Mr. Fortescue Part 38

"Dearest Angela!" I said, kissing her hand, "you make me almost too happy.

Never will I leave Quipai without you."

"And never will I leave it without you. But let us not talk of leaving Quipai. Where can we be happier than here with the dear abbe? But what will he say?"

"He will give us his blessing. His most ardent wish is that I should be your husband and his successor."

"How good he is? And I, wicked girl that I am, repay his goodness with base ingrat.i.tude. Ah me! How shall I tell him?"

"You repay his goodness with base ingrat.i.tude? You speak in riddles, my Angela."

"Since the waves washed me to his feet, a little child, the abbe has cherished me with all the tenderness of a mother, all the devotion of a father. He has been everything to me; and now you are everything to me. I love you better than I love him. Don't you think I am a wicked girl?" And she put her arm within mine, and looking at me with love-beaming eyes, caressing my cheek with her hand.

"I will grant you absolution, and award you no worse penance than an embrace, _ma fille cherie_," said the abbe, who had returned to the veranda just in time to overhear Angela's confession. "I rejoice in your happiness, _mignonne_. To-day you make two men happy--your lover and myself. You have lightened my mind of the cares which threatened to darken my closing days. The thought of leaving you without a protector and Quipai without a chief was a sore trouble. Your husband will be both. Like Moses, I have seen the Promised Land, and I shall be content."

"Talk not of dying, dear father or you will make me sad," said Angela, putting her arms round his neck.

"There are worse things than dying, my child. But you are quite right; this is no time for melancholy forebodings. Let us be happy while we may; and since I came to Quipai, sixty years ago, I have had no happier day than this."

As the only law at Quipai was the abbe's will, and we had neither settlements to make, trousseaux to prepare, nor house to get ready (the abbe's house being big enough for us all), there was no reason why our wedding should be delayed, and the week after Angela and I had plighted our troth, we were married at the church of San Cristobal.

The abbe's wedding-present to Angela was a gold cross studded with large uncut diamonds. Where he got them I had no idea, but I heard afterward--and something more.

All this time nothing, save vague generalities, had pa.s.sed between us on the subject of religion--rather to my surprise, for priests are not wont to ignore so completely their _raison d'etre_, but I subsequently found that Balthazar, albeit a devout Christian, was no bigot. Either his early training, his long isolation from ecclesiastical influence, or his communings with Nature had broadened his horizon and spiritualized his beliefs. Dogma sat lightly on him, and he construed the apostolic exhortations to charity in their widest sense. But these views were reserved for Angela and myself. With his flock he was the Roman ecclesiastic--a sovereign pontiff--whom they must obey in this world on pain of being d.a.m.ned in the next. For he held that the only ways of successfully ruling semi-civilized races are by physical force, personal influence, or their fear of the unseen and the unknown. At the outset Balthazar, having no physical force at his command, had to trust altogether to personal influence, which, being now re-enforced by the highest religious sanctions, made his power literally absolute. Albeit Quipai possessed neither soldiers, constables, nor prison, his authority was never questioned; he was as implicitly obeyed as a general at the head of an army in the field.

I have spoken of the abbe's communings with Nature. I ought rather to have said his searchings into her mysteries; for he was a shrewd philosopher and keen observer, and despite the disadvantages under which he labored, the scarcity of his books, and the rudeness of his instruments, he had acquired during his long life a vast fund of curious knowledge which he placed unreservedly at my disposal. I became his pupil, and it was he who first kindled in my breast that love of science which for nearly three-score years I have lived only to gratify.

CHAPTER XXIX.

THE ABBe'S LEGACY.

Life was easy at Quipai, and we were free from care. On the other hand, we had so much to do that time sped swiftly, and though we were sometimes tired we were never weary. The abbe made me the civil governor of the mission, and gave orders that I should be as implicitly obeyed as himself.

My duties in this capacity, though not arduous, were interesting, including as they did all that concerned the well-being of the people, the maintenance of the _azequia_, and the irrigation of the oasis. My leisure hours were spent in study, working in the abbe's laboratory, and with Angela, who nearly always accompanied me on my excursions to the head of the aqueduct which, as I have already mentioned was at the foot of the snow-line, two days' journey from the valley lake.

