Dutch the Diver Part 51

"You can serve him out by-and-by, as you call it--some day when he is diving," he added, with a peculiar look.

Oak.u.m gave a savage growl like that of a bear, and glared at Dutch, who was now half forced below, hurt in mind, but very slightly in body, for Oak.u.m's clumsy stab had gone between his ribs and arm, merely tearing his jacket.

Laure gave his orders, then Oak.u.m took the command, and, the men readily obeying, the anchors were hove up, and, after their long stay, the schooner sails were once more shaken out, and the vessel began to glide gently along through the limpid waters of the beautiful bay.

During the next two days the Cuban kept a suspicious watch over Sam, but as he went direct at his work with a good deal of ardour, and knocked 'Pollo down for coming up smiling at him, he rose greatly in Laure's favour; and on the third morning, when the Cuban came on deck and saw Sam busily scanning with his gla.s.s the sh.o.r.e along which they had coasted, he came and laid his hand upon his shoulder.

"You know the next place, then?" he said.

"Well, I dunno whether it's the same as your'n," said Sam, with a grin.

"Mine lies just under that bit of an island off yon point."

"Where the rocks lie piled up like an old castle, and there's a little cove only about big enough to take this ship?" said the Cuban.

"That's him, capen," said Oak.u.m, showing his yellow teeth. "Say, I think it ought to be another hundred bars, capen, for this."

"Wait and see, my man. If it turns out as well as the last, I may behave handsomely to you; at any rate, if you serve me well, I shall not be shabby--handsome--shabby, that is what you say, is it not?"

"I say handsome," said Oak.u.m quietly, "never mind the shabby."

That afternoon the schooner was comfortably moored over where the sunken vessel lay, and this time there was no difficulty in finding the place, for about six fathoms below the surface the black timbers could be seen, and the Cuban rubbed his hands with glee, telling Oak.u.m that this would be the richest find, as it was here he had himself dived and obtained the ingots.

"And was the tother one of the places you knowed of?" said Sam.

"Yes," replied the Cuban; "and I know of far more yet."

"Didn't you dive down at t'other place?"

"No," said the Cuban, lighting a cigar. "I sent down a black, who was a splendid swimmer--one of my slaves."

"Suppose he goes and clears off the silver unbeknownst to you?" said Sam, grinning.

"He will not do that," said the Cuban, quietly exhaling a cloud of smoke.

"How do you know, capen?" said Oak.u.m. "I never trusts n.i.g.g.e.rs," and as he spoke he scowled at 'Pollo, who was crossing the deck, and who slunk away.

"Because he is gone where I should send any man who was likely to prove treacherous to me," said Laure, in a low, hissing whisper. "That fellow began to talk too much, and one night he fell overboard--somehow. It is impossible to say how."

The two men stood gazing in each other's eyes for a few moments, and then the Cuban added slowly--

"I never boast, and I never forgive. A man is a fool to his own interests who tries to escape me. Your worthy employers thought that they had quite got rid of me, and had the field open to themselves. You see where they are? Now, if such a man as that old Rasp were to play fast and loose with me, that old man would die. Don't tell him I said so; it would make him uncomfortable, and it is better a man should not know that he is likely to die. Take a cigar, my good friend Oak.u.m."

"Thanky, no, capen, I always chews," said Sam; and then, as the other moved and went forward, Sam added, "He's a devil, that's what he is--a devil."

Old Rasp was sitting on a coil of rope close at hand polishing up one of the helmets ready for the morrow's use, and just then the two men's eyes met, and a peculiar wink was exchanged, but they did not speak; and the rest of the evening was spent in making preparations for the morrow's descents.

Since he had been on deck, Sam Oak.u.m had once or twice seen a little canary, one that Mr Wilson used to pet a good deal, feeding it and training it so that it would sit on his finger, and feed from his hand, and this bird set him thinking.

Quite half the birds were dead, but there were several surviving, thanks to 'Pollo, who had given the little things seed and water, and cleaned out their cages. He had begun to talk to Oak.u.m about them, but the old sailor turned upon him savagely.

"You go and attend to your pots and pans," he roared, "you black lubber;" and 'Pollo shrunk from him with a frightened, injured air; and as the black crept away Oak.u.m suspected that the Cuban was close at hand, as he always was whenever either of the seceded party spoke together.

"Poor old 'Pollo!" said Sam to himself, as he sat down opposite the cage and began thinking.

"Now, I wonder, little matey," he said softly, "whether, if I let you loose, you'd find your master, and take him a message."

He sat thinking for a while, and then shook his head.

"No, I'm sartain it wouldn't do; no, not even if you could talk like a poll parrot."

He strolled on deck, and saw that there was a sentry by the broken skylight and another by the cabin hatch, and this was always the case, for the Cuban kept up the strictest discipline, one so perfect that if anything like it had been the rule under Captain Studwick the vessel could not have been taken.

Sam watched his opportunity, too, when the prisoners came on deck, but he soon found that any attempt to obtain a word with either, even if they had not avoided his glance, would have been fatal to the enterprise which he had in hand.

"I shall have to take to the bird," he said at last, and at daybreak the next morning he opened its cage door, and the little thing flitted out upon deck, and seemed thoroughly to enjoy its liberty, flying into the rigging, chirping, and ending by descending the cabin hatch, attracted thereto by a peculiar whistle, but after a time it came up again, suffered itself to be caught and replaced in its cage.

"That'll do," said Sam to himself, and he went about his work, while that morning the whole of the diving apparatus was rigged up, and Rasp carefully inspected the ground.

"It's all right," he said to the Cuban. "Now, then, have 'em up. Here, let's send old Parkley down."

Mr Parkley was summoned on deck, and his first idea was to refuse to descend.

"You'd better go down," said Rasp grinning. "If you don't go with the soot on it's my belief that you'll have to go down without."

There was no help for it, and he put on the diving-dress and went down, Dutch being summoned on deck directly after, to find Laure and his men all armed; and he felt that resistance was vain, and he, too, went down, and then with Mr Parkley worked to clear away the sand and weeds that had collected in the hold of the vessel.

A few ingots were found and sent up directly, but it was evident to both, as they compared notes, that the work of many days must follow before they could get at the bulk of the treasure that lay below.

And so another day pa.s.sed, Dutch still finding, to his delight, as he went below, that the desire for the treasure was still the prominent feeling in Laure's mind.

The next morning, at daybreak, Mr Wilson was first astir, and Dutch had just joined him to sit by the cabin window and enjoy the fresh morning breeze, which was deliciously cool, when a bright, sharp chirp was heard, and the canary flew down through the broken skylight and alighted on the table.

"d.i.c.k, d.i.c.k!" cried Mr Wilson, with the tears of joy in his eyes, "pretty d.i.c.k;" and the little thing flew on to his finger, turning its head first on one side and then on the other, as it looked up in his face with its bright beady eye.

"What's that under its wing?" said Dutch, sharply.

"Paper," was the reply; and, sure enough, tightly tied beneath the little pinion was a tiny piece of doubled-up paper, which, on being opened out, bore these words in pencil:

"Keep a steady hand at the wheel, and wait. Friends on board. Work and wait."

"Can that mean treachery?" said Dutch doubtfully; and, going to their berths, he read the words softly to the captain and Mr Parkley, and asked their opinions as well as that of the doctor.

"No," said the latter; "that's no treachery, but from a friend."

"I see it all," whispered Dutch, with his face flushed with joy.

"What do you mean?" said the captain.

"I knew old Oak.u.m and Rasp could not be such scoundrels. Their behaviour was all a blind. They are our friends."