STORY ONE, CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.
OAKUM'S MESSENGER.
Sam Oakum followed Dutch as he staggered back, his knife entangled inthe loose jacket he wore, and, dragging it furiously out, he was goingto strike again, when a couple of the sailors seized his arm, and,frowning and swearing, he allowed himself to be held back, while,panting and white with rage, Dutch exclaimed--
"Coward, as well as traitor, you will get your reward!"
"Here, let go, will you?" cried Sam, furiously, making a desperateeffort to get free, but the men held on, and Laure interposed--
"Let him go, Oakum, let him go," he said, smiling with satisfaction."You can serve him out by-and-by, as you call it--some day when he isdiving," he added, with a peculiar look.
Oakum gave a savage growl like that of a bear, and glared at Dutch, whowas now half forced below, hurt in mind, but very slightly in body, forOakum's clumsy stab had gone between his ribs and arm, merely tearinghis jacket.
Laure gave his orders, then Oakum took the command, and, the men readilyobeying, the anchors were hove up, and, after their long stay, theschooner sails were once more shaken out, and the vessel began to glidegently along through the limpid waters of the beautiful bay.
During the next two days the Cuban kept a suspicious watch over Sam, butas he went direct at his work with a good deal of ardour, and knocked'Pollo down for coming up smiling at him, he rose greatly in Laure'sfavour; and on the third morning, when the Cuban came on deck and sawSam busily scanning with his glass the shore along which they hadcoasted, he came and laid his hand upon his shoulder.
"You know the next place, then?" he said.
"Well, I dunno whether it's the same as your'n," said Sam, with a grin."Mine lies just under that bit of an island off yon point."
"Where the rocks lie piled up like an old castle, and there's a littlecove only about big enough to take this ship?" said the Cuban.
"That's him, capen," said Oakum, showing his yellow teeth. "Say, Ithink it ought to be another hundred bars, capen, for this."
"Wait and see, my man. If it turns out as well as the last, I maybehave handsomely to you; at any rate, if you serve me well, I shall notbe shabby--handsome--shabby, that is what you say, is it not?"
"I say handsome," said Oakum quietly, "never mind the shabby."
That afternoon the schooner was comfortably moored over where the sunkenvessel lay, and this time there was no difficulty in finding the place,for about six fathoms below the surface the black timbers could be seen,and the Cuban rubbed his hands with glee, telling Oakum that this wouldbe the richest find, as it was here he had himself dived and obtainedthe ingots.
"And was the tother one of the places you knowed of?" said Sam.
"Yes," replied the Cuban; "and I know of far more yet."
"Didn't you dive down at t'other place?"
"No," said the Cuban, lighting a cigar. "I sent down a black, who was asplendid swimmer--one of my slaves."
"Suppose he goes and clears off the silver unbeknownst to you?" saidSam, grinning.
"He will not do that," said the Cuban, quietly exhaling a cloud ofsmoke.
"How do you know, capen?" said Oakum. "I never trusts niggers," and ashe spoke he scowled at 'Pollo, who was crossing the deck, and who slunkaway.
"Because he is gone where I should send any man who was likely to provetreacherous to me," said Laure, in a low, hissing whisper. "That fellowbegan to talk too much, and one night he fell overboard--somehow. It isimpossible to say how."
The two men stood gazing in each other's eyes for a few moments, andthen the Cuban added slowly--
"I never boast, and I never forgive. A man is a fool to his owninterests who tries to escape me. Your worthy employers thought thatthey had quite got rid of me, and had the field open to themselves. Yousee where they are? Now, if such a man as that old Rasp were to playfast and loose with me, that old man would die. Don't tell him I saidso; it would make him uncomfortable, and it is better a man should notknow that he is likely to die. Take a cigar, my good friend Oakum."
"Thanky, no, capen, I always chews," said Sam; and then, as the othermoved and went forward, Sam added, "He's a devil, that's what he is--adevil."
Old Rasp was sitting on a coil of rope close at hand polishing up one ofthe helmets ready for the morrow's use, and just then the two men's eyesmet, and a peculiar wink was exchanged, but they did not speak; and therest of the evening was spent in making preparations for the morrow'sdescents.
