Sail Ho! Part 46

"I'd be a bit on my guard, gentlemen, for Barney 'll be a bit nasty at all this here, and p'r'aps show fight, and when he do he hits hard. Did you tie him werry fast?"

"As fast as we could," said Mr Brymer, and I threw open the door.

"Below there, matey!" cried Bob Hampton. "How are you?"

There was a curious growling noise and a loud rap on the cabin-floor.

"Easy, my lad, and I'll cast you off. Wait till I get hold of the knots. Frenchy's under hatches, and things is all right again."

"Goroo, goroo!" gurgled poor Blane, and knowing exactly what was the matter, I got hold of the piece of linen that had been used as a gag, and dragging at one end, soon freed the poor fellow's mouth from its great stopper.

"Ah!" he roared out, after taking a long free breath. "That was your game, Bob, but on'y just wait till I gets my lists."

"No, no, my lad," cried Mr Brymer; "it was all our doing, and we made a mistake in the darkness. We were lying in wait for Jarette, and took you for him."

"No, you didn't," cried Barney, fiercely, "or you'd have pitched me overboard--you on'y wait till I get my hands loose."

"Don't be a fool, messmate!" growled Bob Hampton; "you hears what the gentleman says."

"Yes, but it was a lark, and you sent me here to be ketched."

"Now, hark at him, gents; did you ever hear such a wooden image of a man as that? Why, it were Frenchy sent you to bully the lads at the wheel, warn't it?"

"Well, I won't tell a lie," panted the man, "it were, but I arn't been able hardly to breathe."

"It was all a mistake, my lad," said Mr Frewen; "but we've re-taken the s.h.i.+p."

"All right, sir," cried Barney; "but it isn't all right. It arn't fair.

I was to help re-take the Burgh Castle, and I was going to, on'y you all set upon me as you did, and I'm knocked about orfle."

"Well, messmate, it is disappynting, I'll allow," growled Bob Hampton; "but there arn't much the matter with you, Barney, and out forrard there was games, I can tell you. Old Frenchy was chucking bullets about anyhow, and 'stead o' being here in this here cabin with me untying these here knots, you might ha' been yonder with a hole or two through your carcadge."

"Ay, that's right enough, matey," growled Blane; "but I wanted to help, and have it out with Frenchy. He kicked me below when the mootny fust began, and I can't forget it. I'm English, I am, and I arn't going to sit down and be kicked by a Frenchman, 'tarn't likely."

"No, matey, it arn't. But lookye here. He's forrard and down in the forksle, and as soon as you get the feeling back in your legs--"

"Ay, you may say that, mate. They're like a mask o' cold lead."

"Then I'll rub them for you, and then you can go and strike him back."

"What! now he's down. Nice sort of cold meat work that'd be; I wanted to go at him when he was up."

"There, Blane," said Mr Frewen, "you must forgive us and shake hands.

It was all a mistake, and part of the re-taking of the s.h.i.+p."

"Oh, if you put it that way, sir, I'm ready," growled the man; "but I don't seem to have got no hands. It was orfle lying here, and one corner o' that rug as you stuffed into my mouth got a bit o' the way down my throat, and kep' on tickling me till I wanted to cough, and couldn't. Say, Bob Hampton, mate, air you going to untie them knots and cast off these here las.h.i.+ngs, or arn't you?"

"Why, they are off your arms, man."

"When what's gone o' my arms? Have they been took off?"

"Nay, they're all right."

"Well, my legs arn't. Nice way to sarve a fellow."

"Shake hands, Barney," I said. "I'm so sorry."

"Can't, sir. You must do it yourself. I don't b'lieve yet as I've got no hands, no arms, nor anything else, but a head."

"There you are, matey," cried Bob Hampton. "Did you tie them ropes, Mr Brymer, sir? They was tight 'uns."

"No; it was Mr Dale here."

"Oh, him!" growled Bob Hampton. "Well, they was done in a second-hand sort o' way."

"Why, they were fastened the way you taught me, Bob!" I cried.

"Well, sir, that's my modesty," said Bob, with a chuckle. "I can't say they were done now. Now, matey, stand up, we've got lots to do."

"Can't," said Barney.

"Then lie down till we've got a lantern, and seen to the captain and Mr Denning."

"Yes, get a lantern," said Mr Brymer; "stop, I'll come with you and stay with Mr Preddle and Dumlow; we mustn't have the scoundrels break loose. Ha! What's that?"

The mate asked the question, but we all knew what it was, and started forward at once, for it was the report of a pistol, plainly heard in a lulling of the wind.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

It was alarming, but on reaching the hatch over the forecastle there was not much wrong. A desperate attempt had been made to break out, and in the midst of the effort Mr Preddle had fired his pistol, sending the ball splintering through the woodwork, and this had the effect of damping the ardour of the men below for the time. But we did not leave the hatch till it had been made more secure, and then leaving Mr Brymer to strengthen the guard as arranged, we hurried back to relieve the anxiety of Mr Denning and his sister, and of Captain Berriman, who must all of them be in agony.

I felt that we ought to have gone to them sooner, but I did not see how we could have acted differently; and eager now to bear the news of the change in the state of affairs, I trotted back with the lantern as fast as I could over the streaming deck, and found Barney sitting down and rubbing his legs.

"Circ'lation's a-coming back, youngster," he said. "I say, did you kill that young Walters?"

"Walters!" I cried. "I'd forgotten all about him. I didn't see or hear anything of him."

"Dessay not, sir. He'd get out of the way while the row was on. Maybe he'd got into a bunk to have a snooze and didn't hear it. But, I say, what a game!"

"What, our re-taking the s.h.i.+p, Barney?"

"No; you thinking I was Frenchy. Well, it's lucky you didn't heave me overboard."

"Coming round, mate?" said Bob Hampton.

"Ay, my lad, I've got one arm and a bit o' one leg back, and toothers is coming back slowly like, but it's rum work feeling nothing but head and body, and your arms and legs all gone dead at first, and then you begins to know as they arn't been cut off and chucked away, and they're still there. They was just like sleeves and stockings stuffed with sorduss, and people making cus.h.i.+ons of 'em and sticking the pins in as hard as ever they can."