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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 10210 ***
+
+WOLVES OF THE SEA
+
+Being a Tale of the Colonies From the Manuscript of One Geoffry
+Carlyle, Seaman, Narrating Certain Strange Adventures Which Befell Him
+Aboard the Pirate Craft "Namur"
+
+
+BY RANDALL PARRISH
+
+
+Author of "When Wilderness Was King," "The Last Voyage of the Donna
+Isabel" "Beyond the Frontier" "Contraband" etc.
+
+
+Frontispiece By FRANK E. SCHOONOVER
+
+
+1918
+
+
+
+
+FOREWORD
+
+Anson Carlyle, aged twenty-three, the ninth in descent from Captain
+Geoffry Carlyle, of Glasgow, Scotland, was among the heroic Canadian
+dead at Vimy Ridge. Unmarried, and the last of his line, what few
+treasures he possessed fell into alien hands. Among these was a
+manuscript, apparently written in the year 1687, and which, through
+nine generations, had been carefully preserved, yet never made public.
+The paper was yellowed and discolored by years, occasionally a page
+was missing, and the writing itself had become almost indecipherable.
+Much indeed had to be traced by use of a microscope. The writer was
+evidently a man of some education, and clear thought, but exceedingly
+diffuse, in accordance with the style of his time, and possessing
+small conception of literary form. In editing this manuscript for
+modern readers I have therefore been compelled to practically rewrite
+it entirely, retaining merely the essential facts, with an occasional
+descriptive passage, although I have conscientiously followed the
+original development of the tale. In this reconstruction much
+quaintness of language, as well as appeal to probability, may have
+been lost, and for this my only excuse is the necessity of thus making
+the story readable. I have no doubt as to its essential truth, nor do
+I question the purpose which dominated this rover of the sea in his
+effort to record the adventures of his younger life. As a picture of
+those days of blood and courage, as well as a story of love and
+devotion, I deem it worthy preservation, regretting only the
+impossibility of now presenting it in print exactly as written by
+Geoffry Carlyle.
+
+_R.P._
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+I Sent into Servitude
+
+II The Prison Ship
+
+III Dorothy Fairfax
+
+IV The Shores of Virginia
+
+V The Waters of the Chesapeake
+
+VI Fairfax Speaks with Me
+
+VII The Lieutenant Unmasked
+
+VIII A Victory, and a Defeat
+
+IX A Swim to the _Namur_
+
+X On the Deck of the _Namur_
+
+XI The Return of the Boat
+
+XII A Friend in the Forecastle
+
+XIII I Accept a Proposal
+
+XIV I Warn Dorothy
+
+XV The Cabin of the _Namur_
+
+XVI In Dorothy's Stateroom
+
+XVII A Murder on Board
+
+XVIII A New Conspiracy
+
+XIX Laying the Trap
+
+XX The Deck Is Ours
+
+XXI In Full Possession
+
+XXII The Crew Decides
+
+XXIII The Prisoners Escape
+
+XXIV In Clasp of the Sea
+
+XXV The Open Boat
+
+XXVI A Floating Coffin
+
+XXVII On Board the Slaver
+
+XXVIII A New Plan of Escape
+
+XXIX A Struggle in the Dark
+
+XXX Opening the Treasure Chest
+
+XXXI The Boat Attack
+
+XXXII The Last of the _Namur_
+
+XXXIII Before the Governor
+
+
+
+
+WOLVES OF THE SEA
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+
+SENT INTO SERVITUDE
+
+
+Knowing this to be a narrative of unusual adventure, and one which may
+never even be read until long after I have departed from this world,
+when it will be difficult to convince readers that such times as are
+herein depicted could ever have been reality, I shall endeavor to
+narrate each incident in the simplest manner possible. My only purpose
+is truth, and my only witness history. Yet, even now lately as this
+all happened it is more like the recollections of a dream, dimly
+remembered at awakening, and, perchance, might remain so, but for the
+scars upon my body, and the constant memory of a woman's face. These
+alone combine to bring back in vividness those days that were--days of
+youth and daring, of desperate, lawless war, of wide ocean peril, and
+the outstretched hands of love. So that here, where I am writing it
+all down, here amid quietness and peace, and forgetful of the past, I
+wander again along a deserted shore, and sail among those isles of a
+southern sea, the home for many a century of crime and unspeakable
+cruelty. I will recall the truth, and can do no more.
+
+I can recall that far-away dawn now as the opening portals of a
+beautiful morning, although at the time my thought was so closely
+centered upon other things, the deep blue of the sky, and the
+glimmering gold of the sun scarcely left an impression on my mind. It
+was still early morning when we were brought out under heavy guard,
+and marched somberly forth through the opened gates of the gaol. There
+had been rain during the night, and the cobble-stones of the village
+street were dark with moisture, slipping under our hob-nailed shoes as
+we stumbled along down the sharp incline leading to the wharf. Ahead
+we could perceive a forest of masts, and what seemed like a vast crowd
+of waiting people. Only the murmur of voices greeting us as we
+emerged, told that this gathering was not a hostile one, and this
+truth was emphasized to our minds by the efforts of the guard to
+hasten our passage. That we had been sentenced to exile, to prolonged
+servitude in some foreign land, was all that any of us knew--to what
+special section of the world fate had allotted us remained unknown.
+
+In spite of curses, and an occasional blow, we advanced slowly,
+marching four abreast, with feet dragging heavily, the chains binding
+us together clanking dismally with each step, and an armed guard
+between each file. Experiences have been many since then, yet I
+recall, as though it were but yesterday, the faces of those who walked
+in line with me. I was at the right end of my file, and at my shoulder
+was a boy from Morrownest, a slim, white-faced lad, his weak chin
+trembling from fear, and his eyes staring about so pleadingly I spoke
+a word of courage to him, whispering in his ear, lest the guard behind
+might strike. He glanced aside at me, but with no response in the
+depths of his eyes, in which I could perceive only a dumb anguish of
+despair. Beyond him marched Grover, one time butcher at Harwich, a
+stocky, big-fisted fellow, with a ghastly sword wound, yet red and
+unhealed on his face, extending from hair to chin, his little pig eyes
+glinting ugly, and his lips cursing. The man beyond was a soldier, a
+straight, athletic fellow, with crinkly black beard, who kept his eyes
+front, paying no heed to the cries. The guard pressed the people back
+as we shuffled along, but there was no way of keeping them still. I
+heard cries of encouragement, shouts of recognition, sobs of pity, and
+occasionally a roar of anger as we passed.
+
+"Good lads! God be with yer!"
+
+"Thet one thar is sore hurted--it's a damn shame."
+
+"Thar's Teddy--poor laddie! Luck go with yer, Teddy."
+
+"Ter hell with Black Jeffries, say I!"
+
+"Hush, mon, er ye'll be next ter go--no, I don't know who sed it."
+
+"See thet little chap, Joe; lots ther lad bed ter do with the war."
+
+"They all look mighty peaked--poor devils, four months in gaol."
+
+"Stand back there now. Stand back!"
+
+The guards prodded them savagely with the butts of their musketoons,
+thus making scant room for us to shuffle through, out upon the far end
+of the wharf, where we were finally halted abreast of a lumping brig,
+apparently nearly ready for sea. There were more than forty of us as I
+counted the fellows, and we were rounded up at the extremity of the
+wharf in the full blaze of the sun, with a line of guards stretched
+across to hold back the crowd until preparations had been completed to
+admit us aboard. As those in front flung themselves down on the
+planks, I got view of the brig's gangway, along which men were still
+busily hauling belated boxes and barrels, and beyond these gained
+glimpse of the hooker's name--ROMPING BETSY OF PLYMOUTH. A moment
+later a sailor passed along the edge of the dock, dragging a coil of
+rope after him, and must have answered some hail on his way, for
+instantly a whisper passed swiftly from man to man.
+
+"It's Virginia, mate; we're bound fer Virginia."
+
+The ugly little pig eyes of the butcher met mine.
+
+"Virginia, hey?" he grunted. "Ye're a sailorman, ain't ye, mate? Well,
+then, whar is this yere Virginia?"
+
+The boy was looking at me also questioningly, the terror in his face
+by no means lessened at the sound of this strange word.
+
+"Yes, sir, please; where is it, sir?"
+
+I patted him on the shoulder, as others near by leaned forward to
+catch my answer.
+
+"That's all right, mates," I returned cheerfully. "It's across the
+blue water, of course, but better than the Indies. We'll fall into the
+hands of Englishmen out there, and they'll be decent to us."
+
+"But whar is the bloomin' hole?"
+
+"In America. That is where all the tobacco comes from; likely that
+will be our job--raising tobacco."
+
+"Have ever yer bin thar?"
+
+"Ay, twice--and to a land beyond they call Maryland. Tis a country
+not so unlike England."
+
+"Good luck that then; tell us about it, matie."
+
+I endeavored to do so, dwelling upon what I remembered of the
+settlements, and the habits of the people, but saying little of the
+great wilderness of the interior, or how I had seen slaves toiling in
+the fields. The group of men within range of my voice leaned forward
+in breathless attention, one now and then asking a question, their
+chains rattling with each movement of a body. The deep interest shown
+in their faces caused me unconsciously to elevate, my voice, and I had
+spoken but a moment or two before a hard hand gripped my shoulder.
+
+"Yer better stow that, my man," growled someone above me, and I looked
+up into the stern eyes of the captain of the guard "or it may be the
+'cat' for ye. Yer heard the orders."
+
+"Yes, sir; I was only answering questions."
+
+"Questions! What the hell difference does it make to this scum whar
+they go? Do yer talkin' aboard, not here. So ye've been ter the
+Virginia plantation, hev ye?"
+
+"Twice, sir."
+
+"As a sailor?"
+
+"In command of vessels."
+
+His eyes softened slightly, and a different tone seemed to creep into
+his voice.
+
+"Then ye must be Master Carlyle, I take it. I heerd tell about ye at
+the trial, but supposed ye ter be an older man."
+
+"I am twenty-six."
+
+"Ye don't look even thet. It's my notion ye got an overly hard dose
+this time. The Judge was in ill humor thet day. Still thet's not fer
+me ter talk about. It's best fer both of us ter hold our tongues. Ay,
+they're ready fer ye now. Fall in there--all of yer. Step along, yer
+damn rebel scum."
+
+We passed aboard over the narrow gang-plank, four abreast, dragging
+our feet, and were halted on the forward deck, while artificers
+removed our chains. As these were knocked off, the released prisoners
+disappeared one by one down the forward hatch, into the space between
+the decks which had been roughly fitted up for their confinement
+during the long voyage. As my position was in one of the last files, I
+had ample time in which to gaze about, and take note of my
+surroundings. Except for the presence of the prisoners the deck
+presented no unusual scene. The _Romping Betsy_ was a large,
+full-rigged brig, not overly clean, and had evidently been in
+commission for some time. Not heavily loaded she rode high, and was a
+broad-nosed vessel, with comfortable beam. I knew her at once as a
+slow sailor, and bound to develop a decidedly disagreeable roll in any
+considerable sea. She was heavily sparred, and to my eye her canvas
+appeared unduly weather-beaten and rotten. Indeed there was
+unnecessary clutter aloft, and an amount of litter about the deck
+which evidenced lack of seamanship; nor did the general appearance of
+such stray members of the crew as met my notice add appreciably to my
+confidence in the voyage.
+
+I stared aft at the poop deck, seeking to gain glimpse of the skipper,
+but was unable to determine his presence among the others. There were
+a number of persons gathered along the low rail, attracted by the
+unusual spectacle, and curiously watching us being herded aboard, and
+dispatched below, but, to judge from their appearance, these were
+probably all passengers--some of them adventurers seeking the new land
+on their first voyage, although among them I saw others, easily
+recognized as Virginians on their way home. Among these I picked out a
+planter or two, prosperous and noisy, men who had just disposed of
+their tobacco crop, well satisfied with the returns; some artisans
+sailing on contract, and a naval officer in uniform. Then my eyes
+encountered a strange group foregathered beside the lee rail.
+
+There were four in the little party, but one of these was a negress,
+red-turbaned, and black as the ace of spades, a servant evidently,
+standing in silence behind the others. Another was clearly enough a
+Colonial proprietor, a heavily built man of middle age, purple faced,
+and wearing the broad hat with uplifted brim characteristic of
+Virginians. I passed these by with a glance, my attention
+concentrating upon the other two--a middle-aged young man, and a young
+woman standing side by side. The former was a dashing looking blade,
+of not more than forty, attired in blue, slashed coat, ornamented with
+gilt buttons, and bedecked at collar and cuffs with a profusion of
+lace. A saffron colored waist-coat failed to conceal his richly
+beruffled shirt, and the hilt of a rapier was rather prominently
+displayed. Such dandies were frequently enough seen, but it was this
+man's face which made marked contrast with his gay attire. He was
+dark, and hook-nosed, apparently of foreign birth, with black
+moustache tightly clipped, so as to reveal the thin firmness of his
+lips, and even at that distance I could perceive the lines of a scar
+across his chin. Altogether there was an audacity to his face, a
+daring, convincing me he was no mere lady's knight, but one to whom
+fighting was a trade. He was pointing us out to his companion,
+apparently joking over our appearance, in an endeavor to amuse.
+Seemingly she gave small heed to his words, for although her eyes
+followed where he pointed, they never once lighted with a smile, nor
+did I see her answer his sallies. She was scarcely more than a girl,
+dressed very simply in some clinging dark stuff, with a loose gray
+cloak draping her shoulders, and a small, neat bonnet of straw perched
+upon a mass of coiled hair. The face beneath was sweetly piquant, with
+dark eyes, and rounded cheeks flushed with health. She stood, both
+hands clasping the rail, watching us intently. I somehow felt as
+though her eyes were upon me, and within their depths, even at that
+distance, I seemed to read a message of sympathy and kindness. The one
+lasting impression her face left on my memory was that of innocent
+girlhood, dignified by a womanly tenderness.
+
+What were those two to each other? I could not guess, for they seemed
+from two utterly different worlds. Not brother and sister surely; and
+not lovers. The last was unthinkable. Perhaps mere chance
+acquaintances, who had drifted together since coming aboard. It seems
+strange that at such a moment my attention should have thus centered
+on these two, yet I think now that either one would have awakened my
+interest wherever we had met. Instinctively I disliked the man, aware
+of an instant antagonism, realizing that he was evil; while his
+companion came to me as revealment of all that was true and worthy,
+in a degree I had never known before. I could not banish either from
+my mind. For months I had been in prison, expecting a death sentence,
+much of the time passed in solitary confinement, and now, with that
+cloud lifted, I had come forth into a fresh existence only to be
+confronted by this man and woman, representing exact opposites. Their
+peculiarities took immediate possession of a mind entirely unoccupied,
+nor did I make any effort to banish them from my thought. From the
+instant I looked upon these two I felt convinced that, through some
+strange vagary of fate, we were destined to know more of each other;
+that our life lines were ordained to touch, and become entangled,
+somewhere in that mystery of the Western World to which I had been
+condemned. I cannot analyze this conception, but merely record its
+presence; the thought took firm possession of me. Under the
+circumstances I was too far away to overhear conversation. The
+shuffling of feet, the rattling of chains, the harsh voices of the
+guard, made it impossible to distinguish any words passing between the
+two. I could only watch them, quickly assured that I had likewise
+attracted the girl's attention, and that her gaze occasionally sought
+mine. Then the guards came to me, and, with my limbs freed of fetters,
+I was passed down the steep ladder into the semi-darkness between
+decks, where we were to be confined. The haunting memory of her face
+accompanied me below, already so clearly defined as to be
+unforgettable.
+
+It proved a dismal, crowded hole in which we were quartered like so
+many cattle, it being merely a small space forward, hastily boxed off
+by rough lumber, the sides and ends built up into tiers of bunks, the
+only ventilation and light furnished by the open hatch above. The
+place was clean enough, being newly fitted for the purpose, but was
+totally devoid of furnishings, the only concession to comfort visible
+was a handful of fresh straw in each bunk. The men, herded and driven
+down the ladder, were crowded into the central space, the majority
+still on their feet, but a few squatting dejectedly on the deck. In
+the dim twilight of that bare interior their faces scarcely appeared
+natural, and they conversed in undertones. Most of the fellows were
+sober and silent, not a bad lot to my judgment, with only here and
+there a countenance exhibiting viciousness, or a tongue given to
+ribaldry. I could remember seeing but few of them before, yet as I
+observed them more closely now, realized that these were not criminals
+being punished for crime, but men caught, as I had been, and condemned
+without fair trial, through the lies of paid informers. I could even
+read in their actions and words the simple stories of their former
+lives--the farm laborer, the sailor, the store-keeper, now all on one
+common level of misfortune and misery--condemned alike to exile, to
+servitude in a strange land, beyond seas.
+
+The ticket given me called by number for a certain berth, and I sought
+until I found this, throwing within the small bundle I bore, and then
+finding a chance to sit down on the deck beneath. The last of the
+bunch of prisoners dribbled down the ladder, each in turn noisily
+greeted by those already huddled below. I began to recognize the
+increasing foulness of air, and to distinguish words of conversation
+from the groups about me. There was but little profanity but some
+rough horse-play, and a marked effort to pretend indifference. I could
+make out gray-beards and mere boys mingling together, and occasionally
+a man in some semblance of uniform. A few bore wounds, and the clothes
+of several were in rags; all alike exhibited marks of suffering and
+hardship. The butcher from Harwich, and the white-faced lad who had
+marched beside me down the wharf, were not to be seen from where I
+sat, although beyond doubt they were somewhere in the crowd. The hatch
+was not lowered, and gazing up through the square opening, I obtained
+glimpse of two soldiers on guard, the sunlight glinting on their guns.
+Almost immediately there was the sound of tramping feet on the deck
+above, and the creaking of blocks. Then a sudden movement of the hull
+told all we were under way. This was recognized by a roar of voices.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE PRISON SHIP
+
+
+The greater portion of that voyage I would blot entirely from memory
+if possible. I cannot hope to describe it in any detail---the foul
+smells, the discomfort, the ceaseless horror of food, the close
+companionship of men turned into mere animals by suffering and
+distress, the wearisome days, the black, sleepless nights, the
+poisonous air, and the brutality of guards. I can never forget these
+things, for they have scarred my soul, yet surely I need not dwell
+upon them now, except as they may bear some direct reference to this
+tale I seek to tell. As such those weeks cannot be wholly ignored, for
+they form a part of the events to follow--events which might not be
+clearly understood without their proper picturing.
+
+We were fifty-three days at sea, driven once so far to the southward
+by a severe storm, which struck us the second day out, as to sight the
+north coast of Africa before we were able to resume our westward
+course. To those of us who were tightly shut into those miserable
+quarters below these facts came only as floating rumors, yet the
+intense suffering involved was all real enough. For forty-two hours we
+were battened down in darkness, flung desperately about by every mad
+plunge of the vessel, stifled by poisoned air and noxious odors, and
+all that time without a particle of food. If I suffered less than
+some others it was simply because I was more accustomed to the sea. I
+was not nauseated by the motion, nor unduly frightened by the wild
+pitching of the brig. Lying quietly in my berth, braced to prevent
+being thrown out, amid a darkness so intense as to seem a weight,
+every sound from the deck above, every lift of the vessel, brought to
+my mind a sea message, convincing me of two things--that the _Romping
+Betsy_ was a staunch craft, and well handled. Terrific as the gale
+became I only grew more confident that she would safely weather it.
+
+Yet God knows it was horrible enough even to lie there and listen, to
+feel the hurling plunges downward, the dizzy upsweeping of the hull;
+to hear the cries, groans and prayers of frightened men, unseen and
+helpless in the darkness, the creaking timbers, the resounding blows
+of the waves against the sides, the horrid retching of the sick, the
+snarling, angry voices as the struggling mass was flung back and
+forth, the curses hurled madly into the darkness. They were no longer
+men, but infuriated brutes, so steeped in agony and fear as to have
+lost all human instincts. They snarled and snapped like so many
+beasts, their voices unrecognizable, the stronger treading the weaker
+to the deck. I could not see, I could only hear, yet I lay there,
+staring blindly about, conscious of every horror, and so weak and
+unnerved as to tremble like a child.
+
+Yet the complete knowledge of what had actually occurred in that
+frightful hole was only revealed when the violence of the storm
+finally ceased, and the guards above again lifted the hatch. The gray
+light of dawn faintly illumined the inferno below, and the sweet
+breath of morning air swept down among us. Then I saw the haggard,
+uplifted faces, the arms tossed aloft, and heard the wild yell as the
+stronger charged forward struggling for the foot of the ladder. The
+place was a foul, reeking shambles, so filthy as to be positively
+sickening, with motionless bodies stretched here and there along the
+deck. Sailors and guards fought their way down among us, driving back
+the unarmed wretches who sought to oppose their progress, while others
+bore to the deck above those who were too helpless to rise. There were
+five dead among them, and twice as many more who had lost
+consciousness. These were all removed first and then, feeling helpless
+to resist the rush, the others were permitted to clamber up the
+ladder. Surging out upon the deck, we were hurdled against the lee
+rail, menaced by leveled guns, and thus finally fed, while the filthy
+quarters below were hastily cleansed.
+
+It was a dark, lowering morning, the desolate sea still threateningly
+rough, the heavy clouds hanging low. The _Romping Betsy_ was hove to,
+under bare poles, a bit of the jib alone showing, with decks and spars
+exhibiting evidence of the terrific struggle to keep afloat. I never
+witnessed wilder pitching on any vessel, but the fresh air brought new
+life to the wretches about me, and a species of cheerfulness was
+quickly manifested. Bad as the food was we ate it gladly, nor did the
+memory of the dead, already laid out on the main deck, long depress
+us. Why should we mourn for them? We scarcely knew any among them by
+name, and, facing the uncertainty of our own fate, each man secretly
+felt that these had possibly found the easier way. Our own misery was
+now greater than theirs. So we hung on to whatever would help us to
+keep erect, and ate the food given us like famished animals. Rough and
+threatening as the surroundings still were, I was seaman enough to
+realize that the backbone of the storm had broken, and so rejoiced
+when the skipper ordered sail set. In a few moments the brig was once
+again headed on a westerly course, and riding the heavy seas much more
+steadily.
+
+We were permitted to remain on deck scarcely more than an hour, and
+during that time only a very few passengers made their appearance aft.
+Although watching eagerly I perceived no flutter of a skirt in the
+wind, but the Spanish looking man emerged from below, and clung to the
+rail for several minutes before we were ordered from deck. He spoke
+with the Captain, pointing and gesticulating, and the few detached
+words blown to me on the wind were sufficient to convince me that the
+fellow knew ships and the sea. I had thought him a mere dandy, but now
+saw in him harder stuff, even getting close enough to learn that he
+had visited America before, and possessed knowledge of its shores and
+currents. Ay, and he spoke English well, with never pause for a word,
+even to terms of seamanship a bit obscure.
+
+The next few days, while uneventful, sufficed to make our discipline
+complete, obedience being roughly enforced by blows and oaths. At
+first a spirit of resistance flamed high, but the truly desperate
+among us were few, and without leadership, while the majority were
+already thoroughly cowed by months of imprisonment. Left to
+themselves the more reckless and criminal were soon obliged to yield
+to force, so that nothing more serious resulted than loud talk and
+threats. The hatch above remained open, but carefully guarded night
+and day, while we were permitted on deck for air and exercise only in
+squads of ten, two hours out of every twenty-four. This alone served
+to break the dread monotony of the voyage, for while we almost
+constantly encountered baffling head winds, no other storm of any
+magnitude obstructed our passage. The brig carried heavy canvas, and
+the skipper loaded her with all she could bear, but at that she was a
+slow sailor, dipping so deeply in a seaway as to ship considerable
+water even in quiet weather. From our exercise on deck we generally
+returned below drenched to the skin, but glad to even pay that price
+for two hours of fresh air, and an opportunity to gaze about at sea
+and sky. There was little else to witness, for in all the long voyage
+we encountered but one vessel in that desolate ocean, a French armed
+corvette, fairly bristling with guns, which ran in close enough to
+hail us, but seemed satisfied to permit us to pass unvisited. I clung
+to the rail and watched its white sails disappear until they resembled
+the wings of gulls, feeling more than ever conscious of our
+helplessness. There were few among the prisoners I had any desire to
+companion with--only two, as I recall now--a law clerk from Sussex, a
+rather bright young fellow, but full of strange notions, and an older
+man, who had seen service in Flanders. We messed together, and pledged
+mutual friendship in the new land, a pledge not destined to be
+fulfilled, as I never again saw nor heard of the former after we went
+ashore, and the last glimpse I had of the older man was as he was
+being loaded into a cart bound for some interior plantation. God grant
+they both lived, and became again free men.
+
+How those sodden hours and days dragged! How long were those black
+nights, in which I lay sleepless, listening to indescribable noises,
+and breathing the rank, poisonous air. The short time passed on deck
+was my only solace, and yet even there I found little to interest,
+except a continuous new hope. We were herded well forward, a rope
+dividing us from the main deck, which space the passengers aft used as
+a promenade. Here, between the foremast and the cabin, someone was
+strolling idly about most of the time, or lounging along the rail out
+of the sun. In time I came to recognize them all by sight, and
+learned, in one way or another, something of their characteristics,
+and purpose in taking this voyage. They were not an unusual lot, the
+majority planters from the Colonies homeward bound, with occasionally
+a new emigrant about to try for fortune beyond seas, together with one
+or two naval officers. There were only three women aboard, a fat
+dowager, the young lady I had noticed at embarkation, and her colored
+maid. Many of the days were pleasant, with quiet sea and bright
+sunshine, and the younger woman must have passed hours on deck during
+so long and tedious a voyage. Yet it chanced I saw almost nothing of
+her. I heard her presence on board discussed several times by others
+of our company, but it somehow chanced that during my time in the open
+she was usually below. Indeed I gained but one glimpse of the lady in
+the first two weeks at sea, and then only as we were being ordered
+down to our quarters for the night. Just as I was approaching the
+hatch to descend, she appeared from within the cabin, accompanied by
+the middle-aged planter, and the two advanced toward the rail. The
+younger gallant, who was standing there alone, saw them the moment
+they emerged, and hastened forward, bowing low, hat in hand. She
+barely recognized him, her gaze traveling beyond the fellow toward the
+disappearing line of prisoners. It was an evening promising storm,
+with some motion to the sea, and a heavy bank of clouds visible off
+the port quarter, brightened by flashes of zigzag lightning. The brig
+rolled dizzily, so the cavalier sought to steady her steps, but she
+only laughed at the effort, waving him aside, as she moved easily
+forward. Once with hand on the rail, she ignored his presence
+entirely, looking first at the threatening cloud, and then permitting
+her gaze to rest once more upon the line of men descending through the
+hatch.
+
+It had become my turn to go down, yet in that instant our eyes met
+fairly, and I instantly knew she saw and recognized me. For a single
+second our glances clung, as though some mysterious influence held us
+to each other--then the angry guard struck me with the stock of his
+piece.
+
+"What er ye standin' thar fer?" he demanded savagely. "Go on
+down--lively now."
+
+I saw her clasping fingers convulsively grip the rail, and, even at
+that distance, marked a sudden flame of color in her cheeks. That was
+all her message to me, yet quite enough. Although we had never spoken,
+although our names were yet unknown, I was no criminal to her mind,
+no unrecognized prisoner beneath contempt, but a human being in whom
+she already felt a personal interest, and to whom she extended thought
+and sympathy. The blow of the gun-stock bruised my back, yet it was
+with a smile and a light heart that I descended the ladder, deeply
+conscious of a friend on board--one totally unable to serve me,
+perhaps, yet nevertheless a friend. Even in our isolation, guarded in
+those narrow quarters, much of the ship gossip managed in some way to
+reach our ears. How it drifted in was often a mystery, yet there was
+little going on aboard we failed to hear. Much of it came to us
+through those detailed to serve food, while guards and sailors were
+not always averse to being talked with. We always knew the ship's
+course, and I managed to keep in my mind a very dear idea of how the
+voyage progressed. Not a great deal of this gossip, however, related
+to the passengers aft, who kept rather exclusively to themselves, nor
+did I feel inclined to question those who might have the information.
+I had no wish to reveal my interest to others, and so continued
+entirely ignorant of the identity of the young woman. She remained in
+my memory, in my thoughts nameless, a dream rather than a reality. I
+did learn quite by accident that the gay gallant was a wealthy
+Spaniard, supposedly of high birth, by name Sanchez, and at one time
+in the naval service, and likewise ascertained that the rotund
+planter, so evidently in the party, was a certain Roger Fairfax, of
+Saint Mary's in Maryland, homeward bound after a successful sale of
+his tobacco crop in London. It was during his visit to the great city
+that he had met Sanchez, and his praise of the Colonies had induced
+the latter to essay a voyage in his company to America. But strange
+enough no one so much as mentioned the girl in connection with either
+man.
+
+Thus it was that the _Romping Betsy_ drove steadily on her way into
+the west, either battered by storm, or idly drifting in calm, while
+life on board became a tiresome routine. The dullness and ill
+treatment led to trouble below, to dissatisfaction and angry outbreaks
+of temper. The prisoners grew quarrelsome among themselves, and
+mutinous toward their guards. I took no part in these affairs, which
+at one time became serious. Two men were shot dead, and twice
+afterwards bodies were carried up the ladder at dawn, and silently
+consigned to the sea. No doubt these tales, more or less exaggerated,
+traveled aft, and reached the eager ears of the passengers. They began
+to fear us, and consequently I noticed when on deck the promenade once
+so popular during the earlier days of the voyage, was almost totally
+deserted during our hours of recreation. So, with mutiny forward, and
+fear aft, the lumbering old brig, full of tragedy and hopeless hearts,
+ploughed steadily onward toward the sunset.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+DOROTHY FAIRFAX
+
+
+We were not far from two hundred miles east of the Capes, or at least
+so one of the mates told me, gruffly answering a question, and it was
+already growing twilight, the sun having disappeared a half hour
+before. There was but little air stirring, barely enough to keep the
+sails taut, while the swell of the sea was sufficient to be
+uncomfortable, making walking on the deck a task. We were wallowing
+along amid a waste of waters, the white-crested waves extending in
+every direction to the far horizons, which were already purpling with
+the approach of night. I had been closely confined to my bunk for two
+days with illness, but now, somewhat stronger, had been ordered on
+deck by the surgeon. The last batch of prisoners, after their short
+hour of recreation, had been returned to the quarters below, but I was
+permitted to remain alone undisturbed. I sat there quietly, perched on
+a coil of rope, with head just high enough to permit an unobstructed
+view over the side.
+
+The deck aft was almost deserted, the passengers being at supper in
+the cabin. I could glimpse them through the unshaded windows, seated
+about a long table, while occasionally the sound of their voices
+reached me through the open companion-way. The mate was alone on the
+poop, tramping steadily back and forth, his glance wandering from the
+sea alongside to the flapping canvas above, but remained silent, as
+the brig was on her course. Once he clambered down the side ladder,
+and walked forward, shouting out some order to a group of sailors
+under the lee of the forecastle. It was on his return that I ventured
+to question him, and was gruffly answered. Something I said however,
+gave him knowledge that I was a seaman, and he paused a moment more
+civilly before resuming his watch, even pointing out what resembled
+the gleam of a distant sail far away on our starboard quarter. This
+was such a dim speck against the darkening horizon that I stood up to
+see better, shadowing my eyes, and forgetful of all else in aroused
+interest. Undoubtedly it was a sail, although appearing no larger than
+a gull's wing, and my imagination took me in spirit across the leagues
+of water. I was still standing there absorbed, unaware even that the
+mate had departed, when a voice, soft-spoken and feminine, broke the
+silence.
+
+"May I speak with you?"
+
+I turned instantly, so thoroughly surprised, my voice faltered as I
+gazed into the upturned face of the questioner. She stood directly
+beside me, with only the rope barrier stretched between us, her head
+uncovered, the contour of her face softened by the twilight. Instantly
+my cap was off, and I was bowing courteously.
+
+"Most certainly," with a quick side glance toward the guard, "but I am
+a prisoner."
+
+"Of course I know that," in smiling confidence. "Only you see I am
+rather a privileged character on board. No one expects me to obey
+rules. Still that does not apply to you, does it?" hesitating
+slightly. "Perhaps you may be punished if you talk with me--is that
+what you meant?"
+
+"I am more than willing to assume the risk. Punishment is no new
+experience to me; besides just now I am on sick leave, and privileged.
+That accounts for my being still on deck."
+
+"And I chanced to find you here alone. You have been ill?"
+
+"Not seriously, but confined to the berth for a couple of days. And
+now the doctor prescribes fresh air. This meeting with you, I imagine,
+may prove even of greater benefit than that."
+
+"With me? Oh, you mean as a relief from loneliness."
+
+"Partly--yes. The voyage has certainly proven lonely enough. I have
+made few friends forward, and am even bold enough to say that I have
+longed for a word with you ever since I first saw you aboard."
+
+"Why especially with me?"
+
+"Rather a hard question to answer at the very beginning," I smiled
+back at her. "Yet not so difficult as the one I shall ask you. Except
+for a fat matron, and a colored maid, you chance to be the only woman
+on board. Can you consider it unnatural that I should feel an
+interest? On the other hand I am only one of fifty prisoners, scarcely
+cleaner or more reputable looking than any of my mates. Yet surely you
+have not sought speech with these others?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Then why especially with me?"  Even in the growing dusk I could mark
+a red flush mount into the clear cheeks at this insistent question,
+and for an instant her eyes wavered. But she possessed the courage of
+pride, and her hesitancy was short.
+
+"You imagine I cannot answer; indeed that I have no worthy reason,"
+she exclaimed. "Oh, but I have; I know who you are; my uncle pointed
+you out to me."
+
+"Your uncle--the planter in the gray coat?"
+
+"Yes; I am traveling home with him to Maryland. I am Dorothy Fairfax."
+
+"But even with that explanation I scarcely understand," I insisted
+rather stubbornly. "You say he pointed me out to you. Really I was not
+aware that I was a distinguished character of any kind. How did he
+happen to know me?"
+
+"Because he was present at your trial before Lord Jeffries. He merely
+chanced to be there when you were first brought up, but became
+interested in the case, and so returned to hear you sentenced. You are
+Geoffry Carlyle, in command of the ship that brought Monmouth to
+England. I heard it all."
+
+"All? What else, pray?"
+
+Her eyes opened widely in sudden surprise and she clasped and
+unclasped her hands nervously.
+
+"Do you really not know? Have you never been told what happened?"
+
+"Only that I was roughly forbidden to speak, called every foul name
+the learned Judge could think of, and then sentenced to twenty years
+penal servitude beyond seas," I answered soberly. "Following that I
+was dragged from the dock, and flung into a cell. Was there anything
+else?"
+
+"Why you should have known. Lord Jeffries sentenced you to death; the
+decree was signed, to be executed immediately. Then influence was
+brought to bear--some nobleman in Northumberland made direct appeal to
+the King. That was what angered Jeffries so."
+
+"An appeal! For me? Good God! not Bucclough--was it he, the Duke?"
+
+"Yes; it was whispered about that the King was in his debt--some word
+of honor, and dare not refuse. The word of mercy came just in time,
+ordering Jeffries to commute your sentence. At first he swore he'd
+hang you, King or no King, but his nerve failed. My uncle said he
+roared like a bull. This Bucclough; is he not your friend?"
+
+I hesitated for an instant of indecision, looking into her face, but
+the truth would not be denied.
+
+"Scarcely that," I said soberly. "Nor can I solve entirely his
+purpose. He is my brother, and I am the next in line. We are not even
+on speaking terms; yet he is childless, and may feel some measure of
+dislike to have the family end in a hangman's knot. I can think of no
+other reason for his interference. I knew nothing of his action."
+
+"I am glad it became my privilege to tell you. Besides, Captain
+Carlyle," simply, "it may also help you to understand my interest. If
+you are of the Carlyles of Bucclough, how happened it that you went to
+sea?"
+
+"Largely necessity, and to some extent no doubt sheer love of
+adventure. I was a younger son, with very little income. There were
+then two lives between me and the estate, and the old Duke, my
+father, treated me like a servant. I always loved the sea, and at
+fourteen--to get me out of his sight, I think largely--was apprenticed
+to the navy, but lost my grade in the service by a mere boyish prank.
+His influence then would have saved me, but he refused to even read my
+letter of explanation. I dare not return home in such disgrace, and
+consequently drifted into the merchant service. It is a story quickly
+told."
+
+"Yet not so quickly lived."
+
+"No, it meant many hard years, on all the oceans of the world. This is
+the first message reaching me from the old home."
+
+"I have seen that home," she said quietly, "and shall never forget the
+impression it made on me. A beautiful place. I was there on a coaching
+party, the first summer I was in England. I was a mere girl then, and
+everything seemed wonderful. I have been away from Maryland now for
+three years."
+
+"At school?"
+
+"Of course; nothing else would satisfy father. Maryland is only a
+Colony, you know."
+
+"Yes, I understand. A great many over there send back their sons and
+daughters to be educated. Your home is at Saint Mary's?"
+
+"Lower down the Potomac. Have you ever been there?"
+
+"Twice; once as mate, and the last time as master of a ship. My latest
+voyage in these waters was made nearly two years ago."
+
+She was silent for several moments, her face turned away from me, her
+eyes gazing out across the waste of waters which were already growing
+dark. Her clear-cut profile against the yellow light of the cabin
+windows appeared most attractive.
+
+"It is not so strange then, is it, that I should have felt interested
+in you?" she asked suddenly, as though justifying herself. "When Uncle
+Roger first told me who you were, and then explained what had occurred
+at your trial, naturally you became to me something entirely different
+from the others."
+
+"Certainly I am not inclined to condemn."
+
+"I never once thought of speaking to you--truly I did not," she went
+on simply. "But when I saw you sitting here all alone, the impulse
+came suddenly to tell you how sorry I was. You see," and she paused
+doubtfully, "girls brought up in the Colonies, as I have been,
+are--are not quite so careful about whom they talk with as in
+England--you know what I mean; we always have indentured servants, and
+become accustomed to them. It--it is quite different out there."
+
+I laughed, thinking only to relieve her embarrassment.
+
+"Believe me, Miss Dorothy, there is no thought in my mind that you
+have done wrong," I insisted swiftly. "That would be very ungrateful,
+for you have brought me new heart and hope."
+
+"Then I am not sorry. Were you actually with Monmouth?"
+
+"In sympathy, yes; but I had no hand in the actual fighting. I was not
+even ashore until it was all over with. Still I shall pay my share of
+the bill."
+
+"And you know what that means, do you not? What will happen when we
+reach Virginia?"
+
+"Perfectly; I have no illusions. I have seen just such ships as this
+come in. We are to be advertised, and sold to the highest bidder. A
+week from now I shall probably be out in the tobacco fields, under the
+whip of an overseer, who will call me Jeff. All I can hope for is a
+kind-hearted master, and an early opportunity to escape."
+
+"Oh, no!" and in her eagerness her hands actually clasped mine, where
+they clung to the rope between us. "It is not going to be quite so bad
+as that. That is what I wanted to tell you. That is what gave me
+boldness to come across here to you tonight. It has all been
+arranged."
+
+"Arranged?"
+
+"Yes--everything. You are not going to be sold on the block with those
+others. Uncle Roger has already contracted with the Captain for your
+services. You are going north with us to Maryland."
+
+I stared through the dusk into her animated face, scarcely
+comprehending.
+
+"Do you not understand, yet?" she asked. "The Captain of this brig is
+the agent; he represents the government, and is obliged to find places
+for the prisoners."
+
+"Yes; I know that. We are billed like so much livestock; he must
+account for every head."
+
+"Well, Uncle Roger went to him yesterday, and made a bid for you.
+Finally they came to terms. That is one reason why you are left alone
+here on deck tonight. The officers are no longer responsible for
+you--you are already indentured."
+
+I drew a deep breath, and in the sudden impulse of relief which swept
+over me, my own fingers closed tightly about her hands.
+
+"You tell me I am to accompany your party up the Chesapeake?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"I owe this to you; I am sure I must owe this to you--tell me?"
+
+Her eyes drooped, and in the dim light I could mark the heaving of her
+bosom, as she caught her breath.
+
+"Only--only the suggestion," she managed to say in a whisper. "He--he
+was glad of that. You see I--I knew he needed someone to take charge
+of his sloop, and--and so I brought you to his mind. We--we both
+thought you would be just the one, and--and he went right away to see
+the Captain. So please don't thank me."
+
+"I shall never cease to thank you," I returned warmly, conscious
+suddenly that I was holding her hands, and as instantly releasing
+them. "Why, do you begin to understand what this actually means to me?
+It means the retention of manhood, of self-respect. It will save me
+the degradation which I dreaded most of all--the toiling in the fields
+beside negro slaves, and the sting of the lash. Ay, it means even
+more--"
+
+I hesitated, instantly realizing that I must not utter those impetuous
+words leaping to my lips.
+
+"More!" she exclaimed. "What more?"
+
+"This," I went on, my thought shifting into a new channel. "A longer
+servitude. Up to this moment my one dream has been to escape, but I
+must give that up now. You have placed me under obligations to serve."
+
+"You mean you feel personally bound?"  "Yes; not quite so much to
+your uncle, perhaps, as to yourself. But between us this has become a
+debt of honor."
+
+"But wait," she said earnestly "for I had even thought of that. I was
+sure you would feel that way--any gentleman would. Still there is a
+way out. You were sentenced as an indentured servant."
+
+"I suppose so."
+
+"It is true; you were so entered on the books of this ship. Uncle
+Roger had to be sure of all this before he paid his money, and I saw
+the entry myself. It read: 'Geoffry Carlyle, Master Mariner,
+indentured to the Colonies for the term of twenty years, unless sooner
+released; crime high treason.' Surely you must know the meaning of
+those words?"
+
+"Servitude for twenty years."
+
+"'Unless sooner released.'"
+
+"That means pardoned; there is no hope of that."
+
+"Perhaps not, but that is not all it means. Any indentured man, under
+our Maryland laws, can buy his freedom, after serving a certain
+proportion of his sentence. I think it is true in any of the Colonies.
+Did you not know that?"
+
+I did know it, yet somehow had never connected the fact before
+directly with my own case. I had been sentenced to twenty
+years--twenty years of a living death--and that alone remained
+impressed on my mind. I could still see Black Jeffries sitting on the
+bench, glaring down at me in unconcealed anger, his eyes blazing with
+the fury of impotent hate, as he roared, that, by decree of the King,
+my sentence to be hung was commuted to twenty years of penal
+servitude beyond seas. It had never even seemed an act of mercy to me.
+But now it did, as the full truth suddenly came home, that I could buy
+my freedom. God! what a relief; I stood up straight once more in the
+stature of a man. I hardly know what wild words I might have spoken
+had the opportunity been mine; but at that instant the figure of a man
+crossed the deck toward us, emerging from the open cabin door. Against
+the gleam of yellow light I recognized the trim form advancing, and as
+instantly stepped back into shadow. My quick movement caused her to
+turn, and face him.
+
+"What!" he exclaimed, and evidently surprised at his discovery. "It is
+indeed Mistress Dorothy--out here alone? 'Twas my thought you were
+safely in your cabin long since. But--prithee--I mistake; you are not
+alone."
+
+He paused, slightly irresolute, staring forward beyond her at my
+dimmer outline, quite uncertain who I might be, yet already
+suspicious.
+
+"I was preparing to go in," she answered, ignoring his latter words.
+"The night already looks stormy."
+
+"But your friend?"
+
+The tone in which he spoke was insistent, almost insolent in its
+demand, and she hesitated no longer in meeting the challenge.
+
+"Your pardon, I am sure--Lieutenant Sanchez, this gentleman is Captain
+Geoffry Carlyle."
+
+He stood there stiff and straight against the background of light, one
+hand in affected carelessness caressing the end of a waxed moustache.
+His face was in shadow, yet I was quite aware of the flash of his
+eyes.
+
+"Ah, indeed--some passenger I have not chanced to observe before?"
+
+"A prisoner," she returned distinctly. "You may perhaps remember my
+uncle pointed him out to us when he first came aboard."
+
+"And you have been out here alone, talking with the fellow?"
+
+"Certainly--why not?"
+
+"Why, the man is a felon, convicted of crime, sentenced to
+deportation."
+
+"It is not necessary that we discuss this, sir," she interposed,
+rather proudly, "as my personal conduct is not a matter for your
+criticism. I shall retire now. No; thank you, you need not come."
+
+He stopped still, staring blankly after her as she vanished; then
+wheeled about to vent his anger on me.
+
+"Carlyle, hey!" he exclaimed sneeringly. "A familiar sound that name
+in my ears. One of the brood out of Bucclough?"
+
+"A cadet of that line," I managed to admit, wonderingly. "You know of
+them?"
+
+"Quite as much as I care to," his tone ugly and insulting. Then an
+idea suddenly occurred to his mind. "Saint Guise, but that would even
+up the score nicely. You are, as I understand it, sent to Virginia for
+sale?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"For how long a term?"
+
+"The sentence was twenty years."
+
+"Hela! and you go to the highest bidder. I'll do it, fellow! To
+actually own a Carlyle of Bucclough will be a sweet revenge."
+
+"You mean," I asked, dimly grasping his purpose, "that you propose
+buying me when we reach shore?"
+
+"Why not? A most excellent plan; and I owe it all to a brat I met in
+London. Egad! it will be some joke to tell when next I visit England.
+'Twill count for more than were I to tweak the Duke's nose."
+
+I stopped his laughter, smiling myself grimly in the darkness.
+
+"A very noble plan for revenge," I admitted, enjoying the swift
+check-mating of his game. "And one which I am not likely to forget.
+Unfortunately you come too late. It happens, Senor, that I am already
+safely indentured to Roger Fairfax."
+
+"To Fairfax? She told you that?"
+
+"Who told me can make no difference. At least I am out of your hands."
+
+I turned away, but he called angrily after me:
+
+"Do not feel so sure of that, Carlyle! I am in the game yet."
+
+I made no answer, already despising the fellow so thoroughly as to
+ignore his threat. He still stood there, a mere shadow, as I
+disappeared down the ladder, and I could imagine the expression on his
+face.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+THE SHORES OF VIRGINIA
+
+
+I rested quietly in my berth for a long time, staring blankly up at
+the dark deck above, unable to sleep, and endeavoring to figure out
+the true meaning of all these occurrences. It began to rain, torrents
+sweeping the planks overhead, while vivid flashes of lightning
+illumined the open hatch, before it could be hastily closed, revealing
+the squalidness of the interior in which we were quartered. Then
+someone, growling and stumbling through the darkness, lit a slush
+lantern, dangling from a blackened beam, its faint flicker barely
+discernible. The hole became foul and sickening, men tossing and
+groaning in their uneasy sleep, or prowling about seeking some measure
+of comfort. There was no severe wind accompanying the storm, and the
+flurry of rain soon swept by, leaving an ugly swell behind, but
+enabling the guard to again uplift the hatches.
+
+Immersed as I was in thought, all this left but small impress on me. I
+felt that I could understand the interest exhibited by Dorothy
+Fairfax, and, greatly as I already admired her, I was not egotist
+enough to even imagine that her effort to serve me had basis in any
+personal attraction. My connection with Bucclough, coupled with her
+uncle's report of my conviction, had very naturally aroused the girl's
+sympathy in my behalf. She felt a desire to lighten my sorrows as
+much as possible, and, under the existing circumstances, had found it
+comparatively easy to persuade the good-natured planter to acquiesce
+in her suggestion. In all probability he really had need of my
+services, and was therefore glad enough of this opportunity to secure
+them. This part of the affair I could dismiss without giving anyone
+undue credit, although I deeply appreciated the kindness of heart
+which had led her to interpose, and which later led her to tell me so
+quickly what had occurred. Her purpose, however, was fairly clear.
+
+But what about Lieutenant Sanchez? Why was this unknown Spaniard
+already so openly my enemy? There was no doubting his position, and
+there surely must be some reason for it outside of anything which had
+occurred on board the _Romping Betsy_. His words had given me some
+inkling of the cause--a past quarrel with the Duke of Bucclough, in
+England, in which he must have been worsted, and which had left in his
+mind a lurking desire for revenge. He dreamed of striking his enemy
+through me, because of relationship, a cowardly blow. Yet this, by
+itself alone, was scarcely a reason why he should have thus sought me
+out for a victim. No sane man would deliberately visit the sins of my
+brother on me. Nor had this been deliberate; it was the mere outburst
+of sudden passion, arising through my intercourse with the young
+woman. Otherwise it might never have occurred to him. So there was
+seemingly but one answer--Sanchez used this merely as an excuse for
+the concealment of his real object. What could that object be? Could
+it be Dorothy Fairfax? I was a long while in actually convincing
+myself of this probability, and yet no other satisfactory explanation
+offered itself. She had exhibited an interest in me from the very
+first, and he had endeavored to win her attention elsewhere. Even that
+day when we first came aboard in chains, he had plainly evinced this
+desire, and, since then, the girl had never appeared on deck, without
+his immediately seeking her company. I felt finally that I had the
+clue--jealousy, the mad, unreasoning jealousy of his race. He fiercely
+resented her slightest interest in anyone--even a prisoner--as against
+his own attractions. He was incapable of appreciating friendly
+sympathy, and already held me a dangerous rival. Then, possibly, it
+had not been a mere idle desire to visit the Colonies, which had
+originally led to his prompt acceptance of Roger Fairfax's invitation
+to make one of their party; the real attraction was the charms of
+Dorothy--her girlish beauty, coupled, no doubt, with her father's
+wealth. The fellow was in love, impetuously in love, resenting blindly
+the slightest advance of any other.
+
+The thought rather pleased me, largely because of its absurdity. It
+was, in my case at least, so utterly false, and unjustifiable. To the
+ordinary mind, indeed, any such connection would be practically
+unthinkable. Even had I been wild enough to dream of such a thing, the
+gulf existing between myself and Dorothy Fairfax was far too deep and
+wide ever to be spanned. I had before me twenty years of servitude,
+and an unknown future; nor could I even conceive the possibility of
+any such thought ever entering her mind. The very opposite was what
+gave her courage to serve me. I had no false conception as to this;
+no vagrant thought that her interest in me was any more than a
+passing fancy, born of sympathy, and a desire to aid. Nevertheless, as
+she had thus already served me, I now owed her service in return, and
+here was the first call. If conditions made it possible it was my
+plain duty to place myself between these two. I felt no hatred toward
+the man, no desire to do him a personal injury; but I did dislike and
+distrust him. This feeling was instinctive, and without the slightest
+reference to his seeking intimacy with the girl. From the first moment
+I had looked upon his face there had been antagonism between us, a
+feeling of enmity. Whether this arose from his appearance, or actions,
+I could not determine--but the fellow was not my kind.
+
+In the intensity of my feelings I must have unconsciously spoken
+aloud, for a shaggy head suddenly popped out from the berth beneath
+where I lay, and an interested voice asked solicitously:
+
+"Hy, thar; whut's up, mate? Sick agin?"
+
+"No," I answered, grinning rather guiltily, "just thinking, and
+letting loose a bit. Did I disturb you?"
+
+"Well, I reckon I wa'n't exactly asleep," he acknowledged, without
+withdrawing his head. "Ye wus mutterin' 'way thar an' not disturbin'
+me none, till ye got ter talkin' 'bout sum feller called Sanchez. Then
+I sorter got a bit interested. I know'd thet cuss onct," and he spat,
+as though to thus better express his feelings. "The damned ornary
+pirate."
+
+I laughed, my whole mental mood changed by this remark.
+
+"It is not very likely we have the same party in mind, Haley. You see
+Sanchez is a decidedly common name among Spaniards. I've known two or
+three of that name myself. You were not referring to anyone on board,
+were you?"
+
+"I sure hope not," he scratched his head, staring up at me through the
+dim light, wakefulness encouraging him to talk. "They tell me ye are a
+sea-farin' man. Well, I wus a Deal fisher, but hev made a half dozen
+deep-sea v'y'ges. Thet's how I hed the damn luck ter meet up with this
+Sanchez I was a speakin' 'bout. He's the only one ever I know'd. I met
+up with him off the isle o' Cuba. Likely 'nough ye know the devil I
+mean?"
+
+The question served to center my memory suddenly on a dim remembrance
+of the past.
+
+"No, unless you refer to 'Black Sanchez.' I 've heard of him; were you
+ever in his hands?"
+
+"Wus I!" he laughed grimly. "I hed eight months of it, mate, and a
+greater demon never sailed. The things I saw done ye 'd never believe
+no human bein' could do. If ever thar wus two people in one skin, sir,
+it's thet Black Sanchez. When he's playin' off fer good he's as soft
+an' sweet as a dandy in Picadilly, an' when he's real he's like a
+devil in hell."
+
+"Was you a prisoner--or did you sail under him?"
+
+"Both, fer the matter o' thet. He give me the choice ter serve, er
+walk the plank. I wus eighteen, an' hed an ol' mother at Deal."
+
+"I see; but later you got away?"
+
+"Ay, I did thet," chuckling over the recollection. "But I hed ter wait
+eight months fer the luck. Hev ye ever been sea-farin' down in them
+waters, off the West Indies?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Well, they're all studded over with little islands--cays, they call
+'em down thare; an' it's in among them thet the buccaneers hide away,
+an' sorter rest up after a cruise. Thar's a lot o' 'em too; whole
+villages hid away on some o' them cays, with women an' children--every
+color ye ever saw. Sanchez he made his headquarters on a cay called
+Porto Grande. He hed three ships, an' maybe a hundred an' fifty men
+'bout the time I got away. The last I saw o' him wus at sea. He'd
+overhauled an English ship, an' sunk her; an' then the next mornin' we
+took a Dutch bark in ballast. She wus such a trig sailor Sanchez
+decided to keep her afloat, an' sent a prize crew aboard ter sail her
+inter Porto Grande. I wus one o' the fellers picked fer thet job, an'
+we wus told off under a nigger mate, named LaGrasse--he wus a French
+nigger from Martinique, and a big devil--an' our orders wus ter meet
+Sanchez three days later. His vessel wus a three-masted schooner, the
+fastest thing ever I saw afloat, called the _Vengeance_, an' by that
+time she wus chock up with loot. Still at that she could sail 'bout
+three feet to our one. Afore night come we wus out o' sight astern.
+Thar wus eight o' us in the crew, beside the nigger, an' we had twelve
+Dutchmen under hatches below. I sorter looked 'round, an' sized up
+four o' that crew ter be good honest sailormen, who'd been shanghied
+same as I wus. So, long about midnight, I 'd got ter talk with all
+these fellers, an' when LaGrasse went down below ter take a snooze in
+the cabin, we hoisted them Dutchmen on deck, flung a couple o'
+hell-hounds overboard, an' just naturally took control. The mate wus
+a dead nigger afore he ever knew whut wus up. When daylight come we
+wus streakin' it eastward by compass, an' every damn sail set. Thet
+wus the easiest part of it. Them Dutchmen could n't talk nuthin' but
+their own lingo; an' thar wa'n't a navigator aboard, fer Sanchez hed
+kept all the offercers with him, an' the end wus about a week later,
+when we piled up against an island off the African coast, an' only one
+boat load of us got ashore. Thet's whut I know about Sanchez."
+
+"I had a shipmate once," I observed, interested in his story, "who
+claimed to have seen the fellow; he described him as being a very
+large man, with intensely black hawklike eyes, and a heavy black beard
+almost hiding his face."
+
+Haley laughed.
+
+"Maybe he looked like that when he saw him, but he ain't no bigger man
+than I am; he won't weigh as much by fifteen pound. Fact is he mighty
+seldom looks the same, fer thet's part o' his game. Them whiskers is
+false, an' so is the saller look to his face. I 've seen him in all
+sorts o' disguises. It's only his eyes he can't hide, an' thar's been
+times when I thought they wus the ugliest eyes ever I saw. He's sure
+an ornary devil, an' when he gits mad, I'd rather be afront of a
+tiger. Besides fightin's his trade, an' no weaklin' ain't goin' ter
+control the sort o' chaps he's got ter handle. Most of 'em would
+murder him in a minute if they dared. Oh, he's bad all right, but yer
+wouldn't exactly think so, just ter look at him, I've run up agin a
+lot o' different men in my time, thet I 'd naturally sheer off from a
+blame sight quicker than I would from him."
+
+"You mean that when he is not in disguise he does not appear
+dangerous. What then does he really look like?"
+
+Haley spat again onto the deck, and scratched his shock of hair as
+though thus to stimulate his memory.
+
+"Oh, a sorter swash-bucklin' Spanish don--the kind whut likes ter
+dress up, an' play the dandy. He's got a pink an' white complexion,
+the Castilian kind yer know, an' wears a little moustache, waxed up at
+the ends. He's about two inches taller than I am, with no extra flesh,
+but with a hell of a grip in his hands. As I said afore, if it wa'n't
+fer his eyes nobody'd ever look at him twice. All his devilishness
+shows thar, an' I've seen 'em laugh like he didn't have a care on
+earth."
+
+"How old a man is he?"
+
+"How old is the devil? I heard he wus about forty-five; I reckon he
+must be thet, but he don't look older than thirty. He ain't the kind
+yer can guess at."
+
+We talked together for quite a while longer, our conversation
+gradually drifting to the recounting of various sea adventures, and my
+thoughts did not again recur to Sanchez until after I rested back once
+more in my berth, endeavoring to fall asleep. Haley must have dropped
+off immediately, for I could distinguish his heavy breathing among the
+others; but my mind continued to wander, until it conjured up once
+again this West India pirate. His name, and the story of his exploits,
+had been familiar to me ever since I first went to sea. While only one
+among many operating in those haunted waters, his resourcefulness,
+daring and cruelty had won him an infamous reputation, a name of
+horror. In those days, when the curse of piracy made the sea a
+terror, no ordinary man could ever have succeeded in attaining such
+supremacy in crime. No doubt much that had been reported was either
+false, or exaggerated, yet there flashed across my memory numberless
+tales of rapine, outrage and cold-blooded cruelty in which this demon
+of the sea had figured, causing me to shudder at the recollection. To
+my mind he had long been a fiend incarnate, his name a horror on the
+lips. Black Sanchez--and Haley pictured him as a dandified, ordinary
+appearing individual, with white and red complexion, a small
+moustache, and flashing dark eyes--a mere Spanish gallant, without
+special distinction. Why, that description, strangely enough, fitted
+almost exactly this fellow on board, this other Sanchez. I leaned over
+the edge of my bunk, and looked down on Haley, half resolved to ask if
+he had ever noticed this lieutenant, but the man was already sound
+asleep. The suspicion which had crept into my mind was so absurd, so
+unspeakably silly and impossible, that I laughed at myself, and
+dismissed the crazy thought. What, that fellow Black Sanchez! Bah, no!
+He had been at sea, of course; there was no denying that fact, for he
+knew ships, and spoke the lingo of blue water; but the very idea that
+that blood-stained buccaneer, whose hated name was on the lips of
+every sea-faring man of Britain, would ever dare openly to visit
+England, and then sail under his own name on board an English vessel
+for Virginia, was too preposterous for consideration. Why, it would be
+sheer madness. The knowledge that such a possibility ever had flashed
+into my mind became amusing, and chuckling over it, I finally fell
+asleep.
+
+It was noon, the sky overcast, the wind blowing strong from the
+southeast, when the Virginia coast was first sighted from our
+mast-head. An hour later it became plainly visible from the deck
+below, and the prisoners were routed out from their quarters, and the
+shackles, removed from limbs when we first arrived on board, were
+again riveted in place, binding them together in fours, preparatory to
+landing. I, with one or two others, already disposed of, and in
+control of masters, were spared this indignity, and permitted to move
+about as we pleased within the narrow deck space reserved for our use.
+The last meal was served in the open, the men squatting on the deck
+planks, endeavoring to jest among themselves, and assuming a
+cheerfulness they were very far from feeling. The long hardships of
+the voyage had left indelible marks on the majority, and they were by
+now a woe-begone, miserable lot, who had largely abandoned themselves
+to despair.
+
+The Monmouth campaign had been brief, but no less disastrous to the
+men engaged in it. Those who survived the one battle, wounded and
+fugitive, had been hunted down remorselessly like so many wild beasts.
+Escape from the pursuit of soldiers was almost impossible, and they
+had been brutally beaten and bruised by infuriated captors; and then,
+uncared for, nor shown the slightest mercy, had been thrust into
+loathsome gaols to helplessly await trial, and a certain conviction.
+No pen could adequately describe the suffering and horror of those
+months of waiting, while the unfortunate victims lived in crowded,
+dirty cells, subjected to every conceivable indignity and insult from
+brutal guards, half starved, and breathing foul, fetid air--the breath
+of sickness, the stench of unclean wounds. Dragged forth at last, one
+by one, into a court organized for condemnation, presided over by a
+foul-mouthed brute, whose every word was insult, denied all
+opportunity for defense, they had later been shackled together as
+felons, and driven aboard ship like so many head of cattle. Herded
+below deck, tossed about for weeks on a stormy sea, uncared for, and
+half starved, scarcely realizing their destination, or knowing their
+fate, seeing their dead dragged out from their midst with each dawn,
+and flung carelessly overboard, cursed at and struck by their guards,
+they now dragged their aching bodies about in half dead despair, the
+chains clanking to every movement of the limbs, their dull, lackluster
+eyes scarcely discerning the darkening line of coast toward which the
+_Romping Betsy_ steered.
+
+With what depth of pity I looked at them, my glance gladly straying
+from their downcast faces toward the group of passengers gathered
+eagerly along the poop rail to welcome joyfully the approach of land.
+These were all animation, excitement, talking eagerly to each other,
+and pointing out familiar headlands as they emerged through the thin
+mists. Their thoughts were all centered on home, or the promises of
+this new land they were approaching, and so deeply interested that
+scarcely an eye turned toward those miserable wretches grouped on the
+forward deck, being borne into slavery and disgrace. It was a contrast
+between hope and despair. As these passengers moved restlessly back
+and forth, from rail to rail, I easily recognized among them every
+face grown familiar to me during the course of the voyage, excepting
+the two I most eagerly sought; and became convinced that neither Roger
+Fairfax nor his niece had yet come upon deck. Sanchez was there,
+however, standing alone and silent, seldom lifting his eyes to the
+changing view ahead, but apparently buried in his own thoughts. Once
+our glances accidentally met, and I could but observe the sudden
+change in the man's expression--a change sinister and full of threat.
+Whatever the original cause might be, his personal feeling toward me
+was undoubtedly bitter and unforgiving, and he possessed no wish to
+disguise it. The new life in the new world had already brought me both
+friend and enemy before I had as yet touched foot on land.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+THE WATERS OF THE CHESAPEAKE
+
+
+The brig, with all sails set, and favored by a strong wind, drew
+rapidly in toward the point of landing. The great majority of the
+prisoners remained on deck, chained together and helpless, yet
+surrounded by armed guards, while the few who had already been
+purchased by passengers, humbly followed their new masters ashore the
+moment the gang-plank touched the soil of Virginia. There were five of
+us altogether thus favored, but I was the only one owing allegiance to
+Roger Fairfax. The rude landing wharf along which we lay was already
+densely crowded with men, their appearance and dress largely
+proclaiming them to be planters from the interior, either gathered to
+inspect the consignment of prisoners, or eager to purchase at low
+prices the stores hidden away in the vessel's hold. Some among the
+concourse, however, were undoubtedly present to welcome friends and
+relatives among the passengers. Altogether it was a bustling scene,
+full of change and color, the air noisy with shouting voices, the line
+of wharves filled with a number of vessels, either newly arrived, or
+preparing to depart. Servants both white and colored were busily at
+work, under the command of overseers, loading and unloading cargoes,
+while the high bank beyond was crowded with vehicles of various kinds.
+News of the arrival of the _Romping Betsy_ had evidently spread
+widely, together with the rumor that she brought a number of prisoners
+to be auctioned off. It was a good-natured, restless crowd, especially
+anxious for any news from abroad, and eager to benefit from the sale.
+The majority of the men I judged to be landowners, hearty, wholesome
+looking fellows, whose lives were passed out-of-doors, dressed in
+their best in honor of the occasion. The prevailing fashion was a
+broad-leafed, felt hat with one side looped up to the crown by a
+brilliant metal button, a velvet coat with long, voluminous skirts,
+wide sleeves, metallic buttons as large as a Spanish dollar, short
+breeches, and long stockings with gold or silver knee and shoe
+buckles. Many wore swords, while those who did not bore about with
+them enormous gold or silver-headed canes. The smoking of pipes was
+common, and thoughtless profanity was to be heard on all sides as an
+ordinary part of speech. It was with no small difficulty we succeeded
+in forcing our way through this jostling throng until we attained to
+an open space ashore.
+
+I followed closely behind the three composing our party, Roger
+Fairfax, and Sanchez, with the laughing girl between them for
+protection, pressing a passage forward. Even had I not been laden with
+packages my general appearance and dress would doubtless have
+proclaimed my position, and aroused passing interest. I heard voices
+calling attention to me, while curious eyes stared into my face.
+Fairfax was evidently well known to a number present, for he was being
+greeted on all sides with hearty hand-shakes, and words of welcome.
+
+"Ah, back again, Roger; and what fortune in London?"  "A fair price
+for the crop?"
+
+"Is the lad trailing behind ye one o' Monmouth's men?"
+
+"Any news, friend, in Parliament? What is the latest on the tax?"
+
+"And pray who is this damsel, Roger; not Hugh Fairfax's girl? Ay,
+quite the woman now."
+
+"Your men? They're over there, across the road. Of course I know; did
+I not come from the dock with them?"
+
+There were two of them, both negroes, but one, addressed by Fairfax as
+Sam, was much the lighter in color, and far more intelligent of face.
+A few words of instruction dispatched these back to the _Romping
+Betsy_ for the luggage yet remaining on board, while our own party
+continued to advance along the water front toward where Sam had
+designated the Fairfax boat would be found awaiting us, fully prepared
+to depart up the Chesapeake. When finally attained this vessel proved
+to be a goodly sized sloop, of a type familiar to those waters,
+containing a comfortable small cabin forward, a staunch, broad-beamed
+craft, but with lines indicating sailing qualities, while requiring
+only a small crew. Several similar vessels--doubtless owned and
+operated by planters residing along the shore of the Bay--were
+anchored in the basin, or fastened at the dock, but the _Adele_ had
+been warped in against the bank, which at this point was high enough
+to enable us easily to step aboard over the low rail. A dingy looking
+white man, quite evidently from his appearance an indentured servant,
+was in charge, He greeted us rather surlily, staring at me with
+almost open hostility, yet responded swiftly enough to Fairfax's
+orders.
+
+"Here, Carr, stow these packages away. Yes, you better help with them,
+Carlyle. The other bags will be along directly--Sam and John have gone
+after them. Put these forward, under cover. Has everything been seen
+to, so we can start at once?"
+
+"Ay, ay, sorr," was the gruff response, in a strong Irish brogue.
+"Lord knows we've hid toime enough, fer we've bin waitin' here fer yer
+a wake, er more. It's a month since the lether came."
+
+"We have had a slow voyage, Carr. So all I ordered is aboard?"
+
+"She's full oop ter the hatches; bedad I hope thar ain't no more."
+
+"Good; we ought to get as far as Travers' by dark then. Hurry along,
+and stow that stuff away; here come the others now."
+
+The three found comfortable seats along the opposite rail, and sat
+there watching us hastily bring aboard the various articles which the
+two negroes, assisted by a boy and a cart, had transported from the
+brig. I worked along with the others, under the orders of Sam, who
+seemed to be in charge, already feeling somewhat deeply the
+humiliation of my position, but nevertheless realizing the necessity
+of prompt obedience. The knowledge that I was now a slave, on a level
+with these others, compelled to perform menial labor under the very
+eyes of Dorothy Fairfax and that sneering Spaniard, cut my pride to
+the quick. In my trips back and forth I kept my eyes averted, never
+once venturing to glance toward them, until this work had been
+accomplished. But when we stood idle, while Sam went aft for
+instructions, I had recovered sufficient nerve to turn my eyes in that
+direction, only to observe that the young woman sat with head turned
+away, gazing out over the rail at the shore, her chin cupped in her
+hands, her thoughts apparently far away. Strange as it may seem her
+obvious indifference hurt me oddly, my only comprehension being that
+she did not in the least care; that in fact she had already entirely
+dismissed me from her mind. This supposition, whether true or false,
+instantly hardened me to my fate, and I stared at Sanchez, meeting his
+eyes fairly, at once angered by the sneer on his lips and the open
+insult of his manner. He turned toward her, fingering a cheroot, and
+said something; but, though she answered, her head remained
+motionless, her eyes searching the shore indifferently. A figure or
+two appeared along the summit of the bank, voices calling to Fairfax,
+who stood up as he replied, ending the conversation with a wave of the
+hand to Sam, who had taken position at the wheel. The latter began
+shouting orders in a shrill voice. Carr cast off, and, with the negro
+and myself at the halliards, the mainsail rose to the caps, while we
+began gliding out from the shore into the deeper water. By the time we
+had hoisted the jib, and made all secure, we were out far enough to
+feel the full force of the stiff breeze, the _Adele_ careening until
+her rail was awash, the white canvas soaring above us against the
+misty blue of the sky.
+
+There was little to be done after the ropes had been coiled away, and
+we were fairly out into the broader reaches of the Bay. The wind held
+steady, requiring no shifting of canvas, so Sam, having dispatched the
+negro below to prepare lunch, and stationed Carr forward as lookout,
+called me aft to the wheel. He was a rather pleasant-faced fellow,
+yellow as saffron, with rings in his ears, and a wide mouth
+perpetually grinning.
+
+"Massa Fairfax he say you real sailorman," he began, looking me over
+carefully, with a nod of his head toward the group at the rail. "Dat
+so?"
+
+"Yes; I have been a number of years at sea."
+
+"Dat what he say; dat he done bought yer fer dat reason mostly. Ah
+reckon den ye kin steer dis boat?"
+
+"I certainly can."
+
+"So? Den Ah's sure goin' fer ter let yer try right now. Yer take hol',
+while Ah stand by a bit."
+
+I took his place, grasping the spokes firmly, and he stood aside,
+watching every movement closely, as I held the speeding sloop steadily
+up to the wind, the spray pouring in over the dipping rail forward.
+The grin on his lips broadened.
+
+"What is the course?" I asked curiously.
+
+"'Cross ter dat point yonder--see, whar de lone tree stan's; we done
+'round dat 'bout tree hunder' yards out, an' then go straight 'way
+north."
+
+"You use no chart?"
+
+He burst into a guffaw, as though the question was a rare joke.
+
+"No, sah; I nebber done saw one."
+
+"But surely you must steer by compass?"
+
+"Dar is a little one somewhar on board, and Ah done ain't seed it fer
+mor 'n a yare, Ah reckon. 'Tain't no use enyhow. Whut we steer by is
+landmarks. Ah sure does know de Chesapeake. Yer ever bin up de Bay?"
+
+"Yes, twice, but out in the deep water. I suppose you hug along the
+west shore. How is the sloop--pretty heavily loaded?"
+
+He nodded, still grinning cheerfully over the ease with which I
+manipulated the wheel.
+
+"Chuck full ter de water line; we've done been shovin' things inter
+dat hold fer a week past, but she's sure a good sailor. Whut wus it
+Massa Roger say yer name wus?"
+
+"Carlyle."
+
+"So he did; don't ever recollect hearin' dat name afore. Ye's one of
+dem rebels ober in England?"
+
+"I got mixed up in the affair."
+
+"An' whut dey done give yer?"
+
+"My sentence, you mean--twenty years."
+
+"Lordy! dat's sure tough. Well, I reckon yer done know yer job all
+right, so I'll just leave yer here awhile, an' go forrard an' git a
+snack. Ain't eat nuthin' fer quite a spell. Ah'll be back afore yer
+'round de point yonder."
+
+I was alone at the wheel, the sloop in my control, and somehow as I
+stood there, grasping those spokes, the swift boat leaping forward
+through the water, leaning recklessly over before the force of the
+wind, the numbing sense of helpless servitude left me in a new return
+of manhood and responsibility. It was a scene of exhilaration, the
+sun, still partially obscured by misty clouds already well down in the
+western sky, with the tossing waves of the Bay foam-crested. The
+distant headlands appeared spectral and gray through the vapor, while
+the waters beyond took on the tint of purple shadows. The _Adele_
+responded to the helm gallantly, the spreading canvas above standing
+out like a board, a broad wake of white foam spreading far astern. Not
+another sail appeared across that troubled surface of waters, not even
+a fisherman's boat, the only other vessel visible along our course
+being a dim outline close in against that far-away headland toward
+which I had been instructed to steer. I stared at this indistinct
+object, at first believing it a wreck, but finally distinguishing the
+bare masts of a medium-sized bark, evidently riding at anchor only a
+few hundred yards off shore.
+
+Satisfied as to this, my glance shifted to our own decks, feeling a
+seaman's admiration for the cleanliness of the little vessel, and the
+shipshape condition of everything aboard. The decks had more the
+appearance of a pleasure yacht, than that of a cargo carrier, although
+the broad beam, and commodious hatches bespoke ample storage room
+below. Apparently all this hold space had been reserved for the
+transportation of goods, the passenger quarters being forward, with
+the cook's galley at the foot of the mast. Where the crew slept I was
+unable to discern, but they were few in number, and as Sam had
+disappeared up a short ladder, and then across the roof of the cabin,
+it was highly probable there would be a compact forecastle nestled
+between the bows. The blacker negro was busily engaged in the galley,
+his figure occasionally visible at the open door, and a column of
+black smoke poured out through the tin funnel. The deck planks were
+scrubbed white, and the hand-rails had been polished until they
+shone.
+
+The three passengers still remained seated together, the men
+conversing, and occasionally pointing forth at some object across the
+water, but, while I watched the little group, the girl made no
+movement, nor attempt at speech. None of them even so much as glanced
+toward me, and I felt that, already, I had been dismissed from their
+thought, had been relegated to my proper position, had sunken to my
+future place as a mere servant. Finally Mistress Dorothy arose to her
+feet, and, with a brief word of explanation to her uncle, started
+forward in the direction of the cabin. A sudden leap of the boat
+caused her to clutch the rail, and instantly Sanchez was at her side,
+proffering assistance. They crossed the dancing deck together, his
+hand upon her arm, and paused for a moment at the door to exchange a
+few sentences. When the Spaniard came back he pointed out to Fairfax
+the position of the still distant bark, which however was by this time
+plainly revealed off our port quarter. The planter stood up in order
+to see better, and then the two crossed the deck to a position only a
+few yards from where I stood at the wheel, and remained there, staring
+out across the intervening water.
+
+"Surely a strange place in which to anchor, Lieutenant," said Fairfax
+at last, breaking the silence, his hand shading his eyes. "Bark
+rigged, and very heavily sparred. Seems to be all right. What do you
+make of the vessel?"
+
+The Spaniard twisted his moustache, but exhibited little interest,
+although his gaze was upon the craft.
+
+"Decidedly Dutch I should say," he answered slowly, "to judge from
+the shape of her lines, and the size of her spars. The beggars seem
+quite at home there, with all their washing out. Not a usual
+anchorage?"
+
+"No, nor a particularly safe one. There are some very heavy seas off
+that point at times, and there is no plantation near by. Travers'
+place is beyond the bend. We'll put up with him tonight; he owns that
+land yonder, but his wharf is several miles up the coast. Damn me,
+Sanchez, I believe I 'll hail the fellow, and find out what he is
+doing in there."
+
+Sanchez nodded, carelessly striking flint and steel in an effort to
+relight a cheroot, and Fairfax turned his head toward me.
+
+"Oh, is that you, Carlyle? Where is Sam?"
+
+"Gone forward, sir, half an hour ago. He decided I was safe."
+
+The planter laughed, with a side glance toward Sanchez, who gave no
+sign that he overhead.
+
+"No doubt he was right. Port your helm a little, and run down as close
+as seems safe to that fellow out yonder, until I hail him."
+
+"Very well, sir."
+
+We came about slowly, tossed a bit by the heavy swell, the ponderous
+boom swinging, and permitting the loosened canvas to flap against the
+ropes, until the sloop finally steadied onto the new tack. The
+distance to be covered was not great, and in less than ten minutes, we
+were drawing in toward the high stern of the anchored vessel. She was
+larger than I had thought, a lumping craft for those days, bark
+rigged, with lower spars the heaviest I had ever seen. No evidence of
+life appeared on board, although everything looked shipshape alow and
+aloft, and a rather extensive wash flapped in the wind forward,
+bespeaking a generous crew. There was no flag at the mizzen to signify
+nationality, yet there was a peculiar touch to the rig which confirmed
+in my mind the truth of Sanchez's guess that she was originally Dutch.
+A moment later this supposition was confirmed as my eyes made out the
+name painted across the stern--NAMUR OF ROTTERDAM.
+
+Fairfax leaned far out across the rail, as we swept in closer, his
+eyes searching the stranger's side for some evidence of human presence
+aboard, but the Spaniard exhibited no particular interest in the
+proceedings, standing motionless, the smoke of the cheroot blown idly
+from his mouth, The fellow's face was turned from me, yet I could not
+help note the insolence of his attitude, in spite of my occupation at
+the wheel. A hundred feet distant, I held the dancing sloop to mere
+steerage-way, while Fairfax hailed in a voice which went roaring
+across the water like a gun.
+
+"Ahoy, the bark!"
+
+A red-faced man with a black beard thrust his head up above the after
+rail, and answered, using English, yet with a faint accent which was
+not Dutch. What he looked like below the shoulders could not be
+discerned.
+
+"Veil, vat's vanted? Vos anyding wrong?"
+
+"No, not aboard here," returned Fairfax, a bit puzzled at the reply,
+"We ran down to see if you were in any trouble. This is a strange
+place to anchor. What are you--Dutch?"
+
+The fellow waved his hands in a gesture indicating disgust.  "Dat's
+eet. Ve're out ov Rotterdam--you see ze name ov ze sheep. But ve not
+sail frum thar dis time--no. Ve cum here from ze Barbadoes," he
+explained brokenly "wiz cane-sugar, an' hides. Ve vait here for our
+agent."
+
+"But why anchor in a place like this? Why not go on up to the wharfs?"
+
+"Vye not? For ziz--I no trust my crew ashore. Zay Vest Indy niggers,
+an' vud run avay ven ze chance cum. I know vat zay do."
+
+In spite of my efforts the two vessels were drifting rapidly apart,
+and this last explanation came to us over the water in a faint thread
+of sound barely discernible. I asked if I should tack back, but
+Fairfax shook his head, and in a moment more we were beyond reach of
+the voice. Dorothy appeared at the door of the cabin and stood there,
+gazing in surprise at the bark, while the moment he caught sight of
+her Sanchez went hastily forward, removing his hat with so peculiar a
+flourish as he approached as to cause me to notice the gesture.
+Fairfax remained beside the rail, staring out across the widening
+water, clearly dissatisfied, but finally waved his hand in a command
+to me to resume our course. Shortly after he crossed the deck to the
+wheel, and stood there beside me, still watchful of the dwindling
+vessel already far astern.
+
+"What do you make of her, Carlyle?" he asked finally, turning slightly
+to glance at my face. "I believe that fellow lied."
+
+"So do I, sir," I answered promptly. "Whatever else he may be, he's
+no peaceful Dutch trader. The bark is Dutch built all right, and no
+doubt once sailed out of Rotterdam; but that fellow got his accent
+from South Europe."
+
+"Damn me, that's just what I thought."
+
+"Nor is that all, sir. If he was loaded with cane-sugar and hides for
+market, he wouldn't be nearly so high out of water. That bark was in
+ballast, or I miss my guess. Besides, if he was a trader, where was
+his crew? There wasn't a single head popped over the rail while we
+were alongside; and that isn't natural. Even a West India nigger has
+curiosity. I tell you the men on board that hooker had orders to keep
+down."
+
+Fairfax stroked his chin, his eyes shifting from the distant vessel to
+Dorothy and Sanchez who were now making their way slowly aft, the
+latter grasping the girl's arm, and smirking as he talked rapidly.
+
+"By God! but I believe you are right," he admitted frankly, "although
+it had not occurred to me before. There is something wrong there. I'll
+tell Travers, and have him send a runner overland to give warning
+below."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+FAIRFAX SPEAKS WITH ME
+
+
+Sanchez drew a chair into the slight shade cast by the mainsail, and
+induced his reluctant companion to sit down. He remained bending over
+her, with his back turned toward us chattering away, although she only
+answered in monosyllables, seldom glancing up into his face. With
+hands gripping the spokes of the wheel, and my attention concentrated
+on the course ahead, I could yet notice how closely Fairfax was
+observing the two, with no pleasant expression in his eyes, and,
+forgetful that I was merely a servant, I ventured a question.
+
+"You have known Senor Sanchez for some time, sir?"
+
+He started in surprise, yet answered as though the unexpected query
+had been merely an echo of his own thoughts.
+
+"No," he admitted frankly. "Indeed I hardly know how it happened that
+I invited him to join our party. It seemed natural enough then, but
+lately I confess to having taken a dislike to the fellow, and have
+begun to imagine that he even pushed his way on me. But," he stopped,
+suddenly realizing what he was saying, "why do you ask?"
+
+I was not wholly prepared to say, yet as instantly comprehended the
+prompt necessity of advancing some reasonable explanation. There came
+to me swiftly, from the sharpness of his question, the paralyzing
+knowledge that I was a servant addressing my master.
+
+"Of course it is no business of mine," I confessed, rather lamely,
+"who your guests are. I'm sorry I spoke."
+
+"It is altogether too late to say that," he insisted. "Some thought
+prompted the inquiry. Go on. See here, Carlyle, you are no nigger or
+white thief. I know the difference, and recognize that you are
+gentleman born. Because I've bought your services for a term of years,
+is no reason why you cannot talk to me like a man. Do you know
+anything about this Spaniard?"
+
+"Not very much, sir. He has seen fit to threaten me, on account of
+some row he has had with a brother of mine in England."
+
+"In England! The Duke of Bucclough?"
+
+"Yes. I haven't the slightest knowledge of what it was all about, but
+evidently our Spanish friend got the worst of it. He planned to buy me
+in at the sale; but, fortunately for me, you gained possession ahead
+of him."
+
+"Do you mean to say that he told you all this?"
+
+"It came out in a moment of anger."
+
+Fairfax looked at me incredulously.
+
+"See here, Carlyle," he exclaimed bluntly, "I am not questioning your
+word, but it is a bit difficult for me to understand why a guest of
+mine should indulge in angry controversy with a government prisoner,
+sent overseas for sale as an indentured servant. There must have been
+some unusual cause. Haven't I a right to know what that cause was,
+without using my authority to compel an answer?"
+
+I hesitated, but only for a moment. He undoubtedly was entitled to
+know, and besides there was nothing involved I needed to conceal.
+
+"It is my impression, sir, that Mistress Dorothy was the unconscious
+cause. She chanced to discover me alone on deck the night before we
+landed, and hastened to tell me of your purchase. It was merely an act
+of kindness, as we had never spoken together before. We were still
+talking across the rope, when Sanchez came out of the cabin, and
+joined us. I imagine he may not have liked the interest both you and
+the young lady had shown in me since we came aboard. Anyway when he
+found us there, he was not in good humor. Mistress Dorothy resented
+his language, treated him coldly, and finally departed, leaving him
+decidedly angry. He merely vented his spite on me."
+
+"But he said nothing about himself--his motives?"
+
+"Not a word, sir; yet it is plain to be seen that he is deeply
+interested in your niece."
+
+Fairfax frowned, ignoring the remark.
+
+"But do you know the man--who he is?"
+
+I shook my head, the memory of Haley flashing into my mind, but as
+instantly dismissed as worthless. Fairfax would only laugh at such a
+vague suspicion. Yet why should the planter ask me such a question?
+Could it be that the Spaniard was equally unknown to himself?
+
+"But if he has quarreled with your brother," he insisted, unsatisfied
+"you perhaps know something?"
+
+"I have not seen my brother in years. I doubt if I would know him if
+we met face to face. As to this man, my knowledge of him is only what
+little I have seen and heard on board the _Romping Betsy_," I answered
+soberly. "I confess a prejudice; that I am unable to judge him
+fairly. In the first place I do not like his race, nor his kind; but I
+did suppose, of course, that, as he was your guest, you considered him
+a man worthy your hospitality."
+
+Fairfax's face reddened, and he must have felt the sting of these
+words, uttered as they were by the lips of his bondman. I thought he
+would turn abruptly away, leaving them unanswered, but he was too much
+of a gentleman.
+
+"Carlyle," he said brusquely, "you have touched the exact point--I do
+not know. I thought I did, of course, but what has occurred on the
+voyage over has led me to doubt. I met Sanchez at the Colonial Club in
+London. He was introduced to me by Lord Sandhurst as a wealthy young
+Spaniard, traveling for pleasure. It was understood that he brought
+letters of introduction to a number of high personages. He knew London
+well, enjoyed a wide circle of acquaintances, and we became rather
+intimate. I found him companionable and deeply interested in America,
+which he said he had never visited. Finally I invited him to accompany
+me as a guest on my return."
+
+"He accepted?"
+
+"No, not at once; he doubted if he could break off certain business
+engagements in England. Then, at a reception, he chanced to meet my
+niece, and, a little later, decided to undertake the voyage. I am
+inclined to believe she was the determining factor."
+
+"Very likely," I admitted, deciding now to learn all possible details.
+"However, that is not to be wondered at. Mistress Dorothy is an
+exceedingly attractive young woman."
+
+The look he gave me was far from pleasant.
+
+"But she is not a girl for any swash-buckling Spaniard to carry off as
+prize," he burst out hotly. "God's mercy! Her father would never
+forgive me if that happened."
+
+"Never fear," I said dryly, "it is not going to happen."
+
+"Why do you say that?"
+
+"Because I have seen them together, and am not entirely blind, Watch
+them now--she scarcely responds to his words."
+
+His eyes rested for a moment on the two, but he only shook his head
+moodily.
+
+"No one knows what is in the heart of a woman, Carlyle. Sanchez is
+fairly young, handsome in a way, and adventurous. Just the sort to
+attract a young girl, and he possesses an easy tongue. More than that,
+I have lost faith in him. He is not a gentleman."
+
+"You surely must have reason for those words, sir," I exclaimed in
+surprise. "He has revealed to you his true nature during the voyage?"
+
+"Unconsciously--yes. We have had no exchange of words, no controversy.
+He is even unaware that I have observed these things. Some were of
+very small moment, perhaps unworthy of being repeated, although they
+served to increase my doubt as to the man's character. But two
+instances remain indelibly stamped on my mind. The first occurred when
+we were only three days at sea. It was at night, and the two of us
+chanced to be alone, on deck. I was reclining in the shadow of the
+flag locker, in no mood for conversation, and he was unaware of my
+presence as he tramped nervously back and forth. Suddenly he stopped,
+and reached over into the quarter-boat, and when he stood up again he
+had the Captain's pet cat in his hands. Before I dreamed of such a
+thing he had hurled that helpless creature into the water astern."
+
+"Good God! an act of wanton cruelty."
+
+"The deliberate deed of a fiend; of one who seeks pleasure in
+suffering."
+
+"And the other incident? Was that of the same nature?"
+
+"It was not an incident, but a revelation. The fellow is not only,
+beneath his pretense of gentleness, a fiend at heart, but he is also a
+consummate liar. He led me to believe in London--indeed he told me so
+directly--that he was totally unacquainted with America. It is not
+true. He knows this entire coast even better than I do. He forgot
+himself twice in conversation with me, and he was incautious enough to
+speak freely with Captain Harnes. The Captain told me later."
+
+"This begins to sound serious, sir," I said, as he ceased speaking.
+"Do you suspect him of any particular purpose in this deceit?"
+
+"Not at present; I can only wait, and learn. As a Spanish naval
+officer he may have obtained some knowledge of this coast--but why he
+should have deliberately denied the possession of such information is
+unexplainable at present. I shall watch him closely, and have told you
+these facts merely to put you on guard. I know you to be a gentleman,
+Carlyle, even though you are temporarily a servant, and I feel
+convinced I can trust in your discretion."
+
+"You certainly can, sir. I appreciate your confidence in me."  "Then
+keep your eyes and ears open; that's all. Dorothy is calling, and
+yonder comes Sam."
+
+We had yet a full hour of daylight, during which little occurred of
+special interest. Sam took the wheel, while I ate supper, sitting with
+Carr on the deck behind the galley. Fairfax and his guests, were
+served at a table within the small cabin, and we had a glimpse of
+them, and their surroundings, the table prettily decorated with snowy
+linen, and burnished silver, while John, in a white jacket, waited
+upon them obsequiously, lingering behind his master's chair. The
+Lieutenant seemed in excellent humor, laughing often, and talking
+incessantly, although it occurred to me the man received scant
+encouragement from the others. After taking back to the galley my
+emptied pewter dish, and not being recalled aft to the wheel, I was
+glad to hang idly over the rail, watching the shore line slip past,
+and permit my thoughts to drift back to my conversation with Fairfax.
+Carr soon joined me, rather anxious to continue our talk, and ask
+questions, but not finding me particularly responsive, finally
+departed forward, leaving me alone.
+
+The sun by this time was rapidly sinking below the fringe of tall
+trees on the main-land, but the fresh breeze held favorably, and the
+little _Adele_ was making most excellent progress, the water being
+much smoother since we had rounded the point. We were already beyond
+view of the anchored bark. All about was a scene of loneliness,
+whether the searching eyes sought the near-by shore, apparently a
+stretch of uninhabited wilderness, densely forested, or the broad
+extent of the Bay, across which no white gleam of sail was visible.
+All alike was deserted, and becoming gloomy in the closing down of
+night. Dorothy remained hidden in the cabin, until about the time of
+our approach to the rude landing at Travers' plantation. Whether this
+isolation arose from an effort to make herself more presentable, or a
+desire to avoid further contact with the Spaniard, was a question.
+When she finally emerged at Roger Fairfax's call, and crossed the deck
+to where the men were, there was no alteration in her dress, but by
+that time I was busily engaged with Carr in reefing the mainsail, and
+she passed me by without so much as a glance of recognition. Meanwhile
+Fairfax and Sanchez paced restlessly back and forth, conversing
+earnestly as they smoked, only occasionally pausing to contemplate the
+shore past which we were gliding in silence, the only sound the ripple
+of water at our stem.
+
+Where I leaned alone against the rail, my eyes followed the Spaniard
+in doubt and questioning, nor could I entirely banish from mind
+Haley's description of that buccaneer, bearing a similar name, under
+whom he had been compelled to serve through scenes of crime. Yet, in
+spite of my unconscious desire to connect these two together, I found
+it simply impossible to associate this rather soft-spoken, effeminate
+dandy with that bloody villain, many of whose deeds were so familiar
+to me. The distinction was too apparent. Beyond all doubt this fellow
+concealed beneath his smiles a nature entirely different from the one
+he now so carefully exhibited. He could hate fiercely, and nourish
+revenge, and he was capable of mean, cowardly cruelty. His threat
+toward me, as well as that strange incident Fairfax had observed on
+the deck of the _Romping Betsy_, evidenced all this clearly, yet such
+things rather proved the man a revengeful coward instead of a
+desperate adventurer. Black Sanchez, according to all accounts, was a
+devil incarnate, and no such popinjay as this maker of love, could
+ever be changed into a terror of the sea. He was not of that stern
+stuff. That it was perfectly easy for him to lie--even natural--was no
+surprise to me. This seemed to accord with his other characteristics;
+nor was it altogether strange that he should be fairly familiar with
+these waters. If, as he claimed, he had once been connected with the
+Spanish navy, which quite likely was true, even if he had never
+visited this coast in person, he might have had access to their charts
+and maps. It was well known that early Spanish navigators had explored
+every inch of this coast line, and that their tracings, hastily as
+they had been made, were the most correct in existence. His memory of
+these might yet retain sufficient details through which he could
+pretend to a knowledge much greater than he really possessed.
+
+No, I would dismiss that thought permanently from my mind, as being
+quite impossible. I felt that I had learned to judge men; that my long
+years at sea, both before the mast, and in supreme command, had
+developed this faculty so as to be depended upon. I believed that I
+knew the class to which Lieutenant Sanchez belonged--he was a low-born
+coward, dangerous only through treachery, wearing a mask of bravado,
+capable enough of any crime or cruelty, but devoid of boldness in plan
+or execution; a fellow I would kick with pleasure, but against whom I
+should never expect to be obliged to draw a sword. He was a snake,
+who could never be made into a lion--a character to despise, not fear.
+And so I dismissed him, feeling no longer any serious sense of danger
+in his presence, yet fully determined to watch closely his future
+movements in accordance with my promise.
+
+It was already quite dusk when we finally drew in beside Travers'
+wharf, and made fast. Our approach had been noted, and Travers
+himself--a white-haired, white-bearded man, yet still hearty and
+vigorous, attired in white duck--was on the end of the dock to greet
+us, together with numerous servants of every shade of color, who
+immediately busied themselves toting luggage up the steep path leading
+toward the house, dimly visible in the distance, standing conspicuous
+amid a grove of trees on the summit, of the bank. The others followed,
+four fellows lugging with difficulty an iron-bound chest, the two
+older men engaged in earnest conversation, thus leaving Sanchez
+apparently well satisfied with the opportunity alone to assist the
+girl. Except to render the sloop completely secure for the night,
+there remained little work for us to perform on board. Sam found an
+ample supply of tobacco and pipes, and the four of us passed the early
+evening undisturbed smoking and talking together. The fellows were not
+uninteresting as I came to know them better, and Carr, who I learned
+had been transported three years before for robbery, having at one
+time been a soldier, was prolific of reminiscences, which he related
+with true Irish wit. Sam contented himself with asking me numerous
+questions relative to the Duke of Monmouth, whose effort to attain the
+throne interested him greatly, and I very gladly gave him all the
+information I possessed. So the time passed quickly, and it must have
+been nearly midnight before we brought out blankets from the
+forecastle, and lay down in any spot we chose on deck.
+
+It was a fair, calm night, but moonless, with but little wind
+stirring, and a slight haze in the air, obscuring the vision. The
+windows of the great house above, which earlier in the evening had
+blazed with lights, were now darkened, and the distant sounds of
+voices and laughter had entirely ceased. The only noise discernible as
+I lay quiet was the soft lapping of waves against the side of the
+sloop or about the piling supporting the wharf to which we were
+moored. The others must have fallen asleep immediately, but my own
+mind remained far too active to enable me to lose consciousness. At
+last, despairing of slumber, and perchance urged by some indistinct
+premonition of danger, I sat up once more and gazed about. The three
+men were lying not far apart, close in to the galley wall, merely
+dark, shapeless shadows, barely to be distinguished in the gloom. With
+no longer any fear of disturbing them, I arose to my feet, and
+stepping carefully past their recumbent forms, moved silently aft
+toward the more open space near the wheel. I had been standing there
+hardly a minute, staring blankly out into the misty dimness of the
+Bay, when my startled eyes caught glimpse of a speck of white emerging
+from the black shadows--the spectral glimmer of a small sail. I was
+scarcely convinced I had seen it, yet as swiftly crouched lower,
+hiding myself behind the protection of the rail, instantly alert to
+learn the meaning of this strange apparition. An instant told me this
+was no deceit. The strange craft swept past, so far out that those on
+board no doubt believed themselves beyond sight from the shore,
+heading apparently for a point of land, which I vaguely remembered as
+jutting out to the northward. Even my eyes, accustomed to the
+darkness, and strained to the utmost, could detect scarcely more than
+the faintest shadow gliding silently by, yet sufficient to recognize
+the outlines of a small keel boat, propelled by a single lug sail, and
+even imagined I could discern the stooped figure of a man at the helm.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+THE LIEUTENANT UNMASKED
+
+
+I had in truth hardly more than grasped the reality of the boat's
+presence--it seemed so spectral a thing amid the mists of the
+night--when it had vanished utterly once more behind the curtain of
+darkness. There was no sound to convince me my eyes had not deceived;
+that I had actually perceived a boat, flying before the wind, under
+complete control, and headed to the northward. No echo of a voice came
+across the water, no slight flap of sail, no distant creak of pulley,
+or groaning of rope--merely that fleeting vision, seemingly a phantom
+of imagination, a vision born from sea and cloud. Yet I knew I was not
+deceived. Where the craft could be bound; for what secret purpose it
+was afloat; who were aboard, were but so many unanswerable questions
+arising in my mind. I stared vainly into the darkness, puzzled and
+uncertain, impressed alone by the one controlling thought, that some
+mysterious object, some hidden purpose alone could account for that
+swift, silent passage. Where could they have come from, unless from
+that strange Dutch bark riding at anchor off the point below? The
+passing craft had impressed me as a ship's boat, and no craft of
+fishermen; and if it really came from the _Namur of Rotterdam_, had it
+been sent in answer to some signal by Sanchez? I could think of
+nothing else. They must have chosen this late hour purposely; they
+had doubtless endeavored to slip past us unobserved, seeking some more
+desolate spot on the coast where they might land unseen. Possibly,
+deceived by the night, the helmsman had approached closer to the wharf
+than he had intended; yet, nevertheless, if he held to his present
+course, he must surely touch shore not more than five hundred yards
+distant. In all probability that was his purpose.
+
+I stood up, tempted at first to arouse Sam, but deciding almost as
+quickly that at present this was unnecessary. I had no wish to be the
+occasion for laughter; it would be better first to ascertain who these
+parties were, rather than create an unwarranted alarm. The reasonable
+probability was they composed merely a party of innocent fishermen,
+returning home after a day of sport--plantation servants possibly, who
+having stolen away unobserved, were now endeavoring to beach their
+stolen boat, and reach quarters without being seen. This theory
+appeared far more reasonable than the other, and, if it proved true,
+to arouse the sleepers on deck, would only result in making me a butt
+for ridicule. It appeared safe enough for me to adventure alone, and I
+was at least determined to assure myself as to the identity of these
+strangers. If they had actually landed it would require only a few
+moments to ascertain the truth, and I could accomplish this fully as
+well by myself, as though accompanied by others--indeed with less
+danger of discovery. I quietly lowered my body over the rail, and
+found footing on the wharf.
+
+My knowledge of the path to be pursued was extremely vague, for our
+arrival had been in the dusk of the evening, so that any observation
+of the shore lines had been quite casual. I merely remembered that the
+bluff rose rather steeply from the water's edge, the path leading
+upward toward the house crowning the summit, turning and twisting in
+order to render the climb easier, and finally vanishing entirely as it
+approached the crest. Beside this, leading downward straight to the
+shore end of the wharf, was the broad slide, along which the bales and
+hogsheads of tobacco were sent hurtling on their way to market. My
+impression remained that the strip of beach was decidedly narrow, and
+generally bordered by a rather thick growth of dwarfed shrub. The
+point of land beyond clung dimly in my memory as sparsely wooded,
+tapering at its outer extremity into a sand bar against which the
+restless waves of the Bay broke in lines of foam. The only feasible
+method of approach to the spot I now sought would be by following this
+narrow strip of beach, yet this might be attempted safely, as my
+movements would be concealed by the darker background of the high
+bluff at the left.
+
+In spite of the unfamiliarity of this passage, I succeeded in making
+excellent progress, advancing silently along the soft sand, assured I
+was safe from observation by reason of the intense darkness. The waves
+lapping the beach helped muffle my footsteps, but no other sound
+reached my ears, nor could my eyes perceive the slightest movement
+along the water surface within reach of vision. The distance proved
+somewhat greater than anticipated, because of the deep curve in the
+shore, and I had nearly reached the conclusion that the boat must have
+rounded the point and gone on, when suddenly I was brought to a halt
+by a voice speaking in Spanish--one of those harsh, croaking voices,
+never to be reduced to a whisper. Imperfect as was my knowledge of the
+tongue, I yet managed a fair understanding of what was being said.
+
+"Not the spot, Manuel? Of course it is; do you not suppose I know? The
+cursed fog made me run in close ashore to where I could see the sloop,
+so as not to mistake. This is the place, and now there is nothing to
+do but wait. The Senor--he will be here presently."
+
+"Ay, unless you misread the signal," a somewhat more discreet, but
+piping voice replied doubtfully. "I saw nothing of all you tell
+about."
+
+"Because you knew no meaning, nor read the instructions," a touch of
+anger in the tone. "I tell you it was all written out in that letter
+brought to me from England on the _Wasp_. They were his last orders,
+and it was because of them that we anchored off the point yonder, and
+explored this coast. You saw the Senor touch the handkerchief to his
+cheek?"
+
+"As he went forward alone--yes, surely."
+
+"It was that motion which bade us come here, Manuel. Once for each
+cursed plantation along this west coast from the point. He touched the
+cloth to his cheek but the once, and this is the first. I watched for
+the sign with care for he is not one with whom to make a mistake."
+
+"Dios de Dios! Do I not know, Estada? Have I not a scar here which
+tells?"
+
+"True, enough; and have I not received also my lesson--eight hours
+staked face upward in the sun. So 'tis my very life wagered on this
+being the place named. Besides 'tis proven by the sloop lying there
+by the wharf."
+
+"Where then is the Captain?" perversely unsatisfied.
+
+"At the house yonder on the hill--where else? He knew how it would be,
+for this is not his first visit to the Bay. 'Twas because of his
+knowledge he could plan in England. Tis the custom of these planters
+to stop by night along the way, and go ashore; not to camp, but as
+guests of some friend. Only beforehand it was not possible for him to
+know which plantation would be the one chosen. That was what he must
+signal. You see it now?"
+
+"Clearly, Estada; he is the same wary fox as of old."
+
+"Never do they catch him napping," proudly. "Santa Maria! have I not
+seen it tried often in ten years?"
+
+"About his plan here? He wrote you his purpose?"
+
+"Not so much as a word; merely the order what to do. Dios! he tells
+nothing, for he trusts no man. A good thing that. Yet I have my own
+thought, Manuel."
+
+"And what is that?"
+
+The other hesitated, as though endeavoring to rearrange the idea in
+his own mind, and possibly doubtful of how much to confide to his
+companion. When he finally replied his words came forth so swiftly I
+could scarcely grasp their meaning with my slight knowledge of the
+tongue.
+
+"'Tis no more than that I make a guess, friend, yet I have been with
+the Captain for ten years now, and know his way. This planter Fairfax
+is rich. The letter says nothing of that--no, not a word; but I made
+inquiries ashore. There is no one more wealthy in these Colonies, and
+he returns now from London, after the sale of his tobacco crop. No
+doubt he sold for his neighbors also. 'Tis the way they do, form a
+combine, and send an agent to England to get the best price. He will
+surely bear back with him a great sum. This the Senor knows; nor is it
+the first time he has done the trick, Manuel. Santa Maria! 'tis the
+easiest one of all. Then there is the girl."
+
+"The one who was aboard the sloop?"
+
+"Of course. I knew nothing of her, but I have keen eyes, and I have
+been long with the Senor. Marked you not how he approached her? No sea
+rover ever had greater desire for women, or won them easier. 'Tis a
+bright eye and red lip that wins him from all else. Even to me this
+one looked a rare beauty; yet am I sorry he found her, for it may
+delay the task here."
+
+"Why must you fear that?"
+
+"Bah! but you are stupid. Who will take by force what may be won by a
+few soft words?" He paused suddenly, evidently struck by a new
+thought. "Yet I think, Manuel, the Captain may have failed in this
+case. I watched their greeting, and her's was not that of love. If
+this be true, we strike at once, while it is safe."
+
+"Here, you mean--tonight?"
+
+"And why not here, and tonight? Is there a better spot or time? With
+another night the sloop will be far up the Bay, while now from where
+we are anchored, we could be beyond the Capes by daybreak, with the
+broad ocean before us. We are five--six with the Senor--and our ship
+lies but a short league away, ready for sea. There are only four men
+on the sloop, with some servants above--spiritless fellows. Why else
+should he have signaled our coming, unless there was work to do? That
+will be the plan, to my notion--the money and the girl in one swoop;
+then a quick sail to the southward. Pist! 'tis boys' play."
+
+The other seemed to lick his lips, as though the picture thus drawn
+greatly pleased him.
+
+"Gracioso Dios! I hope 'tis so. It has been dull enough here this
+month past. I am for blue water, and an English ship to sack."
+
+"Or, better yet, a week at Porto Grande--hey, Manuel? The girls are
+not so bad, with clink of gold in the pocket after a cruise. Wait,
+though--there is someone coming down."
+
+I crouched backward into the bushes, and, a moment later, the newcomer
+moved past me scarcely a yard distant, along the narrow strip of sand.
+He appeared no more than a black shadow, wrapped in a loose cloak,
+thus rendered so shapeless as to be scarcely recognizable. Directly
+opposite my covert he paused peering forward in uncertainty.
+
+"Estada." He spoke the name cautiously, and in doubt.
+
+"Ay, Captain," and another figure, also shapeless, and ill-defined,
+emerged noiselessly from the gloom. "We await you."
+
+"Good," the tone one of relief. "I rather questioned if you caught my
+signal. I was watched, and obliged to exercise care. How many have you
+here?"
+
+"Four, Senor, with Manuel Estevan."
+
+"Quite sufficient; and how about the others?"
+
+"All safely aboard, Senor; asleep in their bunks by now, but ready.
+Francois LeVere has charge of the deck watch."
+
+"Ah! how happens it the quadroon is with you? A good choice, yet that
+must mean the _Vengeance_ is still at Porto Grande. For what reason?"
+
+"Because of greater injuries than we supposed, Captain. There were two
+shots in her below the water line, and to get at them we were obliged
+to beach her. LeVere came with us, expecting this job would be done
+before now, for by this time the schooner should be in water again,
+her sides scraped clean of barnacles, fit for any cruise. We have been
+waiting for you along this coast for several weeks."
+
+"Yes, I know. The boat we intended to take met with an accident, while
+the one we did take proved the slowest tub that ever sailed. How is it
+here? Are there suspicions?"
+
+"None, Senor. We have cruised outside most of the time. Only once were
+we hailed; while Manuel, with a boat crew, was ashore for nearly a
+week, picking up such news as he might. There is no warship in these
+waters."
+
+"So I discovered on landing; indeed I was told as much in England.
+However your disguise is perfect."
+
+Estada laughed.
+
+"There is no mistaking where the _Namur_ came from, Senor; she's
+Holland from keel to topmast, but the best sailing Dutchman I ever
+saw. You said you were being watched on the sloop. Are you known?"
+
+The other uttered an oath snarling through his teeth.
+
+"'Tis nothing," he explained contemptuously. "No more than the bite of
+a harmless snake in the grass. A dog of a servant who came over with
+us--one of Monmouth's brood. He has no knowledge of who I am, nor
+suspicion of my purpose. It is not that, yet the fellow watches me
+like a hawk. We had some words aboard and there is hate between us"
+
+"If he was indentured, how came he on the sloop?"
+
+"Fairfax bought him. The fellow won the interest of the girl coming
+over, and she interceded in his behalf. It was my plan to get him into
+my own hands. I'd have taught him a lesson, but the papers were signed
+before we landed. Yet the lad is not through with me; I do not let go
+in a hurry."
+
+"May I ask you your plans, Senor?"
+
+"Yes, I am here to explain. Are we out of ear-shot?"
+
+"None can hear us. Manuel has gone back to the boat."
+
+"Then listen. This planter, Fairfax, has returned from England with a
+large sum. It is in gold and notes. I have been unable to learn the
+exact amount, but it represents the proceeds in cash of the tobacco
+crop of himself, and a number of his neighbors. They pooled, and made
+him their agent. Without doubt, from all I could ascertain, it will be
+upward of fifty thousand pounds--not a bad bit of pocket money. This
+still remains in his possession, but a part will be dispersed
+tomorrow; so if we hope to gain the whole, we must do so now."
+
+"Fifty thousand pounds, you say? Gracioso Dios! a sum worth fighting
+for."
+
+"Ay; we've done some hard fighting for less. It is here under our very
+hands, and there could be no better place than this in which to take
+it. Everything is ready, and there is not the slightest suspicion of
+danger--not even a guard set over the treasure. I assured myself of
+this before coming down."
+
+"Then it is at the house?"
+
+"In an iron-bound chest, carried up from the sloop, and placed in the
+room assigned to Fairfax for the night. He considers it perfectly safe
+under his bed. But before we attempt reaching this, we must attend to
+those men left below on the boat. They are the only dangerous ones,
+for there are none of the fighting sort up above. Only two servants
+sleep in the main house, the cook, and a maid, both women. The others
+are in the slave quarters, a half mile away. Fairfax is vigorous, and
+will put up a fight, if he has any chance. He must be taken care of,
+before he does have any. Travers is an old man, to be knocked out with
+a blow. All we have to fear are those fellows on the sloop, and they
+will have to be attended to quietly, without any alarm reaching the
+house. I am going to leave that job to you--it's not your first."
+
+"The old sea orders, Captain?"
+
+"Ay, that will be quicker, and surer," The voice hardened in gust of
+sudden ferocity. "But, mark you, with one exception--the Englishman is
+not to be killed, if he can be taken alive. I would deal with him."
+
+"How are we to recognize him from the others?"
+
+"Pish! a blind man would know--he is the only one of that blood on
+board, taller, and heavier of build, with blond hair. A mistake, and
+you pay for it. Besides him there are two negroes, and an Irish fool.
+It matters not what happens to them; a knife to the heart is the more
+silent; but I would have this Geoffry Carlyle left alive to face me.
+You will do well to remember."
+
+"I will pass the word to the men."
+
+"See that you do. Then after that," Sanchez went on deliberately, as
+though murder was of small account, "you will follow me up the bluff.
+Who are the others with you?"
+
+"Carl Anderson, Pedro Mendez, and Cochose."
+
+"Well chosen; Mendez is the least valuable, and we will leave him with
+the prisoner at the boat. The big negro, Cochose, together with
+Manuel, can attend to Travers, and the two negresses--they sleep
+below. That will leave you and the Swede to get the chest. No
+firearms, if they can be avoided."
+
+"You are certain of the way, Senor--in the dark?"
+
+"I have been over the house, and drawn a rude diagram. You can look it
+over in the cabin of the sloop, after affairs have been attended to
+there. The stairs lead up from the front hall. I will go with you to
+the door of Fairfax's room."
+
+Estada hesitated, as though afraid to further question his chief, yet
+finally, in spite of this fear, the query broke from his lips.
+
+"And you, Senor--the girl?"
+
+"What know you of any girl?"
+
+"That there was one on the deck of the sloop--an English beauty. It
+was when you turned to greet her that you gave me the signal. I merely
+thought that perhaps--"
+
+"Then stop thinking," burst forth Sanchez enraged. "Thinking has
+nothing to do with your work. If there is a girl, I attend to her. Let
+that suffice. Dios! am I chief here, or are you? You have my orders,
+now obey them, and hold your tongue. Bring the men up here."
+
+Without a word, evidently glad to escape thus easily, Estada vanished
+into the gloom, leaving behind only the vague figure of Sanchez pacing
+the sands, his lips muttering curses. I dared not move, scarcely
+indeed to breathe, so closely did he skirt my covert. To venture forth
+would mean certain discovery; nor could I hope to steal away through
+the bushes, where any twig might snap beneath my foot. What could I
+do? How could I bring warning to those sleeping victims? This
+heartless discussion of robbery and murder left me cold with horror,
+yet helpless to lift a hand. I had no thought of myself, of my
+possible fate when once delivered into the hands of this monster, this
+arch villain, but all my agony of mind centered on the imminent danger
+confronting Dorothy Fairfax, and those unsuspecting men. All my
+preconceived impressions of Sanchez had vanished; he was no longer in
+my imagination a weakling, a boastful, cowardly bravado, a love-sick
+fool; but a leader of desperate men, a villain of the deepest dye--the
+dreaded pirate, Black Sanchez, whose deeds of crime were without
+number, and whose name was infamous. Confronted by Fairfax's
+ill-guarded gold, maddened by the girl's contemptuous indifference, no
+deed of violence and blood was too revolting for him to commit. What
+he could not win by words, he would seize by force and make his own.
+As coolly as another might sell a bolt of cloth, he would plan murder
+and rape, and then smilingly watch the execution. And I--what could I
+do?
+
+The little band of men emerged from the concealment of the fog
+noiselessly, and gathered into a group about the figure of Sanchez,
+where he stood motionless awaiting them. I could distinguish no faces,
+scarcely indeed the outlines of their separate forms in the gloom, but
+one was an unusually big fellow, far taller and heavier than his
+companions. When he spoke he possessed a negro's voice, and I
+recognized him at once for Cochose. The Captain swept his impatient
+eyes about the circle.
+
+"Lads," he said, incisively, a sharper note of leadership in the tone
+"it has been a bit quiet for you lately; but now I am back again, and
+we'll try our luck at sea once more. There must be many a laden ship
+waiting for us. Does that sound good?"
+
+There was a savage growl of response, a sudden leaning forward of dark
+figures.
+
+"I thought it would. We'll begin on a job tonight. There are fifty
+thousand pounds for us in that house yonder, and I waive my share.
+Estada will explain to you the work I want done; see that you do it
+quietly and well. By daylight we shall be on blue water, with our
+course set for Porto Grande. How is it, bullies, do you sniff the salt
+sea?"
+
+"Ay, ay, Captain."
+
+"And see the pretty girls waiting--and hear the chink of gold?"
+
+"Ay, Senor."
+
+"Then do not fail me tonight--and remember, it is to be the knife.
+Estada."
+
+"Here, Senor."
+
+"I have forgotten one thing--scuttle the sloop before joining me. 'Tis
+better to make all safe; and now, strong arms, and good luck. Go to
+your task, and if one fails me, it will mean the lash at the
+mast-butt."
+
+They moved off one by one, Estada leading, along the narrow strip of
+sand, five of them, on their mission of murder. The leader remained
+alone, his back toward where I crouched, his eyes following their
+vanishing figures, until the night had swallowed them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+A VICTORY, AND A DEFEAT
+
+
+I arose silently to my feet, conscious of possessing no weapon, yet
+fully aware that all hope of thwarting this villainy lay in immediate
+action. But I must await the right moment. Even with the advantage of
+surprise, there would inevitably be the noise of struggle. I had in
+the past despised Sanchez, but I had never yet tested him as a
+fighting man, and, indeed, no longer considered the fellow to be a
+mean antagonist. Remembering who he was, I now realized fully the
+desperate nature of my attempt, the need of quick, remorseless action.
+Nevertheless I dared not attack until assured that those men he had
+just dispatched were safely beyond ear-shot. I could hear or see
+nothing of them; they had vanished utterly, and the soft sand returned
+no echo of their footsteps. Time alone gave me judgment as to the
+distance they would travel. If I yielded too much of this, they might
+attain the sloop before I could sound an alarm; while if I moved too
+quickly the noise would bring them back to the rescue. The moments
+were agony, as I bent tensely forward, poised for a leap. God! I could
+wait no longer!
+
+Sanchez had turned slightly, apparently immersed in thought, and stood
+with his face toward the Bay. Even in that darkness his position was
+that of a man intently listening for the slightest sound to reach him
+out of the black night. I ventured a cautious step forward, and stood
+on the open sand, scarcely a yard to his rear, every nerve throbbing,
+my lips still silently counting the seconds. I could not, I dared not
+wait longer. Some vague sense of my presence must have influenced the
+man, for he swung suddenly about, uttering a stifled cry of startled
+surprise, as we met face to face. For an instant we were locked so
+closely within each other's desperate grip, his head bent beneath my
+arm, with my fingers clutching at his throat to block any call for
+help, that he possessed no knowledge of his assailant's identity. But
+the man was like a tiger, possessed of immense strength encased in a
+wiry frame. The surprise of attack was to my advantage, yet almost
+before I realized what was being done, he had rallied, broken my first
+hold, and his eyes were glaring straight into mine. Then he knew me,
+signaling his discovery with an oath, his free hand instantly grasping
+at the knife concealed beneath his loose cloak. Even as he jerked it
+forth, I crushed his wrist within my fingers, forcing his fore-arm
+back. Breast to breast we wrestled for mastery, every muscle strained,
+our feet firm planted on the sand. There was no outcry, no noise,
+except that of our heavy breathing, and trampling feet. Personal
+hatred had ascendancy in both our hearts--I doubt if he ever thought
+of aught else but the desire to kill me there with his own hands. Only
+once did he even utter a word, hissing out the sentence as though it
+were a poison:
+
+"To hell with you, you sneaking English cur!"
+
+"Then I travel that road not alone," I muttered back. "There will be
+one less of the devil's brood afloat."
+
+What followed has to me no clearness, no consistency. I remember, yet
+it is as though memory played me a thousand tricks. Never have I
+fought more wickedly, nor with deeper realization that I needed every
+ounce of strength, and every trick of wit and skill. I had not before
+dreamed he was such a man; but now I knew the fellow possessed greater
+knowledge of the game than I, and a quicker movement; I alone excelled
+in weight of body, and coolness of brain. His efforts were those of an
+infuriated animal, his uncontrolled outburst of hatred rendering him
+utterly reckless of results in his struggle to overcome me at any
+cost. It was this blind blood-lust which gave me victory. I know not
+clearly how it was done; my only memory being his frantic efforts to
+drive home the knife point, and mine to defeat the thrust. Twice he
+pricked me deep enough to draw blood, before I succeeded in twisting
+backward the arm with which he held the blade. It was a sailor's trick
+of last resort, heartlessly cruel in its agony, but I felt then no
+call to mercy. He met the game too late, falling half back upon one
+knee, hoping thus to foil my purpose, yet my greater weight saved me.
+There was the sharp crack of a bone, as his useless fingers let the
+knife drop, a snarled curse of pain, and then, with the rage of a mad
+dog, Sanchez struck his teeth deep into my cheek. The sharp pang of
+pain drove me to frenzy, and for the first time I lost all control, my
+one free hand seeking to reach the lost knife. With a thrill of
+exultation I gripped it, driving instantly the keen blade to its hilt
+into the man's side. He made no cry, no struggle--the set teeth
+unlocked, and he fell limply back on the sand, his head lapped by the
+waves.
+
+I remained poised above him, spent and breathless from struggle,
+scarcely conscious even as to what had occurred so swiftly, the
+dripping knife in my hand, blood streaming down my cheek, and still
+infuriated by blind passion. The fellow lay motionless, his face
+upturned to the sky, but invisible except in dim outline. It did not
+seem possible he could actually be dead; I had struck blindly, with no
+knowledge as to where the keen blade had penetrated--a mere desperate
+lunge. I rested my ear over his heart, detecting no murmur of
+response; touched the veins of his wrist, but found there no answering
+throb of life. Still dazed and uncertain, I arose staggering to my
+feet, conscious at last that the man must actually be dead, yet, for
+the moment, so surprised by the discovery as to scarcely realize its
+significance. Not that I regretted the act, not that I experienced the
+slightest remorse, yet, for an instant, the shock seemed to leave me
+nerveless and unstrung. Only a moment since I was engaged in desperate
+struggle, and now I could only stare down at the dark lines of that
+motionless body outstretched upon the sand.
+
+Then I remembered those others--the unconscious sleepers on the deck
+of the sloop; those blood-stained villains creeping toward them
+through the black shadows of the night. The memory was like a dash of
+water in the face. With the death-dealing knife still gripped in my
+hand, I raced forward along the narrow strip of sand, reckless of what
+I might encounter, eager only to arrive in time to give utterance to a
+shout of warning. I could not have covered more than half the
+distance when the first sound of attack reached me--far-off, gurgling
+cry of agony, which pierced the darkness like the scream of a dying
+soul. The heart leaped into my throat, yet I ran on, unhalted, unseen,
+until the planks of the wharf were beneath my feet, the low side of
+the sloop looming black before me. There was confusion aboard, the
+sounds of struggle, mingled with curses and blows. With one upward
+swing of my body I was safely aboard, knife still in hand, peering
+eagerly forward. Through the gloom concealing the deck, I could
+perceive only dim figures, a riot of men, battling furiously hand to
+hand, yet out of the ruck loomed through the darkness in larger
+outline than the others---Cochose, the negro. I leaped at the fellow,
+and struck with the keen knife, missing the heart, but plunging the
+blade deep into the flesh of the shoulder. The next instant I was in a
+bear's grip, the very breath crushed out of me, yet, by some chance,
+my one arm remained free, and I drove the sharp steel into him twice
+before he forced the weapon from my fingers. Through a wrestler's
+trick, although my wrist was as numb as if dead from his fierce grip,
+I thrust an elbow beneath the brute's chin, and thus forced his head
+back, until the neck cracked.
+
+This respite served merely for the moment, yet sufficiently long to
+win me a firm foot-hold on deck, and a breath of night air. He was too
+strong, too immense of stature. Apparently unweakened by his wounds,
+the giant negro, thoroughly aroused, exerted his mighty muscles, and,
+despite my utmost effort at resistance, thrust me back against the
+stern rail, where the weight of his body pinned me helplessly. With a
+roar of rage he drove his huge fist into my face, but happily was too
+close to give much force to the blow. My own hands, gripping the
+neck-band of his coarse shirt, twisted it tight about the great
+throat, until, in desperation, panting for breath, the huge brute
+actually lifted me in his arms, and hurled me backward, headlong over
+the rail. I struck something as I fell, yet rebounding from this,
+splashed into the deep water, and went down so nearly unconscious as
+to make not even the slightest struggle. I had no strength left in me,
+no desire to save myself, and I sank like a stone. And yet I came up
+once more to the surface, arising by sheer chance, directly beneath
+the small dory--which my body must have struck as I fell--towing by a
+painter astern of the sloop, and fortunately retained sense enough to
+cling desperately to this first thing my hands touched, and thus
+remained concealed.
+
+This occurred through complete exhaustion, rather than the exercising
+of any judgment, for, had it not been for this providential support, I
+would surely have drowned without a struggle. Every breath I drew was
+in pain; I felt as though my ribs had been crushed in, while I had
+lost sufficient blood to leave me as weak as a babe. I simply clung
+there desperately, hopelessly, yet the salt water soon served to
+revive me physically, and even my brain began to arouse from its daze
+to a faint realization of the conditions. The small dory to which I
+clung, caught in some mysterious current, floated at the very
+extremity of its slender towline, and in consequence the sloop
+appeared little more than a mere smudge, when my eyes endeavored to
+discover its outlines. Evidently the bloody work had been completed,
+for now all was silent on board. I could not even detect the sound of
+a footstep on the deck. Then, clear enough to be distinctly heard
+across the narrow strip of water, came the voice of Estada, in a gruff
+inquiry:
+
+"So you are hiding here, Cochose? What are you looking for in the
+sea?"
+
+"What? Why that damned Englishman." The response was a savage growl,
+intensified by husky dialect. "Mon Dieu! He fought me like a mad rat."
+
+"The Englishman, you say? He was here then? It was he you battled
+with? What became of the fellow?"
+
+"He went down there, Senor. The dog stabbed me three times. It was
+either he or I to go."
+
+"You mean you threw him overboard?"
+
+"Ay, with his ribs crushed in, and not a breath left in his damned
+body. He's never come up even--I've watched, and there has not been so
+much as a ripple where he sank."
+
+The two must have hung in silence over the rail staring down. I dared
+not advance my head to look, nor even move a muscle of my body in the
+water, but both were still standing there when Estada finally gave
+utterance to an oath.
+
+"How know you it was the man?"
+
+"Who else could it have been? You have the others."
+
+"Ay, true enough; yet it will go hard with you, Cochose, when the
+Captain learns of this--he would have the fellow alive."
+
+"As well attempt to take a tiger with bare hands--see, the blood yet
+runs; a single inch to the left, and it would be I fed to the fishes.
+Pah! what is the difference, Senor, so the man dies?"
+
+"Right enough, no doubt; anyway it is not I who must face Sanchez, and
+it is too late now to change fate. Let's to the rest of our task. You
+can still do your part?"
+
+The giant negro growled.
+
+"Ay; I have been worse hurt, yet a bit of cloth would help me."
+
+"Let Carl see to that, while I gain glimpse at this map of the house
+up yonder. Come forward with me to the cabin, till I light a candle.
+How came you aft here?"
+
+"Because that fellow leaped the rail from the wharf. I saw him, and we
+met at the wheel."
+
+"From the wharf, you say? He was not aboard then? Santa Maria! I know
+not what that may mean. Yet what difference, so he be dead. Anderson,
+Mendez, throw that carrion overboard--no, bullies, never mind; let
+them lie where they are, and sink an auger in the sloop's bottom. That
+will settle the whole matter. What is that out yonder, Cochose?"
+
+"A small boat, Senor--a dory, I make it."
+
+"Cut the rope, and send it adrift. Now come along with me."
+
+The darker loom of the sloop vanished slowly, as the slight current
+sweeping about the end of the wharf drifted the released boat to which
+I clung outward into the Bay. The faint echo of a voice floated to my
+ears across the widening expanse of water, and then all was silent as
+the night closed in darkly between. There was scarcely a ripple to
+the sea, and yet I felt that the boat was steadily drifting out into
+deeper water. I was still strangely weak, barely able to retain my
+grasp, with a peculiar dullness in my head, which made me fearful that
+at any moment I might let go. I was not even conscious of thinking, or
+capable of conceiving clearly my situation, yet I must have realized
+vaguely the immediate necessity of action, for finally I mustered
+every ounce of remaining energy in one supreme effort, and succeeded
+in dragging my body up out of water over the boat's stern, sinking
+helplessly forward into the bottom. The moment this was accomplished
+every sense deserted me, and I lay there motionless, totally
+unconscious.
+
+I shall never know how long I remained thus, the little dory in which
+I lay rocked aimlessly about by the waves, and constantly drifting in
+the grasp of unseen currents farther and farther out into the Bay. The
+blackness of the night swallowed us, as tossed by wind and sea, we
+were borne on through the waste unguided. Yet this time could not have
+been great. As though awakening from sleep a faint consciousness
+returned, causing me to lift my head, and stare hopelessly about into
+the curtain of mist overhanging the water. At first, with nothing
+surrounding to awaken memory into action, only that dull vista of sea
+and sky, my mind refused to respond to any impression; then the sharp
+pain of my wounds, accented by the sting of salt water, brought me
+swift realization of where I was, and the circumstances bringing me
+there. My wet clothing had partially dried on my body as I lay there
+motionless in the bottom of the boat, and now, with every movement,
+chafed the raw spots, rendering the slightest motion a physical
+agony. I had evidently lost considerable blood, yet this had already
+ceased to flow, and a very slight examination served to convince me
+that the knife slashes were none of them serious. Beyond these
+punctures of the flesh, while I ached from head to foot, my other
+injuries were merely bruises to add to my discomfort--the result of
+blows dealt me by Sanchez and Cochose, aggravated by the bearlike hug
+of the giant negro. Indeed, I awoke to the discovery that I was far
+from being a dead man; and, inspired by this knowledge, the various
+incidents of the night flashed swiftly back into my mind. How long had
+I been lying there unconscious, adrift in the open boat? How far had
+we floated from land? Where were we now, and in the meantime what had
+occurred ashore?
+
+These were questions impossible to answer. I could not even attempt
+their solution. No gleam of light appeared in any direction; no sound
+echoed across the dark waste of water. Far above, barely visible
+through a floating veil of haze, I was able to detect the faint gleam
+of stars, and was sailor enough to determine through their guidance
+some certainty as to the points of compass; yet possessed no means by
+which to ascertain the time of night, or the position of the boat.
+With this handicap it was clearly impossible for me to attempt any
+return to the wharf through the impenetrable black curtain which shut
+me in. What then could I do? What might I still hope to accomplish? At
+first thought the case appeared hopeless. Those fellows had swept the
+sloop clean, and had doubtless long ago scuttled it. This ruthless
+deed once accomplished, their orders were to raid the house on the
+bluff. But would they go on with their bloody work? They would
+suddenly find themselves leaderless, unguided. Would that suffice to
+stop them? The vivid memory came to me anew of that arch villain,
+Sanchez, lying where I had left him, his head resting in the
+surf--dead. Would the discovery of his body halt his followers, and
+send them rushing back to their boat, eager only to get safely away?
+This did not seem likely. Estada knew of my boarding the sloop from
+the wharf, and would at once connect the fact of my being ashore with
+the killing of Sanchez. This would satisfy him there was no further
+danger. Besides, these were not men to be easily frightened at sight
+of a dead body, even that of their own captain. They might hesitate,
+discuss, but they would never flee in panic. Surely not with that
+ruffian Estada yet alive to lead them, and the knowledge that fifty
+thousand pounds was yonder in that unguarded house, with no one to
+protect the treasure but two old men asleep, and the women. The
+women!--Dorothy! What would become of her? Into whose hands would she
+fall in that foul division of spoils? Estada's? Good God--yes! And I,
+afloat and helpless in this boat, what could I do?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+A SWIM TO THE NAMUR
+
+
+All was black, hopeless; with head buried in my hands I sat on a
+thwart, dazed and stupefied, seemingly even unable to think clearly.
+Before me, pleading, expressive of agonized despair, arose the sweet
+face of Dorothy Fairfax. Nothing else counted with me at that moment
+but her safety--the protecting her from the touch of that
+blood-stained brute. Yet how, and through what means, could such
+rescue be accomplished? No doubt by this time all was over--the dead
+body of Sanchez discovered, the projected attack on the house carried
+out, the two old men left behind, either dead or severely wounded, and
+the girl borne off a helpless prisoner, together with the treasure of
+fifty thousand pounds. Even if I knew where the drifting boat had
+taken me, which way to turn to once again attain the wharf, the
+probability remained that I should arrive altogether too late to be of
+slightest service--the dastardly deed had already been accomplished.
+Ay, but this I knew; there was only one place to which the villains
+might flee with their booty--the _Namur of Rotterdam_. Only on those
+decks, and well at sea, would they be safe, or able to enjoy their
+spoils. The thought came to me in sudden revelation--why not? Was not
+here a chance even yet to foil them? With Sanchez dead, no man aboard
+that pirate craft would recognize me. I felt assured of this. I had
+fought the giant negro in the dark; he could not, during that fierce
+encounter, have distinguished my features any more clearly than I had
+his own. There was no one else to fear. Although I had been stationed
+at the wheel of the sloop as we swept past the _Namur_ while at anchor
+the day before, yet Estada, watching anxiously for the secret signal
+of his chief, would never have accorded me so much as a glance. His
+interest was concentrated elsewhere, and, in all probability, he could
+not swear whether I was black or white. If others of that devilish
+crew had been secretly watching our deck it was with no thought of me;
+and not one of them would retain any memory of my appearance. If only
+I might once succeed in getting safely aboard, slightly disguised
+perhaps, and mingle unnoticed among the crew, the chances were not bad
+for me to pass undetected. No doubt they were a heterogeneous bunch,
+drawn from every breed and race, and in no small force either, for
+their trade was not so much seamanship as rapine and fighting. Such
+ships carried large crews, and were constantly changing in personnel.
+A strange face appearing among them need not arouse undue suspicion.
+From what Estada had reported to Sanchez, I knew boats had been sent
+ashore on this coast. What more likely then than that some new recruit
+had returned to the bark, attracted by a sailor's tale? Who would know
+how the stranger came among them, or question his presence, unless
+suspicion became aroused? Even if questioned, a good story, easily
+told, might win the trick. Before daylight came, and already well at
+sea beyond pursuit, inconspicuous among the others, accepted as mate
+by the men, unrecognized even by the officers, there was scarcely a
+probability that anyone aboard would note, or question my presence.
+
+And I felt convinced I could locate the _Namur_. Ay, even in that
+darkness I could find the bark, if the vessel yet swung at her former
+anchorage. The task would not even be a difficult one. The stars gave
+me the compass points, and I recalled with some clearness the general
+trend of the coast line as we came up. But could I hope to attain the
+ship in advance of the returning party of raiders? To succeed in my
+object this must be done, because the moment these reached the deck
+the bark would hastily depart for the open sea. And if I was to
+accomplish this end it must be attempted at once. The call to action,
+the possibility of thus being of service to Dorothy, seemed instantly
+to awaken all my dormant energies; the painful chafing of my wounds
+was forgotten, while new strength returned miraculously to my bruised
+body. God helping me, I would try! My brain throbbed with fresh
+resolution--the call to action.
+
+There were oars in the boat. I had noticed these dumbly before, but
+now I drew them eagerly forth from the bottom, and quickly fitted them
+into the oarlocks. They were stout, ashen blades, unusually large for
+the craft in which they had been stowed, yet workable. The boat itself
+was a mere shell, scarcely capable of sustaining safely more than
+three persons, but with lines of speed, its sharp prow cutting the
+water like a knife blade. I shipped the useless rudder inboard, and
+chose my course from the stars. The north star was completely obscured
+by thick clouds, but the great dipper gave me my bearings with
+sufficient accuracy. To attain again to the west coast not far from
+where the great point projected outward into the Bay, and behind which
+the bark swung at anchor, required, according to my understanding of
+our present position, that I head the boat toward the southwest. I
+bent earnestly to the oars, and the speed of the craft was most
+encouraging, especially as my strength and energy seemed to increase
+with each stroke. My mind brightened also quite perceptibly, as the
+violent exercise sent the blood coursing anew through my veins. Before
+I realized the change I had become thoroughly convinced that the
+course I had chosen was the wisest one possible.
+
+It was wild, and desperate, to be sure. I was not blind to its danger,
+and yet nothing else offered any solution. The only probable chance
+now for me to prove of direct service to the captive girl lay in being
+near her while she remained with these men. If, by any good fortune,
+she had thus far succeeded in escaping from Estada and his gang of
+ruffians, I would learn this fact more surely aboard the _Namur_ than
+in any other way; and, once assured as to this, could certainly find
+some means of early escape from the ship. While, if she was captured
+and taken aboard, as was most probable, for me to be left behind on
+shore would mean her total abandonment. Better any risk of discovery
+than that. To be sure I had no plan of action devised, no conception
+of how a rescue could be effected. Yet such an opportunity might
+develop, and my one hope lay in being prepared, and ready. With the
+death of Sanchez, his second in command would undoubtedly succeed
+him; but would that be Estada, or would it be this other, the mulatto,
+Francois LeVere? More likely the former, for while buccaneers had
+operated under colored chiefs, a crew of white men would naturally
+prefer to be led by one of their own color. Indeed it was even
+possible that a controversy might arise, and a divided authority
+result. Discipline among such as these depended entirely on strength
+and ferocity. The most daring and resourceful became the chosen
+leaders, whose only test was success. Perhaps, in the turmoil, and
+uncertainty, arising from a knowledge of Sanchez's death, and the
+jealousy thus aroused between those who would succeed him in command,
+I might discover the very opportunity I sought. These were some of the
+thoughts which animated me, and gave new strength to my arms, as I
+sent the dory flying through the water.
+
+My boat, unguided, had drifted considerably farther out into the Bay
+than I had supposed, and it required a good half hour of steady toil
+at the oars before I sighted ahead of me the darker outlines of the
+shore. Nothing had crossed our path, and no unusual sound had reached
+my ears along the black water. If the _Namur's_ boat had already
+returned to the bark, its passage must have been made during the
+period of my unconsciousness, and this seemed to me utterly
+impossible. The course I had followed thus far took me directly across
+the water which they would be compelled to traverse, and they could
+not have passed unnoticed. No, they were surely yet in the
+neighborhood of Travers' plantation. The men engaged in that night's
+bloody business, would have been compelled to carry it out under many
+obstacles; they would be delayed by consternation at the discovery of
+their dead leader lying on the sand, and by their lack of knowledge
+regarding the interior of the house on the summit of the bluff. Quite
+likely also this lack of a guide would result in an alarm, and
+consequent struggle, perhaps even in the serious injury of some among
+them before they secured possession of the money, and the girl. In any
+case it must have resulted in delay. Convinced of this, and confident
+that I was already well in advance of them, I drew in as closely as I
+dared to the dim outline of shore, and studied it carefully, in an
+endeavor to learn my exact position.
+
+Although the sloop in its voyage up the Bay had never been out of
+sight of this coast, had indeed skirted it closely all the way, yet my
+memory of its more prominent landmarks was extremely vague. I had made
+no effort to impress them on my mind. Therefore at first I could
+identify nothing, but finally, out of the grotesque, shifting shadows,
+dimly appearing against the slightly lighter sky beyond, there
+suddenly arose, clearly defined, the gaunt limbs of a dead tree,
+bearing a faint resemblance to a gigantic cross. I recalled that Sam
+had chanced to point this out to me on our upward voyage, and this
+glimpse obtained of it again now told me exactly where I had made
+shore. This peculiar mark was at the extremity of the first headland
+lying north of the point itself, and consequently a straight course
+across the Bay, would land me within five hundred yards of where the
+_Namur_ had last been seen at anchor.
+
+To a degree my immediate plan of action had been definitely mapped
+out within my own mind while toiling at the oars. At least I had
+arrived at certain conclusions. The one immediate object before me was
+to attain the bark in advance of Estada. I now was convinced that thus
+far I was safely ahead. The night wind was light, and baffling, not
+greatly affecting my own progress, but of a nature to retard
+considerably the sail-boat, and compel a series of wide tacks, so as
+to enable those on board to round the point. All this distance I could
+avoid by beaching my dory, and striking out on foot directly across
+the narrow neck of land. The _Namur_, unless her position had been
+changed since darkness set in, was not so far out from shore as to
+make swimming to her a dangerous feat; and I could approach and board
+her with far less chance of discovery in that manner, than by the use
+of a boat. The watch on deck would undoubtedly be a vigilant one, yet
+no eye could detect through that darkness--unless by sheer accident--a
+submerged swimmer, cautiously advancing with silent strokes. The
+greater danger would come after I had attained the deck, wet to the
+skin.
+
+The sharp bow of the dory ran up on the soft sand of the beach, and I
+stepped ashore, hauling the light boat after me beyond the reach of
+the waves. The night remained calm and still, although the scudding
+clouds were thickening overhead, until scarcely a single star remained
+visible. The sea behind me was overhung by a black curtain, yet, by
+bending low, I could look along the surface for some distance where
+the heaving water reflected from wave to wave what little light there
+was. The beach was a narrow one, and only a few feet away the neck of
+land became elevated into a leveled crest, thickly covered with
+trees, their upper branches dimly visible from where I stood. Judging
+from the trend of the coast, it would be necessary for me to strike
+directly across to the opposite shore, but in this journey special
+caution was not required. There would be no one in the midst of this
+desolate region to interfere with my progress, or be alarmed by any
+noise I might make. Close to shore as the _Namur_ lay, no ordinary
+sound from the land could be heard aboard, even in the silence of
+night, nor was it likely the crew would be watchful in that direction.
+Unquestionably the entire attention of the deck watch at this hour
+would be concentrated on the expected return of their expedition
+around the distant point--seeking the glimpse of a white sail above
+the black water.
+
+To the best of my recollection the bark floated with bow pointing
+toward the open sea. The sweep of the current about the point was
+inshore, making the drift of the vessel strong against the anchor
+hawser. This would naturally bring her with broadside to the eastward,
+from which direction the absent boat must return. If this proved
+correct then, in all probability, the deck watch would largely be
+gathered on that side, even the attention of the officer more or less
+drawn in that direction. No doubt they had orders to be ready for
+instant departure the moment the approaching boat was sighted, and the
+lookout for it would be keen. It was, as I stood there, revolving
+these matters in my mind, with eyes endeavoring to pierce the
+surrounding darkness, and ears strained to detect the slightest sound,
+that there came to me the first real consciousness of the reckless
+nature of this adventure upon which I had so lightly embarked. Surely
+it was but the dream of a crazed man, foredoomed to failure. As I
+faced then the probabilities, there scarcely seemed one chance in a
+hundred that any such scheme as I proposed would succeed. And yet I
+must admit there was the one chance; and in no other action could I
+perceive even that much encouragement. If Dorothy Fairfax was already
+in the hands of these men, then my only opportunity for serving her
+lay in my being close at hand. No alternative presented itself; no
+other effort could be effective. It was already too late to attempt
+the organization of a rescue party; there was no warship on the coast,
+and the authorities of the Colony possessed no vessel fitted for
+pursuit. Long before daylight came, or I might hope to spread an alarm
+abroad, the _Namur_ would be safely at sea. No, the only choice left
+was for me either to accompany the girl, or else abandon her entirely
+to her captors. I must either face the possibility of discovery and
+capture, which as surely meant torture and death, or otherwise play
+the coward, and remain impotently behind. There was no safe course to
+pursue. I believed that I could play my part among the crew, once
+securely established among them; that I could succeed in escaping
+recognition even on the part of Cochose. If this was true, then, to a
+stout heart and ready hand, a way might open even aboard the bark to
+protect her from the final closing of the devil's jaws. I had nothing
+to risk but my life, and it had never been my nature to count odds. I
+would act as the heart bade, and so I drove the temptation to falter
+away, and strode on up the bank into the black shadow of the trees.
+
+I found extremely hard walking as I advanced through tangled
+underbrush, over unlevel ground, the night so dark in those shadows I
+could but barely perceive the outlines of a hand held before the eyes.
+Fortunately the distance was even shorter than I had anticipated, but,
+when I finally emerged upon the opposite beach, it was at once quite
+evident that the sea beating upon the sand was decidedly heavier than
+higher up the Bay, the white line of breakers showing conspicuously
+even in the night, while their continuous roar sounded loud through
+the silence. It was not until after I had advanced cautiously into the
+water, and then stooped low to thus gain clearer vision along the
+surface, that I succeeded in locating the vessel sought. Even then the
+_Namur_ appeared only as a mere shadow, without so much as a light
+showing aboard, yet apparently anchored in the same position as when
+we had swept past the previous afternoon. The slightly brighter sky
+above served to reveal the tracery of bare poles, while the hull was
+no more than a blot in the gloom, utterly shapeless, and appearing to
+be much farther away than it was in reality. Indeed, as the sky
+gradually darkened the entire vision vanished, as though it had been
+one of those strange mirages I had seen in the African deserts. Yet I
+knew with certainty the ship was there, had sufficient time in which
+to mark its position accurately, and rejoiced at the increase of
+darkness to conceal my approach. Guided by this memory I waded
+straight out through the lines of surf, until all excepting the head
+became completely submerged. If I was to reach the bark at all, this
+was the one opportunity.
+
+I stood there, resisting the undertow tugging at my limbs, and barely
+able to retain my footing, intent upon my purpose. Full strength had
+come back to my muscles, and my head was again clear. The imminent
+sense of danger seemed to bring me a feeling of happiness, of new
+confidence in myself. The die was cast, and whatever the result, I was
+going ahead to accomplish all that was humanly possible. From now on
+there was to be no doubting, no turning back. A voice, high-pitched,
+echoed to me across the water, reaching my ears a mere thread of
+sound, the words indistinguishable. It must have been an order, for, a
+moment later, I distinguished the clank of capstan bars, as though men
+of the crew were engaged in warping the vessel off shore for greater
+safety. The movement was too deliberate and noiseless to mean the
+lifting of the anchor, nor was it accompanied by any flapping of sail,
+or shifting of yards to denote departure. Nevertheless even this
+movement decided me to delay my attempt no longer, and, with strong,
+silent strokes I swam forward, directly breasting the force of the
+incoming sea, yet making fair progress. Some unconsidered current must
+have swept me to the right, for, when the outlines of the bark again
+became dimly visible through the night, I found myself well to
+starboard of the vessel, and quite likely would have passed it by
+altogether, but for the sudden rattle of a block aloft, causing me to
+glance in that direction. As my eyes explored the darkness, yet
+uncertain that I really beheld the _Namur_, a light flared for a brief
+instant, and I had glimpse of a face illumined by the yellow glare, as
+the single spark of flame ignited a cigarette. It was all over with
+so swiftly, swallowed up in that blackness, as to seem a vision of
+imagination. Yet I knew it to be real. Stroking well under water, and
+with only my eyes exposed above the surface, I changed my course to
+the left, and slowly and cautiously drew in toward the starboard bow.
+A few moments later, unperceived from above, and protected from
+observation by the bulge of the overhang, and density of shadow, my
+hands clung to the anchor hawser, my mind busy in devising some means
+for attaining the deck.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+ON THE DECK OF THE NAMUR
+
+
+It was here that fortune favored me, strengthening my decision, and
+yielding a fresh courage to persevere. The pounding of the seas
+against the bow rendered other sounds, for the moment, unnoticeable,
+while the current swept so strongly against my submerged body as to
+compel me to cling tightly to the swaying rope to prevent being
+overcome. Close as I was the bark appeared scarcely more than a dense
+shadow swaying above me, without special form, and unrevealed by the
+slightest gleam of light, merely a vast bulk, towering between sea and
+sky. Forking out, however, directly over where I clung desperately to
+the wet hawser, my eyes were able to trace the bow-sprit, a massive
+bit of timber, with ropes faintly traced against the sky, the rather
+loosely furled jib flapping ragged edges in the gusts of wind.
+Suddenly, as I stared upward, I became aware that two men were working
+their way out along the foot-ropes, and, as they reached a point
+almost directly over my head, became busily engaged in tightening the
+gaskets to better secure the loosening sail. The foot of one slipped,
+and he hung dangling, giving vent to a stiff English oath before he
+succeeded in hauling himself back to safety, The other indulged in a
+chuckling laugh, yet was careful not to speak loudly.
+
+"Had one drink too many, Tom?" he asked. "That will pay yer fer
+finishin' the bottle, an' never givin' me another sup."
+
+The other growled, evidently not in any too good humor after his
+mishap.
+
+"You, hell! Yer bed the fu'st ov it. Thar's no sorter luck yer don't
+git yer fair share of, Bill Haines--trust yer fer thet. What I ain't
+got straight yet, is whar thet stuff cum from so easy. Thet wus the
+real thing."
+
+Haines laughed again, working carelessly. As the men advanced along
+the spar I could distinguish their forms more clearly.
+
+"That wus part o' the luck, Tom," he acknowledged, his accent that of
+a cockney. "Did yer git eyes on thet new feller Manuel Estevan brought
+back with him in the boat?"
+
+"The one you and Jose carried aboard?"
+
+"He's the lad. Thar wa'n't nuthin' the matter with the cove, 'cept he
+wus dead drunk, an' he hed a bottle o' rum stowed away in every
+pocket. But Manuel, he never knew thet. It wus just 'bout dark when he
+cum staggerin' down ter the boat. We wus waitin' on the beach fer
+Estevan, an' three fellers he hed taken along with him inter town, ter
+cum back--the nigger, Jose, an' me--when this yere chap hove
+'longside. He never hailed us, ner nuthin'; just clim over inter the
+boat, an' lay down. 'Whar ye aimin' ter go, friend?' ses I, but by
+then the cove wus dead asleep. I shook him, an' kicked him, but it
+wa'n't no use; so we just left him lie thar fer Manuel ter say whut
+wus ter be done with him. Only Jose he went thru his pockets, an'
+found three bottles o' rum. We took a few drinks, an' hid whut wus
+left in the boat locker."
+
+"So that's how yer got it! Who wus the party?"
+
+"Thet's mor'n I'll ever tell yer. I never got no sight o' him, 'cept
+in the dark. 'Bout all I know is he wus white, an' likely a sailor,
+judgin' frum the feel o' his hands. Maybe he thought that wus his boat
+he'd stumbled inter--thar wus quite a few 'long the beach. Enyhow,
+when Manuel got back, he just took a look at him in the dark, an' then
+told us to haul the lad forrard out o' the way, an' fetch him along.
+So we pulled out with the feller cuddled up in the bow. He was drunk
+all right."
+
+"I never seed nuthin' more of him after he was hauled aboard,"
+commented Tom, as the other ceased speaking. "Whut become o' the lad?"
+
+"Him? Oh, Jose an' me carried him inter the for'cassel, an' shoved him
+inter a berth ter sleep off his liquor. Thet wus the last I ever see,
+er hear o' him fer 'bout six hours. I'd fergot all 'bout the
+feller--er wud have, if it hadn't been fer the rum. Manuel went off in
+the long-boat with Estada, an' when my watch went below, I stowed
+myself away back o' the bow gun fer a few drinks. I hadn't been thar
+mor'n ten minutes, when this yere feller must a woke up in the
+for'cassel sum crazy. He cum a chargin' out on deck, whoopin' like an
+Indian, wavin' a knife in his hand, intendin' fer ter raise hell. I
+cudn't see then who the lad wus, but it must o' been him, fer when I
+went down later he wusn't whar we'd put him. Well, it happened thet
+the fu'st feller he run up against wus LeVere, who wus cumin' forrard
+fer sumthin', an' fer about a minute thar was one hell ov a fight.
+Maybe LeVere didn't know et onct just whut hed happened, but he wusn't
+almighty long finding out his job, an' the way he started in fer ter
+man-handle the cuss, wus worth seein'. It was so damn dark thar by the
+foremast I couldn't tell whut did happen, but it wus fists mostly,
+till the mate drove the poor devil, cussin' like mad, over agin the
+rail, an' then heaved him out inter the water 'longside. I heerd the
+feller splash when he struck, but he never let out no yell."
+
+"What did LeVere do?"
+
+"Him? Hell, he didn't do nuthin'. Just stared down over the rail a
+bit, an' then cum back, rubbin' his hands. Never even asked who the
+feller wus. Thar ain't nuthin' kin skeer that black brute."
+
+"By God--no! He ain't got no human in him. It's hell when English
+sailormen has got ter take orders frum a damned nigger, an' be knocked
+'round if they don't jump when he barks. He's goin' ter get a knife in
+his ribs sum day."
+
+"Maybe he is; but yer better hold yer tongue, Tom. Sanchez don't stand
+fer thet talk, an' he's back o' LeVere. Let's go in; them gaskets will
+hold all right now--cum 'long."
+
+The two vaguely distinguishable figures disappeared, clambering
+awkwardly over the rail, and as instantly vanishing into the blackness
+of the bark's deck. An unsecured bit of canvas continued to flap
+noisily above me, and the constant surge of water pounded against the
+bow, but I could perceive now clearly the character I was destined to
+assume when once safely aboard the _Namur_. Such an assumption would
+involve but slight danger of discovery. It was as though a miracle had
+opened the way, revealed to me by the unconscious lips of these two
+half-drunken, gossiping sailors. The story told fitted my necessities
+exactly. Had I planned the circumstances myself, nothing could have
+been better prearranged. No one on board had seen the missing man by
+daylight; if an impression of his features remained in any individual
+mind, it must be extremely vague, and valueless. Bill's conviction
+that the man was English, and probably a sailor, was the most
+definite, and he had had greater opportunity closely to observe the
+stranger than anyone else. LeVere had obtained no more than a glimpse
+of his opponent, during their struggle in the dark, and while fighting
+for his life. Surely it would be easy enough to obscure any faint
+impression thus acquired. And the fellow had been heartlessly flung
+overboard; was believed to have sunk without a struggle, too drunk to
+save himself; was scarcely given another thought. Yet no one knew
+positively that this was so, because no one cared. The death of the
+lad had simply been taken for granted, when LeVere failed to see his
+body rise again to the surface. Yet it was quite within the realm of
+possibility for the fellow to come up once more in that darkness,
+beyond LeVere's range of vision, and even to have remained afloat,
+buoyed up by clinging to the anchor hawser, until strong enough to
+return on board. At least there was no one aboard the _Namur_ able to
+deny that this had been done.
+
+Satisfied by this reasoning of being able to pass myself off as the
+dead man, with small danger of detection, and likewise assured--so
+far at least as eyes and ears testified--that none of the crew were
+grouped on the forecastle, to be attracted by my movements, I began,
+slowly and cautiously, to drag myself up the taut hawser, hoping thus
+to attain a position from which to gain hand-hold on the rail, and
+thus attain the deck unseen. While my explanation might suffice, I
+greatly preferred having to present it only as a last resort. I would
+much rather slip quietly aboard, and mingle unnoticed with the crew
+for the next few hours, than be haled at once before LeVere, and
+endure his scrutiny and possible violence. The fellow was evidently a
+brute, and a hard master. Seemingly I had chosen a fortunate moment
+for my effort; no one heeded the little noise I made, and, when I
+finally topped the rail, and was able to look inboard, it was to
+discover a deserted fore deck, with the watch all engaged at some task
+amidships. There was no gleam of light, but I could hear the patter of
+feet, and imagined seeing dim moving figures. A rather high-pitched
+voice was giving orders, and enough of his words reached me to
+convince that other men were aloft on the main yard. Believing my best
+policy would be to join those busied on deck, just as though I
+belonged among them, I crept down the forecastle ladder, and worked my
+way aft beneath the black shadow of the port rail, until able thus to
+drift unnoticed into a group tailing on to a mainsail halliard. The
+fellow next to me, without releasing his grip, turned his head and
+stared, but without discerning my features.
+
+"Whar the hell did yer cum' frum?" he growled, and I as instantly
+recognized Bill Haines. "Been sojerin', have yer? Well, now, damn yer
+eyes! lay too an' pull."
+
+Before I could attempt an answer, a tall figure loomed up before us,
+the same high-pitched voice I had noticed previously calling out
+sharply:
+
+"There, that's enough, men! Now make fast. We can head the old girl
+out from here in a jiffy, if it really begins to blow. Jose, you stand
+by at the wheel, in case you're needed; some of the rest ship the
+capstan bars, and remain near for a call."
+
+Discipline on board must have been somewhat lax, or else Haines held
+some minor official position which gave him unusual privilege, for,
+while the others instantly separated to carry out these orders, he
+remained motionless, confronting the man I supposed to be the mulatto,
+LeVere. My own position was such I could not press past the two
+without attracting attention.
+
+"What are ye swingin' the yards fer, enyhow?" asked the sailor
+insolently. "Just fer exercise?"
+
+The other, who already had started to turn away, stopped, and took a
+step backward toward his questioner.
+
+"Because I am a sailor, Haines," he replied angrily. "Anyhow it is
+none of your business; I was left in command here. Those clouds don't
+look good to me; there is going to be a blow before morning."
+
+"Then it's yer intention ter work out'er this yere berth?"
+
+"It's my intention to be ready, if it becomes necessary. There is no
+regular officer left aboard, but, just the same, I am not going to let
+this bark pile up on those rocks yonder. We'll hang on here for
+another half hour, maybe, and then, if the long-boat don't show up,
+we'll work further off shore until daylight. That's sensible, isn't
+it?"
+
+Haines growled something, inaudible to me, but evidently accepted as
+an assent, and LeVere, still in no good humor from the questioning,
+wheeled sharply about to go forward. This movement placed him face to
+face with me.
+
+"What are you loafing here for?" he burst forth, no doubt glad to thus
+vent his anger on someone. "Who the hell are you?"
+
+"Joe Gates, sir," I answered quickly, mouthing the first name which
+came to my lips.
+
+"Gates--Joe Gates?" peering savagely into my face, but unable to
+distinguish the features. "I never heard of anybody on board by that
+name. Who is the fellow, Haines?"
+
+The Englishman gripped me by the sleeve to whirl me about, but as his
+fingers touched the soaked cloth of my jacket, he burst forth with an
+oath.
+
+"By God! but he's wet enough to be the same lad you chucked overboard
+an hour ago. Damn me, I believe he is. Say, mate, are you the gay buck
+we hauled aboard drunk, and dumped inter the for'cassel?"
+
+"I dunno, sir," I answered dumbly, believing it best not to remember
+too much. "I couldn't even tell yer whut ship this is, ner how I
+signed on. Last I seem ter remember I wus ashore frum the schooner
+_Caroline_; but this yere is a bark."
+
+Haines laughed, already convinced of my identity, and considering it a
+good joke.
+
+"Well, my buck, I'll tell yer whar yer are, an' likewise how yer got
+yere," he chuckled. "I wus one of a party frum this hooker ashore
+'bout dusk, when yer hove in sight 'bout as drunk as a sailorman kin
+get. Fact is yer wus so soused yer stumbled inter the wrong boat, and
+went ter sleep. We're allers ready fer ter take on a new hand er two,
+so we just let yer lie thar, an' brought yer aboard. 'Bout an hour ago
+yer must a had a touch o' tremens, fer, all at onct yer cum chargin'
+out on deck, an' tried ter knife LeVere, an' he flung yer overboard.
+We sorter figured thet yer went down, an' never cum up agin."
+
+LeVere broke in with a savage snarl.
+
+"What's all that? Do you mean, Haines, that this is the same damned
+scamp who tried to stick me?"
+
+"No doubt of it. But he never knew what he was dloin'--he wus crazy as
+a loon. There's nuthin' fer yer ter fuss over now. Tell us about it,
+Gates--the bath must have sobered yer up?"
+
+I watched LeVere, but he remained motionless, a mere shadow.
+
+"I suppose it must have been thet, sir," I confessed respectfully, "if
+things happened as you say they did. I haven't any memory o' tryin'
+ter slash nobody. Leastwise I seemed ter know whut I wus about when I
+cum up. I don't remember how I got ther; furst I knew I wus slushin'
+'round in the water, a tryin' ter keep afloat. It wus so blame dark I
+cudn't see nuthin', but sumhow I got grip on a hawser, an' hung on
+till I got back 'nough strength ter clime on board. I knew this wa'n't
+my ship, so I just lay quiet awhile, figurin' out whar I wus."
+
+"Yer English?"  "Born in Bristol, sir, but I wus workin' on the
+_Caroline_--she's a Colony schooner, in the fish trade."
+
+"Sailor?"
+
+"At sea since I wus twelve. What's this yere bark--Dutch, ain't she?"
+
+"Once upon a time; just now we are flying whatever flag cumes handy.
+We ain't got no prejudice in flags."
+
+"Is thet a gun forrard, covered with taupalin?"
+
+"Yes, an' yer might find another aft, if yer looked fer it. Mor'n
+thet, we know how ter use 'em. Now see here, Gates; thar's no reason
+why we should beat about the bush--fact is we're sea rovers."
+
+"Sea rovers--pirates, sir?"
+
+"Bah! what's a name! We take what we want; it's our trade, that's all.
+No worse than many another. The question is, are yer goin' ter take a
+chance 'long with us? It's the only life, lad--plenty of fun, the best
+of liquor and pretty girls, with a share in all the swag."
+
+"What is the name of this bark?"
+
+"The _Namur_--sailed out o' Rotterdam till we took her."
+
+"Whut wus yer in when ye took her?"
+
+"The _Vengeance_, a three-masted schooner, the fastest thing afloat.
+She's south in West India waters."
+
+"Who's the captain?"
+
+"Silva Sanchez."
+
+"Gawd! Sanchez--not--not 'Black Sanchez?'"
+
+"That's him; so yer've heerd o' 'Black Sanchez?' Well, we're sailin'
+'long with him, all right, mate, an' yer ought ter know whut thet
+means fer a good man."
+
+I hesitated, yet only long enough to leave the impression I sought to
+make on them both.
+
+"Likely thar ain't no sailor but whut has heerd o' him," I said
+slowly. "Enyhow, I sure have. I can't say thet I have any special
+hankerin' after bein' a pirate, an' I never aimed ter be one; but,
+seem' as how I am yere on this bark, an' can't easy get away, it don't
+look like thar wus much choice, does it?"
+
+LeVere appeared amused in his way, which was not a pleasant one.
+
+"Oh, yes, friend, there is choice enough. Bill, here, had exactly the
+same choice when he first came--hey, Bill? Remember how you signed on,
+after we took you off the _Albatross_? This is how it stands,
+Gates--either go forrard quietly yerself, er the both of us will kick
+you there. We never give an order twice on the _Namur_. That will be
+enough talk. If you do your work, all right; and if you don't, then
+look out, my man--there will be plenty of hell waiting for you. Go on,
+now."
+
+It was a curt dismissal, coupled with a plain threat, easy to
+understand. I obeyed the order gladly enough, slinking away into the
+black shadows forward, realizing my good fortune, and seeking some
+spot where I could be alone. The result was all that I could have
+hoped for; my position on board was assured; my story had been
+accepted without awakening the slightest suspicion; and it was
+perfectly clear that no one on board the _Namur_ possessed the
+slightest memory of the personal appearance of the poor fellow who had
+been thrown overboard, and drowned. Even Haines believed me to be the
+man. Of course I should be watched to some extent for a few days, my
+willingness to serve noted, and my ability as a seaman put to the
+test; but in this I had nothing to fear. I could play the assumed
+character with little danger of any mishap. The only remaining peril
+of discovery would come with the return of the absent boat, and the
+necessity of my encountering the giant negro. Yet I was convinced even
+this would not prove serious. If Cochose had glimpsed my features at
+all during the course of our desperate struggle on the deck of the
+sloop, the impression made on his mind must have been merely
+momentary; and, besides, he would never once conceive it possible that
+the same man could have reached the bark ahead of his return. Even if
+such a suspicion dawned, I was now in a position to positively
+establish my arrival aboard the _Namur_ early the evening previous,
+and before their expedition had departed.
+
+I felt so safe, and so content with my success thus far, as to already
+believe thoroughly in the final result of my mission. This confidence
+developed almost into sheer recklessness. There were some difficulties
+ahead, to be sure. I remained sane enough to recognize these, yet I
+had already conquered easily, what at first had appeared
+insurmountable, and, in consequence of this good luck, these others
+yet to be met, seemed far less serious. The same happy fortune which
+had opened the way for me to board the _Namur_ must also intervene to
+aid me in solving future problems. Mine was the philosophy of a
+sailor, to whom peril was but a part of life. All I seemed to require
+now was a sufficiency of courage and faith--the opportunity would be
+given. In this spirit of aroused hope, I continued to stare out into
+the black night, watchfully, the shrouded deck behind me silent, and
+seemingly deserted, except for the steady tramp from rail to rail of
+LeVere, keeping his lonely watch aft. The crew had disappeared, lying
+down no doubt in corners out of the wind. And this wind was certainly
+rising, already attaining a force to be reckoned with, for the boom of
+waves hurled against the bows of the laboring bark, was steadily
+becoming more noticeable, while overhead the ropes sang dismally. I
+wondered that LeVere hung on so long in his perilous position,
+although, in spite of the increased strain, the anchor still clung
+firmly. Quite probably he had received stern orders not to shift from
+his present position until the boat returned, yet surely his judgment
+as a competent seaman, left in command, must make him aware of the
+threatening danger. He would never wreck his vessel merely because he
+had been instructed to remain at that particular spot. It seemed to me
+that no hawser ever made could long withstand the terrific strain of
+our tugging, as the struggling bark rose and fell in the grip of the
+sea. To him must have come the same conviction, for suddenly his
+high-pitched voice sang out from the poop:
+
+"Stand by, forrard, to lower the starboard anchor; move lively, men.
+Everything ready, Haines?"
+
+"All clear, sir. Come on the jump, bullies!"
+
+"Then let go smartly. Watch that you don't get the line fouled. Aloft
+there! Anything in sight, Cavere?"
+
+From high up on the fore-top yard, the answer, blown by the wind, came
+down in broken English:
+
+"Non, M'sieur; I see nottings."
+
+"Well, don't go to sleep; keep both eyes open!"
+
+I had already joined the watch forward, aware only of the numerous
+dim, and shapeless figures about me, busily employed in straightening
+out the kinks in the heavy cable. The number of men on deck was
+evidence of a large crew, there being many more than were necessary
+for the work to be done. Most of them appeared to be able seamen, and
+Haines drove them mercilessly, cursing them for lubbers, and twice
+kicking viciously at a stooping form. There was no talking, only the
+growl of an occasional oath, the slapping of the hawser on deck, and
+the sharp orders of Haines. Then the great rope began to slip swiftly
+through the hawse hole, and we heard the sharp splash as the iron
+flukes struck the water, and sank. Almost at that same instant the
+voice of Cavere rang out from the mast-head:
+
+"A sail, M'sieur--a sail!"
+
+"Where away?"
+
+"Off ze port quarter. I make eet to be ze leetle boat--she just round
+ze point"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+THE RETURN OF THE BOAT
+
+
+Receiving no other orders, the moment all was secure, the crew eager
+to welcome back the boat party, and learn the news, hurried over to
+the port rail. Beyond doubt most of those aboard realized that this
+had been an expedition of some importance, the culmination of their
+long wait on the coast, part of some scheme of their chief, in the
+spoils of which they expected to share. It was for this end they had
+been inactive for weeks, hiding and skulking along shore; now they
+hoped to reap their reward in gold and silver, and then be permitted
+to return to the wilder, more adventurous life they loved on the high
+seas. Moreover this boat approaching through the darkness was bringing
+back their leader, and however else they might feel toward him, the
+reckless daring, and audacious resourcefulness of Sanchez meant
+success. These fellows, the scum of the seven seas, whom he had
+gathered about him, might hate and fear, yet were glad to follow. They
+had learned on many a bloody deck the merit of their chief, and in
+their way were loyal to him.
+
+I was made to comprehend all this by the low, muttered utterances of
+those crowding near me, spoken in nearly every language of the world.
+Much I could not even translate, yet enough reached my ears to
+convince me of the temper of the crew--their feverish eagerness to be
+again at sea, under command of a captain whom they both hated and
+feared, yet whom they would follow to the very gates of hell. Even as
+they cursed him with hot oaths, in memory of some act of discipline,
+there came into their voices a tinge of admiration, which furnished me
+an accurate etching of the man. They knew him, these hell-hounds of
+the sea, and from out their mouths I knew him also for what he was--a
+cruel, cold-blooded monster, yet a genius in crime, and a natural
+leader of such men as these. _Black Sanchez!_ All the unspeakable
+horror which in the past had clung to that name came back again to
+haunt me; I seemed to hear once more the tales of men who had escaped
+from his grip alive; to see again the scenes they had witnessed. It
+could not seem possible that I was actually upon one of his ships, in
+the very midst of his wild crew. I listened to their comments, their
+expectations, with swiftly beating heart. I alone knew what that boat
+was bringing. And when it arrived, and they knew also, what would
+these sea wolves say? What would they do? What would be the result
+when the dead body of their leader came up over the rail?
+
+For a few moments we could perceive nothing through the black night.
+The clouds were rolling low, thickened by vapor, and the increasing
+wind had already beaten the waves into crests of foam. We could hear
+them crash against the stout sides of the bark, which leaped to their
+impetus, yet was held in helpless captivity by the two anchors. The
+deck under foot tossed dizzily, the bare masts swaying above, while
+our ears could distinguish the sullen roar of breakers tumbling up on
+the sand just astern. Overhead ropes rattled noisily, the sound
+mingling with the flapping ends of loosened sails beating against the
+yards. LeVere shouted an order, and a sudden flare was lighted
+amidships, the circle of flame illumining a part of the deck, and
+spreading out over the wild expanse of water. The seaman holding the
+blazing torch aloft, and thrusting it forth across the rail, took on
+the appearance of a black statue, as motionless as though carved from
+ebony, while in the gleam the various groups of men became visible,
+lined up along the port bulwarks, all staring in the one direction,
+eagerly seeking a first glimpse of the approaching craft.
+
+Scarcely had a minute elapsed before it came sweeping into the radius
+of light--at first a dim, spectral shadow, scarcely to be recognized;
+then, almost as suddenly, revealed in all its details--a boat of size,
+flying toward us under a lug sail, standing out hard as a board,
+keeling well over, and topping the sea swells like a bird on wing.
+'Twas a beautiful sight as the craft came sweeping on before the full
+weight of the wind, out from that background of gloom into the yellow
+glare of the torch, circling widely so as to more safely approach the
+bark's quarter. LeVere called for men to stand by, the fellows rushing
+past me to their stations, but, in the fascination of the moment, I
+failed to move. I could do nothing but stare out across the
+intervening water, with eyes fastened on that swiftly approaching
+boat. I must see. I must know the message it brought; what story it
+held of the tragedy. At first I could only barely distinguish the
+figures of those aboard, yet these gradually assumed recognizable
+form, and finally the faces also became dimly visible. Manuel held the
+tiller, with Estada seated beside him, leaning forward, and
+gesticulating with one hand, as he directed the course. I had never
+seen these two, yet I knew them beyond a doubt. Mendez and Anderson
+(at least I supposed these to be the two) were poised at the sail
+halliards, ready to let the straining sheet down at a run, while
+Cochose crouched low in the bow, his black hand uplifted, gripping a
+coil of rope. Their faces were all turned forward, lighted by the
+flare from our deck, and I felt a shudder of fear run over me--no
+expression on any countenance spoke of defeat; even the ugly features
+of the negro beamed with delight.
+
+But was that all? Was that all? Surely not, yet the boat had to leap
+forward, and then turn broadside too, as it swept aft toward the main
+chains, before I succeeded in seeing what remained partially concealed
+between the thwarts in its bottom. Forward of the single mast was
+stowed the chest, which Travers' slaves had borne with such care up
+the bluff; while in the open space between the helmsman and the two
+sailors were stretched two motionless bodies. LeVere, gripping a
+stay-rope, and leaning well out, hailed in Spanish.
+
+"Ahoy, the boat--there is not too much sea? You can make it?"
+
+"Ay!" came back Estada's voice, swept aside by the wind, yet still
+audible. "Stand by to fend us off. Call all hands, and break anchor as
+soon as we are aboard."
+
+"Very well, sir. Where is Captain Sanchez?"
+
+Estada pointed downward in swift, expressive gesture.
+
+"Here at my feet--badly hurt, but will recover. Send two men down to
+help when we make fast. Now, Cochose--let go of your rope; watch out
+above!"
+
+I stood, gripping hard at the rail, and staring down at the scene
+below, as the men in the boat made fast. I felt paralyzed, and
+helpless, unable to move. I had no business to remain there; every
+prospect of security depended on my joining the crew, but it was not
+in my power to desert my position. I could hear the hurrying feet of
+the watch tramping across the deck in response to LeVere's orders; the
+heavy pounding of a marling-spike on the forecastle hatch, as Haines
+called for all hands. I was aware that men were already mounting the
+ratlines, and laying out on the upper yards to make sail, while the
+capstan bars began rattling. Yet only one thought gripped me--_Sanchez
+was not dead_! I had believed he was; I had staked all on his death as
+a certainty. But instead, the man was lying there in the boat,
+helpless at present, sorely wounded perhaps, yet still alive. Estada
+even said he would surely recover. And that other body? That of
+Dorothy Fairfax, without doubt, yet certainly not lifeless. Those
+fellows would surely never bring back to the _Namur_ the useless, dead
+form of one of their victims. That was unthinkable, impossible. If
+their prisoner was the girl--and who else could it be?--she remained
+alive, helplessly bound to prevent either struggle, or outcry, and
+destined to a fate far worse than death.
+
+This revelation struck me like a blow. I had anticipated the possible
+capture of the young woman, but not the return of Sanchez. His living
+overthrew all my plans. There was no hope in the narrow confines of
+the ship for me to remain long out of his sight, once he became able
+again to reach the deck. And he would instantly recognize me in any
+guise. Every hope of rescue had vanished, every faith that I could be
+of aid. My own life hung in the balance--nay, rather, my doom was
+already sealed. There, seemingly was but one chance for escape
+left--that was to drop silently overboard, amid the confusion of
+getting under way, and make the desperate attempt to reach shore
+unseen before the crew could lift anchor, and set sail. This
+possibility came to me, yet I continued to cling there, dazed and
+helpless, staring dully down, lacking both physical and mental energy
+to put the wild scheme into execution. God, no! that would be the
+craven act of a coward. Better far to stay, and kill, or even be
+killed, than to be forever cursed by my own conscience. The fellow
+might die; some fatal accident befall the _Namur_; why a hundred
+things might occur before Sanchez was capable of resuming command, or
+could attempt any serious injury to Dorothy.
+
+The fellows sent down from the main chains to the boat brought the
+injured Captain up first. This required the services of three men, his
+body hanging limp between them, his upturned face showing ghastly in
+the flaming of the torch thrust out over the rail. To every appearance
+it was apparently a corpse they handled, except for their tenderness,
+and a single groan to which the white lips gave utterance, when one of
+the bearers slipped, wrenching the wounded body with a sharp pang of
+pain. Once safely on deck, the three bore him across to the after
+cabin, in which a swinging lantern had been lighted, and was by then
+burning brightly, and disappeared down the steps. My eyes followed
+every movement, as I forgot for the instant the boat and its occupants
+still tossing alongside on the waters below. As I turned back,
+awakened by some cry, I saw that Estada had already swung himself up
+into the chains, while Anderson and Mendez were lifting the girl to
+her feet, and rather roughly urging her forward. Her hands and limbs
+had been set free, but she swayed back and forth in the grasp of the
+two men, as though unable to support herself alone, her face upturned
+into the flare of light, as she gazed in terror at the black side of
+the bark towering above. Her eyes reflected all the unutterable horror
+which for the moment dominated her mind, while her loosened hair,
+disarranged by struggle, only served to intensify the pallor of her
+face. Yet in spite of this evident despair, there was still strength
+and defiance in the firm closing of her lips, and her efforts to stand
+alone, uncontaminated by the touch of the sailors' hands.
+
+"Hustle her along lively, boys," shouted back Estada coarsely. "If she
+won't move, give her a shove. Then tie her up again, and take the turn
+of a rope 'round her. What do you think this is--a queen's reception?
+Move lively, Senorita," in mock sarcasm.
+
+Her gaze settled on him, where he hung far out, grasping a backstay,
+watching the movements below, and her slender form straightened as by
+the acquisition of new strength.
+
+"If these creatures will take their hands off me," she said, using
+their tongue without a tremor in the clear voice. "I can easily go up
+alone. What is it you are so afraid of--a woman?"
+
+The expression of Estada's face promised an outburst of profanity,
+but, instead of giving it utterance, he lifted his cap in a sudden
+pretense at gallantry.
+
+"Your pardon, Senorita," he said in a tone of humble mockery. "If you
+have come to your senses at last, it is well. No one can be happier
+than I. Leave her alone, men. Now, my beauty, I am taking you at your
+own word--a step, and then the protection of my hand. We welcome you,
+as a guest aboard."
+
+A moment and she had attained the deck. Where she stood I could no
+longer see her face, yet she remained there silent and motionless,
+rather stiffly erect as she faced him. Frightened, and helpless as she
+was, yet her very posture seemed to express the detestation she felt
+for the man. But Estada, apparently pleased with his performance thus
+far, chose to continue playing the fool.
