Under Drake's Flag: A Tale of the Spanish Main Page 5

  It was time, indeed, for the little band of adventurers to beturning their faces towards England. Their original strength, ofeighty men, was reduced to fifty; and of these, many were sick andweak. They had gained a vast store of wealth, although they hadmissed the plunder of Nombre de Dios and of Carthagena. Theirdoings had caused such consternation and alarm that it was certainthat the Spaniards would, ere long, make a great and united effortto crush them; and fifty men, however valiant, could not battlewith a fleet. The men were longing for home, looking forward to thedelight of spending the great share of prize money which would fallto each. The sudden death which had stricken many of their comradeshad, too, cast a chill on the expedition, and made all long moreeagerly to be away from those beautiful, but deadly, shores.

  When, therefore, on the day after the return of Captain Francis,the word was given to prepare for the homeward voyage, the mostlively joy prevailed. The stores were embarked; the Simeroons, whohad done them good service, dismissed with rich presents; and allembarked, with much joy and thankfulness that their labors anddangers were overpast.

  They were, however, extremely shorthanded, and were scattered amongthe three or four prizes which were the best among the ships whichthey had taken. Ned and Gerald, being now able to give goodassistance, in case of need, to the sailors, were put on board oneof the prizes with four seamen. Captain Drake had determined tokeep, for a time, the prizes with him; for as it might well be thatthey should meet, upon their way, a great Spanish fleet, he thoughtthat by keeping together, with the flag of Saint George flying onall the ships, the Spaniards would believe that the Pacha had beenjoined by ships from England, and so would assuredly let her andher consorts pass at large. At the last land at which they touchedCaptain Drake intended to dismiss all but one of the prizes, and tosail across the Atlantic with her and the Pacha.

  This, however, was not to be.

  One day, shortly after their departure, Ned said to Gerald:

  "I do not like the look of the sky. It reminds me of the sky thatwe had before that terrible hurricane, when we were moored off theIsle of Pines; and with our scanty crew we should be in a mightilyunfavorable position, should the wind come on to blow."

  In that wise the sailors shared Ned's apprehensions, and in thespeediest possible time all sail was lowered, and the ship preparedto meet the gale. It was not long before the whole sky was coveredwith black clouds. Captain Drake signaled to the vessels that eachwas to do its best; and, if separated, was to rendezvous at thespot before agreed upon. Then, all having been done that could bethought of, they waited the bursting of the storm.

  It came at last, with the suddenness and almost the force of anexplosion. A faint rumbling noise was first heard, a white line offoam was seen in the distance; and then, with a roar and a crash,the hurricane was upon them. The vessel reeled over so far underthe blow that, for a time, all on board thought that she wouldcapsize. The two sailors at the helm, however, held on sturdily;and at last her head drifted off on the wind, and she flew alongbefore its force.

  The sea rose as if by magic. Where, for weeks, scarcely a ripplehad ruffled the surface of the water; now great waves, with crestedtops, tore along. The air was full of blinding foam, swept from thetops of the waves; and it was difficult for those on board even tobreathe, when facing the force of the wind.

  "This is tremendous," Ned shouted in Gerald's ears, "and as thereseem to be islands all over these seas, if we go on at the rate weare doing now, methinks that it will not be long before we land onone or another. We are, as I reckon, near Hispaniola, but there isno saying which way we may drift; for these storms are almostalways changeable, and while we are running south at present, anhour hence we may be going in the opposite direction."

  For twenty-four hours the storm continued, with unabated fury. Attimes it seemed impossible that the vessel could live, sotremendous were the seas which struck and buffeted her. However,being light in the water, and buoyant, she floated over it. Duringthe next night the wind sensibly abated, and although still blowingwith tremendous force, there was evidence, to the accustomed eyesof the sailors, that the storm was well-nigh blowing itself out.The sea, too, sensibly went down, although still tremendous; andall began to hope that they would weather the gale, when one of thesailors, who had crawled forward to the bow, shouted:

  "Breakers ahead!"

  It was now, fortunately, morning; although the darkness had been sointense, since the storm began, that the difference between nightand day was faint, indeed. Still it was better, if danger were tobe met with, that there should be as much light as possible.

