CHAPTER LI
IN THE SEA FOG
For a few minutes I was engaged in a wild struggle to get away from therocks, and not to be forced back by the shoreward rush and sweep of thewaves. I was buffeted by them, and half-choked by the boiling foam; butI kept blindly and desperately to my task, and presently knew that I hadonly to deal with the current and the natural rise and fall of therollers. Down on the water the air was full of noises, so that it washard to distinguish any individual sound; but the fog lay less dense onthe surface than above it, so that I could see a little better aroundme.
On the sea there is always more or less light; even in this time ofmidnight gloom, with moon and stars hidden by the fog, and with none ofthat phosphorescence which at times makes a luminous glow of its ownover the water, I could see things at an unexpected distance. More thanall, was I surprised as well as cheered to find that I could distinguishthe features of the land from the sea, better than I could from landdiscern anything at sea. When I looked back, the shore rose, a darkuneven line, unbroken save where the Haven of Dunbuy running inland madean angle against the sky. But beside me, the great Rock of Dunbuy rosegigantic and black; it was like a mountain towering over me. The tidewas running down so that when I had got out of the current runninginland behind the rock I was in comparatively calm water. There was nodownward current, but only a slow backwater, which insensibly took mecloser to the Rock. Keeping in this shelter, I swam on and out; I savedmyself as much as I could, for I knew of the terrible demand on mystrength which lay before me. It must have been about ten minutes,though it seemed infinitely longer, when I began to emerge from theshelter of the Rock and to find again the force of the outer current.The waves were wilder here too; not so wild as just in shore before theybroke, but they were considerably larger in their rise and fall. As Iswam on, I looked back now and then, and saw Dunbuy behind me toweringupward, though not so monstrously as when I had been under its lee. Thecurrent was beginning already to bear me downwards; so I changed mycourse, and got back to the sheltered water again. Thus I crept roundunder the lee of the Rock, till all at once I found myself in the angryrace, where the current beat on and off the cliff. It took me all mystrength and care to swim through this; when the force of the currentbegan to slacken, as I emerged from the race, I found myself panting andbreathless with the exertion.
But when I looked around me from this point, where the east opened tome, there was something which restored all my courage and hope, thoughit did not still the beating of my heart.
Close by, seemingly only a couple of hundred yards off to the northeast, lay a ship whose masts and spars stood out against the sky. Icould see her clearly, before a coming belt of fog bore down on her.
The apprehension lest I should miss her in the fog chilled me more thanthe sea water in which I was immersed; for all possibilities of evilbecame fears to me, now that the realisation of my vision was clear. Iwas glad of the darkness; it was a guarantee against discovery. I swamon quietly, and was rejoiced to find as I drew close that I was on theport side of the ship; well I remembered how in my vision the boatapproached to port, to the surprise of the men who were looking out forit on the other side. I found the rope ladder easily enough, and did nothave much difficulty in getting a foothold on it. Ascending cautiously,and watching every inch of the way, I climbed the bulwark and hid behinda water barrel close to the mast. From this security I looked out, andsaw the backs of several men ranged along the starboard bulwark. Theywere intent on their watching, and unsuspicious of my proximity; so Istole out and glided as silently as I could into the cabin's entrance.It was not new to me; I had a sense of complete security as to myknowledge. The eyes of Gormala's soul were keen!
In the cabin I recognised at once the smoky lamp and the rudepreparations for food. Thus emboldened, I came to the door, behind whichI knew Marjory lay. It was locked and bolted, and the key was gone. Islid back the bolt, but the lock baffled me. I was afraid to make theslightest noise, lest I should court discovery; so I passed on to thenext cabin where was her jailer. He lay just as, in the vision, I hadseen him; the chronometer was above him and the two heavy revolvers hungunderneath it. I slipped in quietly--there were not shoes to remove--andreaching over so that the water would not drip from my wet underclothingon his face, unhooked the two weapons. I belted them round my waist withthe strap on which they hung. Then I looked round for the key, but couldsee no sign of it. There was no time to lose, and it was neither timenor place to stand on ceremony; so I took the man by the throat with myleft hand, the dagger being in my right, and held with such a grip thatthe blood seemed to leap into his face in a second. He could utterno sound, but instinctively his hand went back and up to where therevolvers had hung. I whispered in a low tone:
"It's no use. Give me the key. I don't value your life a pin!" He waswell plucked, and he was manifestly used to tight places. He did notattempt to speak or parley; but whilst I had been whispering, his righthand had got hold of a knife. It was a bowie, and he was dexterous withit. With some kind of sharp wrench he threw it open; there was a clickas the back-spring worked. If I had not had my dagger ready it wouldhave been a bad time for me. But I was prepared; whilst he was makingthe movement to strike at me, I struck. The keen point of the Spanishdagger went right through the upturned wrist, and pinned his hand downto the wooden edge of the bunk. Whilst, however, he had been tryingto strike with his right hand, his left had clutched my left wrist. Hetried now to loose my grasp from his throat, whilst bending his chindown he made a furious effort to tear at my hand with his teeth.Never in my life did I more need my strength and weight. The man wasmanifestly a fighter, trained in many a wild 'rough-and-tumble', and hisnerves were like iron. I feared to let go the hilt of the dagger, lestin his violent struggling he should tear his wrist away and so free hishand. Having, however, got my right knee raised, I pressed down with ithis arm on the edge of the bunk and so freed my right hand. He continuedto struggle ferociously. I knew well it was life and death, not only forme, but for Marjory.
