The Admirable Lady Biddy Fane Part 24

She gave another little gulp, and pushed again the tear from her cheek--poor soul, she had no handkerchief; and then with an effort turns to me, and, seeing my long face, laughed faintly, though her eyes were yet full.

"We're better off than we were this time yesterday," says I as cheerfully as I could, but with a horrid thick voice.

"Ay," says she, "and 'tis ungrateful and foolish to forget it."

"Why, as for that," says I, "a scald will smart none the less for your getting out of hot water. But 'tis a comfort to know that we are not likely to get into the same broth again, and may reasonably hope to be relieved of our pain in time, and not long neither, which will give us patience to endure our present ills."

"I will be patient; indeed I will," says she earnestly. "'Tis the least I can do in return for your goodness, Benet."

"Let us talk of something else," says I.

"Can you make any guess as to where we are?" she asks presently.

"Ay," says I, with as stout a voice as if I were telling the truth, "I make no question of our whereabouts, or I should not have spoken so hopefully."

"But you did not seem to know before we started"--with a shrewd glance.

"No, for then I could not see the run of the mountains. Now, when we landed before supper I could not have sworn but we were in Campeachy, or Honduras, or the Isle of Cuba."

"How could you know after we had eaten?" says she.

"Because our thirst led to the discovery of the milk-tree. Then I knew we must be in Guiana, for they grow nowhere else"; adding to myself, "for aught I know."

A little smile of satisfaction played about her face; then she asked eagerly:

"And what have you learnt by the run of the mountains?"

"Why, that we can't be many miles from the Gulf of Paria. For, if you will recall Sir Bartlemy's chart to mind, you will remember that the only mountains in Guiana that run by the sea are there."

"What part of the chart, Benet?" says she, knitting her brows.

"Up at the top, against Trinidado."

"Oh! I remember," said she, clapping her hands joyfully. "Why, that is close to where you left--left _him_!"

"Yes," says I; "and the very place Sir Bartlemy will go to refit, if I know aught about the matter."

In this way did I bring her round to a more cheerful temper and a forgetfulness of her position. Nay, I almost cheated myself in trying to deceive her. For, to tell the truth, I had no honest opinion that we were near Paria, else had we seen by this time Margarita, or some of those isles thereabouts. Rather I was inclined to think we were over against the mountains of Guayva. However, I believe we were in neither the one place nor the other but on the coast of Darian--these huge mountains being a spur of the Andes; and if we were not there, then I know not where we were.

I kept on long after the sun had set, nor would I have stayed when I did but for the rocks which began to enc.u.mber the sh.o.r.e, and my fear to venture far abroad lest some current should get me into trouble.

Coming now to a kind of cove, well sheltered with rocks and convenient to abide in, as far as we could judge by the light of the stars, I threw out the grapple, which was made fast to the headline, and found it held very well.

This being done, we ate a second supper of turtle and milk; after which I made up as comfortable a bed in the bottom of the boat as was to be had with no better material than the lug-sail, and induced Lady Biddy to lie down and get some sleep, promising to wake her as soon as the day broke, and get a few hours' sleep myself whilst she kept watch.

There was just enough light for me to descry her pale face at the further end of the boat as she lay on the rude bed. I sat watching her, maybe two hours, thinking by her stillness she had fallen asleep; but of a sudden, without moving, she says:

"Benet, do you think we could get there in a week?"

I answered--though with a feeling that I did wrong to encourage a false hope--I answered, I say, that I thought we might do so.

"If we have good luck," she adds.

"Good luck we must have, for the worst is past," says I.

"Yes, I think so," says she. "Good-night."

And in this belief she fell asleep, perhaps to dream her hopes were realized.

Alas! she was soon to be roused from that dream--soon to know that the worst was not past.

CHAPTER x.x.xII.

WE ARE ENCOMPa.s.sED WITH BLACKAMOORS, TO OUR GREAT PERIL.

It was drawing near morning, and a breeze had sprung up, ruffling the waters, so that I had to keep the boat away from the rock with my oar, lest the b.u.mping and grating of its side should disturb Lady Biddy's repose, which I would not have had for the world, and the tide being again at the ebb, my face was turned towards the opening in the rocks by which, as I say, we entered this little harbor, when I first heard the sound of a voice.

