by Guy Boothby
CHAPTER VII.
THE MAN'S DEATH.
When, after leaving Papeete, Veneda came to consider the facts connectedwith his excursion ashore, he could not help seeing two things veryclearly. In the first place, he was quite convinced in his own mindthat, to obtain the information she wanted, Juanita had drugged thechampagne he had drunk at lunch; but in the second, though he was lothto let her treachery pass unpunished, he could not but tell himself thatit would be a most foolish proceeding on his part to allow her tosuspect that he considered it of sufficient importance to make a fussabout. To confess annoyance would be to admit that the locket containedwhat she was in search of, and this he was, naturally, most anxious notto do. One thing was very certain, the situation was becoming more andmore complicated every day; for each twenty-four hours was bringing themnearer to civilization, and once there the difficulties of his positionwould be intensified a hundred-fold. If Juanita were really in collusionwith the Albino, it was most imperative that she should be outwitted,and that within the next fortnight. But though he racked his brains dayand night for a scheme, he could not hit upon one that was in any waylikely to prove successful.
Their course now lay almost due west, and though they had land on everyside, it was far from likely that they would touch anywhere until theyreached Thursday Island, where Captain Boulger's contract ended. It wasVeneda's intention to leave the schooner at that place, and to intercepta British India mail-boat homeward bound.
If the voyage had been enjoyable before, it became doubly so now; warm,sunny days, bright blue skies, sapphire seas, and the most exquisiteisland scenery in the world kept them company continually. The Societygroup lay far behind them; the Navigators were on the starboard bow;while Hope, Keppel and Tafahi, or Boscawen peered up, surf-girt, away toport. Had it not been for the friction which suddenly occurred betweenthe captain and Veneda, it would have been like a little heaven onshipboard. But if the captain and his chief passenger could not agree,the same could not be said of the two passengers themselves, whosebehaviour towards each other grew more and more affectionate as theowner of the schooner's animosity deepened.
All past troubles and doubts seemed as much forgotten as though they hadnever existed. They arranged their future with untrammelled freedom, andeven went so far as to discuss what they should do with the money whenthey had possession of it. Juanita's suspicions were completely allayed.Though she devoted considerable thought to the matter, she was as farfrom understanding it as ever. She could only attribute the change tothe fact that her companion had at last really fallen under the spell ofher fascinations.
But on the evening of the day upon which they sighted Fortuna, or HorneIsland, as it is more usually called, an awful and unexpected eventoccurred, which was destined to bring about as complete a revolution intheir plans as even Veneda could wish.
The breeze, which had been very uncertain throughout the afternoon, atnight dropped to the faintest zephyr. The peacefulness of the eveningwas awe-inspiring; the ocean lay smooth as a sheet of glass, rising andfalling like the breast of a sleeping child. The sails hung limp andlistless, and the man at the wheel, one Schlank, a big, burly, taciturnGerman, had barely enough work upon his hands to keep him awake. Themate was in charge of the deck, the captain and passengers being belowat tea.
According to Crawshaw's account he had gone forward to give an order tothe cook, and when he returned it was to discover the German away fromthe wheel, rolling to and fro upon the deck, retching in a terriblemanner, and nearly black in the face. Not knowing what to make of it, hecalled a couple of hands aft and bade them carry the unfortunate man tohis bunk, while he himself hailed the captain through the skylight, andtook possession of the wheel.
When Boulger reached the deck he hastened forward to examine, the manhimself, but he was too late--_Schlank was dead!_
What the nature of the disease was, which had carried him off, no onecould tell, but that its effects were deadly in the extreme wasevidenced by the suddenness with which it worked its purpose; for,according to his shipmates' account, the man was in the best of healthwhen he went aft to the wheel an hour before.
This sad occurrence, as might be expected, threw a gloom over the entireship, and both Juanita and Veneda felt little touches of nervousnesswhen they allowed their minds to dwell upon it. Lest any infectionshould be caught from the body, the captain gave orders that it shouldbe committed to the deep as soon as a hammock and the necessarypreparations could be made.
