OF OUR ADVENTURE AT SEA
Dawn found us standing easterly before a gentle wind with the land bearing
away upon our right, a fair and constantly changing prospect of sandy
bays, bold headlands and green uplands backed by lofty mountains blue with
distance.
And what with all the varied beauties of earth, the blue heaven, the
sparkle of sea, the soft, sweet wind, it verily seemed the late gloomy
terrors of my dungeon were no more than a nightmare until, hearing a moan,
I turned to see my companion stirring in uneasy slumber, his haggard
features contorted as by some spasm, whereupon I touched him to
wakefulness, bidding him see if we had aught aboard to eat or drink; but
he crouched motionless as one rapt in an ecstasy, staring eager-eyed from
cloudless heaven to sapphire sea and round about upon the glory of the dawn
and fell suddenly a-laughing as from pure joy and as suddenly hid his face
within his shrivelled hands.
"This--O, glory of God! This, instead of black despair!" said he in weeping
voice. "This sweet, healing wind instead of searing flame--and you, Martin,
'tis you have given all this! I dreamed me back in the hell you brought me
from! Sun and wind and sea--oh, God love thee--these be your gifts to me
that was your enemy--"
"Nay, our enmity is dead and done with--"
"Martin Conisby," said he, looking on me through his tears, "through you,
by God's grace, I know again the joy of living, and, God aiding me, you
shall yet know the like happiness an I may compass it!"
Now seeing him thus deeply moved I grew abashed and, beckoning him to take
the tiller, began to overhaul the contents of the boat's lockers and thus
found that Don Federigo had furnished us to admiration with all things
to our comfort and defence. Forthwith I set out breakfast, choosing such
things as I judged the most perishable, and we ate and drank mighty
cheerful.
But as Sir Richard sat thus in his rags, staring upon all things with
ineffable content, the bright sun showed me the hideous marks of his many
sufferings plain and manifest in his bent and twisted frame, the scars
that disfigured him and the clumsy movements of his limbs misshapen by the
torment, and moreover I noticed how, ever and anon, he would be seized of
violent tremblings and shudderings like one in an ague, insomuch that I
could scarce abide to look on him for very pity and marvelled within myself
that any man could endure so much and yet live.
"Oh friend!" said he suddenly, "'tis a wondrous world you have given back
to me; I almost grow a man again--"
Even as he uttered these brave words the shuddering took him once more, but
when I would have aided him he smiled and spake 'twixt chattering teeth:
"Never heed me, Martin--this cometh of the water-dungeons--'twill soon
pass--"
"God knoweth you have suffered over-much--"
"Yet He hath brought me forth a better man therefor, though my body
is--something the worse, 'tis true. Indeed, I am a sorry companion for a
voyage, I doubt--"
"Howbeit," said I, "last night, but for your ready wit, we had been
taken--"
"Say you so, Martin? Here is kind thought and comforting, for I began to
dread lest I prove an encumbrance to you.
"Nay, sir, never think it!" said I. "For 'tis my earnest hope to bring you
to the loving care of one who hath sought you long and patiently--"
"Is it Joan? Oh, mean you my daughter Joan? Is she in these latitudes?"
"Even so, sir. For you she hath braved a thousand horrors and evils."
And here, in answer to his eager questioning, I told him much of what I
have writ here concerning the Lady Joan, her resolute spirit and numberless
virtues, a theme whereof I never wearied. Thus, heedless of time, of thirst
or hunger, I told of the many dire perils she had encountered in her quest,
both aboard ship and on the island, to all of which Sir Richard hearkened,
his haggard gaze now on my face, now fixed yearningly on the empty
distances before us as he would fain conjure up the form of her whose noble
qualities I was describing. When at last I had made an end, he sat silent a
great while.
"I was a proud, harsh man of old," said he at last, "and a father most
ungentle--and 'tis thus she doth repay me! You and she were children
together--playfellows, Martin."
"Aye, sir, 'twas long ago."
"And in my prideful arrogance I parted you, because you were the son of my
enemy, but God hath brought you together again and His will be done. But,
Martin, if she be yet in these latitudes, where may we hope to find her?"
"At Darien, in the Gulf!"
"Darien?" said he. "Why there, Martin? 'Tis a wild country and full of
hostile Indians. I landed there once--"
So I told him how Adam had appointed a place of meeting there, showing
him also the chart Adam had drawn for my guidance, the which we fell to
studying together, whereby we judged we had roughly but some eighty leagues
to sail and a notable good sea-boat under us, and that by keeping in sight
of the Main we could not fail of fetching up with the rendezvous, always
suppose we lost not our bearings by being blown out to sea.
"Had I but quadrant and compass, Martin--"
"How, sir," said I, "can you navigate?"
"I could once," said he, with his faint smile. Hereupon I hasted to reach
these instruments from one of the lockers (since it seemed Don Federigo
had forgot nothing needful to our welfare), perceiving which, Sir Richard
straightened his bowed shoulders somewhat and his sallow cheek flushed.
