The League of the Leopard

by Harold Bindloss

  CHAPTER XVIII

  MAXWELL'S CONFIDENCE

  Though the English are not greatly loved in any possessions of Spain,their gold has the power of rousing even the contemplative Canario outof his usual lethargy, and when the driver shouted, drowsy men hurriedabout the posada. The host had two good mules, and a vine-grower wouldbe glad to act as guide, but there was, he said, a difficulty. He hadonly one saddle fit for a lady and with the deepest respect for thesenora, he feared she was too old to venture over the perilous bridlepaths at that time of night; with which opinion Mrs. Chatterton quiteconcurred. Lilian glanced at her aunt, and then toward the bare-leggedpeasant, who, with a great blanket rolled about his shoulders, stood,hat in hand, before her. There was a rude dignity about thisvine-dresser which pleased her, and moving forward she kissed her aunt.

  "You must go on alone to the hotel at Oratava," she said.

  Mrs. Chatterton had long grown accustomed to being ruled by her niece,and though she protested, she did so feebly. Even while she spoke thegirl put her foot in the hand of the vine-dresser, who lifted her to thesaddle, and then sprang into his own. He swept his battered hat to hisknee with the grace of a courtier as he passed Mrs. Chatterton, andalmost before the elder lady realized what had happened, the twomounted figures had vanished among the maize. With a sigh and aninarticulate prayer, she bade the driver proceed to Oratava, as slowlyas he liked.

  Lilian never counted the risks she ran during that ride. The twostrangely-assorted companions soon left the maize behind and rode overbroken lava and scoriae; dipped, sliding and stumbling, into a barrancofilled with impenetrable shadow, out of which the guide had hard work todrag the horses on the opposite side; and then skirted the dizzy brinkof another vast volcanic fissure in the black hillside. Lilian, lookingdown into the depths that yawned beneath her, guessed aright that a slipwould mean destruction, while for once her heart failed her when thepeasant pulled the mules up where the pathway seemed to break off at thebrink. He pointed toward the lights far down in the hollow, saying inCastilian:

  "That is the mill. The senorita rides well. If she will let the mulefind its own way she may, with the blessing of heaven, come downsafely."

  Lilian, partly comprehending, shuddered for a moment as she glanced intothe great volcanic pit, then, slacking the bridle, laid one hand on thehigh peak of the saddle, as with the cinders rattling away beneath them,they commenced the descent. No beast but a Canary pack-mule trained tocarry wine kegs over the wild hill trails could have come down alive,and it seemed to be sliding with legs braced stiffly most of the time,and then picking its way foot by foot down the face of an almostprecipitous descent. Fortunately the darkness hid the worst terrors;they came down safely, and swept through tall cane on the level toward agroup of dusky buildings, which grew plainer ahead.

  Then the guide shouted, there was a howling of dogs, and Lilian,dropping stiffly from the saddle, walked into the presence of her unclein the Spanish sugar-grower's dwelling. Chatterton, who had been poringlate over some machine drawings, rose abruptly at the sight of her.

  "Good heavens, Lily! Have you flown here?" he cried. "What has happenedgirl? Is your aunt ill?"

  "Don't ask questions! Sit still a minute, and listen! My aunt is welland should be safe in Oratava by now. Mr. Maxwell is in Santa Cruz, andbrings serious news of Hilton."

  Chatterton stiffened to attention as he listened. Then, because he wasabove all things a man of action and could let side issues wait, heasked no questions but patted his niece's shoulder.

  "Well done, my girl. Well done!" he said. "God forbid that my deadpartner's son should perish while I have the power to help him. If it'smoney Maxwell needs, he shall have it if there's sufficient in the Bankof Spain. It is lucky I opened credit to show these blunderers how torun their mill. You will stay here with the Senora Martin, and rejoinyour aunt to-morrow. I shall start, but not by your road, as soon asthese loafers can get horses ready."

  "I am going with you," Lilian said, quietly. She was very tired; butwith Dane's life at stake, she dare not take any chances. That her unclewould do his best to reach Maxwell in time, she knew; and yet, ifsomething should happen on the way! If his horse should slip on thosetreacherous lava trails!

  Chatterton saw the pale lips close tightly with a determination that henever attempted to resist.

  "Very well, Lily," he acquiesced; "but it will be a hard ride."

