lieutenant; "we had therefore better make ourselves as inconspicuous as
possible. I wonder what has occurred? Possibly there may have been
some battle, in which the Bolivians have been defeated. I would not
have come ashore had I thought that the city was likely to be in this
state of unrest. However, as we are here we may as well go forward; so
come along, and let us get away from this frothing volcano as soon as we
can. We will turn down this side-street; it is not very much out of our
way, and we shall be out of sight of the crowd all the sooner."
Jim readily acquiesced, as a good many of the people whom they met
seemed to regard them with anything but friendly glances, and the two
men hurried away down the Calle San Antonio, where they soon got out of
range of the angry growling of the mob.
"Can't imagine what's wrong here to-night," muttered Montt, in a low
voice, "but it must be either, as I said, that we have defeated their
countrymen somewhere on land, or else that one of our ships has sunk or
captured the _Huascar_; nothing less would, I imagine, have roused them
to such a pitch of excitement. We Chilians are maintaining a
ridiculously small army of occupation here; far too small for the
purpose, in my opinion; and if the Bolivians were to turn restive, as
they seem very much inclined to do, we should have rather a bad time of
it, I am afraid. However, we are not far away from the house where this
old Inca witch-woman, or whatever she calls herself, lives. It used to
be in one of the small hovels on the right side of the street we are
just coming to."
They turned into the street--or, rather, alley--indicated by Montt, and
at once found themselves in a cobble-paved and exceedingly ill-lighted
thoroughfare, flanked on either side by a curious assortment of huge,
old-time houses, which were doubtless, at one period, the dwellings of
high Government officials, and tiny, tumbledown hovels, which seemed to
have sprung up, like fungi or some other evil growth, on the small
spaces of ground which had formerly been left vacant between the larger
houses.
Half-way down this evil-looking, evil-smelling, and squalid alley Montt
called a halt and, looking round carefully, remarked:
"Now, Senor Douglas, so far as I can remember--for it is a good many
years since I was here before--this is the house; but as I see no sign
of any light in the place, the old woman may have gone away, or died.
However, having come thus far, we will try our luck." And the
lieutenant knocked softly upon the door.
The sound echoed dully through the little building, but otherwise the
silence remained unbroken; it seemed as though the place was indeed
deserted.
"_Caramba_!" exclaimed Montt, "I don't believe there is anybody here,
after all; what a pity! I do not care to knock too loudly, either, for
fear of attracting the attention of the neighbours. They are a queer
lot down in this quarter, I can tell you. Hallo! did you hear anything
moving inside there, just then, Douglas?"
Jim listened intently for a few seconds, then replied: "Yes, I think I
_do_ hear something prowling about in there, but--upon my word, Montt,
it sounds more like a--a--well, an animal than a human being; and--what
a very curious smell there is; quite like--let me see--" here the young
officer sniffed several times--"yes," he continued after a pause, "it is
quite like the odour of a wild beast!"
"_Per Dios_! you are right," exclaimed the lieutenant, sniffing in turn.
"And I remember that last time I visited this place the old woman
certainly seemed to carry with her an uncanny, musty, animal odour.
Therefore it is probably she. I will knock again."
Montt thereupon drew from his jacket pocket a revolver, which he had
taken the precaution to bring with him, and tapped softly on the door
with its butt.
This time there followed a plainly perceptible "shuffle-shuffle" like
the soft padding of a heavy animal's paws, and both men started
violently when, directly afterward, and from the other side of the door,
a whining voice inquired--
"Who knocks at my door? Go away, whoever you are. I am a poor, lone
old woman, and if you dis--"
"Are you the Inca woman, Mama Huello?" broke in Montt; "for, if so, we
wish to consult you. We are two naval officers who have heard of your
wonderful powers of foretelling the future, and we should like to have a
demonstration of them."
There was a pause, and then the whining voice replied: "Yes, I am the
Mama Huello; wait ye there for a short time, while I prepare for your
reception."
