X -- AN UNEXPECTED MEETING
IT was almost cold and very still when Appleby looked out from his lairamong the cane. Morning had not come but the clump of trees that hadbeen a mere blur of shadow when he last awakened had grown into definiteform, and rose black and solemn against the eastern sky. This was nolonger dusky indigo, but of a softer color tinged with a faint pearlygray, while detached stalks of cane seemed to be growing intovisibility. Then he stood up with a little shiver, his torn garmentsclinging about him wet with the dew, and became vaguely conscious thathe was very uncomfortable. His limbs ached with weariness, and there wasa distressful stiffness in his hip-joint which those who have slept ondamp ground are acquainted with, while his foot throbbed painfully.
These sensations, however, vanished, and left him intent and alert, fora sound he recognized came quivering through the still, cool air. It wasevident that Harper heard it also, for he rose stiffly, and his faceshowed faintly white as he turned in the direction of the carreterawhich ran through the cane some fifty yards away.
"Troops! It's kind of fortunate we crawled in here," he said.
Appleby nodded, for he had passed the greater part of six months hidingfrom the troops of Spain, and the tramp of marching men was unpleasantlyfamiliar to him, while now, as it grew louder in a dull staccato, itseemed unusually portentous and sinister. The earth lay still andpeaceful, wrapped in shadow, while the pearly grayness changed to a paleruby gleam in the eastern sky; but that beat of human feet jarreddissonantly through nature's harmonies.
It swelled in slow crescendo, a rhythm of desecration, while the thinjingle of steel and a confused rattling that had still a measuredcadence also became audible. The two men who heard it sat very stillamong the cane, until Appleby, who was not usually a prey toapprehensive fancies, started at the clack of Harper's rifle as hesnapped down the lever and closed the breach again. The sound seemed toring about them with a horrible distinctness.
"They seem in a hurry, and that's quite fortunate for us," said Harper."Anyway, if they see us they're not going to get me while there'sanything in the magazine. I've no use for being stood up with my handstied against a wall."
Appleby said nothing, but his brown fingers stiffened on the wet Marlinrifle, and Harper smiled in a somewhat sardonic fashion when he saw theglint in his half-closed eyes. Reticence is not accounted a virtue inhis country, but the Englishman's immobility was eloquent, and hiscomrade was satisfied that if the worst came they would not start out onthe unknown trail alone. Then four by four dim figures swung out of theshadows, and the cane seemed to shiver in unison with their trampling asthey went by with a forest of sloped rifles wavering above them. Hereand there a mounted officer showed above the rest; while even when theleading fours were lost again in the shadows there seemed no end tothem, and there was still no slackening in the sonorous beat of feet. Atlast, however, laden beasts appeared with men who straggled about them,then two or three more sections with rifles trailed; and Appleby drew ina deep breath when once more the gap between the cane was empty.
"There will be no room for the Sin Verguenza now, and nobody will belikely to take us in," he said. "What is to be done, Harper?"
"Go to sleep!" said the American tranquilly. "I wouldn't worry about theSin Verguenza. Quite a few of them have picked up enough to retire on. Iwish I hadn't handed my haversack to black Domingo when I went back foryou. That's what's troubling me."
Appleby laughed, and rolled into the little hollow he had made forhimself with the careless disregard of the future which is notinfrequently the adventurer's most valuable possession. He also sleptsoundly, and the sun was high when he awakened with a start to see a manlooking down on him. He was dressed in unstarched linen, frayed but veryclean, and a big straw hat, while he held a hoe and a basket in onehand, and stood regarding Appleby with grave curiosity.
"There is much sun to-day, senor," he said.
Appleby shifted his hand from the rifle and laid it restrainingly onHarper, who staggered to his feet, for there was something that inspiredhim with confidence in the man's dark eyes.
"Are there troops on the road?" he asked.
"No," said the man. "None between here and Arucas. The senores are--"
"Friends of liberty!" and Harper grinned as he straightened himself andturned to Appleby. "Hadn't you better tell him the question is where cantwo patriots get anything to eat?"
