Black Bartlemy's Treasure
Page 26
CHAPTER XXV
HOW I WAS HAUNTED OF BLACK BARTLEMY
"Are you hurt?" says I, at last.
"Indeed," she answered, "all over. Yet am I alive and there's thewonder. The wave cast me into the lagoon and I crept ashore here.Then methought you surely dead and I alone within these solitudes andso I swooned, Martin."
"Being afraid of the loneliness?"
"Yes, Martin."
"Even fellow as rough as I is better than loneliness?"
"Yes, Martin."
"Though your arms be bruised by my handling! For this I--I would craveyour pardon--"
"'Tis all forgot!" says she, making shift to cover up her arm. "Butyour hand is bleeding--"
"A scratch!"
"Have you no other hurts?"
"A bruise or so."
"And did you come a-seeking me, Martin?"
"Yes."
"Are you glad to find me alive?"
"Yes."
"Even a Brandon is better than nobody, Martin?" But at this I arose,albeit stiffly, and turned away. "Whither would you go?" shequestioned.
"To seek some shelter ere night catch us."
"Shall I not come with you?"
"Can you walk?"
Hereupon she made to rise, but getting to her knees, flinched and bither lip:
"I'm so bruised, Martin!" says she.
"Why then, bide you here, yonder cleft i' the rock should serve forto-night. Howbeit I'll go look." So I limped across the beach towhere showed a great fissure in the cliff hard beside a lofty tree;being come within this cleft I found it narrow suddenly, and at the enda small cave very dry and excellent suited to our purpose. Moreover,close at hand was a little rill that bubbled among mossy rocks, mightypleasant to be heard. And hereabouts grew all manner of vines,sweet-smelling shrubs and fern; of these I gathered goodly quantity andstrowing them within the cave therewith made a very passable bed; whichdone, I went back where she lay a-drying her wet garments in the warmsun as well as she might.
"Martin," says she, mighty doleful, "I have lost my comb and all myhairpins."
"I will fashion you others."
"Aye, but the boat, Martin, our dear, brave boat!"
"To-morrow I will seek what remains of her."
"And our stores--all lost, Martin!"
"I can find more."
"Where?"
"Among the rocks and on the trees. There should be no lack of fruitand fish according to Adam."
"Nay but," sighed she, shaking woeful head, "even though we contrive tolive thus, yet here must we 'bide far from our kind with small hopes ofrelief and destitute of all things to our comfort."
"Why look now," says I, "here in my pocket is a tinder box, the whichis a very comfortable thing, here in my belt a good, stout, knife,which is another comfortable thing, and yonder is a cave, dry and airy,shall make you a goodly chamber; so take comfort to-night, at least."And drawing my knife I betook me to whetting the blade on the sole ofmy damp shoe. Glancing up at last I found my companion regarding mewith strange expression.
"Methinks you are greatly changed!" says she.
"How changed?"
"In the boat you did nought but cry out and rail 'gainst fortune, butnow, Martin--"
"Now," says I, "the sun is low and night cometh apace in theselatitudes, let me know you sheltered ere it be dark!" and sheathing myknife I rose. Then seeing what effort she made to come to her knees, Ireached her my hand aiding her up to her feet. So she takes a stepand, stifling a cry of pain, would have fallen but for my arm.
"O Martin," says she, with rueful shake of the head, "I fear I cannotwalk."
"Lean on me--"
"'Tis vain," says she, catching her breath, "I cannot set this foot toground."
"Have you any bones broke?"
"Nay, 'tis none so bad as that--"
"Where's your hurt?"
"My knee--my ankle! And I'm direly bruised, Martin."
"But you cannot sleep out here!"
"I needs must. The sand is warm and soft to my bed."
"There is a better waiting you in the cave yonder."
"But--if I cannot walk, Martin--"
"Why then," says I, "why then you must suffer that I carry you."
"I fear I am--greatly heavy, Martin!"
"As to that--" says I, and lifting her as gently as I might, began tobear her across the beach. And after we had gone thus some way shespoke:
"I fear me I am vastly heavy!"
"No!" says I, keeping my gaze before me.
"Yet you go very slowly."
"'Tis that I would not jostle you."
"And the sand is ill-going, belike, Martin?"
"Most true!" says I, pretending to stumble.
"Why then, I pray you take your time." At this I ventured to glancedown at her, but saw no more than the curve of a cheek and the tip of alittle ear; and staring at this came very near blundering into a rock.So I bore her into the rocky cleft already full of shadow, taking dueheed in my going yet mighty conscious of all the yielding softness ofher none the less.
"Your clothes are very damp!" says I.
"They will be dry ere morning," she answered, her voice muffled.
"I had best light a fire then!"
"There is no need, 'tis very warm, I do think."
"'Tis good against wild beasts and the like," says I.
"Why then, as you will, Martin."
Reaching the little cave at last she would have had me set her down;but I bade her lie still, and getting to my knees within the cave Ilaid her upon her ferny bed, whereat she uttered a little cry ofpleasure.
"Why, Martin," says she, snugging down, "here is wondrous soft bed andfragrant."
"'Twill serve until I can contrive a better," quoth I, and comingwithout the cave, stood looking down on her, while the night deepenedabout us apace.
"And what of you, Martin?"
"I shall sleep here, beyond the fire."
"Do you think there be any wild beasts hereabouts?"
"God knoweth!" says I. "Howbeit you may sleep secure and fear nothing."
"I know that, O I know that!" says she gently.
"Do you lack for aught?"
"Only sleep, Martin."
