CHAPTER IV.
ALONE AMONG STRANGERS.
Ben started as though he had been caught at some crime, and there was asulky tone in his voice that showed very plainly that he resented theappearance of the questioner, as he replied,--
"Only a boy and a dog."
The other man drew near and inspected Eric closely. Prince at oncesprang to his feet, and taking up his position between the new-comerand his young master, fixed his big eyes upon the former, while histeeth showed threateningly, and a deep growl issued from between them.
It was no wonder that the sagacious mastiff's suspicions were aroused,for surely never before had his eyes fallen upon so sinister a specimenof humanity. The man was of little more than medium height; but hisframe showed great strength, combined with unusual activity, and oneglance was sufficient to mark him out as a man with whom few couldcope. His countenance, naturally ugly, had been the playground of thestrongest and coarsest passions that degrade humanity, and was renderedstill more hideous by the loss of his left eye, which had been gougedout in a drunken _melee_, and by a frightful scar that ran clear fromtemple to chin on the right side of his face. Through the remainingeye all the vile nature of the man found expression, and its balefulglare, when fixed full upon one, was simply appalling.
To it, perhaps more than to any other quality, Evil-Eye--for so hiscomrades appropriately nicknamed him--owed his influence among them;for he was, in some sort, regarded as a leader of the band of wreckersto which both he and Ben belonged.
Evil-Eye held in his right hand a cutlass whose sheen was alreadydimmed with suspicious stains.
"Well," he growled, pointing at Eric, who was staring at himspell-bound with horror and dread, "that seems to be the last of them.Let's finish him off. We want no tell-tales.--Out of the way, youbrute." And he lifted his cutlass as though to strike Prince first.
"Hold!" cried Ben, springing forward and grasping Evil-Eye's arm. "Letthe boy alone."
"Let him alone," roared Evil-Eye, with a horrible oath. "That I won't.Let go of me, will you?" And wrenching himself free by a tremendouseffort, he swung the cutlass high over his head and rushed upon thedefenceless boy, who was too terror-stricken to move or cry out.
But quick as Evil-Eye's movements had been, there was another presentwhose movements were quicker still. With a short, deep growl like adistant roll of thunder, Prince launched himself full at the ruffian'sthroat. His aim was unerring, and utterly unprepared for so sudden anonset, the man rolled over upon the sand, the cutlass fallingharmlessly from his hand.
Content with having brought him to the ground, Prince did not pursuehis advantage further, but stood over the prostrate scoundrel, who madeno attempt to move, while he implored Ben to drag the dog off him. Butthis Ben seemed in no hurry to do. He evidently enjoyed hisassociate's sudden defeat, and felt little sympathy for him in hispresent predicament. Then as he looked from the growling mastiff tohis young master, who had almost forgotten his own fear in hisadmiration for his faithful dog, a happy thought flashed into his mind.His face brightened, and there was a half-smile upon it, as, turning toEvil-Eye, who scarce dared to breathe lest those great black jaws, soclose to his throat, would close tight upon it, he said,--
"Look here, Evil-Eye. I'll take the dog off on one condition. Willyou agree?"
"What is that?" groaned Evil-Eye.
"Why, I've taken a fancy to this lad and his dog, and want to keep themfor a while, anyway. Now, if you'll promise me that you'll let themalone so long as I want them, I'll get the dog off; but if you won't,I'll just let you have it out with him."
Evil-Eye did not answer at once. Twisting his head, he looked aroundto see if any other of his companions were near; but there was not asoul in sight, and the storm was still raging.
"All right, Ben, I'll promise," he said sulkily; and then a craftygleam came into his baleful eye as he added, "And say, Ben, will yougive me half your share of this take if I stand by you for the boy?They'll be wanting him finished off, maybe."
Ben was about to say something bitter in reply, but checked himself asthough second thoughts were best. Yet he could not entirely concealhis contempt in his tone as he replied,--
"As you like. These two are what I want most this time. But, mindyou, Evil-Eye, if any harm comes to either of them through your doing,your own blood shall pay for it, so sure as my name's Ben Harden."Then, turning to Eric, he said,--
"Here, boy, you can call off your dog now."
Eric obeyed the directions at once. "Come here, Prince!" he commanded."Come to me, sir!"
Prince wagged his tail to indicate that he heard the order, but wasevidently in some doubt as to the wisdom of obeying it. According tohis way of thinking, the best place for Evil-Eye was just where he hadhim, and he would like to keep him there a while longer, anyway.
