CHAPTER X
A SUDDEN ATTACK
When Hal and his friends appeared on deck on the morning following thedisaster to the _Maine_, the city of Havana was in mourning. Shops,exchanges, and public offices were closed, while flags hung half-mastfrom the poles on all big buildings, and from the tops of the shippingin the harbor. Projecting from the water a hundred yards away was thehalf-submerged wreck, now blackened and unsightly, and covered with apall of dense smoke.
Ashore the hospitals were crowded to overflowing, and surgeons werestill busily at work, amputating mangled limbs, and doing their utmostfor the sufferers; for more than half the ship's company had been eitherkilled or sadly injured. Even then the news had reached America, andpeaceful cities, opening their morning papers, read with a shock of theterrible calamity. Away in the country districts, farmers and cowboyslearned the tidings some hours later. It was flashed east and westacross the wires. The dire event was discussed in every drawing room, inhotels, restaurants, and cars. Men whispered the news to comrades asthey descended in the cages to the deep levels of coal-mines, whileothers shouted it from the foot-plates of outgoing trains, as theysteamed through the stations. And everywhere there was but one thought.Punishment must be meted out to the nation which had caused thedisaster. Oh, yes, it was a crime. Not a man but knew it, though thebare facts had hardly reached him. There had been foul play, and thevillains who had been guilty of it must pay.
On the part of the government, arrangements were at once made for aBoard of Inquiry to sit at Havana, and for the wreck to be examined bydivers. The report, which could not possibly be issued for many a day tocome, was awaited with feverish impatience, many of the hotter-bloodedpeople of the States demanding instant war with Spain, and anexamination and explanation afterwards.
In Havana, nothing could have been more marked than the sorrow of theSpanish. They grieved for the unfortunate seamen, but there was notreachery, they vowed; and those who saw them on that day were confidentthat if the explosion had been previously arranged, it was by somemiscreant who acted for himself, and against the wishes of the people.
And in this position the two nations must be left while we follow ourfriends to the hacienda.
"The train departs at midday," said Mr. Brindle, when they werecollected at breakfast. "We will disembark in an hour's time, and make afew purchases in the town. Then we will get on board the cars, and, withluck, shall be at the hacienda in three days' time."
Accordingly, they packed their baggage and embarked in the boat whichHal and Mr. Brindle had helped to man on the previous night. By noonthey were comfortably in the train, the intervening hours having beenemployed in buying provisions, and in obtaining revolvers and ammunitionfor the three men of the party.
"We shall want them more than ever now," said Mr. Brindle, slipping hisweapon into a hip pocket which had been specially contrived for thepurpose. "As soon as we reach Eldorado, I will get one of the negrowomen to make similar receptacles for you two lads, for it is as wellto keep these toys out of sight till the critical moment arrives."
Three days later they descended from the cars at a wayside station somemiles from Santiago, and in a beautiful part of the island. Mountingmules, they left their baggage in charge of two of the plantation hands,and before long reached the hacienda, of which Mr. Brindle had notboasted when he declared that it was the most lovely in all Cuba. Andnow Hal's duties commenced in earnest.
"You are to be my right-hand man, remember that," exclaimed his kindlyemployer a day or so later. "You will live with us, of course, and willbe considered as one of the family. Early in the morning I ride roundthe place, which is some miles in extent; and I shall expect you toaccompany me. Then, during the day, you will be about the place, andwill look in here and there. The cane is now ripe for cutting, and weshall have our hands full with it in a matter of two weeks. Then thetobacco crop is unusually promising, and we shall have to harvest itimmediately after the cane. Now, as to workmen. The majority of my handsare negroes, whom I imported from the estate in Florida. They arereliable, honest men, who look to me as to a father. I treat them well,and they reward me by being obedient and working hard. They arere-enforced by a few local natives; but I have purposely employed veryfew of the latter, for they are discontented, idle fellows, and sincethe insurrection started, there is never any knowing when they may beoff with their brethren. Ah, here is Black Peter, my foreman, a faithfulfellow, who has spent many years in my service. Pete, this is myoverseer, and from to-day you will treat him as myself, and will takeyour orders from him."
