Chapter 2: Bound To Unknown Parts.
Chapter 3: The Voyage.
Chapter 4: Among The Islands.
Chapter 5: Shipwrecked.
Chapter 6: Anahuac.
Chapter 7: A Wonderful Country.
Chapter 8: At Tezcuco.
Chapter 9: Life In A Palace.
Chapter 10: News From The Coast.
Chapter 11: Cortez.
Chapter 12: The Fugitives.
Chapter 13: The Massacre Of Cholula.
Chapter 14: In Mexico.
Chapter 15: Again At Tezcuco.
Chapter 16: A Treasure Room.
Chapter 17: The Insurrection.
Chapter 18: The Rising In Mexico.
Chapter 19: The Passage Of The Causeway.
Chapter 20: At Tlascala.
Chapter 21: A Victim For The Gods.
Chapter 22: Home.
Preface.
The conquest of Mexico, an extensive empire with a numerous and
warlike population, by a mere handful of Spaniards, is one of the
romances of history. Indeed, a writer of fiction would scarcely
have dared to invent so improbable a story. Even the bravery of the
Spaniards, and the advantage of superior arms would not have
sufficed to give them the victory, had it not been that Mexico was
ripe for disruption. The Aztecs, instead of conciliating by wise
and gentle government the peoples they had conquered, treated them
with such despotic harshness that they were ready to ally
themselves with the invaders, and to join with them heartily
against the central power; so that instead of battling against an
empire single-handed, the Spaniards had really only to war with a
great city, and were assisted by a vast army of auxiliaries.
Fortunately, the details of the extraordinary expedition of Cortez
were fully related by contemporary writers, several of whom were
eyewitnesses of the scenes they described. It was not necessary for
me, however, to revert to these; as Prescott, in his admirable work
on the conquest of Mexico, has given a summary of them; and has
drawn a most vivid picture of the events of the campaign. The book
far surpasses in interest any volume of fiction, and I should
strongly recommend my readers to take the first opportunity that
occurs of perusing the whole story, of which I have only been able
to touch upon the principal events.
While history is silent as to the voyage of the Swan, it is
recorded by the Spaniards that an English ship did, in 1517 or
1518, appear off the port of San Domingo, and was fired at by them,
and chased from the islands; but it was not until some twenty or
thirty years later that the English buccaneers openly sailed to
challenge the supremacy of the Spaniards among the Western Islands,
and to dispute their pretensions to exclude all other flags but
their own from those waters. It may, however, be well believed that
the ship spoken of was not the only English craft that entered the
Spanish main; and that the adventurous traders of the West country,
more than once, dispatched ships to carry on an illicit trade
there. Such enterprises would necessarily be conducted with great
secrecy, until the relations between Spain and England changed, and
religious differences broke up the alliance that existed between
them during the early days of Henry the 8th.
G. A. Henty.
Chapter 1: A Startling Proposal.
On March 3rd, 1516, the trading vessel the Swan dropped anchor at
Plymouth. She would in our days be considered a tiny craft indeed,
but she was then looked upon as a large vessel, and one of which
her owner, Master Diggory Beggs, had good reason to be proud. She
was only of some eighty tons burden, but there were few ships that
sailed out from Plymouth of much larger size; and Plymouth was even
then rising into importance as a seaport, having flourished
mightily since the downfall of its once successful rival--Fowey.
Large ships were not needed in those days, for the only cargoes
sent across the sea were costly and precious goods, which occupied
but small space. The cloths of the Flemings, the silks and satins
of Italy, the produce of the East, which passed first through the
hands of the Venetian and Genoese merchants, and the wines of
France and Spain were the chief articles of commerce. Thus the
freight for a vessel of eighty tons was a heavy venture, and none
but merchants of wealth and position would think of employing
larger ships. In this respect the Spaniards and the Italian
Republics were far ahead of us, and the commerce of England was a
small thing, indeed, in comparison with that of Flanders.
