The Maroon Part 23

"They are after you--no doubt of it," said the hunter. "Well, let them come--whoever are your pursuers. This time they have lost their chance; and the bounty is mine, not theirs. Poor devil! it goes against my grain to deliver you up; and were it not for the law that binds me, I should scorn their paltry reward. Hark! yonder they come! Dogs, as I'm a man! Yes, it's the bay of a bloodhound! Those villainous man-hunters of Batabano--I knew old Jessuron had them in his pay. Here, _my_ poor fellow, in here!" and the hunter half-led, half-dragged the fugitive over the carca.s.s of the wild boar, placing him between the b.u.t.tresses of the _ceiba_. "Stand close in to the angle," he continued. "Leave me to guard the front. Here's your gun; I see it's loaded. I hope you know how to use it? Don't fire till you're sure of hitting! We'll need both blade and shot to save ourselves from these Spanish dogs, that will make no distinction between you and me. Not they! _Crambo_! there they come!"

The words had scarce issued from the speaker's lips, when two large dogs broke, with a swishing noise, out of the bushes on the opposite side of the glade--evidently running on the trail of the fugitive.

The crimson colour of their muzzles showed that they had been baited with blood--which, darkening as it dried, rendered more conspicuous the white fang-like teeth within their jaws.

They were half-hound, half-mastiff; but ran as true-bred hounds on a fresh trail.

No trail could have been fresher than that of the flogged fugitive; and, in a few seconds after entering the glade, the hounds had got up to the _ceiba_, in front of the triangular chamber in which stood the runaway and his protector.

These dogs have no instinct of self-preservation--only an instinct to discover and destroy. Without stopping to bark or bay--without even slackening their pace--both dashed onward, bounding into the air as they launched themselves upon the supposed objects of their pursuit.

The first only impaled himself upon the outstretched _machete_ of the yellow hunter; and as the animal came down to the earth, it was to utter the last howl of his existence.

The other, springing towards the naked fugitive, received the contents of the fowling-piece, and, like the first, rolled lifeless upon the earth.

Volume One, Chapter XXVI.

A COMBAT DECLINED.

The spectator in the tree began to fancy that he was dreaming. Within the short s.p.a.ce of twenty minutes he had been the witness of a greater number of exciting events than he might have seen, in his own land, during the same number of years!

And yet he had not witnessed the _finale_ of the drama. The gestures of the runaway, and the speeches of his captor, had already warned him that there was another act to come; and, from the att.i.tudes of both, it was evident that this act would be performed on the same stage, without any change of scene.

As yet the young Englishman saw no particular reason why he should cease to be a spectator, and become an actor, in this West Indian drama. That the yellow hunter should kill a wild boar, capture a runaway slave, and afterwards shield both his captive and himself from a brace of bloodhounds, by killing the fierce brutes, was no affair of his. The only thine: that concerned him was the unceremonious use that had been made of his fowling-piece; but it is scarce necessary to say that Herbert Vaughan, had he been asked, would have freely lent the piece for such a purpose.

Nothing, however, had yet transpired to tempt him from a strict neutrality; and, until something should, he determined to preserve the pa.s.sive att.i.tude he had hitherto held.

Scarce had he come to this determination, when three new actors appeared upon the scene.

One, the foremost, and apparently the leader, was a tall, black-bearded man in a red plush waistcoat, and high-topped horse-skin boots. The other two were lean, lithe-looking fellows in striped shirt and trousers, each wearing broad-brimmed palm-leaf hats that shadowed their sharp Spanish physiognomies.

The bearded man was armed with gun and pistols. The others appeared to be without firearms of any kind; but each carried in his hand a long rapier-like blade, the sheath of which hung dangling from his hip. It was the _machete_--the same kind of weapon as that which the yellow hunter had but the moment before so skilfully wielded.

On perceiving the tableau under the tree, the three new comers halted-- and with no slight surprise depicted in their looks. The men of Spanish face appeared more especially astonished--indignation mingling with their surprise--when they beheld in that grouping of figures the bodies of their own bloodhounds stretched dead upon the sward!

The bearded man, who, as we have said, appeared to be the leader, was the first to give speech to the sentiment that animated all three.

"What game's this?" he cried, his face turning purple with rage. "Who are you that has dared to interfere with our pursuit?"

"_Carajo_! he's killed our dogs?" vociferated one of the Spaniards.

"_Demonios_! you'll pay for this with your lives!" added the other, raising his _machete_ in menace.

