ago I belonged to the brig, _Mary Rose_, of Plymouth. She was a slaver;
and in one of our runs across to the Coast she caught fire, and burnt us
out of her. We took to the boats, and two days afterwards the boat that
I was in, bein' separated from the others in a strong breeze, was picked
up by a Spanish ship called the _San Sebastian_, and we were taken on to
Cartagena. We were a wild set, I can tell you, and perhaps I was the
wildest and wickedest of the lot; and we offended the Spaniards because
we scoffed and laughed at 'em for plumpin' down on their marrow-bones
and prayin', in a stiffish gale that we fell in with, instead of goin'
to work to shorten sail, and take care of the ship. Me and my mates did
that for 'em while they prayed; but we'd offended 'em mortally, and they
never forgave us. So the first thing that they does, when we arrived at
Cartagena, was to denounce us as heretics, and we was all clapped into
prison. What happened to my mates I never knowed, but I never saw any
of 'em again. But as for me, if you'll believe me, sir, the five years
that I've been in the hands of the Spaniards I've been in hell! They
wanted to convert me, so they said; and the way that they went about it,
was to make my life a burden to me. They put me to work in chains on
the roads; they sent me into the country, away from the coast, to work
in their mines; they even tortured me! If you'll believe me, Cap'n
Bowen," and I saw the poor fellow's eyes grow wild, and begin to blaze
as he spoke of his sufferings, "for four years I never had the chains
off my hands and legs, except when I was bein' tortured!
"But there," he continued, pulling himself together, "I didn't come down
into this cabin to tell you about my sufferin's; but I will tell you,
sir, that by God's mercy those same sufferin's did convert me, not the
sort of conversion that the Spaniards wanted to bring about, but the
conversion that, I humbly trust, has caused me to see and repent of my
former wicked life. Not but what the old Adam is strong in me yet at
times, sir, I won't deny it, and he's never stronger than when I think
of the wrongs and the sufferin's that I've endured at the Spaniards'
hands. And it was just that, and nothin' else, that's kept my lips
closed all this while about the galleon. We are told, sir, that we must
forgive our enemies, and return good for evil; and that's exactly what
I've been trying to do, ever since I set foot aboard of this schooner.
As soon as ever I came to myself, and was able to understand that I'd
escaped from my enemies, and was once more safe under the flag of dear
old England, the devil comes to me, and says:--
"`Now's your time, Isaac, to be revenged upon your enemies, and to pay
'em off for a little of the misery that they've been makin' you suffer
all them five years that they had you in their power. You know that
they're goin' to send away this galleon, hopin' that by keepin' well to
the south'ard she'll escape capture. You know, too, that her cargo's to
be a rich one, and that, over and above her cargo she's to ship an
astonishin' quantity of gold and precious stones, brought down to the
coast from Peru; and of course you know that Cap'n Bowen and his lads
'ud lay wait for her, and maybe get her, if you was to tell 'em about
her. And if they was to get her, only think what a blow the loss of her
'd be to the Spaniards! Why, it 'ud be so tremendous heavy that it 'ud
go a good ways towards payin' 'em off for all that they've made you
suffer. It 'ud be a fine bit of revenge, now, wouldn't it?'
"Now, I know well enough that this cravin' for revenge is wrong, and
I've been fightin' against it with all my strength. But, somehow or
another, it won't do, Cap'n! it won't do! The temptation is too great
for me, miserable sinner that I am!" He smote his forehead despairingly
with his hand. "I feel that I _can't_ keep quiet and let that galleon
slip by! That gold and them jewels that she's goin' to ship has been
dragged out of God's earth by God's creatures with sufferin', and tears,
and blood more than any man can measure; and I say that it ain't right
that the Spaniards should have it. If all this heap of treasure was to
get safely across the Atlantic, and into the Spaniards' treasure-chests,
it would just encourage 'em to strive for more; and then there would be
more tears, more blood, more despair, more lives rendered a burden and a
curse to their owners. But if all this treasure that they keeps sendin'
across to Old Spain was to be taken from 'em, then, perhaps, they'd
cease to collect it; and the poor, unhappy wretches who're made to dig
for it would have some peace. And above and beyond all that, I want the
cowardly curs to suffer, in return for all the sufferin' that they've
inflicted upon me and thousands that are a good deal better than me.
