of the deck-house, just as Y--a rectangular flag composed of red and
yellow diagonal stripes--went soaring up to the fore-mast-head.
"Good-morning, Jack! good-morning, Captain!" said Don Hermoso. "Is that
red-and-yellow flag the prearranged signal agreed upon for our
identification by the pilot and the people on shore?"
"It is, Senor," answered Milsom. "There is Cape Frances, on our port
bow--no doubt you recognise it--and if your pilot is keeping a proper
lookout, he ought to spot us immediately upon our rounding that point."
"And no doubt he will, Captain," returned Don Hermoso. "So that is Cape
Frances? No, I do not recognise it, Senor, for I have never before
passed it at sea. And those are the Sierras de los Organos yonder, and
the Sierras del Rosario farther on to the right. I recognise them, of
course. And--yes, surely--just to the right of that isolated peak I can
see what must certainly be the town of Pinar del Rio! We are not far
from home now, Carlos, and if all goes well with us to-day we ought to-
night to sleep in our own casa, and see dear little Isolda once more.
The child will rejoice to have us with her again."
"Yes," said Carlos, "and I shall not only rejoice to see her again, but
to know that you are once more on the spot to look after her. In her
last letter to me, received at Key West, she mentioned that Don
Sebastian Alvaros has been a most persistent visitor to the house ever
since we left Cuba, and I have my doubts of that man. I did not mention
the matter to you when I received the letter, as I did not wish to make
you feel uneasy; but now that we may hope to be at home to-night I think
it only right that you should know."
"Ah!" remarked Don Hermoso; "I will see that Don Sebastian's visits are
discouraged henceforth. It is true that I know nothing against him--
indeed, he is spoken of as a very promising officer--still, like
yourself, Carlos, I do not altogether trust him; he is not precisely a
desirable acquaintance, and I will endeavour to make him understand that
he is not wanted at the hacienda."
At this moment the _Thetis_ passed Cape Frances and opened out into the
Bay of Cortes.
"There is our destination, gentlemen," said Milsom, pointing to a
projecting bluff some eight or nine miles up the coast. "That bluff is
Piedras Point; and beyond it is the Laguna de Cortes--or the Pirates'
Lagoon as some people call it. And here we are at the edge of the Bank;
from this point onward I intend to proceed very cautiously indeed."
So saying, he laid his hand upon the handle of the engine-room telegraph
and rang down for "Half speed", calling down the voice tube a moment
later for the engines to be run dead slow. And as the yacht slowed up
she passed from the dark blue of the deep water to the pale, whitish
blue of the shallow water that covers the immense coral reef known
locally as The Bank.
"Mr Perkins," shouted Milsom, "I must have a man as lookout at the
foremast-head, if you please. You had better bend a boatswain's chair
on to the gaff-topsail halyards, and send him up in that, as I shall
require him to stay there until we are safely at anchor. And when you
have done that, rouse your cable on deck, and see everything ready for
letting go. Jack, I can spare eyes for nothing but the ship just now,
so oblige me, will you, by taking the glasses, and say whether you can
see anything in the shape of a boat coming toward us with a flag flying.
And, between whiles, you may just look carefully along the coast to see
if you can spot a guarda-costa hovering about. We don't want to be
caught napping in the act of landing this stuff."
Jack took the glasses out of their case and swept the whole of the
visible coast, but for some time without result; there was nothing under
either sail or steam to be seen in any direction. At length, however,
when the yacht had arrived within about two miles of Piedras Point, a
small pirogue under sail suddenly shot out from behind the point,
heading to the southward close-hauled; she carried a sprit-mainsail and
a jib, and at the top end of the sprit there fluttered a diminutive
replica of the red-and-yellow flag which was flying from the fore truck
of the yacht.
"Ah!" exclaimed Jack, as he brought his glasses to bear upon the boat;
"here comes your pilot, Phil, at last, and he is flying the `all right'
signal, so I suppose we may take it for granted that the coast is
clear."
"Yes, I see him," answered Milsom. "Keep her away a couple of points,
Quartermaster, and give that boat a chance to fetch us. She is coming
alongside. Masthead there. Keep a very bright lookout, my man, for
sunken rocks; there are plenty of them to be found here if they are
looked for."
