CHAPTER XIV
To say that I made my way from the house to the hut in which Fernandezwas imprisoned with as much speed as I could command, would be toexpress my meaning very inadequately. As soon as I realized the factthat the trick I had played upon Silvestre was discovered, I threwprudence to the winds, and ran as I had not done for years across theplateau towards the building in question. The sailor was still onguard at the door, which was open, while the negro lay bound justwhere we had thrown him down.
"Stand by, they're after us!" I cried, regardless of who might hear.
With that I plunged headlong into the dark hut, shouting to Fernandezas I did so to prepare the padlock for the key. South Americanpolitics produce some curious incidents, but I am not sure that theycould find another to equal that which I am now so inadequatelyattempting to describe.
Dropping on my knees beside the bed, I felt about for the chain and,running my hand along it, at length obtained possession of thepadlock, inserted the key, and in a trice the President was free.
"By this time they must have released Silvestre," I whispered. "Forheaven's sake let us get away from here!"
"Nobody could be more willing to do that than myself," the otheranswered, springing from the bed as he spoke, and coming in violentcontact with myself, whom he could not see. "You are in command, soyou had better lead the way."
Bidding him follow me, I hastened out of the hut, ordered the sailorto accompany us, and plunged into the jungle. As we did so a shoutfrom the house proclaimed the fact that Silvestre was free once moreand thirsting for vengeance. We had not stumbled forward many pacesbefore other shouts followed, showing that he had called Manuel andhis gang to his assistance.
A very small percentage of the readers of my story have, I trust, beencalled upon to run for their lives through a West Indian jungle in thedead of night. Those who have done so, however, will be able tounderstand the sufferings of the wretched trio who stumbled, reeled,scraped, and fought their way down from the plateau to the shore. Thedarkness was opaque, the obstacles so multifarious, that never for amoment did we seem to have a yard's clear going. Take a sack, athree-legged, and an obstacle race, throw in a game of blind-man'sbuff, in which you are the blind man, and you will have some faintidea of our difficulties.
Once, from the hill behind us, the sound of a shot reached us, thoughwhat its meaning was, I could not even conjecture. At last, wearied tothe point of dropping, our faces streaming with perspiration, ourflesh cut and bruised, we emerged from the forest and stood upon theseashore. Unfortunately, in our haste, we had not steered as true acourse as we would have desired, and instead of coming out in thecentre of the little bay where the schooner's boat had been ordered toawait us, we found ourselves at the end of the small promontory whichseparated the bay from that in which the settlement was situated. Thiswas unfortunate in more ways than one, but it could not be helped. Theworst part of it was that we could not see the boat or the figures ofthe Senorita or Matthews.
"Look! what is that?" cried the President at last, pointing along thebeach to the left. "Is it a man?"
I have fairly good eyes, but I must confess that I could see nothingthat in any way resembled a human figure in the direction heindicated. He, however, seemed positive that he was right; so,realizing that we could do no good by remaining where we were, wehurried along the beach without further loss of time. We had notproceeded more than fifty yards, however, when the crack of a riflecame from the scrub on our left. If it were aimed at me, the man whofired it was certainly a very fair marksman, for the bullet whistledby within a few inches of my head. It was plain that Silvestre, or atleast one of his myrmidons, were not very far behind us. We weredestined soon to be convinced as to their numbers and also as to theiridentity. For the sound of the shot had scarcely died away beforethree men emerged from the jungle, and Silvestre's voice called uponus to throw up our arms, and then added that unless we did so weshould be shot down without mercy. I could well believe this, and Ialso knew the sort of mercy we should be likely to receive should weallow ourselves to fall into his hands. The fate he had arranged forFernandez and his niece would be nothing to the cruelty he wouldpractise upon us.
"_Nombre de Dios!_" cried the President, "why haven't I a weapon ofsome sort!"
He was destined to have one somewhat sooner than he imagined, for ashe finished speaking another rifle-shot rang out, and instantly myrevolver fell from my hand and I realized that I had been shotthrough the forearm. The President coolly stooped and picked up theweapon.
