extraordinary revulsion of feeling swept over Dick Cavendish. Up to
that moment he had regarded the projected return to civilisation as
merely part and parcel of the fulfilment of his contract with Earle, as
something which he had undertaken and must therefore of necessity carry
out; yet now he was fully conscious for the first time that it was
Earle, and not he, who had broached the subject of return, and he was
conscious, moreover, of the fact that he had viewed the prospect of
departure from Ulua with a singular lack of enthusiasm.
This illumination, however, remained with him only long enough to
impress itself upon his mind as a flash of lightning impresses itself
upon the sight, and was instantly succeeded by a rush of most
extraordinary and tumultuous emotion at the young queen's extreme
distress. An overwhelming sense of her utter isolation and
friendlessness, a sudden realisation of her as the centre and victim of
a thousand ambitious plots by unscrupulous nobles like Sachar, and of
her bitter need of a strong arm and a cool head to keep and protect her
in the multitudinous trials incidental to her exalted position, a quick
appreciation of her extraordinary beauty, physical and mental, and--some
other exquisitely sweet and tender feeling which he had no time to
analyse, swept over him like a flood, causing him to forget everything
but the utterly irresistible desire to comfort her and alleviate her
distress; and, acting as irresponsibly as though he were in a dream,
forgetful alike of Earle's presence and that of the ladies-in-waiting at
the far end of the room, he sprang forward, flung himself upon his knees
beside the girl, took her in his arms, and proceeded to pour forth a
flood of tender incoherences, mingled with caresses, that very speedily
brought back the colour to her Majesty's lips and cheeks and the light
into her eyes.
"Oh, my Lord Dick," she murmured, placing her hands upon Dick's
shoulders as she gazed with dilated eyes into his, "What is this you
say? That you are about to leave me? Why? What have I done, and
wherein have I failed in hospitality, that you should desire to go from
me?"
"Nay, your Majesty," answered Dick, "nay, it is not that at all, on my
soul. It is simply that we have done what we came to do in Ulua, and
now, I suppose--I fear--we must--Earle and I--"
"My dear chap, don't worry about me," broke in Earle, in English, with a
grin. "I am quite capable of making the return journey alone, if that
is what you are thinking about; indeed, to be candid, I have for some
time been contemplating such a possibility, for I foresaw all this.
Why, can't you see what is the matter with the Queen? She has fallen in
love with you--and you with her, though perhaps you scarcely realise it
as yet--"
"By Jove! I do, though," retorted Dick, "and if I thought there was the
slightest chance of what you say being true, I'll be hanged if I
wouldn't stay behind and--"
"Well, ask her, man; ask her, and see what she says," returned Earle.
And Dick _did_ ask her, there and then; and very simply, very sweetly,
and very frankly, Myrra confessed that the idea of Dick ever leaving her
was intolerable, and that if he would only consent to remain, she would
gladly marry him, and defy all the nobles of Ulua to say her nay, if
need be.
This understanding of course involved a considerable delay of Earle's
departure, for he at once announced his determination not to leave Ulua
until he had seen all prospective difficulties removed, and Dick, as
Myrra's husband, securely seated upon the throne of Ulua.
And difficulties to overcome there certainly were, for to the more
ambitious among the Uluan nobles the idea of the queen's marriage to an
alien was distasteful in the extreme, and a very determined effort was
made to stir up a popular demonstration against it. But Lyga, the
Keeper of Statutes, pronounced unreservedly in favour of it, and his
influence was far-reaching. The populace generally also looked upon the
project with undisguised favour, for Dick had contrived in a quiet way
to become exceedingly popular by the frank warmth and geniality of his
manner, no less than by his conspicuous gallantry upon the occasion of
the fight on the night of the late king's interment. Lastly, the
nobles, finding that opposition would have no chance of success,
reconciled themselves to the inevitable, each consoling himself with the
reflection that although the queen had had the bad taste to reject him,
she had at least had the good taste not to accept either of his rivals.
When, having come to an understanding with the queen, Dick and Earle
withdrew from her Majesty's presence, Cavendish scarcely knew whether he
was standing on his head or his feet; for with a few impetuous words he
had completely altered his entire outlook upon life, and changed his
worldly prospects to an extent which he had never thought possible, even
in his wildest dreams. No more of the sea life for him; he must bid a
definite and final good-bye to that once cherished hope of one day
commanding another such ship as the _Everest_; and--worst of all--there
was now the possibility that he might never more set eyes upon his
beloved sister, Grace. In the whirlwind of tumultuous feeling that had
temporarily swept him off his feet, he had momentarily forgotten her,
and, but for what Earle had once in a burst of confidence confided to
him upon that subject, he would now have suffered several very severe
qualms of conscience. But he knew Earle by this time, knew him
thoroughly, not only as the soul of honour, but as the man to whom,
above all others, he would and could most safely confide Grace's
happiness, and although the dear girl would doubtless shed a few tears
for her lost brother, Dick felt he could trust Earle to quickly dry
them.
