THE SCOUTS.
The council of war presided over by the Marquis took place late that
afternoon; and Carlo, bent on proving his capabilities as a soldier,
slipped in with the officers and various Spaniards in authority who had
been able to leave their several stations to join in the discussion.
The Marquis was so much disturbed and troubled that he took no heed of
his son, for as the officers entered the private room of the Governor
the sound of cannon was distinctly heard in the distance, much to the
dismay of many present.
'Those are the guns of St. Jerome,' said one of the officers. 'The
enemy must have reached the bridge, and we may expect them here by
sunset. Shall we give the order for all the neighbouring guns to fire,
sir.'
'That will not be necessary,' answered the Marquis, testily. 'How many
guns are there at St. Jerome? Surely enough to drive these robbers back
to their boats?'
'We have eight, Senor, at St. Jerome, and those will play freely on
them; they will be caught in a trap.'
'Well, then, that will settle them. We know they cannot advance up the
river below this hill.'
'Only a canoe could reach us here, and that would hold but a few men,'
said Don Francisco.
'The blacks declare that Captain Morgan has only four hundred men with
him; if so, there will be no great difficulty.'
'Nay, but the Indian Andreas,' said Carlo, 'has just told me they are
more like a thousand strong. I believe Andreas is the only scout who
gets near enough to know.'
Carlo had an especial liking for Andreas, who often accompanied him out
into the woods to kill the birds. He was a very sharp fellow, and knew
every turn and winding in the islands.
'A thousand strong! What nonsense, Carlo! Your opinion was not asked,
boy, and silence is your best course,' said the Marquis, angrily.
Carlo blushed, but all the same he knew he was right, and was terribly
annoyed at hearing his father ask counsel first of one and then of
another, without coming to any decision. He saw several of the officers
looking evidently anxious, and when the council of war broke up--having
decided nothing but that a scout should be sent to St. Jerome for news,
and that there should be another meeting next morning--Carlo went up to
an officer and said hastily:
'Why do we not collect a force of men and go out to meet them in the
marshes?--for that is surely the way they will advance.'
'The Marquis thinks otherwise, Senorito; and he may be right, for they
may find themselves in a sad fix in some of the swamps in the low ground
or in the woods, and then they may think it better to return without
trying to take a fortress. Besides, we do not know how much powder they
may have brought, and we must not waste our own ammunition.'
This was all the consolation Carlo could get, and he went back to his
sister's room looking very crestfallen and anxious. So to her eager
questioning he answered:
'I wish father would let Don Francisco de Paratta take the command; he
himself is quite unable to take it. I could see by Don Francisco's face
that he thinks we are doing wrong. We have not even got true
information yet as to their number. I have a great mind----' Carlo
paused, for a sudden idea now entered his head.
'What are you thinking of?' said Felipa, turning pale. 'Oh, Carlo, do
not do anything rash. What should we do without you?'
'Oh, you are safe enough here at Santa Teresa; it would be impossible to
take this place by storm with a thousand men, or even double that
number, so you need not be afraid, dear Felipa.'
'I know you mean to go and see for yourself,' said Etta. 'I wish I were
a boy and I could go with you. To stay still makes one imagine many
impossible things.'
'Hush! don't tell any one, especially Catalina,' said Carlo, looking
round and seeing they were alone; 'she chatters so much. My plan is
this: I will slip outside presently before the gate is shut and run down
the hill to the river. There Andreas has a canoe safely hidden in the
bushes, and he will paddle me down to the mangrove swamps, and from
there we may get near to them and see for ourselves how the pirates are
situated.'
'But you will get killed,' sobbed Felipa. 'These wicked English pirates
are worse than cannibals; Catalina says that they roast their prisoners
alive, and----'
'Nonsense! Dry your tears, little sister, and believe me, Andreas is
too clever a fellow to let us get eaten. I shall be back before very
late, and I know the only breach that can be climbed.'
Seeing her brother so cheerful, Felipa dried her tears, and hung a
little coin round his neck, which, she said, would keep him from harm;
and then she and Etta determined to sit up till he should come back, for
when he was once gone they would not mind telling Catalina.
