They chose the latter course, and upon returning to the scene of the lowering operations they flung themselves flat upon the turf, lest their silhouettes3 would betray them to the pirates stationed about the camp and concealed4 in the bushes on the summit of Observation Hill.
There they lay, hardly daring to stir a limb and maintaining absolute silence for the best part of an hour. Then the searchlight, which had been playing continuously upon the island, was suddenly masked. Twenty minutes later Burgoyne cautiously raised his head and looked seaward. A flickering5 white light informed him that the vessel6 was steaming rapidly away.
"Hang on here," he whispered to his companions "I'm going to have a look round."
He was back in a quarter of an hour, with the report that he had seen the pirate guard form up and march through the gate of the compound.
"That leaves us with a tolerably free hand," he added. "I was afraid they'd muster7 all hands and call the roll. No sign of Minalto yet, I suppose?"
"None," replied Withers8, who had been holding on to the rope. "He's a bit behind time. I hope nothing's gone wrong."
"So do I," agreed Alwyn fervently9.
Slowly the minutes passed. Momentarily doubts grew in the minds of the three watchers. Even Alwyn's faith in Minalto's powers was waning10.
"I'll take on now," he remarked, relieving the Second Engineer at the rope.
He had barely resumed his "trick" when the manila rope was almost jerked out of his hand. From the unseen depths below came three decided11 tugs12.
"He's back, lads," whispered Burgoyne joyously13. "All together. Man the rope—walk back."
It was no easy task to hoist14 the ponderous15 seaman16, but at length Jasper Minalto's head and shoulders appeared above the edge of the cliff. With no apparent effort he swung himself up by the projecting beam and gained the summit. Slipping out of the bowline, he shook himself like a Newfoundland dog, for water was dripping from his saturated17 clothes.
"I've been there sartain sure," he announced coolly, "an' back agen, sir. If you'm your doubts, sir, there's my 'nitials scratched on ter boat's back-board, fair an' legible-like s'long as you looks carefully."
Burgoyne brought his hand down upon the seaman's shoulder.
"Splendid!" he exclaimed. "You must spin your yarn18 later, after we've packed up and stowed away the gear. There's not much time. But, in any case, Minalto, you've won your place in the boat."
"Thank'ee, sir," replied Jasper gratefully.
Grey dawn was showing over the eastern height of the island when the four men returned to their huts. Burgoyne reported "all well" to Captain Blair, who, declining to hear details, told the Third Officer to turn in.
"You can't work watch and watch for two successive days unless you have a 'caulk'," he added. "It will be another hour and a quarter before the hands are turned out. Make the best of it."
But the Old Man was wrong in his estimate. No attempt was made to summon the crews of the three captured ships to their forced labour. They were piped to breakfast and then allowed to "stand easy", while armed pirates patrolled the inner circle of huts in addition to augmenting19 the guards in the two block-houses.
"Something's in the wind," declared Captain Blair. "The vessel that used her searchlight last night is evidently beating up for the island."
Soon there was no doubt on the point. From the compound the heights commanding the harbour and eastern approach to the island were plainly visible. Bodies of pirates were being rushed up to the concealed gun emplacements, which they could reach without being seen from seaward. Others were hurrying towards the tunnel, with the idea of manning the machine-guns that swept the entrance to the harbour and the only landing-place.
"The ball's about to commence," said Branscombe. "Wonder who'll open fire first?"
The prisoners listened in breathless suspense20 for the crash of the opening contest between the warship21—or whatever she might be—and the quick-firers comprising the principal defences of the island. At intervals22 a powerful syren boomed out its raucous23 wail24, demanding in Morse Code whether there were any people on the island.
Presently the sound came from the south'ard and then the west'ard, but no reply was sent from the pirates lying low on the apparently25 uninhabited island.
An hour later the captives caught sight of the trucks and aerials of a two-masted vessel proceeding26 on an easterly course at a distance of about two miles north of the island. Then the two mastheads vanished behind the rising ground; but from the fact that the batteries were still manned the Donibristle's people drew what proved to be a correct conclusion that the vessel had once more taken up a position off the eastern face of the secret base.
At noon, the prisoners still standing27 easy, Captain Blair called a meeting of officers to receive the reports of the investigating party.
