CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
THE RECAPTURE OF THE MINERVA.
The camp being in complete darkness, Dick took his station just insidethe tent-flap and, with the aid of his night-glass, maintained a closewatch upon the barque. Hitherto there had been something very much inthe nature of a carouse carried on aboard her every night since herarrival, the revel usually lasting up until nearly midnight. But onthis particular night there was a difference, the singing and shoutingcoming to an end before four bells, or ten o'clock, a circumstance thatfurther confirmed Dick in his impression that the mutineers meditatedsome step of a more or less decisive character. Yet when, by thecarefully screened lamp in the tent, he consulted his watch and foundthat the hour of midnight was already past, he had entirely failed todetect any sign of life or movement on board the _Minerva_.
He now called Nicholls, and when the latter appeared he said to him--
"If you will sit here, where I have been sitting, you will be able, byusing the night-glass, to keep a very perfect watch upon the barquewithout being yourself seen, and the moment that you detect anythinglike the appearance of a boat coming ashore, please wake me. And beespecially careful not to light your pipe where you can be seen, as I amparticularly anxious not to scare those fellows from coming ashore.And, in their present state of mind, I am afraid that anything whichmight excite within them the suspicion that they are being watched wouldsuffice to scare them back to the ship again."
Then he, in his turn, stretched himself out and was presently soundasleep.
It seemed as though he had been asleep scarcely five minutes, althoughit was really more than an hour when Nicholls shook him by the shoulderand said--
"Mr Leslie, wake up, sir, please. There's a boat of some sort comingashore from the barque. She's been in sight for the last quarter of anhour, but she's coming along very slowly, and I expect it'll be quiteanother quarter of an hour before she reaches the beach."
"Where is she?" demanded Leslie, seizing the night-glass. "Oh, thereshe is," he continued, as he brought the instrument to bear. "I seeher. She appears to be one of the barque's quarter-boats, Nicholls,and, so far as I can make out, there are only two men in her."
"It's difficult to tell by starlight, sir," replied Nicholls, "but Ishould say there's about that number. There can't be less, for she ispulling two oars, and one man wouldn't be likely to attempt the job ofpulling a heavy boat like a gig ashore, much less pull her back againagainst the wind. And I don't think there's likely to be more than twoof 'em, otherwise they wouldn't be pulling only two oars."
"Just so," agreed Leslie. "Now where are those seizings? Oh, here theyare! That's all right; we must have them where we can put our handsupon them at a moment's notice. And are your pistols all ready, in caseyou should need to use them? That's well. Now all that remains for usto do is to quietly await the arrival of those gentlemen here, in thedarkness of the tent. They will be pretty certain to come here first.And when they do, I will cover them with my revolvers while you lashtheir hands behind them. And take care that you lash them so securelythat there will be no possibility of their getting adrift again."
"Ay, ay, sir; never fear. You may trust me for that," answeredNicholls, cheerfully.
And with that the two men seated themselves well back within the deepestshadows of the tent, and quietly awaited the approach of their nocturnalvisitors.
The boat was by this time so close to the beach that it was apparentthat the men in her were pulling with muffled oars; and presently sheglided in upon the sand so gently that she grounded without a sound.Then the two figures in her silently rose to their feet, and, laying intheir oars with such extreme care that the deposition of them upon thethwarts was accomplished with perfect noiselessness, stepped gently outof her on to the yielding sand. They conferred earnestly together for aminute or two and then, turning, came cautiously up the beach, each ofthem carrying a short length of rope in his hand.
"By Jove," whispered Leslie to his companion, "they are determined toleave nothing to chance; they have actually brought along with them thelashings wherewith to bind me!"
Nicholls chuckled quietly. "So they have, sir," he whispered. "It'llbe a joke to see the way that they'll be taken aback presently."
Treading carefully and using every precaution to avoid the slightestnoise, the two men slowly made their way up the beach and on to thethick grass of the little savannah upon which the tent stood. They nowseemed to think that the necessity for such extreme caution was past,and advanced much more rapidly, until they arrived within about twentyyards of the tent, when they again paused for a moment to confertogether.
