Latitude 19 degree Part 25

"Is it not time to finish this business?" asked the Admiral, jerking his head in the direction of the lad.

"We are waiting for Mauresco, Admiral."

"Yes, yes, the high priest, Mauresco! The handsome high priest, Mauresco! Where can Maures...o...b..? Call Mauresco! Go and call Mauresco!

Searching as usual for his lost bauble, perhaps."

A dozen men ran to obey his orders. They disappeared through the archway, and there were cries of "Mauresco!" "Mauresco!" We heard shrill whistles and calls, but Mauresco did not appear. I was glad that I knew the reason why.

I saw that the lad turned his eyes ever toward the doorway, hoping probably that the watch would be relaxed, and once or twice I was almost tempted to cry out, "Try it now, Trevelyan, try it now!" The moment came at last, for it seemed to me that their potations had made the bandits somewhat careless.

"Go bring the sepulchre!" ordered the Admiral. At these dreadful words the boy shrank to the wall and stood there, his face leaned against the inhospitable rock.

Two men now entered, bringing what, I could not determine, except that they walked about six feet apart, and that the something between them glinted in certain places in the lamplight, and made a jingling noise as they came. Some of the ruffians were filling their flagons and cups, but as the two approached, bearing what the Admiral had called the sepulchre, they all came forward and crowded around this new object of interest. The guards at the door had relaxed their watchfulness and were gazing with the rest.

"Now is the time," I whispered. "Will he never----" A shout! Another, and twenty more! A rush to the doorway! The lad had made a bolt for it and was gone!

CHAPTER VIII.

A LIVING DEATH.

My determination was not taken before I was halfway down the pa.s.sage. I felt myself running like the wind through the tunnel, my hand sc.r.a.ping the wall as I ran. I remember that it seemed to me possible that I could get to the aid of the young lad in the dark and bring him to our concealed retreat. I was b.u.mping against the sides of the tunnel as these thoughts went through my brain, and when I came plump against the transverse wall of what I called the home pa.s.sage I turned to the left, and was soon in the open air. I heard the footsteps of my companions, I was sure, but they did not follow me farther than the home tunnel. I remember the delicious smell of the fresh night air that filled my nostrils as I emerged from the cave.

It seemed light outside after the blackness of the pa.s.sage. I tore up the hill. I forgot my bare feet. I leaped, I ran as I never had done before, and then I heard a rustling among the leaves. He had doubled upon his pursuers.

"Here! here!" I shouted. "This way! this way!" I was now at the top of the hill. Some one crashed through the underbrush.

"Where? Which way?" he panted. I held my hand out to him. He seized it in his, for even in the darkness he knew me for a friend.

"This way," I whispered, "this way. I will save you, lad. Come! come!" I clasped his fingers tightly and together we raced for life, but there were the sounds of many feet in pursuit. I kept in mind always that, whatever happened, the buccaneers must not know the secret of our side of the cavern, and so I pulled him still up the hill and back into the deeper forest. But the lad was weak and ill from long confinement on s.h.i.+p-board, and my feet were bleeding and sore. We leaped with the strength that despair lends to weary frames, but the energy of revenge was upon our trail, and I felt the presence of my enemy behind me. I heard his heavy step treading almost upon my heels. I tried to double by bending low, but fate, the inexorable, was on the other side, and I fell, dragging the lad down with me. A rough hand caught at my shoulder, and then other hands were laid upon me, and I was held by those about me as if in a vise. I struggled to draw my pistol, and managed to c.o.c.k it and lay my captor low, thank G.o.d! But, for one who had seized upon us, there were six or eight to hold us fast. We were turned about and marched back to the cavern.

"The Admiral will settle with you for that shot, my gentleman," said a rough voice. "I envy you very little," growled he. "That was 'The Rogue,' next to Mauresco, the Admiral's favourite among us all."

