CHAPTER FORTY THREE.
THE STRANGERS.
Rodd's toilet did not take him long, for though the water was clear andtempting as it rippled on the sand, the recollection of what mightpossibly be there in the way of ravenous fish, if even there were noreptiles, kept him from venturing for a swim, while when he suggested tothe Spaniard the possibility of bathing in safety, the man looked at himin surprise, and his words were tinged with contempt as he said--
"Bathe! What for?"
Rodd did not answer, but turned his back quickly and hurried away towhere Morny was questioning Joe Cross and the cook about whether the menthey had succeeded in the watch had heard anything in the night.
"Here, catch hold of me, you two," Rodd gasped out, "and help me awaythere among the trees."
"Hah! What's the matter?" cried Morny. "Are you taken bad?"
"Horrid. Don't talk to me. Get me out of sight. I am going off."
Morny and Joe each caught him by an arm and hurried him in amongst thetrees.
"Don't be frightened," gasped out Rodd. "Oh, that Spanish chap! He'llbe the death of me!"
"Why, you are laughing!" cried Morny angrily. "How dare you frighten uslike this!"
"I--I--I--I--" gasped out Rodd--"couldn't help it, old fellow. Oh, thatSpaniard!"
Morny was really angry, but Joe Cross's frank face had expanded into agrim smile.
"What game's he been up to, Mr Rodd, sir?"
"Oh, it was very stupid of me," said Rodd, wiping his eyes; "but I wasafraid of laughing in his face, and the more I tried to look serious themore it would come; and I didn't want to offend him."
"Just like 'em, sir," said Joe, as Rodd explained himself more fully."'Tis their natur' to; and besides, it's what an old woman I used toknow called being codimical. Yes, sir, I've watched 'em aboard thatthere three-masted schooner. Them there mongrel chaps, they must save awonderful lot of money every year in soap."
"There," said Rodd, wiping his eyes again, "I am all right now; but it'svery comic. The more you feel you mustn't laugh, the worse you are. Isuppose laughing must do one good. I always feel so much better afterhaving a good grin."
"Do you good, Mr Rodd, sir! I should just think it does! Why, it'snatur'. Does you good to have a long talk sometimes, don't it; eh, MrMorny, sir?"
"Oh yes, I suppose so," replied the lad.
"And you know it does you a lot of good to get your teeth to work whenyou are hungry, Mr Rodd."
"Yes, Joe," cried the lad eagerly. "What's for breakfast?"
"Ah, you wait a bit, sir, and you will see. But as I was saying aboutlaughing, what's your smiling tackle for, and your grinning kit for, ifthey aren't to use and set you right when otherwise you would be all inthe dumps? Yes, sir; give me a good laugh. But one don't always getone's share along with our old man. Still we like him, for he alwaysmeans right by us. Ay, there's worse chaps in the world than old Chubb,and I'm just ready and waiting to drink his health and long life to himin a pannikin of the finest coffee a coxswain ever brewed; and as forthe frizzled ham that cookie's got thriddled on sticks over them embersto eat with the dough-cakes he's baking in the ashes--Here, let's getback, for fear there's an accident."
"Accident?" said Morny. "Why, what accident could happen?"
"Out of sight, sir, out of mind; and that aren't a French proverb, butyou might like to turn it into one as your countrymen could use. Theymight forget, sir, as we are here."
Well rested, in high spirits, and with a good breakfast waiting, themorning meal was eaten with the greatest of gusto, while to every onethe expedition wore more and more the appearance of a delightfulholiday.
There was an exception, though, and that was in the person of theSpanish captain, who looked grim and sombre, and ate little, but smokeda great deal.
Just as the tent was being struck and a clearance being made of theremains of the breakfast, Rodd suddenly called out--
"There they are again!" And he called attention to the two nearly nudeblacks, who were creeping along the edge of the bank opposite to them intheir canoe.
"Why, they are watching us," said Uncle Paul.
"Hungry," said the Spanish skipper laconically.
"Yes, that's it," cried Rodd, and after a glance at his uncle he toredown a wild banana leaf, turned it into a natural green dish, heapedupon it some of the remains of the breakfast, and carried it a shortdistance along the bank, where he placed it close to the water's edge,signed to the blacks, and then joined his companions, who were about toenter the boat.