"Now!" whispered Leslie; and, at the word, he and his companion rose totheir feet and stepped forward into the open. The new arrivals did notsee them at once, for their heads were close together as they whisperedto each other, and there were perhaps never two more surprised men thanthey were when Leslie's voice smote upon their ears with the words--
"Don't move an inch, or you are both dead men. And throw up your hands!If you dare to move I will fire; and, as you may see, I am covering youboth!"
As Leslie spoke the two men started guiltily apart, and then stoodstaring in stupefaction at the two figures that had so suddenly appearedbefore them.
"Up with your hands, both of you," reiterated Leslie, sharply, for thestrangers had apparently been taken too completely by surprise to fullycomprehend all that was said to them. "And," he continued, "listencarefully to me, both of you. You are my prisoners, and I intend tomake perfectly sure of you. I know all about you; I know you to be twomen who are engaged in a desperate enterprise, and are likely to stickat nothing. Now, understand me well: I am just as resolute as you are,and if you give me the slightest trouble I will put a bullet throughyou, as surely as you stand there; so do not attempt any nonsense if youvalue your lives. Now you," indicating one of them with his levelledrevolver, "move three paces to your right--so; halt! that will do. Now,Nicholls, lash that fellow's hands firmly behind his back."
"Well, here's a pretty go," yelled one of them to the other in an accessof impotent fury. "A dandy old mess you've made of this job, Misterbloomin' Peter Burton, haven't you? and dragged me into it along withyer! I wish I'd never had nothin' at all to do with the cussedbusiness, now, I do; I _knowed_ it was boun' to go a mucker, from thevery fust! But you and that bloomin' skowbank of a Turnbull _would_drag me into it, temptin' me with your yarns of treasure, and bein' asrich as a Jew, and a lot more rot o' the same sort, and now, here I am,landed--"
"There, that will do, my man," interrupted Leslie, sharply, as Nichollsdeftly proceeded to lash the fellow's hands behind him; "your repentancecomes just a little too late to be of any use to you. You are amutineer and a murderer, and you must take the consequences of your evildeeds."
"What do _you_ know about it?" growled the man who had been addressed asBurton. "Who's been blowin' the gaff to _you_? If it's Turnbull that'sbeen doin' a split, I'll wring his neck for 'im!"
"There, sir, number one is all right," exclaimed Nicholls as he steppedaway from his victim. "If he gets adrift I'll give him leave to eat me,body and bones! Shall I go ahead with this other chap now?"
"Yes," assented Leslie; "truss him up, and let us have done with themboth as quickly as possible."
Burton, who was an immensely powerful fellow, poured forth a volley ofthe most horrible curses and threats as Nicholls approached him; butLeslie stood but half a dozen paces from him, with his revolver levelledstraight at the fellow's head, and a stern word of caution sufficed toquell the fast-rising inclination to resistance that shone in the man'seyes; he subsided suddenly to a state of sullen silence, and submittedin his turn to be bound. The whole episode had not occupied more thanfive minutes, at the outside. Then, with their hands firmly securedbehind them, the two men were marched off to the hut that had been builtby the savages, where they were compelled to lie down and submit to afurther process of binding, upon the completion of whi
ch they foundthemselves absolutely helpless; for now both their hands and their feetwere lashed together so tightly and securely that it was quiteimpossible for them to move otherwise than to give an occasional feeble,impotent wriggle.
This accomplished to their complete satisfaction, Leslie and Nichollsreturned to the tent, and resumed their alternate vigils until themorning; for they knew not what arrangements these men might have madewith their fellow-mutineers, and deemed it wisest not to relax theirvigilance now until the entire adventure had been brought to asuccessful issue.
The remainder of the night passed, however, without further incident,and at daybreak the occupants of the tent were once more astir andpreparing breakfast. Then, having satisfied their own appetites, theytook a good liberal supply of food to the hut and, loosing theirprisoner's bonds sufficiently to allow them the use of their hands, badethem eat and drink freely.
