CHAPTER IV.
A ROW ON SHORE.
While Wilfrid and the Allens were talking they were walking briskly inthe direction of their landing-place. They had arrived within a hundredyards of it, when a party of four men who were lying among a pile oftimber got up and came across towards them. They were rough-lookingfellows, and James Allen said, "I do not like the look of these chaps. Ithink they mean mischief. Look out!" As he spoke the men rushed at them.James Allen gave a loud shout for help and then struck a blow at a manwho rushed at him. The fellow staggered backwards, and with a fierceexclamation in Portuguese drew a knife. A moment later Allen received asharp stab on the shoulder, and was knocked to the ground. The other twoafter a short struggle had also been overpowered and borne down, but intheir case the robbers had not used their knives.
They were feeling in their pockets when the step of a man approaching atfull speed was heard. One of the robbers was about to run off, whenanother exclaimed: "You coward! It is but one man, which means morebooty. Out with your knives and give him a taste of them as he comesup!" A moment later the man ran up. The leader stepped forward to meethim, knife in hand; but as he struck his wrist was grasped, and atremendous blow was delivered in his face, hurling him stunned andbleeding to the ground. With a bound the new-comer threw himself upontwo of the other men. Grasping them by their throats he shook them as ifthey had been children, and then dashed their heads together with suchtremendous force that when he loosened his grasp both fell insensible onthe ground. The other robber took to his heels at the top of his speed.All this had passed so quickly that the struggle was over before Wilfridand the Allens could get to their feet.
"Not hurt, I hope?" their rescuer asked anxiously.
"Why, Mr. Atherton, is it you?" Wilfrid exclaimed. "You arrived at alucky moment indeed. No, I am not hurt that I know of, beyond a shake."
"Nor I," Bob Allen said.
"I have got a stab in my shoulder," James Allen answered. "I don't knowthat it is very deep, but I think it is bleeding a good deal, for I feelvery shaky. That fellow has got my watch," and he pointed to the man whohad been first knocked down.
"Look in his hand, Wilfrid. He won't have had time to put it in hispocket. If you have lost anything else look in the other fellows' handsor on the ground close to them."
He lifted James Allen, who was now scarcely able to stand, carried himto the wood pile, and seated him on a log with his back against another.Then he took off his coat and waistcoat, and tore open his shirt. "It isnothing serious," he said. "It is a nasty gash and is bleeding freely,but I daresay we can stop that; I have bandaged up plenty of worsewounds in my time." He drew the edge of the wound together, and tied hishandkerchief and that of Wilfrid tightly round it. "That will do for thepresent," he said. "Now I will carry you down to the boat," and liftingthe young fellow up as though he were a feather he started with him.
"Shall we do anything with these fellows, Mr. Atherton?" Wilfrid asked.
"No, leave them as they are; what they deserve is to be thrown into thesea. I daresay their friend will come back to look after thempresently."
In a couple of minutes they arrived at the landing-place, where two menwere sitting in a boat.
"But how did you come to be here, Mr. Atherton?" Wilfrid asked when theyhad taken their seats.
"I came to look after you boys, Wilfrid. I got on board about eleven,and on going down to the cabin found you had not returned, so I thoughtI would smoke another cigar and wait up for you. At twelve o'clock thelast party returned, and as I thought you might have some difficulty ingetting on board after that, I got into the boat and rowed ashore, andengaged the men to wait as long as I wanted them. I thought perhaps youhad missed your way, and did not feel uneasy about you, for there beingthree of you together it was scarcely likely you had got into any badscrape. I was beginning at last to think you had perhaps gone to anhotel for the night, and that it was no use waiting any longer, when Iheard your voices coming along the quays. The night is so quiet that Iheard your laugh some distance away, and recognized it. I then strolledalong to meet you, when I saw those four fellows come out into themoonlight from a shadow in the wood. I guessed that they were up tomischief, and started to run at once, and was within fifty yards of youwhen I saw the scuffle and caught the glint of the moon on the blade ofa knife. Another five or six seconds I was up, and then there was an endof it. Now we are close to the ship. Go up as quietly as you can, and donot make a noise as you go into your cabins. It is no use alarmingpeople. I will carry Jim down."
"I can walk now, I think, Mr. Atherton."
"You might do, but you won't, my lad; for if you did you would probablystart your wound bleeding afresh. You two had best take your shoes offdirectly you get on deck."
