There was a silence almost awful, affecting those on board so that they
spoke in whispers; but every now and then some strange howl or wild cry
made sailors and passengers start, and listen again for the weird
whispers and noises that arose.
The solemnity of the scene had its effect on the men, who gathered
together talking of supernatural visitations, haunted ships, and the
ghosts of the old buccaneers who watched over their buried treasure,
till they were all more or less infected with fear; and the squinting
sailor expressed his opinion that no good would come of meddling with
what was evidently meant to lie buried, he was sure--a declaration that
excited the laughter of Tonio, who ended by calling him a cowardly fool.
Meanwhile, on deck the excitement of being at last so near the goal of
their hopes kept the leaders of the expedition from seeking their cots,
and Dutch was gazing thoughtfully at the breaking sea falling back in a
murmur in golden foam, when he started, for a little cold hand was laid
upon his, and he found that Hester was by his side.
"What do you want?" he said, coldly; but his voice had lost its former
harshness.
"My husband to tell me that he believes and trusts me once again," she
said, piteously. And she sank on the deck to embrace his knees.
Dutch Pugh was a stern man, but he could not long resist this appeal.
He had fought against the piteous glances now for many days. He had
turned a deaf ear to Bessy Studwick's rebukes and insistance upon
Hester's innocence; but now, in the soft darkness of that tropic night,
in the silent grandeur of that mysterious sea, he felt his heart beat
wildly with its old love. But there was that damning scene that he had
witnessed from the garden seeming to rise up like a grim shadow between
them, and, with a sigh, he raised her and led her weeping to the cabin
stairs.
"Good-night, Dutch, dear Dutch," she filtered, clinging to his arm.
"Good-night, Hester," he said, coldly.
"Pray, pray do not let us part like that," she whispered. "Dutch, dear
Dutch, if you could only read my heart, you would know how unkind are
your suspicions, how cruel to me. Let me explain. Question me--
anything."
"Good-night," he said. "Go down below. I will not have a scene here."
"I will obey you, Dutch," she said, quietly, as by a great effort she
mastered her emotion. "Some day, dear, you will find out the truth.
Till then I will wait patiently and unchanging. Don't be angry with me
for coming. I should have died if you had left me behind."
She spoke with so sweet a pathos in her voice that Dutch's heart beat
painfully, and the words were on his lips to say, "Come to me, darling,
I do believe you;" but they were not spoken, for she slowly descended
the stairs to the cabin, leaving him gazing wistfully after her. Then,
walking to the side, he leaned his head upon his hands, praying in the
bitterness of his heart that this painful time might end, and listening,
as it were, to adverse promptings of his spirit, seeming to hear the
sweet innocency of her life proclaimed to him on the one side, while on
the other, in hateful repetition, came the scenes he had witnessed, the
dreamy vision, the strange alteration in her manner, Laure's triumphant
sneers, and the shadow on the blind.
"If heaven had but given me the strength of mind that has been given to
my outward frame, I could have been happy," he groaned.
"If you lean there and doze, so close to these forests, friend Pugh, we
shall have you down with fever," said the captain, laying his hand upon
his shoulder.
Dutch started up, for he had not heard him approach.
"I was only thinking," he said, hastily.
"I know what about, Pugh; and, from what my girl Bessy has said to me, I
should like to talk to you. But I can't help feeling that matters are
coming right without my interfering. There, I'll say no more. I only
wanted to have a chat with you quietly. I've been talking to Parkley,
and I wanted to tell you that I have made the strictest arrangements for
guarding against surprise. Regular watch will be kept, just as if we
were at sea; for, of course, before long it is probable that we may have
many thousand pounds' worth of metal on board. But at the same time I
think we have circumvented the enemy."
"You have seen nothing to excite your suspicions, then," said Dutch.
"No. Nor you?"
"Nothing whatever."
"That's well; but, all the same, we will not relax our watchfulness.
Parkley and the doctor have both promised, and you must do the same."
"What is that?"
"Whenever you wake in the night, get up and come and have a turn round
the deck. It will keep the men well to their work if they feel that at
any time they may be overhauled."
