WAITING FOR LUCK.
Without Andreas Carlo never could have been carried safely into Santa
Teresa; but the faithful Indian was wonderfully clever in warding off
detection. The dogs had a harmless powder given to them, which stupefied
them for the time being, and, the night being very dark, with Harry's
help Carlo was lifted bodily on to the balcony and then carried to the
ladies' room. Here kind, tender hands were ready with as many
alleviations as were at their disposal.
The soldiers were busy drinking and gambling below in the hall, and
never imagined what was going on above, the evening visit of inspection
having been paid. Carlo seemed to recognise his friends as Harry and
Andreas laid him gently on the mattress, for he smiled and began to say
something; but the effort caused him to become light-headed again, and
Catalina and Dona Elena made every one leave the patient to their
nursing. Etta had a great deal to say to Harry; she wanted to hear how
he had been able to save Carlo from the clutches of the pirates, and how
they had managed to land.
'I can hardly understand myself how it was,' said Harry, simply. 'We
nearly died of thirst, and had it not been for the Indian we could never
have reached this place alive. Senor Carlo was often light-headed, and
fancied he was still at Chagres, trying to repulse the attack, and I
could only make the Indian understand me by signs. It was not easy to
tell him that we must not land by daylight, and that our enemies would
pounce upon us if they caught us, but that we had friends if only we
could reach them. Luckily we did manage it, and the first person who
discovered us was this faithful Andreas, and after that you should have
heard how the two Indians did discuss us! We have hidden the canoe and
the Indian, for I was obliged to defer the promised reward till we had
seen you, Senorita.'
'My father hid a great deal of treasure in the woods,' said Felipa, 'so
we can easily pay the Indian. Andreas knows the hiding-place, for my
father recognised how trustworthy he is.' Felipa soon explained to
Andreas how much of the money he was to get; only, great precautions
must be taken so as not to be seen or followed by the dogs, which the
English pirates would most likely set on the track if they had the least
suspicion of hidden treasure.
'But you, Harry, what can you do?' asked Etta, who did indeed feel proud
of her countryman, for she guessed that, though he made light of his
adventures, he had gone through much suffering for the sake of a
stranger.
'I mean to hide in these woods till I get a chance of escaping; after
what has happened I can never go back to Captain Morgan. Andreas is so
grateful for what I have been able to do for the Senor Carlo that he
says I may stay in the hut. If a ship were to touch here, I would work
my passage back to Europe; but that _if_ is doubtful, Mistress Etta.'
'But you will take me too if the Captain will let me come on board?'
asked Etta. 'Now Felipa has her aunt she would let me go back to my own
country, for the pirates have taken the Marquis, and so I need not ask
him. In England, I shall never again be in dire terror of my life.'
Harry did not like to explain to the eager girl that there was but
little probability of his being able to take her on board. The idea was
so delightful to Etta that she hardly knew how to contain her joy.
'And you will see your home again, and your father and mother; and you
will ask them to let me stay with them till I hear from my uncle. Mr.
Aylett will write for me--I seem to know him already from all you have
said of him.'
Harry took a small prayer-book from his pocket.
'Look, Mistress Etta: this book has often reminded me of my dear master;
I have had it with me all the time. I happened to have it with me on
the evening when I was taken prisoner--I was to learn the Gospel for the
next Sunday to repeat to Mr. Aylett. I little thought then how precious
the book would appear to me. Do you ever read the Psalms of David and
the Gospels, Mistress Etta?'
Etta shook her head.
'On Sundays I go to church with Felipa; I once told the Padre I was no
Papist, but he said I had better pray to God with Felipa, and that in
time I should be shown the right way. Then I cannot read English very
easily, for we have no English books here, only I read the precious
letters left me by my mother, till I know them all by heart. In truth I
will never be a Papist, nor forget that I am English.'
Etta turned over the leaves of Harry's book with great care and
admiration, whilst he read over the collect to her which began 'Lord of
all power and might,' which Etta, much delighted, said she could
remember.
'Without this I should sometimes have forgotten when Sunday came round,'
added Harry, smiling; 'for Captain Morgan's men made but little
difference between week-days or the Lord's Day, save now and then they
had extra rations and more spirits. Good-night, Mistress Etta. I see
Andreas wishes me to go with him, but I will come again to unloose my
tongue, as my speech will be limited in the woods, and mayhap I shall
turn into a wild man such as our sailors speak of; but Andreas says he
will teach me how to shoot with poisonous arrows.'
From this time there was much less dulness up in the dwelling-room at
Santa Teresa, and if they might have gone out, the girls would not have
been very unhappy, except as to Carlo's state of health. For many days
he hovered between life and death, and Etta had to act as sentinel,
being most quick at hearing the distant steps of the soldier who brought
them their daily portion of food. There was no more starvation now, the
point being to keep the prisoners in good health; for death would have
deprived their jailors of the much-expected ransoms.
How eagerly every morning the little party inquired for news, which the
soldier was not loth to give! Captain Morgan was on his way to Panama;
he had twelve hundred men with him; they had scarce victuals, and had
sent back a boat to St. Catherine for more maize and Indian corn; the
men were only allowed one pipe of tobacco; the Captain was determined to
take the town, but he was in sore straits about victuals; they must
conquer or starve; and so on.
The little party hoped much that the pirates never would reach Panama,
and that other misfortunes might befal them; only, not knowing if the
Marquis were with them, it was difficult to wish they might all die of
hunger.