I had, indeed, got myself into a nice mess! All of my own deliberate choosing, too! How could I have been such a fool! The young lad must die doubtless, but why I should have elected to die with him I could not just then determine. While some of the men remained to look after the villain well named "The Rogue" others haled the lad and me to the door which opened into the Admiral's compartment. Our captors pushed us into an archway much like the one which led to our latticed retreat. We pa.s.sed along a short tunnel. The light from within became strong, and in a moment we were thrust in amid the company. I had hoped never to make their personal acquaintance, and I entered reluctantly. As we came in among them, the Admiral and Captain Jonas gazed with delight at young Trevelyan, and with more than amazement at me.

"Two!" shouted Captain Jonas, "when we expected but one. This is luck, great luck! What snare did you lay for this popinjay?"

The name used by chance did not bring up to me the most pleasurable feelings.

"Faith, and begorra, I think that he was layin' of a snare for us, Captain," answered my captor, a middle-aged Irishman.

"Another!" The Admiral craned his short neck forward. "And where did you come from, sir?"

"You must have seen my boat as you landed. It was on the beach a quarter of a mile below the cove."

"How did you get here? Been paying a visit to Christophe, perhaps, or have been trying to discover our----"

"I am a s.h.i.+pwrecked sailor, sir," I answered. "My companions perished----"

"Ah! Was yours the s.h.i.+p we fired? By George! it was a jolly blow up, though not as successful as I could wish." The Admiral chuckled and shook with glee. "Of what nation are you?" said he, as he turned suddenly on me.

"I am an American, Admiral," said I, not, I confess, without some slight tremors.

He squeezed his eyes together and scrutinized me searchingly.

"And how, pray you, do you know my t.i.tle so well?"

I pulled myself together.

"Have I not heard your men here addressing you, sir? Is your t.i.tle a secret?"

"Tut, tut, I am not accustomed to be answered back. An American, hey? So you thought Englishmen and English manners not good enough for you rebels over there; you thought----"

The blood flew to my face, and I blurted out hastily, regardless of my own safety:

"Is it English manners to capture a young lad like this and----"

"Ho! ho! So you take it upon yourself to question me? Let me tell you that for a wink of the eye many a man has met with a worse death than shall be meted out to you, Mr.----"

"Jones--Hiram Jones, sir," said I, "at your service."

"None of your insolence, Mr. Hiram Jones! Perhaps we can show you that Mr. Hiram Jones the American is not quite the great man that he thinks himself."

I could not help wondering if the Bo's'n and that tiresome Minion were looking down upon me and listening to these threats and insults. It roiled my blood to imagine the Minion's grin and his delight in what would seem to him nothing but a very pretty comedy. I glanced up toward the direction of the stone balcony, and I saw with great relief of mind that there was no sign of any opening at that spot near the roof, the vines seeming to grow flatly against the cavern wall. It looked from where I stood as if a flea could not have sheltered behind those ma.s.ses of green.

"There is no help for you there," grinned the Admiral. "There is no opening from our audience chamber but the opening where you came in." I withdrew my eyes at this positive statement. Thank G.o.d, they were ignorant of the dual nature of the cave!

"And your party, where are they?"

I wondered myself. I hoped that Cynthia was sleeping quietly in her secluded chamber, and that the others were keeping watch at the doorway of the latticed room.

"They are all lost, sir."

"A rather lame statement. It was a lovely day when you came ash.o.r.e."

"That is true," I answered, "but they foolishly started to walk to the cape, and----"

"Enough! enough!" squeaked the Admiral, pulling out his watch. "We can parley no longer."

Contrary to all that I had heard of pirates and their personal belongings, this watch was not encrusted with jewels. It was a plain silver watch, and undoubtedly had been chosen for its excellent time-keeping qualities.

"It's growing very late; we must be off." He looked around the group.

"Stop drinking, some of you, and prepare the sepulchre!"

I glanced at the young Englishman. He was deathly pale, for he surmised as well as myself that it was his sepulchre of which this gnomelike brute spoke. Captain Jonas turned to a man standing near: