“Don’t shoot!” I bawled, as the report rang out. “Don’t shoot! can’t you see us? Give us the cutlasses, quick.”
Bill reached for the rack where they hung, and was about to take one, when a form swung out of the darkness, heaving some heavy weapon overhead. There was no time to explain matters, so I sprang upon the fellow and grasped him firmly before the blow fell upon Bill’s head, and together we went to the deck.
Instantly I recognized Jorg, the carpenter, as his axe fell clattering across the cabin, and the rascal gripped my throat with both hands. Before I could disengage his hands, two more bodies fell over me, scrambling, cursing, and struggling. A foot--I think it was Bill’s--gave Jorg a kick under the ear, and he slackened his hold on my throat.
“What the mischief are you doing?” I gasped. “Can’t you see we ain’t niggers? What’s the matter with you?”
Just then a lantern flashed, as the cabin door was thrown open, and Mr. Gull stood before us, pike in hand, ready for business. He seemed to hesitate a moment, and looked inquiringly at me and then at Bill, who had Curtis under him on the cabin deck, calling upon him to let him get away, and trying to disengage the Englishman’s hands, that had fastened themselves firmly around his neck. The noise overhead continued, and the rapid trampling of men and shuffling of feet told of a fierce encounter. Hawkson’s hoarse cry could be distinguished cheering the men on about him, and Martin’s wild yells and curses upon the ship, the crew, and everything about her. It was evident something worse than a rising of the blacks was taking place, and I hurriedly asked the second mate what had happened. He saw the manacles upon my wrists, where they still hung, and this showed him I had been a captive very recently. Then we knew the after-guard had taken no prisoners and would never give quarter.
“Put on in my sleep,” I said, quickly. “Bill and I both were ironed. Give us the weapons and let us help.”
“I believe you, Heywood. Take a cutlass and come along. The devil is loose to-night aboard here,” he said, and he grabbed Curtis’s hands at the same instant.
“Let him go,” he said to Curtis. “Let him go and get up. They’re all right.”
It was several moments before the Englishman realized what was wanted, and kept calling for Gull to run Bill through with his pike.
I grabbed a cutlass from the arm-rack just as Jorg sat up, dazed and dizzy. He evidently expected me to cut him down, and was much astonished when I helped raise him and handed him his axe.