It was Jasper Minalto's recital28 which created the greatest interest. After parting with Mr. Burgoyne on the shore, he said he swam to the reef, landing without difficulty on a flat expanse of coral. Although the reef averaged twenty yards in width and the state of the tide was almost low-water, the breakers swept far across the coral barrier before they expended29 their strength. Had it been anything near approaching high-water progress along the reef would have been extremely dangerous, if not impracticable.
But in present circumstances Minalto found the reef "fair going". There were several deep and narrow gulleys to be crossed, while there was a strong tidal current setting out of the only possible boat channel—not taking into consideration the ship passage—which was on the extreme south-western part of the reef.
It required a strenuous30 effort to swim across the narrow gap, but Minalto expressed an opinion that at dead low-water, or thereabouts, there would be little or no current.
Off the south-eastern end of the island he found himself quite a mile from shore, but on the eastern side the reef converged31 towards the island. Nevertheless he had to swim a quarter of a mile, aided by the set of the current, to gain the long, narrow and lofty ledge32 of rock that screened the harbour in which the Malfilio and her prizes were lying.
Here the buoys34 laid down the previous day by the Donibristle's crew helped him considerably35, since he was able to hang on to them and rest as he made his way up the narrow channel.
Swimming close to the rocks on the island side of the channel, he arrived at the entrance to the harbour, and was glad to find his feet touch bottom just within the southern spur of rock that practically enclosed the anchorage.
From that point he waded36 until he reached the sandy beach. Everything was quiet. Keeping close to the cliff he passed the boatsheds and almost tripped over the chain securing the hauled-up boats.
Arriving at his goal, Minalto, as he told Burgoyne, scratched his initials upon the lifeboat's back-board. Then, having established his claim, he began to retrace37 his course.
At that moment he was considerably taken aback by seeing a light flash across the sky. His first thought was that the pirates had discovered him, but upon second consideration he rightly concluded that the flash came from a searchlight in the offing.
Before he had gone very far a faint light blinked from a point half-way up the cliff and immediately above (so he judged) the entrance to the tunnel. It was promptly38 answered by a light from the Malfilio and in a few minutes the crew of the pirate cruiser were standing to their guns. From where Minalto stood he could see all the starboard guns trained upon the entrance to the harbour, and rather apprehensively39 he wondered what would happen to him if they opened fire when he was swimming through that narrow gap.
He remained for some minutes crouching40 against the cliff, until it occurred to him that time and tide wait for no man, and that if he were to return by the way he came he would have to hurry his movements.
Minalto took the water as noiselessly as an otter41. Swimming dog-stroke in order to minimize the phosphorescent swirl42 of his wake, he kept close to the cliffs—so close, in fact, that once his right knee came into sharp contact with a rock.
Then came the crucial point of his return journey—the passage of the harbour mouth. Dozens of pairs of eyes must, he knew, be peering in that direction, but he reckoned on the possibility that while they were looking for a large object, namely an armed boat from the warship off the island, they would fail to detect a small one—the head of the swimmer.
Unobserved he cleared the projecting headland, and working from buoy33 to buoy along the south approach channel until he came in view of the reef, gained a "kicking-off" position for the longest and most strenuous of his many swims that night.
Although the sea was warm he was beginning to feel that "water-logged" sensation that results from keeping in too long. Alternately swimming on his breast and back he continued doggedly43, knowing that if he rested he would be swept out of his course by the steady indraught into the lagoon44, for by this time the young flood was making.
At length he gained the reef, rubbed his cramped45 limbs, and set off briskly to the point nearest that part of the island whence he had set out, and an hour and a half later he was being hauled up the cliff.
Jasper Minalto had told his story, without any embellishments, in the broad, burring dialect of the West Country. But behind that simple narrative46 his listeners detected a ring of indomitability that had brought the man safely through the grave perils47 by land and sea.
"That coral is most heavy on shoe leather," he remarked. "Fair cut to pieces 'un is. But nex' time 'twill be only one way, like; seein' as how us be a-comin' back wi' the boat."
"You think we'll be able to launch the lifeboat and get her round without being spotted48?" asked Captain Blair.
"We'd best wait till the Malfilio's a-put to sea, sir," replied Minalto. "There wur nobody on the beach as far as I could see, an' t' other craft wur quiet enow."