Then, when at length Burton and his companion--whose name, ittranspired, was Samuel Cunliffe--sullenly acknowledged that they hadeaten and drunk all that they desired, their hands were once more lashedsecurely behind them, their feet released, and they were bidden tofollow Leslie, who went ahead while Nicholls, as rear-guard, walkedclose behind. And thus they all proceeded until the cave was reached,where the two new arrivals were forced to join their fellow-prisoner,Turnbull. And there, in that gloomy cavern, the exigencies of thesituation demanded that, for a time at least, they should be once moresubjected to the extreme discomfort of being lashed, hands and feettogether, as they had been in the hut on the previous night, in order toavoid all possibility of their getting together and releasing eachother.
Having satisfied himself that his prisoners were absolutely secure, anddressed Turnbull's wound afresh, Leslie, accompanied by Nicholls, nextmade his way to the cove, where he found the cutter lying at anchor inthe centre of the little basin with all her canvas set and gentlyflapping in the light breeze. And a marvellously pretty picture thelittle craft presented with her snow-white hull, surmounted by a broadexpanse of scarcely less white cotton canvas, sitting daintily andjauntily upon the water, the white of her hull and sails, and the ruddysheen of her copper sheathing brilliantly reflected upon the smooth,dark surface of the element she rode in such saucy fashion. Dick stoodfor some minutes feasting his eyes upon the pretty picture she presentedagainst the dark-brown background of scarred and riven rock that formedthe sides of the basin, and then he and Nicholls quickly descended theprecipitous slope to where the catamaran lay moored, and, jumping onboard her, paddled off to the _Flora_, whose namesake fortunatelyhappened to be on board her at the moment, but was just preparing to goashore for another ramble.
"I am afraid, dear, you cannot go just now," said Dick, "unless indeedyou would like to walk over to the camp, for we are about to returnthere at once, preparatory, I hope, to sailing for home to-morrow."
"Do you think Dick, it would be quite safe for me to take the walkalone? Because, if so, and we are actually going to sail to-morrow, Ishould so like to do it. It is a lovely walk; and there areassociations connected with it that endear it to me," she said shyly.
"Very well, little girl," responded Dick. "Then take the walk, by allmeans, for it is perfectly safe. Only be very careful not to look in atthe cave on your way, for I have three prisoners stowed away there, now,and although they are too firmly secured to be able to hurt you, theymay say things that would offend your ears."
Flora promised that she would most carefully avoid the cave, and was setashore by the catamaran, Dick instructing Nicholls and Simpson toafterwards proceed round to the camp in that craft while he himselfundertook to work the cutter round to the same point single-handed.While, therefore, the two seamen were conveying Flora to thelanding-place, Leslie busied himself in taking a pull upon the halliardsall round and getting up the cutter's anchor. He was still thus engagedwhen the catamaran pushed off, under sail, and, passing close under thecutter's stern, hailed, inquiringly which way she was to steer.
"Keep the land close aboard on your starboard hand all the way, and youcannot go wrong," answered Leslie, adding: "But I shall be after you ina few minutes, and will give you a lead."
The catamaran stood out of the cove, and headed away to the eastward onthe starboard tack; and a few minutes later Dick followed in the cutter.Within the cove, the breeze that came in over the overlapping headlandswas light and baffling, yet the _Flora_ gathered way quickly and glidedalong at a pace that rejoiced Leslie's heart. But when she passedoutside beyond the shelter of the heads, and felt the full strength ofthe briskly blowing trade wind, her solitary navigator found that hewould have his hands full when it presently came to working her. ForSimpson had hoisted the big jack-yard topsail, to give the sail a goodstretching, and Dick had been too preoccupied to notice the fact; thelittle craft therefore made her first essay _in_ the open ocean underprecisely the same canvas that she would show to the most gentle ofbreezes, whereas the trade wind was piping up quite fresh. The breezestruck her with something of the suddenness and violence of a squall,with everything creaking and twanging to the violence of the strain, andthe little craft heeled to it until her lee rail was buried and thewater was halfway up the deck to her tiny skylight; but with a plunge,like that of a mettlesome horse to the touch of the spur, she dartedforward, burying her sharp bows deep in the heart of the first sea thatcame sweeping down upon her, and in another moment she was thrashingalong in the wake of the catamaran like a mad thing, leaping andplunging with long floaty rushes over the sharply running sea thatoverran the ponderous Pacific swell. Within the first five minutes itbecame quite clear to Leslie that the catamaran was nowhere comparedwith this smart and handsome little ship, for to Dick the former craftseemed to sag away to leeward like an empty cask, while the cutterwalked up to her as though the other had been at anchor. By the timethat the _Flora_ had overtaken the catamaran, the two craft had gained asufficient offing to enable them to fetch the entrance channel on thenext tack, and they accordingly hove about, the cutter whisking roundwith a celerity that gave Leslie as much as he could do to trim over thehead sheets in time to catch a turn with them as she paid off on theother tack. And now the _Flora_ ran away from the catamaran at such arate that she had reached her anchorage and was just rounding into thewind to bring up when the other craft passed through the channel andentered the lagoon. This little trip round from the cove to the lagoonhad not only given the cutter's sails a nice stretching, but it had alsostretched her new rigging to such an extent that Dick saw it would bequite necessary to set it up afresh all round before he started on hisvoyage, if he did not wish to risk the loss of his spars. This,however, was a matter that would have to wait; he had something of aneven more pressing nature that called for his immediate attention.