Since he had been on deck, Sam Oakum had once or twice seen a littlecanary, one that Mr Wilson used to pet a good deal, feeding it andtraining it so that it would sit on his finger, and feed from his hand,and this bird set him thinking.
Quite half the birds were dead, but there were several surviving, thanksto 'Pollo, who had given the little things seed and water, and cleanedout their cages. He had begun to talk to Oakum about them, but the oldsailor turned upon him savagely.
"You go and attend to your pots and pans," he roared, "you blacklubber;" and 'Pollo shrunk from him with a frightened, injured air; andas the black crept away Oakum suspected that the Cuban was close athand, as he always was whenever either of the seceded party spoketogether.
"Poor old 'Pollo!" said Sam to himself, as he sat down opposite the cageand began thinking.
"Now, I wonder, little matey," he said softly, "whether, if I let youloose, you'd find your master, and take him a message."
He sat thinking for a while, and then shook his head.
"No, I'm sartain it wouldn't do; no, not even if you could talk like apoll parrot."
He strolled on deck, and saw that there was a sentry by the brokenskylight and another by the cabin hatch, and this was always the case,for the Cuban kept up the strictest discipline, one so perfect that ifanything like it had been the rule under Captain Studwick the vesselcould not have been taken.
Sam watched his opportunity, too, when the prisoners came on deck, buthe soon found that any attempt to obtain a word with either, even ifthey had not avoided his glance, would have been fatal to the enterprisewhich he had in hand.
"I shall have to take to the bird," he said at last, and at daybreak thenext morning he opened its cage door, and the little thing flitted outupon deck, and seemed thoroughly to enjoy its liberty, flying into therigging, chirping, and ending by descending the cabin hatch, attractedthereto by a peculiar whistle, but after a time it came up again,suffered itself to be caught and replaced in its cage.
"That'll do," said Sam to himself, and he went about his work, whilethat morning the whole of the diving apparatus was rigged up, and Raspcarefully inspected the ground.
"It's all right," he said to the Cuban. "Now, then, have 'em up. Here,let's send old Parkley down."
Mr Parkley was summoned on deck, and his first idea was to refuse todescend.
"You'd better go down," said Rasp grinning. "If you don't go with thesoot on it's my belief that you'll have to go down without."
There was no help for it, and he put on the diving-dress and went down,Dutch being summoned on deck directly after, to find Laure and his menall armed; and he felt that resistance was vain, and he, too, went down,and then with Mr Parkley worked to clear away the sand and weeds thathad collected in the hold of the vessel.
A few ingots were found and sent up directly, but it was evident toboth, as they compared notes, that the work of many days must followbefore they could get at the bulk of the treasure that lay below.
And so another day passed, Dutch still finding, to his delight, as hewent below, that the desire for the treasure was still the prominentfeeling in Laure's mind.
The next morning, at daybreak, Mr Wilson was first astir, and Dutch hadjust joined him to sit by the cabin window and enjoy the fresh morningbreeze, which was deliciously cool, when a bright, sharp chirp washeard, and the canary flew down through the broken skylight and alightedon the table.
"Dick, Dick!" cried Mr Wilson, with the tears of joy in his eyes,"pretty Dic
k;" and the little thing flew on to his finger, turning itshead first on one side and then on the other, as it looked up in hisface with its bright beady eye.
"What's that under its wing?" said Dutch, sharply.
"Paper," was the reply; and, sure enough, tightly tied beneath thelittle pinion was a tiny piece of doubled-up paper, which, on beingopened out, bore these words in pencil:
"Keep a steady hand at the wheel, and wait. Friends on board. Work andwait."
"Can that mean treachery?" said Dutch doubtfully; and, going to theirberths, he read the words softly to the captain and Mr Parkley, andasked their opinions as well as that of the doctor.
"No," said the latter; "that's no treachery, but from a friend."
"I see it all," whispered Dutch, with his face flushed with joy.
"What do you mean?" said the captain.
"I knew old Oakum and Rasp could not be such scoundrels. Theirbehaviour was all a blind. They are our friends."
"That must be it," acquiesced the others; and it was decided not to sendany message back, but to let the bird go.