Very soon afterwards they were gliding along the stream again, after thesailors, by Uncle Paul's orders, had carefully extinguished the remainsof the fire.
"We don't want to start a conflagration, my boys," he said.
As the men slowly dipped their oars, for there was not a breath of wind,the two lads had to make an effort to, as it were, drag their eyes fromthe lovely floral scene on either side of the little river, while theywatched the proceedings of the blacks.
"Well, they are a pair of stupids," said Rodd. "What is it--ignoranceor suspicion?"
For the two dark objects remained on the farther bank, one seated with apaddle, the other upright, spear in hand, holding on by an overhangingbough to keep their boat from drifting on with the current.
"Suspicion," said Morny quietly.
"Miserable wretches! Do they think I want to poison them?"
"No. I'll tell you," said Morny. "Poor creatures, they have been soill-used by the white people with black hearts who come to these shoresthat they think the food you have put there is the bait of a trap."
"To catch blackbirds! Why, of course! They think we want to carry themoff for slaves. They're as bad as old Captain Chubb; eh, uncle? Hetook us for slavers, Morny, when uncle wanted to engage him. Well, Iforgive them, poor chaps.--Ah, they think it's safe now. They're goingto risk taking the bait."
For all at once the two negroes began to paddle themselves slowly acrossthe river to where the bright green banana leaf lay glistening upon thesand, and the last the two lads saw then of those they had tried tobenefit, as the boat glided on with four oars dipping and making thewater flash like silver, was with the canoe drawn up on to the sands,the two savage-looking blacks squatting on their heels, eagerlydevouring the remains of the breakfast. "Oh, never mind the sun beinghot, uncle," cried Rodd, as they went on and on. "I don't mind if I'mhalf roasted. Look, Morny; did you ever see anything so lovely? Lookat the flowers on that great tree. Why, it seems to blaze withscarlet."
"Yes, and look at the birds," was the reply. "I wish my father werehere, with his mind at rest, to enjoy all this as I do, or should if hewere with us. There, quick! What's that--running in there among theleaves on that tree?"
"Snake," cried Rodd, who just caught sight of the movement. "No. Whoever saw a snake with four legs? Why, it's a great lizard of a thing!Why, uncle, that must be one of those queer chaps that turn all sorts ofcolours."
"Yes," said the doctor, "you are right, Pickle," and he focussed upon ita little old-fashioned single opera-glass which he carried in hispocket. "That's a chameleon, sure enough; and a big one too, I shouldsay, though it's the first one I ever saw alive."
"What's he after?" said Rodd.
"Having a game, catching butterflies, I think, sir," suggested JoeCross. "So he is, Joe."
"Why, Master Rodd, it makes us chaps wish we was boys again and ashorethere running after them butterflies with our caps; only one couldn'trun among the trees, and they fly too high. I never see flutterbies, aswe used to call them, with colours like these, though. We used to catchwhite 'uns, and yaller ones, and sometimes what we used to calltortoiseshells. But I call all this 'ere--Look there, sir; there's oneas big as my hand--two--lots on 'em! Yes, I do call this 'ere deadwaste both of the butterflies and the birds."
"Why, my man?" said the doctor quietly.
"Why, sir, everything you see flying about in the air is as lovely aslovely, and no one
to look at them. Why, if I had my way I'd have allthese sort of things flying about in old England. Yes, sir, they areall wasted here."
"That they aren't, Joe," cried Rodd. "We are looking at them, andenjoying them; and I say, uncle, isn't it time we began to get somespecimens?"
"Plenty of time yet, my boy. Why, captain, the country here on eitherside is very beautiful."
"Satisfied, then?" said the Spaniard coolly.
"Thoroughly," replied the doctor, "and very glad to have met with such aguide."
"But I say, captain," cried Rodd, "don't forget the big monkeys and theleopards."
"Oh no," said the Spaniard. "Farther on yet; and I can't be sure.There are plenty in the woods one day, and the next they are gone. Butwe shall come across some of them." And he sank back smoking again.
"Just look at him," said Rodd. "He doesn't seem to take notice ofanything."
