CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
A DOUBLE TRAGEDY.
I had been up and about for a full week, and had during that periodobserved in Lemaitre's manner toward me not only a steadily decreasingsolicitude for my welfare--which was perhaps only natural, now that myhealth was rapidly improving--but also a growing disposition to sneerand gibe at me, covert at first but more pronounced and unmistakablewith every recurring day, that strongly tended to confirm the singularsuspicion I have endeavoured to bring home to the mind of the reader inthe preceding chapter. Then one night an incident occurred that in amoment explained everything, and revealed to me the unpleasant factthat, so far as my enemy Morillo was concerned, I was still in as greatdanger as when on board the felucca, although in the present case thedanger was perhaps a trifle more remote.
I have already mentioned Lemaitre's habit of drinking himself into astate of intoxication every night. This habit, and the obscene languagethat the man seemed to revel in when in such a condition, was sodisgusting to me that not the least-prized advantage afforded by myconvalescence was the ability to remain on deck until the nightlysaturnalia was at an end and Lemaitre and his companion had retired totheir cabins. On the particular night, however, of which I am about tospeak, a slight recurrent touch of fever caused me to slip quietly belowand turn in before the orgy began; not that I expected to get to sleep,but simply because I believed the warmth and dryness of my bunk would bebetter for me than the damp night air on deck.
Punctually at nine o'clock Lemaitre and his chief mate came noisilyclattering down the companion ladder, glasses and a bottle of rum wereproduced, and the carouse began. It had not progressed very far beforeit became apparent to me, as I lay there in my hot bunk, tossingrestlessly, that Lemaitre was in an unusually excited and quarrelsomecondition, and that Francois, the chief mate, was rapidly approaching asimilar condition as he gulped down tumbler after tumbler of liquor.They were always argumentative and contradictory when drinking together,but to-night they were unusually so. At length Francois made someremark as to the extraordinary good fortune they had met with on thisparticular voyage, in having come so far without falling in with aBritish cruiser; at which Lemaitre laughed scornfully declaring thatthere was not a British cruiser afloat that could catch _La belleJeannette_; and that, even if it were otherwise, he should have no fearof them this voyage. "For," said he, "have we not a guarantee of safetyin the presence of that simple fool Courtenay on board? Have we notsaved his life by rescuing him from the raft? And do you suppose theywould reward our humanity, ha, ha! by making a prize of the schooner?Not they! If there is one thing those asses of British pride themselvesupon more than another it is their chivalrous sense of honour--asentiment, my child, that they would not outrage for the value of fiftysuch schooners as this. All the same," he added, with an inflection ofdeep cunning in his voice, "I do not want to meet with a British cruiserat close enough quarters to be compelled to hand the dear Courtenay overto his countrymen; oh no!"
"Why not?" demanded Francois; "what advantage is it to you to keep himon board? Is it because you are so fond of his company? Pah! if youhad eyes in your head, you would see that, despite his gratitude to youfor saving his life, he despises you. What do you mean to do with him?Are you going to turn him adrift among the negroes when we arrive uponthe coast? I never could understand why you insisted upon saving him atall."
"No?" queried Lemaitre, with a sneering laugh. "Ah, that is because youare a fool, Francois, _mon enfant_, a more arrant fool even than thedear Courtenay himself. Do you suppose I did it out of pity for hiscondition, or because I love the British? No. I will tell you why,idiot. It is because he will fetch a good five hundred dollars at leastin the slave-market at Havana."
"So _that_ is what you intend to do with him, is it?" retorted Francois."Well, Lemaitre, I always knew you for an ass, but, unless you had toldme so with your own lips, I would never have believed you to be such anass as to sell a man for five hundred dollars when you can just aseasily get a thousand for him. Yet you call me fool and idiot! Pah,you sicken me!"
"Oh, I sicken you, do I?" growled Lemaitre, by this time well advancedtoward intoxication. "Take care what you are saying, my friend, or Ishall be apt to sicken you so thoroughly that you will be fit fornothing but a toss over the lee bulwarks. No doubt it is I who am thefool, and you who are the clever one; but I should like to hear by whatmeans you would propose to get a thousand dollars for the fellow. True,he is young and stalwart, and will be in prime condition by the timethat we get back to Havana,--I will see to that,--but I have knownbetter men than he sold for less than five hundred dollars; ay, _white_men too, not negroes."
