IN WHICH LAND SHOWS IN THE OFFING
Before the white sea mists had rolled away I was on deck, and had
summoned a general conference of my crew.
"'Polyte," I demanded of our pilot, "how long before your partner will
be at the lighthouse, below, there?"
"'Ow long?"
"Yes."
"Oh, maybe thees day sometam."
"And how long before he'll start back with the mail?"
"'Ow long?"
"Yes."
"Oh, maybe thees same day sometam."
"And how long will it take him to get back to some post-office with
those letters?"
"'Ow long?"
"Yes."
"Oh, maybe those nex' day sometam."
"And then how long to the big railroad to New Orleans?"
"'Ow long?"
"Yes."
"Oh, maybe those nex' day too h'also sometam, heem."
"Then it will be three days, four days, before a letter could get from
the lighthouse to New Orleans?"
"'Ow long?"
"Three or four days?"
"_Oui_, maybe so."
"And how long will it take us to get in to the plantation of Monsieur
Edouard, above, there?"
"'Ow long?"
"Yes."
"H'I'll could not said, Monsieur. Maybe three four day--_'sais pas_."
"Holy Mackinaw!" I remarked, _sotto voce_.
"Pardon?" remarked 'Polyte respectfully. "Le
Machinaw--_que-est-que-ce-que-est, ca_?"
"It is my patron saint, 'Polyte," I explained, and he crossed himself
for his mistake.
"Suppose those h'engine he'll h'ron, we'll get in four five h'our
h'all right, on Monsieur Edouard, yass," he added. "H'I'll know those
channel lak some books."
By now Williams--who, judging by certain rappings, hammerings and
clankings heard through the cabin walls back and above the
engine-rooms, had been at work much of the night--had reported, and
much to my pleasure had said he thought we could make it in at least
to the Manning dock before further repairs would be needed. To prove
which, he went down and "turned her over a time or two," as he
expressed it. Whereupon I gave orders to break out the anchor, and
knowing that any Cajun market hunter and shrimp fisher like 'Polyte
can travel in any mist or fog before sunup by some instinct of his
own, I took a chance and began to feel our way out to the mouth of the
Manning channel before the morning mists were gone; so that we were at
breakfast by the time the wide and gently rippling bay broke clear
below us, and by magic, we saw the oak-crowned heights of the island
dead ahead.
Thence on, within the walls of the deep dredged channel, all we had to
do was to go sufficiently slow and follow the curves carefully, so
that the heavy waves of our boat, larger than any intended for that
channel, might not too much endanger the mud walls, or threaten
wreckage to the frail stagings leading to the cabins of the
half-aquatic trappers and fishers who dwell here in the marshes.
So, at last, after many windings and doublings, we came in at the rear
of the timbered slopes, and could see the mansion houses and the
offices of the stately old plantation, where dwelt my friend, Edouard
Manning, who knew nothing of my coming.
After custom, I signaled loud and often with the boat's whistle, so
that the men might come to the landing for us; and, in order that
Edouard himself might be warned, I gave orders to my hardy mates to
make proper nautical salute of honor.
"Cast loose the stern-chaser, Jean Lafitte," said I: "and do you and
L'Olonnois load and fire her often as you like until we land; or until
you burst her."
Gleefully they obeyed, and soon the roar of our deck gun echoed
formidably along the slopes, as had no gun since the salt-seeking
Union navy, in the Civil War, had pounded at the gates of Edouard's
father: and until scores of coots and rail chattered in excited chorus
for answer, and long clouds of wild ducks arose and circled over the
marsh. Again and again, my bold mates loaded and fired: and now,
turning back by chance from my own place at the wheel, I saw that they
had assumed full character, and each with a red kerchief bound about
his brow, was armed with, I dare not say how many, pistols, dirks,
swords and cutlasses thrust through his belt or otherwise suspended
on his person.
I saw now the two ladies, their fingers in their ears, also on deck,
protesting at this cannonading at their cabin door; and so I raised my
hat to a very radiant and radiantly appareled Helena, for the first
time that day; and heard the answer of L'Olonnois to the dour protest
of Auntie Lucinda.
