CHAPTER II.
That night the young Alphonse D'Erlach might have been seen stealingcautiously from the quarters of Laudonniere, and winding along undercover of the palisades to one of the entrances of the fortress. Hewas wrapped in a huge and heavy cloak which effectually disguised hisperson. Here he was joined by another, whom he immediately addressed:
"Bon Pre?"
"The same: all's ready."
"Have they gone?"
"Yes!"
"Let us go."
They went together to the entrance. The person whom Alphonse calledBon Pre, was a short, thick-set person, fully fifty years of age. Theyapproached the sentry at the gate.
"Let us out, my son," said Bon Pre; "we are late."
When they were without the walls, they stole along through the ditch,concealed in the deep shade of the place, cautiously avoiding allexposure to the star-light. On reaching a certain point, they ascended,and, taking the cover of bush and tree, made their way to the river,and getting into a boat which lay beneath the banks, pushed off, andsuffered her to drop down the stream, the old man simply using thepaddle to shape her course. A brief conversation, in whispers, followedbetween them.
"You told him all?" asked Bon Pre.
"No; but just enough for our purpose. As I told you, he believesnothing. He is too good a man himself to believe any body thoroughlybad."
"He will grow wiser before he is done. You did not suffer him to knowwhere you got your information?"
"No--surely not. He would have been for having a court, and a trial, andall that sort of thing. You would have sworn to the truth in vain, andthey would assassinate you. We must only do what we can to prevent, andleave the punishment for another season. If time is allowed us----"
"Ay, but that 'if!'" said the old man. "Time will not be allowed. LeGenre will be rather slow--but there are some persons not disposed towait for the return of the parties under Ottigny and your brother."
"Enough!" said D'Erlach--"Here is the cypress."
With these words, the course of the canoe was arrested, the prow turnedin towards the shore, and adroitly impelled, by the stroke of Bon Pre'spaddle, directly into the cavernous opening of an ancient cypress whichstood in the water, but close to the banks. This ancient tree stood,as it were, upon two massive abutments. The cavern into which the boatpassed was open in like manner on the opposite side. The prow of thecanoe ran in upon the land, while the stern rested within the body ofthe tree. Alphonse cautiously stepped ashore, and was followed by hisolder companion. They were now upon the same side of the river with thefortress. The course which they had taken had two objects. To avoidfatigue and detection in a progress by land, and to reach a given pointin advance of the conspirators, who had taken that route. Of course, ourtwo companions had timed their movements with reference to the previousprogress of the former. They advanced in the direction of the fort,which lay some three miles distant, but at the distance of fifty orsixty yards from the place where they landed, came to a knoll thicklyovergrown with trees and shrubbery. A creek ran at its foot, in thebed of which stood numerous cypresses--amongst these Alphonse D'Erlachdisappeared, while Bon Pre ascended the knoll, and seated himself inwaiting upon a fallen cypress.
He had not long to wait. In less than twenty minutes, a whistle washeard--to which Bon Pre responded, in the notes of an owl. The sound ofvoices followed, and, after a little interval, one by one, seven personsascended the knoll, and entered the area which was already partiallyoccupied by Bon Pre. There were few preliminaries, and Le Genre openedthe business. Bon Pre, it is seen, was one of the conspirators and intheir fullest confidence. He had left the fort before them, or hadpretended to do so. They had each left at different periods. We haveseen his route. It is only necessary to add, that they had come togetherbut a little while before their junction at the knoll. Of course, theirseveral revelations had yet to be made. Le Genre commenced by relatinghis ill success in regard to the vessel.
"We must have it, at all hazards," said Stephen Le Genevois, "we can donothing without it."
"I do not see that;" was the reply of Jean La Roquette. This person,it may be well to say, was one possessing large influence among theconspirators. He claimed to be a magician, dealt much in predictions,consulted the stars, and other signs, as well of earth as of heaven;and, among other things, pretended, by reason of his art, to know where,at no great distance, was a mine of silver, the richest in the world.Almost his sole reason for linking himself with the conspirators,was the contempt with which his pretensions had been treated by hiscommander, in regard to the search after this mine.
"I do not see," he replied, "that this vessel is so necessary to us. Afew canoes will serve us better."
"Canoes--for what?" was the demand of Le Genevois.
"Why, for ascending the rivers, for avoiding the fatigue of land travel,for bringing down our bullion."
"Pshaw! You are at your silver mine again; but that is slow work. Iprefer that which the Spaniard has already gathered; which he has runinto solid bars and made ready for the king's face. I prefer fightingfor my silver, to digging for it."