"And what if I have killed your dogs?" rejoined the yellow hunter, with an air of _sang froid_, which won the silent applause of the spectator.

"What if I have? If I had not killed _them_, they would have killed _me_!"

"No," said one of the Spaniards; "they would not have touched you.

_Carrambo_! they were too well trained for that--they were after _him_.

Why did you put yourself in the way to protect him? It's no business of yours."

"There, my worthy friend, you are mistaken," replied he in the _toque_, with a significant sneer. "It _is_ my business to protect him--my _interest_ too: since he is my captive."

"_Your_ captive!" exclaimed one of the men, with a glance of concern.

"Certainly, he is my captive; and it was my interest not to let the dogs destroy him. Dead, I should only have got two pounds currency for his head. Living, he is worth twice that, and mileage money to boot; though I'm sorry to see by the 'J.J.' on his breast that the mileage money won't amount to much. Now, what more have you to say, my worthy gentlemen?"

"Only this," cried the man with the black beard; "that we listen to no such nonsense as that there. Whoever you may be, I don't care. I suspect who you are; but that don't hinder me from telling you, you've no business to meddle in this affair. This runaway slave belongs to Jacob Jessuron. I'm his overseer. He's been taken on Jessuron's own ground: therefore you can't claim the captive, nor yet the bounty. So you'll have to give him up to _us_."

"_Carrambo, si_!" vociferated both the Spaniards in a breath, at the same time that the three advanced towards the runaway--the bearded overseer pistol in hand, and his two comrades with their _machetes_ drawn, and ready to be used.

"Come on, then!" cried the hunter, in a taunting tone--as he spoke making signs to the runaway to stand to his defence. "Come on! but, remember! the first that lays hand upon him is a dead man. There are three of you, and we are but two--one already half-dead with your inhuman cruelty."

"Three against two! that's not a fair fight!" cried the young Englishman, dropping down from the tree, and ranging himself on the weaker side. "Perhaps it'll be a better match now," added he, taking a pistol from under the breast of his coat, and c.o.c.king it as he did so-- evidently with the intention of using it, should the affair be carried further.

"And who are you, sir?" demanded the overseer, with as much arrogance as he could throw into his manner. "Who, sir, may I inquire, is the white man who thus places himself in opposition to the laws of the island?

You know the penalty, sir; and by _my_ word, you shall pay it!"

"If I have committed a breach of the laws," replied Herbert, "I presume I shall have to answer for it. But I have yet to learn what law I have broken; and I don't choose that you shall be my judge."

"You are aiding in the escape of a slave!"

"That's not true," interrupted the yellow hunter. "The slave is already captured; he could not have escaped; and this young gentleman--who is as much a stranger to me as to you--I am sure, had no intention of a.s.sisting him to escape."

"Bah!" exclaimed the overseer; "we care not for your talk--we deny your right to capture him; and you had no business to interfere. We had already tracked him down with the dogs; and should have had him without any help from you. He is _our_ prize, therefore; and I again demand of you to give him up!"

"Indeed!" sneeringly responded the yellow hunter.

"I make the demand," continued the other, without noticing the sneer, "in the name of Jacob Jessuron--whose overseer I've told you I am."

"Perhaps, were you Jacob Jessuron himself, I might resist your demand,"

rejoined the hunter, coolly, and without any appearance of braggadocio.

"You refuse to surrender him, then?" said the overseer, as if making his final overture.

"I do," was the firm reply.

"Enough--you shall repent this; and you, sir," continued the deputy of Jessuron, turning a fierce look upon Herbert, "you shall answer before a magistrate for the part it has pleased you to play in this transaction.

A pretty white man you for the island of Jamaica! A few more of your sort, and we'd have a nice time with our n.i.g.g.e.rs. Don't fear, mister; you'll see me again."

"I have no particular desire," rejoined Herbert; "for, certainly,"

continued he, with provoking jocularity, "an uglier-looking face than yours I have never set eyes upon; and it could be no pleasure to me to look upon it again."

"Confusion!" cried the overseer. "You'll repent that insult before you're a month older--curse me if you don't!"

And with this characteristic menace, the ruffian turned and walked sullenly away.

"_Caspita_!" cried one of the Spaniards, as the two hastened to follow their leader. "My brave dogs! Ah, _demonio_! you shall pay dearly for them. Two hundred _pesos_ each--not a _cuart.i.to_ less!"