The negro thus introduced was a white-haired man of over fifty. Helooked Hal critically up and down, and then doffed his ragged cap.
"Sar, you my master from right away," he said simply. "What you say Ido, and de oders follow Pete."
"That's good," Hal replied, smiling and stretching out his hand, anoffer which the negro at once responded to by shaking it heartily.
"Now that you know each other, we will make a round," exclaimed Mr.Brindle. "How has everything gone on in my absence, Pete?"
"Velly fine, massa. Crops him big and plenty, and boys working, oh, sohard! Dey say de weather fine, so do all we can. Come winter and de rainand we take him easy, and sleep and smoke till de heart am full."
"That's your way, is it?" answered Mr. Brindle, with a laugh. "Well,work now is the motto, for when the winter comes there is little to bedone. One thing, though, tell all the men to keep their eyes open.You'll remember the Spaniard? He may come our way again, and if he does,it would be bad for us. Do you follow me, Pete?"
The negro nodded his head vigorously, and went off promising to warn theother hands. Mr. Brindle then took his overseer on a tour of theplantations, returning by way of the machinery sheds, which occupied acentral position, and which were to be Hal's special care.
Each one of the laborers as they came up to him dropped the implement hewas using, and, unslinging a rifle carried across his back, raised it tohis shoulder in salute.
"That is a sign of the times," said Mr. Brindle. "I have been so oftenthreatened, particularly by that amiable fellow Jose d'Arousta, that Ihave found it advisable to arm my negroes. They are all drilled andinstructed in the use of their weapons, and I fancy would fightstaunchly if it came to a struggle. Fortunately, however, we have beenleft severely alone, though we must never relax our vigilance,particularly now that war is imminent. But come along and see the shedsin which we dry the tobacco leaf. If all goes well I shall make afortune this summer, for the ground has been fertile, and the crops areof excellent quality."
As the days passed, Hal found little cause to grumble at the position hehad taken. In the house he was at once at home, and, indeed, was justlike one of the family. In the plantations he found that the negroesrespected him, and did what he told them willingly. Over the mulattoes,too, he seemed to have perfect command, and seldom had cause to findfault with them. Once, however, he discovered a burly, impudent fellowill-treating a mule, and promptly dismissed him, Mr. Brindle heartilyapproving of the course he had taken. The man left uttering threats,saying that before long he would return with some of his comrades, andburn the hacienda down.
Meanwhile, little of the squabble between America and Spain was heardof.
Two months later, as Hal and Gerald were returning from a distant partof the plantation, they were startled by a figure suddenly emerging onto the track in front of them. The man darted from the trees which grewthickly on either side, and waved his arms wildly. It was evening, andthe darkness was so great beneath the leaves that it was not easy to seehim; but Gerald called Hal's attention to him.
"Hist, massa! Am dat Massa Hal?" a voice called softly through thedarkness.
"Yes. What is it? What is the matter?" Hal asked eagerly.
"Gently, boss; not speak so high. Me take Johnson, and come along totell you dat massa and de missie am troubled."
"Mr. Brindle and Dora? Impossible!" exclaimed Hal. "Why, you must bedreaming, for we left them in the
hacienda having tea not two hoursago."
"Yes, sar, and bad men watch de boss and young massa ride away. Den, asJake work in field, he see first one and den twenty men ride across tohouse. He see Black Pete run to call de boys, and hear de rifle gocrack, crack, crack! Pete, him lie over dere so quiet on his face, andtwo ob de boys wid him. Oders make run into trees and hide, so not gethit wid bullet."
"Yes; and then, what occurred?" asked Hal eagerly, springing at the samemoment from his saddle. "What did these ruffians do next? Quick! Thesafety of the boss and his daughter depend upon my hearing at once."
"Dey laugh at Black Pete as he lie dere," continued the negro. "Den deyfire again into de trees, and ride on to de house. Jake him lie in bushand t'ink. Him say to himselb, 'De bad men am come to take all. Dey notfind de young boss, and dey wait to shoot him when him come along. Mestop dat. Me go along right now and find de massa Hal, and tell him.Den, p'raps, all come right.' Me run dis way, and when me see you and deyoung massa riding along, me hop on to de path, and shout and wave dearm. Oh, sar, get back quick and kill dem all! Jake willing to help anddo what him can."
