THE RECITAL OF HOW CAPTAIN ALVARADO AND DON FELIPE DE TOBAR CAME TO THE
RESCUE IN THE NICK OF TIME
[Illustration]
Old Hornigold had kept his promise, and Alvarado had kept his as well.
It was a few minutes before ten when the first Spanish horsemen sprang
from their jaded steeds at the end of the road. In that wild race down
the mountains, Alvarado had ridden first with de Tobar ever by his side.
None had been able to pass these two. The Viceroy had fallen some
distance behind. For one reason, he was an old man, and the pace set by
the lovers was killing. For another and a better, as he had said, he
thought it desirable to stay somewhat in the rear to keep the men closed
up; but the pace even of the last and slowest had been a tremendous
one. Sparing neither themselves nor their horses, they had raced down
the perilous way. Some of them had gone over the cliffs to instant
destruction; others had been heavily thrown by the stumbling horses.
Some of the horses had given out under the awful gallop and had fallen
exhausted, but when the riders were unhurt they had joined the foot
soldiers marching after the troopers as fast they could.
Alvarado's soldierly instincts had caused him to halt where the road
opened upon the sand, for he and de Tobar and the two or three who kept
near them could do nothing alone. They were forced to wait until a
sufficient force had assembled to begin the attack. He would have been
there before the appointed time had it not been for this imperative
delay, which demonstrated his capacity more than almost anything else
could have done, for he was burning to rush to the rescue of Mercedes.
Indeed, he had been compelled to restrain by force the impetuous and
undisciplined de Tobar, who thought of nothing but the peril of the
woman he adored. There had been a fierce altercation between the two
young men before the latter could be persuaded that Alvarado was right.
Each moment, however, added to the number of the party. There was no
great distance between the first and last, and after a wait of perhaps
ten or fifteen minutes, some one hundred and fifty horsemen were
assembled. The Viceroy had not come up with the rest, but they were sure
he would be along presently, and Alvarado would wait no longer.
Bidding the men dismount lest they should be observed on horseback, and
stationing one to acquaint the Viceroy with his plans, he divided his
troop into three companies, he and de Tobar taking command of one and
choosing the nearest fort as their objective point. Captain Agramonte, a
veteran soldier, was directed to scour the town, and Lieutenant Nunez,
another trusted officer, was ordered to master the eastern fort on the
other side. They were directed to kill every man whom they saw at large
in the city, shooting or cutting down every man abroad without
hesitation, for Alvarado rightly divined that all the inhabitants would
be penned up in some prison or other and that none would be on the
streets except the buccaneers. There were still enough pirates in the
city greatly to outnumber his force, but many of them were drunk and all
of them, the Spaniard counted, would be unprepared. The advantage of the
surprise would be with his own men. If he could hold them in play for
twenty minutes the Viceroy with another detachment would arrive, and
thereafter the end would be certain. They could take prisoners then and
reserve them for torture and death--some meet punishment for their
crimes.
Those necessary preparations were made with the greatest speed, the men
were told off in their respective companies, and then, keeping close
under the shadow of the cliff for fear of a possible watcher, they
started forward.
Since ten old Ben Hornigold had been hidden in an arched recess of the
gateway waiting their arrival. He had thought, as the slow minutes
dragged by, that Alvarado had failed, and he began to contrive some way
by which he could account for his escape to Morgan in the morning, when
the captain would ask to have him produced, but the arrival of the
Spaniards relieved his growing anxiety.
"Donna Mercedes?" asked Alvarado of the old boatswain, as he entered the
gate.
"Safe when I left her in the guardroom with Morgan--and armed. If you
would see her alive----"
"This way----" cried Alvarado, dashing madly along the street toward the
fort.
Every man had his weapons in hand, and the little party had scarcely
gone ten steps before they met a buccaneer. He had been asleep when he
should have watched, and had just been awakened by the sound of their
approach. He opened his mouth to cry out, but Alvarado thrust his sword
through him before he could utter a sound. The moonlight made the street
as light as day, and before they had gone twenty steps farther, turning
the corner, they came upon a little party of the pirates. An immediate
alarm was given by them. The Spaniards brushed them aside by the
impetuosity of their onset, but on this occasion pistols were brought in
play. Screams and cries followed the shots, and calls to arms rang
through the town.
