luna escapade _by h. b. fyfe_ [transcriber's note: this etext was produced from orbit volume 1 number 2, 1953. extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the u.s. copyright on this publication was renewed.] [sidenote: _she was just a crazy brat--or was she?_] [illustration] with over an hour to go before he needed to start braking for his landing on luna, pete dudley sat at the controls of the rocket freighter and tried to think of anything else that needed checking after his spinning the ship. he drummed absently with the fingers of his right hand upon the buckle of the seat strap which restrained him from floating out of the padded acceleration seat. "let's see, tail's right out there in front. i got the angle perfect. guess everything's okay." he noticed his fingers drumming, and stopped. "cut that out!" he told himself. "get nervous now and jack'll be sending some other vacuum on the next mars run. there's ericsson dead center in the screen, waiting for you to plop down beside the domes. you couldn't miss a crater that size if you tried." he leaned back and stared speculatively at the curving tip of the lunar rockies that ended in one of the largest craters on the far side of luna. his eyes squinted slightly and there was a crease between them, as if he spent much time peering into instruments. there were deeper lines beside his mouth, but the thin lips and pointed chin neutralized that evidence of frequent smiling. "are we nearly there?" dudley's brown eyes opened so wide that the whites gleamed in the dim light from his instruments. then he shut them tightly and shook his head quickly. he had thought he heard a woman's voice, and of course he couldn't have. freight rockets were checked out of terran spaceports with only a pilot aboard. a lonely job for a man, but it was really only a way of keeping in practice. he made six round trips to luna a year, but the big one was the three-month kick to mars. then he smelled the perfume, so out of place in the machine-crowded compartment. he turned around slowly. she stood with one hand gripping the lead of a computing machine to keep her feet on the deck. dudley stared her up and down two or three times before he realized his mouth hung open. slim and about five-feet-four, she looked like a nice little girl making her first disastrous experiments with adult make-up. the slack suit of deep blue, revealing a soft white blouse at the neck of the jacket, was in the best of taste, but her heavy application of lipstick was crude. _and her hair isn't naturally ash-blonde_, dudley thought. _yet she looks like such a kid. not pretty, but she might be in a few years._ "what are you doing here?" he demanded harshly. for a second, her eyes were scared. then the expression was supplanted by a hard, make-believe confidence, leaving him merely with a fading sense of shame at his tone. "same as you," she said boldly. "going to luna." dudley snorted. "then relax," he growled, "because i can't stop you now. where the devil did you spend the last thirty-six hours?" she tried a grin. "in the little room where the things are that pump the air. i sneaked in the galley once, when you were asleep. did you miss anything?" "no," he admitted, thinking back. "see? i'm not enough trouble to be noticed!" dudley eyed her sourly. there was trouble behind this somewhere, he was willing to bet, or else why had she stowed away? running from a family fight? when the port checkers at ericsson saw her--! "how old are you, kid?" he asked. "twenty-one." the answer was too pat and quickly given. even the girl seemed to realize that, and she continued talking. "my name's kathi foster. you're the next mars pilot, according to the schedule, aren't you?" "what about it?" she let go of the cable and pushed her weightless body across the control room to his chair. "what's it like on mars?" she asked breathlessly. _what does she expect me to tell her?_ dudley wondered cynically. _that the whole population of the colony is only about four thousand? that they still live mostly on hope, dreams, and regular rocket service? that every one of them represents such a fantastic transportation expense that the commission only sends top-notch people?_ "it's pretty tough," he said. she hesitated over his unhelpful reply, then plunged ahead. "how about taking me along to see for myself?" dudley smiled with one corner of his mouth. "you're not going anywhere except back to terra on the next rocket," he predicted flatly. "and i hope your father still has enough hair on his head to own a hair-brush!" "my father is dead." "then your--." he paused as she shook her head. "well, don't you have any family? jobs on luna are ... limited. the settlements just aren't very big. you're better off down home." kathi's half-defiant, half-wheedling mask cracked. her over-painted lips twitched. "what do you know about where i'm better off? if you knew the kind of family i have--." "oh, calm down!" grunted dudley, somewhat discomforted by the sight of tears spilling from her blue eyes. "things are never as bad as you think when you're just a ... when you're young. when we land, we can say you got left aboard by mistake. they'll just send you back without any trouble." "like hell they will! i won't go!" dudley stared hard at her, until she dropped her gaze. "you don't understand," she said more quietly. "i ... my family has been kicking me around the law courts all my life just because my grandfather left me his money. they're all trying to get their hands on it, or on me to back up their claims. do you realize i'm eight--i'm twenty-one and i never lived a happy day in my life? i'd rather _die_ than go back!" "yeah, sure," said dudley. "what did you really do to make you so scared of going back? smack up grandpop's helicopter, maybe, or flunk out of school?" "no, i got sick and tired of being shoved around. i wanted to get away someplace where i could be myself." "why didn't you buy a ticket on a passenger rocket, if you had such an urge to visit luna?" "my aunts and uncles and cousins have all my money tied up in suits." he leaned back by pushing the edge of the control desk. "pretty fast with the answers, aren't you?" he grinned. "i wonder what you'll think up for the spaceport police when _they_ ask you?" "you don't believe--," she began. he shook his head and to avoid further argument he picked up his sliderule, muttering something about checking his landing curve. actually, he was not as convinced as he pretended that her story was all lies. _but what the hell?