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The Rajah of Dah, a fiction by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 25. A Determined Pursuit |
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_ CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE. A DETERMINED PURSUIT "Lost!" said Murray, bitterly. "No," replied Mr Braine, quietly; "they have to take us yet." "Hist!" whispered Hamet, and parting the overhanging boughs, he forced the boat in till, as far as they could tell, they were hidden--a branch acting as anchor--and they listened to the water rippling by them, and the beat, beat, of the oars. Sound travels so rapidly over smooth water, that it was long before the fugitives could feel that the boat was close at hand. Then, on it sped nearer, and above the sound of the oars came that of voices in low, angry discussion. Two of the leaders were evidently disputing, and their words were plain to three at least on board. Abreast now, and becoming then just visible through the drooping boughs, and as Ned and Frank sat together, hand clasped in hand, the unspoken question was: "Will any of the keen eyes on board see us." "Our escape cut off this way," thought Ned, the next moment; and then he placed his lips close to Frank's ear and whispered, for the boy had suddenly given his hand a quick pressure. "What did they say?" "It was the Muntrie," whispered Frank in the same way. "Says there is no boat missing, and that we can't be on the river. The only boat out is the one up by, where we are in prison." "Hist!" came from Hamet, and instead of the sound of oars growing fainter, they waxed loud. The boat had been turned, and swept by them again down stream, the search being deemed useless. Ten minutes after, when the beat of oars had died away, the boat was thrust out again, and all joined now in sending her up stream with a quiet steady stroke, which was kept to for a couple of hours; and then all at once the river mist began to be flushed with opal tints, the haggard faces of the occupants of the boat grew plain, and marks of blood were detected and rapidly washed away. The bright sunshine and some refreshment sent a gleam of hopefulness into every breast, and the men rowed on with renewed energy. They were all together now, and if they could manage to sustain life for a few days, they would be able either to reach the campong of the neighbouring rajah, and throw themselves on his mercy, or, after hiding, drop down the river some dark night. As the sun rose higher, their exertions began to tell; the strokes given by Frank and Ned grew more feeble, and a suitable place being found, the boat was run in under shelter among the overhanging boughs, and an hour's rest taken. Then once more forward, in spite of the heat, till well on in the afternoon, when, as Frank and Ned were again resting, and the boat was slowly making way against the stream, Ned spoke, for the first time for quite an hour. "I suppose we've passed the place where they took us." "Eh?" cried Frank, starting. "I don't know. I forgot that. I say, Hamet, hadn't we better go on the other side of the river?" He had hardly uttered the words, when a spear flew from among the bushes not many yards away, and stuck in the bottom of the boat close to where Hamet was seated. Mr Braine snatched his revolver from his waist and fired in the direction of the enemy, who replied with a couple more spears, both of which fell short, dropping into the water with a light splash, for Hamet had made a tremendous sweep with his oar, and sent the boat's head round toward the farther shore, so that in a minute or two they were out of danger. "I will not fire again," Mr Braine said; "not that it much matters, for these men will warn any boat which follows that we have gone by." At last the heat began to be less oppressive, and better progress was made. The party were divided into two crews, one of which rested while the other pulled, the four ladies insisting all through the night in taking an oar, so that as the sun rose next morning, they had reached the spot where the party had made their first exploring trip--the open park-like tract beyond the jungle, with a view of the hill-country in the distance. "Why not halt here for a few hours!" the doctor said. "It is impossible for us to go on without getting food, and to stop at any village means danger." His propositions were acceded to, and the boat run into a nook, where it was hidden from any one passing along the river; and the possibility and risk of shooting something to supplement their supplies were being discussed, when once more Hamet raised his hand. There it was again, the faint beat of oars a long distance off, but plainly indicating pursuit; and with the knowledge that the enemy on the bank would tell of their passing, it was decided to land at once and strike for the hills. The mist would hide them for the time, and if their boat was not discovered, it would still be available after the danger had passed. Very few minutes had elapsed before they were all ashore, and once more taking the way through the park-like country, Frank acting as guide, and taking care to keep his party well hidden from the river; an easy enough task, as the open glades were well furnished with clumps of trees, each of which acted as a screen from any one who might be in pursuit. Of this, however, as the hours passed, there seemed no sign, and place after place was recognised in passing. The morning was glorious, and to the great satisfaction of all, game was seen to be sufficiently plentiful to set famine at defiance. But, of course, no shot was fired, the efforts of all being devoted to reaching the hills, where the first halt would be made for rest and food. The comparative coolness of the air as they ascended, the lovely scenery of the higher ground, and the feeling of hopefulness that danger was escaped, at all events for the present, made the long tramp pleasant; and the ladies laughingly disclaimed all feelings of fatigue, when Mr Braine called a halt beneath a huge tree high up on the slope they had ascended, and from which they had their first glimpse of the river they had left. They had just seated themselves about the baskets, and were laughingly sharing out the shrunken remains of the provisions hastily gathered, when the doctor said, "How long do you think it will be before the Rajah gives up the pursuit?" when Tim, who had been getting his breakfast ready, as he merrily whispered to the boys, and withdrawn to take it in smoke some distance apart, suddenly jogged his master's elbow. "What is it, Tim? Oh yes; you are not forgotten. This is our--" "Sure, we're none of us forgotten," whispered Tim, pointing. And there, to the horror of the party, in a bend of the river, and apparently close to the spot where they had landed, lay two large prahus in the broad sunshine. Every eye was fixed upon them as they glided straight in their direction along one of the bends of the winding river. "Well, he means to capture us," said Mr Braine, quietly, as the prahus disappeared behind the trees; "but he will have to land his men, and even if they came on at once, it must be hours before they reached here. So breakfast, dinner, or whatever it is, and then another start." The sight of the prahus did not act as an appetiser, but the meal was eaten, great care being exercised that no traces of their stay were scattered about, and then once more the word was "Forward!" and the tramp for safety recommenced in silence. As they went on, Frank pointed to where Murray had shot his various specimens and found the pieces of tin ore; and they went on higher till a comparatively open spot was reached before crossing, where, as they were now so high, Frank stopped to reconnoitre, gazing down with shaded eyes into the plain and along the park-like slope they had ascended. "I can't see any sign of the prahus, Frank," said Ned. "There's nothing on the river. Oh!" "What's the matter?" "Something flashed half a mile away there. Look down to the left of that great tree. That's the one where we stopped to eat." "Spears. I see," whispered Frank. "Here, Hamet." The man stepped to his side. "Look!" Hamet crept forward and peered between the leaves of a bush, and gazed down for some moments in silence. Then turning, he said calmly: "Thirteen of the rajah's men. They are tracking us by the marks we have left, and will overtake us in less than an hour." This was spoken in broken English, but no speech was ever more impressive to the hearers, and the gentlemen pressed together, while the ladies listened as if to their fate. "Well," said Mr Braine, hoarsely. "You see. What do you say? Surrender or fight?" "Fight," said Murray, after exchanging a glance with Amy; and the two boys uttered a faint "Hurrah!" _ |
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