CHAPTER XX
DESMOND GOES ASHORE
It was a thick black night when Desmond brought the _Palestrina_ intothe Bahia, steaming at half-speed with the big smooth swell heaving invast undulations behind her. The blinding deluge which had delayed himfor half an hour had just ceased, and at every roll boat and deckhouseshook off streams of lukewarm water. A dripping man stood strappedoutside the bridge swinging the heavy lead, and his sing-song crywhich rose at regular intervals broke through the throb of slowlyturning engines. A yard or two away from him Desmond leaned upon therails peering into the darkness athwart which there ran a dim blackline of bluff. A filmy haze that glimmered faintly white leapt upbetween him and it, and the stagnant air was filled with a great,deep-toned rumbling. It rolled along the half-seen bluff like themuttering of distant thunder, for, though the Bahia was partlysheltered, the vast heave of the Southern Ocean was crumbling upon thehammered beach that night. It does so now and then when there is not abreath of wind.
"It isn't exactly encouraging," he said to his mate. "The surf seemsrunning unpleasantly steep. There's a weight in it. I'm rather gladthe boat's a big one since we have to face it. Well, you had betterget forward, and stand by your anchors. I'll bring her up in anotherfew minutes."
The mate went forward with a handful of dripping men behind him, andleft Desmond quietly intent upon the bridge. The latter was quiteaware that it would have been prudent to wait for daylight, andrecognized that he was doing a reckless thing, but that ratherappealed to him. It is also possible to do a reckless thing carefully,and he was, at least, proceeding with a certain circumspection. Whenthe bluff grew a trifle plainer he seized his telegraph, and raised awarning hand to the helmsman.
"Starboard!" he said. "Let her swing when she goes astern."
A gong tinkled beneath him, there was a sharper clank of engines, andthe _Palestrina_ swinging round rolled from rail to rail. Then astrident roar of running cable jarred through the rumbling of thesurf, and was succeeded by a trumpeting blast of blown off steam whenhe rang the telegraph again. When this slackened a little he raisedhis voice.
"If you're ready there, Mr. Winthrop, will you bring your men along,"he said.
There was a tramp of feet forward, and when half-seen figuresclustered beneath the bridge Desmond leaned over the rails andaddressed them.
"Boys," he said, "what we are going to do is in some respects a crazything, and while I don't know that we'll have trouble it's veryprobable. Now there'll be a bonus for the men who come with me, but Idon't want any one to go against his will. If any of you would soonerstay here all he has to do is to walk forward, and I'll admit thathe's sensible."
There was a little laughter, but nobody moved. Among those who heardhim were shrewd, cold-blooded Scots from the Clyde, and level-headedSolent Englishmen, as well as boys from Kingston and Belfast Lough. Ofthese latter Desmond had no doubt. A hint that the thing was rash andmight lead to trouble was naturally enough for them, but he recognizedthat there might be occasions when the colder temperament of theothers was likely to prove, at least, as serviceable. It was notastonishing that these, too, evidently meant to go with him, for thereare men who can apparently with no great effort bend others to theirwill, and, after all, one can not invariably be sensible. Perhaps, itwould be a misfortune if this were possible.
"Sure," said one of them, and he was a Kingston man, "all ye have todo, sir, is to go straight ahead. We're coming with ye, if we have toswim, an' if we have to it's more than I can."
One or two of his comrades laughed, and Desmond raised a hand. "It'svery probable that you'll have to try. We'll get the surfboat over,Mr. Winthrop."
It would have been a difficult task in the daylight, for the_Palestrina_ rolled wickedly and the long slopes of water lapped toher rail, but they accomplished it in the dark, and when the big boathove up beneath them dropped into her one by one. They had a few Accraand Liberia boys for the paddles, but not enough and white seamenperched among them on the froth-licked gunwale as they reeled away onthe back of a swell. It swept them out from the steamer, and let themdrop into a black hollow while the negro at the steering oar yelled asanother dark ridge hove itself aloft behind them. They drove on withthis one and several others that succeeded it, careering amidst aturmoil of spouting froth that boiled round the high, pointed stern,and there was spray all about them, stinging their eyes and in theirnostrils, when at last the beach was close at hand. They could not,however, see it. There was nothing visible now but a dim filmy cloud,out of which came a thunderous rumbling that has its effect upon thestoutest nerves, for there are probably few men who can listen to thecrashing charge of the great combers on an African beach quiteunmoved, especially if it is their business to face them in the dark.
