he kept glancing from the young officer whostood sword in hand to the brig he had seen over-night and again thrownup by the storm, still lying about the same distance away from theschooner, and then with his head suddenly seeming to become clearer hecried out aloud--

  "Uncle, those are the officers we saw at Havre, and that's the brig thatescaped."

  "You--you were at Havre!" cried the elder officer excitedly; and hestepped closer to Rodd, his young companion, watchful and on the alert,following his example and keeping close as if to defend him from anyattempted seizure.

  "Yes, yes, of course," cried Rodd, without looking at the speaker, hiseyes being fixed upon the young man.

  "Then this is a French vessel?" cried the officer.

  "No, sir," replied Uncle Paul. "It is my schooner, and I am not inpursuit of your brig."

  "Why, it is!" cried Rodd suddenly, as he dropped the butt of hisunloaded gun with a thud upon the deck. "I thought I knew you again!--Uncle, this is the young French prisoner I helped to escape fromDartmoor."

  Before he could say another word the sword the young Frenchman helddropped from his hand to the extent of its gold-laced knot, and toRodd's confusion a pair of thin arms were flung about his neck and hewas held tightly to the young stranger's breast.

  "Oh, _mon ami_! _mon ami_! My dear friend!" he cried. "Do we meet oncemore like this? _Mon pere, c'est le jeune Anglais qui nous a sauvesdans cet affreux temps_."

  "Moray!" cried the officer, looking stunned. "Is this true?"

  "True? Oh yes! Oh yes!" cried the lad, speaking now in English. "You,young angler, fisherman, this is my dear father."

  To Rodd's false shame and confusion, he had to submit to anotherembrace, for before he could realise what was about to happen theofficer had followed his son's example and not only embraced him, butkissed him on both cheeks.

  "Well, this is a queer set out," said Uncle Paul. "Then you are the twofellows who broke into my bedroom and helped yourselves to my purse?"

  "Ha, ha! Yes, my friend," cried the officer, laughing; "but you andyour brave son will forgive. We were poor exiles and prisoners fightingfor our liberty, and you will let us make amends."

  "Oh, well, you did," said Uncle Paul bluffly; "but that is no excuse forturning pirates and trying to rob me of my ship at the point of thesword."

  "No, no," cried the officer hastily, "but you are a brave Englishman,and you and your son--"

  "No, sir, my nephew."

  "--will forgive. One moment; let me think!" cried the officer, as hedragged his hand from out of his sword-knot and thrust the blade intoits sheath. "Yes, yes, let me think. I have it, Morny," and turning tohis followers he uttered a short sharp command which resulted in his menswinging themselves over the side and entering the two boats in whichthey had effected the surprise of the schooner.

  At their first movement in retreat the skipper's crew burst into a loudjeering laugh, and made as if to rush forward; but at a word fromCaptain Chubb they were silenced and held back.

  "I thank you, sir," said the French officer, raising his hat to theskipper. "It was well done. Now let me speak; let me explain," and helooked from Rodd to his uncle and back, and then gave a glance at theskipper, while the two lads stood hand in hand.

  "It was like this," he said; "y
ou saw us at Havre that stormy day, andof course my brig nearly crushed into your vessel. Then we lay atanchor close together till that order came down from a vile insensateGovernment to seize upon my vessel and my crew. It was the work ofenemies, and I had to set sail at once, or once more my son and I wouldhave had to pass years in the inside of a prison, not as culprits,monsieur, but as honourable gentlemen, French nobles, whose only crimewas fidelity to one,"--and as he spoke he stopped short, uttering theword _one_ with grave reverence, as he took off his hat--an examplefollowed by his son. "Well, gentlemen, I cannot explain to you. Thereis not time. Only this--you saw that I made what you English call adash for it--for freedom. It was like madness, but we said we wouldrather trust the storm than the French Government. They sent boats fullof soldiers to seize us, but we kept on. They opened fire upon us fromthe forts, but we did not shrink."

  "Yes, yes, we saw all," cried Uncle Paul, "and a very brave dash youmade."

  Captain Chubb, who had listened, frowning heavily the while, uttered alow grunt.

  "And a very fine bit of seamanship, sir," he said, and the officerturned to him and raised his hat.

  "It was desperate, sir," he said gravely, "and I knew that I was riskingthe lives of my dear son and all on board; but no man there shrank.Well, sir, my story is long, but I must excuse myself for my conducthere. It is enough. We battled with the storm, as you saw, andescaped."

  "I always said you had gone down," grunted Captain Chubb.

  "No, sir. We escaped with but one wound, and that was to my poorvessel; and since the night when we left Havre-de-Grace upon my missionit has been one long struggle, as you would say, for life."

  "Indeed, sir?"

  "Yes," said the officer sadly, and he pointed over the side towardswhere the beautiful duck-like brig with its taper spars sat the smoothsea, but with a steady stream of water trickling down her side. "Mychief officer and my men have worked in every way they knew long daysand weeks; but it is of no use. I would not give up the great objectupon which I have come, but it is forced upon us at last that beforemany days have gone over our heads that vessel will lie far down in thedepths of the ocean. Do you not see how low she is in the water?"

