Bad Spanish or not, however, the poor fellow understood me.

"Gracias a Dios!" he said, his wild eyes brightening with a gleam of intelligence, as Mr Jellaby and Bill Bates, having unloosed him from the ropes by which he was seized up to the rigging, brought him across the deck to the doctor, who at once put a small quant.i.ty of brandy between his lips. "Habran llegado a tiempo."

"What is that, eh?"

"'Thanks be to G.o.d,'" I replied, translating what he had said. "'You've just come in time.'"

"He never made a truer statement," observed the doctor, significantly, as he plied him gently from time to time with the spirit, keeping his hand on his pulse the while. "In another half-hour he would have been a dead man; for, his circulation is down to nothing!"

Presently, the effects of the brandy told upon the poor fellow and he sprang suddenly to his feet by a sort of spasmodic effort, knocking Corporal Macan backwards into the water which was washing about the deck around us as he stood up.

"Ah los marineros cobardes!" he cried. "Vamos printo, hascia abajo!"

"Hullo, Vernon," said Mr Jellaby. "What's he talking about now, eh?"

"I believe he's referring to the crew who deserted the ship and left him behind to his fate, sir," I answered, "for he has spoken of the 'cowardly sailors,' as he calls them. I think they must have been curs, sir, to have left him to die tied up like that, sir!"

"Anything else, eh?"

"He also says, 'be quick and look below.' I suppose he means for us to examine the vessel's hold."

"Si si--yes, yes," exclaimed the rescued man as I said this, seeming to understand what I suggested. "Abajo--abajo--go below! go below!"

He nodded his head also as he spoke, looking towards the after part of the wreck and pointing downwards with his finger; while a shudder of horror pa.s.sed over his corpse-like face, the dark hair surrounding which made it look all the paler.

"By Jove, I think there is something in what you say, my boy," cried the lieutenant, moving away at once in the direction indicated as quickly as he could, telling the c.o.xswain to follow him. "I ought to have overhauled the cabin before. The sea is getting up again, I notice; and, we'll soon have to shove off from here if we wish to get back to our own ship again!"

The moment the Spaniard saw Mr Jellaby start off on this mission, he drew a deep breath of satisfaction.

"Buena, buena--good, good!" he murmured softly, as if talking to himself. "Soy muy mal--I feel very ill!"

He then threw up his arms and dropped down as if he had been shot, Corporal Macan just catching him in time, crying out in a loud tone as he fell, louder indeed than he had yet spoken, as if giving a peremptory order--

"Fonde el ancla!"

"Begorrah, I can't say to his ankles!" said the Irishman, not understanding of course what he said, and mistaking the sound of the words. "Till him they're all right, sor. Faix it's all I can do to hould his arms, let alone his legs, sure!"

"Nonsense, Macan," I cried, not able to keep from laughing. "He didn't say anything about his ankles, or legs either."

"Thin, what did he say, sor, if ye'll excuse me for axin?"

"'Fonde el ancla,'" I replied, "means, you donkey, to 'let go the anchor!'"

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

MUTINY OR MURDER?

"Poor fellow!" said Dr Nettleby, on my thus translating the Spaniard's exclamation for Corporal Macan's benefit. "I'm afraid he has dropped his anchor in real earnest."

"Oh, doctor," I cried, "you don't mean that he is dead?"

"Not quite yet, but pretty nearly so," he replied, feeling the man's pulse again and then putting his hand to his heart. "I do wish Jellaby would come out of that cabin; for, I should like to take our patient to the ship at once and put him under treatment without further delay as he's in a very bad way. I can't think what's keeping the lieutenant so long!"

"Shall I go and see, sir?"

"I wish you would, my boy. Really, I don't like the look of the weather at all!"

"Faix, sor, naythor does I, sure," I heard the corporal say as I turned to go in search of Mr Jellaby, who having made his way to the after part of the vessel, with the c.o.xswain, had been out of our sight now for some time. "It'll be blowin' great guns in a brace of shakes, or I'm a Dutchman, for the say is gettin' purty rough already, an', begorrah, it's wishin' I wor safe aboord the ould _Candahar_ agen, I am; ay, an'

alongside ov the cook's galley sure!"

I could not catch what the doctor said in reply to this, being too much occupied in looking after my own safety while trying to pick my steps towards the stern; for there was a lot of loose dunnage washing backwards and forwards as the hulk rolled sluggishly from side to side and tons of water continually came in as the waves broke over her, causing me to keep my weather eye open and clutch hold of every stray rope I could grip that was secured in any way to prevent me from going overboard. The noise of the wind and sea and creaking and groaning of the poor ship's timbers, too, was something awful.

When I succeeded at last on getting aft, I found the entrance to the cabin from the deck was blocked by the wreck of the mizzenmast.

By means of this, I climbed up on to the p.o.o.p, the proper ladder belonging to which had also been smashed by the fall of the spars from aloft, as well as the covering of the b.o.o.by hatch and skylight; a yawning chasm of splintered gla.s.s and broken framework only now representing the latter structure, while the former had disappeared entirely.

The companion way, however, seemed still firm enough, although nearly filled up with fragments of wood and odds-and-ends of all sorts, besides being about a foot or so of water over all at the bottom of the stairway; and, I was just on the point of adventuring down in my quest of the lieutenant, when the latter emerged from the pa.s.sage that led into the cabin or saloon below, followed by Bill Bates.

Mr Jellaby's face was as pale as that of the man we had rescued.

So was the c.o.xswain's; and both seemed to start on seeing me as if I had been a ghost.

"Good heavens, my boy!" exclaimed the lieutenant. "How did you get here?"

"The doctor sent me, sir," I answered glibly. "He was getting anxious about you and thought something had happened."

"By Jove, you gave me quite a turn after coming out of that infernal den there!" he said with a shudder, pointing over his shoulder. "I never saw such a sight in my life. Did you, Bates?"

"No, sir," replied the c.o.xswain. "I hopes to G.o.d, sir, I never shall again, sir!"

"What is it, sir?" I asked, all my curiosity aroused. "May I come down and see the place, sir?"

"No, Vernon, it's not fit for a boy like you to look at such a horrible sight. Why, it would haunt your memory for months, as I'm sure it will mine!"

So saying, he began to mount the companion way towards me slowly, but had hardly ascended a couple of steps when he came to a halt, looking up for a moment as if undecided in his mind.

"Stay; I think you may come down, youngster, after all," he said at length. "Perhaps it might be as well that you should see with your own eyes what Bates and I have seen; for, then you will serve as an additional witness in the event of there being any future inquiry. I hope you have a good strong stomach, my boy, and are not squeamish?"

"Oh, no, sir," I rejoined as I followed him down the steps again to the gangway below, "I'm not squeamish."

"Well, then," he cried, throwing open the opposite door which gave entrance to the cabin directly under the broken skylight, "look in there!"

It was fortunate that I had a steady nerve and was not easily frightened, for the sight that met my gaze would have startled most grown-up persons, let alone one of my age!

The place was in as great confusion as the open deck above, the sea having worked its ravages here as well as there and littered it with lumber of every description, which the water that had likewise gained admittance was washing about the floor, in company with the overturned tables and chairs.

Broken plates and dishes were mixed up with stray articles of clothing; while books and empty bottles, which, strangely whole, bobbed up and down amidst the general ruin, floated in and out between the heavier dunnage.