Next morning, to every one's consternation, news came aft that JacobNorris, another hand, had been struck down by the same mysteriouscomplaint. The symptoms were identical with Schlank's case, and itappeared as if no remedy could be found in the ship's meagremedicine-chest to either alleviate the pain or to avert the disastrousconsequences. Within an hour of being taken ill the second man was deadand overboard!
Then an awful terror took possession of everybody, and ominousmutterings of "Cholera" and "Yellow Jack" passed from mouth to mouth.Hitherto the disease seemed to have confined itself to the forecastle,but it was not to remain there long, for in the middle of his afternoonwatch Crawshaw the mate was attacked. Veneda, who happened to be on deckat the time, saw him drop and ran to his assistance. Picking him up hecarried him forrard and laid him on the hatch, at the same time sendinga hand to rouse the captain. The poor fellow's agony was heart-rending,and in spite of all the remedies tried he too succumbed within the hour.
After this the consternation aboard the _Island Queen_ may be betterimagined than described. Every one went in fear and trembling, for noone knew who might not be the next attacked.
About nine o'clock that evening Juanita and Veneda were on deck. As onthe preceding night, a wonderful stillness reigned. In the east thestars were beginning to pale, preparatory to the rising of the moon. Thebo'sun, who had succeeded to poor Crawshaw's watch, was pacing to andfro near the binnacle, casting an eye ever and anon aloft and aroundhim, as if in anticipation of a breath of wind.
Veneda and Juanita promenaded for awhile, and then crossed to thetaffrail, against which they leant, conversing in low tones. In spite ofthe terrors of the day Veneda was in unusually good spirits. He ralliedJuanita upon her quietness, and once more broached the subject of theirfuture. Speaking softly so that the man at the wheel should not overhearthem, he said--
"Juanita, my darling, our voyage is nearly ended; are you satisfied?"
She was quick to reply, and her voice had almost a tremor in it.
"More than satisfied, Marcos, if you love me as you say."
"Are you sure, Juanita? Think before you answer. Would you be content totake me for what I am?--to risk poverty with me if that fortune shouldbe gone when we get to London?"
She hardly knew how to reply. Was this a trap? she asked herself.Slipping her hand over his with a gentle pressure, she said--
"Quite content, if you love me as I must be loved. But why do you speakas if our money should be gone?"
"Because nothing is safe. I think it is--you think it is; but if youfound out my secret, why shouldn't the Albino have boxed it out andanticipated us, eh?"
In reality he was not thinking anything of the kind; he was tellinghimself that the peculiar note in her voice when she referred to themoney was not quite what it should have been at the moment of hisdeclaration of love. In spite of her cleverness, it evidenced what layuppermost in her mind. But he was not going to betray that he hadnoticed anything.
While they talked the moon rose, and lent a wondrous beauty to thenight, sweeping the stars from the sky as if by magic, and turning thesombre water into the likeness of a silver sea. The white and idlecanvas threw strange shadows upon the decks, and with the moon's cominga light breeze stole across the surface of the deep, so that theschooner began to draw a little faster through the water. The bo'sunturned on his heel, and came aft to where the other two were standing.
"Nice evenin'," he said, by way of introduction; "the moon there makesit real pleasant on deck, don't it?
You'll excuse me, sir, but maybe youdon't happen to have a chaw of tobacco about you?"
Veneda gave him a piece, at the same time asking if there was anyfurther sign of sickness forrard. The bos'un did not think so, andcasting an eye aloft at the canvas now beginning to fill, and then atthe compass card, prepared to air his theory of the malady.
"It's my belief," he said, expectorating vigorously over the side, "thatit's no more nor less than pison,--fish-pisoning, I reckon it. Don't youtell me that cholera or Yellow Jack's a-goin' to come aboard this whileout o' port--not it! Now, I mind a case once, where a schooner's crewmutinied ten days out from Sydney, their tucker not bein' good enoughfor 'em forrard. What must they do, when they'd got rid of the old manand the mate overboard, but break open the lazarette, and set to work onall the tinned fish they could lay their hands on!"
"What was the result?" Veneda asked carelessly.