It was during one of these excursions that we planned our new home, a mountain nest which we would have all to ourselves, and whither at the height of summer we might escape from the heat of the oasis, for albeit the climate of Quipai was fine on the whole, there were times when the temperature rose to an uncomfortable height. The spot on which we fixed was a hollow in the hills, some two miles beyond the crater reservoir and about eight thousand feet above the level of the sea. By tapping the _azequia_ we turned the barren valley into a garden of roses, for in that rainless region water was a veritable magician, whatsoever it touched it vivified. This done we sent up timber, and built ourselves a cottage, which we called Alta Vista, for the air was superb and the view one of the grandest in the world.

Angela would fain have persuaded the abbe to join us; yet though I made a well-graded road and the journey was neither long nor fatiguing he came but seldom. He was so thoroughly acclimatized that he preferred the warmth of San Cristobal to the freshness of Alta Vista, and the growing burden of his years indisposed him to exertion, and made movement an effort. We could all see, and none more clearly than himself, that the end was not far off. He contemplated it with the fort.i.tude of a philosopher and the faith of a Christian. For the spiritual wants of his people he provided by ordaining (as in virtue of his ecclesiastical rank he had the right to do), three young men, whom he had carefully educated for the purpose; the reins of government he gave over entirely to me.

"I have lived a long life and done a good work, and though I shall be sorry to leave you, I am quite content to go," he said one day to Angela and me. "It is not in my power to bequeath you a fortune, in the ordinary sense of the word, for money I have none, yet so long as the mission prospers you will be better off than if I could give you millions. But everything human is ephemeral and I cannot disguise from myself the possibility of some great disaster befalling you. Those mountains contain both gold and silver, and an invasion of treasure-seekers, either from the sea or the Cordillera would be the ruin of the mission. My poor people would be demoralized, perhaps destroyed, and you would be compelled to quit Quipai and return to the world. For that contingency, though I hope it will never come to pa.s.s, you must be prepared, and I will point out the way. The mountains, as I have said, contain silver and gold; and contain something even more precious than silver and gold--diamonds, I made the discovery nearly half a century ago, and I confess that, for a time, the temptation was almost more than I could withstand. With such wealth as I saw at my disposal I might do anything, be anything, enrich my order, win distinction for myself, and attain to high rank, perhaps the highest, in the church, or leave it and become a power in the world, a master of men and the guest of princes. Yes, it was a sore temptation, but with G.o.d's help, I overcame it and chose the better part, the path of duty, and I have my reward. I brought a few diamonds away with me, some of which are in Angela's cross; but I have never been to the place since. I told you not this sooner, my son, partly because there seemed no need, partly because, not knowing you as well as I know you now, I thought you might be tempted in like manner as I was and we pray not to be led into temptation.

But though I tell you where these precious stones are to be found, I am sure that you will never quit Quipai."

"I have no great desire to know the whereabout of this diamond mine, father. Tell me or not as you think fit. In any case, I shall be true to my trust and my word. I promise you that I will not leave Quipai till I am forced, and I hope I never may be."

"All the same, my son, it is the part of a wise man to provide for even unlikely contingencies. Remember, it is the unexpected that happens, and I would not have you and our dear Angela cast on the world penniless. For her, bred as she has been, it would be a frightful misfortune; and up yonder are diamonds which would make you rich beyond the dreams of avarice. Promise me that you will go thither, and bring away as many as you can conveniently carry about your persons in the event of your being compelled to quit the oasis at short notice."

"I promise. Nevertheless, I see no probability--"

"We are discussing possibilities not probabilities, my son. And during the last few days I have had forebodings, if I were superst.i.tious I should say prophetic visions, else had I not broached the subject. Regard it, if you like, as an old man's whim--and keep a look-out on the sea."

"Why particularly on the sea?"

"It is the quarter whence danger is most to be apprehended. If some Spanish war-ship were to sight the oasis and send a boat ash.o.r.e, either out of idle curiosity or for other reasons, a report would be made to the captain-general, or to whomsoever is now in authority at Lima, and there would come a horde of government functionaries, who would take possession of everything, and you would have to go. But take your pen and note down the particulars that will enable you to find the diamond mine."

Though Angela and I listened to the abbe's warnings with all respect, they made little impression on our minds. We regarded them as the vagaries of an old man, whose mind was affected by the feebleness of his body, and a few weeks later he breathed his last. His death came in the natural order of things, and, as he had outlived his strength, it was for him a happy release; yet, as we had loved him much, we sorrowed for him deeply, and I still honor his memory. Take him all in all, Abbe Balthazar was the best man I have ever known.

