CHAPTER XX
The End of the Chase
"Ahoy there! Horton, ahoy! Where are you, Rajah?" Strangely weird anduncanny did the sounds appear as they left the lips of Captain Keppeland floated across the rushing stream away into the jungle. "Ahoy! Ahoy!"
Three times in succession did the gallant commander give tongue to thewords as he sat in his gig with his gun across his knees. Then, hearingthe beat of gongs and of drums, and the shouts of the combatants, anddetecting no voice which he could recognize as coming from his junioror from the Rajah of Sarawak, he lifted his weapon and fired it in thedirection from which the loudest sounds came.
"Ahoy!" back came the answering shout, but almost drowned by the noiseof shallow water rushing over a pebbly bottom. "Ahoy there! Don't fireor you will hit one of us. We are dead ahead of you."
"Then we will join you," called out the captain, and at once his gig, inwhich he had set out to relieve or help the forward party immediatelyprolonged firing had been heard, was rowed towards the bay in which thenative craft lay, and just outside which the pinnace was moored, so asto allow her to make use of her gun.
Weird indeed, and hazardous in the extreme, was the position in whichthe British lay, and as he reclined upon the grass, with the Rajah onone side of him and John Marshall on the other, Tyler had to confessthat never before had he been in a worse predicament.
"We were in a tight place when upon the schooner," he whispered tohis companion, the boatswain, "and that rock, where Li Sung and I werecaught and surrounded was a ticklish position, but here there is noknowing where the enemy are. They are everywhere, and bullets and spearscome from every direction. Halloo! There's a shot, and that is CaptainKeppel's voice or I am much mistaken."
A few seconds later the crew of the gig joined hands with LieutenantHorton's party, and a council of war was held, the Rajah joining in,together with Tyler.
"Come," said Captain Keppel in pleasant tones, "we of the navy do notpretend to know everything, and there is no doubt that in a case likethis, when the lives of all our men are at stake, the best advice shouldbe taken. You have had experience with these people, Rajah, and so haveyou, young Richardson. What shall we do? For my part I fancy that itwill take us all our time to keep the enemy from rushing in upon us."
"I cannot see that we can do otherwise than remain here and do ourbest," was the emphatic answer, "for if we attempt to retire we may verywell get into greater difficulties, and besides, it is a bad thing togive way before these fellows."
"Not to be thought of," burst in the captain with energy. "Either weremain, or we go forward."
"Why not scatter the men a little, keeping them sufficiently close toallow them to regain the centre with ease, and yet so far apart as toextend their radius of fire?" asked Tyler as the commander of the _Dido_turned to him. "Then if the men were instructed only to discharge theirmuskets when they actually saw one of the enemy, the latter might thinkthat we were retiring, and might be induced to show up a little more. Inthat case we should give them a lesson."
"Capital! The lad has a head for these situations," exclaimed CaptainKeppel. "We will do as he suggests and see what happens. As we haveheard very truly, we are running the danger here of being rushed and ofbeing slowly picked off, while the enemy are never seen. Let us enticethem forward and then give them a few volleys. Come, I will take post onthe left, and, Mr. Richardson, oblige me by going to the right. Rajah,will you come with me? while our lieutenant takes the post of honour inthe centre."
The matter was arranged without further delay, and very shortly themovement had been carried out in absolute silence. With John Marshallbeside him, Tyler crept into the jungle on the right, and, holding closeto the bank of the river, pushed on till the voices of some of the enemywere close at hand.
Then, selecting a wooded part, before which the ground was more thanusually open, he lay at full length and waited for some of the piratesto appear.
"Uncanny work," he whispered in his companion's ear. "I would far ratherfeel that the others were close at hand; but I suggested the movementand must carry my part of it through. Keep a bright look-out, and on noaccount fire unless I give the order."
Spread like a fan round the edge of the little bay, the sailors andmarines took up their positions in couples, for even the boldest ofmen are apt to take fright when sent out into an unknown part in thedarkness, and with enemies close at hand. Then silence came over theBritish force, and even the twelve-pounder, which had at intervalsdeafened all those within reach, and drowned the babel of the enemy,ceased its clamour. In silence, with locks at full cock and pieces attheir shoulders, the men of the expedition waited; and as they lay therethe deep and sonorous tones of hundreds of gongs came to an end also,and the war-drums remained unbeaten. Even the shouts and the babel ofvoices died down, and presently the jungle was at peace.
"One would imagine that we were alone," whispered Tyler. "But you may besure that every tree hides some dark figure, and that away behind, outof hearing of ourselves, those who are leading the enemy are talking thematter over. Look over there. There are lights, and there is the soundof an axe."
