As I dropped in over the rail and alighted upon the deck, I flung a
quick glance along it, fore and aft, in search of some trace of
occupation, but there was nothing to indicate that anyone had been left
on board. I stole forward and listened intently at the fore scuttle,
but there was no sound of movement down in the forecastle, nor could I
catch any suggestion of deep breathing or snoring, as would probably
have been the case had an anchor-watch been left on board, and, ignoring
its responsibilities, gone below and turned in. But, determined to make
quite sure, I swung my legs over the coaming and quietly dropped down
into the close, pungent-smelling place. For a moment I could see
nothing, for the only light entering the forecastle came down through
the hatch, and my eyes were dazzled with the brilliant light of the
outer world; but presently my sight came to me and I saw that all the
bunks and hammocks were empty, and that the apartment contained nothing
more dangerous than a heterogeneous assortment of clothes, boots,
oilskins, and other articles common to seamen. I therefore made my way
on deck again and ran aft, where I encountered Fonseca just emerging
from the cabin, where he, like myself, had been on an exploring
expedition, which, like mine, had proved fruitless. As we met and
exchanged news my eyes wandered away shoreward, and I noticed that Juan
and his companions had reached the wharf, and seemed to be busying
themselves about one of the upturned boats which I had taken the
precaution to stave. Upon getting the ship's glass I had no difficulty
in discovering that they were busily engaged in an attempt to patch up
and make her serviceable, with the evident intention of coming in
pursuit of us.
"By Jove, Fonseca," I exclaimed, "we must bestir ourselves or those
fellows may nab us after all. Jump down into the gig, cast Jose adrift,
and bid him come aboard instantly; we have not a moment to lose."
And as I spoke I made a dash at the trysail brails, cast them off, and
proceeded to drag upon the fall of the outhaul tackle. Presently
Fonseca returned with Jose, and both lent a hand with a will, the latter
seeming to be quite as anxious as any of us to avoid being taken by his
former companions. Then, rushing forward, I laid out on the jib-boom
and cast loose the inner jib, which Fonseca and Jose at once proceeded
to hoist. Then, hauling the jib-sheet over to windward, we cast off the
slip by which the brig was, as usual, secured to her buoy, and I then
ran aft and put the helm hard down. The brig was now adrift, and with
stern way on her; but with the helm hard down she soon paid off, when we
hauled aft the lee jib-sheet, and she at once began to forge ahead.
But, unfortunately for us, it was almost a dead beat of nearly two miles
out to sea, with not very much room to manoeuvre in. If, therefore, the
people ashore happened to be specially handy with their tools they might
yet get their boat repaired in time to give us trouble; for, smart ship
as the _Barracouta_ undoubtedly was, the small amount of sail which we
now had set was only sufficient to put her along at about two knots in
the hour, or barely to give her steerage way. But she carried a main-
topmast staysail which was a fine big sail, the stay reaching from the
main-topmast cross-trees down to the foremast within about ten feet of
the deck, and this sail we now got on her, with great advantage, her
speed at once increasing to nearly four knots. But under this canvas I
soon found that she griped rather badly; that is to say, she required an
undue amount of weather helm to hold her straight to her course. We
therefore loosed and set the fore-topmast staysail, after which she not
only practically steered herself, but further increased her speed to not
far short of five knots. We had now as much canvas set as we three men
could very well manage, and quite enough to keep us going so soon as we
should get outside. My only anxiety was lest we should have trouble
with the people before we could pass out clear of the heads into the
open ocean. Once there I knew that we could easily run away from any
rowboat that they could launch. And that reminded me that we had no
less than four boats towing behind us, and that they retarded our speed
to a quite perceptible extent. Summoning Fonseca and Jose to my
assistance, therefore, and showing Lotta how to manipulate the helm in
such a manner as to keep the brig going through the water, we hauled-up
first one gig and then the other, and succeeded in hoisting them to the
davits. The other two we also hauled alongside, and, dropping a couple
of cold shot through their bottoms cast them adrift.
By the time that all this was done we had drawn well over toward the
southern shore of the bay, and the moment had arrived for us to heave in
stays. I was just a little anxious as to this manoeuvre, having my
doubts as to whether the brig would stay under such short canvas as that
which she now had set; but upon putting the helm down all my
apprehensions were at once set at rest, for she came round like a top.