"Here at last I may serve you somewhat, Martin," said he and, turning his
back to the sun, he set the instrument to his eye and began moving the
three vanes to and fro until he had the proper focus and might obtain the
sun's altitude; whereby he had presently found our present position, the
which he duly pricked upon the chart. He now showed me how, by standing out
on direct course instead of following the tortuous windings of the coast,
we could shorten our passage by very many miles. Hereupon we shaped our
course accordingly and, the wind freshening somewhat, by afternoon the high
coast had faded to a faint blur of distant mountain peaks, and by sunset we
had lost it altogether.
And so night came down on us, with a kindly wind, cool and refreshing after
the heats of the day, a night full of a palpitant, starry splendour and lit
by a young, horned moon that showed us this wide-rolling infinity of waters
and these vast spaces filled, as it seemed, with the awful majesty of God,
so that when we spake (which was seldom) it was in hushed voices. It being
my turn to sleep, I lay down, yet could not close my eyes for a while for
the wonder of the stars above, and with my gaze thus uplift, I must needs
think of my lady and wonder where she might be, with passionate prayers for
her safety; and beholding these heavenly splendours, I thought perchance
she might be viewing them also and in this thought found me great solace
and comfort. And now what must my companion do but speak of her that was
thus in my thought.
"Martin," he questioned suddenly, "do you love her?"
"Aye, I do!" said I, "mightily!"
"And she you?"
"God grant it!"
"Here," said he after some while, "here were a noble ending to the feud,
Martin?"
"Sir, 'tis ended already, once and for all."
"Aye, but," said he with a catch in his voice, "all my days I--have
yearned--for a son. More especially now--when I am old and so feeble."
"Then, sir, you shall lack no longer, if I can thus make up in some small
measure for all you have suffered--"
At this he fell silent again but in the dark his trembling hand stole down
to touch me lightly as in blessing; and so I fell asleep.
Prom this slumber I was suddenly aroused by his calling on my name and,
opening drowsy eyes, beheld (as it were) a luminous veil that blotted out
moon and stars and ocean, and, looking about, saw we lay becalmed in a
white mist.
"Martin," said Sir Richard, his face a pale oval in the dimness, "d'ye hear
aught?"
"No more than the lapping of the waves," I answered, for indeed the sea was
very calm and still.
"Nay, listen awhile, Martin, for either I'm mad or there's some one or
something crying and wailing to larboard of us, an evil sound like one in
torment. Three times the cry has reached me, yet here we lie far out to
sea. So list ye, son, and tell me if my ears do play me false, for verily
I--"
His speech died away as from somewhere amid the chill and ghostly vapour
there stole a long-drawn, wailing cry, so woful, so desolate, and so
unearthly here in this vasty solitude that I caught my breath and stared
upon this eddying mist with gaze of fearful expectancy.
"You heard it, Martin; you heard it?"
"Aye!" I nodded.
"'Tis like one cries upon the rack, Martin!"
"'Tis belike from some ship hid in the fog yonder," said I, handing him a
musket from the arms-locker.
"There was no ship to see before this fog came down on us," quoth Sir
Richard uneasily; howbeit he took the weapon, handling it so purposefully
as was great comfort to see, whereupon I took oars and began to row towards
whence I judged this awful cry had come. And presently it rose again,
dreadful to hear, a sound to freeze the blood. I heard Sir Richard cock
his piece and glanced instinctively to make sure Don Federigo's sword lay
within my reach. Three times the cry rose, ere, with weapon poised for
action, Sir Richard motioned for me to stop rowing, and glancing over my
shoulder, I saw that which loomed upon us through the mist, a dim shape
that gradually resolved itself into a large ship's boat or pinnace. Sword
in one hand and pistol in the other, I stood up and hailed lustily, yet got
no sound in reply save a strange, dull whimpering.
Having shouted repeatedly to no better purpose, I took oars again and
paddled cautiously nearer until at last, by standing on the thwart, I might
look into this strange boat and (the fog being luminous) perceived three
dark shapes dreadfully huddled and still; but as I gazed, one of these
stirred slightly, and I heard a strange, dull, thumping sound and then I
saw this for a great hound. Hereupon I cast our boathook over their gunwale
and while Sir Richard held the boats thus grappled, scrambled aboard them,
pistol in hand, and so came upon two dead men and beside them this great
dog.
And now I saw these men had died in fight and not so long since, for the
blood that fouled them and the boat was still wet, and even as I bent over
them the hound licked the face of him that lay uppermost and whined. And
men and dog alike seemed direly thin and emaciate. Now it was in my mind
to shoot the dog out of its misery, to which end I cocked my pistol,
but seeing how piteously it looked on me and crawled to lick my hand, I
resolved to carry it along with us and forthwith (and no little to-do)
presently contrived to get the creature into our boat, thereby saving both
our lives, as you shall hear.
So we cast off and I sat to watch the boat until like a phantom, it melted
into the mist and vanished away. Turning, I beheld the hound, his great
head on Sir Richard's knee, licking the hand that fondled him.
"He is pined of hunger and thirst, Martin; I will tend him whiles you
sleep. He shall be a notable good sentinel and these be very keen of
scent--the Spaniards do use them to track down poor runaway slaves withal,
but these dogs are faithful beasts and this hath been sent us, doubtless,
to some good end."