FAIRFAX SPEAKS WITH ME
Sanchez drew a chair into the slight shade cast by the mainsail, and
induced his reluctant companion to sit down. He remained bending over
her, with his back turned toward us chattering away, although she only
answered in monosyllables, seldom glancing up into his face. With
hands gripping the spokes of the wheel, and my attention concentrated
on the course ahead, I could yet notice how closely Fairfax was
observing the two, with no pleasant expression in his eyes, and,
forgetful that I was merely a servant, I ventured a question.
"You have known Senor Sanchez for some time, sir?"
He started in surprise, yet answered as though the unexpected query
had been merely an echo of his own thoughts.
"No," he admitted frankly. "Indeed I hardly know how it happened that
I invited him to join our party. It seemed natural enough then, but
lately I confess to having taken a dislike to the fellow, and have
begun to imagine that he even pushed his way on me. But," he stopped,
suddenly realizing what he was saying, "why do you ask?"
I was not wholly prepared to say, yet as instantly comprehended the
prompt necessity of advancing some reasonable explanation. There came
to me swiftly, from the sharpness of his question, the paralyzing
knowledge that I was a servant addressing my master.
"Of course it is no business of mine," I confessed, rather lamely,
"who your guests are. I'm sorry I spoke."
"It is altogether too late to say that," he insisted. "Some thought
prompted the inquiry. Go on. See here, Carlyle, you are no nigger or
white thief. I know the difference, and recognize that you are
gentleman born. Because I've bought your services for a term of years,
is no reason why you cannot talk to me like a man. Do you know
anything about this Spaniard?"
"Not very much, sir. He has seen fit to threaten me, on account of
some row he has had with a brother of mine in England."
"In England! The Duke of Bucclough?"
"Yes. I haven't the slightest knowledge of what it was all about, but
evidently our Spanish friend got the worst of it. He planned to buy me
in at the sale; but, fortunately for me, you gained possession ahead
of him."
"Do you mean to say that he told you all this?"
"It came out in a moment of anger."
Fairfax looked at me incredulously.
"See here, Carlyle," he exclaimed bluntly, "I am not questioning your
word, but it is a bit difficult for me to understand why a guest of
mine should indulge in angry controversy with a government prisoner,
sent overseas for sale as an indentured servant. There must have been
some unusual cause. Haven't I a right to know what that cause was,
without using my authority to compel an answer?"
I hesitated, but only for a moment. He undoubtedly was entitled to
know, and besides there was nothing involved I needed to conceal.
"It is my impression, sir, that Mistress Dorothy was the unconscious
cause. She chanced to discover me alone on deck the night before we
landed, and hastened to tell me of your purchase. It was merely an act
of kindness, as we had never spoken together before. We were still
talking across the rope, when Sanchez came out of the cabin, and
joined us. I imagine he may not have liked the interest both you and
the young lady had shown in me since we came aboard. Anyway when he
found us there, he was not in good humor. Mistress Dorothy resented
his language, treated him coldly, and finally departed, leaving him
decidedly angry. He merely vented his spite on me."
"But he said nothing about himself--his motives?"
"Not a word, sir; yet it is plain to be seen that he is deeply
interested in your niece."
Fairfax frowned, ignoring the remark.
"But do you know the man--who he is?"
I shook my head, the memory of Haley flashing into my mind, but as
instantly dismissed as worthless. Fairfax would only laugh at such a
vague suspicion. Yet why should the planter ask me such a question?
Could it be that the Spaniard was equally unknown to himself?
"But if he has quarreled with your brother," he insisted, unsatisfied
"you perhaps know something?"
"I have not seen my brother in years. I doubt if I would know him if
we met face to face. As to this man, my knowledge of him is only what
little I have seen and heard on board the _Romping Betsy_," I answered
soberly. "I confess a prejudice; that I am unable to judge him
fairly. In the first place I do not like his race, nor his kind; but I
did suppose, of course, that, as he was your guest, you considered him
a man worthy your hospitality."
Fairfax's face reddened, and he must have felt the sting of these
words, uttered as they were by the lips of his bondman. I thought he
would turn abruptly away, leaving them unanswered, but he was too much
of a gentleman.
"Carlyle," he said brusquely, "you have touched the exact point--I do
not know. I thought I did, of course, but what has occurred on the
voyage over has led me to doubt. I met Sanchez at the Colonial Club in
London. He was introduced to me by Lord Sandhurst as a wealthy young
Spaniard, traveling for pleasure. It was understood that he brought
letters of introduction to a number of high personages. He knew London
well, enjoyed a wide circle of acquaintances, and we became rather
intimate. I found him companionable and deeply interested in America,
which he said he had never visited. Finally I invited him to accompany
me as a guest on my return."
"He accepted?"
"No, not at once; he doubted if he could break off certain business
engagements in England. Then, at a reception, he chanced to meet my
niece, and, a little later, decided to undertake the voyage. I am
inclined to believe she was the determining factor."
"Very likely," I admitted, deciding now to learn all possible details.