"Did I not say you are an ass?" retorted Francois. "Who talks ofselling him at Havana? You, not I. Do you not know who this Courtenayis, then? I will tell you, most wise and noble captain. He is theyouth who attacked and destroyed Morillo's settlement at Cariacou,--Iremember the name perfectly well,--and I was told at Havana, by one whoought to know, that Morillo had given it out among his friends that hewould pay one thousand dollars to anyone who should bring Courtenay tohim alive. And that is not all, either. You know what Morillo is; hehas declared a feud against this miserable, meddlesome Englishman, andnot only will he gladly pay a thousand dollars for the privilege ofwreaking his vengeance upon him, but the man who delivers your friendCourtenay into his hands will be free to sail the seas withoutmolestation from Morillo as long as he lives. What think you of that,Captain Lemaitre?"
"Is this true?" demanded Lemaitre. "Ay," answered Francois, "as true asthat you and I are sitting here in this cabin."
"Why did you not tell me of this before, Francois, my friend?" askedLemaitre, in a wheedling tone.
"Why did I not tell you before?" echoed Francois. "Ask rather why Itell you now, and I will answer that it is because I am such a fool thatI cannot keep a good thing to myself when I have it. Sac-r-r-re! whatneed was there for me to make you as wise as myself, eh? However, I amnot going to let you have this choice little bit of information fornothing. I have told you how to make a clear five hundred dollars overand above what you could have earned without the information I have beenidiot enough to give you, and you must pay me half the amount; do youunderstand?"
"Ay, I understand," answered Lemaitre, with a sudden return to hisformer sneering, aggressive manner; "but I should like to know--just forthe satisfaction of my curiosity--how you propose to compel me to payyou that two hundred and fifty dollars that you talk about."
"Why, easily enough," snarled Francois, with sudden fury, as he realisedthat Lemaitre intended to evade the extortion if he could. "If you donot pay me immediately after receiving the reward from Morillo, I willdenounce you to him. I will say that you intended to have yielded upyour prisoner to the British, in order that you might curry favour withthem and secure immunity from capture by them; and that you would neverhave given him up to Morillo at all but for my threats. And I supposeyou know what that will mean for you, eh?"
"Oh, so that is what you would do, is it, my friend?" returned Lemaitre,with a harsh laugh. "Well, well, it will be time enough for you tothreaten when I refuse to pay you the two hundred and fifty dollars.Until then, there is no need for us to quarrel; so fill up your glass,Francois, and let us drink to the health of the dear Courtenay, who,after all, was quite worth picking up off the raft, don't you think?"
Then followed a gurgling sound as the two topers filled their glasses.A gulping and smacking of lips, succeeded by a banging of the emptytumblers upon the table, came clearly to me through the latticed upperpanel of my door; and then certain staggering sounds, as the twostruggled to their feet, were followed by Lemaitre thickly bidding hiscompanion good-night, as the pair reeled and stumbled away to theirrespective berths.
I slept badly that night, the fever, with the intelligence I had justacquired, combining to make me restless and wakeful; but after tossingfrom side to side, until about two bells in the morning watch, Igradually sank into a tro
ubled sleep, from which I was startled by asudden outbreak of loud, excited shouts, succeeded by a sound of fiercescuffling, accompanied by a volley of oaths and exclamations, the stampof feet, a heavy fall, a rush of footsteps up the companion ladder, anda sudden, heavy splash alongside. Then followed a terrific outcry ondeck, with the hurrying rush of feet on the planking overhead, thefurious slatting of canvas as the schooner shot into the wind, moreexcited shouts, ending in a sort of groaning mingled with ejaculationsof dismay, a sudden silence, and then a terrific jabbering, suggestiveof the idea that all hands had incontinently taken leave of theirsenses.
I sprang out of my bunk and hurriedly proceeded to dress, rushing ondeck bare-footed to see what was the matter; and as I emerged from thecompanion-way I saw all hands gathered aft, most of them staring hardover the taffrail, while one man was busily engaged in binding up theleft arm of the second mate.
"Hillo, Monsieur Charpentier!" I exclaimed, "what is the matter? Hasanything happened?"
