The Fatal Cord Part 34

"And showered his blows like wintry rain."

John Coe, on the contrary, kept perfect control of his faculties. For an instant he retreated rapidly before the violent a.s.sault of his adversary; but the next moment, with a short, sudden and powerful blow of his sword, he sent Captain Marston's weapon flying over his own head.

His own sword-point was immediately at the captain's breast.

There was a sensation among the spectators at this sudden and totally unexpected result of the combat; but there was no movement towards any interference.

Captain Marston's arms dropped by his side. He stood before his antagonist, as if ready to receive his sword-thrust. Coe stood, meanwhile, with his sword fixed, as it were, in the same position, while he kept his eyes firmly bent upon those of his conquered adversary.

"I am at your mercy, Mr Coe," said Captain Marston, at length in a voice that palpitated, if I may use the term, partly on account of his recent violent exertion, and partly because of surprise at his defeat.

"I wish you no harm," answered the victor, lowering his sword-point. "I only wished to show that had I been a.s.sailed by open force, I should not have been easily made a prisoner."

The expression of the faces of the lookers-on showed that their captive had risen very highly in their estimation within the last few minutes.

The most brutal and debased human being in the world still admires manly courage and magnanimity. The determined bearing of the prisoner, indicating a perfect preservation of his self-respect and self-reliance, in such adverse circ.u.mstances, and his willingness, even eagerness to prove his manhood by fighting Captain Marston in the very presence of his band, and the coolness, skill, and self-control which he had exhibited in winning and in using his victory, all manifested those qualities which men most admire in men. Captain Marston saw the admiration of his prisoner which was expressed in the faces of his officers and men; and he immediately resorted to an expedient which, by exhibiting on his part a generosity apparently equal, but in fact more than equal, to that of his adversary, might neutralise to some extent the injury which may have been done to his standing in the opinions of his band by the result of the contest.

"You see, gentlemen," he said, addressing his ship's company, "that in the opinion which I have heretofore expressed to you of my friendly foe, I have not overrated his merits. Let us have three hearty cheers for John Alvan Coe."

The three cheers called for were immediately given with a will.

"I further propose, gentlemen," said Captain Marston, "that we proceed forthwith to form the corps of marines which I have before spoken of to you, and that Mr Coe be offered the captaincy of that band."

"And with all due deference to Captain Vance," exclaimed Afton, before Captain Marston's proposition could be acted upon, and with his usual intermingling of expletives, "I propose that we either make Mr Coe commander of this brig, or throw him overboard. For my part, I should prefer to have the latter alternative carried out. No divided command can exist except to our disadvantage. If Mr Coe is, in your opinion, superior to Captain Vance, make him our chief; but do not give to him a charge which, unless he and the captain entirely agree, may cause civil war on board the brig."

"I beg to differ with my honoured friend, Lieutenant Afton," said Bowsprit, facing the ship's company. "As Mr Coe has proved himself a brave and skilful man, we should try to secure him as a co-partner in our enterprises. As he is a born and bred gentleman, there are cogent reasons why he should hold a respectable position among us. But, although he has shown that he is superior to Captain Vance in the use of the small-sword, we are not therefore to suppose that he is co-equal with our distinguished chieftain in experience in seamanship and in habits of command. Nor would our new friend rank, in the position proposed, with our captain; he would be co-ordinate in rank with Lieutenant Seacome. There would be no danger of a conflict of authority with Captain Vance; there is a commander of marines on board of every man-of-war. I cannot, therefore, agree with either of the propositions of my distinguished friend Afton. His first would be unjust to our captain, his second would be an equal wrong to the gallant new comer. I second Captain Vance's motion."

The speech of Billy Bowsprit was received with much applause, and the proposition of the captain was adopted by a vote of two to one. Mr Afton had his admirers among those old salts who were, like himself, rough in language, and especially hardened in crime. These men were not influenced in their votes by the authority of the captain, or the eloquence of Billy Bowsprit.

