The Island of Gold: A Sailor's Yarn Read online

face.

  "I _hear_."

  "Then, cusses on you, why don't ye speak? You'll be allowed to live, Isay, both you and Tandy, on one condition."

  "And that is--?"

  "That you alter your course, and steer straight away to the nearestland--the Falkland Isles--at once."

  "I refuse. Back, you mutinous dog! back! I say. Would you dare tostab your captain? Your blood be,"--here the captain's revolver rangsharp and clear, and Durdley fell to the deck--"on your own cowardlyhead."

  There was a wild yell and a rush now, and though the captain fired againand again, he was speedily overpowered.

  The revolver was snatched from his hand, and he was borne down by forceof numbers.

  But assistance was at hand.

  "Now, lads, give it to them! Hurrah!"

  It was Tandy himself, with the four good men and true, who had run aftbetween decks to inform the mate of the mutiny.

  All were armed with rifles, but these they only clubbed. So fiercelydid they fight, that the mutineers speedily dropped their knives andiron marline-spikes, and were driven below, yelling for mercy like thecowards they were.

  The captain, though bruised, was otherwise intact. Nor was Durdleydead, though he had lost much blood from a wound--the revolver bullethaving crashed through the arm above the elbow, and through the outsideof the chest as well. But two Finns lay stark and stiff beside thewinch.

  Even to tragedy there is always a ridiculous side or aspect, and on thepresent occasion this was afforded by the strange behaviour of Bob andthe Admiral during the terrible _melee_. It is not to be supposed thatBob would be far away from his master when danger threatened him.

  Seeing Ransey Tansey, rifle in hand, follow his father to join inrepelling the mutineers, it occurred to him at once that two might be ofsome assistance. It did not take the faithful tyke a moment to make uphis mind, but he thought he might be of more use behind the mutineersthan in front of them. So he outflanked the whole fighting party, andthe attack he made upon the rear of Durdley's following was veryeffective.

  The 'Ral could not fight, it is true, but his excitement during thebattle was extreme. Round and round the deck he ran or flew, with hishead and neck straight out in front of him, and his screams of terrorand anger added considerably to the clamour and din going on forward.The poor bird really seemed to know that men were being killed, andseeing his master engaged, he would fain have helped him had he beenable.

  Of the ten men then who had mutinied three were wounded, including theringleader, two were dead, and the remaining five were now taken on deckand roped securely alongside the winch to await their sentence. Thedeck was quickly cleared of the dead, and all evidences of the recentstruggle were removed.

  Durdley resembled nothing more nearly than a captured bird of prey. Hewas stern, silent, grim, and vindictive. Had he not been utterlyprostrate and powerless, he would have sprung like a catamount at thethroats of the very men who were dressing his wounds, and these wereTandy and Halcott himself.

  Yet it was evident that he was not receiving the treatment he hadexpected, nor that which he would have dealt out to Halcott had hefallen into his hands.

  "Why don't you throw me overboard?" he growled at last, with a fearfuloath. "Sharks are the best surgeons; their work is soon over. I'd haveserved you so, if my lily-livered scoundrels had only fought a triflebetter, hang them!

  "Ay, and you too, Mr Tandy, with your solemn face, if you hadn'tconsented to take us straight to land!"

  "Keep your mind easy," said Halcott, quietly. "I'll get rid of you assoon as possible, you may be well sure."

  "Do your worst--I defy you. But if that worst isn't death, I'll bide mytime. I'd rather die three times over than lie here like a half-stuckpig."

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

  During the fight little Nelda was in terrible distress, and, but forJaneira, she would doubtless have rushed forward, as she wanted to do,in order to "help daddy and 'Ansey."

  Bob was the first to bring her tidings of the victory.

  He came aft at full gallop, almost threw himself down the companion-way,and next moment was licking the child's tear-bedewed cheeks.

  She could see joy in the poor dog's face. He was full of it, and tryingas much as ever dog did try to talk. Perhaps he never fully realisedtill now how awkward it is for a doggie to want a tail. But he did whathe could, nevertheless, with the morsel of fag-end he had.

