Black Bartlemy's Treasure Part 66

"Look'ee my hearty boys," says he, pointing to this furrow with his hook, "the first man as setteth foot athwart this line I send to h.e.l.l-fire along o' Tom Purdy yonder!"

"Ahoy the sh.o.r.e!" roared G.o.dby louder than ever, "who's for an honest life, a free pardon and a share in Black Bartlemy's Treasure--or shall it be a broadside? Here be every gun full charged wi'

musket-b.a.l.l.s--and 'tis point-blank range! Which shall it be?"

Once again rose a murmur that swelled to an angry muttering, and I saw Smiling Sam come creeping from the shadow of the cave.

"O Cap'n," he piped, "'Tis plaguy desperate business, here's some on us like to be b.l.o.o.d.y corpses--but I'm wi' you, Cap'n Roger, whether or no, 'tis me to your back!"

"To my back, Sammy? Why so you shall, lad, so you shall, but I'll ha'

your pistols first, Smiler--so!" And whipping the weapons from the great fellow's belt, Tressady gave them to Abnegation Mings where he lay in the shelter of a rock, and sitting down, crossed long legs and c.o.c.ked an eye at the heavens.

"Hearties all," quoth he, "the moon sinketh apace and 'twill be ill shooting for 'em in the dark, so with dark 'tis us for the boats--m.u.f.fled oars--we clap 'em aboard by the forechains larboard and starboard, and the ship is ours, bullies--ours!"

"Well and good, Cap'n!" piped Smiling Sam. "But how if she slip her cable and stand from us--"

"And how shall she, my fool lad, and the wind dropped? The wind's failed 'em and they lie helpless--"

"And that's gospel true, Cap'n. Aye, aye, we'm wi' you! Gi'e us the word, Cap'n!" quoth divers voices in fierce answer.

"O sink me!" groaned Mings, "here lies poor Abnegation shattered alow and aloft--O burn me, here's luck! But you'll take me along, Roger?

If Death boards me to-night I'd rayther go in honest fight than lying here like a sick dog--so you'll have me along, Roger?"

"Aye that will I, lad, that will I and--"

"Ahoy the sh.o.r.e!" roared G.o.dby's great voice again, "Let them rogue-dogs as'll turn honest mariners, them as is for England and a free pardon, stand by to come aboard and lively! In ten minutes we open fire wi' every gun as bears!"

Now here there brake forth a clamour of oaths, cries and dismayed questioning:

"Lord love us, what now, Cap'n? Is us to be murdered, look'ee? Doomed men we be, lads! Shall us wait to be shot, mates? What shall us do, Cap'n, what shall us do?"

"Lie low!" quoth Tressady, rising, "Bide still all and let no man stir till I give word. In half an hour or less 'twill be black dark--very well, for half an hour I'll hold 'em in parley, I'll speak 'em smooth and mighty friendly, here shall be no shooting. I'll hold 'em till the moon be down--and Smiler shall come wi' me--come, Sammy lad--come!"

So saying he turned and I watched him stride out upon that spit of sand hard by Bartlemy's tree and this great fat fellow trotting at his heels. Upon the edge of the tide Tressady paused and hailed loud and cheerily:

"Penfeather ahoy! O Adam Penfeather here come I Roger Tressady for word wi' you. Look'ee Adam, we've fought and run foul of each other this many a year--aye, half round the world and all for sake o' Black Bartlemy's Treasure as is mine by rights, Adam, mine by rights. Well now to-night let's, you and me, make an end once and for all one way or t'other. There's you wi' my ship--true, Adam, true! But here's me wi'

the island and the treasure, Adam, and the treasure. And what then?

Why then, says I, let's you and me, either come to some composition or fight it out man to man, Adam, man to man. So come ash.o.r.e, Captain Penfeather--you as do be blacker pirate than ever was Bartlemy--come out yonder on the reef alone wi' me and end it one way or t'other. Come ash.o.r.e, Adam, come ash.o.r.e if ye dare adventure!"

"Ahoy you, Tressady!" roared G.o.dby in reply, "Cap'n Adam is ash.o.r.e wi'

ye this moment--look astarn o' you, ye rogue!"

Round sprang Tressady as out from the dense shadow of Bartlemy's tree stepped Adam Penfeather himself. He stood there in the moonlight very still and viewing Tressady with head grimly out-thrust, his arms crossed upon his breast, a pistol in the fist and deadly menace in every line of his small, spare figure.

"I'm here, Tressady!" says he, his voice ringing loud and clear. "And I am come to make an end o' you this night. It hath been long a-doing--but I have ye at last, Roger."

"Be ye sure, Adam, so sure?"

"As death, Tressady, for I have ye secure at last."

"Bleed me but you're out there, Adam, you're out there! The boot's on t'other leg, for hereabouts do lie thirty and eight o' my lads watching of ye this moment and wi' finger on trigger."

