A NEW EXPEDITION.
The hours wore away very, very slowly for poor Carlo, who in his damp
dark cell reflected with bitter shame on the departed glory of his name.
Moreover, it was hard to bear this terrible confinement; and now and
then the thought would pass through his mind that he had been a fool for
his pains, for his resistance had done no good to any one, and had put
him into a very luckless place and a miserable condition. But Catalina's
visit and the discovery of the secret door, though it opened only from
the outside of the cell into the narrow secret passage, took away all
the feeling of loneliness, which is almost unbearable to the young. Now
all was different. Upstairs and not far from him there were those who
cared for him; and, to say the truth, the food Catalina had brought very
much contributed to his more cheerful spirits. When first imprisoned
there had been no time to do more than thrust the boy into the cell, so
he was free to walk the two steps which were all that the width of the
place allowed; but it was a comfort to feel with his fingers for the
slight marks of the secret door, and to place his ear against it,
listening intently for coming footsteps.
This morning, however, it was in the outside passage that he first heard
sounds; and presently the key creaked in the lock, the bolts were drawn
back, and a rough voice called out with a seasoning of oaths:
'Here, young cub, take this loaf; it's none of the newest, but good
enough for young teeth; and here's water to wash it down with; for, ay,
marry, it's all you'll get till to-night, when the Captain has ordered
your release. Maybe by then you'll have learnt to cudgel less and show
less paltry spite.'
Carlo's heart beat fast, for the very idea of once more seeing the sun
and enjoying the lovely sights and sounds of the tropical world made him
happy. No, he did not now regret his conduct: he had vindicated his
honour, and the price was not too great. He longed to know more, but of
course he would not ask this fellow for any news, so he received his
communication in silence. In consequence of this he was favoured with
another volley of opprobrious titles, which he bore with patience, as
beneath the notice of a nobly born Spaniard.
When this visit was over, Carlo set himself again to listen for more
welcome footsteps; but it was only after an hour had elapsed that he was
rewarded by hearing, not Catalina's heavy tread, but a gentle well-known
footfall. It was Etta, who after some difficulty managed to slide back
the secret door; and, peering into the darkness without at first seeing
anything, she exclaimed:
'Carlo, are you there? Oh, how dreadful! Here, dear Carlo, take this
bread, and a fresh banana; for you must be very hungry. How glad I am
that you will not be here much longer! And yet----'
'How do you know, Etta? Was it Harry Fenn that told you? Will they
give me back my sword? and where is my father?'
'We know hardly anything; for though of course we are not in this horrid
hole, yet we are as much prisoners as you are, my poor Carlo; and if it
were not for Harry Fenn we should have had to go down to the hall
amongst those rough men and beg for bread. Even Catalina dare not do
that, for she cannot abide their rude jestings.'
'Never mind: when I am released I shall teach those ruffians manners and
see that you are not neglected,' said Carlo, still a little jealous of
the doings of this new Harry.
'But, Carlo, did they not tell you? You are to be put aboard one of the
pirate ships and to show them the way somewhere; and indeed you must put
a good face on the matter for fear they should handle you roughly.'
Carlo was struck dumb at this news; but at last he burst forth with--
'The rascals! What! do they think they are going to use me as a guide
to some other unfortunate Spanish settlement? That they never shall.
They may tear my limbs, but for such knaves----'
'Hush, hush, Carlo! What if they heard you! But Harry Fenn is to go
too. He knows nothing of your father or of what has happened to him;
and, alack! poor Felipa, who was so glad and happy yesterday, is now
all-sorrowful again. Dear Carlo, when you are aboard try and bear their
raillery and stuff your ears, and---- But I dare not stay longer,
Catalina is so frightened lest I should be discovered here, or for fear
we should receive a visit from the Captain upstairs, and he would
assuredly ask what had become of me; so good-bye, dear Carlo! Do not be
rash; for, in truth, they may put you on the ship, but they cannot make
you speak, and you do not know the roads of the mainland, so you can
easily baffle these boors. Ah, now, I was forgetting to tell you that
Felipa wanted to come with me, but Catalina would not let her. She sent
you all her true love.'