  All hands looked out over the bows and saw, before them, a steepcoast rising both to the right and left.

  "It is all over with the ship," Gerald said to Ned, "and I do notthink that there is a chance, even for you. The surf on those rocksis terrible."

  "We must do our best," said Ned, "and trust in God. You keep closeto me, Gerald, and when you want aid I will assist you as far as Ican. You swim fairly, but scarce well enough, unaided, to getthrough that surf yonder."

  The men, seeing that what appeared to be certain destruction staredthem in the face, now shook hands all round; and then, commendingtheir souls to God, sat down and waited for the shock.

  When it came, it was tremendous. The masts snapped at the board,like rotten sticks. The vessel shivered from stem to stern and,drawing back for an instant, was again cast down with terribleforce; and, as if struck by lightning, parted amidships, and thenseemed to fall all to pieces, like a house of cards.

  Ned and Gerald were standing, hand in hand, when the vessel struck;and as she went to pieces, and they were precipitated into thewater, Ned still kept close to his friend, swimming side by sidewith him. They soon neared the edge of the line where the wavesbroke upon the rocks. Then Ned shouted to Gerald to coast along,outside the broken water; for that there was no landing there, withlife. For upwards of an hour they swam on, outside the line ofsurf. The sea, although tremendously high, did not break till ittouched a certain point, and the lads rose and fell over the greatbillows. They had stripped off the greater portion of theirclothing, before the ship struck; and in the warm water had nosensation of chill, and had nothing to fight against, but fatigue.

  When they were in the hollow of the waves their position was easyenough, and they could make each other hear, by shouting loudly.When, however, they were on the crest of one of the mountainouswaves, it was a hard struggle for life. The wind blew with suchfury, taking the top of the water off in sheets, and scattering itin fine spray, that the boys were nearly drowned; although theykept their back to the wind, and held their breath as if diving,except when necessary to make a gasp for air.

  Gerald became weak and tired, at the end of the hour; but Ned keptup his courage, and aided him by swimming by his side, and lettingGerald put his hand upon his shoulder, every time that they were inthe hollows of the waves, so that he got a complete rest at theseperiods.

  At last, Ned thought he saw a passage between two of the big rocks,through which it might be possible, he thought, that they mightswim, and so avoid the certain death which seemed to await them atevery other spot.

  The passage was about 40 feet wide, and it was no easy matter tocalculate upon striking this, in so wild a sea. Side by side withGerald, Ned made for the spot, and at last swam to the edge of thesurf. Then a great wave came rolling in, and the boys, dizzy andconfused, half smothered and choking, were hurled with tremendousforce, through the great rocks, into comparatively calm waterbeyond. Ned now seized Gerald's hair, for his friend was nearlygone; and, turning aside from the direct line of the entrance,found himself speedily in calm water, behind the line of rocks. Afew minutes' further struggle and the two boys lay on the beach,well-nigh insensible after their great exertions.

  After a while they recovered their strength and, with staggeringfeet, made their way further inland.

  "I owe you my life, Ned," Gerald said. "I never could havestruggled ashore; nor, indeed, kept myself
up for half that time,had it not been for your aid."

  "I am glad to have been able to help you," Ned said simply. "We maythank heaven that the storm had abated a little, in its force,before the vessel struck; for had it been blowing as it wasyesterday, we could not have swum five minutes. It was just thelowering of the wind that enabled us to swim without being drownedby the spray. It was bad enough, as it was, on the top of thewaves; but, yesterday, it would have been impossible."

  One of the first thoughts of the boys, upon fairly recoveringthemselves, was to kneel down and thank God for having preservedtheir lives; and then, having rested for upwards of an hour, torecover themselves, they made their way inland.

  "Our dangers are by no means over, Gerald," Ned said. "If thisisland is, as I believe, a thickly cultivated one, and in the handsof the Spaniards, it will go hard with us, if they find us, afterall the damage to their commerce which we have been inflicting, forthe last year."

  Upon getting to some rising ground, they saw, to their surprise, alarge town lying on a bay in front of them. Instinctively theypaused at the sight, and both sat down, so as to be out of view ofany casual lookers on.

  "What are we to do, Ned?" Gerald said. "If we stay here, we shallbe starved. If we go into the town, we shall have our throats cut.Which think you is the best?"

