On closing so abruptly the stormy dialogue with his daughter, Jessuron
proceeded to his own sleeping apartment--like the others, opening upon
the verandah.
Before entering the room, he glanced along the gallery, towards the
suspended hammock.
In that hammock slept Herbert Vaughan. His long sea-voyage had
accustomed him to the use of a swing couch--even to a liking for it; and
as the night was warm, he had preferred the hammock to his bed in the
contiguous chamber.
Jessuron had a fear that the angry conversation might have been
overheard by the occupant of the hammock; for, in the excitement of
temper, neither he nor Judith had observed the precaution of speaking
low.
The hammock hung motionless, oscillating scarce an inch; and this only
under the influence of the night breeze that blew gently along the
verandah. Its occupant appeared to be in the middle of a profound
slumber.
Satisfied of this, the Jew returned to his own chamber. There was no
light, and on entering, he sat down in the darkness. The moon shining
in through the window gave him light enough to discover a chair; and
into that he had flung himself, instead of seeking his couch.
For a time he displayed no intention either of undressing or betaking
himself to bed; but remained in the high-backed chair in which he had
seated himself, buried in some reflection, silent as profound. We are
permitted to know his thoughts.
"S'help me, she'll marry him!" was that which came uppermost. "She
will, s'help me!" continued he, repeating the reflection in an altered
form, "shpite of all I can shay or do to prevent her! She ish a very
deffil when raished--and she'll have her own way, she will. Ach! what
ish to be done?--what ish to be done?"
Here a pause occurred in the reflections, while the Jew, with puzzled
brain, was groping for an answer to his mental interrogatory.
"It ish of no ushe!" he continued, after a time, the expression on his
face showing that he had not yet received a definite reply. "It'sh no
ushe to opposhe her. She'd run away with thish young man to a
certainty!"
"I might lock her up, but that ish no good. She'd contrive to escape
some time. I couldn't alwaysh keep her under lock and key? No--no, it
ish imposhible!
"And if she marriesh him without the monish--without the great shugar
eshtate! Blesh me! that ish ruin!
"It musht not be. If she marriesh him, she musht marry Mount Welcome.
She musht! she musht!
"But how ish it to be? How ish he to be made the heir?"
Again the Jew appeared to puzzle his brains for an answer to this last
interrogatory.
"Ha!" he exclaimed aloud, at the same time starting from his chair, as
if the solution had discovered itself; "I hash it! I hash it!--the
Spaniards! I hash it!
"Yesh," he continued, striking the ferrule of his umbrella against the
floor, "theesh are the very fellows for the shob--worth a shcore of
Shakra's shpells, and hish bottles to boot! There ish no fear that
their medishin will fail. S'help me, no! Now, ash I think of it,"
continued he, "that ish the plan--the very besht. There ish no other
safe and sure, like that ish. Ha! Cushtos! you shan't eshcape yet.
Ha! Shoodith, mine girl, you ish welcome to your way; you shall have
the young man after all!"
On giving utterance to these ambiguous speeches, the Jew dropped back
into his chair, and sat for some minutes in silent but earnest
meditation.
The matter of his meditation may be known by the act that followed.
"There ishn't an hour to be losht!" muttered he, starting to his feet,
and hurriedly making for the door; "no, not ash much ash a minute. I
musht see them now. The Cushtos ish to shtart at sunrishe. The wench
hash said it. They'll joosht have time to get upon hish track. S'help
me," he added, opening the door, and glancing up at the sky, "ash I
live, it'sh mosht sunrishe now!"
Sticking his beaver firmly upon his head, and taking a fresh clutch of
the everlasting umbrella, he rushed rapidly out of the verandah, crossed
the courtyard, re-passed the porter at his own gate, and then traversing
the little enclosure outside, stood in the open fields.
He did not stand long--only to look around him, and see that the ground
was clear of stragglers.
Satisfied on this head, he proceeded onward.
At the distance of some three or four hundred yards from the outside
stockade stood a detached cabin, more than half hidden among the trees.
Towards this he directed his steps.
Five minutes sufficed for him to reach it; and, on arriving at the door,
he knocked upon it with the butt of his umbrella.
"_Quien es_?" spoke a voice from within.
"It'sh me, Manuel--me--Shessuron!" replied the Jew.
"It's the _Dueno_," (master), was heard muttering one of the Spaniards
to the other--for the cabin was the dwelling of these notable
negro-hunters.
"_Carajo_! what does the old _ladron_ want at this hour?" interrogated
the first speaker, in his own tongue, which he knew was not understood
by the Jew. "_Maldito_!" added he, in a grumbling voice; "it's not very
pleasant to be waked up in this fashion. Besides, I was dreaming of
that yellow-skin that killed my dogs. I thought I had my _machete_ up
to the hilt in his carcase. What a pity I was only dreaming it!"
"_Ta-ta_!" interrupted the other; "be silent, Andres. The old
_ganadero_ is impatient. _Vamos_! I'm coming, Senor Don Jacob!"
"Make hashte, then!" answered the Jew from without. "I hash important
bishness with both of yoush."
At this moment the door opened; and he who answered to the name of
Manuel appeared in the doorway.
Without waiting for an invitation, Jessuron stepped inside the cabin.
"Does your business require a candle, senor?" inquired the Spaniard.
"No--no!" answered the Jew, quickly and impressively, as if to prevent
the striking of a light. "It ish only talk; we can do it in the
darknesh."
And darkness, black and profound, was most appropriate to the
conversation that followed. Its theme was _murder_--the murder of
Loftus Vaughan!
The plan proposed was for the two Spaniards--fit instruments for such
purpose--to waylay the Custos upon the road--in some dark defile of the
forest--anywhere--it mattered not, so long as it was on this side of
Spanish Town.
"Fifty poundsh apeesh; goot Island currenshy," was the reward promised--
offered and accepted.
Jessuron instructed his brace of _entrepreneurs_ in all the details of
the plan. He had learnt from Cynthia that the Custos intended to take
the southern road, calling at Savanna-le-Mer. It was a roundabout way
to the capital; but Jessuron had his suspicions why that route had been
chosen. He knew that Savanna was the assize town of Cornwall; and the
Custos might have business there relating to himself, Prince Cingues,
and his two dozen Mandingoes!
It was not necessary to instruct the _cacadores_ in these multifarious
matters. There was no time to spend on any other than the details of
their murderous plan; and these were made known to them with the
rapidity of rapine itself.
In less than twenty minutes from the time he had entered the cabin the
Jew issued out again, and walked back, with joyous mien and agile step,
towards his dark dwelling.
Volume Two, Chapter XXXV.