"Ay, ay, sir!" answered the man. "We have passed a few already; but I
didn't say anything, because we weren't headin' so as to hit 'em."
Ten minutes later the pirogue was close at hand, and Milsom rang down
the signal to "Stop". The pirogue was a very quaint-looking craft, of
about twenty feet in length by some five feet beam, formed out of a
solid log of wood which had been roughly trimmed with an axe to form the
bottom portion of her, with a couple of planks above to form her top
sides. Although the trade wind was blowing quite fresh, this queer-
looking craft carried no ballast, properly so-called; but to prevent her
from capsizing a couple of negroes stood on her weather gunwale, holding
on to ropes attached to her masthead, and leaning back almost
horizontally out over the water. A third negro, attired in a
picturesquely dirty shirt, and trousers rolled up above his knees, and
with a most shockingly dilapidated straw hat on his head, steered the
little craft by means of a broad-bladed paddle laid out over the lee
quarter. Primitive, however, as the craft was in appearance, she came
through the water at a most astonishing rate, and presently shot up
alongside under the lee of the yacht, the two negroes who acted as
ballast smartly recovering themselves and springing inboard as she did
so. A rope's end was thrown down into her, and the picturesque
individual who had been steering her nimbly climbed up the side of the
yacht and stepped on deck, where he was met by Don Hermoso.
"Buenos dias, Senor!" exclaimed the fellow, doffing his ragged head-
covering with the flourish and grace of a grandee. "Cuba is ready!"
(This was the password that was to prove the _bona fides_ of the man.)
"And we also are ready," answered Don Hermoso. "Is the coast clear?"
"Quite clear, Senor," answered the man, who, by the way, was a turtle
fisher, inhabiting a hut on one of the small cays that stretched across
the entrance of the lagoon which the yacht was approaching. "A gunboat
has been cruising about the bay of late, but she steamed away yesterday
morning, after communicating with the shore, and we have seen nothing of
her since."
"Then we had better proceed forthwith, and get our work over whilst the
opportunity is favourable," remarked Don Hermoso. "What is your name,
by the by?"
"Pedro, Senor--Pedro Velasquez," answered the man.
"Good!" said Don Hermoso. "Follow me up to the bridge, Pedro.
"This is our pilot, Captain," he continued, introducing the negro to
Milsom, who looked at him quizzically and responded to his bow by
somewhat curtly bidding him "Good-morning!"
"He says that the coast is clear, so we may as well proceed forthwith.
How do we steer, Pedro?"
"Keep an offing of a mile, to allow of room for turning, and to get a
straight run in. For the present we may head for that white building on
the hillside yonder," answered Pedro.
This being clear to Milsom, the latter touched the telegraph, and the
yacht proceeded, with the pirogue astern in tow. Presently three small
cays detached themselves from the mainland, revealing a fine spacious
expanse of land-locked water behind them; and when, a little later, the
_Thetis_ had brought the largest cay fair abeam, the pilot waved his
hand, the helm was put hard a-starboard, and the vessel's bows were
pointed straight for the channel between the northernmost cay and the
mainland.
"We must enter the channel very slowly, Senor," cautioned Pedro, "for
the navigation of it is rather awkward, and I doubt whether a vessel of
this size has ever before been taken into the lagoon."
With her engines going dead slow, and occasionally stopping altogether
to deaden her way, the yacht crept cautiously along until, having passed
the critical danger-spot, she slid into the lagoon, which was now seen
to be a sheet of water some four miles long by about two miles broad,
trending due north and south, with a creek in its north-west corner,
toward which the bows of the vessel were turned, the speed being
quickened up to about eight knots. Ten minutes later the pilot gave the
word to be ready to anchor; the engines were stopped and then sent
astern, and a minute afterwards, the yacht having been brought to a
standstill, the anchor was let go, and the voyagers found themselves
riding in a fine, snug harbour, absolutely safe in all weathers, and
perfectly screened from the view of anything and everything that might
chance to pass outside.
