CHAPTER VII
A DISTRESS CALL GOES TO THE PEARL
I do not know how long I was unconscious, but when I opened my eyes Icould see the bright stars, and I made out two black heads of negroes,who bore me in some kind of a litter to which I was bound, wrists andankles.
I could hear the voices of others ahead, so I knew that there were morein the party. My head felt big, and a dizziness, and a sore spot,reminded me of the whack I'd got. We soon came to a stand, and theresounded a call. A turn of my litter gave me a view of a structuretowering near by. Something in the contour was familiar. It was thegreat palace we were now come to.
I have to make mention of a matter of importance. It was not littleMarie Cambon we had saved from the voodoos. This I saw when I grabbedthe little one from the ground. It was a young mulatto. So little Marie,then, must still be immured in this old ruin. Perhaps, after all, Ishould find a way to save her and myself. Some unreasoning blind faithseemed to hold me up, in spite of my desperate situation.
My litter was soon in motion again, and we passed through some kind ofportal. A lantern illumined the way, and we went up a broad stairway. Inthe dim light I made out richly carved pillars; mahogany shone red inthe wood work, if I were not dreaming, and marble figures looked down onme.
Again we came to a stand, this time in a great hall, and my litter waslet down to the floor. One came out and stood over me. It was the voodoogreat-priest--the _papaloi_--as I could see by the red bandanna he stillwore on his head, and his hand bound in a blood-stained rag. I notedthis black's features were as regular as a white man's; and now therewas a sneering smile on them.
"So you think you very wise and can defy the Great Power," he said. Heturned and spoke something to an attendant, who stooped and tore open myshirt, while another held the lantern. It was to lay bare my skin whereit was unstained and still white.
"Humph!" grunted the _papaloi_, "so I thought. It is one of the whiteboys."
"You came from Jamaica, in the schooner," he addressed me. "You makeplenty good blood for the drink--and plenty good meat for the feast."This last with a malicious grin.
I could perceive that here was one, this voodoo priest, who was in theconfidence of Duran. It was doubtless to him Duran delivered thechildren procured for sacrifice. And so here must be the source of thevast wealth of that white fiend of tinged blood. Something spurred me todefiant speech.
"You can tell Duran, alias Mordaunt," I began, "that I have had myfortune read, and that I would not exchange my fate for his at anyprice."
He stared for a moment speechless. Then he said something to the twolitter bearers, who loosed the ropes that held me to the litter; thenthey stood me on my feet, and one holding either arm, led me through adoorway, the _papaloi_ following, attended by another black with thelantern. It was many steps we went down the bare passage; a turn, and westood before a door. A heavy bolt was drawn, and the door opened.
"Very soon you die," spoke the _papaloi_, as I was thrust in.
I heard the bolt slide into place with a click, and I stood in darkness.I felt in my pocket for my flash lamp. It was gone. I put my feetforward cautiously, step by step, my hand on the wall; and moved aroundmy dungeon till I came to the door again. I became used to the dark, gotmy bearings, and paced the damp floor, side to side and end to end. Itwas four paces one way, eight the other. As I moved about, suddenly Icaught in my eye a few stars peeking in on me. There was a slit in thewall high up. By reason of the thickness of the wall the view out washad only when standing directly in line with that narrow porthole.
The cell was barren, there was not even a box for a seat. A half hourwas hardly gone, when I heard the click of the bolt again. This time itwas food that was pushed in, on a wooden tray. Recalling those storiesof the poisoned food given by the voodoos to their victims, I deniedmyself, even of the drink. In that hot, airless hole, what would I havenot given for a draught of pure water!
I got the food off the tray and used it to sit on.
* * * * *
When I thrust the little one into Robert's arms, he and Carlos had runfor it, as I directed. They got far enough into the jungle for safehiding, and then Carlos went back to lead me there. I had already gotthat whack on the head, and the thing Carlos saw was the crew of blackssecuring their prisoner.
It was then Robert decided to call our friends from the _Pearl_. So thetwo, carrying the little rescued mulatto, turn about, hurried backtoward home. When they came to the place where we had cooked our meal,Robert made his signal fire. He made it big, for it was fifteen miles tothe _Pearl's_ anchorage. The two plaited a big screen of leaves andgrasses. Again and again he spelled out in flashes the following:
_Come ask for Brill._
To make out any answering signal at so great a distance, was a thing notto be expected, where a mere lantern was to be used. But he knew theywould be on the lookout, and could not miss so great a flare.
Daylight had come before the two arrived at the Brill hut. Melie tookthe little one in charge; and it may here be said that the yellow totwas finally restored to the rejoicing parents.
RAY'S NARRATIVE
When Wayne and Robert had got out of sight, as they started on the trailof that Duran fellow, right away Grant Norris began to fuss.
"I don't think those boys ought to be allowed to go after thosecannibals alone," he said. "Suppose those black cusses get wind of themand put up a fight. And they haven't anything but those dinky littlerifles!"
