With the Dyaks of Borneo: A Tale of the Head Hunters

Bustling about in the depths of the schooner he quickly unearthed the various articles of which he had spoken, and rapidly made a selection. Then he came climbing to the deck, his arms loaded with weapons and ammunition. Half an hour later John Marshall had followed his young leader's example, and was dressed in the suit which Mr. Beverley was to have worn. Slinging the bags over their shoulders, the two carefully deposited in one of them an abundance of ammunition, which they had calculated should last them with ordinary care for a considerable period. Into the other each dropped a number of gaudy articles with which to please the eye of any of the Dyak tribes with whom they might come in contact. Weapons were now loaded, each of the young fellows selecting a rifle, while a light fowling-piece was placed near at hand, which they would take it in turns to carry. Feeling now that they had done all that was possible, they sat down upon the deck in their old position and waited for the morning. Nor was their patience destined to be severely tried, for hardly was their meal finished than the sky in the east broke suddenly, the dark clouds giving place to a bank of dull-gray vapour. Five minutes and the latter was tinged with a rosy hue, to change again to a glorious golden colour. Then up shot the sun, and ere they could believe it, another eventful day was full upon them. Instantly both searched the coast-line of Borneo and the sea in every direction.

"The prahu," cried Tyler in startled tones, "and far closer to us than I should have wished! See, she has already sighted us, and is bearing down in our direction!"

"Then we must make for that bay," said the boatswain quietly. "It's a bit of luck that we have hit it off so nicely, for I reckon that with this wind we should reach the shore an hour ahead of the prahu. Over with the tiller, sir, and then leave the steering to me, while you go for'ard and train the six-pounder round upon her."

A minute later the schooner was headed directly for the opening of a narrow bay opposite which she happened to be as the day dawned, and through the waters of which she was soon plunging. Indeed it seemed as though she too desired to increase the distance between herself and the native prahu which followed, for she careened to her foresail, and, helped by the strong tide which was making into the bay, went shooting in through the entrance, and rounding a sharp promontory which jutted out into the sea and which had prevented a clear view of the shore beyond, headed straight for a narrow inlet which lay in front of her.

"A river!" exclaimed Tyler, with a shout of joy as he stood by the for'ard gun and swung the muzzle round till it presented out to sea. "A river, and to all appearance sufficiently wide to allow us to sail directly in, and so get clear of Hanns Schlott and his rascals. Once we are in fresh water, and out of their sight, we will look for a convenient landing-place, and then out shall come those plugs. Yes, if we cannot keep the schooner in our own hands she shall go to the bottom. Ah! the prahu has come into view again round that point of land, and as there is an abundance of ammunition below, I shall take a shot at her."

Carefully training the weapon upon the native prahu, he waited until she had drawn a little closer. Then with a match he fired the powder and sent a ball hurtling in her direction.

"A good shot!" shouted John Marshall, glancing eagerly over his shoulder to see what success his young leader had had. "There goes the ball ricochetting across her bows. An inch or two to the left would have plumped it right aboard, for the elevation is just right. Try again, Mr. Richardson, for there is luck in even numbers."

Encouraged by the success of his first attempt, Tyler dived below and quickly returned with more ammunition; then with the greatest care he levelled the weapon a second time and fired, with the result that the ball struck the prahu heavily. Instantly a puff of smoke burst from her bows, and a shot came whizzing over the schooner, narrowly missing the mast.

"Two can play at the same game, that is evident," cried Tyler, undismayed by their narrow escape. "I will give them another shot or two, and then I fancy that it will be time for us to get ashore, for a well-aimed ball from the prahu might damage us severely and spoil our plans."

For the third time he trained the six-pounder upon the enemy, and, waiting for a moment till the muzzle of the gun covered the prahu, he sent a shot screeching in her direction. Crash! Even at that distance he could almost hear the missile strike upon her deck, and a keen glance showed him that the utmost confusion had resulted, for Malays could be seen rushing towards the spot, while a burly figure standing beside the tiller shook a fist furiously in the air. But whatever the damage done, it did not retard the course of the prahu. She came on at a rapid rate, her sails bellying out in the breeze, and her lee-rail awash with the water.

