On entering the assembly-room, our friends found that it was not only,
as they had seen from the outside, well lighted, but that a very
successful attempt had been made to decorate it by the draping of flags
all round the walls, and the arrangement of an elaborate and well-
designed flag-trophy on the wall at the back of the elevated platform,
or stage, as it may be called. The long table, with its accompaniment
of chairs, had been pushed back against the wall, and the pianoforte
stood in the centre of the platform. The room was quite full, and the
men appeared, for the most part, disposed to behave quietly and
decorously. There were only some half a dozen young fellows who seemed
at all inclined to be noisy or boisterous, and they occupied seats in
the centre of the room. Johnson occupied a chair on one side of the
platform, and Ralli balanced him on the opposite side. Johnson appeared
rather surprised to see _four_ of the _Galatea_ party put in an
appearance instead of one only; but he made no remark, merely waving
them to accommodate themselves with chairs from those placed against the
wall.
"I am rather better than my word, you see," observed Lance to him as the
four friends stepped upon the platform.
"I promised to do what I could in the way of furnishing your people with
a little entertainment to-night, and I have brought three volunteers
with me, which will enable us to infuse into the proceedings a little
more variety than I could hope to impart to them alone."
"So much the better, colonel," returned Johnson. "It's real kind of
you, I call it; and if the lads don't appreciate it, they ought to;
that's all I can say. I've told 'em what you're going to do for 'em and
all that; so, as soon as you're ready, I guess you can fire away."
Lance turned and opened the piano, looking quietly over the audience as
he did so. His eye fell upon the half-dozen who seemed disposed to
interrupt the proceedings, and stepping forward to the edge of the
platform, he waved his hand for silence and said--
"Your captain informs me that he has already explained to you the reason
for his invitation to you to be present here this evening. To-day has
been a somewhat notable day in the annals of the settlement. You have
this morning laid the keel of a new ship, and commenced an undertaking
which will tax your utmost skill, energy, and resource to carry through
to a successful issue; and Captain Johnson has thought it an event of
sufficient importance to be specially marked. Hence he has made it a
holiday for all hands; and, finding that I possessed some little skill
as a musician, he invited me to help in the celebration of the day by
closing it with a musical performance. This I willingly consented to
do, in the belief that it might afford you a little pleasure and
recreation; and I may as well take advantage of the present opportunity
to tell you all that my friends and myself will always be found ready to
do everything in our power to promote your comfort and welfare. But I
must remind you that we are here to-night for _your_ pleasure rather
than our own. We will do our best to amuse you, and I hope that you in
your turn will individually do what you can to maintain quiet and order.
We may not perhaps succeed in pleasing you all; if such should be the
case, let those who are dissatisfied rise and quietly leave, and not
disturb others, or interfere with their enjoyment by giving noisy
expression to their dissatisfaction, I notice one or two who seem
inclined to be a little unruly, but I hope they have sense enough to see
that such conduct on their part would be in the worst possible taste,
and that they will think better of it."
Loud exclamations of approval greeted this speech, mingled with shouts
of "If they don't behave themselves we'll turn 'em out, guv'nor," and
such like. There was a good deal of noise and confusion for about five
minutes, during which Lance calmly seated himself and waited patiently
for silence; and, when this was at length restored, he went to the piano
and sang to his own accompaniment Dibdin's "Tom Bowline." Lance
possessed a full deep rich bass voice of exceptionally fine quality; and
as the words of the song pealed through the room, a breathless silence
was maintained by his strange audience,--the silence of surprise and
delight. Many of the men knew the song; had sung it or heard it sung
hundreds of times on a ship's forecastle during the dog-watch; but not
one of them had probably ever heard it sung before by a man of refined
feeling, capable of expressing the full sentiment of the words, and it
now came upon them almost like a revelation. Sailors as a class are
proverbially fond of music, but very few of them ever have--or, perhaps
it would be more true to say, _give_ themselves--the opportunity to hear
anything of better quality than the trash sung in music-halls; and most,
if not all, of Lance's audience now therefore experienced for the first
time the refining power of really good music. Their enthusiastic
applause at the conclusion of the song was perfectly deafening. Captain
Staunton then stepped forward and sang in true seamanlike style "The Bay
of Biscay," the chorus of which was given with great unction and
enjoyment by the whole audience.