"Look, sir, look, there's the boat!" cried the sailor a few secondslater.
Sure enough there it was, but unfortunately a considerable distanceahead.
"There's nothing left but to run for it," I cried. "Come on!"
With that we took to our heels and scurried along the beach.Silvestre, as soon as he became aware of our intentions, sent a volleyafter us, doubtless meant as an inducement to heave-to. We paid noattention, however. Though we did not look round we knew that theywere after us; but we had a fair start, and if only they did notmanage to hit us, there was the bare possibility of our reaching theboat in time. Already I could see Matthews standing knee-deep in thewater in order to keep the little craft afloat. He shouted toencourage us. Then there came another shout from our left, and threeother figures ran down between ourselves and the boat we were strivingso hard to reach. All three were armed, and in the man in the middle,when he called upon us to surrender, I recognized the blackguardlyhalf-caste Manuel. For the moment it looked as if our case werehopeless.
It is at such moments that all the inventive faculties in one'spossession hasten to one's aid. Had I been permitted half a day tothink the question out, I should probably never have hit upon a planhalf as promising as that which then flashed through my mind. The menin front were little more than a couple of dozen paces away; Silvestreand his party were perhaps a hundred yards behind, and were everymoment coming closer. The thought had scarcely occurred to me beforethe crack of rifles sounded from behind. Fortunately none of us werehit.
"Down! down!" I cried to my companions. "Let them suppose that theyhave winged us!"
As I spoke we all threw ourselves with one accord upon our faces onthe sand. As I expected, the men in front immediately jumped to theconclusion that we had been shot by their friends behind. Theyaccordingly rushed forward to make sure of us. My ruse must havedawned upon Fernandez, for, to this day, I am certain that I heard achuckle escape him. Almost at the same moment Manuel ran up to us, histwo companions being only a few yards distant.
"Shoot them," I whispered; and as I spoke I saw Fernandez roll over onhis side and raise his right arm. His revolver gave three viciouslittle cracks, and one by one each man stopped, performed a curiousspin, and then fell forward on the sand.
I don't know that I am a particularly imaginative man. As a matter offact my friends have on several occasions informed me that I am asomewhat prosaic individual. All I know is that at that moment, thoughwhy I should have done so, no one, least of all myself, will ever beable to tell (for I have never participated in a hunt in my life), Ilet out a wild "yoicks" and sprang to my feet.
"Make for the boat!" cried Fernandez.
Without a word I did as I was directed. The boat was now only a matterof some fifty yards ahead. How I covered this distance I shall neverbe able to understand. All I do know is that when I reached the spotwhere Matthews was standing, I came an ignominious cropper at thewater's edge. The fact was I was done for, wholly and completely donefor. It may seem an absurd statement to make, but I will leave it tothe charity of my readers to remember that I had been through a greatdeal that night, and also that a shattered arm does not add to one'sstrength.
At that moment Fernandez rose to a moral height, far above that I hadexpected to find in him. Turning to Matthews, who, as I have said, wasstanding knee-deep in the water, keeping the boat afloat, he cried:"Hold the boat steady while we get Senor Trevelyan in."
I was so far done for
that he must have thought I was dead;nevertheless, and although Silvestre and his men were by this timelittle more than thirty yards behind us, he did not abandon me, butwith the other man's assistance picked me up, then waded with me intothe water and dropped me into the boat, where I lay like a log. Iheard Fernandez order Matthews and the other man into the boat, andthen wondered what was going to happen next. I saw the Senorita halfrise from her seat in the stern. She uttered a little cry. Then Iheard a swish of water alongside, as if the boat were being turnedround.
"Take care, Silvestre," cried Fernandez, "there's Equinata at the endof my barrel, and a good deal more beside."
What Silvestre said in reply I do not pretend to know. All I can sayis that I heard the sharp crack of his revolver, followed by a laughfrom Fernandez, and a wild shriek that might have been anything, butwhich told me nothing. A moment later, and just as I was feeling as ifnothing in the world mattered to me, I was conscious of some onesaying: "Pull up, my lads, we'll get away yet!" At the same instant asoft hand touched my cheek, and a low voice whispered: "May thesaints be merciful to you!" Then I lost consciousness.
