"Glad to see they ain't polished you off, 'Pollo, old man."
The black did not answer, and the Cuban came round, looking curiously at
his prisoners' injuries, and scanning one after the other, ending by
ordering the cabin skylight to be taken off, and the sailors and Oakum
to take possession of the forecastle, thus separating them from their
friends.
"I don't want to stifle you all," he said, quietly. "Now, listen and
remember. We are all well-armed on deck, and a careful watch will be
kept, consequently any man who attempts violence will be shot down. I
shall treat you all well, and you can have the run of this part of the
ship for the present. To-morrow we sail for a fresh sunken galleon,
gentlemen. I am much obliged to you for clearing this one out, and I
shall require your services for the next."
"For clearing this one out." The words roused an echo in Dutch's breast
as now, for the first time, he recalled his discovery of the gold, and,
in spite of the pain he was in, his heart throbbed with joy. The Cuban
knew nothing of the gold, which must be worth far more, he calculated,
than the silver, and this was a secret confined to his own breast.
The Cuban's plans were plain enough to them now. His object was to
force them to work at the recovery of more treasure, and then perhaps
make sure of what he had by killing them all afterwards; and Dutch made
a mental vow that not a single descent would he make to further the
villain's aim, but as he did so he shuddered at the thought of what a
powerful engine he could bring to bear by means of Hester, who was
likewise in the Cuban's power.
As this thought struck Dutch, his purpose wavered, and he felt that he
would be the Cuban's slave to save Hester from ill.
The greater part of the crew sided now with Laure. Six of the men had
been in his pay from the first, and it was their restlessness that made
him hasten his plans to their development, for he had had hard work to
keep them quiet, but now that the change in authority had taken place he
ruled them with a rod of iron, and there was not a man who did not
shrink from his look and obey him like a child. The colour with which
he had stained himself remained still, but it was no longer the cringing
mulatto who paced the deck, but the keen, clever Cuban, ever watchful,
ever on his guard, and ready to take every precaution to secure the
treasure he had won; and over this, night and day, he had an armed
sentry, as if suspicious of any attempt on the part of his prisoners to
rob him of it by throwing any portion overboard.
Instead of setting sail at once, he altered his mind, and nearly a month
glided by--a month of misery to the prisoners, who, however, were well
cared for, and made to parade the deck for a couple of hours every
evening, just as an owner might exercise the beasts he kept; and Dutch
knew well enough why this was done, so that he and his companions in
misfortune might be ready and strong to continue their work at their
tyrant's order; but all the same there was one source of satisfaction to
Dutch Pugh, for he saw how cumbered the Cuban was with his success, and
in his greed for wealth at present there was a respite from his insolent
advances towards Hester, who was allowed to stay unmolested with her
friends.
Meanwhile the troublesome and painful wounds of those injured healed
fast under the doctor's care; and he was called upon to dress the cuts
of three of Laure's men, who, in spite of the desperate resistance, had,
saving one who died two days afterwards, escaped with trifling injuries.
The question of retaking the ship had often been mooted; but, unless
some special opportunity occurred, this at present was out of the
question; but many a plan was proposed and canvassed in the saloon
during those dark hot nights, Sam Oakum giving it out as his idea that
the best thing to do would be to take to the boat some night, and get
away after laying the wires of the battery in connection with the
dynamite cartridges, and blowing the ship and hose within it to
perdition.
Dutch shuddered as he heard the proposal, one which he scouted as being
as cowardly as it was horrible, but there was one thought which made him
embrace even such a terrible plan as that.
The prisoners had been aware that something was afloat on deck, but what
they could not make out, and any attempt to gain information was in
vain, for when they saw 'Pollo, who brought them their meals, which,
thanks to him, were good and palatable, Laure was always watching, and
to make matters worse it was very evident that the black was currying
favour with the Cuban, and belonged now to the opposite faction.
At last, after vainly planning and giving up each plot as futile, the
prisoners sat about in the cabins or wearily gazed out of the windows
one morning, waiting for change. The wounds were healing fast, and gave
but little trouble, and Hester, in spite of the close imprisonment, had
changed rapidly for the better, joining with Bessy in ministering to
those who suffered with them, and making more than one eye bright as
their owners made a vow that no harm should befall them while they had a
hand to raise. Dutch had long known now how causeless had been his
jealousy, and how bitterly his young wife had been persecuted; while she
had borne all in silence lest, as so important a stake was in question,
she might offend the Cuban, and so injure not merely her husband's
prospects, but those of Mr Parkley, to whom they were both indebted so
much.
