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diff --git a/old/64082-8.txt b/old/64082-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index ae24379..0000000 --- a/old/64082-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7615 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Morley Ashton, Volume 3 (of 3), by James Grant - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Morley Ashton, Volume 3 (of 3) - A Story of the Sea - -Author: James Grant - -Release Date: December 20, 2020 [EBook #64082] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MORLEY ASHTON, VOLUME 3 (OF 3) *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines - - - - - - - - - - MORLEY ASHTON: - - A Story of the Sea. - - - - BY - - JAMES GRANT, - - AUTHOR OF "THE ROMANCE OF WAR," "FAIRER THAN A FAIRY," ETC - - - - In Three Volumes - - VOL. III. - - - - LONDON: - TINSLEY BROTHERS, 8, CATHERINE STREET, W.C. - 1876. - [_All rights reserved._] - - - - - CHARLKS DICKENS AND EVANS, - CRYSTAL PALACE PRESS. - - - - - CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I. - Sail Ho! - - CHAPTER II. - The Fortitude of Ethel - - CHAPTER III. - The Door in the Bulkhead - - CHAPTER IV. - Ethel among the Mutineers - - CHAPTER V. - A Snare Laid - - CHAPTER VI. - Mr. Basset Deluded - - CHAPTER VII. - Lux Venit ab Alto - - CHAPTER VIII. - The Valley of the Shadow - - CHAPTER IX. - The Quarter-boat and its Freight - - CHAPTER X. - Pedro's Wound - - CHAPTER XI. - Remorse - - CHAPTER XII. - Story of a Modern Spanish Rogue - - CHAPTER XIII. - Ignez de Moreno - - CHAPTER XIV. - How Pedro provided Himself with a Horse and Valet - - CHAPTER XV. - The Alameda de la Canada - - CHAPTER XVI. - The Dressing-closet of Ignez - - CHAPTER XVII. - The Great Crime of Pedro Barradas - - CHAPTER XVIII. - Committed to the Deep - - CHAPTER XIX. - Dr. Heriot's Fee - - CHAPTER XX. - Radama Puffadder - - CHAPTER XXI. - The Mangrove Creek - - CHAPTER XXII. - Eight Against Eighty - - CHAPTER XXIII. - "We'll go to Sea no more" - - CHAPTER XXIV. - The Anchor is let go - - CHAPTER XXV. - Conclusion - - - - -MORLEY ASHTON - - - -CHAPTER I. - -SAIL HO! - -They deplored the death of poor Mr. Quail; but their blood was too -much "up," to use a common phrase, and their own peril was too -imminent, to permit them indulging in the same soft regrets and -mournful sentiments, that were aroused by the sudden disappearance of -Adrian Manfredi. - -Notwithstanding the wild disorder that reigned on board the -unfortunate _Hermione_, the mutineers, true to their original idea of -keeping her, with the vague intention of running her on their own -account, with Pedro Barradas as captain, and themselves as crew and -owners--a vague intention, indeed--steered her towards Madagascar, -under her fore and main courses, jib, and spanker. They rigged -jury-top-masts, and crossed jury-yards thereon; and, as the breeze -was fair for the Mozambique, they steered in what they, rightly -enough, conceived to be that direction. - -Sorely crippled though she was, and no longer under a stately spread -of snow-white canvas, as of old, the fine ship flew on, and each -night saw some southern constellation sink into the horizon, to -appear no more. - -Thus, in four days, and as many nights, she ran nearly eight hundred -miles, which brought her so close to the mouth of the Mozambique -Channel, that she soon began to feel the steady breath of the -south-west monsoon, which begins there to blow in April, and -continues till November, so the ship ran as fairly as even Pedro -could have wished her. - -During this time matters did not go quietly between the adverse -parties on board. - -A secret sally, made by Morley Ashton, Dr. Heriot, and Noah Gawthrop, -up the companion-stair, with the intention of capturing the -scuttle-butt in a very dark night, nearly ended in their being -discovered and cut off by Pedro's drowsy and half-drunken watch; the -butt--a cask with a square hole cut in its bilge, and always kept on -deck for the use of the crew--containing about seven gallons of -water, was fortunately taken, the cabin regained in safety, and the -barricades replaced. - -It was evident to our friends that a dread of their well-supplied -fire-arms, their truer aim and steady determination, alone cooled the -ardour of the crew, and prevented them from making a vigorous -attempt, by a combined attack through the skylight and companion-way, -to storm the cabin and slay its defenders. - -Once or twice, however, a shot was fired, or a missile flung, down -the skylight, or a threat, or a malediction, was levelled at the -occupants of the cabin. Frequently shouts, cries, and quarrelling -were heard on deck, where evidently Pedro found as much difficulty in -enforcing obedience as his more legal predecessor had done. - -At the stern-windows Captain Phillips and his friends kept, by turns, -a constant look-out for a passing sail, which they meant to signal by -waving a flag or table-cloth, or by firing their pistols; but none -was ever visible, nor was aught to be seen but Mother Carey's -chickens tripping along, for even the albatrosses appeared seldom, so -far was the ship from the region of the Cape. - -Under Captain Phillips and Tom Bartelot, those in the cabin divided -themselves into two watches, which, to prevent surprise, were -alternately vigilant or sleeping by night. This saved the personal -strength of the whole; but they soon grew pale with anxiety and -watching, and had a worn, unshaven, and uncouth appearance. - -The horror of their whole circumstances, and the natural solicitude -for the future, were somewhat alleviated to Morley, who, in the dark -watches of the night, lay like a faithful mastiff at Ethel's -cabin-door, through which he, at times, conversed with her in -whispers, and had her dear hand passed to him, that he might kiss and -caress it; but all the tales he had heard or read in his -schoolboy-days, of pirates, buccaneers, and other lawless folks upon -the high seas, crowded into memory now, and his soul sickened within -him, as he thought of how Ethel and her sister would be situated, if -the protection of those who loved and guarded them failed. - -On the second morning after the mutiny broke out, and while those in -the cabin were making almost merry over the capture of the -scuttle-butt, with its welcome seven gallons of fresh water, their -attention was arrested by a commotion on deck, and Zuares Barradas, -who was at the wheel, shouted: - -"Sail, ho!" - -"Where?" asked his brother and several others. - -"Estribord (starboard)," replied Zuares, as the ship was running -before the wind at the time. - -"A sail! a sail! hope at last!" exclaimed the prisoners in the cabin, -while Tom Bartelot sprang up the stern-lockers, and looked forth, but -saw sea and sky alone. How to communicate with her, without being -immolated on the spot, was the first and fullest idea of all. - -They writhed in agony of spirit at the prospect of succour--it might -be vengeance--being, perhaps, within hail, all to be attained, or all -lost for ever. - -At that moment, Badger, the long Yankee, appeared at the open -skylight, armed with a sharp axe, which he shook significantly, and -then shrank back, lest a pistol-shot might respond to the menace. - -This man had long served on board an American otter-hunter, and was -hence, perhaps, the most lawless character on board, as these craft -are all armed with cannon, have their hammocks in netting, man-o'-war -fashion, and, being illegal traders, fight their way through the -Pacific, and among the Sandwich Islands, and, somewhat like the -buccaneers of old, are not wont to stand on trifles, so, in such a -service, Badger had long been inured to crime and outrage. - -Suddenly a spare mizzen-topsail was drawn over the skylight, nearly -involving the cabin in darkness. - -"What does this mean?" asked Mr. Basset; "are they about to smother -us?: - -"It means that they are about to muffle us, for the strange sail is -close at hand," said Tom Bartelot. - -And almost immediately another sail was lowered, as if to dry, over -the taffrail, covering the four stern windows like a thick curtain, -and thus rendering the cabin quite dark, and all communication with -the stranger impossible. - -"This is a most extraordinary proceeding," said Mr. Basset. - -"Not at all, sir," said Captain Phillips. "These are knowing -rascals, who have us at their mercy; and have resolved that, if -possible, we shall neither make signals to the stranger or overhear -what passes." - -"Hark--what sound is that?" asked Morley. - -"Steam blowing off," replied Tom Bartelot, listening intently. - -"Steam!" exclaimed Morley. - -"Then, by heaven, it is a man-o'-war," said Phillips. - -"A man-o'-war--a man-o'-war," chorussed all in great excitement. - -"Oh, Heaven! to be on the verge of safety, and yet to be immured here -with my two girls!" exclaimed Mr. Basset, with great bitterness. "I -shall force my way on deck. I am commissioned by the Crown--a -judge--a--a----" - -"To be cut down, destroyed--Badger is armed with an axe, and the -first head that appears will be cloven to the teeth. Oh, my dear -sir," said Morley, grasping his sleeve, "be wary--be persuaded." - -"D--n my eyes! think o' bein' bottled down here, and a royal pennant -within hail! It's enough to make one's biler bust!" growled Noah, -hitching up his trousers. - -"Hark; they are hailing--now the pirates are lying to," said Captain -Phillips, as they heard the now ungreased sling of the mainyard -grating under the top, when it was swung round, and the ship lay to. - -"Ship ahoy!" cried a clear and somewhat authoritative voice, that -came distinctly over the water about a hundred yards distant. - -"Hollo!" responded Pedro, through Captain Phillips's speaking -trumpet, as he sprang on one of the starboard carronade slides, while -the ship plunged, as she rose and fell impatiently on the long -rollers and heavy swell made by what was evidently the screw -propeller of a large steamer. - -"What ship is that?" demanded the same voice. - -"The _General Jackson_, of Boston, United States," replied Pedro -without hesitation. - -"They did well to muffle up her stern--_Hermione_, of London, is -painted there plain enough," said Captain Phillips. - -"Where from, and whither bound?" - -"From Boston to Bombay direct," replied Pedro. - -"Why didn't you show your colours?" was the next rather suspicious -question of the British officer. - -"Our signal-chest was washed overboard. How does the Mozambique -bear?" - -"Cape St. Mary bears about two hundred miles, nor'-nor'-east." - -"Thank you. What ship are you?" - -All listened breathlessly. - -"Her Britannic Majesty's steam-corvette the _Clyde_, Captain Sir -Horace Seymour. How did you lose your masts?" - -"A typhoon carried them away." - -"A typhoon in these seas!" exclaimed the other, through his trumpet. - -"Yes, sir." - -"We felt nothing of it. Do you want any assistance? We can send a -boat's crew, or a gang of carpenters, on board." - -"No, no," replied Pedro, hastily, as hope rose in the panting hearts -of those below, and curses to the lips of those above; "we have lots -of spare spars." - -"Do you mean to pass through the Mozambique Channel?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"Are you armed?" - -"Yes." - -"How?" - -"With four six-pound carronades and some small arms." - -"That is lucky; keep a bright look-out after you pass the Europa -rocks." - -"For what reason?" - -"Some Malay pirates, in three large red proas, or country boats, have -destroyed more than one ship in that quarter, so be prepared." - -"Thank you, we shall--good-bye." - -"Good-bye; pleasant voyage." - -Each vessel filled away, and the rush of the warship's screw -propeller was heard by those imprisoned in the cabin as they -separated, and as it died away in the distance, so did hope die, and -silent despair gather in the hearts of our friends below. - -Repentant, and almost full of horror for the part he was now acting, -as the ship of war braced up her yards, and her screw began to -revolve, Cramply Hawkshaw rushed to the starboard gangway, and was -about to hail her again. What he was about to say he scarcely knew, -but in a moment the powerful hand of Pedro Barradas was on his -throat. By main strength the latter hurled him at full length upon -the deck, and with one knee planted on his chest, and a knife upheld -above him: - -"_Silenzio, perro!_ (Silence, dog!)" he hissed, through his sharp -white teeth; "one word, one whisper, and it is your last!" - -Pedro's tawny visage was pale, almost pea-green with rage, and with -black eyes, that gleamed like two sombre carbuncles, he glared into -the very soul of the miserable Hawkshaw, and continued to hold him -thus for some time. He then dragged him up, and roughly shook him -off, saying, as he did so, with a ferocious grimace, and sheathing -his knife: - -"_Por ma vida_! I don't know why I don't kill you now, as I mean to -do so, at some time or other." - -"So we are only 200 miles from El Cabo de Santa Maria?" said Zuares, -who was still at the wheel. - -"Nor'-nor'-east," added Pedro, giving a glance at the compasses in -the binnacle; "two points more, Zuares." - -"The monsoon will soon bring us abreast of it, I calc'late," drawled -Badger, who now enjoyed the honourable post of second in command. -"Thunder! then we shall all be liberty boys, and look out our -go-ashore togs. I reckons on bein' all the go among the Malay gals, -eh, Zuares!" - -"_Vivan los marineros!_" cried the young Mexican. - -"And down with the 'tarnal imps below!" added Badger, striking his -huge splay foot on the deck, as he relieved the wheel, -notwithstanding his brevet rank. - -The headland named by the officer of the corvette is the most -southern point of the long narrow island of Madagascar; but no sooner -had all sounds indicative of her presence died away, than Captain -Phillips and his companions, who had listened to the colloquy above, -as if spell-bound, broke into expressions of bitter regret that they -had not all made a scramble on deck, and risked death or anything, -that some, at least, might have been saved! but these ideas came too -late, and they could only hope for a better chance next time; so true -it is, as some one says, that regrets for the past, and dreams for -the future, make up the whole career of human life, at sea as well as -on shore. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -THE FORTITUDE OF ETHEL. - -On the evening succeeding this day, Morley and Mr. Basset spent some -hours with Ethel and Rose in the little cabin, while their friends -kept their anxious watch in the outer one, over the skylight of which -the sail was yet drawn. That which had been hung over the taffrail -was hauled in; but the use it had been put to prevented Captain -Phillips, on this occasion, from chalking on a black board the demand -for succour which he meant to exhibit from the cabin windows, if a -feasible opportunity with a passing sail occurred. - -There was but little conversation with the Bassets, so the time -passed in sad glances and sadder sighs; but Ethel seemed to have more -confidence, more fortitude, and more hope for the future than any of -those about her. - -Old Nance Folgate lay on her bed, where, from time to time, she -sighed over the peaceful security of her cottage in a green lane at -Acton-Rennel, and groaned heavily at the reflection that she would -never see it any more, or, perhaps, the solid earth again. - -Rose sat on a hassock on the cabin-floor, with her pretty head -resting, child-like, on her father's knee, while his hands were -crossed caressingly above it. - -Ethel half drooped her head on Morley's shoulder, and so they sat, -buried in thought and anxiety, each for the others rather than -themselves, for "the passion of love and parental affection are -counterparts of each other," says Reid; "and, meeting with a proper -return, are the sources of all domestic felicity, the greatest, next -to that of a good conscience, which this world affords. But its joys -and griefs are fitter to be sung than said." - -As Mr. Basset gazed upon his two daughters, and summed up the dangers -which menaced them, how bitterly he repented that he had not remained -in England, even with the wreck of his fortune, and sought -subsistence there in any way, rather than have stooped to the false -pride which made him seek that colonial appointment, and lured him -away from home. - -These, and many such ideas, occurred to him when it was too late to -retreat, or reverse the dictates of fate. - -Morley's heart swelled with mingled love and sorrow, as he looked on -Ethel's pale and delicate face. Could it be that they were only -united, to be, perhaps, more surely parted again? Surely no pair of -lovers, even in the most highly-spiced "sensational novel," were ever -the victims of adverse fate so much as they. - -They were silent; but their hearts understood each other, for their -eyes were the interpreters of a silent language, known to lovers -only. Still, as we have said, amid the horrors of anticipation, -Ethel singularly preserved her presence of mind, and seemed to rise -superior to the present occasion. With one hand clasped in Morley's, -she sat with her Bible open on her knee, and, before they separated -for the night, she read aloud the twenty-first chapter of Revelation, -for religion and regard could soothe or sweeten even their adverse -destiny. - -On the fly-leaf of this Bible was written the autograph of her -mother, "Ethel Rose Basset, London," dated on her bridal-day, just -twenty-four years before, so it was one of Ethels most valued relics; -and while she read, her pallor and beauty, her pure profile and -sublime composure, together with the richness and softness of her -sweet English voice, were very touching; and she had listeners -without who bent their heads to hear her, for at the cabin-door were -Bartelot, Morrison, and Heriot, who sat on guard, with old Noah, who, -more reverent than they, doffed his battered tarpaulin in a dark -corner, and, as the words fell from Ethel's lips, he hoped they might -prove prophetic, for sailors generally are deeply impressed by -anything appertaining to religion, though having strong doubts about -the policy of voyaging with a black cat or a parson. - -So Ethel read on, and Noah's grizzled head bent lower, as she read: - -"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall -be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying; neither shall there be -any more pain, for the former things are passed away. - -"He that overcometh shall inherit all things, for I will be his God, -and he shall be my son. - -"_But_ the fearful, and unbelieving, the abominable, and murderers, -&c., shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and -brimstone, which is the second death." - -At such a time, in such a place, and with a dark doom perhaps hanging -over all, Ethel's sweet low voice thrilled through every heart; so -she continued to inspire them with confidence, and there was almost a -smile upon her father's careworn and anxious face as he kissed her -and Rose, and retiring with Morley, closed the cabin-door, and left -them to repose. - -"Good night, Morley--good night, dear papa," was again whispered -through the cabin-door. - -"Good night! God bless you both, darlings," said Mr. Basset. - -"Sleep if you can, dear girls," added Morley, as he and Mr. Basset -picked their way through the cabin by the light of a candle (which -feebly replaced the lamp that whilom swung from the beams), and -joined the party who were on watch under Captain Phillips, while Tom -Bartelot, with his three--for there were only eight men in all in the -cabin now, opposed to twenty, including Hawkshaw--prepared to sleep -while they could. - -They heard the starboard tacks eased off, as the wind--the south-west -monsoon--came more duly aft; and steering by the stars, Pedro, a -skilful mariner, kept the ship he had captured in the course he -wished her to pursue. - -So, as the night stole on, a strange quiet reigned on deck--a silence -which seemed almost ominous, when the characters and purpose of those -who held the ship were considered; and they were more numerous now, -since the death of the first mate and the steward. - -But the actual reason of the extreme quietness was, that some of the -crew were weary with working at the jury rigging; others had dozed -themselves off to sleep, quite intoxicated, with some cases of -Cliquot which they had started out of the forehold; there was -scarcely any watch on deck save the man at the wheel, who permitted -the ship to yaw fearfully, and to fall away from her course every -moment; while the two Barradas, with Badger and Sharkey, were in the -forecastle, devising means to get possession of the cabin by -stratagem, and to massacre its male occupants, against whom, for -their skilful resistance, these pirates cherished a glow of real -vengeance, as if a wrong had been done them; and if those in the -cabin had but known the state of matters on deck, they might have -recaptured the ship with ease, and closed the fore-scuttle like a -trap on the ruffians below. - -Captain Phillips was certain that they could scarcely pass through -the Mozambique Channel, the narrowest part of which is about two -hundred and forty miles wide, and studded with many islands, without -being overhauled by some homeward-bound ship; and though one great -chance of succour had gone for nothing, so assured did he feel of -ultimately getting the mutineers punished, that he kept about his own -person the muster-roll--a document which every shipmaster must keep, -for therein are specified his own name, with the names of all his -ship's company, their birth-places, with their time and place of -entering before the mast, and so forth, together with their -register-tickets--all of which he duly hoped to lay at a future day -before a commissioned officer in Her Majesty's service, or some civil -magistrate, prior to seeing the Barradas and their companions -swinging at the yard-arm; but, unhappily for worthy Captain Phillips -and his friends, all these hopes of retribution seemed very dim and -distant yet. - -Slowly the night stole on. - -Morley felt, he knew not why, painfully wakeful; and, unlike his -companions in the captain's watch, he had no necessity to pinch his -arms, rub his eyes, or so forth, to keep as much awake as possible. - -The cabin looked dreary and desolate by the feeble light of the -candle, which sputtered in the wind that came between the skylight -and the sail which still covered it. The broken furniture, the -splintered panelling, the general air of wreck and ruin that pervaded -it, the deep shadows against which the pale and haggard faces of his -companions, who slept with weapon in hand, were sharply defined, -seemed like a vision or dream altogether, and such he might almost -have deemed it, but for the steady rolling of the ship, which was now -running before the wind; the noise of the water under the counter; -the clatter of the empty champagne bottles which strewed the deck, -and with every roll of the ship flew, clashing and breaking, from -port to starboard; the clank of the rudder in its iron bands, the -whistling hum of the night-wind, that sung monotonously through the -rigging aloft! - -He frequently turned his eyes to the dim streak of light that shone -from under the door of the little cabin occupied by the sisters, and -hoped that now, in the oblivion of sleep, they had found repose for a -time; and in imagination he saw their sweet faces hushed upon the -same pillow, with Rose's nestling in Ethel's gentle bosom. - -Twice that streak of light seemed to die away in obscurity, and twice -the shadow of a foot seemed to darken it. - -Were Rose or Ethel stirring? - -He listened, but all remained still there, till suddenly a gasping -sob, a wild, half-stifled cry, and then the sound as of something or -some one falling heavily on the cabin floor, made him leap up as with -a shock of electricity, and spring towards their door. - -Either it was fastened within, or his trembling fingers failed in -strength when most he needed it. - -Fully a minute elapsed ere he and Tom Bartelot forced open the door, -and they all crowded in, to find the little cabin quite dark. - -"A light--a light! for Heaven's sake!" cried Morley. - -"Oh, what new horror, what new calamity is this?" added Mr. Basset, -wringing his hands, as Captain Phillips brought the candle from the -tin sconce in the outer cabin. - -Half disrobed for the night, as they were never completely undressed -now, Rose Basset lay on the floor on her face in a swoon. Nance -Folgate, beside herself with terror, was coiled up among the blankets -of her berth, speechless or incoherent--otherwise the little cabin -was empty, for _Ethel was no longer there_! - -The Bible from which she had been reading overnight lay upon the -floor, crushed and bruised, as if by a heavy foot. Close by it was a -black and gold-coloured Indian shawl, which she had worn over her -shoulders; but no other trace remained in that little cabin of Ethel -Basset, who seemed to have been strangely and mysteriously spirited -out of it. - -Morley felt stunned, and felt also how immeasurably all imagination -and anticipation were unequal to portray the horror of such a shock -as this! - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE DOOR IN THE BULKHEAD. - -We left the leaders of the mutiny in the forecastle, consulting, in -their own coarse and blustering fashion, about the capture of the -cabin, and thus acquiring entire possession of the ship. - -"Batten down the companion-hatch--kiver up the skylight with -tarpaulin," suggested the short, thickset ruffian Sharkey, "and then -smoke 'em out, like rats." - -"Wa-al, but look ye here--the tew gals," drawled Badger, inserting an -enormous quid in his mouth with the point of his jack-knife. "Would -ye smoke 'em tew, till they went dead, eh?" - -"Aye, the senoritas," added Zuares, "that would never do; they are -the best plunder on board--the plunder most to my taste, at least." - -"The cabin we must and shall get," said Pedro, grinding his teeth. -"While one of these men aft is permitted to live, the ship cannot be -said to be ours." - -"And if one should escape, anyhow," added Sharkey, "we might have -some man-o'-war in our wake before we knew where we were." - -"Dead men tell no tales, darn 'em, that's old buccaneer style, long -afore Kidd went a-cruising in the _Vulture_," said the Yankee; "and -they or we must be gone coons, or, airthquakes and ginger! you can't -reckon on what may 'appen, you can't." - -"And they have possession of the bread, beef, and spirit room, and -all that we most require," resumed Pedro, "for we can't eat the dry -goods and hardware in the forehold, mates; so the knife it must be." - -As the pirate spoke, a fierce gleam came into his eyes, and in his -blind wrath he drove his knife repeatedly into the lid of the -sea-chest, around which they were seated, and which proved to be the -property of his American compatriot, Mr. Badger. - -"Walley of Gehosophat! airthquakes and alligators!" exclaimed that -personage; "keep calm dew, Pedro. Yew are getting tew riled, -capting. I'd like to gouge old Phillips, rayther, and prison the -whole bilin' of 'em aft!" - -"Massa Pedro, Massa Barradas," said Quaco, the black cook, looking -suddenly out of his berth with a tremendous grin on his sable visage, -"I could tell you something funny--yaas! yaas!--I could." - -"_Maldita!_ then why the devil don't you tell it," growled Pedro; -"time is short, and I can't get the Malay proas out of my head." - -"You know where the wite gals sleep?" - -"Yes; out with what you have got to say, you dark-skinned fool." - -"Yaas! yaas!" grinned Quaco, whose yellow eyeballs gleamed with -mischief. - -"Presto, quick, or my knife may tickle your ribs," roared Pedro, -setting down a bottle, from which he had sucked the last drop of a -mixture of champagne and brandy, compounded by Badger. - -"Under the companion-stair, Massa Pedro, a door opens with a slide -into the wite gals' cabin." - -"_Demonio!_ do you say so, darkey?" - -"Can yew make tracks ahead now, capting?" - -"You are certain of this, Quaco?" said Pedro, bending his black brows -as he looked at the cook. - -"Sartain as that um a living nigger, Massa Pedro, yaas! yaas! Boy -Joe, the steward, showed it to Quaco many a time." - -"And what use would you make of this door, Quaco?" - -"What use?" repeated the negro, putting out a long, red tongue, while -a leer, like that of a fiend, shone in his black, glittering, and -half-shut eyes. - -"_Hombre!_ yes, speak." - -"Get at the wite gals fust, and the cabin arter--yaas! yaas!--eh, -Massa Pedro?" - -"I reckons, Pedro, that the darkey is the only one among us with any -brains in his skull, a thick 'un though it be," said Badger; "but -this sliding door----" - -"I will look to it now," said Pedro, staggering up, for he was very -tipsy. "_Cuidado_, mates--take care who follows me till I call for -help," he added, with a dark glance at Hawkshaw, who eyed him with -sullen resentment from a corner of the comfortless den, of which he -was now one of the occupants. - -"Oh, Barradas," he exclaimed, "if you have a human soul, spare them. -They will surely die." - -"Oh, _demonio_, yes--yes. These fine ladies have a habit of dying, -and always coming to again," said Zuares, laughing. - -"Make way there," exclaimed Pedro, brandishing his knife with -something of mock and more of real ferocity. "One of them is mine by -a cast of the dice, and mine she shall be," he added, hoarsely and -huskily, while reeling towards the ladder. - -"It is for my sins I am here," groaned Hawkshaw. - -"Well, it is not likely for your virtues that you are among us, -mate," said Zuares, laughing. - -"_Cuidar el lobo_ (Beware of the wolf)!" said Pedro, with a cruel -grin, as he went up through the scuttle, or little hatch of the -forecastle, and went aft with a stealthy step. - -Inflamed to a dangerous pitch of rashness, lust, and savagery by the -champagne and brandy, which he had been mixing and imbibing freely, -this powerful and agile ruffian left the bunks on his fatal errand. - -Save Bolter, the Canadian, who was at the wheel, and half tipsy too, -there was not a man on deck now. Under her courses the ship was -going before the wind, with a gentle breeze, which fanned pleasantly -the hot, flushed face of Pedro Barradas, who paused for a moment, -looked aloft, and then at the horizon. - -The moon had newly risen from the sea to the eastward. To the west a -line of deep crimson light, but transparent as the purest crystal, -lingered between the dark horizon of the ocean and a long straight -bank of black cloud, and the wave-tops, of a deeper tint than indigo, -were seen to rise and fall incessantly between. Amid this low and -blood-red belt of light, a few bright stars were twinkling. - -Though weird and impressive, the night was solemn and pleasing; but -all its gentle influences were lost on the ruffianly soul of Pedro -Barradas. - -Being barefooted, he crept along unheard, and at the companion-way he -paused to listen. - -No sound came from the cabin; but he knew well that there were armed -watchers below--armed better than himself--so he looked carefully to -the powder in the pan of his old flint-lock and brass-barrelled -Spanish pistol, felt if his knife was loose in its sheath, and then -crept softly down the companion-stair, and past the cabin-door, on -the inside of which Morley Ashton was seated on Mr. Basset's trunk of -law-books, as already described, listening to the casual sounds, -amongst which he heard neither the large bare feet of Pedro nor the -creaking of the stairs, as the barricade and the straining of the -ship's timbers muffled everything in the steerage. - -Stooping down on his hands and knees, with his black eyes close to -the bulkhead, or partition, Pedro felt about for the door mentioned -by the mischievous Quaco, and discovered it at once. - -It was an aperture formed in the bulkhead, about four feet high and -nearly three feet broad; it slid in grooves, like a window-sash, and -could be pulled up by two brass knobs, screwed into the middle of the -door for that purpose. It had evidently been made for the conveyance -of stores, casks, bales, &c., in and out, when that cabin was not -required by passengers; and the strong hands of the swarthy Pedro -almost trembled with ferocious joy and eagerness as he grasped the -knobs, and essayed to remove the only barrier that lay between him -and his helpless victims. - -Stiffened by long disuse, it refused for a time to yield. At the -third effort he started it, and a ray of light shone out below its -lower edge. Stealthily as a tiger cat, Pedro paused to listen. All -was still within, and the perfect silence there assured him that the -two young ladies and their old attendant slept. - -"_Bueno!_" he muttered, with a chuckle of satisfaction. - -Then he inserted his hard, copper-coloured hands, and slowly and -gently drew the door up within its slide, its creaking being lost -amid the other sounds incident to the motion of the ship. - -Stooping, he entered, and found himself almost within arm's length of -the bed wherein the sisters lay, and he held his obnoxious breath as -he drew nearer. - -Accustomed to take every precaution, and fertile in expedients, he -glanced now at the cabin-door, and saw a brass bolt on the inside. -This he softly shot into its place, to prevent surprise or -interruption by the occupants of the larger cabin. - -Now a sound made his heart start, his eyes gleam, and his hand clutch -the knife in his girdle; but it was only a prolonged snore from the -old attendant, Nance Folgate. - -While his dark eyes flashed with impatience, the swarthy Spanish -American drew near, and looked boldly and steadily upon the sleeping -girls. Both seemed so delicately pale, so beautiful and gentle, when -hushed together in repose, that for a moment, as the gust of evil -passion mounted to his head, he knew not upon which to pounce. - -Both sisters were only partially undressed, but the closeness of the -little cabin had made them partly throw off the coverlet. - -Rose lay with her soft cheek reposing on Ethel's bare white shoulder, -and their rounded arms, so taper and delicately fair, were clasped -about each other. Shining like flossy silk, a dark tress of Ethel's -hair mingled with her sister's lighter braids. - -A smile that was singularly sweet played about the childlike mouth of -Rose; but Ethel's face was pale and placid, and the length of the -dark lashes that fringed her snow-white eyelids imparted a charming -softness to her face, while a half sigh that escaped her from time to -time made her swelling bosom heave beneath her sister's cheek. - -Never had their atrocious visitor looked on two such fair, soft, -English faces, nestling thus a-bed; and there was such an air of -enchanting innocence, candour, and perfect modesty about the two -sleeping sisters, that, instead of calming the daring thoughts which -swelled in the heart of Barradas, it served only to add fresh stings -to them. - -We have said that, for a moment, he was doubtful which to seize. -Rose was certainly the smallest and most easily borne; but Ethel's -larger form tempted him the most. - -"_Que bonita!_ it shall be you," he muttered. - -Drawing from his muscular bull-like throat a dirty, greasy necktie, -he suddenly twisted it tightly over Ethel's face, and particularly -across her mouth, so that to make an outcry was impossible on her -part. - -He then drew her out of bed, and, in so doing, awoke Rose, whose -shrill shriek at once reached the ears of Morley Ashton. - -"_A los infernos!_" cried Pedro, savagely. - -His knife was his first idea; but, as the girl's life was not worth -taking, he dashed out the cabin-lamp with his clenched hand, tore -Ethel with brutal violence through the aperture by which he had -entered, and shut the sliding door with a crash, preventing, but -unintentionally, the entrance of his amiable brother Zuares, who had -glided after him like a tawny snake, less with views of fraternal -assistance than with those of doing a little abduction on his own -account. - -Rose fell senseless on her face; but Ethel, recovering something of -her native energy and strength, grasped the rail of the -companion-stair with such vigour that all the muscle of Barradas was -required to tear her tender hands away from it, and then, with, an -awful imprecation of mingled rage and triumph, he sprang up and bore -her along the deck. - -On lifting up Ethel's Indian shawl, part of it was found wedged in -the port, or door in the bulkhead, thus showing at once the place and -mode of ingress. - -But so firmly had Barradas's strong hand shut it down that it was not -until after several efforts made by Phillips and Bartelot, the avenue -was opened. Then Morley pressed through, and pistol in hand, rushed -like a madman on deck, just in time to see Ethel--his tender and -beloved Ethel--borne by Pedro down the fore-scuttle, into the very -den and stronghold of the mutineers! - -As he sprang forward, an empty cask--part of the plunder--started -from the hold, rolled against him; he slipped, and fell heavily on -the deck. Then, on rising, half stunned, he heard the sound of -pistol-shots in the forecastle, followed by a despairing cry from -Ethel, and a man's hoarse howl of agony. - -At that awful moment the heart of Morley died within him, and his -blood seemed turned to water. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -ETHEL AMONG THE MUTINEERS. - -In a preceding chapter we have described the forecastle bunks of the -_Hermione_, when the ship was in a state of good order and -discipline, and when that portion of her hull was daily drenched with -water, when the head-pump was rigged by the morning watch, and the -swab and holystone were in daily use. - -Now that dreary little den was as filthy as its dirty occupants could -make it, and was strewn with half-picked bones of beef and bacon, -with broken or empty bottles, and in almost every berth there lay, -with his clothes on, a half-drunk seaman. - -The atmosphere, redolent of tar, paint, and bilge, was stifling; -moreover, it was thick with the smoke of coarse pig-tail tobacco, -that obscured the rays of the feeble lamp, and rendered the place -more noxious and horrible. - -It was damp and chill, too, for there was an unheeded leak about the -heel of the bowsprit, and near the windlass-bitts, which came through -the deck into the forecastle, and it made the place more comfortless -still. - -The _tout ensemble_ of it, the grimy faces which looked forth upon -her from the dark recesses of the bunks, the great chin and -cheek-bones of Badger, the hideous Sharkey, the black visage of Quaco -and others, the ferocious character of the man in whose grasp she -found herself, helpless, abandoned, or only to be rescued after a -scene, perhaps, of butchery and slaughter--the slaughter of her -dearest friends--appalled, beyond all description, the soul of gentle -Ethel Basset. - -In her extreme perturbation and agony of spirit, she could not even -pray; "but God often hears the heart that is silent better than the -lips that speak." - -"Jee-rusalem and apple-sarce!" exclaimed the Yankee, Badger, leaping -out of his berth, and standing at about half his full height, with -his long fingers planted on his knees, for the space between beams -was very scanty, "here comes Capting Pedro, with the black-eyed -gal--the sarcy stunner he's been nuts on so long!" - -"_Para!