CHAPTER VII.
TAKEN ASHORE.
Neither Jack or Ronie had a full realization of what followed. Thesound of a voice that seemed to be muffled rang dimly in their ears,and soon after strong arms lifted them bodily from the water, to placethem in the bottom of a boat. Some one spoke in a language they couldnot understand, when the boat started back to the larger craft awaitingits return. By the time they had been taken upon the deck of thisstrange sloop both had recovered sufficiently to understand theirsituation.
A motley-looking crew stood around them, but they did not give theseparticular attention at the time, as one who was in command immediatelycaught their notice. He was a stout-framed, bewhiskered man of middleage, and in spite of his foreign dress, plainly an American. But heseemed to be the only American on board the sloop. Prefacing hisquestion with an oath, he demanded:
"Who are you, and where did you come from?"
Understanding the suspicious character of the _Libertador_, Jack waswise enough not to acknowledge that they had come from that vesseluntil he should deem it good policy to do so. Accordingly he answered:
"We are two castaways who fell overboard from a ship just out fromMaracaibo."
"Pretty seamen!" declared the other, showing that he scouted the idea."Is it a trick of yours to fall overboard every time you step on deck?"
"We were only passengers," replied Jack. "As you will see, likeyourself, we are Americans, who have come to this country with peacefulintentions."
"As if anybody was peaceful at such a time as this. What are yournames?"
"Mine is Jack Greenland, and my friend's is Roland Rand," replied Jack,respectfully.
"Names are nothing," grunted the other. "You look like drowned rats.If you will go below with one of the men he will see that you have achange of clothing."
"We do not care for that, sir, Captain----"
"Captain Hawkins, sirrah. If you prefer wet duds to dry ones it is notmy fault. Shift for yourselves while I look after my men, who are aslazy a lot of devils as ever swore in Spanish."
Jack and Ronie were in a dilemma. While they hesitated about arousingfurther the other regarding their identity, it seemed cowardly not tosay or do something for Harrie and Francisco, whom they believed afloatin the boat, though not certain of this. Exchanging a few hurriedwords, Jack then ventured to address the captain again, though he felthe was treading upon dangerous ground. There was that air of mysteryabout the sloop and those who manned her, which already created afeeling in the breasts of our twain of doubt as to the honesty of thecraft. What was this single American doing in these waters with aVenezuelan crew, not one of whom did they believe could speak a word ofEnglish, and certainly not one of whom appeared as if he would shrinkfrom cutting a man's throat in case that person stood between him andany purpose he may have had in view.
"Captain Hawkins," said Jack, frankly and fearlessly, "we wish to askwhither you are bound. We realize we are under great favor to you, butwe are very anxious to learn the fate of a couple of friends whom wehave reason to believe were adrift at the time we found ourselves inthe sea."
"Humph!" grunted the captain. "I should like to know what you expectof me. You may thank your stars that I am an American, as that factalone has spared your lives."
"For which we are very grateful. But for the sake----"
"If you haven't been on this craft long enough to know that I am hermaster it's because you ---- ---- idiots, and fit food for the fishesonly. I will leave you at the first sod of earth that I see. Is thatenough?"
It was a trying situation. It was evident that it would be worse thanuseless to continue this subject under his present mood.
"They are better off than we were," declared Jack, aside to Ronie."That is, if they really gained the boat."
"I would give a good deal to know," said Ronie.
"Captain Hawkins is tacking ship," declared Jack, a moment later.
"What does that mean?"
"I cannot tell, unless, by the great horn of rock--Gibraltar, if youplease! he means to keep his word, and run us ashore at the first pointof land to be reached."
"That will take us away from Harrie," said Ronie.
"Too true, lad; too true!"
"Jack, what do you make of Captain Hawkins and his men?"
"They are greater mysteries to me than the officers and crew of the_Libertador_. I set them down at once as pirates, but these fellowsstump me out of my boots. All we can do is to watch and wait. Theyhave done us one good turn, anyway."
