Under the Chilian Flag Part 13

"G.o.d help us!" murmured the young Englishman; "we shall never get through that tempest of fire; but I am going to try!"

Nearer and nearer they swept, until the torpedo-boat was only a hundred yards away, and then the _Union_ fired her first gun, a large 8-inch rifled weapon, loaded with a sh.e.l.l which screamed horridly as it swept past and plunged into the water just astern. The riflemen raised their pieces, levelled them over the corvette's high sides, and, at the word of command, which all aboard the torpedo-boat could hear, they sent their volleys hurtling aboard that devoted craft. Jim felt a sharp twinge in his left shoulder, and knew that he was. .h.i.t; two other men fell to the deck, limp as empty suits of clothes. The _Janequeo_ was now abreast the _Union_, and, as she drew level, the latter s.h.i.+p discharged every gun that she could bring to bear.

It was simply impossible that she could miss. There was a ripping and tearing of iron as the shower of steel struck the torpedo-boat. Both her funnels were blown completely out of her, and the hissing roar of escaping steam, followed by the screams of the scalded stokers down below, told all too plainly that a boiler had been pierced. The quartermaster at the wheel let go the spokes and collapsed on deck, and Jim staggered to the helm just in time to prevent the _Janequeo_ from cras.h.i.+ng into the mole. Then, still floating, and with smoke, steam, and flame billowing along her decks and blinding her gallant skipper, the maimed little vessel staggered forward. But escape was not for her.

The _Union_ had a smart man for captain, and he did not intend the little Chilian hornet to go clear. The forward 8-inch gun bellowed out, and its sh.e.l.l struck the Chilian fair and square on her stern, exploding as it pa.s.sed into her hull, and literally blowing the after-part of her away.

Her stern plunged downward; she rolled heavily once or twice, and then turned right over, throwing Jim, in a state of semi-unconsciousness, into the water of the harbour. Then she sank, and the bottom blew out of her as she plunged beneath the surface. At this precise moment, to Jim's fast-failing senses there came the roar of a terrific explosion, followed almost instantly by a second, and he knew that, though his own s.h.i.+p was lost, he had done his duty and succeeded in destroying three of the enemy.

Just as he was on the point of sinking, however, for the last time, a hand shot out, grasped his collar, and hauled him roughly into a boat, while a voice growled out in Spanish, "This is the only one afloat, senor; the rest are down among the sharks, who will not go hungry to- night." Then darkness closed down over Jim's senses, though not before he had realised that he was a prisoner in the hands of his enemies, the Peruvians.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

IN THE FACE OF DEATH.

When Jim recovered consciousness, it was to find himself in a small dark cell, whether on board a s.h.i.+p or on land he could not tell, for there was no window in his prison, and there was not a particle of that motion which he knew there would have been had he been at sea; but he presently came to the conclusion that he must be in one of the "punishment cells"

aboard some s.h.i.+p lying in the harbour, for he thought that, now and again, he could hear the faint plash and gurgle of water close at hand, a sound similar to that which he had often heard when down about the bilges of the _Blanco Encalada_, far below the water-line. He also very soon realised that, in addition to being in prison, he had chains upon his legs, and further, that those chains were fastened to a ring, or staple, set into the wall of the chamber. The poor lad was consumed by a raging thirst, too; while the wound in his shoulder, inflicted either by a bullet or a piece of flying sh.e.l.l, was occasioning him very great pain. If he only had a light, he reflected, things would not be quite so bad, and he rummaged among his pockets in the endeavour to find a box of matches which he knew had been in his pocket when he was thrown overboard off the _Janequeo_. They were in a tin box, so that it was just possible that the water would not have had time to get to them during the short period of his immersion; and, in any case, as his clothing was very nearly dry again, it was more than likely that the matches would be the same.

After trying several pockets, and discovering that they had already been gone through, and that all articles of any value, including his watch and chain, had been taken from him, he found the box for which he was searching in the hip-pocket of his trousers; and, to his great delight, the wet had not reached its contents. He therefore struck a light, and the first thing his eyes rested upon was a large pitcher of water, and a plate containing a piece of black bread and several slices of pemmican or dried meat. These had been placed close beside him, and he was thankful that he had not accidentally capsized the water-jug in the darkness. He seized and drank at it eagerly, and when he had half- finished the contents he discovered that he was famished with hunger.

