CHAPTER L
THE EYES OF THE DEAD
As I knelt with the dead woman's hands in one of mine and the other overher eyes, I seemed to be floating high up in the air; and with amazingvision to see all round for a great distance. The fog still hung thickover the water. Around, the vast of the air and the depths of the seawere as open as though sunshine was on them and I was merely lookingthrough bright water. In the general panorama of things, so far as theeye could range, all lay open. The ships on the sea, and the floor underit; the iron-bound coast, and the far-lying uplands were all as thoughmarked on a picture chart. Far away on the horizon were several craft,small and large. A few miles out was a ship of war; and to the north ofher but much closer in shore lay a graceful yacht, slowly moving withthe tide and under shortened sail. The war ship was all alert; on everytop, and wherever there was a chance of seeing anything, was the head ofa man on the look-out. The search-light was on, and sea and sky were litalternately with its revolving rays. But that which drew my eyes, asthe magnet draws the iron, was a clumsily rigged ship close in shore,seemingly only a few hundred yards beyond the Dunbuy Rock. She was awhaler I knew, for on her deck were the great boats for use in roughseas, and the furnace where the blubber was melted. With unconsciousmovement, as though my soul were winged as a bird, I hung poised overthis vessel. It was strange indeed, but she seemed all as thoughcomposed of crystal; I could see through her, and down into the deepbelow her where her shadow lay, till my eyes rested on the patches ofbare sand or the masses of giant seaweed which swayed with the tideabove the rocks on which it grew. In and out amongst the seaweed thefishes darted, and the flower-like limpets moved ceaselessly outsidetheir shells on the rocks. I could even see the streaks on the waterwhich wind and current invariably leave on their course. Within theship, all was clear as though I were looking into a child's toy-house;but a toy-house wrought of glass. Every nook and cranny was laid bare;and the details, even when they did not interest me, sank into my mind.I could evermore, by closing my eyes, have seen again anything on whichin those moments of spiritual vision the eyes of my soul had rested.
All the time there was to me a dual consciousness. Whatever I saw beforeme was all plain and real; and yet I never lost for a moment the senseof my own identity. I knew I was on shore amid the rocks under thecliff, and that Gormala's dead body was beside me as I knelt. But therewas some divine guiding principle which directed my thought--it musthave been my thought, for my eyes followed as my wishes led, as thoughmy whole being went too. They were guided from the very bow of the shipalong the deck, and down the after hatchway. I went down, step by step,making accurate and careful scrutiny of all things around me. I passedinto the narrow cabin, which seemed even to me to smell evilly. The rankyellow light from the crude oil lamp with thick smoky wick made thegloom seem a reality, and the shadows as monstrous. From this I passedaft into a tiny cabin, where on a bunk lay Marjory asleep. She lookedpale and wan; it made my heart sick to see the great black circles roundher eyes. But there was resolution in her mouth and nostrils; resolutionfixed and untameable. Knowing her as I did, and with her message "I candie" burned into my heart, it did not need any guessing to know what wasin the hand clenched inside the breast of her dress. The cabin door waslocked; on the outside was a rough bolt, newly placed; the key was notin the lock. I would have lingered, for the lightning-like glimpse mademe hungry for more; but the same compelling force moved me on. In thenext cabin lay a man, also asleep. He was large of frame, with a ruggedred beard streaked with grey; what hair remained on his head, which wasall scarred with cicatrices, was a dull red turning white. On a rackabove him, under the chronometer--which marked Greenwich time as2.15,--ready to his hand, were two great seven shooters; from his pocketpeeped the hilt of a bowie knife. It was indeed strange to me thatI could look without passion or vindictiveness on such a person sodisposed. I suppose it was the impersonal spirit within me which was atthe moment receptive, and that all human passion, being ultimately ofthe flesh, was latent. At the time, though I was conscious of it, it didnot strike me as strange; no more strange than that I could see far andnear at the same glance, and take in great space and an impossiblewilderness of detail. No more strange, than that all things were for meresolved into their elements; that fog ceased to deaden or darknessto hide; that timber and iron, deck and panel and partition, beam anddoor and bulkhead were as transparent as glass. In my mind was a vagueintention of making examination of every detail which could bear on thedanger of Marjory. But even whilst such an idea was in its incipientstage, so swift is the mechanism of thought, my eyes beheld, as thoughit were through the sides of the ship, a boat pass out from a watercavein the cliffs behind the Rock of Dunbuy. In it I saw, with the sameseeing eye which gave me power in aught else, seven men some of whom Iknew at a glance to be those whom Marjory had described in the tunnel.All but one I surveyed calmly, and weighed up as it were withcomplacency; but this one was a huge coal-black negro, hideous, and ofrepulsive aspect. A glimpse of him made my blood run cold, and filled mymind at once with hate and fear. As I looked, the boat came towards theship with inconceivable rapidity. It was not that she moved fast throughthe water, for her progress was in reality slow and laboured. The windand the sea had risen; half a gale was blowing and the seas were runningso high that the ship rose and fell, pitched and rolled and tossedabout like a toy. It was, that time, like distance, was in my mindobliterated. Truly, I was looking with spirit eyes, and under allspiritual conditions.