"Why then, I'll set about making the fire." So I fell to gatheringtwigs and driftwood, of which there was no lack, and taking out mytinder-box (albeit the tinder was still damp) soon contrived to havethe fire crackling right merrily. This done and with store of fuel tohand, I scooped me out a hollow in the warm sand and lying thereinfound myself very well, the aches of my many bruises notwithstanding.The night air struck chill through my damp garments, but now, stretchedin the comfort of the fire, there grew within me a great wonder at ourmiraculous deliverance; and this led me to ponder upon our presentsituation, cast thus destitute upon this lonely island where, devoid ofevery comfort and necessity, we must needs live in barbarous fashion asbest we might until either Penfeather should come to our relief or webe taken off by some chance vessel. And supposing (thinks I) thatneither chance befall and we doomed to drag out our days to theirmiserable end? Here I must needs bethink me of all the woeful tales Ihad heard of marooners or poor, shipwrecked mariners who, by reason ofwretchedness and hardship, had run mad or become baser than the brutes.And now, I must needs take out and read Penfeather's crumpled letter,and bethinking me how (in my wicked folly) I had cast overboard thepacket of instructions whereby we must at least have found all thosestores he made mention of, from cursing him I straightway fell tobitter recriminations of my vain self.
"Are you asleep, Martin?"
"No!" Here I heard her sigh, and a rustle as she turned on her leafycouch.
"O Martin, surely God hath had us in His care to bring us safe throughso many dangers, and methinks His gentle hand will be over us still."
"Have you no fear of what is to be?"
"None, Martin--not now. But had I found myself alone here--hurt andhelpless in the dark--and really alone, O methinks I s
hould have diedindeed, or lost my wits and perished so. O truly, truly, God isinfinitely merciful!"
Thus (and all unknowing) she rebuked my ungrateful despondency. For(thinks I) if she, a woman accustomed to ease and comfort, may thusfront our desperate fortunes undismayed and with faith unshaken, howmuch more should I, a man inured to suffering and hardened byprivation? Thus, checking my gloomy foreboding, I too breathed aprayer to God for His infinite mercies, and thereafter fell topondering how I might supply our more pressing needs with such smallmeans as I possessed; and so in a while, dozed off to sleep.
I started up, knife in hand, to find the moon very big and bright,flooding the world with a radiance wondrous to behold; and blinkingdrowsily, I wondered what had waked me. Now as I gazed about me theplace seemed all at once to take on an evil look, what with its steepysides a-bristle with tangled vines and bushes and pierced here andthere with black holes and fissures, and I shivered. The fire beinglow I, minded to replenish it, was groping for my fuel when I startedand remained peering up at the cliff above, with ears on the stretchand every nerve a-tingle. The night was very calm and still, for thewind had died away, and save for the distant murmur of the surf beyondthe reef, nought was to hear; then and all at once, from one of thoseblack holes in the rock above I heard a long-drawn, sighing breath andtherewith a faint scuffling. Slowly and cautiously I got to my feetand, with knife gripped ready, began to creep thither; and now withinone of these gloomy crevices in the rock-face I saw a crouching shapethat, as I drew nearer, sprang away with a snort and clatter, and I sawthis was a large goat.
And surely no poor wight ever more relieved than I as, sheathing myknife, I wiped the sweat from me; and now to relief was added a mightysatisfaction, for where was one goat would be others. Thus, my fearsallayed, and bethinking me how savoury was a mess of goat's-flesh, Ifell a-watering at the mouth like the hungry animal I was.
Having no more mind to sleep (and the moon so marvellous bright) Iwandered forth of these shadowy rocks and, being upon the sands, stoodto look about me. Before me stretched the wide ocean, a desolation ofheaving waters that, rolling shorewards, broke in splendour 'neath themoon; to my right lay a curve of silver beach backed by cliffs andgroves of stately palms; and to my left and hard beside these bush-girtrocks was a great and lofty tree.
Now observing this tree more closely, its mighty writhen branches andgnarled roots, and how it stood close against the opening in the cliff,an uneasy feeling possessed me that this tree and its immediatesurroundings were all familiar, almost as I had seen it before, thoughI knew this could not be. So stood I chin in hand, staring about meand ever my unease grew; and then:
"So that night, Martin, the moon being high and bright, I came to thatstretch of silver sand where they lay together rigid and pale, andthough I had no tool but his dagger and a piece of driftwood, Icontrived to bury them 'neath the great pimento tree that stood besidethe rock-cleft, and both in the same grave."
It was, for all the world, as though Adam had repeated the words in myear, insomuch that I glanced round as almost expecting to see him. Sothen it was here Black Bartlemy had died at the hands of the poor,tortured Spanish lady; and here they lay buried, their bones moulderingtogether within a yard of me. And standing in this dismal spot I mustneeds mind Adam's narrative and great was my pity for this poor Spanishlady.
In a while I got me back to the fire and, lying down, fain would haveslept, but my mind was full of Adam's story. Howbeit after some while,what with fatigue and the warmth of the fire, slumber took me.
But in my sleep the dead arose and stood fronting each other beneath apallid moon, Bartlemy in all the bravery of velvet and lace and flowingperiwig, and the Spanish lady tall and proud and deadly pale. And nowas she shrank from his evil touch, I saw that her face was the face ofJoan Brandon. Sweating in dumb anguish I watched Bartlemy grip her incruel hands and bend her backward across his knee, while she stared upat him with eyes of horror, her lips moving in passionate entreaty.But, as he bent over her, was a flash of steel, and deep-smitten hestaggered back to the great tree and, leaning there, fell into a fit ofwild laughter so that the silver dagger-hilt that was shaped like awoman seemed to dance and leap upon his quick-heaving breast; then ashe swayed there laughing his life out, he raised his face to the palemoon, and I saw that the face of Black Bartlemy was my own.