CHAPTER XLV
OF THE COMING OF ADAM PENFEATHER
In the shadow of the cliff below our hiding-place crept divers of thesepirate rogues, and, crouching there cheek by jowl fell to a hoarsemutter of talk yet all too low for us to catch; but presently therebrake out a voice high-pitched, the which I knew for that of SmilingSam.
"We'm done, lads, I tell ye. O love my lights--we'm done! 'Tis theend o' we since Penfeather hath took the ship--and here's us shall liemarooned to perish o' plagues, or Indian-savages, or hunger unless,lads, unless--"
"Unless what, Smiler?" questioned one, eagerly.
"Unless we'm up and doing. Penfeather do lack for men--Mings says hecounted but ten at most when they boarded him! Well, mates--what d'yesay?"
"Ha, d'ye mean fight, Smiler? Fall on 'em by surprise and recapturethe ship--ha?"
"O bless my guts--no! Penfeather aren't to be caught so--not him!He'll ha' warped out from the anchorage by this! But he be shorthandedto work the vessel overseas, 'tis a-seekin' o' likely lads and primesailor-men is Penfeather, and we sits on these yere sands. Well,mates, on these yere sands we be but what's took up us on these yeresands? The boats lie yonder! Well?"
"Where be you heading of now, Smiler? Where's the wind? Talk plain!"
"Why look'ee all, if Penfeather wants men, as wants 'em he doth, what'sto stay or let us from rowing out to Penfeather soft and quiet and'listing ourselves along of Penfeather, and watch our chance t' heavePenfeather overboard and go a-roving on our own account? Well?"
At this was sudden silence and thereafter a fierce mutter of whisperinglost all at once in the clatter of arms and breathless scuffling asthey scrambled to their feet; for there, within a yard of them, stoodTressady, hand grasping the dagger in his belt, his glittering hooktapping softly at his great chin as he stared from one to other of them.
"Ha, my pretty lambs!" says he, coming a pace nearer. "Will ye skulkthen, will ye skulk with your fools' heads together? What now, mutinyis it, mutiny? And what's come o' my prisoner Martin, I don't spy himhereabouts?"
Now at this they shuffled, staring about and upon each other and (as Ithink) missed me for the first time.
"You, Tom Purdy, step forward--so! Now where's the prisoner as I seti' your charge, where, my merry bird, where?"
The fellow shrank away, muttering some sullen rejoinder that ended in achoking scream as Tressady sprang. Then I (knowing what was toward)clasped my lady to me, covering her ears that she might not hear thoseghastly bubbling groans, yet felt her sweet body shaking with thehorror that shook me.
"So--there's an end--o' Tom Purdy, my bullies!" gasped Tressady,stooping to clean his hook in the sand. "And I did it--look'ee,because he failed me once, d'ye see! Who'll be next? Who's formutiny--you, Sammy, you--ha?"
"No--no, Cap'n!" piped Smiling Sam, "Us do be but contriving o' waysand means seeing' as Penfeather do ha' took our ship, curse him!"
"And what though he has? 'Tis we have the island and 'tis on thisisland lieth Black Bartlemy's Treasure, and 'tis the treasure we'reafter! As to ways and means, here we be thirty and eight toPenfeather's fourteen, and in a little 'twill be dark and the gunsshan't serve 'em and then--aha, look yonder! The fools be coming intoour very clutches! To cover, lads, and look to your primings and waitmy word."
Now glancing whither he pointed, I saw, above the adjacent headland,the tapering spars of a ship. Slowly she hove into view, boltsprit,forecastle, waist and poop, until she was plain to view, and I knew herfor that same black ship that fouled us in Deptford Pool. She wasstanding in for the island under her lower courses only, although thewind was very light, but on she came, and very slowly, until she was sonear that I might see the very muzzles of her guns. Suddenly with acheery yo-ho-ing her yards were braced round, her anchor was let go andshe brought to opposite Skeleton Cove and within fair pistol-shot.
Now glancing below I saw Tressady stand alone and with Abnegation Mingshuddled at his feet, but in the gloom of the cave and to right andleft, in every patch of shadow and behind every bush and rock, was theglimmer of pistol or musket-barrel, and all levelled in the onedirection.