It was his life or mine; and he had to pay the penalty of his crime.
So intent was I on the struggle that I had not heard the approach of theboat with his comrades. It was only when I stood panting, with the limpthroat between my fingers which were white at the knuckles with thestrain, that the sound of voices and the tramp of feet on deck reachedmy intelligence. Then indeed I knew there was no time to lose. Isearched the dead man's pockets and found a key, which I tried in thelock of Marjory's cabin. When I opened the door she started up; the handin her bosom was whipped out with a flash, and in an instant a longsteel bonnet pin was ready to drive into her breast. My agonisedwhisper:
"Marjory, it is I!" only reached her mind in time to hold her hand. Shedid not speak; but never can I forget the look of joy that illumined herpoor, pale face. I put my finger on my lip, and held out my hand to her.She rose, with the obedience of a child, and came with me. I was justgoing out into the cabin, when I heard the creak of a heavy footstep onthe companion way. So I motioned her back, and, drawing the dagger frommy belt, stood ready. I knew who it was that was coming; yet I dared notuse the pistols, save as a last resource.
I stood behind the door. The negro did not expect anyone, or anyobstacle; he came on unthinkingly, save for whatever purpose of evil wasin his mind. He was armed, as were all the members of the blackmailgang. In a belt across his shoulder, slung Kentucky fashion, were twogreat seven shooters; and across his waist behind was a great bowieknife, with handle ready to grasp. Moreover, nigger-like, the handle ofa razor rose out of the breast pocket of his dark flannel shirt. He didnot, however, manifestly purpose using his weapons--at present at anyrate; there was not any sign of danger or opposition in front of him.His comrades were busy at present in embarking the treasure, and wouldbe for many an hour to come, in helping to work the ship clear intosafety. Every minute now the wind was rising, and the waves swelling tosuch proportions that the anchored ship rocked like a bell-buoy in astorm. In the cabin
I had to hold on, or I should have been shot frommy place into view. But the huge negro cared for none of these things.He was callous to everything, and there was such a wicked, devilishpurpose in his look that my heart hardened grimly in the antagonism ofman to man. Nay more, it was not a man that I loathed; I would havekilled this beast with less compunction than I would kill a rat or asnake. Never in my life did I behold such a wicked face. In feature andexpression there was every trace and potentiality of evil; and thesesuperimposed on a racial brutality which made my gorge rise. Well indeeddid I understand now the one terror which had in all her troubles cometo Marjory, and how these wretches had used it to mould her to theirends. I knew now why, sleeping or waking, she held that steel spikeagainst her heart. If--
The thought was too much for me. Even now, though I was beside her, shewas beset by her enemies. We were both still practically prisoners on ahostile ship, and even now this demon was intent on unspeakable wrong. Idid not pause; I did not shrink from the terrible task before me. With abound I was upon him, and I had struck at his heart; struck so truly andso terrible a blow, that the hilt of the dagger struck his ribs with athud like the blow of a cudgel. The blood seemed to leap out at me, evenas the blow fell. With spasmodic reaction he tumbled forwards; fellwithout a sound, and so quickly that had not I, fearing lest the noiseof his falling might betray me, caught him, he would have dropped like astricken bullock.
Never before did I understand the pleasure of killing a man. Since then,it makes me shudder when I think of how so potent a passion, or so keena pleasure, can rest latent in the heart of a righteous man. It may havebeen that between the man and myself was all the antagonism that camefrom race, and fear, and wrongdoing; but the act of his killing was tome a joy unspeakable. It will rest with me as a wild pleasure till Idie.
I took all the arms he had about him, two revolvers and a knife; theywould give me fourteen more shots were I hard pressed. In any case theywere safer, so far as Marjory and I were concerned, in my hands thanin those of our enemies. I dragged the body of the negro into the cabinwith the other dead man; then I closed the door on them, and whenMarjory joined me, I locked the door of her cabin and took away the key.In case of suspicion this might give us a few minutes of extra time.
