THE SEARCH
Ahead of them, across the Roads, and up the narrow length of Cromwell's
Sound, many lights twinkled: for already two-score boats had put out
from St. Lide's Quay and were hurrying to the search, with lanterns and
hurricane lamps. The windows of the Great House on Inniscaw fairly
blazed with light. The upland farmsteads, too, were awake, here and in
Brefar, and the cottages around Inniscaw schoolhouse and Brefar Church.
Only Saaron, as they passed it, showed no sign of life, no glimmering
ray from the windows of Eli Tregarthen's house, dark upon the dark
hillside. Mr. Pope called the Commandant's attention to this.
"Patience," said the Commandant. "We will land and question him on our
way home."
"You will admit that it looks suspicious."
The Commandant did not answer.
"If Leggo's story be true," said Dr. Bonaday, addressing the coxswain
abruptly, as though awakened of a sudden from a brown study, "the
accident must have happened just upon high-water; in which case Mr.
Rogers will do best to start searching to westward along the north
shore of Brefar, following the set of the ebb."
"I reckon he'll take that line, sir, if he finds nothing at Piper's
Hole," the coxswain answered. "But his plan, as he told it to me, was
to land Leggo, with two of our men, by the schoolhouse, and send them
up the hill with ropes and lanterns, while he pulled round and searched
Piper's Hole from seaward."
The Doctor appeared to digest this plan for a full minute. "Pope," he
said, abruptly as before, "do you happen to know if the Lord Proprietor
had made his will?"
"Good Lord!" answered Mr. Pope, testily, "I am not his lawyer."
"He has relatives?"
"Some distant cousins, I believe; none nearer. Why do you ask?"
"Because," answered the Doctor, imperturably, "it occurred to me as a
natural question under the circumstances. Then it would appear, my
friend, that Sir Cæsar's decease (if we suppose it) is a very serious
affair indeed for you?"
"Man alive!" snapped Mr. Pope. "Of what else do you suppose I have been
thinking, ever since I heard this news?"
Dr. Bonaday did not reply in words; but the Commandant--who happened to
be gazing just then towards North Island, where the great sea-light
seemed to search the outer tides with its monstrous eye--heard, or
fancied that he heard, a sound as of a quiet chuckle. Suddenly he
remembered Mr. Pope's scornful criticism of old Constable Ward:
remembered it, and glanced at the Doctor. But the Doctor was an uncanny
fellow, and inscrutable.
Though the coastguardsmen, pulling with a will, overtook and passed at
least a dozen boats on their way, it cost them close upon an hour to
reach the upper end of Cromwell's Sound and open the coast along the
north side of Inniscaw. They had no need to search for Mr. Rogers and
the jolly-boat. Flares were burning and torches waving in and around
the entrance to Piper's Hole, and as the gig drew closer the Commandant
discerned the figures of half-a-dozen searchers, roped and moving
cautiously with lanterns from ledge to ledge of the dizzy cliff. The
jolly-boat lay beached on a bank of fine shingle left by the receding
tide at the entrance of the cave, and beside it stood Mr. Rogers
shouting orders.
He hailed the newcomers as soon as he caught sight of them. Leggo and
his two men had found Sir Cæsar's gun, and recovered it from the bushes
overhanging the cave. But of Sir Cæsar himself no trace could be found.
It was clear to his mind that the body had rolled down the cliff into
deep water, and had been carried out to sea. His fellows up yonder had
examined every foot of the descent, and were risking their necks to no
purpose. He would give them another ten minutes to make a clean job of
the search, and would then call them off and seek along shore to the
westward.
Had the cave itself been searched? This was the Commandant's first
question as he stepped out upon the shingle.
Yes; they had begun by searching the cave. They had followed it for
fifty yards, and come to a ridge of rock, heaped with ore-weed, beyond
which (it was certain) no ordinary tide ever penetrated. The floor of
the cave shelved pretty steeply up to this ridge, and beyond it lay a
pool of fresh water, about twenty yards long. It was impossible that a
human body could have been swept over the ridge into this pool.
Nevertheless they had explored it. But would the Commandant care to
satisfy himself?
Mr. Rogers, without waiting for an answer, picked up a lantern and led
the way under the great arch. The Commandant followed, his feet at
every step sinking ankle-deep in the fine shingle. He found himself in
a passage nine or ten feet wide, the walls of which rose about twenty
feet above him, and vaulted themselves in darkness. At first this
passage appeared to him to end, some fifteen paces from the entrance,
in a barrier of solid rock, but Mr. Rogers, stepping forward with the
lantern, revealed a low archway to the left and a second passage,
partially choked with ore-weed. Through this they squeezed themselves,
crouching and stooping their heads--for the roof in places was less
than five feet high--and after a couple of zig-zags drew breath at the
entrance of the second chamber, at least as lofty as the first and a
full twenty feet wide. Across the entrance the floor sloped up to the
rocky ridge, of which Mr. Rogers had spoken; and beyond the ridge lay
the pool.