In Plymouth, however, the Swan was regarded as a goodly ship; and
Master Diggory Beggs was heartily congratulated, by his
acquaintances, when the news came that the Swan was sailing up the
Sound, having safely returned from a voyage to Genoa.
As soon as the anchor was dropped and the sails were furled, the
captain, Reuben Hawkshaw, a cousin of Master Beggs, took his place
in the boat, accompanied by his son Roger, a lad of sixteen, and
was rowed by two sailors to the landing place. They were delayed
for a few minutes there by the number of Reuben's acquaintances,
who thronged round to shake him by the hand; but as soon as he had
freed himself of these, he strode up the narrow street from the
quays to the house of Master Diggory.
Reuben Hawkshaw was a tall, powerfully built man, weatherbeaten and
tanned from his many comings and goings upon the sea; with a voice
that could be heard in the loudest storm, and a fierce look--but,
as his men knew, gentle and kind at heart, though very daring; and
having, as it seemed, no fear of danger either from man or tempest.
Roger was large boned and loosely jointed, and was likely some day
to fill out into as big a man as his father, who stood over
six-feet-two without his shoes.
Reuben was wont to complain that he, himself, was too big for
shipboard.
"If a crew were men wholly of my size," he would say, "a ship would
be able to carry but a scant crew; for, lie they as close as they
would, there would not be room for a full complement below."
For indeed, in those days space was precious, and on board a ship
men were packed well-nigh as close as they could lie; having small
thought of comfort, and being well content if there was room to
turn, without angering those lying next on either side.
The merchant, who was so stout and portly that he offered a strong
contrast to his cousin, rose from his desk as the latter entered.
"I am glad, indeed, to see you back, Cousin Reuben; and trust that
all has fared well with you."
"Indifferent well, Cousin Diggory. We have a good stock of Italian
goods on board; but as, of course, these took up but a small
portion of her hold, I put into Cadiz on my way back. There I
filled up with three-score barrels of Spanish wine, which will, I
warrant me, return good profit on the price I paid for them."
"And you have met with no accidents or adventures, Reuben?"
"Not more than is useful. We had a fight with some Moorish pirates,
who coveted the goods with which, as they doubtless guessed, we
were laden; but we beat them off stoutly, with a loss of only six
men killed among us. We had bad weather coming up the Portugal
Coast, and had two men washed overboard; and we had another stabbed
in a drunken brawl in the street. And besides these there are, of
course, many who were wounded in the fight with the Moors and in
drunken frays ashore; but all are doing well, and the loss of a
little blood will not harm them, so our voyage may be termed an
easy and pleasant one.
"That is well," the merchant said, in a tone of satisfaction. "We
cannot expect a voyage like this to pass without accident.
"And how are you, Roger?" he asked, turning to the boy, who was
standing near the door with his cap in his hand, until it should
please his elders to address him.
"I am well, I thank you, Master Diggory. It is seldom that anything
ails with me. I trust that Mistress Mercy and my cousins are well."
"You had best go upstairs, and see them for yourself, Roger. Your
father and I have weighty matters to talk over, and would fain be
alone."
Roger was glad to escape from the merchant's counting house and,
bowing to his cousin, went off with a quiet step; which, after he
had closed the door behind him, was changed into a rapid bound as
he ascended the stairs.
"Gently, Roger," Mistress Beggs said, as he entered the room where
she and her two daughters were sitting, at work. "We are truly glad
to see you, but you must remember that we stay-at-home people are
not accustomed to the boisterous ways of the sea."
The reproof was administered in a kindly tone, but Roger colored to
the hair; for indeed, in his delight at being back again, he had
forgotten the manners that were expected from a lad of his age, on
shore. However, he knew that, although Mistress Beggs was somewhat
precise in her ways, she was thoroughly kind; and always treated
him as if he were a nephew of her own, rather than a young cousin
of her husband's. He therefore recovered at once from his momentary
confusion, and stepped forward to receive the salute Mistress Beggs
always gave him, on his return from his voyages.
"Dorothy, Agnes, you remember your Cousin Roger?"
