Old Gold Part 24

"You think that he will recover, then?" said Brace eagerly.

"I do," said the captain. "What have you got to say about it, mister?"

He turned to the American as he spoke, and Briscoe, who had been keenly watching the half-insensible patient all the time Brace and the captain had been speaking, rose up slowly.

"I'm not a doctor, skipper," he said, "and the only experience I have had in this way has been with rattlesnake bites."

"Well, that's near enough for me, sir," said the captain tartly. "I should say that the difference between the symptoms of a wound from a poisoned arrow and one caused by a poisoned tooth wouldn't be very great."

"Perhaps not," said Briscoe thoughtfully. "Well, I don't quite like this drowsiness that has come over our patient; it's 'most as if he had been given a dose of opium to soothe the pain. It is the only bad symptom I see."

"Don't say you're no doctor, sir," said Captain Banes, with a low chuckle, "because it seems to me that you are."

"Why do you think so?" said Briscoe, looking at him wonderingly.

"Because you've put your finger down on the exact spot directly."

"I do not understand you."

"Why, I mean this. What did I do, squire, when you and I were alone in the cabin when we first brought your brother aboard?"

"You gave him a part of a gla.s.s of water with some laudanum in it."

"To be sure I did, to calm down the pain; and that was what I call laudanum and Mr Briscoe here calls opium."

"Then I agree with you, Captain Banes, that there are no bad symptoms at present," said Briscoe quickly. "Let us leave him to sleep off the effect of what you have given him, and see how he looks when he wakes up."

"Eh? What is it, Dellow?" said the captain sharply, for the first mate appeared at the door of the cabin.

"We want to know what's to be done," said the mate.

"What about?" asked the captain. "What's the matter?"

"Three arrows have come aboard since you came down."

"Were you able to see who shot them?" said the captain.

"No."

"Is there any wind?"

"Not enough to fill a sail," was the mate's response.

"Humph! and it's no use to drop down lower, because I expect the Indians have canoes. Keep the men all under cover of the bulwarks, and you and Lynton can take a couple of rifles and amuse yourselves shooting any wild beasts you see on the starboard bow. But mind you all keep well under cover. You understand?"

"Oh, yes, I understand," said the mate, smiling in a peculiar way; and he went to the arms rack and took down two rifles and ammunition-belts for the second mate and himself.

"Hold hard a minute," said the captain. "Just understand this, Dellow: if they leave you alone you leave them alone. If they don't they must take the consequences."

"I understand," said the mate coolly. "How's Sir Humphrey going on, sir? Is there any danger?" This was to Brace.

"The captain and Mr Briscoe think there is nothing to be alarmed about," was the reply. "I hope they are right."

"So does everybody, sir," said the mate warmly. "He seems to be sleeping easy like."

Brace nodded.

"Well, he wouldn't be doing so if poison had got hold of him."

"Right, Dellow," said the captain, nodding his head with satisfaction.

"Look here, squire, you try and make your mind a bit easy."

"I am going to," replied Brace.

"Well, then, let Sir Humphrey have a good sleep while you go on deck with Dellow here, and take your rifle with you too. You're a good shot, and ought to be able to bring some of those foreign archers to their senses."

"I came to collect natural-history specimens," said Brace warmly. "I don't want to slaughter ignorant savages."

"Then you don't believe in that Italian law?" said the captain, with a chuckle.

"Which Italian law do you mean?" said Brace, staring.

"Well, Roman-Latin then, if you like. It's all the same, isn't it--old Italian _Lex talionis_. That means, serve out the chap who has served you out, don't it?"

"Something of the kind," said Brace, smiling. "No, I don't want to take revenge on those who are perhaps innocent."

"Just as you like, sir," said the captain, rather gruffly; "though I don't see where the innocence comes in. But, setting aside taking revenge, I suppose you won't mind helping to defend the vessel if some of these fellows should come off in their canoes to attack us?"

"Why, of course not," said Brace warmly. "You know I would do my best."

"To be sure I do, squire," said the captain, smiling. "Well, then, suppose you go and help Dellow and Lynton, and I daresay Mr Briscoe will join you as well."

"Certainly, captain," said the American: "a few shots now may give the Indians a lesson, and save us from having to fire hundreds later on.

Perhaps it will be the means of preventing them from molesting us again."

"But is anyone to remain with my brother?" said Brace.

"He wants no watching, my lad. He's best left alone. You can come down now and again to have a look at him."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

A SIGHT OF THE ENEMY.

Brace hesitated for a few moments before making any move to go on deck.

Then, seeing Briscoe go to the arms rack and return with rifle and ammunition, he followed his example and went on deck, to find the brig swinging gently by its cable and the crew all lying about on the deck to shelter themselves from the sun as well as from the Indians, two of whose arrows were just as they had fallen, sticking upright in the white boards, between the seams of which the pitch was beginning to ooze out, looking bright and sticky in the sun.