_ hold! keep back!" said Pedro, panting, and almost -breathless, as he pushed aside Badger, whose insolent face was -peering within an inch of Ethel. - -"Jee-rusalem! kinder rum lover you'll make her, I calkilate." - -"He'll make her a rough one, at any rate," added Sharkey, while a -roar of coarse laughter greeted the appearance of the miserable girl, -whom Pedro seated with rough kindness on a sea-chest, saying---- - -"_Mi queridita--estrella mia,_* at Orizaba and San Francisco I was -the terror of the old women and the idol of the young ones. So come, -let us be friends and shipmates." - - -* My little dear--my star. - - -He attempted to force a kiss; but Ethel uttered a low wail, and an -expression of such loathing and terror filled her face, that even he -paused, and she pressed her hands upon her breast, as if her emotion -would burst it. - -Perceiving this action, Pedro roughly thrust his daring hand into her -bosom, and tore out a packet which had lately been carried there for -concealment. While holding her with one hand, he held up the packet -with the other, and tore it open with his teeth. - -Then he cast it from him with a malediction, on finding that it -contained but a few withered leaves--the daisies she had gathered on -her mother's grave. - -Oh, that she were beside it now in peaceful Acton-Rennel! - -"Try some o' this, my gal," said Badger, presenting a little gallipot -full of rum-and-water; "it's right Jamaiky; I takes to it unkimmin, -marm, like a babby to its mother's milk. Do have a drop--'alf a -totful, my gal." - -Ethel shrunk back in silent misery, and Pedro kept his left hand -resolutely round her waist, while holding her right hand in his. - -"Don't yew be so darned proud, my sarcy Britisher," resumed the -bantering ruffian, with an offended air. "We'll take the pride out -o' yew afore we're done with yew. I'm a true-blooded Yankee, marm, -though tall enough for a Paddygonian. The Paddygonians come from -South 'Merriker, Pedro's country, while I was raised about Cape Cod. -'Guess yew never heerd o' sich a cape in the stupid old country, -though yew ought to rayther, for we licked the Britishers there, as -we dew everywhere else on airth, and why shouldn't we, when their -hearts are like wooden nutmegs?" - -Ethel looked round despairingly, but saw no aid, nor hope, nor mercy. - -Bad, wild, and cruel though he was, there came something of pity into -the eye and heart of Zuares Barradas, when he saw this lovely girl, -one so fair, and so delicately nurtured, in this frightful -situation--her dress torn and disordered, and blood trickling from -her nostrils--in such a place, and in such hands, for he knew what -was about to ensue, and he knew his elder brother to be an incarnate -fiend. - -There was another, half-concealed amid the smoke of this murky den, -who regarded her with more than pity, and this was Cramply Hawkshaw; -but he felt that to protect her was to die, and to die he had not yet -the courage. - -At last her eyes met his. - -"Forgive me, Ethel Basset," he said, mournfully; "oh, forgive me the -past!" - -"I do forgive you," she replied, in a trembling voice, "and trust a -time may come when you will be able to forgive yourself." - -Her soft, sweet voice seemed to thrill through the marrow of his -bones. - -Bad and reckless, desperate and wicked though he was, the memory of -pleasant and of peaceful days--days of good-will and happiness, when -he had tried to forget his past wild life in South America--days -spent at Laurel Lodge amid all the elegances of civilised life, came -thronging now on Hawkshaw's mind. So the inscrutable soul of this -miserable man seemed to die away within him, when he beheld, now in a -felon's daring grasp, one who had been his hostess, his friend, and -the object of his own most selfish passions! - -Though she felt as if dying of shame and terror, fearfully pale, and -calm, and holy Ethel looked, for she thanked God in her innocent -heart that she had been taken--even from Morley--and Rose left to -comfort, perhaps, their beloved father, and as she folded her white -and tremulous hands upon her swelling bosom, she felt that the dread -hour had come when she must surely die. - -Oh, who could once have foretold the awful scene of outrage through -which, perhaps, her blameless life was to pass away. - -And now, as Pedro's iron grasp about her tightened, and the laughter -rung around her, like a chorus of devils, she lifted her imploring -eyes to Hawkshaw, and their gaze seemed to turn him into stone. - -Sorrow, horror, and upbraiding--all were there expressed. - -It was she, the same Ethel, that he--blood-guilty though he was, and -selfish too--had ventured to love in peaceful England. She, who had -never coquettishly allured nor proudly repulsed him; but had been -gentle and polite, according to the rules of well-bred -society--gentle, even, and pitiful--until she knew his crimes and his -character, and learned to abhor them. - -All this rushed like a flood upon his memory, and Cramply Hawkshaw, -with all his errors, faults, and crimes, felt, for the moment, the -soul of a hero within him, and he resolved to save Ethel Basset from -disgrace, or die in the effort--yea, to save her even for Morley -Ashton. - -"Ethel," said he, in a breathless voice, "love me as a friend, and I -will protect--it may be, save you!" - -"Love--friendship--Oh Hawkshaw, save me if you can, but talk not of -love and friendship, after the awful past, and in presence of -companions such as these," replied Ethel, shuddering. - -"Alas! I feel that guilt gives a shame and horror, Ethel, which fail -even to cure it." - -"_Morte de Dios!_" growled Pedro, grinding his teeth, and turning -round with flashing eyes; "what is this I hear?" - -"Your death-shot, wretch!--take that, and die!" cried Hawkshaw, as he -fired his pistol full at the dark head of Pedro Barradas, who -received the shot in his elbow, just as he raised the arm to protect -his face. - -"Malediction!" he exclaimed, with a howl of agony, as he dropped the -limb, which was fearfully shattered. Then Hawkshaw--endued with -twice his natural strength--for, when roused by passion, or nerved by -danger, he wras no ordinary man--snatched Ethel amid the smoke, -glided with her up the steps and through the forescuttle, and placed -her in the arms of Dr. Heriot, who, with all her friends came rushing -forward, for this episode did not occupy five minutes. - -As Ethel was borne aft, a dozen of hands and arms came up through the -forescuttle, and Hawkshaw was torn down within it. - -"Gag him--lynch him--stick the 'tarnal varmint!" cried Badger, and -the death shrieks of the miserable Hawkshaw were drowned amid the -storm of maledictions which accompanied the shots and blows dealt him -by the knives of Zuares, Badger, Quaco, and others; and again and -again they continued to bury them in his body, long after he was dead. - -It was Pedro's howl of agony, and the two first pistol-shots, that -were heard by Morley as he staggered up, half-stunned, from the deck, -and felt himself seized by Tom Bartelot. - -All hurried below with Ethel. The cabin was regained, the barricades -were again made fast, and our friends remained ignorant that one half -the mutineers were in a state of helpless intoxication; that their -leader had received a severe wound, which might prove mortal, and -that the miserable Hawkshaw was being butchered without mercy in the -forecastle bunks. - -And so closed this night of outrage on board the _Hermione_. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -A SNARE LAID. - -On Ethel the effects of all she had undergone--a terror equal to the -menace of death--the memory of all she had seen, Pedro bleeding from -the bullet of Hawkshaw, and the latter torn back to be butchered in -the very den from which he had rescued her, produced fits of hysteria -and violent sickness, requiring all the skill of Dr. Heriot to soothe -and subdue them. - -For a time she lay in a fainting fit as in a deep sleep, with her -breathing so low that it could scarcely be perceived on a mirror. -Morley was in an agony of alarm, lest she should never wake more; but -this symptom was followed by strong convulsions, till tears relieved -and left her very weak. - -However, she was able to relate at intervals what had taken place, -and how she had escaped the mutineers; after this, she was left for a -time to the care of Nance Folgate, who was great in the use of burnt -feathers, hartshorn, and asafoetida. - -With Rose, on recovering from her swoon, joy for her sister's sudden -restoration took the form of alternate showers of tears and bursts of -ringing hysterical laughter, which were painful to hear and difficult -to allay, so, between them, the poor doctor had his hands quite full. - -Morley and his nautical friends, who had never seen anything of this -kind before, were sorely puzzled by the turns and symptoms of Rose's -ailment; for there is but little difference sometimes between the -crying and the laughing of an hysterical young lady. - -Physical and mental exhaustion at length brought on sleep, and Rose -and Ethel lay with arms entwined, the terrible past and the dreaded -future being alike committed to oblivion, unless when, at intervals, -the latter seemed to see, in fancy, those grimy visages peering out -from the dark berths, freezing her with affright, and Pedro's black -and gloating eyes stupefying her with their terrible expression. - -Gradually, however, both sisters were soothed, and calm with perfect -sleep came together. - -The sliding-door to the steerage was made fast by strong screws -against all attempts by that avenue for the future. - -"Well," whispered Heriot, as they withdrew into the cabin, "matters -are improving for us forward." - -"How?" asked Tom Bartelot gloomily. - -"Pedro Barradas has his right arm shattered--you heard Miss Basset -say so--and then there is Hawkshaw killed and flung overboard." - -"Poor wretch!" said Morley. - -"Two almost out of their rogues' mess," added Captain Phillips; "but -I don't think Hawkshaw was very warm in their cursed business." - -"His poor father, jolly old Tom Hawkshaw, of Lincoln's Inn, little -foresaw an end so miserable for his only son. Poor Tom! how he did -love that boy!" exclaimed Mr. Basset, wringing his hands, as he -thought of his old friend. - -"Judging from the state in which Miss Basset says she found those -fellows forward," said Morrison, "I don't see why we shouldn't make -an effort to recapture the ship, and make every one of them walk the -plank." - -"My very thoughts, Mr. Morrison," said Captain Phillips, with great -earnestness; "but, as yet, they still outnumber us, and, unless by -stratagem, I don't see a way in the matter--a fair trial of strength -would only end in our own defeat." - -"Something is worth tryin', sir--I'm precious weary o' bein' bottled -down here, like a rat in the cable tier," said Noah Gawthrop, who was -on his knees, lighting, and puffing with distended cheeks, at a fire -in the cabin-grate, preparatory to boiling coffee, for the morning -was far advanced, and no one thought of sleeping now, even on the -cabin-locker; "but you see, your honour, unless we had 'em all in the -bilboes, or shoved clean overboard, we could never be safe." - -"Not even if we had them all secured in the bunks, and the -forescuttle shipped and battened over them?" interrupted Morley. - -"No, sir, not even then," replied Noah very emphatically. - -"How so?" - -"'Cos, if you didn't smother 'em, they'd set the ship on fire, that -all on us might go to old Davy together. The greatest warmints on -land and sea are them Espanoles, as comes from South 'Meriker--I -knows 'em, I does." - -"Egad, Noah is right," said Tom Bartelot; "and to get the -weather-gage of these fellows we must try some other plan than -fisticuffs." - -During this time the crew were all heard on deck rumbling about, -growling and uttering threats; and by the number of seas shipped over -the bows, by the lurching and pitching of the vessel, it was evident -to those below that the wind had freshened, and that an unsteady hand -was on the wheel, as she was yawing, and steering wild. - -By noon Ethel was almost composed, and when she reclined on her bed, -with one hand clasped by her father, another in Morley's, Rose -bending over her, and worthy young Dr. Heriot hovering about, she -felt soothed; through all her overtaxed frame there seemed to flow a -tranquillising and magnetic influence; she almost forgot that the -same ship contained, but a few yards off, the source of her recent -terror; her over-wrought mind grew calm, and the fever passed out of -her. - -"Dear papa--dear papa--kiss me. Sit closer, Morley dear," she said, -in a sweet, low voice; "where is your hand, Morley?" - -"Here--clasped on yours, Ethel." - -"Oh, papa, if poor mamma only knew of all this!" she was beginning, -when tears choked her utterance. - -"Do not think of these things," whispered Morley, anxiously; "it is -well she is not with us." - -"Even her loss was merciful, though it nearly broke my heart, for all -this would have killed her," said Mr. Basset, in a low voice. - -"Oh, when will it end!--when will it end!" sobbed Rose. - -"When we reeve some of those fellows up to the yard-arm, in the loop -of a stout line," said Dr. Heriot. "I can't help feeling assured -that we shall weather them, yet, and my countryman, Morrison, who, -perhaps, has the gift of the second sight, among his other -accomplishments, is of the same opinion," added Heriot, with a -pleasant laugh to raise their spirits. - -Ethel felt safe comparatively--protected and restored; but at what a -price--a human life! The life of that misguided being who first cast -a shadow on her path. - -She recalled his last words and forgave him all, for his closing act -had been one of devotion towards herself. But for him, she might, or -must have been, destroyed. The imagination of all from which he had -saved her made her shudder in her soul, and froze her very marrow! -Poor Hawkshaw, she might almost call him now, as he had gone so -summarily to his dread account, gashed with many a wound, and cast -into the sea, without prayer, or shroud, or grave--cast with all his -sins and errors on his head and on his soul! - -She shuddered, we say, as she thought fearfully of these dire things, -and clasped more tightly the kind hands of those who sat beside her. - -Morley, too, felt that he could freely forgive Hawkshaw now; for his -nature was brave, generous, and gentle, and he wondered whether, when -dying, that unfortunate wretch had felt what _he_ endured--first, -when he was flung over Acton Chine; and, second, when the shattered -wreck of the _Princess_ parted, and he found himself, as he believed, -drowning in the water--the intense rapidity with which thought and -memory rushed through his soul, as he hung for a moment between two -lives, one to come, and one that seemed passing away--how all the -loves and memories, faces of friends and foes, sins of omission and -commission, all the errors and shortcomings of his existence flashed -with the rapidity of light upon his maddened mind; bodily suffering, -on those two occasions, he had none--it was all mental, and the most -acute of its kind. - -Had Hawkshaw felt all this when the death-shot rang in his ears, and -the assassins' knives were clashing in his body? - -He must have felt this emotion; and Morley, with that conviction, and -the knowledge that he (Hawkshaw) had saved Ethel Basset at the price -of his own unhappy existence, felt in his honest heart that he could -freely forgive him all the past. - -But this spirit of forgiveness by no means extended itself to Pedro -Barradas, against whom he cherished the most undying vengeance, when -he thought of the terror Ethel had suffered at his hands, and, more -than all, the horrors she had escaped. - -Meanwhile, the elder Barradas, maddened with the agony occasioned by -his shattered limb, which none on board, save Dr. Heriot, could dress -or reduce--for the fracture was compound, the ball and socket of the -elbow being completely smashed--was scheming out revenge and fresh -outrages, which he found a difficulty in putting in practice, as the -same wound which reduced his bodily strength, and stung his soul with -rage and pain, deprived him of the influence he formerly exercised -over his companions--an influence that he maintained physically -rather than morally. - -He supposed that they must be several miles up the Mozambique -Channel, and he remembered the Malay proas; thus every hour rendered -the necessity greater for having entire possession of the ship and -for destroying those in the cabin, for if but one of these escaped, -he and all his companions might yet swing as pirates, and, knowing -that Mr. Basset was a lawyer--a judge or legal functionary of high -position--caused the crew to cherish a peculiar dread and aversion of -him in particular. - -There were times when, in the intervals of his bodily and mental -fury--both of which the copious use of ardent spirits had greatly -inflamed--he conceived the idea of running the ship ashore on the -first land he made, or of setting her on fire in mid-ocean, that all -might perish, and so frequently did he mutter of these things that -Zuares, Badger, Sharkey, and the rest, knowing the desperation of his -character, and the resolute cruelty of which he was capable, feared -that he might put his terrible threats into execution. - -As for asking Dr. Heriot to dress his wound, or by a touch of his -skill to lessen the agony that wrung the bead-drops from his tawny -brow, he never thought of such a thing! To expect an act of such -mercy or generosity never occurred to his cruel mind as being within -the compass of possibility; but he now conceived and prepared to -execute a very subtle plan for gaining possession of Ethel Basset, -and through her, as hostage, compelling Heriot to dress his shattered -limb, after which he would destroy them all without mercy; and as -these ideas occurred to him he gnashed his sharp white teeth and -uttered a roar that was something between a laugh of savage -exultation and a howl of agony. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -MR. BASSET DELUDED. - -Noon was drawing slowly on; Ethel and Rose were still sleeping, when -the tarpaulin, or spare mizzen-topsail, which had so long covered the -skylight, was withdrawn from above, and a flood, it seemed, of sunny -radiance, streamed into the cabin, the occupants of which saw the -blue sky overhead for the first time these several days past. - -"Below there, Captain Phillips!" cried a voice. - -"Hollo! who are you that hail?" - -"Bolter--Benjamin Bolter, sir." - -"Well, fellow?" - -"May I talk to you a'thout bein' fired on?" - -"Certainly; come forward." - -Bolter, the Canadian, appeared at the rim of the skylight, looking -down with watery, bloodshot eyes, a pale, unwholesome visage, and a -black mouth, furred by dissipation and squalor. - -"What do you want?" demanded Captain Phillips, with a tone of -impatience and authority. - -"Pedro Barradas has sent me aft to speak to you." - -"About what?" - -"The state o' matters aboard, sir." - -"Oho! you are coming to your senses at last, are you?" - -"Perhaps so, sir," said Bolter, giving a covert wink, full of sly -wickedness, to Sharkey, who stood near him on deck, unseen by those -below, and with his tongue thrust into his cheek. - -"Well--speak out!" - -"Pedro Barradas is severely wounded, sir; his right elbow is knocked -all to splinters." - -"Glad to hear it; hope he may slip his cable in the turn of a hand. -Which of his precious friends did this for him?" - -"Mr. Hawkshaw, who has been knocked on the head and flung overboard, -after a bit of a scrimmage for'ard." - -"Well--well?" said the captain, impatiently. - -"Pedro can't come aft, sir, so he wishes one of the gentlemen below -to come for'ard, that we may all toe a line, beg pardon for what's -past, and make some terms with you." - -"Oho!" - -"He says, sir," resumed the Canadian, in a whining voice, "that he -would rather have Mr. Basset than anyone else." - -"Why?" - -"Bein' a gentleman as is bred to the law, for which he has a very -particklar respect." - -Mr. Basset grew a little pale on hearing this selection; but, knowing -how important was the stroke that might be won by a little skilful -diplomacy-- - -"I am ready to go--ready to meet these men, if--if--you think good -will come of it, Captain Phillips," said he, while his mind became -full of apt quotations from the Mutiny Act, "Shee's Edition of Lord -Tenterden," and so forth, for the harangue which, mentally, he -proposed to make the misguided and--as he supposed--now repentant -mutineers. - -"But we have no hostage for your safety, sir," urged Dr. Heriot. - -"Hostage--safety--am I in danger, think you?" stammered Mr. Basset. - -"The venture is not without peril. And why have they selected you?" - -"As a legal man, and as a neutral party, I learn from what their -messenger says," replied Mr. Basset, gathering courage as he thought -of his commission as judge in the supreme civil and criminal court of -the Isle of France. "Shall I go, Captain Phillips?" - -"If you will venture, and can succeed in bringing back these fellows -to a sense of their crimes, and of their duty, an unspeakable boon -will be conferred on us all; but they must agree to put the leaders -in bilboes, or set them adrift in the dingy, which they please. They -must also give up all their knives, pistols, and other weapons." - -"Of course, of course." - -"See, my dear sir, at all events, what they want." - -"There is one thing as we wants badly, sir," said Bolter, twirling -his tarpaulin hat, and scratching his head; "and that is some brandy, -or rum, we ain't particklar which; and a few bottles would go a long -way to heal old sores." - -"Some brandy?--granted." - -"We have a gallon jar in the steward's locker," said Mr. Foster, the -second mate. - -"Then hoist it out." - -Dr. Heriot anticipated Foster by opening the locker, when he soon -found the jar, which he proceeded at once to uncork. - -"Why, doctor, you don't mean to make it pay toll, do you?" asked Tom -Bartelot. - -Heriot placed a finger on his lip, as if to impose silence on the -speaker, and, pouring out about a pint of the brandy, he substituted -for it the contents of a large phial, a clear and pellucid fluid, -after which he passed up the jar into the hands of Mr. Bolter, who -received it with a very solicitous and affectionate expression of eye. - -"What, in Heaven's name, have you done, doctor--not poisoned the -stuff--eh?" asked Phillips, in a whisper of alarm; "what was that you -poured in?" - -"Morphia--strong morphia, and another powerful narcotic--nearly all I -had, too," replied the doctor, in a similar whisper. "It will serve -to throw some of them, at least, into a sound sleep, and thus enable -us to overpower the rest, if need be. This will render us -independent of their terms, their promises, and their repentance." - -"Now, will Mr. Basset come on deck and meet Pedro Barradas?" asked -the Canadian, in his nasal twang. - -"Take care, my dear sir, that this is not some lure?" said Morley, -interposing. - -"Lure?" repeated Mr. Basset, turning pale again. - -"A snare, perhaps." - -"Aye--a regular plant--they're rum chaps, these Spaniards and -Yankees," added Noah, sententiously. - -"Nevertheless, I shall try," replied the good easy man, as he thought -of his two poor girls, and hoped the time was almost come when they -might be considered comparatively safe. - -"You have your revolver, sir?" asked Morley. - -"All right," replied Mr. Basset, slapping his breast confidently. - -"Is it loaded?" - -"Yes--of course." - -"Let me see it, please?" - -"Whew," whistled the doctor; "my dear sir, there is not a single cap -on the nipples!" - -"Bless me, you don't say so?" ejaculated poor Mr. Basset, who looked, -what he really was, as little used to the handling of revolvers as to -facing mutineers. - -Heriot examined the six chambers, and found them all loaded; he -capped the nipples, and gave the weapon to Mr. Basset, who concealed -it again in the breast-pocket of his coat, and tried to assume a -jaunty air, but failed. - -"Now then, Mr. Basset, are you goin' to be all day of tumblin' up?" -growled Bolter, stamping on the deck. - -Mr. Basset gave a wistful glance at the door of his girls' -sleeping-place, as the barricades of the cabin were secured, and then -he ascended to the deck, with a heart that beat very fast indeed! - -The dirty and disorderly state of the ship did not strike Mr. -Basset's unprofessional eye, so much as the aspect of the crew -impressed him, when he descended from the break of the quarter-deck, -and walked forward to where Pedro Barradas was seated on the -horizontal beam of the windlass, endeavouring to soothe himself by -smoking, and in his rage half chewing the paper cigaritos, which his -brother Zuares made for him; and close by was placed the uncorked -brandy jar, which Bolter had carried forward, with a very triumphant -expression. - -Mr. Basset's heart sank, when he found himself among these squalid -desperadoes, whose persons were now filthy in the extreme; their eyes -were wild and wolfish in expression, their faces bloated, and -obscured by sores and bruises; but still lower would his heart have -sunk, had his eye detected the ominous noose that dangled at the -weather-arm of the foreyard! - -From his seat on the windlass, Pedro Barradas surveyed the poor -gentleman, with wild black eyes, to which the glare of passionate -hate and mental insanity, conduced by extreme bodily pain, imparted a -terrible expression. - -Enveloped in bloody bandages, his right arm hung powerless by his -side. The fingers of the once strong hand seemed dead and livid now. -His ear, which had been wounded by a pistol shot, was now a festering -sore, amid which his coal black hair was matted; his bare brawny feet -beat the deck with restless impatience, and spitting out to leeward -the end of a paper cigarito, he showed all his white glistening teeth -beneath his dark moustache, on the approach of Mr. Basset. - -"Presto! come forward quick, you lubberly scribano," he roared out. - -"You wish to see me!" began Mr. Basset, in faltering accents, for -this mode of reception, and its tone, by no means reassured him. - -"To see you--yes," said Pedro, while a spasm of agony convulsed his -tawny visage; "Badger, overhaul and lash him fast!" he suddenly -exclaimed. - -On hearing this alarming order, the meaning of which he imperfectly -understood, Mr. Basset was about to rush away; but the powerful hand -of the gigantic Yankee was inserted in his collar, and others were -busy about his person: thus he was speedily deprived of his watch, -rings, and the revolver, the appearance of which excited a shout of -derisive laughter. - -Then, almost before he knew where he was, Bolter, the Canadian, had -tied his wrists together with a piece of cord. - -"Now, stranger, yew air fixed proper, I reckon--you air," snivelled -the Yankee, with a broad grin; "Jeerusalem! yew air in an almighty -fright!" - -"He shall be yet in a greater," said Pedro, in a husky voice; "where -is the line from the yard-arm?" - -"Here," said Zuares, as a rope was suddenly cast over Mr. Basset's -head, and looped round his neck--a rope which, while his blood ran -cold, he saw came down from a block at the yard-arm. - -"Lash another line to him for a down-haul," said Pedro. - -And Badger did so instantly, by looping a rope round Mr. Basset's -ankles. - -"My God! my God!--my good men," he said, in trembling accents; "you -do not--you, you cannot----" - -"Mean to hang you, eh? Yes, but we do," grinned Pedro. - -"Yaas--yaas, Massa Basset, we'll make you dance ebber so 'igh," added -Quaco, with a yelling laugh. - -"Silence, you black devil," roared Pedro, gnashing his teeth; "who -gave you leave to speak here. Away to the caboose, and look after -your coppers. Yes, Mr. Basset, we mean to hang you unless Dr. Heriot -will come forward and dress my wounded arm. And more than -that--unless your two girls come forward here among us, to ransom -you. Do you understand all that, eh?" - -Mute with fear, and the awful dread of impending death, and such a -death--feeling all the futility of seeking mercy from the -merciless--the unhappy Mr. Basset stood in a cold sweat before this -demon of a man. He had but one idea prominent amid the chaos of his -thoughts, that never more would he look upon the faces of his -children. - -"Pass the word aft that the rope is knotted and rove," said the -inexorable Pedro. - -Badger ascended the break of the quarter-deck, and peeping down the -skylight, said: - -"You below thar?" - -"Well--hallo--what do you want?" asked Captain Phillips. - -"Jest to say, friends, as Captain Barradas will string your precious -judge up to the arm of the fore-yard in a brace o' shakes, if yew, -Dr. Heriot, don't come forward and dress his wounded arm" (at these -words, the proposal he heard of chaining him to the mast, flashed -upon Heriot's memory), "and if yew all don't give up the tew gals you -reckon on keeping for yourselves. If yew understand all that, yew -had better be quick, yew had." - -"Be off, you rascally Yankee, or I'll mar your seamanship!" said -Captain Phillips. - -"I hope to crop that rascal's auricular appendages before we part," -said Heriot, in a voice not unlike a groan. - -"Wa-al, lookye here, be quick, I say," resumed Badger, in a nasal -twang, "for Pedro's in a very bad humour to-day, and there'll be an -almighty airthquake aboard in another minute." - -The words, the manner, and bearing of this fellow created great -consternation in the cabin. More than once had Morley levelled the -barrel of his pistol at Badger's head, but paused, with his finger -throbbing on the trigger, and fearing to fire, lest, by doing so, he -might jeopardise the father of Ethel. - -"Are the girls coming?" said Pedro, in a low voice of concentrated -passion and pain, when Badger returned. - -"Never--never, assassin and coward!" exclaimed Mr. Basset; "destroy -me, if you will--but--but--oh, Heaven!--oh, my poor girls!" - -He hung his head and wept, as his voice failed him, in the excess of -his misery. - -"Hang the judge--hang him!" said the short, squat ruffian, Sharkey, -as he danced a hornpipe with a vigorous double shuffle round their -pale victim; "no doubt he hopes to hang us some day." - -This idea was conclusive. - -"Mercy! Listen to me, good fellows--listen!" cried poor Mr. Basset, -starting wildly, as the rope began to tighten. "Mercy--save me, save -me--Morley, Captain Phillips!" - -Pedro's eyes filled with their most dangerous gleam. Despite the -agony of his shattered arm, in his hatred of law, lawyers, order, and -persons in authority, he almost smiled at the idea of thus degrading -and executing a legal functionary. - -"_Ahorcar! ahorcar!_--to the yard-arm with _el Senor Juez_! Away -with him, and aft with the line!" he exclaimed, in a hoarse voice, as -the crew tallied on and ran aft with a derisive cheer, and, at the -same moment, Mr. Basset was swung strangling off his feet, and run, -with a violent jerk, to the arm of the foreyard to windward, where -the unhappy man, hanging, in strong convulsions, and in all the -agonies of death, presented a horrible spectacle to Morley Ashton, -who had crept up the companion-stair and peeped out. - -"Oh, Father of Mercy!" he exclaimed, and sank almost fainting on his -knees, incapable for a few moments of action or speech. - -After hanging thus for several minutes, the body of Mr. Basset was -lowered with another jerk, brought on board by the down-haul attached -to the ankles, and, amid loud yells of derisive laughter, it was -flung into the cabin through the still open skylight, just as Morley, -deathly pale, and trembling in every limb, tottered back to tell what -he had seen on deck. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -LUX VENIT AB ALTO. - -Pity for Mr. Basset, and intense commiseration for his two daughters, -soon gave place in the hearts of his friends to a dire longing for -vengeance on the treacherous authors of this new atrocity. - -"Secure the door, Morley--quick, or they may be on us!" cried Heriot, -as he threw off his coat and rolled up his shirt-sleeves. - -"There is no danger of their attacking us," replied Morley Ashton, -panting and breathless. - -"Why so?" asked Phillips, with an oath. - -"Because these wretches are already busy with the brandy jar." - -"All the better," replied the Scotch doctor, with a sombre frown. -"Keep your pistols and the gun ready--pot the first villain who comes -within range through the skylight. Poor Mr. Basset! poor Mr. Basset! -Bartelot and Morrison, assist me, please; we have work to do--quick, -before the ladies awake and hear us." - -The body of Mr. Basset was laid on Captain Phillips's bed, and the -hateful rope which still compressed his throat, together with the -cord that secured his wrists, was cut off and flung away by Heriot's -ready hand. - -Blackened, swollen in features, and horribly disfigured, with -protruding eyes and tongue, few would have recognised, save by his -dress, the bland and smiling smooth-skinned, close-shaved, and rather -florid gentleman of a few minutes ago. - -"Dead--quite dead!" groaned Morley, as he hung over him; "my poor -friend--oh, my poor friend! so kind--so gentle--so amiable!" - -"What a fate his has been!" added Tom Bartelot. - -"And who is to tell it to his poor girls?" said Morrison. - -"Ethel, at least," whispered Heriot with a significant glance at -Morley, "must be kept as long as possible in ignorance; after the -shock of last night to know of this might have a most serious effect -upon her nervous system." - -"Papa, papa, speak with me, please!" they heard her soft, pleasant -voice say at that moment. - -"Say what you will or can, Ashton; but Miss Basset must not see her -father yet," said Heriot, hastily; "the shock, as I have said, might -be dangerous, for his aspect is terrible." - -"Speak to me, dear papa, for one moment. I have had such a horrible -dream, and all about you," she said again. - -Amid the deep muttered expressions of rage and commiseration made by -his companions, Morley, pale and trembling, tapped at her cabin door, -and, opening it a little way, whispered that Mr. Basset was asleep, -and must not be disturbed. - -"Must not," she repeated with alarm; "is papa ill?" - -"Oh, no; but----" - -"But what?" - -"Only in a deep sleep," he replied, with a sigh of bitterness, as he -closed the door, fearing to excite her alarm further. - -"Is this fatal outrage completed?--is the poor gentleman quite dead?" -asked Captain Phillips, in a low and impressive voice. - -"I fear so, I fear so," replied Heriot, with growing agitation; "I -can detect no sign whatever of life, and even warmth is passing away." - -"But remember, doctor," said Morrison, earnestly and anxiously, "that -the time of--of strangulation was short, and death by being run up to -the yardarm is not so instantaneous as by the drop from a regular -scaffold ashore." - -"Of course, Morrison, I know that; but----" the doctor paused, and -shook his head sadly. - -"Horrible difference!" thought Morley, with a shudder of mingled rage -and grief, while he clenched his teeth and hands. - -"But our poor friend was a heavy man and of a full habit. He is -already becoming cold. No breath--no pulsation," added Heriot, -placing his hand on Mr. Basset's heart. - -"Quite dead, you think?" asked Morley, whose eyes filled with tears, -as the memory of happy years long past, and sincere pity for the two -girls, rushed into his mind. - -"Beyond hope, I fear," muttered Heriot, who, however, still -continued, mechanically, as it were, to feel the pulse and chafe the -rigid limbs. - -"The scoundrels--the black-hearted scoundrels! Oh, to have revenge -for all this!" exclaimed Captain Phillips, stamping his feet on the -cabin floor. - -"Our numbers decrease. First we lost poor Manfredi, then Joe, the -steward, then Sam Quail, and now Mr. Basset," said Foster, the second -mate; "whose turn will it be next?" - -"Hush!--remember the young ladies," said Heriot, looking up, -warningly. - -Cold nearly, ghastly pale, where not livid and discoloured, and -rendered horrible in feature by past convulsions, poor Mr. Basset's -case seemed, indeed, hopeless; yet Leslie Heriot, inspired by his -love for Rose, by perhaps something of the dogged perseverance of his -country, by the regard he really bore Mr. Basset, and an enthusiasm -for his profession, with a reliance on his own skill, which was by no -means small; imbued, we say, by all these, he felt inclined to -attempt something unusual in his art, and proceeded at once to put it -in practice. - -As the idea of struggling with death, of restoring life and animation -to that still and corpse-like form, occurred to him, a sudden light -shone in the handsome young doctor's eyes; his cheek flushed, and -there was a charming brightness and animation in all his features, as -he bustled about, and unlocked the medicine-chest and case of -instruments. - -"At all events I will try, I will try," he muttered to himself; "in -great attempts 'tis glorious e'en, to fail." - -He perceived that blood oozed out from a cut in the forehead, -received when the body of their victim was flung by the mutineers -through the skylight into the cabin. - -The sight of this blood gave him fresh hope, and he commenced -operations at once, and with confident determination, while those -around, who had never witnessed such a scene, or heard of such an -attempt before, beheld him with wonder, and obeyed all his orders -with alacrity. - -With his love for Rose, and his medical enthusiasm, there mingled -something of religious fervour and much of human kindness, and -selecting carefully a lancet, he almost uttered a prayer of hope, as -he opened the temporal artery, and then the external jugular--a vein -which runs along the neck, just beneath the skin, and returns the -blood from the head to the heart; but he sighed with doubt on finding -the circulation stopped in both, and that a little coagulated blood -only appeared at each orifice. - -With the assistance of Morley and Tom Bartelot, he stripped the body -in haste, and proceeded to rub the back, mouth, and neck vigorously, -with volatile salts and fine oil. - -When they grew weary, Captain Phillips and Mr. Foster relieved them, -and the arms and legs were well lubricated in the same fashion, to -restore and promote circulation. - -Puffs of strong tobacco were blown up the nostrils and into the -mouth, when these were compressed; but an hour and more elapsed -without any sign of returning animation, and even Heriot was -beginning to despair (as his companions had done long before) when, -after making a small incision in the skin of the windpipe, through -which, with his own breath, he sought to inflate the lungs, by -breathing strongly through a cannula, a cry of joy escaped him. - -The blood from the temporal artery was now trickling down the pale, -discoloured face! - -Heriot snatched up Mr. Basset's right hand, and applied his fingers -to the wrist. - -"The pulse--the pulse begins to beat!" he exclaimed; "quick, -Morley!--place that bottle of sal-ammoniac under his nostrils." - -Morley did so, and soon an exclamation escaped from all, on beholding -Mr. Basset open and close each eye alternately. - -He was then raised up in the kind and sturdy arms of Noah Gawthrop, -while Heriot poured some warm brandy-and-water down his throat; after -which a sound like a groan left his lips. - -"Victory! blessed be God!" exclaimed Heriot, as he struck his hands -together, and thought of Rose Basset, with her sweet loving smiles, -and an honest moisture dimmed his eyes; "he lives, after all!" - -"Thanks to your skill, doctor," said Tom Bartelot; "the world should -hear of this." - -"Nay--no thanks to me," replied Heriot; "what used we to learn at -school, Morrison? _Lux venit ab alto!_" - -"'All light comes from above,'" translated Morrison, without -hesitation. - -A low wail beside them made all turn from the bed whereon the body -lay, and, to their dismay, they beheld Ethel standing near, pale as -death, mute and rigid, her large dark eyes dilated with blank horror -and bewilderment, while surveying the scene before her, as if she -strove, but failed, to realise or understand it. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW. - -"Ah, Miss Basset; leave us--do leave us, for Heaven's sake--this is -no scene for you!" said Heriot, half imperatively, half entreatingly. -"Ashton, I can ill spare you, but do lead her away. Tell her all, if -you choose, now. There is, I hope, no further fear." - -Morley put his arms round Ethel, and lifted her back into her cabin. - -Still she did not speak, though her pale lips and inquiring eyes -showed how eagerly she sought an explanation of the terrible scene -formed by the busy group; but Morley was silent, for he knew not how -to begin, and contented himself by repeating, as people usually do, -that she must compose herself, be calm, and so forth. - -"Compose myself for what?" she asked, suddenly. "What has -happened?