Discussing a hurried plan of action with Captain Blair—a quick change of programme necessitated5 by events over which they had no control—Burgoyne had acted promptly6. Taking advantage of the confusion when the order had been given to abandon ship, the Third Officer and the faithful Minalto had climbed up the side and disappeared down the companion ladder without a single member of the pirate crew having the faintest suspicion of their presence. In the meantime the men in the life-boat, hurriedly coached by Captain Blair, had done their part of the business well.
A stout7 block had been bent8 to the heel of one of the davits. Through it was led a three-inch rope, one end being made fast to the life-boat's middle thwart9 close up to the knees, while the other was secured by means of a clove10 hitch11 to the crown of the davit. Unless looked for the rope would easily pass muster12 as one of the disordered falls of the davit. The idea was that, when the Donibristle sank, the strain on the rope would capsize and swamp the life-boat, pinning her hard and fast against the submerged side of the ship, and that was what exactly did happen.
The stowaways13 were confronted by two great and distinct perils14. The pirates engaged in making up the explosive charges were not experts. They might easily err15 on the side of generosity16 when preparing the quantities, and when the explosion took place the whole ship might go up instead of down.
The second risk was that the Donibristle might sink in deeper water than the total height of her hull17 from keel-plates to the rail. In that case Burgoyne and Jasper Minalto would be trapped in a metal box and drowned without the ghost of a chance of saving themselves.
Yet unhesitatingly, though dubious18 of the result, they had taken the risk and were awaiting developments.
They could hear the plash of the oars19 as the boats pushed off, and the gentle grinding of the life-boat's gunwale as it rubbed against the rusty21 iron sides of the ship. Then came an ominous22 silence as Black Strogoff raised his hand and gave the signal.
The charges were fired.
Alwyn felt the floor-plates give as the whole fabric23 of the ship quivered under the internal impact. A waft24 of acrid25 fumes26 drifted into the enclosed space.
The two men exchanged glances as if to say, "Well; it's all right so far, but there's more to come."
The water was surging and hissing27 along the alley-way. The pantry-door, burst open by the outside pressure, was flung hard back against the bulkhead, and in an instant the two men were knee deep in water.
The level rose to their waists, and still there was no indication that the ship had settled on the bottom. The level was rising more slowly now. Without a jar the ship had touched the bed of the channel and was gradually sinking in the soft sand. Disappear she would eventually, but for the time being, perhaps for several hours, the subsidence was barely perceptible.
Then as the Donibristle listed slightly to port the level in the pantry fell a foot or eighteen inches, leaving the occupants standing28 nearly thigh29 deep in water.
Again they exchanged glances, but this time both men's faces wore a grin of satisfaction. They even chuckled30 softly, as they listened to the ravings of Black Strogoff and the carefully rehearsed lamentations and explanations of the boat's crew.
Half an hour later all was quiet without, save for the rattle31 of the rain upon the exposed portion of the deck. Black Strogoff, his assistants, and the working-parties had departed, their task accomplished32; but there remained the unpromising prospect33 of their returning that afternoon to salve the sunken life-boat.
The downpour was a blessing34 in disguise. It enabled Burgoyne and his companion to talk without risk of being overheard by anyone on the cliff.
"Things'll be a bit more comfortable presently," said Minalto. "Tide'll be falling."
"Yes," agreed Alwyn. "It was half-ebb when they scuttled35 her. That means high-water about seven o'clock. Let's hope it will be a dark night and not too much wind. You say you know where the two buckets are stowed?"
Minalto made no reply. He was staring thoughtfully at a corner of the pantry.
"Anything wrong?" inquired Burgoyne. "You haven't got cramp36, I hope?"
"No, sir," replied the man. "It's a mort too warm to give I cramp. I'm just a-thinkin', sir. See that li'l boiler37? Couldn't us get 'en away an' use 'en for a water-tank?"
Burgoyne jumped at the idea. The "li'l boiler" was in reality a galvanized iron bin38 used for storing flour, and would hold about fifty gallons of water without much chance of its contents spilling over the top, as it was fitted with a metal lid.
"You're a gem39 of the first water, Jasper!" exclaimed Burgoyne enthusiastically. "Come on, let's get it adrift at once. It will be something to do."
By the aid of broken-off ends of files it was a fairly simple matter to unscrew the brass40 clamps. Examination of the tank showed that it was half filled with mouldy flour.
"Soon clean 'en," declared Minalto. "Then when us gets round t'other side fill 'en wi' water, and put 'en aboard the boat again."
"Hardly," demurred41 Burgoyne. "That tank even if only filled to within two inches of the top would weigh well over four hundredweights. No, we'll have to leave it in the life-boat and fill it up by means of the buckets. By Jove! that knocks Angus and his canvas tanks into a cocked hat. We'll clean it out now. Salt water won't hurt if we wash it with fresh later on."
The hours dragged wearily on. Both men were hungry and thirsty, for they had come unprepared for the task on which they were at present engaged. But at length the darkening gloom in the alley-way announced that night had drawn43 in, and the time for strenuous44 activity was at hand.
Glad to escape from their cramped45 quarters, for the rising tide was beginning to make things far more uncomfortable than before, the two men emerged from the pantry, dragging their prize after them.
It was now quite dark. The rain had ceased, but the sky was overcast46. A north-easterly breeze was ruffling47 the waters of the lagoon48. Shorewards there was nothing to denote human occupation. The cliffs of the secret base rose gaunt and forbidding against the faint loom42 of the sky, with no indication to show the hive of piratical industry that flourished within the limits of those unscaleable precipices49.
Very cautiously Burgoyne and his companion crept towards the davit to which had been made fast the rope pinning down the life-boat. The manila had shrunk in the wet to such an extent that the clove hitch had jammed. It was only by using the broken file as a marline spike50 that Alwyn succeeded in teasing out the tenacious51 hitch.
The result though expected was nevertheless startling. The whaler, under the buoyancy imparted by six large air-tight copper52 tanks, bobbed up like a cork53, making a splash that might be heard on board the Malfilio and even by the pirates on shore.
"They'm thinkin' it'll be a girt shark," commented Minalto, as he slipped over the side with a bucket to bale the boat.
Burgoyne joined him, and in twenty minutes the bottom boards were figuratively "dry". The exercise also helped to restore the circulation to the cramped limbs of the two men.
There were oars in the boat. Some thoughtful person had considerately lashed54 them down to the thwart so that they had not floated away; but the question now arose how were the masts and sails to be procured55?
"It's too risky56 making a double trip across the harbour," said Burgoyne. "One would have been bad enough and we've been spared that. And there's the Malfilio to be taken into account, although I don't suppose they'll be so keenly on the look-out as they were when that vessel57 was using her searchlight. We'll have to swim for them. They will tow easily, since they are in canvas covers."
"I'm on, sir," agreed Minalto.
Both men stripped, and wringing58 out their saturated59 clothes spread them over the thwarts60 of the life-boat. Burgoyne held up the revolver.
"We'll not be wanting this on this trip," he remarked to his companion. "I'll hide it in the boat. It's too early to start using firearms."
Minalto nodded. He quite understood that if detected at this juncture61 the revolver would be of no help. Once the boat was ready to leave the island, then, perhaps, the little weapon might prove to be of service.
With the skill of experienced swimmers the two men dived noiselessly overboard and struck out with steady, powerful strokes towards the mouth of the as yet invisible harbour.
Keeping close to the cliff they rounded the projecting arm. Not only was the anchorage quiet—the Malfilio had gone. Unknown to Burgoyne and Minalto the pirate cruiser had proceeded to sea shortly after the Donibristle had been scuttled.