"Meaning," I told him, "that they ought to have an old campaigner toprotect them, and that old campaigner's name is Grant Norris."
"Oh, go 'long! you red-headed wag, you," he shot back at me.
"'Fess up now," I said. "You're just itching for excitement. But neverfear, Wayne will send for you before the fighting begins--he knows you.In the meantime, you know Wayne and Robert well enough; there won'tanyone get much the best of them."
When we had rowed back to the _Pearl_, things were got ready for a moveto a new anchorage--nearer to the place where we had landed Wayne andRobert. Captain Marat said we must avoid having the lights of the townbetween us and any signal from Wayne.
Grant Norris was watching the hills back inland while the sun was stillholding its fire on the tops of the mountains.
"Say," I asked him, "you don't expect to see fire signals in broaddaylight, do you?"
"Daylight!" he sniffed--"It'll be night before you can turn roundtwice."
And sure enough, while we were talking the sun was off the peaks, andthe lower hills were black enough to show a fire.
I hadn't any more than got ready the big lantern with the strongreflector, than Wayne's signal began to flash, eight or ten miles backin the hills. I answered. And then came the message: "Good so far."
"I guess they find out sometheeng," said Captain Marat.
"It's good to know they're already making progress," observed Julian.
"Next," said Norris, "they'll be signalling--'Come on, the trail ishot.'" And he stayed on deck till long after midnight.
The next day dragged for all of us, waiting for night. Nothing wasright. Even Rufe's noon meal was no success.
"Say, you-all is jest de cantankerest bunch!" said Rufe. "Dem 'arebiscuits is jest de kin' you-all been a braggin' on; an' dat fish, an'de puddin'--W'at's wrong wid dem, ah likes to know?"
But no one had a word on that.
And when the supper went the same way, Rufe put his foot down, said hewouldn't cook another meal till we got the voodoo out of our systems.
"Dat w'at it is, hit's de voodoo w'at's got into you-all's stummicks,"he declared. "Dey ain't no use o' my cookin' no more till you is bustedwid it."
That hot lazy sun finally dipped down west, and from then on, everycandle or firefly on shore had us on the jump. Grant Norris was theworst of the bunch. At ten o'clock he broke loose.
"Those young skunks!" he said. "Won't I give them a piece of my mind!They might give us a word. No sense in keepi
ng mum like this."
At midnight all but Norris gave it up and turned in. He said he wouldn'ttrust the watch, and anyway there wasn't any sleep in him.
I hadn't any more than got two winks of my first beauty sleep, thansomething had me by the scruff, and bounced me out of my bunk onto thefloor. It was worse than the nightmare.
I was kneading the cobwebs of fairyland out of my eyes, and I heardNorris saying:
"Pile up on deck you sleepy-head! Wayne's talking to you."
I "piled up" on deck; and there, way back in the hills, ever so faraway, I saw the flashing of a beacon light. A long flash, a short one,another long, a short. That's C. Three long ones--O. And so on. "Comeask for Brill. Come ask for Brill," the message went.
Norris brought the lamp with the strong reflector, and I flashed back ananswer. But they evidently didn't see our smaller light, for theycontinued with their--"Come, ask for Brill. Come ask for Brill."
Now I can't explain just how, but I knew from the way the flashes weregiven that it wasn't Wayne, but Robert, who was doing the signalling.Then they were not together up there, for Wayne always did that job.
I told Norris the message, and he began to poke everybody else up. Hewent banging at Rufe, too, and there was considerable excitement allround.
"Oh, yes, sah, yes, sah, Mistah Norris," said Rufe "dat coffee 'll bea'bilin' in jes' a minute. Glory be to goodness! dis heah voodoocarryin's on is wus dan gittin' religion at a shoutin' Methodis' campmeetin'."
I watched the flashes up in the hills till finally they quit; but therewas never a word but just those four: "Come, ask for Brill."
Our packs were already made up; it remained only for Rufe to put thefinishing touches to the grub we were going to take. Captain Marat andGrant Norris had their high powered rifles, the hand ax was more than Ineeded, for my legs were nimble. Julian got out his handsome shot-gun,and a dozen shells Rufe had loaded with buck-shot.
"Jes' two of dem 'ar buck-shot shells in my ol' gun and dat's all Ineeds," Rufe said. "Dey ain't nobody guine to come nigh dis heahschooner 'less'n I says de word."
We pulled the small boat high on' the beach, near the place where we hadparted with Wayne and Robert, and without preliminaries we started offby the road. It was fearfully dark, but the trail was the path of leastresistance, so we couldn't get lost. Two hours after the start daylightbusted through the trees. In another hour or so we butted into avillage. And the first pickaninny we met told us the way to "Brills," onthe upper side of the village.
A black man, and a black woman, and a black boy, were at the door of theBrill mansion.
"We're looking for two white boys," announced Norris.
