CHAPTER XI
CONFIDENCES
Courtenay was mistaken in thinking that the savages sought a parley.The canoe was paddled by two women; they changed its course with adexterous twist of the blades when within a cable's length of the ship,and then circled slowly round her. The four men jabbered inastonishingly loud voices. Suarez, who gathered the purport of theirtalk, explained that they were discussing the best method of attack.
"The three younger men belong to the tribe which I lived with," hesaid. "The old man sitting between the women is a stranger. I thinkhe must have come from the north of the island with some of hisfriends, attracted by the smoke signals."
"From the north? Is there a road?" asked Courtenay, when he learntwhat Suarez was saying.
"He would arrive in a canoe," was the answer. "The Indians venture outto sea in very bad weather. He probably passed the ship late lastnight, and, now I come to think of it, the canoe which you captured isnot familiar to me, whereas I know by sight every craft owned by theFeathered People."
"How many do they possess?"
"Twenty-three."
These statements were disconcerting. Not only was it possible for thenatives to surround the _Kansas_ with a whole swarm of men, but themere number of their boats would render it exceedingly difficult torepel a combined assault. And nothing could be more truculent than thedemeanor of the semi-nude warriors. They pointed at each person theysaw on the decks, and made a tremendous row when they passed the canoefastened alongside. Despite their keen sight, they evidently did notrecognize Suarez, who now wore a cap and a suit of clothes taken fromthe locker of one of the missing stewards, while his appearance was soaltered otherwise that even the people on board found it difficult toregard him as the monstrous-looking wizard whom they had dragged out ofthe water some twelve hours earlier.
The impudence of the Indians exasperated Courtenay. The sheer size ofthe _Kansas_ should have awed them, he thought.
"I wish they had left their women behind," he muttered. "If the menwere alone, an ounce or two of buck-shot would soon teach them to keeptheir distance."
"Perhaps they are aware of the danger of boarding a ship which standsso high above the sea as the _Kansas_," said Christobal. "Why not firea couple of rounds of blank cartridge at them?"
"Worst thing you can do," said Tollemache.
"But why?"
"They would be sure, then, you could not hurt them. If you shoot,shoot straight, with the heaviest shot you possess."
At that moment the rowers permitted the canoe to swing round with thetide. One of the men stood up, and Elsie, who seized the chance ofsnap-shotting the party, ran to the upper deck, so she did not overhearCourtenay's smothered ejaculation. He was scrutinizing the savagesthrough his glasses, and he had distinctly seen the ship's name paintedon a small water-cask on which the Indian had been sitting. Tollemachemade the same dramatic discovery.
"Out of one of the ship's life-boats, I suppose?" he said in a low toneto the captain.
"Yes. Did you see the number?"
"Number 3, I think."
"I agree with you. That was the first life-boat which got away."
Christobal, startled out of his wonted sang-froid, whispered in histurn:
"Do you mean to say that one of the boats has fallen into the hands ofthese fiends?"
"I am afraid so," replied Courtenay. "Of course, that particular kegmay have drifted ashore. In any case, it tells the fate of one sectionof the mutineers. Either the boat is swamped, or the crew are now onthe island, and we know what that signifies."
"Is there no chance of bribing these people into friendliness, or, atleast, into a temporary truce?"
"It is hard to decide. Tollemache and Suarez are best able to form anopinion. What do you say, Tollemache?"
"Not a bit of use; they are insatiable. The more you give the morethey want. The only way to deal with those rotters is to stir them upwith a Gatling or a twelve-pounder."
Suarez, when appealed to, shook his head.
"Last winter," he said, "the man sitting aft, he with the singlealbatross feather sticking in his hair, seized his own son, aged six,and dashed his brains out on the rocks because the little fellowdropped a basket of sea-eggs he was carrying. The woman nearest to himis his wife, and she raised no protest. You might as well try tofondle a hungry puma. I am the only man they have ever spared, andthey spared me solely because they thought I gave them power over theirenemies. If you had a cannon, you might drive them off. As it is, weshall be compelled to fight for our lives; they are brave enough intheir own way."
The experience of the miner from Argentina was not to be gainsaid. Thepredicament of the giant _Kansas_--inert, immovable, lying in thatpeaceful bay at the mercy of a horde of painted savages--was one of thestrange facts almost beyond credence which men encounter at times inthe byways of life. It reminded Courtenay of a visit he paid to thecrocodile tank at Karachi when he was a midshipman on the _Boadicea_.He noticed that some of the huge saurians, eighteen feet in length andcovered with scale armor off which a bullet would glance, weresquirming uneasily, and the Hindu attendant told him that they had beenbitten by mosquitoes!
