The Penang Pirate | Page 4

so near us!--and
the captain and mate were murdered, the rest of the crew escaping by
taking to one of the boats!"
"Well," said Jem to this, "I hopes we won't come nigh any on 'em, if
there be any sich like as pirates about, as I've said afore. I don't want to
lose the number o' my mess yet awhile!"
"Never you fear, Jem," returned the other; "our old man's as 'cute as
they make them, out here; and if there's anything to keep a sharp look-
out for, why he's all there!"
VOLUME ONE, CHAPTER TWO.
DARK SUSPICIONS.
At this moment, the conversation between the two was again
interrupted by Bill the boatswain starting up from the hawser on which
he was sitting alongside of Jem Backstay on the topgallant forecastle.
"Hallo!" he exclaimed, "I wonder what that ugly beggar of a Malay is
prowling about forward for? He's smelling about them water-casks as
came aboard yesterday--he means mischief!"
"Lordsakes, Bill," said Jem, "you've so got them pirates on the brain

that you can think of nuthin else!--Do leave the poor yaller devil alone,
I'm sure he ain't up to no harm!"
"Ain't he?" said Bill scornfully. "You jest look arter your own bizness.
Hallo, you Lascar!" he shouted out aloud to the object of his attention;
"Hallo, you Lascar! leave that 'ere cask alone; d'ye hear!"
The man, a short, thick-set, black-haired, and yellow-visaged native--
who had been apparently endeavouring to unloosen the lashings of the
tarpaulin cover of one of six large hogsheads like water-casks that were
placed along the gangway of the ship and securely fastened between the
ports--started at the sound of Bill's voice; and, seeing that his eye was
fixed on him, pretended slily for a moment to be intently gazing out
seawards, and then slunk stealthily along the deck more aft to the bitts
of the mainmast, where a group of his tawny fellow-countrymen were
gathered together away from the rest of the crew--squatting on their
haunches, and gabbling away at a great rate.
"Blow them yaller imps!" said the boatswain to his companion as the
native retreated out of earshot. "I don't like 'em, for they're a treach'rous
lot, and would knife you as soon as look. Why, as you know, Jem, they
won't obey no orders, even from the cap'en, 'cept through their own
serang, or chief--ourang-outang I think'd be a better name for him, the
ugly beast! And if you was to strike one with a rope's end--if only in
lark, mind you, to make him move quicker--why, you'd be a dead man
'fore morning, safe as houses! I shouldn't like, mate, for you and me to
be the only white men aboard with that 'ere rascal lot of Lascars on the
high seas, my hearty! We're short-handed as it is, with only four men in
each watch, barrin' Snowball the cook and the officers, which makes us
twelve white men in all, besides little Jack Harper--for I count
Snowball as one of us, although he is a niggur; and there are twenty of
them Lascars altogether and their chief. Howsomedevers, Jem, I've
spoke to the cap'en, beggin' his pardin for the liberty, an' he told me as
how he was a lookin' out and not unmindful; so, bo, it's all right, you
see."
"And you think, Bill, the skipper's goin' to bring off some more hands
like us?"

"I don't think nothin' about it, Jem Backstay. When the cap'en tells me
it's all right, I knows it's all right; and that's enough for me! Heave an
eye out to starboard, mate; ain't that a light on shore, like a signal or
something?"
"Ay, ay!" replied the other, drawing himself up to all the height of his
six feet, and stretching out his brawny arms lazily as he peered over the
bows through the hazy light, for the sun had just set, and the shore
could only be faintly distinguished in the distance. "Aye, aye, my
hearty! A light it is for certain."
"Then it's the cap'en, sure!" said Bill; "he's late to-night. I hope we'll
start our anchor at last; I'm tired o' this Canton River."
"Foc's'le, ahoy!" at the same moment shouted out Mr Scuppers, the first
mate, from the poop, where he was pacing to and fro with young Jack
Harper, the midshipman.
"Aye, aye, sir!" shouted out in answer Bill and Jem together.
"You are awake, are you? I thought you were all asleep! Hoist up a
lantern at the fore, to show the cap'en where we are, it's getting quite
dark; and see if that Snowball's asleep in the galley; tell him it's six
bells, and time for my coffee."
The negro cook, however, was awake for a wonder, and heard the
mate's message, thus saving