Shortly after we laid him in the ground I made a visit to the diamond ground, the situation of which the abbe had so fully described that I found it without difficulty. But the undertaking, besides proving much more arduous than I had antic.i.p.ated, came near to costing me my life. I took with me an _arriero_ and three mules, one carrying an ample supply of food, and, as I thought, of water, for the abbe had told me that a mountain-stream ran through the valley where I was to look for the diamonds. As ill-luck would have it, however, the stream was dried up. Had it not been that I did not like to return empty-handed I should have returned at once, for our stock of water was exhausted and we were two days' journey from Quipai.

I spent a whole day seeking among the stones and pebbles, and my search was so far successful that I picked up two score diamonds, some of considerable size. If I could have stayed longer I might have made a still richer harvest; and I had an idea that there were more under than above ground. But I had stayed too long as it was. The mules were already suffering for want of water; all three perished before we reached Quipai, and the arriero and myself got home only just alive.

Nevertheless, had not Angelo put her veto on the project, I should have made another visit to the place, provided with a sufficiency of water for the double journey. I, moreover, thought that with time and proper tools I could find water on the spot. However, I went not again, and I renounced my design all the more willingly as I knew that the diamonds I had already found were a fortune in themselves. I added them to my collection of minerals which I kept in my cabinet at Alta Vista. My Quipais being honest and knowing nothing whatever of precious stones I had no fear of robbers.

For several years after Balthazar's death nothing occurred to disturb the even tenor of our way, and I had almost forgotten his warnings, and that we were potentially "rich beyond the dreams of avarice," when one day a runner brought word that two men had landed on the coasts and were on the way to San Cristobal.

This was startling news, and I questioned the messenger closely, but all he could tell me was that the strangers had arrived in a small boat, half famished and terribly thirsty, and had asked, in broken Spanish, to be taken to the chief of the country, and that he had been sent on to inform me of their coming.

"The abbe!" exclaimed Angela, "you remember what he said about danger from the sea."

"Yes; but there is nothing to fear from two hungry men in a small boat--as I judge from the runner's account, shipwrecked mariners."

"I don't know; there's no telling, they may be followed by others, and unless we keep them here--"

"If necessary we must keep them here; as, however, they are evidently not Spaniards it may not be necessary. But as to that I can form no opinion till I have seen and questioned them."

We were still talking about them, for the incident was both suggestive and exciting, when the strangers were brought in. As I expected, they were seamen, in appearance regular old salts. One was middle-sized, broad built, brawny, and large-limbed--a squat Hercules, with big red whiskers, earrings and a pig-tail. His companion was taller and less st.u.r.dy, his black locks hung in ringlets on either side of a swarthy, hairless face, and the arms and hands of both, as also their b.r.e.a.s.t.s were extensively tattooed.

Their surprise on beholding Angela and me was almost ludicrous. They might have been expecting to see a copper-colored cacique dressed in war-paint and adorned with scalps.

"White! By the piper that played before Moses, white!" muttered the red-whiskered man. "Who'd ha' thought it! A squaw in petticoats, too, with a gold chain round her neck! Where the hangmant have we got to?"

"You are English?" I said, quietly.

"Well, I'll be--yes, sir! I'm English, name of Yawl, Bill Yawl, sir, of the port of Liverpool, at your service. My mate, here, he's a--"

"I'll tell my own tale, if you please, Bill Yawl," interrupted the other as I thought rather peremptorily. "My name is Kidd, and I'm a native of Barbadoes in the West Indies, by calling, a mariner, and late second mate of the brig Sulky Sail, Jones, master, bound from Liverpool to Lima, with a cargo of hardware and cotton goods."

"And what has become of the Sulky Sail?"

"She went to the bottom, sir, three days ago."

"But there has been no bad weather, lately."

"Not lately. But we made very bad weather rounding the Horn, and the ship sprang a leak, and though, by throwing cargo overboard, and working hard at the pumps, we managed to keep her afloat nearly a month; she foundered at last."

"And are you the only survivors?"

"No, sir; the master and most of the crew got away in the long boat. But as the ship went down the dinghy was swamped. Bill and me managed to right her and get aboard again, but the others as was with us got drowned."