They love wealth. Then make 'em suffer, by takin' it from 'em. And
they love their lives. Make 'em suffer all the horrors of death, by
goin' against 'em with fire and steel! Let 'em know the pain, and
horror, and despair of feelin' that they're not only goin' to lose their
treasure, but that they stand a good chance to lose their lives as well.
And, above all, Cap'n, let me be there to witness their anguish. They
taunted me, and gloated over me when they'd made my misery such that I
begged 'em to finish me off at once, and have done with it; and now I
want to pay off some of my debt to 'em, I do."
It was really terrible to witness the frenzy of passion and fury into
which this unhappy man goaded himself, as he recalled his past
sufferings, and spoke of those who had made him endure them. His eyes
gleamed and flashed like those of a savage beast; his face went deadly
pale; his lips contracted into a snarl that showed his clenched teeth;
he actually foamed from the mouth at last, and his hands clawed the air,
as though he saw the Spaniards before him, and was reaching for their
throats! I thought it my duty to check so maniacal an intensity of
hatred, and I said to him:
"Come, come, Hoard, this will never do! I understood you to say, just
now, that you had been converted from the error of your ways, and had
become a Christian. Do you call it Christian-like to hate with such
intensity as you exhibit? The Bible says that we should love our
enemies, bless those who curse us, and do good to those who despitefully
use us. How do you reconcile your present feelings with such an
injunction as that?"
"Ah!" he groaned, sinking back upon the locker from which he had risen
in his excitement; "you have me there, sir; I can't reconcile it; that's
just where it is. I can't forgive my enemies, nor I can't love 'em; and
I can't bring myself to do good to 'em. No; I've tried, I've kept my
lips closed, I've prayed, I've done all that a man can do, and it's no
good; I shall never be able to rest until I've seen them cruel, haughty,
overbearin' wretches brought low. They're the enemies of God and man,
because they drive poor, weak souls to curse their Maker for permittin'
such cruelty. I've done it myself, over and over again! the good Lord
forgive me! No, sir, it ain't in man's power to forgive a Spaniard
who's got you into his power, and I can't believe that such an
impossibility is expected of us. I don't believe that the passage you
quoted just now was ever meant to apply to Spaniards at all!"
"Well," said I, "I am afraid that such a question is altogether too
difficult a one for me to argue with you; you had better see a
clergyman, and discuss the whole matter with him. But we have wandered
somewhat from our original subject, which was the galleon. What more
can you tell me about her? When is she to sail?"
"It was said," answered Hoard, "that she was to sail exactly a fortnight
after the _Magdalena_. That's why I've made so bold as to come down and
tell you about it now. If you start to overhaul your rigging, I'm
afraid that you'll not be ready in time to catch her. She is a big
ship, sir; close upon sixteen hundred tons, I should call her, and I
ought to know; for the _Magdalena_ laid within a cable's length of her
for more than a week. She is heavily armed, too; mounts twenty-eight
eighteen-pound carronades; and carries on her books a complement of
close upon two hundred men. Her name is _Nostra Senora del Carmen_."
"Ah!" answered I musingly; "then she is likely to prove a pretty tough
customer!"
"Not too tough for this schooner and her crew, sir," exclaimed Hoard
eagerly. "Why, sir, one Englishman is equal to six Spaniards, any day;
and as to her guns, a little management will keep the schooner out of
the way of their shot. Besides, sir, I don't suppose you'd engage her
in a regular `hammer and tongs' fight? The proper way 'll be to let her
pass ahead, and then run alongside, and carry her by boardin'! She'll
be but a slow ship, from the looks of her. For the Lord's sake," he
continued anxiously, "don't go to say or to think that she's too big for
you! Or, if you think that she is, get a man-o'-war to help you!
