The Rover's Secret Part 23

It was apparent enough to me, however, that the Spaniards did not like the look of her.

I was greeted with great cordiality by the little group as I made my appearance on deck; the kindest hopes were expressed that I had pa.s.sed a comfortable night, and I was promptly invited to take breakfast with the skipper in his cabin. These compliments being duly paid and acknowledged, Captain Calderon remarked:

"We have been looking at that schooner yonder, and wondering who and what she can be. Schooners--unless they happen to be British cruisers, French privateers, or piratical craft--are seldom to be met with about here; and, though we ought to have nothing to fear from the second variety I have named, I have, to speak the plain truth, no very great desire to meet with either of the three."

"Perhaps she is an American from one of the islands, bound up into the Gulf," I suggested.

"Hardly that, I think," answered Don Felix. "Tell me, did you ever see an American trader with such a beautifully cut suit of canvas as that fellow spreads?" thrusting the gla.s.s into my hand as he spoke.

I applied the instrument to my eye, taking a good long steady look at the distant vessel; and when I had completed my examination I was forced to admit that I had never seen a trader, American or otherwise, with such a handsome suit of canvas, or with everything so snug and ship- shape about her rigging as was this craft. "Still," said I, "I am disposed to think her American from the enormous spread of her yards, which you have doubtless noticed. But if, Don Felix," I continued, "you are really anxious to ascertain the fellow's intentions, why not wear round on the opposite tack? That will at once make him declare himself; for if he is an honest trader he will continue to hold on his present course, whilst if he is not he will certainly alter it so as to intercept you; you will thus have plenty of time to prepare for him, as he cannot get alongside in less than a couple of hours unless the breeze freshens."

"I was just thinking of that," remarked Don Felix, "and I will do so.

For the sake of my--ah--my--pa.s.sengers, I must be cautious. We will wear ship, gentlemen, if you please, and then go to breakfast."

This was done, the operation occupying nearly a quarter of an hour, in consequence of the lightness of the wind, and we then, a party of four, went below to breakfast.

The steward was only just pouring out our chocolate when the first lieutenant came down to say that the schooner had altered her course about four points to the southward, and evidently intended to intercept us.

Don Felix looked very blank for a moment or two on hearing this, then his brow cleared, and he remarked:

"Pooh! she cannot mean to attack us; she merely wishes to speak. Hoist the Spanish ensign, sir, she will not interfere with us when she sees _that_!"

I must say I had my doubts whether the mere exhibition of the Spanish ensign would have the deterrent effect Captain Calderon antic.i.p.ated; however, I reflected it could not possibly matter to me--unless, of course, the craft were British, which I did not believe--so I went on composedly with my breakfast. My companions were evidently somewhat perturbed, the news just brought down into the cabin interfered considerably with the enjoyment of their meal, and I could see that they were anxiously waiting for me to finish in order that they might go on deck and see how matters were progressing. I therefore brought my repast to a hurried conclusion, and we all returned to the upper regions together.

The strange sail had by this time reduced her distance to some five miles from the _Santa Catalina_; and, from the course she was steering, it could no longer be doubted that she intended to pa.s.s close to us, if nothing more. Captain Calderon lost not a moment in bringing his gla.s.s to bear upon her, and so intent was his scrutiny and examination that it was fully five minutes before he removed his eye from the tube. When he did so he handed the gla.s.s to me, and I in turn had a look at her. She had now raised her hull clear of the horizon, but owing to the intense heat her outline was so magnified and distorted that it was quite impossible to get a good view of her. Still, as I watched the wavering image, the idea began to grow upon me that I had somewhere seen the craft before; and I tried for a long time to remember where it was, but without success.

"Well, what do you think of her, my friend?" asked Don Felix as I replaced the instrument in his hands.

"I do not know what to think," said I; "but I have a.s.suredly seen that vessel before, though _where_, I cannot for the life of me remember."

"I wish you would allow me to ask you a single question," said Don Felix very earnestly.

"Certainly," I thoughtlessly replied; "what is it?"

"Is yonder schooner one of your cruisers?"