Changing over from breast-stroke to dog-stroke the swimmers proceeded slowly until they touched bottom in shallow water, about a hundred yards from the boat-house. Covering that hundred yards took a full ten minutes. Twice they threw themselves flat upon the sand—once when a lump of rock loosened by the rain crashed down from the cliff; another time when a piece of canvas flapping in the breeze beat a disturbing tattoo62 upon the side of one of the huts. In each case, imagining that they were discovered, the two men lay still with their hearts thumping63 violently, until they recovered themselves sufficiently64 to resume their way.
At length the mass of the tarred boat-shed loomed65 up through the darkness. The door was securely padlocked. That was reassuring66, since it was highly improbable that any of the pirates were asleep within the building. Nor did Burgoyne waste time in filing through the padlock, and thus leave traces of his exploit. Cautiously the two men worked round to the back of the shed. Then Alwyn, standing on Minalto's broad shoulders, deftly67 wrenched68 open the already loosened weatherboard.
In less than a couple of minutes the life-boat's masts and sails, in two painted canvas covers, were lying outside the hut. Replacing the weatherboards Burgoyne climbed down to the ground, and, without a word being exchanged, the two men shouldered their respective burdens and retraced69 their steps.
There was no need to destroy their footprints. Already the sand was covered with the prints of men's boots and bare feet, for daily the vicinity of the hut was a scene of activity.
Arriving at the end of the strip of beach, they again took to the water. The canvas covers with their weighty contents were buoyant, but Burgoyne soon found that it was a difficult matter to swim and push the gear in front of him. It was an easier task, though not so simple to the swimmer, to drag the bundle of masts, spars, and sails behind him.
But deprived of the slight support afforded by the gear, Alwyn found that, although it no longer yawed as before, it was a decided70 encumbrance71 by the time half the distance was covered. Apparently72 Jasper Minalto found the same thing, for directly they rounded the bluff73 at the entrance of the harbour the sailor ranged up alongside and by the aid of a length of halliard deftly secured the two sets of gear side by side.
After that progress was quicker and much easier, since each swimmer could rest one hand and continue striking out with the other; but their relief was none the less when they arrived alongside the life-boat.
"We'm making sail, sir?" inquired Minalto, as the pair resumed their clothes after having lifted the gear into the boat.
Burgoyne thought wistfully of the favourable74 breeze, and reluctantly shook his head.
"I'd like to," he replied, "only the canvas would show up too much even in the darkness. We must row. All ready? Then let go!"
Pushing off from the almost submerged rail of the vessel that had been their floating home, the twain shipped an oar20 apiece, having taken the precaution of muffling75 the crutches76 with strips of rag. Then standing in towards the island they skirted the line of cliffs. Here they were safe from detection unless, which was most unlikely, the pirates had posted sentries77 on the edge of the lofty wall of rock that completely girded the island. There were, they knew, watchers on the look-out both by day and by night on the Observation Hill, but their task was to observe vessels78 approaching from the offing. The idea of a boat manned by their captives being navigated79 inside the lagoon and close to the precipitous shore never occurred to them, or if it did they had dismissed it as unworthy of serious consideration.
"There's one way out when the time comes," said Burgoyne, as the small gap on the south-western side of the reef appeared abeam80.
"Right-o, sir," replied Minalto. "I know it, havin had to swim across 'en."
A few minutes later the life-boat rounded the extreme south-westerly point of the island. It was now that the most dangerous part of this phase of the operations was threatening; for, having to pass some distance off the detached rock before entering the west bay, the little craft would no longer be masked by the cliffs from the pirates stationed on the Observation Hill.
"Easy—lay on your oars a bit," cautioned Alwyn, as he glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the look-out post. The rugged81 outlines of the hill showed up against the mirky sky, but whether the boat was so plainly visible as it moved slowly through the calm, phosphorescent water was a matter unknown to Burgoyne and his companion. They hoped not and wished themselves farther in shore.
"Give way," ordered Burgoyne.
