The Golden Harpoon — page 17: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

: ADRIFT, 15 before the law steps in and brings him to jus- tice, and——” “Hark!” interrupted Marline, “the ship is in the ice now!” “So she is,” replied Stump, as the grinding of the floating bergs against the vessel’s sides and her bottom became louder each moment; “she’s in for it, sure enough, and now if that infarnal champion for ‘ equal rights,’ as he calls "em, doesn’t look out, he’ll have us a-going to the locker below in a stove ship, which I wouldn’t relish exactly, seeing as my hands and feet are tied criminal-like, and Davy Jones might make a mistake and take me for a pirate. When I go below, I'd prefer to go as an honest tar should, with neither ropes nor handcuffs about me. There!” he added, as the after hold again became dark, “they’ve taken him out; he’s at liberty, the big mule—and a mighty pleasant time we'll have of it. We are prisoners now for a sartainty.” ‘“There’s some truth in that,” retorted Mar- line, “but there’s nothing like meeting our misfortunes with a brave front. But look, my friend,” he suddenly added, in a whisper, as he lifted his head, “it seems to me that I can make out the outlines of a figure moving about in the steerage. There is certainly somebody there, or | am very much deceived.” “Ay, ay,” replied Stump, ‘‘ you are sartainly right. I see the creatur’, and I can’t imagine vho he is, seeing as only the faint outlines of him is visible. But if he stays there much longer, we'll get a clearer squint of him, for we are getting more accustomed-like to the dark- ness every minute. It’s a-making parfect cats of us—it is—so far as our eyes are consarned— tis being in confinement; only I hope that it won't prevent us seeing clear in the daylight.” ‘The harpooner was about to reply, when both men suddenly beheld a number of jets of blue flame shoot up amid the gloom of the after- hold, shedding a faint, unearthly light upon the surrounding objects, and thus bringing into bold relief the long, cruel face and gleaming eyes of the Portuguese steward. “Confound him!” ejaculated Stump, “there he is, sure enough, and if them blue flames ain’t prognostical of bis future downfall into the great lower hold, that’s prepared for such sinners, then you may have my pigtail, which is dearer to me than life. But, what the in- farnal blackskin intends to do with that furnace of blazing charcoal that he carries, baffles my scrutiny into human natur’.” “We shall soon see,” replied the harpooner, a terrible suspicion flashing through his mind, ‘““we shall soon see. The villain is capable of any crime.” ‘‘He’s a sneaking wretch,” added the ship- keeper, “as is proved by his doing everything in a sneaking way. He must have been one of them that just liberated the chief mutineer, and in his gen’ral underhand manner, he’s con- trived to remain in the hold, escaping the ob- servation of Lark, who was too glad, I'll war- rant, when he found himself free to pay attention to his sat'lite. But what can the infarnal imp be going to do with that charcoal furnace?” Stump, however, was soon enlightened, and the suspicions of his chum confirmed; for the steward now advanced rapidby towards them, and placed the furnace upon a cask within a few yards of their feet. Then he darted for- ward, and drawing a pump-bolt from his pocket, he thrust it into the mouth of the ship-keeper and secured it with strong cords, heedless of the indignant remonstrances of the harpooner, and his loud hail to those on deck, for the young man did not believe that they were cognisant of the infernal plans of the Portu- guese. “Ay, ay,” said the latter, “you may cry until you be hoarse, but neither Lark nor de men will heed you, for dey t’ink you only do it so as dey can you let out of de hold. Hey! hey ! hey! dis is fine revenge for de knock-down you make Lark give me. Now den, me gag you de same as Stump!” And suiting the action to the words, he forced an iron belaying- pin, with which he was provided, into the mouth of the prisoner. “Dore,” said he, malignantly, when he had secured the instrument—‘‘now me leave you and go on deck. De charcoal burn in de fur- nace, and de gas kill you before long time, de same as a rat!” ‘With which comfortable assurance he departed, and the two men soon afterwards heard him open the run-hatch in order to make his way into the cabin. Bound and helpless-—deprived even of the consolation of speech—the situation of the two was now miserable enough: ‘The deadly gas from the burning charcoal was fast poisoning the close atmosphere of the hold, and the prisoners could taste the sickening vapour as it entered their throats. The air became more stifling every moment. The seamen felt their temples throb with vio- lence—an acute pain tearing through the brain like a-knife shot at intervals into the head of. each. They believed that their doom was sealed—that they were destined to expire in this miserable pent-up spot, with their rebel- lious shipmates within hailing distance of them, and yet—if we except the Portuguese—unaware of their condition. at CHAPTER VII. ADRIFT. ~ hatch of the run, he made his way to i the deck. Tom Lark was standing near the mizzen-mast watching the operations of three of the men, who, in obedience to his orders, had commenced to unlash an old half- shattered boat that was secured to the beams, extending crossways above the quarter-deck. “ Come—come—bear a hand there!” he shouted. “We must get the boat alongside as soon as possible. Here, you, steward,” he added, turning to that functionary, “jump up there, and help those men.” \ S soon as the steward had fastened the Comichookstcom