"What was that?" said Dutch, softly; and he laid his hand upon the
captain's arm.
They both stood listening intently, and gazing in the direction whence
the sound had come.
The night was now intense in its darkness, and for reasons of their
own--being, of course, far out of the track of ships--no lights whatever
were shown; even those in the cabins were out, or so arranged that they
would not attract attention if a wandering savage should have drawn up
his canoe on the beach. The stars glittered overhead, but the greater
part of the sky was overcast, and the heat seemed to portend a storm;
but all was perfectly still, except the low, soft wash of the water as
it broke upon the sands, and bathed them with the pale gold
phosphorescence.
"I heard nothing," said the captain, softly. "I'm afraid, Dutch Pugh,
that we have frightened ourselves rather too much. All we need fear now
is the weather. Perhaps we might have a little trouble with the Indians
if they found us out; but we could easily keep them at bay."
"I certainly heard an unusual sound," replied Dutch. "Let's walk
quietly forward."
They walked towards the bows, and as they did so a dark figure that had
been lying a couple of yards from Dutch, close beneath the bulwarks,
glided softly away, like some huge snake. So dark was it that it was
hard to distinguish the outlines, and to trace where the figure went,
while its movements were so silent that the two watchers saw nothing.
They went and spoke to the man leaning over the bows, who proved to be
Dick Rolls.
"Heard anything?" said the captain, going up so silently that the man
started.
"Lord's truth, capen, don't do that!" he exclaimed, in an injured tone.
"It's skeary enough here listening to the things creeping about in the
wood there. No, I ain't heard nothing else."
"Keep a sharp look-out," said the captain, and the man uttered a growl.
Walking softly aft, they found the man on the watch to be Bob Lennie,
who was seated on the bulwarks, making a sort of humming noise to
himself, under the impression that he was singing. He, too, allowed
himself to be so closely approached that they almost touched him before
he spoke.
"No," he said, slowly, "I ain't seed nor heered anything; only the
lights over yonder in the woods, and the black things crawling in and
out of the water where that there patch o' yaller sand is."
"You must have been mistaken, Pugh," said the captain. "All's right;
let's go and turn in."
Dutch followed him down the cabin stairs, and the deck was left to the
watch.
For quite half an hour all was perfectly still, except when some strange
forest cry arose, and then two figures stole softly out from under the
bulwarks, and went forward, to find that Dick Rolls had joined his
fellow-watcher for company's sake.
That was sufficient. The next minute the falls were seized, and the
little dingy which hung from the davits was softly lowered into the
water; two men slid down the ropes, unhooked the boat as it rose with
the swell, and, without attempting to use the sculls, let the current
drift them slowly away into the bank of darkness that closed the vessel
round.
Before dawn every man was on deck waiting for the rising of the sun, for
there was not one who did not look forward with great excitement to the
coming day, which might bring large wealth to some, and to all an
increase of pay, besides which there was a certain fascination in the
search. The mystery and uncertainty of the adventure had their charms,
while to the more ignorant there was a thrill of excitement in the
superstition with which their minds mingled the project. Those who had
in their lives toiled hard to obtain the treasure must, they felt,
return to the place in spirit where it was lost, and try to guard it
from sacrilegious touch.
The subject had been well discussed in the forecastle, and there was
hardly one who did not feel the childlike desire, mingled with dread,
that is felt by the ignorant over some ghost story--the shrinking and
the desire to know.
It was, indeed, felt to be an eventful morning, and Mr Parkley looked
pale as he stood on deck in the cool grey mist talking to Dutch, and
wondering whether good fortune was to attend their venture. As for
Oakum and 'Pollo, they, too, were both on their mettle, for on them
depended a good deal; while old Rasp also appeared among the excited
group on deck, where he had been seen but little during the voyage after
the first few days, for he had spent most of his time below, polishing
helmets and oiling and re-oiling valves in the cabin he shared with
Oakum, and where they had squabbled and disagreed all through the
voyage.
There was a complete change in Rasp as he came up to where his employers
stood, for his listless way was thrown off, and a look of importance
overspread his features as he gave a side glance at Oakum, which plainly
said, "There, your reign is over, and mine has begun."