_ he thought. _i have my own troubles without worrying because some blonde little spiral thinks she can go dramatic over a family spat. she'd better learn that life is full of give and take._ "you better get attached to something around here," he warned her when the time came for serious deceleration. "i ... i could go back where i was," she stammered. he suddenly realized that for the past hour she had silently accepted his ignoring her. she asked now, "what happens next?" "we cut our speed and come down on the tail as near to the domes of the ericsson settlement as possible without taking too much of a chance. then i secure everything for the towing." "towing? i'm sorry; i never read much about the moon rockets." "natural enough," dudley retorted dryly. "anyway, they send out big cranes to lower the rocket to horizontal so they can tow it on wheels under one of the loading domes. handling cargo goes a lot faster and safer that way. most of the town itself is underground." he began warming up his tele-screen prior to asking the spaceport for observation of his approach. kathi grabbed his elbow. "of course i'm going to talk with them," he answered her startled question. "can they see me here behind you?" "i guess so. maybe not too clear, but they'll see somebody's with me. what's the difference? it'll just save them a shock later." "why should they see me at all? i can hide till after you leave the ship, and--." "fat chance!" grunted dudley. "forget it." "please, dudley! i--i don't want to get you in any trouble, for one thing. at least, let me get out of sight now. maybe you'll change your mind before we land." he looked at her, and the anxiety seemed real enough. knowing he was only letting her postpone the unpleasantness but reluctant to make her face it, he shrugged. "all right, then! go somewhere and wipe that stuff off your face. but stop dreaming!" he waited until she had disappeared into one or another of the tiny compartments behind the control room, then sent out his call to the lunar settlement. the problem did not affect his landing; in fact, he did better than usual. his stubby but deft fingers lacked their ordinary tendency to tighten up, now that part of his mind was rehearsing the best way to explain the presence of an unauthorized passenger. in the end, when he had the rocket parked neatly on the extremities of its fins less than a quarter of a mile from one of the port domes, he had not yet made up his mind. "nice landing, pete," the ground observer told him. "buy you a drink later?" "uh ... yeah, sure!" dudley answered. "say, is jack fisher anywhere around?" "jack? no, i guess he's gone bottom level. we're having 'night' just now, you know. why? what do you want a cop for?" suddenly, it was too difficult. _if she could hide as long as she did, she could have done it all the way_, he told himself. "oh, don't wake him up if he's asleep," he said hastily. "i just thought i'd have dinner with him sometime before i leave." he waited sullenly while the great self-propelled machines glided out over the smooth floor of the crater toward the ship, despising himself for giving in. _well, i just won't know anything about her_, he decided. _let her have her little fling on luna! it won't last long._ he closed the key that would guard against accidental activation of the controls and, enjoying the ability to walk even at one-sixth his normal weight, went about securing loose objects. when the space-suited figures outside signaled, he was ready for the tilt. once under the dome, he strode out through the airlock as if innocent of any thought but getting breakfast. he exchanged greetings with some of the tow crew, turned over his manifesto to the yawning checker who met him, and headed for the entrance of the tunnel to the main part of the settlement. only when he had chosen a monorail car and started off along the tunnel toward the underground city a mile away did he let himself wonder about kathi foster. "her problem now," he muttered, but he felt a little sorry for her despite his view that she needed to grow up. later in the "day," he reported to transportation headquarters. "hiya, pete!" grinned les snowdon, chief of the section. "all set for the ruby planet?" dudley grimaced. "i suppose so," he said. "left my locker mostly packed, except for what i'll need for a couple of days. when do we go out and who's the crew?" "jarkowski, campiglia, and wells. you have three days to make merry and one to sober up." "i sober fast," said dudley. snowdon shook his head in mock admiration. "nevertheless," he said, "the physical will be on the fourth morning from now. don't get in any fights over on level c--or if you do, let the girl do the punching for you! a broken finger, my boy, and you'll ruin the whole martian schedule!" "ah, go on!" dudley grinned, moving toward the door. "they can always stick you in there, and make you earn your pay again." "they're still paying me for the things i did in the old days," retorted snowdon. "until i get caught up, i'm satisfied to keep a little gravity under my butt. oh ... by the way, your pal jack fisher left a call for you. something about dinner tonight." dudley thanked him and went off to contact fisher. then he returned to the pilots' quarters for a shower and strolled along the corridors of the underground city to a lunch-room. food and water were rationed on luna, but not nearly as tightly as they would be for him during the next three months. that night, he joined fisher and his wife for dinner at the view, ericsson's chief center of escape from the drabness of lunar life. it was the only restaurant, according to the boast of its staff, where one could actually dine under the stars. "sometimes i wish that dome wasn't so transparent," said fisher. "sit down, the girls will be back in a minute." dudley eyed him affectionately. fisher was head of the settlement's small police force, but managed to look more like the proprietor of one of the several bars that flourished in the levels of the city just under the restaurant. he was heavy enough to look less than his six feet, and his face was as square as the rest of him. dark hair retreated reluctantly from his forehead, and the blue eyes set peering above his pudgy cheeks were shrewd. "girls?" asked dudley. "we brought along a new arrival to keep you company," said fisher. "she works in one of the film libraries or something like that." [illustration] _which means that's as good an excuse as any for having her at ericsson_, thought dudley. _anyway, i'm glad jack is the sort to be realistic about things like bars and other ... recreation. there'd be more guys turning a little variable from too much time in space without some outlet._ "here she comes with myra," said his host. "name's eileen." dudley smiled at mrs. fisher and was introduced to the red-haired girl with her. eileen eyed him speculatively, then donned her best air of friendliness. the evening passed rapidly. for the next few days, besides seeing the fishers and looking up the men who were to be his crew, dudley spent a lot of time with eileen. there seemed to be little difficulty about her getting time off from whatever her official duties were. she showed him all the bars and movie theatres and other amusements that the underground city could boast, and dudley made the most of