I ought to have mentioned that we had for some time lost sight of the pillar of smoke which had been a beacon to us for so long. This was owing to the enormous size of the trees in this part of the valley.
Suddenly, as we were passing close to a collection of cliff-like boulders which frowned down upon the narrow pathway on our right hand, about a dozen men sprang out upon us with such extraordinary activity and determination that we were taken completely by surprise, for, as the reader may suppose, we had not the faintest notion that any one was lurking in the vicinity of the path.
At the first alarm I need not say that our hands flew instinctively to our revolvers; but in much less time than it takes me to write it our assailants had flung themselves on us, secured our arms, and borne us to the ground, especial care being taken to keep an iron grip on our throats, to prevent our calling for assistance. I struggled vehemently to free myself; but the more I struggled the tighter grew the grip on my throat, and at last I was obliged to desist for fear of being strangled. I heard the gunner and Ned Burton struggling desperately also, although they had not been able to use their revolvers; but both being men of unusual strength, it was some little time before they were eventually secured.
With great dexterity our captors blindfolded and gagged us, passed lashings around our arms, and dragged us away with them—whither, we had no means of ascertaining.
CHAPTER XI.
JIM BEDDOES’ YARN.
I was just about took flat aback when it was borne in upon me what had happened; but I must set about spinning my yarn in a ship-shape fashion, I s’pose, or shore-going folks won’t get a grip of my meanin’, so to speak. Well, gentlemen all, and ladies too, I hope—for, bless you! I know well enough, through having chicks of my own, that sisters reads their brothers’ books when they can get a hold of ’em—you all of you know, through having read Mr. Darcy’s yarn, that he, the gunner, and my messmate, Ned Burton—as fine a chap as ever ran aloft or took his trick at the helm, though that’s neither here nor there—went off together to reconnoitre the enemy’s position. I may say they went off in fine sperrits, and with the intention of returning in half an hour or so, barring accidents. Why the whole lot of us couldn’t have marched straight ahead, attacked the thieving swabs that were in the valley and given ’em hokey-pokey, beats me, I can tell you! Show me my enemy, and let me go for him without any palavering or beating about the bush, that’s what I say. No amount of warrant-officers—boatswains, gunners, or carpenters—would make me change my mind about that, not if I lived to the age of Methusalem! There’s no knowing what prize-money may do for a fellow, and if ever I retires into private life, I reckon I’ll have a British man-o’-war going into action for a crest and “Wire in” for the motto. Two words is enough for me so long as they mean a lot.
I ain’t much of a hand with a pen, it strikes me; for I’m drifting off with the tide goodness knows where, and it’s likely enough I shall broach-to altogether in a jiffy.
Come, pull yourself together, man, and show the young laddies and lasses that your brain-box ain’t exactly a wacuum, so to speak—a figurehead like them senseless things a-stuck about in Portsmouth dockyard.
When the gunner went off with his two pals, he pertickly says to me, “Stand easy a bit, Beddoes, if you please”—he was always a very perlite cove was old Triggs; beg pardon, Mr. Triggs, I should say—“stand easy, Beddoes,” he says, “or sit about, but don’t for the life o’ you forget to have four men a-doing sentry-go all the time.” He was a cautious man, you see, the gunner. He took stock of everything, and that was just the ruination of him in this case. I take it the Admiralty would give him the sack if they could find him, but there ain’t much chance of that now, worse luck!
I’m main sorry for Mr. Darcy, who was a smart young midshipman, and always had a good word for us blue-jackets; and as for Ned, well, we was like brothers, and there’s no need to say more.