The Nameless Island Part 28

"Remember we were saved by the merciful intervention of One above,"

added Mr. McKay. "And if it please Him, we'll come out of this in safety. We've had a lot to be thankful for."

"I know, but all the same it's hard lines. Take that, you brute!" Andy added, pressing the trigger.

It was a splendid shot. A group of natives had begun to batter the yawl's tender to splinters. They were a good four hundred yards away, but Andy's shot struck a tall savage, clad in a gorgeous cloak of white and red feathers, fairly between the shoulder-blades.

Andy had laid aside his rifle immediately after discharging it, and had s.n.a.t.c.hed up a pair of field-gla.s.ses. The effect of the chief's death--for a chief he evidently was--caused the wreckers to abandon their task, and they fled to join their fellows under the shelter of the lowermost cliff.

"They are preparing for another rush," observed Terence.

"Yes. I wish we had a Maxim or two," replied Andy. "That would stop them."

"I have an idea," exclaimed Ellerton. "I can best be spared, so I'll run over to the caves and bring back a few sticks of dynamite and some detonators."

"Good! Good!" replied Mr. McKay. "You're a wonder, Hoppy. Mind how you come back, and don't stumble, or we won't be able to find even your fragments."

Ellerton set off on his self-imposed mission, and presently returned with about fourteen pounds of dynamite and half a dozen time-fuses.

"What do you propose to do?" asked Terence. "Make a bomb and roll it over the cliff?"

"No!" replied the youth. "We can load up one of those trucks, set the time-fuse, and turn the thing adrift."

"It will mean good-bye to our storehouse," observed Mr. McKay. "But that cannot be helped, so let's to work; they'll be rus.h.i.+ng us in a few minutes."

At the top of the cable-railway stood three empty trucks. In ordinary circ.u.mstances these would be filled with water, and their increased weight would cause them to descend and, at the same time, bring up the loaded trucks from the sh.o.r.e or the storehouse. Half-way down the line, and almost abreast of the building, were three other trucks, waiting to be loaded should occasion require. Around these trucks, which were invisible from the upper terrace, were most of the savages, who were ma.s.sing for the attack at the base of the second terrace.

"You are quite sure you can unshackle the thing easily?" asked Mr.

McKay. "If there's a hitch we shall be the ones to be blown to smithereens."

"I'll make sure of it," replied Ellerton, and securing the lowermost of the three trucks to the second one by means of a piece of rope, he unfastened the proper connecting shackles.

Then placing the explosive in the truck he asked Mr. McKay to take the time.

"It's set for four minutes," he announced. "Half-a-minute will be quite enough, so at three and a half minutes from the time the fuse is lit I'll cut the rope and off she'll go."

"Stand back, you fellows! If it goes wrong we need not all be blown sky-high. Are you ready? Stand by!"

The fuse began to hiss and splutter. Ellerton, knife in hand, kept his eyes fixed on Mr. McKay, who, standing fifty yards off, held his watch before him.

"Precious long three and a half minutes," thought the lad.

It was not a pleasant task standing within two yards of a highly-charged explosive. More than once he felt tempted to cut the rope and let the truck go.

"Time?" he shouted huskily, for his heart seemed literally in his throat.

"No, not yet," replied Mr. McKay.

Realising the strain on the plucky youth, he began to walk slowly in the direction of the truck.

"Stand back, sir!"

Mr. McKay stopped and slowly raised his hand.

"Stand by! Let go!"

One swift sweep of the sharp blade and the cord was severed. Slowly the truck began to gather way, then moving with increased speed it plunged on its headlong course.

Ten seconds later--before the fuse had time to complete its work--the descending truck crashed into the stationary ones. There was a deafening roar, a cloud of dust, in which was mingled a number of heavy, shapeless objects, and then an ominous silence, broken only by the crash of some fragments of wood and metal hurled high in the air by the explosive.

Rus.h.i.+ng to the edge of the cliff the four defenders gazed upon the result of their stratagem.

Where the trucks had stood gaped a pit six feet in depth, for one of the peculiarities of dynamite is that it shows its power mainly where it meets resistance. Of the storehouse scarce a vestige remained, while the double line of rails had been uprooted for a distance of nearly twenty yards.

The havoc wrought amongst the savages was appalling. So many were killed that had the white men so wished it they could have fallen upon the survivors and exterminated them; but such was not their intention.

"We must act with prudence or we shall be left with fifty wounded savages on our hands," said Mr. McKay. "Those who are unhurt will take to their canoes, and leave the others to their fate, and that won't do!"

"How can we stop them taking to their canoes?" asked Andy.

"By taking advantage of their cowed condition and disarming them.

Come, let's to work."

Fearlessly the four defenders descended the path to the lower terrace.

"We'll begin with those fellows first!" exclaimed Mr. McKay, pointing to a group of natives cowering, with their hands over their eyes, against a spur of the cliff. "Stand by with your revolvers in case they resist."

There was no resistance. Pa.s.sively the savages allowed Mr. McKay to remove their weapons, which had fallen from their nerveless grasp.

Seizing one man firmly but gently, Mr. McKay dragged him from his companions. The native's face bore a strong resemblance to that of a sheep led to the slaughtering-block; no doubt he thought he was to be slain.

Escorted by the three lads the prisoner was taken to the fringe of the cocoa-nut grove, where Mr. McKay presented him with a branch of a palm--the almost universal emblem of peace.

At this the native began to see a chance of having his life spared, and Mr. McKay, pointing to the canoes and then to the wounded savages, made signs to the man that they desired their crippled enemies to be placed in the native craft.

This experiment was tried upon some of the other unharmed savages, with equally good results, and quickly recovering their senses the natives set to work with a will.

One powerful-looking savage, however, refused to deliver up his club, but instead made a sudden rush at Mr. McKay with the evident intention of knocking him over the head.

Mr. McKay had discarded his rifle, and his revolver was in the side pocket of his pyjama coat. Coolly his hand sought his pocket, and without attempting to withdraw the weapon he discharged it at his a.s.sailant, who was barely five yards off.

The heavy bullet, striking the man full in the chest, laid him dead on the ground, while the other savages, awestruck at the sight of one of their number being killed by no visible agency, were again thrown into a state of panic.

At length all the wounded were distributed between five of the canoes.

Then Mr. McKay made signs for the rest of the natives to embark, keeping the other five canoes on the beach, and within an hour of the explosion the sorry remnant of the invaders was paddling back towards the island of Ahii.