ALONE AMONG STRANGERS.
Ben started as though he had been caught at some crime, and there was a
sulky tone in his voice that showed very plainly that he resented the
appearance of the questioner, as he replied,--
"Only a boy and a dog."
The other man drew near and inspected Eric closely. Prince at once
sprang to his feet, and taking up his position between the new-comer
and his young master, fixed his big eyes upon the former, while his
teeth showed threateningly, and a deep growl issued from between them.
It was no wonder that the sagacious mastiff's suspicions were aroused,
for surely never before had his eyes fallen upon so sinister a specimen
of humanity. The man was of little more than medium height; but his
frame showed great strength, combined with unusual activity, and one
glance was sufficient to mark him out as a man with whom few could
cope. His countenance, naturally ugly, had been the playground of the
strongest and coarsest passions that degrade humanity, and was rendered
still more hideous by the loss of his left eye, which had been gouged
out in a drunken _melee_, and by a frightful scar that ran clear from
temple to chin on the right side of his face. Through the remaining
eye all the vile nature of the man found expression, and its baleful
glare, when fixed full upon one, was simply appalling.
To it, perhaps more than to any other quality, Evil-Eye--for so his
comrades appropriately nicknamed him--owed his influence among them;
for he was, in some sort, regarded as a leader of the band of wreckers
to which both he and Ben belonged.
Evil-Eye held in his right hand a cutlass whose sheen was already
dimmed with suspicious stains.
"Well," he growled, pointing at Eric, who was staring at him
spell-bound with horror and dread, "that seems to be the last of them.
Let's finish him off. We want no tell-tales.--Out of the way, you
brute." And he lifted his cutlass as though to strike Prince first.
"Hold!" cried Ben, springing forward and grasping Evil-Eye's arm. "Let
the boy alone."
"Let him alone," roared Evil-Eye, with a horrible oath. "That I won't.
Let go of me, will you?" And wrenching himself free by a tremendous
effort, he swung the cutlass high over his head and rushed upon the
defenceless boy, who was too terror-stricken to move or cry out.
But quick as Evil-Eye's movements had been, there was another present
whose movements were quicker still. With a short, deep growl like a
distant roll of thunder, Prince launched himself full at the ruffian's
throat. His aim was unerring, and utterly unprepared for so sudden an
onset, the man rolled over upon the sand, the cutlass falling
harmlessly from his hand.
Content with having brought him to the ground, Prince did not pursue
his advantage further, but stood over the prostrate scoundrel, who made
no attempt to move, while he implored Ben to drag the dog off him. But
this Ben seemed in no hurry to do. He evidently enjoyed his
associate's sudden defeat, and felt little sympathy for him in his
present predicament. Then as he looked from the growling mastiff to
his young master, who had almost forgotten his own fear in his
admiration for his faithful dog, a happy thought flashed into his mind.
His face brightened, and there was a half-smile upon it, as, turning to
Evil-Eye, who scarce dared to breathe lest those great black jaws, so
close to his throat, would close tight upon it, he said,--
"Look here, Evil-Eye. I'll take the dog off on one condition. Will
you agree?"
"What is that?" groaned Evil-Eye.
"Why, I've taken a fancy to this lad and his dog, and want to keep them
for a while, anyway. Now, if you'll promise me that you'll let them
alone so long as I want them, I'll get the dog off; but if you won't,
I'll just let you have it out with him."
Evil-Eye did not answer at once. Twisting his head, he looked around
to see if any other of his companions were near; but there was not a
soul in sight, and the storm was still raging.
"All right, Ben, I'll promise," he said sulkily; and then a crafty
gleam came into his baleful eye as he added, "And say, Ben, will you
give me half your share of this take if I stand by you for the boy?
They'll be wanting him finished off, maybe."
Ben was about to say something bitter in reply, but checked himself as
though second thoughts were best. Yet he could not entirely conceal
his contempt in his tone as he replied,--
"As you like. These two are what I want most this time. But, mind
you, Evil-Eye, if any harm comes to either of them through your doing,
your own blood shall pay for it, so sure as my name's Ben Harden."
Then, turning to Eric, he said,--
"Here, boy, you can call off your dog now."
Eric obeyed the directions at once. "Come here, Prince!" he commanded.
"Come to me, sir!"
Prince wagged his tail to indicate that he heard the order, but was
evidently in some doubt as to the wisdom of obeying it. According to
his way of thinking, the best place for Evil-Eye was just where he had
him, and he would like to keep him there a while longer, anyway.
