CHAPTER XXXI
WE RUN THE GAUNTLET--HOME BOUND
"Too bad we can't put in a week, getting some more gold out of thiscreek," said Norris. He was plucking little bits of the precious metalout of a pan of gravel he'd just washed. "There's no end of the stuffhere still," he complained.
"Well, but aren't we coming back some day?" observed Robert.
"Just like some folks," said Ray. "The more they get, the more theywant."
We had gone to the diggings to break up the Long Tom, to make boxes forfloating the horde of mined gold through the hole in the cliff. Thelittle bamboo cylinders offered too slow a means to satisfy ourimpatience.
Our party divided, some remaining in that outer cavern, to receive theboxes, as they floated to the net, and empty them into the chestsoutside; the empty boxes being towed back again, by ropes, to benew-laden with the gold. What with making our three little"under-sea-boat" boxes, and finding proper floats for them, we did notget much of our precious freight through that first day. Jean Marat,Robert, and Carlos slept in the boats on their side of the cliffs; therest of our party, including Andy Hawkins, and the black boy, took cheeramong Duran's huts within. We gathered round a fire after we'd had oursupper, and it was a blithesome party, of which the monkey was a part,perched the greater part of the time on either my shoulder or the blackboy's.
There was some exchange of yarns, most of them of Norris's telling. AndAndy Hawkins had some experiences to tell that were a bit off color. Itcame to riddles at last. And here Norris shone again; and Hawkins wasnot at a loss for one or two. Norris insisted that we must each offerone riddle at the least, and out came the one about, "Why does a millerwear a white hat?" and others of later coinage. Norris held back Ray forthe last. He must have been sure Ray should break up the party.
"Now your turn, Ray," said Norris.
"Aw, I don't know any," pouted Ray.
"Make up one," insisted Norris.
"Well," began Ray, drawling his words, "Mary had a little--Now don'tinterrupt!"
"Who is interrupting?" said Norris. "But you might give us somethingnew."
"Well, if it don't suit you," shot back Ray, "you tell it."
"Go on," said Norris.
Ray continued: "It followed her to school--one day. The teacher droppedhis book, and bent down for it. But--but--" (Ray seemed to have got tothe end of his powers of "make up") "but--but--but--"
"Well, go on," pressed Norris. "But what?"
"The teacher, of course," said Ray, frowning. "What do you suppose Marybrought the goat to school for?"
We turned in early, meaning to rise with the sun for the next day'slabors.
I dreamed I was at the railway station, back home in Illinois. I heardthe roar of a train approaching. Then came an explosion. I opened myeyes. A tropic storm was on us, there was thunder, and the rain camedown in a deluge.
I started up in excitement, as I thought of that little hole in thecliff, the only outlet for all the water. What if this terrific downpourshould continue, and the water back up in this walled basin! But atsecond thought I remembered, and it was only the water that fell withinour basin that we had to fear; for the stream met the same sort ofobstruction to its inflow, above, as that which retarded its outflow,below. With that comforting thought I presently fell asleep again.
The day broke fresh and cool. The creek had soon discharged its excesswaters, and our labors went forward without hitch, till the last of thegold-dust had been sent out through that watery portal. And that waslate of the afternoon; so that when our party had said a goodbye to thegold valley, and stood by the cedars at the cliff-top, the region wasall in shadow.
We unbent the ropes from the cedars.
"No use to chance some others finding their way in," said Norris. "Andwe can make another ladder when we come back."
Norris must have had Hawkins blindfolded, before we made that passagethrough the cavern. There was no assurance, as he afterwards explained,that the pickpocket might not pick up with more of his ilk, who wouldwish to seek out the place.
Andy Hawkins thanked him for the precaution. "Hi never want to be ableto find my way back to that 'ell 'ole again," he said.
It was quite dark when we doused for the last time through the littlewaterfall. Robert awaited us with one of the boats, and it was not longtill we were on the deck of the _Pearl_.
While some were below, stowing the precious cargo, others were in somepreparation for a lifting of the anchor and getting on sail at the veryfirst waft of the land breeze. Norris threw off the jacket of his biggun, and looked to the priming.
"You must never think," he said, "that those black devils are going tosee us get away with the gold without some sort of attempt to head usoff."