He therefore struck another match and, by its light, possessed himself of the food, which he proceeded to devour ravenously, and finished off the entire supply before his hunger was satisfied. Having made a good meal, he felt very much better, and then by the light of a tiny fire, made of match-stalks, sc.r.a.ps of straw, and similar odds and ends, he managed, with some difficulty, to strip off his coat and s.h.i.+rt, and to attend, in some small degree, to the wound in his shoulder.

It presented a somewhat inflamed appearance, so he improvised a pad and bandage by tearing strips off his s.h.i.+rt. These he soaked in the precious remainder of his drinking water and wrapped them round the injured part, binding the whole tightly in place with a strip of linen wound right round his body. This having been done, he felt so much more comfortable that he began to think a little natural sleep would do him no harm, and he accordingly composed himself to slumber upon the heap of straw which had been thrown down in one corner of the cell.

How long, he wondered, had he been in this miserable hole? It must certainly have been a good many hours, or he would not have felt so intensely hungry and thirsty; and he also wondered in what s.h.i.+p, if any, he was, and how the Peruvians would treat the man who had blown up three of their finest s.h.i.+ps, leaving them only the bare skeleton of a navy.

He did not think very long, however; for he was fatigued to the point of exhaustion, and soon sank into a state of complete oblivion. How long he had slept he could not tell, but he was awakened by the noise of a door opening, and the s.h.i.+ning of a bright light full upon his face.

Before he could fully collect his faculties the bearer of the lamp, a burly Peruvian seaman with the name _Union_ on the front of his cap, bade him in a rough tone of voice stand up, at the same time producing a key from among a number which hung at his belt and unlocking the young Englishman's irons. As they fell away from his limbs Jim heaved a sigh of relief, which the seaman heard; and hearing, remarked: "You need not be so glad to get them off, you young whipper-snapper; you will be free for only a few minutes, while the captain sees you, and after he has done with you, you will probably be shot--or worse! So you need not look so pleased."

Needless to say, after the communication of this item of information Jim did not feel exactly jubilant; but the fellow, he considered, might only have been speaking thus to vent his ill-will; and in any case Jim was not going to let him see that what he had said affected him in the least. He therefore merely answered: "We shall see what we shall see; fate is fate, and n.o.body can alter that."

The fellow made no reply in words, but, uttering a raucous laugh, bade Jim precede him out of the cell, and mind that he played no tricks or he would get a bullet through him. Then the seaman locked the door, pocketed the key, and placing his rifle with its fixed bayonet at the "charge," ordered the prisoner to walk on in front, which Jim did; keeping his eyes very wide open, meanwhile, so as to make a note of the position of the cell and its surroundings for possible use on some future occasion.

They first pa.s.sed along a pa.s.sage flanked with other cells, similar to Jim's, that in which he had been confined being the last of a row, and then they came to an iron-studded door, which the prisoner was commanded to open. It opened at his touch, and the Englishman and his guard pa.s.sed through it, finding themselves immediately upon the _Union's_ lower deck. As the Peruvian marine guided Jim through the s.h.i.+p, with the point of his fixed bayonet, the young Englishman took the opportunity to satisfy his curiosity regarding this famous craft--a curiosity which was perfectly natural in view of the fact that he had himself fought an action with her, and chased her while he was in the _Angamos_. He smiled as his eyes fell upon one of the beams supporting the main deck, for in it were embedded several pieces of sh.e.l.l which the Peruvians had not seen fit to remove; and he knew that they were the fragments of a missile, fired by his own cruiser, which had entered one of the _Union's_ open gun-ports that day of the battle in the Second Narrows.

But his examination of the interior of the corvette was necessarily only a very cursory one, for he was hurried forward by a prod from the sentry's bayonet whenever he showed a disposition to loiter. They presently mounted a ladder leading from the lower to the main deck, walked along the latter toward the stern, and presently Jim found himself outside the door of a cabin in the extreme after-end of the s.h.i.+p, which he shrewdly surmised belonged to the skipper.

The sentry then grounded his rifle, knocked upon the door, opened it slightly, and announced in gruff tones: "The prisoner, sir!"

There was a short pause, broken only by the rustling of papers, and then a low, carefully modulated voice replied: "Bring the fellow in, then, sentry"; and Jim was ushered into the presence of Captain Villavicencio, the famous captain of the Peruvian corvette.