"Taste it," said Mr. Rogers, and the Commandant, kneeling by the edge
of the pool, scooped up a palmful of water to his lips. It was fresh
water, undoubtedly; very cold, and not in the least brackish.
"Look down," said Mr. Rogers, holding his lantern so that the
Commandant could peer into the depths. "You can see every stone at the
bottom, and my men have searched it all." He lifted the light above his
head and gazed into the mysterious darkness beyond the pool. "I must
explore this place to the end, one of these days. The chief boatman
waded through, and reported yet another passage beyond; but of course I
wouldn't let my men waste time in exploring it. What a place for seals,
hey?"
"Seals?" queried the Commandant.
"Leggo gave me a sort of description of the place on our way here. He
tells me that this cave and the next are a favourite haunt of the seals
when they visit the Islands. In fact, he used to hunt them here with
his father. But of late years, for some reason, they have given the
Islands the go-by."
"You think it possible," suggested the Commandant, "Sir Cæsar may have
seen one, and taken a shot at it?"
"That's not likely; and anyway it doesn't help us. It won't account for
his gun being found in the bushes, half-way down the cliff, nor for his
disappearing. Among a deal that's mysterious, this much is clear: Leggo
left him on the cliff above us; within twenty minutes Sir Cæsar's gun
went off, whether fired by himself or by someone else; and whether
wounded or not, he slid down the cliff and over the ledge above the
cave. His body is not in the cave; therefore, presumably, it was sucked
out to sea by the time, and presumably has been carried somewhere to
the westward. Shall we turn back?"
The Commandant nodded. "You will have plenty of folk to help your
search," said he, "to judge from the number of boats we passed on our
way. By spreading your forces, in less than two hours you can have the
whole shore examined, from here to the west of Brefar. By the way, who
has possession of Sir Cæsar's gun?"
"It was passed up to Sam Leggo, on the cliff. But if you wish to take
charge of it----"
"It will probably be wanted for evidence."
"Come, then." Mr. Rogers led the way back to the entrance, and called
up an order to have the gun lowered by a shore-line; which was done,
the coast guardsmen on the cliffs fending the line clear of the bushes,
and so passing it from one to another until it dangled over the ledge
within grasp. The Commandant, as the taller, reached up for the gun,
took it, and examined it by the light of the lantern which Mr. Rogers
held for him.
The gun was undoubtedly the Lord Proprietor's; a breechloader of
curiously fine workmanship, bearing the name of a famous St. James'
Street maker. Of the hammers, one was down, the other at half-cock;
and, pulling open the breech, the Commandant drew forth two cartridges,
the one empty, the other unused. He pocketed these and examined the
barrels. Clearly, one shot--and one only--had been fired since the gun
was last cleaned.
He invited Mr. Rogers to verify these simple observations; and then,
turning the gun over, was aware of a trace of earth on the
trigger-guard and another on the point of the butt. These were easily
accounted for. The weapon, no doubt, had slid for some distance down
the cliff--probably from the very top--before lodging in the bushes
where Leggo had found it.
Half an hour's exploration of the cave, the cove, the cliff-face, had
yielded no further clue. Mr. Rogers drew off his men, and, embarking
them, started to search the shore to the westward.
By this time some thirty boats had gathered, and through the long
night, in every creek and cranny of the shore, from the extreme east of
Inniscaw to the extreme west of Brefar, the search went on. The wind,
chopping to the north-west, rose to a stiff breeze, and not only blew
bitterly cold, with squalls of rain and sleet, but raised a sea that
made it dangerous to explore the rocks closely. Nevertheless, not a
single boat put back, and not a few took incredible risks.
Day broke--a dull smurr of gray in an interval between two sleet-laden
squalls. In the cheerless light of it the Commandant, who, albeit numb
with cold, had had not yet found time to feel fatigue, caught sight of
Dr. Bonaday's face, and was smitten with sudden compunction. The old
Doctor had sat through six distressful hours like the stoic he was; but
his face showed like that of a corpse, and the usually plump and florid
cheeks of Mr. Pope hung flaccid, blue with the pinch of the cold and
yellow for lack of sleep. The Commandant spoke to the coxswain, and,
running up the gig alongside the jolly-boat, suggested to the
indomitable Mr. Rogers that the men were almost dead-beat, to which,
indeed, the faces of all bore witness in the broadening daylight.
