Across the Spanish Main Part 16

Roger remained for some moments sitting, and lost in thought; then, rising, he placed the blanket over the dead man's face and went outside the hut. He determined to go and find his two sailors, and inform them of what had happened, so that they might come and a.s.sist him in burying the body at once; for in that climate it was necessary to bury a body as soon as possible after death, for sanitary reasons.

The lad had not gone very far from the hut when he remembered that he was still holding the packet of papers in his hand; so he slipped them into the pocket where he always kept the other cipher. But as he did so he paused for a moment and then drew the papers forth again, determined there and then to compare the two ciphers, for he felt almost positive in his own mind that the two ciphers would be found to be identical. He therefore sat down at the foot of a palm-tree in the shade, and, undoing the packet, compared the two papers, finding, as he antic.i.p.ated, that the ciphers were written in exactly the same terms. "Therefore,"

thought Roger, "the spy of Alvarez managed after all to evade the musket-b.a.l.l.s fired at him, and succeeded in conveying the cipher to Alvarez. No wonder that the Spaniard was so anxious to find his papers that day in the cabin of the _Gloria del Mundo_!"

Having satisfied himself on this point, he returned the papers to his pocket, b.u.t.toned up his jacket again, and continued on his way to find the sailors. They presently made their appearance, thus saving him the trouble of searching for them, and he saw that they were laden with as much fish as they could carry. They explained that they had caught far more than was necessary for present use, but that they intended to try the experiment of drying it in the sun, even as they had done with the turtle's flesh, thus--in the event of success--providing a store of food against any contingency that might arise.

Roger, of course, returned with the men, and on the way back recounted to them the fact of poor Evans's death, and of his desire to bury the body at once.

The three were soon back at the hut, and, choosing a spot at some distance from it, dug a grave in the sand with sharpened pieces of wood, as they had no other implements. The hole having presently been made sufficiently deep, they returned to the palm-grove, and laying a blanket on the floor, placed the inanimate body thereon. Then, Bevan taking one end of the blanket and Irwin the other, they carried the corpse away to its lonely grave, and reverently laid it therein. This done, Roger, kneeling by the grave-side, said a prayer, whilst the seamen stood by with bared heads, after which the sand was shovelled back, and a small mound raised over the grave.

The death of Evans affected the three survivors more or less during the remainder of the day; they were all very silent and thoughtful, and turned in early to sleep. About midnight Roger awoke with a vague sense of some impending evil. He turned and turned again upon his hard couch, but found it impossible to sleep. After a time he began to feel that there was a something missing to which he had been accustomed. He racked his brain over and over again, vainly trying to remember what it was, but for some time without success. Then it came suddenly upon him that the usual faint reflection of the glow which the big fire at the beach had been wont to throw round the hut was absent. Quickly getting into a few clothes, he stepped out of the hut, and saw that the moon in her first quarter was rising high in the heavens, giving just sufficient light for him to distinguish objects faintly. He therefore did not take the lantern with him, but at once walked away down to the beach, where he found the fire out and cold. They had forgotten to replenish it before turning in for the night. He took out his tinder-box, in order to get a light, when he happened to look up, and to seaward. And there, before his astonished gaze, he saw a vessel riding at anchor about two miles from the sh.o.r.e. In the first paroxysm of his joy, Roger was about to call aloud, imagining the craft to be one of the vessels of Cavendish's squadron; but on looking again, and studying the craft more closely, he saw that she was altogether different from any of the vessels in the fleet. He was wondering who or what she could be, when Evans's description of a certain ship flashed across his mind. Yes, there she certainly was, exactly as Evans had described--the black, long, and low-lying hull, the flush deck, the schooner rig, and the enormously tall, tapering, and raking spars! Yes, in that moment Roger knew her for what she was.

She was the pirate schooner of Jose Leirya!