By the time that the catamaran had arrived alongside the cutter, thelatter's anchor was down and the jib and foresail taken in. The biggaff topsail was next hauled down and carefully stowed away, and finallythe mainsail was lowered, stowed, and the coat put over it.
Then Dick jumped aboard the catamaran. "I suppose you both have yourrevolvers?" he said to Nicholls and Simpson. "Are they fully loaded?"The two men replied in the affirmative. "Then up with your canvas," hecommanded; "and we will be off to the barque and settle this businessforthwith. I will explain my plans to you as we go."
With the cutter no longer sailing alongside her, the catamaran once moretook rank as a fast-sailing and weatherly craft, and soon worked out tothe spot where the _Minerva_ rode at anchor. Dick, of course, by thistime knew the curious craft well, and handled her with such consummatejudgment that when at length he luffed her into the wind's eye andordered her sails to be lowered, she just handsomely slid up alongsidethe barque and came to a standstill abreast her starboard gangway.
"Look out there and catch a turn with this 'ere painter," exclaimedSimpson, tossing a rope's-end to a couple of men who peered down fromthe _Minerva's_ bulwarks upon the catamaran and her crew with mingledastonishment and dismay; and at the
same moment Leslie and Nicholls madea spring for the barque's side-ladder, and, shinning up it, tumbled inon deck to the further discomfiture of the two men aforesaid, leavingSimpson to follow, which he promptly did. The whole thing was done sosmartly that the only two visible members of the barque's crew--whoseemed to be quite slow-moving and slow-thinking men--were completelytaken by surprise, and evidently knew not what to make of it.
Meanwhile Leslie, with a single glance about the ship's deserted decks,seemed to grasp the situation intuitively.
"Are you two men named Royston and Hampton?" he demanded.
"Ay, ay, sir; that's us, sure enough," answered one of the two, with avisible appearance of relief for some reason best known to himself.
"Unbuckle your belts and throw them down on deck," commanded Dick,quietly drawing a brace of revolvers somewhat ostentatiously from hisside-pockets.
"What for?" demanded one of the fellows. "Who be you, mister, to comeaboard here and order--"
"Come, no nonsense," interrupted Leslie, sternly. "You will do exactlywhat I order you to do, at once, and without hesitation, or it will bethe worse for you. You understand?" And he levelled a pistol at thehead of each man.
Thus gently persuaded, the two men grumblingly did as they were told.And when the discarded belts were flung savagely to the deck, it wasseen that attached to each was a formidable sheath-knife.
"That's right," commented Nicholls, as he stepped forward, also with abrace of revolvers in his hands, and with a kick swept the two belts faralong the deck beyond the reach of their owners. "Now, come here, myjoker, and let me tie you up," he continued, addressing one of the menas he flung a coil of the fore topgallant brace off its belaying-pin.
"I'll be shot if I do!" exclaimed the man addressed, with a furiousoath.
"You will be shot if you _don't_" retorted Leslie, in a quiet,concentrated tone of voice that made the man addressed involuntarilyshudder. "It is no good, men," he continued, "your comrades areprisoners ashore and utterly powerless to help you. The game is up. Weare here to regain possession of this ship, _and we mean to do it_. Andif either of you is foolish enough to offer resistance, you will bebadly hurt."