Desmond glanced astern a moment when the sable helmsman shouted, andthen resolutely turned his eyes ahead. He had seen all he wished to,and it was with vague relief he felt the boat rush upwards under him,for that waiting in the hollow was not a thing one could bear easily.She went forward reeling, half-buried in tumbling foam, twisting inspite of the gasping helmsman in peril of rolling over, and out of thespray and darkness the dim line of bluff came rushing back to them.Then there was a crash that flung half of them from the gunwale, andthe boat went up the beach with a seething white turmoil washing overher, until they swung themselves over and clung to her waist-deep inthe wild welter when the sea sucked back. Straining every muscle theyheld her somehow, and a voice rose strained and harsh through the din.
"Where are those--rollers, boys?" it said.
Somebody produced them, and gasping and floundering they ran her upwith another comber thundering out of the darkness behind them, andthen flung themselves down breathless and dripping on the hot sand.Desmond let them lie awhile, and then leaving the negroes behind, thewhite men clambered up the face of the bluff. After that they stumbledamidst loose sand and tufts of harsh grass that now and then cutthrough their thin duck garments and twined about their legs, but theyplodded on steadily, and when morning broke had made about a leaguewhich was, all things considered, excellent traveling. With thedaylight, however, came the rain that beat the soil into a pulp andfilled the steamy air. The grass they found in places bent beneath it,and the water flowed about their feet. Still, they held on, drenched,and bleeding from odd scars and scratches, until there broke outdazzling, blistering sunshine which in a few minutes sucked themoisture from their clothing.
Then Desmond, who had heard that littoral described as dry andparched, bade them lie down in the scanty strip of shadow behind aclump of thorns, and a twinkle crept into his eyes as he glanced atthem. They were already freely plastered with mire. A few of them hadsporting rifles--he carried one himself--and bandoliers, while some ofthe rest had the gig's ash stretchers, and one a big pointed ironbar, but he fancied they would scarcely pass for a big gameexpedition. For one thing, they had no carriers. Desmond desired onlymen who could be relied upon to say as well as do what he bade them,for he could without any great effort foresee that he might have tograpple with more than physical difficulties. He let them lie for halfan hour, and then the rain came and drove them on again.
"He fancied they would scarcely pass for a big gameexpedition."--Page 242.]
They floundered through it all that afternoon, lay down in wet sandwhen the sudden darkness blotted out the misty littoral, and rose withthe swift dawn, cramped and wet and aching, to plunge into a thickwhite steam. There was a muggy warmth in it which relaxed theirmuscles and insidiously slackened the domination of their will. Theywanted to lie down, and wondered vaguely why they did not do so, forthere are times when man's resolution melts out of him in that land,and nothing seems worth the trouble of accomplishing. Still, they wenton, and evening found them wearied in body and limp of will, as wellas very wet and miry, on the edge of a belt of thorny vegetationamidst which there wound a native path. They slept beside it as bestthey could, and went on again for two more days under scorchingsunshine until at last they reached a
ridge of higher ground. Therewere a few palms on the crest of it, and they lay down between themamidst a maze of thorny vines.
Darkness was creeping up from the eastwards when Desmond sat poringover a section of a large-scale chart which had proved to be areasonably accurate guide to the physical features of thatlittoral. The elevation of which the ridge formed a portion was dulymarked, as was the creek they had cautiously waded through, and notfar away there stood another rise which might be made out from asteamer's bridge. The dots that ran through them both indicatedOrmsgill's path. He was a man who, at least, endeavored to provide forcontingencies, and he had for Desmond's benefit plotted out the laststages of his march to the coast. The latter, however, remained inunpleasant uncertainty as to when he would arrive, which, in view ofthe fact that a handful of dusky troops were in all probability notvery far away, was a question of some consequence.