"I know it!" says Adam nodding. "But there's never a one dare shoot me, for the first shot fired ash.o.r.e shall bring a whole broadside in answer, d'ye see. But as for you, Tressady, pray if you can, for this hour you hang."

"Hang is it, Adam?" says Tressady, and with swift glance towards the sinking moon, "And who's to do it--who?"

"There be thirty and eight shall swing ye aloft so soon as I give 'em the word, Tressady."

"You do talk rank folly, Adam, folly, and ye know it!" says he smiling and stealing furtive hand to the dagger in his girdle. "But and I should die this night I take you along wi' me and you can lay to--"

But he got no further, for Smiling Sam (and marvellous nimble) whipped up a stone, and leaping on him from behind smote him two murderous blows and, staggering helplessly, Tressady pitched forward upon his face and lay upon the verge of the incoming tide.

Beholding his handiwork, Smiling Sam uttered a thin, high-shrilling laugh, and spitting upon that still form kicked it viciously.

"Oho, Cap'n Penfeather," cries he, "'tis the Smiler hath saved ye the labour, look'ee! 'Tis Sam hath finished Tressady at last and be d.a.m.ned t' him! And now 'tis the Smiler as do be first to 'list wi' ye!" and he began to shamble across the sands; but pa.s.sing that rock where crouched Abnegation Mings he tripped and fell, and I saw the flash of Abnegation's knife as they rolled and twisted in the shadow of this rock, whiles, from this shadow, rose a shrill crying like the wail of a hurt child, and into the moonlight came a great, fat hand that clutched and tore at the sand then grew suddenly still, and with crooked fingers plunged deep into the sand like a white claw. Then, tossing aside his b.l.o.o.d.y knife, Abnegation Mings struggled to his feet and came staggering to kneel above his comrade Tressady and to turn up the pallid face of him to the moon.

And now Adam thrust away his pistols and with hands clasped behind him, turned to face the gloomy shadows of Skeleton Cove:

"Come out, sons o' dogs!" says he. "Step forward and show yourselves--and lively it is!" Ensued a moment's breathless pause, then, from bush and shadow and rocks, they stole forth these thirty and eight and, at Adam's harsh command, lined up before him shoulder and shoulder. "Well," says Adam, pacing slowly along their rank to peer into every sullen, hang-dog face. "Am I captain here? Aye or no?"

"Aye--aye!" they cried in eager chorus.

"And us was promised a free pardon, Cap'n!" quoth one.

"And a share of the treasure, Cap'n!" says another.

"And England, Cap'n!" cried a third. "There's some on us as do be honest sailor-men and forced to turn pirate in spite o' we--"

"Avast!" says Adam. "What I promise I stand by. But mark this! Let any man fail of his duty to me but once and I shoot that man or hang him out o' hand--is't understood?"

"Aye, aye, Cap'n--'tis agreed! We'll serve ye faithful and true," they cried.

"Why then, bring ropes!" says Adam, and with his new 'listed men at his heels, goes whither lay Tressady and with Abnegation Mings yet crouched above him.

What now was doing I might not see by reason of the crowd, but I heard the voice of Mings upraised in fierce invective, and the throng presently parting, beheld him trussed hand and foot and dragged along with Tressady towards Bartlemy's tree. There a noose was set about the neck of each, and the rope's ends cast over a branch. But as at Adam's command these miserable wretches were hauled aloft to their deaths, my lady uttered a cry of horror and grasped my arm in desperate hands.

"Martin!" she panted, "O Martin, 'tis horrible! Save them, this must not--shall not be--"

"'Tis but justice," says I, "these men are pirates and murderers--"

"This is no justice!" cries she breathlessly, her face all pale and drawn, "And these men are sore hurt beside--Ah G.o.d--look! Stop them, Martin--O stop them! Nay then I will!" And here, or ever I could let or stay her, she begins to clamber down into the cove. Howbeit, quick and sure-footed though she was, I was presently before her and so came running, knife in hand. Nor was I any too soon, for as I reached the tree Tressady and Mings were dragged, choking, from their feet; but with a couple of strokes my keen knife had cut those deadly ropes asunder, and as the two fell gasping on the sand I turned to stare into the scowling eyes of Adam Penfeather.

Now as I stood thus someone spoke 'twixt sigh and groan: "Bartlemy--'tis Bartlemy!" and the word was taken up by others, "Bartlemy--Black Bartlemy!" and all men fell back from me whiles Adam scowled at me above levelled pistol.

"Hold off--Adam!" I panted. "Let be, Adam Penfeather--let be!"

"What?" says he, peering, "And is it--Martin? Lord love me, now what fool's ploy is this?"

"What you will," quoth I, "only here has been enough of death for one night--"

"'Tis but you do think so, Martin, and you was ever a fool! I came ash.o.r.e to see these two rogues hang, and hang they shall!"