CHAPTER XIII
THE FIGHT
Christmas Day arrived, and maintained its kindly repute by findingaffairs on board the _Kansas_ changed for the better. Mr. Boyle was sofar recovered that he could walk; he even took command of two watchesin the twenty-four hours, but was forbidden to exert himself, lest thewound in his back should reopen. Several injured sailors and firemenwere convalescent; the two most serious cases were out of danger;Frascuelo, hardy as a weed, dared the risk of using his damaged leg,and survived, though his progress along the deck was painful.Nevertheless, on Christmas morning he presented himself before thecaptain, and asked leave to abandon his present quarters. He feltlonely in the forecastle, and wished to berth with the other Chileansin the neighborhood of the saloon. Although his luck was bad in somerespects, the coal-trimmer was endowed with the nine lives of a cat,for there could be no manner of doubt that he dragged himself aft justin time to avoid being killed.
Yet, never was day less ominous in appearance. The breezy, sunlitmorning brought no hint of coming tragedy. The fine weather which hadprevailed since the _Kansas_ drifted into the estuary seemed to becomemore settled as the month wore. Suarez said it was unprecedented. Notonly had he not witnessed in five years three consecutive days withoutrain, snow, or hail, but the Indians had a proverb: "Who so-ever seesfire-in-the-sky (the sun) for seven days shall see the leaf red ahundred times." In effect, centenarians were needed to bear testimonyto a week's fine weather; whereas no man--most certainly nowoman--among the Alaculofs ever succeeded in reaching the threescoreyears and ten regarded by the psalmist as the span of life.
But the miner from Argentina never wavered in his belief that theIndians would soon muster every adult for an assault on the ship. Theelements might waver, but not the hate of the savage. From the risingof the sun to the going down thereof Suarez was ever on the alert. Heate his meals with his eyes fixed on the low point of land which hidOtter Creek. He saw thin columns of smoke rising when no other eye onboard could discern them. Once he made out the forms of a number ofwomen searching for shellfish on some distant rocks at low water, andon Christmas morning he reported the presence of three canoes among thetrees near Otter Creek, when Courtenay could scarce be sure of theircharacter after scrutinizing them through his glasses.
Every other person on the ship held the opinion that the Alaculofswould attack by night, if they were not afraid to attempt theenterprise at all. So Suarez slept soundly, while his companions wereon the _qui vive_ for a call to repel boarders. Were it not for thestrain induced by the silent menace of their savage neighbors, thesmall company suffered no ill from their prolonged stay in thispeaceful anchorage. There was work in plenty for all hands. Walkerwas re-enforced by a trio of firemen, whose technical knowledge, slightas it was, proved useful when he began to fit and connect the disabledmachinery. For the rest, the promenade deck was walled with strongcanvas, while Courtenay and Tollemache gave undivided attention to thefashioning of several other floating bombs which could be exploded fromthe ship. They also provided flexible steam-pipes in places where arush might be made if the Indians once secured a footing on the deck,fore or aft. Steam was kept up constantly in the donkey-boiler, notalone for the electric light and the daily working of the pumps--as the_Kansas_ had not blundered over the shoal without straining some of herplates--but for use against the naked bodies of their possibleassailants.
When day followed day without any sign of hostility, not a man onboard, save Suarez and Tollemache, paid much real heed to the shorewardperil. Walker, with his hammers and cold chisels, his screw-jacks andwrenches, was the center of interest. And Walker's swarthy visage worea permanent grin, which presaged well for the fulfilment of hispromise. Elsie devoted herself to the hospital. She was thus broughtmore in contact with Christobal than with any of the others. Nor didhe make this close acquaintance irksome to her. Always suave andcharming in manner, he exerted himself to be entertaining. Though sheknew full well that if the _Kansas_ reached the open sea again he wouldask her to marry him, he was evidently content to deny himself theprivileges of courtship until a proper time and season.