James Allen was carried down and laid on his berth. Mr. Atherton wentand roused the ship's doctor, and then lighted the lamp in the cabin.
"What is all this about?" the surgeon asked as he came in.
"There has been a bit of a scrimmage on shore," Mr. Atherton replied;"and, as you see, Allen has got a deepish slash from the shoulder downto the elbow. It has been bleeding very freely, and he is faint fromloss of blood; but I do not think it is serious at all."
"No, it is a deep flesh wound," the doctor said, examining him; "butthere is nothing to be in the slightest degree uneasy about. I will geta bandage from my cabin, and some lint, and set it all right in fiveminutes."
When the arm was bandaged, Mr. Atherton said: "Now I must get you to doa little plastering for me doctor."
"What! are you wounded, Mr. Atherton?" the others exclaimed in surprise.
"Nothing to speak of, lads; but both those fellows made a slash at me asI closed with them. I had but just finished their leader and could do nomore than strike wildly as I turned upon them." As he spoke he wastaking off his waistcoat and shirt.
"By Jove, you have had a narrow escape!" the doctor said; "and how youtake it so coolly I cannot make out. Except as to the bleeding, they areboth far more serious than Allen's."
One of the wounds was in the left side, about three inches below thearm. The man had evidently struck at the heart, but the quickness withwhich Mr. Atherton had closed with him had disconcerted his aim; theknife had struck rather far back, and glancing behind the ribs had cut adeep gash under the shoulder-blade. The other wound had been given by adownright blow at the right side, and had laid open the flesh from belowthe breast down to the hip.
"It is only a case for plaster," Mr. Atherton said. "It is useful tohave a casing of fat sometimes. It is the same thing with a whale--youhave got to drive a harpoon in very deep to get at the vitals. You seethis wound in front has bled very little."
"You have lost a good deal of blood from the other cut," the surgeonsaid. "I will draw the edges of the wounds together with a needle andthread, and will then put some bandages on. You will have to keep quietfor some days. Your wounds are much too serious to think of puttingplaster on at present."
"I have had a good deal more serious wounds than these," Mr. Athertonsaid cheerfully, "and have had to ride seventy or eighty miles on thefollowing day. However I will promise you not to go ashore to-morrow;and as the captain says he expects to be off the next morning, I shallbe able to submit myself to your orders without any great privation."
"Why did you not say that you were wounded, Mr. Atherton?" Wilfrid saidreproachfully as they went to their own cabin and prepared to turn in.
"To tell you the truth, Wilfrid, I hardly thought the wounds were asdeep as they are. My blood was up, you see, and when that is the caseyou are scarcely conscious of pain. I felt a sharp shooting sensation onboth sides as I grasped those fellows by the throat, and afterwards Iknew I was bleeding a bit at the back, for I felt the warmth of theblood down in my shoe; but there was nothing to prevent my carryingyoung Allen, and one person can carry a wounded man with much more easeto him than two can do, unless of course they have got a stretcher."
The next morning there was quite a stir
in the ship when it was knownthat two of the passengers were wounded, and Mr. and Mrs. Renshaw weregreatly alarmed when they heard of the risk Wilfrid had run. Neither ofthe wounded men appeared at breakfast, as the surgeon insisted that bothshould lie quiet for at least one day. Mr. Renshaw had paid a visit toMr. Atherton directly he had heard from Wilfrid his story of the fray,and thanked him most warmly for his intervention on behalf of his son."Wilfrid said he has very little doubt that they all three would havebeen stabbed if you had not come up."
"I do not say they might not," Mr. Atherton said, "because theirresistance had raised the men's anger; and in this country when a man isangry he generally uses his knife. Besides, dead men raise no alarm.Still they might have contented themselves with robbing them. However, Iown that it was lucky I was on the spot."
"But it was not a question of luck at all," Mr. Renshaw insisted. "Youwere there because you had specially gone ashore to look after thesefoolish young fellows, and your being there was the result of your ownthoughtfulness for them, and not in any way of chance."
"There is quite a crowd on the quay, Mr. Renshaw," the captain said whenthat gentleman went on deck, "I suppose they have found stains of bloodin the road and conclude that a crime has been committed. Oh, here isour boat putting out from the landing-place. The steward has been onshore to get fresh fruit for breakfast; he will tell us what is goingon."
