by G. A. Henty
In the evening Senor Sagasta visited the lads, and had longconversations with them. He promised them that, upon the very firstopportunity which should occur, he would aid them to escape; butpointed out that, at present, there was no possibility of theirgetting away.
"Captain Drake," he said, "has left the seas and, until he comesback again, or some other of your English filibusters, I see nochance of your escape. As soon as I hear of an English ship inthese waters I will have a small boat, well fitted up with sailsand all necessaries, conveyed to a creek on the coast. To this youshall be taken down, and make your way to the point where we hearthat the vessel is accustomed to rendezvous."
This appeared to the boys to be the only possible plan, and theywarmly expressed their gratitude to their host for his thoughtfulkindness.
Another month passed; and then, one evening, Don Sagasta came tothe hut with a certain anxiety in his face.
"Is there anything the matter?" Ned, who now began to speak Spanishwith some fluency, asked.
"I am much disturbed. Since you have been here, I am sure that noone has got a sight of you; and I can rely so implicitly uponDavid, and Flora, that I am sure the secret has not leaked outthere. But from what I hear, it seems that you must have been seen,during the time that you were wrecked, and before you came here. Ihear in the town today that a rumor is current, among the people,that two white men were seen, near the sea, upon the day after thegreat storm. Someone else, too, seems to have said that he caughtsight of two white men, not far from this house, just beforedaybreak, two days afterwards. This report has, it seems, beengoing from mouth to mouth; and has at last reached the ears of thegovernor. The portions of a wreck, which were driven ashore, seemto confirm the story; and unfortunately, the board with the name ofthe ship was washed ashore, and it is known to be that of one ofthose captured by Captain Drake. Putting the two things together,it is supposed that misfortune overtook a portion of his fleet, andthat two of his men managed to save their lives, and are nowlurking somewhere about the neighborhood I hear that the governorhas ordered a strict search to be set on foot, and that a largereward is to be offered for the discovery of any signs of thefugitives."
The next day, the boys heard that the persons to whom the story hadbeen traced had been taken before the governor, and strictlyexamined, and that he was fully convinced of the truth of thestory. Three days afterwards, Don Sagasta brought them a copy of anotice which had been placed in the marketplace, offering a rewardof 1000 dollars for any news which would lead to the capture of theEnglish pirates, and announcing the severest punishment upon anywho should dare to conceal, or to assist them.
Gerald at once said that, rather than be a cause of anxiety totheir kind host and his daughter, they would give themselves up.This offer was, however, indignantly refused by Don Sagasta.
"No, no," he said; "this must not be. I might take you into thehouse, but I fear that with so many servants, some of whom are asbigoted as any of us whites, you would be sure to be discovered;and they would either reveal in confession, or disclose to theauthorities, the fact of your concealment. The only plan whichpromises to offer safety, that I can suggest, is that you shalltake to the mountains. There are many runaways there, and althoughsometimes they are hunted down and slain; yet they have caverns,and other places of concealment, where you might remain for years.I will speak to David about it, at once."
David, on being questioned, said that there was an old nativewoman, living at a hut a little way off, who had the reputation ofhaving the evil eye, and who was certainly acquainted with thedoings of the runaways. If any slave wished to send a message, toone of his friends who had taken to the hills, the old woman would,for a present, always convey, or get it conveyed, to the man forwhom it was intended. He thought that it would be absolutelynecessary that some such means should be taken of introducing theboys to the runaways; otherwise, hunted as these were, they wouldeither fly when they saw two whites approaching, or would surroundand destroy them.
Don Sagasta at once accepted the suggestion, and David wasdispatched to the old woman, with offers of a handsome present, ifshe would give a guide to the boys, to the mountains. David wasinstructed, especially, to tell her that they were English, and thenatural enemies of the Spaniards; that they had done them much harmat sea; and that, if caught by the Spaniards, they would be killed.
He returned an hour later, with news that the old Indian woman had,at once upon hearing these facts, promised to get them passed up tothe hiding places of the natives.
"You think," Don Sagasta said, "that there is no fear of hermentioning the fact that she has seen my friends, to any of thesearchers?"
"Oh, no," David said. "She is as close as wax. Over and over again,when she has been suspected of assisting in the evasion of a slave,she has been beaten and put to torture; but nothing was everextracted from her lips, and it is certain that she would die,rather than reveal a secret."