All was very quiet below, and one day had so strongly resembled another
that the prisoners watched them pass in a way that grew more and more
hopeless, when they were startled by the loud rattle of the heavy chain
with which their door had been of late secured, and, followed by four of
his partners in iniquity, Laure presented himself, gave a sharp look
round, and then in a hard commanding tone exclaimed:--
"Every man on deck!"
No opposition was made to his orders for the moment, and the captain,
Mr Parkley, Meldon, and Wilson went up on deck, where they found Oakum,
Rasp, and the sailors, but Dutch drew back as he saw Laure's eyes turned
upon Hester and her companion.
"Have him up, lads," exclaimed the Cuban, with flashing eyes; and Dutch
was seized and dragged to the door way, Laure drawing a pistol and
holding it to his head until he was on deck.
"Now you," exclaimed Laure, brutally; and with tottering gait John
Studwick obeyed him, but there was a look on his eyes as he passed the
Cuban that made him start uneasily, and then with a contemptuous laugh
he turned it off and followed him on deck.
Dutch heaved a sigh of relief as he saw that Laure stayed with them, had
them ranged along by the starboard bulwarks, and then addressed them.
"We sail from here directly," he said, "and as I don't want to be hard
on men who have got to work for me, I am going to make you an offer, on
which condition you can have your liberty on deck. I shall make the
same offer to you all, though I suppose there will be some fools among
you who will not take it. What I propose is this, that such of you as
like to swear you will make no attempt to escape or fight against me can
go about, except at night, when you will all be locked up again; but you
have to bear this in mind, that anyone who runs from his promise will be
shot like a dog, or pitched over to the sharks. Now then, captain, will
you help to navigate the ship?"
"No, sir," was the reply.
"Well, Mr Parkley, my disappointed speculator, what do you say?"
"I have nothing to say to such a scoundrel," replied Mr Parkley.
"You will stop on deck, doctor?"
"I shall stay with my friends, sir."
"So shall I," said Mr Wilson, stoutly.
"As you like. I needn't ask you, I suppose, my clever diver, but you
had better stay and get strong," said Laure, with a sneering laugh; "you
will have plenty to do by-and-by."
Dutch made no reply, but looked defiance.
"Just as you like," said the Cuban, grimly. "Now, you two sailors, stop
and help work the ship, and you shall have four times the pay that those
fools were going to give you. I'll give you a heap of ingots apiece."
Lennie and Rolls were evidently tempted, but they looked at Sam Oakum,
who was cutting off a piece of tobacco in the most nonchalant way.
"Well, why don't you speak?" cried Laure sharply.
"'Cause we're a-going to do same as him," growled Rolls, nodding at
Oakum.
"And what are you going to do, Sam Oakum?" cried Laure, who was getting
wroth at his plan for reducing his prisoners being foiled. "Come, my
man, I'll make it well worth your while to turn over on my side. The
game's up with those you have served, and if you hold out you will be
forced to work with a pistol at your head; but if you come over to me,
and help me well to navigate the ship, and get the treasure from a
couple more galleons, I'll make you a rich man for life."
This was a painful moment for Dutch and his friends, for, instead of
indignantly refusing, the old sailor, whom they thought so staunch,
hesitated, and turned and whispered to Rasp, who was by his side.
"Come, look sharp I've no time for fooling," cried Laure. "What do you
say?"
Oakum looked at his fellow-prisoners, then at Rasp and the two sailors,
and gave his quid a fresh turn before speaking.
"S'pose I says, `No; I'll stick trumps to my old skipper?'" he growled.
"Well, then," said Laure, showing his teeth, "you'll have to work twice
as hard, you'll have three days given you to carry the schooner to the
next sunken wreck, and if you don't do it in that time I shall send a
bullet through your head."
"Thankye," said Oakum. "Well now, suppose as I says I'll fight for you,
sail the schooner, and help get up some more treasure, what'll you give
me?"
"Oakum!" exclaimed Dutch, who had believed strongly in the old man's
faith.
"You be blowed," growled Oakum. "I must take care o' myself. Now then,
gov'nor, what do you say?"
"I'll give you a hundred of those silver ingots down below. That will
make you a rich man."
"Won't do," said Sam, stoutly. "I ain't going to cut my old skipper for
no hundred on 'em. Make it two hundred and I'll take you."
"Oakum, if you have a spark of manly feeling in you!" cried Dutch.
"Ain't got a spark, Mister Dutch Pugh. It was put out that day of the
fight."
"You scoundrel!" cried the captain.
"Same to you, captain," said Oakum, coolly. "Now then, gov'nor, what do
you say? Is it to be two hundred, or is the proposal off?"