The steward had gone ashore before the news of the encounter had beenspread by the surgeon.
"What is the excitement about on shore?" the captain asked him as hestepped on deck.
"Well, sir, as far as I could learn from a chap who spoke a littleEnglish, there have been bad doings on shore in the night. Two men werefound this morning lying dead there. There is nothing uncommon aboutthat; but they say there are no wounds on them, except that their skullsare stove in, as if they had both been struck by a beam of wood at theback of the head. But besides that there were two or three pools ofblood in the road. It seems one man walked back into the town, for thereare marks of his feet as if he stepped in the blood before starting inthat direction. Then there is a line of blood spots down to thelanding-place and down the steps, as if somebody had got into a boat.Nobody seems to make head nor tail of the business."
"Well, we must keep this quiet if we can," the captain said, turning toMr. Renshaw. "If it were known that any of our people were concerned inthis affair they might keep us here for three weeks or a month while itis being investigated, or insist upon Mr. Atherton and your son and theAllens remaining behind as witnesses. Mr. Ryan," he called to thefirst-mate, "just come here a moment. This matter is more serious thanwe thought. It seems that Mr. Atherton, who, as we have heard, dashedthe heads of two of these fellows together, killed them on the spot."
"Sure and I thought as much when young Allen was telling me about it,"the mate said. "I have seen Mr. Atherton at work before this, and Ithought to myself that unless those fellows' skulls were made of iron,and thick at that, they must have gone in when he brought themtogether."
"The worst of it is," the captain went on, "they have traced marks ofblood down to the landing-stage, and of course have suspicion thatsomeone concerned in the affair took a boat, and either came off to oneof the ships or went away in one of the fishing craft. You know whatthese fellows are; if they find out that anyone on board is mixed up inthe matter, they will keep the ship here for a month."
"That is true enough, sir. It is mighty lucky we would be if we got awayin a month."
"The first thing is to see about the boatmen," the captain said. "Ofcourse if they tell the authorities they brought a wounded man on boardhere late last night there is an end of it; but if they hold theirtongues, and we all keep our own council, the thing may not leak outto-day, and we will have our anchor up and get out this evening if wecan. You had better tell all the crew that not a word is to be saidabout the matter, and I will impress the same on the passengers. Whenthey know that a careless word may lead to a month's detention, you maybe sure there will be no talking. But before you speak to them I will godown and see Mr. Atherton, and hear what he says about the boatmen." Hereturned in two or three minutes. "I hope it will be all right," hesaid. "Atherton gave them a pound apiece, and told them to hold theirtongues. He thinks it is probable they will do so, for they would knowwell enough that they would, as likely as not, be clapped into prisonand kept there while the investigation was going on. So there is astrong hope that it may not leak out through them. You must stop allleave ashore, Mr. Ryan. Tell the men whose turn it is to go, they shallhave their spree at Buenos Ayres. If they were to get drunk it would beas likely as not to slip out."
"I will see to it, sir."
Directly breakfast was over the captain took a boat and went ashore. Hehad duly impressed upon all the passengers the absolute necessity forsilence, and several of these went ashore with him. He returned half anhour later, having been up to the British Consulate.
"The affair is making quite a stir in the town. Not on account of twomen being found dead, there is nothing uncommon in that, especially asthey have been recognized as two notorious ruffians; but the wholecircumstances of the affair puzzle them.
"The doctors who have examined the bodies have arrived pretty well atthe truth, and say that both men have been gripped by the throat, forthe marks of the fingers are plainly visible, and their heads dashedtogether. But although this is, as we know, perfectly true, no onebelieves it; for the doctors themselves admit that it does not appear tothem possible that any man would have had the strength requisite tocompletely batter in the skulls of two others, as has been done in thiscase. The police are searching the town for the man whose footsteps ledin that direction, and as they know all the haunts of these ruffians andtheir associates it is likely enough that they will find him, especiallyas his face is sure to bear marks of Atherton's handiwork. Still, ifthey do find him, and he tells all he knows of the business, they willnot be much nearer to tracing the actors in it to this ship. It is notprobable that he recovered his senses until long after they were onboard the boat, and can only say that while engaged in attempting to robsome passers-by he was suddenly knocked down. But even this they are notlikely to get out of him first, for he will know that he used a knife,and is not likely to put himself in the way of punishment if he can helpit. I came off at once, because I heard at the Consulate that the policeare going to search every ship in the harbour to see if they can findsome wounded man, or get some clue to the mystery, so I must ask thedoctor if his two patients are fit to be dressed and go up on deck."
