THE INQUISITION.
UNOBSERVED, the Spaniard had turned the well-oiled lock and silently
gained the room. How long he had been there I knew not, but, caught
fairly in the act of attempted concealment, I could only look at him
in blank dismay.
"Ah, Señor Ralph!" he remarked at length, "'tis a sad failing with
lads. They are always prying into other people's business, and
helping themselves to anything that meets their eye."
"Since some of the charts are my father's," I retorted, "'tis meet
and proper that his son should be allowed to examine them."
Don Iago's face betrayed no surprise at my reply.
"These charts seem to interest you as much as others interest me. To
come to the point: You are now in my house, a fact that proves to you
that I am able to control your immediate future. You have had a
foretaste of what may happen if you obstinately refuse to accept my
conditions."
"I refuse to accept your word," I replied. "How can you place
reliance on my promise to return with the chart when once I am safe
at home?"
"To be blunt with you, your father will be a hostage for your safe
return. He knows the position of the mine without having to make use
of the plan, but, like you, he is obstinate."
"Then I, too, will be obstinate," I rejoined doggedly.
"My lad," said d'Alvarez softly, "I am sorry for you. There is no
alternative but to hand you over to the Holy Office. More, you will
be employed to compel your mulish sire to disgorge the secret. 'Tis a
last resource, but 'twill not fail."
For a few moments he eyed me keenly, as if to detect any sign of
wavering, but I maintained a resolute silence.
Seating himself at the table, Don Iago leisurely took pen and paper,
wrote a few lines and sprinkled them with sand.
"Here is the order delivering your body and your soul to the
jurisdiction of the Holy Inquisition," quoth he. "Yet, 'tis not too
late to change your mind."
"Nay," I replied. "My conditions are simple enow. I ask but to see my
father, obtain his free consent, and your desire will be gratified.
Otherwise, I refuse, and you can do your worst."
"By the Virgin!" he exclaimed vehemently, "you shall see your father,
but not in the way you wish."
Thereupon he folded and sealed the missive and rang a bell. The
summons was answered by two powerful-looking men dressed in the same
sombre livery as the servant who had admitted me into the house.
Seizing me by the shoulders they marched me forth into the courtyard,
where a file of pikemen stood waiting as if anticipating the use of
their services. My arms were secured behind my back, and, surrounded
by the soldiers, I was marched down the street towards the harbour.
Having traversed the marketplace, the pikemen, instead of taking the
road that led to the water-gate, turned off to the left and skirted
the water front of the town for a considerable distance.
At length I saw before me a formidable-looking fortress, which I
rightly guessed to be the prison wherein heretics and other offenders
'gainst the Popish faith were confined.
It consisted of a lofty eight-sided keep, surrounded by a high
embattled "curtain," without which was a double moat crossed by
drawbridges, each of which was defended by a barbican. The outer moat
appeared to be tidal, but the inner one was filled with stagnant
water.
At the outer gateway we were met by an officer and a guard of
fully-armed soldiers. The order for the delivery of my body was
presented and duly signed, and the pikemen handed me over to the care
of half a score of arquebusiers.
By them I was taken across the first drawbridge and placed in a low
stone chamber with a heavily-groined roof.
{Illustration: "MY JAILERS HALTED BEFORE A SMALL OAKEN DOOR." [p.
124.}
Here four stalwart men, clad in leathern jerkins, seized hold of me.
In a few moments I was stripped to the skin, while to prevent the
possible concealment of a weapon or tool of any sort they ran their
fingers through my hair and even forced open my mouth.
Having satisfied themselves on this point, they made me don a loose
garment not unlike a friar's gown, and fastened fetters to my wrists.
The end of a rope was placed round my neck, one of my jailers holding
the other end, and in this manner I was marched across the inner
drawbridge into the castle itself.
Within all seemed ominously quiet. Here and there were a few monks
with clasped hands and downcast eyes, as if unaware of their
surroundings, some austere-looking priests, and several brawny men
clad similarly to my new custodians.
Passing through the triple gateway of the principal tower, I bade
farewell to the open air and the direct sunlight for many a long day.
Through a sombre passage I was led slowly and silently, as if the
dignified progress were calculated to fill me with awe and terror.