In the meantime all was bustle within the fort. The Spaniards had found
out now that the Governor had entirely lost his nerve, and this
increased the panic of the garrison. The men on watch amused themselves
by telling thrilling and horrible stories of the various tortures
inflicted by the pirates on their prisoners, and speculated as to the
fate of the garrison of St. Jerome, whose fire had ceased when the sun
went down. However, every one knew that Santa Teresa was safe enough,
and that even if some bold spirits climbed up the steep path on the land
side no great number could come on at the same time and so carry the
place by assault.
At nightfall, Carlo, unseen by any one, slipped out of the fort; and,
plunging into the wood, he was soon joined by the Indian Andreas, who
was a fine fellow, a Christian, and, moreover, devotedly fond of the
young Spaniard, who had always treated him with kindness. Andreas spoke
fluent Spanish, from having been early taught by the Spanish priests,
who had brought him up after his father's death.
'That's right, Andreas,' said Carlo, when he saw him. 'Now make haste
and show me your path down to the river; the other one is watched by the
slaves, and they might set the dogs on us by mistake. I reckon we can
reach the swamps in two hours with your canoe, and you tell me that you
are sure the enemy is encamped near there.'
'Yes, Senorito, that is the truth; my little boy brought me word. And I
believe they are in great distress for want of food; but we shall see.
Look, noble Carlo: I have brought my arrows; and woe to any one that
tries to touch us!'
After some very difficult walking in the mazes of the forest, through
which no one but an Indian could have steered, the two at last reached
the river, which ran far below Santa Teresa; and though this stream was
only navigable for canoes, it was often used by the Indians and
Spaniards when in haste to reach the sea, instead of taking the longer
journey by the land road. Andreas had powers of sight which appeared
quite extraordinary to Carlo; and when the two were seated in the frail
canoe, it was wonderful how the Indian paddled the boat, swiftly and
surely, avoiding the rocks as if it were broad daylight, and never
mistaking the many bends. Had Carlo been alone he would have grounded
the boat half a dozen times, and not have reached his destination before
daylight; but as it was, in two hours the boat glided swiftly into the
midst of the mangrove swamp through which the river here made its way.
All was quiet at first; the canoe did not even disturb the herons and
pelicans which slept near by on the interlaced roots of the mangroves.
'If the pirates could have got into this swamp,' whispered Andreas,
'there would be no need of our cannon; but they are too crafty for that.
They have doubtless seized a good guide who would not dare to betray
them; otherwise they never could have reached Guana's Creek, where, I
hear, they have encamped to-night.'
They drew up the canoe near to a great stump standing out in the water,
and, mooring it there, Andreas stepped on to a dry piece of ground;
then, stooping down, he listened intently, till like a stealthy animal
he returned to Carlo.
'I am sure, Senorito, that I can hear the sound of the enemy. I must
creep up through the grove and get to the higher ground; then I will
return with news, if you will wait. I dare not let you come till I have
seen how the land lies. Lie down in the canoe, and I will make haste.
But cover yourself up, for the air is bad here, Senor; indeed you must
chew this root, and then you will feel no harm.' And so saying, Andreas
drew a dark-looking bit of root from his pocket, which was a secret
remedy against the swamp malaria, known only to the Indians; then,
walking quickly towards the jungle, he disappeared into the darkness.
Carlo had to wait what seemed to him a long time before Andreas came
back; and what made it worse for him was the rain, which began to fall
heavily. At last, when he was beginning to think his Indian friend had
been caught by the pirates, he was startled by hearing a little splash
in the water beside him, and in another moment Andreas himself was in
the canoe.
'The young Senor did not hear me,' said the Indian, smiling at the start
Carlo gave. 'It was to show him how well Andreas can walk in silence
that I came so quietly.'
'Did you see them, good Andreas? Tell me quickly, shall I come now, or
must we go back?'
'Yes, yes, Senor, I saw them. They are many--a thousand, I fancy, or
about that number; but they are in a bad position; they have no food,
and no fire to cook it with. I went up quite close and saw the
Captain.'
'Captain Morgan! Oh, Andreas, did he look a wicked man? Tell me what
he looked like.'