But I was fully confirmed in my conviction that it would be unwise to
attempt to get any more canvas on the vessel, for although the trysail
worked itself the two stay-sails and the jib proved to be quite as much
as we three men could well manage.
Having made a long "leg" across the bay, we now had to make a short one;
and no sooner were we round than I took another look at Juan and his
party through the telescope, just to see how they were getting on. To
my amazement they appeared to have already executed some sort of repair
of the boat that they had been working upon, for as I brought the glass
to bear upon them I saw that they had turned her over and were carrying
her down to the water's edge, with the evident intention of launching
her; and while I stood watching they actually got her afloat. Then,
while one man got into her and immediately started baling, the remaining
five hurried off to the wharf, and, disappearing into one of the sheds,
presently reappeared, carrying oars, boat-hook, rudder, bottom boards,
stretchers, and other matters of boats' furniture. These they carried
down to where the boat was lying, and having placed them in position,
jumped in and pushed off.
"By Jove, Fonseca, they are after us already!" I exclaimed. "Now if
they have managed to make a good repair of that boat they will overhaul
us before we can get clear of the bay. And that will mean a fight, for
I certainly do not mean to give in if I can help it; and if we can
muster half a dozen muskets and a few rounds of ammunition we ought to
be able to keep those fellows from coming alongside, we having the
advantage of the deck to fight from. See, they know well what they are
about; they are not attempting to follow us, but are pulling straight
for the entrance, keeping close under the lee of the land."
"Yes, I see," answered Fonseca as he took the telescope from me and
applied it to his eye. "But I see also, senor, that one man is kept
busy baling with a bucket, so it is evident that the boat leaks badly;
and it may be that before they can overtake us they will be obliged to
give up and go back to save the boat from swamping under them."
"Possibly," I agreed. "Nevertheless I think it would be only wise of us
to take every reasonable precaution. Therefore I shall feel obliged if
you will be good enough to go below and look out a dozen muskets--you
will doubtless know where to find them--and, having found them, load
them with ball and bring them up on deck to me."
"Certainly, senor; there will be no difficulty about that," assented
Fonseca. "I will go at once." And he forthwith vanished down the
companion way. A quarter of an hour later he returned with six loaded
muskets in his arms, which he deposited upon the stern-grating, and then
went below for the remaining half-dozen.
Meanwhile we had been slipping quite nimbly across the bay, and by the
time that Fonseca had returned with the second lot of muskets we had
neared the land sufficiently to render it necessary for us to heave
about again. By the time that we had tacked and were full again the
boat had neared us to within about a mile, and it became a practical
certainty that, unless something quite unforeseen occurred, we should be
obliged to fight our passage out to sea. But we were now making a "long
leg" again, leaving the boat almost astern of us, and going at least as
fast through the water as she was, if not somewhat faster. Then, as I
stood at the wheel steering, with my thoughts wandering away into the
past, an idea suddenly entered my head, and I said to Fonseca:
"By the way, Fonseca, can you tell me whether this is the brig that,
some six months ago, attacked a little schooner called the _Dolores_
over on the Guinea coast, and, after taking a cargo of slaves out of
her, scuttled her in cold blood, leaving the survivors of her crew to go
down with her?"
The man looked at me in consternation. "Why, how on earth did you come
to know of that rascally transaction, senor?" he demanded.
"Because," said I, "I happened to be in command of the _Dolores_ at the
time, and was one of those who were left to perish in her. She was a
prize, and I had been given charge of her, with orders to take her to
Sierra Leone."
"How extraordinary!" he exclaimed. "And, pray, how did you manage to
escape, senor?"
I told him the whole story, concluding by saying: "I have had a rod in
pickle for this brig ever since. I vowed then that I would find and
take her; and, having succeeded thus far, I am not going to allow myself
to be baffled by half a dozen men in an open boat."