He pointed to the right, up-stream, some fifty yards away, and both sawthree dark figures standing close beside the water, holding torchesabove their heads. With them were some twenty others, who were attackingthe trunks of the trees which grew on the edge of the bank, evidentlywith the object of causing them to fall across the stream.
"They want to keep us from going farther, which makes it look as thoughthey had taken their women and children and their wealth to some spot upthis tributary," said Tyler in low tones. "It will take them a littletime to get through those trunks, so that we can leave them to it forthe present. But later on we shall have to fire at them and drive themaway. I wonder whether they will do the same down-stream, and so bar ourretreat should we have cause to fly?"
The question was one which could not fail to cause him anxiety, forthen the safety of all in the expedition would be jeopardized. But hehad little time to think about it, for scarcely had his attention againreturned to the jungle in front of him when some dozen dusky figuresappeared, creeping across the open space which separated them from thebank. Instantly the muskets covered them, fingers went to the triggers,while heads sank down to the right till the eye could glance along thesights. But so deep was the gloom that that was impossible; so thatthose who were defending the position could only point their weaponswhere they thought the enemy were, in the hope of hitting them.
"Fire!" In stentorian tones the command came from the captain of the_Dido_, and at once a volley burst from the waiting men, causing theenemy to come to a halt, and then take to their heels with shrill criesof terror. Then once more the shouting and the incessant beat of gongswas heard, while the jungle became alive with moving figures, who firedat their foes and sent spears and arrows swishing in their direction.
"Now for the others," said Tyler, noticing that those who were engagedin cutting the trees were still at their work. "Ready? Then let themhave a bullet."
Both fired together, while, ere the report of their rifles had dieddown, the boom of the twelve-pounder was heard, and a mass of grape wentcrashing in amongst the trees.
"That will be their last effort," said Tyler. "They must have lostheavily during the night, and seeing that we are not intending to retirethey will begin to feel hopeless. To-morrow, when we start to ascend theriver, they will feel that their cause is ruined."
And this proved to be the case. Lying or squatting upon the edge of thebank, the British force spent the long hours of darkness in keepingwatch and in firing occasionally into the trees. Morning found them wornout with their exertions, and some of them actually asleep in spite ofthe danger. But a call from their leader soon brought them to theirfeet, and at once they prepared to embark.
"Get aboard, and smartly, my lads," he called out in cheery tones. "Wehave shown those fellows that we are not to be easily driven off, andnow that the morning has come we will let
them see that we have plentyof life left in us. Aboard, all of you, and let us hurry, for I amhungry, and until the matter is ended we shall be unable to breakfast."
The words brought a cheer and a shout of merriment from the sailorsand marines, and all at once leapt to obey him. Soon the pinnace wasmanned, and with the gunner at his piece, and the marines with weaponsready, began to push up the river, followed by the gig in which satCaptain Keppel. Hardly had they rowed fifty yards when a man appearedwith a white flag, and very soon the Rajah of Sarawak was engaged inconversation with him.
"Their women and children and all their possessions are up the stream,"he said, when he had questioned the Malay, "and so they wish to lay downtheir arms on any terms, but with the hope that we will spare those whoare helpless."
"Where is their leader?" asked the commander of the _Dido_. "They musthand him over to me immediately, for he is a murderer, and I have moreinterest in capturing the fellow than in taking hundreds of thesenatives."
"They say that that is impossible," was the Rajah's answer, when he hadagain spoken with the Malay who bore the white flag. "Hanns Schlott, themurderer, bolted early in the night, and has not been seen since."
"Then they must provide trackers and a force to go in search," saidCaptain Keppel without hesitation. "Mr. Richardson, you will take half adozen men and go in command, for I will not deprive you of a task whichbelongs to you by rights. Get your breakfast at once, and set out assoon as you can. Now, Rajah, we will discuss this matter in full, andthen I fancy that you, like myself, will be glad of something to eat."
At a shout from the Malay several of the head men amongst the piratescame forward, and entered into conversation with the great white man ofwhom all had heard. Thanks to the fact that the Rajah spoke the languagelike a native of Borneo the negotiations were soon completed, and inless than half an hour it had been arranged that a final meeting shouldtake place in the afternoon, when the terms to be granted should bepublished. When that hour arrived, the chiefs came forward once more,looking dejected and down at heart, and sat down in a circle about theRajah. Great was their surprise and delight when they were told thatonly hostages would be required for their good behaviour, and that theywere to abstain from piracy, or their country would be again invaded.Beyond that there was no punishment, but they were urgently advised totake to trade and live at peace with their neighbours.
