XX
'TWIXT CUP AND LIP
Next morning an event occurred sufficiently astonishing to divertour thoughts from even the all-important topic of the _IslandQueen_. Cookie, who had been up on the high land of the pointgathering firewood, came rushing back to announce that a steamerhad appeared in the offing. All the party dropped theiroccupations and ran to look. That the _Rufus Smith_ had returnedat an unexpectedly early date was of course the natural explanationof the appearance of a vessel in these lonely seas. But throughthe glass the new arrival turned out to be not the tubby freighterbut a stranger of clean-cut, rakish build, lying low in the waterand designed for speed rather than carrying capacity.
A mile offshore she lay to, and a boat left her side. Wonderingand disquieted, we returned to the beach to await her coming. Wasit another pirate? What possible errand could bring a steamer tothis remote, unvisited, all but forgotten little island? Hadsomebody else heard the story of the _Bonny Lass_ and come afterthe doubloons, unknowing that we were beforehand with them? If so,must we do battle for our rights?
The boat shot in between the points and skimmed swiftly over therippling surface of the cove, under the rhythmic strokes of half adozen flashing oars. The rowers wore a trim white uniform, and inthe stern a tall figure, likewise white-clad, turned toward us adark face under a pith helmet.
As the oarsmen drove the boat upon the beach the man in the sternsprang agilely ashore. Dugald Shaw stepped forward, and thestranger approached, doffing his helmet courteously.
"You are the American and English party who landed here some weeksago from the _Rufus Smith_?"
His English was easy and correct, though spoken with a pronouncedSpanish accent. His dark high-featured face was the face of aSpaniard. And his grace was the grace of a Spaniard, as he bowedsweepingly and handed Mr. Shaw a card.
"Senor Don Enrique Gonzales," said Dugald, bowing in hisstiff-necked fashion, "I am very happy to meet you. But as yourepresent His Excellency the President of the Republic of SantaMarina I suppose you come on business, Senior Gonzales?"
"Precisely. I am enchanted that you apprehend the fact without thetiresomeness of explanations. For business is a cold, usually adisagreeable affair, is it not so? That being the case, let us getit over."
"First do us the honor to be seated, Senor Gonzales."
Comfortably bestowed in a camp-chair in the shade, the Spaniardresumed:
"My friend, this island belongs, as of course you are aware, to therepublic of which I have the honor to be a citizen. All rights andprivileges, such as harvesting the copra crop, are strictlyconserved by the republic. All persons desiring such are requiredto negotiate with the Minister of State of the Republic. And howmuch more, when it is a question of treasure--of a very largetreasure, Senor?"
The Scotchman's face was dark.
"I had understood," he replied, without looking in the direction ofMiss Higglesby-Browne, who seemed in the last few moments to haveundergone some mysterious shrinking process, "that negotiations inthe proper quarter had been undertaken and brought to a successfulconclusion--that in short we were here with the express permissionof the government of Santa Marina."
This was a challenge which Miss Browne could not but meet.
"I had," she said hoarsely, "I had the assurance of a--a personhigh in the financial circles of the United States, that throughhis--his influence with the government of Santa Marina it would notbe necessary--in short, that he could _fix_ the President--I employhis own terms--for a considerable sum, which I--which my friendMiss Harding gave him."
"And the name of this influential person?" inquired the SantaMarinan, suavely.
"Hamilton H. Tubbs," croaked Miss Browne.
Senor Gonzales smiled.
"I remember the name well, madam. It is that of the pretendedholder of a concession from our government, who a few years agoinduced a number of American school-teachers and clergymen andother financially innocent persons to invest in imaginary coffeeplantations. He had in some doubtful fashion become possessed of alittle entirely worthless land, which formed the basis of histransactions. His frauds were discovered while he was in ourcountry, and he was obliged to leave between two days, according toyour so picturesque idiom. Needless to say his application forpermission to visit Leeward Island for any purpose would instantlyhave been refused, but as a matter of fact it was never made."
In a benumbed silence we met the blow. The riches that had seemedwithin our grasp would never be ours. We had no claim upon them,for all our toil and peril; no right even to be here upon theisland. Suddenly I began to laugh; faces wearing various shades ofshocked surprise were turned on me. Still I laughed.
"Don't you see," I cried, "how ridiculous it all is? All the timeit is we who have been pirates!"
The Spaniard gave me a smile made brilliant by the gleam ofsmoldering black eyes and the shine of white teeth.
