"I can"t help that, Jem; the man will die here."
"Well, we don"t want him. He"s a hennymee."
"Jem!"
"Oh, all right, Mas" Don. I"ll do as you say, but as I says, and I says it again, it goes ag"in the grain."
They each took one hand and placed their arms beneath those of the prostrate man; and, little as they stooped, they inhaled sufficient of the powerful gas to make them wince and cough; but, rising upright, taking a full breath and starting off, they dragged Ramsden backwards as rapidly as they could to where the fresh air blew into the mouth of the cave, and there they laid the man down.
But before doing so, Don went upon his knees, and placing his face close to the rocky floor, inhaled the air several times.
"It seems all right here," he said. "Try it, Jem."
"Oh! I"ll try it," said Jem, grumpily; "only I don"t see why we should take so much trouble about such a thing as this."
"Yes; it"s all right," he said, after puffing and blowing down by the ground. "Rum, arn"t it, that the air should be bad yonder and not close in here!"
"The cave goes downward," said Don; "and the foul air lies in the bottom, just as it does in a well. Do you think he"s dead?"
"Him dead!" said Jem, contemptuously; "I don"t believe you could kill a thing like that. Here, let"s roll up one of these here blanket things and make him a pillow, and cover him up with the other, poor fellow, so as he may get better and go and tell "em we"re here."
"Don"t talk like that, Jem!" cried Don.
"Why not? Soon as he gets better he"ll try and do us all the harm he can."
"Poor fellow! I"m afraid he"s dead," whispered Don.
"Then he won"t want no more cutlashes and pistols," said Jem, coolly appropriating the arms; "these here will be useful to us."
"But they are the king"s property, Jem."
"Ah! Well, I dessay if the king knew how bad we wanted "em, he"d lend "em to us. He shall have "em again when we"ve done with them."
As he spoke Jem helped himself to the ammunition, and then stood looking on as Don dragged Ramsden"s head round, so that the wind blew in his face.
"How I should like to jump on him!" growled Jem. "I hate him like poison, and I would if I"d got on a pair o" boots. Shouldn"t hurt him a bit like this."
"Don"t talk nonsense, Jem. Mr Jones might hear us. Let"s hail; he can"t be very far off."
"I say, Mas" Don, did our ugly swim last night send you half mad?"
"Mad? No!"
"Then, p"r"aps it"s because you had no sleep. Here"s a chap comes hunting of us down with a cutlash, ready to do anything; and now he"s floored and we"re all right, you want to make a pet on him. Why, it"s my belief that if you met a tiger with the toothache you"d want to take out his tusk."
"Very likely, Jem," said Don, laughing.
"Ah, and as soon as you"d done it, "thankye, my lad," says the tiger, "that tooth"s been so bad that I haven"t made a comf"table meal for days, so here goes.""
"And then he"d eat me, Jem."
"That"s so, my lad."
"Ah, well, this isn"t a tiger, Jem."
"Why, he"s wuss than a tiger, Mas" Don; because he do know better, and tigers don"t."
"Ramsden, ahoy!" came from below them in the ravine.
"Oh, crumpets!" exclaimed Jem. "Now we"re done for. All that long swim for nothing."
"Back into the cave," whispered Don. "Perhaps they have not seen us."
He gave Jem a thrust, they backed in a few yards, and then stood watching and listening.
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.
CLOSE SHAVING.
"Think he"s insensible, or only shamming?" said Jem.
"Insensible--quite! I"m afraid he"s dead."
"I arn"t," muttered Jem. "You might cut him up like a heel; legs and arms and body, and every bit of him would try and do you a mischief."
"I"m afraid, though, that he knew we were in here, and that as soon as he comes to, he"ll tell the others."
"Not he. It was only his gammon to frighten us into speaking if we were there."
"Ramsden, ahoy!" came again from below; and then from a distance came another hail, which the same voice answered--evidently from some distance below the mouth of the cave.
"Ramsden! Here, my man; come along, they"re not in there."
"Hear that, Jem? Mr Jones."
"Oh yes, I hear," growled Jem. "He don"t know yet; but wait a bit till old Ram tells him."
"We couldn"t slip out yet, Jem?"
"No; o" course not. They"d see us now. Look!"
Jem was about to draw back, but feeling that a movement might betray them, Don held him fast, and they stood there in the shadow of the cave, looking on, for the boatswain"s head appeared as he drew himself up the precipitous place, and then stepped on the shelf.
"Here, come out, sir! Are you asleep? Hah!"
He caught sight of the prostrate sailor, and bent down over him.