The good fellow lifted his hands as if beseeching, and lookedappealingly into Hal's face.
"You have done very well, Jake, and I shall remember," said Hal. "Thesemen have evidently been here some time, and the trees on the plantationmust have prevented us from hearing the firing. But, in any case, Idon't suppose these ruffians, whoever they are, would care much whoheard, for we are right away from civilized parts, and have noneighbors, while they are in force, and have driven the hands away. Nodoubt they feel perfectly secure, for the hacienda is so far fromSantiago that they would have done all they wished and cleared awaybefore we could get help. No; we can expect no one to intervene, andmust act for ourselves."
"But how? What can we do?" asked Gerald in dismay.
"Do? That is a difficult question to answer on the spur of the moment,old boy. But this is certain, we must make a move, and that at once, forthese fellows have already shown that they mean to stop at nothing. Theyhave fired at, and apparently killed, some of the hands. There is nosaying to what extent they might carry their bullying. We must stir upthe men, and turn them out as soon as possible. Let me think a moment.Yes; there are thirty armed negroes. Some of them have probably neverseen the gang who fired at their friends, for they will have been on theother side of the plantation, at work in the fields. But you may be surethat they will now be on the _qui vive_; for though we failed to hearthe shots, the hands are too old, and have had too good a training tomake any mistake. Their hearing is far more acute than ours, andeveryone knows what wonders they are at tracking, and at following atrail in the dark. Of the thirty, three are killed or wounded. Thatleaves twenty-seven, and with such a number we ought to be able toaccomplish something. Listen, Jake. Run off as fast as you can, and tellthe boys to collect at the crushing shed. How long will it take you tofind all of them?"
"P'raps quarter hour, p'raps longer, sar," the negro answered quickly."But Jake him know a little ting. Him make sounds dat all de boys know.Dey hear and follow wid de same, so's oder boys know. Me be in hurry,boss. You see how quick me hab dem all, ebery one."
He turned, and, without another word, dived into the forest, leaving Haland Gerald listening to the crash of the underwood as he forced his waythrough.
"Of course, it is absolutely impossible to know what has happened, andequally difficult to determine what to do," said Hal thoughtfully. "ButI think our best plan will be to creep towards the house, and see whatthese men are doing. Then we may learn how matters stand, and canarrange our plans accordingly. If they know the plantation, and allabout it, they will certainly be on the look-out for us on our return. Ifancy if we went forward without taking the precaution to remain silentand in hiding, we should be greeted with a bullet, for they evidentlycare little what murder they do. Walk softly, old fellow, and keep acareful watch ahead, and your ears wide open. I am not anxious to getshot again; and besides, I want to turn the tables on these maraudingrascals, and teach them a lesson which they will not be likely to forgetin a hurry."
He looked calmly at Gerald, and then, motioning him to follow, led theway along the track. Soon he came to a path which was almost invisible,for it was so little used that the jungle which grew closely around thehacienda had obliterated it, just as it would have overrun the tobaccofields and the clearings meant for the cultivation of cane, if constantand arduous labor with the machete did not keep it down and withinstrict bounds. But Hal knew the path, for he was now well acquaintedwith the ins and outs of the whole plantation. Pressing forward, andclosely followed by Gerald and by the two mules, he pushed the creepersand vegetation to one side, and rapidly approached the neighborhood ofthe hacienda. Soon the trees opened, and judging that he was near thecentral clearing which surrounded Eldorado, he came to a halt, andturned to his young friend.
"You stay here and look after the mules, Gerald," he said, in a voicethat showed no trace of excitement. "I'll do a little prospecting.Remember that your father's safety depends as much on your caution ason anything I may do."
"Right; you can trust me, old boy," answered Gerald, taking the reinsand seating himself at the feet of the mules. "I'll stay here as quietas a mouse, and will keep the animals beside me. They will be too busyeating these green leaves to care to proclaim their presence bywhinnying to their friends."
