The Web of the Golden Spider

by Frederick Orin Bartlett

  CHAPTER XII

  _Of Love and Queens_

  For a few minutes Wilson kept in the background. He saw that the youngman was in command and apparently knew what he was about, for oneorder followed another, succeeded by a quick movement of silentfigures about the decks, a jingle of bells below, and soon themetallic clank of the steam-driven windlass. Shortly after this hefelt the pulse beat of the engines below, and then saw the ship, asgently as a maid picking her way across a muddy street, move slowlyahead into the dark.

  "Now," said Danbury to Stubbs, "hold your breath. If we can only slideby the lynx-eyed quarantine officers, we'll have a straight road aheadof us for a while."

  "Maybe we'll do it; maybe we won't."

  "You damned pessimist," laughed Danbury. "Once we're out of thisharbor I'll give you a feed that will make an optimist of you."

  The black smoke, sprinkled with golden red sparks from the forceddraft, belched from the funnel tops. The ship slid by the green andred lights of other craft with never a light of her own. The threemen stood there until the last beacon was passed and the boat waspointed for the open.

  "Done!" exclaimed Danbury. "Now we'll have our lights and sail likemen. Hanged if I like that trick of muffled lights; but it would betoo long a delay to be held up here until morning."

  He spoke a moment to his mate, and then turned to Stubbs.

  "Now," he said, "come on and I'll make you glad you're living."

  "Just a moment, Cap'n--my mate Wilson."

  Danbury turned sharply. In the light which now flooded up from below,he saw Wilson's features quite clearly, but for a moment he could notbelieve his eyes.

  "What the devil----" he began, then broke in abruptly, "Are you thesame one--the fellow in the Oriental robe and bandaged head?"

  "The same," answered Wilson.

  "The one I took from the crowd and brought home?"

  "And clothed and loaned ten dollars, for which he is more thankfulthan ever."

  "But--did you get the girl?"

  "Not yet," answered Wilson. "I'm still after her."

  "Well,--but say, come on down."

  Danbury led the way into a small cabin so brilliant with thereflection of the electric lights against the spotless white woodworkthat it was almost blinding. But it was a welcome change from thedark and the cool night air and the discomfort of the last few hours.To Wilson it was almost like a feat of magic to have been shifted inan hour from the barren sands of the tiny island to such luxury asthis. It took but the first glance to perceive that this young captainhad not been limited in resources in the furnishing of his ship.Within the small compass of a stateroom he had compressed comfort andluxury. Yet there was no ostentation or vulgarity displayed. The ownerhad been guided by the one desire for decent ease and a certain regardfor the eye. The left side of the room was occupied by the two bunksmade up with the immaculate neatness characterizing all things aboarda good ship. The center of the room, was now filled with a foldingtable set with an array of silver, fine linen, and exquisite glasswhich would have done credit to the best board in New York. Beneaththe group of electric lights it fairly sparkled and glistened asthough it were ablaze. The wall to the right was adorned with a steelengraving of a thoroughbred bull pup.

  "Now," said Danbury, throwing himself into a chair, "I'd like to knowhow in thunder Stubbs got you."

  "He didn't--I got Stubbs."

  "But where----"

  "On the pier," broke in Stubbs, "where I had gone with the note toyour pal--an' may I drop dead if he don't give me the creeps. There Ifinds this gent--an' I takes 'em where I finds 'em."

  "You got the note to Valverde all right?"

  "I got the note to your long-legged friend, but--it's his eyes, man!It's his eyes! They ain't human! I seen a man like him once what wentmad from the heat an'--" he lowered his voice, "they found him at hismate's throat a-sucking of his blood!"

  "Don't!" exploded Danbury. "No more of your ghastly yarns! Val isgoing to be useful to me or--I'm darned if I could stand him. I don'tlike him after dark."

  "They shines in the dark like a cat's--them eyes does."

  "Drop it, Stubbs! Drop it! I want to forget him for a while. Thatisn't telling me how you chanced----"

  "That's just it," interrupted Wilson. "It was chance. I was lookingfor an opportunity to get to Carlina, and by inspiration was led toask Stubbs. He made the proposition that I come with him, and I came.I had no more idea of seeing you than my great-grandfather. I wasgoing back to thank you, but one thing has followed another so swiftlythat I hadn't the time."

  "I know, I know. But if you really want to thank me, you must tell meall about it some day. If things hadn't been coming so fast my own wayI should have lain awake nights guessing about you. If I could havepicked out one man I wanted on this trip with me I'd have taken achance on you. The way you stood off that crowd made a hit with me. Idon't know what sort of a deal you've made with Stubbs, but I'll makeone of my own with you after dinner. Now about the others. Noshanghaiing, was there, Stubbs? Every man knows where he's going andwhat he's hired for?"

  "They will afore they're through."

  Danbury's face darkened.

  "I'm afraid you've been overzealous. I won't have a man on boardagainst his will, if I have to sail back to port with him. But oncehe's decided for himself,--I'll be damned if he turns yellow safely."

