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The Expedition of Captain Flick: A Story of Adventure

Chapter XXVI. The Battle of The Pool

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Chapter XXVI. The Battle of The Pool.

“Yes, this is war—the sport of kings and nations,
Who feign they wish to remedy abuses,
And ask God's blessing on those operations,
Which puts man's knowledge to the strangest uses;
But tho' the reason fits on all occasions,
The human brute lies 'neath those fine excuses:
That Berserk rage which calmer moods don't dream of,
Is but a necessary vent to let the steam off.”

Harry had no time to explain the reason of this sudden upset to Flick, for the negroes were already in pursuit, some swimming, others in canoes; and our men pulled hard for the yacht, so that we might gain the advantage. In a wonderfully short space of time, considering all things, Harry and Flick leaped on board, the boat was slung up to the davits, and the men, under the direction of Jenner, lined the bulwarks, to repel the attack which the negroes seemed bent on making. A crowd of canoes came rushing towards the boat, and the black heads of the swimmers bobbed like cocoanuts in the still water.

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“Fire that gun over their heads, Jenner,” cried Flick sharply. “It will give them a fright, and maybe stop the advance.”

The carronade was slewed round by a dozen eager hands, so that its muzzle faced the woods masking the temple staircase. A jet of flame leaped forth; the ball ploughed its way, crashing through the trees, and the concussion which followed vibrated like thunder in that echoing hollow. With yells of fear the negroes on the quay rushed up the staircase, and into the woods; those making for the yacht paused a hundred yards away, paralyzed with astonishment, and then rowed and swam swiftly for the shore. We were certain that, sooner or later, they would renew the attack; but in the mean time we had gained breathing time, and both Flick and myself turned to Harry for an explanation.

“Why,” said Harry, who was loading the empty barrels of his revolver, “it all comes from unconsciously carrying out your instructions, Flick.”

“What! does Basilea know?”

“She knows that I love Myrtea, and caught me kissing the girl. The old fury tore Myrtea from my arms, and called on the negro-guard to spear me. I killed two and wounded another, and in the astonishment caused by the deaths, I broke through the crowd and ran down the steps, as you saw.”

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“Hang her!” said Flick, referring to the high priestess. “I didn't think she'd have recourse to arms. I'm afraid we're in a tight place now, lads.”

“There's going to be a deuce of a row,” replied Harry, amiably. “You should have seen Basilea's face; it was like that of a fiend. Hear that gong roaring; she's calling all the warriors to the temple, and I've no doubt she means to have me dead or alive.”

“But Myrtea?”

“She's shut up in Bertha's room—at least, I saw the old hag push her in there. Oh, Myrtea is all right, so is Bertha. We shall have to gain our ends by fighting instead of in a peaceful manner. I'm not sorry.”

“Yonder goes Ixtael up to the temple,” said I, taking the glass from my eyes.

“He has, no doubt, gone to get instructions,” cried Flick. “Basilea is dead on fighting, and I'll bet we'll have a lively afternoon. It's lucky we have provisions for three days on board—that is, fresh meat and vegetables. There's any quantity of tinned stuff for the homeward voyage. We must stand a siege, then storm the temple, and get Miss Greenvile. Fortunately the mine is ready laid, and we can blow up the gates without much trouble.”

He spoke loudly, and the men heard him. page 295 Delighted at the chance of active work, and the near prospect of escaping from that perilous island, they gave a loud cheer, and we saw the black masses of negroes ashore shake to and fro, as though they feared the big gun was once more about to speak. I don't think the islanders liked the look of things by any means; I know we did not.

It was now about three o'clock in the afternoon, and there was light in the cup till close on seven. We had thus four horus of daylight in which to observe the behaviour of our enemies, and Flick gave orders that the search-light should be got ready for the night, so as to prevent the yacht being taken by surprise. We were in a dangerous position, prisoned in that ghastly pool, shut in by iron gates, and surrounded by enemies, yet the spirits of all on board were wonderfully bright and cheerful. Hitherto the expedition had been decidedly tame, but now that there was a prospect of hard fighting, the blood of every man rose to fever-heat. I and Harry knew that the two girls were safe, and that it only remained to storm the temple and rescue them; but Flick rather lamented that this war had broken out to interfere with his plans concerning the statue.