"Yes," added Captain Marat. "I theenk they try sometheeng."
It was in that narrow, tortuous channel the attempt would be made, if atall. It would be above a mile of ticklish navigation, following thecurves, and avoiding the points. And there were heights from which theycould rain shot on us as we passed. We got out all the mattresses; ofone we constructed a bulwark for the helmsman, another covered theskylight, others were propped up at convenient places on the deck. Itwas conjectured that the attack--if one there was to be--would take uson the starboard, since doubtless the sailors from the _Orion_ wouldland on that side of the channel, also since it was that side offeredthe better vantage ground. Norris brought his gun to that side of theship.
The moon, which was in its first quarter, was due to set about teno'clock. We hoped that the land breeze might come soon enough to get usthrough before its light should have gone. We needed the view of thechannel, and some sight of the enemies' lurking-place would doubtless beto our advantage.
True to its practice, the land breeze rose at about nine. Up came theanchor, and with a rattle of blocks, up went the sails. The moonlightglinted among the wavelets directly in our wake, as we moved down CrowBay toward the isle. We passed the isle on the left. Arrived at the wideopening of the channel, the sheets were run out till the booms hung overthe port bulwarks. Robert was at the wheel; Captain Marat with his riflewas in the bows, from where he gave his orders; Norris, Ray, and Carlos,were at the gun, Carlos holding Norris's rifle; the rest of us,including two of the sailors, lay behind mattresses within reach of thesheets.
The breeze was brisk enough, and soon we were in the narrows, the_Pearl_ in the shadows cast by the western shore.
"T'ree points to port! Ease on the sheets!" came Captain Marat's order.
The _Pearl_ swung her bowsprit round a bit.
"Steady! jus' there!" called out Captain Marat again.
It was the first bend in the tortuous channel. It was deep in thefairway, we had only to avoid the points.
We had made another turn, and were near half way down the channel, whenthe flash and rat-a-tat of a score of guns sounded on the heights to ourstarboard, and the lead rained like hail on our deck. Marat's andNorris's rifles answered. Norris, for some reason withheld the fire ofthe big gun.
"Anyone hurt?" called Norris.
There was no answer.
"Keep behind your mattresses," he cautioned.
He swung the big gun round, as I could hear. As much as a minute passedwith no sound on shore. Then came another volley from the enemy. The tworifles replied again. There came another pattering of bullets from theenemy. Norris spat out an oath. The next moment Ray called to me, sayingthat Norris was wounded. Leaving the fore-sheet to the sailors, Iscurried over to the gun, and we began to uncover Norris's wound.
"It's nothing bad, give them the gun first," he said.
Carlos seized the carriage and began to train the gun while random shotscontinued from the enemy.
"Hold her right on the edge of the bank," said Norris, his voice huskywith the pain.
"Now," said Carlos.
Rufe applied the fire.
"Boom!" The thunder echoed in the hills. From the shore came horridyells, of pain or fright, but never another shot.
"We got them that time," said Norris, with a sigh of satisfaction.
And now we turned to Norris's wound. The ball had passed through thefleshy part of his shoulder, and was not deep. We soon had on a bandage.After a good swig out of the water butt, he declared he was ready foranother fight. Though after one attempt to stand he was content torecline on the deck. But he insisted on our re-loading his gun.
The moon had set when we passed out over the bar, between those twoflanking lines of surf.
"There's a schooner!" called Robert, come from the wheel, where he hadbeen relieved by Captain Marat.
To the east, the vessel showed, all sails set, scurrying away.
"The _Orion_!" cried Grant Norris. "Give her that shot!" he commanded.
Again the gun boomed. But it was a clean miss. Of this I was glad, forthere was no occasion for further bloodshed; though I would not havebetrayed the thought to Grant Norris, suffering as he did from that shotof the blacks.
We got Norris down under the cabin light, and properly cleaned anddressed the wound. While we were busied thus, Captain Marat had broughtthe schooner about and set her bow toward the west. In an houreverything was ship-shape, and Norris propped comfortably on a mattresson deck, with the rest of our party squatted about him. Rufe was busy inhis galley, for none having had any lust for food at the proper suppertime, and now the suspense having snapped, we had developed keenappetites.