No sooner was the anchor down than the creek abreast which the yacht was
moored began to swarm with boats of all shapes and sizes, which came
hurrying out to receive and transfer to the shore the cases of arms,
ammunition, dynamite, lead, and supplies of all kinds which lay snugly
stowed away beneath the floors of the ship's saloons; while the entire
strength of the yacht's crew was employed upon the task of breaking out
the packages and conveying them on deck. The boats' crews were all
coloured men, and mostly negroes; but in the leading boat there came a
mulatto bearing a letter from Rabi, the then leader of the insurgents,
to Don Hermoso, authorising the bearer, one Jose Seguin, to receive the
contraband, which was now passed down into the boats with all possible
speed, as a rumour had reached the place that a strong body of Spanish
troops was in the neighbourhood, and might make its appearance at any
moment. It did not turn up, however, and by two o'clock in the
afternoon every scrap of incriminating material was out of the yacht and
on its way to the headquarters of the insurgents, somewhere up in the
Organ Mountains. Every scrap, that is to say, except the four 12-pound
quick-firers and the two Maxims, with their store of ammunition, which
constituted the armament of the yacht. These weapons had not thus far
been mounted, it having been deemed inadvisable to make so unusual a
display as that of an armed yacht in the harbour of Key West, lest undue
attention should be attracted to the vessel, and inconvenient questions
asked. But now, by Milsom's advice, they got the weapons up and mounted
them, so that, in the event of the vessel being searched by the Spanish
authorities, there should be nothing in the nature of concealed weapons
on board to afford an excuse for the making of trouble. Thus, by the
end of the afternoon watch the yacht was again spruce and clean as a new
pin, and made a very brave show with her brand-new, silver-bright guns
grinning threateningly out over the rail, and the two Maxims all ready
for action on the top of the deck-house. Her appearance said, as
plainly as words: "Touch me who dares!" yet her armament was not
boisterously aggressive, considering that her presumptive owner had set
out from England with no very settled programme, but the possibility
that ere he returned he might be moved to visit spots where, despite the
rapid spread of civilisation, might is still right.
The hurry and confusion incidental to the landing of the yacht's cargo
of contraband had been so great that any such orderly meal as the usual
luncheon had been out of the question, and everybody had eaten and drunk
as they worked, snatching a mouthful or a gulp when they could; the
little saloon party were consequently now gathered on the top of the
deck-house, getting an early afternoon tea, while the anchor was being
hove up by means of the steam windlass, prior to the vessel proceeding
to sea again. Don Hermoso had been congratulating himself and everybody
else upon the ease and complete success with which the yacht's primary
mission had been accomplished, and had also expressed himself very
nicely as to the magnitude of his obligation to Jack and Milsom for the
invaluable assistance which they had rendered, without which, the Don
declared, the adventure could never have been brought to a successful
issue. "And now, my dear Jack," he continued, "I have two further
favours to ask you. The first is that you will have the goodness to
land Carlos and myself as soon as may be at Calonna--which is about
twenty-two miles to the eastward of this--in order that we may take the
train thence to Pinar del Rio, in time, perhaps, to reach home to-night;
and the second is, that you will favour us with your company for as long
a time as you may be disposed to stay. Then, having landed us, Captain
Milsom can take the yacht round to Havana, when, if the island proves to
be sufficiently quiet to allow of the vessel being left in Perkins's
charge, we shall feel happy if he also"--with a bow to Milsom--"will
honour our poor house with his presence for a time, until, indeed, the
yacht is again required for service."
Jack accepted the invitation promptly and unhesitatingly: Carlos and he
were old chums, and indeed almost like brothers; while as for Don
Hermoso, Jack had seen enough of him during the voyage out to have
contracted for him a feeling of the highest regard and esteem. He knew
that the invitation was as earnest and cordial as words could make it;
and the conversations that had been engaged in from time to time on
board the yacht had caused him to become profoundly interested in Cuba,
and filled him with an intense desire to see the island, and, if
possible, be an eye-witness of its struggle for liberty. Milsom, on the
other hand, while perhaps as keen as Jack to see all that there was to
be seen, was, above and before all things else, a sailor; his acceptance
of Don Hermoso's invitation, therefore, was qualified by sundry
conditions, every one of which had reference to the question of the
safety of the yacht.