“I'm afraid I shan't get it, after all!” he declared resentfully; “it will be quite impossible to lug that mass of marble down the staircase in the teeth of page 296 thousands of islanders. I expect the whole population of Isk will flock hither to defend their temple, and exterminate us.”

“Well, Flick,” said I, consolingly, “if we rescue those two girls, we shall have achieved the principal object of our journey. You know I don't hold with your stealing the statue.”

“Bah! I have no scruples of conscience. I intend to get that statue somehow; if needs be, at the point of the sword. Who would have thought Basilea would have cut up so rough? I've no doubt she means to resort to force.”

“Perhaps not!” cried Harry, quickly. “Yonder comes Ixtael with a white flag. Perhaps she's going to forgive me killing those guards on condition that I marry her. I'll see her hanged before I do so.”

“In that case we may as well get ready for the fray,” said I, calmly.

Ixtael came down the staircase, attended by a formidable guard. I could see Basilea on the terrace, speaking a few words to him, and pointing to our ship, also to the volcano. It was easy to see that she was invoking the wrath of the goddess. The chief with five men got into a canoe, and pulled towards our boat, but he did not come on board. No doubt the noise of the cannon had frightened him, and he was doubtful of his reception. At all page 297 events, he stayed the canoe at speaking distance, and made a concise little speech, which it was easy to guess had emanated from the keen brain of Basilea.

“Thus says the holy priestess of the goddess, and Hesperus the fair, the undying,” shouted Ixtael in his barbaric lingo: “give up the fair-haired stranger, that he may be dealt with by the goddess whom he has insulted. If you yield him not at once we will fall upon you in our might, and utterly destroy you.”

“And if we give up Fairhair, what then?” roared Flick.

“You and Darkhair will be slain; your companions will be sent to work in the mines, and your great ship will be given by the holy goddess to the king.”

“Hang her impudence!” muttered Harry, fingering his revolver. “I'd like to drop that man.”

“No, no! he is under a flag of truce,” returned Flick; then added aloud, “Go back to the priestess Basilea, and say that Fairhair will not be given up, nor will we be destroyed. If she does not send the English maiden and Myrtea on board at once, we will blot out Isk, and ruin your nation.”

Ixtael shouted tauntingly, and turning his canoe made for the quay. We saw him ascend the staircase and speak to Basilea; we saw her raise her arms again towards the volcano and speak with angry gestures. Then the negroes on the terrace rushed page 298 down to join those already on the quay, and a horrible shriek of rage and anger went up from the crowd.

“War! war!” they yelled. “Let us slay these dogs!”

“Here they come!” cried Harry, whipping out his revolver. “Now for it.”

The roaring of the temple gong had brought crowds of warriors from Awazil. These were armed with spears, shields, and clubs, all of the most primitive description. It seemed cruel to oppose guns and revolvers to such old-time weapons; but as our lives were at stake, we had no resource but to repel them by all the means in our power. Once they got possession of the yacht, and I trembled to think of the fate that might be ours. Judging from their scowling faces, the islanders knew no mercy.

News of the trouble had evidently been sent to the king, for we saw the white dresses of himself and his escort appear on the ridge. He reached the temple by another way, and stayed on the terrace with Basilea, watching the fight. Evidently his person was too sacred to be risked in battle, for Ixtael was the general leading the attack. It began almost at once.

Canoes shot out from all parts of the quays filled page 299 with negroes, shouting hoarsely, and brandishing their short stabbing spears. I am sure in their own hearts they were greatly afraid of our guns; but, sustained by wrath and fanaticism, they came on to the attack at a good pace. In the expectation that we might negotiate the chasm that day as far as the iron gates, Flick had ordered the engineers to fire up, and when he saw the flotilla of canoes, surging closely packed towards the ship, he set the screws going. The Carmen swept round in a circle, and bore down heavily among the boats, upsetting them in all directions. The negroes took to the water like ducks, and swam round and round in the white froth of the screws, trying to clamber on board. Luckily, the movement of the yacht prevented their doing so.