The two girls, who had remained seated at their work--which had,
however, made but little progress since their father had run in,
two hours before, to say that the Swan was signaled in the
Sound--now rose, and each made a formal courtesy, and then held up
her cheek to be kissed, according to the custom of the day; but
there was a little smile of amusement on their faces that would
have told a close observer that, had their mother not been present,
their greeting would have been a warmer and less ceremonious one.
"Well, well, Roger," Mistress Beggs went on, "it is marvelous to
see how fast you grow! Why, it is scarce six months since you
sailed away, and you seem half a head taller than you were when you
went! And so the Swan has returned safely, without damage or
peril?"
"No damage to speak of, Cousin Mercy, save for a few shot holes in
her hull, and a good many patches on her side--the work of a
Moorish corsair, with whom we had a sharp brush by the way."
"And was there loss of life, Roger?"
"We have come back nine hands shorter than we sailed with, and
there are a few on board still unfit for hard work."
"And did you fight, Cousin Roger?" Dorothy Beggs asked.
"I did what I could with my bow, until I got alongside, and then
joined in the melee as well as I could. The heathen fought bravely,
but they were not a match for our men; being wanting in weight and
strength, and little able to stand up against the crushing blows of
our axes. But they are nimble and quick with their curved swords;
and the fierceness of their faces, and their shouting, would have
put men out of countenance who had less reason to be confident than
ours."
"And the trading has gone well?" asked Mistress Beggs, who was
known to have a keen eye to the main chance.
"I believe that my father's well satisfied, Cousin Mercy, and that
the venture has turned out fully as well as he looked for."
"That is well, Roger.
"Do you girls go on with your work. You can sew while you are
listening. I will go and see that the preparations for dinner are
going on regularly, for the maids are apt to give way to talk and
gossip, when they know that the Swan is in."
As soon as she had left the room, the two girls threw down their
work and, running across to Roger, saluted him most heartily.
"That is a much better welcome," Roger said, "than the formal
greetings you before gave me. I wonder what Cousin Mercy would have
said, had she chanced to come in again."
"Mother guessed well enough what it would be, when we were alone
together," Dorothy said, laughing. "She always thinks it right on
special occasions to keep us to our manners, and to make us sure
that we know how it is becoming to behave; but you know well,
Roger, that she is not strict with us generally, and likes us to
enjoy ourselves. When we are staying up at the farm with Aunt
Peggy, she lets us run about as we will; and never interferes with
us, save when our spirits carry us away altogether. I think we
should be glad if we always lived in the country.
"But now, Roger, let us hear much more about your voyage, and the
fight with the Moors. Are they black men?"
"Not at all, Dorothy. They are not very much darker than our own
fishermen, when they are bronzed by the sun and wind. There are
black men who live somewhere near their country, and there were
several of these fighting with them. These blacks are bigger men
than the Moors, and have thick lips and wide mouths. I believe that
they live as slaves among the Moors, but those who were with them
fought as bravely as they did; and it needed a man with a stout
heart to engage with them, so ugly were their faces."
"Were you not terrified, Roger?"
"I was frightened at first, Dorothy, and felt a strange weakness in
my knees, as they began to swarm up the ship's side; but it passed
off when the scuffle began. You see, there was no time to think
about it. We all had to do our best, and even had I been frightened
ever so badly, I hope that I should not have showed it, for it
would have brought shame upon my father as well as myself; but in
truth I thought little about it, one way or the other. There they
were on the deck, and had to be driven back again; and we set about
the work like Englishmen and honest men and, thanks to our pikes
and axes, we had not very much trouble about it; especially when we
once became fairly angered, on seeing some of our friends undone by
the heathen.
"I myself would rather go through two or three such fights, than
encounter such another storm as we had off the coast of Portugal,
for four days. It seemed that we must be lost, the waves were of
such exceeding bigness--far surpassing anything I had ever seen
before. My heart was in my mouth scores of times, and over and over
again I thought that she would never rise again, so great was the
weight of water that poured over her. Truly it was the mercy of God
which alone saved us, for I believe that even my father thought the
ship would be beaten to pieces, though he kept up a show of
confidence in order to inspirit the men. However, at the end of the
fourth day the gale abated; but it was days before the great sea
went down, the waves coming in long regular hills, which seemed to
me as big as those which we have here in Devonshire; but smooth and
regular, so that while we rolled mightily, there was naught to fear
from them."