"Ay! fighting--no digging;" said Le Genre and he was echoed by othervoices. But La Roquette was not to be silenced. His opinions werere-stated and insisted upon with no small vehemence, and the controversygrew warm as to the future course of the party--whether they shouldexplore the land for silver ore, or the Spanish seas for bullion.
"_Messieurs_," said one named Fourneaux, "permit me to say that you arecounting your chickens before they are out of the shell. Why cumber ourdiscussion with unnecessary difficulties? The first thing to consideris how to get our freedom. We can determine hereafter what use we shallmake of it. There are men enough, or will be enough, when we have gotrid of Laudonniere, to undertake both objects. Some may take the seas,and some the land; some to digging. Each man to his taste. All maybe satisfied--there need be no restraint. The only matter now to beadjusted, is to be able to choose at all. Let us not turn aside fromthe subject."
These sensible suggestions quieted the parties, and each proceeded toreport progress. One made a return of the men he had got over, anotherof the arms in possession, and a third of ammunition. But the questionfinally settled down upon the fate of Laudonniere, and a few of hisparticular friends, the young D'Erlach being the first among them. Onthis subject, the conspirators not only all spoke, but they all spoketogether. They were vehement enough, willing to destroy their enemy, buttheir words rather declared their anger, than any particular mode ofeffecting their object. At length Fourneaux again spoke.
"_Messieurs_," said he, "you all seem agreed upon two things; the firstis, that, before we can do anything, Laudonniere and that young devil,D'Erlach, must be disposed of; the second, that this is rather adifficult matter. It is understood that they may rally a sufficientforce to defeat us--that we are not in the majority yet, though we hopeto be so; and that a great number who are now slow to join us, will beready enough, if the blow were once struck successfully. In this, Ithink, you all perfectly agree."
"Ay--ay! There you are right--that's it;" was the response of Le Genreand Stephen Le Genevois.
"Very well; now, as it is doubtful who are certainly the friends ofLaudonniere, it is agreed that we must move against him secretly. Isthere any difficulty in this? There are several ways of getting rid ofan enemy without lifting dagger or pistol. Is not the magician here--thechemist, La Roquette?--has he no knowledge of certain poisons, which,once mingled in the drink of a captain, can shut his eyes as effectuallyas if it were done with bullet or steel? And if this fails, are therenot other modes of contriving an accident? I have a plan now, which,with your leave, I think the very thing for our purpose. Laudonniere'squarters, as you all know, stand apart from all the rest, with theexception of the little building occupied by the division of Le Genre,with which it is connected by the old bath-room. This bath-room isabandoned since Laudonniere has taken to the river. Suppose Le Genrehere should, for safe-keeping, put a keg of gunpo
wder under thecaptain's quarters? and suppose farther, that, by the merest mischance,he should suffer a train of powder to follow his footsteps, as hecrawls from one apartment to the other; and suppose again, that, whileLaudonniere sleeps, some careless person should suffer a coal of fire torest, only for a moment, upon the train in the bath-house. By my life,I think such an accident would spare us the necessity of attemptingthe life of our beloved captain. It would be a sort of providentialinterposition."
"Say no more! It shall be done!" said Le Genre. "I will do it!"
"Ay, should the other measure fail; but I am for trying the poisonfirst;" said Fourneaux, "for such an explosion would send a fewfragments of timber about other ears than those of the captain. He takeshis coffee at sunrise. Can we not drug it?"
"Let that be my task;" said old Bon Pre, who had hitherto taken littlepart in this conference.
"You are the very man," said Fourneaux. "He takes his coffee from yourhands. La Roquette will provide the poison."
"When shall this be done?" demanded Le Genre. "We can do nothingto-night. It will require time to-morrow to prepare the train."
"Ay, that is your part; but may not Bon Pre do his to-morrow? and shouldhe fail----"
"Why should he fail?" demanded La Roquette. "Let him but dress hiscoffee with my spices, and he cannot fail."
"Yes," replied Bon Pre, "but it is not always that Laudonniere drinkshis coffee. If he happens to be asleep when I bring it, I do not wakehim, but put it on the table by his bedside, and, very frequently, if itis cold when he wakes, he leaves it untasted."
"Umph! but at all events, there is the other accident. That can be madeto take effect at mid-night to-morrow--eh! what say you, Le Genre?"
"Without fail! It is sworn!"
Their plans being adjusted, the meeting was dissolved, and the partiesseparately dispersed, each to make his way back, as he best might, soas to avoid suspicion or detection, to Fort Caroline. They had scarcelydisappeared when Alphonse D'Erlach emerged from the hollow of a cypresswhich stood upon the edge of the knoll where their conference had takenplace.