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There were, however, here and there, ridges of rock, running down like breakwaters into the sea, and about which it fretted and tossed tremendously; and, in the hope that one of these ridges might hide our friends from our view, I climbed to the top of the highest piece of rock I could reach, and took a long and careful survey. "See anything, sir?" said Tom Jecks. "No," I replied, "nothing.
"I did not see either of those craft with sails," I said to Tom Jecks, as we stood watching the following boat, which was evidently making every possible effort to come up with us. "No, sir, 'twarn't neither o' them. I see 'em put off from a bit higher up," said Jecks. "My hye! they are in a hurry, sir. You'd better tell Mr Brooke he must shake out a reef instead o' taking one up."
"I don't know how we managed to get ashore, sir," said Jecks faintly. "I think it was because there was so little undertow to the waves. When the boat struck, it felt to me as if I was being blown through the shallow water, and I shouldn't have been here if I hadn't come up against Mr Ching, who was pulling you along." "Then you saved me, Ching?" I cried. "Ching takee hold, and pullee here.
"This way," cried Ching excitedly; and he ran south, pointing to the rift by which he had climbed the cliff, while I stood there giddy, helpless, and at last sank down on my knees beside poor Tom Jecks, who was still muttering something about the storm.
"'Cause then I s'ould have a sunshade to put up." "Ay, 'tis warm brylin', as you may say. Any on you know whether the Chinese is cannibals? You know, sir?" "I have heard that they cook very strange things now and then," I said, laughing. "Then they is," said Jecks; "and that being so, they'll have a fine chance to-day. Hadn't you better send word to some on 'em to lay the cloth, sir?" "What for?"
"Makes a bit of a change, Mr Herrick, sir," said Jecks, as the men off duty lay about smoking their pipes, and watching the fire with eyes full of expectation. "Yes; rather different to being on shipboard, Jecks," I said. "Ay, 'tis, sir. More room to stretch your legs, and no fear o' hitting your head agin a beam or your elber agin a bulkhead. Puts me in mind o' going a-gipsying a long time ago."
But he did not read my countenance; he called one of the men out of the line, made him give me some water from his bottle, and bent down on his knees by poor Tom Jecks. "Ha!" he said; "fever from a wound. Give him some water too, my lad."
At last I jumped up, full of remorse at my want of thought. "Mr Brooke the others?" I cried. "We were talking about 'em, sir, 'fore you woke up," said Jecks sadly; and I now saw that he had received a blow on the head, while he spoke slowly, and looked strange. "And what " "I'm afraid they're " "Allee dlowned; velly much 'flaid." I groaned.
Pilate fliend both come in cleek after, to see what Queen Victolia jolly sailor boy go to do." "Are you sure?" said Mr Brooke excitedly. "Yes, sir, I see the top of one of their sails," said Tom Jecks. "Then, by George, we are in the right track," cried Mr Brooke, and, as my heart began to beat rapidly, "Give way, my lads," he cried, "give way." "What are we going to do?"
As I charged again, I could hear and see that our lads were firing away as rapidly as they could up at the crowded bulwarks, while Tom Jecks was making his piece bear upon the deck of the high poop whenever he could get a shot at the captain; and now, too, Mr Brooke was firing off his small-shot cartridges as rapidly as possible, the salt water not having penetrated the well-wadded powder enclosed in the brass cases.
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