Leslie's stern and uncompromising manner had its effect; and the twomen, realising their utter helplessness, sullenly and with many cursessubmitted to be bound--an operation that Nicholls performed with muchgusto and an effectiveness that left nothing to be desired. Then,leaving Simpson to mount guard over the grumbling pair, Dick andNicholls went forward to the forecastle to call the remainder of thecrew on deck, noticing, as they passed the galley door, that the Irishcook was busying himself inside with his pots and pans, and it was notdifficult to discern that he was in a state of extreme mentalperturbation. Arriving at the forecastle hatch, they found the cover onand secured with a bar and padlock, whereupon Dick returned to thegalley and, putting his head inside, said--
"Dolan, I see that the fore scuttle is locked. Who has the key?"
"Sure, and it's Jack Hampton that has that same, sor," answered the cookwith alacrity, and some surprise at Leslie's unaccountable familiaritywith his name. "And by the same token he also has the key of the maincabin and of Misther Marshall's stateroom, your honour's honour," headded.
"Which of those two men is Jack Hampton?" demanded Leslie.
"It's the fellah that's triced up so nately to the port rail, sor,"answered Dolan.
"Then go you and take the keys out of his pocket," commanded Dick. "Ihave no doubt you know which they are."
"Ay, ay, sor; faith and I do that same," replied the man.
And with ready officiousness he bustled out of the galley and, walkingaft, to the spot where Hampton was lashed up, thrust his handunceremoniously into the man's trousers pocket, withdrew a bunch of keyssecured together upon a ropeyarn, and offered them to Leslie.
Dick looked at them as they lay in the fellow's hand.
"There are four keys there, I see," he said, "What are they?"
"This," answered Dolan, "is the key of the forecastle hatch. This, thekey of the main cabin, which is locked. This is the key of MistherMarshall's cabin. And this is the key of the irons that's on the samegentleman's hands."
"Very good," said Leslie. "Now come forward with me, and unlock theforecastle."
The man obeyed, and presently, in response to Dick's call, four verydecent-looking young fellows came up on deck and stared about them insome bewilderment at the sight of three total strangers on board, andtwo of the mutineers in bonds. From the forecastle Dick proceeded aft,still with the cook in company, and compelled the latter to unlock firstthe main cabin in which Reynolds was found confined, then the mate'scabin, and finally the irons on the latter's wrists.
The mate of the _Minerva_, who proved to be a very smart-looking youngfellow, with a keen, resolute expression, but drawn and haggard withanxiety, stared in amazement at the apparition of a total stranger inhis cabin, who was evidently acting with authority. But Leslie did notleave him much time for wonderment.
"Mr Marshall," he said, "permit me to introduce myself. My name isLeslie. It has been my misfortune to be cast away on the island, aglimpse of which you have perhaps occasionally caught through your cabinport. I have been on that island nearly ten months, and my preparationsfor leaving it were practically complete when your vessel entered thelagoon. Naturally, I came off aboard to make the acquaintance of yourskipper, and found the man Turnbull in command. Knowing the fellow sowell as you must, you will not be surprised to learn that, from what Isaw, I quickly guessed there was something very seriously wrong aboardhere; and a little judicious investigation soon enabled me to arrive atthe actual facts. I am now glad to inform you that, aided by my twocompanions, I have managed to recover possession of the ship for you,and have much pleasure in turning her over to you. You will findRoyston and Hampton, two of the mutineers, securely lashed to the rail,on deck, and doubtless you will lose no time in clapping them in irons.The other three--Turnbull, Burton, and Cunliffe--are prisoners ashore,at present, and if you are disposed to maroon them, they can, of course,remain there, as the island possesses ample resources in the shape offruit, fish, and water, for their sustenance. But if, on the otherhand, you prefer to take them with you, I will bring them off aboard atany time that may be most convenient to you."
