Roger the Bold Part 9

"Never!" answered Roger, quietly. "Yield yourself, for it is you who are surrounded. Now, up with your hands, or I will cleave you to the chin."

The Spaniard gave vent to a hoa.r.s.e laugh, for he was amused at the insolence of the Englishman. Then he lowered the point of his pike and lunged, striking Roger on the arm. But the hurt was only a slight one, and was returned instantly. Pike parried sword thrust, while the point of Roger's weapon prevented his adversary from approaching too close. He had just succeeded in wounding the man slightly for the second time, when the appearance of five more of the Spaniards made the affair wear a serious look. He cut savagely at his opponent, and was in the act of following the stroke up when an arquebus roared, and the unfortunate fellow who opposed him fell to the ground. Then shouts came to his ear--English shouts--and at the sound of his comrades voices he dashed forward, and fell upon the Spaniards furiously, his sword playing swiftly.

"He is here. He is alive and well. Come forward and surround these men."

It was Philip's voice which he heard, and a moment later that individual appeared, sword in hand. Then a second comrade from the brigantine came to view on the right, while others came pushing through the trees.

"Fall on them and cut them down!" shouted Roger; "and see that none escape. Philip, come to my side, and let four others rally here. Now we will make haste to the clearing."

"There is one of the Spaniards stealing off," suddenly cried Philip, as he ran to his friend's side, "Stop him, whoever happens to be in that direction, or he will give the alarm."

But they had no need for anxiety, though none of the Englishmen appeared in answer to his warning cry. Instead, the tall native thrust his way to the front, and at a nod from Roger set off after the Spaniard. And while he raced through the underwood, the men of the brigantine, headed by Roger, fell upon the Spaniards. There was a fierce fight, swords flashed in the air, lopping twigs from the bushes, and striking heavy blows at the enemy. Three of the latter quickly fell, and within five minutes those who survived had thrown down their arms.

"Form a guard round them, and follow swiftly," said Roger. "We will go to the clearing and capture the store of gold which is there. Now hurry, for we must not waste time."

"What if the man who fled has given the alarm?" demanded Philip, coming breathless to Roger's side. "That would wreck all our hopes, for then we could not stay."

"We could manage to get the worst of the damage to the ship repaired.

But wait; here comes the tall native whose acquaintance I first made.

Now, what is the tale?" he demanded.

"The man ran fast, and, turning, struck at me as I came near. But I fell suddenly, pretending to be hurt, and he turned again to kill me. I seized my opportunity, and sprang upon him with the dagger. He is dead.

Has my lord further orders?"

"Run fast to the mine, and bid your friends capture this other Spaniard.

We will follow quickly."

Roger waved him away, and then gathered his comrades about him. There were twenty in all, and none had received more than the most trifling wounds.

"All fit for duty, then," he said. "Let ten guard the prisoners, while the remainder come with me. The prisoners and their guard will remain here, for we do not wish them to know what is happening at the mine."

There was a tone of authority in his voice, and, young though he was, the men from the brigantine obeyed him with alacrity.

"He's won his place, and will keep it," said one.

"Nay, he'll not keep it," protested another, as they marched through the trees. "The lad's bound to rise. You can see that he's cut out for a leader. He keeps his head, and is a capable manager. A groat on it that he'll go higher, maybe top the tree, just as he overstands us all in height. A burly young giant, with a good heart and a better head. I, for one, follow him willingly."

"And I. And I."

The men answered eagerly, while they followed the figure of their tall young leader till the clearing was reached. Arrived there, they found the last of the enemy in the hands of the slaves, who had disarmed and pinioned him.

"Were we to deal justice to him, to repay cruelty with cruelty, we should have strangled him slowly ere you arrived," said the native who had come so unexpectedly to be Roger's friend, and whose name was Tamba.

"But I knew my lord's wishes, and I will always follow them, for do I not owe him my life?"

"You have done well," said Roger, shortly. "Now gather your friends, and ask them whether they will serve us. But first, tell me, is this mine far from your masters--from their other settlements?"

"Two days' journey, my lord. A Spaniard would take three."

"And there are no other natives in the neighbourhood?"

"None, my lord."

"Then ask the question and return."

A few seconds later Tamba came back with the information that his comrades were eager to serve their new masters.

"We long to escape from this slavery and ill-treatment," he said earnestly. "We will come with you on the ship if you wish it. What directions will you be pleased to give?"

"Let ten of your friends remain here for a time; and, Philip, take command of them till I can return. Let the others gather the gold in the storehouse and come with us. We will go to the brigantine immediately."

All was movement at once, and very soon the party was returning, laden with their capture. As for Roger, he had no hesitation in giving the order to take the gold, for they were now open enemies of the Spaniards, and in those days such a capture was looked upon as perfectly legitimate. Therefore every bar and every sack of the precious metal was packed upon the backs of the natives, and the whole party returned through the wood with their prisoners. They were hailed with joy when they reached the brigantine, and at once Sir Thomas demanded the full tale from his lieutenant.

"You have done us valuable service," he said, "and already the gold obtained pays for the expedition. We shall not forget your courage, nor your resource, and shall find a responsible place for you in the future."

Nor was it long before Roger's services were again in requisition, with what result we shall presently see.