Presently my jailers came to a halt before a small oaken door studded
with nails. It was so low that it was necessary to descend three more
steps ere a man could pass beneath the flattened arch.
Back swung a heavy door, disclosing a stone-vaulted passage, from
which a dank, unwholesome odour emanated. Taking a torch from an iron
rack, one of the men lit it and preceded me the others following
almost on my heels, after the hindermost man had kindled another
torch and carefully relocked the door.
I counted twoscore paces ere the men halted before one of the double
row of iron-bound doors that flanked the passage. Over it was the
number nineteen, and so long as I remained in the prison I was to be
known by that number.
Within the cell, which was barely seven feet by five, the furniture
consisted merely of a wooden bench at a height of about two feet from
the ground, an earthenware basin and platter, a small bundle of
straw, and a coverlet of sackcloth.
One of the thick stone walls was pierced by a small aperture that
admitted both light and air--though there was little indeed of the
former, for my hasty look around was possible only by the flicker of
the torches.
It was a prison wherein a miserable captive had not the remotest
chance of escape, but even this did not satisfy my jailers; they must
needs fasten a chain round my left ankle ere casting loose the
fetters that bound my arms.
Then, having filled my pitcher with water and placed a small brown
loaf upon the platter, they left me to my own resources.
I waited till the last sound of their departing footsteps died away,
and then mounted upon the bench and raised myself to the aperture.
This I accomplished with difficulty, for although the length of the
chain permitted me to move thus far, I had to raise its weight in
addition to my own.
Owing to the thickness of the walls and the narrowness of the opening
in the stonework my range of vision was greatly restricted, but I
made the discovery that my cell was partly below the surface of the
water in the inner moat. A rise of a foot in its level would flood
the prison.
On the farther side of the moat a wall rose sheer to a height of
quite twenty feet, the masonry being so smooth that even a rat could
not obtain a foothold, while on the summit a musketeer was slowly
pacing to and fro.
Eager to learn whether the adjoining cells were tenanted, I dropped
back to the floor and knocked upon one of the intervening walls with
my platter, putting my ear to the stonework to catch the faintest
sound of a reply to my signal. But 'twas in vain; it was the silence
of the tomb.
Then I tried the opposite wall, but my ear detected the sound of a
most dismal groaning that I was glad to abandon my efforts in that
direction. Evidently my neighbour had been the victim of excruciating
torture, and had been carried back to die--or to survive solely for
the purpose of being put to the rack again.
By degrees my eyes grew accustomed to the gloom, and ere nightfall I
could discern objects in the cell with as much ease as I had in the
torchlight. Strangely enough it was not the fear of what was going to
happen that troubled me; it was the deadly monotony that threatened
to reduce me to the lowest depths of despair.
Then day after day went by till I lost all count of time. Save for
the regular visits of my jailers when they came to supply me with
food and water, and an occasional glimpse of the sentry on the wall
of the moat, I saw the face of no human being.
After many days I began to realise that my strength was failing me.
This I knew to be due mostly to my meagre fare, but 'twas also owing
to a lack of exercise. Over the former I had no control, but
hereafter I made it part of my daily business to work my arms and
legs till the muscles once more began to resume their wonted strength
and suppleness.
At length--it must have been some months after the _San Josef_
brought me into harbour--I was startled by the entry of a number of
men, whose heads were hidden under long, black, cone-shaped hoods,
with holes for their eyes and mouths. They were the "familiars" of
the Holy Inquisition.
They filed in silently till the little cell was filled to
overflowing. Without speaking a word, they seized me and stripped my
cloak-like garment from my shoulders till it served only as a
loin-cloth. Into the dismal stone passage I was thrust, then,
preceded and followed by the "familiars," was made to traverse a
portion of the tunnel-like shaft till further progress was stopped by
a blank wall.
Stooping down, one of the men raised a circular slab disclosing a
spiral staircase. Descending, I found myself in another passage even
more foetid than the other, for the walls were green with slime, and
moisture trickled 'twixt every joint in the masonry, causing the
torches to splutter and give forth thick smoke continually.
Presently the procession stopped abreast of a deep recess. Here,
covered with a sheet, lay a man, so grievously mishandled that his
groans were terrible to listen to.