It seemed to my ear like a cry of triumph or discovery, and for the moment I believed that our pursuers had spied us from the cliff above; but on looking up where the black rock cut off the view of the starry sky I could see nothing but its jagged edge; moreover, I was convinced that no one from that height could spy us in this dark nook, for the light of the stars was only sufficient to show Lady Biddy's white face vaguely to me, and that only distant a few feet.

I looked around me, but naught was there but the dark rocks and the gray sea spread out beyond the outlet. Then I concluded this cry came from some owl or night-gull. Nevertheless, I kept very watchful, with eyes wide open, and would not suffer my thoughts to return to that sweet melancholy which the contemplation of Lady Biddy's face had provoked.

Presently I was seized with fresh alarm, as I perceived that one of the rocks that rose from the sea at the mouth of the cove glowed with a strange light, which could by no reasoning be explained, and the ripples of the sea were lit up in like manner. Every moment this glow grew stronger, yet very slowly as it seemed to me by reason of my great anxiety.

At length, this light growing so strong that I knew something must quickly come of it, I rose in the boat, grasping my oar in readiness, yet knowing not what in the world to expect.

Just as I got to my feet a great blazing fire shot into sight, so that my two eyes were so dazzled I could see naught else for a moment.

However, as this confusion of my sight subsided, I perceived that the light came from a brazier or beacon basket of flaming wood fixed to the prow of a canoe, and behind it stood a savage as stark as he was born, with a long spear in his hand, while another savage behind him sat with his knees up to his chin, paddling with a single oar.

While I was wondering what this could mean, the fellow behind the beacon plunges his spear into the sea, and brings out a great silvery fish writhing on the barb.

I was overjoyed to find that these were no enemies, but only two simple naturals fishing in the manner of their country; and I resolved not to meddle with them in any way if I could help it. Turning to Lady Biddy, who had been awaked by the light, and was rising hastily to her feet, I motioned her to sit down, fearing her light gown might reflect the light, and be seen by the savages.

He with the paddle was heading the canoe across the mouth of the cove, when the other, having taken the fish from his spear, muttered a word or two, whereupon the first, with a deft stroke of his oar, turns the boat about, and so bears down upon the very place where we lay.

Now what to do I knew not; for, G.o.d knows, I wished these men no harm, and yet could I not risk to be treated like a fish by the fellow with the spear. Following the irregularities of the rocks the canoe came on, till shooting out in front of that rock behind which our boat lay, did the beacon blaze not two yards from my face. There was no time for further consideration, so, lifting my oar, I gave as loud a whoop as I could, at the same time swinging my oar with such force down on the brazier as every spark of fire was scattered out of it.

With a most heathenish howl of terror the two Indians leaped into the sea and got away without so much as showing their heads above water till they were clear of the cove, which, doubtless, they believed to be haunted by some devil or sea-monster.

At first I was disposed to make merry over this adventure, but after a bit I reflected that these fellows, coming from some adjacent village or town, would certainly carry the news to their neighbors, and return at daybreak in force to find out what manner of thing it was that had served them this trick, and what had become of their canoe. And as it was more than likely that, finding we were not the terrible creature their fears had figured, they would bear us no good-will, but rather seek to revenge themselves in cruel sort, I resolved that as soon as it grew light enough to see my way through the rocks, which were rendered now more dangerous by the freshening of the breeze and a chopping sea, we would go forward on our journey as speedily as we might. In the mean while I prepared myself for a good spell of work by making a hearty meal, Lady Biddy also eating a little to keep me in countenance, though she had not yet come to her appet.i.te.

As soon, then, as the darkness began to lift, I unhitched the grapple and shoved out towards the open, yet not without foreboding, for I fancied I saw certain moving patches upon the water across the mouth of the cove, as if the savages were already abroad. Nor was I wrong in this conjecture, for scarcely had I pulled from the shadow of the rock into the gray light than they set up a terrible shout, and let fly a shower of arrows, whereof one went clean through the sleeve of my coat, but without scathing my arm, thanks be to G.o.d.

I begged Lady Biddy, for the love of Heaven, to lie down in the bottom of the boat, at the same time that I pushed back into the haven from which we had ventured, for here were we safe from arrows, and if the Indians had the stomach to come to close quarters I counted I could give a very good account of myself with my sword. But as to jeopardizing my dear lady's life by running through the flight of their arrows, that would I not do, though they kept us prisoner a whole day.