"Why, that inside of three hours every mother's son o' that blamed crewwas lyin' a-rollin' an' a-kickin' about the deck o' that schooner,turnin' black in the face, and lookin' for all the world as if they hadswallowed half-a-pint o' pison apiece. When they was picked up by aman-o'-war, there was only one on 'em left to tell the tale, and hewouldn't ha' been there but for not bein' hungry that night, havingstarted on cuddy bread, which is good an' fillin' at the price."
"And what makes you think," asked Juanita, "that the men on this shiphave been poisoned? Have they eaten such fish as you describe?"
"Well now, there you have me, ma'am; I don't know as they have, butmaybe it ain't fish this time, maybe it's somethin' else just as bad.For my part, I----"
At this moment the captain appeared on deck to relieve the bos'un, who,bidding them "good-night," went forrard. Veneda had grown suddenlysilent, and when he had ensconced Juanita in a sheltered spot (for thewind was beginning to freshen), fell to pacing the deck as if he hadsomething upon his mind. Once he stopped and spoke in a low voice to thecaptain; then he resumed his tramp, pausing now and again to leanagainst the bulwark and scan the moon-lit sea. About four bells (teno'clock), Juanita declared her intention of going below, and he assistedher down the gangway. As he bade her good-night, she was struck by thechange that had come over his face; he was deathly pale, and his eyeshad a look that was very foreign to their usual state.
"Marcos," she said anxiously, steadying herself against the cuddy table,"there's something the matter with you; for heaven's sake take medicineat once; your face frightens me. Don't delay an instant! Oh! if anythingshould happen to you now!"
He laughed, and said huskily--
"Do you think you would care, my beauty? I rather doubt it." (Here hecaught sight of his face in the glass.) "My God, but my face is badthough. I'll go and consult the skipper."
He turned towards the companion, but he was unable to reach it. Hetottered, stretched his hands out feebly for the bulkhead, missed it,and fell prone upon the cuddy floor. With a scream Juanita sprang pasthim, and dashed up on deck. The skipper was beside the binnacle.
"Oh, captain!" she cried, "come quickly; he's dying, he's dying!"
It did not take the captain long to understand to whom she referred; thewords were hardly uttered before he had passed the order for the bos'unto come aft and take charge, and was down in the cuddy, kneeling besidethe sick man. The mysterious disease had found another victim.
Veneda's face was distorted almost beyond recognition; his limbs werestrangely twisted and cramped; his breath came in great gasps; only hisskin retained its extraordinary pallor. Juanita understood the captainto say that the symptoms were the same as in each of the previous cases.
Between them they carried him to his bunk.
"Now, ma'am," said Boulger, turning to Juanita, "I'm sorry, but I'lljust have to trouble you to go to your own berth for a while. I can'thave you running any risks here. Mr. Veneda's quite safe in my hands,and I'll let you know from time to time how he gets on."
But this was not in the least to her taste. She was not prepared to letany one else pry into her private concerns.
"Oh, Captain Boulger," she began, throwing all the sweetness she couldmuster into her voice and looks, "it's inhuman to think that I canremain away from him; you cannot expect it; let me help you with him.I'll be as patient and quick as possible, and I've had some experiencein nursing--I really have."
"No, no, ma'am, I'd like to, but I can't allow it," Boulger replied, "itwouldn't be fair to ask me. What this devilish disease may be is morethan I can tell, but as it's certain there's infection in it, I can'tlet any risks be run. Now, do go; you're only hindering me, and I mustbe looking after him, poor chap; he wants all the attention I can givehim."
After this there was nothing for her but to submit, and I must do herthe justice to admit that she did it with as good grace as possible.
In the security of her cabin a vague terror seized her. What if Venedashould die, and the locket be cast into the sea with him? The thoughtalmost took her breath away. Come what might, she must have a fewmoments alone with the sick man, or, in the event of his death, with hisbody.
True to his word, at regular intervals, hour after hour, the skipperpresented himself at her door with the latest bulletins of his patient'scondition. "Just a leetle better"--"Just so so"--"Not muchchange"--"Seems a bit weaker"--"Another awful attack," was the order inwhich they ran. On hearing the last she broke down completely, and forsome reason which I am unable to explain, fell to sobbing as if herheart would break.