"And now, Mr Coe," said the captain, "will you do me the honour of accepting the post to which we have elected you, and give me the pleasure of being the first to name you by your new t.i.tle, Captain Coe, of the marine force?"

Young Coe remembered the conversation upon this very subject which he had held, in antic.i.p.ation, with Ada Revere, and her advice as to the course which he should pursue, should the offer be made to him. He called to mind also that, immediately preceding his duel with Captain Marston, she had declared that she was indebted to himself for an important service. He knew that that unfortunate girl must be better qualified by experience than he was himself to guide his course in relation to this matter. He determined, therefore, that he would consult with her again, and, should he find her sincere in her friendly feelings towards him, to be governed by her counsel in the desperate strait in which he was placed. With this purpose in view he made answer to Captain Marston's question--

"Your offer, Captain Vance, and gentlemen," he said, addressing the officers and seamen, and, for the first time, giving the captain of the brig his a.s.sumed name, "so changes the relation which I bore towards you but a few moments ago, that I must beg of you to grant me a little time to consider this question so suddenly placed before me. With your permission, I will retire for a few moments, and then return and give you my decision. In any case, I thank you for the favour you have shown to me."

Having thus spoken on deck, he retired to the cabin. In the saloon he found Ada Revere. She sat upon a sofa, with her head resting upon her hands. On the entrance of our hero she rose at once to meet him, and her face, which had been sad, expressed a sense of relief.

"Oh! I am so glad to see you, Mr Coe," she said. "Your face seems to show that nothing unpleasant has resulted from the state of things in which I left you. Tell me--do tell me quickly--what has happened?"

John related to her all that had occurred.

"And now, Miss Revere," he added, "I have come to ask an explanation of your language when you spoke some time ago of being under an obligation to me. When I saw you at the old manor house, your face seemed familiar to me. I thought that that recognition was accounted for by my having seen you in your boy's dress, at the Spout on Saint Leonard's Creek.

But you appeared to refer to an acquaintance between us dating, farther into the past."

"I can see nothing wrong, Mr Coe," answered the beautiful girl, "in telling you--in outline, at least--all my history. Do you remember Ada Ashleigh, who was one of your schoolmates at the old Manor Quarter school-house situate between Millmont and Drum Point?"

"Certainly I do," was the answer. "What a sweet and guileless little girl she was!"

"I was that little girl, Mr Coe," said Ada. "Do you not remember that, when any of the schoolchildren charged me with being the daughter of a man who received smuggled goods, after my father was brought before a court in Baltimore on such a charge, you always took my part? And once--an occasion which I shall never forget--when Mr Dempster, now an officer on board of this brig, but then a boy almost a year older than yourself, wounded my feelings even to weeping by his jeers, you rebuked him so severely for being rude, as you said, to a harmless little girl, that he challenged you to fight. I shall never forget the grat.i.tude which I felt towards you for championing my cause, and my delight when you handled Dempster so roughly, that he was obliged to acknowledge himself beaten, and to promise never to say a harsh word to me again."

"We had heard in Calvert," said John Alvan, "that Ada Ashleigh had made a runaway marriage in Baltimore, for which she was disinherited by her father. Since that intelligence was received, two or three years ago, I have heard nothing of her fate."

"That runaway marriage was between me and Harry Marston," said Ada. "He intended it for a false marriage; and when he told me that it was such, I believed his words. But I learned, nearly a year ago now, from the friend of Captain Marston, whom he engaged to procure the services of some one, not a minister of the gospel, to perform the ceremony, that we had actually been wedded by a regular priest, and I have since obtained from that priest a certificate of the marriage. The conscience of Henry Marston's friend would not, at the last, allow him to take part in such deceit. My father never knew that it was with Captain Marston that I left his house; nor have I yet been able to summon the necessary courage to inform Captain Marston that we are really married. I wish that he knew it. I am sure that, had he been acquainted with the fact, he would never have commissioned me, his own wife, to act the part which he meant that I should act during your imprisonment at the old manor house and at the hut."

"I would tell him for you myself, unhesitatingly," remarked John Alvan, "but the information would come most properly from you."

