Chapter XXIII: The Test of the “dart-Sender”

There was now such a strain of holding the whole body at the tension of a strong spring, as would have been a pull on anybody’s nerves. Even those almost animal men felt it, and, had it been light, would have shown it in their looks.

The minutes went by. Little noises came now and then from the settlement,--the uplift of a man’s voice, as if in command, the wailing of a child, and the quick, sharp running together of several voices, which might stand for a party of men at night fishing, with something important struck. Notwithstanding the risks, there was some of this night fishing done, though always well in-shore, and with spears handy, and eyes roving about for danger. This noise soon died down, and there was silence except for the natural night sounds, but these were sufficient to fill the air with what might be called a background of blended noises.

At last the young moon got up in sight, and faintly brought out things around. The scouts could now push on their work, and it must be no great time before they were heard from. But after a number of minutes there was nothing, and the younger men began to stir uneasily, and to whisper around, and the older ones tried to go over mentally the time that they thought had passed, and to see whether it was really soon enough to worry. After a little considering and exchanging of opinions, they concluded not, and passed the word around.

It was not more than another five minutes when, above the other drone of noises, rose the hard, clacking cry of one of the night-flying swamp birds. A start, like a shiver, ran around. Never did men stand more rigidly still, and seem to listen with their whole bodies.

It came again, this time with a little subdued note at the end. There were relaxing and relieved breaths all around. There was a small noise of swishing bushes, and then, after a moment of silence, a low whistle. Stone-arm pushed away the bush-door, and answered the whistle. As he got his head clear where he could see, he made out two dusky figures. One was standing still, and the other moving obliquely toward the right, but as they caught the answering sound they both started quickly that way.

“We had lost you,” whispered Big-axe, as they came up. “Yes,” he went on, anticipating the question, “we have succeeded. We know what to do, and where to go. There is, though, something else to tell.”

He and Wing-foot came inside, and the others gathered close around.

“We shall not have to be very careful in talking,” Big-axe first remarked, “for there is nobody about. There are too many big and ugly things abroad for that. It was only by good luck that we didn’t run into something. But now for our news. The Fishers and the Islanders have doubled up, and they are both over there. We shall have to fight something like sixty or seventy.”

It is a great credit to the pluck of the Rock-men that they stood up stiffly as they heard this news. Though all were surprised, and though there may have been some wooden-feeling legs and sinking stomachs, not a man outwardly winced.

“Well, then,” said old Stone-arm, speaking first, “we shall have to make one big job of it, instead of two little ones. On the whole, I am not sorry.”

Nor did the others seem to be, judging from what they now said. Bull-head even said that he was glad, for it saved a long, hard journey, with unknown dangers on the way, and afterwards.

“Yes,” said Big-axe, “that is true, and as I have thought it over I have not been exactly sorry. Still--not to fool ourselves--we must make up our minds for some hot work. But you all want to know just how the thing stands, and what we found out. Listen, then.”

To shorten his account, getting rid of the questions and comments, this was the pith of it:

The camp, or settlement, now covered the whole of the little paddle-shaped tongue of land that the Fishers had originally settled on. The two companies were separate, the Islanders being on the point itself, and the Fishers nearer the shore, on the widest part of the tongue, though a few of their huts stood on the little isthmus itself. Across the shore end of the isthmus was a high barricade of the same kind of thorn bushes that the invaders themselves were using, only it was built higher and wider, and more substantial. In the middle was a hole, to serve as a gate, and this was just now stopped with a great stone. For a guess, it had taken the combined strength of several men to push this stone into its place. The scouts could not make out that there was any guard there, or thereabouts.

As for defences on the water-front, the thorn-wall, capped on a low one of stones, ran along both shores for nearly half the length of the tongue. Beyond that was nothing but a gravel beach, entirely undefended. The lack of defence here, however, was easily understood, for the defenders had not feared human foes (the only near tribe was the Rock-people, and they were small in numbers, and seemed rather to dread war than to desire it), and what wall they had answered well enough against the wild creatures. The great land monsters could swim, but had not shown themselves disposed to make a bold striking out where there was such a nest of what they probably considered noisy and puzzling, and perhaps dangerous creatures; and the sea monsters could not, from where the wall stopped, come very near the land proper. The beach cut them off. Thus the land creatures could not, without what they seemed to feel was a risk, get a snipping grab at the settlers, and the sea creatures could not get near enough to do harm, even though they had the courage.

The dwellings themselves, the scouts said, were all small huts, and made of boughs and palm stocks. The only difference between the Fishers’ huts and those of the Islanders was that the first were round, while the Islanders’ were a rough square. As for the estimate that Big-axe had given of the number of fighting men in both camps, it was based on what he had previously known, including what Sure-dart had formerly learned, and what they could both find out now. They could estimate pretty closely the number of huts, and this, put with the other information, formed what appeared to be a good basis for calculations. The total of sixty or seventy estimated included old men and boys, but only such as would be fairly effective in this kind of fight. With women and all, there might be a total of a hundred persons who could handle in some manner a weapon.

