Dutch the Diver; Or, A Man's Mistake

by George Manville Fenn

  STORY ONE, CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

  THE SILENT SEA.

  The schooner sped on, and nothing troublous disturbed the progress ofthe voyage as the days glided by. So free from suspicion was everythingon board, that the captain was beginning to be lulled into a sense ofsecurity, and a change had come over Pugh.

  A reconciliation had not taken place between him and Hester; but he didnot avoid her now, but in a quiet, stern way watched over her, attendingher as she struggled back to health under the unremitting charge of thedoctor; and her lips daily grew less pale as the light of hope beganonce more to shine in her eyes.

  The routine of the ship went on in a regular way, and the men smoked andidled as they entered the tropics, and neared the object of the voyage.The doctor made himself specially agreeable to Sam Oakum, chatted withhim, gave him cigars, which Sam cut up and chewed, ending by talkingabout John Studwick; at which Sam winked to himself as he thought thatthe doctor would not have taken so much interest in the case if it hadnot been for the sister. Then, to use Oakum's own words, Mr Wilsonwould "come and fold his back," so as to lean his elbows on thebulwarks, and chatter about his birds and the natural-history objectsSam had seen in his travels--that worthy not forgetting to shoot thebirds he described with the long bow; and all the while Mr Wilson, whowas an exceedingly meek individual, would be smoothing his light, toweyhair, which the winds blew about, altering the set of his tie andcollar, and brushing the specks off his clothes.

  "He's a poor, weak, soft Tommy sort of a chap," said Sam to himself, ashe watched him out of one corner of his eye, and saw that he wasconstantly on the look-out to see if Bessy Studwick came up on deck,content to watch her from a distance, for her brother had taken quite anantipathy to him.

  "Heigho!" he'd sigh, as he shook his head, and gazed down at the water,as if wondering whether he had not better emulate Dutch's plunge, andnot come up again. "Heigho! this is a strange world, Mr Oakum."

  "It's a rum 'un, sir, all round, and always was. But I say, sir, it'seasy to see what's the matter with you."

  "Oh, nonsense, nonsense, Mr Oakum!" said the tall fellow, blushing likea girl.

  "It's only natur', sir," said Sam, sympathetically, as he gave a goodtwist to his quid, and winked at one of the blacks. "It ain't nothin'to be ashamed on."

  "Ah; Mr Oakum, I wish I was in such favour as you are over yonder."

  "You would not like to pay the cost, sir, I know."

  "Pay the cost, Mr Oakum; what do you mean?"

  "It's only we ugly ones as enjoys these privileges with the fair sect.You wouldn't like to be old and ugly like me, to be talked to as I am."

  "Ah, Mr Oakum, I would be her dog if she would be fond of me--or abird," he said, enthusiastically. "Ah, if I had only thought of itbefore I started."

  "Thought o' what, sir?" said Sam, winking at the black again.

  "Of bringing a few canaries. They are such nice presents to give alady."

  "Do you want to send a present to her, sir?"

  "Oh, yes, Mr Oakum."

  "Well, sir, if I were in love with a lady, and wanted--"

  "Oh, hush! Mr Oakum."

  "Wanted, I says, to find her a present, I shouldn't send whistlingcanaries, but a pair o' cooing doves."

  The young naturalist stared at old Oakum, as if he wished to penetratehis inmost thoughts; but the old sailor never flinched, looking asserious as a judge outside, but laughing heartily within at the other'sexpense.

  "I will," he exclaimed; and hurrying away he was busy the rest of theday painting up one of his old cages, in which he placed a pair ofdoves, and called the old sailor down to him in the evening.

  "Take those to Miss Studwick, Mr Oakum, with my compliments, and--er--by the way--er--you would not feel offended if I offered youhalf-a-crown to buy tobacco?"

  "Not in the least, sir," exclaimed Oakum, earnestly. "I'd do owt tooblige you."

  "Take them directly, then," he exclaimed; and with the two soft-plumagedbirds sitting close together as the old fellow swung the cage, thepresent was taken to where Bessy Studwick sat by the side of herbrother, reading to him on deck.

  Oakum was gone some time, and meanwhile poor Wilson fidgeted aboutamongst his birds, hardly able to bear the suspense, turning first red,and then pale, as Oakum came back, cage in hand, and set it down beforehim.

  "Miss Studwick says she's werry much obliged to you, sir," said Sam;"but she can't werry well keep the birds, as Mr John thinks they'd betoo much for him to bear when they took to cooing."

  "It don't matter, Oakum--set them down," he said, huskily, with his backturned to the old sailor. "I only thought the birds might amuse them,as Mr John is so ill. Dick, Dick, pretty Dick," first to one bird andthen to another, to hide his confusion. "Come, little tame bird--come,Jenny," he continued, opening one of the cage doors, when a prettylittle red-poll came hopping down from one perch to the other, and thenstood at the door looking out, with its head first on one side and thenon the other, and its little beady eyes directed first at Oakum, then atits master.

  "Why, bless its little heart, it looks as knowing as a Christian," saidthe old sailor. "Why didn't you send that one, sir? That would havepleased the young lady, and would have made no noise."