+
+"Thanks, Senorita--thanks," he began softly, and again bowing before
+her, cap in hand. "We greet you with due honor aboard the _Namur_--"
+
+"Enough of that, you coward, you murderer," she broke in coldly. "Do
+not touch nor speak to me."
+
+She turned her back on him, thus coming face to face with LeVere, who
+stood enjoying the scene, a wide grin on his dark face, revealing a
+row of white teeth under a jet-black moustache.
+
+"You, sir--you are an officer?"
+
+"I have charge of the deck."
+
+"Then where am I to go?"
+
+The mulatto, surprised by the sudden question, glanced inquiringly
+toward Estada, who had already completely lost his sense of humor.
+
+"Go!" the latter growled. "Where is she to go? Why send the wench
+below. I'll see to her later, and teach her who is the master here.
+She will not queen it long on these decks, I warrant you. Off with her
+now, but be back quickly." He leaned out over the rail, sending his
+gruff voice below. "Send up that chest, you men--careful now not to
+let it drop overboard. Yes, that's better. Hook on the boat, Manuel,
+and let her drag; we must get out of here in a hurry. All ready,
+aloft?"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+"Then sheet home; how is it forrard?"
+
+"Both anchors apeak, sir."
+
+"Smartly done--hard down with your helm there! That's it; now let her
+play off slowly."
+
+He must have caught sight of me through the gloom, for he strode
+furiously forward, giving utterance to a bristling Spanish oath. All
+the savage brutality of his nature had been brought to the surface by
+Dorothy's stinging words, and he sought now some fit opportunity to
+give it vent. Before I could move, he had gripped me by the collar,
+and swung me about, so that the light streaming out from the cabin
+fell directly on my face.
+
+"What the devil are you doing, loafing aft here?" he demanded roughly,
+staring into my eyes. "Didn't you hear the orders, you damned shirker?
+I've seen you hanging about for ten minutes, never lifting a hand. Who
+the hell are you anyhow--the captain?"
+
+"Joe Gates, sir."
+
+"Gates--another damned Englishman! How did you ever get aboard here?"
+
+It was the returning LeVere who made explanation before I could reply.
+
+"Manuel brought him on board last night. Picked him up drunk ashore."
+
+Estada's ugly eyes roved from face to face, as though he failed to
+fully comprehend.
+
+"Well, does he imagine he is going to be a passenger? Why hasn't he
+been taught his place before this? It's about time, LeVere, for this
+drunken sailor to be given a lesson to last him for awhile; and, by
+God, if you won't do it, I will. Step over here, Gates."
+
+I took the necessary step forward, and faced him, expecting the rabid
+tongue lashing, which I rather felt I deserved.
+
+"Now, my man, do you know what this bark is?"
+
+"I think so, sir--Mister LeVere explained that to me."
+
+"Oh, he did? Well, he must have failed to make clear the fact that we
+enforce discipline aboard. The next time you neglect to jump at an
+order, you are going to taste the cat. You understand me? You speak
+Spanish?"
+
+"Yes, sir; I lived two years in Cuba."
+
+"I see; well now, do you happen to have any idea who I am?"
+
+"No, sir--only that you are one of the officers."
+
+"Then I will enforce the information on your mind so that you are not
+liable to forget; also the fact that hereafter you are to jump when I
+speak. I am the first officer, and in command at present. Pedro Estada
+is my name. Now, you damned English whelp, remember that!"
+
+Before I even suspected what was coming, his unexpected action as
+swift as the leap of a poised tiger, he struck me fairly between the
+eyes with the butt of a pistol, and I went down sprawling onto the
+deck. For a moment I seemed, in spite of the viciousness of the blow,
+to retain a spark of consciousness, for I knew he kicked me savagely
+with his heavy sea boots; I felt the pain, and even heard the words,
+and curses, accompanying each brutal stroke.
+
+"You drunken dog! You whelp of a sea wolf! You English cur! Take
+that--damn you! And that! You'll not forget me for awhile, That's
+it--squirm, I like to see it. When you wake up again, you'll remember
+Pedro Estada, How did that feel, you grunting pig? Here, LeVere,
+Manuel, throw this sot into the forecastle. Curse you, here is one
+more to jog your memory."
+
+The heavy, iron-shod boot landed full in my face, and every sensation
+left me as I sank limply back, bloody and unconscious.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+A FRIEND IN THE FORECASTLE
+
+
+I slowly and regretfully opened my eyes, aroused perhaps by a
+trampling of feet on the deck above, to find myself lying in an upper
+bunk of the forecastle. I was partially covered by a ragged blanket,
+but for a few moments remained unable to comprehend the situation. Yet
+the vivid memory soon returned, stimulated no doubt by the continuous
+aching of my body where Estada had so brutally kicked me with his
+heavy boots. The first recollection of that assault brought with it a
+dull anger, strangely commingled with a thought of Dorothy Fairfax,
+and a sense of my own duty. The heavy rolling of the bark clearly
+evidenced that we were already at sea, and bucking against a high
+wind. Occasionally a monster wave broke over the cats-head, and struck
+thunderingly on the deck above me, the whole vessel trembling to the
+shock. Oilskins hung to the deck beams, swung here and there at
+strange angles, while the single slush lantern dangled back and forth
+like the pendulum of a clock.
+
+It was a dark, dismal, smelly interior, amply large enough, but ill
+ventilated, and inexpressibly dirty. Every stench under heaven seemed
+to assail my nostrils, so compounded together, as to be separately
+indistinguishable, although that of stale bilge water strongly
+predominated. The only semblance of fresh air found entrance through
+the small, square scuttle hole, attainable by means of a short ladder,
+and staring up at this, I was able to perceive the light of day,
+although so little penetrated below, the swaying slush light alone
+served to illumine the place, and render its horrors visible. It was
+day then, and we were well out at sea. I must have been lying
+unconscious for several hours. In all probability, finding it
+impossible to arouse me, the brutes had finally left me alone, to
+either recover, or die, as fate willed. I rested back, feeling of the
+numerous bruises on my body, and touching gingerly the dried blood
+caked on my face. No very serious damage seemed to have been done, for
+I could move without great pain, although every muscle and tendon
+appeared to be strained and lacerated. My head had cleared also from
+its earlier sensation of dullness, the brain actively taking up its
+work. Clinching my teeth to keep back a groan, I succeeded in sitting
+upright, my head touching the upper deck, as I undertook to survey my
+surroundings. They were gloomy and dismal enough. The forecastle, in
+true Dutch style, had been built directly into the bows, so that the
+bunks, arranged three tiers high, formed a complete half circle. The
+single lantern, flickering and flaring as it swung constantly to the
+sharp pitching of the vessel, cast grotesque shadows, and failed
+entirely to penetrate the corners. The deck below me was littered with
+chests, sea boots, and odds and ends of clothing, while farther aft
+considerable water had found entrance through the scuttle hole, and
+was slushing back and forth as the bark rolled. About half the bunks
+seemed to be occupied, the figures of the sleeping men barely
+discernible, although their heavy breathing evidenced their presence,
+and added to the babel of sound. Every bolt and beam creaked and
+groaned in the ceaseless struggle with the sea.
+
+The bunk in which I had awakened was situated almost at the apex of
+the half circle, so that I had a clear view of the wider open space.
+Those beneath me contained no occupants, nor, at first, could I
+distinguish any in the tier directly opposite. Evidently the watch off
+duty preferred to seek their rest as far away as possible from those
+waves pounding against the bow. However, as I sat there, staring about
+at this scene, and uncertain as to what my next move should be, there
+was a stir within the upper berth on my own level, and a moment later,
+an uplifted face appeared suddenly in the yellow flare of light. It
+was manifestly an English face at first glance, rosy of cheek, with
+chestnut beard, and light, tousled hair. A pair of humorous, gray eyes
+surveyed me silently, and then, apparently satisfied by the scrutiny,
+the owner sat up in the bunk, revealing powerful shoulders, and a
+round, bull neck.
+
+"Ahoy, mate," he said pleasantly, endeavoring to speak low, the effort
+resembling the growl of a bear. "How do you feel--pretty sore?"
+
+"Ache from head to foot," I answered, immediately feeling his
+friendliness. "But no harm done."
+
+"I saw part of it. The damn black brute kicked savagely enough, but at
+that you're lucky; it's the Spanish style to use a knife. I've seen
+that cock slash a man into ribbons for nothing at all--just to show he
+was bad. Haines tells me your name is Gates, and that you are
+English."
+
+"That's right; I shipped first out of Bristol."
+
+"So did I, mate--twenty years ago though, and I never went back since.
+My name is Tom Watkins. Let's shake; there is quite a sprinkling of us
+Britishers aboard, and we ought to hang together."
+
+He put out a big, hairy fist, and I gripped it heartily, decidedly
+liking the man as his eyes frankly met mine. He appeared honest and
+square, a fine type of the English seaman.
+
+"Tom Watkins, you said. May I ask if you were out on the bow-sprit
+along with Haines last night?"
+
+"Just afore the long-boat come in? Yes, we were there."
+
+"Well, I was down below, hanging to the cable, and overheard you two
+talking together. Somehow, Watkins, you do not seem to me to fit in
+exactly with this gang of pirates; you don't look to be that sort. How
+long have you been with them?"
+
+He glanced about warily, lowering his voice until it became a hoarse
+whisper.
+
+"Three years, mate, and most of that time has been hell. I haven't
+even been ashore, but once, and that was on an island. These fellows
+don't put any trust in my kind, nor give them any chance to cut and
+run. Once in awhile a lad does get away, but most of them are caught;
+and those that are sure get their punishment. They never try it again.
+I've seen them staked out on the sand, and left to die; that ain't no
+nice thing to remember."
+
+"But how did you come into it?"  "Like most of the rest. I was second
+mate of the _Ranger_, a Glasgow brig. We loaded with sugar at
+Martinique, for London. These fellows overhauled us at daybreak about
+a hundred miles off the east end of Cuba. They had a swift schooner,
+and five guns, one a Long Tom. All we had to fight them with was about
+fifteen men, and two brass carronades. Our skipper was Scotch, and he
+put up some fight, but it wasn't any use. There was only three of us
+left alive when the pirates came aboard. One of these died two days
+later, and another was washed overboard and drowned down in the Gulf.
+I am all that is left of the _Ranger_."
+
+"You saved your life by taking on?"
+
+"Sanchez had the two of us, who were able to stand, back in his cabin.
+He put it to us straight. He said it was up to us whether we signed
+up, or walked the plank; and he didn't appear to care a damn which we
+chose. The cold-blooded devil meant it too, for he was raging mad at
+getting only five hundred pounds off the brig. Well, Jack and I looked
+at each other--and then we signed."
+
+"And you say others of this crew have been obtained in the same
+manner?" I questioned, deeply interested, and perceiving in this a ray
+of hope.
+
+"Not exactly--no, I wouldn't precisely say that. It's true, perhaps,
+that most of the Britishers were forced to join in about the same way
+I was, and there may be a Scandinavian, or two, with a few Dutch, to
+be counted in that list; but the most of these cusses are pirates from
+choice. It's their trade, and they like it. Sanchez only aims to keep
+hold of a few good men, because he has got to have sailors; but most
+of his crew are nothing but plain cut-throats."
+
+"Where does he find them?"
+
+"Where? Why the West Indies are full of such devils; been breeding
+them down there for two hundred years---Indians and half-breeds,
+niggers, Creoles, Portuguese, Spanish, and every damned mongrel you
+ever heard of. Sanchez himself is half French. The hell-hound who
+kicked you is a Portugee, and LeVere is more nigger than anything
+else. I'll bet there is a hundred rats on board this _Namur_ right now
+who'd cut your throat for a sovereign, and never so much as think of
+it again."
+
+"A hundred? Is there that many aboard?"
+
+"A hundred an' thirty all told. Most o' 'em bunk amidships. They're
+not sailormen, but just cut-throats, an' sea wolves. Yer ought ter see
+'em swarm out on deck, like hungry rats, when thar's a fight comin'.
+It's all they're good fer."
+
+"Watkins," I said soberly, after a pause during which he spat on the
+dirty deck to thus better express his feelings "do you mean to say
+that in three years you've had no chance to escape? No opportunity to
+get away?"
+
+"Not a chance, mate; no more will you. The only place I've put foot
+ashore has been Porto Grande, where we run in to refit. That's a worse
+hell than the ship itself."
+
+"But Haines goes ashore; he was with Manuel's boat yesterday."
+
+The big fellow laughed grimly.
+
+"Bill rather likes the job, an' they know it. He's a boatswain, an'
+gets a big share of the swag. He's the only Britisher aboard who
+wouldn't cut and run in a minute; besides he's got a girl at Porto
+Grande."
+
+"And that fellow Anderson who was with Estada?"
+
+"The lowest kind of a Swede cur--he'll do more dirt than a Portugee. I
+know what yer thinkin' 'bout. I had them notions too when I fu'st come
+aboard--gettin' all the decent sort tergether, and takin' the vessel.
+'Twon't work; thar ain't 'nough who wud risk it, and if thar wus, yer
+couldn't get 'em tergether. Sanchez is too damn smart fer thet. Every
+damn rat is a spy. I ain't hed no such talk as this afore in six
+months, Gates; the last time cost me twenty lashes at the mast-butt."
+
+"Is there any chance of our being overheard now?"
+
+"No; these near bunks are all empty, an' the damn noise drowns our
+voices. What'd yer have in your mind, mate?"
+
+"Only this, Watkins. I've got to do something, and believe I can trust
+you. You are a square English seaman, probably the only one aboard I
+can repose confidence in. I don't blame you for sticking, for I
+suppose likely I'd do the same if I was in your case. But I
+ain't--it's not my life I'm thinking about, but that of a woman."
+
+He stared at me across the narrow space separating our bunks, the
+shadows from the swinging lantern giving his features a strange
+expression.
+
+"A woman! Hell, lad; not the one brought aboard last night?"
+
+"Exactly; now listen--I'm going to tell you my story, and ask your
+help. Do you know what Estada went after in the long-boat?"
+
+"Well, there's been plenty o' talk. The cook brought us some stories
+he heard aft, an' we knew we wus driftin' along the coast, waitin' fer
+Sanchez ter cum back. I suppose he'd got onto some English gold--in
+that chest they slung aboard, wasn't it?"
+
+"Yes; that was the main object. My name is not Gates, at all, and I am
+not the man Mendez brought aboard drunk, and who was thrown over the
+rail by LeVere. That fellow was drowned."
+
+"Well, by God!"
+
+"I am Geoffry Carlyle, an English skipper. There has been a revolution
+in England, in which I became involved. When the attempt failed, I was
+taken prisoner and deported to America for twenty years servitude. I
+came over with a bunch of others on the same ship with Sanchez."
+
+"The _Romping Betsy_?"
+
+"Yes. There was a rich planter, and his niece also aboard. He was
+coming home with a chest of money--fifty thousand pounds--realized
+from a big sale of tobacco in London, and the young woman was
+returning from attending school in England. Sanchez was aboard to gain
+possession of both."
+
+Watkins nodded, too deeply interested in the narrative to interrupt.
+
+"He pretended to be of the Spanish nobility, an ex-naval officer, and
+tried all the way over to make love to this Dorothy Fairfax. He got
+along all right with the uncle, and was invited to visit him, but the
+girl was not so easy. He must have had it all planned out how he was
+to get the gold, Fairfax carried--that was what the _Namur_ was
+waiting for--and when he found that the young woman could not be won
+by fair means, he decided to take her by force."
+
+"It's not the first time for the black-hearted devil. But how did you
+happen to come along?"
+
+"Fairfax bought me to run his sloop. Perhaps it was the girl who won
+him over. Anyhow this arrangement angered Sanchez, and we had words.
+You know the rest, or, at least, the main facts. Sanchez and the boat
+crew held rendezvous at the first landing up the Bay. It was
+prearranged, but it was my fortune to meet the Captain alone on shore
+in the dark, where we fought."
+
+"It was you then who drove the knife in? God!" excitedly, "but I would
+give ten years for such a chance. Ay, and, they say, you came within
+an eighth of an inch of sending him to hell."
+
+"I knew not where I struck; 'twas a death struggle in the dark. I
+thought him dead when I left him, and ran to warn the others. But for
+this I was too late. The moment I set foot on the sloop's deck it was
+to close in battle with the big negro."
+
+"Cochose? He saw you then?"
+
+"No, only as a shape. He can have no better memory of me, than I of
+him. We fought as demons, until his giant strength forced me over the
+rail. He has no knowledge that I ever rose again."
+
+"And then--what?"
+
+"Oblivion; nothing. Only what I saw in the return of the boat tells me
+what followed. I came back to consciousness in a small dory, afloat on
+the Bay, with but one thought in my mind--to save the girl. How? It
+was too late to return, even had I known the way; but I could come
+here, to this ship. So here I came."
+
+"But how, in advance of those in the long-boat?"
+
+"By cutting across the point; the coast to the north is a wide circle.
+Besides the discovery of Sanchez sorely wounded left the others
+without a leader. Fairfax and his niece together with the treasure,
+were in Travers' house, at top of the bluff. They had to carry out an
+attack there, which probably meant more fighting. What really happened
+there, of course, I do not know."
+
+"It can be easily imagined," said Watkins soberly. "Estada has no
+mercy; he is a born devil. I have seen him kill just for the pleasure
+of it. With Sanchez to avenge he would be an unleashed demon. But it
+is not the fate of those men to consider now; it is what will befall
+this girl prisoner. You have no plan?"
+
+"None; to become a member of the crew was my only thought. But I must
+act, if at all, before the Captain recovers. He would recognize me at
+sight. You will aid, advise me?"
+
+The sailor sat silent; the former expression of humor in his face
+vanished.
+
+"That is easier to ask, than answer, mate," he admitted finally. "I am
+an English seaman, and will do my duty, but, so far as I can see,
+there is no plan we can make. It is God who will save the girl, if she
+is to be saved. He may use us to that end, but it is wholly beyond our
+power to accomplish it alone. The only thing I can do is to sound out
+the men aboard, and learn just what we can expect of them if any
+opportunity to act comes. There are not more than a dozen at most to
+be relied upon."
+
+"And my part?"
+
+"Do nothing at present. Play your part, and keep quiet. If you can let
+her know of your presence aboard without discovery it might be
+best--for if she saw you suddenly, unprepared, she might say or do
+something to betray you. There are other reasons why it may be best
+for her to know she is not entirely deserted."
+
+He leaned over, motioning me toward him, until his lips were at my
+ear.
+
+"It may not prove as hopeless as it appears now," he whispered
+confidentially. "I helped carry Sanchez to his stateroom, and washed
+and dressed his wound. There is no surgeon aboard, but I have some
+skill in such matters. He has a bad cut, and is very weak from loss of
+blood. The question of our success hinges on Pedro Estada."
+
+"What he will do, you mean?"
+
+"Yes; this is a chance which I happen to know he has long been waiting
+for. The only question is, has he the nerve to act. I doubt if he has
+alone, but LeVere is with him, and that half-breed would cut the
+throat of his best friend. You understand?--the death of Sanchez would
+make Estada chief. The two men hate each other--why not? There was a
+plan before which failed; this time it may not fail."
+
+"But," I interposed, "in that case what would the crew do?"
+
+"Accept Estada, no doubt; at least the cut-throats would be with him,
+for he is of their sort. All they care for is blood and booty. But
+Sanchez's death would save you from discovery, and," his voice still
+lower, so that I barely distinguished the words, "in the confusion
+aboard, if we were ready, the _Namur_ might be so disabled as to
+compel them to run her ashore for repairs. That would give you a
+chance. If once we reach Porto Grande there is no hope."
+
+A marling-spike pounded on the scuttle, and Haines' voice roared down.
+
+"Port watch! Hustle out bullies!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+I ACCEPT A PROPOSAL
+
+
+I went on deck with the watch, and mingled with them forward. No one
+in authority took any particular notice of me, and I was permitted to
+take hold with the others at the various tasks. A Portuguese boatswain
+asked me who I was, and later reported my presence to LeVere, who had
+charge of the deck, but the only result was my being set at polishing
+the gun mounted on the forecastle. The mulatto did not come forward,
+and I rejoiced at having my status aboard so easily settled, and being
+permitted to remain in the same watch with Watkins.
+
+It was a dull gray morning, the gloominess of the overhanging clouds
+reflected in the water. Men on lookout were stationed in the fore-top
+and on the heads, yet the sharpest eyes could scarcely see beyond a
+half mile in any direction. The sea came at us in great ocean swells,
+but the stout bark fought a passage through them, shivering with each
+blow, yet driven forward on her course by half-reefed sails, standing
+hard as boards in the sweep of the steady gale. Two men struggled at
+the wheel, and there were times when LeVere paused in his promenade
+from rail to rail to give them a helping hand. His anxiety was
+evidenced by his hailing the mast-head every few moments, only to
+receive each time the same response. The mist failed to lift, but
+seemed to shut us in more closely with every hour, the wind growing
+continually more boisterous, but LeVere held on grimly. I was kept at
+the guns during the entire time of our watch. Besides the Long Tom
+forward, a vicious piece, two swivel guns were on each side,
+completely concealed by the thick bulwarks, and to be fired through
+ports, so ingeniously closed as to be imperceptible a few yards away.
+All these pieces of ordnance were kept covered by tarpaulin so that at
+a little distance the _Namur of Rotterdam_ appeared like a peaceful
+Dutch trader.
+
+There was a brass carronade at the stern in plain view, and so mounted
+as to be swung inboard in case of necessity. Its ugly muzzle could
+thus rake the deck fore and aft, but the presence of such a piece
+would create no suspicion in those days when every ship was armed for
+defense, and consequently no effort was made for its concealment. I
+was busily at work on this bit of ordnance, when Estada came on deck
+for a moment. After staring aloft, and about the horizon into the
+impenetrable mist, he joined LeVere at the port rail in a short
+earnest conversation. As the two worthies parted the fellow chanced to
+observe me. I caught the quick look of recognition in his eyes, but
+bent to my work as though indifferent to his presence, yet failed to
+escape easily.
+
+"You must be a pretty tough bird, Gates," he said roughly, "or I would
+have killed you last night--I had the mind too."
+
+Something about his voice and manner led me to feel that, in spite of
+his roughness, he was not in bad humor.
+
+"That would have been a mistake, sir," I answered, straightening up,
+rag in hand, "for it would have cost you a good seaman."
+
+"Hoila! they are easily picked up; one, more or less, counts for
+little in these seas."
+
+He looked at me searchingly, for the first time perhaps, actually
+noting my features. In spite of my dirty, disheveled appearance and
+the bruises disfiguring my face, this scrutiny must have aroused his
+curiosity.
+
+"Why do you say that, my man?" he questioned sharply. "You were before
+the mast and drifted aboard here because you were drunk--isn't that
+true?"
+
+"Partially, yes. It was drink that put me before the mast." I
+explained, rejoicing in his mood, and suddenly hoping such a statement
+might help my status aboard. "Three years ago I was skipper on my own
+vessel. It was Rum ruined me."
+
+"Saint Christopher! Do you mean to say you can read charts, and take
+observations?"
+
+I smiled, encouraged by his surprise, and the change in his tone.
+
+"Yes, sir; I saw ten years' service as mate."
+
+"What was your last ship?"
+
+"The _Bombay Castle_, London to Hong Kong; I wrecked her off Cape
+Mendez in a fog. I was drunk below, and it cost me my ticket."
+
+"You know West Indian waters?"
+
+"Slightly; I made two voyages to Panama, and one to Havana."
+
+"And speak Spanish?"
+
+"A little bit, sir, as you see; I learn languages easily."
+
+He stared straight into my face, but, without uttering another word,
+turned on his heel and went below. Whether, or not, I had made an
+impression on the fellow I did not know. His face was a mask perfectly
+concealing his thought. That he had appeared interested enough to
+question me had in it a measure of encouragement. He would surely
+remember, and sometime he might have occasion to make use of me. At
+least I would no longer remain in his mind as a mere foremast hand to
+be kicked about, and spoken to like a dog. I went back to my polishing
+of brass in a more cheerful mood--perhaps this would prove the first
+step leading to my greater future liberty on the _Namur_. I had
+finished my labor on the carronade, and was fastening down securely
+the tarpaulin, when a thin, stoop-shouldered fellow, with a hang-dog
+face crept up the ladder to the poop, and shuffled over to where
+LeVere was gazing out over the rail, oblivious to his approach.
+
+"Mister LeVere, sir," he spoke apologetically, his voice no more than
+a wisp of sound.
+
+The mulatto wheeled about startled.
+
+"Oh, it's you! Well, what is it, Gunsaules?"
+
+"Senor Estada, sir; he wishes to see a sailor named Gates in the
+cabin."
+
+"Who? Gates? Oh, yes, the new man." He swept his eyes about, until he
+saw me. "Gates is your name, isn't it?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Follow the steward below; Senor Estada wishes to see you--go just as
+you are."
+
+"Very good, sir--is this the steward?"
+
+The fellow led the way, amusing me by the peculiar manner in which
+his long legs clung to the ladder, and then wobbled about on the
+rolling deck until he attained the protection of the companion-way. A
+half dozen broad, uncarpeted steps led down into the after cabin,
+which was plain and practically without furniture, except for a bare
+table suspended from the upper beams and a few chairs securely resting
+in chocks. The deck was bare, but had been thoroughly scrubbed, the
+water not entirely dried, and forward there was a rack of small arms,
+the polished steel shining in the gray light of the transom overhead.
+The Dutch character of the bark was very apparent here, in the
+excessively heavy deck beams, and the general gloom of the interior,
+finished off in dark wood and ornamented with carved paneling. Filled
+with wonderment as to why I had been sent for, I halted at the foot of
+the steps gazing about the dreary interior, surprised at its positive
+dinginess. There were evidently six staterooms opening on the main
+cabin, and these must be little more than boxes to judge from the
+breadth of the vessel. What was farther aft I could not determine
+because of a lack of light, but as no stern ports were visible, it was
+to be assumed that this gave space for two more larger staterooms
+directly astern--occupied probably by the Captain and his first
+officer. There was no one in the main cabin, although a cat lay asleep
+on one of the chairs, and after a moment's hesitancy, I followed the
+beckoning steward, who rapped with his knuckles on one of the side
+doors. Estada's voice answered.
+
+"Who is it?"
+
+"Gunsaules, Senor; I have with me the sailor."  "Open the door, and
+let him in; I would see him here. Come inside, Gates." His eyes
+surveyed us both in the narrow opening. "That will be all Juan; no one
+is to be admitted until I tell you--and, 'twill be well for you to
+remain by the stairs on guard, you understand?"
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"Another thing," sternly, "don't let me catch you listening outside
+the door; if I do God have mercy on you."
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+I stepped inside, doubtful enough of what all this might mean, yet
+quite prepared to accept of any chance it might offer. Gunsaules
+closed the door softly, but I had already visioned the apartment in
+all its details. It was small, and nearly square, a swinging lantern
+in the center, a single bunk on one side, and a small table on the
+other, screwed to the wall, and covered with charts and various
+papers. A few books were upon a shelf above this, and a sea chest was
+shoved under the bunk. Some oilskins, together with a suit of clothes
+dangled from wooden pins, while the only other furniture consisted of
+a straight-backed chair, and a four-legged stool. The round port stood
+partly open, and through it I could see the gray expanse of water.
+
+All these I perceived at a glance, but the instant the door closed
+behind me my entire attention concentrated on Estada. He sat upright
+in the chair gazing straight at me, his own face clearly revealed in
+the light from the open port. It seemed to me I was looking at the man
+for the first time, and it was not a pleasant picture. His face was
+swarthy, long and thin, with hard, set lips under a long, intensely
+black moustache, his cheeks strangely crisscrossed by lines. The nose
+was large, distinctively Roman, yielding him a hawklike appearance,
+but it was his eyes which fascinated me. They were dark, and deeply
+set, absolute wells of cruelty. I had never before seen such eyes in
+the face of a human being; they were beastly, devilish; I could feel
+my blood chill as I looked into their depths, yet I held myself erect,
+and waited for the man to speak. It seemed a long delay, yet doubtless
+was scarcely more than a moment. Then his lips curled in what was
+meant to be a smile, and he waved his hand.
+
+"Sit down on the stool, Gates. Have you any knowledge of Portuguese?"
+
+"None whatever, sir."
+
+"Nor do I English; so we shall have to rely on the language of Spain."
+
+"I am hardly expert in that" I explained. "But if you do not talk too
+fast, I can manage fairly well."
+
+"I shall speak simply. Wait a moment."
+
+He arose, stepped quietly to the door, and glanced out, returning
+apparently satisfied.
+
+"I don't trust that damned steward," he said, "nor, as a matter of
+fact, anyone else wholly." He paused, and stared at me; then added:
+"I've never had any faith in your race, Gates, but am inclined to use
+you."
+
+"I do not know any special reason why you should sir."
+
+"No more do I. Every Englishman I ever knew was a liar, and a sneaking
+poltroon. I was brought up to hate the race, and always have. I can't
+say that I like you any better than the others. By God! I don't, for
+the matter of that. But just now you can be useful to me if you are
+of that mind. This is a business proposition, and it makes no odds if
+we hate each other, so the end is gained. How does that sound?"
+
+I shifted my position so as to gain a clearer view of his face. I was
+still wholly at sea as to what the fellow was driving at--yet,
+evidently enough he was in earnest. It was my part to find out.
+
+"Not altogether bad," I admitted. "I have been in some games of chance
+before."
+
+"I thought as much," eagerly, "and money has the same chink however it
+be earned. You could use some?"
+
+"If I had any to use; after a sailor has been drunk there is not apt
+to be much left in his pockets."
+
+He reached across into the upper bunk, and brought forth a bottle and
+glass, placing these upon the table at his elbow.
+
+"Have a drink first," he said, pouring it out. "It will stiffen your
+nerve."
+
+"Thanks, no, Senor. I have nerve enough and once I start that sort of
+thing there is no stopping. Take it yourself and then tell me what is
+in the wind."
+
+"I will, Gates," affecting cordiality, although I somehow felt that my
+refusal to imbibe had aroused a faint suspicion in his mind. "But I
+would rather you would show yourself a good fellow. I like to see a
+man take his liquor and hold it."
+
+He sat down the emptied glass, and straightened back in the chair, his
+eyes searching as ever.
+
+"The fact is," he began doubtfully, "what you just said to me on deck
+chanced to be of interest. You were not boasting?"
+
+"I answered your questions truthfully, if that is what you mean."
+
+"You are a navigator?"
+
+"I was in command of ships for four years, Senor; naturally I know
+navigation."
+
+"Do you mind if I test you?"
+
+"Not in the least; although it will have to be in English; as I do not
+know the Spanish sea terms."
+
+"Let that go then; I will soon learn if you have lied, and that will
+be a sorry day for you. I'll tell you, Gates, how matters stand
+aboard, and why I have need of your skill. Then you may take your
+choice--the forecastle, or the cabin?"
+
+"You invite me aft, Senor?"
+
+"I give you a chance to move your dunnage, if you will do my work," he
+explained seriously. "Listen now. Sanchez has been badly hurt. It may
+be weeks before he leaves his cabin, if, indeed, he ever does. That
+leaves me in command with but one officer, the mulatto, LeVere. This
+might answer to take us safely to Porto Grande, as we could stand
+watch and watch, but Francois is no sailor. It was his part on board
+to train and lead the fighting men--he cannot navigate. Saint
+Christopher! I fear to leave him alone in charge of the deck while I
+snatch an hour's sleep."
+
+"I see," I admitted. "And yourself, Senor? You are a seaman?"
+
+He hated to confess, yet my eyes were honest, and met his squarely.
+
+"Enough to get along, but not quite sure as to my figures. I have
+taken no sights, except as we came north, on this trip. 'Tis for this
+reason I need you--but you will play me no smart English trick, my
+man, or I'll have you by the heels at once. I know enough to verify
+your figures."
+
+"I thought of no trick, Estada." I said coldly, now satisfied as to
+his purpose, and confident of my own power. "English, or otherwise. It
+is well we understand each other. You would have me as navigator, very
+well--at what terms?"
+
+His eyes seemed to narrow, and become darker.
+
+"With rating as first officer, and your fair proportion of all
+spoils."
+
+"You mean then to continue the course? To attack vessels on the high
+seas?"
+
+"Why not?" sneeringly. "Are you too white-livered for that sort of
+job? If so, then you are no man for me. It is a long voyage to Porto
+Grande, and no reason why we should hurry home; the welcome there will
+be better if we bring chests of gold aboard. Ay, and the thought will
+put hope into the hearts of the crew; they are restless now from long
+waiting."
+
+"But Captain Sanchez? You have no surgeon I am told. Will he not
+suffer from neglect of his wound?"
+
+"Suffer? No more than under a leech ashore. All that can be done, has
+been. There are men aboard able to treat any ordinary wound. His was a
+clean knife thrust, which has been washed, treated with lotion, and
+bound up. No leech could do more."
+
+"And my quarters--will they be aft?"
+
+"You will have your choice of those at port. Come now--have you an
+answer ready?"
+
+"I would be a fool not to have," heartily. "I am your man Estada."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+I WARN DOROTHY
+
+
+The Portuguese, evidently well pleased at my prompt acceptance of his
+proposal, talked on for some time, explaining to me something of the
+situation aboard the _Namur_, and pointing out what he believed to be
+our position on the chart. I asked a few questions, although I paid
+but little attention to what he said, my mind being busied with
+searching out his real purpose. No doubt the situation was very nearly
+as he described it to be--LeVere was no navigator, and Estada himself
+only an indifferent one. Yet at that the course to the West Indies was
+not a long one, and, if the Portuguese had been able to bring the bark
+from there to the Chesapeake, the return voyage should not terrify him
+greatly. No, that was not the object; he was planning to keep at sea,
+to waylay and attack merchant ships, and then, after a successful
+cruise, arrive at Porto Grande, laden with spoils, and hailed as a
+great leader. His plan was to dispose of Sanchez--even to permit the
+Spaniard to die of his wounds; possibly even to hasten and assure that
+death by some secret resort to violence. No doubt LeVere was also
+concerned in the conspiracy, and would profit by it, and possibly
+these two were likewise assured of the cooperation of the more
+reckless spirits among the crew. I remembered what Watkins had
+whispered to me forward--his suspicions of them both. He had been
+right; already the fuse was being laid, and, very fortunately, I
+happened to be chosen to help touch it off. The chance I had sought
+blindly, was being plainly revealed.
+
+It was evident enough, however, that Estada had no intention of
+trusting me immediately with his real motives. His confidence was
+limited, and his instructions related altogether to mere matters of
+ship routine. I asked a few questions, and twice he lied coolly, but I
+dared not mention the girl in any way, for fear that even a casual
+reference to her presence on board, might arouse his suspicions of my
+interest. We were at sea, and my presence aft gave me opportunity to
+observe all that was going on in the cabin. I could await
+developments. But I was becoming wearied by the man.
+
+"I understand perfectly, Senor," I broke in at last impatiently. "You
+will have to take for granted that I can enforce sea discipline, and
+navigate your boat to whatever part of the ocean you desire to sail.
+All I need is your orders. This, I take it, is all you require of me?"
+
+"Yes; I plan, you execute."
+
+"Very good; now about myself," and I arose to my feet, determined to
+close the interview. "I would study these charts, and figure out our
+probable position by dead reckoning--there is little chance of having
+glimpse of the sun today; the fog out there grows heavier. You say I
+may choose any stateroom on the port side?"
+
+"They are all unoccupied, except one, used by the steward as a
+storeroom."
+
+I opened the door, and stepped out into the main cabin, the roll of
+charts under my arm. The place was deserted, and, with a glance
+about, met Estada's eyes observing me closely. He didn't wait for me
+to question him.
+
+"Captain Sanchez's stateroom is aft," he said, with a wave of the
+hand.
+
+"The entire width of the bark?"
+
+"No, there are two rooms."
+
+"He is left alone?"
+
+"Jose is with him--a negro, with a knack at nursing."
+
+"Who else is quartered aft here?"
+
+He ignored the one thing I most desired to learn, but I did not press
+it, believing I knew the answer already.
+
+"LeVere has this middle stateroom, and Mendez the one forward."
+
+"What rank has Mendez?"
+
+"Third officer, and carpenter. Just at present with LeVere required on
+deck, he has charge of the men below."
+
+"The crew, you mean?"
+
+"Not the working crew; they are quartered in the forecastle, and are
+largely English and Swede. But we have to carry extra men, who bunk
+amidships--hell-hounds to fight; damn mongrels of course."
+
+"You keep them below, all through the voyage?"
+
+"They are allowed on deck amidships when we are at sea, but are not
+encouraged to mingle with the sailors. We're over a powder magazine
+all the time, Gates--any spark might set it off."
+
+I opened one of the doors opposite, and glanced within. The interior
+differed but little from that of the stateroom occupied by Estada,
+except it was minus the table. No doubt they were all practically
+alike.
+
+"This will do very well," I said, quietly. "Now how about clothes?
+These I wear look rather rough for the new job."
+
+"I'll send you the steward; he'll fix you out from the slop-chest.
+We're always well supplied."
+
+I was glad to see him go and closed the door on him with a sigh of
+relief. His eyes seemed to exercise a peculiar influence over me, a
+snakelike charm, against which I had to constantly battle. I threw the
+bundle of charts into the upper bunk, and unscrewed the glass of the
+port to gain a view without, and a breath of fresh air. There was
+nothing to see but a small vista of gray sea, blending into the gray
+mist, and the waves on this side ran so high I was compelled to close
+the port to keep out the spray. I sat down on the stool, staring about
+the compartment, realizing suddenly how well fortune had served my
+cause--the chance to impersonate the drunken sailor; the meeting with
+Watkins, my chance words to Estada on deck, and now this translation
+from forecastle to cabin. It had all occurred so quickly, almost
+without effort on my part, I could do little but wonder what strange
+occurrence would be next. What, indeed, was there for me to do except
+to await developments? Only one thing occurred to me--I must discover
+some means immediately of communicating with Dorothy Fairfax.
+
+The importance of this could not be overestimated. With myself
+quartered aft, and eating in the cabin, we were bound to meet sooner
+or later; and the girl must previously be warned of my presence
+aboard, or in her first surprise at the recognition, I should be
+instantly betrayed. Nothing would escape Estada, and the slightest
+evidence that we two had formerly met, would awaken his suspicion. My
+only hope of success lay in my ability to increase his faith in my
+pledges. The necessity of having a competent navigator aft alone
+accounted for my promotion. The Portuguese neither liked nor trusted
+me; he hated and despised my race; he would have me watched, and would
+carefully check over my figures. I should be compelled to serve him
+faithfully and without arousing the slightest question in his mind, in
+order to establish myself in his esteem, or gain any real freedom
+aboard. Yet, if I was to serve the girl, there must be, first of all,
+intelligent cooperation between us. She must not only know of my
+presence on the _Namur_, but also the purpose actuating me. I had
+reached this conclusion, when a light hesitating knock sounded on the
+door.
+
+"Who is there?"
+
+"The steward, Senor, with your clothes?"
+
+"Bring them in."
+
+Gunsaules entered, the garments over his arm, and shuffled in his
+peculiar gliding manner across to the bunk where he laid out the
+pieces carefully one by one, evidently proud of his selection.
+
+"Quite a beautiful piece of goods, Senor," he ventured, speaking so
+softly I could barely distinguish the words above the crash of the
+waves on the ship's side. "And most excellently tailored. I do not
+remember whether these came out of the _Adair_ or _La Rosalie_--the
+French ship most likely, for as you see, Senor, there is quite the
+Parisian cut to this coat. I mark these things for I was once
+apprenticed to a tailor in Madrid."
+
+He stood fondling the garment lovingly, the expression of his face so
+solemnly interested, I had difficulty in suppressing a laugh.
+
+"Some change in your trade, Gunsaules. Did you take this one up from
+choice? You do not look to me like a fighting man."
+
+He glanced apprehensively at the open door, speaking even lower than
+before, if possible.
+
+"No more am I, Senor. The blood make me faint. I go hungry in Santo
+Domingo--God forgive me for ever going there!--and, to keep from
+starving I took this job."
+
+"With Sanchez, or before the bark was captured?"
+
+"Before, Senor. The captain's name was Schmitt. Not since have I been
+ashore, but they spare me because I was Spanish."
+
+I would have asked the fellow more, perhaps even have tested him in
+his loyalty to his new masters; but I felt this was neither place nor
+time. Estada might return, and besides the man was evidently a
+poor-spirited creature, little apt to be of service even if he so
+desired.
+
+"The clothes seem to be all right, Steward," I said rather briskly,
+"and I judge will fit. Now hunt me up first of all something to shave
+with, then some tobacco and a pipe and--yes, wait a second; writing
+materials."
+
+"Yes, Senor."
+
+"And, by the way, there are two staterooms astern. Who occupies the
+one to starboard--Senor Estada?"
+
+"No Senor; it is the young lady."
+
+"Oh, the one brought aboard last night. Have you seen her?"  "Si,
+Senor; she is English, and good to look at, but she sit and stare out
+the stern port. She will not speak or eat. I take in her breakfast,
+but she touch not a morsel. So I tell Senor Estada, and he say, 'then
+bring her out to dinner with me; I'll make the hussy eat, if I have to
+choke it down her dainty throat,'"
+
+"Good; I'll have a look at her myself then. Now hurry up those things,
+Steward, and remember what I sent you after."
+
+He brought the shaving set, and writing materials first, explaining
+that he would have to go down into the lazaret, and break open some
+packages for the tobacco and pipe. The moment the fellow disappeared I
+grasped the opportunity. Where Estada had gone, whether back into his
+stateroom, or on deck, I had no means of knowing. In fact this could
+make little difference, for it was not likely he would leave me alone
+for any great length of time. It must already be approaching the end
+of LeVere's watch, and I would certainly be called upon to relieve
+him. And, following my turn on deck would be dinner in the cabin, and
+the probable encounter with Dorothy. This clearly meant that I must
+communicate with the girl immediately, or not at all. I dashed off a
+note hurriedly--a brief line merely stating my presence on board, and
+begging her not to exhibit surprise at meeting me. I had no time in
+which to explain, or make clear the situation. With this folded and
+concealed in my hand, I silently pushed open the door, and took a
+hasty glance about the cabin.
+
+It was unoccupied, yet I must move with caution. It was possible for
+one on deck to look down through the skylight, and even if Estada was
+not in his own room, the nurse assigned to Sanchez might be awake and
+appear at any moment. The risk was not small, yet must be taken, and I
+crept swiftly forward following the circle of the staterooms, until I
+came to the closed door of the one I sought aft. I bent here an
+instant, listening for some sound from within, but heard none. I dared
+not remain, or even venture to test the lock. Gunsaules had said this
+was her place of confinement, and there was seemingly no reason why
+she should have been given a guard. Beyond doubt the girl was within
+and alone, and I must trust her quick intelligence to respond to my
+written message. I thrust it through the narrow opening above the
+sill, and the moment it disappeared within, stole swiftly back to my
+own room. The action had not been seen, and yet I had scarcely a
+moment to spare. Before I could lather my face, standing before a
+small cracked mirror, bracing myself to the roll of the bark, the
+steward returned, bearing in his hands tobacco and pipe.
+
+Estada, however, remained away longer than I had anticipated he would,
+and I was fully dressed and comfortably smoking before he came down
+from the deck and crossed the cabin to my partially open door.
+
+"The starboard watch has been called," he said, "and you are to take
+charge of the deck, relieving LeVere. I waited to explain the
+situation to the men before you appeared. I suppose you are ready?"
+
+"Ay, ay, Senor," knocking the ashes out of my pipe, and rising. He
+eyed my clothes disapprovingly.
+
+"Rather a fancy rig, Gates, for a first officer on duty."  "Some
+style I admit, Senor, but they were all the steward offered me."
+
+"You'll have to carry a hard fist, my man, to back up that costume
+aboard the _Namur_," he said coldly. "Those black devils are apt to
+mistake you for a plaything."
+
+"Let them test it once; they will soon find I have the hard fist. I've
+tamed wild crews before today and it might as well be first as last. I
+suppose half measures do not go with these lads."
+
+"Santa Maria---no! It is kill, or be killed, in our trade, and they
+will try out your metal. Come on now."
+
+I followed him up the stairs to the deck. His words had in no way
+alarmed me, but served rather to harden my resolve. I looked for
+trouble, and was inclined to welcome it, anxious indeed to prove to
+Estada my ability to handle men. Nothing else would so quickly appeal
+to him, or serve so rapidly to establish me in his esteem; and to win
+his confidence was my chief concern. Nothing occurred, however, to
+cause any breach of authority. A few fellows were lounging amidships
+and stared idly at us as we mounted to the poop deck. These were of
+the fighting contingent I supposed, and the real members of the crew
+were forward. LeVere was still on duty, and came forward and shook
+hands at my appearance.
+
+"Rather glad I didn't drown you," he said, intending to be pleasant.
+"But hope you'll not run amuck in the after cabin."
+
+"I shall try not too, unless I have cause," I answered, looking him
+square in the eyes, and determining to make my position clear at once.
+"Senor Estada tells me I am to relieve you. What is the course?"
+
+"Sou'west, by half sou'."
+
+"We might be carrying more canvas."
+
+"There is nothing to hurry about, and the fog is thick."
+
+"That will probably lift within an hour. Do you know your position?"
+
+"Only in a general way. We have held an east by south course since
+leaving the Capes, until an hour ago, making about ten knots."
+
+"Very well, I will figure it out as best I can, and mark it on the
+chart. There is nothing further to report?"
+
+"No Senor; all has been as it is now."
+
+He glanced toward Estada, not greatly pleased I presume with my
+brusqueness, yet finding nothing in either words or manner from which
+to evoke a quarrel. The latter had overheard our conversation, but he
+stood now with back toward us looking out on the sea off the port
+quarter. His silent indifference caused LeVere to shrug his shoulders,
+and disappear down the ladder on his way below. I turned my face to
+the man at the wheel--it was the giant negro--Cochose.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THE CABIN OF THE NAMUR
+
+
+Both huge black hands grasped the spokes, and it was evident that it
+required all his giant strength to control the bucking wheel. He was
+an ugly-looking brute, the lower portion of his face apelike, and the
+wool growing so low as to leave him scarcely an inch of forehead. His
+eyes lifted an instant from the binnacle card to glance at me
+curiously. They exhibited no flash of recognition. With sudden relief,
+and a determination to thoroughly assure myself, I stepped forward and
+accosted him.
+
+"Little heavy for one man, isn't it?"
+
+"Oh, Ah don't mind, boss," his thick lips grinning. "Ah's bin alone
+worse tricks den dis."
+
+"You seem to be holding the course, all right--sou'west, by sou',
+Senor LeVere says."
+
+"Yas, Senor."
+
+"What is your name?"
+
+"Cochose, Senor; Ah's a French nigger."
+
+"Very good, Cochose; my name is Gates, and I am the new first officer.
+If you need any help, let me know."
+
+He nodded, still grinning, to let me realize he understood, and I
+stepped aside, confident that the fellow retained no recollection of
+my features. The relief of this knowledge was considerable, and I
+gazed over the bark forward with a new feeling of security. Thus far
+I had successfully passed the test, and been accepted by all on board.
+The only remaining danger of recognition lay in the early recovery of
+Sanchez, and, as I glanced aside at Estada the conviction became fixed
+in my mind that such recovery was doubtful. I felt that I had already
+penetrated the cowardly plan of the Portuguese, but felt no
+inclination to interpose. Indeed I had more occasion to dread the
+return of Sanchez to command than did Estada himself. With me life was
+at stake; while with him it was but the goal of ambition and power.
+Brutal and evil minded as Estada undoubtedly was, I had taken his
+measure, and felt confident of being able to outwit him; but Sanchez
+would prove a different problem, for he possessed brains and cool,
+resourceful courage. Of the two he was far more to be feared.
+
+For half an hour Estada hung about aft, apparently paying no attention
+to me, and yet watching my movements closely. There was little to be
+done, but I thought it best to keep the watch reasonably busy, so they
+might thus learn that I knew my work. They proved prompt and capable
+enough, although I was eyed with some curiosity when I went forward,
+and, no doubt was very thoroughly discussed behind my back. The idlers
+amidships were a totally different class--a mongrel scum, profanely
+chatting in Spanish, or swaggering about the deck, their very looks a
+challenge. However they kept out of my way, and I found no occasion to
+interfere with their diversions. After Estada left the deck the
+majority amused themselves gambling, and as I had received no orders
+to interfere, I permitted the games to proceed. Mendez interfered
+only once on occasion of a brief fight. My only instructions from the
+Portuguese on his going below was to call him at once if a sail was
+sighted. Apparently he was satisfied of my ability to command the
+deck.
+
+No occasion to call him arose during my watch. The mist of fog slowly
+rose, and drifted away, leaving a wide view of ocean, but revealed no
+glimpse of any other craft. The white-crested waves gleamed in the
+sun, as we plowed bravely through them, and the wind steadily
+decreased in violence. I had the crew shake out reefs in jib and
+foresail, and was surprised myself at the sailing qualities of the
+bark. In spite of breadth of beam, and heavy top-hamper, she possessed
+speed and ease of control, and must have been a pretty sight, as we
+bowled along through that deserted sea. Before my watch was up I could
+see Gunsaules through the skylight busily preparing the table in the
+cabin below. It was still daylight, but with a purple gleam across the
+waters, when LeVere arrived on deck for my relief. We were talking
+together abaft the wheel when Estada appeared in the companion-way.
+
+"Every promise of a clear night," he said, glancing about at the
+horizon. "Better change the course two points east LeVere; we are
+lying in too close to the coast for our purpose. The table call will
+come very shortly, Senor Gates."
+
+I washed up hastily in my stateroom, and came out into the cabin
+perplexed as to what might occur within the next few moments. Yet
+whatever the result, there was no avoiding it. Would the girl be
+called to join us, as the Portuguese had threatened? Had she received
+my note of warning? And if so, would she have the strength to play her
+part so as to avoid suspicion? Those keen searching eyes of Estada's
+would note every movement, observe every fleeting expression. He had
+no present doubt of me, only the caution natural to one leading his
+life of danger. He believed my story, and nothing thus far had arisen
+to bring him the slightest doubt. To his mind I was a reckless
+adventurer, ruined by drink, a drifting derelict, so glad to be picked
+up, and given rank, as to be forever grateful and loyal to the one
+aiding me. While his instinct made him distrust an Englishman, he
+already had some measure of faith in me personally, yet this
+confidence was still so light as to be completely shattered by the
+slightest mishap. My every move must be one of extreme caution.
+
+He and Estevan were awaiting me, the latter all rigged out, and with
+smooth black hair oiled and plastered down upon his forehead. I never
+beheld a more disagreeable face, or one which so thoroughly revealed
+the nature of a man. As I touched his hand, at Estada's brief
+introduction, it was as if I fingered a snake, and expected to be
+greeted with a kiss. Gunsaules hovered about an open door leading
+forward, and the table had been set for four. As I knew LeVere had
+eaten alone, before coming to my relief, the only conclusion was that
+the Portuguese intended that we be joined by the prisoner. Indeed he
+gave me little time for doubt.
+
+"This is your chair, Gates, and you will find we live well aboard the
+_Namur_--wine, women and song--hey, Manuel! Why not, when all are at
+command? Steward, you told the lady what my orders were?"
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"Then bid her join us."
+
+We stood in silence, as Gunsaules crossed the deck, and inserted a key
+in the afterstateroom door. Manuel was grinning in full enjoyment, but
+the expression on the face of Estada was that of grim cruelty.
+Evidently he expected a scene, an outburst of resentment, pleading and
+tears, and was ready enough to exercise his authority. Perhaps he
+meant all this as a lesson to me; perhaps it was no more than a
+natural exhibition of his nature. Yet his purpose to conquer was
+clearly depicted in his features---this woman would be made to obey,
+or else ruthlessly crushed. I felt my hands grip like iron on my chair
+back and my teeth clinch in restraint. God, but I would have liked to
+grip the fellow where he stood--all the bottled-up hatred in my soul
+struggling for action. Yet that would only mean the death of all hope,
+and I turned my eyes away from him, and stared with the others at the
+opening door. I failed to catch the words Gunsaules uttered, but they
+were instantly responded to. Out into the full light of the cabin the
+woman came, and halted, barely a step in advance of the steward, her
+head uplifted proudly, her eyes on us. Never before had I realized her
+beauty, her personality, as I did then. The glow of the light was upon
+her face, and there was color in her cheeks, and a strange appealing
+look in her eyes. Her posture was not that of defiance, nor of
+surrender; she stood as a woman defending her right to respect,
+sustained by a wonderful courage. I caught her glance, but there was
+no recognition in it; not by the flicker of an eyelid did she betray
+surprise, and yet in some mysterious manner a flash of intelligence
+passed between us. It was all instantaneous for her gaze seemed to
+concentrate on Estada as though she knew him as leader.
+
+"You sent for me? For what?" she asked, her Spanish clear and well
+chosen.
+
+"To join us at meal," he answered unmoved. "It is better than to
+remain alone."
+
+"Better! You must have a strange opinion of me to believe I would sit
+with murderers and thieves."
+
+"Harsh words, Senorita," and Estada grinned grimly. "Yet I expected
+them. There are many trades in the world by which men are robbed. We
+only work at the one we like best; nor will I discuss that with you.
+However, Senorita, I can say that we have taken no lives in this last
+affair."
+
+"No lives!" in sudden, incredulous surprise. "You mean my uncle
+lives?"
+
+"If you refer to Fairfax--the one in whose room the chest was hidden,
+I can reply truthfully that he lives. One of my men struck him down,
+but it was not a death blow. If that be the reason of your disdain,
+there is no cause. This chair is held for you."
+
+"But why was I brought away a prisoner? To be a plaything? A sport for
+your pleasure?"
+
+"That was but the orders of our chief; we await his recovery to learn
+his purpose."
+
+"Sanchez! was he your chief? A pirate?"
+
+"A buccaneer; we prey on the enemies of Spain," he explained,
+apparently believing his own words. "It is war with us, without regard
+to treaties. We rob only that we may carry on the war. They have
+robbed us, and now it has become our turn. It was at Captain Sanchez's
+orders we waited the arrival of your vessel from England. It seems he
+met you on the voyage."
+
+"Yes," breathlessly.
+
+"He loved you; he would, no doubt, have dealt with you honorably: I
+have reason to believe that to be his purpose now. To this end you
+gave him no encouragement--is not this true?"
+
+"I--I did not like him."
+
+"Yet it was his will that you should. Nothing will change his purpose.
+He is that kind, and he has the power. He determined that if you would
+not come to him by choice, you should be made to by force. You are
+here now by his orders and will remain until you consent to his
+purpose--all that remains for you to decide is whether you choose to
+be prisoner, or guest aboard."
+
+Her questioning, perplexed eyes turned from face to face, as though
+she could not grasp fully the purpose of what was said.
+
+"He--he is still alive--this Captain Sanchez?"
+
+"Yes, with a chance to survive."
+
+"And if he lives I am to be at his disposal?"
+
+"He is the chief here; his will is law aboard."
+
+"And if he should die?"
+
+Estada shrugged his shoulders indifferently.
+
+"Who knows!"
+
+Her lips tightened as though to hold back a cry while one hand pressed
+to the open door steadied her. The cheeks were no longer flushed, and
+there was a look in the searching eyes I did not like to see. It was
+a moment before she could control her voice.
+
+"I have heard them call you Estada," she said finally, determined to
+learn the whole truth. "Of what rank in this company are you?"
+
+"I am Pedro Estada, formerly the first officer, now, by occasion of
+Captain Sanchez's wound, in full command. These are two of my
+officers--Senor Gates, one of your own countrymen, and Manuel
+Estevan."
+
+"You are pirates?"
+
+He laughed unpleasantly, as though the word had an ugly sound even to
+his ears.
+
+"Rather call us sea rovers, Senorita. It better expresses our trade.
+Enough to admit that we serve under no flag, and confess no master.
+And now, that I have answered your questions, what is it to be between
+us--peace or war?"
+
+Her eyes drooped, and I could distinctly note the trembling of her
+slender figure. When she slowly raised her glance once more it rested
+on my face as though seeking approval, guidance.
+
+"If there be only the one choice," she said quietly. "I accept peace.
+I cannot live locked in that room alone, haunted by my thoughts and
+memories. If I pledge you my word, Senor, am I to enjoy the freedom of
+this cabin and the deck?"
+
+Estada looked at us, a shade of doubt in his eyes. I made no sign, but
+Manuel nodded.
+
+"Why not?" he asked in his harsh croak of a voice. "So long as we be
+at sea? What harm can the girl do?"
+
+"Perhaps none; I will take a half chance, at least. You shall have
+the freedom of the cabin. So long as you keep your word, while as to
+the deck we will consider that later. Prove you mean what you say by
+joining us here."
+
+My recollection of that meal is not of words, but of faces. I do not
+even clearly recall what it was we talked about, although it included
+a variety of topics, limited somewhat by lack of knowledge on the part
+of Estada and Manuel. The former attempted conversation, but soon gave
+up the effort in despair. His eyes, however, sought constantly the
+girl's face and to my consternation exhibited an interest in her
+personality which promised trouble. I know not whether she noticed
+this awakening admiration, but she certainly played her part with
+quiet modesty, speaking just enough to entertain, and hiding the deep
+anxiety against which she struggled. I believe that even the
+Portuguese reached the conclusion that she was not altogether
+regretful for this adventure and that it was safe for him to relax
+some degree of vigilance. His manner became more gracious and, long
+before the meal ended, his language had a tendency to compliment and
+flatter. I contented myself with occasional sentences. The young woman
+sat directly across from me, our words overheard by all, and as I knew
+both men possessed some slight knowledge of English, I dare not
+venture beyond commonplace conversation in that tongue. With quick wit
+she took her cue from me, so that nothing passed between us, either by
+word of mouth or glance of eye, to arouse suspicions.
+
+Believing the feeling of confidence would be increased by such action,
+I was first to leave the table, and it being my watch below,
+immediately retired to my room, noisily closing the door after me, yet
+refraining from letting the latch catch, thus enjoying a slight
+opening through which to both see and hear. Manuel did not linger
+long, making some excuse to go forward, but Estada remained for some
+time, endeavoring to entertain. She laughed at his efforts and
+appeared interested in encouraging him, so that he kept his spirit of
+good humor even amid these difficulties. His egotism made a fool of
+the man, yet even he finally became discouraged of making her
+comprehend his meaning, and lapsed into a silence which gave her an
+excuse to retire. This was accomplished so graciously as to leave no
+sting, the fellow actually accompanying her to the door of her
+stateroom, bowing his compliments as she disappeared within. The fool
+actually believed he had made a conquest and preened himself like a
+turkey cock.
+
+"Gunsaules."
+
+"Senor."
+
+"You need not lock the Senorita in her room or guard her in any way
+hereafter. She is permitted to come and go as she pleases aboard."
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"You have served the Captain and Jose? Yes--did the wounded man eat at
+all?"
+
+"A little soup, Senor; he would taste nothing else."
+
+Estada entered his own stateroom, leaving the door ajar. When he came
+out he had exchanged his coat for a rough jacket. Thus attired for a
+turn on deck, he disappeared through the companion.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+IN DOROTHY'S STATEROOM
+
+
+I stood crouched, with eye at the crack watchful of every movement in
+the lighted cabin, my own decision made. I must see and talk with
+Dorothy. We must understand each other, and the earlier we could thus
+begin working together in unison, the better. Gunsaules bore a tray of
+dishes from the Captain's room and then, after carefully wiping up the
+main table, and sliding it up out of the way on its stantions, placed
+a bottle of brandy and some glasses on a swinging shelf. Apparently
+satisfied that his work there was completed he turned down the light,
+and departed along the passage leading amidships. A moment later I
+heard the sound of dishes grinding together preparatory to being
+washed. No better opportunity for action was likely to occur, although
+the situation was not without peril. Jose might emerge at any instant
+from Sanchez's cabin, while I had no reason to be assured that Estada
+would remain long on deck. Even if he did, any movement below could be
+observed through the overhead glass. Indeed it might be with this
+purpose in view that he had gone outside. However I felt compelled to
+accept the chance. The light was so dim that I believed I could steal
+cautiously along in the deeper shadows without attracting attention
+from the deck, even if someone stood there on watch.
+
+I moved noiselessly leaving my own door slightly ajar, and crept
+along close to the side walls until I attained my destination.
+Nothing occurred causing me to fear my movements were detected. To
+have knocked at the closed door however softly might be overheard, so
+knowing it to be unlocked I merely lifted the latch noiselessly, and
+slipped quickly within. There was no light, except a glimmer of stars
+through a large after port, but against this faint radiance she stood
+vaguely revealed. Evidently the girl had been standing there, gazing
+out at the waters, and had turned swiftly about at my entrance,
+aroused by some slight sound. Her first thought must have been Estada,
+for there was a startled note of fear in her challenge.
+
+"Who are you? Why do you come here?"
+
+"Speak low," I cautioned. "You must know my voice."
+
+"Geoffry Carlyle!"
+
+"Yes, but do not use that name--all hope depends on my remaining
+unknown. You welcome me?"
+
+She came straight forward through the dim star-shine, a spectral
+figure, with both hands outstretched.
+
+"Welcome!" her tone that of intense sincerity. "Your presence gives me
+all the strength I have. But for you I should throw myself through
+that port into the sea. But I know not how you came here--tell me, you
+are not really one of these wretches?"
+
+"No; you must believe that first of all, and trust me."
+
+"I do--but--but tell me all you can."
+
+"Is there a divan here, or anywhere we can sit down together? I can
+see nothing in this darkness."
+
+"Yes, hold my hand while I guide you; we can sit here."  It was a
+couch of some kind against the outer wall. She did not release her
+grasp, seemingly gaining courage from this physical contact, and my
+fingers closed warmly over her own.
+
+"Now please," breathlessly, "how is it possible you are aboard this
+vessel--an officer?"
+
+I told her the strange story, as swiftly and simply as possible,
+speaking scarcely above a whisper, feeling as I progressed that I
+related a dream rather than a series of facts. It seemed to me she
+could scarcely be expected to believe the truth of what I said, and
+yet she did, almost unquestioningly, the clasp of her fingers
+perceptibly tightening as I proceeded. The soft light from the open
+port touched her face slightly, enough to reveal its outline and she
+sat so close beside me, her eyes uplifted to mine, that I could feel
+her breath upon my cheek.
+
+"Why, if---if you had not told me this yourself I could hardly believe
+such a tale," she exclaimed. "Yet it must be true, miraculous as it
+seems. But what is to be the ending? Have you any plan of escape?"
+
+"Hardly a plan. I have had no opportunity even to learn the true
+nature of the crew. Watkins is an honest sailor, and he has told me of
+others on whom I could rely. There are those aboard--but I do not know
+how many--who would mutiny if they had a leader, and a reasonable
+chance of success. I must reach these and learn who they are.
+Fortunately the voyage promises to be long enough to enable me to plan
+carefully."
+
+"You have discussed the voyage with this man--Estada?"  "He told me
+what he had decided upon; not to return to their rendezvous until
+after they had captured some prizes, and could go with gold chinking
+in their pockets."
+
+"They have gold already--the chest taken from my uncle."
+
+"That only serves to make such as these more greedy."
+
+"Where is their rendezvous?"
+
+"An island in the West Indies, probably not on the chart. They call it
+Porto Grande."
+
+"And they will sweep the ocean between here and there, seeking
+victims? Unarmed merchantmen to rob and sink? And you--you will be
+compelled to take part in such scenes, such acts of pillage and
+perhaps murder. Is this true?"
+
+"I presume I must seem to be one of them to avoid suspicion. There is
+some hope in my mind that we may chance to run into an English or
+French warship. Quite a few must be cruising in these waters. But
+these are only contingencies; they may happen and they may not. How we
+are to act under such conditions will have to be decided later. Now we
+must be content to seek release through our own efforts. Have you any
+suggestions?"
+
+She was silent for a long moment, during which she withdrew her hand,
+pressing it over her eyes as though thus to better concentrate her
+thoughts.
+
+"There is conspiracy on board already," she said finally "that you may
+not know about."
+
+"You mean to depose Sanchez?" I questioned in surprise.
+
+"Yes; you had suspicioned it? They thought me unconscious in the
+boat, and talked among themselves--the two at the stern, Estada and
+that beast, Manuel. I did not understand all they said, only a word or
+two, but I do not think they intend the Captain shall recover."
+
+"You think it best that he should?"
+
+"Oh, I do not know; there is no best that I can see. Yet I would have
+more faith in being spared disgrace if at the mercy of Sanchez, than
+his lieutenant. Both may be equally guilty, equally desperate, but
+they are not the same men."
+
+"True, but I know not which is to be most feared."
+
+"I may be wrong," she insisted, "for I judge as a woman, yet I would
+feel safer with Sanchez. He cares not much for me, perhaps, yet enough
+so that I possess some power over him. The other does not--he merely
+desires with the passions of a brute. No appeal would reach him; he
+would laugh at tears and find pleasure in suffering. I do not quite
+believe this of Sanchez."
+
+"Perhaps not---the other may be the greater beast."
+
+"I know he is; the proof is in those horrid eyes. What is the man? Of
+what race?"
+
+"Portuguese, I am told, but likely a half-breed."
+
+"Ugh! it makes me shudder to even look at him; and yet you would have
+me appear friendly?"
+
+"We cannot permit him to feel that either of us are enemies. He is the
+power aboard; our lives, everything are in his hands. If he means to
+be rid of Sanchez, the man is doomed, for he will find a way to
+accomplish his purpose at whatever cost; murder means nothing to these
+men."
+
+"Of course you are right," she acknowledged. "Our case is so
+desperate we must resort to any weapons. You believe it will serve
+the possibility of escape if I permit this monster to imagine that I
+have some interest in him?"
+
+"To do so might delay the explosion," I replied gravely, "and just now
+any delay is welcome. I know how such an effort will try you, but the
+end may be well worth the sacrifice. I doubt if even Estada will
+resort to force on board; indeed force will be the very last card he
+will care to play in your case. He is a brute, and capable of any
+crime, yet at heart a coward. There is reason why he will fear to
+assault you. You are English and all the practical seamen on board are
+from northern Europe--English and Scandinavian. These men are not
+pirates from choice--they are prisoners who have taken on to save
+their own lives. With his bullies and cut-throats amidships he can
+compel them to work, but he dare not go too far. Once these fellows
+unite in mutiny they could take the ship. An assault on you would be
+dangerous."
+
+"It is these men you count on?"
+
+"Yes; but for me to gain their confidence and leadership will require
+time. I must reach them all secretly and alone. Not more than half are
+in my watch, and Watkins must approach the others. A plan for
+concerted action will have to be arranged, and every precaution taken.
+The slightest slip would mean failure, and merciless punishment. Even
+if I succeed in gathering together all these better elements on board,
+we shall yet be outnumbered two to one, perhaps more, and our only
+hope rests in surprise. At best the situation is absolutely
+desperate--but I see no other solution."
+
+"And my service is deceit--the acting of a part to blind the eyes of
+Estada?"
+
+"I sincerely believe your greater chance of security lies in this
+course. The fellow is a supreme egotist; opposition will anger him,
+while flattery will make him subservient. You have the wit and
+discretion to hold him within certain limits. It is a dangerous game,
+I admit, and a disagreeable one, but the case requires desperate
+remedies."
+
+She lifted her eyes, searching my face through the dim light.
+
+"Geoffry Carlyle," she said, at last, a tremor in the low voice,
+"there is no sacrifice I would not make to preserve my honor. I hate
+this man; I dread his touch; I shrink from contact with him, as I
+would from a snake, but I am not going to refuse to do my part. If you
+say this is right, and justified, I will consent."
+
+"I believe it is."
+
+"And you will not lose faith in me?" she questioned earnestly. "It
+will not lower your belief in my womanhood?"
+
+"Nothing could do that. Mistress Dorothy, I want you to realize the
+depth of my interest and respect. Your friendliness has meant much to
+me, and I would never urge you to lower your ideals. But we must face
+this situation as it is. You cannot cling now to the standards of
+London, or even Maryland. We are on the ocean, upon a pirate ship,
+surrounded by men utterly devoid of all restraint--hell-hounds of the
+sea, who live by murder and pillage. We possess but two weapons of
+defense--deceit, or force. A resort to the latter is at present
+impossible. I cannot conceive that you are lowering yourself in any
+way by using the power you possess to escape violence--"
+
+"The power I possess?"
+
+"Yes--beauty and wit. These are your weapons, and most effective ones.
+You can play with Estada and defeat him--temporarily at least. I
+confess there is danger in such a game--he is a wild beast, and his
+evil nature may overcome his discretion. You are armed?"
+
+"No; I have never felt the need."
+
+"Then take this," and I thrust a pistol into her hands. "I took it
+from the rack in the cabin, and can get another. It is charged; keep
+it hidden about your person, but use it only when all else fails. Do
+you see this necessity now from my standpoint?"
+
+"Yes," hesitatingly, "all that you say is true, but--but the thought
+frightens me; it--it is like creeping into a lion's cage having only a
+fan with which to defend myself."
+
+I smiled at her conceit.
+
+"A fan rightly used is no insignificant weapon. In the hands of a
+woman it has won many a victory. I have faith in your wielding it to
+the best effect--the lasting discomfiture of Senor Estada."
+
+"You laugh," indignantly, "believing me a coquette--a girl to play
+with men?"
+
+"No; that misconstrues my thought. I believe you a true woman, yet
+possessing the natural instincts of your sex, and able to use your
+weapons efficiently. There is no evil in that, no reproach. I would
+not have you otherwise, and we must not misunderstand each other. You
+retain faith in me?"
+
+"Implicitly."
+
+"And pledge yourself to your part, leaving me to attend to mine?"
+
+Her two hands clasped my fingers, her eyes uplifted.
+
+"Geoffry Carlyle, I have always believed in you, and now, after the
+sacrifice you have made to serve me, I can refuse you nothing you ask.
+I will endeavor to accomplish all you require of me. God knows how I
+hate the task; but--but I will do my best. Only--only," her voice
+sank, "if--if the monster cannot be held, I will kill him."
+
+"I hope you do."
+
+"I shall! If the beast lays hands on me he--he pays the price. I could
+not do otherwise. Geoffry Carlyle--I am a Fairfax."
+
+Satisfied with my mission, and confident nothing more need be said, I
+arose to my feet.
+
+"Then we can do nothing further, until I learn the disposition of the
+crew," I said quietly. "Estada is not likely to resort to extreme
+measures at present. He has two objects before him---to permit Sanchez
+to die of his wounds, if that is at all probable; and to win the men
+by some successful capture. These fellows only retain command by
+success. The taking of a rich ship will make Estada a hero, while a
+defeat would mean his overthrow, and the ascendancy of someone else.
+There is no other test of a robber chief. Estada knows this, and will
+not dare act until he has put clinking coin in the pockets of his men.
+That is why I believe you are comparatively safe now--his own
+position of command is in the balance."
+
+"I am glad you explained that to me, The knowledge will give me more
+confidence."
+
+"Do not rely too much on his control of himself. There is no trust to
+be put in such a man. I must go now, and endeavor to reach my quarters
+unseen."
+
+"I will see you again?"
+
+"Perhaps not here; it is too dangerous, but I will find means to
+communicate with you. Possibly the steward can be trusted as a
+messenger; I will talk with him and make sure. Meanwhile we must not
+appear interested in each other. Good-bye."
+
+We stood with hands clasped in the darkness. I thought she was going
+to speak again, but the words failed to come. Then suddenly, silently,
+the door opened a mere crack, letting in a gleam of yellow light from
+the main cabin, while the crouching figure of a man, like a gliding
+shadow slipped through the aperture, closing the door behind him as
+softly as he had opened it. I heard her catch her breath, and felt her
+hands grasp my sleeve, but I never stirred. The fellow had neither
+seen nor heard us, and I stared into the black curtain, endeavoring to
+locate him by some sound of movement.
+
+Who could he be? What might be the purpose of his entrance? But one
+answer occurred to me--Pedro Estada, driven by unbridled passions to
+attack the girl. Mad as such an act would be, yet no other explanation
+seemed possible. I thrust her behind me, and took a step forward, with
+body poised for action. I was unarmed, but cared little for that in
+the swift desire felt to come to hand grips with the brute. I could
+hear him now, slowly and cautiously feeling his way toward us through
+the darkness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+A MURDER ON BOARD
+
+
+The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited
+breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach. To be certain
+of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected
+contact with the back of a chair. Without moving my body I grasped
+this welcome weapon of defense and swung it above my head. Whoever the
+invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy,
+actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed. To strike him down
+as quickly and silently as possible was therefore the plain duty of
+the moment. I had no other thought.
+
+The slowness with which he groped his way forward indicated
+unfamiliarity with the apartment, although his direct advance
+proclaimed some special purpose. Clearly he had no fear of attack,
+believing no one more formidable than a girl was there to oppose him.
+The darkness, perhaps, and silence, convinced the fellow that she had
+already retired. He would have his grip on her, before she could even
+dream of his presence. Then there would be no scream, no alarm. I
+could determine almost his exact position as his advancing foot felt
+cautiously along the deck, seeking to avoid striking any obstacle in
+the darkness. He came forward inch by inch, and I had the sensation of
+awaiting the spring of some creeping animal, about to leap upon me.
+With tense muscles, the heavy chair poised for a blow, I measured the
+distance as indicated by faint, shuffling sounds, perceptible only
+because of the profound stillness.
+
+I could not see, but I knew; I felt his presence; in imagination I
+pictured him, with arms outstretched, barely beyond my reach,
+deliberately advancing one foot for yet another step forward. With all
+my force I struck! Blindly as it had been delivered, the blow hit
+fair; there was a thud, an inarticulate groan, and the fall of a body
+onto the floor--beyond that nothing. I waited breathlessly, the chair
+back gripped in my hands, anxiously listening for the slightest
+movement. There was none to be distinguished; not so much as the
+quiver of a muscle. I felt Dorothy touch my shoulder, and caught the
+sound of her voice, trembling at my ear.
+
+"What it is? What did you do?"
+
+"I struck him with a chair; he lies there on the deck. Wait where you
+are until I learn what has happened."
+
+I bent over and touched him, dropping to my knees, every nerve
+tingling as my hands felt of the recumbent body. The fellow lay in a
+heap, his flesh warm, but with no perceptible heart-beat, no semblance
+of breathing. My fingers sought his face, and I could scarcely
+suppress a cry of surprise--he was not Estada. Who then was he? What
+could have been his purpose in thus invading this stateroom? All I
+could grasp was the fact that the fellow was not the Portuguese--he
+possessed a smooth face, long hair, and was a much smaller man. It
+must have become overcast without, for the star-gleam was no longer
+visible through the after port, and yet a faint light entered,
+sufficient for my purpose. I dragged the body that way, dropping it
+where the slight illumination fell directly on the upturned face. The
+features revealed were unfamiliar--those unquestionably of a
+half-breed Indian. Dorothy crossed to my side, her foot striking a
+knife, which came glimmering into the narrow range of light. She
+stared in horror at the ugly weapon, and then at the ghastly
+countenance.
+
+"Who is he? Do you know?"
+
+"One I have never seen before; he must belong to the gang
+amidships--an Indian."
+
+She shuddered, her voice trembling.
+
+"He came to murder! See his knife lies there. Why should he have
+sought to kill me?"
+
+"It is all mystery," I admitted, "and too deep for me. Perhaps it was
+a mistake, or the fellow thought you had jewels. Anyway he will never
+try that trick again--see, my blow crushed his skull."
+
+"He is actually dead?"
+
+"Beyond doubt. The chair was a heavy one, and I struck with all my
+strength. What shall be done with the body? It cannot be left lying
+exposed here; no one would believe you killed him, and my presence
+must not be suspected."
+
+"Could it," she suggested, "be dropped astern through the port?"
+
+"Ay, that might be done; it was dull of me not to think of that. Yet
+we must not risk a splash to be overheard on deck. Is there a rope of
+any kind to be had?"
+
+"Only this curtain cord; it is not large, but strong."  "That ought
+to do, if long enough; there must be a twenty-foot drop to the water.
+Yes, splice the two together; let me have them."
+
+She shrank back from touching the inanimate figure, her face very pale
+in the dim light, yet it required the combined efforts of both to
+force the stiffening body through the port hole, and then lower it
+slowly to the surging water below. The cord cut our hands cruelly, but
+it held, and the dead man sank beneath the surface, and was swept
+swiftly astern, into the black depths. We could distinguish footsteps
+on the deck above, but these were regular and undisturbed--the slow
+promenade from rail to rail of the officer on watch. Clearly nothing
+had been heard, or seen, to awaken suspicion. I turned back, as the
+released body vanished, to look into her face, which was scarcely
+visible.
+
+"If you should be questioned tomorrow you had best know nothing," I
+said gravely. "I do not think you will be, for surely such an attack
+can be no plan of Estada's. It could gain him no advantage. The fellow
+was pillaging on his own account; if he is missed it will be supposed
+he fell overboard, and no one will greatly care."
+
+"You will be able to learn? I--I shall feel better if I know the
+truth."
+
+"Possibly; however it will be safer for me not to ask questions. I am
+not myself in too good repute aboard. You are not afraid to remain
+here alone?"
+
+"No; I am not greatly frightened but shall try and bar the door with a
+chair. I have no key."
+
+"Then I'll leave you; half of my watch below must be gone by now.
+I'll take the fellow's knife along, as it must not be found here."
+
+We parted with a clasp of hands, as I opened the stateroom door, and
+slipped out into the cabin. To my surprise the light over the table
+had been extinguished, rendering the cabin so black I held to actually
+feel my way forward. This struck me as very strange, particularly as I
+recalled clearly that a stream of light had flashed into the after
+stateroom with the entrance of the prowler. The lantern must have been
+put out since then by some confederate. Gunsaules would be soundly
+asleep long ago, and the light was supposed to burn until morning.
+However there was no noise, other than the creaking and groaning of
+the ship's timbers, mingled with the steady tread of LeVere on the
+upper deck. So, after a moment of hesitation, I found my way across to
+my own stateroom and pressed open the door.
+
+A misty light came in through the port, sufficient to show me all was
+exactly as I had left it, and I flung off my jacket preparatory to
+lying down for a short rest before being recalled for the watch on
+deck. The hilt of the knife in my belt attracted my attention, and I
+drew it forth, curious to learn if it bore any mark of ownership.
+Whether it did, or not, I shall never know, as my eyes were instantly
+attracted to a dark stain on both hilt and blade. I held it to the
+light--it was the stain of blood, and my hands were also reddened by
+it. In that first instant of horror, I hurled the weapon out through
+the open port into the sea. Blood! human blood, without doubt! There
+had been murder committed on board, and the fellow I had struck down
+was seeking refuge, endeavoring to find concealment following his
+crime. Ay, but what about the light in the cabin? It had been
+extinguished after the fleeing fugitive had entered Dorothy's
+stateroom. Did this mean that the slayer had an accomplice? If so,
+then the killing was not the result of a mere personal quarrel
+amidships, or in the forecastle; but the result of some conspiracy. I
+thought of Sanchez, and of Estada's plan to obtain control of the
+ship. Could this be its culmination? And was the Spaniard already
+lying dead in his cabin? This was the only solution of the mystery
+which seemed probable, and yet this did not wholly satisfy my mind.
+Not that I questioned the fiendishness of Estada, or his
+coconspirator, Manuel, or their unwillingness to commit such a crime,
+but it seemed so unnecessarily brutal. Why should they stab a man
+already so severely wounded as to be threatened with death? he was
+helpless, and in their power; neglect, or at most a simple reopening
+of his wounds, would be sufficient for their purpose. To attack him
+anew would only mean exposure, and perhaps awaken the enmity of the
+crew.
+
+Nothing came of my thought--only confusion; nor did I dare investigate
+for fear of becoming more deeply involved in the tragedy. There had
+been no alarm; everything aboard was going on as usual; I could hear
+LeVere tramping the deck, and occasionally catch the echo of his
+voice, as he hailed the main-top, or gave some order to the men
+forward. No, there was nothing to be done; my safety, and the safety
+of the girl depended on our apparent ignorance of what had occurred.
+We must have no part in it, no knowledge or suspicion. There was
+nothing to do but wait the revelation of the morning. Convincing
+myself of this, I washed the blood stains from my hands, and lay down
+in the bunk, fully dressed to await my call. Evidently the wind had
+decreased, as the _Namur_ pitched but little in the sea, and I could
+hear the scuffling of feet indicating a new spread of canvas above.
+The night air, blowing in through my open port became so chill that I
+covered myself with a blanket. The vessel creaked and groaned in every
+joint, some of the sounds actually startling me with their resemblance
+to cries of human agony. I tossed about, occasionally sitting upright
+to peer around in the darkness, my body bathed in cold perspiration,
+yet must have dropped finally off into an uneasy sleep. A sharp
+rapping of knuckles on the door awoke me with a start.
+
+"Starboard watch, Senor."
+
+"Will be on deck at once."
+
+"Ay, ay, Senor."
+
+I drew on a heavy pea jacket of leather, fastening it securely at the
+throat, and donned a wool cap. The lantern in the cabin had been
+relighted, and was burning brightly, and my anxious glance about the
+interior revealed nothing out of place. The only door open led to the
+steward's storeroom. Feeling it best to be prepared for any
+eventuality, I selected a pistol from the rack, saw to its loading,
+and slipped the weapon into my pocket. Except for one man busily
+engaged coiling a rope, the main deck was deserted, and I climbed the
+short ladder to the poop, meeting LeVere as I straightened up. The sea
+was a gentle swell, the sky clear above, but with a mass of dark
+clouds off the port quarter. A glance aloft revealed a full spread of
+canvas. The air contained a nip of frost.
+
+"All set, I see, LeVere?"
+
+"Si, Senor, and at that we barely move. The bark needs a gale o' wind
+to make any headway."
+
+"You have no fear of the storm yonder?"
+
+He glanced aside at the mass of cloud.
+
+"No, Senor. It hung just there an hour past--not come here, but creep
+around."
+
+"Your course?"
+
+"Still to the sou' o' east, Senor." He bent down to glance at the card
+and I saw his dark face in the gleam of the binnacle light. He was not
+bad looking, but for the continuous gleam of prominent teeth. He
+straightened up.
+
+"Who put out the cabin light, Senor?"
+
+"I am sure I don't know; was it out?"
+
+"Yes, Senor. I never knew that to happen before."
+
+"An accident, no doubt. The steward probably left some near-by port
+open, and a gust of wind did the business. That's nothing to worry
+over."
+
+He shook his head as though far from satisfied by my theory, but went
+below without attempting to reply. I watched him through the skylight,
+but he merely gulped down a glass of liquor, and entered his
+stateroom.
+
+My watch was uneventful. The fellow at the wheel was unfamiliar to me,
+and rather surly in his answers, to the few questions I put to him. As
+he could speak nothing but Spanish I soon left him alone, and fell to
+pacing the deck, immersed in my own thoughts. These were far from
+pleasant ones, as I reviewed again the strange situation in which I
+found myself. Circumstances had played me a sorry trick. Without
+plan, almost without effort, I had drifted into a position of utmost
+delicacy. Any accident or mistake might lead to disastrous results.
+Not only my own life, but the life of the young woman below, could be
+endangered by a single careless word, or act. The whole affair seemed
+more a nightmare than a reality. I was actually serving as first
+officer on a pirate ship in search of vessels to rob on the high seas,
+commanding a crew of West Indian cut-throats--the very scum of hell,
+and under the order of a Portuguese devil, whose ambition coolly
+plotted murder. I was sailing under the black flag, to be hung if
+captured, compelled to act out the masquerade, a satellite of the most
+infamous villain who ever sacked a merchantman. Why, the very name of
+Sanchez had been horror to me in the past--yet here I actually was in
+charge of the deck of his death ship, searching for new victims, and
+only hoping that the arch villain might live to overthrow the even
+fouler demon who would succeed him if he died. Already I knew murder
+had been done; that the coming morning would reveal some hideous
+tragedy, on which, perhaps my fate would depend. Somewhere below in
+the dark lay a dead man, his sightless eyes staring upward. The curse
+of crime was upon the vessel, and this, possibly, was only the
+beginning, whose end could not be foreseen. And for what was I there?
+The answer was not upon my lips, but in my heart--Dorothy Fairfax. I
+bowed my head on the rail, and stared out over the dark water, but I
+saw only her face. No, I would not turn back; would not fail her. Let
+the end be death, and disgrace, I meant to fight grimly on until that
+end came. In that hour I knew she was more to me than life, or even
+honor. Far more than mere duty bound me; I was prisoner to love.
+
+The dawn came cold and gray, but with clearing skies. The force of the
+wind increased, becoming unsteady, and causing a choppy sea, so that I
+felt impelled to lower the topsails and take a reef in the larger
+canvas. Nothing was reported in sight, but to reassure myself, I
+climbed into the main crosstrees, and swept the horizon with a glass.
+Not so much as a speck rewarded my efforts, and I descended the
+ratlines, shouting to the boatswain to call the port watch. Watkins
+came aft to the wheel, and I sent the fellow thus relieved down into
+the cabin to rout out LeVere. The two returned to deck together, the
+negro glancing about curiously without mounting the ladder.
+
+"You call Senor Estada yet?" he questioned.
+
+"No; I had no orders to do so."
+
+"He tol' me call him at daylight. Here you, Amada; go wake up the
+Senor."
+
+The seaman disappeared grumbling, while LeVere crossed the poop deck,
+and stood beside me looking out across the expanse of sea.
+
+"No sail--hey? We hav' bad luck--too far north."
+
+"And west; we are out of the sea lanes; but if it keeps bright I'll
+take an observation at noon."
+
+Amada emerged from the companion, and stared up at us, shading his
+mouth with one hand as he spoke.
+
+"He answer nothing, Senor LeVere."
+
+"You rapped on the door?"
+
+"Si, Senor; I strike with my fist, and my boot, but he never wake
+up."
+
+"Was the door locked?"
+
+"I know not, Senor; I not try open it."
+
+LeVere gave utterance to an oath.
+
+"The pig-headed swine," he said fiercely. "I suppose I'll have to go
+myself."
+
+Our eyes met, and something seemed to bid me accompany him.
+
+"We'll go down together, Senor," I said quietly. "Estada must be sick;
+I could hear the rumpus Amada kicked up even on deck here. No man
+could sleep through that racket."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+A NEW CONSPIRACY
+
+
+The interior of the cabin appeared more desolate than ever in the gray
+light of dawn. The swinging light yet burned, but was now useless, all
+the dismal horrors of the place revealed by the slowly increasing
+gleam of day stealing down from above. Gunsaules had not appeared, and
+LeVere's stateroom door remained ajar, giving glimpse of the
+disarranged bunk within. The other doors were tightly closed. LeVere
+rather held back, not noticeably so, perhaps, yet enough to give me
+the lead, and, with one swift glance about, I led the way directly to
+Estada's stateroom.
+
+Something sinister had occurred during the dark hours of the night. Of
+that I was convinced, and I believed we were now about to lift the
+veil hiding the tragedy. My heart pounded like a hammer as I rapped on
+the wooden panels and waited some response from within. There was no
+answer, no sound of movement, and I rapped again more loudly, my
+questioning eyes seeking LeVere's face. He was listening as intently
+as myself, his eyes expressing anxiety. If I had felt some suspicion
+of the man before, this lack of faith vanished---he certainly was
+concerned in no plot involving the life of the Portuguese.
+
+"There is something wrong, Senor," he whispered, "for he was ever a
+light sleeper."
+
+"Then we will find out what it is."
+
+The door was unlocked, the latch yielding instantly to the hand, and I
+stepped within. A glance told everything. The port was closed, but
+through the thick glass sufficient light found entrance to reveal the
+interior. The chair before the table was overturned, and there were
+papers scattered about the deck. Estada lay in his bunk, with one leg
+dangling outside, and his head crooked against the side wall. His very
+posture was that of sudden death, even had it not been pictured by the
+ghastly face, peculiarly hideous in the gray light which stared at us,
+and the dark pool of blood underneath. I heard an exclamation from
+LeVere, and stood for an instant utterly unable to move. The only
+sound audible was the steady drip of blood. I knew already what I
+should find, yet finally forced myself forward--he was stone dead,
+pierced with three knife thrusts. I stood up and faced the mulatto,
+whose countenance was fairly green with horror.
+
+"What do you know about this, Senor LeVere?" I asked sternly. "The man
+has been murdered, knifed. Who did it--and why?"
+
+He could scarcely answer, gripping at the table for support, and never
+removing his gaze from the face of the dead man. Yet I believed his
+words; was convinced this was not the terror of guilt.
+
+"My God! I cannot tell; I have never dreamed of this--that is true,
+Senor."
+
+"Had the man enemies. Anyone you would suspect?"
+
+"Enemies? Ay, plenty of them; we all have. We expect that in our
+trade. This ship is full of devils ready enough to do such a job; but
+I could not name the one who did do it. I know of no cause. I have
+heard nothing."
+
+"I believe you, LeVere," I said, when his voice ceased, yet unwilling
+even then to trust him fully. "All that rules here is strength. Murder
+is but a weapon, and hate struck this blow."
+
+"What can we do, Senor?"
+
+"Do! we must talk that over first. Open the port there and let in some
+fresh air. That is better; but we cannot think, looking at that
+ghastly face, and hearing the blood drip onto the deck. We'll leave
+him here and talk over the affair in the cabin."
+
+"But the men will think it strange," he protested, "if I do not return
+to the deck; some may know what lies here."
+
+"We cannot help that, LeVere. We cannot meet this thing until we are
+prepared; until we talk it over, and decide what to do. It is not the
+men on deck, the watch, I fear, but those fellows amidships--they are
+the ones to be afraid of; is that not so?"
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"Then come; there is more danger in hasty action than anything else."
+
+I shut the door behind us, and turned the key. It was a relief to get
+outside, even into that dismal cabin, beyond view of Estada's dead
+face. The vessel rolled considerably, and LeVere, who had evidently
+lost his nerve, sank into a chair as though no strength remained in
+him.
+
+"You fear an uprising, a mutiny?" I questioned, "when this is
+reported?"
+
+"What will prevent?" he asked. "The Captain cannot stir; the mate
+dead; the men already crazed because we take no prizes. They will
+murder us also, and take control."
+
+"Who will? Those devils amidships?"
+
+"Ay; they care only to fight for gold--it is their trade."
+
+"And who leads them? Who would they make captain?"
+
+"Manuel Estevan," he whispered, "he would be the one."
+
+"I thought as much. Then it is Manuel Estevan we must secure
+first--before they know. 'Tis my thought he is at the bottom of it
+all, and our hope lies in our early discovery. If we can act before he
+does, we may thwart his plan. Listen, LeVere; I will speak low for
+that forward stateroom is his. He has not supposed we would discover
+the murder so quickly, for he knew nothing of Estada's request that he
+be called at daylight--is this true?"
+
+"Si, Senor; it was his last order when he went below."
+
+"Good; then we must organize before he can act. We have that one
+chance left. Whatever his men may know of what has occurred they will
+make no move until they get his orders. We must stop the possibility
+of his issuing any. Without a leader, the advantage is ours."
+
+"You mean to kill him?"
+
+"Only as a last resort. I am no murderer, although there is enough at
+stake here to make me willing to take life. There is no good feeling
+between those quartered amidships, and the crew?"
+
+"No, Senor; it is hate generally, although they are not all alike. The
+real sailors are mostly captured men; they serve to save their lives,
+and only for these others on board could not be held long. We do not
+arm them or use them to board prizes. It's those devils amidships who
+loot; that is all their work to fight and guard these others.
+Naturally there's no love lost between them. Your plan, Senor, is to
+set the one against the other?"
+
+"Yes, if possible; I know no other way. These sailor men are of all
+races. Can they be trusted?"
+
+He sat bending forward, his hands on his knees, his dark face far from
+pleasant. I had every reason to know the fellow to be criminal,
+desperate, guilty of everything in the calendar, and yet I must place
+confidence in him. Only as we worked together now was there any
+prospect of success.
+
+"Some might be; it is hard to tell how many. It is not the race which
+counts so much, Senor. There are those among them who would not care
+to return to honesty."
+
+"And you, LeVere?"
+
+He spread his hands, and shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"There is no hope of me; I was born to the free life."
+
+"What then is it with you?"
+
+"Hate, Senor--revenge," and his teeth gleamed savagely. "I would spit
+on this Manuel who seeks to be chief. I can never be---no; I am of
+black skin, with negro blood in my veins, and white men would never
+have it so. But I can hate, Senor. That is why I am with you now, if
+the devil so will. Your plan might work--tell me more of it."
+
+"It is simple enough, LeVere, and came to me but now as I looked upon
+Estada lying there dead. Treachery killed him, and that treachery must
+have purpose behind it. You believe this to be the ambition of Manuel
+Estevan to become chief, and that in this he is backed by those
+buccaneers amidships whom he commands. But to accomplish this end
+there must soon be other murders aboard--the Captain Sanchez, and
+possibly our own as well, although 'tis likely he may offer us life to
+join him. But I doubt if the fellow be ready yet to throw off the mask
+and openly declare himself. He will claim the murder of Estada to be
+the act of some fiendish member of the crew, and wait until things
+aboard ripen to his purpose. He is not likely to dream that we suspect
+him. This gives us our chance--we can act before he does."
+
+"But if the men are with him?"
+
+"What are the odds, say you--thirty to a hundred? Ay, but surprise
+will overcome that. My plan is this; first, for you and I to secure
+Manuel, as quietly as possible, but at whatever cost. Surely that can
+be done. With him in our hands, or dead, the buccaneers have no
+leader. What then? There are men in the crew on deck and in the
+forecastle to be trusted--Watkins is one, and he will know others, a
+dozen, no doubt. They will be enough. We will whisper the truth to
+these, and have them ready for a signal. The forward door from
+amidships is closed by iron bars--is it not?"
+
+"Si, Senor," his eyes again sparkling with interest. "The men
+quarreled, and there was fighting."
+
+"Then there is no escape in that direction and it can be no great
+task to close any passage leading aft. Lower the deck hatch, and we
+have those devils below caged like so many rats. There need be no
+fighting; starvation will bring them to terms."
+
+"But, Senor, you forget--your dozen men cannot guard the buccaneers
+below, and also manage the bark at sea. The crew are not all
+lambs--many will sympathize with those thus locked beneath deck.
+Cochose is bad, and a friend of Manuel. He will fight, and there are
+others to back him."
+
+"I know that, LeVere. The whole plan is desperate, but there is no
+other possible. Here is my scheme. There is a gun rack in the cabin,
+containing enough weapons to arm the dozen men we can trust. The
+others have nothing but their sheath knives. The buccaneers can be
+secured below, before these other lads ever realize what is
+happening--many will be asleep in the forecastle. As soon as we have
+control of the ship we'll round them up forward. They won't dare face
+the guns. I'll give them their choice, and, as for Cochose, I've taken
+his measure once already, and am ready to try it again."
+
+"And what will you tell them, Senor?"
+
+I caught my breath, conscious of his meaning. My secret hope could not
+be revealed to this fellow. However hate and ambition might sway him,
+and however personal fear might influence him, at the moment, his
+purpose and mine were entirely different. Piracy was his life; he knew
+and cared for nothing else. In innate savagery he was not better than
+any of the others, and must be dealt with accordingly. Just now I must
+have him on my side, and conditions had delivered him into my hands.
+But I could only hope to retain him through self interest. The mulatto
+had little faith in me; I was a stranger, an Englishman, unknown and
+untried. Naturally we were enemies. He would make use of me for the
+present if he could, and as smilingly knife me tomorrow if it served
+his turn. I felt confident of that, and in consequence the answer came
+quickly to my lips.
+
+"The whole truth, Senor LeVere--that Manuel conspired to seize the
+bark through a mutiny of the buccaneers; that these were to be turned
+loose with license to kill anyone on board who opposed them; that
+their real purpose was to divide among themselves all the treasure
+below; then wreck the vessel, and escape with it. That to this end
+Estada had already been foully murdered and that they also intended to
+take the lives of the other officers so as to be free to do as they
+pleased. I shall explain that we discovered this conspiracy just in
+time to save them from butchery, and that they must stand by us, or
+else submit to those hell-hounds. I'll put it strong."
+
+"And after that, Senor?"
+
+"Why Porto Grande, of course," I admitted heartily. "It is not a long
+voyage, and if we bring the boat in safely the treasure is ours. The
+men will understand what that means--a handful of gold for each of
+them and a run ashore. Why, LeVere, they will make more apiece than by
+looting a half dozen ships, and with no fighting. It will be a fortune
+for you and me."
+
+His somber eyes lighted up, startled by this new idea, and he sprang
+to his feet, swaying before me to the pitch of the deck.
+
+"You mean that, Senor! We divide what is below, and sail for Porto
+Grande? I hear you right? You not mean surrender? You stay pirate?"
+
+I laughed, my nerves tingling to the success of my ruse--he had taken
+the tempting bait like a hungry fish.
+
+"Why of course; so that was the trouble. Hell! man, I am not such a
+fool as to throw away this chance. I came aboard here without a
+dollar, drunk, a sailor before the mast. Look at me now---shoved into
+a job as first officer, with my full share of all we can lay hands on.
+Do you suppose I'm going back to the forecastle, and a bit of silver?
+Not me! I'm for all I can get, and with no care how I get it. This is
+our chance, LeVere. If we put the _Namur_ into Porto Grande, with
+Sanchez on board and alive, and those hell-hounds locked below, we'll
+get anything we ask for. We'll be the cocks of the walk. If he
+shouldn't live through, why then we'll have a ship, and can run the
+game alone. Either way, if we win, the prize is ours--and, by God! if
+we stick together we win."
+
+My apparent enthusiasm caught the fellow. I could read the working of
+his mind in his face. This was a new view of the situation, a new
+vision. It appealed to him from every standpoint--it promised wealth,
+power, the total defeat of Estevan; everything he most desired. And as
+I pictured it, the result seemed easy of attainment. His eyes gleamed
+lightning.
+
+"You think Senor Sanchez live?"
+
+"What difference? If he lives he owes his life to us. If he dies the
+bark is in our hands, and the treasure. The thing to consider now is
+how to get control. Once we have won, we care nothing if he live or
+die. Come, we have wasted time enough in talk; it is action that
+counts--what say you? Are we together in this?"
+
+He thrust out a lean, yellow hand, and I gripped it firmly.
+
+"Si, Senor; you speak right. To do this we must act. I am with you."
+
+"You pledge your word, Francois?"
+
+"I pledge it, Senor."
+
+"Good! and you have mine. Now to the work--first Manuel Estevan, and
+then the men on deck. 'Tis his stateroom yonder."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+LAYING THE TRAP
+
+
+Our first job was executed much more easily than I had anticipated. We
+caught Manuel sound asleep, and LeVere had sinewy hands at his throat
+before the fellow could grasp a weapon, or even clearly comprehend the
+nature of the attack. The narrowness of the stateroom prevented my
+taking much part in the affair, but the mulatto needed no help, as he
+dragged the cursing Spaniard from his bunk to the deck and throttled
+him savagely. Indeed he would have killed the fellow had I not
+interfered and twisted his hands loose, leaving Estevan barely
+conscious. A blanket ripped into strips served to bind him securely
+enough for the present, but I thought it best to lock the door, and
+keep the key in my own pocket. LeVere would have knifed him even as he
+lay there helpless, but for my threat and insistence. Once back in the
+cabin my eyes distinguished the frightened face of the steward peering
+forth at us from out the dark of the passage leading forward.
+
+"Come here, Gunsaules," I said sternly. "Step lively, lad; there's
+nothing for you to fear."
+
+"Yes, Senor--yes," and; he crept forth from his partial cover,
+glancing fearfully from face to face as he advanced.
+
+"Senor Estada has been killed during the night, and we have just
+captured his murderer," I explained hastily. "There is reason to
+believe this act was part of a conspiracy to seize the ship."
+
+"By Senor Manuel?" his eyes staring at me from out a white face.
+
+"Yes, in connection with those fellows amidships. Does that passage
+lead to their quarters?"
+
+"It did once, Senor, but now there is a closed door. The Captain
+Sanchez had it so arranged to prevent the men from coming aft."
+
+"What kind of a door?"
+
+"Of oak, studded with iron, not only locked, but barred on this side."
+
+"You have no key?"
+
+"No, Senor; there are but two--one for the Captain and the other for
+him who commands the buccaneers."
+
+"Manuel?"
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+I stood there a moment silent, considering this information, and
+rapidly arranging in mind our future operations. The only way the
+mutineers could reach the cabin then would be from the deck,
+descending through the companion. So long as they remained unaware of
+the capture of Manuel there was little danger of their taking such
+action. My faith in Gunsaules was not great, yet the probability was
+that he would remain loyal to whichever party held the upper hand.
+That was ever the way with these men.
+
+"Very well, steward," I said. "You go on about your work as though
+nothing had happened. If any word of this affair gets to the crew, or
+to those fellows forward, I'll hold you responsible. Understand
+that!"
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"You are not to leave this cabin without my permission, nor speak to
+anyone. LeVere."
+
+The mulatto faced me respectfully enough, and I had a feeling he would
+obey orders, largely because he dare not rebel.
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"They will be wondering why you are not on deck. It will be better for
+you to take charge of the watch at once, and keep the men busy.
+Relieve Watkins at the wheel and send the man down to me. He can
+choose the fellows who will stick better than you could, and then can
+circulate among them without arousing suspicion. Send him down at once
+quietly."
+
+He disappeared through the companion, while Gunsaules vanished within
+the storeroom, where I could hear him rummaging noisily about. I sat
+down to wait the appearance of Watkins, satisfied that matters were
+already safely in my control. That the English sailor would cooperate,
+I had no doubt, and as to LeVere, he had already gone too far to
+openly play the traitor. It was full daylight now, and evidently a
+bright morning, although the swell of the sea remained heavy, and I
+judged there must be a strong wind. Watkins, muffled to the ears in a
+heavy jacket, and with cap pulled down so I could scarcely see his
+face, shuffled down the steps. He whipped off the cap and stood
+waiting.
+
+"The officer of the deck sent me here, sir."
+
+"I asked for you; did LeVere tell you why?"
+
+"No sir; only that I was to come at once and quietly."  I put my hand
+on his shoulder. "Tom," I said soberly, but so low I felt sure even
+Gunsaules would not overhear, "we are in the same boat, and understand
+each other. The chance has come for both of us, if we play the cards
+right. Listen while I tell you the situation, and what I plan doing."
+
+I told it briefly, wasting no words, yet relating every fact, even
+including my visit and conversation with Dorothy, and the throwing of
+the body through the after port. He listened eagerly, but without
+interruption until the end.
+
+"What do you make of it?" I asked, irritated by his silence.
+
+"About what you do, sir. I knew there was something of the kind going
+on--some of the men forward are in on it. You've got the ring-leader."
+
+"Manuel, you mean. Who did he count on for help in the forecastle?"
+
+"Cochose, and a handful of others, niggers and Spaniards, mostly. They
+even tried out one or two white men. That's how I heard of it, through
+Jack Jones, but they never told him enough to make the plan clear.
+However, with what you've just said I've got a pretty fair
+understanding. They meant to pull the affair off either today or
+tonight. What sorter lookin' chap was the fellow you knocked out,
+sir?"
+
+"I scarcely saw his face--a half-breed I should say; rather short, but
+stout, with long hair."
+
+"Jose; he is the one Manuel would choose for such a job. But why he
+got into the girl's room is more than I know. However, if he is dead,
+and Manuel a prisoner, it gives us a fair chance, sir. It leaves
+those fellows amidships without a leader. A dozen good men on deck
+might do the business."
+
+"But are there a dozen aboard to be trusted?"
+
+He hesitated, running the names over in his mind, evidently weighing
+each one carefully.
+
+"Well, yes sir. I rather think there are," he said finally. "It won't
+do for to make any mistake here, but I'm pretty sure of these fellows.
+I'd say that in both watches there's maybe fourteen to be relied on.
+There's one or two others in the starboard watch who are likely enough
+all right, but I don't get to see them alone much."
+
+"Who do you pick out?"
+
+"In my watch there's Jones, Harwood and Simms, either English or
+Welsh. They're all right. Then there's a nigger named Sam; Schmitt, a
+Dutchman, with his partner, whose name I don't know, and two
+Frenchies, Ravel and Pierre. That makes eight, nine counting myself.
+Then in the starboard watch I'd pick out Jim Carter and Joe Cole, two
+Swedes, Carlson and Ole Hallin, and another nigger. Then there are a
+couple of Finns who ought to be with us, but I can't talk their lingo.
+That would give us sixteen out of thirty, and it's quite likely some
+of the others would take a hand with us, if they thought it was safe.
+I have'nt any use though, sir, for Francois LeVere. There ain't a
+worse scamp aboard."
+
+"I know that," I admitted, "but he had to be used. It was through him
+that Estada's murder was discovered. But he is safe enough for the
+present, for he made the attack on Manuel, and so will not dare go
+back on us. His life is in the balance. But wait, Tom; don't breathe
+in his ear our real purpose; I've convinced him that we mean to keep
+in the trade, dividing the treasure aboard, and sailing the bark to
+Porto Grande."
+
+"Oh, so that's the game? And what is my part now?"
+
+"This is my watch below, and it will be best for me to keep off the
+deck until all is prepared. Besides I am afraid to leave the cabin
+unguarded. There is no knowing what Gunsaules might do. You sound
+these men and get them together; wake up the ones in the starboard
+watch you feel sure are all right, and have them slip quietly on deck.
+LeVere will understand what you are up to, and will make no objection.
+As soon as you have everything ready, let me know."
+
+"We are none of us armed, sir."
+
+"That is what I was coming to. When you are sure of your men, and have
+them on deck, I'll get LeVere to send them all aft on some pretext or
+other. I'll think up a way to do this without creating any suspicion.
+Then we'll get these arms in the rack here, and be ready for
+business--the rest will be done in a hurry. You have it all clear?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Then I'll wait here for your report."
+
+At the very best Watkins could scarcely perform the task assigned him
+in less than an hour. No doubt there were those on his list whom he
+would have to approach with great caution, while there was always
+danger that some word might be dropped to awaken suspicion. The
+success or failure of our effort depended entirely upon taking these
+fellows by complete surprise. If it came to an open fight our cause
+was hopeless, for that would mean fourteen or fifteen men unarmed,
+pitted against over a hundred, thoroughly equipped and trained
+fighters. To be sure these were at present, without a leader, yet
+their force alone was sufficient to overcome us, and some one among
+them would doubtless assume leadership in an emergency. Only by
+confining them below, with hatches battened down, and a carronade
+trained upon them, would we be safe.
+
+I sat where I could watch the stairs, and the entire forward part of
+the cabin. Gunsaules lowered the table, and began preparing the
+morning meal. He glanced at me each time he passed, but ventured on no
+questioning, although it was quite evident the fellow was nearly
+bursting from curiosity. I lit my pipe, endeavoring to appear entirely
+at ease, as I turned over and over again in mind every detail of the
+contemplated action. With each review the result seemed more certainly
+assured, and my courage revived. Except for some accident, or act of
+treachery, I could perceive no reason why my plan should not work
+perfectly. It was evident that LeVere was endeavoring to keep the
+watch on deck busy. I could hear his voice frequently, calling out
+orders and occasionally singling out some man for a special task. A
+slushing of water proved that the deck amidships was being washed
+down, and twice, at least, men were sent aloft to make some change in
+the spread of canvas.
+
+I stepped across into my stateroom to gain a glimpse out through the
+port. Narrow as the vista was it yet revealed a beautiful sea view,
+the waves running high, but in long billows, with bright sunshine
+glowing along their crests, the hollows a deep purple. Above the sky
+was a pale blue, with scarcely a fleeting cloud visible, and the bark
+was sailing free, laying well over to the fresh breeze, evidently
+carrying all the spread of canvas possible. As I returned to the
+cabin, Gunsaules awaited me to announce breakfast.
+
+"What already?"
+
+"It is six-thirty, Senor. Those were my orders."
+
+"Very well; I suppose Estada and Manuel usually eat first?"
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"That leaves me alone; suppose you rap on the lady's door yonder, and
+ask if she will join me. Say your message is from Senor Gates."
+
+She came forth immediately fully dressed, but bearing herself with
+reserve. On my part I made no effort at greeting, not certain as to
+what eyes might be observing us through the deck light above, or, for
+the matter of that, unwilling to face the curiosity of the watchful
+steward.
+
+"I had you called," I explained, "because of a disinclination to eat
+entirely alone. You were evidently awake?"
+
+"Yes; I have not undressed. I felt no desire to sleep, although, no
+doubt I dozed. The call to breakfast was quite welcome."
+
+She seated herself opposite me, and we spoke of the weather while
+Gunsaules served with some skill. He was still hovering about, but my
+anxiety to enjoy a word with her alone caused me to send him on a task
+elsewhere.
+
+"Has Captain Sanchez been attended to yet?" I asked sharply. "No;
+then see to him at once. I have reason to believe he is alone this
+morning, and will need you. Yes, we can get along very nicely."
+
+We waited until he disappeared within the after stateroom, bearing a
+tray; then her eyes suddenly lifted to mine, filled with questioning.
+
+"Tell me what has happened?" She breathed eagerly. "I heard the noise
+of a struggle out here, and voices conversing. Why are you alone?"
+
+I leaned over to speak in as low a tone as possible.
+
+"I can only explain very briefly. The man who came into your room last
+night had just murdered Estada. LeVere and I found the mate's body at
+daylight. His killing was part of a plot by Manuel, and the buccaneers
+quartered amidships, to seize the bark. We have Manuel already
+prisoner and are preparing to gain possession of the boat ourselves."
+
+"Who are planning? You have found friends on board?"
+
+"I have made LeVere believe his only safety lies in assisting me. I
+told you about Watkins and the other men forward. He has picked out a
+dozen, or so, in whom he has confidence, English sailors mostly and is
+sounding them out. I expect him back with a report at any minute."
+
+"And then what?" her excitement visible in her eyes. "What can a dozen
+men do?"
+
+"Our main weapon is surprise of course. By acting quickly we can gain
+control of the deck. If Watkins' estimate is correct, nine out of the
+port watch now on duty will be with us. If he can add to these five or
+six from the starboard watch below this will make a total, not
+counting LeVere and myself, of fifteen. There would be only five left
+to oppose us on deck and probably two of these would be on watch
+aloft. Once we gain control of the deck we can lock the others below,
+and negotiate with them at our leisure. The plan looks to me quite
+possible."
+
+She sat silently gazing at me across the table, seemingly failing to
+quite comprehend, her parted lips trembling to an unasked question.
+Before she could frame this in words, the door to the companion
+opened, and Watkins descended the stairs. At sight of her he whipped
+off his cap, and stood motionless, fumbling it awkwardly in his hands.
+
+"You may speak freely," I said. "This is the young lady I told you
+about, and of course she is with us. Only talk low, as the steward is
+in the stateroom yonder."
+
+"Yes sir," using a hoarse whisper, and fastening his gaze on me. "It's
+all right, sir."
+
+"They are with us! How many?"
+
+"Eight sure from my watch, sir. Harwood is in the fore-top and
+couldn't be seen, but I'll answer for his bein' all right. There was
+only four I could get word to in the forcastle, but there's others
+there who'll give us help soon as they know what's goin' on."
+
+"That makes twelve of the men, fifteen of us altogether. Are the four
+from the starboard watch on deck?"
+
+He nodded, clutching and unclutching his hands nervously, scarcely
+able to restrain himself.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+THE DECK IS OURS
+
+
+I had the next step carefully outlined in my own mind, and yet I
+hesitated a moment, glancing into the two faces before me, with a
+sudden realization of what the contemplated action would mean to all
+of us, if by any chance it should fail of success. Our lives certainly
+hung in the balance, for these fiends would show no mercy, if once
+they gained power to strike back. Yet how could we fail? Only through
+treachery, or some unforseen accident. And, moreover, it was too late
+for retreat. The one chance, desperate as it appeared, must be taken.
+I managed to speak cheerfully, putting a ring of confidence into my
+voice.
+
+"Then the sooner we act the better. Watkins have LeVere order these
+men aft. Let him say that Senor Estada wishes them to break out some
+stores in the lazaret. That will create no suspicion. They need be
+here only long enough for us to distribute these arms among them, and
+for me to speak a word of instruction to them. Are you ready?"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+As he vanished, I turned to the girl, who had arisen to her feet, one
+hand grasping the edge of the table to balance herself against the
+pitching of the deck.
+
+"It is a desperate chance, is it not?" She questioned anxiously.
+"Yes," I admitted. "Fifteen of us against a hundred and fifteen, but
+worth taking and such an opportunity may never occur again. I believe
+the plan will work; its greatest weakness is, I do not know the men on
+whom I must rely. If there should be a traitor among them we are done
+for. I mean to work so fast no one man will be able to spread the
+news."
+
+"But have I no part? Is there no way in which I can help?"
+
+"You have your pistol?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Then remain here. I shall have to go on deck with the men, and will
+not dare leave them a moment until the ship is absolutely secure.
+Manuel is locked in that stateroom, but must not be communicated with
+by anyone. I hardly believe Gunsaules will attempt anything, but it is
+not safe to trust him alone. It will be your part to see that the
+fellow neither enters that passage leading amidships, nor approaches
+this door. Keep him in sight. You can do this?"
+
+"Of course I can."
+
+"Then you will do most valuable service, and save us a man. Wait here
+now until I see how securely this passage forward is closed."
+
+It was as described to me--a heavy oaken door, nail studded, not only
+locked, but held firmly in place by a stout iron bar. There was not
+the faintest possibility of any entrance aft, except through
+assistance from this side. As I returned to the cabin, Gunsaules came
+out of the Captain's room and crossed the deck. At sight of me he
+stopped instantly, holding his tray in front of him.
+
+"Gunsaules," I said, wasting no words, "you are to remain in this
+cabin until I give the word. The lady here has a pistol, and orders to
+shoot if you attempt to either enter this passage, or approach the
+door of Manuel's stateroom."
+
+"Yes, Senor," his face like chalk, and his eyes rolling.
+
+"How did you find Sanchez?"
+
+"Sitting up in his bunk, Senor, and able to eat."
+
+"Does he know what is occurring on board?"
+
+"No, Senor. He questioned me, but I only told him everything was all
+right, so far."
+
+In my heart I believed the fellow deliberately lied, but there was no
+opportunity to question him further, for at that moment the door of
+the companion opened and a miscellaneous group of men thronged down
+the stairs. They were a rough hairy lot, here and there a sturdy
+English countenance meeting my gaze, but the faces were largely
+foreign, with those of two negroes conspicuous. I felt my heart beat
+furiously at sight of such poor material, and yet many a ship's crew
+appeared worse. The fellows grouped themselves awkwardly behind
+Watkins.
+
+"Twelve here, sir; I couldn't get Harwood down from the fore-top."
+
+"And there are others below who will join us?"
+
+"Yes sir; six more I count on."
+
+"Which means lads, that with Harwood, Senor LeVere, and myself, we'll
+total twenty-one in this shindy. Now I'll tell you what is up. Watkins
+gave you some of it no doubt, but a word from me will make it clearer.
+I'm no pirate; I'm an English sailor, shanghied on board. Estada
+named me first officer because I understand navigation."
+
+I stopped speaking, staring at one of the faces before me; all at once
+it appeared familiar.
+
+"What is your name, my man?"
+
+"Jim Carter, sir."
+
+"You were in the crew of the _Sinbad_, three years ago?"
+
+"I was that, Mister Carlyle," he answered grinning. "I know'd you the
+minute I cum down yere."
+
+"Then that is all I need say on that line. Here's one of your mates,
+lads, who will vouch for me. Now, as I've been told, you are all of
+you in the same boat--you are prisoners on board, cowed by those
+mongrel devils amidships. Do you understand what I say?"
+
+"If ye'd put it in Spanish, sir," said Carter respectfully, "an' talk
+kinder slow, they'd most ov 'em catch the meanin'. That's 'bout all
+the lingo we've heard lately."
+
+"Very well; now listen closely, all of you. Luck has given us a chance
+to make a break, and get away. Captain Sanchez is wounded and
+helpless. Pedro Estada is dead, and I've got Manuel locked in that
+stateroom. His cut-throats are all below, and now all we've got to do
+is clap on the hatch and keep them there."
+
+"What 'bout the nigger on watch?" broke in Jones hoarsely. "I'd like
+ter crook him, by God."
+
+"He's with us so far. I'll answer for him. Now, what I want to know is
+are you fellows with me?"
+
+Watkins answered up promptly; then Carter; the others joining in with
+less heartiness, the different accents revealing their nationalities.
+I knew sailors well enough to feel assured they would follow their
+leaders once the game started.
+
+"That's good enough; now we've got to hit hard and quick, lads. There
+are six men on deck who are not with us. Watkins will take care of
+them with those fellows I don't assign to other work. Jones, you and
+Carter make straight for the forecastle and don't let anyone come up
+the scuttle. One of you had better drop down below, and prevent any of
+those lads from unbarring the door leading amidships. Who is the best
+for that job?"
+
+"Let Carlson do it. He belongs to the starboard watch."
+
+"All right--Carlson it is then. You Frenchmen, and the two negroes,
+your part will be to ship the main hatch. Do a quick job, and clamp it
+down tight. Do you all understand just what you are to do?"
+
+The responses satisfied me.
+
+"I'll come down to you, Carlson, as soon as we have the deck. It ought
+not to take more than five minutes to handle those lads, and slew
+around a carronade. Now don't be afraid to hit hard. Watkins, you and
+Carter hand out the cutlasses from the rack; you boys will handle
+those better than firearms. Good; now are you all ready?"
+
+There was a low murmur of voices, the faces watching me showing their
+increasing excitement and eagerness. Our little talk had served to
+arouse their confidence in my leadership, and with gleaming weapons in
+their hands they became self-reliant volunteers. Once turned loose my
+greatest difficulty might be to restrain them, rather than urge them
+on. Revenge for past wrongs was in each heart, and they welcomed a
+chance to strike and kill.
+
+I whispered a parting word of admonition into the ear of Dorothy,
+receiving in return a glance from her eyes, which gave a new throb to
+my heart; then straightened up, and pistol in hand, pushed my way
+through the throng of sailors to the foot of the stairs.
+
+"Follow me, lads," I said quietly, "and every man do the particular
+thing assigned him. Don't pay any attention to your mates--do your
+part, and then wait for orders. Come on now."
+
+We emerged through the companion, and I stepped aside as the others
+rushed by. There was no shout, no cheer, the fellows seeming to
+realize the desperate nature of their work, and the importance of
+surprise. They were outnumbered five to one, and their only hope of
+success lay in rendering their opponents helpless before they could
+rally to a defense. All the pent-up hate of years was in their hearts,
+blazed madly in their eyes; they were tigers leaping at the throat of
+their prey, yet sane enough to comprehend even in their blood-rage
+that they must act together. It was over so quickly I scarcely saw it
+all; my memory now is of a clear sky, a deck almost deserted, its
+brass work glowing in the sun, the white sails above bellowing out to
+the pressure of a strong wind, and the blue sea, crested with white,
+stretching about us in desolate grandeur. LeVere stared down over the
+poop rail, behind him the motionless figure of the wheelsman, his
+hands gripping the spokes, while across the open deck the speeding
+mutineers leaped to their several posts, with bare cutlasses shining
+in the sun. And they did their work. My eyes swept from group to
+group--the four toiling at the cover of the main hatch; the fellows
+racing toward the forecastle; and Watkins' squad driving straight into
+the grouped watch beyond the foremast. It was smartly done; Watkins
+had taken no cutlass, but went in with both fists, asking no
+questions, but battering right and left, his men surging after, with
+steel blades flaming in the sunlight. The astounded watch, cursing and
+fighting grimly, held for a moment, and then went staggering back
+against the port rail, unable to stem the rush, and roaring for mercy.
+I had view of Carlson dropping recklessly down the forecastle scuttle,
+and then sprang forward myself to give a hand to the four wrestling
+with the main hatch. Together we dragged it into position, forcing
+relentlessly back as we did so, a dozen struggling figures frantically
+endeavoring to reach the deck. Shots were fired, the bullets whistling
+through the opening, the flare lighting up the black depths below,
+revealing vaguely a mass of frantic men staring up, and cursing us
+fiercely in a dozen languages; but, in spite of them, we clamped the
+hatch down tight, and locked it securely into place with an iron bar.
+Even through this cover the sound of smothered yells reached our ears,
+mingled with blows of gun-butts, as the fellows vainly endeavored to
+break out from their prison. The negro Sam grinned from ear to ear,
+executing a jig, as he flashed his cutlass above his head.
+
+"Stay here, all four of you," I commanded sharply. "This job is well
+done. Now let me see about the others."
+
+Watkins needed no help; he had his party rounded up, and in complete
+control, the fellows begging for mercy, as they crouched before the
+cutlasses of their assailants. To my orders they were driven into the
+cook's galley and a guard stationed at the door. Then I turned to the
+more serious work confronting me in the forecastle. What lay before me
+in facing the members of the starboard watch it was impossible to
+conceive, but they had to be sorted out, and it was my task. We must
+have men enough to sail the bark, and if I was to command them, I must
+first of all prove my courage and enforce authority. The whole success
+of our effort depended on this.
+
+"What's going on below?" I asked.
+
+"Cursin' mostly," answered Carter, peering down through a slight
+uptilting of the scuttle. "They don't just know what's happening yet,
+but the big nigger seems ter be raisin' hell. Carlson is a holdin' him
+back with his cutlass."
+
+"Open up and let me down."
+
+I fell, rather than clambered along the rungs of the ladder, coming to
+my feet on deck in the midst of a group of angry men, who had Carlson
+pinned against the bulkhead. The light was so poor I could scarcely
+see their faces; a babel of voices greeted me, and more than one hand
+gripped me fiercely as the excited owner yelped a demand to know what
+in hell we were up to. I roughly cleared a space, aided by Carlson's
+cutlass, and fronted them defiantly. Towering above them all, his
+black apelike face, distorted with rage, I distinguished the giant
+Cochose, his immense hands grasping a wooden bar ripped from a bunk.
+Plainly enough he was the leader, the one man whose ascendency I must
+crush, and I meant to do it, then and there. This was no job I could
+turn over to others; if I was to rule, this black brute must be
+conquered at the very start, conquered by my own hands, and in the
+presence of his mates. Here, in this black forecastle, we must fight
+it out, breast to breast, as savagely as beasts of the jungle, to the
+bitter end. I made the resolve, with teeth clenched, and every muscle
+throbbing with eagerness.
+
+"Stand back there lads," I said sternly, my eyes searching their
+faces, and with pistol poised threateningly. "Give us room. I'll
+explain all that has happened presently, but first I am going to lick
+that black brute within an inch of his life. Step out of there,
+Cochose."
+
+He came grinning widely, balancing the heavy club in his hands.
+
+"You mean me, sah? You all think yer kin lick me?"
+
+"Yes, I think so; I'll try it anyway. Here Carlson, take this pistol
+and sheath knife. If anyone interferes shoot him. All I ask is fair
+play. Drop that club, Cochose, and throw away your knife. You and I
+will fight this out with bare hands."
+
+His dull brain worked slowly, and he stared at me, his eyes ugly, his
+grin becoming savage with a display of teeth. His silence and lack of
+response, awoke a growl from the impatient circle of men behind. One
+fellow kicked the club out of his hand contemptuously, and another
+plucked the knife from his belt.
+
+"You big skulker," the latter said, with an oath of derision, "go on,
+and fight! What in hell are you afraid of?"
+
+"What for Ah fight this white man? Ah don't even know who he is."
+
+"Then I'll tell you. Estada is dead; Manuel is a prisoner. I'm in
+command of this bark, and I am going to give you a lesson for the
+benefit of the crew. You are a big, boasting cur! I heard what you
+said when I came down, and now I'll make you prove it. You other
+fellows stand back--I'll make this beast fight."
+
+I took two steps forward, my advance so swift and unexpected, the big
+negro had not even time in which to throw up an arm in defense. With
+open hand I struck him squarely across the face, an insulting,
+stinging blow.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+IN FULL POSSESSION
+
+
+A roar of delight mingled with the negro's snarl of rage at this
+action. For an instant the fellow appeared too completely surprised
+for movement, although an angry oath burst from his lips, and the grin
+of derision faded from his face. I knew sailors, and felt that these
+men would not differ greatly from the occupants of other forecastles
+on the seven seas. They would welcome a fight like this and their
+immediate sympathy would be with me for starting it. More than that,
+this black bully, ruling over them by brute force, could be no
+favorite. They might fear him, but with that fear would be mingled
+hate, and a delight in his downfall.
+
+The respite was short, yet in that instant, although I cannot recall
+removing watchful eyes from the negro's face, I received an impression
+of my surroundings never to be erased from memory. The grim picture
+arises before me now, distinct in every detail, the gloomy interior,
+the deck, foul, littered with sea boots, and discarded clothing, and
+the great beams overhead blackened by smoke. The rays of the swinging
+slush lantern barely illuminated the central space, the rows of bunks
+beyond remaining mere shadows, yet this dim, yellowish light, fell
+full upon the excited, half circle of men who were roaring about the
+negro, and had already pressed him forward until he stood confronting
+me, his grin of derision changed into a scowl of hate. They were a
+rough, wild lot, bearded and uncombed, ranging in color from the
+intense black of Central Africa to the blond of Scandinavia, half
+naked some, their voices mingling in a dozen tongues, their eyes
+gleaming with savagery. They impressed me as animals of the jungle,
+thirsting for blood, and I knew the man who came victorious from this
+struggle would be their leader. The thought stiffened my muscles, and
+strengthened my determination to win.
+
+I know not whether Cochose lunged forward of his own volition, or was
+pressed on from behind, yet suddenly he was within reach of me, and
+the battle was on. It was short and fierce, his object evidently being
+to crush me in his giant grip, mine to oppose science to strength, and
+avoid his bear-hug. We swayed back and forth to the sharp pitching of
+the ship, barely able to keep our feet, sparring for some advantage.
+Once he would have had me, but for a lunge of the vessel which sent
+him sprawling on hands and knees; yet, before I could recover, the man
+was up again, furious with anger. This time, he sprang straight at me,
+uttering a growl of rage, determined to smash me to the deck by the
+very power of his onslaught. But I side-stepped him, getting in two
+swift blows, which rocked his head, and tore open one cheek, from
+which blood trickled. Yet he kept his feet, blindly gripping for me,
+driven almost crazy by the pain of my last blow, and the jeers of his
+mates.
+
+I evaded his clutch by leaping aside, but the space was far too small
+to permit these tactics to carry long, and finally he had me. Yet,
+even as he seemingly crushed the very breath out of me, his giant
+strength met with a resistance which increased his fury. Already the
+fellow had lost his head, but I fought coolly, putting my skill
+against brute force, every wrestler's trick I knew flashing into my
+brain. Breathless, my flesh scraped and bruised, I wriggled partly
+free, and tripped him, his great body striking the deck with a thud. I
+fell with him, dragged down by his desperate grip, but was first upon
+my feet, saluted by a roar of delight from the lips of those crowding
+about us. As he staggered up also, cursing fiercely, his lips drawn
+back in a snarl, his brutal face, that of a wild animal, I struck him
+again, a blow which would have ended the game, had not my foot slipped
+on the reeling deck. As it was it drove him to his knees, groggy, and
+with one eye half closed, yet with strength enough left to regain his
+feet as soon as I. This time he charged me like a wild bull, froth
+whitening his lips, scarcely appearing human in the yellow light. In
+mad rage he forgot all caution, all pretense at defense, his one
+thought to reach me with his hands, and throttle me into lifeless
+pulp. Here was where skill and coolness won. I fought him back,
+driving blow on blow through his guard, sidestepping his mad rushes,
+landing again and again on his body. Twice I got in over his heart,
+and at last, found the chance I sought, and sent a right jab straight
+to the chin. All the force of one hundred and eighty pounds was behind
+the clinched fist, and the negro went down as though floored by a
+poleaxe. Once weakly he endeavored to rise, but this time I used my
+left, and he never stirred again, lying there with no sign of life
+except the quivering of the huge body. Assured that he was down and
+out, I stood above him, gazing into the ring of excited faces.
+
+"That's one attended to," I said shortly. "Now is there any more of
+you who would like to fight this out?"
+
+There was no answer although the ring widened under the threat of my
+eyes, and I met sullen faces here and there. I was in no mood to take
+chances.
+
+"Carlson," I said, glancing back at him. "You know all these men?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Pick out those you can trust, and have them stand over there to the
+right. Call them out by name; be lively now."
+
+They stepped forth eagerly enough, and ranged themselves before the
+bunks, the faces mostly those of northern Europe, although a negro or
+two was among them. As the Swede ceased calling, six or seven yet
+remained clustered in front of me, a motley lot, one of them an
+Indian, the others mostly half-breeds. I glanced from face to face
+inquiringly.
+
+"How about it, you?" I asked. "Are there any more of you fellows who
+take a chance with us? This is my last offer?"
+
+"What's the game?" asked a sullen voice in English, and a bearded
+fellow burned black, pushed his way to the front. I had not noted his
+presence before, but instantly recognized his character.
+
+"Are you English?"
+
+"No; I used ter be Scotch; now I'm damned if I know what I am. One
+flag is as good as another ter me--only I want to know what sorter
+game I'm playin' in. Who the hell are yer? An' whar'd yer cum frum?"
+
+"I am an English seaman," I answered shortly, "and how I came aboard
+makes no difference. Right now I am the only navigator on the
+_Namur_."
+
+"What's happened ter Estada?"
+
+"He's dead--knifed last night by one of the buccaneers. Manuel Estevan
+had a hand in the business, and he's safely locked in a stateroom aft.
+Captain Sanchez is wounded and helpless, and those cut-throats
+amidships are battened down below hatches. LeVere and I are the
+officers left, and we control the deck. We had to fight it out, or
+likely it would be our turn next."
+
+"Yer mean those fellers were aimin' ter take the ship?"
+
+"Exactly that; now where are you lads? With Manuel and his bunch of
+pirates? Or with us?"
+
+"What er yer going ter do with us, an' this ship? That's the fu'st
+question."
+
+I had not decided that even in my own mind, but the answer came
+promptly enough, as my eyes swept the faces fronting me.
+
+"What's your name?"
+
+"Ben MacClintock."
+
+"Well, MacClintock. I am going to leave that to the crew. As soon as
+we have all secure, I'll have every man on deck, and then we'll talk
+it over. That's fair enough isn't it?"
+
+"It looks fair. Come on, mates; I'm fer the Englishman."
+
+Only one followed him, however, a sheep-faced boy; the others remained
+sullen, and defiant. Likely enough they failed to understand what had
+been said, but I had no further time to waste in explanations. I
+glanced up at Carter's face framed in the scuttle hole.
+
+"Your guard there?"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+"Pass these men up and take them forward with the others. Turn them
+over to Watkins. Then come back here, and report to me."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+They went up the ladder one by one, and disappeared onto the deck
+above, the majority cheerful enough, although a few of the faces were
+scowling darkly as they passed me. Carlson and I watched the others,
+the Swede still retaining his pistol in hand, until Carter stuck his
+head once again through the opening.
+
+"All safe, sir--they was like lambs."
+
+"Very well; stand by to help. Now you lads, lift this black brute and
+shove him up to where they can get hold above. Step lively unless you
+want trouble. Show them the way Carlson."
+
+It was some heavy job, but they finally hoisted the unconscious form
+up the ladder and forced it through the hole onto the deck. At my
+stern command the others also crawled forth into the sunlight, where
+Carlson and I followed them, leaving the forecastle deserted. I felt
+that I must dispose of these fellows before attempting anything else,
+and scarcely took time to glance about. They were huddled in a little
+bunch around the outstretched body of Cochose, helpless from lack of
+leadership.
+
+"Pick up the negro; yes, you fellows. Now aft with him--all of you."
+We halted at the main hatch, and I had the cover slipped to one side,
+the armed sailors gathering close about the edge, as I peered down. It
+was a scene of pandemonium, revealed in the yellow flame of slush
+lanterns, a group of white faces showing clearly, as the prisoners
+below struggled forward, gesticulating and shouting. The glow of light
+glistened on a variety of weapons, but I dare not send men below, into
+the midst of those shrieking devils to disarm them. Nor was I greatly
+afraid of the result at present. They must still be in total ignorance
+of what had occurred on board, and why the hatch had been fastened
+down. Indeed this was plainly evidenced by their cries and threats.
+They were leaderless, confused, unable to determine what to attempt.
+While they remained in that condition they could not greatly endanger
+my plan. Later, with a body of armed seamen behind me, I would compel
+the surrender of weapons, but now I must hold them as they were,
+quarreling among themselves, and take time to strengthen my authority
+on deck. With this in mind, ignoring their mad roaring, and the threat
+of leveled guns, I stared down at the infuriated faces, until the
+clamor ceased sufficiently to let my voice be heard. I used Spanish,
+my lack of facility in that tongue rendering my speech slow. The
+instant silence proved my words understood.
+
+"What are you men trying to do, frighten me? You might as well stop
+that. This opening is lined with guns, and if one of you fire a shot
+we'll pour lead into you. More than that; if you attempt to climb out,
+you'll meet a hot reception. There is a brass carronade trained on
+the hatch to sweep you to kingdom come. So listen!"
+
+Several voices shouted up inquiries, but one, shrill and insistent,
+rose clearly above the others.
+
+"What's happening? What yer going to do with us?"
+
+I thought I located the questioner among the jumbled mass below, and
+with my eyes on him, answered for all his mates.
+
+"We are in control of the ship," I called back, "and mean to keep it.
+The old officers are either dead or prisoners. What we do with you
+will depend on your actions, but we're ready to kill if necessary. If
+you keep quiet down there, and obey orders, you'll be fed, and treated
+decently enough. Pass up your arms."
+
+There was no movement, only a glare of hostile eyes, an
+indistinguishable growl of voices.
+
+"Kneel down, lads and cover those fellows," I ordered sternly drawing
+my own pistol. "Now you below there, this is my last word. I'll count
+ten, and you'll either pass up those weapons or we'll pour our fire
+into you. If your miserable lives are worth anything to you, the
+quicker you move the better. Take aim, boys."
+
+There was a moment of deathly silence, except for my counting and the
+heavy breathing of the trapped prisoners. One man uttered a curse, and
+the jam of figures at the foot of the ladder endeavored to work back
+out of range, yet, before I had spoken the word eight, guns were held
+aloft, and poked up within reach, and at this sign of surrender even
+the most desperate lost heart and joined the more cowardly. It was a
+strange collection of weapons stacked on the deck--guns, cutlasses,
+knives and pistols of every description, relics of many a foray, some
+apparently very old. Probably all had not been delivered, yet there
+was such a pile, I felt no further fear of the few pieces remaining
+hidden. It was not my intention that the villains should have the
+slightest chance to use the weapons, so when the stream finally
+ceased, I asked no questions, although I gave no orders to the guard
+to withdraw. I had the fellows cowed, and meant to keep them so.
+
+"That's all, is it? Very well--now you men at the foot of the ladder
+take care of this big nigger we're sending down; no, he is not dead,
+only stunned. Let him have a bucket of water, and he'll be all right.
+Now stand aside while a few of your friends join you; they'll tell you
+what's up. Make room there?"
+
+We passed the forecastle scum down one after the other, and as the
+last of these merged into the scarcely distinguishable mass below, I
+gave vent to a sigh of relief, and straightened up, with pistol still
+grasped in my hand. They were now bunched together, all of them, and
+confined where they would prove the least possible danger. Desperate
+and reckless as many of them were, we had them now safely in our own
+hands--disarmed and imprisoned within narrow limits. To be sure they
+might wreck the bark by fire, or otherwise, but that would only peril
+their own lives, and, no matter how willing some might be to accept
+this hazard of fortune, there would be more to oppose the
+proposition--forcibly, if necessary. For them to escape the only means
+was through treachery, and against that possibility I must guard. I
+knew little of the men who had responded to my call, and chosen me as
+leader. Some among them I could trust, but others were merely with me
+while I retained power--would desert at the first doubt. I must rely
+on the judgment of Watkins as to whom among them I could safely depend
+upon, and suspicion and watch the rest. It was no pleasant position,
+yet success thus far had come so easily the knowledge was no
+discouragement.
+
+"When we goin' ter be fed?" yelled a voice from below.
+
+"Presently," I answered. "As soon as the cook has it ready. Shove the
+hatch cover back into place, lads--yes it will be safer fastened down;
+they'll get air enough through treachery, and against that possibility
+I must caged."
+
+Satisfied that every precaution had been taken, and ignoring the
+indignant roar of voices which greeted this order, I watched the men
+shift the heavy hatch cover into place, and then permitted my eyes to
+survey the deck, as I hastily considered our next action.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+THE CREW DECIDES
+
+
+Except that many of the men remained armed there was no suggestion of
+violence visible, no reminder of the fact that we were mutineers. But
+for the gleaming carronade trained on the main hatch, and the small
+group of gunners clustered about it, the scene was peaceable enough,
+resembling the deck of some merchant ship. The bark held steadily to
+her course, with practically every inch of canvas set, the wind
+steady, and only a single hand at the wheel. LeVere stood motionless
+at the poop rail, staring down, as though scarcely realizing what had
+transpired on board, and some way his very attitude and expression of
+face aroused within me a doubt of the man, a determination to put him
+to the test. Evidently he had held aloof and cautiously refrained from
+taking even the slightest part in our activities. The men themselves
+were mostly forward, grouped together and still excitedly discussing
+the situation. That all among them were not satisfied was indicated by
+their gestures, and the fact that Watkins, and others of the more
+loyal, were passing from group to group combating their arguments.
+Plainly enough I must have a heart-to-heart talk with the fellows,
+outlining a plan of escape, and leaving them to imagine their choice
+in the matter would be followed. But, in the meanwhile action of some
+sort would be most apt to overcome their dissatisfaction and prevent
+discussion.
+
+The sky overhead was a pale blue, the sun shining, but as through a
+slight haze, while a heavy cloud of vapor obscured the western
+horizon. Although this promised fog rather than storm, yet the sea had
+a heavy swell and I accepted this threat of a change in weather to
+employ the men in reducing sail. It pleased me to note how swiftly
+they responded to the sound of my voice.
+
+"Stand by to reef topsails," I shouted. "We're all one watch now. Go
+at it lively, lads, and when the job is over we'll eat, and decide
+together what's our next move. Two of you will be enough to guard the
+hatch and you Carter, go into the cabin and relieve the girl there.
+Keep your eyes open. I'll be down presently. Aloft with you and see
+how quick a job you can make of it."
+
+Watkins led the way up the main-mast ratlines, and Cole was first into
+the fore shrouds, the others following eagerly. I watched them lay out
+on the yards and was heartened to hear the fellows sing as they
+worked, the canvas melting away as if by magic. Only three men
+remained in sight on the main deck, the two guarding the closed hatch,
+and one watching the open scuttle leading into the deserted
+forecastle. Back and forth in the galley the cook and his assistant
+passed the open door and Carter had disappeared through the companion.
+I climbed the ladder to where LeVere stood on the poop, but carefully
+ignored his presence, my gaze on the scene aloft. Twice I gave orders,
+changing the steering direction slightly, and commanding the lower
+sails reefed. The mulatto scowling, joined me at the rail.
+
+"Main-top there!" I called sharply. "Anything to report?"
+
+"No, sir; all haze off the port quarter, and nothing showing to
+starboard."
+
+"Keep a lookout; let the others lay down."
+
+LeVere fronted me.
+
+"What's all this about?" he asked. "That's no storm cloud yonder."
+
+"There is always danger in fog," I answered coldly, "and besides there
+is no use carrying on until we know where we are bound. My purpose is
+to keep the men busy, and then talk the situation over with them. Have
+you any criticism of this plan, Senor LeVere?"
+
+He hesitated, but his eyes were narrowed, and ugly.
+
+"You'll do as you please, but you told me we sailed for Porto Grande.
+Was that a lie?"
+
+"Not necessarily," and I smiled grimly. "Although I should not have
+hesitated to tell one under the circumstances. I mean to leave that
+decision to the men themselves. It is their lives that are in danger."
+
+"That damn scum! half of them are English and French. All they want is
+to get away; they will never go back to Porto Grande without you make
+them."
+
+"How make them?"
+
+"By false observations; there is no navigator forward. It is a trick
+easy enough to play with a little nerve. I would never have taken part
+in this mutiny if I had supposed you meant to play into the hands of
+the men."
+
+"It is very little part you took Senor LeVere, judging from what I
+saw. You seemed quite content to stand aft here and look on. However
+you are in it just as deeply as I am, and are going to play the game
+out with me to the end. Do you understand that?"
+
+"What you mean, Senor--play it out?"
+
+"Go on with the rest of us; take your chance with the men and do your
+duty. I am captain here, and I know how to handle insubordination. The
+first sign of treachery on your part, will send you below with those
+others. I don't trust you, and all I want is an excuse to put you out
+of the way--so be careful what you do."
+
+I turned and walked away from him toward the forward rail. The men
+were still aloft but coming in from off the yards. Below me in the
+door of the companion, stood Dorothy, her eyes peering curiously about
+the deserted deck. She glanced up, and saw me, the whole expression of
+her face changing.
+
+"May I come up there?" she asked.
+
+"Certainly; let me help you. Stand here beside me, and you can see all
+that is being done. That's all, lads; breakfast is ready; lay down all
+except the lookout."
+
+We watched while they streamed down the ratlines and gathered forward
+of the galley, squatting in groups on the deck. To all appearances the
+fellows had not a care in the world, or any thought of the stirring
+scenes just passed through. The girl's hand touched my sleeve, and I
+turned and looked into her face.
+
+"A happy-go-lucky lot," I said pleasantly. "Real sailormen. As long as
+they are fed and housed why worry about tomorrow. I'll put this job up
+to them presently."
+
+"The sailor who came into the cabin told me about your fight with the
+negro; you were not hurt?"
+
+"Oh, I did not escape entirely free, but received no serious injury.
+It is not to be thought about now, with all the work ahead."
+
+"The ship is safely in your hands?"
+
+"I can hardly affirm that, Miss Dorothy. The vessel is in our control,
+and the worst of the gang secured below. I have confidence in the
+loyalty of only a very few of these fellows, and the others will have
+to be watched day and night as long as we remain afloat. Those are
+desperate men locked below, and are bound to make some effort to free
+themselves. If there is any treachery on deck it may lead to their
+release."
+
+"You were talking with Senor LeVere; I overheard a word or two. He is
+not with you willingly?"
+
+"No," and I swept the deck seeking him, fearful what I said might be
+overheard. "I distrust him more than any of the others. Those men
+forward are seamen, and will abide by their mates. Moreover they are
+accustomed to taking orders, and doing what they are told. I believe I
+can handle them, with what help I have. But the mulatto is different.
+He belongs with the worst element on board, and only joined us from
+fear of being killed just as Estada was. He has no heart in this job,
+and would accept any chance to square himself with those cut-throats
+below. I'll have trouble with him before we are done, but prefer to
+catch the man red-handed."
+
+"But what do you mean to do next?" she asked anxiously. "There cannot
+be a moment of safety with those horrible creatures aboard."
+
+"True; yet with the material I am dealing with, I dare not venture
+too far. Probably in that bunch forward there are men guilty of every
+crime in the calendar; as depraved as any we have below. They have
+joined us for various reasons, but would desert and become ugly in an
+instant, if they suspected we might turn them over to the authorities.
+There is only one safe course for me to pursue under these conditions;
+let them decide by vote what should be done."
+
+"What do you imagine such a vote will show?"
+
+"That the vessel be beached on some remote coast, all the spoils
+aboard divided, and then the crew permitted to go where they please.
+There will be some who may prefer continuing the cruise before
+destroying the bark, but I believe there are enough fairly honest
+fellows among them eager to escape this sort of life, to control."
+
+"But the wretches below? Surely you would not leave them to drown?"
+
+"No; they would have to be released with the others, after the
+division had been made."
+
+"That would leave us at their mercy?"
+
+"Yes," I whispered, "if we waited until that time. I do not propose
+taking any such chance. Here is my plan, and it seems the only
+feasible one left us. We are helpless if these men revolt, and they
+certainly will unless given their own way. I have no doubt but what
+their decision will be practically as I have outlined. Very well, I
+will acquiesce in it cheerfully enough to arouse no suspicion. I am
+the only navigator on board; the only one with any knowledge even of
+where we are. Not even LeVere could check up on me. The night the
+vessel is to be beached Watkins and Carter, with one or two they
+select, will get off in a small boat, carefully provisioned, and thus
+make our own landing. We'll not worry about what fate awaits the
+others."
+
+Her eyes sought mine anxiously, full of questioning.
+
+"You are confident of being able to accomplish this without
+detection?"
+
+"Yes; we can choose the right moment. With not men enough on deck to
+prevent our lowering a boat, and a dark night, the escape will not
+prove difficult. No one aboard except myself will know where we are."
+
+"Have you considered Captain Sanchez?"
+
+"Why no," in surprise, "he is helpless below, badly wounded."
+
+"Not so badly as you suppose," she said swiftly. "He is able to be up
+and about his stateroom. I heard him moving, and I believe the steward
+has told him what has occurred on board, and endeavored to bear a
+message from him to those men amidships."
+
+"You believe this? What did you do?"
+
+"I held my pistol to his head and locked him in the pantry. He is
+there now, with the sailor you sent on guard. That is what I came on
+deck to tell you."
+
+"But Sanchez! You saw nothing of him?"
+
+"No; but there was certainly movement in his room after the man
+Gunsaules came out. I went over to the door and listened, but there
+was no way for me to lock him in. Surely it must have been him moving,
+as he was alone there."
+
+I stood silent, my eyes first on the forward deck, and then sweeping
+about the horizon. The view by then was very narrow, the gathering
+clouds of mist so dense as to obscure everything, leaving a mere gray
+trail of sea revealed, scarcely a hundred yards in extent in any
+direction. I hardly perceived even this as my thought centered on this
+new peril. Yet why should I hold it a peril? The ending of it was in
+my hands, I need not await action, or permit him opportunity. The
+warning had come in ample time. Sanchez was still in my power,
+separated from his followers, incapable of doing us any serious harm.
+All that was needed for me to do was to keep him in close confinement.
+We were surely not far from the coast; twenty-four hours, perhaps
+twelve, would suffice, to make our escape from this cursed ship
+possible. I must get an observation so as to know our exact position;
+after that the course would be figured definitely, and I would then
+know the time required. My eyes again sought her face.
+
+"He is a danger, of course, but not a serious one," I said
+confidently. "It is safe enough to leave him undisturbed at present
+with Cole on guard. The first thing I need do is to satisfy those men.
+I'll attend to that now, and then see to the proper securing of
+Sanchez."
+
+"Shall I remain here?"
+
+"You told the man Cole what you heard?"
+
+"Yes, I explained everything to him before I came on deck."
+
+"Then you are not needed in the cabin. He is a reliable man. Remain
+here with LeVere while I go forward, and watch that he does not
+attempt to go below."
+
+The fellows had not finished mess, but I felt the danger of further
+delay, and talked to them as they sat on deck, explaining briefly the
+entire situation, and the causes leading up to the mutiny. I dealt
+with the matter in plain terms, making no apparent effort to influence
+them, yet forcibly compelling each individual to realize what would be
+the result of our recapture. They listened earnestly, asking an
+occasional question, and passing comments back and forth freely among
+themselves.
+
+I shall never forget that scene, the decks already wet with fog, which
+swirled about us in an impenetrable cloud of vapor, utterly blotting
+out the sea, and even rendering our faces strange and indistinct. The
+foremast disappeared at the lower fore-yard, while aft of the cook's
+galley the bark was entirely invisible. We rolled heavily in the swell
+of the heaving water, barely retaining steerage-way, the closely
+reefed sails aloft flapping against the masts, the straining deck
+beams creaking noisily to every roll of the vessel. The sailors stared
+up at me, rough dressed and hairy, yet not a bad-looking lot as
+sailors go, but with here and there a face to be distrusted. I sent
+Watkins to the cabin for a roll of charts, and spreading these out,
+endeavored as well as I could, to make clear our probable position and
+the nearest point of land. This was largely guesswork, but I
+approximated distances and made the situation fairly clear. When I had
+completed the explanation, and stood before them awaiting decision, it
+was Haines who acted as their spokesman.
+
+"This yere is Cape Howarth?" he asked, a grimy thumb on the point
+indicated. "An' yer say it's 'bout a hundred and fifty miles west?"
+
+"Yes, about that."
+
+"An' thar's no settlement?"
+
+"Some colonists fifty miles north is all."  "That's 'bout right." He
+turned to the others. "Say mates, this is how I figure. We can't go on
+no long cruise with all those bloody rats in the hold. They're bound
+ter find some way out if we give 'em time 'nough. Fer as I'm
+concerned, I'm fer dividin' up whut we've got, and ter hell with
+piratin'. What 'er yer say, mates? Shall we run the ol' hooker ashore,
+an' leave her thar, while we tramp the coast? We're just a
+ship-wrecked crew."
+
+"What 'bout them fellers down below?"
+
+"Ter hell with 'em! Let 'em take keer o' 'emselves. Thet's the way
+they'd treat us."
+
+"He's bloody well right, mates," said a loud voice heartily. "There's
+plenty o' swag aboard ter give us all a fist full. I'm fer a division,
+an gettin' out with our lives--what say yer?"
+
+There was a chorus of approval sufficient in volume to satisfy me, and
+I accepted this as a decision.
+
+"All right, lads," I said briefly. "In my judgment your choice is a
+wise one. I'll have an observation as soon as the fog clears and we'll
+head in for the Cape."
+
+"When do we divide the swag?"
+
+"Fifty miles off the coast. That's fair enough, isn't it? And my share
+goes to you."
+
+There was a straggling cheer, but I broke it up with a sharp order.
+
+"Now stand by for work, all of you. Watkins and Carter I want you
+aft."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+THE PRISONERS ESCAPE
+
+
+The two men followed me silently as far as the companion, where we
+paused a moment staring blindly about us into the fog. Even the guard
+at the main hatch was invisible.
+
+"This can scarcely last long," I remarked, "but there may be a storm
+brewing."
+
+"I don't think so, sir," one of the men answered civilly. "I've run in
+to these yere mists afore 'long this coast; it's liable ter be all
+clear 'fore the sun goes down."
+
+"Well we'll make the ship safe first Carter, you are an able seaman?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Guard this after deck until Watkins and I come back. Under no
+circumstances permit LeVere to enter the cabin. You understand?"
+
+He grinned appreciatively.
+
+"That nigger ain't likely ter get by me, sir; I'd just like for ter
+take one whack at him."
+
+"Don't be rough, if you can help it. As far as I know now he is with
+us, and ranks second officer. My only orders are--see that he remains
+on deck while we are below."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir; he'll stay thar."  With the door closed, we were
+plunged into a darkness which rendered the interior invisible. I
+wondered dimly why the man on guard had not lighted the swinging
+lantern but before I could call out to the fellow, Watkins whispered.
+
+"What's up? Anything wrong in here?"
+
+"Not that I know of, but the young lady reported Sanchez moving about
+in his stateroom and I think it safer to see to him at once."
+
+"It's blacker than hell down thar."
+
+"Yes; I don't understand it--wait here a minute until I strike a
+light."
+
+I stumbled over something on the deck, as I groped forward, but with
+mind centered on the one object, did not pause until I had located the
+lantern. It blazed up brightly enough, its yellow flame illuminating
+the cabin, and the first thing I saw was the outstretched figure of
+the sailor almost between my feet. I sprang back, giving utterance to
+a cry, which brought Watkins to me, and the two of us stared at the
+grewsome object and then about into the wavering shadows. There was
+nothing to see but the dead man, lying on his face motionless, blood
+still oozing from an ugly knife wound in his back. We needed to ask no
+questions, imagine nothing--the overturned chair, the stricken sailor
+told the whole story. He had been treacherously stuck from behind, the
+blade driven home by a strong hand, and was dead before he fell to the
+deck. It had been silent, vengeful murder, and the assassin had left
+no trace. Who could it have been? Not Gunsaules surely--the steward
+lacked both nerve and strength for such a deed. Then there was but one
+to suspect--Silva Sanchez! I stood there dumb, gazing at the dead
+man, realizing all this dimly, yet conscious only of thankfulness that
+the victim had not been Dorothy Fairfax.
+
+"He's dead, sir," growled Watkins, turning the fellow over with his
+foot, until the ghastly face stared up at the deck beams overhead.
+"Stabbed to the heart frum behind. Look a yere--that wus sum slash.
+Who, the hell do yer suppose did it?"
+
+"That is ours to find out. The deed has just been done, for blood is
+still flowing. Let him alone Watkins and come with me--the murderer
+can't be far off."
+
+I flung open the pantry door, but one glance inside told me that
+Gunsaules had vanished. On the deck lay the strands of rope with which
+he had been secured---they had been severed by a sharp knife, the ends
+discolored with blood stains. I held these out to Watkins.
+
+"Cut since the murder," I said harshly, "and by the same knife."
+
+"Who was in here, sir."
+
+"The steward, Gunsaules. He didn't do the job, but I believe I know
+who did. We'll try the port stateroom aft. Stand by; there's likely to
+be two of them."
+
+The door was unlocked and opened noiselessly, but I took no chances,
+thinking this possibly a ruse. Gloomy as the interior appeared in the
+weird light with banks of fog driving against the ports, a single
+swift glance convinced me it was deserted. There was no place for a
+man to hide, yet I could not convince myself of its emptiness until I
+peered into the disarranged bunk, and surveyed every shadowed corner.
+Watkins watched me curiously, turning his head occasionally to stare
+out into the lighted cabin behind. The situation baffled me
+completely--that Sanchez had done the deed, informed by the steward of
+what was occurring on board and rendered desperate by that report, was
+clear enough in my mind; but what had become of the man? He could not
+have escaped overboard, as the ports were screwed down, and his
+appearance on the open deck above would have surely been observed. His
+place of concealment must remain aft in the cabin, and if so, he must
+be discovered by immediate search. I ordered Watkins to take the
+lantern from the rack and follow me from stateroom to stateroom. We
+began with Dorothy's, finding none of them locked until we came to
+where Manuel was held prisoner. All were empty and in disorder, while
+bending my ear to the locked door, I could distinguish the heavy
+breathing of its inmate, the fellow was evidently sound asleep.
+
+"What do you make of it, Tom?" I asked, facing him in the dim halo of
+light.
+
+"Well, sir," scratching his head with his disengaged hand, "Thar ain't
+but two more places ter look--the cuss is either in the lazaret, er'
+else hidin' in the passage forward; more likely the last."
+
+"Why not the lazaret?"
+
+"Cause thar wouldn't be no object fer him to go thar. He dudn't get
+out agin with the kiver shut down. The thing he'd most likely try fer
+wud be ter release them lads amidships--that'd give him a gang o'
+bullies ter fight with. My idea is, sir, he thought he'd have time ter
+git the bulkhead door open, before anybody cum below--he an' the
+steward, who'd know what the tools wus. That wus the scheme, only we
+busted in too quick. That whar they both are--skulkin' back in them
+shadows."
+
+He fitted the smoking lantern back onto the shelf to have his hands
+free for action, and drew a cutlass out of the arm rack, running one
+leatherly thumb along the blade to test its sharpness. His eyes sought
+mine questioningly.
+
+"Probably your guess is the right one," I said soberly. "We'll give it
+a trial, and should need no help to handle the two of them."
+
+The deck under our feet was fairly steady, the vessel having barely
+steerage-way, rolling slightly to the heave of the sea. No sound
+readied us from above, and the silence of the cabin was profound.
+Indeed the stillness irritated me with its mystery, rendered me
+reckless to penetrate its meaning. Murder had been committed for a
+purpose--it was the first step in an effort to retake the ship. If we
+were to retain our advantage there was no time to be lost; we were
+pitted now against Silva Sanchez, and he was a leader not to be
+despised or temporized with; no cowardly, brainless fool.
+
+The passage leading forward was wide enough to permit of our advancing
+together and for a few steps the light dribbled in past us, quite
+sufficient for guidance, although our shadows were somewhat confusing.
+There were closed doors on either side, evidently locked, as they
+refused to yield to the hand. I took these to be storerooms, possibly
+containing spoils of the voyage, but gave them little other thought,
+my whole interest centered on the intense blackness ahead. I had been
+down this tunnel once before, and knew the bulkhead was not far away,
+but the few steps necessary plunged us into profound blackness,
+through which we advanced cautiously with outstretched hands. No
+slightest sound warned of danger and I was already convinced in my own
+mind that the refugees were not hiding there, when it happened. Within
+an instant we were fighting for our lives, fronted not by two men, but
+by a score, who flung themselves cursing upon us. Their very numbers
+and the narrowness of the passage was our only salvation. At first our
+resistance was blind enough, guided only by the senses of touch and
+sound. We could see nothing of our antagonists, although their fierce
+rush hurled us backward. I fired into the mass, as Watkins slashed
+madly with his cutlass, both managing in some way to keep our feet.
+Hands gripped for us, a bedlam of oaths splitting the air; yet, even
+in that moment of pandemonium, I was quick to realize the fellows were
+weaponless, seeking only to reach and crush us with bare hands. The
+same discovery must have come to the mind of the sailor, for he yelled
+it out defiantly, every stroke of his blade drawing blood. I joined
+him, striking with the butt of the pistol, feeling within me the
+strength of ten men, yet the very weight of them thrust us
+remorselessly back. We killed and wounded, the curses of hate changed
+into sharp cries of agony, but those behind pressed the advance
+forward, and we were inevitably swept back into the light of the cabin
+lamp.
+
+Then I saw faces, hideous in the glare, demonical in their expression
+of hatred--a mass of them, unrecognizable, largely of a wild,
+half-Indian type, with here and there a bearded white. Nor were they
+all bare-handed; in many a grip flashed a knife, and directly fronting
+me, with a meat cleaver uplifted to strike, Sanchez yelled his orders.
+Ignoring all others I leaped straight at him, crying to Watkins as I
+sprang.
+
+"Back lad; dash out that light; I'll hold these devils here a minute!"
+
+I did---God knows how! It was like no fighting ever I had done before,
+a mad, furious mélée, amid which I lost all consciousness of action,
+all guidance of thought, struggling as a wild brute, with all the
+reckless strength of insanity. It is a dim, vague recollection; I am
+sure I felled Sanchez with one blow of my pistol-butt, stretching him
+apparently lifeless at my feet; in some way that deadly cleaver came
+into my hands and I trod on his body, swinging the sharp blade with
+all my might into those scowling faces. They gave sullenly backward;
+they had to, yelping and snarling like a pack of wolves, hacking at me
+with their short knives. I was cut again and again, but scarcely knew
+it. I stood on quivering flesh, driving my weapon from right to left,
+crazed with blood, and seeking only to kill. I saw faces crushed in,
+arms severed, men reeling before me in terror, the sudden spurting of
+blood from ghastly wounds. Oaths mingled with cries of agony and
+shouts of hate. Then in an instant the light was dashed out and all
+was darkness.
+
+It was as though my brain snapped back into ascendency. I was no
+longer a raging fury, mad with the desire to kill, but cool-headed,
+planning escape. Before a hand could reach me in restraint, I sprang
+backward and ran. In the darkness of the cabin I collided with the
+table, and fell sprawling over a stool. The noise guided pursuit, yet,
+wedged together as those fellows still were in the narrow passage,
+fighting each other in the black gloom, gave me every advantage and so
+unhalted, I stumbled up the stairs leading to the companion. The vague
+glimmer of daylight showing through the glass, revealed the presence
+of Watkins. I heard him dash the door wide open, call to those on
+deck, and then saw him wheel about to again confront the devils
+plunging blindly forward toward us through the dark cabin. We could
+hold them here for a time at least, yet I had the sense to know that
+this check would prove only temporary. They outnumbered us ten to one,
+and would arm themselves from the rack. Yet the greater danger lay in
+the loyalty of my own men. A dozen of us might hold these stairs
+against assault, but treachery would leave us helpless. And the very
+thickness of the fog without invited to treachery. If one among them,
+and there were many capable of such an act, should steal below
+forward, and force open the door from the forecastle, we would be
+crushed between two waves of men, and left utterly helpless. I saw the
+whole situation vividly, and as quickly chose the only course to
+pursue, the one hope remaining.
+
+"Here lads," I called sharply back over my shoulder, "five or six of
+you are enough to hold back this scum. Watkins!"
+
+"Ay, sir."
+
+"Bend down here--now listen. Get the boats ready--two will be
+enough--and be lively about it. We'll hold these fellows until you
+report. You know the lads to be trusted. Put two of them at the
+forecastle scuttle, and then rout everybody out from below. Who is
+here now?"
+
+"Name yerselves, bunkies--I can't see yer."
+
+"Simmes."
+
+"Schmitt."
+
+"Ravel DeLasser."
+
+"Carter."
+
+"Jacob Johansen."
+
+"Sam."
+
+"That's enough; you lads remain here with me. Have Harwood watch
+LeVere, while the rest of you get out the boats."
+
+"How many, sir?"
+
+"The two quarter-boats will hold us all. Knock out the plugs in the
+others--and Watkins!"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+"See that Miss Fairfax is placed safely in the after-boat, and then
+stand by. Send me word the moment all is ready. That's all--we're
+going to be busy here presently."
+
+I had glimpse of the thick fog without as he pushed through the door,
+and of a scarcely distinguishable group of men on the deck. Those
+about me could only be located by their restless movements. I stepped
+down one stair conscious of increasing movement below, the meat
+cleaver still gripped in my hands.
+
+"Any of you armed with cutlasses?"
+
+"Oui, M'Sieur, Ravel DeLasser."
+
+"Stand here, to right of me, now another at my left. Who are you?"
+"Jim Carter, sir."
+
+"Good; now strike hard, lads, and you others be ready."
+
+"What's up, sir?" asked a gruff voice. "Has they busted out from
+between decks?"
+
+"That's what's happened. The cabin is full of 'em, and it is your life
+and mine in the balance. If we can get away in this fog they'll never
+find us, but we've got to hold them here until the boats are ready."
+
+"Is it Sanchez?"
+
+"It was Sanchez, but I killed him. That is where we've still got them
+huskies, without a leader."
+
+"But they've got arms."
+
+"Only hand weapons," broke in Carter contemptuously. "We're as good as
+they are--thar ain't no powder."
+
+"Sure of that?"
+
+"Course I am. I cleaned up that rack two days ago. There's ball in the
+bandoliers, but no powder. I wus goin' ter break open a cask, but
+Estada put me at another job."
+
+"Then that leaves us on even footing, lads, we ought to be equal to
+them with the cold steel--can any of you see below?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+IN CLASP OF THE SEA
+
+
+The sound of voices, of moving bodies and bits of furniture overturned
+were plainly discernible, but the darkness was far too dense below to
+permit the eye perceiving what was taking place. Yet I could picture
+the scene, the leaderless mob surging blindly forward, each man vocal
+in his own tongue, swaying with rage, many smarting with wounds,
+uncertain where we had disappeared, yet all alike crazed with a desire
+to attain the open deck. The rattle of steel, the curses, told me some
+among them had reached the arm rack, and seized whatever weapons they
+found there. In their struggle the rack was overturned, and suddenly,
+amid the din, a shrill, penetrating voice yelled something in Spanish,
+which seemed to hush the clamor. There followed a shuffling of feet,
+and the crash of wood as though the butt of a gun had splintered a
+door panel. Then the same voice again pierced the babel. My mind
+gripped the meaning of it all; they had found a leader; they had
+released Manuel Estevan. Now the real fight was on!
+
+We stooped low, to escape as much as possible from the dim revealing
+light streaming through the glass at our backs, and waited, staring
+into the black depths of the cabin, and listening for every sound. The
+release of Manuel, the very knowledge of his presence had changed the
+mob into dangerous fighters. The roar of voices died away with the
+noise of confusion. I could hear the fellow question those about him,
+seeking to learn the situation, but the delay was short, and no
+inkling of his quickly conceived plan of attack was revealed. Yet he
+saw us and understood; his eyes, long trained to darkness, must have
+already marked our dim outlines, for his first order evidenced his
+purpose.
+
+"Who have cutlasses? So many! a dozen form with me. Now bullies, they
+are on the stairs there, and that is the only way to the deck. We'll
+show those damned traitors what fighting means. Now then---to hell
+with 'em!"
+
+We met them, point to point, our advantage the narrow staircase and
+the higher position; theirs the faint glimmer of light at our backs.
+The first rush was reckless and deadly, the infuriated devils not yet
+realizing what they faced, but counting on force of numbers to crush
+our defense. Manuel led them yelling encouragement, and sweeping his
+cutlass, gripped with both hands, in desperate effort to break
+through. DeLasser caught its point with his blade while my cleaver
+missing him with its sharp edge, nevertheless dealt the fellow a blow
+which hurled him back into the arms of the man behind. I saw nothing
+else in detail, the faint light barely revealing indistinct figures
+and gleam of steel. It was a pandemonium of blows and yells, strange
+faces appearing and disappearing, as men leaped desperately at us up
+the steps, and we beat them remorselessly back. I saw nothing more of
+Manuel in the fray, but his shrill voice urged on his followers. It
+was strike and parry, cut and thrust. Twice I kicked my legs free
+from hands that gripped me, and DeLasser fell, a pike thrust through
+him. Who took his place I never knew, but a stout fighter the lad was,
+wielding his cutlass viciously, so that we held them, with dead men
+littering every step to the cabin deck.
+
+But they were of a breed trained to such fighting, and the lash of
+Manuel's tongue drove them into mad recklessness. And there seemed no
+end of them, sweeping up out of those black shadows, with bearded or
+lean brown savage faces, charging over the dead bodies, hacking and
+gouging in vain effort to break through. I struck until my arms ached,
+until my head reeled, scarcely conscious of physical action, yet aware
+of Manners shouts.
+
+"Now you hell-hounds--now! once more, and you have them. Santa Maria!
+you've got to go through, bullies---there is no other way to the deck.
+Think of the yellow boys below; they are all yours if you strike hard
+enough. Rush 'em! That's the way! Here you--go in outside the rail!
+Broth of hell! Now you have him, Pedro!"
+
+For an instant I believed it true; I saw Jim Carter seized and hurled
+sideways, his cutlass clashing as it fell, while a dozen hands dragged
+him headlong into the ruck beneath. But it was only an instant. Before
+the charging devils could pass me, a huge figure filled the vacant
+space, and the butt of a gun crashed into the mass. It was the
+Dutchman, Schmitt, fighting like a demon, his strength that of an ox.
+They gave way in terror before him, and we went down battering our
+way, until the stairs were clear to the deck, except for the dead
+under foot. When we stopped, not a fighting man was left within the
+sweep of our arms. They had scurried back into the darkness like so
+many rats, and we could only stare about blindly, cursing them, as we
+endeavored to recover breath. Schmitt roared like a wild bull, and
+would have rushed on, but for my grip on his shirt.
+
+"Get back, men!" I ordered sharply. "There may be fifty of them
+yonder. Our only chance is the stairs. Do as I say, Schmitt, or fight
+me. Back now!"
+
+We flung the bodies on one side, and formed again from rail to rail.
+Below us there was noise enough, a babel of angry voices, but no
+movement of assault. I could see nothing, although the uproar
+evidenced a large number of men jammed together in that blackness
+beneath. What they would do next was answered by a blaze of light,
+revealing the silhouette of a man, engaged in touching flame to a
+torch of hemp. It flung forth a dull yellow glare, and revealed a
+scene of unimaginable horror. Our assailants were massed half way
+back, so blended together I could not judge their number, many between
+us and the light with faces darkened by shadow. Between us, even ten
+feet from the stairs, the deck was littered with bodies, ghastly faces
+staring up, with black stains of blood everywhere. It was Manuel's
+hand which had kindled the light, and the first croak of his voice
+told his purpose.
+
+"Now you sculking cowards," he yelled pointing forward, "do you see
+what you are fighting? There are only five men between you and the
+deck. To hell with 'em! Come on! I'll show you the way!"
+
+He leaped forward; but it was his last step. With one swing of my arm
+I sent the cleaver hurtling through the air. I know not how it struck
+him, but he went down, his last word a shriek, his arms flung out in
+vain effort to ward off the blow. Schmitt roared out a Dutch oath, and
+before I knew fully what had happened, his gun, sent whirling above
+me, had crashed into the uplifted torch. Again it was black, hideous
+night, through which the eye could perceive nothing. Even the noise
+ceased, but a hand gripped my shoulder.
+
+"Who are you?"
+
+"Nigger Sam, sah. Mistah Watkins sez it's all done fixed."
+
+"Where is he?"
+
+"Here," answered Watkins himself in a hoarse whisper. "The boats are
+ready."
+
+"Afloat?"
+
+"Yes, sir. The one forward has pushed off loaded. The after-boat is
+alongside. There is such a hell of a fog, sir, yer can't see two
+fathoms from the ship."
+
+"All the better for us; is the girl in the boat?"
+
+"Safe, sir; but LeVere ain't."
+
+"What do you mean? That he has got away? I ordered you to have Harwood
+watch him."
+
+"Yes, sir; but the mate slipped out o' sight in the fog. He's somewhar
+aboard, but we ain't been able ter put hands on him nowhar yet."
+
+"Never mind him; the fellow can do no harm now. Move back slowly lads.
+Schmitt and I will be the last ones out. Pick up that cutlass,
+Schmitt. We must act before those devils down there wake up again."
+
+We closed the companion door as silently as possible and for the
+moment there was no sound from within to show that our cautious
+withdrawal had been observed. I stared about, but was able to perceive
+little beyond the small group awaiting my orders. The fog clung thick
+and heavy on all sides, the lungs breathed it in, and the deck
+underfoot was as wet as though from heavy rain. Moisture dripped from
+yards and canvas, and it was impossible for the eye to penetrate to
+either rail. Fortunately there was no weight of sea running, and the
+bark swung gently, still retaining steerage-way, but with not wind
+enough aloft to flap the sails. The silence and gloom was most
+depressing.
+
+"Is there a hand at the wheel, Watkins?"
+
+"No sir; it's lashed."
+
+"And the quarter-boat?"
+
+"There, sir, below the mizzen-chains."
+
+"Then there is nothing more to keep us aboard lads. Stow yourselves
+away and hang on; I'll wait here until you are all over."
+
+They faded away into the mist, dim spectral figures, and I remained
+alone, listening anxiously for some hostile sound from below. Had I
+chosen the right course? I was not altogether sure, yet we had gone
+too far now to decide on any other. Perhaps if I had called on those
+men up on deck, who had loaded guns, we might have forced the escaped
+prisoners back into their place of confinement, and thus kept control
+of the vessel. Yet at that it would only mean a few hours more on
+board amid constant danger of revolt. It might have enabled us to
+salvage the gold hidden below, but I was not greatly concerned for
+this, as my one and only purpose was the preservation of Dorothy. The
+men might prove ugly when they awoke to the loss, but I had little
+fear of them, once we were at sea in the small boats, and their lives
+depended on my seamanship. Unless a storm arose our lives were in no
+great peril, although I would have preferred being closer to the coast
+before casting adrift. I wondered what could be the meaning of that
+silence below. True the fellows were leaderless and defeated, yet they
+were desperate spirits, and fully aware that they must attain the open
+deck in order to recapture the vessel. They would not remain quiet
+long, and once discovering our retirement, would swarm up the stairs
+animated with fresh courage. Satisfied that the lads were safely over
+the rail and the decks clear, I turned toward the ship's side. As I
+did so a yell reached my ears from the blackness below--the hounds had
+found voice.
+
+I ran through the fog in the direction the others had disappeared, and
+had taken scarcely three steps when I collided against the form of a
+man, whose presence was not even noticed until we came together. Yet
+he must have been there expectant and ready, for a quick knife thrust
+slashed the front of my jacket, bringing a spurt of blood as the blade
+was jerked back. It was a well-aimed blow at the heart, missing its
+mark only because of my outstretched arms, and the rapidity of my
+advance. Even as my fingers gripped the uplifted wrist, 'ere he could
+strike the second time, I knew my antagonist. I knew also this was a
+fight to the death, a sharp remorseless struggle to be terminated
+before that unguarded crew below could attain the deck. It was
+LeVere's life or mine, and in the balance the fate of those others in
+the waiting boat alongside. The knowledge gave me the strength and
+ferocity of a tiger; all the hate and distrust I felt for the man came
+uppermost. In that moment of rage I did not so much care what happened
+to me, if I was only privileged to kill him. I ripped the knife from
+his fingers, and we closed with bare hands; our muscles cracking to
+the strain, his voice uttering one croaking cry for help as I bore in
+on his windpipe. He was a snake, a cat, slipping out of my grip as by
+some magic, turning and twisting like an eel, yet unable to wholly
+escape, or overcome, my strength and skill. At last I had him prone
+against the rail, the weight of us both so hard upon it, the stout
+wood cracked, and we both went over, grappling together until we
+splashed into the water below. The shock, the frantic effort to save
+myself, must have loosened my hold, for, as I fought a way back to the
+surface, I was alone, lost in the veil of mist.
+
+Blinded by fog, the water dripping from my hair, weakened by struggle
+and loss of blood, my mad rage against LeVere for the moment obscured
+all else in my mind. What had become of the fellow? Had he gone down
+like a stone? Or was he somewhere behind this curtain of fog? A splash
+to the right led me to take a dozen strokes hastily, but to no
+purpose. The sound was not repeated and I no longer retained any sense
+of direction to guide me. The sea was a steady swell, lifting my body
+on the crest of a wave, to submerge it an instant later in the deep
+hollow. I could feel the motion, but scarcely perceived it otherwise,
+as the thick gray mist obscured everything three feet away. It
+deadened and confused sound also. Again and again I felt I located
+the near presence of the _Namur_, the sound of feet on deck, the shout
+of a voice, the flapping of canvas against the yards; but as I
+desperately turned that way, the noise ceased, or else apparently
+changed into another point of compass. Once a cry reached me,
+thrilling with despair, although I could not catch the words, and
+again came to me plainly enough the clank of an oar in its rowlock. I
+struck out madly for the point from whence it came, only to find the
+same rolling water, and obscuring fog. My strength began to fail, hope
+left me as I sank deeper and deeper into the remorseless grip of the
+sea. There was nothing left to fight for, to struggle after; the fog
+about me became red and purple before my straining eyes, and then
+slowly grew black; my muscles refused to respond to my will; I no
+longer swam, but floated so low in water the crest of the waves swept
+over my face. I no longer cared, gripped by a strange, almost
+delicious languor. I was not afraid; my lips uttered no cry, no
+prayer--I drifted out into total unconsciousness and went down.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+THE OPEN BOAT
+
+
+I came back to a consciousness of pain and illness, unable at once to
+realize where I was, or feel any true sense of personality. I seemed
+to be floating through the air, aware dimly of suffering, but
+helplessly in the grasp of some power beyond all struggling against.