But Eric insisted, and at length the dog obeyed, and came over to him,
turning, however, to glance back at Evil-Eye, as though he was just
itching to tumble him over again.
Looking very much out of humour, Evil-Eye pulled himself together, and
put his hand to his throat in order to make sure that Prince's teeth
had done him no injury. Fortunately for him, the high collar of the
greatcoat he wore had been turned up all around to keep out the rain,
and it had done him still better service by keeping out the mastiff's
teeth. So he was really none the worse for the encounter beyond
feeling sulky at his discomfiture.
He now for the first time took a good look at Eric, who had also risen
to his feet, the excitement of the encounter having made him forget his
pain and weakness.
"Humph! rather a likely lad," he grunted. "But he may give us trouble
some time. Have you thought of that, Ben?"
"No; but it doesn't matter," answered Ben. "I'll warrant for his not
getting us into trouble. We can manage that all right when the time
comes."
"Humph! maybe. But it's a risk, all the same," returned Evil-Eye.
"But come, we must be off. We've lost too much time already."
The all-prevailing gloom of the day was already deepening into the
early dark of late autumn as the three set off across the sands. The
spray that the storm tore from the crests of the billows dashed in
their faces as they advanced. Eric could not have gone far had not Ben
thrown his brawny arm around him, and almost carried him along. Prince
trotted quietly at his heels, having quite regained his composure, and
resigned himself to the situation.
In this fashion they had gone some distance, and Evil-Eye, who had kept
a little ahead, was about to turn off to the right toward the interior
of the island, when Prince suddenly sniffed the air eagerly, threw up
his head with a curious cry, half whine, half bark, and then bounded
away in the direction of the water. Eric stopped to watch him, and
following him closely with his eyes, saw that he ran up to a dark
object that lay stretched out upon the sand, about fifty yards away.
The dog touched it with his nose, and then, lifting his head, gave a
long, weird howl, that so startled Eric as to make him forget his
weariness. Breaking away from Ben, who, indeed, made no effort to
detain him, he hastened over to see what Prince had found.
Darkness was coming on, but before he had got half way to the object he
could make out that it was a human body, and a few steps nearer made it
plain that the body was that of Major Maunsell.
Horror-stricken, yet hoping that the major might still be living, Eric
rushed forward, and throwing himself down beside the motionless form,
cried passionately,--
"Major Maunsell! What's the matter? Can't you look up? Oh, surely
you're not dead!"
But the major made no response. Beyond all doubt his body was cold in
death, and as Eric looked upon the white, set face, he saw that his
cries were useless, and that his dear, kind friend had gone from him
for ever. He felt as though his heart would break, and glancing around
through his tears at the two strange, rough-looking men upon whose
mercy the storm had cast him, his own fate seemed so dark and doubtful
that he almost wished that, like the major, he too was lying upon the
sands in the same quiet sleep.
The discovery of the major's death was a greater shock than the boy, in
his exhausted condition, could stand, and when, at the approach of the
men, he attempted to rise, faintness overcame him once more, and he
fell back unconscious.
When his senses returned, he found himself in a sort of bunk in one
corner of a large room containing a number of men, whose forms and
faces were made visible by the light from an immense wood-fire that
roared and crackled at the farther end of the room. There were at
least a score of these men, and, so far as he could make out, they were
all rough, shaggy, wild-looking fellows, like Ben and Evil-Eye. The
latter he could see plainly, sitting beside a table with a bottle
before him, from which he had just taken a deep draught.
The liquor apparently loosened his tongue, for glancing about him with
his single eye, whose fitful glare was frightful as the firelight
flashed upon it, he began to talk vigorously to those who were sitting
near him. At first Eric paid no attention to what he was saying, but
when Evil-Eye held up something for the others to admire, he leaned
forward curiously to see what it was. There was not sufficient light
for him to do this, but Evil-Eye came to his assistance by saying, in
an exultant tone,--
"There's a ring for you, my hearties. It'll bring a pot of money, I
wager you. And it ought to. I had trouble enough getting it."
"How was that?" inquired a man at his side.
"The thing wouldn't come off--stuck on tight. Had to chop off the
finger before I could get it," replied the ruffian, turning the ring
over so that the diamond which formed its centre might sparkle to the
best advantage for the benefit of his companions, not one of whom but
envied him his good luck in getting such a prize.
