The Dark Secret of Josephine rb-5

by Dennis Wheatley

  Jenny had found a pistol somewhere and Clarissa a knife. Wide-eyed but determined they remained to guard the crossing against the pirates' molls who, close by, had just thrown the negresses into the pool; while Fergusson and his companions ran towards Roger. Another frightful melee ensued; Catamole was cut down by a stroke that half severed his head from his neck, but the others succeeded in reaching the bridge.

  One by one they backed across- the plank. Roger went last and a great bearded swashbuckler attempted to follow him, slashing at his head with a cutlass at every backward step he took. But using both hands, Jenny let off her pistol at him, and, by good luck, the bullet tore away part of his left ear. The shock caused him to lower his guard for a second and Roger promptly ran him through. With a loud groan he heeled over sideways and fell into the foaming water twenty feet below. Next moment Roger was safely on the far bank of the gully. Before any of the other pirates could attempt to cross; Dan had wrenched the plank from its lodgment and drawn it in.

  Roger was streaming with sweat and so breathless that he could hardly utter, but he managed to gasp: "Get up the path all of you. Some of them have fire-arms. Now they are no longer mixed up with us they will not hesitate to use them."

  At that moment a shot rang out Missing his neck only by a finger's-breadth, it snicked away a fragment from the collar of his coat Needing no further warning they all ran up the path until a bend in it hid them from their enemies' view. Panting and moaning as a result of their terrible exertions, they flung themselves down on the ground to rest their aching limbs and get their breath back.

  Georgina and Amanda had- already been carried up there, and as soon as Roger had recovered a little he went over to them. Amanda was sitting up, but with her head hanging down and nursing an injured arm. It had been badly wrenched by a pirate who had twisted it and thrown her to the ground. He had then kicked her in the stomach, causing her acute pain and vomiting, but her case gave no cause for immediate alarm. Georgina had fared worse. A pirate had slashed at her head with a cutlass, and only the fact that she had at that instant sprung forward to strike, him in the face had saved her life. Her movement had resulted in her being struck down by the hilt of the weapon instead of its blade, but she was still unconscious.

  Doctor Fergusson came over to them and, after examining her head, relieved their fears by saying that her thick hair had saved her from the worst effects of the blow. He could find only a slight fracture under it and thought that although she might suffer from concussion she was in no great danger.

  Going over to Dan, Roger thanked him and the others for all they had done, then said he thought it would be best for the party to move farther up the path. There was still a risk that the pirates might find a way to cross the gully, and should they do so the more warning the party had of their approach the more time it would have to get well hidden in the undergrowth.

  It was therefore decided that they should proceed until they came upon another clearing, or should they fail to find one within half a mile, halt there while Roger remained behind to watch for any attempt that might be made to follow them.

  Meanwhile Fergusson was doing the best he could for the injured.

  Shirt tails were torn off to serve as bandages, a sling made for Amanda's

  arm, and a rough stretcher constructed from branches on which to

  carry Georgina. When these first-aid measures were completed Roger

  watched them set off slowly up the hill, then walked down it back

  to the entrance of the path.

  The twilight had now almost faded into night. He could see enough to be certain that the pirates had withdrawn from the far side of the gully, and just to make out that there were still people moving about farther off, in the clearing. Sitting down he thought over the frightful fight

  Less than half an hour had passed since he had sent the Vicomte to a well-deserved death in the pool. During that time at least a score of other people must have died and as many more been seriously injured. The pirates, having been taken by surprise, had suffered much more heavily than their opponents, and they had also lost a number of their slaves who had seized the chance to run off into the forest; but they were still a formidable body, whereas of the Circe's men only Jake and Kilick had succeeded in getting away with the escapers. Several others had attempted to but had been struck down before they could join either of the parties led by Dan or Fergusson. Considering the odds against them Roger thought it little short of a miracle that any of them should have got away, and it still seemed to him almost unbelievable that he should be alive and free himself.

  For a good two hours he sat keeping watch. By then it was a long time since the last of the wounded had been carried away, and no sound, save the croaking of the tree-frogs, broke the silence of the dark, deserted clearing. Feeling that no attempt to cross the gully was now likely to take place while the darkness lasted, he got to his feet and began to make his way up the path.

  It was no easy matter, as although his eyes had become accustomed to the darkness he could hardly see a yard in front of him and every few paces blundered into the undergrowth. But at length he heard the murmur of voices a little way ahead and emerged from the tunnel -of foliage into a small open space faintly lit by starlight

  The party had been getting anxious about him so were much relieved by his appearance. They had, too, been waiting for him to rejoin them before discussing how they might best keep their new-won liberty, and as soon as he had sat down among them they proceeded to do so.

  It seemed fairly certain that they would be able to evade recapture by remaining in the forest. To do so presented no problem of hunger or thirst, as there was an abundance of fruit to be had for the picking. There were also any number of wild pigs and game that could be trapped, and an inexhaustible supply of fuel for fires on which to cook them. But to remain there could be only a temporary expedient, and the real question was—how could they get back to civilization?