  "Don't cry, little mistress," he was trying hard to say, "don't cry.It's all right now. And it was such fun to see them fighting, and Ifought too. Oh, didn't I bite and tear the rascals just."

  Even the 'Ral seemed to know that the danger was past and gone for atime, and nothing would suffice to allay his feelings save executing akind of wild jig right on the top of the skylight--a thing he had neverdone before.

  But although quieted now, Nelda was not quite content, till down rushedRansey Tansey himself. With a joyful cry she flew to his arms, and hedid all he could to reassure her; so successfully, too, that presentlyshe was her happy little self once more, playing with Bob on thequarterdeck, as if nothing had happened. Blissful childhood.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

  The condition of affairs, after the ship had penetrated into the regionsof ice and snow, was not an enviable one, although there was now a rentin the dark cloud that hovered over the _Sea Flower_--a lull in theterrible storm.

  Durdley was progressing favourably, and making so rapid a recovery that,in case he might cause more mischief, he was put in irons. But theother wounded men, probably owing to their weak condition, had died.

  The five others were allowed to go on duty. Halcott refused to accepttheir offered promise to behave leal and true. What is a promise, evenon oath, from such bloodthirsty villains as these?

  "I do not wish either promise or apology," he told them plainly. "Yourconduct from this date will in some measure determine what your futurepunishment may be. Remember this, we do not trust you. The four goodEnglishmen, who fought for myself and mate, are all armed, and haveorders to shoot you down without one moment's grace if they observe asuspicious movement on your part, or hear one single mutinous word.There! go."

  The ship's course was altered now, and all sail made to round Cape Horn.

  No doubt the cold had been the means of eradicating the dreadful plague.Yet Halcott was a man whom no half-measures would satisfy.

  There was plenty of clothing on board, so a new suit was served out toevery seaman, the old being thrown overboard. Then the bedding andhammocks were scoured, and when dry fumigated. Sulphur was burnedbetween decks, and hatches battened down for a whole day. Every portionof the woodwork was afterwards scrubbed, and even the masts werescraped. This work was given to the mutineers, and a cold job it was.The men sat each one in the bight of a rope, and were lowered up or downwhen they gave the signal.

  Halcott was very far indeed from being vindictive, but long experiencehad taught him that mutinous intentions are seldom carried out if activeoccupation be found for body and mind.

  "I breathe more freely now," said the captain, as Tandy and he walkedbriskly up and down the quarterdeck.

  "Heigho!" said Tandy, "we no doubt have sinned--we certainly havesuffered. But," he added, "I thank God, Halcott, from my inmost soul,first that you are spared, and secondly, that my little innocent childhere and my brave boy Ransey Tansey are still alive and happy."

  "Amen! And now, Tandy, we've got to pray for fine weather. We arerather underhanded--those wretched Finns may break out again at anymoment. They will, too, if not carefully watched."

  "You have a kinder heart than I have, Halcott, else you'd have made thatscoundrel Durdley walk the plank, and hanged the rest at the yardarm,one by one."

  "The worst use you can put a man to is to hang him," said Halcott,laughing.

  "But will you care to land on the island we are in search
of, with thesefellows?" asked Tandy. "Mind," he added, before Halcott could answer,"I take no small blame to myself for having engaged such scoundrels.Want of time was no excuse for me. Better to have sacrificed a monththan sail as shipmates with such demons as these."

  "Keep your mind easy, my dear friend; I'll get rid of them, by hook orby crook, before we reach our island."

  "It relieves me to hear you say so, but indeed, Halcott, 'twixt hook andcrook, if I had my way, I should choose the crook. I'd give the beggarsa bag of biscuit and a barrel of pork, and maroon them on the firstdesert island we come in sight of."

  I do not know that Halcott paid much attention to the latter part ofTandy's speech. He was at this moment looking uneasily at a bank ofdark, rock-like clouds that was