"Senorita, with all regret, I must agree."
"Miss Virginia Harding," said Miss Browne with all her oldseverity, rejuvenated apparently by this opportunity to put me inmy place, "would do well to consult her dictionary, before applyingopprobrious terms to persons of respectability. A pirate is onewho commits robbery upon the high seas. If such a crime lies atthe door of any member of this expedition I am unaware of it."
"What's in a name?" remarked Dugald Shaw, shrugging. "We wereafter other people's property, anyway. I am very sorry about it,Senor Gonzales, but I would like to ask, if you don't mind telling,how you happened to learn of our being here, so long as it was notthrough the authentic channels. On general principles, I tried tokeep the matter quiet."
"We learned in a manner somewhat--what do you say?--curious,"returned the Spaniard, who, having presented the men with cigarsand by permission lighted one himself, was making himself extremelyat home and appeared to have no immediate intention of haling usaway to captivity in Santa Marinan dungeons. "But before I gofurther, kindly tell me whether you have had any--ah--visitorsduring your stay on the island?"
"We have," Mr. Shaw replied, "very troublesome ones."
The Spaniard smiled.
"Then answer your own question. These men, while unloading acontraband cargo in a port of Mexico near the southern border, grewtoo merry in a wineshop, and let it be known where they were boundwhen again they put to sea. The news, after some delay, found itsway to our capital. At once the navy of the republic wasdespatched to investigate the matter. It is the navy of SantaMarina, ladies and gentlemen, which at this moment guards theentrance of the bay." And Senor Gonzales waved an ironic hand inthe direction of the little steamer lying off the island,
"On the way here I put in at Panama, where certain inquiries weresatisfactorily answered. There were those in that port who hadmade a shrewd guess at the destination of the party which hadshipped on the _Rufus Smith_. I then pursued my course to Leeward.But admit, my friends, that I have not by my arrival, caused youany material loss. Except that I have unfortunately been compelledto present you to yourselves in the character of--as says the younglady--pirates--madam, I speak under correction--I have done you noinjury, eh? And that for the simple reason that you have notdiscovered what you sought, and hence can not be required tosurrender it."
We looked at one another doubtfully. The ambiguous words of theSpaniard, the something humorous and mocking which lay behind hiscourtly manner, put us quite in the dark.
"Senor Gonzales," replied the Scotchman, after a moment'shesitation, "it is true that so far only a negligible amount ofwhat we came to find has rewarded us. But I can not in honestyconceal from you that we know where to look for the rest of it, andthat we had certainly expected to leave the island with it in ourpossession."
The dark indolent eyes of our visitor grew suddenly keen.Half-veiled by the heavy lashes, they searched the face of DugaldShaw. It seemed that what they found in that bold and opencountenance satisfied them. His own face cleared again.
"I think we speak at cro
ss-purposes, Mr. Shaw," he saidcourteously, "and that we may better understand each other, I amgoing to tell you a little story. At about this season, two yearsago, the navy of Santa Marina, the same which now lies off theisland, was making a voyage of inspection along the coast of therepublic. It was decided to include Leeward in the cruise, as ithad been unvisited for a considerable time. I hold no navalrank--indeed, we are not a seafaring people, and the captain of _LaGolondrina_ is a person from Massachusetts, Jeremiah Bowles byname, but as the representative of His Excellency I accompanied _LaGolondrina_. On our arrival at Leeward I came ashore in the boat,and found to my surprise a small sloop at anchor in the cove.About the clearing were the signs of recent habitation, yet I knewthat the old German who had had the copra concession here had beengone for some time. There were no personal trifles left in thehut, however, and indeed it was plain that weeks had passed sincethere had been any one about. No one responded to our shouts andcalls.
"I turned my attention to the sloop. In the cabin, besides a fewclothes, I found something that interested me very much--a largebrass-bound chest, of an antique type such as is common enough inmy own country.
"Of course I had heard of the many legends of treasure buried onLeeward Island. Consequently I was somewhat prepared to find inthe chest, what in fact I did find there, over a million dollars inold Spanish coins.
"These coins, which were packed in strong canvas bags, were, as youmay fancy, very quickly transferred to the cutter. We did nottrouble ourselves with the unwieldy chest, and it remains, Isuppose, in the cabin of the sloop, which I observed as we crossedthe cove to have been washed up upon the rocks.