them in spite of his recent visit to terra. on the mars-bound rocket, they would be lucky, if allowed one deck of cards and half a dozen books for the entertainment of the four of them. it was on the "evening" of his third day that the specter haunting the back of his mind pushed forward to confront him. he had listened for gossip, but there had been no word of the discovery of an unauthorized arrival. then, as he was taking eileen to her underground apartment, he heard his name called. there she was, with an escort of three young men he guessed to be operators of the machinery that still drilled out new corridors in the rock around the city. somehow she had exchanged the black slack suit for a bright red dress that was even more daring than eileen's. in the regulated temperature, clothing was generally light, but dudley's first thought was that this was overdoing a good thing. "may i have a word with you, dudley?" kathi asked, coming across the corridor while her young men waited with shifting feet and displeased looks. dudley glanced helplessly at eileen, wondering about an introduction. he had never bothered to learn her last name, and he had no idea of what name kathi was using. the redhead had pity on him. "my door's only a few yards down," she said. "i'll wait." she swept kathi with a glance of amused confidence and walked away. it seemed to dudley that she made sure the three young men followed her with their eyes; but then he was kicking off for mars within twenty-four hours, so he could hardly object to that. "have you changed your mind?" demanded kathi with a fierce eagerness. "not so loud!" hushed dudley. "about what? and how did you get that rig?" had he been less dismayed at her presence, he might have remarked that the tight dress only emphasized her immaturity, but she gave him no time to say more. "about mars, dudley. can't you take me? i'm afraid those illegitimate blood-suckers are going to send after me. they could sniff out which way a nickel rolled in a coal-bin." "aren't you just a shade young for that kind of talk?" "i guess i'm a little frightened," she admitted. "you frighten me, too," he retorted. "how are you ... i mean, what do you--?" she tossed her blonde hair. "there are ways to get along here, i found out. i didn't get arrested this time, did i? so why can't you take a chance with me to mars?" "take an eclipse on that," said dudley with a flat sweep of his hand. "it's just out of the question. for one thing, there are four of us going, and you can't hide for the whole trip without _somebody_ catching on." "all right," she said quietly. "why not?" "what do you mean, 'why not?'" "i'm willing to earn my passage. what if there _are_ four of you?" for a long moment, dudley discovered things about himself, with the sudden realization that the idea appealed to some suppressed part of his mind. he had never kidded himself about being a saint. the thing had possibilities. _maybe one of the others can be talked into restraint into her._ he snapped out of it. "don't be a little fool!" he grated. "if you want my advice, you'll--." "well, i _don't_ want your goddam advice! if you're too yellow to try it, i'll find somebody else. there'll be another rocket after yours, you know. maybe they'll have a _man_ on it!" he felt his face go white and then flush as he stared at her. he did not know what to say. she looked like a child, but the outburst was more than a mere tantrum. _sounds as if she's never been crossed before_, he thought. _i ought to haul off and slap a little self-restraint into her._ instead, he beckoned to the three men, who had been edging closer with aggrieved expressions. "how about taking your girl friend along?" he said flatly. one of them took her by the elbow and tried to murmur something in her ear, but kathi shook him off. "if you are afraid for your license, dudley, i'll say i hid without your knowing it. i'll say one of the others let me in. please, dudley. i'm sorry i talked to you like that." she was making a fool of him, and of herself, he decided. and in another minute, she would spill the whole thing, the way she was sounding off. and her friends were beginning to look hostile as it was. "what's the trouble?" asked one of them. "nothing that won't clear up if you pour a couple of drinks into her," said dudley disgustedly. he walked away, and they held her from following. "_dudley!_" she yelled after him. "they'll send me back! please, dudley. i won't go. you remember what i said about going back--." her voice was getting too shrill. someone in the group must have put his hand over her mouth, for when dudley looked back, they were rounding a corner of the corridor more or less silently. eileen waited in the half-open door, watching him quizzically. "friend of yours?" she drawled. "after a fashion," admitted dudley, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his forehead. "spoiled brat!" he fumbled in a pocket of his jacket, and withdrew a small package. "here's the bracelet that matches that necklace," he said. "i knew i had it in my locker somewhere." her thanks were very adequate. "aren't you coming in?" eileen asked after the pause. "no ... i don't ... i have to get a good night's sleep, you know. we kick off tomorrow." she pursed her lips in a small pout, but shrugged. "then look me up when you get back, pete." "yeah. sure." he kissed her quickly and walked away, drumming the fingers of his right hand against his thigh. except for the tenseness of blasting off and landing, the round trip to mars was as boring as he expected. campiglia won too many chess games at one move per watch, and the deck of cards wore out. for a few days, wells had a slightly infected finger after cutting himself, but it was a small crisis. the layover on mars was short, and the thrill was no longer new. dudley was glad to step out of the big rocket on luna. they had come in during the sleeping period at ericsson, so the four of them had gone to their quarters for a few hours of sleep after the first babble of welcome from those on duty when they landed. dudley was awakened by jack fisher. "so early?" he grunted, squinting at his watch. "what brings you around?" fisher settled his bulk in the only chair of the bedroom that was to be dudley's until his next terra-bound rocket. "liable to be busy today," he said easily, "so i thought i'd have breakfast with you." "fine!" said dudley. "wait'll i shave and i'll be with you." when he returned from the bathroom, he thought that he had perfect control of his features. there might not be anything wrong, but it seemed odd that jack should be around so soon. he wondered if the kathi foster affair was in the background. they went up a few levels to a minor eating place and had scrambled eggs that almost tasted natural. over the coffee, fisher opened up. "had a little excitement while you were gone," he said. "yeah? what?" fisher let him wait while he carefully unwrapped