THE STORM.
Monsieur De Chemerant had scarcely left Fort Royal at the head of his
escort when a young mulatto of about fifteen, after having followed for
some time, hiding in the ravines or the swamps, on seeing the troop take
the road to Devil's Cliff, started with all haste for Macouba.
Thanks to his perfect knowledge of the country and of certain roads not
open, this slave reached Father Griffen's parish very soon. It was about
four o'clock in the afternoon; the good priest was taking his afternoon
nap, comfortably extended in one of the hammocks so ingeniously made of
rushes by the Caribbeans. The young mulatto had the greatest difficulty
in persuading one of the priest's two slaves to awaken his master;
finally Monsieur concluded, after long hesitation, because of the deep
and peaceful sleep of the priest, to do so.
"What do you want?" said the priest.
"Master, a young mulatto has come in haste from Fort Royal and wishes to
speak to you at once."
"A mulatto from Fort Royal," said Father Griffen, springing from his
hammock. "Let him come in quickly. What do you want, my child?"
continued he, addressing the young slave; "have you come by direction of
Monsieur Morris?"
"Yes, Father. Here is a letter from him. He told me to follow an escort
of troops leaving Fort Royal this morning, and directed me, if they took
the road to Devil's Cliff, to come and tell you, Father. His letter will
explain the rest."
"Very well, my child, the troop----"
"Plunged into the Goyaviers valley, and took the road to the Black
Rocks; that leads only to Devil's Cliff."
Father Griffen, much disturbed, broke the seal of the letter and seemed
overcome at its contents. He re-read it with evidence of the greatest
surprise, and then said to the mulatto, "Go quickly and find Monsieur."
The mulatto went at once.
"An envoy from France has arrived; he had a long interview with the
governor, and I fear he has started with armed men for Devil's Cliff, as
Monsieur Morris believes," said the priest, walking up and down
agitatedly. "Monsieur Morris does not know, cannot know more. But
I--I--I tremble to think of the consequences of this visit. Doubtless
the mystery has been unveiled. And how, how? Who can have put them on
the scent? Did not the secret die with De Crussol? His letter is my
guarantee. Did they not quiet the governor and cause him to give up all
pursuit of this unhappy woman?" Then, referring to Monsieur Morris'
letter, the priest continued: "'A French frigate which remains at anchor
outside the roadstead, an envoy who confers for two hours with the
governor, and who, after this interview, leaves for Devil's Cliff with
an escort'--there is more than suspicion, there is certainty? They have
come to carry her off. My God! can it be true? But, the secret--who but
myself knew it? for I only knew it, oh, yes, I alone, at least unless a
frightful sacrilege--but no, no!" said the priest, clasping his hands
with terror. "Such a thought on my part is a crime. No, it is
impossible. I would rather believe it was indiscretion on the part of
the only person who has an interest for life or death in the mystery,
than that it should be the most impious treachery. No, a thousand times
no; it is impossible! but I must start at once for Devil's Cliff.
Perhaps I can get the advance of this man who has left Fort Royal with
an escort. Yes, by hurrying, I may do it. I will find that unlucky
Gascon; they have nothing to fear there. His extraordinary appearance on
board made me believe the poor devil, for a time, to be an emissary from
London or Saint-Germain; but I have, as they say, turned him inside out,
in every way. I mentioned before him abruptly certain names which, had
he been in the secret, he would have found it impossible not to betray
it, however guarded he might be, and he remained impassible. I
understand men too well to have been deceived by him; the chevalier is
nothing but a crazy adventurer, a spoiled child, in whom, after all,
good qualities triumph over the bad ones."
At this moment Monsieur appeared.
"Saddle Grenadille at once."
"Yes, master."
"Unchain Colas."
"Yes, master."
"Do not forget to put my large traveling cloak behind my saddle."
"Yes, master."
The black went out, then returned almost immediately, saying, "Master,
shall I arm Colas?"
"Certainly, we go through the forest."
While his mare was being saddled, the priest continued to pace up and
down restlessly. All at once he cried, with fright, as if struck by a
sudden thought, "But if I have been deceived; if this adventurer, under
a guise of frivolity, concealed some plan coolly resolved upon--some
sinister design? But no! no! cunning and dissimulation could not attain
to such an odious perfection. But what if his errand coincides with that
of this man who has started out with an escort? And I, I who have
answered for this adventurer, I who in my letter of yesterday have
almost approved their decision concerning him, thinking, as they did,
that this Gascon by repeating the mysterious stories connected with
Devil's Cliff, would only advance the ends of those who live there. But
what if I have been deceived? if I have helped introduce a dangerous
enemy there? But no! he would have taken action before this if he had
known the secret. And still--no! no! perhaps he waited the arrival of
this frigate and this emissary before acting? Perhaps he is working with
him? Oh! I am in terrible uncertainty."
So saying, Father Griffen went out quickly to hasten the preparations
for his departure. Monsieur was saddling Grenadille and Jean was arming
Colas.
Some explanation is necessary in order to instruct the reader in regard
to a new actor of which we have thus far had no occasion to speak. Colas
was a boar, possessed of marvelous intelligence; this boar always
accompanied him and went ahead on these excursions. Thanks to their
long, rough hair, and to their thick coat of fat, which impedes and
congeals, so to speak, the sting of serpents, boars and even
domesticated pigs carry on in the colonies a desperate war with these
reptiles; Colas was one of their most intrepid enemies. His armor
consisted of a kind of muzzle of iron pierced with little holes, and
ending in a kind of very sharp crescent. This protected the end of the
boar's head, its only vulnerable part, and furnished him with a
formidable weapon against serpents. Colas always preceded Grenadille
some steps, clearing the road and putting to flight the serpents which
would have stung the mare.
