CHAPTER XI
AT HIDE AND SEEK WITH THE ENEMY
The white buildings of that city, with the green mountain background,and the white beach, overhung with its graceful palms, presented apleasing picture. I remember I thought what a place this would be tospend a peaceful holiday; to fish, to hunt, to feast on the lusciousfruits, and explore those forests of mountain and valley, and thewonders of the caves. If only we had never come up with that fiend,Duran.
When Captain Marat had seen to it that all was snug, and the awningstretched, he turned his eyes toward the _Orion_, who likewise hadstowed her cloth under gaskets.
"I did not think that Duran would come in to thees place," he said.
"He tried to shake us off his tail by running fast," said Ray; "and hetried to scrape us off on reefs; and now I guess he's come in here totry to crawl through some hole that'll be too small for us."
"Well, that skunk is here to try some devilment, that's sure," observedNorris.
We kept a sharp eye on the _Orion_. Within the hour we saw a small boatfrom the city boarding her. In twenty minutes that boat came to the_Pearl_. The port doctor came over the rail. He was a Spaniard, but witha good command of English. He asked the usual questions of CaptainMarat.
"Well," he said, when he had his answers, "I am afraid we'll have tohold you in quarantine. I learn there is yellow fever in the port fromwhich you came."
"I believe there is some mistake," said Marat, "we heard of no yellowfever there."
"Pardon me," I interposed, "but did you get your information from the_Orion_?"
"Yes," admitted the doctor, "from Monsieur Duran."
"And is the _Orion_ to be quarantined?" I asked.
"No," he said, "the _Orion_ has not been in that port for months. Theoutbreak of yellow fever is less than three weeks old. Duran was hailedby a ship that gave him the news."
"We know," I told him, "that that man Duran was in the port on the daypreceding that on which we sailed."
There was a dubious look in the official's face. And now he had come todividing his attention between myself and a steamer that was just movingin. He put his binoculars to his eyes. Some moments he looked, and thenhe turned to us.
"Wait," he said. "There is a steamer from your port. I shall be backpresently."
With that he got over the rail and went off in his boat to the steamer.
"Now then," said Norris, when he was gone, "there's that skunk's trick."
"But it's a monkey trick," said Ray. "He ought to know we'd have ourstory to tell."
"Maybe," suggested Julian, "he thought his wines--and maybe somegold--would give greater weight to his story."
I, too, had got the smell of liquor from the doctor's breath. It wasquite probable Duran had been making very friendly with this official.
"Perhaps Duran counted on our going outside the harbor rather than bedelayed in quarantine," said Robert.
"Yes, and that would suit him ver' well," said Marat. "He could then tryand slip by in thee dark."
The doctor came back, as he had promised. And he spoke us without againcoming aboard.
"That was some mistake about the yellow fever," he said. "You will befree to go ashore."
"Well, and what will our voodoo priest try next?" said Grant Norris.
"Next, he'll have us arrested, for disturbing the peace," said Julian.
"His peace of mind," added Ray.
Our discussion became serious now. The more Duran sought to shake us,the more important that we observe his every movement.
That he would be going ashore into the city was reasonably certain. Ifwe were to see what he did there, it might be well to precede him, andlie in wait. Grant Norris, Robert Murtry, and Julian Lamartine, wereselected for this expedition. Julian, like Jean Marat, had a faircommand of the Spanish, which was the language of this port.
The three were in the small boat, ready to push off, when I recollectedthe bit of paper in my pocket, on which I had copied the addresses fromDuran's book in the old ruin. There was among them an address in thisport. I had out the paper, and called out the name to Julian, PaulMarcel was the name.
We saw the boat of our friends go among the wharves. It was not longtill--"There he goes now!" cried Ray, and we saw a small boat movingshoreward from the schooner _Orion_.
The moon, approaching its first quarter, set at ten that night, and ourthree had not returned from the city. The anchor-light on the _Orion_was all we could see of her.
It was near midnight when I heard the dip of oars approaching, anddirectly Norris, Julian, and Robert climbed over the rail.
"It was a tame party we had," grumbled Norris. "Our friend Duran is backon his schooner."
"But the address was right," said Robert.
"Yes," offered Julian, "Duran spent most of his time at the home of aMonsieur Paul Marcel; and when he came out on the verandah to go, Iheard him appoint to come back tomorrow. And they talked of some kind ofparty for tomorrow night."
Tame as Norris considered their excursion on shore, Robert recounted afeature of that adventure that had not a little to do toward puttingNorris in a bad humour. When they saw Duran, accompanied by his twoblacks, very evidently making to the boat, our party fell back, not tobe seen by Duran at the wharf. But what should happen but that Duranshould suddenly step from behind a corner of a shed and laugh derisivelyin their faces.
It occurred to me that, in view of the circumstance, there might be sometalk on the _Orion_ that it should profit us to hear a word of. I saidas much to Captain Marat; and we two set off forthwith in a small boat,to have a try.
We made a detour, and approached the _Orion_ from the far side. Therewere other boats moving about, making us the less conspicuous, andbesides, the inky darkness favored us. So that we came in under the_Orion's_ bows unnoted. Voices there were speaking on the deck, andCaptain Marat cocked his ear to them, as we held to the stays.
He repeated it all to me afterward, and this is pretty much the way ofthe talk he heard:
"There will be no risk. Of course, if the big one is there, we will waittill the next night."
