“You are takin’ up more time chinnin’ than we did,” the older of the men replied, insolently, and Gil began to regret having made the discovery so soon.
Jenkins remained silent a moment as if trying to decide what should be done to check the apparent mutiny before it assumed dangerous proportions, and Gil whispered:
“Don’t pay any attention to what they say. Neither of them will be dissatisfied after father comes, no matter how much we may find.”
“I was wonderin’ whether we hadn’t better stop the whole thing right here, an’ let the captain----”
He ceased speaking very suddenly, for at that instant a shrill cry was heard from the direction of the shaft, and Nelse said, as he ran forward:
“That was Andy! The blacks have got hold of him!”
As the boys started down the tunnel in response to the continued cries for help, Jenkins extinguished the torch and caught up the rope.
He understood that the old cook must have been very near the shaft when he made the frenzied appeal, otherwise his voice could not have been heard so distinctly, and there was no necessity of letting it be known any one else was in the vicinity.
Even the sailors, eager though they were to share the treasure, did not hesitate at first to rush to the rescue and, for the time being, everything save Andy’s danger was forgotten.
On arriving at the shaft, Nelse prudently halted until his companions could join him, and Jenkins, who arrived a second later, whispered:
“Don’t even breathe loud. There’s no tellin’ where some of them imps may be, an’ as likely as not half-a-dozen are above there waiting to find out if we are here.”
This injunction was obeyed implicitly until a few moments later, when another scream was heard, and this time the listeners could hear distinctly the words:
“Gil! Nelse! Fur de lub ob heaben help de ole man! De debbils has done cotched me, an’ I’se boun’ ter be sarved like you’se----”
This prayer for aid ended in a smothered groan or shriek, as if the speaker’s mouth had suddenly been closed against his will, and Gil whispered to the mate:
“We mustn’t stand still here and let them kill him.”
“There’s nothin’ we can do in the darkness, an’ while the whole crowd are most likely layin’ low in the hope that we’ll rush out.”