As the morning broke bright and clear, the large three-masted schooner
was running down the Channel under easy sail, and the men were beginning
to fall into their places, though all was at present rather awkward and
strange. Captain Studwick and Mr Parkley had gone below,
congratulating themselves on having succeeded so far, and placed
themselves out of the reach of Laure's machinations, while Mr Jones,
the mate, had taken charge, and was now pacing the deck in company with
Dutch, who was trying hard to master his pain by throwing his whole soul
into the adventure.
In spite of himself, though, a little suffering face constantly
presented itself before him; and again and again he found his conscience
smiting him, and charging him with cruelty in forsaking his wife--asking
him, too, if he was sure that his suspicions were just.
At such times he recalled the shadows on the blind, set his teeth, and
thought of Laure's sneering laugh of triumph, and then his blood seemed
to boil up, and it was only by a strong effort that he was able to
master the agony he felt, mingled as it was with a desire for revenge.
"If I don't get to work at something," he muttered, "I shall go mad."
Just then the sun rose bright and clear, sending a flood of wondrous
radiance over the dancing waters, flecking the distant land with golden
radiance and dark shadows, while the soft mists gradually rose higher
and higher, gleaming like transparent silver, as they floated over
woodland and down.
"I wonder whether I shall ever see you again," muttered Dutch to
himself, as he leaned over the bulwark, and gazed at the beautiful
panorama by which they were swiftly gliding; and then, turning away with
a sigh, he came full upon the dark-skinned mulatto sailor, busily
coiling down a rope, and Dutch started slightly, half feeling that he
had seen the lowering countenance before, but the man paid no heed to
him, only went on with his task with his tarry hands, and finally limped
off to another part of the vessel.
Just then Captain Studwick and Mr Parkley came on deck, talking
earnestly, and when he went forward to shake hands they looked troubled,
and there was an air of constraint in their manner that he could not
understand.
"Well, gentlemen," he said, with an affectation of ease which he did not
feel, "we are out of our troubles now."
"I don't know so much about that," said Mr Parkley. "Eh, Studwick?"
"No," said the captain, "I don't know either."
"Why, what do you mean?" said Dutch, and his eye involuntarily fell upon
the dark-skinned sailor, who was close at hand. "You don't suspect that
the Cuban can interfere now?"
"You'd better tell him," whispered Mr Parkley.
"No, no, you tell him," said the captain uneasily, "known him longer,
and so on."
"What are you whispering about?" exclaimed Dutch. "Pray speak out."
Mr Parkley looked at the captain for help, but he began to whistle, and
walked away to give an order.
"Well, my dear Pugh, the fact is," said Mr Parkley, taking hold of his
special button.
"Pray go on," exclaimed Dutch, "not anything serious?"
"N-no, not serious, but awkward. The fact is your wife came on board
last night."
"My wife!" exclaimed Dutch, and a flash of joy lit up his face. Then
the sombre cloud overshadowed it again, and he exclaimed bitterly, "I
have no wife," and walked away.
"Well, my lad," said Captain Studwick sharply, for the mulatto had
ceased working, and, half bent down as he was, stood listening intently
to all that passed, "you've nothing to do with what those gentlemen are
saying."
The man made a deprecating motion with his hand and bent to his work
again.
"We may as well understand each other at once," said the captain
sharply. "Stand up."
The mulatto stood up, but in a half-averted way, and displayed a curious
sinister expression, caused by what appeared to be a scar across his
cheek, while his eyes seemed shifty and unable to meet the speaker's
gaze.
"What is your name?"
"Tonio," said the mulatto.
"Well, Tonio, mind this: You are engaged here for good pay. I always
see that my men are well supplied in their mess, and, in return, I
expect smart work and strict obedience. Do you understand?"
"Yes, captain," said the man, in a tone half sulky, half-full of
humiliation.
"That will do. Now go and help that fellow to take a pull at the jib."
The man went limping off, but with great alacrity, passing Dutch, who
came back looking very stern and angry.
"Captain Studwick, I must ask you to put in at Plymouth. Mr Parkley,
she must be set ashore."
"But, my dear boy, had you not better see her first. I'm--I'm afraid
she will object to go without."
"No," said Dutch sternly, and he gazed at both in turn. "She must be
set ashore as soon as possible."
