“You had better take a book and read, Miss Alice, and dat pass your time till de captain return.” Alice found it almost impossible to keep her eyes on the page. Presently she heard some loud shouts and cries, and the stamping of feet, and pistol-shots.
That there was fighting going forward on deck she felt sure, but she dared not go up to ascertain. The noise increased—there was more firing—then Nub rushed into the cabin.
“Oh, what has happened?” she asked.
“I come to take care of you, Miss Alice,” he answered. “De prisoners and de bad men who mutiny before try to take de ship from de surgeon and us, and dey are now fighting; and Mr Lawrie told me to come to take care of you.”
“Oh, thank you, Nub. How I wish my father was on board, to help poor Mr Lawrie. What will he do?”
“He fight like brave Scotchman,” answered Nub; “and he soon make de mutineers ask pardon. Don’t be afraid, Miss Alice; de captain soon come, and all go right.”
Nub, however, was more sanguine than the state of the case warranted. Mr Lawrie, aided by the true men, had managed to drive the mutineers forward; but they were too numerous to allow him to hope for victory, unless the loyal part of the crew away in the boats should speedily return. For a short time all was again quiet; but the mutineers were merely gathering to make another rush aft. Several who had before been faithful joined them; and now again began to utter the most savage cries, this time shouting out, “Overboard with all who oppose us! Down with the officers! Death to our enemies!” They were already on the point of dashing aft to execute their threats; when thick smoke was seen ascending from the fore-hatchway, a bright flame shooting up directly afterwards in the midst of it.
“Fire! fire! fire!” shouted both parties of the crew.
“My lads, we must try and put it out, if we don’t want to be burned alive,” exclaimed the surgeon, addressing those about him. Then turning to the mutineers, he shouted out, “You men who are about to attack us,—if you have any sense left in you, I entreat you for your own sakes to assist in extinguishing the fire.”
“Ay, ay, sir,” cried the boatswain; and then addressing his own party, he exclaimed, “There’s sense in what the doctor says. Let’s put the fire out first, and settle our differences afterwards.”