  The man who had joined Fergusson towards the end of the affray proved to be an American trader named Wilson. Nine months before, while on his way from Boston to Jamaica, he had been captured by de Senlac and, with three other passengers who had since died, forced into slavery. On learning this. Roger said to him:

  "You must know more of the island than ourselves, Mr. Wilson. What is the name of the nearest town, and how far distant is it?"

  "There is only one, Sir," replied Wilson, "and that a miserable place, although it has quite a good harbour. It is called Cayona, and was for many years a very minor post for a French Governor. The force he controlled was so insignificant that he could do no more than protect the handful of planters established nearby on the south coast of the island: so generations of buccaneers have always been the masters of nine-tenths of it, and Cayona a port where they met to enter into every sort of villainy."

  "Still, think you we could get a ship there?"

  "Not one with an honest master. Soon after France declared herself a Republic, the slaves revolted. They murdered the Governor and the more prosperous of the planters. Since then Cayona has been entirely lawless. It would mean a gruelling march through the forest to reach it, and when we did we should stand a great risk of falling victims of another gang of freebooters; so I certainly do not advise going there."

  Dan suggested that they should make for the north coast and camp upon some prominent headland, so that from it they could fly distress signals to attract some passing ship which might pick them up. But the American poured cold water on that idea too, by saying:

  "The north coast is so precipitous and rocky that ships do not put in there even when in need of water. We might scan the horizon from it for months without sighting a sail; and when we did it would like as not be that of another pirate."

  At that their hearts, which so recently had been filled with fresh hope, sank again. It looked now as if there were no alternative to remaining in the forest, and that they were condemned to live there the hard life of savages,
perhaps for months, perhaps for years, before some unforeseeable turn of events enabled them to get away from this accursed island.

  chapter xii

  NIGHT IN THE FOREST

  At the thought a gloomy silence settled on the conference, but Roger was not the man to accept such a miserable existence as long as there was any possible alternative. After a few minutes he sighed and said thoughtfully:

  "God knows, I've had my fill of fighting for today, but it seems there's only one thing for it. We must attempt to recapture the Circe"

  The starlight penetrated to the glade in which they were sitting only just enough for each of them to make out the vague forms of the companions to whom they were nearest, so Roger could not see the faces of the others; but he heard a murmur of astonishment and dismay run round the circle.

  "Why should we not?" he asked. "With Dan, Tom, Jake, Kilick, Monsieur Pirouet, the Doctor, Mr. Wilson and myself, we are eight, not counting such help as the ladies may be able to give us. That is fully sufficient to handle a ship in fair weather for so short a voyage as the ten or twelve miles which are all that separate us from Saint-Domingue."

  "Aye, Cap'n; it could be done!" cried Dan. "An' it rejoices me old heart ter hear ye propoundin' sich schemes agin. Let we set out upon it here an' now afore we fall asleep an’ the night be lost."

  "To make the attempt tonight is out of the question," Fergusson put in quickly. "At least half of us have been wounded to a greater or lesser degree, and her ladyship is still unconscious."

  "Even with that handicap I feel that we should be ill-advised to delay the venture," Roger argued. "Down at the house everything must be in confusion. A score or more of the slaves ran off. It is quite possible that they started to loot or burn it before the pirates got back; so our enemies may have been hard put to it to suppress a mutiny. In any case, all their leaders having been killed or rendered hors de combat, it is certain they are at sixes and sevens. I saw Lucette perched up on a high boulder, and she had the sense to keep out of the fight; but, able and unscrupulous as she is, I greatly doubt if - many of them would be willing to serve under a woman. Both the Heraults are crippled, and neither is of the stuff from which leaders are made. Philo the Greek can hardly be sufficiently recovered from the bash over the head I gave him to take charge. The odds are that they are at this moment squabbling about whom to appoint as their new chief, and they may not finally settle the matter till tomorrow. In the meantime, everyone being his own master, no watch will be kept or guards set We should be able to secure a boat with ease, and with luck we may find the Circe deserted. Such a chance is most unlikely ever to occur again."

  The sound sense of what he said impressed them all so strongly 'hat, weary as they were, they agreed that this favourable opportunity to reach a safe port within the next few days must not be lost In consequence, stretcher-bearers were nominated to carry Georgina, and others among them made specially responsible for the protection of the three other women. It was then that Clarissa was discovered to be missing.

  Thinking that she had left them only for a moment and must be near at hand, they called to her. But no reply came from the surround­ing darkness. Greatly puzzled, Roger and Dan made their way several hundred yards farther up the track, still calling her name. Only the echoes of their voices came back to them; so they decided that she must have gone a little way down hill towards the clearing.