--who is injured? Not papa--not my papa, surely?" - -"Yes, Ethel, your papa," replied Morley, retaining her hands firmly -in his own. - -She uttered a cry, and was breaking from him, when he restrained her -in his arms. - -"Pardon me, Ethel--dear Ethel, pardon me," he continued to repeat; -"your father has suffered much maltreatment at the hands of those -villains on deck; but Dr. Heriot has nearly restored him--a little -time, and he shall tell you all about it himself." - -"Oh," she sobbed, and, overcome by emotion, dropped her head on -Morley's shoulder; "my father--my loved papa!" - -And, as she spoke, how convulsively the white bosom heaved. - -Impulsive, and wildly energetic, Rose Basset now tried to escape from -the cabin; but Morley placed his back against the door, and strove to -soothe and to retain her. - -At first, it would appear that Ethel had not recognised her father in -that stripped man, whose face was swollen, streaked with blood, and -livid by recent strangulation; and thus, unobserved, she had -overlooked the operations of Heriot for nearly a minute in silent -bewilderment and alarm. - -She was almost fainting again on learning that this helpless patient -was her father, but gathered courage from the energy of Rose, who -kept incessantly repeating: - -"Let me out, Morley--let me go to papa! I must--I shall get out! -Mr. Ashton, will you dare to keep me from papa, who is ill?" - -Then Ethel joined with her, and insisted so touchingly and so -vehemently, that Morley was compelled to yield, and they rushed to -the bedside of Mr. Basset, just as Heriot and Tom Bartelot placed him -in a comfortable sitting posture, well bolstered up, and covered with -warm blankets, where he sat breathing heavily; but with his eyes -closed, and his head reclining on the shoulder of the young doctor, -in whose face there shone a bright smile of joy and triumph. - -"Papa, papa, speak to me!" cried Ethel, in a piercing voice, as she -thrust herself between Captain Phillips and Tom Bartelot, knelt by -the side of the bed--which was nearly level with the cabin-floor--and -stroked his brow with a delicate and tremulous hand, while -caressingly she drew his head upon her own breast; "you are not -dying, papa--you cannot be dying! oh, say so--speak to your own -Ethel!" - -A slight quivering of the eyelids, and, if possible, a heavier -respiration, was his sole response. - -Again she spoke to him more imploringly, and this time the head was -raised for a moment, but only to drop more heavily on her bosom. - -"Will he die?--will he die?--speak, Leslie!" exclaimed Rose, while -wringing her hands. - -"No, not if my skill, with God's blessing, can save him, Rose. He is -recovering rapidly." - -"But recovering from what?" asked Ethel, shrilly; "what manner of -ailment or maltreatment is this?" - -"Himself will tell you all about it to-morrow; to-day he must -sleep--I say must, my dear Miss Basset," said Heriot, in an -impressive whisper. - -"Oh, that by dying I could save my papa--my own dear papa!" cried -Rose, as she rocked herself to and fro, her eyes streaming with tears -the while. - -"Don't talk so, Rose," said Heriot, almost angrily; "people can do -more good by living than by dying, so, if you are determined to stay -here, let us see what a dear little nurse you can make. There is no -assistant a medical man appreciates so much as a capital nurse; so -look alive, you little fairy--end this bother, and squeeze that -sponge." - -Heriot's cheerful and confident manner did more to soothe and -reassure Ethel and Rose than all the friendly hopes expressed by the -others--even by Morley Ashton. Ethel patted him on the cheek and -kissed him, and bluff Captain Phillips too; which made old Noah -Gawthrop's eyes begin to twinkle, and he wiped his mouth with the -sleeve of his jacket, and thrust his quid of pigtail into a remote -corner of his jaws, in the hope that his turn would come in time. - -"There is a crisis in the life of everybody;" Ethel Basset had passed -that crisis, but it had been one of woe and terror. She had passed, -as it were, through a tempest of emotions and alarms of -late--emotions that had separated her from her girlish life, -strengthened her mental powers, and developed her faculties. So she -sought to brace up her energies for trials that might yet be to -come--to be a woman of action, rather than, like poor little Rose, a -girl of thoughts and tears. - -So now she bent all the energies of life and affection to nursing her -father, upon whom, as the evening deepened, a heavy slumber stole; -thus, left by his side, alone--Rose had fallen asleep, exhausted--she -sat and watched, heedless of her friends, who were occupied -elsewhere, and heedless whether the ship was becalmed, or rushing -before a gale of wind. - -Ethel remembered the death of her mother, and the dull stunning sense -of a mighty and unwonted calamity and loss--the yawning of a chasm -that never more would close; the hushing of a familiar voice that -would never more be heard; the passing away of a beloved face, that -would never more be seen; and she remembered the calm aspect of the -corpse disposed in its coffin, lined with white satin, laid on her -own bed, with white curtains, draped up--the same bed in which all -her children had been born, around which they had all hovered for -weeks in the close atmosphere of a sick room, hushed into silence and -on tiptoe, and about which they had all knelt with bowed heads, as -the spirit that had lingered for hours between eternity and time fled -at last on its mysterious and unknown journey; and Ethel felt that -then she could pray. - -Now she knelt by her father's side, in that little and confined -cabin, where no sound reached her but his deep breathing, and the -jarring of the night-lamp that swung from the beam above, and swayed -to and fro as the ship rolled, casting weird gleams alike on the pale -face of the watcher, and the discoloured features of the sleeper; but -she, more stunned and more bewildered than ever, had neither words -nor language, nor, at times, coherent thought in her soul, yet that -soul was full of a dumb, despairing entreaty of Heaven, but in what -form she neither knew nor felt, and scarcely did the chaos of her -mind enable her to know what she would ask. - -Rose was not with her now, we have said. - -Poor child, her grief was noisy, and full of tears, so she had long -since cried herself to sleep beside old Nance Folgate. - -"Is not all this some phantasmagoria, or am I turning mad?" thought -Ethel. "Why am I so far away from Laurel Lodge--far away upon this -world of waters, and enduring all these miseries? Ah, my God! if all -these should be but the dreams of insanity?" - -She feared this all the more that, by some idiosyncrasy of the human -mind, amid the horror of her great grief, she was haunted, almost -tormented, by a frivolous song and air she used to sing at home. - -Why was this, and how was this? The number of brass rings on the -curtain rods, the gyrations of the flies, that buzzed about the -night-lamp and clustered on the beams overhead, the knots in the -wainscot, that seemed, especially when in shadow, to become quaint -and freakish faces, all mingled with the memory of this song, which -struggled for mastery with the prayers she sought to say, and with -the awful idea that her father was dying, and that he and she were -alone together in that fatal ship upon the midnight sea. - -Anon, the singular and most unwonted silence that reigned around her, -the absence of all sounds in the cabin, roused her at last to -external objects. - -She looked out of the little state-room in which her father lay; the -cabin was empty; Morley, Bartelot, Captain Phillips, and all were -gone! - -She looked at her watch; the time was a quarter to twelve. Midnight -was at hand. - -New and vague terrors seized her; she ran to her own cabin, and found -Rose still asleep beside their old nurse. - -"Morley!" cried Ethel, in great alarm; "Morley! where are you?" - -But the cabin was dark; she received no answer, and heard no sound -but the regulated clatter of the rudder in its case, and the wind -whistling drearily through the mizzentop. - -Ere this a great change had taken place on board the _Hermione_; but -the relation of what had occurred deserves a chapter to itself. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -THE QUARTER-BOAT AND ITS FREIGHT. - -The silence below was caused simply by the circumstance--a somewhat -unusual one now--of all her friends being _on deck_. - -They had recovered complete possession of the half-dismantled ship. - -So busy had they all been about the restoration of Mr. Basset, that -they heard nothing of the ribald songs, the wild uproar, and -systematic noise of the crew, who were all clustered forward about -the forecastle and windlass-bitts--a coarse and brutish hilarity -induced by the contents of the brandy jar. Of this they had all -freely partaken; none more so, perhaps, than Pedro Barradas, to -deaden or drown the sense of agony he endured in his wounded arm, -which was now bringing on a species of remorse for the past, and that -emotion he sedulously sought to lull or stifle too. - -An unnatural stillness succeeding the uproar which had reigned so -long on deck, attracted, however, the attention of Captain Phillips -and Tom Bartelot; and, as Mr. Basset had now been consigned to the -care of Ethel, they began to confer with the rest about the probable -results of the jar of drugged brandy. - -"The scoundrels, I believe, are all asleep, or dead drunk," suggested -Dr. Heriot; "I was not particular to a scruple about the morphia and -belladonna I poured in." - -"Then now is our time to retake the ship, and send every one of them -to leeward," said Captain Phillips, starting up from the -cabin-locker. "Look to your pistols, my good friends, and follow me." - -The barricades were removed from the cabin-door, and those who had -been so long imprisoned below crept up the companion-stairs, and -peeped out in succession. - -Overhead "the blue, wide shell of the sky," as Ossian names it, was -clear and starry, and the waning moon, cold, pale, and white, shone -over the calm, still ocean from the horizon, casting the weird shadow -of the ship far to the westward, over the silvered sea. - -The _Hermione_ was almost becalmed, and most fortunately for the -safety of all. Her fore and main courses, with a single neglected -reef in each, hung motionless, like two great tablecloths on a -clothes-line. Unhoisted, the jib and fore-staysail, "lay in a -blessed ruck," as Noah phrased it, each at the foot of the stays. -The driver was brailed up, and its gaff and boom swayed idly to and -fro. The deck was encumbered by spars, yards, bundles of sails, -half-coiled ropes, and much of the debris that had come down from -aloft when the ship broached to on the night of the mutiny, together -with casks, boxes, sacks, empty bottles, and other things which had -been brought out of the hold, one of the hatches of which was still -open; and thus the disordered ship was floating like a log upon the -water, at the mercy of any sudden squall or gale, her abandoned -wheel, revolving some four or five spokes from port to starboard ever -and anon, with an impatient jerk as the rudder grated from side to -side on its iron pintles, though it had been "made fast," in a very -loose fashion, by the steersman. - -Near it lay that official, a seaman named William Cribbet, asleep, in -a stupor apparently, so Noah pulled a few fathoms of stout yarn from -his pocket, sprang upon him with an exclamation which was not quite a -benediction, turned him on his face, and in a trice lashed his hands -hard and fast behind his back. - -Proceeding forward, they found fifteen or sixteen of the crew lying -about the break of the forecastle, under the long-boat, or near the -windlass-bitts, some on pieces of sail, and others on the bare deck; -but all asleep, or snorting in a state of idiotic intoxication. -Broken in pieces, and scattered about were fragments of the -brandy-jar, the contents of which brought all this to pass. - -Each man in succession they tied securely, though one or two -attempted to resist, even when the cold muzzle of a cocked pistol was -pressed against their ears; and others began to threaten and revile -their captors, as the operation of binding roused, and partially -sobered them. At last every man was bound and at their mercy. - -"What are we to do with them now, Captain Phillips?" asked Morley. - -"Short-handed as we are, we can never work the ship, even dismantled -as she is, and watch and cook for all these villains, too," said Mr. -Foster; "and as for trusting 'em again----" - -"Trust them again--cook for them indeed!" exclaimed Captain Phillips; -"cook for a gang of pirates and murderers--feed up what ought to be -hung! It is a mercy from Heaven that no breeze or gale came on ere -this, for we must have foundered then, and all gone to the bottom -together. No, Mr. Foster; I shall neither keep them nor feed them, -but overboard they shall go, every man and mother's son!" - -"Drown them, do you mean?" asked Tom Bartelot, with anxious surprise. - -"No, for that might cause an unpleasant imputation on us all." - -"What then?" - -"I mean simply to maroon the whole gang. They shall have a chance -for their worthless lives; but not aboard my ship." - -"On an island--there should be several hereabout, that is, if we are -near Madagascar," observed Bartelot. - -"No, I shall not wait for the chance of sighting land, but will -sacrifice my good quarter-boat, and with it get rid of them all. -Noah Gawthrop, jump into the quarter-boat and clear the fall tackle. -Mr. Morrison and Mr. Ashton, please to cast off--stand by to lower -away and bring her alongside." - -"Under the mizzen-chains?" asked Morley. - -"Yes, round here to the port-side." - -This order was promptly obeyed, for anything like freedom became a -luxury now. Quickly the double-sheaved blocks revolved as the davits -swung round and tackles fell; then the boat was speedily made fast by -Noah to the side-chains by the bow-rope. - -"Mr. Foster," said Captain Phillips, "get up a gang-cask of fresh -water, and also a few dozen of biscuit from the cabin-locker. More -food or mercy these piratical wretches shall not have from me; and -now let us all bear a hand, for I feel that coolness in the air which -always precedes a breeze; so we have no time to lose. Search and -disarm every man; then chuck them into the boat, and cut it adrift." - -The first who was collared and dragged over the side was he whom -Heriot had so peppered with the fowling-piece, that, as Noah said, -"his face looked like plum-duff, with currants, on a Christmas-day." - -A sheath-knife was taken from his belt; he was then half-lifted, -half-flung into the boat, where he lay across the thwarts, kicking -and blaspheming, but unable either to resist or pick himself up. - -"Who comes next?" asked the captain. - -"Cribbet, who was steering." - -"Cribbet, who was sleeping rather. Over with him. Who is the next?' - -"Badger, the Yankee," replied Foster. - -"Give me his pistols," said Phillips, who, with his new purpose, had -resumed his tone of authority. - -"Now, airthquakes and sherry-cobbler! wot air yew up to?" he -stammered out. "I say, shipmates--hallo! Vast heaving, yew bloated -Britishers!" - -"Heave with a will! In with him--over with him!" - -And in a trice this long-legged son of Columbia was sprawling over -the thwarts below. - -The idea of cropping Badger's ears actually occurred to Heriot; but -he dismissed it as too barbarous and unworthy, even while remembering -all the man's rascality. - -"What son of Old Scratch is this?" asked Morrison, dragging one from -under the gallows-bitts, abaft the foremast. - -"Sharkey, with Mr. Basset's revolver in his belt." - -"The ugly villain!" - -"The murderer of my friend Manfredi, captain," said Heriot, with -mingled sadness and loathing. - -"An out-and-out ticket-o'-leaver," added Noah, squirting his quid -into Sharkey's eye, as he was cast into the boat with a lurch that -nearly overset it; "we should lynch him at the yard-arm, captain, -that we should." - -"Quaco, the cook, next. Heave ahead, darkey," said Foster. - -"Yaas, yaas, Master Foster!" grinned the negro, who was helplessly -intoxicated, and but partially awake. - -"Black in heart, and black in face." - -"Bolter! Come along, you traitorous scoundrel!" - -Mr. Benjamin Bolter, who was more sober than the rest, kicked -vigorously, and nearly fell into the sea, in which case he must have -sunk like a stone, as his arms were tied, and neither friends nor -foes could have saved him; but such were the comments made by the -recaptors of the ship, as the mutineers were flung over the side into -the boat, like so many sacks of wool or flour. - -Zuares, who seemed in a perfect stupor, came last. There were taken -from them the revolver, of which Mr. Basset had been deprived, with -his watch and rings, six old brass-barrelled pistols, and about a -dozen sheath-knives. - -"Pedro Barradas--where is Pedro?" asked Captain Phillips, suddenly; -"every rascal is in the boat but he." - -"He is not on deck, sir," said Mr. Foster. - -"Can he have been killed--or has he jumped overboard?" - -"Not likely the last--he is too cowardly to die if he can help it." - -"Search the bunks forward--lose no time." - -"Aye, aye, sir." - -There Pedro was found and dragged forth. He offered no resistance, -but moaned heavily, and hung lifeless in their hands. - -"Hoist the carrion up, and over with him," said Captain Phillips, -who, though naturally one of the kindest and jolliest of men, seemed, -for the time, to be hardened and pitiless, as he said, "all mercy had -been quite squeezed out of him." - -"Stop, if you please," said Heriot, who looked earnestly at Pedro's -eyes, and felt his pulse; "we must not be quite so merciless to them -as they would have been to us." - -"What do you mean, doctor?" asked Phillips, impatiently. - -"This man is dying," replied Heriot. - -"Dying!" repeated all, drawing near. - -"Yes--look here," said Heriot. - -And certainly Pedro's face, when viewed by the cold, clear light of -the waning moon, presented a most striking and appalling aspect. His -features were regular, even handsome; his black eyes, that nearly met -over the long and well-cut nose, seemed darker now; his tawny hue was -gone, and a death-like tint, as of white marble, had replaced it, -forming a singular contrast to the intense blackness of his beard, -moustache, and curly hair; his lower jaw had fallen, his eyes were -almost closed, his respirations were heavy and uncertain, his pulse -was low and sinking, and he drooped helplessly in the arms of Foster -and Morrison, who had dragged him to the port gangway. - -"Are you sure of what you say, doctor?" asked Captain Phillips, -earnestly. - -"Quite, sir; ah! these terrible signs are not to be mistaken." - -"Then, how long do you think he may live?" - -"Till midday to-morrow--certainly not until midnight." - -"In that case," said Captain Phillips, turning to the others, after a -pause, during which much reviling and growling were heard alongside, -"we must temper justice with mercy. Our own safety requires that we -must rid ourselves of those rascals; but this one, although the worst -and leader of them all, may remain on board, and die at his leisure. -Stow him away in the bunks, Foster; and, doctor, give him a touch of -your skill." - -"If he lives?" - -"He shall be hanged at Port Louis, and, if he dies, why then he -becomes what he would have made each one of us--food for Jack Shark." - -Morrison and Foster carried Pedro back into the forecastle, and -deposited him in one of the most comfortable bunks--one of those -farthest from the cutwater and heel of the bowsprit, and there, soon -after, Heriot came to attend him. - -"Now in with the gang-cask and the biscuits," said Captain Phillips; -"look alive about it, Foster. I feel a puff of wind, so we must soon -attend to the ship; throw them in a couple of oars, they can unlash -one another when sober, and pull whichever way they please. Now, cut -off the painter, Noah, and set the mutinous spawn adrift." - -Promptly as the captain could have wished Noah cast-off the painter; -but the boat still clung close to the mizzen-chains, and jarred--on -the principle of attraction--against the vessel's side. - -"Take a boot-hook, Noah, and shove her clear off the counter," said -Morrison, looking over the side. "By the way the rudder hangs, there -is a strong current running here, and that will soon drift her clear -of the ship." - -The boat, with its as yet helpless load of ruffianism, was soon -shoved astern of the _Hermione_, and, as Morrison foretold, it -rapidly drifted away on the starboard quarter. - -"Oh, imagine what those fellows may--nay, must--endure, when they all -become sober after so many days and nights of almost ceaseless -intoxication!" said Heriot, looking after the boat with very little -commiseration in his eye or voice, as it rose and fell on the long -glassy rollers that glittered in the full sheen of the waning moon, -whose disc was dipping now at the horizon, and sending from thence a -path of dazzling light across the ocean. "Sea and sky will be round -them," continued the doctor. "As the ballad says: - - 'Water, water everywhere, - Yet not a drop to drink!'" - - -"Aye, yer honour; the contents o' that 'ere gang-cask won't last 'em -long," said Noah with a grin. - -"The poor wretches will go mad!" said Morley, who thought of his own -sufferings on the wreck. - -"Mad?" repeated Noah. - -"Yes; and drink each other's blood, perhaps. I have read of such -things." - -"And I've heard of such things, many times, in forecastle yarns; but -as for men positively eating one another----" - -"They may do so, and welcome, Noah," interrupted Captain Phillips, -who was surveying, with increasing wrath, the disordered and -dilapidated state of his once beautiful ship, the pride of his -owners, and the pet of his heart. - -Already half-sobered, or becoming aware of their situation, some of -the crew began to shout and hail the ship, particularly Badger. - -"Lookey har, capting! Halloo, yew Britishers!" he cried, again and -again; but the hail became fainter as the boat drifted steadily away, -first out of the fading line of moonlight, and then on the face of -the sea, which darkened as the moon went down, and the stars shone -sharp and clear. - -"A breeze is coming fast," said Captain Phillips, cheerfully, as he -took the wheel. "Now, gentlemen, our only real foremast-man is Noah, -so we must all become A.B.'s, and work together, and with a will! -Dr. Heriot and Mr. Ashton, set those head-sails; up with the jib and -staysail; haul taut and belay. That will do. Now set the driver; -haul out and sheet home; ease off those starboard tacks; coil up and -belay everything that is loose or adrift on deck. We have hard work -before us, and our lives yet depend upon how we perform it." - -"Give me the wheel, Captain Phillips," said Tom Bartelot. "You have -your whole ship to look after." - -"Thank you, Captain Bartelot." - -"Our course----" began the latter. - -"Matters little to-night, or for the remainder of the morning; only, -not knowing our whereabouts, we must keep a bright look-out. -To-morrow's observations will let us know all." - -"Ah, we're in latitudes now where Admiral Fitzroy's storm-drums, -cones, barometers, jigamarees, and all them sort o' things ain't no -use," said Noah; "it's Heaven's own blessed stars does the business -o' nights--here we read 'em as if they were a pictur' book." - -The wind came puff after puff, till the breeze grew fine and steady. -The fore and main courses soon filled and swelled out; the leach of -each sail formed a complete arc, and the once slack sheets became -taut, while the reef-points pattered as the ship rose and fell on the -rolling sea. - -Once again the _Hermione_ walked through the waters, while the first -rays of the coming sun began to play along the edge of the horizon, -and on the clouds above, in tints of gold and crimson; and far astern -she left the drifting quarter-boat, with its freight of yelling and -raving wretches, to their fate, perhaps their death, upon the sea. - -By mid-day it could not be discerned, even with the aid of the most -powerful glass on board. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -PEDRO'S WOUND. - -All the few who could work on board the _Hermione_--seven in -number--to wit, Captain Phillips, and his second mate, Mr. Foster, -Morley Ashton, Tom Bartelot, and his mate, Morrison, Doctor Heriot, -and Noah Gawthrop, now became foremast-men, and had to work hard in -putting the long-neglected ship in some order. Thus, they became -riggers, painters, ship-carpenters, and everything else in turn. - -Morley and the doctor were invaluable in the use of the hammer and -saw, and in plaiting sinnet of rope or spunyarn, and in assisting to -get better jury spars rigged, spare sails bent, and new chafing -clapped on back and forestays, or wherever necessary. - -The pumps were first attended to, and all the debris flung into the -cabin by the mutineers was cleared out, the shot replaced round the -coamings of the hatchway, the hatchway itself reclosed, and battened -down; the buckets were hung again at the break of the quarter-deck, -ropes were coiled over the belaying-pins, spare spars were lashed -alongside, and everything was tidied fore and aft, and made as -shipshape as the small number of workers and their circumstances -would permit; even the scuttle-butt was lashed again to its -ring-bolts on deck, and the captain's spyglass and gutta-percha -trumpet placed on their brass cleats in the companion-way. - -All the rubbish accumulated during the disorderly reign of the -mutineers was thrown overboard; the head-pump was rigged, and the -deck, after being deluged with water, was cleanly swabbed up. All -this unwonted work caused an unusual quantity of pale ale to be -consumed, together with more than one case of Mr. Basset's still -Cliquot and sparging Moselle, which had escaped the investigations of -Pedro and his compatriots. - -Noah was installed as cook, and Heriot had to take his "trick" at the -wheel with the rest--in fact, no one could be excused anything. All -worked with hearty good-will, and not without anxiety, knowing that -if a gale blew, or a sudden squall came on, they would have to reduce -the sails in succession, and not at once, as the emergency of the -occasion might require. - -By mid-day Rose Basset, with a shawl pinned over her braided hair, -and old Nance Folgate, in a straw bonnet of wonderful fashion and -size, sat smiling and wondering at all this, under the awning on the -quarter-deck. - -Even Ethel, pale, anxious, and tremulous, ventured to leave the -bedside of her father, who was progressing favourably, and once more -inhaled, for a few minutes, the sea-breeze. She found it delightful -after the close atmosphere of the cabin for so many days; but she was -rather startled to see Morley out on the arm of the mainyard, astride -above the deep, with his shirt-sleeves rolled up, and a hank of -spun-yarn between his teeth, as he was busy, in a most workmanlike -way, about the weather-earing of the mainsail. After a time, -however, she ceased to feel either wonder or alarm at Morley's feats -of seamanship. - -Again the life of the vessel, though so slenderly manned, seemed to -be resumed; once more the log-line was hove from time to time; daily -the meridian was taken, half-hourly the bell was clanged, and the -log-book was kept regularly. If less than half-handed, the large -ship was now considerably under-rigged; yet the duty of watch and -watch by night and day became pretty severe. - -All the weapons in the cabin, together with those taken from the -marooned crew, were cleaned by Noah, and put in order, with -ammunition made up for them, as the savages along the seaboard of the -coast of Madagascar were not to be trifled with by the crew of a -half-manned ship; and the warning the officer of the corvette gave, -concerning the three piratical boats, was remembered with some -anxiety from time to time as an alarming and dangerous contingency. - -Mr. Foster entered in the log a full narrative of all the late -events, for the information of the owners, and of the civil -authorities of the first British port--Port Louis all devoutly hoped -it would be--at which they might arrive. - -He inserted a list of the crew who were set adrift, with all the -cogent reasons therefor, and these statements were duly attested by -the signatures of all on board. Thereto even Rose's pretty hand -appended her signature, and Nance Folgate added "her X mark." - -In addition to his new duties as seaman, Leslie Heriot had his two -patients, and often Ethel, to attend upon, as her health had suffered -considerably by the successive terrors her mind had undergone of late. - -Mr. Basset progressed, as we have said, favourably; but so slowly -that it was impossible to say when he might be able to leave his bed, -so terrible was the shock his system had sustained; but Pedro -Barradas lived longer than the doctor had foretold, and more than -once had cooling drinks and possets given him from Ethel's own hands. -Such men as Pedro take a long time to die, and Ethel, gentle and -forgiving, had no fear of him now. - -Dr. Heriot, on the night the ship was recaptured, moved alike by that -compassion in which his noble profession is seldom deficient, and by -the poor wretch's repeated entreaties that he would dress his -wound--_por amor del Madre de Dios! por amor del Maria -Santissima!_--examined him carefully, and found it necessary to -amputate his right arm above the elbow. - -With great _sang froid_, Noah, who received the limb, carried it on -deck, and tossed it overboard to leeward. - -Heriot then gave Pedro a soothing draught, to procure him sleep, and -at length he slept, but with the seal of death upon his features, for -mortification had set in. When awake, he endured an excess of -remorse, and fear of his approaching end, which nearly drove him mad. - -"_A padre--a padre, por amor del Santo de los Santos!_" was his -constant and piercing cry, that, according to the religion which he -had professed in youth, he might not die unconfessed and unabsolved; -and his cries of despair at times reached the ears of Mr. Basset, in -the after portion of the ship. - -Ere this, an observation had been taken by both Captain Phillips and -Tom Bartelot, who was an equally good navigator; and, on comparing -their notes and working, they found that Pedro had steered so well by -the stars at night in the course he had intended to pursue, that the -ship was far up the Mozambique Channel, and was then about south -latitude 21.8 deg., which made all those who knew anything of the -locality deem it almost miraculous that the vessel, which had been so -ill watched, had not been cast away in the night on the Europa Rocks, -or some other of those treacherous reefs and little islands that stud -all the channel, but more especially along the western coast of -Madagascar--the Great Britain of Africa, as it has been named. - -To put the ship about, and to beat to windward, against the -south-west monsoon, for nearly 400 miles, until he could double Cape -St. Mary, the most southern point of that long island, and then haul -up for St. Louis, in the Mauritius, was the plan at once decided upon -by Captain Phillips; and the evening of the second day saw the -crippled _Hermione_, running close-hauled, under all the fore-and-aft -canvas he could set upon her, making a long tack towards the coast of -Africa, while a tropical sun, that crimsoned sea and sky, sunk amidst -clouds of flame in the north-western corner of the horizon. - -In one of these long tacks, they saw the Europa Rocks, which looked -like a long, low island, with clouds of sea-birds wheeling over it in -mid-air, like gnats against the amber-tinted morning sky; but, -happily, as yet, they saw nothing of the three red proas, which they -heard the officer of the _Clyde_ mention, in conjunction with these -rocky islets which lie in the centre of the channel. - -Noah, when cleaning out the forecastle bunks--in more than one of -which were traces of blood--found some withered daisies. These he -brought to Heriot, who gave them, with some complimentary remark, to -Ethel, and an exclamation of surprise escaped him when he saw her -kiss them, and, while her eyes filled with tears, place them tenderly -between the leaves of her Bible; for they were those gathered by her -on that dear grave in Acton churchyard, and torn from her breast on -that night of terror by the fierce hand of Pedro Barradas--that man, -so long a source of terror and aversion, now helpless and gentle as a -child in their hands. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -REMORSE. - -On the morning after the ship was recaptured, while the _Hermione_ -was "going free," and running steadily with her staysails set, Morley -and Bartelot visited the dying wretch in the forecastle bunks for a -few minutes. His aspect was very striking. - -His sharp features were very pale; the rich olive tint they usually -wore had fled, and a tawny green replaced it; his lips were black, -and, being parted, showed the strong white teeth, clenched firmly by -an agony that was mental rather than bodily; his eyes were closed, -and his thick black hair was knotted in elf-like knots about his -forehead. Under the squalid blankets the Mexican desperado was -breathing low and heavily. - -Hearing them descend through the forescuttle, he opened his eyes, and -gave them a long and sullen stare, expressive only of indifference, -for he felt that all ties and cares on earth were broken with him -now, for Heriot had not attempted to deceive, but had told him that -the hour of his departure was approaching, that mortification had set -in, that he could not survive long. - -Morley lifted to the sufferer's lips the drinking cup of weak -wine-and-water, the only drink they could procure him on board. -Pedro moistened his hard-baked mouth, and muttered something -expressive of gratitude. He was very weak and quite gentle now. - -"How strangely things come to pass in this world," said Tom Bartelot, -in a low voice. "So this is a son of the old hermit we buried in -that lonely islet of the South Sea." - -"Strange, indeed. We should speak to him about that while he can -understand us." - -"Barradas," said Bartelot, "your name is Pedro Barradas, I believe?" - -"Yes," replied Pedro, opening his large, black, bloodshot eyes, and -surveying the speaker inquiringly and with a sad earnestness. - -"A Mexican Spaniard?" - -"Yes, senores; or Spanish Mexican, which you please," said he, -sighing wearily. - -"From Orizaba, in La Vera Cruz--Orizaba, near the Rio Blanco?" - -"Yes," replied Pedro, while something of native suspicion crept -suddenly over his pale face. - -"And your mother?" - -"Oh, my mother!" he exclaimed in an indescribable voice, "what of -her?" - -"She was named Mariquita Escudero, a woman of the Puebla de Perote?" -said Morley. - -A convulsive spasm passed over the features of Pedro, and with an -effort he replied, in a low voice: - -"_Mia madre ha muerto_" (My mother is dead). - -"We know that she died in the Barranca Secca." - -"And who are you who know all this?" asked Pedro, rallying his -energies; "or how came you to know it?" - -"Through him whom you killed," replied Morley. - -"Cramply Hawkshaw?" - -"Yes." - -A gleam of malevolence flashed from Pedro's black eyes; but -remembering, perhaps, the cold hand that was already on the pulses of -his heart, he groaned, muttered, and crossed himself. - -"Your father----" - -"Demonio! senores, speak not of my father." - -"Why, Pedro?" - -"Because I never knew him; but my mother, my poor mother, who loved -her boys so well, so tenderly," he faltered, in a broken voice, while -writhing in his bed. - -"From Hawkshaw I learned the terrible story of your mother's fate and -the crime of your brother Zuares, in the Barranca Secca," said -Morley, who looked with deep interest on the strange workings of the -mind exhibited by the expressive visage of the dying ruffian, whose -sole human weakness seemed to be a strong love for the memory of his -mother. - -"_Mia madre! mia madre!_" said the once strong man, in a voice that -became touching, while tears welled up into his eyes, long, long -unused to such a moisture. "Oh, senores, bad, vile, cruel, wicked as -you deem me, at this terrible hour, when well-nigh under weigh -for--for--_where?_--it may be hell!--when I think of _her_--of the -only human being who ever loved me--my heart swells with the old pang -that was so keen, so very keen at first, on that awful evening in the -Barranca Secca, and my memory goes back to the happier years beyond. -I feel myself again a little boy and seem to hear her gentle voice -calling me--Pedrillo--_el muchacho Pedrillo_--the same little boy who -served at the altar of San Jago, who waked up in the winter nights -and wept for his mother, and thought her dear, dear face the fondest, -the sweetest, and the fairest under heaven--yes, fairer and kinder -even than that of the blessed Madonna which hung in San Jago de -Chili. _Mia madre ha muerto!_" he repeated, some four or five times, -with incoherent fondness. - -"And your father?" resumed Bartelot, after a pause, for they could -not but respect this grief. - -"I tell you, senores, I never knew my father," said Pedro, almost -with a frown. - -"Why?" - -"He was Don Pedro Zuares de Barradas, a Spanish cavalier of high -family, possessing great estates on the table land of Anahuac, and -who was captain of the castle of San Juan de Ulloa, for the -Government of the Free United States of South America. He is said to -have perished at sea, by falling overboard in a gale when being -conveyed to Spain to be tried and executed as a traitor to the king." - -"All that we know; but he did not perish as you suppose," said Morley. - -"How, senor, how then?" asked Pedro, looking up with surprise. - -"He escaped drowning and became a hermit on an island near Tristan -d'Acunha." - -"My father--a hermit!" - -"Yes." - -"And this is truth?" - -"Truth as we live and now address you," said Bartelot; "what could we -gain by any fabrication?" - -"And--and he died----" - -"After a long life of devotion and repentance." - -"Oh that his life and death may atone for mine and for Zuares! But -how know you all this, senores?" - -"By a strange chance--a singular coincidence--Pedro Barradas," said -Morley. - -"Bad as I am, fallen though I be, you would not, I am assured, trifle -with the agonies of a dying wretch," said Pedro, in a low, moaning -voice. - -"No," replied Tom Bartelot, gravely; "neither of us are capable of -doing so." - -"But tell me how you came by the knowledge of these things?' - -"Landing on that solitary isle by chance, we found an old recluse at -the point of death, and discovered his name by means of a written -confession which he left behind him." - -"And--and this confession, senores," said Pedro, raising himself on -his elbow, and looking at Morley and Bartelot alternately, as if he -would read their very souls; "this confession--where is it?" - -"It was written on the blank leaves of a Spanish missal, and was lost -when my ship foundered at sea. By that confession, however, we -learned his name and history, and also that he was a knight of the -Military Order of Santiago de Compostella," added Tom Bartelot, as -Morley drew from his pocket-book the red enamelled cross of that -famous old Spanish confraternity, and gave it to Pedro, who pressed -it to his lips again and again with his only remaining hand. - -"I feel now, senores, that you speak truth," said, he, while the -tears that flowed down his cheek relieved his emotion, and cleared -his utterance. "When I am dead, senores, you will bury this cross -with me. And he died in your hands?" - -"Yes; and we buried him near his hut, setting up a little wooden -cross to mark his grave." - -"_Ave Madre de Dios!