Captain Studwick walked forward again, whistling, and then pulling out
his glass he took a look at a fast steamer astern.
"Parkley," said Dutch, as soon as they were alone, "I could not say it
before him, but I have not the manly strength to see her. I am weak as
water, and I could not bear to see her agony. Tell her," he added with
his lower lip working, "that I forgive her, and will pray for her, but I
can never see her again."
"But, my dear Pugh, you must--"
"Good morning, gentlemen," said a voice that made them start; and
turning sharply round, it was to find Mr Meldon, the young doctor. "I
wanted to see you, Mr Pugh."
"To see me?"
"Yes, about Mrs Pugh. You know she came on board last night."
"Yes, I know," said Pugh, coldly.
"She must have left her sick bed to come and see you, I suppose. It was
a very ill-advised course, for she was ill."
"Yes," exclaimed Dutch, with an eagerness he could not conceal.
"And I am sorry to say that she is now in a high state of fever."
"Fever!"
"Yes, and quite delirious."
"We must put back, then," exclaimed Dutch. "She must be set ashore--
taken home."
"I should not like to take the responsibility of having her moved," said
the doctor. "If you will take my advice, you will let her remain."
"Let her remain?" gasped Dutch. "Impossible!"
"No," said the doctor, smiling; "the removal is impossible."
"Is she in danger?"
"Not necessarily now; but she would be in great danger if moved. I'm
afraid I must ask you to leave her to me. It is fortunate that I was on
board, and that she has so good a nurse with her as Miss Studwick."
Dutch essayed to speak, but no words came, and drawing in his breath as
if in intense pain he walked to the side and stood with his head resting
upon his hand, looking out to sea, and wondering how this tangle was to
be ended.
"Poor fellow! he seems a good deal cut up about it," said Mr Meldon,
who was a dark, earnest-looking man of three or four-and-thirty.
"Yes," said Mr Parkley. "She was to have gone ashore at Plymouth."
"Ha?" said Meldon. "Poor young thing. Great trouble about parting from
her husband."
"Ye-es," said Parkley. Then, to turn the conversation, he said with a
smile, "Lucky thing for us bachelors, Mr Meldon. We never have to
trouble our heads about the women."
"N-no," said the doctor, looking sharply at his companion, with a broad
red stain of blood suffusing his cheeks. "Quite a novelty, though, a
voyage with ladies on board. He didn't hear me," he continued, as Mr
Parkley obeyed a sign from the captain to come and have a look through
his glass at the steamer astern.
"No, sir, he's gone to have a good look at that steamer, as seems as if
she meant to overhaul us," said Sam Oakum; "but I heard you, and you're
right."
"Let's see, you are the second mate, aren't you, Mr Oakum?"
"Sir, to you, I am," said Oakum.
"But what do you mean by being right?" said the doctor with a smile.
"'Bout having ladies on board, sir. I know I've been voyages before
with women aboard twice or three times mayhap, and no good can come of
it."
"Ah, you're a croaker, I see," said the doctor, nodding and laughing.
"Your liver's out of order."
"Hope I am, sir; and as to my liver, I don't believe I've got one,
leastways I can't say as I knows I've one. Ay, ay, sir, coming."
He trotted forward to obey a call from the captain, and more sail was
hoisted, the steamer still overhauling them, and both the captain and
Mr Parkley watched her intently, fully expecting to find that this was
some new trick of the Cuban, but to the satisfaction of all concerned it
proved a false alarm, and the schooner continued her way onwards towards
the west.
It soon became evident, even to the greatest doubter, that the doctor
was in the right, and, accepting it as fate that Hester must remain on
board, Dutch devoted himself to the preparations for their cruise,
rather avoiding the cabins when possible, and dividing his time between
reading to the invalid John Studwick, and long talks with old Sam Oakum
about the coast and the places where he swore the old plate-ships lay.
"Lor' bless you, Mr Pugh, sir, and you, Mr Parkley," Oakum said one
day, when Land's End had long been left behind, and all was open water,
"I'm as sure of the place as can be. I remember all the bearings, too,
so well. Don't you be skeart about that; I'll take you, sure enough."
"Well, Oakum, we are going to trust you," said Mr Parkley, "and if you
lead us to success you shall not go unrewarded."
