Chapter VI

The wound in Bangs' neck, which had been made by a boarding pike, was not deep, but still it was an ugly cut, and if, as he himself expressed it, he had not been bull-necked, it would have gone hard with him.

"Captain, my boy," said he, when the surgeon had finished dressing his wound, "I'm pretty well patched up now, and feel as good as new, except a little stiffness, but I'm very thankful I have such a strong bundle of muscles, or some of the arteries would have been in danger. Come, and get mended yourself now, and I will hold the light."

A calm had fallen on the sea, which rendered all work unnecessary at present, and the cabin, which was again used as a cockpit, was filled with poor fellows waiting to have their wounds dressed. When it came to my turn I took off my clothes and seated myself on a tub. The pistol bullet which had struck me, was sticking in the fleshy part of my left shoulder, just below the skin, and made a small protuberance resembling a sloe in form and colour. The collar bone which it had first struck, but glanced off from, to bury itself in the muscles of the arm, was somewhat injured, and my breast was not a little bruised. The opening in the skin, caused by the bullet, was so small that one could hardly introduce a pea into it, and scarcely any blood flowed therefrom.

"It is a very simple thing, sir," said the surgeon, as he introduced a small probe into the wound; putting a finger on each side of the ball, he pressed them together, causing it to fly out.

"It is a lucky thing, captain," said Bangs, "that your collar bone can bear something, as well as my neck, but this bruise on your breast is of more consequence; you must go to bed, and take care of yourself."

But there was no bed on which I could lie down. The cabin was filled with the wounded, and the surgeon had plenty of work before him, for out of our little crew of forty-two men, nine were killed and eleven wounded. Accordingly I had a tent erected on deck, in which I and my friends determined to take up our quarters for the night. It was now eight o'clock. I could only remain in the tent until I saw my friends provided for, for my presence was constantly required to direct the repairing of the injuries we had sustained. The greatest part of our rigging was shot away, and the tired sailors were busy in mending it as well as they were able. Our mainmast was much injured near the deck, and we were obliged as well as circumstances would permit, to steady it with wooden props. Our foremast had fortunately come off with a whole skin, but we had received thirteen shots in our hull, three of them between wind and water.

When all was done that skill and the most determined perseverance could do, I returned to our tent. Not far from it, near the stern of the vessel, sat Wagtail, preparing our supper with the help of the cook. This meal, as you may imagine, was uncommonly simple--salt beef, biscuits and cold grog, but I doubt if any of us before or since, ever partook of a meal with such an appetite as we did then. The beef disappeared as if by magic; the bones were polished off until they were as white as ivory, whilst the rum sank in the flask like the quicksilver in a barometer, on the approach of a hurricane.

"Holloa captain," cried Bangs, when he had stopped to take breath, "how do you feel, my boy?"

"Well, not as easy as I could wish for; this day has been a day of fearful responsibility to me."

"Just so," replied he, "I shall sleep with a heavy heart myself, for though I am no butcher by profession, I have this day shed the blood of more than one fellow creature; it is a dreadful reflection, and what was it all for, captain? You meet a large vessel in the night, and sing out 'heave to.' The large vessel says 'I won't.' You say 'You shall.' The large vessel replies 'I'll be damned if I do.' And immediately you take measures to make the large vessel heave to, and thereby some five hundred human beings, who a few hours ago were in possession of life and health, are now food for fishes."

I felt hurt. "I had not expected this from you, sir, and----"

"Hush!" said he, "I do not blame you. You have done right; but why will not the government at home take some decisive measures to put an end to this horrible traffic, and so prevent scenes like this from occurring?"

We spoke for some time on this subject, and my friends grew so warm that many bitter speeches were made, and the conversation became unpleasant.

"Well, gentlemen," said I at last, "I don't know how you feel, but I am completely knocked up; fortunately it is now calm, and I think we shall sleep well, and so, good night."

We went to bed, and the sun was already some distance above the horizon when we awoke on the next morning. It had been perfectly calm during the night, and we found ourselves still so near the scene of the preceding day's combat, that several corpses were swimming around the vessel. As I went forward I was not a little alarmed to see the number of black faces that were there.

"Master Tailtackle, how many of these poor creatures have we on board?"

"Fifty-nine in the hold, sir, and thirty-five on deck."

At this moment Bangs walked out of the tent and approached the spot where I stood. Hardly was he perceived by the blacks, when the cry of "Shiek Cowloo," rent the air. Bangs was greatly startled at this unexpected salute, for he had forgotten his heroic deeds of yesterday, and did not know what to attribute it to; at last the cause of it seemed to strike him, for he rushed back to the tent with a roar of laughter. I went down into the cabin and sat down to breakfast with Gelid and Wagtail. Suddenly we heard Bangs cry out, "Pegtop! come here, Pegtop--do you hear? Help me to tie my cravat--that's right. Now I will go on deck."

Here Pearl, the black quarter-master, was impatiently waiting for him.

"Well Pearl, my boy, what is the matter?" and then before Pearl could reply, "I say, Pearl, go to the other end of the vessel and tell your black friends that it was all a humbug--that I am neither the Sultan Cowloo, nor have a feather as big as a palm leaf on my back, of which I can easily satisfy them if they wish it."

"Oh, sir," said Pearl, bowing, "I think the less we say about that the better, because we have not half enough fetters for the savages, and if they were undeceived, they could easily rise, as our crew are much diminished, and murder the whole of us."

"The devil!" muttered Aaron; "well then go and tell them that I am a bigger ostrich than ever, and that I will very soon astonish them; they may take my word for it."

"Pegtop, you rascal," continued he, "come here. I say, Pegtop, bring me my uniform--that's right--now my sword--never mind the pantaloons, I want them to see that it's all fudge about the feather--now my hat--that's right--now go before me, and fan me with the lid of that box of herrings."

Pegtop did as he was bid, and Bangs followed him, affecting the most majestic walk and gravest look. But hardly had he left the tent, when the blacks again set up a wild cry, and those who were not chained, flocked around him, dancing and shouting, and whilst some of them rubbed their flat noses and wooly heads against him, others seized hold of his clothes, so that after several vain attempts to shake them off, he took to his heels and fled back to the tent, amid the laughter of the whole crew. Bangs laughed louder than any of them.

"I say, captain," said he, lying down on the deck and looking through the window into the cabin where we were just beginning to breakfast, "how the deuce am I to get down there? If I stir outside of the tent, these black barbarians swarm round me. Ah! I see----"

Without further reflection, he put his legs through the small hatchway which was directly over the breakfast table, in order to get into the cabin in that way, but unluckily he trod in a bowl of broth, with which Wagtail used always to begin his breakfast. The broth happening to be broiling hot, he jerked his foot out of it, striking Gelid in the face as he did so.

"Oh! oh!" cried Paul, whilst Wagtail threw himself on the sofa, and roared with laughter. But the next moment Bangs gave another kick, and this time Pepperpot got a sound blow on the side of the head, whilst down came the great ostrich, clattering among cups and dishes, and making an awful havoc amongst them. After indulging in peals of laughter for a while longer, we collected the fragments of our breakfast, and ate it with undiminished appetites.

About this time a light breeze sprang up, and we crept slowly forward to the place of our destination.