He laughed quietly, but his mirth had a curious ring in it which bodedill for certain unknown members of the Alaculof tribe when thethreatened tussle came to close quarters. Elsie heard him. Leaningover the rails of the spar deck, she asked cheerfully:
"What is the joke, Captain Courtenay? And why don't the Indians comenearer? Are they timid? They don't look it."
He glanced up at her. If aught were needed to complete the contrastbetween civilization and savagery it was given by the comparison whichthe girl offered to the women in the canoe. The hot sun and theabsence of wind had changed the temperature from winter to summer.After breakfast, Elsie had donned a muslin dress, and a broad-brimmedstraw hat. Exposure to the weather had bronzed her skin to adelightful tint. Her nut-brown hair framed a sweetly pretty face, andher clear blue eyes and red lips, slightly parted, smiled bewitchinglyat the men beneath. The camera in her hands added a holiday aspect toher appearance, an aspect which was unutterably disquieting in itsrelation to the muttered forebodings she had broken in on.
But Courtenay's voice gave no hint of the tumult in his breast, thoughsome malign spirit seemed to whisper the agonizing question: "Will youpermit her to fall into the hands of the ghouls waiting without?"
"I find the get-up of our visitors distinctly humorous," he said, "andI hope they are a bit scared of us. We would prefer their room totheir company."
"I thought that Senor Suarez would hail them, as he can speak theirlanguage. Perhaps he does not wish them to know he is on board?"
Now, Elsie had heard the man's impassioned appeal when the Indians werefirst sighted, so Courtenay felt that she, too, was acting.
"You look nice and cool up there," he answered, "and your words do notbelie your looks."
"Please, what does that mean exactly?"
"Need I tell you? You treat our troubles airily."
"Shall one 'wear a rough garment to deceive'?" she quoted with a laugh."Don't you remember the next verse? You ought to retort: 'I am noprophet, I am an husbandman!' But that would not be quite right, foryou are a sailor."
She blushed a little at the chance turn of the phrase. Neither thegirl nor her hearers recalled the succeeding verses, wherein thedestruction of Jerusalem is foretold: "And I will bring the third partthrough the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and willtry them as gold is tried."
Indeed, a new direction was given to Elsie's thoughts by the somewhatscowling aspect of Christobal's face. He was looking at Courtenay in amanner which betokened a certain displeasure. The Spaniard'scultivated cynicism was subjugated by a more powerful sentiment. Itseemed to Elsie that he envied Courtenay his youth and high spirits,for, in very truth, the mere exchange of those harmless pleasantrieshad tuned the younger man's soul to the transcendental pitch of theknight errant.
In his heart he was vowing to rescue this fair ladyfrom the dangers which beset her, though he said jokingly with his lips:
"If a husbandman has to do with a tiller I may claim some expertknowledge, Miss Maxwell."
Elsie dared not meet his eyes; a flood of understanding had suddenlypoured its miraculous waters over her. Incidents unimportant inthemselves, utterances which seemed to have no veiled intent at thetime, rushed in upon her with overwhelming conviction. Christobalsuspected her of flirting with Courtenay, and disapproved of it asstrongly as she herself had condemned Isobel's admitted efforts in thesame direction. Though not a little dismayed, she resolved to carrythe war into the enemy's territory.
"Why are you looking so glum, Dr. Christobal?" she demanded. "Has thecaptain's quip given you a shock, or is it that you are surprised at mylevity?"
"I am neither shocked nor surprised, Miss Maxwell. I have not livedfifty years in this Vale of Tears without being prepared for theunexpected."
"Does that imply that you are disillusioned?"
"By no means. My heart is amazingly young. 'There is no fool like anold fool,' you know."
"Oh, please don't speak of age in that way. You are far from being anantiquity. Why, within the past twenty-four hours I have come to lookon you as a sort of elder brother, who can be indulgent even while hechides."