"Then I'll get off," and suiting the action to the word, Hal startedonce more along the path. A hundred yards farther on it suddenly emergedinto the clearing, close beside a large outhouse used as a stable forthe many mules kept to work on the plantation. As Hal approached thisbuilding, he heard voices, and at once turned into the forest, and creptforward amongst the trees till he was close enough to hear all that wassaid. Thirty mules were tethered in the shed, and some men were feedingthem. All were natives of the island save two, who seemed to be incharge. They chatted volubly with one another, and seemed to be highlypleased. But, though Hal strained his ears, he could make nothing of theconversation, for the men were speaking in Spanish. Lying close to theedge of the forest, he watched them for ten minutes or more, wonderingwhat to do. To attempt to reach the hacienda would have been foolhardyand quite impossible, for it was sixty yards away, and several armed menwere marching up and down in the clearing, evidently having been toldoff as a guard.
"I shall have to wait till it is dark, that is all," he murmured. "Totry to get over to the hacienda just now would be simply to give myselfinto the hands of these ruffians, and throw all chances of rescue away.Of course, if we can get hold of the hands, we could shoot every one ofthese fellows down, just like so many birds. But would that do any goodto our friends--to--er--Dora? I wonder who they are? The fact thatthere are Spaniards with the gang makes it look as though they were notinsurgents. And yet there are natives too. Perhaps they are servants;and I shall be greatly surprised if our old enemy, Jose d'Arousta, andhis rascally accomplice, Pedro, do not turn out to be the ringleaders. Iknow that this is the kind of band they have been working with.Irregulars they are called. Scoundrels every one of them, I should say.Hallo! Who are these?"
At this moment two men, whip in hand, and with rifles slung across theirshoulders, descended the stone steps from the balcony of the hacienda,and sauntered across the clearing. They stopped in front of the first ofthe Spanish sentries, and questioned him closely, allowing Hal at thesame moment a clear view of their faces, for they stood in the glare ofa fire of logs which burnt close at hand.
One was the rascally captain of irregulars who had made good his escapewhen attempting to steal the bag on board the train in Florida. Besidehim, as might have been guessed, was Pedro, smoking the inevitablecigarette. Even then, as he conversed with the sentry, he was in the actof rolling another, his nimble fingers twisting the paper with adexterity which showed how accustomed they were to the work. As Hallooked, the two men laughed loudly, as if enjoying an excellent joke,and walked towards the shed.
"As I thought," e
xclaimed Hal, in a low voice. "It is those tworuffians, and, I suppose plunder and revenge have brought them here.What are they saying, I wonder?"
Jose d'Arousta, now without a beard, and looking handsome and debonairin a planter's suit and high riding-boots, conversed volubly with Pedro,and was undoubtedly in the best of spirits. Then he turned and addressedthe natives, giving them some orders in a sharp voice.
"It is just as well to let them know who is their master," he said,suddenly using English. "In these times, when Spain seems to have moreand more trouble heaped upon her shoulders, these dogs get uppish andwant careful handling. No doubt they wonder what we are doing here. Ofcourse, they know that it is one of our usual expeditions; but do theysuspect anything more? Up to this they have been only lukewarm adherentsof their brethren in the island, and have not objected to a littleburning here and there, for they are making money out of it. But if theywere to suspect that you and I have our own private objects in viewthere would be trouble. Remember, Pedro, we are Spanish irregulars. Now,about this dog of an Englishman. What has been done to capture him?"
"If he escapes us he will be clever," answered his companion. "We knowthat he and the boy will return by a certain path. Thirty paces from theclearing two of our men are posted. They are natives, and are armed withthe machete. The boy will be taken to the hacienda, and the other willstay. Yes, Senor Capitan, your orders will be followed in that respect,"he added significantly. "That foolish young man who upset our well-laidplans in Florida will disappear, for these black fellows are masters ofthe art."
"And what if the mice refuse to walk into your trap?" asked the other."How do you know that they have not already taken the alarm, and madethe best of their way to Santiago?"