the half-smoked remains of a cigar. tobacco in any form was strictly rationed in all lunar settlements. "ever hear of old robert forgeron?" he asked. "the one they used to call 'robber' forgeron?" "that's right. he had so many patents on airlock mechanisms and space-suit gadgets and rocket control instruments that he made the goddamnedest fortune ever heard of out of space exploration. died a few years ago." dudley maintained a puzzled silence. "seems the old man had strong ideas about that fortune," continued fisher. "left the bulk of it to his only granddaughter." "that must have made headlines," dudley commented. "sure did." fisher had the cigar going, now, and he puffed economically upon it. "especially when she ran away from home." "oh?" dudley felt it coming. "where to?" "here!" fisher held his cigar between thumb and forefinger and examined it fondly. "said her name was kathi foster instead of kathi forgeron. after they got around to guessing she was on luna, and sent descriptions, we picked her up, of course. shortly after you kicked off for mars, in fact." dudley was silent. the other's shrewd little eyes glinted bluely at him through the cigar smoke. "how about it, pete? i've been trying to figure how she got here. if it was you, you needn't worry about the regulations. there was some sort of litigation going on, and all kinds of relatives came boiling up here to get her. all the hullabaloo is over by now." dudley took a deep breath, and told his side of the story. fisher listened quietly, nodding occasionally with the satisfaction of one who had guessed the answer. "so you see how it was, jack. i didn't really believe the kid's story. and she was so wild about it!" fisher put out his cigar with loving care. "got to save the rest of this for dinner," he said. "yes, she was wild, in a way. you should hear--well, that's in the files. before we were sure who she was, snowdon put her on as a secretary in his section." "she didn't look to me like a typist," objected dudley. "oh, she wasn't," said fisher, without elaborating. "i suppose if she _was_ a little nuts, she was just a victim of the times. if it hadn't been for the sudden plunge into space, old forgeron wouldn't have made such a pile of quick money. then his granddaughter might have grown up in a normal home, instead of feeling she was just a target. if she'd been born a generation earlier or later, she might have been okay." dudley thought of the girl's pleading, her frenzy to escape her environment. "so i suppose they dragged her back," he said. "which loving relative won custody of the money?" "that's still going on," fisher told him. "it's tougher than ever, i hear, because she didn't go down with them. she talked somebody into letting her have a space-suit and walked out to the other side of the ringwall. all the way to the foothills on the other side." dudley stared at him in mounting horror. fisher seemed undisturbed, but the pilot knew his friend better than that. it could only mean that the other had had three months to become accustomed to the idea. he was tenderly tucking away the stub of his cigar. "wasn't so bad, i guess," he answered dudley's unspoken question. "she took a pill and sat down. couple of rock-tappers looking for ore found her. frozen stiff, of course, when her batteries ran down." dudley planted his elbows on the table and leaned his head in his hands. "i should have taken her to mars!" he groaned. "she tried that on you, too?" fisher was unsurprised. "no, pete, it wouldn't have done any good. would've lost you your job, probably. like i said, she was born the wrong time. they won't have room for the likes of her on mars for a good many years yet." "so they hauled her back to terra, i suppose." "oh, no. the relatives are fighting that out, too. so, until the judges get their injunctions shuffled and dealt, little kathi is sitting out there viewing the rockies and the stars." he looked up at dudley's stifled exclamation. "well, it's good and cold out there," he said defensively. "we don't have any spare space around here to store delayed shipments, you know. we're waitin' to see who gets possession." dudley rose, his face white. he was abruptly conscious once more of other conversations around them, as he stalked toward the exit. "hey," fisher called after him, "that redhead, eileen, told me to ask if you're taking her out tonight." dudley paused. he ran a hand over his face. "yeah, i guess so," he said. he went out, thinking, _i should have taken her. the hell with regulations and jack's theories about her being born too soon to be useful on mars. she might have straightened out._ he headed for the tunnel that led to the loading domes. ericsson was a large crater, over a hundred miles across and with a beautifully intact ringwall, so it took him some hours, even with the tractor he borrowed, to go as far as the edge of the crater. jack fisher was waiting for him in the surface dome when he returned hours later. "welcome back," he said, chewing nervously on his cigar. "i was wondering if we'd have to go looking for you." he looked relieved. "how did she look?" he asked casually, as dudley climbed out of his space suit in the locker room. dudley peeled off the one-piece suit he had worn under the heating pads. he sniffed. "chee-rist, i need a shower after that.... she looked all right. pretty cute, in a way. like she was happy here on luna." he picked up towel and soap. "so i fixed it so she could stay," he added. "what do you mean?" he looked at fisher. "are you asking as a friend or as a cop?" "what difference does it make?" asked fisher. "well, i don't think you could have tracked me with your radar past the ringwall, so maybe i just went for a ride and a little stroll, huh? you didn't see me bring back a shovel, did you?" "no," said fisher, "i didn't see you bring it back. but some people are going to get excited about this, pete. where did you bury her?" "blood-suckers!" said dudley. "let them get excited! luna is full of mysteries." "all right," said fisher. "for my own curiosity, then, i'm asking as a friend." "i found a good place," said dudley. "i kind of forget where, in the middle of all those cliffs and rills, but it had a nice view of the stars. they'll never find her to take her back! i think i owed her that much." "ummm," grunted fisher. as dudley entered the shower, the other began to unwrap a new cigar, a not-displeased expression settling over his square, pudgy face. under the slow-falling streams of warm water, dudley gradually began to relax. he felt the stiffness ease out of his jaw muscles. he turned off the bubbling water before he could begin imagining he was hearing a scared voice pleading again for passage to mars.... image of splendor by lu kella _from venus to earth, and all the way between, it was a hell of a world for men ... and apprentice burnerman o'rielly particularly._ [transcriber's note: this etext was produced