"Touched wi' my oar, sir," reported Jasper in a low voice. "'Ard rock, tes."
Evidently the shoal ran out farther than the Third Officer had thought. The boat had to be backed and the rock given a much wider berth82; all of which took time and kept them longer in sight of the Observation Hill.
Yet, as the moments slowly passed and no disconcerting flash of a rifle came from the look-out post, Burgoyne felt his spirits rise. His immediate83 goal was within easy distance, and once the boat gained the shelter of the cliffs ultimate success loomed large upon his mental horizon.
At length the life-boat's forefoot took the sandy beach close to the mouth of the cave. Thankfully the two men boated their oars. Only twice in that eight or nine miles had they rested, and the craft was a heavy one to pull.
"Stand by her," cautioned Burgoyne as he leapt ashore84. "Don't let her ground too hard. Tide's falling."
As he made his way towards the spot where he expected to find the lower end of the guide rope, Burgoyne had a nasty shock, for advancing towards him were three men.
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1
snugly
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| adv.紧贴地；贴身地；暖和舒适地；安适地 | |
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2
denuded
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| adj.[医]变光的，裸露的v.使赤裸( denude的过去式和过去分词 )；剥光覆盖物 | |
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3
compartment
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| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
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4
impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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5
necessitated
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| 使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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6
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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8
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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9
thwart
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| v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的) | |
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10
clove
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| n.丁香味 | |
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11
hitch
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| v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉 | |
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12
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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13
stowaways
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| n.偷乘船[飞机]者( stowaway的名词复数 ) | |
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14
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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15
err
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| vi.犯错误，出差错 | |
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16
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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17
hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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18
dubious
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| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
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19
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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20
oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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21
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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22
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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23
fabric
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| n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织 | |
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24
waft
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| v.飘浮，飘荡；n.一股；一阵微风；飘荡 | |
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25
acrid
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| adj.辛辣的，尖刻的，刻薄的 | |
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26
fumes
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| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
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27
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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28
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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29
thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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30
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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31
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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32
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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33
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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34
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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35
scuttled
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| v.使船沉没( scuttle的过去式和过去分词 )；快跑，急走 | |
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36
cramp
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| n.痉挛；[pl.](腹)绞痛；vt.限制，束缚 | |
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37
boiler
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| n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等) | |
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38
bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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39
gem
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| n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel | |
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40
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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41
demurred
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| v.表示异议，反对( demur的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
loom
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| n.织布机，织机；v.隐现，(危险、忧虑等)迫近 | |
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43
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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44
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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45
cramped
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| a.狭窄的 | |
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46
overcast
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| adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天 | |
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47
ruffling
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| 弄皱( ruffle的现在分词 )； 弄乱； 激怒； 扰乱 | |
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48
lagoon
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| n.泻湖，咸水湖 | |
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49
precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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50
spike
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| n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效 | |
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51
tenacious
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| adj.顽强的，固执的，记忆力强的，粘的 | |
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52
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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53
cork
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| n.软木，软木塞 | |
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54
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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55
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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56
risky
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| adj.有风险的，冒险的 | |
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57
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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58
wringing
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| 淋湿的，湿透的 | |
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59
saturated
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| a.饱和的，充满的 | |
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60
thwarts
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| 阻挠( thwart的第三人称单数 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过 | |
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61
juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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62
tattoo
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| n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于 | |
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63
thumping
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| adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持 | |
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64
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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65
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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66
reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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67
deftly
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| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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68
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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69
retraced
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| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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70
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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encumbrance
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| n.妨碍物，累赘 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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73
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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muffling
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| v.压抑，捂住( muffle的现在分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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crutches
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| n.拐杖, 支柱 v.支撑 | |
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sentries
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| 哨兵，步兵( sentry的名词复数 ) | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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navigated
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| v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的过去式和过去分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃 | |
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abeam
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| adj.正横着(的) | |
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81
rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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82
berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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