Entering, Douglas found himself in a large and airy cabin, situated in the extreme after-end of the s.h.i.+p, opening on to a narrow gallery running round the stern of the s.h.i.+p, from quarter to quarter. Two tall and narrow doors which gave exit on to this gallery, and which now stood open, disclosed a view of Callao harbour, with the water s.h.i.+mmering in the rays of the newly risen sun, for it was early morning. In the centre of the cabin, which was most luxuriously furnished, stood a magnificent mahogany writing-table, at which sat the man whose name was still ringing through a whole continent. He was an extremely handsome individual, and his enormous proportions were well set off by the dark blue and gold of his naval uniform. He had jet-black curly hair, and a short, pointed beard; while the dark eyes which looked out from beneath thick, overhanging brows, seemed to pierce through and through the individual toward whom his glance was directed. Jim saw at once that this was a man among a thousand, one who would make a name for himself, and come to the front in spite of all opposition. But there was a certain subtle something about the Peruvian which inspired in the young man a feeling almost akin to terror. The eyes, for instance, had a distinctly tigerish look about them, and the man's whole personality was strongly suggestive of a feline nature. Those deep-set dark eyes, Jim knew instinctively, could, at times, flash forth lightnings deadly in their intensity; while that low, purring voice could also take on a note of such deadly menace as would make the hearer's blood curdle. The steel-pointed claw beneath the velvet glove was all too apparent to the young Englishman, and he looked forward to the coming interview with feelings that were anything but pleasant. He felt as though he were in the power of some gigantic cat which might play with him until it was tired of that amus.e.m.e.nt, and would then turn and rend him. No wonder, he thought to himself, that the Chilians feared this man, and spared no pains in their endeavours to destroy him and his s.h.i.+p.

In response to a wave of Villavicencio's hand, Jim took up a position on the side of the table opposite to that occupied by the skipper, while the sentry posted himself close alongside the prisoner. Then the Peruvian busied himself with some papers for a few minutes, apparently oblivious of Jim's presence. At length, having found that for which he was searching, he glanced up, and his gaze flickered over Jim like summer lightning, inspiring in the young man so strong a feeling of repulsion that it almost amounted to nausea. There was something horribly magnetic in the look, and Jim felt that this man possessed some strange occult power which was lacking in most human beings.

After looking at the young man for a few seconds, Villavicencio turned to the sentry and remarked, "I shall not need your presence, I think, Jacinto. You may leave the room, but post yourself outside my cabin door, and see that we are not interrupted."

The sentry gravely presented arms, and walked out of the cabin, closing the door softly behind him. When he had gone the skipper took up a blank sheet of paper and a pencil, wrote down a few lines on the paper, and then looking at his prisoner, said in a low, purring tone--

"You are the young Chilian naval officer who was in charge of the torpedo-boat which destroyed three of our s.h.i.+ps the night before last, are you not?"

Jim replied that he was.

"Well," resumed Villavicencio, "you will be sorry, I am sure, to hear that all your comrades were drowned when the _Janequeo_--that was the name of the boat, I believe--went down. You are the sole survivor. By the way, how many men had you with you?"

"There were eighteen of us altogether," replied Douglas.

The skipper made a brief note on the paper before him and then remarked softly, "H'm, it is a pity that they were all drowned. I should have much liked to have saved a few more of them."

Although there was absolutely no fault to be found with the sentiment expressed by the captain, Jim felt instinctively that the words possessed a double meaning, and he s.h.i.+vered in spite of the heat of the morning, which was already becoming excessive.

"What is your name, young man?" was the next question, and upon Jim answering, his reply was noted down by his interrogator upon the paper before him. Just as he had finished writing a thought seemed to strike him suddenly and he looked up quickly from the sheet.

"Were you ever on board the Chilian cruiser _Angamos_?" he inquired, still in the same low and even tones, but with a curious new thrill in his voice.

"Yes," replied Jim, looking him straight in the face, "I had the honour to command that s.h.i.+p upon the occasion when she encountered the _Union_ in the Straits of Magellan. If I remember rightly, the _Union_ did not stay to finish our little encounter."

"Ah-h-h," breathed Villavicencio, through his teeth, "so you _were_ the man in command of the cruiser. I thought you might be when I heard your name, but you struck me as being rather young for the post. By the way, how old are you?"

Jim told him, not without a certain curious sinking sensation about his heart.

"So young as that? Dear me, dear me! it certainly _does_ seem a pity, but it cannot be helped," said the captain. "Your name does not sound like a Chilian one, however. Of what nationality are you, if I may ask?"