"I should not like to be a sailor," Agnes said. "It would be far
better, Roger, were you to come into our father's counting house.
You know he would take you into his business, did Cousin Reuben
desire it."
Roger laughed.
"I should make but a poor penman, Agnes. I love the sea dearly, and
it is seldom that we have such gales to meet as that; and after
all, it is no worse to be drowned than it is to come to any other
death. I am well content, cousin, with matters as they are; and
would not stay ashore and spend my life in writing, not to be as
rich as the greatest merchant in Plymouth. I almost wish,
sometimes, I had been born a Spaniard or a Portugal; for then I
might have a chance of sailing to wondrous new countries, instead
of voyaging only in European waters."
"It seems to me that you have plenty to see as it is, Roger,"
Dorothy said.
"I do not say nay to that," Roger assented; "but I do not see why
Spain and Portugal should claim all the Indies, East and West, and
keep all others from going there."
"But the pope has given the Indies to them," Dorothy said.
"I don't see that they were the pope's to give," Roger replied.
"That might do for the king, and his minister Wolsey, and the
bishops; but when in time all the people have read, as we do,
Master Wycliffe's Bible, they will come to see that there is no
warrant for the authority the pope claims; and then we may,
perhaps, take our share of these new discoveries."
"Hush, Roger! You should not speak so loud about the Bible. You
know that though there are many who read it, it is not a thing to
be spoken of openly; and that it would bring us all into sore
trouble, were anyone to hear us speak so freely as you have done.
There has been burning of Lollards, and they say that Wolsey is
determined to root out all the followers of Wycliffe."
"It will take him some trouble to do that," Roger said, shrugging
his shoulders. "Still, I will be careful, Dorothy, for I would not
on any account bring trouble upon you, here. But, thank Heaven,
England is not Spain, where men are forever being tortured and
burned for their religion. The English would never put up with
that. It may be that there will be persecution, but methinks it is
rather those whose opinions lead them to make speeches that are
regarded as seditious, and who stir up the people into discontent,
who fall into trouble; and that, as long as folks hold their own
opinions in peace and quiet, and trouble not others, neither king
nor cardinal will seek to interfere with them.
"It is not so in Spain. There, upon the slightest suspicion that a
man or woman holds views differing from those of the priests, he is
dragged away and thrown into the prisons of the Inquisition, and
tortured and burned."
Mistress Mercy now returned, and she and the girls busied
themselves in laying the table for dinner.
That evening, after Mistress Mercy, the girls, and Roger had
retired to bed, Reuben Hawkshaw and his cousin had a long talk
together, concerning the next voyage of the Swan. After Master
Diggory had discussed the chances of a voyage to the low countries,
or another trip to the Mediterranean, Reuben, who had been silently
listening to him, said:
"Well, Cousin Diggory, to tell you the truth, I have been turning
over a project that seems to me to offer a chance of greater
profit, though I deem it not without risk. That is the case, of
course, with all trading affairs; and, as you know, the greater the
risk the greater the profit, so the question to be considered is
whether the profit is in fair proportion to the risk run. I think
that it is, in this case, and I am ready to risk my life in
carrying it out. It is for you to consider whether you are ready to
risk your venture."
"What is it, Reuben? There are no other voyages that I know of;
unless, indeed, you think of sailing up to Constantinople, and
trading with the Grand Turk."
"My thoughts go farther afield still, Diggory. It is a matter I
have thought over for some time, and when I was at Cadiz the other
day I made many inquiries, and these have confirmed me in my
opinions on the matter. You know that the Spaniards are gaining
huge wealth from the Indies, and I heard at Cadiz that, after the
conquest they made, a year since, of the island they call Cuba, the
stores of precious things brought home were vast indeed. As you
know, they bring from there gold and spices and precious woods, and
articles of native workmanship of all kinds."
