In Strange Company: A Story of Chili and the Southern Seas

by Guy Boothby

  CHAPTER V.

  THE ESCAPE FROM CHILI.

  It was nearly seven o'clock when Veneda bade farewell to the ruins ofthe house, in connection with which he had undergone such a variety ofexperiences; and, as I have already said, at half-past he had arrangedto effect his escape from Chili. Now, though he was aware that there wasno possible chance of his being able to get out of it, he wasnevertheless much concerned about the wisdom of taking Juanita with him.He could not help seeing that by including a woman in his plans he washampering his own freedom of action, and thus imperilling his one chanceof safety; but on the other hand he could hit out no way of disposing ofher, and since she possessed a large portion of his secret, it would bethe most criminal folly possible to leave her behind to join the ranksof those who, he felt convinced, would ultimately pursue him from Chili.There were, besides, other and more cogent reasons against this lattercourse.

  Though it was not a great distance to her abode, it took him some timeto reach it. He had no desire to attract attention by any undue hurry;and for the same reason, when he did arrive at the house he made noattempt to gain admittance until he had absolutely convinced himselfthat he had not been followed. Then, crossing the patio, he knocked.

  Juanita herself opened the door. When she realized who the visitor wasshe uttered a little cry of welcome, and led the way into an inner room,carefully closing the door behind them.

  "Marcos," she began, lifting her clasped hands to him, "you really meantwhat you said last night? You are here to take me away with you?"

  "Did you think I should break my promise?" he answered almost angrily,his disappointment at finding her unprepared getting the better of him."Why are you not ready? Every second is of the utmost importance to us.As it is, we shall only just catch the tide."

  "Wait only a moment and I will be with you; just one little moment."

  She fled the room, and for five minutes he was left to his own thoughts.They were not pleasant, a consuming impatience was upon him. He knewthat his very life depended upon the next half-hour, and now it lookedas if he were about to lose everything because a woman had misunderstooda plain speech. Every moment found him more and more angry. At length,unable to control himself any longer, he was in the act of going to lookfor her, when a heavy footstep approached the room. The door was thrownopen and a man entered, clad after the same fashion as himself. Thebehaviour of this individual was not conciliatory. Casting a quick lookat Veneda standing by the window, he said gruffly--

  "Your business here, senor?"

  "I am waiting for a friend."

  "The Senora Juanita perhaps?"

  "Perhaps."

  "Then you will wait a long time, for she has gone."

  Veneda almost shouted in his surprise. In a second all sorts oftreachery had flashed through his brain.

  "Gone!" he cried. "What the devil do you mean? Where's she gone?"

  "Who knows?" the other replied airily, giving his narrow shoulders aslight shrug. "I allow it's her own business where she goes, not mine,thank God."

  In three strides Veneda was beside him, and had clapped a revolver tohis head.

  "Look here, my uncivil friend," he said, "I don't want to make troublein this house for my own sake, but if you don't tell me what you know, Iswear I'll blow your brains out where you stand. That's cold-drawn biz,I reckon."

  The man was silent for a moment, then a nervous little laugh came fromunder the sombrero.

  "Marcos, do you think I am well enough disguised?"

  _It was Juanita!_

  Veneda could scarcely credit his senses, the deception was so perfect.But his admiration for her acting did not prevent his drawing hertowards the door, whispering as he did so--

  "It's wonderful! No one could possibly recognize you in than get-up.Now we must fairly jump for the harbour, or we'll be too late."

  Closing the front door on another incident in their lives they set offtowards the port. And what a night it was! All day long the city hadbeen the scene of constant rioting, but now that darkness had fallen tocloak their misdeeds, the mob had grown proportionately bolder. Fromsimple exuberance of spirits and foolish mischief, their behaviour hadbecome that of fiends. Houses had been and were still being looted inevery street; incendiary fires pierced the sky in all directions; andthe crack of rifles, with the whine of bullets, sounded almost withoutcessation. Scarcely a street, moreover, but was strewed with the bodiesof their victims, the greater portion of which were women.

  Juanita's presence of mind was little short of marvellous; terrifyingthough the sights she was constantly compelled to witness must have beento her, only once did she betray a sign of fear. Leaving the street inwhich her house was situated, they passed by a narrow alley intoanother, which in its turn led them into an open square. This it wasunfortunately necessary that they should cross, in order to reach athoroughfare leading to the wharves. No sooner had they entered it thanVeneda saw what a fatal mistake he had made. One glance told him that itwas filled with the lowest scum of the Chilian mob, frenzied withdebauchery and incendiarism. On the far side a row of houses blazed intothe sky, while on that nearest to them a dense crowd of men and women,denizens of the most infamous quarters, were dancing the Cueca, ornational dance, with a wildness absolutely indescribable. Twice whilehe watched, Veneda saw men draw revolvers, and shoot down without anyreason save wanton cruelty the wretched women who leapt and gesticulatedopposite them.

  These sights were too much for Juanita. She tottered, and would havefallen in a faint, had not Veneda passed his arm beneath her poncho andsustained her. Almost beside himself with despair, he dragged her into adark alley, and bade her sit down and rest until she felt able toproceed. Then they resumed their walk at increased speed. Time was moreprecious to them now than money; they could risk no more delays. Itseemed an eternity since they had set out together!

