CHAPTER VIII.
A DEEP-LAID PLOT.
The news of the escape, or rescue--call it what you will--of the threedesperadoes soon became known.
Emily and Mrs. Harvey were much alarmed.
The dogged obstinacy with which attempt after attempt was made by thevillains made them imagine they were unsafe in such a lonely place.
Accordingly, a grand consultation was held, the result of which wasthat the Prince of Limbi was sent into the town to take rooms for thewhole party at one of the two hotels the place could boast of.
And the next day they all quitted the villa.
The hotel in which our friends had secured apartments was a largestraggling building, right at the extremity of the ill-built streetwhich formed the chief part of the town.
Mr. Mole had been very particular when they went there in his inquiriesabout the brigands.
Would the party be quite safe from molestation?
The urbane proprietor, with many low bows, assured his excellency theEnglishman that there was not the slightest possibility of their beingmolested.
The other male members of the party really troubled themselves verylittle about the brigands.
By ten o'clock, the day after the masquerade, hardly a person wasstirring in the town.
A casual observer would have said there was literally no one to beseen. But hush!
Soft, cautious footsteps may be heard, and anyone whose eyes areaccustomed to the gloom might have seen three figures creeping quietlydown the street on the side opposite the hotel.Right over against that building they paused.
"That is the place" said one of the three, a giant almost in size.
"Curse them! they always manage to get comfortable quarters, while I aman outcast," said another, who spoke like an Englishman.
"Death, gentlemen! what better quarters can you desire than my cave, inwhich you have spent several pleasant evenings?"
"Bah! Captain Mathias, you have never tasted the sweets ofcivilisation."
"And, Signor Hunstani, how much the better are you through havingtasted those sweets?"
"Peace, peace!" growled the giant. "Let us unite in thought and action,and to-night obtain our long-sought revenge."
"Well, Toro, I am sure I don't want to quarrel with anyone, exceptHarkaway."
"Curse him! and especially that American."
"Hush! let your curses be not loud but deep; you'll awake the town ifyou swear so."
"Have I not good cause to? Has he not beaten and put me to shame?"
"And have I not suffered equal pain and shame? Yet I am content to bidemy time; you should have patience, Toro."
"Come, come to business, my friends," said Captain Mathias; "there isthe house where our foe resides. How are we to proceed?"
"Quietly; hush!" said Hunston. "Confound it, how still the air is; thewhole street seems to echo back the lightest whisper."
"Let me get once inside, and I care not if all the street hears,"muttered Toro.
"Which proves you care not if you are unsuccessful," said the Greek.
"How so?"
"If we are heard, we shall have the whole street in arms against us,and I fancy these Inglesi, with their boys and the blacks, are quitesufficient for the three of us."
"Bah!" exclaimed Toro.
"Seriously, though, let us consider how to get into this place," saidHunston.
"There's the door facing us."
"But have you the key?"
"No, but I could send my foot through that plank as easily asanything," growled Toro.
"Certainly, and you would undoubtedly alarm the whole household bydoing so, whereas we wish to catch them sleeping."
"Well, then, how about the windows?"
"Too high to reach," said Hunston, "unless we had a ladder."
"And I doubt if such a thing can be found in the town," interposedCaptain Mathias.
"Well, then, let us see what there is at the back of the house.Captain, you have eyes like a cat or an owl; just glance up and downthe street to see if there is anyone about."
The Greek looked in all directions.
"Not even a mouse is stirring," said he.
So the three villains, drawing their cloaks closely round them, stolesilently away from the shelter of the friendly doorway, where theforegoing conversation had taken place, and proceeded round to the backof the hotel.
To reach the point desired, they had, of course, to cross the road,which was tolerably wide, and then skirt a kind of paddock.
There were few stars to be seen, and the moon--a new one, and perhapsnot yet fully acquainted with her business--was partly hidden behindsome clouds, though not so entirely obscured but that the forms of thethree brigands cast deep shadows on the ground.
But surely that is not a shadow, which as they move, moves also from anadjoining doorway, and follows them.
Like them, it is wrapped in a cloak; like them, it stalks along slowlyand erect, but unlike them, it makes no noise.
Its footfall is silent as that of the panther lurking in the jungle.
Its very breath, if it has any, seems hushed.
The three villains go slowly, and the shadow, or substance, whatever itmay be, keeps the same pace, till they reach the open field at the backof the hotel.
Hunston, Toro, and the Greek then stand side by side looking towardsthe hotel, but the shadow sinks down out of sight by the side of thefence.
Another hasty look round, and then the Greek brigand pronounced thatthey were safe.
"No fear of being interrupted here."
"Well now let us settle," said Toro; "I am anxious to be at them."
"But see," said Hunston, "there are lights moving; it is not safe yet."
"Not till half-an-hour after midnight."
"And now----"
"It is half-past ten o'clock."
"Two hours," groaned Toro.
"Better wait four than fail," said Hunston.
"Cold-blooded Englishman, what know you of the furious rate at which myblood boils in my veins? In that house is the man who struck me to theearth."