She was far too wise to appear to avoid Courtenay. Indeed, she wasstudiously agreeable to him when they met. She adopted the safe roleof good-fellowship, flattering herself that her own folly would shrinkto nothingness under the hourly castigation thus inflicted. Duringthis period, Mr. Boyle's changeable characteristics puzzled and amusedher. As he grew stronger, and took part in the active life of theship, so did his sudden excess of talkativeness disappear. Once shehappened to overhear his remarks to a couple of Chileans who were toldto swab off the decks. Obviously, they had scamped their work, andBoyle expostulated. Then she grasped the essential element in Boyle'scomposition. He was capable only of a single idea. When he was chiefofficer he ceased to be an ordinary man; the corollary was, of course,that he ceased to use ordinary language.
She was in her cabin, and dared not come out while the tornado raged.She did not know that Tollemache was listening, too, until she heardhim ask:
"Did you ever meet any fellow who could swear harder than you, Boyle?"
"Yes, once," was the curt answer.
"He must have been a rotter. What did he say?"
"Huh! just the regulation patter, but he used a megaphone, so I gavehim best. . . ."
But, so far as Elsie was concerned, Boyle's fund of reminiscence haddried up.
After the midday meal on Christmas day--a sumptuous repast, for the duepreparation of which Elsie had come to the Chilean cook's assistance inthe matter of the plum-pudding--Suarez suddenly reported that a newcolumn of smoke was rising from Guanaco Hill, a crag dominating theeastern side of the bay. The hill owed its name, he explained, to alarge cave, in which a legendary herd of llama was said to have itsabode. Probably there had never been any llama on the island, but theIndians were frightened of the cave, with its galloping ghosts, andwould not enter it. He was unable to attribute any specialsignificance to the signal on that particular place. During the fiveyears with the Alaculof tribe he had never seen a fire lit therebefore. That, in itself, was a fact sinister and alarming.
Suarez had sufficient tact not to make this statement publicly. Hetold Christobal, and the doctor passed on the information to thecaptain. Both men went to the poop with their glasses, and carefullyexamined the coast line.
Courtenay was the first to break an oppressive silence, and his lowpitched voice announced stirring tidings.
"Do you see those canoes yonder?" he said.
"There were three under the trees before Suarez discovered the smoke onGuanaco. Now I fancy I can make out nearly a dozen. Though they arenot launched, they have been put there for some purpose. Would youmind going forrard and asking Mr. Boyle to summon all hands on deck?He knows exactly what to do. Remember that I regard you and MissMaxwell as non-combatants, and expect you both to remain in the saloon.If these painted devils really mean to attack, some of us will gethurt, and then your services will be of greater value than in thefighting line. And, if I do not see Miss Maxwell before the troublebegins, please tell her she need fear no alarm. We shall be able tobeat off our assailants with comparative ease."
When the captain of the _Kansas_ spoke like that there was nogainsaying him. Even Christobal, whose jealous suspicions were everready to burst into flame, was roused to enthusiasm by his coolgallantry.
But, ere the Spaniard turned to go, a disturbing thought forced its wayto his lips.
"We have every confidence in you," he said, "and I admit that it shouldbe a simple matter to prevent the savages from gaining the upper hand.Yet, accidents happen. Suppose they manage to rush your defense?"
"They will not do that while I and every other man on deck are alive.If the worst comes to the worst, you have a revolver--"
"Yes," said Christobal.
"It will suffice for two, but not for a hundred." The two men, unitedby the very bond which threatened to bring them into antag
onism, lookedinto each other's eyes.
"Is that your last word?" asked Christobal.
"It is."
"I feel sure that you are right. Good-by!"
They shook hands. They were nearer a real friendship then than eitherof them thought possible, and the bond which held them was love for thesame woman.
Courtenay, using his glasses again, saw that a number of Indians werelaunching the canoes simultaneously. He counted nine small craft, eachholding five or six men, or men and women--at the distance, nearlythree miles, he could not be certain whether or not they all wore thedistinguishing head-dress of feathers. Against wind and current theycould not possibly reach the ship under half an hour, and the smallnessof the fleet surprised him.
He stooped and patted Joey, who was at peace with the world after agood dinner.
"We are in luck's way, pup," he said. "These rascals might get thebetter of us by sheer force of numbers, but there are not fifty ofthem, all told. Poor devils! They are coming to the slaughter!"