"We follow Black Bart the Avenger, an' let any seek to stop us at
their per-rul! Jean, run up the flag, while I load her up again."
And Jean having once more hoisted the skull and cross-bones at our
masthead, and assumed a specially savage scowl as he stood with folded
arms on our bow deck, we made what a mild imagination might have
called rather an impressive entry as we swept into the Manning
landing.
I was not surprised to see Edouard himself there, and his wife, and
some thirty odd dogs and as many blacks, waiting for us at the wharf.
Nor was I surprised to see that all seemed somewhat to marvel at our
manner of advent, though I knew that Edouard, through his
field-glasses, had recognized both my boat and myself long before we
made the last curve and came gently in to the wharf where the grinning
darkies could catch our line.
What did surprise me--and perhaps for a time I may have shown
surprise--was to see, in all this gay throng, two forms not usual on
the Manning landing. One was the elegantly garbed and rather stunning
figure of Sally Byington; and the other the robust, full-bodied,
gorgeously arrayed form of my old friend, Cal Davidson! How or why
they came there I could not for the moment guess.
"'Tis he--yon varlet!" I heard a stern voice hiss at my ear. "Beshrew
me, but it shall go hard with him! I'm loading her up with marbles
now!" But I had no more than time to persuade my two lieutenants to
modify this purpose, and partially to disarm themselves, before the
two groups were mingling, with much chattering and laughing and gay
saluting.
Edouard, hat in hand, was on deck before our fenders touched the
wharf, laughing and grasping my hands and looking up at my flag.
"I knew you were coming," said he. "Fact is, all the country's been
looking for you. Davidson just got in a couple of hours ago--and you
know his lady is an old friend of Mrs. Manning's. And----"
He was shaking the hands of Mrs. Daniver and Helena almost before I
could present them. Auntie Lucinda bestowed upon him the gaze of a
solemn and somewhat tear-stained visage (though I saw distinct
approval on her face as she caught sight of the great mansion house
among the giant oaks, and witnessed the sophisticatedness of the group
on the landing, and the easy courtesy of Edouard himself).
"By Jove! old man!" the latter found time to say to me, "I
congratulate you--she's away beyond her pictures." He did not mean
Mrs. Daniver; and he never had seen Helena before. I could only press
his hand and attempt no comment as to the congratulations, for part of
that was a matter which yet rested in a sealed envelope in my pocket;
and at best it must be three or four days.... But then, with a great
flash of arrested intelligence, it was borne in upon me that perhaps,
after all, it was not so much a question of the tardy United States
mails! Because yon varlet, fat and saucy, and well content with life,
already, by some means and for some reason, had outrun the mails. He
was here, and we had met. It need not be four days before I could
learn my fate.... I reached into my pocket and looked at my sealed
orders. No matter what Davidson's letter held, here was Davidson
himself.
"Oh, I say, there, you Harry, confound you!" roared Davidson to me in
his great voice above the heads of everybody. "I say, what did I tell
you?"
Now I had not the slightest idea what Davidson had told me, nor what
he meant by waving a paper over his head. "They've signed Dingleheimer
for next year! Now what do you think of that? World's championship,
and good old Dingleheimer for next year--I guess that's pretty poor
for them little old Giants, what?" And he smiled like one devoid of
all care as well as of all reason.
I myself smiled just a moment later--after I had greeted the Manning
ladies, had seen Helena step up and kiss Sally Byington fervently,
directly on the cheek, whose too keen coloring I once had heard her
decry; had slapped Edouard joyously on the shoulders and pointed to my
pirate flag and gloomy black-visaged crew--I say I also smiled
suddenly when I felt a hand touch me on the shoulder.
'Polyte, the pilot, stood, cap in hand, and asked me to one side.
"Pardon, Monsieur," said he, "but those _gentilhommes_--those fat
one--ees eet she'll was Monsieur Davelson who'll H'I'll got letter on
heem from those lighthouse, heem?"