  Wilson shook his head as he held out his finger, and the bird uttered aloud twitter and flew to him, sitting on its living perch, and then,raffling its throat and crest, jerked out a little song, sufferingitself afterwards to be stroked, and ending by picking a crumb from thenaturalist's mouth, and then flitting back to the cage in which it wasduly secured.

  But all of the birds were more or less tame, being ready to peck at theyoung man's fingers; and a robin, setting up his feathers and making aplayful attack as it fluttered its wings, and pecked and fought, endedby hopping on its perch, and bursting into a triumphant song, as if ithad conquered some fierce rival.

  "I wonder how many of them'll live in a foreign country, sir, when yougets 'em there," said Oakum.

  "Well, not all," said Mr Wilson; "but many of them. Mind the paint onthat cage, Mr Oakum. I'm so much obliged. Er--you won't take anynotice about that cage and the birds? Not that it matters, only MrMeldon or Mr Parkley might laugh, perhaps."

  "Not I, sir. You may trust me," growled Sam.

  "Some people have a habit of laughing at natural history, you know, er--er--because they don't understand."

  "You may trust me, sir," exclaimed the old fellow, as he went up thesteps; and then to himself, "Yes, some folks has a habit of laughing atthat kind o' nat'ral history when they see it. For only to think of athin, wobbling chap fancying as our Miss Bessy would take up with thelikes o' he. Hah! its a curus thing this love, and them as has gotspliced don't allus seem to fit."

  He went on deck to find Bessy Studwick still reading to her brother; andher voice sounded so hoarse that the old fellow trotted to the steward'spantry for a glass of water and a couple of lumps of sugar, squeezing inafterwards the two halves of a lemon, bearing the drink himself to whereJohn Studwick lay back gazing at the setting sun, his face lit up with acalm, placid smile; and, though his sister read on, he evidently hardlyheard a word that was read.

  He started slightly as Oakum came up with the tumbler.

  "What is it?" he said, harshly. "Has that Mr Meldon sent me moremedicine? I will not take it."

  Bessy Studwick must have turned her face more to the setting sun, forher cheeks grew crimson at her brother's words; and, seeing this, helooked at her angrily.

  "Lor' bless your 'art, no, sir," said Oakum. "I thought you and ouryoung lady here might be a bit thirsty after so much book, so I broughtyou some lemonade."

  They gave him a grateful look, each thanking him for the attention tothe other, and as he walked back with the empty glass Mr Meldon, whowas standing talking to Hester Pugh and Mr Parkley, turned, sighed tohimself, and looked after the old man with a feeling of envy.

  "If I had paid that little attention," he thought, "it would have beenrefused with some h
arsh remark. Poor fellow! even though he's herbrother, I do not wonder at his feeling jealous of every look."

  Days of sailing over bright, sun-flecked seas, evenings of gorgeoussunsets, and nights of black violet skies, with the great starssparkling overhead, and reflected in myriads on the smooth surface ofthe wondrous phosphorescent water, all aglow with pale fire whereverfish darted, while the schooner's bows seemed plunging through foaming,liquid moonbeams. Mornings with such wondrous tints of orange andscarlet, crimson and gold, that those who gazed upon them did so in aweof the mighty works of the grand world. Then came heat so intense thatthe brass rails burned the hand, the pitch oozed from the seams, and thepassengers lay panting beneath the awning spread aft, and longing forthe evening breeze.

  Now and then the cocoanut-fringed islands were seen, but no stoppage wasmade; for, on consideration, it was decided that such a step mightafford the Cuban a clue to their whereabouts, while now both CaptainStudwick and Dutch felt satisfied that their suspicions had been withoutfoundation--that they had indeed eluded him, and all they had to do nowwas to make the best of their way to the treasure, and secure theirprizes.

  So southward and westward went the schooner, past reef, key, and islandtowards the El Dorado of their hopes; the two invalids much better; infact, Hester's colour had been pretty well restored, and all she waitedfor was the day when her golden hopes would be realised--not those offinding ingot or bar long buried in the sea, but the restoration,complete and full, of her husband's love and trust.

  The Caribbean Sea had long been entered, and its sheltering chain ofislands left behind; and now, with Oakum in consultation with thecaptain, the vessel's course was altered to due south, with the resultthat one evening, after gradually creeping along the forest-clad coastof Venezuela, and land that seemed almost weird in its silence and wildgrandeur, anchor was cast for the night, for the voyage was almost at anend.

  A long debate took place that night, in which Oakum and the black tookpart, the result being eminently satisfactory to Mr Parkley and Dutch,for both the above spoke positively as to their being now withincertainly a mile east or west of the spot where one of the wrecks couldbe found.

  "I don't say, you know, as I've put the schooner right on the spot; butshe's here close, and we must out boats and cruise about, looking downthrough the water, which is as clear as glass, till we get right, andthen we can sail or tow her up."

  As the stars came out, and the adventurers stood by the bulwarks, gazingat the thick black wall of forest beyond the rocks and snowy sand, wherethe waves broke in lines of phosphorescent gold, they could easilyunderstand how it was that these treasures had lain untouched so long.For here the beasts of the forest had sole dominion; and even theIndians of the country showed no sign of ever visiting the grandsolitudes. All seemed as nature had left it when her handiwork was atan end; and, driven by some furious hurricane upon one or other of therocks that abounded, a ship would fill and sink, and be forgotten.