"Thank you, Mr Leslie," answered Marshall, fervently, as he rose andstretched himself with obvious delight in his recovered freedom, "I amsure I don't know how I am to express my gratitude for the service thatyou've done me and the owners of this ship. I'm afraid I shall have toleave it to them to do when we get home. But I can repay you in ameasure by offering you and your companions a passage to England, whichI do now, with the greatest of pleasure. And I'll do my level best tomake the trip comfortable and pleasant for you. As to Turnbull and theother two that you've boxed up ashore, of course I must take them alongwith me and hand them over to the authorities upon our arrival atCapetown, because, d'ye see, they're all guilty of the murder of poorCap'n Hopkins. So you can bring them off--or I'll send ashore for 'em--whenever you like. And now, if you've no objection, we'll go out ondeck, for, to tell you the truth, I'm just pining for a breath of freshair."
The poor fellow looked about him in amazement when, a minute later, hestood on the barque's poop and gazed thence at the lovely island, richin verdure of every conceivable tint of green, and glowing here andthere with patches of the vivid scarlet blossoms of the bois-immortelle,the whole bathed in the brilliant sunshine of a tropical day. Nor washe less astonished at the sight of the handsome little cutter lying atanchor close in with the shore. For this was the first time that he hadever been on deck since the day on which the island had been "made" fromthe barque's fore-yard; and everything was therefore absolutely new tohim, save such slight glimpses as he had been able to catch through theport-hole of his cabin. He was most anxious that Leslie and his twocompanions should remain on board and take dinner with him; but Dick wasby this time quite as anxious to get ba
ck ashore and satisfy himself asto Flora's safe arrival. So a compromise was made, and Marshall, havingseen the two mutineers safely clapped in irons, gladly accepted Leslie'sinvitation to go ashore and take lunch with him. They were still somedistance from the beach when Flora was seen flitting busily about thecamp; Leslie's anxiety therefore on her account was at an end. And,after lunch, while Nicholls and Simpson went blithely to work upon thejob of provisioning and watering the cutter, and stowing their severalpersonal belongings on board, Leslie and Marshall took the catamaran andsailed round to the cove, from whence they proceeded to the cave, wherethey found Turnbull and his two companions still bound hard and fast,and by this time thoroughly subdued. With some difficulty theysucceeded in getting the three prisoners down the face of the cliff andaboard the catamaran; and, this done, their transference to the_Minerva_ and their confinement in irons was an easy matter. The ownersof the barque had made the grave mistake of sending her to sea withoutso much as a single weapon of any kind to aid her officers, if need be,to maintain order and discipline among the crew; but this was anomission that Leslie was fortunately in a position to easily remedy by asimple application to the case of firearms that had formed part of the_Mermaid's_ cargo, and he willingly supplied Marshall with a brace ofrevolvers and a sufficient quantity of ammunition for all practicalpurposes. The party from the island--that is to say, Flora, Leslie,Nicholls, and Simpson--accepted a very pressing invitation from Marshallto dine and spend the evening on board the _Minerva_ in celebration ofthat vessel's recovery from the mutineers; and before they left againfor the shore Captain Marshall made a long entry in the ship's officiallog, detailing the circumstances of her seizure and recapture, with fullparticulars of the part played by the steward in the latter--much toReynolds' gratification; and Leslie attached his signature to the entry,in attestation of its truth. Leslie also seized the opportunity tocompare the chronometer saved from the _Mermaid_ with those belonging tothe _Minerva_, and was much gratified to find that it was absolutely tobe relied upon. They returned to the camp about midnight, and turned inhighly elated with the joyous knowledge that on the morrow they wouldactually be starting for home.
As may be supposed, the whole party were early astir next morning;Nicholls and Simpson wending their way to the woods to collect a stockof fruit for the first few days of the voyage, while Flora preparedbreakfast, and Leslie overhauled the entire camp to satisfy himself thathe was not leaving behind him anything that would be of material serviceto him. There were a few trifling matters that, at the last moment, hedecided to take; and these he put into the barque's dinghy and thuscarried off to the cutter. By the time that he was back the two men hadreturned, laden with quite as much fruit as could be conveniently stowedaway aboard so small a craft as the _Flora_; and this also they carriedoff and put on board. Then came breakfast--their last meal on theisland, and a happy, hilarious meal it was.
