"Do stop that abominable row," cried Panton, whom the weakness had made irritable. "You'll bring the n.i.g.g.e.rs straight to us."

"I sha'n't stop it," said Drew, coolly, and he repeated the call.

"There!" he cried triumphantly, "that was it, exactly."

"Pish!" said Panton.

"I told you so," said Drew, excitedly, as the murmur of the approaching Papuans came nearer, and at the same moment there was a rushing of wings, as half a dozen large birds perched in one of the trees and gave proof of the exact.i.tude of the botanist's imitation by answering loudly, as if to say, "Who was it called?"

Meanwhile Smith and Wriggs had run as hard as they could go for about a hundred and fifty yards, and then, once more moved by the same impulse, they pulled up short.

"Woa hoa! Woa ho a ho!" said Smith, in a deep, smothered voice.

"Avast below there," cried Wriggs, panting hard. "Stopped 'em at last, Billy," said Smith. "Ay, and mine too, Tommy; I never see such a cowardly pair o' legs afore, did you?"

"Yes, matey, mine's the worstest, for they begun it and started yourn.

Think on 'em, running away and taking us along with 'em, leaving one's officers in the lurch like that."

"Ay, 'nuff to make a man wish as they was wooden legs, Tommy, eh?"

"Or cork, messmet. But don't jaw, Billy. Let 'em have it. Make the beggars run as they never run afore. Come on back again."

The two men took hold of hands and ran back as hard as ever they could go to where Panton and Drew were standing, and as they came up the flock of Paradise birds flew off again, and the murmur of the Papuans' voices sounded very near.

"Then you thought better of it," said Panton, fiercely.

"Nay, sir, never thought at all," replied Smith, stolidly. "Did you ever see two pair of such legs as these here?" and he gave his thighs each a tremendous slap, Wriggs following his example.

"What do you mean?" said Panton, roughly.

"_Wawk, wawk, wawk, wawk, wawk_!" cried Drew, with his face turned to the forest.

"That we didn't, sir," said Smith, indignantly. "They took the bit in their teeth and bolted just like hosses, and run; there warn't no walk about it, or I wouldn't ha' minded it so much. But we pulled up as soon as we could, didn't we, Billy?"

"Ay, mate, that's so," growled Wriggs. "But hadn't we better stow under kiver? Them charcoal chaps is getting precious nigh."

"What! are you going to stop?" said Panton.

"Yes, sir, course we is," said Smith, in an ill-used way. "We couldn't help it if our legs warn't under control. You don't know, p'raps, but I do, and Billy Wriggs too, what trouble a man's legs'll get him in. Why, I've known Billy's legs take him ash.o.r.e to a public-house, and then they've got in such a nasty state o' what Mr Rimmer calls tossication, that they couldn't stand. Didn't they, Billy?"

"Ay, Tommy, they did, lad," growled Wriggs; "but speak the truth, messmate, and don't keep nought back. Yourn was just as bad."

"Wuss, Billy, ever so much, and I was quite ashamed to take 'em on board again. Oh, murder! Look-ye there!" Smith exclaimed, in a hoa.r.s.e whisper, and he dropped down flat.

"Legs again!" growled Wriggs, following his example, one that the others were not slow to adopt, for all at once the heads of several spears came into view, and hardly had the little party crept well under cover before there was a sudden burst of voices, and they could see the black faces of a crowd of Papuans advancing.

There was very little cover, and, to the horror of all, they saw and heard that the enemy had what the military would term flankers out, in shape of a couple of men at each end of their line; and while the main body kept along out in the open, the scouts at the right forced their way through the undergrowth and among the trees at the edge of the forest.

Those were crucial minutes, and both Panton and Drew felt that at any moment they might be seen, for two naked figures came nearer and nearer through the trees, till their white eyeb.a.l.l.s and glistening teeth could be seen plainly, and as Panton crouched there, with his piece convulsively clutched in his hands, he felt certain that one of the men saw him plainly, and was striding to get nearer, so as to be within reach for a deadly thrust with his spear.

On and on he came, glaring straight before him, holding his weapon carefully poised, and in utter ignorance of how near he was to death, for at the slightest gesture Panton would have drawn trigger and shot the savage in his track, a charge of bird shot at so short a distance being as effectual as a bullet.

"It will be an enemy the less," he thought, and at one instant he had determined upon firing and making sure before the man thrust at him with his spear.

Just then there was a faint crack as of a twig being sharply broken, and the savage turned quickly round to stand in an att.i.tude of attention, poised spear in one hand, bow and arrows in the other, ready to throw or strike as the need might be.

Panton and his companions lay and crouched there, breathlessly, all trembling with excitement, not with dread. For the same thought as now invaded Panton's breast came to Drew's--that it was Oliver Lane, attracted by the imitation of the bird's cry, making his way back into a horrible trap.

As if moved by the same muscles, two barrels rose slowly to a horizontal position, and fingers were upon triggers ready to press the mechanism and pour the deadly contents into the savage the moment he raised his hand to strike or took step forward to get a better aim.

Never was man nearer death, for all thought of the danger to self was non-existent. All the two young men had in their minds was that poor Oliver Lane must be saved, and, if guns had carried truly, the black would have fallen.

The shots would have brought the enemy upon them with a rush, but neither thought of that, and so they waited, watching the naked back of the savage, above which appeared his head, with the hair gummed and matted out to a tremendous size, somewhat resembling the cap of a grenadier officer, though looking larger in the forest gloom.

But no further token of another presence was heard, and after waiting, watchful and alert, for the next sound, the savage looked about keenly, and then turned, gave a sharp look round, and continued his course, seeming as if; with all his acuteness, the cracking stick had so taken off his attention that he completely overlooked the danger within a few yards of where he stood.

Just then there was a low call from the main body of the enemy, which the man answered, and the next minute he had, with his companions, pa.s.sed on out of sight, leaving the hidden party at liberty to breathe freely.

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX.

TOMMY SMITH AS A FORLORN HOPE.

"What an escape!" exclaimed Drew at last.

"Yes," said Panton, wiping the cold perspiration from his brow, "for him, too."

"But what next?" exclaimed Drew. "I'm thinking about poor Rimmer.

Can't one of us get round through the forest before them, and warn them on board the brig? It will be horrible for them to be surprised."

"You know we can't get through these trees," said Panton sadly, "and it would take a day if we could. But Rimmer won't be surprised."

"No, I hope not," said Drew. "We ought to have sent a man back to warn him."

"We meant to go ourselves, only we couldn't leave poor Lane in the lurch."

"No," said Drew, with a sigh. "Do you think it's safe yet to imitate the birds again?"

"No, I don't," said Panton, sharply. "You'll bring the enemy back upon us if you do that. Now, then, at all hazards we must go in search of him. I'm afraid he has broken down from the exertion."

"No, he hasn't," said a voice in a low tone, and to the intense delight of all, Lane raised his head from the ground, so that they could see his face all torn and bleeding, from its owner having had to force his way as he crawled through the dense creepers at the edge of the forest.

"Thank heaven!" cried Panton, and he let his head drop down upon his hands in his weakness produced by long suffering and over-exertion.

"Then you saw the savages?" said Drew, excitedly.

"Yes. I was creeping in this direction, to get a shot at some of the paradise birds which I heard calling, when I came suddenly upon a black, and in endeavouring to crawl silently away, a piece of wood snapped under my hand and made the man turn toward me. I had to be perfectly still for a long time before he went on. Are there any more?"