Nic Revel Part 17

"Tchah!" cried Humpy; "not here. This is foreign abroad man. You'll get no salmon now."

"Well, any fish'll do," said another of the men. "The place don't look bad, and anything's better than being shut down below them decks.

'Nough to stifle a man. I know what I'm going to do, though, along with them as like to join me."

"You're going to do what I tells you," said Humpy Dee sourly; "I'm going to be head-man here; and if you don't you'll find yourself wis.h.i.+ng you hadn't been born."

The man growled something in an undertone, and Humpy made an offer at him as if to strike, causing his companion in misfortune to flinch back to avoid the expected blow.

"Look here, boys," said Humpy; "if every one here's going to try to do things on his own hook we shall do nothing, so what you've got to do is to stick by me. We're not going to be sold here like a gang o' black slaves."

"But we are sold," said the man who had shrunk away.

"Never mind that; we're not going to work, then," said Humpy. "We're going to slip off into the woods, get to that there river, and do something better than spear or bale out salmon. We're going to take the first boat we see and get round to the coast, and then keep along till we find a s.h.i.+p to take us off."

"Well, that's what I meant," said the other man.

"Then you'll be all right," said Humpy.

So far, without paying attention, Pete had heard every word, and his blood began to course faster through his veins at the thought of escaping and helping Nic back to his friends; but, though he strove hard, not another word reached his ears; for Humpy leaned forward and began speaking in a hoa.r.s.e whisper, his companions bending towards him, as he said with a peculiar intensity:

"We've got to get back home, lads, and not stop here to rot in the sun to make money for whoever's bought us; but there's something to do first."

"What?" said one of the men, for Humpy Dee had stopped and sat in the gloom, glaring savagely at the farther side of the place.

"Wait, and you'll hear," was the reply; and there was another pause, during which Nic uttered a low, weary sigh, and let himself fall sideways, so that his head sank in Pete's lap, and, utterly exhausted, he dropped off to sleep.

"You know how it all was," Humpy went on at last. "I aren't going to name no names, but some 'un was jealous-like o' me, and wanting to take the lead always; and, when he found he couldn't, he goes and blabs to the young master yonder. Well, we're not going to take him back--we've not going to tell him how we're going to do it."

"Have told him. Spoke loud enough," said the man who had received the rebuff.

Humpy leaned towards him, and with a peculiar, savage air, said in a husky whisper:

"Look here, mate; there's only room for one to lead here. If you aren't satisfied you can go and sit along with them two and sham sick, like Pete Burge has all through the voyage."

"Well, don't bite a man's head off," said the other. "Who wants to lead?"

"You do, or you wouldn't talk like a fool. Think I'm one, mates?--think I'm going to do as I said, and let him go and blab, so as to get into favour here? That's just what I don't mean to do."

"Then what are you going to do?" said his fellow-prisoner; but for a few moments Humpy only glared at him without speaking. At last, though, he whispered:

"I mean for us to go off together and get free; and as for some one else, I mean for us all to give him something to remember us by afore we go."

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

HUMAN CATTLE.

The prisoners had been sitting in the dark warehouse-like place for some hours, Nic sleeping soundly, and Pete watching and listening to his companions in misfortune, judging from their behaviour that he was to be treated as an outcast, but caring little, for he was conscious of having been true to them in their nefarious doings.

"Let them think what they like," he said to himself. "Humpy has got that into their heads, and if I talk to them for a week they won't believe me."

Then he began to muse upon the subject which forms seven-eighths of a prisoner's thoughts--how he and Nic were to escape, and whether it would be possible to get to a boat and float down the river of which they had had a glimpse, and of which he had heard his companions speaking, when suddenly there was the deep, heavy barking of a dog, followed by that of two more; and, as he listened, the sounds came nearer and nearer, in company with the shuffling of feet. Voices were heard too, and directly after there was a loud snuffling sound and a deep growling, as the dogs they had heard thrust their noses under the big door, tore at it, and growled savagely, till a fierce voice roared:

"Come here! Lie down!" and there was a crack of a whip, and a sharp yelp to indicate that one of the dogs had received a blow.

Directly after there was the rattle of a big key in the lock, the bolt snapped back, and the door was thrown open, to fill the place with the glow of the afternoon suns.h.i.+ne; and three great hounds bounded in, to rush at once for the prisoners and begin snuffing at them, growling loudly the while.

"Call those dogs off, Saunders," said a stern voice, as the entrance was darkened by the figures of a group of men.

"In a moment," was the reply, made by a tall, active-looking man, "They only want to know the new hands, and their flavour.--Here: down, boys!"

The speaker accompanied his order with a sharp crack of the whip, and the dogs came back unwillingly from the groups seated on the floor.

"Take care," said the first speaker; "that man has a knife."

Pete turned sharply, to see that a knife-blade was gleaming in Humpy Dee's hand.

"Knife, has he?" said the man addressed as Saunders, and he stepped forward to where Humpy was crouching down.

"Give me that knife," he said sharply.

"I don't want to be eat by dogs," said Humpy in a low, surly tone.

"Give me that knife," was reiterated sternly, "or I set the dogs to hold you while I take it away."

Humpy hesitated for a moment and glared in the speaker's eyes; but he read there a power which was too much for him, and he closed the blade with a snap and slowly held it up.

The man s.n.a.t.c.hed it from him with his left hand, and the next instant there was a sharp whish through the air and a smart crack, as the stinging lash of a whip fell across Humpy's shoulder, making him utter a yell of rage.

"Saunders, Saunders!" said the first speaker reproachfully.

"All right, Mr Groves; I know what I'm about," said the man sharply.

"That fellow was armed with a knife which he must have stolen from one of the sailors; and he was ready to use it. The sooner a savage brute like that is taught his position here the better for him. You have done your part and handed the scoundrels over to me, so please don't interfere."

The first speaker shrugged his shoulders, and turned to a couple of men who were carrying a basket and a great pitcher; while Saunders went on sharply:

"You hear what I am saying, my lads; so understand this: You have been sent out here from your country because you were not fit to stay there; and you will have to serve now up at your proprietor's plantation.

Behave yourselves, and you will be well fed, and fairly treated over your work; but I warn you that we stand no nonsense here. The law gives us power to treat you as you deserve. Our lives are sacred; yours are not--which means, as Mr Groves here will tell you, that if you venture to attack any one you will be shot down at sight, while I may as well tell you now that we shall fire at any man who attempts to escape."

Pete's head gave a throb, and his hand glided slowly to Nic's and held it tightly.

"When you get up to the plantation you will see for yourselves that you cannot get away, for you will have jailers there always ready to watch you or hunt you down. There are three of them," he continued, pointing to the dogs which crouched on the warehouse floor, panting, with their long red tongues out and curled up at the ends.

At their master's gesture the sagacious animals sprang up and gazed eagerly in his face.

"Not now, boys; lie down.--Ah, what's that?" he cried sharply, and the dogs made a movement as if to rush at the prisoners, for Humpy leaned sideways and whispered to his nearest companion: