CHAPTER XXVI CARRIED AWAY IN THE NIGHT
Florence awoke with a start. She sprang to her feet. Where was she? Sheknew on the instant, or thought she knew. But truly, where _was_ she?Cold fear gripped her heart. All the bright glory of the Fair, thechanging lights, splashing fountains, clashing rocket cars had faded intomere nothing, a dull blue against the horizon.
Was she going blind? Men had gone blind in just that way. She rubbed hereyes, then looked at her hand. She could see it, indistinctly it is true,but with plenty of detail.
She looked over the rail. Black water was all about her. The old shipswayed slightly. To her ears there came the sound of a motor.
"But this old ship has no motor. Byrd took it out before he passedthrough the Panama Canal."
For all this, she was convinced that the ship was in motion. She lookedup. Masts, but no sails.
"A tow! Some one is giving it a tow!" Once again her blood chilled. Therehad been no plans for moving the ship; this she knew. The old nightwatchman had said that the masts would be lowered during the night andthe ship would be brought back within the lagoon.
"But this? What can it mean?"
She had not long to wait. A light came swinging forward. A gas lantern,it was carried by a short man. Two others were just behind him.
As they came into view she gasped. The leader of the trio was thelong-eared Chinaman. The others were his fellow-countrymen. As if sure ofhis ground, he advanced slowly. There was something sinister, deadly,about that slow advance, like a march of death.
"Caught!" Her head whirled. She thought of leaping overboard. A strongswimmer, she might make land. But the blur of red and gold that was theFair was dim, indistinct.
"We're far off shore." Taking a grip on herself, she held her ground.
She took to counting the short, gliding steps of those who approached."One, two, three, four, five."
They came to a halt. The leader advanced two steps farther.
"You will give me that knife!" His tone was low, smooth, musical,menacing.
"No!" Her tone was defiant.
"The water is deep; the distance is very far." His tone had not changed."You will give me the knife."
"No."
"This knife is for Chinaman. Very old, that knife." His body rockedslowly back and forth. His voice rose in a sort of chant. "Very powerful,that knife. Not fight man, that knife. Fight demons. Very 'fraid demons.Wave that knife, ring that bell, demons gone. You have that bell. Youalso give bell, give banners."
"We do not have the banners or the bell. But if we had, you should nothave them." Florence held her ground.
"You not speak truth. You have bell, have banners. You will give. Thewater is deep. The distance is far.
"Long time fight demons, that knife." He was chanting again. "Far away,back very far in China, people all happy, all demons 'fraid, stay away.Priests of Buddha fight demons, that knife.
"White man take knife, take bell, take banners. Now demons come back.Make people sick, those demons. Many people die. No knife, no bell, nobanners, can't fight demons.
"Very dry, no rain. No millet, no rice. Demons make land dry. No knife,no bell, no banner. Can't fight demons. I come for knife. He come. Hecome." He nodded at his statue-like companions. "Come for knife, forbell, for banners. You give."
"No." The girl's figure stiffened. "You will not get the knife. I do nothave those others. You have them. You stole them. The chest was empty.
"All you have said is nonsense!" Her voice rose. "Demons do not make mendie. If your people are sick they should go to the white doctor. He willcure them. All those things, the knife, the bell, the banners were soldfor money, much money. That money would buy things for the white doctor.You have no right to them. You stole them. You have them all but theknife. You will not get the knife."
"The water is deep. The distance is very far. You will give the knife!"He advanced a step. Without appearing to move their feet, the statue-likepair advanced.
The whole scene, the dark ship, the menacing men, the water, the night,was so like a play that Florence could scarcely believe her senses.
Then to her alert ears came a sound, a low chant:
"A hey, yuh! A hey, yuh! A hey, yuh!"
She had heard that sound before. But where? For ten seconds she wrackedher brain. Then she knew.
"Listen!" She endeavored to speak quietly. "You believe in demons.Listen! What do you hear?"
The long-eared one stood rigid, silent, listening.
The sound grew louder: "A hey, yuh! A hey, yuh! A hey, yuh!"
"You believe in demons," she repeated. "Well, here are demons for you,black demons with long knives in their belts. They are coming to rescueme. And let me tell you, you will need a hundred three-bladed knives tofrighten these away, and men to use the knives. You are only three. Theyare many. They are big, black!"
The menacing ones and the statues glided back a step.
The sound they had heard was the chant of a crew of black men from theheart of Africa. A part of this great carnival, they were practicing intheir forty-foot dugout, a hollow log boat, for a race.
What she had said was, she supposed, pure fiction. Now her courageforsook her. They were not coming for her. They would pass a long wayoff. They would turn and go back before they came within hailingdistance.
For once luck was with her. What she had said was true. Jeanne, havingcome in search of her, had found the ship gone and had seen a franticwatchman, who had left the ship "but for one short breathing spell,"racing up and down the breakwater.
At that instant the boatload of black men hove into view. Fearingtreachery, Jeanne had begged them to take her in search of the missingship.
So now here they were, out on the dark waters of night. The watchman inthe prow, twenty black men from the heart of Africa at the oars, and thegolden-haired Petite Jeanne urging them on and shouting with them:
"A hey, yuh! A hey, yuh! A hey, yuh!"
It was no time at all before it became plain that their destination wasthe misplaced ship. And at this the three yellow men vanished. Came thesound of a boat's motor throbbing. Then that sound grew fainter andfainter in the distance.
"They are gone!" Florence breathed. "And I still have the knife!"