"It is high time that we made for the shore," exclaimed Tyler. "I see that we are now entering the river, and within five minutes we ought to be round the bend which hides the upper reaches. Keep at your post, John, and head her to the left. Then, the instant we are round the corner, bring her up into the wind and put the weapons in the dinghy. While you are doing that I will go below, and as soon as I have knocked the plugs out of the holes we will say farewell to the schooner. Now, over with her!"

With a swing the vessel shot round the angle of land which seemed to bar the opening of the river, and having been allowed to run forward some two hundred yards, until hidden by a dense mass of forest trees which intervened between herself and the prahu, she was thrown with her head into the wind, which set her sail flapping loosely. With a twist of a rope attached to the bulwarks John Marshall secured the tiller in position, and at once commenced to carry out Tyler's orders. As for the latter, he ran below and, seizing the hammer, began to knock out the plugs which kept the schooner from sinking. At any other time, no doubt, he would have hesitated before doing such a thing, for the ship was not his own property, and to sacrifice her seemed almost an act of folly. But an instant's thought convinced him that it was the only thing that he could do, and therefore he set to at the work with the full knowledge that by sinking the ship he prevented her from falling into the hands of the pirates.

"That will soon send her to the bottom!" he exclaimed as he dragged the last plug from its position, and stood there watching some dozen columns of clear water spouting up into the hold. "And now to get ashore."

With one last glance around he ran to the ladder and quickly rejoined his companion. Then both hastily quitted the schooner, and, taking their places in the tiny dinghy, pulled for the shore.

CHAPTER VII

Flight across the Land

"We will take it easy, for we have ample time in which to reach the trees," said Tyler calmly, as he and John Marshall pulled towards the land. "Once there, we will select a hiding-place and keep watch upon the schooner, and upon the prahu as soon as she rounds the bend. If, as seems more than likely, her boat is dropped and preparations are made to send a party in pursuit, we will steal off into the forest, using the utmost care to leave as few traces behind us as is possible. A few more strokes and we are there. Now out you get, John, and give me a hand to pull up the dinghy, for we will hide her amongst the bushes in case we should have need of her on a future occasion."

Waiting until the boat struck against the soft bank of mud at the mouth of the river, the two sprang ashore, and, lifting the dinghy bodily from the water, carried her up amongst the bushes. A hasty search soon discovered a mass of dense undergrowth, into the centre of which she was thrust.

"That should keep her from all prying eyes," remarked Tyler in tones of satisfaction, "while a cross on one of the trees near at hand will serve as a mark by which we shall be able to find her when we come this way again. Now for the bags and rifles, and afterwards we will turn our attention to the schooner, and to Hanns Schlott and his friends."

Slinging bags and weapons over their shoulders, Tyler and his companion left the dinghy in her hiding-place, and having marked an adjacent tree, returned to the bank of the river once more. There was the schooner with her head in the wind and her sail flapping loudly. That she was deeper in the water both could see at once, while the manner in which she careened to one side told them that very soon she would sink to the bottom. As for the prahu, there was not a sign of her as yet, though distant shouts told clearly that she could not be far away.

"She will round the bend before the schooner goes down," said Tyler in tones of conviction, "and then Hanns Schlott will meet with another disappointment. I have no doubt that he has guessed our object in making for this river, and knows well that it is our intention to escape him by that means or by the land. But he will hardly have expected such complete preparations as we have made, and his anger will be great when he finds how we have hoodwinked him. But let us make up our minds in what direction we shall go. Shall we strike up along the banks of the river, or shall we turn to the south and west?"

"The last, sir," was John Marshall's emphatic answer, "for I reckon that if we made up the stream we should strike across creeks and smaller rivers running into the main channel, and should be constantly delayed. Besides this, Hanns Schlott and his fellows will have seen our dinghy, and will guess that we have rowed up stream in her, hoping in that way to escape them. That being the case, we must do exactly the opposite, and must go into the forest. Then, when the search is over or night falls, we can return to this spot and cross to the other side; for that, I take it, is our direction."