from planet stories summer 1955. extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the u.s. copyright on this publication was renewed.] the intercom roared fit to blow o'rielly back to venus. "burner four!" "on my way, sir!" at the first flash of red on the bank of meters apprentice burnerman o'rielly had slammed the safety helmet on his head; he was already throwing open the lock to the burner room. the hot, throbbing rumble whipped around him and near crushed his breath away. power! power of the universe trapped here and ready to destroy its captors given one chance! swiftly o'rielly unlocked the controls and reset them. the throbbing rumble changed tone. old callahan's voice crackled now through the helmet's ear contact. "well, mr. o'rielly?" "fusion control two points low, sir." o'rielly wondered had callahan passed out, was so long before the old burner chief demanded hoarsely, "didn't you lock them controls before blast-off?" "if every control hadn't been locked in correct setting," o'rielly answered from his own angry bewilderment, "the error would have registered before blast-off--wouldn't it, sir?" "so a control reset itself in flight, hey?" "i don't know yet, sir." "well, mr. o'rielly, you better know before we orbit earth!" the icy knot in o'rielly's stomach jerked tighter. a dozen burners on this ship; why did something crazy have to happen to o'rielly's? in a hundred years, so the instructors--brisk females all--had told o'rielly in pre-flight school, no control had ever been known to slip. but one had moved here. not enough to cause serious trouble this far out from earth. on blast-down, though, with one jet below peak, the uneven thrust could throw the ship, crash it, the whole lovely thing and all aboard gone in a churning cloud. sweat pouring off him, o'rielly prowled around his burner. design of the thing had been bossed by dames of course; what on earth wasn't any more? anyway, nobody could get to a burner except through its watch room. anyone entered or left there, a bell clanged, lights flashed and a meter registered beside the burnerman's bunk and on the burner chief's console up in the flight room full of beautifully efficient officers. ever since venus blast-off o'rielly had been in four's watch room. nobody had passed through. o'rielly knew it. callahan knew it. by now the old woman herself, captain millicent hatwoody, had probably inquired what was in charge of burner four. well, ma'am, o'rielly searched every cranny where even a three-tailed mouse of venus could have stowed away. his first flight, and o'rielly saw himself washed out, busted to sweeper on the blast-off stands of some god-forsaken satellite. he staggered back into his watch room. and his brain was suddenly taken apart and slapped together again. felt that way. she was sitting on his bunk. no three-tailed mouse. no old woman either. oh, she was a female human, though, this creature at which o'rielly stood gaping. yes, ma'am! "i was in your burner room." her voice matched the rest of her, a blend of loveliness unlike anything outside a guy's most secret dreams. "i couldn't stand the heat any longer and i couldn't open that big door. so i moved one of your controls a tiny bit. all the noise in there, naturally you couldn't hear me walk out while your back was turned resetting the control." * * * * * o'rielly suddenly felt like turning her over his knee and whaling her until she couldn't sit for a year. this, mind you, he felt in an age where no earth guy for a thousand years had dared raise so much as a breath against woman's supremacy in all matters. that male character trait, however, did not seem to be the overpowering reason why o'rielly, instead of laying violent hands upon this one's person, heard himself saying in sympathetic outrage, "a shame you had to go to all that bother to get out here!" "you're so kind. but i'm afraid i became rather sticky and smelly in there." "they ought to cool the air in there with perfume! i'll drop a suggestion in the old woman's box first chance i get." "you're so thoughtful. and do you have bathing facilities?" "that door right there. oh, let me open it for you!" "you're so sweet." her big dark eyes glowed with such pure innocence that o'rielly could have torn down the universe and rebuilt it just for her. yes, ma'am, o'rielly was floating on a pink cloud with heavenly music in his head. never felt so fine before. except on the venus layover when he'd been roped into a dice game with a bunch of venus lads who had a jug to cheer one's parting with one's money. a bell suddenly clanged fit to wake the dead while the overhead lights flashed wildly. only the watch room door. only callahan here now. old buzzard had a drooped nose like a pick, chin like a shovel. when he talked he was like digging a hole in front of himself. "well, what about that control?" "what control?" "your fusion control that got itself two points low!" "oh, that little thing." callahan said something through his teeth, then studied o'rielly sharply. "hey, you been wetting your whistle on that venus vino again? lemme smell your breath! bah. loaded yourself full of chlorophyll again probably. all right, stand aside whilst i see your burner." "charmed to, burner chief callahan, sir," o'rielly said while bowing gracefully. "higher than a swacked skunk's tail again," callahan muttered, then snapped back over his shoulder, "use your shower!" o'rielly stood considering his shower door. somehow he doubted that burner chief terrence callahan's mood, or captain millicent hatwoody's, would be improved by knowledge of she who was in o'rielly's shower now. not that the dear stowaway was less than charming. quite the contrary. oh, very quite! "you rockhead!" only callahan back from the burner. "didn't i tell you to shower the stink off yourself? old woman's taking a venus bigwig on tour the ship. old woman catches you like you been rassling skunks she'll peel both our hides off. not to mention what she'll do anyway about your fusion control!" "burner chief callahan, sir," o'rielly responded courteously, "i have been thinking." "with what? never mind, just keep on trying whilst i have a shower for myself here." wherewith callahan reached hand for o'rielly's shower door. "venus dames," o'rielly said dreamily, "don't boss anything, do they?" callahan yelped like he'd been bit in the pants by a big jupiter ant. "o'rielly! you trying to get both of us condemned to a uranus moon?" callahan also shot a wild look to the intercom switch. it was in off position; the flight room full of fancy gold-lace petticoats could not have overheard from here. nevertheless callahan's eyes rolled like the devil was behind him with the fork ready. "o'rielly, open your big ears whilst for your own good and mine i speak of certain matters. "thousand years ago, it was, the first flight reached venus. guys got one look at them dames. had to bring some home or bust. so then