Seeing these tactics, Flick steered the boat across the pool, towards the precipitous black cliffs which frowned opposite the town. Here there was no foothold, and we could fight like a man with his back to the wall, as by getting closely under the rocks, up to which there was deep water, our foes could not take us in the rear. The negroes yelled again as the yacht retreated, and followed both by rowing and swimming. When they came close enough, Flick fired the cannon, and a red lane was cut through the mass of boats and men. Nothing daunted, they still continued to advance, and then page 300 the men opened fire with their rifles, picking off man after man, and tumbling them into the water.

The temple stairs and terraces were crowded with women, the quays with men, and boat after boat, crowded with warriors in scarlet tunics and black cloaks, came racing towards the yacht, till I thought there could not be a craft left in Awazil. By this time our blood was up, and we kept up a steady fire. The carronade spouted out red flame and grapeshot, making tremendous havoc among the closely-packed boats. Ixtael saw this, and shouted out his orders, so that in a few minutes the mass opened out, and the yacht was almost surrounded by scattered canoes. It was harder to pick off the men now, but we had the cliffs at our back, and could prevent the enemy taking us in the rear. The cracking of the rifles went on almost incessantly for two hours, and we managed to prevent the negroes boarding the ship. The water was strewn with wreckage, and a veil of smoke hung in the hollow, like that on the peak of the mountain.

Near at hand was the scarlet ship at her anchorage, and Ixtael sent a crowd of men on board this, hoping to bring the craft near enough to board us. Her decks were nearly level with our own, and if she came alongside the struggle would be a hand-to-hand one. Flick saw the danger, and when the red page break
Harry rarely struck or fired without bringing down his man. Page 105.

Harry rarely struck or fired without bringing down his man.
Page 105.

page break page 301 ship began to crawl towards the yacht, he fired the carronade at a mark below her water-line. The shot tore a hole in her side, and she heeled over slowly, with a black mass of shrieking humanity clinging to her red timbers. Still they strove to row towards us, whereat Flick, ignoring the inhumanity of such proceeding, put the yacht straight at their craft full steam ahead. With a horrid crashing sound the Carmen's bows met the red ship broadside; and being but lightly put together for the purposes of transportation, the pride of Isk crumbled up like paper, and sank in a spinning whirlpool of her own making. The Carmen steamed over the spot, where the red ship had floated a moment or two before. It was a cruel step, but necessary, and struck terror into the hearts of the negroes. We were punished for it, however, for as the red boat heeled over and went down, crowds of negroes leaped on to our decks. Those in the boats raised a yell when they saw this, and pressed up closely in their canoes so as to board the yacht. Half of us had to take to cutlasses, while the rest fired steadily at the mass seething round in the water below. Harry, with a sword in one hand and a revolver in the other, went to work systematically, and rarely struck of fired without bringing down his man. We were confronted by a crowd of savage black devils, and with their page 302 spears and clubs they rushed recklessly on to the attack.

Again the screws were set going, and the yacht swung over the boats, smashing them up right and left. With Harry by my side, we drove back the negroes step by step to the bulwarks. The men used their rifles as clubs, and cleared the decks on all sides. Harry got a nasty stab in the arm, and more than one of our men fell wounded on the deck. But, what with the veil of smoke, the motion of the vessel rolling over the boats, and the excitement, I could not see what was going on. We fought inch by inch, and at last I found myself standing alone by the bulwarks, with the boat steaming towards the gap of the chasm. In the distance a wreck of boats and bodies showed where the fight had been.

“They've fled!” cried Flick, coming forward, grimy and savage. “I don't think they'll tackle us again to-night. We've lost three men.”

“Thank God it's no worse!” I gasped; “and thank God the darkness is coming on!”