When I recovered my senses I was lying off the top of the main hatchof the schooner. Fernandez was standing near me, but it was impossibleto see his face.
Lying on my back I could not tell what was happening. I could,however, hear Monsieur Maxime arranging sundry nautical details withhis crew, and with all his accustomed fluency. The little man hadaccepted the position from his own standpoint, which, as you may besure, was theatrical to a degree. As I have since heard, he aversthat, had it not been for his influence and exertions at thatmomentous time, the President of Equinata would never have returned tohis country at all. For this reason he is looked upon as a hero inMartinique to this day.
"Heaven be praised you are not dead, senor," said a very soft voice,and, on turning my head, I found the Senorita seating herself besideme.
It was some few minutes after dawn, and in the dim light her facelooked very wan and haggard. Allowing for the wear and tear of timeand the exigencies of a most anxious and untoward experience, she wasdressed very much the same as she had been when she left theball-room at La Gloria on the night on which I had effected theircapture. But the woman in her extraordinary beauty was still the same.She was certainly one female in a thousand, and he would have been acurious individual who could have shown himself insensible to herfascinations. Then Fernandez turned his head, saw her bending over me,and came over and also seated himself beside me.
"Dear friend," he began, in a voice that was full of kindliness, "I amnot going to attempt to thank you for all that you have done for me.For the present it is sufficient for me to do what I can to mitigateyour sufferings. I won't deny that there have been people who havedoubted my medical ability; I am about to prove to you, however, thatI am more capable than they suppose."
So saying, he removed the wrappings from my arm and commencedoperations. The bullet, it seemed, had shattered the bone, and wasfortunately now lying quite close to the surface. To extract it wasthe work of a few painful minutes, after which the limb was set andbound up. That accomplished I was at liberty to rise from the hatch.
All this time our behaviour towards each other was as diffident ascould well be imagined. For once the President had dropped hiscynicism, while the Senorita regarded me with eyes that overflowedwith gratitude.
The island had long since disappeared below the horizon, and now thelittle schooner was cleaving her way through the water under theinfluence of a capital breeze. Escorted by the Senorita I made my wayaft.
Monsieur Maxime himself was at the wheel, presenting a curious figureas he hung upon the spokes. I found a shady spot for the Senorita, andthen walked across to where the President was standing before thetaffrail.
"I want you to tell me everything," I said. "How did you manage toeffect our escape? Remember, I know nothing of what occurred after youplaced me in the boat."
"There's not very much to tell," he answered. "I might mention,however, that Silvestre and the half-caste will give no furthertrouble."
"You shot Silvestre, then?"
"I did," he replied, "and I don't know that I ever enjoyed doinganything so much. It was a close thing between us. Look here!"
He pointed to his left ear, on the lobe of which was a small scar.
"It couldn't have been much closer, could it?" he remarked. "My luck,however, stood by me as usual." Then in a lower and more kindly tone,he added: "My luck and the luck of Equinata!"
For a few moments we stood side by side thinking our thoughts insilence. I recalled the day when I had first seen the dead man in Rio,and also that never-to-be-forgotten afternoon on which he had made theproposal to me that was destined to cost him his life on the beach ofan island in the Carribean Sea and to return me to Equinata a woundedand ruined man.
At last Fernandez turned to me and, placing his hand upon my shoulder,looked me full and fair in the face.
"Trevelyan--Helmsworth--Helmsworth--Trevelyan--whatever your name maybe, you have put upon me a debt of gratitude I shall never be able torepay. I must confess, however, that I cannot quite understand what itwas that so suddenly made you change sides. I offered you excellentterms on the beach on the night that I fell into your hands, and Irepeated it on board the yacht. You were a pillar of rectitude then.When, therefore, the game had been played and your employer had won,why did you so suddenly come to my rescue? I think I know you wellenough by this time to feel sure that your conversion was due to nomercenary motive."