This was done, and that day the divers steadily worked on with old Rasp,who was closely watched by the Cuban, tyrannical to a degree, whileOakum never once looked at them.
Sand, rock, and what was harder to move, namely, masses of coral, weredragged away that day, and the Cuban's impatience was somewhatalleviated on the sight of a few more stray ingots, forerunners of whathe hoped to get later on, and again night put an end to their labours,the tired divers, who on this day had been helped by the captain,doctor, and naturalist, all working like common sailors, and watched byarmed men.
They were up and waiting beneath the cabin skylight the next morningbefore the day broke, and once more came the bird with a welcomemessage.
It was very brief, but it gave them hope in the midst of their despair,for it ran as follows:--
"You'll get no more writing, for it ar'n't safe-like, friends workingfor all on you. Never mind, lads, watch under cabin light tillsomething comes."
This was enigmatical, but it set them on their guard, and they workedthat day more cheerfully, feeling that a plot must be on foot for theirrescue, Dutch's only fear, as he gazed at the two women, being that itmight come too late.
That night Dutch, weary as he was, himself watched beneath the cabinhatch, but many weary hours passed without anything but the talking ofthe watch being heard; and at last he felt that at all hazards he mustsleep, when he started, for something round and soft suddenly fellthrough the open light upon his head, and feeling about on the floor hishand came into contact with a handkerchief, in which something soft wastied up. A powder evidently--yes, gunpowder.
He stood pondering with about a couple of pounds of the combustible inhis hand, thinking of what power it would have if exploded, and longingfor the battery and the dynamite cartridges, as he thought that ifmatters came to the worst he would blow up the ship sooner than thewomen should suffer insult.
During the next few days the diving work progressed steadily, and, withthe exception of a few interruptions by sharks, all went well; but notthe slightest sign struck Dutch as evincing a desire on the part of Raspor Oakum to make any communication, and both he and his friends werepuzzled, wondering which of them would be the faithful one, for theyfelt that they would be too sanguine if they imagined that both were ontheir side, though Mr Parkley was as convinced that Rasp was at workfor them as Dutch was that it was Oakum.
All the while both were working hard in their interest to contrive there-capture of the ship, but the difficulty was that the whole party wereso watched that they could find no means of communication, but stillthey hoped.
Oakum had found where the arms were stowed in the fore cabin, whichLaure had taken for his own use, and which he shared with one of themen, whom he seemed to trust entirely, but who was a thoroughly drunkenscoundrel, and who used to make Mr Meldon's blood boil by the way heused to stand and watch Bessy Studwick whenever she was on deck in theevening, for Laure had insisted that the women should share hisprisoners' walk for a couple of hours each day.
"If I could get at those tools," thought Oakum, "and pass 'em down, weshould be all right, and might make the scoundrels shake in theirshoes." But no opportunity occurred, and the glorious bright daysglided by.
The treasure had been thoroughly reached at last, and in a hopeless wayDutch and Mr Parkley worked on, bullied sharply by Rasp, who threatenedshort supplies of air if more work were not done, and the consequencewas that an immense treasure in silver bars was recovered, though forthe most part terribly corroded and mingled with calcareous matter.
At last the time arrived when Mr Parkley came up announcing that thelast ingot had been found, and that nothing remained but the black androtting wood.
"Nonsense," exclaimed Laure angrily; "there must be hundreds more.Here, you Pugh, it is your turn to go down now. Make a good search, anddon't come back till you have found more."
The eyes of the two men encountered as Laure spoke, and a strangeforeboding feeling came over Dutch as he slowly made his preparations.It seemed to him that it was quite possible, now the treasure of twosunken galleons had been recovered, Laure might forego further search,having determined to make sure of his find, and if this were the case,the young man argued, he might now begin to put in force some of hisformer tactics. What if he were now to try to get rid of him forHester's sake--for the sake of the woman who had repelled all hisadvances, but who was now completely in his power.
True he had hardly noticed her of late, but there was that in theCuban's eyes that told of smothered volcanic passion that might at anymoment burst into flame, and Dutch felt that if he escaped from injurythat evening he would try and bring forward the plot that must be nownearly ripe, and strike before it was too late.