CHAPTER VI

A Stranger comes Aboard

Three weeks pa.s.sed rapidly in the little cove to which the brigantine had sailed when she had given the big Spaniard the slip; and those three weeks had worked wonders for the men under Sir Thomas's command, and for the vessel. The latter had been run close into the sh.o.r.e, which was sandy and free from rocks. Then a couple of stout trees had been selected, growing close to the edge of the water, and to these ropes were pa.s.sed from the caps of the lower masts. The whole crew then set to work at the capstan, and hove at the ropes through a block till the ship careened over and lay gently on her side. That done, those who had training as carpenters prepared to mend the shot-rents in her side, while others, less accomplished, went to the forest with a few of the natives and felled trees which had been selected. Meanwhile, precautions against surprise were not neglected.

"We must hope that no one has been able to communicate the news of our coming here," said Sir Thomas, as he walked on the sands with Roger, for since the capture of the mine he had become very friendly with our hero.

"But in case the tale has gone to Santiago, which is their main port farther east, we must keep a guard at the mine. I give you the conduct of it, and you may take whatever natives you like, and doubt not that Tamba will accompany you. The fellow is like a dog. He follows you everywhere. But to return to the mine. You had better make your own arrangements there, and I think I would counsel you to despatch men into the forest, so as to have timely warning of an enemy's approach. Here we shall watch for their coming by sea, and my guards will be stationed on the point of the cliff."

And so for three weeks the work continued undisturbed. A fort was formed on the cliff, and there all the wounded and sick from the brigantine were sent to recuperate, while Roger and Philip, and the ever-faithful Tamba, went to the mine and pa.s.sed their days in the forest. Then came the time for departure.

"All our rents are mended, and for the past three days we have been busily loading water and fruit on the ship," said Roger to Philip, as the two sat before a fire which blazed in front of one of the huts, for though the heat was not required, the smoke served to keep the myriad insects away. "To-morrow we sail for the unknown, for this Terra Firma, this New Spain, the goal of our ambitions."

"And we sail not empty-handed, eh, Roger?" laughed his friend. "Why, already we have a king's ransom below our decks, and that in itself is a prize."

"Sufficient, in fact, to tempt others to follow our endeavour should we be forced to return now," agreed Roger. "'Tis strange that we English, who at home are professed friends of the Spaniards, though few feel much liking for them--and 'tis whispered that the King's Majesty is not too well disposed toward the country--should out here be at daggers drawn, ready to rend one another, and to fall on one another's necks with violence when the opportunity offers. 'Tis pa.s.sing strange."

"But the cause is not far to seek," said Philip. "The greed of gold, mayhap of new lands, makes us enemies. Spain covets all these Indies, and, like a dog with a bone, snarls over this fair land. But we will pick some of the finest parts, and, mark my words, should we return successful, then others will follow, others better armed, with bigger cannon, ready to wrest the Indies from Spain. Heigho! I shall feel sorry indeed when the moment comes to part with Cuba 'Tis an enchanted land.

But let us try this habit again. Tamba tells us that the natives commence to smoke when barely youths."

"Then I will have none of it," answered Roger, with a wry face. "To those born to the custom it may be well enough, but to me--ugh! my head swims and my stomach sickens when I make the attempt."

Philip, too, had had as little success, and after two attempts had given up all thought of tobacco. Nor was it to be wondered at, for in those days the habit was looked upon by Europeans who happened to be in the Indies as one fit only for savages. However, the two young fellows had plenty of other matters to occupy themselves with, for a careful watch had to be kept, and this was accomplished by cutting a new road through the forest to an elevated peak, the summit of which commanded the adjacent country. And from this, one or other of them, in the company of natives, kept a look-out throughout every day. The remainder of their time was spent in the forest, shooting wild beasts and birds with their crossbows, and in gathering knowledge of the wild fruits and flowers which grew in profusion all round them. At last, however, this enjoyable time came to an end, and they marched to the sea once more. There the fort on the point was found to be abandoned, the ship upright, and wearing a coat of rough paint, while her only connection with the sh.o.r.e was a strong rope. All entered the solitary boat and went aboard. The rope was cast off, and the brigantine, catching the breeze, made for the open water.

"A fair wind is a fine omen," said Sir Thomas in his hearty voice, smacking Roger on the back. "The breeze comes from the east, and our course is due west. What could be more advantageous? We put out for the last part of our voyage with hale men, with natives who loathe the Spaniards, and who make up for our losses, and with a store of fresh water and provisions aboard."

"With gold in addition," Roger ventured to remind him.

"Ay, with abundance of gold. Now, Sir Giant, you will command one of the watches, and when we first sight this Terra Firma it will be your task to gather tidings of this strange city. Maybe this Tamba, who speaks Spanish, also has some few words of the language of the natives of these parts for which we sail. It is not impossible. For, consider: how came these men on the island of Cuba and elsewhere? Were they there some little while after the flood of which the Bible speaks? Some say so, while others hold that the nations of the earth come from a common stock, which slowly increased, while many migrated. In course of time their languages have changed, and also their appearances. Climates and circ.u.mstances have brought the alteration, and may it not be that these same natives whom we have aboard are first cousins to these others on the Terra Firma, alike to them in looks, and perhaps in somewhat of their tongue?"