"You may make your mind easy on that score," I replied. "It was not aquestion of money."
"Then will you tell me why you did it? Silvestre, when his chancecame, would doubtless have proved himself an excellent patron, ofcourse providing it didn't suit his book to put you out of the way!"
"That's exactly it," I replied. "You have put the matter in anutshell."
"I am afraid I am dense enough not to be able to grasp your meaning,"he returned.
"You suggest that it might possibly have suited his book to have putme out of the way. Well, that is why I threw in my lot with you. Itwould make rather a long story, but I will endeavour to tell it to youas briefly as I can. When I agreed with Silvestre in England to effectyour----"
I paused for a moment with a little embarrassment. Fernandez' eyestwinkled.
"Shall we say _deportation_?" he inquired.
"To effect your deportation! I did so upon his giving me his word ofhonour that no harm should happen to you. I had no objection to hiskeeping you a prisoner as long as he pleased----"
"Which he certainly did. Proceed!"
"I have already confessed to you that had I known you first I wouldnot have undertaken the work; but I was out of employment----"
"The mail steamer _Pernambuco_--stormy interview with the Board ofDirectors in London--meeting with Silvestre in the garden of the Innat Falstead--five thousand pounds down--and five thousand when Ishould be handed over to him----"
He laughed good-humouredly as he noticed my almost overwhelmingsurprise.
"My dear fellow, to rule a country like Equinata one must possess afaculty for obtaining information. Allow me to frankly admit that Iwas conversant with Mr. Trevelyan's history and of his acquaintancewith ex-President Silvestre, when he made his appearance in hisbeautiful yacht in the harbour of La Gloria. But in telling you this Iam interrupting your narrative. Pray proceed! You remarked, I think,that you were out of employment."
"I was; and the money offered me by Silvestre was too tempting to berefused. I came, I saw you, and as you know, I conquered. I handed youover to Silvestre, as I had contracted to do, and once more securedfrom him his promise that, with the exception of imprisonment, no harmshould befall you. It was then agreed that I should leave the islandat once in the yacht for Cuba, _en route_ for England. The moneypromised me for the work I had done was handed to me, and I leftSilvestre."
"But you could not have reached Cuba in the time?"
"I d
id not attempt to do so. A certain conversation I had with CaptainFerguson changed all my plans."
"And the purport of that conversation?"
"It appears that Ferguson had by chance overheard the half-caste,Manuel, discussing with the negress, Palmyre, certain instructionsthey had received from Silvestre. Immediately the yacht returned fromconveying me from Cuba it would appear that Silvestre was to set sailfor Equinata, and as soon as he was out of the way you and theSenorita were to be poisoned by Palmyre."
"Good heavens! The cowardly scoundrel!"
For the first time since I had known Fernandez I saw a look of fearpass over his face. It was not until later that I learnt thatassassination by poisoning was the one thing in the world he dreaded.
"Well," he went on when he had regained his composure, "what happenedafter that?"
"I arranged with Ferguson that, instead of taking me on to Cuba, heshould drop me at Asturia. I was fortunate enough to secure thisschooner, and hurried back in her--in the hope of effecting yourrelease. The rest you know!"
He nodded.
"Yes," he said, "the rest I know!"
He turned away from me almost abruptly, and stood for some momentslooking down at the bubbling water under the counter. When headdressed me again it was in quite his old manner.
"We live in an extraordinary world," he remarked. "You plot toseparate me from my country and end by restoring me to it. Silvestreagrees to make your fortune and finished by placing you in a worseposition than you were before. Even the Senorita yonder has foundthings turn out contrary to her expectations. On the night of the nowfamous ball at La Gloria, she was by no means satisfied, so I wasgiven to understand, with her ball dress; yet that strange taskmaster,Force of Circumstances, has decreed that she should wear it, withoutintermission, longer than any festive costume ever purchased?"
"And what of yourself?"