  "Eh?" cried the skipper eagerly. "Eh? I thought she was low down withcargo. You've sprung a leak?"

  "A cannon ball crashed through her, sir, and we have never been able tomaster that leak."

  "Then why in the name of thunder didn't you put into port?" cried theskipper contemptuously.

  The officer smiled.

  "I cannot explain," he said. "There was not time. I had work to do--atask that I had promised to fulfil, and we held on till it was forcedupon me that I must get another vessel or stand with my men upon thedeck and let our brave _Roi Dagobert_ sink beneath our feet."

  "That wasn't her name at Havre," said the downright skipper.

  "No, sir," said the officer, smiling; "but were we not pursued? Wouldnot news of our escape be sent far and wide? We were obliged to assumeanother disguise. The _Jeanne d'Arc_, we said, sank at Havre. That isthe _Roi Dagobert_ floating still; but for how long?"

  "I don't quite see that," said the skipper bluntly.

  "No?" said the officer. "Monsieur has never passed long years as aprisoner of war."

  "Well, no," grunted the skipper. "Maybe that might have made me a bitshifty."

  "There, sir," said the officer, turning now to Uncle Paul; "that is myexcuse for this desperate venture--this attempt to seize your vessel.My business is urgent. I am a nobleman, a count of the French Empire,and I offer you any recompense you like to name if you will give up tome your vessel, leaving me full command for a week--a month--such timeas I may need."

  "And if I say, sir, that I cannot accede to what you must own are wilddemands," said Uncle Paul, "what then?"

  "What then?" said the officer slowly.

  "You mean that you will attack us, and the strongest wins?"

  The officer was silent, and he turned his eyes upon his son, who leftRodd and took his extended hands, both standing silent for a fewmoments.

  "No, sir," he said at last, slowly and gravely. "Neither my son nor Ican raise our hands against those who gave us liberty, almost life.Morny, my boy, we will do our duty to the last, and try to keep the poor_Roi Dagobert_ afloat. She may live long enough, even as she has keptafloat so long. If she sinks with us--well, my boy, we shall have doneour duty to him we serve, and our names may not be forgotten in ourcountry's rolls."

  There was silence for a few moments, which was broken at last by Rodd.

  "But I say, uncle," he cried eagerly, "you always said you had plenty oftime, and--"

  The young officer turned quickly upon the speaker with an eagerquestioning look, but before Uncle Paul could speak, Captain Chubb tookoff his cap and stood scratching his head in the now bright morningsunshine.

  "Look here, Mr Count," he said; "I am only a rough Englishman, and alot of what you have been saying about mission and that sort of thing isjust so much Greek to me. But do you mean to tell me that you got aball through the bottom of your smart brig that night in Havre, and havenever been able to stop the leak?"

  "Yes, yes; that is so, my friend. My chief officer has tried everythingthat he could do, but we could not get at the place. And look yonder!The pump has been kept going ever since."

  "Well, sir," continued Captain Chubb, "I don't know your first mate, andI don't want to say hard things of a man who could take that there smartcraft out of the French harbour as he did that night. He is a very finesailor, sir. But if I aren't got a carpenter on board this schooner aswould give him ninety out of a hundred and then beat him, withoutbringing to work the little bit I knows myself, why, I'm a Dutchman, andthat I aren't."

  "Ah!" cried the Count excitedly. "You think--"

  "No, sir; I don't say I think anything without having a look. But asthere don't seem to be any fighting going on, and you and the doctorhere turns out to be old friends, why, before you talk of throwing upyour job and taking to your boats--which would be a much more sensiblething to do than going down with colours flying when there warn't noneed, and setting aside getting some fresh water and provisions intoyour boats and making for a place on the West Afric coast--I should justlike to come on board your craft with my man and see what mightn't bedone by stopping that there leak."

  "My friend!" cried the Count excitedly, and he caught the skipper by thehands.

  "Well, sir," said the skipper, with a grim smile, "if you are Mr Rodd'sand the doctor's friend and wants to be friends with me, why, Tom Chubbaren't the man to say no and want to keep enemies. So there's my fin.But look 'ere, you know," he continued, as he gave the Count's thinwhite hand a tremendous grip, "yours was a very queer way of coming uponus, and might have meant some nasty marks on my white decks. You can'thelp being a Frenchman, but do you know what an Englishman would havedone? He'd have just come here civil like and said, `Look here,strangers, we have sprung a leak, and we are going down. Come and lendus a hand at the pumps.'"

  "Ah, yes, of course," said the Count warmly. "It is what I should havedone."

  "And you would like me to come aboard and see if there's anything we cando?"

  "Yes, yes!" cried the Count eagerly.

  "All right, then, sir," said the skipper coolly; "I am sailing under thedoctor's orders, and if he's willing, I'm your man."