With regard to the boats, which were of the utmost importance in the invaders’ plans, the greater number of them had been located along the nearer, or west beach, the most being afloat, and secured by short painters to stakes near the water’s edge. They were all mere canoes, the largest being intended to hold but six men. The smallest were somewhat like the ancient British coracles, were covered with lizard skin, and would conveniently hold from two to four persons. Such skins were obtained from the great vegetable-feeding iguanodons, and were pretty tough and strong. The large canoes were dugouts.

This was the substance of the report. After all, with the important exception of the presence of the Islanders, it was not very different from what the hearers were expecting.

A brief council of war followed. The old plan was not now exactly workable, and they must hit on something in place of it. Clearly it would not do to make a direct front attack, trusting to the confusion and the deadliness of the arrows for success. For one thing, the barrier of thorns was in the way of a dash over the little isthmus, and though they could take to the water and swim around it, there would still be the other tremendous risk and difficulty,--they must openly face twice the force they had originally counted on. It was necessary, then, to drop this idea as no longer wise and sound. Something that promised less risk must be thought of.

Bull-head asked why it was not feasible to turn aside at the barrier, wade along till they reached the end of the stone wall, pass around it to the beach, and then make their charge.

Three or four others spoke up at this, and said that they were about to ask the same question.

“It may be the best plan,” answered Big-axe, after a little hesitation, “and I had likewise thought of it. At the same time, there are some serious objections. One is that if we do not break them, and they drive us, we are cut off from retreat. By the old plan we had the woods behind us, and could either make a better stand, or run. Then, too, we could probably have made more of a surprise of it, for we could have burst upon them suddenly; by the new plan we should be much longer exposed to discovery.”

“Then what shall we do?” said Bull-head, a little impatiently. “I don’t suppose we can drop down on them from the clouds, like a big beast-bird.”

Big-axe paid no attention to this little outburst, but after a slight pause quietly went on:

“I have a plan, which has only just now come clearly into my mind. I think we could get hold of their boats, and attack them from those. Then we could reach them, while they could not reach us. Such boats as we could not use we could scuttle.”

There was some general surprise, for nobody thus far had thought of anything like this, but after a moment first one and then another came out with approval. Even Bull-head joined in with his heavy, commending grunt.

“Then we will get about it,” said Big-axe. “The first part will take more care and patience than anything else, for it will be mainly to work along past the side-wall, and cast off the boats. We will do this casting off as nearly together as we can, so that we shall keep things quiet as long as possible. Those who get to the boats first will thus have to wait a little for the others. I will give my bird signal when I think it is time. We may have to pole the boats, or some of them, for we don’t know what paddles we shall find, but our spears will answer for that. Of course we shall not have to put off very far, for all we want is to be out of dart-range, and where our friends will have to swim to reach us. I don’t know exactly what depth the water just off the beach has, but I think it is pretty nearly what we want. I should guess we could pole clear of dart-range.”

This seemed to make everything clear, and as the chief slung his short weapons over his shoulder and took up his spear, they did the same, and all were ready.

By this time the moon was farther up the sky, and though only crescent, was giving considerable light. By its aid it would not be very hard for the men to follow the lighter and more open spaces, till they should be close to the in-shore end of the little peninsula.

Now the test was really beginning, and with new care, and almost crawling on the ground, they turned to the left, and crept down across the little open slope to the water’s edge. Here they were partly in the shadow of some small trees, and of the brushy end of the cross wall. So far everything seemed to have gone well, and they stopped, considerably encouraged, and added their last little touch of preparation. This was to tie their quivers of arrows on their heads, so that the precious shafts should stay dry and easily manageable. Their bows they meant to hold high in one hand, swimming, where swimming should be necessary, with one arm and their legs. Every one of them was equal to this small feat.

But by this time the moon, which had favored them in seeing their way, and which would have to help them again if they were to carry out their final plans, was doing a little more than they desired in the way of a supply of light. Not very strong though it was, it still brought out things in the open in a fashion that was disconcerting.

However, there was no time now to stop and weigh chance. They would not turn back, and it was failure, with death on the heels of it, to stay where they were; so they must simply go ahead. Promptly, therefore, as soon as Big-axe gave the word, they pushed on once more.

Almost as softly as so many gliding snakes, they passed the end of the cross wall, and began to creep along the rocky beach at the base of the other. If they should reach the end of this wall in safety they would just about have passed the Fisher camp. The Islanders, it will be remembered, were farther out, from near the middle of the peninsula to its point. They soon found that nobody seemed to be taking the pains to look out through any holes or observation places that might be in this wall, and they accordingly went on more confidently, and faster.

A very little later they reached the end of this convenient road, and were now fronting the open and unwalled beach. Here the only chance was along the highest part of the beach, which was perhaps eighty or ninety feet from the water’s edge. At this place a kind of ancient water-mark of scrubby bushes and low rushes almost continued the line of the wall, and extended around the curve of the shore toward the point. The beach here being so much wider than at the beginning, the moored boats, which were not straight down, but obliquely from where they stood, were at least a hundred paces away. The entire fleet of both camps seemed to be anchored here, which was to be accounted for by the fact that the other side of the peninsula was exposed to the rake of winds down the lake. From this point there appeared to be no separation between the two fleets, and they seemed to form a string that began at the wide part of the beach, and extended uninterruptedly to a point about opposite the thickest clusters of the Islanders’ huts.

