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Her own men now cast off their boats anyhow, leaving the wounded, who cursed, or implored, or prayed, or shrieked; but "Four-Eyes" did not come, and Black raved, looking away where the search-lights of the other ships now showed their rapid approach. To this extraordinary man it was the great cast of life.
"You want to come aboard my boat, do you?" drawled the Captain, as he softened his voice to a fine tone of sarcasm. "The dealer wants a cheap passage; so ho! what do you say, Four-Eyes; shall we take the man aboard?" Four-Eyes sat up deliberately, and struck himself on the chest several times as though to knock the sleep out of him.
"Hum," snorted Billy, "four-eyes and red-top that's a nice combination for you! I'd like to do something to show that old chap that we can do just as much as anyone else when it comes to a show-down." This remark, however, was made sotto voce to Lathrop, as Billy really stood in great awe of the six foot-two of ebony flesh and muscle that was Sikaso.
And then I heard a voice I knew, the voice of the Irishman, "Four-Eyes." "Is it the boi ye're mindin', bedad?" "Ay, sir, he's moved a point." "The poor divil. Throw him a sheet, one av yer; it's meself that's not bringing the guv'ner a dead body when he wants a live one, be Saint Pathrick!"
A tide-pool close by was enclosed in pitch; a four-eyes was swimming about in it, staring up at us; and when we hunted him, tried to escape, not by diving, but by jumping on shore on the pitch, and scrambling off between our legs.
Then Sikaso went on to gleefully relate, while they warmly clasped his mighty hands, how he had hidden the rest of the ivory and how he had seen Muley-Hassan pass on his way to the rifled hiding place. "But Billy and Lathrop, Sikaso, tell us quick, were they with Muley-Hassan?" The black shook his head slowly. "No see Four-Eyes no see Red Head," he said sorrowfully.
Hope had almost died in the boys' hearts at the scene they had witnessed by means of powers that seemed incredible to them, but which several well known travelers have told us are not uncommon among certain natives of West Africa. But old Sikaso was destined to raise their hopes. "We will save Four-Eyes and the Red-Headed one," he exclaimed suddenly. "But how?" chorused the amazed three.
Captain Black watched his anger with a pitying leer; but "Dick the Ranter" and "Four-Eyes" were overcome with laughter, and roared until the ship echoed. "Houly Moses, it's a fine picture ye are, my beauty," said the mate; "and if oi'll be scraping ye down with a shovel, it's yer own fayther wouldn't know ye, so clane ye'll be."
A minute after, the ensign of the other was lowered, and we had beaten her. "You, 'Four-Eyes, take the launch, and get her oil," Black sang out at the sight; "you'll have five hands, that's all you want. Go sharp, if you'd save your skins!" I stood on the gallery, and watched the passage of the small boat, which was at the side of the maimed cruiser almost in a moment.
"The matron" a sweet-faced young lady was bending tenderly over him, and a nurse sat at the bedside. The doctor stood waiting at the foot of the bed. Moses took his boy's hand. The matron silently stepped aside. Benjamin stared at him with wide, unrecognizing eyes. "Nu, how goes it, Benjamin?" cried Moses in Yiddish, with mock heartiness. "Thank you, old Four-Eyes. It's very good of you to come.
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