CHAPTER VI
DESMOND MAKES AN ADMISSION
Two months had slipped by since Ormsgill and his carefully chosencarriers had vanished into the steamy bush which climbs the slopes ofthe inland plateaux, when the _Palestrina_ steamed in towards thestraggling, sun-scorched town. She came on at half-speed, gleamingivory white, in a blaze of brightness, with a man strapped outside herbridge swinging the heavy lead, until Desmond, who swept the shoreline with his glasses, raised his hand. Then the propeller whirledhard astern and she stopped amidst a roar of running chain. Next theawnings were stretched across her aft, and after a beautiful white gigsank down her side, a trimly uniformed crew pulled Desmond ashore tointerview the men in authority.
He found them courteous. Though that is not a coast which Englishyachts frequent, one had called there not very long before, and theyhad a pleasant recollection of the hospitality they had enjoyed onboard her. Besides, it was very soon evident that this red-facedyachtsman was not one of the troublesome Englishmen who demandinformation about social and political matters which do not concernthem. Desmond took the authorities off to dinner, and showed them hissporting rifles and one or two letters given him by gentlemen oftheir own nationality whom he had similarly entertained at FunchalMadeira. His young companion with the heavy sea-bronzed face was evenmore ingenuous, and there was no doubt that the wine and cigars wereexcellent.
Strangers with any means were also singularly scarce in that town, andits rulers finding Desmond friendly made much of him, and supplied himfreely with the information he required respecting the localitieswhere one might still come across big game. He was, in fact, a socialsuccess, and contrived to spend a fortnight there very pleasantly.Still, there was one of his new friends who considered it advisable totake certain precautions, which came indirectly to the knowledge ofthe latter's daughter.
It also happened that Desmond's companion, Lister, who went ashorealone now and then, enjoyed himself in his own fashion. He was a youngman whose tastes and idiosyncrasies had caused his friends at homesome anxiety, and they had for certain reasons prevailed upon Desmondto take him to sea for a few months out of harm's way. Listersubmitted unwillingly, but he discovered that even that swelteringAfrican town had pleasures to offer him, and determined on making themost of them.
It was a very hot evening when he sat in the patio of a littleflat-topped house which bore a legend outside announcing that it was a_caffee_. A full moon hung above the city and flooded half the littlesquare round which the building rose with silvery light. The summit ofthe white walls cut sharply against the cloudless blue, and the landbreeze flowed in through a low archway heavy with heat and smells. Nowand then the roar of the Atlantic surf swelled in volume and rolledacross the roofs in a deep-toned rumbling. Lister, however, naturallynoticed very little of this.
He lay in a Madeira chair near a little table upon which stood severalflasks of wine and glasses, as well as a bundle of cigarettes. A lamphung above him, and his light white clothing displayed the fleshinessof his big, loosely-hung frame. His face was a trifle flushed, andthere was a suggestive gleam in his eyes when he glanced towards theunglazed square of lighted window behind which a comely damsel ofsomewhat dusky skin was singing to a mandolin, but the occasionalbursts of hoarse laughter made it evident that the lady had othercompanions, and there was then a little but rather painful puncturedwound in one of Lister's hands. She had made it that afternoon with aslender silver-headed strip of steel which she wore in her dusky hair,and Lister could take a hint when it was plain enough.
As it happened, a partial acquaintance with one or two Latin languageshad been drilled into him in preparation for a certain branch of hiscountry's service to which prejudiced persons had eventually deniedhim admission, and he had afterwards acquired sundry scraps ofPortuguese in Madeiran wine-shops. As the result of this, hiscompanions understood part, at least, of what he said. Two of them whohad very yellow hands and somewhat crisp black hair were shaking diceupon the table, while a third lay quietly in a basket lounge watchingthe Englishman with keen dark eyes. The latter threw a piece of papermoney down on the table.
"It's against me," he said. "I'll double on the same odds you don'tshake as high again. Pass your friend the wine, Dom Domingo."
The quiet man made this a trifle plainer, and thrust the wine flaskacross the table, but Lister did not notice that one of the otherslooked at him as if for permission or instructions before he flung thedice back into the box.
"One who knows the game would not give quite such odds," he said inpassable French. "It is the cards you play on board the steamer?"
"No," said Lister, who had consumed a good deal of wine, "not often. Iwish we did. It would pass the time while we lie waiting off yourblazing beaches."
"Ah," said the little man, "you wait for somebody, then?"
Lister's little start was quite perceptible, but he grinned. "Youcan't go inland without taking somebody who knows the way. I think Itold you we were going up country to kill big game."
"But certainly!" and the other spread out his hands. "This is,however, not the season when one usually sets out on such a journey.It would be wiser to make it in a month or two. For good heads youmust also go inland a long way. You start from--?"
"The Bahia Santiago," but Lister recollected next moment, and lookedat his companion truculently with half-closed eyes. "It seems to meyou have a good many questions to ask. Besides, you stop the game."