"I am an Englishman," replied Jim, "and proud of the fact," he immediately added.

Villavicencio appeared to be sunk in thought for a few seconds, during which he e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed "_Caramba_!" and "_Carrajo_!" several times. The last item of information seemed to be both unexpected and unpleasant.

Presently, however, he muttered to himself, "Well, I don't suppose it matters very much. People are liable to accidents here as well as elsewhere, and if inquiries should be made I can easily plead ignorance.

Only, I shall have to alter the method of it. My first idea _might_ possibly attract too much attention. However--I shall see." Aloud, he went on, "Have you any relations in this part of the world, Senor Douglas?"

Inconsequent as the question appeared to be, Jim felt an uncanny, creepy sensation about the roots of his hair, but his voice did not shake as he replied, "No, I have no relations either in Chili or in any other part of the world. I am absolutely alone."

Villavicencio's face at once brightened, and he rubbed his hands, remarking, "Ah! then so much the better, Senor Douglas, for in that case they will not miss you." Then his whole appearance changed, and his voice dropped to a harsh, hissing note as he resumed, "It is a great pity, though, that you are an Englishman, and so well known in the Chilian navy, for that fact prevents me from dealing as I had intended with the miscreant who destroyed two of our s.h.i.+ps and seriously damaged a third. But though I cannot punish you as I should have liked, I can and _will_ have you shot, and that immediately, on the deck of my s.h.i.+p, the _Union_, the vessel which, you so pleasantly remarked just now, ran away from your cruiser and her consort in the Straits."

"But," exclaimed Douglas, in astonishment, "I am a prisoner of war, and I demand to be treated as such. I have done nothing but my duty, nothing to merit death at your hands; and even if I had, I have yet to learn that one man only, even though he be the captain of a corvette, can sit in judgment upon a prisoner and sentence him to death. I am at least ent.i.tled to a proper court-martial, if I am to be tried for my life."

Villavicencio laughed. "What you say, my dear young man, is no doubt technically correct; but _here_ might is right, and I will deal with you as I please, as you shall very soon see. Sentry!" he called, suddenly raising his voice and smiling evilly into Jim's face.

For a brief moment Douglas was on the point of leaping across the table and endeavouring to strangle the Peruvian where he sat, and neither the man's sword at his side nor his huge proportions would have intimidated him, but there was that curious look in Villavicencio's eyes which seemed to hypnotise and chain poor Jim to the spot on which he stood.

The next second the sentry entered, and it was too late to think about resistance.

"Sentry," said the skipper, "take the prisoner back to his cell, and see that he does not attempt to escape on the way; he looks desperate. When you have locked him up in safety, send Lieutenant Rodriguez to me at once."

Like a man in a dream, Jim marched to the door, scarcely hearing the skipper's sauve voice remarking: "_Hasta la vista, Senor Douglas_; I will not say _adios_, for we shall meet again--once more."

The cabin door then closed, and Jim was conducted back to his cell, followed by the curious glances of the men who were a.s.sembled about the decks. Once back in his prison, he seemed able to think more connectedly, and he began to wonder whether or not there might be some means of escape from this semi-human creature's clutches. He had done absolutely nothing to merit this threatened summary execution, and he felt convinced that his sentence was simply due to the skipper's own desire for personal vengeance on the man who had made him turn and fly upon that memorable day at the Second Narrows. If it really was so, there was nothing to be hoped, Jim felt, from the man's clemency; for he clearly knew no more of the meaning of the word "mercy" than does an untamed tiger.

Thus thinking, Douglas fell into a deep and gloomy reverie, from which he was aroused by the sounds of footsteps clattering about above his head, accompanied by the occasional clank of arms, and several short, crisp words of command. It sounded as though a body of men had been formed up on the deck above him, and had then been marched off to some other place. In a moment the horrible truth struck him; it was the firing-party which had been told off for his own execution!

That he was right was proved by the fact that he almost immediately afterwards heard footsteps approaching the door and echoing along the pa.s.sage. There was a rattle of keys, and he was confronted, this time, by two armed seamen, who roughly bade him get on his feet and accompany them. The poor lad was too thunderstruck to move for a few moments, so one of the men prodded him roughly with his bayonet, and again bade him rise. Jim then got on his legs, with the blood streaming from the thrust which had been inflicted in his thigh, and between the two guards he again made his way to the main deck. This time, however, he was not taken so far aft as before, but was conducted up the main companion stairs on to the upper deck.