As for Tyler, he was delighted with the permission given him, and withthe thought that the capture of the murderer was to be left to himentirely. Hastily gulping down a breakfast, he took his place at thehead of the six men whom he had selected, and at once called for thenatives who were to lead the party. Then he plunged into the jungle intheir wake, for all the world as if these guides were the Dyaks whomhe had met farther along the coast, and they were making their way toSarawak.
"Dutchman here," said one of the trackers suddenly, coming to a halt andpointing eagerly at the ground. "Here," he said, making use of the smallstock of English which he possessed. "Follow, and we catch."
Like hounds let loose upon the trail the party of Malays and Dyaks whowere leading plunged through the jungle, taxing the strength of Tylerand his men to the full. For an hour they kept on without a halt, andjust as Tyler was about to call to them and beg of them to stop for atime, their leader threw his arms into the air, and spread them out, asa signal to all that he had made a discovery.
"Come along here," he said, pointing with his finger to the trail leftby the Dutchman as he fled. "Him big and heavy, and him sit there. See?"
Tyler glanced at the spot, and at once grasped the fact that HannsSchlott had rested himself upon the root of a tree. But he could nottell that which was clear to the native.
"Him have gun," said the latter positively. "Him sit and point intotree. Then him let gun drop beside him. There are the marks."
As if he had actually witnessed the act, the man pointed to somescratches upon the bark where the lock of the gun must have struck. Thenhe led Tyler a few paces ahead, drawing his attention to the trail as hedid so.
"Him silly," he said with a disdainful smile for the memory of his oldleader. "Ever since he take the boat from the Englishman and kill theowner, him so silly. Him frightened at him own shadow. See here. Hestart and turn round at every step. Him stop and raise the rifle. Himfire. Look!"
The eagle glance of this pirate allowed nothing to escape him, and as hespoke he drew Tyler's attention to various spots. Before them ran thetrail, still freshly shown by the trampled grass and reed. And as thetracker had said, it came to a stop here and there, while a small patchwas more trodden than the other. Here it was that Hanns Schlott, thecowardly Dutchman, and the villain who had murdered Mr. Beverley, hadhalted to stare about him. His conscience perhaps disturbed him. Or heimagined that he heard a sound, or saw a figure. Fear of capture and ofdeath unnerved him, and, giving credence to his imagination, he peeredamidst the jungle, and then fired his piece at some shadow. Yes, thatwas what had happened, for Tyler could see with his own eyes the hugepatch where the shot had struck a tree close at hand and ripped the barkfrom it.
"We shall have to be careful," he said, "or this fellow will be shootingus as we come up with him. He is a desperate man, and will stop atnothing."
"Looks as if he was daft," burst in John Marshall. "Seems to me as ifthe trouble had turned his head. But the fellow's beckoning, sir. Hewants us to go ahead."
"He not far away. Soon find the Dutchman," said the Malay, dragging hiskriss from his pocket. "Shall he be killed, or taken a prisoner?"
"The last," was Tyler's answer, "for he has a crime to answer for. Come,push ahead and let us capture him."
Once more the party of natives and Englishmen took up the trail, anda mile farther on were rewarded by the sound of a rifle-shot whichsuddenly rang out in the jungle. Instantly they redoubled their pace,and did not halt till the leading Malay again threw his arms into theair and motioned to them to do so. A moment or two later their eyesfell upon the figure of Hanns Schlott. But what a change! Once a burlyindividual, with enormous, unwieldy limbs and rounded cheeks, he wasnow a haggard man. True, the time had been too short to allow of muchchange in his weight or in his general appearance; but it was theDutchman's face and eyes which attracted attention, while the droop ofhis head, the stoop of his broad shoulders, added to the change whichcould be observed. No longer was he the leader of a band of pirateswhose ill fame had spread far and wide, and who committed any sort ofatrocity with impunity. He was a criminal escaping from the law, andevery shadow, each tree and bush, contained one of the pursuers. Thatyoung Englishman who had been aboard the schooner when the murder ofMr. Beverley was carried out was forever in his memory, and each objectwhich his imagination conjured into human shape was Tyler's figure. Ourhero's name was forever on his lips, and each shot from his smokingrifle was meant to pierce his body.
"That killed him! I saw the bullet strike on his body and perforate,"the Dutchman was shouting as Tyler and his friends came up with thefugitive.
"Ha, ha, ha! At last I have paid off the score. He said he would followme and hang me, and instead I drove him ashore. Then he went to Paddiand robbed us of our prahus. For that my shot has paid. And now to givehim what is due, to return in full the trouble which he has caused me.I will go within an inch of him, and will place the muzzle against hisear. Then I shall be free."