+Then slowly I comprehended that I rested in a boat, tossed about by a
+fairly heavy sea; that it was night and there were stars visible in
+the sky overhead. I stared at these, vacant of thought, wondering at
+their gleam, when a figure seemed to lean over me, and I caught the
+outline of a face, gazing eagerly down into my own. Instantly memory
+came back in a flash--this was not death, but life; I was in a boat
+with her, I could not move my hands, and my voice was but a hoarse
+whisper.
+
+"Mistress Fairfax--Dorothy!"
+
+"Yes--yes," swiftly. "It is all right, but you must lie still.
+Watkins, Captain Carlyle is conscious. What shall I do?"
+
+He must have been behind us at the steering oar, for his gruff, kindly
+voice sounded very close.
+
+"Yer might lift him up, miss," he said soberly. "He'll breathe better.
+How's that, Captain?"
+
+"Much easier," I managed to breathe. "I guess I am all right now. You
+fished me out?"
+
+"Sam did. He got a boat hook in your collar. We cast off when yer
+went overboard, and cruised about in the fog hunting fer yer. Who was
+it yer was fightin' with, sir?"
+
+"LeVere."
+
+"That's what I told the lads. He's a goner, I reckon?"
+
+"I never saw him after we sank. Are all the men here?"
+
+"All but those in the forward boat, sir. They got away furst, an' we
+ain't had no sight ov 'em since. Maybe we will when it gets daylight."
+
+"Who had charge?"
+
+"Harwood, sir; he's the best man o' ther lot, an' a good sailor, I
+give him a compass, an' told him ter steer west. Wus thet right?"
+
+"All I could have told him," I admitted, lifting myself on one elbow
+to look about. "I haven't had an observation, and it is all guesswork.
+I know the American coast lies in that direction, but that is about
+all. I couldn't tell if it be a hundred, or a hundred and fifty miles
+away. So the fog has lifted without a storm?"
+
+"Yes, sir, but left an ugly sea. There has been plenty o' wind
+somewhere, but we seem to be out of it. Must a bin midnight when the
+mist lifted."
+
+"Is it as late as that? I must have been in bad shape when you pulled
+me in?"
+
+"We thought you was gone, sir. You was bleedin' some too, but only
+from flesh wounds. The young lady she just wouldn't let yer die. She
+worked over yer for two or three hours, sir, afore I hed any hope."
+
+Her eyes were downcast and her face turned away, but I reached out my
+hand and clasped her fingers. They remained quietly in my grasp, but
+neither of us spoke. The boat lay before me a black shadow under the
+stars, flung up on the crests of the waves and darting down into the
+hollows. It required all of Watkins' skill to keep it upright, the
+flying spray constantly dashing against our faces. The men were but
+dimly revealed, sitting with heads lowered beneath the slight
+protection afforded by the lug sail, although one was upon his knees,
+throwing out the water which dashed in over the front rail. He was
+succeeding so poorly I called to another to help him, and the two fell
+to the job with new vigor. I could not distinguish the faces of the
+fellows, but counted nine altogether in the boat, and felt assured the
+huge bulk at the foot of the mast was the Dutchman Schmitt. Beyond
+these dim outlines there was nothing for the eye to rest upon, only a
+few yards of black sea in every direction, rendered visible by the
+reflected star-shine and the dull glow of crested waves. It was
+dismal, awe inspiring, and I felt that I must speak to break the
+dreadful silence. My eyes sought the averted face beside me, and for a
+moment in peculiar hesitancy, observed the silhouette of cheek and
+form. She rested against the gunwale, her eyes on the dark vista of
+sea, her chin cupped in her hand. The mystery of the night and ocean
+was in her motionless posture. Only as her hand gently pressed mine
+did I gain courage, with a knowledge that she recognized and welcomed
+my presence.
+
+"Watkins says I owe my life to you," I said, so low the words were
+scarcely audible above the dash of water alongside. "It will make that
+life more valuable than ever before."
+
+She turned her head, and I felt her eyes searching the dim outline of
+my face questioningly.
+
+"Of course I did everything I knew," she replied. "Why should I not?
+You are here, Captain Carlyle, for my sake; I owe you service."
+
+"And must I be content merely with that thought?" I urged, far from
+pleased. "This would mean that your only interest in me arises from
+gratitude."
+
+"And friendship," her voice as confidential as my own. "There is no
+reason why you should doubt that surely."
+
+"It would be easier for me to understand, but for the memory of what I
+am--a bond slave."
+
+"You mean the fact that you were sold to my uncle remains a barrier
+between us?"
+
+"To my mind, yes. I hope you forget, but I cannot. If I return to
+Virginia, it is to servitude for a term of years. I am exiled from my
+own country by law, and thus prevented from following a career on the
+sea. I belong to Roger Fairfax, or, if he be dead, to his heirs, and
+even this privilege of being the property of a gentleman is mine
+through your intercession. I know your sympathy, your eagerness to
+help--but that is not all of friendship."
+
+"Your meaning is that true friendship has as a basis equality?"
+
+"Does it not? Can real friendship exist otherwise?"
+
+"No," she acknowledged gravely. "And the fact that such friendship
+does exist between us evidences my faith in you. I have never felt
+this social distinction, Captain Carlyle, have given it no thought.
+This may seem strange to you, yet is most natural. You bear an
+honorable name, and belong to a family of gentlemen. You held a
+position of command, won by your own efforts. You bore the part of a
+man in a revolution; if guilty of any crime, it was a political one,
+in no way sullying your honor. I have every reason to believe you were
+falsely accused and convicted. Consequently that conviction does not
+exist between us; you are not my uncle's servant, but my friend--you
+understand me now?"
+
+"I have trained myself so long to another viewpoint, Mistress
+Dorothy," I admitted, still speaking doubtfully, although impressed by
+her earnestness, "I know not how to accept this statement. I have not
+once ventured to address you, except as a servant."
+
+"I know that, and have regretted it," she interrupted. "But not until
+now have I been able to correct your impression."
+
+"And you would actually have me speak with you as of your own class--a
+free man, worthy to claim your friendship in life?"
+
+"Yes," frankly, her face uplifted. "Why should it be otherwise? It has
+been our fortune to meet under strange conditions, Captain
+Carlyle--conditions testing us, and revealing the very depths of our
+natures. Concealment and disguise is no longer necessary between us.
+You have served me unselfishly, plunging headlong into danger for my
+sake. I shudder at the thought of where I would be now, but for your
+effort to save me. No man could have done more, or proved himself more
+staunch and true. We are in danger yet, adrift here in the heart of
+this desolate sea, but such peril is nothing compared with what I
+have escaped. I am glad, sincerely glad; I have prayed God in
+thankfulness, I feel that your skill and courage will bring us safely
+to land. I am no longer afraid, for I have learned to trust you."
+
+"In all ways?"
+
+"Yes; as gentleman as truly as sailor. You possess my entire
+confidence."
+
+Cordial and earnest as these words were, they failed to yield me
+sufficient courage to voice the eager impulse of my heart. There was a
+restraint, some memory of the past, perhaps, which fettered the
+tongue. Yet I struggled to give my desire utterance.
+
+"But do you understand fully?" I questioned anxiously. "All I have
+done for you would have been done for any other woman under the same
+conditions of danger. I claim no reward for that--a plain duty."
+
+"I am sure that is true."
+
+"It is true, and yet different. Such service to another would have
+been a duty, and no more. But to be with you, aiding and protecting,
+has been a delight, a joy. I have served Dorothy Fairfax for her own
+sake--not as I would any other."
+
+"Did you not suppose I knew?"
+
+Her glance flashed into mine through the star-gleam, with a sudden
+message of revealment.
+
+"You knew--that--that it was you personally I served?"
+
+"Of course I knew. A woman is never unaware of such things. Nor is
+there reason now--here in this boat, with you as my only
+protector--why I should pretend otherwise. Neither of us know what the
+end may be; we may sink in these waters, or be cast ashore on a
+desolate coast to perish miserably, and it is no moment for
+concealment. Now, if ever, I must tell you the truth. I know you care
+for me, and have cared since first we met. An interest no less fateful
+has led me to seek your acquaintance, and give you my aid. Surely it
+is not unmaidenly for me to confess this when we face the chance of
+death together?"
+
+"But," I stammered, "I can scarcely believe you realize your words.
+I--I love you Dorothy."
+
+"And is it not also possible for me to love?"
+
+"Possible--yes! But why should you? Forgive me, but I cannot drive
+away memory of the gulf between us. I would not dare speak such words
+of my own volition, they seem almost insult. You are rich, with
+position and friends of influence, while I at best am but a merchant
+skipper, in truth a bond servant, penniless and disgraced. In the eyes
+of the world I am not fit to touch the hem of your garment."
+
+"Is it the eyes of the world, or my eyes into which you look?"
+
+"Yours! I am selfish enough, I fear, to find my happiness there--but
+it is not right, not just."
+
+"Can you not permit me to be the judge as to that?" she asked
+seriously. "I know your story, and have seen you in stress and storm.
+Am I one, think you, to love any man for wealth or position. If I
+possess these things they are to share, not to hoard. It is because I
+have given you my full trust and confidence I can say these words."
+
+"You--you mean, you love me?"
+
+Her eyes fell from my face and her head was turned away, but there
+was no falter in her voice.
+
+"I love you--are you sorry?"
+
+"Sorry! I am mad with the joy of it; yet stricken dumb. Dorothy!
+Dorothy Fairfax, I have never even dared dream of such a message from
+your lips. Dear, dear girl, do you forget who I am? What my future
+must be?"
+
+"I forget nothing," she said, almost proudly. "It is because I know
+what you are that my heart responds. Nor is your future so clouded.
+You are today a free man if we escape these perils, for whether Roger
+Fairfax be alive, or dead, he will never seek you again to hold in
+servitude. If alive he will join his efforts with mine to obtain a
+pardon because of these services, and we have influence in England.
+Yet, should such effort fail, you are a sailor, and the seas of the
+world are free. It is not necessary that your vessel fly the English
+flag."
+
+"You give me hope--a wonderful hope."
+
+"And courage," her hands firmly clasping mine. "Courage to fight on in
+faith. I would have that my gift to you, Geoffry. We are in peril
+still, great peril, but you will face it beside me, knowing that
+whether we live or die we are together. I am not afraid anymore."
+
+She was like a child; I could feel her body relax in my arms as though
+relieved of its tension. I know I answered her, whispering into her
+ear words of love, and confidence, scarcely knowing myself what I said
+in that moment of unrestraint. I felt her eyes on my face and knew her
+lips were parted in a smile of content, yet doubt if they answered me.
+She seemed to yield unconsciously, her head upon my shoulder, her face
+upturned to the stars, while slowly all the intense fatigue of the
+day and night stupified mind and body. Almost before I realized her
+weariness, the eyes were closed and she was sleeping in my arms.
+
+I held her closely, so awakened by what had passed between us, as to
+feel no desire to sleep myself. Dorothy Fairfax loved me. I could
+scarcely grasp the thought. I had dreamed of love, but only to repress
+the imagination as impossible. Yet now, voluntarily from her own lips,
+it had proven true. With eyes uplifted to the stars I swore fidelity,
+pledging solemnly all my years to her service; nor could I drive my
+thought away from the dear girl, sleeping so confidently upon my
+shoulder. Then slowly there came back memory of where we were, of what
+grave peril surrounded us, of my own responsibility. My eyes sought to
+pierce the gloom of the night, only to gain glimpses of black water
+heaving and tumbling on every side, the boat flung high on a whitened
+crest, and then hurled into the hollow beneath, as though it was a
+mere chip in the grasp of the sea. The skill of Watkins alone kept us
+afloat, and even his iron muscles must be strained to the limit.
+Forward the boat was a mere smudge, the men curled up asleep and no
+longer visible. All that stood out with any distinctness of outline
+was the lug sail, stiff as a board. I endeavored to turn my head,
+without disturbing the slumbering girl, to gain view of the steersman.
+
+"How is she making it, Watkins?"
+
+"A little stiff, sir, but she's a staunch boat. The sea's likely to go
+down after sunup."
+
+"Well, you've had long enough trick--call one of the men aft. I'm not
+strong enough yet for that job."
+
+"No, sir," and I caught the echo of a chuckle, "and yer have yer arms
+full. I kin hold on yere till daylight; 'twon't be long now."
+
+"Make one of them help; who is the best man?"
+
+"Schmitt for this sorter job."
+
+I called him, and growling to himself at being awakened, the Dutchman
+crept past cautiously and wedged himself in beside Watkins. There was
+a few words of controversy between the two men, but in the end Schmitt
+held the steering oar and a few minutes later Watkins had slipped down
+into the boat's bottom and was sound asleep. And so the gray dawn
+found us.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+A FLOATING COFFIN
+
+
+The laboring boat rested so low in the water it was only as we were
+thrown upward on the crest of a wave that I could gain any view about
+through the pallid light of the dawn. At such brief instants my eyes
+swept the far horizon, to discern nothing except the desolate, endless
+expanse of sea. A more dismal, gloomy view surely never unrolled
+itself before the eye of man. Everywhere the gray monotony of rolling
+waves, slowly stretching out into greater distance as the light
+strengthened, yet bringing into view no other object. It was all a
+desolate, restless waste in the midst of which we tossed, while above
+hung masses of dark clouds obscuring the sky. We were but a hurtling
+speck between the gray above and the gray below. How tiny the boat
+looked as my glance ranged forward with this memory of our
+surroundings still fresh in mind. The crest of the surges swept to the
+edge of the gunwale, sending the spray flying inboard. Occasionally
+drops stung my cheek and all the thwarts forward were wet with
+drizzle. The negro, Sam, alone was awake, baling steadily, his face
+turned aft, although scarcely glancing up from his labor. He looked
+tired and worn, a strange green tinge to his black face, as the dim
+light struck it. The others were curled up in the bottom of the craft,
+soaked with spray, yet sleeping soundly. The wind had lost its
+steadiness, coming now in gusts that flapped the sail loudly against
+the mast, but failed to awaken the slumberers. Depressed by the sight,
+my eyes sought the face of the girl whose head yet rested against my
+shoulder.
+
+She lay there with tightly closed eyes, the long lashes outlined
+against her cheek, breathing softly. Between lips slightly parted her
+white teeth gleamed as she smiled from pleasant dreams. It was a
+beautiful face into which I looked, the cheeks faintly tinted, the
+chin firm, the rounded throat white as snow--the face of a pure, true
+woman, yet retaining its appearance of girlish freshness. Whatever of
+hardship and sorrow the past days had brought her, had been erased by
+sleep, and she lay then utterly forgetful of danger and distress. And
+she loved me--loved in spite of all dividing us--and in her rare
+courage had told me so. The memory thrilled my blood, and I felt my
+arm close more tightly about her, as I gazed eagerly down into the
+unconscious features. She was actually mine--mine; not even death
+could rob me of the treasure of her heart, while life offered me every
+reward. No doubt assailed me; I believed each whispered word from her
+lips, and the day dawned about us with rare hope. Not now would I
+yield to despair, or question the future.
+
+Some sudden plunge of the boat caused the girl to open her eyes, and
+gaze half frightened up into my face. Then she smiled in swift
+recognition.
+
+"Is it you, Geoffry? We are still alone at sea?"
+
+"Yes, the night is ending; you have slept well."
+
+She drew herself away from me gently, sat up and glanced about.  "How
+tired you must be. I have been very selfish. There is nothing in
+sight?"
+
+"Nothing."
+
+"And the men are still asleep. Who are they?"
+
+I named them as best I could, pointing out each in turn.
+
+"Are they reliable--safe?" she asked. "You know them?"
+
+"Not well, but they were selected by Watkins, as among the best on
+board the _Namur_. No doubt they will behave themselves."
+
+"But they are pirates; they cannot be trusted."
+
+"These fellows were not aboard the _Namur_ from choice, but seamen
+captured on merchant ships and compelled to serve to preserve their
+lives. They are as eager to escape as we. Anyway I shall see to it
+that they do their duty. Sam!"
+
+The negro looked up quickly.
+
+"Yas, sah!"
+
+"Call the others. Who knows where the food is stored?"
+
+Watkins spoke up behind us.
+
+"It's stored forward, sir, an' all safe; the water casks are lashed
+amidships."
+
+"I'll see what we've got and serve out."
+
+I crept forward cautiously, because of the erratic leaping of the
+craft, the men yielding me room to pass, and soon had Sam busily
+engaged in passing out the various articles for inspection. Only
+essentials had been chosen, yet the supply seemed ample for the
+distance I believed we would have to cover before attaining land. But
+the nature of that unknown coast was so doubtful I determined to deal
+out the provisions sparingly, saving every crumb possible. The men
+grumbled at the smallness of the ration, yet munched away contentedly
+enough, once convinced that we all shared alike. Watkins relieved the
+Dutchman at the steering oar, and I rejoined Dorothy. The silence was
+finally broken by one of the men forward asking a question.
+
+"Could you tell us about where we are, sir?"
+
+"Only as a guess," I answered frankly, my eyes traveling over the sea
+vista, "but will do the best I can. I have had no observation since we
+left the Capes, but Estada had his chart pricked up to the time he was
+killed, showing the course of the _Namur_. We were then about a
+hundred miles off shore and the same distance south. We have been
+sailing to the north of west since taking to the boat. That is the
+best course possible with this wind."
+
+"Then a couple days should bring land, sir?"
+
+"Ay, if figures are correct and this wind holds. But these are stormy
+waters, and we go by dead reckoning."
+
+"That's near enough," he said stubbornly. "Even if you was astray
+fifty miles would make little difference. There's land to west of us,
+and plenty ter eat aboard till we get there--so why not eat it?"
+
+I glanced about into the faces of the others forward, but received
+little encouragement--evidently the fellow was spokesman for his
+mates. The time had arrived for me to exhibit my authority, but before
+I could choose words, Watkins gave indignant utterance to a reply.
+
+"Yer hed yer fair share with the rest ov us, didn't yer, Simms?"  "O'
+course I did; but damn it, I'm hungrier then I wus afore--whut the
+hell's the use?"
+
+"Let me tell you," I broke in, determined on my course. "It is not
+just the boat trip to be considered, although that may prove serious
+enough before we get ashore. If I am any judge we are going to have
+some weather in the next twenty-four hours, and may have to run before
+it to keep afloat. That's one point to think over. Another is that
+coast line west of us doesn't contain a dozen white settlements
+between the Capes and Florida, and you are just as liable to be hungry
+on land as sea. You've eaten as much as I have."
+
+"Maybe I have, but by God, there is food enough there to last us a
+month."
+
+"And it may have to do so. Now Simms, listen to what I say, and you
+others also. I am not going to repeat this. We're the same as
+ship-wrecked men, and I am in command of this boat. Whatever I say
+goes, and I've handled worse fellows than you are many a time. Grumble
+all you please; I don't mind that, but if you try mutiny, or fail to
+jump at my orders, I'll show you some sea discipline you will not
+forget very soon. You are with me, Watkins?"
+
+"You bet I am, sir," heartily.
+
+The Dutchman already half asleep, lifted his head.
+
+"Mine Gott, I cud eat a whale," he growled rather discontentedly, "but
+what der difference say I do--dat wus best, ach."
+
+Simms made no answer, sitting sullenly at the foot of the mast. I
+waited, thinking some other might venture a word, but evidently they
+had enough, and I was willing to let the affair rest. They had been
+shown that I meant to enforce discipline, and nothing remained but for
+me to carry out my threat if occasion arose. Meanwhile the least
+friction aboard, the better.
+
+"All right, lads," I said cheerfully. "Now we understand each other
+and can get at work. We'll divide into watches first of all--two men
+aft here, and one at the bow. Watkins and I will take it watch and
+watch, but there is enough right now for all hands to turn to and make
+the craft shipshape. Two of you bail out that water till she's dry,
+and the others get out that extra sail forward and rig up a jib.
+She'll ride easier and make better progress with more canvas showing.
+How does she head, Watkins?"
+
+"Nor'west, by west, sir."
+
+"You can give two points more west, with the jib drawing--the sea is
+not quite so heavy?"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir--she's riding fairly free, an' the wind is shifting
+nor'east. Thar won't be no storm terday."
+
+The men worked cheerfully enough, finding sufficient to do to keep
+them busy for half an hour, and thus Dorothy and I watched them,
+whispering occasionally to each other, and commenting on the varied
+appearance of the fellows. They were rather an interesting lot in
+their way, the types familiar to me, but strange to her
+experience--sea scum, irresponsible, reckless, to be ruled by iron
+hand, yet honest enough according to their standards. The faces were
+coarse and dissipated, and many a half-smothered oath floated back to
+our ears, but I saw in them nothing to fear, or cause uneasiness. The
+sun had dissipated the clouds, while the swell of the sea had
+sufficiently subsided to permit of a wide view in every direction. The
+vista only served to increase our sense of loneliness and peril. We
+were a tiny chip tossed on the immensity of the waters, stretching
+away to the distant horizons. It was a vast scene of desolation,
+without another object to break its grim monotony--just those endless
+surges of gray-green water brightened by the touch of the sun. Again
+and again I swept my eyes about the circle in a vain effort to
+perceive something of hope; it was useless--we were alone on the
+boundless ocean.
+
+I know not what we talked about during those hours; of all we had
+passed through together, no doubt; of our chances of escape and our
+dreams of the future. Her bravery and confidence increased my own
+courage. Knowing as I did the uncertainty of our position, I needed
+her blind faith to keep me hopeful. The men gradually knocked off
+work, and lay down, and finally I also yielded to her pleadings and
+fell into a sound sleep.
+
+It seemed as though I scarcely lost consciousness, yet I must have
+slept for an hour or more, my head pillowed on her lap. What aroused
+me I could not determine, but Schmitt was again at the steering
+paddle, and both he and Dorothy were staring across me out over the
+port quarter, as though at some vision in the distance, sufficiently
+strange to enchain their entire attention.
+
+"What is it?" I asked eagerly, but before the words were entirely
+uttered, a hoarse voice forward bawled out excitedly.
+
+"There you see it; straight out agin that cloud edge. By God, it's a
+full-rigged schooner."
+
+"Ay," boomed another, "a headin' straight cross our course astern."
+
+I sat up, ignoring all else, thoroughly awake from excitement, gazing
+under hollowed hands in the direction the men pointed. For an instant
+I distinguished nothing but sea and sky, with patches of white cloud
+speckling the horizon. My heart sank with the belief that one of these
+had been mistaken for the sheen of a distant sail. Then as our boat
+was suddenly flung higher on the crest of a great wave, my straining
+eyes caught the unmistakable glimmer of canvas, could even detect its
+outline plainly delineated against the blue background. I reached my
+feet, clinging to the mast to keep erect and, as the boat was again
+flung upward, gained clearly the glimpse I sought.
+
+"Ay, you're right, lads!" I exclaimed. "It's a schooner, headed to
+clear us by a hundred fathoms. Port your helm Schmitt--hard down man.
+Watch out the boom don't hit you, Miss Fairfax. Now, Sam, off with
+that red shirt; tie it on the boat hook, and let fly. They can't help
+seeing us if there is any watch on deck."
+
+We swept about in a wide circle, shipping some water as we dipped
+gunwale under, but came safely out from the smother, headed straight
+across the bows of the oncoming vessel. All eyes stared out
+watchfully, Sam's shirt flapping above us, and both Watkins and
+Schmitt straining their muscles to hold the plunging quarter-boat
+against the force of the wind. A man forward on his knees growled out
+a curse.
+
+"What the hell's the matter aboard there?" he yelled. "Did yer ever
+see a boat yaw like that, afore? Damn me, if I believe they got a
+hand at the wheel."
+
+The same thought had leaped into my mind. The schooner was headed to
+pass us on the port quarter, yet yawing so crazily at times as to make
+me fearful of being run down. I could perceive no sign of life aboard,
+no signal that we had been seen. Indeed from where we crouched in the
+boat all we could see now was the bow with the jib and foresail. Not a
+head peered at us over the rail; in silent mystery it seemed to fly
+straight at us like a great bird, sweeping through water and sky. The
+sight angered me.
+
+"Stand by, all hands," I cried desperately. "We'll board whether they
+want us or not. Slip across, Miss Fairfax, out of the way. Now,
+Watkins, run us in under those fore-chains; easy man, don't let her
+strike us. Lay hold quick lads and hang on for your lives. Give me
+that end of rope--ready now, all of you; I'll make the leap. Now
+then--hold hard!"
+
+It was five feet, and up, my purchase the tossing boat, but I made it,
+one hand desperately gripping a shroud, until I gained balance and was
+flung inboard by a sharp plunge of the vessel. My head was at a level
+with the rail, yet I saw nothing, my whole effort being to make fast
+before the grip of the men should be torn loose. This done I glanced
+back into the upturned faces below.
+
+"Hand in slowly lads; yes, let go, the rope will hold, and the boat
+ride safely enough. Let a couple of men come up till we see what's
+wrong with the hooker--the rest of you trail on."
+
+"Am I to remain here, Mr. Carlyle?"  "Yes for a few moments; there is
+no danger. You stay also, Watkins; let Schmitt and Sam come with me."
+
+I helped them clamber up and then lifted my body onto the rail, from
+which position I had a clear view of the forward deck. It was
+unexpressibly dirty, yet otherwise shipshape enough, ropes coiled and
+the forward hatch tightly closed. Nothing human greeted me, and
+conscious of a strange feeling of horror, I slipped over onto the
+deck. The next moment the negro and Dutchman joined me, the former
+staring about wildly, the whites of his eyes revealing his terror.
+
+"My Gawd, sah," he ejaculated. "Ah done know dis boat--it's shore de
+_Santa Marie_. "Ah's cooked in dat galley. What's done happened ter
+her, sah?"
+
+"You know the schooner? Are you sure, Sam? What was she--a pirate?"
+
+"No, sah; a slaver, sah," he sniffed the air. "Ah kin smell dem
+niggers right now, sah. Ah, suah reckon dars a bunch o' ded ones under
+dem hatches right dis minute--you white men smell dat odor?"
+
+"I certainly smell something unpleasant enough. This is the _Santa
+Marie_; the name is on the stern of that boat yonder. When did you
+serve aboard here?"
+
+"Three years back, sah, frum Habana to der African coast; Ah didn't
+want no more dat sorter sailorin'."
+
+"But what could have happened? The boats are all in place, but no
+crew, I never saw anything like it at sea."
+
+Schmitt's hand fell heavily on my sleeve and I glanced aside into his
+stolid face.
+
+"Der's a feller on ther gratin' amidships, Captain," he said pointing
+aft. "But I just bet I know vat wus der trouble."
+
+"What man?"
+
+"Cholera," he whispered, "ve haf boarded a death ship."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+ON BOARD THE SLAVER
+
+
+The terror of the two men as this thought dawned upon them in all its
+horror was apparent enough, and, in truth, I shared with them a vivid
+sense of our desperate situation. Nothing, not even fire was more to
+be dreaded than a visitation of this awful nature on shipboard. I had
+heard tales to chill the blood, of whole ships' crews stricken and
+dying like flies. Yet I dare not hesitate, or permit those under my
+command to flee in terror. Charnal ship though this might be, the
+danger to us was not so great, if we only remained in the open air,
+and used proper precaution in putting the dead overboard. We were in
+health, well nourished, and our stay aboard would be a short one. Even
+if the schooner was a floating sepulcher, it was safer by far than the
+cockleshell towing alongside.
+
+"Let's find out the truth first, men," I said quietly. "Stay here if
+you want to while I go aft; only hold your tongues. There is no use
+giving up until we know what the danger is. Will you come with me, or
+remain where you are?"
+
+The two exchanged glances, and then their eyes ranged along the
+unoccupied deck. I confess it was eery enough--the silence, the
+desolate vista, the wind-filled sails above, the schooner flying
+through the water as though guided by spectral hands, and that single
+motionless figure crouched on the grating amidships. It made my own
+nerves throb, and caused me to clinch my teeth, Sam turned his head,
+his frightened eyes seeking the scuttle leading into the forecastle.
+He was more frightened to remain where he was, than accompany me, but
+when he endeavored to say so, his lips refused to utter any sound. The
+terror in his eyes caused me to laugh, and my own courage came back
+with a rush.
+
+"Afraid of dead men, are you? Then we'll face them together, my lads,
+and have it over with. Come on, now, both of you. Buckle up; there is
+nothing to fear, if you do what I tell you--this isn't the first
+cholera ship I've been aboard."
+
+It was no pleasant job confronting us, although we had less dead men
+to handle than I anticipated. Indeed we found only five bodies on
+board, and as the slaver must have originally carried a large crew, it
+was evident the survivors had thrown overboard the corpses of those
+who succumbed first, until they also became too weak to perform such
+service. There were only two on deck, the fellow crouched on the
+grating, a giant, coal black negro, and a gray-bearded white man, his
+face pitted with smallpox, lying beside the wheel. Before he fell to
+the deck, he had lashed the spokes and still gripped the end of the
+rope in his dead hand. Determined on what was to be done, I wasted no
+time with either body. The two sailors hung back, so terrorized at the
+mere thought of touching these victims of plague, I steeled myself to
+the job and handled them alone, dragging the inert bodies across the
+deck, and by the exercise of all my strength launching them over the
+low rail into the sea. It was indeed a relief to know the deck was
+clear, and I ordered Schmitt to cut the lashings and take charge of
+the wheel. Sam was shaking like a leaf, his face absolutely green.
+
+"What---what dey die of, sah--cholera?" he asked faintly.
+
+"No doubt of it; but they are safely over the side now. There is
+nothing to be frightened about."
+
+"But s'pose we gits it, sah; s'pose we gits it?"
+
+"There is no reason why we should," I contended, speaking loud and
+confident, so both could hear. "We are all in good health and in the
+open air. See here, you men, stop acting like fools. We will take a
+look below, and then have the others on board."
+
+"But Ah's suah feared, sah."
+
+"At what? You are in no more danger than I am. See here, Sam, and you
+too, Schmitt, I am in love with that girl in the boat. Do you suppose
+I would ever have her come on this deck, if I believed she might
+contract cholera? You do as I say, and you are perfectly safe. Now
+Schmitt remain at the wheel, and you Sam come with me. There will be a
+dead nigger aboard unless you jump when I speak."
+
+He trotted close at my heels as I flung open the door leading into the
+cabin. The air seemed fresh enough and I noted two of the ports wide
+open. A tall smooth-shaven man, with an ugly scar down one cheek, lay
+outstretched on a divan at the foot of the after mast, his very
+posture proclaiming him dead. His face was the color of parchment,
+wrinkled with age, but I knew him at once as Spanish. A uniform cap
+lay beside him, and I stopped just long enough to scan his features.
+
+"Here, Sam, do you know this fellow."
+
+The negro crept up behind me reluctantly enough, and stared at the
+upturned face over my shoulder.
+
+"My Gaud, sah, he wus de ol' Captain."
+
+"The one you served under? What was his name?"
+
+"Paradilla, sah; damn his soul!"
+
+"A slaver, I suppose; well, he's run his last cargo of niggers. Let's
+look into the rooms."
+
+They were empty, all in disorder, but unoccupied. In what was
+evidently the Captain's room I discovered a pricked chart and a
+log-book, with no entry in it for three days. Without waiting to
+examine these I stowed them away in my pocket and returned to
+Paradilla, relieved to learn our labor aft was so light, and eager to
+have it over with. Some physical persuasion was necessary to compel
+Sam to assist me, but finally he took hold, and between us we forced
+the stiffened form of the Captain through the open after port, and
+heard it splash into the sea astern. Then I closed the cabin door, and
+led the way forward.
+
+To my great relief the hold was empty, although the smell arising
+through the partially opened hatch was stifling, the reminder of a
+cargo lately discharged. There were two dead seamen in the forecastle,
+both swarthy fellows, with long Indian hair. I never saw a dirtier
+hole, the filth overpowering, and once satisfied that both men were
+beyond help, I was content to lower the scuttle and leave them there.
+God! it was a relief to return once more to the open deck and breathe
+in the fresh air. Schmitt was holding the schooner close up in the
+wind, which, however, was barely heavy enough to keep the sails full.
+Yet at that the sharp-nosed craft was making the best of it, leaving a
+long wake astern, the waves cresting within a few feet of her rail as
+she swept gloriously forward. I leaned over, and hailed the boat,
+towing below.
+
+"Come aboard, Watkins," I called sharply. "Pass the lady up first, and
+turn the boat adrift."
+
+"What is she, sir?"
+
+"An abandoned slaver. I'll tell you the story later. Come aboard."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+I caught Dorothy's hands and aided her over the rail, the schooner
+rode steady and she stood still grasping me, her eager eyes on the
+deck aft. Then they sought my face questioningly, the seamen beginning
+to gather between us and the rail.
+
+"Why was the vessel abandoned?" she asked. "What has happened? Do you
+know?"
+
+"Yes; the story is plain enough," I explained, deeming it best to tell
+the whole truth. "This is a slaver, the _Santa Marie_, plying between
+Cuba and the African coast. Sam, the negro who came aboard with me,
+served as cook on board for one voyage. I do not know why they should
+be in these waters--driven north by a storm likely--but cholera was
+the trouble. The crew are all overboard, or dead."
+
+"Overboard, or dead? You found them dead--the slaves also?"
+
+"No; there were no slaves; the hold was clear. We found a few dead
+men, the last of the crew to survive. One man was lying beside the
+wheel; he had lashed it to its course before he died; and the Captain
+was in the cabin."
+
+"And he was dead?"
+
+"Yes, a tall, lean Spaniard; Sam said his name was Paradilla. We found
+five altogether, and flung their bodies over the side except two
+sailors in the forecastle."
+
+Her eyes evidenced her horror, her lips barely able to speak.
+
+"They--they died of cholera? All of them? There was no one left alive
+on board?"
+
+"Not even a dog. It was a tragedy of the sea, of which we will never
+know all the truth. I have the log here in my pocket all written out
+until three days ago--perhaps that was when the Captain died. But can
+you imagine anything more grim, more horrible, than this schooner,
+with all sails set, standing on her course with a dead man at the
+wheel?"
+
+"And--and other dead men in cabin and forecastle!" her voice broke and
+her hands covered her eyes. "O Geoffry, must we stay aboard? The
+thought is terrible; besides, you said it was cholera."
+
+"There is nothing we need fear," I insisted firmly, clasping the
+upraised hands and meeting her eyes frankly, "and I rely upon you to
+help me control the men. They are sailors filled with superstition,
+and will look to us for leadership. Please do not fail me. You have
+already passed through too much to be frightened at a shadow. This is
+a staunch vessel, provisioned and fit for any sea. We are far safer
+here than in the boat; it is as if God had sent us deliverance."
+
+"Yet we face disease--cholera?"  "I do not hold that a peril--not to
+us, if we use precautions. That is an ever-present sea danger, and I
+have read every book treating of the disease. So long as we are well
+fed and keep in the fresh air, we are not liable to suffer. The dead
+are overboard and every hatch closed. I will have the deck scoured
+from end to end. The bedding we need, and the food, is being brought
+up from the boat; we shall come in contact with nothing to spread the
+disease. You must meet this emergency just as bravely as you have the
+others; you will, will you not?"
+
+Her eyes met mine smilingly, resolute.
+
+"If you say so--yes. How can I help you?"
+
+"Tell the men just what I have told you," I said gravely. "They will
+pay more heed to what you say, and will be ashamed to show less
+courage than you. Do you agree?"
+
+We turned and faced them together, as they formed a little group
+against the rail. Their dunnage, together with a few boxes of
+provisions, and a couple of water casks, lay scattered about the deck,
+and now, their immediate task done, the fellows were sullenly staring
+around. Hallin was first to speak.
+
+"Vot vas eet you say 'bout dis sheep? Eet haf cholera--hey?"
+
+Dorothy took a step forward, and confronted them, her cheeks flushed.
+
+"You are sailors," she said, speaking swiftly, "and ought not to be
+afraid if a girl isn't. It is true this vessel was ravaged by cholera,
+and the crew died; but the bodies have been flung overboard--Captain
+Carlyle risked his life to do that, before he asked us aboard. Now
+there is no danger, so long as we remain on deck. I have no fear."
+
+The Swede shook his head, grumbling something, but before the revolt
+could spread, Watkins broke in.
+
+"An' that's right, miss. I wus on the _Bombay Castle_ when she took
+cholera, an' we hed twenty-one days of it beatin' agin head winds off
+the Cape. We lost sixteen o' the crew, but not a man among us who
+stayed on deck got sick. Anyhow these blokes are goin' ter try their
+luck aboard yere, er else swim fer it."
+
+He grinned cheerfully letting slip the end of the painter, the
+released quarter-boat gliding gently away astern, the width of water
+constantly increasing, the light craft wallowing in the waves.
+
+"Now bullies, jump fer it if yer want ter go. Why don't yer try it
+Ole? You are so keen about getting away, you ought not to mind a
+little water. So ye prefer to stay along with the rest of us. All
+right then, my hearties, let's hunt up something to work with and
+scrub this deck. That's the way to clean out cholera."
+
+He led the way and they followed him, grumbling and cursing, but
+obedient. I added a word of encouragement, and in a few minutes the
+whole gang was busily engaged in clearing up the mess forward, making
+use of whatever came to hand, their first fears evidently forgotten in
+action. Watkins kept after them like a slave driver.
+
+"That's the style; throw all the litter overboard. Bend your back,
+Pierre; now Ole, take hold here. What the hell are you men loafing
+for? Now, heave altogether."
+
+I glanced astern, catching a fleeting glimpse beneath the main boom,
+of the disappearing quarter-boat, bobbing up and down in the
+distance; then my eyes sought the face of the girl. She met my gaze
+with a smile.
+
+"They are all right now, are they not?" she asked.
+
+"Yes, as long as they can be kept busy, and I will see to that. Let's
+go aft, and get out of this mess. I want to plan our voyage."
+
+It was not difficult finding plenty for the lads to do, making the
+neglected schooner shipshape, and adjusting the spread of canvas aloft
+to the new course I decided upon. Fortunately we had men enough to
+manipulate the sails, real seamen, able to work swiftly. Sam started a
+fire in the galley, and prepared a hot meal, singing as he worked, and
+before noon I had as cheerful a ship's crew forward as any man could
+possibly ask for. The weather kept pleasant, but with a heavy wind
+blowing, compelling us to take a reef in the canvas, but the schooner
+was an excellent sea boat, and all alike felt the exhilaration of
+rapid progress. Dorothy and I glanced over the log, but gained little
+information. The vessel had been driven into the northwest by a
+succession of storms, and lack of provisions had weakened the crew,
+cholera broke out among them the third day at sea, the first victim
+being the cabin steward. With no medicine chest aboard and everything
+below foul, the disease spread rapidly. Within twenty-four hours
+sixteen bodies were thrown overboard and, in their terror, the
+remainder of the crew mutinied, and refused to work ship. Both mates
+died, and finally only three men were left alive--a negro known as
+Juan; the quarter-master, Gabriel Lossier, and the Captain, who was
+already lying sick and helpless in the cabin. That was the last entry
+barely decipherable.
+
+As the sun reached the meridian I ventured again into the cabin, and
+returned with the necessary instruments to determine our position.
+With these and the pricked chart, I managed fairly well in determining
+our location, and choosing the most direct course toward the coast.
+Dorothy watched closely, and when I looked up from the paper, the men
+were gathered about the open door of the galley, equally interested. I
+ordered Watkins to send them all aft, and, as they ranged up across
+the narrow deck, I spread out the chart before them, and explained, as
+best I could, our situation, and what I proposed doing. I doubt if
+many were able to comprehend, yet some grasped my meaning, bending
+over the map and asking questions, pointing to this and that mark with
+stubby forefingers. From their muttered remarks I judged their only
+anxiety was to get ashore as early as possible, out of this death
+ship. Convinced this was also my object, they ventured forward
+cheerfully, as I rolled up the chart, and placed it in the flag
+locker.
+
+One of the Frenchmen relieved Schmitt at the wheel, and, a little
+later, Sam served Dorothy and I on deck. The food was appetizing and
+well cooked, and we lingered over it for some time, while Watkins
+busied the men forward.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+A NEW PLAN OF ESCAPE
+
+
+Nothing occurred during the afternoon to disturb the routine work
+aboard, or to cause me any uneasiness. The swift slaver made excellent
+progress in spite of light winds, and proved easy to handle. Watkins
+found enough to occupy the crew on deck and aloft, and they seemed
+contented, although I noticed the fellows gathered together in groups
+whenever idle, and discussed the situation earnestly. While they might
+not be entirely satisfied, and, no doubt, some fear lingered in their
+minds, the fellows lacked leadership for any revolt, and would remain
+quiet for the present at least. I made one more trip into the desolate
+cabin, returning with pipes and tobacco, which I took forward and
+distributed, an ample supply for all the crew. As the men smoked,
+Watkins and I leaned over the rail, and discussed the situation.
+
+Sunset brought clouds, and, by the time it was really dark, the entire
+sky was overcast, but the sea remained comparatively calm, and the
+wind steady. I judged we were making in the neighborhood of nine
+knots, and carefully pricked my chart to assure myself of our
+position. Even at that I was not entirely satisfied, although I kept
+this lack of faith hidden from the others. Dorothy, however, who kept
+close beside me much of the time, must have sensed my doubt to some
+extent, for once she questioned me curiously.
+
+"Are you not sure of your figures?" she asked, glancing from the chart
+into my face. "That is three times you have measured the distance."
+
+"It is not the figures; it is the accuracy of the chart," I explained.
+"It is not new, for the schooner evidently seldom made this coast, and
+it was probably only by chance that they had such a map aboard. Even
+the best of the charts, are not absolutely correct, and this one may
+be entirely wrong. I shall rely more on keeping a careful watch
+tonight than on the map; you see this cape? For all I know it may jut
+out fifty miles east of where it appears to be and we might run into
+shoal water at any minute."
+
+She wrinkled her brows over the lines on the map, and then stared out
+across the darkening sea, without speaking.
+
+It was a pleasant night in spite of the darkness, the air soft, and
+refreshing. We divided the men into watches, Watkins selecting the
+more capable for lookouts. I explained to these the danger, and posted
+them on the forecastle heads, ready to respond instantly to any call.
+I could see the glow of their pipes for some time, but finally these
+went out, one by one, and the growl of voices ceased. The schooner was
+in darkness, except for a faint reflection from the binnacle light
+aft, revealing the dim figure of the helmsman. Overhead the canvas
+disappeared into the gloom of the sky.
+
+The locker was filled with flags, representing almost every nation on
+earth. Evidently the _Santa Marie_ was willing to fly any colors,
+which would insure safety, or allay suspicion in her nefarious trade.
+I dragged these out, and spread them on the deck abaft the cabin, thus
+forming a very comfortable bed, and at last induced the girl to lie
+down, wrapping her in a blanket. But, although she reclined there, and
+rested, she was in no mood for sleep, and, whenever my restless
+wandering brought me near I was made aware of her wakefulness. Finally
+I found a seat beside her on a coil of rope, and we fell into
+conversation, which must have lasted for an hour or more.
+
+I shall never forget that dark ship's deck, with no sound breaking the
+silence except the soft swirl of water alongside, the occasional flap
+of canvas aloft, and the creak of the wheel. Dorothy was but a
+shrouded figure, as she sat wrapped in her blanket, and the only other
+object visible was the dim outline of the helmsman. We seemed to be
+completely shut in between sea and sky, lost and forgotten. Yet the
+memory of the tragedy this vessel had witnessed remained with me--the
+helpless slaves who had suffered and died between decks; the dead
+sailors in the forecastle, their ghastly faces staring up at the beams
+above, and the horrible figure of Paradilla outstretched on the cabin
+divan. I was a sailor and could not feel that any good fortune would
+come to us from such a death ship. The memory brought to me a
+depression hard to throw off; yet, for her sake I pretended a
+cheerfulness I was far from feeling, and our conversation drifted idly
+into many channels.
+
+This was the first opportunity we had enjoyed to actually talk with
+each other alone, and gradually our thoughts veered from the
+happenings of the strange voyage, and our present predicament, to
+those personal matters in which we were peculiarly interested. I know
+not how it occurred, for what had passed between us in the open boat
+seemed more like a dream than a reality, yet my hand found her own
+beneath the blanket, and I dared to whisper the words my lips could no
+longer restrain.
+
+"Dorothy," I said humbly, "you were frightened last night. I cannot
+hold you to what you said to me then."
+
+"You mean you do not wish to? But I was not frightened."
+
+"They were honest words? You have not regretted them since?"
+
+"No, Geoffry. Perhaps they were not maidenly, yet were they honest;
+why should I not have told you the truth? I have long known my own
+heart, and yours, as well."
+
+"And you still repeat what you said then?"
+
+"Perhaps I do not remember all I said."
+
+"I can never forget--you said, 'I love you.'"
+
+She drew a quick breath, and for an instant remained silent; then her
+courage conquered.
+
+"Yes, I can repeat that--I love you."
+
+"Those are dear, dear words; but I ought not to listen to them, or
+believe. I am not free to ask a pledge of you, or to beg you to trust
+me in marriage."
+
+"Is not that rather for me to decide?" she questioned archly. "I give
+you my faith, Geoffry, and surely no girl ever had more reason to know
+the heart of a man than I. You have risked all to serve me, and I
+would be ungrateful indeed were I insensible of the sacrifice. Yet do
+not think that is all--gratitude for what you have done. I did not
+need that to teach me your nature. I make a confession now. You
+remember the night I met you on deck, when you were a prisoner, and
+told you that you had become the property of Roger Fairfax?"
+
+"I could never forget."
+
+"Nor I. I loved you then, although I scarcely acknowledged the truth
+even to myself. I went back to my berth to lie awake, and think until
+morning. A new world had come to me, and when the dawn broke, I knew
+what it all meant--that my heart was yours. I cared nothing because
+you were a prisoner, a bound slave under sentence. We are all alike,
+we Fairfax's; we choose for ourselves, and laugh at the world. That is
+my answer, Geoffry Carlyle; I give you love for love."
+
+"'Tis a strange place for such a pledge, with only hope before us."
+
+"A fit place to my mind in memory of our life together thus far, for
+all the way it has been stress and danger. And what more can we ask
+than hope?"
+
+"I would ask an opportunity denied me--to stand once more in honor
+among men. I would not be shamed before Dorothy Fairfax."
+
+"Nor need you be," she exclaimed impetuously, her hands pressing mine.
+"You wrong yourself, even as you have been wronged. You have already
+done that which shall win you freedom, if it be properly presented to
+those in power. I mean that it shall be, once I am safely back in
+Virginia. Tell me, what are your plans with--with this schooner?"
+
+"To beach it somewhere along shore, and leave it there a wreck, while
+we escape."
+
+"I suspected as much--yet, is that the best way?"
+
+"The only way which has occurred to me. The men insist on it with good
+reason. They have been pirates, and might be hung if caught."
+
+"And yet to my mind," she insisted earnestly, "that choice is most
+dangerous. I am a girl, but if I commanded here, do you know what I
+would do?"
+
+"I shall be glad to hear."
+
+"I would sail this vessel straight to the Chesapeake, and surrender it
+to the authorities. The men have nothing to fear with me aboard, and
+ready to testify in their behalf. The Governor will accept my word
+without a question. These men are not pirates, but honest seamen
+compelled to serve in order to save their lives; they mutinied and
+captured the bark, but were later overcome, and compelled to take the
+boats. The same plea can be made for you, Geoffry, only you were there
+in an effort to save me. It is a service which ought to win you
+freedom."
+
+"But if it does not?"
+
+"I pledge you my word it shall. If the Governor fail me, I will bear
+my story to the feet of the King. I am a Fairfax, and we have friends
+in England, strong, powerful friends. They will listen, and aid me."
+
+"I am convinced," I admitted, after a pause, "that this course is the
+wiser one, but fear the opposition of the men. They will never go
+willingly."
+
+"There is an argument which will overcome their fear."
+
+"You mean force?"  "No; although I doubt not that might suffice. I
+mean cupidity. Each sailor, aboard has an interest in the salvage of
+this vessel under the English law. You tell me the schooner was a
+slaver, driven out to sea by storm immediately after discharging a
+cargo of slaves. There must be gold aboard--perhaps treasure also, for
+I cannot think a slaver above piracy if chance arose. Let the crew
+dream that dream, and you will need no whip to drive them into an
+English port."
+
+"Full pardon, and possibly wealth with it," I laughed. "A beautiful
+scheme, Dorothy, yet it might work. Still, if I know sailormen, they
+would doubt the truth, if it came direct from me, for I am not really
+one of them."
+
+"But Watkins is, and he has intelligence. Explain it all to him; tell
+him who I am, the influence I can wield in the Colony, and then let
+him whisper the news to the others. Will you not do this--for my
+sake?"
+
+"Yes," I answered, "I believe you have found the right course. If you
+will promise to lie down, and sleep, I will talk with Watkins now."
+
+"I promise. But are you not going to rest?"
+
+"Very little tonight. I may catch some catnaps before morning, but
+most of the time shall be prowling about deck. You see I have no
+officers to rely upon. But don't worry about me--this sort of life is
+not new. Good night, dear girl."
+
+She extended her arms, and drew me down until our lips met.
+
+"You are actually afraid of me still," she said wonderingly, "why
+should you be?"
+
+"I cannot tell; I have never known what it was before. Somehow
+Dorothy, you have always seemed so far away from me, I have never
+been able to forget. But now the touch of your lips has----"
+
+"Broken down the last barrier?"
+
+"Yes, forever."
+
+"Are you sure? Would you not feel still less doubt if you kissed me
+again?"
+
+I held her closely, gazing down into the dimly revealed outline of her
+face, and this time felt myself the master.
+
+"Now I am sure, sweetheart," I whispered, the note of joy ringing in
+the words, "that I have won the most precious gift in the world; yet
+your safety, and those of all on board is in my hands tonight. I must
+not forget that. I am going now to find Watkins, and you have promised
+to lie down and sleep."
+
+"To lie down," she corrected, "but whether to sleep, I cannot tell."
+
+I left her there, lying hidden and shapeless on the deck beneath the
+cover of the blanket, her head pillowed on the flags, and groped my
+own way forward, pausing a moment to gaze into the binnacle, and
+exchange a word with the man at the wheel. I found Watkins awake,
+seated on the forecastle steps, where I joined him, lighting my own
+pipe for companionship, our conversation gradually drifting toward the
+point I came to make. He listened gravely to what I had to say, with
+little comment, and was evidently weighing every argument in his mind.
+
+"I've bin in Virginia, and Maryland, sir," he said at last seriously,
+"and if the young woman is a Fairfax, she'll likely have influence
+enough ter do just whut she says. They ain't over-kind ter pirates in
+them provinces o' late, I've bin told--but the savin' o' her life wud
+make a heap o' difference with the Governor. Yer know she's a
+Fairfax?"
+
+"Absolutely. I told you the story that night in the forecastle, and I
+take more risk than any of you in giving myself up. I was bound in
+servitude to her uncle, Roger Fairfax, and am therefore a runaway
+slave."
+
+"Well," he agreed, "I'll talk it over with the lads. It's a good
+story, an' I'd be ready ter take chances, but I ain't so sure, sir, on
+makin' 'em feel the same way. All most of 'em think about is ter
+escape bein' hanged. If they wus only sure thar wus treasure aboard,
+like you suspicion there may be, I guess most of 'em would face hell
+ter git their hands on a share of it."
+
+"Then why not search, and see?"
+
+He shook his head obstinately, and his face, showing in the dull glow
+of the pipe, proved that he, sturdy, intelligent seaman as he was,
+shared to no small extent the fears of the others.
+
+"Not me, sir; I don't prowl around in no cholera ship, loaded with
+dead men--not if I never git rich."
+
+"Then I will," and I got to my feet in sudden determination. "You keep
+the deck while I go below. Have you seen a lantern on board anywhere?"
+
+"Ay, sir, there's one hangin' in the cook's galley. I hope yer don't
+think I'm a damn coward, Mr. Carlyle?"
+
+"Oh, no, Tom. I know how you feel exactly; we're both of us sailors.
+But you see I've got to make this crew take the _Santa Marie_ into the
+Chesapeake, and it's an easier job if I can find gold aboard."
+
+"Yer've got to, sir?"
+
+"Yes, I've given my promise to the girl. Light the lantern, and bring
+it here. Then we'll go aft together; if there is any specie hidden
+aboard this hooker, it will be either in the cabin, or lazaret. And,
+whether there is, or not, my man, the _Santa Marie_ turns north
+tomorrow, if I have to fight every sea wolf on board single-handed."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX
+
+A STRUGGLE IN THE DARK
+
+
+He came back with it swinging in his hand a mere tin box, containing a
+candle, the dim flame visible through numerous punctures. It promised
+poor guidance enough, yet emitted sufficient light to show the way
+around in that darkness below. So as not to arouse suspicion, I
+wrapped the thing in a blanket, and, with Watkins beside me, started
+aft. Dorothy must have been asleep already, for there was no sign of
+movement as we passed where she was lying. Neither of us spoke until
+my hand was on the companion door ready to slide it open.
+
+"I'll not be long below," I said soberly. "And meanwhile you keep a
+sharp watch on deck. Better go forward and see that your lookout men
+are awake, and then come back here. Likely I'll have a story to tell
+you by that time. The wind seems lessening."
+
+"Yes, sir; shall we shake out a reef in the foresail?"
+
+"Not yet, Watkins. Wait until I learn what secret is below. An hour
+will make little difference."
+
+With the lantern held before me, its faint light barely piercing the
+intense darkness, I stood on the first step leading down into the
+cabin, and slid the door back into place behind me. I had no sense of
+fear, yet felt a nervous tension to which I was scarcely accustomed.
+For the instant I hesitated to descend into the gloom of that
+interior. The constant nerve strain under which I had labored for days
+and nights, made me shrink from groping blindly forward, searching for
+the unknown. The very darkness seemed haunted, and I could not drive
+from my memory the figure of that dead Captain, whose life had ended
+there. It even seemed to me I could smell foulness in the air; that I
+was breathing in cholera. Yet I drove this terror from me with a
+laugh, remembering the open ports through which the fresh wind was
+blowing; and cursing myself for a fool, began the descent, guided by
+the flickering rays of light.
+
+I was conscious of a quickening pulse, as I peered about me in the
+gloom, every article of furniture assuming grotesque form. The
+rustling of a bit of cloth over one of the open ports caused me to
+face about suddenly, while every creak of the vessel seemed the echo
+of a human voice. A blanket in the form of a roll lay on the divan
+where I had found Captain Paradilla, and for a moment, as I stared at
+it, dimly visible in a ray of light, I imagined this was his
+motionless figure. Indeed, I was so strung up, it required all my
+reserve of courage to persevere, and traverse the black deck. My mind
+was fixed on a great chest in the Captain's stateroom, which, finding
+locked, I had not disturbed on my former visit. But first I explored
+the steward's pantry, in search of knife or hatchet. I found the
+latter, and, with it tucked into my belt, felt my way aft. It may have
+required five minutes to pry open the chest, and the reward was
+scarcely worth the effort. The upper tray contained nothing but
+clothing, and beneath this were books, and nautical instruments, with
+a bag of specie tucked into one corner, together with a small packet
+of letters. I opened the sack, finding therein a strange collection of
+coins, mostly Spanish, estimating the total roughly at possibly five
+hundred English pounds. Either this was Paradilla's private purse, or
+money kept on hand to meet the expenses of the voyage. I searched the
+room thoroughly, discovering nothing, finally concluding that if there
+was treasure on board, it must be concealed elsewhere. I did find,
+however, that which strengthened my suspicion, for, in rummaging
+hastily through a drawer of the rude desk, I came upon a bill of sale
+for a thousand slaves, dated two weeks before, but unsigned, although
+the parties mentioned within the document were Paradilla and a
+merchant of Habana, named Carlos Martinos. This would evidence the
+sale for cash of the late cargo of the _Santa Marie_--a goodly
+sum--but, whether the amount had been left ashore remained undecided.
+Only a careful search of the vessel could determine this.
+
+However, this discovery nerved me to press forward with my
+exploration. All fear and dread had left me, and I went at the task
+coolly enough, and with a clear purpose. There remained aft two places
+unvisited--the lazaret and the port stateroom, which I had not
+previously entered, because of a locked door. I determined on breaking
+in here first, suspecting its use as a storeroom. There was no key in
+the lock, and the stout door resisted my efforts. Placing the lantern
+on the deck I succeeded finally in inserting the blade of the hatchet
+so as to gain a purchase sufficient to release the latch. As the door
+yielded, the hinges creaking dismally, a sharp cry, human in its
+agony, assailed me from within. It came forth so suddenly, and with so
+wild an accent, I stepped blindly backward in fright, my foot
+overturning the lantern, which, with a single flicker of candle went
+out. In that last gleam I saw a form--either of man, or boy--a dim,
+grotesque outline, fronting me. Then, in the darkness gleamed two
+green, menacing eyes, growing steadily larger, nearer, as I stared at
+them in horror. I could not move; I seemed paralyzed; I doubt if I
+even breathed in that first moment of overwhelming terror. Another
+cry, like that of a mad person, struck my ears, and I knew the thing
+was coming toward me. There was no other sound, no footstep on the
+deck; I merely felt the approach, realizing the increasing glare of
+those horrible eyes. They seemed to fascinate, to hold me immovable,
+the blood chilled in my veins. Was it man or beast? Devil from hell,
+or some crazed human against whom I must battle for life? The green
+eyes glared into my face; I could even feel the hot breath of the
+monster. I lifted my hand toward him, and touched--hair!
+
+Even as the creature's grip caught me, ripping through jacket sleeve
+to the flesh, I knew what my antagonist was--a giant African ape.
+Horrible as the reality was, I was no longer paralyzed with fear,
+helpless before the unknown. This was something real, something to
+grasp, and struggle against, a beast with which to pit strength and
+skill. The sting of the claws maddened me, brought me instantly to
+life, and I drove my hatchet straight between those two gleaming eyes.
+I know not how it struck, but the brute staggered back dragging me
+with him in the clutch of his claws. His human-like cry of pain ended
+in a brutal snarl, but, brief as the respite proved, it gave me grip
+on his under jaw, and an opportunity to drive my weapon twice more
+against the hairy face. The pain served only to madden the beast, and,
+before I could wrench free, he had me clutched in an iron grip, my
+jacket torn into shreds. His jaws snapped at my face, but I had such
+purchase as to prevent their touching me, and mindless of the claws
+tearing at my flesh, I forced the animal's head back until the neck
+cracked, and the lips gave vent to a wild scream of agony. I dared not
+let go; dared not relax for an instant the exercise of every ounce of
+strength. I felt as though the life was being squeezed out of me by
+the grasp of those hairy arms; yet the very vice in which I was held
+yielded me leverage. The hatchet dropped to the deck, and both hands
+found lodgment under the jaw, the muscles of my arms strained to the
+utmost, as I forced back that horrid head. Little by little it gave
+way, the suffering brute whining in agony, until, the pain becoming
+unendurable, the clinging arms, suddenly released their hold, letting
+me drop heavily to the deck.
+
+By some good fortune I fell upon the discarded hatchet, and stumbled
+to my feet once more, gripping the weapon again in my fingers. I stood
+trembling, breathing hard, my flesh burning, peering about. The
+darkness revealed nothing, yet I knew I had been dragged within the
+stateroom, from which there was no escape, as I had lost all sense of
+direction. For an instant I could not even locate the brute. With an
+intense desire to escape, to place the door safely between me and my
+antagonist, I felt blindly about in the black void. Silently as I
+endeavored to move, I must have been overheard by the beast, for
+suddenly his jaws snapped savagely, and I saw once again the baneful
+glow of those horrible eyes. I knew enough of wild life to realize
+that now the ape feared me, and that my safer course was to attack.
+Acting on this impulse, determined to have an end, before he could
+grip me once more in those awful arms, and crush me into
+unconsciousness, I sprang straight toward him, sending the sharp blade
+of the hatchet crashing against the skull. The aim was good, the
+stroke a death blow, yet the monster got me with one jaw, and we fell
+to the deck together, he savagely clawing me in his death agony. Then
+the hairy figure quivered, and lay motionless. With barely strength
+enough for the task, I released the stiffening grip, and crept aside,
+rising to my knees, only to immediately pitch forward unconscious. It
+seemed to me as I went down that I heard voices, saw lights flashing
+in the outer cabin, but all these merged instantly into blackness.
+
+When I came back once more to life I knew immediately I was upon the
+schooner's deck, breathing the fresh night air. I could see the
+outline of the helmsman in the little circle of binnacle light, a ray
+of which extended far enough to assure me of the presence of Dorothy.
+I watched her for some time, my mind slowly clearing to the situation,
+and, it was not until I spoke, that she became aware I had recovered
+consciousness.
+
+"Dorothy."
+
+"Yes, yes," she bent lower eagerly. "Oh, I am so glad to hear you
+speak. Watkins said you were not seriously hurt, but your clothes were
+torn into shreds, and you bled terribly."
+
+"It was not a nightmare then; I really fought that beast?"
+
+"Yes; but it is too horrible to think about--I--I shall never blot out
+the sight."
+
+"You saw what occurred yourself?" I questioned in astonishment. "You
+actually came below? Then I did hear voices, and see a light, before
+my senses left me?"
+
+"Yes; Watkins heard the noise of struggle, the cries of the brute, and
+woke me. At first he was afraid to go into the cabin, but I made him,
+rather than let me go alone. The only light we had was a torch, made
+from a rope end. We got there just as you fell. I saw you staggering
+on your knees, and that beast outstretched on deck, a great gash in
+its skull. Watkins says it was a chimpanzee."
+
+"It was a huge ape of some kind, crazed with hunger no doubt." I sat
+up, aware of the smart of my wounds, but already convinced they were
+not deep or dangerous. "You did not look about? You took no note of
+what was in the room?"
+
+"No," puzzled at my sudden interest. "I had no thought of anything but
+you. At first I believed you dead, until I felt the beat of your
+pulse. The light revealed little, until Watkins found the overturned
+lantern, and relit the candle."
+
+"But I saw not even that much; the fight was in pitch darkness, yet I
+struck against things not furniture--what were they?"
+
+"Oh, you mean that! I think it must have been a storeroom of some
+kind, for there were casks and boxes piled up, and a strange
+iron-bound chest was against one wall. I sat on it, and held the
+lantern while Watkins saw to your wounds. Then we carried you up
+here."
+
+"That is the answer I sought. Yes, you must let me get up, dear. Oh, I
+can stand alone; a little weak from loss of blood yet, but none the
+worse off. Where is Watkins?"
+
+"He went forward. Do you need him?"
+
+"Perhaps it can wait until daylight. You know what I ventured below
+for?"
+
+"To learn if there was treasure hidden aboard; you hoped such a
+discovery would induce the men to sail this schooner to the
+Chesapeake."
+
+"Yes, and now I believe there is--hidden away in the locked room and
+guarded by that ape. In all probability no one but Paradilla knew the
+creature was on board, and he could have had no better guardian. No
+sailor would ever face the brute."
+
+We may have talked there for an hour, Watkins joining us finally, and
+listening to my story. My wounds, while painful enough, were all of
+the flesh, and the flow of blood being easily staunched, my strength
+returned quickly. To my surprise the hour was but little after
+midnight, and I had so far recovered when the watch was changed, as to
+insist on Watkins going forward, leaving me in charge of the deck. I
+felt no desire for sleep, and so he finally yielded to my orders, and
+curled up in a blanket in the lee of the galley. The girl was harder
+to manage, yet, when I left her alone, she lay down on her bed of
+flags. Twice later she lifted her head, and spoke as I passed, but at
+last remained motionless, while I carefully covered her with an extra
+blanket.
+
+The time did not seem long to me as I paced the deserted deck aft, or
+went forward occasionally to assure myself that the lookouts on the
+forecastle were alert. There was nothing to see or do, the sea and sky
+both so black as to be indistinguishable, and the breeze barely heavy
+enough to distend the canvas, giving the schooner a speed not to
+exceed six knots, I suspicioned a storm in the hatching, but nothing
+evidenced its near approach. However my thoughts busied me, and
+vanished all drowsiness. I believed I had won a way to freedom--to a
+government pardon. The good fortune which had befallen me in the
+salvage of this vessel, as well as our success against the pirates of
+the _Namur_, could scarcely be ignored by the authorities of Virginia,
+while the rescue of Dorothy Fairfax, and her pleading in our behalf,
+would commend us to mercy, and reward from the very highest officials.
+The money, the treasure, I personally thought nothing about, willing
+enough that it should go to others; but I was ambitious to regain my
+honor among men, my place of respectability in the world, for the one
+vital purpose which now dominated my mind--that I might claim Dorothy
+Fairfax with clean hands. My love, and the confession of her own, had
+brought to me a new vista, a fresh hope. It seemed to me already her
+faith had inspired me with new power--power to transform dream into
+reality.
+
+I stood above her motionless figure as she lay asleep, and solemnly
+took a resolve. At whatever cost to myself, or others, the _Santa
+Marie_ should sail in between the Capes to the waters of the
+Chesapeake. Be the result reward or punishment, liberty or freedom,
+the chance must be accepted, for her sake, as well as my own.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX
+
+OPENING THE TREASURE CHEST
+
+
+The dawn came slowly, and with but little increase of light. The
+breeze had almost entirely died away, leaving the canvas aloft
+motionless, the schooner barely moving through a slightly heaving sea,
+in the midst of a dull-gray mist. It was a dismal outlook, the decks
+wet, the sails dripping moisture, and nothing to look about upon but
+wreaths of fog. Even as the sun rose, its rays failed to penetrate
+this cloud bank, or yield slightest color to the scene. It was all
+gray, gloomy, mysterious--a narrow stretch of water, disappearing so
+suddenly the eye could not determine ocean from sky. The upper masts
+vanished into the vapor, and, from where I stood aft, I could but
+dimly perceive the open deck amidships. The light yet burning in the
+binnacle was hazy and dull.
+
+There was to my mind a threat in the weather, expressed in the silence
+overhead, as well as in the sullen swell underfoot. We could not be
+far from the coast--a coast line of which I knew next to nothing--and,
+at any instant, the blinding fog encircling us might be swept aside by
+some sudden atmospheric change, catching us aback, and leaving us
+helpless upon the waters. Again and again I had witnessed storms burst
+from just such conditions, and we were far too short-handed to take
+any unnecessary risk. I talked with Harwood at the wheel, and waited,
+occasionally walking over to the rail, and peering out into the mist
+uneasily. It seemed to me the heave of water beneath our keel grew
+heavier, the fog more dense, the mystery more profound. Safety was
+better than progress, particularly as there was no real object any
+longer in our clinging to a westerly course. The sensible thing was to
+lay too until the enveloping fog blew away, explore that room below,
+and explain my plans to the men.
+
+This determined upon I called all hands, and with Watkins in command
+forward, preceded to strip the vessel of canvas, leaving exposed only
+a jib sheet, with closely reefed foresail, barely enough to give the
+wheelsman control. This required some time and compelled me to lay
+hold with the others, and, when the last gasket had been secured, and
+the men aloft returned to the deck, Sam had the galley fire burning,
+and breakfast nearly ready. The lads, saturated with moisture, and in
+anything but good humor, were soon restored to cheerfulness, and I
+left them, sitting about on deck and returned aft, where Dorothy,
+aroused by the noise, stood, well wrapped up, near the rail.
+
+Sleep had refreshed her greatly, her eyes welcoming me, a red flush on
+either cheek.
+
+"Have you been up all night?"
+
+"Yes, but I would hardly know it--a sleepless night means nothing to a
+sailor."
+
+"But it was so selfish of me to sleep all those hours."
+
+"I had you to think about; all we have said to each other, and our
+plans."
+
+"What are they? You have determined?"
+
+"To do as you suggested. It is the braver, and, I believe, the better
+way. The difficulty is going to lie in convincing the crew of their
+safety. I shall explore below before having a talk with them."
+
+"In hope of discovering treasure to be divided?"
+
+"Yes, that will have greater weight with those fellows than any
+argument, or promise. Here comes Sam with our breakfast; we will eat
+here from the flag locker."
+
+The negro served us with some skill, and, discovering we were hungry,
+both did full justice to the well-cooked fare. The denseness of the
+fog hid the men from us, but we could hear their voices, and
+occasionally a burst of laughter. We were talking quietly together,
+and had nearly finished, when Watkins emerged through the mist, and
+approached respectfully.
+
+"You did not like the look o' things, sir?" he asked, staring out into
+the smother astern.
+
+"I've seen storms born from such fogs," I answered, "and know nothing
+of this coast."
+
+"You think then it's not far away--out yonder?"
+
+"It is all a guess; we made good progress most of the night, and I
+have no confidence in the chart. There are headlands hereabout, and we
+might be within hail of one at this minute. It is safer to lie quiet
+until the mist lifts. By the way, Watkins--"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+"Miss Fairfax tells me that was a storeroom in which I fought the ape
+last night."
+
+"It was, sir."  "And she reports having seen a chest, iron-bound,
+among the other stuff. Did you notice it?"
+
+He walked across to the rail, spat overboard, and came back, politely
+wiping his lips on his sleeve.
+
+"Yes, sir, I did; it was stored ter starboard, an ol'fashioned sea
+chest, padlocked, an' looked like a relic, but a damned strong box.
+You think maybe there's gold in it?"
+
+"Likely enough. I found about five hundred pounds in the Captain's
+room; but there must be more aboard, unless it was left behind in
+Cuba. My idea is that was why the monkey was locked up in there--to
+guard the treasure. Does that sound reasonable?"
+
+He scratched his head, his eyes wandering from her face to mine.
+
+"Yes, sir, it does. I've heard o' such things afore. A chimpanzee is
+better'n a big dog on such a job; thar ain't no sailor who would
+tackle the beast."
+
+"That was my way of looking at it. So while we are lying here, and the
+lads are in good humor--hear that laugh--I am going to find out what's
+in the chest. After I know, I'll talk to the men. Do you agree?"
+
+He nodded, but without speaking.
+
+"Are you willing to go below with me?"
+
+"I ain't overly anxious 'bout it, Mister Carlyle," he replied gruffly,
+plucking awkwardly at the peak of his cap. "I'm a seaman, sir, an'
+know my duty, an' so I'll go 'long if yer wus ter order me to. Yer
+know that; but I ain't fergot yet this yere is a cholera ship, an'
+it's goin' ter be as black as night down thar in thet cabin--"
+
+"Don't urge him Geoffry," the girl interrupted, her hand on my
+sleeve. "Leave him here on deck, I am not in the least afraid, and
+all you need is someone to hold the light. Please let me do that."
+
+I looked down into her eyes, and smiled.
+
+"Suppose we should encounter another ape?"
+
+"Then I would want to be with you," she responded quickly. "You are
+going to consent?"
+
+"I suppose I am, although if there was the slightest danger my answer
+would be otherwise. Keep the men busy, Watkins, while we are
+gone--don't give them time to ask questions. You brought the lantern
+on deck?"
+
+"Yes, sir; it's over there against the grating."
+
+"Very well; we'll light up in the companion, so the flame will not be
+seen by the crew. Coming, Dorothy?"
+
+She accompanied me cheerfully, but her hand grasped mine as we groped
+our way down the stairs into the dark cabin. A faint glimmer of gray
+daylight filtered through the glass from above, and found entrance at
+the open ports, but the place was nevertheless gloomy enough, and we
+needed what little help the candle afforded to find our way about. The
+memories haunted us both, and hurried us to our special mission. The
+door of the storeroom stood wide open, but the after ports were
+closed, the air within heated and foul. Dorothy held the lantern, her
+hands trembling slightly, as I stepped across and unscrewed both
+ports. The moist fog blew in upon me but was welcome, although I
+stared forth into a bank of impenetrable mist.
+
+The dead ape lay just as he had fallen, with his hideous face
+upturned, and a great gash in the head. The hatchet with which I had
+dealt the blow, rested on the deck, disfigured with blood. The
+hugeness of the creature, its repulsive aspect in death, with savage
+teeth gleaming in the rays of the lantern, and long, hairy arms
+outspread, gave me such a shock, I felt my limbs tremble. For a moment
+I could not remove my eyes from the spectacle, or regain control of my
+nerves. Then I some way saw the horror, reflected in her face, and
+realized the requirements of leadership.
+
+"He was certainly a big brute," I said quietly, "and it was a lucky
+stroke which finished him. Now to complete our work in here and get
+out."
+
+I picked up the hatchet, and my glance sought the whereabouts of the
+chest. The light was confusing, and she stepped forward, throwing the
+dim yellow flame directly upon the object.
+
+"This is what I saw--see; does it look like a treasure chest to you?"
+
+"If it be not, I never saw one--and a hundred years old, if it is a
+day. What a story of the sea it might tell if it had a tongue. There
+is no way to find its secrets but to break it open. Place the lantern
+on this cask of wine; now, if I can gain purchase with the blade, it
+will be easily accomplished."
+
+It proved harder than I had believed, the staple of the lock clinging
+to the hard teak wood of which the chest was made. I must have been
+ten minutes at it, compelled to use a wooden bar as lever, before it
+yielded, groaning as it finally released its grip, like a soul in
+agony. I felt the girl clutch me in terror at the sound, her
+frightened eyes searching the shadows, but I was interested by then to
+learn what was within, and gave all my effort to lifting the lid.
+This was heavy, as though weighted with lead, but as I finally forced
+it backward, a hinge snapped, and permitted it to drop crashing to the
+deck. For an instant I could see nothing within--no more indeed than
+some dimly revealed outline, the nature of which could not be
+determined. Yet, somehow, it gave me an impression, horrible,
+grotesque, of a human form. I gripped the side of the chest afraid to
+reach downward.
+
+"Lift up the lantern--Dorothy, please. No, higher than that. What in
+God's name? Why, it is the corpse of a woman!"
+
+I heard her cry out, and barely caught the lantern as it fell from her
+hand. The hatchet struck the deck with a sharp clang, and I felt the
+frightened clasp of the girl's fingers on my sleeve. Yet I scarcely
+realized these things, my entire attention focussed on what was now
+revealed writhin the chest. At first I doubted the evidence of my own
+eyes, snatching the bit of flaring candle from its tin socket, and
+holding it where the full glare of light fell across the grewsome
+object. Ay, it was a woman, with lower limbs doubled back from lack of
+space, but otherwise lying as though she slept, so perfect in
+preservation her cheeks appeared flushed with health, her lips half
+smiling. It was a face of real beauty--an English face, although her
+eyes and hair were dark, and her mantilla, and long earrings were
+unquestionably Spanish. A string of pearls encircled her throat, and
+there were numerous rings upon her fingers. The very contrast added
+immeasurably to the horror.
+
+"She is alive! Surely she is alive?" the words were sobbed into my
+ear, trembling from Dorothy's lips, as though she could barely utter
+them. I stared into her face, the sight of her terror, arousing me
+from stupor.
+
+"Alive! No, that is impossible!" and conquering a repugnance, such as
+I had never before experienced, I touched the figure with my hand,
+"The flesh is like stone," I said, "thus held lifelike by some magic
+of the Indies. I have heard of such skill but never before realized
+its perfection. Good God! she actually seems to breathe. What can it
+all mean? Who could the woman be? And why should her body be thus
+carried about at sea. Is it love, or hate?"
+
+"Not love, Geoffry. Love would never do this thing. It is hate, the
+gloating of revenge; there can be no other answer--this is the end of
+a tragedy."
+
+"The truth of which will never be known."
+
+"Are you sure? Is there nothing hidden with her in there to tell who
+she was, or how she died?"
+
+There was nothing, not a scrap of paper, not even the semblance of a
+wound exposed. The smile on those parted lips had become one of
+mockery; I could bear the sight no longer, and rose to my feet,
+clasping Dorothy close to me, as she still gazed down in fascination
+at the ghastly sight.
+
+"We will never know. The man who could tell is dead."
+
+"Captain Paradilla?"
+
+"Who else could it be? This was his schooner, and here he alone could
+hide such a secret. There is nothing more we can learn, and the horror
+unnerves me. Hold the light, dear, while I replace the lid of the
+chest."
+
+It required my utmost effort to accomplish this, yet I succeeded in
+sliding the heavy covering back inch by inch, until it fell finally
+into place. I was glad to have the thing hidden, to escape the stare
+of those fixed eyes, the death smile of those red lips. It was no
+longer a reality, but a dream of delirium; I dare not think, or
+speculate--my only desire being to get away, to get Dorothy away. My
+eyes swept about through the confusing shadows, half expecting to be
+confronted by other ghosts of the past, but all they encountered were
+the indistinct outlines of casks and boxes, and the hideous hairy
+figure of the ape, outstretched upon the deck. The candle fluttered in
+the girl's shaking hand, the yellow glare forming weird reflections,
+ugly shapes along the wall. God! what if it should go out, leaving us
+lost and groping about in this chamber of horrors? In absolute terror
+I drew her with me to the open door--then stopped, paralyzed; the half
+revealed figure of a man appeared on the cabin stairs.
+
+"Stop! who are you?"
+
+"Watkins, sir. I came below to call you. There's sumthin' bloomin' odd
+takin' place out there in the fog, Captain Carlyle. We want yer on
+deck, sir, right away."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI
+
+THE BOAT ATTACK
+
+
+He waited for us just without the companion, but my eyes caught
+nothing unusual as I emerged into the daylight. I could barely see
+amidships, but thus far the deck was clear, and on either side hung
+the impenetrable bank of cloud, leaving sea and sky invisible. Simmes
+was at the wheel, with no other member of the crew in sight.
+
+"What is it, Watkins? Where are the men?"
+
+"Forrard, sir, a hangin' over the starboard rail. Thar's somethin'
+cursedly strange a happenin' in that damn fog. Harwood was the first
+ter hear the clatter ov en oar slippin' in a rowlock. I thought the
+feller wus crazy, till I heerd sumthin' also, an' then, sir, while we
+wus still a listenin' we both caught sound ov a Spanish oath, spoke as
+plain as if the buck was aboard."
+
+"You saw nothing?"
+
+"Not so much as a shadder, sir."
+
+"A lost boat, likely--ship-wrecked sailors adrift in the fog; perhaps
+our other quarter-boat. No one hailed them?"
+
+"No, sir; I told the men ter keep still till I called you. It might be
+a cuttin'-out party; this ain't no coast fer any honest sailors ter be
+huggin' up to, an' I didn't like that feller talkin' Spanish."
+
+"But if their purpose is to take us by surprise," I said, "they'd be
+more cautious about it."
+
+"Maybe they didn't know how near they was. 'Tain't likely they kin see
+us much better 'n we kin see them. The sea's got an ugly swell to it,
+an' the feller likely cussed afore he thought. Enyhow it wa' n't my
+place ter hail 'em."
+
+"All right; where are they?"
+
+"Straight off the starboard quarter, sir."
+
+The crew were all gathered there, staring out into the mist,
+whispering to each other. Even they were indistinct, their faces
+unrecognizable, until I pressed my way in among them. I brought up
+beside Harwood.
+
+"Hear anything more?"
+
+"Not yet, sir," peering about to make sure of who spoke, "but there's
+a boat out yonder; I'll swear to that."
+
+"How far away when you heard them?"
+
+"Not mor'n fifty fathoms, an' maybe not that--the voice sounded
+clearest."
+
+We may have been clinging there, a minute or two, breathlessly
+listening, our hands tensely gripping the rail. My coming had silenced
+the others, and we waited motionless, the stillness so intense I could
+hear the lapping of waves against the side, and the slight creak of a
+rope aloft. Then a voice spoke directly in front of me out from the
+dense fog, a peculiar, penetrating voice, carrying farther than the
+owner probably thought, and distinctly audible.
+
+"Try the port oar, Pedro; we must have missed the damn ship."
+
+I straightened up as though struck, my eyes seeking those of Harwood,
+who stared back at me, his mouth wide open in astonishment.
+
+"You heard that?" I whispered. "Do you know who spoke?"
+
+"By God, do I? Dead, or alive, sir, it was Manuel Estevan."
+
+"Ay; no other, and alive enough no doubt. Lads, come close to me, and
+listen--they must not hear us out there. By some devil's trick the
+_Namur_ has followed our course, or else yonder are a part of his crew
+cast away. They clearly know of us--perhaps had a glimpse through some
+rift in the cloud--and are seeking to board with a boat party. 'Tis
+not likely those devils know who we are; probably take us for a
+merchant ship becalmed in the fog, and liable to become an easy prey,
+if they can only slip up on us unseen. How are you, bullies? Ready to
+battle your old mates?"
+
+"Those were no mates o' ours, sir," said Watkins indignantly. "They
+are half-breed mongrels, and no sailors; Estevan is a hell-hound, an'
+so far as my voice goes, I'd rather die on this deck than ever agin be
+a bloody pirate. Is that the right word, lads?"
+
+The others grumbled assent, but their muttered words had in them a
+ring of sincerity, and their faces exhibited no cowardice. Harwood
+alone asked a question.
+
+"I'm fer fightin', sir," he said grimly, "but what'll we use? Them
+lads ain't comin' aboard bare-handed, but damn if I've seed a weapon
+on this hooker."
+
+"Dar's three knives, an' a meat cleaver in der galley, sah," chimed in
+Sam.
+
+"We'll do well enough; some of you have your sheath knives yet, and
+the rest can use belaying pins, and capstan bars. The point is to not
+let them get aboard, and, if there is only one boat, we will be pretty
+even-handed. Pick up what you can, and man this rail--quietly now,
+hearties, and keep your eyes open."
+
+It proved a longer wait than I expected. The fog gave us no glimpse of
+the surrounding water, and not another sound enabled us to locate the
+approaching boat. I felt convinced we had not been overheard, as no
+one had spoken above a whisper, and the men aboard had been noiseless
+in their movements about deck, I had compelled Dorothy to remain on
+the port side of the cabin, removed from all danger, and the only
+upright figure in sight was the man at the wheel. The rest of us
+crouched along the starboard rail, peering out into the mist, and
+listening for the slightest sound. They were a motley crew, armed with
+every conceivable sort of knife or war club, but sturdy fellows, ready
+and willing enough to give a good account of themselves. Watkins was
+forward, swallowed up in the smother of mist, but Schmitt held a place
+next me, a huge, ungainly figure in the dull light. So still it was I
+began to doubt having heard the voice at all--could it have been
+imagination? But no; that was impossible, for the sound had reached
+all of us alike. Somewhere out yonder, that boat was creeping along
+silently, seeking blindly through the fog to reach our side
+unobserved--those Wolves of the Sea had the scent.
+
+I do not know how long the suspense lasted, but, I have never felt a
+greater strain on my nerves. Every deeper shadow increased the
+tension, imagination playing strange tricks, as I stared fixedly into
+the void, and trembled at the slightest sound. Once I was sure I heard
+the splash of an oar, but no one on deck spoke, and I remained silent.
+The faint creaking of a rope aloft caused my heart to thump, and when
+a loosened edge of canvas slapped the mast in a sudden breath of air,
+it sounded to me like a burst of thunder. Where were the fellows? Had
+they abandoned their search, confused by the fog; or were they still
+stealthily seeking to locate our position? Could there be more than
+one boat, and if not what force of men might such a boat contain?
+These questions never left me, and were alike unanswerable. Unable to
+withstand inaction any longer I arose to my feet, thinking to pass
+down the line with a word of encouragement to each man. A glance
+upward told me the heavy mist was passing, driven away by a light
+breeze from the south. Through the thick curtain which still clung to
+the deck, I could perceive the upper spars, already tipped with
+sunlight, and edges of reefed canvas flapping in the wind. The
+schooner felt the impulse, the bow swinging sharply to port, and I
+turned and took a few steps aft, thinking to gauge our progress by the
+wake astern. I was abaft the cabin on the port side when Dorothy
+called my name--a sudden accent of terror in her voice.
+
+The alarm was sounded none too soon. Either fortune, or skill had
+served those demons well. Gliding silently through the obscuring
+cloud, hanging in dense folds of vapor to the water surface, propelled
+and guided by a single oar, used cautiously as a paddle, they had
+succeeded in circling the stern of the _Santa Marie_, unseen and
+unheard by anyone aboard. Not even the girl, unconscious of the
+possibility of approaching danger from that quarter, her attention
+diverted elsewhere, had her slightest suspicion aroused as they glided
+noiselessly alongside, and made fast beneath the protection of the
+after-chains. One by one, moving like snakes, the devils passed
+inboard to where they could survey the seemingly deserted deck. Some
+slight noise awoke her to their presence, yet, even as she shrieked
+the sudden alarm, a hand was at her throat, and she was struggling
+desperately in the merciless grip of a half-naked Indian.
+
+Yet at that they were too late, the advantage of surprise had failed
+them. A half dozen had reached the deck, leaping from the rail, the
+others below clambering after their leaders, when with a rush, we met
+them. It was a fierce, mad fight, fist and club pitted against knife
+and cutlass, but the defenders knowing well the odds against them,
+angered by the plight of the girl, realizing that death would be the
+reward of defeat, struck like demons incarnate, crushing their
+astounded antagonists back against the bulwark. I doubt if the
+struggle lasted two minutes, and my memory of the scene is but a
+series of flashes. I heard the blows, the oaths, the cries of pain,
+the dull thud of wood against bone, the sharp clang of steel in
+contact, the shuffling of feet on the deck, the splash of bodies
+hurled overboard. These sounds mingle in my mind with the flash of
+weapons, the glare of infuriated eyes, the dark, savage faces. Yet it
+was all confusion, uproar, mingling of bodies, and hoarse shouts. Each
+man fought for himself, in his own way. I thought only of her, and
+leaped straight for her assailant with bare hands, smashing
+recklessly through the hasty guard of his cutlass, ignorant that he
+had even struck me, and gripped the copper devil by hair and throat. I
+knew she fell to the deck, beneath our feet, but I had my work cut out
+for me. He was a hell-hound, slippery as an eel in his half nakedness,
+strong as an ox, and fighting like a fiend. But for that first lucky
+grip I doubt my killing him, yet I had him foul, my grip unbreakable,
+as I jerked and forced his neck back against the rail, until it
+cracked, the swarthy body sliding inert to the deck. Whirling to
+assist the others, assured of the fellow's helplessness, I found no
+need. Except for bodies here and there the deck was clear, men were
+struggling in the chains; two below in the boat were endeavoring to
+cast off, and Schmitt, with Estevan helpless in his arms, staggered to
+the side, and flung the shrieking Spanish cur overboard out into the
+dark water. I heard the splash as he fell, the single cry his lips
+gave, but he never again appeared above the surface. Above the bedlam
+Watkins roared out an order.
+
+"That's it, bullies! that's it! Now let her drop! We'll send them to
+hell where they belong. Good shot; she landed!"
+
+It was the hank of a spare anchor, balanced for an instant on the
+rail, then sent crashing down through the frail bottom of the boat
+beneath. The wreck drifted away into the fog, the two miserable
+occupants clinging desperately to the gunwales. I lifted Dorothy to
+her feet, and she clung to me unsteadily, her face yet white.
+
+"Is it all over? Have they been driven off?"
+
+"Yes, there is nothing more to fear from them. Were you injured?"
+"Not--not seriously; he hurt me terribly, but made no attempt to use
+his cutlass. I--I guess I was more frightened than anything else.
+Is--is the man dead?"
+
+"If not, he might as well be," I answered, glancing at the body; but
+not caring to explain. "It was no time for mercy when I got to him.
+Watkins."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+"Have you figured up results?"
+
+"Not fully, sir; two of our men are cut rather badly, and Cole hasn't
+come too yet from a smart rap on the head."
+
+"None got away?"
+
+He grinned cheerfully.
+
+"Not 'less they swum; thar's six dead ones aboard. Four took ter the
+water, mostly because they hed too. The only livin' one o' the bunch
+is thet nigger 'longside the wheel, an' nuthin' but a thick skull
+saved him."
+
+"Then there were eleven in the party. What do you suppose has become
+of the others aboard the _Namur_?"
+
+He shook his head, puzzled by the question.
+
+"I dunno, sir; they might be a waitin' out there in the fog. Perhaps
+the nigger cud tell you."
+
+I crossed over to where the fellow sat on a grating, his head in his
+hands, the girl still clinging to my sleeve, as though fearful of
+being left alone. The man was a repulsive brute, his face stained with
+blood, dripping from a cut across his low forehead. He looked up
+sullenly at our approach, but made no effort to rise.
+
+"What's your name, my man?" I asked in Spanish.
+
+"Jose Mendez, Senor."  "You were aboard the _Namur_?"
+
+He growled out an answer which I interpreted to signify assent, but
+Watkins lost his temper.
+
+"Look yere, you black villain," he roared, driving the lesson home
+with his boot "don't be a playin' possum yer. Stand up an' answer
+Mister Carlyle, or yer'll git a worse clip than I give yer afore. Whar
+is the bloody bark?"
+
+"Pounding her heart out on the rocks yonder," he said more civilly,
+"unless she's slid off, an' gone down."
+
+"Wrecked? Where?"
+
+"Hell, I ain't sure--what's west frum here?"
+
+"Off our port quarter."
+
+"Then that's 'bout where she is--maybe a mile, er so."
+
+"What about the crew?"
+
+"They got away in the boats, an' likely mostly are ashore. We were in
+the last boat launched, an' headed out so far ter get 'round a ledge
+o' rocks, we got lost in the fog. Then the mist sorter opened, an'
+give us a glimpse o' yer topsails. Manuel was for boarding you right
+away, and the rest of us talked it over, and thought it would be all
+right. We didn't expect no fight, once we got aboard."
+
+"Expected to find something easy, of course? Perhaps it would have
+been if you fellows in the boat had held your tongues. By any chance,
+do you know now who we are?"
+
+He rolled his eyes toward Watkins, and then at Schmitt engaged in some
+job across the deck.
+
+"Those two used to be on the _Namur_," he said, his tone again
+sullen. "Are you the fellers who locked us in between decks?"
+
+"We are the ones, Jose. You were up against fighting men when you came
+in over our rail. What is it you see out there, Harwood?"
+
+The seaman, who was standing with hollowed hands shading his eyes,
+staring forth into the swirling drapery of fog, turned at my call, and
+pointed excitedly.
+
+"There's a bark aground yonder, sir; and by God, it looks like the
+_Namur_!"
+
+Even as I crossed the deck to his side, eagerly searching the
+direction indicated, the wreaths of obscuring mist seemed to divide,
+as though swept apart by some mighty hand, and there in the full glow
+of the sun, a picture in a frame, lay the wrecked vessel. Others saw
+it as I did, and a chorus of voices gave vent to recognition.
+
+"Damned if it ain't the old hooker!"
+
+"She got what was coming to her all right, mates."
+
+"Maybe that ain't hell, bullies! And she's lousy with treasure!"
+
+"Come here, Sam! That's the last of the _Namur_."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII
+
+THE LAST OF THE NAMUR
+
+
+Even from where we were, looking across that stretch of water, yet
+obscured by floating patches of mist, the vessel was plainly a total
+wreck, rapidly pounding to death on a sharp ledge of rock. Both masts
+were down, and, lifted as the bow was, it was easy to perceive the
+deck was in splinters, where falling spars and topmasts had crashed
+their way through. She must have struck the ledge at good speed, and
+with all sail set, for the canvas was overside, with much of the
+top-hamper, a horrible mess, tossed about in the breakers, broken ends
+of spars viciously pounding against the ship's side. The bows had
+caught, seemingly jammed in between rocks, the stern sunk deep, with
+cabin port holes barely above reach of the waves. It seemed probable
+that any minute the whole helpless mass might slide backward into the
+water, and be swept away. Not a living thing appeared on board, and,
+as the fog slowly drifted away, my eyes could discern no sign of any
+boat, no evidence of the crew, along the wide sweep of water. Little,
+by little, as the vista widened, and we still remained, watching the
+miserable wreck as though fascinated, we were able to distinguish the
+dark line of coast to the westward, and to determine that the
+unfortunate _Namur_ had struck at the extremity of a headland, whose
+rocky front had pushed its way far out to sea. A voice not far
+distant aroused me.
+
+"What was it you said Jack 'bout treasure on the old hooker? Hell, if
+it's there, why not get it afore it's too late?"
+
+"It's thar, all right, Ole," and I knew the speaker to be Haines.
+"Ain't it, Mr. Carlyle?"
+
+"Yes, lads, there must be money on board, unless those fellows took it
+with them in the boats. I know of fifty thousand pounds stolen in
+Virginia, and no doubt there is more than that."
+
+"Perhaps they took the swag along with 'em, sir."
+
+"That wouldn't be the way I'd figure it," broke in Watkins. "That
+nigger says the boat what attacked us was the last one ter git away,
+an' thar wa'n't no chest in her." If Manuel didn't stay aboard long
+'nough ter git his fingers outer thet gold, none ov the others did.
+They wus so damned anxious to save their lives, they never thought ov
+nuthin' else, sir."
+
+"But maybe they'll think about that later, an' cum back," insisted
+Haines, pressing forward. "Ain't that right, sir?"
+
+"Right enough; only they will not have much time to think it over,
+from the look of things out there," I answered. "The bark is liable to
+slide off that rock any minute, and go down like a stone. What do you
+say, bullies? Here is a risky job, but a pocket full of gold pieces,
+if we can get aboard and safely off again, Who'll go across with me?"
+
+There was a babel of voices, the men crowding about me, all else
+forgotten as the lust of greed gripped their imaginations.
+
+"Stand back, lads! I cannot use all of you. Four will be enough. I
+choose Haines, Harwood, Ole Hallin and Pierre. Lower that starboard
+quarter-boat you four, and see to the plugs and oars. No Watkins, I
+want you to remain in charge here. There is plenty to do; get those
+bodies overboard first, and clean up this litter; then shake out the
+reef in the foresail, and stand by--there is wind coming from that
+cloud yonder, and no time to waste. You'll not lose anything of what
+we bring back; it'll be share and share alike, so fall too, hearties."
+
+"Shall we lower away, sir?"
+
+"Ay, if all is fast I'll be with you in a minute; get aboard, Ole, and
+ward her off with a boat hook; easy now, till she takes water."
+
+I paused an instant to speak to Dorothy, seated on the flag locker,
+explaining to her swiftly my object in exploring the wreck, and
+pledging myself not to be reckless in attempting to board. I read fear
+in her eyes, yet she said nothing to dissuade me, and our hands
+clasped, as I led her to the side, where she could look down at the
+cockleshell tossing below.
+
+"It will mean much if we can recover this pirate hoard," I whispered,
+"freedom, and a full pardon, I hope."
+
+"Yes, I know, Geoffry; but do not venture too much. You are more to me
+than all the gold in the world."
+
+"I shall not forget, sweetheart. The sky and sea are almost clear now,
+and you can watch us from here. In a short time we shall be safely
+back again."
+
+I slipped down a rope, and dropped into the boat, taking my place
+with a steering oar at the stern, and we shot away through the green
+water. The men yet lined the rail watching us enviously, although
+Watkins' voice began roaring out orders. Dorothy wraved her hand,
+which I acknowledged by lifting my cap. The schooner, with her sharp
+cutwater and graceful proportions made so fair a sea picture, outlined
+against the blue haze, I found it difficult to remove my gaze, but
+finally my thought concentrated on the work ahead, and I turned to
+urge the oarsmen to a quicker stroke.
+
+The distance was greater than I had supposed it to be from the deck of
+the _Santa Marie_, nor did the dark cloud slowly poking up above the
+sea to the southeast ease my anxiety to get this task over with,
+before a storm broke. The _Namur_ proved to be a more complete wreck
+than our distant view had revealed, and lying in a more precarious
+position. While the sea was not high, or dangerous, beyond the
+headland, the charging billows there broke in foam and were already
+playing havoc with the stranded vessel, smashing great spars,
+entangled amid canvas and cordage, about so as to render our approach
+extremely perilous. We were some time seeking a place where we might
+make fast, but finally nosed our way in behind the shelter of a huge
+boom, held steady by a splinter of rock, until Harwood got the hank of
+his boat hook in the after-chains, and hung on. It was no pleasant job
+getting aboard, but ordering Haines to accompany me, and the others to
+lie by in the lee of the boom, I made use of a dangling backstay, and
+thus hauled myself up to a reasonably secure footing. The fellow
+joined me breathless, and together we perched on the rail to gain
+view of the deck.
+
+It was a distressing, hopeless sight, the vessel rising before us like
+the roof of a house, the deck planks stove in, a horrible jumble of
+running rigging, booms and spars, blocking the way forward. Aft it was
+clearer, the top-hamper of the after mast having fallen overboard,
+smashing a small boat as it fell, but leaving the deck space free.
+There were three bodies tangled in the wreckage within our sight,
+crushed out of all human resemblance, and the face of a negro, caught
+beneath the ruins of the galley, seemed to grin back at me in death.
+Every timber groaned as the waves struck, and rocked the sodden mass,
+and I had no doubt but that the vessel had already broken in two. I
+heard Haines utter an oath.
+
+"By God, sir, did you ever see the like! She can't hang on here."
+
+"Not, long surely," I admitted. "A bit more sea, and she breaks into
+kindling wood. If there is any salvage aboard, my man, it will be done
+in the next twenty minutes."
+
+"There is no hope o' gittin' forrard, sir--look at that damn litter,
+an'--an' them dead men."
+
+"It isn't forward we need to go, Haines; it's aft into the cabin, and
+that seems a clear enough passage--only the water down there may be
+too deep. Let's make a try of it."
+
+He was evidently reluctant, but sailor enough to follow as I lowered
+myself to the deck, clinging hard to keep my footing on the wet
+incline. A light spar had lodged here, and by making this a species of
+bridge, we crept as far as the companion, the door of which was open,
+and gained view of the scene below. The light was sufficient to reveal
+most of the interior. From the confusion, and dampness the entire
+cabin had evidently been deluged with water, but this had largely
+drained away, leaving a mass of wreckage behind, and a foot or two
+still slushing about the doors of the after staterooms. It was a
+dismal hole in the dim light, more like a cave than the former
+habitation of men, but presented no obstacle to our entrance, and I
+led the way down the stairs, gripping the rail to keep from falling.
+Haines swore as he followed, and his continual growling got upon my
+nerves.
+
+"Stop that infernal noise!" I ordered, shortly, looking him savagely
+in the face. "I've had enough of it. You were wild to come on this
+job; now do your work like a man. Try that room door over there; slide
+down, you fool, the water isn't deep. Wait a minute; now give me a
+hand."
+
+"Is the gold in here, sir?" he asked with interest.
+
+"More than likely; this was the Captain's room. See if it was left
+locked."
+
+The door gave, but it required our combined efforts to press it open
+against the volume of water, slushing about within. While the stern
+port was yet slightly above the sea level, the crest of breaking waves
+obscured the glass, leaving the interior darker than the outer cabin.
+For a moment my eyes could scarcely recognize the various objects, as
+I clung to the frame of the door, and stared blindly about in the
+gloom. Then slowly they assumed shape and substance. Screwed to the
+deck the furniture retained its place, but everything else was jammed
+in a mass of wreckage, or else floating about in a foot of water,
+deepening toward the stern. There were two chests in the room, one of
+which I instantly recognized as that of Roger Fairfax. The sight of
+this made me oblivious to all else, urged on as I was, by a desire to
+escape from the doomed wreck as soon as possible.
+
+"There's the chest we want Haines," I cried, pointing it out. "Have
+the lads back the boat up to this port; then come down, and help me
+handle it."
+
+He did not answer, or move; and I whirled about angrily.
+
+"What is the matter with you? Did you hear what I said?"
+
+"Yes, sir," his voice trembling, "but--but isn't that a man over
+there--in the bunk? Good God, sir; look at him!"
+
+The white, ghastly face stared at us, looking like nothing human in
+that awful twilight. I actually thought it a ghost, until with
+desperate effort, the man lifted himself, clinging with gaunt fingers
+to the edge of the bunk. Then I knew.
+
+"Sanchez! You! those damn cowards left you here to die!"
+
+"No one came for me," he answered, choking so the words were scarcely
+intelligible. "Is that what has happened; the bark is wrecked; the
+crew gone?"
+
+"Yes, they took to the boats--Manuel with them."
+
+"Manuel!" his enunciation clearer from passion, "the sneaking cur. But
+I cannot see your face; who are you, and what brought you here?"
+
+"I'll tell you frankly, Captain Sanchez," and I stepped closer. "We
+risked coming aboard to save that chest--Roger Fairfax's
+chest--before it went down. This vessel has its back broken, and may
+slide off into deep water at any minute. We must get you out of here
+first."
+
+"Get me out!" he laughed hideously. "You pretend to place my safety
+ahead of that treasure. To hell with your help. I want none of it. I
+am a dead man now, and the easiest way to end all, will be to go down
+with the ship--'twill be a fit coffin for Black Sanchez. By God! I
+know you now--Geoffry Carlyle?"
+
+"Yes, but an enemy no longer."
+
+"That is for me to say. I hate your race, your breed, your cursed
+English strain. The very sound of your name drives me mad. I accept no
+rescue from you! Damn you, take your gold and go."
+
+"But why?" I insisted, shocked at the man's violence. "I have done you
+no ill. Is it because I interfered between you and Dorothy Fairfax?"
+
+He laughed again, the sound so insane Haines gripped my sleeve in
+terror.
+
+"That chit! bah, what do I care for her but as a plaything. No, my
+hate runs deeper than that. How came you here--in the boat stolen from
+the _Namur_?"
+
+"No Captain Sanchez. The day after we left the ship, we boarded a
+schooner found adrift, the crew stricken with cholera, with not a man
+left alive on deck, or below. She lies yonder now."
+
+"A schooner! What name?"
+
+"The _Santa Marie_--a slaver."
+
+"Merciful God!" and his eyes fairly blazed into mine, as he suddenly
+forced his body upward in the bunk. "The _Santa Marie_ adrift! the
+crew dead from cholera? And the Captain--Paradilla, Francis
+Paradilla----what of him?"
+
+"He lay alone on a divan in the cabin--dead also."
+
+He tried to speak, but failed, his fingers clawing at his throat. When
+he finally gained utterance once more, it was but a whisper.
+
+"Tell me," he begged, "there was no woman with him?"
+
+I stared back into the wild insanity of his eyes, trying to test my
+words, suddenly aware that we were upon the edge of tragedy, perhaps
+uncovering the hidden secret of this man's life.
+
+"There was no woman," I said gravely, "on deck or in the cabin."
+
+"What mean you by saying that? There was one on board! Don't lie to
+me! In an hour I am dead--but first tell me the truth. Does the woman
+live?"
+
+"No, she died before. We found her body in a chest, preserved by some
+devilish Indian art, richly dressed, and decked with jewels."
+
+"English?"
+
+"I judged her so, but with dark hair and eyes. You knew her?"
+
+"In the name of all the fiends, yes. And I know her end. He killed
+her--Paradilla killed her--because she was as false to him as she had
+been to me. Hell! but it is strange you should be the one to find
+her--to bring me this tale, Geoffry Carlyle!"
+
+"Why? What is it to me?"
+
+"Because she is of your line--do you know her now?"  "No; nor believe
+it true."
+
+"Then I will make you; 'tis naught to me anymore; for I am dead within
+the hour. You go back to England, and tell him; tell the Duke of
+Bucclough how his precious sister died."
+
+"His sister! Good God, you cannot mean that woman was Lady Sara
+Carlyle?"
+
+"Who should know better than I?" sneeringly. "Once I was called in
+England, Sir John Collinswood."
+
+He sank back, exhausted, struggling for breath, but with eyes glowing
+hatred. I knew it all now, the dimly remembered story coming vividly
+back to memory. Here then was the ending of the one black stain on the
+family honor of our race. On this strange coast, three thousand miles
+from its beginning, the final curtain was being rung down, the drama
+finished. The story had come to me in whispers from others, never even
+spoken about by those of our race--a wild, headstrong girl, a secret
+marriage, a duel in the park, her brother desperately wounded, and
+then the disappearance of the pair. Ten days later it was known that
+Sir John Collinswood had defaulted in a large sum--but, from that
+hour, England knew him no more. As though the sea had swallowed them
+both, man and woman disappeared, leaving no trace behind.
+
+The face I gazed dumbly into was drawn, and white with pain, yet the
+thin lips grinned back at me in savage derision.
+
+"You remember, I see," he snarled. "Then to hell with you out of here,
+Geoffry Carlyle. Leave me to die in peace. The gold is there; take
+it, and my curse upon it. Hurry now--do you hear the bark grate on the
+rocks; it's near the end."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII
+
+BEFORE THE GOVERNOR
+
+
+The sound startled me; I imagined I heard the keel slipping, yet
+before we had reached the door opening on deck, the slight movement
+ceased. My hand gripped the frightened Haines.
+
+"Tell them in the boat to do as I said; then come back here."
+
+"My God, sir, she's a goin' down."
+
+"Not for some minutes yet. There are thousands of pounds in that
+chest; you've risked life for less many a time. Jump, my man!"
+
+The boat lay in close, bobbing up and down dangerously, yet held
+firmly beneath the opened port. Pierre warped her in with a rope's
+end, leaving the other two free to receive the box, as we cautiously
+passed it out within grasp of their hands. It was heavy enough to tax
+the strength of two men to handle it, but of a size and shape
+permitting its passage. Sanchez had raised himself again, and clung
+there to the edge of the bunk watching us. Even in the darkness caused
+by the chest obscuring the port, I felt the insane glare of his eyes
+fastened upon me. Once he attempted to speak, but his voice failed
+him.
+
+"Now let down easy, lads," I called. "No, place it amidships; get it
+even, or you go over. Wrap your line about the thwart, Pierre, and
+take a hand. Ay! that's better. Watch out now; we'll drop this
+end--Lord, but I thought it was gone! Fix it to ride steady, and stand
+by--we'll pass a wounded man out to you!"
+
+I stepped across to Sanchez, slushing through the water, and barely
+able to keep my feet. No matter who the brute was, he could not be
+left there to die like a rat alone. Willingly, or not, the fellow must
+be removed before the bark went down. He saw me coming, and drew back,
+his ghastly face like a mask.
+
+"No, you don't--damn you, Carlyle!" he snapped angrily. "Keep your
+hands off me. So you want me to die with my neck in a noose, do you?
+Well, you'll never see that sight. I was born a gentleman, and, by
+God! I'll die like one--and go down with my ship. Get out of here
+now--both of you! You won't? Hell's fire, but you will, or else die
+here with me! I'll give you a minute to make your choice."
+
+He left no doubt as to his meaning, his purpose. From somewhere
+beneath the blanket, the long, black muzzle of a pistol looked
+straight into my eyes. The hand holding it was firm, the face fronting
+me savagely sardonic.
+
+"I'd like to kill you, Carlyle," he hissed hatefully. "By God, I don't
+know why I shouldn't, the devils in hell would laugh if I did--so
+don't tempt me too far. Get out of here, damn you! Every time I look
+at you I see her face. If you take a step nearer, I pull the
+trigger--go!"
+
+I heard Haines scrambling back up the sharp incline of deck, and
+realized the utter uselessness of attempting to remain. Any instant
+might be our last; the man crazed, and probably dying, would kill me
+gladly. He had chosen his fate--what was it to me? I turned, and
+worked my way upward to the companion steps, half expecting every
+instant to be struck by a bullet from behind. At the door I paused to
+glance below; through the semi-darkness I could see his eyes glaring
+at me like those of a wild beast.
+
+"You refuse still to let me aid you, Sanchez?"
+
+"To hell with you! Leave me alone!"
+
+It was a hard pull back to the _Santa Marie_, for the sea had grown
+noticeably heavier, while the weight of the chest sank the boat so
+deeply in the water, as to retard progress and keep one man bailing.
+The cloud in the southwest had already assumed threatening
+proportions, and I urged the oarsmen to greater exertions, anxious to
+get aboard before the coming storm broke. It was hard to keep my gaze
+from the doomed _Namur_, but I could detect no change in her position,
+as we drew in toward the waiting schooner. Harwood alone questioned
+me, and I told him briefly what had occurred within the cabin, and his
+comment seemed to voice the sentiment of the others.
+
+"He made a bloomin' good choice, sir. That's how the ol' devil ought
+ter die--the same way he's sent many another. It beats hangin' at
+that."
+
+Dorothy greeted me first, and we stood close together at the rail, as
+the men hoisted the chest on deck, and then fastened the tackle to the
+boat She said nothing, asked nothing, but her hands clung to my arm,
+and whenever I turned toward her, our eyes met. I did not find the
+courage to tell her then what we had found aboard the _Namur_,
+although I could not prevent my own eyes from wandering constantly
+toward the doomed vessel. The rising sea was slapping the submerged
+stern with increasing violence, the salt spray rising in clouds over
+the after rail. Watkins approached us, coming from among the group of
+sailors forward.
+
+"There's a smart bit of wind in those clouds, sir," he said
+respectfully, "an' I don't like the look o' the coast ter leeward.
+Shall we trim sail?"
+
+"Not quite yet, Watkins. It will be some time before the gale strikes
+here. The bark is going down, presently."
+
+"Yes, sir; but the men better stand by." He glanced from my face to
+that of the girl, lowering his voice. "Harwood tells me Sanchez was
+aboard, sir, and refused to leave?"
+
+"Very true; but he was dying; no doubt is dead by now. There was
+nothing to be done for him."
+
+"I should say not, Mr. Carlyle. I wouldn't lift a finger ter save him
+frum hell."
+
+There was a sudden cry forward, and a voice shouted.
+
+"There she goes, buckies! That damn Dutchman's done with. That's the
+last o' the _Namur_!"
+
+I turned swiftly, my hand grasping her fingers as they clung to the
+rail. With a rasping sound, clearly distinguished across the
+intervening water, as though every timber cried out in agony to the
+strain, the battered hulk slid downward, the deck breaking amidships
+as the stern splashed into the depths; then that also toppled over,
+leaving nothing above water except the blunt end of a broken
+bow-sprit, and a tangle of wreckage, tossed about on the crest of the
+waves. I watched breathlessly, unable to utter a sound; I could only
+think of that stricken man in the cabin, those wild eyes which had
+threatened me. He was gone now--gone! Watkins spoke.
+
+"It's all over, sir."
+
+"Yes, there is nothing to keep us here any longer," I answered still
+dazed, but realizing I must arouse myself. "Shake out the reef in your
+mainsail, and we'll get out to sea. Who is at the wheel?"
+
+"Schmitt, sir--what is the course, Captain Carlyle?"
+
+"Nor'west, by nor', and hold on as long as you can."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir; nor'west by nor' she is."
+
+I yet held Dorothy's hand tightly clasped in my own, and the depths of
+her uplifted eyes questioned me.
+
+"We will go aft, dear, and I will tell you the whole story," I said
+gently, "for now we are homeward bound."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+I write these few closing lines a year later, in the cabin of the
+_Ocean Spray_, a three master, full to the hatches with a cargo of
+tobacco, bound for London, and a market. Dorothy is on deck, eagerly
+watching for the first glimpse of the chalk cliffs of old England. I
+must join her presently, yet linger below to add these final
+sentences.
+
+There is, after all, little which needs to be said. The voyage of the
+_Santa Marie_ north proved uneventful, and, after that first night of
+storm, the weather held pleasant, and the sea fairly smooth. I had
+some trouble with the men, but nothing serious, as Watkins and Harwood
+held as I did, and the pledge of Dorothy's influence brought courage.
+I refused to open the chest, believing our safety, and chance of
+pardon, would depend largely on our handing this over in good faith to
+the authorities. Watkins and I guarded it night and day, until the
+schooner rounded the Cape and came into the Chesapeake. No attempt was
+made to find quarters below, the entire crew sleeping on deck, Dorothy
+comfortable on the flag locker.
+
+It was scarcely sunrise, on the fifth day, when we dropped anchor
+against the current of the James, our sails furled, and the red
+English colors flying from the peak. Two hours later the entire
+company were in the presence of the Governor, where I told my story,
+gravely listened to, supplemented by the earnest plea of the young
+woman. I shall never forget that scene, or how breathlessly we awaited
+the decision of the great man, who so closely watched our faces. They
+were surely a strange, rough group as they stood thus, hats in hand,
+waiting to learn their fate, shaggy-haired, unshaven, largely scum of
+the sea, never before in such presence, shuffling uneasily before his
+glance, feeling to the full the peril of their position. Their eyes
+turned to me questioningly.
+
+Opposite us, behind a long table, sat the Governor, dignified,
+austere, his hair powdered, and face smoothly shaven; while on either
+side of him were those of his council, many of the faces stern and
+unforgiving. But for their gracious reception of Dorothy, and their
+careful attention to her words, I should have lost heart. They
+questioned me shrewdly, although the Governor spoke but seldom, and
+then in a kindly tone of sympathy and understanding. One by one the
+men were called forward, each in turn compelled to tell briefly the
+story of his life; and when all was done the eyes of the Governor
+sought those of his council.
+
+"You have all alike heard the tale, gentlemen," he said. "Nothing
+like it hath ever before been brought before this Colony. Would you
+leave decision to me?"
+
+There was a murmur of assent, as though they were thus gladly relieved
+of responsibility in so serious a matter. The Governor smiled, his
+kindly eyes surveying us once more; then, with extended hand he bade
+Dorothy be seated.
+
+"The story is seemingly an honest one," he said slowly, "and these
+seamen have done a great service to the Colony. They deserve reward
+rather than punishment. The fair lady who pleads for them is known to
+us all, and to even question her word is impossible. Unfortunately I
+have not the power of pardon in cases of piracy, nor authority to free
+bond slaves, without the approval of the home government; yet will
+exercise in this case whatsoever of power I possess. For gallant
+services rendered to the Colony, and unselfish devotion to Mistress
+Dorothy Fairfax, I release Geoffry Carlyle from servitude, pending
+advices from England; I also grant parole to these seamen, on
+condition they remain within our jurisdiction until this judgment can
+be confirmed, and full pardons issued. Is this judgment satisfactory,
+gentlemen?"
+
+The members of the council bowed gravely, without speaking.
+
+"The chest of treasure recovered from the sunken pirate ship," he went
+on soberly, "will remain unopened until final decision is made. As I
+understand, Master Carlyle, no one among you has yet seen its
+contents, or estimated its value?"
+
+"No, your excellency. Beyond doubt it contains the gold stolen from
+Roger Fairfax; and possibly the result of other robberies at sea.
+
+"The law of England is that a certain percentage of such recovered
+treasure belongs to the crown, the remainder, its true ownership
+undetermined, to be fairly divided among those recovering it."
+
+"Yet," spoke up Dorothy quickly, "it must surely be possible to waive
+all claim in such cases?"
+
+"Certainly; as private property it can be disposed of in any way
+desired. Was that your thought?"
+
+"A Fairfax always pays his debt," she said proudly, "and this is
+mine."
+
+There was a moment's silence as though each one present hesitated to
+speak. She had risen, and yet stood, but with eyes lowered to the
+floor. Then they were lifted, and met mine, in all frank honesty.
+
+"There is another debt I owe," she said clearly, "and would pay, your
+Excellency."
+
+"What is that, fair mistress?"
+
+She crossed to me, her hand upon my arm.
+
+"To become the wife of Geoffry Carlyle."
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Wolves of the Sea, by Randall Parrish
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 10210 ***
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+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #10210 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10210)
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Wolves of the Sea, by Randall Parrish
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Wolves of the Sea
+       Being a Tale of the Colonies From the Manuscript of One Geoffry
+       Carlyle, Seaman, Narrating Certain Strange Adventures Which Befell
+       Him Aboard the Pirate Craft "Namur"
+
+Author: Randall Parrish
+
+Release Date: November 22, 2003 [EBook #10210]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WOLVES OF THE SEA ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Robbie Deighton and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team
+
+
+
+
+
+WOLVES OF THE SEA
+
+Being a Tale of the Colonies From the Manuscript of One Geoffry
+Carlyle, Seaman, Narrating Certain Strange Adventures Which Befell Him
+Aboard the Pirate Craft "Namur"
+
+
+BY RANDALL PARRISH
+
+
+Author of "When Wilderness Was King," "The Last Voyage of the Donna
+Isabel" "Beyond the Frontier" "Contraband" etc.
+
+
+Frontispiece By FRANK E. SCHOONOVER
+
+
+1918
+
+
+
+
+FOREWORD
+
+Anson Carlyle, aged twenty-three, the ninth in descent from Captain
+Geoffry Carlyle, of Glasgow, Scotland, was among the heroic Canadian
+dead at Vimy Ridge. Unmarried, and the last of his line, what few
+treasures he possessed fell into alien hands. Among these was a
+manuscript, apparently written in the year 1687, and which, through
+nine generations, had been carefully preserved, yet never made public.
+The paper was yellowed and discolored by years, occasionally a page
+was missing, and the writing itself had become almost indecipherable.
+Much indeed had to be traced by use of a microscope. The writer was
+evidently a man of some education, and clear thought, but exceedingly
+diffuse, in accordance with the style of his time, and possessing
+small conception of literary form. In editing this manuscript for
+modern readers I have therefore been compelled to practically rewrite
+it entirely, retaining merely the essential facts, with an occasional
+descriptive passage, although I have conscientiously followed the
+original development of the tale. In this reconstruction much
+quaintness of language, as well as appeal to probability, may have
+been lost, and for this my only excuse is the necessity of thus making
+the story readable. I have no doubt as to its essential truth, nor do
+I question the purpose which dominated this rover of the sea in his
+effort to record the adventures of his younger life. As a picture of
+those days of blood and courage, as well as a story of love and
+devotion, I deem it worthy preservation, regretting only the
+impossibility of now presenting it in print exactly as written by
+Geoffry Carlyle.
+
+_R.P._
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+I Sent into Servitude
+
+II The Prison Ship
+
+III Dorothy Fairfax
+
+IV The Shores of Virginia
+
+V The Waters of the Chesapeake
+
+VI Fairfax Speaks with Me
+
+VII The Lieutenant Unmasked
+
+VIII A Victory, and a Defeat
+
+IX A Swim to the _Namur_
+
+X On the Deck of the _Namur_
+
+XI The Return of the Boat
+
+XII A Friend in the Forecastle
+
+XIII I Accept a Proposal
+
+XIV I Warn Dorothy
+
+XV The Cabin of the _Namur_
+
+XVI In Dorothy's Stateroom
+
+XVII A Murder on Board
+
+XVIII A New Conspiracy
+
+XIX Laying the Trap
+
+XX The Deck Is Ours
+
+XXI In Full Possession
+
+XXII The Crew Decides
+
+XXIII The Prisoners Escape
+
+XXIV In Clasp of the Sea
+
+XXV The Open Boat
+
+XXVI A Floating Coffin
+
+XXVII On Board the Slaver
+
+XXVIII A New Plan of Escape
+
+XXIX A Struggle in the Dark
+
+XXX Opening the Treasure Chest
+
+XXXI The Boat Attack
+
+XXXII The Last of the _Namur_
+
+XXXIII Before the Governor
+
+
+
+
+WOLVES OF THE SEA
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+
+SENT INTO SERVITUDE
+
+
+Knowing this to be a narrative of unusual adventure, and one which may
+never even be read until long after I have departed from this world,
+when it will be difficult to convince readers that such times as are
+herein depicted could ever have been reality, I shall endeavor to
+narrate each incident in the simplest manner possible. My only purpose
+is truth, and my only witness history. Yet, even now lately as this
+all happened it is more like the recollections of a dream, dimly
+remembered at awakening, and, perchance, might remain so, but for the
+scars upon my body, and the constant memory of a woman's face. These
+alone combine to bring back in vividness those days that were--days of
+youth and daring, of desperate, lawless war, of wide ocean peril, and
+the outstretched hands of love. So that here, where I am writing it
+all down, here amid quietness and peace, and forgetful of the past, I
+wander again along a deserted shore, and sail among those isles of a
+southern sea, the home for many a century of crime and unspeakable
+cruelty. I will recall the truth, and can do no more.
+
+I can recall that far-away dawn now as the opening portals of a
+beautiful morning, although at the time my thought was so closely
+centered upon other things, the deep blue of the sky, and the
+glimmering gold of the sun scarcely left an impression on my mind. It
+was still early morning when we were brought out under heavy guard,
+and marched somberly forth through the opened gates of the gaol. There
+had been rain during the night, and the cobble-stones of the village
+street were dark with moisture, slipping under our hob-nailed shoes as
+we stumbled along down the sharp incline leading to the wharf. Ahead
+we could perceive a forest of masts, and what seemed like a vast crowd
+of waiting people. Only the murmur of voices greeting us as we
+emerged, told that this gathering was not a hostile one, and this
+truth was emphasized to our minds by the efforts of the guard to
+hasten our passage. That we had been sentenced to exile, to prolonged
+servitude in some foreign land, was all that any of us knew--to what
+special section of the world fate had allotted us remained unknown.
+
+In spite of curses, and an occasional blow, we advanced slowly,
+marching four abreast, with feet dragging heavily, the chains binding
+us together clanking dismally with each step, and an armed guard
+between each file. Experiences have been many since then, yet I
+recall, as though it were but yesterday, the faces of those who walked
+in line with me. I was at the right end of my file, and at my shoulder
+was a boy from Morrownest, a slim, white-faced lad, his weak chin
+trembling from fear, and his eyes staring about so pleadingly I spoke
+a word of courage to him, whispering in his ear, lest the guard behind
+might strike. He glanced aside at me, but with no response in the
+depths of his eyes, in which I could perceive only a dumb anguish of
+despair. Beyond him marched Grover, one time butcher at Harwich, a
+stocky, big-fisted fellow, with a ghastly sword wound, yet red and
+unhealed on his face, extending from hair to chin, his little pig eyes
+glinting ugly, and his lips cursing. The man beyond was a soldier, a
+straight, athletic fellow, with crinkly black beard, who kept his eyes
+front, paying no heed to the cries. The guard pressed the people back
+as we shuffled along, but there was no way of keeping them still. I
+heard cries of encouragement, shouts of recognition, sobs of pity, and
+occasionally a roar of anger as we passed.
+
+"Good lads! God be with yer!"
+
+"Thet one thar is sore hurted--it's a damn shame."
+
+"Thar's Teddy--poor laddie! Luck go with yer, Teddy."
+
+"Ter hell with Black Jeffries, say I!"
+
+"Hush, mon, er ye'll be next ter go--no, I don't know who sed it."
+
+"See thet little chap, Joe; lots ther lad bed ter do with the war."
+
+"They all look mighty peaked--poor devils, four months in gaol."
+
+"Stand back there now. Stand back!"
+
+The guards prodded them savagely with the butts of their musketoons,
+thus making scant room for us to shuffle through, out upon the far end
+of the wharf, where we were finally halted abreast of a lumping brig,
+apparently nearly ready for sea. There were more than forty of us as I
+counted the fellows, and we were rounded up at the extremity of the
+wharf in the full blaze of the sun, with a line of guards stretched
+across to hold back the crowd until preparations had been completed to
+admit us aboard. As those in front flung themselves down on the
+planks, I got view of the brig's gangway, along which men were still
+busily hauling belated boxes and barrels, and beyond these gained
+glimpse of the hooker's name--ROMPING BETSY OF PLYMOUTH. A moment
+later a sailor passed along the edge of the dock, dragging a coil of
+rope after him, and must have answered some hail on his way, for
+instantly a whisper passed swiftly from man to man.
+
+"It's Virginia, mate; we're bound fer Virginia."
+
+The ugly little pig eyes of the butcher met mine.
+
+"Virginia, hey?" he grunted. "Ye're a sailorman, ain't ye, mate? Well,
+then, whar is this yere Virginia?"
+
+The boy was looking at me also questioningly, the terror in his face
+by no means lessened at the sound of this strange word.
+
+"Yes, sir, please; where is it, sir?"
+
+I patted him on the shoulder, as others near by leaned forward to
+catch my answer.
+
+"That's all right, mates," I returned cheerfully. "It's across the
+blue water, of course, but better than the Indies. We'll fall into the
+hands of Englishmen out there, and they'll be decent to us."
+
+"But whar is the bloomin' hole?"
+
+"In America. That is where all the tobacco comes from; likely that
+will be our job--raising tobacco."
+
+"Have ever yer bin thar?"
+
+"Ay, twice--and to a land beyond they call Maryland. Tis a country
+not so unlike England."
+
+"Good luck that then; tell us about it, matie."
+
+I endeavored to do so, dwelling upon what I remembered of the
+settlements, and the habits of the people, but saying little of the
+great wilderness of the interior, or how I had seen slaves toiling in
+the fields. The group of men within range of my voice leaned forward
+in breathless attention, one now and then asking a question, their
+chains rattling with each movement of a body. The deep interest shown
+in their faces caused me unconsciously to elevate, my voice, and I had
+spoken but a moment or two before a hard hand gripped my shoulder.
+
+"Yer better stow that, my man," growled someone above me, and I looked
+up into the stern eyes of the captain of the guard "or it may be the
+'cat' for ye. Yer heard the orders."
+
+"Yes, sir; I was only answering questions."
+
+"Questions! What the hell difference does it make to this scum whar
+they go? Do yer talkin' aboard, not here. So ye've been ter the
+Virginia plantation, hev ye?"
+
+"Twice, sir."
+
+"As a sailor?"
+
+"In command of vessels."
+
+His eyes softened slightly, and a different tone seemed to creep into
+his voice.
+
+"Then ye must be Master Carlyle, I take it. I heerd tell about ye at
+the trial, but supposed ye ter be an older man."
+
+"I am twenty-six."
+
+"Ye don't look even thet. It's my notion ye got an overly hard dose
+this time. The Judge was in ill humor thet day. Still thet's not fer
+me ter talk about. It's best fer both of us ter hold our tongues. Ay,
+they're ready fer ye now. Fall in there--all of yer. Step along, yer
+damn rebel scum."
+
+We passed aboard over the narrow gang-plank, four abreast, dragging
+our feet, and were halted on the forward deck, while artificers
+removed our chains. As these were knocked off, the released prisoners
+disappeared one by one down the forward hatch, into the space between
+the decks which had been roughly fitted up for their confinement
+during the long voyage. As my position was in one of the last files, I
+had ample time in which to gaze about, and take note of my
+surroundings. Except for the presence of the prisoners the deck
+presented no unusual scene. The _Romping Betsy_ was a large,
+full-rigged brig, not overly clean, and had evidently been in
+commission for some time. Not heavily loaded she rode high, and was a
+broad-nosed vessel, with comfortable beam. I knew her at once as a
+slow sailor, and bound to develop a decidedly disagreeable roll in any
+considerable sea. She was heavily sparred, and to my eye her canvas
+appeared unduly weather-beaten and rotten. Indeed there was
+unnecessary clutter aloft, and an amount of litter about the deck
+which evidenced lack of seamanship; nor did the general appearance of
+such stray members of the crew as met my notice add appreciably to my
+confidence in the voyage.
+
+I stared aft at the poop deck, seeking to gain glimpse of the skipper,
+but was unable to determine his presence among the others. There were
+a number of persons gathered along the low rail, attracted by the
+unusual spectacle, and curiously watching us being herded aboard, and
+dispatched below, but, to judge from their appearance, these were
+probably all passengers--some of them adventurers seeking the new land
+on their first voyage, although among them I saw others, easily
+recognized as Virginians on their way home. Among these I picked out a
+planter or two, prosperous and noisy, men who had just disposed of
+their tobacco crop, well satisfied with the returns; some artisans
+sailing on contract, and a naval officer in uniform. Then my eyes
+encountered a strange group foregathered beside the lee rail.
+
+There were four in the little party, but one of these was a negress,
+red-turbaned, and black as the ace of spades, a servant evidently,
+standing in silence behind the others. Another was clearly enough a
+Colonial proprietor, a heavily built man of middle age, purple faced,
+and wearing the broad hat with uplifted brim characteristic of
+Virginians. I passed these by with a glance, my attention
+concentrating upon the other two--a middle-aged young man, and a young
+woman standing side by side. The former was a dashing looking blade,
+of not more than forty, attired in blue, slashed coat, ornamented with
+gilt buttons, and bedecked at collar and cuffs with a profusion of
+lace. A saffron colored waist-coat failed to conceal his richly
+beruffled shirt, and the hilt of a rapier was rather prominently
+displayed. Such dandies were frequently enough seen, but it was this
+man's face which made marked contrast with his gay attire. He was
+dark, and hook-nosed, apparently of foreign birth, with black
+moustache tightly clipped, so as to reveal the thin firmness of his
+lips, and even at that distance I could perceive the lines of a scar
+across his chin. Altogether there was an audacity to his face, a
+daring, convincing me he was no mere lady's knight, but one to whom
+fighting was a trade. He was pointing us out to his companion,
+apparently joking over our appearance, in an endeavor to amuse.
+Seemingly she gave small heed to his words, for although her eyes
+followed where he pointed, they never once lighted with a smile, nor
+did I see her answer his sallies. She was scarcely more than a girl,
+dressed very simply in some clinging dark stuff, with a loose gray
+cloak draping her shoulders, and a small, neat bonnet of straw perched
+upon a mass of coiled hair. The face beneath was sweetly piquant, with
+dark eyes, and rounded cheeks flushed with health. She stood, both
+hands clasping the rail, watching us intently. I somehow felt as
+though her eyes were upon me, and within their depths, even at that
+distance, I seemed to read a message of sympathy and kindness. The one
+lasting impression her face left on my memory was that of innocent
+girlhood, dignified by a womanly tenderness.
+
+What were those two to each other? I could not guess, for they seemed
+from two utterly different worlds. Not brother and sister surely; and
+not lovers. The last was unthinkable. Perhaps mere chance
+acquaintances, who had drifted together since coming aboard. It seems
+strange that at such a moment my attention should have thus centered
+on these two, yet I think now that either one would have awakened my
+interest wherever we had met. Instinctively I disliked the man, aware
+of an instant antagonism, realizing that he was evil; while his
+companion came to me as revealment of all that was true and worthy,
+in a degree I had never known before. I could not banish either from
+my mind. For months I had been in prison, expecting a death sentence,
+much of the time passed in solitary confinement, and now, with that
+cloud lifted, I had come forth into a fresh existence only to be
+confronted by this man and woman, representing exact opposites. Their
+peculiarities took immediate possession of a mind entirely unoccupied,
+nor did I make any effort to banish them from my thought. From the
+instant I looked upon these two I felt convinced that, through some
+strange vagary of fate, we were destined to know more of each other;
+that our life lines were ordained to touch, and become entangled,
+somewhere in that mystery of the Western World to which I had been
+condemned. I cannot analyze this conception, but merely record its
+presence; the thought took firm possession of me. Under the
+circumstances I was too far away to overhear conversation. The
+shuffling of feet, the rattling of chains, the harsh voices of the
+guard, made it impossible to distinguish any words passing between the
+two. I could only watch them, quickly assured that I had likewise
+attracted the girl's attention, and that her gaze occasionally sought
+mine. Then the guards came to me, and, with my limbs freed of fetters,
+I was passed down the steep ladder into the semi-darkness between
+decks, where we were to be confined. The haunting memory of her face
+accompanied me below, already so clearly defined as to be
+unforgettable.
+
+It proved a dismal, crowded hole in which we were quartered like so
+many cattle, it being merely a small space forward, hastily boxed off
+by rough lumber, the sides and ends built up into tiers of bunks, the
+only ventilation and light furnished by the open hatch above. The
+place was clean enough, being newly fitted for the purpose, but was
+totally devoid of furnishings, the only concession to comfort visible
+was a handful of fresh straw in each bunk. The men, herded and driven
+down the ladder, were crowded into the central space, the majority
+still on their feet, but a few squatting dejectedly on the deck. In
+the dim twilight of that bare interior their faces scarcely appeared
+natural, and they conversed in undertones. Most of the fellows were
+sober and silent, not a bad lot to my judgment, with only here and
+there a countenance exhibiting viciousness, or a tongue given to
+ribaldry. I could remember seeing but few of them before, yet as I
+observed them more closely now, realized that these were not criminals
+being punished for crime, but men caught, as I had been, and condemned
+without fair trial, through the lies of paid informers. I could even
+read in their actions and words the simple stories of their former
+lives--the farm laborer, the sailor, the store-keeper, now all on one
+common level of misfortune and misery--condemned alike to exile, to
+servitude in a strange land, beyond seas.
+
+The ticket given me called by number for a certain berth, and I sought
+until I found this, throwing within the small bundle I bore, and then
+finding a chance to sit down on the deck beneath. The last of the
+bunch of prisoners dribbled down the ladder, each in turn noisily
+greeted by those already huddled below. I began to recognize the
+increasing foulness of air, and to distinguish words of conversation
+from the groups about me. There was but little profanity but some
+rough horse-play, and a marked effort to pretend indifference. I could
+make out gray-beards and mere boys mingling together, and occasionally
+a man in some semblance of uniform. A few bore wounds, and the clothes
+of several were in rags; all alike exhibited marks of suffering and
+hardship. The butcher from Harwich, and the white-faced lad who had
+marched beside me down the wharf, were not to be seen from where I
+sat, although beyond doubt they were somewhere in the crowd. The hatch
+was not lowered, and gazing up through the square opening, I obtained
+glimpse of two soldiers on guard, the sunlight glinting on their guns.
+Almost immediately there was the sound of tramping feet on the deck
+above, and the creaking of blocks. Then a sudden movement of the hull
+told all we were under way. This was recognized by a roar of voices.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE PRISON SHIP
+
+
+The greater portion of that voyage I would blot entirely from memory
+if possible. I cannot hope to describe it in any detail---the foul
+smells, the discomfort, the ceaseless horror of food, the close
+companionship of men turned into mere animals by suffering and
+distress, the wearisome days, the black, sleepless nights, the
+poisonous air, and the brutality of guards. I can never forget these
+things, for they have scarred my soul, yet surely I need not dwell
+upon them now, except as they may bear some direct reference to this
+tale I seek to tell. As such those weeks cannot be wholly ignored, for
+they form a part of the events to follow--events which might not be
+clearly understood without their proper picturing.
+
+We were fifty-three days at sea, driven once so far to the southward
+by a severe storm, which struck us the second day out, as to sight the
+north coast of Africa before we were able to resume our westward
+course. To those of us who were tightly shut into those miserable
+quarters below these facts came only as floating rumors, yet the
+intense suffering involved was all real enough. For forty-two hours we
+were battened down in darkness, flung desperately about by every mad
+plunge of the vessel, stifled by poisoned air and noxious odors, and
+all that time without a particle of food. If I suffered less than
+some others it was simply because I was more accustomed to the sea. I
+was not nauseated by the motion, nor unduly frightened by the wild
+pitching of the brig. Lying quietly in my berth, braced to prevent
+being thrown out, amid a darkness so intense as to seem a weight,
+every sound from the deck above, every lift of the vessel, brought to
+my mind a sea message, convincing me of two things--that the _Romping
+Betsy_ was a staunch craft, and well handled. Terrific as the gale
+became I only grew more confident that she would safely weather it.
+
+Yet God knows it was horrible enough even to lie there and listen, to
+feel the hurling plunges downward, the dizzy upsweeping of the hull;
+to hear the cries, groans and prayers of frightened men, unseen and
+helpless in the darkness, the creaking timbers, the resounding blows
+of the waves against the sides, the horrid retching of the sick, the
+snarling, angry voices as the struggling mass was flung back and
+forth, the curses hurled madly into the darkness. They were no longer
+men, but infuriated brutes, so steeped in agony and fear as to have
+lost all human instincts. They snarled and snapped like so many
+beasts, their voices unrecognizable, the stronger treading the weaker
+to the deck. I could not see, I could only hear, yet I lay there,
+staring blindly about, conscious of every horror, and so weak and
+unnerved as to tremble like a child.
+
+Yet the complete knowledge of what had actually occurred in that
+frightful hole was only revealed when the violence of the storm
+finally ceased, and the guards above again lifted the hatch. The gray
+light of dawn faintly illumined the inferno below, and the sweet
+breath of morning air swept down among us. Then I saw the haggard,
+uplifted faces, the arms tossed aloft, and heard the wild yell as the
+stronger charged forward struggling for the foot of the ladder. The
+place was a foul, reeking shambles, so filthy as to be positively
+sickening, with motionless bodies stretched here and there along the
+deck. Sailors and guards fought their way down among us, driving back
+the unarmed wretches who sought to oppose their progress, while others
+bore to the deck above those who were too helpless to rise. There were
+five dead among them, and twice as many more who had lost
+consciousness. These were all removed first and then, feeling helpless
+to resist the rush, the others were permitted to clamber up the
+ladder. Surging out upon the deck, we were hurdled against the lee
+rail, menaced by leveled guns, and thus finally fed, while the filthy
+quarters below were hastily cleansed.
+
+It was a dark, lowering morning, the desolate sea still threateningly
+rough, the heavy clouds hanging low. The _Romping Betsy_ was hove to,
+under bare poles, a bit of the jib alone showing, with decks and spars
+exhibiting evidence of the terrific struggle to keep afloat. I never
+witnessed wilder pitching on any vessel, but the fresh air brought new
+life to the wretches about me, and a species of cheerfulness was
+quickly manifested. Bad as the food was we ate it gladly, nor did the
+memory of the dead, already laid out on the main deck, long depress
+us. Why should we mourn for them? We scarcely knew any among them by
+name, and, facing the uncertainty of our own fate, each man secretly
+felt that these had possibly found the easier way. Our own misery was
+now greater than theirs. So we hung on to whatever would help us to
+keep erect, and ate the food given us like famished animals. Rough and
+threatening as the surroundings still were, I was seaman enough to
+realize that the backbone of the storm had broken, and so rejoiced
+when the skipper ordered sail set. In a few moments the brig was once
+again headed on a westerly course, and riding the heavy seas much more
+steadily.
+
+We were permitted to remain on deck scarcely more than an hour, and
+during that time only a very few passengers made their appearance aft.
+Although watching eagerly I perceived no flutter of a skirt in the
+wind, but the Spanish looking man emerged from below, and clung to the
+rail for several minutes before we were ordered from deck. He spoke
+with the Captain, pointing and gesticulating, and the few detached
+words blown to me on the wind were sufficient to convince me that the
+fellow knew ships and the sea. I had thought him a mere dandy, but now
+saw in him harder stuff, even getting close enough to learn that he
+had visited America before, and possessed knowledge of its shores and
+currents. Ay, and he spoke English well, with never pause for a word,
+even to terms of seamanship a bit obscure.
+
+The next few days, while uneventful, sufficed to make our discipline
+complete, obedience being roughly enforced by blows and oaths. At
+first a spirit of resistance flamed high, but the truly desperate
+among us were few, and without leadership, while the majority were
+already thoroughly cowed by months of imprisonment. Left to
+themselves the more reckless and criminal were soon obliged to yield
+to force, so that nothing more serious resulted than loud talk and
+threats. The hatch above remained open, but carefully guarded night
+and day, while we were permitted on deck for air and exercise only in
+squads of ten, two hours out of every twenty-four. This alone served
+to break the dread monotony of the voyage, for while we almost
+constantly encountered baffling head winds, no other storm of any
+magnitude obstructed our passage. The brig carried heavy canvas, and
+the skipper loaded her with all she could bear, but at that she was a
+slow sailor, dipping so deeply in a seaway as to ship considerable
+water even in quiet weather. From our exercise on deck we generally
+returned below drenched to the skin, but glad to even pay that price
+for two hours of fresh air, and an opportunity to gaze about at sea
+and sky. There was little else to witness, for in all the long voyage
+we encountered but one vessel in that desolate ocean, a French armed
+corvette, fairly bristling with guns, which ran in close enough to
+hail us, but seemed satisfied to permit us to pass unvisited. I clung
+to the rail and watched its white sails disappear until they resembled
+the wings of gulls, feeling more than ever conscious of our
+helplessness. There were few among the prisoners I had any desire to
+companion with--only two, as I recall now--a law clerk from Sussex, a
+rather bright young fellow, but full of strange notions, and an older
+man, who had seen service in Flanders. We messed together, and pledged
+mutual friendship in the new land, a pledge not destined to be
+fulfilled, as I never again saw nor heard of the former after we went
+ashore, and the last glimpse I had of the older man was as he was
+being loaded into a cart bound for some interior plantation. God grant
+they both lived, and became again free men.
+
+How those sodden hours and days dragged! How long were those black
+nights, in which I lay sleepless, listening to indescribable noises,
+and breathing the rank, poisonous air. The short time passed on deck
+was my only solace, and yet even there I found little to interest,
+except a continuous new hope. We were herded well forward, a rope
+dividing us from the main deck, which space the passengers aft used as
+a promenade. Here, between the foremast and the cabin, someone was
+strolling idly about most of the time, or lounging along the rail out
+of the sun. In time I came to recognize them all by sight, and
+learned, in one way or another, something of their characteristics,
+and purpose in taking this voyage. They were not an unusual lot, the
+majority planters from the Colonies homeward bound, with occasionally
+a new emigrant about to try for fortune beyond seas, together with one
+or two naval officers. There were only three women aboard, a fat
+dowager, the young lady I had noticed at embarkation, and her colored
+maid. Many of the days were pleasant, with quiet sea and bright
+sunshine, and the younger woman must have passed hours on deck during
+so long and tedious a voyage. Yet it chanced I saw almost nothing of
+her. I heard her presence on board discussed several times by others
+of our company, but it somehow chanced that during my time in the open
+she was usually below. Indeed I gained but one glimpse of the lady in
+the first two weeks at sea, and then only as we were being ordered
+down to our quarters for the night. Just as I was approaching the
+hatch to descend, she appeared from within the cabin, accompanied by
+the middle-aged planter, and the two advanced toward the rail. The
+younger gallant, who was standing there alone, saw them the moment
+they emerged, and hastened forward, bowing low, hat in hand. She
+barely recognized him, her gaze traveling beyond the fellow toward the
+disappearing line of prisoners. It was an evening promising storm,
+with some motion to the sea, and a heavy bank of clouds visible off
+the port quarter, brightened by flashes of zigzag lightning. The brig
+rolled dizzily, so the cavalier sought to steady her steps, but she
+only laughed at the effort, waving him aside, as she moved easily
+forward. Once with hand on the rail, she ignored his presence
+entirely, looking first at the threatening cloud, and then permitting
+her gaze to rest once more upon the line of men descending through the
+hatch.
+
+It had become my turn to go down, yet in that instant our eyes met
+fairly, and I instantly knew she saw and recognized me. For a single
+second our glances clung, as though some mysterious influence held us
+to each other--then the angry guard struck me with the stock of his
+piece.
+
+"What er ye standin' thar fer?" he demanded savagely. "Go on
+down--lively now."
+
+I saw her clasping fingers convulsively grip the rail, and, even at
+that distance, marked a sudden flame of color in her cheeks. That was
+all her message to me, yet quite enough. Although we had never spoken,
+although our names were yet unknown, I was no criminal to her mind,
+no unrecognized prisoner beneath contempt, but a human being in whom
+she already felt a personal interest, and to whom she extended thought
+and sympathy. The blow of the gun-stock bruised my back, yet it was
+with a smile and a light heart that I descended the ladder, deeply
+conscious of a friend on board--one totally unable to serve me,
+perhaps, yet nevertheless a friend. Even in our isolation, guarded in
+those narrow quarters, much of the ship gossip managed in some way to
+reach our ears. How it drifted in was often a mystery, yet there was
+little going on aboard we failed to hear. Much of it came to us
+through those detailed to serve food, while guards and sailors were
+not always averse to being talked with. We always knew the ship's
+course, and I managed to keep in my mind a very dear idea of how the
+voyage progressed. Not a great deal of this gossip, however, related
+to the passengers aft, who kept rather exclusively to themselves, nor
+did I feel inclined to question those who might have the information.
+I had no wish to reveal my interest to others, and so continued
+entirely ignorant of the identity of the young woman. She remained in
+my memory, in my thoughts nameless, a dream rather than a reality. I
+did learn quite by accident that the gay gallant was a wealthy
+Spaniard, supposedly of high birth, by name Sanchez, and at one time
+in the naval service, and likewise ascertained that the rotund
+planter, so evidently in the party, was a certain Roger Fairfax, of
+Saint Mary's in Maryland, homeward bound after a successful sale of
+his tobacco crop in London. It was during his visit to the great city
+that he had met Sanchez, and his praise of the Colonies had induced
+the latter to essay a voyage in his company to America. But strange
+enough no one so much as mentioned the girl in connection with either
+man.
+
+Thus it was that the _Romping Betsy_ drove steadily on her way into
+the west, either battered by storm, or idly drifting in calm, while
+life on board became a tiresome routine. The dullness and ill
+treatment led to trouble below, to dissatisfaction and angry outbreaks
+of temper. The prisoners grew quarrelsome among themselves, and
+mutinous toward their guards. I took no part in these affairs, which
+at one time became serious. Two men were shot dead, and twice
+afterwards bodies were carried up the ladder at dawn, and silently
+consigned to the sea. No doubt these tales, more or less exaggerated,
+traveled aft, and reached the eager ears of the passengers. They began
+to fear us, and consequently I noticed when on deck the promenade once
+so popular during the earlier days of the voyage, was almost totally
+deserted during our hours of recreation. So, with mutiny forward, and
+fear aft, the lumbering old brig, full of tragedy and hopeless hearts,
+ploughed steadily onward toward the sunset.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+DOROTHY FAIRFAX
+
+
+We were not far from two hundred miles east of the Capes, or at least
+so one of the mates told me, gruffly answering a question, and it was
+already growing twilight, the sun having disappeared a half hour
+before. There was but little air stirring, barely enough to keep the
+sails taut, while the swell of the sea was sufficient to be
+uncomfortable, making walking on the deck a task. We were wallowing
+along amid a waste of waters, the white-crested waves extending in
+every direction to the far horizons, which were already purpling with
+the approach of night. I had been closely confined to my bunk for two
+days with illness, but now, somewhat stronger, had been ordered on
+deck by the surgeon. The last batch of prisoners, after their short
+hour of recreation, had been returned to the quarters below, but I was
+permitted to remain alone undisturbed. I sat there quietly, perched on
+a coil of rope, with head just high enough to permit an unobstructed
+view over the side.
+
+The deck aft was almost deserted, the passengers being at supper in
+the cabin. I could glimpse them through the unshaded windows, seated
+about a long table, while occasionally the sound of their voices
+reached me through the open companion-way. The mate was alone on the
+poop, tramping steadily back and forth, his glance wandering from the
+sea alongside to the flapping canvas above, but remained silent, as
+the brig was on her course. Once he clambered down the side ladder,
+and walked forward, shouting out some order to a group of sailors
+under the lee of the forecastle. It was on his return that I ventured
+to question him, and was gruffly answered. Something I said however,
+gave him knowledge that I was a seaman, and he paused a moment more
+civilly before resuming his watch, even pointing out what resembled
+the gleam of a distant sail far away on our starboard quarter. This
+was such a dim speck against the darkening horizon that I stood up to
+see better, shadowing my eyes, and forgetful of all else in aroused
+interest. Undoubtedly it was a sail, although appearing no larger than
+a gull's wing, and my imagination took me in spirit across the leagues
+of water. I was still standing there absorbed, unaware even that the
+mate had departed, when a voice, soft-spoken and feminine, broke the
+silence.
+
+"May I speak with you?"
+
+I turned instantly, so thoroughly surprised, my voice faltered as I
+gazed into the upturned face of the questioner. She stood directly
+beside me, with only the rope barrier stretched between us, her head
+uncovered, the contour of her face softened by the twilight. Instantly
+my cap was off, and I was bowing courteously.
+
+"Most certainly," with a quick side glance toward the guard, "but I am
+a prisoner."
+
+"Of course I know that," in smiling confidence. "Only you see I am
+rather a privileged character on board. No one expects me to obey
+rules. Still that does not apply to you, does it?" hesitating
+slightly. "Perhaps you may be punished if you talk with me--is that
+what you meant?"
+
+"I am more than willing to assume the risk. Punishment is no new
+experience to me; besides just now I am on sick leave, and privileged.
+That accounts for my being still on deck."
+
+"And I chanced to find you here alone. You have been ill?"
+
+"Not seriously, but confined to the berth for a couple of days. And
+now the doctor prescribes fresh air. This meeting with you, I imagine,
+may prove even of greater benefit than that."
+
+"With me? Oh, you mean as a relief from loneliness."
+
+"Partly--yes. The voyage has certainly proven lonely enough. I have
+made few friends forward, and am even bold enough to say that I have
+longed for a word with you ever since I first saw you aboard."
+
+"Why especially with me?"
+
+"Rather a hard question to answer at the very beginning," I smiled
+back at her. "Yet not so difficult as the one I shall ask you. Except
+for a fat matron, and a colored maid, you chance to be the only woman
+on board. Can you consider it unnatural that I should feel an
+interest? On the other hand I am only one of fifty prisoners, scarcely
+cleaner or more reputable looking than any of my mates. Yet surely you
+have not sought speech with these others?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Then why especially with me?"  Even in the growing dusk I could mark
+a red flush mount into the clear cheeks at this insistent question,
+and for an instant her eyes wavered. But she possessed the courage of
+pride, and her hesitancy was short.
+
+"You imagine I cannot answer; indeed that I have no worthy reason,"
+she exclaimed. "Oh, but I have; I know who you are; my uncle pointed
+you out to me."
+
+"Your uncle--the planter in the gray coat?"
+
+"Yes; I am traveling home with him to Maryland. I am Dorothy Fairfax."
+
+"But even with that explanation I scarcely understand," I insisted
+rather stubbornly. "You say he pointed me out to you. Really I was not
+aware that I was a distinguished character of any kind. How did he
+happen to know me?"
+
+"Because he was present at your trial before Lord Jeffries. He merely
+chanced to be there when you were first brought up, but became
+interested in the case, and so returned to hear you sentenced. You are
+Geoffry Carlyle, in command of the ship that brought Monmouth to
+England. I heard it all."
+
+"All? What else, pray?"
+
+Her eyes opened widely in sudden surprise and she clasped and
+unclasped her hands nervously.
+
+"Do you really not know? Have you never been told what happened?"
+
+"Only that I was roughly forbidden to speak, called every foul name
+the learned Judge could think of, and then sentenced to twenty years
+penal servitude beyond seas," I answered soberly. "Following that I
+was dragged from the dock, and flung into a cell. Was there anything
+else?"
+
+"Why you should have known. Lord Jeffries sentenced you to death; the
+decree was signed, to be executed immediately. Then influence was
+brought to bear--some nobleman in Northumberland made direct appeal to
+the King. That was what angered Jeffries so."
+
+"An appeal! For me? Good God! not Bucclough--was it he, the Duke?"
+
+"Yes; it was whispered about that the King was in his debt--some word
+of honor, and dare not refuse. The word of mercy came just in time,
+ordering Jeffries to commute your sentence. At first he swore he'd
+hang you, King or no King, but his nerve failed. My uncle said he
+roared like a bull. This Bucclough; is he not your friend?"
+
+I hesitated for an instant of indecision, looking into her face, but
+the truth would not be denied.
+
+"Scarcely that," I said soberly. "Nor can I solve entirely his
+purpose. He is my brother, and I am the next in line. We are not even
+on speaking terms; yet he is childless, and may feel some measure of
+dislike to have the family end in a hangman's knot. I can think of no
+other reason for his interference. I knew nothing of his action."
+
+"I am glad it became my privilege to tell you. Besides, Captain
+Carlyle," simply, "it may also help you to understand my interest. If
+you are of the Carlyles of Bucclough, how happened it that you went to
+sea?"
+
+"Largely necessity, and to some extent no doubt sheer love of
+adventure. I was a younger son, with very little income. There were
+then two lives between me and the estate, and the old Duke, my
+father, treated me like a servant. I always loved the sea, and at
+fourteen--to get me out of his sight, I think largely--was apprenticed
+to the navy, but lost my grade in the service by a mere boyish prank.
+His influence then would have saved me, but he refused to even read my
+letter of explanation. I dare not return home in such disgrace, and
+consequently drifted into the merchant service. It is a story quickly
+told."
+
+"Yet not so quickly lived."
+
+"No, it meant many hard years, on all the oceans of the world. This is
+the first message reaching me from the old home."
+
+"I have seen that home," she said quietly, "and shall never forget the
+impression it made on me. A beautiful place. I was there on a coaching
+party, the first summer I was in England. I was a mere girl then, and
+everything seemed wonderful. I have been away from Maryland now for
+three years."
+
+"At school?"
+
+"Of course; nothing else would satisfy father. Maryland is only a
+Colony, you know."
+
+"Yes, I understand. A great many over there send back their sons and
+daughters to be educated. Your home is at Saint Mary's?"
+
+"Lower down the Potomac. Have you ever been there?"
+
+"Twice; once as mate, and the last time as master of a ship. My latest
+voyage in these waters was made nearly two years ago."
+
+She was silent for several moments, her face turned away from me, her
+eyes gazing out across the waste of waters which were already growing
+dark. Her clear-cut profile against the yellow light of the cabin
+windows appeared most attractive.
+
+"It is not so strange then, is it, that I should have felt interested
+in you?" she asked suddenly, as though justifying herself. "When Uncle
+Roger first told me who you were, and then explained what had occurred
+at your trial, naturally you became to me something entirely different
+from the others."
+
+"Certainly I am not inclined to condemn."
+
+"I never once thought of speaking to you--truly I did not," she went
+on simply. "But when I saw you sitting here all alone, the impulse
+came suddenly to tell you how sorry I was. You see," and she paused
+doubtfully, "girls brought up in the Colonies, as I have been,
+are--are not quite so careful about whom they talk with as in
+England--you know what I mean; we always have indentured servants, and
+become accustomed to them. It--it is quite different out there."
+
+I laughed, thinking only to relieve her embarrassment.
+
+"Believe me, Miss Dorothy, there is no thought in my mind that you
+have done wrong," I insisted swiftly. "That would be very ungrateful,
+for you have brought me new heart and hope."
+
+"Then I am not sorry. Were you actually with Monmouth?"
+
+"In sympathy, yes; but I had no hand in the actual fighting. I was not
+even ashore until it was all over with. Still I shall pay my share of
+the bill."
+
+"And you know what that means, do you not? What will happen when we
+reach Virginia?"
+
+"Perfectly; I have no illusions. I have seen just such ships as this
+come in. We are to be advertised, and sold to the highest bidder. A
+week from now I shall probably be out in the tobacco fields, under the
+whip of an overseer, who will call me Jeff. All I can hope for is a
+kind-hearted master, and an early opportunity to escape."
+
+"Oh, no!" and in her eagerness her hands actually clasped mine, where
+they clung to the rope between us. "It is not going to be quite so bad
+as that. That is what I wanted to tell you. That is what gave me
+boldness to come across here to you tonight. It has all been
+arranged."
+
+"Arranged?"
+
+"Yes--everything. You are not going to be sold on the block with those
+others. Uncle Roger has already contracted with the Captain for your
+services. You are going north with us to Maryland."
+
+I stared through the dusk into her animated face, scarcely
+comprehending.
+
+"Do you not understand, yet?" she asked. "The Captain of this brig is
+the agent; he represents the government, and is obliged to find places
+for the prisoners."
+
+"Yes; I know that. We are billed like so much livestock; he must
+account for every head."
+
+"Well, Uncle Roger went to him yesterday, and made a bid for you.
+Finally they came to terms. That is one reason why you are left alone
+here on deck tonight. The officers are no longer responsible for
+you--you are already indentured."
+
+I drew a deep breath, and in the sudden impulse of relief which swept
+over me, my own fingers closed tightly about her hands.
+
+"You tell me I am to accompany your party up the Chesapeake?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"I owe this to you; I am sure I must owe this to you--tell me?"
+
+Her eyes drooped, and in the dim light I could mark the heaving of her
+bosom, as she caught her breath.
+
+"Only--only the suggestion," she managed to say in a whisper. "He--he
+was glad of that. You see I--I knew he needed someone to take charge
+of his sloop, and--and so I brought you to his mind. We--we both
+thought you would be just the one, and--and he went right away to see
+the Captain. So please don't thank me."
+
+"I shall never cease to thank you," I returned warmly, conscious
+suddenly that I was holding her hands, and as instantly releasing
+them. "Why, do you begin to understand what this actually means to me?
+It means the retention of manhood, of self-respect. It will save me
+the degradation which I dreaded most of all--the toiling in the fields
+beside negro slaves, and the sting of the lash. Ay, it means even
+more--"
+
+I hesitated, instantly realizing that I must not utter those impetuous
+words leaping to my lips.
+
+"More!" she exclaimed. "What more?"
+
+"This," I went on, my thought shifting into a new channel. "A longer
+servitude. Up to this moment my one dream has been to escape, but I
+must give that up now. You have placed me under obligations to serve."
+
+"You mean you feel personally bound?"  "Yes; not quite so much to
+your uncle, perhaps, as to yourself. But between us this has become a
+debt of honor."
+
+"But wait," she said earnestly "for I had even thought of that. I was
+sure you would feel that way--any gentleman would. Still there is a
+way out. You were sentenced as an indentured servant."
+
+"I suppose so."
+
+"It is true; you were so entered on the books of this ship. Uncle
+Roger had to be sure of all this before he paid his money, and I saw
+the entry myself. It read: 'Geoffry Carlyle, Master Mariner,
+indentured to the Colonies for the term of twenty years, unless sooner
+released; crime high treason.' Surely you must know the meaning of
+those words?"
+
+"Servitude for twenty years."
+
+"'Unless sooner released.'"
+
+"That means pardoned; there is no hope of that."
+
+"Perhaps not, but that is not all it means. Any indentured man, under
+our Maryland laws, can buy his freedom, after serving a certain
+proportion of his sentence. I think it is true in any of the Colonies.
+Did you not know that?"
+
+I did know it, yet somehow had never connected the fact before
+directly with my own case. I had been sentenced to twenty
+years--twenty years of a living death--and that alone remained
+impressed on my mind. I could still see Black Jeffries sitting on the
+bench, glaring down at me in unconcealed anger, his eyes blazing with
+the fury of impotent hate, as he roared, that, by decree of the King,
+my sentence to be hung was commuted to twenty years of penal
+servitude beyond seas. It had never even seemed an act of mercy to me.
+But now it did, as the full truth suddenly came home, that I could buy
+my freedom. God! what a relief; I stood up straight once more in the
+stature of a man. I hardly know what wild words I might have spoken
+had the opportunity been mine; but at that instant the figure of a man
+crossed the deck toward us, emerging from the open cabin door. Against
+the gleam of yellow light I recognized the trim form advancing, and as
+instantly stepped back into shadow. My quick movement caused her to
+turn, and face him.
+
+"What!" he exclaimed, and evidently surprised at his discovery. "It is
+indeed Mistress Dorothy--out here alone? 'Twas my thought you were
+safely in your cabin long since. But--prithee--I mistake; you are not
+alone."
+
+He paused, slightly irresolute, staring forward beyond her at my
+dimmer outline, quite uncertain who I might be, yet already
+suspicious.
+
+"I was preparing to go in," she answered, ignoring his latter words.
+"The night already looks stormy."
+
+"But your friend?"
+
+The tone in which he spoke was insistent, almost insolent in its
+demand, and she hesitated no longer in meeting the challenge.
+
+"Your pardon, I am sure--Lieutenant Sanchez, this gentleman is Captain
+Geoffry Carlyle."
+
+He stood there stiff and straight against the background of light, one
+hand in affected carelessness caressing the end of a waxed moustache.
+His face was in shadow, yet I was quite aware of the flash of his
+eyes.
+
+"Ah, indeed--some passenger I have not chanced to observe before?"
+
+"A prisoner," she returned distinctly. "You may perhaps remember my
+uncle pointed him out to us when he first came aboard."
+
+"And you have been out here alone, talking with the fellow?"
+
+"Certainly--why not?"
+
+"Why, the man is a felon, convicted of crime, sentenced to
+deportation."
+
+"It is not necessary that we discuss this, sir," she interposed,
+rather proudly, "as my personal conduct is not a matter for your
+criticism. I shall retire now. No; thank you, you need not come."
+
+He stopped still, staring blankly after her as she vanished; then
+wheeled about to vent his anger on me.
+
+"Carlyle, hey!" he exclaimed sneeringly. "A familiar sound that name
+in my ears. One of the brood out of Bucclough?"
+
+"A cadet of that line," I managed to admit, wonderingly. "You know of
+them?"
+
+"Quite as much as I care to," his tone ugly and insulting. Then an
+idea suddenly occurred to his mind. "Saint Guise, but that would even
+up the score nicely. You are, as I understand it, sent to Virginia for
+sale?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"For how long a term?"
+
+"The sentence was twenty years."
+
+"Hela! and you go to the highest bidder. I'll do it, fellow! To
+actually own a Carlyle of Bucclough will be a sweet revenge."
+
+"You mean," I asked, dimly grasping his purpose, "that you propose
+buying me when we reach shore?"
+
+"Why not? A most excellent plan; and I owe it all to a brat I met in
+London. Egad! it will be some joke to tell when next I visit England.
+'Twill count for more than were I to tweak the Duke's nose."
+
+I stopped his laughter, smiling myself grimly in the darkness.
+
+"A very noble plan for revenge," I admitted, enjoying the swift
+check-mating of his game. "And one which I am not likely to forget.
+Unfortunately you come too late. It happens, Senor, that I am already
+safely indentured to Roger Fairfax."
+
+"To Fairfax? She told you that?"
+
+"Who told me can make no difference. At least I am out of your hands."
+
+I turned away, but he called angrily after me:
+
+"Do not feel so sure of that, Carlyle! I am in the game yet."
+
+I made no answer, already despising the fellow so thoroughly as to
+ignore his threat. He still stood there, a mere shadow, as I
+disappeared down the ladder, and I could imagine the expression on his
+face.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+THE SHORES OF VIRGINIA
+
+
+I rested quietly in my berth for a long time, staring blankly up at
+the dark deck above, unable to sleep, and endeavoring to figure out
+the true meaning of all these occurrences. It began to rain, torrents
+sweeping the planks overhead, while vivid flashes of lightning
+illumined the open hatch, before it could be hastily closed, revealing
+the squalidness of the interior in which we were quartered. Then
+someone, growling and stumbling through the darkness, lit a slush
+lantern, dangling from a blackened beam, its faint flicker barely
+discernible. The hole became foul and sickening, men tossing and
+groaning in their uneasy sleep, or prowling about seeking some measure
+of comfort. There was no severe wind accompanying the storm, and the
+flurry of rain soon swept by, leaving an ugly swell behind, but
+enabling the guard to again uplift the hatches.
+
+Immersed as I was in thought, all this left but small impress on me. I
+felt that I could understand the interest exhibited by Dorothy
+Fairfax, and, greatly as I already admired her, I was not egotist
+enough to even imagine that her effort to serve me had basis in any
+personal attraction. My connection with Bucclough, coupled with her
+uncle's report of my conviction, had very naturally aroused the girl's
+sympathy in my behalf. She felt a desire to lighten my sorrows as
+much as possible, and, under the existing circumstances, had found it
+comparatively easy to persuade the good-natured planter to acquiesce
+in her suggestion. In all probability he really had need of my
+services, and was therefore glad enough of this opportunity to secure
+them. This part of the affair I could dismiss without giving anyone
+undue credit, although I deeply appreciated the kindness of heart
+which had led her to interpose, and which later led her to tell me so
+quickly what had occurred. Her purpose, however, was fairly clear.
+
+But what about Lieutenant Sanchez? Why was this unknown Spaniard
+already so openly my enemy? There was no doubting his position, and
+there surely must be some reason for it outside of anything which had
+occurred on board the _Romping Betsy_. His words had given me some
+inkling of the cause--a past quarrel with the Duke of Bucclough, in
+England, in which he must have been worsted, and which had left in his
+mind a lurking desire for revenge. He dreamed of striking his enemy
+through me, because of relationship, a cowardly blow. Yet this, by
+itself alone, was scarcely a reason why he should have thus sought me
+out for a victim. No sane man would deliberately visit the sins of my
+brother on me. Nor had this been deliberate; it was the mere outburst
+of sudden passion, arising through my intercourse with the young
+woman. Otherwise it might never have occurred to him. So there was
+seemingly but one answer--Sanchez used this merely as an excuse for
+the concealment of his real object. What could that object be? Could
+it be Dorothy Fairfax? I was a long while in actually convincing
+myself of this probability, and yet no other satisfactory explanation
+offered itself. She had exhibited an interest in me from the very
+first, and he had endeavored to win her attention elsewhere. Even that
+day when we first came aboard in chains, he had plainly evinced this
+desire, and, since then, the girl had never appeared on deck, without
+his immediately seeking her company. I felt finally that I had the
+clue--jealousy, the mad, unreasoning jealousy of his race. He fiercely
+resented her slightest interest in anyone--even a prisoner--as against
+his own attractions. He was incapable of appreciating friendly
+sympathy, and already held me a dangerous rival. Then, possibly, it
+had not been a mere idle desire to visit the Colonies, which had
+originally led to his prompt acceptance of Roger Fairfax's invitation
+to make one of their party; the real attraction was the charms of
+Dorothy--her girlish beauty, coupled, no doubt, with her father's
+wealth. The fellow was in love, impetuously in love, resenting blindly
+the slightest advance of any other.
+
+The thought rather pleased me, largely because of its absurdity. It
+was, in my case at least, so utterly false, and unjustifiable. To the
+ordinary mind, indeed, any such connection would be practically
+unthinkable. Even had I been wild enough to dream of such a thing, the
+gulf existing between myself and Dorothy Fairfax was far too deep and
+wide ever to be spanned. I had before me twenty years of servitude,
+and an unknown future; nor could I even conceive the possibility of
+any such thought ever entering her mind. The very opposite was what
+gave her courage to serve me. I had no false conception as to this;
+no vagrant thought that her interest in me was any more than a
+passing fancy, born of sympathy, and a desire to aid. Nevertheless, as
+she had thus already served me, I now owed her service in return, and
+here was the first call. If conditions made it possible it was my
+plain duty to place myself between these two. I felt no hatred toward
+the man, no desire to do him a personal injury; but I did dislike and
+distrust him. This feeling was instinctive, and without the slightest
+reference to his seeking intimacy with the girl. From the first moment
+I had looked upon his face there had been antagonism between us, a
+feeling of enmity. Whether this arose from his appearance, or actions,
+I could not determine--but the fellow was not my kind.
+
+In the intensity of my feelings I must have unconsciously spoken
+aloud, for a shaggy head suddenly popped out from the berth beneath
+where I lay, and an interested voice asked solicitously:
+
+"Hy, thar; whut's up, mate? Sick agin?"
+
+"No," I answered, grinning rather guiltily, "just thinking, and
+letting loose a bit. Did I disturb you?"
+
+"Well, I reckon I wa'n't exactly asleep," he acknowledged, without
+withdrawing his head. "Ye wus mutterin' 'way thar an' not disturbin'
+me none, till ye got ter talkin' 'bout sum feller called Sanchez. Then
+I sorter got a bit interested. I know'd thet cuss onct," and he spat,
+as though to thus better express his feelings. "The damned ornary
+pirate."
+
+I laughed, my whole mental mood changed by this remark.
+
+"It is not very likely we have the same party in mind, Haley. You see
+Sanchez is a decidedly common name among Spaniards. I've known two or
+three of that name myself. You were not referring to anyone on board,
+were you?"
+
+"I sure hope not," he scratched his head, staring up at me through the
+dim light, wakefulness encouraging him to talk. "They tell me ye are a
+sea-farin' man. Well, I wus a Deal fisher, but hev made a half dozen
+deep-sea v'y'ges. Thet's how I hed the damn luck ter meet up with this
+Sanchez I was a speakin' 'bout. He's the only one ever I know'd. I met
+up with him off the isle o' Cuba. Likely 'nough ye know the devil I
+mean?"
+
+The question served to center my memory suddenly on a dim remembrance
+of the past.
+
+"No, unless you refer to 'Black Sanchez.' I 've heard of him; were you
+ever in his hands?"
+
+"Wus I!" he laughed grimly. "I hed eight months of it, mate, and a
+greater demon never sailed. The things I saw done ye 'd never believe
+no human bein' could do. If ever thar wus two people in one skin, sir,
+it's thet Black Sanchez. When he's playin' off fer good he's as soft
+an' sweet as a dandy in Picadilly, an' when he's real he's like a
+devil in hell."
+
+"Was you a prisoner--or did you sail under him?"
+
+"Both, fer the matter o' thet. He give me the choice ter serve, er
+walk the plank. I wus eighteen, an' hed an ol' mother at Deal."
+
+"I see; but later you got away?"
+
+"Ay, I did thet," chuckling over the recollection. "But I hed ter wait
+eight months fer the luck. Hev ye ever been sea-farin' down in them
+waters, off the West Indies?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Well, they're all studded over with little islands--cays, they call
+'em down thare; an' it's in among them thet the buccaneers hide away,
+an' sorter rest up after a cruise. Thar's a lot o' 'em too; whole
+villages hid away on some o' them cays, with women an' children--every
+color ye ever saw. Sanchez he made his headquarters on a cay called
+Porto Grande. He hed three ships, an' maybe a hundred an' fifty men
+'bout the time I got away. The last I saw o' him wus at sea. He'd
+overhauled an English ship, an' sunk her; an' then the next mornin' we
+took a Dutch bark in ballast. She wus such a trig sailor Sanchez
+decided to keep her afloat, an' sent a prize crew aboard ter sail her
+inter Porto Grande. I wus one o' the fellers picked fer thet job, an'
+we wus told off under a nigger mate, named LaGrasse--he wus a French
+nigger from Martinique, and a big devil--an' our orders wus ter meet
+Sanchez three days later. His vessel wus a three-masted schooner, the
+fastest thing ever I saw afloat, called the _Vengeance_, an' by that
+time she wus chock up with loot. Still at that she could sail 'bout
+three feet to our one. Afore night come we wus out o' sight astern.
+Thar wus eight o' us in the crew, beside the nigger, an' we had twelve
+Dutchmen under hatches below. I sorter looked 'round, an' sized up
+four o' that crew ter be good honest sailormen, who'd been shanghied
+same as I wus. So, long about midnight, I 'd got ter talk with all
+these fellers, an' when LaGrasse went down below ter take a snooze in
+the cabin, we hoisted them Dutchmen on deck, flung a couple o'
+hell-hounds overboard, an' just naturally took control. The mate wus
+a dead nigger afore he ever knew whut wus up. When daylight come we
+wus streakin' it eastward by compass, an' every damn sail set. Thet
+wus the easiest part of it. Them Dutchmen could n't talk nuthin' but
+their own lingo; an' thar wa'n't a navigator aboard, fer Sanchez hed
+kept all the offercers with him, an' the end wus about a week later,
+when we piled up against an island off the African coast, an' only one
+boat load of us got ashore. Thet's whut I know about Sanchez."
+
+"I had a shipmate once," I observed, interested in his story, "who
+claimed to have seen the fellow; he described him as being a very
+large man, with intensely black hawklike eyes, and a heavy black beard
+almost hiding his face."
+
+Haley laughed.
+
+"Maybe he looked like that when he saw him, but he ain't no bigger man
+than I am; he won't weigh as much by fifteen pound. Fact is he mighty
+seldom looks the same, fer thet's part o' his game. Them whiskers is
+false, an' so is the saller look to his face. I 've seen him in all
+sorts o' disguises. It's only his eyes he can't hide, an' thar's been
+times when I thought they wus the ugliest eyes ever I saw. He's sure
+an ornary devil, an' when he gits mad, I'd rather be afront of a
+tiger. Besides fightin's his trade, an' no weaklin' ain't goin' ter
+control the sort o' chaps he's got ter handle. Most of 'em would
+murder him in a minute if they dared. Oh, he's bad all right, but yer
+wouldn't exactly think so, just ter look at him, I've run up agin a
+lot o' different men in my time, thet I 'd naturally sheer off from a
+blame sight quicker than I would from him."
+
+"You mean that when he is not in disguise he does not appear
+dangerous. What then does he really look like?"
+
+Haley spat again onto the deck, and scratched his shock of hair as
+though thus to stimulate his memory.
+
+"Oh, a sorter swash-bucklin' Spanish don--the kind whut likes ter
+dress up, an' play the dandy. He's got a pink an' white complexion,
+the Castilian kind yer know, an' wears a little moustache, waxed up at
+the ends. He's about two inches taller than I am, with no extra flesh,
+but with a hell of a grip in his hands. As I said afore, if it wa'n't
+fer his eyes nobody'd ever look at him twice. All his devilishness
+shows thar, an' I've seen 'em laugh like he didn't have a care on
+earth."
+
+"How old a man is he?"
+
+"How old is the devil? I heard he wus about forty-five; I reckon he
+must be thet, but he don't look older than thirty. He ain't the kind
+yer can guess at."
+
+We talked together for quite a while longer, our conversation
+gradually drifting to the recounting of various sea adventures, and my
+thoughts did not again recur to Sanchez until after I rested back once
+more in my berth, endeavoring to fall asleep. Haley must have dropped
+off immediately, for I could distinguish his heavy breathing among the
+others; but my mind continued to wander, until it conjured up once
+again this West India pirate. His name, and the story of his exploits,
+had been familiar to me ever since I first went to sea. While only one
+among many operating in those haunted waters, his resourcefulness,
+daring and cruelty had won him an infamous reputation, a name of
+horror. In those days, when the curse of piracy made the sea a
+terror, no ordinary man could ever have succeeded in attaining such
+supremacy in crime. No doubt much that had been reported was either
+false, or exaggerated, yet there flashed across my memory numberless
+tales of rapine, outrage and cold-blooded cruelty in which this demon
+of the sea had figured, causing me to shudder at the recollection. To
+my mind he had long been a fiend incarnate, his name a horror on the
+lips. Black Sanchez--and Haley pictured him as a dandified, ordinary
+appearing individual, with white and red complexion, a small
+moustache, and flashing dark eyes--a mere Spanish gallant, without
+special distinction. Why, that description, strangely enough, fitted
+almost exactly this fellow on board, this other Sanchez. I leaned over
+the edge of my bunk, and looked down on Haley, half resolved to ask if
+he had ever noticed this lieutenant, but the man was already sound
+asleep. The suspicion which had crept into my mind was so absurd, so
+unspeakably silly and impossible, that I laughed at myself, and
+dismissed the crazy thought. What, that fellow Black Sanchez! Bah, no!
