by Tom Bevan
Chapter XL.
A HAVEN OF PEACE.
The night passed; a night of happy contentment. In picturesque groupson the deck the company slept, their eyes covered from the light of thetropical night. The sentry tramped the deck, listened to the criesfrom the forest and the salty pool, watched the fireflies as theydarted to and fro, and called out the hours and the state of the nightwhenever the ship's bell sent its musical note echoing from bank tobank of the creek, and rousing the denizens of the forest around. Abird sang in the grove, tuning its lay to reproduce the notes of everysongster that had warbled during the daytime. The scents from themasses of flowers, that clustered the banks and wound their tendrilsround the giant trees, floated fragrantly on the night air. There waspeace in the heavens above and the downward glances of the quiet-eyedstars; there was peace in forest and pool, and sweet sounds andfragrant odours; the ship rocked gently on the flowing tide in a haventhat might have been a harbour on the shores of a paradise. And thesleeping men dreamed pleasant dreams, for the scents of the flowerscame insensibly into their nostrils, and the song of the bird beatrhythmically on their resting brains. Here, a sailor laughed softlyand musically in his sleep; there, a gallant young gentleman murmured abeloved name, as the face of the one beloved passed by in a sweetvision of the night. In his sleep many a one was already at the homewhere he would be; his hard-won treasures glittered on the familiartable, and he gave this to one and that to another, hung a chain on afair young neck or pressed a ring on a dainty finger. Johnnie Morganstood by the river, exactly as he had stood on that bright Marchmorning when Dolly came up and begged for a reconciliation. She cameagain; the gulls flew over the sands, and the sun shone warmly. Ah!how long it was since that March morning.
The feathered singer in the tree ceased his singing, and hid his headunder his wing as his bright-plumaged fellows had done. The starspaled; nature stirred in her sleep; the sailor on the deck felt thetremor that quivered through the animate world, and rubbed his eyesmore vigorously. A breeze moved through the trees; the ripple of thewater was more distinct; there was a splash--another--another. A frogcroaked sleepily to his fellows, and got no answer for a while. Ayellow band stretched across the eastern horizon; it tinged the heavingwaters, it flecked the trees with gold. The whole forest rustled andtwittered. A bird flew down to the water. A parrot screamed noisily;a sleeper started up from his hard couch. The sentinel cried the hour,and announced a fine morning. The world heard him and woke up.
The day was to be a day of great things. Overnight nothing had beendone, and no man had gone ashore. The decks were cleaned, prayerssaid, breakfast eaten, and the rough plan of Oxenham's hiding-placenailed down on the compass-box, where all could see it. Then CaptainDrake and the gentlemen of the company went ashore with Nick and NedJohnson. Hearts beat excitedly in the ship's boat, and hearts throbbedin unison amongst those who waited on the deck. The party landed.They clambered up the bank and pushed aside the tangled undergrowth,some of the men using their swords in order to make the quicker way.Some one kicks against a mass of green creeper; his boot strikessomething wooden and hollow; he has not lighted upon an empty bush.Quickly he tears aside the clinging mass; a beautifully striped snakewriggles out, hissing angrily. The man scarcely heeds the dangerousthing. He shouts aloud; the others come up. What has he found? Theruins of one of Oxenham's boats. Nick recognizes it. "I worked tohelp build it," he says softly. "The Dons came upon us before we couldfinish." The rough fellow uncovered his head.
The adventurers gazed with a strange interest upon the relic of aformer bold adventure. They turned it over almost reverently. "BraveJohn Oxenham!" murmured Captain Drake.
But sentimental recollections were soon swept away. The discovery ofthe half-finished boat put aside all doubts as to the identity of theiranchorage with that of Oxenham's. "How far off was the treasureburied?" was the next eager question.
"Just out of the tide-way in the heart of a cluster of mangroves; wenotched the biggest tree," answered Nick. He looked around. "Yonder'sthe spot," he cried. All followed him.
The quick-growing vegetation had enwreathed the trees with gaycreepers, but Nick soon found the mark of the axe on the bark.Undergrowths choked up the gaps between the trunks of the trees, but acouple of axes cleared a path. The men thronged into the inner space.The ground was hard and overgrown, and certainly had not been touchedfor a long time. Hopes rose higher than ever. Apparently the groundhad never been disturbed since Oxenham's visit. Captain Drake decidedto get to work at once. He rowed back to the ship, ordered thepickaxes and shovels to be brought up from below, and chose out a firstgang of sailors and soldiers to go ashore and commence digging. Acouple of hours ought to suffice for the securing of the treasure.
The men tumbled into the boat, eager enough to begin. They rowedashore, stripped themselves to the waist, and set to work with a will,cheering one another on with boisterous jests. Captain Drake remainedaboard. Sir John Trelawny and some of the adventurers superintendedthe digging. Timothy Jeffreys and Johnnie Morgan wandered off alongthe stream, hoping to light upon some game for the replenishing of thelarder. Nick Johnson pointed out a spring, and others of the companybusied themselves filling the barrels with fresh water. All wereanimated, and occupied in some useful way or other.