_ no cross will ever mark mine; no prayer, or -blessing, can accompany the departure of me!" groaned Pedro, in a low -voice, as if communing with himself. - -"From that written confession, taken in connection with the -revelations of Hawkshaw" (at this name something of the old devilish -gleam passed over Pedro's features) "we recognised both you and your -brother; and we learned that your mother, Mariquita Escudero, had -marked each of you, in infancy, with a cross on the left shoulder." - -"Yes, senor--dyed, tattooed redly on the skin, with the juice of a -plant that grows on the warm slopes of the volcano at Orizaba. See," -added Pedro, as he drew back his blue shirt, and displayed his brawny -shoulder, on which there was distinctly traced a cross like that of -St. James. "Our poor mother punctured that mark on each of her -little boys, in the hope that Santiago would take us under his -protection; but, alas! from infancy we were the peculiar care of the -infernal spirit." - -With all the impulsiveness of his race, Pedro behaved at times in a -very frantic manner, and these paroxysms induced a subsequent -weakness and lethargy, that seemed the precursor of dissolution; but -he was a man of a powerful frame, and the instinct of life was strong -within him. He expressed great satisfaction, almost joy, to learn -that Mr. Basset had survived the outrage contemplated by him and the -mutineers; and thus, that, thanks to Dr. Heriot's skill, he had one -sin less to atone for. - -Then he entreated that Ethel would come, that he might implore her -pardon. This the poor creature sought in terms so touching that -Ethel was deeply moved, and ventured to speak with him in terms of -consolation. - -But there was ever the same reply from Pedro--there was no priest on -board, and he was beyond being consoled. So Ethel proved his only -soother, and read to him at times from the Bible--her mother's -Bible--the same that had fallen from her unconscious hand on the -night when Pedro so daringly carried her off; and a striking little -group they formed--the black-haired and black-bearded Spanish -ruffian, his tawny visage, already pale and pinched by the touch of -death, pressing to his lips the red cross of Santiago again and -again, while striving to follow her words and understand them, as -they fell softly and distinctly from the lips of that fair-skinned -and delicate English girl, who sat by the side of his bed, in the -squalid and noisome forecastle, with the half dim daylight struggling -through the square scuttle above, and, perhaps, Morley, with his -loving smile, or Tom Bartelot, with his sun-burned face, listening -near. - -Sometimes, in Pedro's paroxysms, his voice rose almost to a shriek. - -"Oh! senora," he would exclaim to poor shrinking Ethel, "pray for -me--pray for me. You are good--you are kind--you are pure--while -I--I--what am I? Heaven will hear you when Heaven will not hear me!" - -"Oh, do not speak thus," implored Ethel. - -"I must, senora--I dare not pray for myself. To me the ear of God -will be deaf, or turn from me." - -"Oh! Pedro, why?" - -"I have been so wicked, so bad! I have committed many sins, and _one -most awful deed_, for which I cannot hope for pardon from Him whom I -outraged, and whose altar I desecrated--never, oh never!" - -His voice died away in low moans; but Pedro seemed no longer the same -piratical ruffian, for, when speaking, his voice, manner, and diction -were all changed and improved. - -This scene, with his mental suffering and terror of death, proved all -too much for Ethel's nervous system, and Morley wished to remove her; -but Pedro implored her to remain with him yet a little while, and -even caught her skirt as she rose to withdraw. - -"Great though your sins may be, my poor man, be assured that the -mercy of God is greater still," said Ethel, weeping. "Like the sea -we traverse, it is boundless." - -"But so may be God's vengeance, and I have shed blood--the blood of -many," he replied in a low, concentrated voice, through his clenched -teeth. - -Ethel grew very, very pale on hearing this, and drew back again, lest -he might clutch her dress once more. - -"Well, even those whose blood you shed may be praying for you, -if--if----" - -"What--what?" asked Pedro, huskily. - -"If you sincerely repent." - -"I do repent--I do repent, and sincerely too," he said, impetuously; -"but without a priest to absolve me--to give me the last sacraments -of that church in whose belief my mother reared me--what matters my -repentance?" - -Then he howled and gnashed his strong white teeth, while tearing his -black glossy hair with his only remaining hand. - -"Let hope for the future find a place in your heart, Pedro, and grow -there with repentance for the past," urged Ethel, while shrinking -close to Morley, for the appearance of the patient terrified her. - -"And then, senora, you say nothing of penance?" - -"Because I know nothing of it," replied Ethel. - -"A priest! a priest! Oh, that the sea would give up its dead, for I -know there is one, at least there; but could I face _him_?" he added, -wildly; "oh! that night of horrors at Santiago--I see the flames yet, -and feel them in my soul!" - -"Oh, Pedro Barradas," said Ethel, as this paroxysm induced weakness, -and nothing was heard but his deep and heavy breathing; "whatever be -the sins you have committed, remember that this book tells us 'there -is more joy in heaven over one sinner who truly repents than over -ninety-nine just men who do it not.'" - -"Hear her, O Lord, who created heaven and earth, who divided light -from darkness, and the sea from the land!" prayed the poor wretch, -while crossing himself again and again, with his left hand, "and who -formed me out of dust, to which I shall never return, because I must -be buried in the sea," he added with something of simplicity; then, -as his mind seemed to wander, he said, "_Mi madre_, listen to me, am -I praying aright?" - -"Yes, yes, Pedro, you pray aright," replied Ethel, covering her face -with her handkerchief, and taking Morley's arm, "lead me away, -dearest," she whispered, "I must return to papa. Pray on, Pedro, it -is proper, it is good for you." - -"_Ave Maria purissima!_" he said, "my own mother is at your feet -interceding for me. Oh, she loved her little Pedrillo so well--and -Zuares too--could she have foreseen this end!" - -His voice completely failed him now, and Morley led Ethel on deck. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -STORY OF A MODERN SPANISH ROGUE. - -"The remorse of that unfortunate wretch has in it something -appalling," said Morley, as they walked aft. - -"Bah!" replied Captain Phillips, who was busy with his quadrant; "I -have seen something of this kind before, Mr. Ashton, and know it is -only a case of 'the devil was sick:' you know the rest of the -couplet." - -"What crimes can he have committed?" said Ethel, who was weeping with -sympathy. - -"Crimes, Miss Basset!" repeated the captain, as he wiped and adjusted -the two speculums or horizon glasses; "Lord love your kind heart, -he'll have committed every crime that ever was recorded in Newgate, -and would commit 'em all again, but old King Death has brought him up -with a round turn." - -Whether it was the result of Ethel's visit, or that excess of despair -had prostrated his nerves, we know not; but as night approached Pedro -became more composed, and was heard to pray very fervently. The iron -had entered his soul; he wept freely, and his tears relieved him; but -the retrospect of his past life still rose like a barrier of flame -before him, and this he said from time to time, when Morley Ashton -and Tom Bartelot watched him by turns, or together, and gave him -drink; for he was tormented by a consuming fever and thirst. - -The night was fine and clear, the constellations that look down on -the mighty Indian Ocean were shining amid the pure ether overhead, -and the waves sparkled in light as they rolled around the fleet -_Hermione_, for she was still running steadily, close-hauled, making -a long tack towards the distant coast of Africa. - -Morley had bade "Good night" to Ethel, and he and Tom Bartelot sat -smoking on the steps of the forecastle, when they could equally -attend to the wants of Pedro, and bear a hand with what was wanted on -deck. - -As if to relieve his mind, between his muttered orisons, Pedro -mentioned many dark episodes of his career, among slavers in the West -Indies, and otter-hunters in the Pacific Ocean; among the -gold-diggers of California, and the robbers of the Barranca Secca, -between Zalappa and the Puebla de Perote. The names of Hawkshaw and -Zuares occurred more than once in these wild stories, which, with his -casual remarks, indicated Pedro's complicity in many heinous crimes, -and filled his listeners with wonder and repugnance; but there was -one story he related, with many pauses, filled with sighs and -outbursts of repentance, which showed that he was more an incarnate -fiend than a mere common villain or everyday rogue. - -To rehearse it here, as he related it--he who seemed to be in a Hades -without hope--would prove scarcely intelligible to the reader; so we -shall give this episode of Pedro's past life in our own words, with -many additions, the result of local inquiry. These are woven up with -the text of the story, as being preferable to giving them in the -tantalising form of notes. - -* * * * * * * * - -In their childhood Pedro and Zuares Barradas in no way promised to -become the outcasts of religion and of nature they proved in future -years. - -Aware of her own errors and frailty, for which she repented in -bitterness, in sackcloth and ashes, in hours of sorrow, prayer, and -self-inflicted penance, known to Heaven and herself only, Mariquita -Escudero lived for her sons alone. Had she been without them to -cling to, in the rash impulsiveness of her race and of her nature, -she would probably have committed suicide, after the sudden death of -her father, the catastrophe which happened to her young brother, -Juan, on the ramparts of San Juan de Ulloa, and the loss of her -lover, Don Pedro, who was borne away beyond the sea. - -She educated her boys carefully and lovingly, living with them the -life of a recluse at her father's solitary _granja_, on the slope of -the Pico d'Orizaba, and striving to impress them with a high sense of -religion and morality, and thought that she had done so completely, -all unaware, poor woman, of the latent and inherent spark of the -infernal spirit that slumbered in the heart of each. - -Her whole hopes for the future, her entire soul, were centred in her -little boys, and this tender and repentant mother was never weary of -watching them when they assisted at the service of mass, in carrying -tapers or little vessels of holy-water, and when making responses, in -attending the old Bishop of Orizaba within the rails of the great -altar. - -Neither was she ever weary of sewing and dressing with her own hands -the little white surplices which they wore over their black soutans -on those occasions, for she knew that her boys were handsome, and -were alike the envy and the taunt of other mothers. - -Pedro and Zuares spent nearly their whole time in or about the old -cathedral church--a fane, the pride of the wooded valley, and founded -of old by a pious follower of Hernan Cortez. They sat or played for -hours daily on the steps of that great altar, where Pedro Valdivia -prayed in his armour, ere he marched against the Aurucans of Chili. - -Thereon stood a beautiful image of Our Lady, holding in her arms her -divine Son, with arms outspread, a miracle of sculpture and painting. -She was clad in an azure robe, with an aureole and thirteen stars -above her brow, all sparkling with precious gems. - -Frequently Zuares used to talk to these figures as if they were -answering him; while hovering in the side-aisles, with a finger on -her lips, tears in her eyes, and hope and gladness in her heart, -Mariquita watched and listened, assured that they would become -faithful servants of God, and as such would atone for the errors of -her own life, and again and again she blessed her little boys, and -whispered in her mother's heart, "that of such was the kingdom of -heaven." - -Pedro at times spoke to the image of the little child Jesus, as if it -was a playfellow; while, like the little chorister of the old legend -of Chartres, Zuares was wont to say that he had divided his heart -into three portions: "one he had given to God, one to the Blessed -Virgin, and one to his mother." Yet, as years crept on, it seemed as -if all the snares of Satan had been set around to tempt and lure -them, for they rapidly fell into evil ways; they abandoned the -church, the morning mass and evening vespers, with all their duties -and services; they became the companions of outlaws and robbers, and -it was by the hand of her youngest and best-beloved son that the -unfortunate Mariquita, long since broken in heart and crushed in -soul, perished, as we have shown, in the savage gorge of the Barranca -Secca. - -Even the old bishop wept as he cursed them. - -Zuares had early joined a band of outlaws in the Barranca, where, -among many other outrages, on a dark night, when there was no other -light on earth or in heaven, save the flaming cone of Orizaba, which -lit up all the grove of peach trees that clothe the valley, they -waylaid and robbed a wealthy _escribano_, or lawyer, of the city. -Then with a refinement of cruelty, they tied him across the nearest -line of railway, and watched to see him torn to shreds by the first -train which passed; but his cries of despair--which they mimicked and -mocked--reached the ears of the engine-driver, the train was stopped -in time, and the escribano saved. He never forgot the horrors of -that night, and became an honest man for ever after, abandoning for -ever the study and practice of the law. - -He denounced Zuares, however, and the reward for his capture, offered -by the alcalde, proving too great for the cupidity of his companions, -this enterprising youth, ere long, found himself a captive in the -_carcel_ or prison of Orizaba, under sentence to die by the garotte. - -The day of his execution had been named, when letters to the bishop -and alcalde arrived, threatening vengeance, and to the dismay of the -people, the famous image of Our Lady was missed from the altar of the -cathedral church, having been carried off, with its golden aureole, -the precious gems that decked it, and the thirteen stars that -sparkled round her brow. - -In its place was found a piece of paper, on which was written: - -"A hostage for my brother. - -"PEDRO BARRADAS." - - -From the altar, the old bishop, in full pontificals, denounced -vengeance on the sacrilegious robber, and threatened with condign -punishment here and hereafter all who were concerned in this new -outrage, which filled all the good people of Orizaba with grief and -indignation, for the image of Our Lady was the peculiar palladium of -their city. - -On the following day, this notice was found appended to the cathedral -door: - - -"I, Pedro Barradas, know who stole the image of Our Lady from the -great altar; I know also in what part of the Barranca Secca it is -concealed. To the altar I shall restore it, but on two conditions; -first, the instant release of my brother Zuares, who is condemned to -die for mulcting a miserable escribano of a few ill-gotten dollars; -second, a pardon for myself; otherwise, the Holy Image shall never -more be seen." - - -Great was the indignation of the entire community at this insolence; -but discretion was deemed better than severity. Zuares was set at -liberty by the alcalde, who placed round the cathedral a guard of -soldiers, with orders to shoot down any _bandido_ who should appear, -even if he bore the image of Our Lady. - -How the act was achieved will never be known; but in the night after -the release of Zuares, the image was replaced on the altar, unseen by -the guard and other watchers. Some there were who said the soldiers -were tipsy or asleep; others stigmatised the whole affair as a trick -of the Jesuits, of course. But by far the greater number declared it -was a miracle, and Orizaba poured her thousands towards the cathedral -gates, shouting: - -"_La Madonna neustra! La Madonna del Paradiso_! A miracle! a -miracle!" - -The old bishop, however, did not share this enthusiasm; neither did -he think there was any miracle in the matter: for the holy image had -come back denuded of its golden aureole and its thirteen stars, each -of which was composed of thirteen magnificent rose diamonds. - -After this, the wooded valley of Orizaba, even the recesses of the -Barranca Secca, became too hot to hold these wicked brothers; they -fled to the sea and took a passage for San Francisco, where, after -many wanderings in the lawless land of the gold-diggers, they found -their way to Vera Cruz, and lived among some outlaws and -_contrabandists_ in their old haunt, the Barranca. - -In the summer of last year, immediately after the terrible episode of -Zuares and his mother in that wild place, Pedro and he quitted the -valley of Orizaba for the third time, and reaching the port of La -Vera Cruz, shipped as foremast-men on board a long, low, sharp, and -rakish-looking brigantine, bound, as her captain stated vaguely, "for -the Pacific, towards the Bay of Mexilones." - -She proved to be an otter-hunter, and long ere she doubled Cape Horn, -she had her eight brass guns, which had been concealed in the hold, -hoisted out and lashed to the ports, the wooden quakers they replaced -being sent below; and then sundry pikes, cutlasses, and pistols, that -had all been invisible while the brigantine was within range of the -cannon of San Juan de Ulloa, were placed upon racks in the steerage, -and presented a goodly array; for these otter-hunting craft are -lawless and contraband, and frequently their crews must fight their -way against Spanish and other war ships, like the buccaneers of old. - -She ran along the coast of South America, in sight of the snow-capped -summits of the mighty Andes, traversing a great portion of the -Pacific, without accident or adventure, until, in a forecastle row, -knives were drawn, and Zuares threatened to stab the mate. In such a -craft severe measures were necessary, so Zuares was put in the -bilboes, and would have been scourged next day, by order of the -captain, save for an accident which happened to the latter in the -night. - -Taking advantage of an intense darkness about the first hour of the -morning watch, the worthy brothers quitted the brigantine, dropping -quietly astern of her in the quarter-boat, when the harbour lights of -Valparaiso were visible about three leagues distant on the lee bow, -as they had resolved never again to face the snows and horrors of -doubling the Horn, and reefing topsails that were stiff with ice. - -They did not quit the brigantine, however, without leaving tokens of -their vengeance. The poor captain was found in his berth, with the -sheath-knife of Zuares--that illegal weapon now so constantly in use -among seamen--planted in his heart; and it was soon after discovered -that a canvas bag, containing two thousand Mexican dollars, was gone, -as well as the quarter-boat. - -But long ere this was known on board the armed brigantine, her two -deserters had pulled the boat into the harbour of Valparaiso, where -they scuttled her, and landed at the Almendral, a suburb which lies -close by the shore, and is chiefly inhabited by those who are -employed about the shipping. - -Here they divided the contents of the bag between them, and the -precious pair having shaken hands, they separated, each to shift for -himself. - -Master of a thousand silver dollars, and of himself--rid of his -brother Zuares, whose petulant and fiery temper was frequently the -means of embroiling him in useless, or what he deemed still worse, -unprofitable quarrels--Pedro hoped to enjoy himself in Chili, and -without fear, too, as the mates and crew of the otter-hunter (of whom -our late American acquaintance, Mr. Bill Badger, formed one), were -already too far beyond the pale of all laws, even those of South -America, to seek either him or Zuares, especially under the -Cordilleras de los Andes. - -He resolved to get rid of his sailor's costume; to dress himself like -an emigrant hidalgo; to take upon himself the airs, and certainly all -the ease of one, until his money was spent, and something else turned -up. He was not without hope, too, of replenishing his stock at the -Casa de Juego, or gaming-house (as we have related he was never -without a pair of cogged _dados_), and he knew, from his previous -habits and education, that he could act tolerably well the part he -meant to assume; and who could say that he might not, if a run of -fortune favoured him, marry an heiress, and settle down pleasantly -till the money was spent. - -"_Come esta el Senor Caballero Don Pedro,_" said he, as he lit a -cigarito, and slapped the bag containing his dollars with great -gusto; "courage, and to work at once, for the day will soon dawn." - -He quitted the Almendral, with its muddy streets and unpaved narrow -lanes, and just as the sun was rising, or, rather, as its light was -descending on the steep red cliffs, and penetrating into the deep -dark mountain gullies that overhang the city of Valparaiso--or the -Valley of Paradise--he found himself amid the opening shops and early -morning bustle of the spacious Plaza de la Victoria. - -He soon found the shop of a clothier (all shopkeepers in Valparaiso -are Frenchmen), under whose auspices he substituted his forecastle -attire for a round jacket of fine claret colour, braided elaborately -with yellow and scarlet silk, especially about the breast, and -slit-up sleeves, loose, braided trousers of some light material, girt -at the waist by a Spanish sash of the Chilian colours. His -sou'-wester gave place to a smart sombrero of black velvet, with a -plush bob of the same sable hue on one side, and a long scarlet -riband flowing on the other; and in lieu of the dingy checked shirt, -which was washed once weekly, and strung on the mainstay to dry, he -exhibited one of spotless linen, with elaborate needlework on the -breast. - -A poncho cloak, black without and scarlet within, was thrown over the -left shoulder, for use by night, for ornament by day, and to conceal -the bowie-knife and revolver, which completed his equipment. - -After a barber had shaved off his luxuriant beard and whiskers, -leaving only the heavy, black, and well-trimmed moustache, Pedro -walked along the shady side of the Plaza de la Victoria, surveying -his outward mien, in the plate-glass windows as he passed them, a -long regalia between his lips, master still of 930 dollars, and -perfectly satisfied with himself, and with the South American world -in general. - -In the shop of the barber he had filled up a spare moment, by fitting -on, and pocketing unseen, a luxuriant red wig, which he thought might -at some time prove useful to him; and aware that a traveller without -baggage has always short credit and a shady reputation, he next -procured a handsome trunk of ample dimensions, with screws to fix it -to the floor of any place which he might happen to honour with his -residence--a very old "dodge," indeed, or, as the Spaniards would -call it, _tergiversation_. - -Repairing to the Posa de San Augustin, still kept by a person named -Felipe Fernandez, close by the Church of the Augustin Friars, he -chose an apartment, from the lattice of which he could have a view of -the volcano of Aconcagua, sending a tremendous column of smoke up to -the very zenith, through a sky of wonderful purity, against the blue -of which the snow-capped Andes stood in a clear and awful outline; -and this selection impressed Signor Fernandez that his guest was a -wealthy hidalgo in search of the picturesque. - -"_Basta!_" said Pedro, as he tore a roasted galina to pieces at -dinner, and devoured it with more rapidity than grace, "I have eaten -nothing for two days; but this is excellent, and the wine, too--your -health, brother Zuares." - -At this posada Pedro resided for several days, and ran up a goodly -bill, chiefly for stronger liquors than are usually drunk by noble -hidalgos; but his trunk being securely screwed to the floor, so as to -be quite immovable, Felipe Fernandez was quite easy on the subject, -believing that a guest with a box so ponderous--full of duros, no -doubt--could not levant in a hurry. - -Pedro's tastes and instincts would have led him towards the alleys of -the Almendral, the harbour, and the shipping; but he remembered the -little accident which occurred on the last night he and Zuares spent -on board the brigantine, so he wisely avoided the vicinity of the -sea-shore, and turned his thoughts inland. - -He actually gave himself airs of propriety, and inquired of Signor -Fernandez which was the most attractive church in Valparaiso. Pedro -meant attractive in the number of fair devotees; but Felipe -understood him differently and replied: - -"The Matriz Church, senor. The Padres Eizagiuerro and Ugarte, from -Santiago, are preaching there now. The former is the Apostolic -Nuncio, and friend of His Holiness the Pope." - -"And their preaching draws the people in numbers?" - -"Yes, senor," replied the host, bowing lower. - -"I am particularly fond of a good sermon, and love to see a -well-filled church." - -"Why, senor, the people go for various reasons," continued Fernandez, -smiling; "the women to show themselves." - -"And the men--what do they go for?" - -"To see the women, or put off time till the theatre opens." - -"_Bueno_! I shall go to see the women, and hear the Padre--what the -devil's his name?" - -So Pedro hung a brass medal of the Madonna at his neck, bought a -rosary as thick as a hawser, and went to the Matriz Church to -vespers, and always fell asleep. Mass was too early for him, he was -always a-bed then. As all the women were very old or very ugly, he -soon grew tired of the eloquence of the Padres Ugarte and Eizagiuerro. - -The latter was the most popular; the church was usually filled by a -dense crowd, who stood, as there was no sitting space, and through -whom Pedro's brawny arms and square shoulders forced a passage, -without ceremony, right and left, straight up to the pulpit, in spite -of crinoline or other obstructions, and reiterated exclamations of -annoyance. - -"Senor, the church is quite full!" - -"So I see, senora. A charming place, isn't it?" - -"Senor, you _cannot_ pass further!" exclaimed someone else. - -"I shall try," was the cool response. - -"Senor, how can you be so troublesome?" exclaimed a young man angrily. - -Pedro turned to him with a dark scowl. - -A young lady, closely veiled, was hanging on his arm. - -"Perez--dear Perez!" said she, entreatingly, and, with a voice of -great sweetness, added, "Senor, do not crush me so, if you please." - -"Do I incommode you, senora?" stammered Pedro. - -"Very much indeed." - -"Pardon me--I shall make room." - -And he did so by lurching forward and squeezing an old duenna against -a pillar, where she was nearly suffocated by his huge back, and from -whence he began to eye--almost ogle--the young lady who had spoken. - -Her features, though partially hidden by a black lace veil, were -charming and soft, and the pressure of the crowd had deranged it so -far as to permit Pedro's bold and wandering eye to see enough of an -adorable white neck and swelling bust to make him long to look on -more. - -Her nostrils and lips in contour were singularly fine, her tresses -were of a rich ripply brown, and a valuable rosary was in her pretty -hands, which were cased in well-fitting gloves of lavender-coloured -kid. - -Pedro was smitten. He continued to ogle and leer, and make a cushion -of the old lady behind, in a mode of which the young girl was all -unconscious, for she never looked at him once, though her male -companion, whom she had named Perez, felt undisguised anger and -uneasiness from time to time. - -Of his frowns Pedro saw nothing, for his attention was riveted on the -sweet young girl, so nothing heard he of the Reverend Padre -Eizagiuerro's denunciations of worldly sin and iniquity. - -The sermon over, and benediction given, Pedro rushed to the font, -that he might give her some holy water in the hollow of his hand; but -Perez, by an awkward or intended motion, knocked it into the eyes of -Pedro, who was half blinded by its saline property. He uttered a -malediction, and resolved to follow the little beauty; but she was -driven away in a handsome carriage. - -Again and again he came to vespers; but the sweet girl was no longer -there to mingle her soft voice with the hymn; and, as we have said, -the other fair ones who attended the Matriz Church were not to our -adventurer's taste, he contented himself by leering at all the girls -who promenaded in the Plaza, and this he did so pointedly, that, in -one or two instances, nothing saved him from being punished -summarily, even in that city of poniards and police, but his towering -figure, muscular limbs, and dare-devil aspect. - -A fortnight slipped away without any adventure. - -He had not yet fallen on an heiress, and already 400 of his beloved -dollars had slipped away, but not in works of charity or devotion. -Money is easier spent than won everywhere, so Pedro began to get -tired of Valparaiso. - -He certainly led a very jolly life. There were no watches to keep in -the wind and rain; no hoarse voice at the fore-scuttle summoned all -hands to reef topsails on a sleety night; no scrambling for the best -of the beef and potatoes in the filthy mess kid; no weevils to pick -out of the mouldy biscuits; no pumps to work at, or decks to scrub; -but withal Pedro--he knew not why--began to be weary, and wonder what -Zuares was about: whether his share of the spoil was spent, and where -he had turned his steps. - -In Valparaiso, the mercantile men are nearly all Britons, Americans, -or Germans. Thus, in the _cafés_ frequented by Pedro, his appearance -and bearing did not suit their taste exactly, and he never got beyond -receiving and giving a very cold bow, exchanging a light for his -cigar, or a civil remark now and then. - -If he had the fumes of wine in his head--an element it was seldom -without--he rattled out a forecastle oath in Spanish or English, -which made them stare at him, and then at each other. Though twice -at the Casa de Juego he had more than replenished his exchequer so -rapidly that suspicion of foul play was excited, on one evening -fortune was so decidedly against him that he walked forth into the -Plaza with only ten dollars in his pocket, and the prospect of -receiving his bill at the posada, amounting to 400 at least, which -had been overdue now more than a week. - -"_Los Infernos!_" thought he; "what is to be done now?" - -The idea of donning his red wig, taking a turn through the streets -after dark, and relieving some belated citizen of his purse, occurred -to him; but he reflected on the acumen of the well-regulated police, -and, with a malediction on things in general, wished himself at San -Francisco, or La Villa Rica del Vera Cruz. - -The evening was singularly beautiful; so much so that even Pedro -could not be insensible to its lovely calm, and to the wonderful -rocky scenery that overhangs the Valley of Paradise, as he rambled -listlessly along the harbour towards the fort, on which the flag of -the Chilian Republic was waving. - -The stupendous hills that overlook the city were steeped in golden -light, which streamed into the ravines that yawned beneath them; and -each of these ravines seemed to be piled up on both sides with -white-walled houses--for every chasm formed as it were a street, that -branched upward from the low-lying suburb, named the Almendral. - -The spires, the bay with its shipping, the cannon on the batteries, -were all burnished with the yellow sheen, and over all, towering blue -and dim in the distance, rose the cone of Aconcagua, sending a cloud -of sombre smoke on the south wind, far away towards the woody and -snowy Andes, whose summits rise above the limits of eternal -frost--for the burning mountain we have named is 23,000 feet above -the level of the sea at Valparaiso; and there are thirteen similar -peaks in Chili, all nearly in a constant state of eruption, flame, -smoke, and lava. - -The lattices of a thousand villas that nestled on the sloping hills -were gleaming in the light of the setting sun, as he sunk into the -waters of the Pacific, casting the shadows of their walls and -terraced roofs on gardens, where the gorgeous, but scentless, flowers -of the tropics were closing their petals, and where the deep green -leaves of the guava contrasted with the purple tints of the olive, -the golden bulbs of the orange, and the giant quinces of Chili, that -were ripening in his warmth--the glow of a summer that never ceases. - -Pedro surveyed all this with a half-listless, half-pleased eye; and -he watched the groups of idlers, in their picturesque dresses of -gaudy colours, who thronged the harbour mole and evening promenade. -There were the graceful Spanish whites, particularly the donzellas, -with their sparkling eyes and piquante smiles, their black lace -mantillas, short crinolines, and taper ankles; the slenderly-formed -and olive-skinned mestizoes, and the half-naked, supple, and grinning -mulattoes, who sung so gaily as they worked in gangs at cranes or -capstan-bars. - -Several padres were among the promenaders, chiefly Grey Friars, in -greasy frocks and hoods, with beads and cord complete; and Chilian -soldiers were not wanting, in tawdry uniforms, with plenty of braid -without, and plenty of fleas within. - -Two priests passed him--they were tall, thin, and sallow men--for -whom all made way, for they were the famous preachers from Santiago, -the Padres Ugarte and Eizagiuerro; and when Pedro lifted his -sombrero, a pang shot through his heart as he thought of Zuares, and -their boyish days, when they carried tapers, or swung the censer -before the old Bishop of Orizaba--of what they were, and what they -might have been. - -"_Caramba!_" he muttered, "why should I think of such things?" - -The harbour was full of shipping from Lima and Peru, taking in -Cordovan leather in brown bales, cordage in vast coils, and dried -fruit in boxes of all sizes. The waves curled in golden prisms over -the great rock that lies near the shore, and the yellow-billed and -speckled seamews that always cluster there fled screaming towards the -offing, as the flag was hauled down and the evening gun boomed across -the water from the fort which the Spaniards built of old as a defence -against the Indians. - -The evening was calm and mild, and the hum of the city was carried -away by the soft breeze that swept across the bay, where hundreds of -pleasure-boats were shooting to and fro under sail or oar. - -Suddenly a gaudy little pinnace, that was running for the stairs near -the old half-moon battery, caught the nautical eye of Pedro. - -"Luff, luff, presto!" he exclaimed, as he saw there was something -foul with the sheet; "luff, you lubber!" - -The words had scarcely left his lips ere there was a shout from the -spectators. The shoulder-of-mutton sail shivered and flapped as the -boat broached-to and capsized. - -Then a lady and gentleman were seen floundering and splashing in the -water. The latter succeeded in reaching the keel of the inverted -boat, to which he clung, wildly shouting for help the while; but the -former was swept by the current that ran round the harbour rock. - -"My daughter! _O Dios mio!_ my poor daughter! She will perish--she -will drown! Who will save her? _O Madre de Dios!_ who will save -her?" exclaimed an old gentleman, rushing in despair along the quay, -wringing his hands, and gesticulating, as foreigners only do, -appealing to several men in vain. - -Pedro saw the girl rising and sinking alternately as her crinoline -buoyed her up, and piteously she shrieked every time she rose. He -coolly measured the distance from the quay to where she was drowning. -He could swim like a fish; but he thought of his new finery, so -recently donned, and was turning away, when the unfortunate father -rushed forward and grasped his hands. - -"Can you swim, senor?" he asked, impetuously. - -"Yes, a little," replied Pedro, with hesitation. - -"You can--you can!" - -"Like a duck or a dolphin sometimes." - -"A thousand dollars, if you save my poor girl, shall be yours!" -exclaimed the old man, weeping. - -"Are you sure that----" - -"I can pay you? Eh, eh. _O Dios mio!_ she will drown before my eyes -while this wretch chaffers for her life. Oh, my Ignez! my Ignez!" - -"Save her, if you can swim, I command you!" cried the full, deep -voice of the Padre Eizagiuerro, who rushed forward. "Quick, senor! -he who implores you to save his child--his only child--is the wealthy -Moreno, the richest merchant in the city of Santiago." - -"Too late!--too late!--she sinks! Pray to God for her!" cried a -hundred voices. - -"In, in!" exclaimed the Padres Ugarte and Eizagiuerro together, for -her father was almost speechless with despair; "in, if you are a -swimmer--two thousand dollars if you save her!" - -"Half my fortune--yea, all, if you will but save her!" groaned the -unhappy father. - -"Shame! shame!" muttered the crowd. - -"Two thousand will do--_presto!_ here goes!" said Pedro, as he cast -his sombrero, poncho, gaudy jacket and vest, his knife and revolver, -to the care of old Moreno, and plunged into the water amid the joyous -yells of the negroes, and the loud "_Vivas!_" of the white and yellow -spectators, many of whom were already stripping as if to anticipate -him. - -Pedro's head of black curly hair was soon seen to rise above the -water as he swam, unerringly as a Newfoundland dog, to where the man -was gesticulating frantically on the keel of the capsized boat, and -to where the poor girl had sunk. - -There he dived down, and all who looked on held their breath for a -time; many crossed themselves very devoutly; the two padres raised -their hands and eyes to heaven, and all the friars were on their -knees, with many of the people. - -Again a "_Viva!_" rent the air, as Pedro reappeared, but a few yards -off, with the girl on his left arm, while he swam vigorously with his -right, and gained the battery steps, even before a boat could reach -her, for which he was by no means anxious, as he wished to enjoy the -entire credit and profit of the enterprise; but life seemed almost -extinct in the poor creature. - -"Dead or alive," muttered the heartless Pedro; "'tis nothing to me; -2,000 dollars are a good set-off against a wet shirt!" - -The strong hand of the Padre Eizagieurro grasped his, and assisted -him up the slimy sea stair, where he placed the senseless and -dripping girl in her father's arms, and then the poor man wept as he -covered her cold, wet cheek with kisses--the purest that are ever -bestowed in this world; and now the shouts of "_Viva el noble -caballero!_" that greeted him on all sides, so applaudingly and so -vociferously, almost made Pedro Barradas believe himself the -disinterested and gallant fellow the simple people believed him to be. - -The young gentleman, who clung to the keel of the inverted boat, was -almost immediately rescued by the crew of a brigantine, in which -Pedro suddenly recognised, to his dismay, the otter-hunter; but the -lady's companion was viewed with singular displeasure by all. Even -the negroes ventured to mock him, for Pedro was the hero of the whole -episode! - -A carriage was summoned; the young lady, in whom Pedro discovered his -beauty of the Matriz Church, and, who was already reviving, was -placed therein, with her friend, or lover, as he appeared to be, by -his excessive alarm and tenderness. Her father insisted on her -preserver accompanying them, and after a little affected demur and -diffidence, he gave an anxious glance at the brigantine, another at -the crowd, lest some of her crew might be there, and, assenting, took -his place beside Moreno. - -He remembered what the Padre Eizagiuerro had said so hurriedly, that -this old gentleman was the richest merchant in Santiago, the capital -of Chili (of which the great city of Valparaiso is merely the port); -that the girl he had saved was an only child. - -"_Caramba!_" thought he; "I may get the daughter as well as the 2,000 -_duros_. Courage, Pedro, amigo mio, for fortune smiles more than -ever! How lucky it was that little accident occurred on board the -brigantine!" - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -IGNEZ DE MORENO. - -From the mole the carriage was driven to one of the most splendid -hotels in Valparaiso. Don Salvador held his daughter in his arms, -and hung over her with great solicitude and affection. She soon -began to open her eyes, and the swinging motion of the carriage -tended to promote the circulation of the blood. She was at once -committed to the care of a medical man and her own attendants, and -ere Pedro had dried his garments, and imbibed a stiff glass of -brandy-and-water, most favourable tidings of her recovery were -brought by her father, old Don Salvador, who insisted that Pedro -should stay and sup with him, promising, that if Donna Ignez were -sufficiently recovered ere he left them--which there was no reason to -doubt--her preserver should be introduced to her. - -"Bravo!" thought Pedro, as he approvingly glanced at himself askance -in a great mirror, that ascended from the marble mantelpiece under -which the gilt brassero smouldered, to the lofty frescoed ceiling; -"bravo, Pedro!--so far so well!" - -A supper, consisting chiefly of light dishes, fruit, and rare wines, -served up in costly plate and splendid crystal, made Pedro's eyes -twinkle, and ere the last flush of sunset had faded away on the -Pacific, of which they had a fine view from the open windows of the -hotel, they were joined by the Padres Eizagiuerro and Ugarte (whose -presence Pedro could very well have spared); for the former was the -confessor of Donna Ignez, and the latter was an old friend of her -family. - -Don Perez, the young man who had cut such a sorry figure on the keel -of the inverted boat, also joined the party, but he was silent, -reserved, and dissatisfied. - -"Pardon me, senor," began Salvador de Moreno--a benevolent-looking -old gentleman, whose silky hair was white as snow, though his face, -which was noble in feature, wore a deep ruddy brown hue--"pardon me," -he continued, after having expressed his gratitude in the most -extravagant terms; "but may I inquire the name of a gentleman to whom -my daughter owes her life, and I so much?" - -Now, Pedro had not thought of a name to assume; but, with all the -ready wit of a rogue, he at once foresaw that to adopt any _other_ -Christian cognomen than his own might prove awkward, if he forgot it, -or failed to keep his cue, so he replied: - -"Don Pedro Florez de Serrano." - -The old merchant bowed very low indeed, for the name sounded well, -and somehow not unfamiliar. - -"You have served----" - -"In the navy--yes," said Pedro, hastily. - -"Ah--I thought so." - -"Curse his clever eyes!" thought Pedro; "there is no concealing a -sailor's hands." - -Ere this, he had discovered a necessity for concealing this -circumstance, which had always excited suspicions of his assumed -character, for his hands were, of course, browned by tar and -exposure, and hardened by tallying on to ropes, cables, and -capstan-bars. He resolved to invest in a box of kid gloves -forthwith, and to account for his nautical bearing, said: - -"I am a lieutenant in the navy of the Southern States, on parole not -to serve during the war against the North. I belonged to that famous -ship, the _Florida_." - -Don Salvador and the two padres bowed again, while Don Perez, a pale, -but rather handsome young man, on whom Pedro's sharp eye turned from -time to time, stared before him straight at his wine-glass, and -looked, if possible, more discontented than ever. - -"Jealous already, my old friend of the Matriz Church!