by Tom Bevan
Chapter XXXIX.
JOHN OXENHAM'S CREEK.
More than two months after she had quitted the harbour of San Joseph, the_Golden Boar_ dropped anchor in its waters again. She was not expected,and some folks were hoping that she had gone to the bottom of theAtlantic, or was lying rotting in some pestilential mouth of the Orinoco.Yacamo was put ashore, and a brief visit paid to the governor and thechief Ayatlan. The latter was pleased enough to see the Englishmen, andhe warned them that mischief was brewing.
"There has been much coming and going of Spaniards and Spanish ships," hesaid; "and one man has offered great rewards to any that could tell himwhere you were hidden."
The visit to the governor nearly led to a quarrel. That dignitary was byno means so deferential as on the previous visit; indeed, he was barelycivil. Many things had happened during the previous weeks. A ship hadarrived from Spain, and she carried an important passenger--to wit,Brother Basil. He was weeks behind the _Golden Boar_, but he soon madeup for lost time. In the first place he was able to prove that CaptainJohn Drake of the _Golden Boar_ was not the redoubtable Captain FrancisDrake so dreaded all along the shores of the Spanish Main. This largelyaccounted for the altered demeanour of the governor. Rightly guessingthat the English ship would put into the harbour if she ever returnedfrom the Orinoco, Basil had at first tried to prepare a warm receptionfor her. He failed in this, for soldiers were not easy to obtain, thegovernor was not anxious for a fight, and the very name "Drake" stillinspired terror whether it was prefixed by Francis or John. As a secondresource he had sent boats into the delta in the hope of locating theship or her company, and stirring up the natives against the Englishmen.His messengers searched the wrong mouths and channels, and it was only atthe last that one of them happed upon the foe; and he was still on themainland and had sent no tidings.
But the Jesuit, being cognizant of all the plans of the adventurers, andknowing that the Johnsons would lead the way to the scene of Oxenham'sdefeat and death, prepared yet a third scheme, and, deeming this thesurer one, was giving it his personal supervision. He calculatedcorrectly.
When Captain Drake and his retinue were leaving the castle, a nativeyouth who waited upon the soldiers slipped a packet into the hands of thelast man, with a whispered injunction to secrecy. The soldier handed thepapers to the captain as soon as he was aboard again. A few minuteslater Nick and Ned Johnson were sent for into the cabin. The firstquestion caused each one to prick up his single ear pretty sharply.
"Were you the only ones who escaped death when Captain Oxenham was slain?"
"No, some boys were spared."
"Have they ever reached England?"
"As far as we know, no. The priests told us that some of them abjuredtheir faith and had received pardon."
Captain Drake passed some papers across the table. "Look at thisdrawing."
The brothers did so, and looked at one another pretty shrewdly also.
"What do you make out of it?"
"'Tis a guide to the buried spoil."
The skipper read a rough, explanatory scrawl from the back of the paper.It purported to have been written by one of the lads who had been in SanJoseph on a Spanish ship since the departure of the _Golden Boar_. Heexplained that he wished his countrymen to know that the treasure hadnever been found by the Dons, and added that he had bribed the native togive the paper to them if they came back. He would not affix his name,because he was ashamed of his weakness in renouncing his faith andnationality.
The tale was plausible enough and cunningly set forth. Less credulousmen than the eager adventurers would have been deceived by it. TheEnglish was rough, homely, ill-spelt, and unscholarly, and might wellhave been written by one of the lads. One thing was certain--it couldnot have been written by a Spaniard. It was written, indeed, by therenegade Basil.
Needless to say the bait was swallowed. The _Golden Boar_ made a hurrieddeparture from San Joseph, and went westwards along the coast towards theIsthmus of Panama. Basil had gone thither in a Spanish galleon sometwelve days before, and was already ashore awaiting them, and dailyexpecting a strong body of troops from Panama itself. The adventurers,hopes renewed, were putting on all sail to enter a cunningly laid trap.
Apparently fortune was going to favour them at last. Less than a day'ssail from Trinidad they sighted a Spanish ship. They had vowed waragainst everything Spanish, and were resolved not to go home with anempty hold. The helm was put about, and they bore down on their prey.The vessel was not a large one, but it was well manned. To the order tostrike his flag, the captain replied with a well-directed shot. Thevessels closed. A sharp fight ensued, and the adventurers won. Theprize was a good one, and the bold band, deeming their enterprise a highand honourable one, loudly thanked God for His goodness. Then theysailed on, eager for fresh conquests.
Even the least hopeful man cast away his doubts and fears. Hitherto theyhad searched for what no man had found; now they were going for atreasure whose position was definitely set forth, and, moreover, theywere on the beaten track where so many of their daring fellow-countrymenhad found fortune. Spanish ships they must meet; and when they met them,well, there was but one thing to do--they must capture them. To theirreawakened spirits the matter was the plainest of plain sailing. And theglorious sea, too, had washed the fever from them; they were grown strongand hearty once more. The singers sang, the fiddlers played, and MasterJeffreys, Nick and Ned Johnson told their tales afresh. The generousfellows remembered the brave lives that had been sacrificed to gain thetreasure they were going to carry off so easily. As far as the memory ofthe survivors would allow, a list of Oxenham's crew was drawn up; theirhomes, where known, were placed against their names, and it was resolvedthat half of what they recovered should go to the relatives of the deadmen. Not one man murmured against the decision; it seemed to them theright and proper thing to do: there were no craven or selfish heartsaboard the _Golden Boar_.
And so the eager days sped on. No more possible prizes were sighted, andthe time came when keen eyes no longer looked seawards at all. The shipwas hugging the shore, and Nick Johnson or his brother spent hours at themasthead searching for a familiar landmark. More than once was theanchor dropped, and a boat sent up a promising creek in the hope that itwould prove the long-sought one. Failure after failure was reported, butthe search only grew the keener. The adventurers were determined to beatevery mile of the coast if necessary. At length came the joyous forenoonwhen Nick gave a frantic hurrah from his lofty perch. Ho had sighted thebare bluff, the wooded background, and the narrow, winding inlet. Hisbrother was quickly beside him, and almost immediately shouted hisreassuring opinion to the expectant company. The goal was reached atlast!
There was no need to send an exploring boat this time. Nick stayed wherehe was, and Ned took the helm. A gentle breeze took the _Golden Boar_into the sheltered anchorage. The trees encircling the little inland bayshut her in just as the sun went down behind them. And the gallantfellows--strange mixture of pirate and patriot--piously andwhole-heartedly bared their heads and thanked God for His bounteousmercies!