"Sarawak is the point for which we must aim, and, as you say, it lies south-west across the river," replied Tyler. "I happen to know that an Englishman, by name James Brooke, is there at this moment, and if we could only reach him we should be perfectly safe. But it is a long journey from here, and before we can hope to come across it we shall have to cover two hundred miles at least. However, I would far rather travel double that distance than fall into the hands of the pirates."

"The same here, sir," exclaimed his companion. "Like you, I'd face anything almost, for there will be little mercy if Hanns Schlott puts his fingers on us. But look up! Here's the prahu!"

Lying concealed amongst the trees, the two watched with beating hearts as the native craft swung round the bend and came into the river, and each noted with feelings of alarm, which they could not easily suppress, that her deck was covered with men. At her tiller stood Hanns Schlott, and, catching sight of the schooner, he at once directed the prahu towards her. Then shouts of exultation came across the water, and the Malays were seen preparing to throw themselves on board their prize the instant that they came up with her. It was pretty to watch the manner in which her lateen sails were dropped when well within reach of her prize, and at another time the fugitives would have admired the seamanlike way in which the operation was carried out, and Hanns Schlott's handling of the craft. But they had other and far more engrossing things to occupy their attention, and kept their eyes riveted upon the dusky Malays who swarmed upon her deck. Shooting up into the wind, just as the schooner had done before her, the prahu came to rest for a few moments. Then some twenty sweeps were shot out from her wooden sides, and like a gigantic caterpillar she came crawling towards her prize.

"Boarders prepare!" shouted the Dutchman in stentorian tones, "and remember the reward which I have offered. Take them alive or dead and it belongs to you. Lose them, and you shall know what it is to experience my anger."

With trained eye he steered the prahu for the schooner so that she glided alongside with a gentle grating sound, and then shouted again to his men.

"On board!" he cried, "and as they are not on deck search for them and drag them from below."

Instantly some thirty Malays sprang from the prahu on to the planks of the sinking schooner, and, unsuspicious as yet of her condition, at once rushed for the steep ladder which gave access to the interior. Roused to the utmost eagerness at the prospect of slaying the two white-faces who had punished them so severely, and stimulated by the offer of a special reward, the men struggled to be first, and almost fell into the cabin, their shouts startling the peaceful scenery around. Hark, something is wrong, for a head appears at the opening, and a shriek of terror sets the air ringing. Then, like hunted beings, as if they were face to face with some horror which they were endeavouring to escape, the Malays came pouring up in a confused heap, this time struggling even more fiercely for the leadership.

"What is it?" shouted Hanns Schlott wrathfully, his desire to capture the fugitives and his anger preventing his seeing the sinking condition of the schooner. "Do you wish to tell me again that two boys have frightened you, and that you are flying from them? Back, hounds! and do not let me see you until you have reported that they are dead, or until you can say that they are gone from the ship."

"They would be fools to stay," called out one of the men who had descended, leaping with one big bound to the deck of the prahu, upon which he alighted with every sign of satisfaction. "The cabin is filled almost to the top with water, and in less time than I care to mention she will go to the bottom of the river. Hasten, comrades, or you will be dragged down to the depths with her."

With shouts and screams of rage and terror the Malays who still remained on the schooner came pouring up from below, their limbs dripping with the water, and all at once ran at their fastest pace to the rail, where, careless of the space which now intervened between themselves and the prahu, they sprang outwards in their desire to escape from the sinking vessel. Some, more fortunate than their fellows, reached their comrades in safety, and, turning swiftly about, looked back at the schooner with eyes which bulged from their sockets, so great was their alarm and consternation at the trap into which they had fallen. A few, however, who had been unable to reach the deck before owing to the narrowness of the ladder and to the press of men, found that the jar with which the prahu had hit against her prize had caused her to sheer off into deeper water, leaving a gap which no one could hope to jump. For an instant they hesitated, and then with shrill cries of fright they plunged into the river, and went clambering into their own ship by means of the sweeps which hung overboard. As for Hanns Schlott, he was like a madman. Rushing along the deck, he had at first thrown himself upon the Malay crew in his anger, and had buffeted those who had returned till they cowered at his feet. Then, suddenly realizing that he had been fooled for the second time, and that Tyler and his companion had been too clever for him, he danced between the masts as if his feelings were too much for him, and as if violent movement were necessary.

