England himself chose a crew to row me across the beach, and I have no
doubt selected the least reprehensible of all the gang; for although
they said little to me, they showed no disposition either to be insolent
or to offer violence to me; one of them even took off his jacket and
laid it in the stern-sheets for me to sit upon. And truly, in spite of
their wicked ways, there is not so much difference betwixt some of these
fellows and the common sailors in our merchant service, excepting that
the poor wretches have been led astray by evil counsel until they have
broken the laws and committed outrages upon the high-seas, and so are
become outlawed and desperate. Moreover, I believe there are many of
them who would return to better ways had they opportunity of so doing,
and were not afraid of suffering for the evil things which they have
committed.
But at that time I thought little or nothing of how they regarded me, my
only desire being to get ashore, that I might hide the precious
despatch-box in some place of safety. This I did as soon as might be
after I had landed, burying the casket in the sand, and marking the
place so that I might know it again.
Some little distance beyond where I had been put ashore from the pirate
boat I came upon a party of my own men under Mr. White, who had been
despatched after me by Mr. Langely so soon as he had read the
communication which I had left behind me at the king's town, and who had
for some time been lying hidden in the thickets, whence they might
observe the pirates and still remain unseen by them.
I may confess that I was mightily glad to behold such kind and friendly
faces again, nor did they seem less rejoiced than myself at the
meeting. They would not allow me to walk, but making a litter of two
saplings, bore me by turns upon the way, so that against the morning had
come we were safe in the king's town once more.
Mr. Longways was among the first to visit me, and betrayed the most
lively signs of joy upon finding that I had been fortunate enough to
secure the great ruby once more, though he regretted that I had not
fetched the box with me instead of having buried it in the sand, so that
we might have assured ourselves of the safety of the treasure. Upon this
point I put him at his ease by convincing him that the box was in such a
condition and of such an appearance as to make me feel certain that it
had neither been forced nor the lock tampered with.
We only remained in the king's town about three days longer; at the end
of that time the lookout which we had placed at the cape came in and
reported that the pirate crafts had hoisted sail and borne away to the
southward, leaving behind them the battered hulk of the smallest vessel,
as they had promised to do. This much many had expected of them, but I
doubt if any excepting myself had ventured to hope that they would
fulfill the other part of the agreement to which they had superscribed,
viz., to leave behind them the bales of goods which in their
half-drunken fit of generosity they had promised. Yet there they were,
neatly stacked upon the beach, and even covered with a tarpaulin. And I
know not whether it may be merely superstition upon their part or no,
but this much I have frequently observed, that sailors of whatever
condition have such a vast regard and respect for any paper or written
document that they will go to great extremity before they will do aught
to rupture or disobey the articles of such a bond. So it was that I was
not so much surprised at this fulfillment as either Mr. Langely or Mr.
White. By this time I was sufficiently recovered of my fever and of my
wound to take upon me the direction of affairs once more; accordingly,
in the space of two weeks, we had so far patched up the battered hulk of
the pirate craft as to make her tolerably sea-worthy, provided we
encountered no great stress of weather.
It took us about a week longer to victual and water the vessel (the
bales of goods which I had begged from the pirates having been already
stowed away under cover), so that it was not until the 18th of August
that we were able to leave the country--which we did, giving thanks for
all the mercies that had been vouchsafed to us in this trying and
terrible time.
We were becalmed off the coast of Arabia, where we suffered greatly from
the scarcity of water; but being brought safely through that and other
dangers, we arrived at last at Bombay, where we dropped anchor early in
the afternoon of the 13th of October, it being nigh upon two months
since we had left the coast of Juanna.
I immediately sent a message to the Governor, Mr. Boon, notifying him of
the safe arrival of Mistress Pamela, and that I was now ready to deliver
the despatch-box at such time as he should choose to appoint. I also
forwarded to him by the messenger a full report of all that had
happened, and of the loss of the _Cassandra_ in the engagement on the
23d of July.