The man glanced at their haggard faces and torn garments, which werewhite with dust and clammy with dew.
"Ave Maria!" he said softly, and taking a small loaf from the basketbroke it into two pieces. One he held out with a bottle of thin redwine, while he glanced at the other half of the loaf deprecatingly.
"One must eat to work," he said, as if in explanation. "There is alwayswork for the poor, and between the troops and the Sin Verguenza theyhave very little else here."
A flush crept into Appleby's forehead, and Harper pulled out a fewpesetas, which was all he had, but the man shook his head.
"No, senor," he said. "It is for the charity, and one cannot have theliberty for nothing. Still, there are many contributions one must make,and I cannot do more."
Appleby, who understood the significance charity has in Spain, took theprovisions and lifted his battered hat as the man turned away; but whenhe had taken a pace or two he came back again and dropped a littlebundle of maize-husk cigarettes and a strip of cardboard matches besidethem. Then, without a word, he plodded away down a little path whileHarper looked at Appleby with wonder in his eyes.
"I guess there are men like him in every nation, though they're oftenquite hard to find," he said. "More style about him than a good many ofour senators have at home. Well, we'll have breakfast now, and then geton again."
They ate the half loaf and drank the wine; but Harper looked grave whenAppleby took off his shoe. His foot seemed badly swollen, but hedesisted from an attempt to remove the torn and clotted stocking with awry smile, and put on the shoe again. Then he limped out into the roadand plodded painfully down it under the scorching sun all that morningwithout plan or purpose, though he knew that while it lay not far fromSanta Marta the Insurgents had friends and sympathizers in the aldea ofArucas, which was somewhere in front of them. They met nobody. The roadwound away before them empty as well as intolerably hot and dusty,though here and there a group of men at work in the fields stopped andstared at them; and they spent an hour making what Harper called atraverse round a white aldea they were not sure about. Then they laydown awhile in a ruined garden beside the carretera.
There was a nispero tree in the garden laden with acid yellow fruit, andAppleby ate the handful Harper brought him greedily, for he was slightlyfeverish and grimed with dust. Then they smoked the peasant's maize-huskcigarettes and watched the purple lizards crawl about the fire-blackenedruins of the house. They could hear the rasp of machetes amidst the caneand the musical clink of hoes, while now and then a hum of voicesreached them from the village; and once, with a great clatter, a mountedman in uniform went by.
Harper lay still, drowsily content to rest; but those sounds of humanactivity troubled Appleby. The men who made them had work to do, and aroof to shelter them when their toil was done, but he was driftingaimlessly as the red leaves he had watched from the foot-bridge onewinter day in England. Tony stood beside him then, and he wonderedvaguely what Tony was doing now--playing the part of gentleman steward toGodfrey Palliser with credit to himself and the good will of his uncle'stenants, riding through English meadows, meeting men who were glad towelcome him in London clubs, or basking in the soft gleam of VioletWayne's eyes. It was the latter only that Appleby envied him; and hewondered whether Tony, who had so much, knew the full value of the lovethat had been given him as the crown of all, and then brushed thethoughts away when Harper rose.
"We have got to make Arucas by to-night, or lie out starving, which is athing I have no use for," he said. "It's a long hustle."
Appleby rose, and staggered as he placed his weight upon hi
s injuredfoot, and then, while Harper laid a steadying hand on his shoulder,limped out into the carretera. It stretched away before them, white, andhot, and straight, with scarcely a flicker of shadow to relieve itsblinding glare; and Appleby half closed his eyes, while the perspirationdripped from Harper's face.
"And it's quite often I've sworn I'd turn farmer and never go to seaagain! Well, I guess there are more fools like me!"