Presently up to the lofty poop of the ship clambered a short, squat manin marvellous wide breeches and a great cutlass on hip, who clappingspeaking-trumpet to mouth, roared amain:
"Ahoy the shore! We be shorthanded. Now what rogues o' ye will turnhonest mariners and 'list aboard us for England? Who's for a freepardon and Old England?"
Hereupon, from bush and shadow and rock, I heard a whisper, a murmur,and the word "England" oft repeated.
Tressady heard it also, and stepping forward he drew a long furrow inthe sand with the toe of his shoe.
"Look'ee my hearty boys," says he, pointing to this furrow with hishook, "the first man as setteth foot athwart this line I send tohell-fire along o' Tom Purdy yonder!"
"Ahoy the shore!" roared Godby louder than ever, "who's for an honestlife, a free pardon and a share in Black Bartlemy's Treasure--or shallit be a broadside? Here be every gun full charged wi'musket-balls--and 'tis point-blank range! Which shall it be?"
Once again rose a murmur that swelled to an angry muttering, and I sawSmiling Sam come creeping from the shadow of the cave.
"O Cap'n," he piped, "'Tis plaguy desperate business, here's some on uslike to be bloody corpses--but I'm wi' you, Cap'n Roger, whether or no,'tis me to your back!"
"To my back, Sammy? Why so you shall, lad, so you shall, but I'll ha'your pistols first, Smiler--so!" And whipping the weapons from thegreat fellow's belt, Tressady gave them to Abnegation Mings where helay in the shelter of a rock, and sitting down, crossed long legs andcocked an eye at the heavens.
"Hearties all," quoth he, "the moon sinketh apace and 'twill be illshooting for 'em in the dark, so with dark 'tis us for theboats--muffled oars--we clap 'em aboard by the forechains larboard andstarboard, and the ship is ours, bullies--ours!"
"Well and good, Cap'n!" piped Smiling Sam. "But how if she slip hercable and stand from us--"
"And how shall she, my fool lad, and the wind dropped? The wind'sfailed 'em and they lie helpless--"
"And that's gospel true, Cap'n. Aye, aye, we'm wi' you! Gi'e us theword, Cap'n!" quoth divers voices in fierce answer.
"O sink me!" groaned Mings, "here lies poor Abnegation shattered alowand aloft--O burn me, here's luck! But you'll take me along, Roger?If Death boards me to-night I'd rayther go in honest fight than lyinghere like a sick dog--so you'll have me along, Roger?"
"Aye that will I, lad, that will I and--"
"Ahoy the shore!" roared Godby's great voice again, "Let themrogue-dogs as'll turn honest mariners, them as is for England and afree pardon, stand by to come aboard and lively! In ten minutes weopen fire wi' every gun as bears!"
Now here there brake forth a clamour of oaths, cries and dismayedquestioning:
"Lord love us, what now, Cap'n? Is us to be murdered, look'ee? Doomedmen we be, lads! Shall us wait to be shot, mates? What shall us do,Cap'n, what shall us do?"
"Lie low!" quoth Tressady, rising, "Bide still all and let no man stirtill I give word. In half an hour or less 'twill be black dark--verywell, for half an hour I'll hold 'em in parley, I'll speak 'em smoothand mighty friendly, here shall be no shooting. I'll hold 'em till themoon be down--and Smiler shall come wi' me--come, Sammy lad--come!"
So saying he turned and I watched him stride out upon that spit of sandhard by Bartlemy's tree and this great fat fellow trotting at hisheels. Upon the edge of the tide Tressady paused and hailed loud andcheerily:
"Penfeather ahoy! O Adam Penfeather here come I Roger Tressady forword wi' you. Look'ee Adam, we've fought and run foul of each otherthis many a year--aye, half round the world and all for sake o' BlackBartlemy's Treasure as is mine by rights, Adam, mine by rights. Wellnow to-night let's, you and me, make an end once and for all one way ort'other. There's you wi' my ship--true, Adam, true! But here's me wi'the island and the treasure, Adam, and the treasu
re. And what then?Why then, says I, let's you and me, either come to some composition orfight it out man to man, Adam, man to man. So come ashore, CaptainPenfeather--you as do be blacker pirate than ever was Bartlemy--comeout yonder on the reef alone wi' me and end it one way or t'other. Comeashore, Adam, come ashore if ye dare adventure!"
