By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti War. Henty George Alfred
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race. I had chosen a time when I had the tide with me, and soon after morning I came to one of them narrow places. I should like to have stopped here, because it would have been handy for any ship as passed; but the tide run so strong, and the rocks were so steep on both sides, that I couldn’t make a landing. Howsomdever, directly it widened out, I managed to paddle into the back water and landed there. Well, gents, would you believe me, if there wasn’t two big allygaters sitting there with their mouths open ready to swallow me, canoe and all, when I came to shore.”
“No, Jack, I’m afraid we can’t believe that. We would if we could, you know, but alligators are not fond of such cold weather as you’d been having, nor do they frequent the seashore.”
“Ah, but this, you see, was a straits, Master Ruthven, just a narrow straits, and I expect the creatures took it for a river.”
“No, no, Jack, we can’t swallow the alligators, any more than they could swallow you and your canoe.”
“Well,” the sailor said with a sigh, “I won’t say no more about the allygaters. I can’t rightly recall when they came into the story. Howsomdever, I landed, you can believe that, you know.”
“Oh yes, we can quite believe, Jack, that, if you were there, in that canoe, in that back water, with the land close ahead, you did land.”
The sailor looked searchingly at Ruthven and then continued:
“I hauled the canoe up and hid it in some bushes, and it were well I did, for a short time afterwards a great—” and he paused. “Does the hippypotybus live in them ere waters, young gents?”
“He does not, Jack,” Ruthven said.
“Then it’s clear,” the sailor said, “that it wasn’t a hippypotybus. It must have been a seal.”
“Yes, it might have been a seal,” Ruthven said. “What did he do?”
“Well he just took a look at me, gents, winked with one eye, as much as to say, ‘I see you,’ and went down again. There warn’t nothing else as he could do, was there?”
“It was the best thing he could do anyhow,” Ruthven said.
“Well, gents, I lived there for about three weeks, and then a ship comes along, homeward bound, and I goes out and hails her. At first they thought as I was a native as had learned to speak English, and it wasn’t till they’d boiled me for three hours in the ship’s copper as they got at the color of my skin, and could believe as I was English. So I came back here and found the old woman still alive, and took to fishing again; but it was weeks and weeks before I could get her or any one else to believe as I was Jack Perkins. And that’s all the story, young gents. Generally I tells it a sight longer to the gents as come down from London in summer; but, you see, I can’t make much out of it when ye won’t let me have ‘bellishments.”
“And how much of it is true altogether, Jack?” Frank asked. “Really how much?”
“It’s all true as I have told you, young masters,” the boatman said. “It were every bit true about the running down of the smack, and me being nearly killed by the skipper, and the mutiny, and the burning of the vessel, and my living for a long time—no, I won’t stick to the two years, but it might have been three weeks, with the natives before a ship picked me up. And that’s good enough for a yarn, ain’t it?”
“Quite good enough, Jack, and we’re much obliged to you; but I should advise you to drop the embellishments in future.”
“It ain’t no use, Master Hargate, they will have ‘bellishments, and if they will have ‘em, Jack Perkins isn’t the man to disappint ‘em; and, Lord bless you, sir, the stiffer I pitches it in the more liberal they is with their tips. Thank ye kindly all round, gentlemen. Yes, I do feel dry after the yarn.”
CHAPTER IV: A RISING TIDE
The half year was drawing to its close, and it was generally agreed at Dr. Parker’s that it had been the jolliest ever known. The boating episode and that of the tea at Oak Farm had been events which had given a fillip to existence. The school had been successful in the greater part of its cricket matches, and generally every one was well satisfied with himself. On the Saturday preceding the breaking up Frank, with Ruthven, Charlie Goodall and two of the other naturalists, started along the seashore to look for anemones and other marine creatures among the rocks and pools at the foot of the South Foreland. Between Ruthven and Frank a strong feeling of affection had grown up since the date of their boating adventure. They were constantly together now; and as Ruthven was also intended for the army, and would probably obtain his commission about the same time as Frank, they often talked over their future, and indulged in hopes that they might often meet, and that in their campaigns, they might go through adventures together.
Tide was low when they started. They had nearly three miles to walk. The pools in front of Deal and Walmer had often been searched, but they hoped that once round the Foreland they might light upon specimens differing from any which they had hitherto found. For some hours they searched the pools, retiring as the tide advanced. Then they went up to the foot of the cliffs, and sat down to open their cans and compare the treasures they had collected. The spot which they had unwittingly selected was a little bay. For a long time they sat comparing their specimens. Then Frank said, “Come along, it is time to be moving.”
As he rose to his feet he uttered an exclamation of dismay. Although the tide was still at some little distance from the spot where they were sitting, it had already reached the cliffs extending out at either end of the bay. A brisk wind was blowing on shore, and the waves were already splashing against the foot of the rocks.
The whole party leaped to their feet, and seizing their cans ran off at the top of their speed to the end of the bay.
“I will see how deep the water is,” Frank exclaimed; “we may yet be able to wade round.”
The water soon reached Frank’s waist. He waded on until it was up to his shoulders, and he had to leap as each wave approached him. Then he returned to his friends.
“I could see round,” he said, “and I think I could have got round without getting into deeper water. The worst of it is the bottom is all rocky, and I stumbled several times, and should have gone under water if I could not have swam. You can’t swim, Ruthven, I know; can you other fellows?”
Goodall could swim, as could one of the others.
“Now, Ruthven,” Frank said, “if you will put your hand on my shoulder and keep quiet, I think I could carry you around. Goodall and Jackson can take Childers.”
But neither of the other boys had much confidence in their swimming. They could get thirty or forty yards, but felt sure that they would be able to render but little assistance to Childers, and in fact scarcely liked to round the point alone. For some time they debated the question, the sea every minute rising and pushing them farther and farther from the point. “Look here, Frank,” Ruthven said at last; “you are not sure you can carry me. The others are quite certain that they cannot take Childers. We must give up that idea. The best thing, old boy, is for you three who can swim to start together. Then if either of the others fail you can help them a bit. Childers and I must take our chance here. When you get round you must send a boat as soon as possible.”
“I certainly shall not desert you, Ruthven,” Frank said. “You know as well as I do that I’m not likely to find a boat on the shore till I get pretty near Walmer Castle, and long before we could get back it would be settled here. No, no, old fellow, we will see the matter out together. Jackson and Goodall can swim round if they like.”
These lads, however, would not venture to take the risk alone, but said they would go if Frank would go with them.
“Chuck off your boots and coats and waistcoats,” Frank said suddenly, proceeding to strip rapidly to the skin. “I will take them round, Ruthven, and come back to you. Run round the bay you and Childers, and see if you can find any sort of ledge or projection that we can take refuge upon. Now, then, come on you two as quick as you can.”
The sea had already reached within a few feet of the foot of the cliff all round