Appleby had no observation to make, and they plodded on through a landof silence and intolerable heat. No Latin who can help it works at thathour of the afternoon, and peon and soldier alike lay where there wascoolness and shadow wrapped in restful sleep. Only the two alienscrawled on with aching heads and dazzled eyes down the dusty road whichrolled back interminably to their weary feet. The cane was no longergreen to Appleby, but steeped in yellow glare, the dust gleamedincandescent white, and the sky seemed charged with an overwhelmingradiancy.
Still, he limped on, dreaming, while each step cost him agony, of thebrown woods at Northrop and the sheen of frost on the red brier leavesin the English lanes, for all that he had seen during that last eventfulfortnight there flashed into his memory. He could recall the chill ofthe night air when he stood looking into the future from the face of thehill as he went to meet keeper Davidson; the sweep of velvet lawn, thesong of the robin on the lime bough in the bracing cold of morning, andplainer than all the face of the woman he had made a promise to underthe soft light in the conservatory. He did not know what that promisewould cost him when he made it; but the woman had read his character,and was warranted in deciding that it would be kept.
No road, however, goes on interminably, and the white aldea of Arucasrose before them when the sun was low. They plodded into it, limping andstumbling over the slippery stones, and frightening the dark-eyedchildren with their grim faces; for there was a hum of life behind thelattices now, and a cooking of the comida in the patios and in front ofthe open doors. Harper sniffed hungrily--for the pungent odors of thedark green oil and garlic hung about the flat-topped houses--and finallyhalted before an archway leading into a shadowy patio. There was alegend above it.
"'The Golden Fleece'!" he said. "Well, they'll have some wine here, andI've got five pesetas."
They went in, and when they limped into the guest chamber a man dressedin unstarched linen stared at them aghast.
"Madre de Dios!" he said.
He would apparently have backed away in consternation had not Harper,who slipped between him and the door, stood with his back to it; whileAppleby spoke two words softly in Castilian. They were withoutconnection and apparently meaningless, but they carried weight withthose who had any hand in the insurrection, and the landlord sat down,evidently irresolute.
"Would you ruin me? The Sin Verguenza are scattered, and Espada Moralesis not far away," he said.
"Still," said Appleby dryly, "they are not dead, my friend, and it isonly those who are buried that never come back again."
The innkeeper nodded, for the delicacy of the hint as well as the man'saccent were thoroughly Castilian.
"Well," he said reflectively, "here one is ruined in any case, and whatone gives to the friends of liberty Morales will not get. After all, itis but a handful of beans or an omelet, and it is golden onzas thoseothers would have from me."
"If eggs are not too dear here we can pay," said Appleby, with a laugh,and turned to see that Harper was glancing at him reproachfully.
It was evident that the innkeeper saw him, too, for a little smile cameinto his eyes. "Then it is seldom so with the Sin Verguenza," he said."Doubtless your companion is one of them."
"Silver is scarce with the Sin Verguenza," said Appleby. "Still, thereare debts they pay with lead."
The innkeeper set food before them--beans and oil, an omelet, and abottle of thin red wine from the Canaries. He also somewhat reluctantlyproduced a few cigars of a most excellent tobacco; and Harper sighedwith pure content when he dropped into a big raw-hide chair when themeal was over.
"Now I could 'most be happy if I knew when we would strike another placelike this," he said. "Still, it's quite plain to me that we can't stayhere. There are too many cazadores prowling up and down this carretera."
It was equally evident to Appleby, but, crippled as he was he could findno answer to the question how he was to drag himself any farther, and helay still, considering the chances of their being given a hidden bed ina forage loft, until there was a great clatter on the stones outside.Harper was on his feet in a moment, and sprang to the window grim inface, but once there he laughed.
"Only a carriage with a man and a woman in it," he said, "You let me dothe talking if old yellow-face wants to turn us out of here. Anyway, ifI go, what's left of the wine goes with me."
To make sure of this he slipped the bottle into his pocket, and turneddiscreetly when the landlord came in.
"By permission, gentlemen, I will show you another room," he said.
"This one will serve quite well," said Harper in Castilian.
