By Rock and Pool on an Austral Shore, and Other Stories Part 6

Ross laughed grimly. "All of us sandalwooding s.h.i.+ps carry a few nine-pounders as well as plenty of small arms. We are allowed to do so by the Governor of New South Wales."

"Just so. Well, now, listen. This island is governed by two chiefs; this one here, Charlik, has most people, but the other lot, who live on the lee side of the island, rebelled against his father more'n ten years ago. They've had a good many fights, an' in the last one these Lele people got badly whipped. Charlik is the proper king, but ever since a white man named Ledyard went to live with the Lea.s.se people, they've refused to pay tribute. This Ledyard is the cause of all the trouble, and he has taught his natives how to fight European fas.h.i.+on. There's only about six hundred of 'em altogether--men, women, and children--eh, Charlik?"

The young chief nodded in a.s.sent.

"Now, by a bit of luck, news came up the other day by one of Charlik's spies that Ledyard has gone away to Ponape in a cutter he has built. It will take him two or three weeks to go there and back, and now is the time for Charlik to wipe out old scores--the Lea.s.se people won't stand much of a chance agin' a night attack by three hundred of Charlik's people. If Ledyard was there it would be different."

Ross soon made his decision. He was a man utterly without pity, and Cayse who, while inciting others to slaughter for the sake of his own gain, yet had some grains of compunction in his nature, almost shuddered when the master of the _Lucy May_ laughed hoa.r.s.ely and said--

"It's a bargain--just the thing that my crowd could tackle and carry through themselves. Two voyages ago me and my beauties wiped out every living soul on one of the Cartaret's Islands. I'll tell you the yarn some day. But look here, king, can't we make another deal about the women and children. Let me keep as many of them as I have room for aboard, and I'll pay for them in muskets and powder and bullets."

"What do you want with them?"

"Sell them to old Abba Dul, the king of the Pelews. I've done business with him before."

Charlik called Kanka over to him, and the two spoke in low tones. Then the young ruler of Lele shook his head.

"No. There must be but one left to live--the white man's wife. Now we shall count this money."

The boxes were carried over directly under the rays of the lamps and opened, the bags containing the money lifted out, the coins counted, and then evenly divided between the two wolves.

On the following morning the casks of oil were rolled down to the beach and rafted off to the two s.h.i.+ps, and before dawn, on the fourth day, Ross and his fellow-ruffian sent word ash.o.r.e to the king that all was ready, and that he and his fighting men could come on board at once and proceed on their dreadful mission.

CHAPTER II

As the two captains and their ferocious young employer sat on the snow-white p.o.o.p of the _Iroquois_ and discussed the plan of attack, the s.h.i.+p and barque kept closely together, so closely that North, who had not yet placed foot on board the sandalwooder, had now an opportunity of looking down upon her decks, and watching the actions of those who manned her. A more ragged and desperate looking lot of ruffians he had never seen in his life; and their wild, unkempt appearance was in perfect accord with the _Lucy May_ herself, whose dirty, yellow sides were stained from stem to stern with long streaks and broad patches of iron-rust. Aloft she was in as equally a bad condition, and North and his fellow-officers, used to the trimness and unceasing care of a whales.h.i.+p's sails and running gear, looked with contempt at the disorder and neglect everywhere visible. On deck, however, some attempt at setting things s.h.i.+p-shape were being made by the two mates and boatswain, the six guns were being overhauled, and a pile of muskets lying on the main hatch were being examined and pa.s.sed up to the p.o.o.p one by one, to old Kanka, who was in command of the contingent of Lele natives on board the barque. Similar preparations with small arms were being made on board the _Iroquois_ by her crew which, largely composed of Chilenos, Portuguese, and Polynesians, had eagerly accepted the offer of twenty dollars for each man for a few hours' fighting. North alone had spoken against and tried to dissuade his fellow-officers from taking any active part in the expedition, but his remonstrances fell upon unheeding ears. The details of the scheme to surprise the unsuspecting inhabitants of the two villages had filled him with unutterable horror and indignation, and all sorts of wild plans formed in his brain to prevent the accomplishment of the cruel deed. For the consequences of such interference to himself he cared nothing. He was alone in the world, and had no thought beyond that of making enough money to enable him to one day buy a s.h.i.+p of his own. Once, as he pa.s.sed the trio on the p.o.o.p, and glanced at the smooth, olive-coloured features of the young king, who, with antic.i.p.ative zest, was fondling a rifle which Ross had brought on board for him, he felt inclined to whip a belaying-pin out of the rail and bring it cras.h.i.+ng down upon his skull. Had there been any other s.h.i.+p but the _Lucy May_ near, he would have left the _Iroquois_ that moment. But help was coming to his troubled mind.

An hour before sunset the two vessels ran into a little harbour, then called Port Lottin, but now known as South Harbour by the few wandering whalers which sometimes touch at the island. Here, ere it became dark, the natives, with fourteen of the _Lucy May's_ crew under Ross, were landed. They were to march at early morning, cross the mountain range which intervened between South Harbour and Lea.s.se, and then, hidden by the dense forest, await the appearance of the s.h.i.+ps off the doomed villages on the following afternoon. The six boats--two from the _Lucy May_ and four from the _Iroquois_--were to pull ash.o.r.e as soon as the s.h.i.+ps were off Lea.s.se and take up positions, three to the north and three to the south, so as to cut off all who attempted to escape along the beaches from the attack which would be made by Ross. Charlik was to command one of the boat parties, Cayse the other, and should any canoes with fugitives attempt to gain the open sea, they were to be sunk by the _Lucy May's_ guns, for she was to anchor in such a position that an escaping canoe would have to pa.s.s within fifty yards of her.