You've only to repeat in the proper quarter what I've told you, and
you'll be certain to get all the help you want--"
"No doubt," interrupted I drily; "but if I undertake the matter at all,
I will undertake it single-handed. Meanwhile, it is so well worth
consideration that I will countermand my orders for overhauling the
rigging; so, if you have nothing more to tell me at present, Hoard, just
ask the mate to step below, will you?"
"Ay, that will I, most gladly, sir," answered Hoard. "And I'm quite
sure, Cap'n Bowen," he continued, pausing with his hand upon the handle
of the door, "that when you've had time to think about the matter,
you'll make up your mind to have a try for the _Senora_."
With which he turned and left the cabin, and presently, in obedience to
my message, Saunders came down. I gave him my instructions, and then
proceeded with my letters, which I had to considerably abbreviate in
consequence of the rather heavy demand that Hoard had made upon my time.
However, I got them finished in time for the _Calypso_--which was the
vessel selected by the Admiral for the conveyance of the Spanish
despatches to England--and had the satisfaction of placing them in the
hands of the Honourable Augustus Montague himself, and of receiving his
assurance that he would undertake to forward them to their destination
upon his arrival home.
During the afternoon a boat came alongside the schooner with a note from
the Admiral, inviting me to dine with him that evening, the invitation
being accentuated by the statement that he had some news of importance
for me. I despatched an acceptance by the boat that had brought the
information, and in due time once more found myself within the
hospitable portals of the Pen. As usual, the room was full of guests,
but after dinner my host found an opportunity to invite me into his
office for a short time, when I learned that the important news referred
to in his note of invitation consisted simply of some intelligence,
gleaned from the Spanish documents taken by me out of the wreck of the
_Magdalena_, confirming Hoard's story of the galleon.
"I have told you this for a twofold reason," said the Admiral, when he
had read out from his translation the extracts relating to the galleon.
"In the first place, I am, as usual, without a ship upon which I can lay
my hands; the departure of the _Calypso_ to-day depriving me of the only
vessel I had in a fit state to go to sea. And, in the next place, as
you brought me this news I think it only right that you should be the
one to profit by it. So there you are, and, if you will take my advice,
you will not remain in port a single hour longer than is absolutely
necessary, or you may miss her; and, if what these papers state be
true--as I have no doubt it is--she is a ship worth taking a good deal
of trouble to find."
I thanked the Admiral for his information, but deemed it best to let him
understand that I was indebted to him only for details, and shortly
afterwards took my leave, having suddenly made up my mind to sail that
same night, if I found that the stores and water had been sent aboard
that afternoon, as promised.
I reached the schooner about half-past ten o'clock, and found all hands
excepting the mate turned in. Saunders was considerably surprised to
see me, as he did not expect me aboard that night; but, upon my
questioning him with regard to the stores and water, he informed me that
both had come alongside almost immediately after my departure for
Kingston. There was consequently no reason why we should delay another
moment; and within half an hour we had got up our anchor and were
bowling away to the southward and westward before the land breeze.
Before daylight the high land of Jamaica had sunk beneath the horizon,
and we had caught the trade-wind.
It now became necessary for me to form some sort of a plan of
operations; and for this purpose I determined to consult with Hoard. As
soon, therefore, as I had secured my sights for the longitude, after
breakfast, I sent for him, and he came down into the cabin.
"I have sent for you, Hoard," said I, "because, as no doubt you already
guess, I have made up my mind to have a try for the galleon; and as I
understood you to say that you had spent some time ashore, at or near
Cartagena, it occurs to me that you may be able to furnish me with some
valuable information. And I want to ask you, first, whether, while you
were in Cartagena harbour, you heard anything said that might lead you
to suppose the Spaniards deem it so far possible that the news of the
galleon may have spread far enough to lead to her captain taking extra
precautions against capture by steering a course right out to sea,
instead of making the best of his way to the eastward along the land, as
far as, say, Point Gallinas?"
