CHAPTER XXXIX
THE Admiral took it with some Italian words under breath. Then hewheeled and left the cabin. A minute later I heard the master from the_Consolacion_ hail the _Margarita_ that lay close by. "_Margarita_,ahoy! Orders! Clap on sail and follow!" The trumpet cried to the Juanaand the _San Sebastian_, "Make ready and follow!"
Our mariners ran to make sail. But the long boat waited for some finalword that they said was going ashore. Terreros would take it. We were soclose that we saw the yet watching crowd, wharf and water side, and thesun glinting upon Ovando's order-keeping soldiery. The Admiral called meto him. I read the letter to the Governor, Terreros would deliver toour old officer, probably waiting on the wharf to see us quite away. Theletter--there was naught in it but the sincerest, gravest warning thata hurricane was at hand. A great one; he knew the signs. It might strikethis shore late to-morrow or the next day or the next. Wherefore hebegged his Excellency the Governor to tarry the fleet's sailing. Let itwait at least three days and see if his words came not true! Elsethere would be scattering of ships and destruction--and he rested hisExcellency's servant. _El Almirante_.
Terreros went, delivered that letter, and returned to the _Juana_. Andour sails were made and our anchors lifted, and it was sunset and clearand smooth, and every palm frond of San Domingo showed. Eighteen shipsin harbor, and fifteen, they said, going to Spain, and around and uponthem all bustle of preparation. One saw in fancy Bobadilla and Roldanand Gwarionex and the much gold, including that piece of virgin oreweighing five thousand castellanos. Fifteen ships preparing for Spain,and San Domingo, of which the Adelantado had laid first stone, and astrange, green, sunset sky. And the _Consolacion_, the _Margarita_, theJuana and the _San Sebastian_ away to the west, to the sound of music,for the Admiral cried to our musicians, "Play, play in God's name!"
Night passed. Morning broke. So light was the wind that the shore wentby slowly. There gathered an impatience. "If we must to Jamaica, whatuse in following every curve of Hispaniola that is forbid us?" At noonthe wind almost wholly failed, then after three hours of this rose witha pouncing suddenness to a good breeze. We rounded a point thronged withpalms. Before us a similar point, and between the two that bent gentlyeach to the other, slept a deep and narrow bight. "Enter here," said theAdmiral.
We anchored. There was again a strange sunset, green and gold in thelower west, but above an arc of clouds dressed in saffron and red. Andnow we could hear, though from very far off, a deep and low murmur, andwhether it was the forest or the sea or both we did not know. But nowall the old mariners said there would be storm, and we were glad of thelittle bay between the protecting horns. The Admiral named it Bay ofComfort. The _Consolacion_ _Margarita_, _Juana_, _San Sebastian_, layunder bare masts, deep within the bight.
The next day, an hour before noon, arrived that king hurricane.
They are known now, these storms of Europe's west and Asia's east. Takeall our Mediterranean storms and heap them into one!
Through the day our anchors held in our Bay of Comfort, and we blessedour Admiral. But at eve the _Margarita_, the _Juana_ and the _SanSebastian_ lost bottom, feared breaking against the rocky shore andstood out for sea room. The _Consolacion_ stayed fast, and at dawn waswoe to see nothing at all of the three. In the howling tempest and thequarter light we knew not if they were sunk or saved.
With the second evening the hurricane sank; at dawn the seas, thoughrunning high, no longer pushed against us like white-maned horses ofDeath. We waited till noon, then the sea being less mountainous, quittedthe Bay of Comfort and went to look for the three ships.
The _Juana_ and the _San Sebastian_ we presently sighted and rejoicedthereat. But the _Margarita_! We saw her nowhere, and the Admiral's facegrew gray. His son Fernando pressed close to him. "My uncle is abold man, and they say the second seaman in the world! Let's hope andhope--and hope!"
"Why, aye!" said the Admiral. "I'm a good scholar in hope. I told themin San Domingo the ship was not seaworthy. What cared they for that?They were willing that all of my name should drown! God judge betweenus!"
The _Juana_ came close and shouted that at eve they had seen theAdelantado in great trouble, close to shore. Then came down the nightand once or twice they thought they made out a light but they were notsure.
In this West the weather after a hurricane is weather of heaven. Wecoasted in a high sea, but with safety under a sky one sapphire, andwith a right wind,--and suddenly, rounding a palmy headland, we saw the_Margarita_ riding safe in a little bay like the Bay of Comfort. TheAdmiral fell upon his knees.
The _Margarita_ was safe indeed but was so crazed a ship! The _SanSebastian_, too, was in bad case. Hispaniola truly, but some leaguesfrom San Domingo, and a small, desert, lonely bay! We rested herebecause rest we must, and mended our ships. Days--three days--a week.The Admiral and the Adelantado kept our people close to the ships.There was no Indian village, but a party sent to gather fruit found twoIndians biding, watching from a thicket. These, brought to the Admiral,proved to be from a village between us and San Domingo. They had been inthat town after the hurricane. It had uprooted the great tree before theGovernor's house and thrown down a part of the church.
"Had the fleet sailed?"
Yes, it seemed. The day before the storm. But these men knew nothing ofits fortunes. He kept the Indians with us until we sailed, so as not tospread news of where we were, then gave them presents and let them go.
But on the day we set to sail we did not sail, for along the coastand into our bay came a small caravel, going with men to our fort inXaragua. The captain--Ruy Lopez it was--met us as a wonder, San Domingohaving held that the hurricane must have sunk us, the sea swallowedus up. He anchored, took his boat and came to the Admiral upon the_Consolacion_.
"Senor, I am glad to see you living!"
"Yes, I live, senor. Are you well in San Domingo?"
"Well in body, but sick at heart because of the fleet."
"Because of the fleet?"
"The fleet, senor, was a day away when the hurricane burst. Half theships were split, lost, sunken! The others, broken, returned to us. Oneonly went on to Spain. The gold ships are lost. Only, they say, the goldthat pertains to you, goes on safely on that one to Cadiz. Gwarionex theIndian is drowned, and Bobadilla and Roldan are drowned."