everybody on earth got a look, mostly by tv only of course. that did it. every guy on earth began blowing his fuse over them dames. give up the shirt off his back, last buck in the bank, his own earth dame or family--everything. "well, that's when earth dames took over like armies of wild cats with knots in their tails. before the guys who'd brought the venus dames to earth could say anything they was taken apart too small to pick up with a blotter. earth dames wound up by flying the venus ones back where they come from and serving notice if one ever set foot on earth again there wouldn't be enough left of venus to find with an electron microscope. * * * * * "venus boys rared up and served notice that if earth ever got any funny notions, right away there wouldn't be enough earth left to hide in an atom's eyebrow. touchy as hornets on a hot griddle, them venus guys. crazier than bed bugs about war. could smell a loose dollar a million light years away too. finagled around until they finally cooked up a deal. "no venus dames allowed within fifty miles of their port. earth guys stay inside the high-voltage fence. any dame caught trying to leave venus thrown to the tigers for supper. same for any earth guy caught around a venus dame. in return, earth could buy practically everything at bargain basement prices." "oh, i was shown the history films in pre-flight," o'rielly said, still dreamily. "but not a peek of any venus dame." "pray heaven you'll never lay eyes on one nor have one get within ten foot of you! even though you'd know she'd be your damnation wouldn't make a whit difference--you'd still act sappier than thirty-seven angels flying on vino." callahan suddenly stared at o'rielly. "holy hollering saints!" "now, now, burner chief callahan, sir," o'rielly responded with an airy laugh. "no earth guy for a hundred twenty-five years been near one and lived to tell it, has he?" "so the whispers run," callahan murmured with a queer flame dancing into his eyes. "so the old whispers still run." "never a name, though. never how it was done." o'rielly snorted. "probably just a goofy tale set loose by some old space bum." "oh?" callahan bristled up like a bad name had been bandied about. "seen them ditty bags venus bigwigs have, ain't you? some big enough to stuff a cow in. notice how nobody ever dares question a bigwig's bags, even through customs? just run 'em through the big geiger that tells whether there's any fusionable junk inside. well, our boy got himself one of them bags, stuffed himself inside and joined a bigwig's pile of 'em. "didn't pull it whilst on the venus port during a layover either, when a crew check would of turned him up missing. pulled it on vacation. started on the earth end. made himself a pair of beards to paste on his ears of course. wove jupiter wiggle worms in to keep the beards moving. wasn't like the real thing, but good enough to flimflam venus guys." with suddenly enlivened interest o'rielly looked at callahan. "hey, how come you know so much?" "hah? what?" callahan blinked like waking from a trance; even groaned to himself, something that sounded like, "blabbering like i'd had a nip myself--or one of them dillies was radiating nearby." then callahan glared fit to drill holes in o'rielly's head. "look! i was a full burnerman before you was born. been flying the spaces hundred twenty-five years now. had more chances to hear more--just hear more, you hear! only tried to clear your mind about venus dames so you could put your brain on your control mess. so now put it! if you ain't high on vino and ain't been made nuts by a venus dame, what answer do we feed the old woman?" "search me," apprentice burnerman o'rielly responded cheerfully. "of all the loony apprentices i ever had to answer the old woman for! awp, lemme out where i can think of something to save me own neck at least!" was all o'rielly could do to keep from rolling on the deck with glee. old callahan had been flimflammed for fair! the dear little stowaway was saved! and o'rielly would now think of grand ways to save her lovely neck and his own forever. o'rielly's shower door, however, opened abruptly. o'rielly had not opened it. o'rielly, however, suffered a cruel stab of dismay. surely his dear stowaway had been listening through the door. why didn't she have brains enough to stay hid until callahan was gone! at sight of her, of course, callahan's eyes near popped from his old head. "berta!" "oh, i'm trillium," she assured callahan sweetly. "but grandmamma's name is berta and people say i'm just like she was a hundred and twenty-five years ago." * * * * * "hah? what?" callahan blinked like his brain had been taken apart and was being slapped together again. "o'rielly! awp, you angel-faced pirate, couldn't you hide her somewheres better than that? shut up, you don't have to explain to me, but god help the whole universe if we don't flimflam the old woman!" with which ominous remark, rendered in a zesty devil-may-care manner, however, callahan threw himself into o'rielly's shower. o'rielly stood looking thoughtfully at lovely, womanly, exquisite trillium. just like that, o'rielly felt as sparkling of mind as a spiral nebula. "my locker!" he crowed with inspiration and yanked open the doors under his bunk. he glimpsed a black ditty bag, also the cap and coverall uniform of a baggage boy. "i threw them in there before you came on duty before blast-off," trillium explained. "i knew the burner room would be warm." trillium--with her shape--passing as a boy hustling bags through this ship. o'rielly chortled as he tucked her under his bunk. "now don't you worry about another thing!" "oh, i'm not," she assured him happily. "everything is going just the way grandmamma knew it would!" o'rielly's shower opened and callahan, glowing like a young bucko, bounced onto the bunk. "well, did you hide her good this time? no, don't tell me! i want to be surprised if the old woman ever finds her." "if what old woman finds whom?" a voice like thin ice crackling wanted to know. the watch room's door had opened. wouldn't think the old woman was a day over seventy-five, let alone near two hundred. cut of her uniform probably lent a helping hand or three to the young snap of her figure. frosty blue of fancy hair-do, she was, though, and icy of eye as she looked at o'rielly and callahan still lolling on the bunk. her voice was an iceberg exploding. "at attention!" never in his right mind would any crewman dare fail to come stiffly erect the instant the old woman appeared. behind her stood a colorfully robed specimen of venus man. handsome as the devil himself. fit to snap lesser men in two with his highly bejeweled hands. fuzzy beards trailed from his ears and kept twitching lazily as he sneered at the spectacle of two men meekly acknowledging the superiority of a woman. she was fit to put frost on a hydrogen burner. "mr. callahan, i asked you a question, did i not?" "believe you