+He had been at sea, of course; there was no denying that fact, for he
+knew ships, and spoke the lingo of blue water; but the very idea that
+that blood-stained buccaneer, whose hated name was on the lips of
+every sea-faring man of Britain, would ever dare openly to visit
+England, and then sail under his own name on board an English vessel
+for Virginia, was too preposterous for consideration. Why, it would be
+sheer madness. The knowledge that such a possibility ever had flashed
+into my mind became amusing, and chuckling over it, I finally fell
+asleep.
+
+It was noon, the sky overcast, the wind blowing strong from the
+southeast, when the Virginia coast was first sighted from our
+mast-head. An hour later it became plainly visible from the deck
+below, and the prisoners were routed out from their quarters, and the
+shackles, removed from limbs when we first arrived on board, were
+again riveted in place, binding them together in fours, preparatory to
+landing. I, with one or two others, already disposed of, and in
+control of masters, were spared this indignity, and permitted to move
+about as we pleased within the narrow deck space reserved for our use.
+The last meal was served in the open, the men squatting on the deck
+planks, endeavoring to jest among themselves, and assuming a
+cheerfulness they were very far from feeling. The long hardships of
+the voyage had left indelible marks on the majority, and they were by
+now a woe-begone, miserable lot, who had largely abandoned themselves
+to despair.
+
+The Monmouth campaign had been brief, but no less disastrous to the
+men engaged in it. Those who survived the one battle, wounded and
+fugitive, had been hunted down remorselessly like so many wild beasts.
+Escape from the pursuit of soldiers was almost impossible, and they
+had been brutally beaten and bruised by infuriated captors; and then,
+uncared for, nor shown the slightest mercy, had been thrust into
+loathsome gaols to helplessly await trial, and a certain conviction.
+No pen could adequately describe the suffering and horror of those
+months of waiting, while the unfortunate victims lived in crowded,
+dirty cells, subjected to every conceivable indignity and insult from
+brutal guards, half starved, and breathing foul, fetid air--the breath
+of sickness, the stench of unclean wounds. Dragged forth at last, one
+by one, into a court organized for condemnation, presided over by a
+foul-mouthed brute, whose every word was insult, denied all
+opportunity for defense, they had later been shackled together as
+felons, and driven aboard ship like so many head of cattle. Herded
+below deck, tossed about for weeks on a stormy sea, uncared for, and
+half starved, scarcely realizing their destination, or knowing their
+fate, seeing their dead dragged out from their midst with each dawn,
+and flung carelessly overboard, cursed at and struck by their guards,
+they now dragged their aching bodies about in half dead despair, the
+chains clanking to every movement of the limbs, their dull, lackluster
+eyes scarcely discerning the darkening line of coast toward which the
+_Romping Betsy_ steered.
+
+With what depth of pity I looked at them, my glance gladly straying
+from their downcast faces toward the group of passengers gathered
+eagerly along the poop rail to welcome joyfully the approach of land.
+These were all animation, excitement, talking eagerly to each other,
+and pointing out familiar headlands as they emerged through the thin
+mists. Their thoughts were all centered on home, or the promises of
+this new land they were approaching, and so deeply interested that
+scarcely an eye turned toward those miserable wretches grouped on the
+forward deck, being borne into slavery and disgrace. It was a contrast
+between hope and despair. As these passengers moved restlessly back
+and forth, from rail to rail, I easily recognized among them every
+face grown familiar to me during the course of the voyage, excepting
+the two I most eagerly sought; and became convinced that neither Roger
+Fairfax nor his niece had yet come upon deck. Sanchez was there,
+however, standing alone and silent, seldom lifting his eyes to the
+changing view ahead, but apparently buried in his own thoughts. Once
+our glances accidentally met, and I could but observe the sudden
+change in the man's expression--a change sinister and full of threat.
+Whatever the original cause might be, his personal feeling toward me
+was undoubtedly bitter and unforgiving, and he possessed no wish to
+disguise it. The new life in the new world had already brought me both
+friend and enemy before I had as yet touched foot on land.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+THE WATERS OF THE CHESAPEAKE
+
+
+The brig, with all sails set, and favored by a strong wind, drew
+rapidly in toward the point of landing. The great majority of the
+prisoners remained on deck, chained together and helpless, yet
+surrounded by armed guards, while the few who had already been
+purchased by passengers, humbly followed their new masters ashore the
+moment the gang-plank touched the soil of Virginia. There were five of
+us altogether thus favored, but I was the only one owing allegiance to
+Roger Fairfax. The rude landing wharf along which we lay was already
+densely crowded with men, their appearance and dress largely
+proclaiming them to be planters from the interior, either gathered to
+inspect the consignment of prisoners, or eager to purchase at low
+prices the stores hidden away in the vessel's hold. Some among the
+concourse, however, were undoubtedly present to welcome friends and
+relatives among the passengers. Altogether it was a bustling scene,
+full of change and color, the air noisy with shouting voices, the line
+of wharves filled with a number of vessels, either newly arrived, or
+preparing to depart. Servants both white and colored were busily at
+work, under the command of overseers, loading and unloading cargoes,
+while the high bank beyond was crowded with vehicles of various kinds.
+News of the arrival of the _Romping Betsy_ had evidently spread
+widely, together with the rumor that she brought a number of prisoners
+to be auctioned off. It was a good-natured, restless crowd, especially
+anxious for any news from abroad, and eager to benefit from the sale.
+The majority of the men I judged to be landowners, hearty, wholesome
+looking fellows, whose lives were passed out-of-doors, dressed in
+their best in honor of the occasion. The prevailing fashion was a
+broad-leafed, felt hat with one side looped up to the crown by a
+brilliant metal button, a velvet coat with long, voluminous skirts,
+wide sleeves, metallic buttons as large as a Spanish dollar, short
+breeches, and long stockings with gold or silver knee and shoe
+buckles. Many wore swords, while those who did not bore about with
+them enormous gold or silver-headed canes. The smoking of pipes was
+common, and thoughtless profanity was to be heard on all sides as an
+ordinary part of speech. It was with no small difficulty we succeeded
+in forcing our way through this jostling throng until we attained to
+an open space ashore.
+
+I followed closely behind the three composing our party, Roger
+Fairfax, and Sanchez, with the laughing girl between them for
+protection, pressing a passage forward. Even had I not been laden with
+packages my general appearance and dress would doubtless have
+proclaimed my position, and aroused passing interest. I heard voices
+calling attention to me, while curious eyes stared into my face.
+Fairfax was evidently well known to a number present, for he was being
+greeted on all sides with hearty hand-shakes, and words of welcome.
+
+"Ah, back again, Roger; and what fortune in London?"  "A fair price
+for the crop?"
+
+"Is the lad trailing behind ye one o' Monmouth's men?"
+
+"Any news, friend, in Parliament? What is the latest on the tax?"
+
+"And pray who is this damsel, Roger; not Hugh Fairfax's girl? Ay,
+quite the woman now."
+
+"Your men? They're over there, across the road. Of course I know; did
+I not come from the dock with them?"
+
+There were two of them, both negroes, but one, addressed by Fairfax as
+Sam, was much the lighter in color, and far more intelligent of face.
+A few words of instruction dispatched these back to the _Romping
+Betsy_ for the luggage yet remaining on board, while our own party
+continued to advance along the water front toward where Sam had
+designated the Fairfax boat would be found awaiting us, fully prepared
+to depart up the Chesapeake. When finally attained this vessel proved
+to be a goodly sized sloop, of a type familiar to those waters,
+containing a comfortable small cabin forward, a staunch, broad-beamed
+craft, but with lines indicating sailing qualities, while requiring
+only a small crew. Several similar vessels--doubtless owned and
+operated by planters residing along the shore of the Bay--were
+anchored in the basin, or fastened at the dock, but the _Adele_ had
+been warped in against the bank, which at this point was high enough
+to enable us easily to step aboard over the low rail. A dingy looking
+white man, quite evidently from his appearance an indentured servant,
+was in charge, He greeted us rather surlily, staring at me with
+almost open hostility, yet responded swiftly enough to Fairfax's
+orders.
+
+"Here, Carr, stow these packages away. Yes, you better help with them,
+Carlyle. The other bags will be along directly--Sam and John have gone
+after them. Put these forward, under cover. Has everything been seen
+to, so we can start at once?"
+
+"Ay, ay, sorr," was the gruff response, in a strong Irish brogue.
+"Lord knows we've hid toime enough, fer we've bin waitin' here fer yer
+a wake, er more. It's a month since the lether came."
+
+"We have had a slow voyage, Carr. So all I ordered is aboard?"
+
+"She's full oop ter the hatches; bedad I hope thar ain't no more."
+
+"Good; we ought to get as far as Travers' by dark then. Hurry along,
+and stow that stuff away; here come the others now."
+
+The three found comfortable seats along the opposite rail, and sat
+there watching us hastily bring aboard the various articles which the
+two negroes, assisted by a boy and a cart, had transported from the
+brig. I worked along with the others, under the orders of Sam, who
+seemed to be in charge, already feeling somewhat deeply the
+humiliation of my position, but nevertheless realizing the necessity
+of prompt obedience. The knowledge that I was now a slave, on a level
+with these others, compelled to perform menial labor under the very
+eyes of Dorothy Fairfax and that sneering Spaniard, cut my pride to
+the quick. In my trips back and forth I kept my eyes averted, never
+once venturing to glance toward them, until this work had been
+accomplished. But when we stood idle, while Sam went aft for
+instructions, I had recovered sufficient nerve to turn my eyes in that
+direction, only to observe that the young woman sat with head turned
+away, gazing out over the rail at the shore, her chin cupped in her
+hands, her thoughts apparently far away. Strange as it may seem her
+obvious indifference hurt me oddly, my only comprehension being that
+she did not in the least care; that in fact she had already entirely
+dismissed me from her mind. This supposition, whether true or false,
+instantly hardened me to my fate, and I stared at Sanchez, meeting his
+eyes fairly, at once angered by the sneer on his lips and the open
+insult of his manner. He turned toward her, fingering a cheroot, and
+said something; but, though she answered, her head remained
+motionless, her eyes searching the shore indifferently. A figure or
+two appeared along the summit of the bank, voices calling to Fairfax,
+who stood up as he replied, ending the conversation with a wave of the
+hand to Sam, who had taken position at the wheel. The latter began
+shouting orders in a shrill voice. Carr cast off, and, with the negro
+and myself at the halliards, the mainsail rose to the caps, while we
+began gliding out from the shore into the deeper water. By the time we
+had hoisted the jib, and made all secure, we were out far enough to
+feel the full force of the stiff breeze, the _Adele_ careening until
+her rail was awash, the white canvas soaring above us against the
+misty blue of the sky.
+
+There was little to be done after the ropes had been coiled away, and
+we were fairly out into the broader reaches of the Bay. The wind held
+steady, requiring no shifting of canvas, so Sam, having dispatched the
+negro below to prepare lunch, and stationed Carr forward as lookout,
+called me aft to the wheel. He was a rather pleasant-faced fellow,
+yellow as saffron, with rings in his ears, and a wide mouth
+perpetually grinning.
+
+"Massa Fairfax he say you real sailorman," he began, looking me over
+carefully, with a nod of his head toward the group at the rail. "Dat
+so?"
+
+"Yes; I have been a number of years at sea."
+
+"Dat what he say; dat he done bought yer fer dat reason mostly. Ah
+reckon den ye kin steer dis boat?"
+
+"I certainly can."
+
+"So? Den Ah's sure goin' fer ter let yer try right now. Yer take hol',
+while Ah stand by a bit."
+
+I took his place, grasping the spokes firmly, and he stood aside,
+watching every movement closely, as I held the speeding sloop steadily
+up to the wind, the spray pouring in over the dipping rail forward.
+The grin on his lips broadened.
+
+"What is the course?" I asked curiously.
+
+"'Cross ter dat point yonder--see, whar de lone tree stan's; we done
+'round dat 'bout tree hunder' yards out, an' then go straight 'way
+north."
+
+"You use no chart?"
+
+He burst into a guffaw, as though the question was a rare joke.
+
+"No, sah; I nebber done saw one."
+
+"But surely you must steer by compass?"
+
+"Dar is a little one somewhar on board, and Ah done ain't seed it fer
+mor 'n a yare, Ah reckon. 'Tain't no use enyhow. Whut we steer by is
+landmarks. Ah sure does know de Chesapeake. Yer ever bin up de Bay?"
+
+"Yes, twice, but out in the deep water. I suppose you hug along the
+west shore. How is the sloop--pretty heavily loaded?"
+
+He nodded, still grinning cheerfully over the ease with which I
+manipulated the wheel.
+
+"Chuck full ter de water line; we've done been shovin' things inter
+dat hold fer a week past, but she's sure a good sailor. Whut wus it
+Massa Roger say yer name wus?"
+
+"Carlyle."
+
+"So he did; don't ever recollect hearin' dat name afore. Ye's one of
+dem rebels ober in England?"
+
+"I got mixed up in the affair."
+
+"An' whut dey done give yer?"
+
+"My sentence, you mean--twenty years."
+
+"Lordy! dat's sure tough. Well, I reckon yer done know yer job all
+right, so I'll just leave yer here awhile, an' go forrard an' git a
+snack. Ain't eat nuthin' fer quite a spell. Ah'll be back afore yer
+'round de point yonder."
+
+I was alone at the wheel, the sloop in my control, and somehow as I
+stood there, grasping those spokes, the swift boat leaping forward
+through the water, leaning recklessly over before the force of the
+wind, the numbing sense of helpless servitude left me in a new return
+of manhood and responsibility. It was a scene of exhilaration, the
+sun, still partially obscured by misty clouds already well down in the
+western sky, with the tossing waves of the Bay foam-crested. The
+distant headlands appeared spectral and gray through the vapor, while
+the waters beyond took on the tint of purple shadows. The _Adele_
+responded to the helm gallantly, the spreading canvas above standing
+out like a board, a broad wake of white foam spreading far astern. Not
+another sail appeared across that troubled surface of waters, not even
+a fisherman's boat, the only other vessel visible along our course
+being a dim outline close in against that far-away headland toward
+which I had been instructed to steer. I stared at this indistinct
+object, at first believing it a wreck, but finally distinguishing the
+bare masts of a medium-sized bark, evidently riding at anchor only a
+few hundred yards off shore.
+
+Satisfied as to this, my glance shifted to our own decks, feeling a
+seaman's admiration for the cleanliness of the little vessel, and the
+shipshape condition of everything aboard. The decks had more the
+appearance of a pleasure yacht, than that of a cargo carrier, although
+the broad beam, and commodious hatches bespoke ample storage room
+below. Apparently all this hold space had been reserved for the
+transportation of goods, the passenger quarters being forward, with
+the cook's galley at the foot of the mast. Where the crew slept I was
+unable to discern, but they were few in number, and as Sam had
+disappeared up a short ladder, and then across the roof of the cabin,
+it was highly probable there would be a compact forecastle nestled
+between the bows. The blacker negro was busily engaged in the galley,
+his figure occasionally visible at the open door, and a column of
+black smoke poured out through the tin funnel. The deck planks were
+scrubbed white, and the hand-rails had been polished until they
+shone.
+
+The three passengers still remained seated together, the men
+conversing, and occasionally pointing forth at some object across the
+water, but, while I watched the little group, the girl made no
+movement, nor attempt at speech. None of them even so much as glanced
+toward me, and I felt that, already, I had been dismissed from their
+thought, had been relegated to my proper position, had sunken to my
+future place as a mere servant. Finally Mistress Dorothy arose to her
+feet, and, with a brief word of explanation to her uncle, started
+forward in the direction of the cabin. A sudden leap of the boat
+caused her to clutch the rail, and instantly Sanchez was at her side,
+proffering assistance. They crossed the dancing deck together, his
+hand upon her arm, and paused for a moment at the door to exchange a
+few sentences. When the Spaniard came back he pointed out to Fairfax
+the position of the still distant bark, which however was by this time
+plainly revealed off our port quarter. The planter stood up in order
+to see better, and then the two crossed the deck to a position only a
+few yards from where I stood at the wheel, and remained there, staring
+out across the intervening water.
+
+"Surely a strange place in which to anchor, Lieutenant," said Fairfax
+at last, breaking the silence, his hand shading his eyes. "Bark
+rigged, and very heavily sparred. Seems to be all right. What do you
+make of the vessel?"
+
+The Spaniard twisted his moustache, but exhibited little interest,
+although his gaze was upon the craft.
+
+"Decidedly Dutch I should say," he answered slowly, "to judge from
+the shape of her lines, and the size of her spars. The beggars seem
+quite at home there, with all their washing out. Not a usual
+anchorage?"
+
+"No, nor a particularly safe one. There are some very heavy seas off
+that point at times, and there is no plantation near by. Travers'
+place is beyond the bend. We'll put up with him tonight; he owns that
+land yonder, but his wharf is several miles up the coast. Damn me,
+Sanchez, I believe I 'll hail the fellow, and find out what he is
+doing in there."
+
+Sanchez nodded, carelessly striking flint and steel in an effort to
+relight a cheroot, and Fairfax turned his head toward me.
+
+"Oh, is that you, Carlyle? Where is Sam?"
+
+"Gone forward, sir, half an hour ago. He decided I was safe."
+
+The planter laughed, with a side glance toward Sanchez, who gave no
+sign that he overhead.
+
+"No doubt he was right. Port your helm a little, and run down as close
+as seems safe to that fellow out yonder, until I hail him."
+
+"Very well, sir."
+
+We came about slowly, tossed a bit by the heavy swell, the ponderous
+boom swinging, and permitting the loosened canvas to flap against the
+ropes, until the sloop finally steadied onto the new tack. The
+distance to be covered was not great, and in less than ten minutes, we
+were drawing in toward the high stern of the anchored vessel. She was
+larger than I had thought, a lumping craft for those days, bark
+rigged, with lower spars the heaviest I had ever seen. No evidence of
+life appeared on board, although everything looked shipshape alow and
+aloft, and a rather extensive wash flapped in the wind forward,
+bespeaking a generous crew. There was no flag at the mizzen to signify
+nationality, yet there was a peculiar touch to the rig which confirmed
+in my mind the truth of Sanchez's guess that she was originally Dutch.
+A moment later this supposition was confirmed as my eyes made out the
+name painted across the stern--NAMUR OF ROTTERDAM.
+
+Fairfax leaned far out across the rail, as we swept in closer, his
+eyes searching the stranger's side for some evidence of human presence
+aboard, but the Spaniard exhibited no particular interest in the
+proceedings, standing motionless, the smoke of the cheroot blown idly
+from his mouth, The fellow's face was turned from me, yet I could not
+help note the insolence of his attitude, in spite of my occupation at
+the wheel. A hundred feet distant, I held the dancing sloop to mere
+steerage-way, while Fairfax hailed in a voice which went roaring
+across the water like a gun.
+
+"Ahoy, the bark!"
+
+A red-faced man with a black beard thrust his head up above the after
+rail, and answered, using English, yet with a faint accent which was
+not Dutch. What he looked like below the shoulders could not be
+discerned.
+
+"Veil, vat's vanted? Vos anyding wrong?"
+
+"No, not aboard here," returned Fairfax, a bit puzzled at the reply,
+"We ran down to see if you were in any trouble. This is a strange
+place to anchor. What are you--Dutch?"
+
+The fellow waved his hands in a gesture indicating disgust.  "Dat's
+eet. Ve're out ov Rotterdam--you see ze name ov ze sheep. But ve not
+sail frum thar dis time--no. Ve cum here from ze Barbadoes," he
+explained brokenly "wiz cane-sugar, an' hides. Ve vait here for our
+agent."
+
+"But why anchor in a place like this? Why not go on up to the wharfs?"
+
+"Vye not? For ziz--I no trust my crew ashore. Zay Vest Indy niggers,
+an' vud run avay ven ze chance cum. I know vat zay do."
+
+In spite of my efforts the two vessels were drifting rapidly apart,
+and this last explanation came to us over the water in a faint thread
+of sound barely discernible. I asked if I should tack back, but
+Fairfax shook his head, and in a moment more we were beyond reach of
+the voice. Dorothy appeared at the door of the cabin and stood there,
+gazing in surprise at the bark, while the moment he caught sight of
+her Sanchez went hastily forward, removing his hat with so peculiar a
+flourish as he approached as to cause me to notice the gesture.
+Fairfax remained beside the rail, staring out across the widening
+water, clearly dissatisfied, but finally waved his hand in a command
+to me to resume our course. Shortly after he crossed the deck to the
+wheel, and stood there beside me, still watchful of the dwindling
+vessel already far astern.
+
+"What do you make of her, Carlyle?" he asked finally, turning slightly
+to glance at my face. "I believe that fellow lied."
+
+"So do I, sir," I answered promptly. "Whatever else he may be, he's
+no peaceful Dutch trader. The bark is Dutch built all right, and no
+doubt once sailed out of Rotterdam; but that fellow got his accent
+from South Europe."
+
+"Damn me, that's just what I thought."
+
+"Nor is that all, sir. If he was loaded with cane-sugar and hides for
+market, he wouldn't be nearly so high out of water. That bark was in
+ballast, or I miss my guess. Besides, if he was a trader, where was
+his crew? There wasn't a single head popped over the rail while we
+were alongside; and that isn't natural. Even a West India nigger has
+curiosity. I tell you the men on board that hooker had orders to keep
+down."
+
+Fairfax stroked his chin, his eyes shifting from the distant vessel to
+Dorothy and Sanchez who were now making their way slowly aft, the
+latter grasping the girl's arm, and smirking as he talked rapidly.
+
+"By God! but I believe you are right," he admitted frankly, "although
+it had not occurred to me before. There is something wrong there. I'll
+tell Travers, and have him send a runner overland to give warning
+below."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+FAIRFAX SPEAKS WITH ME
+
+
+Sanchez drew a chair into the slight shade cast by the mainsail, and
+induced his reluctant companion to sit down. He remained bending over
+her, with his back turned toward us chattering away, although she only
+answered in monosyllables, seldom glancing up into his face. With
+hands gripping the spokes of the wheel, and my attention concentrated
+on the course ahead, I could yet notice how closely Fairfax was
+observing the two, with no pleasant expression in his eyes, and,
+forgetful that I was merely a servant, I ventured a question.
+
+"You have known Senor Sanchez for some time, sir?"
+
+He started in surprise, yet answered as though the unexpected query
+had been merely an echo of his own thoughts.
+
+"No," he admitted frankly. "Indeed I hardly know how it happened that
+I invited him to join our party. It seemed natural enough then, but
+lately I confess to having taken a dislike to the fellow, and have
+begun to imagine that he even pushed his way on me. But," he stopped,
+suddenly realizing what he was saying, "why do you ask?"
+
+I was not wholly prepared to say, yet as instantly comprehended the
+prompt necessity of advancing some reasonable explanation. There came
+to me swiftly, from the sharpness of his question, the paralyzing
+knowledge that I was a servant addressing my master.
+
+"Of course it is no business of mine," I confessed, rather lamely,
+"who your guests are. I'm sorry I spoke."
+
+"It is altogether too late to say that," he insisted. "Some thought
+prompted the inquiry. Go on. See here, Carlyle, you are no nigger or
+white thief. I know the difference, and recognize that you are
+gentleman born. Because I've bought your services for a term of years,
+is no reason why you cannot talk to me like a man. Do you know
+anything about this Spaniard?"
+
+"Not very much, sir. He has seen fit to threaten me, on account of
+some row he has had with a brother of mine in England."
+
+"In England! The Duke of Bucclough?"
+
+"Yes. I haven't the slightest knowledge of what it was all about, but
+evidently our Spanish friend got the worst of it. He planned to buy me
+in at the sale; but, fortunately for me, you gained possession ahead
+of him."
+
+"Do you mean to say that he told you all this?"
+
+"It came out in a moment of anger."
+
+Fairfax looked at me incredulously.
+
+"See here, Carlyle," he exclaimed bluntly, "I am not questioning your
+word, but it is a bit difficult for me to understand why a guest of
+mine should indulge in angry controversy with a government prisoner,
+sent overseas for sale as an indentured servant. There must have been
+some unusual cause. Haven't I a right to know what that cause was,
+without using my authority to compel an answer?"
+
+I hesitated, but only for a moment. He undoubtedly was entitled to
+know, and besides there was nothing involved I needed to conceal.
+
+"It is my impression, sir, that Mistress Dorothy was the unconscious
+cause. She chanced to discover me alone on deck the night before we
+landed, and hastened to tell me of your purchase. It was merely an act
+of kindness, as we had never spoken together before. We were still
+talking across the rope, when Sanchez came out of the cabin, and
+joined us. I imagine he may not have liked the interest both you and
+the young lady had shown in me since we came aboard. Anyway when he
+found us there, he was not in good humor. Mistress Dorothy resented
+his language, treated him coldly, and finally departed, leaving him
+decidedly angry. He merely vented his spite on me."
+
+"But he said nothing about himself--his motives?"
+
+"Not a word, sir; yet it is plain to be seen that he is deeply
+interested in your niece."
+
+Fairfax frowned, ignoring the remark.
+
+"But do you know the man--who he is?"
+
+I shook my head, the memory of Haley flashing into my mind, but as
+instantly dismissed as worthless. Fairfax would only laugh at such a
+vague suspicion. Yet why should the planter ask me such a question?
+Could it be that the Spaniard was equally unknown to himself?
+
+"But if he has quarreled with your brother," he insisted, unsatisfied
+"you perhaps know something?"
+
+"I have not seen my brother in years. I doubt if I would know him if
+we met face to face. As to this man, my knowledge of him is only what
+little I have seen and heard on board the _Romping Betsy_," I answered
+soberly. "I confess a prejudice; that I am unable to judge him
+fairly. In the first place I do not like his race, nor his kind; but I
+did suppose, of course, that, as he was your guest, you considered him
+a man worthy your hospitality."
+
+Fairfax's face reddened, and he must have felt the sting of these
+words, uttered as they were by the lips of his bondman. I thought he
+would turn abruptly away, leaving them unanswered, but he was too much
+of a gentleman.
+
+"Carlyle," he said brusquely, "you have touched the exact point--I do
+not know. I thought I did, of course, but what has occurred on the
+voyage over has led me to doubt. I met Sanchez at the Colonial Club in
+London. He was introduced to me by Lord Sandhurst as a wealthy young
+Spaniard, traveling for pleasure. It was understood that he brought
+letters of introduction to a number of high personages. He knew London
+well, enjoyed a wide circle of acquaintances, and we became rather
+intimate. I found him companionable and deeply interested in America,
+which he said he had never visited. Finally I invited him to accompany
+me as a guest on my return."
+
+"He accepted?"
+
+"No, not at once; he doubted if he could break off certain business
+engagements in England. Then, at a reception, he chanced to meet my
+niece, and, a little later, decided to undertake the voyage. I am
+inclined to believe she was the determining factor."
+
+"Very likely," I admitted, deciding now to learn all possible details.
+"However, that is not to be wondered at. Mistress Dorothy is an
+exceedingly attractive young woman."
+
+The look he gave me was far from pleasant.
+
+"But she is not a girl for any swash-buckling Spaniard to carry off as
+prize," he burst out hotly. "God's mercy! Her father would never
+forgive me if that happened."
+
+"Never fear," I said dryly, "it is not going to happen."
+
+"Why do you say that?"
+
+"Because I have seen them together, and am not entirely blind, Watch
+them now--she scarcely responds to his words."
+
+His eyes rested for a moment on the two, but he only shook his head
+moodily.
+
+"No one knows what is in the heart of a woman, Carlyle. Sanchez is
+fairly young, handsome in a way, and adventurous. Just the sort to
+attract a young girl, and he possesses an easy tongue. More than that,
+I have lost faith in him. He is not a gentleman."
+
+"You surely must have reason for those words, sir," I exclaimed in
+surprise. "He has revealed to you his true nature during the voyage?"
+
+"Unconsciously--yes. We have had no exchange of words, no controversy.
+He is even unaware that I have observed these things. Some were of
+very small moment, perhaps unworthy of being repeated, although they
+served to increase my doubt as to the man's character. But two
+instances remain indelibly stamped on my mind. The first occurred when
+we were only three days at sea. It was at night, and the two of us
+chanced to be alone, on deck. I was reclining in the shadow of the
+flag locker, in no mood for conversation, and he was unaware of my
+presence as he tramped nervously back and forth. Suddenly he stopped,
+and reached over into the quarter-boat, and when he stood up again he
+had the Captain's pet cat in his hands. Before I dreamed of such a
+thing he had hurled that helpless creature into the water astern."
+
+"Good God! an act of wanton cruelty."
+
+"The deliberate deed of a fiend; of one who seeks pleasure in
+suffering."
+
+"And the other incident? Was that of the same nature?"
+
+"It was not an incident, but a revelation. The fellow is not only,
+beneath his pretense of gentleness, a fiend at heart, but he is also a
+consummate liar. He led me to believe in London--indeed he told me so
+directly--that he was totally unacquainted with America. It is not
+true. He knows this entire coast even better than I do. He forgot
+himself twice in conversation with me, and he was incautious enough to
+speak freely with Captain Harnes. The Captain told me later."
+
+"This begins to sound serious, sir," I said, as he ceased speaking.
+"Do you suspect him of any particular purpose in this deceit?"
+
+"Not at present; I can only wait, and learn. As a Spanish naval
+officer he may have obtained some knowledge of this coast--but why he
+should have deliberately denied the possession of such information is
+unexplainable at present. I shall watch him closely, and have told you
+these facts merely to put you on guard. I know you to be a gentleman,
+Carlyle, even though you are temporarily a servant, and I feel
+convinced I can trust in your discretion."
+
+"You certainly can, sir. I appreciate your confidence in me."  "Then
+keep your eyes and ears open; that's all. Dorothy is calling, and
+yonder comes Sam."
+
+We had yet a full hour of daylight, during which little occurred of
+special interest. Sam took the wheel, while I ate supper, sitting with
+Carr on the deck behind the galley. Fairfax and his guests, were
+served at a table within the small cabin, and we had a glimpse of
+them, and their surroundings, the table prettily decorated with snowy
+linen, and burnished silver, while John, in a white jacket, waited
+upon them obsequiously, lingering behind his master's chair. The
+Lieutenant seemed in excellent humor, laughing often, and talking
+incessantly, although it occurred to me the man received scant
+encouragement from the others. After taking back to the galley my
+emptied pewter dish, and not being recalled aft to the wheel, I was
+glad to hang idly over the rail, watching the shore line slip past,
+and permit my thoughts to drift back to my conversation with Fairfax.
+Carr soon joined me, rather anxious to continue our talk, and ask
+questions, but not finding me particularly responsive, finally
+departed forward, leaving me alone.
+
+The sun by this time was rapidly sinking below the fringe of tall
+trees on the main-land, but the fresh breeze held favorably, and the
+little _Adele_ was making most excellent progress, the water being
+much smoother since we had rounded the point. We were already beyond
+view of the anchored bark. All about was a scene of loneliness,
+whether the searching eyes sought the near-by shore, apparently a
+stretch of uninhabited wilderness, densely forested, or the broad
+extent of the Bay, across which no white gleam of sail was visible.
+All alike was deserted, and becoming gloomy in the closing down of
+night. Dorothy remained hidden in the cabin, until about the time of
+our approach to the rude landing at Travers' plantation. Whether this
+isolation arose from an effort to make herself more presentable, or a
+desire to avoid further contact with the Spaniard, was a question.
+When she finally emerged at Roger Fairfax's call, and crossed the deck
+to where the men were, there was no alteration in her dress, but by
+that time I was busily engaged with Carr in reefing the mainsail, and
+she passed me by without so much as a glance of recognition. Meanwhile
+Fairfax and Sanchez paced restlessly back and forth, conversing
+earnestly as they smoked, only occasionally pausing to contemplate the
+shore past which we were gliding in silence, the only sound the ripple
+of water at our stem.
+
+Where I leaned alone against the rail, my eyes followed the Spaniard
+in doubt and questioning, nor could I entirely banish from mind
+Haley's description of that buccaneer, bearing a similar name, under
+whom he had been compelled to serve through scenes of crime. Yet, in
+spite of my unconscious desire to connect these two together, I found
+it simply impossible to associate this rather soft-spoken, effeminate
+dandy with that bloody villain, many of whose deeds were so familiar
+to me. The distinction was too apparent. Beyond all doubt this fellow
+concealed beneath his smiles a nature entirely different from the one
+he now so carefully exhibited. He could hate fiercely, and nourish
+revenge, and he was capable of mean, cowardly cruelty. His threat
+toward me, as well as that strange incident Fairfax had observed on
+the deck of the _Romping Betsy_, evidenced all this clearly, yet such
+things rather proved the man a revengeful coward instead of a
+desperate adventurer. Black Sanchez, according to all accounts, was a
+devil incarnate, and no such popinjay as this maker of love, could
+ever be changed into a terror of the sea. He was not of that stern
+stuff. That it was perfectly easy for him to lie--even natural--was no
+surprise to me. This seemed to accord with his other characteristics;
+nor was it altogether strange that he should be fairly familiar with
+these waters. If, as he claimed, he had once been connected with the
+Spanish navy, which quite likely was true, even if he had never
+visited this coast in person, he might have had access to their charts
+and maps. It was well known that early Spanish navigators had explored
+every inch of this coast line, and that their tracings, hastily as
+they had been made, were the most correct in existence. His memory of
+these might yet retain sufficient details through which he could
+pretend to a knowledge much greater than he really possessed.
+
+No, I would dismiss that thought permanently from my mind, as being
+quite impossible. I felt that I had learned to judge men; that my long
+years at sea, both before the mast, and in supreme command, had
+developed this faculty so as to be depended upon. I believed that I
+knew the class to which Lieutenant Sanchez belonged--he was a low-born
+coward, dangerous only through treachery, wearing a mask of bravado,
+capable enough of any crime or cruelty, but devoid of boldness in plan
+or execution; a fellow I would kick with pleasure, but against whom I
+should never expect to be obliged to draw a sword. He was a snake,
+who could never be made into a lion--a character to despise, not fear.
+And so I dismissed him, feeling no longer any serious sense of danger
+in his presence, yet fully determined to watch closely his future
+movements in accordance with my promise.
+
+It was already quite dusk when we finally drew in beside Travers'
+wharf, and made fast. Our approach had been noted, and Travers
+himself--a white-haired, white-bearded man, yet still hearty and
+vigorous, attired in white duck--was on the end of the dock to greet
+us, together with numerous servants of every shade of color, who
+immediately busied themselves toting luggage up the steep path leading
+toward the house, dimly visible in the distance, standing conspicuous
+amid a grove of trees on the summit, of the bank. The others followed,
+four fellows lugging with difficulty an iron-bound chest, the two
+older men engaged in earnest conversation, thus leaving Sanchez
+apparently well satisfied with the opportunity alone to assist the
+girl. Except to render the sloop completely secure for the night,
+there remained little work for us to perform on board. Sam found an
+ample supply of tobacco and pipes, and the four of us passed the early
+evening undisturbed smoking and talking together. The fellows were not
+uninteresting as I came to know them better, and Carr, who I learned
+had been transported three years before for robbery, having at one
+time been a soldier, was prolific of reminiscences, which he related
+with true Irish wit. Sam contented himself with asking me numerous
+questions relative to the Duke of Monmouth, whose effort to attain the
+throne interested him greatly, and I very gladly gave him all the
+information I possessed. So the time passed quickly, and it must have
+been nearly midnight before we brought out blankets from the
+forecastle, and lay down in any spot we chose on deck.
+
+It was a fair, calm night, but moonless, with but little wind
+stirring, and a slight haze in the air, obscuring the vision. The
+windows of the great house above, which earlier in the evening had
+blazed with lights, were now darkened, and the distant sounds of
+voices and laughter had entirely ceased. The only noise discernible as
+I lay quiet was the soft lapping of waves against the side of the
+sloop or about the piling supporting the wharf to which we were
+moored. The others must have fallen asleep immediately, but my own
+mind remained far too active to enable me to lose consciousness. At
+last, despairing of slumber, and perchance urged by some indistinct
+premonition of danger, I sat up once more and gazed about. The three
+men were lying not far apart, close in to the galley wall, merely
+dark, shapeless shadows, barely to be distinguished in the gloom. With
+no longer any fear of disturbing them, I arose to my feet, and
+stepping carefully past their recumbent forms, moved silently aft
+toward the more open space near the wheel. I had been standing there
+hardly a minute, staring blankly out into the misty dimness of the
+Bay, when my startled eyes caught glimpse of a speck of white emerging
+from the black shadows--the spectral glimmer of a small sail. I was
+scarcely convinced I had seen it, yet as swiftly crouched lower,
+hiding myself behind the protection of the rail, instantly alert to
+learn the meaning of this strange apparition. An instant told me this
+was no deceit. The strange craft swept past, so far out that those on
+board no doubt believed themselves beyond sight from the shore,
+heading apparently for a point of land, which I vaguely remembered as
+jutting out to the northward. Even my eyes, accustomed to the
+darkness, and strained to the utmost, could detect scarcely more than
+the faintest shadow gliding silently by, yet sufficient to recognize
+the outlines of a small keel boat, propelled by a single lug sail, and
+even imagined I could discern the stooped figure of a man at the helm.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+THE LIEUTENANT UNMASKED
+
+
+I had in truth hardly more than grasped the reality of the boat's
+presence--it seemed so spectral a thing amid the mists of the
+night--when it had vanished utterly once more behind the curtain of
+darkness. There was no sound to convince me my eyes had not deceived;
+that I had actually perceived a boat, flying before the wind, under
+complete control, and headed to the northward. No echo of a voice came
+across the water, no slight flap of sail, no distant creak of pulley,
+or groaning of rope--merely that fleeting vision, seemingly a phantom
+of imagination, a vision born from sea and cloud. Yet I knew I was not
+deceived. Where the craft could be bound; for what secret purpose it
+was afloat; who were aboard, were but so many unanswerable questions
+arising in my mind. I stared vainly into the darkness, puzzled and
+uncertain, impressed alone by the one controlling thought, that some
+mysterious object, some hidden purpose alone could account for that
+swift, silent passage. Where could they have come from, unless from
+that strange Dutch bark riding at anchor off the point below? The
+passing craft had impressed me as a ship's boat, and no craft of
+fishermen; and if it really came from the _Namur of Rotterdam_, had it
+been sent in answer to some signal by Sanchez? I could think of
+nothing else. They must have chosen this late hour purposely; they
+had doubtless endeavored to slip past us unobserved, seeking some more
+desolate spot on the coast where they might land unseen. Possibly,
+deceived by the night, the helmsman had approached closer to the wharf
+than he had intended; yet, nevertheless, if he held to his present
+course, he must surely touch shore not more than five hundred yards
+distant. In all probability that was his purpose.
+
+I stood up, tempted at first to arouse Sam, but deciding almost as
+quickly that at present this was unnecessary. I had no wish to be the
+occasion for laughter; it would be better first to ascertain who these
+parties were, rather than create an unwarranted alarm. The reasonable
+probability was they composed merely a party of innocent fishermen,
+returning home after a day of sport--plantation servants possibly, who
+having stolen away unobserved, were now endeavoring to beach their
+stolen boat, and reach quarters without being seen. This theory
+appeared far more reasonable than the other, and, if it proved true,
+to arouse the sleepers on deck, would only result in making me a butt
+for ridicule. It appeared safe enough for me to adventure alone, and I
+was at least determined to assure myself as to the identity of these
+strangers. If they had actually landed it would require only a few
+moments to ascertain the truth, and I could accomplish this fully as
+well by myself, as though accompanied by others--indeed with less
+danger of discovery. I quietly lowered my body over the rail, and
+found footing on the wharf.
+
+My knowledge of the path to be pursued was extremely vague, for our
+arrival had been in the dusk of the evening, so that any observation
+of the shore lines had been quite casual. I merely remembered that the
+bluff rose rather steeply from the water's edge, the path leading
+upward toward the house crowning the summit, turning and twisting in
+order to render the climb easier, and finally vanishing entirely as it
+approached the crest. Beside this, leading downward straight to the
+shore end of the wharf, was the broad slide, along which the bales and
+hogsheads of tobacco were sent hurtling on their way to market. My
+impression remained that the strip of beach was decidedly narrow, and
+generally bordered by a rather thick growth of dwarfed shrub. The
+point of land beyond clung dimly in my memory as sparsely wooded,
+tapering at its outer extremity into a sand bar against which the
+restless waves of the Bay broke in lines of foam. The only feasible
+method of approach to the spot I now sought would be by following this
+narrow strip of beach, yet this might be attempted safely, as my
+movements would be concealed by the darker background of the high
+bluff at the left.
+
+In spite of the unfamiliarity of this passage, I succeeded in making
+excellent progress, advancing silently along the soft sand, assured I
+was safe from observation by reason of the intense darkness. The waves
+lapping the beach helped muffle my footsteps, but no other sound
+reached my ears, nor could my eyes perceive the slightest movement
+along the water surface within reach of vision. The distance proved
+somewhat greater than anticipated, because of the deep curve in the
+shore, and I had nearly reached the conclusion that the boat must have
+rounded the point and gone on, when suddenly I was brought to a halt
+by a voice speaking in Spanish--one of those harsh, croaking voices,
+never to be reduced to a whisper. Imperfect as was my knowledge of the
+tongue, I yet managed a fair understanding of what was being said.
+
+"Not the spot, Manuel? Of course it is; do you not suppose I know? The
+cursed fog made me run in close ashore to where I could see the sloop,
+so as not to mistake. This is the place, and now there is nothing to
+do but wait. The Senor--he will be here presently."
+
+"Ay, unless you misread the signal," a somewhat more discreet, but
+piping voice replied doubtfully. "I saw nothing of all you tell
+about."
+
+"Because you knew no meaning, nor read the instructions," a touch of
+anger in the tone. "I tell you it was all written out in that letter
+brought to me from England on the _Wasp_. They were his last orders,
+and it was because of them that we anchored off the point yonder, and
+explored this coast. You saw the Senor touch the handkerchief to his
+cheek?"
+
+"As he went forward alone--yes, surely."
+
+"It was that motion which bade us come here, Manuel. Once for each
+cursed plantation along this west coast from the point. He touched the
+cloth to his cheek but the once, and this is the first. I watched for
+the sign with care for he is not one with whom to make a mistake."
+
+"Dios de Dios! Do I not know, Estada? Have I not a scar here which
+tells?"
+
+"True, enough; and have I not received also my lesson--eight hours
+staked face upward in the sun. So 'tis my very life wagered on this
+being the place named. Besides 'tis proven by the sloop lying there
+by the wharf."
+
+"Where then is the Captain?" perversely unsatisfied.
+
+"At the house yonder on the hill--where else? He knew how it would be,
+for this is not his first visit to the Bay. 'Twas because of his
+knowledge he could plan in England. Tis the custom of these planters
+to stop by night along the way, and go ashore; not to camp, but as
+guests of some friend. Only beforehand it was not possible for him to
+know which plantation would be the one chosen. That was what he must
+signal. You see it now?"
+
+"Clearly, Estada; he is the same wary fox as of old."
+
+"Never do they catch him napping," proudly. "Santa Maria! have I not
+seen it tried often in ten years?"
+
+"About his plan here? He wrote you his purpose?"
+
+"Not so much as a word; merely the order what to do. Dios! he tells
+nothing, for he trusts no man. A good thing that. Yet I have my own
+thought, Manuel."
+
+"And what is that?"
+
+The other hesitated, as though endeavoring to rearrange the idea in
+his own mind, and possibly doubtful of how much to confide to his
+companion. When he finally replied his words came forth so swiftly I
+could scarcely grasp their meaning with my slight knowledge of the
+tongue.
+
+"'Tis no more than that I make a guess, friend, yet I have been with
+the Captain for ten years now, and know his way. This planter Fairfax
+is rich. The letter says nothing of that--no, not a word; but I made
+inquiries ashore. There is no one more wealthy in these Colonies, and
+he returns now from London, after the sale of his tobacco crop. No
+doubt he sold for his neighbors also. 'Tis the way they do, form a
+combine, and send an agent to England to get the best price. He will
+surely bear back with him a great sum. This the Senor knows; nor is it
+the first time he has done the trick, Manuel. Santa Maria! 'tis the
+easiest one of all. Then there is the girl."
+
+"The one who was aboard the sloop?"
+
+"Of course. I knew nothing of her, but I have keen eyes, and I have
+been long with the Senor. Marked you not how he approached her? No sea
+rover ever had greater desire for women, or won them easier. 'Tis a
+bright eye and red lip that wins him from all else. Even to me this
+one looked a rare beauty; yet am I sorry he found her, for it may
+delay the task here."
+
+"Why must you fear that?"
+
+"Bah! but you are stupid. Who will take by force what may be won by a
+few soft words?" He paused suddenly, evidently struck by a new
+thought. "Yet I think, Manuel, the Captain may have failed in this
+case. I watched their greeting, and her's was not that of love. If
+this be true, we strike at once, while it is safe."
+
+"Here, you mean--tonight?"
+
+"And why not here, and tonight? Is there a better spot or time? With
+another night the sloop will be far up the Bay, while now from where
+we are anchored, we could be beyond the Capes by daybreak, with the
+broad ocean before us. We are five--six with the Senor--and our ship
+lies but a short league away, ready for sea. There are only four men
+on the sloop, with some servants above--spiritless fellows. Why else
+should he have signaled our coming, unless there was work to do? That
+will be the plan, to my notion--the money and the girl in one swoop;
+then a quick sail to the southward. Pist! 'tis boys' play."
+
+The other seemed to lick his lips, as though the picture thus drawn
+greatly pleased him.
+
+"Gracioso Dios! I hope 'tis so. It has been dull enough here this
+month past. I am for blue water, and an English ship to sack."
+
+"Or, better yet, a week at Porto Grande--hey, Manuel? The girls are
+not so bad, with clink of gold in the pocket after a cruise. Wait,
+though--there is someone coming down."
+
+I crouched backward into the bushes, and, a moment later, the newcomer
+moved past me scarcely a yard distant, along the narrow strip of sand.
+He appeared no more than a black shadow, wrapped in a loose cloak,
+thus rendered so shapeless as to be scarcely recognizable. Directly
+opposite my covert he paused peering forward in uncertainty.
+
+"Estada." He spoke the name cautiously, and in doubt.
+
+"Ay, Captain," and another figure, also shapeless, and ill-defined,
+emerged noiselessly from the gloom. "We await you."
+
+"Good," the tone one of relief. "I rather questioned if you caught my
+signal. I was watched, and obliged to exercise care. How many have you
+here?"
+
+"Four, Senor, with Manuel Estevan."
+
+"Quite sufficient; and how about the others?"
+
+"All safely aboard, Senor; asleep in their bunks by now, but ready.
+Francois LeVere has charge of the deck watch."
+
+"Ah! how happens it the quadroon is with you? A good choice, yet that
+must mean the _Vengeance_ is still at Porto Grande. For what reason?"
+
+"Because of greater injuries than we supposed, Captain. There were two
+shots in her below the water line, and to get at them we were obliged
+to beach her. LeVere came with us, expecting this job would be done
+before now, for by this time the schooner should be in water again,
+her sides scraped clean of barnacles, fit for any cruise. We have been
+waiting for you along this coast for several weeks."
+
+"Yes, I know. The boat we intended to take met with an accident, while
+the one we did take proved the slowest tub that ever sailed. How is it
+here? Are there suspicions?"
+
+"None, Senor. We have cruised outside most of the time. Only once were
+we hailed; while Manuel, with a boat crew, was ashore for nearly a
+week, picking up such news as he might. There is no warship in these
+waters."
+
+"So I discovered on landing; indeed I was told as much in England.
+However your disguise is perfect."
+
+Estada laughed.
+
+"There is no mistaking where the _Namur_ came from, Senor; she's
+Holland from keel to topmast, but the best sailing Dutchman I ever
+saw. You said you were being watched on the sloop. Are you known?"
+
+The other uttered an oath snarling through his teeth.
+
+"'Tis nothing," he explained contemptuously. "No more than the bite of
+a harmless snake in the grass. A dog of a servant who came over with
+us--one of Monmouth's brood. He has no knowledge of who I am, nor
+suspicion of my purpose. It is not that, yet the fellow watches me
+like a hawk. We had some words aboard and there is hate between us"
+
+"If he was indentured, how came he on the sloop?"
+
+"Fairfax bought him. The fellow won the interest of the girl coming
+over, and she interceded in his behalf. It was my plan to get him into
+my own hands. I'd have taught him a lesson, but the papers were signed
+before we landed. Yet the lad is not through with me; I do not let go
+in a hurry."
+
+"May I ask you your plans, Senor?"
+
+"Yes, I am here to explain. Are we out of ear-shot?"
+
+"None can hear us. Manuel has gone back to the boat."
+
+"Then listen. This planter, Fairfax, has returned from England with a
+large sum. It is in gold and notes. I have been unable to learn the
+exact amount, but it represents the proceeds in cash of the tobacco
+crop of himself, and a number of his neighbors. They pooled, and made
+him their agent. Without doubt, from all I could ascertain, it will be
+upward of fifty thousand pounds--not a bad bit of pocket money. This
+still remains in his possession, but a part will be dispersed
+tomorrow; so if we hope to gain the whole, we must do so now."
+
+"Fifty thousand pounds, you say? Gracioso Dios! a sum worth fighting
+for."
+
+"Ay; we've done some hard fighting for less. It is here under our very
+hands, and there could be no better place than this in which to take
+it. Everything is ready, and there is not the slightest suspicion of
+danger--not even a guard set over the treasure. I assured myself of
+this before coming down."
+
+"Then it is at the house?"
+
+"In an iron-bound chest, carried up from the sloop, and placed in the
+room assigned to Fairfax for the night. He considers it perfectly safe
+under his bed. But before we attempt reaching this, we must attend to
+those men left below on the boat. They are the only dangerous ones,
+for there are none of the fighting sort up above. Only two servants
+sleep in the main house, the cook, and a maid, both women. The others
+are in the slave quarters, a half mile away. Fairfax is vigorous, and
+will put up a fight, if he has any chance. He must be taken care of,
+before he does have any. Travers is an old man, to be knocked out with
+a blow. All we have to fear are those fellows on the sloop, and they
+will have to be attended to quietly, without any alarm reaching the
+house. I am going to leave that job to you--it's not your first."
+
+"The old sea orders, Captain?"
+
+"Ay, that will be quicker, and surer," The voice hardened in gust of
+sudden ferocity. "But, mark you, with one exception--the Englishman is
+not to be killed, if he can be taken alive. I would deal with him."
+
+"How are we to recognize him from the others?"
+
+"Pish! a blind man would know--he is the only one of that blood on
+board, taller, and heavier of build, with blond hair. A mistake, and
+you pay for it. Besides him there are two negroes, and an Irish fool.
+It matters not what happens to them; a knife to the heart is the more
+silent; but I would have this Geoffry Carlyle left alive to face me.
+You will do well to remember."
+
+"I will pass the word to the men."
+
+"See that you do. Then after that," Sanchez went on deliberately, as
+though murder was of small account, "you will follow me up the bluff.
+Who are the others with you?"
+
+"Carl Anderson, Pedro Mendez, and Cochose."
+
+"Well chosen; Mendez is the least valuable, and we will leave him with
+the prisoner at the boat. The big negro, Cochose, together with
+Manuel, can attend to Travers, and the two negresses--they sleep
+below. That will leave you and the Swede to get the chest. No
+firearms, if they can be avoided."
+
+"You are certain of the way, Senor--in the dark?"
+
+"I have been over the house, and drawn a rude diagram. You can look it
+over in the cabin of the sloop, after affairs have been attended to
+there. The stairs lead up from the front hall. I will go with you to
+the door of Fairfax's room."
+
+Estada hesitated, as though afraid to further question his chief, yet
+finally, in spite of this fear, the query broke from his lips.
+
+"And you, Senor--the girl?"
+
+"What know you of any girl?"
+
+"That there was one on the deck of the sloop--an English beauty. It
+was when you turned to greet her that you gave me the signal. I merely
+thought that perhaps--"
+
+"Then stop thinking," burst forth Sanchez enraged. "Thinking has
+nothing to do with your work. If there is a girl, I attend to her. Let
+that suffice. Dios! am I chief here, or are you? You have my orders,
+now obey them, and hold your tongue. Bring the men up here."
+
+Without a word, evidently glad to escape thus easily, Estada vanished
+into the gloom, leaving behind only the vague figure of Sanchez pacing
+the sands, his lips muttering curses. I dared not move, scarcely
+indeed to breathe, so closely did he skirt my covert. To venture forth
+would mean certain discovery; nor could I hope to steal away through
+the bushes, where any twig might snap beneath my foot. What could I
+do? How could I bring warning to those sleeping victims? This
+heartless discussion of robbery and murder left me cold with horror,
+yet helpless to lift a hand. I had no thought of myself, of my
+possible fate when once delivered into the hands of this monster, this
+arch villain, but all my agony of mind centered on the imminent danger
+confronting Dorothy Fairfax, and those unsuspecting men. All my
+preconceived impressions of Sanchez had vanished; he was no longer in
+my imagination a weakling, a boastful, cowardly bravado, a love-sick
+fool; but a leader of desperate men, a villain of the deepest dye--the
+dreaded pirate, Black Sanchez, whose deeds of crime were without
+number, and whose name was infamous. Confronted by Fairfax's
+ill-guarded gold, maddened by the girl's contemptuous indifference, no
+deed of violence and blood was too revolting for him to commit. What
+he could not win by words, he would seize by force and make his own.
+As coolly as another might sell a bolt of cloth, he would plan murder
+and rape, and then smilingly watch the execution. And I--what could I
+do?
+
+The little band of men emerged from the concealment of the fog
+noiselessly, and gathered into a group about the figure of Sanchez,
+where he stood motionless awaiting them. I could distinguish no faces,
+scarcely indeed the outlines of their separate forms in the gloom, but
+one was an unusually big fellow, far taller and heavier than his
+companions. When he spoke he possessed a negro's voice, and I
+recognized him at once for Cochose. The Captain swept his impatient
+eyes about the circle.
+
+"Lads," he said, incisively, a sharper note of leadership in the tone
+"it has been a bit quiet for you lately; but now I am back again, and
+we'll try our luck at sea once more. There must be many a laden ship
+waiting for us. Does that sound good?"
+
+There was a savage growl of response, a sudden leaning forward of dark
+figures.
+
+"I thought it would. We'll begin on a job tonight. There are fifty
+thousand pounds for us in that house yonder, and I waive my share.
+Estada will explain to you the work I want done; see that you do it
+quietly and well. By daylight we shall be on blue water, with our
+course set for Porto Grande. How is it, bullies, do you sniff the salt
+sea?"
+
+"Ay, ay, Captain."
+
+"And see the pretty girls waiting--and hear the chink of gold?"
+
+"Ay, Senor."
+
+"Then do not fail me tonight--and remember, it is to be the knife.
+Estada."
+
+"Here, Senor."
+
+"I have forgotten one thing--scuttle the sloop before joining me. 'Tis
+better to make all safe; and now, strong arms, and good luck. Go to
+your task, and if one fails me, it will mean the lash at the
+mast-butt."
+
+They moved off one by one, Estada leading, along the narrow strip of
+sand, five of them, on their mission of murder. The leader remained
+alone, his back toward where I crouched, his eyes following their
+vanishing figures, until the night had swallowed them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+A VICTORY, AND A DEFEAT
+
+
+I arose silently to my feet, conscious of possessing no weapon, yet
+fully aware that all hope of thwarting this villainy lay in immediate
+action. But I must await the right moment. Even with the advantage of
+surprise, there would inevitably be the noise of struggle. I had in
+the past despised Sanchez, but I had never yet tested him as a
+fighting man, and, indeed, no longer considered the fellow to be a
+mean antagonist. Remembering who he was, I now realized fully the
+desperate nature of my attempt, the need of quick, remorseless action.
+Nevertheless I dared not attack until assured that those men he had
+just dispatched were safely beyond ear-shot. I could hear or see
+nothing of them; they had vanished utterly, and the soft sand returned
+no echo of their footsteps. Time alone gave me judgment as to the
+distance they would travel. If I yielded too much of this, they might
+attain the sloop before I could sound an alarm; while if I moved too
+quickly the noise would bring them back to the rescue. The moments
+were agony, as I bent tensely forward, poised for a leap. God! I could
+wait no longer!
+
+Sanchez had turned slightly, apparently immersed in thought, and stood
+with his face toward the Bay. Even in that darkness his position was
+that of a man intently listening for the slightest sound to reach him
+out of the black night. I ventured a cautious step forward, and stood
+on the open sand, scarcely a yard to his rear, every nerve throbbing,
+my lips still silently counting the seconds. I could not, I dared not
+wait longer. Some vague sense of my presence must have influenced the
+man, for he swung suddenly about, uttering a stifled cry of startled
+surprise, as we met face to face. For an instant we were locked so
+closely within each other's desperate grip, his head bent beneath my
+arm, with my fingers clutching at his throat to block any call for
+help, that he possessed no knowledge of his assailant's identity. But
+the man was like a tiger, possessed of immense strength encased in a
+wiry frame. The surprise of attack was to my advantage, yet almost
+before I realized what was being done, he had rallied, broken my first
+hold, and his eyes were glaring straight into mine. Then he knew me,
+signaling his discovery with an oath, his free hand instantly grasping
+at the knife concealed beneath his loose cloak. Even as he jerked it
+forth, I crushed his wrist within my fingers, forcing his fore-arm
+back. Breast to breast we wrestled for mastery, every muscle strained,
+our feet firm planted on the sand. There was no outcry, no noise,
+except that of our heavy breathing, and trampling feet. Personal
+hatred had ascendancy in both our hearts--I doubt if he ever thought
+of aught else but the desire to kill me there with his own hands. Only
+once did he even utter a word, hissing out the sentence as though it
+were a poison:
+
+"To hell with you, you sneaking English cur!"
+
+"Then I travel that road not alone," I muttered back. "There will be
+one less of the devil's brood afloat."
+
+What followed has to me no clearness, no consistency. I remember, yet
+it is as though memory played me a thousand tricks. Never have I
+fought more wickedly, nor with deeper realization that I needed every
+ounce of strength, and every trick of wit and skill. I had not before
+dreamed he was such a man; but now I knew the fellow possessed greater
+knowledge of the game than I, and a quicker movement; I alone excelled
+in weight of body, and coolness of brain. His efforts were those of an
+infuriated animal, his uncontrolled outburst of hatred rendering him
+utterly reckless of results in his struggle to overcome me at any
+cost. It was this blind blood-lust which gave me victory. I know not
+clearly how it was done; my only memory being his frantic efforts to
+drive home the knife point, and mine to defeat the thrust. Twice he
+pricked me deep enough to draw blood, before I succeeded in twisting
+backward the arm with which he held the blade. It was a sailor's trick
+of last resort, heartlessly cruel in its agony, but I felt then no
+call to mercy. He met the game too late, falling half back upon one
+knee, hoping thus to foil my purpose, yet my greater weight saved me.
+There was the sharp crack of a bone, as his useless fingers let the
+knife drop, a snarled curse of pain, and then, with the rage of a mad
+dog, Sanchez struck his teeth deep into my cheek. The sharp pang of
+pain drove me to frenzy, and for the first time I lost all control, my
+one free hand seeking to reach the lost knife. With a thrill of
+exultation I gripped it, driving instantly the keen blade to its hilt
+into the man's side. He made no cry, no struggle--the set teeth
+unlocked, and he fell limply back on the sand, his head lapped by the
+waves.
+
+I remained poised above him, spent and breathless from struggle,
+scarcely conscious even as to what had occurred so swiftly, the
+dripping knife in my hand, blood streaming down my cheek, and still
+infuriated by blind passion. The fellow lay motionless, his face
+upturned to the sky, but invisible except in dim outline. It did not
+seem possible he could actually be dead; I had struck blindly, with no
+knowledge as to where the keen blade had penetrated--a mere desperate
+lunge. I rested my ear over his heart, detecting no murmur of
+response; touched the veins of his wrist, but found there no answering
+throb of life. Still dazed and uncertain, I arose staggering to my
+feet, conscious at last that the man must actually be dead, yet, for
+the moment, so surprised by the discovery as to scarcely realize its
+significance. Not that I regretted the act, not that I experienced the
+slightest remorse, yet, for an instant, the shock seemed to leave me
+nerveless and unstrung. Only a moment since I was engaged in desperate
+struggle, and now I could only stare down at the dark lines of that
+motionless body outstretched upon the sand.
+
+Then I remembered those others--the unconscious sleepers on the deck
+of the sloop; those blood-stained villains creeping toward them
+through the black shadows of the night. The memory was like a dash of
+water in the face. With the death-dealing knife still gripped in my
+hand, I raced forward along the narrow strip of sand, reckless of what
+I might encounter, eager only to arrive in time to give utterance to a
+shout of warning. I could not have covered more than half the
+distance when the first sound of attack reached me--far-off, gurgling
+cry of agony, which pierced the darkness like the scream of a dying
+soul. The heart leaped into my throat, yet I ran on, unhalted, unseen,
+until the planks of the wharf were beneath my feet, the low side of
+the sloop looming black before me. There was confusion aboard, the
+sounds of struggle, mingled with curses and blows. With one upward
+swing of my body I was safely aboard, knife still in hand, peering
+eagerly forward. Through the gloom concealing the deck, I could
+perceive only dim figures, a riot of men, battling furiously hand to
+hand, yet out of the ruck loomed through the darkness in larger
+outline than the others---Cochose, the negro. I leaped at the fellow,
+and struck with the keen knife, missing the heart, but plunging the
+blade deep into the flesh of the shoulder. The next instant I was in a
+bear's grip, the very breath crushed out of me, yet, by some chance,
+my one arm remained free, and I drove the sharp steel into him twice
+before he forced the weapon from my fingers. Through a wrestler's
+trick, although my wrist was as numb as if dead from his fierce grip,
+I thrust an elbow beneath the brute's chin, and thus forced his head
+back, until the neck cracked.
+
+This respite served merely for the moment, yet sufficiently long to
+win me a firm foot-hold on deck, and a breath of night air. He was too
+strong, too immense of stature. Apparently unweakened by his wounds,
+the giant negro, thoroughly aroused, exerted his mighty muscles, and,
+despite my utmost effort at resistance, thrust me back against the
+stern rail, where the weight of his body pinned me helplessly. With a
+roar of rage he drove his huge fist into my face, but happily was too
+close to give much force to the blow. My own hands, gripping the
+neck-band of his coarse shirt, twisted it tight about the great
+throat, until, in desperation, panting for breath, the huge brute
+actually lifted me in his arms, and hurled me backward, headlong over
+the rail. I struck something as I fell, yet rebounding from this,
+splashed into the deep water, and went down so nearly unconscious as
+to make not even the slightest struggle. I had no strength left in me,
+no desire to save myself, and I sank like a stone. And yet I came up
+once more to the surface, arising by sheer chance, directly beneath
+the small dory--which my body must have struck as I fell--towing by a
+painter astern of the sloop, and fortunately retained sense enough to
+cling desperately to this first thing my hands touched, and thus
+remained concealed.
+
+This occurred through complete exhaustion, rather than the exercising
+of any judgment, for, had it not been for this providential support, I
+would surely have drowned without a struggle. Every breath I drew was
+in pain; I felt as though my ribs had been crushed in, while I had
+lost sufficient blood to leave me as weak as a babe. I simply clung
+there desperately, hopelessly, yet the salt water soon served to
+revive me physically, and even my brain began to arouse from its daze
+to a faint realization of the conditions. The small dory to which I
+clung, caught in some mysterious current, floated at the very
+extremity of its slender towline, and in consequence the sloop
+appeared little more than a mere smudge, when my eyes endeavored to
+discover its outlines. Evidently the bloody work had been completed,
+for now all was silent on board. I could not even detect the sound of
+a footstep on the deck. Then, clear enough to be distinctly heard
+across the narrow strip of water, came the voice of Estada, in a gruff
+inquiry:
+
+"So you are hiding here, Cochose? What are you looking for in the
+sea?"
+
+"What? Why that damned Englishman." The response was a savage growl,
+intensified by husky dialect. "Mon Dieu! He fought me like a mad rat."
+
+"The Englishman, you say? He was here then? It was he you battled
+with? What became of the fellow?"
+
+"He went down there, Senor. The dog stabbed me three times. It was
+either he or I to go."
+
+"You mean you threw him overboard?"
+
+"Ay, with his ribs crushed in, and not a breath left in his damned
+body. He's never come up even--I've watched, and there has not been so
+much as a ripple where he sank."
+
+The two must have hung in silence over the rail staring down. I dared
+not advance my head to look, nor even move a muscle of my body in the
+water, but both were still standing there when Estada finally gave
+utterance to an oath.
+
+"How know you it was the man?"
+
+"Who else could it have been? You have the others."
+
+"Ay, true enough; yet it will go hard with you, Cochose, when the
+Captain learns of this--he would have the fellow alive."
+
+"As well attempt to take a tiger with bare hands--see, the blood yet
+runs; a single inch to the left, and it would be I fed to the fishes.
+Pah! what is the difference, Senor, so the man dies?"
+
+"Right enough, no doubt; anyway it is not I who must face Sanchez, and
+it is too late now to change fate. Let's to the rest of our task. You
+can still do your part?"
+
+The giant negro growled.
+
+"Ay; I have been worse hurt, yet a bit of cloth would help me."
+
+"Let Carl see to that, while I gain glimpse at this map of the house
+up yonder. Come forward with me to the cabin, till I light a candle.
+How came you aft here?"
+
+"Because that fellow leaped the rail from the wharf. I saw him, and we
+met at the wheel."
+
+"From the wharf, you say? He was not aboard then? Santa Maria! I know
+not what that may mean. Yet what difference, so he be dead. Anderson,
+Mendez, throw that carrion overboard--no, bullies, never mind; let
+them lie where they are, and sink an auger in the sloop's bottom. That
+will settle the whole matter. What is that out yonder, Cochose?"
+
+"A small boat, Senor--a dory, I make it."
+
+"Cut the rope, and send it adrift. Now come along with me."
+
+The darker loom of the sloop vanished slowly, as the slight current
+sweeping about the end of the wharf drifted the released boat to which
+I clung outward into the Bay. The faint echo of a voice floated to my
+ears across the widening expanse of water, and then all was silent as
+the night closed in darkly between. There was scarcely a ripple to
+the sea, and yet I felt that the boat was steadily drifting out into
+deeper water. I was still strangely weak, barely able to retain my
+grasp, with a peculiar dullness in my head, which made me fearful that
+at any moment I might let go. I was not even conscious of thinking, or
+capable of conceiving clearly my situation, yet I must have realized
+vaguely the immediate necessity of action, for finally I mustered
+every ounce of remaining energy in one supreme effort, and succeeded
+in dragging my body up out of water over the boat's stern, sinking
+helplessly forward into the bottom. The moment this was accomplished
+every sense deserted me, and I lay there motionless, totally
+unconscious.
+
+I shall never know how long I remained thus, the little dory in which
+I lay rocked aimlessly about by the waves, and constantly drifting in
+the grasp of unseen currents farther and farther out into the Bay. The
+blackness of the night swallowed us, as tossed by wind and sea, we
+were borne on through the waste unguided. Yet this time could not have
+been great. As though awakening from sleep a faint consciousness
+returned, causing me to lift my head, and stare hopelessly about into
+the curtain of mist overhanging the water. At first, with nothing
+surrounding to awaken memory into action, only that dull vista of sea
+and sky, my mind refused to respond to any impression; then the sharp
+pain of my wounds, accented by the sting of salt water, brought me
+swift realization of where I was, and the circumstances bringing me
+there. My wet clothing had partially dried on my body as I lay there
+motionless in the bottom of the boat, and now, with every movement,
+chafed the raw spots, rendering the slightest motion a physical
+agony. I had evidently lost considerable blood, yet this had already
+ceased to flow, and a very slight examination served to convince me
+that the knife slashes were none of them serious. Beyond these
+punctures of the flesh, while I ached from head to foot, my other
+injuries were merely bruises to add to my discomfort--the result of
+blows dealt me by Sanchez and Cochose, aggravated by the bearlike hug
+of the giant negro. Indeed, I awoke to the discovery that I was far
+from being a dead man; and, inspired by this knowledge, the various
+incidents of the night flashed swiftly back into my mind. How long had
+I been lying there unconscious, adrift in the open boat? How far had
+we floated from land? Where were we now, and in the meantime what had
+occurred ashore?
+
+These were questions impossible to answer. I could not even attempt
+their solution. No gleam of light appeared in any direction; no sound
+echoed across the dark waste of water. Far above, barely visible
+through a floating veil of haze, I was able to detect the faint gleam
+of stars, and was sailor enough to determine through their guidance
+some certainty as to the points of compass; yet possessed no means by
+which to ascertain the time of night, or the position of the boat.
+With this handicap it was clearly impossible for me to attempt any
+return to the wharf through the impenetrable black curtain which shut
+me in. What then could I do? What might I still hope to accomplish? At
+first thought the case appeared hopeless. Those fellows had swept the
+sloop clean, and had doubtless long ago scuttled it. This ruthless
+deed once accomplished, their orders were to raid the house on the
+bluff. But would they go on with their bloody work? They would
+suddenly find themselves leaderless, unguided. Would that suffice to
+stop them? The vivid memory came to me anew of that arch villain,
+Sanchez, lying where I had left him, his head resting in the
+surf--dead. Would the discovery of his body halt his followers, and
+send them rushing back to their boat, eager only to get safely away?
+This did not seem likely. Estada knew of my boarding the sloop from
+the wharf, and would at once connect the fact of my being ashore with
+the killing of Sanchez. This would satisfy him there was no further
+danger. Besides, these were not men to be easily frightened at sight
+of a dead body, even that of their own captain. They might hesitate,
+discuss, but they would never flee in panic. Surely not with that
+ruffian Estada yet alive to lead them, and the knowledge that fifty
+thousand pounds was yonder in that unguarded house, with no one to
+protect the treasure but two old men asleep, and the women. The
+women!--Dorothy! What would become of her? Into whose hands would she
+fall in that foul division of spoils? Estada's? Good God--yes! And I,
+afloat and helpless in this boat, what could I do?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+A SWIM TO THE NAMUR
+
+
+All was black, hopeless; with head buried in my hands I sat on a
+thwart, dazed and stupefied, seemingly even unable to think clearly.
+Before me, pleading, expressive of agonized despair, arose the sweet
+face of Dorothy Fairfax. Nothing else counted with me at that moment
+but her safety--the protecting her from the touch of that
+blood-stained brute. Yet how, and through what means, could such
+rescue be accomplished? No doubt by this time all was over--the dead
+body of Sanchez discovered, the projected attack on the house carried
+out, the two old men left behind, either dead or severely wounded, and
+the girl borne off a helpless prisoner, together with the treasure of
+fifty thousand pounds. Even if I knew where the drifting boat had
+taken me, which way to turn to once again attain the wharf, the
+probability remained that I should arrive altogether too late to be of
+slightest service--the dastardly deed had already been accomplished.
+Ay, but this I knew; there was only one place to which the villains
+might flee with their booty--the _Namur of Rotterdam_. Only on those
+decks, and well at sea, would they be safe, or able to enjoy their
+spoils. The thought came to me in sudden revelation--why not? Was not
+here a chance even yet to foil them? With Sanchez dead, no man aboard
+that pirate craft would recognize me. I felt assured of this. I had
+fought the giant negro in the dark; he could not, during that fierce
+encounter, have distinguished my features any more clearly than I had
+his own. There was no one else to fear. Although I had been stationed
+at the wheel of the sloop as we swept past the _Namur_ while at anchor
+the day before, yet Estada, watching anxiously for the secret signal
+of his chief, would never have accorded me so much as a glance. His
+interest was concentrated elsewhere, and, in all probability, he could
+not swear whether I was black or white. If others of that devilish
+crew had been secretly watching our deck it was with no thought of me;
+and not one of them would retain any memory of my appearance. If only
+I might once succeed in getting safely aboard, slightly disguised
+perhaps, and mingle unnoticed among the crew, the chances were not bad
+for me to pass undetected. No doubt they were a heterogeneous bunch,
+drawn from every breed and race, and in no small force either, for
+their trade was not so much seamanship as rapine and fighting. Such
+ships carried large crews, and were constantly changing in personnel.
+A strange face appearing among them need not arouse undue suspicion.
+From what Estada had reported to Sanchez, I knew boats had been sent
+ashore on this coast. What more likely then than that some new recruit
+had returned to the bark, attracted by a sailor's tale? Who would know
+how the stranger came among them, or question his presence, unless
+suspicion became aroused? Even if questioned, a good story, easily
+told, might win the trick. Before daylight came, and already well at
+sea beyond pursuit, inconspicuous among the others, accepted as mate
+by the men, unrecognized even by the officers, there was scarcely a
+probability that anyone aboard would note, or question my presence.
+
+And I felt convinced I could locate the _Namur_. Ay, even in that
+darkness I could find the bark, if the vessel yet swung at her former
+anchorage. The task would not even be a difficult one. The stars gave
+me the compass points, and I recalled with some clearness the general
+trend of the coast line as we came up. But could I hope to attain the
+ship in advance of the returning party of raiders? To succeed in my
+object this must be done, because the moment these reached the deck
+the bark would hastily depart for the open sea. And if I was to
+accomplish this end it must be attempted at once. The call to action,
+the possibility of thus being of service to Dorothy, seemed instantly
+to awaken all my dormant energies; the painful chafing of my wounds
+was forgotten, while new strength returned miraculously to my bruised
+body. God helping me, I would try! My brain throbbed with fresh
+resolution--the call to action.
+
+There were oars in the boat. I had noticed these dumbly before, but
+now I drew them eagerly forth from the bottom, and quickly fitted them
+into the oarlocks. They were stout, ashen blades, unusually large for
+the craft in which they had been stowed, yet workable. The boat itself
+was a mere shell, scarcely capable of sustaining safely more than
+three persons, but with lines of speed, its sharp prow cutting the
+water like a knife blade. I shipped the useless rudder inboard, and
+chose my course from the stars. The north star was completely obscured
+by thick clouds, but the great dipper gave me my bearings with
+sufficient accuracy. To attain again to the west coast not far from
+where the great point projected outward into the Bay, and behind which
+the bark swung at anchor, required, according to my understanding of
+our present position, that I head the boat toward the southwest. I
+bent earnestly to the oars, and the speed of the craft was most
+encouraging, especially as my strength and energy seemed to increase
+with each stroke. My mind brightened also quite perceptibly, as the
+violent exercise sent the blood coursing anew through my veins. Before
+I realized the change I had become thoroughly convinced that the
+course I had chosen was the wisest one possible.
+
+It was wild, and desperate, to be sure. I was not blind to its danger,
+and yet nothing else offered any solution. The only probable chance
+now for me to prove of direct service to the captive girl lay in being
+near her while she remained with these men. If, by any good fortune,
+she had thus far succeeded in escaping from Estada and his gang of
+ruffians, I would learn this fact more surely aboard the _Namur_ than
+in any other way; and, once assured as to this, could certainly find
+some means of early escape from the ship. While, if she was captured
+and taken aboard, as was most probable, for me to be left behind on
+shore would mean her total abandonment. Better any risk of discovery
+than that. To be sure I had no plan of action devised, no conception
+of how a rescue could be effected. Yet such an opportunity might
+develop, and my one hope lay in being prepared, and ready. With the
+death of Sanchez, his second in command would undoubtedly succeed
+him; but would that be Estada, or would it be this other, the mulatto,
+Francois LeVere? More likely the former, for while buccaneers had
+operated under colored chiefs, a crew of white men would naturally
+prefer to be led by one of their own color. Indeed it was even
+possible that a controversy might arise, and a divided authority
+result. Discipline among such as these depended entirely on strength
+and ferocity. The most daring and resourceful became the chosen
+leaders, whose only test was success. Perhaps, in the turmoil, and
+uncertainty, arising from a knowledge of Sanchez's death, and the
+jealousy thus aroused between those who would succeed him in command,
+I might discover the very opportunity I sought. These were some of the
+thoughts which animated me, and gave new strength to my arms, as I
+sent the dory flying through the water.
+
+My boat, unguided, had drifted considerably farther out into the Bay
+than I had supposed, and it required a good half hour of steady toil
+at the oars before I sighted ahead of me the darker outlines of the
+shore. Nothing had crossed our path, and no unusual sound had reached
+my ears along the black water. If the _Namur's_ boat had already
+returned to the bark, its passage must have been made during the
+period of my unconsciousness, and this seemed to me utterly
+impossible. The course I had followed thus far took me directly across
+the water which they would be compelled to traverse, and they could
+not have passed unnoticed. No, they were surely yet in the
+neighborhood of Travers' plantation. The men engaged in that night's
+bloody business, would have been compelled to carry it out under many
+obstacles; they would be delayed by consternation at the discovery of
+their dead leader lying on the sand, and by their lack of knowledge
+regarding the interior of the house on the summit of the bluff. Quite
+likely also this lack of a guide would result in an alarm, and
+consequent struggle, perhaps even in the serious injury of some among
+them before they secured possession of the money, and the girl. In any
+case it must have resulted in delay. Convinced of this, and confident
+that I was already well in advance of them, I drew in as closely as I
+dared to the dim outline of shore, and studied it carefully, in an
+endeavor to learn my exact position.
+
+Although the sloop in its voyage up the Bay had never been out of
+sight of this coast, had indeed skirted it closely all the way, yet my
+memory of its more prominent landmarks was extremely vague. I had made
+no effort to impress them on my mind. Therefore at first I could
+identify nothing, but finally, out of the grotesque, shifting shadows,
+dimly appearing against the slightly lighter sky beyond, there
+suddenly arose, clearly defined, the gaunt limbs of a dead tree,
+bearing a faint resemblance to a gigantic cross. I recalled that Sam
+had chanced to point this out to me on our upward voyage, and this
+glimpse obtained of it again now told me exactly where I had made
+shore. This peculiar mark was at the extremity of the first headland
+lying north of the point itself, and consequently a straight course
+across the Bay, would land me within five hundred yards of where the
+_Namur_ had last been seen at anchor.
+
+To a degree my immediate plan of action had been definitely mapped
+out within my own mind while toiling at the oars. At least I had
+arrived at certain conclusions. The one immediate object before me was
+to attain the bark in advance of Estada. I now was convinced that thus
+far I was safely ahead. The night wind was light, and baffling, not
+greatly affecting my own progress, but of a nature to retard
+considerably the sail-boat, and compel a series of wide tacks, so as
+to enable those on board to round the point. All this distance I could
+avoid by beaching my dory, and striking out on foot directly across
+the narrow neck of land. The _Namur_, unless her position had been
+changed since darkness set in, was not so far out from shore as to
+make swimming to her a dangerous feat; and I could approach and board
+her with far less chance of discovery in that manner, than by the use
+of a boat. The watch on deck would undoubtedly be a vigilant one, yet
+no eye could detect through that darkness--unless by sheer accident--a
+submerged swimmer, cautiously advancing with silent strokes. The
+greater danger would come after I had attained the deck, wet to the
+skin.
+
+The sharp bow of the dory ran up on the soft sand of the beach, and I
+stepped ashore, hauling the light boat after me beyond the reach of
+the waves. The night remained calm and still, although the scudding
+clouds were thickening overhead, until scarcely a single star remained
+visible. The sea behind me was overhung by a black curtain, yet, by
+bending low, I could look along the surface for some distance where
+the heaving water reflected from wave to wave what little light there
+was. The beach was a narrow one, and only a few feet away the neck of
+land became elevated into a leveled crest, thickly covered with
+trees, their upper branches dimly visible from where I stood. Judging
+from the trend of the coast, it would be necessary for me to strike
+directly across to the opposite shore, but in this journey special
+caution was not required. There would be no one in the midst of this
+desolate region to interfere with my progress, or be alarmed by any
+noise I might make. Close to shore as the _Namur_ lay, no ordinary
+sound from the land could be heard aboard, even in the silence of
+night, nor was it likely the crew would be watchful in that direction.
+Unquestionably the entire attention of the deck watch at this hour
+would be concentrated on the expected return of their expedition
+around the distant point--seeking the glimpse of a white sail above
+the black water.
+
+To the best of my recollection the bark floated with bow pointing
+toward the open sea. The sweep of the current about the point was
+inshore, making the drift of the vessel strong against the anchor
+hawser. This would naturally bring her with broadside to the eastward,
+from which direction the absent boat must return. If this proved
+correct then, in all probability, the deck watch would largely be
+gathered on that side, even the attention of the officer more or less
+drawn in that direction. No doubt they had orders to be ready for
+instant departure the moment the approaching boat was sighted, and the
+lookout for it would be keen. It was, as I stood there, revolving
+these matters in my mind, with eyes endeavoring to pierce the
+surrounding darkness, and ears strained to detect the slightest sound,
+that there came to me the first real consciousness of the reckless
+nature of this adventure upon which I had so lightly embarked. Surely
+it was but the dream of a crazed man, foredoomed to failure. As I
+faced then the probabilities, there scarcely seemed one chance in a
+hundred that any such scheme as I proposed would succeed. And yet I
+must admit there was the one chance; and in no other action could I
+perceive even that much encouragement. If Dorothy Fairfax was already
+in the hands of these men, then my only opportunity for serving her
+lay in my being close at hand. No alternative presented itself; no
+other effort could be effective. It was already too late to attempt
+the organization of a rescue party; there was no warship on the coast,
+and the authorities of the Colony possessed no vessel fitted for
+pursuit. Long before daylight came, or I might hope to spread an alarm
+abroad, the _Namur_ would be safely at sea. No, the only choice left
+was for me either to accompany the girl, or else abandon her entirely
+to her captors. I must either face the possibility of discovery and
+capture, which as surely meant torture and death, or otherwise play
+the coward, and remain impotently behind. There was no safe course to
+pursue. I believed that I could play my part among the crew, once
+securely established among them; that I could succeed in escaping
+recognition even on the part of Cochose. If this was true, then, to a
+stout heart and ready hand, a way might open even aboard the bark to
+protect her from the final closing of the devil's jaws. I had nothing
+to risk but my life, and it had never been my nature to count odds. I
+would act as the heart bade, and so I drove the temptation to falter
+away, and strode on up the bank into the black shadow of the trees.
+
+I found extremely hard walking as I advanced through tangled
+underbrush, over unlevel ground, the night so dark in those shadows I
+could but barely perceive the outlines of a hand held before the eyes.
+Fortunately the distance was even shorter than I had anticipated, but,
+when I finally emerged upon the opposite beach, it was at once quite
+evident that the sea beating upon the sand was decidedly heavier than
+higher up the Bay, the white line of breakers showing conspicuously
+even in the night, while their continuous roar sounded loud through
+the silence. It was not until after I had advanced cautiously into the
+water, and then stooped low to thus gain clearer vision along the
+surface, that I succeeded in locating the vessel sought. Even then the
+_Namur_ appeared only as a mere shadow, without so much as a light
+showing aboard, yet apparently anchored in the same position as when
+we had swept past the previous afternoon. The slightly brighter sky
+above served to reveal the tracery of bare poles, while the hull was
+no more than a blot in the gloom, utterly shapeless, and appearing to
+be much farther away than it was in reality. Indeed, as the sky
+gradually darkened the entire vision vanished, as though it had been
+one of those strange mirages I had seen in the African deserts. Yet I
+knew with certainty the ship was there, had sufficient time in which
+to mark its position accurately, and rejoiced at the increase of
+darkness to conceal my approach. Guided by this memory I waded
+straight out through the lines of surf, until all excepting the head
+became completely submerged. If I was to reach the bark at all, this
+was the one opportunity.
+
+I stood there, resisting the undertow tugging at my limbs, and barely
+able to retain my footing, intent upon my purpose. Full strength had
+come back to my muscles, and my head was again clear. The imminent
+sense of danger seemed to bring me a feeling of happiness, of new
+confidence in myself. The die was cast, and whatever the result, I was
+going ahead to accomplish all that was humanly possible. From now on
+there was to be no doubting, no turning back. A voice, high-pitched,
+echoed to me across the water, reaching my ears a mere thread of
+sound, the words indistinguishable. It must have been an order, for, a
+moment later, I distinguished the clank of capstan bars, as though men
+of the crew were engaged in warping the vessel off shore for greater
+safety. The movement was too deliberate and noiseless to mean the
+lifting of the anchor, nor was it accompanied by any flapping of sail,
+or shifting of yards to denote departure. Nevertheless even this
+movement decided me to delay my attempt no longer, and, with strong,
+silent strokes I swam forward, directly breasting the force of the
+incoming sea, yet making fair progress. Some unconsidered current must
+have swept me to the right, for, when the outlines of the bark again
+became dimly visible through the night, I found myself well to
+starboard of the vessel, and quite likely would have passed it by
+altogether, but for the sudden rattle of a block aloft, causing me to
+glance in that direction. As my eyes explored the darkness, yet
+uncertain that I really beheld the _Namur_, a light flared for a brief
+instant, and I had glimpse of a face illumined by the yellow glare, as
+the single spark of flame ignited a cigarette. It was all over with
+so swiftly, swallowed up in that blackness, as to seem a vision of
+imagination. Yet I knew it to be real. Stroking well under water, and
+with only my eyes exposed above the surface, I changed my course to
+the left, and slowly and cautiously drew in toward the starboard bow.
+A few moments later, unperceived from above, and protected from
+observation by the bulge of the overhang, and density of shadow, my
+hands clung to the anchor hawser, my mind busy in devising some means
+for attaining the deck.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+ON THE DECK OF THE NAMUR
+
+
+It was here that fortune favored me, strengthening my decision, and
+yielding a fresh courage to persevere. The pounding of the seas
+against the bow rendered other sounds, for the moment, unnoticeable,
+while the current swept so strongly against my submerged body as to
+compel me to cling tightly to the swaying rope to prevent being
+overcome. Close as I was the bark appeared scarcely more than a dense
+shadow swaying above me, without special form, and unrevealed by the
+slightest gleam of light, merely a vast bulk, towering between sea and
+sky. Forking out, however, directly over where I clung desperately to
+the wet hawser, my eyes were able to trace the bow-sprit, a massive
+bit of timber, with ropes faintly traced against the sky, the rather
+loosely furled jib flapping ragged edges in the gusts of wind.
+Suddenly, as I stared upward, I became aware that two men were working
+their way out along the foot-ropes, and, as they reached a point
+almost directly over my head, became busily engaged in tightening the
+gaskets to better secure the loosening sail. The foot of one slipped,
+and he hung dangling, giving vent to a stiff English oath before he
+succeeded in hauling himself back to safety, The other indulged in a
+chuckling laugh, yet was careful not to speak loudly.
+
+"Had one drink too many, Tom?" he asked. "That will pay yer fer
+finishin' the bottle, an' never givin' me another sup."
+
+The other growled, evidently not in any too good humor after his
+mishap.
+
+"You, hell! Yer bed the fu'st ov it. Thar's no sorter luck yer don't
+git yer fair share of, Bill Haines--trust yer fer thet. What I ain't
+got straight yet, is whar thet stuff cum from so easy. Thet wus the
+real thing."
+
+Haines laughed again, working carelessly. As the men advanced along
+the spar I could distinguish their forms more clearly.
+
+"That wus part o' the luck, Tom," he acknowledged, his accent that of
+a cockney. "Did yer git eyes on thet new feller Manuel Estevan brought
+back with him in the boat?"
+
+"The one you and Jose carried aboard?"
+
+"He's the lad. Thar wa'n't nuthin' the matter with the cove, 'cept he
+wus dead drunk, an' he hed a bottle o' rum stowed away in every
+pocket. But Manuel, he never knew thet. It wus just 'bout dark when he
+cum staggerin' down ter the boat. We wus waitin' on the beach fer
+Estevan, an' three fellers he hed taken along with him inter town, ter
+cum back--the nigger, Jose, an' me--when this yere chap hove
+'longside. He never hailed us, ner nuthin'; just clim over inter the
+boat, an' lay down. 'Whar ye aimin' ter go, friend?' ses I, but by
+then the cove wus dead asleep. I shook him, an' kicked him, but it
+wa'n't no use; so we just left him lie thar fer Manuel ter say whut
+wus ter be done with him. Only Jose he went thru his pockets, an'
+found three bottles o' rum. We took a few drinks, an' hid whut wus
+left in the boat locker."
+
+"So that's how yer got it! Who wus the party?"
+
+"Thet's mor'n I'll ever tell yer. I never got no sight o' him, 'cept
+in the dark. 'Bout all I know is he wus white, an' likely a sailor,
+judgin' frum the feel o' his hands. Maybe he thought that wus his boat
+he'd stumbled inter--thar wus quite a few 'long the beach. Enyhow,
+when Manuel got back, he just took a look at him in the dark, an' then
+told us to haul the lad forrard out o' the way, an' fetch him along.
+So we pulled out with the feller cuddled up in the bow. He was drunk
+all right."
+
+"I never seed nuthin' more of him after he was hauled aboard,"
+commented Tom, as the other ceased speaking. "Whut become o' the lad?"
+
+"Him? Oh, Jose an' me carried him inter the for'cassel, an' shoved him
+inter a berth ter sleep off his liquor. Thet wus the last I ever see,
+er hear o' him fer 'bout six hours. I'd fergot all 'bout the
+feller--er wud have, if it hadn't been fer the rum. Manuel went off in
+the long-boat with Estada, an' when my watch went below, I stowed
+myself away back o' the bow gun fer a few drinks. I hadn't been thar
+mor'n ten minutes, when this yere feller must a woke up in the
+for'cassel sum crazy. He cum a chargin' out on deck, whoopin' like an
+Indian, wavin' a knife in his hand, intendin' fer ter raise hell. I
+cudn't see then who the lad wus, but it must o' been him, fer when I
+went down later he wusn't whar we'd put him. Well, it happened thet
+the fu'st feller he run up against wus LeVere, who wus cumin' forrard
+fer sumthin', an' fer about a minute thar was one hell ov a fight.
+Maybe LeVere didn't know et onct just whut hed happened, but he wusn't
+almighty long finding out his job, an' the way he started in fer ter
+man-handle the cuss, wus worth seein'. It was so damn dark thar by the
+foremast I couldn't tell whut did happen, but it wus fists mostly,
+till the mate drove the poor devil, cussin' like mad, over agin the
+rail, an' then heaved him out inter the water 'longside. I heerd the
+feller splash when he struck, but he never let out no yell."
+
+"What did LeVere do?"
+
+"Him? Hell, he didn't do nuthin'. Just stared down over the rail a
+bit, an' then cum back, rubbin' his hands. Never even asked who the
+feller wus. Thar ain't nuthin' kin skeer that black brute."
+
+"By God--no! He ain't got no human in him. It's hell when English
+sailormen has got ter take orders frum a damned nigger, an' be knocked
+'round if they don't jump when he barks. He's goin' ter get a knife in
+his ribs sum day."
+
+"Maybe he is; but yer better hold yer tongue, Tom. Sanchez don't stand
+fer thet talk, an' he's back o' LeVere. Let's go in; them gaskets will
+hold all right now--cum 'long."
+
+The two vaguely distinguishable figures disappeared, clambering
+awkwardly over the rail, and as instantly vanishing into the blackness
+of the bark's deck. An unsecured bit of canvas continued to flap
+noisily above me, and the constant surge of water pounded against the
+bow, but I could perceive now clearly the character I was destined to
+assume when once safely aboard the _Namur_. Such an assumption would
+involve but slight danger of discovery. It was as though a miracle had
+opened the way, revealed to me by the unconscious lips of these two
+half-drunken, gossiping sailors. The story told fitted my necessities
+exactly. Had I planned the circumstances myself, nothing could have
+been better prearranged. No one on board had seen the missing man by
+daylight; if an impression of his features remained in any individual
+mind, it must be extremely vague, and valueless. Bill's conviction
+that the man was English, and probably a sailor, was the most
+definite, and he had had greater opportunity closely to observe the
+stranger than anyone else. LeVere had obtained no more than a glimpse
+of his opponent, during their struggle in the dark, and while fighting
+for his life. Surely it would be easy enough to obscure any faint
+impression thus acquired. And the fellow had been heartlessly flung
+overboard; was believed to have sunk without a struggle, too drunk to
+save himself; was scarcely given another thought. Yet no one knew
+positively that this was so, because no one cared. The death of the
+lad had simply been taken for granted, when LeVere failed to see his
+body rise again to the surface. Yet it was quite within the realm of
+possibility for the fellow to come up once more in that darkness,
+beyond LeVere's range of vision, and even to have remained afloat,
+buoyed up by clinging to the anchor hawser, until strong enough to
+return on board. At least there was no one aboard the _Namur_ able to
+deny that this had been done.
+
+Satisfied by this reasoning of being able to pass myself off as the
+dead man, with small danger of detection, and likewise assured--so
+far at least as eyes and ears testified--that none of the crew were
+grouped on the forecastle, to be attracted by my movements, I began,
+slowly and cautiously, to drag myself up the taut hawser, hoping thus
+to attain a position from which to gain hand-hold on the rail, and
+thus attain the deck unseen. While my explanation might suffice, I
+greatly preferred having to present it only as a last resort. I would
+much rather slip quietly aboard, and mingle unnoticed with the crew
+for the next few hours, than be haled at once before LeVere, and
+endure his scrutiny and possible violence. The fellow was evidently a
+brute, and a hard master. Seemingly I had chosen a fortunate moment
+for my effort; no one heeded the little noise I made, and, when I
+finally topped the rail, and was able to look inboard, it was to
+discover a deserted fore deck, with the watch all engaged at some task
+amidships. There was no gleam of light, but I could hear the patter of
+feet, and imagined seeing dim moving figures. A rather high-pitched
+voice was giving orders, and enough of his words reached me to
+convince that other men were aloft on the main yard. Believing my best
+policy would be to join those busied on deck, just as though I
+belonged among them, I crept down the forecastle ladder, and worked my
+way aft beneath the black shadow of the port rail, until able thus to
+drift unnoticed into a group tailing on to a mainsail halliard. The
+fellow next to me, without releasing his grip, turned his head and
+stared, but without discerning my features.
+
+"Whar the hell did yer cum' frum?" he growled, and I as instantly
+recognized Bill Haines. "Been sojerin', have yer? Well, now, damn yer
+eyes! lay too an' pull."
+
+Before I could attempt an answer, a tall figure loomed up before us,
+the same high-pitched voice I had noticed previously calling out
+sharply:
+
+"There, that's enough, men! Now make fast. We can head the old girl
+out from here in a jiffy, if it really begins to blow. Jose, you stand
+by at the wheel, in case you're needed; some of the rest ship the
+capstan bars, and remain near for a call."
+
+Discipline on board must have been somewhat lax, or else Haines held
+some minor official position which gave him unusual privilege, for,
+while the others instantly separated to carry out these orders, he
+remained motionless, confronting the man I supposed to be the mulatto,
+LeVere. My own position was such I could not press past the two
+without attracting attention.
+
+"What are ye swingin' the yards fer, enyhow?" asked the sailor
+insolently. "Just fer exercise?"
+
+The other, who already had started to turn away, stopped, and took a
+step backward toward his questioner.
+
+"Because I am a sailor, Haines," he replied angrily. "Anyhow it is
+none of your business; I was left in command here. Those clouds don't
+look good to me; there is going to be a blow before morning."
+
+"Then it's yer intention ter work out'er this yere berth?"
+
+"It's my intention to be ready, if it becomes necessary. There is no
+regular officer left aboard, but, just the same, I am not going to let
+this bark pile up on those rocks yonder. We'll hang on here for
+another half hour, maybe, and then, if the long-boat don't show up,
+we'll work further off shore until daylight. That's sensible, isn't
+it?"
+
+Haines growled something, inaudible to me, but evidently accepted as
+an assent, and LeVere, still in no good humor from the questioning,
+wheeled sharply about to go forward. This movement placed him face to
+face with me.
+
+"What are you loafing here for?" he burst forth, no doubt glad to thus
+vent his anger on someone. "Who the hell are you?"
+
+"Joe Gates, sir," I answered quickly, mouthing the first name which
+came to my lips.
+
+"Gates--Joe Gates?" peering savagely into my face, but unable to
+distinguish the features. "I never heard of anybody on board by that
+name. Who is the fellow, Haines?"
+
+The Englishman gripped me by the sleeve to whirl me about, but as his
+fingers touched the soaked cloth of my jacket, he burst forth with an
+oath.
+
+"By God! but he's wet enough to be the same lad you chucked overboard
+an hour ago. Damn me, I believe he is. Say, mate, are you the gay buck
+we hauled aboard drunk, and dumped inter the for'cassel?"
+
+"I dunno, sir," I answered dumbly, believing it best not to remember
+too much. "I couldn't even tell yer whut ship this is, ner how I
+signed on. Last I seem ter remember I wus ashore frum the schooner
+_Caroline_; but this yere is a bark."
+
+Haines laughed, already convinced of my identity, and considering it a
+good joke.
+
+"Well, my buck, I'll tell yer whar yer are, an' likewise how yer got
+yere," he chuckled. "I wus one of a party frum this hooker ashore
+'bout dusk, when yer hove in sight 'bout as drunk as a sailorman kin
+get. Fact is yer wus so soused yer stumbled inter the wrong boat, and
+went ter sleep. We're allers ready fer ter take on a new hand er two,
+so we just let yer lie thar, an' brought yer aboard. 'Bout an hour ago
+yer must a had a touch o' tremens, fer, all at onct yer cum chargin'
+out on deck, an' tried ter knife LeVere, an' he flung yer overboard.
+We sorter figured thet yer went down, an' never cum up agin."
+
+LeVere broke in with a savage snarl.
+
+"What's all that? Do you mean, Haines, that this is the same damned
+scamp who tried to stick me?"
+
+"No doubt of it. But he never knew what he was dloin'--he wus crazy as
+a loon. There's nuthin' fer yer ter fuss over now. Tell us about it,
+Gates--the bath must have sobered yer up?"
+
+I watched LeVere, but he remained motionless, a mere shadow.
+
+"I suppose it must have been thet, sir," I confessed respectfully, "if
+things happened as you say they did. I haven't any memory o' tryin'
+ter slash nobody. Leastwise I seemed ter know whut I wus about when I
+cum up. I don't remember how I got ther; furst I knew I wus slushin'
+'round in the water, a tryin' ter keep afloat. It wus so blame dark I
+cudn't see nuthin', but sumhow I got grip on a hawser, an' hung on
+till I got back 'nough strength ter clime on board. I knew this wa'n't
+my ship, so I just lay quiet awhile, figurin' out whar I wus."
+
+"Yer English?"  "Born in Bristol, sir, but I wus workin' on the
+_Caroline_--she's a Colony schooner, in the fish trade."
+
+"Sailor?"
+
+"At sea since I wus twelve. What's this yere bark--Dutch, ain't she?"
+
+"Once upon a time; just now we are flying whatever flag cumes handy.
+We ain't got no prejudice in flags."
+
+"Is thet a gun forrard, covered with taupalin?"
+
+"Yes, an' yer might find another aft, if yer looked fer it. Mor'n
+thet, we know how ter use 'em. Now see here, Gates; thar's no reason
+why we should beat about the bush--fact is we're sea rovers."
+
+"Sea rovers--pirates, sir?"
+
+"Bah! what's a name! We take what we want; it's our trade, that's all.
+No worse than many another. The question is, are yer goin' ter take a
+chance 'long with us? It's the only life, lad--plenty of fun, the best
+of liquor and pretty girls, with a share in all the swag."
+
+"What is the name of this bark?"
+
+"The _Namur_--sailed out o' Rotterdam till we took her."
+
+"Whut wus yer in when ye took her?"
+
+"The _Vengeance_, a three-masted schooner, the fastest thing afloat.
+She's south in West India waters."
+
+"Who's the captain?"
+
+"Silva Sanchez."
+
+"Gawd! Sanchez--not--not 'Black Sanchez?'"
+
+"That's him; so yer've heerd o' 'Black Sanchez?' Well, we're sailin'
+'long with him, all right, mate, an' yer ought ter know whut thet
+means fer a good man."
+
+I hesitated, yet only long enough to leave the impression I sought to
+make on them both.
+
+"Likely thar ain't no sailor but whut has heerd o' him," I said
+slowly. "Enyhow, I sure have. I can't say thet I have any special
+hankerin' after bein' a pirate, an' I never aimed ter be one; but,
+seem' as how I am yere on this bark, an' can't easy get away, it don't
+look like thar wus much choice, does it?"
+
+LeVere appeared amused in his way, which was not a pleasant one.
+
+"Oh, yes, friend, there is choice enough. Bill, here, had exactly the
+same choice when he first came--hey, Bill? Remember how you signed on,
+after we took you off the _Albatross_? This is how it stands,
+Gates--either go forrard quietly yerself, er the both of us will kick
+you there. We never give an order twice on the _Namur_. That will be
+enough talk. If you do your work, all right; and if you don't, then
+look out, my man--there will be plenty of hell waiting for you. Go on,
+now."
+
+It was a curt dismissal, coupled with a plain threat, easy to
+understand. I obeyed the order gladly enough, slinking away into the
+black shadows forward, realizing my good fortune, and seeking some
+spot where I could be alone. The result was all that I could have
+hoped for; my position on board was assured; my story had been
+accepted without awakening the slightest suspicion; and it was
+perfectly clear that no one on board the _Namur_ possessed the
+slightest memory of the personal appearance of the poor fellow who had
+been thrown overboard, and drowned. Even Haines believed me to be the
+man. Of course I should be watched to some extent for a few days, my
+willingness to serve noted, and my ability as a seaman put to the
+test; but in this I had nothing to fear. I could play the assumed
+character with little danger of any mishap. The only remaining peril
+of discovery would come with the return of the absent boat, and the
+necessity of my encountering the giant negro. Yet I was convinced even
+this would not prove serious. If Cochose had glimpsed my features at
+all during the course of our desperate struggle on the deck of the
+sloop, the impression made on his mind must have been merely
+momentary; and, besides, he would never once conceive it possible that
+the same man could have reached the bark ahead of his return. Even if
+such a suspicion dawned, I was now in a position to positively
+establish my arrival aboard the _Namur_ early the evening previous,
+and before their expedition had departed.
+
+I felt so safe, and so content with my success thus far, as to already
+believe thoroughly in the final result of my mission. This confidence
+developed almost into sheer recklessness. There were some difficulties
+ahead, to be sure. I remained sane enough to recognize these, yet I
+had already conquered easily, what at first had appeared
+insurmountable, and, in consequence of this good luck, these others
+yet to be met, seemed far less serious. The same happy fortune which
+had opened the way for me to board the _Namur_ must also intervene to
+aid me in solving future problems. Mine was the philosophy of a
+sailor, to whom peril was but a part of life. All I seemed to require
+now was a sufficiency of courage and faith--the opportunity would be
+given. In this spirit of aroused hope, I continued to stare out into
+the black night, watchfully, the shrouded deck behind me silent, and
+seemingly deserted, except for the steady tramp from rail to rail of
+LeVere, keeping his lonely watch aft. The crew had disappeared, lying
+down no doubt in corners out of the wind. And this wind was certainly
+rising, already attaining a force to be reckoned with, for the boom of
+waves hurled against the bows of the laboring bark, was steadily
+becoming more noticeable, while overhead the ropes sang dismally. I
+wondered that LeVere hung on so long in his perilous position,
+although, in spite of the increased strain, the anchor still clung
+firmly. Quite probably he had received stern orders not to shift from
+his present position until the boat returned, yet surely his judgment
+as a competent seaman, left in command, must make him aware of the
+threatening danger. He would never wreck his vessel merely because he
+had been instructed to remain at that particular spot. It seemed to me
+that no hawser ever made could long withstand the terrific strain of
+our tugging, as the struggling bark rose and fell in the grip of the
+sea. To him must have come the same conviction, for suddenly his
+high-pitched voice sang out from the poop:
+
+"Stand by, forrard, to lower the starboard anchor; move lively, men.
+Everything ready, Haines?"
+
+"All clear, sir. Come on the jump, bullies!"
+
+"Then let go smartly. Watch that you don't get the line fouled. Aloft
+there! Anything in sight, Cavere?"
+
+From high up on the fore-top yard, the answer, blown by the wind, came
+down in broken English:
+
+"Non, M'sieur; I see nottings."
+
+"Well, don't go to sleep; keep both eyes open!"
+
+I had already joined the watch forward, aware only of the numerous
+dim, and shapeless figures about me, busily employed in straightening
+out the kinks in the heavy cable. The number of men on deck was
+evidence of a large crew, there being many more than were necessary
+for the work to be done. Most of them appeared to be able seamen, and
+Haines drove them mercilessly, cursing them for lubbers, and twice
+kicking viciously at a stooping form. There was no talking, only the
+growl of an occasional oath, the slapping of the hawser on deck, and
+the sharp orders of Haines. Then the great rope began to slip swiftly
+through the hawse hole, and we heard the sharp splash as the iron
+flukes struck the water, and sank. Almost at that same instant the
+voice of Cavere rang out from the mast-head:
+
+"A sail, M'sieur--a sail!"
+
+"Where away?"
+
+"Off ze port quarter. I make eet to be ze leetle boat--she just round
+ze point"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+THE RETURN OF THE BOAT
+
+
+Receiving no other orders, the moment all was secure, the crew eager
+to welcome back the boat party, and learn the news, hurried over to
+the port rail. Beyond doubt most of those aboard realized that this
+had been an expedition of some importance, the culmination of their
+long wait on the coast, part of some scheme of their chief, in the
+spoils of which they expected to share. It was for this end they had
+been inactive for weeks, hiding and skulking along shore; now they
+hoped to reap their reward in gold and silver, and then be permitted
+to return to the wilder, more adventurous life they loved on the high
+seas. Moreover this boat approaching through the darkness was bringing
+back their leader, and however else they might feel toward him, the
+reckless daring, and audacious resourcefulness of Sanchez meant
+success. These fellows, the scum of the seven seas, whom he had
+gathered about him, might hate and fear, yet were glad to follow. They
+had learned on many a bloody deck the merit of their chief, and in
+their way were loyal to him.
+
+I was made to comprehend all this by the low, muttered utterances of
+those crowding near me, spoken in nearly every language of the world.
+Much I could not even translate, yet enough reached my ears to
+convince me of the temper of the crew--their feverish eagerness to be
+again at sea, under command of a captain whom they both hated and
+feared, yet whom they would follow to the very gates of hell. Even as
+they cursed him with hot oaths, in memory of some act of discipline,
+there came into their voices a tinge of admiration, which furnished me
+an accurate etching of the man. They knew him, these hell-hounds of
+the sea, and from out their mouths I knew him also for what he was--a
+cruel, cold-blooded monster, yet a genius in crime, and a natural
+leader of such men as these. _Black Sanchez!_ All the unspeakable
+horror which in the past had clung to that name came back again to
+haunt me; I seemed to hear once more the tales of men who had escaped
+from his grip alive; to see again the scenes they had witnessed. It
+could not seem possible that I was actually upon one of his ships, in
+the very midst of his wild crew. I listened to their comments, their
+expectations, with swiftly beating heart. I alone knew what that boat
+was bringing. And when it arrived, and they knew also, what would
+these sea wolves say? What would they do? What would be the result
+when the dead body of their leader came up over the rail?
+
+For a few moments we could perceive nothing through the black night.
+The clouds were rolling low, thickened by vapor, and the increasing
+wind had already beaten the waves into crests of foam. We could hear
+them crash against the stout sides of the bark, which leaped to their
+impetus, yet was held in helpless captivity by the two anchors. The
+deck under foot tossed dizzily, the bare masts swaying above, while
+our ears could distinguish the sullen roar of breakers tumbling up on
+the sand just astern. Overhead ropes rattled noisily, the sound
+mingling with the flapping ends of loosened sails beating against the
+yards. LeVere shouted an order, and a sudden flare was lighted
+amidships, the circle of flame illumining a part of the deck, and
+spreading out over the wild expanse of water. The seaman holding the
+blazing torch aloft, and thrusting it forth across the rail, took on
+the appearance of a black statue, as motionless as though carved from
+ebony, while in the gleam the various groups of men became visible,
+lined up along the port bulwarks, all staring in the one direction,
+eagerly seeking a first glimpse of the approaching craft.
+
+Scarcely had a minute elapsed before it came sweeping into the radius
+of light--at first a dim, spectral shadow, scarcely to be recognized;
+then, almost as suddenly, revealed in all its details--a boat of size,
+flying toward us under a lug sail, standing out hard as a board,
+keeling well over, and topping the sea swells like a bird on wing.
+'Twas a beautiful sight as the craft came sweeping on before the full
+weight of the wind, out from that background of gloom into the yellow
+glare of the torch, circling widely so as to more safely approach the
+bark's quarter. LeVere called for men to stand by, the fellows rushing
+past me to their stations, but, in the fascination of the moment, I
+failed to move. I could do nothing but stare out across the
+intervening water, with eyes fastened on that swiftly approaching
+boat. I must see. I must know the message it brought; what story it
+held of the tragedy. At first I could only barely distinguish the
+figures of those aboard, yet these gradually assumed recognizable
+form, and finally the faces also became dimly visible. Manuel held the
+tiller, with Estada seated beside him, leaning forward, and
+gesticulating with one hand, as he directed the course. I had never
+seen these two, yet I knew them beyond a doubt. Mendez and Anderson
+(at least I supposed these to be the two) were poised at the sail
+halliards, ready to let the straining sheet down at a run, while
+Cochose crouched low in the bow, his black hand uplifted, gripping a
+coil of rope. Their faces were all turned forward, lighted by the
+flare from our deck, and I felt a shudder of fear run over me--no
+expression on any countenance spoke of defeat; even the ugly features
+of the negro beamed with delight.
+
+But was that all? Was that all? Surely not, yet the boat had to leap
+forward, and then turn broadside too, as it swept aft toward the main
+chains, before I succeeded in seeing what remained partially concealed
+between the thwarts in its bottom. Forward of the single mast was
+stowed the chest, which Travers' slaves had borne with such care up
+the bluff; while in the open space between the helmsman and the two
+sailors were stretched two motionless bodies. LeVere, gripping a
+stay-rope, and leaning well out, hailed in Spanish.
+
+"Ahoy, the boat--there is not too much sea? You can make it?"
+
+"Ay!" came back Estada's voice, swept aside by the wind, yet still
+audible. "Stand by to fend us off. Call all hands, and break anchor as
+soon as we are aboard."
+
+"Very well, sir. Where is Captain Sanchez?"
+
+Estada pointed downward in swift, expressive gesture.
+
+"Here at my feet--badly hurt, but will recover. Send two men down to
+help when we make fast. Now, Cochose--let go of your rope; watch out
+above!"
+
+I stood, gripping hard at the rail, and staring down at the scene
+below, as the men in the boat made fast. I felt paralyzed, and
+helpless, unable to move. I had no business to remain there; every
+prospect of security depended on my joining the crew, but it was not
+in my power to desert my position. I could hear the hurrying feet of
+the watch tramping across the deck in response to LeVere's orders; the
+heavy pounding of a marling-spike on the forecastle hatch, as Haines
+called for all hands. I was aware that men were already mounting the
+ratlines, and laying out on the upper yards to make sail, while the
+capstan bars began rattling. Yet only one thought gripped me--_Sanchez
+was not dead_! I had believed he was; I had staked all on his death as
+a certainty. But instead, the man was lying there in the boat,
+helpless at present, sorely wounded perhaps, yet still alive. Estada
+even said he would surely recover. And that other body? That of
+Dorothy Fairfax, without doubt, yet certainly not lifeless. Those
+fellows would surely never bring back to the _Namur_ the useless, dead
+form of one of their victims. That was unthinkable, impossible. If
+their prisoner was the girl--and who else could it be?--she remained
+alive, helplessly bound to prevent either struggle, or outcry, and
+destined to a fate far worse than death.
+
+This revelation struck me like a blow. I had anticipated the possible
+capture of the young woman, but not the return of Sanchez. His living
+overthrew all my plans. There was no hope in the narrow confines of
+the ship for me to remain long out of his sight, once he became able
+again to reach the deck. And he would instantly recognize me in any
+guise. Every hope of rescue had vanished, every faith that I could be
+of aid. My own life hung in the balance--nay, rather, my doom was
+already sealed. There, seemingly was but one chance for escape
+left--that was to drop silently overboard, amid the confusion of
+getting under way, and make the desperate attempt to reach shore
+unseen before the crew could lift anchor, and set sail. This
+possibility came to me, yet I continued to cling there, dazed and
+helpless, staring dully down, lacking both physical and mental energy
+to put the wild scheme into execution. God, no! that would be the
+craven act of a coward. Better far to stay, and kill, or even be
+killed, than to be forever cursed by my own conscience. The fellow
+might die; some fatal accident befall the _Namur_; why a hundred
+things might occur before Sanchez was capable of resuming command, or
+could attempt any serious injury to Dorothy.
+
+The fellows sent down from the main chains to the boat brought the
+injured Captain up first. This required the services of three men, his
+body hanging limp between them, his upturned face showing ghastly in
+the flaming of the torch thrust out over the rail. To every appearance
+it was apparently a corpse they handled, except for their tenderness,
+and a single groan to which the white lips gave utterance, when one of
+the bearers slipped, wrenching the wounded body with a sharp pang of
+pain. Once safely on deck, the three bore him across to the after
+cabin, in which a swinging lantern had been lighted, and was by then
+burning brightly, and disappeared down the steps. My eyes followed
+every movement, as I forgot for the instant the boat and its occupants
+still tossing alongside on the waters below. As I turned back,
+awakened by some cry, I saw that Estada had already swung himself up
+into the chains, while Anderson and Mendez were lifting the girl to
+her feet, and rather roughly urging her forward. Her hands and limbs
+had been set free, but she swayed back and forth in the grasp of the
+two men, as though unable to support herself alone, her face upturned
+into the flare of light, as she gazed in terror at the black side of
+the bark towering above. Her eyes reflected all the unutterable horror
+which for the moment dominated her mind, while her loosened hair,
+disarranged by struggle, only served to intensify the pallor of her
+face. Yet in spite of this evident despair, there was still strength
+and defiance in the firm closing of her lips, and her efforts to stand
+alone, uncontaminated by the touch of the sailors' hands.
+
+"Hustle her along lively, boys," shouted back Estada coarsely. "If she
+won't move, give her a shove. Then tie her up again, and take the turn
+of a rope 'round her. What do you think this is--a queen's reception?
+Move lively, Senorita," in mock sarcasm.
+
+Her gaze settled on him, where he hung far out, grasping a backstay,
+watching the movements below, and her slender form straightened as by
+the acquisition of new strength.
+
+"If these creatures will take their hands off me," she said, using
+their tongue without a tremor in the clear voice. "I can easily go up
+alone. What is it you are so afraid of--a woman?"
+
+The expression of Estada's face promised an outburst of profanity,
+but, instead of giving it utterance, he lifted his cap in a sudden
+pretense at gallantry.
+
+"Your pardon, Senorita," he said in a tone of humble mockery. "If you
+have come to your senses at last, it is well. No one can be happier
+than I. Leave her alone, men. Now, my beauty, I am taking you at your
+own word--a step, and then the protection of my hand. We welcome you,
+as a guest aboard."
+
+A moment and she had attained the deck. Where she stood I could no
+longer see her face, yet she remained there silent and motionless,
+rather stiffly erect as she faced him. Frightened, and helpless as she
+was, yet her very posture seemed to express the detestation she felt
+for the man. But Estada, apparently pleased with his performance thus
+far, chose to continue playing the fool.
+
+"Thanks, Senorita--thanks," he began softly, and again bowing before
+her, cap in hand. "We greet you with due honor aboard the _Namur_--"
+
+"Enough of that, you coward, you murderer," she broke in coldly. "Do
+not touch nor speak to me."
+
+She turned her back on him, thus coming face to face with LeVere, who
+stood enjoying the scene, a wide grin on his dark face, revealing a
+row of white teeth under a jet-black moustache.
+
+"You, sir--you are an officer?"
+
+"I have charge of the deck."
+
+"Then where am I to go?"
+
+The mulatto, surprised by the sudden question, glanced inquiringly
+toward Estada, who had already completely lost his sense of humor.
+
+"Go!" the latter growled. "Where is she to go? Why send the wench
+below. I'll see to her later, and teach her who is the master here.
+She will not queen it long on these decks, I warrant you. Off with her
+now, but be back quickly." He leaned out over the rail, sending his
+gruff voice below. "Send up that chest, you men--careful now not to
+let it drop overboard. Yes, that's better. Hook on the boat, Manuel,
+and let her drag; we must get out of here in a hurry. All ready,
+aloft?"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+"Then sheet home; how is it forrard?"
+
+"Both anchors apeak, sir."
+
+"Smartly done--hard down with your helm there! That's it; now let her
+play off slowly."
+
+He must have caught sight of me through the gloom, for he strode
+furiously forward, giving utterance to a bristling Spanish oath. All
+the savage brutality of his nature had been brought to the surface by
+Dorothy's stinging words, and he sought now some fit opportunity to
+give it vent. Before I could move, he had gripped me by the collar,
+and swung me about, so that the light streaming out from the cabin
+fell directly on my face.
+
+"What the devil are you doing, loafing aft here?" he demanded roughly,
+staring into my eyes. "Didn't you hear the orders, you damned shirker?
+I've seen you hanging about for ten minutes, never lifting a hand. Who
+the hell are you anyhow--the captain?"
+
+"Joe Gates, sir."
+
+"Gates--another damned Englishman! How did you ever get aboard here?"
+
+It was the returning LeVere who made explanation before I could reply.
+
+"Manuel brought him on board last night. Picked him up drunk ashore."
+
+Estada's ugly eyes roved from face to face, as though he failed to
+fully comprehend.
+
+"Well, does he imagine he is going to be a passenger? Why hasn't he
+been taught his place before this? It's about time, LeVere, for this
+drunken sailor to be given a lesson to last him for awhile; and, by
+God, if you won't do it, I will. Step over here, Gates."
+
+I took the necessary step forward, and faced him, expecting the rabid
+tongue lashing, which I rather felt I deserved.
+
+"Now, my man, do you know what this bark is?"
+
+"I think so, sir--Mister LeVere explained that to me."
+
+"Oh, he did? Well, he must have failed to make clear the fact that we
+enforce discipline aboard. The next time you neglect to jump at an
+order, you are going to taste the cat. You understand me? You speak
+Spanish?"
+
+"Yes, sir; I lived two years in Cuba."
+
+"I see; well now, do you happen to have any idea who I am?"
+
+"No, sir--only that you are one of the officers."
+
+"Then I will enforce the information on your mind so that you are not
+liable to forget; also the fact that hereafter you are to jump when I
+speak. I am the first officer, and in command at present. Pedro Estada
+is my name. Now, you damned English whelp, remember that!"
+
+Before I even suspected what was coming, his unexpected action as
+swift as the leap of a poised tiger, he struck me fairly between the
+eyes with the butt of a pistol, and I went down sprawling onto the
+deck. For a moment I seemed, in spite of the viciousness of the blow,
+to retain a spark of consciousness, for I knew he kicked me savagely
+with his heavy sea boots; I felt the pain, and even heard the words,
+and curses, accompanying each brutal stroke.
+
+"You drunken dog! You whelp of a sea wolf! You English cur! Take
+that--damn you! And that! You'll not forget me for awhile, That's
+it--squirm, I like to see it. When you wake up again, you'll remember
+Pedro Estada, How did that feel, you grunting pig? Here, LeVere,
+Manuel, throw this sot into the forecastle. Curse you, here is one
+more to jog your memory."
+
+The heavy, iron-shod boot landed full in my face, and every sensation
+left me as I sank limply back, bloody and unconscious.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+A FRIEND IN THE FORECASTLE
+
+
+I slowly and regretfully opened my eyes, aroused perhaps by a
+trampling of feet on the deck above, to find myself lying in an upper
+bunk of the forecastle. I was partially covered by a ragged blanket,
+but for a few moments remained unable to comprehend the situation. Yet
+the vivid memory soon returned, stimulated no doubt by the continuous
+aching of my body where Estada had so brutally kicked me with his
+heavy boots. The first recollection of that assault brought with it a
+dull anger, strangely commingled with a thought of Dorothy Fairfax,
+and a sense of my own duty. The heavy rolling of the bark clearly
+evidenced that we were already at sea, and bucking against a high
+wind. Occasionally a monster wave broke over the cats-head, and struck
+thunderingly on the deck above me, the whole vessel trembling to the
+shock. Oilskins hung to the deck beams, swung here and there at
+strange angles, while the single slush lantern dangled back and forth
+like the pendulum of a clock.
+
+It was a dark, dismal, smelly interior, amply large enough, but ill
+ventilated, and inexpressibly dirty. Every stench under heaven seemed
+to assail my nostrils, so compounded together, as to be separately
+indistinguishable, although that of stale bilge water strongly
+predominated. The only semblance of fresh air found entrance through
+the small, square scuttle hole, attainable by means of a short ladder,
+and staring up at this, I was able to perceive the light of day,
+although so little penetrated below, the swaying slush light alone
+served to illumine the place, and render its horrors visible. It was
+day then, and we were well out at sea. I must have been lying
+unconscious for several hours. In all probability, finding it
+impossible to arouse me, the brutes had finally left me alone, to
+either recover, or die, as fate willed. I rested back, feeling of the
+numerous bruises on my body, and touching gingerly the dried blood
+caked on my face. No very serious damage seemed to have been done, for
+I could move without great pain, although every muscle and tendon
+appeared to be strained and lacerated. My head had cleared also from
+its earlier sensation of dullness, the brain actively taking up its
+work. Clinching my teeth to keep back a groan, I succeeded in sitting
+upright, my head touching the upper deck, as I undertook to survey my
+surroundings. They were gloomy and dismal enough. The forecastle, in
+true Dutch style, had been built directly into the bows, so that the
+bunks, arranged three tiers high, formed a complete half circle. The
+single lantern, flickering and flaring as it swung constantly to the
+sharp pitching of the vessel, cast grotesque shadows, and failed
+entirely to penetrate the corners. The deck below me was littered with
+chests, sea boots, and odds and ends of clothing, while farther aft
+considerable water had found entrance through the scuttle hole, and
+was slushing back and forth as the bark rolled. About half the bunks
+seemed to be occupied, the figures of the sleeping men barely
+discernible, although their heavy breathing evidenced their presence,
+and added to the babel of sound. Every bolt and beam creaked and
+groaned in the ceaseless struggle with the sea.
+
+The bunk in which I had awakened was situated almost at the apex of
+the half circle, so that I had a clear view of the wider open space.
+Those beneath me contained no occupants, nor, at first, could I
+distinguish any in the tier directly opposite. Evidently the watch off
+duty preferred to seek their rest as far away as possible from those
+waves pounding against the bow. However, as I sat there, staring about
+at this scene, and uncertain as to what my next move should be, there
+was a stir within the upper berth on my own level, and a moment later,
+an uplifted face appeared suddenly in the yellow flare of light. It
+was manifestly an English face at first glance, rosy of cheek, with
+chestnut beard, and light, tousled hair. A pair of humorous, gray eyes
+surveyed me silently, and then, apparently satisfied by the scrutiny,
+the owner sat up in the bunk, revealing powerful shoulders, and a
+round, bull neck.
+
+"Ahoy, mate," he said pleasantly, endeavoring to speak low, the effort
+resembling the growl of a bear. "How do you feel--pretty sore?"
+
+"Ache from head to foot," I answered, immediately feeling his
+friendliness. "But no harm done."
+
+"I saw part of it. The damn black brute kicked savagely enough, but at
+that you're lucky; it's the Spanish style to use a knife. I've seen
+that cock slash a man into ribbons for nothing at all--just to show he
+was bad. Haines tells me your name is Gates, and that you are
+English."
+
+"That's right; I shipped first out of Bristol."
+
+"So did I, mate--twenty years ago though, and I never went back since.
+My name is Tom Watkins. Let's shake; there is quite a sprinkling of us
+Britishers aboard, and we ought to hang together."
+
+He put out a big, hairy fist, and I gripped it heartily, decidedly
+liking the man as his eyes frankly met mine. He appeared honest and
+square, a fine type of the English seaman.
+
+"Tom Watkins, you said. May I ask if you were out on the bow-sprit
+along with Haines last night?"
+
+"Just afore the long-boat come in? Yes, we were there."
+
+"Well, I was down below, hanging to the cable, and overheard you two
+talking together. Somehow, Watkins, you do not seem to me to fit in
+exactly with this gang of pirates; you don't look to be that sort. How
+long have you been with them?"
+
+He glanced about warily, lowering his voice until it became a hoarse
+whisper.
+
+"Three years, mate, and most of that time has been hell. I haven't
+even been ashore, but once, and that was on an island. These fellows
+don't put any trust in my kind, nor give them any chance to cut and
+run. Once in awhile a lad does get away, but most of them are caught;
+and those that are sure get their punishment. They never try it again.
+I've seen them staked out on the sand, and left to die; that ain't no
+nice thing to remember."
+
+"But how did you come into it?"  "Like most of the rest. I was second
+mate of the _Ranger_, a Glasgow brig. We loaded with sugar at
+Martinique, for London. These fellows overhauled us at daybreak about
+a hundred miles off the east end of Cuba. They had a swift schooner,
+and five guns, one a Long Tom. All we had to fight them with was about
+fifteen men, and two brass carronades. Our skipper was Scotch, and he
+put up some fight, but it wasn't any use. There was only three of us
+left alive when the pirates came aboard. One of these died two days
+later, and another was washed overboard and drowned down in the Gulf.
+I am all that is left of the _Ranger_."
+
+"You saved your life by taking on?"
+
+"Sanchez had the two of us, who were able to stand, back in his cabin.
+He put it to us straight. He said it was up to us whether we signed
+up, or walked the plank; and he didn't appear to care a damn which we
+chose. The cold-blooded devil meant it too, for he was raging mad at
+getting only five hundred pounds off the brig. Well, Jack and I looked
+at each other--and then we signed."
+
+"And you say others of this crew have been obtained in the same
+manner?" I questioned, deeply interested, and perceiving in this a ray
+of hope.
+
+"Not exactly--no, I wouldn't precisely say that. It's true, perhaps,
+that most of the Britishers were forced to join in about the same way
+I was, and there may be a Scandinavian, or two, with a few Dutch, to
+be counted in that list; but the most of these cusses are pirates from
+choice. It's their trade, and they like it. Sanchez only aims to keep
+hold of a few good men, because he has got to have sailors; but most
+of his crew are nothing but plain cut-throats."
+
+"Where does he find them?"
+
+"Where? Why the West Indies are full of such devils; been breeding
+them down there for two hundred years---Indians and half-breeds,
+niggers, Creoles, Portuguese, Spanish, and every damned mongrel you
+ever heard of. Sanchez himself is half French. The hell-hound who
+kicked you is a Portugee, and LeVere is more nigger than anything
+else. I'll bet there is a hundred rats on board this _Namur_ right now
+who'd cut your throat for a sovereign, and never so much as think of
+it again."
+
+"A hundred? Is there that many aboard?"
+
+"A hundred an' thirty all told. Most o' 'em bunk amidships. They're
+not sailormen, but just cut-throats, an' sea wolves. Yer ought ter see
+'em swarm out on deck, like hungry rats, when thar's a fight comin'.
+It's all they're good fer."
+
+"Watkins," I said soberly, after a pause during which he spat on the
+dirty deck to thus better express his feelings "do you mean to say
+that in three years you've had no chance to escape? No opportunity to
+get away?"
+
+"Not a chance, mate; no more will you. The only place I've put foot
+ashore has been Porto Grande, where we run in to refit. That's a worse
+hell than the ship itself."
+
+"But Haines goes ashore; he was with Manuel's boat yesterday."
+
+The big fellow laughed grimly.
+
+"Bill rather likes the job, an' they know it. He's a boatswain, an'
+gets a big share of the swag. He's the only Britisher aboard who
+wouldn't cut and run in a minute; besides he's got a girl at Porto
+Grande."
+
+"And that fellow Anderson who was with Estada?"
+
+"The lowest kind of a Swede cur--he'll do more dirt than a Portugee. I
+know what yer thinkin' 'bout. I had them notions too when I fu'st come
+aboard--gettin' all the decent sort tergether, and takin' the vessel.
+'Twon't work; thar ain't 'nough who wud risk it, and if thar wus, yer
+couldn't get 'em tergether. Sanchez is too damn smart fer thet. Every
+damn rat is a spy. I ain't hed no such talk as this afore in six
+months, Gates; the last time cost me twenty lashes at the mast-butt."
+
+"Is there any chance of our being overheard now?"
+
+"No; these near bunks are all empty, an' the damn noise drowns our
+voices. What'd yer have in your mind, mate?"
+
+"Only this, Watkins. I've got to do something, and believe I can trust
+you. You are a square English seaman, probably the only one aboard I
+can repose confidence in. I don't blame you for sticking, for I
+suppose likely I'd do the same if I was in your case. But I
+ain't--it's not my life I'm thinking about, but that of a woman."
+
+He stared at me across the narrow space separating our bunks, the
+shadows from the swinging lantern giving his features a strange
+expression.
+
+"A woman! Hell, lad; not the one brought aboard last night?"
+
+"Exactly; now listen--I'm going to tell you my story, and ask your
+help. Do you know what Estada went after in the long-boat?"
+
+"Well, there's been plenty o' talk. The cook brought us some stories
+he heard aft, an' we knew we wus driftin' along the coast, waitin' fer
+Sanchez ter cum back. I suppose he'd got onto some English gold--in
+that chest they slung aboard, wasn't it?"
+
+"Yes; that was the main object. My name is not Gates, at all, and I am
+not the man Mendez brought aboard drunk, and who was thrown over the
+rail by LeVere. That fellow was drowned."
+
+"Well, by God!"
+
+"I am Geoffry Carlyle, an English skipper. There has been a revolution
+in England, in which I became involved. When the attempt failed, I was
+taken prisoner and deported to America for twenty years servitude. I
+came over with a bunch of others on the same ship with Sanchez."
+
+"The _Romping Betsy_?"
+
+"Yes. There was a rich planter, and his niece also aboard. He was
+coming home with a chest of money--fifty thousand pounds--realized
+from a big sale of tobacco in London, and the young woman was
+returning from attending school in England. Sanchez was aboard to gain
+possession of both."
+
+Watkins nodded, too deeply interested in the narrative to interrupt.
+
+"He pretended to be of the Spanish nobility, an ex-naval officer, and
+tried all the way over to make love to this Dorothy Fairfax. He got
+along all right with the uncle, and was invited to visit him, but the
+girl was not so easy. He must have had it all planned out how he was
+to get the gold, Fairfax carried--that was what the _Namur_ was
+waiting for--and when he found that the young woman could not be won
+by fair means, he decided to take her by force."
+
+"It's not the first time for the black-hearted devil. But how did you
+happen to come along?"
+
+"Fairfax bought me to run his sloop. Perhaps it was the girl who won
+him over. Anyhow this arrangement angered Sanchez, and we had words.
+You know the rest, or, at least, the main facts. Sanchez and the boat
+crew held rendezvous at the first landing up the Bay. It was
+prearranged, but it was my fortune to meet the Captain alone on shore
+in the dark, where we fought."
+
+"It was you then who drove the knife in? God!" excitedly, "but I would
+give ten years for such a chance. Ay, and, they say, you came within
+an eighth of an inch of sending him to hell."
+
+"I knew not where I struck; 'twas a death struggle in the dark. I
+thought him dead when I left him, and ran to warn the others. But for
+this I was too late. The moment I set foot on the sloop's deck it was
+to close in battle with the big negro."
+
+"Cochose? He saw you then?"
+
+"No, only as a shape. He can have no better memory of me, than I of
+him. We fought as demons, until his giant strength forced me over the
+rail. He has no knowledge that I ever rose again."
+
+"And then--what?"
+
+"Oblivion; nothing. Only what I saw in the return of the boat tells me
+what followed. I came back to consciousness in a small dory, afloat on
+the Bay, with but one thought in my mind--to save the girl. How? It
+was too late to return, even had I known the way; but I could come
+here, to this ship. So here I came."
+
+"But how, in advance of those in the long-boat?"
+
+"By cutting across the point; the coast to the north is a wide circle.
+Besides the discovery of Sanchez sorely wounded left the others
+without a leader. Fairfax and his niece together with the treasure,
+were in Travers' house, at top of the bluff. They had to carry out an
+attack there, which probably meant more fighting. What really happened
+there, of course, I do not know."
+
+"It can be easily imagined," said Watkins soberly. "Estada has no
+mercy; he is a born devil. I have seen him kill just for the pleasure
+of it. With Sanchez to avenge he would be an unleashed demon. But it
+is not the fate of those men to consider now; it is what will befall
+this girl prisoner. You have no plan?"
+
+"None; to become a member of the crew was my only thought. But I must
+act, if at all, before the Captain recovers. He would recognize me at
+sight. You will aid, advise me?"
+
+The sailor sat silent; the former expression of humor in his face
+vanished.
+
+"That is easier to ask, than answer, mate," he admitted finally. "I am
+an English seaman, and will do my duty, but, so far as I can see,
+there is no plan we can make. It is God who will save the girl, if she
+is to be saved. He may use us to that end, but it is wholly beyond our
+power to accomplish it alone. The only thing I can do is to sound out
+the men aboard, and learn just what we can expect of them if any
+opportunity to act comes. There are not more than a dozen at most to
+be relied upon."
+
+"And my part?"
+
+"Do nothing at present. Play your part, and keep quiet. If you can let
+her know of your presence aboard without discovery it might be
+best--for if she saw you suddenly, unprepared, she might say or do
+something to betray you. There are other reasons why it may be best
+for her to know she is not entirely deserted."
+
+He leaned over, motioning me toward him, until his lips were at my
+ear.
+
+"It may not prove as hopeless as it appears now," he whispered
+confidentially. "I helped carry Sanchez to his stateroom, and washed
+and dressed his wound. There is no surgeon aboard, but I have some
+skill in such matters. He has a bad cut, and is very weak from loss of
+blood. The question of our success hinges on Pedro Estada."
+
+"What he will do, you mean?"
+
+"Yes; this is a chance which I happen to know he has long been waiting
+for. The only question is, has he the nerve to act. I doubt if he has
+alone, but LeVere is with him, and that half-breed would cut the
+throat of his best friend. You understand?--the death of Sanchez would
+make Estada chief. The two men hate each other--why not? There was a
+plan before which failed; this time it may not fail."
+
+"But," I interposed, "in that case what would the crew do?"
+
+"Accept Estada, no doubt; at least the cut-throats would be with him,
+for he is of their sort. All they care for is blood and booty. But
+Sanchez's death would save you from discovery, and," his voice still
+lower, so that I barely distinguished the words, "in the confusion
+aboard, if we were ready, the _Namur_ might be so disabled as to
+compel them to run her ashore for repairs. That would give you a
+chance. If once we reach Porto Grande there is no hope."
+
+A marling-spike pounded on the scuttle, and Haines' voice roared down.
+
+"Port watch! Hustle out bullies!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+I ACCEPT A PROPOSAL
+
+
+I went on deck with the watch, and mingled with them forward. No one
+in authority took any particular notice of me, and I was permitted to
+take hold with the others at the various tasks. A Portuguese boatswain
+asked me who I was, and later reported my presence to LeVere, who had
+charge of the deck, but the only result was my being set at polishing
+the gun mounted on the forecastle. The mulatto did not come forward,
+and I rejoiced at having my status aboard so easily settled, and being
+permitted to remain in the same watch with Watkins.
+
+It was a dull gray morning, the gloominess of the overhanging clouds
+reflected in the water. Men on lookout were stationed in the fore-top
+and on the heads, yet the sharpest eyes could scarcely see beyond a
+half mile in any direction. The sea came at us in great ocean swells,
+but the stout bark fought a passage through them, shivering with each
+blow, yet driven forward on her course by half-reefed sails, standing
+hard as boards in the sweep of the steady gale. Two men struggled at
+the wheel, and there were times when LeVere paused in his promenade
+from rail to rail to give them a helping hand. His anxiety was
+evidenced by his hailing the mast-head every few moments, only to
+receive each time the same response. The mist failed to lift, but
+seemed to shut us in more closely with every hour, the wind growing
+continually more boisterous, but LeVere held on grimly. I was kept at
+the guns during the entire time of our watch. Besides the Long Tom
+forward, a vicious piece, two swivel guns were on each side,
+completely concealed by the thick bulwarks, and to be fired through
+ports, so ingeniously closed as to be imperceptible a few yards away.
+All these pieces of ordnance were kept covered by tarpaulin so that at
+a little distance the _Namur of Rotterdam_ appeared like a peaceful
+Dutch trader.
+
+There was a brass carronade at the stern in plain view, and so mounted
+as to be swung inboard in case of necessity. Its ugly muzzle could
+thus rake the deck fore and aft, but the presence of such a piece
+would create no suspicion in those days when every ship was armed for
+defense, and consequently no effort was made for its concealment. I
+was busily at work on this bit of ordnance, when Estada came on deck
+for a moment. After staring aloft, and about the horizon into the
+impenetrable mist, he joined LeVere at the port rail in a short
+earnest conversation. As the two worthies parted the fellow chanced to
+observe me. I caught the quick look of recognition in his eyes, but
+bent to my work as though indifferent to his presence, yet failed to
+escape easily.
+
+"You must be a pretty tough bird, Gates," he said roughly, "or I would
+have killed you last night--I had the mind too."
+
+Something about his voice and manner led me to feel that, in spite of
+his roughness, he was not in bad humor.
+
+"That would have been a mistake, sir," I answered, straightening up,
+rag in hand, "for it would have cost you a good seaman."
+
+"Hoila! they are easily picked up; one, more or less, counts for
+little in these seas."
+
+He looked at me searchingly, for the first time perhaps, actually
+noting my features. In spite of my dirty, disheveled appearance and
+the bruises disfiguring my face, this scrutiny must have aroused his
+curiosity.
+
+"Why do you say that, my man?" he questioned sharply. "You were before
+the mast and drifted aboard here because you were drunk--isn't that
+true?"
+
+"Partially, yes. It was drink that put me before the mast." I
+explained, rejoicing in his mood, and suddenly hoping such a statement
+might help my status aboard. "Three years ago I was skipper on my own
+vessel. It was Rum ruined me."
+
+"Saint Christopher! Do you mean to say you can read charts, and take
+observations?"
+
+I smiled, encouraged by his surprise, and the change in his tone.
+
+"Yes, sir; I saw ten years' service as mate."
+
+"What was your last ship?"
+
+"The _Bombay Castle_, London to Hong Kong; I wrecked her off Cape
+Mendez in a fog. I was drunk below, and it cost me my ticket."
+
+"You know West Indian waters?"
+
+"Slightly; I made two voyages to Panama, and one to Havana."
+
+"And speak Spanish?"
+
+"A little bit, sir, as you see; I learn languages easily."
+
+He stared straight into my face, but, without uttering another word,
+turned on his heel and went below. Whether, or not, I had made an
+impression on the fellow I did not know. His face was a mask perfectly
+concealing his thought. That he had appeared interested enough to
+question me had in it a measure of encouragement. He would surely
+remember, and sometime he might have occasion to make use of me. At
+least I would no longer remain in his mind as a mere foremast hand to
+be kicked about, and spoken to like a dog. I went back to my polishing
+of brass in a more cheerful mood--perhaps this would prove the first
+step leading to my greater future liberty on the _Namur_. I had
+finished my labor on the carronade, and was fastening down securely
+the tarpaulin, when a thin, stoop-shouldered fellow, with a hang-dog
+face crept up the ladder to the poop, and shuffled over to where
+LeVere was gazing out over the rail, oblivious to his approach.
+
+"Mister LeVere, sir," he spoke apologetically, his voice no more than
+a wisp of sound.
+
+The mulatto wheeled about startled.
+
+"Oh, it's you! Well, what is it, Gunsaules?"
+
+"Senor Estada, sir; he wishes to see a sailor named Gates in the
+cabin."
+
+"Who? Gates? Oh, yes, the new man." He swept his eyes about, until he
+saw me. "Gates is your name, isn't it?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Follow the steward below; Senor Estada wishes to see you--go just as
+you are."
+
+"Very good, sir--is this the steward?"
+
+The fellow led the way, amusing me by the peculiar manner in which
+his long legs clung to the ladder, and then wobbled about on the
+rolling deck until he attained the protection of the companion-way. A
+half dozen broad, uncarpeted steps led down into the after cabin,
+which was plain and practically without furniture, except for a bare
+table suspended from the upper beams and a few chairs securely resting
+in chocks. The deck was bare, but had been thoroughly scrubbed, the
+water not entirely dried, and forward there was a rack of small arms,
+the polished steel shining in the gray light of the transom overhead.
+The Dutch character of the bark was very apparent here, in the
+excessively heavy deck beams, and the general gloom of the interior,
+finished off in dark wood and ornamented with carved paneling. Filled
+with wonderment as to why I had been sent for, I halted at the foot of
+the steps gazing about the dreary interior, surprised at its positive
+dinginess. There were evidently six staterooms opening on the main
+cabin, and these must be little more than boxes to judge from the
+breadth of the vessel. What was farther aft I could not determine
+because of a lack of light, but as no stern ports were visible, it was
+to be assumed that this gave space for two more larger staterooms
+directly astern--occupied probably by the Captain and his first
+officer. There was no one in the main cabin, although a cat lay asleep
+on one of the chairs, and after a moment's hesitancy, I followed the
+beckoning steward, who rapped with his knuckles on one of the side
+doors. Estada's voice answered.
+
+"Who is it?"
+
+"Gunsaules, Senor; I have with me the sailor."  "Open the door, and
+let him in; I would see him here. Come inside, Gates." His eyes
+surveyed us both in the narrow opening. "That will be all Juan; no one
+is to be admitted until I tell you--and, 'twill be well for you to
+remain by the stairs on guard, you understand?"
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"Another thing," sternly, "don't let me catch you listening outside
+the door; if I do God have mercy on you."
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+I stepped inside, doubtful enough of what all this might mean, yet
+quite prepared to accept of any chance it might offer. Gunsaules
+closed the door softly, but I had already visioned the apartment in
+all its details. It was small, and nearly square, a swinging lantern
+in the center, a single bunk on one side, and a small table on the
+other, screwed to the wall, and covered with charts and various
+papers. A few books were upon a shelf above this, and a sea chest was
+shoved under the bunk. Some oilskins, together with a suit of clothes
+dangled from wooden pins, while the only other furniture consisted of
+a straight-backed chair, and a four-legged stool. The round port stood
+partly open, and through it I could see the gray expanse of water.
+
+All these I perceived at a glance, but the instant the door closed
+behind me my entire attention concentrated on Estada. He sat upright
+in the chair gazing straight at me, his own face clearly revealed in
+the light from the open port. It seemed to me I was looking at the man
+for the first time, and it was not a pleasant picture. His face was
+swarthy, long and thin, with hard, set lips under a long, intensely
+black moustache, his cheeks strangely crisscrossed by lines. The nose
+was large, distinctively Roman, yielding him a hawklike appearance,
+but it was his eyes which fascinated me. They were dark, and deeply
+set, absolute wells of cruelty. I had never before seen such eyes in
+the face of a human being; they were beastly, devilish; I could feel
+my blood chill as I looked into their depths, yet I held myself erect,
+and waited for the man to speak. It seemed a long delay, yet doubtless
+was scarcely more than a moment. Then his lips curled in what was
+meant to be a smile, and he waved his hand.
+
+"Sit down on the stool, Gates. Have you any knowledge of Portuguese?"
+
+"None whatever, sir."
+
+"Nor do I English; so we shall have to rely on the language of Spain."
+
+"I am hardly expert in that" I explained. "But if you do not talk too
+fast, I can manage fairly well."
+
+"I shall speak simply. Wait a moment."
+
+He arose, stepped quietly to the door, and glanced out, returning
+apparently satisfied.
+
+"I don't trust that damned steward," he said, "nor, as a matter of
+fact, anyone else wholly." He paused, and stared at me; then added:
+"I've never had any faith in your race, Gates, but am inclined to use
+you."
+
+"I do not know any special reason why you should sir."
+
+"No more do I. Every Englishman I ever knew was a liar, and a sneaking
+poltroon. I was brought up to hate the race, and always have. I can't
+say that I like you any better than the others. By God! I don't, for
+the matter of that. But just now you can be useful to me if you are
+of that mind. This is a business proposition, and it makes no odds if
+we hate each other, so the end is gained. How does that sound?"
+
+I shifted my position so as to gain a clearer view of his face. I was
+still wholly at sea as to what the fellow was driving at--yet,
+evidently enough he was in earnest. It was my part to find out.
+
+"Not altogether bad," I admitted. "I have been in some games of chance
+before."
+
+"I thought as much," eagerly, "and money has the same chink however it
+be earned. You could use some?"
+
+"If I had any to use; after a sailor has been drunk there is not apt
+to be much left in his pockets."
+
+He reached across into the upper bunk, and brought forth a bottle and
+glass, placing these upon the table at his elbow.
+
+"Have a drink first," he said, pouring it out. "It will stiffen your
+nerve."
+
+"Thanks, no, Senor. I have nerve enough and once I start that sort of
+thing there is no stopping. Take it yourself and then tell me what is
+in the wind."
+
+"I will, Gates," affecting cordiality, although I somehow felt that my
+refusal to imbibe had aroused a faint suspicion in his mind. "But I
+would rather you would show yourself a good fellow. I like to see a
+man take his liquor and hold it."
+
+He sat down the emptied glass, and straightened back in the chair, his
+eyes searching as ever.
+
+"The fact is," he began doubtfully, "what you just said to me on deck
+chanced to be of interest. You were not boasting?"
+
+"I answered your questions truthfully, if that is what you mean."
+
+"You are a navigator?"
+
+"I was in command of ships for four years, Senor; naturally I know
+navigation."
+
+"Do you mind if I test you?"
+
+"Not in the least; although it will have to be in English; as I do not
+know the Spanish sea terms."
+
+"Let that go then; I will soon learn if you have lied, and that will
+be a sorry day for you. I'll tell you, Gates, how matters stand
+aboard, and why I have need of your skill. Then you may take your
+choice--the forecastle, or the cabin?"
+
+"You invite me aft, Senor?"
+
+"I give you a chance to move your dunnage, if you will do my work," he
+explained seriously. "Listen now. Sanchez has been badly hurt. It may
+be weeks before he leaves his cabin, if, indeed, he ever does. That
+leaves me in command with but one officer, the mulatto, LeVere. This
+might answer to take us safely to Porto Grande, as we could stand
+watch and watch, but Francois is no sailor. It was his part on board
+to train and lead the fighting men--he cannot navigate. Saint
+Christopher! I fear to leave him alone in charge of the deck while I
+snatch an hour's sleep."
+
+"I see," I admitted. "And yourself, Senor? You are a seaman?"
+
+He hated to confess, yet my eyes were honest, and met his squarely.
+
+"Enough to get along, but not quite sure as to my figures. I have
+taken no sights, except as we came north, on this trip. 'Tis for this
+reason I need you--but you will play me no smart English trick, my
+man, or I'll have you by the heels at once. I know enough to verify
+your figures."
+
+"I thought of no trick, Estada." I said coldly, now satisfied as to
+his purpose, and confident of my own power. "English, or otherwise. It
+is well we understand each other. You would have me as navigator, very
+well--at what terms?"
+
+His eyes seemed to narrow, and become darker.
+
+"With rating as first officer, and your fair proportion of all
+spoils."
+
+"You mean then to continue the course? To attack vessels on the high
+seas?"
+
+"Why not?" sneeringly. "Are you too white-livered for that sort of
+job? If so, then you are no man for me. It is a long voyage to Porto
+Grande, and no reason why we should hurry home; the welcome there will
+be better if we bring chests of gold aboard. Ay, and the thought will
+put hope into the hearts of the crew; they are restless now from long
+waiting."
+
+"But Captain Sanchez? You have no surgeon I am told. Will he not
+suffer from neglect of his wound?"
+
+"Suffer? No more than under a leech ashore. All that can be done, has
+been. There are men aboard able to treat any ordinary wound. His was a
+clean knife thrust, which has been washed, treated with lotion, and
+bound up. No leech could do more."
+
+"And my quarters--will they be aft?"
+
+"You will have your choice of those at port. Come now--have you an
+answer ready?"
+
+"I would be a fool not to have," heartily. "I am your man Estada."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+I WARN DOROTHY
+
+
+The Portuguese, evidently well pleased at my prompt acceptance of his
+proposal, talked on for some time, explaining to me something of the
+situation aboard the _Namur_, and pointing out what he believed to be
+our position on the chart. I asked a few questions, although I paid
+but little attention to what he said, my mind being busied with
+searching out his real purpose. No doubt the situation was very nearly
+as he described it to be--LeVere was no navigator, and Estada himself
+only an indifferent one. Yet at that the course to the West Indies was
+not a long one, and, if the Portuguese had been able to bring the bark
+from there to the Chesapeake, the return voyage should not terrify him
+greatly. No, that was not the object; he was planning to keep at sea,
+to waylay and attack merchant ships, and then, after a successful
+cruise, arrive at Porto Grande, laden with spoils, and hailed as a
+great leader. His plan was to dispose of Sanchez--even to permit the
+Spaniard to die of his wounds; possibly even to hasten and assure that
+death by some secret resort to violence. No doubt LeVere was also
+concerned in the conspiracy, and would profit by it, and possibly
+these two were likewise assured of the cooperation of the more
+reckless spirits among the crew. I remembered what Watkins had
+whispered to me forward--his suspicions of them both. He had been
+right; already the fuse was being laid, and, very fortunately, I
+happened to be chosen to help touch it off. The chance I had sought
+blindly, was being plainly revealed.
+
+It was evident enough, however, that Estada had no intention of
+trusting me immediately with his real motives. His confidence was
+limited, and his instructions related altogether to mere matters of
+ship routine. I asked a few questions, and twice he lied coolly, but I
+dared not mention the girl in any way, for fear that even a casual
+reference to her presence on board, might arouse his suspicions of my
+interest. We were at sea, and my presence aft gave me opportunity to
+observe all that was going on in the cabin. I could await
+developments. But I was becoming wearied by the man.
+
+"I understand perfectly, Senor," I broke in at last impatiently. "You
+will have to take for granted that I can enforce sea discipline, and
+navigate your boat to whatever part of the ocean you desire to sail.
+All I need is your orders. This, I take it, is all you require of me?"
+
+"Yes; I plan, you execute."
+
+"Very good; now about myself," and I arose to my feet, determined to
+close the interview. "I would study these charts, and figure out our
+probable position by dead reckoning--there is little chance of having
+glimpse of the sun today; the fog out there grows heavier. You say I
+may choose any stateroom on the port side?"
+
+"They are all unoccupied, except one, used by the steward as a
+storeroom."
+
+I opened the door, and stepped out into the main cabin, the roll of
+charts under my arm. The place was deserted, and, with a glance
+about, met Estada's eyes observing me closely. He didn't wait for me
+to question him.
+
+"Captain Sanchez's stateroom is aft," he said, with a wave of the
+hand.
+
+"The entire width of the bark?"
+
+"No, there are two rooms."
+
+"He is left alone?"
+
+"Jose is with him--a negro, with a knack at nursing."
+
+"Who else is quartered aft here?"
+
+He ignored the one thing I most desired to learn, but I did not press
+it, believing I knew the answer already.
+
+"LeVere has this middle stateroom, and Mendez the one forward."
+
+"What rank has Mendez?"
+
+"Third officer, and carpenter. Just at present with LeVere required on
+deck, he has charge of the men below."
+
+"The crew, you mean?"
+
+"Not the working crew; they are quartered in the forecastle, and are
+largely English and Swede. But we have to carry extra men, who bunk
+amidships--hell-hounds to fight; damn mongrels of course."
+
+"You keep them below, all through the voyage?"
+
+"They are allowed on deck amidships when we are at sea, but are not
+encouraged to mingle with the sailors. We're over a powder magazine
+all the time, Gates--any spark might set it off."
+
+I opened one of the doors opposite, and glanced within. The interior
+differed but little from that of the stateroom occupied by Estada,
+except it was minus the table. No doubt they were all practically
+alike.
+
+"This will do very well," I said, quietly. "Now how about clothes?
+These I wear look rather rough for the new job."
+
+"I'll send you the steward; he'll fix you out from the slop-chest.
+We're always well supplied."
+
+I was glad to see him go and closed the door on him with a sigh of
+relief. His eyes seemed to exercise a peculiar influence over me, a
+snakelike charm, against which I had to constantly battle. I threw the
+bundle of charts into the upper bunk, and unscrewed the glass of the
+port to gain a view without, and a breath of fresh air. There was
+nothing to see but a small vista of gray sea, blending into the gray
+mist, and the waves on this side ran so high I was compelled to close
+the port to keep out the spray. I sat down on the stool, staring about
+the compartment, realizing suddenly how well fortune had served my
+cause--the chance to impersonate the drunken sailor; the meeting with
+Watkins, my chance words to Estada on deck, and now this translation
+from forecastle to cabin. It had all occurred so quickly, almost
+without effort on my part, I could do little but wonder what strange
+occurrence would be next. What, indeed, was there for me to do except
+to await developments? Only one thing occurred to me--I must discover
+some means immediately of communicating with Dorothy Fairfax.
+
+The importance of this could not be overestimated. With myself
+quartered aft, and eating in the cabin, we were bound to meet sooner
+or later; and the girl must previously be warned of my presence
+aboard, or in her first surprise at the recognition, I should be
+instantly betrayed. Nothing would escape Estada, and the slightest
+evidence that we two had formerly met, would awaken his suspicion. My
+only hope of success lay in my ability to increase his faith in my
+pledges. The necessity of having a competent navigator aft alone
+accounted for my promotion. The Portuguese neither liked nor trusted
+me; he hated and despised my race; he would have me watched, and would
+carefully check over my figures. I should be compelled to serve him
+faithfully and without arousing the slightest question in his mind, in
+order to establish myself in his esteem, or gain any real freedom
+aboard. Yet, if I was to serve the girl, there must be, first of all,
+intelligent cooperation between us. She must not only know of my
+presence on the _Namur_, but also the purpose actuating me. I had
+reached this conclusion, when a light hesitating knock sounded on the
+door.
+
+"Who is there?"
+
+"The steward, Senor, with your clothes?"
+
+"Bring them in."
+
+Gunsaules entered, the garments over his arm, and shuffled in his
+peculiar gliding manner across to the bunk where he laid out the
+pieces carefully one by one, evidently proud of his selection.
+
+"Quite a beautiful piece of goods, Senor," he ventured, speaking so
+softly I could barely distinguish the words above the crash of the
+waves on the ship's side. "And most excellently tailored. I do not
+remember whether these came out of the _Adair_ or _La Rosalie_--the
+French ship most likely, for as you see, Senor, there is quite the
+Parisian cut to this coat. I mark these things for I was once
+apprenticed to a tailor in Madrid."
+
+He stood fondling the garment lovingly, the expression of his face so
+solemnly interested, I had difficulty in suppressing a laugh.
+
+"Some change in your trade, Gunsaules. Did you take this one up from
+choice? You do not look to me like a fighting man."
+
+He glanced apprehensively at the open door, speaking even lower than
+before, if possible.
+
+"No more am I, Senor. The blood make me faint. I go hungry in Santo
+Domingo--God forgive me for ever going there!--and, to keep from
+starving I took this job."
+
+"With Sanchez, or before the bark was captured?"
+
+"Before, Senor. The captain's name was Schmitt. Not since have I been
+ashore, but they spare me because I was Spanish."
+
+I would have asked the fellow more, perhaps even have tested him in
+his loyalty to his new masters; but I felt this was neither place nor
+time. Estada might return, and besides the man was evidently a
+poor-spirited creature, little apt to be of service even if he so
+desired.
+
+"The clothes seem to be all right, Steward," I said rather briskly,
+"and I judge will fit. Now hunt me up first of all something to shave
+with, then some tobacco and a pipe and--yes, wait a second; writing
+materials."
+
+"Yes, Senor."
+
+"And, by the way, there are two staterooms astern. Who occupies the
+one to starboard--Senor Estada?"
+
+"No Senor; it is the young lady."
+
+"Oh, the one brought aboard last night. Have you seen her?"  "Si,
+Senor; she is English, and good to look at, but she sit and stare out
+the stern port. She will not speak or eat. I take in her breakfast,
+but she touch not a morsel. So I tell Senor Estada, and he say, 'then
+bring her out to dinner with me; I'll make the hussy eat, if I have to
+choke it down her dainty throat,'"
+
+"Good; I'll have a look at her myself then. Now hurry up those things,
+Steward, and remember what I sent you after."
+
+He brought the shaving set, and writing materials first, explaining
+that he would have to go down into the lazaret, and break open some
+packages for the tobacco and pipe. The moment the fellow disappeared I
+grasped the opportunity. Where Estada had gone, whether back into his
+stateroom, or on deck, I had no means of knowing. In fact this could
+make little difference, for it was not likely he would leave me alone
+for any great length of time. It must already be approaching the end
+of LeVere's watch, and I would certainly be called upon to relieve
+him. And, following my turn on deck would be dinner in the cabin, and
+the probable encounter with Dorothy. This clearly meant that I must
+communicate with the girl immediately, or not at all. I dashed off a
+note hurriedly--a brief line merely stating my presence on board, and
+begging her not to exhibit surprise at meeting me. I had no time in
+which to explain, or make clear the situation. With this folded and
+concealed in my hand, I silently pushed open the door, and took a
+hasty glance about the cabin.
+
+It was unoccupied, yet I must move with caution. It was possible for
+one on deck to look down through the skylight, and even if Estada was
+not in his own room, the nurse assigned to Sanchez might be awake and
+appear at any moment. The risk was not small, yet must be taken, and I
+crept swiftly forward following the circle of the staterooms, until I
+came to the closed door of the one I sought aft. I bent here an
+instant, listening for some sound from within, but heard none. I dared
+not remain, or even venture to test the lock. Gunsaules had said this
+was her place of confinement, and there was seemingly no reason why
+she should have been given a guard. Beyond doubt the girl was within
+and alone, and I must trust her quick intelligence to respond to my
+written message. I thrust it through the narrow opening above the
+sill, and the moment it disappeared within, stole swiftly back to my
+own room. The action had not been seen, and yet I had scarcely a
+moment to spare. Before I could lather my face, standing before a
+small cracked mirror, bracing myself to the roll of the bark, the
+steward returned, bearing in his hands tobacco and pipe.
+
+Estada, however, remained away longer than I had anticipated he would,
+and I was fully dressed and comfortably smoking before he came down
+from the deck and crossed the cabin to my partially open door.
+
+"The starboard watch has been called," he said, "and you are to take
+charge of the deck, relieving LeVere. I waited to explain the
+situation to the men before you appeared. I suppose you are ready?"
+
+"Ay, ay, Senor," knocking the ashes out of my pipe, and rising. He
+eyed my clothes disapprovingly.
+
+"Rather a fancy rig, Gates, for a first officer on duty."  "Some
+style I admit, Senor, but they were all the steward offered me."
+
+"You'll have to carry a hard fist, my man, to back up that costume
+aboard the _Namur_," he said coldly. "Those black devils are apt to
+mistake you for a plaything."
+
+"Let them test it once; they will soon find I have the hard fist. I've
+tamed wild crews before today and it might as well be first as last. I
+suppose half measures do not go with these lads."
+
+"Santa Maria---no! It is kill, or be killed, in our trade, and they
+will try out your metal. Come on now."
+
+I followed him up the stairs to the deck. His words had in no way
+alarmed me, but served rather to harden my resolve. I looked for
+trouble, and was inclined to welcome it, anxious indeed to prove to
+Estada my ability to handle men. Nothing else would so quickly appeal
+to him, or serve so rapidly to establish me in his esteem; and to win
+his confidence was my chief concern. Nothing occurred, however, to
+cause any breach of authority. A few fellows were lounging amidships
+and stared idly at us as we mounted to the poop deck. These were of
+the fighting contingent I supposed, and the real members of the crew
+were forward. LeVere was still on duty, and came forward and shook
+hands at my appearance.
+
+"Rather glad I didn't drown you," he said, intending to be pleasant.
+"But hope you'll not run amuck in the after cabin."
+
+"I shall try not too, unless I have cause," I answered, looking him
+square in the eyes, and determining to make my position clear at once.
+"Senor Estada tells me I am to relieve you. What is the course?"
+
+"Sou'west, by half sou'."
+
+"We might be carrying more canvas."
+
+"There is nothing to hurry about, and the fog is thick."
+
+"That will probably lift within an hour. Do you know your position?"
+
+"Only in a general way. We have held an east by south course since
+leaving the Capes, until an hour ago, making about ten knots."
+
+"Very well, I will figure it out as best I can, and mark it on the
+chart. There is nothing further to report?"
+
+"No Senor; all has been as it is now."
+
+He glanced toward Estada, not greatly pleased I presume with my
+brusqueness, yet finding nothing in either words or manner from which
+to evoke a quarrel. The latter had overheard our conversation, but he
+stood now with back toward us looking out on the sea off the port
+quarter. His silent indifference caused LeVere to shrug his shoulders,
+and disappear down the ladder on his way below. I turned my face to
+the man at the wheel--it was the giant negro--Cochose.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THE CABIN OF THE NAMUR
+
+
+Both huge black hands grasped the spokes, and it was evident that it
+required all his giant strength to control the bucking wheel. He was
+an ugly-looking brute, the lower portion of his face apelike, and the
+wool growing so low as to leave him scarcely an inch of forehead. His
+eyes lifted an instant from the binnacle card to glance at me
+curiously. They exhibited no flash of recognition. With sudden relief,
+and a determination to thoroughly assure myself, I stepped forward and
+accosted him.
+
+"Little heavy for one man, isn't it?"
+
+"Oh, Ah don't mind, boss," his thick lips grinning. "Ah's bin alone
+worse tricks den dis."
+
+"You seem to be holding the course, all right--sou'west, by sou',
+Senor LeVere says."
+
+"Yas, Senor."
+
+"What is your name?"
+
+"Cochose, Senor; Ah's a French nigger."
+
+"Very good, Cochose; my name is Gates, and I am the new first officer.
+If you need any help, let me know."
+
+He nodded, still grinning, to let me realize he understood, and I
+stepped aside, confident that the fellow retained no recollection of
+my features. The relief of this knowledge was considerable, and I
+gazed over the bark forward with a new feeling of security. Thus far
+I had successfully passed the test, and been accepted by all on board.
+The only remaining danger of recognition lay in the early recovery of
+Sanchez, and, as I glanced aside at Estada the conviction became fixed
+in my mind that such recovery was doubtful. I felt that I had already
+penetrated the cowardly plan of the Portuguese, but felt no
+inclination to interpose. Indeed I had more occasion to dread the
+return of Sanchez to command than did Estada himself. With me life was
+at stake; while with him it was but the goal of ambition and power.
+Brutal and evil minded as Estada undoubtedly was, I had taken his
+measure, and felt confident of being able to outwit him; but Sanchez
+would prove a different problem, for he possessed brains and cool,
+resourceful courage. Of the two he was far more to be feared.
+
+For half an hour Estada hung about aft, apparently paying no attention
+to me, and yet watching my movements closely. There was little to be
+done, but I thought it best to keep the watch reasonably busy, so they
+might thus learn that I knew my work. They proved prompt and capable
+enough, although I was eyed with some curiosity when I went forward,
+and, no doubt was very thoroughly discussed behind my back. The idlers
+amidships were a totally different class--a mongrel scum, profanely
+chatting in Spanish, or swaggering about the deck, their very looks a
+challenge. However they kept out of my way, and I found no occasion to
+interfere with their diversions. After Estada left the deck the
+majority amused themselves gambling, and as I had received no orders
+to interfere, I permitted the games to proceed. Mendez interfered
+only once on occasion of a brief fight. My only instructions from the
+Portuguese on his going below was to call him at once if a sail was
+sighted. Apparently he was satisfied of my ability to command the
+deck.
+
+No occasion to call him arose during my watch. The mist of fog slowly
+rose, and drifted away, leaving a wide view of ocean, but revealed no
+glimpse of any other craft. The white-crested waves gleamed in the
+sun, as we plowed bravely through them, and the wind steadily
+decreased in violence. I had the crew shake out reefs in jib and
+foresail, and was surprised myself at the sailing qualities of the
+bark. In spite of breadth of beam, and heavy top-hamper, she possessed
+speed and ease of control, and must have been a pretty sight, as we
+bowled along through that deserted sea. Before my watch was up I could
+see Gunsaules through the skylight busily preparing the table in the
+cabin below. It was still daylight, but with a purple gleam across the
+waters, when LeVere arrived on deck for my relief. We were talking
+together abaft the wheel when Estada appeared in the companion-way.
+
+"Every promise of a clear night," he said, glancing about at the
+horizon. "Better change the course two points east LeVere; we are
+lying in too close to the coast for our purpose. The table call will
+come very shortly, Senor Gates."
+
+I washed up hastily in my stateroom, and came out into the cabin
+perplexed as to what might occur within the next few moments. Yet
+whatever the result, there was no avoiding it. Would the girl be
+called to join us, as the Portuguese had threatened? Had she received
+my note of warning? And if so, would she have the strength to play her
+part so as to avoid suspicion? Those keen searching eyes of Estada's
+would note every movement, observe every fleeting expression. He had
+no present doubt of me, only the caution natural to one leading his
+life of danger. He believed my story, and nothing thus far had arisen
+to bring him the slightest doubt. To his mind I was a reckless
+adventurer, ruined by drink, a drifting derelict, so glad to be picked
+up, and given rank, as to be forever grateful and loyal to the one
+aiding me. While his instinct made him distrust an Englishman, he
+already had some measure of faith in me personally, yet this
+confidence was still so light as to be completely shattered by the
+slightest mishap. My every move must be one of extreme caution.
+
+He and Estevan were awaiting me, the latter all rigged out, and with
+smooth black hair oiled and plastered down upon his forehead. I never
+beheld a more disagreeable face, or one which so thoroughly revealed
+the nature of a man. As I touched his hand, at Estada's brief
+introduction, it was as if I fingered a snake, and expected to be
+greeted with a kiss. Gunsaules hovered about an open door leading
+forward, and the table had been set for four. As I knew LeVere had
+eaten alone, before coming to my relief, the only conclusion was that
+the Portuguese intended that we be joined by the prisoner. Indeed he
+gave me little time for doubt.
+
+"This is your chair, Gates, and you will find we live well aboard the
+_Namur_--wine, women and song--hey, Manuel! Why not, when all are at
+command? Steward, you told the lady what my orders were?"
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"Then bid her join us."
+
+We stood in silence, as Gunsaules crossed the deck, and inserted a key
+in the afterstateroom door. Manuel was grinning in full enjoyment, but
+the expression on the face of Estada was that of grim cruelty.
+Evidently he expected a scene, an outburst of resentment, pleading and
+tears, and was ready enough to exercise his authority. Perhaps he
+meant all this as a lesson to me; perhaps it was no more than a
+natural exhibition of his nature. Yet his purpose to conquer was
+clearly depicted in his features---this woman would be made to obey,
+or else ruthlessly crushed. I felt my hands grip like iron on my chair
+back and my teeth clinch in restraint. God, but I would have liked to
+grip the fellow where he stood--all the bottled-up hatred in my soul
+struggling for action. Yet that would only mean the death of all hope,
+and I turned my eyes away from him, and stared with the others at the
+opening door. I failed to catch the words Gunsaules uttered, but they
+were instantly responded to. Out into the full light of the cabin the
+woman came, and halted, barely a step in advance of the steward, her
+head uplifted proudly, her eyes on us. Never before had I realized her
+beauty, her personality, as I did then. The glow of the light was upon
+her face, and there was color in her cheeks, and a strange appealing
+look in her eyes. Her posture was not that of defiance, nor of
+surrender; she stood as a woman defending her right to respect,
+sustained by a wonderful courage. I caught her glance, but there was
+no recognition in it; not by the flicker of an eyelid did she betray
+surprise, and yet in some mysterious manner a flash of intelligence
+passed between us. It was all instantaneous for her gaze seemed to
+concentrate on Estada as though she knew him as leader.
+
+"You sent for me? For what?" she asked, her Spanish clear and well
+chosen.
+
+"To join us at meal," he answered unmoved. "It is better than to
+remain alone."
+
+"Better! You must have a strange opinion of me to believe I would sit
+with murderers and thieves."
+
+"Harsh words, Senorita," and Estada grinned grimly. "Yet I expected
+them. There are many trades in the world by which men are robbed. We
+only work at the one we like best; nor will I discuss that with you.
+However, Senorita, I can say that we have taken no lives in this last
+affair."
+
+"No lives!" in sudden, incredulous surprise. "You mean my uncle
+lives?"
+
+"If you refer to Fairfax--the one in whose room the chest was hidden,
+I can reply truthfully that he lives. One of my men struck him down,
+but it was not a death blow. If that be the reason of your disdain,
+there is no cause. This chair is held for you."
+
+"But why was I brought away a prisoner? To be a plaything? A sport for
+your pleasure?"
+
+"That was but the orders of our chief; we await his recovery to learn
+his purpose."
+
+"Sanchez! was he your chief? A pirate?"
+
+"A buccaneer; we prey on the enemies of Spain," he explained,
+apparently believing his own words. "It is war with us, without regard
+to treaties. We rob only that we may carry on the war. They have
+robbed us, and now it has become our turn. It was at Captain Sanchez's
+orders we waited the arrival of your vessel from England. It seems he
+met you on the voyage."
+
+"Yes," breathlessly.
+
+"He loved you; he would, no doubt, have dealt with you honorably: I
+have reason to believe that to be his purpose now. To this end you
+gave him no encouragement--is not this true?"
+
+"I--I did not like him."
+
+"Yet it was his will that you should. Nothing will change his purpose.
+He is that kind, and he has the power. He determined that if you would
+not come to him by choice, you should be made to by force. You are
+here now by his orders and will remain until you consent to his
+purpose--all that remains for you to decide is whether you choose to
+be prisoner, or guest aboard."
+
+Her questioning, perplexed eyes turned from face to face, as though
+she could not grasp fully the purpose of what was said.
+
+"He--he is still alive--this Captain Sanchez?"
+
+"Yes, with a chance to survive."
+
+"And if he lives I am to be at his disposal?"
+
+"He is the chief here; his will is law aboard."
+
+"And if he should die?"
+
+Estada shrugged his shoulders indifferently.
+
+"Who knows!"
+
+Her lips tightened as though to hold back a cry while one hand pressed
+to the open door steadied her. The cheeks were no longer flushed, and
+there was a look in the searching eyes I did not like to see. It was
+a moment before she could control her voice.
+
+"I have heard them call you Estada," she said finally, determined to
+learn the whole truth. "Of what rank in this company are you?"
+
+"I am Pedro Estada, formerly the first officer, now, by occasion of
+Captain Sanchez's wound, in full command. These are two of my
+officers--Senor Gates, one of your own countrymen, and Manuel
+Estevan."
+
+"You are pirates?"
+
+He laughed unpleasantly, as though the word had an ugly sound even to
+his ears.
+
+"Rather call us sea rovers, Senorita. It better expresses our trade.
+Enough to admit that we serve under no flag, and confess no master.
+And now, that I have answered your questions, what is it to be between
+us--peace or war?"
+
+Her eyes drooped, and I could distinctly note the trembling of her
+slender figure. When she slowly raised her glance once more it rested
+on my face as though seeking approval, guidance.
+
+"If there be only the one choice," she said quietly. "I accept peace.
+I cannot live locked in that room alone, haunted by my thoughts and
+memories. If I pledge you my word, Senor, am I to enjoy the freedom of
+this cabin and the deck?"
+
+Estada looked at us, a shade of doubt in his eyes. I made no sign, but
+Manuel nodded.
+
+"Why not?" he asked in his harsh croak of a voice. "So long as we be
+at sea? What harm can the girl do?"
+
+"Perhaps none; I will take a half chance, at least. You shall have
+the freedom of the cabin. So long as you keep your word, while as to
+the deck we will consider that later. Prove you mean what you say by
+joining us here."
+
+My recollection of that meal is not of words, but of faces. I do not
+even clearly recall what it was we talked about, although it included
+a variety of topics, limited somewhat by lack of knowledge on the part
+of Estada and Manuel. The former attempted conversation, but soon gave
+up the effort in despair. His eyes, however, sought constantly the
+girl's face and to my consternation exhibited an interest in her
+personality which promised trouble. I know not whether she noticed
+this awakening admiration, but she certainly played her part with
+quiet modesty, speaking just enough to entertain, and hiding the deep
+anxiety against which she struggled. I believe that even the
+Portuguese reached the conclusion that she was not altogether
+regretful for this adventure and that it was safe for him to relax
+some degree of vigilance. His manner became more gracious and, long
+before the meal ended, his language had a tendency to compliment and
+flatter. I contented myself with occasional sentences. The young woman
+sat directly across from me, our words overheard by all, and as I knew
+both men possessed some slight knowledge of English, I dare not
+venture beyond commonplace conversation in that tongue. With quick wit
+she took her cue from me, so that nothing passed between us, either by
+word of mouth or glance of eye, to arouse suspicions.