"However, that is not to be wondered at. Mistress Dorothy is an
exceedingly attractive young woman."
The look he gave me was far from pleasant.
"But she is not a girl for any swash-buckling Spaniard to carry off as
prize," he burst out hotly. "God's mercy! Her father would never
forgive me if that happened."
"Never fear," I said dryly, "it is not going to happen."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because I have seen them together, and am not entirely blind, Watch
them now--she scarcely responds to his words."
His eyes rested for a moment on the two, but he only shook his head
moodily.
"No one knows what is in the heart of a woman, Carlyle. Sanchez is
fairly young, handsome in a way, and adventurous. Just the sort to
attract a young girl, and he possesses an easy tongue. More than that,
I have lost faith in him. He is not a gentleman."
"You surely must have reason for those words, sir," I exclaimed in
surprise. "He has revealed to you his true nature during the voyage?"
"Unconsciously--yes. We have had no exchange of words, no controversy.
He is even unaware that I have observed these things. Some were of
very small moment, perhaps unworthy of being repeated, although they
served to increase my doubt as to the man's character. But two
instances remain indelibly stamped on my mind. The first occurred when
we were only three days at sea. It was at night, and the two of us
chanced to be alone, on deck. I was reclining in the shadow of the
flag locker, in no mood for conversation, and he was unaware of my
presence as he tramped nervously back and forth. Suddenly he stopped,
and reached over into the quarter-boat, and when he stood up again he
had the Captain's pet cat in his hands. Before I dreamed of such a
thing he had hurled that helpless creature into the water astern."
"Good God! an act of wanton cruelty."
"The deliberate deed of a fiend; of one who seeks pleasure in
suffering."
"And the other incident? Was that of the same nature?"
"It was not an incident, but a revelation. The fellow is not only,
beneath his pretense of gentleness, a fiend at heart, but he is also a
consummate liar. He led me to believe in London--indeed he told me so
directly--that he was totally unacquainted with America. It is not
true. He knows this entire coast even better than I do. He forgot
himself twice in conversation with me, and he was incautious enough to
speak freely with Captain Harnes. The Captain told me later."
"This begins to sound serious, sir," I said, as he ceased speaking.
"Do you suspect him of any particular purpose in this deceit?"
"Not at present; I can only wait, and learn. As a Spanish naval
officer he may have obtained some knowledge of this coast--but why he
should have deliberately denied the possession of such information is
unexplainable at present. I shall watch him closely, and have told you
these facts merely to put you on guard. I know you to be a gentleman,
Carlyle, even though you are temporarily a servant, and I feel
convinced I can trust in your discretion."
"You certainly can, sir. I appreciate your confidence in me." "Then
keep your eyes and ears open; that's all. Dorothy is calling, and
yonder comes Sam."
We had yet a full hour of daylight, during which little occurred of
special interest. Sam took the wheel, while I ate supper, sitting with
Carr on the deck behind the galley. Fairfax and his guests, were
served at a table within the small cabin, and we had a glimpse of
them, and their surroundings, the table prettily decorated with snowy
linen, and burnished silver, while John, in a white jacket, waited
upon them obsequiously, lingering behind his master's chair. The
Lieutenant seemed in excellent humor, laughing often, and talking
incessantly, although it occurred to me the man received scant
encouragement from the others. After taking back to the galley my
emptied pewter dish, and not being recalled aft to the wheel, I was
glad to hang idly over the rail, watching the shore line slip past,
and permit my thoughts to drift back to my conversation with Fairfax.
Carr soon joined me, rather anxious to continue our talk, and ask
questions, but not finding me particularly responsive, finally
departed forward, leaving me alone.
The sun by this time was rapidly sinking below the fringe of tall
trees on the main-land, but the fresh breeze held favorably, and the
little _Adele_ was making most excellent progress, the water being
much smoother since we had rounded the point. We were already beyond
view of the anchored bark. All about was a scene of loneliness,
whether the searching eyes sought the near-by shore, apparently a
stretch of uninhabited wilderness, densely forested, or the broad
extent of the Bay, across which no white gleam of sail was visible.
All alike was deserted, and becoming gloomy in the closing down of
night. Dorothy remained hidden in the cabin, until about the time of
our approach to the rude landing at Travers' plantation. Whether this
isolation arose from an effort to make herself more presentable, or a
desire to avoid further contact with the Spaniard, was a question.
When she finally emerged at Roger Fairfax's call, and crossed the deck
to where the men were, there was no alteration in her dress, but by
that time I was busily engaged with Carr in reefing the mainsail, and
she passed me by without so much as a glance of recognition. Meanwhile
Fairfax and Sanchez paced restlessly back and forth, conversing
earnestly as they smoked, only occasionally pausing to contemplate the
shore past which we were gliding in silence, the only sound the ripple
of water at our stem.