"Ah! My case is perhaps stranger still. I began by looking upon you asmy enemy and end by finding you my staunchest friend. I imagined thatI had you in my power, and a few hours later found myself in yours.Silvestre bought your services for ten thousand pounds--I get them fornothing."
If ever there was a strange voyage it was that one. The schoonerherself was a very fair sea boat; that, however, was about all thatcould be said in her favour. It was her cabin accommodation thatproved most trying. After the first attempt the Senorita declaredemphatically that nothing could induce her to sleep in it again.Monsieur Maxime might say what he pleased, she declared, but her mindwas made up. It was offered to the President, but he declined. As formyself, I had already tried it on the voyage from Asturia, and had nodesire to repeat the experiment.
The living on board was but little better. Monsieur Maxime was wont todeclare that the cook, Adolphe, was a past master of the culinary art.In this statement, I fear, he somewhat exaggerated; indeed, had I notlaid in a stock of provisions before setting out, I dare not think howwe should have fared.
On one occasion the Senorita had the temerity to explore his galley.She emerged with a white face and a settled determination to partakeno more of his _ragouts_, _bouillons_, etc.
"Really," she observed to me, "one scarcely knows where to go on boardthis wretched vessel. The cabin is too terrible, and as for thatkitchen----"
She made an expressive gesture with her hands as if to express herhorror of the place in question.
The same evening I was destined to have a somewhat curious interviewwith the Senorita. We had partaken of our evening meal, such as itwas, and had gone forward into the bows to enjoy the cooler air there.It was a perfect night, and surely no mortal man could have desired afairer companion than I had then. We settled ourselves downcomfortably, and, having obtained her permission, I lit a cigar. I donot know why I should have done so, but I could not help feeling thatI was booked for a sentimental scene. Some men would doubtless havewelcomed it. For myself, however, I must confess, that I dreaded it.The Senorita was dangerous always, and never more so than wheninclined to be sentimental.
"Senor Trevelyan," she began, when we had been seated some minutes,and had talked of the beauty of the evening, the freshness of thebreeze and a hundred different subjects, "you of course know thatthere was a time when I was your avowed enemy?"
"I am afraid I must say that I _do_ know it," I answered, "and Ishould add that you were justified. No one could wonder at yourdistaste for me."
"Oh, I don't mean that," she cried, with a little protesting movementof her hands. "For see how nobly you have behaved since. No, do notinterrupt me. I want to say what is in my mind, for I know that I oweyou an apology. It was all my fault. I hoped to have won you to ourside." She paused for a moment. "Unfortunately, I did not know thatyou were already in love!"
"Then the information the President gave her was not altogethercomplete," I said to myself. And on thinking it over since I haveoften been struck by the omission of this one, and probably the mostimportant factor in the whole affair. For the fact cannot be deniedthat had it not been for my love for Molly, and the consequent desireto make money, I should, in all probability, not have embarked uponthe matter at all.
"Senorita," I returned, "I fear I stand before you in an altogetherdespicable light, so far as my time in Equinata is concerned. Thepitiful part of the whole business is that, had it to be gone overagain, I should probably act as I have done. However, I have shot mybolt, and, though I managed to hit the bull's-eye, that is to say, Isucceeded in capturing the President, I have failed to receive theprize. Let that be my punishment."
"But you mustn't talk of punishment," she cried. "You are mistaking mymeaning. Do you think that I am here to reproach you? No, no, far fromthat! What I want to suggest is that you should permit us to show ourgratitude. Had it not been for you Equinata would never have seenGeneral Fernandez again, and I should not be here with you now. Howgrateful the President is you can see for yourself. Why should you notstay in Equinata? It is destined to be a great country. There arealways opportunities for the man who can seize them. You are that man.Why not try? Would _my_ help count for nothing?"
As she said this she drew a little closer to me. The perfume of herhair was as intoxicating as the finest wine.
"Think! think!" she continued. "Fernandez cannot rule for ever. Hemight not last a year even. Then----"
She was so close to me that her lips almost touched my face.
"Don't you think we had better be walking aft?" I said. "Your _uncle_is probably wondering where we are!"