  "I do not like either alternative," Ned said. "See, inland thereare many high mountains, and even close to the town there appear tobe thickets and woods. There are houses, here and there, and nodoubt plantations. It seems to me that if we get round to that sidewe may conceal ourselves; and it is hard, in a country like this,if we cannot, at any rate, find fruit enough to keep us for sometime. And we had better wait till dark. Our white shoulders will beseen at too far a distance, by this light."

  Creeping into a thicket, the lads lay down and were soon soundasleep; and it was night before they awoke, and looked out. Allsigns of the storm had passed. The moon was shining calmly, thestars were brilliant, and seemed to hang like lamps in the sky, aneffect which is only seen in tropical climes.

  There were lights in the town, and these served as a sort of guideto them. Skirting along at the top of the basin in which the townlay, they passed through cultivated estates, picking some ears ofmaize; thus satisfying their hunger, which was, when they started,ravenous; for, during the storm, they had been unable to open thehatchways, and had been supported only by a little biscuit, whichhappened to be in the caboose on deck.

  Towards morning they chose a spot in a thick plantation of trees,about a mile and a half from the town; and here they agreed towait, for a while, until they could come to some decision as totheir course.

  Three days passed without any change. Each night they stole out andpicked maize, pineapple, and melons in the plantations for theirsubsistence; and as morning returned, went back to their hidingplace. Close to it a road ran along to a noble house, which stoodin some grounds at about a quarter of a mile from their grove.Every morning they saw the owner of this house, apparently a man ofdistinction, riding towards the town; and they concluded that hewas one of the great merchants of the place.

  One day he came accompanied by a young lady, carried in a litter byfour slaves. The boys, who were weary of their solitude, pressed tothe edge of the thicket to obtain a clear view of this littleprocession, which broke the monotony of their day.

  "Gerald," Ned exclaimed, grasping him by the arm, "do you know, Ibelieve that the lady is the girl I picked out of the water, theday we took that ship three months ago."

  "Do you think so?" Gerald said. "It is too far, surely, to see."

  "I do not know for certain," Ned answered, "but methinks that Icannot be mistaken."

  "Perhaps she would help us, or intercede for us," Gerald suggested.

  "Perhaps so," Ned said. "At any rate, we will try. Tonight we willmake a move into the gardens of the house she came from, and willhide there till we see her alone in the garden. Then I will sallyforth, and see how she takes it."

  Accordingly, that night, after obtaining their supply of fruit, theboys entered the enclosure When morning broke there was speedily astir, negroes and negresses went out to the fields, servants movedhither and thither in the veranda outside the house, gardeners cameout and set to work at their vocations.

  It was evident that the owner or his family was fond of gardening,for everything was kept with beautiful order and regularity. Mixedwith the cactus, and other gaudy-flowering plants of Mexico andSouth America, were many European plants, brought out andacclimatized. Here fountains threw up dancing waters in the air,cool shady paths and bowers afforded protection from the heat ofthe day; and so carefully was it clipped, and kept, that a fallenleaf would have destroyed its perfection.

  The point which the boys had chosen was remote from the house, forit was of importance that there should be no witnesses of themeeting. Here, in a spacious arbor, were chairs, couches, and othersigns that some of the family were in the habit of taking theirseats there; and although the boys knew that it might be daysbefore they succeeded in carrying out their object, yet theydetermined to wait, and watch patiently, however long it might be.

  Their success, however, surpassed their expectations; for it wasbut an hour or two after they had taken up their post, and soonafter the sun had risen, that they saw, walking along the path, theyoung lady whom they so desired to meet. She was not alone, for ablack girl walked a little behind her, chatting constantly to her,and carrying some books, a shawl, and various other articles. Whenthey reached the arbor the attendant placed the things there, andthen, as she took her seat, the young lady said to the girl:

  "Go in and fetch me my coffee here. Say I shall not come in untilbreakfast time, and that if any orders are required, they must comehere for them."

  "Will you want me to read to you?"

  "No," the young lady said. "It is not hot. I shall take a turnround the garden, first, and then read to myself."

  The black girl went off at a trot towards the house, and the younglady strolled round and round that portion of the garden, until herblack attendant returned, with a tray containing coffee, lemonade,and fruits. This she placed on the table, and then in answer to the"You need not wait," of the lady, again retired.