Eric now saw clearly enough what Evil-Eye was displaying. It was the
costly ring which Major Maunsell always wore upon the third finger of
his left hand, and whose beauty Eric had many a time admired, for it
held a diamond of unusual size and of the purest water, which the major
told him had been a sort of heirloom in the Maunsell family for many
generations. Eric's blood boiled at the thought of this ring being in
such a scoundrel's hands, and of the cruel way in which he had obtained
it, and only his utter weakness prevented him from springing at
Evil-Eye and snatching the ring out of his hands.
Happily he had not the strength to carry out so rash an impulse, and
was forced to content himself with making a solemn resolve to get
possession of that ring in some manner, that it might be returned to
the major's family. Determination was one of the boy's most marked
characteristics. Nothing short of the conviction that it was certainly
unattainable could deter him from anything upon which he had once set
his heart; and immense as the odds against him in the matter of the
ring might be, he vowed with all the vigour of his brave young heart
that he would do his utmost to regain his dead friend's precious jewel.
For the present, however, nothing could be done. He was a captive no
less than the ring, and, for aught he knew, equally in the power of
that brute in human form, who was evidently a leading spirit in the
group of ruffians that occupied the room. Clearly enough, his one hope
lay in attracting as little attention as possible. He looked anxiously
about the room in search of Ben, but could see nothing of him. His
good Prince, however, was stretched out upon the floor beside the bunk,
sleeping as soundly as though he were in his own cozy quarters at
Oakdene. The sight of him comforted Eric not a little. So lonely did
he feel that he could not resist the temptation to awake his faithful
companion, so he called softly,--
"Prince, Prince, come here!"
At first the mastiff did not hear him, but Eric repeating the call, he
awoke, looked up inquiringly, and then, rising slowly to his feet--for
he was very tired after the terrible passage through the surf--went
over and laid his huge head upon his master's breast.
"Dear old dog!" murmured Eric, fondling him lovingly. "O Prince! what
is to become of us? If we were only back in Oakdene again!" And then,
as the awful thought rushed in upon his mind that perhaps neither he
nor Prince would ever see Oakdene again, or find their way to Dr.
Copeland at Halifax, the tears he had been bravely keeping back could
no longer be restrained. Sobbing as though his heart would break, he
clasped Prince's head tightly in his arms and gave himself up to his
grief.
While poor Eric was thus giving way to his feelings, a number of men
entered the room, one of them being Ben Harden. He went up to the
weeping boy, and sitting down on the edge of the bunk, said in quite a
kindly tone,--
"What's the matter, my lad? Feeling homesick, eh? Well, I can't blame
you. It's a poor place you've come to. But cheer up, and make the
best of it. You'll feel better when you get rested."
With a great effort Eric gulped down his sobs and wiped away his
fast-falling tears. He felt much relieved at seeing Ben again, and did
his best to give him a smile of welcome as he said,--
"Oh, I'm so glad you've come. Everything seems so strange here."
A grim smile broke the habitual sternness of the big man's face.
"Strange! Yes; no doubt. It is a strange place. Perhaps you'll think
it stranger before you leave it," said he--adding in an undertone to
himself, so that Eric hardly caught the words, "that is, if you ever do
leave it."
A large pot hung on a kind of wooden crane before the fire, and
pointing to it Ben asked Eric if he wouldn't like something to eat.
Then, without waiting for a reply, he went over to the table, and
picking up a plate, proceeded to fill it from the pot, and having added
a spoon, brought it back to Eric.
Now, trouble may take away the appetite of older people, but with a
hearty, healthy boy hunger may always be trusted to insist upon being
attended to. Eric had not tasted food since early morning, and it was
now approaching midnight. Could any one who know anything about boys
find it in his heart to criticise him if the plateful of savoury stew
vanished rapidly before his dexterous wielding of the spoon?
Ben was highly pleased at his _protege's_ vigorous appetite.
"Well done, my hearty!" he exclaimed. "That's the best kind of physic
for you. You'll soon be yourself again. Now, then, just you lie down
and take a good snooze, and that'll finish the cure."
Eric was just about to throw himself back upon the pillow when he
caught sight of Prince, who had been watching him with eager eyes while
he satisfied his hunger.
"My poor Prince!" he cried. "I was forgetting all about you.--Please,
can't he have some dinner too?"
"Sartin!" said Ben. "The brute must be hungry. I'll give him a good
square meal." And filling a tin dish from the pot, he set it before
the mastiff, who attacked it ravenously.
Eric felt decidedly better for his hearty meal. A luxurious sense of
warmth and languor stole over him. He stretched himself out upon his
comfortable couch, and in a few moments sank into a deep, dreamless
sleep. Prince having licked the dish until it shone again, resumed his
position beside the bunk, and fell asleep also.