"We must not exhaust ourselves utterly," suggested Mr. Pope. "It is
already day, and the Council of Twelve ought to meet before noon."
"Indeed? Why?" asked the Commandant, absently.
"Why, to advertise the Lord Proprietor's disappearance, with a printed
description of him!"
"Is that necessary? Surely by this time everyone in the Islands has
heard the news; and, as for describing him----"
"It is the proper course to pursue," insisted Mr. Pope, who was
something of a formalist; "in such--er--crises one should proceed
regularly. Doubtless the Council, when called, will proclaim a reward."
"For what?" asked Doctor Bonaday.
Mr. Pope turned on him impatiently; but the Doctor's eyes, like the
simpleton's in Scripture, were fixed on the ends of the earth. "Why,
for the discovery of the body," said Mr. Pope.
"You might offer twenty rewards," said the Commandant. "You cannot make
men work harder than they have worked to-night. Still, if you desire to
summon the Council----"
"I am suggesting that you should do so."
"But I am no longer a member."
"On the contrary, as Governor, you are now its President."
The Commandant reflected for a moment. "True," he murmured, "I keep
forgetting." Pulling himself together, with a shake of the shoulders,
he turned again to Mr. Rogers.
"Mr. Rogers," said he, "you know better than I of how much fatigue your
men are capable. For my part, I am returning to summon the Council of
the Islands to meet me in the Court House at twelve o'clock noon, to
summon volunteers and organize a general search. Your presence and
advice will be of the greatest service to us; and as I see some fresh
boats coming up the Sound, I submit that you leave them your
instructions and draw off your tired crews to take what rest they need"
Mr. Rogers looked up sharply, surprised by the new ring of authority in
the Commandant's voice. "Very well, sir," he answered, after a pause.
"I shall be happy to attend the Council and concert measures with you.
It occurs to me that the body may just possibly have been carried
towards North Island on a back eddy, and with your leave I will tell
the new-coming boats to seek in that direction."
"I thank you," said the Commandant, and at once gave the word to his
own crew to pull for home. "And on our way," he added, "you shall land
me for ten minutes at the East Porth, under Saaron Farm."
* * * * *
At the East Porth, where they found Eli Tregarthen's boat at her
moorings off the grass-grown landing-quay, the Commandant stepped
ashore. Mr. Pope offered to accompany him, but he declined, and went up
the hill alone.
At the yard-gate he caught sight of Jan Nanjulian, faring forth with
his pails to milk the cows; and, hailing him, demanded where he might
find the farmer. Jan directed him to a line of furze-stacks at the back
of the byres, and, turning the corner of these, he came face to face
with Eli Tregarthen, who had loaded himself with a couple of faggots
for the kitchen fire.
"Good morning!" said the Commandant.
"Ah? Good morning to you, sir," answered Tregarthen, clearly surprised,
but showing no sign of guilt or confusion.
"You have heard the news?"
"No, sir."
"The Lord Proprietor is missing."
"Missing?" Tregarthen set down his faggots and stared at the
Commandant.
"He has been missing since yesterday at dusk. I understand that you
were in his company shortly before then, on Carn Coppa?"
"That is so, sir. I left him and Sam Leggo standing together there at
the top of the field."
"A few minutes later he sent Leggo to the farmhouse to fetch a lantern.
Leggo declares that on his way back he heard a gun fired."
Tregarthen nodded. "That's right. I heard the shot, too, and reckoned
that the man had let fly at a rabbit. He carried a gun."
"You don't speak too respectfully of the Lord Proprietor, my friend."
"I speak as I think," answered Tregarthen, his brow darkening. "He was
no friend to me or mine."
"I advise you very strongly to keep that sort of talk to yourself, at
any rate for the present. To begin with, Sir Cæsar is missing, and we
have grave fear he will not be found again alive: so that it is not
seemly. But, further, I must caution you that you parted from him using
threats, and your threats have been reported."
"Turn me out of Saaron, he would--" began Tregarthen, but checked
himself at the moment when passion seemed on the point of
over-mastering him. "Well, sir, I didn't shoot him, if that's what they
are telling," he added, quietly.
"I should be sorry, indeed, to suspect any such thing. But let me tell
you the rest. Hearing the shot, Leggo made good speed back to Carn
Coppa. His master had disappeared; but away to the left, near the edge
of the cliffs, he saw three children running down the hill, and he
declares that those children were yours."
Tregarthen put up a hand and rubbed the side of his head.
"_My_ children?" he repeated. "I can't make this out at all, sir. What
could my children be doing anywhere near Carn Coppa?"
"You had best ask them."
"No," said Tregarthen, picking up his faggots, "I never brought them up
to be afraid of the truth. Come with me to the house, sir, and they
shall tell what they know."