"Wait two hours, then you may have a good chance of paying off thescore."
"And I will, too, with greater interest than even usurer charged hishapless client. I wonder which room the cursed Americano sleeps in."
"The third room on the right-hand side of the first corridor, where youascend the great staircase."
Captain Mathias said this as promptly and positively as though hehimself had shown our friends to bed.
After a pause he continued--
"Mr. and Mrs. Harkaway have the first room; Mr. and Mrs. Harvey thesecond; the third is a double-bedded apartment, one couch beingoccupied by the American, the other by the two boys."
"You seem to have pretty exact information, captain," said Hunston.
"Yes, there is little going on there that does not come to my ears. Oneof the porters is a spy in my employ."
"Why did you not get a key from him?"
"I have one; it opens the back door."
Toro had, during the last bit of conversation, been growling to himselfa choice vocabulary of Italian oaths, occasionally shaking his fist atthe building which contained the objects of his hatred.
He now turned to his companions.
"And where do you propose to pass the two hours that must elapse?"
"At the bottom of yonder field is a thicket, where we shall be freefrom observation. We can smoke our pipes there. By-the-bye, the patrolgoes round about midnight."
"We must be cautious," said Hunston.
"Come along, then."
The three villains then walked off in the direction of the thicketwhere they were to hide.
A minute afterwards a shadow rose from the ditch where he had beencrouching, and stood looking after them long after they had been lostin the gloom.
"Just in time," muttered the so-called shadow, who was in good truth assubstantial flesh and blood as any in Greece.
"If I h
ad not wandered hither in search of my daughter, probablyhalf-a-dozen murders would have been committed. However, I'll thwart therascals, as sure as my name is Petrus."
For Petrus it was, from Magic Island, who had been playing spy on themovements of the three conspirators.
He stood there in deep thought for a few minutes.
"I must warn some of the people in the hotel, but I should like to getthis business over without alarming Mrs. Harkaway or the other lady.The question is, how?"
He reached the front door of the hotel, and pulled at the bell handle.
After an interval of two or three minutes, a light shone through thekeyhole, and a voice asked--
"Who is there?"
"A traveller, in search of food and bed."
"Are you alone?"
"Yes."
Then the door was unbolted, and the traveller entered.
"Is the proprietor of the hotel in bed yet?" he asked.
"I don't know, sir."
"He must be roused at once. I have important news for him from adistant land."
The porter stared, but did not seem inclined to call the proprietor,noticing which, Petrus said--
"I shall be sorry to alarm all the house, when I only want one person;but if you don't quickly bring him, I'll ring half a dozen of thesebells at such a rate that he'll think the house is on fire."
Seeing the stranger was in earnest, the porter went to the proprietor'sroom, and soon returned with him to the hall where Petrus was waiting.
"I should like to have a few words with you _in private_, sir,"said the traveller, with a strong emphasis on the words we haveitalicised.
"Certainly. You may go to bed, Theodorus."
The porter somewhat sulkily retired to a kind of pantry, where heslept, and the proprietor of the hotel, softly following, turned thekey upon him.
"I have my doubts about that fellow," he said as he returned. "But now,sir, what is your pleasure with me?"
Petrus at once told him what he had heard, and great was the alarm ofthe hotel-keeper.
"What shall we do? Send for the police?"
Petrus, after a short silence, said--
"No."
"What then? I cannot allow my guests to be murdered. Why, thesescoundrels have already made one attempt on Mr. Harkaway and hisfriends at a masquerade."
Just at that moment a guttural voice was heard singing--
"Ole Ikey Mole Was a lushy ole soul, And a lushy ole soul was he."
"Now den, you nigger, be quiet," said another voice.
"Who are these people?" asked Petrus.
"Two black men in attendance on the Harkaway party," said theproprietor of the hotel.
"Just the men. I know a little of them. I have fought side by side withthem. Now I have a proposal to make, which is that we put thesebrigands to flight in a ludicrous manner, which will annoy them morethan being beaten in fight. Myself and the black men will do it withyour assistance and permission."
"Anything, so that there is no bloodshed."
"That I will guarantee. Please call the two worthy dark-skins."
Sunday and Monday, who had been keeping it up in the kitchen, werecalled and acquainted with the state of affairs.
"What, Massa Petrus," said Sunday in surprise, "what you do here? Amyou got dat black rascal pirate with you?"
"No; the pirate chief is dead. You will find his bones on theisland--Magic Island, as young Jack Harkaway named it. Yes, my revengeis complete. The pirate died as my slave; but now to explain to you myplan to punish the three brigands."
Sunday rolled his eyes fearfully, as he listened to the details of theplot.
"Gorra, massa, I'd like to tar and feather dat big rascal."
"Tar!" said Petrus. "Ha, ha, ha! that is a good idea. Listen--but firstshow me the place where the gentlemen sleep."
The hotel-keeper led the way to the corridor, and pointed out thesleeping apartments of the Harkaway party.
Petrus then held another short consultation with the two black men andthe hotel-keeper, the result of which was that the latter retired,leaving Sunday, Monday, and Petrus to work their will with the invaderswhen they appeared.