Courtenay found himself wondering what had caused this flash ofrapiers. But, so far as he was concerned, the proceedings of theIndians put a stop to any further share in the conversation. The canoehad drifted closer to the ship. It was about eighty yards distant whenthe Indian who was on his feet suddenly whirled a sling, and sent astone crashing through the window of the music-room. The heavymissile, which, when picked up, was found to weigh nearly half a pound,just missed Tollemache, who was the first to take note of the sharpwarning given by Suarez, but failed, nevertheless, to dodge quicklyenough.
The captain raised a double-barreled fowling-piece, the only gun onboard, and fired point blank at the savages. But the women werepaddling away vigorously, and the shot splashed in the water on allsides of the canoe, though a howl and a series of violent contortionsshowed that one, at least, of the pellets had stung the wizened Indianwhom Suarez believed to be a newcomer.
There was no second shot--cartridges were too precious to be wasted atan impossible range--but the undeniable fact remained that the Indiansmeant to be aggressive. For a little time no one spoke. They heardthe echoes of the gunshot faintly thrown back by the nearest wall ofrock; the regular plash of the paddles as the canoe sped shorewards wasdistinctly audible. They watched the tiny craft until it vanishedround the wooded point which concealed Otter Creek. Then, to add tothe sense of loneliness and peace conveyed by the placid bay and thegreen slopes beyond, a big whale rolled into view in the middledistance, and blew a column of water high in air.
The muffled clang of a hammer broke the silence which had fallen on thewatchers from the ship. Walker had slipped back to his belovedengines. Had he not vowed that the massive pistons should again thrustforth their willing arms on or about New Year's day? He had forgottenthe cannibals and their threats ere he was at the foot of theengine-room ladder. Courtenay and Tollemache joined him; Christobalwent to the saloon to visit his patients; Elsie was left with Mr.Boyle, who forthwith fell into a doze, being worn out by the fresh airand the excitement.
Joey, having followed Courtenay to the one doorway in the ship which hecould not enter, trotted back to find Elsie. She greeted him withenthusiasm.
"Hail, friend," she said. "You, at least, are not jealous if I speakto your master, wherein you show your exceeding wisdom. Now, since youand I are persons of leisure, tell me, Joey, what we shall do to makeourselves useful?"
The dog was accustomed to being spoken to. He awaited developments.
"It seems to me, Joey," she continued, "that Gulielmo Frascuelo is theone person on board who claims our attention. There is a mystery to besolved. Bound up in it are my poor Isobel, that beast, Ventana, and adrunken coal-trimmer. An odd assortment to rub shoulders, don't youthink?"
Joey still reserved his opinion. When the girl went to the forecastleby climbing down the sailors' ladder to the lower deck, he thought shewas making a mistake; but she held her arms for his spring, and all waswell. She had not previously visited the quarters set apart for thecrew. Puzzled by the large number of small cabins with names ofsubordinate officers painted on them, she paused and cried loudly:
"Are you there, Frascuelo? May I speak to you?"
An exclamation of surprise, a somewhat forcible exclamation, too,answered her from an inner berth. Frascuelo had heard from the Chileanwho brought his meals that there was an Englishwoman on board, but hedid not know that she spoke Spanish fluently. He answered her questionpolitely enough in the next breath, and the dog indicated the rightdoor by hopping inside.
Frascuelo was reclining on a lower bunk. His injured leg was well onthe way towards recovery, but the wound and its resultant confinementhad chastened him; he had lost the brigandish swagger which was hismost cherished asset.
After acknowledging inquiries as to his progress, he showed sucheagerness for news that Elsie told him briefly what had caused thelatest uproar. She cheered him, too, with the announcement made by theengineer, and then led him to the topic on which she sought information.
"In some ways, I regard you as most unfortunate," she said. "I havebeen told you are here by accident--that you never meant to take thevoyage at all. Is that true?"
Frascuelo, delighted to have secured a sympathetic listener, pouredforth his sorrows volubly. He bore no ill-will against the captain hesaid. He knew it was wrong to draw a knife on the chief officer, ashis tale was an unlikely one, and he ought to have trusted to a moreorderly recital of the facts to obtain credence.
"But I was that mad, senorita, I just saw red, and the drink was yetsurging up in me. I felt I must fight somebody, whatever theconsequences."
"Can you tell me why any one had such a grievance against you that youshould be thrown into the hold and nearly killed? That was a strangething to do, especially as you came aboard too late for your work."
"Ah, that is the point, senorita. You see, we trimmers work in gangs,and the man who flung me through the hatch was the man who had taken myplace. I see no reason to doubt that it was he who made me drunk theprevious evening, and I know who did that."