  By that time the party was ready to set off; so they all proceeded down the track in single file, continuing to call to Clarissa as they went. It was not until they were within fifty yards of the gully that they caught a faint reply. Halting, they anxiously discussed what they should do. The scared note in Clarissa's voice as she now shouted to them made it clear that for some reason she had blundered off the track and got hopelessly lost in the pitch dark forest. But the faintness of her cries also made it clear that she was some way off, and for any of them to plunge in after her was to risk getting lost too.

  Fergusson suggested that several of them should go in ten yards apart, but the denseness of the vegetation was such that even in formation they must soon have lost touch with one another; so Roger would not hear of it. After a moment's thought he said:

  "The safest course would be to guide her back by continuing to call her, but that may prove a long and weary business, as she will probably blunder about all over the place before she gets near enough to be certain of the direction the calls are coming from. But there is no point in us all remaining here, so you had best continue on your way while I remain to do the shouting. We still have most of the night before us, and our chance of getting away in a boat unseen will be all the greater if we wait until our enemies are asleep. You might even snatch an hour or two's badly needed sleep yourselves; but see to it that you take it in turns, and that two or more of you are constantly on watch against surprise. The best place to spend the time of waiting would be on the edge of the forest where the track comes out on to the beach. I shall be able to find you there without difficulty, and I'll join you as soon as I can."

  Again the others agreed that his proposals were sound, and the' thought of a few hours' sleep was more than welcome to all of them; so they resumed their weary trudging and left him there.

  At intervals he kept on calling to Clarissa and gradually her replies grew louder. After twenty minutes she was near enough for him to encourage her. Soon afterwards there came a loud rustling of the leaves close by him in the darkness. He could just make out her form as she came towards him. Next moment she gave a gasp, flung her arms round his neck and sobbed:

  "Oh Roger! Thank God you're safe!"

  For the first time in days he laughed. "Safe, m'dear! But it is you whose safety sent us near distraction some half-hour back. What crazy notion impelled you to separate yourself from us and get lost in this nightmarish jungle?"

  "I came to seek you," she murmured. "You remained behind down by the gully for so long. I feared that some ill had befallen you. But I blundered in among the trees and could not find my way out again."

  "Poor child," he soothed her. "It must have been terrible for you."

  "I am no child," she exclaimed with sudden anger. "And I sought you because I love you."

  Dumbfounded by this declaration he could find no words to reply as she hurried on: "There! I've said it now. But I don't give a rap! If you'd had half an eye you'd have seen it long ago. You're all that a man should be, and I've loved you since the first moment I set eyes on you."

  "Clarissa!" he protested sharply. "You must not say such things."

  "Do you not think I know it!" she cried bitterly. "I owe Amanda a debt I never can repay for rescuing me from that dreary life with my Aunt Jane. Oh, I am ashamed as never a woman was; yet I can't help it!"

  Roger knew only too well that in such matters most men, and most women too, are the playthings of their own passions, so he reproved her only by saying gently: "Even so you had no right to speak of it, knowing me to be happily married to your cousin."

  "Ah, that's the tragedy!" There were now tears in her voice. "I know that you're not Not happily married, I mean. I'll vow you've been unfaithful to Amanda more than once, and I know for a fact that you recently had a hectic love affair when you were in France. More, 'tis common knowledge that while you were away Amanda was unfaithful to you, so that you were near separating from her on your return."

  "Who told you these things?"

  "No matter, but I know them."

  Roger pulled her arms from about his neck and his tone suddenly became harsh. "Do you think, then, that by setting your cap at me, you can seduce me from Amanda?"

  "I would I could," came the quick retort. "But even if you'd have me I'd be bound out of common decency to say you nay. Amanda is my friend and benefactress. I'd rather die than bear the shame of having betrayed her trust in me. Yet I know you to be a lonely man at heart and were matters otherwise I'd stop at nothing to have you for my own."

  Again he was at a loss for adequate words t
o chill this desperate youthful passion; but he did his best by saying: "Believe me, you'd regret it soon enough. 'Tis clear that you have heard tales of my doings while abroad; and invested me with a glamour for which there is no warrant I am no braver or better than the average man and, as you have found out for yourself, considerably worse as a husband.

  "That I will not believe. But for your courage and resource today I'd have been forced to the life of an unpaid whore in a brothel.

  To see you fight is a thing to marvel at, and that it was even in small part for myself made my love for you ten times stronger. As for your frailties, who in this world is without them? And did you but love any woman with all your heart she would wean you .from them."

  r,Listen, Clarissa, he said a trifle hoarsely. "'Tis understandable that you may have formed a wrong impression. But Amanda and I would never have drifted apart had I not been so long abroad. Now that we are reunited I love her as much as I am capable of loving any woman."

  "Since you protest it, I'll not argue that. In any case, I have already told you that my last thought would be to endeavour to take you from her."

  "Then I beg you to be advised by me. Do your utmost to free your

  mind from this infatuation, which can but be embarrassing to us both.

  These early loves are rarely lasting, and you are still so young.."

  "Young!" she broke in impatiently. "There are no more than eight years between us. I am eighteen, and at that age many of my friends are not only married but about to bear their second child."