"A second time!" he cried in shrill tones of rage. "They have made me look foolish again, and I should have guessed their plot, and, leaving the schooner to her fate, should have landed and searched for them in the forest or upon the river. But it is not too late even now. I must not allow my vexation to master my reason, and I will at once see to it that they are followed. Listen!" he went on, turning fiercely upon the pirate crew; "the dogs have played a prank with us again, and have fled from this spot. Did anyone see a sign of the boat which was towed behind the schooner?"

For a few seconds there was silence as the Malays watched their comrades climbing on board. Then one of them, anxious perhaps to appease the anger of his leader, or drawing upon his imagination in his excitement, ran towards Hanns Schlott and bellowed some information into his ear.

"You ask for the small boat," he cried. "I saw it disappearing round the angle farther up, which hides the upper reaches. There you will find the fugitives rowing for their lives. Hasten! Send after them, and when you have captured them let them be punished for the trick which they have played upon us."

Without waiting to consider whether the report were a true one or not, and roused to a high pitch of anger and vexation by the manner in which he had been foiled, Hanns Schlott sprang upon the rail of the prahu, and, holding there to the rigging, stared towards the upper reaches of the river, shading his eyes with his broad palm, for the hour was an early one and the sun as yet but low in the heavens. Then he directed a swift glance to the schooner, as if a sudden suspicion had seized him that another trick was attempted, and that the fugitives were still in hiding there. But a moment's contemplation showed him that this could not be the case, for the sinking vessel lay wallowing in the river, which was slowly drifting her towards the bay outside. Already part of her deck was awash, while a trembling of her rigging, a curious fluttering of the sail, seemed to denote that her end was at hand. Indeed, as the Dutchman observed her, and endeavoured to make up his dull and heavy mind to the thought that she was alone, the schooner suddenly came to a stop in her gentle course towards the bay, then she heeled to starboard with such a jerk that her topmasts bent like fishing-rods and threatened to break away. Next second, however, she righted, and then her stern subsided beneath the water while her bows cocked high in the air. Down she went inch by inch, while those on board the prahu fixed their eyes upon her as if they were fascinated. Suddenly there was a low report, bubbles of air came seething up beside her, throwing the surface of the river into froth, and instantly the good ship disappeared from view, only one of her topmasts remaining above the river. But there was no great depth there, and ere a minute had passed she had struck upon the bottom, and, sousing forward on to a level keel, she came to a permanent rest with both topmasts elevated some twenty feet in the air.

"Out with the boat!" shouted Hanns Schlott as she foundered. "Let the crew get overboard at once and row for the shore, there to search for traces of the fugitives, while we will sail up the river in the prahu and give chase. If they have escaped in that direction and we do not see them within half an hour we shall know that they have landed and hidden in the swamps, for our progress will be far more rapid than theirs. As for you other men, you are to search the bank of the river closely on this side, for it is obvious that they have not crossed to the opposite shore, for otherwise we should have seen them. If you find traces of their presence fire a gun to recall us, and we will come back to help you. Above all, should you see them, shoot them at once, for otherwise they may escape you."

"Evidently a big movement afoot," said Tyler in John's ear as the two kept watch upon the pirates. "They were nicely taken in over the schooner, but now they are going to take up the pursuit in earnest. Here comes a boat-load of the ruffians, while the prahu is already hoisting her sail to proceed up the river."