"The better for one if they have, Senor Capitan; but it will not be thecase. The young English fool will not desert his friends. See how hesupported them in Florida, when he might easily have lain in his bunkand feigned sleep. But he must needs spring up, and come to the rescue,only to receive a bullet. He will act in the same manner this time, andhe will suffer death. Madmen must be treated as madmen when they becomedangerous to one's safety. But we shall soon know. We will give them alittle time longer, and then, if the boy is not brought to the hacienda,I myself will go down this small pathway till it cuts into the largerone. There I will stay, and hide amongst the bushes. If in an hour I donot come to tell you that I have seen them, you may be sure that theyhave ridden for the town. That would be unfortunate, for we have a scoreto pay to the Englishman, and it would mean more trouble on anotheroccasion. But, should they have escaped us, we need not fear surprise,for Santiago is far away, and it will be to-morrow morning before theycould return with help."
"Not even then," said Jose d'Arousta, with a sneer. "To whom are they toapply for help? No one would listen to the beggarly Englishman, for arenot they the same as Americans? At any rate, their sympathies are withthese enemies of Spain. We will rest here, take all the money we can layour hands on, and then return leisurely, conscious that we have done apiece of excellent work. If there should be trouble, we have hosts offriends to prove that we were in Santiago when the attack was made uponthe hacienda. You may be sure that the matter would be dropped at once,for the commandant in Santiago has sufficient on his hands alreadywithout caring to be troubled about such a trumpery affair. Yes; I haveno fears. We will take our ease, and depart with all the gold we canfind."
"Leaving the hacienda in flames, senor?" the half-caste asked eagerly.
"No, certainly not. There you show yourself sadly wanting in thought,Pedro," Jose d'Arousta replied, with a grim smile. "Our friends defiedus once before; they escaped us in Florida, and now we have them in ourtoils. But, remember, the crops are just gathered and stored, and veryshortly money will be received in exchange. We will leave the haciendafor another time, Pedro. Do you follow me? We will take the very lastdollar now by force, returning on a later occasion for a second haul. Ifwe are not satisfied then, it will be easy to set a torch to thehacienda, which is the pride of Senor Brindle's heart."
"Ha, ha, ha! That is good, Senor Capitan. It is fine!" Pedro answered,with a snigger. "Of course, we will leave him for another day's sport."
They walked away towards the hacienda, leaving Hal boiling with wrathand indignation.
"Rob him now and come again, will they!" he muttered angrily. "We willsee about that. The Brindles have been more than good to me, and I willdo my utmost for them in return. At any rate, I will put a spoke in Josed'Arousta's wheel this time. Now, how is it to be done? I'll slip backand talk it over with Gerald, for he is sharp, and may very well be ableto help."
He crept into the darkness of the forest, and, emerging at length uponthe path again, he crawled away from the clearing as rapidly aspossible.
"Hallo! Is that you?" exclaimed Gerald, starting to his feet as Halsuddenly rose by his side, having given absolutely no evidence of hisapproach. "Bother you, old man, you made my heart jump into my mouth.'Pon my word, you are a regular Red Indian, and I am sure that one ofour hands could not have done better. But what have you learned?"
"A good deal, Gerald. Take a seat there on the ground and listen."
Hal seated himself beside his young companion, and rapidly told him allthat had passed between Jose and Pedro.
"There, you know all," he said at last. "Just stir your brains and tellme what we are to do. We have a number of reckless men to deal with;that you can plainly perceive, for they do not hesitate to arrange formy murder. On our side we can count on twenty-seven negroes, who arefaithful, and who will fight if well led, but who, negro-like, may runaway if someone does not show them an example."
"Then why not surround the hacienda and open fire?" said Gerald,eagerly.
"And lose control of our men at once. No; that would not do," Halanswered quietly. "Besides, what would those villains do in suchcircumstances? I tell you, Gerald, they are brutal enough to kill theircaptives. Now, look here; our men will fight, if collected together soas to feel one another's support. I have a little plan to propose whichI think will settle matters satisfactorily. We are in the minority, andour men are on foot. If we push this gang of ruffians they will fighthard, and we shall not gain our end, which is the rescue of your fatherand Dora, and of the money in the hacienda. I suggest that we make itimpossible for them to take their mules. That will be a simple matter,for we have only to post the negroes beside the shed. Then we will coverthe guards who are on watch in the clearing, and will order them todecamp. After that we will deal with the ringleader. Now, old boy, willyou command the firing party?"