  In an incredibly short time the horses were ready, and Chatterton andhis niece followed their guide throughout the remaining hours of thelong night. Few words were spoken by either of them as they urged theirhorses forward. At dawn they were still riding, Lilian feverishlyanxious, Chatterton grimly determined.

  * * * * *

  A big gray-painted steamer lay rolling in the harbor of Santa Cruz, andMaxwell stood on the hotel steps impatiently glancing at his watch. Hehad given Miss Chatterton his conditional promise that he would awaither return, but he dare not miss the steamer. A feathery column of vaporroaring aloft from her steam-pipe indicated that all was ready. He hadless than ten minutes to spare, and there was still no sign of MissChatterton.

  "Five more minutes. There's the first bell now!"

  Three of the minutes passed, and Maxwell was hurrying toward the boat,when somebody shouted his name, and turning, he saw two white-fleckedhorses race into the plaza. One kept on to the hotel; almost before theother stopped, Thomas Chatterton leaped to the ground.

  "You're not going in that boat!" he gasped. "Can't you understand me?You are going back to the Coast instead!"

  "I'm afraid I can't, sir," Maxwell replied with a puzzled air. "I don'twant to be uncivil, but I dare not waste a moment. I must catch thesteamer."

  "You shan't!" persisted Chatterton, his red face growing purple whenMaxwell shook his hand off his arm. "Confound you! Stop and listen! Iowed Hilton's father more than I can ever repay his son, and Liliantold me what has befallen him. Well, if it's money you are short of, I'mnot a poor man, and you can have as much as they hold in the bank hereif you want it to rescue your partner. Now, don't let any foolish pridelead you into manslaughter. I'm doing you no favor, but making acommercial investment. Call me sleeping partner or anything you like,but don't throw your comrade's life away."

  Maxwell looked his relief.

  "I am not quite a fool, sir, and dare not refuse. It only remains for meto express my gratitude."

  "Gratitude be consumed!" said Chatterton, cheerily. "Call it business.Now we'll order the best breakfast they can serve us in this place, andyou can tell me the whole thing again."

  Two days later when Maxwell boarded a steamer bound for the West Coast,Chatterton and his niece went on board with him. Lilian was bothrelieved and sorry when the iron-master hurried away in search of thepurser to make sure that several bags of silver currency were put insafe keeping. She had something to say to Maxwell, but the task wasdifficult.

  "I shall always take shame upon myself for what I said on the balcony,"she began. "You are a very loyal partner, and I wish you Godspeed."

  The words were simple, but because, during the fateful moments when thetwo stood on the balcony, the veil which covered their inmost thoughtshad been drawn aside, they cost Lilian an effort, and meant a good deal.They sent a curious thrill to the heart of Maxwell.

  "I meant all that I said one other night, and I am ready to prove it,"he said. "Whether I shall ever return or not, I say it solemnly, onlyGods knows; but if I live to reach our camp, I think Hilton Dane will."

  For a moment Lilian's eyes grew hazy, and she looked away from him.Then, though there was moisture on her lashes, she turned fully towardher companion, holding out her hand.

  "Heaven send you both back safe! You are a good man, and very generous.I knew it the evening we passed the Hallows Brig--but----"

  "Destiny arranges these things for us," Maxwell interrupted quietly. "Iam glad that your good wishes follow me to Africa."

  Thomas Chatterton came up panting as
he spoke, the warning of the lastbell broke through the rattle of the windlass, and Maxwell bentbareheaded over Lilian's hand. Then she and Chatterton went down theside together, a deep-toned whistle vibrated above the waters as thesteamer slowly forged ahead, and Maxwell saw a white-gowned figure inthe boat beneath her side turn with a farewell smile and wave a hand tohim. Once more he raised his hat, and when the boat slid astern Lilian'seyes grew hazy as she gazed after the departing vessel.

  "That man will go far," said Chatterton. "Once he makes up his mind thedevil himself would hardly turn him. He is one of the steely, quiet kindwho are never more in earnest than when they are silent, but I amanxious. He is bound for a very deadly country."

  Cool breezes followed the steamer to the African coast, and Maxwell hadrecovered part of his vigor before the first palm-crowned bluff rose outof the sea. He had sufficient funds at his disposal, but arduous work todo, and he held himself apart from the few passengers, thinkingearnestly. Among other things he decided to fit out the reliefexpedition at Redmond's factory at Little Mahu, because, though moredifficult, the road from there was shorter and less likely to bewatched; and he surmised that Rideau, who must hear of his presence onthe coast sooner or later, would expect him to start from Castro'sfactory. Maxwell knew he had not seen the last of their treacherouspartner.