"Shall I be getting up the tackle, Mr Pug?" he said, "so as to be well
ready."
"No, Rasp, we shall not want you yet," replied Dutch. "Wait till we get
to the spot."
Oakum gave a chuckle which made Rasp turn upon him angrily; but the old
fellow's face was as hard and solid as if carved out of wood, and with
not the vestige of a smile thereon; but 'Pollo, who stood close by, was
showing his white teeth to the fullest extent.
"What are you grinning at, old ebony?" snarled Rasp, glad to have
somebody upon whom he could turn.
"I just tink, sah, dat as I go to be berry busy find de treasure ship
'long o' Mass' Oakum, you like to come and 'joy yourself, poke de galley
fire all day."
"Yah!" ejaculated Rasp, angrily; and he walked to the side, and began
spitting viciously at the rippling waves under the schooner's counter.
"How is it that boat's down in the water?" exclaimed the captain,
suddenly, as he crossed to where the dingy was swinging by her painter.
"I left her hanging to the davits last night," said the mate. "Do you
know, Oakum?"
"Wasn't my watch," said that worthy, "but the skipper's. Dick, 'Pollo,
and Bob Lennie was on deck for one spell."
"Do you know why the boat was lowered?" said the captain, turning to the
men, who had just left their hammocks.
Bob Lennie the quiet shook his head, and Dick Rolls' eyes nearly
disappeared under the thick bridge of his nose as he stared down with
his head first on one side, then on the other.
"No, I dunno," he growled. "I never knowed it was lowered."
The question was passed round, but no one knew anything about it; and
the men shook their heads, and seemed to think it was very mysterious.
For there seemed to be no reason why it should have been let down. Had
it been missing altogether, and a man or two with it, the cause would
have been plain; but every man of the crew was on deck, and one and all
denied knowledge of the boat having been touched.
This excited the suspicion of the captain again; but the busy events of
the morning chased the feeling away, and it was soon forgotten.
For Sam Oakum was to all intents and purposes now captain of the
schooner, and 'Pollo his mate, as the former took the direction, had the
anchor heaved up, and, consulting again and again with the latter, the
vessel was allowed to drift with the current a few hundred yards.
"Do you feel pretty certain, Oakum?" said the captain, after a time, for
the old sailor's actions did not inspire him with much confidence. In
fact, after running half a mile with the current, he suddenly gave
orders for a couple of sails to be hoisted, put the schooner about, and
began to beat back.
"You let me alone," growled Oakum. "I'm a-doing the best I can. You
see, it's a good many years since I was here, and the bearings ar'n't so
fresh in my mem'ry as they was."
The captain said nothing, only glanced at Dutch, who had heard every
word, and as the eyes of these two met they seemed to say to one
another, "Suppose that this--trust of ours should be a foolish one,
after all."
Mr Parkley went up to Oakum once and spoke, but he received so sharp a
reply that the old fellow was left alone. It was evident that he was a
good deal puzzled, for in the course of an hour he renewed his quid of
tobacco half-a-dozen times, and literally scraped the perspiration off
his face with his rough finger, as he stood by the wheel giving
directions to the man who was steering.
It was a most interesting time to all on board; the passengers were on
deck, and even listless John Studwick stood leaning over the bulwarks,
with his eyes brightening, and Mr Wilson and the doctor seemed to be as
eager as the rest to find the buried treasure. Even the mulatto and the
black sailor seemed roused from their slow-going apathy, and watched
Oakum as he changed the course of the vessel from time to time, running
amongst rocks, now close in shore, and once so near to a point that the
waving cocoanut and other palms almost touched the rigging, and Captain
Studwick stood ready to seize the wheel himself, for it seemed as if the
schooner would be run aground.