Standing by the rail of this strange sloop, Jack and Ronie watched insilence the scenes that followed. Dark clouds had again risen on thesky, obscuring the stars in the west, while throwing a gloom over thesea far and wide. Captain Hawkins paid no further attention to them,but appeared oblivious of their presence.
"Are all of the ships that ply in these waters like those we havefound?" asked Ronie, in a low tone.
"Not all, lad," replied Jack; "but I fear by far too many have followedin the wake of Sir Henry Morgan and his buccaneers. By my faith, lad,we must be going over very nearly the same course pursued by thatinfamous outlaw of the sea when he sailed with his expedition to sackthe coast of Venezuela in the last half of the seventeenth century. In1668 he captured the important city of Puerto Bello, the booty obtainedamounting to over 250,000 pieces of eight, to say nothing of richmerchandise and precious gems. Encouraged in his unholy warfare bythese ill-gotten gains, he rallied his lawless forces for another raid.So, early in 1669, he sailed with fifteen vessels and 800 men in thisdirection, making the rich city of Maracaibo his object. Again successcame to him, and at that city and Panama he reaped a greater harvest ofspoils than he had done at Puerto Bello. But this time Spain had gotwind of his intentions, and sent a mighty squadron to intercept andcapture him. At last it seemed as though the bold outlaw must yield,but his daring stood him still in hand, and by a sudden and unexpectedswoop upon his unsuspecting foe he carried confusion and dismay intotheir midst, burning several of their ships and actually routing thefleet. There was still a blockading fort to pass, but throwing hiscolors to the breeze, now bearing directly down upon the guns, and thenveering off, he succeeded in running the gantlet without the loss of avessel.
"As may be imagined, Morgan was king of the buccaneers now. Did heneed more men he had but to say so, and they flocked to his standard byscores. So a year later, in command of thirty-seven vessels and overtwo thousand men, he started upon the most difficult and the mostaudacious expedition ever planned by the wild outlaws of this coast.The outcome was too horrible to contemplate. The Spaniards foughtwell, for their all was at stake, but against the demoniac followers ofa man who knew neither mercy nor hesitation in carrying out hisinfamous purposes. Panama was laid in ruins, and her unhappyinhabitants were nearly all inhumanly butchered or spared to fates evenworse. Following this terrible expedition, the infamous leader wasknighted by an infamous king, and for a time it seemed as if his evildeeds were to bear him only fruits of contented peacefulness. But itwas not long before his old spirit began to reassert itself, he fellinto trouble, was seized for some of his crimes, thrown into prison,where his history ends in oblivion."
Ronie was about to speak, when the cry of "land--oh!" came from thelookout, when their attention was quickly turned toward a dark linethat had seemed to come up on the distant horizon.
"The sloop is about to lay to," declared Jack.
"And it looks as if they were going to lower a boat," added Ronie.
"By the horn of rock--Gibraltar, if you please! that is what they aredoing. I wonder what is on hand now?"
They were kept in suspense but a short time, when Captain Hawkinsapproached them, saying:
"Whatever else Jerome Hawkins may have to answer for, it cannot be saidthat he ever failed to keep his word. You said you wanted to go toVenezuela. Yonder lies its shore, and I bid you a hearty God-speed.No thanks, sirrah," as Jack was about to speak, "you go your way andI'll
go mine."
Without further words he turned upon his heel, and our twain had nofurther opportunity to exchange speech with him. A moment later theywere ordered by gestures more forcible than speech to enter the boat,and knowing they could do no better, they obeyed. A crew of fouraccompanied them, and in a short time the keel of the boat grated uponthe sandy shore of a point of land jutting out into the sea.
Understanding what was expected of them, and knowing it would availnothing to resist, Jack and Ronie sprang out upon the land. Withouteven a parting gesture, the boatmen started upon their return to thesloop, whose dark hull loomed up gloomily in the distance. So intensewas the feeling of the utter loneliness hanging over the hapless couplethat neither of them spoke until they had seen the boat reach thestrange sloop and the four seamen climb to the deck, when Jack said:
"Well, my lad, we are in Venezuela at last."
"But how different is our coming from what we had expected."