Suddenly a strange craving came over her, and rising from her bunk sheprocured and propped her crucifix against the tiny wash-hand basin, andkneeling on the sloping floor before it, endeavoured to frame a prayerfor the passing of the man's soul. Her long black hair hung in gloriousprofusion about her shoulders; tears streamed down her pallid cheeks;and her lips continually faltered over the words she tried to utter.When she had finished, her spirits recovered, and crawling back into herbed, she fell asleep.
It was long after daybreak before she awoke. The sun was shiningbrightly through the porthole above her bunk, and from the angle atwhich the schooner was lying, she knew a fresh breeze must be blowing.
Urged by a great anxiety to learn the latest news of Veneda's state, shedressed with all the haste she could command, and passed into the cuddy.As she entered it, the captain emerged from the berth opposite andgreeted her with a mournful face. She divined the worst.
"You're going to tell me that he is dead," she said, clutching at thetable.
"Ma'am, it's a thing which must come sooner or later to all of us. Iwon't deceive you--he is dead--passed away in the hope of a gloriousresurrection, twelve minutes afore three bells in this morning's watch.Now, don't take on about it too much, there's a good girl, for he'sbetter as he is than suffering the agonies he went through all night.You couldn't wish it, I know."
"Dead! dead!" was all she could say. It seemed impossible that it couldbe true. The news stunned her. Though she had expected and dreaded theworst, she had no idea that it would have come so soon. What should shedo now? In spite of her consternation, her own position was alwaysuppermost in her mind. It behoved her to play her cards carefully, orshe might lose everything. Assuming a look of hopeless grief, unable tofind relief in tears, she faltered--
"Take me to him."
Without another word Boulger led the way across to the cabin, and openedthe door. She prepared to enter, but he would not permit it.
"No, ma'am," he said kindly, but with determination, "as I said lastnight, you cannot go in; this ship's mine, and while there's infectionaboard, I'm not the man to run risks. But seeing he's your husband--andI'm real grieved for you--I'll stretch a point, and let you see him fromhere. But I dare not pass you in."
So saying, he went in himself, and approached the figure lying stiff andstark under a blanket in the bunk. Pulling the covering aside, heallowed Juanita a view of the drawn and pallid face beneath. A terriblechange had come over the man, and accustomed though she was to what arecalled horrible sights, she was comp
elled to avert her eyes. Seeingthis, Boulger re-drew the blanket, and came out of the cabin, securelylocking the door behind him. Then, with a fatherly air, he placed hisarm around the woman's waist and led her on deck, whistling the _DeadMarch_ softly as they went.
In the bright sunshine the horrors of the cabin were for a timedispelled from her memory. It was a glorious morning. The wind, which onthe previous night had been so weak, now blew with invigoratingfreshness. The schooner, under a press of sail, was ploughing her waythrough the green water as if conscious of her strength, turning the seaaway in two snowy furrows from either bow. Dotted about on either handwere numerous small islands; and thinking it might distract herthoughts, the skipper named them to her.
Ahead, across the curling seas, and not more than eight miles distant,rose the mountains of Vanua Lava, the largest island of the Banks Group.A few clouds rested gracefully on the topmost peaks, and so clear wasthe air that it was already just possible to make out the nativevillages ashore. Suddenly an idea leapt into Juanita's brain; abrilliant inspiration that she wondered had not occurred to her before.Turning to the captain, who stood beside her, and who was inwardlywondering at the vivacity of her expression, she said--
"Captain, there is one thing I should like you to get for me--I know youwill not deny it--a locket he wears round his neck."
"No, ma'am; I'm real sorry, but that I can't do. He asked particularlythat it should be buried with him. It's his mother's portrait, and wemustn't go against that."
Juanita could have cried with vexation. But she dared not show it. Shehad still another card to play.
"Where will you bury him? Not at sea, captain; oh, not at sea!"
"And pray why not at sea, ma'am?" the captain replied, pulling himselfup short in a rendering of "Rock of Ages,"--"many a good man has beenburied at sea."
"Of course, I know that," she sobbed; "but oh, I cannot bear to thinkof his poor body tossing about for all time under those cruel waves, theprey of every shark and fish! Oh! no, no, I beseech you, do not let itbe at sea."