'A tall, fair Englishman, Senor, but not evil-looking; only some of his
followers had the bad countenances of wicked men. I could see that they
were discontented; and I heard some discussing if they should go back to
their ships. Look now, Senor Carlo: if you can persuade the noble
Governor to send a hundred well-armed soldiers to-night against these
same men, we shall have no more trouble with them. We could drive them
into the swamp, and then the swamp would do the rest. Why, they were
badly off: some had naked feet like the poor Indians, and some had but
ragged clothes, and very few had firearms. They were angry with the
Captain at being led into the marsh, and they huddled together when the
rain began to fall, cursing their misfortunes.'
'It will go on raining all night, I fancy,' said Carlo. 'I have been
nicely sheltered here; but out where they are camped there are but few
trees. How could you see all this, good Andreas, for it is still dark?'
'Well enough, Senor, for the rascals had pulled down some of the Indian
huts that lie up above, and had made a fire of them. Captain Morgan was
trying to make himself comfortable; and I saw a young lad about your
size and your age, Senorito, in the Captain's rude tent. I thought he
must be his son; but he looked sad and dejected, and not like one of the
pirates. Perhaps some young prisoner they have taken. He was busy
making up the fire, but I noticed that another fellow watched him pretty
closely whenever he strayed a little. Yes, I am sure he was a prisoner.'
This did not interest Carlo so much as Andreas' idea about the hundred
men being sent out against the pirates.
'Andreas, you are right. Quick, let us make haste home, and I will do
my best to persuade my father to send a body of soldiers here by
daybreak. If only he will believe us! Are you tired? Let me row a
little.'
But Andreas laughed.
'The Senorito would stick us in the mud at the next bend,' he said, and,
taking up his paddle, he sent the frail boat into mid-stream, and as
silently as they had come they returned towards Santa Teresa. During
the journey Carlo hardly spoke; he was planning the morning's expedition
in his own mind; and already he had cleared the whole island of the
dreaded horde, and covered the name of Estevan del Campo with glory and
honour.
By the time the canoe shot into a tiny cove at the foot of Santa Teresa,
Carlo was glad enough to jump up and follow his leader through the
forest by an Indian path; and with Andreas' help the wall was scaled,
and both entered the enclosure unperceived.
'It is to be hoped the pirates do not know this path,' he said to
Andreas; 'but, even if they did, not more than a single file of men
could get up here. Do the guides here know of it, Andreas?'
Andreas shook his head.
'Hush, young master, tell no one of it. It is known only to the Indians
of my tribe, and there are but few of us now. Good-night, Senorito; I
will be ready in the morning if you want another guide.'
Carlo warmly shook the faithful Indian's hand as he bade him good-bye.
Before the Spanish occupation Andreas had been a chief's son; but his
father had long ago been killed by the white men, and the tribe was
broken up. The boy had been educated by the missionaries, but had never
altogether forgotten his childhood; and but for his love of Carlo del
Campo some said he would ere this have run away from the Governor's
estate, where he was forced to tend the gardens and to see his children
brought up as something not much better than mere slaves, whilst his
gentle wife was expected to help Catalina in household duties, cook the
food for the black slaves, and wait on the young ladies.
Carlo was able to creep upstairs unheard by any one; and, seeing a light
in his sister's sitting-room, he knocked softly. Catalina opened the
door, and the girls, who had fallen asleep on a couch, jumped up
eagerly.
'Carlo, there you are! Tell us the news! How glad I am you are safe
home!'
'I dreamt you were drawn and quartered by the pirates. My poor lamb,'
cried Catalina, 'how we prayed for you, till we fell asleep and forgot
to finish the Litany of Danger!'
'Nonsense! there was no danger at all; the pirates are in a bad way, and
it is raining hard. But tell me where my father is. We have only to
send out men and we are saved. Andreas knows exactly where they are
encamped.'
'The noble Marquis was in the guard-room below when I came up,' said
Catalina. 'No one has gone to bed this night.'
Carlo hastened away cheerfully. He was some time absent; but when he
returned his young face was clouded over with deep disappointment.
'It is of no use; my father will not believe me. He refuses to do
anything till there can be another council, and then it may be too late.
Why am I not a man!'
'Never mind, dear Carlo,' whispered Etta softly; 'the council may
believe you, and then----'
But Carlo shook his head, and, tired out, he went to his own bed and
fell asleep from sheer fatigue.