Marjory came with me up on deck; and as she caught sight of the open seathere was an unspeakable gladness on her face. We seized a favourableopportunity, when no one was looking, for all on deck were busy haulingup the treasure; and slipped behind the cask fastened to the mast. Therewe breathed freely. We both felt that should the worst come to theworst we could get away before any one could touch us. One rush to thebulwarks and over. They would never attempt to follow us, and there wasa chance of a swim to shore. I gave Marjory a belt with two revolvers.As she strapped it on she felt safer; I knew it by the way she drewherself up, and threw back her shoulders.
When the last of the bags which held the treasure came on board, the menwho had come with it closed in a ring around the mass as it lay on deck.They were all armed; I could see that they did not trust the sailors,for each moment some one's hand would go back to his gun. We heard oneof them ask as he looked round: "What has become of that damned nigger?He must take his share of work!" Marjory was very brave and very still;I could see that her nerve was coming back to her. After a littlewhispered conversation, the newcomers began to carry the bags down tothe cabin; it was slow work, for two always stood guard above, and tworemained down below evidently on similar duty. Discovery of the dead manmust come soon, so Marjory and I stole behind the foremast which waswell away from every one. She was first, and as she began to pass behindshe recoiled; she got the drop on some one in front of her. There was asmothered 'h-s-s-sh' and she lowered her weapon. Turning to me she saidin a faint whisper:
"It is the Spaniard; what is he doing here?" I whispered back:
"Be good to him. He is a noble fellow, and has behaved like a knight ofold!" I pressed forward and took his hand. "How did you get here?" Iasked. His answer was given in so faint a voice that I could see that hewas spent and tired, if not injured:
"I swam, too. When I saw their boat pull out of the northern channel, Imanaged to scramble down part of the cliff, and then jumped. FortunatelyI was not injured. It was a long, weary swim, and I thought I shouldnever be able to get through; but at last the current took me andcarried me to the ship. She was anchored with a hawser, not a cable.I managed to climb up it; and when I was on board I cut it nearlythrough."
Even as he spoke there was a queer lurch of the ship which lay sternforward, and a smothered ejaculation from all the seamen.
The hawser had parted and we were drifting before wind and tide. Then itwas that I felt we should give warning to the yacht and the battleship.I knew that they were not far off; had I not seen them in my vision,which had now been proven. Then it was also that the words of the youngAmerican came back to me: "Give us a light, if you have to fire the shipto get it."
All this time, from the moment when I had set foot on the whaler's decktill this instant, events had moved with inconceivable rapidity. Therehad been one silent, breathless rush; during which two lives had beentaken and Marjory set free. Only a few minutes had elapsed in all; andwhen I looked around under the altered conditions, things seemed to bealmost where they had been. It was like the picture in one's mind madeby a lightning flash; when the period of reception is less than the timeof the smallest action, and movement is lost in time. The fog belt wasthinning out, and there was in the night air a faint suggestion that onemight see, if there were anything to be seen.
The great Rock of Dunbuy towered up; I could just distinguish so much onthe land side. Whilst I was looking, there came a sudden light and thena whirr; high overhead through the sea fog we could see faintly thefiery trail of a rocket.
Instantly out at sea was an answer; a great ray of light shot upwards,and we could see its reflection in the sky. None of us said anything;but instinctively Marjory and I clasped hands. Then the light ray seemedto fall downward to the sea. But as it came down, the fog seemed togrow thicker and thicker till the light was lost in its density. Therewas stir of all on our ship. No loud word was spoken, but whispereddirections, given with smothered curses, flew. Each man of the crewseemed to run to his post, and with a screeching and straining the sailsrose. The vessel began to slip through the water with added speed. Now,if ever, was our time to warn our friends. The little rockets which Ihad brought had been sodden with water and were useless, and besides wehad no way of getting a light. The only way of warning was by sound, andthe only sound to carry was a pistol shot. For an instant I hesitated,for a shot meant a life if we should be pushed to it. But it must bedone; so signing to the others I ran aft and when close to the mastfired my revolver. Instantly around me was a chorus of curses. I bentdouble and ran back, seeing through the darkness vague forms rush towhere I had been. The fog was closing thicker around us; it seemed toboil over the bulwarks as we passed along. We had either passed intoanother belt of fog, or one was closing down upon us with the wind. Thesound of the pistol shot had evidently reached the war ship. She was faroff us, and the sounds came faintly over the waste of stormy sea; butthere was no mistaking the cheer followed by commands. These soundedfaint and hoarsely; a few words were spoken with a trumpet, and thencame the shrill whistle of the boatswain's pipe.
On our own deck was rushing to and fro, and frenzied labour everywhere.The first object was to get away from the searchlight; they would seekpresently, no doubt, for who had fired the betraying shot. If I couldhave known what to do, so as to stay our progress, there would have beenother shots; for now that we were moving through the water, every secondmight take us further from the shore and place us deeper in the toils ofour foes.