The Golden Harpoon — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

~ directed by an arm and an eye so unerring as those of Driko, would be to declare that Briggs was more than human. He turned pale, and stood prepared to dodge the harpoon, when it should be thrown, and, viewing his emotion, the men relaxed their exertions a little, in order to turn their glances over their shoul- ders. Then the glimpses which they caught of the uplifted weapon, which the islander had not yet quite placed to his satisfaction, created considerable confusion. The oars of two of the men “caught crabs,” and the rest fairly turned round upon their thwarts. “What are you about there?” yelled Mr. /Spooner, with flashing eyes. “The harpoon isn’t pointed at you; it’s directed at Mr. Briggs!” A fact which that worthy knew but too well, and which, when it was thus verbally expressed by his brother officer, did not inspire him with any very comfortable sensations. He was now “ ducking ” his head and twisting himself about in a manner which would certainly have been deemed ludicrous under different circumstances. “Whiz-z-z !”’ came the deadly weapon at last, and down went Briggs, with a suddenness that caused him to tumble over the after oarsman. He had dodged the iron in time, but it had passed close to his ear, just grazing it and severing one of his locks. “Now, then, one good dash, men!” he roared, springing to his feet, “and we'll be alongside !” But at that instant, another iron came whiz- zing from the ship, and the ’midship oarsman fell back with a low groan, as the barbed in- strument entered his body. The horor and confusion resulting from this calamity was such that the exertions of the crew at the oars were entirely suspended for some moments; and it was not until the dying sailor had been carefully placed in the stern- sheets, that anything like order could be re- stored. Then the men again took to their oars, although they were now so far astern of the ship that she was nearly out of sight in the thick fog. “Never mihd, lads!” cried the dauntless second mate. ‘‘ We'll be up with ’em yet, for if I ain’t mistaken there'll be a calm before many hours. The breeze has already fallen away a little.” And so the men, anxious to avenge their shipmate, whose dead face and glazed eyes in the stern-sheets confronted them, tugged and strained at the oars with redoubled energy. The breeze, as Mr. Spooner had declared, was gradually dying away, and Captain Lark deemed it necessary to set the top-gallant sails, which he now had an opportunity of doing, as the boat was too far astern at present to give any trouble. The additional canvas, when the yards had been hoisted and the sails sheeted home, in- creased the speed of the ship to such a degree that her pursuers could do but little more than keep her in sight; and when an hour had THE GOLDEN HARPOON, passed with no better result, the oarsmen be- came so fatigued by their almost frantic exer- tions, that the breath came from their lips in short, rapid gasps, while the a See rolled in big drops from their foreheads. It was at this juncture that Lark—who stool upon the round-house rubbing his hands with great glee, and mentally predicting the entire discomfiture of Spooner and his crew—was startled by an exclamation from one of the islanders in the waist. He turned quickly, and was still more startled by the sudden ap- parition of another boat a few fathoms off the lee beam, and rapidly approaching the ship. “Ship ahoy!” thundered the voice of Cap- tain Howard; “isn’t that the ‘Montpelier’?” “Up helm! Stand by with your harpoons, men!” roared the mutineer, springing to the quarter-deck with a bound and cocking his pistol. - But before the vessel could fall off a quarter of a point, the bow of the boat struck her side, and a couple of her crew succeeded, a moment afterwards, in grasping the man- rapes. But Tark’s pistol, pointed at the head of one of them, and a harpoon directed at the heart of the other, together with a fierce de- claration from the mutineer, that he would shoot the first man that attempted to board him, rather startled the two sailors, and caused them to let go their hold. The captain, however, whose previous sus- picions of foul play were now confirmed, darted to the bow with ready presence cf mind, and, by means of the boat-~hook, drew the little vessel under the mizzen-chains before she could drop astern, and ordered his har- pooner to secure her with a rope. This was soon done, but at the same instant, the islanders threw their deadly weapons, which would certainly have done terrible execution, had not the bow oarsman, whose eye had not quitted his enemies for a moment, warded them off by means of the drag—a square, thick piece of wood, with a rope attached to the middle. With a yell of disappointment, the mutinecr then ordered the islanders to procure more arms, and leaning far over the rail as he spoke, in order to make his aim sure, he directed his pistol at the captain. But before he could pull the trigger, the boat-hatchet was hurled at his head with un- erring precision, by the same courageous sea- man who had foiled the murderous intentions of the dusky islanders. ‘The back of the weapon struck the giant upon the temple with great force, felling him to the deck like an ox. Then, arming themselves with lances, the boat’s crew, headed by their captain, scrambled pell-mell up the ship’s side. Perceiving the uselessness of resistance, as they were outnumbered by six to three, the New Zealanders surrendered themselves, and every one of them, not excepting the man at the wheel—who was relieved by the orders of the captain, were ironed and thrust into the run, Tom Lark—“ Captain” Lark no longer S Comicbhoo ‘ (E(0) i ; =<