So these two took leave, and Etta, drawing back the tiny door and
replacing the bolts, ran lightly upstairs, having put Catalina in a
great fright; for hardly had the door of the dark cupboard out of which
the turret stairs descended been shut when voices were heard close to
the door of the dwelling-room. The old woman was much excited as she
exclaimed--
'St. Teresa save us! Etta mi! What heart-palpitations you have given
me! Quick, child! lie down on the couch and hide all the cobwebs and
dust which are on your petticoat.'
Etta did so, trying to conceal her smiles; and Catalina threw a lace
shawl over her, Spanish fashion; so that when Captain Henry Morgan
entered, followed by a gentle-looking Frenchman, only the most natural
sight in the world met their eyes.
'Marry! see you, Sieur Maintenon, here is the dovecot I mentioned; but
the dovelets are not so young but that they can coo. Prithee here, my
English maid, and tell me anything thou canst of the mainland. Was thy
merchant father wont to trade there? If so, he must often have landed
at Panama, where rich stuffs are much _a la mode_ and prized.'
Etta was forced to get up; but Catalina, pretending to help her,
privately shook as much dirt as she could from her petticoat.
'No, Sir Captain, my father was an honest merchant who traded among the
English isles, Jamaica chiefly, and took trips to England, but he never
meddled with the Spanish settlements.'
'Was it so? My experience is that merchants are glad to trudge wherever
they can get gold coins. But you, Senorita, you have sometimes left
this island? Speak plainly, for I like not capricious or saucy
maidens,' said the Frenchman in soft Spanish tones to Felipa.
'Never, Senor, except to go a visit to my uncle, the noble Don Alvarez,
Governor of the Castle of St. Lawrence, which some call the Castle of
Chagres because of the river of that name; and I wish heartily that I
could let him know now of our distress.'
'Marry! pretty dove, do not have the doleful dumps on that score, for
such a message will not be difficult to deliver,' laughed Captain
Morgan; 'the little Senorita can give it to that valiant warrior her
brother, for I purpose despatching four of my ships there this very
evening.'
Felipa and Catalina lifted up their heads in horror, and the former
burst into tears as she exclaimed, 'You will go to Chagres and attack
the great Don Alvarez! That cannot be!'
'Why not? Before the whole cheese is taken one must taste a little bit
of it and see if it is good. From Chagres we can easily cross the
narrow neck of land, but we want good guides to traverse that marshy
region. Know you any such?'
'I will send and warn my uncle,' said Felipa proudly, drying her tears;
'he is better armed than we were here, and he will receive you in a
manner you will not like--that I can well foreknow.'
Captain Morgan nodded to his companion.
'So said I, pretty maid. Mark you, Maintenon, I will tell Captain
Brodely to keep the ships well together; I hear from that vile caitiff
Espada that the mouth of the river is dangerous, and that there are
several gunboats stationed there.'
'And if it were not,' put in Felipa incautiously, 'the castle is on the
top of the mountain and can never be taken. My uncle Don Alvarez will
not be deceived by your tricks as was my father, and your fair promises
will be laughed to scorn by him, for he will fight to the death.'
'Thank you, pretty Senorita, for your advice. I will not forget to tell
my men what kind of brave gentlemen they will have to meet; an we are
worsted we must yield on honourable terms. But, doubtless, your brother
will tell us more. I'faith, Maintenon, I must see that the ships are
well manned and victualled: it does not do to trust any one but oneself
when there is much risk in an enterprise, and, for all we know, a mortal
crisis and some mangling of Christian bones.'
So saying, the Captain moved away, and smiled as he noticed old Catalina
in her corner busily muttering her usual imprecations against him. When
not thwarted Henry Morgan was an agreeable man with much sense of
humour; and it was partly this that had enabled him to keep his
heterogeneous horde together, though quarrels were frequent enough, and
led, as he said, to bangs and knocks sufficient to harden any softer
fists.
There was much indignation and many exclamations of despair from the
girls and their old nurse when they were once more alone, which were
only calmed when Felipa indignantly remarked:
'My uncle Don Alvarez will never be conquered by such people, and dear
Carlo will see him and tell him, when he has routed these knaves, to
come to our help. If only I could see my brother!'
But it was not thought prudent to descend again after the narrow escape
Etta had had, for they could not tell at what hour Carlo might be
released.
'May the good God take care of my dear boy!' sighed poor Catalina, much
depressed. She was feeling that her responsibilities were almost too
great, and she heartily wished the Marquis would come back and take care
of his children. Happily, till now Felipa had not fretted too much,
though the poor girl was beginning to show signs of fatigue and anxiety.