"I think, Cap'n, I understand what's in your thoughts," answered the
man. "No, sir; I never heard anything that 'ud seemed to point to their
imaginin' that any news of the ship 'ud be likely to get to an enemy's
ears. At the same time, I don't doubt, from what was rumoured about the
amount of the treasure that she's to ship, that her skipper'll do
everything his wit 'll teach him to keep out of the road of our cruisers
and privateers. That, however, ain't very valuable information to give
you, because you'll have guessed as much as that yourself. And I'm
afraid that I ain't able to tell you any more--except this: that it'll
never do for this schooner to be seen dodgin' about anywheres near
Cartagena. If she was seen once I don't suppose any harm would come of
it, especially if she happened to be under a fairish amount of canvas,
because it 'ud probably be supposed that she was bound south to the Gulf
of Darien. But if she should happen to be seen twice, it 'ud be all up
with us, for a time, at least; they'd be pretty sure to delay her
sailin' and send something out to watch us. And as to cuttin' her out,
Cap'n, I'm afraid it couldn't be done. Besides, it 'ud be no use to try
it unless all the treasure was aboard; and I don't suppose they'll ship
that until her hatches are on, and she's all ready for sea, so that she
can up anchor and make a start directly the last ingot's hoisted in."
"Quite so," I assented; "that will no doubt be their mode of procedure.
But, on the other hand, she may be all ready for sea, even to having all
the treasure on board, and yet not sail for a day or two. Because it is
quite clear to me that, for some reason or other, they believe this
galleon to have a very fair prospect of safely reaching her destination,
or they would keep her back until they could send her home under convoy.
Now, if they entertain such a belief as that, it seems to me highly
probable that some of their big officials will embrace so apparently
safe an opportunity to take a passage home in her, and they might not be
ready quite so soon as the ship. Now, if that should happen, what is to
prevent our cutting her out?"
"Do you happen to know what Cartagena harbour is like, sir?" inquired
Hoard, beginning his answer to my question by asking another.
"No," said I. "I have never been near it; nor have I ever seen a chart
of it."
"Of course you haven't, sir," answered my companion; "for the simple
reason that the Spaniards won't let a chart of it be made, for fear that
it should get into an enemy's hands. But I can tell you what it's like,
sir. It is about eight miles long, with a width varyin' from four miles
down to about one and a half. It is completely landlocked by the island
of Tierra Bomba, that forms the seaward face of it, and there's only one
channel, called the Boca Chica, about half a cable's length wide, by
which a ship can get in or out. And just abreast the narrowest part of
this here channel there's a battery, called the San Fernando Battery,
mounting twelve sixty-eight pounders. So, you see, sir, that cuttin' a
ship out of Cartagena harbour ain't to be thought of."
"Are there any other forts or batteries anywhere along the shores of the
harbour?" asked I, my thoughts flitting back to our exploit at
Abervrach.
"No, sir," answered Hoard, in surprise at my question. "But you'd find
the San Fernando more than enough, if you was to try to get in. They're
always on the watch, whenever there's a craft headin' for the harbour;
and they won't let her pass until the port cap'n have been off to her,
and is satisfied that she's all right."
"Well," said I, "I must have some clearer information than you have been
able to give me. I must ascertain the precise date fixed for the
sailing of the galleon; and I must have a look at Cartagena harbour, so
that I may be able to judge for myself what will be the best mode of
action. Now, how is this to be done?"
"Oh, sir," answered Hoard, "so far as getting news is concerned, I'll
undertake to do that for you. I speak Spanish like a native, and
contrived to make a friend or two here and there among the fishermen and
porters and people of that class, in spite of the priests and the
soldiers. There's one man in particular, named Panza--I took the blame
of something that he did one day, when he was a fellow-prisoner, and was
flogged instead of him, he being at the time a'most dead with fever,
he's a fisherman, and lives in the little village of Albornos, some four
miles out of Cartagena; he'll do anything for me. He don't know--nobody
exceptin' the prison authorities knows--that I was shipped off aboard
the _Magdalena_; so all I've got to do is to get ashore and make my way
to his hut, tellin' him that I've escaped from prison--which God knows
is the truth,--and he'll hide me as long as I like to stay with him, and
tell me all the news into the bargain."