The boat drew close to the whaler on the port side, and I saw, as iffrom the former, the faces of several men who at the sound of oars camerushing from the other side of the ship and leaned over the bulwarks. Itwas evident that they had expected arrival from the starboard. With somedifficulty the boat got close, for the sea was running wilder everymoment; and one by one the men began to climb the ladder and disappearover the bulwark. With the extraordinary action of sight and mind andmemory which was to me at present, I followed each and all of them atthe same time. They hurriedly rigged up a whip and began to raise fromthe boat parcels of great weight. In the doing of this one of them, thenegro, was officious and was always trying to examine each parcel as itcame on board; but he was ever and always repulsed. The others would notallow him to touch anything; at each rebuff he retired scowling. Allthis must, under ordinary conditions, have taken much time, but to myspirit-ruled eyes it all passed with wondrous rapidity....
I became conscious that things around me were growing less clear. Thefog seemed to be stealing over the sea, as I had seen it earlier in theevening, and to wrap up details from my sight. The great expanse of thesea and the ships upon it, and all the wonders of the deep became lostin the growing darkness. I found, quicker and quicker, my thoughts likemy eyes, centred on the deck of the ship. At a moment, when all otherswere engaged and did not notice him, I saw the great negro, his faceover-much distorted with an evil smile, steal towards the after hatchwayand disappear. With the growing of the fog and the dark, I was losingthe power to see through things opaque and material; and it came to meas an actual shock that the negro passed beyond my vision. With hisgoing, the fear in my heart grew and grew; till, in my frantic humanpassion, all that was ethereal around me faded and went out like a dyingflame....
The anguish of my soul, in my fear for my beloved, tore my true spiritout of its phantom existence back to stern working life....
I found myself, chilled and sick at heart, kneeling by the marble-cold,stiffening body of Gormala, on the lone rock under the cliff. The risingwind whistled by me in the crannies above, and the rising sea in angryrushes leaped at us by the black shining rocks. All was so dark aroundme that my eyes, accustomed to the power given in my vision of makingtheir own light, could not pierce the fog and the gloom. I tried to lookat my watch, but could only see the dial dimly; I could not distinguishthe figures on it and I feared to light a match lest such might betraymy presence. Fortunately my watch could strike the hours and minutes,and I found it was now half past one
o'clock. I still, therefore, hadthree-quarters of an hour, for I remembered the lesson of the whaler'schronometer. I knew there would be no time nor opportunity to bringGormala's body to the top of the cliff--at present; so I carried her upto the highest point of the underlying rock, which was well above highwater mark.
Reverently and with blessing I closed her dead eyes, which still lookedup at the sky with a sort of ghostly curiosity. Then I clambered upthe steep pathway and made my way as quickly as I could round to theother side of the Haven, to try if I could discover any trace of theblackmailers, or any indication of the water-cave in which their boatwas hidden. The cliffs here are wofully steep, and hang far over thesea; so that there is no possibility of lying on the cliff edge andpeering over. Round here also the stark steepness forbids the existenceof even the tiniest track; a hare could not find its way along thesebeetling cliffs. The only way of making search of this channel would beto follow round in a boat. The nearest point to procure one would be atthe little harbour beside the Bullers O'Buchan, and for this there wasnot time. I was in dire doubt as to what was best to do; and I longedwith a sickening force for the presence of Montgomery or some of ourparty who would know how to deal with such a situation. I was notanxious for the present moment; but I wanted to take all precautionsagainst the time which was coming. Well I knew that the vision I hadseen with the eyes of the dead Gormala was no mere phantasm of the mind;that it was no promise of what might be, but a grim picture of whatwould be. There was never a doubt in my mind as to its accuracy. Oh! ifI could have seen more of what was to happen; if I could have lingeredbut a few instants longer! For with the speed at which things hadpassed before my inner eye in that strange time, every second might havemeant the joy or sorrow of a lifetime. How I groaned with regret, andcursed my own precipitancy, that I could not wait and learn through themedium of the dead woman's spiritual eyes the truths that were to beborne in mind!
But it was of no use to fret; action of some sort would be necessary ifMarjory was to be saved. In one way I might help. Even alone I mightsave her, if I could get out to the whaler unknown to her crew. I knew Icould manage this, for anyhow I could swim; for a weapon which the watercould not render useless I had the dagger I had taken from DonBernardino. Should other weapons be necessary I might be able to layhands on them in the cabin next Marjory's, where the red-bearded man layasleep. I did not know whether it would be better to go in search ofsome of my comrades, or to wait the arrival of the Don, who was to beback within an hour of the time of leaving. I was still trying to makeup my mind when the difficulty was settled for me by the arrival of theSpaniard, accompanied by one of the young American naval officers.