When we next went about I saw that we were heading well up for the
narrow passage which formed the entrance of the bay; but the boat had
made such good progress that it was quite an open question whether she
or the brig would first reach it. I believed that if we could reach it
with a lead of even so little as a quarter of a mile we could get out
without coming to blows; but should the boat succeed in approaching us
any closer than that, I foresaw that she must inevitably overtake us in
"the narrows", which would be the very worst place possible for us,
since we were beating out against the trade wind, and the spot that we
were now approaching was so exceedingly narrow that there was scarcely
width enough for even so smart a vessel as the _Barracouta_ to work in
it. We should no sooner be about and nicely gathering steerage way than
down the helm would have to go again, and we should have our hands quite
sufficiently full in looking after the ship just there without the
additional worry of being obliged to drive off a boat. I therefore
determined that should there presently prove to be any doubt about the
matter I would edge away down upon the boat and have it out with her
while we still had room in which to manoeuvre the ship.
The brig and the boat were now approaching each other on courses that
converged at about right angles, the boat being on our lee bow, but
drawing ahead at a pace which threatened to bring her unpleasantly near
us if it did not actually carry her across our forefoot. But as we drew
nearer I noticed that, despite the continuous baling that was going on
aboard the boat, she had settled so deeply in the water that she could
scarcely hope to keep afloat another half-hour, and the idea came to me
that if I could avoid her for that length of time I need fear no further
trouble from her, for she would simply swamp with her crew and leave
them to swim for their lives. I carefully examined the shore through
the telescope to see whether there was a spot on which our pursuers
could beach their boat and get rid of the water by the simple process of
turning her over and pouring the water out of her, but I could see no
such spot; the whole shore, right out to the narrows, was steep-to, with
a confused fringe of great masses of rock upon which it would be quite
impossible to haul up a boat.
As the two craft drew close together it became increasingly doubtful
whether we should be able to avoid the boat unless by the adoption of
some especial measures, and at length I saw that when the time should
arrive for us to heave in stays our pursuers would have actually cut us
off. I therefore stood on until we had arrived within about a hundred
yards of them, by which time they were dead ahead of us, and lying upon
their oars, waiting for us to endeavour to pass them, when I calmly put
the brig's helm hard up, instead of down, and we wore round on the other
tack, going back over pretty nearly the same ground that we had
traversed a few minutes before, to the intense disgust and
disappointment of Juan and his companions, who had evidently quite made
up their minds that they had us fairly caught. The moment that our
manoeuvre had so far developed as to be understood, the occupants of the
boat sent up a yell of execration, and began to shout all manner of
dreadful threats at us, while they frantically strove to get their crazy
boat round in order to come after us in chase. But it soon became
apparent that, the boat being in a waterlogged condition, and the
oarsmen almost worn out with fatigue, our pursuers had not a ghost of a
chance of overtaking us. They, as well as we, recognised this when it
was all but too late. Then it dawned upon them that we might evade them
with the utmost ease, for practically as long as we chose, by simply
repeating our last manoeuvre until their boat should sink under them--an
event, by the way, which they could not much longer defer. After
pursuing us, therefore, for nearly a mile, they suddenly abandoned the
chase, and, turning the boat's head in the direction of the wharf,
devoted their efforts to the successful accomplishment of their return.
We did not wait to see how they fared, but, as soon as they were fairly
out of our way, tacked again, and half an hour later found ourselves
fully employed in negotiating the exceedingly difficult navigation of
the narrows, which we successfully accomplished after several
exceedingly close shaves of the rocks that border the passage on either
hand. Half an hour of this work sufficed to take us clear, when we
emerged into another funnel-shaped channel leading into the open water
of the Bahama Channel. It was close upon eight bells of the afternoon
watch when we finally went out clear of everything, by which time we
were all quite ready for the appetising meal that Mammy, arrogating to
herself the duties of cook, had prepared for us in the ship's galley.
Under our short canvas it took us the best part of three days to beat up
to Cape Maysi, the easternmost extremity of Cuba, which we safely
weathered about four bells in the forenoon watch on the third morning
after our escape. Then, the weather being fine, with the wind well over
our port quarter for the run through the Windward Channel across to
Morant Point, we ventured to get a little more canvas on the craft,
setting both topsails, which quickened up our speed to close on seven
knots. The weather continuing fine all through that day and the
succeeding night, we sighted the broken water on the Formigas Bank the
next morning at breakfast-time, and passed it a quarter of an hour
later. At noon of that same day we sighted Morant Point, the
easternmost extremity of the island of Jamaica, and rounded it two hours
later. A pilot boarded us about six bells, off Yallahs Point, and
finally we entered Port Royal harbour, and let go our anchor, on the
very last of the sea breeze, just as the bell of the flagship was
striking four in the first dog watch.
