CHAPTER V
Thinking it would be wiser to refrain from asking her any questionsuntil she had at least rested a little--for she seemed to be veryweary--I said nothing to her but a few words of welcome, and bade myservants lay the supper, then told her that I was sure she was bothhungry and tired. She replied that she certainly was tired, having comeon foot from Taritai to save time. The canoe with Tematau was to followon later in the night when the tide turned, and when there would be morewater on the upper sand flats of the lagoon.
"Very well, Niabon," I said in English, "now sit down and drink a cup oftea and eat a little. Then we can talk."
"I have many things of which to tell thee, Simi," she said, "for I havebeen speaking long with the wife of the man Krause, and----"
I told her that it would please me better if she first ate something.She at once obeyed, but instead of sitting at the table with me sheseated herself on a mat near me, and Pai waited upon her whilst big Tepiattended to me. Only once did she speak during the meal, when she askedme if I had had any recurrence of either fever or ague, and she wasundoubtedly pleased when I said that I had not, and that another coarseor two of her medicine would, I believed, care me. She smiled, and toldme she would make more of the mixture that evening.
After eating a very slight sapper she made herself a cigarette and satand smoked until I had finished my pipe. Then she came a little nearerto me, and I felt ashamed of myself for not having asked her if her neckgave her much pain, for I now noticed that the neck and front of herdress were blood-stained. She made light of the wound, however; saidit was but skin deep, and would be healed in a few days. But I insistedupon her letting me see for myself. She consented somewhat unwillingly,and I saw that she had had a very narrow escape, the heavy bullet fromKrause's Derringer having scored her neck pretty deeply and made a woundnearly two inches long. She had, however, she told me, had it attendedto by Mrs. Krause, who had done the very best thing that could havebeen done to a superficial injury of the kind--painted it liberally withFriar's Balsam, which though causing intense pain for a few minutes,had quickly stayed the flow of blood and prevented any inflammation fromsetting in.
"Is Mrs. Krause well, Niabon?" I asked as I readjusted the bandage.
"She is well."
"And she knows how her husband died?"
"She knows how he died, but knows not whose were the hands that dealtthe blows. And, Simi, it is well that she does not know, for I am herfriend, and it would grieve her did she know all."
I thought a moment or two before answering--
"How can the truth be kept from her, Niabon? There are many people whoknow 'twas thee and Tematau who slew him."
"_She_ will never know, Simi," she asserted earnestly; "there is but oneman who could tell her, and him she will not ask."
"Who is that?" I asked wonderingly.
"Thyself."
"Why should she not ask me? Her husband met his death in my house. I sawhis body lying at my feet. Dost think she will fail to question _me_ ifothers whom she may ask remain silent?"
"She will ask thee no questions concerning him. His death hath takenaway from her a terror by day and bad dreams at night that for two yearshath wrung her heart and weakened her body, which is but frail. Havepity on her, Simi, and say nothing to her when thou seest her of herdead husband. He is gone; and yet, although she wept when I told her hewas dead, and she knelt and prayed for his spirit which has gone beyond,I know well that now some peace hath come into her heart. And I havegiven her sleep."
As she spoke she turned her strangely sombrous and liquid eyes to minein such an appealing glance that I could not resist her magnetic power,strive as I would.
"I will do as you wish, Niabon," I said, falling weakly into Englishagain. "You are a strange girl, but I am sure that you mean well, notalone to me, but to that poor heartbroken woman. But you must tell methe meaning of all this strange silence on the part of the people ofthis village. Why do they deny the death of Krause? How _can_ theyconceal it? It cannot possibly be hidden. There is a German man-of-warcoming to this island soon--Mrs. Krause herself told me--and how willthese people account to the captain for his death? You and Tematau, whotogether killed him, cannot escape. And if I am questioned--as I shallbe--what can I do? I cannot lie about a murder."
"It was no murder, Simi," she said steadily, and I felt that the girlwas but right in her assertion; "it is no murder to strike and kill, andkill quickly, he who would slay the innocent and unoffending. That manwas a devil."
"What have you done with him, Niabon? He might have been the devil yousay he was; but he was a white man, and it is my place to see that he isburied as Christians bury the dead. He used me roughly, but----"
She placed her hand on my knee, and her very touch subdued myexcitement.
"Simi, the man is dead, and not even a strand of his hair is left onearth. No one can ever question thee, or Tematau, or me, about him. Heis gone, and even his name is already vanished from these people amongwhom he has dwelt. Dost not understand me?"
"No, I do not understand, Niabon," I said more gently. "How can his namebe vanished when but a few hours ago he was alive and well. Tell me, inplain English, what you mean by saying that no one can question you andTematau and myself about the manner of his death?"
"Because, Simi, thou and I and others shall be far away from here whenthe man's countrymen come in the fighting-ship."
"I wish to Heaven we were far away at this moment," I said impatiently."I am sick to death of the place, and don't want to find myself aprisoner on board a German man-of-war on suspicion of being concerned inKrause's death."
She again repeated her assurance that I should never be questioned.
"Where is Mrs. Krause now?" I asked.
"At Taritai."
"Niabon"--and I placed my hand on her head--"you must not keep me in thedark about some things. I want you to answer me truly some questions.And, though I do not know why, I have this moment resolved to leave theisland as quickly as possible. Would you come with me?"
"Yes, Mr. Sherry. Of course I am coming with you," she answered inEnglish. "I told you that you and I and some other people would soonbe together upon the sea. And I will answer any question you ask me. Idon't want to deceive you. Why should I try to deceive you?"