The landlord concealed his impatience by a gesture of deprecation."Comes a rich American and a lady," he said. "These people are, itseems, fastidious, but they pay me well."
"An American," said Harper condescendingly. "Well, we are equal there inmy country, and I do not object to his company. You can show him in."
It was too late for the innkeeper to expostulate, for a man in whiteduck and a girl in a long white dress came into the room, while Applebyset his lips when he recognized the latter. He was ragged, dirty, andunkempt, while one shoe was horribly crusted, and it was very muchagainst his wishes to encounter Nettie Harding a second time in much thesame condition. Harper, however, appeared in no way disconcerted, andstepped forward, a dilapidated scarecrow, with the bottle neckprojecting suggestively from his pocket.
"Come right in, Mr. Harding," he said. "It's quite pleasant to meet acountryman in this forlorn land."
Harding smiled dryly, but his daughter turned to Appleby with a gleam ofcompassion in her eyes and held out her hand.
"We are very glad to meet you, Mr. Broughton," she said.
Appleby felt grateful for the tactful kindness which restrained any signof astonishment, but Harding laughed.
"I never go back upon anything my daughter says, but I don't know thatI'm sorry we shall not be honored with the company of any more of theSin Verguenza," he said. "We have ordered comida, and should be pleasedif you will sit down with us."
Appleby would have excused himself, but Harper broke in, "The SinVerguenza have gone, and it's not going to worry me if they never comeback again. As to the other question, I can generally find a use for adinner, and if my company's any pleasure be glad to throw it in."
Appleby would have offered an explanation, but Harper silenced him by agesture, and the landlord came in with the viands.
"Bring more plates. These gentlemen will eat with me," said Harding.
The landlord appeared astonished, and stared at Harper with bewilderedincredulity, until Nettie Harding, who was quick-witted, laughed, andthe bronze grew deeper in Appleby's cheeks. Harper, however, was by nomeans disconcerted.
"Well," he said naively, "out of compliment to your father I'll worrythrough another one. You see, it may be quite a long while before we geta meal again."
They sat down, and while Appleby said very little Harding talkedtactfully of England and America, and made no allusion to anything thatconcerned Cuba. Harper seconded him ably, for there was, as usual withhis countrymen, no diffidence in him; and Appleby wondered whether therewas any reason for Miss Harding's curious little smile. Then when thefruit was removed Harding closed the door and took out his cigar case.
"Take a smoke. Miss Harding does not mind!" he said.
Appleby made excuses, but Harper laid the cigars the landlord hadsupplied them with on the table.
"You'll try one of these," he said. "I think they're good."
Harding lighted a cigar, and then it seemed to Appleby that a changecame over his attitude, thoug
h he also fancied that Miss Harding hadexpected it.
"They are," he said. "You got them cheap?"
There was no mistaking the significance of his tone, and Applebystraightened himself a trifle. Still, he felt he could not well rebukethe man whose dinner he had just eaten.
"Isn't that a little beyond the question, sir?" he asked quietly.
"I don't quite know that it is. I'm going to talk now, and it may savetime and worry if I put it straight. What's the matter with the SinVerguenza?"
"Busted!" said Harper. "Smashed up a company of cazadores, and lit out.Nobody's going to worry over them."
"Which is why you are here?"
"You've hit it right off," said Harper.
"If you feel inclined to tell me anything more I'll listen."
Appleby, who resented the man's tone as much as he was astonished at it,was about to observe that he felt no inclination to trespass further onhis host's patience, but he fancied there was a warning in NettieHarding's eyes, and Harper did not wait for him. He at once launchedinto an ornate account of the affray, and discreetly mentioned theirpresent difficulties. Harding listened gravely, and then turned toAppleby.
"I have a Spanish sugar grower to visit, and you will excuse me, but Iwould like to see you again before you leave the hotel," he said."Anyway, it wouldn't be quite safe for you to take the road just now."
He went out with his daughter, and when they were in the patio the girllooked at him. "You have got to do something for them," she saidquietly.
