Captain Blood

by Rafael Sabatini

  CHAPTER XII. DON PEDRO SANGRE

  The Cinco Llagas and the Encarnacion, after a proper exchange ofsignals, lay hove to within a quarter of a mile of each other, andacross the intervening space of gently heaving, sunlit waters sped aboat from the former, manned by six Spanish seamen and bearing in herstern sheets Don Esteban de Espinosa and Captain Peter Blood.

  She also bore two treasure-chests containing fifty thousand pieces ofeight. Gold has at all times been considered the best of testimonies ofgood faith, and Blood was determined that in all respects appearancesshould be entirely on his side. His followers had accounted thisa supererogation of pretence. But Blood's will in the matter hadprevailed. He carried further a bulky package addressed to a grandeof Spain, heavily sealed with the arms of Espinosa--another piece ofevidence hastily manufactured in the cabin of the Cinco Llagas--and hewas spending these last moments in completing his instructions to hisyoung companion.

  Don Esteban expressed his last lingering uneasiness:

  "But if you should betray yourself?" he cried.

  "It will be unfortunate for everybody. I advised your father to say aprayer for our success. I depend upon you to help me more materially."

  "I will do my best. God knows I will do my best," the boy protested.

  Blood nodded thoughtfully, and no more was said until they bumpedalongside the towering mass of the Encarnadon. Up the ladder wentDon Esteban closely followed by Captain Blood. In the waist stood theAdmiral himself to receive them, a handsome, self-sufficient man,very tall and stiff, a little older and greyer than Don Diego, whom heclosely resembled. He was supported by four officers and a friar in theblack and white habit of St. Dominic.

  Don Miguel opened his arms to his nephew, whose lingering panic hemistook for pleasurable excitement, and having enfolded him to his bosomturned to greet Don Esteban's companion.

  Peter Blood bowed gracefully, entirely at his ease, so far as might bejudged from appearances.

  "I am," he announced, making a literal translation of his name, "DonPedro Sangre, an unfortunate gentleman of Leon, lately delivered fromcaptivity by Don Esteban's most gallant father." And in a few wordshe sketched the imagined conditions of his capture by, and deliverancefrom, those accursed heretics who held the island of Barbados."Benedicamus Domino," said the friar to his tale.

  "Ex hoc nunc et usque in seculum," replied Blood, the occasional papist,with lowered eyes.

  The Admiral and his attending officers gave him a sympathetic hearingand a cordial welcome. Then came the dreaded question.

  "But where is my brother? Why has he not come, himself, to greet me?"

  It was young Espinosa who answered this:

  "My father is afflicted at denying himself that honour and pleasure. Butunfortunately, sir uncle, he is a little indisposed--oh, nothing grave;merely sufficient to make him keep his cabin. It is a little fever, theresult of a slight wound taken in the recent raid upon Barbados, whichresulted in this gentleman's happy deliverance."

  "Nay, nephew, nay," Don Miguel protested with ironic repudiation. "I canhave no knowledge of these things. I have the honour to represent uponthe seas His Catholic Majesty, who is at peace with the King of England.Already you have told me more than it is good for me to know. I willendeavour to forget it, and I will ask you, sirs," he added, glancing athis officers, "to forget it also." But he winked into the twinklingeyes of Captain Blood; then added matter that at once extinguished thattwinkle. "But since Diego cannot come to me, why, I will go across tohim."

  For a moment Don Esteban's face was a mask of pallid fear. Then Bloodwas speaking in a lowered, confidential voice that admirably blendedsuavity, impressiveness, and sly mockery.

  "If you please, Don Miguel, but that is the very thing you must notdo--the very thing Don Diego does not wish you to do. You must not seehim until his wounds are healed. That is his own wish. That is the realreason why he is not here. For the truth is that his wounds are notso grave as to have prevented his coming. It was his consideration ofhimself and the false position in which you would be placed if you haddirect word from him of what has happened. As your excellency has said,there is peace between His Catholic Majesty and the King of England, andyour brother Don Diego...." He paused a moment. "I am sure that I needsay no more. What you hear from us is no more than a mere rumour. Yourexcellency understands."

