FAREWELL TO THE ISLAND
The weather remained enchanting. The tropical heat was tempered by the
ocean breeze, which stole among the palms, and across the island, and
where the crew, and those who had lived there so long, lounged in the
shadow, or sauntered in the sunshine, when the orb sank low in the
western sky.
It was curious that now, after the coming of the proa, when no other
help was needed, the signal at the masthead, as it may be called,
seemed to have acquired an unusual potency; for, on two separate
occasions during the afternoon, the island was approached by vessels,
who were given to understand that the parties on shore were provided
for. Mate Storms, now the captain, very much doubted whether he did a
wise thing in declining this proffered assistance, but the main reason
for doing so was the fact that the pearls were still buried, and he
knew of no way of getting them without discovery.
One of the ships was a Dutch one, from Java, and the other was
British, bound for Ceylon--neither very desirable, as they would have
compelled a long, roundabout voyage home. But Storms would have
accepted the offer of one on account of his distrust of the young man,
Fred Sanders, but for the reason given.
Captain Bergen, after the "setting back" given him by Storms, became
quiet and tractable, and stayed almost entirely with Inez, for whom he
showed the greatest affection. Since she was tenderly attached to him,
and sympathized in his affliction, this kept the two together almost
continually--an arrangement which it was plain to see was not
agreeable to Fred Sanders, though he was too courteous to make any
mention of it.
During the afternoon such goods as were deemed necessary were
transferred to the proa, which lay at anchor in the lagoon. These were
not very numerous or valuable, and consisted mostly of garments which
Storms had manufactured for Inez.
When night came, after a meal had been eaten on shore close to where
the proa lay, it was arranged that Sanders should sleep on board with
his crew--if two men might be termed such--while the others should
stay in their cabin, as was their wont.
Storms contrived this on the plea that his companion, the captain,
would be more tractable. His real purpose was to gain a chance to
secure the pearls unnoticed. The young man made not the slightest
objection to the plan, for he had too good sense to do so; nor did his
silence in that respect lull the suspicions of Storms himself.
"I wish there was not such a bright moon," said the mate to himself,
not far from midnight, "for I need all the quiet and darkness I can
get; and I don't see any use of waiting longer," he added.
Captain Bergen had been sleeping quietly for several hours, while the
silence in the apartment of Inez showed that she, too, was wrapped in
slumber, and possibly dreaming of far-away scenes, of which her memory
was so misty and indistinct.
As to those upon the proa, everything must necessarily be conjecture;
but, in the middle of the night, with his senses on the alert, and his
imagination excited, Abe Storms conjured up all sorts of fancies and
suspicions. There were many times when he believed that these men,
including the boyish leader, were the worst kind of pirates, who were
only waiting the chance to secure the pearls, when they would either
desert or treacherously slay them. But, since meditation and idleness
could avail nothing, he rose from his couch upon the floor, and,
making sure that his loaded revolver was in place, he stole out from
among the palm trees, and began moving in the direction of the spot
where his treasures lay hid.
He did this with the utmost precaution, glancing in every direction at
each step, frequently pausing and changing the course he was pursuing,
and, in short, doing everything he could think of to prevent
detection. The full moon rode high in an almost unclouded sky, and the
air was as charming as that of Italy. The solemn roar of the ocean and
the irregular boom of the long, immense swells breaking against the
shore and sending the thin sheets of foam sliding swiftly up the bank,
were the only sounds that greeted his ears.
"That is wonderful!" exclaimed the searcher, for all at once he
descried a ship, under full sail, seemingly within two hundred yards
of shore. "If these parties hadn't arrived to-day this craft wouldn't
have come within a score of miles of us."
The ship looked like a vast bird, when with all sail set and her black
hull careening to one side under the wind, she drove the foaming water
away from her bows, and sped forward as if pursuing or fleeing from
some enemy.
Whether the watch saw the signal of distress in the moonlight, cannot
be known, but the vessel speedily passed on, and vanished in the
night, while Mate Storms, recalling his thoughts, and seeing no one
near him, moved directly to where he had deposited his riches such a
long time before, and to which he only made an occasional visit.