The news that the Indians were advancing ran through the ship likewildfire. Including Mr. Boyle, Frascuelo, and those among the Chileanswhose wounds were not serious, there were fourteen men available forthe defense. Unfortunately, the supply of firearms was inadequate. Ashot-gun and five revolvers constituted the armory, and one of thepistols was in Christobal's pocket. The supply of ammunition was sosmall that the revolvers could not be reloaded more than three times;but Courtenay had two hundred shot cartridges, and, against naked men,an ounce of shot is far more effective than a bullet.
The captain hoped to terrify the Indians before they attempted to scalethe ship's sides. If various ruses failed, and the attack was pressed,he had decided not to split up his small force in the effort to repelboarders. A scattered resistance would surely break down at one pointor another: there would be a rush of savages along the decks, a panicamong the Chileans, and all would be ended. On the other hand, whenfighting collectively under European leadership, and well aware thatthe Indians would kill and spare not, the half-breeds might be trustedto acquit themselves like men.
The canvas awning constituted a flimsy citadel in the center of thevessel. Six men were stationed on the starboard side of the promenadedeck, and six on the port side. Tollemache and a Chilean, who said hecould shoot well, were told to frustrate any attempt to climb the afterpart of the ship, while Courtenay, with his fowling-piece, would havethe lion's share of this work from the spar deck, as he undertook tokeep the rails clear forward and help the revolver practise ifnecessary. With him was Suarez, who knew what was expected of him, sothe language difficulty offered no apparent hindrance once the fightbegan. Finally, if the Indians made good their footing, the defenderswere to rally towards the saloon companion where steam jets were readyto spurt withering blasts along the corridors.
It was a good plan, and might have kept at bay an enemy of higher valorthan the Alaculofs, provided they were not armed with rifles. Againstmodern weapons of long range nothing could be done. If Suarez did notexaggerate, therein lay the real danger. Courtenay wished to make sureat the outset of the number of guns carried by the savages; it was alsoimportant to know whether their marksmen were distributed, or crowdedtogether in one or two canoes. If the latter, he would give thosewarriors his special attention.
His binocular glasses were not strong enough so he walked back towardsthe chart-house to procure a telescope. Catching Joey under his leftarm, he climbed the short ladder leading to the spar deck, and pulledit up after him, the bolts having been already removed to permit ofthat being done. Walker was screwing tight the door of theengine-room, in order to safeguard the fireman in attendance on thedonkey-boiler. Now that the screw-driving was actually in operation,it very unpleasantly reminded Courtenay of the fastening of a coffinlid. Neither Walker nor the man inside could guess the gruesome notionwhich held the captain in its chilly grip for an instant; indeed, theengineer looked up with a grin.
"I suppose it's twue, sir, the-aw's goin' to be a fight?" he asked.
"There's a fair chance of one, Walker."
Walker winked suggestively.
"That chap inside thinks he's out of it," he said, "so that's allwight." An energetic turn of the screwdriver signified that the manfrom Newcastle held the opposite view. Much as he loved his engines,he preferred to be on deck when the trouble came.
It happened that during this slight delay Courtenay glanced at thenorthern headland, which Elsie had christened Cape Templar, owing tothe somewhat remarkable profile of a knight in armor offered by itsseaward crags. Possibly, had he gone straight to the chart-house, hemight not have noticed a signal fire which was in full blast on thesummit of the cliff. It had not been many minutes in existence, and itstruck him at once that it was a vehicle of communication between thesavages in the approaching canoes and others, yet invisible, who wereexpected to share in the attack.
He was quick to perceive how seriously this new peril affected hiscalculations. By the time the nine canoes he had counted werealongside the ship, there might be dozens of others ready to help them.He leaned over the rail.
"Did you test those flexible pipes this morning?" he inquired.
"Yes, sir, they-aw in fine condition," said Walker.
"Try them again, will you? I want to make sure. Our lives may dependon them very soon."
He saw Suarez watching the oncoming canoes. By a touch on the shoulderhe called the man's attention to the smoke signal on Cape Templar. Avoluble and perfervid explanation in Spanish was useless. Here arosethe unforeseen need of an interpreter. Without troubling to analyzehis feelings, Courtenay was glad of the excuse which presented itselfof obtaining a momentary glimpse of Elsie.