"I know all that, Reuben; and also that, like dogs in the manger,
they suffer none others to sail those seas; and that no English
ship has ever yet traversed those waters."
"That is so, Diggory; but by all I hear the number of islands is
large, and there are reports that there lies, farther west, a great
land from which it is they procure, chiefly, the gold and silver
and precious things. Now it seems to me that, were the matter
secretly conducted, so that no news could be sent to Spain, a ship
might slip out and cruise there, dealing with the natives, and
return richly stored with treasures.
"The Swan is a fast sailer and, did she fall in with the Spanish
ships, would show them a clean pair of heels. Of course she would
avoid the places where the Spaniards have forts and garrisons, and
touch only at those at which, I hear, they trade but little;" and
he took out a scroll from his bosom, unrolled it, and showed it to
be a map.
"This I purchased, for ten gold pieces, of a Spanish captain who
had come to poverty and disgrace from his ship being cast away,
while he was asleep in liquor, in his cabin--a fault which is rare
among the Spaniards, and therefore thought all the more of. I met
him in Cadiz, at a wine shop near the port. He told me his story as
we drank together, for he spoke Dutch, having traded much with the
Low Countries.
"He took out a map, to show me some of the places at which he had
had adventures. I said that the thing was curious, and would buy it
of him, if he was disposed to sell. He said that it would be as
much as his life were worth to part with it, to an Englishman; and,
indeed, that it was only captains of ships trading in those seas
who were allowed to have them, seeing that all matters connected
with the islands were held as a state secret. After some trouble
and chaffering, however, he agreed to make me an exact copy, and to
sell it me for ten gold pieces.
"This is the copy. It is exact, for I compared it with the
original, before I paid for it. Now here, you see, are laid down
the position and bearing of all the islands, together with all the
ports and places where the Spaniards have their settlements. This
line over here represents the mainland, but it is, as you see, but
vaguely drawn; seeing that, except at one or two points, the
Spaniards themselves have but little knowledge of it. Now it seems
that, with the help of this, I might so navigate the Swan as to
avoid much risk of falling in with the Dons; and might yet make a
shift to fill up the ship with goods of all kinds, such as would
sell here for great prices. I know, of course, that were we taken
we should be killed without mercy; but in the first place they
would have to catch us, which would not be easy; and in the second
to capture us, which, methinks would be more difficult still,
seeing that a crew of stout Devonshire lads, fighting with halters
round their necks, would give a good account of themselves, even if
overhauled by a great Spanish galleon.
"What think you of the scheme, Cousin Diggory?"
"It is a perilous one, certainly, Reuben," the merchant replied,
after a long silence. "There is the risk of the loss of the ship
and all her freight, and there is the risk of the loss of your life
and of those of the crew; and I would rather lose even the Swan,
Reuben, than that harm should come to you and Roger. Then it may
well be that, even if you carried the scheme to a successful end,
and returned laden with wealth, the king and his counselors, when
the matter came to their ears--which it would be sure to do on your
return, for it would make a prodigious talk--might be grievously
offended, accuse us of embroiling England with Spain, confiscate
the cargo, visit me with fine and imprisonment, and treat you and
the crew as pirates."
"I do not fear that," Reuben said. "Our relations with Spain have
grown cold, lately, and there is a talk of peace between us and
France. In the next place, I should say that the king would be
mightily glad to see a chance of us English having a finger in this
pie, that the Spaniards want to keep to themselves; and that he
will perceive that great advantage will arise, from our obtaining a
share of the trade with the Indies. There is a rare jealousy in the
country, at the Spaniards and Portugals keeping all the trade of
both the Indies in their hands; and methinks that, even if he
judged it necessary to make a show of displeasure against the men
who led the way in this matter, there would in the end be much
honor, as well as profit, in this venture."
