The Maroon Part 76

On the instant a thought, dread and dire, commenced taking shape in the heart of the jealous woman. She felt her bosom stirred to a purpose bold and black as h.e.l.l itself.

That purpose was nothing less than the destruction of her rival--the death of Kate Vaughan!

The circ.u.mstances suggested the mode. The young Creole was standing upon the escarpment of the cliff--scarce three feet from its edge. A slight push from behind would project her into eternity!

Not much risk either in the committal of the crime. The bushes below would conceal her body--at least, for a length of time; and, when found, what would be the verdict? What could it be, but _felo-de-se_?

The circ.u.mstances would give colour to this surmise. Even her own father might fancy it, as the consequence of his forcing her to be wedded against her will. Besides, had she not stolen surrept.i.tiously from the house, taking advantage of an opportunity when no eye was upon her?

Other circ.u.mstances equally favoured the chances of safety. No one seemed to know that Kate had come up to the Jumbe Rock; and not a soul could be aware that she, Judith, was there: for she had neither pa.s.sed nor met anyone by the way.

No eye was likely to be witness of the act. Even though the forms of the actors might be descried from the valley below, it would be at too great a distance for anyone to distinguish the character of the proceeding. Besides, it was one chance in a thousand if any eye should be accidentally turned towards the summit of the mountain. At that hour the black labourers in the fields were too busy with their task to be allowed the freedom of gazing idly upon the Jumbe Rock.

With a fearful rapidity coursed these thoughts through the mind of the intending murderess--each adding fresh strength to her horrible purpose, and causing it to culminate towards the point of execution.

Her jealousy had long since become a strong pa.s.sion, to which she had freely abandoned her soul. Already was it yearning for revenge; and now that an opportunity seemed to offer for gratifying it, she could no longer restrain herself. The chance was too tempting--the demoniac desire became uncontrollable.

Casting a glance down the ravine to make sure that no one came that way, and another towards Kate to see that her face was still turned away, Judith stole softly out of the bushes and mounted upon the rock.

Silently, as treads the tigress approaching her prey, did she advance across the platform towards the spot where stood her intended victim, utterly unconscious of the dread danger that was so nigh.

Was there no voice to warn her?

There was--the voice of Smythje!

"Aw-haw, deaw Kate! that yaw up there on the wock! Aw, ba Jawve! what a pwecious chase aw've had aftaw yaw! There isn't a bweath left in my body! Haw! haw!"

Judith heard the voice, and, like a cheated tigress, was about to retreat to her lair, when Kate, half facing about, compelled her to keep her ground. With the suddenness of a thought she had changed her terrific att.i.tude, and, as the eyes of the Creole rested upon her, she was standing with her arms hanging negligently downward, in the position of one who had just stepped forward upon the spot.

Kate beheld her with surprise, not unmixed with alarm; for the wild look that still lingered in the eye of the disappointed and balked murderess could not escape observation.

Before either could say a word, the voice of Smythje was again heard speaking from below.

"Deaw queetyaw, I am coming! Aw shall pwesently be up," continued he; his voice, constantly changing its direction, proclaiming that he continued to advance round the rock towards the ravine in the rear.

"I beg your pardon, Miss Vaughan," said the Jewess, with a sweeping curtsey and a cynical glance towards Kate; "most emphatically I beg your pardon. The second time I have intruded upon you in this delightful place! I a.s.sure you my presence here is altogether an accident; and, to prove that I have no desire to interfere, I shall bid you a very good morning!"

So saying, the daughter of Jacob Jessuron turned towards the downward path, and had disappeared from the platform before Kate could command words to express either her astonishment or indignation.

"Ba Jaw-aw-ve!" gasped Smythje, breathless, on reaching the platform.

"Had yaw company up heaw? Shawly aw saw some one gawing out fwom the wavine--a lady in a widing dwess!"

"Miss Jessuron has been here."

"Aw, Miss Jessuwon--that veway wemarkable queetyaw! Gawing to be mawied to the--yaw cousin, 'tis repawted. Ba Jawve, she'll make the young fellaw a fine wife, if she dawn't want too much of haw awn way. Haw!

haw! what do yaw think about it, deaw Kate?"

"I have no thoughts about it, Mr Smythje. Pray let us return home."

Smythje might have noticed, though without comprehending it, the anguished tone in which these words were uttered.

"Aw, veway well. A'm weady to go back. But, deaw Kate, what a womp yaw are, to be shawr! Yaw thought to pway me a twick, like the young bwide in the 'Misletaw Bough.' Haw! haw! veway amusing! Nevaw mind! Yaw are not so unfawtunate as that fair queetyaw was. I saw yawr white scarf amid the gween twees, and that guided me to yaw seqwet hiding-place.

Haw! haw!"

Little suspected Smythje how very near had been his affianced to a fate as unfortunate as that of the bride of Lovel--as little as Kate that Smythje had been her preserver.

Volume Three, Chapter XV.

CYNTHIA'S REPORT.

Cynthia was not slow in responding to the summons of the Jew, who possessed an influence over her which, if not so powerful, was also less mysterious than that wielded by the myal-man, since it was the power of _money_. The mulatta liked money, as most people do, and for the same reason as most--because it afforded the means for indulging in dissipation, which with Cynthia was a habit.