"Bring the senorita," he said, and Elsie, wondering why she had beensummoned from the saloon, ran up the bridge companion. Her face wasaglow with excitement, her heart going pit-a-pat. She hoped thatCourtenay meant to keep her near him during the fight; she almostdoubted Christobal's statement that the captain had given specificorders that she was to remain in the saloon. It was one thing that sheshould wish to avoid him, but why should he wish to avoid her?
The joy in her eyes died away when she found that the captain merelyrequired a translator. The restraint she imposed on herself made hertongue trip. She had to ask Suarez to repeat his statement twicebefore she was able to put it into English.
"He says that the Indians only kindle a fire on that point when theywant the signal to be seen from the sea," she explained at last. "Theyused it once, to his knowledge, when some of them had gone to theisland out there to kill seals. He cannot guess what it portendsto-day, but he is quite sure that they have many more canoes at commandthan those which you now see up the bay."
Courtenay could not fail to notice her agitation. His quick intent wasto soothe her.
"I am afraid my sending for you in such a hurry rather alarmed you.Suarez strikes me as a person of nerves; he overrates the enemy, MissMaxwell. I think you know me well enough to believe that I would notmislead you, and I am quite in earnest when I tell you that we shalldrive off these unfortunate wretches with comparative ease. Why, I hadit in my heart to pity them a moment ago."
She was glad he misunderstood the cause of her agitation.
"Suarez is certainly rather dramatic," she said, smiling wistfully. "Iought to have discounted his Spanish mode of address. But is it reallynecessary that I should remain below?"
"It is. If shots are fired, or stones slung at us, the chart-housewill probably be hit. Ah, yes, I am sure you would risk that, andmore. But we may sustain casualties. And Christobal ought to havehelp. You see, I am asking you to act the braver part."
He caught her hand and looked into her eyes. There are so manymessages that can be given in that silent language; for a blissfulmoment, Elsie forgot the other woman. Not until she had left thebridge did she realize that Courtenay, too, must have been equallyforgetful. And that was very distressing, both for her and theunknown.
But here she was, face to face with him, and in such closeproximity that she was unaccountably timid. While her heart leaped intumult, she forced her lips to answer:
"You are right. You are always right. I was selfish in thinkingthat--that I--might--"
There was a pitiful quivering in the corners of her mouth. Courtenayfelt her hand tremble.
"Be a brave girl, Elsie," he murmured. "You must go now. Have nofear. We are in God's care. May His angels watch over you!"
"But you, you will not risk your life? What shall we do if anythinghappens to you?"
She was strung to that tense pitch when unguarded speech bubbles forththe soul's secrets. All she knew was that Courtenay was looking at heras a man looks at the woman he loves. And that sufficed. The meresound of her name on his lips was music. He told her to go, yet heldher hand a willing prisoner. His words had the sound of a prayer, butit was the orison of a knight to his lady. He bade her fear not, whilehe trembled a little himself, though she well knew it was not fearwhich shook him. Neither of them paid heed to the presence of Suarez.For an instant they had a glimpse of heaven, but the curiously harshvoice of the Spanish miner fell on their ears, and they came back toearth with a sudden drop.
"The Feathered People are singing their war chant," he said, and hisgesture seemed to ask them to listen. They started apart, and it wasnot Elsie alone who blushed. Courtenay crimsoned beneath the tan onhis face, and pretended a mighty interest in the doings of the savages.The girl recovered her self-control more rapidly. She half whisperedthe meaning of the miner's cry, whereon Courtenay tried to laugh.
"They will be singing a dirge next," said he with a jaunty confidence."Now, Elsie, off with you! Be sure I shall come and tell you when youmay appear on deck."
She hurried away. She recked naught of the Alaculof challenge. Thoughthe raucous notes of the tuneless lay could be heard plainly enough,they did not reach her ears. When she raced down the saloon companionshe found Christobal bending over the small case of instruments healways carried. He straightened himself in his peculiarly stiff way.
"What did the captain want?" he asked, with a suspicious peevishnesswhich, for once, detracted from his habitual courtesy. The note ofdistrust jarred Elsie back into her senses.
"He wished me to translate Senor Suarez's explanation of another smokesignal," she answered.
"Oh, was that all?"
"Practically all."