Again that curious shuffling sound was heard, and Jim somehow felt a
shiver of fear run down his spine. It was only a disordered fancy, of
course; but to him it certainly seemed as though the voice proceeded
from an animal, rather than from a human being. Then Montt remarked:
"She must surely have a big dog, or some other pet animal with her, I
should think, for I distinctly heard the `pad-pad' of paws when the Mama
turned away. I hope the creature will not attempt to worry us, under
the impression that we mean harm to the old woman."
Jim did not reply. He felt instinctively that they would find no animal
there when they entered the house; but he had no further time for
reflection, for, at that moment, the door opened with startling
suddenness, and a voice invited them to enter.
Montt stepped inside, and Jim followed close upon his heels. The door
shut after them, of its own accord, apparently; and they found
themselves in a narrow stone-flagged passage, which was dimly lighted by
an oil-lamp with a large red shade over it. The whitewashed walls were
covered with all manner of hieroglyphs and drawings, the meaning of
which Jim could not fathom. Nor had he much time to examine them, for
the voice of the Mama, still proceeding from some unseen quarter,
invited them to go forward, and they presently found themselves in a
large apartment, built of stone, upon the walls of which hung rich silks
and cloths made of vicuna-wool, together with a number of other
articles, evidently of ancient native manufacture, the like of which the
young Englishman had never seen before. To say that he was astonished
at the barbaric splendour of the apartment is to put it very mildly; and
he could not understand how it was that such an apparently diminutive
house could contain a room of such large size as the one in which he now
stood.
But he soon forgot his astonishment in watching the extraordinary owner
of the place. She was a wizened little woman, of an age far beyond the
allotted threescore years and ten, if appearances went for anything; but
it was her face and hands that riveted Jim's attention and excited his
disgust. Her features bore a strongly marked resemblance to those of an
animal of the cat species, and her teeth were all pointed instead of
being square; while her hands resembled claws, the fingers were hooked
and skinny, and the nails were discoloured and extraordinarily long.
Taken altogether, it was a personality to excite repulsion and fear in
any one brought in contact with it, and Douglas felt another strong
shiver run down his back as he looked at her. She stood in the middle
of the room, leaning upon a thick ebony stick, and peering out from
beneath her overhanging eyebrows at the two young officers, with an
expression which they could not quite fathom, and which seemed to be
reading their very souls. Then Montt pulled himself together and
remarked:
"We have heard of your powers, Mama, and we have come to ask you to
foretell the future to us. As I said before, we are both naval officers
in the service of--well--I won't say what country; and we are anxious to
learn what may be in store for us. Will you read our lives?"
"Sit ye both down there," replied the old crone, pointing to a richly
cushioned couch which was placed against one of the walls. "If ye
really wish to know the future I can tell it ye. Oh yes, the Mama can
tell ye. You, Don Jorge Montt, have visited me before--seven years ago;
and I told you many things about your future. Have they yet come to
pass?"
Montt started. He had not expected that she would again recognise him,
for he was very much changed in appearance; and her remembrance of his
name, and the date when he last visited her, seemed rather to savour of
the uncanny.
"Yes, Mama," he replied, "I did visit you at the time you mention; and
all that you told me has, so far, proved true. But men's actions govern
their lives, and I thought that, perhaps, mine might have altered my
future. You did not forecast a very prosperous career for me then, you
know."
"You speak truth, Don Jorge," replied the woman. "Your brave deeds in
the past have indeed influenced your future; and methinks I shall see
great things in store for you. I will read your future first, my
officer," she went on. "Come over here, and sit in this chair. Yes,
that is it. Now do not speak until I give you permission; nor you
either, Senor Englishman. Ha! You wonder how I know your nationality,
do you not? I will show you stranger things than that, however, before
you leave."
Montt having taken his seat in the chair, as directed, the Mama brought
from a corner of the room a large copper brazier, on the top of which
was a bowl of the same metal. Having filled the brazier with hot coals,
which she took from a fire burning in the open hearth, she waited
patiently for the metal bowl to become hot.
After the lapse of perhaps ten minutes the copper basin began to glow
dully red, and the witch-woman thereupon poured into it some powder,
which she took from a little gold casket.