Then, leaving everything just as it was, they all went down to the beachand stepped into the barque's gig, in which they pulled alongside thecutter. Arrived there, they dropped overboard a heavy "killick" of rockwhich they had previously attached to the boat's painter, and thusanchored her in readiness for the _Minerva's_ crew whenever they mightchoose to fetch her. To set the cutter's canvas was the work of a fewminutes, and, this done, the anchor was quickly hove up and the littlecraft got under way. On their way out of the lagoon they tacked closeunder the _Minerva's_ stern, receiving a cheery farewell hail of "Aquick and pleasant passage to you!" from Marshall, who was walking thepoop while his scanty crew were getting some water-casks into thelongboat; and ten minutes later they dashed through the entrancechannel, and found themselves riding buoyantly over the long undulationsof the Pacific swell, as Leslie bore away to pass to the northward ofthe island and thence west over the interminable miles of water that laybetween them and home.
My story is told; for with the voyage of the _Flora_, adventurous thoughit was, this narrative has nothing to do; suffice it to say that havingcalled at Tahiti and Tongatabu the little cutter safely passed PortPhillip Heads and arrived at Melbourne on the fifty-third day out fromthe island. Here Leslie duly cashed his draft for one hundred pounds,and with the proceeds thereof secured for Flora a passage to Bombay,that young lady having decided to go on at once to her father--withoutwaiting to visit her Australian friends--in order that the judge'snatural anxiety to see his daughter after her singular adventure mightbe gratified with as little delay as possible. And further to curtailthat anxiety to its lowest limit, she despatched a cablegram to herfather within an hour of her arrival in Melbourne. As for Dick, heallowed his affairs to stand during the two days that elapsed betweentheir arrival and Flora's departure, devoting himself entirely to her.
But as soon as he had waved his last good-bye to her, he went to hishotel and wrote a long letter to his father's lawyers, detailing atlength the events that had transpired subsequent to the wreck of the_Golden Fleece_, including the discovery and appropriation of thetreasure, and of his intention to take it home in the cutter; leaving totheir discretion the decision whether or no they would communicate theinformation to his father. And, thin done, he forthwith re-victualledand re-watered the _Flora_, and cleared for Capetown, which was to behis next port of call.
It was drawing on toward three o'clock in the afternoon of a gloriousspring day when the cutter-yacht _Flora_, from Funchal, homeward-bound,came sliding unobtrusively into Weymouth harbour, where, having taken inher thin and almost worn-out sails, she modestly moored among a numberof other yachts under the Nothe. Perhaps it was her somewhat dingy andweatherworn appearance that caused her crew to avoid attracting to herany unnecessary attention, or possibly it may have been some otherreason; at all events, to all inquisitive inquiries the bronzed andbearded trio who manned her merely replied that they had "been cruisingto the south'ard." To the custom-house officers they had of course tobe a little more explicit; but even they were satisfied when, after acareful search of the craft's tiny cabins and forecastle, they wereinvited to sample a bottle of choice Madeira, on some four or five dozenof which Leslie willingly paid duty. The next day her sails were unbentand she was taken up the Backwater and laid up, in charge of Simpson;and a month or two later her ballast was taken out of her and stowedaway in a shed under which she also was hauled up. A certain portion ofthis ballast was soon afterwards packed up somewhat carefully andconveyed to London by train; and eventually the little craft was sold.
Meanwhile, however, Leslie had despatched a wire to his father'ssolicitors, announcing his arrival home; and that same evening hereceived a reply requesting him to go to town and call at the office ofthe senders on the following day without fail, as they had intelligenceof the utmost importance to communicate to him.
Of course he went; and upon his arrival was at once ushered into aprivate room. There was but one individual in the apartment, a tall,handsome, grey-headed old gentleman of most aristocratic appearance, whorose to his feet in much agitation as Dick entered.
"Father!" cried the younger man, in the utmost astonishment. "My son!"exclaimed the elder; and their hands locked in a grip that was far moreexpressive than many words.
"Dick, my son," at length exclaimed the Earl, when he had sufficientlyovercome his agitation to speak, "let me be the first to congratulateyou. Your innocence has been fully proved!"
A month later the man whom we have known as Dick Leslie was once moreafloat, and on his way to Bombay on board a P. and O. liner.
THE END.
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