+
+Believing the feeling of confidence would be increased by such action,
+I was first to leave the table, and it being my watch below,
+immediately retired to my room, noisily closing the door after me, yet
+refraining from letting the latch catch, thus enjoying a slight
+opening through which to both see and hear. Manuel did not linger
+long, making some excuse to go forward, but Estada remained for some
+time, endeavoring to entertain. She laughed at his efforts and
+appeared interested in encouraging him, so that he kept his spirit of
+good humor even amid these difficulties. His egotism made a fool of
+the man, yet even he finally became discouraged of making her
+comprehend his meaning, and lapsed into a silence which gave her an
+excuse to retire. This was accomplished so graciously as to leave no
+sting, the fellow actually accompanying her to the door of her
+stateroom, bowing his compliments as she disappeared within. The fool
+actually believed he had made a conquest and preened himself like a
+turkey cock.
+
+"Gunsaules."
+
+"Senor."
+
+"You need not lock the Senorita in her room or guard her in any way
+hereafter. She is permitted to come and go as she pleases aboard."
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"You have served the Captain and Jose? Yes--did the wounded man eat at
+all?"
+
+"A little soup, Senor; he would taste nothing else."
+
+Estada entered his own stateroom, leaving the door ajar. When he came
+out he had exchanged his coat for a rough jacket. Thus attired for a
+turn on deck, he disappeared through the companion.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+IN DOROTHY'S STATEROOM
+
+
+I stood crouched, with eye at the crack watchful of every movement in
+the lighted cabin, my own decision made. I must see and talk with
+Dorothy. We must understand each other, and the earlier we could thus
+begin working together in unison, the better. Gunsaules bore a tray of
+dishes from the Captain's room and then, after carefully wiping up the
+main table, and sliding it up out of the way on its stantions, placed
+a bottle of brandy and some glasses on a swinging shelf. Apparently
+satisfied that his work there was completed he turned down the light,
+and departed along the passage leading amidships. A moment later I
+heard the sound of dishes grinding together preparatory to being
+washed. No better opportunity for action was likely to occur, although
+the situation was not without peril. Jose might emerge at any instant
+from Sanchez's cabin, while I had no reason to be assured that Estada
+would remain long on deck. Even if he did, any movement below could be
+observed through the overhead glass. Indeed it might be with this
+purpose in view that he had gone outside. However I felt compelled to
+accept the chance. The light was so dim that I believed I could steal
+cautiously along in the deeper shadows without attracting attention
+from the deck, even if someone stood there on watch.
+
+I moved noiselessly leaving my own door slightly ajar, and crept
+along close to the side walls until I attained my destination.
+Nothing occurred causing me to fear my movements were detected. To
+have knocked at the closed door however softly might be overheard, so
+knowing it to be unlocked I merely lifted the latch noiselessly, and
+slipped quickly within. There was no light, except a glimmer of stars
+through a large after port, but against this faint radiance she stood
+vaguely revealed. Evidently the girl had been standing there, gazing
+out at the waters, and had turned swiftly about at my entrance,
+aroused by some slight sound. Her first thought must have been Estada,
+for there was a startled note of fear in her challenge.
+
+"Who are you? Why do you come here?"
+
+"Speak low," I cautioned. "You must know my voice."
+
+"Geoffry Carlyle!"
+
+"Yes, but do not use that name--all hope depends on my remaining
+unknown. You welcome me?"
+
+She came straight forward through the dim star-shine, a spectral
+figure, with both hands outstretched.
+
+"Welcome!" her tone that of intense sincerity. "Your presence gives me
+all the strength I have. But for you I should throw myself through
+that port into the sea. But I know not how you came here--tell me, you
+are not really one of these wretches?"
+
+"No; you must believe that first of all, and trust me."
+
+"I do--but--but tell me all you can."
+
+"Is there a divan here, or anywhere we can sit down together? I can
+see nothing in this darkness."
+
+"Yes, hold my hand while I guide you; we can sit here."  It was a
+couch of some kind against the outer wall. She did not release her
+grasp, seemingly gaining courage from this physical contact, and my
+fingers closed warmly over her own.
+
+"Now please," breathlessly, "how is it possible you are aboard this
+vessel--an officer?"
+
+I told her the strange story, as swiftly and simply as possible,
+speaking scarcely above a whisper, feeling as I progressed that I
+related a dream rather than a series of facts. It seemed to me she
+could scarcely be expected to believe the truth of what I said, and
+yet she did, almost unquestioningly, the clasp of her fingers
+perceptibly tightening as I proceeded. The soft light from the open
+port touched her face slightly, enough to reveal its outline and she
+sat so close beside me, her eyes uplifted to mine, that I could feel
+her breath upon my cheek.
+
+"Why, if---if you had not told me this yourself I could hardly believe
+such a tale," she exclaimed. "Yet it must be true, miraculous as it
+seems. But what is to be the ending? Have you any plan of escape?"
+
+"Hardly a plan. I have had no opportunity even to learn the true
+nature of the crew. Watkins is an honest sailor, and he has told me of
+others on whom I could rely. There are those aboard--but I do not know
+how many--who would mutiny if they had a leader, and a reasonable
+chance of success. I must reach these and learn who they are.
+Fortunately the voyage promises to be long enough to enable me to plan
+carefully."
+
+"You have discussed the voyage with this man--Estada?"  "He told me
+what he had decided upon; not to return to their rendezvous until
+after they had captured some prizes, and could go with gold chinking
+in their pockets."
+
+"They have gold already--the chest taken from my uncle."
+
+"That only serves to make such as these more greedy."
+
+"Where is their rendezvous?"
+
+"An island in the West Indies, probably not on the chart. They call it
+Porto Grande."
+
+"And they will sweep the ocean between here and there, seeking
+victims? Unarmed merchantmen to rob and sink? And you--you will be
+compelled to take part in such scenes, such acts of pillage and
+perhaps murder. Is this true?"
+
+"I presume I must seem to be one of them to avoid suspicion. There is
+some hope in my mind that we may chance to run into an English or
+French warship. Quite a few must be cruising in these waters. But
+these are only contingencies; they may happen and they may not. How we
+are to act under such conditions will have to be decided later. Now we
+must be content to seek release through our own efforts. Have you any
+suggestions?"
+
+She was silent for a long moment, during which she withdrew her hand,
+pressing it over her eyes as though thus to better concentrate her
+thoughts.
+
+"There is conspiracy on board already," she said finally "that you may
+not know about."
+
+"You mean to depose Sanchez?" I questioned in surprise.
+
+"Yes; you had suspicioned it? They thought me unconscious in the
+boat, and talked among themselves--the two at the stern, Estada and
+that beast, Manuel. I did not understand all they said, only a word or
+two, but I do not think they intend the Captain shall recover."
+
+"You think it best that he should?"
+
+"Oh, I do not know; there is no best that I can see. Yet I would have
+more faith in being spared disgrace if at the mercy of Sanchez, than
+his lieutenant. Both may be equally guilty, equally desperate, but
+they are not the same men."
+
+"True, but I know not which is to be most feared."
+
+"I may be wrong," she insisted, "for I judge as a woman, yet I would
+feel safer with Sanchez. He cares not much for me, perhaps, yet enough
+so that I possess some power over him. The other does not--he merely
+desires with the passions of a brute. No appeal would reach him; he
+would laugh at tears and find pleasure in suffering. I do not quite
+believe this of Sanchez."
+
+"Perhaps not---the other may be the greater beast."
+
+"I know he is; the proof is in those horrid eyes. What is the man? Of
+what race?"
+
+"Portuguese, I am told, but likely a half-breed."
+
+"Ugh! it makes me shudder to even look at him; and yet you would have
+me appear friendly?"
+
+"We cannot permit him to feel that either of us are enemies. He is the
+power aboard; our lives, everything are in his hands. If he means to
+be rid of Sanchez, the man is doomed, for he will find a way to
+accomplish his purpose at whatever cost; murder means nothing to these
+men."
+
+"Of course you are right," she acknowledged. "Our case is so
+desperate we must resort to any weapons. You believe it will serve
+the possibility of escape if I permit this monster to imagine that I
+have some interest in him?"
+
+"To do so might delay the explosion," I replied gravely, "and just now
+any delay is welcome. I know how such an effort will try you, but the
+end may be well worth the sacrifice. I doubt if even Estada will
+resort to force on board; indeed force will be the very last card he
+will care to play in your case. He is a brute, and capable of any
+crime, yet at heart a coward. There is reason why he will fear to
+assault you. You are English and all the practical seamen on board are
+from northern Europe--English and Scandinavian. These men are not
+pirates from choice--they are prisoners who have taken on to save
+their own lives. With his bullies and cut-throats amidships he can
+compel them to work, but he dare not go too far. Once these fellows
+unite in mutiny they could take the ship. An assault on you would be
+dangerous."
+
+"It is these men you count on?"
+
+"Yes; but for me to gain their confidence and leadership will require
+time. I must reach them all secretly and alone. Not more than half are
+in my watch, and Watkins must approach the others. A plan for
+concerted action will have to be arranged, and every precaution taken.
+The slightest slip would mean failure, and merciless punishment. Even
+if I succeed in gathering together all these better elements on board,
+we shall yet be outnumbered two to one, perhaps more, and our only
+hope rests in surprise. At best the situation is absolutely
+desperate--but I see no other solution."
+
+"And my service is deceit--the acting of a part to blind the eyes of
+Estada?"
+
+"I sincerely believe your greater chance of security lies in this
+course. The fellow is a supreme egotist; opposition will anger him,
+while flattery will make him subservient. You have the wit and
+discretion to hold him within certain limits. It is a dangerous game,
+I admit, and a disagreeable one, but the case requires desperate
+remedies."
+
+She lifted her eyes, searching my face through the dim light.
+
+"Geoffry Carlyle," she said, at last, a tremor in the low voice,
+"there is no sacrifice I would not make to preserve my honor. I hate
+this man; I dread his touch; I shrink from contact with him, as I
+would from a snake, but I am not going to refuse to do my part. If you
+say this is right, and justified, I will consent."
+
+"I believe it is."
+
+"And you will not lose faith in me?" she questioned earnestly. "It
+will not lower your belief in my womanhood?"
+
+"Nothing could do that. Mistress Dorothy, I want you to realize the
+depth of my interest and respect. Your friendliness has meant much to
+me, and I would never urge you to lower your ideals. But we must face
+this situation as it is. You cannot cling now to the standards of
+London, or even Maryland. We are on the ocean, upon a pirate ship,
+surrounded by men utterly devoid of all restraint--hell-hounds of the
+sea, who live by murder and pillage. We possess but two weapons of
+defense--deceit, or force. A resort to the latter is at present
+impossible. I cannot conceive that you are lowering yourself in any
+way by using the power you possess to escape violence--"
+
+"The power I possess?"
+
+"Yes--beauty and wit. These are your weapons, and most effective ones.
+You can play with Estada and defeat him--temporarily at least. I
+confess there is danger in such a game--he is a wild beast, and his
+evil nature may overcome his discretion. You are armed?"
+
+"No; I have never felt the need."
+
+"Then take this," and I thrust a pistol into her hands. "I took it
+from the rack in the cabin, and can get another. It is charged; keep
+it hidden about your person, but use it only when all else fails. Do
+you see this necessity now from my standpoint?"
+
+"Yes," hesitatingly, "all that you say is true, but--but the thought
+frightens me; it--it is like creeping into a lion's cage having only a
+fan with which to defend myself."
+
+I smiled at her conceit.
+
+"A fan rightly used is no insignificant weapon. In the hands of a
+woman it has won many a victory. I have faith in your wielding it to
+the best effect--the lasting discomfiture of Senor Estada."
+
+"You laugh," indignantly, "believing me a coquette--a girl to play
+with men?"
+
+"No; that misconstrues my thought. I believe you a true woman, yet
+possessing the natural instincts of your sex, and able to use your
+weapons efficiently. There is no evil in that, no reproach. I would
+not have you otherwise, and we must not misunderstand each other. You
+retain faith in me?"
+
+"Implicitly."
+
+"And pledge yourself to your part, leaving me to attend to mine?"
+
+Her two hands clasped my fingers, her eyes uplifted.
+
+"Geoffry Carlyle, I have always believed in you, and now, after the
+sacrifice you have made to serve me, I can refuse you nothing you ask.
+I will endeavor to accomplish all you require of me. God knows how I
+hate the task; but--but I will do my best. Only--only," her voice
+sank, "if--if the monster cannot be held, I will kill him."
+
+"I hope you do."
+
+"I shall! If the beast lays hands on me he--he pays the price. I could
+not do otherwise. Geoffry Carlyle--I am a Fairfax."
+
+Satisfied with my mission, and confident nothing more need be said, I
+arose to my feet.
+
+"Then we can do nothing further, until I learn the disposition of the
+crew," I said quietly. "Estada is not likely to resort to extreme
+measures at present. He has two objects before him---to permit Sanchez
+to die of his wounds, if that is at all probable; and to win the men
+by some successful capture. These fellows only retain command by
+success. The taking of a rich ship will make Estada a hero, while a
+defeat would mean his overthrow, and the ascendancy of someone else.
+There is no other test of a robber chief. Estada knows this, and will
+not dare act until he has put clinking coin in the pockets of his men.
+That is why I believe you are comparatively safe now--his own
+position of command is in the balance."
+
+"I am glad you explained that to me, The knowledge will give me more
+confidence."
+
+"Do not rely too much on his control of himself. There is no trust to
+be put in such a man. I must go now, and endeavor to reach my quarters
+unseen."
+
+"I will see you again?"
+
+"Perhaps not here; it is too dangerous, but I will find means to
+communicate with you. Possibly the steward can be trusted as a
+messenger; I will talk with him and make sure. Meanwhile we must not
+appear interested in each other. Good-bye."
+
+We stood with hands clasped in the darkness. I thought she was going
+to speak again, but the words failed to come. Then suddenly, silently,
+the door opened a mere crack, letting in a gleam of yellow light from
+the main cabin, while the crouching figure of a man, like a gliding
+shadow slipped through the aperture, closing the door behind him as
+softly as he had opened it. I heard her catch her breath, and felt her
+hands grasp my sleeve, but I never stirred. The fellow had neither
+seen nor heard us, and I stared into the black curtain, endeavoring to
+locate him by some sound of movement.
+
+Who could he be? What might be the purpose of his entrance? But one
+answer occurred to me--Pedro Estada, driven by unbridled passions to
+attack the girl. Mad as such an act would be, yet no other explanation
+seemed possible. I thrust her behind me, and took a step forward, with
+body poised for action. I was unarmed, but cared little for that in
+the swift desire felt to come to hand grips with the brute. I could
+hear him now, slowly and cautiously feeling his way toward us through
+the darkness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+A MURDER ON BOARD
+
+
+The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited
+breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach. To be certain
+of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected
+contact with the back of a chair. Without moving my body I grasped
+this welcome weapon of defense and swung it above my head. Whoever the
+invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy,
+actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed. To strike him down
+as quickly and silently as possible was therefore the plain duty of
+the moment. I had no other thought.
+
+The slowness with which he groped his way forward indicated
+unfamiliarity with the apartment, although his direct advance
+proclaimed some special purpose. Clearly he had no fear of attack,
+believing no one more formidable than a girl was there to oppose him.
+The darkness, perhaps, and silence, convinced the fellow that she had
+already retired. He would have his grip on her, before she could even
+dream of his presence. Then there would be no scream, no alarm. I
+could determine almost his exact position as his advancing foot felt
+cautiously along the deck, seeking to avoid striking any obstacle in
+the darkness. He came forward inch by inch, and I had the sensation of
+awaiting the spring of some creeping animal, about to leap upon me.
+With tense muscles, the heavy chair poised for a blow, I measured the
+distance as indicated by faint, shuffling sounds, perceptible only
+because of the profound stillness.
+
+I could not see, but I knew; I felt his presence; in imagination I
+pictured him, with arms outstretched, barely beyond my reach,
+deliberately advancing one foot for yet another step forward. With all
+my force I struck! Blindly as it had been delivered, the blow hit
+fair; there was a thud, an inarticulate groan, and the fall of a body
+onto the floor--beyond that nothing. I waited breathlessly, the chair
+back gripped in my hands, anxiously listening for the slightest
+movement. There was none to be distinguished; not so much as the
+quiver of a muscle. I felt Dorothy touch my shoulder, and caught the
+sound of her voice, trembling at my ear.
+
+"What it is? What did you do?"
+
+"I struck him with a chair; he lies there on the deck. Wait where you
+are until I learn what has happened."
+
+I bent over and touched him, dropping to my knees, every nerve
+tingling as my hands felt of the recumbent body. The fellow lay in a
+heap, his flesh warm, but with no perceptible heart-beat, no semblance
+of breathing. My fingers sought his face, and I could scarcely
+suppress a cry of surprise--he was not Estada. Who then was he? What
+could have been his purpose in thus invading this stateroom? All I
+could grasp was the fact that the fellow was not the Portuguese--he
+possessed a smooth face, long hair, and was a much smaller man. It
+must have become overcast without, for the star-gleam was no longer
+visible through the after port, and yet a faint light entered,
+sufficient for my purpose. I dragged the body that way, dropping it
+where the slight illumination fell directly on the upturned face. The
+features revealed were unfamiliar--those unquestionably of a
+half-breed Indian. Dorothy crossed to my side, her foot striking a
+knife, which came glimmering into the narrow range of light. She
+stared in horror at the ugly weapon, and then at the ghastly
+countenance.
+
+"Who is he? Do you know?"
+
+"One I have never seen before; he must belong to the gang
+amidships--an Indian."
+
+She shuddered, her voice trembling.
+
+"He came to murder! See his knife lies there. Why should he have
+sought to kill me?"
+
+"It is all mystery," I admitted, "and too deep for me. Perhaps it was
+a mistake, or the fellow thought you had jewels. Anyway he will never
+try that trick again--see, my blow crushed his skull."
+
+"He is actually dead?"
+
+"Beyond doubt. The chair was a heavy one, and I struck with all my
+strength. What shall be done with the body? It cannot be left lying
+exposed here; no one would believe you killed him, and my presence
+must not be suspected."
+
+"Could it," she suggested, "be dropped astern through the port?"
+
+"Ay, that might be done; it was dull of me not to think of that. Yet
+we must not risk a splash to be overheard on deck. Is there a rope of
+any kind to be had?"
+
+"Only this curtain cord; it is not large, but strong."  "That ought
+to do, if long enough; there must be a twenty-foot drop to the water.
+Yes, splice the two together; let me have them."
+
+She shrank back from touching the inanimate figure, her face very pale
+in the dim light, yet it required the combined efforts of both to
+force the stiffening body through the port hole, and then lower it
+slowly to the surging water below. The cord cut our hands cruelly, but
+it held, and the dead man sank beneath the surface, and was swept
+swiftly astern, into the black depths. We could distinguish footsteps
+on the deck above, but these were regular and undisturbed--the slow
+promenade from rail to rail of the officer on watch. Clearly nothing
+had been heard, or seen, to awaken suspicion. I turned back, as the
+released body vanished, to look into her face, which was scarcely
+visible.
+
+"If you should be questioned tomorrow you had best know nothing," I
+said gravely. "I do not think you will be, for surely such an attack
+can be no plan of Estada's. It could gain him no advantage. The fellow
+was pillaging on his own account; if he is missed it will be supposed
+he fell overboard, and no one will greatly care."
+
+"You will be able to learn? I--I shall feel better if I know the
+truth."
+
+"Possibly; however it will be safer for me not to ask questions. I am
+not myself in too good repute aboard. You are not afraid to remain
+here alone?"
+
+"No; I am not greatly frightened but shall try and bar the door with a
+chair. I have no key."
+
+"Then I'll leave you; half of my watch below must be gone by now.
+I'll take the fellow's knife along, as it must not be found here."
+
+We parted with a clasp of hands, as I opened the stateroom door, and
+slipped out into the cabin. To my surprise the light over the table
+had been extinguished, rendering the cabin so black I held to actually
+feel my way forward. This struck me as very strange, particularly as I
+recalled clearly that a stream of light had flashed into the after
+stateroom with the entrance of the prowler. The lantern must have been
+put out since then by some confederate. Gunsaules would be soundly
+asleep long ago, and the light was supposed to burn until morning.
+However there was no noise, other than the creaking and groaning of
+the ship's timbers, mingled with the steady tread of LeVere on the
+upper deck. So, after a moment of hesitation, I found my way across to
+my own stateroom and pressed open the door.
+
+A misty light came in through the port, sufficient to show me all was
+exactly as I had left it, and I flung off my jacket preparatory to
+lying down for a short rest before being recalled for the watch on
+deck. The hilt of the knife in my belt attracted my attention, and I
+drew it forth, curious to learn if it bore any mark of ownership.
+Whether it did, or not, I shall never know, as my eyes were instantly
+attracted to a dark stain on both hilt and blade. I held it to the
+light--it was the stain of blood, and my hands were also reddened by
+it. In that first instant of horror, I hurled the weapon out through
+the open port into the sea. Blood! human blood, without doubt! There
+had been murder committed on board, and the fellow I had struck down
+was seeking refuge, endeavoring to find concealment following his
+crime. Ay, but what about the light in the cabin? It had been
+extinguished after the fleeing fugitive had entered Dorothy's
+stateroom. Did this mean that the slayer had an accomplice? If so,
+then the killing was not the result of a mere personal quarrel
+amidships, or in the forecastle; but the result of some conspiracy. I
+thought of Sanchez, and of Estada's plan to obtain control of the
+ship. Could this be its culmination? And was the Spaniard already
+lying dead in his cabin? This was the only solution of the mystery
+which seemed probable, and yet this did not wholly satisfy my mind.
+Not that I questioned the fiendishness of Estada, or his
+coconspirator, Manuel, or their unwillingness to commit such a crime,
+but it seemed so unnecessarily brutal. Why should they stab a man
+already so severely wounded as to be threatened with death? he was
+helpless, and in their power; neglect, or at most a simple reopening
+of his wounds, would be sufficient for their purpose. To attack him
+anew would only mean exposure, and perhaps awaken the enmity of the
+crew.
+
+Nothing came of my thought--only confusion; nor did I dare investigate
+for fear of becoming more deeply involved in the tragedy. There had
+been no alarm; everything aboard was going on as usual; I could hear
+LeVere tramping the deck, and occasionally catch the echo of his
+voice, as he hailed the main-top, or gave some order to the men
+forward. No, there was nothing to be done; my safety, and the safety
+of the girl depended on our apparent ignorance of what had occurred.
+We must have no part in it, no knowledge or suspicion. There was
+nothing to do but wait the revelation of the morning. Convincing
+myself of this, I washed the blood stains from my hands, and lay down
+in the bunk, fully dressed to await my call. Evidently the wind had
+decreased, as the _Namur_ pitched but little in the sea, and I could
+hear the scuffling of feet indicating a new spread of canvas above.
+The night air, blowing in through my open port became so chill that I
+covered myself with a blanket. The vessel creaked and groaned in every
+joint, some of the sounds actually startling me with their resemblance
+to cries of human agony. I tossed about, occasionally sitting upright
+to peer around in the darkness, my body bathed in cold perspiration,
+yet must have dropped finally off into an uneasy sleep. A sharp
+rapping of knuckles on the door awoke me with a start.
+
+"Starboard watch, Senor."
+
+"Will be on deck at once."
+
+"Ay, ay, Senor."
+
+I drew on a heavy pea jacket of leather, fastening it securely at the
+throat, and donned a wool cap. The lantern in the cabin had been
+relighted, and was burning brightly, and my anxious glance about the
+interior revealed nothing out of place. The only door open led to the
+steward's storeroom. Feeling it best to be prepared for any
+eventuality, I selected a pistol from the rack, saw to its loading,
+and slipped the weapon into my pocket. Except for one man busily
+engaged coiling a rope, the main deck was deserted, and I climbed the
+short ladder to the poop, meeting LeVere as I straightened up. The sea
+was a gentle swell, the sky clear above, but with a mass of dark
+clouds off the port quarter. A glance aloft revealed a full spread of
+canvas. The air contained a nip of frost.
+
+"All set, I see, LeVere?"
+
+"Si, Senor, and at that we barely move. The bark needs a gale o' wind
+to make any headway."
+
+"You have no fear of the storm yonder?"
+
+He glanced aside at the mass of cloud.
+
+"No, Senor. It hung just there an hour past--not come here, but creep
+around."
+
+"Your course?"
+
+"Still to the sou' o' east, Senor." He bent down to glance at the card
+and I saw his dark face in the gleam of the binnacle light. He was not
+bad looking, but for the continuous gleam of prominent teeth. He
+straightened up.
+
+"Who put out the cabin light, Senor?"
+
+"I am sure I don't know; was it out?"
+
+"Yes, Senor. I never knew that to happen before."
+
+"An accident, no doubt. The steward probably left some near-by port
+open, and a gust of wind did the business. That's nothing to worry
+over."
+
+He shook his head as though far from satisfied by my theory, but went
+below without attempting to reply. I watched him through the skylight,
+but he merely gulped down a glass of liquor, and entered his
+stateroom.
+
+My watch was uneventful. The fellow at the wheel was unfamiliar to me,
+and rather surly in his answers, to the few questions I put to him. As
+he could speak nothing but Spanish I soon left him alone, and fell to
+pacing the deck, immersed in my own thoughts. These were far from
+pleasant ones, as I reviewed again the strange situation in which I
+found myself. Circumstances had played me a sorry trick. Without
+plan, almost without effort, I had drifted into a position of utmost
+delicacy. Any accident or mistake might lead to disastrous results.
+Not only my own life, but the life of the young woman below, could be
+endangered by a single careless word, or act. The whole affair seemed
+more a nightmare than a reality. I was actually serving as first
+officer on a pirate ship in search of vessels to rob on the high seas,
+commanding a crew of West Indian cut-throats--the very scum of hell,
+and under the order of a Portuguese devil, whose ambition coolly
+plotted murder. I was sailing under the black flag, to be hung if
+captured, compelled to act out the masquerade, a satellite of the most
+infamous villain who ever sacked a merchantman. Why, the very name of
+Sanchez had been horror to me in the past--yet here I actually was in
+charge of the deck of his death ship, searching for new victims, and
+only hoping that the arch villain might live to overthrow the even
+fouler demon who would succeed him if he died. Already I knew murder
+had been done; that the coming morning would reveal some hideous
+tragedy, on which, perhaps my fate would depend. Somewhere below in
+the dark lay a dead man, his sightless eyes staring upward. The curse
+of crime was upon the vessel, and this, possibly, was only the
+beginning, whose end could not be foreseen. And for what was I there?
+The answer was not upon my lips, but in my heart--Dorothy Fairfax. I
+bowed my head on the rail, and stared out over the dark water, but I
+saw only her face. No, I would not turn back; would not fail her. Let
+the end be death, and disgrace, I meant to fight grimly on until that
+end came. In that hour I knew she was more to me than life, or even
+honor. Far more than mere duty bound me; I was prisoner to love.
+
+The dawn came cold and gray, but with clearing skies. The force of the
+wind increased, becoming unsteady, and causing a choppy sea, so that I
+felt impelled to lower the topsails and take a reef in the larger
+canvas. Nothing was reported in sight, but to reassure myself, I
+climbed into the main crosstrees, and swept the horizon with a glass.
+Not so much as a speck rewarded my efforts, and I descended the
+ratlines, shouting to the boatswain to call the port watch. Watkins
+came aft to the wheel, and I sent the fellow thus relieved down into
+the cabin to rout out LeVere. The two returned to deck together, the
+negro glancing about curiously without mounting the ladder.
+
+"You call Senor Estada yet?" he questioned.
+
+"No; I had no orders to do so."
+
+"He tol' me call him at daylight. Here you, Amada; go wake up the
+Senor."
+
+The seaman disappeared grumbling, while LeVere crossed the poop deck,
+and stood beside me looking out across the expanse of sea.
+
+"No sail--hey? We hav' bad luck--too far north."
+
+"And west; we are out of the sea lanes; but if it keeps bright I'll
+take an observation at noon."
+
+Amada emerged from the companion, and stared up at us, shading his
+mouth with one hand as he spoke.
+
+"He answer nothing, Senor LeVere."
+
+"You rapped on the door?"
+
+"Si, Senor; I strike with my fist, and my boot, but he never wake
+up."
+
+"Was the door locked?"
+
+"I know not, Senor; I not try open it."
+
+LeVere gave utterance to an oath.
+
+"The pig-headed swine," he said fiercely. "I suppose I'll have to go
+myself."
+
+Our eyes met, and something seemed to bid me accompany him.
+
+"We'll go down together, Senor," I said quietly. "Estada must be sick;
+I could hear the rumpus Amada kicked up even on deck here. No man
+could sleep through that racket."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+A NEW CONSPIRACY
+
+
+The interior of the cabin appeared more desolate than ever in the gray
+light of dawn. The swinging light yet burned, but was now useless, all
+the dismal horrors of the place revealed by the slowly increasing
+gleam of day stealing down from above. Gunsaules had not appeared, and
+LeVere's stateroom door remained ajar, giving glimpse of the
+disarranged bunk within. The other doors were tightly closed. LeVere
+rather held back, not noticeably so, perhaps, yet enough to give me
+the lead, and, with one swift glance about, I led the way directly to
+Estada's stateroom.
+
+Something sinister had occurred during the dark hours of the night. Of
+that I was convinced, and I believed we were now about to lift the
+veil hiding the tragedy. My heart pounded like a hammer as I rapped on
+the wooden panels and waited some response from within. There was no
+answer, no sound of movement, and I rapped again more loudly, my
+questioning eyes seeking LeVere's face. He was listening as intently
+as myself, his eyes expressing anxiety. If I had felt some suspicion
+of the man before, this lack of faith vanished---he certainly was
+concerned in no plot involving the life of the Portuguese.
+
+"There is something wrong, Senor," he whispered, "for he was ever a
+light sleeper."
+
+"Then we will find out what it is."
+
+The door was unlocked, the latch yielding instantly to the hand, and I
+stepped within. A glance told everything. The port was closed, but
+through the thick glass sufficient light found entrance to reveal the
+interior. The chair before the table was overturned, and there were
+papers scattered about the deck. Estada lay in his bunk, with one leg
+dangling outside, and his head crooked against the side wall. His very
+posture was that of sudden death, even had it not been pictured by the
+ghastly face, peculiarly hideous in the gray light which stared at us,
+and the dark pool of blood underneath. I heard an exclamation from
+LeVere, and stood for an instant utterly unable to move. The only
+sound audible was the steady drip of blood. I knew already what I
+should find, yet finally forced myself forward--he was stone dead,
+pierced with three knife thrusts. I stood up and faced the mulatto,
+whose countenance was fairly green with horror.
+
+"What do you know about this, Senor LeVere?" I asked sternly. "The man
+has been murdered, knifed. Who did it--and why?"
+
+He could scarcely answer, gripping at the table for support, and never
+removing his gaze from the face of the dead man. Yet I believed his
+words; was convinced this was not the terror of guilt.
+
+"My God! I cannot tell; I have never dreamed of this--that is true,
+Senor."
+
+"Had the man enemies. Anyone you would suspect?"
+
+"Enemies? Ay, plenty of them; we all have. We expect that in our
+trade. This ship is full of devils ready enough to do such a job; but
+I could not name the one who did do it. I know of no cause. I have
+heard nothing."
+
+"I believe you, LeVere," I said, when his voice ceased, yet unwilling
+even then to trust him fully. "All that rules here is strength. Murder
+is but a weapon, and hate struck this blow."
+
+"What can we do, Senor?"
+
+"Do! we must talk that over first. Open the port there and let in some
+fresh air. That is better; but we cannot think, looking at that
+ghastly face, and hearing the blood drip onto the deck. We'll leave
+him here and talk over the affair in the cabin."
+
+"But the men will think it strange," he protested, "if I do not return
+to the deck; some may know what lies here."
+
+"We cannot help that, LeVere. We cannot meet this thing until we are
+prepared; until we talk it over, and decide what to do. It is not the
+men on deck, the watch, I fear, but those fellows amidships--they are
+the ones to be afraid of; is that not so?"
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"Then come; there is more danger in hasty action than anything else."
+
+I shut the door behind us, and turned the key. It was a relief to get
+outside, even into that dismal cabin, beyond view of Estada's dead
+face. The vessel rolled considerably, and LeVere, who had evidently
+lost his nerve, sank into a chair as though no strength remained in
+him.
+
+"You fear an uprising, a mutiny?" I questioned, "when this is
+reported?"
+
+"What will prevent?" he asked. "The Captain cannot stir; the mate
+dead; the men already crazed because we take no prizes. They will
+murder us also, and take control."
+
+"Who will? Those devils amidships?"
+
+"Ay; they care only to fight for gold--it is their trade."
+
+"And who leads them? Who would they make captain?"
+
+"Manuel Estevan," he whispered, "he would be the one."
+
+"I thought as much. Then it is Manuel Estevan we must secure
+first--before they know. 'Tis my thought he is at the bottom of it
+all, and our hope lies in our early discovery. If we can act before he
+does, we may thwart his plan. Listen, LeVere; I will speak low for
+that forward stateroom is his. He has not supposed we would discover
+the murder so quickly, for he knew nothing of Estada's request that he
+be called at daylight--is this true?"
+
+"Si, Senor; it was his last order when he went below."
+
+"Good; then we must organize before he can act. We have that one
+chance left. Whatever his men may know of what has occurred they will
+make no move until they get his orders. We must stop the possibility
+of his issuing any. Without a leader, the advantage is ours."
+
+"You mean to kill him?"
+
+"Only as a last resort. I am no murderer, although there is enough at
+stake here to make me willing to take life. There is no good feeling
+between those quartered amidships, and the crew?"
+
+"No, Senor; it is hate generally, although they are not all alike. The
+real sailors are mostly captured men; they serve to save their lives,
+and only for these others on board could not be held long. We do not
+arm them or use them to board prizes. It's those devils amidships who
+loot; that is all their work to fight and guard these others.
+Naturally there's no love lost between them. Your plan, Senor, is to
+set the one against the other?"
+
+"Yes, if possible; I know no other way. These sailor men are of all
+races. Can they be trusted?"
+
+He sat bending forward, his hands on his knees, his dark face far from
+pleasant. I had every reason to know the fellow to be criminal,
+desperate, guilty of everything in the calendar, and yet I must place
+confidence in him. Only as we worked together now was there any
+prospect of success.
+
+"Some might be; it is hard to tell how many. It is not the race which
+counts so much, Senor. There are those among them who would not care
+to return to honesty."
+
+"And you, LeVere?"
+
+He spread his hands, and shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"There is no hope of me; I was born to the free life."
+
+"What then is it with you?"
+
+"Hate, Senor--revenge," and his teeth gleamed savagely. "I would spit
+on this Manuel who seeks to be chief. I can never be---no; I am of
+black skin, with negro blood in my veins, and white men would never
+have it so. But I can hate, Senor. That is why I am with you now, if
+the devil so will. Your plan might work--tell me more of it."
+
+"It is simple enough, LeVere, and came to me but now as I looked upon
+Estada lying there dead. Treachery killed him, and that treachery must
+have purpose behind it. You believe this to be the ambition of Manuel
+Estevan to become chief, and that in this he is backed by those
+buccaneers amidships whom he commands. But to accomplish this end
+there must soon be other murders aboard--the Captain Sanchez, and
+possibly our own as well, although 'tis likely he may offer us life to
+join him. But I doubt if the fellow be ready yet to throw off the mask
+and openly declare himself. He will claim the murder of Estada to be
+the act of some fiendish member of the crew, and wait until things
+aboard ripen to his purpose. He is not likely to dream that we suspect
+him. This gives us our chance--we can act before he does."
+
+"But if the men are with him?"
+
+"What are the odds, say you--thirty to a hundred? Ay, but surprise
+will overcome that. My plan is this; first, for you and I to secure
+Manuel, as quietly as possible, but at whatever cost. Surely that can
+be done. With him in our hands, or dead, the buccaneers have no
+leader. What then? There are men in the crew on deck and in the
+forecastle to be trusted--Watkins is one, and he will know others, a
+dozen, no doubt. They will be enough. We will whisper the truth to
+these, and have them ready for a signal. The forward door from
+amidships is closed by iron bars--is it not?"
+
+"Si, Senor," his eyes again sparkling with interest. "The men
+quarreled, and there was fighting."
+
+"Then there is no escape in that direction and it can be no great
+task to close any passage leading aft. Lower the deck hatch, and we
+have those devils below caged like so many rats. There need be no
+fighting; starvation will bring them to terms."
+
+"But, Senor, you forget--your dozen men cannot guard the buccaneers
+below, and also manage the bark at sea. The crew are not all
+lambs--many will sympathize with those thus locked beneath deck.
+Cochose is bad, and a friend of Manuel. He will fight, and there are
+others to back him."
+
+"I know that, LeVere. The whole plan is desperate, but there is no
+other possible. Here is my scheme. There is a gun rack in the cabin,
+containing enough weapons to arm the dozen men we can trust. The
+others have nothing but their sheath knives. The buccaneers can be
+secured below, before these other lads ever realize what is
+happening--many will be asleep in the forecastle. As soon as we have
+control of the ship we'll round them up forward. They won't dare face
+the guns. I'll give them their choice, and, as for Cochose, I've taken
+his measure once already, and am ready to try it again."
+
+"And what will you tell them, Senor?"
+
+I caught my breath, conscious of his meaning. My secret hope could not
+be revealed to this fellow. However hate and ambition might sway him,
+and however personal fear might influence him, at the moment, his
+purpose and mine were entirely different. Piracy was his life; he knew
+and cared for nothing else. In innate savagery he was not better than
+any of the others, and must be dealt with accordingly. Just now I must
+have him on my side, and conditions had delivered him into my hands.
+But I could only hope to retain him through self interest. The mulatto
+had little faith in me; I was a stranger, an Englishman, unknown and
+untried. Naturally we were enemies. He would make use of me for the
+present if he could, and as smilingly knife me tomorrow if it served
+his turn. I felt confident of that, and in consequence the answer came
+quickly to my lips.
+
+"The whole truth, Senor LeVere--that Manuel conspired to seize the
+bark through a mutiny of the buccaneers; that these were to be turned
+loose with license to kill anyone on board who opposed them; that
+their real purpose was to divide among themselves all the treasure
+below; then wreck the vessel, and escape with it. That to this end
+Estada had already been foully murdered and that they also intended to
+take the lives of the other officers so as to be free to do as they
+pleased. I shall explain that we discovered this conspiracy just in
+time to save them from butchery, and that they must stand by us, or
+else submit to those hell-hounds. I'll put it strong."
+
+"And after that, Senor?"
+
+"Why Porto Grande, of course," I admitted heartily. "It is not a long
+voyage, and if we bring the boat in safely the treasure is ours. The
+men will understand what that means--a handful of gold for each of
+them and a run ashore. Why, LeVere, they will make more apiece than by
+looting a half dozen ships, and with no fighting. It will be a fortune
+for you and me."
+
+His somber eyes lighted up, startled by this new idea, and he sprang
+to his feet, swaying before me to the pitch of the deck.
+
+"You mean that, Senor! We divide what is below, and sail for Porto
+Grande? I hear you right? You not mean surrender? You stay pirate?"
+
+I laughed, my nerves tingling to the success of my ruse--he had taken
+the tempting bait like a hungry fish.
+
+"Why of course; so that was the trouble. Hell! man, I am not such a
+fool as to throw away this chance. I came aboard here without a
+dollar, drunk, a sailor before the mast. Look at me now---shoved into
+a job as first officer, with my full share of all we can lay hands on.
+Do you suppose I'm going back to the forecastle, and a bit of silver?
+Not me! I'm for all I can get, and with no care how I get it. This is
+our chance, LeVere. If we put the _Namur_ into Porto Grande, with
+Sanchez on board and alive, and those hell-hounds locked below, we'll
+get anything we ask for. We'll be the cocks of the walk. If he
+shouldn't live through, why then we'll have a ship, and can run the
+game alone. Either way, if we win, the prize is ours--and, by God! if
+we stick together we win."
+
+My apparent enthusiasm caught the fellow. I could read the working of
+his mind in his face. This was a new view of the situation, a new
+vision. It appealed to him from every standpoint--it promised wealth,
+power, the total defeat of Estevan; everything he most desired. And as
+I pictured it, the result seemed easy of attainment. His eyes gleamed
+lightning.
+
+"You think Senor Sanchez live?"
+
+"What difference? If he lives he owes his life to us. If he dies the
+bark is in our hands, and the treasure. The thing to consider now is
+how to get control. Once we have won, we care nothing if he live or
+die. Come, we have wasted time enough in talk; it is action that
+counts--what say you? Are we together in this?"
+
+He thrust out a lean, yellow hand, and I gripped it firmly.
+
+"Si, Senor; you speak right. To do this we must act. I am with you."
+
+"You pledge your word, Francois?"
+
+"I pledge it, Senor."
+
+"Good! and you have mine. Now to the work--first Manuel Estevan, and
+then the men on deck. 'Tis his stateroom yonder."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+LAYING THE TRAP
+
+
+Our first job was executed much more easily than I had anticipated. We
+caught Manuel sound asleep, and LeVere had sinewy hands at his throat
+before the fellow could grasp a weapon, or even clearly comprehend the
+nature of the attack. The narrowness of the stateroom prevented my
+taking much part in the affair, but the mulatto needed no help, as he
+dragged the cursing Spaniard from his bunk to the deck and throttled
+him savagely. Indeed he would have killed the fellow had I not
+interfered and twisted his hands loose, leaving Estevan barely
+conscious. A blanket ripped into strips served to bind him securely
+enough for the present, but I thought it best to lock the door, and
+keep the key in my own pocket. LeVere would have knifed him even as he
+lay there helpless, but for my threat and insistence. Once back in the
+cabin my eyes distinguished the frightened face of the steward peering
+forth at us from out the dark of the passage leading forward.
+
+"Come here, Gunsaules," I said sternly. "Step lively, lad; there's
+nothing for you to fear."
+
+"Yes, Senor--yes," and; he crept forth from his partial cover,
+glancing fearfully from face to face as he advanced.
+
+"Senor Estada has been killed during the night, and we have just
+captured his murderer," I explained hastily. "There is reason to
+believe this act was part of a conspiracy to seize the ship."
+
+"By Senor Manuel?" his eyes staring at me from out a white face.
+
+"Yes, in connection with those fellows amidships. Does that passage
+lead to their quarters?"
+
+"It did once, Senor, but now there is a closed door. The Captain
+Sanchez had it so arranged to prevent the men from coming aft."
+
+"What kind of a door?"
+
+"Of oak, studded with iron, not only locked, but barred on this side."
+
+"You have no key?"
+
+"No, Senor; there are but two--one for the Captain and the other for
+him who commands the buccaneers."
+
+"Manuel?"
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+I stood there a moment silent, considering this information, and
+rapidly arranging in mind our future operations. The only way the
+mutineers could reach the cabin then would be from the deck,
+descending through the companion. So long as they remained unaware of
+the capture of Manuel there was little danger of their taking such
+action. My faith in Gunsaules was not great, yet the probability was
+that he would remain loyal to whichever party held the upper hand.
+That was ever the way with these men.
+
+"Very well, steward," I said. "You go on about your work as though
+nothing had happened. If any word of this affair gets to the crew, or
+to those fellows forward, I'll hold you responsible. Understand
+that!"
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"You are not to leave this cabin without my permission, nor speak to
+anyone. LeVere."
+
+The mulatto faced me respectfully enough, and I had a feeling he would
+obey orders, largely because he dare not rebel.
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"They will be wondering why you are not on deck. It will be better for
+you to take charge of the watch at once, and keep the men busy.
+Relieve Watkins at the wheel and send the man down to me. He can
+choose the fellows who will stick better than you could, and then can
+circulate among them without arousing suspicion. Send him down at once
+quietly."
+
+He disappeared through the companion, while Gunsaules vanished within
+the storeroom, where I could hear him rummaging noisily about. I sat
+down to wait the appearance of Watkins, satisfied that matters were
+already safely in my control. That the English sailor would cooperate,
+I had no doubt, and as to LeVere, he had already gone too far to
+openly play the traitor. It was full daylight now, and evidently a
+bright morning, although the swell of the sea remained heavy, and I
+judged there must be a strong wind. Watkins, muffled to the ears in a
+heavy jacket, and with cap pulled down so I could scarcely see his
+face, shuffled down the steps. He whipped off the cap and stood
+waiting.
+
+"The officer of the deck sent me here, sir."
+
+"I asked for you; did LeVere tell you why?"
+
+"No sir; only that I was to come at once and quietly."  I put my hand
+on his shoulder. "Tom," I said soberly, but so low I felt sure even
+Gunsaules would not overhear, "we are in the same boat, and understand
+each other. The chance has come for both of us, if we play the cards
+right. Listen while I tell you the situation, and what I plan doing."
+
+I told it briefly, wasting no words, yet relating every fact, even
+including my visit and conversation with Dorothy, and the throwing of
+the body through the after port. He listened eagerly, but without
+interruption until the end.
+
+"What do you make of it?" I asked, irritated by his silence.
+
+"About what you do, sir. I knew there was something of the kind going
+on--some of the men forward are in on it. You've got the ring-leader."
+
+"Manuel, you mean. Who did he count on for help in the forecastle?"
+
+"Cochose, and a handful of others, niggers and Spaniards, mostly. They
+even tried out one or two white men. That's how I heard of it, through
+Jack Jones, but they never told him enough to make the plan clear.
+However, with what you've just said I've got a pretty fair
+understanding. They meant to pull the affair off either today or
+tonight. What sorter lookin' chap was the fellow you knocked out,
+sir?"
+
+"I scarcely saw his face--a half-breed I should say; rather short, but
+stout, with long hair."
+
+"Jose; he is the one Manuel would choose for such a job. But why he
+got into the girl's room is more than I know. However, if he is dead,
+and Manuel a prisoner, it gives us a fair chance, sir. It leaves
+those fellows amidships without a leader. A dozen good men on deck
+might do the business."
+
+"But are there a dozen aboard to be trusted?"
+
+He hesitated, running the names over in his mind, evidently weighing
+each one carefully.
+
+"Well, yes sir. I rather think there are," he said finally. "It won't
+do for to make any mistake here, but I'm pretty sure of these fellows.
+I'd say that in both watches there's maybe fourteen to be relied on.
+There's one or two others in the starboard watch who are likely enough
+all right, but I don't get to see them alone much."
+
+"Who do you pick out?"
+
+"In my watch there's Jones, Harwood and Simms, either English or
+Welsh. They're all right. Then there's a nigger named Sam; Schmitt, a
+Dutchman, with his partner, whose name I don't know, and two
+Frenchies, Ravel and Pierre. That makes eight, nine counting myself.
+Then in the starboard watch I'd pick out Jim Carter and Joe Cole, two
+Swedes, Carlson and Ole Hallin, and another nigger. Then there are a
+couple of Finns who ought to be with us, but I can't talk their lingo.
+That would give us sixteen out of thirty, and it's quite likely some
+of the others would take a hand with us, if they thought it was safe.
+I have'nt any use though, sir, for Francois LeVere. There ain't a
+worse scamp aboard."
+
+"I know that," I admitted, "but he had to be used. It was through him
+that Estada's murder was discovered. But he is safe enough for the
+present, for he made the attack on Manuel, and so will not dare go
+back on us. His life is in the balance. But wait, Tom; don't breathe
+in his ear our real purpose; I've convinced him that we mean to keep
+in the trade, dividing the treasure aboard, and sailing the bark to
+Porto Grande."
+
+"Oh, so that's the game? And what is my part now?"
+
+"This is my watch below, and it will be best for me to keep off the
+deck until all is prepared. Besides I am afraid to leave the cabin
+unguarded. There is no knowing what Gunsaules might do. You sound
+these men and get them together; wake up the ones in the starboard
+watch you feel sure are all right, and have them slip quietly on deck.
+LeVere will understand what you are up to, and will make no objection.
+As soon as you have everything ready, let me know."
+
+"We are none of us armed, sir."
+
+"That is what I was coming to. When you are sure of your men, and have
+them on deck, I'll get LeVere to send them all aft on some pretext or
+other. I'll think up a way to do this without creating any suspicion.
+Then we'll get these arms in the rack here, and be ready for
+business--the rest will be done in a hurry. You have it all clear?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Then I'll wait here for your report."
+
+At the very best Watkins could scarcely perform the task assigned him
+in less than an hour. No doubt there were those on his list whom he
+would have to approach with great caution, while there was always
+danger that some word might be dropped to awaken suspicion. The
+success or failure of our effort depended entirely upon taking these
+fellows by complete surprise. If it came to an open fight our cause
+was hopeless, for that would mean fourteen or fifteen men unarmed,
+pitted against over a hundred, thoroughly equipped and trained
+fighters. To be sure these were at present, without a leader, yet
+their force alone was sufficient to overcome us, and some one among
+them would doubtless assume leadership in an emergency. Only by
+confining them below, with hatches battened down, and a carronade
+trained upon them, would we be safe.
+
+I sat where I could watch the stairs, and the entire forward part of
+the cabin. Gunsaules lowered the table, and began preparing the
+morning meal. He glanced at me each time he passed, but ventured on no
+questioning, although it was quite evident the fellow was nearly
+bursting from curiosity. I lit my pipe, endeavoring to appear entirely
+at ease, as I turned over and over again in mind every detail of the
+contemplated action. With each review the result seemed more certainly
+assured, and my courage revived. Except for some accident, or act of
+treachery, I could perceive no reason why my plan should not work
+perfectly. It was evident that LeVere was endeavoring to keep the
+watch on deck busy. I could hear his voice frequently, calling out
+orders and occasionally singling out some man for a special task. A
+slushing of water proved that the deck amidships was being washed
+down, and twice, at least, men were sent aloft to make some change in
+the spread of canvas.
+
+I stepped across into my stateroom to gain a glimpse out through the
+port. Narrow as the vista was it yet revealed a beautiful sea view,
+the waves running high, but in long billows, with bright sunshine
+glowing along their crests, the hollows a deep purple. Above the sky
+was a pale blue, with scarcely a fleeting cloud visible, and the bark
+was sailing free, laying well over to the fresh breeze, evidently
+carrying all the spread of canvas possible. As I returned to the
+cabin, Gunsaules awaited me to announce breakfast.
+
+"What already?"
+
+"It is six-thirty, Senor. Those were my orders."
+
+"Very well; I suppose Estada and Manuel usually eat first?"
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"That leaves me alone; suppose you rap on the lady's door yonder, and
+ask if she will join me. Say your message is from Senor Gates."
+
+She came forth immediately fully dressed, but bearing herself with
+reserve. On my part I made no effort at greeting, not certain as to
+what eyes might be observing us through the deck light above, or, for
+the matter of that, unwilling to face the curiosity of the watchful
+steward.
+
+"I had you called," I explained, "because of a disinclination to eat
+entirely alone. You were evidently awake?"
+
+"Yes; I have not undressed. I felt no desire to sleep, although, no
+doubt I dozed. The call to breakfast was quite welcome."
+
+She seated herself opposite me, and we spoke of the weather while
+Gunsaules served with some skill. He was still hovering about, but my
+anxiety to enjoy a word with her alone caused me to send him on a task
+elsewhere.
+
+"Has Captain Sanchez been attended to yet?" I asked sharply. "No;
+then see to him at once. I have reason to believe he is alone this
+morning, and will need you. Yes, we can get along very nicely."
+
+We waited until he disappeared within the after stateroom, bearing a
+tray; then her eyes suddenly lifted to mine, filled with questioning.
+
+"Tell me what has happened?" She breathed eagerly. "I heard the noise
+of a struggle out here, and voices conversing. Why are you alone?"
+
+I leaned over to speak in as low a tone as possible.
+
+"I can only explain very briefly. The man who came into your room last
+night had just murdered Estada. LeVere and I found the mate's body at
+daylight. His killing was part of a plot by Manuel, and the buccaneers
+quartered amidships, to seize the bark. We have Manuel already
+prisoner and are preparing to gain possession of the boat ourselves."
+
+"Who are planning? You have found friends on board?"
+
+"I have made LeVere believe his only safety lies in assisting me. I
+told you about Watkins and the other men forward. He has picked out a
+dozen, or so, in whom he has confidence, English sailors mostly and is
+sounding them out. I expect him back with a report at any minute."
+
+"And then what?" her excitement visible in her eyes. "What can a dozen
+men do?"
+
+"Our main weapon is surprise of course. By acting quickly we can gain
+control of the deck. If Watkins' estimate is correct, nine out of the
+port watch now on duty will be with us. If he can add to these five or
+six from the starboard watch below this will make a total, not
+counting LeVere and myself, of fifteen. There would be only five left
+to oppose us on deck and probably two of these would be on watch
+aloft. Once we gain control of the deck we can lock the others below,
+and negotiate with them at our leisure. The plan looks to me quite
+possible."
+
+She sat silently gazing at me across the table, seemingly failing to
+quite comprehend, her parted lips trembling to an unasked question.
+Before she could frame this in words, the door to the companion
+opened, and Watkins descended the stairs. At sight of her he whipped
+off his cap, and stood motionless, fumbling it awkwardly in his hands.
+
+"You may speak freely," I said. "This is the young lady I told you
+about, and of course she is with us. Only talk low, as the steward is
+in the stateroom yonder."
+
+"Yes sir," using a hoarse whisper, and fastening his gaze on me. "It's
+all right, sir."
+
+"They are with us! How many?"
+
+"Eight sure from my watch, sir. Harwood is in the fore-top and
+couldn't be seen, but I'll answer for his bein' all right. There was
+only four I could get word to in the forcastle, but there's others
+there who'll give us help soon as they know what's goin' on."
+
+"That makes twelve of the men, fifteen of us altogether. Are the four
+from the starboard watch on deck?"
+
+He nodded, clutching and unclutching his hands nervously, scarcely
+able to restrain himself.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+THE DECK IS OURS
+
+
+I had the next step carefully outlined in my own mind, and yet I
+hesitated a moment, glancing into the two faces before me, with a
+sudden realization of what the contemplated action would mean to all
+of us, if by any chance it should fail of success. Our lives certainly
+hung in the balance, for these fiends would show no mercy, if once
+they gained power to strike back. Yet how could we fail? Only through
+treachery, or some unforseen accident. And, moreover, it was too late
+for retreat. The one chance, desperate as it appeared, must be taken.
+I managed to speak cheerfully, putting a ring of confidence into my
+voice.
+
+"Then the sooner we act the better. Watkins have LeVere order these
+men aft. Let him say that Senor Estada wishes them to break out some
+stores in the lazaret. That will create no suspicion. They need be
+here only long enough for us to distribute these arms among them, and
+for me to speak a word of instruction to them. Are you ready?"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+As he vanished, I turned to the girl, who had arisen to her feet, one
+hand grasping the edge of the table to balance herself against the
+pitching of the deck.
+
+"It is a desperate chance, is it not?" She questioned anxiously.
+"Yes," I admitted. "Fifteen of us against a hundred and fifteen, but
+worth taking and such an opportunity may never occur again. I believe
+the plan will work; its greatest weakness is, I do not know the men on
+whom I must rely. If there should be a traitor among them we are done
+for. I mean to work so fast no one man will be able to spread the
+news."
+
+"But have I no part? Is there no way in which I can help?"
+
+"You have your pistol?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Then remain here. I shall have to go on deck with the men, and will
+not dare leave them a moment until the ship is absolutely secure.
+Manuel is locked in that stateroom, but must not be communicated with
+by anyone. I hardly believe Gunsaules will attempt anything, but it is
+not safe to trust him alone. It will be your part to see that the
+fellow neither enters that passage leading amidships, nor approaches
+this door. Keep him in sight. You can do this?"
+
+"Of course I can."
+
+"Then you will do most valuable service, and save us a man. Wait here
+now until I see how securely this passage forward is closed."
+
+It was as described to me--a heavy oaken door, nail studded, not only
+locked, but held firmly in place by a stout iron bar. There was not
+the faintest possibility of any entrance aft, except through
+assistance from this side. As I returned to the cabin, Gunsaules came
+out of the Captain's room and crossed the deck. At sight of me he
+stopped instantly, holding his tray in front of him.
+
+"Gunsaules," I said, wasting no words, "you are to remain in this
+cabin until I give the word. The lady here has a pistol, and orders to
+shoot if you attempt to either enter this passage, or approach the
+door of Manuel's stateroom."
+
+"Yes, Senor," his face like chalk, and his eyes rolling.
+
+"How did you find Sanchez?"
+
+"Sitting up in his bunk, Senor, and able to eat."
+
+"Does he know what is occurring on board?"
+
+"No, Senor. He questioned me, but I only told him everything was all
+right, so far."
+
+In my heart I believed the fellow deliberately lied, but there was no
+opportunity to question him further, for at that moment the door of
+the companion opened and a miscellaneous group of men thronged down
+the stairs. They were a rough hairy lot, here and there a sturdy
+English countenance meeting my gaze, but the faces were largely
+foreign, with those of two negroes conspicuous. I felt my heart beat
+furiously at sight of such poor material, and yet many a ship's crew
+appeared worse. The fellows grouped themselves awkwardly behind
+Watkins.
+
+"Twelve here, sir; I couldn't get Harwood down from the fore-top."
+
+"And there are others below who will join us?"
+
+"Yes sir; six more I count on."
+
+"Which means lads, that with Harwood, Senor LeVere, and myself, we'll
+total twenty-one in this shindy. Now I'll tell you what is up. Watkins
+gave you some of it no doubt, but a word from me will make it clearer.
+I'm no pirate; I'm an English sailor, shanghied on board. Estada
+named me first officer because I understand navigation."
+
+I stopped speaking, staring at one of the faces before me; all at once
+it appeared familiar.
+
+"What is your name, my man?"
+
+"Jim Carter, sir."
+
+"You were in the crew of the _Sinbad_, three years ago?"
+
+"I was that, Mister Carlyle," he answered grinning. "I know'd you the
+minute I cum down yere."
+
+"Then that is all I need say on that line. Here's one of your mates,
+lads, who will vouch for me. Now, as I've been told, you are all of
+you in the same boat--you are prisoners on board, cowed by those
+mongrel devils amidships. Do you understand what I say?"
+
+"If ye'd put it in Spanish, sir," said Carter respectfully, "an' talk
+kinder slow, they'd most ov 'em catch the meanin'. That's 'bout all
+the lingo we've heard lately."
+
+"Very well; now listen closely, all of you. Luck has given us a chance
+to make a break, and get away. Captain Sanchez is wounded and
+helpless. Pedro Estada is dead, and I've got Manuel locked in that
+stateroom. His cut-throats are all below, and now all we've got to do
+is clap on the hatch and keep them there."
+
+"What 'bout the nigger on watch?" broke in Jones hoarsely. "I'd like
+ter crook him, by God."
+
+"He's with us so far. I'll answer for him. Now, what I want to know is
+are you fellows with me?"
+
+Watkins answered up promptly; then Carter; the others joining in with
+less heartiness, the different accents revealing their nationalities.
+I knew sailors well enough to feel assured they would follow their
+leaders once the game started.
+
+"That's good enough; now we've got to hit hard and quick, lads. There
+are six men on deck who are not with us. Watkins will take care of
+them with those fellows I don't assign to other work. Jones, you and
+Carter make straight for the forecastle and don't let anyone come up
+the scuttle. One of you had better drop down below, and prevent any of
+those lads from unbarring the door leading amidships. Who is the best
+for that job?"
+
+"Let Carlson do it. He belongs to the starboard watch."
+
+"All right--Carlson it is then. You Frenchmen, and the two negroes,
+your part will be to ship the main hatch. Do a quick job, and clamp it
+down tight. Do you all understand just what you are to do?"
+
+The responses satisfied me.
+
+"I'll come down to you, Carlson, as soon as we have the deck. It ought
+not to take more than five minutes to handle those lads, and slew
+around a carronade. Now don't be afraid to hit hard. Watkins, you and
+Carter hand out the cutlasses from the rack; you boys will handle
+those better than firearms. Good; now are you all ready?"
+
+There was a low murmur of voices, the faces watching me showing their
+increasing excitement and eagerness. Our little talk had served to
+arouse their confidence in my leadership, and with gleaming weapons in
+their hands they became self-reliant volunteers. Once turned loose my
+greatest difficulty might be to restrain them, rather than urge them
+on. Revenge for past wrongs was in each heart, and they welcomed a
+chance to strike and kill.
+
+I whispered a parting word of admonition into the ear of Dorothy,
+receiving in return a glance from her eyes, which gave a new throb to
+my heart; then straightened up, and pistol in hand, pushed my way
+through the throng of sailors to the foot of the stairs.
+
+"Follow me, lads," I said quietly, "and every man do the particular
+thing assigned him. Don't pay any attention to your mates--do your
+part, and then wait for orders. Come on now."
+
+We emerged through the companion, and I stepped aside as the others
+rushed by. There was no shout, no cheer, the fellows seeming to
+realize the desperate nature of their work, and the importance of
+surprise. They were outnumbered five to one, and their only hope of
+success lay in rendering their opponents helpless before they could
+rally to a defense. All the pent-up hate of years was in their hearts,
+blazed madly in their eyes; they were tigers leaping at the throat of
+their prey, yet sane enough to comprehend even in their blood-rage
+that they must act together. It was over so quickly I scarcely saw it
+all; my memory now is of a clear sky, a deck almost deserted, its
+brass work glowing in the sun, the white sails above bellowing out to
+the pressure of a strong wind, and the blue sea, crested with white,
+stretching about us in desolate grandeur. LeVere stared down over the
+poop rail, behind him the motionless figure of the wheelsman, his
+hands gripping the spokes, while across the open deck the speeding
+mutineers leaped to their several posts, with bare cutlasses shining
+in the sun. And they did their work. My eyes swept from group to
+group--the four toiling at the cover of the main hatch; the fellows
+racing toward the forecastle; and Watkins' squad driving straight into
+the grouped watch beyond the foremast. It was smartly done; Watkins
+had taken no cutlass, but went in with both fists, asking no
+questions, but battering right and left, his men surging after, with
+steel blades flaming in the sunlight. The astounded watch, cursing and
+fighting grimly, held for a moment, and then went staggering back
+against the port rail, unable to stem the rush, and roaring for mercy.
+I had view of Carlson dropping recklessly down the forecastle scuttle,
+and then sprang forward myself to give a hand to the four wrestling
+with the main hatch. Together we dragged it into position, forcing
+relentlessly back as we did so, a dozen struggling figures frantically
+endeavoring to reach the deck. Shots were fired, the bullets whistling
+through the opening, the flare lighting up the black depths below,
+revealing vaguely a mass of frantic men staring up, and cursing us
+fiercely in a dozen languages; but, in spite of them, we clamped the
+hatch down tight, and locked it securely into place with an iron bar.
+Even through this cover the sound of smothered yells reached our ears,
+mingled with blows of gun-butts, as the fellows vainly endeavored to
+break out from their prison. The negro Sam grinned from ear to ear,
+executing a jig, as he flashed his cutlass above his head.
+
+"Stay here, all four of you," I commanded sharply. "This job is well
+done. Now let me see about the others."
+
+Watkins needed no help; he had his party rounded up, and in complete
+control, the fellows begging for mercy, as they crouched before the
+cutlasses of their assailants. To my orders they were driven into the
+cook's galley and a guard stationed at the door. Then I turned to the
+more serious work confronting me in the forecastle. What lay before me
+in facing the members of the starboard watch it was impossible to
+conceive, but they had to be sorted out, and it was my task. We must
+have men enough to sail the bark, and if I was to command them, I must
+first of all prove my courage and enforce authority. The whole success
+of our effort depended on this.
+
+"What's going on below?" I asked.
+
+"Cursin' mostly," answered Carter, peering down through a slight
+uptilting of the scuttle. "They don't just know what's happening yet,
+but the big nigger seems ter be raisin' hell. Carlson is a holdin' him
+back with his cutlass."
+
+"Open up and let me down."
+
+I fell, rather than clambered along the rungs of the ladder, coming to
+my feet on deck in the midst of a group of angry men, who had Carlson
+pinned against the bulkhead. The light was so poor I could scarcely
+see their faces; a babel of voices greeted me, and more than one hand
+gripped me fiercely as the excited owner yelped a demand to know what
+in hell we were up to. I roughly cleared a space, aided by Carlson's
+cutlass, and fronted them defiantly. Towering above them all, his
+black apelike face, distorted with rage, I distinguished the giant
+Cochose, his immense hands grasping a wooden bar ripped from a bunk.
+Plainly enough he was the leader, the one man whose ascendency I must
+crush, and I meant to do it, then and there. This was no job I could
+turn over to others; if I was to rule, this black brute must be
+conquered at the very start, conquered by my own hands, and in the
+presence of his mates. Here, in this black forecastle, we must fight
+it out, breast to breast, as savagely as beasts of the jungle, to the
+bitter end. I made the resolve, with teeth clenched, and every muscle
+throbbing with eagerness.
+
+"Stand back there lads," I said sternly, my eyes searching their
+faces, and with pistol poised threateningly. "Give us room. I'll
+explain all that has happened presently, but first I am going to lick
+that black brute within an inch of his life. Step out of there,
+Cochose."
+
+He came grinning widely, balancing the heavy club in his hands.
+
+"You mean me, sah? You all think yer kin lick me?"
+
+"Yes, I think so; I'll try it anyway. Here Carlson, take this pistol
+and sheath knife. If anyone interferes shoot him. All I ask is fair
+play. Drop that club, Cochose, and throw away your knife. You and I
+will fight this out with bare hands."
+
+His dull brain worked slowly, and he stared at me, his eyes ugly, his
+grin becoming savage with a display of teeth. His silence and lack of
+response, awoke a growl from the impatient circle of men behind. One
+fellow kicked the club out of his hand contemptuously, and another
+plucked the knife from his belt.
+
+"You big skulker," the latter said, with an oath of derision, "go on,
+and fight! What in hell are you afraid of?"
+
+"What for Ah fight this white man? Ah don't even know who he is."
+
+"Then I'll tell you. Estada is dead; Manuel is a prisoner. I'm in
+command of this bark, and I am going to give you a lesson for the
+benefit of the crew. You are a big, boasting cur! I heard what you
+said when I came down, and now I'll make you prove it. You other
+fellows stand back--I'll make this beast fight."
+
+I took two steps forward, my advance so swift and unexpected, the big
+negro had not even time in which to throw up an arm in defense. With
+open hand I struck him squarely across the face, an insulting,
+stinging blow.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+IN FULL POSSESSION
+
+
+A roar of delight mingled with the negro's snarl of rage at this
+action. For an instant the fellow appeared too completely surprised
+for movement, although an angry oath burst from his lips, and the grin
+of derision faded from his face. I knew sailors, and felt that these
+men would not differ greatly from the occupants of other forecastles
+on the seven seas. They would welcome a fight like this and their
+immediate sympathy would be with me for starting it. More than that,
+this black bully, ruling over them by brute force, could be no
+favorite. They might fear him, but with that fear would be mingled
+hate, and a delight in his downfall.
+
+The respite was short, yet in that instant, although I cannot recall
+removing watchful eyes from the negro's face, I received an impression
+of my surroundings never to be erased from memory. The grim picture
+arises before me now, distinct in every detail, the gloomy interior,
+the deck, foul, littered with sea boots, and discarded clothing, and
+the great beams overhead blackened by smoke. The rays of the swinging
+slush lantern barely illuminated the central space, the rows of bunks
+beyond remaining mere shadows, yet this dim, yellowish light, fell
+full upon the excited, half circle of men who were roaring about the
+negro, and had already pressed him forward until he stood confronting
+me, his grin of derision changed into a scowl of hate. They were a
+rough, wild lot, bearded and uncombed, ranging in color from the
+intense black of Central Africa to the blond of Scandinavia, half
+naked some, their voices mingling in a dozen tongues, their eyes
+gleaming with savagery. They impressed me as animals of the jungle,
+thirsting for blood, and I knew the man who came victorious from this
+struggle would be their leader. The thought stiffened my muscles, and
+strengthened my determination to win.
+
+I know not whether Cochose lunged forward of his own volition, or was
+pressed on from behind, yet suddenly he was within reach of me, and
+the battle was on. It was short and fierce, his object evidently being
+to crush me in his giant grip, mine to oppose science to strength, and
+avoid his bear-hug. We swayed back and forth to the sharp pitching of
+the ship, barely able to keep our feet, sparring for some advantage.
+Once he would have had me, but for a lunge of the vessel which sent
+him sprawling on hands and knees; yet, before I could recover, the man
+was up again, furious with anger. This time, he sprang straight at me,
+uttering a growl of rage, determined to smash me to the deck by the
+very power of his onslaught. But I side-stepped him, getting in two
+swift blows, which rocked his head, and tore open one cheek, from
+which blood trickled. Yet he kept his feet, blindly gripping for me,
+driven almost crazy by the pain of my last blow, and the jeers of his
+mates.
+
+I evaded his clutch by leaping aside, but the space was far too small
+to permit these tactics to carry long, and finally he had me. Yet,
+even as he seemingly crushed the very breath out of me, his giant
+strength met with a resistance which increased his fury. Already the
+fellow had lost his head, but I fought coolly, putting my skill
+against brute force, every wrestler's trick I knew flashing into my
+brain. Breathless, my flesh scraped and bruised, I wriggled partly
+free, and tripped him, his great body striking the deck with a thud. I
+fell with him, dragged down by his desperate grip, but was first upon
+my feet, saluted by a roar of delight from the lips of those crowding
+about us. As he staggered up also, cursing fiercely, his lips drawn
+back in a snarl, his brutal face, that of a wild animal, I struck him
+again, a blow which would have ended the game, had not my foot slipped
+on the reeling deck. As it was it drove him to his knees, groggy, and
+with one eye half closed, yet with strength enough left to regain his
+feet as soon as I. This time he charged me like a wild bull, froth
+whitening his lips, scarcely appearing human in the yellow light. In
+mad rage he forgot all caution, all pretense at defense, his one
+thought to reach me with his hands, and throttle me into lifeless
+pulp. Here was where skill and coolness won. I fought him back,
+driving blow on blow through his guard, sidestepping his mad rushes,
+landing again and again on his body. Twice I got in over his heart,
+and at last, found the chance I sought, and sent a right jab straight
+to the chin. All the force of one hundred and eighty pounds was behind
+the clinched fist, and the negro went down as though floored by a
+poleaxe. Once weakly he endeavored to rise, but this time I used my
+left, and he never stirred again, lying there with no sign of life
+except the quivering of the huge body. Assured that he was down and
+out, I stood above him, gazing into the ring of excited faces.
+
+"That's one attended to," I said shortly. "Now is there any more of
+you who would like to fight this out?"
+
+There was no answer although the ring widened under the threat of my
+eyes, and I met sullen faces here and there. I was in no mood to take
+chances.
+
+"Carlson," I said, glancing back at him. "You know all these men?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Pick out those you can trust, and have them stand over there to the
+right. Call them out by name; be lively now."
+
+They stepped forth eagerly enough, and ranged themselves before the
+bunks, the faces mostly those of northern Europe, although a negro or
+two was among them. As the Swede ceased calling, six or seven yet
+remained clustered in front of me, a motley lot, one of them an
+Indian, the others mostly half-breeds. I glanced from face to face
+inquiringly.
+
+"How about it, you?" I asked. "Are there any more of you fellows who
+take a chance with us? This is my last offer?"
+
+"What's the game?" asked a sullen voice in English, and a bearded
+fellow burned black, pushed his way to the front. I had not noted his
+presence before, but instantly recognized his character.
+
+"Are you English?"
+
+"No; I used ter be Scotch; now I'm damned if I know what I am. One
+flag is as good as another ter me--only I want to know what sorter
+game I'm playin' in. Who the hell are yer? An' whar'd yer cum frum?"
+
+"I am an English seaman," I answered shortly, "and how I came aboard
+makes no difference. Right now I am the only navigator on the
+_Namur_."
+
+"What's happened ter Estada?"
+
+"He's dead--knifed last night by one of the buccaneers. Manuel Estevan
+had a hand in the business, and he's safely locked in a stateroom aft.
+Captain Sanchez is wounded and helpless, and those cut-throats
+amidships are battened down below hatches. LeVere and I are the
+officers left, and we control the deck. We had to fight it out, or
+likely it would be our turn next."
+
+"Yer mean those fellers were aimin' ter take the ship?"
+
+"Exactly that; now where are you lads? With Manuel and his bunch of
+pirates? Or with us?"
+
+"What er yer going ter do with us, an' this ship? That's the fu'st
+question."
+
+I had not decided that even in my own mind, but the answer came
+promptly enough, as my eyes swept the faces fronting me.
+
+"What's your name?"
+
+"Ben MacClintock."
+
+"Well, MacClintock. I am going to leave that to the crew. As soon as
+we have all secure, I'll have every man on deck, and then we'll talk
+it over. That's fair enough isn't it?"
+
+"It looks fair. Come on, mates; I'm fer the Englishman."
+
+Only one followed him, however, a sheep-faced boy; the others remained
+sullen, and defiant. Likely enough they failed to understand what had
+been said, but I had no further time to waste in explanations. I
+glanced up at Carter's face framed in the scuttle hole.
+
+"Your guard there?"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+"Pass these men up and take them forward with the others. Turn them
+over to Watkins. Then come back here, and report to me."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+They went up the ladder one by one, and disappeared onto the deck
+above, the majority cheerful enough, although a few of the faces were
+scowling darkly as they passed me. Carlson and I watched the others,
+the Swede still retaining his pistol in hand, until Carter stuck his
+head once again through the opening.
+
+"All safe, sir--they was like lambs."
+
+"Very well; stand by to help. Now you lads, lift this black brute and
+shove him up to where they can get hold above. Step lively unless you
+want trouble. Show them the way Carlson."
+
+It was some heavy job, but they finally hoisted the unconscious form
+up the ladder and forced it through the hole onto the deck. At my
+stern command the others also crawled forth into the sunlight, where
+Carlson and I followed them, leaving the forecastle deserted. I felt
+that I must dispose of these fellows before attempting anything else,
+and scarcely took time to glance about. They were huddled in a little
+bunch around the outstretched body of Cochose, helpless from lack of
+leadership.
+
+"Pick up the negro; yes, you fellows. Now aft with him--all of you."
+We halted at the main hatch, and I had the cover slipped to one side,
+the armed sailors gathering close about the edge, as I peered down. It
+was a scene of pandemonium, revealed in the yellow flame of slush
+lanterns, a group of white faces showing clearly, as the prisoners
+below struggled forward, gesticulating and shouting. The glow of light
+glistened on a variety of weapons, but I dare not send men below, into
+the midst of those shrieking devils to disarm them. Nor was I greatly
+afraid of the result at present. They must still be in total ignorance
+of what had occurred on board, and why the hatch had been fastened
+down. Indeed this was plainly evidenced by their cries and threats.
+They were leaderless, confused, unable to determine what to attempt.
+While they remained in that condition they could not greatly endanger
+my plan. Later, with a body of armed seamen behind me, I would compel
+the surrender of weapons, but now I must hold them as they were,
+quarreling among themselves, and take time to strengthen my authority
+on deck. With this in mind, ignoring their mad roaring, and the threat
+of leveled guns, I stared down at the infuriated faces, until the
+clamor ceased sufficiently to let my voice be heard. I used Spanish,
+my lack of facility in that tongue rendering my speech slow. The
+instant silence proved my words understood.
+
+"What are you men trying to do, frighten me? You might as well stop
+that. This opening is lined with guns, and if one of you fire a shot
+we'll pour lead into you. More than that; if you attempt to climb out,
+you'll meet a hot reception. There is a brass carronade trained on
+the hatch to sweep you to kingdom come. So listen!"
+
+Several voices shouted up inquiries, but one, shrill and insistent,
+rose clearly above the others.
+
+"What's happening? What yer going to do with us?"
+
+I thought I located the questioner among the jumbled mass below, and
+with my eyes on him, answered for all his mates.
+
+"We are in control of the ship," I called back, "and mean to keep it.
+The old officers are either dead or prisoners. What we do with you
+will depend on your actions, but we're ready to kill if necessary. If
+you keep quiet down there, and obey orders, you'll be fed, and treated
+decently enough. Pass up your arms."
+
+There was no movement, only a glare of hostile eyes, an
+indistinguishable growl of voices.
+
+"Kneel down, lads and cover those fellows," I ordered sternly drawing
+my own pistol. "Now you below there, this is my last word. I'll count
+ten, and you'll either pass up those weapons or we'll pour our fire
+into you. If your miserable lives are worth anything to you, the
+quicker you move the better. Take aim, boys."
+
+There was a moment of deathly silence, except for my counting and the
+heavy breathing of the trapped prisoners. One man uttered a curse, and
+the jam of figures at the foot of the ladder endeavored to work back
+out of range, yet, before I had spoken the word eight, guns were held
+aloft, and poked up within reach, and at this sign of surrender even
+the most desperate lost heart and joined the more cowardly. It was a
+strange collection of weapons stacked on the deck--guns, cutlasses,
+knives and pistols of every description, relics of many a foray, some
+apparently very old. Probably all had not been delivered, yet there
+was such a pile, I felt no further fear of the few pieces remaining
+hidden. It was not my intention that the villains should have the
+slightest chance to use the weapons, so when the stream finally
+ceased, I asked no questions, although I gave no orders to the guard
+to withdraw. I had the fellows cowed, and meant to keep them so.
+
+"That's all, is it? Very well--now you men at the foot of the ladder
+take care of this big nigger we're sending down; no, he is not dead,
+only stunned. Let him have a bucket of water, and he'll be all right.
+Now stand aside while a few of your friends join you; they'll tell you
+what's up. Make room there?"
+
+We passed the forecastle scum down one after the other, and as the
+last of these merged into the scarcely distinguishable mass below, I
+gave vent to a sigh of relief, and straightened up, with pistol still
+grasped in my hand. They were now bunched together, all of them, and
+confined where they would prove the least possible danger. Desperate
+and reckless as many of them were, we had them now safely in our own
+hands--disarmed and imprisoned within narrow limits. To be sure they
+might wreck the bark by fire, or otherwise, but that would only peril
+their own lives, and, no matter how willing some might be to accept
+this hazard of fortune, there would be more to oppose the
+proposition--forcibly, if necessary. For them to escape the only means
+was through treachery, and against that possibility I must guard. I
+knew little of the men who had responded to my call, and chosen me as
+leader. Some among them I could trust, but others were merely with me
+while I retained power--would desert at the first doubt. I must rely
+on the judgment of Watkins as to whom among them I could safely depend
+upon, and suspicion and watch the rest. It was no pleasant position,
+yet success thus far had come so easily the knowledge was no
+discouragement.
+
+"When we goin' ter be fed?" yelled a voice from below.
+
+"Presently," I answered. "As soon as the cook has it ready. Shove the
+hatch cover back into place, lads--yes it will be safer fastened down;
+they'll get air enough through treachery, and against that possibility
+I must caged."
+
+Satisfied that every precaution had been taken, and ignoring the
+indignant roar of voices which greeted this order, I watched the men
+shift the heavy hatch cover into place, and then permitted my eyes to
+survey the deck, as I hastily considered our next action.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+THE CREW DECIDES
+
+
+Except that many of the men remained armed there was no suggestion of
+violence visible, no reminder of the fact that we were mutineers. But
+for the gleaming carronade trained on the main hatch, and the small
+group of gunners clustered about it, the scene was peaceable enough,
+resembling the deck of some merchant ship. The bark held steadily to
+her course, with practically every inch of canvas set, the wind
+steady, and only a single hand at the wheel. LeVere stood motionless
+at the poop rail, staring down, as though scarcely realizing what had
+transpired on board, and some way his very attitude and expression of
+face aroused within me a doubt of the man, a determination to put him
+to the test. Evidently he had held aloof and cautiously refrained from
+taking even the slightest part in our activities. The men themselves
+were mostly forward, grouped together and still excitedly discussing
+the situation. That all among them were not satisfied was indicated by
+their gestures, and the fact that Watkins, and others of the more
+loyal, were passing from group to group combating their arguments.
+Plainly enough I must have a heart-to-heart talk with the fellows,
+outlining a plan of escape, and leaving them to imagine their choice
+in the matter would be followed. But, in the meanwhile action of some
+sort would be most apt to overcome their dissatisfaction and prevent
+discussion.
+
+The sky overhead was a pale blue, the sun shining, but as through a
+slight haze, while a heavy cloud of vapor obscured the western
+horizon. Although this promised fog rather than storm, yet the sea had
+a heavy swell and I accepted this threat of a change in weather to
+employ the men in reducing sail. It pleased me to note how swiftly
+they responded to the sound of my voice.
+
+"Stand by to reef topsails," I shouted. "We're all one watch now. Go
+at it lively, lads, and when the job is over we'll eat, and decide
+together what's our next move. Two of you will be enough to guard the
+hatch and you Carter, go into the cabin and relieve the girl there.
+Keep your eyes open. I'll be down presently. Aloft with you and see
+how quick a job you can make of it."
+
+Watkins led the way up the main-mast ratlines, and Cole was first into
+the fore shrouds, the others following eagerly. I watched them lay out
+on the yards and was heartened to hear the fellows sing as they
+worked, the canvas melting away as if by magic. Only three men
+remained in sight on the main deck, the two guarding the closed hatch,
+and one watching the open scuttle leading into the deserted
+forecastle. Back and forth in the galley the cook and his assistant
+passed the open door and Carter had disappeared through the companion.
+I climbed the ladder to where LeVere stood on the poop, but carefully
+ignored his presence, my gaze on the scene aloft. Twice I gave orders,
+changing the steering direction slightly, and commanding the lower
+sails reefed. The mulatto scowling, joined me at the rail.
+
+"Main-top there!" I called sharply. "Anything to report?"
+
+"No, sir; all haze off the port quarter, and nothing showing to
+starboard."
+
+"Keep a lookout; let the others lay down."
+
+LeVere fronted me.
+
+"What's all this about?" he asked. "That's no storm cloud yonder."
+
+"There is always danger in fog," I answered coldly, "and besides there
+is no use carrying on until we know where we are bound. My purpose is
+to keep the men busy, and then talk the situation over with them. Have
+you any criticism of this plan, Senor LeVere?"
+
+He hesitated, but his eyes were narrowed, and ugly.
+
+"You'll do as you please, but you told me we sailed for Porto Grande.
+Was that a lie?"
+
+"Not necessarily," and I smiled grimly. "Although I should not have
+hesitated to tell one under the circumstances. I mean to leave that
+decision to the men themselves. It is their lives that are in danger."
+
+"That damn scum! half of them are English and French. All they want is
+to get away; they will never go back to Porto Grande without you make
+them."
+
+"How make them?"
+
+"By false observations; there is no navigator forward. It is a trick
+easy enough to play with a little nerve. I would never have taken part
+in this mutiny if I had supposed you meant to play into the hands of
+the men."
+
+"It is very little part you took Senor LeVere, judging from what I
+saw. You seemed quite content to stand aft here and look on. However
+you are in it just as deeply as I am, and are going to play the game
+out with me to the end. Do you understand that?"
+
+"What you mean, Senor--play it out?"
+
+"Go on with the rest of us; take your chance with the men and do your
+duty. I am captain here, and I know how to handle insubordination. The
+first sign of treachery on your part, will send you below with those
+others. I don't trust you, and all I want is an excuse to put you out
+of the way--so be careful what you do."
+
+I turned and walked away from him toward the forward rail. The men
+were still aloft but coming in from off the yards. Below me in the
+door of the companion, stood Dorothy, her eyes peering curiously about
+the deserted deck. She glanced up, and saw me, the whole expression of
+her face changing.
+
+"May I come up there?" she asked.
+
+"Certainly; let me help you. Stand here beside me, and you can see all
+that is being done. That's all, lads; breakfast is ready; lay down all
+except the lookout."
+
+We watched while they streamed down the ratlines and gathered forward
+of the galley, squatting in groups on the deck. To all appearances the
+fellows had not a care in the world, or any thought of the stirring
+scenes just passed through. The girl's hand touched my sleeve, and I
+turned and looked into her face.
+
+"A happy-go-lucky lot," I said pleasantly. "Real sailormen. As long as
+they are fed and housed why worry about tomorrow. I'll put this job up
+to them presently."
+
+"The sailor who came into the cabin told me about your fight with the
+negro; you were not hurt?"
+
+"Oh, I did not escape entirely free, but received no serious injury.
+It is not to be thought about now, with all the work ahead."
+
+"The ship is safely in your hands?"
+
+"I can hardly affirm that, Miss Dorothy. The vessel is in our control,
+and the worst of the gang secured below. I have confidence in the
+loyalty of only a very few of these fellows, and the others will have
+to be watched day and night as long as we remain afloat. Those are
+desperate men locked below, and are bound to make some effort to free
+themselves. If there is any treachery on deck it may lead to their
+release."
+
+"You were talking with Senor LeVere; I overheard a word or two. He is
+not with you willingly?"
+
+"No," and I swept the deck seeking him, fearful what I said might be
+overheard. "I distrust him more than any of the others. Those men
+forward are seamen, and will abide by their mates. Moreover they are
+accustomed to taking orders, and doing what they are told. I believe I
+can handle them, with what help I have. But the mulatto is different.
+He belongs with the worst element on board, and only joined us from
+fear of being killed just as Estada was. He has no heart in this job,
+and would accept any chance to square himself with those cut-throats
+below. I'll have trouble with him before we are done, but prefer to
+catch the man red-handed."
+
+"But what do you mean to do next?" she asked anxiously. "There cannot
+be a moment of safety with those horrible creatures aboard."
+
+"True; yet with the material I am dealing with, I dare not venture
+too far. Probably in that bunch forward there are men guilty of every
+crime in the calendar; as depraved as any we have below. They have
+joined us for various reasons, but would desert and become ugly in an
+instant, if they suspected we might turn them over to the authorities.
+There is only one safe course for me to pursue under these conditions;
+let them decide by vote what should be done."
+
+"What do you imagine such a vote will show?"
+
+"That the vessel be beached on some remote coast, all the spoils
+aboard divided, and then the crew permitted to go where they please.
+There will be some who may prefer continuing the cruise before
+destroying the bark, but I believe there are enough fairly honest
+fellows among them eager to escape this sort of life, to control."
+
+"But the wretches below? Surely you would not leave them to drown?"
+
+"No; they would have to be released with the others, after the
+division had been made."
+
+"That would leave us at their mercy?"
+
+"Yes," I whispered, "if we waited until that time. I do not propose
+taking any such chance. Here is my plan, and it seems the only
+feasible one left us. We are helpless if these men revolt, and they
+certainly will unless given their own way. I have no doubt but what
+their decision will be practically as I have outlined. Very well, I
+will acquiesce in it cheerfully enough to arouse no suspicion. I am
+the only navigator on board; the only one with any knowledge even of
+where we are. Not even LeVere could check up on me. The night the
+vessel is to be beached Watkins and Carter, with one or two they
+select, will get off in a small boat, carefully provisioned, and thus
+make our own landing. We'll not worry about what fate awaits the
+others."
+
+Her eyes sought mine anxiously, full of questioning.
+
+"You are confident of being able to accomplish this without
+detection?"
+
+"Yes; we can choose the right moment. With not men enough on deck to
+prevent our lowering a boat, and a dark night, the escape will not
+prove difficult. No one aboard except myself will know where we are."
+
+"Have you considered Captain Sanchez?"
+
+"Why no," in surprise, "he is helpless below, badly wounded."
+
+"Not so badly as you suppose," she said swiftly. "He is able to be up
+and about his stateroom. I heard him moving, and I believe the steward
+has told him what has occurred on board, and endeavored to bear a
+message from him to those men amidships."
+
+"You believe this? What did you do?"
+
+"I held my pistol to his head and locked him in the pantry. He is
+there now, with the sailor you sent on guard. That is what I came on
+deck to tell you."
+
+"But Sanchez! You saw nothing of him?"
+
+"No; but there was certainly movement in his room after the man
+Gunsaules came out. I went over to the door and listened, but there
+was no way for me to lock him in. Surely it must have been him moving,
+as he was alone there."
+
+I stood silent, my eyes first on the forward deck, and then sweeping
+about the horizon. The view by then was very narrow, the gathering
+clouds of mist so dense as to obscure everything, leaving a mere gray
+trail of sea revealed, scarcely a hundred yards in extent in any
+direction. I hardly perceived even this as my thought centered on this
+new peril. Yet why should I hold it a peril? The ending of it was in
+my hands, I need not await action, or permit him opportunity. The
+warning had come in ample time. Sanchez was still in my power,
+separated from his followers, incapable of doing us any serious harm.
+All that was needed for me to do was to keep him in close confinement.
+We were surely not far from the coast; twenty-four hours, perhaps
+twelve, would suffice, to make our escape from this cursed ship
+possible. I must get an observation so as to know our exact position;
+after that the course would be figured definitely, and I would then
+know the time required. My eyes again sought her face.
+
+"He is a danger, of course, but not a serious one," I said
+confidently. "It is safe enough to leave him undisturbed at present
+with Cole on guard. The first thing I need do is to satisfy those men.
+I'll attend to that now, and then see to the proper securing of
+Sanchez."
+
+"Shall I remain here?"
+
+"You told the man Cole what you heard?"
+
+"Yes, I explained everything to him before I came on deck."
+
+"Then you are not needed in the cabin. He is a reliable man. Remain
+here with LeVere while I go forward, and watch that he does not
+attempt to go below."
+
+The fellows had not finished mess, but I felt the danger of further
+delay, and talked to them as they sat on deck, explaining briefly the
+entire situation, and the causes leading up to the mutiny. I dealt
+with the matter in plain terms, making no apparent effort to influence
+them, yet forcibly compelling each individual to realize what would be
+the result of our recapture. They listened earnestly, asking an
+occasional question, and passing comments back and forth freely among
+themselves.
+
+I shall never forget that scene, the decks already wet with fog, which
+swirled about us in an impenetrable cloud of vapor, utterly blotting
+out the sea, and even rendering our faces strange and indistinct. The
+foremast disappeared at the lower fore-yard, while aft of the cook's
+galley the bark was entirely invisible. We rolled heavily in the swell
+of the heaving water, barely retaining steerage-way, the closely
+reefed sails aloft flapping against the masts, the straining deck
+beams creaking noisily to every roll of the vessel. The sailors stared
+up at me, rough dressed and hairy, yet not a bad-looking lot as
+sailors go, but with here and there a face to be distrusted. I sent
+Watkins to the cabin for a roll of charts, and spreading these out,
+endeavored as well as I could, to make clear our probable position and
+the nearest point of land. This was largely guesswork, but I
+approximated distances and made the situation fairly clear. When I had
+completed the explanation, and stood before them awaiting decision, it
+was Haines who acted as their spokesman.
+
+"This yere is Cape Howarth?" he asked, a grimy thumb on the point
+indicated. "An' yer say it's 'bout a hundred and fifty miles west?"
+
+"Yes, about that."
+
+"An' thar's no settlement?"
+
+"Some colonists fifty miles north is all."  "That's 'bout right." He
+turned to the others. "Say mates, this is how I figure. We can't go on
+no long cruise with all those bloody rats in the hold. They're bound
+ter find some way out if we give 'em time 'nough. Fer as I'm
+concerned, I'm fer dividin' up whut we've got, and ter hell with
+piratin'. What 'er yer say, mates? Shall we run the ol' hooker ashore,
+an' leave her thar, while we tramp the coast? We're just a
+ship-wrecked crew."
+
+"What 'bout them fellers down below?"
+
+"Ter hell with 'em! Let 'em take keer o' 'emselves. Thet's the way
+they'd treat us."
+
+"He's bloody well right, mates," said a loud voice heartily. "There's
+plenty o' swag aboard ter give us all a fist full. I'm fer a division,
+an gettin' out with our lives--what say yer?"
+
+There was a chorus of approval sufficient in volume to satisfy me, and
+I accepted this as a decision.
+
+"All right, lads," I said briefly. "In my judgment your choice is a
+wise one. I'll have an observation as soon as the fog clears and we'll
+head in for the Cape."
+
+"When do we divide the swag?"
+
+"Fifty miles off the coast. That's fair enough, isn't it? And my share
+goes to you."
+
+There was a straggling cheer, but I broke it up with a sharp order.
+
+"Now stand by for work, all of you. Watkins and Carter I want you
+aft."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+THE PRISONERS ESCAPE
+
+
+The two men followed me silently as far as the companion, where we
+paused a moment staring blindly about us into the fog. Even the guard
+at the main hatch was invisible.
+
+"This can scarcely last long," I remarked, "but there may be a storm
+brewing."
+
+"I don't think so, sir," one of the men answered civilly. "I've run in
+to these yere mists afore 'long this coast; it's liable ter be all
+clear 'fore the sun goes down."
+
+"Well we'll make the ship safe first Carter, you are an able seaman?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Guard this after deck until Watkins and I come back. Under no
+circumstances permit LeVere to enter the cabin. You understand?"
+
+He grinned appreciatively.
+
+"That nigger ain't likely ter get by me, sir; I'd just like for ter
+take one whack at him."
+
+"Don't be rough, if you can help it. As far as I know now he is with
+us, and ranks second officer. My only orders are--see that he remains
+on deck while we are below."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir; he'll stay thar."  With the door closed, we were
+plunged into a darkness which rendered the interior invisible. I
+wondered dimly why the man on guard had not lighted the swinging
+lantern but before I could call out to the fellow, Watkins whispered.
+
+"What's up? Anything wrong in here?"
+
+"Not that I know of, but the young lady reported Sanchez moving about
+in his stateroom and I think it safer to see to him at once."
+
+"It's blacker than hell down thar."
+
+"Yes; I don't understand it--wait here a minute until I strike a
+light."
+
+I stumbled over something on the deck, as I groped forward, but with
+mind centered on the one object, did not pause until I had located the
+lantern. It blazed up brightly enough, its yellow flame illuminating
+the cabin, and the first thing I saw was the outstretched figure of
+the sailor almost between my feet. I sprang back, giving utterance to
+a cry, which brought Watkins to me, and the two of us stared at the
+grewsome object and then about into the wavering shadows. There was
+nothing to see but the dead man, lying on his face motionless, blood
+still oozing from an ugly knife wound in his back. We needed to ask no
+questions, imagine nothing--the overturned chair, the stricken sailor
+told the whole story. He had been treacherously stuck from behind, the
+blade driven home by a strong hand, and was dead before he fell to the
+deck. It had been silent, vengeful murder, and the assassin had left
+no trace. Who could it have been? Not Gunsaules surely--the steward
+lacked both nerve and strength for such a deed. Then there was but one
+to suspect--Silva Sanchez! I stood there dumb, gazing at the dead
+man, realizing all this dimly, yet conscious only of thankfulness that
+the victim had not been Dorothy Fairfax.
+
+"He's dead, sir," growled Watkins, turning the fellow over with his
+foot, until the ghastly face stared up at the deck beams overhead.
+"Stabbed to the heart frum behind. Look a yere--that wus sum slash.
+Who, the hell do yer suppose did it?"
+
+"That is ours to find out. The deed has just been done, for blood is
+still flowing. Let him alone Watkins and come with me--the murderer
+can't be far off."
+
+I flung open the pantry door, but one glance inside told me that
+Gunsaules had vanished. On the deck lay the strands of rope with which
+he had been secured---they had been severed by a sharp knife, the ends
+discolored with blood stains. I held these out to Watkins.
+
+"Cut since the murder," I said harshly, "and by the same knife."
+
+"Who was in here, sir."
+
+"The steward, Gunsaules. He didn't do the job, but I believe I know
+who did. We'll try the port stateroom aft. Stand by; there's likely to
+be two of them."
+
+The door was unlocked and opened noiselessly, but I took no chances,
+thinking this possibly a ruse. Gloomy as the interior appeared in the
+weird light with banks of fog driving against the ports, a single
+swift glance convinced me it was deserted. There was no place for a
+man to hide, yet I could not convince myself of its emptiness until I
+peered into the disarranged bunk, and surveyed every shadowed corner.
+Watkins watched me curiously, turning his head occasionally to stare
+out into the lighted cabin behind. The situation baffled me
+completely--that Sanchez had done the deed, informed by the steward of
+what was occurring on board and rendered desperate by that report, was
+clear enough in my mind; but what had become of the man? He could not
+have escaped overboard, as the ports were screwed down, and his
+appearance on the open deck above would have surely been observed. His
+place of concealment must remain aft in the cabin, and if so, he must
+be discovered by immediate search. I ordered Watkins to take the
+lantern from the rack and follow me from stateroom to stateroom. We
+began with Dorothy's, finding none of them locked until we came to
+where Manuel was held prisoner. All were empty and in disorder, while
+bending my ear to the locked door, I could distinguish the heavy
+breathing of its inmate, the fellow was evidently sound asleep.
+
+"What do you make of it, Tom?" I asked, facing him in the dim halo of
+light.
+
+"Well, sir," scratching his head with his disengaged hand, "Thar ain't
+but two more places ter look--the cuss is either in the lazaret, er'
+else hidin' in the passage forward; more likely the last."
+
+"Why not the lazaret?"
+
+"Cause thar wouldn't be no object fer him to go thar. He dudn't get
+out agin with the kiver shut down. The thing he'd most likely try fer
+wud be ter release them lads amidships--that'd give him a gang o'
+bullies ter fight with. My idea is, sir, he thought he'd have time ter
+git the bulkhead door open, before anybody cum below--he an' the
+steward, who'd know what the tools wus. That wus the scheme, only we
+busted in too quick. That whar they both are--skulkin' back in them
+shadows."
+
+He fitted the smoking lantern back onto the shelf to have his hands
+free for action, and drew a cutlass out of the arm rack, running one
+leatherly thumb along the blade to test its sharpness. His eyes sought
+mine questioningly.
+
+"Probably your guess is the right one," I said soberly. "We'll give it
+a trial, and should need no help to handle the two of them."
+
+The deck under our feet was fairly steady, the vessel having barely
+steerage-way, rolling slightly to the heave of the sea. No sound
+readied us from above, and the silence of the cabin was profound.
+Indeed the stillness irritated me with its mystery, rendered me
+reckless to penetrate its meaning. Murder had been committed for a
+purpose--it was the first step in an effort to retake the ship. If we
+were to retain our advantage there was no time to be lost; we were
+pitted now against Silva Sanchez, and he was a leader not to be
+despised or temporized with; no cowardly, brainless fool.
+
+The passage leading forward was wide enough to permit of our advancing
+together and for a few steps the light dribbled in past us, quite
+sufficient for guidance, although our shadows were somewhat confusing.
+There were closed doors on either side, evidently locked, as they
+refused to yield to the hand. I took these to be storerooms, possibly
+containing spoils of the voyage, but gave them little other thought,
+my whole interest centered on the intense blackness ahead. I had been
+down this tunnel once before, and knew the bulkhead was not far away,
+but the few steps necessary plunged us into profound blackness,
+through which we advanced cautiously with outstretched hands. No
+slightest sound warned of danger and I was already convinced in my own
+mind that the refugees were not hiding there, when it happened. Within
+an instant we were fighting for our lives, fronted not by two men, but
+by a score, who flung themselves cursing upon us. Their very numbers
+and the narrowness of the passage was our only salvation. At first our
+resistance was blind enough, guided only by the senses of touch and
+sound. We could see nothing of our antagonists, although their fierce
+rush hurled us backward. I fired into the mass, as Watkins slashed
+madly with his cutlass, both managing in some way to keep our feet.
+Hands gripped for us, a bedlam of oaths splitting the air; yet, even
+in that moment of pandemonium, I was quick to realize the fellows were
+weaponless, seeking only to reach and crush us with bare hands. The
+same discovery must have come to the mind of the sailor, for he yelled
+it out defiantly, every stroke of his blade drawing blood. I joined
+him, striking with the butt of the pistol, feeling within me the
+strength of ten men, yet the very weight of them thrust us
+remorselessly back. We killed and wounded, the curses of hate changed
+into sharp cries of agony, but those behind pressed the advance
+forward, and we were inevitably swept back into the light of the cabin
+lamp.
+
+Then I saw faces, hideous in the glare, demonical in their expression
+of hatred--a mass of them, unrecognizable, largely of a wild,
+half-Indian type, with here and there a bearded white. Nor were they
+all bare-handed; in many a grip flashed a knife, and directly fronting
+me, with a meat cleaver uplifted to strike, Sanchez yelled his orders.
+Ignoring all others I leaped straight at him, crying to Watkins as I
+sprang.
+
+"Back lad; dash out that light; I'll hold these devils here a minute!"
+
+I did---God knows how! It was like no fighting ever I had done before,
+a mad, furious mélée, amid which I lost all consciousness of action,
+all guidance of thought, struggling as a wild brute, with all the
+reckless strength of insanity. It is a dim, vague recollection; I am
+sure I felled Sanchez with one blow of my pistol-butt, stretching him
+apparently lifeless at my feet; in some way that deadly cleaver came
+into my hands and I trod on his body, swinging the sharp blade with
+all my might into those scowling faces. They gave sullenly backward;
+they had to, yelping and snarling like a pack of wolves, hacking at me
+with their short knives. I was cut again and again, but scarcely knew
+it. I stood on quivering flesh, driving my weapon from right to left,
+crazed with blood, and seeking only to kill. I saw faces crushed in,
+arms severed, men reeling before me in terror, the sudden spurting of
+blood from ghastly wounds. Oaths mingled with cries of agony and
+shouts of hate. Then in an instant the light was dashed out and all
+was darkness.
+
+It was as though my brain snapped back into ascendency. I was no
+longer a raging fury, mad with the desire to kill, but cool-headed,
+planning escape. Before a hand could reach me in restraint, I sprang
+backward and ran. In the darkness of the cabin I collided with the
+table, and fell sprawling over a stool. The noise guided pursuit, yet,
+wedged together as those fellows still were in the narrow passage,
+fighting each other in the black gloom, gave me every advantage and so
+unhalted, I stumbled up the stairs leading to the companion. The vague
+glimmer of daylight showing through the glass, revealed the presence
+of Watkins. I heard him dash the door wide open, call to those on
+deck, and then saw him wheel about to again confront the devils
+plunging blindly forward toward us through the dark cabin. We could
+hold them here for a time at least, yet I had the sense to know that
+this check would prove only temporary. They outnumbered us ten to one,
+and would arm themselves from the rack. Yet the greater danger lay in
+the loyalty of my own men. A dozen of us might hold these stairs
+against assault, but treachery would leave us helpless. And the very
+thickness of the fog without invited to treachery. If one among them,
+and there were many capable of such an act, should steal below
+forward, and force open the door from the forecastle, we would be
+crushed between two waves of men, and left utterly helpless. I saw the
+whole situation vividly, and as quickly chose the only course to
+pursue, the one hope remaining.
+
+"Here lads," I called sharply back over my shoulder, "five or six of
+you are enough to hold back this scum. Watkins!"
+
+"Ay, sir."
+
+"Bend down here--now listen. Get the boats ready--two will be
+enough--and be lively about it. We'll hold these fellows until you
+report. You know the lads to be trusted. Put two of them at the
+forecastle scuttle, and then rout everybody out from below. Who is
+here now?"
+
+"Name yerselves, bunkies--I can't see yer."
+
+"Simmes."
+
+"Schmitt."
+
+"Ravel DeLasser."
+
+"Carter."
+
+"Jacob Johansen."
+
+"Sam."
+
+"That's enough; you lads remain here with me. Have Harwood watch
+LeVere, while the rest of you get out the boats."
+
+"How many, sir?"
+
+"The two quarter-boats will hold us all. Knock out the plugs in the
+others--and Watkins!"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+"See that Miss Fairfax is placed safely in the after-boat, and then
+stand by. Send me word the moment all is ready. That's all--we're
+going to be busy here presently."
+
+I had glimpse of the thick fog without as he pushed through the door,
+and of a scarcely distinguishable group of men on the deck. Those
+about me could only be located by their restless movements. I stepped
+down one stair conscious of increasing movement below, the meat
+cleaver still gripped in my hands.
+
+"Any of you armed with cutlasses?"
+
+"Oui, M'Sieur, Ravel DeLasser."
+
+"Stand here, to right of me, now another at my left. Who are you?"
+"Jim Carter, sir."
+
+"Good; now strike hard, lads, and you others be ready."
+
+"What's up, sir?" asked a gruff voice. "Has they busted out from
+between decks?"
+
+"That's what's happened. The cabin is full of 'em, and it is your life
+and mine in the balance. If we can get away in this fog they'll never
+find us, but we've got to hold them here until the boats are ready."
+
+"Is it Sanchez?"
+
+"It was Sanchez, but I killed him. That is where we've still got them
+huskies, without a leader."
+
+"But they've got arms."
+
+"Only hand weapons," broke in Carter contemptuously. "We're as good as
+they are--thar ain't no powder."
+
+"Sure of that?"
+
+"Course I am. I cleaned up that rack two days ago. There's ball in the
+bandoliers, but no powder. I wus goin' ter break open a cask, but
+Estada put me at another job."
+
+"Then that leaves us on even footing, lads, we ought to be equal to
+them with the cold steel--can any of you see below?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+IN CLASP OF THE SEA
+
+
+The sound of voices, of moving bodies and bits of furniture overturned
+were plainly discernible, but the darkness was far too dense below to
+permit the eye perceiving what was taking place. Yet I could picture
+the scene, the leaderless mob surging blindly forward, each man vocal
+in his own tongue, swaying with rage, many smarting with wounds,
+uncertain where we had disappeared, yet all alike crazed with a desire
+to attain the open deck. The rattle of steel, the curses, told me some
+among them had reached the arm rack, and seized whatever weapons they
+found there. In their struggle the rack was overturned, and suddenly,
+amid the din, a shrill, penetrating voice yelled something in Spanish,
+which seemed to hush the clamor. There followed a shuffling of feet,
+and the crash of wood as though the butt of a gun had splintered a
+door panel. Then the same voice again pierced the babel. My mind
+gripped the meaning of it all; they had found a leader; they had
+released Manuel Estevan. Now the real fight was on!
+
+We stooped low, to escape as much as possible from the dim revealing
+light streaming through the glass at our backs, and waited, staring
+into the black depths of the cabin, and listening for every sound. The
+release of Manuel, the very knowledge of his presence had changed the
+mob into dangerous fighters. The roar of voices died away with the
+noise of confusion. I could hear the fellow question those about him,
+seeking to learn the situation, but the delay was short, and no
+inkling of his quickly conceived plan of attack was revealed. Yet he
+saw us and understood; his eyes, long trained to darkness, must have
+already marked our dim outlines, for his first order evidenced his
+purpose.
+
+"Who have cutlasses? So many! a dozen form with me. Now bullies, they
+are on the stairs there, and that is the only way to the deck. We'll
+show those damned traitors what fighting means. Now then---to hell
+with 'em!"
+
+We met them, point to point, our advantage the narrow staircase and
+the higher position; theirs the faint glimmer of light at our backs.
+The first rush was reckless and deadly, the infuriated devils not yet
+realizing what they faced, but counting on force of numbers to crush
+our defense. Manuel led them yelling encouragement, and sweeping his
+cutlass, gripped with both hands, in desperate effort to break
+through. DeLasser caught its point with his blade while my cleaver
+missing him with its sharp edge, nevertheless dealt the fellow a blow
+which hurled him back into the arms of the man behind. I saw nothing
+else in detail, the faint light barely revealing indistinct figures
+and gleam of steel. It was a pandemonium of blows and yells, strange
+faces appearing and disappearing, as men leaped desperately at us up
+the steps, and we beat them remorselessly back. I saw nothing more of
+Manuel in the fray, but his shrill voice urged on his followers. It
+was strike and parry, cut and thrust. Twice I kicked my legs free
+from hands that gripped me, and DeLasser fell, a pike thrust through
+him. Who took his place I never knew, but a stout fighter the lad was,
+wielding his cutlass viciously, so that we held them, with dead men
+littering every step to the cabin deck.
+
+But they were of a breed trained to such fighting, and the lash of
+Manuel's tongue drove them into mad recklessness. And there seemed no
+end of them, sweeping up out of those black shadows, with bearded or
+lean brown savage faces, charging over the dead bodies, hacking and
+gouging in vain effort to break through. I struck until my arms ached,
+until my head reeled, scarcely conscious of physical action, yet aware
+of Manners shouts.
+
+"Now you hell-hounds--now! once more, and you have them. Santa Maria!
+you've got to go through, bullies---there is no other way to the deck.
+Think of the yellow boys below; they are all yours if you strike hard
+enough. Rush 'em! That's the way! Here you--go in outside the rail!
+Broth of hell! Now you have him, Pedro!"
+
+For an instant I believed it true; I saw Jim Carter seized and hurled
+sideways, his cutlass clashing as it fell, while a dozen hands dragged
+him headlong into the ruck beneath. But it was only an instant. Before
+the charging devils could pass me, a huge figure filled the vacant
+space, and the butt of a gun crashed into the mass. It was the
+Dutchman, Schmitt, fighting like a demon, his strength that of an ox.
+They gave way in terror before him, and we went down battering our
+way, until the stairs were clear to the deck, except for the dead
+under foot. When we stopped, not a fighting man was left within the
+sweep of our arms. They had scurried back into the darkness like so
+many rats, and we could only stare about blindly, cursing them, as we
+endeavored to recover breath. Schmitt roared like a wild bull, and
+would have rushed on, but for my grip on his shirt.
+
+"Get back, men!" I ordered sharply. "There may be fifty of them
+yonder. Our only chance is the stairs. Do as I say, Schmitt, or fight
+me. Back now!"
+
+We flung the bodies on one side, and formed again from rail to rail.
+Below us there was noise enough, a babel of angry voices, but no
+movement of assault. I could see nothing, although the uproar
+evidenced a large number of men jammed together in that blackness
+beneath. What they would do next was answered by a blaze of light,
+revealing the silhouette of a man, engaged in touching flame to a
+torch of hemp. It flung forth a dull yellow glare, and revealed a
+scene of unimaginable horror. Our assailants were massed half way
+back, so blended together I could not judge their number, many between
+us and the light with faces darkened by shadow. Between us, even ten
+feet from the stairs, the deck was littered with bodies, ghastly faces
+staring up, with black stains of blood everywhere. It was Manuel's
+hand which had kindled the light, and the first croak of his voice
+told his purpose.
+
+"Now you sculking cowards," he yelled pointing forward, "do you see
+what you are fighting? There are only five men between you and the
+deck. To hell with 'em! Come on! I'll show you the way!"
+
+He leaped forward; but it was his last step. With one swing of my arm
+I sent the cleaver hurtling through the air. I know not how it struck
+him, but he went down, his last word a shriek, his arms flung out in
+vain effort to ward off the blow. Schmitt roared out a Dutch oath, and
+before I knew fully what had happened, his gun, sent whirling above
+me, had crashed into the uplifted torch. Again it was black, hideous
+night, through which the eye could perceive nothing. Even the noise
+ceased, but a hand gripped my shoulder.
+
+"Who are you?"
+
+"Nigger Sam, sah. Mistah Watkins sez it's all done fixed."
+
+"Where is he?"
+
+"Here," answered Watkins himself in a hoarse whisper. "The boats are
+ready."
+
+"Afloat?"
+
+"Yes, sir. The one forward has pushed off loaded. The after-boat is
+alongside. There is such a hell of a fog, sir, yer can't see two
+fathoms from the ship."
+
+"All the better for us; is the girl in the boat?"
+
+"Safe, sir; but LeVere ain't."
+
+"What do you mean? That he has got away? I ordered you to have Harwood
+watch him."
+
+"Yes, sir; but the mate slipped out o' sight in the fog. He's somewhar
+aboard, but we ain't been able ter put hands on him nowhar yet."
+
+"Never mind him; the fellow can do no harm now. Move back slowly lads.
+Schmitt and I will be the last ones out. Pick up that cutlass,
+Schmitt. We must act before those devils down there wake up again."
+
+We closed the companion door as silently as possible and for the
+moment there was no sound from within to show that our cautious
+withdrawal had been observed. I stared about, but was able to perceive
+little beyond the small group awaiting my orders. The fog clung thick
+and heavy on all sides, the lungs breathed it in, and the deck
+underfoot was as wet as though from heavy rain. Moisture dripped from
+yards and canvas, and it was impossible for the eye to penetrate to
+either rail. Fortunately there was no weight of sea running, and the
+bark swung gently, still retaining steerage-way, but with not wind
+enough aloft to flap the sails. The silence and gloom was most
+depressing.
+
+"Is there a hand at the wheel, Watkins?"
+
+"No sir; it's lashed."
+
+"And the quarter-boat?"
+
+"There, sir, below the mizzen-chains."
+
+"Then there is nothing more to keep us aboard lads. Stow yourselves
+away and hang on; I'll wait here until you are all over."
+
+They faded away into the mist, dim spectral figures, and I remained
+alone, listening anxiously for some hostile sound from below. Had I
+chosen the right course? I was not altogether sure, yet we had gone
+too far now to decide on any other. Perhaps if I had called on those
+men up on deck, who had loaded guns, we might have forced the escaped
+prisoners back into their place of confinement, and thus kept control
+of the vessel. Yet at that it would only mean a few hours more on
+board amid constant danger of revolt. It might have enabled us to
+salvage the gold hidden below, but I was not greatly concerned for
+this, as my one and only purpose was the preservation of Dorothy. The
+men might prove ugly when they awoke to the loss, but I had little
+fear of them, once we were at sea in the small boats, and their lives
+depended on my seamanship. Unless a storm arose our lives were in no
+great peril, although I would have preferred being closer to the coast
+before casting adrift. I wondered what could be the meaning of that
+silence below. True the fellows were leaderless and defeated, yet they
+were desperate spirits, and fully aware that they must attain the open
+deck in order to recapture the vessel. They would not remain quiet
+long, and once discovering our retirement, would swarm up the stairs
+animated with fresh courage. Satisfied that the lads were safely over
+the rail and the decks clear, I turned toward the ship's side. As I
+did so a yell reached my ears from the blackness below--the hounds had
+found voice.
+
+I ran through the fog in the direction the others had disappeared, and
+had taken scarcely three steps when I collided against the form of a
+man, whose presence was not even noticed until we came together. Yet
+he must have been there expectant and ready, for a quick knife thrust
+slashed the front of my jacket, bringing a spurt of blood as the blade
+was jerked back. It was a well-aimed blow at the heart, missing its
+mark only because of my outstretched arms, and the rapidity of my
+advance. Even as my fingers gripped the uplifted wrist, 'ere he could
+strike the second time, I knew my antagonist. I knew also this was a
+fight to the death, a sharp remorseless struggle to be terminated
+before that unguarded crew below could attain the deck. It was
+LeVere's life or mine, and in the balance the fate of those others in
+the waiting boat alongside. The knowledge gave me the strength and
+ferocity of a tiger; all the hate and distrust I felt for the man came
+uppermost. In that moment of rage I did not so much care what happened
+to me, if I was only privileged to kill him. I ripped the knife from
+his fingers, and we closed with bare hands; our muscles cracking to
+the strain, his voice uttering one croaking cry for help as I bore in
+on his windpipe. He was a snake, a cat, slipping out of my grip as by
+some magic, turning and twisting like an eel, yet unable to wholly
+escape, or overcome, my strength and skill. At last I had him prone
+against the rail, the weight of us both so hard upon it, the stout
+wood cracked, and we both went over, grappling together until we
+splashed into the water below. The shock, the frantic effort to save
+myself, must have loosened my hold, for, as I fought a way back to the
+surface, I was alone, lost in the veil of mist.
+
+Blinded by fog, the water dripping from my hair, weakened by struggle
+and loss of blood, my mad rage against LeVere for the moment obscured
+all else in my mind. What had become of the fellow? Had he gone down
+like a stone? Or was he somewhere behind this curtain of fog? A splash
+to the right led me to take a dozen strokes hastily, but to no
+purpose. The sound was not repeated and I no longer retained any sense
+of direction to guide me. The sea was a steady swell, lifting my body
+on the crest of a wave, to submerge it an instant later in the deep
+hollow. I could feel the motion, but scarcely perceived it otherwise,
+as the thick gray mist obscured everything three feet away. It
+deadened and confused sound also. Again and again I felt I located
+the near presence of the _Namur_, the sound of feet on deck, the shout
+of a voice, the flapping of canvas against the yards; but as I
+desperately turned that way, the noise ceased, or else apparently
+changed into another point of compass. Once a cry reached me,
+thrilling with despair, although I could not catch the words, and
+again came to me plainly enough the clank of an oar in its rowlock. I
+struck out madly for the point from whence it came, only to find the
+same rolling water, and obscuring fog. My strength began to fail, hope
+left me as I sank deeper and deeper into the remorseless grip of the
+sea. There was nothing left to fight for, to struggle after; the fog
+about me became red and purple before my straining eyes, and then
+slowly grew black; my muscles refused to respond to my will; I no
+longer swam, but floated so low in water the crest of the waves swept
+over my face. I no longer cared, gripped by a strange, almost
+delicious languor. I was not afraid; my lips uttered no cry, no
+prayer--I drifted out into total unconsciousness and went down.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+THE OPEN BOAT
+
+
+I came back to a consciousness of pain and illness, unable at once to
+realize where I was, or feel any true sense of personality. I seemed
+to be floating through the air, aware dimly of suffering, but
+helplessly in the grasp of some power beyond all struggling against.
+Then slowly I comprehended that I rested in a boat, tossed about by a
+fairly heavy sea; that it was night and there were stars visible in
+the sky overhead. I stared at these, vacant of thought, wondering at
+their gleam, when a figure seemed to lean over me, and I caught the
+outline of a face, gazing eagerly down into my own. Instantly memory
+came back in a flash--this was not death, but life; I was in a boat
+with her, I could not move my hands, and my voice was but a hoarse
+whisper.
+
+"Mistress Fairfax--Dorothy!"
+
+"Yes--yes," swiftly. "It is all right, but you must lie still.
+Watkins, Captain Carlyle is conscious. What shall I do?"
+
+He must have been behind us at the steering oar, for his gruff, kindly
+voice sounded very close.
+
+"Yer might lift him up, miss," he said soberly. "He'll breathe better.
+How's that, Captain?"
+
+"Much easier," I managed to breathe. "I guess I am all right now. You
+fished me out?"
+
+"Sam did. He got a boat hook in your collar. We cast off when yer
+went overboard, and cruised about in the fog hunting fer yer. Who was
+it yer was fightin' with, sir?"
+
+"LeVere."
+
+"That's what I told the lads. He's a goner, I reckon?"
+
+"I never saw him after we sank. Are all the men here?"
+
+"All but those in the forward boat, sir. They got away furst, an' we
+ain't had no sight ov 'em since. Maybe we will when it gets daylight."
+
+"Who had charge?"
+
+"Harwood, sir; he's the best man o' ther lot, an' a good sailor, I
+give him a compass, an' told him ter steer west. Wus thet right?"
+
+"All I could have told him," I admitted, lifting myself on one elbow
+to look about. "I haven't had an observation, and it is all guesswork.
+I know the American coast lies in that direction, but that is about
+all. I couldn't tell if it be a hundred, or a hundred and fifty miles
+away. So the fog has lifted without a storm?"
+
+"Yes, sir, but left an ugly sea. There has been plenty o' wind
+somewhere, but we seem to be out of it. Must a bin midnight when the
+mist lifted."
+
+"Is it as late as that? I must have been in bad shape when you pulled
+me in?"
+
+"We thought you was gone, sir. You was bleedin' some too, but only
+from flesh wounds. The young lady she just wouldn't let yer die. She
+worked over yer for two or three hours, sir, afore I hed any hope."
+
+Her eyes were downcast and her face turned away, but I reached out my
+hand and clasped her fingers. They remained quietly in my grasp, but
+neither of us spoke. The boat lay before me a black shadow under the
+stars, flung up on the crests of the waves and darting down into the
+hollows. It required all of Watkins' skill to keep it upright, the
+flying spray constantly dashing against our faces. The men were but
+dimly revealed, sitting with heads lowered beneath the slight
+protection afforded by the lug sail, although one was upon his knees,
+throwing out the water which dashed in over the front rail. He was
+succeeding so poorly I called to another to help him, and the two fell
+to the job with new vigor. I could not distinguish the faces of the
+fellows, but counted nine altogether in the boat, and felt assured the
+huge bulk at the foot of the mast was the Dutchman Schmitt. Beyond
+these dim outlines there was nothing for the eye to rest upon, only a
+few yards of black sea in every direction, rendered visible by the
+reflected star-shine and the dull glow of crested waves. It was
+dismal, awe inspiring, and I felt that I must speak to break the
+dreadful silence. My eyes sought the averted face beside me, and for a
+moment in peculiar hesitancy, observed the silhouette of cheek and
+form. She rested against the gunwale, her eyes on the dark vista of
+sea, her chin cupped in her hand. The mystery of the night and ocean
+was in her motionless posture. Only as her hand gently pressed mine
+did I gain courage, with a knowledge that she recognized and welcomed
+my presence.
+
+"Watkins says I owe my life to you," I said, so low the words were
+scarcely audible above the dash of water alongside. "It will make that
+life more valuable than ever before."
+
+She turned her head, and I felt her eyes searching the dim outline of
+my face questioningly.
+
+"Of course I did everything I knew," she replied. "Why should I not?
+You are here, Captain Carlyle, for my sake; I owe you service."
+
+"And must I be content merely with that thought?" I urged, far from
+pleased. "This would mean that your only interest in me arises from
+gratitude."
+
+"And friendship," her voice as confidential as my own. "There is no
+reason why you should doubt that surely."
+
+"It would be easier for me to understand, but for the memory of what I
+am--a bond slave."
+
+"You mean the fact that you were sold to my uncle remains a barrier
+between us?"
+
+"To my mind, yes. I hope you forget, but I cannot. If I return to
+Virginia, it is to servitude for a term of years. I am exiled from my
+own country by law, and thus prevented from following a career on the
+sea. I belong to Roger Fairfax, or, if he be dead, to his heirs, and
+even this privilege of being the property of a gentleman is mine
+through your intercession. I know your sympathy, your eagerness to
+help--but that is not all of friendship."
+
+"Your meaning is that true friendship has as a basis equality?"
+
+"Does it not? Can real friendship exist otherwise?"
+
+"No," she acknowledged gravely. "And the fact that such friendship
+does exist between us evidences my faith in you. I have never felt
+this social distinction, Captain Carlyle, have given it no thought.
+This may seem strange to you, yet is most natural. You bear an
+honorable name, and belong to a family of gentlemen. You held a
+position of command, won by your own efforts. You bore the part of a
+man in a revolution; if guilty of any crime, it was a political one,
+in no way sullying your honor. I have every reason to believe you were
+falsely accused and convicted. Consequently that conviction does not
+exist between us; you are not my uncle's servant, but my friend--you
+understand me now?"
+
+"I have trained myself so long to another viewpoint, Mistress
+Dorothy," I admitted, still speaking doubtfully, although impressed by
+her earnestness, "I know not how to accept this statement. I have not
+once ventured to address you, except as a servant."
+
+"I know that, and have regretted it," she interrupted. "But not until
+now have I been able to correct your impression."
+
+"And you would actually have me speak with you as of your own class--a
+free man, worthy to claim your friendship in life?"
+
+"Yes," frankly, her face uplifted. "Why should it be otherwise? It has
+been our fortune to meet under strange conditions, Captain
+Carlyle--conditions testing us, and revealing the very depths of our
+natures. Concealment and disguise is no longer necessary between us.
+You have served me unselfishly, plunging headlong into danger for my
+sake. I shudder at the thought of where I would be now, but for your
+effort to save me. No man could have done more, or proved himself more
+staunch and true. We are in danger yet, adrift here in the heart of
+this desolate sea, but such peril is nothing compared with what I
+have escaped. I am glad, sincerely glad; I have prayed God in
+thankfulness, I feel that your skill and courage will bring us safely
+to land. I am no longer afraid, for I have learned to trust you."
+
+"In all ways?"
+
+"Yes; as gentleman as truly as sailor. You possess my entire
+confidence."
+
+Cordial and earnest as these words were, they failed to yield me
+sufficient courage to voice the eager impulse of my heart. There was a
+restraint, some memory of the past, perhaps, which fettered the
+tongue. Yet I struggled to give my desire utterance.
+
+"But do you understand fully?" I questioned anxiously. "All I have
+done for you would have been done for any other woman under the same
+conditions of danger. I claim no reward for that--a plain duty."
+
+"I am sure that is true."
+
+"It is true, and yet different. Such service to another would have
+been a duty, and no more. But to be with you, aiding and protecting,
+has been a delight, a joy. I have served Dorothy Fairfax for her own
+sake--not as I would any other."
+
+"Did you not suppose I knew?"
+
+Her glance flashed into mine through the star-gleam, with a sudden
+message of revealment.
+
+"You knew--that--that it was you personally I served?"
+
+"Of course I knew. A woman is never unaware of such things. Nor is
+there reason now--here in this boat, with you as my only
+protector--why I should pretend otherwise. Neither of us know what the
+end may be; we may sink in these waters, or be cast ashore on a
+desolate coast to perish miserably, and it is no moment for
+concealment. Now, if ever, I must tell you the truth. I know you care
+for me, and have cared since first we met. An interest no less fateful
+has led me to seek your acquaintance, and give you my aid. Surely it
+is not unmaidenly for me to confess this when we face the chance of
+death together?"
+
+"But," I stammered, "I can scarcely believe you realize your words.
+I--I love you Dorothy."
+
+"And is it not also possible for me to love?"
+
+"Possible--yes! But why should you? Forgive me, but I cannot drive
+away memory of the gulf between us. I would not dare speak such words
+of my own volition, they seem almost insult. You are rich, with
+position and friends of influence, while I at best am but a merchant
+skipper, in truth a bond servant, penniless and disgraced. In the eyes
+of the world I am not fit to touch the hem of your garment."
+
+"Is it the eyes of the world, or my eyes into which you look?"
+
+"Yours! I am selfish enough, I fear, to find my happiness there--but
+it is not right, not just."
+
+"Can you not permit me to be the judge as to that?" she asked
+seriously. "I know your story, and have seen you in stress and storm.
+Am I one, think you, to love any man for wealth or position. If I
+possess these things they are to share, not to hoard. It is because I
+have given you my full trust and confidence I can say these words."
+
+"You--you mean, you love me?"
+
+Her eyes fell from my face and her head was turned away, but there
+was no falter in her voice.
+
+"I love you--are you sorry?"
+
+"Sorry! I am mad with the joy of it; yet stricken dumb. Dorothy!
+Dorothy Fairfax, I have never even dared dream of such a message from
+your lips. Dear, dear girl, do you forget who I am? What my future
+must be?"
+
+"I forget nothing," she said, almost proudly. "It is because I know
+what you are that my heart responds. Nor is your future so clouded.
+You are today a free man if we escape these perils, for whether Roger
+Fairfax be alive, or dead, he will never seek you again to hold in
+servitude. If alive he will join his efforts with mine to obtain a
+pardon because of these services, and we have influence in England.
+Yet, should such effort fail, you are a sailor, and the seas of the
+world are free. It is not necessary that your vessel fly the English
+flag."
+
+"You give me hope--a wonderful hope."
+
+"And courage," her hands firmly clasping mine. "Courage to fight on in
+faith. I would have that my gift to you, Geoffry. We are in peril
+still, great peril, but you will face it beside me, knowing that
+whether we live or die we are together. I am not afraid anymore."
+
+She was like a child; I could feel her body relax in my arms as though
+relieved of its tension. I know I answered her, whispering into her
+ear words of love, and confidence, scarcely knowing myself what I said
+in that moment of unrestraint. I felt her eyes on my face and knew her
+lips were parted in a smile of content, yet doubt if they answered me.
+She seemed to yield unconsciously, her head upon my shoulder, her face
+upturned to the stars, while slowly all the intense fatigue of the
+day and night stupified mind and body. Almost before I realized her
+weariness, the eyes were closed and she was sleeping in my arms.
+
+I held her closely, so awakened by what had passed between us, as to
+feel no desire to sleep myself. Dorothy Fairfax loved me. I could
+scarcely grasp the thought. I had dreamed of love, but only to repress
+the imagination as impossible. Yet now, voluntarily from her own lips,
+it had proven true. With eyes uplifted to the stars I swore fidelity,
+pledging solemnly all my years to her service; nor could I drive my
+thought away from the dear girl, sleeping so confidently upon my
+shoulder. Then slowly there came back memory of where we were, of what
+grave peril surrounded us, of my own responsibility. My eyes sought to
+pierce the gloom of the night, only to gain glimpses of black water
+heaving and tumbling on every side, the boat flung high on a whitened
+crest, and then hurled into the hollow beneath, as though it was a
+mere chip in the grasp of the sea. The skill of Watkins alone kept us
+afloat, and even his iron muscles must be strained to the limit.
+Forward the boat was a mere smudge, the men curled up asleep and no
+longer visible. All that stood out with any distinctness of outline
+was the lug sail, stiff as a board. I endeavored to turn my head,
+without disturbing the slumbering girl, to gain view of the steersman.
+
+"How is she making it, Watkins?"
+
+"A little stiff, sir, but she's a staunch boat. The sea's likely to go
+down after sunup."
+
+"Well, you've had long enough trick--call one of the men aft. I'm not
+strong enough yet for that job."
+
+"No, sir," and I caught the echo of a chuckle, "and yer have yer arms
+full. I kin hold on yere till daylight; 'twon't be long now."
+
+"Make one of them help; who is the best man?"
+
+"Schmitt for this sorter job."
+
+I called him, and growling to himself at being awakened, the Dutchman
+crept past cautiously and wedged himself in beside Watkins. There was
+a few words of controversy between the two men, but in the end Schmitt
+held the steering oar and a few minutes later Watkins had slipped down
+into the boat's bottom and was sound asleep. And so the gray dawn
+found us.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+A FLOATING COFFIN
+
+
+The laboring boat rested so low in the water it was only as we were
+thrown upward on the crest of a wave that I could gain any view about
+through the pallid light of the dawn. At such brief instants my eyes
+swept the far horizon, to discern nothing except the desolate, endless
+expanse of sea. A more dismal, gloomy view surely never unrolled
+itself before the eye of man. Everywhere the gray monotony of rolling
+waves, slowly stretching out into greater distance as the light
+strengthened, yet bringing into view no other object. It was all a
+desolate, restless waste in the midst of which we tossed, while above
+hung masses of dark clouds obscuring the sky. We were but a hurtling
+speck between the gray above and the gray below. How tiny the boat
+looked as my glance ranged forward with this memory of our
+surroundings still fresh in mind. The crest of the surges swept to the
+edge of the gunwale, sending the spray flying inboard. Occasionally
+drops stung my cheek and all the thwarts forward were wet with
+drizzle. The negro, Sam, alone was awake, baling steadily, his face
+turned aft, although scarcely glancing up from his labor. He looked
+tired and worn, a strange green tinge to his black face, as the dim
+light struck it. The others were curled up in the bottom of the craft,
+soaked with spray, yet sleeping soundly. The wind had lost its
+steadiness, coming now in gusts that flapped the sail loudly against
+the mast, but failed to awaken the slumberers. Depressed by the sight,
+my eyes sought the face of the girl whose head yet rested against my
+shoulder.
+
+She lay there with tightly closed eyes, the long lashes outlined
+against her cheek, breathing softly. Between lips slightly parted her
+white teeth gleamed as she smiled from pleasant dreams. It was a
+beautiful face into which I looked, the cheeks faintly tinted, the
+chin firm, the rounded throat white as snow--the face of a pure, true
+woman, yet retaining its appearance of girlish freshness. Whatever of
+hardship and sorrow the past days had brought her, had been erased by
+sleep, and she lay then utterly forgetful of danger and distress. And
+she loved me--loved in spite of all dividing us--and in her rare
+courage had told me so. The memory thrilled my blood, and I felt my
+arm close more tightly about her, as I gazed eagerly down into the
+unconscious features. She was actually mine--mine; not even death
+could rob me of the treasure of her heart, while life offered me every
+reward. No doubt assailed me; I believed each whispered word from her
+lips, and the day dawned about us with rare hope. Not now would I
+yield to despair, or question the future.
+
+Some sudden plunge of the boat caused the girl to open her eyes, and
+gaze half frightened up into my face. Then she smiled in swift
+recognition.
+
+"Is it you, Geoffry? We are still alone at sea?"
+
+"Yes, the night is ending; you have slept well."
+
+She drew herself away from me gently, sat up and glanced about.  "How
+tired you must be. I have been very selfish. There is nothing in
+sight?"
+
+"Nothing."
+
+"And the men are still asleep. Who are they?"
+
+I named them as best I could, pointing out each in turn.
+
+"Are they reliable--safe?" she asked. "You know them?"
+
+"Not well, but they were selected by Watkins, as among the best on
+board the _Namur_. No doubt they will behave themselves."
+
+"But they are pirates; they cannot be trusted."
+
+"These fellows were not aboard the _Namur_ from choice, but seamen
+captured on merchant ships and compelled to serve to preserve their
+lives. They are as eager to escape as we. Anyway I shall see to it
+that they do their duty. Sam!"
+
+The negro looked up quickly.
+
+"Yas, sah!"
+
+"Call the others. Who knows where the food is stored?"
+
+Watkins spoke up behind us.
+
+"It's stored forward, sir, an' all safe; the water casks are lashed
+amidships."
+
+"I'll see what we've got and serve out."
+
+I crept forward cautiously, because of the erratic leaping of the
+craft, the men yielding me room to pass, and soon had Sam busily
+engaged in passing out the various articles for inspection. Only
+essentials had been chosen, yet the supply seemed ample for the
+distance I believed we would have to cover before attaining land. But
+the nature of that unknown coast was so doubtful I determined to deal
+out the provisions sparingly, saving every crumb possible. The men
+grumbled at the smallness of the ration, yet munched away contentedly
+enough, once convinced that we all shared alike. Watkins relieved the
+Dutchman at the steering oar, and I rejoined Dorothy. The silence was
+finally broken by one of the men forward asking a question.
+
+"Could you tell us about where we are, sir?"
+
+"Only as a guess," I answered frankly, my eyes traveling over the sea
+vista, "but will do the best I can. I have had no observation since we
+left the Capes, but Estada had his chart pricked up to the time he was
+killed, showing the course of the _Namur_. We were then about a
+hundred miles off shore and the same distance south. We have been
+sailing to the north of west since taking to the boat. That is the
+best course possible with this wind."
+
+"Then a couple days should bring land, sir?"
+
+"Ay, if figures are correct and this wind holds. But these are stormy
+waters, and we go by dead reckoning."
+
+"That's near enough," he said stubbornly. "Even if you was astray
+fifty miles would make little difference. There's land to west of us,
+and plenty ter eat aboard till we get there--so why not eat it?"
+
+I glanced about into the faces of the others forward, but received
+little encouragement--evidently the fellow was spokesman for his
+mates. The time had arrived for me to exhibit my authority, but before
+I could choose words, Watkins gave indignant utterance to a reply.
+
+"Yer hed yer fair share with the rest ov us, didn't yer, Simms?"  "O'
+course I did; but damn it, I'm hungrier then I wus afore--whut the
+hell's the use?"
+
+"Let me tell you," I broke in, determined on my course. "It is not
+just the boat trip to be considered, although that may prove serious
+enough before we get ashore. If I am any judge we are going to have
+some weather in the next twenty-four hours, and may have to run before
+it to keep afloat. That's one point to think over. Another is that
+coast line west of us doesn't contain a dozen white settlements
+between the Capes and Florida, and you are just as liable to be hungry
+on land as sea. You've eaten as much as I have."
+
+"Maybe I have, but by God, there is food enough there to last us a
+month."
+
+"And it may have to do so. Now Simms, listen to what I say, and you
+others also. I am not going to repeat this. We're the same as
+ship-wrecked men, and I am in command of this boat. Whatever I say
+goes, and I've handled worse fellows than you are many a time. Grumble
+all you please; I don't mind that, but if you try mutiny, or fail to
+jump at my orders, I'll show you some sea discipline you will not
+forget very soon. You are with me, Watkins?"
+
+"You bet I am, sir," heartily.
+
+The Dutchman already half asleep, lifted his head.
+
+"Mine Gott, I cud eat a whale," he growled rather discontentedly, "but
+what der difference say I do--dat wus best, ach."
+
+Simms made no answer, sitting sullenly at the foot of the mast. I
+waited, thinking some other might venture a word, but evidently they
+had enough, and I was willing to let the affair rest. They had been
+shown that I meant to enforce discipline, and nothing remained but for
+me to carry out my threat if occasion arose. Meanwhile the least
+friction aboard, the better.
+
+"All right, lads," I said cheerfully. "Now we understand each other
+and can get at work. We'll divide into watches first of all--two men
+aft here, and one at the bow. Watkins and I will take it watch and
+watch, but there is enough right now for all hands to turn to and make
+the craft shipshape. Two of you bail out that water till she's dry,
+and the others get out that extra sail forward and rig up a jib.
+She'll ride easier and make better progress with more canvas showing.
+How does she head, Watkins?"
+
+"Nor'west, by west, sir."
+
+"You can give two points more west, with the jib drawing--the sea is
+not quite so heavy?"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir--she's riding fairly free, an' the wind is shifting
+nor'east. Thar won't be no storm terday."
+
+The men worked cheerfully enough, finding sufficient to do to keep
+them busy for half an hour, and thus Dorothy and I watched them,
+whispering occasionally to each other, and commenting on the varied
+appearance of the fellows. They were rather an interesting lot in
+their way, the types familiar to me, but strange to her
+experience--sea scum, irresponsible, reckless, to be ruled by iron
+hand, yet honest enough according to their standards. The faces were
+coarse and dissipated, and many a half-smothered oath floated back to
+our ears, but I saw in them nothing to fear, or cause uneasiness. The
+sun had dissipated the clouds, while the swell of the sea had
+sufficiently subsided to permit of a wide view in every direction. The
+vista only served to increase our sense of loneliness and peril. We
+were a tiny chip tossed on the immensity of the waters, stretching
+away to the distant horizons. It was a vast scene of desolation,
+without another object to break its grim monotony--just those endless
+surges of gray-green water brightened by the touch of the sun. Again
+and again I swept my eyes about the circle in a vain effort to
+perceive something of hope; it was useless--we were alone on the
+boundless ocean.
+
+I know not what we talked about during those hours; of all we had
+passed through together, no doubt; of our chances of escape and our
+dreams of the future. Her bravery and confidence increased my own
+courage. Knowing as I did the uncertainty of our position, I needed
+her blind faith to keep me hopeful. The men gradually knocked off
+work, and lay down, and finally I also yielded to her pleadings and
+fell into a sound sleep.
+
+It seemed as though I scarcely lost consciousness, yet I must have
+slept for an hour or more, my head pillowed on her lap. What aroused
+me I could not determine, but Schmitt was again at the steering
+paddle, and both he and Dorothy were staring across me out over the
+port quarter, as though at some vision in the distance, sufficiently
+strange to enchain their entire attention.
+
+"What is it?" I asked eagerly, but before the words were entirely
+uttered, a hoarse voice forward bawled out excitedly.
+
+"There you see it; straight out agin that cloud edge. By God, it's a
+full-rigged schooner."
+
+"Ay," boomed another, "a headin' straight cross our course astern."
+
+I sat up, ignoring all else, thoroughly awake from excitement, gazing
+under hollowed hands in the direction the men pointed. For an instant
+I distinguished nothing but sea and sky, with patches of white cloud
+speckling the horizon. My heart sank with the belief that one of these
+had been mistaken for the sheen of a distant sail. Then as our boat
+was suddenly flung higher on the crest of a great wave, my straining
+eyes caught the unmistakable glimmer of canvas, could even detect its
+outline plainly delineated against the blue background. I reached my
+feet, clinging to the mast to keep erect and, as the boat was again
+flung upward, gained clearly the glimpse I sought.
+
+"Ay, you're right, lads!" I exclaimed. "It's a schooner, headed to
+clear us by a hundred fathoms. Port your helm Schmitt--hard down man.
+Watch out the boom don't hit you, Miss Fairfax. Now, Sam, off with
+that red shirt; tie it on the boat hook, and let fly. They can't help
+seeing us if there is any watch on deck."
+
+We swept about in a wide circle, shipping some water as we dipped
+gunwale under, but came safely out from the smother, headed straight
+across the bows of the oncoming vessel. All eyes stared out
+watchfully, Sam's shirt flapping above us, and both Watkins and
+Schmitt straining their muscles to hold the plunging quarter-boat
+against the force of the wind. A man forward on his knees growled out
+a curse.
+
+"What the hell's the matter aboard there?" he yelled. "Did yer ever
+see a boat yaw like that, afore? Damn me, if I believe they got a
+hand at the wheel."
+
+The same thought had leaped into my mind. The schooner was headed to
+pass us on the port quarter, yet yawing so crazily at times as to make
+me fearful of being run down. I could perceive no sign of life aboard,
+no signal that we had been seen. Indeed from where we crouched in the
+boat all we could see now was the bow with the jib and foresail. Not a
+head peered at us over the rail; in silent mystery it seemed to fly
+straight at us like a great bird, sweeping through water and sky. The
+sight angered me.
+
+"Stand by, all hands," I cried desperately. "We'll board whether they
+want us or not. Slip across, Miss Fairfax, out of the way. Now,
+Watkins, run us in under those fore-chains; easy man, don't let her
+strike us. Lay hold quick lads and hang on for your lives. Give me
+that end of rope--ready now, all of you; I'll make the leap. Now
+then--hold hard!"
+
+It was five feet, and up, my purchase the tossing boat, but I made it,
+one hand desperately gripping a shroud, until I gained balance and was
+flung inboard by a sharp plunge of the vessel. My head was at a level
+with the rail, yet I saw nothing, my whole effort being to make fast
+before the grip of the men should be torn loose. This done I glanced
+back into the upturned faces below.
+
+"Hand in slowly lads; yes, let go, the rope will hold, and the boat
+ride safely enough. Let a couple of men come up till we see what's
+wrong with the hooker--the rest of you trail on."
+
+"Am I to remain here, Mr. Carlyle?"  "Yes for a few moments; there is
+no danger. You stay also, Watkins; let Schmitt and Sam come with me."
+
+I helped them clamber up and then lifted my body onto the rail, from
+which position I had a clear view of the forward deck. It was
+unexpressibly dirty, yet otherwise shipshape enough, ropes coiled and
+the forward hatch tightly closed. Nothing human greeted me, and
+conscious of a strange feeling of horror, I slipped over onto the
+deck. The next moment the negro and Dutchman joined me, the former
+staring about wildly, the whites of his eyes revealing his terror.
+
+"My Gawd, sah," he ejaculated. "Ah done know dis boat--it's shore de
+_Santa Marie_. "Ah's cooked in dat galley. What's done happened ter
+her, sah?"
+
+"You know the schooner? Are you sure, Sam? What was she--a pirate?"
+
+"No, sah; a slaver, sah," he sniffed the air. "Ah kin smell dem
+niggers right now, sah. Ah, suah reckon dars a bunch o' ded ones under
+dem hatches right dis minute--you white men smell dat odor?"
+
+"I certainly smell something unpleasant enough. This is the _Santa
+Marie_; the name is on the stern of that boat yonder. When did you
+serve aboard here?"
+
+"Three years back, sah, frum Habana to der African coast; Ah didn't
+want no more dat sorter sailorin'."
+
+"But what could have happened? The boats are all in place, but no
+crew, I never saw anything like it at sea."
+
+Schmitt's hand fell heavily on my sleeve and I glanced aside into his
+stolid face.
+
+"Der's a feller on ther gratin' amidships, Captain," he said pointing
+aft. "But I just bet I know vat wus der trouble."
+
+"What man?"
+
+"Cholera," he whispered, "ve haf boarded a death ship."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+ON BOARD THE SLAVER
+
+
+The terror of the two men as this thought dawned upon them in all its
+horror was apparent enough, and, in truth, I shared with them a vivid
+sense of our desperate situation. Nothing, not even fire was more to
+be dreaded than a visitation of this awful nature on shipboard. I had
+heard tales to chill the blood, of whole ships' crews stricken and
+dying like flies. Yet I dare not hesitate, or permit those under my
+command to flee in terror. Charnal ship though this might be, the
+danger to us was not so great, if we only remained in the open air,
+and used proper precaution in putting the dead overboard. We were in
+health, well nourished, and our stay aboard would be a short one. Even
+if the schooner was a floating sepulcher, it was safer by far than the
+cockleshell towing alongside.
+
+"Let's find out the truth first, men," I said quietly. "Stay here if
+you want to while I go aft; only hold your tongues. There is no use
+giving up until we know what the danger is. Will you come with me, or
+remain where you are?"
+
+The two exchanged glances, and then their eyes ranged along the
+unoccupied deck. I confess it was eery enough--the silence, the
+desolate vista, the wind-filled sails above, the schooner flying
+through the water as though guided by spectral hands, and that single
+motionless figure crouched on the grating amidships. It made my own
+nerves throb, and caused me to clinch my teeth, Sam turned his head,
+his frightened eyes seeking the scuttle leading into the forecastle.
+He was more frightened to remain where he was, than accompany me, but
+when he endeavored to say so, his lips refused to utter any sound. The
+terror in his eyes caused me to laugh, and my own courage came back
+with a rush.
+
+"Afraid of dead men, are you? Then we'll face them together, my lads,
+and have it over with. Come on, now, both of you. Buckle up; there is
+nothing to fear, if you do what I tell you--this isn't the first
+cholera ship I've been aboard."
+
+It was no pleasant job confronting us, although we had less dead men
+to handle than I anticipated. Indeed we found only five bodies on
+board, and as the slaver must have originally carried a large crew, it
+was evident the survivors had thrown overboard the corpses of those
+who succumbed first, until they also became too weak to perform such
+service. There were only two on deck, the fellow crouched on the
+grating, a giant, coal black negro, and a gray-bearded white man, his
+face pitted with smallpox, lying beside the wheel. Before he fell to
+the deck, he had lashed the spokes and still gripped the end of the
+rope in his dead hand. Determined on what was to be done, I wasted no
+time with either body. The two sailors hung back, so terrorized at the
+mere thought of touching these victims of plague, I steeled myself to
+the job and handled them alone, dragging the inert bodies across the
+deck, and by the exercise of all my strength launching them over the
+low rail into the sea. It was indeed a relief to know the deck was
+clear, and I ordered Schmitt to cut the lashings and take charge of
+the wheel. Sam was shaking like a leaf, his face absolutely green.
+
+"What---what dey die of, sah--cholera?" he asked faintly.
+
+"No doubt of it; but they are safely over the side now. There is
+nothing to be frightened about."
+
+"But s'pose we gits it, sah; s'pose we gits it?"
+
+"There is no reason why we should," I contended, speaking loud and
+confident, so both could hear. "We are all in good health and in the
+open air. See here, you men, stop acting like fools. We will take a
+look below, and then have the others on board."
+
+"But Ah's suah feared, sah."
+
+"At what? You are in no more danger than I am. See here, Sam, and you
+too, Schmitt, I am in love with that girl in the boat. Do you suppose
+I would ever have her come on this deck, if I believed she might
+contract cholera? You do as I say, and you are perfectly safe. Now
+Schmitt remain at the wheel, and you Sam come with me. There will be a
+dead nigger aboard unless you jump when I speak."
+
+He trotted close at my heels as I flung open the door leading into the
+cabin. The air seemed fresh enough and I noted two of the ports wide
+open. A tall smooth-shaven man, with an ugly scar down one cheek, lay
+outstretched on a divan at the foot of the after mast, his very
+posture proclaiming him dead. His face was the color of parchment,
+wrinkled with age, but I knew him at once as Spanish. A uniform cap
+lay beside him, and I stopped just long enough to scan his features.
+
+"Here, Sam, do you know this fellow."
+
+The negro crept up behind me reluctantly enough, and stared at the
+upturned face over my shoulder.
+
+"My Gaud, sah, he wus de ol' Captain."
+
+"The one you served under? What was his name?"
+
+"Paradilla, sah; damn his soul!"
+
+"A slaver, I suppose; well, he's run his last cargo of niggers. Let's
+look into the rooms."
+
+They were empty, all in disorder, but unoccupied. In what was
+evidently the Captain's room I discovered a pricked chart and a
+log-book, with no entry in it for three days. Without waiting to
+examine these I stowed them away in my pocket and returned to
+Paradilla, relieved to learn our labor aft was so light, and eager to
+have it over with. Some physical persuasion was necessary to compel
+Sam to assist me, but finally he took hold, and between us we forced
+the stiffened form of the Captain through the open after port, and
+heard it splash into the sea astern. Then I closed the cabin door, and
+led the way forward.
+
+To my great relief the hold was empty, although the smell arising
+through the partially opened hatch was stifling, the reminder of a
+cargo lately discharged. There were two dead seamen in the forecastle,
+both swarthy fellows, with long Indian hair. I never saw a dirtier
+hole, the filth overpowering, and once satisfied that both men were
+beyond help, I was content to lower the scuttle and leave them there.
+God! it was a relief to return once more to the open deck and breathe
+in the fresh air. Schmitt was holding the schooner close up in the
+wind, which, however, was barely heavy enough to keep the sails full.
+Yet at that the sharp-nosed craft was making the best of it, leaving a
+long wake astern, the waves cresting within a few feet of her rail as
+she swept gloriously forward. I leaned over, and hailed the boat,
+towing below.
+
+"Come aboard, Watkins," I called sharply. "Pass the lady up first, and
+turn the boat adrift."
+
+"What is she, sir?"
+
+"An abandoned slaver. I'll tell you the story later. Come aboard."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+I caught Dorothy's hands and aided her over the rail, the schooner
+rode steady and she stood still grasping me, her eager eyes on the
+deck aft. Then they sought my face questioningly, the seamen beginning
+to gather between us and the rail.
+
+"Why was the vessel abandoned?" she asked. "What has happened? Do you
+know?"
+
+"Yes; the story is plain enough," I explained, deeming it best to tell
+the whole truth. "This is a slaver, the _Santa Marie_, plying between
+Cuba and the African coast. Sam, the negro who came aboard with me,
+served as cook on board for one voyage. I do not know why they should
+be in these waters--driven north by a storm likely--but cholera was
+the trouble. The crew are all overboard, or dead."
+
+"Overboard, or dead? You found them dead--the slaves also?"
+
+"No; there were no slaves; the hold was clear. We found a few dead
+men, the last of the crew to survive. One man was lying beside the
+wheel; he had lashed it to its course before he died; and the Captain
+was in the cabin."
+
+"And he was dead?"
+
+"Yes, a tall, lean Spaniard; Sam said his name was Paradilla. We found
+five altogether, and flung their bodies over the side except two
+sailors in the forecastle."
+
+Her eyes evidenced her horror, her lips barely able to speak.
+
+"They--they died of cholera? All of them? There was no one left alive
+on board?"
+
+"Not even a dog. It was a tragedy of the sea, of which we will never
+know all the truth. I have the log here in my pocket all written out
+until three days ago--perhaps that was when the Captain died. But can
+you imagine anything more grim, more horrible, than this schooner,
+with all sails set, standing on her course with a dead man at the
+wheel?"
+
+"And--and other dead men in cabin and forecastle!" her voice broke and
+her hands covered her eyes. "O Geoffry, must we stay aboard? The
+thought is terrible; besides, you said it was cholera."
+
+"There is nothing we need fear," I insisted firmly, clasping the
+upraised hands and meeting her eyes frankly, "and I rely upon you to
+help me control the men. They are sailors filled with superstition,
+and will look to us for leadership. Please do not fail me. You have
+already passed through too much to be frightened at a shadow. This is
+a staunch vessel, provisioned and fit for any sea. We are far safer
+here than in the boat; it is as if God had sent us deliverance."
+
+"Yet we face disease--cholera?"  "I do not hold that a peril--not to
+us, if we use precautions. That is an ever-present sea danger, and I
+have read every book treating of the disease. So long as we are well
+fed and keep in the fresh air, we are not liable to suffer. The dead
+are overboard and every hatch closed. I will have the deck scoured
+from end to end. The bedding we need, and the food, is being brought
+up from the boat; we shall come in contact with nothing to spread the
+disease. You must meet this emergency just as bravely as you have the
+others; you will, will you not?"
+
+Her eyes met mine smilingly, resolute.
+
+"If you say so--yes. How can I help you?"
+
+"Tell the men just what I have told you," I said gravely. "They will
+pay more heed to what you say, and will be ashamed to show less
+courage than you. Do you agree?"
+
+We turned and faced them together, as they formed a little group
+against the rail. Their dunnage, together with a few boxes of
+provisions, and a couple of water casks, lay scattered about the deck,
+and now, their immediate task done, the fellows were sullenly staring
+around. Hallin was first to speak.
+
+"Vot vas eet you say 'bout dis sheep? Eet haf cholera--hey?"
+
+Dorothy took a step forward, and confronted them, her cheeks flushed.
+
+"You are sailors," she said, speaking swiftly, "and ought not to be
+afraid if a girl isn't. It is true this vessel was ravaged by cholera,
+and the crew died; but the bodies have been flung overboard--Captain
+Carlyle risked his life to do that, before he asked us aboard. Now
+there is no danger, so long as we remain on deck. I have no fear."
+
+The Swede shook his head, grumbling something, but before the revolt
+could spread, Watkins broke in.
+
+"An' that's right, miss. I wus on the _Bombay Castle_ when she took
+cholera, an' we hed twenty-one days of it beatin' agin head winds off
+the Cape. We lost sixteen o' the crew, but not a man among us who
+stayed on deck got sick. Anyhow these blokes are goin' ter try their
+luck aboard yere, er else swim fer it."
+
+He grinned cheerfully letting slip the end of the painter, the
+released quarter-boat gliding gently away astern, the width of water
+constantly increasing, the light craft wallowing in the waves.
+
+"Now bullies, jump fer it if yer want ter go. Why don't yer try it
+Ole? You are so keen about getting away, you ought not to mind a
+little water. So ye prefer to stay along with the rest of us. All
+right then, my hearties, let's hunt up something to work with and
+scrub this deck. That's the way to clean out cholera."
+
+He led the way and they followed him, grumbling and cursing, but
+obedient. I added a word of encouragement, and in a few minutes the
+whole gang was busily engaged in clearing up the mess forward, making
+use of whatever came to hand, their first fears evidently forgotten in
+action. Watkins kept after them like a slave driver.
+
+"That's the style; throw all the litter overboard. Bend your back,
+Pierre; now Ole, take hold here. What the hell are you men loafing
+for? Now, heave altogether."
+
+I glanced astern, catching a fleeting glimpse beneath the main boom,
+of the disappearing quarter-boat, bobbing up and down in the
+distance; then my eyes sought the face of the girl. She met my gaze
+with a smile.
+
+"They are all right now, are they not?" she asked.
+
+"Yes, as long as they can be kept busy, and I will see to that. Let's
+go aft, and get out of this mess. I want to plan our voyage."
+
+It was not difficult finding plenty for the lads to do, making the
+neglected schooner shipshape, and adjusting the spread of canvas aloft
+to the new course I decided upon. Fortunately we had men enough to
+manipulate the sails, real seamen, able to work swiftly. Sam started a
+fire in the galley, and prepared a hot meal, singing as he worked, and
+before noon I had as cheerful a ship's crew forward as any man could
+possibly ask for. The weather kept pleasant, but with a heavy wind
+blowing, compelling us to take a reef in the canvas, but the schooner
+was an excellent sea boat, and all alike felt the exhilaration of
+rapid progress. Dorothy and I glanced over the log, but gained little
+information. The vessel had been driven into the northwest by a
+succession of storms, and lack of provisions had weakened the crew,
+cholera broke out among them the third day at sea, the first victim
+being the cabin steward. With no medicine chest aboard and everything
+below foul, the disease spread rapidly. Within twenty-four hours
+sixteen bodies were thrown overboard and, in their terror, the
+remainder of the crew mutinied, and refused to work ship. Both mates
+died, and finally only three men were left alive--a negro known as
+Juan; the quarter-master, Gabriel Lossier, and the Captain, who was
+already lying sick and helpless in the cabin. That was the last entry
+barely decipherable.
+
+As the sun reached the meridian I ventured again into the cabin, and
+returned with the necessary instruments to determine our position.
+With these and the pricked chart, I managed fairly well in determining
+our location, and choosing the most direct course toward the coast.
+Dorothy watched closely, and when I looked up from the paper, the men
+were gathered about the open door of the galley, equally interested. I
+ordered Watkins to send them all aft, and, as they ranged up across
+the narrow deck, I spread out the chart before them, and explained, as
+best I could, our situation, and what I proposed doing. I doubt if
+many were able to comprehend, yet some grasped my meaning, bending
+over the map and asking questions, pointing to this and that mark with
+stubby forefingers. From their muttered remarks I judged their only
+anxiety was to get ashore as early as possible, out of this death
+ship. Convinced this was also my object, they ventured forward
+cheerfully, as I rolled up the chart, and placed it in the flag
+locker.
+
+One of the Frenchmen relieved Schmitt at the wheel, and, a little
+later, Sam served Dorothy and I on deck. The food was appetizing and
+well cooked, and we lingered over it for some time, while Watkins
+busied the men forward.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+A NEW PLAN OF ESCAPE
+
+
+Nothing occurred during the afternoon to disturb the routine work
+aboard, or to cause me any uneasiness. The swift slaver made excellent
+progress in spite of light winds, and proved easy to handle. Watkins
+found enough to occupy the crew on deck and aloft, and they seemed
+contented, although I noticed the fellows gathered together in groups
+whenever idle, and discussed the situation earnestly. While they might
+not be entirely satisfied, and, no doubt, some fear lingered in their
+minds, the fellows lacked leadership for any revolt, and would remain
+quiet for the present at least. I made one more trip into the desolate
+cabin, returning with pipes and tobacco, which I took forward and
+distributed, an ample supply for all the crew. As the men smoked,
+Watkins and I leaned over the rail, and discussed the situation.
+
+Sunset brought clouds, and, by the time it was really dark, the entire
+sky was overcast, but the sea remained comparatively calm, and the
+wind steady. I judged we were making in the neighborhood of nine
+knots, and carefully pricked my chart to assure myself of our
+position. Even at that I was not entirely satisfied, although I kept
+this lack of faith hidden from the others. Dorothy, however, who kept
+close beside me much of the time, must have sensed my doubt to some
+extent, for once she questioned me curiously.
+
+"Are you not sure of your figures?" she asked, glancing from the chart
+into my face. "That is three times you have measured the distance."
+
+"It is not the figures; it is the accuracy of the chart," I explained.
+"It is not new, for the schooner evidently seldom made this coast, and
+it was probably only by chance that they had such a map aboard. Even
+the best of the charts, are not absolutely correct, and this one may
+be entirely wrong. I shall rely more on keeping a careful watch
+tonight than on the map; you see this cape? For all I know it may jut
+out fifty miles east of where it appears to be and we might run into
+shoal water at any minute."
+
+She wrinkled her brows over the lines on the map, and then stared out
+across the darkening sea, without speaking.
+
+It was a pleasant night in spite of the darkness, the air soft, and
+refreshing. We divided the men into watches, Watkins selecting the
+more capable for lookouts. I explained to these the danger, and posted
+them on the forecastle heads, ready to respond instantly to any call.
+I could see the glow of their pipes for some time, but finally these
+went out, one by one, and the growl of voices ceased. The schooner was
+in darkness, except for a faint reflection from the binnacle light
+aft, revealing the dim figure of the helmsman. Overhead the canvas
+disappeared into the gloom of the sky.
+
+The locker was filled with flags, representing almost every nation on
+earth. Evidently the _Santa Marie_ was willing to fly any colors,
+which would insure safety, or allay suspicion in her nefarious trade.
+I dragged these out, and spread them on the deck abaft the cabin, thus
+forming a very comfortable bed, and at last induced the girl to lie
+down, wrapping her in a blanket. But, although she reclined there, and
+rested, she was in no mood for sleep, and, whenever my restless
+wandering brought me near I was made aware of her wakefulness. Finally
+I found a seat beside her on a coil of rope, and we fell into
+conversation, which must have lasted for an hour or more.
+
+I shall never forget that dark ship's deck, with no sound breaking the
+silence except the soft swirl of water alongside, the occasional flap
+of canvas aloft, and the creak of the wheel. Dorothy was but a
+shrouded figure, as she sat wrapped in her blanket, and the only other
+object visible was the dim outline of the helmsman. We seemed to be
+completely shut in between sea and sky, lost and forgotten. Yet the
+memory of the tragedy this vessel had witnessed remained with me--the
+helpless slaves who had suffered and died between decks; the dead
+sailors in the forecastle, their ghastly faces staring up at the beams
+above, and the horrible figure of Paradilla outstretched on the cabin
+divan. I was a sailor and could not feel that any good fortune would
+come to us from such a death ship. The memory brought to me a
+depression hard to throw off; yet, for her sake I pretended a
+cheerfulness I was far from feeling, and our conversation drifted idly
+into many channels.
+
+This was the first opportunity we had enjoyed to actually talk with
+each other alone, and gradually our thoughts veered from the
+happenings of the strange voyage, and our present predicament, to
+those personal matters in which we were peculiarly interested. I know
+not how it occurred, for what had passed between us in the open boat
+seemed more like a dream than a reality, yet my hand found her own
+beneath the blanket, and I dared to whisper the words my lips could no
+longer restrain.
+
+"Dorothy," I said humbly, "you were frightened last night. I cannot
+hold you to what you said to me then."
+
+"You mean you do not wish to? But I was not frightened."
+
+"They were honest words? You have not regretted them since?"
+
+"No, Geoffry. Perhaps they were not maidenly, yet were they honest;
+why should I not have told you the truth? I have long known my own
+heart, and yours, as well."
+
+"And you still repeat what you said then?"
+
+"Perhaps I do not remember all I said."
+
+"I can never forget--you said, 'I love you.'"
+
+She drew a quick breath, and for an instant remained silent; then her
+courage conquered.
+
+"Yes, I can repeat that--I love you."
+
+"Those are dear, dear words; but I ought not to listen to them, or
+believe. I am not free to ask a pledge of you, or to beg you to trust
+me in marriage."
+
+"Is not that rather for me to decide?" she questioned archly. "I give
+you my faith, Geoffry, and surely no girl ever had more reason to know
+the heart of a man than I. You have risked all to serve me, and I
+would be ungrateful indeed were I insensible of the sacrifice. Yet do
+not think that is all--gratitude for what you have done. I did not
+need that to teach me your nature. I make a confession now. You
+remember the night I met you on deck, when you were a prisoner, and
+told you that you had become the property of Roger Fairfax?"
+
+"I could never forget."
+
+"Nor I. I loved you then, although I scarcely acknowledged the truth
+even to myself. I went back to my berth to lie awake, and think until
+morning. A new world had come to me, and when the dawn broke, I knew
+what it all meant--that my heart was yours. I cared nothing because
+you were a prisoner, a bound slave under sentence. We are all alike,
+we Fairfax's; we choose for ourselves, and laugh at the world. That is
+my answer, Geoffry Carlyle; I give you love for love."
+
+"'Tis a strange place for such a pledge, with only hope before us."
+
+"A fit place to my mind in memory of our life together thus far, for
+all the way it has been stress and danger. And what more can we ask
+than hope?"
+
+"I would ask an opportunity denied me--to stand once more in honor
+among men. I would not be shamed before Dorothy Fairfax."
+
+"Nor need you be," she exclaimed impetuously, her hands pressing mine.
+"You wrong yourself, even as you have been wronged. You have already
+done that which shall win you freedom, if it be properly presented to
+those in power. I mean that it shall be, once I am safely back in
+Virginia. Tell me, what are your plans with--with this schooner?"
+
+"To beach it somewhere along shore, and leave it there a wreck, while
+we escape."
+
+"I suspected as much--yet, is that the best way?"
+
+"The only way which has occurred to me. The men insist on it with good
+reason. They have been pirates, and might be hung if caught."
+
+"And yet to my mind," she insisted earnestly, "that choice is most
+dangerous. I am a girl, but if I commanded here, do you know what I
+would do?"
+
+"I shall be glad to hear."
+
+"I would sail this vessel straight to the Chesapeake, and surrender it
+to the authorities. The men have nothing to fear with me aboard, and
+ready to testify in their behalf. The Governor will accept my word
+without a question. These men are not pirates, but honest seamen
+compelled to serve in order to save their lives; they mutinied and
+captured the bark, but were later overcome, and compelled to take the
+boats. The same plea can be made for you, Geoffry, only you were there
+in an effort to save me. It is a service which ought to win you
+freedom."
+
+"But if it does not?"
+
+"I pledge you my word it shall. If the Governor fail me, I will bear
+my story to the feet of the King. I am a Fairfax, and we have friends
+in England, strong, powerful friends. They will listen, and aid me."
+
+"I am convinced," I admitted, after a pause, "that this course is the
+wiser one, but fear the opposition of the men. They will never go
+willingly."
+
+"There is an argument which will overcome their fear."
+
+"You mean force?"  "No; although I doubt not that might suffice. I
+mean cupidity. Each sailor, aboard has an interest in the salvage of
+this vessel under the English law. You tell me the schooner was a
+slaver, driven out to sea by storm immediately after discharging a
+cargo of slaves. There must be gold aboard--perhaps treasure also, for
+I cannot think a slaver above piracy if chance arose. Let the crew
+dream that dream, and you will need no whip to drive them into an
+English port."
+
+"Full pardon, and possibly wealth with it," I laughed. "A beautiful
+scheme, Dorothy, yet it might work. Still, if I know sailormen, they
+would doubt the truth, if it came direct from me, for I am not really
+one of them."
+
+"But Watkins is, and he has intelligence. Explain it all to him; tell
+him who I am, the influence I can wield in the Colony, and then let
+him whisper the news to the others. Will you not do this--for my
+sake?"
+
+"Yes," I answered, "I believe you have found the right course. If you
+will promise to lie down, and sleep, I will talk with Watkins now."
+
+"I promise. But are you not going to rest?"
+
+"Very little tonight. I may catch some catnaps before morning, but
+most of the time shall be prowling about deck. You see I have no
+officers to rely upon. But don't worry about me--this sort of life is
+not new. Good night, dear girl."
+
+She extended her arms, and drew me down until our lips met.
+
+"You are actually afraid of me still," she said wonderingly, "why
+should you be?"
+
+"I cannot tell; I have never known what it was before. Somehow
+Dorothy, you have always seemed so far away from me, I have never
+been able to forget. But now the touch of your lips has----"
+
+"Broken down the last barrier?"
+
+"Yes, forever."
+
+"Are you sure? Would you not feel still less doubt if you kissed me
+again?"
+
+I held her closely, gazing down into the dimly revealed outline of her
+face, and this time felt myself the master.
+
+"Now I am sure, sweetheart," I whispered, the note of joy ringing in
+the words, "that I have won the most precious gift in the world; yet
+your safety, and those of all on board is in my hands tonight. I must
+not forget that. I am going now to find Watkins, and you have promised
+to lie down and sleep."
+
+"To lie down," she corrected, "but whether to sleep, I cannot tell."
+
+I left her there, lying hidden and shapeless on the deck beneath the
+cover of the blanket, her head pillowed on the flags, and groped my
+own way forward, pausing a moment to gaze into the binnacle, and
+exchange a word with the man at the wheel. I found Watkins awake,
+seated on the forecastle steps, where I joined him, lighting my own
+pipe for companionship, our conversation gradually drifting toward the
+point I came to make. He listened gravely to what I had to say, with
+little comment, and was evidently weighing every argument in his mind.
+
+"I've bin in Virginia, and Maryland, sir," he said at last seriously,
+"and if the young woman is a Fairfax, she'll likely have influence
+enough ter do just whut she says. They ain't over-kind ter pirates in
+them provinces o' late, I've bin told--but the savin' o' her life wud
+make a heap o' difference with the Governor. Yer know she's a
+Fairfax?"
+
+"Absolutely. I told you the story that night in the forecastle, and I
+take more risk than any of you in giving myself up. I was bound in
+servitude to her uncle, Roger Fairfax, and am therefore a runaway
+slave."
+
+"Well," he agreed, "I'll talk it over with the lads. It's a good
+story, an' I'd be ready ter take chances, but I ain't so sure, sir, on
+makin' 'em feel the same way. All most of 'em think about is ter
+escape bein' hanged. If they wus only sure thar wus treasure aboard,
+like you suspicion there may be, I guess most of 'em would face hell
+ter git their hands on a share of it."
+
+"Then why not search, and see?"
+
+He shook his head obstinately, and his face, showing in the dull glow
+of the pipe, proved that he, sturdy, intelligent seaman as he was,
+shared to no small extent the fears of the others.
+
+"Not me, sir; I don't prowl around in no cholera ship, loaded with
+dead men--not if I never git rich."
+
+"Then I will," and I got to my feet in sudden determination. "You keep
+the deck while I go below. Have you seen a lantern on board anywhere?"
+
+"Ay, sir, there's one hangin' in the cook's galley. I hope yer don't
+think I'm a damn coward, Mr. Carlyle?"
+
+"Oh, no, Tom. I know how you feel exactly; we're both of us sailors.
+But you see I've got to make this crew take the _Santa Marie_ into the
+Chesapeake, and it's an easier job if I can find gold aboard."
+
+"Yer've got to, sir?"
+
+"Yes, I've given my promise to the girl. Light the lantern, and bring
+it here. Then we'll go aft together; if there is any specie hidden
+aboard this hooker, it will be either in the cabin, or lazaret. And,
+whether there is, or not, my man, the _Santa Marie_ turns north
+tomorrow, if I have to fight every sea wolf on board single-handed."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX
+
+A STRUGGLE IN THE DARK
+
+
+He came back with it swinging in his hand a mere tin box, containing a
+candle, the dim flame visible through numerous punctures. It promised
+poor guidance enough, yet emitted sufficient light to show the way
+around in that darkness below. So as not to arouse suspicion, I
+wrapped the thing in a blanket, and, with Watkins beside me, started
+aft. Dorothy must have been asleep already, for there was no sign of
+movement as we passed where she was lying. Neither of us spoke until
+my hand was on the companion door ready to slide it open.
+
+"I'll not be long below," I said soberly. "And meanwhile you keep a
+sharp watch on deck. Better go forward and see that your lookout men
+are awake, and then come back here. Likely I'll have a story to tell
+you by that time. The wind seems lessening."
+
+"Yes, sir; shall we shake out a reef in the foresail?"
+
+"Not yet, Watkins. Wait until I learn what secret is below. An hour
+will make little difference."
+
+With the lantern held before me, its faint light barely piercing the
+intense darkness, I stood on the first step leading down into the
+cabin, and slid the door back into place behind me. I had no sense of
+fear, yet felt a nervous tension to which I was scarcely accustomed.
+For the instant I hesitated to descend into the gloom of that
+interior. The constant nerve strain under which I had labored for days
+and nights, made me shrink from groping blindly forward, searching for
+the unknown. The very darkness seemed haunted, and I could not drive
+from my memory the figure of that dead Captain, whose life had ended
+there. It even seemed to me I could smell foulness in the air; that I
+was breathing in cholera. Yet I drove this terror from me with a
+laugh, remembering the open ports through which the fresh wind was
+blowing; and cursing myself for a fool, began the descent, guided by
+the flickering rays of light.
+
+I was conscious of a quickening pulse, as I peered about me in the
+gloom, every article of furniture assuming grotesque form. The
+rustling of a bit of cloth over one of the open ports caused me to
+face about suddenly, while every creak of the vessel seemed the echo
+of a human voice. A blanket in the form of a roll lay on the divan
+where I had found Captain Paradilla, and for a moment, as I stared at
+it, dimly visible in a ray of light, I imagined this was his
+motionless figure. Indeed, I was so strung up, it required all my
+reserve of courage to persevere, and traverse the black deck. My mind
+was fixed on a great chest in the Captain's stateroom, which, finding
+locked, I had not disturbed on my former visit. But first I explored
+the steward's pantry, in search of knife or hatchet. I found the
+latter, and, with it tucked into my belt, felt my way aft. It may have
+required five minutes to pry open the chest, and the reward was
+scarcely worth the effort. The upper tray contained nothing but
+clothing, and beneath this were books, and nautical instruments, with
+a bag of specie tucked into one corner, together with a small packet
+of letters. I opened the sack, finding therein a strange collection of
+coins, mostly Spanish, estimating the total roughly at possibly five
+hundred English pounds. Either this was Paradilla's private purse, or
+money kept on hand to meet the expenses of the voyage. I searched the
+room thoroughly, discovering nothing, finally concluding that if there
+was treasure on board, it must be concealed elsewhere. I did find,
+however, that which strengthened my suspicion, for, in rummaging
+hastily through a drawer of the rude desk, I came upon a bill of sale
+for a thousand slaves, dated two weeks before, but unsigned, although
+the parties mentioned within the document were Paradilla and a
+merchant of Habana, named Carlos Martinos. This would evidence the
+sale for cash of the late cargo of the _Santa Marie_--a goodly
+sum--but, whether the amount had been left ashore remained undecided.
+Only a careful search of the vessel could determine this.
+
+However, this discovery nerved me to press forward with my
+exploration. All fear and dread had left me, and I went at the task
+coolly enough, and with a clear purpose. There remained aft two places
+unvisited--the lazaret and the port stateroom, which I had not
+previously entered, because of a locked door. I determined on breaking
+in here first, suspecting its use as a storeroom. There was no key in
+the lock, and the stout door resisted my efforts. Placing the lantern
+on the deck I succeeded finally in inserting the blade of the hatchet
+so as to gain a purchase sufficient to release the latch. As the door
+yielded, the hinges creaking dismally, a sharp cry, human in its
+agony, assailed me from within. It came forth so suddenly, and with so
+wild an accent, I stepped blindly backward in fright, my foot
+overturning the lantern, which, with a single flicker of candle went
+out. In that last gleam I saw a form--either of man, or boy--a dim,
+grotesque outline, fronting me. Then, in the darkness gleamed two
+green, menacing eyes, growing steadily larger, nearer, as I stared at
+them in horror. I could not move; I seemed paralyzed; I doubt if I
+even breathed in that first moment of overwhelming terror. Another
+cry, like that of a mad person, struck my ears, and I knew the thing
+was coming toward me. There was no other sound, no footstep on the
+deck; I merely felt the approach, realizing the increasing glare of
+those horrible eyes. They seemed to fascinate, to hold me immovable,
+the blood chilled in my veins. Was it man or beast? Devil from hell,
+or some crazed human against whom I must battle for life? The green
+eyes glared into my face; I could even feel the hot breath of the
+monster. I lifted my hand toward him, and touched--hair!