"It is a grave matter, Reuben, and one not to be undertaken without
much thought and calculation. Still, I own that the proposal is a
tempting one, and that the possession of this map, which I will
examine at my leisure, would help you much in your enterprise.
Truly, as you say, although the king might frown, there would be
much honor as well as profit in being the first English merchant to
dispatch a ship to the Spanish main. I love not the Spaniards and,
like all Englishmen who think as I do on matters of religion, have
viewed with much disfavor our alliance with men who are such cruel
persecutors of all who are not of their religion."
"I hate them," Reuben Hawkshaw said, energetically. "They swagger
as if they were the lords of the world, and hold all others as of
no account beside them. If you resolve on this enterprise I shall,
of course, do my utmost to avoid them; but should they try to lay
hand on us, I shall be right glad to show them that we Englishmen
hold ourselves fully a match for them."
"Well, well, we must not think of that," Diggory Beggs said,
hastily; "but, nevertheless, cousin, if the Swan sails for those
seas, I will see that she is well provided with ordnance and small
arms, so that she shall be able to hold her own with those who
would meddle with her."
"That is all I ask, Diggory. We shan't meddle with them, if they do
not meddle with us; but if they treat us as pirates, to be slain
without form of trial, they must not blame us if we act as pirates
when they come upon us. They hold that they are beyond the law,
when they are once beyond sight of land, going westward; and we
have only to take them at their word.
"As to piracy, if the things that are whispered as to their cruelty
to the natives be true, pirates are an innocent and kindly folk
compared to them. They openly proclaim that all found in these
seas, which they claim as their own, will be treated as enemies and
slain without mercy; and we shall be, therefore, fully justified in
treating as an enemy any Spanish ship that we may come across; and
holding her as a fair prize, if we are strong enough to take her."
"But you must not go out with that intent, Reuben. If I fit out the
Swan to go to the Indies, it is that she may trade honestly with
such natives as are ready to trade with her, and not that she may
wage war against the Spaniards."
"I quite understand that, Cousin Diggory," Reuben Hawkshaw said,
with a grim smile; "and that also is my intent, if the Spaniards
will but let me adhere to it; only if we are attacked, we must
defend ourselves. If they try to capture us, and we beat them, it
is but natural that we should capture them."
"Against that I have nothing to say, Reuben. I can find no
authority, in Scripture, for the Spaniards claiming a portion of
the seas as their right. The world is all, as it seems to me, open
to trade, and neither the pope nor anyone else has a right to
parcel it out, for the exclusive use of one or two nations. As we
all know, the seas within a mile or two of shore are held to
belong, naturally, to those who own the land; but that is a
different thing, altogether, to holding that more than half the
seas, inasmuch as we know of them, are to be held as private
property by Spaniards and Portugals.
"Well, we will say no more about it, at present. There is plenty of
time to think it over, while the Swan is unloading. I certainly do
not like to take so great a risk as this would be on my own
shoulders; but if I could get two or three others to join me, I
should be willing enough to embark upon it."
"I need not tell you, Diggory, that it behooves you to be right
careful as to those to whom you may broach it. Remember that an
incautious word might ruin the enterprise altogether. If so much as
a whisper of it reached the ear of the Spanish ambassador in
London, he would apply to the king to put a stop to it; and
whatever King Harry might think of it, he could hardly permit the
Swan to sail in the face of such a remonstrance, for to do so would
assuredly embroil him with Spain."
"I will be careful, Reuben; for I see this as well as you do, and
shall only speak to men who have, before now, worked with me in
joint adventures, and on whose discretion I can surely rely. I will
talk the matter over with them, Reuben, first; and if they appear
favorably disposed, you shall meet them here, show them your map,
and explain your intentions fully to them. If three others join me,
in equal shares, I shall propose that, as it is your idea, and as
you have obtained this map, you shall have an equal share with each
of us in the business; and shall, in addition to your pay as
master, take one-fifth of the profits, after payment of expenses.
Will that content you?"
"Right well, Cousin Diggory; and from this moment I shall, I can
tell you, regard myself as a rich man."