Donna Anna was much moved, when she said adieu to the lads. Sheregarded Ned as the preserver of her life; and both had, during thetwo months of daily intercourse, much endeared themselves to her.Don Sagasta brought to them a handsome pair of pistols, each, and asword; and then, giving them a basket of provisions and a pursecontaining money, which he thought might be useful even amongrunaway slaves, he and his daughter bade adieu to them, with manyexpressions of kindness and gratitude, on both sides.
"Do not hesitate," Don Sagasta said, "to let me know if I can, atany time, do or send anything for you. Should it be possible, Iwill send a message to you, by the old woman, if any expedition ona grand scale is being got up against the runaways; and this maymake your position more comfortable among them."
Under the guidance of David, they then started for the Indianwoman's hut; while Flora set to work to carry away and obliterateall signs, from the hut, of its late residents. After a fewminutes' walking, the boys arrived at the Indian hut. It wasconstructed simply, of boughs of trees thickly worked together.
On hearing their footsteps an old woman--the boys thought they hadnever seen anyone so old--with long white hair, and a face wrinkledtill it hardly seemed like the face of a human being, came to thedoor, with a torch made of resinous wood held aloft. She peeredunder her hand at the boys, and said a few words to David, which hetranslated to the boys to be:
"And these are English, the people of whom the Spaniards are asafraid as my people are of them? Two Spaniards can drive fiftyIndians before them, but I hear that a dozen of these Englishmencan take a ship with a hundred Spaniards on board. It is wonderful.They look something like our oppressors, but they are fairer, andtheir eyes are blue; and they look honest, and have not that air ofpride, and arrogance, which the Spaniard never lays aside.
"I have a boy here."
And as she spoke an Indian boy, of some thirteen years of age,slipped out from behind her.
"He will show them to the refuge places of the last of my race.There they will be well received, for I have sent by him a messageto their chiefs; and it may be that these lads, knowing the ways ofwhite warfare, will be able to assist my countrymen, and to enablethem to resist these dogs of Spaniards.
"The blessing of an old woman be upon you. I have seen manychanges. I have seen my people possessors of this island, save asmall settlement which they had, even then, the folly to allow theSpaniards to possess. I have seen them swept away by the oppressor,my husband tortured and killed, my brothers burned alive, all thatI loved slain by the Spaniards. Now, it does my old eyes good tosee two of the race who will, in the future, drive those dogs fromthese fair lands, as they have driven my people."
So saying, she returned into the hut.
The boy prepared at once to start, and the lads, wringing the handof the black who had been so kind to them, at once followed theirguide into the darkness. For some hours they walked withoutintermission, sometimes going at a sling trot, and then easing downagain. Dark as was the night, their guide trod the paths withouthesitation or pause. The boys could scarce see the gr
ound uponwhich they trod, but the eyes of the native were keener thantheirs, and to him the way seemed as clear as in broad daylight.
After traversing for some miles a flat, level country, they beganto mount; and for about two hours ascended a mountain, thicklycovered with forest. Then the guide stopped, and motioned to themthat he could now go no further, and must rest for the present.
The boys were surprised at this sudden stop, for their guide hadgone along so quickly and easily that he taxed, to the utmost,their powers of progression; while he, himself, never breathed anyharder than when walking upon the level ground. They had, however,no means of interrogating him, for he spoke no language which theyunderstood.
Without a word, the lad threw himself down at full length, anexample which they followed without hesitation.
"I wonder," Ned said, "why he stopped."
"Because he is tired, I expect," Gerald replied; "or that he doesnot know the exact spot upon which he is likely to meet the band;and that he has taken us, so far, along the one path which wascertain to lead in the right direction, but for the precise spot hemust wait, till morning."
It was not many minutes before the three lads were fast asleep, butwith the first gleam of daylight the Indian boy awoke. Touching hiscompanions, he sprang to his feet, and without hesitation turnedoff to the right, and climbed an even steeper path than any whichthey had followed in the darkness. The trees grew thinner as theyadvanced, and they were soon climbing over bare rock.
They saw now that they were near the extreme summit of one of thehills. The boy, as they passed through the trees, had gathered somedry sticks, and a handful or two of green leaves. Upon reaching thetop he placed these down upon the ground, and looked towards theeast.
