The Quest Of The 'Golden Hope' Part 13

An hour or more elapsed ere the sixty peasants were brought on board the _Golden Hope_, for Captain 'Enery, with considerable tact, had allowed them to settle amongst themselves who should stay and who were to go. Thus there was no separation of relations or friends--for, poor fellows, they had had enough of that when they left England--and each band of yokels had the satisfaction of finding themselves made up of practically the manhood of their respective villages.

Our westward course was now resumed, the two vessels keeping their stations with commendable precision, the _Golden Hope_ leading at about a cable's length from the _Neptune's_ larboard bow.

From early morn to late afternoon, day after day, the new arrivals were trained in the use of arms, manning the guns under Master Touchstone's supervision, and going through the musketry exercises and the cuts and guards of the cutla.s.s drill. It was not long before their smocks and other homely garments had given place to clothes of a nautical cut, while each day added to their transformation into stout-hearted British seamen.

Nor were the conditions under which the crew of the _Neptune_ lived less strenuous. Although we were unable to go aboard her, for the Trades blew steadily during this time, and both vessels kept up a good eight knots, I could see by the aid of a gla.s.s that her men were hard at work with their ordnance and small arms; while it seemed that Captain 'Enery rarely quitted his quarter-deck. Whenever I chanced to look that way I could distinguish his tall, gaunt, bearded figure slowly pacing his domain; and I realized that, should we ever find ourselves in a tight fix, we should have reason to be thankful for the aid of Captain 'Enery.

CHAPTER XV

We Arrive at Treasure Island

"Land ahead!"

Such was the welcome cry that greeted my ears as I awoke on the morning of our thirty-eighth day afloat.

Hastily throwing on my clothes, I rushed on deck to view the land of promise. We were approaching the Lesser Antilles, and ahead the lofty, wooded slopes of an extensive island were slowly coming into sight, while north and south the peaks of other islands showed their heads above the horizon, for the weather was particularly clear, the hour being just after sunrise.

Captain Jeremy was already up and about, and was holding the chart in his hand, for we were on the point of pa.s.sing over shoal water, though no rocks reared their heads above the sea.

The leadsman was in the chains, his voice being heard with monotonous regularity--"By the mark five"[1]; and the anchor was already uncatted and hung ready to let go at the first sign of danger.

Astern the _Neptune_ was wallowing slowly in our wake, under reduced canvas.

Gradually the island loomed nearer and nearer, till we could distinguish a saddle-shaped hill, covered with dense vegetation, descending steeply on its northern face, while its southern portion seemed to end in a long, flat plain. At first sight there appeared no break in the encircling ridge of white sand 'gainst which the breakers flung themselves in cascades of milk-white foam, the noise of which was borne to our ears like the distant roll of drums.

"By the deep four," shouted the leadsman.

"Carry on," said Captain Jeremy calmly, though by his manner I knew 'twould be hazardous to question him. "Another man in the chains!"

"A quarter less four." The water was shoaling rapidly.

Still our Captain gave no sign to alter the brig's course, although an ominous pale green patch ahead and several others of a dark brown hue on either side of us betokened the presence of dangerous sandbanks and rocks. His eyes were intently fixed on a rocky pinnacle which was slowly coming into line with a distant island.

"Hard a larboard!"

Round swept the _Golden Hope_, heeling over to the beam wind as it caught her retrimmed sails. We were now shaping a course parallel to the eastern side of the island, while the _Neptune_, turning in our wake, had also succeeded in negotiating the unseen channel.

"Keep her as she goes, quartermaster," ordered Captain Jeremy, who was now devoting his attention to some secret bearings on the sh.o.r.e.

"By the mark thirteen," sang out the leadsman, while almost directly afterwards his companion gave the cry, "And a half six."

"Starboard your helm."

Once more the _Golden Hope_ swung round till she lay on her former course and was pointing straight for the island. Right ahead I could now see a deep bay, or rather gulf, protected by a ridge of jagged rocks running obliquely seaward from either horn of the land. Even here the rollers ran high, but they lacked the broken crest that elsewhere marked an almost continuous submerged reef.

Away aloft sprang the men to reduce still further our spread of canvas. With a succession of heavy lurches the _Golden Hope_ crossed the bar and entered the land-locked harbour.

"Let go," shouted Captain Jeremy, laying down his gla.s.s with a sigh of relief and wiping his heated brow.

With a sullen splash the anchor plunged beneath the waves, the stout hempen cable flew through the hawse-pipe, and the _Golden Hope_ brought up head to wind in the sheltered anchorage of Treasure Island.

The _Neptune_, smartly handled, also dropped anchor half a cable's length nearer insh.o.r.e, and steps were immediately taken to moor both vessels, a ma.s.sive chain bridle and swivel being bent on to the cables to prevent undue chafing, and also to facilitate matters should we be compelled to slip in a hurry.

