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Page 10
I did mark his words, and very soon afterwards, too, as will shortly
be taken down.
The other circumstance that I noticed at that ball, was, the gaiety
and attachment of Christian George King. The innocent spirits that
Sambo Pilot was in, and the impossibility he found himself under of
showing all the little colony, but especially the ladies and
children, how fond he was of them, how devoted to them, and how
faithful to them for life and death, for present, future, and
everlasting, made a great impression on me. If ever a man, Sambo or
no Sambo, was trustful and trusted, to what may be called quite an
infantine and sweetly beautiful extent, surely, I thought that
morning when I did at last lie down to rest, it was that Sambo
Pilot, Christian George King.
This may account for my dreaming of him. He stuck in my sleep,
cornerwise, and I couldn't get him out. He was always flitting
about me, dancing round me, and peeping in over my hammock, though I
woke and dozed off again fifty times. At last, when I opened my
eyes, there he really was, looking in at the open side of the little
dark hut; which was made of leaves, and had Charker's hammock slung
in it as well as mine.
"So-Jeer!" says he, in a sort of a low croak. "Yup!"
"Hallo!" says I, starting up. "What? You are there, are you?"
"Iss," says he. "Christian George King got news."
"What news has he got?"
"Pirates out!"
I was on my feet in a second. So was Charker. We were both aware
that Captain Carton, in command of the boats, constantly watched the
mainland for a secret signal, though, of course, it was not known to
such as us what the signal was.
Christian George King had vanished before we touched the ground.
But, the word was already passing from hut to hut to turn out
quietly, and we knew that the nimble barbarian had got hold of the
truth, or something near it.
In a space among the trees behind the encampment of us visitors,
naval and military, was a snugly-screened spot, where we kept the
stores that were in use, and did our cookery. The word was passed
to assemble here. It was very quickly given, and was given (so far
as we were concerned) by Sergeant Drooce, who was as good in a
soldier point of view, as he was bad in a tyrannical one. We were
ordered to drop into this space, quietly, behind the trees, one by
one. As we assembled here, the seamen assembled too. Within ten
minutes, as I should estimate, we were all here, except the usual
guard upon the beach. The beach (we could see it through the wood)
looked as it always had done in the hottest time of the day. The
guard were in the shadow of the sloop's hull, and nothing was moving
but the sea,--and that moved very faintly. Work had always been
knocked off at that hour, until the sun grew less fierce, and the
sea-breeze rose; so that its being holiday with us, made no
difference, just then, in the look of the place. But I may mention
that it was a holiday, and the first we had had since our hard work
began. Last night's ball had been given, on the leak's being
repaired, and the careening done. The worst of the work was over,
and to-morrow we were to begin to get the sloop afloat again.
We marines were now drawn up here under arms. The chace-party were
drawn up separate. The men of the Columbus were drawn up separate.
The officers stepped out into the midst of the three parties, and
spoke so as all might hear. Captain Carton was the officer in
command, and he had a spy-glass in his hand. His coxswain stood by
him with another spy-glass, and with a slate on which he seemed to
have been taking down signals.
"Now, men!" says Captain Carton; "I have to let you know, for your
satisfaction: Firstly, that there are ten pirate-boats, strongly
manned and armed, lying hidden up a creek yonder on the coast, under
the overhanging branches of the dense trees. Secondly, that they
will certainly come out this night when the moon rises, on a
pillaging and murdering expedition, of which some part of the
mainland is the object. Thirdly--don't cheer, men!--that we will
give chace, and, if we can get at them, rid the world of them,
please God!"
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