If the thirst for gold had been less strong, no one there could have
failed to revel in the beauty of the scene; for now, in the
ever-increasing heat of the morning sunshine, the black mystery of the
forest seemed to be swept away, and they gazed upon a belt of wondrously
tinted green, with leafage of every variety and shape, seen beyond a
narrow strip of golden sand, while sometimes, where rock took the place
of the sand, the strange tropic trees waved right over the limpid sea
which washed their roots. So close were they at times that the very
veins of the great leaves could be traced, and the beauty of the various
tints and lovely flowers of parasitic growth, which climbed up and then
hung down their great trumpet-shaped bells with lavish prodigality to
swing in the hot breeze, was reflected in the little creeks and inlets
of the coast.
Wilson was in raptures, and wanted to form an expedition directly to go
in pursuit of the gorgeously-feathered birds that came down to the edge
of the forest, and then, uttering strange cries, flitted back into its
shades. John Studwick looked earnestly at the leafy paradise, with its
brilliant blossoms, and longed to lie and dream away his hours in the
delicious shade, and even the doctor ceased to watch intently every
motion of Bessy Studwick, and gazed with delight at the beauteous scene.
But there was the adverse side to the beautiful picture; for here and
there in the inlets black, rugged, weird-looking forms could be seen
lying apparently asleep on the sand, but ready to scuffle back into the
water on the vessel's approach--alligators looking as dangerous as
loathsome. There were dangers, too, in the sharp-edged rocks, around
which the pale blue sea rose and fell so placidly; and a score of times
it seemed as if the schooner's planks must be pierced by the sharp
points that were so threateningly near. Always, however, in the most
threatening times, a turn of the wheel sufficed to send the graceful
vessel clear, and so skilfully was she handled that Captain Studwick
grew more satisfied on that point, as he felt doubts of Oakum's other
knowledge grow stronger every hour.
His doubts were shared, too, by Dutch and Mr Parkley, and it was very
evident that he was at fault, for 'Pollo was severely snubbed upon
several occasions when he hazarded a remark, and the men began to talk
in whispers as they saw the schooner retrace her path again and again.
"Can't you find it, Oakum?" said Dutch at last, as he dragged his eyes
from the group composed of his young wife, Bessy Studwick, and her
brother, all seated in the mellow shade cast by an awning; for the sun
was now sending down a shower of silvery, white-hot arrows upon the
deck.
"Don't you be in such a mighty fuss, Mr Dutch," was the tetchy reply.
"These here things ain't done in a hurry. I'm a-working as hard as ever
I can; its hereabouts somewhere, on'y the bearings don't seem to be the
same."
"Can I be of any assistance to you?" said Dutch.
"Yes; just get out of the way, sir. There, be smart ahead there. Be
ready to let go the anchor when I cry let go."
As he spoke he gave the man he had placed for the time at the wheel an
impatient look, took the spokes in hand himself, ran the vessel in
towards the shore, then gave the word; there was a dull splash, the
chain rattled out through the hawse-holes, and was stopped; the sails
flapped and shivered in the gentle breeze, and the schooner softly swung
round, with a motion hardly perceptible, till she lay with her head to
the current, now so slow that its effects on the vessel could hardly be
seen.
"Is this the place, then?" cried Mr Parkley, eagerly, as he ran to peer
over the side, where half the men were already similarly engaged.
"No 'taint," said Sam, crossly, as he let go the spokes, and, taking off
his straw hat, began scratching his bald head in a vicious way. "It's
somewhere about here, but the bearings is altered. There was four tall
cocoanut trees on a bluff, and you had to bring them in a line with a
bit o' rock sticking out o' the water like a wet monkey, and they're
gone."
"But are you sure this was the piece of coast line?" said the captain,
rather sternly.
"Course I am. This is one of the places, and there's two more--one on
'em ashore, 'bout fifty miles from here."
"Had we not better try that first?" said Dutch.
"What's the good o' your talking like that, sir, when you've brought
diving things o' purpose to go down? No, I ain't half done yet. Here,
I've finished my bacco; some 'un lend me a bit."
The mate handed him some, and Sam stood staring about, while the men
were evidently laughing at his failure.
"Think, Mass' Oakum, sah--"
"No, you don't," said Sam, who wanted some one on whom to vent his
spleen. "You don't think, and you never did think, and never will with
that thick skull of yours. So hold your tongue."
