CHAPTER XXII.
THE ISLET OF SANTA CRUZ.
It was July when Brandon left New York for San Salvador.
He had purchased a beautiful little schooner, which he had fitted uplike a gentleman's yacht, and stored with all the articles which mightbe needed. In cruising about the Bahama Isles he intended to let it besupposed that he was traveling for pleasure. True, the month of July wasnot the time of the year which pleasure-seekers would choose for sailingin the West Indies, but of this he did not take much thought.
The way to the Bahama Isles was easy. They stopped for a while atNassau, and then went to San Salvador.
The first part of the New World which Columbus discovered is now butseldom visited, and few inhabitants are found there. Only six hundredpeople dwell upon it, and these have in general but little intelligence.On reaching this place Brandon sailed to the harbor which Columbusentered, and made many inquiries about that immortal landing. Traditionsstill survived among the people, and all were glad to show the richEnglishman the lions of the place.
He was thus enabled to make inquiries without exciting suspicion aboutthe islands lying to the north. He was informed that about four leaguesnorth there was an island named Guahi, and as there was no island knownin that direction named Santa Cruz, Brandon thought that this mightbe the one. He asked if there were any small islets or sand-banks nearthere, but no one could tell him. Having gained all the information thathe could he pursued his voyage.
In that hot season there was but little wind. The seas were visited byprofound calms which continued long and rendered navigation slow andtedious. Sometimes, to prevent themselves from being swept away by thecurrents, they had to cast anchor. At other times they were forced tokeep in close by the shore. They waited till the night came on, andthen, putting out the sweeps, they rowed the yacht slowly along.
It was the middle of July before they reached the island of Guahi, whichBrandon thought might be Santa Cruz. If so, then one league due northof this there ought to be the islet of the Three Needles. Upon thediscovery of that would depend their fate.
It was evening when they reached the southern shore of Guahi. Now wasthe time when all the future depended upon the fact of the existence ofan islet to the north. That night on the south shore was passed in deepanxiety. They rowed the vessel on with their sweeps, but the island wastoo large to be passed in one night. Morning came, and still they rowed.
The morning passed, and the hot sun burned down upon them, yet theystill toiled on, seeking to pass beyond a point which lay ahead, so asto see the open water to the north. Gradually they neared it, and thesea-view in front opened up more and more widely. There was nothing butwater. More and more of the view exposed itself, until at last the wholehorizon was visible. Yet there was no land there--no island--no sign ofthose three rocks which they longed so much to find.
A light wind arose which enabled them to sail over all the space thatlay one league to the north. They sounded as they went, but foundonly deep water. They looked all around, but found not so much as thesmallest point of land above the surface of the ocean.
That evening they cast anchor and went ashore at the island of Guahito see if any one knew of other islands among which might be found onenamed Santa Cruz. Their disappointment was profound. Brandon for a whilethought that perhaps some other San Salvador was meant in the letter.This very idea had occurred to him before, and he had made himselfacquainted with all the places of that name that existed. None of themseemed, however, to answer the requirements of the writing. Some musthave gained the name since; others were so situated that no island couldbe mentioned as lying to the north. On the whole, it seemed to him thatthis San Salvador of Columbus could alone be mentioned. It wasalluded to as a well-known place, of which particular description wasunnecessary, and no other place at that day had this character exceptthe one on which he had decided.
One hope yet remained, a faint one, but still a hope, and this might yetbe realized. It was that Guahi was not Santa Cruz; but that some otherisland lay about here, which might be considered as north from SanSalvador. This could be ascertained here in Guahi better perhaps thanany where else. With this faint hope he landed.
Guahi is only a small island, and there are but few inhabitants uponit, who support themselves partly by fishing. In this delightful climatetheir wants are not numerous, and the rich soil produces almost anything which they desire. The fish about here are not plentiful, and whatthey catch have to be sought for at a long distance off.
"Are there any other islands near this?" asked Brandon of some peoplewhom he met on landing.
"Not very near."
"Which is the nearest?"
"San Salvador."
"Are there any others in about this latitude?"
"Well, there is a small one about twelve leagues east. There are nopeople on it though."
"What is its name?"
"Santa Cruz."
Brandon's heart beat fast at the sound of that name. It must be so. Itmust be the island which he sought. It lay to the north of San Salvador,and its name was Santa Cruz.