"These things have grown common to him," replied Morny quietly; "butdon't look only at the trees on the banks. Cast your eyes downsometimes into the clear water."
"Don't say there are any of those great reptiles here," said Roddhurriedly.
"No, I have not seen one to-day; but look at the fish we disturb. Theygo gliding away to right and left like so many flashes of silver andgold."
"Now, boys, there's something," said the doctor. "Right across theriver." For there was a rush and a splash as some animal that hadevidently been wading close in under the bank sprang out of the waterwith a rush, and disappeared amongst the low growth.
"What's that, captain?" cried Rodd, making a snatch at his gun.
"Hog," said the Spaniard quietly. "Did you see it?" asked Rodd. "No; Iknow the noise they make. Plenty here." And then it was birds, anonflowers, and some two or three miles farther on Joe Cross, who sat justbehind the boys, tiller in hand, glanced at the doctor and asked--"Whichway?"
For the river forked into two of equal size, and at his question theSpaniard raised his eyelids a little and made a sign with his left hand.
This branch proved to be if anything more rich in its objects of beautythan the winding stream they had left, for there was enough to sate eventhe most exacting lover of nature, while there always seemed to besomething fresh. One minute a sailor would be pointing out abrilliantly-scaled thin green serpent gliding along the surface of thewater, eel-like in motion, but with its back quite exposed to thesunshine, giving it the look of frosted silver, while before longanother man made his discovery, the whole party being eagerly on thewatch for fresh objects of interest, and at this, without waiting fororders, the rowers ceased dipping their oars, to let the boat driftslowly by a lovely curtain of fine strands and leaves dotted withflowers which hung down from some fifty feet up, till the tips of thetwigs touched the water.
In amongst these vine-like branches a vividly-coloured serpent thatappeared to be some six or eight feet long, and but little thicker thana man's thumb, was deliberately climbing and twining, its eyes havingfirst attracted attention by sparkling in the sunshine.
"Don't seem afraid of tumbling into the water," suggested Joe.
"Wouldn't matter if it did," said Rodd. "You saw that one a littlewhile ago, how it could swim."
"So, I did, sir; so I did," replied the man, who was as much interestedas the naturalists of the party. "But there are such a lot of goodthings to see that one seems to shove the other out of your head. Now,what will that chap be doing there, slithering about over the water?Out for a walk?"
"Trying to catch one of those bright little sunbirds, I suppose," saidRodd.
"No," said the doctor, who was watching the serpent through his glass."I should say that one is after birds' nests."
"Think of that!" cried Joe. "But he wouldn't blow the eggs, sir, wouldhe, and make a string?"
"No, my man," said the doctor, smiling, "but swallow them, I should say,or the young birds that he might find in the nest. Why, Rodd, my boy,one wants three or four lives here, and then one wouldn't see half thewonders of this paradise. Here's world within world of wonder andbeauty."
"Row away, my lads," said the Spaniard, who seemed to have only oneobject in life, and that the re-lighting of cigarettes.
"Ay, ay, sir!" cried the men, and they dipped their oars again.
Then on turning a bend of the stream there was a waft of warm wind tofan their cheeks, when the sailors forward stepped the mast, and hoistedthe yard of the lug-sail, which filled out at once, the rowers laid intheir dripping oars, which seemed to shed diamonds and pearls back intothe stream, and away they glided among the glories of the low flat land,through which streams seemed to run like veins, forming a perfect mazeof waterways, each if possible more beautiful than the other, whileproving wonderfully similar in width and depth, so much so that at last,after winding round bend after bend of the last stream they had entered,the doctor turned suddenly to their guide and said--
"Why, captain, how are we going to find the way back again?"
The captain opened his eyes slightly and smiled, as he took a littlecompass from his pocket.
"With this," he said; "but--pah! I could find my way here with my eyesshut. Look; there's a good place for a fire, and the boys here can getplenty of good fish, if you have a line, for the men to cook."
At this suggestion Joe Cross handed the tiller to Rodd and made his wayforward to the locker, from which he produced a couple of fishing-lines.
The boat was run ashore at a similar patch of sand to that where theyhad made their previous halt, and while some of the men were collectingdead wood from beneath the trees, there was a sudden rush, and somethingyellowish dropped with a thud from the nearest great fork, made four orfive great bounds through the low bushes, and disappeared.