  His excellency frowned thoughtfully. "I understand... in part," said he.

  Captain Blood had a moment's uneasiness. Did the Spaniard doubt his bonafides? Yet in dress and speech he knew himself to be impeccably Spanish,and was not Don Esteban there to confirm him? He swept on to affordfurther confirmation before the Admiral could say another word.

  "And we have in the boat below two chests containing fifty thousandpieces of eight, which we are to deliver to your excellency."

  His excellency jumped; there was a sudden stir among his officers.

  "They are the ransom extracted by Don Diego from the Governor of...."

  "Not another word, in the name of Heaven!" cried the Admiral in alarm."My brother wishes me to assume charge of this money, to carry it toSpain for him? Well, that is a family matter between my brother andmyself. So, it can be done. But I must not know...." He broke off. "Hum!A glass of Malaga in my cabin, if you please," he invited them, "whilstthe chests are being hauled aboard."

  He gave his orders touching the embarkation of these chests, then ledthe way to his regally appointed cabin, his four officers and the friarfollowing by particular invitation.

  Seated at table there, with the tawny wine before them, and the servantwho had poured it withdrawn, Don Miguel laughed and stroked his pointed,grizzled beard.

  "Virgen santisima! That brother of mine has a mind that thinks ofeverything. Left to myself, I might have committed a fine indiscretionby venturing aboard his ship at such a moment. I might have seen thingswhich as Admiral of Spain it would be difficult for me to ignore."

  Both Esteban and Blood made haste to agree with him, and then Bloodraised his glass, and drank to the glory of Spain and the damnation ofthe besotted James who occupied the throne of England. The latter partof his toast was at least sincere.

  The Admiral laughed.

  "Sir, sir, you need my brother here to curb your imprudences. You shouldremember that His Catholic Majesty and the King of England are very goodfriends. That is not a toast to propose in this cabin. But since it hasbeen proposed, and by one who has such particular personal cause to hatethese English hounds, why, we will honour it--but unofficially."

  They laughed, and drank the damnation of King James--quite unofficially,but the more fervently on that account. Then Don Esteban, uneasy on thescore of his father, and remembering that the agony of Don Diego wasbeing protracted with every moment that they left him in his dreadfulposition, rose and announced that they must be returning.

  "My father," he explained, "is in haste to reach San Domingo. He desiredme to stay no longer than necessary to embrace you. If you will give usleave, then, sir uncle."

  In the circumstances "sir uncle" did not insist.

  As they returned to the ship's side, Blood's eyes anxiously scanned theline of seamen leaning over the bulwarks in idle talk with the Spaniardsin the cock-boat that waited at the ladder's foot. But their mannershowed him that there was no ground for his anxiety. The boat's crew hadbeen wisely reticent.

  The Admiral took leave of them--of Esteban affectionately, of Bloodceremoniously.

  "I regret to lose you so soon, Don Pedro. I wish that you could havemade a longer visit to the Encarnacion."

  "I am indeed unfortunate," said Captain Blood politely.

  "But I hope that we may meet again."

  "That is to flatter me beyond all that I deserve."

  They reached the boat; and she cast off from the great ship. As theywere pulling away, the Admiral waving to them from the taffrail,they heard the shrill whistle of the bo'sun piping the hands to theirstations, and before they had reached the Cinco Llagas, they beheld theEncarn
acion go about under sail. She dipped her flag to them, and fromher poop a gun fired a salute.

  Aboard the Cinco Llagas some one--it proved afterwards to beHagthorpe--had the wit to reply in the same fashion. The comedy wasended. Yet there was something else to follow as an epilogue, a thingthat added a grim ironic flavour to the whole.

  As they stepped into the waist of the Cinco Llagas, Hagthorpe advancedto receive them. Blood observed the set, almost scared expression on hisface.

  "I see that you've found it," he said quietly.

  Hagthorpe's eyes looked a question. But his mind dismissed whateverthought it held.

  "Don Diego..." he was beginning, and then stopped, and looked curiouslyat Blood.