"I don't want no reward, sir," said the old man gruffly. "If it turns
up trumps, you give me a pound or two o' bacco, and I shall be
satisfied."
Mr Parkley laughed, and after a time left them together, Dutch seeming
to find solace in the old sailor's company as, in a grumbling way, he
began to talk about the state of those on board.
"Seems to me, sir, as it warn't wise to bring that there poor fellow
aboard here, just to die and be wrapped in a hammock, for a sailor's
funeral: he's allus in your way, and gives a fellow low spirits to see.
Look at that steward as the skipper must have, just as if we wanted a
steward when we've got 'Pollo, as is as good a cook as ever came to.
Great fat fellow to go walloping down just when I wanted some rope
coiled down, and set to blubbering like a great gal because he's left
his wife behind."
Dutch winced slightly, and turned away to light a cigar.
"By-the-way, sir, how's your missus?" said Oakum.
"Better, decidedly," said Dutch shortly.
"Glad on it, sir. Not as I likes women aboard; but I don't want 'em to
be ill. Good job we've got the doctor here, to see as everybody takes
his salts and senny reg'lar; but what in the world the skipper meant by
shipping that great long chap, Mr Wilson, for I don't know. He won't
go into one o' your soots, Mr Dutch, I know."
"Oh, no," said Dutch, smiling; "he's a naturalist, and going to collect
birds."
"And take 'em out too, sir. He is a long-legged 'un. Why, I see him
hit his head twiced up agen the cabin ceiling, and he's allus knocking
his hat out o' shape. Nattalist, eh? Well, he's about the
unnattalist-shaped chap I ever see, and all corners. It's my opinion,
sir, as when he was made Natur begun him for a geerarf, and when she'd
done his legs altered her mind and turned him into a man. You don't
mind me going on talking, sir?"
"No, Oakum, I like it," said Dutch, though he hardly took in a word.
"Well, sir, he's got a couple of cages full of birds, robins, and
sparrers, and starnels, and all sorts, as he says he's going to set free
out in South Amerikee, and bring back the cages full of other sorts."
"Naturalists have queer ideas, Oakum," said Dutch, moving himself. "But
about this place we are going to. The sea is always calm, you say?"
"'Cept in stormy times, sir, when, of course, she gets a bit thick. But
there, don't you worry about that; we'll take you right to the spot, and
lay you just where you can have the long-boat out with the pumps and
traps, or maybe even get the schooner anchored right over the place, and
you and Master Rasp there can go down and crowbar the gold and silver
out in heaps."
"But suppose some one has been there before us," said Dutch.
"Not they, sir: first place, no one knows of it 'cept that furren
gentleman; second place, where's the air-pumps and divers' togs, to go
down and get at it? I get wondering now why I never thought of a trip
out there, after being with Capen Studwick here, but I never did. And
now, sir, if you'll give me a light I'll have a quiet smoke."
Dutch took out a match-box, and was going to light up, but Oakum held up
his hand to command silence; and before the young man could make out
what he was about to do, he stepped softly to the side, where a large
tarpaulin covered one of the boats lying in its chocks, gave one end of
the cover a sharp snatch, and the mulatto started up.
"Now then, out o' that," said the old sailor, menacingly. "If you want
a caulk, just you take it below in your bunk."
The man bent his head, as he leaped lightly out, gave Oakum a curious
look from beneath his half-closed eyelids, and then limped forward.
"I don't like the looks o' that chap, Mr Dutch. He's one o' the sort,
that if you hit him, he'd out with a knife and sheath it in a man's
ribs. That chap was listening, that's what he was a-doing, though he
pretended to be asleep. I don't like the look on him, nor of some more
o' them as come aboard with him, and if the skipper don't look out
there'll be mischief."
"I'm afraid you are given to prophesying evil, Oakum," said Dutch, with
a smile.
"Well, sir, I on'y says what I thinks, but, mind you this: if we get
back safe, I shall be surprised, for never yet, when I've gone out to
sea with petticoats on board have we got back without an accident."
"Nonsense, man."
"'Taint nonsense, sir; it's fate," said Oakum, "and what's more, look
here, I ain't a sooperstitious man, but the speerits o' them sailors as
was lost in the olden times along o' the treasure ships ain't a-going to
let us get hold o' what they've been watching all those hundreds o'
years without making a bit of a how-de-do."