By the time that the conversation had reached this point the anchor was
a-trip, and Milsom went to the engine-room telegraph, while the
quartermaster climbed up to the bridge and stationed himself at the
wheel. Velasquez was no longer on board, Milsom having informed him
that he could now dispense with his services--for it was one of
Lieutenant Philip Milsom's characteristics that when he had once
witnessed the navigation of any particular passage he could at any time
thereafter perform the same feat of navigation himself; he therefore now
took sole charge of the yacht and skilfully navigated her out of the
lagoon and into the open sea, setting the course for Calonna, after
which he again calmly seated himself at the table and asked for another
cup of tea.
The yacht, running at about eleven knots, had accomplished a little more
than half the distance between the lagoon and Calonna when smoke was
seen ahead, and a few minutes later a steamer was made out coming toward
them. There was nothing alarming in this, of course, for small coasting
steamers are constantly plying between the various ports along the coast
of Cuba: but it was not long ere it became apparent, from the rig of the
approaching craft--which was that of a three-masted schooner--that she
was a Government vessel, probably a gunboat; and Milsom made no secret
of his relief at the fact that everything of a compromising nature had
been safely got out of the _Thetis_. Any doubt that might have existed
as to the character of the stranger was soon dispelled; for when she
arrived within about a mile of the _Thetis_ she hoisted the Spanish
naval ensign at her mizen peak and, slowing down, rounded-to athwart the
yacht's course, at the same time hoisting the international signal,
"Heave-to; I am sending a boat!"
"What is the proper thing to do, Phil?" demanded Jack, when Milsom read
out the interpretation of the signal. "He has no right to stop us, has
he?"
"Certainly not," answered Milsom. "If he suspects us of an intention to
smuggle he may follow and watch us, of course; but to stop us in this
high-handed fashion is coming it rather too strong. He knows that we
are an English yacht, for there are our ensign and burgee to bear
witness to the fact. Nevertheless, since we have happily got rid of
everything of a compromising nature, we may as well heave-to and allow
him to board us, when you, Jack, in your character as owner, may make as
much fuss as you please--the more the better--and threaten to report
him, also to complain to your Government of the insult and outrage to
which he has subjected you. In short, `bluff' him for all that you're
worth."
"All right!" said Jack, "I will. When--"
His further remarks were cut short by the flash of a gun and a jet of
smoke spouting from the bows of the gunboat; and the next instant a
twenty-four-pound round shot came ricochetting toward the yacht, missing
her by only about a dozen yards!
"Confound the fellow's impudence!" exclaimed Milsom, as he dashed at the
bridge telegraph and signalled to stop the engines. "It would rightly
serve him if we were to return his fire. But perhaps the wisest plan
and the most dignified will be to stop and let him come aboard. But
give it him hot for firing upon the British flag. Make him sit up! I
only wish that I could jabber Spanish as fluently as you do; I'd scare
him out of his skin!"
As the yacht, with the way that she had on her, gradually drifted down
toward the gunboat, it was seen that the latter was preparing to lower a
boat; and presently a gig, manned by six oarsmen and a coxswain, was
hauled up to her gangway, down the ladder of which an officer in
lieutenant's uniform presently descended, stepping into the boat, which
then pushed off and headed toward the _Thetis_. Meanwhile, Milsom
having said a few hasty words to Perkins, the yacht's gangway had been
thrown open and her accommodation ladder lowered, and when presently the
Spanish boat dashed alongside and hooked on, Jack and Milsom were
standing just inside the gangway, waiting to receive the officer. He
was a rather good-looking man, somewhere about thirty years of age, and
as he sprang up the ladder and in on deck he touched the peak of his
uniform cap by way of salute: and Milsom saw his eyebrows go up as his
eyes fell upon the two quick-firers that graced the yacht's after deck.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen!" he said, in almost perfect English; "what
ship is this?"
"Leave him to me, Jack," whispered Milsom, upon discovering the welcome
fact that he could make himself understood; and without waiting for
Jack's consent he stepped forward and answered:
"This is the English yacht _Thetis_, of the Royal Thames Yacht Club, as
you may see by looking at that ensign. And what ship is that, sir; and
what does the captain of her mean by firing upon us?"
"That ship, Senor, is His Spanish Majesty's gunboat _Tiburon_, sent out
especially to look for your vessel," answered the officer. "My
Government has received positive intelligence from a reliable source
that you have on board a large consignment of arms and ammunition
destined for the use of the Cuban insurgents; and our instructions are
to seize your vessel and take her into Havana. We fired upon you
because you were somewhat slow in obeying our summons to stop."