"I'll give you the two hundred," said Laure, with flashing eyes, for he
knew that Oakum would be invaluable to him, and very likely bring Rolls
and Lennie over--the three being the best sailors in the ship.
"And 'bout grog?" said Oakum.
"As much as you like when the work's done," said Laure.
"And 'bacco?"
"Of course."
"And I ain't to be a common sailor?"
"No, under me you shall have command of the ship, as far as navigation
goes."
"Then I'm on," said Sam Oakum, giving his leg a slap, after a glance at
the armed men on one side and his captive superiors on the other.
There was a murmur of dissatisfaction from the captain and the others at
this secession, and Oakum turned upon them sharply.
"What are you a growling about?" he exclaimed, throwing off his former
tones of respect. "You can't spect a man to stick to you always. Your
game's up, his is on.--I'm going on his side. Why not? I'm a pore man,
and I shall be a pore one if I don't make some tin this trip."
"You're quite right, my lad," said Laure, slapping him on the shoulder,
and then turning a malignant look on his prisoners.
"One must know which way his bread's buttered," growled Sam. "Say, my
lads," he continued, to Rolls and Lennie, "you can go down and be boxed
up under hatches if you like, only if I was you I should say to the new
skipper, `Give's twenty of them bars a piece, and we'll stick to you to
the end.'"
"I'll give you twenty ingots a piece, my lads," said Laure. "Will you
come over?"
"I'm a-going to do just the same as Master Oakum does," said Lennie.
"I'm on too," growled the other, with what sounded a good deal like a
curse.
"That's good. Step over here then," said the Cuban. "You are free
men."
There was another angry murmur from the prisoners, as they saw their
party lessened by three; but there was a greater trial in store for
them, for just then Oakum turned sharp round on old Rasp, who was taking
snuff viciously as he leaned back and looked on.
"I say, old beeswax," said Oakum, "now's your time to make your bargain.
You're a fool if you stop there."
"For heaven's sake, Rasp, don't listen to him," cried Mr Parkley.
"What have you got to do with it?" snarled Rasp, angrily. "He says
right. Your game's up, and if we're a-going diving again, I may just as
well be paid for it as work for nowt."
"Come, then," said the Cuban, whose face flushed.
Rasp took a couple of steps forward, and the Cuban met him.
"What'll you make it if I come and dive for you and get all the rest of
the treasure? You can't work it proper without me, so I tell you."
"I'll give you the same as Oakum," said the Cuban eagerly.
"Same as him!" snarled Rasp, "and him a common sailor. How are you
going to get your treasure. I won't dive?"
"With this," said Laure, tapping his revolver.
"Not out o' me, you can't," said the old fellow, giving a poke at an
imaginary fire. "If I says as I won't dive, pistols couldn't make me--
there."
"We shall see about that," said Laure, sharply.
"There, I don't want to fight," said Rasp, to Mr Parkley's great
astonishment, for he had looked upon the old diver as truthfulness
itself. "Here's the plunder, and there's no call to quarrel over it. I
tell you what: say ten per cent, on all we get, and I'm your man."
"Ten per cent!" exclaimed Laure.
"Well, you'll save by it," said the old fellow. "Shan't I work the
harder, and get all the more?"
"There's my hand upon it," said the Cuban; and they shook hands, while
Mr Parkley uttered a low groan, and Dutch's eyes glittered with rage.
"That will do," said the Cuban, who could ill conceal his triumph. "Now
then, down below with you, captain, and you my clever adventurers. You
have played with me, you see, and your cards are all trumped. Now, take
my advice and wait patiently till you are wanted, for if you try any
tricks against me, the stakes may mean your lives."
All had gone below except Dutch and Mr Parkley, who turned round and
addressed their renegade followers.
"As for you, Rasp," exclaimed Mr Parkley, "if anyone had sworn to me
you could be such a scoundrel, I would have called him a liar."
"You keep a civil tongue in your head," snarled Rasp. "I worked
faithful for you, and you made your money. Now it's my turn. You'll
have to work, and dive too--d'yer hear, and I'm going to make the
money."
The Cuban looked on curiously as these exchanges took place, and his
face flushed with pleasure as he saw Dutch turn upon Oakum, just as he
was cutting himself a fresh plug of tobacco with his great clasp knife.
"You cowardly old traitor," cried Dutch; and, unable to contain himself,
he caught the old sailor by the throat and shook him violently.
This treatment seemed to rouse the old fellow into a state of
ungovernable passion, for, giving way in the surprise of the moment, he
was driven back against the cover of the cabin hatch, but, recovering
himself directly, with a savage oath he raised his knife and struck
Dutch Pugh a fearful blow full in the chest, and the young man staggered
back along the deck.