"Dey ain't no use you-all tellin' me how yo' feels," Rufe called to us."I jes' got dat same feelin' in _mah_ insides."
The relief was general; all who were not chattering, were whistling orhumming. And the sailors, forward, were mingling their voices in a negromelody. Even the monkey caught the infection, and scampered about like aplayful child, times springing from shoulder to shoulder; and once hesnatched a biscuit from Rufe's galley and thrust it into my hand, toRay's pretended disgust.
"I told you the monkey and Wayne are in cahoots," he said.
But before we came to Jamaica, the animal had transferred his chiefliking to Ray. None could long resist Ray.
The black boy never tired of roaming about the schooner, which to himwas the wonder of wonders, never having so much as seen the picture of aship, or anything calculated to give him overmuch yearning for the worldwithout those rocky walls of that sink in the mountain. Julian, who hadconversed much with the boy, told us that he could not understand thevalue of that gold on which we put so much store. To him it was nothingbut so much dross that had given him so many lame backs with the delvingfor it.
Andy Hawkins sat there grimacing and jerking his shoulders, and tellingsuch ears as would listen, of the bottles of soda water he would bedrinking when he got to the shops. Strangely enough, strong drink had nocharms for him, though he made no concealment of his slavery to the drugthat had already marked him for an early grave.
"The last time I was in London," he said, "I put four bottles of'Utchinson's Sarsaprilla sody-water down be'ind my collar; and if Hi 'adthem now, Hi think Hi'd be able to put down a heven dozen."
"You believe in getting full even if you don't get drunk, don't you?"said Ray.
They were uneventful days, those of the voyage back to Kingston, in theIsland of Jamaica. It was before noon of the twenty-fifth of Septemberthat we let go the anchor in the harbor.
Captain Marat and Grant Norris had been having some conference withCarlos Brill, and at last called us all together.
"We've been talking with Carlos about the gold," said Norris. "Althoughthe mine is his, he will not hear of any arrangement other than shareand share alike--after the sailors have been paid a substantial bonus,and Hawkins and the boy have received a proper payment for their laborsand sufferings."
There was an echo of protest. We felt that, as owners, Carlos and hissister should retain at the least a third of their patrimony.
"No," spoke Carlos. "No! We never get the mine if it not be for you. Ifeel in here" (and he put his finger to his chest) "what is right, and Ican never be happy if I cannot do what is right. I speak for my sister,too, she will think jus' like me."
The final upshot of the whole discussion was, that he would allow thathis sister should receive an equal share with the rest, instead ofbrother and sister having a single share between them as he intended.What our gold amounted to I will not put down--this is no businessvolume I am writing; let it be enough, that no one of our party had needto want for any material comfort thereafter, even should he live thelength of two average lives.
The news of the arrival of the _Pearl_ had, somehow, passed quickly intothe city; and we had not finished our noon meal, when a boat cameaboard, and we dropped our ladder, and received on deck some Kingstonfriends. There were Monsieur Cambon, with little Marie Cambon, she whomwe rescued from the voodoos.
"She could not wait," said Cambon. "She must go and see 'the goodAmerican boys'." And Monsieur Duchanel, the old friend of the Marats,came out of the boat, too. He brought a message from Madame Marat to herson, Captain Marat. Jean must come to shore early, bringing with him allof the party; for she and Madame Duchanel were already about thepreparation of a feast to the returning argonauts. Melie Brill sent aword, too, to her brother, Carlos, who must not disappoint her for anearly sight of him.
"You all seem cheerful, and in good health," observed Monsieur Cambon."But I see Mistar Norris, here--he have some accident?" Norris stillwore his arm in a sling.
"Oh, no," said Ray. "It was no accident, it was all on a program; onlyall the program was not carried out, as, I guess, there are some voodoosleft that could tell."
And then we had to recount something of that parting clash with theblacks.
"Come, Marie," said her father at last. "We must leave these boys to getready for the party."
The child had discovered the monkey, and they two were making friends,by inches.
"Oh, bring the monkey with you!" cried Marie, as she went over the side.