Some of the "familiars" seized the litter on which he lay and bore it
joltingly along the passage I had traversed; whilst the others, now
numbering but four, compelled me to resume my way.
{Illustration: "FOUR MASKED AND HOODED FAMILIARS ENTERED." [p.138.}
At the end of the subterranean gallery its whole width and height
were taken up by a double door. This could be opened only from the
remote side, and in reply to a thunderous knock--to enable those
within to hear, so thick was the timber--the door was flung back.
For an instant I was almost blinded by the sudden glare, and ere I
had time to take in the scene I was pushed forward into a large room
and the doors fastened behind me.
The place was nearly a score paces in length, and almost the same in
breadth. The walls, floor, and ceiling were of stone, the latter
being heavily groined, with a double row of massive rounded pillars
to bear the weight of the roof. At one end of the central aisle, if I
may term it so, was a raised daïs hung with crimson cloth, above
which was a large crucifix.
Seated on the daïs were three men clad in crimson gowns and wearing
masks. These were the Chief Inquisitor and his two assistants.
In front and slightly below the daïs was a long table, covered with
books and bundles of parchment, while two scriveners were waiting to
set down whatever the Inquisitors thought fit to dictate.
Away on the left glowed a brazier of coals, by the side of which a
hooded "familiar" was ostentatiously heating a pair of long-handled
pincers. Hard by stood the rack, with its complication of pulleys and
levers, ready to wring from some unhappy sufferer a confession to a
crime he had never committed.
The only officers of the court who were not masked were two pikemen,
clad in breast and back pieces, and steel caps somewhat resembling
the "pot" of our train-bands.
Standing betwixt two pikemen, with the "familiars" behind me ready to
carry out the behests of their masters, I faced the three
Inquisitors.
With neither undue haste nor unnecessary delay, one of the scriveners
read an indictment in Latin. What it was about I was totally ignorant
of, and for the first time in my existence I regretted having refused
the offer of old Master Ridge, the apothecary, to teach me that
tongue. However, when the reading was completed, the scrivener
translated it in very fair English.
It was formidable enough in all sooth. I was charged with being
concerned in a heinous crime against the Holy Church, to wit, the
theft of a jewelled crucifix identified as having been taken from the
cathedral of Carthagena. Furthermore, I was a heretic. These crimes
brought me within the arm of the Inquisition. As for the charge of
piracy, that had been waived by the Spanish civil courts in order to
let the Holy Office wreak its vengeance upon me.
On the first charge I battled desperately for my life, vehemently
protesting that I knew nothing of the church ornament till a seaman
of the _San Josef_ found it in Captain Cleat's chest.
As to being a heretic, I admitted I was such according to the Popish
tenets, but stoutly maintained that I was a member of a religion
established by the laws of the realm of England.
Whether the scrivener translated all I said I know not, but within
ten minutes my sentence was pronounced.
As a sacrilegist and a heretic I was to be burned at the stake.
Although I had secretly expected it, the actual pronunciation of my
fearful sentence made me reel as if stricken with a club. I turned
faint and dizzy, my knees shook, and but for the support given by the
two soldiers I would have fallen to the ground.
They made no attempt to remove me. As I cowered and trembled the
Inquisitors seemed to be taking an unholy delight in watching my
misery and despair.
Then the Chief Inquisitor spoke. He had a sweet, melodious voice, the
sound of which made me marvel how a man who delighted in inflicting
torture and death could speak in such a tone.
When he had finished, the scrivener who acted as interpreter told me
that for the time being the execution of my sentence would be
deferred or even mitigated. On the earnest supplication of the right
worthy Don Iago d'Alvarez mercy might yet be shown me. If, on the
other hand, I was obstinate and stiff-necked, torture would be
inflicted ere the final punishment took place. In the meantime I was
to be removed and allowed the ministrations of a priest to prepare my
stubborn mind for the fruits of the true Church.
With that I was marched off--not back to my cell, but to another on
the opposite side of the passage.
