Название: The Admirable Lady Biddy Fane
Автор: Barrett Frank
Издательство: Public Domain
Жанр: Приключения: прочее
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I own I was greatly perplexed over this matter, and more than once I was on the point of revealing the conspiracy to him; for I felt that, if he were murdered, I should, in a manner, have his blood upon my conscience; but as many times was I deterred from this confession by recalling my oath to Rodrigues, and by a certain sense of honor which may exist even amongst such rogues as we were. And so I was terribly put to it all the time we lay at Punto de Gallo, revictualing and making the final preparations for going up the Orinoco.
We lay off Punto de Gallo three days, and the men of both ships mingling, Ned Parsons and Rodrigues found occasion to lay their heads together pretty frequently; and this boded me no good, for Parsons had ever kept a jealous and suspicious watch upon my movements, and must have perceived my growing love for our captain. On the evening of the third day, we three being ashore together, and come to a spot free from observation, Rodrigues says:
"If this breeze holds, we are likely to sail to-morrow; and as we may not get another chance of conversing privily, let us settle what's to be done, and how we are to do it when we are aboard."
"Ay, we've had enough shill-I-shall-I," says Parsons, in his surly tone.
"We should have been further off from success if we had gone a shorter way to work, Ned," said Rodrigues, "as you know well enough, though you won't own to it. If we had followed your advice and thrown the captain overboard when we left the Canaries, half the men would have been against us, and looked upon the first storm that came as a judgment upon us. It's no good setting men to a task before they're prepared for it. Now there's not a man aboard the Adventurer who is not thirsting to get at the Spaniard."
"You've had them all to yourself; but it's another matter aboard the Sure Hawk," says Parsons; "there's a score of half-hearted fellows amongst us that were better at home."
"That's as you think, Ned. What say you, Pengilly?"
"The men's hearts are as stout as ours," says I; "and as ready to meet the Spaniard as any of your crew. I'll answer for them."
"Perhaps you'll answering for their flinging the captain overboard when the time comes?" says Parsons, with a sneer.
"I'll answer for you, Parsons, if there's a cowardly murder to be done; but for no one on board the Sure Hawk," says I. "I warn you, Rodrigues, that if you attempt the life of Sir Harry, you'll have a score of us to settle with, him and Benet Pengilly among the number."
"There, didn't I tell you as much?" says Parsons, nudging Rodrigues.
Rodrigues frowned on him to be still, and turning to me, says, calmly —
"What do you mean by that, Pengilly?"
"I mean this: our captain shall not be murdered," says I.
"And how can you prevent it, pray?" asks Parsons.
"There'll be plenty of time to warn him before you can silence me, Parsons."
"Didn't he swear secrecy by the cross, Rodrigues?"
"Yes, I did," says I; "but I'll break my oath rather than have murder on my conscience!"
"Conscience! How long have you been troubled with that commodity?" asks he.
"Fool! you be still," cries Rodrigues, stamping his foot. "Haven't you sense enough to see that Pengilly's warning saves us from the very thing that I have dreaded all through? I know the mischief of having discontented men in a crew."
"Settle it how you will," says Parsons with an oath, getting up and turning his back on us. "Curse this dodging backwards and forwards, say I!"
"If the captain were out of the way, and you took his place, as lawful representative of your uncle, the men would do your bidding, wouldn't they, Benet?" said Rodrigues in a friendly tone.
"No doubt," says I; "but I will not have any hand in this business if violence is to be done to Sir Harry."
"Then what do you propose we should do?" asks he.
"He lies ashore to-night: why shouldn't we sail without him?"
"That's better than ever!" cries Parsons, turning round. "Leave him here to send a king's ship after us. A plaguey good notion, that," and he burst out into a horse-laugh.
"That won't do, Ben," says Rodrigues; "as Ned says, we should have a man-of-war sent after us, and so have to fight English as well as Spaniards. I think I can offer something better than that"; and drawing me aside that Parsons might not hear, he dropped his voice and said: "Supposing, when we are out at sea, we tell the captain our determination to go roving, and ask him to join us?"
"He will refuse: that's certain."
"Very well; then let us give him one of the ships and let him go with as many of the men as choose to join him. What say you to that?"
I agreed to this readily; for it seemed a better way out of the mess than any I had imagined.
"Good," says he; "so shall it be. Now, leave me alone with Parsons. He is a self-willed, headstrong fellow; but I know how to manage him, and I promise you I will make him hear reason."
So I left them, never dreaming but that Rodrigues, for his own interest, was dealing fairly in this business, and speaking his mind honestly.
That night our captain brought aboard an Indian Cazique named Putijma for our pilot. This man told us that the true mouth of the Oronoque and the best for us to enter was in the Boca de Nairos, and about thirty leagues south of Punto de Gallo; and thither it was agreed, the breeze remaining prosperous, we should sail the next day.
When this news was imparted to our company there was a great cheer, and every man set to with a will getting the ship ready that she might sail at daybreak; and the sky being very fair and clear they worked all night to this end, and there was such bustle of men coming on board, shouting of orders, and getting things in their places, that no sleep was to be got.
A little before daybreak I turned out of my cot, and, going on deck, found that some were already aloft СКАЧАТЬ