"Why, yes, 'Polyte--the letter you said would take four days to get to
New Orleans."
'Polyte smiled sheepishly. "He'll wouldn't took four days now,
Monsieur! H'I'll got it h'all those letter here. H'I'll change the
coat on the _lighthouse_, maybe, h'an H'I'll got the coat of Guillaume
witt' h'all those letter in her, yass?" And he now handed me the
entire packet of letters, which I had supposed left far behind us on
the previous day!
I took the letters from him, and handed all of them but one to
Edouard's old body servant to put in the office mail. The remaining
one I held in the same hand with its mate: and I motioned Davidson
aside to a spot under a live oak as the other began now slowly to move
toward the path from the landing up the hill.
"This is for you," said I, handing him his letter; and told him how it
came to him thus.
"It's from Helena--dear old girl, isn't she a trump, after all!" he
said, tearing open the letter and glancing at it.
"She is a dear girl, Mr. Davidson," said I, stiffly, "yes."
"Why, of course--yes, of course I'd have done it, if I'd got this
before I left the city," said he, "but how can I now?"--holding the
letter open in his hand.
"Do you mean to tell me," I began, but choked in anger mixed with
uncertainty. What was it she had asked of him, offered to him? And was
not Helena's wish a command.
"Yes, I mean to tell you or any one else, I'd do a favor to a lady if
I could; but----"
"What favor, Mr. Davidson?" I demanded icily.
"Well, why 'Mr. Davidson'? Ain't I your pal, in spite of all the muss
you made of my plans? Why, I'm damned if I'll pay you the charter
money at all, after the way you've acted, and all----"
"Mr. Davidson, damn the charter money!"
"That's what I say! What's charter money among friends? All right, if
you can forgive half the charter fee, I'll forgive the other half,
and----"
"What was in the letter from her?"
"It's none of your business, Harry--but still, I don't mind saying
that Miss Emory wrote me and said that if I was still--oh! I say!" he
roared, turning suddenly and poking a finger into my ribs, "if you
haven't got on one of my waistcoats!"
"The one with pink stripes," said I still icily, "and deuced bad ones
they all are. And these clothes I borrowed from my China boy. But
then----"
"I see, you must have come in a hurry, eh?"
"Yes. But come now, old man, what's in that letter? I've got one of my
own here, done in the same hand, hers. I am under sealed orders--until
I shall have met you, which is now. So I suppose some sort of
explanation is due on both sides. We might as well have it all out
here, before we join the house party, so as to avoid any awkwardness."
"Oh, nothing in my letter to amount to anything," he replied. "Miss
Emory only wanted to know if I'd please have her trunks shipped out
here from New Orleans--only that; and she asked me please to bring her
a box of marshmallows, as hers were all gone. She's polite, always,
dear old Helena--she says, here, 'So pleasant is our journey in every
way, and so kind have you gentlemen been, and so thoughtful in
providing every luxury, that I can not think of a single thing I could
ask for except some more marshmallows. Jimmy, the young imp, my
nephew, you know, has found mine, though I hid them under both
cushions in the stateroom.'"
I had my hat off, and was wiping my forehead. A sudden burst of glory
seemed to me to envelope all the world. If there had been duplicity
anywhere, I did not care.
"I suppose Jimmy is the one with two guns and a Jap sword, eh?" asked
Davidson.
"No, the other one, God bless him! Is that all there was in the
letter, Cal?"
"Yes. What's in yours? What's the game--button, button, who's got the
girl? And can't you _open_ your letter now?"
"Yes," said I, and did so. It contained just two words (Helena
afterward said she had not time to write more while Auntie Lucinda
might be in from the other stateroom).[A]
"Well, what's it say, dash you!" demanded Cal Davidson. "Play fair
now--I told, and so must you!"
"I'm damned if I do, Cal!" said I, and put it in my pocket. But I
shook hands with him most warmly, none the less....
FOOTNOTE:
[A] (Those interested may find them later in the text.[B])