"But the noise will--"
"But there need be no noise. It must be--"
"Yes, that won't be so bad, and it will be dark. And now I want you toknow, Monsieur, that the men are beginning to fear they will never seethe gold you have promised them. This being pursued is a new thing forthem. And then, you have always been all powerful, and never had to giveover your plans and flee. And we have come so far from--"
"Bah! You must make them to understand again that these infernalAmericans have Carlos Brill with them, and they are after mysecrets--they want the gold. And I cannot afford to give them the leasthint where it lies. We must finally shake them off; then we go backhome; I land the regular place, at the foot of Twin Hills. Then no onecan follow. And in the week I will have out all the gold that is mined.Then I will give the men more gold than they ever dreamed of having, andthey will be free to go and spend. And for two years, maybe three years,I will not go near the mine.
"And no one will ever find it. No, it is safe; that is very sure. Tellthem. And you--you know what I have promised you. I make you the mostwealthy black, that ever lived, and I will never feel the loss of what Igive you. But you must not fail me."
"Oh, monsieur, believe me, I will do my work well."
"If you succeed, you must make no mistake about the place to meet us; wemust not leave them behind, here."
"Yes, monsieur; there will be no mistake. I know my work."
The voices became indistinct as the speakers moved away. Then Marat tookup the oars again and quietly got our boat away in the dark.
It was then he repeated to me what he had heard.
"Then we came just too late to hear what this thing is they plan," Isaid.
"Yes," agreed Captain Marat, "but we got one clue to the mine. He say heweel 'land at foot of Twin Hills'--back home. We look on thee chart;that it is near that place where we begin the pursuit."
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We were soon aboard the _Pearl_, the chart on the table.
"There!" said Captain Marat. And he put the end of a match on the spotmarked, "Twin Hills." It was close to the sea line, less than five milesfrom the cove in which we discovered the _Orion_.
And then I had a thought.
"That must be where we saw a small boat starting toward shore from the_Orion_," I said.
"Just so," said Marat. "It was Duran, going to land 'The regular place,'to go to his mine."
"Well, now," began Ray, who had followed us into the cabin, "you folksseem to know a heap. Where do you get all your wisdom?"
We got all our party together, and Marat repeated what we had learned.
"So the mine is away back up there where we started from, after all,"said Norris. "And here we are a week's sail from the place we're after.If that skunk would only drop some decent clue to the place, I trustWayne here to find it, and we could leave Mr. 'Monsieur voodoo priest'to sail the globe, if he likes, while we go back and take possession ofCarlos's mine."
"But what is the meaning of the other talk," said Julian. "What is thisthing they are up to?"
And this is the thing we got news of the following night, as shall beseen.
We were early astir in the morning. Most of us spent the greater part ofthe day ashore. And we had an eye on Duran's movements, for he, too, putin the day in the city. He was apparently well known among a number ofthe citizens, for he was often greeted familiarly. And he spent muchmoney that day, for wines, flowers, and dainties for the palate, all ofwhich were carted to the residence of Monsieur Marcel; so it becameapparent it was Duran that was giving the party.
Night found Ray and myself among the lookers-on, made up of the poor ofthe neighborhood. They were allowed to encroach on the lawn, where theystood among the planted bushes and under the palms. And drink anddainties were sent out for the rabble, who gorged themselves at theexpense of Duran.
The house was large, with extensive verandas, on which the guests dancedto the music of an orchestra. There was a great hum of voices, and muchlaughter.
Ray and I could see Duran, from time to time, as he played the gaycavalier; and he was apparently very popular with the ladies, with whomhe danced and promenaded. His deportment was that of a real gentleman,and his dress was most correct. I thought of that other night, when Ihad seen this same man in a red robe; in his blackened face, under aturban, the look of a fiend; in his hand a knife ready for a horriddeed. To fathom such a character was beyond my power of reasoning. Alearned man has since sought to explain the thing to me, by saying thatthe little part of black blood in this man was doubtless descended froma cannibal; and those instincts would at times come to the fore. Andthen, too, he said, much of the white in this man might easily be
descended from a "wolf in sheep's clothing," which is not so uncommon aphenomenon in society today.
The mob that was about us was all gone, long before eleven o'clock. Butthe dancing and gaiety at the house showed no abatement.
We two were in a bit of brush, at a point that gave us a good view ofthe premises. The moon was long gone, but the house lights made a haloall about.
"Well, I don't see what good we are doing here," said Ray at last. "ThatDuran will go to his schooner when this thing is over, and we don't carewhat he does before then."
"He might slip away in some other vessel," I said.
Another hour passed.
And then Duran came out on the verandah, and appeared to be lookingdirectly toward us. I was sure he could not see us, for we crouched inthe blackest of shadows.
"There is that white voodoo, again," said Ray. "I wonder if he's goingto keep that crowd going till daylight. Folks ought to have some senseof--"
His speech was cut off. And that instant I was enveloped in a cloth,held about me with strong arms; and I felt a pressure on my mouth.
To struggle, I soon found to be useless. Many hands seemed to be holdingme, and I was picked off the ground, my bearers pattering along at arate.
Presently we came to a stop, and I was tumbled into some kind of awagon, as the creak of the wheels told me. And there was a body jostlingme in the wagon-bed--Ray.