Now that we had actually arrived I could see that Fonseca and, still
more, Jose felt a considerable amount of anxiety as to what was likely
to befall them in consequence of their connection with so notorious and
formidable a pirate as Ricardo, but I was able pretty well to reassure
the surgeon, at least, for he had told me his story, and I believed it
would not be very difficult for him to satisfy the authorities that he
had been compelled to join the pirates, and had never been permitted the
least chance to effect his escape on those rare occasions when the
_Barracouta_ had been obliged to call at an ordinary port. Further,
there was the fact, to which of course I could bear personal testimony,
that he had warned Lotta and myself of the fate designed for us by
Dominique and the rest, after the death of Ricardo, and had most loyally
aided us to effect our escape. So far as Jose was concerned I did not
feel quite so sure of being able to screen him, but I told him that I
believed I could at least ensure that his punishment should not be more
severe than that involved in his compulsory entry on board a British
man-o'-war--for he, too, had loyally done his fair share of work on the
passage round to Port Royal. The fellow, however, took care to leave
nothing to chance, for some time during that same night he contrived to
entice a boat alongside, and in her made his way to Kingston, where he
vanished.
I made no attempt to go ashore or otherwise communicate with the admiral
on the night of our arrival, for I had been on deck practically the
whole time of our passage, snatching an hour or two of sleep when and
how I could, and I felt that now I was entitled to, and should be all
the better for, a thorough good night's rest. But the next morning I
was up betimes, and, having breakfasted, went ashore in a shore boat and
presented myself for admittance at the admiral's office, so as to catch
him as soon as the old fellow should arrive from Kingston. Prior to
this, however, I had sighted and identified the little _Francesca_,
lying about half a mile farther up the harbour, looking as smart and
saucy as though she had never been mauled by a pirate. There were very
few people moving so early in the morning, and I hastened to take
shelter in the office, as I was anxious to avoid meeting any of my
former friends or acquaintances until I had first had an interview with
Sir Timothy.
It was getting well on toward eleven o'clock when at length his barge
dashed up alongside the wharf, and he came bustling along toward his
office, smartening up this, that, and the other person who did not seem
to be infusing a proper amount of energy into his work as he came along.
As he entered I heard the office messenger say something to him in a low
tone, to which he responded:
"What? Nonsense! you must be mistaken, Mooney, or else you have been
drinking this morning."
"Not a drop, your honour, has passed my lips this mornin'," I heard the
man answer. "And furthermore, sir, the gentleman's inside this minit,
waitin' to see ye."
The next moment Sir Timothy entered, and I rose to my feet.
"Well, I'll be shot, so it is!" he gasped. Then he grasped me by the
hand and shook it heartily, exclaiming: "Welcome back to Port Royal, my
boy, welcome back! And now, sit down and tell me in half a dozen words,
for I'm frightfully busy this morning, where you have been, and what you
have done with yourself."
Thereupon I resumed my seat, and spun my yarn, not in half a dozen words
exactly, but as briefly as possible, confining myself to the statement
of just the leading facts and incidents, and reserving the details for a
more suitable occasion. But I mentioned Lotta, and ventured to ask Sir
Timothy's advice as to how I should proceed in the matter of procuring
her lodgment and so on until her trustees could be communicated with and
she could be restored to their charge.
"Oh, as to that," answered Sir Timothy, "there need be no difficulty at
all! You must dine with me at the Pen to-night, of course, so that you
can give me your yarn at full length, and you had better bring the young
lady with you. Lady Mary is the best person to decide what to do with
her."
Accordingly, that afternoon I took Lotta ashore with me, and, having
looked in upon the Todds on our way, and, needless to say, received a
most hospitable and friendly welcome, hired a ketureen and drove her up
to the Pen, where Lady Mary, having been previously prepared by her
husband, forthwith took possession of her and carried her off to her own
private room, from which she reappeared no more until dinner-time, when
to my amazement Lotta was led forth to be presented to the assembled
company, attired in a rig which Lady Mary and her maid had devised upon
the spur of the moment, and in which the senorita looked so surpassingly
lovely that the sight of her fairly took my breath away.
