“They’ve caved in at once, skipper,” said Briscoe laughingly. “Look here, you’d better have a court-martial and sentence them to give each other a round dozen with a rope’s-end upon the bare back.”
“Look, look!” shouted Brace, springing to his feet and shading his eyes, before snatching up a rifle, an example immediately followed by the rest, for there in the distance appeared the whole of the six deserters running hard in a knot, and dodging in and out among the trees as they made for the shore, while in full pursuit there was about double their number of savages apparently armed with bows and arrows, of which they made use by stopping from time to time to send a shaft in pursuit of the fugitives.
“Shall we land and go to their help?” said Brace.
“I don’t think we need,” said Sir Humphrey. “They seem to be holding their own in running, and I suppose now, captain, you’ll have no objection to them on board?”
“Not a doubt of it, sir,” said the captain drily.
“Here, Lynton, haul that boat alongside. We shall want them now, Mr Brace.”
“Of course,” replied the young adventurer.
“But you haven’t looked down the river, sir.”
“What at?” said Brace, staring; and then, panting with his excitement: “I say, there are four large canoes coming up.”
“That’s right, sir,” said the captain gravely. “Now look the other way. See that?”