CHAPTER I.
STORM AND SHIPWRECK.
The Count of Monte-Cristo, with the beautiful Haydee clinging lovinglyabout his neck, her head pillowed upon his shoulder, stood on the deckof his superb yacht, the Alcyon, gazing at the fast-vanishing isle wherehe had left Maximilian Morrel and Valentine de Villefort.
It was just daybreak, but by the faint glimmering light he could plainlydistinguish the figures of a man and a woman upon the distant beach.They were walking arm in arm. Presently another figure, a man's,approached them and seemed to deliver something.
"Look," said the Count to Haydee, "Jacopo has given Maximilian myletter; he reads it to Valentine, and now they know all. Jacopo pointstoward the yacht; they see us and are waving their handkerchiefs intoken of adieu."
Haydee raised her head and glanced in the direction of the Isle ofMonte-Cristo.
"I see them, my lord," she replied, in a joyous tone; "they are happy."
"Yes," said the Count, "they are happy, but they deserve theirhappiness, and all is well."
"They owe their happiness to you, my lord," resumed Haydee, meekly.
"They owe it to God," answered Monte-Cristo, solemnly; "I was but Hishumble instrument, and He has allowed me in this to make some slightatonement for the wrong I committed in taking vengeance into my ownmortal hands."
Haydee was silent. She knew the sad history of Edmond Dantes, and wasaware of how remorselessly the Count of Monte-Cristo had avenged thewrongs of the humble sailor of Marseilles. This she had learned from herlord's own lips within the past few days. The strict seclusion in whichshe had lived in Paris had necessarily excluded her from all personalknowledge of the Count's subtle war upon his enemies; true, she hademerged from her retirement to testify against Morcerf at his trialbefore the House of Peers, but at that time she was ignorant of the factthat by causing the foe of her family to be convicted of felony, treasonand outrage she had simply promoted Monte-Cristo's vengeance on Fernand,the Catalan. But, though silent, the beautiful Greek girl, with herthoroughly oriental ideas, could not realize that the man who stoodbeside her, the being she almost worshiped, had been guilty of the leastwrong in avenging himself. Besides, she would never have admitted, evenin the most secret recesses of her own heart, that Monte-Cristo, who toher mind symbolized all that was good, pure and heroic in human nature,could have been wrong in anything he did.
Meanwhile the Count also had been silent, and a shade of the deepestsadness had settled upon his pallid but intellectual visage. He gazed atthe Isle of Monte-Cristo until it became a mere dot in the distance;then, putting his arm tenderly about his lovely companion's waist, hedrew her gently toward the cabin.
As they vanished down the companion-way, Bertuccio and the captain ofthe Alcyon, followed by Ali, the Nubian, advanced to the prow of theyacht.
"Captain," said Bertuccio, "can you tell me whither we are bound? I feelan irresistible desire to know."
"Yes," answered the captain, "I can tell you. The Count ordered me tomake with all possible speed for the Island of Crete."
Bertuccio gave a sigh of relief.
"I feared we were bound for Italy," he said. "But," he added, after aninstant's thought, "why should we go to Rome? Luigi Vampa is amply ableto care for all the Count's interests there, if, indeed, any remain nowthat the Baron Danglars has been attended to."
The captain, who was an old Italian smuggler, placed his fingerwarningly upon his lips and glanced warily around when Luigi Vampa'sname was mentioned, but said nothing. Bertuccio took the hint and theconversation was dropped.
Pressing onward under full sail, the magnificent yacht shot over theblue waters of the Mediterranean with the speed of an eagle on the wing.It sped past Corsica and Sardinia, and soon the arid, uninviting shoresof Tunis were visible; then it passed between Sicily and Malta, steeringdirectly toward the Island of Crete.
Up to this time the weather had been of the most delightful description.Not a cloud had obscured the sky, and during the entire voyage theunruffled surface of the Mediterranean had resembled that of somepeaceful lake. It was now the tenth of October, and just cool enough tobe pleasant; the spice-laden breezes from the coast of Africa reachedthe yacht tempered by the moist atmosphere of the sea, furnishing anadditional element of enjoyment.