+
+Even as the creature's grip caught me, ripping through jacket sleeve
+to the flesh, I knew what my antagonist was--a giant African ape.
+Horrible as the reality was, I was no longer paralyzed with fear,
+helpless before the unknown. This was something real, something to
+grasp, and struggle against, a beast with which to pit strength and
+skill. The sting of the claws maddened me, brought me instantly to
+life, and I drove my hatchet straight between those two gleaming eyes.
+I know not how it struck, but the brute staggered back dragging me
+with him in the clutch of his claws. His human-like cry of pain ended
+in a brutal snarl, but, brief as the respite proved, it gave me grip
+on his under jaw, and an opportunity to drive my weapon twice more
+against the hairy face. The pain served only to madden the beast, and,
+before I could wrench free, he had me clutched in an iron grip, my
+jacket torn into shreds. His jaws snapped at my face, but I had such
+purchase as to prevent their touching me, and mindless of the claws
+tearing at my flesh, I forced the animal's head back until the neck
+cracked, and the lips gave vent to a wild scream of agony. I dared not
+let go; dared not relax for an instant the exercise of every ounce of
+strength. I felt as though the life was being squeezed out of me by
+the grasp of those hairy arms; yet the very vice in which I was held
+yielded me leverage. The hatchet dropped to the deck, and both hands
+found lodgment under the jaw, the muscles of my arms strained to the
+utmost, as I forced back that horrid head. Little by little it gave
+way, the suffering brute whining in agony, until, the pain becoming
+unendurable, the clinging arms, suddenly released their hold, letting
+me drop heavily to the deck.
+
+By some good fortune I fell upon the discarded hatchet, and stumbled
+to my feet once more, gripping the weapon again in my fingers. I stood
+trembling, breathing hard, my flesh burning, peering about. The
+darkness revealed nothing, yet I knew I had been dragged within the
+stateroom, from which there was no escape, as I had lost all sense of
+direction. For an instant I could not even locate the brute. With an
+intense desire to escape, to place the door safely between me and my
+antagonist, I felt blindly about in the black void. Silently as I
+endeavored to move, I must have been overheard by the beast, for
+suddenly his jaws snapped savagely, and I saw once again the baneful
+glow of those horrible eyes. I knew enough of wild life to realize
+that now the ape feared me, and that my safer course was to attack.
+Acting on this impulse, determined to have an end, before he could
+grip me once more in those awful arms, and crush me into
+unconsciousness, I sprang straight toward him, sending the sharp blade
+of the hatchet crashing against the skull. The aim was good, the
+stroke a death blow, yet the monster got me with one jaw, and we fell
+to the deck together, he savagely clawing me in his death agony. Then
+the hairy figure quivered, and lay motionless. With barely strength
+enough for the task, I released the stiffening grip, and crept aside,
+rising to my knees, only to immediately pitch forward unconscious. It
+seemed to me as I went down that I heard voices, saw lights flashing
+in the outer cabin, but all these merged instantly into blackness.
+
+When I came back once more to life I knew immediately I was upon the
+schooner's deck, breathing the fresh night air. I could see the
+outline of the helmsman in the little circle of binnacle light, a ray
+of which extended far enough to assure me of the presence of Dorothy.
+I watched her for some time, my mind slowly clearing to the situation,
+and, it was not until I spoke, that she became aware I had recovered
+consciousness.
+
+"Dorothy."
+
+"Yes, yes," she bent lower eagerly. "Oh, I am so glad to hear you
+speak. Watkins said you were not seriously hurt, but your clothes were
+torn into shreds, and you bled terribly."
+
+"It was not a nightmare then; I really fought that beast?"
+
+"Yes; but it is too horrible to think about--I--I shall never blot out
+the sight."
+
+"You saw what occurred yourself?" I questioned in astonishment. "You
+actually came below? Then I did hear voices, and see a light, before
+my senses left me?"
+
+"Yes; Watkins heard the noise of struggle, the cries of the brute, and
+woke me. At first he was afraid to go into the cabin, but I made him,
+rather than let me go alone. The only light we had was a torch, made
+from a rope end. We got there just as you fell. I saw you staggering
+on your knees, and that beast outstretched on deck, a great gash in
+its skull. Watkins says it was a chimpanzee."
+
+"It was a huge ape of some kind, crazed with hunger no doubt." I sat
+up, aware of the smart of my wounds, but already convinced they were
+not deep or dangerous. "You did not look about? You took no note of
+what was in the room?"
+
+"No," puzzled at my sudden interest. "I had no thought of anything but
+you. At first I believed you dead, until I felt the beat of your
+pulse. The light revealed little, until Watkins found the overturned
+lantern, and relit the candle."
+
+"But I saw not even that much; the fight was in pitch darkness, yet I
+struck against things not furniture--what were they?"
+
+"Oh, you mean that! I think it must have been a storeroom of some
+kind, for there were casks and boxes piled up, and a strange
+iron-bound chest was against one wall. I sat on it, and held the
+lantern while Watkins saw to your wounds. Then we carried you up
+here."
+
+"That is the answer I sought. Yes, you must let me get up, dear. Oh, I
+can stand alone; a little weak from loss of blood yet, but none the
+worse off. Where is Watkins?"
+
+"He went forward. Do you need him?"
+
+"Perhaps it can wait until daylight. You know what I ventured below
+for?"
+
+"To learn if there was treasure hidden aboard; you hoped such a
+discovery would induce the men to sail this schooner to the
+Chesapeake."
+
+"Yes, and now I believe there is--hidden away in the locked room and
+guarded by that ape. In all probability no one but Paradilla knew the
+creature was on board, and he could have had no better guardian. No
+sailor would ever face the brute."
+
+We may have talked there for an hour, Watkins joining us finally, and
+listening to my story. My wounds, while painful enough, were all of
+the flesh, and the flow of blood being easily staunched, my strength
+returned quickly. To my surprise the hour was but little after
+midnight, and I had so far recovered when the watch was changed, as to
+insist on Watkins going forward, leaving me in charge of the deck. I
+felt no desire for sleep, and so he finally yielded to my orders, and
+curled up in a blanket in the lee of the galley. The girl was harder
+to manage, yet, when I left her alone, she lay down on her bed of
+flags. Twice later she lifted her head, and spoke as I passed, but at
+last remained motionless, while I carefully covered her with an extra
+blanket.
+
+The time did not seem long to me as I paced the deserted deck aft, or
+went forward occasionally to assure myself that the lookouts on the
+forecastle were alert. There was nothing to see or do, the sea and sky
+both so black as to be indistinguishable, and the breeze barely heavy
+enough to distend the canvas, giving the schooner a speed not to
+exceed six knots, I suspicioned a storm in the hatching, but nothing
+evidenced its near approach. However my thoughts busied me, and
+vanished all drowsiness. I believed I had won a way to freedom--to a
+government pardon. The good fortune which had befallen me in the
+salvage of this vessel, as well as our success against the pirates of
+the _Namur_, could scarcely be ignored by the authorities of Virginia,
+while the rescue of Dorothy Fairfax, and her pleading in our behalf,
+would commend us to mercy, and reward from the very highest officials.
+The money, the treasure, I personally thought nothing about, willing
+enough that it should go to others; but I was ambitious to regain my
+honor among men, my place of respectability in the world, for the one
+vital purpose which now dominated my mind--that I might claim Dorothy
+Fairfax with clean hands. My love, and the confession of her own, had
+brought to me a new vista, a fresh hope. It seemed to me already her
+faith had inspired me with new power--power to transform dream into
+reality.
+
+I stood above her motionless figure as she lay asleep, and solemnly
+took a resolve. At whatever cost to myself, or others, the _Santa
+Marie_ should sail in between the Capes to the waters of the
+Chesapeake. Be the result reward or punishment, liberty or freedom,
+the chance must be accepted, for her sake, as well as my own.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX
+
+OPENING THE TREASURE CHEST
+
+
+The dawn came slowly, and with but little increase of light. The
+breeze had almost entirely died away, leaving the canvas aloft
+motionless, the schooner barely moving through a slightly heaving sea,
+in the midst of a dull-gray mist. It was a dismal outlook, the decks
+wet, the sails dripping moisture, and nothing to look about upon but
+wreaths of fog. Even as the sun rose, its rays failed to penetrate
+this cloud bank, or yield slightest color to the scene. It was all
+gray, gloomy, mysterious--a narrow stretch of water, disappearing so
+suddenly the eye could not determine ocean from sky. The upper masts
+vanished into the vapor, and, from where I stood aft, I could but
+dimly perceive the open deck amidships. The light yet burning in the
+binnacle was hazy and dull.
+
+There was to my mind a threat in the weather, expressed in the silence
+overhead, as well as in the sullen swell underfoot. We could not be
+far from the coast--a coast line of which I knew next to nothing--and,
+at any instant, the blinding fog encircling us might be swept aside by
+some sudden atmospheric change, catching us aback, and leaving us
+helpless upon the waters. Again and again I had witnessed storms burst
+from just such conditions, and we were far too short-handed to take
+any unnecessary risk. I talked with Harwood at the wheel, and waited,
+occasionally walking over to the rail, and peering out into the mist
+uneasily. It seemed to me the heave of water beneath our keel grew
+heavier, the fog more dense, the mystery more profound. Safety was
+better than progress, particularly as there was no real object any
+longer in our clinging to a westerly course. The sensible thing was to
+lay too until the enveloping fog blew away, explore that room below,
+and explain my plans to the men.
+
+This determined upon I called all hands, and with Watkins in command
+forward, preceded to strip the vessel of canvas, leaving exposed only
+a jib sheet, with closely reefed foresail, barely enough to give the
+wheelsman control. This required some time and compelled me to lay
+hold with the others, and, when the last gasket had been secured, and
+the men aloft returned to the deck, Sam had the galley fire burning,
+and breakfast nearly ready. The lads, saturated with moisture, and in
+anything but good humor, were soon restored to cheerfulness, and I
+left them, sitting about on deck and returned aft, where Dorothy,
+aroused by the noise, stood, well wrapped up, near the rail.
+
+Sleep had refreshed her greatly, her eyes welcoming me, a red flush on
+either cheek.
+
+"Have you been up all night?"
+
+"Yes, but I would hardly know it--a sleepless night means nothing to a
+sailor."
+
+"But it was so selfish of me to sleep all those hours."
+
+"I had you to think about; all we have said to each other, and our
+plans."
+
+"What are they? You have determined?"
+
+"To do as you suggested. It is the braver, and, I believe, the better
+way. The difficulty is going to lie in convincing the crew of their
+safety. I shall explore below before having a talk with them."
+
+"In hope of discovering treasure to be divided?"
+
+"Yes, that will have greater weight with those fellows than any
+argument, or promise. Here comes Sam with our breakfast; we will eat
+here from the flag locker."
+
+The negro served us with some skill, and, discovering we were hungry,
+both did full justice to the well-cooked fare. The denseness of the
+fog hid the men from us, but we could hear their voices, and
+occasionally a burst of laughter. We were talking quietly together,
+and had nearly finished, when Watkins emerged through the mist, and
+approached respectfully.
+
+"You did not like the look o' things, sir?" he asked, staring out into
+the smother astern.
+
+"I've seen storms born from such fogs," I answered, "and know nothing
+of this coast."
+
+"You think then it's not far away--out yonder?"
+
+"It is all a guess; we made good progress most of the night, and I
+have no confidence in the chart. There are headlands hereabout, and we
+might be within hail of one at this minute. It is safer to lie quiet
+until the mist lifts. By the way, Watkins--"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+"Miss Fairfax tells me that was a storeroom in which I fought the ape
+last night."
+
+"It was, sir."  "And she reports having seen a chest, iron-bound,
+among the other stuff. Did you notice it?"
+
+He walked across to the rail, spat overboard, and came back, politely
+wiping his lips on his sleeve.
+
+"Yes, sir, I did; it was stored ter starboard, an ol'fashioned sea
+chest, padlocked, an' looked like a relic, but a damned strong box.
+You think maybe there's gold in it?"
+
+"Likely enough. I found about five hundred pounds in the Captain's
+room; but there must be more aboard, unless it was left behind in
+Cuba. My idea is that was why the monkey was locked up in there--to
+guard the treasure. Does that sound reasonable?"
+
+He scratched his head, his eyes wandering from her face to mine.
+
+"Yes, sir, it does. I've heard o' such things afore. A chimpanzee is
+better'n a big dog on such a job; thar ain't no sailor who would
+tackle the beast."
+
+"That was my way of looking at it. So while we are lying here, and the
+lads are in good humor--hear that laugh--I am going to find out what's
+in the chest. After I know, I'll talk to the men. Do you agree?"
+
+He nodded, but without speaking.
+
+"Are you willing to go below with me?"
+
+"I ain't overly anxious 'bout it, Mister Carlyle," he replied gruffly,
+plucking awkwardly at the peak of his cap. "I'm a seaman, sir, an'
+know my duty, an' so I'll go 'long if yer wus ter order me to. Yer
+know that; but I ain't fergot yet this yere is a cholera ship, an'
+it's goin' ter be as black as night down thar in thet cabin--"
+
+"Don't urge him Geoffry," the girl interrupted, her hand on my
+sleeve. "Leave him here on deck, I am not in the least afraid, and
+all you need is someone to hold the light. Please let me do that."
+
+I looked down into her eyes, and smiled.
+
+"Suppose we should encounter another ape?"
+
+"Then I would want to be with you," she responded quickly. "You are
+going to consent?"
+
+"I suppose I am, although if there was the slightest danger my answer
+would be otherwise. Keep the men busy, Watkins, while we are
+gone--don't give them time to ask questions. You brought the lantern
+on deck?"
+
+"Yes, sir; it's over there against the grating."
+
+"Very well; we'll light up in the companion, so the flame will not be
+seen by the crew. Coming, Dorothy?"
+
+She accompanied me cheerfully, but her hand grasped mine as we groped
+our way down the stairs into the dark cabin. A faint glimmer of gray
+daylight filtered through the glass from above, and found entrance at
+the open ports, but the place was nevertheless gloomy enough, and we
+needed what little help the candle afforded to find our way about. The
+memories haunted us both, and hurried us to our special mission. The
+door of the storeroom stood wide open, but the after ports were
+closed, the air within heated and foul. Dorothy held the lantern, her
+hands trembling slightly, as I stepped across and unscrewed both
+ports. The moist fog blew in upon me but was welcome, although I
+stared forth into a bank of impenetrable mist.
+
+The dead ape lay just as he had fallen, with his hideous face
+upturned, and a great gash in the head. The hatchet with which I had
+dealt the blow, rested on the deck, disfigured with blood. The
+hugeness of the creature, its repulsive aspect in death, with savage
+teeth gleaming in the rays of the lantern, and long, hairy arms
+outspread, gave me such a shock, I felt my limbs tremble. For a moment
+I could not remove my eyes from the spectacle, or regain control of my
+nerves. Then I some way saw the horror, reflected in her face, and
+realized the requirements of leadership.
+
+"He was certainly a big brute," I said quietly, "and it was a lucky
+stroke which finished him. Now to complete our work in here and get
+out."
+
+I picked up the hatchet, and my glance sought the whereabouts of the
+chest. The light was confusing, and she stepped forward, throwing the
+dim yellow flame directly upon the object.
+
+"This is what I saw--see; does it look like a treasure chest to you?"
+
+"If it be not, I never saw one--and a hundred years old, if it is a
+day. What a story of the sea it might tell if it had a tongue. There
+is no way to find its secrets but to break it open. Place the lantern
+on this cask of wine; now, if I can gain purchase with the blade, it
+will be easily accomplished."
+
+It proved harder than I had believed, the staple of the lock clinging
+to the hard teak wood of which the chest was made. I must have been
+ten minutes at it, compelled to use a wooden bar as lever, before it
+yielded, groaning as it finally released its grip, like a soul in
+agony. I felt the girl clutch me in terror at the sound, her
+frightened eyes searching the shadows, but I was interested by then to
+learn what was within, and gave all my effort to lifting the lid.
+This was heavy, as though weighted with lead, but as I finally forced
+it backward, a hinge snapped, and permitted it to drop crashing to the
+deck. For an instant I could see nothing within--no more indeed than
+some dimly revealed outline, the nature of which could not be
+determined. Yet, somehow, it gave me an impression, horrible,
+grotesque, of a human form. I gripped the side of the chest afraid to
+reach downward.
+
+"Lift up the lantern--Dorothy, please. No, higher than that. What in
+God's name? Why, it is the corpse of a woman!"
+
+I heard her cry out, and barely caught the lantern as it fell from her
+hand. The hatchet struck the deck with a sharp clang, and I felt the
+frightened clasp of the girl's fingers on my sleeve. Yet I scarcely
+realized these things, my entire attention focussed on what was now
+revealed writhin the chest. At first I doubted the evidence of my own
+eyes, snatching the bit of flaring candle from its tin socket, and
+holding it where the full glare of light fell across the grewsome
+object. Ay, it was a woman, with lower limbs doubled back from lack of
+space, but otherwise lying as though she slept, so perfect in
+preservation her cheeks appeared flushed with health, her lips half
+smiling. It was a face of real beauty--an English face, although her
+eyes and hair were dark, and her mantilla, and long earrings were
+unquestionably Spanish. A string of pearls encircled her throat, and
+there were numerous rings upon her fingers. The very contrast added
+immeasurably to the horror.
+
+"She is alive! Surely she is alive?" the words were sobbed into my
+ear, trembling from Dorothy's lips, as though she could barely utter
+them. I stared into her face, the sight of her terror, arousing me
+from stupor.
+
+"Alive! No, that is impossible!" and conquering a repugnance, such as
+I had never before experienced, I touched the figure with my hand,
+"The flesh is like stone," I said, "thus held lifelike by some magic
+of the Indies. I have heard of such skill but never before realized
+its perfection. Good God! she actually seems to breathe. What can it
+all mean? Who could the woman be? And why should her body be thus
+carried about at sea. Is it love, or hate?"
+
+"Not love, Geoffry. Love would never do this thing. It is hate, the
+gloating of revenge; there can be no other answer--this is the end of
+a tragedy."
+
+"The truth of which will never be known."
+
+"Are you sure? Is there nothing hidden with her in there to tell who
+she was, or how she died?"
+
+There was nothing, not a scrap of paper, not even the semblance of a
+wound exposed. The smile on those parted lips had become one of
+mockery; I could bear the sight no longer, and rose to my feet,
+clasping Dorothy close to me, as she still gazed down in fascination
+at the ghastly sight.
+
+"We will never know. The man who could tell is dead."
+
+"Captain Paradilla?"
+
+"Who else could it be? This was his schooner, and here he alone could
+hide such a secret. There is nothing more we can learn, and the horror
+unnerves me. Hold the light, dear, while I replace the lid of the
+chest."
+
+It required my utmost effort to accomplish this, yet I succeeded in
+sliding the heavy covering back inch by inch, until it fell finally
+into place. I was glad to have the thing hidden, to escape the stare
+of those fixed eyes, the death smile of those red lips. It was no
+longer a reality, but a dream of delirium; I dare not think, or
+speculate--my only desire being to get away, to get Dorothy away. My
+eyes swept about through the confusing shadows, half expecting to be
+confronted by other ghosts of the past, but all they encountered were
+the indistinct outlines of casks and boxes, and the hideous hairy
+figure of the ape, outstretched upon the deck. The candle fluttered in
+the girl's shaking hand, the yellow glare forming weird reflections,
+ugly shapes along the wall. God! what if it should go out, leaving us
+lost and groping about in this chamber of horrors? In absolute terror
+I drew her with me to the open door--then stopped, paralyzed; the half
+revealed figure of a man appeared on the cabin stairs.
+
+"Stop! who are you?"
+
+"Watkins, sir. I came below to call you. There's sumthin' bloomin' odd
+takin' place out there in the fog, Captain Carlyle. We want yer on
+deck, sir, right away."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI
+
+THE BOAT ATTACK
+
+
+He waited for us just without the companion, but my eyes caught
+nothing unusual as I emerged into the daylight. I could barely see
+amidships, but thus far the deck was clear, and on either side hung
+the impenetrable bank of cloud, leaving sea and sky invisible. Simmes
+was at the wheel, with no other member of the crew in sight.
+
+"What is it, Watkins? Where are the men?"
+
+"Forrard, sir, a hangin' over the starboard rail. Thar's somethin'
+cursedly strange a happenin' in that damn fog. Harwood was the first
+ter hear the clatter ov en oar slippin' in a rowlock. I thought the
+feller wus crazy, till I heerd sumthin' also, an' then, sir, while we
+wus still a listenin' we both caught sound ov a Spanish oath, spoke as
+plain as if the buck was aboard."
+
+"You saw nothing?"
+
+"Not so much as a shadder, sir."
+
+"A lost boat, likely--ship-wrecked sailors adrift in the fog; perhaps
+our other quarter-boat. No one hailed them?"
+
+"No, sir; I told the men ter keep still till I called you. It might be
+a cuttin'-out party; this ain't no coast fer any honest sailors ter be
+huggin' up to, an' I didn't like that feller talkin' Spanish."
+
+"But if their purpose is to take us by surprise," I said, "they'd be
+more cautious about it."
+
+"Maybe they didn't know how near they was. 'Tain't likely they kin see
+us much better 'n we kin see them. The sea's got an ugly swell to it,
+an' the feller likely cussed afore he thought. Enyhow it wa' n't my
+place ter hail 'em."
+
+"All right; where are they?"
+
+"Straight off the starboard quarter, sir."
+
+The crew were all gathered there, staring out into the mist,
+whispering to each other. Even they were indistinct, their faces
+unrecognizable, until I pressed my way in among them. I brought up
+beside Harwood.
+
+"Hear anything more?"
+
+"Not yet, sir," peering about to make sure of who spoke, "but there's
+a boat out yonder; I'll swear to that."
+
+"How far away when you heard them?"
+
+"Not mor'n fifty fathoms, an' maybe not that--the voice sounded
+clearest."
+
+We may have been clinging there, a minute or two, breathlessly
+listening, our hands tensely gripping the rail. My coming had silenced
+the others, and we waited motionless, the stillness so intense I could
+hear the lapping of waves against the side, and the slight creak of a
+rope aloft. Then a voice spoke directly in front of me out from the
+dense fog, a peculiar, penetrating voice, carrying farther than the
+owner probably thought, and distinctly audible.
+
+"Try the port oar, Pedro; we must have missed the damn ship."
+
+I straightened up as though struck, my eyes seeking those of Harwood,
+who stared back at me, his mouth wide open in astonishment.
+
+"You heard that?" I whispered. "Do you know who spoke?"
+
+"By God, do I? Dead, or alive, sir, it was Manuel Estevan."
+
+"Ay; no other, and alive enough no doubt. Lads, come close to me, and
+listen--they must not hear us out there. By some devil's trick the
+_Namur_ has followed our course, or else yonder are a part of his crew
+cast away. They clearly know of us--perhaps had a glimpse through some
+rift in the cloud--and are seeking to board with a boat party. 'Tis
+not likely those devils know who we are; probably take us for a
+merchant ship becalmed in the fog, and liable to become an easy prey,
+if they can only slip up on us unseen. How are you, bullies? Ready to
+battle your old mates?"
+
+"Those were no mates o' ours, sir," said Watkins indignantly. "They
+are half-breed mongrels, and no sailors; Estevan is a hell-hound, an'
+so far as my voice goes, I'd rather die on this deck than ever agin be
+a bloody pirate. Is that the right word, lads?"
+
+The others grumbled assent, but their muttered words had in them a
+ring of sincerity, and their faces exhibited no cowardice. Harwood
+alone asked a question.
+
+"I'm fer fightin', sir," he said grimly, "but what'll we use? Them
+lads ain't comin' aboard bare-handed, but damn if I've seed a weapon
+on this hooker."
+
+"Dar's three knives, an' a meat cleaver in der galley, sah," chimed in
+Sam.
+
+"We'll do well enough; some of you have your sheath knives yet, and
+the rest can use belaying pins, and capstan bars. The point is to not
+let them get aboard, and, if there is only one boat, we will be pretty
+even-handed. Pick up what you can, and man this rail--quietly now,
+hearties, and keep your eyes open."
+
+It proved a longer wait than I expected. The fog gave us no glimpse of
+the surrounding water, and not another sound enabled us to locate the
+approaching boat. I felt convinced we had not been overheard, as no
+one had spoken above a whisper, and the men aboard had been noiseless
+in their movements about deck, I had compelled Dorothy to remain on
+the port side of the cabin, removed from all danger, and the only
+upright figure in sight was the man at the wheel. The rest of us
+crouched along the starboard rail, peering out into the mist, and
+listening for the slightest sound. They were a motley crew, armed with
+every conceivable sort of knife or war club, but sturdy fellows, ready
+and willing enough to give a good account of themselves. Watkins was
+forward, swallowed up in the smother of mist, but Schmitt held a place
+next me, a huge, ungainly figure in the dull light. So still it was I
+began to doubt having heard the voice at all--could it have been
+imagination? But no; that was impossible, for the sound had reached
+all of us alike. Somewhere out yonder, that boat was creeping along
+silently, seeking blindly through the fog to reach our side
+unobserved--those Wolves of the Sea had the scent.
+
+I do not know how long the suspense lasted, but, I have never felt a
+greater strain on my nerves. Every deeper shadow increased the
+tension, imagination playing strange tricks, as I stared fixedly into
+the void, and trembled at the slightest sound. Once I was sure I heard
+the splash of an oar, but no one on deck spoke, and I remained silent.
+The faint creaking of a rope aloft caused my heart to thump, and when
+a loosened edge of canvas slapped the mast in a sudden breath of air,
+it sounded to me like a burst of thunder. Where were the fellows? Had
+they abandoned their search, confused by the fog; or were they still
+stealthily seeking to locate our position? Could there be more than
+one boat, and if not what force of men might such a boat contain?
+These questions never left me, and were alike unanswerable. Unable to
+withstand inaction any longer I arose to my feet, thinking to pass
+down the line with a word of encouragement to each man. A glance
+upward told me the heavy mist was passing, driven away by a light
+breeze from the south. Through the thick curtain which still clung to
+the deck, I could perceive the upper spars, already tipped with
+sunlight, and edges of reefed canvas flapping in the wind. The
+schooner felt the impulse, the bow swinging sharply to port, and I
+turned and took a few steps aft, thinking to gauge our progress by the
+wake astern. I was abaft the cabin on the port side when Dorothy
+called my name--a sudden accent of terror in her voice.
+
+The alarm was sounded none too soon. Either fortune, or skill had
+served those demons well. Gliding silently through the obscuring
+cloud, hanging in dense folds of vapor to the water surface, propelled
+and guided by a single oar, used cautiously as a paddle, they had
+succeeded in circling the stern of the _Santa Marie_, unseen and
+unheard by anyone aboard. Not even the girl, unconscious of the
+possibility of approaching danger from that quarter, her attention
+diverted elsewhere, had her slightest suspicion aroused as they glided
+noiselessly alongside, and made fast beneath the protection of the
+after-chains. One by one, moving like snakes, the devils passed
+inboard to where they could survey the seemingly deserted deck. Some
+slight noise awoke her to their presence, yet, even as she shrieked
+the sudden alarm, a hand was at her throat, and she was struggling
+desperately in the merciless grip of a half-naked Indian.
+
+Yet at that they were too late, the advantage of surprise had failed
+them. A half dozen had reached the deck, leaping from the rail, the
+others below clambering after their leaders, when with a rush, we met
+them. It was a fierce, mad fight, fist and club pitted against knife
+and cutlass, but the defenders knowing well the odds against them,
+angered by the plight of the girl, realizing that death would be the
+reward of defeat, struck like demons incarnate, crushing their
+astounded antagonists back against the bulwark. I doubt if the
+struggle lasted two minutes, and my memory of the scene is but a
+series of flashes. I heard the blows, the oaths, the cries of pain,
+the dull thud of wood against bone, the sharp clang of steel in
+contact, the shuffling of feet on the deck, the splash of bodies
+hurled overboard. These sounds mingle in my mind with the flash of
+weapons, the glare of infuriated eyes, the dark, savage faces. Yet it
+was all confusion, uproar, mingling of bodies, and hoarse shouts. Each
+man fought for himself, in his own way. I thought only of her, and
+leaped straight for her assailant with bare hands, smashing
+recklessly through the hasty guard of his cutlass, ignorant that he
+had even struck me, and gripped the copper devil by hair and throat. I
+knew she fell to the deck, beneath our feet, but I had my work cut out
+for me. He was a hell-hound, slippery as an eel in his half nakedness,
+strong as an ox, and fighting like a fiend. But for that first lucky
+grip I doubt my killing him, yet I had him foul, my grip unbreakable,
+as I jerked and forced his neck back against the rail, until it
+cracked, the swarthy body sliding inert to the deck. Whirling to
+assist the others, assured of the fellow's helplessness, I found no
+need. Except for bodies here and there the deck was clear, men were
+struggling in the chains; two below in the boat were endeavoring to
+cast off, and Schmitt, with Estevan helpless in his arms, staggered to
+the side, and flung the shrieking Spanish cur overboard out into the
+dark water. I heard the splash as he fell, the single cry his lips
+gave, but he never again appeared above the surface. Above the bedlam
+Watkins roared out an order.
+
+"That's it, bullies! that's it! Now let her drop! We'll send them to
+hell where they belong. Good shot; she landed!"
+
+It was the hank of a spare anchor, balanced for an instant on the
+rail, then sent crashing down through the frail bottom of the boat
+beneath. The wreck drifted away into the fog, the two miserable
+occupants clinging desperately to the gunwales. I lifted Dorothy to
+her feet, and she clung to me unsteadily, her face yet white.
+
+"Is it all over? Have they been driven off?"
+
+"Yes, there is nothing more to fear from them. Were you injured?"
+"Not--not seriously; he hurt me terribly, but made no attempt to use
+his cutlass. I--I guess I was more frightened than anything else.
+Is--is the man dead?"
+
+"If not, he might as well be," I answered, glancing at the body; but
+not caring to explain. "It was no time for mercy when I got to him.
+Watkins."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+"Have you figured up results?"
+
+"Not fully, sir; two of our men are cut rather badly, and Cole hasn't
+come too yet from a smart rap on the head."
+
+"None got away?"
+
+He grinned cheerfully.
+
+"Not 'less they swum; thar's six dead ones aboard. Four took ter the
+water, mostly because they hed too. The only livin' one o' the bunch
+is thet nigger 'longside the wheel, an' nuthin' but a thick skull
+saved him."
+
+"Then there were eleven in the party. What do you suppose has become
+of the others aboard the _Namur_?"
+
+He shook his head, puzzled by the question.
+
+"I dunno, sir; they might be a waitin' out there in the fog. Perhaps
+the nigger cud tell you."
+
+I crossed over to where the fellow sat on a grating, his head in his
+hands, the girl still clinging to my sleeve, as though fearful of
+being left alone. The man was a repulsive brute, his face stained with
+blood, dripping from a cut across his low forehead. He looked up
+sullenly at our approach, but made no effort to rise.
+
+"What's your name, my man?" I asked in Spanish.
+
+"Jose Mendez, Senor."  "You were aboard the _Namur_?"
+
+He growled out an answer which I interpreted to signify assent, but
+Watkins lost his temper.
+
+"Look yere, you black villain," he roared, driving the lesson home
+with his boot "don't be a playin' possum yer. Stand up an' answer
+Mister Carlyle, or yer'll git a worse clip than I give yer afore. Whar
+is the bloody bark?"
+
+"Pounding her heart out on the rocks yonder," he said more civilly,
+"unless she's slid off, an' gone down."
+
+"Wrecked? Where?"
+
+"Hell, I ain't sure--what's west frum here?"
+
+"Off our port quarter."
+
+"Then that's 'bout where she is--maybe a mile, er so."
+
+"What about the crew?"
+
+"They got away in the boats, an' likely mostly are ashore. We were in
+the last boat launched, an' headed out so far ter get 'round a ledge
+o' rocks, we got lost in the fog. Then the mist sorter opened, an'
+give us a glimpse o' yer topsails. Manuel was for boarding you right
+away, and the rest of us talked it over, and thought it would be all
+right. We didn't expect no fight, once we got aboard."
+
+"Expected to find something easy, of course? Perhaps it would have
+been if you fellows in the boat had held your tongues. By any chance,
+do you know now who we are?"
+
+He rolled his eyes toward Watkins, and then at Schmitt engaged in some
+job across the deck.
+
+"Those two used to be on the _Namur_," he said, his tone again
+sullen. "Are you the fellers who locked us in between decks?"
+
+"We are the ones, Jose. You were up against fighting men when you came
+in over our rail. What is it you see out there, Harwood?"
+
+The seaman, who was standing with hollowed hands shading his eyes,
+staring forth into the swirling drapery of fog, turned at my call, and
+pointed excitedly.
+
+"There's a bark aground yonder, sir; and by God, it looks like the
+_Namur_!"
+
+Even as I crossed the deck to his side, eagerly searching the
+direction indicated, the wreaths of obscuring mist seemed to divide,
+as though swept apart by some mighty hand, and there in the full glow
+of the sun, a picture in a frame, lay the wrecked vessel. Others saw
+it as I did, and a chorus of voices gave vent to recognition.
+
+"Damned if it ain't the old hooker!"
+
+"She got what was coming to her all right, mates."
+
+"Maybe that ain't hell, bullies! And she's lousy with treasure!"
+
+"Come here, Sam! That's the last of the _Namur_."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII
+
+THE LAST OF THE NAMUR
+
+
+Even from where we were, looking across that stretch of water, yet
+obscured by floating patches of mist, the vessel was plainly a total
+wreck, rapidly pounding to death on a sharp ledge of rock. Both masts
+were down, and, lifted as the bow was, it was easy to perceive the
+deck was in splinters, where falling spars and topmasts had crashed
+their way through. She must have struck the ledge at good speed, and
+with all sail set, for the canvas was overside, with much of the
+top-hamper, a horrible mess, tossed about in the breakers, broken ends
+of spars viciously pounding against the ship's side. The bows had
+caught, seemingly jammed in between rocks, the stern sunk deep, with
+cabin port holes barely above reach of the waves. It seemed probable
+that any minute the whole helpless mass might slide backward into the
+water, and be swept away. Not a living thing appeared on board, and,
+as the fog slowly drifted away, my eyes could discern no sign of any
+boat, no evidence of the crew, along the wide sweep of water. Little,
+by little, as the vista widened, and we still remained, watching the
+miserable wreck as though fascinated, we were able to distinguish the
+dark line of coast to the westward, and to determine that the
+unfortunate _Namur_ had struck at the extremity of a headland, whose
+rocky front had pushed its way far out to sea. A voice not far
+distant aroused me.
+
+"What was it you said Jack 'bout treasure on the old hooker? Hell, if
+it's there, why not get it afore it's too late?"
+
+"It's thar, all right, Ole," and I knew the speaker to be Haines.
+"Ain't it, Mr. Carlyle?"
+
+"Yes, lads, there must be money on board, unless those fellows took it
+with them in the boats. I know of fifty thousand pounds stolen in
+Virginia, and no doubt there is more than that."
+
+"Perhaps they took the swag along with 'em, sir."
+
+"That wouldn't be the way I'd figure it," broke in Watkins. "That
+nigger says the boat what attacked us was the last one ter git away,
+an' thar wa'n't no chest in her." If Manuel didn't stay aboard long
+'nough ter git his fingers outer thet gold, none ov the others did.
+They wus so damned anxious to save their lives, they never thought ov
+nuthin' else, sir."
+
+"But maybe they'll think about that later, an' cum back," insisted
+Haines, pressing forward. "Ain't that right, sir?"
+
+"Right enough; only they will not have much time to think it over,
+from the look of things out there," I answered. "The bark is liable to
+slide off that rock any minute, and go down like a stone. What do you
+say, bullies? Here is a risky job, but a pocket full of gold pieces,
+if we can get aboard and safely off again, Who'll go across with me?"
+
+There was a babel of voices, the men crowding about me, all else
+forgotten as the lust of greed gripped their imaginations.
+
+"Stand back, lads! I cannot use all of you. Four will be enough. I
+choose Haines, Harwood, Ole Hallin and Pierre. Lower that starboard
+quarter-boat you four, and see to the plugs and oars. No Watkins, I
+want you to remain in charge here. There is plenty to do; get those
+bodies overboard first, and clean up this litter; then shake out the
+reef in the foresail, and stand by--there is wind coming from that
+cloud yonder, and no time to waste. You'll not lose anything of what
+we bring back; it'll be share and share alike, so fall too, hearties."
+
+"Shall we lower away, sir?"
+
+"Ay, if all is fast I'll be with you in a minute; get aboard, Ole, and
+ward her off with a boat hook; easy now, till she takes water."
+
+I paused an instant to speak to Dorothy, seated on the flag locker,
+explaining to her swiftly my object in exploring the wreck, and
+pledging myself not to be reckless in attempting to board. I read fear
+in her eyes, yet she said nothing to dissuade me, and our hands
+clasped, as I led her to the side, where she could look down at the
+cockleshell tossing below.
+
+"It will mean much if we can recover this pirate hoard," I whispered,
+"freedom, and a full pardon, I hope."
+
+"Yes, I know, Geoffry; but do not venture too much. You are more to me
+than all the gold in the world."
+
+"I shall not forget, sweetheart. The sky and sea are almost clear now,
+and you can watch us from here. In a short time we shall be safely
+back again."
+
+I slipped down a rope, and dropped into the boat, taking my place
+with a steering oar at the stern, and we shot away through the green
+water. The men yet lined the rail watching us enviously, although
+Watkins' voice began roaring out orders. Dorothy wraved her hand,
+which I acknowledged by lifting my cap. The schooner, with her sharp
+cutwater and graceful proportions made so fair a sea picture, outlined
+against the blue haze, I found it difficult to remove my gaze, but
+finally my thought concentrated on the work ahead, and I turned to
+urge the oarsmen to a quicker stroke.
+
+The distance was greater than I had supposed it to be from the deck of
+the _Santa Marie_, nor did the dark cloud slowly poking up above the
+sea to the southeast ease my anxiety to get this task over with,
+before a storm broke. The _Namur_ proved to be a more complete wreck
+than our distant view had revealed, and lying in a more precarious
+position. While the sea was not high, or dangerous, beyond the
+headland, the charging billows there broke in foam and were already
+playing havoc with the stranded vessel, smashing great spars,
+entangled amid canvas and cordage, about so as to render our approach
+extremely perilous. We were some time seeking a place where we might
+make fast, but finally nosed our way in behind the shelter of a huge
+boom, held steady by a splinter of rock, until Harwood got the hank of
+his boat hook in the after-chains, and hung on. It was no pleasant job
+getting aboard, but ordering Haines to accompany me, and the others to
+lie by in the lee of the boom, I made use of a dangling backstay, and
+thus hauled myself up to a reasonably secure footing. The fellow
+joined me breathless, and together we perched on the rail to gain
+view of the deck.
+
+It was a distressing, hopeless sight, the vessel rising before us like
+the roof of a house, the deck planks stove in, a horrible jumble of
+running rigging, booms and spars, blocking the way forward. Aft it was
+clearer, the top-hamper of the after mast having fallen overboard,
+smashing a small boat as it fell, but leaving the deck space free.
+There were three bodies tangled in the wreckage within our sight,
+crushed out of all human resemblance, and the face of a negro, caught
+beneath the ruins of the galley, seemed to grin back at me in death.
+Every timber groaned as the waves struck, and rocked the sodden mass,
+and I had no doubt but that the vessel had already broken in two. I
+heard Haines utter an oath.
+
+"By God, sir, did you ever see the like! She can't hang on here."
+
+"Not, long surely," I admitted. "A bit more sea, and she breaks into
+kindling wood. If there is any salvage aboard, my man, it will be done
+in the next twenty minutes."
+
+"There is no hope o' gittin' forrard, sir--look at that damn litter,
+an'--an' them dead men."
+
+"It isn't forward we need to go, Haines; it's aft into the cabin, and
+that seems a clear enough passage--only the water down there may be
+too deep. Let's make a try of it."
+
+He was evidently reluctant, but sailor enough to follow as I lowered
+myself to the deck, clinging hard to keep my footing on the wet
+incline. A light spar had lodged here, and by making this a species of
+bridge, we crept as far as the companion, the door of which was open,
+and gained view of the scene below. The light was sufficient to reveal
+most of the interior. From the confusion, and dampness the entire
+cabin had evidently been deluged with water, but this had largely
+drained away, leaving a mass of wreckage behind, and a foot or two
+still slushing about the doors of the after staterooms. It was a
+dismal hole in the dim light, more like a cave than the former
+habitation of men, but presented no obstacle to our entrance, and I
+led the way down the stairs, gripping the rail to keep from falling.
+Haines swore as he followed, and his continual growling got upon my
+nerves.
+
+"Stop that infernal noise!" I ordered, shortly, looking him savagely
+in the face. "I've had enough of it. You were wild to come on this
+job; now do your work like a man. Try that room door over there; slide
+down, you fool, the water isn't deep. Wait a minute; now give me a
+hand."
+
+"Is the gold in here, sir?" he asked with interest.
+
+"More than likely; this was the Captain's room. See if it was left
+locked."
+
+The door gave, but it required our combined efforts to press it open
+against the volume of water, slushing about within. While the stern
+port was yet slightly above the sea level, the crest of breaking waves
+obscured the glass, leaving the interior darker than the outer cabin.
+For a moment my eyes could scarcely recognize the various objects, as
+I clung to the frame of the door, and stared blindly about in the
+gloom. Then slowly they assumed shape and substance. Screwed to the
+deck the furniture retained its place, but everything else was jammed
+in a mass of wreckage, or else floating about in a foot of water,
+deepening toward the stern. There were two chests in the room, one of
+which I instantly recognized as that of Roger Fairfax. The sight of
+this made me oblivious to all else, urged on as I was, by a desire to
+escape from the doomed wreck as soon as possible.
+
+"There's the chest we want Haines," I cried, pointing it out. "Have
+the lads back the boat up to this port; then come down, and help me
+handle it."
+
+He did not answer, or move; and I whirled about angrily.
+
+"What is the matter with you? Did you hear what I said?"
+
+"Yes, sir," his voice trembling, "but--but isn't that a man over
+there--in the bunk? Good God, sir; look at him!"
+
+The white, ghastly face stared at us, looking like nothing human in
+that awful twilight. I actually thought it a ghost, until with
+desperate effort, the man lifted himself, clinging with gaunt fingers
+to the edge of the bunk. Then I knew.
+
+"Sanchez! You! those damn cowards left you here to die!"
+
+"No one came for me," he answered, choking so the words were scarcely
+intelligible. "Is that what has happened; the bark is wrecked; the
+crew gone?"
+
+"Yes, they took to the boats--Manuel with them."
+
+"Manuel!" his enunciation clearer from passion, "the sneaking cur. But
+I cannot see your face; who are you, and what brought you here?"
+
+"I'll tell you frankly, Captain Sanchez," and I stepped closer. "We
+risked coming aboard to save that chest--Roger Fairfax's
+chest--before it went down. This vessel has its back broken, and may
+slide off into deep water at any minute. We must get you out of here
+first."
+
+"Get me out!" he laughed hideously. "You pretend to place my safety
+ahead of that treasure. To hell with your help. I want none of it. I
+am a dead man now, and the easiest way to end all, will be to go down
+with the ship--'twill be a fit coffin for Black Sanchez. By God! I
+know you now--Geoffry Carlyle?"
+
+"Yes, but an enemy no longer."
+
+"That is for me to say. I hate your race, your breed, your cursed
+English strain. The very sound of your name drives me mad. I accept no
+rescue from you! Damn you, take your gold and go."
+
+"But why?" I insisted, shocked at the man's violence. "I have done you
+no ill. Is it because I interfered between you and Dorothy Fairfax?"
+
+He laughed again, the sound so insane Haines gripped my sleeve in
+terror.
+
+"That chit! bah, what do I care for her but as a plaything. No, my
+hate runs deeper than that. How came you here--in the boat stolen from
+the _Namur_?"
+
+"No Captain Sanchez. The day after we left the ship, we boarded a
+schooner found adrift, the crew stricken with cholera, with not a man
+left alive on deck, or below. She lies yonder now."
+
+"A schooner! What name?"
+
+"The _Santa Marie_--a slaver."
+
+"Merciful God!" and his eyes fairly blazed into mine, as he suddenly
+forced his body upward in the bunk. "The _Santa Marie_ adrift! the
+crew dead from cholera? And the Captain--Paradilla, Francis
+Paradilla----what of him?"
+
+"He lay alone on a divan in the cabin--dead also."
+
+He tried to speak, but failed, his fingers clawing at his throat. When
+he finally gained utterance once more, it was but a whisper.
+
+"Tell me," he begged, "there was no woman with him?"
+
+I stared back into the wild insanity of his eyes, trying to test my
+words, suddenly aware that we were upon the edge of tragedy, perhaps
+uncovering the hidden secret of this man's life.
+
+"There was no woman," I said gravely, "on deck or in the cabin."
+
+"What mean you by saying that? There was one on board! Don't lie to
+me! In an hour I am dead--but first tell me the truth. Does the woman
+live?"
+
+"No, she died before. We found her body in a chest, preserved by some
+devilish Indian art, richly dressed, and decked with jewels."
+
+"English?"
+
+"I judged her so, but with dark hair and eyes. You knew her?"
+
+"In the name of all the fiends, yes. And I know her end. He killed
+her--Paradilla killed her--because she was as false to him as she had
+been to me. Hell! but it is strange you should be the one to find
+her--to bring me this tale, Geoffry Carlyle!"
+
+"Why? What is it to me?"
+
+"Because she is of your line--do you know her now?"  "No; nor believe
+it true."
+
+"Then I will make you; 'tis naught to me anymore; for I am dead within
+the hour. You go back to England, and tell him; tell the Duke of
+Bucclough how his precious sister died."
+
+"His sister! Good God, you cannot mean that woman was Lady Sara
+Carlyle?"
+
+"Who should know better than I?" sneeringly. "Once I was called in
+England, Sir John Collinswood."
+
+He sank back, exhausted, struggling for breath, but with eyes glowing
+hatred. I knew it all now, the dimly remembered story coming vividly
+back to memory. Here then was the ending of the one black stain on the
+family honor of our race. On this strange coast, three thousand miles
+from its beginning, the final curtain was being rung down, the drama
+finished. The story had come to me in whispers from others, never even
+spoken about by those of our race--a wild, headstrong girl, a secret
+marriage, a duel in the park, her brother desperately wounded, and
+then the disappearance of the pair. Ten days later it was known that
+Sir John Collinswood had defaulted in a large sum--but, from that
+hour, England knew him no more. As though the sea had swallowed them
+both, man and woman disappeared, leaving no trace behind.
+
+The face I gazed dumbly into was drawn, and white with pain, yet the
+thin lips grinned back at me in savage derision.
+
+"You remember, I see," he snarled. "Then to hell with you out of here,
+Geoffry Carlyle. Leave me to die in peace. The gold is there; take
+it, and my curse upon it. Hurry now--do you hear the bark grate on the
+rocks; it's near the end."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII
+
+BEFORE THE GOVERNOR
+
+
+The sound startled me; I imagined I heard the keel slipping, yet
+before we had reached the door opening on deck, the slight movement
+ceased. My hand gripped the frightened Haines.
+
+"Tell them in the boat to do as I said; then come back here."
+
+"My God, sir, she's a goin' down."
+
+"Not for some minutes yet. There are thousands of pounds in that
+chest; you've risked life for less many a time. Jump, my man!"
+
+The boat lay in close, bobbing up and down dangerously, yet held
+firmly beneath the opened port. Pierre warped her in with a rope's
+end, leaving the other two free to receive the box, as we cautiously
+passed it out within grasp of their hands. It was heavy enough to tax
+the strength of two men to handle it, but of a size and shape
+permitting its passage. Sanchez had raised himself again, and clung
+there to the edge of the bunk watching us. Even in the darkness caused
+by the chest obscuring the port, I felt the insane glare of his eyes
+fastened upon me. Once he attempted to speak, but his voice failed
+him.
+
+"Now let down easy, lads," I called. "No, place it amidships; get it
+even, or you go over. Wrap your line about the thwart, Pierre, and
+take a hand. Ay! that's better. Watch out now; we'll drop this
+end--Lord, but I thought it was gone! Fix it to ride steady, and stand
+by--we'll pass a wounded man out to you!"
+
+I stepped across to Sanchez, slushing through the water, and barely
+able to keep my feet. No matter who the brute was, he could not be
+left there to die like a rat alone. Willingly, or not, the fellow must
+be removed before the bark went down. He saw me coming, and drew back,
+his ghastly face like a mask.
+
+"No, you don't--damn you, Carlyle!" he snapped angrily. "Keep your
+hands off me. So you want me to die with my neck in a noose, do you?
+Well, you'll never see that sight. I was born a gentleman, and, by
+God! I'll die like one--and go down with my ship. Get out of here
+now--both of you! You won't? Hell's fire, but you will, or else die
+here with me! I'll give you a minute to make your choice."
+
+He left no doubt as to his meaning, his purpose. From somewhere
+beneath the blanket, the long, black muzzle of a pistol looked
+straight into my eyes. The hand holding it was firm, the face fronting
+me savagely sardonic.
+
+"I'd like to kill you, Carlyle," he hissed hatefully. "By God, I don't
+know why I shouldn't, the devils in hell would laugh if I did--so
+don't tempt me too far. Get out of here, damn you! Every time I look
+at you I see her face. If you take a step nearer, I pull the
+trigger--go!"
+
+I heard Haines scrambling back up the sharp incline of deck, and
+realized the utter uselessness of attempting to remain. Any instant
+might be our last; the man crazed, and probably dying, would kill me
+gladly. He had chosen his fate--what was it to me? I turned, and
+worked my way upward to the companion steps, half expecting every
+instant to be struck by a bullet from behind. At the door I paused to
+glance below; through the semi-darkness I could see his eyes glaring
+at me like those of a wild beast.
+
+"You refuse still to let me aid you, Sanchez?"
+
+"To hell with you! Leave me alone!"
+
+It was a hard pull back to the _Santa Marie_, for the sea had grown
+noticeably heavier, while the weight of the chest sank the boat so
+deeply in the water, as to retard progress and keep one man bailing.
+The cloud in the southwest had already assumed threatening
+proportions, and I urged the oarsmen to greater exertions, anxious to
+get aboard before the coming storm broke. It was hard to keep my gaze
+from the doomed _Namur_, but I could detect no change in her position,
+as we drew in toward the waiting schooner. Harwood alone questioned
+me, and I told him briefly what had occurred within the cabin, and his
+comment seemed to voice the sentiment of the others.
+
+"He made a bloomin' good choice, sir. That's how the ol' devil ought
+ter die--the same way he's sent many another. It beats hangin' at
+that."
+
+Dorothy greeted me first, and we stood close together at the rail, as
+the men hoisted the chest on deck, and then fastened the tackle to the
+boat She said nothing, asked nothing, but her hands clung to my arm,
+and whenever I turned toward her, our eyes met. I did not find the
+courage to tell her then what we had found aboard the _Namur_,
+although I could not prevent my own eyes from wandering constantly
+toward the doomed vessel. The rising sea was slapping the submerged
+stern with increasing violence, the salt spray rising in clouds over
+the after rail. Watkins approached us, coming from among the group of
+sailors forward.
+
+"There's a smart bit of wind in those clouds, sir," he said
+respectfully, "an' I don't like the look o' the coast ter leeward.
+Shall we trim sail?"
+
+"Not quite yet, Watkins. It will be some time before the gale strikes
+here. The bark is going down, presently."
+
+"Yes, sir; but the men better stand by." He glanced from my face to
+that of the girl, lowering his voice. "Harwood tells me Sanchez was
+aboard, sir, and refused to leave?"
+
+"Very true; but he was dying; no doubt is dead by now. There was
+nothing to be done for him."
+
+"I should say not, Mr. Carlyle. I wouldn't lift a finger ter save him
+frum hell."
+
+There was a sudden cry forward, and a voice shouted.
+
+"There she goes, buckies! That damn Dutchman's done with. That's the
+last o' the _Namur_!"
+
+I turned swiftly, my hand grasping her fingers as they clung to the
+rail. With a rasping sound, clearly distinguished across the
+intervening water, as though every timber cried out in agony to the
+strain, the battered hulk slid downward, the deck breaking amidships
+as the stern splashed into the depths; then that also toppled over,
+leaving nothing above water except the blunt end of a broken
+bow-sprit, and a tangle of wreckage, tossed about on the crest of the
+waves. I watched breathlessly, unable to utter a sound; I could only
+think of that stricken man in the cabin, those wild eyes which had
+threatened me. He was gone now--gone! Watkins spoke.
+
+"It's all over, sir."
+
+"Yes, there is nothing to keep us here any longer," I answered still
+dazed, but realizing I must arouse myself. "Shake out the reef in your
+mainsail, and we'll get out to sea. Who is at the wheel?"
+
+"Schmitt, sir--what is the course, Captain Carlyle?"
+
+"Nor'west, by nor', and hold on as long as you can."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir; nor'west by nor' she is."
+
+I yet held Dorothy's hand tightly clasped in my own, and the depths of
+her uplifted eyes questioned me.
+
+"We will go aft, dear, and I will tell you the whole story," I said
+gently, "for now we are homeward bound."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+I write these few closing lines a year later, in the cabin of the
+_Ocean Spray_, a three master, full to the hatches with a cargo of
+tobacco, bound for London, and a market. Dorothy is on deck, eagerly
+watching for the first glimpse of the chalk cliffs of old England. I
+must join her presently, yet linger below to add these final
+sentences.
+
+There is, after all, little which needs to be said. The voyage of the
+_Santa Marie_ north proved uneventful, and, after that first night of
+storm, the weather held pleasant, and the sea fairly smooth. I had
+some trouble with the men, but nothing serious, as Watkins and Harwood
+held as I did, and the pledge of Dorothy's influence brought courage.
+I refused to open the chest, believing our safety, and chance of
+pardon, would depend largely on our handing this over in good faith to
+the authorities. Watkins and I guarded it night and day, until the
+schooner rounded the Cape and came into the Chesapeake. No attempt was
+made to find quarters below, the entire crew sleeping on deck, Dorothy
+comfortable on the flag locker.
+
+It was scarcely sunrise, on the fifth day, when we dropped anchor
+against the current of the James, our sails furled, and the red
+English colors flying from the peak. Two hours later the entire
+company were in the presence of the Governor, where I told my story,
+gravely listened to, supplemented by the earnest plea of the young
+woman. I shall never forget that scene, or how breathlessly we awaited
+the decision of the great man, who so closely watched our faces. They
+were surely a strange, rough group as they stood thus, hats in hand,
+waiting to learn their fate, shaggy-haired, unshaven, largely scum of
+the sea, never before in such presence, shuffling uneasily before his
+glance, feeling to the full the peril of their position. Their eyes
+turned to me questioningly.
+
+Opposite us, behind a long table, sat the Governor, dignified,
+austere, his hair powdered, and face smoothly shaven; while on either
+side of him were those of his council, many of the faces stern and
+unforgiving. But for their gracious reception of Dorothy, and their
+careful attention to her words, I should have lost heart. They
+questioned me shrewdly, although the Governor spoke but seldom, and
+then in a kindly tone of sympathy and understanding. One by one the
+men were called forward, each in turn compelled to tell briefly the
+story of his life; and when all was done the eyes of the Governor
+sought those of his council.
+
+"You have all alike heard the tale, gentlemen," he said. "Nothing
+like it hath ever before been brought before this Colony. Would you
+leave decision to me?"
+
+There was a murmur of assent, as though they were thus gladly relieved
+of responsibility in so serious a matter. The Governor smiled, his
+kindly eyes surveying us once more; then, with extended hand he bade
+Dorothy be seated.
+
+"The story is seemingly an honest one," he said slowly, "and these
+seamen have done a great service to the Colony. They deserve reward
+rather than punishment. The fair lady who pleads for them is known to
+us all, and to even question her word is impossible. Unfortunately I
+have not the power of pardon in cases of piracy, nor authority to free
+bond slaves, without the approval of the home government; yet will
+exercise in this case whatsoever of power I possess. For gallant
+services rendered to the Colony, and unselfish devotion to Mistress
+Dorothy Fairfax, I release Geoffry Carlyle from servitude, pending
+advices from England; I also grant parole to these seamen, on
+condition they remain within our jurisdiction until this judgment can
+be confirmed, and full pardons issued. Is this judgment satisfactory,
+gentlemen?"
+
+The members of the council bowed gravely, without speaking.
+
+"The chest of treasure recovered from the sunken pirate ship," he went
+on soberly, "will remain unopened until final decision is made. As I
+understand, Master Carlyle, no one among you has yet seen its
+contents, or estimated its value?"
+
+"No, your excellency. Beyond doubt it contains the gold stolen from
+Roger Fairfax; and possibly the result of other robberies at sea.
+
+"The law of England is that a certain percentage of such recovered
+treasure belongs to the crown, the remainder, its true ownership
+undetermined, to be fairly divided among those recovering it."
+
+"Yet," spoke up Dorothy quickly, "it must surely be possible to waive
+all claim in such cases?"
+
+"Certainly; as private property it can be disposed of in any way
+desired. Was that your thought?"
+
+"A Fairfax always pays his debt," she said proudly, "and this is
+mine."
+
+There was a moment's silence as though each one present hesitated to
+speak. She had risen, and yet stood, but with eyes lowered to the
+floor. Then they were lifted, and met mine, in all frank honesty.
+
+"There is another debt I owe," she said clearly, "and would pay, your
+Excellency."
+
+"What is that, fair mistress?"
+
+She crossed to me, her hand upon my arm.
+
+"To become the wife of Geoffry Carlyle."
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Wolves of the Sea, by Randall Parrish
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Wolves of the Sea, by Randall Parrish
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Wolves of the Sea
+       Being a Tale of the Colonies From the Manuscript of One Geoffry
+       Carlyle, Seaman, Narrating Certain Strange Adventures Which Befell
+       Him Aboard the Pirate Craft "Namur"
+
+Author: Randall Parrish
+
+Release Date: November 22, 2003 [EBook #10210]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WOLVES OF THE SEA ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Robbie Deighton and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team
+
+
+
+
+
+WOLVES OF THE SEA
+
+Being a Tale of the Colonies From the Manuscript of One Geoffry
+Carlyle, Seaman, Narrating Certain Strange Adventures Which Befell Him
+Aboard the Pirate Craft "Namur"
+
+
+BY RANDALL PARRISH
+
+
+Author of "When Wilderness Was King," "The Last Voyage of the Donna
+Isabel" "Beyond the Frontier" "Contraband" etc.
+
+
+Frontispiece By FRANK E. SCHOONOVER
+
+
+1918
+
+
+
+
+FOREWORD
+
+Anson Carlyle, aged twenty-three, the ninth in descent from Captain
+Geoffry Carlyle, of Glasgow, Scotland, was among the heroic Canadian
+dead at Vimy Ridge. Unmarried, and the last of his line, what few
+treasures he possessed fell into alien hands. Among these was a
+manuscript, apparently written in the year 1687, and which, through
+nine generations, had been carefully preserved, yet never made public.
+The paper was yellowed and discolored by years, occasionally a page
+was missing, and the writing itself had become almost indecipherable.
+Much indeed had to be traced by use of a microscope. The writer was
+evidently a man of some education, and clear thought, but exceedingly
+diffuse, in accordance with the style of his time, and possessing
+small conception of literary form. In editing this manuscript for
+modern readers I have therefore been compelled to practically rewrite
+it entirely, retaining merely the essential facts, with an occasional
+descriptive passage, although I have conscientiously followed the
+original development of the tale. In this reconstruction much
+quaintness of language, as well as appeal to probability, may have
+been lost, and for this my only excuse is the necessity of thus making
+the story readable. I have no doubt as to its essential truth, nor do
+I question the purpose which dominated this rover of the sea in his
+effort to record the adventures of his younger life. As a picture of
+those days of blood and courage, as well as a story of love and
+devotion, I deem it worthy preservation, regretting only the
+impossibility of now presenting it in print exactly as written by
+Geoffry Carlyle.
+
+_R.P._
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+I Sent into Servitude
+
+II The Prison Ship
+
+III Dorothy Fairfax
+
+IV The Shores of Virginia
+
+V The Waters of the Chesapeake
+
+VI Fairfax Speaks with Me
+
+VII The Lieutenant Unmasked
+
+VIII A Victory, and a Defeat
+
+IX A Swim to the _Namur_
+
+X On the Deck of the _Namur_
+
+XI The Return of the Boat
+
+XII A Friend in the Forecastle
+
+XIII I Accept a Proposal
+
+XIV I Warn Dorothy
+
+XV The Cabin of the _Namur_
+
+XVI In Dorothy's Stateroom
+
+XVII A Murder on Board
+
+XVIII A New Conspiracy
+
+XIX Laying the Trap
+
+XX The Deck Is Ours
+
+XXI In Full Possession
+
+XXII The Crew Decides
+
+XXIII The Prisoners Escape
+
+XXIV In Clasp of the Sea
+
+XXV The Open Boat
+
+XXVI A Floating Coffin
+
+XXVII On Board the Slaver
+
+XXVIII A New Plan of Escape
+
+XXIX A Struggle in the Dark
+
+XXX Opening the Treasure Chest
+
+XXXI The Boat Attack
+
+XXXII The Last of the _Namur_
+
+XXXIII Before the Governor
+
+
+
+
+WOLVES OF THE SEA
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+
+SENT INTO SERVITUDE
+
+
+Knowing this to be a narrative of unusual adventure, and one which may
+never even be read until long after I have departed from this world,
+when it will be difficult to convince readers that such times as are
+herein depicted could ever have been reality, I shall endeavor to
+narrate each incident in the simplest manner possible. My only purpose
+is truth, and my only witness history. Yet, even now lately as this
+all happened it is more like the recollections of a dream, dimly
+remembered at awakening, and, perchance, might remain so, but for the
+scars upon my body, and the constant memory of a woman's face. These
+alone combine to bring back in vividness those days that were--days of
+youth and daring, of desperate, lawless war, of wide ocean peril, and
+the outstretched hands of love. So that here, where I am writing it
+all down, here amid quietness and peace, and forgetful of the past, I
+wander again along a deserted shore, and sail among those isles of a
+southern sea, the home for many a century of crime and unspeakable
+cruelty. I will recall the truth, and can do no more.
+
+I can recall that far-away dawn now as the opening portals of a
+beautiful morning, although at the time my thought was so closely
+centered upon other things, the deep blue of the sky, and the
+glimmering gold of the sun scarcely left an impression on my mind. It
+was still early morning when we were brought out under heavy guard,
+and marched somberly forth through the opened gates of the gaol. There
+had been rain during the night, and the cobble-stones of the village
+street were dark with moisture, slipping under our hob-nailed shoes as
+we stumbled along down the sharp incline leading to the wharf. Ahead
+we could perceive a forest of masts, and what seemed like a vast crowd
+of waiting people. Only the murmur of voices greeting us as we
+emerged, told that this gathering was not a hostile one, and this
+truth was emphasized to our minds by the efforts of the guard to
+hasten our passage. That we had been sentenced to exile, to prolonged
+servitude in some foreign land, was all that any of us knew--to what
+special section of the world fate had allotted us remained unknown.
+
+In spite of curses, and an occasional blow, we advanced slowly,
+marching four abreast, with feet dragging heavily, the chains binding
+us together clanking dismally with each step, and an armed guard
+between each file. Experiences have been many since then, yet I
+recall, as though it were but yesterday, the faces of those who walked
+in line with me. I was at the right end of my file, and at my shoulder
+was a boy from Morrownest, a slim, white-faced lad, his weak chin
+trembling from fear, and his eyes staring about so pleadingly I spoke
+a word of courage to him, whispering in his ear, lest the guard behind
+might strike. He glanced aside at me, but with no response in the
+depths of his eyes, in which I could perceive only a dumb anguish of
+despair. Beyond him marched Grover, one time butcher at Harwich, a
+stocky, big-fisted fellow, with a ghastly sword wound, yet red and
+unhealed on his face, extending from hair to chin, his little pig eyes
+glinting ugly, and his lips cursing. The man beyond was a soldier, a
+straight, athletic fellow, with crinkly black beard, who kept his eyes
+front, paying no heed to the cries. The guard pressed the people back
+as we shuffled along, but there was no way of keeping them still. I
+heard cries of encouragement, shouts of recognition, sobs of pity, and
+occasionally a roar of anger as we passed.
+
+"Good lads! God be with yer!"
+
+"Thet one thar is sore hurted--it's a damn shame."
+
+"Thar's Teddy--poor laddie! Luck go with yer, Teddy."
+
+"Ter hell with Black Jeffries, say I!"
+
+"Hush, mon, er ye'll be next ter go--no, I don't know who sed it."
+
+"See thet little chap, Joe; lots ther lad bed ter do with the war."
+
+"They all look mighty peaked--poor devils, four months in gaol."
+
+"Stand back there now. Stand back!"
+
+The guards prodded them savagely with the butts of their musketoons,
+thus making scant room for us to shuffle through, out upon the far end
+of the wharf, where we were finally halted abreast of a lumping brig,
+apparently nearly ready for sea. There were more than forty of us as I
+counted the fellows, and we were rounded up at the extremity of the
+wharf in the full blaze of the sun, with a line of guards stretched
+across to hold back the crowd until preparations had been completed to
+admit us aboard. As those in front flung themselves down on the
+planks, I got view of the brig's gangway, along which men were still
+busily hauling belated boxes and barrels, and beyond these gained
+glimpse of the hooker's name--ROMPING BETSY OF PLYMOUTH. A moment
+later a sailor passed along the edge of the dock, dragging a coil of
+rope after him, and must have answered some hail on his way, for
+instantly a whisper passed swiftly from man to man.
+
+"It's Virginia, mate; we're bound fer Virginia."
+
+The ugly little pig eyes of the butcher met mine.
+
+"Virginia, hey?" he grunted. "Ye're a sailorman, ain't ye, mate? Well,
+then, whar is this yere Virginia?"
+
+The boy was looking at me also questioningly, the terror in his face
+by no means lessened at the sound of this strange word.
+
+"Yes, sir, please; where is it, sir?"
+
+I patted him on the shoulder, as others near by leaned forward to
+catch my answer.
+
+"That's all right, mates," I returned cheerfully. "It's across the
+blue water, of course, but better than the Indies. We'll fall into the
+hands of Englishmen out there, and they'll be decent to us."
+
+"But whar is the bloomin' hole?"
+
+"In America. That is where all the tobacco comes from; likely that
+will be our job--raising tobacco."
+
+"Have ever yer bin thar?"
+
+"Ay, twice--and to a land beyond they call Maryland. Tis a country
+not so unlike England."
+
+"Good luck that then; tell us about it, matie."
+
+I endeavored to do so, dwelling upon what I remembered of the
+settlements, and the habits of the people, but saying little of the
+great wilderness of the interior, or how I had seen slaves toiling in
+the fields. The group of men within range of my voice leaned forward
+in breathless attention, one now and then asking a question, their
+chains rattling with each movement of a body. The deep interest shown
+in their faces caused me unconsciously to elevate, my voice, and I had
+spoken but a moment or two before a hard hand gripped my shoulder.
+
+"Yer better stow that, my man," growled someone above me, and I looked
+up into the stern eyes of the captain of the guard "or it may be the
+'cat' for ye. Yer heard the orders."
+
+"Yes, sir; I was only answering questions."
+
+"Questions! What the hell difference does it make to this scum whar
+they go? Do yer talkin' aboard, not here. So ye've been ter the
+Virginia plantation, hev ye?"
+
+"Twice, sir."
+
+"As a sailor?"
+
+"In command of vessels."
+
+His eyes softened slightly, and a different tone seemed to creep into
+his voice.
+
+"Then ye must be Master Carlyle, I take it. I heerd tell about ye at
+the trial, but supposed ye ter be an older man."
+
+"I am twenty-six."
+
+"Ye don't look even thet. It's my notion ye got an overly hard dose
+this time. The Judge was in ill humor thet day. Still thet's not fer
+me ter talk about. It's best fer both of us ter hold our tongues. Ay,
+they're ready fer ye now. Fall in there--all of yer. Step along, yer
+damn rebel scum."
+
+We passed aboard over the narrow gang-plank, four abreast, dragging
+our feet, and were halted on the forward deck, while artificers
+removed our chains. As these were knocked off, the released prisoners
+disappeared one by one down the forward hatch, into the space between
+the decks which had been roughly fitted up for their confinement
+during the long voyage. As my position was in one of the last files, I
+had ample time in which to gaze about, and take note of my
+surroundings. Except for the presence of the prisoners the deck
+presented no unusual scene. The _Romping Betsy_ was a large,
+full-rigged brig, not overly clean, and had evidently been in
+commission for some time. Not heavily loaded she rode high, and was a
+broad-nosed vessel, with comfortable beam. I knew her at once as a
+slow sailor, and bound to develop a decidedly disagreeable roll in any
+considerable sea. She was heavily sparred, and to my eye her canvas
+appeared unduly weather-beaten and rotten. Indeed there was
+unnecessary clutter aloft, and an amount of litter about the deck
+which evidenced lack of seamanship; nor did the general appearance of
+such stray members of the crew as met my notice add appreciably to my
+confidence in the voyage.
+
+I stared aft at the poop deck, seeking to gain glimpse of the skipper,
+but was unable to determine his presence among the others. There were
+a number of persons gathered along the low rail, attracted by the
+unusual spectacle, and curiously watching us being herded aboard, and
+dispatched below, but, to judge from their appearance, these were
+probably all passengers--some of them adventurers seeking the new land
+on their first voyage, although among them I saw others, easily
+recognized as Virginians on their way home. Among these I picked out a
+planter or two, prosperous and noisy, men who had just disposed of
+their tobacco crop, well satisfied with the returns; some artisans
+sailing on contract, and a naval officer in uniform. Then my eyes
+encountered a strange group foregathered beside the lee rail.
+
+There were four in the little party, but one of these was a negress,
+red-turbaned, and black as the ace of spades, a servant evidently,
+standing in silence behind the others. Another was clearly enough a
+Colonial proprietor, a heavily built man of middle age, purple faced,
+and wearing the broad hat with uplifted brim characteristic of
+Virginians. I passed these by with a glance, my attention
+concentrating upon the other two--a middle-aged young man, and a young
+woman standing side by side. The former was a dashing looking blade,
+of not more than forty, attired in blue, slashed coat, ornamented with
+gilt buttons, and bedecked at collar and cuffs with a profusion of
+lace. A saffron colored waist-coat failed to conceal his richly
+beruffled shirt, and the hilt of a rapier was rather prominently
+displayed. Such dandies were frequently enough seen, but it was this
+man's face which made marked contrast with his gay attire. He was
+dark, and hook-nosed, apparently of foreign birth, with black
+moustache tightly clipped, so as to reveal the thin firmness of his
+lips, and even at that distance I could perceive the lines of a scar
+across his chin. Altogether there was an audacity to his face, a
+daring, convincing me he was no mere lady's knight, but one to whom
+fighting was a trade. He was pointing us out to his companion,
+apparently joking over our appearance, in an endeavor to amuse.
+Seemingly she gave small heed to his words, for although her eyes
+followed where he pointed, they never once lighted with a smile, nor
+did I see her answer his sallies. She was scarcely more than a girl,
+dressed very simply in some clinging dark stuff, with a loose gray
+cloak draping her shoulders, and a small, neat bonnet of straw perched
+upon a mass of coiled hair. The face beneath was sweetly piquant, with
+dark eyes, and rounded cheeks flushed with health. She stood, both
+hands clasping the rail, watching us intently. I somehow felt as
+though her eyes were upon me, and within their depths, even at that
+distance, I seemed to read a message of sympathy and kindness. The one
+lasting impression her face left on my memory was that of innocent
+girlhood, dignified by a womanly tenderness.
+
+What were those two to each other? I could not guess, for they seemed
+from two utterly different worlds. Not brother and sister surely; and
+not lovers. The last was unthinkable. Perhaps mere chance
+acquaintances, who had drifted together since coming aboard. It seems
+strange that at such a moment my attention should have thus centered
+on these two, yet I think now that either one would have awakened my
+interest wherever we had met. Instinctively I disliked the man, aware
+of an instant antagonism, realizing that he was evil; while his
+companion came to me as revealment of all that was true and worthy,
+in a degree I had never known before. I could not banish either from
+my mind. For months I had been in prison, expecting a death sentence,
+much of the time passed in solitary confinement, and now, with that
+cloud lifted, I had come forth into a fresh existence only to be
+confronted by this man and woman, representing exact opposites. Their
+peculiarities took immediate possession of a mind entirely unoccupied,
+nor did I make any effort to banish them from my thought. From the
+instant I looked upon these two I felt convinced that, through some
+strange vagary of fate, we were destined to know more of each other;
+that our life lines were ordained to touch, and become entangled,
+somewhere in that mystery of the Western World to which I had been
+condemned. I cannot analyze this conception, but merely record its
+presence; the thought took firm possession of me. Under the
+circumstances I was too far away to overhear conversation. The
+shuffling of feet, the rattling of chains, the harsh voices of the
+guard, made it impossible to distinguish any words passing between the
+two. I could only watch them, quickly assured that I had likewise
+attracted the girl's attention, and that her gaze occasionally sought
+mine. Then the guards came to me, and, with my limbs freed of fetters,
+I was passed down the steep ladder into the semi-darkness between
+decks, where we were to be confined. The haunting memory of her face
+accompanied me below, already so clearly defined as to be
+unforgettable.
+
+It proved a dismal, crowded hole in which we were quartered like so
+many cattle, it being merely a small space forward, hastily boxed off
+by rough lumber, the sides and ends built up into tiers of bunks, the
+only ventilation and light furnished by the open hatch above. The
+place was clean enough, being newly fitted for the purpose, but was
+totally devoid of furnishings, the only concession to comfort visible
+was a handful of fresh straw in each bunk. The men, herded and driven
+down the ladder, were crowded into the central space, the majority
+still on their feet, but a few squatting dejectedly on the deck. In
+the dim twilight of that bare interior their faces scarcely appeared
+natural, and they conversed in undertones. Most of the fellows were
+sober and silent, not a bad lot to my judgment, with only here and
+there a countenance exhibiting viciousness, or a tongue given to
+ribaldry. I could remember seeing but few of them before, yet as I
+observed them more closely now, realized that these were not criminals
+being punished for crime, but men caught, as I had been, and condemned
+without fair trial, through the lies of paid informers. I could even
+read in their actions and words the simple stories of their former
+lives--the farm laborer, the sailor, the store-keeper, now all on one
+common level of misfortune and misery--condemned alike to exile, to
+servitude in a strange land, beyond seas.
+
+The ticket given me called by number for a certain berth, and I sought
+until I found this, throwing within the small bundle I bore, and then
+finding a chance to sit down on the deck beneath. The last of the
+bunch of prisoners dribbled down the ladder, each in turn noisily
+greeted by those already huddled below. I began to recognize the
+increasing foulness of air, and to distinguish words of conversation
+from the groups about me. There was but little profanity but some
+rough horse-play, and a marked effort to pretend indifference. I could
+make out gray-beards and mere boys mingling together, and occasionally
+a man in some semblance of uniform. A few bore wounds, and the clothes
+of several were in rags; all alike exhibited marks of suffering and
+hardship. The butcher from Harwich, and the white-faced lad who had
+marched beside me down the wharf, were not to be seen from where I
+sat, although beyond doubt they were somewhere in the crowd. The hatch
+was not lowered, and gazing up through the square opening, I obtained
+glimpse of two soldiers on guard, the sunlight glinting on their guns.
+Almost immediately there was the sound of tramping feet on the deck
+above, and the creaking of blocks. Then a sudden movement of the hull
+told all we were under way. This was recognized by a roar of voices.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE PRISON SHIP
+
+
+The greater portion of that voyage I would blot entirely from memory
+if possible. I cannot hope to describe it in any detail---the foul
+smells, the discomfort, the ceaseless horror of food, the close
+companionship of men turned into mere animals by suffering and
+distress, the wearisome days, the black, sleepless nights, the
+poisonous air, and the brutality of guards. I can never forget these
+things, for they have scarred my soul, yet surely I need not dwell
+upon them now, except as they may bear some direct reference to this
+tale I seek to tell. As such those weeks cannot be wholly ignored, for
+they form a part of the events to follow--events which might not be
+clearly understood without their proper picturing.
+
+We were fifty-three days at sea, driven once so far to the southward
+by a severe storm, which struck us the second day out, as to sight the
+north coast of Africa before we were able to resume our westward
+course. To those of us who were tightly shut into those miserable
+quarters below these facts came only as floating rumors, yet the
+intense suffering involved was all real enough. For forty-two hours we
+were battened down in darkness, flung desperately about by every mad
+plunge of the vessel, stifled by poisoned air and noxious odors, and
+all that time without a particle of food. If I suffered less than
+some others it was simply because I was more accustomed to the sea. I
+was not nauseated by the motion, nor unduly frightened by the wild
+pitching of the brig. Lying quietly in my berth, braced to prevent
+being thrown out, amid a darkness so intense as to seem a weight,
+every sound from the deck above, every lift of the vessel, brought to
+my mind a sea message, convincing me of two things--that the _Romping
+Betsy_ was a staunch craft, and well handled. Terrific as the gale
+became I only grew more confident that she would safely weather it.
+
+Yet God knows it was horrible enough even to lie there and listen, to
+feel the hurling plunges downward, the dizzy upsweeping of the hull;
+to hear the cries, groans and prayers of frightened men, unseen and
+helpless in the darkness, the creaking timbers, the resounding blows
+of the waves against the sides, the horrid retching of the sick, the
+snarling, angry voices as the struggling mass was flung back and
+forth, the curses hurled madly into the darkness. They were no longer
+men, but infuriated brutes, so steeped in agony and fear as to have
+lost all human instincts. They snarled and snapped like so many
+beasts, their voices unrecognizable, the stronger treading the weaker
+to the deck. I could not see, I could only hear, yet I lay there,
+staring blindly about, conscious of every horror, and so weak and
+unnerved as to tremble like a child.
+
+Yet the complete knowledge of what had actually occurred in that
+frightful hole was only revealed when the violence of the storm
+finally ceased, and the guards above again lifted the hatch. The gray
+light of dawn faintly illumined the inferno below, and the sweet
+breath of morning air swept down among us. Then I saw the haggard,
+uplifted faces, the arms tossed aloft, and heard the wild yell as the
+stronger charged forward struggling for the foot of the ladder. The
+place was a foul, reeking shambles, so filthy as to be positively
+sickening, with motionless bodies stretched here and there along the
+deck. Sailors and guards fought their way down among us, driving back
+the unarmed wretches who sought to oppose their progress, while others
+bore to the deck above those who were too helpless to rise. There were
+five dead among them, and twice as many more who had lost
+consciousness. These were all removed first and then, feeling helpless
+to resist the rush, the others were permitted to clamber up the
+ladder. Surging out upon the deck, we were hurdled against the lee
+rail, menaced by leveled guns, and thus finally fed, while the filthy
+quarters below were hastily cleansed.
+
+It was a dark, lowering morning, the desolate sea still threateningly
+rough, the heavy clouds hanging low. The _Romping Betsy_ was hove to,
+under bare poles, a bit of the jib alone showing, with decks and spars
+exhibiting evidence of the terrific struggle to keep afloat. I never
+witnessed wilder pitching on any vessel, but the fresh air brought new
+life to the wretches about me, and a species of cheerfulness was
+quickly manifested. Bad as the food was we ate it gladly, nor did the
+memory of the dead, already laid out on the main deck, long depress
+us. Why should we mourn for them? We scarcely knew any among them by
+name, and, facing the uncertainty of our own fate, each man secretly
+felt that these had possibly found the easier way. Our own misery was
+now greater than theirs. So we hung on to whatever would help us to
+keep erect, and ate the food given us like famished animals. Rough and
+threatening as the surroundings still were, I was seaman enough to
+realize that the backbone of the storm had broken, and so rejoiced
+when the skipper ordered sail set. In a few moments the brig was once
+again headed on a westerly course, and riding the heavy seas much more
+steadily.
+
+We were permitted to remain on deck scarcely more than an hour, and
+during that time only a very few passengers made their appearance aft.
+Although watching eagerly I perceived no flutter of a skirt in the
+wind, but the Spanish looking man emerged from below, and clung to the
+rail for several minutes before we were ordered from deck. He spoke
+with the Captain, pointing and gesticulating, and the few detached
+words blown to me on the wind were sufficient to convince me that the
+fellow knew ships and the sea. I had thought him a mere dandy, but now
+saw in him harder stuff, even getting close enough to learn that he
+had visited America before, and possessed knowledge of its shores and
+currents. Ay, and he spoke English well, with never pause for a word,
+even to terms of seamanship a bit obscure.
+
+The next few days, while uneventful, sufficed to make our discipline
+complete, obedience being roughly enforced by blows and oaths. At
+first a spirit of resistance flamed high, but the truly desperate
+among us were few, and without leadership, while the majority were
+already thoroughly cowed by months of imprisonment. Left to
+themselves the more reckless and criminal were soon obliged to yield
+to force, so that nothing more serious resulted than loud talk and
+threats. The hatch above remained open, but carefully guarded night
+and day, while we were permitted on deck for air and exercise only in
+squads of ten, two hours out of every twenty-four. This alone served
+to break the dread monotony of the voyage, for while we almost
+constantly encountered baffling head winds, no other storm of any
+magnitude obstructed our passage. The brig carried heavy canvas, and
+the skipper loaded her with all she could bear, but at that she was a
+slow sailor, dipping so deeply in a seaway as to ship considerable
+water even in quiet weather. From our exercise on deck we generally
+returned below drenched to the skin, but glad to even pay that price
+for two hours of fresh air, and an opportunity to gaze about at sea
+and sky. There was little else to witness, for in all the long voyage
+we encountered but one vessel in that desolate ocean, a French armed
+corvette, fairly bristling with guns, which ran in close enough to
+hail us, but seemed satisfied to permit us to pass unvisited. I clung
+to the rail and watched its white sails disappear until they resembled
+the wings of gulls, feeling more than ever conscious of our
+helplessness. There were few among the prisoners I had any desire to
+companion with--only two, as I recall now--a law clerk from Sussex, a
+rather bright young fellow, but full of strange notions, and an older
+man, who had seen service in Flanders. We messed together, and pledged
+mutual friendship in the new land, a pledge not destined to be
+fulfilled, as I never again saw nor heard of the former after we went
+ashore, and the last glimpse I had of the older man was as he was
+being loaded into a cart bound for some interior plantation. God grant
+they both lived, and became again free men.
+
+How those sodden hours and days dragged! How long were those black
+nights, in which I lay sleepless, listening to indescribable noises,
+and breathing the rank, poisonous air. The short time passed on deck
+was my only solace, and yet even there I found little to interest,
+except a continuous new hope. We were herded well forward, a rope
+dividing us from the main deck, which space the passengers aft used as
+a promenade. Here, between the foremast and the cabin, someone was
+strolling idly about most of the time, or lounging along the rail out
+of the sun. In time I came to recognize them all by sight, and
+learned, in one way or another, something of their characteristics,
+and purpose in taking this voyage. They were not an unusual lot, the
+majority planters from the Colonies homeward bound, with occasionally
+a new emigrant about to try for fortune beyond seas, together with one
+or two naval officers. There were only three women aboard, a fat
+dowager, the young lady I had noticed at embarkation, and her colored
+maid. Many of the days were pleasant, with quiet sea and bright
+sunshine, and the younger woman must have passed hours on deck during
+so long and tedious a voyage. Yet it chanced I saw almost nothing of
+her. I heard her presence on board discussed several times by others
+of our company, but it somehow chanced that during my time in the open
+she was usually below. Indeed I gained but one glimpse of the lady in
+the first two weeks at sea, and then only as we were being ordered
+down to our quarters for the night. Just as I was approaching the
+hatch to descend, she appeared from within the cabin, accompanied by
+the middle-aged planter, and the two advanced toward the rail. The
+younger gallant, who was standing there alone, saw them the moment
+they emerged, and hastened forward, bowing low, hat in hand. She
+barely recognized him, her gaze traveling beyond the fellow toward the
+disappearing line of prisoners. It was an evening promising storm,
+with some motion to the sea, and a heavy bank of clouds visible off
+the port quarter, brightened by flashes of zigzag lightning. The brig
+rolled dizzily, so the cavalier sought to steady her steps, but she
+only laughed at the effort, waving him aside, as she moved easily
+forward. Once with hand on the rail, she ignored his presence
+entirely, looking first at the threatening cloud, and then permitting
+her gaze to rest once more upon the line of men descending through the
+hatch.
+
+It had become my turn to go down, yet in that instant our eyes met
+fairly, and I instantly knew she saw and recognized me. For a single
+second our glances clung, as though some mysterious influence held us
+to each other--then the angry guard struck me with the stock of his
+piece.
+
+"What er ye standin' thar fer?" he demanded savagely. "Go on
+down--lively now."
+
+I saw her clasping fingers convulsively grip the rail, and, even at
+that distance, marked a sudden flame of color in her cheeks. That was
+all her message to me, yet quite enough. Although we had never spoken,
+although our names were yet unknown, I was no criminal to her mind,
+no unrecognized prisoner beneath contempt, but a human being in whom
+she already felt a personal interest, and to whom she extended thought
+and sympathy. The blow of the gun-stock bruised my back, yet it was
+with a smile and a light heart that I descended the ladder, deeply
+conscious of a friend on board--one totally unable to serve me,
+perhaps, yet nevertheless a friend. Even in our isolation, guarded in
+those narrow quarters, much of the ship gossip managed in some way to
+reach our ears. How it drifted in was often a mystery, yet there was
+little going on aboard we failed to hear. Much of it came to us
+through those detailed to serve food, while guards and sailors were
+not always averse to being talked with. We always knew the ship's
+course, and I managed to keep in my mind a very dear idea of how the
+voyage progressed. Not a great deal of this gossip, however, related
+to the passengers aft, who kept rather exclusively to themselves, nor
+did I feel inclined to question those who might have the information.
+I had no wish to reveal my interest to others, and so continued
+entirely ignorant of the identity of the young woman. She remained in
+my memory, in my thoughts nameless, a dream rather than a reality. I
+did learn quite by accident that the gay gallant was a wealthy
+Spaniard, supposedly of high birth, by name Sanchez, and at one time
+in the naval service, and likewise ascertained that the rotund
+planter, so evidently in the party, was a certain Roger Fairfax, of
+Saint Mary's in Maryland, homeward bound after a successful sale of
+his tobacco crop in London. It was during his visit to the great city
+that he had met Sanchez, and his praise of the Colonies had induced
+the latter to essay a voyage in his company to America. But strange
+enough no one so much as mentioned the girl in connection with either
+man.
+
+Thus it was that the _Romping Betsy_ drove steadily on her way into
+the west, either battered by storm, or idly drifting in calm, while
+life on board became a tiresome routine. The dullness and ill
+treatment led to trouble below, to dissatisfaction and angry outbreaks
+of temper. The prisoners grew quarrelsome among themselves, and
+mutinous toward their guards. I took no part in these affairs, which
+at one time became serious. Two men were shot dead, and twice
+afterwards bodies were carried up the ladder at dawn, and silently
+consigned to the sea. No doubt these tales, more or less exaggerated,
+traveled aft, and reached the eager ears of the passengers. They began
+to fear us, and consequently I noticed when on deck the promenade once
+so popular during the earlier days of the voyage, was almost totally
+deserted during our hours of recreation. So, with mutiny forward, and
+fear aft, the lumbering old brig, full of tragedy and hopeless hearts,
+ploughed steadily onward toward the sunset.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+DOROTHY FAIRFAX
+
+
+We were not far from two hundred miles east of the Capes, or at least
+so one of the mates told me, gruffly answering a question, and it was
+already growing twilight, the sun having disappeared a half hour
+before. There was but little air stirring, barely enough to keep the
+sails taut, while the swell of the sea was sufficient to be
+uncomfortable, making walking on the deck a task. We were wallowing
+along amid a waste of waters, the white-crested waves extending in
+every direction to the far horizons, which were already purpling with
+the approach of night. I had been closely confined to my bunk for two
+days with illness, but now, somewhat stronger, had been ordered on
+deck by the surgeon. The last batch of prisoners, after their short
+hour of recreation, had been returned to the quarters below, but I was
+permitted to remain alone undisturbed. I sat there quietly, perched on
+a coil of rope, with head just high enough to permit an unobstructed
+view over the side.
+
+The deck aft was almost deserted, the passengers being at supper in
+the cabin. I could glimpse them through the unshaded windows, seated
+about a long table, while occasionally the sound of their voices
+reached me through the open companion-way. The mate was alone on the
+poop, tramping steadily back and forth, his glance wandering from the
+sea alongside to the flapping canvas above, but remained silent, as
+the brig was on her course. Once he clambered down the side ladder,
+and walked forward, shouting out some order to a group of sailors
+under the lee of the forecastle. It was on his return that I ventured
+to question him, and was gruffly answered. Something I said however,
+gave him knowledge that I was a seaman, and he paused a moment more
+civilly before resuming his watch, even pointing out what resembled
+the gleam of a distant sail far away on our starboard quarter. This
+was such a dim speck against the darkening horizon that I stood up to
+see better, shadowing my eyes, and forgetful of all else in aroused
+interest. Undoubtedly it was a sail, although appearing no larger than
+a gull's wing, and my imagination took me in spirit across the leagues
+of water. I was still standing there absorbed, unaware even that the
+mate had departed, when a voice, soft-spoken and feminine, broke the
+silence.
+
+"May I speak with you?"
+
+I turned instantly, so thoroughly surprised, my voice faltered as I
+gazed into the upturned face of the questioner. She stood directly
+beside me, with only the rope barrier stretched between us, her head
+uncovered, the contour of her face softened by the twilight. Instantly
+my cap was off, and I was bowing courteously.
+
+"Most certainly," with a quick side glance toward the guard, "but I am
+a prisoner."
+
+"Of course I know that," in smiling confidence. "Only you see I am
+rather a privileged character on board. No one expects me to obey
+rules. Still that does not apply to you, does it?" hesitating
+slightly. "Perhaps you may be punished if you talk with me--is that
+what you meant?"
+
+"I am more than willing to assume the risk. Punishment is no new
+experience to me; besides just now I am on sick leave, and privileged.
+That accounts for my being still on deck."
+
+"And I chanced to find you here alone. You have been ill?"
+
+"Not seriously, but confined to the berth for a couple of days. And
+now the doctor prescribes fresh air. This meeting with you, I imagine,
+may prove even of greater benefit than that."
+
+"With me? Oh, you mean as a relief from loneliness."
+
+"Partly--yes. The voyage has certainly proven lonely enough. I have
+made few friends forward, and am even bold enough to say that I have
+longed for a word with you ever since I first saw you aboard."
+
+"Why especially with me?"
+
+"Rather a hard question to answer at the very beginning," I smiled
+back at her. "Yet not so difficult as the one I shall ask you. Except
+for a fat matron, and a colored maid, you chance to be the only woman
+on board. Can you consider it unnatural that I should feel an
+interest? On the other hand I am only one of fifty prisoners, scarcely
+cleaner or more reputable looking than any of my mates. Yet surely you
+have not sought speech with these others?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Then why especially with me?"  Even in the growing dusk I could mark
+a red flush mount into the clear cheeks at this insistent question,
+and for an instant her eyes wavered. But she possessed the courage of
+pride, and her hesitancy was short.
+
+"You imagine I cannot answer; indeed that I have no worthy reason,"
+she exclaimed. "Oh, but I have; I know who you are; my uncle pointed
+you out to me."
+
+"Your uncle--the planter in the gray coat?"
+
+"Yes; I am traveling home with him to Maryland. I am Dorothy Fairfax."
+
+"But even with that explanation I scarcely understand," I insisted
+rather stubbornly. "You say he pointed me out to you. Really I was not
+aware that I was a distinguished character of any kind. How did he
+happen to know me?"
+
+"Because he was present at your trial before Lord Jeffries. He merely
+chanced to be there when you were first brought up, but became
+interested in the case, and so returned to hear you sentenced. You are
+Geoffry Carlyle, in command of the ship that brought Monmouth to
+England. I heard it all."
+
+"All? What else, pray?"
+
+Her eyes opened widely in sudden surprise and she clasped and
+unclasped her hands nervously.
+
+"Do you really not know? Have you never been told what happened?"
+
+"Only that I was roughly forbidden to speak, called every foul name
+the learned Judge could think of, and then sentenced to twenty years
+penal servitude beyond seas," I answered soberly. "Following that I
+was dragged from the dock, and flung into a cell. Was there anything
+else?"
+
+"Why you should have known. Lord Jeffries sentenced you to death; the
+decree was signed, to be executed immediately. Then influence was
+brought to bear--some nobleman in Northumberland made direct appeal to
+the King. That was what angered Jeffries so."
+
+"An appeal! For me? Good God! not Bucclough--was it he, the Duke?"
+
+"Yes; it was whispered about that the King was in his debt--some word
+of honor, and dare not refuse. The word of mercy came just in time,
+ordering Jeffries to commute your sentence. At first he swore he'd
+hang you, King or no King, but his nerve failed. My uncle said he
+roared like a bull. This Bucclough; is he not your friend?"
+
+I hesitated for an instant of indecision, looking into her face, but
+the truth would not be denied.
+
+"Scarcely that," I said soberly. "Nor can I solve entirely his
+purpose. He is my brother, and I am the next in line. We are not even
+on speaking terms; yet he is childless, and may feel some measure of
+dislike to have the family end in a hangman's knot. I can think of no
+other reason for his interference. I knew nothing of his action."
+
+"I am glad it became my privilege to tell you. Besides, Captain
+Carlyle," simply, "it may also help you to understand my interest. If
+you are of the Carlyles of Bucclough, how happened it that you went to
+sea?"
+
+"Largely necessity, and to some extent no doubt sheer love of
+adventure. I was a younger son, with very little income. There were
+then two lives between me and the estate, and the old Duke, my
+father, treated me like a servant. I always loved the sea, and at
+fourteen--to get me out of his sight, I think largely--was apprenticed
+to the navy, but lost my grade in the service by a mere boyish prank.
+His influence then would have saved me, but he refused to even read my
+letter of explanation. I dare not return home in such disgrace, and
+consequently drifted into the merchant service. It is a story quickly
+told."
+
+"Yet not so quickly lived."
+
+"No, it meant many hard years, on all the oceans of the world. This is
+the first message reaching me from the old home."
+
+"I have seen that home," she said quietly, "and shall never forget the
+impression it made on me. A beautiful place. I was there on a coaching
+party, the first summer I was in England. I was a mere girl then, and
+everything seemed wonderful. I have been away from Maryland now for
+three years."
+
+"At school?"
+
+"Of course; nothing else would satisfy father. Maryland is only a
+Colony, you know."
+
+"Yes, I understand. A great many over there send back their sons and
+daughters to be educated. Your home is at Saint Mary's?"
+
+"Lower down the Potomac. Have you ever been there?"
+
+"Twice; once as mate, and the last time as master of a ship. My latest
+voyage in these waters was made nearly two years ago."
+
+She was silent for several moments, her face turned away from me, her
+eyes gazing out across the waste of waters which were already growing
+dark. Her clear-cut profile against the yellow light of the cabin
+windows appeared most attractive.
+
+"It is not so strange then, is it, that I should have felt interested
+in you?" she asked suddenly, as though justifying herself. "When Uncle
+Roger first told me who you were, and then explained what had occurred
+at your trial, naturally you became to me something entirely different
+from the others."
+
+"Certainly I am not inclined to condemn."
+
+"I never once thought of speaking to you--truly I did not," she went
+on simply. "But when I saw you sitting here all alone, the impulse
+came suddenly to tell you how sorry I was. You see," and she paused
+doubtfully, "girls brought up in the Colonies, as I have been,
+are--are not quite so careful about whom they talk with as in
+England--you know what I mean; we always have indentured servants, and
+become accustomed to them. It--it is quite different out there."
+
+I laughed, thinking only to relieve her embarrassment.
+
+"Believe me, Miss Dorothy, there is no thought in my mind that you
+have done wrong," I insisted swiftly. "That would be very ungrateful,
+for you have brought me new heart and hope."
+
+"Then I am not sorry. Were you actually with Monmouth?"
+
+"In sympathy, yes; but I had no hand in the actual fighting. I was not
+even ashore until it was all over with. Still I shall pay my share of
+the bill."
+
+"And you know what that means, do you not? What will happen when we
+reach Virginia?"
+
+"Perfectly; I have no illusions. I have seen just such ships as this
+come in. We are to be advertised, and sold to the highest bidder. A
+week from now I shall probably be out in the tobacco fields, under the
+whip of an overseer, who will call me Jeff. All I can hope for is a
+kind-hearted master, and an early opportunity to escape."
+
+"Oh, no!" and in her eagerness her hands actually clasped mine, where
+they clung to the rope between us. "It is not going to be quite so bad
+as that. That is what I wanted to tell you. That is what gave me
+boldness to come across here to you tonight. It has all been
+arranged."
+
+"Arranged?"
+
+"Yes--everything. You are not going to be sold on the block with those
+others. Uncle Roger has already contracted with the Captain for your
+services. You are going north with us to Maryland."
+
+I stared through the dusk into her animated face, scarcely
+comprehending.
+
+"Do you not understand, yet?" she asked. "The Captain of this brig is
+the agent; he represents the government, and is obliged to find places
+for the prisoners."
+
+"Yes; I know that. We are billed like so much livestock; he must
+account for every head."
+
+"Well, Uncle Roger went to him yesterday, and made a bid for you.
+Finally they came to terms. That is one reason why you are left alone
+here on deck tonight. The officers are no longer responsible for
+you--you are already indentured."
+
+I drew a deep breath, and in the sudden impulse of relief which swept
+over me, my own fingers closed tightly about her hands.
+
+"You tell me I am to accompany your party up the Chesapeake?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"I owe this to you; I am sure I must owe this to you--tell me?"
+
+Her eyes drooped, and in the dim light I could mark the heaving of her
+bosom, as she caught her breath.
+
+"Only--only the suggestion," she managed to say in a whisper. "He--he
+was glad of that. You see I--I knew he needed someone to take charge
+of his sloop, and--and so I brought you to his mind. We--we both
+thought you would be just the one, and--and he went right away to see
+the Captain. So please don't thank me."
+
+"I shall never cease to thank you," I returned warmly, conscious
+suddenly that I was holding her hands, and as instantly releasing
+them. "Why, do you begin to understand what this actually means to me?
+It means the retention of manhood, of self-respect. It will save me
+the degradation which I dreaded most of all--the toiling in the fields
+beside negro slaves, and the sting of the lash. Ay, it means even
+more--"
+
+I hesitated, instantly realizing that I must not utter those impetuous
+words leaping to my lips.
+
+"More!" she exclaimed. "What more?"
+
+"This," I went on, my thought shifting into a new channel. "A longer
+servitude. Up to this moment my one dream has been to escape, but I
+must give that up now. You have placed me under obligations to serve."
+
+"You mean you feel personally bound?"  "Yes; not quite so much to
+your uncle, perhaps, as to yourself. But between us this has become a
+debt of honor."
+
+"But wait," she said earnestly "for I had even thought of that. I was
+sure you would feel that way--any gentleman would. Still there is a
+way out. You were sentenced as an indentured servant."
+
+"I suppose so."
+
+"It is true; you were so entered on the books of this ship. Uncle
+Roger had to be sure of all this before he paid his money, and I saw
+the entry myself. It read: 'Geoffry Carlyle, Master Mariner,
+indentured to the Colonies for the term of twenty years, unless sooner
+released; crime high treason.' Surely you must know the meaning of
+those words?"
+
+"Servitude for twenty years."
+
+"'Unless sooner released.'"
+
+"That means pardoned; there is no hope of that."
+
+"Perhaps not, but that is not all it means. Any indentured man, under
+our Maryland laws, can buy his freedom, after serving a certain
+proportion of his sentence. I think it is true in any of the Colonies.
+Did you not know that?"
+
+I did know it, yet somehow had never connected the fact before
+directly with my own case. I had been sentenced to twenty
+years--twenty years of a living death--and that alone remained
+impressed on my mind. I could still see Black Jeffries sitting on the
+bench, glaring down at me in unconcealed anger, his eyes blazing with
+the fury of impotent hate, as he roared, that, by decree of the King,
+my sentence to be hung was commuted to twenty years of penal
+servitude beyond seas. It had never even seemed an act of mercy to me.
+But now it did, as the full truth suddenly came home, that I could buy
+my freedom. God! what a relief; I stood up straight once more in the
+stature of a man. I hardly know what wild words I might have spoken
+had the opportunity been mine; but at that instant the figure of a man
+crossed the deck toward us, emerging from the open cabin door. Against
+the gleam of yellow light I recognized the trim form advancing, and as
+instantly stepped back into shadow. My quick movement caused her to
+turn, and face him.
+
+"What!" he exclaimed, and evidently surprised at his discovery. "It is
+indeed Mistress Dorothy--out here alone? 'Twas my thought you were
+safely in your cabin long since. But--prithee--I mistake; you are not
+alone."
+
+He paused, slightly irresolute, staring forward beyond her at my
+dimmer outline, quite uncertain who I might be, yet already
+suspicious.
+
+"I was preparing to go in," she answered, ignoring his latter words.
+"The night already looks stormy."
+
+"But your friend?"
+
+The tone in which he spoke was insistent, almost insolent in its
+demand, and she hesitated no longer in meeting the challenge.
+
+"Your pardon, I am sure--Lieutenant Sanchez, this gentleman is Captain
+Geoffry Carlyle."
+
+He stood there stiff and straight against the background of light, one
+hand in affected carelessness caressing the end of a waxed moustache.
+His face was in shadow, yet I was quite aware of the flash of his
+eyes.
+
+"Ah, indeed--some passenger I have not chanced to observe before?"
+
+"A prisoner," she returned distinctly. "You may perhaps remember my
+uncle pointed him out to us when he first came aboard."
+
+"And you have been out here alone, talking with the fellow?"
+
+"Certainly--why not?"
+
+"Why, the man is a felon, convicted of crime, sentenced to
+deportation."
+
+"It is not necessary that we discuss this, sir," she interposed,
+rather proudly, "as my personal conduct is not a matter for your
+criticism. I shall retire now. No; thank you, you need not come."
+
+He stopped still, staring blankly after her as she vanished; then
+wheeled about to vent his anger on me.
+
+"Carlyle, hey!" he exclaimed sneeringly. "A familiar sound that name
+in my ears. One of the brood out of Bucclough?"
+
+"A cadet of that line," I managed to admit, wonderingly. "You know of
+them?"
+
+"Quite as much as I care to," his tone ugly and insulting. Then an
+idea suddenly occurred to his mind. "Saint Guise, but that would even
+up the score nicely. You are, as I understand it, sent to Virginia for
+sale?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"For how long a term?"
+
+"The sentence was twenty years."
+
+"Hela! and you go to the highest bidder. I'll do it, fellow! To
+actually own a Carlyle of Bucclough will be a sweet revenge."
+
+"You mean," I asked, dimly grasping his purpose, "that you propose
+buying me when we reach shore?"
+
+"Why not? A most excellent plan; and I owe it all to a brat I met in
+London. Egad! it will be some joke to tell when next I visit England.
+'Twill count for more than were I to tweak the Duke's nose."
+
+I stopped his laughter, smiling myself grimly in the darkness.
+
+"A very noble plan for revenge," I admitted, enjoying the swift
+check-mating of his game. "And one which I am not likely to forget.
+Unfortunately you come too late. It happens, Senor, that I am already
+safely indentured to Roger Fairfax."
+
+"To Fairfax? She told you that?"
+
+"Who told me can make no difference. At least I am out of your hands."
+
+I turned away, but he called angrily after me:
+
+"Do not feel so sure of that, Carlyle! I am in the game yet."
+
+I made no answer, already despising the fellow so thoroughly as to
+ignore his threat. He still stood there, a mere shadow, as I
+disappeared down the ladder, and I could imagine the expression on his
+face.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+THE SHORES OF VIRGINIA
+
+
+I rested quietly in my berth for a long time, staring blankly up at
+the dark deck above, unable to sleep, and endeavoring to figure out
+the true meaning of all these occurrences. It began to rain, torrents
+sweeping the planks overhead, while vivid flashes of lightning
+illumined the open hatch, before it could be hastily closed, revealing
+the squalidness of the interior in which we were quartered. Then
+someone, growling and stumbling through the darkness, lit a slush
+lantern, dangling from a blackened beam, its faint flicker barely
+discernible. The hole became foul and sickening, men tossing and
+groaning in their uneasy sleep, or prowling about seeking some measure
+of comfort. There was no severe wind accompanying the storm, and the
+flurry of rain soon swept by, leaving an ugly swell behind, but
+enabling the guard to again uplift the hatches.
+
+Immersed as I was in thought, all this left but small impress on me. I
+felt that I could understand the interest exhibited by Dorothy
+Fairfax, and, greatly as I already admired her, I was not egotist
+enough to even imagine that her effort to serve me had basis in any
+personal attraction. My connection with Bucclough, coupled with her
+uncle's report of my conviction, had very naturally aroused the girl's
+sympathy in my behalf. She felt a desire to lighten my sorrows as
+much as possible, and, under the existing circumstances, had found it
+comparatively easy to persuade the good-natured planter to acquiesce
+in her suggestion. In all probability he really had need of my
+services, and was therefore glad enough of this opportunity to secure
+them. This part of the affair I could dismiss without giving anyone
+undue credit, although I deeply appreciated the kindness of heart
+which had led her to interpose, and which later led her to tell me so
+quickly what had occurred. Her purpose, however, was fairly clear.
+
+But what about Lieutenant Sanchez? Why was this unknown Spaniard
+already so openly my enemy? There was no doubting his position, and
+there surely must be some reason for it outside of anything which had
+occurred on board the _Romping Betsy_. His words had given me some
+inkling of the cause--a past quarrel with the Duke of Bucclough, in
+England, in which he must have been worsted, and which had left in his
+mind a lurking desire for revenge. He dreamed of striking his enemy
+through me, because of relationship, a cowardly blow. Yet this, by
+itself alone, was scarcely a reason why he should have thus sought me
+out for a victim. No sane man would deliberately visit the sins of my
+brother on me. Nor had this been deliberate; it was the mere outburst
+of sudden passion, arising through my intercourse with the young
+woman. Otherwise it might never have occurred to him. So there was
+seemingly but one answer--Sanchez used this merely as an excuse for
+the concealment of his real object. What could that object be? Could
+it be Dorothy Fairfax? I was a long while in actually convincing
+myself of this probability, and yet no other satisfactory explanation
+offered itself. She had exhibited an interest in me from the very
+first, and he had endeavored to win her attention elsewhere. Even that
+day when we first came aboard in chains, he had plainly evinced this
+desire, and, since then, the girl had never appeared on deck, without
+his immediately seeking her company. I felt finally that I had the
+clue--jealousy, the mad, unreasoning jealousy of his race. He fiercely
+resented her slightest interest in anyone--even a prisoner--as against
+his own attractions. He was incapable of appreciating friendly
+sympathy, and already held me a dangerous rival. Then, possibly, it
+had not been a mere idle desire to visit the Colonies, which had
+originally led to his prompt acceptance of Roger Fairfax's invitation
+to make one of their party; the real attraction was the charms of
+Dorothy--her girlish beauty, coupled, no doubt, with her father's
+wealth. The fellow was in love, impetuously in love, resenting blindly
+the slightest advance of any other.
+
+The thought rather pleased me, largely because of its absurdity. It
+was, in my case at least, so utterly false, and unjustifiable. To the
+ordinary mind, indeed, any such connection would be practically
+unthinkable. Even had I been wild enough to dream of such a thing, the
+gulf existing between myself and Dorothy Fairfax was far too deep and
+wide ever to be spanned. I had before me twenty years of servitude,
+and an unknown future; nor could I even conceive the possibility of
+any such thought ever entering her mind. The very opposite was what
+gave her courage to serve me. I had no false conception as to this;
+no vagrant thought that her interest in me was any more than a
+passing fancy, born of sympathy, and a desire to aid. Nevertheless, as
+she had thus already served me, I now owed her service in return, and
+here was the first call. If conditions made it possible it was my
+plain duty to place myself between these two. I felt no hatred toward
+the man, no desire to do him a personal injury; but I did dislike and
+distrust him. This feeling was instinctive, and without the slightest
+reference to his seeking intimacy with the girl. From the first moment
+I had looked upon his face there had been antagonism between us, a
+feeling of enmity. Whether this arose from his appearance, or actions,
+I could not determine--but the fellow was not my kind.
+
+In the intensity of my feelings I must have unconsciously spoken
+aloud, for a shaggy head suddenly popped out from the berth beneath
+where I lay, and an interested voice asked solicitously:
+
+"Hy, thar; whut's up, mate? Sick agin?"
+
+"No," I answered, grinning rather guiltily, "just thinking, and
+letting loose a bit. Did I disturb you?"
+
+"Well, I reckon I wa'n't exactly asleep," he acknowledged, without
+withdrawing his head. "Ye wus mutterin' 'way thar an' not disturbin'
+me none, till ye got ter talkin' 'bout sum feller called Sanchez. Then
+I sorter got a bit interested. I know'd thet cuss onct," and he spat,
+as though to thus better express his feelings. "The damned ornary
+pirate."
+
+I laughed, my whole mental mood changed by this remark.
+
+"It is not very likely we have the same party in mind, Haley. You see
+Sanchez is a decidedly common name among Spaniards. I've known two or
+three of that name myself. You were not referring to anyone on board,
+were you?"
+
+"I sure hope not," he scratched his head, staring up at me through the
+dim light, wakefulness encouraging him to talk. "They tell me ye are a
+sea-farin' man. Well, I wus a Deal fisher, but hev made a half dozen
+deep-sea v'y'ges. Thet's how I hed the damn luck ter meet up with this
+Sanchez I was a speakin' 'bout. He's the only one ever I know'd. I met
+up with him off the isle o' Cuba. Likely 'nough ye know the devil I
+mean?"
+
+The question served to center my memory suddenly on a dim remembrance
+of the past.
+
+"No, unless you refer to 'Black Sanchez.' I 've heard of him; were you
+ever in his hands?"
+
+"Wus I!" he laughed grimly. "I hed eight months of it, mate, and a
+greater demon never sailed. The things I saw done ye 'd never believe
+no human bein' could do. If ever thar wus two people in one skin, sir,
+it's thet Black Sanchez. When he's playin' off fer good he's as soft
+an' sweet as a dandy in Picadilly, an' when he's real he's like a
+devil in hell."
+
+"Was you a prisoner--or did you sail under him?"
+
+"Both, fer the matter o' thet. He give me the choice ter serve, er
+walk the plank. I wus eighteen, an' hed an ol' mother at Deal."
+
+"I see; but later you got away?"
+
+"Ay, I did thet," chuckling over the recollection. "But I hed ter wait
+eight months fer the luck. Hev ye ever been sea-farin' down in them
+waters, off the West Indies?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Well, they're all studded over with little islands--cays, they call
+'em down thare; an' it's in among them thet the buccaneers hide away,
+an' sorter rest up after a cruise. Thar's a lot o' 'em too; whole
+villages hid away on some o' them cays, with women an' children--every
+color ye ever saw. Sanchez he made his headquarters on a cay called
+Porto Grande. He hed three ships, an' maybe a hundred an' fifty men
+'bout the time I got away. The last I saw o' him wus at sea. He'd
+overhauled an English ship, an' sunk her; an' then the next mornin' we
+took a Dutch bark in ballast. She wus such a trig sailor Sanchez
+decided to keep her afloat, an' sent a prize crew aboard ter sail her
+inter Porto Grande. I wus one o' the fellers picked fer thet job, an'
+we wus told off under a nigger mate, named LaGrasse--he wus a French
+nigger from Martinique, and a big devil--an' our orders wus ter meet
+Sanchez three days later. His vessel wus a three-masted schooner, the
+fastest thing ever I saw afloat, called the _Vengeance_, an' by that
+time she wus chock up with loot. Still at that she could sail 'bout
+three feet to our one. Afore night come we wus out o' sight astern.
+Thar wus eight o' us in the crew, beside the nigger, an' we had twelve
+Dutchmen under hatches below. I sorter looked 'round, an' sized up
+four o' that crew ter be good honest sailormen, who'd been shanghied
+same as I wus. So, long about midnight, I 'd got ter talk with all
+these fellers, an' when LaGrasse went down below ter take a snooze in
+the cabin, we hoisted them Dutchmen on deck, flung a couple o'
+hell-hounds overboard, an' just naturally took control. The mate wus
+a dead nigger afore he ever knew whut wus up. When daylight come we
+wus streakin' it eastward by compass, an' every damn sail set. Thet
+wus the easiest part of it. Them Dutchmen could n't talk nuthin' but
+their own lingo; an' thar wa'n't a navigator aboard, fer Sanchez hed
+kept all the offercers with him, an' the end wus about a week later,
+when we piled up against an island off the African coast, an' only one
+boat load of us got ashore. Thet's whut I know about Sanchez."
+
+"I had a shipmate once," I observed, interested in his story, "who
+claimed to have seen the fellow; he described him as being a very
+large man, with intensely black hawklike eyes, and a heavy black beard
+almost hiding his face."
+
+Haley laughed.
+
+"Maybe he looked like that when he saw him, but he ain't no bigger man
+than I am; he won't weigh as much by fifteen pound. Fact is he mighty
+seldom looks the same, fer thet's part o' his game. Them whiskers is
+false, an' so is the saller look to his face. I 've seen him in all
+sorts o' disguises. It's only his eyes he can't hide, an' thar's been
+times when I thought they wus the ugliest eyes ever I saw. He's sure
+an ornary devil, an' when he gits mad, I'd rather be afront of a
+tiger. Besides fightin's his trade, an' no weaklin' ain't goin' ter
+control the sort o' chaps he's got ter handle. Most of 'em would
+murder him in a minute if they dared. Oh, he's bad all right, but yer
+wouldn't exactly think so, just ter look at him, I've run up agin a
+lot o' different men in my time, thet I 'd naturally sheer off from a
+blame sight quicker than I would from him."
+
+"You mean that when he is not in disguise he does not appear
+dangerous. What then does he really look like?"
+
+Haley spat again onto the deck, and scratched his shock of hair as
+though thus to stimulate his memory.
+
+"Oh, a sorter swash-bucklin' Spanish don--the kind whut likes ter
+dress up, an' play the dandy. He's got a pink an' white complexion,
+the Castilian kind yer know, an' wears a little moustache, waxed up at
+the ends. He's about two inches taller than I am, with no extra flesh,
+but with a hell of a grip in his hands. As I said afore, if it wa'n't
+fer his eyes nobody'd ever look at him twice. All his devilishness
+shows thar, an' I've seen 'em laugh like he didn't have a care on
+earth."
+
+"How old a man is he?"
+
+"How old is the devil? I heard he wus about forty-five; I reckon he
+must be thet, but he don't look older than thirty. He ain't the kind
+yer can guess at."
+
+We talked together for quite a while longer, our conversation
+gradually drifting to the recounting of various sea adventures, and my
+thoughts did not again recur to Sanchez until after I rested back once
+more in my berth, endeavoring to fall asleep. Haley must have dropped
+off immediately, for I could distinguish his heavy breathing among the
+others; but my mind continued to wander, until it conjured up once
+again this West India pirate. His name, and the story of his exploits,
+had been familiar to me ever since I first went to sea. While only one
+among many operating in those haunted waters, his resourcefulness,
+daring and cruelty had won him an infamous reputation, a name of
+horror. In those days, when the curse of piracy made the sea a
+terror, no ordinary man could ever have succeeded in attaining such
+supremacy in crime. No doubt much that had been reported was either
+false, or exaggerated, yet there flashed across my memory numberless
+tales of rapine, outrage and cold-blooded cruelty in which this demon
+of the sea had figured, causing me to shudder at the recollection. To
+my mind he had long been a fiend incarnate, his name a horror on the
+lips. Black Sanchez--and Haley pictured him as a dandified, ordinary
+appearing individual, with white and red complexion, a small
+moustache, and flashing dark eyes--a mere Spanish gallant, without
+special distinction. Why, that description, strangely enough, fitted
+almost exactly this fellow on board, this other Sanchez. I leaned over
+the edge of my bunk, and looked down on Haley, half resolved to ask if
+he had ever noticed this lieutenant, but the man was already sound
+asleep. The suspicion which had crept into my mind was so absurd, so
+unspeakably silly and impossible, that I laughed at myself, and
+dismissed the crazy thought. What, that fellow Black Sanchez! Bah, no!
+He had been at sea, of course; there was no denying that fact, for he
+knew ships, and spoke the lingo of blue water; but the very idea that
+that blood-stained buccaneer, whose hated name was on the lips of
+every sea-faring man of Britain, would ever dare openly to visit
+England, and then sail under his own name on board an English vessel
+for Virginia, was too preposterous for consideration. Why, it would be
+sheer madness. The knowledge that such a possibility ever had flashed
+into my mind became amusing, and chuckling over it, I finally fell
+asleep.
+
+It was noon, the sky overcast, the wind blowing strong from the
+southeast, when the Virginia coast was first sighted from our
+mast-head. An hour later it became plainly visible from the deck
+below, and the prisoners were routed out from their quarters, and the
+shackles, removed from limbs when we first arrived on board, were
+again riveted in place, binding them together in fours, preparatory to
+landing. I, with one or two others, already disposed of, and in
+control of masters, were spared this indignity, and permitted to move
+about as we pleased within the narrow deck space reserved for our use.
+The last meal was served in the open, the men squatting on the deck
+planks, endeavoring to jest among themselves, and assuming a
+cheerfulness they were very far from feeling. The long hardships of
+the voyage had left indelible marks on the majority, and they were by
+now a woe-begone, miserable lot, who had largely abandoned themselves
+to despair.
+
+The Monmouth campaign had been brief, but no less disastrous to the
+men engaged in it. Those who survived the one battle, wounded and
+fugitive, had been hunted down remorselessly like so many wild beasts.
+Escape from the pursuit of soldiers was almost impossible, and they
+had been brutally beaten and bruised by infuriated captors; and then,
+uncared for, nor shown the slightest mercy, had been thrust into
+loathsome gaols to helplessly await trial, and a certain conviction.
+No pen could adequately describe the suffering and horror of those
+months of waiting, while the unfortunate victims lived in crowded,
+dirty cells, subjected to every conceivable indignity and insult from
+brutal guards, half starved, and breathing foul, fetid air--the breath
+of sickness, the stench of unclean wounds. Dragged forth at last, one
+by one, into a court organized for condemnation, presided over by a
+foul-mouthed brute, whose every word was insult, denied all
+opportunity for defense, they had later been shackled together as
+felons, and driven aboard ship like so many head of cattle. Herded
+below deck, tossed about for weeks on a stormy sea, uncared for, and
+half starved, scarcely realizing their destination, or knowing their
+fate, seeing their dead dragged out from their midst with each dawn,
+and flung carelessly overboard, cursed at and struck by their guards,
+they now dragged their aching bodies about in half dead despair, the
+chains clanking to every movement of the limbs, their dull, lackluster
+eyes scarcely discerning the darkening line of coast toward which the
+_Romping Betsy_ steered.
+
+With what depth of pity I looked at them, my glance gladly straying
+from their downcast faces toward the group of passengers gathered
+eagerly along the poop rail to welcome joyfully the approach of land.
+These were all animation, excitement, talking eagerly to each other,
+and pointing out familiar headlands as they emerged through the thin
+mists. Their thoughts were all centered on home, or the promises of
+this new land they were approaching, and so deeply interested that
+scarcely an eye turned toward those miserable wretches grouped on the
+forward deck, being borne into slavery and disgrace. It was a contrast
+between hope and despair. As these passengers moved restlessly back
+and forth, from rail to rail, I easily recognized among them every
+face grown familiar to me during the course of the voyage, excepting
+the two I most eagerly sought; and became convinced that neither Roger
+Fairfax nor his niece had yet come upon deck. Sanchez was there,
+however, standing alone and silent, seldom lifting his eyes to the
+changing view ahead, but apparently buried in his own thoughts. Once
+our glances accidentally met, and I could but observe the sudden
+change in the man's expression--a change sinister and full of threat.
+Whatever the original cause might be, his personal feeling toward me
+was undoubtedly bitter and unforgiving, and he possessed no wish to
+disguise it. The new life in the new world had already brought me both
+friend and enemy before I had as yet touched foot on land.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+THE WATERS OF THE CHESAPEAKE
+
+
+The brig, with all sails set, and favored by a strong wind, drew
+rapidly in toward the point of landing. The great majority of the
+prisoners remained on deck, chained together and helpless, yet
+surrounded by armed guards, while the few who had already been
+purchased by passengers, humbly followed their new masters ashore the
+moment the gang-plank touched the soil of Virginia. There were five of
+us altogether thus favored, but I was the only one owing allegiance to
+Roger Fairfax. The rude landing wharf along which we lay was already
+densely crowded with men, their appearance and dress largely
+proclaiming them to be planters from the interior, either gathered to
+inspect the consignment of prisoners, or eager to purchase at low
+prices the stores hidden away in the vessel's hold. Some among the
+concourse, however, were undoubtedly present to welcome friends and
+relatives among the passengers. Altogether it was a bustling scene,
+full of change and color, the air noisy with shouting voices, the line
+of wharves filled with a number of vessels, either newly arrived, or
+preparing to depart. Servants both white and colored were busily at
+work, under the command of overseers, loading and unloading cargoes,
+while the high bank beyond was crowded with vehicles of various kinds.
+News of the arrival of the _Romping Betsy_ had evidently spread
+widely, together with the rumor that she brought a number of prisoners
+to be auctioned off. It was a good-natured, restless crowd, especially
+anxious for any news from abroad, and eager to benefit from the sale.
+The majority of the men I judged to be landowners, hearty, wholesome
+looking fellows, whose lives were passed out-of-doors, dressed in
+their best in honor of the occasion. The prevailing fashion was a
+broad-leafed, felt hat with one side looped up to the crown by a
+brilliant metal button, a velvet coat with long, voluminous skirts,
+wide sleeves, metallic buttons as large as a Spanish dollar, short
+breeches, and long stockings with gold or silver knee and shoe
+buckles. Many wore swords, while those who did not bore about with
+them enormous gold or silver-headed canes. The smoking of pipes was
+common, and thoughtless profanity was to be heard on all sides as an
+ordinary part of speech. It was with no small difficulty we succeeded
+in forcing our way through this jostling throng until we attained to
+an open space ashore.
+
+I followed closely behind the three composing our party, Roger
+Fairfax, and Sanchez, with the laughing girl between them for
+protection, pressing a passage forward. Even had I not been laden with
+packages my general appearance and dress would doubtless have
+proclaimed my position, and aroused passing interest. I heard voices
+calling attention to me, while curious eyes stared into my face.
+Fairfax was evidently well known to a number present, for he was being
+greeted on all sides with hearty hand-shakes, and words of welcome.
+
+"Ah, back again, Roger; and what fortune in London?"  "A fair price
+for the crop?"
+
+"Is the lad trailing behind ye one o' Monmouth's men?"
+
+"Any news, friend, in Parliament? What is the latest on the tax?"
+
+"And pray who is this damsel, Roger; not Hugh Fairfax's girl? Ay,
+quite the woman now."
+
+"Your men? They're over there, across the road. Of course I know; did
+I not come from the dock with them?"
+
+There were two of them, both negroes, but one, addressed by Fairfax as
+Sam, was much the lighter in color, and far more intelligent of face.
+A few words of instruction dispatched these back to the _Romping
+Betsy_ for the luggage yet remaining on board, while our own party
+continued to advance along the water front toward where Sam had
+designated the Fairfax boat would be found awaiting us, fully prepared
+to depart up the Chesapeake. When finally attained this vessel proved
+to be a goodly sized sloop, of a type familiar to those waters,
+containing a comfortable small cabin forward, a staunch, broad-beamed
+craft, but with lines indicating sailing qualities, while requiring
+only a small crew. Several similar vessels--doubtless owned and
+operated by planters residing along the shore of the Bay--were
+anchored in the basin, or fastened at the dock, but the _Adele_ had
+been warped in against the bank, which at this point was high enough
+to enable us easily to step aboard over the low rail. A dingy looking
+white man, quite evidently from his appearance an indentured servant,
+was in charge, He greeted us rather surlily, staring at me with
+almost open hostility, yet responded swiftly enough to Fairfax's
+orders.
+
+"Here, Carr, stow these packages away. Yes, you better help with them,
+Carlyle. The other bags will be along directly--Sam and John have gone
+after them. Put these forward, under cover. Has everything been seen
+to, so we can start at once?"
+
+"Ay, ay, sorr," was the gruff response, in a strong Irish brogue.
+"Lord knows we've hid toime enough, fer we've bin waitin' here fer yer
+a wake, er more. It's a month since the lether came."
+
+"We have had a slow voyage, Carr. So all I ordered is aboard?"
+
+"She's full oop ter the hatches; bedad I hope thar ain't no more."
+
+"Good; we ought to get as far as Travers' by dark then. Hurry along,
+and stow that stuff away; here come the others now."
+
+The three found comfortable seats along the opposite rail, and sat
+there watching us hastily bring aboard the various articles which the
+two negroes, assisted by a boy and a cart, had transported from the
+brig. I worked along with the others, under the orders of Sam, who
+seemed to be in charge, already feeling somewhat deeply the
+humiliation of my position, but nevertheless realizing the necessity
+of prompt obedience. The knowledge that I was now a slave, on a level
+with these others, compelled to perform menial labor under the very
+eyes of Dorothy Fairfax and that sneering Spaniard, cut my pride to
+the quick. In my trips back and forth I kept my eyes averted, never
+once venturing to glance toward them, until this work had been
+accomplished. But when we stood idle, while Sam went aft for
+instructions, I had recovered sufficient nerve to turn my eyes in that
+direction, only to observe that the young woman sat with head turned
+away, gazing out over the rail at the shore, her chin cupped in her
+hands, her thoughts apparently far away. Strange as it may seem her
+obvious indifference hurt me oddly, my only comprehension being that
+she did not in the least care; that in fact she had already entirely
+dismissed me from her mind. This supposition, whether true or false,
+instantly hardened me to my fate, and I stared at Sanchez, meeting his
+eyes fairly, at once angered by the sneer on his lips and the open
+insult of his manner. He turned toward her, fingering a cheroot, and
+said something; but, though she answered, her head remained
+motionless, her eyes searching the shore indifferently. A figure or
+two appeared along the summit of the bank, voices calling to Fairfax,
+who stood up as he replied, ending the conversation with a wave of the
+hand to Sam, who had taken position at the wheel. The latter began
+shouting orders in a shrill voice. Carr cast off, and, with the negro
+and myself at the halliards, the mainsail rose to the caps, while we
+began gliding out from the shore into the deeper water. By the time we
+had hoisted the jib, and made all secure, we were out far enough to
+feel the full force of the stiff breeze, the _Adele_ careening until
+her rail was awash, the white canvas soaring above us against the
+misty blue of the sky.
+
+There was little to be done after the ropes had been coiled away, and
+we were fairly out into the broader reaches of the Bay. The wind held
+steady, requiring no shifting of canvas, so Sam, having dispatched the
+negro below to prepare lunch, and stationed Carr forward as lookout,
+called me aft to the wheel. He was a rather pleasant-faced fellow,
+yellow as saffron, with rings in his ears, and a wide mouth
+perpetually grinning.
+
+"Massa Fairfax he say you real sailorman," he began, looking me over
+carefully, with a nod of his head toward the group at the rail. "Dat
+so?"
+
+"Yes; I have been a number of years at sea."
+
+"Dat what he say; dat he done bought yer fer dat reason mostly. Ah
+reckon den ye kin steer dis boat?"
+
+"I certainly can."
+
+"So? Den Ah's sure goin' fer ter let yer try right now. Yer take hol',
+while Ah stand by a bit."
+
+I took his place, grasping the spokes firmly, and he stood aside,
+watching every movement closely, as I held the speeding sloop steadily
+up to the wind, the spray pouring in over the dipping rail forward.
+The grin on his lips broadened.
+
+"What is the course?" I asked curiously.
+
+"'Cross ter dat point yonder--see, whar de lone tree stan's; we done
+'round dat 'bout tree hunder' yards out, an' then go straight 'way
+north."
+
+"You use no chart?"
+
+He burst into a guffaw, as though the question was a rare joke.
+
+"No, sah; I nebber done saw one."
+
+"But surely you must steer by compass?"
+
+"Dar is a little one somewhar on board, and Ah done ain't seed it fer
+mor 'n a yare, Ah reckon. 'Tain't no use enyhow. Whut we steer by is
+landmarks. Ah sure does know de Chesapeake. Yer ever bin up de Bay?"
+
+"Yes, twice, but out in the deep water. I suppose you hug along the
+west shore. How is the sloop--pretty heavily loaded?"
+
+He nodded, still grinning cheerfully over the ease with which I
+manipulated the wheel.
+
+"Chuck full ter de water line; we've done been shovin' things inter
+dat hold fer a week past, but she's sure a good sailor. Whut wus it
+Massa Roger say yer name wus?"
+
+"Carlyle."
+
+"So he did; don't ever recollect hearin' dat name afore. Ye's one of
+dem rebels ober in England?"
+
+"I got mixed up in the affair."
+
+"An' whut dey done give yer?"
+
+"My sentence, you mean--twenty years."
+
+"Lordy! dat's sure tough. Well, I reckon yer done know yer job all
+right, so I'll just leave yer here awhile, an' go forrard an' git a
+snack. Ain't eat nuthin' fer quite a spell. Ah'll be back afore yer
+'round de point yonder."
+
+I was alone at the wheel, the sloop in my control, and somehow as I
+stood there, grasping those spokes, the swift boat leaping forward
+through the water, leaning recklessly over before the force of the
+wind, the numbing sense of helpless servitude left me in a new return
+of manhood and responsibility. It was a scene of exhilaration, the
+sun, still partially obscured by misty clouds already well down in the
+western sky, with the tossing waves of the Bay foam-crested. The
+distant headlands appeared spectral and gray through the vapor, while
+the waters beyond took on the tint of purple shadows. The _Adele_
+responded to the helm gallantly, the spreading canvas above standing
+out like a board, a broad wake of white foam spreading far astern. Not
+another sail appeared across that troubled surface of waters, not even
+a fisherman's boat, the only other vessel visible along our course
+being a dim outline close in against that far-away headland toward
+which I had been instructed to steer. I stared at this indistinct
+object, at first believing it a wreck, but finally distinguishing the
+bare masts of a medium-sized bark, evidently riding at anchor only a
+few hundred yards off shore.
+
+Satisfied as to this, my glance shifted to our own decks, feeling a
+seaman's admiration for the cleanliness of the little vessel, and the
+shipshape condition of everything aboard. The decks had more the
+appearance of a pleasure yacht, than that of a cargo carrier, although
+the broad beam, and commodious hatches bespoke ample storage room
+below. Apparently all this hold space had been reserved for the
+transportation of goods, the passenger quarters being forward, with
+the cook's galley at the foot of the mast. Where the crew slept I was
+unable to discern, but they were few in number, and as Sam had
+disappeared up a short ladder, and then across the roof of the cabin,
+it was highly probable there would be a compact forecastle nestled
+between the bows. The blacker negro was busily engaged in the galley,
+his figure occasionally visible at the open door, and a column of
+black smoke poured out through the tin funnel. The deck planks were
+scrubbed white, and the hand-rails had been polished until they
+shone.
+
+The three passengers still remained seated together, the men
+conversing, and occasionally pointing forth at some object across the
+water, but, while I watched the little group, the girl made no
+movement, nor attempt at speech. None of them even so much as glanced
+toward me, and I felt that, already, I had been dismissed from their
+thought, had been relegated to my proper position, had sunken to my
+future place as a mere servant. Finally Mistress Dorothy arose to her
+feet, and, with a brief word of explanation to her uncle, started
+forward in the direction of the cabin. A sudden leap of the boat
+caused her to clutch the rail, and instantly Sanchez was at her side,
+proffering assistance. They crossed the dancing deck together, his
+hand upon her arm, and paused for a moment at the door to exchange a
+few sentences. When the Spaniard came back he pointed out to Fairfax
+the position of the still distant bark, which however was by this time
+plainly revealed off our port quarter. The planter stood up in order
+to see better, and then the two crossed the deck to a position only a
+few yards from where I stood at the wheel, and remained there, staring
+out across the intervening water.
+
+"Surely a strange place in which to anchor, Lieutenant," said Fairfax
+at last, breaking the silence, his hand shading his eyes. "Bark
+rigged, and very heavily sparred. Seems to be all right. What do you
+make of the vessel?"
+
+The Spaniard twisted his moustache, but exhibited little interest,
+although his gaze was upon the craft.
+
+"Decidedly Dutch I should say," he answered slowly, "to judge from
+the shape of her lines, and the size of her spars. The beggars seem
+quite at home there, with all their washing out. Not a usual
+anchorage?"
+
+"No, nor a particularly safe one. There are some very heavy seas off
+that point at times, and there is no plantation near by. Travers'
+place is beyond the bend. We'll put up with him tonight; he owns that
+land yonder, but his wharf is several miles up the coast. Damn me,
+Sanchez, I believe I 'll hail the fellow, and find out what he is
+doing in there."
+
+Sanchez nodded, carelessly striking flint and steel in an effort to
+relight a cheroot, and Fairfax turned his head toward me.
+
+"Oh, is that you, Carlyle? Where is Sam?"
+
+"Gone forward, sir, half an hour ago. He decided I was safe."
+
+The planter laughed, with a side glance toward Sanchez, who gave no
+sign that he overhead.
+
+"No doubt he was right. Port your helm a little, and run down as close
+as seems safe to that fellow out yonder, until I hail him."
+
+"Very well, sir."
+
+We came about slowly, tossed a bit by the heavy swell, the ponderous
+boom swinging, and permitting the loosened canvas to flap against the
+ropes, until the sloop finally steadied onto the new tack. The
+distance to be covered was not great, and in less than ten minutes, we
+were drawing in toward the high stern of the anchored vessel. She was
+larger than I had thought, a lumping craft for those days, bark
+rigged, with lower spars the heaviest I had ever seen. No evidence of
+life appeared on board, although everything looked shipshape alow and
+aloft, and a rather extensive wash flapped in the wind forward,
+bespeaking a generous crew. There was no flag at the mizzen to signify
+nationality, yet there was a peculiar touch to the rig which confirmed
+in my mind the truth of Sanchez's guess that she was originally Dutch.
+A moment later this supposition was confirmed as my eyes made out the
+name painted across the stern--NAMUR OF ROTTERDAM.
+
+Fairfax leaned far out across the rail, as we swept in closer, his
+eyes searching the stranger's side for some evidence of human presence
+aboard, but the Spaniard exhibited no particular interest in the
+proceedings, standing motionless, the smoke of the cheroot blown idly
+from his mouth, The fellow's face was turned from me, yet I could not
+help note the insolence of his attitude, in spite of my occupation at
+the wheel. A hundred feet distant, I held the dancing sloop to mere
+steerage-way, while Fairfax hailed in a voice which went roaring
+across the water like a gun.
+
+"Ahoy, the bark!"
+
+A red-faced man with a black beard thrust his head up above the after
+rail, and answered, using English, yet with a faint accent which was
+not Dutch. What he looked like below the shoulders could not be
+discerned.
+
+"Veil, vat's vanted? Vos anyding wrong?"
+
+"No, not aboard here," returned Fairfax, a bit puzzled at the reply,
+"We ran down to see if you were in any trouble. This is a strange
+place to anchor. What are you--Dutch?"
+
+The fellow waved his hands in a gesture indicating disgust.  "Dat's
+eet. Ve're out ov Rotterdam--you see ze name ov ze sheep. But ve not
+sail frum thar dis time--no. Ve cum here from ze Barbadoes," he
+explained brokenly "wiz cane-sugar, an' hides. Ve vait here for our
+agent."
+
+"But why anchor in a place like this? Why not go on up to the wharfs?"
+
+"Vye not? For ziz--I no trust my crew ashore. Zay Vest Indy niggers,
+an' vud run avay ven ze chance cum. I know vat zay do."
+
+In spite of my efforts the two vessels were drifting rapidly apart,
+and this last explanation came to us over the water in a faint thread
+of sound barely discernible. I asked if I should tack back, but
+Fairfax shook his head, and in a moment more we were beyond reach of
+the voice. Dorothy appeared at the door of the cabin and stood there,
+gazing in surprise at the bark, while the moment he caught sight of
+her Sanchez went hastily forward, removing his hat with so peculiar a
+flourish as he approached as to cause me to notice the gesture.
+Fairfax remained beside the rail, staring out across the widening
+water, clearly dissatisfied, but finally waved his hand in a command
+to me to resume our course. Shortly after he crossed the deck to the
+wheel, and stood there beside me, still watchful of the dwindling
+vessel already far astern.
+
+"What do you make of her, Carlyle?" he asked finally, turning slightly
+to glance at my face. "I believe that fellow lied."
+
+"So do I, sir," I answered promptly. "Whatever else he may be, he's
+no peaceful Dutch trader. The bark is Dutch built all right, and no
+doubt once sailed out of Rotterdam; but that fellow got his accent
+from South Europe."
+
+"Damn me, that's just what I thought."
+
+"Nor is that all, sir. If he was loaded with cane-sugar and hides for
+market, he wouldn't be nearly so high out of water. That bark was in
+ballast, or I miss my guess. Besides, if he was a trader, where was
+his crew? There wasn't a single head popped over the rail while we
+were alongside; and that isn't natural. Even a West India nigger has
+curiosity. I tell you the men on board that hooker had orders to keep
+down."
+
+Fairfax stroked his chin, his eyes shifting from the distant vessel to
+Dorothy and Sanchez who were now making their way slowly aft, the
+latter grasping the girl's arm, and smirking as he talked rapidly.
+
+"By God! but I believe you are right," he admitted frankly, "although
+it had not occurred to me before. There is something wrong there. I'll
+tell Travers, and have him send a runner overland to give warning
+below."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+FAIRFAX SPEAKS WITH ME
+
+
+Sanchez drew a chair into the slight shade cast by the mainsail, and
+induced his reluctant companion to sit down. He remained bending over
+her, with his back turned toward us chattering away, although she only
+answered in monosyllables, seldom glancing up into his face. With
+hands gripping the spokes of the wheel, and my attention concentrated
+on the course ahead, I could yet notice how closely Fairfax was
+observing the two, with no pleasant expression in his eyes, and,
+forgetful that I was merely a servant, I ventured a question.
+
+"You have known Senor Sanchez for some time, sir?"
+
+He started in surprise, yet answered as though the unexpected query
+had been merely an echo of his own thoughts.
+
+"No," he admitted frankly. "Indeed I hardly know how it happened that
+I invited him to join our party. It seemed natural enough then, but
+lately I confess to having taken a dislike to the fellow, and have
+begun to imagine that he even pushed his way on me. But," he stopped,
+suddenly realizing what he was saying, "why do you ask?"
+
+I was not wholly prepared to say, yet as instantly comprehended the
+prompt necessity of advancing some reasonable explanation. There came
+to me swiftly, from the sharpness of his question, the paralyzing
+knowledge that I was a servant addressing my master.
+
+"Of course it is no business of mine," I confessed, rather lamely,
+"who your guests are. I'm sorry I spoke."
+
+"It is altogether too late to say that," he insisted. "Some thought
+prompted the inquiry. Go on. See here, Carlyle, you are no nigger or
+white thief. I know the difference, and recognize that you are
+gentleman born. Because I've bought your services for a term of years,
+is no reason why you cannot talk to me like a man. Do you know
+anything about this Spaniard?"
+
+"Not very much, sir. He has seen fit to threaten me, on account of
+some row he has had with a brother of mine in England."
+
+"In England! The Duke of Bucclough?"
+
+"Yes. I haven't the slightest knowledge of what it was all about, but
+evidently our Spanish friend got the worst of it. He planned to buy me
+in at the sale; but, fortunately for me, you gained possession ahead
+of him."
+
+"Do you mean to say that he told you all this?"
+
+"It came out in a moment of anger."
+
+Fairfax looked at me incredulously.
+
+"See here, Carlyle," he exclaimed bluntly, "I am not questioning your
+word, but it is a bit difficult for me to understand why a guest of
+mine should indulge in angry controversy with a government prisoner,
+sent overseas for sale as an indentured servant. There must have been
+some unusual cause. Haven't I a right to know what that cause was,
+without using my authority to compel an answer?"
+
+I hesitated, but only for a moment. He undoubtedly was entitled to
+know, and besides there was nothing involved I needed to conceal.
+
+"It is my impression, sir, that Mistress Dorothy was the unconscious
+cause. She chanced to discover me alone on deck the night before we
+landed, and hastened to tell me of your purchase. It was merely an act
+of kindness, as we had never spoken together before. We were still
+talking across the rope, when Sanchez came out of the cabin, and
+joined us. I imagine he may not have liked the interest both you and
+the young lady had shown in me since we came aboard. Anyway when he
+found us there, he was not in good humor. Mistress Dorothy resented
+his language, treated him coldly, and finally departed, leaving him
+decidedly angry. He merely vented his spite on me."
+
+"But he said nothing about himself--his motives?"
+
+"Not a word, sir; yet it is plain to be seen that he is deeply
+interested in your niece."
+
+Fairfax frowned, ignoring the remark.
+
+"But do you know the man--who he is?"
+
+I shook my head, the memory of Haley flashing into my mind, but as
+instantly dismissed as worthless. Fairfax would only laugh at such a
+vague suspicion. Yet why should the planter ask me such a question?
+Could it be that the Spaniard was equally unknown to himself?
+
+"But if he has quarreled with your brother," he insisted, unsatisfied
+"you perhaps know something?"
+
+"I have not seen my brother in years. I doubt if I would know him if
+we met face to face. As to this man, my knowledge of him is only what
+little I have seen and heard on board the _Romping Betsy_," I answered
+soberly. "I confess a prejudice; that I am unable to judge him
+fairly. In the first place I do not like his race, nor his kind; but I
+did suppose, of course, that, as he was your guest, you considered him
+a man worthy your hospitality."
+
+Fairfax's face reddened, and he must have felt the sting of these
+words, uttered as they were by the lips of his bondman. I thought he
+would turn abruptly away, leaving them unanswered, but he was too much
+of a gentleman.
+
+"Carlyle," he said brusquely, "you have touched the exact point--I do
+not know. I thought I did, of course, but what has occurred on the
+voyage over has led me to doubt. I met Sanchez at the Colonial Club in
+London. He was introduced to me by Lord Sandhurst as a wealthy young
+Spaniard, traveling for pleasure. It was understood that he brought
+letters of introduction to a number of high personages. He knew London
+well, enjoyed a wide circle of acquaintances, and we became rather
+intimate. I found him companionable and deeply interested in America,
+which he said he had never visited. Finally I invited him to accompany
+me as a guest on my return."
+
+"He accepted?"
+
+"No, not at once; he doubted if he could break off certain business
+engagements in England. Then, at a reception, he chanced to meet my
+niece, and, a little later, decided to undertake the voyage. I am
+inclined to believe she was the determining factor."
+
+"Very likely," I admitted, deciding now to learn all possible details.
+"However, that is not to be wondered at. Mistress Dorothy is an
+exceedingly attractive young woman."
+
+The look he gave me was far from pleasant.
+
+"But she is not a girl for any swash-buckling Spaniard to carry off as
+prize," he burst out hotly. "God's mercy! Her father would never
+forgive me if that happened."
+
+"Never fear," I said dryly, "it is not going to happen."
+
+"Why do you say that?"
+
+"Because I have seen them together, and am not entirely blind, Watch
+them now--she scarcely responds to his words."
+
+His eyes rested for a moment on the two, but he only shook his head
+moodily.
+
+"No one knows what is in the heart of a woman, Carlyle. Sanchez is
+fairly young, handsome in a way, and adventurous. Just the sort to
+attract a young girl, and he possesses an easy tongue. More than that,
+I have lost faith in him. He is not a gentleman."
+
+"You surely must have reason for those words, sir," I exclaimed in
+surprise. "He has revealed to you his true nature during the voyage?"
+
+"Unconsciously--yes. We have had no exchange of words, no controversy.
+He is even unaware that I have observed these things. Some were of
+very small moment, perhaps unworthy of being repeated, although they
+served to increase my doubt as to the man's character. But two
+instances remain indelibly stamped on my mind. The first occurred when
+we were only three days at sea. It was at night, and the two of us
+chanced to be alone, on deck. I was reclining in the shadow of the
+flag locker, in no mood for conversation, and he was unaware of my
+presence as he tramped nervously back and forth. Suddenly he stopped,
+and reached over into the quarter-boat, and when he stood up again he
+had the Captain's pet cat in his hands. Before I dreamed of such a
+thing he had hurled that helpless creature into the water astern."
+
+"Good God! an act of wanton cruelty."
+
+"The deliberate deed of a fiend; of one who seeks pleasure in
+suffering."
+
+"And the other incident? Was that of the same nature?"
+
+"It was not an incident, but a revelation. The fellow is not only,
+beneath his pretense of gentleness, a fiend at heart, but he is also a
+consummate liar. He led me to believe in London--indeed he told me so
+directly--that he was totally unacquainted with America. It is not
+true. He knows this entire coast even better than I do. He forgot
+himself twice in conversation with me, and he was incautious enough to
+speak freely with Captain Harnes. The Captain told me later."
+
+"This begins to sound serious, sir," I said, as he ceased speaking.
+"Do you suspect him of any particular purpose in this deceit?"
+
+"Not at present; I can only wait, and learn. As a Spanish naval
+officer he may have obtained some knowledge of this coast--but why he
+should have deliberately denied the possession of such information is
+unexplainable at present. I shall watch him closely, and have told you
+these facts merely to put you on guard. I know you to be a gentleman,
+Carlyle, even though you are temporarily a servant, and I feel
+convinced I can trust in your discretion."
+
+"You certainly can, sir. I appreciate your confidence in me."  "Then
+keep your eyes and ears open; that's all. Dorothy is calling, and
+yonder comes Sam."
+
+We had yet a full hour of daylight, during which little occurred of
+special interest. Sam took the wheel, while I ate supper, sitting with
+Carr on the deck behind the galley. Fairfax and his guests, were
+served at a table within the small cabin, and we had a glimpse of
+them, and their surroundings, the table prettily decorated with snowy
+linen, and burnished silver, while John, in a white jacket, waited
+upon them obsequiously, lingering behind his master's chair. The
+Lieutenant seemed in excellent humor, laughing often, and talking
+incessantly, although it occurred to me the man received scant
+encouragement from the others. After taking back to the galley my
+emptied pewter dish, and not being recalled aft to the wheel, I was
+glad to hang idly over the rail, watching the shore line slip past,
+and permit my thoughts to drift back to my conversation with Fairfax.
+Carr soon joined me, rather anxious to continue our talk, and ask
+questions, but not finding me particularly responsive, finally
+departed forward, leaving me alone.
+
+The sun by this time was rapidly sinking below the fringe of tall
+trees on the main-land, but the fresh breeze held favorably, and the
+little _Adele_ was making most excellent progress, the water being
+much smoother since we had rounded the point. We were already beyond
+view of the anchored bark. All about was a scene of loneliness,
+whether the searching eyes sought the near-by shore, apparently a
+stretch of uninhabited wilderness, densely forested, or the broad
+extent of the Bay, across which no white gleam of sail was visible.
+All alike was deserted, and becoming gloomy in the closing down of
+night. Dorothy remained hidden in the cabin, until about the time of
+our approach to the rude landing at Travers' plantation. Whether this
+isolation arose from an effort to make herself more presentable, or a
+desire to avoid further contact with the Spaniard, was a question.
+When she finally emerged at Roger Fairfax's call, and crossed the deck
+to where the men were, there was no alteration in her dress, but by
+that time I was busily engaged with Carr in reefing the mainsail, and
+she passed me by without so much as a glance of recognition. Meanwhile
+Fairfax and Sanchez paced restlessly back and forth, conversing
+earnestly as they smoked, only occasionally pausing to contemplate the
+shore past which we were gliding in silence, the only sound the ripple
+of water at our stem.
+
+Where I leaned alone against the rail, my eyes followed the Spaniard
+in doubt and questioning, nor could I entirely banish from mind
+Haley's description of that buccaneer, bearing a similar name, under
+whom he had been compelled to serve through scenes of crime. Yet, in
+spite of my unconscious desire to connect these two together, I found
+it simply impossible to associate this rather soft-spoken, effeminate
+dandy with that bloody villain, many of whose deeds were so familiar
+to me. The distinction was too apparent. Beyond all doubt this fellow
+concealed beneath his smiles a nature entirely different from the one
+he now so carefully exhibited. He could hate fiercely, and nourish
+revenge, and he was capable of mean, cowardly cruelty. His threat
+toward me, as well as that strange incident Fairfax had observed on
+the deck of the _Romping Betsy_, evidenced all this clearly, yet such
+things rather proved the man a revengeful coward instead of a
+desperate adventurer. Black Sanchez, according to all accounts, was a
+devil incarnate, and no such popinjay as this maker of love, could
+ever be changed into a terror of the sea. He was not of that stern
+stuff. That it was perfectly easy for him to lie--even natural--was no
+surprise to me. This seemed to accord with his other characteristics;
+nor was it altogether strange that he should be fairly familiar with
+these waters. If, as he claimed, he had once been connected with the
+Spanish navy, which quite likely was true, even if he had never
+visited this coast in person, he might have had access to their charts
+and maps. It was well known that early Spanish navigators had explored
+every inch of this coast line, and that their tracings, hastily as
+they had been made, were the most correct in existence. His memory of
+these might yet retain sufficient details through which he could
+pretend to a knowledge much greater than he really possessed.
+
+No, I would dismiss that thought permanently from my mind, as being
+quite impossible. I felt that I had learned to judge men; that my long
+years at sea, both before the mast, and in supreme command, had
+developed this faculty so as to be depended upon. I believed that I
+knew the class to which Lieutenant Sanchez belonged--he was a low-born
+coward, dangerous only through treachery, wearing a mask of bravado,
+capable enough of any crime or cruelty, but devoid of boldness in plan
+or execution; a fellow I would kick with pleasure, but against whom I
+should never expect to be obliged to draw a sword. He was a snake,
+who could never be made into a lion--a character to despise, not fear.
+And so I dismissed him, feeling no longer any serious sense of danger
+in his presence, yet fully determined to watch closely his future
+movements in accordance with my promise.
+
+It was already quite dusk when we finally drew in beside Travers'
+wharf, and made fast. Our approach had been noted, and Travers
+himself--a white-haired, white-bearded man, yet still hearty and
+vigorous, attired in white duck--was on the end of the dock to greet
+us, together with numerous servants of every shade of color, who
+immediately busied themselves toting luggage up the steep path leading
+toward the house, dimly visible in the distance, standing conspicuous
+amid a grove of trees on the summit, of the bank. The others followed,
+four fellows lugging with difficulty an iron-bound chest, the two
+older men engaged in earnest conversation, thus leaving Sanchez
+apparently well satisfied with the opportunity alone to assist the
+girl. Except to render the sloop completely secure for the night,
+there remained little work for us to perform on board. Sam found an
+ample supply of tobacco and pipes, and the four of us passed the early
+evening undisturbed smoking and talking together. The fellows were not
+uninteresting as I came to know them better, and Carr, who I learned
+had been transported three years before for robbery, having at one
+time been a soldier, was prolific of reminiscences, which he related
+with true Irish wit. Sam contented himself with asking me numerous
+questions relative to the Duke of Monmouth, whose effort to attain the
+throne interested him greatly, and I very gladly gave him all the
+information I possessed. So the time passed quickly, and it must have
+been nearly midnight before we brought out blankets from the
+forecastle, and lay down in any spot we chose on deck.
+
+It was a fair, calm night, but moonless, with but little wind
+stirring, and a slight haze in the air, obscuring the vision. The
+windows of the great house above, which earlier in the evening had
+blazed with lights, were now darkened, and the distant sounds of
+voices and laughter had entirely ceased. The only noise discernible as
+I lay quiet was the soft lapping of waves against the side of the
+sloop or about the piling supporting the wharf to which we were
+moored. The others must have fallen asleep immediately, but my own
+mind remained far too active to enable me to lose consciousness. At
+last, despairing of slumber, and perchance urged by some indistinct
+premonition of danger, I sat up once more and gazed about. The three
+men were lying not far apart, close in to the galley wall, merely
+dark, shapeless shadows, barely to be distinguished in the gloom. With
+no longer any fear of disturbing them, I arose to my feet, and
+stepping carefully past their recumbent forms, moved silently aft
+toward the more open space near the wheel. I had been standing there
+hardly a minute, staring blankly out into the misty dimness of the
+Bay, when my startled eyes caught glimpse of a speck of white emerging
+from the black shadows--the spectral glimmer of a small sail. I was
+scarcely convinced I had seen it, yet as swiftly crouched lower,
+hiding myself behind the protection of the rail, instantly alert to
+learn the meaning of this strange apparition. An instant told me this
+was no deceit. The strange craft swept past, so far out that those on
+board no doubt believed themselves beyond sight from the shore,
+heading apparently for a point of land, which I vaguely remembered as
+jutting out to the northward. Even my eyes, accustomed to the
+darkness, and strained to the utmost, could detect scarcely more than
+the faintest shadow gliding silently by, yet sufficient to recognize
+the outlines of a small keel boat, propelled by a single lug sail, and
+even imagined I could discern the stooped figure of a man at the helm.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+THE LIEUTENANT UNMASKED
+
+
+I had in truth hardly more than grasped the reality of the boat's
+presence--it seemed so spectral a thing amid the mists of the
+night--when it had vanished utterly once more behind the curtain of
+darkness. There was no sound to convince me my eyes had not deceived;
+that I had actually perceived a boat, flying before the wind, under
+complete control, and headed to the northward. No echo of a voice came
+across the water, no slight flap of sail, no distant creak of pulley,
+or groaning of rope--merely that fleeting vision, seemingly a phantom
+of imagination, a vision born from sea and cloud. Yet I knew I was not
+deceived. Where the craft could be bound; for what secret purpose it
+was afloat; who were aboard, were but so many unanswerable questions
+arising in my mind. I stared vainly into the darkness, puzzled and
+uncertain, impressed alone by the one controlling thought, that some
+mysterious object, some hidden purpose alone could account for that
+swift, silent passage. Where could they have come from, unless from
+that strange Dutch bark riding at anchor off the point below? The
+passing craft had impressed me as a ship's boat, and no craft of
+fishermen; and if it really came from the _Namur of Rotterdam_, had it
+been sent in answer to some signal by Sanchez? I could think of
+nothing else. They must have chosen this late hour purposely; they
+had doubtless endeavored to slip past us unobserved, seeking some more
+desolate spot on the coast where they might land unseen. Possibly,
+deceived by the night, the helmsman had approached closer to the wharf
+than he had intended; yet, nevertheless, if he held to his present
+course, he must surely touch shore not more than five hundred yards
+distant. In all probability that was his purpose.
+
+I stood up, tempted at first to arouse Sam, but deciding almost as
+quickly that at present this was unnecessary. I had no wish to be the
+occasion for laughter; it would be better first to ascertain who these
+parties were, rather than create an unwarranted alarm. The reasonable
+probability was they composed merely a party of innocent fishermen,
+returning home after a day of sport--plantation servants possibly, who
+having stolen away unobserved, were now endeavoring to beach their
+stolen boat, and reach quarters without being seen. This theory
+appeared far more reasonable than the other, and, if it proved true,
+to arouse the sleepers on deck, would only result in making me a butt
+for ridicule. It appeared safe enough for me to adventure alone, and I
+was at least determined to assure myself as to the identity of these
+strangers. If they had actually landed it would require only a few
+moments to ascertain the truth, and I could accomplish this fully as
+well by myself, as though accompanied by others--indeed with less
+danger of discovery. I quietly lowered my body over the rail, and
+found footing on the wharf.
+
+My knowledge of the path to be pursued was extremely vague, for our
+arrival had been in the dusk of the evening, so that any observation
+of the shore lines had been quite casual. I merely remembered that the
+bluff rose rather steeply from the water's edge, the path leading
+upward toward the house crowning the summit, turning and twisting in
+order to render the climb easier, and finally vanishing entirely as it
+approached the crest. Beside this, leading downward straight to the
+shore end of the wharf, was the broad slide, along which the bales and
+hogsheads of tobacco were sent hurtling on their way to market. My
+impression remained that the strip of beach was decidedly narrow, and
+generally bordered by a rather thick growth of dwarfed shrub. The
+point of land beyond clung dimly in my memory as sparsely wooded,
+tapering at its outer extremity into a sand bar against which the
+restless waves of the Bay broke in lines of foam. The only feasible
+method of approach to the spot I now sought would be by following this
+narrow strip of beach, yet this might be attempted safely, as my
+movements would be concealed by the darker background of the high
+bluff at the left.
+
+In spite of the unfamiliarity of this passage, I succeeded in making
+excellent progress, advancing silently along the soft sand, assured I
+was safe from observation by reason of the intense darkness. The waves
+lapping the beach helped muffle my footsteps, but no other sound
+reached my ears, nor could my eyes perceive the slightest movement
+along the water surface within reach of vision. The distance proved
+somewhat greater than anticipated, because of the deep curve in the
+shore, and I had nearly reached the conclusion that the boat must have
+rounded the point and gone on, when suddenly I was brought to a halt
+by a voice speaking in Spanish--one of those harsh, croaking voices,
+never to be reduced to a whisper. Imperfect as was my knowledge of the
+tongue, I yet managed a fair understanding of what was being said.
+
+"Not the spot, Manuel? Of course it is; do you not suppose I know? The
+cursed fog made me run in close ashore to where I could see the sloop,
+so as not to mistake. This is the place, and now there is nothing to
+do but wait. The Senor--he will be here presently."
+
+"Ay, unless you misread the signal," a somewhat more discreet, but
+piping voice replied doubtfully. "I saw nothing of all you tell
+about."
+
+"Because you knew no meaning, nor read the instructions," a touch of
+anger in the tone. "I tell you it was all written out in that letter
+brought to me from England on the _Wasp_. They were his last orders,
+and it was because of them that we anchored off the point yonder, and
+explored this coast. You saw the Senor touch the handkerchief to his
+cheek?"
+
+"As he went forward alone--yes, surely."
+
+"It was that motion which bade us come here, Manuel. Once for each
+cursed plantation along this west coast from the point. He touched the
+cloth to his cheek but the once, and this is the first. I watched for
+the sign with care for he is not one with whom to make a mistake."
+
+"Dios de Dios! Do I not know, Estada? Have I not a scar here which
+tells?"
+
+"True, enough; and have I not received also my lesson--eight hours
+staked face upward in the sun. So 'tis my very life wagered on this
+being the place named. Besides 'tis proven by the sloop lying there
+by the wharf."
+
+"Where then is the Captain?" perversely unsatisfied.
+
+"At the house yonder on the hill--where else? He knew how it would be,
+for this is not his first visit to the Bay. 'Twas because of his
+knowledge he could plan in England. Tis the custom of these planters
+to stop by night along the way, and go ashore; not to camp, but as
+guests of some friend. Only beforehand it was not possible for him to
+know which plantation would be the one chosen. That was what he must
+signal. You see it now?"
+
+"Clearly, Estada; he is the same wary fox as of old."
+
+"Never do they catch him napping," proudly. "Santa Maria! have I not
+seen it tried often in ten years?"
+
+"About his plan here? He wrote you his purpose?"
+
+"Not so much as a word; merely the order what to do. Dios! he tells
+nothing, for he trusts no man. A good thing that. Yet I have my own
+thought, Manuel."
+
+"And what is that?"
+
+The other hesitated, as though endeavoring to rearrange the idea in
+his own mind, and possibly doubtful of how much to confide to his
+companion. When he finally replied his words came forth so swiftly I
+could scarcely grasp their meaning with my slight knowledge of the
+tongue.
+
+"'Tis no more than that I make a guess, friend, yet I have been with
+the Captain for ten years now, and know his way. This planter Fairfax
+is rich. The letter says nothing of that--no, not a word; but I made
+inquiries ashore. There is no one more wealthy in these Colonies, and
+he returns now from London, after the sale of his tobacco crop. No
+doubt he sold for his neighbors also. 'Tis the way they do, form a
+combine, and send an agent to England to get the best price. He will
+surely bear back with him a great sum. This the Senor knows; nor is it
+the first time he has done the trick, Manuel. Santa Maria! 'tis the
+easiest one of all. Then there is the girl."
+
+"The one who was aboard the sloop?"
+
+"Of course. I knew nothing of her, but I have keen eyes, and I have
+been long with the Senor. Marked you not how he approached her? No sea
+rover ever had greater desire for women, or won them easier. 'Tis a
+bright eye and red lip that wins him from all else. Even to me this
+one looked a rare beauty; yet am I sorry he found her, for it may
+delay the task here."
+
+"Why must you fear that?"
+
+"Bah! but you are stupid. Who will take by force what may be won by a
+few soft words?" He paused suddenly, evidently struck by a new
+thought. "Yet I think, Manuel, the Captain may have failed in this
+case. I watched their greeting, and her's was not that of love. If
+this be true, we strike at once, while it is safe."
+
+"Here, you mean--tonight?"
+
+"And why not here, and tonight? Is there a better spot or time? With
+another night the sloop will be far up the Bay, while now from where
+we are anchored, we could be beyond the Capes by daybreak, with the
+broad ocean before us. We are five--six with the Senor--and our ship
+lies but a short league away, ready for sea. There are only four men
+on the sloop, with some servants above--spiritless fellows. Why else
+should he have signaled our coming, unless there was work to do? That
+will be the plan, to my notion--the money and the girl in one swoop;
+then a quick sail to the southward. Pist! 'tis boys' play."
+
+The other seemed to lick his lips, as though the picture thus drawn
+greatly pleased him.
+
+"Gracioso Dios! I hope 'tis so. It has been dull enough here this
+month past. I am for blue water, and an English ship to sack."
+
+"Or, better yet, a week at Porto Grande--hey, Manuel? The girls are
+not so bad, with clink of gold in the pocket after a cruise. Wait,
+though--there is someone coming down."
+
+I crouched backward into the bushes, and, a moment later, the newcomer
+moved past me scarcely a yard distant, along the narrow strip of sand.
+He appeared no more than a black shadow, wrapped in a loose cloak,
+thus rendered so shapeless as to be scarcely recognizable. Directly
+opposite my covert he paused peering forward in uncertainty.
+
+"Estada." He spoke the name cautiously, and in doubt.
+
+"Ay, Captain," and another figure, also shapeless, and ill-defined,
+emerged noiselessly from the gloom. "We await you."
+
+"Good," the tone one of relief. "I rather questioned if you caught my
+signal. I was watched, and obliged to exercise care. How many have you
+here?"
+
+"Four, Senor, with Manuel Estevan."
+
+"Quite sufficient; and how about the others?"
+
+"All safely aboard, Senor; asleep in their bunks by now, but ready.
+Francois LeVere has charge of the deck watch."
+
+"Ah! how happens it the quadroon is with you? A good choice, yet that
+must mean the _Vengeance_ is still at Porto Grande. For what reason?"
+
+"Because of greater injuries than we supposed, Captain. There were two
+shots in her below the water line, and to get at them we were obliged
+to beach her. LeVere came with us, expecting this job would be done
+before now, for by this time the schooner should be in water again,
+her sides scraped clean of barnacles, fit for any cruise. We have been
+waiting for you along this coast for several weeks."
+
+"Yes, I know. The boat we intended to take met with an accident, while
+the one we did take proved the slowest tub that ever sailed. How is it
+here? Are there suspicions?"
+
+"None, Senor. We have cruised outside most of the time. Only once were
+we hailed; while Manuel, with a boat crew, was ashore for nearly a
+week, picking up such news as he might. There is no warship in these
+waters."
+
+"So I discovered on landing; indeed I was told as much in England.
+However your disguise is perfect."
+
+Estada laughed.
+
+"There is no mistaking where the _Namur_ came from, Senor; she's
+Holland from keel to topmast, but the best sailing Dutchman I ever
+saw. You said you were being watched on the sloop. Are you known?"
+
+The other uttered an oath snarling through his teeth.
+
+"'Tis nothing," he explained contemptuously. "No more than the bite of
+a harmless snake in the grass. A dog of a servant who came over with
+us--one of Monmouth's brood. He has no knowledge of who I am, nor
+suspicion of my purpose. It is not that, yet the fellow watches me
+like a hawk. We had some words aboard and there is hate between us"
+
+"If he was indentured, how came he on the sloop?"
+
+"Fairfax bought him. The fellow won the interest of the girl coming
+over, and she interceded in his behalf. It was my plan to get him into
+my own hands. I'd have taught him a lesson, but the papers were signed
+before we landed. Yet the lad is not through with me; I do not let go
+in a hurry."
+
+"May I ask you your plans, Senor?"
+
+"Yes, I am here to explain. Are we out of ear-shot?"
+
+"None can hear us. Manuel has gone back to the boat."
+
+"Then listen. This planter, Fairfax, has returned from England with a
+large sum. It is in gold and notes. I have been unable to learn the
+exact amount, but it represents the proceeds in cash of the tobacco
+crop of himself, and a number of his neighbors. They pooled, and made
+him their agent. Without doubt, from all I could ascertain, it will be
+upward of fifty thousand pounds--not a bad bit of pocket money. This
+still remains in his possession, but a part will be dispersed
+tomorrow; so if we hope to gain the whole, we must do so now."
+
+"Fifty thousand pounds, you say? Gracioso Dios! a sum worth fighting
+for."
+
+"Ay; we've done some hard fighting for less. It is here under our very
+hands, and there could be no better place than this in which to take
+it. Everything is ready, and there is not the slightest suspicion of
+danger--not even a guard set over the treasure. I assured myself of
+this before coming down."
+
+"Then it is at the house?"
+
+"In an iron-bound chest, carried up from the sloop, and placed in the
+room assigned to Fairfax for the night. He considers it perfectly safe
+under his bed. But before we attempt reaching this, we must attend to
+those men left below on the boat. They are the only dangerous ones,
+for there are none of the fighting sort up above. Only two servants
+sleep in the main house, the cook, and a maid, both women. The others
+are in the slave quarters, a half mile away. Fairfax is vigorous, and
+will put up a fight, if he has any chance. He must be taken care of,
+before he does have any. Travers is an old man, to be knocked out with
+a blow. All we have to fear are those fellows on the sloop, and they
+will have to be attended to quietly, without any alarm reaching the
+house. I am going to leave that job to you--it's not your first."
+
+"The old sea orders, Captain?"
+
+"Ay, that will be quicker, and surer," The voice hardened in gust of
+sudden ferocity. "But, mark you, with one exception--the Englishman is
+not to be killed, if he can be taken alive. I would deal with him."
+
+"How are we to recognize him from the others?"
+
+"Pish! a blind man would know--he is the only one of that blood on
+board, taller, and heavier of build, with blond hair. A mistake, and
+you pay for it. Besides him there are two negroes, and an Irish fool.
+It matters not what happens to them; a knife to the heart is the more
+silent; but I would have this Geoffry Carlyle left alive to face me.
+You will do well to remember."
+
+"I will pass the word to the men."
+
+"See that you do. Then after that," Sanchez went on deliberately, as
+though murder was of small account, "you will follow me up the bluff.
+Who are the others with you?"
+
+"Carl Anderson, Pedro Mendez, and Cochose."
+
+"Well chosen; Mendez is the least valuable, and we will leave him with
+the prisoner at the boat. The big negro, Cochose, together with
+Manuel, can attend to Travers, and the two negresses--they sleep
+below. That will leave you and the Swede to get the chest. No
+firearms, if they can be avoided."
+
+"You are certain of the way, Senor--in the dark?"
+
+"I have been over the house, and drawn a rude diagram. You can look it
+over in the cabin of the sloop, after affairs have been attended to
+there. The stairs lead up from the front hall. I will go with you to
+the door of Fairfax's room."
+
+Estada hesitated, as though afraid to further question his chief, yet
+finally, in spite of this fear, the query broke from his lips.
+
+"And you, Senor--the girl?"
+
+"What know you of any girl?"
+
+"That there was one on the deck of the sloop--an English beauty. It
+was when you turned to greet her that you gave me the signal. I merely
+thought that perhaps--"
+
+"Then stop thinking," burst forth Sanchez enraged. "Thinking has
+nothing to do with your work. If there is a girl, I attend to her. Let
+that suffice. Dios! am I chief here, or are you? You have my orders,
+now obey them, and hold your tongue. Bring the men up here."
+
+Without a word, evidently glad to escape thus easily, Estada vanished
+into the gloom, leaving behind only the vague figure of Sanchez pacing
+the sands, his lips muttering curses. I dared not move, scarcely
+indeed to breathe, so closely did he skirt my covert. To venture forth
+would mean certain discovery; nor could I hope to steal away through
+the bushes, where any twig might snap beneath my foot. What could I
+do? How could I bring warning to those sleeping victims? This
+heartless discussion of robbery and murder left me cold with horror,
+yet helpless to lift a hand. I had no thought of myself, of my
+possible fate when once delivered into the hands of this monster, this
+arch villain, but all my agony of mind centered on the imminent danger
+confronting Dorothy Fairfax, and those unsuspecting men. All my
+preconceived impressions of Sanchez had vanished; he was no longer in
+my imagination a weakling, a boastful, cowardly bravado, a love-sick
+fool; but a leader of desperate men, a villain of the deepest dye--the
+dreaded pirate, Black Sanchez, whose deeds of crime were without
+number, and whose name was infamous. Confronted by Fairfax's
+ill-guarded gold, maddened by the girl's contemptuous indifference, no
+deed of violence and blood was too revolting for him to commit. What
+he could not win by words, he would seize by force and make his own.
+As coolly as another might sell a bolt of cloth, he would plan murder
+and rape, and then smilingly watch the execution. And I--what could I
+do?
+
+The little band of men emerged from the concealment of the fog
+noiselessly, and gathered into a group about the figure of Sanchez,
+where he stood motionless awaiting them. I could distinguish no faces,
+scarcely indeed the outlines of their separate forms in the gloom, but
+one was an unusually big fellow, far taller and heavier than his
+companions. When he spoke he possessed a negro's voice, and I
+recognized him at once for Cochose. The Captain swept his impatient
+eyes about the circle.
+
+"Lads," he said, incisively, a sharper note of leadership in the tone
+"it has been a bit quiet for you lately; but now I am back again, and
+we'll try our luck at sea once more. There must be many a laden ship
+waiting for us. Does that sound good?"
+
+There was a savage growl of response, a sudden leaning forward of dark
+figures.
+
+"I thought it would. We'll begin on a job tonight. There are fifty
+thousand pounds for us in that house yonder, and I waive my share.
+Estada will explain to you the work I want done; see that you do it
+quietly and well. By daylight we shall be on blue water, with our
+course set for Porto Grande. How is it, bullies, do you sniff the salt
+sea?"
+
+"Ay, ay, Captain."
+
+"And see the pretty girls waiting--and hear the chink of gold?"
+
+"Ay, Senor."
+
+"Then do not fail me tonight--and remember, it is to be the knife.
+Estada."
+
+"Here, Senor."
+
+"I have forgotten one thing--scuttle the sloop before joining me. 'Tis
+better to make all safe; and now, strong arms, and good luck. Go to
+your task, and if one fails me, it will mean the lash at the
+mast-butt."
+
+They moved off one by one, Estada leading, along the narrow strip of
+sand, five of them, on their mission of murder. The leader remained
+alone, his back toward where I crouched, his eyes following their
+vanishing figures, until the night had swallowed them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+A VICTORY, AND A DEFEAT
+
+
+I arose silently to my feet, conscious of possessing no weapon, yet
+fully aware that all hope of thwarting this villainy lay in immediate
+action. But I must await the right moment. Even with the advantage of
+surprise, there would inevitably be the noise of struggle. I had in
+the past despised Sanchez, but I had never yet tested him as a
+fighting man, and, indeed, no longer considered the fellow to be a
+mean antagonist. Remembering who he was, I now realized fully the
+desperate nature of my attempt, the need of quick, remorseless action.
+Nevertheless I dared not attack until assured that those men he had
+just dispatched were safely beyond ear-shot. I could hear or see
+nothing of them; they had vanished utterly, and the soft sand returned
+no echo of their footsteps. Time alone gave me judgment as to the
+distance they would travel. If I yielded too much of this, they might
+attain the sloop before I could sound an alarm; while if I moved too
+quickly the noise would bring them back to the rescue. The moments
+were agony, as I bent tensely forward, poised for a leap. God! I could
+wait no longer!
+
+Sanchez had turned slightly, apparently immersed in thought, and stood
+with his face toward the Bay. Even in that darkness his position was
+that of a man intently listening for the slightest sound to reach him
+out of the black night. I ventured a cautious step forward, and stood
+on the open sand, scarcely a yard to his rear, every nerve throbbing,
+my lips still silently counting the seconds. I could not, I dared not
+wait longer. Some vague sense of my presence must have influenced the
+man, for he swung suddenly about, uttering a stifled cry of startled
+surprise, as we met face to face. For an instant we were locked so
+closely within each other's desperate grip, his head bent beneath my
+arm, with my fingers clutching at his throat to block any call for
+help, that he possessed no knowledge of his assailant's identity. But
+the man was like a tiger, possessed of immense strength encased in a
+wiry frame. The surprise of attack was to my advantage, yet almost
+before I realized what was being done, he had rallied, broken my first
+hold, and his eyes were glaring straight into mine. Then he knew me,
+signaling his discovery with an oath, his free hand instantly grasping
+at the knife concealed beneath his loose cloak. Even as he jerked it
+forth, I crushed his wrist within my fingers, forcing his fore-arm
+back. Breast to breast we wrestled for mastery, every muscle strained,
+our feet firm planted on the sand. There was no outcry, no noise,
+except that of our heavy breathing, and trampling feet. Personal
+hatred had ascendancy in both our hearts--I doubt if he ever thought
+of aught else but the desire to kill me there with his own hands. Only
+once did he even utter a word, hissing out the sentence as though it
+were a poison:
+
+"To hell with you, you sneaking English cur!"