The man had doubtless missed his papers, and, guessing who had taken them, had come back to secure them. Evidently knowing the bad landing, Leirya was waiting for daylight before attempting to send his boats ash.o.r.e.

"Six hours more of darkness!" thought Roger, and he bounded back to the hut as fast as he could go. He awoke the two seamen, and told them all in a few words. They were naturally overwhelmed with consternation, not knowing what to do. But said Roger: "I have a plan that may possibly save us. We must put all our provisions back in the casks, and bury them in the sand. Then we must hide everything that we brought ash.o.r.e, leaving out only poor Evans's belongings. The new hut we must, of course, leave--they will think that Evans built that himself,--but we must remove from it every trace of our own presence on the islet. Then, poor fellow, we must unearth his body and lay it in the hut, covering him up. When they come ash.o.r.e in the morning, as of course they will, they will see that he is recently dead, and will not dream that he has been once buried already, if we are careful to remove all traces. It will naturally be thought that he died here alone and untended. We must be very careful to efface every sign of our presence here, and leave only such things as Evans had when we arrived, or may be reasonably supposed to have collected from the beach. Then, as to hiding ourselves--At the extreme seaward end of the rocks, where you to-day caught your fish, there is a hollow big enough to conceal a dozen men; I particularly noticed it when I was on the spot. We must take some food and water, and hide there until the pirates leave. They will not attempt to land at that place, for the reason that a boat could not be safely put alongside the rocks; and if we carefully hide everything belonging to ourselves they will not suspect that anyone else is here, and will not search. Now we must be quick, for our lives depend upon it. If we are found we shall certainly die horribly. Quick now, men!

we must do everything that has to be done, and be safely hidden before daybreak, or we shall be seen."

CHAPTER TWELVE.

NARROW ESCAPES OF THE CASTAWAYS--THE SQUADRON HEAVES IN SIGHT AGAIN.

The seamen needed no second bidding. From Roger's description it could be none other than the pirate vessel, and both knew what their fate would be if they were so unfortunate as to be discovered by the pirates.

Rapidly throwing on their clothes, they came out of the hut, and an examination of the vessel over the top of the bank convinced them that Roger's statement was only too true.

"How about the flag though, sir?" said Bevan. "If they have seen that-- and it is almost certain that they have--they will think there are others here, and will search. It will be no use hiding then; for if they believe anybody else to be here, they will search till they find us."

"I think we need not greatly trouble about the flag," responded Roger.

"They will imagine that poor Evans set up the staff and flag before he died, in the hope of attracting attention; they will hardly trouble to examine it closely enough to discover that it is made of two red shirts.

Besides, for aught that they know, Evans might have taken two red shirts ash.o.r.e with him in his chest when he was marooned. No, it matters not if the flag has been seen. But come along, men; every moment lost now only increases our danger."

They forthwith set to work in grim earnest, labouring for their lives.

The casks were rolled out of the store, and holes were scooped in the sand for their reception. To bury them was not a long job. They took care, however, to set aside some provisions and water for their use while in hiding. Next came the job of burying their simple utensils, such as they were, and also the sh.e.l.l of the turtle. Then there was the gruesome task of digging up the body of poor Evans. It had to be done, and the sooner the better, as Roger said; so all three went to the unpleasant duty. The mound of sand was removed, the tilling taken out, and they presently came upon the body. The sand was brushed from the hair and clothing of the corpse, and it was then carried to the hut, placed in its previous position, and covered with the blanket in which it had been buried.

This completed their preparations for the pirates' landing--for it was certain that they would land; otherwise why should they have returned to the island? Their work had lasted longer than they thought, and away to the east the first sign of dawn was apparent by the time they had finished. They knew the marvellous rapidity with which the day comes and goes in those regions, and recognised the need for haste if they were to gain their proposed place of concealment unperceived; for there would certainly be sharp eyes on board the pirate, looking for the first sign of the marooned man. They therefore took, each man, his share of the provisions, and, keeping carefully below the concealing top of the sand-bank, started to run at their utmost speed for the ledge of rocks which was to be their refuge.