"Dey ain't no white boys 'round heah," said that black boy. And say!that voice had a familiar twang to it.
"Say, Robert," I spit out, "your face goes all right, but you'll have tosmear the black better on that voice of yours, if you want to fool thiskid."
We were all inside now; and it didn't take Robert long to tell hisstory.
"And so you are sure they've got Wayne in that old ruin?" said Norris,addressing this black man, Carlos Brill.
"Yes, I think ver' sure," said the man. "I see they go that way withhim."
"Well, Captain Marat," began Norris, "I say storm the place at once."
"Yes," assented Captain Marat, "we have to do something."
"But we'll have to go slow," Robert said. "That place must be lousy withthose cannibals; and no one knows how many guns they'll have."
Well, Norris was willing to go slow, if he could only go soon. And wewere not long getting started.
That black fellow, Carlos Brill, led the way, and that black fellow,Robert Murtry, with him. Julian and I were rear guard. And they gave meWayne's rifle to carry.
It wasn't long till we got out of the woods into an open spot; and thenthey showed us what they'd figured out was Wayne's prison. It was wayover on the other side of a ravine; and say! it was the queerestlooking, half tumble-down old palace!
We went down into the ravine; and on the other side Carlos Brill took usout of the path--afraid of an ambush, or something--and we began to slipand stumble among the roots, and brush, and snaky-looking lianas thathung between the trees. Why the place wasn't full of monkeys I don'tknow. There wasn't any use of anyone telling us to go slow, this wasn'tany fast track.
When we stopped, to let our breaths catch up with us, Carlos told us wehadn't much farther to go. But he wouldn't be able to get us nearer tothe palace under shelter of the forest than about four hundred yards.
"Don't let that worry you any," said Norris. "Captain Marat or I, eitherone, won't ask anything better, if we can draw them out."
"Yes," agreed Captain Marat, "four honderd yard' do ver' well."
I'd seen them both shoot, and I agreed with that. And they had belts andpockets full of ammunition.
Well, we finally got to the place, with that big old half ruin on theopposite side of the clearing. Norris picked a tree, with big branchesnear the ground. Captain Marat took up a position seventy-five or ahundred yards to the left. Those two big-gun men and Carlos had decidedon their plan of campaign, and the rest of us got behind a good screenand awaited developments.
Jean Marat banged away first, sending a ball through an opening in thesecond story of that old palace. All waited to see some attention paidto it over there. We calculated it ought to start some curiosity atleast--that is, if there really was anybody about the shebang. I beganto have my doubts; it looked dead as a tomb.
But we didn't have to wait more than about a minute. I saw a black scampscamper across the open space with a gun in his hand, going from thewoods we were in right for that palace. I pointed him out to Norris, wholet fly at him with a bullet just as he disappeared round a bush.
Robert said it was most likely a sentry, stationed on that path.
Then Captain Marat's rifle went off again. Robert ran over, and broughtback news that Marat had toppled over a black, who was running for thepalace from that side.
The next shot fired came from the palace. I saw the smoke up at thesecond story. Norris banged away--said he saw a black head peep round apiece of stone wall. Two more shots came from the palace, they toreloose a twig or two over our heads.
Then Captain Marat shot twice. It was a minute before the palaceartillery opened up again. They must have fired ten shots--they camefaster than I could count them. Grant Norris was happy. He up with hisrifle, and at his shot I heard a yell over at the palace. Jean Marat gotanother one, too, Robert came to tell me.
And now Robert got hold of me and dragged me along with him round aboutthrough the woods. It was some time before I could hold him up longenough to get it out of him what it was all about. He meant we twoshould have a little of the kind of sport Marat and Norris wererevelling in. There was a patch of trees off to the right--south of theold palace; and it was there we finally won round to. We climbed high ina tree, and got us to where we had a fine view behind that broken wallthe blacks were using for a breastworks. There wasn't less than a dozenof those voodoo cannibals there, in plain view of our perch, and weweren't three hundred yards from them.
"Now let's give it to them fast," said Robert, and he began to work theslide handle of his little rifle. I followed suit with Wayne's gun.
There wasn't a sound of our firing, of course, on account of thesilencers. So the stings those fellows got on the flank began to puzzlethem. There was one black who gave me a good target. I wasn't much of ashot, but after a few pulls on my trigger, I saw that fellow put hishand in a place, and in a way that convinced me that he would be sittingon a sore spot for a day or two anyway. Those blacks quit firing and gotto discussing some question or other, and some of them slunk away.
And just about then I heard something familiar, back in the forest. Itwas the call of the _Whip-poor-will_; and I didn't need anyone to tellme what bird it came from; there was only one particular bird who couldbe whistling that call in broad daylight.
"There's Wayne!" said
Robert. And he almost knocked me off my limb, withhis hurry to get to the ground.
And then as we hurried over to the others, we answered Wayne's call; andin just a little, he was among us.
And here's where Wayne takes up the story again.