THE CRUISE OF THE FLYING FISH

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 254, 24 October 1907, Page 6

THE CRUISE OF THE FLYING FISH

CHAPTER X.—(Continuedd.)'. The boat floated alongside, and eight of the crew were on board. There was an •orderly, disciplined look about the men that was new to mc, and not a word was said as Cap'en Bill motioned mc to go on board; He said something to Sam Morgan, and then followed mc and took the helm. - • ■- j.. " Give way, lads," he said, and the oars dipped in the water with a single motion. He didn't say another word, but 1 could see from the light in his eyes and his knitted brows that.he was thinking hard. I think it must have been this, and the quiet, determined look of the men that made mc feel that the business was a serious one, and that it might be dangerous, too, unleses we were fortunate. • • We coasted the reef for perhaps quarter of a mile, and then Cap'en Bill said, suddenly, " Now, lads, and altogether." He put up the helm as he spoke, and the men pulled hard. With a lurch and a heave we heeled over and then righted, and next moment we were in smooth water —we had passed the reef. We brought" the whaleboat to the beach under a little wooded bluff, and there Cap'en Bill and I landed. " Now, lads," he said, " you'll lie off here till you get the word from mc. I ain't a-sayin' it'll be long, but it might be all of. an hour or two. It won't be long after dark, though, or I'm mistook." • In another minute I had followed him round the point and lost sight of the boat. We Btruck up the side of a little gully, where the undergrowth was nothing like so thick as it had been in the place I had gone to find out about Pierre. Cap'en Bill went first with a confidence that made mc feel sure he must have been there before, and I was astonished to see that he forced his way through the bushes, not only faster than I could keep up with, but with hardly any noise at all. We soon reached the top of the gully, and skirted the edge of what looked like a regular plantation of cocoa-nut trees that stood in rows, stretching as far as I could see, without any undergrowth. Cap'en Bill stopped till I came up; then he stooped and spoke almost into my ear. " Look here, sonny," he said, " we're a-goin* wheer some o' them Froggies'll pass, as like as not. Watch mc , an' do whatever ye see mc motion for." I suppose my face must have.betrayed my curiosity,-for, _be ..added, " I'm a-goin' Fro___gy.huntin', an' don't you forget it." He laughed almost'inaudibly, and then, bending nearly double, he moved quickly on again. So far we had seen no sign of life since we left the boat, but now, quite suddenly, the sound of a laugh came up to where we were from somewhere below us. I crept closer to Cap'en Bill, and waited. Again the laugh reached us, and this time it was nearer. My companion motioned mc to lie down, and set the example himself, whispering as he did so, " Now, sonny, you tell mc what them Froggies are a-sayin' of." We lay there, I suppose, for half an hour, while several little groups, as well as one or two soldierly men, passed our hiding-place. It was difficult to see them, but from what they said they appeared to be soldiers off duty in every case — one or two seemed to be on night patrol. I translated what I heard them say in a whisper, and from time to time my companion nodded, but he said nothing, but contented himself by cautiously raising his head so as to catch a glimpse of each passer-by through the leaves. It was growing slowly darker, and yet we waited. The dusk was stealing through the wood, and occasionally there came to our ears distant sounds, such as the sharp ring of an axe, or the barking of a dog, that spoke of life not very far away. Noi body had passed us for five mi'iutes or more, and I began to think they had all 'gone .'by, when I saw Cap'en Bill draw |himself together very quietly till ho had Tweed'-himself on all fours, and then peer throtigh the screen of leaves in front. 1 could" see nothing, but, listening intently, I'caught the sound of footsteps coming father hastily towards us. I ventured to follow my companion's example so far as to drag myself forward till 1 commanded . a view of the track below us. It ran close Ito the foot of the bank on the top of j which we were lying, and through the i dusk I could just make out the figure of i a man in soldier's dress coming hastily toi wards- the spot where we were lying. I I looked at Cap'en Bill. He had 1 gathered his limbs under him, and he I seemed to have grown almost rigid with excitement. The soldier came nearer and I nearer. As he came up he began to whistle a tune to himself, and quickened his steps still more. And now at last he was oposite our hiding-place, and within three or four yards of us; and now I could see his back. Then Cap'en Bill rose to his feet silently, and, next moment, !,he had cleared the bank with one great leap, and had grasped the soldier from behind. One hand clutched the man's throat, and dragged him backwards with , irresistible force; the other seized him by ' the leg. In what seemed only a moment Cffip'en Bill had thrown the struggling soldier over his shoulder and regained the bank beside mc. CHAPTER XI. HOW WE RESCUED PIERRE. The whistle of Cap'en Bill's prisoner had given place to a choking gasp, but except this there was not a sound. The man he now carried thrown across both his shoulders struggled feebly still, but '.was as helpless as a child in his hands. With a motion of his head which directed mc to follow, lie retraced his steps by the way we had come. It wasn't yet quite dark, though the shadows lay heavy in the hollows and closed in the vistas under the cocoa-nut grove. He didn't lose a moment, but pressed forward with great strides that kept mc almost at a run for tho first half mile of our journey. Then, for the first time, he slackened his pa?'<?, and, turning to mc with a low laugh, he remarked: "Well, sonny, I ain't a-sayin' but what this 'ere Fi-oggie might be wantin' of a rest. I ain't not to say positive but what I might 'aye squeeze.! him a bit tighter than what his sweetheart woud 'a .done, in a manner o' speakin'." As he spoke he stopped, and lot the man slip from his shoulders. Cap'en Bill was certainly right about the squeezing, for it was several minutes before he coulddo more than gasp and stagger, as lie tried to speak. "Now, don't you worrit yerself," my companion said,' when he noticed that the man", was recovering;breath. "There ain't jio 'hurry about .talkin', leastways not yet, Froggie," he added, as he picked him up once more and threw him across his bac—. In a few niinutes more we had reached the beach, and had just light enough left ix> make out our boat, lying off the