The sun would not be up for another half hour, yet. The boy at oncebegan, with steady earnestness, to rub two pieces of sticktogether, according to their way of kindling a fire. It was aquarter of an hour before the sparks began to drop from the wood.These, with some very dry leaves and tiny chips of wood, the Indianboy rapidly blew into life; and then, with a very small fire of drywood, he sat patiently watching the east.
At the moment that the sun showed above the sea, he placed thelittle fire in the heart of the pile of wood which he hadcollected, threw the green leaves upon it, and blew vigorouslyuntil the whole caught fire, and a wreath of smoke ascended abovethem. For five minutes only he allowed the fire to burn, and thenat once extinguished it carefully, knocking the fire from eachindividual brand. When the last curl of white smoke had ceased toascend, he stood up and eagerly looked round the country.
It was a glorious view. On the one hand, the wood-clad hills slopedto the foot of the plain, covered with plantations, dotted here andthere with the villages of the slaves, and the white houses of theoverseers. At a distance could be faintly seen the towers of acity; while beyond, the sea stretched like a blue wall, far as theeye could see.
Inland the country was broken and mountainous; the hills being, inall cases, thickly covered with trees. From two points, in theheart of these hills, white smoke curled up, as soon as the smokeof their fire died away. These, too, in a short time also ceased torise; and the boys knew that they were signal fires, in response tothat which their guide had made. The boy hesitated, for a minute ortwo, as to the direction which he should take.
As, however, one of the fires appeared a good deal nearer than theother, this probably decided him in its favor; and he started, in astraight line, towards the spot where the smoke had curled up.Another two hours' walking, and they entered an open glade; whereten or twelve natives, and two or three negroes were gathered. Theywere greatly surprised at seeing two white men, but the presence ofthe native guide apparently vouched for these visitors; andalthough one or two of the men sprang up and, at a rapid pace,proceeded in the direction from which the newcomers had arrived,the rest simply rose to their feet and, grasping the spears, bowsand arrows, and clubs which they carried, waited silently to hearwhat the Indian boy had to tell them.
He poured forth an animated strain of words, for a few minutes, andthe faces of the Indians lit up with pleasure. The one among themwho appeared to be the chief of the party advanced at once to theboys, and made every sign of welcome. One of the negroes alsoapproached, and in broken Spanish asked them if they could speak inthat language.
The boys were able, now, to reply in the affirmative; and quicklysupplemented the account of them, which had been given by theirguide, by their own description of the manner of their comingthere. The negro, after explaining to the rest what the boys hadsaid, then assured them, in the name of the chief, that everywelcome was theirs; and that they hailed among them, as a happyincident, the arrival of two of the famous race who were the deadlyenemies of the Spaniards.
The boys, on their part, assured them that they would endeavor torepay the hospitality with which they were received by theirassistance, should the Spaniards make any attacks upon the tribeduring the time they were there; that the English, everywhere, werethe friends of those who were oppressed by the Spaniards; and thattheir countrymen were moved, with horror and indignation, at theaccounts which had reached them of the diabolical treatment towhich the Indians were exposed.
The party now pressed still further into the forest and, turning upa ravine, followed its windings for some distance; and then,passing through an exceedingly narrow gorge, reached a charminglittle valley; in which were some rough huts, showing that theresidence of at least a portion of the runaways had been reached.
Here, for some time, life passed uneventfully with the boys. Theirfirst care was to study sufficient of the language of the nativesto enable them to hold converse with them, for it was clear to themthat they might have to stop there for some considerable time.Their food consisted of roots, of wild fruit, and of yams; whichthe natives cultivated in small, scattered plots of ground. Manybirds, too, were brought in, the natives bringing them down withsmall darts. They were able to throw their light spears withextreme precision, and often pierced the larger kinds of birds, asthey sat upon the boughs of trees, with these weapons, before theycould open their wings for flight. With bows and arrows, too, theywere able to shoot with great accuracy; and the boys felt surethat, if properly led, they would be able to make a stoutresistance to the Spaniards.
They heard, several times during the first three weeks of theirsojourn there, of raids made by small parties of the Spaniards; butin none of these cases were the searchers successful in findingtraces of the fugitive slaves, nor did they come into the part ofthe wood in which was the village which served as headquarters ofthe negroes.