When darkness swept down he posted two sentries and then lay down nearthe smoldering cooking fire. The strip of rubber sheeting he spreadbeneath him did not make a very efficient mattress, but worn-out as hewas he fell asleep in spite of the mosquitoes, and so far as he couldafterwards ascertain the men he had left on watch in due time did thesame. When he awakened there was a half-moon in the sky, and a faintsilvery light shone down upon the ridge. He could see the palm shaftscut against it darkly in delicately proportioned columns, and theebony tracery of their great curved leaves. Now and then a big dropthat fell from them splashed heavily upon the straggling undergrowth,but save for that everything was very still. The fire was red and low,but the smell of wood smoke and hot wet soil was in his nostrils. Hewas wondering drowsily why he had awakened when he fancied that ashadowy figure flitted behind a palm, and turning cautiously hereached out for the rifle that lay by his side. As his hand closedupon it another figure moved towards him quietly. The moonlight fellupon it and his grasp relaxed on the rifle as he saw that it wasdressed in tattered duck. He scrambled to his feet, and Ormsgillstopped a pace or two away.
"You are a little ahead of time, but considering everything it'sfortunate," he said.
Desmond blinked at him for a moment or two. The man's face was leanand worn, and his thin, dew-drenched garments were torn by thorns. Oneof his boots had also burst, his wide hat was shapeless, and sunbakedmire clung about him to the knees.
"There were reasons why it seemed advisable to divide my party andpush on," he proceeded. "My few personal belongings are now reposingin a swamp."
Desmond shook hands with him. "Well," he said, "it's like you. Whereare your niggers, and what's the matter with my--sentries? Stillthat's not exactly what I meant to say."
Ormsgill laughed, and sent a shrill call ringing across the belt ofmist below. There was an answer from it, and while the men from the_Palestrina_ rose clamoring to their feet a row of weary, half-nakednegroes plodded into camp. Some of them had red scars upon their duskyskin, some of them limped, and when they stopped at a sign fromOrmsgill the seaman clustered round and gazed at them. They werewoolly-haired and thick-lipped, and their weariness had worn all signof intelligence out of their dusky faces. They looked at theclustering seamen vacantly and without curiosity.
"Lord," said Desmond, "and these are the fellows you have done so muchfor! Well, it's evidently my turn. I suppose they can eat?"
Ormsgill laughed. "A good deal just now. We started soon aftersunrise, and have scarcely stopped all day. In fact, we have beenmarching rather hard the last week or two."
Desmond turned to one of the men he had brought with him. "Stir thatfire," he said. "Make these images something, then take them away andstuff them."
He touched Ormsgill, and pointed to the strip of sheeting. "Get offyour feet. We have a good deal to talk about."
They sat down, and by and by one of the _Palestrina_'s stewards servedthem with coffee and canned stuff while his comrades sat in a ringabout the negroes patting them on their naked shoulders andencouraging them to eat. The black men's stolidity vanished, and theygrinned widely, while by degrees odd snatches of different languagesand bursts of hoarse laughter rose from them. In the midst of it onebig man chanted a monotonous song. Ormsgill laid down his cup andlistened with a little smile.
"He's improvising rather cleverly," he said. "It's almost a pity youdon't know enough of the language to hear your praises sung. You see,he has so far only come across two white men who have even spoken tohim decently."
Desmond grinned, and raised his voice. "If they understand whattobacco is let them have what you have with you, boys," he said. "Youcan come to me for more when we get back on board."
"That's all right, sir," said one man. "It's our dinner party. We'vegot most of a hatful for them ready."
"Sailors," said Desmond reflectively, "have some curious notions onthe subject of making pets. So have you, for that matter, but, afterall, that's not quite the question. Did you see anything that wouldlead you to believe Herrero's friends were after you?"