The doctor on being consulted said that he should certainly havepreferred that they should have remained quiet all day, but he did notknow that it would do them any harm to get on deck for a bit. Andaccordingly in half an hour Mr. Atherton and James Allen came up. Thedoctor, who had assisted them to dress, accompanied them.
"Now, Mr. Atherton, you had better seat yourself in that greatdeck-chair of yours with the leg-rest. If you sit there quietly readingwhen they come on board they are not likely to suspect you of being adesperate character, or to appreciate your inches and width of shoulder.Allen had better sit quiet till they get alongside, and then slip thatsling into his pocket and walk up and down talking to one of the ladies,with his thumb in his waistcoat so as to support his arm. He looks paleand shaky; but they are not accustomed to much colour here, and he willpass well enough."
As soon as Mr. Atherton had taken his seat Mrs. Renshaw and Marion cameup to him. "How can we thank you enough, Mr. Atherton, for the risks youhave run to succour Wilfrid, and for your kind consideration in going onshore to wait for him?"
"It was nothing, Mrs. Renshaw. I own to enjoying a scrimmage when I cango into one with the feeling of being in the right. You know that I am avery lazy man, but it is just your lazy men who do enjoy exertingthemselves occasionally."
"It was grand!" Marion broke in; "and you ought not to talk as if it wasnothing, Mr. Atherton. Wilfrid said that he thought it was all over withhim till he saw a
big man flying down the road."
"A perfect colossus of Rhodes!" Mr. Atherton laughed.
"It is not a thing to joke about," Marion went on earnestly. "It mayseem very little to you, Mr. Atherton, but it is everything to us."
"Don't you know that one always jokes when one is serious, Miss Renshaw?You know that in church any little thing that you would scarcely noticeat any other time makes you inclined to laugh. Some day in the fardistance, when you become a woman, you will know the truth of thesaying, that smiles and tears are very close to each other."
"I am getting to be a woman now," Marion said with some dignity; for Mr.Atherton always persisted in treating her as if she were a child, which,as she was nearly seventeen, was a standing grievance to her.
"Age does not make a woman, Miss Renshaw. I saw you skipping three daysago with little Kate Mitford and your brother and young Allen, and youenjoyed it as much as any of them."
"We were trying which could keep up the longest," Marion said; "Wilfridand I against the other two. You were looking on, and I believe youwould have liked to have skipped too."
"I think I should," Mr. Atherton agreed. "You young people do not skiphalf as well as we used to when I was a boy; and I should have given youa lesson if I had not been afraid of shaking the ship's timbers topieces."
"How absurd you are, Mr. Atherton!" Marion said pettishly. "Of courseyou are not thin, but you always talk of yourself as if you weresomething monstrous."
Mr. Atherton laughed. His diversion had had the desired effect, and hadled them away from the subject of the fight on shore.
"There is a galley putting off from shore with a lot of officials onboard," the captain said, coming up at this moment. "They are rowing tothe next ship, and I suppose they will visit us next."
A quarter of an hour later the galley came alongside, and threeofficials mounted the gangway. The captain went forward to meet them."Is there anything I can do for you, gentlemen?"
"There has been a crime committed on shore," the leader of the partysaid, "and it is suspected that some of those concerned in the matterare on board one of the ships in the harbour. I have authority to make astrict search on board each."
"You are perfectly welcome to do so, sir," the captain said. "One ofour officers will show you over the ship."
"I must trouble you to show me your list of passengers and crew, and tomuster the men on deck. But first I must ask you, Did any of your boatsreturn on board late?"
"No," the captain replied. "Our last boat was hauled up to the davits athalf-past nine. There was a heavy day's work before the men to-day, andI therefore refused leave on shore."
The men were ordered to be mustered, and while they were collecting thesecond-mate went round the ship with the officials, and they saw that noone was below in his berth. The men's names were called over from thelist, and the officials satisfied that all were present and in goodhealth.
"Now for the passengers," he said
"I cannot ask them to muster," the captain observed, "but I will walkround with you and point out those on the list. There are some eight orten on shore. They will doubtless be off to lunch; and if you leave anofficer on board he will see that they are by no means the sort ofpeople to take part in such an affair as that which has happened onshore."