"Leopard," said the Spanish captain quietly. "Get out your gun, sir.His mate will not be far away."
He had hardly spoken before another of the great cats leaped from boughto bough of the huge forest tree they had approached, and disappeared inturn, escaping unscathed.
"You are keeping your word, sir," said Rodd. The Spaniard smiled, andremained in his place, while Joe Cross and the lads paddled the boat outagain to a spot the Spaniard pointed out, and there dropped the grapnel,before beginning to fish, using small pieces of fat pork for their bait.
Long before the fire had burnt up enough for cooking purposes or thegreat kettle had boiled in the shade of the huge tree that had beenchosen for kitchen, bites had become frequent, and fine carp-like fish,whose golden scales glittered in the light, were being hauled into theboat; but eager though the lads were, and full of enjoyment of theirsport, it was hot out there in the sun, and arms were beginning to ache,while hunger asserted itself more and more.
"I say, Morny," cried Rodd, "enough's as good as a feast."
"Yes, sir," cried Joe, "and we have got enough and the feast to come,for these look as if they'd be good. Shall we put ashore?"
Rodd nodded assent, and soon after Joe and a couple of his mates hadbeen busy with their knives on the sandy river bank, the unwonted soundmade by a frying-pan arose from the fire, with the result that there wasno doubt about the carp-like fish being good, and the _al fresco_ dinnerproving a success.
The afternoon was wearing on when the preparations for a fresh startwere made, the Spaniard promising the doctor that he would point outanother good resting-place for the night before it was dark.
"All aboard!" cried Joe just then. "Why, look at that now! Well,there's plenty of fish left, Mr Rodd, and in this 'ere hot country wehad better have it fresh."
"Why, I didn't expect to see them again, uncle," cried Rodd, and hepointed across the river to where the two blacks with their canoe hadsuddenly appeared, as if they had been in hiding and watching thecooking going on till it seemed to them that their time had come, whenthey lay there with their boat just as before, apparently waiting tillthe strangers had gone on.
"Do they mean to keep on following us like this, captain?" asked Rodd.
"_Quien sabe_?" he said. "
It is a free country, and you will not mind?"
"Mind! No," cried Rodd. "But they will have to cook what are left forthemselves. I say, uncle, can we trust them to put the fire outafterwards?"
"Oh yes, my lad. I suppose we must."
"That's right, Mr Rodd, sir. They'll take care not to fry themselves.But here, cookie, don't you leave them our pan."
Once more as the boat swept round a bend a glimpse was caught of the twoblacks, who had no hesitation now about paddling across to the desertedhalting-place.
The Spaniard was as good as his word that evening in guiding them toanother bivouac, and that night, feeling perfectly secure, the lads laydown to sleep, looking forward to another day of intense enjoyment inthe wondrous labyrinth of Nature's beauties, far from feeling satisfiedwith what had gone before.
Three more days passed, and halt after halt had been made at spots whichalways presented just the right facilities required, the Spaniardproving how great was his knowledge of the geography of the countrythrough which they rowed or sailed, while the two blacks, who over andover again seemed to have disappeared, always turned up again ready forthe departure of the travellers, who now took it as a matter of courseto leave plenty of fish or flesh collected by the guns for the poorsavages' support.
More than once the lads had made advances to these men, to try and getthem to approach, but their shyness and suspicion were most marked, andthey never came near till the departing boat was some distance off.
"Now," said the doctor, one evening, "I have been mentally marking downsuch birds and insects as I wish for us to collect, so to-morrow morningall this pleasure-seeking must come to an end, and we'll all work hard,shooting, skinning, and boxing a few butterflies as well."
"What a pity!" said Rodd. "I should like to go on yet for weeks."
"So should I, Pickle, but we must get back to the schooner."
"And the brig," cried Morny eagerly.
"Yes, my lad," said the doctor, "and I am afraid the Count will think wehave exceeded our time; but we shall be going steadily back fromto-morrow morning, collecting as we go, and I am sure you will agreethat we have had a grand excursion, everything having been mostsuccessful."