The Count of Monte-Cristo and Haydee, who seemed inseparable, came ondeck every morning at dawn, and each evening walked back and forth,admiring the gorgeous sunset and watching the shades of night as theygradually settled down upon the wide expanse of the waters.
It required no unusual penetration to see that they were lovers and thattheir delight in each other's society was unalloyed. Haydee clung to theCount, who, with his arm wound about her slender waist, looked downinto the liquid depths of her eyes with a smile of perfect content,while his free hand ever and anon toyed with her night-black tresses.
One evening as they were walking thus--it was the evening of thefifteenth of October, and Crete was distant but two days'sail--Monte-Cristo tenderly took Haydee's hand in his and said to her ina tone of ineffable softness:
"Haydee, do you remember what you said to me on the Isle of Monte-Cristojust before we parted from Valentine and Maximilian?"
"Oh! yes, my lord," was the low reply. "I said I loved you as one lovesa father, brother, husband--I loved you as my life."
"And do you now regret those words?"
"Regret them! Oh! my lord, how could I do that?"
"I asked you," said the Count, slowly, "because we are nearing ourdestination. In two days we shall land upon the shore of Crete, and,once there, it is my intention to make you my wife, provided yourfeelings toward me are still unchanged. Marriage, my child, is the mostimportant step in life, and I do not wish you to take that step withoutfully understanding the promptings of your own dear heart. Only miserycan follow the union of two souls not in perfect accord, not entirelydevoted the one to the other. I am much older than you, Haydee, and mysufferings have aged me still more than years. I am a sad and wearyman. You, on the contrary, stand just upon the threshold of existence;the world and its pleasures are all before you. Think, my child, thinkdeeply before you pronounce the irrevocable vow."
Haydee threw herself passionately upon Monte-Cristo's breast.
"My lord," she cried, in accents broken by extreme agitation andemotion, "am I not your slave?"
"No, Haydee," answered the Count, his bosom heaving and his eyeslighting up with a strange flash, "you are free, your fate rests in yourown hands."
"Then," said the young girl, ardently, "I will decide it this veryinstant. I accept my freedom that I may voluntarily offer myself to you,my love, my husband. You have suffered. Granted. So have I. Yoursufferings have aged you; mine have transformed a child into a woman--awoman who knows the promptings of her heart, who knows that it beats foryou, and you alone in all the world. My lord, I resign myself to you. Doyou accept the gift?"
As Haydee concluded, her beautiful eyes were suffused with tears and herwhole frame quivered with intense excitement.
Monte-Cristo bent down and kissed her upon the forehead.
"Haydee, my own Haydee," he said, with a slight tremor in his manlyvoice, "I accept the gift. Be my wife, the wife of Monte-Cristo, and noeffort of mine shall be wanting to assure your happiness."
At that moment there was a sinister flash in the heavens, that were asyet without a cloud. The livid light shot downward to the water andseemingly plunged to the depths of the Mediterranean.
The Count gave a start and drew his beloved Haydee closer to him; thefrightened girl trembled from head to foot and clung to him forprotection.
"Oh! my lord, my lord," she murmured, "does Heaven disapprove of ourplighted troth?"
"Calm yourself, Haydee," answered Monte-Cristo. "The lightning is God'sseal, and He has set it upon our betrothal."
The flash was now repeated and was succeeded by several others ofincreased intensity, but as yet no thunder rolled and there was not theslightest indication of an approaching st
orm.
Monte-Cristo took Haydee's hand and led her to the side of the yacht.Not a single wave wrinkled the surface of the sea for miles and miles;the water seemed asleep, while down upon it the moon poured a flood ofsilvery radiance. The stars, too, were beaming brightly. Still, however,the intense lightning shot athwart the placid sky. It had become almostincessant. Monte-Cristo could not account for the bewilderingphenomenon. He summoned the captain of the Alcyon and said to him:
"Giacomo, you have sailed the Mediterranean all your life, have younot?"
"All my life, Excellency," replied he, touching his cap.
"Have you ever before seen lightning such as this on a calm night?"
"Never, Excellency."
"It certainly cannot be heat-lightning."
"I think not, Excellency. Heat-lightning has a quicker flash and is muchless intense."
"What do you suppose it portends?"
"I can form no idea, Excellency."