"He told you himself, I suppose, that he wished you to stay here."
"He did more. He drove me away."
"Against your will?"
"No. Am I not one of the ship's company? Is he not the centurion? Hesays to this woman, Go, and she goeth, nor does she stand upon theorder of her going. Oh, please don't look at me as if I were cracked.Surely one may mingle the Bible and Shakespeare in an emergency?"
"One may also tear linen sheets into strips," said Christobal, gravely.Elsie's quip had saved the situation. He attributed her flushed cheeksand sparkling eyes to the fever of the threatened fight.
She applied herself eagerly to the task. Already the fume and agony ofvain regret were striving to conquer the ecstasy which had flooded herwhole being. She remembered that passionate longing to be clasped inCourtenay's arms which she experienced when she saw him in the canoe,and now, after draining to the dregs the cup of bitterness she hadforced on herself during these later days, here she was, ready as everto quaff the love potion. Poor Elsie! She longed for the waters ofLethe; haply they are denied to young women with live blood in theirveins.
Courtenay, meanwhile, was examining the advancing flotilla. His brainwas conning each detail of the Alaculof array, but his heart waswhispering gladly:
"In another moment you would have kissed her and told her you lovedher. You know you would, so don't deny it! Ah! kissed her, and heldher to your breast!"
So Suarez spoiled a pretty bit of romance by his ruffling agitationover some bawl of savage frenzy, for Courtenay, of course, would havelaughed away the girl's protests that she was usurping another woman'splace. It was really a pity that the man from Argentina had not foundsomething else to occupy his mind at that precise juncture in theaffairs of two young people who were obviously mated by thediscriminating gods. A good deal of suffering and heartburning wouldthen have been avoided; but perhaps it was just the whim of fate thatthe captain's love affair should follow the irregular course mapped outfor his ship, and the _Kansas_ was not yet re-launched on the oceanhigh-road to London, no, not by any manner of means.
In fact, if the confident demeanor of the paddling warriors in thecanoes were destined to be justified, the big steamer was in parlousstate. Her vast bulk and sheer walls of steel did not daunt them.They came on steadily against the rapid current, and spread out into acrescent when within a few hundred yards of the ship. Then three men,crouching in the bows of different canoes, produced rifles hithertoinvisible and began to shoot. The bullets ricochetted across theripples, and Courtenay saw that the savages did not understand thesighting appliances. They were aiming point-blank at the vessel, in sofar as they could be said to aim at anything, and the low trajectorycaused the first straight shot to rebound from the surface of the waterand strike a plate amidships. The loud clang of the metal was hailedby the Alaculofs with shouts of delight. Probably they had no fixedidea of the distance the tiny projectiles would carry. Joey began tobark furiously, and the Indians imitated him. The hammer-like blow ofthe bullet, the defiance of the dog, and the curiously accurate yelpingof the men in the canoes, mixed in wild medley with the volleyed echoesof the firing now rolled back from the opposing cliffs. In such wisedid the battle open. Courtenay, more amused than anxious, did notsilence the terrier, and Joey's barking speedily rose to a shrill andbreathless hysteria. Some savage, more skilled than his fellows,reproduced this falsetto with marvelous exactness. There never was adeath struggle heralded by such grotesque humor; it might have been atragedy of marionettes, a Dutch concert on the verge of the pit.
The long-range firing was kept up for several minutes, much toCourtenay's relief, as Suarez was certain that the Indians' stock ofcartridges did not amount to more than four hundred at the utmost. Thecanoes crept gradually nearer, and bullets began to strike the shipfrequently. One glanced off a davit and shattered a couple of windowsin the chart-house. This incident aroused even greater enthusiasm thanthe first blow of the attack. There was renewed activity among thepaddle wielders. Two canoes were not fifty yards from the mostsoutherly floating mine. Courtenay commenced to haul in the slack ofone among the half-dozen thin cords: he turned to tell Suarez to beready for the duty which had been entrusted to him, when his glancehappened to travel towards the mouth of the bay.