The following morning broke as gloriously fine as ever. The fire wascrackling, and Joe Cross announced that it was not fish that morning,but fried bacon, and soon after the pleasant aromatic scent of thecoffee was rising in the morning air as they took their seats in theshade of a great fig-like tree whose boughs seemed to be full oftwittering and whistling love-birds gathered in a huge flock to feedupon the saccharine embedded seeds of the little fruit.
"Hullo!" said the doctor suddenly, turning to Rodd. "Where's the Don?"
"Having another cigarette somewhere, I suppose, uncle," said Rodd,laughing. "I thought he was along with you."
"No, my boy," replied Uncle Paul. "I thought he went with you thismorning when you made the men row a little farther along the stream."
"That was only to take a last look upward and see what it was likefarther on before we turned back; and it is so beautiful up there--better than anything we have seen. I say, uncle, let's have anotherday."
"No, no, Rodd," cried Morny, catching him by the arm. "I couldn't bearit. We must go back now."
"Quite right, Morny, my boy," said the doctor quietly. "Yes, we havecome to the end of our tether. Let's get back to the Count and CaptainChubb."
"Well, all right," said Rodd. "Never mind what I said, Morny, old chap.I always was a pig when I was getting anything I liked. Let's havebreakfast, and then--
"Huzza! We're homeward bound--ound--ound! Huzza! We're homeward bound!"
he trolled out merrily; and then, clapping his hands to his lips,"_Espanol_ ahoy!" he shouted.
"Ahoy!" came back from the bank of trees across the little river.
"_Espanol_ ahoy!" shouted the boy again, and there was the answeringecho.
"Well, I hear you!" cried Rodd merrily. "But how did you get therewithout the boat?"
There was no answer to this.
"Coffee and fried ham!" roared Rodd.
"'Am!" came back.
"Yes, but it's only bacon!" shouted Rodd.
"'Acon!"
"Well, why don't you come?"
"Don't be stupid, Rodney," cried the doctor shortly. "Here, Cross--cook--any of you; have you seen the Spanish skipper?"
"No, sir!" came in chorus.
"Dear me," said the doctor thoughtfully; "now I come to think of it Idon't remember seeing him this morning."
"No, uncle; nor I neither. Did you see him, Morny?"
"No, not this morning. I saw him talking with you last night, sir."
"Yes; that was when I was saying that we should start back for certain,and he went and lay down in his usual place, close to the side of thetent, directly afterwards."
"Oh yes; he was there when we lay down, wasn't he, Morny?"
"Yes; I remember that."
"But we have not seen him since, uncle."
"Very strange," said the doctor, and turning to the men he questionedthem in turn, with the result that all were sure that they had not seenthe Spaniard since over-night.
The doctor and the two lads stood gazing at one another for some minutesin silence.
"Do you think anything could have happened to him?" said Morny at last.
"Oh no," cried the doctor sharply. "He's too much at home here in thesewild parts for that."
"But I was thinking, uncle--" said Rodd, in a hesitating way.
"Thinking of what, my boy?"
"That there might be some few crocodiles up here in this narrow part ofthe river, after all."
"Absurd, Rodney! Don't jump at conclusions like that!" cried thedoctor.
"But they are such horribly fierce creatures, uncle."
"Don't be absurd, sir! Is it likely that one of those reptiles couldhave come up out of the river, crawled into the tent, and dragged himout again, without some one knowing it? No; he must have got up earlyand gone off by himself somewhere, as this is as far as we were to go,meaning to see if he could find the traces of a chimpanzee, so as toshow us one or more before we start back."
"Yes, that's possible, uncle," said Rodd. "And perhaps he has foundone."
"Very likely; and if he has he'll soon be back to take us on the trail."
"Perhaps so, uncle," said Rodd meaningly.
"Why do you speak like that, sir?"
"Because I say he may have found one, uncle."
"Well--and then?"
"The chimpanzee won't let him come back."
"Really, Rodney, you make me very angry sometimes," cried the doctor."If ever there happens to be a little hitch of any kind you immediatelyclap it under your mental microscope and try to make it as large as youpossibly can. That's it for certain, Morny. He wants to keep perfectfaith with us, and so he has gone to see whether he can find any signsof these great apes. Well, we won't let the breakfast spoil, and itwould be a sort of madness to go hunting about in the forest for histracks; so come along. I dare say he'll be back long before we havedone."