Immediately a great cloud of smoke rushed up from the bowl, and, to
Jim's unbounded amazement, hung suspended over it, without mingling with
the air of the room, as he had expected it would. At the same time a
delightful odour greeted his nostrils, and he began to experience a
delicious sensation of drowsiness stealing over him, while to his ears
there seemed to come a faint sound as of music being played at a
distance. The outlines of the room began to vanish and fade away,
little by little, until the only thing that remained before his eyes was
the column, or rather ball, of smoke which now appeared gradually to
assume larger dimensions, until at length he seemed to be looking into a
dense mist, wherein he could at that moment discern nothing. And all
the time his sensation of drowsiness was becoming stronger and still
stronger, until he seemed to be in a state of semi-coma, very much like
that induced by the use of opium.
Then, quite suddenly, his lassitude left him, his senses became
preternaturally acute, and a sense of well-being and complete
satisfaction pervaded his whole being. The mist into which he was
gazing became faintly luminous, and strange shapes began to flit across
it; shapes the like of which he had never seen in his life before. Then
something approached him and rested its head upon his knee. He looked
down and saw that the "something" was a huge jaguar or South American
tiger; and it bore a striking resemblance to the woman, Mama Huello.
But, strange to say, Jim felt no sensation of fear; instead, his whole
being seemed to be quivering with eagerness to see what was to be
displayed upon the curtain of mist, still stretched before him.
The light became stronger and stronger, and the cloud more luminous,
until it seemed to be a mass of living flame; and presently, out of the
mist, pictures began to shape themselves one after another, in rapid
succession.
Jim saw his friend, Montt, as the central figure in many battles,
conducting himself with unexampled bravery, and covering himself with
glory. Scenes occurred which Douglas knew, instinctively, related to
the war at present in progress. He saw the lieutenant in command of a
small gunboat fighting an action against a whole Peruvian fleet, and
coming off victorious, though sorely wounded. Then many years seemed to
elapse, during which Montt had apparently attained to a high position in
the Chilian navy. The country was now divided against itself, was in
the throes of revolution, and Montt was the leading spirit among the
insurgents. He carried all before him by the magic of his consummate
genius, and out of anarchy created concord. Then the scene changed
again, and Jim beheld the representation of a broad _plaza_ in some city
which he had never visited but which some sixth sense told him was
Santiago de Chili. Montt, now supreme head of the Chilian navy, was
just issuing from a building fronting on the square. It was night-time,
and the man was clothed in a heavy black cloak which he had flung round
his shoulders. Montt descended the steps leading from the house, and
started to walk across the square, when suddenly, from behind the large
fountain which played in the middle of the _plaza_, there sprang four
men, all masked and armed with knives. There was a brief struggle, a
shrill scream, and Montt fell pierced by the daggers of his enemies.
Then the scene vanished from before Jim's eyes, and he knew that his own
future was about to be presented to him. He saw himself once more back
on board the _Blanco_ _Encalada_, and knew that that ship, together with
another Chilian vessel, was engaged in a fierce fight with a Peruvian
ironclad, the name of which was hidden from him. The Chilians were
victorious, although the carnage on both sides had been enormous, and
Jim perceived that he himself had been wounded. Several other actions
passed across the screen of mist, in all of which Douglas took a leading
part, distinguishing himself brilliantly, and receiving rapid promotion.
The scene then changed from sea to land, and Jim knew that he was
detailed for shore service in some obscure town among the Bolivian
mountains. He could distinctly see the whole picture laid out before
him, and he knew instinctively that some great good fortune was awaiting
him when the time should come for him to visit that place.
As he stood, or rather seemed to stand, gazing out over the scene, it
vanished from before his eyes; and a voice, like that of the Mama
Huello, spoke, saying:
"You, Senor Englishman, shall come to great honours through your own
exertions and bravery; but I also see great riches before you, of which
you shall obtain possession with but little trouble on your part. They
are still under the earth, but in due time, and in a manner little
suspected by you, their whereabouts shall be revealed to you, and you
shall become a great man and a powerful chief in the land of your
adoption."