"Oh!" said Milsom, "so that is how matters stand, is it? And do you
suppose, sir, that Great Britain will allow her flag to be fired on
without having something to say about it?"
"Great Britain will scarcely be willing to protect a vessel which, under
the shelter of her flag, is engaged in succouring those who are
rebelling against the rule of a friendly nation!" remarked the officer.
"And, in any case, we are prepared to take the consequences of our acts.
We know this so-called yacht to be a smuggler of contraband of war, and
we intend to seize her."
"What if I were to tell you that we have not an ounce of contraband of
war on board?" enquired Milsom.
"My captain would simply not believe you, Senor," answered the Spaniard.
"You will therefore be pleased to regard this vessel as a prize, and
yourselves as prisoners!" and he stepped quickly to the gangway and
called to the armed crew of the boat to come out of her. As he did so,
Milsom put a whistle to his lips and blew a short, shrill blast. There
instantly followed a rush of bare feet along the deck; and as the
Spaniards passed in through the yacht's gangway they found themselves
confronted with some thirty stalwart British seamen, with drawn
cutlasses in their hands and revolvers in their belts.
"Caramba! What does this mean, Senor?" demanded the Spanish lieutenant,
starting back in dismay at this unexpected _denouement_.
"It means just this, Senor Teniente," answered Milsom; "we don't intend
to stand any nonsense of any description. You go back to your ship and
tell your captain that, since somebody seems to have sent him out on a
fool's errand, my owner here, Senor Don John Singleton, will--purely as
an act of courtesy, mind you--permit him, or you, to search this ship
from stem to stern and from keel to truck, in order that you may
thoroughly satisfy yourselves that we have no contraband, whether of war
or otherwise, on board. But there will be no seizure of this ship;
understand that! Such an act would be an outrage to our flag; and, as
you may see, we are both ready and willing to resist it! Also, you will
please tell your captain that we demand an ample apology for his high-
handed behaviour in daring to fire upon us."
"Carrajo! Senor, those are very big words; and you ought to be
perfectly certain of yourself before you use them. They are offensive,
sir; and a Spanish officer allows no one to use such words to him with
impunity!" exclaimed the Spaniard.
"Sir," retorted Milsom, "the behaviour of your captain in firing upon
this yacht was offensive; and he will find that he cannot treat
Englishmen in that fashion with impunity. There is a right and a wrong
way of doing these things, and your captain has chosen the wrong way; he
will therefore be made to suffer for it."
"We shall see, Senor Englishman; we shall see," returned the Spaniard.
"Then, am I to understand that you refuse to surrender your ship?"
"Yes, sir," answered Milsom; "that is precisely what I wish you to
understand. And I wish you to understand, further, that if you dare to
attempt force, I will treat you as a pirate, and sink you, despite your
flag. You see that I have the means and the power to carry out my
threat--" waving his hand first towards the guns and then towards his
men.
"Very well, Senor," answered the Spaniard, livid with rage at being thus
hectored before his own men, "I will tell my captain what you say; and
it will be for him to decide how he will deal with you. If it rested
with me, I would blow your ship out of the water. And I shall remember
your face, Senor; and it may be that some day we shall meet on shore."
"I expect to be in Havana to-morrow, or next day, Senor Teniente, and it
will afford me the greatest pleasure to meet you there," answered
Milsom. "Good afternoon, and don't forget to tell your captain that if
he chooses to come on board in a friendly way, my owner here will be
very pleased to see him, and to show him all over the ship. He can look
into every nook and cranny of her if it will afford him any satisfaction
to do so."
The Spanish lieutenant bowed without speaking, signed to his men to go
back into their boat, and followed them down the side. Five minutes
later Jack and Milsom saw him gesticulating violently on the gunboat's
quarter-deck as he related to the commander of the craft his version of
the recent interview.
CHAPTER SIX.
COMMANDER DON LUIS Y ALBUQUERQUE.
"I say, Phil, you seemed to have your knife into that Spaniard," said
Jack, as he and Milsom stood watching the gunboat. "You appeared to
take a delight in rubbing his fur the wrong way."