"It was the vessel in the offing that put the crew of the Malfilio on the qui vive, I fancy," observed Burgoyne. "We'll have to take the ship into consideration, I'm afraid, sir. That is, if we are to take advantage of these moonless nights."
"We'll have to," decided the Old Man. "We've five clear days before the new moon grows sufficiently49 to cause trouble. Failing that it will mean a fortnight's delay—and then it may be too late. And then there's the question of fresh water," he added, still smarting from the effect of his splendid failure. "That is the question."
"What's wrang wi' a bit o' canvas?" inquired Angus. "A pair o' canvas tanks fitted 'tween thwarts'll just dae fine."
"A good idea, Mr. Angus," said the skipper. "We'll have to knock up a couple of canvas tanks. There's the question of evaporation50 and leakage51 by the boat heeling to be taken into account."
"And, perhaps, the water might be tainted52 by the canvas," added Alwyn.
"Havers, mon!" ejaculated the First Engineer scornfully. "May ye never hae wurrse. Mony a day I've drunk bad water—an' bad whusky forbye, an' I'll live to dae it again," he added with an air of finality. "We'll get on with it," decided Captain Blair. "After all, beggars can't be choosers. Any more points to raise? None. Very well, then; unless anything unforeseen takes place Mr. Burgoyne and Minalto will bring the boat round to the west beach at——?"
"Three a.m. on Thursday," said Alwyn.
For the remainder of the day the captives' "stand easy" continued. As far as the men taking part in the previous night's work were concerned nothing could have been more welcome. It enabled them to make up arrears53 from loss of sleep and strenuous activity. Nevertheless the additional length of line for the guide-rope was forthcoming, the canvas water-tanks were sewn up and tested, and more provisions lowered and hidden in the cave.
There remained three clear days before the die was cast and the momentous54 step taken—unless events over which the late officers and crew of the Donibristle had no control should necessitate55 a hurried change of plans.
Just before sunset the guns' crews were withdrawn56 from the emplacements, and the guards stationed outside the huts were marched out of the compound, so apparently Se?or Ramon Porfirio was satisfied that the vessel that had caused him great uneasiness had really taken her departure.
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1
dilemma
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| n.困境，进退两难的局面 | |
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regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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silhouettes
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| 轮廓( silhouette的名词复数 )； （人的）体形； （事物的）形状； 剪影 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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6
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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muster
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| v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册 | |
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8
withers
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| 马肩隆 | |
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fervently
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| adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地 | |
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10
waning
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| adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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11
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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12
tugs
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| n.猛拉( tug的名词复数 )；猛拖；拖船v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的第三人称单数 ) | |
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13
joyously
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| ad.快乐地, 高兴地 | |
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hoist
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| n.升高，起重机，推动；v.升起，升高，举起 | |
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ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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saturated
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| a.饱和的，充满的 | |
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yarn
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| n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事 | |
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19
augmenting
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| 使扩张 | |
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suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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warship
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| n.军舰，战舰 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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23
raucous
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| adj.(声音)沙哑的，粗糙的 | |
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wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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27
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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29
expended
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| v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
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strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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31
converged
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| v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的过去式 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集 | |
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32
ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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33
buoy
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| n.浮标；救生圈；v.支持，鼓励 | |
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34
buoys
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| n.浮标( buoy的名词复数 )；航标；救生圈；救生衣v.使浮起( buoy的第三人称单数 )；支持；为…设浮标；振奋…的精神 | |
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35
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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36
waded
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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37
retrace
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| v.折回；追溯，探源 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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39
apprehensively
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| adv.担心地 | |
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40
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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41
otter
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| n.水獭 | |
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42
swirl
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| v.(使)打漩，(使)涡卷；n.漩涡，螺旋形 | |
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43
doggedly
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| adv.顽强地，固执地 | |
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44
lagoon
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| n.泻湖，咸水湖 | |
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45
cramped
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| a.狭窄的 | |
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46
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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47
perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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48
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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49
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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50
evaporation
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| n.蒸发，消失 | |
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51
leakage
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| n.漏，泄漏；泄漏物；漏出量 | |
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52
tainted
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| adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏 | |
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53
arrears
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| n.到期未付之债，拖欠的款项；待做的工作 | |
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54
momentous
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| adj.重要的，重大的 | |
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55
necessitate
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| v.使成为必要，需要 | |
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56
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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