  Now was the time for the boys, who had watched these operationswith keen interest, and anxiety. It was uncertain whether she wouldkeep the black attendant by her side, and all depended upon that.

  As soon as she was alone, Ned advanced from their hiding place. Theboys had agreed that it was better, at first, that he shouldapproach alone; lest the sudden appearance of the two, especiallyas Gerald was nearly as tall as a man, might have caused alarm; andshe might have flown away, before she had identified Ned as the ladwho had jumped into the water to save her.

  Ned approached the arbor with hesitating steps, and felt that hisappearance was, indeed, sorely against him. He had no covering tohis head, had nothing on, indeed, but a pair of trousers. He wasshoeless and stockingless, and presented the appearance of a beggarboy, rather than the smart young sailor whom she had seen on boardthe ship.

  The lady started up, with a short exclamation, on seeing a white,ragged boy standing before her.

  "Who are you?" she exclaimed, "and by what right do you enter thesegardens? A white boy, and in rags, how comes this?"

  "Our ship has been wrecked," Ned said, using his best Spanish. "Doyou not remember me? I am the boy who picked you up when you felloverboard, on the day when the English captured the ship you cameout in, some four months ago."

  "Are you, indeed?" the young lady said, in surprise. "Yes, and nowthat I look close at you, I recognize your face. Poor boy, how haveyou got into a strait like this?"

  Ned understood but little of what she said, as he only knew a fewwords in Spanish. It was with difficulty that he could understandit, even when spoken slowly; while, spoken as a native would do, hescarce gathered a word. He saw, however, from her attitude, thather meaning was kind, and that she was disposed to do what shecould for him. />
  He therefore, in his broken Spanish, told her how a ship, on whichhe and five of his comrades were embarked, had been driven ashorein the hurricane; and all lost, with the exception of another boy,and himself.

  "It is lucky, indeed," the girl said to herself, when he hadfinished, "that I found that my father had left Nombre de Dios, andhad come down to his house here; for, assuredly, the people wouldhave made short work of these poor lads, had I not been here to aidthem. But, after all, what can I do? My father would, I know, doanything for my sake; and I have told him how this lad jumpedoverboard, to save my life; but there is one here greater than he,that terrible Inquisition. These boys are heretics, and it will beimpossible to conceal, for any time, from the priests that they arehere. Still, at any rate, for a time we might hide them; and ingratitude only, I would do all in my power for them."

  Ned watched her face, as these thoughts passed through her mind. Hesaw at once that she was willing to do all in her power, but sawalso that there were difficulties in the way.

  "Poor boy," she said, looking at him kindly; "you must be hungry,indeed," and, taking an ivory mallet, she struck a gong which hungin the arbor, and made signs to Ned to retire for the present.

  The little black girl came running out.

  "I have changed my mind," her mistress said. "Let my breakfast besent out here to me, instead of indoors. And I am hungry. Tell thecook to be sure and let it be a good one, and as soon as possible."

  Much surprised by these orders, the black girl again left her.

  "My father has gone to town," she said to the boys, when theyjoined her. "When he comes back, I will ask him what can be done.It will not be easy to hide you, for these negroes chatter like somany parrots; and the news will spread all over the town that someEnglish boys are here, and in that case they will take you away,and my father would be powerless as I to help you."

  The black cook was, indeed, astonished at the demolition of thebreakfast effected by her young mistress; but she put it down tothe fact that she must have given a large portion of it to herdogs, of which one or more were generally her companions, in thegarden.

  Fortunately, on the present occasion, the great bloodhound Zereshad gone down into the town with his master. Of this, however, thecook knew nothing; and muttered to herself somewhat angrily, as shesaw the empty dishes which were brought back to her, "that it was asin to give, to that creature, a meal which was sufficient for fivenoblemen."

  When Senor Sagasta returned to his beautiful villa, in theafternoon, his daughter at once confided to him what had happened.He entered warmly into her scheme for the aid and protection of thelads, and expressed himself willing to do anything that she couldsuggest.