  At the last moment, he so far modified his plans as to call upon DomPedro.

  It was a fine afternoon when the cliff with the tall palms on the crestof it, and low whitewashed buildings nestling between them and thesmoking beach, rose to view, and the purser, strolling past, halted nearMaxwell.

  "We have several boat-loads of cottons for this place, and as the surfis high it will take us until sunset to land them safely," he said."Then, as there are nasty reefs to thread through, the skipper willprobably wait for moonlight before he heaves the anchor; so if you don'tmind a spray bath you might have a few hours ashore."

  Maxwell, knowing that he would see quite sufficient of Africa before hesailed west again, felt no great desire to go ashore; but as he gazed atthe dazzling buildings through his glasses a figure came out upon theveranda, and an unaccountable impulse urged him to seek speech with MissCastro. Why he should do so, and what he should say to her, he did notknow, but he remembered that several times during his career someunconsidered action made on the spur of the moment proved as fruitful ashis best laid plans. So, donning the mate's oil-skins, he dropped into asurf-boat and was whirled shoreward on a big breaker's crest, landingwithout misadventure amidst a cloud of spray.

  Dom Pedro, it appeared, was absent, but his daughter started at thesight of the stranger, and the warm olive coloring of her face wassuffused with a deeper tinge. She was herself again the next moment, andcame to meet him with only a slightly heightened luster in her blackeyes; but for a man Maxwell was observant, and deduced a good deal fromwhat he had seen. Nevertheless, he was mistaken when he attributed it tothe loss of his map.

  Miss Castro received him affably, and presented him to her aunt, whocombined a lethargic disposition with the usual portliness of an Iberianlady who has exceeded the age of forty, and after a few drowsycompliments she betrayed no further interest in the visitor.Nevertheless, the senora was not so sleepy as she appeared. Maxwellseated himself beside Bonita near the opposite end of the veranda, andwas not wholly sorry he had come ashore. The girl made a charmingpicture as she reclined in a deep chair near at hand, smiling at himwith a trace of shyness that was not assumed, though an occasionalnervous movement betokened a suppressed eagerness. Maxwell had pledgedhimself soul and body to the service of another woman with a chivalrousself-abnegation that only those who knew him well would have suspectedhim capable of; but he possessed artistic perceptions, and Bonita's darkbeauty appealed to him.

  "You have very much to tell me. How is it you come from the westward,and where is your companero?" she asked; and once more Maxwell waswholly misled.

  He noticed the swift gleam in the dark eyes that fell beneath his own;and, knowing what he knew, he was troubled. There was a hiddengentleness under the man's sardonic exterior, but he never learned howblind he had been that afternoon.

  "My comrade was well when I left him," he said gravely; and Bonita,flashing a swift glance at him, evinced less satisfaction than he hadexpected.

  "We were the good friends, senor. You will tell me why you leave him andnow come from the west. Also if you met Rideau, and what you did withhim. You are a strong man, senor, but it may be a woman can help you?"

  Maxwell was in his own way a chivalrous person, but he owed a duty tothe comrade who remained in the forest, and he meant to discharge it. Sohe answered with incisive frankness.

  "Can you not see why it might be better for both of us that I should nottell you, senorita?"

  The girl laughed softly, then laid a little hand upon his own. It feltstrangely hot, and again her eyes were luminous in a manner that puzzledhim.

  "It is the map, you mean? It is true I find it after the Senor Daneleave, and I sell it to _el perro_ Rideau. Senor, we women must use whatweapons we can, and the price he pay me--I have no secrets from you--wasmy father's safety."

  "I do not venture to blame you," said Maxwell. "I had partly guessed it,and your confidence is safe with me, but suppose _el perro_ had provedtoo strong for me? After this, can I believe that you would prove a goodfriend to me?"

  Miss Castro positively blushed as she drew her hand away, but herlaughter indicated a mingling of pride with scorn.

  "You are modest, senor. It is not possible that the cur dog should provetoo strong for--you. To Dom Pedro I say these Englishmen will kill thisRideau. So senor, because I hate him, you will tell me."