"Then what are we going to do?" demanded John Marshall in tones of anxiety. "If we remain here we shall nearly certainly be discovered, and I for one do not look forward to becoming a prisoner."

"There will be no making prisoners," was Tyler's short and expressive answer. "You must realize the fact that those men are the hounds who will hunt their quarry to the death. As for remaining here, it is out of the question, for though we have been very careful it was quite impossible to set foot upon the soft and muddy bank without leaving impressions behind us. These Malays are, no doubt, excellent trackers, for they have been accustomed to these forests and swamps all their lives. They will quickly discover our landing-place, and once that is done they will follow us. We must leave the spot at once if we wish to remain alive. Come, let us be going, and be careful to leave as few traces behind you as you can."

But now the prahu had dropped her boat into the water and was standing up the river, while the crew who had been left behind were already putting out their paddles and preparing to row for the land. To have waited longer would have been foolhardy in the extreme, and therefore, without further delay, Tyler and his companion stole off into the forest. Soon they broke into a trot, Tyler being in advance, and this they kept up for half an hour, when the jungle thickened and made rapid progress impossible. Squeezing between gigantic tree trunks, at times crawling beneath tangled masses of creepers and undergrowth, they sped on their way, taking the utmost pains all the while to replace branches which had been pushed aside. With quick eye Tyler sought for the hardest grass, and led his companion over it. But soon it became evident that they were approaching a swamp, for the earth beneath their feet became soft and spongy, and within a hundred yards they were wading knee-deep through a mangrove swamp which seemed to stretch in every direction but the one from which they had just come.

"Halt!" cried Tyler, lifting his hand to warn his companion as a break in the trees denoted the fact that they had come across a creek or some arm of the river. "Let us listen so as to make sure that we are being followed. If that is the case we will swim across and continue our flight on the opposite side."

Throwing themselves down upon the long and twisted root of a durian which stood above the surface of the water, they sat there panting with their exertions, and listening eagerly for sounds of the Malays. Nor were they destined to be kept waiting long, for hardly had they regained their breath than shouts came echoing through the forest, while the snap of breaking branches, and the splash of many feet wading through the water, told that the pursuers were near at hand.

"They have quickly got upon our track," whispered Tyler, "and I fear that, after all, we shall have to fight for our lives. Now, how are we to get across the river without damaging our weapons?"

"Tie the ammunition on to our heads and swim with one hand, holding the guns above water. It ain't easy, I know, sir, but we've got to do it."

Hastily unslinging the bags in which the ammunition was stored, they placed them upon their heads, winding the slings round till the whole was secured. Then they pressed forward into the wide stream, which seemed to cut its course through the heart of the forest, and, waiting until the current almost carried them from their feet, commenced to swim for the opposite shore. As John Marshall had truly stated, it was no easy task which they had set themselves, for the ammunition, bearing upon their heads, made it difficult to keep their mouths clear of the water, while the gun, which was held at arm's-length above the surface, added to their trouble. But they were not to be easily beaten, and though already fatigued by their flight through the forest, they swam on gamely till their feet touched the opposite shore.

"Now for the forest and cover," said Tyler. "Then we will sit down to rest and watch our enemies. But I suppose that they will make nothing of the river, and once across will rapidly pick up our trail again."

"Then it's a case of fighting," was the boatswain's dogged reply. "If they're bound to come up with us what's the good of our tiring ourselves out by flight? Why not look out for a likely spot at once and get ready for 'em? With our rifles we ought to be able to kill a few of these Malay ruffians, and as we know that Hanns Schlott is not with them, but has gone on with the prahu, it is just possible that they may take fright and run for their lives."

Both were silent for some minutes as they waded into shallower water and disappeared within the forest; for the effort of pushing their way through the stagnant river, the creepers and weeds which abounded everywhere, demanded so much of their breath that they had none to spare for talking. However, a few minutes brought them to higher land, and both were about to dash forward and leave the water when a thought suddenly occurred to Tyler, and with a quick movement of his hand he arrested John Marshall's progress.