did, ma'am," callahan responded cheerfully. "and the answer is, ma'am, that apprentice burnerman o'rielly and me was discussing--ah--matrimony, ma'am. mr. apprentice burnerman o'rielly here is considering it, ma'am." wasn't too bad a fib. the more o'rielly thought of trillium, the more ideas he got of doing things he'd never dreamt of before in his life. yes, ma'am! "wasting your time talking nonsense!" old woman's look was fit to freeze o'rielly's brain, then she gave callahan the look. "i sent you down here to find the answer to that fusion control slippage!" "oh, you'll have the best answer you ever heard of before long, ma'am!" callahan assured her heartily. "the subject of nonsense--i mean, women--merely chanced to arise whilst we was scientifically analyzing the control phenomenon, ma'am. naturally i offered this innocent young burnerman the benefit of me long years of experience. why," callahan said with a jaunty laugh, "dames mean nothing to me. indeed 'twouldn't bother me none if there wasn't one of the things left in the world! present company excepted, of course," callahan hastened to say with a courtly bow. "stay at attention!" old woman sniffed the air near callahan's face, then in o'rielly's vicinity. "smothered it with chlorophyll probably," she muttered through her teeth, "if it is that vino." something horrible as a plague flickered in her eyes, then the old ice was there again. "apprentice burnerman, don't you know what your shower is for? then use it! mr. callahan, remain at attention while i inspect this burner!" she tendered a cool glance at the venus bigwig. "care to join me, your excellency?" "may as well." his excellency glanced at o'rielly and callahan much as he might at a couple of worms. could bet your last old sox no female ever told any venus man what to do. the shower units were equipped so no burnerman need be more than two steps from his responsibility. to keep the old woman from possibly blowing her gaskets completely, o'rielly simply stepped in, shut the door, flipped a switch and tingled as he was electronically cleansed of person and clothes. by time he finished, the old woman and his excellency were already coming out of the burner room, dripping with sweat. old woman opened the shower with her customary commanding air. "you first, your excellency." "my dear captain," his excellency replied like a smoothly drawn dagger, "always the lesser gender enjoys precedence." no earth dame ever admitted any guy was even equal to any female. old woman, a prime symbol of her gender's superiority, whipped a razor edge onto her own words. "facilities of the captain's quarters are more satisfactory." "no more so than those of the ambassadorial suite." * * * * * seeming to grind her teeth, the old o woman turned abruptly to leave o'rielly's watch room. was all o'rielly could do to keep from busting out laughing for joy. old woman had been flimflammed for fair! dear trillium was saved! and betwixt o'rielly's grand brain and callahan's great experience she'd be happy forever. a fine loud "thump," however, was now heard. old woman whirled back and yanked open the doors under o'rielly's bunk. "of all the sappy hiding places!" callahan yelped, in surprise of course. "trillium?" his excellency bellowed as if stung by one of the sabre-tailed hornets of his native planet. "trillium!" "trillium," o'rielly pleaded in loving anguish, "why do you have to keep coming out of hiding just when nobody's going to find you?" her eyes merely became deep pools in which o'rielly would have gladly drowned himself if he could. "there are rewards," the old woman said with the deadly coldness of outer space, "for earthmen found in a venus woman's company, and for her leaving her planet." "shut up!" his excellency's ear beards were standing straight out sideways. "i'll handle this!" "may i remind his excellency," the old woman snapped, "that i represent earth and her dominion of space gained by right of original flight!" "may i remind the captain," his excellency declared fit to be heard back to his planet, "that i am the personal ambassador of the president of venus and this thing can mean war!" "yes! war in which people will actually die!" as his excellency paled at that grisly remark, the old woman spoke through her teeth at o'rielly, callahan and trillium. "all right, come along!" o'rielly joined the death march gladly. he felt the way callahan looked: ready to wrap his arms around trillium's brave loveliness and protect it to his last breath of life. old woman led the way to her office. jabbed some buttons on her desk. panels on opposite walls lit up. "presidents of earth and venus, please," the old woman stated evenly. "interplanetary emergency." highly groomed flunkies appeared on the panels and were impersonally pleasant. "madame president's office. she is in a cabinet meeting." "mr. president's office. he is in personal command of our glorious war efforts." old woman sighed through her teeth. "venus woman aboard this ship. stowaway. rattle that around your belfries." the flunkies' faces went slack with shock, then were replaced by a blizzard of scrambled faces and torrents of incoherent voices. finally on the earth panel appeared the famous classic features. "the facts, if you please, captain hatwoody." the venus panel finally held steady on universally notorious features, that were as fierce as an eagle's, in a fancy war helmet. "trillium! my own granddaughter? impossible! dimdooly," mr. president roared at his excellency, "what's this nonsense?" "some loud creature is interfering," madame president snapped with annoyance. "blasted fools still have the circuits crossed," mr. president swore. "some silly female cackling now!" the parties in the panels saw each other now. each one's left hand on a desk moved toward a big red button marked, rockets. "so," mr. president said evenly. "another violation by your earthmen." "by your granddaughter, at least," madame president replied coolly. "an innocent child," mr. president snapped, "obviously kidnapped by those two idiotic earthmen there!" "oh, no, grandpapa," trillium said swiftly; "i stole away all by myself, and mr. o'rielly and callahan have been very helpful." "impossible!" grandpapa president's ear beards stood near straight up as he roared, "you couldn't have stolen away by yourself! trillium, tell the truth!" "very well. grandmamma told me how." * * * * * "obviously trillium's poor little brain has been drugged," his excellency dimdooly declared. "grandmamma berta wouldn't know the first thing about such things!" "impossible!" grandpapa president agreed. "i've been married to her for a hundred and twenty-four and a half years and she's the finest rattle-brain i ever knew!" "she learned," trillium stated emphatically, "a hundred and twenty-five years ago." "hundred twenty-five," grandpapa president growled like a boiling volcano. "the year some earthman.... never did catch the