  Maxwell did not speak for a while. Again an impulse which appearedwholly illogical in face of the girl's confession prompted him to tellher all; but very much lay at stake, and he did not usually act onimpulse. Meanwhile his companion watched him from under the dark lasheswhich half covered her eyes; while, unobserved, the sleepy aunt watchedthem both. Bonita Castro looked bewitchingly pretty in her filmydraperies, perhaps the more so because of her curiously heightenedcolor; but though Maxwell knew that she was a woman who would do muchwhen prompted by passion, she did not look like a traitress.

  "So you fear to trust me, senor?"

  "On the contrary," Maxwell answered, "I have decided to trust you fully.In doing so, I know that I place my life and my comrade's equally inyour hands."

  "It is well; I would hold them safe if I risked salvation," said thegirl. "So tell me everything. I shall be able to help you."

  Maxwell did so, and Miss Castro asked him many questions which betokeneda keenness of judgment that surprised the man. He spent some time inanswering them, and Bonita appeared to find pleasure in listening tohim. So while the palm-tufts tossed behind the factory and the spraywhirled above the beach, the minutes slipped by, until, when the sundipped, the senora woke up and ordered the black major-domo to hurryforward _comida_.

  Bonita, reappearing attired in filmy robes of black, was morefascinating than ever during the drawn-out meal.

  "That woman would turn any man's head," murmured Maxwell, inaudibly hethought, and added, with a smile, to the sleepy aunt, who glanced athim, "I was wondering, senora, if your distinguished family had amonopoly of all the wit and beauty in the Peninsula."

  Maxwell was a little confused to notice that Bonita had overheard; for asecond the long lashes dropped across her eyes, and again there was aflicker of damask in her cheek.

  The moon hung over the ocean which stretched away before them, a broadsheet of silver, when the two stood once more on the veranda; and MissCastro shivered slightly for no apparent cause when Maxwell announcedthat it was time for him to take his departure. The surf had gone down,and the roar of the breakers diminished to dull pulsations that felldrowsily on the ear, while the warm breeze brought down the fragrance ofspices and lilies from the forest. Two of the pure white blossomsnestled among the laces beneath Miss Castro's neck, and their fragranc
efilled Maxwell's nostrils as he stood close beside her under theeffulgent moonlight of the tropics. There was a thrill in the girl'svoice which, but for one fact, might have awakened an answeringvibration within him.

  "So you have trusted me, senor, and I am glad. It is also good that youstart from Little Mahu, for so _el perro_ hear the less of you. Thereare many black people who fear him, and tell him things, but he comefirst to this factory--and I deal with him. You will leave Mahu, two,three, perhaps four weeks before him. It is true you have no longer anydoubt of me?"

  "I have no doubt at all. I have trusted you to the utmost."

  Bonita's eyes dropped swiftly beneath his gaze, but there was in herattitude no sign of coquetry. She had, the man thought, changed with thenight, and put on a quiet simplicity which became her wonderfully.Something impelled him to add:

  "I feel that I have done wisely."

  Once more the girl's voice thrilled him.

  "It is a dangerous country, and who can tell what may happen; but,whatever it costs me, I will help you."

  Maxwell felt strangely softened toward her, for it seemed that someinfluence born of the glamour of the night was at work upon his will. Ithardly seemed to emanate from his companion, for Miss Castro was graverthan he had ever seen her; but the strange mingling of tenderness andadmiration grew stronger in him, and he was glad when the boom of thesteamer's whistle rang through the monotone of the surf.

  "I must go, senorita."

  Bonita's eyes shone in the moonlight as, with the faintest of smiles,she held out her hand to him.

  "It is a perilous journey, but I will pray always for your safety," shesaid softly.

  Maxwell lifted the hat from his head as, stooping, he touched theolive-tinted fingers with his lips. They trembled a little in his grasp.

  "I thank you, senorita. We are allies now."

  Again the roar of the whistle throbbed across the surf, and Maxwell wentswiftly down the stairway and across the sand. As the boat plunged outthrough the breakers he shook himself with an air of irritation whichattracted the notice of the steamer's mate.

  "Got bewildered trying to understand those folks?" he askedsympathetically.

  "No," laughed Maxwell. "The fact is rather that I don't understandmyself."

  "I dare say that don't greatly matter," commented the mate. "Take a goodstiff cocktail and give the puzzle up."

  The steamer heaved her anchor, and rolled slowly eastward down thecoast, while Miss Castro stood on the veranda following the tier ofdiminishing lights until they faded and finally dipped into the moonlitsea. Then she turned and walked very slowly into the factory without aword, leaving the sleepy aunt lost in speculation when the door of herroom closed noisily.