The little man waved his hand deprecatingly, and answered one of theothers' inquiring glance with a just perceptible motion of his head.
"Your pardon, senor," he said. "It was good advice I gave you aboutthe odds."
He rose and slowly sauntered across the patio, but Lister did notnotice that he stopped in the black shadow of the archway. Neither didthe other men, one of whom shook the dice again.
"Ah!" he said. "The luck is once more against you."
Lister poured himself out another glass of wine. He was feeling atrifle drowsy, and the patio was very hot, but he wished to rousehimself enough to watch one of the player's thick-fingered yellowhands. Then flinging down another piece of paper money he reached outand took the box himself. His lips had shut tight, and though his facehad flushed more deeply his eyes were keen.
They threw twice more while the other man, who appeared to relinquishhis share in the proceedings, good-humoredly looked on, and thenLister leaned forward suddenly and seized the yellow hand. The boxfell with a clatter, and Lister clutched one of the little spottedcubes that rolled out upon the table. Then the player's companionswung out his right arm with a flick of his sleeve, and Lister caughtthe gleam of steel. Loosely hung and a trifle slouching as he was, hewas big, and had, at least, no lack of animal courage. He saidnothing, but he flung the man whose hand he held backward upon thetable, which overturned in front of his companion, and snatching aheavy wine flask from one close by, swung it by the neck.
The man with the knife was a moment recovering his footing, and thenhe moved forward, half-crouching, with a cat-like gait. The veins roseswollen on Lister's forehead, but he stood still, and his big red handtightened savagely on the neck of the heavy vessel, which held a quartor two. The tinkle of the mandolin had ceased abruptly, and for a fewmoments there was not a sound in the little patio. Then there was asharp command, and the man with the knife slunk backward, as a figuremoved quietly out of the shadow beneath the archway. It was the manwho had questioned Lister, and he laid his hand upon the flask thelatter held.
"With permission I will take it from you," he said. "It is, I think,convenient that you go back to your steamer."
Lister fancied that he was right, and when three or four men who hadnow come out from the lighted room made way for them he followed hiscompanion out through the archway. The latter called to a man indilapidated white uniform, and they proceeded together to where a boatwas waiting. They put Lister on board her, and stood still a minute ortwo watching while a couple of negroes rowed him off to the_Palestrina_
. Then one of them laughed.
"There are many fools in this world but one has perhaps no cause topity them," he said. "It is as a rule their friends they bring togrief."
Twenty minutes later he called at Dom Clemente's residence, and wasnot exactly pleased when he was shown into the presence of BeniciaFiguera.
"My father is on board the yacht. You have come about the Englishmanyou have been watching?" she said.
The man made a little deprecatory gesture. "It is not permissible tocontradict the senorita."
Benicia laughed. "It would not be worth while, my friend. You willleave your message."
"It is a report for Dom Clemente," and again the man spread out hishands. One could have fancied he felt it necessary to excuse himselffor such an answer.
"Then," said the girl, "it is, as I think you know, quite safe withme."
There was no smile in her eyes this time, and her companion thoughtrapidly. Then, after another gesture which expressed resignation, hespoke for some three or four minutes until the girl checked him with asign.
"If Dom Clemente has any questions to ask he will send for you," shesaid. "If not, you must not trouble him about the matter. I think youunderstand?"
It was evident that the man did so, for he went out with a respectfulgesture of comprehension, and then turned and shook a yellow fist atthe door which closed behind him. He could foresee that to do as hewas bidden might involve him in difficulties, but Benicia Figuera wassomething of a power in that country, and he knew it was seldomadvisable to thwart her. She, as it happened, sat still thinking for atime, and as the result of it when Desmond's gig went ashore nextmorning a negro handed one of her crew a little note. That afternoonDesmond dressed himself with somewhat unusual care before he was rowedashore, and on being ushered into a white house by a uniformed negrowas not altogether astonished to find Benicia Figuera waiting for himalone in a big cool room. He had met her in Las Palmas, and she smiledat him graciously as she pointed to a little table where wine andcigarettes were laid out.
"They are at your disposal. Here one smokes at all times andeverywhere," she said.
Desmond sat down some distance away from her, for as he saidafterwards, she was astonishingly pretty as well as most artisticallygot up, and he was on his guard.
"I almost fancy it is advisable that I should keep my head just now,and it already promises to be sufficiently difficult," he said with atwinkle in his eyes. "Dom Clemente is presumably not at home. That iswhy you sent for me?"
Now the compliments men offer a lady in the Iberian Peninsula are as arule artistically involved, but the girl laughed.
"He will not be back until this evening, but the excellent SenoraCastro in whose charge I am is now sitting on the veranda," she said."You need not put your armor on, my friend. It would be uselessanyway."
"Yes," said the man reflectively, "I almost think it would be."
"And my intentions are friendly."
Desmond spread his hands out as the men of her own nationality did."The assurance is a relief to me, but I should feel easier if you toldme what you wanted. After all, it could not have been merely thepleasure of seeing me."