As he spoke Hanns Schlott glared at one portion of the jungle, with eyeswhich seemed to protrude from their sockets and to be capable of seeingnothing else. Then he grasped his rifle with feverish hands, and inspite of the fact that it was still hot rammed a charge in. Then anotherthought came to his tortured mind, and he clutched his head in despair.
"Beaten!" he shouted in high-pitched tones. "Even then I am not sure ofmy life, for there is another. The beggarly sailor, John Marshall theycalled him, knew of the deed. He saw it, and swore, too, that he wouldfollow me to the end of the world. Of what use to struggle further?"
He paused in the process of ra
mming down a charge, and attempted toconsider the question. But his wits had gone astray, and, unable tograsp the matter, his mind again turned to Tyler.
"What!" he screamed, suddenly facing about, and pointing at another partof the jungle. "He is still alive and laughs at me. Ha!"
His face was like a demon's as, gun in hand, he crept stealthily towardsthe spot in which he fancied his victim was hidden. The lips twitchedand were withdrawn from the teeth. The pallid cheeks hung loosely andquivered, while the eyes blazed with the intensity of the madness whichfilled him. Falling upon his hands and knees, he crawled softly acrossthe leaves and twigs as if anxious not to disturb his enemy. Then oncemore the rifle came to his shoulder. There was a pause ere the triggerwas pressed, and then another report startled the jungle. Ere the echoeshad died down the madman had sprung forward and hurled himself upon atwisted tree which he had imagined to be his victim.
It was a terrible sight to look upon, and filled Tyler and his littleparty with horror; for never before had it been their lot to watchthe ravings of a madman bereft of his senses through fear of theconsequences of his crime. It was horrible to watch, and our hero atonce decided to put a stop to it.
"His weapon is empty now," he whispered to his men, "and therefore wewill capture him. Separate at once and get into position. When you areready I will give the word, and we will make a rush. Quick! for I seethat he is sitting down and getting ready to ram down another charge."
Realizing the importance of haste in the matter, the tars rapidlyscattered, and ere long had formed a cordon about the madman. Then, ata shout from Tyler they threw themselves upon him and made him theirprisoner. His weapon was taken from him and his arms bound, for he wasfrantic with rage. Then the murderer, who had already suffered much forhis crime, was led back through the forest, and in the course of timefound his way to Singapore. But no gallows waited for him, for anotherform of punishment was to be his. An asylum for criminal lunatics becamehis home, where for years he dragged out a terrible existence. As forTyler, satisfied at the thought that he had done what was right in thematter, he reported his arrival to his commander and waited for furtherorders. Nor had he long to wait, for once Paddi had been destroyed, andthe pirates defeated, the expedition turned its attention to Pakoo,which was easily captured. Then came the turn of Rembas, where severeresistance was met with. But the British were not to be turned back,and in spite of the hot fire directed against them, and the numbers ofthe enemy, they pushed forward and took the place. Then, feeling thatthey had done all that was possible, they returned to Sarawak with theknowledge that a scourge had been put down, and that something more hadbeen done to bring about the peace for which the Rajah of Sarawak strove.
For Tyler there was little merry-making, for a bullet had struck him inthe elbow as he charged against the stockade at Rembas, and that sameevening he had lain in an open boat, with teeth fast set, while thesurgeons amputated the limb. But he had gone through so much alreadythat this was not likely to disturb him very much. Indeed, within amonth he was up and about, and ere long back at his duty.
Years have passed since then, and the lad who went down into the holdof the grain ship alone to rescue the unconscious officers, and whoafterwards led a tribe of Dyaks in far-away Borneo, is an old man, whosteps with far less agility than in those young days. But the old spiritis there. The white beard and moustache, with their decidedly nauticalcut, cannot disguise the square chin and the firm lips. The eyes sparkleas of yore, and return a glance without flinching, while even now thereis a swing in the shoulders, a poise of the head, which distinguishesTyler. Yes, in spite of the loss of an arm, he has led a life ofactivity, and has only recently settled down to enjoy the remainder ofhis allotted years peacefully and in quietness. In his time, whileon active service with the Royal Navy, he has seen much fighting, hasexperienced many an adventure. But it is safe to say that never has heencountered so much danger as in the old days, when fighting close tothe men of the _Dido_ and with the Dyaks of Borneo.
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_At the Villafield Press, Glasgow, Scotland_
With the Dyaks of Borneo: A Tale of the Head Hunters Page 22