But by this time the other companies were in the city, and they were
making terrible havoc as they ran to their appointed stations. The
buccaneers came pouring from the houses, most of them arms in hand. It
could not be denied that they were ready men. But the three attacks
simultaneously delivered bewildered them. The streets in all directions
seemed full of foes. The advantage of the surprise was with the Spanish.
The pirates were without leadership for the moment and ran aimlessly to
and fro, not knowing where to rally; yet little bands did gather
together instinctively, and these began to make some headway against the
Spanish soldiery. Even the cowards fought desperately, for around every
neck was already the feel of a halter.
Alvarado and de Tobar soon found themselves detached from their company.
Indeed, as the time progressed and the buccaneers began to perceive the
situation they put up a more and more stubborn and successful
opposition. They rallied in larger parties and offered a stout
resistance to the Spanish charges. Disregarding their isolation, the two
young officers ran to the fort. Fortunately the way in that direction
was not barred. The solitary sentry at the gateway attempted to check
them, but they cut him down in an instant. As they mounted the stair
they heard, above the shrieks and cries and shots of the tumult that
came blowing in the casement with the night wind, the sound of a woman's
screams.
"Mercedes!" cried de Tobar. "It is she!"
They bounded up the stairs, overthrowing one or two startled men who
would have intercepted them, and darted to the guardroom. They tore the
heavy hangings aside and found themselves in a blaze of light in the
long apartment. Two men confronted them. Back of the two, against the
wall, in a piteous state of disorder and terror, stood the woman they
both loved. In front of her, knife in hand, towered the half-breed.
"Treason, treason!" shouted Morgan furiously. "We are betrayed! At them,
de Lussan!"
As he spoke the four men crossed swords. De Tobar was not the master of
the weapon that the others were. After a few rapid parries and lunges
the Frenchman had the measure of his brave young opponent. Then, with a
laugh of evil intent, by a clever play he beat down the Spaniard's
guard, shattering his weapon, and with a thrust as powerful as it was
skilful, he drove the blade up to the hilt in poor de Tobar's bosom. The
gallant but unfortunate gentleman dropped his own sword as he fell, and
clasped his hands by a convulsive effort around the blade of de Lussan.
Such was the violence of his grasp that he fairly hugged the sword to
his breast, and when he fell backward upon the point the blade snapped.
He was done for.
Morgan and Alvarado, on the other hand, were more equally matched.
Neither had gained an advantage, although both fought with energy and
fury. Alvarado was silent, but Morgan made the air ring with shouts and
cries for his men. As the swords clashed, Carib raised his hand to fling
his knife at Alvarado, but, just as the weapon left his fingers,
Mercedes threw herself upon him. The whizzing blade went wild. With a
savage oath he seized a pistol and ran toward the Spaniard, who was at
last getting the better of the Captain. A cry from Mercedes warned
Alvarado of this new danger. Disengaging suddenly, he found himself at
sword's point with de Lussan, who had withdrawn his broken weapon from
de Tobar's body and was menacing him with it. With three opponents
before him he backed up against the wall and at last gave tongue.
"To me!" he cried loudly, hoping some of his men were within call.
"Alvarado!"
As he spoke Morgan closed with him once more, shouting:
"On him, de Lussan! Let him have it, Black Dog! We've disposed of one!"
As the blades crossed again, the desperate Spaniard, who was a swordsman
of swordsmen, put forth all his power. There was a quick interchange of
thrust and parry, and the weapon went whirling from the hand of the
chief buccaneer. Quick as thought Alvarado shortened his arm and drove
home the stroke. Morgan's life trembled in the balance. The maroon,
however, who had been seeking a chance to fire, threw himself between
the two men and received the force of the thrust full in the heart. His
pistol was discharged harmlessly. He fell dead at his master's feet
without even a groan. No more would Black Dog watch behind the old man's
chair. He had been faithful to his hideous leader and his hideous creed.