  Noting the pause and the look, Esteban bounded forward, his face livid.

  "Have you broken faith, you curs? Has he come to harm?" he cried--andthe six Spaniards behind him grew clamorous with furious questionings.

  "We do not break faith," said Hagthorpe firmly, so firmly that hequieted them. "And in this case there was not the need. Don Diego diedin his bonds before ever you reached the Encarnacion."

  Peter Blood said nothing.

  "Died?" screamed Esteban. "You killed him, you mean. Of what did hedie?"

  Hagthorpe looked at the boy. "If I am a judge," he said, "Don Diego diedof fear."

  Don Esteban struck Hagthorpe across the face at that, and Hagthorpewould have struck back, but that Blood got between, whilst his followersseized the lad.

  "Let be," said Blood. "You provoked the boy by your insult to hisfather."

  "I was not concerned to insult," said Hagthorpe, nursing his cheek. "Itis what has happened. Come and look."

  "I have seen," said Blood. "He died before I left the Cinco Llagas. Hewas hanging dead in his bonds when I spoke to him before leaving."

  "What are you saying?" cried Esteban.

  Blood looked at him gravely. Yet for all his gravity he seemed almost tosmile, though without mirth.

  "If you had known that, eh?" he asked at last. For a moment Don Estebanstared at him wide-eyed, incredulous. "I don't believe you," he said atlast.

  "Yet you may. I am a doctor, and I know death when I see it."

  Again there came a pause, whilst conviction sank into the lad's mind.

  "If I had known that," he said at last in a thick voice, "you would behanging from the yardarm of the Encarnacion at this moment."

  "I know," said Blood. "I am considering it--the profit that a man mayfind in the ignorance of others."

  "But you'll hang there yet," the boy raved.

  Captain Blood shrugged, and turned on his heel. But he did not on thataccount disregard the words, nor did Hagthorpe, nor yet the otherswho overheard them, as they showed at a council held that night in thecabin.

  This council was met to determine what should be done with the Spanishprisoners. Considering that Curacao now lay beyond their reach, asthey were running short of water and provisions, and also that Pitt washardly yet in case to undertake the navigation of the vessel, it hadbeen decided that, going east of Hispaniola, and then sailing alongits northern coast, they should make for Tortuga, that haven of thebuccaneers, in which lawless port they had at least no danger ofrecapture to apprehend. It was now a question whether they should conveythe Spaniards thither with them, or turn them off in a boat to make thebest of their way to the coast of Hispaniola, which was but ten milesoff. This was the course urged by Blood himself.

  "There's nothing else to be done," he insisted. "In Tortuga they wouldbe flayed alive."

  "Which is less than the swine deserve," growled Wolverstone.

  "And you'll remember, Peter," put in Hagthorpe, "that boy's threat toyou this morning. If he escapes, and carries word of all this to hisuncle, the Admiral, the execution of that threat will become more thanpossible."

  It says much for Peter Blood that the argument should have left himunmoved. It is a little thing, perhaps, but in a narrative in whichthere is so much that tells against him, I cannot--since my story isin the nature of a brief for the defence--afford to slur a circumstancethat is so strongly in his favour, a circumstance revealing that thecynicism attributed to him proceeded from his reason and from a broodingover wrongs rather than from any natural instincts. "I care nothing forhis threats."

  "You should," said Wolverstone. "The wise thing'd be to hang him, alongo' all the rest."

  "It is not human to be wise," said Blood. "It is much more human toerr, though perhaps exceptional to err on the side of mercy. We'll beexceptional. Oh, faugh! I've no stomach for cold-blooded killing. Atdaybreak pack the Spaniards into a boat with a keg of water and a sackof dumplings, and let them go to the devil."

  That was his last word on the subject, and it prevailed by virtue of theauthority they had vested in him, and of which he had taken so firm agrip. At daybreak Don Esteban and his followers were put off in a boat.

  Two days later, the Cinco Llagas sailed into the rock-bound bay ofCayona, which Nature seemed to have designed for the stronghold of thosewho had appropriated it.