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The second lieutenant declared that he had no wish to toil up a steep mountain for the sake of seeing a huge pit full of fire and smoke, so that he willingly remained on board instead of the first lieutenant. Several others, however, had more curiosity. Adair took Desmond, and three or four of his gun-room officers and midshipmen.
Let's go into the gun-room, and try to wash this salt water out of our mouths, and then I will tell you all you said, as far as I could hear it, word for word."
If after this awakening circumstance I could have had the good fortune to have met with sober-minded and religious people, I have no doubt but I might have had at this time much less to answer for; but that not being the case, the force of habit and example renewed its dominion over me, and I became nearly as bad as ever. Our amusements in the gun-room were rough.
About three o'clock in the afternoon, I received a message from one of the prisoners, saying, he wished much to speak with me. I followed the master-at-arms down to the screened cabin, in the gun-room, where the men were confined with their legs in irons. These irons consist of one long bar and a set of shackles.
"Are you hurt, Mr Easy?" said he, kindly. "A little," replied Jack, catching his breath. "You've had but a rough welcome," replied the first lieutenant, "but at certain times, on board ship, it is every man for himself, and God for us all. Harpur," continued the first lieutenant to the doctor, "take Mr Easy down in the gun-room with you, and I will be down myself as soon as I can.
The captain, accompanied by three gun-room officers, Rayner and another midshipman, and twenty men, landed at the nearest spot where the boats could put in, and proceeded overland in the direction from which the sound of the guns had come. Again and again they boomed forth through the midnight air. Solemnly they struck on the ear, telling of danger and death.
"I think I had, indeed," replied Courtenay, as he bolted out of the gun-room door. "Cursed annoying! but the captain's such a bilious subject." This chair shall be my state, this dagger my sceptre, and this cushion my crown. Captain M -'s character stood so high at the Admiralty, that the major part of the young aspirants who had been committed to his charge were of good family and connections.
The commander and gun-room officers were fully as eager as Ned to overtake the dhows. They had, they thought, at length got some veritable slavers in sight, and it would be provoking to lose them. It was, however, curious that they should all keep together; probably, however, none of them wished to steer a course by which they would run a greater chance of falling into the power of their pursuer.
"What, old ship, is it you?" he exclaimed, almost wringing his hand off, and speaking rapidly, as if unable to restrain his feelings. "Where do you come from? What has happened to you? Tell me all about it." This Mr Calder briefly did, and warm and hearty was the reception he met with in the gun-room, to which Rawson was also invited, while the other midshipmen were taken care of in the berth.
Fortunately the French surgeon had been ill in his berth, but had now got up, prepared to attend to his professional duties. As yet, however, none of the wounded prisoners had been brought aft, and Pierre, who had been placed on the gun-room table, was the first man the surgeon took under his care. "He is not badly hurt, I hope," said Bill, rather anxiously.
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