  "Ye've gotter remember," said Stubbs, "that they're a pack er liars,every mother's son of 'em. Maybe they'll say they was shanghaied;maybe they won't. But I've got fifty papers to show they're liars'cause they've put their names to th' bottom of every paper."

  "And they were sober when they did it?"

  "I ain't been lookin' arter their morals or their personal habits,"replied Stubbs, with some disgust. "As fer their turnin' yeller--mos'men are yeller until they are afraid not ter be."

  "I don't believe it. I don't believe it,--not Americans. And that'sone thing I insisted upon,--they are all Americans?"

  "Every mother's son of 'em swore they was. Not bein' present at theirbirth----"

  "Well, we'll look 'em over to-morrow and I'll have a talk with them.I'm going to put it up to them squarely--good pay for good fighters.By the Lord, Stubbs, I can't realize yet that we're actually on theway. Think of it,--in less than a month we'll be at it!"

  The dinner would have done credit to the Waldorf.

  It was towards its end that Togo, the Japanese steward, came in with asilver-topped bottle in a pail of ice. He filled the three glasseswith the flourish of a man who has put a period to the end of asuccessful composition. Danbury arose. "Gentlemen," he said, raisinghis glass, "I have a toast to propose: to Her health and Her throne."

  The two men rose, Wilson mystified, and silently drained theirglasses. Then there was the tinkle of shivered glass as Danbury, afterthe manner of the English in drinking to their Queen, hurled thefragile crystal to the floor. Shortly after this Stubbs left the twomen to go below and look after his charges. Danbury brought out abottle of Scotch and a siphon of soda and, lighting his brierwoodpipe, settled back comfortably on the bunk with his head bolstered upwith pillows.

  "Now," he said, "I'd like to know just as much of your story as youwant to tell--just as much as you feel like telling, and notanother word. Maybe you're equally curious about me; if so, I'll tellyou something of that afterwards. There's pipes, cigars, andcigarettes--take your choice."

  Wilson felt that he was under certain obligations to tell something ofhimself, but in addition to this he really felt a desire to confide insomeone. It would be a relief. The fact remained, however, that asyet he really knew nothing of Danbury and so must move cautiously. Hetold him of the incident in his life which led to his leaving school,of his failure to find work in Boston, of his adventure in helping thegirl to escape, which led to the house. Here he confined himself tothe arrival of the owner, of his wound, and of the attack made uponhim in the house. He told of his search through the dark house, of theclosed cellar door, and of the blow in
the head.

  "Someone bundled me into a carriage, and I came to on the way to thehospital. It was the next day, after I awoke in my cot and persuadedthem to let me out, that I had the good luck to run into you. Myclothes had been left in the house and all I had was the lounging robewhich I had put on early in the evening."

  "But you had your nerve to dare venture out in that rig!"

  "I had to get back to the house. The girl didn't know where I hadgone, and, for all I knew, was at the mercy of the same madman whostruck me."

  "That's right--you had to do it. But honestly, I would rather have mettwenty more maniacs in the dark than go out upon the street in thatJap juggler costume of yours. What happened after you left me?"

  Wilson told of the empty house, of finding the note, of locating theother house, and finally of the letter and his race for the wharf.

  "And then I ran into Stubbs and landed here," he concluded.

  "What did Stubbs tell you of this expedition?"

  "Nothing--except that we are running to Carlina."

  "Yes," sighed Danbury, dreamily, "to Carlina. Well, things certainly_have_ been coming fast for you these last few days. And I'll tell youright now that when we reach Carlina if you need me or any of thiscrew to help you get the girl, you can count on us. We've got a prettygood job of our own cut out, but perhaps the two will work together."

  He relighted his pipe, adjusted thyhe pillows more comfortably, andwith hands clasped behind his head began his own story.

  "To go back a little," he said, "father made a pot of money incoffee--owned two or three big plantations down around Rio; but he hadno sooner got a comfortable pile together than he died. That's wayback just about as far as I can remember. As a kid I wasn't verystrong, and so cut out school mostly--got together a few scraps oflearning under a tutor, but never went to college. Instead of that,the mater let me knock around. She's the best ever that way, is themater--tends to her Bridge, gives me an open account, and, so long asshe hears once a month, is happy.

  "Last year I took a little trip down to Dad's plantations, and fromthere rounded the Horn on a sailing vessel and landed way up the westcoast in Carlina. It was just chance that led me to get off there andpush in to Bogova. I'd heard of gold mines in there and thought I'dhave a look at them. But before I came to the gold mines I foundsomething else."

  He paused a moment. Then, without a word, rose slowly and, fumblingabout a moment in a cedar chest near his bunk, drew out a photograph.

  "That's she," he said laconically.

  Wilson saw the features of a girl of twenty, a good profile of rathera Southern cast, and a certain poise of the head which marked her asone with generations of equally good features back of her.

  If not decidedly beautiful, she was most attractive, giving animpression of an independent nature enlivened with humor. It seemed toWilson that she might furnish a very good balance to Danbury.