'Pollo held his tongue, put all the little nose he had in the air, and
stalked off with great dignity to his galley.
"What do you propose doing?" said Captain Studwick.
"Lower down the jolly-boat," said Sam, after indulging in another good
scratch.
This was immediately done, and with four men at the oars, and Dutch, Mr
Parkley, the captain, and Oakum for freight they pushed off from the
schooner.
Oakum took his place in the bows with Dutch, and then, directing the men
to row very softly as he directed, they went slowly forward over the
limpid waters.
"You keep a good lookout over the side, Mr Dutch Pugh," said Sam, "and
I'll do the same. It's so clear that you can see seven or eight fathoms
down; and if you see anything particular, give the word, and we'll
stop."
Heedless of the blazing sun--which, however, made their task very easy,
lighting up, as it did, the clear waters below--they zigzagged for hours
in all directions from the schooner, seeing below groves and trees of
coral of the most wondrous tints, among which darted and played fish
banded with gold, vermilion, and azure, silvery-sided, olive, green, and
blue of the brightest and every tint. Great shells, almost as gay in
colour, were slowly kept in motion by their inhabitants as they crawled
over the surface of the many-hued rocks. Shoals of fish played amongst
the moving seaweeds, and then flashed away like some brilliant silver
firework as the shadow of the boat approached them, its shape being
plainly seen on the sand below; and on every side new objects of beauty
came into sight. Treasures of natural history there were of every kind,
but not the treasure they sought; and at last, worn out with heat and
disappointment, Mr Parkley proposed that they should return.
"What an opportunity," thought Dutch, as, after a growling protest, Sam
Oakum seated himself in the bottom of the boat and began viciously to
cut off a wedge of tobacco--"what an opportunity we have given those on
board for a rising, if there are any suspicious characters there." And
then his heart leaped and his hand involuntarily sought his pistol as he
thought of his wife and the danger to which she would be exposed.
"Suppose," he thought, as he shaded his eyes with his hand, and gazed at
the distant vessel, "those two scoundrels should assume the command, and
set us at defiance, we could never get back on board."
Me shuddered as these thoughts gained stronger power over him, and
looked from one to the other; but it was evident that no such thoughts
troubled them, for as the oars of the four sailors lazily dipped, and
made the water flash and sparkle, he could see that his companions,
listless with the heat, were leaning back and troubled more with
disappointment about the failure.
"Look here everybody," cried Sam, suddenly, in a voice that, heard in
that wonderful solitude, made every one start. "I'm not beat, you know;
not a bit of it. Them there ships is to be found--what's left of 'em--
and I'm going to find 'em."
"I hope you are, Oakum," said the captain, quietly; "but don't boast.
The first effort has not been a successful one."
"I never said as I'd find 'em the first time," said Sam, sharply.
"'Taint likely as a man's going to sail a ship thousands o' miles and
put her right on the spot. You wait a bit."
No one answered; and, to Dutch's great delight, they were soon back on
board, to find everybody half asleep, and no sign whatever of danger;
and though far from being disposed to greet his wife in the old way, he
felt, in spite of himself, obliged to say a few kind words as she
pressed forward to meet him, her eager eyes telling of her joy to see
him back. Then he shrank away with a frown, for it seemed to him that
the mulatto was watching them curiously, though the second time he
glanced at the man he was busy arranging a brightly-coloured kerchief
over his head, before leaning back against the bulwark with half-closed
eyes.
Nothing had taken place in their absence, and a dead calm had fallen.
The heat was excessive, for not the faintest breath of air came from
land or sea; but the beauty of the surroundings seemed to have its
effect upon all, even to the lowest sailor; for as the evening came on,
and the stars were lighted aloft, there was a dreamy delight in the
darkening forest shore, where fireflies flitted; and once more strange
whisperings, rustlings of trees, and splashes in the water were heard.
But they did not excite the superstitious dread of the previous night;
and at last, when most careful arrangements had been made by Captain
Studwick to guard against internal and external surprise, watch was set,
and the silence of death seemed to tall upon the schooner.