+
+"Then I travel that road not alone," I muttered back. "There will be
+one less of the devil's brood afloat."
+
+What followed has to me no clearness, no consistency. I remember, yet
+it is as though memory played me a thousand tricks. Never have I
+fought more wickedly, nor with deeper realization that I needed every
+ounce of strength, and every trick of wit and skill. I had not before
+dreamed he was such a man; but now I knew the fellow possessed greater
+knowledge of the game than I, and a quicker movement; I alone excelled
+in weight of body, and coolness of brain. His efforts were those of an
+infuriated animal, his uncontrolled outburst of hatred rendering him
+utterly reckless of results in his struggle to overcome me at any
+cost. It was this blind blood-lust which gave me victory. I know not
+clearly how it was done; my only memory being his frantic efforts to
+drive home the knife point, and mine to defeat the thrust. Twice he
+pricked me deep enough to draw blood, before I succeeded in twisting
+backward the arm with which he held the blade. It was a sailor's trick
+of last resort, heartlessly cruel in its agony, but I felt then no
+call to mercy. He met the game too late, falling half back upon one
+knee, hoping thus to foil my purpose, yet my greater weight saved me.
+There was the sharp crack of a bone, as his useless fingers let the
+knife drop, a snarled curse of pain, and then, with the rage of a mad
+dog, Sanchez struck his teeth deep into my cheek. The sharp pang of
+pain drove me to frenzy, and for the first time I lost all control, my
+one free hand seeking to reach the lost knife. With a thrill of
+exultation I gripped it, driving instantly the keen blade to its hilt
+into the man's side. He made no cry, no struggle--the set teeth
+unlocked, and he fell limply back on the sand, his head lapped by the
+waves.
+
+I remained poised above him, spent and breathless from struggle,
+scarcely conscious even as to what had occurred so swiftly, the
+dripping knife in my hand, blood streaming down my cheek, and still
+infuriated by blind passion. The fellow lay motionless, his face
+upturned to the sky, but invisible except in dim outline. It did not
+seem possible he could actually be dead; I had struck blindly, with no
+knowledge as to where the keen blade had penetrated--a mere desperate
+lunge. I rested my ear over his heart, detecting no murmur of
+response; touched the veins of his wrist, but found there no answering
+throb of life. Still dazed and uncertain, I arose staggering to my
+feet, conscious at last that the man must actually be dead, yet, for
+the moment, so surprised by the discovery as to scarcely realize its
+significance. Not that I regretted the act, not that I experienced the
+slightest remorse, yet, for an instant, the shock seemed to leave me
+nerveless and unstrung. Only a moment since I was engaged in desperate
+struggle, and now I could only stare down at the dark lines of that
+motionless body outstretched upon the sand.
+
+Then I remembered those others--the unconscious sleepers on the deck
+of the sloop; those blood-stained villains creeping toward them
+through the black shadows of the night. The memory was like a dash of
+water in the face. With the death-dealing knife still gripped in my
+hand, I raced forward along the narrow strip of sand, reckless of what
+I might encounter, eager only to arrive in time to give utterance to a
+shout of warning. I could not have covered more than half the
+distance when the first sound of attack reached me--far-off, gurgling
+cry of agony, which pierced the darkness like the scream of a dying
+soul. The heart leaped into my throat, yet I ran on, unhalted, unseen,
+until the planks of the wharf were beneath my feet, the low side of
+the sloop looming black before me. There was confusion aboard, the
+sounds of struggle, mingled with curses and blows. With one upward
+swing of my body I was safely aboard, knife still in hand, peering
+eagerly forward. Through the gloom concealing the deck, I could
+perceive only dim figures, a riot of men, battling furiously hand to
+hand, yet out of the ruck loomed through the darkness in larger
+outline than the others---Cochose, the negro. I leaped at the fellow,
+and struck with the keen knife, missing the heart, but plunging the
+blade deep into the flesh of the shoulder. The next instant I was in a
+bear's grip, the very breath crushed out of me, yet, by some chance,
+my one arm remained free, and I drove the sharp steel into him twice
+before he forced the weapon from my fingers. Through a wrestler's
+trick, although my wrist was as numb as if dead from his fierce grip,
+I thrust an elbow beneath the brute's chin, and thus forced his head
+back, until the neck cracked.
+
+This respite served merely for the moment, yet sufficiently long to
+win me a firm foot-hold on deck, and a breath of night air. He was too
+strong, too immense of stature. Apparently unweakened by his wounds,
+the giant negro, thoroughly aroused, exerted his mighty muscles, and,
+despite my utmost effort at resistance, thrust me back against the
+stern rail, where the weight of his body pinned me helplessly. With a
+roar of rage he drove his huge fist into my face, but happily was too
+close to give much force to the blow. My own hands, gripping the
+neck-band of his coarse shirt, twisted it tight about the great
+throat, until, in desperation, panting for breath, the huge brute
+actually lifted me in his arms, and hurled me backward, headlong over
+the rail. I struck something as I fell, yet rebounding from this,
+splashed into the deep water, and went down so nearly unconscious as
+to make not even the slightest struggle. I had no strength left in me,
+no desire to save myself, and I sank like a stone. And yet I came up
+once more to the surface, arising by sheer chance, directly beneath
+the small dory--which my body must have struck as I fell--towing by a
+painter astern of the sloop, and fortunately retained sense enough to
+cling desperately to this first thing my hands touched, and thus
+remained concealed.
+
+This occurred through complete exhaustion, rather than the exercising
+of any judgment, for, had it not been for this providential support, I
+would surely have drowned without a struggle. Every breath I drew was
+in pain; I felt as though my ribs had been crushed in, while I had
+lost sufficient blood to leave me as weak as a babe. I simply clung
+there desperately, hopelessly, yet the salt water soon served to
+revive me physically, and even my brain began to arouse from its daze
+to a faint realization of the conditions. The small dory to which I
+clung, caught in some mysterious current, floated at the very
+extremity of its slender towline, and in consequence the sloop
+appeared little more than a mere smudge, when my eyes endeavored to
+discover its outlines. Evidently the bloody work had been completed,
+for now all was silent on board. I could not even detect the sound of
+a footstep on the deck. Then, clear enough to be distinctly heard
+across the narrow strip of water, came the voice of Estada, in a gruff
+inquiry:
+
+"So you are hiding here, Cochose? What are you looking for in the
+sea?"
+
+"What? Why that damned Englishman." The response was a savage growl,
+intensified by husky dialect. "Mon Dieu! He fought me like a mad rat."
+
+"The Englishman, you say? He was here then? It was he you battled
+with? What became of the fellow?"
+
+"He went down there, Senor. The dog stabbed me three times. It was
+either he or I to go."
+
+"You mean you threw him overboard?"
+
+"Ay, with his ribs crushed in, and not a breath left in his damned
+body. He's never come up even--I've watched, and there has not been so
+much as a ripple where he sank."
+
+The two must have hung in silence over the rail staring down. I dared
+not advance my head to look, nor even move a muscle of my body in the
+water, but both were still standing there when Estada finally gave
+utterance to an oath.
+
+"How know you it was the man?"
+
+"Who else could it have been? You have the others."
+
+"Ay, true enough; yet it will go hard with you, Cochose, when the
+Captain learns of this--he would have the fellow alive."
+
+"As well attempt to take a tiger with bare hands--see, the blood yet
+runs; a single inch to the left, and it would be I fed to the fishes.
+Pah! what is the difference, Senor, so the man dies?"
+
+"Right enough, no doubt; anyway it is not I who must face Sanchez, and
+it is too late now to change fate. Let's to the rest of our task. You
+can still do your part?"
+
+The giant negro growled.
+
+"Ay; I have been worse hurt, yet a bit of cloth would help me."
+
+"Let Carl see to that, while I gain glimpse at this map of the house
+up yonder. Come forward with me to the cabin, till I light a candle.
+How came you aft here?"
+
+"Because that fellow leaped the rail from the wharf. I saw him, and we
+met at the wheel."
+
+"From the wharf, you say? He was not aboard then? Santa Maria! I know
+not what that may mean. Yet what difference, so he be dead. Anderson,
+Mendez, throw that carrion overboard--no, bullies, never mind; let
+them lie where they are, and sink an auger in the sloop's bottom. That
+will settle the whole matter. What is that out yonder, Cochose?"
+
+"A small boat, Senor--a dory, I make it."
+
+"Cut the rope, and send it adrift. Now come along with me."
+
+The darker loom of the sloop vanished slowly, as the slight current
+sweeping about the end of the wharf drifted the released boat to which
+I clung outward into the Bay. The faint echo of a voice floated to my
+ears across the widening expanse of water, and then all was silent as
+the night closed in darkly between. There was scarcely a ripple to
+the sea, and yet I felt that the boat was steadily drifting out into
+deeper water. I was still strangely weak, barely able to retain my
+grasp, with a peculiar dullness in my head, which made me fearful that
+at any moment I might let go. I was not even conscious of thinking, or
+capable of conceiving clearly my situation, yet I must have realized
+vaguely the immediate necessity of action, for finally I mustered
+every ounce of remaining energy in one supreme effort, and succeeded
+in dragging my body up out of water over the boat's stern, sinking
+helplessly forward into the bottom. The moment this was accomplished
+every sense deserted me, and I lay there motionless, totally
+unconscious.
+
+I shall never know how long I remained thus, the little dory in which
+I lay rocked aimlessly about by the waves, and constantly drifting in
+the grasp of unseen currents farther and farther out into the Bay. The
+blackness of the night swallowed us, as tossed by wind and sea, we
+were borne on through the waste unguided. Yet this time could not have
+been great. As though awakening from sleep a faint consciousness
+returned, causing me to lift my head, and stare hopelessly about into
+the curtain of mist overhanging the water. At first, with nothing
+surrounding to awaken memory into action, only that dull vista of sea
+and sky, my mind refused to respond to any impression; then the sharp
+pain of my wounds, accented by the sting of salt water, brought me
+swift realization of where I was, and the circumstances bringing me
+there. My wet clothing had partially dried on my body as I lay there
+motionless in the bottom of the boat, and now, with every movement,
+chafed the raw spots, rendering the slightest motion a physical
+agony. I had evidently lost considerable blood, yet this had already
+ceased to flow, and a very slight examination served to convince me
+that the knife slashes were none of them serious. Beyond these
+punctures of the flesh, while I ached from head to foot, my other
+injuries were merely bruises to add to my discomfort--the result of
+blows dealt me by Sanchez and Cochose, aggravated by the bearlike hug
+of the giant negro. Indeed, I awoke to the discovery that I was far
+from being a dead man; and, inspired by this knowledge, the various
+incidents of the night flashed swiftly back into my mind. How long had
+I been lying there unconscious, adrift in the open boat? How far had
+we floated from land? Where were we now, and in the meantime what had
+occurred ashore?
+
+These were questions impossible to answer. I could not even attempt
+their solution. No gleam of light appeared in any direction; no sound
+echoed across the dark waste of water. Far above, barely visible
+through a floating veil of haze, I was able to detect the faint gleam
+of stars, and was sailor enough to determine through their guidance
+some certainty as to the points of compass; yet possessed no means by
+which to ascertain the time of night, or the position of the boat.
+With this handicap it was clearly impossible for me to attempt any
+return to the wharf through the impenetrable black curtain which shut
+me in. What then could I do? What might I still hope to accomplish? At
+first thought the case appeared hopeless. Those fellows had swept the
+sloop clean, and had doubtless long ago scuttled it. This ruthless
+deed once accomplished, their orders were to raid the house on the
+bluff. But would they go on with their bloody work? They would
+suddenly find themselves leaderless, unguided. Would that suffice to
+stop them? The vivid memory came to me anew of that arch villain,
+Sanchez, lying where I had left him, his head resting in the
+surf--dead. Would the discovery of his body halt his followers, and
+send them rushing back to their boat, eager only to get safely away?
+This did not seem likely. Estada knew of my boarding the sloop from
+the wharf, and would at once connect the fact of my being ashore with
+the killing of Sanchez. This would satisfy him there was no further
+danger. Besides, these were not men to be easily frightened at sight
+of a dead body, even that of their own captain. They might hesitate,
+discuss, but they would never flee in panic. Surely not with that
+ruffian Estada yet alive to lead them, and the knowledge that fifty
+thousand pounds was yonder in that unguarded house, with no one to
+protect the treasure but two old men asleep, and the women. The
+women!--Dorothy! What would become of her? Into whose hands would she
+fall in that foul division of spoils? Estada's? Good God--yes! And I,
+afloat and helpless in this boat, what could I do?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+A SWIM TO THE NAMUR
+
+
+All was black, hopeless; with head buried in my hands I sat on a
+thwart, dazed and stupefied, seemingly even unable to think clearly.
+Before me, pleading, expressive of agonized despair, arose the sweet
+face of Dorothy Fairfax. Nothing else counted with me at that moment
+but her safety--the protecting her from the touch of that
+blood-stained brute. Yet how, and through what means, could such
+rescue be accomplished? No doubt by this time all was over--the dead
+body of Sanchez discovered, the projected attack on the house carried
+out, the two old men left behind, either dead or severely wounded, and
+the girl borne off a helpless prisoner, together with the treasure of
+fifty thousand pounds. Even if I knew where the drifting boat had
+taken me, which way to turn to once again attain the wharf, the
+probability remained that I should arrive altogether too late to be of
+slightest service--the dastardly deed had already been accomplished.
+Ay, but this I knew; there was only one place to which the villains
+might flee with their booty--the _Namur of Rotterdam_. Only on those
+decks, and well at sea, would they be safe, or able to enjoy their
+spoils. The thought came to me in sudden revelation--why not? Was not
+here a chance even yet to foil them? With Sanchez dead, no man aboard
+that pirate craft would recognize me. I felt assured of this. I had
+fought the giant negro in the dark; he could not, during that fierce
+encounter, have distinguished my features any more clearly than I had
+his own. There was no one else to fear. Although I had been stationed
+at the wheel of the sloop as we swept past the _Namur_ while at anchor
+the day before, yet Estada, watching anxiously for the secret signal
+of his chief, would never have accorded me so much as a glance. His
+interest was concentrated elsewhere, and, in all probability, he could
+not swear whether I was black or white. If others of that devilish
+crew had been secretly watching our deck it was with no thought of me;
+and not one of them would retain any memory of my appearance. If only
+I might once succeed in getting safely aboard, slightly disguised
+perhaps, and mingle unnoticed among the crew, the chances were not bad
+for me to pass undetected. No doubt they were a heterogeneous bunch,
+drawn from every breed and race, and in no small force either, for
+their trade was not so much seamanship as rapine and fighting. Such
+ships carried large crews, and were constantly changing in personnel.
+A strange face appearing among them need not arouse undue suspicion.
+From what Estada had reported to Sanchez, I knew boats had been sent
+ashore on this coast. What more likely then than that some new recruit
+had returned to the bark, attracted by a sailor's tale? Who would know
+how the stranger came among them, or question his presence, unless
+suspicion became aroused? Even if questioned, a good story, easily
+told, might win the trick. Before daylight came, and already well at
+sea beyond pursuit, inconspicuous among the others, accepted as mate
+by the men, unrecognized even by the officers, there was scarcely a
+probability that anyone aboard would note, or question my presence.
+
+And I felt convinced I could locate the _Namur_. Ay, even in that
+darkness I could find the bark, if the vessel yet swung at her former
+anchorage. The task would not even be a difficult one. The stars gave
+me the compass points, and I recalled with some clearness the general
+trend of the coast line as we came up. But could I hope to attain the
+ship in advance of the returning party of raiders? To succeed in my
+object this must be done, because the moment these reached the deck
+the bark would hastily depart for the open sea. And if I was to
+accomplish this end it must be attempted at once. The call to action,
+the possibility of thus being of service to Dorothy, seemed instantly
+to awaken all my dormant energies; the painful chafing of my wounds
+was forgotten, while new strength returned miraculously to my bruised
+body. God helping me, I would try! My brain throbbed with fresh
+resolution--the call to action.
+
+There were oars in the boat. I had noticed these dumbly before, but
+now I drew them eagerly forth from the bottom, and quickly fitted them
+into the oarlocks. They were stout, ashen blades, unusually large for
+the craft in which they had been stowed, yet workable. The boat itself
+was a mere shell, scarcely capable of sustaining safely more than
+three persons, but with lines of speed, its sharp prow cutting the
+water like a knife blade. I shipped the useless rudder inboard, and
+chose my course from the stars. The north star was completely obscured
+by thick clouds, but the great dipper gave me my bearings with
+sufficient accuracy. To attain again to the west coast not far from
+where the great point projected outward into the Bay, and behind which
+the bark swung at anchor, required, according to my understanding of
+our present position, that I head the boat toward the southwest. I
+bent earnestly to the oars, and the speed of the craft was most
+encouraging, especially as my strength and energy seemed to increase
+with each stroke. My mind brightened also quite perceptibly, as the
+violent exercise sent the blood coursing anew through my veins. Before
+I realized the change I had become thoroughly convinced that the
+course I had chosen was the wisest one possible.
+
+It was wild, and desperate, to be sure. I was not blind to its danger,
+and yet nothing else offered any solution. The only probable chance
+now for me to prove of direct service to the captive girl lay in being
+near her while she remained with these men. If, by any good fortune,
+she had thus far succeeded in escaping from Estada and his gang of
+ruffians, I would learn this fact more surely aboard the _Namur_ than
+in any other way; and, once assured as to this, could certainly find
+some means of early escape from the ship. While, if she was captured
+and taken aboard, as was most probable, for me to be left behind on
+shore would mean her total abandonment. Better any risk of discovery
+than that. To be sure I had no plan of action devised, no conception
+of how a rescue could be effected. Yet such an opportunity might
+develop, and my one hope lay in being prepared, and ready. With the
+death of Sanchez, his second in command would undoubtedly succeed
+him; but would that be Estada, or would it be this other, the mulatto,
+Francois LeVere? More likely the former, for while buccaneers had
+operated under colored chiefs, a crew of white men would naturally
+prefer to be led by one of their own color. Indeed it was even
+possible that a controversy might arise, and a divided authority
+result. Discipline among such as these depended entirely on strength
+and ferocity. The most daring and resourceful became the chosen
+leaders, whose only test was success. Perhaps, in the turmoil, and
+uncertainty, arising from a knowledge of Sanchez's death, and the
+jealousy thus aroused between those who would succeed him in command,
+I might discover the very opportunity I sought. These were some of the
+thoughts which animated me, and gave new strength to my arms, as I
+sent the dory flying through the water.
+
+My boat, unguided, had drifted considerably farther out into the Bay
+than I had supposed, and it required a good half hour of steady toil
+at the oars before I sighted ahead of me the darker outlines of the
+shore. Nothing had crossed our path, and no unusual sound had reached
+my ears along the black water. If the _Namur's_ boat had already
+returned to the bark, its passage must have been made during the
+period of my unconsciousness, and this seemed to me utterly
+impossible. The course I had followed thus far took me directly across
+the water which they would be compelled to traverse, and they could
+not have passed unnoticed. No, they were surely yet in the
+neighborhood of Travers' plantation. The men engaged in that night's
+bloody business, would have been compelled to carry it out under many
+obstacles; they would be delayed by consternation at the discovery of
+their dead leader lying on the sand, and by their lack of knowledge
+regarding the interior of the house on the summit of the bluff. Quite
+likely also this lack of a guide would result in an alarm, and
+consequent struggle, perhaps even in the serious injury of some among
+them before they secured possession of the money, and the girl. In any
+case it must have resulted in delay. Convinced of this, and confident
+that I was already well in advance of them, I drew in as closely as I
+dared to the dim outline of shore, and studied it carefully, in an
+endeavor to learn my exact position.
+
+Although the sloop in its voyage up the Bay had never been out of
+sight of this coast, had indeed skirted it closely all the way, yet my
+memory of its more prominent landmarks was extremely vague. I had made
+no effort to impress them on my mind. Therefore at first I could
+identify nothing, but finally, out of the grotesque, shifting shadows,
+dimly appearing against the slightly lighter sky beyond, there
+suddenly arose, clearly defined, the gaunt limbs of a dead tree,
+bearing a faint resemblance to a gigantic cross. I recalled that Sam
+had chanced to point this out to me on our upward voyage, and this
+glimpse obtained of it again now told me exactly where I had made
+shore. This peculiar mark was at the extremity of the first headland
+lying north of the point itself, and consequently a straight course
+across the Bay, would land me within five hundred yards of where the
+_Namur_ had last been seen at anchor.
+
+To a degree my immediate plan of action had been definitely mapped
+out within my own mind while toiling at the oars. At least I had
+arrived at certain conclusions. The one immediate object before me was
+to attain the bark in advance of Estada. I now was convinced that thus
+far I was safely ahead. The night wind was light, and baffling, not
+greatly affecting my own progress, but of a nature to retard
+considerably the sail-boat, and compel a series of wide tacks, so as
+to enable those on board to round the point. All this distance I could
+avoid by beaching my dory, and striking out on foot directly across
+the narrow neck of land. The _Namur_, unless her position had been
+changed since darkness set in, was not so far out from shore as to
+make swimming to her a dangerous feat; and I could approach and board
+her with far less chance of discovery in that manner, than by the use
+of a boat. The watch on deck would undoubtedly be a vigilant one, yet
+no eye could detect through that darkness--unless by sheer accident--a
+submerged swimmer, cautiously advancing with silent strokes. The
+greater danger would come after I had attained the deck, wet to the
+skin.
+
+The sharp bow of the dory ran up on the soft sand of the beach, and I
+stepped ashore, hauling the light boat after me beyond the reach of
+the waves. The night remained calm and still, although the scudding
+clouds were thickening overhead, until scarcely a single star remained
+visible. The sea behind me was overhung by a black curtain, yet, by
+bending low, I could look along the surface for some distance where
+the heaving water reflected from wave to wave what little light there
+was. The beach was a narrow one, and only a few feet away the neck of
+land became elevated into a leveled crest, thickly covered with
+trees, their upper branches dimly visible from where I stood. Judging
+from the trend of the coast, it would be necessary for me to strike
+directly across to the opposite shore, but in this journey special
+caution was not required. There would be no one in the midst of this
+desolate region to interfere with my progress, or be alarmed by any
+noise I might make. Close to shore as the _Namur_ lay, no ordinary
+sound from the land could be heard aboard, even in the silence of
+night, nor was it likely the crew would be watchful in that direction.
+Unquestionably the entire attention of the deck watch at this hour
+would be concentrated on the expected return of their expedition
+around the distant point--seeking the glimpse of a white sail above
+the black water.
+
+To the best of my recollection the bark floated with bow pointing
+toward the open sea. The sweep of the current about the point was
+inshore, making the drift of the vessel strong against the anchor
+hawser. This would naturally bring her with broadside to the eastward,
+from which direction the absent boat must return. If this proved
+correct then, in all probability, the deck watch would largely be
+gathered on that side, even the attention of the officer more or less
+drawn in that direction. No doubt they had orders to be ready for
+instant departure the moment the approaching boat was sighted, and the
+lookout for it would be keen. It was, as I stood there, revolving
+these matters in my mind, with eyes endeavoring to pierce the
+surrounding darkness, and ears strained to detect the slightest sound,
+that there came to me the first real consciousness of the reckless
+nature of this adventure upon which I had so lightly embarked. Surely
+it was but the dream of a crazed man, foredoomed to failure. As I
+faced then the probabilities, there scarcely seemed one chance in a
+hundred that any such scheme as I proposed would succeed. And yet I
+must admit there was the one chance; and in no other action could I
+perceive even that much encouragement. If Dorothy Fairfax was already
+in the hands of these men, then my only opportunity for serving her
+lay in my being close at hand. No alternative presented itself; no
+other effort could be effective. It was already too late to attempt
+the organization of a rescue party; there was no warship on the coast,
+and the authorities of the Colony possessed no vessel fitted for
+pursuit. Long before daylight came, or I might hope to spread an alarm
+abroad, the _Namur_ would be safely at sea. No, the only choice left
+was for me either to accompany the girl, or else abandon her entirely
+to her captors. I must either face the possibility of discovery and
+capture, which as surely meant torture and death, or otherwise play
+the coward, and remain impotently behind. There was no safe course to
+pursue. I believed that I could play my part among the crew, once
+securely established among them; that I could succeed in escaping
+recognition even on the part of Cochose. If this was true, then, to a
+stout heart and ready hand, a way might open even aboard the bark to
+protect her from the final closing of the devil's jaws. I had nothing
+to risk but my life, and it had never been my nature to count odds. I
+would act as the heart bade, and so I drove the temptation to falter
+away, and strode on up the bank into the black shadow of the trees.
+
+I found extremely hard walking as I advanced through tangled
+underbrush, over unlevel ground, the night so dark in those shadows I
+could but barely perceive the outlines of a hand held before the eyes.
+Fortunately the distance was even shorter than I had anticipated, but,
+when I finally emerged upon the opposite beach, it was at once quite
+evident that the sea beating upon the sand was decidedly heavier than
+higher up the Bay, the white line of breakers showing conspicuously
+even in the night, while their continuous roar sounded loud through
+the silence. It was not until after I had advanced cautiously into the
+water, and then stooped low to thus gain clearer vision along the
+surface, that I succeeded in locating the vessel sought. Even then the
+_Namur_ appeared only as a mere shadow, without so much as a light
+showing aboard, yet apparently anchored in the same position as when
+we had swept past the previous afternoon. The slightly brighter sky
+above served to reveal the tracery of bare poles, while the hull was
+no more than a blot in the gloom, utterly shapeless, and appearing to
+be much farther away than it was in reality. Indeed, as the sky
+gradually darkened the entire vision vanished, as though it had been
+one of those strange mirages I had seen in the African deserts. Yet I
+knew with certainty the ship was there, had sufficient time in which
+to mark its position accurately, and rejoiced at the increase of
+darkness to conceal my approach. Guided by this memory I waded
+straight out through the lines of surf, until all excepting the head
+became completely submerged. If I was to reach the bark at all, this
+was the one opportunity.
+
+I stood there, resisting the undertow tugging at my limbs, and barely
+able to retain my footing, intent upon my purpose. Full strength had
+come back to my muscles, and my head was again clear. The imminent
+sense of danger seemed to bring me a feeling of happiness, of new
+confidence in myself. The die was cast, and whatever the result, I was
+going ahead to accomplish all that was humanly possible. From now on
+there was to be no doubting, no turning back. A voice, high-pitched,
+echoed to me across the water, reaching my ears a mere thread of
+sound, the words indistinguishable. It must have been an order, for, a
+moment later, I distinguished the clank of capstan bars, as though men
+of the crew were engaged in warping the vessel off shore for greater
+safety. The movement was too deliberate and noiseless to mean the
+lifting of the anchor, nor was it accompanied by any flapping of sail,
+or shifting of yards to denote departure. Nevertheless even this
+movement decided me to delay my attempt no longer, and, with strong,
+silent strokes I swam forward, directly breasting the force of the
+incoming sea, yet making fair progress. Some unconsidered current must
+have swept me to the right, for, when the outlines of the bark again
+became dimly visible through the night, I found myself well to
+starboard of the vessel, and quite likely would have passed it by
+altogether, but for the sudden rattle of a block aloft, causing me to
+glance in that direction. As my eyes explored the darkness, yet
+uncertain that I really beheld the _Namur_, a light flared for a brief
+instant, and I had glimpse of a face illumined by the yellow glare, as
+the single spark of flame ignited a cigarette. It was all over with
+so swiftly, swallowed up in that blackness, as to seem a vision of
+imagination. Yet I knew it to be real. Stroking well under water, and
+with only my eyes exposed above the surface, I changed my course to
+the left, and slowly and cautiously drew in toward the starboard bow.
+A few moments later, unperceived from above, and protected from
+observation by the bulge of the overhang, and density of shadow, my
+hands clung to the anchor hawser, my mind busy in devising some means
+for attaining the deck.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+ON THE DECK OF THE NAMUR
+
+
+It was here that fortune favored me, strengthening my decision, and
+yielding a fresh courage to persevere. The pounding of the seas
+against the bow rendered other sounds, for the moment, unnoticeable,
+while the current swept so strongly against my submerged body as to
+compel me to cling tightly to the swaying rope to prevent being
+overcome. Close as I was the bark appeared scarcely more than a dense
+shadow swaying above me, without special form, and unrevealed by the
+slightest gleam of light, merely a vast bulk, towering between sea and
+sky. Forking out, however, directly over where I clung desperately to
+the wet hawser, my eyes were able to trace the bow-sprit, a massive
+bit of timber, with ropes faintly traced against the sky, the rather
+loosely furled jib flapping ragged edges in the gusts of wind.
+Suddenly, as I stared upward, I became aware that two men were working
+their way out along the foot-ropes, and, as they reached a point
+almost directly over my head, became busily engaged in tightening the
+gaskets to better secure the loosening sail. The foot of one slipped,
+and he hung dangling, giving vent to a stiff English oath before he
+succeeded in hauling himself back to safety, The other indulged in a
+chuckling laugh, yet was careful not to speak loudly.
+
+"Had one drink too many, Tom?" he asked. "That will pay yer fer
+finishin' the bottle, an' never givin' me another sup."
+
+The other growled, evidently not in any too good humor after his
+mishap.
+
+"You, hell! Yer bed the fu'st ov it. Thar's no sorter luck yer don't
+git yer fair share of, Bill Haines--trust yer fer thet. What I ain't
+got straight yet, is whar thet stuff cum from so easy. Thet wus the
+real thing."
+
+Haines laughed again, working carelessly. As the men advanced along
+the spar I could distinguish their forms more clearly.
+
+"That wus part o' the luck, Tom," he acknowledged, his accent that of
+a cockney. "Did yer git eyes on thet new feller Manuel Estevan brought
+back with him in the boat?"
+
+"The one you and Jose carried aboard?"
+
+"He's the lad. Thar wa'n't nuthin' the matter with the cove, 'cept he
+wus dead drunk, an' he hed a bottle o' rum stowed away in every
+pocket. But Manuel, he never knew thet. It wus just 'bout dark when he
+cum staggerin' down ter the boat. We wus waitin' on the beach fer
+Estevan, an' three fellers he hed taken along with him inter town, ter
+cum back--the nigger, Jose, an' me--when this yere chap hove
+'longside. He never hailed us, ner nuthin'; just clim over inter the
+boat, an' lay down. 'Whar ye aimin' ter go, friend?' ses I, but by
+then the cove wus dead asleep. I shook him, an' kicked him, but it
+wa'n't no use; so we just left him lie thar fer Manuel ter say whut
+wus ter be done with him. Only Jose he went thru his pockets, an'
+found three bottles o' rum. We took a few drinks, an' hid whut wus
+left in the boat locker."
+
+"So that's how yer got it! Who wus the party?"
+
+"Thet's mor'n I'll ever tell yer. I never got no sight o' him, 'cept
+in the dark. 'Bout all I know is he wus white, an' likely a sailor,
+judgin' frum the feel o' his hands. Maybe he thought that wus his boat
+he'd stumbled inter--thar wus quite a few 'long the beach. Enyhow,
+when Manuel got back, he just took a look at him in the dark, an' then
+told us to haul the lad forrard out o' the way, an' fetch him along.
+So we pulled out with the feller cuddled up in the bow. He was drunk
+all right."
+
+"I never seed nuthin' more of him after he was hauled aboard,"
+commented Tom, as the other ceased speaking. "Whut become o' the lad?"
+
+"Him? Oh, Jose an' me carried him inter the for'cassel, an' shoved him
+inter a berth ter sleep off his liquor. Thet wus the last I ever see,
+er hear o' him fer 'bout six hours. I'd fergot all 'bout the
+feller--er wud have, if it hadn't been fer the rum. Manuel went off in
+the long-boat with Estada, an' when my watch went below, I stowed
+myself away back o' the bow gun fer a few drinks. I hadn't been thar
+mor'n ten minutes, when this yere feller must a woke up in the
+for'cassel sum crazy. He cum a chargin' out on deck, whoopin' like an
+Indian, wavin' a knife in his hand, intendin' fer ter raise hell. I
+cudn't see then who the lad wus, but it must o' been him, fer when I
+went down later he wusn't whar we'd put him. Well, it happened thet
+the fu'st feller he run up against wus LeVere, who wus cumin' forrard
+fer sumthin', an' fer about a minute thar was one hell ov a fight.
+Maybe LeVere didn't know et onct just whut hed happened, but he wusn't
+almighty long finding out his job, an' the way he started in fer ter
+man-handle the cuss, wus worth seein'. It was so damn dark thar by the
+foremast I couldn't tell whut did happen, but it wus fists mostly,
+till the mate drove the poor devil, cussin' like mad, over agin the
+rail, an' then heaved him out inter the water 'longside. I heerd the
+feller splash when he struck, but he never let out no yell."
+
+"What did LeVere do?"
+
+"Him? Hell, he didn't do nuthin'. Just stared down over the rail a
+bit, an' then cum back, rubbin' his hands. Never even asked who the
+feller wus. Thar ain't nuthin' kin skeer that black brute."
+
+"By God--no! He ain't got no human in him. It's hell when English
+sailormen has got ter take orders frum a damned nigger, an' be knocked
+'round if they don't jump when he barks. He's goin' ter get a knife in
+his ribs sum day."
+
+"Maybe he is; but yer better hold yer tongue, Tom. Sanchez don't stand
+fer thet talk, an' he's back o' LeVere. Let's go in; them gaskets will
+hold all right now--cum 'long."
+
+The two vaguely distinguishable figures disappeared, clambering
+awkwardly over the rail, and as instantly vanishing into the blackness
+of the bark's deck. An unsecured bit of canvas continued to flap
+noisily above me, and the constant surge of water pounded against the
+bow, but I could perceive now clearly the character I was destined to
+assume when once safely aboard the _Namur_. Such an assumption would
+involve but slight danger of discovery. It was as though a miracle had
+opened the way, revealed to me by the unconscious lips of these two
+half-drunken, gossiping sailors. The story told fitted my necessities
+exactly. Had I planned the circumstances myself, nothing could have
+been better prearranged. No one on board had seen the missing man by
+daylight; if an impression of his features remained in any individual
+mind, it must be extremely vague, and valueless. Bill's conviction
+that the man was English, and probably a sailor, was the most
+definite, and he had had greater opportunity closely to observe the
+stranger than anyone else. LeVere had obtained no more than a glimpse
+of his opponent, during their struggle in the dark, and while fighting
+for his life. Surely it would be easy enough to obscure any faint
+impression thus acquired. And the fellow had been heartlessly flung
+overboard; was believed to have sunk without a struggle, too drunk to
+save himself; was scarcely given another thought. Yet no one knew
+positively that this was so, because no one cared. The death of the
+lad had simply been taken for granted, when LeVere failed to see his
+body rise again to the surface. Yet it was quite within the realm of
+possibility for the fellow to come up once more in that darkness,
+beyond LeVere's range of vision, and even to have remained afloat,
+buoyed up by clinging to the anchor hawser, until strong enough to
+return on board. At least there was no one aboard the _Namur_ able to
+deny that this had been done.
+
+Satisfied by this reasoning of being able to pass myself off as the
+dead man, with small danger of detection, and likewise assured--so
+far at least as eyes and ears testified--that none of the crew were
+grouped on the forecastle, to be attracted by my movements, I began,
+slowly and cautiously, to drag myself up the taut hawser, hoping thus
+to attain a position from which to gain hand-hold on the rail, and
+thus attain the deck unseen. While my explanation might suffice, I
+greatly preferred having to present it only as a last resort. I would
+much rather slip quietly aboard, and mingle unnoticed with the crew
+for the next few hours, than be haled at once before LeVere, and
+endure his scrutiny and possible violence. The fellow was evidently a
+brute, and a hard master. Seemingly I had chosen a fortunate moment
+for my effort; no one heeded the little noise I made, and, when I
+finally topped the rail, and was able to look inboard, it was to
+discover a deserted fore deck, with the watch all engaged at some task
+amidships. There was no gleam of light, but I could hear the patter of
+feet, and imagined seeing dim moving figures. A rather high-pitched
+voice was giving orders, and enough of his words reached me to
+convince that other men were aloft on the main yard. Believing my best
+policy would be to join those busied on deck, just as though I
+belonged among them, I crept down the forecastle ladder, and worked my
+way aft beneath the black shadow of the port rail, until able thus to
+drift unnoticed into a group tailing on to a mainsail halliard. The
+fellow next to me, without releasing his grip, turned his head and
+stared, but without discerning my features.
+
+"Whar the hell did yer cum' frum?" he growled, and I as instantly
+recognized Bill Haines. "Been sojerin', have yer? Well, now, damn yer
+eyes! lay too an' pull."
+
+Before I could attempt an answer, a tall figure loomed up before us,
+the same high-pitched voice I had noticed previously calling out
+sharply:
+
+"There, that's enough, men! Now make fast. We can head the old girl
+out from here in a jiffy, if it really begins to blow. Jose, you stand
+by at the wheel, in case you're needed; some of the rest ship the
+capstan bars, and remain near for a call."
+
+Discipline on board must have been somewhat lax, or else Haines held
+some minor official position which gave him unusual privilege, for,
+while the others instantly separated to carry out these orders, he
+remained motionless, confronting the man I supposed to be the mulatto,
+LeVere. My own position was such I could not press past the two
+without attracting attention.
+
+"What are ye swingin' the yards fer, enyhow?" asked the sailor
+insolently. "Just fer exercise?"
+
+The other, who already had started to turn away, stopped, and took a
+step backward toward his questioner.
+
+"Because I am a sailor, Haines," he replied angrily. "Anyhow it is
+none of your business; I was left in command here. Those clouds don't
+look good to me; there is going to be a blow before morning."
+
+"Then it's yer intention ter work out'er this yere berth?"
+
+"It's my intention to be ready, if it becomes necessary. There is no
+regular officer left aboard, but, just the same, I am not going to let
+this bark pile up on those rocks yonder. We'll hang on here for
+another half hour, maybe, and then, if the long-boat don't show up,
+we'll work further off shore until daylight. That's sensible, isn't
+it?"
+
+Haines growled something, inaudible to me, but evidently accepted as
+an assent, and LeVere, still in no good humor from the questioning,
+wheeled sharply about to go forward. This movement placed him face to
+face with me.
+
+"What are you loafing here for?" he burst forth, no doubt glad to thus
+vent his anger on someone. "Who the hell are you?"
+
+"Joe Gates, sir," I answered quickly, mouthing the first name which
+came to my lips.
+
+"Gates--Joe Gates?" peering savagely into my face, but unable to
+distinguish the features. "I never heard of anybody on board by that
+name. Who is the fellow, Haines?"
+
+The Englishman gripped me by the sleeve to whirl me about, but as his
+fingers touched the soaked cloth of my jacket, he burst forth with an
+oath.
+
+"By God! but he's wet enough to be the same lad you chucked overboard
+an hour ago. Damn me, I believe he is. Say, mate, are you the gay buck
+we hauled aboard drunk, and dumped inter the for'cassel?"
+
+"I dunno, sir," I answered dumbly, believing it best not to remember
+too much. "I couldn't even tell yer whut ship this is, ner how I
+signed on. Last I seem ter remember I wus ashore frum the schooner
+_Caroline_; but this yere is a bark."
+
+Haines laughed, already convinced of my identity, and considering it a
+good joke.
+
+"Well, my buck, I'll tell yer whar yer are, an' likewise how yer got
+yere," he chuckled. "I wus one of a party frum this hooker ashore
+'bout dusk, when yer hove in sight 'bout as drunk as a sailorman kin
+get. Fact is yer wus so soused yer stumbled inter the wrong boat, and
+went ter sleep. We're allers ready fer ter take on a new hand er two,
+so we just let yer lie thar, an' brought yer aboard. 'Bout an hour ago
+yer must a had a touch o' tremens, fer, all at onct yer cum chargin'
+out on deck, an' tried ter knife LeVere, an' he flung yer overboard.
+We sorter figured thet yer went down, an' never cum up agin."
+
+LeVere broke in with a savage snarl.
+
+"What's all that? Do you mean, Haines, that this is the same damned
+scamp who tried to stick me?"
+
+"No doubt of it. But he never knew what he was dloin'--he wus crazy as
+a loon. There's nuthin' fer yer ter fuss over now. Tell us about it,
+Gates--the bath must have sobered yer up?"
+
+I watched LeVere, but he remained motionless, a mere shadow.
+
+"I suppose it must have been thet, sir," I confessed respectfully, "if
+things happened as you say they did. I haven't any memory o' tryin'
+ter slash nobody. Leastwise I seemed ter know whut I wus about when I
+cum up. I don't remember how I got ther; furst I knew I wus slushin'
+'round in the water, a tryin' ter keep afloat. It wus so blame dark I
+cudn't see nuthin', but sumhow I got grip on a hawser, an' hung on
+till I got back 'nough strength ter clime on board. I knew this wa'n't
+my ship, so I just lay quiet awhile, figurin' out whar I wus."
+
+"Yer English?"  "Born in Bristol, sir, but I wus workin' on the
+_Caroline_--she's a Colony schooner, in the fish trade."
+
+"Sailor?"
+
+"At sea since I wus twelve. What's this yere bark--Dutch, ain't she?"
+
+"Once upon a time; just now we are flying whatever flag cumes handy.
+We ain't got no prejudice in flags."
+
+"Is thet a gun forrard, covered with taupalin?"
+
+"Yes, an' yer might find another aft, if yer looked fer it. Mor'n
+thet, we know how ter use 'em. Now see here, Gates; thar's no reason
+why we should beat about the bush--fact is we're sea rovers."
+
+"Sea rovers--pirates, sir?"
+
+"Bah! what's a name! We take what we want; it's our trade, that's all.
+No worse than many another. The question is, are yer goin' ter take a
+chance 'long with us? It's the only life, lad--plenty of fun, the best
+of liquor and pretty girls, with a share in all the swag."
+
+"What is the name of this bark?"
+
+"The _Namur_--sailed out o' Rotterdam till we took her."
+
+"Whut wus yer in when ye took her?"
+
+"The _Vengeance_, a three-masted schooner, the fastest thing afloat.
+She's south in West India waters."
+
+"Who's the captain?"
+
+"Silva Sanchez."
+
+"Gawd! Sanchez--not--not 'Black Sanchez?'"
+
+"That's him; so yer've heerd o' 'Black Sanchez?' Well, we're sailin'
+'long with him, all right, mate, an' yer ought ter know whut thet
+means fer a good man."
+
+I hesitated, yet only long enough to leave the impression I sought to
+make on them both.
+
+"Likely thar ain't no sailor but whut has heerd o' him," I said
+slowly. "Enyhow, I sure have. I can't say thet I have any special
+hankerin' after bein' a pirate, an' I never aimed ter be one; but,
+seem' as how I am yere on this bark, an' can't easy get away, it don't
+look like thar wus much choice, does it?"
+
+LeVere appeared amused in his way, which was not a pleasant one.
+
+"Oh, yes, friend, there is choice enough. Bill, here, had exactly the
+same choice when he first came--hey, Bill? Remember how you signed on,
+after we took you off the _Albatross_? This is how it stands,
+Gates--either go forrard quietly yerself, er the both of us will kick
+you there. We never give an order twice on the _Namur_. That will be
+enough talk. If you do your work, all right; and if you don't, then
+look out, my man--there will be plenty of hell waiting for you. Go on,
+now."
+
+It was a curt dismissal, coupled with a plain threat, easy to
+understand. I obeyed the order gladly enough, slinking away into the
+black shadows forward, realizing my good fortune, and seeking some
+spot where I could be alone. The result was all that I could have
+hoped for; my position on board was assured; my story had been
+accepted without awakening the slightest suspicion; and it was
+perfectly clear that no one on board the _Namur_ possessed the
+slightest memory of the personal appearance of the poor fellow who had
+been thrown overboard, and drowned. Even Haines believed me to be the
+man. Of course I should be watched to some extent for a few days, my
+willingness to serve noted, and my ability as a seaman put to the
+test; but in this I had nothing to fear. I could play the assumed
+character with little danger of any mishap. The only remaining peril
+of discovery would come with the return of the absent boat, and the
+necessity of my encountering the giant negro. Yet I was convinced even
+this would not prove serious. If Cochose had glimpsed my features at
+all during the course of our desperate struggle on the deck of the
+sloop, the impression made on his mind must have been merely
+momentary; and, besides, he would never once conceive it possible that
+the same man could have reached the bark ahead of his return. Even if
+such a suspicion dawned, I was now in a position to positively
+establish my arrival aboard the _Namur_ early the evening previous,
+and before their expedition had departed.
+
+I felt so safe, and so content with my success thus far, as to already
+believe thoroughly in the final result of my mission. This confidence
+developed almost into sheer recklessness. There were some difficulties
+ahead, to be sure. I remained sane enough to recognize these, yet I
+had already conquered easily, what at first had appeared
+insurmountable, and, in consequence of this good luck, these others
+yet to be met, seemed far less serious. The same happy fortune which
+had opened the way for me to board the _Namur_ must also intervene to
+aid me in solving future problems. Mine was the philosophy of a
+sailor, to whom peril was but a part of life. All I seemed to require
+now was a sufficiency of courage and faith--the opportunity would be
+given. In this spirit of aroused hope, I continued to stare out into
+the black night, watchfully, the shrouded deck behind me silent, and
+seemingly deserted, except for the steady tramp from rail to rail of
+LeVere, keeping his lonely watch aft. The crew had disappeared, lying
+down no doubt in corners out of the wind. And this wind was certainly
+rising, already attaining a force to be reckoned with, for the boom of
+waves hurled against the bows of the laboring bark, was steadily
+becoming more noticeable, while overhead the ropes sang dismally. I
+wondered that LeVere hung on so long in his perilous position,
+although, in spite of the increased strain, the anchor still clung
+firmly. Quite probably he had received stern orders not to shift from
+his present position until the boat returned, yet surely his judgment
+as a competent seaman, left in command, must make him aware of the
+threatening danger. He would never wreck his vessel merely because he
+had been instructed to remain at that particular spot. It seemed to me
+that no hawser ever made could long withstand the terrific strain of
+our tugging, as the struggling bark rose and fell in the grip of the
+sea. To him must have come the same conviction, for suddenly his
+high-pitched voice sang out from the poop:
+
+"Stand by, forrard, to lower the starboard anchor; move lively, men.
+Everything ready, Haines?"
+
+"All clear, sir. Come on the jump, bullies!"
+
+"Then let go smartly. Watch that you don't get the line fouled. Aloft
+there! Anything in sight, Cavere?"
+
+From high up on the fore-top yard, the answer, blown by the wind, came
+down in broken English:
+
+"Non, M'sieur; I see nottings."
+
+"Well, don't go to sleep; keep both eyes open!"
+
+I had already joined the watch forward, aware only of the numerous
+dim, and shapeless figures about me, busily employed in straightening
+out the kinks in the heavy cable. The number of men on deck was
+evidence of a large crew, there being many more than were necessary
+for the work to be done. Most of them appeared to be able seamen, and
+Haines drove them mercilessly, cursing them for lubbers, and twice
+kicking viciously at a stooping form. There was no talking, only the
+growl of an occasional oath, the slapping of the hawser on deck, and
+the sharp orders of Haines. Then the great rope began to slip swiftly
+through the hawse hole, and we heard the sharp splash as the iron
+flukes struck the water, and sank. Almost at that same instant the
+voice of Cavere rang out from the mast-head:
+
+"A sail, M'sieur--a sail!"
+
+"Where away?"
+
+"Off ze port quarter. I make eet to be ze leetle boat--she just round
+ze point"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+THE RETURN OF THE BOAT
+
+
+Receiving no other orders, the moment all was secure, the crew eager
+to welcome back the boat party, and learn the news, hurried over to
+the port rail. Beyond doubt most of those aboard realized that this
+had been an expedition of some importance, the culmination of their
+long wait on the coast, part of some scheme of their chief, in the
+spoils of which they expected to share. It was for this end they had
+been inactive for weeks, hiding and skulking along shore; now they
+hoped to reap their reward in gold and silver, and then be permitted
+to return to the wilder, more adventurous life they loved on the high
+seas. Moreover this boat approaching through the darkness was bringing
+back their leader, and however else they might feel toward him, the
+reckless daring, and audacious resourcefulness of Sanchez meant
+success. These fellows, the scum of the seven seas, whom he had
+gathered about him, might hate and fear, yet were glad to follow. They
+had learned on many a bloody deck the merit of their chief, and in
+their way were loyal to him.
+
+I was made to comprehend all this by the low, muttered utterances of
+those crowding near me, spoken in nearly every language of the world.
+Much I could not even translate, yet enough reached my ears to
+convince me of the temper of the crew--their feverish eagerness to be
+again at sea, under command of a captain whom they both hated and
+feared, yet whom they would follow to the very gates of hell. Even as
+they cursed him with hot oaths, in memory of some act of discipline,
+there came into their voices a tinge of admiration, which furnished me
+an accurate etching of the man. They knew him, these hell-hounds of
+the sea, and from out their mouths I knew him also for what he was--a
+cruel, cold-blooded monster, yet a genius in crime, and a natural
+leader of such men as these. _Black Sanchez!_ All the unspeakable
+horror which in the past had clung to that name came back again to
+haunt me; I seemed to hear once more the tales of men who had escaped
+from his grip alive; to see again the scenes they had witnessed. It
+could not seem possible that I was actually upon one of his ships, in
+the very midst of his wild crew. I listened to their comments, their
+expectations, with swiftly beating heart. I alone knew what that boat
+was bringing. And when it arrived, and they knew also, what would
+these sea wolves say? What would they do? What would be the result
+when the dead body of their leader came up over the rail?
+
+For a few moments we could perceive nothing through the black night.
+The clouds were rolling low, thickened by vapor, and the increasing
+wind had already beaten the waves into crests of foam. We could hear
+them crash against the stout sides of the bark, which leaped to their
+impetus, yet was held in helpless captivity by the two anchors. The
+deck under foot tossed dizzily, the bare masts swaying above, while
+our ears could distinguish the sullen roar of breakers tumbling up on
+the sand just astern. Overhead ropes rattled noisily, the sound
+mingling with the flapping ends of loosened sails beating against the
+yards. LeVere shouted an order, and a sudden flare was lighted
+amidships, the circle of flame illumining a part of the deck, and
+spreading out over the wild expanse of water. The seaman holding the
+blazing torch aloft, and thrusting it forth across the rail, took on
+the appearance of a black statue, as motionless as though carved from
+ebony, while in the gleam the various groups of men became visible,
+lined up along the port bulwarks, all staring in the one direction,
+eagerly seeking a first glimpse of the approaching craft.
+
+Scarcely had a minute elapsed before it came sweeping into the radius
+of light--at first a dim, spectral shadow, scarcely to be recognized;
+then, almost as suddenly, revealed in all its details--a boat of size,
+flying toward us under a lug sail, standing out hard as a board,
+keeling well over, and topping the sea swells like a bird on wing.
+'Twas a beautiful sight as the craft came sweeping on before the full
+weight of the wind, out from that background of gloom into the yellow
+glare of the torch, circling widely so as to more safely approach the
+bark's quarter. LeVere called for men to stand by, the fellows rushing
+past me to their stations, but, in the fascination of the moment, I
+failed to move. I could do nothing but stare out across the
+intervening water, with eyes fastened on that swiftly approaching
+boat. I must see. I must know the message it brought; what story it
+held of the tragedy. At first I could only barely distinguish the
+figures of those aboard, yet these gradually assumed recognizable
+form, and finally the faces also became dimly visible. Manuel held the
+tiller, with Estada seated beside him, leaning forward, and
+gesticulating with one hand, as he directed the course. I had never
+seen these two, yet I knew them beyond a doubt. Mendez and Anderson
+(at least I supposed these to be the two) were poised at the sail
+halliards, ready to let the straining sheet down at a run, while
+Cochose crouched low in the bow, his black hand uplifted, gripping a
+coil of rope. Their faces were all turned forward, lighted by the
+flare from our deck, and I felt a shudder of fear run over me--no
+expression on any countenance spoke of defeat; even the ugly features
+of the negro beamed with delight.
+
+But was that all? Was that all? Surely not, yet the boat had to leap
+forward, and then turn broadside too, as it swept aft toward the main
+chains, before I succeeded in seeing what remained partially concealed
+between the thwarts in its bottom. Forward of the single mast was
+stowed the chest, which Travers' slaves had borne with such care up
+the bluff; while in the open space between the helmsman and the two
+sailors were stretched two motionless bodies. LeVere, gripping a
+stay-rope, and leaning well out, hailed in Spanish.
+
+"Ahoy, the boat--there is not too much sea? You can make it?"
+
+"Ay!" came back Estada's voice, swept aside by the wind, yet still
+audible. "Stand by to fend us off. Call all hands, and break anchor as
+soon as we are aboard."
+
+"Very well, sir. Where is Captain Sanchez?"
+
+Estada pointed downward in swift, expressive gesture.
+
+"Here at my feet--badly hurt, but will recover. Send two men down to
+help when we make fast. Now, Cochose--let go of your rope; watch out
+above!"
+
+I stood, gripping hard at the rail, and staring down at the scene
+below, as the men in the boat made fast. I felt paralyzed, and
+helpless, unable to move. I had no business to remain there; every
+prospect of security depended on my joining the crew, but it was not
+in my power to desert my position. I could hear the hurrying feet of
+the watch tramping across the deck in response to LeVere's orders; the
+heavy pounding of a marling-spike on the forecastle hatch, as Haines
+called for all hands. I was aware that men were already mounting the
+ratlines, and laying out on the upper yards to make sail, while the
+capstan bars began rattling. Yet only one thought gripped me--_Sanchez
+was not dead_! I had believed he was; I had staked all on his death as
+a certainty. But instead, the man was lying there in the boat,
+helpless at present, sorely wounded perhaps, yet still alive. Estada
+even said he would surely recover. And that other body? That of
+Dorothy Fairfax, without doubt, yet certainly not lifeless. Those
+fellows would surely never bring back to the _Namur_ the useless, dead
+form of one of their victims. That was unthinkable, impossible. If
+their prisoner was the girl--and who else could it be?--she remained
+alive, helplessly bound to prevent either struggle, or outcry, and
+destined to a fate far worse than death.
+
+This revelation struck me like a blow. I had anticipated the possible
+capture of the young woman, but not the return of Sanchez. His living
+overthrew all my plans. There was no hope in the narrow confines of
+the ship for me to remain long out of his sight, once he became able
+again to reach the deck. And he would instantly recognize me in any
+guise. Every hope of rescue had vanished, every faith that I could be
+of aid. My own life hung in the balance--nay, rather, my doom was
+already sealed. There, seemingly was but one chance for escape
+left--that was to drop silently overboard, amid the confusion of
+getting under way, and make the desperate attempt to reach shore
+unseen before the crew could lift anchor, and set sail. This
+possibility came to me, yet I continued to cling there, dazed and
+helpless, staring dully down, lacking both physical and mental energy
+to put the wild scheme into execution. God, no! that would be the
+craven act of a coward. Better far to stay, and kill, or even be
+killed, than to be forever cursed by my own conscience. The fellow
+might die; some fatal accident befall the _Namur_; why a hundred
+things might occur before Sanchez was capable of resuming command, or
+could attempt any serious injury to Dorothy.
+
+The fellows sent down from the main chains to the boat brought the
+injured Captain up first. This required the services of three men, his
+body hanging limp between them, his upturned face showing ghastly in
+the flaming of the torch thrust out over the rail. To every appearance
+it was apparently a corpse they handled, except for their tenderness,
+and a single groan to which the white lips gave utterance, when one of
+the bearers slipped, wrenching the wounded body with a sharp pang of
+pain. Once safely on deck, the three bore him across to the after
+cabin, in which a swinging lantern had been lighted, and was by then
+burning brightly, and disappeared down the steps. My eyes followed
+every movement, as I forgot for the instant the boat and its occupants
+still tossing alongside on the waters below. As I turned back,
+awakened by some cry, I saw that Estada had already swung himself up
+into the chains, while Anderson and Mendez were lifting the girl to
+her feet, and rather roughly urging her forward. Her hands and limbs
+had been set free, but she swayed back and forth in the grasp of the
+two men, as though unable to support herself alone, her face upturned
+into the flare of light, as she gazed in terror at the black side of
+the bark towering above. Her eyes reflected all the unutterable horror
+which for the moment dominated her mind, while her loosened hair,
+disarranged by struggle, only served to intensify the pallor of her
+face. Yet in spite of this evident despair, there was still strength
+and defiance in the firm closing of her lips, and her efforts to stand
+alone, uncontaminated by the touch of the sailors' hands.
+
+"Hustle her along lively, boys," shouted back Estada coarsely. "If she
+won't move, give her a shove. Then tie her up again, and take the turn
+of a rope 'round her. What do you think this is--a queen's reception?
+Move lively, Senorita," in mock sarcasm.
+
+Her gaze settled on him, where he hung far out, grasping a backstay,
+watching the movements below, and her slender form straightened as by
+the acquisition of new strength.
+
+"If these creatures will take their hands off me," she said, using
+their tongue without a tremor in the clear voice. "I can easily go up
+alone. What is it you are so afraid of--a woman?"
+
+The expression of Estada's face promised an outburst of profanity,
+but, instead of giving it utterance, he lifted his cap in a sudden
+pretense at gallantry.
+
+"Your pardon, Senorita," he said in a tone of humble mockery. "If you
+have come to your senses at last, it is well. No one can be happier
+than I. Leave her alone, men. Now, my beauty, I am taking you at your
+own word--a step, and then the protection of my hand. We welcome you,
+as a guest aboard."
+
+A moment and she had attained the deck. Where she stood I could no
+longer see her face, yet she remained there silent and motionless,
+rather stiffly erect as she faced him. Frightened, and helpless as she
+was, yet her very posture seemed to express the detestation she felt
+for the man. But Estada, apparently pleased with his performance thus
+far, chose to continue playing the fool.
+
+"Thanks, Senorita--thanks," he began softly, and again bowing before
+her, cap in hand. "We greet you with due honor aboard the _Namur_--"
+
+"Enough of that, you coward, you murderer," she broke in coldly. "Do
+not touch nor speak to me."
+
+She turned her back on him, thus coming face to face with LeVere, who
+stood enjoying the scene, a wide grin on his dark face, revealing a
+row of white teeth under a jet-black moustache.
+
+"You, sir--you are an officer?"
+
+"I have charge of the deck."
+
+"Then where am I to go?"
+
+The mulatto, surprised by the sudden question, glanced inquiringly
+toward Estada, who had already completely lost his sense of humor.
+
+"Go!" the latter growled. "Where is she to go? Why send the wench
+below. I'll see to her later, and teach her who is the master here.
+She will not queen it long on these decks, I warrant you. Off with her
+now, but be back quickly." He leaned out over the rail, sending his
+gruff voice below. "Send up that chest, you men--careful now not to
+let it drop overboard. Yes, that's better. Hook on the boat, Manuel,
+and let her drag; we must get out of here in a hurry. All ready,
+aloft?"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+"Then sheet home; how is it forrard?"
+
+"Both anchors apeak, sir."
+
+"Smartly done--hard down with your helm there! That's it; now let her
+play off slowly."
+
+He must have caught sight of me through the gloom, for he strode
+furiously forward, giving utterance to a bristling Spanish oath. All
+the savage brutality of his nature had been brought to the surface by
+Dorothy's stinging words, and he sought now some fit opportunity to
+give it vent. Before I could move, he had gripped me by the collar,
+and swung me about, so that the light streaming out from the cabin
+fell directly on my face.
+
+"What the devil are you doing, loafing aft here?" he demanded roughly,
+staring into my eyes. "Didn't you hear the orders, you damned shirker?
+I've seen you hanging about for ten minutes, never lifting a hand. Who
+the hell are you anyhow--the captain?"
+
+"Joe Gates, sir."
+
+"Gates--another damned Englishman! How did you ever get aboard here?"
+
+It was the returning LeVere who made explanation before I could reply.
+
+"Manuel brought him on board last night. Picked him up drunk ashore."
+
+Estada's ugly eyes roved from face to face, as though he failed to
+fully comprehend.
+
+"Well, does he imagine he is going to be a passenger? Why hasn't he
+been taught his place before this? It's about time, LeVere, for this
+drunken sailor to be given a lesson to last him for awhile; and, by
+God, if you won't do it, I will. Step over here, Gates."
+
+I took the necessary step forward, and faced him, expecting the rabid
+tongue lashing, which I rather felt I deserved.
+
+"Now, my man, do you know what this bark is?"
+
+"I think so, sir--Mister LeVere explained that to me."
+
+"Oh, he did? Well, he must have failed to make clear the fact that we
+enforce discipline aboard. The next time you neglect to jump at an
+order, you are going to taste the cat. You understand me? You speak
+Spanish?"
+
+"Yes, sir; I lived two years in Cuba."
+
+"I see; well now, do you happen to have any idea who I am?"
+
+"No, sir--only that you are one of the officers."
+
+"Then I will enforce the information on your mind so that you are not
+liable to forget; also the fact that hereafter you are to jump when I
+speak. I am the first officer, and in command at present. Pedro Estada
+is my name. Now, you damned English whelp, remember that!"
+
+Before I even suspected what was coming, his unexpected action as
+swift as the leap of a poised tiger, he struck me fairly between the
+eyes with the butt of a pistol, and I went down sprawling onto the
+deck. For a moment I seemed, in spite of the viciousness of the blow,
+to retain a spark of consciousness, for I knew he kicked me savagely
+with his heavy sea boots; I felt the pain, and even heard the words,
+and curses, accompanying each brutal stroke.
+
+"You drunken dog! You whelp of a sea wolf! You English cur! Take
+that--damn you! And that! You'll not forget me for awhile, That's
+it--squirm, I like to see it. When you wake up again, you'll remember
+Pedro Estada, How did that feel, you grunting pig? Here, LeVere,
+Manuel, throw this sot into the forecastle. Curse you, here is one
+more to jog your memory."
+
+The heavy, iron-shod boot landed full in my face, and every sensation
+left me as I sank limply back, bloody and unconscious.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+A FRIEND IN THE FORECASTLE
+
+
+I slowly and regretfully opened my eyes, aroused perhaps by a
+trampling of feet on the deck above, to find myself lying in an upper
+bunk of the forecastle. I was partially covered by a ragged blanket,
+but for a few moments remained unable to comprehend the situation. Yet
+the vivid memory soon returned, stimulated no doubt by the continuous
+aching of my body where Estada had so brutally kicked me with his
+heavy boots. The first recollection of that assault brought with it a
+dull anger, strangely commingled with a thought of Dorothy Fairfax,
+and a sense of my own duty. The heavy rolling of the bark clearly
+evidenced that we were already at sea, and bucking against a high
+wind. Occasionally a monster wave broke over the cats-head, and struck
+thunderingly on the deck above me, the whole vessel trembling to the
+shock. Oilskins hung to the deck beams, swung here and there at
+strange angles, while the single slush lantern dangled back and forth
+like the pendulum of a clock.
+
+It was a dark, dismal, smelly interior, amply large enough, but ill
+ventilated, and inexpressibly dirty. Every stench under heaven seemed
+to assail my nostrils, so compounded together, as to be separately
+indistinguishable, although that of stale bilge water strongly
+predominated. The only semblance of fresh air found entrance through
+the small, square scuttle hole, attainable by means of a short ladder,
+and staring up at this, I was able to perceive the light of day,
+although so little penetrated below, the swaying slush light alone
+served to illumine the place, and render its horrors visible. It was
+day then, and we were well out at sea. I must have been lying
+unconscious for several hours. In all probability, finding it
+impossible to arouse me, the brutes had finally left me alone, to
+either recover, or die, as fate willed. I rested back, feeling of the
+numerous bruises on my body, and touching gingerly the dried blood
+caked on my face. No very serious damage seemed to have been done, for
+I could move without great pain, although every muscle and tendon
+appeared to be strained and lacerated. My head had cleared also from
+its earlier sensation of dullness, the brain actively taking up its
+work. Clinching my teeth to keep back a groan, I succeeded in sitting
+upright, my head touching the upper deck, as I undertook to survey my
+surroundings. They were gloomy and dismal enough. The forecastle, in
+true Dutch style, had been built directly into the bows, so that the
+bunks, arranged three tiers high, formed a complete half circle. The
+single lantern, flickering and flaring as it swung constantly to the
+sharp pitching of the vessel, cast grotesque shadows, and failed
+entirely to penetrate the corners. The deck below me was littered with
+chests, sea boots, and odds and ends of clothing, while farther aft
+considerable water had found entrance through the scuttle hole, and
+was slushing back and forth as the bark rolled. About half the bunks
+seemed to be occupied, the figures of the sleeping men barely
+discernible, although their heavy breathing evidenced their presence,
+and added to the babel of sound. Every bolt and beam creaked and
+groaned in the ceaseless struggle with the sea.
+
+The bunk in which I had awakened was situated almost at the apex of
+the half circle, so that I had a clear view of the wider open space.
+Those beneath me contained no occupants, nor, at first, could I
+distinguish any in the tier directly opposite. Evidently the watch off
+duty preferred to seek their rest as far away as possible from those
+waves pounding against the bow. However, as I sat there, staring about
+at this scene, and uncertain as to what my next move should be, there
+was a stir within the upper berth on my own level, and a moment later,
+an uplifted face appeared suddenly in the yellow flare of light. It
+was manifestly an English face at first glance, rosy of cheek, with
+chestnut beard, and light, tousled hair. A pair of humorous, gray eyes
+surveyed me silently, and then, apparently satisfied by the scrutiny,
+the owner sat up in the bunk, revealing powerful shoulders, and a
+round, bull neck.
+
+"Ahoy, mate," he said pleasantly, endeavoring to speak low, the effort
+resembling the growl of a bear. "How do you feel--pretty sore?"
+
+"Ache from head to foot," I answered, immediately feeling his
+friendliness. "But no harm done."
+
+"I saw part of it. The damn black brute kicked savagely enough, but at
+that you're lucky; it's the Spanish style to use a knife. I've seen
+that cock slash a man into ribbons for nothing at all--just to show he
+was bad. Haines tells me your name is Gates, and that you are
+English."
+
+"That's right; I shipped first out of Bristol."
+
+"So did I, mate--twenty years ago though, and I never went back since.
+My name is Tom Watkins. Let's shake; there is quite a sprinkling of us
+Britishers aboard, and we ought to hang together."
+
+He put out a big, hairy fist, and I gripped it heartily, decidedly
+liking the man as his eyes frankly met mine. He appeared honest and
+square, a fine type of the English seaman.
+
+"Tom Watkins, you said. May I ask if you were out on the bow-sprit
+along with Haines last night?"
+
+"Just afore the long-boat come in? Yes, we were there."
+
+"Well, I was down below, hanging to the cable, and overheard you two
+talking together. Somehow, Watkins, you do not seem to me to fit in
+exactly with this gang of pirates; you don't look to be that sort. How
+long have you been with them?"
+
+He glanced about warily, lowering his voice until it became a hoarse
+whisper.
+
+"Three years, mate, and most of that time has been hell. I haven't
+even been ashore, but once, and that was on an island. These fellows
+don't put any trust in my kind, nor give them any chance to cut and
+run. Once in awhile a lad does get away, but most of them are caught;
+and those that are sure get their punishment. They never try it again.
+I've seen them staked out on the sand, and left to die; that ain't no
+nice thing to remember."
+
+"But how did you come into it?"  "Like most of the rest. I was second
+mate of the _Ranger_, a Glasgow brig. We loaded with sugar at
+Martinique, for London. These fellows overhauled us at daybreak about
+a hundred miles off the east end of Cuba. They had a swift schooner,
+and five guns, one a Long Tom. All we had to fight them with was about
+fifteen men, and two brass carronades. Our skipper was Scotch, and he
+put up some fight, but it wasn't any use. There was only three of us
+left alive when the pirates came aboard. One of these died two days
+later, and another was washed overboard and drowned down in the Gulf.
+I am all that is left of the _Ranger_."
+
+"You saved your life by taking on?"
+
+"Sanchez had the two of us, who were able to stand, back in his cabin.
+He put it to us straight. He said it was up to us whether we signed
+up, or walked the plank; and he didn't appear to care a damn which we
+chose. The cold-blooded devil meant it too, for he was raging mad at
+getting only five hundred pounds off the brig. Well, Jack and I looked
+at each other--and then we signed."
+
+"And you say others of this crew have been obtained in the same
+manner?" I questioned, deeply interested, and perceiving in this a ray
+of hope.
+
+"Not exactly--no, I wouldn't precisely say that. It's true, perhaps,
+that most of the Britishers were forced to join in about the same way
+I was, and there may be a Scandinavian, or two, with a few Dutch, to
+be counted in that list; but the most of these cusses are pirates from
+choice. It's their trade, and they like it. Sanchez only aims to keep
+hold of a few good men, because he has got to have sailors; but most
+of his crew are nothing but plain cut-throats."
+
+"Where does he find them?"
+
+"Where? Why the West Indies are full of such devils; been breeding
+them down there for two hundred years---Indians and half-breeds,
+niggers, Creoles, Portuguese, Spanish, and every damned mongrel you
+ever heard of. Sanchez himself is half French. The hell-hound who
+kicked you is a Portugee, and LeVere is more nigger than anything
+else. I'll bet there is a hundred rats on board this _Namur_ right now
+who'd cut your throat for a sovereign, and never so much as think of
+it again."
+
+"A hundred? Is there that many aboard?"
+
+"A hundred an' thirty all told. Most o' 'em bunk amidships. They're
+not sailormen, but just cut-throats, an' sea wolves. Yer ought ter see
+'em swarm out on deck, like hungry rats, when thar's a fight comin'.
+It's all they're good fer."
+
+"Watkins," I said soberly, after a pause during which he spat on the
+dirty deck to thus better express his feelings "do you mean to say
+that in three years you've had no chance to escape? No opportunity to
+get away?"
+
+"Not a chance, mate; no more will you. The only place I've put foot
+ashore has been Porto Grande, where we run in to refit. That's a worse
+hell than the ship itself."
+
+"But Haines goes ashore; he was with Manuel's boat yesterday."
+
+The big fellow laughed grimly.
+
+"Bill rather likes the job, an' they know it. He's a boatswain, an'
+gets a big share of the swag. He's the only Britisher aboard who
+wouldn't cut and run in a minute; besides he's got a girl at Porto
+Grande."
+
+"And that fellow Anderson who was with Estada?"
+
+"The lowest kind of a Swede cur--he'll do more dirt than a Portugee. I
+know what yer thinkin' 'bout. I had them notions too when I fu'st come
+aboard--gettin' all the decent sort tergether, and takin' the vessel.
+'Twon't work; thar ain't 'nough who wud risk it, and if thar wus, yer
+couldn't get 'em tergether. Sanchez is too damn smart fer thet. Every
+damn rat is a spy. I ain't hed no such talk as this afore in six
+months, Gates; the last time cost me twenty lashes at the mast-butt."
+
+"Is there any chance of our being overheard now?"
+
+"No; these near bunks are all empty, an' the damn noise drowns our
+voices. What'd yer have in your mind, mate?"
+
+"Only this, Watkins. I've got to do something, and believe I can trust
+you. You are a square English seaman, probably the only one aboard I
+can repose confidence in. I don't blame you for sticking, for I
+suppose likely I'd do the same if I was in your case. But I
+ain't--it's not my life I'm thinking about, but that of a woman."
+
+He stared at me across the narrow space separating our bunks, the
+shadows from the swinging lantern giving his features a strange
+expression.
+
+"A woman! Hell, lad; not the one brought aboard last night?"
+
+"Exactly; now listen--I'm going to tell you my story, and ask your
+help. Do you know what Estada went after in the long-boat?"
+
+"Well, there's been plenty o' talk. The cook brought us some stories
+he heard aft, an' we knew we wus driftin' along the coast, waitin' fer
+Sanchez ter cum back. I suppose he'd got onto some English gold--in
+that chest they slung aboard, wasn't it?"
+
+"Yes; that was the main object. My name is not Gates, at all, and I am
+not the man Mendez brought aboard drunk, and who was thrown over the
+rail by LeVere. That fellow was drowned."
+
+"Well, by God!"
+
+"I am Geoffry Carlyle, an English skipper. There has been a revolution
+in England, in which I became involved. When the attempt failed, I was
+taken prisoner and deported to America for twenty years servitude. I
+came over with a bunch of others on the same ship with Sanchez."
+
+"The _Romping Betsy_?"
+
+"Yes. There was a rich planter, and his niece also aboard. He was
+coming home with a chest of money--fifty thousand pounds--realized
+from a big sale of tobacco in London, and the young woman was
+returning from attending school in England. Sanchez was aboard to gain
+possession of both."
+
+Watkins nodded, too deeply interested in the narrative to interrupt.
+
+"He pretended to be of the Spanish nobility, an ex-naval officer, and
+tried all the way over to make love to this Dorothy Fairfax. He got
+along all right with the uncle, and was invited to visit him, but the
+girl was not so easy. He must have had it all planned out how he was
+to get the gold, Fairfax carried--that was what the _Namur_ was
+waiting for--and when he found that the young woman could not be won
+by fair means, he decided to take her by force."
+
+"It's not the first time for the black-hearted devil. But how did you
+happen to come along?"
+
+"Fairfax bought me to run his sloop. Perhaps it was the girl who won
+him over. Anyhow this arrangement angered Sanchez, and we had words.
+You know the rest, or, at least, the main facts. Sanchez and the boat
+crew held rendezvous at the first landing up the Bay. It was
+prearranged, but it was my fortune to meet the Captain alone on shore
+in the dark, where we fought."
+
+"It was you then who drove the knife in? God!" excitedly, "but I would
+give ten years for such a chance. Ay, and, they say, you came within
+an eighth of an inch of sending him to hell."
+
+"I knew not where I struck; 'twas a death struggle in the dark. I
+thought him dead when I left him, and ran to warn the others. But for
+this I was too late. The moment I set foot on the sloop's deck it was
+to close in battle with the big negro."
+
+"Cochose? He saw you then?"
+
+"No, only as a shape. He can have no better memory of me, than I of
+him. We fought as demons, until his giant strength forced me over the
+rail. He has no knowledge that I ever rose again."
+
+"And then--what?"
+
+"Oblivion; nothing. Only what I saw in the return of the boat tells me
+what followed. I came back to consciousness in a small dory, afloat on
+the Bay, with but one thought in my mind--to save the girl. How? It
+was too late to return, even had I known the way; but I could come
+here, to this ship. So here I came."
+
+"But how, in advance of those in the long-boat?"
+
+"By cutting across the point; the coast to the north is a wide circle.
+Besides the discovery of Sanchez sorely wounded left the others
+without a leader. Fairfax and his niece together with the treasure,
+were in Travers' house, at top of the bluff. They had to carry out an
+attack there, which probably meant more fighting. What really happened
+there, of course, I do not know."
+
+"It can be easily imagined," said Watkins soberly. "Estada has no
+mercy; he is a born devil. I have seen him kill just for the pleasure
+of it. With Sanchez to avenge he would be an unleashed demon. But it
+is not the fate of those men to consider now; it is what will befall
+this girl prisoner. You have no plan?"
+
+"None; to become a member of the crew was my only thought. But I must
+act, if at all, before the Captain recovers. He would recognize me at
+sight. You will aid, advise me?"
+
+The sailor sat silent; the former expression of humor in his face
+vanished.
+
+"That is easier to ask, than answer, mate," he admitted finally. "I am
+an English seaman, and will do my duty, but, so far as I can see,
+there is no plan we can make. It is God who will save the girl, if she
+is to be saved. He may use us to that end, but it is wholly beyond our
+power to accomplish it alone. The only thing I can do is to sound out
+the men aboard, and learn just what we can expect of them if any
+opportunity to act comes. There are not more than a dozen at most to
+be relied upon."
+
+"And my part?"
+
+"Do nothing at present. Play your part, and keep quiet. If you can let
+her know of your presence aboard without discovery it might be
+best--for if she saw you suddenly, unprepared, she might say or do
+something to betray you. There are other reasons why it may be best
+for her to know she is not entirely deserted."
+
+He leaned over, motioning me toward him, until his lips were at my
+ear.
+
+"It may not prove as hopeless as it appears now," he whispered
+confidentially. "I helped carry Sanchez to his stateroom, and washed
+and dressed his wound. There is no surgeon aboard, but I have some
+skill in such matters. He has a bad cut, and is very weak from loss of
+blood. The question of our success hinges on Pedro Estada."
+
+"What he will do, you mean?"
+
+"Yes; this is a chance which I happen to know he has long been waiting
+for. The only question is, has he the nerve to act. I doubt if he has
+alone, but LeVere is with him, and that half-breed would cut the
+throat of his best friend. You understand?--the death of Sanchez would
+make Estada chief. The two men hate each other--why not? There was a
+plan before which failed; this time it may not fail."
+
+"But," I interposed, "in that case what would the crew do?"
+
+"Accept Estada, no doubt; at least the cut-throats would be with him,
+for he is of their sort. All they care for is blood and booty. But
+Sanchez's death would save you from discovery, and," his voice still
+lower, so that I barely distinguished the words, "in the confusion
+aboard, if we were ready, the _Namur_ might be so disabled as to
+compel them to run her ashore for repairs. That would give you a
+chance. If once we reach Porto Grande there is no hope."
+
+A marling-spike pounded on the scuttle, and Haines' voice roared down.
+
+"Port watch! Hustle out bullies!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+I ACCEPT A PROPOSAL
+
+
+I went on deck with the watch, and mingled with them forward. No one
+in authority took any particular notice of me, and I was permitted to
+take hold with the others at the various tasks. A Portuguese boatswain
+asked me who I was, and later reported my presence to LeVere, who had
+charge of the deck, but the only result was my being set at polishing
+the gun mounted on the forecastle. The mulatto did not come forward,
+and I rejoiced at having my status aboard so easily settled, and being
+permitted to remain in the same watch with Watkins.
+
+It was a dull gray morning, the gloominess of the overhanging clouds
+reflected in the water. Men on lookout were stationed in the fore-top
+and on the heads, yet the sharpest eyes could scarcely see beyond a
+half mile in any direction. The sea came at us in great ocean swells,
+but the stout bark fought a passage through them, shivering with each
+blow, yet driven forward on her course by half-reefed sails, standing
+hard as boards in the sweep of the steady gale. Two men struggled at
+the wheel, and there were times when LeVere paused in his promenade
+from rail to rail to give them a helping hand. His anxiety was
+evidenced by his hailing the mast-head every few moments, only to
+receive each time the same response. The mist failed to lift, but
+seemed to shut us in more closely with every hour, the wind growing
+continually more boisterous, but LeVere held on grimly. I was kept at
+the guns during the entire time of our watch. Besides the Long Tom
+forward, a vicious piece, two swivel guns were on each side,
+completely concealed by the thick bulwarks, and to be fired through
+ports, so ingeniously closed as to be imperceptible a few yards away.
+All these pieces of ordnance were kept covered by tarpaulin so that at
+a little distance the _Namur of Rotterdam_ appeared like a peaceful
+Dutch trader.
+
+There was a brass carronade at the stern in plain view, and so mounted
+as to be swung inboard in case of necessity. Its ugly muzzle could
+thus rake the deck fore and aft, but the presence of such a piece
+would create no suspicion in those days when every ship was armed for
+defense, and consequently no effort was made for its concealment. I
+was busily at work on this bit of ordnance, when Estada came on deck
+for a moment. After staring aloft, and about the horizon into the
+impenetrable mist, he joined LeVere at the port rail in a short
+earnest conversation. As the two worthies parted the fellow chanced to
+observe me. I caught the quick look of recognition in his eyes, but
+bent to my work as though indifferent to his presence, yet failed to
+escape easily.
+
+"You must be a pretty tough bird, Gates," he said roughly, "or I would
+have killed you last night--I had the mind too."
+
+Something about his voice and manner led me to feel that, in spite of
+his roughness, he was not in bad humor.
+
+"That would have been a mistake, sir," I answered, straightening up,
+rag in hand, "for it would have cost you a good seaman."
+
+"Hoila! they are easily picked up; one, more or less, counts for
+little in these seas."
+
+He looked at me searchingly, for the first time perhaps, actually
+noting my features. In spite of my dirty, disheveled appearance and
+the bruises disfiguring my face, this scrutiny must have aroused his
+curiosity.
+
+"Why do you say that, my man?" he questioned sharply. "You were before
+the mast and drifted aboard here because you were drunk--isn't that
+true?"
+
+"Partially, yes. It was drink that put me before the mast." I
+explained, rejoicing in his mood, and suddenly hoping such a statement
+might help my status aboard. "Three years ago I was skipper on my own
+vessel. It was Rum ruined me."
+
+"Saint Christopher! Do you mean to say you can read charts, and take
+observations?"
+
+I smiled, encouraged by his surprise, and the change in his tone.
+
+"Yes, sir; I saw ten years' service as mate."
+
+"What was your last ship?"
+
+"The _Bombay Castle_, London to Hong Kong; I wrecked her off Cape
+Mendez in a fog. I was drunk below, and it cost me my ticket."
+
+"You know West Indian waters?"
+
+"Slightly; I made two voyages to Panama, and one to Havana."
+
+"And speak Spanish?"
+
+"A little bit, sir, as you see; I learn languages easily."
+
+He stared straight into my face, but, without uttering another word,
+turned on his heel and went below. Whether, or not, I had made an
+impression on the fellow I did not know. His face was a mask perfectly
+concealing his thought. That he had appeared interested enough to
+question me had in it a measure of encouragement. He would surely
+remember, and sometime he might have occasion to make use of me. At
+least I would no longer remain in his mind as a mere foremast hand to
+be kicked about, and spoken to like a dog. I went back to my polishing
+of brass in a more cheerful mood--perhaps this would prove the first
+step leading to my greater future liberty on the _Namur_. I had
+finished my labor on the carronade, and was fastening down securely
+the tarpaulin, when a thin, stoop-shouldered fellow, with a hang-dog
+face crept up the ladder to the poop, and shuffled over to where
+LeVere was gazing out over the rail, oblivious to his approach.
+
+"Mister LeVere, sir," he spoke apologetically, his voice no more than
+a wisp of sound.
+
+The mulatto wheeled about startled.
+
+"Oh, it's you! Well, what is it, Gunsaules?"
+
+"Senor Estada, sir; he wishes to see a sailor named Gates in the
+cabin."
+
+"Who? Gates? Oh, yes, the new man." He swept his eyes about, until he
+saw me. "Gates is your name, isn't it?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Follow the steward below; Senor Estada wishes to see you--go just as
+you are."
+
+"Very good, sir--is this the steward?"
+
+The fellow led the way, amusing me by the peculiar manner in which
+his long legs clung to the ladder, and then wobbled about on the
+rolling deck until he attained the protection of the companion-way. A
+half dozen broad, uncarpeted steps led down into the after cabin,
+which was plain and practically without furniture, except for a bare
+table suspended from the upper beams and a few chairs securely resting
+in chocks. The deck was bare, but had been thoroughly scrubbed, the
+water not entirely dried, and forward there was a rack of small arms,
+the polished steel shining in the gray light of the transom overhead.
+The Dutch character of the bark was very apparent here, in the
+excessively heavy deck beams, and the general gloom of the interior,
+finished off in dark wood and ornamented with carved paneling. Filled
+with wonderment as to why I had been sent for, I halted at the foot of
+the steps gazing about the dreary interior, surprised at its positive
+dinginess. There were evidently six staterooms opening on the main
+cabin, and these must be little more than boxes to judge from the
+breadth of the vessel. What was farther aft I could not determine
+because of a lack of light, but as no stern ports were visible, it was
+to be assumed that this gave space for two more larger staterooms
+directly astern--occupied probably by the Captain and his first
+officer. There was no one in the main cabin, although a cat lay asleep
+on one of the chairs, and after a moment's hesitancy, I followed the
+beckoning steward, who rapped with his knuckles on one of the side
+doors. Estada's voice answered.
+
+"Who is it?"
+
+"Gunsaules, Senor; I have with me the sailor."  "Open the door, and
+let him in; I would see him here. Come inside, Gates." His eyes
+surveyed us both in the narrow opening. "That will be all Juan; no one
+is to be admitted until I tell you--and, 'twill be well for you to
+remain by the stairs on guard, you understand?"
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"Another thing," sternly, "don't let me catch you listening outside
+the door; if I do God have mercy on you."
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+I stepped inside, doubtful enough of what all this might mean, yet
+quite prepared to accept of any chance it might offer. Gunsaules
+closed the door softly, but I had already visioned the apartment in
+all its details. It was small, and nearly square, a swinging lantern
+in the center, a single bunk on one side, and a small table on the
+other, screwed to the wall, and covered with charts and various
+papers. A few books were upon a shelf above this, and a sea chest was
+shoved under the bunk. Some oilskins, together with a suit of clothes
+dangled from wooden pins, while the only other furniture consisted of
+a straight-backed chair, and a four-legged stool. The round port stood
+partly open, and through it I could see the gray expanse of water.
+
+All these I perceived at a glance, but the instant the door closed
+behind me my entire attention concentrated on Estada. He sat upright
+in the chair gazing straight at me, his own face clearly revealed in
+the light from the open port. It seemed to me I was looking at the man
+for the first time, and it was not a pleasant picture. His face was
+swarthy, long and thin, with hard, set lips under a long, intensely
+black moustache, his cheeks strangely crisscrossed by lines. The nose
+was large, distinctively Roman, yielding him a hawklike appearance,
+but it was his eyes which fascinated me. They were dark, and deeply
+set, absolute wells of cruelty. I had never before seen such eyes in
+the face of a human being; they were beastly, devilish; I could feel
+my blood chill as I looked into their depths, yet I held myself erect,
+and waited for the man to speak. It seemed a long delay, yet doubtless
+was scarcely more than a moment. Then his lips curled in what was
+meant to be a smile, and he waved his hand.
+
+"Sit down on the stool, Gates. Have you any knowledge of Portuguese?"
+
+"None whatever, sir."
+
+"Nor do I English; so we shall have to rely on the language of Spain."
+
+"I am hardly expert in that" I explained. "But if you do not talk too
+fast, I can manage fairly well."
+
+"I shall speak simply. Wait a moment."
+
+He arose, stepped quietly to the door, and glanced out, returning
+apparently satisfied.
+
+"I don't trust that damned steward," he said, "nor, as a matter of
+fact, anyone else wholly." He paused, and stared at me; then added:
+"I've never had any faith in your race, Gates, but am inclined to use
+you."
+
+"I do not know any special reason why you should sir."
+
+"No more do I. Every Englishman I ever knew was a liar, and a sneaking
+poltroon. I was brought up to hate the race, and always have. I can't
+say that I like you any better than the others. By God! I don't, for
+the matter of that. But just now you can be useful to me if you are
+of that mind. This is a business proposition, and it makes no odds if
+we hate each other, so the end is gained. How does that sound?"
+
+I shifted my position so as to gain a clearer view of his face. I was
+still wholly at sea as to what the fellow was driving at--yet,
+evidently enough he was in earnest. It was my part to find out.
+
+"Not altogether bad," I admitted. "I have been in some games of chance
+before."
+
+"I thought as much," eagerly, "and money has the same chink however it
+be earned. You could use some?"
+
+"If I had any to use; after a sailor has been drunk there is not apt
+to be much left in his pockets."
+
+He reached across into the upper bunk, and brought forth a bottle and
+glass, placing these upon the table at his elbow.
+
+"Have a drink first," he said, pouring it out. "It will stiffen your
+nerve."
+
+"Thanks, no, Senor. I have nerve enough and once I start that sort of
+thing there is no stopping. Take it yourself and then tell me what is
+in the wind."
+
+"I will, Gates," affecting cordiality, although I somehow felt that my
+refusal to imbibe had aroused a faint suspicion in his mind. "But I
+would rather you would show yourself a good fellow. I like to see a
+man take his liquor and hold it."
+
+He sat down the emptied glass, and straightened back in the chair, his
+eyes searching as ever.
+
+"The fact is," he began doubtfully, "what you just said to me on deck
+chanced to be of interest. You were not boasting?"
+
+"I answered your questions truthfully, if that is what you mean."
+
+"You are a navigator?"
+
+"I was in command of ships for four years, Senor; naturally I know
+navigation."
+
+"Do you mind if I test you?"
+
+"Not in the least; although it will have to be in English; as I do not
+know the Spanish sea terms."
+
+"Let that go then; I will soon learn if you have lied, and that will
+be a sorry day for you. I'll tell you, Gates, how matters stand
+aboard, and why I have need of your skill. Then you may take your
+choice--the forecastle, or the cabin?"
+
+"You invite me aft, Senor?"
+
+"I give you a chance to move your dunnage, if you will do my work," he
+explained seriously. "Listen now. Sanchez has been badly hurt. It may
+be weeks before he leaves his cabin, if, indeed, he ever does. That
+leaves me in command with but one officer, the mulatto, LeVere. This
+might answer to take us safely to Porto Grande, as we could stand
+watch and watch, but Francois is no sailor. It was his part on board
+to train and lead the fighting men--he cannot navigate. Saint
+Christopher! I fear to leave him alone in charge of the deck while I
+snatch an hour's sleep."
+
+"I see," I admitted. "And yourself, Senor? You are a seaman?"
+
+He hated to confess, yet my eyes were honest, and met his squarely.
+
+"Enough to get along, but not quite sure as to my figures. I have
+taken no sights, except as we came north, on this trip. 'Tis for this
+reason I need you--but you will play me no smart English trick, my
+man, or I'll have you by the heels at once. I know enough to verify
+your figures."
+
+"I thought of no trick, Estada." I said coldly, now satisfied as to
+his purpose, and confident of my own power. "English, or otherwise. It
+is well we understand each other. You would have me as navigator, very
+well--at what terms?"
+
+His eyes seemed to narrow, and become darker.
+
+"With rating as first officer, and your fair proportion of all
+spoils."
+
+"You mean then to continue the course? To attack vessels on the high
+seas?"
+
+"Why not?" sneeringly. "Are you too white-livered for that sort of
+job? If so, then you are no man for me. It is a long voyage to Porto
+Grande, and no reason why we should hurry home; the welcome there will
+be better if we bring chests of gold aboard. Ay, and the thought will
+put hope into the hearts of the crew; they are restless now from long
+waiting."
+
+"But Captain Sanchez? You have no surgeon I am told. Will he not
+suffer from neglect of his wound?"
+
+"Suffer? No more than under a leech ashore. All that can be done, has
+been. There are men aboard able to treat any ordinary wound. His was a
+clean knife thrust, which has been washed, treated with lotion, and
+bound up. No leech could do more."
+
+"And my quarters--will they be aft?"
+
+"You will have your choice of those at port. Come now--have you an
+answer ready?"
+
+"I would be a fool not to have," heartily. "I am your man Estada."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+I WARN DOROTHY
+
+
+The Portuguese, evidently well pleased at my prompt acceptance of his
+proposal, talked on for some time, explaining to me something of the
+situation aboard the _Namur_, and pointing out what he believed to be
+our position on the chart. I asked a few questions, although I paid
+but little attention to what he said, my mind being busied with
+searching out his real purpose. No doubt the situation was very nearly
+as he described it to be--LeVere was no navigator, and Estada himself
+only an indifferent one. Yet at that the course to the West Indies was
+not a long one, and, if the Portuguese had been able to bring the bark
+from there to the Chesapeake, the return voyage should not terrify him
+greatly. No, that was not the object; he was planning to keep at sea,
+to waylay and attack merchant ships, and then, after a successful
+cruise, arrive at Porto Grande, laden with spoils, and hailed as a
+great leader. His plan was to dispose of Sanchez--even to permit the
+Spaniard to die of his wounds; possibly even to hasten and assure that
+death by some secret resort to violence. No doubt LeVere was also
+concerned in the conspiracy, and would profit by it, and possibly
+these two were likewise assured of the cooperation of the more
+reckless spirits among the crew. I remembered what Watkins had
+whispered to me forward--his suspicions of them both. He had been
+right; already the fuse was being laid, and, very fortunately, I
+happened to be chosen to help touch it off. The chance I had sought
+blindly, was being plainly revealed.
+
+It was evident enough, however, that Estada had no intention of
+trusting me immediately with his real motives. His confidence was
+limited, and his instructions related altogether to mere matters of
+ship routine. I asked a few questions, and twice he lied coolly, but I
+dared not mention the girl in any way, for fear that even a casual
+reference to her presence on board, might arouse his suspicions of my
+interest. We were at sea, and my presence aft gave me opportunity to
+observe all that was going on in the cabin. I could await
+developments. But I was becoming wearied by the man.
+
+"I understand perfectly, Senor," I broke in at last impatiently. "You
+will have to take for granted that I can enforce sea discipline, and
+navigate your boat to whatever part of the ocean you desire to sail.
+All I need is your orders. This, I take it, is all you require of me?"
+
+"Yes; I plan, you execute."
+
+"Very good; now about myself," and I arose to my feet, determined to
+close the interview. "I would study these charts, and figure out our
+probable position by dead reckoning--there is little chance of having
+glimpse of the sun today; the fog out there grows heavier. You say I
+may choose any stateroom on the port side?"
+
+"They are all unoccupied, except one, used by the steward as a
+storeroom."
+
+I opened the door, and stepped out into the main cabin, the roll of
+charts under my arm. The place was deserted, and, with a glance
+about, met Estada's eyes observing me closely. He didn't wait for me
+to question him.
+
+"Captain Sanchez's stateroom is aft," he said, with a wave of the
+hand.
+
+"The entire width of the bark?"
+
+"No, there are two rooms."
+
+"He is left alone?"
+
+"Jose is with him--a negro, with a knack at nursing."
+
+"Who else is quartered aft here?"
+
+He ignored the one thing I most desired to learn, but I did not press
+it, believing I knew the answer already.
+
+"LeVere has this middle stateroom, and Mendez the one forward."
+
+"What rank has Mendez?"
+
+"Third officer, and carpenter. Just at present with LeVere required on
+deck, he has charge of the men below."
+
+"The crew, you mean?"
+
+"Not the working crew; they are quartered in the forecastle, and are
+largely English and Swede. But we have to carry extra men, who bunk
+amidships--hell-hounds to fight; damn mongrels of course."
+
+"You keep them below, all through the voyage?"
+
+"They are allowed on deck amidships when we are at sea, but are not
+encouraged to mingle with the sailors. We're over a powder magazine
+all the time, Gates--any spark might set it off."
+
+I opened one of the doors opposite, and glanced within. The interior
+differed but little from that of the stateroom occupied by Estada,
+except it was minus the table. No doubt they were all practically
+alike.
+
+"This will do very well," I said, quietly. "Now how about clothes?
+These I wear look rather rough for the new job."
+
+"I'll send you the steward; he'll fix you out from the slop-chest.
+We're always well supplied."
+
+I was glad to see him go and closed the door on him with a sigh of
+relief. His eyes seemed to exercise a peculiar influence over me, a
+snakelike charm, against which I had to constantly battle. I threw the
+bundle of charts into the upper bunk, and unscrewed the glass of the
+port to gain a view without, and a breath of fresh air. There was
+nothing to see but a small vista of gray sea, blending into the gray
+mist, and the waves on this side ran so high I was compelled to close
+the port to keep out the spray. I sat down on the stool, staring about
+the compartment, realizing suddenly how well fortune had served my
+cause--the chance to impersonate the drunken sailor; the meeting with
+Watkins, my chance words to Estada on deck, and now this translation
+from forecastle to cabin. It had all occurred so quickly, almost
+without effort on my part, I could do little but wonder what strange
+occurrence would be next. What, indeed, was there for me to do except
+to await developments? Only one thing occurred to me--I must discover
+some means immediately of communicating with Dorothy Fairfax.
+
+The importance of this could not be overestimated. With myself
+quartered aft, and eating in the cabin, we were bound to meet sooner
+or later; and the girl must previously be warned of my presence
+aboard, or in her first surprise at the recognition, I should be
+instantly betrayed. Nothing would escape Estada, and the slightest
+evidence that we two had formerly met, would awaken his suspicion. My
+only hope of success lay in my ability to increase his faith in my
+pledges. The necessity of having a competent navigator aft alone
+accounted for my promotion. The Portuguese neither liked nor trusted
+me; he hated and despised my race; he would have me watched, and would
+carefully check over my figures. I should be compelled to serve him
+faithfully and without arousing the slightest question in his mind, in
+order to establish myself in his esteem, or gain any real freedom
+aboard. Yet, if I was to serve the girl, there must be, first of all,
+intelligent cooperation between us. She must not only know of my
+presence on the _Namur_, but also the purpose actuating me. I had
+reached this conclusion, when a light hesitating knock sounded on the
+door.
+
+"Who is there?"
+
+"The steward, Senor, with your clothes?"
+
+"Bring them in."
+
+Gunsaules entered, the garments over his arm, and shuffled in his
+peculiar gliding manner across to the bunk where he laid out the
+pieces carefully one by one, evidently proud of his selection.
+
+"Quite a beautiful piece of goods, Senor," he ventured, speaking so
+softly I could barely distinguish the words above the crash of the
+waves on the ship's side. "And most excellently tailored. I do not
+remember whether these came out of the _Adair_ or _La Rosalie_--the
+French ship most likely, for as you see, Senor, there is quite the
+Parisian cut to this coat. I mark these things for I was once
+apprenticed to a tailor in Madrid."
+
+He stood fondling the garment lovingly, the expression of his face so
+solemnly interested, I had difficulty in suppressing a laugh.
+
+"Some change in your trade, Gunsaules. Did you take this one up from
+choice? You do not look to me like a fighting man."
+
+He glanced apprehensively at the open door, speaking even lower than
+before, if possible.
+
+"No more am I, Senor. The blood make me faint. I go hungry in Santo
+Domingo--God forgive me for ever going there!--and, to keep from
+starving I took this job."
+
+"With Sanchez, or before the bark was captured?"
+
+"Before, Senor. The captain's name was Schmitt. Not since have I been
+ashore, but they spare me because I was Spanish."
+
+I would have asked the fellow more, perhaps even have tested him in
+his loyalty to his new masters; but I felt this was neither place nor
+time. Estada might return, and besides the man was evidently a
+poor-spirited creature, little apt to be of service even if he so
+desired.
+
+"The clothes seem to be all right, Steward," I said rather briskly,
+"and I judge will fit. Now hunt me up first of all something to shave
+with, then some tobacco and a pipe and--yes, wait a second; writing
+materials."
+
+"Yes, Senor."
+
+"And, by the way, there are two staterooms astern. Who occupies the
+one to starboard--Senor Estada?"
+
+"No Senor; it is the young lady."
+
+"Oh, the one brought aboard last night. Have you seen her?"  "Si,
+Senor; she is English, and good to look at, but she sit and stare out
+the stern port. She will not speak or eat. I take in her breakfast,
+but she touch not a morsel. So I tell Senor Estada, and he say, 'then
+bring her out to dinner with me; I'll make the hussy eat, if I have to
+choke it down her dainty throat,'"
+
+"Good; I'll have a look at her myself then. Now hurry up those things,
+Steward, and remember what I sent you after."
+
+He brought the shaving set, and writing materials first, explaining
+that he would have to go down into the lazaret, and break open some
+packages for the tobacco and pipe. The moment the fellow disappeared I
+grasped the opportunity. Where Estada had gone, whether back into his
+stateroom, or on deck, I had no means of knowing. In fact this could
+make little difference, for it was not likely he would leave me alone
+for any great length of time. It must already be approaching the end
+of LeVere's watch, and I would certainly be called upon to relieve
+him. And, following my turn on deck would be dinner in the cabin, and
+the probable encounter with Dorothy. This clearly meant that I must
+communicate with the girl immediately, or not at all. I dashed off a
+note hurriedly--a brief line merely stating my presence on board, and
+begging her not to exhibit surprise at meeting me. I had no time in
+which to explain, or make clear the situation. With this folded and
+concealed in my hand, I silently pushed open the door, and took a
+hasty glance about the cabin.
+
+It was unoccupied, yet I must move with caution. It was possible for
+one on deck to look down through the skylight, and even if Estada was
+not in his own room, the nurse assigned to Sanchez might be awake and
+appear at any moment. The risk was not small, yet must be taken, and I
+crept swiftly forward following the circle of the staterooms, until I
+came to the closed door of the one I sought aft. I bent here an
+instant, listening for some sound from within, but heard none. I dared
+not remain, or even venture to test the lock. Gunsaules had said this
+was her place of confinement, and there was seemingly no reason why
+she should have been given a guard. Beyond doubt the girl was within
+and alone, and I must trust her quick intelligence to respond to my
+written message. I thrust it through the narrow opening above the
+sill, and the moment it disappeared within, stole swiftly back to my
+own room. The action had not been seen, and yet I had scarcely a
+moment to spare. Before I could lather my face, standing before a
+small cracked mirror, bracing myself to the roll of the bark, the
+steward returned, bearing in his hands tobacco and pipe.
+
+Estada, however, remained away longer than I had anticipated he would,
+and I was fully dressed and comfortably smoking before he came down
+from the deck and crossed the cabin to my partially open door.
+
+"The starboard watch has been called," he said, "and you are to take
+charge of the deck, relieving LeVere. I waited to explain the
+situation to the men before you appeared. I suppose you are ready?"
+
+"Ay, ay, Senor," knocking the ashes out of my pipe, and rising. He
+eyed my clothes disapprovingly.
+
+"Rather a fancy rig, Gates, for a first officer on duty."  "Some
+style I admit, Senor, but they were all the steward offered me."
+
+"You'll have to carry a hard fist, my man, to back up that costume
+aboard the _Namur_," he said coldly. "Those black devils are apt to
+mistake you for a plaything."
+
+"Let them test it once; they will soon find I have the hard fist. I've
+tamed wild crews before today and it might as well be first as last. I
+suppose half measures do not go with these lads."
+
+"Santa Maria---no! It is kill, or be killed, in our trade, and they
+will try out your metal. Come on now."
+
+I followed him up the stairs to the deck. His words had in no way
+alarmed me, but served rather to harden my resolve. I looked for
+trouble, and was inclined to welcome it, anxious indeed to prove to
+Estada my ability to handle men. Nothing else would so quickly appeal
+to him, or serve so rapidly to establish me in his esteem; and to win
+his confidence was my chief concern. Nothing occurred, however, to
+cause any breach of authority. A few fellows were lounging amidships
+and stared idly at us as we mounted to the poop deck. These were of
+the fighting contingent I supposed, and the real members of the crew
+were forward. LeVere was still on duty, and came forward and shook
+hands at my appearance.
+
+"Rather glad I didn't drown you," he said, intending to be pleasant.
+"But hope you'll not run amuck in the after cabin."
+
+"I shall try not too, unless I have cause," I answered, looking him
+square in the eyes, and determining to make my position clear at once.
+"Senor Estada tells me I am to relieve you. What is the course?"
+
+"Sou'west, by half sou'."
+
+"We might be carrying more canvas."
+
+"There is nothing to hurry about, and the fog is thick."
+
+"That will probably lift within an hour. Do you know your position?"
+
+"Only in a general way. We have held an east by south course since
+leaving the Capes, until an hour ago, making about ten knots."
+
+"Very well, I will figure it out as best I can, and mark it on the
+chart. There is nothing further to report?"
+
+"No Senor; all has been as it is now."
+
+He glanced toward Estada, not greatly pleased I presume with my
+brusqueness, yet finding nothing in either words or manner from which
+to evoke a quarrel. The latter had overheard our conversation, but he
+stood now with back toward us looking out on the sea off the port
+quarter. His silent indifference caused LeVere to shrug his shoulders,
+and disappear down the ladder on his way below. I turned my face to
+the man at the wheel--it was the giant negro--Cochose.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THE CABIN OF THE NAMUR
+
+
+Both huge black hands grasped the spokes, and it was evident that it
+required all his giant strength to control the bucking wheel. He was
+an ugly-looking brute, the lower portion of his face apelike, and the
+wool growing so low as to leave him scarcely an inch of forehead. His
+eyes lifted an instant from the binnacle card to glance at me
+curiously. They exhibited no flash of recognition. With sudden relief,
+and a determination to thoroughly assure myself, I stepped forward and
+accosted him.
+
+"Little heavy for one man, isn't it?"
+
+"Oh, Ah don't mind, boss," his thick lips grinning. "Ah's bin alone
+worse tricks den dis."
+
+"You seem to be holding the course, all right--sou'west, by sou',
+Senor LeVere says."
+
+"Yas, Senor."
+
+"What is your name?"
+
+"Cochose, Senor; Ah's a French nigger."
+
+"Very good, Cochose; my name is Gates, and I am the new first officer.
+If you need any help, let me know."
+
+He nodded, still grinning, to let me realize he understood, and I
+stepped aside, confident that the fellow retained no recollection of
+my features. The relief of this knowledge was considerable, and I
+gazed over the bark forward with a new feeling of security. Thus far
+I had successfully passed the test, and been accepted by all on board.
+The only remaining danger of recognition lay in the early recovery of
+Sanchez, and, as I glanced aside at Estada the conviction became fixed
+in my mind that such recovery was doubtful. I felt that I had already
+penetrated the cowardly plan of the Portuguese, but felt no
+inclination to interpose. Indeed I had more occasion to dread the
+return of Sanchez to command than did Estada himself. With me life was
+at stake; while with him it was but the goal of ambition and power.
+Brutal and evil minded as Estada undoubtedly was, I had taken his
+measure, and felt confident of being able to outwit him; but Sanchez
+would prove a different problem, for he possessed brains and cool,
+resourceful courage. Of the two he was far more to be feared.
+
+For half an hour Estada hung about aft, apparently paying no attention
+to me, and yet watching my movements closely. There was little to be
+done, but I thought it best to keep the watch reasonably busy, so they
+might thus learn that I knew my work. They proved prompt and capable
+enough, although I was eyed with some curiosity when I went forward,
+and, no doubt was very thoroughly discussed behind my back. The idlers
+amidships were a totally different class--a mongrel scum, profanely
+chatting in Spanish, or swaggering about the deck, their very looks a
+challenge. However they kept out of my way, and I found no occasion to
+interfere with their diversions. After Estada left the deck the
+majority amused themselves gambling, and as I had received no orders
+to interfere, I permitted the games to proceed. Mendez interfered
+only once on occasion of a brief fight. My only instructions from the
+Portuguese on his going below was to call him at once if a sail was
+sighted. Apparently he was satisfied of my ability to command the
+deck.
+
+No occasion to call him arose during my watch. The mist of fog slowly
+rose, and drifted away, leaving a wide view of ocean, but revealed no
+glimpse of any other craft. The white-crested waves gleamed in the
+sun, as we plowed bravely through them, and the wind steadily
+decreased in violence. I had the crew shake out reefs in jib and
+foresail, and was surprised myself at the sailing qualities of the
+bark. In spite of breadth of beam, and heavy top-hamper, she possessed
+speed and ease of control, and must have been a pretty sight, as we
+bowled along through that deserted sea. Before my watch was up I could
+see Gunsaules through the skylight busily preparing the table in the
+cabin below. It was still daylight, but with a purple gleam across the
+waters, when LeVere arrived on deck for my relief. We were talking
+together abaft the wheel when Estada appeared in the companion-way.
+
+"Every promise of a clear night," he said, glancing about at the
+horizon. "Better change the course two points east LeVere; we are
+lying in too close to the coast for our purpose. The table call will
+come very shortly, Senor Gates."
+
+I washed up hastily in my stateroom, and came out into the cabin
+perplexed as to what might occur within the next few moments. Yet
+whatever the result, there was no avoiding it. Would the girl be
+called to join us, as the Portuguese had threatened? Had she received
+my note of warning? And if so, would she have the strength to play her
+part so as to avoid suspicion? Those keen searching eyes of Estada's
+would note every movement, observe every fleeting expression. He had
+no present doubt of me, only the caution natural to one leading his
+life of danger. He believed my story, and nothing thus far had arisen
+to bring him the slightest doubt. To his mind I was a reckless
+adventurer, ruined by drink, a drifting derelict, so glad to be picked
+up, and given rank, as to be forever grateful and loyal to the one
+aiding me. While his instinct made him distrust an Englishman, he
+already had some measure of faith in me personally, yet this
+confidence was still so light as to be completely shattered by the
+slightest mishap. My every move must be one of extreme caution.
+
+He and Estevan were awaiting me, the latter all rigged out, and with
+smooth black hair oiled and plastered down upon his forehead. I never
+beheld a more disagreeable face, or one which so thoroughly revealed
+the nature of a man. As I touched his hand, at Estada's brief
+introduction, it was as if I fingered a snake, and expected to be
+greeted with a kiss. Gunsaules hovered about an open door leading
+forward, and the table had been set for four. As I knew LeVere had
+eaten alone, before coming to my relief, the only conclusion was that
+the Portuguese intended that we be joined by the prisoner. Indeed he
+gave me little time for doubt.
+
+"This is your chair, Gates, and you will find we live well aboard the
+_Namur_--wine, women and song--hey, Manuel! Why not, when all are at
+command? Steward, you told the lady what my orders were?"
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"Then bid her join us."
+
+We stood in silence, as Gunsaules crossed the deck, and inserted a key
+in the afterstateroom door. Manuel was grinning in full enjoyment, but
+the expression on the face of Estada was that of grim cruelty.
+Evidently he expected a scene, an outburst of resentment, pleading and
+tears, and was ready enough to exercise his authority. Perhaps he
+meant all this as a lesson to me; perhaps it was no more than a
+natural exhibition of his nature. Yet his purpose to conquer was
+clearly depicted in his features---this woman would be made to obey,
+or else ruthlessly crushed. I felt my hands grip like iron on my chair
+back and my teeth clinch in restraint. God, but I would have liked to
+grip the fellow where he stood--all the bottled-up hatred in my soul
+struggling for action. Yet that would only mean the death of all hope,
+and I turned my eyes away from him, and stared with the others at the
+opening door. I failed to catch the words Gunsaules uttered, but they
+were instantly responded to. Out into the full light of the cabin the
+woman came, and halted, barely a step in advance of the steward, her
+head uplifted proudly, her eyes on us. Never before had I realized her
+beauty, her personality, as I did then. The glow of the light was upon
+her face, and there was color in her cheeks, and a strange appealing
+look in her eyes. Her posture was not that of defiance, nor of
+surrender; she stood as a woman defending her right to respect,
+sustained by a wonderful courage. I caught her glance, but there was
+no recognition in it; not by the flicker of an eyelid did she betray
+surprise, and yet in some mysterious manner a flash of intelligence
+passed between us. It was all instantaneous for her gaze seemed to
+concentrate on Estada as though she knew him as leader.
+
+"You sent for me? For what?" she asked, her Spanish clear and well
+chosen.
+
+"To join us at meal," he answered unmoved. "It is better than to
+remain alone."
+
+"Better! You must have a strange opinion of me to believe I would sit
+with murderers and thieves."
+
+"Harsh words, Senorita," and Estada grinned grimly. "Yet I expected
+them. There are many trades in the world by which men are robbed. We
+only work at the one we like best; nor will I discuss that with you.
+However, Senorita, I can say that we have taken no lives in this last
+affair."
+
+"No lives!" in sudden, incredulous surprise. "You mean my uncle
+lives?"
+
+"If you refer to Fairfax--the one in whose room the chest was hidden,
+I can reply truthfully that he lives. One of my men struck him down,
+but it was not a death blow. If that be the reason of your disdain,
+there is no cause. This chair is held for you."
+
+"But why was I brought away a prisoner? To be a plaything? A sport for
+your pleasure?"
+
+"That was but the orders of our chief; we await his recovery to learn
+his purpose."
+
+"Sanchez! was he your chief? A pirate?"
+
+"A buccaneer; we prey on the enemies of Spain," he explained,
+apparently believing his own words. "It is war with us, without regard
+to treaties. We rob only that we may carry on the war. They have
+robbed us, and now it has become our turn. It was at Captain Sanchez's
+orders we waited the arrival of your vessel from England. It seems he
+met you on the voyage."
+
+"Yes," breathlessly.
+
+"He loved you; he would, no doubt, have dealt with you honorably: I
+have reason to believe that to be his purpose now. To this end you
+gave him no encouragement--is not this true?"
+
+"I--I did not like him."
+
+"Yet it was his will that you should. Nothing will change his purpose.
+He is that kind, and he has the power. He determined that if you would
+not come to him by choice, you should be made to by force. You are
+here now by his orders and will remain until you consent to his
+purpose--all that remains for you to decide is whether you choose to
+be prisoner, or guest aboard."
+
+Her questioning, perplexed eyes turned from face to face, as though
+she could not grasp fully the purpose of what was said.
+
+"He--he is still alive--this Captain Sanchez?"
+
+"Yes, with a chance to survive."
+
+"And if he lives I am to be at his disposal?"
+
+"He is the chief here; his will is law aboard."
+
+"And if he should die?"
+
+Estada shrugged his shoulders indifferently.
+
+"Who knows!"
+
+Her lips tightened as though to hold back a cry while one hand pressed
+to the open door steadied her. The cheeks were no longer flushed, and
+there was a look in the searching eyes I did not like to see. It was
+a moment before she could control her voice.
+
+"I have heard them call you Estada," she said finally, determined to
+learn the whole truth. "Of what rank in this company are you?"
+
+"I am Pedro Estada, formerly the first officer, now, by occasion of
+Captain Sanchez's wound, in full command. These are two of my
+officers--Senor Gates, one of your own countrymen, and Manuel
+Estevan."
+
+"You are pirates?"
+
+He laughed unpleasantly, as though the word had an ugly sound even to
+his ears.
+
+"Rather call us sea rovers, Senorita. It better expresses our trade.
+Enough to admit that we serve under no flag, and confess no master.
+And now, that I have answered your questions, what is it to be between
+us--peace or war?"
+
+Her eyes drooped, and I could distinctly note the trembling of her
+slender figure. When she slowly raised her glance once more it rested
+on my face as though seeking approval, guidance.
+
+"If there be only the one choice," she said quietly. "I accept peace.
+I cannot live locked in that room alone, haunted by my thoughts and
+memories. If I pledge you my word, Senor, am I to enjoy the freedom of
+this cabin and the deck?"
+
+Estada looked at us, a shade of doubt in his eyes. I made no sign, but
+Manuel nodded.
+
+"Why not?" he asked in his harsh croak of a voice. "So long as we be
+at sea? What harm can the girl do?"
+
+"Perhaps none; I will take a half chance, at least. You shall have
+the freedom of the cabin. So long as you keep your word, while as to
+the deck we will consider that later. Prove you mean what you say by
+joining us here."
+
+My recollection of that meal is not of words, but of faces. I do not
+even clearly recall what it was we talked about, although it included
+a variety of topics, limited somewhat by lack of knowledge on the part
+of Estada and Manuel. The former attempted conversation, but soon gave
+up the effort in despair. His eyes, however, sought constantly the
+girl's face and to my consternation exhibited an interest in her
+personality which promised trouble. I know not whether she noticed
+this awakening admiration, but she certainly played her part with
+quiet modesty, speaking just enough to entertain, and hiding the deep
+anxiety against which she struggled. I believe that even the
+Portuguese reached the conclusion that she was not altogether
+regretful for this adventure and that it was safe for him to relax
+some degree of vigilance. His manner became more gracious and, long
+before the meal ended, his language had a tendency to compliment and
+flatter. I contented myself with occasional sentences. The young woman
+sat directly across from me, our words overheard by all, and as I knew
+both men possessed some slight knowledge of English, I dare not
+venture beyond commonplace conversation in that tongue. With quick wit
+she took her cue from me, so that nothing passed between us, either by
+word of mouth or glance of eye, to arouse suspicions.
+
+Believing the feeling of confidence would be increased by such action,
+I was first to leave the table, and it being my watch below,
+immediately retired to my room, noisily closing the door after me, yet
+refraining from letting the latch catch, thus enjoying a slight
+opening through which to both see and hear. Manuel did not linger
+long, making some excuse to go forward, but Estada remained for some
+time, endeavoring to entertain. She laughed at his efforts and
+appeared interested in encouraging him, so that he kept his spirit of
+good humor even amid these difficulties. His egotism made a fool of
+the man, yet even he finally became discouraged of making her
+comprehend his meaning, and lapsed into a silence which gave her an
+excuse to retire. This was accomplished so graciously as to leave no
+sting, the fellow actually accompanying her to the door of her
+stateroom, bowing his compliments as she disappeared within. The fool
+actually believed he had made a conquest and preened himself like a
+turkey cock.
+
+"Gunsaules."
+
+"Senor."
+
+"You need not lock the Senorita in her room or guard her in any way
+hereafter. She is permitted to come and go as she pleases aboard."
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"You have served the Captain and Jose? Yes--did the wounded man eat at
+all?"
+
+"A little soup, Senor; he would taste nothing else."
+
+Estada entered his own stateroom, leaving the door ajar. When he came
+out he had exchanged his coat for a rough jacket. Thus attired for a
+turn on deck, he disappeared through the companion.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+IN DOROTHY'S STATEROOM
+
+
+I stood crouched, with eye at the crack watchful of every movement in
+the lighted cabin, my own decision made. I must see and talk with
+Dorothy. We must understand each other, and the earlier we could thus
+begin working together in unison, the better. Gunsaules bore a tray of
+dishes from the Captain's room and then, after carefully wiping up the
+main table, and sliding it up out of the way on its stantions, placed
+a bottle of brandy and some glasses on a swinging shelf. Apparently
+satisfied that his work there was completed he turned down the light,
+and departed along the passage leading amidships. A moment later I
+heard the sound of dishes grinding together preparatory to being
+washed. No better opportunity for action was likely to occur, although
+the situation was not without peril. Jose might emerge at any instant
+from Sanchez's cabin, while I had no reason to be assured that Estada
+would remain long on deck. Even if he did, any movement below could be
+observed through the overhead glass. Indeed it might be with this
+purpose in view that he had gone outside. However I felt compelled to
+accept the chance. The light was so dim that I believed I could steal
+cautiously along in the deeper shadows without attracting attention
+from the deck, even if someone stood there on watch.
+
+I moved noiselessly leaving my own door slightly ajar, and crept
+along close to the side walls until I attained my destination.
+Nothing occurred causing me to fear my movements were detected. To
+have knocked at the closed door however softly might be overheard, so
+knowing it to be unlocked I merely lifted the latch noiselessly, and
+slipped quickly within. There was no light, except a glimmer of stars
+through a large after port, but against this faint radiance she stood
+vaguely revealed. Evidently the girl had been standing there, gazing
+out at the waters, and had turned swiftly about at my entrance,
+aroused by some slight sound. Her first thought must have been Estada,
+for there was a startled note of fear in her challenge.
+
+"Who are you? Why do you come here?"
+
+"Speak low," I cautioned. "You must know my voice."
+
+"Geoffry Carlyle!"
+
+"Yes, but do not use that name--all hope depends on my remaining
+unknown. You welcome me?"
+
+She came straight forward through the dim star-shine, a spectral
+figure, with both hands outstretched.
+
+"Welcome!" her tone that of intense sincerity. "Your presence gives me
+all the strength I have. But for you I should throw myself through
+that port into the sea. But I know not how you came here--tell me, you
+are not really one of these wretches?"
+
+"No; you must believe that first of all, and trust me."
+
+"I do--but--but tell me all you can."
+
+"Is there a divan here, or anywhere we can sit down together? I can
+see nothing in this darkness."
+
+"Yes, hold my hand while I guide you; we can sit here."  It was a
+couch of some kind against the outer wall. She did not release her
+grasp, seemingly gaining courage from this physical contact, and my
+fingers closed warmly over her own.
+
+"Now please," breathlessly, "how is it possible you are aboard this
+vessel--an officer?"
+
+I told her the strange story, as swiftly and simply as possible,
+speaking scarcely above a whisper, feeling as I progressed that I
+related a dream rather than a series of facts. It seemed to me she
+could scarcely be expected to believe the truth of what I said, and
+yet she did, almost unquestioningly, the clasp of her fingers
+perceptibly tightening as I proceeded. The soft light from the open
+port touched her face slightly, enough to reveal its outline and she
+sat so close beside me, her eyes uplifted to mine, that I could feel
+her breath upon my cheek.
+
+"Why, if---if you had not told me this yourself I could hardly believe
+such a tale," she exclaimed. "Yet it must be true, miraculous as it
+seems. But what is to be the ending? Have you any plan of escape?"
+
+"Hardly a plan. I have had no opportunity even to learn the true
+nature of the crew. Watkins is an honest sailor, and he has told me of
+others on whom I could rely. There are those aboard--but I do not know
+how many--who would mutiny if they had a leader, and a reasonable
+chance of success. I must reach these and learn who they are.
+Fortunately the voyage promises to be long enough to enable me to plan
+carefully."
+
+"You have discussed the voyage with this man--Estada?"  "He told me
+what he had decided upon; not to return to their rendezvous until
+after they had captured some prizes, and could go with gold chinking
+in their pockets."
+
+"They have gold already--the chest taken from my uncle."
+
+"That only serves to make such as these more greedy."
+
+"Where is their rendezvous?"
+
+"An island in the West Indies, probably not on the chart. They call it
+Porto Grande."
+
+"And they will sweep the ocean between here and there, seeking
+victims? Unarmed merchantmen to rob and sink? And you--you will be
+compelled to take part in such scenes, such acts of pillage and
+perhaps murder. Is this true?"
+
+"I presume I must seem to be one of them to avoid suspicion. There is
+some hope in my mind that we may chance to run into an English or
+French warship. Quite a few must be cruising in these waters. But
+these are only contingencies; they may happen and they may not. How we
+are to act under such conditions will have to be decided later. Now we
+must be content to seek release through our own efforts. Have you any
+suggestions?"
+
+She was silent for a long moment, during which she withdrew her hand,
+pressing it over her eyes as though thus to better concentrate her
+thoughts.
+
+"There is conspiracy on board already," she said finally "that you may
+not know about."
+
+"You mean to depose Sanchez?" I questioned in surprise.
+
+"Yes; you had suspicioned it? They thought me unconscious in the
+boat, and talked among themselves--the two at the stern, Estada and
+that beast, Manuel. I did not understand all they said, only a word or
+two, but I do not think they intend the Captain shall recover."
+
+"You think it best that he should?"
+
+"Oh, I do not know; there is no best that I can see. Yet I would have
+more faith in being spared disgrace if at the mercy of Sanchez, than
+his lieutenant. Both may be equally guilty, equally desperate, but
+they are not the same men."
+
+"True, but I know not which is to be most feared."
+
+"I may be wrong," she insisted, "for I judge as a woman, yet I would
+feel safer with Sanchez. He cares not much for me, perhaps, yet enough
+so that I possess some power over him. The other does not--he merely
+desires with the passions of a brute. No appeal would reach him; he
+would laugh at tears and find pleasure in suffering. I do not quite
+believe this of Sanchez."
+
+"Perhaps not---the other may be the greater beast."
+
+"I know he is; the proof is in those horrid eyes. What is the man? Of
+what race?"
+
+"Portuguese, I am told, but likely a half-breed."
+
+"Ugh! it makes me shudder to even look at him; and yet you would have
+me appear friendly?"
+
+"We cannot permit him to feel that either of us are enemies. He is the
+power aboard; our lives, everything are in his hands. If he means to
+be rid of Sanchez, the man is doomed, for he will find a way to
+accomplish his purpose at whatever cost; murder means nothing to these
+men."
+
+"Of course you are right," she acknowledged. "Our case is so
+desperate we must resort to any weapons. You believe it will serve
+the possibility of escape if I permit this monster to imagine that I
+have some interest in him?"
+
+"To do so might delay the explosion," I replied gravely, "and just now
+any delay is welcome. I know how such an effort will try you, but the
+end may be well worth the sacrifice. I doubt if even Estada will
+resort to force on board; indeed force will be the very last card he
+will care to play in your case. He is a brute, and capable of any
+crime, yet at heart a coward. There is reason why he will fear to
+assault you. You are English and all the practical seamen on board are
+from northern Europe--English and Scandinavian. These men are not
+pirates from choice--they are prisoners who have taken on to save
+their own lives. With his bullies and cut-throats amidships he can
+compel them to work, but he dare not go too far. Once these fellows
+unite in mutiny they could take the ship. An assault on you would be
+dangerous."
+
+"It is these men you count on?"
+
+"Yes; but for me to gain their confidence and leadership will require
+time. I must reach them all secretly and alone. Not more than half are
+in my watch, and Watkins must approach the others. A plan for
+concerted action will have to be arranged, and every precaution taken.
+The slightest slip would mean failure, and merciless punishment. Even
+if I succeed in gathering together all these better elements on board,
+we shall yet be outnumbered two to one, perhaps more, and our only
+hope rests in surprise. At best the situation is absolutely
+desperate--but I see no other solution."
+
+"And my service is deceit--the acting of a part to blind the eyes of
+Estada?"
+
+"I sincerely believe your greater chance of security lies in this
+course. The fellow is a supreme egotist; opposition will anger him,
+while flattery will make him subservient. You have the wit and
+discretion to hold him within certain limits. It is a dangerous game,
+I admit, and a disagreeable one, but the case requires desperate
+remedies."
+
+She lifted her eyes, searching my face through the dim light.
+
+"Geoffry Carlyle," she said, at last, a tremor in the low voice,
+"there is no sacrifice I would not make to preserve my honor. I hate
+this man; I dread his touch; I shrink from contact with him, as I
+would from a snake, but I am not going to refuse to do my part. If you
+say this is right, and justified, I will consent."
+
+"I believe it is."
+
+"And you will not lose faith in me?" she questioned earnestly. "It
+will not lower your belief in my womanhood?"
+
+"Nothing could do that. Mistress Dorothy, I want you to realize the
+depth of my interest and respect. Your friendliness has meant much to
+me, and I would never urge you to lower your ideals. But we must face
+this situation as it is. You cannot cling now to the standards of
+London, or even Maryland. We are on the ocean, upon a pirate ship,
+surrounded by men utterly devoid of all restraint--hell-hounds of the
+sea, who live by murder and pillage. We possess but two weapons of
+defense--deceit, or force. A resort to the latter is at present
+impossible. I cannot conceive that you are lowering yourself in any
+way by using the power you possess to escape violence--"
+
+"The power I possess?"
+
+"Yes--beauty and wit. These are your weapons, and most effective ones.
+You can play with Estada and defeat him--temporarily at least. I
+confess there is danger in such a game--he is a wild beast, and his
+evil nature may overcome his discretion. You are armed?"
+
+"No; I have never felt the need."
+
+"Then take this," and I thrust a pistol into her hands. "I took it
+from the rack in the cabin, and can get another. It is charged; keep
+it hidden about your person, but use it only when all else fails. Do
+you see this necessity now from my standpoint?"
+
+"Yes," hesitatingly, "all that you say is true, but--but the thought
+frightens me; it--it is like creeping into a lion's cage having only a
+fan with which to defend myself."
+
+I smiled at her conceit.
+
+"A fan rightly used is no insignificant weapon. In the hands of a
+woman it has won many a victory. I have faith in your wielding it to
+the best effect--the lasting discomfiture of Senor Estada."
+
+"You laugh," indignantly, "believing me a coquette--a girl to play
+with men?"
+
+"No; that misconstrues my thought. I believe you a true woman, yet
+possessing the natural instincts of your sex, and able to use your
+weapons efficiently. There is no evil in that, no reproach. I would
+not have you otherwise, and we must not misunderstand each other. You
+retain faith in me?"
+
+"Implicitly."
+
+"And pledge yourself to your part, leaving me to attend to mine?"
+
+Her two hands clasped my fingers, her eyes uplifted.
+
+"Geoffry Carlyle, I have always believed in you, and now, after the
+sacrifice you have made to serve me, I can refuse you nothing you ask.
+I will endeavor to accomplish all you require of me. God knows how I
+hate the task; but--but I will do my best. Only--only," her voice
+sank, "if--if the monster cannot be held, I will kill him."
+
+"I hope you do."
+
+"I shall! If the beast lays hands on me he--he pays the price. I could
+not do otherwise. Geoffry Carlyle--I am a Fairfax."
+
+Satisfied with my mission, and confident nothing more need be said, I
+arose to my feet.
+
+"Then we can do nothing further, until I learn the disposition of the
+crew," I said quietly. "Estada is not likely to resort to extreme
+measures at present. He has two objects before him---to permit Sanchez
+to die of his wounds, if that is at all probable; and to win the men
+by some successful capture. These fellows only retain command by
+success. The taking of a rich ship will make Estada a hero, while a
+defeat would mean his overthrow, and the ascendancy of someone else.
+There is no other test of a robber chief. Estada knows this, and will
+not dare act until he has put clinking coin in the pockets of his men.
+That is why I believe you are comparatively safe now--his own
+position of command is in the balance."
+
+"I am glad you explained that to me, The knowledge will give me more
+confidence."
+
+"Do not rely too much on his control of himself. There is no trust to
+be put in such a man. I must go now, and endeavor to reach my quarters
+unseen."
+
+"I will see you again?"
+
+"Perhaps not here; it is too dangerous, but I will find means to
+communicate with you. Possibly the steward can be trusted as a
+messenger; I will talk with him and make sure. Meanwhile we must not
+appear interested in each other. Good-bye."
+
+We stood with hands clasped in the darkness. I thought she was going
+to speak again, but the words failed to come. Then suddenly, silently,
+the door opened a mere crack, letting in a gleam of yellow light from
+the main cabin, while the crouching figure of a man, like a gliding
+shadow slipped through the aperture, closing the door behind him as
+softly as he had opened it. I heard her catch her breath, and felt her
+hands grasp my sleeve, but I never stirred. The fellow had neither
+seen nor heard us, and I stared into the black curtain, endeavoring to
+locate him by some sound of movement.
+
+Who could he be? What might be the purpose of his entrance? But one
+answer occurred to me--Pedro Estada, driven by unbridled passions to
+attack the girl. Mad as such an act would be, yet no other explanation
+seemed possible. I thrust her behind me, and took a step forward, with
+body poised for action. I was unarmed, but cared little for that in
+the swift desire felt to come to hand grips with the brute. I could
+hear him now, slowly and cautiously feeling his way toward us through
+the darkness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+A MURDER ON BOARD
+
+
+The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited
+breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach. To be certain
+of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected
+contact with the back of a chair. Without moving my body I grasped
+this welcome weapon of defense and swung it above my head. Whoever the
+invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy,
+actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed. To strike him down
+as quickly and silently as possible was therefore the plain duty of
+the moment. I had no other thought.
+
+The slowness with which he groped his way forward indicated
+unfamiliarity with the apartment, although his direct advance
+proclaimed some special purpose. Clearly he had no fear of attack,
+believing no one more formidable than a girl was there to oppose him.
+The darkness, perhaps, and silence, convinced the fellow that she had
+already retired. He would have his grip on her, before she could even
+dream of his presence. Then there would be no scream, no alarm. I
+could determine almost his exact position as his advancing foot felt
+cautiously along the deck, seeking to avoid striking any obstacle in
+the darkness. He came forward inch by inch, and I had the sensation of
+awaiting the spring of some creeping animal, about to leap upon me.
+With tense muscles, the heavy chair poised for a blow, I measured the
+distance as indicated by faint, shuffling sounds, perceptible only
+because of the profound stillness.
+
+I could not see, but I knew; I felt his presence; in imagination I
+pictured him, with arms outstretched, barely beyond my reach,
+deliberately advancing one foot for yet another step forward. With all
+my force I struck! Blindly as it had been delivered, the blow hit
+fair; there was a thud, an inarticulate groan, and the fall of a body
+onto the floor--beyond that nothing. I waited breathlessly, the chair
+back gripped in my hands, anxiously listening for the slightest
+movement. There was none to be distinguished; not so much as the
+quiver of a muscle. I felt Dorothy touch my shoulder, and caught the
+sound of her voice, trembling at my ear.
+
+"What it is? What did you do?"
+
+"I struck him with a chair; he lies there on the deck. Wait where you
+are until I learn what has happened."
+
+I bent over and touched him, dropping to my knees, every nerve
+tingling as my hands felt of the recumbent body. The fellow lay in a
+heap, his flesh warm, but with no perceptible heart-beat, no semblance
+of breathing. My fingers sought his face, and I could scarcely
+suppress a cry of surprise--he was not Estada. Who then was he? What
+could have been his purpose in thus invading this stateroom? All I
+could grasp was the fact that the fellow was not the Portuguese--he
+possessed a smooth face, long hair, and was a much smaller man. It
+must have become overcast without, for the star-gleam was no longer
+visible through the after port, and yet a faint light entered,
+sufficient for my purpose. I dragged the body that way, dropping it
+where the slight illumination fell directly on the upturned face. The
+features revealed were unfamiliar--those unquestionably of a
+half-breed Indian. Dorothy crossed to my side, her foot striking a
+knife, which came glimmering into the narrow range of light. She
+stared in horror at the ugly weapon, and then at the ghastly
+countenance.
+
+"Who is he? Do you know?"
+
+"One I have never seen before; he must belong to the gang
+amidships--an Indian."
+
+She shuddered, her voice trembling.
+
+"He came to murder! See his knife lies there. Why should he have
+sought to kill me?"
+
+"It is all mystery," I admitted, "and too deep for me. Perhaps it was
+a mistake, or the fellow thought you had jewels. Anyway he will never
+try that trick again--see, my blow crushed his skull."
+
+"He is actually dead?"
+
+"Beyond doubt. The chair was a heavy one, and I struck with all my
+strength. What shall be done with the body? It cannot be left lying
+exposed here; no one would believe you killed him, and my presence
+must not be suspected."
+
+"Could it," she suggested, "be dropped astern through the port?"
+
+"Ay, that might be done; it was dull of me not to think of that. Yet
+we must not risk a splash to be overheard on deck. Is there a rope of
+any kind to be had?"
+
+"Only this curtain cord; it is not large, but strong."  "That ought
+to do, if long enough; there must be a twenty-foot drop to the water.
+Yes, splice the two together; let me have them."
+
+She shrank back from touching the inanimate figure, her face very pale
+in the dim light, yet it required the combined efforts of both to
+force the stiffening body through the port hole, and then lower it
+slowly to the surging water below. The cord cut our hands cruelly, but
+it held, and the dead man sank beneath the surface, and was swept
+swiftly astern, into the black depths. We could distinguish footsteps
+on the deck above, but these were regular and undisturbed--the slow
+promenade from rail to rail of the officer on watch. Clearly nothing
+had been heard, or seen, to awaken suspicion. I turned back, as the
+released body vanished, to look into her face, which was scarcely
+visible.
+
+"If you should be questioned tomorrow you had best know nothing," I
+said gravely. "I do not think you will be, for surely such an attack
+can be no plan of Estada's. It could gain him no advantage. The fellow
+was pillaging on his own account; if he is missed it will be supposed
+he fell overboard, and no one will greatly care."
+
+"You will be able to learn? I--I shall feel better if I know the
+truth."
+
+"Possibly; however it will be safer for me not to ask questions. I am
+not myself in too good repute aboard. You are not afraid to remain
+here alone?"
+
+"No; I am not greatly frightened but shall try and bar the door with a
+chair. I have no key."
+
+"Then I'll leave you; half of my watch below must be gone by now.
+I'll take the fellow's knife along, as it must not be found here."
+
+We parted with a clasp of hands, as I opened the stateroom door, and
+slipped out into the cabin. To my surprise the light over the table
+had been extinguished, rendering the cabin so black I held to actually
+feel my way forward. This struck me as very strange, particularly as I
+recalled clearly that a stream of light had flashed into the after
+stateroom with the entrance of the prowler. The lantern must have been
+put out since then by some confederate. Gunsaules would be soundly
+asleep long ago, and the light was supposed to burn until morning.
+However there was no noise, other than the creaking and groaning of
+the ship's timbers, mingled with the steady tread of LeVere on the
+upper deck. So, after a moment of hesitation, I found my way across to
+my own stateroom and pressed open the door.
+
+A misty light came in through the port, sufficient to show me all was
+exactly as I had left it, and I flung off my jacket preparatory to
+lying down for a short rest before being recalled for the watch on
+deck. The hilt of the knife in my belt attracted my attention, and I
+drew it forth, curious to learn if it bore any mark of ownership.
+Whether it did, or not, I shall never know, as my eyes were instantly
+attracted to a dark stain on both hilt and blade. I held it to the
+light--it was the stain of blood, and my hands were also reddened by
+it. In that first instant of horror, I hurled the weapon out through
+the open port into the sea. Blood! human blood, without doubt! There
+had been murder committed on board, and the fellow I had struck down
+was seeking refuge, endeavoring to find concealment following his
+crime. Ay, but what about the light in the cabin? It had been
+extinguished after the fleeing fugitive had entered Dorothy's
+stateroom. Did this mean that the slayer had an accomplice? If so,
+then the killing was not the result of a mere personal quarrel
+amidships, or in the forecastle; but the result of some conspiracy. I
+thought of Sanchez, and of Estada's plan to obtain control of the
+ship. Could this be its culmination? And was the Spaniard already
+lying dead in his cabin? This was the only solution of the mystery
+which seemed probable, and yet this did not wholly satisfy my mind.
+Not that I questioned the fiendishness of Estada, or his
+coconspirator, Manuel, or their unwillingness to commit such a crime,
+but it seemed so unnecessarily brutal. Why should they stab a man
+already so severely wounded as to be threatened with death? he was
+helpless, and in their power; neglect, or at most a simple reopening
+of his wounds, would be sufficient for their purpose. To attack him
+anew would only mean exposure, and perhaps awaken the enmity of the
+crew.
+
+Nothing came of my thought--only confusion; nor did I dare investigate
+for fear of becoming more deeply involved in the tragedy. There had
+been no alarm; everything aboard was going on as usual; I could hear
+LeVere tramping the deck, and occasionally catch the echo of his
+voice, as he hailed the main-top, or gave some order to the men
+forward. No, there was nothing to be done; my safety, and the safety
+of the girl depended on our apparent ignorance of what had occurred.
+We must have no part in it, no knowledge or suspicion. There was
+nothing to do but wait the revelation of the morning. Convincing
+myself of this, I washed the blood stains from my hands, and lay down
+in the bunk, fully dressed to await my call. Evidently the wind had
+decreased, as the _Namur_ pitched but little in the sea, and I could
+hear the scuffling of feet indicating a new spread of canvas above.
+The night air, blowing in through my open port became so chill that I
+covered myself with a blanket. The vessel creaked and groaned in every
+joint, some of the sounds actually startling me with their resemblance
+to cries of human agony. I tossed about, occasionally sitting upright
+to peer around in the darkness, my body bathed in cold perspiration,
+yet must have dropped finally off into an uneasy sleep. A sharp
+rapping of knuckles on the door awoke me with a start.
+
+"Starboard watch, Senor."
+
+"Will be on deck at once."
+
+"Ay, ay, Senor."
+
+I drew on a heavy pea jacket of leather, fastening it securely at the
+throat, and donned a wool cap. The lantern in the cabin had been
+relighted, and was burning brightly, and my anxious glance about the
+interior revealed nothing out of place. The only door open led to the
+steward's storeroom. Feeling it best to be prepared for any
+eventuality, I selected a pistol from the rack, saw to its loading,
+and slipped the weapon into my pocket. Except for one man busily
+engaged coiling a rope, the main deck was deserted, and I climbed the
+short ladder to the poop, meeting LeVere as I straightened up. The sea
+was a gentle swell, the sky clear above, but with a mass of dark
+clouds off the port quarter. A glance aloft revealed a full spread of
+canvas. The air contained a nip of frost.
+
+"All set, I see, LeVere?"
+
+"Si, Senor, and at that we barely move. The bark needs a gale o' wind
+to make any headway."
+
+"You have no fear of the storm yonder?"
+
+He glanced aside at the mass of cloud.
+
+"No, Senor. It hung just there an hour past--not come here, but creep
+around."
+
+"Your course?"
+
+"Still to the sou' o' east, Senor." He bent down to glance at the card
+and I saw his dark face in the gleam of the binnacle light. He was not
+bad looking, but for the continuous gleam of prominent teeth. He
+straightened up.
+
+"Who put out the cabin light, Senor?"
+
+"I am sure I don't know; was it out?"
+
+"Yes, Senor. I never knew that to happen before."
+
+"An accident, no doubt. The steward probably left some near-by port
+open, and a gust of wind did the business. That's nothing to worry
+over."
+
+He shook his head as though far from satisfied by my theory, but went
+below without attempting to reply. I watched him through the skylight,
+but he merely gulped down a glass of liquor, and entered his
+stateroom.
+
+My watch was uneventful. The fellow at the wheel was unfamiliar to me,
+and rather surly in his answers, to the few questions I put to him. As
+he could speak nothing but Spanish I soon left him alone, and fell to
+pacing the deck, immersed in my own thoughts. These were far from
+pleasant ones, as I reviewed again the strange situation in which I
+found myself. Circumstances had played me a sorry trick. Without
+plan, almost without effort, I had drifted into a position of utmost
+delicacy. Any accident or mistake might lead to disastrous results.
+Not only my own life, but the life of the young woman below, could be
+endangered by a single careless word, or act. The whole affair seemed
+more a nightmare than a reality. I was actually serving as first
+officer on a pirate ship in search of vessels to rob on the high seas,
+commanding a crew of West Indian cut-throats--the very scum of hell,
+and under the order of a Portuguese devil, whose ambition coolly
+plotted murder. I was sailing under the black flag, to be hung if
+captured, compelled to act out the masquerade, a satellite of the most
+infamous villain who ever sacked a merchantman. Why, the very name of
+Sanchez had been horror to me in the past--yet here I actually was in
+charge of the deck of his death ship, searching for new victims, and
+only hoping that the arch villain might live to overthrow the even
+fouler demon who would succeed him if he died. Already I knew murder
+had been done; that the coming morning would reveal some hideous
+tragedy, on which, perhaps my fate would depend. Somewhere below in
+the dark lay a dead man, his sightless eyes staring upward. The curse
+of crime was upon the vessel, and this, possibly, was only the
+beginning, whose end could not be foreseen. And for what was I there?
+The answer was not upon my lips, but in my heart--Dorothy Fairfax. I
+bowed my head on the rail, and stared out over the dark water, but I
+saw only her face. No, I would not turn back; would not fail her. Let
+the end be death, and disgrace, I meant to fight grimly on until that
+end came. In that hour I knew she was more to me than life, or even
+honor. Far more than mere duty bound me; I was prisoner to love.
+
+The dawn came cold and gray, but with clearing skies. The force of the
+wind increased, becoming unsteady, and causing a choppy sea, so that I
+felt impelled to lower the topsails and take a reef in the larger
+canvas. Nothing was reported in sight, but to reassure myself, I
+climbed into the main crosstrees, and swept the horizon with a glass.
+Not so much as a speck rewarded my efforts, and I descended the
+ratlines, shouting to the boatswain to call the port watch. Watkins
+came aft to the wheel, and I sent the fellow thus relieved down into
+the cabin to rout out LeVere. The two returned to deck together, the
+negro glancing about curiously without mounting the ladder.
+
+"You call Senor Estada yet?" he questioned.
+
+"No; I had no orders to do so."
+
+"He tol' me call him at daylight. Here you, Amada; go wake up the
+Senor."
+
+The seaman disappeared grumbling, while LeVere crossed the poop deck,
+and stood beside me looking out across the expanse of sea.
+
+"No sail--hey? We hav' bad luck--too far north."
+
+"And west; we are out of the sea lanes; but if it keeps bright I'll
+take an observation at noon."
+
+Amada emerged from the companion, and stared up at us, shading his
+mouth with one hand as he spoke.
+
+"He answer nothing, Senor LeVere."
+
+"You rapped on the door?"
+
+"Si, Senor; I strike with my fist, and my boot, but he never wake
+up."
+
+"Was the door locked?"
+
+"I know not, Senor; I not try open it."
+
+LeVere gave utterance to an oath.
+
+"The pig-headed swine," he said fiercely. "I suppose I'll have to go
+myself."
+
+Our eyes met, and something seemed to bid me accompany him.
+
+"We'll go down together, Senor," I said quietly. "Estada must be sick;
+I could hear the rumpus Amada kicked up even on deck here. No man
+could sleep through that racket."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+A NEW CONSPIRACY
+
+
+The interior of the cabin appeared more desolate than ever in the gray
+light of dawn. The swinging light yet burned, but was now useless, all
+the dismal horrors of the place revealed by the slowly increasing
+gleam of day stealing down from above. Gunsaules had not appeared, and
+LeVere's stateroom door remained ajar, giving glimpse of the
+disarranged bunk within. The other doors were tightly closed. LeVere
+rather held back, not noticeably so, perhaps, yet enough to give me
+the lead, and, with one swift glance about, I led the way directly to
+Estada's stateroom.
+
+Something sinister had occurred during the dark hours of the night. Of
+that I was convinced, and I believed we were now about to lift the
+veil hiding the tragedy. My heart pounded like a hammer as I rapped on
+the wooden panels and waited some response from within. There was no
+answer, no sound of movement, and I rapped again more loudly, my
+questioning eyes seeking LeVere's face. He was listening as intently
+as myself, his eyes expressing anxiety. If I had felt some suspicion
+of the man before, this lack of faith vanished---he certainly was
+concerned in no plot involving the life of the Portuguese.
+
+"There is something wrong, Senor," he whispered, "for he was ever a
+light sleeper."
+
+"Then we will find out what it is."
+
+The door was unlocked, the latch yielding instantly to the hand, and I
+stepped within. A glance told everything. The port was closed, but
+through the thick glass sufficient light found entrance to reveal the
+interior. The chair before the table was overturned, and there were
+papers scattered about the deck. Estada lay in his bunk, with one leg
+dangling outside, and his head crooked against the side wall. His very
+posture was that of sudden death, even had it not been pictured by the
+ghastly face, peculiarly hideous in the gray light which stared at us,
+and the dark pool of blood underneath. I heard an exclamation from
+LeVere, and stood for an instant utterly unable to move. The only
+sound audible was the steady drip of blood. I knew already what I
+should find, yet finally forced myself forward--he was stone dead,
+pierced with three knife thrusts. I stood up and faced the mulatto,
+whose countenance was fairly green with horror.
+
+"What do you know about this, Senor LeVere?" I asked sternly. "The man
+has been murdered, knifed. Who did it--and why?"
+
+He could scarcely answer, gripping at the table for support, and never
+removing his gaze from the face of the dead man. Yet I believed his
+words; was convinced this was not the terror of guilt.
+
+"My God! I cannot tell; I have never dreamed of this--that is true,
+Senor."
+
+"Had the man enemies. Anyone you would suspect?"
+
+"Enemies? Ay, plenty of them; we all have. We expect that in our
+trade. This ship is full of devils ready enough to do such a job; but
+I could not name the one who did do it. I know of no cause. I have
+heard nothing."
+
+"I believe you, LeVere," I said, when his voice ceased, yet unwilling
+even then to trust him fully. "All that rules here is strength. Murder
+is but a weapon, and hate struck this blow."
+
+"What can we do, Senor?"
+
+"Do! we must talk that over first. Open the port there and let in some
+fresh air. That is better; but we cannot think, looking at that
+ghastly face, and hearing the blood drip onto the deck. We'll leave
+him here and talk over the affair in the cabin."
+
+"But the men will think it strange," he protested, "if I do not return
+to the deck; some may know what lies here."
+
+"We cannot help that, LeVere. We cannot meet this thing until we are
+prepared; until we talk it over, and decide what to do. It is not the
+men on deck, the watch, I fear, but those fellows amidships--they are
+the ones to be afraid of; is that not so?"
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"Then come; there is more danger in hasty action than anything else."
+
+I shut the door behind us, and turned the key. It was a relief to get
+outside, even into that dismal cabin, beyond view of Estada's dead
+face. The vessel rolled considerably, and LeVere, who had evidently
+lost his nerve, sank into a chair as though no strength remained in
+him.
+
+"You fear an uprising, a mutiny?" I questioned, "when this is
+reported?"
+
+"What will prevent?" he asked. "The Captain cannot stir; the mate
+dead; the men already crazed because we take no prizes. They will
+murder us also, and take control."
+
+"Who will? Those devils amidships?"
+
+"Ay; they care only to fight for gold--it is their trade."
+
+"And who leads them? Who would they make captain?"
+
+"Manuel Estevan," he whispered, "he would be the one."
+
+"I thought as much. Then it is Manuel Estevan we must secure
+first--before they know. 'Tis my thought he is at the bottom of it
+all, and our hope lies in our early discovery. If we can act before he
+does, we may thwart his plan. Listen, LeVere; I will speak low for
+that forward stateroom is his. He has not supposed we would discover
+the murder so quickly, for he knew nothing of Estada's request that he
+be called at daylight--is this true?"
+
+"Si, Senor; it was his last order when he went below."
+
+"Good; then we must organize before he can act. We have that one
+chance left. Whatever his men may know of what has occurred they will
+make no move until they get his orders. We must stop the possibility
+of his issuing any. Without a leader, the advantage is ours."
+
+"You mean to kill him?"
+
+"Only as a last resort. I am no murderer, although there is enough at
+stake here to make me willing to take life. There is no good feeling
+between those quartered amidships, and the crew?"
+
+"No, Senor; it is hate generally, although they are not all alike. The
+real sailors are mostly captured men; they serve to save their lives,
+and only for these others on board could not be held long. We do not
+arm them or use them to board prizes. It's those devils amidships who
+loot; that is all their work to fight and guard these others.
+Naturally there's no love lost between them. Your plan, Senor, is to
+set the one against the other?"
+
+"Yes, if possible; I know no other way. These sailor men are of all
+races. Can they be trusted?"
+
+He sat bending forward, his hands on his knees, his dark face far from
+pleasant. I had every reason to know the fellow to be criminal,
+desperate, guilty of everything in the calendar, and yet I must place
+confidence in him. Only as we worked together now was there any
+prospect of success.
+
+"Some might be; it is hard to tell how many. It is not the race which
+counts so much, Senor. There are those among them who would not care
+to return to honesty."
+
+"And you, LeVere?"
+
+He spread his hands, and shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"There is no hope of me; I was born to the free life."
+
+"What then is it with you?"
+
+"Hate, Senor--revenge," and his teeth gleamed savagely. "I would spit
+on this Manuel who seeks to be chief. I can never be---no; I am of
+black skin, with negro blood in my veins, and white men would never
+have it so. But I can hate, Senor. That is why I am with you now, if
+the devil so will. Your plan might work--tell me more of it."
+
+"It is simple enough, LeVere, and came to me but now as I looked upon
+Estada lying there dead. Treachery killed him, and that treachery must
+have purpose behind it. You believe this to be the ambition of Manuel
+Estevan to become chief, and that in this he is backed by those
+buccaneers amidships whom he commands. But to accomplish this end
+there must soon be other murders aboard--the Captain Sanchez, and
+possibly our own as well, although 'tis likely he may offer us life to
+join him. But I doubt if the fellow be ready yet to throw off the mask
+and openly declare himself. He will claim the murder of Estada to be
+the act of some fiendish member of the crew, and wait until things
+aboard ripen to his purpose. He is not likely to dream that we suspect
+him. This gives us our chance--we can act before he does."
+
+"But if the men are with him?"
+
+"What are the odds, say you--thirty to a hundred? Ay, but surprise
+will overcome that. My plan is this; first, for you and I to secure
+Manuel, as quietly as possible, but at whatever cost. Surely that can
+be done. With him in our hands, or dead, the buccaneers have no
+leader. What then? There are men in the crew on deck and in the
+forecastle to be trusted--Watkins is one, and he will know others, a
+dozen, no doubt. They will be enough. We will whisper the truth to
+these, and have them ready for a signal. The forward door from
+amidships is closed by iron bars--is it not?"
+
+"Si, Senor," his eyes again sparkling with interest. "The men
+quarreled, and there was fighting."
+
+"Then there is no escape in that direction and it can be no great
+task to close any passage leading aft. Lower the deck hatch, and we
+have those devils below caged like so many rats. There need be no
+fighting; starvation will bring them to terms."
+
+"But, Senor, you forget--your dozen men cannot guard the buccaneers
+below, and also manage the bark at sea. The crew are not all
+lambs--many will sympathize with those thus locked beneath deck.
+Cochose is bad, and a friend of Manuel. He will fight, and there are
+others to back him."
+
+"I know that, LeVere. The whole plan is desperate, but there is no
+other possible. Here is my scheme. There is a gun rack in the cabin,
+containing enough weapons to arm the dozen men we can trust. The
+others have nothing but their sheath knives. The buccaneers can be
+secured below, before these other lads ever realize what is
+happening--many will be asleep in the forecastle. As soon as we have
+control of the ship we'll round them up forward. They won't dare face
+the guns. I'll give them their choice, and, as for Cochose, I've taken
+his measure once already, and am ready to try it again."
+
+"And what will you tell them, Senor?"
+
+I caught my breath, conscious of his meaning. My secret hope could not
+be revealed to this fellow. However hate and ambition might sway him,
+and however personal fear might influence him, at the moment, his
+purpose and mine were entirely different. Piracy was his life; he knew
+and cared for nothing else. In innate savagery he was not better than
+any of the others, and must be dealt with accordingly. Just now I must
+have him on my side, and conditions had delivered him into my hands.
+But I could only hope to retain him through self interest. The mulatto
+had little faith in me; I was a stranger, an Englishman, unknown and
+untried. Naturally we were enemies. He would make use of me for the
+present if he could, and as smilingly knife me tomorrow if it served
+his turn. I felt confident of that, and in consequence the answer came
+quickly to my lips.
+
+"The whole truth, Senor LeVere--that Manuel conspired to seize the
+bark through a mutiny of the buccaneers; that these were to be turned
+loose with license to kill anyone on board who opposed them; that
+their real purpose was to divide among themselves all the treasure
+below; then wreck the vessel, and escape with it. That to this end
+Estada had already been foully murdered and that they also intended to
+take the lives of the other officers so as to be free to do as they
+pleased. I shall explain that we discovered this conspiracy just in
+time to save them from butchery, and that they must stand by us, or
+else submit to those hell-hounds. I'll put it strong."
+
+"And after that, Senor?"
+
+"Why Porto Grande, of course," I admitted heartily. "It is not a long
+voyage, and if we bring the boat in safely the treasure is ours. The
+men will understand what that means--a handful of gold for each of
+them and a run ashore. Why, LeVere, they will make more apiece than by
+looting a half dozen ships, and with no fighting. It will be a fortune
+for you and me."
+
+His somber eyes lighted up, startled by this new idea, and he sprang
+to his feet, swaying before me to the pitch of the deck.
+
+"You mean that, Senor! We divide what is below, and sail for Porto
+Grande? I hear you right? You not mean surrender? You stay pirate?"
+
+I laughed, my nerves tingling to the success of my ruse--he had taken
+the tempting bait like a hungry fish.
+
+"Why of course; so that was the trouble. Hell! man, I am not such a
+fool as to throw away this chance. I came aboard here without a
+dollar, drunk, a sailor before the mast. Look at me now---shoved into
+a job as first officer, with my full share of all we can lay hands on.
+Do you suppose I'm going back to the forecastle, and a bit of silver?
+Not me! I'm for all I can get, and with no care how I get it. This is
+our chance, LeVere. If we put the _Namur_ into Porto Grande, with
+Sanchez on board and alive, and those hell-hounds locked below, we'll
+get anything we ask for. We'll be the cocks of the walk. If he
+shouldn't live through, why then we'll have a ship, and can run the
+game alone. Either way, if we win, the prize is ours--and, by God! if
+we stick together we win."
+
+My apparent enthusiasm caught the fellow. I could read the working of
+his mind in his face. This was a new view of the situation, a new
+vision. It appealed to him from every standpoint--it promised wealth,
+power, the total defeat of Estevan; everything he most desired. And as
+I pictured it, the result seemed easy of attainment. His eyes gleamed
+lightning.
+
+"You think Senor Sanchez live?"
+
+"What difference? If he lives he owes his life to us. If he dies the
+bark is in our hands, and the treasure. The thing to consider now is
+how to get control. Once we have won, we care nothing if he live or
+die. Come, we have wasted time enough in talk; it is action that
+counts--what say you? Are we together in this?"
+
+He thrust out a lean, yellow hand, and I gripped it firmly.
+
+"Si, Senor; you speak right. To do this we must act. I am with you."
+
+"You pledge your word, Francois?"
+
+"I pledge it, Senor."
+
+"Good! and you have mine. Now to the work--first Manuel Estevan, and
+then the men on deck. 'Tis his stateroom yonder."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+LAYING THE TRAP
+
+
+Our first job was executed much more easily than I had anticipated. We
+caught Manuel sound asleep, and LeVere had sinewy hands at his throat
+before the fellow could grasp a weapon, or even clearly comprehend the
+nature of the attack. The narrowness of the stateroom prevented my
+taking much part in the affair, but the mulatto needed no help, as he
+dragged the cursing Spaniard from his bunk to the deck and throttled
+him savagely. Indeed he would have killed the fellow had I not
+interfered and twisted his hands loose, leaving Estevan barely
+conscious. A blanket ripped into strips served to bind him securely
+enough for the present, but I thought it best to lock the door, and
+keep the key in my own pocket. LeVere would have knifed him even as he
+lay there helpless, but for my threat and insistence. Once back in the
+cabin my eyes distinguished the frightened face of the steward peering
+forth at us from out the dark of the passage leading forward.
+
+"Come here, Gunsaules," I said sternly. "Step lively, lad; there's
+nothing for you to fear."
+
+"Yes, Senor--yes," and; he crept forth from his partial cover,
+glancing fearfully from face to face as he advanced.
+
+"Senor Estada has been killed during the night, and we have just
+captured his murderer," I explained hastily. "There is reason to
+believe this act was part of a conspiracy to seize the ship."
+
+"By Senor Manuel?" his eyes staring at me from out a white face.
+
+"Yes, in connection with those fellows amidships. Does that passage
+lead to their quarters?"
+
+"It did once, Senor, but now there is a closed door. The Captain
+Sanchez had it so arranged to prevent the men from coming aft."
+
+"What kind of a door?"
+
+"Of oak, studded with iron, not only locked, but barred on this side."
+
+"You have no key?"
+
+"No, Senor; there are but two--one for the Captain and the other for
+him who commands the buccaneers."
+
+"Manuel?"
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+I stood there a moment silent, considering this information, and
+rapidly arranging in mind our future operations. The only way the
+mutineers could reach the cabin then would be from the deck,
+descending through the companion. So long as they remained unaware of
+the capture of Manuel there was little danger of their taking such
+action. My faith in Gunsaules was not great, yet the probability was
+that he would remain loyal to whichever party held the upper hand.
+That was ever the way with these men.
+
+"Very well, steward," I said. "You go on about your work as though
+nothing had happened. If any word of this affair gets to the crew, or
+to those fellows forward, I'll hold you responsible. Understand
+that!"
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"You are not to leave this cabin without my permission, nor speak to
+anyone. LeVere."
+
+The mulatto faced me respectfully enough, and I had a feeling he would
+obey orders, largely because he dare not rebel.
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"They will be wondering why you are not on deck. It will be better for
+you to take charge of the watch at once, and keep the men busy.
+Relieve Watkins at the wheel and send the man down to me. He can
+choose the fellows who will stick better than you could, and then can
+circulate among them without arousing suspicion. Send him down at once
+quietly."
+
+He disappeared through the companion, while Gunsaules vanished within
+the storeroom, where I could hear him rummaging noisily about. I sat
+down to wait the appearance of Watkins, satisfied that matters were
+already safely in my control. That the English sailor would cooperate,
+I had no doubt, and as to LeVere, he had already gone too far to
+openly play the traitor. It was full daylight now, and evidently a
+bright morning, although the swell of the sea remained heavy, and I
+judged there must be a strong wind. Watkins, muffled to the ears in a
+heavy jacket, and with cap pulled down so I could scarcely see his
+face, shuffled down the steps. He whipped off the cap and stood
+waiting.
+
+"The officer of the deck sent me here, sir."
+
+"I asked for you; did LeVere tell you why?"
+
+"No sir; only that I was to come at once and quietly."  I put my hand
+on his shoulder. "Tom," I said soberly, but so low I felt sure even
+Gunsaules would not overhear, "we are in the same boat, and understand
+each other. The chance has come for both of us, if we play the cards
+right. Listen while I tell you the situation, and what I plan doing."
+
+I told it briefly, wasting no words, yet relating every fact, even
+including my visit and conversation with Dorothy, and the throwing of
+the body through the after port. He listened eagerly, but without
+interruption until the end.
+
+"What do you make of it?" I asked, irritated by his silence.
+
+"About what you do, sir. I knew there was something of the kind going
+on--some of the men forward are in on it. You've got the ring-leader."
+
+"Manuel, you mean. Who did he count on for help in the forecastle?"
+
+"Cochose, and a handful of others, niggers and Spaniards, mostly. They
+even tried out one or two white men. That's how I heard of it, through
+Jack Jones, but they never told him enough to make the plan clear.
+However, with what you've just said I've got a pretty fair
+understanding. They meant to pull the affair off either today or
+tonight. What sorter lookin' chap was the fellow you knocked out,
+sir?"
+
+"I scarcely saw his face--a half-breed I should say; rather short, but
+stout, with long hair."
+
+"Jose; he is the one Manuel would choose for such a job. But why he
+got into the girl's room is more than I know. However, if he is dead,
+and Manuel a prisoner, it gives us a fair chance, sir. It leaves
+those fellows amidships without a leader. A dozen good men on deck
+might do the business."
+
+"But are there a dozen aboard to be trusted?"
+
+He hesitated, running the names over in his mind, evidently weighing
+each one carefully.
+
+"Well, yes sir. I rather think there are," he said finally. "It won't
+do for to make any mistake here, but I'm pretty sure of these fellows.
+I'd say that in both watches there's maybe fourteen to be relied on.
+There's one or two others in the starboard watch who are likely enough
+all right, but I don't get to see them alone much."
+
+"Who do you pick out?"
+
+"In my watch there's Jones, Harwood and Simms, either English or
+Welsh. They're all right. Then there's a nigger named Sam; Schmitt, a
+Dutchman, with his partner, whose name I don't know, and two
+Frenchies, Ravel and Pierre. That makes eight, nine counting myself.
+Then in the starboard watch I'd pick out Jim Carter and Joe Cole, two
+Swedes, Carlson and Ole Hallin, and another nigger. Then there are a
+couple of Finns who ought to be with us, but I can't talk their lingo.
+That would give us sixteen out of thirty, and it's quite likely some
+of the others would take a hand with us, if they thought it was safe.
+I have'nt any use though, sir, for Francois LeVere. There ain't a
+worse scamp aboard."
+
+"I know that," I admitted, "but he had to be used. It was through him
+that Estada's murder was discovered. But he is safe enough for the
+present, for he made the attack on Manuel, and so will not dare go
+back on us. His life is in the balance. But wait, Tom; don't breathe
+in his ear our real purpose; I've convinced him that we mean to keep
+in the trade, dividing the treasure aboard, and sailing the bark to
+Porto Grande."
+
+"Oh, so that's the game? And what is my part now?"
+
+"This is my watch below, and it will be best for me to keep off the
+deck until all is prepared. Besides I am afraid to leave the cabin
+unguarded. There is no knowing what Gunsaules might do. You sound
+these men and get them together; wake up the ones in the starboard
+watch you feel sure are all right, and have them slip quietly on deck.
+LeVere will understand what you are up to, and will make no objection.
+As soon as you have everything ready, let me know."
+
+"We are none of us armed, sir."
+
+"That is what I was coming to. When you are sure of your men, and have
+them on deck, I'll get LeVere to send them all aft on some pretext or
+other. I'll think up a way to do this without creating any suspicion.
+Then we'll get these arms in the rack here, and be ready for
+business--the rest will be done in a hurry. You have it all clear?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Then I'll wait here for your report."
+
+At the very best Watkins could scarcely perform the task assigned him
+in less than an hour. No doubt there were those on his list whom he
+would have to approach with great caution, while there was always
+danger that some word might be dropped to awaken suspicion. The
+success or failure of our effort depended entirely upon taking these
+fellows by complete surprise. If it came to an open fight our cause
+was hopeless, for that would mean fourteen or fifteen men unarmed,
+pitted against over a hundred, thoroughly equipped and trained
+fighters. To be sure these were at present, without a leader, yet
+their force alone was sufficient to overcome us, and some one among
+them would doubtless assume leadership in an emergency. Only by
+confining them below, with hatches battened down, and a carronade
+trained upon them, would we be safe.
+
+I sat where I could watch the stairs, and the entire forward part of
+the cabin. Gunsaules lowered the table, and began preparing the
+morning meal. He glanced at me each time he passed, but ventured on no
+questioning, although it was quite evident the fellow was nearly
+bursting from curiosity. I lit my pipe, endeavoring to appear entirely
+at ease, as I turned over and over again in mind every detail of the
+contemplated action. With each review the result seemed more certainly
+assured, and my courage revived. Except for some accident, or act of
+treachery, I could perceive no reason why my plan should not work
+perfectly. It was evident that LeVere was endeavoring to keep the
+watch on deck busy. I could hear his voice frequently, calling out
+orders and occasionally singling out some man for a special task. A
+slushing of water proved that the deck amidships was being washed
+down, and twice, at least, men were sent aloft to make some change in
+the spread of canvas.
+
+I stepped across into my stateroom to gain a glimpse out through the
+port. Narrow as the vista was it yet revealed a beautiful sea view,
+the waves running high, but in long billows, with bright sunshine
+glowing along their crests, the hollows a deep purple. Above the sky
+was a pale blue, with scarcely a fleeting cloud visible, and the bark
+was sailing free, laying well over to the fresh breeze, evidently
+carrying all the spread of canvas possible. As I returned to the
+cabin, Gunsaules awaited me to announce breakfast.
+
+"What already?"
+
+"It is six-thirty, Senor. Those were my orders."
+
+"Very well; I suppose Estada and Manuel usually eat first?"
+
+"Si, Senor."
+
+"That leaves me alone; suppose you rap on the lady's door yonder, and
+ask if she will join me. Say your message is from Senor Gates."
+
+She came forth immediately fully dressed, but bearing herself with
+reserve. On my part I made no effort at greeting, not certain as to
+what eyes might be observing us through the deck light above, or, for
+the matter of that, unwilling to face the curiosity of the watchful
+steward.
+
+"I had you called," I explained, "because of a disinclination to eat
+entirely alone. You were evidently awake?"
+
+"Yes; I have not undressed. I felt no desire to sleep, although, no
+doubt I dozed. The call to breakfast was quite welcome."
+
+She seated herself opposite me, and we spoke of the weather while
+Gunsaules served with some skill. He was still hovering about, but my
+anxiety to enjoy a word with her alone caused me to send him on a task
+elsewhere.
+
+"Has Captain Sanchez been attended to yet?" I asked sharply. "No;
+then see to him at once. I have reason to believe he is alone this
+morning, and will need you. Yes, we can get along very nicely."
+
+We waited until he disappeared within the after stateroom, bearing a
+tray; then her eyes suddenly lifted to mine, filled with questioning.
+
+"Tell me what has happened?" She breathed eagerly. "I heard the noise
+of a struggle out here, and voices conversing. Why are you alone?"
+
+I leaned over to speak in as low a tone as possible.
+
+"I can only explain very briefly. The man who came into your room last
+night had just murdered Estada. LeVere and I found the mate's body at
+daylight. His killing was part of a plot by Manuel, and the buccaneers
+quartered amidships, to seize the bark. We have Manuel already
+prisoner and are preparing to gain possession of the boat ourselves."
+
+"Who are planning? You have found friends on board?"
+
+"I have made LeVere believe his only safety lies in assisting me. I
+told you about Watkins and the other men forward. He has picked out a
+dozen, or so, in whom he has confidence, English sailors mostly and is
+sounding them out. I expect him back with a report at any minute."
+
+"And then what?" her excitement visible in her eyes. "What can a dozen
+men do?"
+
+"Our main weapon is surprise of course. By acting quickly we can gain
+control of the deck. If Watkins' estimate is correct, nine out of the
+port watch now on duty will be with us. If he can add to these five or
+six from the starboard watch below this will make a total, not
+counting LeVere and myself, of fifteen. There would be only five left
+to oppose us on deck and probably two of these would be on watch
+aloft. Once we gain control of the deck we can lock the others below,
+and negotiate with them at our leisure. The plan looks to me quite
+possible."
+
+She sat silently gazing at me across the table, seemingly failing to
+quite comprehend, her parted lips trembling to an unasked question.
+Before she could frame this in words, the door to the companion
+opened, and Watkins descended the stairs. At sight of her he whipped
+off his cap, and stood motionless, fumbling it awkwardly in his hands.
+
+"You may speak freely," I said. "This is the young lady I told you
+about, and of course she is with us. Only talk low, as the steward is
+in the stateroom yonder."
+
+"Yes sir," using a hoarse whisper, and fastening his gaze on me. "It's
+all right, sir."
+
+"They are with us! How many?"
+
+"Eight sure from my watch, sir. Harwood is in the fore-top and
+couldn't be seen, but I'll answer for his bein' all right. There was
+only four I could get word to in the forcastle, but there's others
+there who'll give us help soon as they know what's goin' on."
+
+"That makes twelve of the men, fifteen of us altogether. Are the four
+from the starboard watch on deck?"
+
+He nodded, clutching and unclutching his hands nervously, scarcely
+able to restrain himself.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+THE DECK IS OURS
+
+
+I had the next step carefully outlined in my own mind, and yet I
+hesitated a moment, glancing into the two faces before me, with a
+sudden realization of what the contemplated action would mean to all
+of us, if by any chance it should fail of success. Our lives certainly
+hung in the balance, for these fiends would show no mercy, if once
+they gained power to strike back. Yet how could we fail? Only through
+treachery, or some unforseen accident. And, moreover, it was too late
+for retreat. The one chance, desperate as it appeared, must be taken.
+I managed to speak cheerfully, putting a ring of confidence into my
+voice.
+
+"Then the sooner we act the better. Watkins have LeVere order these
+men aft. Let him say that Senor Estada wishes them to break out some
+stores in the lazaret. That will create no suspicion. They need be
+here only long enough for us to distribute these arms among them, and
+for me to speak a word of instruction to them. Are you ready?"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+As he vanished, I turned to the girl, who had arisen to her feet, one
+hand grasping the edge of the table to balance herself against the
+pitching of the deck.
+
+"It is a desperate chance, is it not?" She questioned anxiously.
+"Yes," I admitted. "Fifteen of us against a hundred and fifteen, but
+worth taking and such an opportunity may never occur again. I believe
+the plan will work; its greatest weakness is, I do not know the men on
+whom I must rely. If there should be a traitor among them we are done
+for. I mean to work so fast no one man will be able to spread the
+news."
+
+"But have I no part? Is there no way in which I can help?"
+
+"You have your pistol?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Then remain here. I shall have to go on deck with the men, and will
+not dare leave them a moment until the ship is absolutely secure.
+Manuel is locked in that stateroom, but must not be communicated with
+by anyone. I hardly believe Gunsaules will attempt anything, but it is
+not safe to trust him alone. It will be your part to see that the
+fellow neither enters that passage leading amidships, nor approaches
+this door. Keep him in sight. You can do this?"
+
+"Of course I can."
+
+"Then you will do most valuable service, and save us a man. Wait here
+now until I see how securely this passage forward is closed."
+
+It was as described to me--a heavy oaken door, nail studded, not only
+locked, but held firmly in place by a stout iron bar. There was not
+the faintest possibility of any entrance aft, except through
+assistance from this side. As I returned to the cabin, Gunsaules came
+out of the Captain's room and crossed the deck. At sight of me he
+stopped instantly, holding his tray in front of him.
+
+"Gunsaules," I said, wasting no words, "you are to remain in this
+cabin until I give the word. The lady here has a pistol, and orders to
+shoot if you attempt to either enter this passage, or approach the
+door of Manuel's stateroom."
+
+"Yes, Senor," his face like chalk, and his eyes rolling.
+
+"How did you find Sanchez?"
+
+"Sitting up in his bunk, Senor, and able to eat."
+
+"Does he know what is occurring on board?"
+
+"No, Senor. He questioned me, but I only told him everything was all
+right, so far."
+
+In my heart I believed the fellow deliberately lied, but there was no
+opportunity to question him further, for at that moment the door of
+the companion opened and a miscellaneous group of men thronged down
+the stairs. They were a rough hairy lot, here and there a sturdy
+English countenance meeting my gaze, but the faces were largely
+foreign, with those of two negroes conspicuous. I felt my heart beat
+furiously at sight of such poor material, and yet many a ship's crew
+appeared worse. The fellows grouped themselves awkwardly behind
+Watkins.
+
+"Twelve here, sir; I couldn't get Harwood down from the fore-top."
+
+"And there are others below who will join us?"
+
+"Yes sir; six more I count on."
+
+"Which means lads, that with Harwood, Senor LeVere, and myself, we'll
+total twenty-one in this shindy. Now I'll tell you what is up. Watkins
+gave you some of it no doubt, but a word from me will make it clearer.
+I'm no pirate; I'm an English sailor, shanghied on board. Estada
+named me first officer because I understand navigation."
+
+I stopped speaking, staring at one of the faces before me; all at once
+it appeared familiar.
+
+"What is your name, my man?"
+
+"Jim Carter, sir."
+
+"You were in the crew of the _Sinbad_, three years ago?"
+
+"I was that, Mister Carlyle," he answered grinning. "I know'd you the
+minute I cum down yere."
+
+"Then that is all I need say on that line. Here's one of your mates,
+lads, who will vouch for me. Now, as I've been told, you are all of
+you in the same boat--you are prisoners on board, cowed by those
+mongrel devils amidships. Do you understand what I say?"