I had not expected such a question as this, and I did not think it at all a fair one for Don Felix to put I scarcely knew what reply to make to it, and in order to gain time I begged the loan of the gla.s.s once more, which having obtained I composedly ascended to the main-top, and from that advantageous stand-point renewed my examination. In this situation I obtained a much better view; and as I stood there swaying to the sluggish heave of the vessel, with the gla.s.s glued to my eye, my memory suddenly carried me back on board the _Foam_, and I once more fancied myself standing on her heaving deck watching the approach of a strange schooner running down toward us pretty much as this one was now doing; the only difference being that we then had a great deal more wind than we now had, whilst the schooner in sight showed a great deal more canvas than the one we were then so anxiously watching. But the hull was the same; the taunt spars, and especially the excessive spread of her yards it was utterly impossible to mistake; and I hurried down on deck with all speed, feeling that the _Santa Catalina_ and every soul on board her was in a very awkward fix, to escape from which would tax our energies and ingenuity to the utmost.

"Well?" said Don Felix interrogatively, as I swung off the rail down on deck close to him.

"Don Felix," said I, "when you asked me that question a minute or two ago I had not succeeded in identifying yonder schooner, though I felt sure I had seen her somewhere before. _Now_ I know her; she is the vessel in which that notorious pirate, Merlani, plies his nefarious trade; and I would therefore strongly recommend you to clear for action at once."

"Merlani!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the skipper; "the saints defend us! It cannot be true; you are surely joking with us, senor!"

"I was never more serious in my life, Captain Calderon," I retorted; "and to show you how grave I consider our situation, I beg that you will allow my men and myself to a.s.sist you in the defence of the ship."

The little gentleman turned almost livid for a moment, and I really thought he was frightened; but after an ineffectual effort or two to steady his voice, he managed to stutter out pa.s.sionately:

"No, senor, no; certainly not! Your offer is almost an insult--though perhaps you did not intend it as such. The _Santa Catalina_ is a Spanish ship, and she is manned by a crew who, with her officers, are quite able to take care of her and to uphold the honour and dignity of yonder flag," pointing as he spoke to the languidly floating ensign at the peak.

"Very good, Don Felix," said I; "you, of course, know the capabilities of your crew far better than I do. But the schooner there is sure to be crowded with men, who, to my personal knowledge, are as desperate a set of ruffians as ever trod a deck. You will have all your work cut out to beat them off; and if you fail, what is to become of us all? I warn you that neither I nor my men will submit tamely and without a struggle to have our throats cut. If the pirates gain possession of this ship we shall fight for our lives, and if we prove victorious I shall consider the _Santa Catalina_ my lawful prize."

"And you shall be welcome to her, senor, on those conditions," said Don Felix, with all the hauteur he could muster. "At present I must request that you and your people will retire below and consider yourselves as close prisoners until you hear further from me. And I rely upon your courtesy and sense of honour to relieve me of the necessity for calling upon my crew, in the present critical state of affairs, to enforce my commands."

"You shall be instantly obeyed, Captain Calderon," said I, highly nettled at so very unnecessary an exhibition of warmth. "Come, my lads," I continued to my own people, who were lounging about the decks and looking somewhat wistfully at the guns, "below with you, every man, the _Dolphins_ are to have no hand in this fight it seems. Come, down with you; no disobedience; for shame, men; would you disgrace me before all these Spaniards?"

This was enough, and the few who seemed at first inclined to hang back now pressed forward eager to show their obedience by being among the first to pa.s.s down the hatchway.

As I turned away with a bow from Don Felix and his little group of officers, the former gave the order to clear ship for action; and at the same moment Don Luis, who, it seemed, had come un.o.bserved on deck and had heard the altercation between Don Felix and myself, pressed forward and placed himself by my side.

"I will come below with you for a moment, if I may," said he.

"a.s.suredly," said I; "I shall be glad to have a word with you, Don Luis, before the action commences. _Dolphins_," I continued in English, "just look about you as you pa.s.s below, and take possession of anything you can find likely to prove handy as a weapon. I'm by no means sure we shall not be yet obliged to fight for our lives, though the dons have so scornfully refused our a.s.sistance."