Before Alvarado could recover his guard, de Lussan struck him with his
broken sword. The blow was parried by arm and dagger, but the force of
it sent the Spaniard reeling against the wall. At the same instant
Morgan seized a pistol and snapped it full in his face. The weapon
missed fire, but the buccaneer, clutching the barrel, beat him down with
a fierce blow.
"So much for these two," he roared. "Let's to the street."
De Lussan seized Alvarado's sword, throwing away his own. Morgan picked
up his own blade again, and the two ran from the room.
A stern fight was being waged in the square, whither all the combatants
had congregated, the buccaneers driven there, the Spaniards following.
The disciplined valor and determination of the Spanish, however, were
slowly causing the buccaneers to give ground. No Spanish soldiers that
ever lived could have defeated the old-time buccaneers, but these were
different, and their best men had been killed with Teach and L'Ollonois.
The opportune arrival of Morgan and de Lussan, however, put heart in
their men. Under the direction of these two redoubtable champions they
began to make stouter resistance.
The battle might have gone in their favor if, in the very nick of time,
the Viceroy himself and the remainder of the troops had not come up.
They had not thought it necessary to come on foot since the surprise had
been effected, and the Viceroy rightly divined they would have more
advantage if mounted. Choosing the very freshest horses therefore, he
had put fifty of the best soldiers upon them and had led them up on a
gallop, bidding the others follow on with speed. The fighting had
gradually concentrated before the church and in the eastern fort, where
Braziliano had his headquarters. The arrival of the horsemen decided the
day. Morgan and de Lussan, fighting desperately in the front ranks with
splendid courage, were overridden. De Lussan was wounded, fell, and was
trampled to death by the Spanish horsemen, and Morgan was taken
prisoner, alive and unharmed. When he saw that all was lost, he had
thrown himself upon the enemy, seeking a death in the fight, which, by
the Viceroy's orders, was denied him. Many of the other buccaneers also
were captured alive; indeed, the Viceroy desired as many of them saved
as possible. He could punish a living man in a way to make him feel
something of the torture he had inflicted, and for this reason those who
surrendered had been spared for the present.
Indeed, after the capture of Morgan the remaining buccaneers threw down
their arms and begged for mercy. They might as well have appealed to a
stone wall for that as to their Spanish captors. A short shrift and a
heavy punishment were promised them in the morning. Meanwhile, after a
brief struggle, the east fort was taken by assault, and Braziliano was
wounded and captured with most of his men. The town was in the
possession of the Spanish at last. It was all over in a quarter of an
hour.
Instantly the streets were filled with a mob of men, women, and
children, whose lives had been spared, bewildered by the sudden release
from their imminent peril and giving praise to God and the Viceroy and
his men. As soon as he could make himself heard in the confusion de Lara
inquired for Alvarado.
"Where is he?" he cried. "And de Tobar?"
"My lord," answered one of the party, "we were directed to take the west
fort and those two cavaliers were in the lead, but the pressure of the
pirates was so great that we were stopped and have not seen them since.
They were ahead of us."
"De Cordova," cried the old man to one of his colonels, "take charge of
the town. Keep the women and children and inhabitants together where
they are for the present. Let your soldiery patrol the streets and
search every house from top to bottom. Let no one of these ruffianly
scoundrels escape. Take them alive. We'll deal with them in the morning.
Fetch Morgan to the west fort after us. Come, gentlemen, we shall find
our comrades there, and pray God the ladies have not yet--are still
unharmed!"
A noble old soldier was de Lara. He had not sought his daughter until he
had performed his full duty in taking the town.
The anteroom of the fort they found in a state of wild confusion. The
dead bodies of the sentry and the others the two cavaliers had cut down
on the stairs were ruthlessly thrust aside, and the party of gentlemen
with the Viceroy in the lead poured into the guardroom. There, on his
back, was stretched the hideous body of the half-breed where he had
fallen. There, farther away, the unfortunate de Tobar lay, gasping for
breath yet making no outcry. He was leaning on his arm and staring
across the room, with anguish in his face not due to the wound he had
received but to a sight which broke his heart.