The voice ceased, and a rumbling sound seemed to make itself heard in
Jim's ears. Then the cloud of mist slowly dissolved, and the outlines
of the room wherein he was seated gradually came back to his senses.
Yes, there was the copper brazier, but the glow had vanished from the
coals, which were now black and cold. Montt was still seated in his
chair, looking like a statue carved out of marble, and Jim found himself
still on the couch whereon he had first placed himself. The curious
feeling of drowsiness gradually left him, and the figure of Mama Huello
appeared, still standing close to Montt and the copper brazier,
apparently in the same position as she had taken up when the mist began
to appear before his eyes, and she was laughing, a grim, noiseless
chuckle that disclosed all her white, pointed teeth.
Suddenly the spell broke, and Montt and Jim rose to their feet
simultaneously, the former wiping the cold perspiration from his brow,
and smiling in a curiously strained manner.
"Well, Mama," he said, "you have shown us some very strange things, I
must say. I only hope that the last part of your prophecy concerning
myself will not come true. Here you are, Mama," he went on, feeling in
his pockets for a coin, "here is a five-_peso_ piece for you. I hope
you will consider the payment sufficient."
The old Inca woman grabbed the coin and hid it away in the recesses of
her girdle. "Quite sufficient, gallant cavalier," she replied. "Your
generosity has not withered with the years. You are a brave man; and I
would that I might have shown you a more pleasant ending to your life;
but fate is fate, and there is no changing it. _Adios, senores, adios_;
I do not think we shall ever meet again. You, Senor Englishman, go
forward to honour and fame; while you, Don Jorge Montt, go forward to
honour and--death! But you will meet it with the brave heart; and it
will not be very bitter when it comes."
By this time the two men had reached the door, which the Mama now
opened, and a moment later Montt and Douglas were in the street, which
was now illuminated by the rays of the full moon. As the door closed
behind them Montt shivered, although the night was oppressively hot, and
Jim could have sworn that he heard the sound of an animal's pads
retreating down the passage behind them.
The two men swiftly pulled themselves together, however, and started off
for the _Covadonga_, which they reached just as the first faint flush of
dawn made its appearance in the eastern sky.
CHAPTER SEVEN.
A NIGHT-ATTACK.
The day following the joint adventure of Douglas and Montt in
Antofagasta a telegram arrived for the skipper of the _Covadonga_,
ordering him to leave the place immediately, and rejoin the flag at
Valparaiso without delay. All shore leave was accordingly stopped, and
that same evening the gunboat raised her anchor and steamed out of
Chimba Bay, on her way to the headquarters port. The telegram had also
contained a warning that the Peruvian warships _Huascar_ and _Union_
were prowling up and down the coast, and, as each one separately was a
good deal more than a match for the little _Covadonga_, it behoved her
captain to keep a very sharp look-out for any sign of the enemy,
especially as the gunboat was not fast enough to enable her to rely upon
her speed for safety.
Men were, consequently, posted at the mastheads, with orders to report
directly any sign of a strange ship was seen, and the ship slid slowly
along under the stars, keeping as close in to the land as possible. As
soon as his watch was at an end that night, Douglas, feeling rather
tired after his experience of the previous evening, went down below and
turned into his bunk; and it was not very long before he was in the land
of dreams.
It seemed to him that he had only just fallen asleep when he was rudely
awakened by a commotion up on deck. He lay half awake in his bunk for a
minute or two, and heard men running about overhead, the sound of
excited voices shouting, and then, loud and clear above the uproar, rang
out Carlos Condell's voice giving orders for the men to be called to
quarters and the guns to be cast loose. Evidently, thought Jim, there
was more fighting in the wind. He quickly tumbled into his clothes,
slung his uniform ulster over his shoulders, for the night was cold, and
stumbled up on deck, every pulse in him throbbing with excitement at the
anticipation of another encounter with the enemy.
As he dashed up through the hatchway he cannoned into, and almost
knocked down, his friend Montt, who was rushing forward with orders from
the skipper.