There were men on board who would, after the first blow was successfullystruck, he argued, be ready to side with the victorious party,irrespective of whom it might be, and this blow must be struck, and atonce, before it was too late.
He was brought back to the realities of his position by a few sharpwords from Laure, supplemented by a brutal jerk from Rasp, while as hesecured portions of his waterproof dress, and glanced round the deck,everything seemed to be imprinted on his brain with vivid force. Therewas the last heap of wet silver, mingled with stone, shell, and seaweed,the little streams of water trickling from it to the scuppers, and thereby the pump, which it had become their duty to work, were the captain,the doctor, and Mr Wilson, while just emerging from the cabin, andsupporting John Studwick each by a hand, came Hester and Bessy to leadthe invalid to a seat by the side.
Dutch saw Laure's eyes flash as Hester came on deck, and the young man'sveins tingled with rage.
But he was helpless, and could only obey. And, besides, he felt thatthis was no time for annoyance coming to his young wife; so, exchangingglances with her, and trying to impart confidence in her breast, thoughhe felt none, he prepared to go down.
But first he took one glance round at the beautiful sea and shore, andthen, with the foreboding of coming danger on the increase, he assumedhis helmet; it was roughly secured by Rasp; and he walked to the ladderat the side with the old fellow guiding him.
As he turned to place his feet on the steps, it might have beenimagination, but certainly Rasp looked at him through the glass windowsof the helmet in a peculiar way, and more significant still the youngman felt the life-line thrust into his hand.
"Then there is danger," thought Dutch, as he lowered himself down, andhis heart began to beat violently; but as his head disappeared beneaththe surface of the water, and the old familiar sensations of diving wereexperienced, he began to smile at his terrors, and to accuse himself ofwant of manliness.
"Rasp's rough behaviour is all a blind to throw dust in Laure's eyes,and the look and the significant placing of the life-line in my handsmeans that something is to take place to-night."
He was convinced of this now, and reaching the bottom he took up a
n ironrod, and began to move slowly about over the rotten timbers that hadbeen uncovered, and to probe and search in all directions. The sand hadbeen cleared out of the vessel all but amidships, and there they had atthe first attempt come upon remains that showed how a large number ofthe crew must have been below deck when the ship sunk; and as the silverseemed to lie away from here, Dutch and Mr Parkley had agreed to leavethe bones buried in the sand where they lay; but now that thisimperative order had come from their taskmaster Dutch took the piece ofiron, and began to search with it by thrusting it down into the sand.
He shuddered as he did so, for he could tell that it certainly came incontact with buried bones, sometimes, by the feel, with a skull, andseveral times he left off with a shudder, resuming his task in ahopeless way, and wondering whether success were to attend their effort,and when it would be made.
Just then the recollection of the rich treasure in gold that was knownonly to himself came to his mind, and he smiled as he thought of whatwould be Laure's feelings if he knew what had been left behind. And ashe thought of this, he thrust the iron rod down once more, and his heartbegan to beat again, for, unless he was much mistaken, there beneath theremains of the former occupants of the galleon lay just such areceptacle as the one he had formerly found.
He probed again and again, making deep holes in the sand, which werefilled up directly he withdrew the rod; and now, marking out the spot,he became convinced, not that it was gold, but that another goodlytreasure of metal lay beneath the sand.
It were all plain enough, just a square receptacle, all metal, hebelieved gold, but certainly silver was there, and as soon as he thrustthe probe down outside that square it went down, down through wood andsand to any depth.
"It is another treasure of gold," exclaimed Dutch, and his words soundedstrangely to him as they were spoken in the hollow of his helmet, and hepaused to consider whether he should announce his discovery, or keep itsecret like the last.
"It shall be a secret," he said. "We may live to survive thisunfortunate voyage, and if we do, may come again, for here is what wouldrecompense us for all our pains, and it is no uncertainty; no, there isthe treasure, and--"
He signalled sharply for more air, looking up through the clear brightsunlit water, and as he did so feeling that the supply was stopped, hesaw that the long india-rubber tube had been cut, and was sinking slowlytowards him, like some strange grey snake.