The officials went round the deck, but saw nothing whatever to excitetheir suspicion. Marion Renshaw was laughing and talking with Mr.Atherton, Miss Mitford walking up and down the poop in conversation withJames Allen. After they had finished their investigations, the officialsleft one of their party to inspect the remaining passengers as they cameon board, and to check them off the list. They then again took theirseats in the galley and were rowed to the next ship.
By dint of great exertions the cargo was got out by sunset, the sailswere at once loosened and the anchor weighed, and before the shorttwilight had faded away the _Flying Scud_ was making her way with agentle breeze towards the mouth of the harbour.
"We are well out of that," Mr. Atherton said as he looked back at thelights of the city.
"I think you are very well out of it indeed, in more senses than one,"said the surgeon, who was standing next to him; "but you have had awonderfully close shave of it, Mr. Atherton. Another inch and either ofthose blows might have been fatal. Besides, had you been detained for amonth or six weeks, it is as likely as not that, what with the heat andwhat with the annoyance, your wound would have taken a bad turn. Now,you must let me exercise my authority and order you to your berthimmediately. You ought not to have been out of it. Of the two evils,getting up and detention, I chose the least; but I should be glad now ifyou would go off at once. If you do not, I can assure you I may have youon my hands all the rest of the voyage."
"I will obey orders, doctor. The more willingly because for the lasthour or two my back has been smarting unmercifully. I do not feel theother wound much."
"That is because you have been sitting still. You will find it hurt youwhen you come to walk. Please go down carefully; a sudden movement mightstart your wounds again."
It was two or three days before Mr. Atherton again appeared on deck. Hisleft arm was bandaged tightly to his body so as to prevent any movementof the shoulder-blade, and he walked stiffly to the deck-chair, whichhad been piled with cushions in readiness.
"I am glad to be out again, Mrs. Renshaw," Mr. Atherton said as shearranged the cushions to suit him. "Your husband, with Wilfrid and thetwo Allens, have kept me company, one or other of them, all the time, soI cannot say I have been dull. But it was much hotter below than it ishere. However, I know the doctor was right in keeping me below, for theslightest movement gave me a great deal of pain. However, the wounds aregoing on nicely, and I hope by the time we get to Buenos Ayres I shallbe fit for a trip on shore again."
"I hardly think so, Mr. Atherton; for if the weather continues as it isnow--it is a nice steady breeze, and we have been running ever since weleft Rio--I think we shall be there long before you are fit to goashore."
"I do not particularly care about it," Mr. Atherton said. "Buenos Ayresis not like Rio, but is for the most part quite a modern town, and evenin situation has little to recommend it. Besides, we shall be so far offthat there will be no running backwards and forwards between the shipand the shore as there was at Rio. Of course it depends a good deal onthe amount of the water coming down the river, but vessels sometimeshave to anchor twelve miles above the town."
"I am sure I have no desire to go ashore," Mrs. Renshaw said, "and afterthe narrow escape Wilfrid had at Rio I should be glad if he did not setfoot there again until we arrive at the end of the voyage."
"He is not likely to get into a scrape again," Mr. Atherton said. "Ofcourse it would have been wiser not to have stopped so late as they didin a town of whose ways they knew nothing; but you may be sure he willbe careful another time. Besides, I fancy from what I have heard thingsare better managed there, and the population are more peaceable andorderly than at Rio. But, indeed, such an adventure as that which befellthem might very well have happened to any stranger wandering late atnight in the slums of any of our English seaports."
There was a general feeling of disappointment among the passengers whenthe _Flying Scud_ dropped anchor in the turbid waters of the La Plata.The shore was some five or six miles away, and was low anduninteresting. The towers and spires of the churches of Buenos Ayreswere plainly visible, but of the town itself little could be seen. Assoon as the anchor was dropped the captain's gig was lowered, and hestarted for shore to make arrangements for landing the cargo. The nextmorning a steam tug brought out several flats, and the work of unloadingcommenced. A few passengers went ashore in the tug, but none of theRenshaws left the ship. Two days sufficed for getting out the goods forBuenos Ayres. The passengers who had been staying at hotels on shorecame off with the last tug to the ship. Their stay ashore had been apleasant one, and they liked the town, which, in point of cleanlinessand order, they considered to be in advance of Rio.