But Eric insisted, and at length the dog obeyed, and came over to him,turning, however, to glance back at Evil-Eye, as though he was justitching to tumble him over again.
Looking very much out of humour, Evil-Eye pulled himself together, andput his hand to his throat in order to make sure that Prince's teethhad done him no injury. Fortunately for him, the high collar of thegreatcoat he wore had been turned up all around to keep out the rain,and it had done him still better service by keeping out the mastiff'steeth. So he was really none the worse for the encounter beyondfeeling sulky at his discomfiture.
He now for the first time took a good look at Eric, who had also risento his feet, the excitement of the encounter having made him forget hispain and weakness.
"Humph! rather a likely lad," he grunted. "But he may give us troublesome time. Have you thought of that, Ben?"
"No; but it doesn't matter," answered Ben. "I'll warrant for his notgetting us into trouble. We can manage that all right when the timecomes."
"Humph! maybe. But it's a risk, all the same," returned Evil-Eye."But come, we must be off. We've lost too much time already."
The all-prevailing gloom of the day was already deepening into theearly dark of late autumn as the three set off across the sands. Thespray that the storm tore from the crests of the billows dashed intheir faces as they advanced. Eric could not have gone far had not Benthrown his brawny arm around him, and almost carried him along. Princetrotted quietly at his heels, having quite regained his composure, andresigned himself to the situation.
In this fashion they had gone some distance, and Evil-Eye, who had kepta little ahead, was about to turn off to the right toward the interiorof the island, when Prince suddenly sniffed the air eagerly, threw uphis head with a curious cry, half whine, half bark, and then boundedaway in the direction of the water. Eric stopped to watch him, andfollowing him closely with his eyes, saw that he ran up to a darkobject that lay stretched out upon the sand, about fifty yards away.The dog touched it with his nose, and then, lifting his head, gave along, weird howl, that so startled Eric as to make him forget hisweariness. Breaking away from Ben, who, indeed, made no effort todetain him, he hastened over to see what Prince had found.
Darkness was coming on, but before he had got half way to the object hecould make out that it was a human body, and a few steps nearer made itplain that the body was that of Major Maunsell.
Horror-stricken, yet hoping that the major might still be living, Ericrushed forward, and throwing himself down beside the motionless form,cried passionately,--
"Major Maunsell! What's the matter? Can't you look up? Oh, surelyyou're not dead!"
But the major made no response. Beyond all doubt his body was cold indeath, and as Eric looked upon the white, set face, he saw that hiscries were useless, and that his dear, kind friend had gone from himfor ever. He felt as though his heart would break, and glancing aroundthrough his tears at the two strange, rough-looking men upon whosemercy the storm had cast him, his own fate seemed so dark and doubtfulthat he almost wished that, like the major, he too was lying upon thesands in the same quiet sleep.
The discovery
of the major's death was a greater shock than the boy, inhis exhausted condition, could stand, and when, at the approach of themen, he attempted to rise, faintness overcame him once more, and hefell back unconscious.
When his senses returned, he found himself in a sort of bunk in onecorner of a large room containing a number of men, whose forms andfaces were made visible by the light from an immense wood-fire thatroared and crackled at the farther end of the room. There were atleast a score of these men, and, so far as he could make out, they wereall rough, shaggy, wild-looking fellows, like Ben and Evil-Eye. Thelatter he could see plainly, sitting beside a table with a bottlebefore him, from which he had just taken a deep draught.
The liquor apparently loosened his tongue, for glancing about him withhis single eye, whose fitful glare was frightful as the firelightflashed upon it, he began to talk vigorously to those who were sittingnear him. At first Eric paid no attention to what he was saying, butwhen Evil-Eye held up something for the others to admire, he leanedforward curiously to see what it was. There was not sufficient lightfor him to do this, but Evil-Eye came to his assistance by saying, inan exultant tone,--
"There's a ring for you, my hearties. It'll bring a pot of money, Iwager you. And it ought to. I had trouble enough getting it."
"How was that?" inquired a man at his side.
"The thing wouldn't come off--stuck on tight. Had to chop off thefinger before I could get it," replied the ruffian, turning the ringover so that the diamond which formed its centre might sparkle to thebest advantage for the benefit of his companions, not one of whom butenvied him his good luck in getting such a prize.