Where I leaned alone against the rail, my eyes followed the Spaniard
in doubt and questioning, nor could I entirely banish from mind
Haley's description of that buccaneer, bearing a similar name, under
whom he had been compelled to serve through scenes of crime. Yet, in
spite of my unconscious desire to connect these two together, I found
it simply impossible to associate this rather soft-spoken, effeminate
dandy with that bloody villain, many of whose deeds were so familiar
to me. The distinction was too apparent. Beyond all doubt this fellow
concealed beneath his smiles a nature entirely different from the one
he now so carefully exhibited. He could hate fiercely, and nourish
revenge, and he was capable of mean, cowardly cruelty. His threat
toward me, as well as that strange incident Fairfax had observed on
the deck of the _Romping Betsy_, evidenced all this clearly, yet such
things rather proved the man a revengeful coward instead of a
desperate adventurer. Black Sanchez, according to all accounts, was a
devil incarnate, and no such popinjay as this maker of love, could
ever be changed into a terror of the sea. He was not of that stern
stuff. That it was perfectly easy for him to lie--even natural--was no
surprise to me. This seemed to accord with his other characteristics;
nor was it altogether strange that he should be fairly familiar with
these waters. If, as he claimed, he had once been connected with the
Spanish navy, which quite likely was true, even if he had never
visited this coast in person, he might have had access to their charts
and maps. It was well known that early Spanish navigators had explored
every inch of this coast line, and that their tracings, hastily as
they had been made, were the most correct in existence. His memory of
these might yet retain sufficient details through which he could
pretend to a knowledge much greater than he really possessed.
No, I would dismiss that thought permanently from my mind, as being
quite impossible. I felt that I had learned to judge men; that my long
years at sea, both before the mast, and in supreme command, had
developed this faculty so as to be depended upon. I believed that I
knew the class to which Lieutenant Sanchez belonged--he was a low-born
coward, dangerous only through treachery, wearing a mask of bravado,
capable enough of any crime or cruelty, but devoid of boldness in plan
or execution; a fellow I would kick with pleasure, but against whom I
should never expect to be obliged to draw a sword. He was a snake,
who could never be made into a lion--a character to despise, not fear.
And so I dismissed him, feeling no longer any serious sense of danger
in his presence, yet fully determined to watch closely his future
movements in accordance with my promise.
It was already quite dusk when we finally drew in beside Travers'
wharf, and made fast. Our approach had been noted, and Travers
himself--a white-haired, white-bearded man, yet still hearty and
vigorous, attired in white duck--was on the end of the dock to greet
us, together with numerous servants of every shade of color, who
immediately busied themselves toting luggage up the steep path leading
toward the house, dimly visible in the distance, standing conspicuous
amid a grove of trees on the summit, of the bank. The others followed,
four fellows lugging with difficulty an iron-bound chest, the two
older men engaged in earnest conversation, thus leaving Sanchez
apparently well satisfied with the opportunity alone to assist the
girl. Except to render the sloop completely secure for the night,
there remained little work for us to perform on board. Sam found an
ample supply of tobacco and pipes, and the four of us passed the early
evening undisturbed smoking and talking together. The fellows were not
uninteresting as I came to know them better, and Carr, who I learned
had been transported three years before for robbery, having at one
time been a soldier, was prolific of reminiscences, which he related
with true Irish wit. Sam contented himself with asking me numerous
questions relative to the Duke of Monmouth, whose effort to attain the
throne interested him greatly, and I very gladly gave him all the
information I possessed. So the time passed quickly, and it must have
been nearly midnight before we brought out blankets from the
forecastle, and lay down in any spot we chose on deck.
It was a fair, calm night, but moonless, with but little wind
stirring, and a slight haze in the air, obscuring the vision. The
windows of the great house above, which earlier in the evening had
blazed with lights, were now darkened, and the distant sounds of
voices and laughter had entirely ceased. The only noise discernible as
I lay quiet was the soft lapping of waves against the side of the
sloop or about the piling supporting the wharf to which we were
moored. The others must have fallen asleep immediately, but my own
mind remained far too active to enable me to lose consciousness. At
last, despairing of slumber, and perchance urged by some indistinct
premonition of danger, I sat up once more and gazed about. The three
men were lying not far apart, close in to the galley wall, merely
dark, shapeless shadows, barely to be distinguished in the gloom. With
no longer any fear of disturbing them, I arose to my feet, and
stepping carefully past their recumbent forms, moved silently aft
toward the more open space near the wheel. I had been standing there
hardly a minute, staring blankly out into the misty dimness of the
Bay, when my startled eyes caught glimpse of a speck of white emerging
from the black shadows--the spectral glimmer of a small sail. I was
scarcely convinced I had seen it, yet as swiftly crouched lower,
hiding myself behind the protection of the rail, instantly alert to
learn the meaning of this strange apparition. An instant told me this
was no deceit. The strange craft swept past, so far out that those on
board no doubt believed themselves beyond sight from the shore,
heading apparently for a point of land, which I vaguely remembered as
jutting out to the northward. Even my eyes, accustomed to the
darkness, and strained to the utmost, could detect scarcely more than
the faintest shadow gliding silently by, yet sufficient to recognize
the outlines of a small keel boat, propelled by a single lug sail, and
even imagined I could discern the stooped figure of a man at the helm.