+
+"If ye'd put it in Spanish, sir," said Carter respectfully, "an' talk
+kinder slow, they'd most ov 'em catch the meanin'. That's 'bout all
+the lingo we've heard lately."
+
+"Very well; now listen closely, all of you. Luck has given us a chance
+to make a break, and get away. Captain Sanchez is wounded and
+helpless. Pedro Estada is dead, and I've got Manuel locked in that
+stateroom. His cut-throats are all below, and now all we've got to do
+is clap on the hatch and keep them there."
+
+"What 'bout the nigger on watch?" broke in Jones hoarsely. "I'd like
+ter crook him, by God."
+
+"He's with us so far. I'll answer for him. Now, what I want to know is
+are you fellows with me?"
+
+Watkins answered up promptly; then Carter; the others joining in with
+less heartiness, the different accents revealing their nationalities.
+I knew sailors well enough to feel assured they would follow their
+leaders once the game started.
+
+"That's good enough; now we've got to hit hard and quick, lads. There
+are six men on deck who are not with us. Watkins will take care of
+them with those fellows I don't assign to other work. Jones, you and
+Carter make straight for the forecastle and don't let anyone come up
+the scuttle. One of you had better drop down below, and prevent any of
+those lads from unbarring the door leading amidships. Who is the best
+for that job?"
+
+"Let Carlson do it. He belongs to the starboard watch."
+
+"All right--Carlson it is then. You Frenchmen, and the two negroes,
+your part will be to ship the main hatch. Do a quick job, and clamp it
+down tight. Do you all understand just what you are to do?"
+
+The responses satisfied me.
+
+"I'll come down to you, Carlson, as soon as we have the deck. It ought
+not to take more than five minutes to handle those lads, and slew
+around a carronade. Now don't be afraid to hit hard. Watkins, you and
+Carter hand out the cutlasses from the rack; you boys will handle
+those better than firearms. Good; now are you all ready?"
+
+There was a low murmur of voices, the faces watching me showing their
+increasing excitement and eagerness. Our little talk had served to
+arouse their confidence in my leadership, and with gleaming weapons in
+their hands they became self-reliant volunteers. Once turned loose my
+greatest difficulty might be to restrain them, rather than urge them
+on. Revenge for past wrongs was in each heart, and they welcomed a
+chance to strike and kill.
+
+I whispered a parting word of admonition into the ear of Dorothy,
+receiving in return a glance from her eyes, which gave a new throb to
+my heart; then straightened up, and pistol in hand, pushed my way
+through the throng of sailors to the foot of the stairs.
+
+"Follow me, lads," I said quietly, "and every man do the particular
+thing assigned him. Don't pay any attention to your mates--do your
+part, and then wait for orders. Come on now."
+
+We emerged through the companion, and I stepped aside as the others
+rushed by. There was no shout, no cheer, the fellows seeming to
+realize the desperate nature of their work, and the importance of
+surprise. They were outnumbered five to one, and their only hope of
+success lay in rendering their opponents helpless before they could
+rally to a defense. All the pent-up hate of years was in their hearts,
+blazed madly in their eyes; they were tigers leaping at the throat of
+their prey, yet sane enough to comprehend even in their blood-rage
+that they must act together. It was over so quickly I scarcely saw it
+all; my memory now is of a clear sky, a deck almost deserted, its
+brass work glowing in the sun, the white sails above bellowing out to
+the pressure of a strong wind, and the blue sea, crested with white,
+stretching about us in desolate grandeur. LeVere stared down over the
+poop rail, behind him the motionless figure of the wheelsman, his
+hands gripping the spokes, while across the open deck the speeding
+mutineers leaped to their several posts, with bare cutlasses shining
+in the sun. And they did their work. My eyes swept from group to
+group--the four toiling at the cover of the main hatch; the fellows
+racing toward the forecastle; and Watkins' squad driving straight into
+the grouped watch beyond the foremast. It was smartly done; Watkins
+had taken no cutlass, but went in with both fists, asking no
+questions, but battering right and left, his men surging after, with
+steel blades flaming in the sunlight. The astounded watch, cursing and
+fighting grimly, held for a moment, and then went staggering back
+against the port rail, unable to stem the rush, and roaring for mercy.
+I had view of Carlson dropping recklessly down the forecastle scuttle,
+and then sprang forward myself to give a hand to the four wrestling
+with the main hatch. Together we dragged it into position, forcing
+relentlessly back as we did so, a dozen struggling figures frantically
+endeavoring to reach the deck. Shots were fired, the bullets whistling
+through the opening, the flare lighting up the black depths below,
+revealing vaguely a mass of frantic men staring up, and cursing us
+fiercely in a dozen languages; but, in spite of them, we clamped the
+hatch down tight, and locked it securely into place with an iron bar.
+Even through this cover the sound of smothered yells reached our ears,
+mingled with blows of gun-butts, as the fellows vainly endeavored to
+break out from their prison. The negro Sam grinned from ear to ear,
+executing a jig, as he flashed his cutlass above his head.
+
+"Stay here, all four of you," I commanded sharply. "This job is well
+done. Now let me see about the others."
+
+Watkins needed no help; he had his party rounded up, and in complete
+control, the fellows begging for mercy, as they crouched before the
+cutlasses of their assailants. To my orders they were driven into the
+cook's galley and a guard stationed at the door. Then I turned to the
+more serious work confronting me in the forecastle. What lay before me
+in facing the members of the starboard watch it was impossible to
+conceive, but they had to be sorted out, and it was my task. We must
+have men enough to sail the bark, and if I was to command them, I must
+first of all prove my courage and enforce authority. The whole success
+of our effort depended on this.
+
+"What's going on below?" I asked.
+
+"Cursin' mostly," answered Carter, peering down through a slight
+uptilting of the scuttle. "They don't just know what's happening yet,
+but the big nigger seems ter be raisin' hell. Carlson is a holdin' him
+back with his cutlass."
+
+"Open up and let me down."
+
+I fell, rather than clambered along the rungs of the ladder, coming to
+my feet on deck in the midst of a group of angry men, who had Carlson
+pinned against the bulkhead. The light was so poor I could scarcely
+see their faces; a babel of voices greeted me, and more than one hand
+gripped me fiercely as the excited owner yelped a demand to know what
+in hell we were up to. I roughly cleared a space, aided by Carlson's
+cutlass, and fronted them defiantly. Towering above them all, his
+black apelike face, distorted with rage, I distinguished the giant
+Cochose, his immense hands grasping a wooden bar ripped from a bunk.
+Plainly enough he was the leader, the one man whose ascendency I must
+crush, and I meant to do it, then and there. This was no job I could
+turn over to others; if I was to rule, this black brute must be
+conquered at the very start, conquered by my own hands, and in the
+presence of his mates. Here, in this black forecastle, we must fight
+it out, breast to breast, as savagely as beasts of the jungle, to the
+bitter end. I made the resolve, with teeth clenched, and every muscle
+throbbing with eagerness.
+
+"Stand back there lads," I said sternly, my eyes searching their
+faces, and with pistol poised threateningly. "Give us room. I'll
+explain all that has happened presently, but first I am going to lick
+that black brute within an inch of his life. Step out of there,
+Cochose."
+
+He came grinning widely, balancing the heavy club in his hands.
+
+"You mean me, sah? You all think yer kin lick me?"
+
+"Yes, I think so; I'll try it anyway. Here Carlson, take this pistol
+and sheath knife. If anyone interferes shoot him. All I ask is fair
+play. Drop that club, Cochose, and throw away your knife. You and I
+will fight this out with bare hands."
+
+His dull brain worked slowly, and he stared at me, his eyes ugly, his
+grin becoming savage with a display of teeth. His silence and lack of
+response, awoke a growl from the impatient circle of men behind. One
+fellow kicked the club out of his hand contemptuously, and another
+plucked the knife from his belt.
+
+"You big skulker," the latter said, with an oath of derision, "go on,
+and fight! What in hell are you afraid of?"
+
+"What for Ah fight this white man? Ah don't even know who he is."
+
+"Then I'll tell you. Estada is dead; Manuel is a prisoner. I'm in
+command of this bark, and I am going to give you a lesson for the
+benefit of the crew. You are a big, boasting cur! I heard what you
+said when I came down, and now I'll make you prove it. You other
+fellows stand back--I'll make this beast fight."
+
+I took two steps forward, my advance so swift and unexpected, the big
+negro had not even time in which to throw up an arm in defense. With
+open hand I struck him squarely across the face, an insulting,
+stinging blow.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+IN FULL POSSESSION
+
+
+A roar of delight mingled with the negro's snarl of rage at this
+action. For an instant the fellow appeared too completely surprised
+for movement, although an angry oath burst from his lips, and the grin
+of derision faded from his face. I knew sailors, and felt that these
+men would not differ greatly from the occupants of other forecastles
+on the seven seas. They would welcome a fight like this and their
+immediate sympathy would be with me for starting it. More than that,
+this black bully, ruling over them by brute force, could be no
+favorite. They might fear him, but with that fear would be mingled
+hate, and a delight in his downfall.
+
+The respite was short, yet in that instant, although I cannot recall
+removing watchful eyes from the negro's face, I received an impression
+of my surroundings never to be erased from memory. The grim picture
+arises before me now, distinct in every detail, the gloomy interior,
+the deck, foul, littered with sea boots, and discarded clothing, and
+the great beams overhead blackened by smoke. The rays of the swinging
+slush lantern barely illuminated the central space, the rows of bunks
+beyond remaining mere shadows, yet this dim, yellowish light, fell
+full upon the excited, half circle of men who were roaring about the
+negro, and had already pressed him forward until he stood confronting
+me, his grin of derision changed into a scowl of hate. They were a
+rough, wild lot, bearded and uncombed, ranging in color from the
+intense black of Central Africa to the blond of Scandinavia, half
+naked some, their voices mingling in a dozen tongues, their eyes
+gleaming with savagery. They impressed me as animals of the jungle,
+thirsting for blood, and I knew the man who came victorious from this
+struggle would be their leader. The thought stiffened my muscles, and
+strengthened my determination to win.
+
+I know not whether Cochose lunged forward of his own volition, or was
+pressed on from behind, yet suddenly he was within reach of me, and
+the battle was on. It was short and fierce, his object evidently being
+to crush me in his giant grip, mine to oppose science to strength, and
+avoid his bear-hug. We swayed back and forth to the sharp pitching of
+the ship, barely able to keep our feet, sparring for some advantage.
+Once he would have had me, but for a lunge of the vessel which sent
+him sprawling on hands and knees; yet, before I could recover, the man
+was up again, furious with anger. This time, he sprang straight at me,
+uttering a growl of rage, determined to smash me to the deck by the
+very power of his onslaught. But I side-stepped him, getting in two
+swift blows, which rocked his head, and tore open one cheek, from
+which blood trickled. Yet he kept his feet, blindly gripping for me,
+driven almost crazy by the pain of my last blow, and the jeers of his
+mates.
+
+I evaded his clutch by leaping aside, but the space was far too small
+to permit these tactics to carry long, and finally he had me. Yet,
+even as he seemingly crushed the very breath out of me, his giant
+strength met with a resistance which increased his fury. Already the
+fellow had lost his head, but I fought coolly, putting my skill
+against brute force, every wrestler's trick I knew flashing into my
+brain. Breathless, my flesh scraped and bruised, I wriggled partly
+free, and tripped him, his great body striking the deck with a thud. I
+fell with him, dragged down by his desperate grip, but was first upon
+my feet, saluted by a roar of delight from the lips of those crowding
+about us. As he staggered up also, cursing fiercely, his lips drawn
+back in a snarl, his brutal face, that of a wild animal, I struck him
+again, a blow which would have ended the game, had not my foot slipped
+on the reeling deck. As it was it drove him to his knees, groggy, and
+with one eye half closed, yet with strength enough left to regain his
+feet as soon as I. This time he charged me like a wild bull, froth
+whitening his lips, scarcely appearing human in the yellow light. In
+mad rage he forgot all caution, all pretense at defense, his one
+thought to reach me with his hands, and throttle me into lifeless
+pulp. Here was where skill and coolness won. I fought him back,
+driving blow on blow through his guard, sidestepping his mad rushes,
+landing again and again on his body. Twice I got in over his heart,
+and at last, found the chance I sought, and sent a right jab straight
+to the chin. All the force of one hundred and eighty pounds was behind
+the clinched fist, and the negro went down as though floored by a
+poleaxe. Once weakly he endeavored to rise, but this time I used my
+left, and he never stirred again, lying there with no sign of life
+except the quivering of the huge body. Assured that he was down and
+out, I stood above him, gazing into the ring of excited faces.
+
+"That's one attended to," I said shortly. "Now is there any more of
+you who would like to fight this out?"
+
+There was no answer although the ring widened under the threat of my
+eyes, and I met sullen faces here and there. I was in no mood to take
+chances.
+
+"Carlson," I said, glancing back at him. "You know all these men?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Pick out those you can trust, and have them stand over there to the
+right. Call them out by name; be lively now."
+
+They stepped forth eagerly enough, and ranged themselves before the
+bunks, the faces mostly those of northern Europe, although a negro or
+two was among them. As the Swede ceased calling, six or seven yet
+remained clustered in front of me, a motley lot, one of them an
+Indian, the others mostly half-breeds. I glanced from face to face
+inquiringly.
+
+"How about it, you?" I asked. "Are there any more of you fellows who
+take a chance with us? This is my last offer?"
+
+"What's the game?" asked a sullen voice in English, and a bearded
+fellow burned black, pushed his way to the front. I had not noted his
+presence before, but instantly recognized his character.
+
+"Are you English?"
+
+"No; I used ter be Scotch; now I'm damned if I know what I am. One
+flag is as good as another ter me--only I want to know what sorter
+game I'm playin' in. Who the hell are yer? An' whar'd yer cum frum?"
+
+"I am an English seaman," I answered shortly, "and how I came aboard
+makes no difference. Right now I am the only navigator on the
+_Namur_."
+
+"What's happened ter Estada?"
+
+"He's dead--knifed last night by one of the buccaneers. Manuel Estevan
+had a hand in the business, and he's safely locked in a stateroom aft.
+Captain Sanchez is wounded and helpless, and those cut-throats
+amidships are battened down below hatches. LeVere and I are the
+officers left, and we control the deck. We had to fight it out, or
+likely it would be our turn next."
+
+"Yer mean those fellers were aimin' ter take the ship?"
+
+"Exactly that; now where are you lads? With Manuel and his bunch of
+pirates? Or with us?"
+
+"What er yer going ter do with us, an' this ship? That's the fu'st
+question."
+
+I had not decided that even in my own mind, but the answer came
+promptly enough, as my eyes swept the faces fronting me.
+
+"What's your name?"
+
+"Ben MacClintock."
+
+"Well, MacClintock. I am going to leave that to the crew. As soon as
+we have all secure, I'll have every man on deck, and then we'll talk
+it over. That's fair enough isn't it?"
+
+"It looks fair. Come on, mates; I'm fer the Englishman."
+
+Only one followed him, however, a sheep-faced boy; the others remained
+sullen, and defiant. Likely enough they failed to understand what had
+been said, but I had no further time to waste in explanations. I
+glanced up at Carter's face framed in the scuttle hole.
+
+"Your guard there?"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+"Pass these men up and take them forward with the others. Turn them
+over to Watkins. Then come back here, and report to me."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+They went up the ladder one by one, and disappeared onto the deck
+above, the majority cheerful enough, although a few of the faces were
+scowling darkly as they passed me. Carlson and I watched the others,
+the Swede still retaining his pistol in hand, until Carter stuck his
+head once again through the opening.
+
+"All safe, sir--they was like lambs."
+
+"Very well; stand by to help. Now you lads, lift this black brute and
+shove him up to where they can get hold above. Step lively unless you
+want trouble. Show them the way Carlson."
+
+It was some heavy job, but they finally hoisted the unconscious form
+up the ladder and forced it through the hole onto the deck. At my
+stern command the others also crawled forth into the sunlight, where
+Carlson and I followed them, leaving the forecastle deserted. I felt
+that I must dispose of these fellows before attempting anything else,
+and scarcely took time to glance about. They were huddled in a little
+bunch around the outstretched body of Cochose, helpless from lack of
+leadership.
+
+"Pick up the negro; yes, you fellows. Now aft with him--all of you."
+We halted at the main hatch, and I had the cover slipped to one side,
+the armed sailors gathering close about the edge, as I peered down. It
+was a scene of pandemonium, revealed in the yellow flame of slush
+lanterns, a group of white faces showing clearly, as the prisoners
+below struggled forward, gesticulating and shouting. The glow of light
+glistened on a variety of weapons, but I dare not send men below, into
+the midst of those shrieking devils to disarm them. Nor was I greatly
+afraid of the result at present. They must still be in total ignorance
+of what had occurred on board, and why the hatch had been fastened
+down. Indeed this was plainly evidenced by their cries and threats.
+They were leaderless, confused, unable to determine what to attempt.
+While they remained in that condition they could not greatly endanger
+my plan. Later, with a body of armed seamen behind me, I would compel
+the surrender of weapons, but now I must hold them as they were,
+quarreling among themselves, and take time to strengthen my authority
+on deck. With this in mind, ignoring their mad roaring, and the threat
+of leveled guns, I stared down at the infuriated faces, until the
+clamor ceased sufficiently to let my voice be heard. I used Spanish,
+my lack of facility in that tongue rendering my speech slow. The
+instant silence proved my words understood.
+
+"What are you men trying to do, frighten me? You might as well stop
+that. This opening is lined with guns, and if one of you fire a shot
+we'll pour lead into you. More than that; if you attempt to climb out,
+you'll meet a hot reception. There is a brass carronade trained on
+the hatch to sweep you to kingdom come. So listen!"
+
+Several voices shouted up inquiries, but one, shrill and insistent,
+rose clearly above the others.
+
+"What's happening? What yer going to do with us?"
+
+I thought I located the questioner among the jumbled mass below, and
+with my eyes on him, answered for all his mates.
+
+"We are in control of the ship," I called back, "and mean to keep it.
+The old officers are either dead or prisoners. What we do with you
+will depend on your actions, but we're ready to kill if necessary. If
+you keep quiet down there, and obey orders, you'll be fed, and treated
+decently enough. Pass up your arms."
+
+There was no movement, only a glare of hostile eyes, an
+indistinguishable growl of voices.
+
+"Kneel down, lads and cover those fellows," I ordered sternly drawing
+my own pistol. "Now you below there, this is my last word. I'll count
+ten, and you'll either pass up those weapons or we'll pour our fire
+into you. If your miserable lives are worth anything to you, the
+quicker you move the better. Take aim, boys."
+
+There was a moment of deathly silence, except for my counting and the
+heavy breathing of the trapped prisoners. One man uttered a curse, and
+the jam of figures at the foot of the ladder endeavored to work back
+out of range, yet, before I had spoken the word eight, guns were held
+aloft, and poked up within reach, and at this sign of surrender even
+the most desperate lost heart and joined the more cowardly. It was a
+strange collection of weapons stacked on the deck--guns, cutlasses,
+knives and pistols of every description, relics of many a foray, some
+apparently very old. Probably all had not been delivered, yet there
+was such a pile, I felt no further fear of the few pieces remaining
+hidden. It was not my intention that the villains should have the
+slightest chance to use the weapons, so when the stream finally
+ceased, I asked no questions, although I gave no orders to the guard
+to withdraw. I had the fellows cowed, and meant to keep them so.
+
+"That's all, is it? Very well--now you men at the foot of the ladder
+take care of this big nigger we're sending down; no, he is not dead,
+only stunned. Let him have a bucket of water, and he'll be all right.
+Now stand aside while a few of your friends join you; they'll tell you
+what's up. Make room there?"
+
+We passed the forecastle scum down one after the other, and as the
+last of these merged into the scarcely distinguishable mass below, I
+gave vent to a sigh of relief, and straightened up, with pistol still
+grasped in my hand. They were now bunched together, all of them, and
+confined where they would prove the least possible danger. Desperate
+and reckless as many of them were, we had them now safely in our own
+hands--disarmed and imprisoned within narrow limits. To be sure they
+might wreck the bark by fire, or otherwise, but that would only peril
+their own lives, and, no matter how willing some might be to accept
+this hazard of fortune, there would be more to oppose the
+proposition--forcibly, if necessary. For them to escape the only means
+was through treachery, and against that possibility I must guard. I
+knew little of the men who had responded to my call, and chosen me as
+leader. Some among them I could trust, but others were merely with me
+while I retained power--would desert at the first doubt. I must rely
+on the judgment of Watkins as to whom among them I could safely depend
+upon, and suspicion and watch the rest. It was no pleasant position,
+yet success thus far had come so easily the knowledge was no
+discouragement.
+
+"When we goin' ter be fed?" yelled a voice from below.
+
+"Presently," I answered. "As soon as the cook has it ready. Shove the
+hatch cover back into place, lads--yes it will be safer fastened down;
+they'll get air enough through treachery, and against that possibility
+I must caged."
+
+Satisfied that every precaution had been taken, and ignoring the
+indignant roar of voices which greeted this order, I watched the men
+shift the heavy hatch cover into place, and then permitted my eyes to
+survey the deck, as I hastily considered our next action.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+THE CREW DECIDES
+
+
+Except that many of the men remained armed there was no suggestion of
+violence visible, no reminder of the fact that we were mutineers. But
+for the gleaming carronade trained on the main hatch, and the small
+group of gunners clustered about it, the scene was peaceable enough,
+resembling the deck of some merchant ship. The bark held steadily to
+her course, with practically every inch of canvas set, the wind
+steady, and only a single hand at the wheel. LeVere stood motionless
+at the poop rail, staring down, as though scarcely realizing what had
+transpired on board, and some way his very attitude and expression of
+face aroused within me a doubt of the man, a determination to put him
+to the test. Evidently he had held aloof and cautiously refrained from
+taking even the slightest part in our activities. The men themselves
+were mostly forward, grouped together and still excitedly discussing
+the situation. That all among them were not satisfied was indicated by
+their gestures, and the fact that Watkins, and others of the more
+loyal, were passing from group to group combating their arguments.
+Plainly enough I must have a heart-to-heart talk with the fellows,
+outlining a plan of escape, and leaving them to imagine their choice
+in the matter would be followed. But, in the meanwhile action of some
+sort would be most apt to overcome their dissatisfaction and prevent
+discussion.
+
+The sky overhead was a pale blue, the sun shining, but as through a
+slight haze, while a heavy cloud of vapor obscured the western
+horizon. Although this promised fog rather than storm, yet the sea had
+a heavy swell and I accepted this threat of a change in weather to
+employ the men in reducing sail. It pleased me to note how swiftly
+they responded to the sound of my voice.
+
+"Stand by to reef topsails," I shouted. "We're all one watch now. Go
+at it lively, lads, and when the job is over we'll eat, and decide
+together what's our next move. Two of you will be enough to guard the
+hatch and you Carter, go into the cabin and relieve the girl there.
+Keep your eyes open. I'll be down presently. Aloft with you and see
+how quick a job you can make of it."
+
+Watkins led the way up the main-mast ratlines, and Cole was first into
+the fore shrouds, the others following eagerly. I watched them lay out
+on the yards and was heartened to hear the fellows sing as they
+worked, the canvas melting away as if by magic. Only three men
+remained in sight on the main deck, the two guarding the closed hatch,
+and one watching the open scuttle leading into the deserted
+forecastle. Back and forth in the galley the cook and his assistant
+passed the open door and Carter had disappeared through the companion.
+I climbed the ladder to where LeVere stood on the poop, but carefully
+ignored his presence, my gaze on the scene aloft. Twice I gave orders,
+changing the steering direction slightly, and commanding the lower
+sails reefed. The mulatto scowling, joined me at the rail.
+
+"Main-top there!" I called sharply. "Anything to report?"
+
+"No, sir; all haze off the port quarter, and nothing showing to
+starboard."
+
+"Keep a lookout; let the others lay down."
+
+LeVere fronted me.
+
+"What's all this about?" he asked. "That's no storm cloud yonder."
+
+"There is always danger in fog," I answered coldly, "and besides there
+is no use carrying on until we know where we are bound. My purpose is
+to keep the men busy, and then talk the situation over with them. Have
+you any criticism of this plan, Senor LeVere?"
+
+He hesitated, but his eyes were narrowed, and ugly.
+
+"You'll do as you please, but you told me we sailed for Porto Grande.
+Was that a lie?"
+
+"Not necessarily," and I smiled grimly. "Although I should not have
+hesitated to tell one under the circumstances. I mean to leave that
+decision to the men themselves. It is their lives that are in danger."
+
+"That damn scum! half of them are English and French. All they want is
+to get away; they will never go back to Porto Grande without you make
+them."
+
+"How make them?"
+
+"By false observations; there is no navigator forward. It is a trick
+easy enough to play with a little nerve. I would never have taken part
+in this mutiny if I had supposed you meant to play into the hands of
+the men."
+
+"It is very little part you took Senor LeVere, judging from what I
+saw. You seemed quite content to stand aft here and look on. However
+you are in it just as deeply as I am, and are going to play the game
+out with me to the end. Do you understand that?"
+
+"What you mean, Senor--play it out?"
+
+"Go on with the rest of us; take your chance with the men and do your
+duty. I am captain here, and I know how to handle insubordination. The
+first sign of treachery on your part, will send you below with those
+others. I don't trust you, and all I want is an excuse to put you out
+of the way--so be careful what you do."
+
+I turned and walked away from him toward the forward rail. The men
+were still aloft but coming in from off the yards. Below me in the
+door of the companion, stood Dorothy, her eyes peering curiously about
+the deserted deck. She glanced up, and saw me, the whole expression of
+her face changing.
+
+"May I come up there?" she asked.
+
+"Certainly; let me help you. Stand here beside me, and you can see all
+that is being done. That's all, lads; breakfast is ready; lay down all
+except the lookout."
+
+We watched while they streamed down the ratlines and gathered forward
+of the galley, squatting in groups on the deck. To all appearances the
+fellows had not a care in the world, or any thought of the stirring
+scenes just passed through. The girl's hand touched my sleeve, and I
+turned and looked into her face.
+
+"A happy-go-lucky lot," I said pleasantly. "Real sailormen. As long as
+they are fed and housed why worry about tomorrow. I'll put this job up
+to them presently."
+
+"The sailor who came into the cabin told me about your fight with the
+negro; you were not hurt?"
+
+"Oh, I did not escape entirely free, but received no serious injury.
+It is not to be thought about now, with all the work ahead."
+
+"The ship is safely in your hands?"
+
+"I can hardly affirm that, Miss Dorothy. The vessel is in our control,
+and the worst of the gang secured below. I have confidence in the
+loyalty of only a very few of these fellows, and the others will have
+to be watched day and night as long as we remain afloat. Those are
+desperate men locked below, and are bound to make some effort to free
+themselves. If there is any treachery on deck it may lead to their
+release."
+
+"You were talking with Senor LeVere; I overheard a word or two. He is
+not with you willingly?"
+
+"No," and I swept the deck seeking him, fearful what I said might be
+overheard. "I distrust him more than any of the others. Those men
+forward are seamen, and will abide by their mates. Moreover they are
+accustomed to taking orders, and doing what they are told. I believe I
+can handle them, with what help I have. But the mulatto is different.
+He belongs with the worst element on board, and only joined us from
+fear of being killed just as Estada was. He has no heart in this job,
+and would accept any chance to square himself with those cut-throats
+below. I'll have trouble with him before we are done, but prefer to
+catch the man red-handed."
+
+"But what do you mean to do next?" she asked anxiously. "There cannot
+be a moment of safety with those horrible creatures aboard."
+
+"True; yet with the material I am dealing with, I dare not venture
+too far. Probably in that bunch forward there are men guilty of every
+crime in the calendar; as depraved as any we have below. They have
+joined us for various reasons, but would desert and become ugly in an
+instant, if they suspected we might turn them over to the authorities.
+There is only one safe course for me to pursue under these conditions;
+let them decide by vote what should be done."
+
+"What do you imagine such a vote will show?"
+
+"That the vessel be beached on some remote coast, all the spoils
+aboard divided, and then the crew permitted to go where they please.
+There will be some who may prefer continuing the cruise before
+destroying the bark, but I believe there are enough fairly honest
+fellows among them eager to escape this sort of life, to control."
+
+"But the wretches below? Surely you would not leave them to drown?"
+
+"No; they would have to be released with the others, after the
+division had been made."
+
+"That would leave us at their mercy?"
+
+"Yes," I whispered, "if we waited until that time. I do not propose
+taking any such chance. Here is my plan, and it seems the only
+feasible one left us. We are helpless if these men revolt, and they
+certainly will unless given their own way. I have no doubt but what
+their decision will be practically as I have outlined. Very well, I
+will acquiesce in it cheerfully enough to arouse no suspicion. I am
+the only navigator on board; the only one with any knowledge even of
+where we are. Not even LeVere could check up on me. The night the
+vessel is to be beached Watkins and Carter, with one or two they
+select, will get off in a small boat, carefully provisioned, and thus
+make our own landing. We'll not worry about what fate awaits the
+others."
+
+Her eyes sought mine anxiously, full of questioning.
+
+"You are confident of being able to accomplish this without
+detection?"
+
+"Yes; we can choose the right moment. With not men enough on deck to
+prevent our lowering a boat, and a dark night, the escape will not
+prove difficult. No one aboard except myself will know where we are."
+
+"Have you considered Captain Sanchez?"
+
+"Why no," in surprise, "he is helpless below, badly wounded."
+
+"Not so badly as you suppose," she said swiftly. "He is able to be up
+and about his stateroom. I heard him moving, and I believe the steward
+has told him what has occurred on board, and endeavored to bear a
+message from him to those men amidships."
+
+"You believe this? What did you do?"
+
+"I held my pistol to his head and locked him in the pantry. He is
+there now, with the sailor you sent on guard. That is what I came on
+deck to tell you."
+
+"But Sanchez! You saw nothing of him?"
+
+"No; but there was certainly movement in his room after the man
+Gunsaules came out. I went over to the door and listened, but there
+was no way for me to lock him in. Surely it must have been him moving,
+as he was alone there."
+
+I stood silent, my eyes first on the forward deck, and then sweeping
+about the horizon. The view by then was very narrow, the gathering
+clouds of mist so dense as to obscure everything, leaving a mere gray
+trail of sea revealed, scarcely a hundred yards in extent in any
+direction. I hardly perceived even this as my thought centered on this
+new peril. Yet why should I hold it a peril? The ending of it was in
+my hands, I need not await action, or permit him opportunity. The
+warning had come in ample time. Sanchez was still in my power,
+separated from his followers, incapable of doing us any serious harm.
+All that was needed for me to do was to keep him in close confinement.
+We were surely not far from the coast; twenty-four hours, perhaps
+twelve, would suffice, to make our escape from this cursed ship
+possible. I must get an observation so as to know our exact position;
+after that the course would be figured definitely, and I would then
+know the time required. My eyes again sought her face.
+
+"He is a danger, of course, but not a serious one," I said
+confidently. "It is safe enough to leave him undisturbed at present
+with Cole on guard. The first thing I need do is to satisfy those men.
+I'll attend to that now, and then see to the proper securing of
+Sanchez."
+
+"Shall I remain here?"
+
+"You told the man Cole what you heard?"
+
+"Yes, I explained everything to him before I came on deck."
+
+"Then you are not needed in the cabin. He is a reliable man. Remain
+here with LeVere while I go forward, and watch that he does not
+attempt to go below."
+
+The fellows had not finished mess, but I felt the danger of further
+delay, and talked to them as they sat on deck, explaining briefly the
+entire situation, and the causes leading up to the mutiny. I dealt
+with the matter in plain terms, making no apparent effort to influence
+them, yet forcibly compelling each individual to realize what would be
+the result of our recapture. They listened earnestly, asking an
+occasional question, and passing comments back and forth freely among
+themselves.
+
+I shall never forget that scene, the decks already wet with fog, which
+swirled about us in an impenetrable cloud of vapor, utterly blotting
+out the sea, and even rendering our faces strange and indistinct. The
+foremast disappeared at the lower fore-yard, while aft of the cook's
+galley the bark was entirely invisible. We rolled heavily in the swell
+of the heaving water, barely retaining steerage-way, the closely
+reefed sails aloft flapping against the masts, the straining deck
+beams creaking noisily to every roll of the vessel. The sailors stared
+up at me, rough dressed and hairy, yet not a bad-looking lot as
+sailors go, but with here and there a face to be distrusted. I sent
+Watkins to the cabin for a roll of charts, and spreading these out,
+endeavored as well as I could, to make clear our probable position and
+the nearest point of land. This was largely guesswork, but I
+approximated distances and made the situation fairly clear. When I had
+completed the explanation, and stood before them awaiting decision, it
+was Haines who acted as their spokesman.
+
+"This yere is Cape Howarth?" he asked, a grimy thumb on the point
+indicated. "An' yer say it's 'bout a hundred and fifty miles west?"
+
+"Yes, about that."
+
+"An' thar's no settlement?"
+
+"Some colonists fifty miles north is all."  "That's 'bout right." He
+turned to the others. "Say mates, this is how I figure. We can't go on
+no long cruise with all those bloody rats in the hold. They're bound
+ter find some way out if we give 'em time 'nough. Fer as I'm
+concerned, I'm fer dividin' up whut we've got, and ter hell with
+piratin'. What 'er yer say, mates? Shall we run the ol' hooker ashore,
+an' leave her thar, while we tramp the coast? We're just a
+ship-wrecked crew."
+
+"What 'bout them fellers down below?"
+
+"Ter hell with 'em! Let 'em take keer o' 'emselves. Thet's the way
+they'd treat us."
+
+"He's bloody well right, mates," said a loud voice heartily. "There's
+plenty o' swag aboard ter give us all a fist full. I'm fer a division,
+an gettin' out with our lives--what say yer?"
+
+There was a chorus of approval sufficient in volume to satisfy me, and
+I accepted this as a decision.
+
+"All right, lads," I said briefly. "In my judgment your choice is a
+wise one. I'll have an observation as soon as the fog clears and we'll
+head in for the Cape."
+
+"When do we divide the swag?"
+
+"Fifty miles off the coast. That's fair enough, isn't it? And my share
+goes to you."
+
+There was a straggling cheer, but I broke it up with a sharp order.
+
+"Now stand by for work, all of you. Watkins and Carter I want you
+aft."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+THE PRISONERS ESCAPE
+
+
+The two men followed me silently as far as the companion, where we
+paused a moment staring blindly about us into the fog. Even the guard
+at the main hatch was invisible.
+
+"This can scarcely last long," I remarked, "but there may be a storm
+brewing."
+
+"I don't think so, sir," one of the men answered civilly. "I've run in
+to these yere mists afore 'long this coast; it's liable ter be all
+clear 'fore the sun goes down."
+
+"Well we'll make the ship safe first Carter, you are an able seaman?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Guard this after deck until Watkins and I come back. Under no
+circumstances permit LeVere to enter the cabin. You understand?"
+
+He grinned appreciatively.
+
+"That nigger ain't likely ter get by me, sir; I'd just like for ter
+take one whack at him."
+
+"Don't be rough, if you can help it. As far as I know now he is with
+us, and ranks second officer. My only orders are--see that he remains
+on deck while we are below."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir; he'll stay thar."  With the door closed, we were
+plunged into a darkness which rendered the interior invisible. I
+wondered dimly why the man on guard had not lighted the swinging
+lantern but before I could call out to the fellow, Watkins whispered.
+
+"What's up? Anything wrong in here?"
+
+"Not that I know of, but the young lady reported Sanchez moving about
+in his stateroom and I think it safer to see to him at once."
+
+"It's blacker than hell down thar."
+
+"Yes; I don't understand it--wait here a minute until I strike a
+light."
+
+I stumbled over something on the deck, as I groped forward, but with
+mind centered on the one object, did not pause until I had located the
+lantern. It blazed up brightly enough, its yellow flame illuminating
+the cabin, and the first thing I saw was the outstretched figure of
+the sailor almost between my feet. I sprang back, giving utterance to
+a cry, which brought Watkins to me, and the two of us stared at the
+grewsome object and then about into the wavering shadows. There was
+nothing to see but the dead man, lying on his face motionless, blood
+still oozing from an ugly knife wound in his back. We needed to ask no
+questions, imagine nothing--the overturned chair, the stricken sailor
+told the whole story. He had been treacherously stuck from behind, the
+blade driven home by a strong hand, and was dead before he fell to the
+deck. It had been silent, vengeful murder, and the assassin had left
+no trace. Who could it have been? Not Gunsaules surely--the steward
+lacked both nerve and strength for such a deed. Then there was but one
+to suspect--Silva Sanchez! I stood there dumb, gazing at the dead
+man, realizing all this dimly, yet conscious only of thankfulness that
+the victim had not been Dorothy Fairfax.
+
+"He's dead, sir," growled Watkins, turning the fellow over with his
+foot, until the ghastly face stared up at the deck beams overhead.
+"Stabbed to the heart frum behind. Look a yere--that wus sum slash.
+Who, the hell do yer suppose did it?"
+
+"That is ours to find out. The deed has just been done, for blood is
+still flowing. Let him alone Watkins and come with me--the murderer
+can't be far off."
+
+I flung open the pantry door, but one glance inside told me that
+Gunsaules had vanished. On the deck lay the strands of rope with which
+he had been secured---they had been severed by a sharp knife, the ends
+discolored with blood stains. I held these out to Watkins.
+
+"Cut since the murder," I said harshly, "and by the same knife."
+
+"Who was in here, sir."
+
+"The steward, Gunsaules. He didn't do the job, but I believe I know
+who did. We'll try the port stateroom aft. Stand by; there's likely to
+be two of them."
+
+The door was unlocked and opened noiselessly, but I took no chances,
+thinking this possibly a ruse. Gloomy as the interior appeared in the
+weird light with banks of fog driving against the ports, a single
+swift glance convinced me it was deserted. There was no place for a
+man to hide, yet I could not convince myself of its emptiness until I
+peered into the disarranged bunk, and surveyed every shadowed corner.
+Watkins watched me curiously, turning his head occasionally to stare
+out into the lighted cabin behind. The situation baffled me
+completely--that Sanchez had done the deed, informed by the steward of
+what was occurring on board and rendered desperate by that report, was
+clear enough in my mind; but what had become of the man? He could not
+have escaped overboard, as the ports were screwed down, and his
+appearance on the open deck above would have surely been observed. His
+place of concealment must remain aft in the cabin, and if so, he must
+be discovered by immediate search. I ordered Watkins to take the
+lantern from the rack and follow me from stateroom to stateroom. We
+began with Dorothy's, finding none of them locked until we came to
+where Manuel was held prisoner. All were empty and in disorder, while
+bending my ear to the locked door, I could distinguish the heavy
+breathing of its inmate, the fellow was evidently sound asleep.
+
+"What do you make of it, Tom?" I asked, facing him in the dim halo of
+light.
+
+"Well, sir," scratching his head with his disengaged hand, "Thar ain't
+but two more places ter look--the cuss is either in the lazaret, er'
+else hidin' in the passage forward; more likely the last."
+
+"Why not the lazaret?"
+
+"Cause thar wouldn't be no object fer him to go thar. He dudn't get
+out agin with the kiver shut down. The thing he'd most likely try fer
+wud be ter release them lads amidships--that'd give him a gang o'
+bullies ter fight with. My idea is, sir, he thought he'd have time ter
+git the bulkhead door open, before anybody cum below--he an' the
+steward, who'd know what the tools wus. That wus the scheme, only we
+busted in too quick. That whar they both are--skulkin' back in them
+shadows."
+
+He fitted the smoking lantern back onto the shelf to have his hands
+free for action, and drew a cutlass out of the arm rack, running one
+leatherly thumb along the blade to test its sharpness. His eyes sought
+mine questioningly.
+
+"Probably your guess is the right one," I said soberly. "We'll give it
+a trial, and should need no help to handle the two of them."
+
+The deck under our feet was fairly steady, the vessel having barely
+steerage-way, rolling slightly to the heave of the sea. No sound
+readied us from above, and the silence of the cabin was profound.
+Indeed the stillness irritated me with its mystery, rendered me
+reckless to penetrate its meaning. Murder had been committed for a
+purpose--it was the first step in an effort to retake the ship. If we
+were to retain our advantage there was no time to be lost; we were
+pitted now against Silva Sanchez, and he was a leader not to be
+despised or temporized with; no cowardly, brainless fool.
+
+The passage leading forward was wide enough to permit of our advancing
+together and for a few steps the light dribbled in past us, quite
+sufficient for guidance, although our shadows were somewhat confusing.
+There were closed doors on either side, evidently locked, as they
+refused to yield to the hand. I took these to be storerooms, possibly
+containing spoils of the voyage, but gave them little other thought,
+my whole interest centered on the intense blackness ahead. I had been
+down this tunnel once before, and knew the bulkhead was not far away,
+but the few steps necessary plunged us into profound blackness,
+through which we advanced cautiously with outstretched hands. No
+slightest sound warned of danger and I was already convinced in my own
+mind that the refugees were not hiding there, when it happened. Within
+an instant we were fighting for our lives, fronted not by two men, but
+by a score, who flung themselves cursing upon us. Their very numbers
+and the narrowness of the passage was our only salvation. At first our
+resistance was blind enough, guided only by the senses of touch and
+sound. We could see nothing of our antagonists, although their fierce
+rush hurled us backward. I fired into the mass, as Watkins slashed
+madly with his cutlass, both managing in some way to keep our feet.
+Hands gripped for us, a bedlam of oaths splitting the air; yet, even
+in that moment of pandemonium, I was quick to realize the fellows were
+weaponless, seeking only to reach and crush us with bare hands. The
+same discovery must have come to the mind of the sailor, for he yelled
+it out defiantly, every stroke of his blade drawing blood. I joined
+him, striking with the butt of the pistol, feeling within me the
+strength of ten men, yet the very weight of them thrust us
+remorselessly back. We killed and wounded, the curses of hate changed
+into sharp cries of agony, but those behind pressed the advance
+forward, and we were inevitably swept back into the light of the cabin
+lamp.
+
+Then I saw faces, hideous in the glare, demonical in their expression
+of hatred--a mass of them, unrecognizable, largely of a wild,
+half-Indian type, with here and there a bearded white. Nor were they
+all bare-handed; in many a grip flashed a knife, and directly fronting
+me, with a meat cleaver uplifted to strike, Sanchez yelled his orders.
+Ignoring all others I leaped straight at him, crying to Watkins as I
+sprang.
+
+"Back lad; dash out that light; I'll hold these devils here a minute!"
+
+I did---God knows how! It was like no fighting ever I had done before,
+a mad, furious melee, amid which I lost all consciousness of action,
+all guidance of thought, struggling as a wild brute, with all the
+reckless strength of insanity. It is a dim, vague recollection; I am
+sure I felled Sanchez with one blow of my pistol-butt, stretching him
+apparently lifeless at my feet; in some way that deadly cleaver came
+into my hands and I trod on his body, swinging the sharp blade with
+all my might into those scowling faces. They gave sullenly backward;
+they had to, yelping and snarling like a pack of wolves, hacking at me
+with their short knives. I was cut again and again, but scarcely knew
+it. I stood on quivering flesh, driving my weapon from right to left,
+crazed with blood, and seeking only to kill. I saw faces crushed in,
+arms severed, men reeling before me in terror, the sudden spurting of
+blood from ghastly wounds. Oaths mingled with cries of agony and
+shouts of hate. Then in an instant the light was dashed out and all
+was darkness.
+
+It was as though my brain snapped back into ascendency. I was no
+longer a raging fury, mad with the desire to kill, but cool-headed,
+planning escape. Before a hand could reach me in restraint, I sprang
+backward and ran. In the darkness of the cabin I collided with the
+table, and fell sprawling over a stool. The noise guided pursuit, yet,
+wedged together as those fellows still were in the narrow passage,
+fighting each other in the black gloom, gave me every advantage and so
+unhalted, I stumbled up the stairs leading to the companion. The vague
+glimmer of daylight showing through the glass, revealed the presence
+of Watkins. I heard him dash the door wide open, call to those on
+deck, and then saw him wheel about to again confront the devils
+plunging blindly forward toward us through the dark cabin. We could
+hold them here for a time at least, yet I had the sense to know that
+this check would prove only temporary. They outnumbered us ten to one,
+and would arm themselves from the rack. Yet the greater danger lay in
+the loyalty of my own men. A dozen of us might hold these stairs
+against assault, but treachery would leave us helpless. And the very
+thickness of the fog without invited to treachery. If one among them,
+and there were many capable of such an act, should steal below
+forward, and force open the door from the forecastle, we would be
+crushed between two waves of men, and left utterly helpless. I saw the
+whole situation vividly, and as quickly chose the only course to
+pursue, the one hope remaining.
+
+"Here lads," I called sharply back over my shoulder, "five or six of
+you are enough to hold back this scum. Watkins!"
+
+"Ay, sir."
+
+"Bend down here--now listen. Get the boats ready--two will be
+enough--and be lively about it. We'll hold these fellows until you
+report. You know the lads to be trusted. Put two of them at the
+forecastle scuttle, and then rout everybody out from below. Who is
+here now?"
+
+"Name yerselves, bunkies--I can't see yer."
+
+"Simmes."
+
+"Schmitt."
+
+"Ravel DeLasser."
+
+"Carter."
+
+"Jacob Johansen."
+
+"Sam."
+
+"That's enough; you lads remain here with me. Have Harwood watch
+LeVere, while the rest of you get out the boats."
+
+"How many, sir?"
+
+"The two quarter-boats will hold us all. Knock out the plugs in the
+others--and Watkins!"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+"See that Miss Fairfax is placed safely in the after-boat, and then
+stand by. Send me word the moment all is ready. That's all--we're
+going to be busy here presently."
+
+I had glimpse of the thick fog without as he pushed through the door,
+and of a scarcely distinguishable group of men on the deck. Those
+about me could only be located by their restless movements. I stepped
+down one stair conscious of increasing movement below, the meat
+cleaver still gripped in my hands.
+
+"Any of you armed with cutlasses?"
+
+"Oui, M'Sieur, Ravel DeLasser."
+
+"Stand here, to right of me, now another at my left. Who are you?"
+"Jim Carter, sir."
+
+"Good; now strike hard, lads, and you others be ready."
+
+"What's up, sir?" asked a gruff voice. "Has they busted out from
+between decks?"
+
+"That's what's happened. The cabin is full of 'em, and it is your life
+and mine in the balance. If we can get away in this fog they'll never
+find us, but we've got to hold them here until the boats are ready."
+
+"Is it Sanchez?"
+
+"It was Sanchez, but I killed him. That is where we've still got them
+huskies, without a leader."
+
+"But they've got arms."
+
+"Only hand weapons," broke in Carter contemptuously. "We're as good as
+they are--thar ain't no powder."
+
+"Sure of that?"
+
+"Course I am. I cleaned up that rack two days ago. There's ball in the
+bandoliers, but no powder. I wus goin' ter break open a cask, but
+Estada put me at another job."
+
+"Then that leaves us on even footing, lads, we ought to be equal to
+them with the cold steel--can any of you see below?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+IN CLASP OF THE SEA
+
+
+The sound of voices, of moving bodies and bits of furniture overturned
+were plainly discernible, but the darkness was far too dense below to
+permit the eye perceiving what was taking place. Yet I could picture
+the scene, the leaderless mob surging blindly forward, each man vocal
+in his own tongue, swaying with rage, many smarting with wounds,
+uncertain where we had disappeared, yet all alike crazed with a desire
+to attain the open deck. The rattle of steel, the curses, told me some
+among them had reached the arm rack, and seized whatever weapons they
+found there. In their struggle the rack was overturned, and suddenly,
+amid the din, a shrill, penetrating voice yelled something in Spanish,
+which seemed to hush the clamor. There followed a shuffling of feet,
+and the crash of wood as though the butt of a gun had splintered a
+door panel. Then the same voice again pierced the babel. My mind
+gripped the meaning of it all; they had found a leader; they had
+released Manuel Estevan. Now the real fight was on!
+
+We stooped low, to escape as much as possible from the dim revealing
+light streaming through the glass at our backs, and waited, staring
+into the black depths of the cabin, and listening for every sound. The
+release of Manuel, the very knowledge of his presence had changed the
+mob into dangerous fighters. The roar of voices died away with the
+noise of confusion. I could hear the fellow question those about him,
+seeking to learn the situation, but the delay was short, and no
+inkling of his quickly conceived plan of attack was revealed. Yet he
+saw us and understood; his eyes, long trained to darkness, must have
+already marked our dim outlines, for his first order evidenced his
+purpose.
+
+"Who have cutlasses? So many! a dozen form with me. Now bullies, they
+are on the stairs there, and that is the only way to the deck. We'll
+show those damned traitors what fighting means. Now then---to hell
+with 'em!"
+
+We met them, point to point, our advantage the narrow staircase and
+the higher position; theirs the faint glimmer of light at our backs.
+The first rush was reckless and deadly, the infuriated devils not yet
+realizing what they faced, but counting on force of numbers to crush
+our defense. Manuel led them yelling encouragement, and sweeping his
+cutlass, gripped with both hands, in desperate effort to break
+through. DeLasser caught its point with his blade while my cleaver
+missing him with its sharp edge, nevertheless dealt the fellow a blow
+which hurled him back into the arms of the man behind. I saw nothing
+else in detail, the faint light barely revealing indistinct figures
+and gleam of steel. It was a pandemonium of blows and yells, strange
+faces appearing and disappearing, as men leaped desperately at us up
+the steps, and we beat them remorselessly back. I saw nothing more of
+Manuel in the fray, but his shrill voice urged on his followers. It
+was strike and parry, cut and thrust. Twice I kicked my legs free
+from hands that gripped me, and DeLasser fell, a pike thrust through
+him. Who took his place I never knew, but a stout fighter the lad was,
+wielding his cutlass viciously, so that we held them, with dead men
+littering every step to the cabin deck.
+
+But they were of a breed trained to such fighting, and the lash of
+Manuel's tongue drove them into mad recklessness. And there seemed no
+end of them, sweeping up out of those black shadows, with bearded or
+lean brown savage faces, charging over the dead bodies, hacking and
+gouging in vain effort to break through. I struck until my arms ached,
+until my head reeled, scarcely conscious of physical action, yet aware
+of Manners shouts.
+
+"Now you hell-hounds--now! once more, and you have them. Santa Maria!
+you've got to go through, bullies---there is no other way to the deck.
+Think of the yellow boys below; they are all yours if you strike hard
+enough. Rush 'em! That's the way! Here you--go in outside the rail!
+Broth of hell! Now you have him, Pedro!"
+
+For an instant I believed it true; I saw Jim Carter seized and hurled
+sideways, his cutlass clashing as it fell, while a dozen hands dragged
+him headlong into the ruck beneath. But it was only an instant. Before
+the charging devils could pass me, a huge figure filled the vacant
+space, and the butt of a gun crashed into the mass. It was the
+Dutchman, Schmitt, fighting like a demon, his strength that of an ox.
+They gave way in terror before him, and we went down battering our
+way, until the stairs were clear to the deck, except for the dead
+under foot. When we stopped, not a fighting man was left within the
+sweep of our arms. They had scurried back into the darkness like so
+many rats, and we could only stare about blindly, cursing them, as we
+endeavored to recover breath. Schmitt roared like a wild bull, and
+would have rushed on, but for my grip on his shirt.
+
+"Get back, men!" I ordered sharply. "There may be fifty of them
+yonder. Our only chance is the stairs. Do as I say, Schmitt, or fight
+me. Back now!"
+
+We flung the bodies on one side, and formed again from rail to rail.
+Below us there was noise enough, a babel of angry voices, but no
+movement of assault. I could see nothing, although the uproar
+evidenced a large number of men jammed together in that blackness
+beneath. What they would do next was answered by a blaze of light,
+revealing the silhouette of a man, engaged in touching flame to a
+torch of hemp. It flung forth a dull yellow glare, and revealed a
+scene of unimaginable horror. Our assailants were massed half way
+back, so blended together I could not judge their number, many between
+us and the light with faces darkened by shadow. Between us, even ten
+feet from the stairs, the deck was littered with bodies, ghastly faces
+staring up, with black stains of blood everywhere. It was Manuel's
+hand which had kindled the light, and the first croak of his voice
+told his purpose.
+
+"Now you sculking cowards," he yelled pointing forward, "do you see
+what you are fighting? There are only five men between you and the
+deck. To hell with 'em! Come on! I'll show you the way!"
+
+He leaped forward; but it was his last step. With one swing of my arm
+I sent the cleaver hurtling through the air. I know not how it struck
+him, but he went down, his last word a shriek, his arms flung out in
+vain effort to ward off the blow. Schmitt roared out a Dutch oath, and
+before I knew fully what had happened, his gun, sent whirling above
+me, had crashed into the uplifted torch. Again it was black, hideous
+night, through which the eye could perceive nothing. Even the noise
+ceased, but a hand gripped my shoulder.
+
+"Who are you?"
+
+"Nigger Sam, sah. Mistah Watkins sez it's all done fixed."
+
+"Where is he?"
+
+"Here," answered Watkins himself in a hoarse whisper. "The boats are
+ready."
+
+"Afloat?"
+
+"Yes, sir. The one forward has pushed off loaded. The after-boat is
+alongside. There is such a hell of a fog, sir, yer can't see two
+fathoms from the ship."
+
+"All the better for us; is the girl in the boat?"
+
+"Safe, sir; but LeVere ain't."
+
+"What do you mean? That he has got away? I ordered you to have Harwood
+watch him."
+
+"Yes, sir; but the mate slipped out o' sight in the fog. He's somewhar
+aboard, but we ain't been able ter put hands on him nowhar yet."
+
+"Never mind him; the fellow can do no harm now. Move back slowly lads.
+Schmitt and I will be the last ones out. Pick up that cutlass,
+Schmitt. We must act before those devils down there wake up again."
+
+We closed the companion door as silently as possible and for the
+moment there was no sound from within to show that our cautious
+withdrawal had been observed. I stared about, but was able to perceive
+little beyond the small group awaiting my orders. The fog clung thick
+and heavy on all sides, the lungs breathed it in, and the deck
+underfoot was as wet as though from heavy rain. Moisture dripped from
+yards and canvas, and it was impossible for the eye to penetrate to
+either rail. Fortunately there was no weight of sea running, and the
+bark swung gently, still retaining steerage-way, but with not wind
+enough aloft to flap the sails. The silence and gloom was most
+depressing.
+
+"Is there a hand at the wheel, Watkins?"
+
+"No sir; it's lashed."
+
+"And the quarter-boat?"
+
+"There, sir, below the mizzen-chains."
+
+"Then there is nothing more to keep us aboard lads. Stow yourselves
+away and hang on; I'll wait here until you are all over."
+
+They faded away into the mist, dim spectral figures, and I remained
+alone, listening anxiously for some hostile sound from below. Had I
+chosen the right course? I was not altogether sure, yet we had gone
+too far now to decide on any other. Perhaps if I had called on those
+men up on deck, who had loaded guns, we might have forced the escaped
+prisoners back into their place of confinement, and thus kept control
+of the vessel. Yet at that it would only mean a few hours more on
+board amid constant danger of revolt. It might have enabled us to
+salvage the gold hidden below, but I was not greatly concerned for
+this, as my one and only purpose was the preservation of Dorothy. The
+men might prove ugly when they awoke to the loss, but I had little
+fear of them, once we were at sea in the small boats, and their lives
+depended on my seamanship. Unless a storm arose our lives were in no
+great peril, although I would have preferred being closer to the coast
+before casting adrift. I wondered what could be the meaning of that
+silence below. True the fellows were leaderless and defeated, yet they
+were desperate spirits, and fully aware that they must attain the open
+deck in order to recapture the vessel. They would not remain quiet
+long, and once discovering our retirement, would swarm up the stairs
+animated with fresh courage. Satisfied that the lads were safely over
+the rail and the decks clear, I turned toward the ship's side. As I
+did so a yell reached my ears from the blackness below--the hounds had
+found voice.
+
+I ran through the fog in the direction the others had disappeared, and
+had taken scarcely three steps when I collided against the form of a
+man, whose presence was not even noticed until we came together. Yet
+he must have been there expectant and ready, for a quick knife thrust
+slashed the front of my jacket, bringing a spurt of blood as the blade
+was jerked back. It was a well-aimed blow at the heart, missing its
+mark only because of my outstretched arms, and the rapidity of my
+advance. Even as my fingers gripped the uplifted wrist, 'ere he could
+strike the second time, I knew my antagonist. I knew also this was a
+fight to the death, a sharp remorseless struggle to be terminated
+before that unguarded crew below could attain the deck. It was
+LeVere's life or mine, and in the balance the fate of those others in
+the waiting boat alongside. The knowledge gave me the strength and
+ferocity of a tiger; all the hate and distrust I felt for the man came
+uppermost. In that moment of rage I did not so much care what happened
+to me, if I was only privileged to kill him. I ripped the knife from
+his fingers, and we closed with bare hands; our muscles cracking to
+the strain, his voice uttering one croaking cry for help as I bore in
+on his windpipe. He was a snake, a cat, slipping out of my grip as by
+some magic, turning and twisting like an eel, yet unable to wholly
+escape, or overcome, my strength and skill. At last I had him prone
+against the rail, the weight of us both so hard upon it, the stout
+wood cracked, and we both went over, grappling together until we
+splashed into the water below. The shock, the frantic effort to save
+myself, must have loosened my hold, for, as I fought a way back to the
+surface, I was alone, lost in the veil of mist.
+
+Blinded by fog, the water dripping from my hair, weakened by struggle
+and loss of blood, my mad rage against LeVere for the moment obscured
+all else in my mind. What had become of the fellow? Had he gone down
+like a stone? Or was he somewhere behind this curtain of fog? A splash
+to the right led me to take a dozen strokes hastily, but to no
+purpose. The sound was not repeated and I no longer retained any sense
+of direction to guide me. The sea was a steady swell, lifting my body
+on the crest of a wave, to submerge it an instant later in the deep
+hollow. I could feel the motion, but scarcely perceived it otherwise,
+as the thick gray mist obscured everything three feet away. It
+deadened and confused sound also. Again and again I felt I located
+the near presence of the _Namur_, the sound of feet on deck, the shout
+of a voice, the flapping of canvas against the yards; but as I
+desperately turned that way, the noise ceased, or else apparently
+changed into another point of compass. Once a cry reached me,
+thrilling with despair, although I could not catch the words, and
+again came to me plainly enough the clank of an oar in its rowlock. I
+struck out madly for the point from whence it came, only to find the
+same rolling water, and obscuring fog. My strength began to fail, hope
+left me as I sank deeper and deeper into the remorseless grip of the
+sea. There was nothing left to fight for, to struggle after; the fog
+about me became red and purple before my straining eyes, and then
+slowly grew black; my muscles refused to respond to my will; I no
+longer swam, but floated so low in water the crest of the waves swept
+over my face. I no longer cared, gripped by a strange, almost
+delicious languor. I was not afraid; my lips uttered no cry, no
+prayer--I drifted out into total unconsciousness and went down.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+THE OPEN BOAT
+
+
+I came back to a consciousness of pain and illness, unable at once to
+realize where I was, or feel any true sense of personality. I seemed
+to be floating through the air, aware dimly of suffering, but
+helplessly in the grasp of some power beyond all struggling against.
+Then slowly I comprehended that I rested in a boat, tossed about by a
+fairly heavy sea; that it was night and there were stars visible in
+the sky overhead. I stared at these, vacant of thought, wondering at
+their gleam, when a figure seemed to lean over me, and I caught the
+outline of a face, gazing eagerly down into my own. Instantly memory
+came back in a flash--this was not death, but life; I was in a boat
+with her, I could not move my hands, and my voice was but a hoarse
+whisper.
+
+"Mistress Fairfax--Dorothy!"
+
+"Yes--yes," swiftly. "It is all right, but you must lie still.
+Watkins, Captain Carlyle is conscious. What shall I do?"
+
+He must have been behind us at the steering oar, for his gruff, kindly
+voice sounded very close.
+
+"Yer might lift him up, miss," he said soberly. "He'll breathe better.
+How's that, Captain?"
+
+"Much easier," I managed to breathe. "I guess I am all right now. You
+fished me out?"
+
+"Sam did. He got a boat hook in your collar. We cast off when yer
+went overboard, and cruised about in the fog hunting fer yer. Who was
+it yer was fightin' with, sir?"
+
+"LeVere."
+
+"That's what I told the lads. He's a goner, I reckon?"
+
+"I never saw him after we sank. Are all the men here?"
+
+"All but those in the forward boat, sir. They got away furst, an' we
+ain't had no sight ov 'em since. Maybe we will when it gets daylight."
+
+"Who had charge?"
+
+"Harwood, sir; he's the best man o' ther lot, an' a good sailor, I
+give him a compass, an' told him ter steer west. Wus thet right?"
+
+"All I could have told him," I admitted, lifting myself on one elbow
+to look about. "I haven't had an observation, and it is all guesswork.
+I know the American coast lies in that direction, but that is about
+all. I couldn't tell if it be a hundred, or a hundred and fifty miles
+away. So the fog has lifted without a storm?"
+
+"Yes, sir, but left an ugly sea. There has been plenty o' wind
+somewhere, but we seem to be out of it. Must a bin midnight when the
+mist lifted."
+
+"Is it as late as that? I must have been in bad shape when you pulled
+me in?"
+
+"We thought you was gone, sir. You was bleedin' some too, but only
+from flesh wounds. The young lady she just wouldn't let yer die. She
+worked over yer for two or three hours, sir, afore I hed any hope."
+
+Her eyes were downcast and her face turned away, but I reached out my
+hand and clasped her fingers. They remained quietly in my grasp, but
+neither of us spoke. The boat lay before me a black shadow under the
+stars, flung up on the crests of the waves and darting down into the
+hollows. It required all of Watkins' skill to keep it upright, the
+flying spray constantly dashing against our faces. The men were but
+dimly revealed, sitting with heads lowered beneath the slight
+protection afforded by the lug sail, although one was upon his knees,
+throwing out the water which dashed in over the front rail. He was
+succeeding so poorly I called to another to help him, and the two fell
+to the job with new vigor. I could not distinguish the faces of the
+fellows, but counted nine altogether in the boat, and felt assured the
+huge bulk at the foot of the mast was the Dutchman Schmitt. Beyond
+these dim outlines there was nothing for the eye to rest upon, only a
+few yards of black sea in every direction, rendered visible by the
+reflected star-shine and the dull glow of crested waves. It was
+dismal, awe inspiring, and I felt that I must speak to break the
+dreadful silence. My eyes sought the averted face beside me, and for a
+moment in peculiar hesitancy, observed the silhouette of cheek and
+form. She rested against the gunwale, her eyes on the dark vista of
+sea, her chin cupped in her hand. The mystery of the night and ocean
+was in her motionless posture. Only as her hand gently pressed mine
+did I gain courage, with a knowledge that she recognized and welcomed
+my presence.
+
+"Watkins says I owe my life to you," I said, so low the words were
+scarcely audible above the dash of water alongside. "It will make that
+life more valuable than ever before."
+
+She turned her head, and I felt her eyes searching the dim outline of
+my face questioningly.
+
+"Of course I did everything I knew," she replied. "Why should I not?
+You are here, Captain Carlyle, for my sake; I owe you service."
+
+"And must I be content merely with that thought?" I urged, far from
+pleased. "This would mean that your only interest in me arises from
+gratitude."
+
+"And friendship," her voice as confidential as my own. "There is no
+reason why you should doubt that surely."
+
+"It would be easier for me to understand, but for the memory of what I
+am--a bond slave."
+
+"You mean the fact that you were sold to my uncle remains a barrier
+between us?"
+
+"To my mind, yes. I hope you forget, but I cannot. If I return to
+Virginia, it is to servitude for a term of years. I am exiled from my
+own country by law, and thus prevented from following a career on the
+sea. I belong to Roger Fairfax, or, if he be dead, to his heirs, and
+even this privilege of being the property of a gentleman is mine
+through your intercession. I know your sympathy, your eagerness to
+help--but that is not all of friendship."
+
+"Your meaning is that true friendship has as a basis equality?"
+
+"Does it not? Can real friendship exist otherwise?"
+
+"No," she acknowledged gravely. "And the fact that such friendship
+does exist between us evidences my faith in you. I have never felt
+this social distinction, Captain Carlyle, have given it no thought.
+This may seem strange to you, yet is most natural. You bear an
+honorable name, and belong to a family of gentlemen. You held a
+position of command, won by your own efforts. You bore the part of a
+man in a revolution; if guilty of any crime, it was a political one,
+in no way sullying your honor. I have every reason to believe you were
+falsely accused and convicted. Consequently that conviction does not
+exist between us; you are not my uncle's servant, but my friend--you
+understand me now?"
+
+"I have trained myself so long to another viewpoint, Mistress
+Dorothy," I admitted, still speaking doubtfully, although impressed by
+her earnestness, "I know not how to accept this statement. I have not
+once ventured to address you, except as a servant."
+
+"I know that, and have regretted it," she interrupted. "But not until
+now have I been able to correct your impression."
+
+"And you would actually have me speak with you as of your own class--a
+free man, worthy to claim your friendship in life?"
+
+"Yes," frankly, her face uplifted. "Why should it be otherwise? It has
+been our fortune to meet under strange conditions, Captain
+Carlyle--conditions testing us, and revealing the very depths of our
+natures. Concealment and disguise is no longer necessary between us.
+You have served me unselfishly, plunging headlong into danger for my
+sake. I shudder at the thought of where I would be now, but for your
+effort to save me. No man could have done more, or proved himself more
+staunch and true. We are in danger yet, adrift here in the heart of
+this desolate sea, but such peril is nothing compared with what I
+have escaped. I am glad, sincerely glad; I have prayed God in
+thankfulness, I feel that your skill and courage will bring us safely
+to land. I am no longer afraid, for I have learned to trust you."
+
+"In all ways?"
+
+"Yes; as gentleman as truly as sailor. You possess my entire
+confidence."
+
+Cordial and earnest as these words were, they failed to yield me
+sufficient courage to voice the eager impulse of my heart. There was a
+restraint, some memory of the past, perhaps, which fettered the
+tongue. Yet I struggled to give my desire utterance.
+
+"But do you understand fully?" I questioned anxiously. "All I have
+done for you would have been done for any other woman under the same
+conditions of danger. I claim no reward for that--a plain duty."
+
+"I am sure that is true."
+
+"It is true, and yet different. Such service to another would have
+been a duty, and no more. But to be with you, aiding and protecting,
+has been a delight, a joy. I have served Dorothy Fairfax for her own
+sake--not as I would any other."
+
+"Did you not suppose I knew?"
+
+Her glance flashed into mine through the star-gleam, with a sudden
+message of revealment.
+
+"You knew--that--that it was you personally I served?"
+
+"Of course I knew. A woman is never unaware of such things. Nor is
+there reason now--here in this boat, with you as my only
+protector--why I should pretend otherwise. Neither of us know what the
+end may be; we may sink in these waters, or be cast ashore on a
+desolate coast to perish miserably, and it is no moment for
+concealment. Now, if ever, I must tell you the truth. I know you care
+for me, and have cared since first we met. An interest no less fateful
+has led me to seek your acquaintance, and give you my aid. Surely it
+is not unmaidenly for me to confess this when we face the chance of
+death together?"
+
+"But," I stammered, "I can scarcely believe you realize your words.
+I--I love you Dorothy."
+
+"And is it not also possible for me to love?"
+
+"Possible--yes! But why should you? Forgive me, but I cannot drive
+away memory of the gulf between us. I would not dare speak such words
+of my own volition, they seem almost insult. You are rich, with
+position and friends of influence, while I at best am but a merchant
+skipper, in truth a bond servant, penniless and disgraced. In the eyes
+of the world I am not fit to touch the hem of your garment."
+
+"Is it the eyes of the world, or my eyes into which you look?"
+
+"Yours! I am selfish enough, I fear, to find my happiness there--but
+it is not right, not just."
+
+"Can you not permit me to be the judge as to that?" she asked
+seriously. "I know your story, and have seen you in stress and storm.
+Am I one, think you, to love any man for wealth or position. If I
+possess these things they are to share, not to hoard. It is because I
+have given you my full trust and confidence I can say these words."
+
+"You--you mean, you love me?"
+
+Her eyes fell from my face and her head was turned away, but there
+was no falter in her voice.
+
+"I love you--are you sorry?"
+
+"Sorry! I am mad with the joy of it; yet stricken dumb. Dorothy!
+Dorothy Fairfax, I have never even dared dream of such a message from
+your lips. Dear, dear girl, do you forget who I am? What my future
+must be?"
+
+"I forget nothing," she said, almost proudly. "It is because I know
+what you are that my heart responds. Nor is your future so clouded.
+You are today a free man if we escape these perils, for whether Roger
+Fairfax be alive, or dead, he will never seek you again to hold in
+servitude. If alive he will join his efforts with mine to obtain a
+pardon because of these services, and we have influence in England.
+Yet, should such effort fail, you are a sailor, and the seas of the
+world are free. It is not necessary that your vessel fly the English
+flag."
+
+"You give me hope--a wonderful hope."
+
+"And courage," her hands firmly clasping mine. "Courage to fight on in
+faith. I would have that my gift to you, Geoffry. We are in peril
+still, great peril, but you will face it beside me, knowing that
+whether we live or die we are together. I am not afraid anymore."
+
+She was like a child; I could feel her body relax in my arms as though
+relieved of its tension. I know I answered her, whispering into her
+ear words of love, and confidence, scarcely knowing myself what I said
+in that moment of unrestraint. I felt her eyes on my face and knew her
+lips were parted in a smile of content, yet doubt if they answered me.
+She seemed to yield unconsciously, her head upon my shoulder, her face
+upturned to the stars, while slowly all the intense fatigue of the
+day and night stupified mind and body. Almost before I realized her
+weariness, the eyes were closed and she was sleeping in my arms.
+
+I held her closely, so awakened by what had passed between us, as to
+feel no desire to sleep myself. Dorothy Fairfax loved me. I could
+scarcely grasp the thought. I had dreamed of love, but only to repress
+the imagination as impossible. Yet now, voluntarily from her own lips,
+it had proven true. With eyes uplifted to the stars I swore fidelity,
+pledging solemnly all my years to her service; nor could I drive my
+thought away from the dear girl, sleeping so confidently upon my
+shoulder. Then slowly there came back memory of where we were, of what
+grave peril surrounded us, of my own responsibility. My eyes sought to
+pierce the gloom of the night, only to gain glimpses of black water
+heaving and tumbling on every side, the boat flung high on a whitened
+crest, and then hurled into the hollow beneath, as though it was a
+mere chip in the grasp of the sea. The skill of Watkins alone kept us
+afloat, and even his iron muscles must be strained to the limit.
+Forward the boat was a mere smudge, the men curled up asleep and no
+longer visible. All that stood out with any distinctness of outline
+was the lug sail, stiff as a board. I endeavored to turn my head,
+without disturbing the slumbering girl, to gain view of the steersman.
+
+"How is she making it, Watkins?"
+
+"A little stiff, sir, but she's a staunch boat. The sea's likely to go
+down after sunup."
+
+"Well, you've had long enough trick--call one of the men aft. I'm not
+strong enough yet for that job."
+
+"No, sir," and I caught the echo of a chuckle, "and yer have yer arms
+full. I kin hold on yere till daylight; 'twon't be long now."
+
+"Make one of them help; who is the best man?"
+
+"Schmitt for this sorter job."
+
+I called him, and growling to himself at being awakened, the Dutchman
+crept past cautiously and wedged himself in beside Watkins. There was
+a few words of controversy between the two men, but in the end Schmitt
+held the steering oar and a few minutes later Watkins had slipped down
+into the boat's bottom and was sound asleep. And so the gray dawn
+found us.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+A FLOATING COFFIN
+
+
+The laboring boat rested so low in the water it was only as we were
+thrown upward on the crest of a wave that I could gain any view about
+through the pallid light of the dawn. At such brief instants my eyes
+swept the far horizon, to discern nothing except the desolate, endless
+expanse of sea. A more dismal, gloomy view surely never unrolled
+itself before the eye of man. Everywhere the gray monotony of rolling
+waves, slowly stretching out into greater distance as the light
+strengthened, yet bringing into view no other object. It was all a
+desolate, restless waste in the midst of which we tossed, while above
+hung masses of dark clouds obscuring the sky. We were but a hurtling
+speck between the gray above and the gray below. How tiny the boat
+looked as my glance ranged forward with this memory of our
+surroundings still fresh in mind. The crest of the surges swept to the
+edge of the gunwale, sending the spray flying inboard. Occasionally
+drops stung my cheek and all the thwarts forward were wet with
+drizzle. The negro, Sam, alone was awake, baling steadily, his face
+turned aft, although scarcely glancing up from his labor. He looked
+tired and worn, a strange green tinge to his black face, as the dim
+light struck it. The others were curled up in the bottom of the craft,
+soaked with spray, yet sleeping soundly. The wind had lost its
+steadiness, coming now in gusts that flapped the sail loudly against
+the mast, but failed to awaken the slumberers. Depressed by the sight,
+my eyes sought the face of the girl whose head yet rested against my
+shoulder.
+
+She lay there with tightly closed eyes, the long lashes outlined
+against her cheek, breathing softly. Between lips slightly parted her
+white teeth gleamed as she smiled from pleasant dreams. It was a
+beautiful face into which I looked, the cheeks faintly tinted, the
+chin firm, the rounded throat white as snow--the face of a pure, true
+woman, yet retaining its appearance of girlish freshness. Whatever of
+hardship and sorrow the past days had brought her, had been erased by
+sleep, and she lay then utterly forgetful of danger and distress. And
+she loved me--loved in spite of all dividing us--and in her rare
+courage had told me so. The memory thrilled my blood, and I felt my
+arm close more tightly about her, as I gazed eagerly down into the
+unconscious features. She was actually mine--mine; not even death
+could rob me of the treasure of her heart, while life offered me every
+reward. No doubt assailed me; I believed each whispered word from her
+lips, and the day dawned about us with rare hope. Not now would I
+yield to despair, or question the future.
+
+Some sudden plunge of the boat caused the girl to open her eyes, and
+gaze half frightened up into my face. Then she smiled in swift
+recognition.
+
+"Is it you, Geoffry? We are still alone at sea?"
+
+"Yes, the night is ending; you have slept well."
+
+She drew herself away from me gently, sat up and glanced about.  "How
+tired you must be. I have been very selfish. There is nothing in
+sight?"
+
+"Nothing."
+
+"And the men are still asleep. Who are they?"
+
+I named them as best I could, pointing out each in turn.
+
+"Are they reliable--safe?" she asked. "You know them?"
+
+"Not well, but they were selected by Watkins, as among the best on
+board the _Namur_. No doubt they will behave themselves."
+
+"But they are pirates; they cannot be trusted."
+
+"These fellows were not aboard the _Namur_ from choice, but seamen
+captured on merchant ships and compelled to serve to preserve their
+lives. They are as eager to escape as we. Anyway I shall see to it
+that they do their duty. Sam!"
+
+The negro looked up quickly.
+
+"Yas, sah!"
+
+"Call the others. Who knows where the food is stored?"
+
+Watkins spoke up behind us.
+
+"It's stored forward, sir, an' all safe; the water casks are lashed
+amidships."
+
+"I'll see what we've got and serve out."
+
+I crept forward cautiously, because of the erratic leaping of the
+craft, the men yielding me room to pass, and soon had Sam busily
+engaged in passing out the various articles for inspection. Only
+essentials had been chosen, yet the supply seemed ample for the
+distance I believed we would have to cover before attaining land. But
+the nature of that unknown coast was so doubtful I determined to deal
+out the provisions sparingly, saving every crumb possible. The men
+grumbled at the smallness of the ration, yet munched away contentedly
+enough, once convinced that we all shared alike. Watkins relieved the
+Dutchman at the steering oar, and I rejoined Dorothy. The silence was
+finally broken by one of the men forward asking a question.
+
+"Could you tell us about where we are, sir?"
+
+"Only as a guess," I answered frankly, my eyes traveling over the sea
+vista, "but will do the best I can. I have had no observation since we
+left the Capes, but Estada had his chart pricked up to the time he was
+killed, showing the course of the _Namur_. We were then about a
+hundred miles off shore and the same distance south. We have been
+sailing to the north of west since taking to the boat. That is the
+best course possible with this wind."
+
+"Then a couple days should bring land, sir?"
+
+"Ay, if figures are correct and this wind holds. But these are stormy
+waters, and we go by dead reckoning."
+
+"That's near enough," he said stubbornly. "Even if you was astray
+fifty miles would make little difference. There's land to west of us,
+and plenty ter eat aboard till we get there--so why not eat it?"
+
+I glanced about into the faces of the others forward, but received
+little encouragement--evidently the fellow was spokesman for his
+mates. The time had arrived for me to exhibit my authority, but before
+I could choose words, Watkins gave indignant utterance to a reply.
+
+"Yer hed yer fair share with the rest ov us, didn't yer, Simms?"  "O'
+course I did; but damn it, I'm hungrier then I wus afore--whut the
+hell's the use?"
+
+"Let me tell you," I broke in, determined on my course. "It is not
+just the boat trip to be considered, although that may prove serious
+enough before we get ashore. If I am any judge we are going to have
+some weather in the next twenty-four hours, and may have to run before
+it to keep afloat. That's one point to think over. Another is that
+coast line west of us doesn't contain a dozen white settlements
+between the Capes and Florida, and you are just as liable to be hungry
+on land as sea. You've eaten as much as I have."
+
+"Maybe I have, but by God, there is food enough there to last us a
+month."
+
+"And it may have to do so. Now Simms, listen to what I say, and you
+others also. I am not going to repeat this. We're the same as
+ship-wrecked men, and I am in command of this boat. Whatever I say
+goes, and I've handled worse fellows than you are many a time. Grumble
+all you please; I don't mind that, but if you try mutiny, or fail to
+jump at my orders, I'll show you some sea discipline you will not
+forget very soon. You are with me, Watkins?"
+
+"You bet I am, sir," heartily.
+
+The Dutchman already half asleep, lifted his head.
+
+"Mine Gott, I cud eat a whale," he growled rather discontentedly, "but
+what der difference say I do--dat wus best, ach."
+
+Simms made no answer, sitting sullenly at the foot of the mast. I
+waited, thinking some other might venture a word, but evidently they
+had enough, and I was willing to let the affair rest. They had been
+shown that I meant to enforce discipline, and nothing remained but for
+me to carry out my threat if occasion arose. Meanwhile the least
+friction aboard, the better.
+
+"All right, lads," I said cheerfully. "Now we understand each other
+and can get at work. We'll divide into watches first of all--two men
+aft here, and one at the bow. Watkins and I will take it watch and
+watch, but there is enough right now for all hands to turn to and make
+the craft shipshape. Two of you bail out that water till she's dry,
+and the others get out that extra sail forward and rig up a jib.
+She'll ride easier and make better progress with more canvas showing.
+How does she head, Watkins?"
+
+"Nor'west, by west, sir."
+
+"You can give two points more west, with the jib drawing--the sea is
+not quite so heavy?"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir--she's riding fairly free, an' the wind is shifting
+nor'east. Thar won't be no storm terday."
+
+The men worked cheerfully enough, finding sufficient to do to keep
+them busy for half an hour, and thus Dorothy and I watched them,
+whispering occasionally to each other, and commenting on the varied
+appearance of the fellows. They were rather an interesting lot in
+their way, the types familiar to me, but strange to her
+experience--sea scum, irresponsible, reckless, to be ruled by iron
+hand, yet honest enough according to their standards. The faces were
+coarse and dissipated, and many a half-smothered oath floated back to
+our ears, but I saw in them nothing to fear, or cause uneasiness. The
+sun had dissipated the clouds, while the swell of the sea had
+sufficiently subsided to permit of a wide view in every direction. The
+vista only served to increase our sense of loneliness and peril. We
+were a tiny chip tossed on the immensity of the waters, stretching
+away to the distant horizons. It was a vast scene of desolation,
+without another object to break its grim monotony--just those endless
+surges of gray-green water brightened by the touch of the sun. Again
+and again I swept my eyes about the circle in a vain effort to
+perceive something of hope; it was useless--we were alone on the
+boundless ocean.
+
+I know not what we talked about during those hours; of all we had
+passed through together, no doubt; of our chances of escape and our
+dreams of the future. Her bravery and confidence increased my own
+courage. Knowing as I did the uncertainty of our position, I needed
+her blind faith to keep me hopeful. The men gradually knocked off
+work, and lay down, and finally I also yielded to her pleadings and
+fell into a sound sleep.
+
+It seemed as though I scarcely lost consciousness, yet I must have
+slept for an hour or more, my head pillowed on her lap. What aroused
+me I could not determine, but Schmitt was again at the steering
+paddle, and both he and Dorothy were staring across me out over the
+port quarter, as though at some vision in the distance, sufficiently
+strange to enchain their entire attention.
+
+"What is it?" I asked eagerly, but before the words were entirely
+uttered, a hoarse voice forward bawled out excitedly.
+
+"There you see it; straight out agin that cloud edge. By God, it's a
+full-rigged schooner."
+
+"Ay," boomed another, "a headin' straight cross our course astern."
+
+I sat up, ignoring all else, thoroughly awake from excitement, gazing
+under hollowed hands in the direction the men pointed. For an instant
+I distinguished nothing but sea and sky, with patches of white cloud
+speckling the horizon. My heart sank with the belief that one of these
+had been mistaken for the sheen of a distant sail. Then as our boat
+was suddenly flung higher on the crest of a great wave, my straining
+eyes caught the unmistakable glimmer of canvas, could even detect its
+outline plainly delineated against the blue background. I reached my
+feet, clinging to the mast to keep erect and, as the boat was again
+flung upward, gained clearly the glimpse I sought.
+
+"Ay, you're right, lads!" I exclaimed. "It's a schooner, headed to
+clear us by a hundred fathoms. Port your helm Schmitt--hard down man.
+Watch out the boom don't hit you, Miss Fairfax. Now, Sam, off with
+that red shirt; tie it on the boat hook, and let fly. They can't help
+seeing us if there is any watch on deck."
+
+We swept about in a wide circle, shipping some water as we dipped
+gunwale under, but came safely out from the smother, headed straight
+across the bows of the oncoming vessel. All eyes stared out
+watchfully, Sam's shirt flapping above us, and both Watkins and
+Schmitt straining their muscles to hold the plunging quarter-boat
+against the force of the wind. A man forward on his knees growled out
+a curse.
+
+"What the hell's the matter aboard there?" he yelled. "Did yer ever
+see a boat yaw like that, afore? Damn me, if I believe they got a
+hand at the wheel."
+
+The same thought had leaped into my mind. The schooner was headed to
+pass us on the port quarter, yet yawing so crazily at times as to make
+me fearful of being run down. I could perceive no sign of life aboard,
+no signal that we had been seen. Indeed from where we crouched in the
+boat all we could see now was the bow with the jib and foresail. Not a
+head peered at us over the rail; in silent mystery it seemed to fly
+straight at us like a great bird, sweeping through water and sky. The
+sight angered me.
+
+"Stand by, all hands," I cried desperately. "We'll board whether they
+want us or not. Slip across, Miss Fairfax, out of the way. Now,
+Watkins, run us in under those fore-chains; easy man, don't let her
+strike us. Lay hold quick lads and hang on for your lives. Give me
+that end of rope--ready now, all of you; I'll make the leap. Now
+then--hold hard!"
+
+It was five feet, and up, my purchase the tossing boat, but I made it,
+one hand desperately gripping a shroud, until I gained balance and was
+flung inboard by a sharp plunge of the vessel. My head was at a level
+with the rail, yet I saw nothing, my whole effort being to make fast
+before the grip of the men should be torn loose. This done I glanced
+back into the upturned faces below.
+
+"Hand in slowly lads; yes, let go, the rope will hold, and the boat
+ride safely enough. Let a couple of men come up till we see what's
+wrong with the hooker--the rest of you trail on."
+
+"Am I to remain here, Mr. Carlyle?"  "Yes for a few moments; there is
+no danger. You stay also, Watkins; let Schmitt and Sam come with me."
+
+I helped them clamber up and then lifted my body onto the rail, from
+which position I had a clear view of the forward deck. It was
+unexpressibly dirty, yet otherwise shipshape enough, ropes coiled and
+the forward hatch tightly closed. Nothing human greeted me, and
+conscious of a strange feeling of horror, I slipped over onto the
+deck. The next moment the negro and Dutchman joined me, the former
+staring about wildly, the whites of his eyes revealing his terror.
+
+"My Gawd, sah," he ejaculated. "Ah done know dis boat--it's shore de
+_Santa Marie_. "Ah's cooked in dat galley. What's done happened ter
+her, sah?"
+
+"You know the schooner? Are you sure, Sam? What was she--a pirate?"
+
+"No, sah; a slaver, sah," he sniffed the air. "Ah kin smell dem
+niggers right now, sah. Ah, suah reckon dars a bunch o' ded ones under
+dem hatches right dis minute--you white men smell dat odor?"
+
+"I certainly smell something unpleasant enough. This is the _Santa
+Marie_; the name is on the stern of that boat yonder. When did you
+serve aboard here?"
+
+"Three years back, sah, frum Habana to der African coast; Ah didn't
+want no more dat sorter sailorin'."
+
+"But what could have happened? The boats are all in place, but no
+crew, I never saw anything like it at sea."
+
+Schmitt's hand fell heavily on my sleeve and I glanced aside into his
+stolid face.
+
+"Der's a feller on ther gratin' amidships, Captain," he said pointing
+aft. "But I just bet I know vat wus der trouble."
+
+"What man?"
+
+"Cholera," he whispered, "ve haf boarded a death ship."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+ON BOARD THE SLAVER
+
+
+The terror of the two men as this thought dawned upon them in all its
+horror was apparent enough, and, in truth, I shared with them a vivid
+sense of our desperate situation. Nothing, not even fire was more to
+be dreaded than a visitation of this awful nature on shipboard. I had
+heard tales to chill the blood, of whole ships' crews stricken and
+dying like flies. Yet I dare not hesitate, or permit those under my
+command to flee in terror. Charnal ship though this might be, the
+danger to us was not so great, if we only remained in the open air,
+and used proper precaution in putting the dead overboard. We were in
+health, well nourished, and our stay aboard would be a short one. Even
+if the schooner was a floating sepulcher, it was safer by far than the
+cockleshell towing alongside.
+
+"Let's find out the truth first, men," I said quietly. "Stay here if
+you want to while I go aft; only hold your tongues. There is no use
+giving up until we know what the danger is. Will you come with me, or
+remain where you are?"
+
+The two exchanged glances, and then their eyes ranged along the
+unoccupied deck. I confess it was eery enough--the silence, the
+desolate vista, the wind-filled sails above, the schooner flying
+through the water as though guided by spectral hands, and that single
+motionless figure crouched on the grating amidships. It made my own
+nerves throb, and caused me to clinch my teeth, Sam turned his head,
+his frightened eyes seeking the scuttle leading into the forecastle.
+He was more frightened to remain where he was, than accompany me, but
+when he endeavored to say so, his lips refused to utter any sound. The
+terror in his eyes caused me to laugh, and my own courage came back
+with a rush.
+
+"Afraid of dead men, are you? Then we'll face them together, my lads,
+and have it over with. Come on, now, both of you. Buckle up; there is
+nothing to fear, if you do what I tell you--this isn't the first
+cholera ship I've been aboard."
+
+It was no pleasant job confronting us, although we had less dead men
+to handle than I anticipated. Indeed we found only five bodies on
+board, and as the slaver must have originally carried a large crew, it
+was evident the survivors had thrown overboard the corpses of those
+who succumbed first, until they also became too weak to perform such
+service. There were only two on deck, the fellow crouched on the
+grating, a giant, coal black negro, and a gray-bearded white man, his
+face pitted with smallpox, lying beside the wheel. Before he fell to
+the deck, he had lashed the spokes and still gripped the end of the
+rope in his dead hand. Determined on what was to be done, I wasted no
+time with either body. The two sailors hung back, so terrorized at the
+mere thought of touching these victims of plague, I steeled myself to
+the job and handled them alone, dragging the inert bodies across the
+deck, and by the exercise of all my strength launching them over the
+low rail into the sea. It was indeed a relief to know the deck was
+clear, and I ordered Schmitt to cut the lashings and take charge of
+the wheel. Sam was shaking like a leaf, his face absolutely green.
+
+"What---what dey die of, sah--cholera?" he asked faintly.
+
+"No doubt of it; but they are safely over the side now. There is
+nothing to be frightened about."
+
+"But s'pose we gits it, sah; s'pose we gits it?"
+
+"There is no reason why we should," I contended, speaking loud and
+confident, so both could hear. "We are all in good health and in the
+open air. See here, you men, stop acting like fools. We will take a
+look below, and then have the others on board."
+
+"But Ah's suah feared, sah."
+
+"At what? You are in no more danger than I am. See here, Sam, and you
+too, Schmitt, I am in love with that girl in the boat. Do you suppose
+I would ever have her come on this deck, if I believed she might
+contract cholera? You do as I say, and you are perfectly safe. Now
+Schmitt remain at the wheel, and you Sam come with me. There will be a
+dead nigger aboard unless you jump when I speak."
+
+He trotted close at my heels as I flung open the door leading into the
+cabin. The air seemed fresh enough and I noted two of the ports wide
+open. A tall smooth-shaven man, with an ugly scar down one cheek, lay
+outstretched on a divan at the foot of the after mast, his very
+posture proclaiming him dead. His face was the color of parchment,
+wrinkled with age, but I knew him at once as Spanish. A uniform cap
+lay beside him, and I stopped just long enough to scan his features.
+
+"Here, Sam, do you know this fellow."
+
+The negro crept up behind me reluctantly enough, and stared at the
+upturned face over my shoulder.
+
+"My Gaud, sah, he wus de ol' Captain."
+
+"The one you served under? What was his name?"
+
+"Paradilla, sah; damn his soul!"
+
+"A slaver, I suppose; well, he's run his last cargo of niggers. Let's
+look into the rooms."
+
+They were empty, all in disorder, but unoccupied. In what was
+evidently the Captain's room I discovered a pricked chart and a
+log-book, with no entry in it for three days. Without waiting to
+examine these I stowed them away in my pocket and returned to
+Paradilla, relieved to learn our labor aft was so light, and eager to
+have it over with. Some physical persuasion was necessary to compel
+Sam to assist me, but finally he took hold, and between us we forced
+the stiffened form of the Captain through the open after port, and
+heard it splash into the sea astern. Then I closed the cabin door, and
+led the way forward.
+
+To my great relief the hold was empty, although the smell arising
+through the partially opened hatch was stifling, the reminder of a
+cargo lately discharged. There were two dead seamen in the forecastle,
+both swarthy fellows, with long Indian hair. I never saw a dirtier
+hole, the filth overpowering, and once satisfied that both men were
+beyond help, I was content to lower the scuttle and leave them there.
+God! it was a relief to return once more to the open deck and breathe
+in the fresh air. Schmitt was holding the schooner close up in the
+wind, which, however, was barely heavy enough to keep the sails full.
+Yet at that the sharp-nosed craft was making the best of it, leaving a
+long wake astern, the waves cresting within a few feet of her rail as
+she swept gloriously forward. I leaned over, and hailed the boat,
+towing below.
+
+"Come aboard, Watkins," I called sharply. "Pass the lady up first, and
+turn the boat adrift."
+
+"What is she, sir?"
+
+"An abandoned slaver. I'll tell you the story later. Come aboard."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+I caught Dorothy's hands and aided her over the rail, the schooner
+rode steady and she stood still grasping me, her eager eyes on the
+deck aft. Then they sought my face questioningly, the seamen beginning
+to gather between us and the rail.
+
+"Why was the vessel abandoned?" she asked. "What has happened? Do you
+know?"
+
+"Yes; the story is plain enough," I explained, deeming it best to tell
+the whole truth. "This is a slaver, the _Santa Marie_, plying between
+Cuba and the African coast. Sam, the negro who came aboard with me,
+served as cook on board for one voyage. I do not know why they should
+be in these waters--driven north by a storm likely--but cholera was
+the trouble. The crew are all overboard, or dead."
+
+"Overboard, or dead? You found them dead--the slaves also?"
+
+"No; there were no slaves; the hold was clear. We found a few dead
+men, the last of the crew to survive. One man was lying beside the
+wheel; he had lashed it to its course before he died; and the Captain
+was in the cabin."
+
+"And he was dead?"
+
+"Yes, a tall, lean Spaniard; Sam said his name was Paradilla. We found
+five altogether, and flung their bodies over the side except two
+sailors in the forecastle."
+
+Her eyes evidenced her horror, her lips barely able to speak.
+
+"They--they died of cholera? All of them? There was no one left alive
+on board?"
+
+"Not even a dog. It was a tragedy of the sea, of which we will never
+know all the truth. I have the log here in my pocket all written out
+until three days ago--perhaps that was when the Captain died. But can
+you imagine anything more grim, more horrible, than this schooner,
+with all sails set, standing on her course with a dead man at the
+wheel?"
+
+"And--and other dead men in cabin and forecastle!" her voice broke and
+her hands covered her eyes. "O Geoffry, must we stay aboard? The
+thought is terrible; besides, you said it was cholera."
+
+"There is nothing we need fear," I insisted firmly, clasping the
+upraised hands and meeting her eyes frankly, "and I rely upon you to
+help me control the men. They are sailors filled with superstition,
+and will look to us for leadership. Please do not fail me. You have
+already passed through too much to be frightened at a shadow. This is
+a staunch vessel, provisioned and fit for any sea. We are far safer
+here than in the boat; it is as if God had sent us deliverance."
+
+"Yet we face disease--cholera?"  "I do not hold that a peril--not to
+us, if we use precautions. That is an ever-present sea danger, and I
+have read every book treating of the disease. So long as we are well
+fed and keep in the fresh air, we are not liable to suffer. The dead
+are overboard and every hatch closed. I will have the deck scoured
+from end to end. The bedding we need, and the food, is being brought
+up from the boat; we shall come in contact with nothing to spread the
+disease. You must meet this emergency just as bravely as you have the
+others; you will, will you not?"
+
+Her eyes met mine smilingly, resolute.
+
+"If you say so--yes. How can I help you?"
+
+"Tell the men just what I have told you," I said gravely. "They will
+pay more heed to what you say, and will be ashamed to show less
+courage than you. Do you agree?"
+
+We turned and faced them together, as they formed a little group
+against the rail. Their dunnage, together with a few boxes of
+provisions, and a couple of water casks, lay scattered about the deck,
+and now, their immediate task done, the fellows were sullenly staring
+around. Hallin was first to speak.
+
+"Vot vas eet you say 'bout dis sheep? Eet haf cholera--hey?"
+
+Dorothy took a step forward, and confronted them, her cheeks flushed.
+
+"You are sailors," she said, speaking swiftly, "and ought not to be
+afraid if a girl isn't. It is true this vessel was ravaged by cholera,
+and the crew died; but the bodies have been flung overboard--Captain
+Carlyle risked his life to do that, before he asked us aboard. Now
+there is no danger, so long as we remain on deck. I have no fear."
+
+The Swede shook his head, grumbling something, but before the revolt
+could spread, Watkins broke in.
+
+"An' that's right, miss. I wus on the _Bombay Castle_ when she took
+cholera, an' we hed twenty-one days of it beatin' agin head winds off
+the Cape. We lost sixteen o' the crew, but not a man among us who
+stayed on deck got sick. Anyhow these blokes are goin' ter try their
+luck aboard yere, er else swim fer it."
+
+He grinned cheerfully letting slip the end of the painter, the
+released quarter-boat gliding gently away astern, the width of water
+constantly increasing, the light craft wallowing in the waves.
+
+"Now bullies, jump fer it if yer want ter go. Why don't yer try it
+Ole? You are so keen about getting away, you ought not to mind a
+little water. So ye prefer to stay along with the rest of us. All
+right then, my hearties, let's hunt up something to work with and
+scrub this deck. That's the way to clean out cholera."
+
+He led the way and they followed him, grumbling and cursing, but
+obedient. I added a word of encouragement, and in a few minutes the
+whole gang was busily engaged in clearing up the mess forward, making
+use of whatever came to hand, their first fears evidently forgotten in
+action. Watkins kept after them like a slave driver.
+
+"That's the style; throw all the litter overboard. Bend your back,
+Pierre; now Ole, take hold here. What the hell are you men loafing
+for? Now, heave altogether."
+
+I glanced astern, catching a fleeting glimpse beneath the main boom,
+of the disappearing quarter-boat, bobbing up and down in the
+distance; then my eyes sought the face of the girl. She met my gaze
+with a smile.
+
+"They are all right now, are they not?" she asked.
+
+"Yes, as long as they can be kept busy, and I will see to that. Let's
+go aft, and get out of this mess. I want to plan our voyage."
+
+It was not difficult finding plenty for the lads to do, making the
+neglected schooner shipshape, and adjusting the spread of canvas aloft
+to the new course I decided upon. Fortunately we had men enough to
+manipulate the sails, real seamen, able to work swiftly. Sam started a
+fire in the galley, and prepared a hot meal, singing as he worked, and
+before noon I had as cheerful a ship's crew forward as any man could
+possibly ask for. The weather kept pleasant, but with a heavy wind
+blowing, compelling us to take a reef in the canvas, but the schooner
+was an excellent sea boat, and all alike felt the exhilaration of
+rapid progress. Dorothy and I glanced over the log, but gained little
+information. The vessel had been driven into the northwest by a
+succession of storms, and lack of provisions had weakened the crew,
+cholera broke out among them the third day at sea, the first victim
+being the cabin steward. With no medicine chest aboard and everything
+below foul, the disease spread rapidly. Within twenty-four hours
+sixteen bodies were thrown overboard and, in their terror, the
+remainder of the crew mutinied, and refused to work ship. Both mates
+died, and finally only three men were left alive--a negro known as
+Juan; the quarter-master, Gabriel Lossier, and the Captain, who was
+already lying sick and helpless in the cabin. That was the last entry
+barely decipherable.
+
+As the sun reached the meridian I ventured again into the cabin, and
+returned with the necessary instruments to determine our position.
+With these and the pricked chart, I managed fairly well in determining
+our location, and choosing the most direct course toward the coast.
+Dorothy watched closely, and when I looked up from the paper, the men
+were gathered about the open door of the galley, equally interested. I
+ordered Watkins to send them all aft, and, as they ranged up across
+the narrow deck, I spread out the chart before them, and explained, as
+best I could, our situation, and what I proposed doing. I doubt if
+many were able to comprehend, yet some grasped my meaning, bending
+over the map and asking questions, pointing to this and that mark with
+stubby forefingers. From their muttered remarks I judged their only
+anxiety was to get ashore as early as possible, out of this death
+ship. Convinced this was also my object, they ventured forward
+cheerfully, as I rolled up the chart, and placed it in the flag
+locker.
+
+One of the Frenchmen relieved Schmitt at the wheel, and, a little
+later, Sam served Dorothy and I on deck. The food was appetizing and
+well cooked, and we lingered over it for some time, while Watkins
+busied the men forward.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+A NEW PLAN OF ESCAPE
+
+
+Nothing occurred during the afternoon to disturb the routine work
+aboard, or to cause me any uneasiness. The swift slaver made excellent
+progress in spite of light winds, and proved easy to handle. Watkins
+found enough to occupy the crew on deck and aloft, and they seemed
+contented, although I noticed the fellows gathered together in groups
+whenever idle, and discussed the situation earnestly. While they might
+not be entirely satisfied, and, no doubt, some fear lingered in their
+minds, the fellows lacked leadership for any revolt, and would remain
+quiet for the present at least. I made one more trip into the desolate
+cabin, returning with pipes and tobacco, which I took forward and
+distributed, an ample supply for all the crew. As the men smoked,
+Watkins and I leaned over the rail, and discussed the situation.
+
+Sunset brought clouds, and, by the time it was really dark, the entire
+sky was overcast, but the sea remained comparatively calm, and the
+wind steady. I judged we were making in the neighborhood of nine
+knots, and carefully pricked my chart to assure myself of our
+position. Even at that I was not entirely satisfied, although I kept
+this lack of faith hidden from the others. Dorothy, however, who kept
+close beside me much of the time, must have sensed my doubt to some
+extent, for once she questioned me curiously.
+
+"Are you not sure of your figures?" she asked, glancing from the chart
+into my face. "That is three times you have measured the distance."
+
+"It is not the figures; it is the accuracy of the chart," I explained.
+"It is not new, for the schooner evidently seldom made this coast, and
+it was probably only by chance that they had such a map aboard. Even
+the best of the charts, are not absolutely correct, and this one may
+be entirely wrong. I shall rely more on keeping a careful watch
+tonight than on the map; you see this cape? For all I know it may jut
+out fifty miles east of where it appears to be and we might run into
+shoal water at any minute."
+
+She wrinkled her brows over the lines on the map, and then stared out
+across the darkening sea, without speaking.
+
+It was a pleasant night in spite of the darkness, the air soft, and
+refreshing. We divided the men into watches, Watkins selecting the
+more capable for lookouts. I explained to these the danger, and posted
+them on the forecastle heads, ready to respond instantly to any call.
+I could see the glow of their pipes for some time, but finally these
+went out, one by one, and the growl of voices ceased. The schooner was
+in darkness, except for a faint reflection from the binnacle light
+aft, revealing the dim figure of the helmsman. Overhead the canvas
+disappeared into the gloom of the sky.
+
+The locker was filled with flags, representing almost every nation on
+earth. Evidently the _Santa Marie_ was willing to fly any colors,
+which would insure safety, or allay suspicion in her nefarious trade.
+I dragged these out, and spread them on the deck abaft the cabin, thus
+forming a very comfortable bed, and at last induced the girl to lie
+down, wrapping her in a blanket. But, although she reclined there, and
+rested, she was in no mood for sleep, and, whenever my restless
+wandering brought me near I was made aware of her wakefulness. Finally
+I found a seat beside her on a coil of rope, and we fell into
+conversation, which must have lasted for an hour or more.
+
+I shall never forget that dark ship's deck, with no sound breaking the
+silence except the soft swirl of water alongside, the occasional flap
+of canvas aloft, and the creak of the wheel. Dorothy was but a
+shrouded figure, as she sat wrapped in her blanket, and the only other
+object visible was the dim outline of the helmsman. We seemed to be
+completely shut in between sea and sky, lost and forgotten. Yet the
+memory of the tragedy this vessel had witnessed remained with me--the
+helpless slaves who had suffered and died between decks; the dead
+sailors in the forecastle, their ghastly faces staring up at the beams
+above, and the horrible figure of Paradilla outstretched on the cabin
+divan. I was a sailor and could not feel that any good fortune would
+come to us from such a death ship. The memory brought to me a
+depression hard to throw off; yet, for her sake I pretended a
+cheerfulness I was far from feeling, and our conversation drifted idly
+into many channels.
+
+This was the first opportunity we had enjoyed to actually talk with
+each other alone, and gradually our thoughts veered from the
+happenings of the strange voyage, and our present predicament, to
+those personal matters in which we were peculiarly interested. I know
+not how it occurred, for what had passed between us in the open boat
+seemed more like a dream than a reality, yet my hand found her own
+beneath the blanket, and I dared to whisper the words my lips could no
+longer restrain.
+
+"Dorothy," I said humbly, "you were frightened last night. I cannot
+hold you to what you said to me then."
+
+"You mean you do not wish to? But I was not frightened."
+
+"They were honest words? You have not regretted them since?"
+
+"No, Geoffry. Perhaps they were not maidenly, yet were they honest;
+why should I not have told you the truth? I have long known my own
+heart, and yours, as well."
+
+"And you still repeat what you said then?"
+
+"Perhaps I do not remember all I said."
+
+"I can never forget--you said, 'I love you.'"
+
+She drew a quick breath, and for an instant remained silent; then her
+courage conquered.
+
+"Yes, I can repeat that--I love you."
+
+"Those are dear, dear words; but I ought not to listen to them, or
+believe. I am not free to ask a pledge of you, or to beg you to trust
+me in marriage."
+
+"Is not that rather for me to decide?" she questioned archly. "I give
+you my faith, Geoffry, and surely no girl ever had more reason to know
+the heart of a man than I. You have risked all to serve me, and I
+would be ungrateful indeed were I insensible of the sacrifice. Yet do
+not think that is all--gratitude for what you have done. I did not
+need that to teach me your nature. I make a confession now. You
+remember the night I met you on deck, when you were a prisoner, and
+told you that you had become the property of Roger Fairfax?"
+
+"I could never forget."
+
+"Nor I. I loved you then, although I scarcely acknowledged the truth
+even to myself. I went back to my berth to lie awake, and think until
+morning. A new world had come to me, and when the dawn broke, I knew
+what it all meant--that my heart was yours. I cared nothing because
+you were a prisoner, a bound slave under sentence. We are all alike,
+we Fairfax's; we choose for ourselves, and laugh at the world. That is
+my answer, Geoffry Carlyle; I give you love for love."
+
+"'Tis a strange place for such a pledge, with only hope before us."
+
+"A fit place to my mind in memory of our life together thus far, for
+all the way it has been stress and danger. And what more can we ask
+than hope?"
+
+"I would ask an opportunity denied me--to stand once more in honor
+among men. I would not be shamed before Dorothy Fairfax."
+
+"Nor need you be," she exclaimed impetuously, her hands pressing mine.
+"You wrong yourself, even as you have been wronged. You have already
+done that which shall win you freedom, if it be properly presented to
+those in power. I mean that it shall be, once I am safely back in
+Virginia. Tell me, what are your plans with--with this schooner?"
+
+"To beach it somewhere along shore, and leave it there a wreck, while
+we escape."
+
+"I suspected as much--yet, is that the best way?"
+
+"The only way which has occurred to me. The men insist on it with good
+reason. They have been pirates, and might be hung if caught."
+
+"And yet to my mind," she insisted earnestly, "that choice is most
+dangerous. I am a girl, but if I commanded here, do you know what I
+would do?"
+
+"I shall be glad to hear."
+
+"I would sail this vessel straight to the Chesapeake, and surrender it
+to the authorities. The men have nothing to fear with me aboard, and
+ready to testify in their behalf. The Governor will accept my word
+without a question. These men are not pirates, but honest seamen
+compelled to serve in order to save their lives; they mutinied and
+captured the bark, but were later overcome, and compelled to take the
+boats. The same plea can be made for you, Geoffry, only you were there
+in an effort to save me. It is a service which ought to win you
+freedom."
+
+"But if it does not?"
+
+"I pledge you my word it shall. If the Governor fail me, I will bear
+my story to the feet of the King. I am a Fairfax, and we have friends
+in England, strong, powerful friends. They will listen, and aid me."
+
+"I am convinced," I admitted, after a pause, "that this course is the
+wiser one, but fear the opposition of the men. They will never go
+willingly."
+
+"There is an argument which will overcome their fear."
+
+"You mean force?"  "No; although I doubt not that might suffice. I
+mean cupidity. Each sailor, aboard has an interest in the salvage of
+this vessel under the English law. You tell me the schooner was a
+slaver, driven out to sea by storm immediately after discharging a
+cargo of slaves. There must be gold aboard--perhaps treasure also, for
+I cannot think a slaver above piracy if chance arose. Let the crew
+dream that dream, and you will need no whip to drive them into an
+English port."
+
+"Full pardon, and possibly wealth with it," I laughed. "A beautiful
+scheme, Dorothy, yet it might work. Still, if I know sailormen, they
+would doubt the truth, if it came direct from me, for I am not really
+one of them."
+
+"But Watkins is, and he has intelligence. Explain it all to him; tell
+him who I am, the influence I can wield in the Colony, and then let
+him whisper the news to the others. Will you not do this--for my
+sake?"
+
+"Yes," I answered, "I believe you have found the right course. If you
+will promise to lie down, and sleep, I will talk with Watkins now."
+
+"I promise. But are you not going to rest?"
+
+"Very little tonight. I may catch some catnaps before morning, but
+most of the time shall be prowling about deck. You see I have no
+officers to rely upon. But don't worry about me--this sort of life is
+not new. Good night, dear girl."
+
+She extended her arms, and drew me down until our lips met.
+
+"You are actually afraid of me still," she said wonderingly, "why
+should you be?"
+
+"I cannot tell; I have never known what it was before. Somehow
+Dorothy, you have always seemed so far away from me, I have never
+been able to forget. But now the touch of your lips has----"
+
+"Broken down the last barrier?"
+
+"Yes, forever."
+
+"Are you sure? Would you not feel still less doubt if you kissed me
+again?"
+
+I held her closely, gazing down into the dimly revealed outline of her
+face, and this time felt myself the master.
+
+"Now I am sure, sweetheart," I whispered, the note of joy ringing in
+the words, "that I have won the most precious gift in the world; yet
+your safety, and those of all on board is in my hands tonight. I must
+not forget that. I am going now to find Watkins, and you have promised
+to lie down and sleep."
+
+"To lie down," she corrected, "but whether to sleep, I cannot tell."
+
+I left her there, lying hidden and shapeless on the deck beneath the
+cover of the blanket, her head pillowed on the flags, and groped my
+own way forward, pausing a moment to gaze into the binnacle, and
+exchange a word with the man at the wheel. I found Watkins awake,
+seated on the forecastle steps, where I joined him, lighting my own
+pipe for companionship, our conversation gradually drifting toward the
+point I came to make. He listened gravely to what I had to say, with
+little comment, and was evidently weighing every argument in his mind.
+
+"I've bin in Virginia, and Maryland, sir," he said at last seriously,
+"and if the young woman is a Fairfax, she'll likely have influence
+enough ter do just whut she says. They ain't over-kind ter pirates in
+them provinces o' late, I've bin told--but the savin' o' her life wud
+make a heap o' difference with the Governor. Yer know she's a
+Fairfax?"
+
+"Absolutely. I told you the story that night in the forecastle, and I
+take more risk than any of you in giving myself up. I was bound in
+servitude to her uncle, Roger Fairfax, and am therefore a runaway
+slave."
+
+"Well," he agreed, "I'll talk it over with the lads. It's a good
+story, an' I'd be ready ter take chances, but I ain't so sure, sir, on
+makin' 'em feel the same way. All most of 'em think about is ter
+escape bein' hanged. If they wus only sure thar wus treasure aboard,
+like you suspicion there may be, I guess most of 'em would face hell
+ter git their hands on a share of it."
+
+"Then why not search, and see?"
+
+He shook his head obstinately, and his face, showing in the dull glow
+of the pipe, proved that he, sturdy, intelligent seaman as he was,
+shared to no small extent the fears of the others.
+
+"Not me, sir; I don't prowl around in no cholera ship, loaded with
+dead men--not if I never git rich."
+
+"Then I will," and I got to my feet in sudden determination. "You keep
+the deck while I go below. Have you seen a lantern on board anywhere?"
+
+"Ay, sir, there's one hangin' in the cook's galley. I hope yer don't
+think I'm a damn coward, Mr. Carlyle?"
+
+"Oh, no, Tom. I know how you feel exactly; we're both of us sailors.
+But you see I've got to make this crew take the _Santa Marie_ into the
+Chesapeake, and it's an easier job if I can find gold aboard."
+
+"Yer've got to, sir?"
+
+"Yes, I've given my promise to the girl. Light the lantern, and bring
+it here. Then we'll go aft together; if there is any specie hidden
+aboard this hooker, it will be either in the cabin, or lazaret. And,
+whether there is, or not, my man, the _Santa Marie_ turns north
+tomorrow, if I have to fight every sea wolf on board single-handed."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX
+
+A STRUGGLE IN THE DARK
+
+
+He came back with it swinging in his hand a mere tin box, containing a
+candle, the dim flame visible through numerous punctures. It promised
+poor guidance enough, yet emitted sufficient light to show the way
+around in that darkness below. So as not to arouse suspicion, I
+wrapped the thing in a blanket, and, with Watkins beside me, started
+aft. Dorothy must have been asleep already, for there was no sign of
+movement as we passed where she was lying. Neither of us spoke until
+my hand was on the companion door ready to slide it open.
+
+"I'll not be long below," I said soberly. "And meanwhile you keep a
+sharp watch on deck. Better go forward and see that your lookout men
+are awake, and then come back here. Likely I'll have a story to tell
+you by that time. The wind seems lessening."
+
+"Yes, sir; shall we shake out a reef in the foresail?"
+
+"Not yet, Watkins. Wait until I learn what secret is below. An hour
+will make little difference."
+
+With the lantern held before me, its faint light barely piercing the
+intense darkness, I stood on the first step leading down into the
+cabin, and slid the door back into place behind me. I had no sense of
+fear, yet felt a nervous tension to which I was scarcely accustomed.
+For the instant I hesitated to descend into the gloom of that
+interior. The constant nerve strain under which I had labored for days
+and nights, made me shrink from groping blindly forward, searching for
+the unknown. The very darkness seemed haunted, and I could not drive
+from my memory the figure of that dead Captain, whose life had ended
+there. It even seemed to me I could smell foulness in the air; that I
+was breathing in cholera. Yet I drove this terror from me with a
+laugh, remembering the open ports through which the fresh wind was
+blowing; and cursing myself for a fool, began the descent, guided by
+the flickering rays of light.
+
+I was conscious of a quickening pulse, as I peered about me in the
+gloom, every article of furniture assuming grotesque form. The
+rustling of a bit of cloth over one of the open ports caused me to
+face about suddenly, while every creak of the vessel seemed the echo
+of a human voice. A blanket in the form of a roll lay on the divan
+where I had found Captain Paradilla, and for a moment, as I stared at
+it, dimly visible in a ray of light, I imagined this was his
+motionless figure. Indeed, I was so strung up, it required all my
+reserve of courage to persevere, and traverse the black deck. My mind
+was fixed on a great chest in the Captain's stateroom, which, finding
+locked, I had not disturbed on my former visit. But first I explored
+the steward's pantry, in search of knife or hatchet. I found the
+latter, and, with it tucked into my belt, felt my way aft. It may have
+required five minutes to pry open the chest, and the reward was
+scarcely worth the effort. The upper tray contained nothing but
+clothing, and beneath this were books, and nautical instruments, with
+a bag of specie tucked into one corner, together with a small packet
+of letters. I opened the sack, finding therein a strange collection of
+coins, mostly Spanish, estimating the total roughly at possibly five
+hundred English pounds. Either this was Paradilla's private purse, or
+money kept on hand to meet the expenses of the voyage. I searched the
+room thoroughly, discovering nothing, finally concluding that if there
+was treasure on board, it must be concealed elsewhere. I did find,
+however, that which strengthened my suspicion, for, in rummaging
+hastily through a drawer of the rude desk, I came upon a bill of sale
+for a thousand slaves, dated two weeks before, but unsigned, although
+the parties mentioned within the document were Paradilla and a
+merchant of Habana, named Carlos Martinos. This would evidence the
+sale for cash of the late cargo of the _Santa Marie_--a goodly
+sum--but, whether the amount had been left ashore remained undecided.
+Only a careful search of the vessel could determine this.
+
+However, this discovery nerved me to press forward with my
+exploration. All fear and dread had left me, and I went at the task
+coolly enough, and with a clear purpose. There remained aft two places
+unvisited--the lazaret and the port stateroom, which I had not
+previously entered, because of a locked door. I determined on breaking
+in here first, suspecting its use as a storeroom. There was no key in
+the lock, and the stout door resisted my efforts. Placing the lantern
+on the deck I succeeded finally in inserting the blade of the hatchet
+so as to gain a purchase sufficient to release the latch. As the door
+yielded, the hinges creaking dismally, a sharp cry, human in its
+agony, assailed me from within. It came forth so suddenly, and with so
+wild an accent, I stepped blindly backward in fright, my foot
+overturning the lantern, which, with a single flicker of candle went
+out. In that last gleam I saw a form--either of man, or boy--a dim,
+grotesque outline, fronting me. Then, in the darkness gleamed two
+green, menacing eyes, growing steadily larger, nearer, as I stared at
+them in horror. I could not move; I seemed paralyzed; I doubt if I
+even breathed in that first moment of overwhelming terror. Another
+cry, like that of a mad person, struck my ears, and I knew the thing
+was coming toward me. There was no other sound, no footstep on the
+deck; I merely felt the approach, realizing the increasing glare of
+those horrible eyes. They seemed to fascinate, to hold me immovable,
+the blood chilled in my veins. Was it man or beast? Devil from hell,
+or some crazed human against whom I must battle for life? The green
+eyes glared into my face; I could even feel the hot breath of the
+monster. I lifted my hand toward him, and touched--hair!
+
+Even as the creature's grip caught me, ripping through jacket sleeve
+to the flesh, I knew what my antagonist was--a giant African ape.
+Horrible as the reality was, I was no longer paralyzed with fear,
+helpless before the unknown. This was something real, something to
+grasp, and struggle against, a beast with which to pit strength and
+skill. The sting of the claws maddened me, brought me instantly to
+life, and I drove my hatchet straight between those two gleaming eyes.
+I know not how it struck, but the brute staggered back dragging me
+with him in the clutch of his claws. His human-like cry of pain ended
+in a brutal snarl, but, brief as the respite proved, it gave me grip
+on his under jaw, and an opportunity to drive my weapon twice more
+against the hairy face. The pain served only to madden the beast, and,
+before I could wrench free, he had me clutched in an iron grip, my
+jacket torn into shreds. His jaws snapped at my face, but I had such
+purchase as to prevent their touching me, and mindless of the claws
+tearing at my flesh, I forced the animal's head back until the neck
+cracked, and the lips gave vent to a wild scream of agony. I dared not
+let go; dared not relax for an instant the exercise of every ounce of
+strength. I felt as though the life was being squeezed out of me by
+the grasp of those hairy arms; yet the very vice in which I was held
+yielded me leverage. The hatchet dropped to the deck, and both hands
+found lodgment under the jaw, the muscles of my arms strained to the
+utmost, as I forced back that horrid head. Little by little it gave
+way, the suffering brute whining in agony, until, the pain becoming
+unendurable, the clinging arms, suddenly released their hold, letting
+me drop heavily to the deck.
+
+By some good fortune I fell upon the discarded hatchet, and stumbled
+to my feet once more, gripping the weapon again in my fingers. I stood
+trembling, breathing hard, my flesh burning, peering about. The
+darkness revealed nothing, yet I knew I had been dragged within the
+stateroom, from which there was no escape, as I had lost all sense of
+direction. For an instant I could not even locate the brute. With an
+intense desire to escape, to place the door safely between me and my
+antagonist, I felt blindly about in the black void. Silently as I
+endeavored to move, I must have been overheard by the beast, for
+suddenly his jaws snapped savagely, and I saw once again the baneful
+glow of those horrible eyes. I knew enough of wild life to realize
+that now the ape feared me, and that my safer course was to attack.
+Acting on this impulse, determined to have an end, before he could
+grip me once more in those awful arms, and crush me into
+unconsciousness, I sprang straight toward him, sending the sharp blade
+of the hatchet crashing against the skull. The aim was good, the
+stroke a death blow, yet the monster got me with one jaw, and we fell
+to the deck together, he savagely clawing me in his death agony. Then
+the hairy figure quivered, and lay motionless. With barely strength
+enough for the task, I released the stiffening grip, and crept aside,
+rising to my knees, only to immediately pitch forward unconscious. It
+seemed to me as I went down that I heard voices, saw lights flashing
+in the outer cabin, but all these merged instantly into blackness.
+
+When I came back once more to life I knew immediately I was upon the
+schooner's deck, breathing the fresh night air. I could see the
+outline of the helmsman in the little circle of binnacle light, a ray
+of which extended far enough to assure me of the presence of Dorothy.
+I watched her for some time, my mind slowly clearing to the situation,
+and, it was not until I spoke, that she became aware I had recovered
+consciousness.
+
+"Dorothy."
+
+"Yes, yes," she bent lower eagerly. "Oh, I am so glad to hear you
+speak. Watkins said you were not seriously hurt, but your clothes were
+torn into shreds, and you bled terribly."
+
+"It was not a nightmare then; I really fought that beast?"
+
+"Yes; but it is too horrible to think about--I--I shall never blot out
+the sight."
+
+"You saw what occurred yourself?" I questioned in astonishment. "You
+actually came below? Then I did hear voices, and see a light, before
+my senses left me?"
+
+"Yes; Watkins heard the noise of struggle, the cries of the brute, and
+woke me. At first he was afraid to go into the cabin, but I made him,
+rather than let me go alone. The only light we had was a torch, made
+from a rope end. We got there just as you fell. I saw you staggering
+on your knees, and that beast outstretched on deck, a great gash in
+its skull. Watkins says it was a chimpanzee."
+
+"It was a huge ape of some kind, crazed with hunger no doubt." I sat
+up, aware of the smart of my wounds, but already convinced they were
+not deep or dangerous. "You did not look about? You took no note of
+what was in the room?"
+
+"No," puzzled at my sudden interest. "I had no thought of anything but
+you. At first I believed you dead, until I felt the beat of your
+pulse. The light revealed little, until Watkins found the overturned
+lantern, and relit the candle."
+
+"But I saw not even that much; the fight was in pitch darkness, yet I
+struck against things not furniture--what were they?"
+
+"Oh, you mean that! I think it must have been a storeroom of some
+kind, for there were casks and boxes piled up, and a strange
+iron-bound chest was against one wall. I sat on it, and held the
+lantern while Watkins saw to your wounds. Then we carried you up
+here."
+
+"That is the answer I sought. Yes, you must let me get up, dear. Oh, I
+can stand alone; a little weak from loss of blood yet, but none the
+worse off. Where is Watkins?"
+
+"He went forward. Do you need him?"
+
+"Perhaps it can wait until daylight. You know what I ventured below
+for?"
+
+"To learn if there was treasure hidden aboard; you hoped such a
+discovery would induce the men to sail this schooner to the
+Chesapeake."
+
+"Yes, and now I believe there is--hidden away in the locked room and
+guarded by that ape. In all probability no one but Paradilla knew the
+creature was on board, and he could have had no better guardian. No
+sailor would ever face the brute."
+
+We may have talked there for an hour, Watkins joining us finally, and
+listening to my story. My wounds, while painful enough, were all of
+the flesh, and the flow of blood being easily staunched, my strength
+returned quickly. To my surprise the hour was but little after
+midnight, and I had so far recovered when the watch was changed, as to
+insist on Watkins going forward, leaving me in charge of the deck. I
+felt no desire for sleep, and so he finally yielded to my orders, and
+curled up in a blanket in the lee of the galley. The girl was harder
+to manage, yet, when I left her alone, she lay down on her bed of
+flags. Twice later she lifted her head, and spoke as I passed, but at
+last remained motionless, while I carefully covered her with an extra
+blanket.
+
+The time did not seem long to me as I paced the deserted deck aft, or
+went forward occasionally to assure myself that the lookouts on the
+forecastle were alert. There was nothing to see or do, the sea and sky
+both so black as to be indistinguishable, and the breeze barely heavy
+enough to distend the canvas, giving the schooner a speed not to
+exceed six knots, I suspicioned a storm in the hatching, but nothing
+evidenced its near approach. However my thoughts busied me, and
+vanished all drowsiness. I believed I had won a way to freedom--to a
+government pardon. The good fortune which had befallen me in the
+salvage of this vessel, as well as our success against the pirates of
+the _Namur_, could scarcely be ignored by the authorities of Virginia,
+while the rescue of Dorothy Fairfax, and her pleading in our behalf,
+would commend us to mercy, and reward from the very highest officials.
+The money, the treasure, I personally thought nothing about, willing
+enough that it should go to others; but I was ambitious to regain my
+honor among men, my place of respectability in the world, for the one
+vital purpose which now dominated my mind--that I might claim Dorothy
+Fairfax with clean hands. My love, and the confession of her own, had
+brought to me a new vista, a fresh hope. It seemed to me already her
+faith had inspired me with new power--power to transform dream into
+reality.
+
+I stood above her motionless figure as she lay asleep, and solemnly
+took a resolve. At whatever cost to myself, or others, the _Santa
+Marie_ should sail in between the Capes to the waters of the
+Chesapeake. Be the result reward or punishment, liberty or freedom,
+the chance must be accepted, for her sake, as well as my own.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX
+
+OPENING THE TREASURE CHEST
+
+
+The dawn came slowly, and with but little increase of light. The
+breeze had almost entirely died away, leaving the canvas aloft
+motionless, the schooner barely moving through a slightly heaving sea,
+in the midst of a dull-gray mist. It was a dismal outlook, the decks
+wet, the sails dripping moisture, and nothing to look about upon but
+wreaths of fog. Even as the sun rose, its rays failed to penetrate
+this cloud bank, or yield slightest color to the scene. It was all
+gray, gloomy, mysterious--a narrow stretch of water, disappearing so
+suddenly the eye could not determine ocean from sky. The upper masts
+vanished into the vapor, and, from where I stood aft, I could but
+dimly perceive the open deck amidships. The light yet burning in the
+binnacle was hazy and dull.
+
+There was to my mind a threat in the weather, expressed in the silence
+overhead, as well as in the sullen swell underfoot. We could not be
+far from the coast--a coast line of which I knew next to nothing--and,
+at any instant, the blinding fog encircling us might be swept aside by
+some sudden atmospheric change, catching us aback, and leaving us
+helpless upon the waters. Again and again I had witnessed storms burst
+from just such conditions, and we were far too short-handed to take
+any unnecessary risk. I talked with Harwood at the wheel, and waited,
+occasionally walking over to the rail, and peering out into the mist
+uneasily. It seemed to me the heave of water beneath our keel grew
+heavier, the fog more dense, the mystery more profound. Safety was
+better than progress, particularly as there was no real object any
+longer in our clinging to a westerly course. The sensible thing was to
+lay too until the enveloping fog blew away, explore that room below,
+and explain my plans to the men.
+
+This determined upon I called all hands, and with Watkins in command
+forward, preceded to strip the vessel of canvas, leaving exposed only
+a jib sheet, with closely reefed foresail, barely enough to give the
+wheelsman control. This required some time and compelled me to lay
+hold with the others, and, when the last gasket had been secured, and
+the men aloft returned to the deck, Sam had the galley fire burning,
+and breakfast nearly ready. The lads, saturated with moisture, and in
+anything but good humor, were soon restored to cheerfulness, and I
+left them, sitting about on deck and returned aft, where Dorothy,
+aroused by the noise, stood, well wrapped up, near the rail.
+
+Sleep had refreshed her greatly, her eyes welcoming me, a red flush on
+either cheek.
+
+"Have you been up all night?"
+
+"Yes, but I would hardly know it--a sleepless night means nothing to a
+sailor."
+
+"But it was so selfish of me to sleep all those hours."
+
+"I had you to think about; all we have said to each other, and our
+plans."
+
+"What are they? You have determined?"
+
+"To do as you suggested. It is the braver, and, I believe, the better
+way. The difficulty is going to lie in convincing the crew of their
+safety. I shall explore below before having a talk with them."
+
+"In hope of discovering treasure to be divided?"
+
+"Yes, that will have greater weight with those fellows than any
+argument, or promise. Here comes Sam with our breakfast; we will eat
+here from the flag locker."
+
+The negro served us with some skill, and, discovering we were hungry,
+both did full justice to the well-cooked fare. The denseness of the
+fog hid the men from us, but we could hear their voices, and
+occasionally a burst of laughter. We were talking quietly together,
+and had nearly finished, when Watkins emerged through the mist, and
+approached respectfully.
+
+"You did not like the look o' things, sir?" he asked, staring out into
+the smother astern.
+
+"I've seen storms born from such fogs," I answered, "and know nothing
+of this coast."
+
+"You think then it's not far away--out yonder?"
+
+"It is all a guess; we made good progress most of the night, and I
+have no confidence in the chart. There are headlands hereabout, and we
+might be within hail of one at this minute. It is safer to lie quiet
+until the mist lifts. By the way, Watkins--"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+"Miss Fairfax tells me that was a storeroom in which I fought the ape
+last night."
+
+"It was, sir."  "And she reports having seen a chest, iron-bound,
+among the other stuff. Did you notice it?"
+
+He walked across to the rail, spat overboard, and came back, politely
+wiping his lips on his sleeve.
+
+"Yes, sir, I did; it was stored ter starboard, an ol'fashioned sea
+chest, padlocked, an' looked like a relic, but a damned strong box.
+You think maybe there's gold in it?"
+
+"Likely enough. I found about five hundred pounds in the Captain's
+room; but there must be more aboard, unless it was left behind in
+Cuba. My idea is that was why the monkey was locked up in there--to
+guard the treasure. Does that sound reasonable?"
+
+He scratched his head, his eyes wandering from her face to mine.
+
+"Yes, sir, it does. I've heard o' such things afore. A chimpanzee is
+better'n a big dog on such a job; thar ain't no sailor who would
+tackle the beast."
+
+"That was my way of looking at it. So while we are lying here, and the
+lads are in good humor--hear that laugh--I am going to find out what's
+in the chest. After I know, I'll talk to the men. Do you agree?"
+
+He nodded, but without speaking.
+
+"Are you willing to go below with me?"
+
+"I ain't overly anxious 'bout it, Mister Carlyle," he replied gruffly,
+plucking awkwardly at the peak of his cap. "I'm a seaman, sir, an'
+know my duty, an' so I'll go 'long if yer wus ter order me to. Yer
+know that; but I ain't fergot yet this yere is a cholera ship, an'
+it's goin' ter be as black as night down thar in thet cabin--"
+
+"Don't urge him Geoffry," the girl interrupted, her hand on my
+sleeve. "Leave him here on deck, I am not in the least afraid, and
+all you need is someone to hold the light. Please let me do that."
+
+I looked down into her eyes, and smiled.
+
+"Suppose we should encounter another ape?"
+
+"Then I would want to be with you," she responded quickly. "You are
+going to consent?"
+
+"I suppose I am, although if there was the slightest danger my answer
+would be otherwise. Keep the men busy, Watkins, while we are
+gone--don't give them time to ask questions. You brought the lantern
+on deck?"
+
+"Yes, sir; it's over there against the grating."
+
+"Very well; we'll light up in the companion, so the flame will not be
+seen by the crew. Coming, Dorothy?"
+
+She accompanied me cheerfully, but her hand grasped mine as we groped
+our way down the stairs into the dark cabin. A faint glimmer of gray
+daylight filtered through the glass from above, and found entrance at
+the open ports, but the place was nevertheless gloomy enough, and we
+needed what little help the candle afforded to find our way about. The
+memories haunted us both, and hurried us to our special mission. The
+door of the storeroom stood wide open, but the after ports were
+closed, the air within heated and foul. Dorothy held the lantern, her
+hands trembling slightly, as I stepped across and unscrewed both
+ports. The moist fog blew in upon me but was welcome, although I
+stared forth into a bank of impenetrable mist.
+
+The dead ape lay just as he had fallen, with his hideous face
+upturned, and a great gash in the head. The hatchet with which I had
+dealt the blow, rested on the deck, disfigured with blood. The
+hugeness of the creature, its repulsive aspect in death, with savage
+teeth gleaming in the rays of the lantern, and long, hairy arms
+outspread, gave me such a shock, I felt my limbs tremble. For a moment
+I could not remove my eyes from the spectacle, or regain control of my
+nerves. Then I some way saw the horror, reflected in her face, and
+realized the requirements of leadership.
+
+"He was certainly a big brute," I said quietly, "and it was a lucky
+stroke which finished him. Now to complete our work in here and get
+out."
+
+I picked up the hatchet, and my glance sought the whereabouts of the
+chest. The light was confusing, and she stepped forward, throwing the
+dim yellow flame directly upon the object.
+
+"This is what I saw--see; does it look like a treasure chest to you?"
+
+"If it be not, I never saw one--and a hundred years old, if it is a
+day. What a story of the sea it might tell if it had a tongue. There
+is no way to find its secrets but to break it open. Place the lantern
+on this cask of wine; now, if I can gain purchase with the blade, it
+will be easily accomplished."
+
+It proved harder than I had believed, the staple of the lock clinging
+to the hard teak wood of which the chest was made. I must have been
+ten minutes at it, compelled to use a wooden bar as lever, before it
+yielded, groaning as it finally released its grip, like a soul in
+agony. I felt the girl clutch me in terror at the sound, her
+frightened eyes searching the shadows, but I was interested by then to
+learn what was within, and gave all my effort to lifting the lid.
+This was heavy, as though weighted with lead, but as I finally forced
+it backward, a hinge snapped, and permitted it to drop crashing to the
+deck. For an instant I could see nothing within--no more indeed than
+some dimly revealed outline, the nature of which could not be
+determined. Yet, somehow, it gave me an impression, horrible,
+grotesque, of a human form. I gripped the side of the chest afraid to
+reach downward.
+
+"Lift up the lantern--Dorothy, please. No, higher than that. What in
+God's name? Why, it is the corpse of a woman!"
+
+I heard her cry out, and barely caught the lantern as it fell from her
+hand. The hatchet struck the deck with a sharp clang, and I felt the
+frightened clasp of the girl's fingers on my sleeve. Yet I scarcely
+realized these things, my entire attention focussed on what was now
+revealed writhin the chest. At first I doubted the evidence of my own
+eyes, snatching the bit of flaring candle from its tin socket, and
+holding it where the full glare of light fell across the grewsome
+object. Ay, it was a woman, with lower limbs doubled back from lack of
+space, but otherwise lying as though she slept, so perfect in
+preservation her cheeks appeared flushed with health, her lips half
+smiling. It was a face of real beauty--an English face, although her
+eyes and hair were dark, and her mantilla, and long earrings were
+unquestionably Spanish. A string of pearls encircled her throat, and
+there were numerous rings upon her fingers. The very contrast added
+immeasurably to the horror.
+
+"She is alive! Surely she is alive?" the words were sobbed into my
+ear, trembling from Dorothy's lips, as though she could barely utter
+them. I stared into her face, the sight of her terror, arousing me
+from stupor.
+
+"Alive! No, that is impossible!" and conquering a repugnance, such as
+I had never before experienced, I touched the figure with my hand,
+"The flesh is like stone," I said, "thus held lifelike by some magic
+of the Indies. I have heard of such skill but never before realized
+its perfection. Good God! she actually seems to breathe. What can it
+all mean? Who could the woman be? And why should her body be thus
+carried about at sea. Is it love, or hate?"
+
+"Not love, Geoffry. Love would never do this thing. It is hate, the
+gloating of revenge; there can be no other answer--this is the end of
+a tragedy."
+
+"The truth of which will never be known."
+
+"Are you sure? Is there nothing hidden with her in there to tell who
+she was, or how she died?"
+
+There was nothing, not a scrap of paper, not even the semblance of a
+wound exposed. The smile on those parted lips had become one of
+mockery; I could bear the sight no longer, and rose to my feet,
+clasping Dorothy close to me, as she still gazed down in fascination
+at the ghastly sight.
+
+"We will never know. The man who could tell is dead."
+
+"Captain Paradilla?"
+
+"Who else could it be? This was his schooner, and here he alone could
+hide such a secret. There is nothing more we can learn, and the horror
+unnerves me. Hold the light, dear, while I replace the lid of the
+chest."
+
+It required my utmost effort to accomplish this, yet I succeeded in
+sliding the heavy covering back inch by inch, until it fell finally
+into place. I was glad to have the thing hidden, to escape the stare
+of those fixed eyes, the death smile of those red lips. It was no
+longer a reality, but a dream of delirium; I dare not think, or
+speculate--my only desire being to get away, to get Dorothy away. My
+eyes swept about through the confusing shadows, half expecting to be
+confronted by other ghosts of the past, but all they encountered were
+the indistinct outlines of casks and boxes, and the hideous hairy
+figure of the ape, outstretched upon the deck. The candle fluttered in
+the girl's shaking hand, the yellow glare forming weird reflections,
+ugly shapes along the wall. God! what if it should go out, leaving us
+lost and groping about in this chamber of horrors? In absolute terror
+I drew her with me to the open door--then stopped, paralyzed; the half
+revealed figure of a man appeared on the cabin stairs.
+
+"Stop! who are you?"
+
+"Watkins, sir. I came below to call you. There's sumthin' bloomin' odd
+takin' place out there in the fog, Captain Carlyle. We want yer on
+deck, sir, right away."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI
+
+THE BOAT ATTACK
+
+
+He waited for us just without the companion, but my eyes caught
+nothing unusual as I emerged into the daylight. I could barely see
+amidships, but thus far the deck was clear, and on either side hung
+the impenetrable bank of cloud, leaving sea and sky invisible. Simmes
+was at the wheel, with no other member of the crew in sight.
+
+"What is it, Watkins? Where are the men?"
+
+"Forrard, sir, a hangin' over the starboard rail. Thar's somethin'
+cursedly strange a happenin' in that damn fog. Harwood was the first
+ter hear the clatter ov en oar slippin' in a rowlock. I thought the
+feller wus crazy, till I heerd sumthin' also, an' then, sir, while we
+wus still a listenin' we both caught sound ov a Spanish oath, spoke as
+plain as if the buck was aboard."
+
+"You saw nothing?"
+
+"Not so much as a shadder, sir."
+
+"A lost boat, likely--ship-wrecked sailors adrift in the fog; perhaps
+our other quarter-boat. No one hailed them?"
+
+"No, sir; I told the men ter keep still till I called you. It might be
+a cuttin'-out party; this ain't no coast fer any honest sailors ter be
+huggin' up to, an' I didn't like that feller talkin' Spanish."
+
+"But if their purpose is to take us by surprise," I said, "they'd be
+more cautious about it."
+
+"Maybe they didn't know how near they was. 'Tain't likely they kin see
+us much better 'n we kin see them. The sea's got an ugly swell to it,
+an' the feller likely cussed afore he thought. Enyhow it wa' n't my
+place ter hail 'em."
+
+"All right; where are they?"
+
+"Straight off the starboard quarter, sir."
+
+The crew were all gathered there, staring out into the mist,
+whispering to each other. Even they were indistinct, their faces
+unrecognizable, until I pressed my way in among them. I brought up
+beside Harwood.
+
+"Hear anything more?"
+
+"Not yet, sir," peering about to make sure of who spoke, "but there's
+a boat out yonder; I'll swear to that."
+
+"How far away when you heard them?"
+
+"Not mor'n fifty fathoms, an' maybe not that--the voice sounded
+clearest."
+
+We may have been clinging there, a minute or two, breathlessly
+listening, our hands tensely gripping the rail. My coming had silenced
+the others, and we waited motionless, the stillness so intense I could
+hear the lapping of waves against the side, and the slight creak of a
+rope aloft. Then a voice spoke directly in front of me out from the
+dense fog, a peculiar, penetrating voice, carrying farther than the
+owner probably thought, and distinctly audible.
+
+"Try the port oar, Pedro; we must have missed the damn ship."
+
+I straightened up as though struck, my eyes seeking those of Harwood,
+who stared back at me, his mouth wide open in astonishment.
+
+"You heard that?" I whispered. "Do you know who spoke?"
+
+"By God, do I? Dead, or alive, sir, it was Manuel Estevan."
+
+"Ay; no other, and alive enough no doubt. Lads, come close to me, and
+listen--they must not hear us out there. By some devil's trick the
+_Namur_ has followed our course, or else yonder are a part of his crew
+cast away. They clearly know of us--perhaps had a glimpse through some
+rift in the cloud--and are seeking to board with a boat party. 'Tis
+not likely those devils know who we are; probably take us for a
+merchant ship becalmed in the fog, and liable to become an easy prey,
+if they can only slip up on us unseen. How are you, bullies? Ready to
+battle your old mates?"
+
+"Those were no mates o' ours, sir," said Watkins indignantly. "They
+are half-breed mongrels, and no sailors; Estevan is a hell-hound, an'
+so far as my voice goes, I'd rather die on this deck than ever agin be
+a bloody pirate. Is that the right word, lads?"
+
+The others grumbled assent, but their muttered words had in them a
+ring of sincerity, and their faces exhibited no cowardice. Harwood
+alone asked a question.
+
+"I'm fer fightin', sir," he said grimly, "but what'll we use? Them
+lads ain't comin' aboard bare-handed, but damn if I've seed a weapon
+on this hooker."
+
+"Dar's three knives, an' a meat cleaver in der galley, sah," chimed in
+Sam.
+
+"We'll do well enough; some of you have your sheath knives yet, and
+the rest can use belaying pins, and capstan bars. The point is to not
+let them get aboard, and, if there is only one boat, we will be pretty
+even-handed. Pick up what you can, and man this rail--quietly now,
+hearties, and keep your eyes open."
+
+It proved a longer wait than I expected. The fog gave us no glimpse of
+the surrounding water, and not another sound enabled us to locate the
+approaching boat. I felt convinced we had not been overheard, as no
+one had spoken above a whisper, and the men aboard had been noiseless
+in their movements about deck, I had compelled Dorothy to remain on
+the port side of the cabin, removed from all danger, and the only
+upright figure in sight was the man at the wheel. The rest of us
+crouched along the starboard rail, peering out into the mist, and
+listening for the slightest sound. They were a motley crew, armed with
+every conceivable sort of knife or war club, but sturdy fellows, ready
+and willing enough to give a good account of themselves. Watkins was
+forward, swallowed up in the smother of mist, but Schmitt held a place
+next me, a huge, ungainly figure in the dull light. So still it was I
+began to doubt having heard the voice at all--could it have been
+imagination? But no; that was impossible, for the sound had reached
+all of us alike. Somewhere out yonder, that boat was creeping along
+silently, seeking blindly through the fog to reach our side
+unobserved--those Wolves of the Sea had the scent.
+
+I do not know how long the suspense lasted, but, I have never felt a
+greater strain on my nerves. Every deeper shadow increased the
+tension, imagination playing strange tricks, as I stared fixedly into
+the void, and trembled at the slightest sound. Once I was sure I heard
+the splash of an oar, but no one on deck spoke, and I remained silent.
+The faint creaking of a rope aloft caused my heart to thump, and when
+a loosened edge of canvas slapped the mast in a sudden breath of air,
+it sounded to me like a burst of thunder. Where were the fellows? Had
+they abandoned their search, confused by the fog; or were they still
+stealthily seeking to locate our position? Could there be more than
+one boat, and if not what force of men might such a boat contain?
+These questions never left me, and were alike unanswerable. Unable to
+withstand inaction any longer I arose to my feet, thinking to pass
+down the line with a word of encouragement to each man. A glance
+upward told me the heavy mist was passing, driven away by a light
+breeze from the south. Through the thick curtain which still clung to
+the deck, I could perceive the upper spars, already tipped with
+sunlight, and edges of reefed canvas flapping in the wind. The
+schooner felt the impulse, the bow swinging sharply to port, and I
+turned and took a few steps aft, thinking to gauge our progress by the
+wake astern. I was abaft the cabin on the port side when Dorothy
+called my name--a sudden accent of terror in her voice.
+
+The alarm was sounded none too soon. Either fortune, or skill had
+served those demons well. Gliding silently through the obscuring
+cloud, hanging in dense folds of vapor to the water surface, propelled
+and guided by a single oar, used cautiously as a paddle, they had
+succeeded in circling the stern of the _Santa Marie_, unseen and
+unheard by anyone aboard. Not even the girl, unconscious of the
+possibility of approaching danger from that quarter, her attention
+diverted elsewhere, had her slightest suspicion aroused as they glided
+noiselessly alongside, and made fast beneath the protection of the
+after-chains. One by one, moving like snakes, the devils passed
+inboard to where they could survey the seemingly deserted deck. Some
+slight noise awoke her to their presence, yet, even as she shrieked
+the sudden alarm, a hand was at her throat, and she was struggling
+desperately in the merciless grip of a half-naked Indian.
+
+Yet at that they were too late, the advantage of surprise had failed
+them. A half dozen had reached the deck, leaping from the rail, the
+others below clambering after their leaders, when with a rush, we met
+them. It was a fierce, mad fight, fist and club pitted against knife
+and cutlass, but the defenders knowing well the odds against them,
+angered by the plight of the girl, realizing that death would be the
+reward of defeat, struck like demons incarnate, crushing their
+astounded antagonists back against the bulwark. I doubt if the
+struggle lasted two minutes, and my memory of the scene is but a
+series of flashes. I heard the blows, the oaths, the cries of pain,
+the dull thud of wood against bone, the sharp clang of steel in
+contact, the shuffling of feet on the deck, the splash of bodies
+hurled overboard. These sounds mingle in my mind with the flash of
+weapons, the glare of infuriated eyes, the dark, savage faces. Yet it
+was all confusion, uproar, mingling of bodies, and hoarse shouts. Each
+man fought for himself, in his own way. I thought only of her, and
+leaped straight for her assailant with bare hands, smashing
+recklessly through the hasty guard of his cutlass, ignorant that he
+had even struck me, and gripped the copper devil by hair and throat. I
+knew she fell to the deck, beneath our feet, but I had my work cut out
+for me. He was a hell-hound, slippery as an eel in his half nakedness,
+strong as an ox, and fighting like a fiend. But for that first lucky
+grip I doubt my killing him, yet I had him foul, my grip unbreakable,
+as I jerked and forced his neck back against the rail, until it
+cracked, the swarthy body sliding inert to the deck. Whirling to
+assist the others, assured of the fellow's helplessness, I found no
+need. Except for bodies here and there the deck was clear, men were
+struggling in the chains; two below in the boat were endeavoring to
+cast off, and Schmitt, with Estevan helpless in his arms, staggered to
+the side, and flung the shrieking Spanish cur overboard out into the
+dark water. I heard the splash as he fell, the single cry his lips
+gave, but he never again appeared above the surface. Above the bedlam
+Watkins roared out an order.
+
+"That's it, bullies! that's it! Now let her drop! We'll send them to
+hell where they belong. Good shot; she landed!"
+
+It was the hank of a spare anchor, balanced for an instant on the
+rail, then sent crashing down through the frail bottom of the boat
+beneath. The wreck drifted away into the fog, the two miserable
+occupants clinging desperately to the gunwales. I lifted Dorothy to
+her feet, and she clung to me unsteadily, her face yet white.
+
+"Is it all over? Have they been driven off?"
+
+"Yes, there is nothing more to fear from them. Were you injured?"
+"Not--not seriously; he hurt me terribly, but made no attempt to use
+his cutlass. I--I guess I was more frightened than anything else.
+Is--is the man dead?"
+
+"If not, he might as well be," I answered, glancing at the body; but
+not caring to explain. "It was no time for mercy when I got to him.
+Watkins."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir."
+
+"Have you figured up results?"
+
+"Not fully, sir; two of our men are cut rather badly, and Cole hasn't
+come too yet from a smart rap on the head."
+
+"None got away?"
+
+He grinned cheerfully.
+
+"Not 'less they swum; thar's six dead ones aboard. Four took ter the
+water, mostly because they hed too. The only livin' one o' the bunch
+is thet nigger 'longside the wheel, an' nuthin' but a thick skull
+saved him."
+
+"Then there were eleven in the party. What do you suppose has become
+of the others aboard the _Namur_?"
+
+He shook his head, puzzled by the question.
+
+"I dunno, sir; they might be a waitin' out there in the fog. Perhaps
+the nigger cud tell you."
+
+I crossed over to where the fellow sat on a grating, his head in his
+hands, the girl still clinging to my sleeve, as though fearful of
+being left alone. The man was a repulsive brute, his face stained with
+blood, dripping from a cut across his low forehead. He looked up
+sullenly at our approach, but made no effort to rise.
+
+"What's your name, my man?" I asked in Spanish.
+
+"Jose Mendez, Senor."  "You were aboard the _Namur_?"
+
+He growled out an answer which I interpreted to signify assent, but
+Watkins lost his temper.
+
+"Look yere, you black villain," he roared, driving the lesson home
+with his boot "don't be a playin' possum yer. Stand up an' answer
+Mister Carlyle, or yer'll git a worse clip than I give yer afore. Whar
+is the bloody bark?"
+
+"Pounding her heart out on the rocks yonder," he said more civilly,
+"unless she's slid off, an' gone down."
+
+"Wrecked? Where?"
+
+"Hell, I ain't sure--what's west frum here?"
+
+"Off our port quarter."
+
+"Then that's 'bout where she is--maybe a mile, er so."
+
+"What about the crew?"
+
+"They got away in the boats, an' likely mostly are ashore. We were in
+the last boat launched, an' headed out so far ter get 'round a ledge
+o' rocks, we got lost in the fog. Then the mist sorter opened, an'
+give us a glimpse o' yer topsails. Manuel was for boarding you right
+away, and the rest of us talked it over, and thought it would be all
+right. We didn't expect no fight, once we got aboard."
+
+"Expected to find something easy, of course? Perhaps it would have
+been if you fellows in the boat had held your tongues. By any chance,
+do you know now who we are?"
+
+He rolled his eyes toward Watkins, and then at Schmitt engaged in some
+job across the deck.
+
+"Those two used to be on the _Namur_," he said, his tone again
+sullen. "Are you the fellers who locked us in between decks?"
+
+"We are the ones, Jose. You were up against fighting men when you came
+in over our rail. What is it you see out there, Harwood?"
+
+The seaman, who was standing with hollowed hands shading his eyes,
+staring forth into the swirling drapery of fog, turned at my call, and
+pointed excitedly.
+
+"There's a bark aground yonder, sir; and by God, it looks like the
+_Namur_!"
+
+Even as I crossed the deck to his side, eagerly searching the
+direction indicated, the wreaths of obscuring mist seemed to divide,
+as though swept apart by some mighty hand, and there in the full glow
+of the sun, a picture in a frame, lay the wrecked vessel. Others saw
+it as I did, and a chorus of voices gave vent to recognition.
+
+"Damned if it ain't the old hooker!"
+
+"She got what was coming to her all right, mates."
+
+"Maybe that ain't hell, bullies! And she's lousy with treasure!"
+
+"Come here, Sam! That's the last of the _Namur_."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII
+
+THE LAST OF THE NAMUR
+
+
+Even from where we were, looking across that stretch of water, yet
+obscured by floating patches of mist, the vessel was plainly a total
+wreck, rapidly pounding to death on a sharp ledge of rock. Both masts
+were down, and, lifted as the bow was, it was easy to perceive the
+deck was in splinters, where falling spars and topmasts had crashed
+their way through. She must have struck the ledge at good speed, and
+with all sail set, for the canvas was overside, with much of the
+top-hamper, a horrible mess, tossed about in the breakers, broken ends
+of spars viciously pounding against the ship's side. The bows had
+caught, seemingly jammed in between rocks, the stern sunk deep, with
+cabin port holes barely above reach of the waves. It seemed probable
+that any minute the whole helpless mass might slide backward into the
+water, and be swept away. Not a living thing appeared on board, and,
+as the fog slowly drifted away, my eyes could discern no sign of any
+boat, no evidence of the crew, along the wide sweep of water. Little,
+by little, as the vista widened, and we still remained, watching the
+miserable wreck as though fascinated, we were able to distinguish the
+dark line of coast to the westward, and to determine that the
+unfortunate _Namur_ had struck at the extremity of a headland, whose
+rocky front had pushed its way far out to sea. A voice not far
+distant aroused me.
+
+"What was it you said Jack 'bout treasure on the old hooker? Hell, if
+it's there, why not get it afore it's too late?"
+
+"It's thar, all right, Ole," and I knew the speaker to be Haines.
+"Ain't it, Mr. Carlyle?"
+
+"Yes, lads, there must be money on board, unless those fellows took it
+with them in the boats. I know of fifty thousand pounds stolen in
+Virginia, and no doubt there is more than that."
+
+"Perhaps they took the swag along with 'em, sir."
+
+"That wouldn't be the way I'd figure it," broke in Watkins. "That
+nigger says the boat what attacked us was the last one ter git away,
+an' thar wa'n't no chest in her." If Manuel didn't stay aboard long
+'nough ter git his fingers outer thet gold, none ov the others did.
+They wus so damned anxious to save their lives, they never thought ov
+nuthin' else, sir."
+
+"But maybe they'll think about that later, an' cum back," insisted
+Haines, pressing forward. "Ain't that right, sir?"
+
+"Right enough; only they will not have much time to think it over,
+from the look of things out there," I answered. "The bark is liable to
+slide off that rock any minute, and go down like a stone. What do you
+say, bullies? Here is a risky job, but a pocket full of gold pieces,
+if we can get aboard and safely off again, Who'll go across with me?"
+
+There was a babel of voices, the men crowding about me, all else
+forgotten as the lust of greed gripped their imaginations.
+
+"Stand back, lads! I cannot use all of you. Four will be enough. I
+choose Haines, Harwood, Ole Hallin and Pierre. Lower that starboard
+quarter-boat you four, and see to the plugs and oars. No Watkins, I
+want you to remain in charge here. There is plenty to do; get those
+bodies overboard first, and clean up this litter; then shake out the
+reef in the foresail, and stand by--there is wind coming from that
+cloud yonder, and no time to waste. You'll not lose anything of what
+we bring back; it'll be share and share alike, so fall too, hearties."
+
+"Shall we lower away, sir?"
+
+"Ay, if all is fast I'll be with you in a minute; get aboard, Ole, and
+ward her off with a boat hook; easy now, till she takes water."
+
+I paused an instant to speak to Dorothy, seated on the flag locker,
+explaining to her swiftly my object in exploring the wreck, and
+pledging myself not to be reckless in attempting to board. I read fear
+in her eyes, yet she said nothing to dissuade me, and our hands
+clasped, as I led her to the side, where she could look down at the
+cockleshell tossing below.
+
+"It will mean much if we can recover this pirate hoard," I whispered,
+"freedom, and a full pardon, I hope."
+
+"Yes, I know, Geoffry; but do not venture too much. You are more to me
+than all the gold in the world."
+
+"I shall not forget, sweetheart. The sky and sea are almost clear now,
+and you can watch us from here. In a short time we shall be safely
+back again."
+
+I slipped down a rope, and dropped into the boat, taking my place
+with a steering oar at the stern, and we shot away through the green
+water. The men yet lined the rail watching us enviously, although
+Watkins' voice began roaring out orders. Dorothy wraved her hand,
+which I acknowledged by lifting my cap. The schooner, with her sharp
+cutwater and graceful proportions made so fair a sea picture, outlined
+against the blue haze, I found it difficult to remove my gaze, but
+finally my thought concentrated on the work ahead, and I turned to
+urge the oarsmen to a quicker stroke.
+
+The distance was greater than I had supposed it to be from the deck of
+the _Santa Marie_, nor did the dark cloud slowly poking up above the
+sea to the southeast ease my anxiety to get this task over with,
+before a storm broke. The _Namur_ proved to be a more complete wreck
+than our distant view had revealed, and lying in a more precarious
+position. While the sea was not high, or dangerous, beyond the
+headland, the charging billows there broke in foam and were already
+playing havoc with the stranded vessel, smashing great spars,
+entangled amid canvas and cordage, about so as to render our approach
+extremely perilous. We were some time seeking a place where we might
+make fast, but finally nosed our way in behind the shelter of a huge
+boom, held steady by a splinter of rock, until Harwood got the hank of
+his boat hook in the after-chains, and hung on. It was no pleasant job
+getting aboard, but ordering Haines to accompany me, and the others to
+lie by in the lee of the boom, I made use of a dangling backstay, and
+thus hauled myself up to a reasonably secure footing. The fellow
+joined me breathless, and together we perched on the rail to gain
+view of the deck.
+
+It was a distressing, hopeless sight, the vessel rising before us like
+the roof of a house, the deck planks stove in, a horrible jumble of
+running rigging, booms and spars, blocking the way forward. Aft it was
+clearer, the top-hamper of the after mast having fallen overboard,
+smashing a small boat as it fell, but leaving the deck space free.
+There were three bodies tangled in the wreckage within our sight,
+crushed out of all human resemblance, and the face of a negro, caught
+beneath the ruins of the galley, seemed to grin back at me in death.
+Every timber groaned as the waves struck, and rocked the sodden mass,
+and I had no doubt but that the vessel had already broken in two. I
+heard Haines utter an oath.
+
+"By God, sir, did you ever see the like! She can't hang on here."
+
+"Not, long surely," I admitted. "A bit more sea, and she breaks into
+kindling wood. If there is any salvage aboard, my man, it will be done
+in the next twenty minutes."
+
+"There is no hope o' gittin' forrard, sir--look at that damn litter,
+an'--an' them dead men."
+
+"It isn't forward we need to go, Haines; it's aft into the cabin, and
+that seems a clear enough passage--only the water down there may be
+too deep. Let's make a try of it."
+
+He was evidently reluctant, but sailor enough to follow as I lowered
+myself to the deck, clinging hard to keep my footing on the wet
+incline. A light spar had lodged here, and by making this a species of
+bridge, we crept as far as the companion, the door of which was open,
+and gained view of the scene below. The light was sufficient to reveal
+most of the interior. From the confusion, and dampness the entire
+cabin had evidently been deluged with water, but this had largely
+drained away, leaving a mass of wreckage behind, and a foot or two
+still slushing about the doors of the after staterooms. It was a
+dismal hole in the dim light, more like a cave than the former
+habitation of men, but presented no obstacle to our entrance, and I
+led the way down the stairs, gripping the rail to keep from falling.
+Haines swore as he followed, and his continual growling got upon my
+nerves.
+
+"Stop that infernal noise!" I ordered, shortly, looking him savagely
+in the face. "I've had enough of it. You were wild to come on this
+job; now do your work like a man. Try that room door over there; slide
+down, you fool, the water isn't deep. Wait a minute; now give me a
+hand."
+
+"Is the gold in here, sir?" he asked with interest.
+
+"More than likely; this was the Captain's room. See if it was left
+locked."
+
+The door gave, but it required our combined efforts to press it open
+against the volume of water, slushing about within. While the stern
+port was yet slightly above the sea level, the crest of breaking waves
+obscured the glass, leaving the interior darker than the outer cabin.
+For a moment my eyes could scarcely recognize the various objects, as
+I clung to the frame of the door, and stared blindly about in the
+gloom. Then slowly they assumed shape and substance. Screwed to the
+deck the furniture retained its place, but everything else was jammed
+in a mass of wreckage, or else floating about in a foot of water,
+deepening toward the stern. There were two chests in the room, one of
+which I instantly recognized as that of Roger Fairfax. The sight of
+this made me oblivious to all else, urged on as I was, by a desire to
+escape from the doomed wreck as soon as possible.
+
+"There's the chest we want Haines," I cried, pointing it out. "Have
+the lads back the boat up to this port; then come down, and help me
+handle it."
+
+He did not answer, or move; and I whirled about angrily.
+
+"What is the matter with you? Did you hear what I said?"
+
+"Yes, sir," his voice trembling, "but--but isn't that a man over
+there--in the bunk? Good God, sir; look at him!"
+
+The white, ghastly face stared at us, looking like nothing human in
+that awful twilight. I actually thought it a ghost, until with
+desperate effort, the man lifted himself, clinging with gaunt fingers
+to the edge of the bunk. Then I knew.
+
+"Sanchez! You! those damn cowards left you here to die!"
+
+"No one came for me," he answered, choking so the words were scarcely
+intelligible. "Is that what has happened; the bark is wrecked; the
+crew gone?"
+
+"Yes, they took to the boats--Manuel with them."
+
+"Manuel!" his enunciation clearer from passion, "the sneaking cur. But
+I cannot see your face; who are you, and what brought you here?"
+
+"I'll tell you frankly, Captain Sanchez," and I stepped closer. "We
+risked coming aboard to save that chest--Roger Fairfax's
+chest--before it went down. This vessel has its back broken, and may
+slide off into deep water at any minute. We must get you out of here
+first."
+
+"Get me out!" he laughed hideously. "You pretend to place my safety
+ahead of that treasure. To hell with your help. I want none of it. I
+am a dead man now, and the easiest way to end all, will be to go down
+with the ship--'twill be a fit coffin for Black Sanchez. By God! I
+know you now--Geoffry Carlyle?"
+
+"Yes, but an enemy no longer."
+
+"That is for me to say. I hate your race, your breed, your cursed
+English strain. The very sound of your name drives me mad. I accept no
+rescue from you! Damn you, take your gold and go."
+
+"But why?" I insisted, shocked at the man's violence. "I have done you
+no ill. Is it because I interfered between you and Dorothy Fairfax?"
+
+He laughed again, the sound so insane Haines gripped my sleeve in
+terror.
+
+"That chit! bah, what do I care for her but as a plaything. No, my
+hate runs deeper than that. How came you here--in the boat stolen from
+the _Namur_?"
+
+"No Captain Sanchez. The day after we left the ship, we boarded a
+schooner found adrift, the crew stricken with cholera, with not a man
+left alive on deck, or below. She lies yonder now."
+
+"A schooner! What name?"
+
+"The _Santa Marie_--a slaver."
+
+"Merciful God!" and his eyes fairly blazed into mine, as he suddenly
+forced his body upward in the bunk. "The _Santa Marie_ adrift! the
+crew dead from cholera? And the Captain--Paradilla, Francis
+Paradilla----what of him?"
+
+"He lay alone on a divan in the cabin--dead also."
+
+He tried to speak, but failed, his fingers clawing at his throat. When
+he finally gained utterance once more, it was but a whisper.
+
+"Tell me," he begged, "there was no woman with him?"
+
+I stared back into the wild insanity of his eyes, trying to test my
+words, suddenly aware that we were upon the edge of tragedy, perhaps
+uncovering the hidden secret of this man's life.
+
+"There was no woman," I said gravely, "on deck or in the cabin."
+
+"What mean you by saying that? There was one on board! Don't lie to
+me! In an hour I am dead--but first tell me the truth. Does the woman
+live?"
+
+"No, she died before. We found her body in a chest, preserved by some
+devilish Indian art, richly dressed, and decked with jewels."
+
+"English?"
+
+"I judged her so, but with dark hair and eyes. You knew her?"
+
+"In the name of all the fiends, yes. And I know her end. He killed
+her--Paradilla killed her--because she was as false to him as she had
+been to me. Hell! but it is strange you should be the one to find
+her--to bring me this tale, Geoffry Carlyle!"
+
+"Why? What is it to me?"
+
+"Because she is of your line--do you know her now?"  "No; nor believe
+it true."
+
+"Then I will make you; 'tis naught to me anymore; for I am dead within
+the hour. You go back to England, and tell him; tell the Duke of
+Bucclough how his precious sister died."
+
+"His sister! Good God, you cannot mean that woman was Lady Sara
+Carlyle?"
+
+"Who should know better than I?" sneeringly. "Once I was called in
+England, Sir John Collinswood."
+
+He sank back, exhausted, struggling for breath, but with eyes glowing
+hatred. I knew it all now, the dimly remembered story coming vividly
+back to memory. Here then was the ending of the one black stain on the
+family honor of our race. On this strange coast, three thousand miles
+from its beginning, the final curtain was being rung down, the drama
+finished. The story had come to me in whispers from others, never even
+spoken about by those of our race--a wild, headstrong girl, a secret
+marriage, a duel in the park, her brother desperately wounded, and
+then the disappearance of the pair. Ten days later it was known that
+Sir John Collinswood had defaulted in a large sum--but, from that
+hour, England knew him no more. As though the sea had swallowed them
+both, man and woman disappeared, leaving no trace behind.
+
+The face I gazed dumbly into was drawn, and white with pain, yet the
+thin lips grinned back at me in savage derision.
+
+"You remember, I see," he snarled. "Then to hell with you out of here,
+Geoffry Carlyle. Leave me to die in peace. The gold is there; take
+it, and my curse upon it. Hurry now--do you hear the bark grate on the
+rocks; it's near the end."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII
+
+BEFORE THE GOVERNOR
+
+
+The sound startled me; I imagined I heard the keel slipping, yet
+before we had reached the door opening on deck, the slight movement
+ceased. My hand gripped the frightened Haines.
+
+"Tell them in the boat to do as I said; then come back here."
+
+"My God, sir, she's a goin' down."
+
+"Not for some minutes yet. There are thousands of pounds in that
+chest; you've risked life for less many a time. Jump, my man!"
+
+The boat lay in close, bobbing up and down dangerously, yet held
+firmly beneath the opened port. Pierre warped her in with a rope's
+end, leaving the other two free to receive the box, as we cautiously
+passed it out within grasp of their hands. It was heavy enough to tax
+the strength of two men to handle it, but of a size and shape
+permitting its passage. Sanchez had raised himself again, and clung
+there to the edge of the bunk watching us. Even in the darkness caused
+by the chest obscuring the port, I felt the insane glare of his eyes
+fastened upon me. Once he attempted to speak, but his voice failed
+him.
+
+"Now let down easy, lads," I called. "No, place it amidships; get it
+even, or you go over. Wrap your line about the thwart, Pierre, and
+take a hand. Ay! that's better. Watch out now; we'll drop this
+end--Lord, but I thought it was gone! Fix it to ride steady, and stand
+by--we'll pass a wounded man out to you!"
+
+I stepped across to Sanchez, slushing through the water, and barely
+able to keep my feet. No matter who the brute was, he could not be
+left there to die like a rat alone. Willingly, or not, the fellow must
+be removed before the bark went down. He saw me coming, and drew back,
+his ghastly face like a mask.
+
+"No, you don't--damn you, Carlyle!" he snapped angrily. "Keep your
+hands off me. So you want me to die with my neck in a noose, do you?
+Well, you'll never see that sight. I was born a gentleman, and, by
+God! I'll die like one--and go down with my ship. Get out of here
+now--both of you! You won't? Hell's fire, but you will, or else die
+here with me! I'll give you a minute to make your choice."
+
+He left no doubt as to his meaning, his purpose. From somewhere
+beneath the blanket, the long, black muzzle of a pistol looked
+straight into my eyes. The hand holding it was firm, the face fronting
+me savagely sardonic.
+
+"I'd like to kill you, Carlyle," he hissed hatefully. "By God, I don't
+know why I shouldn't, the devils in hell would laugh if I did--so
+don't tempt me too far. Get out of here, damn you! Every time I look
+at you I see her face. If you take a step nearer, I pull the
+trigger--go!"
+
+I heard Haines scrambling back up the sharp incline of deck, and
+realized the utter uselessness of attempting to remain. Any instant
+might be our last; the man crazed, and probably dying, would kill me
+gladly. He had chosen his fate--what was it to me? I turned, and
+worked my way upward to the companion steps, half expecting every
+instant to be struck by a bullet from behind. At the door I paused to
+glance below; through the semi-darkness I could see his eyes glaring
+at me like those of a wild beast.
+
+"You refuse still to let me aid you, Sanchez?"
+
+"To hell with you! Leave me alone!"
+
+It was a hard pull back to the _Santa Marie_, for the sea had grown
+noticeably heavier, while the weight of the chest sank the boat so
+deeply in the water, as to retard progress and keep one man bailing.
+The cloud in the southwest had already assumed threatening
+proportions, and I urged the oarsmen to greater exertions, anxious to
+get aboard before the coming storm broke. It was hard to keep my gaze
+from the doomed _Namur_, but I could detect no change in her position,
+as we drew in toward the waiting schooner. Harwood alone questioned
+me, and I told him briefly what had occurred within the cabin, and his
+comment seemed to voice the sentiment of the others.
+
+"He made a bloomin' good choice, sir. That's how the ol' devil ought
+ter die--the same way he's sent many another. It beats hangin' at
+that."
+
+Dorothy greeted me first, and we stood close together at the rail, as
+the men hoisted the chest on deck, and then fastened the tackle to the
+boat She said nothing, asked nothing, but her hands clung to my arm,
+and whenever I turned toward her, our eyes met. I did not find the
+courage to tell her then what we had found aboard the _Namur_,
+although I could not prevent my own eyes from wandering constantly
+toward the doomed vessel. The rising sea was slapping the submerged
+stern with increasing violence, the salt spray rising in clouds over
+the after rail. Watkins approached us, coming from among the group of
+sailors forward.
+
+"There's a smart bit of wind in those clouds, sir," he said
+respectfully, "an' I don't like the look o' the coast ter leeward.
+Shall we trim sail?"
+
+"Not quite yet, Watkins. It will be some time before the gale strikes
+here. The bark is going down, presently."
+
+"Yes, sir; but the men better stand by." He glanced from my face to
+that of the girl, lowering his voice. "Harwood tells me Sanchez was
+aboard, sir, and refused to leave?"
+
+"Very true; but he was dying; no doubt is dead by now. There was
+nothing to be done for him."
+
+"I should say not, Mr. Carlyle. I wouldn't lift a finger ter save him
+frum hell."
+
+There was a sudden cry forward, and a voice shouted.
+
+"There she goes, buckies! That damn Dutchman's done with. That's the
+last o' the _Namur_!"
+
+I turned swiftly, my hand grasping her fingers as they clung to the
+rail. With a rasping sound, clearly distinguished across the
+intervening water, as though every timber cried out in agony to the
+strain, the battered hulk slid downward, the deck breaking amidships
+as the stern splashed into the depths; then that also toppled over,
+leaving nothing above water except the blunt end of a broken
+bow-sprit, and a tangle of wreckage, tossed about on the crest of the
+waves. I watched breathlessly, unable to utter a sound; I could only
+think of that stricken man in the cabin, those wild eyes which had
+threatened me. He was gone now--gone! Watkins spoke.
+
+"It's all over, sir."
+
+"Yes, there is nothing to keep us here any longer," I answered still
+dazed, but realizing I must arouse myself. "Shake out the reef in your
+mainsail, and we'll get out to sea. Who is at the wheel?"
+
+"Schmitt, sir--what is the course, Captain Carlyle?"
+
+"Nor'west, by nor', and hold on as long as you can."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir; nor'west by nor' she is."
+
+I yet held Dorothy's hand tightly clasped in my own, and the depths of
+her uplifted eyes questioned me.
+
+"We will go aft, dear, and I will tell you the whole story," I said
+gently, "for now we are homeward bound."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+I write these few closing lines a year later, in the cabin of the
+_Ocean Spray_, a three master, full to the hatches with a cargo of
+tobacco, bound for London, and a market. Dorothy is on deck, eagerly
+watching for the first glimpse of the chalk cliffs of old England. I
+must join her presently, yet linger below to add these final
+sentences.
+
+There is, after all, little which needs to be said. The voyage of the
+_Santa Marie_ north proved uneventful, and, after that first night of
+storm, the weather held pleasant, and the sea fairly smooth. I had
+some trouble with the men, but nothing serious, as Watkins and Harwood
+held as I did, and the pledge of Dorothy's influence brought courage.
+I refused to open the chest, believing our safety, and chance of
+pardon, would depend largely on our handing this over in good faith to
+the authorities. Watkins and I guarded it night and day, until the
+schooner rounded the Cape and came into the Chesapeake. No attempt was
+made to find quarters below, the entire crew sleeping on deck, Dorothy
+comfortable on the flag locker.
+
+It was scarcely sunrise, on the fifth day, when we dropped anchor
+against the current of the James, our sails furled, and the red
+English colors flying from the peak. Two hours later the entire
+company were in the presence of the Governor, where I told my story,
+gravely listened to, supplemented by the earnest plea of the young
+woman. I shall never forget that scene, or how breathlessly we awaited
+the decision of the great man, who so closely watched our faces. They
+were surely a strange, rough group as they stood thus, hats in hand,
+waiting to learn their fate, shaggy-haired, unshaven, largely scum of
+the sea, never before in such presence, shuffling uneasily before his
+glance, feeling to the full the peril of their position. Their eyes
+turned to me questioningly.
+
+Opposite us, behind a long table, sat the Governor, dignified,
+austere, his hair powdered, and face smoothly shaven; while on either
+side of him were those of his council, many of the faces stern and
+unforgiving. But for their gracious reception of Dorothy, and their
+careful attention to her words, I should have lost heart. They
+questioned me shrewdly, although the Governor spoke but seldom, and
+then in a kindly tone of sympathy and understanding. One by one the
+men were called forward, each in turn compelled to tell briefly the
+story of his life; and when all was done the eyes of the Governor
+sought those of his council.
+
+"You have all alike heard the tale, gentlemen," he said. "Nothing
+like it hath ever before been brought before this Colony. Would you
+leave decision to me?"
+
+There was a murmur of assent, as though they were thus gladly relieved
+of responsibility in so serious a matter. The Governor smiled, his
+kindly eyes surveying us once more; then, with extended hand he bade
+Dorothy be seated.
+
+"The story is seemingly an honest one," he said slowly, "and these
+seamen have done a great service to the Colony. They deserve reward
+rather than punishment. The fair lady who pleads for them is known to
+us all, and to even question her word is impossible. Unfortunately I
+have not the power of pardon in cases of piracy, nor authority to free
+bond slaves, without the approval of the home government; yet will
+exercise in this case whatsoever of power I possess. For gallant
+services rendered to the Colony, and unselfish devotion to Mistress
+Dorothy Fairfax, I release Geoffry Carlyle from servitude, pending
+advices from England; I also grant parole to these seamen, on
+condition they remain within our jurisdiction until this judgment can
+be confirmed, and full pardons issued. Is this judgment satisfactory,
+gentlemen?"
+
+The members of the council bowed gravely, without speaking.
+
+"The chest of treasure recovered from the sunken pirate ship," he went
+on soberly, "will remain unopened until final decision is made. As I
+understand, Master Carlyle, no one among you has yet seen its
+contents, or estimated its value?"
+
+"No, your excellency. Beyond doubt it contains the gold stolen from
+Roger Fairfax; and possibly the result of other robberies at sea.
+
+"The law of England is that a certain percentage of such recovered
+treasure belongs to the crown, the remainder, its true ownership
+undetermined, to be fairly divided among those recovering it."
+
+"Yet," spoke up Dorothy quickly, "it must surely be possible to waive
+all claim in such cases?"
+
+"Certainly; as private property it can be disposed of in any way
+desired. Was that your thought?"
+
+"A Fairfax always pays his debt," she said proudly, "and this is
+mine."
+
+There was a moment's silence as though each one present hesitated to
+speak. She had risen, and yet stood, but with eyes lowered to the
+floor. Then they were lifted, and met mine, in all frank honesty.
+
+"There is another debt I owe," she said clearly, "and would pay, your
+Excellency."
+
+"What is that, fair mistress?"
+
+She crossed to me, her hand upon my arm.
+
+"To become the wife of Geoffry Carlyle."
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Wolves of the Sea, by Randall Parrish
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