He led the way, and the Commandant followed him indoors to the kitchen,
where they found Ruth stooping over the great hearth, already busy with
the morning fire. Across the planching overhead sounded the patter of
the children's bare feet.
In a couple of minutes they came running down together, laughing on
their way, and the Commandant had to wonder again--as he had wondered
before, on the afternoon when he had sailed them home from Merryman's
Head--at their beautiful manners. They were neither shy, nor
embarrassed. Indeed, it was the Commandant who felt embarrassment (and
showed it) as he asked them to tell what had taken them to Piper's
Hole, and what they had seen there.
"We saw a mermaid," answered Annet. "She was sitting on the rock
outside the cove; and first she was singing to a kind of harp, and
afterwards she sang as she combed her hair. And then someone fired a
gun at her from the cliffs, and she disappeared, and we were frightened
and ran away. We did not see who fired the gun, nor if she was wounded.
It was not brave of us to run away so quickly, and we have been sorry
ever since."
"What nonsense is this?" growled their father. "Annet, my child, we
tell the truth--all of us--here on Saaron."
"It may have been a seal," hazarded the Commandant. "I am told that
Piper's Hole used to be a famous spot for seals."
But Annet lifted her chin and answered, her eyes steadily raised to her
father's face. "No, it was not a seal; it was a mermaid. She sang and
combed her hair just as I told you. It was beginning to grow dark, but
we could see her quite plainly." She turned for confirmation to Linnet
and Matthew Henry, and they both nodded.
Their father growled again that this was nonsense; but the Commandant,
lifting a hand, asked what had taken them to the cliffs above Piper's
Hole. It could not (he suggested) have been that they expected to catch
sight of a mermaid.
"Yes," answered Annet again; "that was just the reason." She was
speaking frankly, as a child can speak; but children have their own
code of honour, and it forbids them to give away a friend. "Jan was
telling us, only the other day," she explained with careful lucidity,
"how his father had once caught a mermaid in a pool there. We wanted
very much to see one, and so we planned to go. But afterwards, when
father rowed us home, we did not like to tell him about it. We were
afraid he would laugh at us; and we were frightened, too; afraid that
the mermaid had been hurt; and--and we were upset because father had
brought the boat for us instead of Jan Nanjulian----"
"But most of all," put in Linnet, "I was upset because I had been
saying that there were no such things."
"You silly children, of course there are no such things," said their
mother.
But Matthew Henry, ignoring her, and more in pity than in anger, turned
on the Commandant. "Are you come," he asked, "because she is hurt?"
"She? Who?"
"The mermaid. We didn't mean to bring ill-luck to her. Jan said there
was no good luck ever in spying on a mermaid, but Aunt Vazzy said that
was nonsense, and of course we believed Aunt Vazzy----"
But here the child came to a full stop, startled by a swift change in
the Commandant's look, and by a sudden sharp exclamation.
"Your Aunt Vazzy?" The Commandant's hand went up to his forehead. It
seemed that, under the shadow of it his face grew pale and gray as he
gazed from Matthew Henry to the two girls, and from them again to their
mother.
"Ma'am," said he, in a shaking voice, "is your sister in the house?"
With his question, it seemed that in turn he had passed on his pallor
to Ruth, who, however, drew herself up and answered him with spirit.
"Sir," said Ruth Tregarthen, "you are asking too much. Must we be
accountable to you for my sister's doings?"
"For God's sake," cried the Commandant, "let us waste no time in
misunderstandings! Can you not see that your children are telling only
the truth?--that she--your sister--was the mermaid? And if she did not
venture home last night----"
"She took her own boat," quavered poor Ruth. "She started yesterday
afternoon soon after the children had left for school--and she told me
not to worry if she came home late.... My sister, sir, has queer ways
of her own.... Maybe she heard the news on her way back, and has been
searching all night with the others."
The Commandant had fallen to pacing the room. "She was not among the
searchers," he said, impatiently. "And, moreover, she has not returned:
her boat is not at the landing-quay."
"A moment, sir!" interposed Tregarthen. "I see what you fear, and it is
terrible. But one thing is not plain to me at all. Vashti took her own
boat, we hear. Now, suppose that the shot wounded her, or worse, still
we have the boat to account for: and the boat, you say, is not to be
found."
"Was ever a more hopeless mystery!" cried the Commandant, flinging out
his hands.
But Eli Tregarthen turned to his wife, who had dropped into a chair by
the fire and lay back, gripping the arms of it.
"Courage, wife!" said he, laying a strong palm over one of her
trembling hands. "And you, sir, take my thanks; go you home, and leave
the search to me."