Part 81 (1/2)

AN END TO DIFFICULTIES.

Daylight found the little party steadily advancing, but the blacks were in pursuit, and Oliver pa.s.sed along the line to have a short conference with Panton, leaving Drew, Smith, and Wriggs to form the rear guard.

”Glad to see you, old fellow,” said Panton. ”I was afraid I had said good-bye when you were left with that powder keg.”

”But I haven't a scratch, only a little burn. What are you going to do?”

”Get to the sh.o.r.e if I can, and try and find and take possession of their canoes.”

”Impossible,” said Oliver, decisively. ”Look here, we are on the way to the old crater. Let's get to that natural fort. Once up there and inside the great volcano wall we can easily keep these wretches at bay, and they cannot burn us out there.”

”No, but--”

”We must give them a severe lesson, and beat them off. It is our only chance.”

”Anything for the best,” said Panton. ”Very well, then, I'll turn off, and we'll hold that piece you remember where it was so steep, and--”

”Yes, just where the leopard sprang out.”

”Good,” cried Panton, and he went on at the head of the men, while Oliver halted till Smith and Wriggs came up with Drew.

”Speak the truth, Tommy,” Wriggs was saying. ”Yer can't be hungry enough to eat a black, so don't tell no lies.”

”Where are we for?” said Drew, anxiously.

”The old crater, to make that a fort.”

”Hooroar,” said Smith, in a low voice. ”Splendid. Billy, old chap, that place was just runnin' in my head, as being a good spot for a fight.”

”Then the sooner we are there, the better,” said Drew, ”for the wretches are close behind.”

”And going to shoot,” said Oliver, raising his piece, and firing back both barrels rapidly, the buck shot with which they were charged breaking through the leaves and twigs and eliciting a savage yell.

”He's got it, Billy,” said Smith, ”and sarve him right.”

Some little trifle later, after being much hara.s.sed, the retreating party were offering themselves as prominent marks to the blacks, as they climbed up the outer slope of the old crater, but very soon after they began to reach shelter, and at last they lined the top of the mouldering wall, while the blacks hesitated to approach, for the deadly powers of the whites' guns had become more and more acknowledged. Hence the fugitives were glad to rest a little, and refresh with water from the lake and such sc.r.a.ps of food as they happened to have, though the refreshment was princ.i.p.ally black-looking pig-tail tobacco, Smith and Wriggs having their pipes and beginning to smoke.

The hours glided on, and at first every now and then an arrow was shot with bad aim into the natural fortification, but by degrees these were less frequent, and at last the only sign made by the enemy was a little group of men armed with club and spear watching them from the bottom of the slope.

”What do they mean to do?” said Oliver. ”Starve us out?”

”Seems like it,” said Panton. ”Well, it won't take long, unless we can live on water. Wonder whether there are any fish below here in the lake?”

”If there are, we have no means of catching them,” said Oliver, sadly.

”I'm thinking that our only chance is to a.s.sume the aggressive now, and drive them off the island.”

”I'm afraid there would not be many of us left to do the driving, before we had finished,” said Panton.

_Boom! Crash_!