The unloading of the Swan occupied some time. There was no undue
haste, in those days. The bales were hoisted by whips from the
hold, and then carried up to Master Beggs' warehouse. The sailors
had earned a fair time for repose, after the hardships of the
voyage, and took matters easily, and it was more than a week before
the Swan's hold was empty.
During that time the merchant had not made any allusion, to Reuben,
as to their conversation on the evening after the Swan came into
port. But Reuben was neither surprised nor anxious at this silence.
He knew that his cousin although an enterprising was a cautious
man, and had hardly hoped to find his proposal so favorably
entertained. He had looked for absolute refusal at first, and
expected that he would only arrive at his end after long disputes
and discussion. Therefore he doubted not that Diggory was turning
the matter over and over in his mind, settling the details, and
perhaps broaching the matter to the merchants he had spoken of.
The Swan, once empty, was laid up on the shore; where she dried at
low tide, so that she could have her seams caulked, and a coat of
pitch laid on below the waterline, and be made tight and sound for
any voyage on which she might be dispatched. Reuben Hawkshaw had
lost his wife years before and, when in port at Plymouth, always
occupied lodgings in a house a short distance from that of his
cousin; spending his evenings mostly at Master Diggory's, but
refusing to take his breakfast or dinner there.
"I know what is what, cousin," he would say, when the merchant
pressed him and Roger to come to breakfast or dinner. "Women are
women and, as is only right, they hold to the nicety of things; and
nothing displeases them more than for people to come in late for
their meals. When I am at work I work, and if when the clock
strikes the hour for meals I am in the middle of a job, I see that
it is finished before the men knock off. Then there is the matter
of washing and cleaning up, for one gathers much dust and dirt in
the hold of a ship; so that, do what I would, Roger and I could
never reckon upon being punctual, and the matter would weigh on my
mind when I ought to be thinking of other things. No, no, Diggory,
we will be free men, taking our bite and sup on board, as we can
make shift to get them; and then, when work is over, coming with
clean hands and a clear mind, to supper with you. When the Swan's
hold is empty, it will be time enough to talk about amusement."
The evening after the unlading of the cargo was completed, Master
Diggory said to his wife:
"Get the table cleared as soon as you can, Mercy, and bring two
flasks of that last batch of Spanish wine out of the cellar, and
put them and some cups on the board. I have two or three friends
coming in, to talk over a matter of business with Reuben and me."
As soon as the table was cleared, Roger asked permission of his
aunt to take his cousins for a walk upon the Hoe. This was readily
granted, as there was no other room in which they could well be
bestowed; and having set the wine upon the table, Dame Mercy
retired to look after domestic matters, of which she always found
an abundance to occupy her.
In a short time Master Turnbull, Master Streatham, and Master
Winslow, three worshipful traders of Plymouth, arrived.
"Cousin Reuben," Master Diggory said, "I have spoken to these good
friends of mine in respect of that venture which you proposed to
me, and they would fain hear more of it, from your own lips. You
can speak with confidence before them; for, whether they agree to
cast in their lot with us or not, no word of this matter will pass
their lips."
Reuben addressed himself to his task, and that at much greater
detail than he had given, when first speaking of the matter to
Diggory. He told them what he had gathered from the sea captains,
and others, as to the articles with which the Dons traded with the
natives. That they were for the most part cheap and common, and
that the amount required for a sufficient stock of such merchandise
would be very small. Small hand mirrors, strings of colored glass
beads, brass rings and trinkets, colored handkerchiefs and bright
cloths, were the articles chiefly used in barter. Knives and axes
were greatly prized, the natives considering iron to be more
valuable than silver or gold. Small bells and brass vessels were
also valued, and iron spear and arrow heads were eagerly sought
for; but the Spaniards were chary of providing such goods, seeing
that they might be used in conflicts against themselves.
Then he produced a list of the stores that would be required for
the ship and crew.
"In this matter," he said, "you will think, perhaps, that my
demands are excessive; but I am of opinion that money in this way
would be well spent. As a rule--though I say it before men
accustomed to victualing ships--our crews are vilely provided for.