He had advanced too far to retreat, whether he was seen or not, and he
stooped down and began digging with his hands and sheath-knife. It was
only a short distance, when he struck something, and a moment after
drew up a small, strong canvas bag. Soon came another, and then a
smaller one, which contained the wonderful pearl that belonged to Inez
Hawthorne. They were all there, and had not been disturbed.
"Now, it only remains to keep these in my possession," was his
thought, as he straightened up and started to return. "I would give
half of them if they were at home and safe in the bank--Hello!"
Perhaps the vision of the sailor was unusually keen just then, for
when he paused with a start he caught sight of a shadowy figure, which
seemed to glide, without any effort of its own, over the sand, and
immediately disappeared among the palm trees. There was something so
peculiar in its movements that Abe was chilled with awe as he stood
still and watched it for the few seconds it remained in view. But
there could be no doubt of its identity. It was Fred Sanders, who had
been on the watch, and who must have seen the mate dig up the
treasures, and knew they were now in his possession.
Storms was in anything but a comfortable frame of mind while walking
thoughtfully back to the cabin, which he entered.
"What more likely than that he will steal up here in the night,
believing I am asleep, and try to shoot me? Well, if he does so, he
shall find me prepared for him, anyway."
The first proceeding of the mate was to deposit the pearls contained
in the three diminutive canvas sacks in a small valise, which he had
carefully preserved all through the years, and which now held a few
necessities that he meant to take away with him. The addition of these
precious contents taxed the receptacle to its fullest capacity, but,
after all, this was the best thing to do, and he believed he would be
able to keep it under his eye during the comparatively short time they
would be on the voyage to Wauparmur Island.
It may be said, indeed, that there was nothing else to be done, which
rendered it unfortunate that he could not secure a few hours' sleep
before venturing away in the proa. But the nerves of the mate were too
unstrung by his position to feel easy, and he placed himself by the
opening of the cabin, with his hand upon the weapon, prepared to watch
until daylight.
As might have been supposed, in spite of his uneasiness, he gradually
became drowsy, and it was not long before his head sank on his breast,
and he, too, was asleep. It was well he did so, for he gained the rest
so necessary, and as it was, he might have slept longer had he not
been awakened by outside causes.
Captain Bergen slept on, but Inez was on her feet at an early hour,
and seeing that Storms was unconscious, she passed out without
disturbing him, and made her way to the spring, where she always
performed her morning ablutions.
It was natural that the mate, going to sleep as he did, with his mind
filled with the most dismal of fancies, should find his slumbers
visited by horrible phantasies. He was struggling with the figure of a
man, who had the face of Fred Sanders, and they were bearing each
other over an immense cliff, when his opponent got the upper hand,
and, holding him suspended for the moment, began to laugh at his
calamity. The laugh grew louder, until it awoke the startled sleeper,
who, opening wide his eyes, saw the veritable figure of Fred Sanders
before him, laughing as heartily as he had been doing in the struggle
in sleep.
"Mercy! where's the valise?" gasped the bewildered Storms, clutching
at the receptacle which lay at his side. "I thought you had stolen
it----"
Just then the quick-witted sailor recalled his situation, and he, too,
broke into mirth, in which there was not much heartiness.
"What a curious dream I had, Sanders! I really believe I have been
asleep!"
"And what is strange about that, since a full night has passed since
we last met? I hope you have had a good rest, even though your awaking
was not so pleasant."
Abe Storms was excessively chagrined, for his very action, when
aroused so unexpectedly, would, of itself, have turned suspicion to
the satchel, which he snatched up like a startled miser. This action,
united with what Captain Bergen had said, and with what the young man
himself had witnessed the preceding night, could not have failed to
tell him that that rusty-looking valise--about which the owner was so
careful--contained a great amount of wealth in some form.
But what of it?
This was the question Storms put to himself as he sprang up and called
to Inez--who immediately appeared--and began the preparation for the
last meal they expected to eat upon the detested island.
Captain Bergen was quiet and thoughtful, but the others were in high
spirits.
The two natives made their meal on board the proa, where they stolidly
awaited the coming of the passengers, the "baggage" having been
transferred the day before. And the sun was no more than fairly above
the horizon when the proa started on her eventful voyage to Wauparmur
Island--a voyage destined to be marked by events of which no one on
board dreamed.