At the end of three weeks, the boys accompanied a party of theirfriends to other points at which the fugitives were gathered.Altogether they found that, in that part of the island, there weresome hundreds of natives, with about forty or fifty runawaynegroes. Through the latter, the boys explained to the natives thatthey ought to build strong places to which, in case of necessity,they could retreat, and where they could offer a desperateresistance to the enemy. The extreme roughness of the ground, thedeep ravines and precipices, were all favorable for defense; andalthough they could not hope to make a permanent resistance to alarge armed force, yet they might easily resist small parties, andthen make good their retreat before large reinforcements couldarrive.
The negroes expressed their approval of the plans, but the Indiansshook their heads over the proposition.
"These men have no courage," the blacks said to the boys. "Theirheart is broken. They fly at the sound of a Spaniard's voice. Whatgood do you expect from them? But if the Spaniards come, we fight.Our people are brave, and we do not fear death. If the Spaniardscome we fight with you, and die rather than be taken back asslaves."
One morning, on rising, the boys heard some exclamations amongtheir allies.
"What is it?" they asked.
The negroes pointed to films of smoke, rising from the summits oftwo hills, at a short distance from each other.
"What is that a sign of?" they asked.
"It is a sign that the Spaniards are coming. No doubt in pursuit ofa runaway; perhaps with those terrible dogs. The Spaniards could donothing among these mountains without them. They follow their gamethrough the thickest woods."
"But," said Ned, "why on earth do not the negroes take to thetrees? Surely there could be no difficulty in getting from tree totree by the branches, for a certain distance, so as to throw thehounds off the scent."
"Many do escape in that way," the negro said; "but the pursuit isoften so hot, and the dogs so close upon the trail, that there islittle time for maneuvers of this sort; beside which, many of thefugitives are half mad with fear. I know, myself, that the bayingof those horrible dogs seems to freeze the blood; and in my case, Ionly escaped by luckily striking a rivulet. Then my hopes roseagain; and after following it, for a time, I had the happy thoughtof climbing into a tree which overhung it, and then dropping downat some little distance off, and so completely throwing the dogsoff the trail."
"Why do they not shoot the dogs?" Ned asked. "I do not mean the menwhom they are scenting, but their friends."
"We might shoot them," the negro said, "if they were allowed to runfree; but here in the woods they are usually kept on the chain, sothat their masters are close to them.
"Listen," he said, "do you not hear the distant baying?"
Listening attentively, however, the boys could hear nothing. Theirears were not trained so well as that of the negro, and it was someminutes before they heard a distant, faint sound of the deep barkof a dog. A few minutes later a negro, panting for breath, bathedin perspiration, and completely exhausted, staggered into the gladewhere they were standing. The other negroes gave a slight cry ofalarm, at the proximity of so dangerous a comrade.
"Save me," the man cried. "I am pursued."
"How many men are after you?" Ned asked.
The negro started in astonishment, at seeing a white face and beingquestioned in Spanish. Seeing, however, that his comrades were ongood terms with his questioner, he answered at once:
"There are some twenty of them, with two dogs."
"Let us give them a sharp lesson," Ned said to the negroes standinground. "We have made preparations, and it is time that we began toshow our teeth. If they find that they cannot come with impunityinto our woods, they will not be so anxious to pursue single men;and will leave us alone, except they bring all the force of theisland against us."
The negroes looked doubtful as to the wisdom of taking theinitiative, so great was their fear of the Spaniards. However, thecheerfulness with which the two English boys proposed resistanceanimated them; and, with sharp whistles, they called the whole oftheir comrades to the place.
Ned briefly explained their intentions.
"There is no time to be lost. We must take our places on the upperground of that narrow valley, and tell the man to run straightthrough. We have plenty of stones piled there, and may give theSpaniards a warmer reception than they expect. We could not have abetter opportunity; for, with such small numbers as they have, theycertainly would not be able to attack us, with any hope of success,up so steep a hillside."
