IN THE HAVEN AT LAST
As Captain Bergen descended the rigging to the deck of the schooner he
was greatly depressed, for the conviction was strong upon him that in
entering this promised land--as he had sometimes termed the little
circle of coral and earth which he had named Pearl Island--he would
never leave it. The immense wealth which lay hidden along its coast,
awaiting the coming of some one to gather it, would never be carried
away by those who had already come more than half-way round the globe
to garner it.
As the captain stepped upon deck, Redvignez and Brazzier respectfully
saluted him, and looked as if they were the most loyal of sailors.
Captain Bergen forced himself to respond to their salute, and then he
walked quietly over to where Abe stood at the wheel.
"Well, what do you make of it?" asked the mate, in a low voice.
"It's the island!" replied Bergen.
"Are you sure of it?"
"Yes; there can be no doubt. I made out the landmark that Grebbens
told me would identify it beyond all question. That's the mast which
they erected on the shore, close to the inlet. You can see it without
the glass," added the captain, turning about and looking in that
direction.
Such was the case, and Storms observed it plainly.
"What's the matter, captain?" asked the mate, bringing his gaze back
to the face of his friend, and scrutinizing him keenly. "You look pale
and agitated. Have your nerves given out after this strain?"
"Abe," said the captain, in a carefully-guarded voice, and glancing
over his shoulder, "I learned, a few minutes ago, that those two men
forward intend to mutiny and run away with the pearls."
"Is that all? Why, I knew that weeks ago!"
"You did?" demanded the astounded captain. "Why, then, didn't you tell
me?"
"I thought it was better to wait till we reached the island, by which
time their plans were likely to be more fully developed."
"That sort of reasoning I don't understand," said the captain,
anything but pleased with his mate. "But never mind about it now. Tell
me what you have learned."
"Not a great deal more than you have told. Those two men, I am
satisfied, are old acquaintances, who have been partners in more than
one crime, though we supposed them strangers at the time we shipped
them; and I have no doubt they began planning our deaths from the day
we sailed out of San Francisco harbor."
"What about Pomp?"
"They had a hard time, but they have won him over, and he is pledged
to go with them."
"And you have tried to gain the good will of Pomp?"
"I have done my utmost, and have treated him with unusual leniency,
making him many presents, some of which I gave him to understand came
from you. But they've got him, for all that. There's our greatest
safeguard."
As the mate spoke, he pointed to Inez, who, at that moment, came
bounding up the steps of the cabin and ran laughing forward.
"Pomp thinks all the world of her, and she will be the peacemaker,
perhaps."
"But don't they like her as well?"
"No; they wouldn't hesitate any more over killing her than they would
in killing us."
"The villains!" muttered the horrified captain. "I never conceived it
possible that any human being could fail to love such beauty and
innocence as hers."
"There is no immediate danger," said the mate, somewhat surprised to
observe how completely the discovery had taken possession of the mind
of the captain. "Let's give our attention now to the business upon
which we came, and there will be time enough to think of the other
matter between now and nightfall."
Captain Bergen was sorely perplexed, but the circumstances were such
that he was able to follow the suggestion of his faithful mate. They
were now close to the island, which was of that singular formation so
frequently seen in the Pacific. Countless millions of tiny insects,
toiling through many years, had gradually lifted the foundations of
coral from the depths of the ocean, until the mass, in the form of a
gigantic ring or horse-shoe, was above the surface. Upon this had
gradually gathered sand, seeds and vegetable matter, in the usual way,
until beneath the tropical sun and the balmy climate the "desert
blossomed like the rose." This took a long while, but the process it
went through was similar to that of hundreds of much larger islands
which to-day rest like nosegays upon the bosom of the vast Pacific.
Among these fruits were the banana, plantain, breadfruit, and a sort
of mango, found in Farther India, and which, at first disliked,
becomes in time a great favorite with every one. Most singular of all
was the fact that at two widely-separated points burst forth a spring
of clear, fresh water.
One might well wonder where the supply for this came from, since the
whole island had its foundation in salt water--but there are many
strange distillations going on at all times in nature's laboratory
beyond the power of man to fathom.
These were probably stored away in some of the hidden vaults of the
island, and bubbled forth, the fountain being renewed before the
precious contents were exhausted.
The entrance to the interior was through a deep passage, toward which
Mr. Storms directed the vessel. As the _Coral_ glided into this
"inland sea," Captain Bergen took the helm, being as familiar with the
contour of the atoll as if he had spent a dozen years upon it. He knew
where the best anchorage was to be found, and he headed over toward
the eastern shore, where it was safe to run close enough in to spring
from the deck to the land. He was a good seaman, and he brought his
craft to with as much skill as a stage-driver brings his team to a
halt before the door of an inn. The anchor was let go at the proper
moment, and the _Coral_ slowly swung at her mooring in the very
position her master desired, both bow and stern being so close to
shore that there would be no occasion to use the small boat which is
generally called into requisition on such occasions.
The scenery and situation were peculiar and novel in the highest
degree. These atolls are the natural harbors of the ocean, and if any
vessel can run through the openings into the calm waters within, she
may ride in safety from the severest tempest.
The water within the lagoon was as calm as the surface of a mill-pond.
On every hand rose the trees and vegetation so dense that the only
portion where a glimpse of the ocean could be caught was at the
entrance, which, it would seem, the builders of the island had left on
purpose for the ingress and exit of endangered shipping.
Despite the alarming discovery which Captain Bergen had made but a
short time previous, he carried out the purpose formed weeks before,
and which the mate urged him to fulfil. The schooner having been
secured in position and everything put in ship-shape order, he
addressed the three men who composed the crew:
"My friends, when I engaged you to go upon this voyage, I did not tell
you whither, and you may think it is late in the day to give you such
information, now that we have reached our destination. Some time ago,
before I sailed, I received information that a bed of oysters existed
at a certain portion of this island unusually rich in pearls. It is
to obtain them I have come, and now I wish to say, what I determined
to say from the first, that if you work faithfully, and give me all
the assistance you can, each of you three shall receive enough to make
you rich for life. In an enterprise of this kind the business is a
partnership, and you shall be liberally treated, provided you prove
worthy."
During the utterance of these words, both the captain and the mate
carefully watched the faces of the three men to see the effect
produced.
Had the African been alone he would have been won over, and as it was
he turned about in an inquiring way, and looked toward the two men as
if seeking to see how they took it. Their countenances were so
immobile that he gained no information from the looks there; but both
the officers did. Abe Storms, especially, was a skilful physiognomist,
and that which he saw convinced him that the speech, coming as it did,
was a mistake. As is frequently the case, it was accepted as an
evidence of timidity on the part of the officers, and the conspirators
were given a confidence which otherwise would not have been theirs.
"It was a blunder," whispered Storms, when the captain stepped beside
him. "Those wretches mean mischief, and it is coming within
twenty-four hours."