"As my curiosity was extremely piqued regarding the owner of thesloop, the manner in which he had discovered the treasure, andstill more his extraordinary disappearance, I should have wished tomake a thorough search of the island. But the season for stormswas shortly to begin, and already the weather signs were sothreatening that Captain Bowles was reluctant to remain longer inthe neighborhood of the island, which has a bad name for dangerousshoals and reefs. For the same reason it was thought unwise torisk a man or two aboard the sloop to sail her to the mainland.Indeed, we ourselves were glad to get safely home with ourdoubloons in the teeth of a tropical gale."
"This is a very interesting story, Senor Gonzales," said DugaldShaw quietly, "and as you say, your visit here deprives us ofnothing, but merely saves us further unprofitable labor. We aregrateful to you."
The Spaniard bowed.
"You do me too much honor. But as you remark, the story isinteresting. It has also the element of mystery. For thereremains the question of what became of the owner of the sloop. Hisfinal preparations for leaving the island had evidently been made,his possessions removed from the hut, provisions for the voyagebrought on board the sloop--and then he had vanished. What hadbefallen him? Did the gold carry with it some deadly influence?One plays, as it were, with this idea, imagining the so melancholyand bloody history of these old doubloons. How, in the firstplace, had he found them? Through chance--by following someauthentic clue? And then, in the moment of success, hedisappears--pouf!" And Senor Gonzales disposed of the unknown byblowing him airily from the tips of his fingers.
"However, we have the treasure--the main point, is it not? But Ihave often wondered--"
"If you would like to hear the rest of the story," said Mr. Shaw,"we are in a position to enlighten you. That we are so, is dueentirely to this young lady, Miss Virginia Harding."
The Spaniard rose, and made obeisance profoundly. He resumed hisseat, prepared to listen--no longer the government official, butthe cordial and interested guest and friend.
The story, of course, was a long one. Everybody took a hand in thetelling, even Cookie, who was summoned from his retirement in thekitchen to receive the glory due him as a successful strategist.The journal of Peter was produced, and the bags of doubloons handedover to the representative of the little republic. I even offeredto resign the silver shoe-buckle which I had found in the secretlocker on the Island Queen, but this excess of honesty received itsdue reward.
"The doubloons being now in the possession of the Santa Marinannation, I beg that you will consider as your own the Island Queenand all it may contain," said Don Enrique to me with as magnificentan air as though the sand-filled hulk of a wrecked sloop werereally a choice gift to bestow on a young woman.
Plans were discussed for transferring the pirates from the cave tothe cutter, for they were to be taken to Santa Marina to meetwhatever punishment was thought fit for their rather indefiniteill-doing. They had not murdered us, they had robbed us of nothingbut the provisions they had eaten, they had, after all, as muchright on the island as ourselves. Yet there remained theirhigh-handed conduct in invading our camp and treating us asprisoners, with the threat of darker possibilities. I fancy thatSanta Marinan justice works mainly by rule of thumb, and that thecourts do not embarrass themselves much with precedents. Only Ihope they did not shoot the picturesque Tony against a wall.[*]
The power-schooner, manned by a crew from the cutter, was to betaken to Santa Marina also. Senor Gonzales remained with us forthe day as our guest, and on the next the boats from the cuttertook off the pirates from the cave. We did not see them again.Through the convenient elasticity of Santa Marinan procedure, Mr.Tubbs was herded along with the rest, although he might plausibly,if hypocritically, have pleaded that he had complied with the willof the invaders under duress. Aunt Jane wept very much, and handedme _Paeans of Passion_ with the request that she might never see itagain.
We parted from Senor Gonzales not without regrets. It was animpressive leave-taking--indeed, Senor, Gonzales in his least wordand gesture was impressive. Also, he managed subtly andrespectfully to impart to me the knowledge that he shared Titian'stastes in the matter of hair. On his departure he made a prettylittle speech, full of compliments and floral specimens, andbestowed upon me--as being mine by right, he earnestlyprotested--the two bags of Spanish doubloons.
[*]Since the above was written, Mr. Shaw has run across Tony on theSan Francisco water-front. Tony tells him that they got off withthree months' imprisonment. The American consul interested himselfand the schooner was restored to her owners, who were Tony'srelations and hence did not prosecute. Before the dischargedprisoners left the republic Captain Magnus was stabbed over a cardgame by a native. Mr. Tubbs married a wealthy half-caste woman,the owner of a fine plantation, but a perfectly genuine Mrs. Tubbsfrom Peoria turned up later, and the too much married H. H. wasobliged to achieve one of his over-night flittings.
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