But the breakfast was eaten without any sign of the Spaniard, and nowthe doctor began to be thoroughly uneasy, for the time was there whenthey ought to be starting on their backward journey, and minute byminute he grew more impatient.
His excitement was shared by the two lads, and the men were questionedagain and again, while all joined in searching round the littleencampment as far as was possible; and that was a very short distance,for almost directly after the stretch of sand was passed they came upondense shrubby growth, and beyond this there were the huge forest treesmatted together by vines and lianas into an impassable wall, while asfar as could be made out there was no trace of any one having tried toforce his way through.
"Most singular thing," said the doctor. "We can't go away and leave himalone in these wilds. But have everything ready for an immediate start,and we must wait."
"I say, Morny," said Rodd, "what d
o you make of this? Here, stop aminute, though. Can you think of any way by which he could go?"
Morny shook his head.
"There's no path into the forest," he said, "and it's just as dense onthe other side if any one ventured to swim across the river to go fromthere."
"To go where?" said Rodd sharply.
"I don't know. I was only thinking of what any one might try to do."
"And then," said Rodd, "there's only up the river and down the river,and he had no boat. But it's no use to bother; we have got to wait andsee; and we mustn't forget those two poor niggers. I wonder whetherthey will follow us back?"
"Sure to," said Morny; "right back to the vessels."
"Hi! Joe Cross!" cried Rodd. "Put what's left of the breakfast in awild banana leaf again and leave it on the bank."
"Got it all ready here, sir," was the reply.
"Why, Morny," cried Rodd, catching his companion sharply by the arm,"where are the niggers?"
"Where are the niggers?" said the young Frenchman, staring.
"Yes; they have always been ready waiting till we finished our meals.They were there last night."
"Yes," said Morny; "they were there last night."
"Then where are they this morning?"
Morny looked across the river and back at his companion, while thedoctor, who had been conversing with the men, came hurriedly up andjoined them.
"What are you two talking about?" he said.
"About those two blacks, uncle," said Rodd, whose voice sounded ratherhusky.
"What about them, sir?"
"They have always been hanging about, uncle, till we had done our meals,and then waited for what was left."
"Yes. True. I saw them paddle across last night in the dark and fetchwhat was put for them, in a curious animal-like way."
"But you didn't see them go back, uncle?"
"Yes, I did, sir, and I remember thinking how cat-like they were intheir actions, pouncing upon the food and eating it there and then. Iwatched them till they had done, so as to see them steal off again withtheir boat, and I meant to write a note about it in my paper regardingthis trip."
"Well, they are not waiting this morning, uncle," said the boymeaningly.
"No," said the doctor, glancing in the direction of the wild bananaleaf.
"Well, uncle, what do you make of that?"
"I don't know, my lad. What do you make of it?"
"I don't quite know, uncle. They are savages."
"Yes, boy, they are savages."
"And they've got spears, uncle," said the boy meaningly.
"There you go again, sir!" cried Uncle Paul, irascibly now. "You knowperfectly well, Rodney, how this sort of thing annoys me. I suppose thenext thing you will be telling me is that one of them came with hisspear and behaved as one of Captain Cook's friends says the Australianblacks behaved to the girls they wanted to steal for their wives."
"No, I don't, uncle," cried the boy ill-humouredly. "I don't know whatCaptain Cook's friends say. I hardly know who Captain Cook is--Yes, Ido: he's the man who sailed round the world."
"Well, then, I'll tell you, sir. He said the blacks come in the dark,twist their spears in the girls' hair, and carry them away. And Isuppose you mean to infer that that's what has become of the Spanishcaptain?"
"I don't, uncle," cried Rodd.
"But if you do, sir, you are wrong; for the Don, as you two ladsnicknamed him, had hardly a bit of hair on his head. There, there,there; being cross won't make any better of it. Hope to goodness thatnothing has happened to the poor fellow. Can't have got up in the nightand walked away in his sleep, can he?"
"Well, but if he had, uncle, he must have woke up by this time, and thenhe'd walk back again."