"I did," said Ormsgill. "Smoke, for one thing, and that was why Ipushed on for the coast. Nares who was a little feverish and found itdifficult to march fast insisted on turning back inland with half thecarriers. I left two men I could rely on behind to investigate, and Iexpect some news before the morning. In the meanwhile what are youdoing here? It's at least a week before I was due."
Desmond looked at him steadily, and, as it happened, the firelightfell upon them both. "Miss Figuera sent me."
"Ah," said Ormsgill, and a curious little glint crept into his eyesand faded out of them again. "Well, you have, no doubt, a little moreto tell."
His companion told it tersely, and afterwards Ormsgill sat silent forawhile with a half-filled pipe in his hand. Many a time during hiswanderings he had seen in fancy Benicia Figuera sitting in the shadypatio, and on each occasion the longing to hear her voice and oncemore stand face to face had grown stronger. He had fought against iton weary march and when the boys were sleeping in the silent camp, butit had conquered him.
"It was very kind of her," he said at last. "Still, considering herfather's status, one could wonder why she did it."
Desmond smiled curiously as he leaned forward and stirred the fire."That," he said with an air of reflection, "is naturally one of thethings I don't know. Still, there is a certain chivalrous rashness inthe adventure you have undertaken which, although sensible folks wouldprobably consider it misguided, might appeal to a young woman of MissFiguera's description. You see, she is by no means a conventionalperson herself. Perhaps, it's fortunate there are young women like herwith courage and intelligence enough to form their own opinions."
"Miss Figuera has certainly courage," said Ormsgill slowly.
Desmond laughed. "She has. She has also a wholesome pride, and senseas well as imagination, though the two don't always go together. Withher at his side a man crazy enough to be pleased with that kind ofthing might set himself to straighten up half the wrongs perpetratedby our civilization, and she'd see he was never wholly beaten.Somehow, she would, at least, bring him off with honor, and that is,after all, the most any one with such notions could reasonably lookfor."
He stopped for a moment, and when he went on again the firelightshowed the little flush in his cheeks and the gleam in his eyes.
"Lord," he said, "how little some of us are content with when wemarry--a woman to sit at the head of out table, and talk prettily, onewho asks for everything that isn't worth while, and sees you never doanything her friends don't consider quite fitting. Still, there isanother kind, the ones who give instead of asking, and who would, forthe man they loved, face the malice of the world with a smile in theireyes. I think," and he made a little vague gesture, "I have saidsomething of the kind before, but I have to let myself go now andthen. I can't help it."
"One would almost fancy you were in love with the girl yourself," saidOrmsgill quietly.
Desmond leaned forward a trifle, and looked hard at him. "No. I mighthave been had things been different. At least, she is certainly not inlove with me."
/> Ormsgill said nothing, but he was sensible of a curious stirring ofhis blood. He would not ask himself exactly what his comrade meant, orif, indeed, he meant anything in particular, for it was a consolationto remember that Desmond now and then talked inconsequently. He satstill, vacantly watching the blue smoke wreaths curl up between thepalms. The boys had lain down now, and only an occasional faintrustle as one moved broke the heavy silence. Then, and, perhaps he wasa trifle overwrought and fanciful, as he watched the drifting smokewreaths a figure seemed to materialize out of them. It was filmy andunsubstantial, etherealized by the moonlight, but it grew plainer, andonce more he saw Benicia Figuera as he had talked with her in theshady patio. She seemed to be looking at him with reposeful eyes thathad nevertheless a little glint in the depths of them, and now thedesire to see her in the flesh took him by the throat and shook theresolution out of him. At last he knew. There could no longer be anybrushing of disconcerting facts aside. There was one woman in theworld whom he desired, and he had pledged himself to marry anotherone. Still, his duty remained, and he sat silent with one lean handclosed tightly and the lines on his worn face deepening until at lasthe became conscious that Desmond was watching him, and he rousedhimself with an effort.
"Well," he said quietly, "she has laid me under a heavy obligation,but we have other things to talk of."