And so we dug out all our best bib and tucker for the fete. Duchanelsent aboard a pair of men from his establishment, for a guard to the_Pearl_, since all our party were expected ashore. And the sailors weregiven shore leave, except only the regular watch.
It may be imagined what the party was, that evening, with the Cambons,the Duchanels, and the music of the little orchestra in that very parkof a lawn, lights hung between the trees, and the cooling drinks and
sherbets, and the wonderful cookery of Madame Marat, assisted by MadameDuchanel. Andy Hawkins felt a bit out of place, and kept himself a gooddeal in the background. Once during the evening, Ray got me by the elbowand pulled me toward a clump of the shrubbery.
"Hawkins has been sending someone on an errand," he said.
We peeked round a bush. On the ground sat Hawkins, grimacing at a popbottle in his hand. He set it to his lips, and drained it. It was thesecond; the first--empty--lay beside him. In front, ten bottles,untouched, awaited his attack. He drank out a third, and with someaccess of squirming, a fourth. The fifth he barely tasted of, and hegroaned with his defeat. He set the bottles on the ground, put his handsto his stomach and belched gas.
"What's the matter, Hawkins?" said Ray. "Sick?"
"Oh, I s'y," returned Hawkins. "Hi ain't no good no more. Four bottlesputs me under the tyble."
"Are you full," said Ray, "or just intoxicated?"
"Oh, Hi feel just like my 'ead was goin' to blow hoff, or somethink,"said Hawkins.
For near a week we lay in Kingston Harbor. Carlos and Melie Brillestablished themselves here, and they took the black boy under theircare. Andy Hawkins found the place to his liking, and would remain tillthe spirit should move him to a trip back to London. The poor chap nevergot so far, for fever did for him before five months had gone. GrantNorris had some interest in Kingston, and would make it his home for thetime.
During those six days, we made the division of the gold, weighing it inthe hopper of a grocer's scale, set in the hold, under the open hatch.
At the end of the time, Madame Marat came aboard, and we
set sail forNew Orleans--and for _home_.
And then one day we passed through Lake Bourne and the Rigolets; thenext morning we were towed in the basin to the very heart of the city.Soon we saw our chests of treasure carted off to the mint.
"Ah!" said Madame Marat, as we all entered her door, "how good it is tobe home! And to think!" she spoke, looking aghast, "no dust! Thee airgood and fresh! And--" (she sniffed) "thee smell of thee coffee!"
The door to the back opened, and the grinning Rufe appeared.
"Ah! thad why you delay so long," she said.
At Rufe's own suggestion, Jean Marat had given Rufe the key andpermitted him to run ahead, to sweep, dust, and air the home, and getthe fire going. The thing touched her good heart, and she patted thehappy darky approvingly on the back.
Julian's grandfather was sent for, and there was a joyful reunion.
The leave-takings--always, some way sad they are--I omit. The three ofus--Ray, Robert, and myself, made a quiet entry one night into our goodold home town in Illinois. My father, who had returned from thesouthwest some days ago, on wired word from me, met us at the train; andhe took us to the Reid home, where a little spread had been prepared.
It was when Mrs. Reid put her arms round Ray that I missed my mothermost. But this good mother had a kiss for Robert and myself. Robert, youmust know, was a full orphan.
There was consternation in the bank the next morning, when the three ofus presented each a paper bearing amounts in six figures. They seemed tothink that the receiving teller's cage would not do for such atransaction, but the business must be done in the directors' room, onthe long table.
That afternoon the three of us went for a long row on the oldMississippi. We had things to discuss alone. It was Robert who finally
opened the subject that was troubling us most.
"How much are we going to tell the world?" he said.
"Well," said Ray, giving his oar a vicious pull, "there's a lot ofthings I don't intend to tell, and----"
"But," I interrupted, "if you tell some things, and keep back some,people are going to wonder why."
"And," added Robert, "they'll fill in the blanks with all sorts of wildstuff that won't be very flattering--that's the way it goes."
And the discussion went on, till finally Ray put it flat, thus:
"Well, now then, Wayne, it's up to you to write the thing--write a book.Then if anyone gets curious and wants the story, we can say: 'All right,go and get the book.' Gee! It'll save a lot of talk--and a lot of foolquestions."
THE END
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