The waters of this little harbour were so clear that the bed of the sea could be distinctly seen at a depth of five fathoms. The _Golden Hope_ was lying immediately over a white sandy 'patch, though both her anchors were embedded in blue mud, which formed an excellent holding-ground.

It being too late in the day to land, for mooring and "snugging down" had taken up a considerable time, all hands were allowed to stand easy. Many of the men took advantage of this permission to bathe, and a strange sight it was to see a constant stream of seamen running along our fore-yard and diving thence into the sea.

For my part, I could not bring myself to attempt a plunge from that dizzy height, but contented myself with diving off the catheads; yet before many days had pa.s.sed I conquered my fears and essayed the leap, for which I had reason to be thankful ere the cruise of the _Golden Hope_ was over.

A sharp look-out was kept in case the swimmers were attacked by sharks, but we were not molested by these monsters. On our voyage we had frequently come across them, and they would follow the ship for days; but on our crossing the bar they deserted us. Possibly the roar of the surf had frightened them, and we were not sorry to lose their unwelcome attentions.

Next day the boats were ordered away to sound the bay and the bar without. The weather was exceedingly hot, and even when sheltered beneath canvas awnings the heat was oppressive. Yet ere nightfall the soundings were taken, with sufficient exactness to a.s.sure ourselves that no hidden danger lay within the entrance to our harbour, while the wreck of the Spanish caravel was discovered lying close to the northernmost arm of the reef in eleven fathoms of water.

I could trace her rounded sides and lofty p.o.o.p and fo'c'sle, even though the timbers were covered with weeds. She was lying almost on an even keel, though with a slight list to starboard, her bows pointing obliquely to the sh.o.r.e. Had she been a few hundred yards to the south'ard she must a.s.suredly have made the harbour in safety, and then there would have been no need for our presence off the island.

"It was commonly supposed," said Captain Jeremy to me, "that the whole of the crew of the caravel perished in the wreck, but I can prove that such was not the case. When she struck she remained above water some time--possibly for weeks--and the survivors removed the treasure to a safe hiding-place in the hills. How they fared you shall see. With the next heavy gale the _Madre_ slipped off the rocks and settled in deep water, where we now see her. This accounts for the treasure not being found by anyone but myself. Now we'll return to the _Golden Hope_, for 'tis nearly sunset."

That night extra watches were set on both ships, for we knew not whether the island was inhabited or otherwise, while at any time some buccaneering craft might attempt to surprise us as we lay at anchor. But nothing untoward occurred to, disturb our slumbers, although the change from the constant heave of the ocean to the motionless calm within this sheltered harbour caused me to lie awake on my back for several hours.

A thousand thoughts pa.s.sed through my brain. Here we were off Treasure Island, but would our quest be successful? What was my uncle doing? Had he guessed the reason of my flight? or did he think that I had come to some untimely ending? If the latter, what would he do with my home in far-off Brockenhurst? And Constance--how was she faring? Then I recalled the incidents that led to my presence on board the _Golden Hope_. I pictured again the struggle with the two dragoons on the Lyndhurst Road, the fatal night when my father was foully slain, the underground refuge, my midnight flight and subsequent discomforts in the hold. Once more I saw the Algerine crumple up under our broadside, and pictured the boarding of the _Neptune_. These and a chain of other incidents I recalled, till just before dawn I fell asleep.

Yet during the short interval while I slept occurred the first of a series of incidents that led to the direst misfortunes which befel our enterprise.

[1] This refers to the sounding in fathoms as shown by the leadline.

This line is "marked" at 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 13, 15, 17, and 20 fathoms by distinctive strips of calico, bunting, leather, &c. The intervening depths are not "marked", and are called "deeps".

CHAPTER XVI

A Hasty Recall

At sunrise all hands were piped on deck, for much had to be done ere the rays of the tropical sun became too strong for us to work. The boats were hoisted out and the hatches removed, and a portion of the stores was placed on deck ready to be transported on sh.o.r.e.

Captain Jeremy had decided, to avoid difficulty and the loss of time caused by going ash.o.r.e and returning by the boats every day, to land most of the stores and gear required for our expedition--that is, should the island prove to be uninhabited--and to erect a stockaded storehouse and quarters.

This arrangement would also benefit the health of the crews of both vessels, for in their somewhat overcrowded state the greatest care had to be exercised to ward off an epidemic of scurvy.

Accordingly, fifty men, armed to the teeth, were ordered away in the boats under the command of the master gunner, for Captain Jeremy had decided not to explore the interior of the island, where the treasure was supposed to be hidden, until a secure base of operations was in existence.

Before the landing party went over the ship's side Captain Jeremy called me into his cabin.