After some further conversation upon the subject, young Coe asked--

"Do you still advise me, madam, to accept this position which is offered to me? I do not mean absolutely to accept it, but seem to accept it. I know now that you are really my friend, and have full faith in you."

"I certainly do," answered the lady. "Your refusal to do so must eventuate in your death. They have gone too far to set you free, even under the most solemn pledges. As the most of these men would not be faithful to any pledge made to you, so they would not trust in any pledges made by you to them, under the circ.u.mstances. Whereas, by seeming to accept the offer, you will, in the ordinary course of things, have many chances of making your escape."

"Yet," remarked the young man, "if they were to undertake, for instance, to capture a merchant vessel, I would die rather than give a.s.sistance in the commission of such a crime."

"Of course," answered Ada, "but the 'chapter of accidents' may make unnecessary your placing yourself in antagonism to the brig's crew on that question. We will hope so."

"Have they ever really made such captures?" asked young Coe.

"Many such," replied Ada. "They are pirates in the full meaning of the word."

"In this business they must have committed murders," said John.

"There is not a man in the brig, except yourself," answered Ada, "who is not responsible for the shedding of human blood."

"Dear madam," said John, pityingly, "what a terrible life you must have led among such men."

"I have often been able to save bloodshed," said Ada. "Most of the captures made by the _Falcon_ have been made without the taking of human life. When life has been taken it has been mostly in cases where a fight has followed a refusal on the part of a merchant vessel to surrender. I have never known a case where Captain Marston has allowed any one to be hurt after surrender. Indeed, I think at heart he is sick of the business in which he is engaged. Afton, however, and too many of the crew with him, appear to take pleasure in acts of cruelty."

The conversation between Mrs Marston and young Coe here closed, and the latter returned upon deck. He expressed to the captain and the ship's company his acceptance provisionally of the post offered to him, it being understood that he reserved to himself the right to resign it whenever he thought proper to do so.

Mr Afton loudly p.r.o.nounced his maledictions against such "half-way"

courses; and there were at first some dark scowls seen among the men.

"I welcome you into our gallant service, Captain Coe," said Captain Marston, with much cordiality in his manner, "and am sure that no one member could be a greater addition to our company. As to the terms which Captain Coe makes," continued the pirate chief, addressing the men, "no one can object to them; any man has the right to resign at any time any office which he holds among us. The main thing is that Captain Coe is now a member of our band, and we all know how forcibly, in an instance of this kind, applies the old adage, 'In for a penny, in for a pound!' Shipmates welcome our new comrade."

These remarks of Captain Marston, intended to counteract what had been said by Afton, and to satisfy the crew with regard to the reservation made by Coe, were well-timed, and their new comrade was welcomed with loud cheers.

The company of marines was at once formed, and "Captain" Coe, as they called him, immediately commenced the performance of his new office, by taking his men through such a preparatory drill as the short remaining time of daylight would allow. It was his determination to make himself as popular as he could among those who were placed under his command, with the view of using his influence for such good purposes as might hereafter present themselves. He was eminently successful in his endeavours to obtain popularity, his men already entertaining great admiration of his courage and resolute demeanour.

The _Sea-bird_ continued for some days to run a southerly course, impelled by a moderate breeze from the west. Her prow was then turned towards the south-east, it being the intention of Captain Marston to get into the track of vessels trading between the West Indies and the Spanish Main, and the different European ports. While on this course certain changes were made in the appearance of the brig. The white stripe along her bends, just below the guards, was covered with a strip of black canvas; like strips, on which were painted the words the _Falcon_, were placed on each of her bows, and on her stern, over the name the _Sea-bird_, and the carved image of one bird was subst.i.tuted for that of another as her figure-head. Other alterations were made in her rigging and elsewhere, so that the vessel's appearance was almost entirely changed.

STORY TWO, CHAPTER TEN.

THE CHASE.

The western breeze is fresh and free; Before its power the vessels fleet, And, bounding o'er the flashing waves, Like lovers haste to meet.

_Isobel--A Ballad_.