The Maroon Part 26

"Master Vaughan!" said the Maroon, smiling courteously as he spoke, "were you not a stranger to us and our customs, I should feel offended.

You speak as if you expected me to present you with a bill for your breakfast. You seem to forget that, scarce an hour ago, you threw yourself before the muzzle of a pistol to protect the life of a Maroon-- a poor outcast mulatto of the mountains! And now--but I forgive you.

You know me not--"

"Pardon me, Captain Cubina; I a.s.sure you--"

"Say no more! I know your English heart, master--still uncorrupted by vile prejudices of caste and colour. Long may it remain so; and whether Captain Cubina may ever see you again, remember! that up yonder in the Blue Mountain,"--the Maroon pointed as he spoke to the purple outline of a mountain ridge, just visible over the tops of the trees--"up yonder dwells a man--a coloured man, it is true, but one whose heart beats with grat.i.tude perhaps as truly as that of the whitest; and should you ever feel the fancy to honour that man with a visit, under his humble roof you will find both a friend and a welcome."

"Thanks!" cried the young Englishman, stirred to enthusiasm by the free friendship of the yellow hunter. "I may some day avail myself of your hospitable offer. Farewell!"

"Farewell!" responded the Maroon, eagerly grasping the hand which Herbert had held out to him. "Quaco!" he cried, calling to his lieutenant, "conduct this gentleman to the main road that leads to the Bay. Farewell, Master Vaughan, and may fortune favour you!"

Volume One, Chapter XXIX.

QUACO.

It was not without regret that Herbert parted with this new friend; and long time was he following upon the heels of Quaco, before he ceased to reflect on the circ.u.mstances that had led to his making so singular an acquaintance.

Quaco, being one of the taciturn sort, made no attempt to interrupt Herbert's meditations until the two had walked together for more than a mile. Then, however, some matter upon his mind brought the guide to a halt, and the commencement of a conversation.

"Two tracks from here, buckra. We can follow either; but dis to the right am the shortest--the best road, too."

"Why not take it, then?"

"O--a master; there may be reasons."

"What! for avoiding it?"

"Ya--a!" replied Quaco, in a thoughtful, drawling tone.

"What reasons, friend?"

"Don't you see the roof of a house--just over the tops of them pawpaws?"

"Yes--what of that?"

"That's the barac.o.o.n."

"The barac.o.o.n?"

"Ya--the penn of de Jew Jess'ron."

"And what if it be?"

"Ah, buckra, what if it be? If we take the path to the right we must pa.s.s the Jew's house, and some of his people are sure see us. That John Crow's a justice of the peace, and we may get into trouble."

"Oh! about the affair of the runaway, you mean? Your captain said he belonged to a Mr Jessuron."

"As much 'bout the dogs as the man. Captain had a right to claim the runaway as his catch; but these Spanish cusses'll make a muss 'bout thar dogs. They'll say our captain killed them out o' spite--that they'll swar to; since it's well-known we mountainee men don't like such interlopers here, meddlin' with our business."

"But neither you nor I killed the dogs?"

"All, buckra, all the same--you helped--your gun helped kill them.

Besides, you hindered the John-Crows from pecking the hawk."

"For what I have done I am not afraid to answer before a justice,--be it this Mr Jessuron, or any other," said the young Englishman; conscious of having acted rightly in the part he had taken in the quarrel.

"Not much justice to be expected from Justice Jess'ron, master. My advice be to keep out of the hands of justice as long's we can; and that we can only do by taking the road to the left."

"Will it be much out of our way?" asked Herbert; not caring to greatly inconvenience himself for the reasons set forth by his sable guide.

"Nothing to signify," answered Quaco, though not speaking very truthfully: for the path he intended to take was really much longer than the one leading by Jessuron's house.

"In that case," a.s.sented Herbert, "take which way you please!"

Without further parley, Quaco strode forward on the path branching to the left--as before, silently followed by him whom he was guiding.

The track they had taken ran entirely through woods--in some places very difficult to traverse on account of the th.o.r.n.y thickets as well as the unevenness of the ground, which caused the path to be constantly ascending, or trending rapidly downward. At length, however, they arrived at the summit of a high ridge, and were moving onwards amidst groves of pimento, more open than the forest from which they had emerged.

From the top of the ridge, Herbert saw a large house shining against the verdant background of the landscape, which he at once recognised as the mansion of Mount Welcome.

They were not going towards the house, but in a diagonal direction, which would bring them out on the avenue near the entrance-gate.

Herbert called out to his guide to make halt. The young man did not like the idea of entering upon the avenue, lest he might encounter some of his uncle's people--a circ.u.mstance which he should not wish to have reported at the great house. He therefore requested Quaco to conduct him by some way lying more to the right--so that he might reach the main road without being seen from Mount Welcome.

The guide yielded compliance, though not without a little grumbling reluctance--as he turned off, muttering some words about giving "as wide a berth as possible to the ole Jew penn."

He obliqued, however, into a new direction; and after another traverse through the woods, Herbert had the satisfaction of finding himself on the main road leading to Montego Bay.

The young Englishman had no farther need of a guide, and Quaco was just on the point of taking leave of him, when at that moment a party of hors.e.m.e.n suddenly made appearance round a bend in the road. There were six or seven in all; and they were riding forward at a rapid pace, as if bent upon some serious business.

At the first sight of these strangers, Quaco shot like an arrow into the underwood--calling upon the buckra to follow his example.

Herbert, however, disdaining to hide himself, remained standing in the middle of the road.

Seeing his determination, Quaco returned to his side; as he did so, clamorously protesting against the imprudence of his _protege_.

"Don't like their looks," muttered the Maroon, as he glanced apprehensively towards the hors.e.m.e.n. "It might be--by the Great Accompong it is!--that harpy Ravener, the overseer of Jess'ron. Golly!

buckra, we's in for it! No use tryin' to 'scape 'em now."

As Quaco finished speaking, the hors.e.m.e.n rode forward on the ground--one and all halting as they came to the spot where the pedestrians were standing.

"Here's our fellow!" cried the bearded man at their head, whom Herbert easily identified. "Just dropped upon him, like a duck upon a June bug.

Now, Mr Tharpey, do your duty! We'll hear what this young gentleman's got to say before the justice."

"I arrest you, sir," said the person appealed to as Mr Tharpey. "I am head constable of the parish--I arrest you in the name of the law."

"On what charge?" demanded Herbert, indignantly.