“I hope not. Indeed, I shall be very much surprised if they show up again.”
“Ah, that is excellent. Our young lady here does not thrive on excitement, especially of the murderous variety. She is on the verge of a high fever.”
“Then she can calm down now; there will be no more fighting to-day,” said Courtenay, with a smiling glance at Elsie which told her quite plainly that Christobal did not really know what he was talking about. Which goes to prove that even a prudent man may say mistaken things, with both his tongue and his eyes.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE FIRST WATCH
On his way back to the deck, the captain encountered Suarez. The man’s gestures, and the satisfaction which lit up his wrinkled face, would have told the news he wished to convey if Courtenay were not able to catch the words “Indianos” and “van.” In his excitement the Spaniard pulled the Englishman towards one of the peep-holes in the canvas screen. Sure enough, the canoes were making off towards Otter Creek. In the marvelously clear light it was easy to see the threatening arms held out towards the ship by a few men who stood upright. Even their raucous cries were yet audible. Courtenay was glad he had not missed this demonstration of hatred. It argued the necessity of continued watchfulness.
The general attitude of the crew was one of real annoyance that the fight had not been carried on at close quarters. They had heard a good deal of noise and yelling, the starboard squad had experienced the thrill of having a man fall dead in their midst, but, with the exception of Tollemache and the Chilean marksman, the main body of the defenders took no part in the fray and saw but little of it. And it is one of human nature’s queer proclivities that it seeks rather than shirks a combat when the loins are girt for the smiting.
Walker, though eager to return to his lathe, was no exception to the rule. He looked a trifle discontented when the captain found him unscrewing the engine-room hatch.
“That was a pwetty poo-aw scwap, sir,” said he. “I did expect to have a smack at some of those magpies, if only for the sake of washin’ the paint an’ feath-ahs off ’em with a jet of steam.”
“They came quite near enough to be pleasant, Walker. Their flank march was almost a surprise; if a swarm of vicious savages had succeeded in reaching the decks—well, we might have beaten them off, but it would have been touch and go.”
“Mebbe you-aw wight, cap’n. ‘Best look at a bull ov-ah a fence,’ as they say in the Canny Toon. Eh, but I’ll have a fine tale to tell when next I meet my butties on the Quay-side. Did ye ev-ah see such faces as yon, all daubed wi’ black an’ white! Talk about Chirgwin—”