My jailers kept their torches without, so that at first I could not
discover my limited surroundings, but soon I was aware that the cell
possessed another occupant. A man was crouching on the low wooden
bench, his hunched shoulder denoting complete apathy as to what was
going on. I could see that he was of massive frame, though his flesh
was shrunken till his cheek-bones protruded under his waxen
complexion. A tangle of long dark hair and beard nearly concealed his
features.
Somehow or other my instinct told me that it was none other than my
father, yet I kept silence till the door closed upon us. Then I
called him by name.
Instantly he started, drew his hand across his forehead as if to
collect his wits, then springing to his feet with an alacrity that
seemed surprising, he grasped me by the shoulder.
"Who are you?" he demanded; then looking earnestly into my face he
exclaimed, "Ralph, my son, what evil chance has brought you here?"
For some time after the first few moments of surprise we were deep in
conversation, question and answer following in quick succession; then
he besought me to tell him of the circumstances under which I was
made a prisoner of the Inquisition. We talked in low tones, fearful
lest an unseen listener was lurking to trap us into some diabolical
snare.
When that ended, he told me the whole story of his dealings with Don
Iago d'Alvarez, of the finding of the mine, of the Spaniard's
treachery, and of the loss of the silver in the Rio del Foy. "As for
the chart he seeks, Ralph," continued my father, "it still remains
hidden in our house at Crofton. Without it even I would be unable to
find the spot, and it is certain that I cannot commit the secret of
the mine within my breast."
"But my mother left the house soon after you disappeared," said I.
"Then if we ever escape from this grave danger the plan can easily be
obtained. Something seems to tell me that we may yet be delivered
from these fiendish toils. Were I sure it would be otherwise, Ralph,
I would as lief strangle you with mine own hands and beat my brains
out against this wall, rather than suffer the tortures these
incarnate fiends love to inflict."
"Tell me," I said presently, "what happened on the night you were
called away and did not return?"
"It is a long story, Ralph. Briefly, it was the doing of d'Alvarez
and his crafty companion José da Silva. Knowing where I lived, and
wishing to gain the coveted information--thinking, possibly, that I
kept the chart ever on my person--they obtained an audience with
Philip of Spain and suggested the great importance of securing the
person of an English pilot well acquainted with the Channel. I know
not whether 'tis now common knowledge at home, but ere long--though
it may be years hence--Spain will try her utmost to bring England
once more under her yoke. Here it is well known that a large
fleet--the largest that the world has ever yet seen--will be built
for that purpose, and having use for skilled pilots, the King of
Spain did not hesitate to give his ear to the counsels of d'Alvarez
and his craven friend.
"So when I was called upon that night I went, mistrusting no one, and
on boarding the ship that lay off the haven, 'twas no _Speedie_ of
Brixham, but a swift galeas of Cadiz. I discovered the trap ere their
longboat ran alongside, but 'twas too late. Several of the rogues had
broken pates to remember me thereby, but by weight of numbers they
secured me.
"When the vessel reached Spain I was taken to the Escurial into the
presence of King Philip. I was offered much gold and plenteous
rewards should I take service under him and the expedition prove
successful--though the Dons had few doubts as to the latter.
"'Heretofore I was your Majesty's pilot,' I replied. 'And though
'twas by order of my sovereign, 'twas the worst bit of work I ever
did for my country. Rest assured, sire, that 'twill not occur again.'
"With that I was hastened off to prison, tortured all to no purpose,
for I swore that nothing would make me play the traitor.
"Then it was that d'Alvarez interposed, claimed my person from the
King, and obtained his consent to do with me as he would. Now,
indeed, he has, through you, hit me hard, but as I hope for eternal
salvation, I believe in my heart that you and I will see Old England
again."
"And I, too, will be resolute, hoping for a happy issue out of our
misfortunes," I added.
At length, by the dimming of the light that filtered in through a
narrow grated opening, we knew that evening was drawing nigh. Still
we talked in undertones, happy in our reunion in spite of the
miserable conditions under which we had met.
Suddenly the door of our cell was opened and the four masked and
hooded "familiars" entered. Ghostlike they indicated that I should
accompany them. My father clasped me in his arms to take possibly a
last farewell, but roughly we were separated, and with a long
despairing look I was led forth.
Stripped as before to my waist they brought me to the
torture-chamber; then, having placed me between the two pikemen, the
"familiars" departed.