"Hallo, Montt!" Jim ejaculated, "what's the matter this time?"
"Two steamers have just been sighted coming out of Chaneral Bay, and
heading this way," returned the Chilian, breathlessly. "They are
believed to be the _Huascar_ and the corvette _Union_, and it looks as
though they had been up to some mischief in there, for there is a big
glare away to the south-east--there, you can see it for yourself!--which
seems to point to their having set something on fire. But you mustn't
keep me now, my friend, for it is `all hands to quarters and prepare for
action'; and, if it should prove to be as we believe, we shall have a
tough fight to get clear of these two fellows." And the gallant first
lieutenant bustled away to carry out his orders.
Looking in the direction indicated by Montt, Jim could plainly see the
dull, lurid glare of a large fire away to the south-east; and, outlined
sharply against the glow, he could also make out, even from the level of
the deck, a brig-rigged steamer, which could be none other than the
Peruvian monitor; and she was accompanied by a large, three-masted,
ship-rigged steamer which was undoubtedly the corvette _Union_. Whether
the enemy had yet sighted the _Covadonga_ was still doubtful, for the
gunboat was close in under the high cliffs which formed the coastline at
that point, and they would hardly be on the look-out for a vessel so
near in to the land. But when they got nearer to her they could hardly
help sighting her; and her only hope of ultimate escape was to avoid
detection, if possible, until she was nearly abreast of the Peruvians,
and then to make a running fight of it, trusting more to her heels than
to her fighting powers to enable her to get away.
But the _Covadonga_ could scarcely hope to avoid a fight of some sort;
and her gallant skipper, Condell, was not at all the sort of man to wish
to do so. He would at any time much rather stay and fight than run,
even though hopelessly outmatched; but orders were orders, and he was
wanted at Valparaiso, so for once he was forced to acknowledge
discretion as the better part of valour.
At this moment, the "word" having been quietly passed, the men came
tumbling up on deck, and Jim was obliged to abandon his survey of the
Peruvians and attend to his duty of getting his own particular battery
of guns ready for the coming encounter. In about ten minutes everything
was prepared, and Montt, the first lieutenant, marched into the tiny
conning-tower and reported to Condell, "Ship cleared for action, sir."
Jim was then free, for a short time at any rate, to turn his attention
once more to the swiftly approaching steamers, which were travelling so
fast as to give the impression that they feared pursuit.
"If," mused Jim, "the _Almirante Cochrane_ or some other of our ships
are really after these fellows it will probably mean the saving of us,
for the _Huascar_ and the _Union_ will in that case hardly dare to
remain and fight against us.
"Ah!--" he continued, as he saw a rocket stream up into the air from the
_Huascar_, "they have sighted us, that is clear, and we shall have to
fight after all. Yes; here they come! They are both altering their
course now, and heading directly for us. I was afraid we should not
escape detection."
The Peruvians, which had been heading off the land, had now turned
slightly, and were pointing about north-north-west, directly for the
spot where the _Covadonga_ was creeping along under the land, and Jim
could see the dull red glare above their funnels which showed that the
stokers were coaling up vigorously.
Condell now shouted down the voice-tube to the engine-room, ordering the
staff to let him have as much steam as the boilers would carry, and rang
for full speed at the same time. The little gunboat began to quiver
from stem to stern, from truck to keel, under the increased pulsations
of the throbbing screw, while the curl of white water at her bows
gradually crept higher and still higher up her stem as her speed
increased, until she swept along at her best pace of about nine knots in
the hour.
As she ran down the coast the _Huascar_ and the _Union_ both pointed
their bows more and more shoreward, as if to cut off the gunboat; and it
began to look very much as though there was no hope for the _Covadonga_,
when suddenly another rocket, blue this time, soared up from the
monitor, and she described a wide circle seaward once more, her consort
following her example. Jim immediately guessed that Admiral Grau had,
like a prudent man, had a leadsman at work on board his ship, and that
the Peruvian skipper had suddenly found himself in danger of running
aground through standing so close inshore.