  "But," he said, "you know as well as I do that, if the news getsabout that two boys of Captain Drake's band are here, nothing willsave them from the rage of the population; and indeed, if thepeople and the military authorities were disposed to let themalone, the Inquisition would be too strong for them, and wouldclaim its own; and against the Inquisition even governors arepowerless. Therefore if they are to stop, and stop they must, atleast for a time, it must be done in perfect secrecy.

  "There is no possibility of disguising two English boys to looklike negroes. The only plan I can suggest is that they should havethat gardeners' hut. I can remove the man who lives there atpresent, and will send him up the country to look after my placethere. Then you must take old David into our confidence. He and hiswife Floey are perfectly faithful, and can be trusted to the death.It is lucky that she is cook, for she will be able to prepare foodfor them. The hut must be kept, of course, locked up at all times;but as it is close to the fence, and the window indeed looks intothe garden, you can go there of a day and speak to them, and takethem books, and lighten their captivity.

  "When it gets dark I will go with you down the garden, and will seethese brave lads. In the meantime, old David shall get some shirts,and shoes, and other necessaries for them. We have a plentifulstore of things in the magazine, and he can rig them up there,perfectly. I will at once get the gardener out of the house, andwill give David instructions to carry the things there, as soon asit is empty."

  That evening after it was dark the boys, who had been anxiouslylistening for every movement, saw in the dim light the white figureof the girl advancing, with her father beside her. When she came tothe arbor, she raised her voice.

  "Are you here?" she cried. "You can come out without fear."

  And, as they advanced, "My father will do all in his power toprotect the savior of his daughter."

  The merchant shook the hands of the boys, with the stately ceremonyof the Spaniard, and assured them that he was their servant,indeed, for their treatment of his daughter; and that his house,and all that it contained, was at their disposal. Ned and Geraldunderstood little enough of what he was saying, but his manner andgestures were sufficient, and they thanked him heartily for hiskindness.

  He now led the way, along many winding paths, till they reached alow fence forming the border of the garden, and distant a long wayfrom the house. A light was already burning in it, and a blackservant was at work within. There was a break in the fence, bywhich they passed through without difficulty; and on entering thehut, they found everything prepared for them.

  On a table stood a dainty supper. The rooms were swept, and freshfurniture had been placed in them. In these countries furniture isof the slightest kind. A hammock, to swing in by day or sleep in bynight; a couple of cane chairs; and a mat, of beautifully wovenstraw, for the floor. This is nearly all the furniture which isrequired, in the tropics.

  First the negro beckoned the boys into an inner room, and there, totheir intense delight, they saw a large tub full of water, and twopiles of clothes lying beside it.

  Don Sagasta and his daughter, after a few more words, left them;assuring them that they would be safe from observation there, butthat they must not stir out, during the day; and must keep the doorsecurely fastened, and must give no answer to anyone who might comeand knock, or call, unless to themselves, to the black who was nowwith them, or his wife, who would accompany him, perhaps, the nextevening. Donna Anna herself promised that she would come and seethem the next morning, and that she hoped to find that they werecomfortable.

  When left alone, the boys luxuriated in the bath; and then, havingput on fresh suits, they felt clean and comfortable once again. Theclothes were those used by the upper class of slaves, employed asoverseers. Don Sagasta had determined to get them some clothes of asuperior class; but he felt that it was better that, so long asthey were in hiding, they should be dressed in a costume whichwould, should anyone perchance get a distant look at them, exciteno curiosity or surprise.

  The boys ate a hearty supper; and then, throwing themselves intothe swinging hammocks, were soon fast asleep. They were up withdawn, next morning, tidied up their room, and made all ready forthe visit of Donna Anna.

  She soon appeared, having got rid of her little black maid, as uponthe morning before. She brought them a store of books, and amongthem a Spanish dictionary and grammar. She told them that shethought it would be of assistance, to pass away their time; and beof the greatest use, for them to learn to speak as much Spanish aspossible; and that she was willing, when she could spare time,unobserved, to teach them the language. Very gratefully the boysaccepted her offer; and, day by day for the next month, the younglady came every morning, and for an hour taught them the meaningand pronunciation of the words, which during the day they learnt byheart.

  They found that the island upon which they had been cast ashore wasPorto Rico, an island of considerable size, not far fromHispaniola.

  Chapter 6: In the Woods.