"Oh! my lord," said Haydee, "a terrible storm is coming, I am sure; Ifeel a premonition Of approaching danger. I pray you, guard against it."
"Nonsense, my child," returned Monte-Cristo, with a laugh that, in spiteof all his efforts at self-control, betrayed nervous agitation and anundefinable dread. "The sky is clear, the moon is shining brilliantlyand the sea is altogether tranquil; if a storm were coming it would notbe so. Banish your fears and reassure yourself; the lightning is but afreak of nature."
The captain, too, was disturbed, though he could give himself nosatisfactory reason for his uneasiness.
Ali, with the characteristic superstition of the Nubian race, hadprostrated himself upon the deck, and was making signs the Moslems ofhis country use to drive away malignant spirits.
The night, however, passed without accident, though the singularlightning continued for several hours.
Next morning the sun rose, encircled by a ruddy band, fringed on theouter rim with a faint yellow, while its beams had a sullen glareinstead of their normal brilliancy. The lightning of the previous nightwas absent, but soon another and not less disquieting phenomenonmanifested itself; as far as the eye could reach the sea seemed boiling,and, at intervals, a puff, as if of vapor, would filter through thewaves, rising and disappearing in the heavens. Meanwhile the wind hadfallen, and amid an almost dead calm the sails of the Alcyon hunglistlessly, with only an occasional flapping. The yacht moved forward,indeed, but so slowly that it scarcely appeared to move at all.
Monte-Cristo and Haydee came on deck at dawn, but the young girldisplayed such terror at the unwonted aspect of the sun and the sea thatthe Count speedily persuaded her to return with him to the cabin. Thereshe cowered upon a divan, hiding her face in her hands and moaningpiteously. Her fiance, distressed at her condition, endeavored to sootheand comfort her, but utterly without avail; her fears could neither bebanished nor allayed. At length he threw himself on a rug at her feet,and, disengaging her hands from her face, drew them about his neck;Haydee clasped him frantically and clung to him as if she deemed thatembrace a final one.
As they were sitting thus, the Alcyon received a sudden and violentshock that shook the noble yacht from stem to stern. Instantly there wasa sound of hurrying feet on deck, and the captain could be heardshouting hoarsely to the sailors.
Monte-Cristo leaped up and caught Haydee in his arms. At that moment Alidarted down the companion-way and stood trembling before his master.
"What was that shock?" demanded the Count, hurriedly.
The agitated Nubian made a sign signifying he did not know, but that allwas yet safe.
"Remain with your mistress, Ali," said Monte-Cristo. "I am going to seewhat is the matter."
"Oh! no, no," cried Haydee, imploringly, as the Count placed her againon the divan and was moving away. "Oh! no, no; do not leave me, my lord,or I shall die!"
Ashy pale, Haydee arose from the divan, and cast herself on her knees atMonte-Cristo's feet.
"Swear to me, at least, that you will not needlessly expose yourself todanger," she uttered, in a pleading tone.
"I swear it," answered the Count. "Ali will faithfully guard you while Iam gone," he added, "and ere you can realize my absence, I shall beagain at your side."
With these words he tore himself away and hastened to the deck.
There a scene met his eye as unexpected as it was appalling. The entiresurface of the Mediterranean was aglow with phosphorescence, and the sunwas veiled completely by a heavy cloud that seemed to cover the wholeexpanse of the sky. This cloud was not black, but of a bloody hue, andthe atmosphere was so densely charged with sulphur that it was almostimpossible to breathe. The sea was boiling more furiously than ever, andthe puffs of vapor that had before only occasionally filtered throughthe waves now leaped up incessantly, each puff attended with a slightexplosion; the vapor was grayish when it first arose from the water, butas it ascended it became red, mingling at length with the bloody cloudthat each moment acquired greater density. The wind blew fitfully,sometimes amounting to a gale and then utterly vanishing without theslightest warning. Soon the bloody cloud seemed to settle of its ownweight upon the sea, growing so thick that the eye could not penetrateit, and a few feet from the yacht all was inky darkness.