Then he learnt the significance of that column of smoke on the northernpoint. A fleet of at least forty canoes was advancing on the ship fromthe sea. Tide and paddles were swinging the small craft along at aspanking pace. They were already much nearer the vessel than the firstbatch of Indians, who had very cleverly contrived to enlist theattention of the defenders while the real attack was developing withoutlet or hindrance. It was a smart ruse, worthy of a race of higherattainments than the tribe which is ranked lowest in the human scale.During long days of patient watching, they had probably estimated to anicety the number of men on board. They reasoned that a show of forceto the south would draw all eyes from the north, and the strongersquadron of canoes might be enabled to run under the bows of the shipso speedily and quietly that the occupants of the leading craft, menwho could climb like monkeys, stood some chance of gaining the deckunobserved. That this was their design was proved by the abstention ofthe newcomers from firing or stone-slinging. They were gathering withthe speed and silence of vultures.
Two mines protected the front of the _Kansas_, and several canoes hadpassed them. Indeed, Courtenay soon found that some of the assailantswere already screened by the ship's bows, but the larger number wereclustered thickly round Tollemache's infernal machines. It
was wellthat a cool-headed sailor was called on to deal with this emergency.The captain of the _Kansas_ even smiled as he appreciated the fullmeaning of the trick which his adversaries had tried to play on him,and the man who smiles in the face of danger is one to be depended on.
The six cords were numbered. He dropped No. 2, which he was holding,and seized Nos. 4 and 5. He drew them in, hand over hand, as rapidlyas possible, but careful not to sacrifice a smooth tension to unduehurry. In a few seconds two deafening reports split the air, the glassfront of the chart-house shook, pieces of the broken panes rattled onthe floor, several scraps of iron, bolts, nuts and heavy nails fell onthe decks and hatches, and a tremendous hubbub of yells came from themain body of Indians. A couple of heavily charged dynamite bombs hadburst in their midst, dealing death and destruction over a wide area.Several canoes near the floating platforms were torn asunder and sank,while men were killed or wounded out of all proportion to the number ofcraft disabled.
Courtenay at once picked up the governing cord of the mine which he wasabout to fire in the first instance. He felt that the Alaculofflotilla would act in future on the "once bitten twice shy" principlewhere those innocent-looking little poles showed above sea level, andhe must strike fierce blows while the opportunity served. The ninecanoes on the south were not clustered around the bomb in the samemanner as the others, but they were near enough to sustain heavy loss,and their affrighted crews had ceased to ply their paddles. So hefired that shell also, and had the satisfaction of seeing two more ofthe frail craft capsize.
He heard the crash of bullets against the ship's sides; a volley ofstones smashed several more panes of stout glass; many arrows wereembedded in the woodwork: but he calmly pulled another cord, and blew asingle loud blast on the siren. That was the agreed signal to warnthose below that they must expect to be attacked from the fore part ofthe vessel. His shot-gun was lying on the table. He took it up, andfaced forward again; several canoes were scurrying past and away fromthe ship as fast as the current and many arms could propel them. Hefired both barrels at those within range on the port side. Hereloaded, and the sharp snapping of revolver-shots told him thatTollemache and the Chilean were busy.
But the Indians were demoralized by the complete failure of theirscheme. They had ceased firing and stone-slinging; they were flyingfor their lives. Courtenay wheeled round on Suarez.
"Now!" he cried, pointing to a speaking-trumpet. Suarez ran out ondeck, put the megaphone to his mouth, and roared after the discomfitedenemy a threat of worse things in store if they dared to come near theship again. As he used the Alaculof language, the sounds he utteredwere the most extraordinary that Courtenay had ever heard from a humanthroat--a compound of hoarse, guttural vowels, and consonants ending ina series of clicks--and the stentorian power of his lungs must haveamazed the Indians.
Courtenay saw that the two fleets were combining forces about fivehundred yards to westward. They were close inshore, but none of thesavages landed, nor did they head for the more remote Otter Creek. Ashe was anxious to keep them on the run, he resolved to try the sirenagain. He judged rightly, as it transpired, that they would fear thebellow of the fog-horn even more than the flying missiles which haddealt death and serious wounds so lavishly.
He knew sufficient Spanish, eked out by signs, to bid Suarez hold thesiren cord taut for a minute. While the _Kansas_ was still trumpetingforth her loud blare of defiance, he ran down the bridge companion.Mr. Boyle and the tiny garrison of the port promenade deck received himjubilantly; they had escaped without a bruise, and, owing to theirposition, were able to witness the Indians' retreat.