Rex Fortescue followed with "The Death of Nelson;" and then Bob gave in
excellent style a laughable recitation, which convulsed his audience,
even to the tickling of the sullen Ralli into a grim smile. Then Lance
sang again; and so the entertainment proceeded for a couple of hours, to
the unbounded gratification of all hands, when the pirates dispersed in
a perfectly quiet and orderly manner, after giving, at Johnson's call,
three cheers for their entertainers.
"Thank you, colonel! thank you heartily all of you!" said that
individual as our friends parted from him outside the capstan-house.
"You've given us a real treat to-night, and I guess all hands 'll feel
ever so much more friendly to you for it. Give 'em another dose or two
of the same sort of thing now and again, and I reckon they'll take care
you don't get ill-treated while I'm away."
"What about the arms and ammunition which I asked for to-day?" said
Lance.
"You leave that to me, general," replied Johnson. "I guess I'll find a
way to let you have 'em before I sail; I won't forget it; you trust me.
Good-night."
"Good-night," was the reply; and our friends turned away in the
direction of the hut.
"Would you mind walking a little way up the valley, gentlemen, before we
go inside?" said Bob. "I want to tell you something I ought perhaps to
have told you long ago; but we have been so busy, I could never find an
opportunity without speaking before the ladies, who, I think, ought not
to know anything about it."
"Certainly, Robert," said Captain Staunton; "let us hear what it is by
all means. It is doubtless something of importance, or you would not
speak so earnestly."
"Well, sir," said Bob, "I wanted chiefly to warn you all not to trust
Johnson too much. He _seems_ friendly enough, but I doubt very much
whether he is sincere. The day that we arrived in port, when the hands
went aloft to stow the canvas, I jumped aloft with them, just to keep my
hand in, as it were, and stowed the driver. While I was passing the
gaskets, that fellow Ralli came on board and entered into conversation
with Johnson, who spoke to him about us, and more particularly about
_you_, Mr Evelin. He said that you were going to design a very fast
vessel for him, and that we were to assist in the building of her, and
in the fortification of the harbour; and that as long as we could be of
use we were to be treated civilly; but that when we had done everything
required of us, he wouldn't care _how_ we were treated, or what became
of us."
"The false, treacherous scoundrel!" exclaimed Captain Staunton
indignantly. "Was that all he said, Robert?"
"All that I heard," said Bob. "After that they both went into the
cabin. I wasn't eaves-dropping, you know, sir; but I was just overhead,
so that I couldn't help hearing every word they said; and as they were
talking about us, I thought I was justified in keeping my ears open."
"Quite right, Robert, so you were," answered the skipper. "We are
surrounded by and at the mercy of a band of men who have outraged every
law, both divine and human; it therefore behoves us, for our own sakes,
and even more for the sake of the helpless women dependent upon us, to
take every possible precaution, and to ascertain by every possible
means, what are their actual intentions regarding us. They are
detaining us here against our will; they have imposed upon us tasks
which they have not a shadow of right to lay upon us; and if they
meditate treachery--which, from what you say, seems only too probable--
we are justified in resorting to craft, if necessary, to protect
ourselves. Is not that your opinion, gentlemen?" turning to Lance and
Rex.
"Unquestionably," answered Lance promptly; "the men are, one and all--
excepting, of course, the few who have refused to join the
`brotherhood,' as they call it--outlaws; and, as such, they have no
claim whatever to be treated in the straightforward fashion with which
one deals with a _lawful_ enemy, such as one meets with in ordinary
warfare. Your information, Robert, is valuable, not altogether on
account of its novelty, but rather as being confirmatory of what has
hitherto amounted merely to conjecture on our part. I have long
suspected that our friend Johnson is not quite so straightforward as he
would have us believe. Well, `forewarned is forearmed;' we are
evidently in a very critical position here, a position demanding all the
coolness, self-possession, and foresight we have at our command to
enable us to successfully extricate ourselves; and I think we should
give the matter our immediate consideration--now--to-night, I mean--we
shall perhaps never have a better opportunity--and endeavour to decide
upon some definite plan of future action."
