TAKEN ASHORE.
Neither Jack or Ronie had a full realization of what followed. The
sound of a voice that seemed to be muffled rang dimly in their ears,
and soon after strong arms lifted them bodily from the water, to place
them in the bottom of a boat. Some one spoke in a language they could
not understand, when the boat started back to the larger craft awaiting
its return. By the time they had been taken upon the deck of this
strange sloop both had recovered sufficiently to understand their
situation.
A motley-looking crew stood around them, but they did not give these
particular attention at the time, as one who was in command immediately
caught their notice. He was a stout-framed, bewhiskered man of middle
age, and in spite of his foreign dress, plainly an American. But he
seemed to be the only American on board the sloop. Prefacing his
question with an oath, he demanded:
"Who are you, and where did you come from?"
Understanding the suspicious character of the _Libertador_, Jack was
wise enough not to acknowledge that they had come from that vessel
until he should deem it good policy to do so. Accordingly he answered:
"We are two castaways who fell overboard from a ship just out from
Maracaibo."
"Pretty seamen!" declared the other, showing that he scouted the idea.
"Is it a trick of yours to fall overboard every time you step on deck?"
"We were only passengers," replied Jack. "As you will see, like
yourself, we are Americans, who have come to this country with peaceful
intentions."
"As if anybody was peaceful at such a time as this. What are your
names?"
"Mine is Jack Greenland, and my friend's is Roland Rand," replied Jack,
respectfully.
"Names are nothing," grunted the other. "You look like drowned rats.
If you will go below with one of the men he will see that you have a
change of clothing."
"We do not care for that, sir, Captain----"
"Captain Hawkins, sirrah. If you prefer wet duds to dry ones it is not
my fault. Shift for yourselves while I look after my men, who are as
lazy a lot of devils as ever swore in Spanish."
Jack and Ronie were in a dilemma. While they hesitated about arousing
further the other regarding their identity, it seemed cowardly not to
say or do something for Harrie and Francisco, whom they believed afloat
in the boat, though not certain of this. Exchanging a few hurried
words, Jack then ventured to address the captain again, though he felt
he was treading upon dangerous ground. There was that air of mystery
about the sloop and those who manned her, which already created a
feeling in the breasts of our twain of doubt as to the honesty of the
craft. What was this single American doing in these waters with a
Venezuelan crew, not one of whom did they believe could speak a word of
English, and certainly not one of whom appeared as if he would shrink
from cutting a man's throat in case that person stood between him and
any purpose he may have had in view.
"Captain Hawkins," said Jack, frankly and fearlessly, "we wish to ask
whither you are bound. We realize we are under great favor to you, but
we are very anxious to learn the fate of a couple of friends whom we
have reason to believe were adrift at the time we found ourselves in
the sea."
"Humph!" grunted the captain. "I should like to know what you expect
of me. You may thank your stars that I am an American, as that fact
alone has spared your lives."
"For which we are very grateful. But for the sake----"
"If you haven't been on this craft long enough to know that I am her
master it's because you ---- ---- idiots, and fit food for the fishes
only. I will leave you at the first sod of earth that I see. Is that
enough?"
It was a trying situation. It was evident that it would be worse than
useless to continue this subject under his present mood.
"They are better off than we were," declared Jack, aside to Ronie.
"That is, if they really gained the boat."
"I would give a good deal to know," said Ronie.
"Captain Hawkins is tacking ship," declared Jack, a moment later.
"What does that mean?"
"I cannot tell, unless, by the great horn of rock--Gibraltar, if you
please! he means to keep his word, and run us ashore at the first point
of land to be reached."
"That will take us away from Harrie," said Ronie.
"Too true, lad; too true!"
"Jack, what do you make of Captain Hawkins and his men?"
"They are greater mysteries to me than the officers and crew of the
_Libertador_. I set them down at once as pirates, but these fellows
stump me out of my boots. All we can do is to watch and wait. They
have done us one good turn, anyway."