  But there was not much more before them. Turning a corner the cold seabreeze smote upon their faces, and a moment later the dark waters of thebay confronted them. Had they had time, and been so inclined, they mighthave stopped to offer up a prayer of thankfulness for their escape; butas it was they contented themselves with looking anxiously for somethingthey expected to find awaiting them. Seeing nothing, Veneda gave apeculiar whistle, which, to his evident relief, was instantly answeredfrom a mass of deep shadow to their left. A second later a ship'slong-boat came into the starlight, and pulled towards the landing-place,the man steering standing up and peering towards them as if to makecertain of their identity.

  "Who are you?" he took care to ask before he brought the boat up to thesteps, "and what do you want?"

  "My name's Veneda," was the reply, "and I want a boat from the _IslandQueen_."

  Evidently this answer was deemed satisfactory, for the same voicereplied--

  "One moment, sir, and I'll bring her alongside. I've been waiting foryou this hour past; the tide is serving, and the old man will murder mefor being so long."

  When the man in the bows had hooked on, Veneda escorted Juanita down thesteps, and signed her to enter the boat. But this the person in commandwas disinclined to permit.

  "Excuse me, sir," he said, civilly but firmly, "my instructions were tobring you off alone, and I cannot include any one else."

  "Oh, that's all right, my good fellow, this gentleman is a personalfriend, and I have arranged to take him on board with me."

  "I'm very sorry, sir, but I cannot exceed my instructions; will you begood enough to step in yourself? There's no time to waste if we want tocatch this tide."

  "But I tell you my friend must accompany me," Veneda answered, at thesame time stepping into the boat himself; "I will be responsible to thecaptain."

  "No, sir, not another word, I cannot do it. My instructions were mostexplicit--one gentleman, and only one! Jackson, shove off!"

  "Ah! I see how it is. One gentleman--exactly--but nothing was said aboutmy wife."

  The mate, for such it turned out later he was appeared completelymystified.
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  "Your wife! Where is she?"

  "This lady is my wife," said Veneda, pointing to Juanita standing on thesteps. "It was impossible for me to bring her through the town on anight like this in her own dress, so to ensure her safety I wascompelled to make her wear a suit of mine. Juanita, my dear, convincethis gentleman that you are only masquerading."

  Her voice sounded very sweet and womanly as she said in English--

  "Surely, sir, you will believe what my husband says?"

  The mate scratched his head. He was in a dilemma, and he couldn't seehis way out of it. At last he made up his mind.

  "Well, sir, I'll risk it any way. Will you be good enough to step in,ma'am? I'm sorry to have made you wait, but the fault's with the captainfor saying nothing about your coming."

  Entering the boat, she took her seat opposite Veneda, and they pushedoff. Before they had way on her, the sounds of a man running were heardupon the wharf, and next moment a strange figure came into view andbounded down the steps. It was none other than the Albino, under theinfluence of extraordinary rage; his long white hair floated in thewind, his arms worked with frantic gesticulations, and his voice shookwith the violence of his passion. Fortunately for the fugitives he spokein Spanish, a language with which neither the mate nor any of the boat'screw were familiar. He had caught sight of Veneda, and it was at himthat his torrent of abuse was directed.

  "Marcos Veneda," he cried, shaking his fist at the retreating boat,"thief! traitor! coward!--come back--come back, and give me what you'vestolen from me!"

  But his wrath was vain; the boat by this time was fifty yards from thesteps, and under the strong arms of her crew was every moment increasingthe distance.

  He was not, however, to be baulked; securing another, he was soon in hotpursuit, rowing as though his very life, or rather L200,000, depended onit.

  The _Island Queen_ lay a good distance out, and when the boat containingVeneda and Juanita came alongside, Captain Boulger was on deck.Hastening to the gangway to receive his passenger, he was not a littlesurprised to see two.

  "I'm right glad to see you at last, Mr. Veneda," he said. "But I can'tsay I counted on any one else accompanying you."

  Veneda was prepared for this, and he beckoned the captain on one side. Aminute later he rejoined Juanita with the information that thedifficulty was satisfactorily settled. The mate went forward to attendto the raising of the anchor, and by the time the Albino's boat waswithin hailing distance, the schooner had got way on her, and wasdrawing quickly out of the harbour.

  To say that that gentleman, when he realized his enemy was escaping him,was angry, would be to convey a very false impression of his state. Hestood up in his boat, foaming at the mouth, unable to speak, and shakinghis fist wildly at the vessel till she had passed out of sight. But,though he was so overcome with rage, he had not failed to notice thename painted in white letters across the stern--"_Island Queen_,Tahiti."

  It was some time before he felt able to pull ashore. But when he did so,he said solemnly to himself--

  "Marcos Veneda, I don't mind owning you're a very clever fellow; youseem, however, to have forgotten one thing. You've broken faith with oneof the strongest organizations in the world. If it costs that Societyevery cent it's worth, if it has to chase you round the world, it willget the money back, and be even with you for this bit of treachery!"