"Very well," said Captain Staunton, "let us continue our walk, and talk
matters over. It is perfectly evident, as you say, Mr Evelin, that we
are in a very critical and difficult position, and the question is, What
steps ought we to take in order to extricate ourselves? I think it is
pretty clear that this man Johnson has no intention of releasing us of
his own free-will; we can be much too useful to him for him ever to do
that; if, therefore, we are ever to get away from this place, it will
have to be done _in spite of him_. And as we are too weak to escape by
force, we must do so by craft; I can see no other way for it, can you?"
"Well," said Lance slowly, blowing a long thin cloud of cigar-smoke
meditatively up into the warm still night air, "I fancy we shall have to
try a combination of both. I cannot conceive any practicable course
which will allow of our escaping without coming to blows with the
pirates; I wish I could. Of course I do not care on my own account,
although--notwithstanding my former profession--I am not particularly
fond of fighting if it can be done without. But there are the ladies
and poor little May; it is of them I always think when the idea of
strife and bloodshed suggests itself. Then there is their _comfort_ as
well as their safety to be thought of; were it not for them I believe
there would not be very much difficulty in seizing a stock of provisions
and water, together with a boat, and slipping quietly out to sea some
dark night, trusting to good fortune--or Providence rather--to be
eventually picked up by a passing ship. But I should certainly be slow
to recommend so desperate a course under present circumstances, save in
the very last extremity. The hardships those poor creatures passed
through in their last boat-voyage I have not yet forgotten."
It is not necessary to repeat every word of the discussion which
followed; suffice it to say that it was of so protracted a character
that the three individuals engaged in it did not enter their hut until
the first faint flush of dawn was brightening the eastern sky. Bob had
been dismissed within an hour of the termination of the concert with a
message to the effect that Captain Staunton and his two companions felt
more disposed for a walk than for sleep, and that the rest of the party
had therefore better retire when they felt so inclined, as the hour at
which the three gentlemen would return was quite uncertain. The time
thus spent had not, however, been thrown away; for, after a very earnest
discussion of the situation, the conclusion arrived at was that they
could not do better than adhere to their original plan of endeavouring
to make off with the new schooner, and that her construction should
therefore be pushed forward with all possible expedition; but that, as
there was only too much reason to dread a change from the present
pacific and friendly disposition manifested toward them by the pirates,
an attempt should also be made to win over as many as possible of the
prisoners, not only with the object of effecting these poor creatures'
deliverance from a cruel bondage, but also in order that the fighting
strength of the _Galatea_ party (as they came to term themselves) might
be so far increased as to give them a slightly better chance of success
than they now had in the by no means improbable event of a brush with
the enemy.
Now that the keel of the new schooner was actually laid, operations were
resumed with even more than their former alacrity on board the
_Albatross_, and on the evening of the fourth day after the events
related in the last chapter she was reported as once more ready for sea.
During these four days Captain Staunton and the rest of his party--
excepting Dale, who positively refused to do any work whatever--had, in
accordance with their resolution, been extremely busy at the new
shipyard, getting out and fixing in position the stem and stern posts;
and it was only by the merest accident that they heard, on the evening
in question, that the brig was to sail on the following day.
As Lance had heard no more about the promised arms and ammunition, he at
once determined to see Johnson once more respecting them. He
accordingly set out in search of the pirate captain, but, to his
chagrin, was quite unable to find him or to learn his whereabouts. He
searched for him in vain the whole evening, venturing even on board the
brig; and it was not until after eleven o'clock that night that he gave
up the search in disgust with a strong impression that Johnson had been
purposely avoiding him.
On the following morning, however, he was more successful, having risen
before daylight in order that he might catch his bird on his first
appearance in the open air. At six o'clock the bell rang as usual for
the hands to turn to, and a few minutes afterwards the whole place was
astir. Lance walked down to the landing-place with Captain Staunton and
the others, and saw them embark in the boats detailed to convey the
working party to the new shipyard. He then whispered a word or two of
explanation to his friends and allowed the boats to go away without him.