  "You lose the best part of her," said Danbury, reseating himself onthe bunk. "You can't see the eyes and----"

  Danbury roused himself and sat on the edge of the bunk leaning farforward, elbows on knees, gazing steadily at Wilson.

  "Say, those eyes do keep a fellow up, don't they? I had only to seethem once to know that I'd fight for them as long as I lived. Queerwhat a girl's eyes--_the_ girl's eyes--will do. I'll never forget thatfirst time. She was sitting in one of those palm-filled cafes wherethe sun sprinkles in across the floor. She was dressed in black, not afuneral black, but one of those fluffy things that make crepe looklike royal purple. She had a rose, a long-stemmed rose, in herbodice, and one of those Spanish lace things over her hair. I can seeher now,--almost reach out and touch her. I went in and took a tablenot far away and ordered a drink. Then I watched her out of the cornerof my eye. She was with an older woman, and, say--she didn't see a manin that whole room. As far as they were concerned they might have beenso many flies buzzing round among the palms. Then a couple ofgovernment officers lounged in and caught sight of her. They all knowher down there 'cause she is of the blood royal. Her grandmother'ssister was the last queen and was murdered in cold blood. Yes, sir,and there weren't men enough there to get up and shoot the bunch whodid it. Pretty soon these fellows began to get fresh. She didn't mindthem, but after standing it as long as she decently could, she roseand prepared to go out.

  "Go out, with an American in the place? Not much! There was a row, andat the end of it they carried the two officers off on a stretcher.Then they pinched me and it cost me $500 to get out.

  "But it gave me the chance to meet her later on and learn all abouthow she had been cheated out of her throne. You see the trouble wasthat republics had been started all around Carlina,--they grow downthere like mushrooms,--so that soon some of these chumps thought theymust go and do the same thing, although everything was going finelyand they were twice as prosperous under their queen as the otherfellows were under their grafting presidents. Then one of thewild-eyed ones stabbed Queen Marguerite, her grandaunt, you know, andthe game was on. Isn't it enough to make your blood boil? As a matterof fact, the whole blamed shooting-match wouldn't make a state thesize of Rhode Island, so it isn't worth much trouble except for thehonor of the thing. There is a bunch of men down there who have keptthe old traditions alive by going out into the streets and shooting upthe city hall every now and then, but they've mostly got shotthemselves for their pains,--which hasn't done the princess any good.I studied the situation, and the more I thought of her getting done inthis way, the madder I got. So I made up my mind she should have herold throne back. She said she didn't want it, but that was onlybecause she didn't want me to get mixed up in it. At first it did looklike a kind of dubious enterprise, but I prowled around and then Idiscovered a trump card. Up in the hills there is a bunch of wildIndians who have always balked at a republic, mostly because therepublic tried to clean them out just to keep the army in practice.

  "But the Chief, the Grand Mogul and priest of them all, is this sameman Stubbs doesn't like--the same who, for some devilish reason of hisown chose this particular time to sail for South America. But he isn'ta bad lot, this Valverde, though he _is_ a queer one. He speaksEnglish like a native and has ways that at times make me think he ishalf American. But he isn't--he is a heathen clear to his backbone,with a heathen heart and a heathen temper. When he takes a dislike toa man he's going to make it hot for him some day or other. It seemsthat he is particularly sore against the government now because of acertain expedition sent up there a little over a year ago, and becauseof the loss of a heathen idol which----"

  "What?" broke in Wilson, half rising from his chair. "Is this----"

  "The priest, they all call him. Mention the priest down there and theyknew whom you mean."

  "Go on," said Wilson, breathing a bit more rapidly.

  "Do you know him? Maybe you caught a glimpse of him that day you wereat the house. He was there."

  "No, I don't know him," answered Wilson, "but--but I have heard ofhim. It seems that he is everywhere."

  "He is a queer one. He can get from one place to another more quicklyand with less noise than anyone I ever met. He's a bit uncanny thatway as well as other ways. However, as I said, he's been square withme and it didn't take us long to get together on a proposition forcombining our interests; I to furnish guns, ammunition, and as manymen as possible, he to fix up a deal with the old party, do thescheming, and furnish a few hundred Indians. I've had the boat allready for a long while, and Stubbs, one of Dad's old skippers, out formen. Yesterday he jumped at me from Carlina, where I thought he was,10,000 miles away by sea, and gave the word. Now he is off again onthe Columba and is to meet me in Choco Bay."

  Danbury relighted his pipe and added between puffs over the match:

  "Now you know the whole story and where we're going. Are you withus?"

  "Yes," answered Wilson, "I am with you."

  But his head was whirling. Who was this man who struck at him in thedark, and with whom he was now joined in an expedition againstCarlina? On
e thing was sure; that if the priest was on the boat withSorez it boded ill for the latter. It was possible the girl mightnever reach Carlina.

  "Now for terms. I'll give you twenty a week and your keep to fightthis out with me. Is it a bargain?"

  "Yes," answered Wilson.

  "Shake on it."

  Wilson shook. Danbury rang for the steward.

  "Togo--a bottle. We must drink to her health."