Sir Timothy, with that inherent kindness of heart which was one of his
most pronounced characteristics, took care that I was the hero of the
evening, making me spin my yarn in detail to him and his guests; and at
the end thereof awarding me a great deal more praise than I was in the
least entitled to. Lotta and I slept at the Pen that night, and after
all the guests had left, we four, that is to say Sir Timothy, Lady Mary,
Lotta, and I, resolved ourselves into a sort of council. It was
ultimately arranged that Lotta was to remain at the Pen as the guest of
Lady Mary and Sir Timothy until her trustees could be communicated with,
and arrangements made with them for her to return and take possession of
her home and property, and that I, meanwhile, was to resume command of
the _Francesca_, and in her proceed to the pirate rendezvous and destroy
the place utterly, making prisoners of all who should be found about the
place, and, of course, taking care to bring back whatever booty the
pirates might have been found to have accumulated. It is proper to say
here that I did not consider it necessary to mention to Sir Timothy
anything about Ricardo's private store of treasure hidden in the cave.
I felt that Ricardo had been perfectly right when he said that I had as
good a right as anybody to that, and I was quite determined that it
should be Lotta's and mine, to bring about which result I felt that my
best plan would be to keep the whole matter to myself.
It happened that the _Francesca_ was quite ready for sea, and there was
therefore nothing to wait for except a few necessary articles of
clothing for myself. Accordingly, within forty-eight hours of my
arrival in Port Royal, aboard the _Barracouta_, I was at sea again in
the schooner, on my way to demolish the lair of the pirates. Carrying
on heavily we arrived in the bay on the afternoon of the second day out,
and anchored in such a position that not only the wharf and the various
sheds, but also the bungalow, were within range of the schooner's guns.
Then, while one-half of the crew remained on board to take care of the
vessel, and guard against the possibility of the pirates playing off my
own trick upon me and stealing the schooner, the other half, armed to
the teeth, accompanied me ashore and proceeded to collect and convey to
the schooner all the booty of every kind that we could find, and which
seemed worth carrying off. Not a pirate appeared to say us nay; indeed,
a little investigation soon made it apparent that my act of running away
with their brig had caused them to take the alarm and make their escape
in certain of the boats which I had damaged. Plain evidence was
discovered of the fact that they had hurriedly repaired four of their
boats and had gone off, carrying away with them all their portable booty
in the shape of coin, bullion, jewellery, etcetera, and leaving only
that which was too bulky to be stowed in their boats. We found
sufficient of the latter, however, in the shape of valuable merchandise,
to load the schooner very nearly down to her covering board; having
stowed which safely away, we set fire to the whole place, and never left
it until every building, including the bungalow, had been utterly
destroyed. And thus ended my long and persistent pursuit of one of the
most pestilent and formidable gangs of pirates that had haunted the
Atlantic and West Indian waters for many years.
There is very little more left me to say. Sir Timothy was good enough
to award me a great deal more praise for my conduct over this affair
than I felt that I at all deserved, although my conscience was not
tender enough to cause me to refuse the promotion that soon afterwards
followed.
Lotta remained with Sir Timothy and Lady Mary for nearly two months,
during which I was afforded ample opportunity to enjoy her society and
bask in her smiles; and at the end of that period her guardians came
over from Cuba and took her back with them for the purpose of placing
her in possession of her magnificent estate, which comprised several
thousand acres of the finest tobacco-growing district in the island.
But before she went an arrangement had been come to between her and
myself that we were to marry as soon as I had attained my post-
captaincy, which occurred within a couple of years, thanks to the
interest which Sir Timothy was good enough to take in me, and the
opportunities which he constantly afforded me for gaining step after
step "up the ratlines". Needless to say I took an early opportunity to
pay yet another and a final visit to Ricardo's rendezvous for the
purpose of securing the treasure which he had bequeathed to me, and
which I cautiously, and bit by bit, as opportunity offered, converted
into money, which I safely invested in the public funds.
As for Fonseca, I was able to make such representations on his behalf as
secured him complete immunity from prosecution for his connection with
the pirates; and a firm friendship rapidly sprang up between us which
ended in his establishing himself as a medical practitioner in Cuba, in
the district in which Lotta's estates were situate; and he is now one of
the most popular and prosperous physicians in the island.