They had been gone about ten minutes or a quarter of an hour when Lance
saw the man he sought emerge from the capstan-house and walk hurriedly
down toward the beach, where a boat, fully manned, appeared to be
awaiting him. A few steps, and Lance was by his side.
"Good morning, Captain Johnson," he said with inward amusement as he
noted the confusion of the pirate at the unexpected and evidently
unwished-for meeting.
"Good mornin', general," was Johnson's response, given with a heartiness
which was visibly assumed. "This is a real fine morning, _I_ call it.
Nice little breeze, too, off the land; I guess we shall make short miles
of it to-day. I am downright glad you missed the boats this morning;
overslept yourself, I s'pose; I wanted to say `good-bye' to you and your
chums, and I declare to goodness I was only just thinkin' when you come
up to me that I'd be obliged to heave the brig to off the rock and run
ashore in a boat just to shake nippers with you. Well, I guess I must
be off; there's the foretop-sail just let fall, and I'm bound they've
passed the messenger already. I'm real sorry I can't take you all with
me and shove you ashore somewhere on the quiet; but you see how 'tis;
that feller Ralli--but I ain't got time to talk any more, I swow. Good-
bye. By the time I get back I reckon you'll have the schooner pretty
nigh ready for launching, eh?"
"I hope so," said Lance. "By the bye, have you made any arrangements
for letting us have the arms you promised? That fellow Ralli, as you
have remarked--"
"The arms? Well, now, only to think of that!" exclaimed Johnson with
well-feigned annoyance. "What a dog-goned forgetful cuss I am; blamed
if I ain't forgot all about 'em. I've been that busy, if you'll believe
me, general, I ain't had time to swaller a mouthful of grub this four
days; half-starved to death I am; just look at my waistcoat--fits me
like a sack. But about them arms--I declare I am real sorry I forgot
'em, general; but never mind, I guess you won't want 'em. If you do"--
he button-holed Lance and whispered him confidentially--"just you take
'em--help yourself to 'em; I give you my permission, I swow. And now I
really _must_ say `good-bye.' Take care of yourself, general, and go
ahead with that schooner as fast as ever you can. Get her finished by
the time I come back, and the battery too, and I promise you shall leave
the island as soon as you like arterwards."
They were by this time at the water's edge; and as Johnson uttered the
last words of his farewell he sprang into the boat which was waiting for
him, and flinging himself into the stern-sheets, gave the order to
"shove off."
Ten minutes later the same boat was swinging at the brig's quarter-
davits, and the brig herself, with her anchor-stock just showing above
water, was moving slowly away towards the harbour-entrance under
topsails and jib.
At a little distance from Lance stood Ralli, watching the departure of
the brig.
"Ah!" he muttered, "there you go, you vile American dog, you cowardly
mean-spirited cur; take my parting curses with you; may you meet with
nothing but ill-luck and perplexity; may misfortune follow you; may the
very wind and the sea war against you; may the treachery which I have
planned prevail over you; and may you die at last with the jeers of your
enemies ringing in your ears. Good-bye! good-bye!" he shouted, bringing
the tips of his fingers together at his lips and wafting with them an
ironical salute after Johnson, who at that moment glanced shoreward and
waved his cap. "Good-bye, and the devil himself go with you. Aha! my
Yankee friend, you little know that you are taking your last look at
this scene; you little dream that the brig carries a dagger whose blade
is thirsty for your heart's blood, and whose point _I_ have directed at
your breast. Adieu, miserable coward, for ever. I hope Antonio will
not forget to tell you, as he drives home his blade, that it was _I_ who
ordered the blow; my revenge will else be robbed of half its sweetness.
You thought, doubtless, that because it suited me to receive your
insults in silence that I should soon forget them. Bah! you should have
known better; my very quietness--the repression of my resentment--should
have warned you; but you are a poor blind fool without any discernment,
or you would have known that a Greek _never_ forgives a wrong. Good-bye
once more, and for the last time--good-bye; I wish you all speed on your
road to perdition."
And he waved his hat smilingly at the fast receding brig as he saw
Johnson raise a telescope to his eye and level it in his direction.