Monte-Cristo hurried to the captain, who was endeavoring to quiet thesuperstitious fears of the sailors. Drawing him aside, he said, in a lowtone:
"Giacomo, we are in frightful danger. This elemental disturbance isvolcanic, and how it will end cannot be foretold. No doubt an earthquakeis devastating the nearest land, or will do so before many hours haveelapsed. At any moment rocks or islands may arise from the sea, andobstruct our passage. All we can do is to hold ourselves in readinessfor whatever calamity may happen, and make for Crete as rapidly aspossible, with the hope of eventually getting beyond the volcanic zone.Do not enlighten the crew as to the cause of the disturbance; did theyknow, or even suspect it, they could not be controlled, but would becomeeither stupefied or reckless. Try to convince them that we are simply inthe midst of a severe electrical storm that will speedily exhaust itsfury and subside. Now, to work, and remember that everything dependsupon your courage and resolution."
Giacomo rejoined the sailors, who were huddled together at the stern ofthe yacht like so many frightened sheep. He spoke to them, doing hisutmost to reassure them, and ultimately succeeded so well that theyresumed their neglected duties with some show of alacrity and evencheerfulness.
Meanwhile, Monte-Cristo, with folded arms and an outward show ofcalmness, was pacing the deck as if nothing unusual were in progress,and his demeanor was not without its effect on the sailors, who lookedupon him with a species of awe and admiration. At times he went below tocheer the drooping spirits of his beloved Haydee, but speedily returnedthat the influence of his presence might not be lost.
Thus the day passed. A night of painful suspense succeeded it, duringwhich not a soul on board the Alcyon thought of sleeping. Nothing,however, occurred, save that the intense lightning of the previous nightwas renewed. Toward eleven o'clock the breeze freshened to such anextent that the yacht sped along on her course with great fleetness.
In the morning the sun arose amid a purple haze, and the Mediterraneanpresented a more tumultuous and threatening aspect than it had thepreceding day. The breeze was still blowing stiffly, and the lightningcontinued. Giacomo informed Monte-Cristo that unless a calm shouldsuddenly come on they would certainly arrive at Crete by noon. Thesailors, he added, were in good spirits, and might be relied upon,though they were much fatigued by reason of their unceasing labor.
At ten o'clock the man at the wheel hurriedly summoned the captain tohis side, and, with a look of terror and bewilderment, directed hisattention to the compass, the needle of which no longer pointed to thenorth, but was dancing a mad dance, not remaining stationary for asingle instant. To complicate the situation still further, the sun wassuddenly obscured, absolute darkness invading both sea and sky. Onlywhen the vivid lightning tore the dense clouds apart were those on boardthe Alcyo
n enabled to catch a glimpse of what was going on about them,and that glimpse was but momentary. Thunder peals were now added to theterrors of the time, while the yacht tossed and plunged on angry,threatening billows. Showers of sparks and glowing cinders, as if fromsome mighty conflagration, poured down into the water, striking itssurface with an ominous hiss; they resembled meteors, and theirbrilliancy was augmented by the surrounding gloom. Rain also began todescend, not in drops, but in broad sheets and with the roar of acataract; in a moment everybody on the Alcyon's deck was drenched to theskin.
Haydee had not ventured from the cabin since the first day of theelemental commotion; in obedience to his master's commands, Aliconstantly watched over her whenever the Count was facing the strangestorm with Giacomo and the sailors.
As the captain approached the man at the wheel, Monte-Cristo fixed hiseyes upon the old Italian's countenance and saw it assume a deathlypallor as he noticed that the needle of the compass could no longer bedepended on.
In an instant the Count was beside him and realized the extent of thenew evil that had befallen them.
"We can steer but by guess now," said Giacomo, in a low, hoarse whisper."God grant that we may be able to reach our destination."
As he spoke, a loud crash was heard, and the rudder, torn from itsfastenings by the violence of the tempest, swept by them, vanishing amidthe darkness. The man at the wheel gazed after it, uttering a cry ofdespair.
"We are completely at the mercy of the wind and waves!" saidMonte-Cristo, in an undertone. "Can nothing be done?" he added,hurriedly.
"Nothing, Excellency," returned the captain. "A temporary rudder mightbe rigged were the sea calmer, but, boiling and seething as it is, sucha thing is utterly impossible."