When I told them of my vision I could see, even in the darkness whichprevailed, that neither of them was content to accept its accuracyin blind faith. I was at first impatient; but this wore away when Iremembered that neither of them had any knowledge of my experiences inthe way of Second Sight, or indeed of the phenomenon at all. Neither inSpain nor America does such a belief prevail; and I have no doubt thatto both of them came the idea that worry and anxiety had turned mybrain. Even when I told them how I meant to back my belief by swimmingout beyond the Dunbuy Rock in time to reach the ship before the boatwould arrive, they were not convinced. The method of reception of theidea by each was, however, characteristic of his race and nation. Tothe high-bred Spaniard, whose life had been ruled by laws of honour andof individual responsibility, no act done in the cause of chivalry couldbe other than worthy; he did not question the sanity of the keeping ofsuch a purpose. The practical American, however, though equally willingto make self-sacrifice, and to dare all things in the course of honourand duty, looked at my intention with regard to its result; was I takingthe step which would have the best result with regard to the girl whomwe were all trying to save. Whilst the Spaniard raised his hat and said:
"May God watch over your gallant enterprise, Senor; and hold your life,and that of her whom you love, in the hollow of His hand!" The Americansaid:
"Honest injun! old chap, is that the best you can do? If it's only a manand a life you want, count me in every time. I'm a swimmer, too; and I'ma youngster that don't count. So far as that goes, I'm on. But you'vegot to find the ship, you know! If she was there now, I should say 'riskit'; and I'd come with you if you liked. But there's the whole North Seaout there, with room for a hundred million of whalers without theirjostling. No, no! Come, I say, let us find another way round; where wecan help the girl all together!" He was a good young fellow, as wellas a fine one, and it was evident he meant well. But there was no usearguing; my mind was made up, and, after assuring him that I was inearnest, I told him that I was taking a couple of rockets with me whichI would try to keep dry so that should occasion serve I would makemanifest the whereabouts of the whaler. He already knew what to do withregard to signalling from shore, in case the boats of the whaler shouldbe seen.
When we had made what preparations we could for the work each of us hadin hand, the time came for my starting on my perilous enterprise. Asmy purpose became more definite, my companions, who I think doubted intheir hearts its sincerity, became somewhat more demonstrative. It wasone thing to have a vague intention of setting out on a wild journey ofthe kind, and even here common sense rebelled. But on the edge of thehigh cliff, in the dark, amid the fog which came boiling up from belowas the wind puffs drove it on shore; when below our feet the risingwaves broke against the rocks with an ominous sound, made into a roar bythe broken fastnesses of the cliffs, the whole thing must have seemed asan act of madness. When through a break in the fog-belt we could catcha glimpse of the dark water leaping far below into furious, scatteringlines of foam, to dare the terrors of such a sea at such a time was likegoing deliberately to certain death. My own heart quailed at moments;when I saw through the fog wreaths the narrow track, down which I mustagain descend to where Gormala's body lay, fading into a horrid gloom;or when the sound of breaking water drove up, muffled by the dark mist.My faith in the vision was strong, however, and by keeping my mindfixed on it I could shut out present terrors. I shook hands with my twofriends, and, taking courage from the strong grip of their hands, setmyself resolutely to my journey down the cliff. The last words the youngnavy man said to me were:
"Remember, if you do reach the whaler, that a gleam of light of any kindwill give us a hint of where you are. Once the men of the _Keystone_ seeit, they'll do the rest at sea; as we shall on land. Give us such alight when the time comes--if you have to fire the ship to get it!"
At the foot of the cliff path the prospect was almost terrifying. Therocks were so washed with the churning water, as the waves leaped atthem, that now and again only black tops could be seen rising out ofthe waste of white water; and a moment after, as the wave fell back,there would be a great mass of jagged rocks, all stark and grim, blackerthan their own blackness, with the water streaming down them, and greatrifts yawning between. Outside, the sea was a grim terror, a wildness ofrising waves and lines of foam, all shrouded in fog and gloom. Throughall came a myriad of disconcerting sounds, vague and fearsome, fromwhere the waves clashed or beat into the sounding caverns of Dunbuy.Nothing but the faith which I had in the vision of Marjory, which cameto me with the dead eyes of the western Seer, could have carried me outinto that dreadful gloom. All its possibilities of horror and dangerwoke to me at once, and for a moment appalled me.
But Faith is a conquering power; even the habit of believing, in which Ihad been taught, stood to me in this wild hour. No sceptic, no doubter,could have gone forth as I did into that unknown of gloom and fear.
I waited till a great wave was swept in close under my bare feet. Then,with a silent prayer, and an emboldening thought: 'For Marjory!' Ileaped into the coming water.