"Well, perhaps that might be managed--if you are not afraid to venture
back among your enemies," said I.
"Lord bless you, sir, I ain't afraid! not a bit of it," answered Hoard.
"The priests and soldiers believes me to be aboard the _Magdalena_; so,
as long as I keeps out of their sight--which I'll take precious good
care to do--I shall be all right."
"Very well, then," said I; "we can settle the details of your scheme
later on. The next question is: How am I to get a view of Cartagena
harbour?"
"Ah, sir! that'll be a very difficult and dangerous matter," was the
reply. "And yet," he continued correcting himself, "I don't know but
what it may be done without so very much risk a'ter all, if the weather
is but favourable. But the only way that you could do it would be to
land durin' the night on Tierra Bomba, and remain on the island all day,
viewin' the harbour from the top of a hill that stands pretty nearly in
the centre of the island. You'd have to conceal yourself among the
bushes; and as there are very few people movin' about on the island
you'd not be so very likely to be seen. Then the boat 'ud have to come
ashore for you next night; and the schooner 'ud have to be kept well in
the offing during the daytime."
"Should I be able to obtain a good, uninterrupted view of the harbour
from the point you name?" I demanded.
"First-rate, sir; couldn't be better," answered Hoard. "The harbour 'ud
be spread out like a map below ye, and you'd see from one end to t'other
of it; ay, and you'd see the galleon herself, lying in the small inner
harbour."
"Then I'll risk it," exclaimed I decisively. "There is a new moon
coming on in about a week's time, so that the nights will be dark, and
therefore favourable to our adventure. Thank you, Hoard; that is all I
want with you now. I will have another chat with you when we reach the
coast."
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.
I PLAN A MOST DARING AND HAZARDOUS ENTERPRISE.
Our run across to the Main was uneventful, and on the sixth morning out
from Port Royal we made Point Gallinas, arriving off Cartagena some
twenty hours afterwards.
By great good luck the weather happened to be favourable for our
immediate embarkation upon our adventure, so after a further and final
chat with Hoard, the schooner was headed in for the land. The night was
dark as pitch, the sky being overcast, and there was a gentle breeze
blowing off the land, affording us smooth water for the delicate
operation of landing. But there was no time to be lost, it wanting only
four hours to daylight, by which time it would be necessary that the
schooner should have secured a good offing; so, having under Hoard's
pilotage stood in until the lead gave us twenty-one fathoms--at which
point Hoard informed us that we might consider ourselves half a mile
from the land--the gig was lowered, and, with her crew armed to the
teeth, we shoved off, the second mate being in charge, with Hoard and
myself sitting on either side of him in the stern-sheets, the former
still acting as pilot. We paddled gently in, with muffled oars, and in
the course of about ten minutes the boat gently grounded on a narrow
strip of smooth, sandy beach at the base of a low, rugged cliff in a
shallow bay. Here Hoard and I landed, the second mate receiving
instructions to be at the same spot with the boat and a small supply of
cooked provisions every night at midnight, and to remain a couple of
hours, when, if he saw nothing of either of us, he was to return to the
schooner until the next night.
We stood on the beach until the boat had shoved off again and was lost
in the darkness, when we turned away, and, Hoard leading, proceeded to
climb the face of the cliff, which was by no means a difficult matter,
as the ground, although somewhat precipitous, was grass-grown and
thickly dotted with low, sturdy bushes. Five minutes sufficed us to
reach the top, when we found ourselves facing a hillside, rising on our
right to a very respectable height. This, however, was not the hill to
which Hoard had alluded in his conversation with me. To reach the
latter we should have to walk about a mile, he informed me; so, having
paused for a minute or two to get our breath after our unwonted
exertions, we struck inland, passing over the spur of the hill on our
right and dipping down into a shallow valley, along which we passed,
steering a southerly course for a pair of steep, lofty hills, the
summits of which were within half a mile of each other. The more
southerly of these two was the one for which I was bound, and an hour's
steady climbing carried us to the top of it, when we lay down in the
long grass among the bushes, and, regardless of insects and possible
reptiles, snatched a catnap while we waited for daylight.