Meanwhile daylight was coming with terrible rapidity. The sh.o.r.e extremity of the ledge of rocks was reached after what seemed an eternity, and they began their pa.s.sage out along it as fast as they could go. It was dangerous going among the rocks, but danger, frightful danger, spurred them on. Looking seaward they could make out the hull of the pirate vessel quite distinctly, and they all prayed that they might not be so easily perceived. At last they reached the hollow among the rocks, which was to be their haven of refuge, and tumbled over one another into it.

Having at length got their breath, Jake Irwin put forward the sensible suggestion that they should take their morning meal at once; and they proceeded to do so, all, however, with a very unpleasant feeling that it might quite possibly be their last. They finished with a hearty draught of brandy-and-water, to put some spirit into them after their toilsome night's work, Bevan and Irwin having taken especial care to bring a good quant.i.ty of the liquor along. Then they scrambled cautiously up and had a look at the schooner, taking care to remain well hidden themselves.

They were, in their present position, much nearer to the pirate vessel than when they first saw her, and, as the sun got up and shone on her stern, they could, with some little difficulty, make out her name--the _Black Pearl_,--which was painted in large red letters across her counter. Presently signs of returning life were apparent on board, and soon afterwards a boat was filled with men and lowered. It pushed off as soon as it touched the water, and made for the sh.o.r.e.

How fortunate was it, thought Roger, and how much like a special dispensation of Providence for their safety, that they had forgotten to replenish the fire on the night before! Had it been burning, the pirates would have known that living beings were on the island, for Evans's body gave evidence that it had been dead too long for them to suppose that a fire lit by him would still be burning. The remains of it they certainly would see, but they would doubtless believe that Evans had made it, and that it had gone out after his death, little dreaming that at the moment when they let go their anchor the ashes could have been scarcely cold.

While these thoughts were pa.s.sing through Roger's mind, the boat landed, and her people got out and proceeded quickly up the beach. A shout presently announced that they had caught sight of the new hut, toward which all hands at once wended their way. For some time nothing was seen or heard of the pirates; but eventually three of them went down to the beach again, and, entering the boat, pulled off to the ship.

"Going to inform Leirya that the victim of his cruelty is dead,"

whispered Roger to Bevan; and the latter nodded.

After the boat had remained some few minutes alongside the _Black Pearl_, a man of enormous size was seen to descend the ship's side and enter her, when she again pushed off, and was pulled sh.o.r.ewards once more.

"I'll stake my allowance of grog for the day," whispered Jake Irwin to the two others, "that that man in the stern-sheets there, handlin' the tiller, is Jose Leirya hisself, comin' ash.o.r.e to make sure that the man is really dead, and to secure they there papers what Evans said he stole from the cabin; that's what's brought him back, I'll warrant. It's a pity you didn't remember, sir, to take 'em from the body. Evans said they was vallyble."

Roger, according to his promise, did not inform Jake that he had the papers in his possession at that moment.

"Ss--sh!" whispered Jake, suddenly withdrawing his head from its point of lookout, "here they come! G.o.d in heaven! why don't they go back to the ship now they see as Evans is dead? What more do they want?

Surely, sir, we didn't leave nothin' about that'd show 'em we was here, did we? I thought we cleared away all our traces."

"So we did," replied Roger, "so far as I can remember, that is. It is perhaps only by chance that they are coming this way."

The men came nearer and nearer, and ventured out a little way along the rocks. Presently they heard a voice at some distance away shout in Spanish: "Ha, you, Gomez, go out to the end of that ledge and see if the water is deep enough for boats to lie alongside the rocks."

A voice replied: "Ay, ay, Captain!" from a point so close to them that its owner must have come almost to their hiding-place without the fugitives either seeing or hearing him.