"Is that your honest conviction?" asked Don Luis, who understood English perfectly, "or is it merely the expression of a little bitterness at Captain Calderon's singularly discourteous behaviour?"

"It is my honest conviction," said I. "It may seem a very impertinent thing for me to say, Don Luis; but, from what I have seen of the officers and crew of this vessel, I do not believe they will be able to withstand the pirates' attack longer than five minutes at the utmost. I am glad you have given me the opportunity to say this to you, for I should not like disaster to find you quite unprepared. Would that I could think of some means of providing for your daughter's safety!"

"The saints be merciful to us! Do you really think matters are so desperate as that, Senor Lascelles?" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Don Luis.

"I do, indeed," replied I.

"Then, supposing the pirates gain possession of the ship, what do you think will happen?" asked my friend, in great perturbation.

"They will undoubtedly ransack the ship and plunder her of every article of the slightest value, in the first place," said I; "but what they will next do is not so certain. 'Dead men tell no tales,' however, and the chances are that every male on board will be slaughtered in cold blood, or thrown overboard, after which the ship will, doubtless, be scuttled or set on fire."

"Stay were you are a few minutes, I pray you, my dear boy," e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Don Luis, in a tone of voice which betrayed his extreme consternation; "I must go on deck and have a word or two with Captain Calderon. I have not yet wholly lost my power or influence, though I _am_ to some extent in disgrace."

He hurried away and left me standing on the main-deck. My men, meanwhile, had, in obedience to my instructions, made their way below to the lower deck, and I could hear them now and then--during a momentary cessation in the din on deck and around me caused by the Spaniards'

preparations for action--rummaging about below and calling to each other.

About ten minutes later Don Luis rejoined me, with a drawn sword in his hand and a pair of pistols in the sash which girded his waist, showing that he, at all events, fully intended to do his part in the protection of the ship and those within her.

"Where are your men?" he asked.

"Gone below, whither I must now join them," said I. "I can see that your countrymen are already regarding my prolonged presence here with jealous and mistrustful eyes."

"Come, then," said Don Luis, "I will go with you."

We descended to the lower deck, and I saw, by the dim light of a lantern suspended from the beams, that most of my lads had provided themselves with at least _something_ in the shape of a weapon. Some had armed themselves with tail-blocks, which they had routed out from somewhere; some carried marlinespikes; and others were balancing crowbars and pieces of old iron in their hands; whilst one or two had dragged to light some short lengths of chain, which, wielded by their sinewy arms, might prove formidable weapons of offence.

Don Luis looked at them, then at me, and smiled.

"You English are a most extraordinary people," he said. "I believe you are never more happy than when fighting. Those men of yours look more like a parcel of schoolboys preparing for a holiday than men making ready for a desperate life-and-death struggle. But I must be brief; there is no time for anything like gossip now; the pirate schooner is within two miles of us, and Don Felix expects her to open fire immediately. I have tried to persuade him that he was hasty and ill- advised to refuse your offer of a.s.sistance; but the fellow is as obstinate as a pig; he will _not_ listen to reason, albeit I believe he is growing more nervous every minute. Now, first, I want to ask you what had I better do with my daughter?"

"Stow her away as low down in the run of the ship as you can put her,"

said I. "She will then be out of reach of the shot. It will also be some little time before she can be discovered by the pirates--a.s.suming, of course, that they take the ship--and in the meantime there will be the chance of my men being able to do something. But, for the love of Heaven, Don Luis, let her not fall alive into the hands of the scoundrels!"

"She shall _not_, if I have to slay her with my own hand," e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Don Luis through his set teeth. "There is one thing more," he continued hurriedly. "Your men cannot possibly do any good with those makeshift weapons with which they have provided themselves. Now, if I am willing to compromise myself to the extent of providing you all with suitable arms, will you pledge your sacred word of honour, Don Leo, that those weapons shall not be employed save against the pirates, and only then in the event of my countrymen proving unequal to cope with them."