A panic had seized upon the sailors as they witnessed the catastrophethat rendered the Alcyon helpless, but this immediately gave place tostupor, and the men stood silent and overwhelmed.
Bertuccio, from the time the dread storm had broken forth, had beengloomy and uncommunicative; he had held persistently aloof both fromMonte-Cristo and the crew. In the general turmoil and confusion hisbearing and behavior had passed unnoticed even by the vigilant eye ofthe Count.
The steward now approached his master, and, taking him aside, whisperedin his ear:
"Heaven's vengeance is pursuing the Alcyon and all on board because ofmy crimes! I feel it--I know it!"
The steward's face was as white as a sheet, but his eye betokened fixedresolution.
"Not another word of this," cried Monte-Cristo, sternly. "Should thesuperstitious sailors hear you, they would demand with one voice thatyou be cast into the boiling sea."
"And they would be right," rejoined Bertuccio, doggedly. "If I remainwhere I am, the Alcyon's doom is sealed. On the other hand, the momentyou are rid of me the storm will cease as if by magic, and you will besaved."
"Be silent!" commanded Monte-Cristo. "You are a Corsican--show aCorsican's courage!"
"I will!" was the determined reply, and the steward walked with a firmtread to the side of the yacht.
"What do you mean?" said the Count, hurrying after him and placing hishand on his shoulder.
"You shall see!" answered Bertuccio.
Shaking off Monte-Cristo's grasp, he leaped upon the bulwarks andsuddenly sprang far out amid the seething waves. The Count uttered a cryof horror that was echoed by the captain. As for the crew, so utterlystupefied were they that they did not seem to comprehend the suicidalact. For an instant Monte-Cristo and Giacomo saw the steward whirlingabout amid the tumultuous flood; then he was swept away, and vanished inthe impenetrable darkness beyond.
The force of the wind had meanwhile augmented until a perfect hurricanewas raging about the Alcyon; the noise was deafening, and the sailsswelled to such an extent that they threatened to snap asunder. Suddenlythey gave way, and the tattered shreds flew in all directions, likewhite-winged sea-fowl. Simultaneously the mast toppled and went by theboard. The yacht, now a helpless wreck, pitched and tossed, but stillshot onward, impelled by the wild fury of the gale. Gigantic waves atintervals swept the deck, each torrent as it retreated carrying with itall it could tear away, and making huge gaps in the bulwarks, to whichthe sailors were clinging with all the energy of desperation.Monte-Cristo had grasped the stump of the mast, and the captain clungwith all his strength to the remains of the wheel. The lightning hadbecome terrific, and the almost continuous roar of the thunder wassufficient to drown the mad din of the waters.
All at once the jagged outlines of a gigantic rock loomed up, directlyin the course of the fated vessel; in another instant the Alcyon struckand remained fast, while a vivid flash of lightning revealed whatappeared to be an island, about a quarter of a mile away. But though thewreck of the yacht was motionless, the furious sea continued to breakover the deck, and it seemed only a question of a few moments when thebattered and torn hull of the Alcyon would go to pieces. The boat thevessel carried had long since been wrenched from its fastenings andswept into the whirlpool.
Monte-Cristo, quitting the stump of the mast, darted down thecompanion-way into the cabin, and quickly returned to the deck bearingin his arms the swooning form of his adored Haydee. Ali followed him.The Nubian seemed to have entirely recovered from his fear, andmanifested both alertness and decision.
Shifting his lifeless burden to his left arm and grasping her firmly,Monte-Cristo advanced to the side of the Alcyon. Pausing there for aninstant, he said, addressing Giacomo and the crew:
"The yacht cannot hold together much longer; if we remain where we arewe shall inevitably be ground to powder on the rock with our vessel.There is an island some distance to the right of us, and, sustained byProvidence, we may succeed in reaching it by swimming. For my part, Ishall try the venture and endeavor to save this lady. You, men, areuntrammeled and stand a better chance of success than I do. I advise youall to follow my example; to cling further to the wreck is death!"
With these words the Count made his way to a gap in the bulwarks and,grasping Haydee tightly, leaped with her into the midst of the angrysea. Ali followed his master, and soon they were seen far in thedistance, struggling and battling with the waves.