"Yes," said Harding, with a little nod, "I am going to. As it happens,it will suit me."
It was an hour later when they came back, and as the light was fadingHarding bade the landlord bring a lamp before he sat down, and turned toAppleby and Harper, who were somewhat anxiously waiting him.
"You are scarcely likely to know anything about growing or crushingsugar, Mr. Broughton?" he said.
"No, sir. Nothing whatever."
"Thank you!" said Harding, and glanced with a little smile at Harper. "Iguess it's not necessary to ask you."
"No," said Harper tranquilly. "I know a little about anything there'smoney in, and what I don't I can learn. Bernardino's going to showhimself 'most as quick as me. It's only modesty that's wrong with him."
"Well," said Harding dryly, "he's an Englishman. Now, Mr. Broughton, inone sense your friend is right. Adaptability is the quality we mostappreciate; and a good many men in my country, including myself, havemade quite a pile out of businesses they knew very little about whenthey took hold of them. Well, I want a straight man, with good nervesand a cool head, to run a sugar estate for me. I don't want him to cutthe cane or oil the machinery--that will be done for him; but he willhave to hold my interests safe, and see I'm not unduly squeezed by thegentlemen who keep order here. If he robs me on his own account he willprobably hear of it. Are you willing to take hold on a six months'trial?"
"There is a difficulty.
"Your partner? That got over, you would be willing?"
"Yes," said Appleby. "I should be devoutly thankful, too."
Harding turned to Harper. "I have a kind of notion I have seen youbefore. I don't mean in Santa Marta."
"Oh yes," said Harper, grinning. "You once had a deal with me. I ran youin a load of machinery without paying duty."
"You did. I fancied you would have had reasons for preferring not toremember it."
Harper laughed. "Now, it seems to me the fact that I came out ahead ofCyrus Harding ought to be a testimonial. I was fighting for my own handthen, but I never took anything I wasn't entitled to from the man whohired me--at least, if I did I can't remember it."
"Don't try it again," said Harding, with a little grim smile. "In thiscase, I think it would be risky. Well, I guess I can find a use for youtoo, but the putting you together increases the steepness of the chancesyou are taking. Does that strike you?"
"Yes, sir," said Appleby. "Still, I am afraid you must take both orneither."
Harding laughed. "Then I'll show you the place and what your businesswill be before we argue about the salary. In the meanwhile here are fivedollars. Go out and buy hats, but no clothing yet. We'll get that later.Then walk out of the village, and wait for me out of sight along thecarretera. You needn't be bashful about taking the dollars. They will bededucted from your salary."
They went out and bought the hats, and had just time to spring clear ofthe road when two or three mounted officers trotted by. Five minuteslater the officers pulled up at the hotel, and Harding, who met them inthe patio, recognized Espada Morales in one who saluted him.
"You have had a pleasant drive?" he said. "The Senorita Harding I trustis well?"
Harding nodded, though he was not pleased to notice that the officer'sdark eyes wandered round the patio and as though in search of somebody.
"She will be gratified to hear of your inquiry," he said. "We are goingback now, and there is a kindness you could do me. I am taking two newservants to the San Cristoval sugar mill, and you may have troops orpickets who would stop us on the road."
Morales tore a slip from a little pad he took from his pocket, scribbledacross it, and handed it to Harding.
"If you are questioned show them that," he said. "When you desire anyother service I am at your command."
Harding took the paper and told his driver to get the mules out, whileten minutes after he and his daughter left the hotel he bade the manpull up beside two figures standing in the road. They got into thecarriage when he signed to them.
"If you had waited a little longer you might have met Morales face toface, Mr. Broughton, and that foot of yours would probably haveconvicted a more innocent man," he said. "As it is, I have a pass fromhim that will prevent anybody worrying you until we reach SanCristoval."
Then the driver flicked the mules, and they rolled swiftly forward intothe soft darkness that now hid the cane and dimmed the long white road.
The Dust of Conflict Page 10