The valley which Ned indicated was not one of those which led inthe direction of their stronghold; but it was a very steep gorge,which they had remarked as being particularly well fitted forchecking a pursuing party; and for that end had prepared piles ofstones on the upper heights. The negroes, taking with them thesharpened poles which they used as spears, and their bows andarrows, started, under Ned and Gerald, to the indicated spot.Gerald had arranged to go with a party to one side of the gorge,Ned to the other; but they decided that it was better that theyshould keep together, the more to encourage the natives; and whilea few negroes were sent to one side of the gorge, the main body,under the two English lads, kept together on the other. Thefugitive had already gone ahead, with one of the negroes to showhim the way.
Scarcely had they taken their places, at the top of the gorge; whenthe baying of the hounds, which had been increasing every minute involume, became so loud that the Spaniards were clearly close athand. In another three or four minutes there issued from the wood aparty of some twenty men, leading two dogs by chains. The creaturesstruggled to get forward, and their eyes seemed almost starting outof their heads with their eagerness to reach the object of theirpursuit. Their speed was, however, moderated by the fact that theband, who were all on horseback, had to pick their way through thegreat boulders. The wood itself was difficult for horsemen, buthere and there were spaces, and they had been able to ride at afair pace.
On entering the mouth of the gorge, however, they were obliged tofall into an order of two abreast, and sometimes even to go inIndian file. Huge boulders strewed the bottom of the chasm; whereindeed a stream, in winter, poured through. The sides were by nomeans perpendicular, but were exceedingly precipitous.
When the Spaniards had fairly got into the gorge Ned gave thesignal, and a shower of great stones came leaping down the sides ofthe rocks upon the astonished foes. Several were struck from theirhorses; many of the horses, themselves, were knocked down; and ascene of confusion at once took place. The Spaniards, however, wereaccustomed to fighting; and the person in command, giving a feworders, led ten of his men up the rocks upon the side where theassailants were in strongest force; while the rest of the party,seizing the horses' heads, drove the frightened animals backthrough the ravine to the mouth.
The instant that the Spaniards commenced their ascent, long habitsof fear told upon some of the slaves, and these took to their heelsat once. Many others stood more firmly, but were evidentlywavering. Ned and Gerald, however, kept them at work hurling stonesdown, and more than one of the Spaniards was carried off his feetby these missiles.
Still they bravely ascended. Then Ned, taking a deliberate aim withhis pistol, brought down one of the leaders; and this greatlysurprised and checked the advance. The pistol shot was followed bythat of Gerald, and the Spaniards wavered at this unexpectedaddition to the forces of the natives. Then Ned in English shouted:
"Now, my brave Britons, show these Spaniards you can fight as well,on land, as at sea."
The words were probably not understood by any of the Spaniards, butthey knew that the language was not Spanish or Indian; and thethought that a number of English were there completely paralyzedthem. They hesitated, and then began slowly to fall back.
This was all that was needed to encourage the negroes. With ashout, these now advanced to the attack, shooting their arrows andhurling stones, and the retreat of the enemy was rapidly convertedinto a flight.
Their blood once thoroughly up, the negroes were ready foranything. Throwing aside their bows and arrows, they charged uponthe Spaniards; and in spite of the superior arms and gallantdefense of the latter, many of them were beaten down, and killed,by the heavy clubs and pointed starves of the negroes.
More, indeed, would have perished; and indeed, all might havefallen had not, at this moment, a formidable reinforcement ofstrength reached them. The men from below, having got the horsesfairly out of the gorge, left but two of their number with them,and advanced to the assistance of their friends, bringing with themthe two bloodhounds.
"Never fear the hounds," Ned shouted. "We can beat them to death,as easily as if they were pigs. Keep a bold front and attack them,and I warrant you they are no more formidable than their masters."
Had these reinforcements arrived earlier, they might have changedthe fight; but the Spaniards who survived were anxious only to beoff, and the negroes' blood was so thoroughly up that, under theleadership of the boys, they were prepared to face even theseterrible dogs.
These threw themselves into the fray, with all the ferocity oftheir savage nature. Springing at the throats of two of thenegroes, they brought them to the ground. One of the dogs wasinstantly disposed of by Gerald; who, placing his pistol to itsear, blew out its brains. Ned fell upon the other with his swordand, the negroes joining him, speedily beat it down and slew it.
The diversion, however, had en
abled the Spaniards to get upon theirhorses; and they now galloped off, at full speed, among the trees.
Chapter 7: An Attack in Force.