In about an hour and a half Mr. Boon came aboard. He spoke most kindly
and flatteringly of the service which he was pleased to say I had
rendered the Company. He urged me to accompany him to the shore, but
though I was mightily inclined to accept of his kindness, I was forced
to decline at that time; for, finding that the Company's ship, the _City
of London_, was about ready to sail, I had determined to send by her a
brief account of the things herein narrated, and was at that moment
engaged in writing the letter which was afterwards so widely published
both in the newspapers and in Captain Johnson's book relating to the
lives of the nine famous pirate captains. Finding that I could not just
then quit the ship, he insisted that I should sup with them that very
night. I was only too glad to accept of this, for I had determined that
I would discover in what manner of regard Mistress Pamela held me, and
that without loss of time. I had now every right to offer my addresses
to her, which I had not had heretofore. Accordingly, having delivered
the despatch-box into Mr. Boon's hands with feelings of the most sincere
and heart-felt relief, and having obtained his receipt for the same, I
escorted Mistress Pamela to the Governor's boat, thence returning to my
own cabin feeling strangely lonely and melancholic.
This was about half-past two o'clock in the afternoon; at about four a
small boat came alongside, and a young man of some twenty-three years
of age stepped upon the deck, who introduced himself as Mr. Whitcomb,
the Governor's secretary. He brought a written message from the Governor
requesting my immediate presence at the Residency upon a matter of the
very first importance. I turned to Mr. Whitcomb and asked if he knew
what was the nature of the business the Governor would have with me.
He said no, but that the Governor and Mr. Elliott, the Company's agent,
had been closeted together with Mr. McFarland and Mr. Hansel, of the
banking-house, for some time, and then had sent this message to me by
him, which was plainly one of very great consequence.
I immediately entered the boat with the secretary, and was rowed to the
shore, where, when we had come to the Residency, I found the four
gentlemen waiting for me. They were seated around a table, whereon was
the despatch-box and my written report, which consumed some six or eight
sheets of paper. The Governor invited me to be seated, which I had
hardly done when one of the company, whom I afterwards found to be Mr.
Elliott, began questioning me. I answered fully to everything he asked,
the others listening, and now and then putting in a word, or asking for
fuller particulars upon some point or other which was perhaps more
obscure. When I came to the part that related to Captain Leach I saw
them glance at one another in a very peculiar way; but I continued
without stopping until I had told everything concerning the matter from
the beginning to the end. No one said anything for a little time, until
at last Mr. Elliott spoke:
"Do I correctly understand from this report," says he, touching the
papers which lay upon the table as he spoke, "that Mr. Longways betrayed
the nature of the contents of the despatch-box both to you and to
Captain Leach?"
"Yes, sir," said I.
"And you are sure that no one knew of the presence
of the jewel but you and he?"
"Yes, sir," said I, again.
At this the gentlemen exchanged glances, and Mr. Elliott continued his
questioning.
"And did you not know that Captain Leach had been left behind when you
quitted the _Cassandra_?"
"Why, no, sir," said I. "It was intended that he should go in the first
passage of the long-boat with the boatswain."
"But did you not say that you helped the women aboard of the long-boat?"
"Yes, sir, I did," I said.
There was a pause of a moment or two, and all sat regarding me.
Presently Mr. Elliott spoke again.
"And did you not then see that Captain Leach was absent from the boat?"
said he.
"No, sir," said I, "I did not; the boat was very full, and the air so
thick with gunpowder smoke that I could see little or nothing at any
distance."
"But did you not then take care to see that all your passengers were
safe aboard?"
"Why, no, sir," said I. "The order had been passed for all passengers to
go aboard the long-boat, and I supposed that Captain Leach had obeyed
with the rest. I was so occupied with the safety of the women just then
that I thought of nothing else."
"You say that the pirate England told you that Captain Leach had been
killed when they first came aboard the _Cassandra_. Did you take any
other evidence in the matter than his word?"