She was far more delicate than sturdy English Etta, whose spirits soon
reasserted themselves and made her inclined to forget the dangers that
still existed.
In the meanwhile Carlo waited impatiently in his cell for the time when
he should hear the steps of a pirate coming to release him; for now,
having thought the question out, he had come to the conclusion that he
had best take the matter quietly. Not being a prisoner on parole, he was
free to escape, and perhaps he should soon find some opportunity of
doing so. Once free, he believed that the faithful Andreas could hide
him in the woods till such time as peace was restored. He had leisure
now to make many reflections as to the future; but at last he heard
footsteps in the passage outside. His heart beat fast, though he tried
to appear cool. He could not guess the time of day, but he felt sure it
was not far off sunset, when at last his door was hastily opened and a
man told him roughly to get up and follow him. Carlo did so. He was a
little stiff, and almost blinded by the light; but it seemed like a new
life to be breathing once more the fresh air, and to feel the warm glow
of the sunshine through his chilled veins. At the end of the passage he
found several other men awaiting him; but they did not pinion him as
before--an insult Carlo would have found it difficult to forgive.
'Quick, young Senor, this way; we have no time to waste. We want no
idle vermin among our crew.'
It was fortunate for Carlo that Etta had prepared him for this new
bondage, or he might have refused to follow the buccaneers out of Santa
Teresa. As it was, however, he would not obey quite silently or without
protest.
'Where are you conducting me?' he asked, 'I demand to be taken to my
father.'
'Very likely, sirrah; but those are not our orders. Marry! it's best to
ask no questions when one is Captain Morgan's prisoner, else some
inquisitive knaves have learnt what it means "to swing like a skipper."'
Carlo thought this advice wise, and followed it.
Presently he saw that the men were joined by a fellow he knew well,
Espada, who had evidently turned traitor. Carlo had seen him last at
the Platform, and he was horrified to hear him say he was prepared to
guide the men by a narrow path which led down the face of the steep
cliff, and which they could not have found unassisted. It was by no
means a pleasant descent, but it saved a few miles of walking, and, once
at the bottom, they found a canoe awaiting them. With a heavy heart
Carlo saw the massive walls of Santa Teresa disappearing. After a short
row the boat he was in was moored alongside one of the pirate ships
stationed just outside the bay, and he was bidden to scramble up a very
rude rope ladder on to the deck of the ship, which, he found, was called
'The Falcon.'
'Is Captain Brodely on board?' asked the escort, 'for here is the son of
that craven-hearted Governor. By my faith! a valuable cargo, I take it;
for he's to serve as guide, and to be hostage for the Marquis's good
conduct in the future. Now then, young sir, on with you this way. And
best budge quickly; for there's to be no tricks here, remember, or it
will be the worse for you.'
Poor Carlo! his Spanish pride inwardly rebelled; but, true to his
resolution, he replied nothing to all these taunts. The Captain was too
busy to attend to him, so he was presently locked up in a small cabin
where the spirits stolen from Santa Teresa were stored; still he could
see the dancing waves through the tiny port-hole, and, compared to the
dungeon he had just left, this place was indeed like a palace, though
the only pieces of furniture were barrels of wine and spirit-kegs, in
which the Dutch carried on a brisk trade, and which therefore received
the name of Hollands.
When darkness fell over the beautiful shore the noise on board in no way
diminished, and such a shouting and holloaing was heard that it was easy
to see the pirates were in high spirits, and thought themselves
invincible and able to do as they liked.
After a time Carlo fell asleep, and was awakened only by feeling himself
gently shaken. He started up, and saw by the help of the moonlight the
kind face of Harry Fenn bending over him.
'You here! Thank God!' exclaimed Carlo. 'At all events these wretches
will not murder me without some one knowing of it and reporting the
crime!'
Harry laughed at Carlo's somewhat moody ideas.
'Oh, Senor, in truth you are safe enough now we have started, and I am
bidden to ask you to come and sup in the Captain's own cabin. He is
under strict orders to treat you well when once we are out at sea. And,
look you, Senor: these men have not been told that you can understand
English, so prithee keep the secret. They all come from the bigger
island, and were not at Santa Teresa. Later on we may find it
convenient to understand each other in English whispers. At present,
remember, I only know very few Spanish words.'
Carlo nodded, and with new hope followed the English boy into the
Captain's cabin.