Benicia nodded approvingly. His keenness and good-humored candorappealed to her. It was also in some respects a pleasure to meet a manwho could come straight to the point. Her Portuguese friends usuallyspent an unreasonable time going around it.
"Well," she said, leaning forward and looking at him with eyes whichhe afterwards told Ormsgill were worth risking a fortune for, "I willtell you what I know, and I leave you to decide how far it isdesirable for you to be frank with me. In the first place, you are notgoing inland to shoot big game. You are going to wait at the BahiaSantiago for somebody."
Desmond's face grew a trifle red. "If I had Lister here I think Ishould feel tempted to twist his neck for him."
The girl laughed. "It would be an interesting spectacle. I suppose youknow that last night he broke a man's wrist?"
"I did not," said Desmond dryly. "When he amuses himself in that wayhe seldom tells me--but, to be quite frank, I've almost had enough ofhim. It's rather a pity the other fellow didn't break his head.Still, perhaps, that's a little outside the question."
"The question is--who are you going to wait for at the BahiaSantiago?"
"Ah," said Desmond, "I almost think you know."
Benicia smiled. "It is, of course, Mr. Ormsgill. He is a friend ofyours. Now, as you can recognize, it is in my power or that of myfather to involve you in a good many difficulties. I wish to know whatOrmsgill went inland for. It was certainly not on a commercialventure."
Desmond thought hard for the next half-minute. He was a man who couldface a responsibility, and it was quite clear to him that Miss Figueraalready knew quite enough to ruin his comrade's project if she thoughtfit to do so. Still, he felt that she would not think fit. He did notknow how she conveyed this impression, or even if she meant to conveyit, for Benicia Figuera was a lady of some importance in that country,and, as he reflected, no doubt recognized the fact. She satimpassively still, with her dark eyes fixed on him, and there was acertain hint of imperiousness in her manner, until he suddenly madehis mind up.
"Well," he said, "I will try to tell you, though there are, I think,people who would scarcely understand the thing."
He spoke for some ten minutes, and Benicia sat silent a while when atlast he stopped abruptly. Then she made a little gesture ofcomprehension.
"Yes," she said simply, "I think your friend is one of the few men whocould be expected to do such things." Then she laughed. "The girl heis to marry, the one I saw in Las Palmas, is naturally very vexed withhim?"
"That," said Desmond gravely, "is a subject I scarcely feel warrantedin going into. Besides, as a matter of fact, I don't know. There is,however, another point I am a little anxious about."
"The course I am likely to take?" and Benicia rose. "Well, it isscarcely likely to be to your disadvantage, and I think you are wisein telling me. Still, as you see, I do not bind myself to anything."
Desmond stood up in turn, and made her a little grave inclination. "Ileave it in your hands with confidence. After all, that is the onlycourse open to me."
"Yes," said Benicia, "I believe it is. Still, you seem to have nogreat fear of me betraying you."
"I certainly haven't," said Desmond. "I don't know why."
His companion laughed, and held out her hand to him, and in a few moreminutes Desmond was striding down the hot street towards the beach.When he reached the boat he turned a moment and looked back towardsthe big white house.
"It looks very much as if I'd made a fool of myself, and spoiled thewhole thing, but I don't think I have," he said.
It was two or three hours later, and darkness had suddenly closed downon the sweltering town, when the scream of a whistle broke through thedrowsy roar of the surf as a mail-boat ringed with blinking lightscrept up to the anchorage. Then Desmond sent for Lister, and drew himinto the room beneath the bridge.
"There doesn't appear to be anything very much for that boat, andshe'll probably clear for the north to-morrow," he said. "You hadbetter get your things together."
Lister gazed at him with astonishment in his heavy face. "I don'tquite understand you," he said.
"The thing's perfectly simple. You're going north in her. In one ortwo respects I'm sorry I have to turn you out, but, to be quitestraight, you're not the kind of man I want beside me now. You're toofond of company, and have a--inconvenient habit of talking in yourcups."
Lister flushed. "I presume you are referring to my conversation withthat slinking yellow-handed fellow I came across last night? He was alittle inquisitive, but I didn't tell him anything."
"No," said Desmond dryly, "I don't suppose you did. It's often thepoints a man of your capacity doesn't mention one deduces the mostfrom. He generally makes it evident that he's working away from them.That, however, wouldn't strike you, and any way it doesn't affect thecase. I'm sorry I can't offer to accommodate you o
n board the_Palestrina_ any longer. I told your folks I'd keep an eye on you, butit's becoming too big a responsibility."
Lister gazed at him almost incredulously. "Of course, I'll have to goif you really mean it. Still, I would like to point out that in somerespects you're not exactly a model yourself."
"That," said Desmond dryly, "is a fact I'm naturally quite aware of. Ilike a frolic now and then as well as most other men, but I've senseenough not to indulge in it when I'm out on business. The trouble isthat what you have done you will very probably do again, and thatwouldn't suit either me or Ormsgill. I'm afraid you'll have to takethe boat north to-morrow."