"What was his name?"
"Jose Anacleto--'Jose the Wine-bag' we call him on the Plaza. I oughtto have smelt mischief when Jose paid. Never before had I seen him dosuch a thing. And a good liquor, too. Dios, it must have cost himdollars."
"What object had he in coming on board instead of you?"
"Ah, there you beat me, senorita. I have twisted my poor brain withthinking of that. We only earned a dollar a head, and bunkering a shipfrom a flat is hard work while it lasts, whereas one would expect Joseto ride twenty miles the other way to escape such a task. But he wasin the plot, and he shall tell me why, or--"
By force of habit, Frascuelo put his right hand to his belt, but hissheath knife had been taken from him. He smiled sheepishly; yet hisblack eyes twinkled.
"Plot! Why do you speak of a plot?" asked the girl, hoping that theword betokened some more promising clue than she could discern thus far.
"Why did the furnaces blow up? Tell me that, and I can answer you.Good, honest coal isn't made of gunpowder. Jose, or some one behindhim, meant to sink the ship, and, as I might have proved awkward, theywere willing that I should go down with her. Maybe I shall meet Joseif we get out of this rat-trap; then we shall have a little talk."
Again his hand wandered towards his waist, but he bethought himself,and bent in pretense that the bandage on his leg needed readjusting.
Despite the man's shrewd guess as to the cause of the accident in thestoke-hold, Elsie was at a loss to connect the freak of some Valparaisoloafer with the deep-laid scheme which contemplated the destruction ofthe _Kansas_. S
he had followed the discussion in the chart-room withfull appreciation of its significance. Valuable as the ship and cargowere, there was far more at stake in the effect of the loss on thecopper markets of the world. The most important copper-exporting firmin Chile would practically be ruined, while the Paris "ring," of whichshe had read in the newspapers, would have matters its own way.Financial interests of such magnitude would hardly be bound up with thecarousals and quarrels of Frascuelo and Jose the Wine-bag. Yet--
"Have you ever heard of a Senor Pedro Ventana?" she asked suddenly.
"Has he to do with mines?" inquired the Chilean, tentatively.
"Yes."
"I know him by sight, senorita."
"Would he be acquainted with this man, Anacleto, do you think?"
"Can't say. Jose would know anybody whom he could touch for a fewpesetas."
She left him, promising to visit him daily in the future. As shewalked back towards the bridge companion, she met Dr. Christobal. Hisfit of ill-humor had gone: he was all smiles; but Elsie, havingextracted such information as Frascuelo possessed, was bent on addingto her store of knowledge. Incidentally, she meant to widen thedoctor's views.
"Why have you taken to lecturing me?" she asked, with a simpledirectness which Christobal was not slow to profit by.
"Because, though old enough to be your father, or your elder brother,as you were kind enough to put it, I have not yet reached years ofdiscretion."
If candor were needed, he would be candid. Sophistry was worse thanuseless with a woman of Elsie's type. The only way to win her was tobe transparently honest. To Christobal, after an experience of ageneration of Chileans, this came as a refreshing novelty.
"You mean, I suppose, that if every one attended to their own affairsit would be a less spiteful world? I am inclined to agree with you.Unhappily, life is largely made up of these minor evils. Yet I shouldhave thought that the desperate conditions under which we exist at thishour might protect me from uncharitableness."
"You are pleased to be severe."
"No; it is the last privilege of danger that shams should vanish. Yetwe plumb the depths of absurdity when we contest the right of anywoman, even a young and unmarried one, to appreciate all that a braveman has done and is doing to save her life."
Here was candor undiluted. Elsie was speaking without heat. She mighthave been reasoning some disputed point in ethics. The Spaniard wasobviously thrown off his guard.
"You seem to demand an explanation," he said with some warmth. "Well,you shall have it. I am not a man to flinch from the disagreeable. Iadmit a sort of impression, I might almost describe it as a conviction,that Captain Courtenay's manner towards you betokens a growingadmiration."
"This is the wildest folly," cried Elsie in bewilderment. "I--I cannotimagine what put such a notion into your head."
"Let me at least lay claim to a species of altruism," he replied. "Ican see fifty excellent reasons why our young and good-lookingcommander should be drawn to you, nor can I urge one against it."
"But he is already engaged to another woman, so my one reason is worthmore than all your fifty."
