CHAPTER XVI
A Hasty Recall
At sunrise all hands were piped on deck, for much had to be done erethe rays of the tropical sun became too strong for us to work. Theboats were hoisted out and the hatches removed, and a portion of thestores was placed on deck ready to be transported on shore.
Captain Jeremy had decided, to avoid difficulty and the loss of timecaused by going ashore and returning by the boats every day, to landmost of the stores and gear required for our expedition--that is,should the island prove to be uninhabited--and to erect a stockadedstorehouse and quarters.
This arrangement would also benefit the health of the crews of bothvessels, for in their somewhat overcrowded state the greatest carehad to be exercised to ward off an epidemic of scurvy.
Accordingly, fifty men, armed to the teeth, were ordered away in theboats under the command of the master gunner, for Captain Jeremy haddecided not to explore the interior of the island, where thetreasure was supposed to be hidden, until a secure base ofoperations was in existence.
Before the landing party went over the ship's side Captain Jeremycalled me into his cabin.
"Master Clifford," said he, "dost call to mind when you last saw thechart of the island? I remember having it in my hand as we workedour way into the harbour, but, strange to admit, I have no furtherrecollection of it."
"'Twas left in yonder rack," I replied, pointing to where I had lastseen the chart. "I remember that perfectly."
"Then it hath been filched," he said, "filched while we slept. Well,well, may it do the thief all the good he deserves! He, or thethieves, will not be able to find the treasure by its aid, though'tis important should anyone but myself attempt to steer the _GoldenHope_ between the shoals. I must, therefore, explain the leadingmarks to Captain 'Enery and our quartermaster, for some mishap mightoccur to render me helpless. Do not say a word concerning thismatter to anyone, Master Clifford. 'Tis best to keep suchdisquieting knowledge to ourselves; but, nevertheless, I'll have myweather eye open, and at the first sign of treachery or mutiny I'llgive the culprits cause to remember Captain Jeremy Miles. Now youcan go ashore, but be sure to return on board ere nightfall. You hadbetter not take up your quarters ashore till things are ordered toensure our safety."
I embarked on board one of the long-boats, which were laden almostto the water's edge with various stores, including powder and shot,ladders, spades and mattocks, carpenters' tools, nails and spikes,barrels of biscuits and flour, and canvas for making tents.
In spite of their overladen condition, the boats reached the shorein safety, for the water was as calm as a mill pond. We landed on aflat, sandy beach, close to the mouth of a little stream that was tosupply us with fresh water. The plain that extended 'twixt the seaand the hammock= shaped hill was far more extensive than one wouldhave supposed, when viewing it from the offing. It was nearly threemiles in width, and was covered by a dense and luxurious vegetation.
Between the little stream and the rocky headland that formed thenorthernmost horn or arm protecting the harbour the ground wascomparatively barren, so that a clear view could be obtained forseveral hundred yards.
Moreover, the rocks on the seaward side descended abruptly to thewater's edge, so that they formed a natural defence in thatdirection, since no boats could land thereabouts. Midway betwixt thestream and the headland the master gunner fixed the site for thestockade.
A trial hole to the depth of ten feet revealed the presence of acopious supply of water, sweet and wholesome to the taste when oncethe mud had settled. This was especially fortunate, as we were notcompelled to rely upon the stream, which was a quarter of a mile ormore from our proposed fortress.
Having transported all the stores they had brought ashore to themiddle of a square that the master gunner had traced upon theground, the landing party went up into the woods to fell and trimsome trees for the purpose of making the stockade; and soon thesilence of the grove was broken by the noise of the axes and thecheery voices of the men. They made enough clamour to give the alarmto every buccaneer that might be within a mile or so; but though ourpeople worked with their muskets close at hand, and outposts wereplaced to give us ample warning of a surprise, the island appearedto be uninhabited save by its new masters.
It took a fortnight's hard work to construct the stockade, which wasloopholed at regular intervals, and strengthened by a mound of earthon the inside. The soil thus utilized had been excavated so as toform a ditch without the barrier, thus increasing the value of ourdefences; while, in order to store our powder in safety, a deep holeor cave was dug in the centre of the fortress and covered over withthe trunks of trees, on which earth was placed to a height of fourfeet. This made a magazine which was proof against any shot thatmight be fired into the stockade; while on the mound above it alookout hut had been erected, being protected against musketry by abreastwork of sandbags.