--ho! ho!" -thought Pedro. - -"As your name is Florez," said the Padre Ugarte, "may I inquire -whether you are any relation of Don Florez de----?" - -Here the priest named a famous Spanish grandee. On which the -adventurous Pedro promptly replied, while holding his glass to the -liveried and aiguiletted servant, to be filled with hock, iced and -sparkling, for the sixth time: - -"I am no relation whatever, I believe--only a namesake." - -"Indeed!" - -"Since the death of my uncle, the Corregidor of Ciudad Rodrigo, in -the old country, I have only one relation in the world." - -"Ah, indeed!" remarked Padre Eizagiuerro, who seemed to be studying -Pedro closely with his small, keen eyes. - -"My father's cousin," he resumed, with a steady stare, which somewhat -abashed the worthy ecclesiastic. - -"May I inquire?" asked Perez, who had not yet spoken. - -"Certainly--old Serrano, the Captain-General of Cuba." - -"El Mariscal Duque de Serrano!" exclaimed Ugarte. - -"Certainly--do you know him, Senor Padre?" continued Pedro, with -affected carelessness, while rolling up a paper cigarito, knowing -well that the truth of this bold statement would never be tested in -the Republic of Chili; and though a citizen thereof, Don Salvador now -bowed very low indeed, for he had enough of the old Spaniard in his -disposition to have a respect, bordering on awe, for long names and -long pedigrees. The priests glanced at each other doubtfully, but -remained silent, for they were more acute men of the world than their -worthy host. - -"And how came you among us here in Chili?" asked Perez. - -"Simply by a stroke of fortune, senor. My parole cuts me off -indefinitely from naval employment; my cousin will do nothing for me, -either in Castile or in Cuba, so I have come here to kill time by -travelling, attended by a young fellow named Zuares, a faithful -servant, whom I have lost; so I find myself," added Pedro, who, -thanks to the tutelage of the old Bishop of Orizaba, could express -himself well when he chose, "by the great shores of the Pacific -without a single friend." - -"Do not say so, I entreat you, Senor Don Pedro," exclaimed old -Moreno, impulsively, as he shook the speaker's hands; "oh," he added, -while his eyes filled, "how much do I owe you, _Madre de Dios!_--how -much?" - -("Two thousand dollars, my golden pigeon!" thought Pedro.) - -"I shall be your friend, senor, and so must our kinsman Perez." - -Don Perez mumbled some reply half in his wine-glass, for he evidently -viewed our adventurer with no favourable eyes. Indeed, though loving -his young cousin Ignez with all his soul, he had scarcely grace to -thank Pedro for fishing her up from the bottom of the bay. Perez de -Moreno was rather a handsome young man; his black hair was shorn -short, and he had smart moustaches, that stuck straight out right and -left, terminating in sharp points, and his costume, though -provincial, became him well. - -He wore a short, round jacket of dark figured silk (surtouts and -swallow-tails are unknown in these regions); a rich vest of scarlet -satin; a shirt open at the neck, fastened by gold studs, in the -centre of each of which a diamond flashed; long, straight pantaloons -of chocolate-coloured velvet, girt by a sash of yellow silk; a -broad-brimmed brown beaver, encircled by a gold band; straw-coloured -kid gloves, and a knife concealed somewhere, no doubt, completed his -attire. - -As yet not a word had been said about the dollars, and -notwithstanding his chivalrous character and high connections, our -friend Pedro was getting impatient on the subject, and was very well -pleased when it was referred to, with a covert sneer, by Don Perez. - -"Ah, true, true, Dios mio! I had forgotten," exclaimed Don Salvador, -producing a gilt morocco pocket-book, and opening it hastily; but -Pedro, knowing well the character of the merchant, and having a deep -and ultimate game in view, declined to receive a single dollar for -the service rendered. Don Salvador expostulated, remonstrated, and -was almost indignant, while Pedro rose fifty per cent. in the -estimation of the two priests. At last, he could with difficulty, -apparently, be prevailed upon "to accept, as his remittances from -Charleston had been delayed," a cheque from his host, on the bank of -Santiago, for 1,000 dollars. - -"We leave this to-morrow for Santiago, where we reside. I should -like my daughter to see you ere we go; but I find that, if she is -well enough, we must start by sunrise. If you should ever visit our -city, don't forget us, senor--don't forget us, I beseech you," and -the old gentleman presented his card, on which was engraved the name -and address: - -"_Don Salvador de Moreno, Alameda de la Canada._" - -"I shall not forget, be assured, senor," said Pedro, pocketing the -cheque and the card; and now, thinking, as the lights were beginning -to multiply, that the time had come when it would be prudent to take -his departure, he solemnly, and with much profuse politeness, bade -his intended father-in-law adieu, for in this relationship he -actually viewed Don Salvador already. "I have some business to -transact, about--about--but it does not matter what, so I shall not -be long behind you here." - -He remembered the brigantine at anchor in the bay, and resolved to -quit Valparaiso without loss of time. - -"_Adios_, Padre Ugarte--Padre Eizagiuerro, _adios_!" said he, waving -his hat, and yawing some what in his course towards the door; -"_adios_, Don Perez; don't forget to learn to swi--swi--swim. A -thousand farewells to you, Don Salvador." - -Fortunately the door was promptly opened by a servant, or Pedro would -have lurched against its panels of plate-glass, and ere long he found -himself in the street, with his back against a lamp-post, and very -dim ideas of how he had quitted the hotel. Then he thought Don Perez -had insulted him, and a vague notion of returning and punching that -individual's head floated through his own. - -The cool breeze from the Pacific partly sobered him; he wrapped his -poncho round him; felt if the cheque was safe; and, then, remembering -that he was in a strange place, he searched next for his knife and -revolver. - -"All right--_bueno!_"--he hiccuped, "now for the Posada de San -Augustin. The church is just opposite the posada--no, it is the -posada that is opposite the church, _amigo mio_." - -Though tipsy, he reflected that he had a heavy bill due there; but as -he had not the slightest intention of liquidating it, the expenses of -a night more would matter little, as he meant to depart for Santiago -on the morrow and follow up his fortune there without delay. - -Pedro lay long a-bed next day for divers weighty reasons. He had a -crushing headache--the result of iced champagne, moselle, sherry, and -brandy-punch; he had to remember all the little romances he had -invented for the behoof of Don Salvador and the jealous Don Perez; he -also deemed it safer to keep out of the way till nightfall--even -though skilfully disguised--than to wander about Valparaiso while -that devilish brigantine (he could see her from the posada windows) -was anchored off the battery. - -Among other things, Pedro reflected that he must get rid of Don -Perez, whom he already hated as a rival. - -He knew well that attentions to the fair sex must be gone warily -about under the shadow of the Andes; for though the women of South -America are handsome and gay, their ideas of morality are somewhat -cloudy and vague, hence the jealousy of the men is extreme, their -vengeance deadly and sudden. Spanish and Indian blood make a fiery -mixture in that land of earthquakes and volcanoes. - -Gallantry to women, married or single, is often repaid by the bullet -or stiletto of a parent or lover; and yet what a certain writer says -of California suits Chili, or any other of these regions, equally -well, for there the very men who would lay down their lives to avenge -the honour of their own family, would risk the same lives to complete -the dishonour of another. - -But the intentions of Senor Don Pedro Florez de Serrano, of the -Southern navy, were strictly honourable. He contemplated nothing but -matrimony. - -Some woman he meant to marry; whether she was a princess or a -_paisano_, whether, like Ignez, the heiress of uncounted pistoles, or -the pretty keeper of a _taberna_, mattered nothing to him provided -she could supply all his little exigences till he grew tired of her, -slipped his cable and ran off to sea again. - -So now an opportunity of the most golden and unexpected kind--one -favoured by fortune and those good old romantic accessories of all -lovers and novelists--to wit, gratitude and adventure, had suddenly -opened up to him. - -It seemed that he had but to go in and win. He was the rescuer from -death of an heiress, young, beautiful, tender, and simple "as a -sucking turkey," to use one of his own peculiar forecastle phrases; -so he leaped from bed about mid-day, called for a long glass of -brandy and potash iced, to assist in clearing his faculties, after -which he began to consider in what fashion he would "levant" from the -Posada de San Augustin and set out for Santiago, without seeking for -his bill, to attempt which, when he had but ten dollars in hand, -would only have been an insult to his worthy host, Felipe Fernandez, -whom, he had no desire to offend. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -HOW PEDRO PROVIDED HIMSELF WITH A HORSE AND VALET. - -Santiago lies sixty miles south-west of Valparaiso towards the Andes, -a rough and hilly road. To proceed there on foot by no means suited -Pedro's ideas of locomotion, while to travel by any kind of vehicle -might lead to detection and other serious annoyances, so, as evening -approached, and Pedro considered that old Moreno and his daughter -must have had ten or twelve hours' start, he became sorely perplexed. - -The sun set, the moon rose, and still Pedro was undecided. - -Slowly, solemnly, and majestically that broad, round silver moon -ascended from the calm waters of the Pacific. White as snow shone -all the plastered streets of Valparaiso, and the sea that rolled -rippling into the bay, between the embattled forts, seemed a sheet of -liquid sheen; but in the blue sky her silver light struggled for -supremacy with a lurid red cast--not upon the clouds, for there were -none--but upon the very ether itself, by the flames that were now -shooting upward from the vast cone of Aconcagua. - -From the windows of the front drawing-room, or large public saloon of -the posada, which opened towards the bay, Pedro sauntered, sunk in -thought and rage--perplexity always took that form with him--to those -of the back, which overlooked the stable-yard, and there a violent -altercation arrested his attention. It was taking place between no -less a personage than Felipe Fernandez and a horseman who had just -arrived. - -"I have ridden from the Maypo River," said the latter, "and must put -up here." - -"A short distance, senor, and your horse is quite fresh," replied the -host; "it is useless dismounting, as I cannot accommodate you." - -"Why?" asked the other, with a malediction which sounded familiar to -the ear of Pedro. - -"We have no room." - -"Bah! I have been told that elsewhere." - -"Very likely," replied the host, drily, as he turned to retire. - -"If you have no room inside, just shove a pole out of the upper -window, and I'll roost on that in California fashion," urged the -speaker, as he deliberately dismounted, and, taking the lasso from -his saddlebow, threw it over his arm; "I must have a bottle of wine, -at least, ere I look for other diggings--_caramba_." - -This interjection made Pedro regard the stranger more closely as he -passed from where he had fastened his horse, and crossed the yard in -the full blaze of the moonlight. Then Barradas ground his teeth as -he recognised Cramply Hawkshaw, whom he had not met since that -afternoon of crime in the Barranca Secca; and he was quite as much -enraged and bewildered on seeing Hawkshaw there in the Posada de San -Augustin as that personage had been on beholding him when perched on -the yard-arm of the _Hermione_, on that evening after she left London. - -But Pedro's measures were rapidly taken; already he heard the -footsteps of him he must avoid ascending the broad marble-staircase -of the hotel! Save his poncho, knife, and revolver, Pedro had no -luggage that he cared about, so he thrust the weapons in his sash, -threw the poncho over his shoulders, stuck his sombrero fiercely on -his head, and brushed past Hawkshaw just as that person entered the -room. - -Descending quickly to the stable-yard, Pedro went straight to where -Hawkshaw's horse was standing in shadow, and after deliberately -giving a glance at the bit and bridle, and lengthening the -stirrup-leathers, to suit himself, he mounted, rode softly out of the -stable-yard, and before Captain Hawkshaw, late of the Texan Partisan -Rangers, had finished his wine, and had another expostulation with -the _maestro de casa_, who either knew him of old, or disliked his -trapper-like equipment, Pedro was fully three miles from Valparaiso, -and was ascending, at a slow pace, of course, the steep and winding -path which led to one of the many ravines in the mountain range that -overhangs the city. - -The horse had come from the Maypo River that day, as Hawkshaw stated; -but it was strong and active, being one of that degenerated breed of -Spanish chargers, which are to be met with, sometimes in herds of -10,000, on the vast plains which extend from the shores of La Plata -to the mountains of Patagonia. His head was broad; his legs clumsy; -he was long-eared, rough-coated, and of a chestnut bay colour; but, -like his brethren of the grassy prairies, he was possessed of great -strength and spirit, and thus ascended the rough mountain path with -unflagging zeal; but not so quickly as to prevent another horse, -whose hoofs were heard behind, from gaining on him as they entered -the ravine in the hills, where their galloping was re-echoed by the -overhanging volcanic rocks. - -Pedro's hasty flight, together with the disappearance of the horse of -the unwelcome visitor, who now stormed, and threatened to complain to -the nearest alcalde, having excited the suspicion of the host, and a -gust of rage in the breast of Hawkshaw, the latter, on hearing of the -ponderous and immovable trunk, suggested that it should at once be -examined, for, being aware of every species of trick under the sun, -he at once suspected that it was full alone of emptiness. - -Promptly acting on this alarming suggestion, Fernandez burst it open, -and then nothing was seen in it, save the heads of the screws that -secured it to the floor. He tore his hair, said many irreverent -things of poor San Augustin, the patron of his posada, and leaping on -one of his own horses, after a few inquiries, started in pursuit of -the runaway along the Santiago road. - -His horse being one of those which are imported from San Domingo, was -of pure Castilian breeding, and rapidly overtook the Chilian nag -ridden by Pedro, whom Fernandez soon recognised in the moonlight, as -he jogged along, with his toes turned out and his elbows squared, and -whom he summoned to stop, just as they gained the wildest part of the -ravine, where the hills overhung it darkly, though at its western -end, far down below, could be seen white Valparaiso, its deep-blue -bay and shipping, its lighted thoroughfares, its spires and convents, -spread out like a fairy map in the silver sheen. - -"Hollo!" answered Pedro, reining up, "who are you that follow a -gentleman thus, shouting on the road like a drunken Indian? What--is -it you, Senor Fernandez?" - -"Yes, tis I," replied the landlord, breathless alike with rage and -his hasty ride, yet resolving to dissemble a little; "permit me to -expostulate with you, senor, on the double mistake you have -committed." - -"Mistake--I?" - -"Yes, senor!" - -"Explain yourself, and quickly too," replied Pedro, fiercely, as he -grasped the revolver under his poncho. - -"You have taken a stranger's horse from my house, and departed -without paying the bill." - -"I have left baggage, fellow," Pedro was beginning, with great -loftiness. - -"Only an empty box," interrupted Fernandez, but with rather a -quavering voice, when remembering with deep mortification that he had -come on this errand unarmed. - -"You know Don Salvador de Moreno?" - -"Perfectly." - -"I have here a cheque of his for a large sum, sir," said Pedro, -producing the old merchant's stamped paper. "What change have you -about you?" - -"I regret, senor, that I have only twenty pistoles," said the -landlord, with sudden affability; "yes--just twenty, and a few -dollars." - -"All of which I require you to hand over instantly, or I shall send -this bullet through your brain!" cried Pedro, with an oath, as he -levelled the revolver full at the head of the startled Fernandez. - -The latter saw the steel barrel glittering in the moonlight; he saw -the caps on the breech; and he saw, too, that there was no -misunderstanding the fierce glitter in the eyes of Pedro. The path -was lonely, and no aid was nigh. - -"_Presto!_" roared Pedro; "I have no time to spare." - -With a reluctance that was no way feigned, Fernandez gave his purse, -which Pedro thrust into his pocket. - -"Now, senor," said Fernandez, "I beseech you to give me the horse, -for which I must account to Captain Hawkshaw, as he left it on my -premises." - -Pedro laughed aloud on hearing this request. - -"Harkye, shipmate, he rides seldom who only rides borrowed horses; so -I ride seldom, and, being a sailor, don't overlike it. Captain -Hawkshaw is an old friend of mine, and may find his horse if he -inquires at Quillota." (This was said to mislead the landlord as to -his route.) "All my little mistakes are rectified now, I think, eh? -_Adios_! I shall always recommend the Posada de San Augustin to my -friends. Your cooking is admirable, your wines ditto. Be assured -alike of my boundless custom and most distinguished consideration -when next I visit your beautiful city of Valparaiso." - -And thus bantering, the ruffian rode off, leaving Fernandez, -speechless with rage, to retrace his steps or enjoy the moonlight -among the mountains, as he chose, on very bad terms, however, with -his patron, San Augustin, whom he believed had handed him over to the -Evil One. - -Pedro's horse, if not swift, had good mettle in him, and trotted -steadily eastward up the ascent, towards the higher ranges of hills, -and ere long no less than four volcanic peaks were visible, all -flaming at once, like the cones of a mighty natural furnace, and -casting from afar off a glow of fire even to the zenith. - -At midnight, the moonshine was still glorious. Pedro had ridden more -than half-way to Santiago--thirty miles--so he stopped to rest -himself, rather than the poor horse, in a little dell amid groves of -mimosa trees, where parroquets, flame-coloured and green, chattered -amid the branches; where the tall ceibas, or cotton-wood timber, cast -their shadows on a deep and reedy lagune, whereon the giant -water-flowers of that tropical region floated, and where, for -coolness, the picaflor, or little humming-bird, nestled in their cups -by day. - -Though a South American, Pedro, as a seaman, had been long unused to -the saddle. He felt as if all his bones had been mangled; wearily he -threw the bridle over the stump of a broken tree, and stretched -himself on the grass, while his nag drank of the lagune. - -On the whole, Pedro was greatly pleased with himself. He had Don -Salvador's bill for 1,000 dollars; he had ten dollars yet remaining -of the plunder from the brigantine, and he had twenty pistoles and -four dollars just taken from Fernandez. Then there was Hawkshaw's -horse, which, with its furniture, he valued at 500 more. - -"_Vamas!_" thought he; "at this rate I shall soon realise a fortune." - -While Pedro was thus casting up this little sum, gained by his -industry, he did not perceive a dark, lithe, and athletic young -fellow, who had been lurking among the luxuriant weeds, and who now -stole stealthily towards him, with a knife glittering in his hand; -and little thought Pedro that the clink of his ill-gotten pistoles -had been overheard. - -This stealthy personage wore a red baize shirt, a yellow poncho -cloak, or _surreppa_, an old-fashioned Spanish hat, much broken and -bruised, and long brown leather leggings. - -He had a calf-skin girdle, fastened to which by a thong the sheath of -his knife was dangling, beside an Indian bota, or drinking-flask. - -Gliding like a serpent or eel, he was close to Pedro, ere a sound -made the latter turn sharply, with instinctive caution. - -Each uttered an imprecation--an expletive not to be found in Johnson -or Walker--there was a gleam of the lurker's knife, and a flash of -Pedro's pistol, as they closed suddenly, and, without harming each -other, suddenly drew back. - -"Pedro!" - -"Zuares!" - -Such were the exclamations that escaped the lips of these worthies, -just in time to prevent a little culpable fratricide. - -The brothers now exchanged an account of their adventures since they -had scuttled the boat of the brigantine at the harbour of the -Almendral, and separated, each to shift for himself. - -Those of Zuares were very simple, being merely the breaking of all -the commandments, and spending his dollars in such a fashion that the -atmosphere of Valparaiso became too hot for his comfort, and he was -now travelling inland, to avoid the chance of being legally garotted -in a city where there was no Sangrado equalling our friend Heriot in -a skill calculated to baffle even Calcraft. - -But Pedro's narrative and intentions filled Zuares with genuine -admiration and envy of his brother, the part of whose valet he -promptly resolved to personate, in the prosecution of their scheme -upon the funds and family of Don Salvador de Moreno, the account of -whose simplicity, together with the beauty of Donna Ignez, he vowed -to be quite delightful. - -"Of course. _Corpo Santo!_ a rich man's only daughter is always -lovely," said Pedro; "but now, Zuares, _hermano mio_, you must -remember all I have said, particularly about our--I mean _my_ noble -relatives." - -"I have spelt them all over, I think. There is Serrano, -Captain-General of Ciudad Rodrigo, and your cousin, Don Florez, who -is alcalde of Cuba----" - -"No, no, no!" exclaimed Pedro; "at this rate you will play the devil -with me. I am Don Pedro Florez de Serrano, cousin to the -Captain-General of Cuba; my late uncle was corregidor of Ciudad -Rodrigo, as rich and as pious as you please." - -"And you--you are----" - -"A lieutenant of the Southern Navy on parole; which will account for -my brown hands, and other shortcomings in the matter of gentility. -You----" - -"I am a most attached and faithful servant." - -"A regular Sancho. You have your cue?" - -"_Por vida del demonio_, what a game!" - -"_Glorioso! Vamos_ (come)!" - -And the two rascals laughed heartily as they resumed the road that -led to Santiago, chatting, and fraternally riding by turns the horse -of Hawkshaw, which now, poor animal, began to droop its head and ears -in weariness. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -THE ALAMEDA DE LA CANADA. - -"That Fortune is not nice in her morality," says Maria Edgeworth; -"that she frequently favours those who do not adhere to truth more -than those who do, we have early had occasion to observe. But -whether fortune may not be in this, as in all the rest, treacherous -and capricious--whether she may not by her first smiles and favours, -lure her victims to their cost, to their utter undoing at last, -remains to be seen." - -And so it remains to be seen how far the blind goddess favoured Pedro -and his well-beloved brother, Zuares. - -Towards the close of the next day, they drew near the great city of -Santiago, and meeting a muleteer, who was travelling towards -Quillota, with a train of mules, laden with jerked beef and hemp, -they further improved their financial resources by selling to him the -horse of Hawkshaw, with bridle and saddle, for 100 dollars, and the -muleteer was too well pleased with his bargain to make any particular -inquiries respecting it; but took the precaution, after he left the -sellers, to halt in the first peach grove, and shear off the horse's -mane, dock his tail and forelock, and otherwise disguise him. - -On entering Santiago, to avoid any further mistakes, Pedro proceeded -at once to get Don Salvador's cheque turned into hard cash of the -Chilian Republic. Then he had the somewhat picturesque costume of -Zuares changed for a handsome suit of Spanish livery; and, thirdly, -he betook himself to the Alameda de la Canada, just as the streets -were being lighted, in search of the house of the Morenos. - -The Alameda of Santiago is, perhaps, the most magnificent promenade -in any of the South American cities. It is more than 150 years old. -Measuring 1,000 yards in length, it is divided into three stately -walks, on each side of which runs a carriage-way. There are also -three canals, which intersect it, and six rows of gigantic poplars. - -Here is also the ancient convent of St. Francis, with a church built -of pure white stone, having a lofty steeple, from the galleries of -which may be seen the fertile vale that stretches to the base of the -Andes--the land of gold and of fire. - -The stone seats were all occupied by ladies. All were gay, and many -of them were beautiful. Their lace mantillas were all thrown back, -to float over their shoulders, for the evening was warm, and all -their large feather fans were at work. - -Gentlemen in sombreros hovered round their seats in hundreds, and the -fine band of a Lancer regiment of the Chilian Republic played near -the octagon fountain, at the foot of the centre walk, and filled the -ambient air with the strains of "Il Trovatore." - -The December evening was lovely, as well as warm (the thermometer -rises to 85 degrees there in January), and the yellow glory of the -set sun yet lingered on the giant summits of the snow-clad Andes, -shaded off into saffron, purple, and dark blue in the ravines and -valleys, through which roll those rivers that mingle their gold-dust -with the sand on the shores of the Pacific--the Rio Monte and the -Aconcagua, whose banks are bordered by groves of the orange, the fig, -the peach, and the pomegranate, for in Chili the land teems with all -that can minister to luxury and to wealth. - -Accompanied by his valet, who walked at a respectful distance behind, -bearing his poncho and umbrella, our acquaintance, Don Pedro Florez, -walked along the Alameda, with a cigar in his mouth, his sombrero -stuck very much over his right eye, and both hands thrust into his -trousers pockets. He peered or leered into the faces of all the -ladies with an air of assurance that he might not have adopted, had -he and Zuares not recently dined. He inquired of a water-carrier for -the mansion of Don Salvador, and it was speedily pointed out to him. - -"_Demonio!_" thought Pedro, as he ascended the broad flight of marble -steps in front; "it is a regular palace, this! And what if Donna -Ignez should have been too ill to travel after her cold bath?--she -may be still at Valparaiso." - -Pedro was somewhat scared, and Zuares was so completely, by the -magnitude and magnificent aspect of the mansion, the door of which -was open, revealing a lighted vestibule, and lamps were shining -through nearly all of its lofty windows. The balconies were richly -gilded; the Venetian blinds were all up, and thus the rich curtains, -the draperies, and gilded ceilings of the apartments could be seen -from the Alameda. - -Don Salvador was at home. - -Pedro took his cloak from his valet, whom he told, with great -condescension, to amuse himself for the remainder of the evening at -the dancing-rooms, but to be at their hotel before midnight. Zuares -touched his hat, with his tongue in his cheek, while his brother was -ushered into the _ante-cámera_, or drawing-room, where Don Salvador, -Don Perez, and Padre Eizagiuerro (whom he could very well have -spared) received him with great politeness; but the first alone with -any cordiality. - -Coffee and chocolate were being served round, and Donna Ignez came -forward, blushing and smiling, to be presented to her "brave -preserver." - -She was, evidently, of pure Spanish blood; her pale brunette -complexion showing clearly that there was no native mixture in her -blue veins; while her eyes, and their lashes and brows, were black as -night. - -As Pedro surveyed the girl's pure loveliness, not her least -attractions seemed to be her necklace, her long pendant ear-rings, -her bracelets, and high Spanish comb, all _en suite_--all blood-red -rubies, which sparkled all the brighter for the snowy pearls that -mingled with them in settings of richly-chased gold, for Pedro -Barradas had the eye and heart of a pirate. - -Two sisters of the pale and discontented Don Perez were -present--Donna Erminia, a tall and magnificent girl (whose broad -white shoulders and large proportions made Pedro wish that she had -been the merchant's daughter), and little Donna Paula, who was only -some ten years old or so, but who seemed a miniature edition of -Erminia, with a high comb, fan, and veil, a demure little face, and -calm, black, inquiring eyes. She sat on a velvet hassock near the -knee of Don Salvador, with whom she was an especial favourite. - -All unused to society such as this, Pedro was sorely abashed for a -time, till his natural impudence came to his aid. His past -education, and his service as a boy in the cathedral church of -Orizaba, he now recalled with success, and the knowledge he had -gained of clerical matters, served him in his endeavours to cast -"dust in the eyes" of the Padre Eizagiuerro as to his real character, -and yet, withal, the priest mistrusted him. - -He saw that there was something unreal about this Don Pedro--that he -was not a gentleman of Spain, or any other place; and as for the -Padre Ugarte, he suspected something worse than mere imposture. Yet, -veiling the native ferocity of his character, Pedro was now humble, -fawning, and discreet--oh! exceedingly discreet! He had a great game -to play--a rich end in view. - -"We met, senor, once before that accident," said Donna Ignez, looking -up with a bright smile in her soft eyes. - -"Yes, senora," replied Pedro. - -"At the Matriz Church--ah, you remember!" - -"Could I ever forget?" was the gallant response. - -"And the sermon?' - -"It was divine," said Pedro, in a low voice, but yet distinct enough -to reach the ear of the padre. - -So now they were friends at once, to an extent that cousin Perez -could neither understand nor relish. - -Though, when inflamed by his potations, a mad ruffian, as we have -shown by his proceedings on board the _Hermione_, Pedro was not -altogether destitute of the subtle art of winning female favour--the -art in which his father excelled so fatally, and which was the only -inheritance he had left him--so he exerted every energy to please the -fair young Ignez, and to use with industry the time that fortune gave -him. - -So, after detailing a very bloody engagement between the ships of the -Federals and Confederates, in which he alleged he was wounded and -left for dead on the enemy's deck, he suddenly affected to discover a -new source for deep interest in Donna Ignez--a close and most -remarkable resemblance which she bore to "a sister, whom he loved -dearly." - -"Where does she reside?" asked Donna Erminia; "in Spain?" - -"Dear old Spain, of which papa talks so much," added her cousin Ignez. - -"Alas! no," said Pedro, beginning to cudgel his invention. - -"Is she dead?" asked Ignez, gently. - -"No." - -"Then she must be married, of course?" said little Donna Paula, -fanning herself with all the air of her great-grandmother. - -"No--she became a nun, in spite of my advice," said Pedro, sighing; -"one of the sisters of Santa Clara." - -"Where, senor?" asked Erminia; "we are very curious, you see; but it -is the privilege of our sex." - -"At Orizaba; and it was long before our good friend, the bishop, who -was her godfather----" - -"Ah, you know the Bishop of Orizaba, do you, senor?" said the Padre -Eizagiuerro, coming suddenly forward. - -"Perfectly, padre," replied Pedro, wishing his tongue had been bitten -off. - -"Probably you have heard the story of the miraculous image, which -came back to the cathedral in the night?" - -"Yes; but at that time I was on board the _Florida_." - -"I have just had a letter from the bishop about it." - -"Indeed, padre," stammered Pedro, beginning to feel far from -comfortable, as the padre began to search the pockets of his soutan. - -"Dear me--dear me----where can I have put it?--he is an old college -friend of mine--I have left it in my vestry; but, senor, you will be -glad to learn that they have now distinct traces of the impious -thief, who so sacrilegiously stole the thirteen diamond stars and the -golden aureole from the holy image of Our Lady." - -Pedro, who had hitherto been piling falsehood upon falsehood, winced -at this communication, and felt himself grow pale; but, to his -infinite relief, the padre turned away to address Don Salvador. - -"Talking of thieves, ladies," said Pedro, "I had a robber encounter -last night, on the hills above Valparaiso." - -"An encounter--_Madre de Dios_--of what nature?" - -And, thereupon, Pedro proceeded to detail a very spirited scuffle, in -which he must have perished, as he had at least fifteen assailants, -but for the unexpected arrival of his servant, the faithful Zuares. - -"The man you lost at Valparaiso, senor?" said Moreno. - -"Exactly--the same brave fellow." - -"Oh, Don Pedro, this is romance upon romance!" exclaimed Ignez, as, -with two very white hands, she smoothed back the dark masses of her -magnificent hair, evidently greatly pleased with the impostor, to -whose rhodomontades she listened as a charming and romantic young -lady, whose life has just been saved by a striking, athletic, and -imposing dark stranger, may be supposed to do. - -Her cousin and _fiancé_, who had clung for life or death to the keel -of the pinnace, which he had overset by mismanagement, was fearfully -at a discount--even little Donna Paula did not mind him a bit; and of -this state of matters Don Pedro Florez, cousin of the Marshal Duke de -Serrano, hastened ito make the best use, for he could temper his -assurance with vast art when he chose, affecting actually to be timid -and shy--he "had always been so, when studying at Salamanca," as he -whispered to Ignez, when seated at the piano. - -He soon cherished a love (if we may call it so) for this unsuspecting -girl; but, like the love that Hawkshaw bore for Ethel Basset, the -lust of lucre was its basis--recklessness and obstinacy did the rest. - -On the other hand, a long, weary, and somewhat tame engagement with -her cousin--an understood affair, that had lasted all her -girlhood--rendered Ignez, perhaps, more open to the advances of a -stranger, by the very novelty of his attentions. - -After making an appointment to drive with the whole party to the -beautiful valley of Mepooho next day, Pedro returned to his hotel -extremely well pleased with himself, and just in time to prevent -Zuares, who had been imbibing too freely in the Reeoba, or -market-place, from being carried off by the horse-police, for drawing -his knife on the waiters, kissing the chambermaids, and other little -eccentricities. - -Pedro made such admirable use of the opportunities afforded by that -expedition to the valley, and others, in which the young ladies took -him to see the Jesuits' Church, the Chapel of Our Lady del Rosario, -the great Church of La Campagnia, and other public sights, that he -had thrice spoken of love to Ignez, who only blushed and smiled, but -did not forbid him, or seek to avoid the subject, unless when Perez -or her father were within hearing, when a quick warning glance from -her charming eyes withheld him. Thus the heedless girl, -unfortunately for herself, established with him a species of secret -understanding, which made Pedro conceive a very daring scheme -indeed--to compel her to become his by a _coup-de-main_, as he -dreaded the result of the padre's correspondence with the bishop, and -an exposure of his escapade at the Posada de San Augustin. - -More than one painful and unpleasant scene ensued between Ignez and -her cousin Perez now. She was piqued, and he was furious; hence the -coldness that ensued between them favoured the adventurous Pedro. -Yet poor Don Perez loved the wilful girl to distraction, as the -phrase is. - -He was too feeble to compete in bodily strength with such a bulky -ruffian as Pedro, and was too honourable to resort to secret means of -getting rid of him. Failing with Ignez herself, he disdained to -apply for the intervention of her father's authority, and yet he saw -daily, yea, hourly, how, misled by her imagination alone, the heart -of his beautiful cousin was being corrupted, warped and turned from -him. - -"Why is this?--how is this?--answer me, Ignez?" he once asked her, -imploringly. - -"He saved me," said she, with her sweet face half averted from him, -"when you left me to perish." - -"Ignez!" exclaimed the young man, in a voice of shame and agony. - -"It is true, cousin Perez." - -"I cannot swim--I have told you so a hundred times." - -"Then you should learn, my poor Perez." - -"I could but shout for succour." - -"And _he_ came!" she said, with heaving breast and flashing eyes. - -"Unless assisted by Heaven, I could not have saved you, dear, dear -Ignez," said he, almost in tears. - -"Then you should have perished with me, if you loved me." - -"_If I loved you!_" he repeated, in sorrowful reproach; "but what -need was there for perishing, when I saw succour coming?" - -"You saw him--you saw him who saved me," continued the pitiless -little beauty, with each reply planting an arrow in the heart of poor -Perez. - -"He saved you for the bribe of a thousand dollars!" said he, -scornfully; "all on the mole heard that plain enough." - -"In vain do you enviously seek to detract from him, cousin Perez. He -saved me for myself--perhaps for himself too," was the still more -cutting rejoinder. - -"Enough, Senora de Moreno," said Perez, in a towering passion; "I -shall yet unmask this piccaroon--this wretched impostor, if to do so -should cost me half my fortune!" - -As Perez uttered this threat, and retired by one door of the -drawing-room, it chanced that the redoubtable and interesting Don -Pedro Florez de Serrano entered by another, and these words, which he -heard distinctly enough, made that worthy cavalier feel very much as -if in a Californian vapour bath--the hottest of such contrivances; -and he felt, moreover, there was no time to be lost in getting rid of -Don Perez, and bringing matters to issue with Ignez de Moreno. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -THE DRESSING-CLOSET OF IGNEZ. - -During these proceedings, Don Perez had many conferences with the two -priests. - -Padre Eizagiuerro, the confessor of Ignez, suspected much, but Padre -Ugarte, a stern and ascetic enthusiast, suspected, and said more; for -he openly inveighed against the simplicity of Don Salvador, in -believing all the fine things Pedro said about his relations in -Spain, and his ample possessions on the table land of Anahuac, as -contrasted with his cupidity on the mole, before he would consent to -save the drowning girl's life. - -"A seaman! he--a Confederate officer! was such the conduct of -either?" exclaimed the Nuncio. - -"But he refused, my dear padre, he flatly refused to receive the -2,000 dollars!" urged Moreno, who was too simple and too full of -gratitude to suspect Pedro. - -"Refuse--ha! ha!" - -"Yes." - -"Acting all--acting all!" said Ugarte, a sharp observer of men and -things. - -"But for him, I should to-night have been a poor old childless man," -replied Moreno. - -Perez and they employed an escribano, who had correspondents in -various quarters, and ere long he gathered strange tidings of Pedro. -The bishop of Orizaba and the _escribano_, who had been robbed in the -Barranca Secca, the mate of the otter-hunter, Hawkshaw, and the -keeper of the Posada De San Augustin, with others, were all written -to--the strands of evidence being untwisted as a lawyer alone could -discover and untwist them; telegraph and railway appliances were all -at work; and thus, all unknown to Pedro and Zuares, who were already -under the surveillance of the alguazils, a network of evidence was -closing round them. - -The day had been mild and warm for December--February being the -hottest month of the year at Santiago--and Donna Ignez had retired -early to her own apartments. All day she had been busy with Donna -Erminia, little Donna Paula, and other ladies, in preparing -artificial flowers and lanterns for the grand religious festival, -which was to be held in the Church of La Campagnia, wherein the Padre -Ugarte and Eizagiuerra, the Nuncio, were to officiate, a festival -which was looked forward to with the deepest interest by all in -Santiago. - -Seated before the mirror, with all her fine dark hair floating in -rippling masses upon her smooth white shoulders, the girl was -lingering, ere she proceeded further to undress, and seemed disposed -to muse, and to gaze at the reflection of her own charming figure, -while she repeated, re-acted, and reconsidered with a soft, dreamy -smile on her lips and in her eyes, all that had passed of late -between herself and Pedro; and to think, with a sigh, of what her -papa's views might be, when he came to hear that their visitor had -adopted the character of an avowed lover--that she was on bad terms -with cousin Perez, had well-nigh quarrelled with him, and dismissed -him! - -These thoughts rather agitated the little beauty, and so immersed was -she in them that she did not hear a light step on the gilded balcony -outside her window, which was yet partly unclosed, nor did she hear -the sash pushed open, as a man cautiously entered her apartment, and -stood for a minute surveying her with an expression of admiration, -that on this occasion was in no way feigned. - -This nocturnal visitor was no other than Pedro, who, in the course of -casual conversation, had cunningly discovered from Ignez the locality -of her sleeping-place, and who, after supping with Don Salvador, had -taken an additional bottle of wine at a taberna with Zuares, and -returned to the house on the Alameda. Then, selecting the window of -Ignez, he had cast his lasso over the balcony and swung himself up, -hand over hand, in a manner which his past nautical experiences -rendered easy enough. - -He approached slowly and stealthily, dreading an outcry when she -discovered him. He had but two ideas. One was to persuade her to -elope with him; the other was the hope that she might so far -compromise herself that marriage alone could save her honour. -Cautious in all his proceedings, he had gathered the lasso in his -hand, for to leave it dangling into the street might have attracted -attention, and caused premature discovery. Behind one of the poplars -in the Alameda, Zuares sat crouching on his hams, and watching like a -lynx. - -Pedro was within a pace of Ignez when she started, and her dark eyes -dilated as she saw his form appear behind her own, reflected in the -mirror; but, ere a cry could escape her parting lips, he threw his -arms around her, and stifled it with a kiss. - -"Pedro--Don Pedro!" she exclaimed, in a voice of agitation and terror. - -"Yes, Ignez, 'tis I! _Nina mi alma_--'tis I." - -This forecastle phrase, which means literally, "my little honey," by -no means reassured her. - -"How--what does this mean?" she asked, angrily. - -"It means that--that my love, Ignez, can neither tolerate absence nor -delay." - -"Delay!" she faltered, while gathering up her hair, by which she -displayed a very taper waist, and two polished elbows. - -"I dread alike the wiles and enmity of your cousin Perez, and that -devil of a Padre Eizagiuerro, with many others who dislike me, and I -have come hither to-night that we may be separated no more." - -"What am I to understand by all this, senor?" asked the girl, with -increasing agitation. - -"Does not your own heart tell you?" asked Pedro, embracing her. - -"_O madre de Dios_--what is all this I hear?" she exclaimed, while -flushing and palpitating in his arms, and glancing nervously at the -door. - -"_Demonio_--I forget what I am about!" muttered Pedro, as he hastened -to the door, and softly turned the key. - -"Leave me--retire as you came. Leave me, if you hope for pardon--if -you would not wish to see me die at your feet, Don Pedro," said -Ignez, gathering her energies, and gazing at him with a glance which -was very loving and imploring, though there was something in Pedro's -aspect now, flushed as he was with wine and presumptuous hopes, that -almost terrified her; for his features seemed unusually coarse and -swollen, and his eyes wore a very wild expression. "Leave me," she -repeated, "or I shall be compelled to cry for aid; my father's room -is not very far from this." - -Pedro laughed. - -"Senora," said he, "you forget that your reputation is at stake if -you utter an outcry, and I am thus discovered--so kiss me, and be -quiet, will you? Were it known that a man was in your bed-room, even -for ten minutes, all Santiago would ring with it to-morrow; and think -of the fuss there would be about it on the Alameda. How the Padre -Eizagiuerro would raise his eyebrows, and the Padre Ugarte his voice; -how Donna Erminia would shrug her white shoulders; and what would old -papa Salvador de Moreno say of it? So, my little beauty, my darling -Ignez, be quiet pray, for all our sakes. Come, _mi queredita_, sit -on my knee, and I shall soon teach you to love me with all your -heart." - -But Pedro's words--the very picture of shame and exposure which his -banter unwittingly portrayed--instead of answering his purpose, fully -recalled the young lady to herself, and a sense of her danger. - -The regard she bore him in her impulsive breast first filled her eyes -with tears of sorrow, that he should dare to act thus, and then they -flashed with indignation that Pedro should conceive a scheme so -disastrous. - -"If you love me, as you say, Don Pedro, I beseech you to retire," she -said, sternly. - -"It is because I do love you as I say, that I am here," urged Pedro, -making another effort to clasp her in his arms. - -But she eluded him, and in a voice there was no mistaking--low, -subdued, and full of angry determination, she replied: - -"Begone, senor, or by the soul of my mother, I shall summon my -father, and he always sleeps with fire-arms at hand." - -"_Demonio!_ what a little spitfire it is." - -At that moment there was a loud knock on the chamber-door. - -"Who is there?" asked Ignez, growing deadly pale, and sickening with -the thought of the false position in which Pedro had placed her. - -"Open, Ignez," said the voice of Don Salvador, "'Tis I, your father." - -"What is the matter, senor?" asked Ignez, almost sinking with -distress. - -"A man has been seen to enter the house!" - -"A man!" - -"So your cousin Perez tells me." At this name Pedro ground his -teeth, and felt for his knife. - -"We have searched for him everywhere, save here, and we must assure -ourselves that your rooms are safe; open." - -"In one moment, dearest papa," replied Ignez, pointing to the window, -pale and trembling, her dark eyes flashing, her curved nostrils -quivering; but instead of retiring as he had entered, Pedro snatched -up his lasso, darted into a little closet, the door of which was -open, and concealed himself among the cloaks, dresses, and other -garments, which hung from pegs upon the wall. - -This was the bath-room of Ignez, and a _brazero_ of lighted charcoal -was smouldering on the floor. This seriously incommoded Pedro, who -remained ensconced in the little apartment, bitterly repenting the -whole adventure, by which his safety was compromised, and his hopes, -perhaps, dashed for ever. So he crouched and listened, with his hand -on the haft of his knife, ready to spring forth and kill Don -Salvador--even Ignez herself, if it were necessary--for whenever he -was at bay, or caught in his own toils, the cruel impulses of his -savage heart gained their fullest sway. - -"I have heard or seen nothing to cause alarm, papa," said Ignez, -whose colourless face was closely scanned by Don Perez, as he looked -round the apartment and over the balcony. - -"It is very odd," said Don Salvador; "but as Perez passed homeward he -saw a man enter the house. I will report the affair to the -alguazil-mayor, for we have searched everywhere, and can find no -trace of the fellow. I am sorry we have disturbed you, my child, -when weary, as you must be with your day's work at La Campagnia," he -added, while half-cocking his pistols. "But good-night, darling, and -pleasant dreams to you." - -"We have not searched this closet," said Perez, whose pallor exceeded -that of Inez, and her heart seemed to die within her, as he opened -the dressing-room door. "Faugh!" he added, "such a smell of -charcoal. My dear Ignez, you should be careful with that _brazero_." - -He then locked the door. - -"Come, Perez," said old Moreno, "Ignez looks pale." - -"May I speak with her for one minute, my dear senor, and will you -wait for me in the billiard-room?" - -"Certainly, my dear boy; but don't stay long," said the old -gentleman, as he smilingly retired. - -Ignez gazed anxiously, almost with a haggard aspect, at her cousin, -and then her eyes wandered furtively towards the door of the fatal -closet. - -"Ignez," said Perez, trembling in spite of himself. - -"Cousin!" - -"There is a man in that closet." - -Her dismay was now overwhelming, for it was combined with a shame and -terror against which even her pure innocence failed to support her. - -"Oh, Perez, my cousin, dare you accuse--dare you suspect----" - -"I suspect and accuse you of nothing. Oh Ignez! God forbid, though -I have suffered much of late. But a villain whom I do suspect has -concealed himself for some nefarious purpose in your dressing-closet. -On looking in I saw his feet, and he must be got rid of quietly, for -not a breath must stain the reputation of you, my dearest Ignez. -Leave me to act," continued Perez, as he opened the closet door and -cocked a pistol. "Come forth," said he; "you are discovered, Don -Pedro. Come forth instantly, and in silence too." - -There was no reply, but the body of Pedro was seen extended at length -on the floor! He was in a state of exhaustion--overcome by his -recent potations at the _taberno_, combined with the noxious fumes of -the charcoal from the brazero. - -Perez kicked him with his foot, and smiled grimly. - -"I told you, my dear cousin, to be careful with that _brazero_. -Luckily there is no moon, the night is cloudy, and this carrion may -recover his senses in the cool Alameda." - -Pale as death, bewildered and terrified, Ignez gazed on the prostrate -figure, and on those features which seemed to be convulsed by the -throes of death. - -Don Perez tied the lasso under the arms of Pedro, and dragging his -body to the balcony, after carefully ascertaining that there was no -one in the street, with no small exertion (for the lad was slight -though wiry) he hoisted the bulky intruder over the iron railing, and -lowered him to the ground--not very tenderly, perhaps. He then -dropped the lasso after its proprietor, carefully closed and secured -the window-sashes, kissed his passive cousin, and bidding her good -night, retired. - -At that moment the great bell of the church of La Campagnia (which -was already beginning to be lighted up with its countless lamps, for -the great festival of the morrow) tolled the hour of twelve. Every -stroke sounded like a knell in the soul of Ignez, and she burst into -tears. - -She was guiltless, and he had not suspected her; yet in her innocent -heart she felt terrified like one who unwittingly has committed a -great crime. Oh, that Padre Eizagiuerro were here, that she might -confide it all to him, and solicit his advice! - -Was that the man who had so lately poured his daring love speeches -into her ears, and who had striven to embrace her--he whom she had -seen Perez dragging forth, with an air of such mingled anger and -satisfaction--dying or dead? - -She dared not peep forth to satisfy the curiosity that consumed her. -Had she done so, about one hour after Pedro was lowered over the -balcony, she might have seen him walking slowly away, leaning on the -arm of Zuares. - -The cool night breeze in the open Alameda had revived him; but the -fumes of the brazero in that little closet were nearly being the -means of cutting short the career of Pedro Barradas, and so saving -us, and many others, a vast deal of trouble. - -On this night, the sleep of Ignez was far from being a peaceful one. - -Perez slept like a dormouse. He was happy, and his first thought in -the morning was to open sundry letters and telegrams from Valparaiso. - -"Oho, Don Pedro Florez de Serrano!" he exclaimed, "lieutenant of the -_Florida_, in the naval service of the States, on his parole of -honour, cousin of the Captain-General of Cuba, nephew of the -Corregidor of Ciudad Rodrigo, student of Salamanca, and the devil -only knows all what more, so we have caught you, have we? _Bueno -viva!_" - -And the young man, as he drank his coffee and lit a cigar, laughed -loudly. - -How little could he foresee the awful events of the night that were -to follow! - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -THE GREAT CRIME OF PEDRO BARRADAS. - -In the cool night breeze, that swept through the Alameda de la -Canada, Pedro had recovered consciousness, but he had no conception -of how he came to be there, nor had he a recollection of anything -that had occurred after he darted into the dressing-closet of Ignez. -He could remember that an overpowering sleep fell upon him, and that -was all. - -During the day he was too unwell to visit the house of the Morenos; -but he hoped to meet Donna Ignez, with the rest of her family, at the -great festival in the Church of La Campagnia, when, doubtless, she -would be able to explain all to him. - -"You are sure that matters are all right with this girl?" asked -Zuares, doubtfully, for he had seen a man lowering what he at first -supposed to be his brother's dead body over the balcony. - -"Right--of course. _Vamos!_ it is a clear case with her now." - -"Clear case of what?" - -"Of going into consumption, or into a convent, if she does not marry -me," replied Pedro, who, however, was not without some unpleasant -doubts himself, when remembering the unconcealed anger and vexation -exhibited by Ignez last night; "but, Zuares, do you know that this -old fellow----" - -"Who?" - -"Don Salvador de Moreno---- - -"Well?" - -"Possesses one of the thirty-four gold mines in the Curacy of Colina, -with one of the _laverados_ on the mountain of Giundo?" - -"Is it a bath?" asked Zuares. - -"No, you fool!" replied Pedro, angrily. - -"'Whoso calleth his brother a fool----'" - -"'Is in danger of hell-fire!' Bah! I learnt all that long ago at -Orizaba." - -"Well--and this _laverado_?" - -"Is a place where the gold-dust is washed from the sand. Ignez shall -be heiress of as many pistoles as would fill yonder brigantine to the -beams." - -"_Bueno!_ then we shall see what we shall see. I am beginning to -tire of this kind of life, and long for salt-water again." - -The night of the 8th December drew on, and Pedro, with his brother, -were among the first who repaired to the Plazuela de la Campagnia. -Long before the doors of the vast church were open, hundreds of -splendid carriages, rolling from all quarters of the city, deposited -ladies in rich summer dresses and ample crinolines--large beyond any -that we see in Europe--at the high-arched portal, through which, and -through every window of that lofty pile, there glared a marvellous -blaze of light, for the edifice had been illuminated with a splendour -never seen before. Consequently the excitement in Santiago was -great, and great was the competition among the wealthy and well-born -to procure admission. - -It was the great festival of the Immaculate Conception, and more than -20,000 lights and lamps, of every brilliant colour, mostly camphine, -garlanded the pillars, encircled the arches, lined the cornices, or -were festooned across the great church, and so many coloured globes -were used on this occasion, that the whole interior resembled a hall -of dazzling fire. All was light and radiance--there could be no -shadow anywhere. - -The great altar was a veritable pyramid of light, amid which there -shone a marvellous image of the Madonna, copied from Murillo's famous -picture. Her eyes were turned to heaven, her hands were crossed upon -her breast; her feet were placed upon a crescent moon, and clouds of -snow-white gauze and muslin seemed to float around her. - -Never had such a display been witnessed in this old church of the -Jesuits (since the marriage of the Conde de Sierra Bella, whose -palace yet stands in the great plaza), for old it was, when compared -with other buildings in the city, having been founded in the early -part of the seventeenth century. - -From the floor the altar rose to the roof of the church, and as it -did not reach from wall to wall, on each side were great reliquaries, -closed by doors so richly gilded, that they shone like two vast -plates of polished gold. - -All on their knees before it knelt a congregation composed of 2,000 -women (and a few hundred men), all richly attired, and many of them -young, noble, and beautiful. It was a sight such as never before had -been witnessed in Santiago. - -Thanks to the favour of the Nuncio, Donna Ignez, with her cousin, Don -Perez, and his sisters, Donna Erminia and the little Donna Paula, had -procured places close to the glittering rail which surrounded the -vast altar, and there they were speedily joined by Pedro, who left -his brother among the valets in livery at the church porch, and who, -utterly indifferent to, or oblivious of the long stare and steady -frown bestowed upon him by Don Perez, presented his hand to Ignez, -and--after he had devoutly crossed himself, and smote his breast -sundry times--prepared to join in a whispered conversation, for the -service had not yet commenced. - -During the livelong day an idea that he was dead--that he had been -suffocated in the closet--had haunted the mind of Ignez, who felt -herself as if an accomplice in a great crime, and thus, when she -found him kneeling beside her in church, she gave him her -daintily-gloved little hand with a bright smile, that was full of -real happiness; for though this man had so nearly destroyed her -honour, she was most thankful to Heaven that he had not perished, as -her fears predicted. - -She felt no love for him now, but sincere gratitude to faithful -cousin Perez, and returning love, too; but Pedro construed her smile -in his own fashion, and believing that his fortunes were still in a -fair way to prosper, he continued to whisper and kneel by her side, -greatly to the rage of Perez, of whose agency in the episode of last -night the bold impostor was yet completely ignorant. - -Padre Ugarte was to preach, and Padre Eizagiuerro, the Apostolic -Nuncio, the friend of Pope Pius IX., and founder of the American -College at Rome, was next to address the people. - -It had been said all over Santiago, some days before, that in the -house of the Morenos, the Nuncio had expressed a regret that too -probably the lighting up of the Campagnia Church would be inferior to -the illuminations of the Romans. - -"Rome!" exclaimed Ugarte; "in Colina we have four-and-thirty mines of -gold; in Lampa three of silver; the mountains of Caren are full of -gold, and gold laverados cover all the summit of Calen. Our devotees -are rich, Senor Nuncio, and on that holy night I shall show you _such -an illumination as the world has never seen_!" - -Fearfully prophetic was the boast of Ugarte! - -While the people were still absorbed in prayer, and many a bright -eye, and many a young and beautiful face turned in wonder and -pleasure to the countless lamps that covered all the church, and ere -the choir had struck up, or the procession of ecclesiastics entered, -Pedro saw his brother Zuares forcing a passage, without much -ceremony, through the kneeling thousands, towards him. What did this -portend? - -Pedro first felt emotions of annoyance, then of alarm, for the face -of Zuares, who beckoned to him, was pale with agitation. Pedro -approached him by a few paces. - -"We are lost! They have discovered everything!" said Zuares, in a -breathless whisper. - -"They--who?" - -"In the porch of the church I heard our names mentioned, and so -concealed myself behind a statue to listen." - -"Well, well! Quick, quick!" - -"There, now in close consultation about the best mode of seizing you -as you leave the church, are Don Salvador de Moreno, Felipe -Fernandez, the keeper of the Posada de Augustin, the mate of the -brigantine, and that accursed Englishman, Hawkshaw. They have with -them the alguazil-mayor, and four horse-police, with their carbines, -and I heard them all whispering of sacrilege--robbery." - -"What more?" hissed Pedro, through his clenched teeth. - -"_Murder!_" whispered Zuares, with pallid lips. - -The "trail of the serpent" was complete. - -"The door is watched, you say?" - -"And the church is surrounded by horse and foot alguazils," replied -Zuares, in the same low, hurried whisper. - -Pedro glanced hastily about him; there seemed to be no way of escape -but by the porch, and that was guarded. Don Perez had seen Zuares -approach, and his keen, stern eye was on the brothers. Already he -was rising as if to leave the church; some plan for escape must be -decided on, and quickly, as if the great fiend had whispered it, a -diabolical thought occurred to Pedro Barradas. - -He glanced towards the magnificent altar, on which, amid thousands of -waxen and feather flowers, there burned several hundred lights. It -was a transparent tabernacle, within which were innumerable jets of -liquid gas, and it was composed entirely of woodwork with gilded -pasteboard and draperies of muslin. - -Pedro resolved to create an alarm, and attempt an escape while it -lasted. - -Just at that moment, when the Nuncio and Ugarte, preceded by boys -bearing censers and tapers, were entering, just as the choir struck -up, and while a solemn murmur pervaded the vast church, for the -crescent moon beneath the feet of the Madonna suddenly flashed forth -a silvery splendour, unseen by all, save Don Perez, who was retiring, -Pedro threw a lighted cigar match among the draperies of the altar, -and in a moment the light festoons and muslin clouds, the whole -figure of the Madonna, and the altar, which was seventy feet in -height, became a roaring pyramid of fire. - -A wild cry from the kneeling congregation burst over the whole -church, and the door instantly became blocked by fugitives, who fell, -wedged over each other in a hopeless pile, the upper stifling those -below, while the spread of the conflagration exceeded in its speed -the fear of those who would have fled. - -An effect was produced beyond what Pedro had anticipated. He hoped -for a mere alarm, he produced a catastrophe beyond all parallel in -ancient or modern times. - -Maddened, however, by double terror, he was among the first who -sought for safety. Trampling women and children under foot and -endued with twice his natural strength and activity by sheer -desperation, he contrived to reach the sill of a window, by climbing -over a tomb, and dashing the lozenged frame to pieces, was preparing -to throw himself headlong out, when his foot was seized from below. - -He uttered an angry imprecation and looked down. - -Donna Ignez and little Donna Paula both clung to him in the wildest -terror. - -"Save us, Don Pedro--save us, for the love of God!" cried they in -despair, for the whole of that fated church was now covered with -sheets of flame, its twenty thousand camphine lamps, as their cords -and festoons gave way, adding to the terror by descending like a rain -of fire, and setting aflame the hair and light summer dresses of -those below--that struggling mass of horror-stricken people, who were -all hopelessly wreathed and wedged together. - -It was fire--fire--fire everywhere--above, below, around--a seething -mass of flaming figures, wavering and scorching, a rising and -descending sea of red flame, for the church of God had now become a -living hell! - -"Save me! save me!" gasped Ignez, choking in the heat, as her light -summer dress caught fire. - -"No use to save her now from fire, as I did from water. Perez, you -don't require to swim here," cried the barbarian, as he thrust the -shrieking girl and little Paula among the flames with his foot, and, -springing into the street without, fled from Santiago. - -The public papers have told us how, in less than a quarter of an -hour, nearly all who were in that fatal church--that stupendous -holocaust--to the number of nearly 3,000, perished; how a phalanx of -death choked up the porch, and how, in many instances, tender hands -and delicate arms were wrenched, yea, literally torn off, in attempts -to drag forth the dying; how whole families were reduced to cinders, -side by side, and all in the lapse of a few minutes. - -They also told us "how the voice of lamentation was heard all over -the land, and the bitter weeping of fathers, of husbands, and lovers -for those who were the joy and brightness of their life, that refuses -to be comforted because they are not. Hundreds of young girls, only -yesterday radiant and beautiful, in the luxuriant bloom of the fresh -and hopeful spring of life, to-day calcined, hideous corpses, -horrible, loathsome to the sight, and impossible to be recognised! -Within that quarter of an hour 2,000 souls had passed through the -ordeal of fire to the judgment-seat of God!" - -Old Don Salvador de Moreno made frenzied efforts to pierce through -the pile of maddened and suffocating women, who hopelessly blocked up -the door of the church, seeking to see, to save if he could, his -daughter--his only child. - -The screaming, the wringing of hands, the tearing of hair, and -beating of faces, the invocations of the dying, and the roar of the -advancing flames within and beyond, imparting to the church portal an -appearance like to the entrance of a vast furnace, seared his heart -and his eyeballs. - -He saw not his daughter; but, amid this most unearthly blaze, he -could distinguish Donna Erminia, and knew that Ignez could not be far -off. He could see the tall, fair-skinned, proud, and beautiful -Erminia, and little Paula, with her hair dishevelled, like many -others near her, undergo a sudden and horrible transformation, as the -lurid flame seized upon their skirts and tresses. - -The sheet of scorching fire passed over them! - -They became blackened, lean, shrunken, rigid, dead, sable statues, in -contorted attitudes, and then crumbled away amid the furnace, for -such had the church become. - -Suddenly a figure rose for an instant amid the mass. It was -Perez--Perez with Ignez in his arms, and as he rose her father saw -them--his hair and her dress all ablaze; then both sank back into -that red sea of fire, to rise no more! - -The old man became senseless, and was borne out of the press by the -alguazil-mayor and Cramply Hawkshaw. - -The Chilian papers tell us that a horseman threw his lasso into the -church where a hundred hands tried to catch it. This man was Felipe -Fernandez, of Valparaiso, who by main strength dragged one woman out -in flames. - -Again he cast his lasso in, but the fire scorched the leather thong -away. - -Within the time we have stated--a brief quarter of an hour--the roof, -the dome, and cupola, descended in flames, with a thundering crash -upon the church below, and all was over! - -There perished all the family of Moreno, and their remains were never -recognised. So poor Perez, whom Ignez had taunted for not saving her -when in the water, died by her side in that sea of flame! - -* * * * * - -The silence of the grave succeeded to the cries of despair that for a -time had pierced the calm night air, and, as the flames smouldered -and died away on the sloped strata of blackened corpses that lay -beneath the fallen dome, those who looked fearfully through the -windows could see, by the clear splendour of the tropical moon, those -thousands of calcined dead, kneeling, standing, or lying all in their -last contorted posture, as the wasting fire, or the agony of their -awful end, had left them. - -For the remainder of that night, no sounds were heard in Santiago but -those of lamentation, and the solemn tolling of the church bells, as -the archbishop summoned all to prayer for the souls that were gone. - -Zuares was one of those men who effected an escape by the -sacristy-door, before it was blocked up by fugitives, and meeting his -brother on the road that led to the mountains, they heard the -live-long night the tolling of the city bells in the distance. - -Even they were overcome by dread and horror, as they continued their -flight in silence and desperation, where they knew not and cared not, -so that they left the city of Santiago as far behind them as possible. - -For days after this they lurked unseen, unknown, and safely, in a -great cane-brake, among the feathery bamboos--the _guádua_--some of -which are ninety feet in height. - -Ere long they reached the sea-coast, and shipped on board a -short-handed brig that lay at the mouth of the Maypo river, laden -with guano, and bound for Britain, and they gladly looked forward to -face again even the nights of bitter snow and close-reefed foresails -off Cape Horn. - -This vessel they left, when paid off in the London Docks, and, to the -misfortune of all concerned, were shipped on board the _Hermione_ by -Captain Phillips, who could little foresee the mischief they had in -store for him and his friends. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -COMMITTED TO THE DEEP. - -The _Diaria de Valparaiso_, _El Mercurio del Vapor_, and other -papers, but chiefly documents of a private nature belonging to the -late Don Salvador de Moreno (for the poor man did not long survive -that terrible 8th of December), have assisted us in the compilation -of the foregoing narrative of the two brothers, which forms a -singular sequel to their father's secret history; but until the fact -fell from the baked and faltering lips of Pedro Barradas, in no way -were Morley Ashton, Bartelot, Heriot, and others who listened, -prepared to hear that he was concerned in bringing about a -catastrophe so terrible as that which closes our preceding chapter. - -"So that was the great crime of Pedro--the awful deed which he has so -frequently referred to in his ravings," said Morley. - -"An awful deed truly," added Captain Phillips. "Who would live, even -if he could, haunted by such memories? A precious logbook of crime -his life presents?" - -Death, however, came on Pedro fast. One of his last acts was to -examine his wretched pallet for the watch and ring which, as detailed -in a previous chapter, he had forcibly taken from Hawkshaw. - -His half-fatuous intention was now, probably, to bestow them on some -one; but a groan of pity and disgust escaped him on finding that one -of his worthless compatriots had already abstracted them, and now, -perhaps, would gladly give them both for one drop of water to cool -his parched tongue in the drifting quarter-boat. - -"The past, the past!" he moaned; "_misericordia! misericordia_! My -life--my lost life! Oh! that with my present bitter experience I -could live it over once again--even a year of it--how different it -should be! How many have been misspent, frittered away and -blackened? Oh! for a month--a week--to repent. One day--mother of -God--only one day; but it may not be--cannot be! Oh that I might -warn Zuares, ere it be too late also for him--no absolution, no hope." - -As the life of Pedro ebbed--easily, however, complete mortification -having set in--and his senses passed away, he muttered something -again and again; and Morley, who was in the forecastle, held the lamp -near--for night had come on--and stooped over him to listen. - -He was delirious as well as dying, and his husky and broken ravings -were of the cathedral church of Orizaba, and he averred that he saw -at the foot of his bed, in that wretched forecastle bunk, the figure -of a woman. - -"A figure--what is it like?" asked Morley, glancing round in spite of -himself. - -"A woman enshrined in light. She is clad in blue, with thirteen -stars around her head. _Ave Maria purissima! Ave Maria purissima!_" -he cried, and, sinking back, closed his eyes, overcome by weakness -and excitement. - -It was the image so revered in his innocent childhood, when he and -Zuares prayed at their mother's knee; and with this shadow before his -visionary eye--the same figure that in dreams had hung over his -cradle in infancy--the feet of which he and Zuares had been taught to -kiss--the same image, with an aureole of light around its placid -face, the Madonna of Orizaba, with her feet resting on the sharp, -pale crescent moon, before his glazing eyes, whose last expression -was fear and ecstasy--the soul of this inscrutable ruffian passed -away! - -Then Morley Ashton, who was the last lonely watcher, hastened on deck -to report that all was over. - -This perpetrator of so many crimes was dead! Ferocity, avarice, -cruelty, insatiate lust, unavailing remorse, and all the stormy -passions which had, in turn, convulsed that lawless heart, that dark -and sombre visage, were gone now. The man was dead and gone--gone as -if he had never been! - -Before the ship's bell had clanged the last half hour of the morning -watch, Noah and Morrison had rolled his body up in the blankets in -which he died, and had lashed a couple of shot in a canvas-bag to his -ankles. - -Then they laid him on a grating to leeward, anxious to have the last -rites over before the young ladies came on deck. - -The red enamelled cross of San Jago, which Morley had brought from -the hermit's cell, was tied up with him; indeed, it was found -impossible to take it from his hand, in which it was tightly clenched. - -There was mental relief to all on board when the burial of Pedro--the -last act of a long and gloomy drama--was over, and when his tall and -muscular form--herculean and ghastly it looked, rolled up in -blankets, and lashed round with spunyarn--went surging, feet -foremost, through the white foam, vanishing for ever, in the deep -green sea to leeward, while the ship, as if lightened of a load, flew -through the shining waves of the Mozambique. - -This was on a Saturday, about 8 A.M., when the golden sun shone in -all its beauty on the fresh, cool morning sea. - -Ethel could never think of Pedro without a cold shudder, and often -said, "Thus is sin its own punishment;" but Rose, her terror past, -had imbibed almost a sentimental pity or sympathy for the dead -ruffian, who figured so largely in the diary before mentioned, which -was now resumed for the benefit of her old gossip and companion, Lucy -Page, at Acton-Rennel. - -Captain Phillips, however, took a very different view of the matter, -and so much had his naturally kind character been soured or warped by -recent events, that he could scarcely be prevailed upon to read the -burial service over the defunct mutineer; and thus he cut it pretty -short, upon the plea that a rough day was before them, that he had -few hands, and wished to take in a reef in each of the courses; so -never were those words--so solemn and so awful--under the usual -circumstances "we thus commit his body to the deep," so irreverently -uttered, and yet, worthy old Jack Phillips is the kindest of all good -fellows. - -The Saturday night came on, calm, clear, and starry, the south-west -monsoon blew fresh and steadily, and as close-hauled as a -square-rigged craft could be, the _Hermione_ was making a long tack -towards the southern point of Madagascar. Fortunately, nothing had -been seen yet of the three red proas, of which such earnest warning -had been given by the officer of Her Majesty's corvette the _Clyde_. - -The cheerful glass went round to "sweethearts and wives," and to "all -ships at sea." To these weekly toasts, Captain Phillips added a -special glass of stiff grog, in honour of his airy friend, "the clerk -of the weather," whom Rose, who was writing, supposed to be the late -Admiral Fitzroy. Ethel was occupying herself with crochet, Mr. -Basset was asleep, and Morley was at the wheel on deck, and already -it seemed that Pedro Barradas and the particulars of his terrible -history were forgotten. So-- - - "The wind blows out, the bubble dies, - The spring entombed in autumn lies, - The dew dries up, the star is shot, - The flight is past, and man forgot." - - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -DR. HERIOT'S FEE. - -During the six preceding chapters, the reader may have been kindly -wondering how Mr. Basset's health progressed after the night which -succeeded the skilful attempt of Dr. Heriot to rescue him from a -death that seemed all but accomplished. - -That night he had passed in heavy groans, in nervous startings, and -uneasy slumber; but next morning he was able to articulate, and -complained to Ethel, in accents faint and weak as those of an ailing -child, of pains that spread over all his body; these, however, were -only consequent to the severe friction he had undergone, to restore -the circulation of the blood. - -From Heriot's hands he received some warm milk, mixed with -brandy--milk from the stores of soldered tin--and this luxury he -swallowed with ease; but yet seemed as one in a dream, and in broken -accents, he muttered of pain, and in a dreary and bewildered way, of -his "poor dear girls, whom he should never see again." - -Then he fell into a sound sleep, with Ethel's soft white arm under -his head, and she listened to his heavy respirations, more with fear -than any other emotion, lest each long-drawn breath might prove the -last. - -But Heriot, who patted her kindly and caressingly on the head, sought -to smile those fears away, by telling her that "all danger was past -now," and so the second day of restoration gradually stole away. - -Another night of complete repose "sent Mr. Basset a long way on the -voyage of recovery," as Captain Phillips said, when peeping into the -little cabin, where the pale, affectionate, and unwearied watcher, -though her eyes were bloodshot, and had dark rings under them, yet -hung over her charge, and now Rose came to take her place. - -"How is dear papa this morning?" she asked, anxiously. - -"All well, Rose, darling, if the old boy will only keep up his -pluck," was the doctor's unpoetical reply, as he slyly kissed the -pretty inquirer, and led away Ethel, who he insisted should take a -little repose, with the announcement that she "was quite killing -herself; and he would not stand it, as he was accountable to the -captain for the health of all on board--and then Morley must not see -how ill she was looking." - -As for poor Morley, she could see but little of him just then, for -he, with Bartelot, Morrison, Gawthrop, and Foster, were never off the -deck, where by his skill and activity he won golden opinions from the -captain, whose anxieties (when the distance he had yet to run, the -size of his crippled ship when compared with the slender crew, the -prospect of water running short, and having to keep a look-out for -those three proas, are all considered) were certainly not small. - -To Rose Basset, our medical friend Leslie Heriot, a good, -kind-hearted, sensible, and practical Scotsman, had been at first but -a source of lively little flirtation and fun--a dangler, an admirer, -and nothing more. At home she always had a dozen such; it was Rose's -habit and way; but now, as his earnestness, and the troubles and -dangers they shared together, created a deeper emotion in her breast, -he gradually became the dream, the _beau-ideal_ of a warm-hearted -young girl's passionate and often senseless first love; and to the -conclusion of her portion of the voyage--when she, Ethel, and papa -would land at Port Louis, and when Leslie must sail on to Singapore, -a vast distance, of which she had very little conception, save that -it was far, far away up the Indian seas--to that period, we say, she -looked forward with dismay and alarm. - -Long and perilous though the voyage had been, it was not yet long -enough for Rose, who was desperately in love with the young Scotch -doctor. - -And now that Leslie, by his skill, care, and tenderness, had