"Ah, can that really be so?"
The tense eagerness in his voice might have warned her, were it notthat she was shocked by the bitterness which welled up in her heart.She was amazed by this introspective glimpse; it alarmed her; she mustconvince herself, at all costs, that she had spoken truly.
Although the evidence she tendered was of dubious value, she strove toadvance her argument further.
"I have prized our friendship greatly, Dr. Christobal," she said,speaking with a calm deliberateness that rang hollow in her own ears,"so greatly that I am compelled to utter this protest. Now, to end adistasteful controversy, let me tell you what I know to be true. Whenthe ship was stranded, and we all thought our only chance of safety wasto take to the boats, by a fluke, the accident of the moment, I wasleft alone in the captain's cabin. The sea was breaking in through thedoorway, and it brought an odd relief to my over-burthened mind when Iendeavored to rescue the contents of a locker which, for some reason,had been scattered on the floor previously. Among them I found someletters. I think you will believe me when I say that I would notconsciously read another person's private correspondence. Just then, Iwas hardly responsible for my actions, and I did happen to see andgrasp the meaning of a passage in a letter from Captain Courtenay'ssister which alluded to his affianced wife. It is not such a tragicadmission, is it? I would scarce have given it another thought were itnot for your manner this morning and your words last night. I paid noheed at the time to the innuendo that I had come on deck to findhim--to waylay him, as I have heard men say when speaking of a type ofwoman I despise. So I resolved to straighten out a stupid littletangle. It would be ridiculous, in our present state of suspendedanimation, to let such a slight thing mar our friendship."
Elsie, was indulging in that most delusive thing, self-persuasion. Itwas not surprising, therefore, that she failed to note the unmixedsatisfaction with which Christobal listened.
"Am I forgiven, then?" he asked, with a new tenderness in his voice.
"Oh, yes, let us laugh at it."
"But--"
"Please let us talk of something more useful. I have a little plan,and you might ask the captain if he approves of it. We have plenty ofstrong canvas; what do you say if I set to work and cover in thepromenade deck, fore and aft as well as on both sides? Then, if theIndians try to seize the ship, they would not be able to gain alodgment at so many points simultaneously. It would simplify thedefense, so to speak."
"Admirable! I am sure Courtenay will agree. Indeed, I am ashamed thatwe superior males failed to hit on the idea earlier. Before I go, letme be certain that my forgiveness is complete?"
"Shall we quarrel about a degree of blessedness? I assure you I likeyou more than ever. When all is said and done, you thought I wasflinging myself at our excellent captain's head, so you tried to spareme the pangs of unrequited love." The words hurt, but she did notflinch. Christobal, anxious to deceive himself, was radiant.
"Your charity goes too far," he cried. "That was not the exact reason.No, my dear Miss Maxwell, I begin to exercise a new-born discretion. Ishall not elucidate that cryptic remark until after New Year's Day.But I don't mind telling you why I have hit on a definite date. If allgoes well with us--and we have had so many escapes that Providence maywell send us a few more--the _Kansas_ should steam out of our littlebay of Good Hope about that period. Then I shall remind you of ourdiscussion, and keep my promise."
With that he left her. After a gasp or two of surprise, for Elsiecould read only one meaning into his words, she hurried up the bridgecompanion to arouse Mr. Boyle and ask what he would like for luncheon.
"Thank goodness, Joey," she murmured to the dog, whom she picked up inher arms, "thank goodness, Mr. Boyle is neither an engaged man nor awidower. I do believe our excellent doctor is more concerned on hisown account than on mine. And he said that your master's manner'betokened a growing admiration.' I wish--no, Joey, I mean nothing ofthe sort, and if you dare to hint at such a thing I shall be very angrywith you--very--angry--indeed."
"Huh," muttered Boyle, wide awake and watching her through the opendoor, "some one has been worryin' that girl. It's a sure sign oftrouble when a woman whispers in the ear of a dog or cat. Now, who canit be? That doctor chap? He cocked his eye at her this mornin' whenshe spoke about Ventana. He's a pretty tough old bird to think aboutsettin' up house with a nice young jenny wren. Damn his eyes! he maybe as rich as a Jew, but if she doesn't want him, an' is too skeered tosay so, I 'll tell him, in the right sort of Spanish, an' all. Now,had it been the skipper--"
Boyle hardly knew what to think--"had it been the skipper."