"Why, no, sir," said I, "I did not."
Mr. Elliott said "Humph!" and another short space of silence followed,
during which he played absently with the leaves of my report.
"But tell me, Captain Mackra," said he, presently, "did you not speak to
any one of your suspicions concerning Captain Leach after he had
quitted the ship on the night of the 21st in such a mysterious manner?"
"Why, no, sir," said I; "for I saw no sufficient grounds to accuse him
of any underhand practices."
"And yet," said a thin, middle-aged gentleman, with a sharp voice, whom
I afterwards found to be Mr. McFarland--"and yet you saw him quit the
_Cassandra_ in a most suspicious manner, and under the most suspicious
circumstances, and also had reason to suspect him of having knowledge of
the jewel. Why, then, did you not examine him publicly or put him under
arrest after he returned?"
"Sir," said I, "I disliked Captain Leach, and feared that my prejudice
might lead me astray."
"But, Captain Mackra," said the Governor, "your personal feelings should
never interfere with your duty."
I knew not where all these matters tended, but I began to be mightily
troubled in my mind concerning them. However, I had little time for
thought, for Mr. Elliott began questioning me again. He asked me if I
had told any one of my intended visit to the pirate-ship, of whom I had
seen there, and of what inducements I had offered to persuade them to
give me one of their crafts and return such a quantity of the Company's
goods. He cross-questioned me so keenly in regard to the last point that
I found myself tripping more than once, for it is mightily difficult to
remember all of the petty details even of such an important event as
that. I believe that I answered more loosely than I otherwise would have
done from the agitation into which I was cast by the serious shape which
matters seemed to be taking.
"Sir," I cried to Mr. Elliott, "do you blame me for getting back so much
of the Company's goods as I was able?"
"I blame you for nothing, Captain Mackra," said he. "I merely question
you in regard to a matter of great importance."
"But, sir," I said, hotly, "am I to be blamed for losing my ship after a
hard-fought battle? You should recollect, sir, that I was wounded in the
Company's service; methinks, sir, that should weigh some in my favor."
"But, Captain Mackra," said Mr. McFarland, very seriously, "are not
accidents likely to happen to any one under any circumstances? Captain
Leach, you may remember, was killed in spite of all the precautions he
may have taken to preserve his life."
A great weight of dread seemed to have been settling upon me as the
examination had progressed, but at these words it was as though a sudden
light flashed upon me; I rose slowly from my chair, and stood with my
hand leaning upon the table. For a moment or two my head swam with
vertigo, and I passed my hand across my forehead. "I am not so well,
gentlemen," said I, "as I was some time since, for I have gone through
many hardships; therefore I beseech you to excuse me if I have appeared
weak in the manner or the matter of my discourse." Then turning to the
Governor, "Will you be pleased to tell me, sir, what all this means?"
"Sir," said he, in a low tone, "the ruby has been stolen, and was not in
the box when you gave it to me."
I stood looking around at them for a while; I know that I must have been
very pale, for Mr. McFarland sprang to his feet.
"Captain Mackra, you are ill," he said; "will you not be seated?"
I shook my head impatiently, and collecting myself, I said, very slowly
and somewhat unsteadily, "Do you suspect me of being instrumental in
taking it?"
[Illustration: I ROSE SLOWLY FROM MY CHAIR, AND STOOD WITH MY HAND
LEANING UPON THE TABLE.]
No one answered for an instant. Then the Governor said, "No, Captain
Mackra, we suspect you of nothing; only it is best that you should
return to England and make your report to the Company in person.
Meanwhile you will make no effort to leave this country until I find
means to secure your passage for you."
"I am to consider myself under arrest?" said I.
"No, sir," said the Governor, kindly, "not under arrest; but you must
hold yourself prepared to stand your examination before the proper
agents of the Company at London, and at such time as they may decide
upon."