Chapter 14 - Page 2

sheet a little eased off. I then led a
party forward, and got the fore and main stay-sails on the ship. To
these were added the mizen stay-sail, the only other piece of canvass
we could show, until the top-masts were fidded. The effect of these
four sails, however, was to add at least another knot to the way of
the ship, and to carry her out sooner to a point where she felt the
full force of the light breeze that was blowing from the
south-east. By the time the four sails were set, we were fully a
quarter of a mile from the island, every instant getting more fairly
into the true currents of the air.

Smudge watched me with the eyes of a hawk. As I had obeyed his own
orders in making sail, he could not complain of that; but the result
evidently disappointed him. He saw we were still moving in the wrong
direction, and, as yet, not a canoe was visible. As for these last,
now the vessel had way on her, I was not without hopes of being able
to keep them exposed to the fire from the cabin-windows, and, finally,
of getting rid of them by drawing off the land to a distance they
would not be likely to follow. The Dipper, however, I was aware, was a
bold fellow--knew something of vessels--and I was determined to give a
hint to Marble to pick _him_ off, should he come within range of
his muskets.

In the meantime the alarm and impatience of Smudge and his companions,
very sensibly increased. Five minutes were an age in the circumstances
in which they were placed, and I saw that it would soon be necessary
to adopt some new expedient, or I might expect to be sacrificed to the
resentment of these savages. Necessity sharpens the wits, and I hit
upon a scheme which was not entirely without the merit of
ingenuity. As it was, I suppose I owed my life to the consciousness of
the savages, that they could do nothing without me.

Smudge, with three or four of the fiercest of his companions, had
begun again to menace me with the knife, making signs, at the same
time, for me to turn the ship's head towards the land. I asked for a
little room, and then describing a long circle on the deck, pointing
to the four sails we had set, and this in a way to tell them that
under the canvass we carried, it would be necessary to go a great
distance in order to turn round. When I had succeeded in communicating
this idea, I forthwith set about giving them to understand that by
getting up the top-masts, and making more sail, we might return
immediately. The savages understood me, and the explanation appearing
reasonable to them, they went aside and consulted together. As time
pressed, it was not long before Smudge came to me with signs to show
him and his party how to get the remainder of the sails set. Of
course, I was not