"Rather! Of course! But what about you, Hal? What will you be doing?"asked his companion.
"I am going to set the ball rolling, if possible," answered Hal calmly."Jose d'Arousta's head man is bent upon searching for me. We willcapture the gentleman, and make so free as to undress him. Then I willtake his place, and while he fumes and rages, will march as bold asbrass into the hacienda."
"What? You are joking, Hal!" exclaimed Gerald, aghast at the boldness ofthe idea. "You would be shot for a certainty. You cannot mean it."
"Oh, yes, I do," Hal replied quietly. "And I can assure you that therisk is far more imaginary than real. Think it over. It is getting duskalready, and, dressed exactly like Pedro, I walk into the hacienda. Theother ruffian will almost certainly be alone, and I shall have theadvantage of him, for I shall take him by surprise. Do you mean to tellme that I shall not be a match for such a man?"
Hal's eyes glinted strangely in the gloom, and, glancing at him, Geraldwas surprised to find that his usually smiling face had assumed a mostsevere and determined look.
"By Jove, you will, of course," he blurted out, extending his hand tograsp Hal's and shake it. "A match for the fellow! Of course you willbe! But it's risky--awfully risky, and I don't like the thought of yourgoing alone."
"And I don't care to think what may be happening meanwhile," said Halearnestly. "That brute will be insulting and ill-treating everyone.Bully is written on h
is face as well as thief. Do you care to think thatDora may be insulted by such a man?" Hal jumped to his feet, and askedthe question hotly.
"Good Heavens, no!" Gerald answered.
"Then don't try to dissuade me. If someone who is armed were not near athand when shooting commenced, Jose d'Arousta might do somethingdesperate; but with my revolver pointed at him he will be more cautious.Now, look here. You cut over to the crushing-shed and bring the negroesacross. Take the mules with you in case their whinnying should be heardand give the alarm. I'll stay here and look out for Pedro. Now, hurryup, for I want some help to capture that fellow."
Promptly grasping the reins, Gerald hurried away, and returned someminutes later with the whole force of natives.
"Now, Jake," said Hal, selecting the negro who had first brought thealarm, "send twenty of the hands up this path to the clearing, and letthem lie down amongst the trees in sight of the shed. If they hearanyone approaching, they are to slip aside and allow him to pass,signaling down here to let us know. Let me think. Yes; there is a marshdown in the hollow, so it shall be the croak of a frog. You understand?We are to be warned whenever anyone approaches; and, by the way, seethat rifles are unloaded. Triggers get pulled too easily, and might givethe alarm."
Jake hurriedly carried out the order, and disappeared down the pathway.
"I want two more to cut into the forest and stalk a couple of ruffianswho are watching the other path," said Hal. "They must be careful howthey approach, for the men I speak of are in hiding. When they discoverthe whereabouts of the sentries they must load and be ready foremergencies, and when they hear the others moving off, must shout at thetwo they are covering, and order them away. If the rascals show fight,they are to be dropped instantly.
"Now, you others," he continued, turning to the five who remained, "oneof the leaders of the gang which has attacked the hacienda will comealong this path. You will lie in wait for him, and capture him, for Iwant his clothes. If he is troublesome, you must silence him, for anysound now would ruin our plans.
"That is all arranged, and we will step on one side," he went on, movingaway from the group, and drawing Gerald after him. "You see, it isn'tthat I don't like the job of tackling this beggar--I owe him one, andshall be glad to repay it; but the negroes will do it without a sound,whereas we might bungle it, and bring the whole crew down upon us. Ah,down on your knees! I heard the signal. Yes; there it is again."
They hastily concealed themselves, and, crouching low in the forest,heard first the hoarse croaking of a frog, and then the unmistakablesound of footsteps approaching.