CHAPTER XVI
ON A BUSINESS BASIS
Captain Horn found Edna at the entrance to the caves, busily employed infilling one of the Rackbirds' boxes with ship-biscuit.
"Miss Markham," said he, "I wish to have a little business talk with youbefore I leave. Where is Ralph?"
"He is down at the boat," she answered.
"Very good," said he. "Will you step this way?"
When they were seated together in the shade of some rocks, he stated toEdna what he had planned in case he should lose his life in his intendedexpedition, and showed her the will he had made, and also the directionsfor herself and Mrs. Cliff. Edna listened very attentively, occasionallyasking for an explanation, but offering no opinion. When he had finished,she was about to say something, but he interrupted her.
"Of course, I want to know your opinion about all this," he said, "butnot yet. I have more to say. There has been a business plan proposedby two members of our party which concerns me, and when anything istold concerning me, I want to know how it is told, or, if possible,tell it myself."
And then, as concisely as possible, he related to her Maka's anxiety inregard to the boss question, and his method of disposing of thedifficulty, and afterwards Mrs. Cliff's anxiety about the property, incase of accident to himself, and her method of meeting the contingency.
During this recital Edna Markham said not one word. To portions of thenarrative she listened with an eager interest; then her expressionbecame hard, almost stern; and finally her cheeks grew red, butwhether with anger or some other emotion the captain did not know.When he had finished, she looked steadily at him for a few moments,and then she said:
"Captain Horn, what you have told me are the plans and opinions ofothers. It seems to me that you are now called upon to say something foryourself."
"I am quite ready to do that," he answered. "A half-hour ago I had neverthought of such a scheme as I have laid before you. When I heard it, Iconsidered it absurd, and mentioned it to you only because I was afraid Iwould be misrepresented. But since putting the matter to you, even whileI have been just now talking, I have grown to be entirely in favor of it.But I want you to thoroughly understand my views on the subject. If thismarriage is to be performed, it will be strictly a business affair,entered into for the purpose of securing to you and others a fortune,large or small, which, without this marriage, might be taken from you. Inother words," said he, "you are to be looked upon in this affair in thelight of my prospective widow."
For a moment the flush on the face of the young woman faded away, but itquickly returned. Apparently involuntarily, she rose to her feet. Turningto the captain, who also rose, she said:
"But there is another way in which the affair would have to be looked at.Suppose I should not become your widow? Suppose you should not be lost atsea, and should come back safely?"
The captain drew a deep breath, and folded his arms upon his chest. "MissMarkham," said he, "if this marriage should take place, it would beentirely different from other marriages. If I should not return, and itshould be considered legal, it may make you all rich and happy. If itshould not hold good, we can only think we have done our best. But as toanything beyond this, or to any question of my return, or any otherquestion in connection with the matter, our minds should be shut andlocked. This matter is a business proposition, and as such I lay itbefore you. If we adopt it, we do so for certain reasons, and beyondthose reasons neither of us is qualified to go. We should keep our eyesfixed upon the main point, and think of nothing else."
"Something else must be looked at," said Edna. "It is just as likely thatyou will come back as that you will be lost at sea."
"This plan is based entirely on the latter supposition," replied thecaptain. "It has nothing to do with the other. If we consider it at all,we must consider it in that light."
"But we must consider it in the other light," she said. She was now quitepale, and her face had a certain sternness about it.
"I positively refuse to do that," he said. "I will not think about it,or say one word about it. I will not even refer to any future settlementof that question. The plan I present rests entirely upon my non-return."
"But if you do return?" persisted Edna.
The captain smiled and shook his head. "You must excuse me," he said,"but I can say nothing about that."
She looked steadily at him for a few moments, and then she said: "Verywell, we will say nothing about it. As to the plan which has beendevised to give us, in case of accident to you, a sound claim to thetreasure which has been found here, and to a part of which I consider Ihave a right, I consent to it. I do this believing that I should sharein the wonderful treasures in that cave. I have formed prospects for myfuture which would make my life a thousand times better worth livingthan I ever supposed it would be, and I do not wish to interfere withthose prospects. I want them to become realities. Therefore, I consentto your proposition, and I will marry you upon a business basis, beforeyou leave."
"Your hand upon it," said the captain; and she gave him a hand so coldthat it chilled his own. "Now I will go talk to Maka and Cheditafa," hesaid. "Of course, we understand that it may be of no advantage to havethis coal-black heathen act as officiating clergyman, but it can do noharm, and we must take the chances. I have a good deal to do, and no timeto lose if I am to get away on the flood-tide this afternoon. Will itsuit you if I get everything ready to start, and we then have theceremony?"
"Oh, certainly," replied Edna. "Any spare moment will suit me."
When he had gone, Edna Markham sat down on the rock again. With her handsclasped in her lap, she gazed at the sand at her feet.
"Without a minute to think of it," she said to herself,presently,--"without any consideration at all. And now it is done! Itwas not like me. I do not know myself. But yes!" she exclaimed, speakingso that any one near might have heard her, "I do know myself. I said itbecause I was afraid, if I did not say it then, I should never be ableto say it."
If Captain Horn could have seen her then, a misty light, which no man canmistake, shining in her eyes as she gazed out over everything intonothing, he might not have been able to confine his proposition to astrictly business basis.
She sat a little longer, and then she hurried away to finish the work onwhich she had been engaged; but when Mrs. Cliff came to look for her, shedid not find her packing provisions for the captain's cruise, but sittingalone in one of the inner caves.