"Ahoy you, Tressady!" roared Godby in reply, "Cap'n Adam is ashore wi'ye this moment--look astarn o' you, ye rogue!"
Round sprang Tressady as out from the dense shadow of Bartlemy's treestepped Adam Penfeather himself. He stood there in the moonlight verystill and viewing Tressady with head grimly out-thrust, his armscrossed upon his breast, a pistol in the fist and deadly menace inevery line of his small, spare figure.
"I'm here, Tressady!" says he, his voice ringing loud and clear. "And Iam come to make an end o' you this night. It hath been longa-doing--but I have ye at last, Roger."
"Be ye sure, Adam, so sure?"
"As death, Tressady, for I have ye secure at last."
"Bleed me but you're out there, Adam, you're out there! The boot's ont'other leg, for hereabouts do lie thirty and eight o' my lads watchingof ye this moment and wi' finger on trigger."
"I know it!" says Adam nodding. "But there's never a one dare shootme, for the first shot fired ashore shall bring a whole broadside inanswer, d'ye see. But as for you, Tressady, pray if you can, for thishour you hang."
"Hang is it, Adam?" says Tressady, and with swift glance towards thesinking moon, "And who's to do it--who?"
"There be thirty and eight shall swing ye aloft so soon as I give 'emthe word, Tressady."
"You do talk rank folly, Adam, folly, and ye know it!" says he smilingand stealing furtive hand to the dagger in his girdle. "But and Ishould die this night I take you along wi' me and you can lay to--"But he got no further, for Smiling Sam (and marvellous nimble) whippedup a stone, and leaping on him from behind smote him two murderousblows and, staggering helplessly, Tressady pitched forward upon hisface and lay upon the verge of the incoming tide.
Beholding his handiwork, Smiling Sam uttered a thin, high-shrillinglaugh, and spitting upon that still form kicked it viciously.
"Oho, Cap'n Penfeather," cries he, "'tis the Smiler hath saved ye thelabour, look'ee! 'Tis Sam hath finished Tressady at last and be damnedt' him! And now 'tis the Smiler as do be first to 'list wi' ye!" andhe began to shamble across the sands; but passing that rock wherecrouched Abnegation Mings he tripped and fell, and I saw the flash ofAbnegation's knife as they rolled and twisted in the shadow of thisrock, whiles, from this shadow, rose a shrill crying like the wail of ahurt child, and into the moonlight came a great, fat hand that clutchedand tore at the sand then grew suddenly still, and with crooked fingersplunged deep into the sand like a white claw. Then, tossing aside hisbloody knife, Abnegation Mings struggled to his feet and camestaggering to kneel above his comrade Tressady and to turn up thepallid face of him to the moon.
And now Adam thrust away his pistols and with hands clasped behind him,turned to face the gloomy shadows of Skeleton Cove:
"Come out, sons o' dogs!" says he. "Step forward and showyourselves--and lively it is!" Ensued a moment's breathless pause,then, from bush and shadow and rocks, they stole forth these thirty andeight and, at Adam's harsh command, lined up before him shoulder andshoulder. "Well," says Adam, pacing slowly along their rank to peerinto every sullen, hang-dog face. "Am I captain here? Aye or no?"
"Aye--aye!" they cried in eager chorus.
"And us was promised a free pardon, Cap'n!" quoth one.
"And a share of the treasure, Cap'n!" says another.
"And England, Cap'n!" cried a third. "There's some on us as do behonest sailor-men and forced to turn pirate in spite o' we--"
"Avast!" says Adam. "What I promise I stand by. But mark this! Letany man fail of his duty to me but once and I shoot that man or hanghim out o' hand--is't understood?"
"Aye, aye, Cap'n--'tis agreed! We'll serve ye faithful and true," theycried.
"Why then, bring ropes!" says Adam, and with his new 'listed men at hisheels, goes whither lay Tressady and with Abnegation Mings yet crouchedabove him.
What now was doing I might not see by reason of the crowd, but I heardthe voice of Mings upraised in fierce invective, and the throngpresently parting, beheld him trussed hand and foot and dragged alongwith Tressady towards Bartlemy's tree. There a noose was set about theneck of each, and the rope's ends cast over a branch. But as at Adam'scommand these miserable wretches were hauled aloft to their deaths, mylady uttered a cry of horror and grasped my arm in desperate hands.