As she turned her full, soft eyes up to my face, I saw in them suchundoubted sincerity that I felt it was not possible for me again todoubt her.
"No, I am sure you will not deceive me, Niabon. And I want you to tellme straightforwardly the meaning of all this mystery. First of all, whathas been done with the German's body? where is it buried?"
"In the sea. It was taken far out where the water is very, verydeep--three hundred fathoms--and the mats in which it was wrapped wereweighted so heavily with stones that it took six men to carry it down tothe canoe."
"Why was this done? Why was he not buried on shore?"
"I will tell you, Mr. Sherry. It was done so that when the Germanman-of-war comes here, no trace of him will ever be found;" and then shetold me frankly the whole story, and the meaning of the strange silenceof the natives.
Krause, she said, after his savage attack upon Tematau, had told histerrified wife that he meant to bring back Tematau, and kill Niabon.After drinking heavily all night, he had started off alone in themorning, armed with a brace of revolvers and a Derringer pistol. Heat first tried to get some forty or fifty of the Taritai young men toaccompany him, and make a regular marauding expedition upon my village;but though they were eager to go with him and engage in battle withtheir old enemies, Niabon, assisted by the more cautious head men,succeeded in dissuading them, and finally Krause went off alone. Hetravelled along the inner beach of the lagoon, and as soon as he reachedmy village marched boldly up to my house, boastfully calling out to thenatives that he had come to take Tematau out of the Englishman's house,alive or dead--a few minutes later he himself was dead.
A hurried consultation was at once held by the head men, and it wasresol
ved to dispose of Krause's body so effectually that no trace of itwould ever be found, and every man, woman, and child in the village ofUtiroa was sternly warned not only against even alluding to the mannerof his death, but even admitting that he had even been seen by any oneof them on that particular day. Hastily wrapping the dead man in mats,the body was taken out to sea, and sunk as Niabon had described.
Fishing as if nothing unusual had occurred 076]
Then the fleet of canoes from the village began fishing as if nothingunusual had occurred, and after they had been out some hours they weremet by eight or ten canoes from Taritai, which were also engaged infishing. The moment they were within speaking distance the Taritai meninquired whether Krause had fulfilled his threat, and carried Tematauaway. The Utiroa people affected great surprise, and said that they hadseen nothing of him, but that most probably he had thought better ofdoing such a foolish and offensive thing, and had returned to Taritaiagain. The two fleets of canoes remained together for some little time,discussing Krause, and then one of the Taritai men frankly admitted thathe (Krause) had tried to induce them to make a raid on Utiroa, but thatNiabon and the head men had set their faces against such a wicked act ofaggression.
"It is well for him then that he did not come to Utiroa to-day," saidold Kaibuka's son gravely. "Such a man as he is not wanted in our town.So keep him at Taritai."
In the meantime Niabon and Tematau had set out for Taritai to acquaintMrs. Krause of the tragedy which had occurred. The moment they enteredthe village they were surrounded by natives, who eagerly inquired whenKrause was returning--had he driven Tematau out of the Englishman'shouse? etc., etc. Both Niabon and her companion expressedsurprise--neither they nor any one else in Utiroa had seen Krause, theysaid, and Tematau had come with her to ask Mrs. Krause to try and induceher husband to let him leave his service. The natives accepted theirstory without the slightest doubt, and the two went on their way to thewhite man's house.
As soon as she and Mrs. Krause were alone Niabon told her the cause ofher visit and the steps which had been taken by the head men of Utiroato conceal her husband's death, so that when the German warship arrivedand found him missing, the people of Utiroa could not be, even afterthe most searching investigation, connected with his disappearance.Mrs. Krause quite agreed that a wise course had been taken, for were itproved that her husband had been killed in Utiroa, the man-of-war wouldcertainly inflict a terrible punishment on the village, as was usualwith German warships' procedure in the South Seas.
Then at Niabon's suggestion she summoned the head men, and told themthat her husband had not reached Utiroa. Something must have happened tohim. Would they send out and search for him, and if they found him, urgehim to return, as Tematau had come back, and there was now no occasionfor him (Krause) to offend the people of Utiroa by entering theirvillage armed.
The head men were only too willing, and at once sent out search parties,and when Niabon was coming back, she met two of them, who told herthat they had been to Utiroa itself, but not one single person had seenanything of the white man, and they were now returning along the weatherside of the island to search for him in the thick jungle, where theyimagined he might have strayed and lost himself.
"So that is why these people here have acted so strangely, Mr. Sherry,"she concluded. "It would be terrible for them to be all killed, and thevillage burnt. For the Germans are very cruel. I have seen them do very,very cruel things."
"I think the Utiroa people have done right. The German brought hisdeath on himself. But I fear that the secret must come out some day. TheTaritai people will surely suspect something."
"No. No one of the Taritai people will ever know. By this time to-morrowthey will all say that he has been drowned when crossing one of thosenarrow channels between the islands on the weather side, for there aremany deep pools, and the coral sometimes breaks under the pressure of aman's foot. And so they will think he has fallen in one of those pools,and his body carried out to sea, or into the lagoon, and eaten by thesharks."
Her emphatic manner reassured me.
"Well, it is a bad business, Niabon; but it cannot be helped. But Ishall get away from here as soon as possible."
"I am glad. And Simi, there is yet one other thing of which I have notyet spoken. It is of Lucia."
She always called Mrs. Krause by her Christian name, as did the nativesgenerally.
"What of her?"
"She desires greatly to come with us in the boat. And I pray thee to bekind to her, else will she die here of loneliness and terror."