Without a word, for everything was now understood, the party begun to string out, a man stopping every few paces, till the whole company was ranged in a line. Bull-head, acting under the previous orders of his father, had stopped first, Big-axe pulled up near the centre, and old Stone-arm kept on to the end. In this way the chief was where he could best see and direct everything, and a particularly able fighter was at each end. Sure-dart, who was on the whole the best archer in the company, was taken along by the chief, his post being that of aid and messenger, as well as special sharpshooter.

As soon as Big-axe saw that everybody was in his place, and that the line was ready, he raised a low bird-note, and ran toward the water. He crouched as he went, and his dark shape did not come out very distinctly in the imperfect light. The others instantly started, and in a moment the beach was dotted with the dusky figures. They all stooped, the same as the chief, and looked hardly human as they poked out their heads, trying to keep a straight course, and scuttled along.

The faster runners reached the boats, and began to saw away at the painters, and the others spurted, and came rushing up. So far not a sign of trouble. At this distance they could only see, as a few of them whipped glances toward the shore, the humped outlines of the huts, dusky among some small trees, and with everything at the ground-line hidden by the shore-border of bush-growth and rushes.

There was quick work for an instant about such boats as could not be used and manned. The painters of some of the dugouts were cut, and the boats themselves pushed out, leaving them to float off before the wind. Such coracles as they did not want they punched through with spears. There was now a little more noise, especially some careless splashing, and it seemed impossible that discovery could much longer be avoided.

Nor was it. Big-axe clacked out his second bird-call, and caught hold of the bow of the dugout he was reserving for himself and Sure-dart, but there, for an instant, he stopped. Somebody was thrashing his way through the bushes and other tangle just back of the beach-line, and keeping up a little yelping as he moved.

“Jump in!” said the chief, quickly. He nodded toward the stern of the canoe, near which Sure-dart already stood.

The boy was over the low side in a twinkling. Big-axe less actively, but quickly followed, and pushed his spear hard into the gravel. Slowly the heavy dugout, which had grounded, slid free. Sure-dart now put his own spear over, and shoved, and as he straightened up again glanced around.

The boats, big and little, were slipping out into the lake, and the dark shapes among them were stooping and shoving away with might and main. The manned fleet and the unmanned were going to sea together. In one or two places figures were on their knees, and these, by their motions, were paddling. Some paddles, therefore, had been left in the boats.

The interval between the first little squawking alarm and what came next could have been scaled by mere seconds. Sure-dart thrust in his spear again, the squawking on shore rose to a higher key, little yelps from other quarters struck in, and as he got his next full look at the bank, he saw that it was dancing with vague black shapes.

“We shall have to shove a little harder,” said the chief, as he spoke giving a powerful thrust.

Their boat was, in fact, a little behind most of the others. Big-axe had meant to be last.

Sure-dart did not stop to look again till he had given a few more shoves, but getting a whisk then he saw that the black shapes were no longer outlined at the top of the bank, but had come into distinctness at the bottom of it, being, in fact, as many as twenty or thirty Islander warriors.

By the increase in the din, and the thrashing among the trees and bushes, about all the rest of the tribe, together with all the Fishers, would soon be on the spot.

“They are awake at last,” said the chief, giving still another poke, “and it looks as if we should be busy.”

Whatever the carelessness and sluggishness of the creatures at first, they were certainly making up for it now! Even as the chief was speaking, the advance party was at the water’s edge, and several jumped into a few sound boats that, in the haste, had been left. They cut the painters in a twinkling, and with their spears pushed out. At the same moment, still others rushed boldly into the water.

“In with your spear!” said the chief, sharply. “Take your dart-sender.”

He did the same thing himself as he spoke.

None of the canoes had gained any great offing, and in this respect the movements of the chief had clearly fallen behind his expectations. He had calculated on a sufficient start to carry the party into moderately deep water, where the enemy would be tempted to push after, and where a little stretch of swimming would be needed. At the present moment the water was not over a tall man’s head, and a rush and a few strokes would cover the space to the nearest boat. It would be easy, too, to reach the nearest with strongly thrown darts.

Big-axe swept one look to right and left, taking in his whole line. In every boat spears were coming in, and the men were bustling out their bows and arrows. At least they were warned, and would be ready.

There was nothing that their chief could do for them. This time was no narrow battle-front, where a rush of the great body and the crash of the mighty axe might hope to turn defeat to victory; each and every man must be his own hero, and his own rescuer, or take the fearful consequences.

In this emergency the new invention had at last its opportunity. It was a fearful test, and a greater one than had been meant for it.

The chief had turned his face to the front again, but without looking around he spoke:

“Sure-dart, we must not waste our shots. As they come up I will aim at the nearest, and do you take the next, and so on. Or, if two or more come up abreast, I will take the man to the right, and you the next. It seems to me,” he added, with a queer, fierce laugh, “that every man, woman, and child in both their camps is in the water! All ready!”