"Alas, de Tobar!" cried the Viceroy. "Where is Mercedes?"
He followed the glance of the dying man. There at the other side of the
room lay a prostrate body, and over it bent a moaning, sobbing figure.
It was Mercedes.
"Mercedes!" cried the Viceroy running toward her. "Alvarado!"
"Tell me," he asked in a heartbreaking voice. "Art thou----"
"Safe yet and--well," answered the girl; "they came in the very nick of
time. Oh, Alvarado, Alvarado!" she moaned.
"Senorita," cried one of the officers, "Don Felipe here is dying. He
would speak with you."
Mercedes suffered herself to be led to where de Tobar lay upon the
floor. One of his comrades had taken his head on his knee. The very
seconds of his life were numbered. Lovely in her grief Mercedes knelt at
his side, a great pity in her heart. The Viceroy stepped close to him.
"I thank you, too," she said. "Poor Don Felipe, he and you saved me, but
at the expense of your lives. Would God you could have been spared!"
"Nay," gasped the dying man, "thou lovest him. I--watched thee. I heard
thee call upon his name. Thou wert not for me, and so I die willingly.
He is a noble gentleman. Would he might have won thee!"
The man trembled with the violent effort it cost him to speak. He gasped
faintly and strove to smile. By an impulse for which she was ever after
grateful, she bent her head, slipped her arm around his neck, lifted him
up, and kissed him. In spite of his death agony, at that caress he
smiled up at her.
"Now," he murmured, "I die happy--content--you
kissed--me--Jesu--Mercedes----"
It was the end of as brave a lover, as true a cavalier as ever drew
sword or pledged hand in a woman's cause.
"He is dead," said the officer.
"God rest his soul, a gallant gentleman," said the Viceroy, taking off
his hat, and his example was followed by every one in the room.
"And Captain Alvarado?" said Mercedes, rising to her feet and turning to
the other figure.
"Senorita," answered another of the officers, "he lives."
"Oh, God, I thank Thee!"
"See--he moves!"
A little shudder crept through the figure of the prostrate Captain, who
had only been knocked senseless by the fierce blow and was otherwise
unhurt.
"His eyes are open! Water, quick!"
With skilled fingers begot by long practice the cavalier cut the lacings
of Alvarado's doublet and gave him water, then a little wine. As the
young Captain returned to consciousness, once more the officers crowded
around him, the Viceroy in the centre, Mercedes on her knees again.
"Mercedes," whispered the young Captain. "Alive--unharmed?"
"Yes," answered Mercedes brokenly, "thanks to God and thee."
"And de Tobar," generously asserted Alvarado. "Where is he?"
"Dead."
"Oh, brave de Tobar! And the city----"
"Is ours."
"And Morgan?"
"Here in my hands," said the Viceroy sternly.
"Thank God, thank God! And now, your Excellency, my promise. I thought
as I was stricken down there would be no need for you to----"
"Thou hast earned life, Alvarado, not death, and thou shalt have it."
"Senors," said Alvarado, whose faintness was passing from him, "I broke
my plighted word to the Viceroy and Don Felipe de Tobar. I love this
lady and was false to my charge. Don Alvaro promised me death for
punishment, and I crave it. I care not for life without----"
"And did he tell thee why he broke his word?" asked Mercedes, taking his
hands in her own and looking up at her father. "It was my fault. I made
him. In despair I strove to throw myself over the cliff on yonder
mountain and he caught me in his arms. With me in his arms--Which of
you, my lords," she said, throwing back her head with superb pride,
"would not have done the same? Don Felipe de Tobar is dead. He was a
gallant gentleman, but I loved him not. My father, you will not part us
now?"
"No," said the old man, "I will not try. I care not now what his birth
or lineage, he hath shown himself a man of noblest soul. You heard the
wish of de Tobar. It shall be so. This is the betrothal of my daughter,
gentlemen. Art satisfied, Captain? She is noble enough, she hath lineage
and race enough for both of you. My interest with our royal master will
secure you that patent of nobility you will adorn, for bravely have you
won it."