BY OWEN HALL.

shore close to where we had left her. Cap'en.Bill let his prisoner drop in a heap on the soft sand. "Theer ye was, Froggie," he said, with a laugh, "We ain't a-goin' to hurt ye no more'n what's reasonable, we ain't, if so be as yell act sensible." The Frenchman recovered!, alowly, and stared with a bewildered look at his captor, till the boat grounded on the beach within a few feet of where we stood, then he struggled to his feet. "Right ye was, Froggie," was Cap'en Bill's remark, "Glad to see ye ain't none the worse neither. Here, you sonny, you bear a hand withe parlsy-vous. What we want to know's wheer they've got this 'ere Pierre chap that stowed away under hatches." At the name Pierre the man gave Cap'en Bill one quick startled glance, and even in that dim light I saw a look of intelligence on his face, but a moment later, when I repeated the name to him, his face showed no sign that he understood who it was I meant. I tried to explain that we only wanted Pierre, and would do him no harm if only be would tell us where we could find him, but the man seemed to be entirely ignorant both of the name and the story. "But, mon petit monsieur," he said in reply to each new question of mine, "it is that I do not understand; it is that the good Monsieur Pierre is not known to mc." I looked at Cap'en Bill in despair. Suddenly his fingers closed on the man's arm till he writhed again with the pain. "If so be as I were you, Froggie,*' he said in a deep tone, "I ain't a-sayin' as I should waste no more time lyin' about it. I ain't a-sayin' but what ye does it fairish, which ain't surprisin' neither, seem' as how ye're on'y a Froggie; but mind ye, that'll do now. Wheer's this 'ere Pierre —under batches in tire punishment hut, or wheer?" I had translated each sentence, but when I reached the last, a quick change came over the man's face. He started, and muttered an oath, then glanced at the. stern face that bent over him, as if to see whether he had noticed. Cap'en Bill laughed. "Well, Froggie," he said, "I ain't asayin' as I blames ye much for not speakin' vp —not mc. But it ain't o' no use— not a grain. Is he by hisself now?" he added suddenly. "But no, it is that are three," was the almost involuntary answer of the Frenchman. Cap'en Bill laughed again.' "Right ye was, Froggie," he said, "If so be it turns out as ye've spoke square an' above-board I ain't got no call for to harm ye —not mc; but seem' as how ye're on'y a Froggie, an' a Froggie sodger at that, I ain't a-sayin' as I'm dead sure. You stop here till we see. If so be as we finds Pierre, Cap'en Bill ain't the man to harm ye; if so be-as ye've been lyin' I ain't a-sayin' but what theer's a rope'send aboard. Here, boys," he added to the sailors, who by this time were standing round us, "take a turn of a rope round his legs an' arms till we come It*was"ddtie in'a minute, and he was laid in the bottom of the boat. Cap'en Bill cast his eye over the men. "Here, you Tom," he said, "give the youngster your pistol. That knee o' yours might give out again, an' I ain't a-sayin' but what ye might need it afore we get back. Keep her afloat, and keep an eye on Froggie here." Tom said nothing, but handed over the pistol, and in another minute the rest of us were ready for a start. Cap'en Bill looked the men over critically. "Now, lads," he said, "Quiet's the word, and no mistake. No jaw, but keep an eye on mc, and move sharp when I give the word." Then he started, and we followed in single file along the track we had taken before, which, dark as it was, he seemed to have no difficulty in finding, till we must have been near the place where we made our prisoner. He turned aside there and crossed the cocoa-nut grove; then he stopped, and spoke for the first time since we started. "It's early yet, lads, an' we'd better hold on for a spell. Theer's bananas round here, an' I aint a-sayin' as ye need ask the Froggies for leave to eat some." His suggestion was accepted without hesitation, and with a degree of quietness that showed the men hadn't