Very easily did she find an opportunity for paying a visit to the penn-- the more easily that her master was absent. But even had he been at home, she would have had but little difficulty in framing an excuse, or, rather, she would have gone without one.

In the days of which we write, slavery had a.s.sumed a very altered phase in the West Indies--more especially in the Island of Jamaica. The voices of Wilberforce and Clarkson had already reached the remotest corners of the Island, and the plantation negroes were beginning to hear the first mutterings of the emanc.i.p.ation. The slave trade was doomed; and it was expected that the doom of slavery itself would soon be declared.

The black bondsmen had become emboldened by the prospect; and there was no longer that abject submission to the wanton will of the master, and the whip of the driver, which had existed of yore. It was not uncommon for slaves to take "leave of absence" without asking it--often remaining absent for days; returning without fear of chastis.e.m.e.nt, and sometimes staying away altogether. Plantation revolts had become common, frequently ending in incendiarism and other scenes of the most sanguinary character; and more than one band of "runaways" had established themselves in the remote fastnesses of the mountains; where, in defiance of the authorities, and despite the preventive service-- somewhat negligently performed by their prototypes, the Maroons--they preserved a rude independence, partly sustained by pilfering, and partly by freebooting of a bolder kind. These runaways were, in effect, playing a _role_, in complete imitation of what, at an earlier period, had been the _metier_ of the original Maroons; while, as already stated, the Maroons themselves, employed upon the sage but infamous principle of "set a thief to catch a thief," had now become the detective police of the Island.

Under such conditions of slavery, the bold Cynthia was not the woman to trouble herself about asking leave of absence, nor to be deterred by any slight circ.u.mstance from taking it; therefore, at an early hour of the day, almost on the heels of Blue d.i.c.k, the messenger, she made her appearance at the penn.

Her conference with Jessuron, though it threw no light either on the whereabouts of the missing book-keeper, or on the cause of his absence, was not without interest to the Jew, since it revealed facts that gave him some comfort.

He had already learnt from Blue d.i.c.k that the Custos had started on his journey, and from Cynthia he now ascertained the additional fact, that before starting he _had taken the spell_. It had been administered in his _stirrup-cup_ of "swizzle."

This intelligence was the more gratifying, in view of the apprehensions which the Jew was beginning to feel in regard to his Spanish _employes_.

If the spell should do its work as quickly as Chakra had said, these worthies would be antic.i.p.ated in the performance of their dangerous duty.

Another important fact was communicated by Cynthia. She had seen Chakra that morning--just after her master had taken his departure. There had been an arrangement between her and the myal-man to meet at their usual trysting-place--contingent on the setting out of the Custos. As this contingency had transpired, of course the meeting had taken place--its object being that Cynthia might inform Chakra of such events as might occur previous to the departure.

Cynthia did not know for certain that Chakra had followed the Custos.

The myal-man had not told her of his intention to do so. But she fully believed he had. Something he had let fall during their conference guided her to this belief. Besides, on leaving her, Chakra, instead of returning towards his haunt in the Duppy's Hole, had gone off along the road in the direction of Savanna.

This was the substance of Cynthia's report; and having been well rewarded for the communication, the mulatta returned to Mount Welcome.

Notwithstanding the gratification which her news afforded, it was far from tranquillising the spirit of Jacob Jessuron.

The absence of Herbert Vaughan still continued--still unexplained; and as the hours pa.s.sed and night drew near, without any signs of his return, Jessuron--and it may be said Judith as well--became more and more uneasy about his disappearance.

Judith was puzzled as well as pained. Her suspicion that Herbert had had an appointment with his cousin Kate had been somewhat shaken, by what she had seen--as well as what she had _not_ seen: for on leaving the Jumbe Rock she had not ridden directly home. Instead of doing so, she had lingered for a length of time around the summit of the mountain, expecting Herbert to show himself. As she had neither encountered him, nor any traces of him, she was only too happy to conclude that her surmises about the meeting were, after all, but fancy; and that no a.s.signation had been intended. Kate's coming up to the Jumbe Rock was a little queer; but then Smythje had followed her, and Judith had not heard that part of the conversation which told that _his_ being there was only an accident--the accident of having discovered the retreat to which the young Creole had betaken herself.

These considerations had the effect of soothing the jealous spirit of the Jewess; but only to a very slight extent: for Herbert's absence was ominous--the more so, thought Judith, as she remembered a conversation that had lately pa.s.sed between them.

Nor did she feel any repentance for the dark deed she had designed, and would certainly have executed, but for the well-timed appearance of Smythje upon the scene. The words which had fallen from the lips of Kate Vaughan had been a sufficient clue to her reflections; and though he whose name she had mentioned was not present in person, the Jewess did not doubt that he, and only he, was the subject of that soliloquy.

There might have been remorse for the deed, had it been accomplished; but there was no repentance for the design. Jealousy, bitter as ever in the breast of Judith, forbade this.

Judith's return did not make the matter any clearer to Jessuron. She had no story to tell, except that which she deemed it more prudent to keep to herself. Her not having encountered Herbert during her ride, only rendered his absence more difficult of explanation.

Volume Three, Chapter XVI.