Salt meat they must eat, for no other can be obtained at sea; but
it should be of good quality, likewise the other provisions. I want
not biscuits that are alive with maggots, nor moldy flour, nor peas
or other things that cattle would turn up their noses at. I want
everything to be the very best of its kind, with cider good, and
sound, and in fair abundance.
"This is not an ordinary voyage. We shall be away for many months,
maybe for a year or two; and unless the men are well fed they will
assuredly lose their health, and likely enough become mutinous. If
we come upon a Spanish ship when three parts of the crew are weak
with scurvy, we shall make but a poor fight of it. Therefore, I
want to keep my men in good strength and in good heart, and to do
this they must be well fed. Such a voyage as this no English ship
has ever made before and, cooped up as we shall be in the Swan--for
we must carry a great crew--everything depends upon there being no
fair ground for grumbling. Many a ship has been lost from the crew
being weakened by scurvy, and if you are to bring this enterprise
to a good end, I say that there must be no stint in the matter of
provisions, and that all must be the very best of their kind.
"I trust that, once out there, we shall be able to obtain an
abundance of fruit and vegetables from the natives; for these are
things, above all, necessary to keep men's blood sweet on
shipboard.
"Then, as to arms. I think we should carry twelve pieces, six of a
side; of which four should be of good size, and yet not too large
to be quickly handled. In the matter of weight, the Spaniards are
sure to have the advantage of us; but if we can shoot much more
quickly than they can, it will equalize matters. Then, of course,
there will be bows and arrows. I do not hold greatly to the new
musketoons--a man can shoot six arrows while he can fire one of
them, and that with a straighter and truer aim, though it is true
they can carry somewhat farther. Then, of course, there will be
pikes, and boarding axes, and a good stock of powder and balls for
the cannon. These are the complete lists I have made out.
"Now I hold that we should carry from eighty to a hundred men.
These I should pay only the ordinary rate of wage, but each should
have an interest in the venture, according to his rank. As to the
profits, I would leave it to you, my masters, to reckon; but seeing
that in fair trade one can get gold, to say nothing of silver,
weight for weight for iron; and other things in proportion; you can
judge for yourselves what it will amount to--to say nothing of the
chance of our falling in with a Spanish treasure ship, which may be
rash enough, regarding us an easy prize, to fall foul of us."
"There is no doubt that the profits will be great, if you return
safely home, Master Hawkshaw," Nicholas Turnbull said; "but the
chances of that seem but small."
"I think that the chances are good enough to risk my life upon,
Master Turnbull," Reuben replied; "and no man can show greater
confidence than that. This is the map of which my Cousin Diggory
has no doubt spoken to you. You see that the islands are many, and
some of them great; and that the places at which the Spaniards have
ports are few, in comparison. We have to avoid these, but anywhere
else we can open trade with the natives. If we are chased, and find
the place too hot for us, we can make away to the mainland and,
cruising along there, may come upon places that the Spaniards have
never visited, and may there gather great store of gold and silver,
without danger. But I wish no one, and certainly not my Cousin
Diggory, to enter upon this affair unless with confidence and good
heart. I would far rather take a horse and travel to Bristol, and
lay my scheme before some of the traders there."
This idea was most distasteful to the traders, for Plymouth
regarded Bristol with great jealousy; and Diggory Beggs at once
said:
"No, no, Reuben. My friend Master Nicholas Turnbull did not mean
that he regarded your scheme as hopeless, only that the risks were
doubtless great. But we all know that to earn great profit one must
run such risk; and the venture, divided between four of us, would
not be a very heavy one--that is to say, not beyond what we are
justified in periling.
"Would you leave us for a while, Reuben? We will examine these
lists that you have made, and reckon up the total cost; and we
shall then see the better how much we shall each have to
contribute, to make up our venture."
Reuben nodded and, putting on his hat, left the room, saying, "In
an hour I will return;" and then strolled over to a tavern much
frequented by the masters of the ships in the port.