Having completed this stronghold, the master gunner obtainedpermission to mount two of the _Golden Hope's_ guns. The work ofgetting these pieces of ordnance ashore was a difficult one; but,thanks to Master Touchstone's energy and mechanical skill, they wereplaced in position and so arranged that both could be brought tofire from any side of the stockade by means of ingenious carriagessomewhat resembling those used by troops in the field.
Thus, before we were ready to send an expedition into the interior,a month had elapsed; yet all hands felt that the time had not beenwasted, since we were now in a position to repel an attack by eitherland or sea.
At length we set out to find the resting-place of the precious cargoof the _Madre de Dios_. For this expedition twenty men were drawnfrom each ship, Captain Jeremy being in command. During our absenceCaptain 'Enery was left in charge of the _Golden Hope_ and herconsort, with orders to fire three guns should danger arise, as itwas supposed that the sound of the discharge would be heard at anypoint on our march into the interior. Touchstone, with eleven men,was to hold the stockade.
We were one and all heavily laden, for, in addition to our arms andammunition, each man carried a week's supply of provisions and anaxe, or mattock. At every half-mile three men were to be left inorder to form a chain of communication with the shore, so that bythe time we reached the place where the treasure was supposed tolie, only twelve would remain. These twelve would be sufficient toremove the bulk of the spoil, while the rest of the treasure couldbe obtained at some future time.
Soon we plunged into the dense belt of vegetation that, I havementioned, lay betwixt the shore and the mountain. It consisted ofreeds, canes, and scrub, much higher than a man's head, so that wehad to guide ourselves by means of a compass. It was tedious work,for we had to cut a path nearly every foot of the way, while inplaces the ground was so swampy that we frequently sank in the mudnearly to our knees.
Captain Jeremy had, years before, cut a path through the thicket,and the task had occupied him more than a week; but all traces ofhis former route had long been obliterated.
At length we reached a small open hillock surrounded by the thicket,and here our first post was established; for though it was more thanhalf a mile from the stockade, our Captain did not care to exposehis men to the risk of fever by leaving them on the low-lyingground.
On resuming our march the reeds and bushes became thicker, till itwas only by sheer hard cuts with our axes that we were able toproceed, the men working by relays. It being now high noon, the heatwas terribly oppressive, a close and moist mist rising from themarshy ground adding to our discomfort, while we were tormented byswarms of flies, which hovered round our heads till we could scarceopen our eyes.
Nevertheless we stuck manfully to our arduous task, for it wasnecessary for health's sake to avoid spending a night in thatunwholesome district. We must reach the high ground ere we pitchedour camp.
Suddenly a shout from one of our men caused us to stand to our arms.The column halted, but Captain Jeremy, who was in the middle, forcedhis way betwixt the wall of bushes and the men who were in front.
Then followe
d a lengthy pause, till the line of men moved forwardagain, this time with greater rapidity, and I found myself standingin an open clearing, surrounded by our astonished seamen. Thisclearing was of recent date, for many of the saplings and canesshowed signs of having been cut but a short time ago, while runningnorth and south across the direction of our route was a fairly broadand well-defined path.
We were now in a quandary. It would be unwise to resume our way andleave an unexplored path betwixt us and the shore, and it would beequally hazardous to separate our slender force into two bodies, sothat the beaten track could be examined in both directions. It wasalso inexpedient that the inhabitants of the island (since it wasinhabited) should be aware of our presence until we had assuredourselves whether they were peaceful settlers, or otherwise.
"This path has not been used for a month at least, Cap'n," said oneof our men, a smart young seaman in the carpenter's crew.
"How so?" asked Captain Jeremy.
"By these footprints, sir," replied the seaman, pointing to a numberof well-defined marks on the hard ground. "They are the footprintsof men wearing boots and also of naked feet, and they are pointingin both directions, showing that people have walked this way andthat."
"Quite so," assented Captain Jeremy. "But how say you that these area month or more old?"
"The ground is quite hard; we cannot leave the imprint of ourboots," continued the seaman. "And since we have been on this islandmore than a month, and no rain has fallen during all that time----"
But before he could complete his explanation the distant boom of acannon, followed at regular intervals by two more, caused us to lookat each other in alarm.' It was the signal for our recall; somethingof extreme importance had occurred.