Eight bells had struck, and North, who had declined to join the captain and his fellow-officers at supper, was sitting in his cabin smoking and listening to the soft hum of the surf on the barrier reef a mile away.

On deck all was quiet, only the fourth mate and three of the hands were keeping watch, the rest of the crew who were not turned in had gone ash.o.r.e to witness a dance given by King Charlik's warriors.

Suddenly he heard a footfall on the cabin deck, and then some one said in a low voice--

"May I come in, sir?"

North, recognising the voice as that of a young man named Macy, his own harpooner, at once bade him enter.

Macy, a sunburnt, blue-eyed youth, closed the cabin door behind him, and held up his finger to enjoin silence.

"I've only just now heard, sir, that you will not take a hand in this work which is going on. Neither will I, sir; for those d.a.m.ned savages are going to kill all the poor women and children. I've come to ask you what I'm to do if I'm ordered away in the boat? My G.o.d! Mr. North, must we all be turned into a gang of murderers like those fellows on the _Lucy May!_"

The officer shook the young seaman's hand. "I for one will have no hand in it, my lad; and I wish there were more of us on board of our way of thinking. I wish we could leave the s.h.i.+p. I would rather die of thirst on the open ocean ... Macy, my lad, will you stand to me?"

"Stand to you, sir! Aye, Mr. North. If you mean to take to our boat, sir, I am with you."

"No," answered North in a whisper. "That, after all, would only save us two from being mixed up in this murderous business--I want to prevent it altogether. Have you heard how far it is across the island to this place Lea.s.se?"

"Seven miles, sir, over the mountains."

"And twenty by the boats! Macy, I am determined to leave the s.h.i.+p to-night, cut across the island, and save the poor people from ma.s.sacre.

Will you come? We may pay for it with our lives."

The harpooner raised his rough hand. "We must all die some day, sir."

For some minutes they conversed in whispered tones; then Macy slipped on deck, and North took his pistols from their racks, filled his coat pockets with ammunition, and then followed him. His own boat was lying astern.

Telling the cooper, who was the only one of the afterguard on deck, that he was going ash.o.r.e to look at the dance, and that only Macy and another hand need come with him, North ordered the boat to be hauled alongside.

A quarter of an hour later he and Macy stepped out upon the sh.o.r.e under the shadow of a high bluff, and quite out of view from Ross and his party, although the many camp-fires cast long lines of light across the sleeping waters of the little harbour.

Informing the boat-keeper that they should return in a couple of hours, the two men first walked along the beach in the direction of the encampment. Then once out of sight from the boat, they struck inland into a deep valley through which, Macy said, a narrow track led up to the range, and then downwards to the two villages. After a careful search the track was found, and the bright stars s.h.i.+ning through the canopy of leaves overhead gave them sufficient light to pursue their way. For two hours they toiled along through the silent forest, hearing no sound except now and then the affrighted rush of some startled wild boar, and, far distant, the dull cry of the ever-restless breakers upon the coral reef. At last the summit of the range was reached, and they sat down to rest upon the thick carpet of fallen leaves which covered the ground. Here North took a spirit-flask from his jacket, and Macy and he drank in turns.

"Do you know, sir," said Macy, as he returned the flask to the officer, "that there's a white man living at this village?"

"He's not there now, Macy. He's gone away to another island in his cutter."

"I know that, sir. I've heard all about it from one of the chaps on the _Lucy May_. The man's name is Ledyard, and this young devil's-limb of a king hates him like poison--for two reasons. One is, that Ledyard, who settled in Lea.s.se a few years ago, taught the people there how to use their muskets in a fight, when Charlik's father tried to destroy them time and again; the other is that his wife is a white woman--or almost a white woman, a Bonin Island Portuguese--and Charlik means to get her.

When Ledyard comes back in his cutter he will walk into a trap, and be killed as soon as he steps ash.o.r.e."

North struck his hand upon the ground. "And to think that I have sailed with such a villain as Cayse, who--"

"That's not all. Ledyard has two children. Charlik has given orders for them to be killed, as he says he only wants the woman! Ross, I believe, wanted him to spare 'em, but the young cut-throat said 'No.' I heard all this from two men--the chap from the _Lucy May_ and one of Charlik's fighting men, who speaks English and seems to have a soft place in his heart for Ledyard."

The mate of the _Iroquois_ sprang to his feet. "The cold-blooded wretches! Come on, Macy. We _must_ get there in time."

For another two hours they made steady progress through the darkened forest aisles, and then as they emerged out upon a piece of open country, they saw far beneath them the gleaming sea. And here, amidst a dense patch of panda.n.u.s palms, the path they had followed came to an end. Pus.h.i.+ng their way through the th.o.r.n.y leaves, which tore the skin from their hands and faces, Macy exclaimed excitedly--

"We're all right, sir. I can see a light down there. It must be a fire on the beach."

Heedless of the unknown dangers of the deep descent, and every now and then tripping and falling over the roots of trees and fallen timber, they again came out into the open, and there, two hundred feet below them, they saw the high-peaked, saddle-backed houses of Lea.s.se village standing clearly out in the starlight. But at this point their further progress was barred by a cliff, which seemed to extend for half a mile on both sides of them. Cautiously feeling their way along its ledge they sought in vain for a path.

"We must hail them, Macy. There will be sure to be plenty of them who can speak a little English and show us the way to get down."

Returning as quickly as possible to the spot immediately over the village, the officer gave a long, loud hail.

"_Below there, you sleepers!_"

The hoa.r.s.e, shrieking notes of countless thousands of roosting sea-birds, as they rose in alarm from their perches in the forest trees, mingled with the barking of dogs from the village, and then came a wild cry of alarm from a human throat.

Waiting for a few moments till the clamour had somewhat subsided, the two men again hailed in unison.

"_Below there! Awake, you sleepers!_"