And then, as there was but little time to spare, they set to work witha will to make all the necessary preparations.
Over each door they screwed into the wall an iron hook, to which wasattached a pulley and a cord.
Then they went into the lower regions and hunted through the storerooms.
The first place they lighted upon was a kind of paint shop, full ofpaints, oils and such-like things.
"Dis is jes de shop for to cook de goose ob dem willins," said Sunday.
"And here's de pots to cook 'em in," said Monday, pointing to some ironvessels resembling pails, but made so that the bottoms could beremoved.
The pails, as we will call them, were something like sugar loaves, withthe tops cut off and turned base upwards.
When full, the weight of the liquid kept the bottom in its place, butit was evident that if the bottom was removed, as it easily could be,the contents would escape.
Petrus, after an inspection, pronounced them "just the thing," adding--
"Now we must fill them with tar."
"No, no," said Monday. "Put tar in one, wery hot; in nodder put dishere paint, also werry hot; and in de oder put water, bilin' hot."
"Good."
Then the three sat down by the large fireplace in the kitchen, anddeliberately began their cooking.
Monday devoted his attention to the heating of several pounds of mixedpaint.
Sunday boiled a barrel of tar, while Petrus attended to a largecauldron of water.
Ten minutes before the hands of the clock pointed to half-past twelve,all the cooks had completed their work.
The paint, tar, and water, all at boiling heat, had been placed in theiron pails with the movable bottoms, and one of these had been hungover each bedroom door.
The hot water over Harkaway's door, the paint over Harvey's, and thetar over that in which the two boys and Jefferson reposed.
A string was attached to each pail, and passed over a pulley, the endbeing conveyed to a recess where the three watchers were concealed.They were armed.
Sunday, Monday, and Petrus each had a six-chambered revolver, loaded.
Then came the clang of the old-fashioned clock as it proclaimedhalf-past twelve.
Breathless silence prevailed both inside the house and out.
"Lights out," whispered Petrus, when, after a short pause, a slightgrating noise was heard at the back door.
In an instant all was darkness, except that the moon shone through anarrow window at the extreme end of the corridor.
A few minutes afterwards Petrus, who was watching, saw three darkfigures come gliding into the long passage.
The first was a tall, bulky figure--Toro.
The second the Greek, and the third was evidently Hunston.
A plan of operations had been agreed upon--that was quite certain; forToro, without the least hesitation, proceeded to Jefferson's door, theGreek placing himself outside Harvey's apartment, while Hunstonstationed himself at the room occupied by Harkaway.
Then they waited for a signal, evidently intending to rush insimultaneously.
"Now!" said Hunston, in a loud whisper.
"Now!" echoed Petrus.
Before the brigands could rush into the rooms occupied by those theysought to destroy, Petrus pulled the three strings he held in his hand,and, good Heaven! what a spluttering and swearing at once commenced.
Hunston was drenched and scalded.
"A million curses!" he roared.
"Help! Look here, Toro."
But Toro could not look.
A deluge of hot tar had streamed over his head, filling eyes, ears,nose, and mouth, saturating his hair and running down inside hisclothing.
"Furies!" he screamed, "I'll have the life of the villain who has donethis! Mathias
, out with your knife, man."
But the poor Greek was utterly cowed; the paint had destroyed all hissenses save that of feeling, which was fully exercised.
Hunston, although severely scalded, managed to keep a certainproportion of his wits about him.
"Come, lads--quick, as you value your lives!" he exclaimed. "Away! wemust not risk capture."
He endeavoured to drag them away.
At that moment, however, another actor appeared on the scene.
This was Nero.
That wide-awake member of the monkey tribe had been doomed to shareSunday's apartments, where a neat bed had been made for him in onecorner.
Hearing a noise, and, perhaps missing his companion (brother, Jeffersonsaid), he came down, carrying in his dexter paw a well-filled pillow.
He seemed to recognise Toro at once.
The valorous ape leaped forward, and gave his Italian foe such abolstering as Toro had never before heard of, while the threespectators laughed and applauded loudly.
Crack!
The ticking of the pillow gave way, and a shower of feathers envelopedthe unhappy son of Italy, whose oaths and execrations were literallysmothered.
"Golly! an't he a downy cove?" said Monday.
At this juncture, Hunston managed to grasp his companions by the hand,and dragged them downstairs and out at the back door.
Only just in time, however, for Jefferson, hearing the noise, rushedout, in scanty costume, it is true, but fully armed with pistol andbowie knife, and eager for the fray.
"What is the matter?" he demanded.
Petrus explained briefly.
Jefferson rushed to the door and fired two shots after the fugitives,who, however, managed to get away.
Then the door was securely bolted, and after the affair had beenexplained to all the alarmed inmates of the house, they retired to bed,but not before Harkaway and his friends had shaken Petrus warmly by thehand, with a promise that he should see his beloved daughter in themorning.
Jack Harkaway and His Son's Escape from the Brigands of Greece Page 8