"Well, we can't go without him, my dear lads. He has been a veryfaithful servant to us, and it would be a mean, cowardly, despicable actfor us to leave him in the lurch. Oh, it's impossible. It would belittle better than murder to leave a man here without a boat."
Rodd looked hard at Morny, as if questioning him with his eyes; and sothe French lad took it to be, for he made a deprecating gesture with hishands.
The doctor was watching his nephew keenly, and now clapped him sharplyon the shoulder.
"What are you thinking about, sir?" he cried.
"About what you said, uncle," said the lad, rather confusedly.
"I didn't say anything, sir. I was listening to you."
"Yes, you did, Uncle Paul," said the boy sternly. "You said that itwould be murder to leave a man here without a boat."
"Oh, of course. So I did. And so it would be, sir. But now look here,Rodd. I haven't known you, sir, since you were little more than a babywithout being able to read some of the changes which come over yourface. What were you thinking about that boat?"
"I was thinking, uncle, suppose he had one."
"But he hadn't one. Look here, sir; you are thinking something, andsuspecting something."
"Yes, uncle, I am; but I don't know what."
"I suppose that's because you were prejudiced against the Spaniard bywhat Chubb said."
"I suppose so, uncle. You know how he said he wouldn't trust that man abit?"
"Yes, yes."
"Well, I always felt that I couldn't trust him a bit."
"Prejudice, boy--prejudice."
"I dare say it was, uncle; and when I found how he showed us everythingwe wanted I tried to believe in him; but my head felt as if it wouldn'tgo."
"He hadn't got a boat; he hadn't got a boat," said the doctor, as if tohimself.
"No, uncle; but suppose he had got a canoe?"
"That's it," cried Morny excitedly. "You are right, Rodd. You thinkthose were his two men?"
"Yes," said Rodd. "Two black fellows out of his schooner."
"And--and--" panted Morny, as the doctor's jaw fell and he stood staringat the two lads, utterly speechless--"you believe that he has led usright out here in this wild maze of a place to lose us, while he goesback to--to--"
The poor fellow broke down, and Rodd caught him by the hand; but Mornyin the passion of his emotion snatched his away.
"Don't--don't say it!" he cried.--"While he has gone back for who knowswhat? Oh, father, father, why did I come away?"
"Stop, boys, stop!" cried Uncle Paul; and to the surprise of both heplumped himself down upon the sand, drawing up his knees, planting hiselbows upon them, and resting his burning head upon his hands. "Wait abit," he said. "I want to think; I want to think; I want to think.Ah-h-h!" he groaned, at last. "Who could have imagined it? Who couldhave thought it? A trick--a ruse!"
Then springing up he looked sharply round, to see that the boat's crewwere grouped together watching him wonderingly, and that seemed to bringhim to himself at once. He turned sharply upon Rodd and gave him agrave nod of the head, and said quietly--
"I am afraid you are right, my boy. Morny, my lad, I told your fatherthat in this expedition you should be to me as my son. Let me play thefather to you now, and tell you that it is your duty to act as a man."
"Act as a man, sir--" began Morny.
"Yes, my boy; act and not talk. Aboard, every one of you, my lads," hecontinued, to the sailors. "I am afraid we have been wiled away here bya cunning trick, for what reason remains to be proved. But whatever itmeans, we are twelve staunch men with our duty before us, and that is,to get back as quickly as possible to the schooner and the brig. I maybe deceived, but I believe we are the victims of a plot, and if so I amafraid it will go hard with that Spaniard when we meet. Now, then, Idon't know how long it will take, but we have got to do it, and when weget back to our schooner, no matter what has happened, there's tenguineas apiece as a sort of prize-money for the brave lads who havehelped to pull us through."
A loud excited cheer burst from the crew, and several voices broke inafterwards with something indistinguishable amidst the noise.
"What's that? What's that I hear?" cried the doctor sharply to JoeCross.
"Hah!" ejaculated the doctor. "Now then, not ten guineas, but twenty,for the man among you who can guide us through this wilderness of watersback to our stout Devon boat. Now then, who's the one among you who canact as guide?"
A dead silence fell upon the group, and for the first time since theirstart a black storm-cloud began to spread slowly over the sky.
The Ocean Cat's Paw: The Story of a Strange Cruise Page 43