Then again, as to the abandonment of his most cherished ambitions, Dick
felt that he was but exchanging them for others of an even more
important character. For he had not dwelt among the Uluans for so long
without perceiving that, young and comparatively inexperienced though he
was, his knowledge of the outer world fitted him to rule and govern the
remarkable people among whom he had mingled, far better and more wisely
than any of the ignorant, bigoted, and narrow-minded nobles whom he had
met.
Something of all this he confided to Earle when at length the two found
themselves once more in the seclusion of their own apartments. But
Earle soon put the youngster upon better terms with himself; he stoutly
maintained that, in acting as Dick had acted, he had done the right
thing, not only for the queen, but for himself as well. He pointed out
at length the immense power for good which Dick, as King of the Uluans,
would wield, the many reforms which it would be possible for him to
introduce, the many evils which he could abolish, and, with the instinct
for business characteristic of the American, he rapidly sketched out the
numerous advantages to the Uluans which must result from the opening of
communication between them and the outer world--an easy matter to
accomplish, with the vast wealth at their command. And, as to Grace, he
pooh-poohed the idea that she and Dick were never again to meet; indeed,
in his enthusiasm, he more than half promised that his and Grace's
honeymoon tour should include a visit to Ulua. And lastly, he touched,
with the warmth and delicacy of a true friend and gentleman, upon the
manifold perfections and virtues of the girl queen, and especially upon
her frank and whole-hearted affection for Dick--to say nothing of his
for her; so that, before their chat was over, every one of Dick's doubts
and fears was dissipated and he felt free to regard himself, as indeed
he was, one of the most fortunate young men in the world.
"Come to think of it, you know, Dick," remarked Earle, when at length
they were able to get back naturally to more mundane matters, "this is
the most lucky thing that could possibly have happened for both of us.
For I have had that emerald mine of ours upon my mind for some time, and
have felt a bit puzzled as to how it was to be worked to our mutual
advantage. But with you as King of Ulua, the thing will be as simple as
falling off a log. You will be on the spot, so to speak--for, after
all, in actual mileage, the mine is really not very far from here--and
it will be an easy matter for you to arrange with our friends, the
Mangeromas, to work the mine and bring in the emeralds to you. Then, I
have been studying my map, and according to it and our observations, I
calculate that we are here only some four hundred miles from the town of
Cerro de Pasco, in Peru, which appears to be connected by railway with
Lima and Callao. I propose to return home by that route, roughly
surveying the ground as I go, and I think it not improbable that I may
discover a practicable road between the two places, by means of which
you may be able to communicate with the outer world and perhaps
establish a profitable trade with it. With your permission, I will take
along half-a-dozen or so of good, reliable Uluans with me, sending them
back to you with a detailed report of the results of my exploration as
soon as I reach civilisation; then, if you think it worth while, you can
get to work to make a proper road. But we can discuss all these little
business matters more at length, later on. There will be plenty of
time, now, before I go."
This is not a love story, but a yarn of adventure, pure and simple; all
that need be said, therefore, in connection with Cavendish's wedding, is
that the preparations for it, upon a scale of unusual magnificence, even
for Ulua--the circumstances connected with it being in themselves very
unusual--went smoothly forward, and in due time culminated, as such
preparations should, in a ceremony, the splendour of which will linger
long in the memory of those who were privileged to witness it. The
wedding ceremony, which was performed in the temple, was immediately
followed by the crowning of Dick as King, in strict accordance with
Uluan precedent and usage; and thereupon Dick entered upon his new
duties as a practically despotic monarch with the zest and thoroughness
which had always characterised his actions, yet with a discretion and
moderation which speedily lifted him to the zenith of popularity with
his subjects.
Earle remained on in Ulua for a full month after the celebration of the
royal wedding, and then, satisfied that all was going well with his
chum, completed his preparations for departure, and finally bade
farewell to Ulua and his many friends therein on the anniversary--as it
happened--of the departure of himself and Dick from New York on the
expedition which was destined to produce such extraordinary and
far-reaching results.
He departed, laden with costly gifts from Dick, Myrra, and numerous
other friends, for it turned out that the mountains which hemmed in the
valley and lake of Ulua were fabulously rich in gold and precious
stones, and the value of those which he took away with him amounted in
itself to a princely fortune. Also he took a long letter from Dick to
Grace, containing, among other items, a cordial invitation from the
royal pair to visit Ulua as often and for as long a time as she pleased,
together with a parcel of priceless rubies as a joint wedding gift from
Dick and Myrra. A dozen, instead of half-a-dozen, Uluans accompanied
Earle as far as Cerro de Pasco, in addition to Peter and the Indians who
had formed part of the original expedition. The Uluans returned to the
city after an absence of a trifle over three months, bringing with them
a long and detailed report, accompanied by a map, from Earle, from which
it appeared that the American, during an eventful journey, packed with
adventure, had discovered a practicable route from Ulua into Peru; and
when last heard from, Dick was busily engaged upon the task of improving
this route, with a view to establishing regular communication between
Ulua and the sea.
THE END.
End of Project Gutenberg's In Search of El Dorado, by Harry Collingwood