TO MY MORTAL PERIL I OVERHEAR A SORDID SCHEME OF RODRIGUES AND NED
PARSONS.
Sir Harry gave leave that all should go on shore who had a mind to, save
only such as Parsons and Rodrigues should need to keep on board the
_Adventurer_ and the _Sure Hawk_ for their protection; and Rodrigues
bade all be gone, saying that he and Ned Parsons would watch the two
ships during the night. So the men went off in the barge, one batch
after the other, and last of all Sir Harry himself went also to refresh
his spirits after the grief of losing his dear friend; and Parsons rowed
him to shore. There were then left on the _Sure Hawk_ none save
Rodrigues and I. And I being heavy with sleep (it being by that time
nine o'clock, as I think) threw myself on my cot within my cabin, and
fell off in a doze. While I lay there Rodrigues came to my cabin and saw
me by the light of the lamp, as I found out afterwards. But presently
awaking, I rose up and went out on the deck, feeling the want of fresh
air. And indeed the night would have tempted most men to go forth, being
very fair and the moon vastly bright, as it is in those parts.
There was not a soul on the deck, for Rodrigues, seeing me asleep and
all clear, had gone into the captain's storeroom to pilfer a bottle of
wine; and so without design I sauntered on till coming, as chance would
have it, to the main-mast of the ship, I came to a stand, and leaning my
back against the stern so that I faced the moon, I fell on meditating on
my lot. Whilst I stood there I heard the dip of oars; then the chink of
glass as Rodrigues set down his bottles right over against where I
stood, but on the other side of the great mast, and after that he went
to the side and called over, "Come up, Ned, I've that will make us
merry, though we be not ashore."
"For all that I would rather be ashore with our mates," replies Parsons
in a grumbling voice as he comes up the side.
"And so we will, man, and many a jolly night will we spend with our
mates--when we have no secrets to keep," replies Rodrigues. "Here we
have it all to ourselves, and need fear nothing if the drink do give a
loose to our tongues."
"Where's Pengilly? He went not ashore," says Parsons, when he had
tumbled over the bulwarks on to the deck.
"Asleep in the coach where you see the light burning, and is sound as a
log. Sit you down here, and we shall see him if he comes out, which is
not likely."
So they sat down together on a chest facing the roundhouse, and just on
the other side of the mast where Rodrigues had set the bottles, and
presently began to drink and talk; yet still I kept where I was, with my
back against the mast; firstly, because the moon seemed to spread a calm
over my mind which I cared not to dispel, and after that because I
became curious to know what they had to talk about.
"Well," says Parsons, in a more cheerful tone, after taking a drink,
"how goes it?"
"Famously," replies Rodrigues, clacking his tongue against his teeth and
pouring out more wine.
"Have you sounded the men? Have you opened out to them of our project?"
"Nay; not yet. Nor have you, I hope, or they will blab everything before
they get sober again. I bade you keep a still tongue, Ned."
"And so I have. There's been other matters to think on. A rare time it
has been with us to keep the ship afloat. But I did my part of the
business."
"And bravely, I warrant. Tell me how you did it, Ned."
"I caught him a stroke on the head with a crow as he was at prayer, and
heaved his body out into the sea by the galley port." 'Twas thus he had
cruelly murdered Captain Murray.
"No one saw you!"
"Never a soul. He was missed in the morning, and all think he was washed
over by a sea."
"Well, there's one out of the way. 'Twill be Smidmore's turn next."
"When?" asks Parsons.
"That's as hereafter may be. I'm for leaving everything till we have
provisioned at Trinidado."
"And I'm for going at it at once. Curse this hanging fire when there's
prize to be taken, I say. Now Murray is out of the way you will be made
captain of the _Adventurer_, and I reckon I will be master in your place
on the _Sure Hawk_. We are well armed and ammunitioned, and shall not
lack provisions. Then why should we wait till we've been to Trinidado, I
want to know?"
"Because we should have to victual again before going round to the South
Sea, and we want no one to get wind of our intent before we're ready to
fly our colors. It would be folly to spoil the venture for the sake of a
week or two. Besides, we know not how the men will take it."
"How do we stand for men?" asks Parsons, in his grumbling tone again.
"Why, there's Black, and Jarvis, and Kelly, and all those of our old
crew who served with us before--they may be depended on."
"That's thirteen men, and we two make fifteen, all told."
"These men, though they pretend to believe that we are going up the
Orinoco after a mare's next, are not such fools as to think that I
design to end my days there."
"Ay!" says Parsons with a laugh, setting down his cup again. "Nor would
they have been fools enough to engage on any such silly venture unless
they felt sure something better was to come of it. Well, there's
fifteen--go on."
"Of the rest there's a score as desperate follows as ever trod a deck,
and ripe for any mischief."