"It is not down on the charts?"
"No. It is only a small islet."
Another confirmation, for the message said plainly an islet, whereasGuahi was an island.
"How large is it?"
"Oh, perhaps a mile or a mile and a half long."
"Is there any other island near it?"
"I don't know."
"Have you ever been there?"
"No."
Plainly no further information could be gathered here. It was enoughto have hope strengthened and an additional chance for success. Brandonobtained as near as possible the exact direction of Santa Cruz, and,going back to the yacht, took advantage of the light breeze which stillwas blowing and set sail.
"AN ISLAND COVERED WITH PALM-TREES LAY THERE."]
Night came on very dark, but the breeze still continued to send itslight breath, and before this the vessel gently glided on. Not a thingcould be seen in that intense darkness. Toward morning Louis Brandon,who had remained up all night in his deep anxiety, tried to piercethrough the gloom as he strained his eyes, and seemed as though he wouldforce the darkness to reveal that which he sought. But the darkness gaveno token.
Not Columbus himself, when looking out over these waters, gazed withgreater eagerness nor did his heart beat with greater anxiety ofsuspense, than that which Brandon felt as his vessel glided slowlythrough the dark waters, the same over which Columbus had passed, andmoved amidst the impenetrable gloom. But the long night of suspenseglided by at last; the darkness faded, and the dawn came.
Frank Brandon, on waking about sunrise, came up and saw his brotherlooking with fixed intensity of gaze at something directly in front. Heturned to see what it might be.
An island covered with palm-trees lay there. Its extent was small, butit was filled with the rich verdure of the tropics. The gentle breezeruffled the waters, but did not altogether efface the reflection of thatbeautiful islet.
Louis pointed toward the northeast.
Frank looked.
It seemed to be about two miles away. It was a low sand island about aquarter of a mile long. From its surface projected three rocks thin andsharp. They were at unequal distances from each other, and in the middleof the islet. The tallest one might have been about twelve feet inheight, the others eight and ten feet respectively.
Louis and Frank exchanged one long look, but said not a word. That lookwas an eloquent one.
This then was unmistakably the place of their search.
The islet with the three rocks like needles lying north of Santa Cruz.One league due north of this was the spot where now rested all theirhopes.
The island of Santa Cruz was, as had been told them, not more than amile and a half in length, the sand island with the needles lay abouttwo miles north of it. On the side of Santa Cruz which lay nearest tothem was a small cove just large enough for the yacht. Here, after somedelay, they were able to en
ter and land.
The tall trees that covered the island rose over beautiful glades andgrassy slopes. Too small and too remote to give support to any numberof inhabitants, it had never been touched by the hand of man, but stoodbefore them in all that pristine beauty with which nature had firstendowed it. It reminded Brandon in some degree of that African islandwhere he had passed some time with Beatrice. The recollection of thisbrought over him an intolerable melancholy, and made the very beauty ofthis island painful to him. Yet hope was now strong within his heart,and as he traversed its extent his eye wandered about in search ofplaces where he might be able to conceal the treasure that lay underthe sea, if he were ever able to recover it from its present place. Theisland afforded many spots which were well adapted to such a purpose.
In the centre of the island a rock jutted up, which was bald and flat onits summit. On the western side it showed a precipice of some forty orfifty feet in height, and on the eastern side it descended to the waterin a steep slope. The tall trees which grew all around shrouded it fromthe view of those at sea, but allowed the sea to be visible on everyside. Climbing to this place, they saw something which showed them thatthey could not hope to carry on any operations for that day.
On the other side of the island, about ten miles from the shore, therelay a large brig becalmed. It looked like one of those vessels that arein the trade between the United States and the West Indies. As longas that vessel was in the neighborhood it would not do even to makea beginning, nor did Brandon care about letting his yacht be seen.Whatever he did he wished to do secretly.
The brig continued in sight all day, and they remained on the island.Toward evening they took the small boat and rowed out to the sandbankwhich they called Needle Islet. It was merely a low spit of sand, withthese three singularly-shaped rocks projecting upward. There was nothingelse whatever to be seen upon it. The moon came up as they stood there,and their eyes wandered involuntarily to the north, to that place, aleague away, where the treasure lay beneath the waters.
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