He raced across to starboard, and found that, by unfortunate mischance,a Chilean fireman in Tollemache's detachment had been shot through thebrain. The poor fellow was prone on the deck; it was only too evidentthat a doctor's skill could avail him naught, so Tollemache had decidedthat he should not be taken below. The incident marred an easily wonvictory. Courtenay was assured in his own mind that none of the menhad been injured, seeing that he and Suarez, who occupied the mostdangerous position, were untouched. This fatality was a mere blunderof fate, and it grieved him sorely.
Even while he bent reverently over the unlucky Chilean's body, thedeafening vibration of the fog-horn ceased, and he heard Elsie's gladcry from the saloon:
"Oh my, here comes Joey! That means that Captain Courtenay has leftthe bridge."
The girl's joyous exclamation, her prelude to a paean of thanks thatthe dreadful necessary slaying of men had ceased, was a strangecommentary on the shattered form stretched at the commander's feet.Among the small company on board, it had been decreed that one, atleast, after surviving so many perils, should never see home and kinagain.
He gave orders that the dead man should be carried to the poop to awaita sailor's burial; then he turned, and with less sprightly stepdescended the main companion. In the saloon he found Elsie andChristobal watching the stairs expectantly. The girl had the dog inher arms, and Courtenay perceived, for the first time, that Joey's offfore paw had been cut by the broken glass which littered the floor ofthe chart-house.
"Then the attack has really failed?" was Elsie's greeting. "I saw someof the canoes turn and scurry away. That was the first good sign. Andthen Joey came."
"You saw them?" repeated Courtenay, his bent brows emphasizing thequestion.
"Yes. I was looking through one of the ports. Was that wrong?"
"Which one?"
She pointed. "That one," said she, wondering that he had never a smilefor her.
"Then you must obey orders more faithfully next time. A man was shotdead by a stray bullet not three feet above your head."
She paled, and her eyes fell before his stern gaze, which did notdeceive her at all, for she read the unspoken agony of his thought.
"I am sorry," she murmured, "not so much on my own account, though Ishall be more careful in future, but because some one has suffered.Who is it? Not one of our own people, I hope?"
"A fireman; I think his name is Gama. You have hardly seen him, Ifancy, but I regret his loss exceedingly. It must have been the merestaccident."
The captain of the _Kansas_ was certainly preoccupied, or he wouldnever have failed to inquire the extent of Joey's injury. Nor wouldeither he or Elsie have forgotten that Christobal was not "one of ourown people," though the girl might protest hotly against any invidioustwisting of the phrase.
The Spaniard missed nothing of Courtenay's solicitude for Elsie'swell-being, nor of her shy confusion. By operation of the occult lawwhich governs static electricity, it was possible that the magnetismflowing between those two communicated itself to a third person.However that might be, Christobal was under no sort of doubt that,unless another "accident" intervened, he had lost all chance of winningthis woman's love.
But he swallowed the bitter knowledge and said:
"If you undertake to hold the dog, Miss Maxwell, I will bind his paw."
"Oh, my ducky darling little pet! Did I actually forget all about hisdear wounded little foot? And he came hopping in so bravely, too,carrying himself with such a grand air. Come, then, Joey dear! Let ussee what has happened. Yes, this is the doctor, but he won't hurt you.He is so good and kind to little dogs; he will wrap up the bleedy partuntil it is quite nice and comfy."
"Your only patient, doctor," said the captain, cheerily, when Elsie haddone fondling the dog. "Even crediting our poor fireman to the enemy'sscore, we have had the best of the first round."
"Is there any likelihood of a second attack?"
"I hope not. Indeed, I shall be very much surprised if they show upagain."
"Ah, that is excellent. Our young lady here does not thrive onexcitement, especially of the murderous variety. She is on the vergeof a high fever."
"Then she can calm down now; there will be no more fighting to-day,"said Courtenay, with a smiling glance at Elsie which told her quiteplainly that Christobal did not really know what he was talking about.Which goes
to prove that even a prudent man may say mistaken things,with both his tongue and his eyes.