Father Griffen, if he had known of the abrupt departure of Croustillac
(the adventurer had, as we know, left the parsonage without any farewell
to his host), would have offered Colas to the chevalier, when he became
assured that Croustillac was absolutely determined to penetrate the
forest. The priest thought that the boar would protect Croustillac from
some of the dangers to which he would be exposed; but the early flight
of the latter rendered the thoughtfulness of Father Griffen futile.
After placing the house in charge of the two blacks, on whose
faithfulness he knew he could count, the priest spurred Grenadille,
whistled to Colas, who responded with a joyful grunt, and like another
St. Antony, the good father took the road which would lead him to
Devil's Cliff, fearful of arriving too late, and also of encountering on
the way De Chemerant, whom he could with difficulty hope to head off.
* * * * *
The reader will remember that, thanks to the voracity of the wildcats
which had devoured the corpse of the sailor John, Colonel Rutler had
been enabled to emerge from the pearl-fisher's cave by way of the
underground passage. In order to understand the extreme importance and
difficulty of the expedition which Colonel Rutler had undertaken, we
must recall to the reader that the park contiguous to Blue Beard's
mansion ran from north to south, like a kind of isthmus surrounded by
abysms. On the east and west these abysms were almost without bottom,
for on these sides the furthermost trees of the garden overhung a peak
of tremendous height, whose granite face was washed by the deep and
rapid waters of two torrents. But on the north, the park jutted on a
steep incline, accessible, though dangerous in the extreme.
Nevertheless, this side of the garden was sheltered from attack, for in
order to climb these rocks, less perpendicular than those on the east
and west, it was necessary to first descend to the bottom of the abyss
by the opposite side, an undertaking physically impossible to attempt,
even with the aid of a rope of sufficient length, the face of the rock
sometimes jutting out and sometimes broken by the angles of the rocks
projecting or receding.
Colonel Rutler, on the contrary, having passed through the underground
passage, had at once reached the foot of the precipice; there remained
for him only to essay the perilous ascent in order that he might gain
entrance into Devil's Cliff. It would take about an hour to climb these
rocks; he did not wish to enter the park surrounding the mansion until
night had fallen; he waited before starting on his road, until the sun
should be setting. The colonel had thrust the skeleton of John out of
the passage. It was thus, near these human remains, in a profound and
wild solitude, in the midst of a veritable chaos of enormous masses of
granite thrown up by the convulsions of nature, that the emissary of
William of Orange passed some hours, reclining in a cleft in the rocks
in order to escape the heat of a tropical sun.
The oppressive silence of this solitary place was now and then
interrupted by the roar of the sea as it fell upon the beach. Soon the
golden light of the sun became more rosy; great angles of light outlined
the face of the rocks where one could discern the further trees of Blue
Beard's park, becoming fainter, little by little; and dull mists began
to envelop the bottom of the abyss where Rutler waited. The colonel
judged it time to depart.
Notwithstanding his rare energy, this man of iron felt himself seized,
in spite of himself, with a kind of superstitious fear; the horrible
death of his companion had affected him keenly, the enforced fast to
which he had been subjected since the preceding evening (he could not
bring himself to eat the serpent), mounted to his head, causing singular
and sinister ideas; but, surmounting this weakness, he commenced the
ascent.
At first Rutler found the points of support allowed him to rapidly climb
a third of the face of the cliff. Then serious obstacles began to
present themselves; but with dogged courage he surmounted them. At the
moment when the sun disappeared suddenly below the horizon, the colonel
reached the summit of the cliff; broken by fatigue and pain, he fell
half-fainting at the foot of the further trees of the park at Devil's
Cliff; happily among these were several cocoanut trees; a large quantity
of ripe nuts lay on the ground. Rutler opened one with the point of his
dagger; the fresh liquid inclosed within appeased his thirst, and its
nourishing pulp his hunger. This unexpected refreshment renewed his
strength, and the colonel penetrated resolutely into the park; he walked
with extreme caution, guiding himself by the instructions John had given
him, in order that he might reach the white marble fountain not far from
which he wished to conceal himself. After walking some time in this
obscurity, under a tall forest of orange trees, Rutler heard in the
distance a slight sound as of a stream of water falling into a basin;
soon after he reached the border of the orange grove, and by the faint
light of the stars--for the moon would not rise until later--he saw a
large vase of white marble, situated in the midst of a circular space,
on all sides surrounded with trees. The colonel, pushing aside some
thick shrubs of Indian plants, enormous reeds which grow abundantly in
that humid soil, hid himself some steps away from the fountain and
quietly awaited events.
* * * * *
In order to sum up the chances of the safety or danger to which the
mysterious dwellers at Devil's Cliff were exposed, we must remind the
reader that De Chemerant had started from Fort Royal in the afternoon,
and was advancing with all haste; that Father Griffen had hastily left
Macouba in order to head off the French envoy; and that Colonel Rutler
had secreted himself in the center of the garden.
We must now relate all that since the morning had passed over the heads
of Youmaeale, Blue Beard and the Chevalier de Croustillac.