The three looked at one another, and then, as if the same thought had come to each of them at the same moment, they with one accord advanced cautiously and stationed themselves behind a rock by which the man must pa.s.s to reach the edge of the ledge. Here, where they now were, everything that might transpire would be screened from the others, unless some of them were following Gomez out along the ledge. But they must risk that. Crouching low, and as silent as watching cats, they waited for the man Gomez.

In a moment or two they heard his footsteps on the rocks, and his heavy breathing. Nearer and nearer he came, and now he was almost on them!

Then with a spring they had him, and he was down among the rocks before he could utter a sound. Quick as lightning Jake pushed a handful of sand and sea-weed into the Spaniard's mouth, and clapped his hand over it to prevent its ejection, Roger and Bevan at the same instant seizing the man's arms and legs. The eyes of Gomez were staring and starting out of his head with mortal terror at this utterly unexpected attack.

Jake drew his knife. Roger shook his head violently in dissent, but Jake whispered hastily: "It must be, sir; we can't help it; it is his life or ours!"

Roger turned his head away, and the next moment he heard a horrible choke and gurgle, while the body writhed violently as he held the arms.

A flood of something hot rushed over his hands and arms, and he felt quite sick.

"Now, sir, quick!" said Jake. "It's our only chance. There's an overhanging ledge of rock here. We must take the provisions, and this 'ere corpse, and git into the water, floatin' under the ledge until they goes; for when this chap Gomez is found to be missin', they'll search and find us if we don't do as I say. We must risk the sharks!"

There was clearly nothing else for it; so they slipped in, taking the corpse with them, and all got under the ledge--which quite concealed them--and supported the dead body, that it might not float away and betray them.

The proceeding was fraught with danger, as sharks swarmed in those waters, and the blood that was oozing from the Spaniard's body would be almost certain to attract those monsters of the sea,--their scent for blood being very keen. The flesh of the fugitives crept, and the knowledge that one of them might be seized kept them in a state of perfectly agonising suspense. They had been in for some time, and the position was becoming unendurable when: "Gomez, Gomez, where are you?

Hasten, man; we do not want to wait here all day!" came from the very ledge underneath which they were floating, and holding, meanwhile, the corpse of the man who was then being called by name.

"Where can he be, curse him?" growled the same voice. "What has become of the lazy hound? Carrajo, I will flog him when we get on board!

Gomez!"

There was, of course, no reply.

"He may have fallen in and been drowned, or taken by a shark, perchance," suggested another voice.

More oaths followed, together with a lengthy dissertation on Gomez's ancestors, both immediate and remote. At this moment Bevan gave vent to a suppressed gasp, and, following his gaze, the others saw the dorsal fins of several sharks which had evidently scented the blood still draining from the body of the slain man, and were now searching for their prey. Then the concealed listeners heard--from someone who had evidently been to the edge of the ledge to search for the missing man--

"I have looked, Captain, and Gomez is nowhere to be found."

There were more awful oaths from Jose--for it was indeed that renowned and most notorious scoundrel,--and then he again spoke:

"He must have fallen in and been drowned--curses on him for a clumsy fool! Yes; and there are the sharks that have taken his worthless carca.s.s. Come, you; we will return to the schooner. It is useless to search further for him, for he will never come back."

Meanwhile the sharks were coming ever closer and closer still, while the footsteps of the pirate and his companions were heard retreating. The minds of the hiding trio _were_ much relieved at the departure of Jose Leirya and his villains, and particularly at Jose's mention of his intention to return to the vessel; but the suspense of waiting for them to retire, while the sharks were edging ever nearer and nearer, was awful. The triangular fins of these terrible monsters were now darting rapidly hither and thither, and at every dart the voracious fish came nearer than before. Momentarily they expected to see one or more of the fins disappear below the surface, and they knew that when that happened they might antic.i.p.ate seizure by the shark a few seconds later. But as yet the fins remained visible on the surface of the water.