Eric now saw clearly enough what Evil-Eye was displaying. It was thecostly ring which Major Maunsell always wore upon the third finger ofhis left hand, and whose beauty Eric had many a time admired, for itheld a diamond of unusual size and of the purest water, which the majortold him had been a sort of heirloom in the Maunsell family for manygenerations. Eric's blood boiled at the thought of this ring being insuch a scoundrel's hands, and of the cruel way in which he had obtainedit, and only his utter weakness prevented him from springing atEvil-Eye and snatching the ring out of his hands.
Happily he had not the strength to carry out so rash an impulse, andwas forced to content himself with making a solemn resolve to getpossession of that ring in some manner, that it might be returned tothe major's family. Determination was one of the boy's most markedcharacteristics. Nothing short of the conviction that it was certainlyunattainable could deter him from anything upon which he had once sethis heart; and immense as the odds against him in the matter of thering might be, he vowed with all the vigour of his brave young heartthat he would do his utmost to regain his dead friend's precious jewel.
For the present, however, nothing could be done. He was a captive noless than the ring, and, for aught he knew, equally in the power ofthat brute in human form, who was evidently a leading spirit in thegroup of ruffians that occupied the room. Clearly enough, his one hopelay in attracting as little attention as possible. He looked anxiouslyabout the room in search of Ben, but could see nothing of him. Hisgood Prince, however, was stretched out upon the floor beside the bunk,sleeping as soundly as though he were in his own cozy quarters atOakdene. The sight of him comforted Eric not a little. So lonely didhe feel that he could not resist the temptation to awake his faithfulcompanion, so he called softly,--
"Prince, Prince, come here!"
At first the mastiff did not hear him, but Eric repeating the call, heawoke, looked up inquiringly, and then, rising slowly to his feet--forhe was very tired after the terrible passage through the surf--wentover and laid his huge head upon his master's breast.
"Dear old dog!" murmured Eric, fondling him lovingly. "O Prince! whatis to become of us? If we were only back in Oakdene again!" And then,as the awful thought rushed in upon his mind that perhaps neither henor Prince would ever see Oakdene again, or find their way to Dr.Copeland at Halifax, the tears he had been bravely keeping back couldno longer be restrained. Sobbing as though his heart would break, heclasped Prince's head tightly in his arms and gave himself up to hisgrief.
While poor Eric was thus giving way to his feelings, a number of menentered the room, one of them being Ben Harden. He went up to theweeping boy, and sitting down on the edge of the bunk, said in quite akindly tone,--
"What's the matter, my lad? Feeling homesick, eh? Well, I can't blameyou. It's a poor place you've come to. But cheer up, and make thebest of it. You'll feel better when you get rested."
With a great effort Eric gulped down his sobs and wiped away hisfast-falling tears. He felt much relieved at seeing Ben again, and didhis best to give him a smile of welcome as he said,--
"Oh, I'm so glad you've come. Everything seems so strange here."
A grim smile broke the habitual sternness of the big man's face.
"Strange! Yes; no doubt. It is a strange place. Perhaps you'll thinkit stranger before you leave it," said he--adding in an undertone tohimself, so that Eric hardly caught the words, "that is, if you ever doleave it."
A large pot hung on a kind of wooden crane before the fire, andpointing to it Ben asked Eric if he wouldn't like something to eat.Then, without waiting for a reply, he went over to the table, andpicking up a plate, proceeded to fill it from the pot, and having addeda spoon, brought it back to Eric.
Now, trouble may take away the appetite of older people, but with ahearty, healthy boy hunger may always be trusted to insist upon beingattended to. Eric had not tasted food since early morning, and it wasnow approaching midnight. Could any one who know anything about boysfind it in his heart to criticise him if the plateful of savoury stewvanished rapidly before his dexterous wielding of the spoon?
Ben was highly pleased at his _protege's_ vigorous appetite.
"Well done, my hearty!" he exclaimed. "That's the best kind of physicfor you. You'll soon be yourself again. Now, then, just you lie downand take a good snooze, and that'll finish the cure."
Eric was just about to throw himself back upon the pillow when hecaught sight of Prince, who had been watching him with eager eyes whilehe satisfied his hunger.
"My poor Prince!" he cried. "I was forgetting all about you.--Please,can't he have some dinner too?"
"Sartin!" said Ben. "The brute must be hungry. I'll give him a goodsquare meal." And filling a tin dish from the pot, he set it beforethe mastiff, who attacked it ravenously.
Eric felt decidedly better for his hearty meal. A luxurious sense ofwarmth and languor stole over him. He stretched himself out upon hiscomfortable couch, and in a few moments sank into a deep, dreamlesssleep. Prince having licked the dish until it shone again, resumed hisposition beside the bunk, and fell asleep also.