"Happened, monsieur? I should think so!" exclaimed the second mate,turning to me a white and ghastly face; "a most awful thing hashappened. When I went below just now to call Francois I was unable tomake him hear, although I called several times and knocked ever so hardat his door. So I ventured to turn the door handle and enter his cabin,and what do you think I saw, monsieur? Why, poor Francois lying dead inhis bunk, his clothes soaked with blood, and a great gaping wound in hisbreast, right over his heart! I was so horrified, monsieur, that Iscarcely knew what to do; but, collecting myself with a mighty effort, Iwent to call the captain; and when I reached his cabin I found the doorwide open and Monsieur Lemaitre crouched in a corner of it, with a greatbloodstained knife in his hand, his eyes glaring, and his lips mumblingand muttering I know not what. I saw that there was something wrongwith him, monsieur,--I believed he had gone mad,--and I was about toturn away and call for help; but he saw me, and, before I was aware,sprang upon me, seizing me with one hand by the throat while with theother he aimed blow after blow at me with his terrible knife. Idefended myself as well as I could, monsieur, fighting bravely for mylife; but what can one do against a madman? The captain seemed topossess the strength of twenty men; he forced me irresistibly backagainst the bulkhead, and then drove his knife through my arm.Believing that he had killed me, I relaxed my hold upon him; whereuponhe hurled me to the deck, sprang over my fallen body, and bounded up ondeck, _and from thence overboard_! And now they tell me, monsieur, thathe had scarcely struck the water when a shark rose, seized him, anddragged him under! See, monsieur, look astern! He is gone; there isnothing to be seen of him! What shall we do? oh, mon Dieu, what shallwe do?"
"Are you _quite sure_ that the captain was seized by a shark?" Idemanded, looking round from one to another of the men, who had nowturned their faces inboard and stood staring alternately at Charpentierand myself.
"Oh yes, monsieur," excitedly replied half a dozen of them all together,"we all saw it; it was a monster. And," continued one of them, "thecaptain had scarcely risen to the surface after his plunge overboardwhen the shark seized him by the middle and dragged him under. We allsaw the blood dyeing the water,--did we not, shipmates?--but the captainnever uttered a cry; just threw up his arms and vanished. Is not thatit, my friends?"
"Yes, yes," they all exclaimed again, "that is it. Jules describes itexactly as it occurred."
"Then," said I, "it seems to me, Monsieur Charpentier, that, CaptainLemaitre and the mate being dead, nothing remains but for you to takecommand and navigate the schooner to her destination."
"But, monsieur, I cannot do that, for, unhappily, I am not a navigator,"replied Charpentier, wringing his hands.
"Do you mean to say that you know _nothing whatever_ about navigation!"demanded I.
"Alas, no, monsieur! nothing whatever," was the reply.
"And is there no one else among you who can navigate the schooner?"asked I.
The men looked at each other, shaking their heads and muttering, "NotI"; and finally Charpentier exclaimed, "You see, monsieur, there is notone of us who can navigate. What is to be done? _You_, monsieur, arean officer--at least so I understood Francois to say; perhaps youcould--"
"Well," demanded I, seeing that the fellow hesitated, "perhaps I could--what?"
"Pardon, monsieur," exclaimed he, "I was in hopes that, considering thedifficulty we are placed in by this most lamentable tragedy, you wouldkindly take command and navigate the schooner."
"I see," remarked I. "Well," I continued, "if such is the wish of youall, I have no objection to do as you wish. But--understand me--I willonly consent to navigate the schooner back to the West Indies; I willnot undertake the trouble and responsibility of carrying the ship to herdestination and shipping a cargo. I disapprove, on principle, of slave-trading, which I consider an iniquitous traffic, and I will have nothingto do with it; but, if you are willing, I will navigate the ship back toPort Royal,--guaranteeing you immunity from capture upon our arrival, inconsideration of the rescue and succour that you have afforded me,--and,when there, you will have no difficulty in procuring someone who willnavigate the schooner from thence to Havana or any other port that youmay choose to go to. Just talk it over among yourselves, and let meknow what you decide on doing."
I could see that my proposal was not at all to Charpentier's liking, or,indeed, to the liking of any of the crew; but I cared not for that. Iwas quite determined to have nothing whatever to do with the kidnappingof any unfortunate blacks; and in the end they were obliged to give way,although Charpentier tried hard to dissuade me from my resolution; theresult being, that immediately after I had ascertained our position atnoon, we wore round and shaped a course for Martinique, that islandbeing in a direct line with Jamaica. At first I was rather apprehensivethat the disappointment of the men at so unprofitable a result of thevoyage would cause them to be troublesome; but it did not. The questionof turning back having once been settled, they all seemed to take thematter very philosophically, the fact that they were now relieved of themate's tyranny perhaps reconciling them to such disappointment as theymight otherwise have felt.
I need not dwell upon the return voyage, which was singularlyuneventful; suffice it to say that, favoured with fine weather and afair wind all the way, we made an exceptionally smart run across theAtlantic, entering Port Royal harbour on the morning of the twenty-second day after bearing up, and eleven weeks to a day from the date ofmy abduction by Dominguez.