"What, crying!" exclaimed Mrs. Cliff. "Now, let me tell you, my dearchild, I do not feel in the least like crying. The captain has told methat everything is all right between you, and the more I think of it, themore firmly I believe that it is the grandest thing that could havehappened. For some reason or other, and I am sure I cannot tell you why,I do not believe at all that the captain is going to be shipwrecked inthat little boat. Before this I felt sure we should never see him again,but now I haven't a doubt that he will get somewhere all right, and thathe will come back all right, and if he does it will be a grand match.Why, Edna child, if Captain Horn never gets away with a stick of thatgold, it will be a most excellent match. Now, I believe in my heart," shecontinued, sitting down by Edna, "that when you accepted Captain Horn youexpected him to come back. Tell me isn't that true?"
At that instant Miss Markham gave a little start. "Mrs. Cliff," sheexclaimed, "there is Ralph calling me. Won't you go and tell him allabout it? Hurry, before he comes in here."
When Ralph Markham heard what had happened while he was down at thebeach, he grew so furiously angry that he could not find words in whichto express himself.
"That Captain Horn," he cried, when speech came to him, "is the mostdespotic tyrant on the face of the earth! He tells people what they areto do, and they simply go and do it. The next thing he will do is to tellyou to adopt me as a son. Marry Edna! My sister! And I not know it! Andshe, just because he asks her, must go and marry him. Well, that is justlike a woman."
With savage strides he was about marching back to the bea
ch, when Mrs.Cliff stopped him.
"Now, don't make everybody unhappy, Ralph," she said, "but just listen tome. I want to tell you all about this matter."
It took about a quarter of an hour to make clear to the ruffled mind ofRalph the powerful, and in Mrs. Cliffs eyes the imperative, reasons forthe sudden and unpremeditated matrimonial arrangements of the morning.But before she had finished, the boy grew quieter, and there appearedupon his face some expressions of astute sagacity.
"Well," said he, "when you first put this business to me, it was tailside up, but now you've got heads up it looks a little different. He willbe drowned, as like as not, and then I suppose we can call our souls ourown, and if, besides that, we can call a lot of those chunks of gold ourown, we ought not to grumble. All right. I won't forbid the banns. But,between you and me, I think the whole thing is stuff and nonsense. Whatought I to call him? Brother Horn?"
"Now, don't say anything like that, Ralph," urged Mrs. Cliff, "and don'tmake yourself disagreeable in any way. This is a very serious time forall of us, and I am sure that you will not do anything which will hurtyour sister's feelings."
"Oh, don't be afraid," said Ralph. "I'm not going to hurt anybody'sfeelings. But when I first meet that man, I hope I may be able to keephim from knowing what I think of him."
Five minutes later Ralph heard the voice of Captain Horn calling him. Thevoice came from the opening in the caves, and instantly Ralph turned andwalked toward the beach. Again came the voice, louder than before:"Ralph, I want you." The boy stopped, put his hands in his pockets, andshrugged his shoulders, then he slowly turned.
"If I were bigger," he said to himself, "I'd thrash him on the spot. ThenI'd feel easier in my mind, and things could go on as they pleased. Butas I am not six feet high yet, I suppose I might as well go to see whathe wants."
"Ralph," said the captain, as soon as the boy reached him, "I see Mrs.Cliff has been speaking to you, and so you know about the arrangementsthat have been made. But I have a great deal to do before I can start,and I want you to help me. I am now going to the mound in the cave to getout some of that gold, and I don't want anybody but you to go with me. Ihave just sent all the negroes down to the beach to carry things to theboat, and we must be quick about our business. You take this leather bag.It is Mrs. Cliff's, but I think it is strong enough. The lantern islighted, so come on."
To dive into a treasure mound Ralph would have followed a much moreruthless tyrant than Captain Horn, and although he made no remarks, hewent willingly enough. When they had climbed the mound, and the captainhad lifted the stone from the opening in the top, Ralph held the lanternwhile the captain, reaching down into the interior, set himself to workto fill the bag with the golden ingots. As the boy gazed down upon themass of dull gold, his heart swelled within him. His feeling ofindignant resentment began to disappear rapidly before the growingconsciousness that he was to be the brother-in-law of the owner of allthat wealth. As soon as the bag was filled, the stone was replaced, andthe two descended from the mound, the captain carefully holding theheavy bag under his arm, for he feared the weight might break thehandle. Then, extinguishing the lantern as soon as they could see theirway without it, they reached the innermost cave before any of thenegroes returned. Neither Mrs. Cliff nor Edna was there, and thecaptain placed his burden behind a piece of rock.
"Captain," said the boy, his eyes glistening, "there must be a fortune inthat bag!"
The captain laughed. "Oh, no," said he, "not a very large one. I have hada good deal of experience with gold in California, and I suppose each oneof those little bars is worth from two hundred and fifty to three hundreddollars." What we have represents a good deal of money. But now, Ralph, Ihave something very important to say to you. I am going to appoint yousole guardian and keeper of that treasure. You are very young to havesuch a responsibility put upon you, but I know you will feel theimportance of your duty, and that you will not be forgetful or negligentabout it. The main thing is to keep those two negroes, and anybody whomay happen to come here, away from the mound. Do what you can to preventany one exploring the cave, and don't let the negroes go there for water.They now know the way over the rocks to the stream.
"If I should not come back, or a ship should come along and take you offbefore I return, you must all be as watchful as cats about that gold.Don't let anybody see a piece of it. You three must carry away with youas much as you can, but don't let any one know you are taking it. Ofcourse, I expect to come back and attend to the whole business, but if Ishould not be heard from for a long time,--and if that is the case, youmay be sure I am lost,--and you should get away, I will trust to yoursister and you to get up an expedition to come back for it."
Ralph drew himself up as high as circumstances would permit. "Captain,"said he, "you may count on me. I'll keep an eye on those black fellows,and on anybody else who may come here."
"Very good," said the captain. "I am sure you will never forget that youare the guardian of all our fortunes."
The Adventures of Captain Horn Page 16