"Would to Heaven we could have raked up more like them."
"The rest are fools; but sturdy, good seamen, for all that."
Here I was reminded of what I had previously remarked--viz., that there
were two sorts of men in our crew and no third. One set were reckless,
dare-devil, cursing rascals, and the other were as simple-minded as any
children; but, as Rodrigues, said every one a hale, good seaman. And
this was due to the cunning of Rodrigues, who, by reason of his knowing
the parts to which we were bound, had been entrusted to choose a crew
likely for the purpose.
"Well," says Parsons, "here are five-and-thirty men to back us at a
sign, and a match for all the rest with their captain and your Pengilly
as well. Now, here's my plan, Rodrigues, and if you will hear me you
shall own that it is better than all your fiddle-faddle of waiting for
this, that, and t'other."
"Well, out with it, Ned. You know that I have never refused to listen to
advice, nor to act on it when I saw it was good; else had we never won
our way."
"That's true, and I own but for your cursed cool judgment we should all
have been strung up like so many weasels."
Over this interchange of civilities they drank another cup and shook
hands. Then Parsons started off in high good-humor:
"Here's how I see it. Sir Harry will make you captain of the
_Adventurer_; for why? There's no man so fit; and he'll very like make
me master of this ship under him, as being best able to navigate her and
the like. The men will be fairly divided between the two ships as
heretofore. Now, as soon as we set sail I shall make it so cursedly
uncomfortable for the foolish fellows of my crew that they shall pray to
be exchanged into your ship. To this I shall persuade Sir Harry, taking
in their place all those men disposed to our design."
"So we get all the simpletons under me, and all the desperadoes under
you," says Rodrigues.
"That's it. And matters being so, I will open out our scheme to my crew,
who will jump at it like sharks. Then the first calm night will we order
things so that my men shall board your ship after binding Sir Harry, and
make prisoner every mother's son: which done, you shall ask the company
plump out whether they choose to join in our venture and make their
fortunes, or whether they stick to their articles, and will go a
searching for gold where there's naught but serpents and fevers. Who
will refuse to join us then, eh?"
"Sir Harry, for a surety."
"Then overboard he goes, and away we sail south with joyous hearts, and
no more dallying."
Rodrigues took the time of drinking another cup to consider. But little
as I knew of this strange matter, I felt sure he would not agree to this
proposal (being a very subtle, painful man), for if he thus parted with
all the men proper to his desperate enterprise, what was to prevent
Parsons deserting him and going whithersoever he pleased with his
desperadoes?
"Yes," says Rodrigues, "your scheme might succeed, but it will be better
to turn the tables about so that you send all the dependable men to me,
and I send the others to you."
Parsons made no reply to this, whereby he revealed the secret treachery
that was in his mind. But Rodrigues taking no notice of this, though he
must have perceived it, continues cheerfully, "No, Ned; on second
thoughts that plan will not do. For taking the men unprepared in this
way, a score of them may hold on to the hope of getting treasure in
Guiana, and so rally round the captain. Then we may have to throw them
overboard as well as the captain, which will be a great loss to us. For
we can make no great success with small means, and it will never do to
start short-handed. Besides this," says he, "the men pressed into our
service by the fear of death will never serve us as willing hands
would."
"Why, that is true," says Parsons, who clearly did not relish the idea
of his own scheme being acted upon contrariwise. "You always had a
better head for these matters than any of us. So let us hear how you
would act."
"In this wise," said Rodrigues. "As soon as we set sail from here--you
on the one ship and I on t'other--we will secretly show the dullards the
folly of seeking wealth in Guiana, when they can enrich themselves
tenfold without leaving the ship, or encountering any of the hazards and
hardships of going a-foot through those fearful wilds. And first will I
win over Pengilly, who is ripe for this enterprise. When I am sure of
him, Sir Harry will be got rid of, and then will Pengilly take his place
as commander, being nephew to Sir Bartlemy, whose ships these are. So
without the loss of one man we shall have gained our way, and all
willingly will obey his directions."
"So far so good," says Parsons; "but how is this to advance us? Are we
to take for our share no more than what he chooses to give us as his
officers?"
To this question Rodrigues made no reply. And this silence perplexing
me, I cast my eyes sidelong to see if they had moved away. And then I
perceived what it was had stopped his tongue.
The moon had shifted during their conversation (of which a great deal
for the sake of brevity I have not set down), and whereas at the
beginning it had shone full on my face, it now struck me somewhat on my
left side. So that there down on the deck I spied my shadow revealed
beside the great mast, and Rodrigues had spied it also. For before I
could turn my head, I felt his long bony fingers upon my throat, and
then the flash of his dagger in the moonlight caught my eye.