My sudden reappearance created quite a sensation among the dockyardpeople, my disappearance having been involved in so much mystery thatall sorts of surmises had been indulged in to account for it. Some wereof opinion that I had fallen overboard into the harbour, and had found asecure hiding-place in the maw of a shark; but there were others who,happening to have been present when I was summoned from MammyWilkinson's hotel upon my supposititious errand of help and rescue toyoung Lindsay, at once mentioned the circumstance, with the result thata very strong suspicion of foul play was aroused. My friend and patron,the admiral, was especially concerned upon my account, even going to thelength of offering a reward of fifty pounds for such intelligence asshould lead to my discovery; but it resulted in nothing, those worthies,Caesar and Peter, perhaps being too much afraid to utter a word of whatthey knew. Then there occurred more frigate actions, resulting in soheavy a pressure of work, that nobody seemed to have any time to thinkabout the mysterious disappearance of a somewhat obscure younglieutenant. But now that I had unexpectedly turned up again, safe andsound, I was overwhelmed with congratulations, while the admiral sent aparty of police to the house to which I had been conveyed, withinstructions that the two negroes were to be at once found and arrested.The house, however, proved to be empty when the police made theirdomiciliary visit; and, as for the negroes, their whereabouts was neverdiscovered. Possibly the excitement of my reappearance, and the talk towhich it gave rise, alarmed them and caused them to beat a hasty retreatto some other island.
To my great joy,
I discovered that the _Diane_ was not yetrecommissioned, the repairs and alterations to her having been greatlydelayed by the more pressing work of repairing the frigates, while theadmiral--in the hope that I might still turn up, and with that extremekindness that had marked all his treatment of me--had determined not togive the command of her to anyone else until she should be absolutelyready for sea. I therefore at once stepped into my former position, andlost no time in getting as many men to work upon her as could be spared.And there was the less difficulty in accomplishing this, that Morillowas believed to be more busy than ever, several outward-bound shipsbeing overdue without the occurrence of any bad weather to account fortheir disappearance. Meanwhile, during the progress of the work aboardthe brigantine, I gave myself up to the task of getting together a crew,of which my old friend Black Peter constituted himself the nucleus,while several former _Terns_ volunteered, these again inducing other menof their acquaintance to come forward and join; so that by the time thatthe finishing touches were being put to the _Diane_, I had fifty-twofirst-rate men waiting to go aboard as soon as the ship should be readyto receive them. But I wanted five more to complete my complement, andthese I picked up by making a raid one night upon the low boarding-houses in Kingston, where the crimps were in the habit of taking insailors and keeping them in hiding until they had extracted from themevery penny of their hard-earned wages.
At length, some five weeks from the date of my reappearance, the timearrived when the _Diane_, being ready for sea, with her guns mounted,provisions, water, and stores of every kind on board, and sails bent,hauled off alongside the powder hulk to ship her ammunition; and thatdelicate job having been successfully accomplished, under my personalsupervision, I went up to Kingston to dine with the admiral prior tosailing, calling at the hotel on my way in order to change my clothes.As I entered the building, the head waiter--a negro--stepped forward andhanded me a letter addressed in an unknown and foreign-lookinghandwriting to myself. I opened it at once, and found that it bore adate a full fortnight old, and read as follows, the language beingEnglish:--
"Senor Courtenay,--You have constituted yourself my especial enemy, andhave apparently declared war to the knife against me. In return I nowdeclare my determination to destroy you by whatever means may presentthemselves. Thrice have you injured me, either personally or through myagents; but rest assured that a day of reckoning will come, when youshall curse the hour that gave you birth. I will fight you wherever wemay happen to meet, and let the strongest conquer. If you fear not tomeet me, hoist a red swallow-tailed burgee to your fore royal masthead,that I may recognise your ship from others, Morillo."
"When did this letter arrive, and who brought it?" demanded I of thewaiter, who stood by as I read the document.
"A black boy brought it, about half an hour ago, sah, an' said I was tobe suah an' gib it you, sah, an' dat dar was no ansah, sah," replied thefellow.
"Did you know the boy?" demanded I.
"No, sah; nebber saw him befoah to my knowledge, sah," was the reply.
"Did you take enough notice of him to be able to recognise him shouldyou happen to see him again?" asked I.
"I's afraid not, sah; those black boys are all exactly alike, you know,sah," replied the fellow, who was himself as black as the ace of spades.
"Well," said I, "if you _should_ happen to see him again, and can manageto detain him until you can give him into custody, it will be worth fiveguineas to you. I should very much like to see that boy and ask him aquestion or two."
"All right, sah; if I see him I'll stop him, nebbah feah, sah," repliedthe waiter, with a grin; and therewith I hurried away to my room todress.