Standing by the rail of this strange sloop, Jack and Ronie watched in
silence the scenes that followed. Dark clouds had again risen on the
sky, obscuring the stars in the west, while throwing a gloom over the
sea far and wide. Captain Hawkins paid no further attention to them,
but appeared oblivious of their presence.
"Are all of the ships that ply in these waters like those we have
found?" asked Ronie, in a low tone.
"Not all, lad," replied Jack; "but I fear by far too many have followed
in the wake of Sir Henry Morgan and his buccaneers. By my faith, lad,
we must be going over very nearly the same course pursued by that
infamous outlaw of the sea when he sailed with his expedition to sack
the coast of Venezuela in the last half of the seventeenth century. In
1668 he captured the important city of Puerto Bello, the booty obtained
amounting to over 250,000 pieces of eight, to say nothing of rich
merchandise and precious gems. Encouraged in his unholy warfare by
these ill-gotten gains, he rallied his lawless forces for another raid.
So, early in 1669, he sailed with fifteen vessels and 800 men in this
direction, making the rich city of Maracaibo his object. Again success
came to him, and at that city and Panama he reaped a greater harvest of
spoils than he had done at Puerto Bello. But this time Spain had got
wind of his intentions, and sent a mighty squadron to intercept and
capture him. At last it seemed as though the bold outlaw must yield,
but his daring stood him still in hand, and by a sudden and unexpected
swoop upon his unsuspecting foe he carried confusion and dismay into
their midst, burning several of their ships and actually routing the
fleet. There was still a blockading fort to pass, but throwing his
colors to the breeze, now bearing directly down upon the guns, and then
veering off, he succeeded in running the gantlet without the loss of a
vessel.
"As may be imagined, Morgan was king of the buccaneers now. Did he
need more men he had but to say so, and they flocked to his standard by
scores. So a year later, in command of thirty-seven vessels and over
two thousand men, he started upon the most difficult and the most
audacious expedition ever planned by the wild outlaws of this coast.
The outcome was too horrible to contemplate. The Spaniards fought
well, for their all was at stake, but against the demoniac followers of
a man who knew neither mercy nor hesitation in carrying out his
infamous purposes. Panama was laid in ruins, and her unhappy
inhabitants were nearly all inhumanly butchered or spared to fates even
worse. Following this terrible expedition, the infamous leader was
knighted by an infamous king, and for a time it seemed as if his evil
deeds were to bear him only fruits of contented peacefulness. But it
was not long before his old spirit began to reassert itself, he fell
into trouble, was seized for some of his crimes, thrown into prison,
where his history ends in oblivion."
Ronie was about to speak, when the cry of "land--oh!" came from the
lookout, when their attention was quickly turned toward a dark line
that had seemed to come up on the distant horizon.
"The sloop is about to lay to," declared Jack.
"And it looks as if they were going to lower a boat," added Ronie.
"By the horn of rock--Gibraltar, if you please! that is what they are
doing. I wonder what is on hand now?"
They were kept in suspense but a short time, when Captain Hawkins
approached them, saying:
"Whatever else Jerome Hawkins may have to answer for, it cannot be said
that he ever failed to keep his word. You said you wanted to go to
Venezuela. Yonder lies its shore, and I bid you a hearty God-speed.
No thanks, sirrah," as Jack was about to speak, "you go your way and
I'll go mine."
Without further words he turned upon his heel, and our twain had no
further opportunity to exchange speech with him. A moment later they
were ordered by gestures more forcible than speech to enter the boat,
and knowing they could do no better, they obeyed. A crew of four
accompanied them, and in a short time the keel of the boat grated upon
the sandy shore of a point of land jutting out into the sea.
Understanding what was expected of them, and knowing it would avail
nothing to resist, Jack and Ronie sprang out upon the land. Without
even a parting gesture, the boatmen started upon their return to the
sloop, whose dark hull loomed up gloomily in the distance. So intense
was the feeling of the utter loneliness hanging over the hapless couple
that neither of them spoke until they had seen the boat reach the
strange sloop and the four seamen climb to the deck, when Jack said:
"Well, my lad, we are in Venezuela at last."
"But how different is our coming from what we had expected."