When the _Albatross_ had at length finally disappeared beyond the
harbour's mouth Ralli turned for the first time and caught sight of
Lance. Stalking up to him he said scoffingly--
"So, Mister Soldier, you have lost your friend at last."
"Yes," said Lance very quietly, "if, as I imagine, you refer to your
captain. But I must protest against your styling him my friend; he is
nothing of the kind."
"Ah, yes," sneered Ralli. "Now that he is gone, and can no longer
protect you, you disown him. But that will not do. You and he were
friends, whatever you may say. He is my enemy, and his friends are
therefore my enemies also; _and they will be treated as such_; do you
understand me?"
"Not in the least," said Lance, "I have not the faintest notion of your
meaning."
"Then listen to me and I will explain," said Ralli, his eyes gleaming
vindictively. "Do you know that your friend yonder is fated never to
return?"
"What is the meaning of this?" thought Lance. "Some treachery or other
on the part of this rascally Greek, I'll wager. But it will never do to
allow him to suppose that he is master of the situation so--"
"I believe," he said carelessly, "there _is_ some sort of arrangement to
that effect, is there not?"
The Greek gazed at him in unaffected alarm.
"Aha!" he ejaculated, "how came you to know that?"
Lance smiled at him compassionately. "Did you really flatter yourself,"
he said, "that your plans were so astutely devised--so cunningly
concealed that none but you and your partisans could possibly know
anything about them! Really, Mr Ralli, I fear you are greatly
overrating your own sagacity. But we appear to be wandering away from
the point. You were about to explain the meaning of an obscure remark
you made a minute or two ago?"
Lance had never removed his glance for a single instant from Ralli's
face since the commencement of the conversation; and he was
physiognomist enough to detect the signs of a fear almost approaching to
panic in the countenance of the Greek; he knew therefore that his bold
guess had not been very far from the truth; and he continued to puff his
cigar with all his wonted _insouciance_ as he waited calmly for the
reply to his interrogation.
"Yes," said Ralli, recovering his self-possession with evident effort.
"I was about to explain two things--First, I wish you to understand that
Johnson is _not_ my captain, nor is he the captain of _anyone_ now on
this island. We have thrown off our--what do you term it? our--"
"Allegiance?" blandly suggested Lance.
"Our allegiance--yes, that word will do; it explains my meaning, though
it is not the word I intended to use," answered Ralli. "We have thrown
off our allegiance. We are tired of him--this man Johnson--and we will
have no more of him; he will never return here; and now _I_ am capitan.
You understand!"
Lance nodded.
"Good. The next thing I was about to explain is, that his friends are
our enemies; you and your people especially. Is that plain?"
"Perfectly," answered Lance, still outwardly calm and unconcerned as
ever, though inwardly much perturbed. "And I presume you intend us to
accept these remarks of yours in the light of a threat of some kind?"
Ralli looked hard at his interrogator before replying. He could not in
the least understand this man who received with such perfect _sang-
froid_ the intelligence that he and his friends were to be regarded and
treated as the enemies of a company of ruthless outlaws such as he must
know Ralli and his associates to be.
"Yes," he said at last, slowly and almost doubtingly, "you may take what
I say as a threat. I mean to pay to you and your friends all the great
debt of vengeance which that other friend of yours, Johnson, has allowed
to accumulate against him. I will be doubly avenged; I will be avenged
upon him, and upon you as well."
Lance laughed gaily as he lightly knocked off with his little finger the
ash from his cigar-end. This was a serious, a direful business; but he
had no intention to let the Greek see that his words had any alarming or
disturbing effect upon him, so he said with a smile--
"Excuse me for laughing at you, but, under the circumstances I really
could not help it. Your ignorance of the true state of affairs strikes
me as so positively ludicrous. You forget, my good sir, that I am
behind the scenes--in your secret, you know," he added, seeing a look of
bewilderment at the other expression. "Why, man, you and all your
people are absolutely at our mercy. You look surprised, but I assure
you such is the fact. I really do not know whether I ought to explain
myself to you; I scarcely think you deserve it after your recent
threats--no; I will keep my own counsel; you shall remain in your
ignorance."
And he turned to walk away.
"Stop," gasped Ralli, "what is it you mean? I _must_ know."