saved -her father from death, had restored him to life and to his daughters, -he became an idol, whom she felt that she and Ethel should worship -with all their hearts; and Ethel's quiet, earnest, and great -gratitude to her sister's lover was only equalled by the sincere -regard and esteem she had for him. - -On the other hand, the filial love, the tender solicitude, and -unwearying attention of these two girls to their suffering father -charmed all, but none more than old Captain Phillips, whose -experience of the sex was chiefly gained amid the hurly-burly of -seaports. - -"Aha!" said he, slapping Morley on the back, and winking knowingly to -Heriot, "that is the sort of thing I like to see; that is the kind of -discipline that prepares the daughter for the wife, and the wife for -being a mother. God bless them all!" he added, uncorking a square -case-bottle, to pour forth a libation in honour of his opinions. - -"You are right, captain," said the doctor, who, in his shirt-sleeves, -was busy preparing breakfast, as Noah came from the galley with a -steaming kettle, for they had now to do all things in turn. - -"Better to share a crust in a wigwam with a dear good girl like Miss -Ethel Basset, than have an heiress with only her dirty acres to -recommend her--your health, doctor--them's Jack Phillips's -sentiments." - -Morley gave an unconscious sigh, for the poor fellow felt bitterly -that he had not even "the crust" referred to by the captain. - -"Miss Basset has the patience of a vestal in these long and pious -vigils of the night," said Heriot, with enthusiasm. "She and Rose -have, indeed, hearts formed for tenderness, and for doing all the -kind duties of life." - -"Yes, doctor, very true; and I begin to think, if I could change my -bachelor ways a bit, and warp close into the matrimonial haven, there -is a plump little widow at Gravesend that wouldn't mind changing her -name to Mrs. Jack Phillips." - -As the captain said this, there was a gratified twinkle in his merry -blue eye, and quite a little blush on his brown cheek; then he added, -hastily: - -"Now, doctor, that ham seems done to a turn. Pour out the coffee, -Ashton; I must be off on deck for the breeze holds steady, and this -is our last tack south-west'ard towards the coast of Africa." - -"Our last?" repeated Morley, mechanically. - -"Positively for the last time, as the play-bills have it, thank -Heaven, and the wind it sends us." - -"Thank Heaven, say I too. I only wish, further, that we were round -Cape St. Mary." - -"That will come too, all in good time, please God." - -Some time elapsed before Mr. Basset knew all he had undergone, and -before he became fully aware of the vast service rendered to him by -Dr. Heriot. For a time the poor man was awed, and humbled, and -overwhelmed by all he had been subjected to. - -On the morning he heard all this for the first time, Captain Phillips -shook him by the hand, and said, laughing: - -"Bailie Nicol Jarvie says, 'My conscience, hang a bailie!' but here -we have actually had a judge hanged at the yardarm, aboard this 'ere -ship, and yet never a hair the worse, thanks to Dr. Heriot here." - -"Please, captain, don't speak of it," whispered Ethel. - -"God bless you, my dear sir," said Mr. Basset, grasping both Heriot's -hands in his. "He only can reward you for your kindness and exercise -of your skill; but I am _the worse_, Captain Phillips, and never -again shall be half the man I was." - -"Take courage, sir," said Morley; "we never know what is before us." - -"But I feel in every limb and fibre, Morley, that I never shall fully -recover the shock my nervous system has sustained." - -"You shall, sir--you shall in time," said Heriot. "Only take -courage, as Ashton says." - -"Oh, how miraculous it seems," murmured the poor gentleman, as his -wasted hand played with the rich brown tresses of Rose, who half -knelt and half reclined beside his bed, with her eyes beaming smiles -alternately on him and on her lover, Heriot; "how miraculous, indeed. -Restored to life--restored to life, and to my girls--restored, after -enduring, apparently, all the mental and bodily pangs of a shocking -and terrible death!" - -"Yes, dearest papa; it is, indeed, a debt of gratitude we owe to Dr. -Heriot," said Ethel. - -"For Heaven's sake, Miss Basset, don't go on this way," said Heriot. -"You make a poor fellow quite ashamed of doing his mere duty." - -"By what can I ever recompense you, Doctor Heriot?" said Mr. Basset; -"what reward can I ever give you?" - -"I think I know, sir," said the captain, winking with great mystery; -while Rose, who felt a scene impending, grew pale, and trembled. - -"You do?" asked Mr. Basset. - -"Yes; and so does Miss Ethel--and so do we all." - -"Look, papa--I think Dr. Heriot will consider this the most valued -fee you can give him," said Ethel, as she playfully put Rose's right -hand in that of the doctor, who reddened to the roots of his hair, -and, for a brave and sensible fellow, really looked very foolish. - -Mr. Basset stared at them all round in perplexity; then, as a sudden -light seemed to break in upon him, he smiled, and said: - -"Is it so, Ethel?" - -"Yes, dear papa." - -"And Rose, my little pet, what do you say?" - -Rose smiled, and sobbed, and grew pale and red, and wished herself on -deck. - -"So be it, then. I can't part with her, Heriot; but God bless you -both, and keep you ever by me," said Mr. Basset, as he closed his -eyes wearily, and lay back to sleep. - -Poor Heriot's happiness made him giddy, and he grew as pale as if -sentence of death had been passed on him. He could scarcely believe -it all; but he kissed Ethel, who had concocted this little tableau; -and Rose clasped the fat jolly captain round his short neck, calling -him her "dear old thing." He returned her embrace with extreme -cordiality, and no doubt wished he was as close to the plump widow of -Gravesend. - -"How happy I am," said Ethel, blushing with pleasure; "our troubles -seem nearly over now." - -"And I, too, am happy--oh, so happy!" said Rose; "I would not -exchange positions, Leslie, to be Queen of England--or Scotland, if -you like it better, Heriot, dear." - -"And never was M.D. of my old _Alma Mater_ rewarded by a fee so droll -and handsome," said Heriot, smiling fondly on the lively and laughing -girl, who clung to his arm as they went on deck together. - -Thus, as Mrs. Lirriper says, "All true life is gain, and the sorrows -that befall us are none other than solemn massive foundation-stones, -laid below the unfathomable gloom, that a measureless content may be -built upon them." - -But there were on board another pair of lovers in whom we should be -equally interested, and whose prospects were not so bright, perhaps, -for Heriot had an income, however small, and plenty of "expectations." - -When the excitement, consequent to Mr. Basset's illness, if we may -term it so, and to Pedro's story, death, and burial were all passed, -Morley Ashton and Ethel resumed their usual habit of thought; and -again in their communings they began to speculate on their future, -and to hope that, on reaching the Isle of France, Mr. Basset, by his -legal influence, would be able to procure for him some suitable -employment, by means of which he could make an adequate -livelihood--the hope that dawned of old at Laurel Lodge--and their -engagement might be fulfilled. - -But Mr. Basset, to whom Morley had spoken of these things, somewhat -dashed their cherished hopes, by frequently shaking his head, and -declaring that his health had suffered so much, that he felt himself -quite inadequate to assume his place on the bench, and that hence all -local and legal influence would be gone. - -There were times, too, when he became quite gloomy, and feared, he -said, that he "might only land to die--land to be laid in a foreign -soil, far from that God's acre, where his dear wife lay at -Acton-Rennel; and then, what would become of his poor girls without a -protector in the world?" - -These gloomy forebodings filled Ethel with sickening apprehension. -This was a probable catastrophe, the anticipation of which also made -Morley miserable, and he begged Mr. Basset not to speak thus before -his eldest daughter; but he rather liked the luxury of dilating on -the chances of his own demise. - -However, they little knew what fate or fortune had in store for them -at the Isle of France, or whether they should ever see that isle at -all; and despite his melancholy forebodings, which were merely the -result of his shaken nervous system, Mr. Basset recovered rapidly, -and on that day, when the _Hermione_ was near the close of her last -long tack towards the coast of Africa, he was conveyed on deck, to -have a look at Cape Corientes, which is the most eastern portion of -the land of Inhambane, and is almost immediately under the Tropic of -Capricorn. - -Faint and blue the headland rose at the horizon, from a -golden-coloured sea, about thirty miles distant, and, through a -double-barrelled glass, its outline could be clearly distinguished -against the rarefied sky beyond. - -"And that is Africa!" said Ethel, regarding the blue streak with her -heart full of great thoughts, and her dark eyes full of intelligence -and interest as she remembered all she had heard and read of Park and -Livingstone, Speke and Grant. - -"Yes, Miss Basset," said Morrison, "and a great river, called the -Inhambane, flows into the Mozambique Channel but a few miles north of -that promontory." - -"How I should like to land--to tread the soil there, where it but for -only a minute, Morley." - -"Why so, Ethel?" asked Morley, smiling at her enthusiasm. - -"I don't know, but I should like to do so, and yet I know not why." - -"I think I could tell you, miss," said Morrison. - -"Indeed, sir?" - -"Yes; that you might say with the Roman of old, 'Ego in Africa,'" -replied the Scotch mate, glancing from Ethel to the doctor, who -smiled at his countryman's apt allusion. - -"Is that your idea, Ethel?" asked Heriot. - -"Yes." - -But now there was a sudden bustle, when the male inhabitants of this -floating speck upon the sea hastened to their various quarters, as -she was to be put about, on her last tack in the Mozambique--a long -run of many, many miles ere she would sight the isle of Madagascar. - -"Ready about, my friends!" cried the captain, as he took his station -on the weather side of the quarter-deck; "helm's a lee--tacks and -sheets--let go and haul!" followed each other rapidly. - -Noah had the wheel, and down went the helm at a signal from Phillips, -the fore tack and main sheet were let go, round swung the yards in -their iron slings, aft came the main sheet, and then the spanker, -eased gradually off, fell away to leeward. - -Round came the ship bravely, and with the monsoon filling all her -sails, she stood off in the opposite direction to that she had -hitherto been pursuing, her starboard tacks on board, and lying -almost at a right angle from her long white frothy wake, which could -be distinctly traced in the pure green of the sea, and soon after the -faint blue outline of Cape Corientes sank into the evening haze upon -the lee quarter. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -RADAMA PUFFADDER. - -It was a pleasant sunny morning when Ethel was roused by Morley -tapping on her cabin-door, and making the cheerful announcement that -land was in sight, almost ahead, so she and Rose made a rapid -toilette and joined him and the rest of their friends on deck. - -The south-west wind held steadily, and its breath rippled all the -morning sea in wavelets that seemed tipped with gold. The sunshine, -bright and warm, spread a yellow tint over all the western quarter of -the sky. In dark outline, as if tinted with indigo, about ten miles -distant, rose a mountain, in the form of a sugar-loaf, blending at -its base with lesser ones that were near to the sea. - -"Madagascar, Ethel," said Morley, with a bright smile, as he pointed -to the coast. - -"And yonder headland is Cape St. Mary," added Dr. Heriot. "I should -know the place pretty well by this time." - -"Why, Leslie?" asked Rose. - -"Because I see it now for the fourth time." - -"Poor Leslie!" said Rose; "and you have gone those long voyages so -often, when I knew nothing of them." - -"Or--of me, Rose." - -"That does seem so strange now!" - -"However, Rose, I have no intention of voyaging much more, 'for -there's a good time coming,' as the song says." - -Morrison had the wheel, and the captain desired him to "hug the land, -and keep close in shore, as he wanted to procure fresh water." - -"I find that the needle varies at times in these waters, sir," said -Morrison. - -"Aye--but our patent steering compass always holds true." - -Though the long and remarkable coast they were approaching is flat -and low near the shore, the sea around it is without hidden danger in -the form of shoals, rocks, or reefs, and water fifty fathoms deep can -be found within four miles of it. - -As the ship drew nearer, objects became more distinct--strange trees, -gigantic plants, and fantastic wigwams, like bee-hives; and after -breakfast, Ethel and Rose, with their op era-glasses, could see these -features plainly, and particularly a headland, covered with tufted -palm-trees. - -"And that is Cape St. Mary?" - -"Yes," replied Morley, who, to support her, had one arm round Ethel -and another round the mizzen-shrouds, for the deck was slippery with -the morning dew and the spray that flew over it now and then, for the -ship careened well over beneath the breeze, which was now almost -abeam. - -"Then we are out of the Mozambique Channel?" - -"Yes; or nearly so. By noon we shall be quite out of it." - -"Thank Heaven! I wish we were only a little nearer Port Louis." - -"We shall soon be so, Ethel, after leaving this shore." - -"Don't deem me foolish, dearest; but, after all we have suffered, I -always tremble when I think of--of----" - -"What, Ethel? - -"Of those three piratical proas which the captain speaks about. I -dreamt of them last night, and saw them quite full of wild black -fellows, with spears, plumes, and war-paint--just like the pictures -we have seen of the savages who killed Captain Cook." - -"The coast hereabout looks wild and solitary indeed." - -"A few miles eastward lies Fort Dauphin," said the doctor; "it was an -old French settlement, but was deserted and ruined long ago." - -Anxious, we have said, to procure water, the captain stood close in -towards one of the little isles that lie about the south-western -extremity of Madagascar; and now every man on board, except the -convalescent Mr. Basset, had to work hard in taking in and stowing -some of the fore-and-aft canvas, getting the kedge anchors and warps -ready, having the boats clear, and the soundings had to be attended -to without intermission. - -A curiously-built native boat was now seen approaching swiftly from -the shore, having suddenly shot out of a creek. It was very long, -very low, and was paddled by two men. - -"Hollo, ladies!" cried Noah Gawthrop, who was busy in the remaining -quarter-boat, getting the fall-tackles clear; "look at this swell -coming along-side in a cocked hat, like a wice-admiral o' the fleet! -But I beg parding, marm," he added, suddenly, as Ethel adjusted the -screw of her lorgnette, "you mustn't look at him, for he ain't -nothin' on but the cocked hat and a necklace." - -"Sheep 'hoy!" cried a shrill voice, as the boat rose and fell on the -waves. - -"What do you want, darkey?" asked Noah. - -"You savey me?" cried the Malay. - -"No, I am blow'd if I do," was the surly reply. - -"What for you no savey me?" remonstrated the other; "yam, yam--sell, -sell--nice, nice, nice." - -Then he held up an inverted bottle, to show that it was empty. - -"By Jove! 'tis old Captain Puffadder!" exclaimed Captain Phillips, as -the native boat came sheering alongside, and a white-headed Malay, -who literally had no other attire than a necklace of crystal beads -and an old battered naval cocked hat, which some man-o'-war wag had -given him, relinquishing his carved teak-wood paddle, caught with -great dexterity a line which was cast to him, and made it fast to a -round knob at the prow of his boat, which, as the line became taut, -fell at once into the ship's wake astern. - -"It is old Radama Puffadder, whom we saw on our two last voyages. He -sells vegetables and fruit to any ship that comes close enough in -shore," said Heriot, looking round for the young ladies; but when the -boat had come nearer, the utter want of attire displayed by the two -Malays had fairly driven the Misses Basset and Nance Folgate down the -stair of the companion, where the merry but half-stifled laugh of -Rose could be heard from time to time. - -"A sly old file!" said Mr. Foster, looking over the taffrail. - -"How are you, Puff, my boy?" asked the doctor; "what have you got for -us?" - -The old Malay, who was hideously ugly, and whose bare, attenuated -form was brown as old mahogany, lifted his cocked hat, and replied in -what seemed an unintelligible torrent of consonants, and then held up -a turtle by one of its hind feet, after which he grinned and yelled. - -He and his companion next hauled in the tow-line, hand over hand, -till the boat was close to the lee mizzen-chains--the chances of -being swamped seemed nothing to Captain Puffadder--and to Morley, who -stood on the channel-plate, he handed on board whatever he had to -offer, and in a short time there was on deck a goodly pile of the -yellow-bellied gourds for boiling and eating, with butter and milk; -bananas, to roast like apples; peas, beans, and water-melons; -brown-skinned onions, and golden-coloured oranges and lemons; -together with a great sprawling turtle, the sight of which would have -made an alderman's eyes twinkle; and there, too, were six brace of -wood-pigeons. - -For all this seasonable stock, the captain paid him by six bottles of -strong alcohol, three boxes of lucifer-matches, and a dollar or two, -and these coins, when cut into four, form the circulating medium in -the "Great Britain of Africa." - -The captain and the doctor, who seemed to understand and amuse -themselves with the jargon of "Captain" Puffadder, inquired where -fresh water was to be had, and he led them to understand that, under -the brow of the cliff to which he pointed, there was a creek in one -of the islets; that there several springs flowed, and safe anchorage -would be found. - -"This will suit admirably," said Phillips, to Bartelot. "We shall -lie there a couple of days, for some of our rigging requires -overhauling sorely." - -"Won't you come on board, Puff, and pilot us, while we run in?" asked -Mr. Foster. - -"I no savey _that_--no can do," replied the Malay, as he let his boat -drop astern, and, taking a long pull at one of the rum-bottles, he -grinned with satisfaction and handed it to his longing companion. - -"Won't you remain with us till we have filled our water-tank?" cried -the captain over the taffrail. - -Again the dingy Malay grinned and shook his white head, which looked -as if it had been snowed over, and, pointing shoreward, to indicate -that he must return, cast off the tow-line, after which his boat, -that bobbed up and down like a cork, was rapidly dropped astern. - -The wind was now becoming light, and, with Morley and Heriot stripped -to their shirt-sleeves, pulling ahead in the quarter-boat, and Mr. -Foster in her bow, sounding carefully every minute with hand-lead, -the ship was steered by the captain in person towards the creek, the -entrance of which was seen to open plainly enough under the brow of -the cliff, at the base of which some breakers were boiling white upon -a ridge of rock, "like the devil's own milk," as Noah said, adding: - -"I wonder why the deuce that old fellow wouldn't come aboard? I hope -it isn't a snare, this kind inwitation to anchor in a creek." - -"A snare, Noah?" repeated Bartelot. - -"'Cause, sir, he has the look of an old wrecker, to my mind." - -A dead calm soon fell upon the land and sea, and from the square -yards of the _Hermione_, her fore and maincourse, and a jury -main-topsail, hung down straight and motionless, till they were -hauled up prior to furling, as she glided slowly, and with almost -imperceptible motion, through the narrow gut of the creek. - -"Leather strip--ten fathoms; red rag--seven fathoms; seven again; -white rag--five fathoms," Foster kept repeating from time to time, as -he hove the hand-line from the bow of the leading boat. Bartelot and -Morrison were also in it, and pulling with all their strength, for -they had the kedge anchors and a couple of strong Manilla warps with -them. - -Beyond its narrow entrance, which was almost shrouded in mangroves, -that brushed the ship's channels, the creek opened out into a tiny -bay, or oval-shaped basin, and there, before sunset had beamed its -red farewell upon the summit of the rocks, the _Hermione_, with her -courses hauled, her jury topsail-yards lowered upon the cap, her -spanker brailed up, and her jib and stay-sails stowed away, was -moored quietly, as if in the middle of a dock, by two warps, one at -the stem and the other at the stern, both being carried ashore to her -kedge anchors, which were embedded in the banks, among the mangroves -and other luxuriant vegetation that grew down to the water's edge. - -"From here to Port Louis we have a run of about seven hundred odd -miles," said Captain Phillips; "the season is fine; but we shall fall -to our work by daybreak to-morrow--fill the tank--overhaul the fore -rigging, have it tarred down and rattled anew in some parts, and then -be off with the first breeze of wind, as I don't fancy the Madagascar -fever." - -"And this creek, with its mangroves dipping in the slimy ooze, seems -just the place to catch it," said Tom Bartelot. - -"I suppose it was in some such cliff as that, Ethel," said Morley, -looking up at the tall rocky brow which overhung the creek, "that old -Marco Polo, who, it seems, wrote about Madagascar in the thirteenth -century, says the birds called the roc built their nests." - -"Were they like Sindbad's roc?" asked Rose. - -"Larger, says old Marco, in form resembling an eagle, and so huge -that they would soar into the air with the largest elephant in their -talons, and let it fall dead on the earth prior to devouring it; and -that their wings, which, when outspread, obscured the sunshine like a -flying cloud, measured forty-eight feet apart, each pen-feather being -twenty-four feet in length." - -"There is nothing like telling a good story when one is about it; but -I hope the breed is extinct," said Rose. - -"Yes; like the giant wader of Australia, if it ever existed at all." - -As the evening closed in, with no thought of local danger or -treachery, but enjoying the brief cessation from the constant toil to -which they were subjected by the smallness of their number, and -thinking only of the termination of their voyage and a happy future, -our friends were all grouped under the quarter-deck awning, and Noah -was enjoying a quiet pipe at the windlass-bitt, with a can of grog -beside him. - -Aft, the top of the cabin skylight had been covered with a white -cloth and improvised as a table, on which were spread some of the -luscious fruits and sliced water-melon bought from the Malay, -Puffadder, and a bottle or two of the captain's best wine. - -Then, that music might not be wanting, Ethel and Rose, uniting their -clear, sweet, happy voices, while Heriot accompanied them on his -flute, which he played to perfection, sang one of their favourite -duets, waking the echoes of the rocks, and rousing out of the -mangroves the stork, the pelican, and the samba, with its plumage red -as fire: while the red sunlight died away, and the tropical -constellations came out, and while the solemn shadows deepened in -that lonely creek, the soft English voices of the two sisters so well -attuned together, filled Noah's stern eyes with moisture, and his -rough old head with sweet, sad holy thoughts of other times, as he -listened, and sat alone, the last occupant of the once crowded and -noisy forecastle-bunks. - -That lonely creek was fated to present a very different scene about -the same hour on the morrow! - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -THE MANGROVE CREEK. - -The secluded creek in which the ship lay moored had a little history -of its own, that was better than the misty recollections of old Marco -Polo, who, by-the-way, never visited Madagascar at all. It was in -this solitary little basin, or natural dock, that the high-pooped and -low-waisted caravella of the first discoverer of Madagascar, Lorenzo -Almieda (son of Don Francisco Almieda, viceroy of India for Don -Emmanuel of Portugal, in 1506), came to anchor, after a voyage that -was long and perilous; and now, as our friends Morley and Heriot -gazed on its strange and fantastic cliffs, the former thought of the -Serendib of the "Arabian Nights," and the latter, who was better -read, recalled the Island of the Moon, and the Cerne of Pliny, with -the works of other writers, who averred that Madagascar was an isle -divided between two races--one of giants, and another of dwarfs--the -Kimos--about three feet high. These were always at war, until the -former were victorious, at a place called Itapere, two leagues -south-west of Fort Dauphin, where a pyramid of stones attests the -alleged slaughter and destruction of the poor dwarfs. - -The creek was also known to be the haunt of the famous freebooter, -Captain Avery, an Englishman who gained vast plunder by his piracies -against the emperors of Mogul and China, and who, about the latter -year of Queen Anne's reign, lived in and about Madagascar, with the -strange title of King of the Seas. - -Not the least remarkable features of this creek were its enormous -blocks of rock crystal, that sparkled in the sunshine with a thousand -prisms of wonderful light and beauty. Trees surrounded it; the tall -and straight voua-azigne; the bushy fouraka, distilling its -green-coloured balsam; the wild fig, whose fruit yields a milky -juice; the palm-tree, whose leaves are like feathers, and form -roofing for wigwams; the ancient papyrus, the cotton and the nutmeg -trees, all grew on the rocks; while betel, pepper, and tobacco were -the weeds that grew among the jungle, where the puff adder--a reptile -about a yard long--and other serpents lurked. - -Just as the sun was rising in his tropical splendour from the sea, -and through the opening to the eastward sent a glorious flush of -light into the leafy recesses of the creek, Noah caught a couple of -gallant turtles, each weighing nearly three hundred pounds. - -After bringing them on board, he lowered them into the water by a -line, tied, as sailors alone can tie, round them, and left them to -paddle about, to swim, duck, or dive as they pleased, till required -for the larder. - -As for the one brought by Captain Puffadder, he flatly refused to -kill it till sunset, on the plea that "a turtle never dies till the -sun goes down, that he warn't goin' to be so jolly cruel as to leave -it a nole day in a nagony." - -From the deck Ethel and Rose, with their opera-glasses, were never -weary of watching all the strange trees, plants, birds, and insects -that surrounded them; everything seemed novel, save the turtles, -which, of course, were like those they had seen squattering in -fish-tubs at home. - -Prior to their appearance on deck, with the first peep of dawn, a -long hose, water-casks, and so forth, had been put in operation, and -thus, before noon, a sufficient supply of pure water had been pumped -into the tank from a spring which flowed over a mass of crystal rock, -and through the decayed trunk of a fallen tree, which formed a -species of natural duct. - -Morrison, Foster, and Noah Gawthrop then fell to work upon the -starboard side of the fore-rigging; Phillips and Tom Bartelot on the -other, and all proceeded to tar down, and in many places to rattle -anew the shrouds, and various other repairs went on with rapidity; -while the doctor and Morley, with a gun, went ashore, and ascended -the rocks towards the summit of the cliff, which overhangs the -entrance of the creek. - -The ascent proved long and toilsome, for everywhere the matted jungle -grew thick; the weedy luxuriance there is wonderful, and so woven -that it seems the result, not of a season's rank vegetation, but of -ages; and as many little reptiles are always lurking amid it, no -small care is requisite for avoiding them. - -At last the two explorers reached the plateau, or summit of the -cliff, and merrily gave a united shout, which made their friends at -work on the fore-rigging pause and look up, and Ethel and Rose, who -were seated on the quarter-deck, wave their handkerchiefs in response. - -From the elevation of more than 300 feet, the creek, when viewed, -seemed like a pool, the ship a toy. - -Beyond the islet Morley and Heriot saw the whole sweep of the -southern end of the great island of Madagascar, from Cape St. Mary -towards Ainse des Galiona, with the pale blue and distant summit of -Botistmeni, the highest mountain to the southward of that lofty chain -which divides the island into two parts. - -In many places the coast was flat and low, and by their glasses they -could see that the shore looked green and slimy, and here and there -were dome-shaped huts of mud and palm-leaves, sheltered by clumps of -ebony and raven trees. - -North-westward, the ocean they hoped to traverse on the morrow was -flashing in its noonday brilliance; but it seemed lonely and void; -not a sail was visible on all its vast expanse. Towards the -south-west the higher portions of the islet hid the watery path they -had pursued from the great channel of the Mozambique. - -"We may ascend higher in _that_ direction," said Morley, pointing, -"and see if a sail is in sight there." - -"Stop!" exclaimed Heriot, in an excited tone, as he applied to his -eyes his powerful double-barrelled ship-glass, and gazed intently -towards the mainland. - -"What do you see that interests you?" - -"Look, Ashton, look! What is that creeping out from behind that -wooded headland?" - -"Where?" - -"There--about five miles off." - -"A boat--a long craft of some kind, without masts." - -"Another follows now." - -"And another--all painted red!" - -"Three!" said Heriot, in a low voice. - -"The proas--the three red proas!" - -"Down, Ashton, stoop down, lest they see our figures at this distance -against the clear sky!" exclaimed the doctor, suiting the action to -the word. - -Lying at full length among the thick grass that covered all the -summit of the cliff, the two friends, resting on their elbows, took a -long sight of the strange boats. - -"Each is full of men. I could count their heads." - -"They are pulling fast, and steering direct for this island!" -exclaimed Heriot. - -"We have been lured in here and deceived, I doubt not, by that old -Malay villain, Puffadder. Old sailors have strange instincts at -times, and Noah seemed to suspect as much." - -"This is why he would neither come on board nor pilot us into the -creek. But we may do him an injustice; he may not be in league with -these pirates at all." - -"Oh, Ethel!" exclaimed Morley, speaking as if to himself, "your -forebodings, your dreams are perhaps about to be terribly realised." - -"Let us away to the ship, we have not a moment to lose! See how the -paddles flash in the sunshine. They are all pulling as if the devil -was after them!" - -Their mode of rowing was peculiar, for the paddlers all faced the bow -of each proa, and scooped the water astern. - -Breathless with excitement, heat, and alarm, and with their -imaginations picturing visions of cruelty and slaughter, Ashton and -Heriot came plunging down the jungle-covered steep with such speed -and impetuosity, that their friends in the ship paused again and -again to observe them in wonder, though believing that they had some -very unusual reason for this sudden display of activity. - -Both were young, light, and active; thus, in less than a quarter of -an hour, they had reached the ship by means of the gig, which they -had left moored among the mangroves, sprang on deck, and reported -what they had observed towards the mainland of Madagascar. - -Could they have seen a little way to the south-west they might have -observed something more; but the sight of the three proas proved -quite enough for them. - -Their tidings produced instant consternation. - -"That wily old villain, Puffadder, has recommended us to warp in -here, and then betrayed our whereabouts. By Heavens--we are in a -precious mess!" exclaimed the captain. - -"And Ethel and Rose," said Morley, turning to Heriot, with a voice -and face expressive of grief and terror; "what is to be done now?" - -"Done! Why, sir, we must make the best of it," said Noah, -energetically, as his old man-o'-war instincts came upon him, and he -began to strip to his waist; "if these etarnal warmints get hold o' -the ship, they'll pick every copper nail out of her!" - -"Captain Phillips," said Morrison, a sharp-witted and resolute -Scotchman, and who spoke with more rapidity than his countrymen -usually do; "the ship is moored athwart the creek, with her port side -to the mouth of it. Bring over her two starboard carronades, and -work the four in battery together. Thus we may knock these proas all -to pieces by round shot as they head for the creek in succession." - -"You speak like a nangel or a nadmiral, Mr. Morrison!" said Noah. - -"Excellent!" cried Phillips; "to work and with a will, my friends." -He threw aside his coat, and bouncing about with an agility -remarkable for one of his years and fat little figure, added, "Bring -on deck all the arms and ammunition we have, doctor; get the powder -out of the magazine aft, Mr. Ashton; and take your daughters below, -Mr. Basset, please, for the sight of their pale and woe-begone faces -flurries me. Look alive, my hearties. Captain Bartelot and Mr. -Morrison help me here; bear a hand to cast loose these two starboard -guns." - -The two carronades were soon clear, their tompions taken out, their -touch-holes cleaned, and they were run over to the port or larboard -side. Originally the _Hermione_ had been pierced for twelve guns, -but, as we have stated, she had only four six-pound carronades, and -only four shot remaining for each. They were loaded, shotted, and -primed with great rapidity by Noah, who used a capstan-bar as a -rammer. Then, diving below, he suddenly reappeared from the steerage -with a hamper full of empty bottles. - -"What are these for?" asked Captain Phillips. - -"Grape and canister, sir," replied old Noah, as he proceeded to smash -the bottles and fill the carronades with the fragments even to their -very muzzles. - -Morley was too busy distributing powder, even to speak one farewell -word to Ethel, as she was taken below by Heriot, who soon after -reappeared with all the arms they had on board: to wit--his own pair -of excellent pistols, the captain's two six-barrel revolvers, six old -brass-barrelled pistols taken from the mutineers, their -sheath-knives, the double-barrelled fowling-piece, a sharp hatchet, -and a harpoon. - -Thus they had nearly a brace of pistols each, and, fortunately, -plenty of ball ammunition made up into cartridge form for the -contingencies of the Madagascar coast. - -In less than ten minutes all was in readiness; all were certainly -silent, pale, and desperate, for all felt that death and utter -destruction were awfully close at hand. - -The misery of the Bassets and the two lovers was more poignant than -any emotion felt by their companions, who were chiefly inspired by -the natural impulse of self-preservation, without the paralysing -horror that on their lives depended the lives of others who were most -dear to them; but the whole affair had come upon them with the -suddenness of a thunderclap, and as yet, perhaps, they could scarcely -understand the terrors of their situation. - -"These cursed proas were about five miles off, you say, doctor?" said -the captain, in a low voice, as he looked at his watch. - -"Yes, sir; five to leeward of the island." - -"The wind is light, though increasing." - -"They had neither spars nor sails up, sir, and so may not be here for -more than an hour yet, though swiftly paddled." - -"They may not come here at all," said Bartelot; "for perhaps they may -be quite ignorant that we are lying in the creek." - -"If not aware now they will soon be," said Morley; "they were -steering directly for the creek, and I don't think these mangroves -will hide the ship's spars." - -"Still they may pass it," said Tom, hopefully, as he carefully capped -his revolver, and slung it by his side. - -The others shook their heads despondingly, and Noah put a quid into -his cheek, with the nowise cheering reflection that it was "mayhap -the last" he would ever put there. - -"It was a fortunate proposal of yours to climb the cliff, doctor," -said Morley. - -"I thank Heaven for the thought," replied Heriot, emphatically; "for -had those Malay devils found us unprepared----" - -"My blood runs cold at the idea." - -"How quietly they might have come upon us in the night," suggested -Morrison. - -"They are perhaps strong enough to despise stratagem," said Captain -Phillips. - -"More likely, sir, that old bumboatman, Puff, hadn't time to blow the -gaff on us, or we might all have been with Davy Jones last night," -said Noah. - -All spoke in a species of whisper, and all looked at their watches -from time to time, and listened so intently, that an uninformed -spectator might have thought they were waiting with impatience, but -they heard no sound, save the buzz of insect life in the mangroves -and dense jungle, around that slimy creek. - -All was equally still below. Secured in the cabin, Ethel and Rose -were on their knees, with their old nurse, in an agony of terror, -amid which they strove in vain to pray. Mr. Basset, too frail to -work at the guns, or be active in the defence of the deck, sat in the -companion-way, ready to reload the fire-arms when they were -discharged, and now Noah got the matches ready. - -How the old fellow's eyes lit up! A brightness spread over his -storm-beaten and sorely-wrinkled visage, making him seem almost young -again, for he felt that it was to him--the old man-o'-war's-man--he -who had heard the thunder of Sebastopol, and seen the Russian bombs -strewing all the Valley of Death; he who had gone with Peel's Brigade -and Havelock's Highlanders to Lucknow and to Delhi--his superiors and -shipmates were now looking chiefly for direction and advice. - -They all knew well enough how to load and fire, or ram home the -charge with a capstan-bar; but skill in adjusting the sight and the -quoin under the breech became a different affair. - -"Now, gen'lemen shipmates by your leave," said he, "we must fire and -reload each gun as fast as possible; but it will be safer if number -four don't fire till number _vun_ is reloaded." - -Almost despairing alike of a successful defence, or an ultimate -victory, Captain Phillips suggested the idea of putting Mr. Basset -and his two daughters into the gig, and sculling her to a secluded -place among the mangroves. - -"But, if the ship is taken, and we are all destroyed," said Morley, -"oh, what in Heaven's name would become of them then? They would die -of terror, exposure, and starvation." - -"The creek is full of alligators, too!" added Heriot. - -"But what may happen to them on board if we are all killed?" asked -Captain Phillips. - -The contemplation of that result nearly drove Morley and Heriot mad, -and they knew not what to reply. - -"It might give the poor ladies, at least, one other chance for life -if we hid them in the maintop, for we may have to take to the rigging -yet, if these warmint capture the deck by boarding, and up there we -may have to fight to the last with knives or pistols, or whatever we -have." - -"And how, Noah, if the Malays cut the mast away?" - -"Or fire the ship?" - -"No chance of escape, and none of rescue!" groaned Captain Phillips; -"there is a fine breeze in the offing, as I can see by the whitening -waves; but here, with not hands enough to tow her out, the crippled -_Hermione_ might as well be on the top of a mountain." - -"Ah, if I had that artful savage with the cocked hat within range of -this!" said Morley, through his clenched teeth, as he slapped the -butt of his gun. - -"Run up the ensign, Noah; let them look at that, whoever they are. -We'll die game under it, anyhow," said Phillips, as something of a -British sailor's pride and defiant spirit filled his heart. - -"Aye," responded Noah, as he ran the scarlet ensign up to the -gaff-peak, where it floated languidly at first on the still air of -the sheltered creek, but anon the coming breeze made it stream out -boldly; "many a round shot and Whistling-Dick I've seen a bowlin' -under you," added Noah, as he made fast the halyards, looked up at -the colour, and nodded to it as to an old friend. - -Anxiously the eyes of the "few but undismayed"--for their courage -certainly rose with the desperation of the emergency--were turned to -the mouth of the creek, where, between the rocks and mangroves, the -deep blue Indian sea, now flecked with white by the breath of a fine -steady breeze, was seen stretching in the distance far, far away, -until it blended with the sky. - -Still nothing was seen and nothing heard! - -But ere long, each of the eight men on the deck of the _Hermione_ set -his teeth, breathed hard, and turned to his companions, eye seeking -eye, while all their hearts beat quicker. - -For suddenly there was an unmistakable sound of paddling in the air, -and then a shrill yell went up to heaven, as the sharp red prow of a -proa, full of dark and active figures, shot round the entrance of the -creek, and a row of rapidly-worked round paddles, shaped like huge -battledores, furrowed up all the slimy water into foam, as they -headed her straight for the ship. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -EIGHT AGAINST EIGHTY. - -Noah had the first carronade on the right--that is, abreast of the -mainmast. Stooping down, he trained it carefully, elevating and then -slightly depressing the muzzle till he covered the object. He then -smartly withdrew, lowered the match, and the recoil and report of the -gun was followed by a yell from the Malays, whose rowers were seen -tumbling from side to side, as if making summersets; for the shot, -with its scattering accompaniment of broken bottles, made a complete -lane from stem to stern, through the dingy occupants of the proa. - -The echoes of the gun, with the cries of the Malays, rung with a -thousand reverberations amid the rocks of the creek, startling clouds -of wild birds from the mangroves and cane-brake beyond them. - -"Fire number two--steady, Captain Phillips, please; here comes the -next proa. Blaze away at the blasted warmint! Rake her fore and aft -before she forges ahead!" - -So shouted old Noah, while adroitly he assisted the recoil of his -carronade, ran it back with the aid of Morley, and proceeded to -reload and ram home. Captain Phillips, less used to this kind of -work than he, levelled his carronade and fired; but he had not -trained it properly, for, although the additional charge of broken -bottles did some execution among the thick skulls of the Malays, the -round shot whistled harmlessly over them all, and was seen -ricochetting over the waves, till it made a white water-spout in the -offing, far beyond the mouth of the creek. - -Noah danced with disappointment and chagrin. - -"Now, Mr. Morrison," he cried; "number three--level low--quick! here -comes the next lot, a paddling like so many devils. Sweep the scum -into eternity." - -Morrison fired, and carried away the whole line of starboard paddles, -and with them, perhaps, the rower's arms. Then, veering round, she -thus fell foul of the first proa, just as the third came sweeping -round, and headed towards the creek. - -The scene was now terrible; there were some seventy or eighty Malays, -many streaming with blood, all waving their paddles and weapons, and -uttering such yells as one might imagine to rise from the infernal -regions--yells inspired alike by the hope of plunder and of vengeance. - -Then the contents of the third carronade, trained by Heriot and -Foster, sped on the errand of death, right through them all, just as -the leading proa got clear. Half its starboard side was torn away, -and thus all its occupants were left to swim or flounder; the dead to -sink and the wounded to drown, amid the slimy ooze of the creek. - -While more than twenty were swimming, splashing, and scrambling -ashore on each side, the paddlers in the other proas resumed their -work, scooping the water astern with preternatural vigour, but to -avoid a raking shot, presented more of their broadside to the ship, -and hence retarded their own progress; so Noah fired his carronade -right through one, just abaft the centre thwart, by this oblique shot -killing or disabling three or four. - -The yells were now appalling, the scene terrible, and yet withal most -picturesque and striking. - -The savage rabble in these proas were the woolly-headed Madecasses, -who are partly of African descent; but all their leaders--and several -appeared in each proa--were olive-skinned men, Hovahs, who are -supposed to be of purer blood, and are viewed by the people of -Madagascar somewhat as the Normans were by the Anglo-Saxons. - -These men wore tunics of scarlet silk, like those of the Chinese, -girt by sashes or belts; but their negro followers were naked, a few -only having clothes about their middle, or wearing the ordinary -garment of the Madecasses, which is made of bark, boiled and beaten, -and shaped like a flour-sack, with a hole for the head, and four -others for the legs and arms. - -All wore chains, ear-rings, and bracelets of crystal cornelian, and -even gold, and many were armed with assegais, headed like spears, -with long, sharp, iron points; many had bucklers of hard wood, -covered with hides. Some had ten or twelve javelins each; a few had -clumsy old muskets, fortunately much addicted to hanging fire; and -all had the native creese--a long, wavy, double-edged dagger. When -we add to this equipment their black, ferocious faces, their shrill -yells and diabolical activity, their white, glistening teeth, their -glaring eyeballs, and whole _tout ensemble_, the reader may imagine -the scene presented at this crisis in the mangrove creek. - -The explosion of the first carronade had drawn a simultaneous shriek -and shudder from the two girls, and their old nurse, in the cabin, -and a cheer from their eight devoted friends on deck, while with it, -and with every future discharge, the pintados, the black paroquets, -the spoonbills, and the turtle-doves flew in screaming coveys out of -the jungle. - -"Depress your muzzles!" cried Noah, who had, by tacit consent -apparently, constituted himself master-gunner; "they're nearing us, -mates." - -"Another dose of broken bottles; they make first-rate grape and -canister," added Morrison. - -"Crouch down--crouch down--here's a volley of something coming!" -shouted Captain Phillips, from his gun, as four or five -musket-bullets crashed through the bulwarks, and a number of arrows -or javelins and assegais, whistled harmlessly over their heads, and -fell pattering on the starboard side of the deck, as fast as the -survivors of the shattered proas scrambled ashore, and began to use -their weapons. - -"The warp--the starn warp!" shouted Noah, as with muzzle depressed, -he fired his carronade again; "pick off some o' those d----d heathen -niggers afore they cuts it, some one." - -Two savages had already reached the warp, which was carried through -the taffrail to the kedge, and were proceeding to slash through the -strands of the strong Manilla, hewing with their creeses, and, had -they done so, the ship must have swerved round, and gone ashore, -broadside on. - -Morley snatched up the double-barrelled gun which Mr. Basset had just -reloaded. Kneeling down, he levelled it steadily through the -taffrail, and shot both down in quick succession--a strange and wild -emotion coming over him as he saw them fall, and beat the earth with -their hands and feet. This cooled the ardour of five or six others, -who followed, for he saw them plunge down among the mangroves, where -they lay flat in concealment. - -At that moment, a Hovah, in a crimson shirt, who had clambered, all -wet and dripping, up the mizzen chains, launched an assegai at -Morley, which skinned his right ear, and stuck quivering in the deck, -near the coaming of the main-hatch. He then proceeded to scramble on -board, with his sharp creese in his teeth, and a savage glitter in -his eye, when Morley clubbed the double-barrelled gun. and swinging -it aloft at the full stretch of his arms, dealt the Hovah a blow on -his hard caput, which tumbled him prone into the water; but the gun -was destroyed, as it snapped in two at the small part of the butt. - -Morley rushed back to rejoin his friends at the carronades; but found -poor Noah grappling with a gigantic Malay, who had dropped over the -bulwark near the starboard quarter, where they were rolling over each -other, Noah swearing, and the Malay biting and howling, till the -former, grasping the long, tawny ears of the latter, rings and all, -dashed his head thrice on the deck, when he stunned, and then flung -him overboard. - -At that moment an arrow, which all feared might be poisoned--whistled -through Noah's cheeks, knocking out a couple of his few remaining -teeth; but with a pistol he shot dead the archer, who was nestling -among the mangroves. - -So far as the eight unfortunates on the deck of the _Hermione_ could -judge, they had been attacked by not less than eighty men! - -Now the two proas were close alongside; another moment would have -seen the savage Malays swarming in scores up the bulwarks and over -the decks; but just as a groan of dismay simultaneously burst from -the few devoted defenders of the _Hermione_, her head warp was -slashed through by creeses, and she suddenly fell away round before -the south-west breeze, with her bow towards the sea, thus increasing -the distance between her assailants and herself by the whole length -of her stern warp, at a moment when, all the Malays were in the act -of standing up to leap on board, and as she so swerved away, she went -right ashore, broadside on, amongst the mangroves, with all her four -carronades pointed to the land, leaving her starboard side -unprotected against the yelling occupants of the two remaining proas. - -"God help us!" cried poor Captain Phillips, in despair; "all is over -now!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -"WE'LL GO TO SEA NO MORE!" - -The despairing exclamation of the worthy captain had a very singular -sequel, for scarcely had it left his lips, and just when the paddlers -were again scooping away, as, with yells of exulting fury, the Malays -proceeded after the _Hermione_; just when those who were ashore were -forcing a passage to her through the jungle, and when the full term -of another minute would have closed the whole catastrophe--lo! with -all the suddenness of a spectral illusion, or of the Flying -Dutchman's famous craft, a noble-looking ship, all a cloud of canvas, -white as snow, swept round the verge of the cliff, and lay to, right -off the mouth off the creek. - -Bending gracefully over beneath the south-west breeze, she had her -royals and topsails set, and the scarlet British ensign streamed from -her gaff-peak. - -Like the work of magic, her lighter sails were taken in, and her -head-sails clewed up; then, as she rounded to, under her -mizzen-topsail, with her broadside fairly opposed to the creek, a -plunge was heard as the great working anchor was let go. - -At the same moment, fire and smoke burst from her quarter, and ran -like a flashing garland along her whole side, as, with two -twelve-pounders, and about twenty short Enfield rifles, her crew -opened a destructive discharge on the Malays. - -As the well-directed shot plunged through them, the two remaining -proas were dashed to pieces, and, amid the fragments of wood, -floating assegais, and gouts of blood, their crews were seen making -for the mangroves, right and left, scrambling ashore, and taking to -flight in every direction. - -The great ship had no occasion to discharge her guns again; but the -short Enfields of her crew knocked over a number of the Malays, as -they became visible at times, while prosecuting their flight inland. - -The moment the firing ceased, and before the white smoke had curled -away, the yards were manned, and the three topsails disappeared into -their bunt at once. From the foretopgallant-yard down to the stay, -came the men, sliding like lightning, to furl and stow the jib in its -netting. - -The great white courses were furled with equal rapidity, and with a -neatness that drew exclamations of admiration, mingled with those of -surprise and joy, from those on the deck of the rescued _Hermione_. -Then down came the royal yards from aloft, and, ere long, the great -ship was bared of all, save her bright scarlet ensign, which floated -out astern. - -She was a splendid ship, full-rigged and full-manned, with a clean, -white paint-stroke, and gaily-gilded quarter-galleries; she was -remarkably straight in the bends, like a Spaniard or a Yankee, with -all her rigging and spars in the finest order. Thus she presented a -noble appearance, as she rode at her anchor under the brow of the -lofty cliff. Then, with the same man-o'-war-like order and rapidity -which characterised all her other manoeuvres, a boat was hoisted out, -lowered away, and its crew carried an anchor astern, to moor her more -securely. - -From the stern davits, the captain's gig, light and smart as a London -wherry, was lowered with a splash into the water. He was seen to -descend the rope-ladder rapidly, to seat himself in the stern and to -grasp the yoke-lines, while a crew of smart lads, chiefly -ship-apprentices, pulled straight through the bloody _débris_ of the -creek towards the _Hermione_. - -The captain, a ruddy-visaged and sandy-haired man, about thirty-five, -with plenty of yellow beard and moustache, stood up, as he drew near, -and waved his cap. - -"You have had some sharp work here, I think," said he; "we heard the -sound of the firing as we stood round the island. Glad we have been -in time to save you." - -"Thanks be to Heaven, you have--and many heartfelt thanks to you, for -you have indeed saved all our lives, and my ship, also!" exclaimed -Captain Phillips. - -"_All_? There don't seem to be very many of you," replied the -stranger, as his boat came sheering alongside, and the oars were all -uplifted and laid in together, while he swung himself up with great -agility, and jumped over the bulwarks on deck, when the eight of the -_Hermione_ gathered round him. "Creeping along the shore in search -of fresh water," he resumed, "we were told by an old Malay -boatman----" - -"Puffadder?" said Bartelot. - -"Yes; you know him then--that we should find it here." - -"The old scoundrel!" exclaimed Heriot. - -"With the same story he snared us into the creek," added Phillips. - -"Old Puffadder wasn't to blame, for he begged me to make haste and -assist a British ship that some island pirates were attacking, so we -clapped on royals, skysails, gaff-topsail, and everything that would -draw, got our small arms up, our guns cast loose and all ready to -help you, and we seem just to have been in time." - -"You have done well and bravely, sir," said Mr. Basset, with -gratitude and enthusiasm. - -"And what ship is yours?" asked Phillips. - -"The _Duke of Rothesay_, 800 tons, hailing from Alloa, and bound for -Singapore, Duncan Davidson, master (that is me) at your service; and -yours?" - -"The _Hermione_, of London, also bound for Singapore, and touching at -the Isle of France." - -And now various matters, which are already known to the reader, were -related and explained to the Scotch skipper, which made him wonder -very much; and much more was his wonder excited when, on being -invited down to the cabin, he found himself fairly hugged by Rose -Basset, who, in fact, was rather in a delirious state, after all the -cannonading she had heard and the number of savage brown figures she -had seen from the stern-windows skipping among the mangroves. - -Ethel threw herself into her father's arms in a passion of tears, and -pressed Morley's hand to her heart. - -"Saved, Ethel, saved!" said Mr. Basset, caressing her tenderly. - -"Yes, Ethel, saved," added Morley, "and except my scratched ear and -Noah's cheek, not a man of us the worse of the whole affair." - -"By Heaven's mercy and this gallant seaman's safe arrival, we have, -indeed, escaped a great--it would have been, indeed, a _last_--peril, -Ethel," said Mr. Basset, as she presented her hand to Captain -Davidson, who, though a rough, weather-beaten, and rather plain -Scotsman, surveyed her soft dark eyes, her pale and thoughtful face, -that beamed with soul and feeling, her glossy hair and fine figure, -with an admiration that he was too honest or too unsophisticated to -conceal. So, while he addressed some words of congratulation and -soothing, to the effect that "all danger was now over, as he had -knocked the black niggers into the middle of next week," Captain -Phillips, acting as his own steward, has wedged his fat figure into a -locker, from whence he fished out sundry case-bottles and glasses -with nervous rapidity. - -And this fine stately ship of Alloa, on the Forth, armed with four -twelve-pounders, and having a crew of forty men and boys, coming with -all sails crowded before a spanking breeze, from near the cove where -old Puffadder's wigwam stood, was what Morley and Heriot would have -seen had they obtained a south-west view of the ocean, but, as we -have related, an eminence hid her from them, and the entire islet hid -her from the pirates, until, with shotted guns, loaded rifles, and -colours flying, she came down full swoop upon them. - -The cutting of the warp and the circumstance of the _Hermione_ -thereby falling away round from the centre of the creek, greatly -favoured the fire of this friendly stranger's cannon and musketry. - -So old Radama Puffadder was no traitor, but the means of saving them, -after all! - -"Those were heavy guns you fired, sir," remarked Morley to Captain -Davidson, who had mixed his grog, and prior to imbibing it drank -every one's health in the Scotch fashion. - -"Heavy for a merchantman--yes; twelve-pounders." - -"How came you to be so well armed?" asked Mr. Basset. - -"Well, sir," replied Captain Davidson, laughing, as he tossed off his -glass of grog, "whether it is the alleged national caution, or, what -is better, the good old national spirit of pugnacity, I don't know, -but our Scottish ships, especially in these seas, are generally well -armed, and seldom unprepared for anything--and I have a splendid -crew--the pick of Leith and Grangemouth! So now, Captain Phillips, -my gig is alongside, and while our carpenters come aboard of you, and -put you into a little shape, I hope the young ladies and your other -friends will come and dine with me, and see what we can find in the -lockers of the _Duke_? Don't be afraid, ladies--I shall give you -something better than sheep's-head and haggis." - -This invitation was as promptly accepted as it was hospitably given, -and all prepared to accompany Captain Davidson, save Mr. Foster and -Noah, who were obliged to remain on board; and fortunately, Heriot -could now prove that the arrow which pierced the cheeks of the latter -was not poisoned. - -In and around the ships, there was much to make Ethel and her sister -shudder. - -On the deck, near the taffrail, lay a dead Madecasse, whose head -Morrison had cloven with a hatchet. He had the smooth European hair, -the Indian complexion, the broad forehead, the thin lips (now pale -and ghastly) of his mixed and peculiar race. His right hand held a -broken assegai, and his left yet clutched the peak halyards, which he -had grasped on gaining the deck. - -Many bodies floated about in the creek, many more had sunk, and -several places bore unmistakable tinges of blood among the ooze and -green slime, while four crocodiles were seen at one time devouring -the dead, till fired on by the Scotch sailors. - -But all these horrors, and their recent alarm, were gradually -forgotten, amid the hospitality and jollity of Captain Davidson, his -mates, and the numerous crew of the new ship; and as soon as their -water-tank was filled next day, all bore a hand in getting the -_Hermione_ ready for sea, shipping jury spars on her fore and mizzen -topmasts, and warping her out of the creek. - -As the _Hermione_ was so short of hands, Captain Davidson offered to -put three men and one of his apprentices on board, to assist in -working her; an offer which Captain Phillips gladly accepted, and -they agreed to sail together in company. - -On the second day after the conflict with the proas, both ships were -ready for sea. - -Morning was dawning on the cliffs of that lonely isle, and in great -beauty. A long streak of opal-tinted light spread over the horizon; -gradually it brightened into amber, and from amber melted into -crimson--the deep crimson of sunset, elsewhere as the tall Alloa ship -weighed anchor, set her canvas, and began to stand off towards the -north-east. - -A number of her men were still on board the _Hermione_, assisting to -warp her out. Her courses hung in the clew-lines ready to be let -fall; her three jury-topsails were cast loose, and ready for -hoisting, and soon she was ready for sea. - -Then Ethel and Rose, as they nestled together on their pillows in the -cabin below, heard the cheerful notes of a fiddle, the tramp of feet -as the capstan bars were shipped, and the Scotch sailors trod merrily -round, to the air of "The Boatie Bows," while one sung a song well -known on the banks of the Forth; and louder stamped their feet, and -louder swelled their hearty voices at the chorus of each verse, of -which there were several, like this:-- - - "I have seen the waves as blue as air, - I have seen them green as grass; - But I never feared their heaving yet, - Frae Grangemouth to the Bass; - I have seen the sea as black as pitch, - I have seen it white as snow; - But I never feared its foaming yet, - Though winds blew high or low." - - -"Now, boys," shouted Morrison; "chorus--chorus! Heave and rally! -Walk away with it! Hurrah!" - -Then heavier trod the feet, and louder swelled the fiddle, and all -their voices rose together: - - "When squalls capsize our wooden walls, - When the French ride at the Nore, - When Leith meets Aberdeen halfway, - We'll go to sea no more. - No more, - We'll go to sea no more."* - -* Book of Scottish Song. - - -The cheerful voice of Captain Phillips was soon heard, ordering: - -"Let fall, and sheet home." - -"Good morning, Ethel," said Morley, tapping on her cabin-door; "we -are fairly clear of the creek and its crocodiles, and under weigh for -the Isle of France." - -It was, indeed, a glorious morning. Under a cloud of canvas, even to -her royals and angular sky-sails, the Scottish ship took the lead, -and her giant shadow fell far across the ocean. - -Red, round, and flashing in his effulgence, up came the god of day, -and the tall reedy cane-brakes and solemn drooping palm groves of the -shore they were leaving, the sea ahead and the deck beneath their -feet, were all red as if aflame. Ruddy gold, edged and gilt every -rope, face, and object, the shadows of the two ships falling in -purple on the crimson flush, which gradually melted away, as the sun -rose upward, and lit all the far horizon of the Indian Sea. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -THE ANCHOR IS LET GO. - -Our story is now drawing to a close, but no sudden or striking -tableau, no tremendous _dénouement_ or poetical rhapsody will attend -the fall of the curtain, albeit that truth is stranger than fiction. - -The ships sailed in company. They were seldom far apart, and often -were so near that those on board could hail each other and converse. - -The weather was fine, the trade-wind steady, and the remainder of the -voyage proved alike pleasant and prosperous. - -Of the Isle of Bourbon they saw only the smoke of its volcano, rising -into the clear air of a calm morning, and by sunset of the following -day, the colours displayed from the gaff-peak of the _Duke of -Rothesay_, which was ten miles ahead, and the discharge of one of her -twelve-pounders to windward, announced that the Isle of France was in -sight although not visible from the main-top of the _Hermione_; but -the report of the gun sent a thrill through the hearts of all on -board. - -The stormy petrel was tripping around them the same as ever; but they -had no fears now, for after sunset the harbour lights of Port Louis -were seen to twinkle over the sea; so the cables were roused out of -the tier, and rattled cheerily as they were laid in fakes along the -deck; they were bent to the anchors; the deep sea lead was in -constant requisition, and the hawsers were brought up from between -decks. - -By daybreak next morning the ships were close in shore, and in the -pilot's charge, with a fine breeze, ran in between Fort Blanc and the -Isles des Tonneliers, so the spires of the town were right ahead. As -the ship, with her courses clewed up, ran under her jury topsails and -driver into the fine old harbour of Port Louis, Morley and Ethel were -on deck together. Rose was below with Nance Folgate, busy packing, -though her more thoughtful sister had done all her own share of that -duty long ago. - -Morley seemed a prey to unusual sadness, and as she caressed his hand -kindly from time to time, and while her gentle eyes filled -alternately with pensive tenderness or sparkling animation, she could -barely obtain a response to her inquiries; for now that the voyage -was ended, that their dangers were over, and all excitement had -passed away, he felt a melancholy that he could not overcome, and -against which he struggled in vain. This emotion was very natural. -He knew not what was before him now in this strange land--this -half-French colony, where on the morrow he would find himself without -a shilling in his pocket. - -Hesitatingly, and while his now weather-beaten cheek glowed with -honest shame, he said something of this to Ethel; but she sought to -cheer him, and added that his friends, Captain Bartelot, the Scotch -mate Morrison, and old Noah were precisely in the same predicament, -yet they were all merry as crickets, whistling and singing, while, -with the three men of the Scotch ship, they hoisted the great rusty -anchors over the bows. - -"Ah, Ethel, do not smile as if you would mock me," said Morley, with -unwonted irritation; "it is our, or rather my, uncertain fortune that -haunts and galls me now." - -He knew, beyond a doubt, that the doctor would marry Rose as soon as -he could rejoin her, or get quit of the ship; Morley knew that Heriot -had his profession, a moderate competence, and excellent monetary -prospects; but what had he? - -Mr. Basset's health was so hopelessly impaired by all he had -undergone as to preclude any chance of his assuming his legal -functions, or, indeed, doing more in the matter of his judgeship than -simply to resign it on landing. - -His local influence would thus be dissipated, and already he spoke of -returning to England on the first suitable opportunity, resolving to -pass the remainder of his days there, even with his crippled means; -so, after all they had endured, Morley and Ethel, as they gazed -mournfully and tenderly into each other's eyes, felt that the course -of true love was as unlike a railway as possible. - -But now the sails were handed, the anchor let go with a plunge into -the seething flood, and exactly three months and fourteen days from -the time of her leaving the London Docks, the _Hermione_ swung at her -moorings in the harbour of Port Louis, distant only a few fathoms -from her late companion and protector, the stately ship of Alloa. - -Quarantine laws, custom-house harpies, and all such necessary -annoyances satisfied, the ship brokers came on board, and one of them -brought for Mr. Basset a packet of letters, which had arrived fully a -fortnight before, by a passing ship. - -There were letters for Ethel and Rose, from Jack and Lucy Page, and -other dear friends at Acton-Rennel, full of home gossip, all of vast -interest to them now; and there were some very business-like -documents "for papa," who carefully wiped his gold spectacles prior -to reading them; while Morley, who had not a friend in England, felt -bitterly there was nothing for him; so he slunk, as he thought, -unnoticed on deck, to watch the bustle of the port and shipping, and -to forget even himself, if he could, for a time. - -The contents of his two first letters certainly made Mr. Basset stare -very much, and wipe his glasses again, ere he read them a second -time, and fairly took in the full meaning of their contents. - -They were from his old friend, the M.P. for Acton-Rennel, who had -procured him the now useless judgeship, and from his solicitor in -Westminster, informing him that, by two most unexpected deaths, Ethel -and Rose, in right of their deceased mother, had become rich--quite -heiresses in fact, of not less than three thousand pounds each, -yearly, in government securities and other investments; full -particulars of which would be forwarded by the next mail. - -Ethel sat for a time like one bewitched, on hearing this. - -Then, after Mr. Basset had explained it all to her, she hurried on -deck to where Morley Ashton, with his head between his hands, was -gazing moodily and dreamily over the gunwale, at the slime and ooze -under the ship's counter; and caring little whether she were seen or -not, she stole one arm tenderly round his neck, and whispered in his -ear the story of their good fortune, adding that now she could reward -him for all his love and faith, and for all he had endured: and more -than once she had to repeat all this, ere she was fully understood by -the poor bewildered fellow. - -Thus, from a state of uncertainty, doubt, utter despondency at times, -was Morley Ashton rewarded, indeed, for all he had undergone. The -wheel of fortune had revolved completely in his favour, and he felt -raised "to the seventh heaven" by Ethel's happy news. - -So they were now safe, rich, and happy, with their dearest wishes -about to be realised! - -All around them seemed to be joyous and sunshiny. All so quiet, so -still, and yet such happiness was theirs! - -Their double separation, the sorrow of Morley's supposed death, his -detention at Rio, and his sufferings on the wreck; the mutiny, and -the piratical Malays; the entire past, with all its terrible -contingencies--where was it now? - -Gone indeed, and to be forgotten! - -The future--oh, they had no fears for it; the present, the glorious, -blissful present, was alone to be considered. And so thought Ethel -Basset, as on the last evening they were to spend in the cabin of the -_Hermione_ she sat hand in hand with Morley, and alone, her head -reclined upon his shoulder, and his arm caressingly around her, as -they whispered of the arrangements they were to make at home, and how -they would have Laurel Lodge again, with papa to care for, and how -Rose and Leslie Heriot would have one of those pretty new villas with -the green blinds and plate-glass windows at Cherrywood Hill. - -Inquiries concerning, or, as the Scots say, "anent" the loss of the -_Princess_, and the marooning of the crew of the _Hermione_ in the -Mozambique Channel, were duly conducted by Captain Sir Horace -Seymour, of H.M.S. _Clyde_, and the nautical assessor of the Board of -Trade at Port Louis, and the decision of the court freed our friends -Bartelot and Phillips from all blame, their captains' certificates -being returned to them by Sir Horace Seymour, with many complimentary -remarks. - -Mr. Basset resigned his appointment into the hands of the Governor, -and prepared to return to England; but as there is no true happiness -without alloy, Heriot could not procure a substitute or successor, -and so, when the _Hermione_ was refitted and fully manned, he found -himself compelled to sail with her to Singapore. - -Morrison went with her as chief mate, and Mr. Foster as second, and -she sailed out of Port Louis, dipping adieux with her ensign, and -firing her carronades in gallant style, old Captain Phillips and poor -Heriot continuing to wave their hats so long as two figures in light -dresses were visible on the mole. - -Poor little Rose shed abundance of tears. She thought herself -Virginia torn from her Paul, and the most ill-used young lady in the -world. She moped for a long time, and gave up her diary; it was no -use now, when she was so soon to see Lucy Page again. - -We need not detail how, prior to their departure, many a picnic was -made to all the places consecrated by the loves of Paul and Virginia, -and how many a sketch was made in Ethel's portfolio of the Shaddock -Grove, the marvellous Petterbotte, and other places. - -Tom Bartelot was to return to England with them, and get another ship. - -Noah had been offered a berth on board the _Hermione_, but he -declined. - -"No more marchantmen for me," said he; "I'm for the Queen's sarvice, -so long as I can lift tack or sheet, hand or foot; then Grinnidge -arter." - -So he shipped on board the _Clyde_, which about this time steamed -away towards the mouth of the Mozambique Channel, in search of the -pirates, who had again made their appearance in several proas. - -Noah acted as a species of guide; but no trace of their presence -could be found in that quarter, save the bare, bleached skull of poor -old Captain Puffadder, whose agency in our friends' escape had been -discovered by the Malays, and who had been buried by them up to his -neck in sand on the seashore, and left thus to perish under the -advancing tide, like the famous Wigton martyrs of the delirious -sheriff of Dumfries. - -Notices will be found in the various newspapers of that month, -stating that, in north latitude 27 deg. 30 min., and east longitude -40 deg. 10 min., near the Europa Rocks, H.M.S. _Clyde_ picked up a -boat, with two dead bodies in it. One was evidently that of a South -American, with rings in his ears; the other was of great stature, and -supposed to be a Yankee seaman. - -Noah declared them to be Zuares Barradas and Badger, from Cape -Cod--the last of the mutineers. By a curious coincidence, one of -these papers paragraphed that the Portuguese at Tristan d'Acunha were -building a chapel over the grave of the elder Barradas, who among -them has the reputation of such great sanctity, that his island is -now the scene of annual summer pilgrimages. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -CONCLUSION. - -Eight months after all this, it was in the drawing-room of Laurel -Lodge that those whose adventures we have traced so far were all -waiting for the boom of the dinner-gong, for it was the evening of -Ethel's birthday; and she had been a bride four months, while Rose -had been wedded but a few weeks--so both were all smiles, white lace, -and loveliness. - -All that day the familiar chimes of Acton-Rennel (which had rung in -honour of their return) had jangled merrily in the square Norman -tower, sending their notes over the chase, the mere, the long green -English lanes, and kindling joy in many a worthy heart that loved the -Bassets, and who now, in home-brewed brown October, drank deep to -their healths, and welcome home! - -Many of "Papa's household gods," as Ethel named them, which had been -bought by old friends, found their way back again to Laurel Lodge. -"Mamma's" picture hung in the usual place--even on its old nails; and -Rose's azaleas still bloomed in the conservatory, as on the night -when Hawkshaw laughed at them. - -Morley and Ethel occupied her old room, and often, when she drew the -curtains, she thought of that terrible morning when she looked up to -Acton Chine and thought a darkness had fallen on the outer world. -How difficult to realise all that had passed since then! - -There was present the old rector (papa's friend); he had read the -last service for Ethel's mamma, and who preached the sermon prior to -their departure; and there, too, were Lucy Page and her brother Jack, -who looked not a whit the worse for being jilted by Rose, as all the -folks in the village say he was, for the rector's black-eyed daughter -has undertaken to console him, while Lucy leans with pleasant -confidence on the arm of the young fox-hunting squire of Cherrywood -Hill, in out-door sports the rival of Jack, who is a first-class -shot, and scores with ease his ninety odd points among the members of -the 1st A.R.R.R.V.C., which mysterious letters mean the Acton-Rennel -Royal Rifle Volunteer Corps, a distinguished body of men, which our -friend Morley has since joined. - -The squire of Acton-Rennel had come over in his old lumbering coach, -and sat as of yore in a cosy easy-chair, opposite Mr. Basset, whose -hair has become rather gray, for he has been much aged by all he has -undergone, though carefully tended by his daughters, by Morley and -Heriot (who, though quite independent, is rapidly acquiring a -splendid country practice at Acton-Kennel), and by old Nance Folgate, -whose voyaging she believes to exceed in marvel all that ever was -recorded by Sir John Mandeville or old Richard Hakluyt. - -Bluff Captain Phillips (who is about to persuade the plump little -widow of Gravesend to change her name to his) was there too, and his -presence made them regret the absence of honest Morrison, who had -gone home to Scotland, and of jovial Tom Bartelot, who was in London, -it was whispered, with certain matrimonial views upon the girl of the -Hampton Court memories, in which he indulged when on the wreck, and -which views, we hope, he may realise ere long. - -Noah Gawthrop, who was then, as he would have phrased it, "a brilin' -aboard the _Clyde_," in the Indian Seas, was not forgotten when the -cloth was removed after dinner; and we believe he will yet cast -anchor in charge of the gate lodge, with its heraldic unicorns, and -may yet teach a little Morley Ashton to handle an oar in the skiff on -Acton mere, and may become in the bar of the "Basset Arms" a great -oracle upon all that appertaineth unto salt water. - -On this evening they were all very happy and merry, and the jolly -rector, in proposing Ethel's health and prosperity, declared that Mr. -Basset's daughters were alike improved in quality and tint, for -having been--like good Madeira--twice round the Cape, a species of -compliment which the two squires laughed at uproariously, so the -hearty good-humour and merriment waxed apace. - -"How unlike the past!" thought Morley, as he glanced at his beautiful -young wife in diamonds and lace; "here, indeed, 'the world seems a -good one to live in, and easy to get on with!'" - -Morley felt half as in a dream. - -It was the last day of October, the sun's declining rays were gilding -the shamble-oak, and his brethren of the old Saxon chase, the tower -of the village church, and the rocks of the chine. (You remember -them, reader? If you don't, we rather think Mr. Ashton does.) A sky -of clouds that were white, broken, and dappled, edged with gold, and -floating in amber, was over all. Fragrance and verdure, fertility -and vegetable life, that they may bud and bloom in all their strength -in spring, were going to sleep for the winter in the coppice and on -the uplands. - -The nearly-stripped woodlands loomed darkly out of the golden evening -haze, and the glorious sun, as he sank, while the village chimes rang -out, made Morley feel somehow happy, charitable, and kind to the -world in general. And so he thought, as he glanced from Ethel, who -was now singing at the piano one of her old familiar songs to Rose, -who, though a wedded wife, was seated on a hassock near her father's -knee, which had always been her place after dinner, since she cut her -first pearly teeth and drank milk out of the sponsorial silver mug, -given her by old Mr. Page, Jack's father. - -She was rollicking, as of old, with Lucy, a charming specimen of a -frank-hearted, fresh-complexioned country girl, and teasing her -brother Jack, a young Englishman complete, ruddy-cheeked, with a -smart moustache, long whiskers, and a head of close curly brown hair. - -Though the prime bowler of the Acton eleven, the crack shot of the -Acton Corps, a fellow who could run, leap, or shoot even with a -Highlandman, the good wine he had drunk loosed his tongue, and, as -Morley and he promenaded in the avenue, he told him rather -mysteriously, between the puffs of Latakia, which rose from his -meerschaum, that he "had been jilted by Rose chiefly because he was a -thundering bad dancer, and never knew a note of music in his life." -But Jack, we have said, was likely to find consolation. - -Though leaving them all happy in their old English home, we feel -loath alike to part with them and with the reader, who has -accompanied us so far; but we leave them all, we hope, with health, -wealth, and young life before them. - -The sun has set, and the Acton bells have ceased, so part we must, -though, perhaps, for a time. - - - -THE END. - - - -CHARLES DICKENS AND EVANS, CRYSTAL PALACE PRESS. - - - - - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Morley Ashton, Volume 3 (of 3), by James Grant - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MORLEY ASHTON, VOLUME 3 (OF 3) *** - -***** This file should be named 64082-8.txt or 64082-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/4/0/8/64082/ - -Produced by Al Haines -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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