Jack at Sea Part 48

He stood pointing dreamily at the thickest part of his forearm, just where the jacket-sleeve went into wrinkles through the bending of the joint.

"Yes, I see," cried the doctor. "Here, Ned, man, jump down there and get my flask. You'll find it in my coat. A plated one full of ammonia."

Ned leaped in a break-neck way down the lava wall, and the doctor forced his patient into a sitting position and stripped off his jacket. Then he snapped off the wrist b.u.t.ton and turned up the s.h.i.+rt-sleeve, to begin examining the white skin for the tiny punctures made by the two bites, while Sir John knelt by him, supporting his son, who looked very white and strange, and as if he were trying to master the sense of horror from which he now suffered.

"See the places?" said Sir John hoa.r.s.ely.

"No," replied the doctor, s.h.i.+fting his position and raising the arm a little. "The fangs are like needle-points, and make so small a wound.

Can't see anything. Whereabouts was it, Jack?"

"Just there," said the lad, speaking more decisively; and he laid his left finger on his arm. "Two sharp blows."

"And a keen p.r.i.c.king sensation each time?" said the doctor, looking curiously at his patient.

"No; I did not feel anything but the blows."

"Here's the silver bottle, sir," panted Ned.

"Hold it," said the doctor. Then to Jack, "Did the snake strike at you anywhere else?"

"No."

"Pray, pray give him something," cried Sir John impatiently; "the poison runs through the veins so quickly."

"Yes," said the doctor quietly, as he wrinkled up his forehead, and, dropping the boy's arm, he caught the jacket from where it lay.

"Nothing here," he muttered. "Pis.h.!.+ Wrong sleeve."

He hastily took the other, and turned the sleeve up to the light.

"Hah!" he cried; "here we are. Look, Meadows!"

"Never mind the jacket, man," cried Sir John pa.s.sionately.

"Why not?" said the doctor coolly. "Nothing the matter with the lad.

Touch of nerves. Horribly startling for him. See this?"

He held up the sleeve, and there upon the puckered part were two almost imperceptible yellowish stains, in each case upon the raised folds.

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"I couldn't help it," said Jack.

"Of course you couldn't," said the doctor.

"But father thinks that I was a dreadful coward."

"Then he ought to know better," said the doctor quickly. "Nothing to be ashamed of, my lad. Imagination's a queer thing. I once fainted because I thought I had cut myself, while I was skinning a dog which had been poisoned. I was a student then, and knew the dangers of wounds from a poisoned knife; and, by the way, we must take care of the wounds from poisoned arrows. Well, when I washed my hand there wasn't a scratch. You couldn't help it, Jack. Any man might be seized like that after seeing Death make two darts at him and feeling him strike."

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"Is any one hurt?" said a voice then; and Mr Bartlett's head appeared above the edge of the lava wall.

"No; all right. Only an alarm, and a narrow escape. How about the savages?"

"They're gone in the direction of the yacht, gentlemen, and we must get back as quickly as we can."

"Ah, look! look!" cried Ned excitedly, as he pointed out to sea; "there's a canoe--two canoes--three."

They followed the direction of his pointing finger, and saw plainly enough three long, low vessels full of men gliding by, with their matting sails glistening in the sun, and not two miles out from where they stood.

"Worse and worse," said the mate. "We must get back to the yacht, gentlemen."

"Of course," said Sir John, drawing a deep breath. "Why, there must be a hundred men in those canoes."

"Quite that, sir, I'm afraid," replied the mate. "Quick, please. It will be terrible if they attack the captain while he is so short-handed."

"But he has the big guns, and the men are well-trained," said the doctor, as they hurried down to the boats.

"What is the use of them, sir, when a crowd of reckless savages are swarming over the sides? He is lying at anchor too, and the yacht is made helpless."

The men were soon in their places, pulling a long, steady stroke, and thinking nothing of the hot suns.h.i.+ne.

"It is of no use to try and hide ourselves," said the mate, "for it is a race between us who shall get there first."

"But they can't know the yacht is there," said Sir John.

"Perhaps not, sir; but they will soon sight us, and then run for the opening in the reef, if they were not already going there."

"Well, there's one advantage on our side," said the doctor; "they can't attack us till they get through the reef, so we're safe till then."

"Yes, sir," said the mate bitterly; "but I was thinking of the captain, and his anxiety, alone there."

"Yes, of course," said Sir John; and he looked at the mate when he could do so un.o.bserved; and it seemed to Jack that he thought more highly of Mr Bartlett than ever.

They had been rowing abreast, with the waters of the lagoon perfectly smooth; but as they began to round one of the huge b.u.t.tresses of lava which had run down into the lake, they saw that the water all beyond was disturbed by a breeze.

The mate started up and began to give his orders directly. The mast in the bigger boat was stepped, the sail hoisted, and he shouted to one of the men to throw a line from the bows of Jack's boat, to make fast to their stern.

"We can take you in tow, doctor," he said, with the men still rowing and the sail flapping; then a little spar was set up from the stern, and a triangular sail hoisted from the bows to the mast in front.

"Four men in here," cried the mate; "unless you two gentlemen would like to come."

"No; we'll stay here," said the doctor. "Eh, Jack?"

"Yes; we'll stay."

"You'll manage better with men who can work, we shall be in the way."