Her grief was so sincere that the captain was visibly affected.
"What would you have me do then, my dear ma'am?" he asked tenderly,thinking he would go a long way towards obliging her if she alwayspleaded like that.
"Why not bury him on land?" she asked, turning her tear-laden eyestowards the island they were approaching; "surely it would not be sovery difficult?"
"Well," replied the captain, after a moment's consideration, "if you'reso set upon it, I don't know but what it can't be done; we'll see, atany rate. Now you just come along down and have a bit of breakfast.It'll cheer you up more than anything."
When they returned to the deck the island was abeam. The captainoccupied himself with a careful study of authorities, and then selectinga spot, hove the schooner to off a thickly-wooded bluff. Sounds ofcarpentering came from forrard, and Boulger, who had quite constitutedhimself Juanita's protector, took care that she should not go too nearlest she should see the work which occasioned it.
It was well into the afternoon before the arrangements for the funeral,including the digging of the grave ashore, were completed. As soon asall was ready the captain informed Juanita, who thereupon preparedherself to accompany the party.
When the long-boat was swung overboard and brought alongside, sounds ofscrambling feet came up the companion-ladder, and next moment thecaptain, carpenter, and two of the crew appeared, bearing the roughcoffin which the carpenter had managed to knock together. With somedifficulty it was lowered into the boat, and then, the captain steering,Juanita sitting beside him, and two of the hands pulling, they set outfor the shore.
Unlike most approaches to the island, the deep water extended right up;consequently the boat was able to discharge its burden on the beachwithout much difficulty. Having landed, they marched to the grave,situated beneath a grove of cocoa-nut trees, some hundred yards from theshore. The captain, whom Nature seemed to have designed for the work,delivered a short but impressive address, and then the remains of MarcosVeneda were committed to the ground.
To Juanita it was all a whirl. She could not realize that the man hadpassed out of her life--that he whom she had admired for his strength inChili was now an inanimate substance on Vanua Lava. The whole thing hadbeen so sudden that she had had no time to prepare herself for theshock. Yesterday he was triumphant in all the consciousness of living;to-day he was only a memory, a part of the mysterious, irreclaimablePast!
The funeral over they returned to the schooner, which at sundown weighedanchor, and resumed her voyage to Thursday Island. It certainly seemedas if Veneda was to be the last victim of the malady, for not anothersoul was attacked.
The following morning, after breakfast, the captain escorted Juanita tothe vacant cabin, and handed her the dead man's goods and chattels. Witha well-simulated air of grief she bore them to her own berth, in orderto examine them. They made only a small parcel, but hunt through them asshe would, no sign of either letter or locket could she find. Thecontents were simple in the extreme--a few clothes, a pocket-bookcontaining twenty pounds in English gold, a tattered Horace, a knife, aring, and a few little personal odds and ends, completed the total.Waiting her opportunity, she again approached the captain on the subjectof the locket, but he had only the same answer for her.
"What he had on him, ma'am," he solemnly declared, "I reckoned was hisown property, and left there; so the locket you speak of is under threefoot of earth now, back there in Vanua Lava; meaning no disrespect toyou, ma'am."
This was all the information Juanita could gather on the subject. Nordid she press the matter further. Fortunately her own immediate comfortwas provided for by the twenty pounds, of which she assumed undisputedpossession. Had it not been for this she would have found herself placedin a very awkward situation.
The rest of the voyage needs little chronicling; suffice it that tendays later the schooner dropped her anchor off Thursday Island, hereventful journey completed.
When Captain Boulger bade Juanita farewell, he asked if she had formedany definite plans regarding her future. She hesitated before replying,but finally said that she thought of remaining in the island until shehad communicated with her friends. He felt a touch of pity for herloneliness, and proffered any assistance within his power. She, however,declined it with thanks, and a day later the _Island Queen_ departed onher return voyage to Tahiti.
The same night, the Thursday Island telegraph operator was in the act ofclosing his office, when the following mysterious message was handedin--
"_To John Macklin, Sydney._
"Schooner arrived. Man dead. Woman remains here."
PART II.