In the evening Harry would come and amuse Carlo, for as the days passed
slowly on the boy gradually began to mend. He would tell him of his
hunting with Andreas, and how sometimes they had near escapes of being
discovered; but that the men left behind had enough to do to guard the
few fortresses remaining, and thought, besides, more about watching the
bays for possible enemies than of hunting the forest. One day the Dona
Elena herself asked Harry to tell her all he knew of her brave husband's
last hours, and he recounted simply what he had seen. Carlo was sitting
up, propped with pillows, looking pale, but far different from what he
had been a fortnight before; and he joined in the request, saying:
'When I last saw my dear uncle he was just starting to help some twenty
men who were defending an important post.'
'Yes, and that was where I saw him,' added Harry. 'I was bent on
gaining an entrance into the castle, so that I might, if possible, save
you and your uncle. I had tried to pass over some portions of burning
wall, for I had seen the pirates rush through, regardless of the danger;
but though I tried twice, the flames drove me back each time; so, at
last, climbing along the side of the mountain, I caught sight of the men
making a dash for this special breach. I could not help admiring their
pluck, though the cause was bad enough. I came up just as they carried
the position, in spite of the fierce resistance they met. Following
them through the breach, I saw that this last effort would most likely
end in the capture of the castle; for I noticed several Spanish soldiers
throw themselves over the parapet rather than fall into the pirates'
hands alive. They would not ask for quarter--indeed, it would not have
been granted. Just then I met a fellow who was badly wounded, and I
asked him if he knew whether the Governor were taken, or what had become
of him. This man told me Don Alvarez had retired to the Corps-du-Garde,
and was defending it like a lion. So, never thinking of danger, I
hastened in the direction to which he pointed, and beheld a scene I
shall never forget. Don Alvarez was standing at the head of a flight of
steps, and round him and below him were some thirty men. The pirates
had double the number of men, and saw it was only a question of time,
and that a short one. I was looking everywhere for you, Senor Carlo,
and, not seeing you, I was just going to hurry away, when I heard a
sharp report, and then a yell of anger; and, looking back, I saw the
noble Don Alvarez fall forward, struck through the heart with a
musket-shot. I knew that I had not then a moment to lose; and, meeting
a fugitive Spaniard, I asked him to tell me where the young nephew of
the Governor had last been seen, for I was none of the enemy. He hardly
believed me; but pointed to some spot behind the church; and the rest
you know, Senor Carlo.'
'If it had not been for you, Harry Fenn, I must have been caught at
last, or else died of that fever. I wish my uncle had lived to hear of
it and to reward you, but when my----' Poor Carlo paused; he, could not
appeal to his father, for all that history was one he could not bear to
think about; so he added, 'When I am a man I will give you whatever you
like to ask of me.'
'There is nothing to thank me for,' said Harry, laughing; 'in running
away with you I was but doing what I had planned for a long time. You
see, I promised Mistress Etta to help her back to her own country; and
to do that I must e'en get back first myself.'
'And you, Aunt Elena,' said Felipa, 'shall you really have to pay the
large ransom? It does seem hard to be deprived of one's home and then
have to pay the wicked men who have made one unhappy and miserable.'
'We must not complain, Felipa, for nothing would be allowed to happen
unless God saw that it was for our good. If I could have seen my poor
brother I should have taken counsel with him; but I must resign myself
to a long captivity till the money can come from Spain.'
'Then why should you not go and fetch it yourself, noble lady?' said
Harry. 'If I were you, I would not stay here longer than I could help;
for if Captain Morgan were killed the pirates might choose another
captain who would not treat you as civilly as he does.'
'But there is little chance of one of our ships being able to come into
port here,' said Carlo. 'Andreas told me that the bays were very closely
watched.'
'What I most fear is the return of the victorious pirates,' said Harry,
thoughtfully. 'If we hear news of the taking of the city of Panama, I
think we must try and escape, or at all events get to some Spanish
settlement whence they will send us on.'
So they talked and planned, but could do nothing at present except wait
patiently, Harry promising to keep a sharp look-out for any ship flying
the Spanish colours, adding:
'I fancy the Captain will certainly take the rich city if it is at all
possible, and after seeing the attack on Chagres I can believe these
bold men capable of taking even a large place, especially when driven to
great straits by hunger. I was by when the Captain made all his men
sign the articles of common agreement between them, and in that they
bound themselves to obey him and to do their utmost to carry out all his
plans.'
'The selfish robbers!' cried Catalina, indignantly. 'Heard you anything
else of importance, young Englishman?'
'But very little,' answered Harry, rubbing his forehead and trying to
recall what had passed on the pirate vessel. 'Every captain was to have
the share of eight men; the surgeon, besides his pay, was to have two
hundred pieces of eight for his chest of medicaments, and other officers
in some such-like proportion. But I remember that for the loss of both
legs in battle the unfortunate buccaneer was to receive fifteen hundred
pieces of eight, and he was to get still more for the loss of both
hands.'
'All these ravages should be put an end to by the sovereigns who own
these people. All nations of Europe have joined in it; and it is high
time it were stopped,' said Dona Elena Alvarez. 'But now, kind Harry,
it is time you went away, for Carlo is tired and must go to bed.'
'It is so dark to-night that I wonder how you will find your way to the
hut,' said Etta.
'I have been making a store of candles from the Bois-de-Chandel.
Andreas showed me how the Indians prepare it. Truly, how my parents
would laugh to see me in an Indian hut! But I have to be careful of
shading my light, for Andreas says we must not trust the negroes, and
they often wander at night when the fancy seizes them.'
With this Harry slipped away; and Etta went with him so as to close the
window and secure it when he had let himself down from the balcony.