forgotten his warning, we sat and ate the ripe bananas while tbe last remnants of daylight faded into darkness. Cap'en Bill himself ate nothing, but sat buried in thought, occasionally raising his head as if to listen. More than an hour must have passed in this way before he moved from his scat; but at last he rose— "Now, lads," he said, almost in a whisper, "time's up! Quick and quiet; them's the orders. I aint sure but what I knows this 'ere punishment hut, so you follow mc. Wait every time till I gives the word; then move sharrp—an' don't you forget it." A whispered "Ay, ay! Cap'en," from the men was the only reply. I could just see the outline of our leader's great figure as he turned away. "Keep alongside, Sonny," he said, "I might want ye any minute to parley-vous them Froggies—" I crept up to his side—"Right ye was, Sonny. Now, lads, give way." We followed him in silence, picking our steps in case we might tread on anything that might give an alarm, till at last we were clear of the plantation, and could see the gleam of two lights at a little distance. Our leader paused. "I aint a-sayin' but what that's the guard house, and that over theer's what used to be the Commandant's quarters; well, I knows 'em, too, an' don't you forget it," he added in a fierce whisper. We skirted the open ground cautiously, though .there wasn't a sign of anybody to be seen, and in two or three minutes we had lost sight of the nearest light. Tnen we stole past the other light at no great distance; we were so near, indeed, that I thought I heard voices coming from the house. Another hundred yairds or so, and we crept out of the shadow of the trees, and crossed the open ground towards a large hut, whicli we could now see looming black against the sky. Cap'en Bill paused till we had all come up with him: "Now," he whispered, Jim and Ned, you creep round to the other end. H I aint mistook yell find a Froggie there, a-takin' of it easy, leanin' against the wall. Mind he don't make no row; not if ye hey to choke him first." The two sailors crept away silently. We waited a minute, and then he whispered: "Lie still here, lads, till I whistle." Then he crept softly towards the other end of the hut. For a minute or two we lay twitching with excitement; then there was a sound like the beginning of an exclamation, which stopped suddenly. For a second or two we heard a rustling, and then all was silent «s before.

Next moment; a,- low wMstle rtiVched us, and we stole-up to the hut. "Here, you Jack, tie his hands hehind him,, middling tight," our Reader's voice ' whispered through the darkness,. "I aint a-sayin' but what he's strong enough for a Froggie, neither. Now stand by, an' if so be "as he goes for to shout, clap yer hand on Ms mouth and stouch him. Here you, Sonny, tell Jim to fetch t'other Froggie round to keep_ him company." I ran to the end of the hut, and in another minute the two sailors had brought the second guard round, more dead than alive. Cap'en Bill took a key from his prisoner's 1 belt and stepped to -the door; then he handed mc a bos of matches, with the remark: "I ain't a-sayin' ■as they've got patent gas burners inside— leastways they didn't, not in- my time, kSonny, so you stand by to strike a light." The key turned in the heavy lock, s . and the creaking door swung back to the sound of an exclamation from somebody inside. I stepped inside and struck the match, and by its glimmering light I could just make out the faces lof three men seated on the ground, with their backs resting against the wall of the bare hut. My companion pulled a short piece of candle from his pocket, lit it at the match, and proceeded to look the men over deliberately. "Which o' you three now' might be called Pierre, in a manner o' speakin"?" he asked, looking hard at the one in the middle as he spoke. A dull light flamed up in- the man's hopeless eyes as he replied, "Ah, Monsieur, it is that I was once Pierre." "Well, mate, I aint a-sayin' but what I thought I were somewheer near the mark." ' (To be continued daily).