"Martin!" she panted, "O Martin, 'tis horrible! Save them, this mustnot--shall not be--"
"'Tis but justice," says I, "these men are pirates and murderers--"
"This is no justice!" cries she breathlessly, her face all pale anddrawn, "And these men are sore hurt beside--Ah God--look! Stop them,Martin--O stop them! Nay then I will!" And here, or ever I could letor stay her, she begins to clamber down into the cove. Howbeit, quickand sure-footed though she was, I was presently before her and so camerunning, knife in hand. Nor was I any too soon, for as I reached thetree Tressady and Mings were dragged, choking, from their feet; butwith a couple of strokes my keen knife had cut those deadly ropesasunder, and as the two fell gasping on the sand I turned to stare intothe scowling eyes of Adam Penfeather.
Now as I stood thus someone spoke 'twixt sigh and groan:"Bartlemy--'tis Bartlemy!" and the word was taken up by others,"Bartlemy--Black Bartlemy!" and all men fell back from me whiles Adamscowled at me above levelled pistol.
"Hold off--Adam!" I panted. "Let be, Adam Penfeather--let be!"
"What?" says he, peering, "And is it--Martin? Lord love me, now whatfool's ploy is this?"
"What you will," quoth I, "only here has been enough of death for onenight--"
"'Tis but you do think so, Martin, and you was ever a fool! I cameashore to see these two rogues hang, and hang they shall!"
"Now look you, Adam Penfeather," says I, scowling in turn, "you havecozened and tricked me since first you crossed my path, well, let thatgo! But mark this--according to your letter three-quarters of thistreasure is mine. Very well--take it back--I'll buy these rogues'lives of you--"
"Lord love me!" says he, staring in blank amaze, "What new fool crazeis this? Will ye save this bloody murderer Tressady that drugged yeaboard ship, the man that was our bane and plague all along? The roguehath been my deadliest enemy seeking my destruction these fifteenyears, and you would save him alive! It seemeth my pistol-butt must ha'harmed what little brain you have and you be run stark, staring mad,Martin!"
"Howbeit," says I, mighty determined, "you don't hang these men whilesI live!"
"Why, there's no difficulty either, Martin, for what's to stay me fromhanging you along with 'em, or shooting you for the fool you are?"
"I!" cried a voice, and there betwixt us was my lady, she all statelydignity despite her hurried breathing, at sight of whom these lawlessfellows gave back one and all, even Adam himself retreated a step,staring upon her round-eyed. Then, very slowly he thrust pistols intobelt and uncovering his head bowed full low, and I fancied his thinlips twitched as he did so.
"So be it, my lady," says he, "I call on your ladyship to witness thatI sell two bundles of very unseemly merchandise," and he pointedtowards the two helpless forms at his feet. "And now, with your fairleave, madam, I'll see these fellows safe aboard and warn my LordDering and gentlemen of your welfare and presence here."
"Wait!" says I as he turned to go. "First I would have these mypurchases set aboard a boat, with such stores needful, and cast adrift."
"Why, this was not in the bargain, Martin!" says he, shaking his head,"But it shall be done for sake of our one-time comradeship." And awayhe goes and his fellows with him. True to his word he orders thepinnace launched and sends divers men to bear these two rogues aboard.Hereupon I cut away their bonds, doing the which I found Tressady stillunconscious, but Mings for all his
wounds seemed lively enough.
"Master," says he, staring hard at me, "Your name's Martin, as I think?"
"And what then?" says I, mighty short.
"'Tis a name I shall mind as long as I do my own, and that isMings--Abnegation Mings."
"Aye," says I. "You told me this when you sang of dead men in a woodat midnight--"
"Ha, 'twas you, was it, master! Well, here lieth poor Roger dead ordying and me little better, and 'tis far to the Main and an illjourney, but should we come there and live, there be two men shallwonder at ye, master, nor ever forget the name o' the man as saved ournecks. Howsoever, come life or death, here's Abnegation doth wish ye afair wind ever and always, master."
So they bore him, together with Tressady, to the pinnace, and settingthem aboard, shoved them adrift, and I watched Abnegation ply feebleoars until the boat was through the passage in the reef and out in theopen sea beyond.
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