devil.... berta? impossible!" madame president's shapely finger now rested full on the button that could launch the fleets of war rockets that had been pre-aimed for a thousand years. "i'm afraid your ambassador is unwelcome now," madame president stated coolly. "your granddaughter's actions have every mark of an invasion tactic by your government." "what do you mean, her actions?" grandpapa president's finger now lay poised on the button that had been waiting a thousand years to blow earth out of the universe. "my grandchild was kidnapped by men under your official command! weren't you, trillium dear?" "no. one of us stowing away was the only way we venus women could bring our cause to the attention of earth's president. if earth will only stop buying from venus, you won't have any money to squander on your wars any longer no matter what happens to we revolutionaries!" "revolutionaries? such claptrap! and what's wrong with my wars? people have to have something to keep their minds off their troubles! nobody around here gets hurt. oh, maybe a few scratches here and there. but nobody on venus dies from the things any more." "but venus men are so excited all the time about going to war they haven't time for us women. that's why we always radiated such a fatal attraction for earthmen. we want to be loved! we want our own men home doing useful work!" "well, they do come home and do useful work! couple weeks every ten months. proven to be a highly efficient arrangement." "more boys to run off to your old wars and more girls to stay home and be lonely!" "now you just listen to me, trillium!" grandpapa president was all venus manhood laying down the law. "that's the way things have been on venus for ten thousand years and all the women in the universe can't change it!" "i have been in constant contact with my cabinet during these conversations," madame president said crisply. "earth is terminating all trade agreements with venus as of this instant." "what?" grandpapa's beards near pulled his ears off. "it's not legal! you can't get away with this!" "take your finger off that trigger, boy!" a heavenly voice similar to trillium's advised from the venus panel. whereupon grandpapa glared to one side. "berta! what are you doing here? i am deciding matters of the gravest interplanetary nature!" "were." features more beautifully mature than trillium's crowded onto the panel too. "from now on i'm doing the deciding." "nonsense! you're only my wife!" "and new president of venus, elected by unanimous vote of all women." "impossible! the men run venus! nobody's turning this planet into another earth where a man can't even sneeze unless some woman says so!" "take him away, girls," berta ordered coolly, whereupon her spouse was yanked from view. his bellows, however, could be heard yet. "unhand me, you fool creatures! guards! guards!" "save your breath," berta advised him. "and while you're in the cooler, enjoy this latest batch of surrender communiques. we women are in control everywhere now." "dimmy," trillium was saying firmly to his excellency, "you have beat around the bush with me long enough. now say it!" * * * * * dimdooly--the mighty, the lordly, who had sneered at the sight of mere earthmen kowtowing to a mere woman--swelled up fit to blow his gaskets, then all the gas went out of him. his ear beards, however, still had enough zip left to flutter like butterflies. "yes, trillium dear. i love only you. please marry me at your earliest convenience." "well, grandmamma," trillium said with a highly self-satisfied air, "it works. and just like you said, earthmen meant nothing once i knew we venus women had our own men in our power." "those crewmen there," grandmamma president said, "seem to be proof enough that we venus women no longer radiate any threat to earth's tranquility." yes, ma'am, o'rielly sure felt like proof of something all of a sudden. worse than the hangover from that crap game with venus vino. he looked away from trillium and took a look at callahan. old guy looked away from grandmamma president like he was packing the second biggest headache in history. "hmmmm, yes," madame president of earth observed. "reactions agree perfectly with the psychoanalytical research project we have been conducting on the subject of the venus female influence. madame president of venus, congratulations on your victory! "long may the superior sex reign on venus too! we shall be delighted to receive an ambassadoress to discuss a new trade treaty at your earliest convenience." "thank you for cancelling the old trade agreements at the psychological moment," grandmamma president said cordially. "what with the communications mixup, we managed to have the scenes on these panels broadcast throughout all venus. when the rug went out from under the top man, the tide really turned in our favor. now, trillium, you take over dimmy's credentials." "the ambassadorial suite, too," madame president of earth said graciously. "anything else now, berta?" "i should like," grandmamma president berta said charmingly, "that mr. o'rielly and mr. callahan be suitably rewarded for assisting our revolution better than they knew." "of course," madame president of earth was delighted to oblige. "no doubt captain hatwoody knows what reward would satisfy their needs best." the madame presidents switched to a private circuit, trillium dragged dimdooly off somewhere and the old woman eyed o'rielly and callahan. especially she eyed callahan, like running chilled drills through his old conniving brain. "i award the pair of you five minutes leisure before returning to your stations." "oh, well," o'rielly muttered, once he and callahan were safely beyond earshot, "could have been rewarded worse, i suppose." "what you expect for being flimflammed by a foreign dame, the rings of saturn? lucky we ain't programmed to be hung, shot and thrown to the crows for breakfast." callahan's old pick-and-shovel face wore a little grin like the cat that nobody could prove ate the canary. "you--i mean, that earth guy a hundred twenty-five years ago," o'rielly said in sudden thought. "if venus dames wanted to be loved so bad, why did trillium's grandmamma let him go?" "venus guys wasn't so busy playing war all the time," callahan mumbled, like to himself, "they'd of found out the answer centuries ago. yep, guess our boy was the only guy on earth or venus to find out and live. dames bossing both planets now, though, his old secret won't be one much longer. venus dames could of let it out centuries ago themselves but didn't, just to spite earth probably. later, was part of organizing to take over venus, i guess." o'rielly still had memories of the way he had felt about trillium before her revolution. "all right, callahan, why did 'our boy' leave grandmamma?" "yes, ma'am," callahan sighed like he hadn't heard a word o'rielly said, "you could sweet-talk 'em, kiss 'em and hold 'em tighter'n billy-be-damned. and that's all." "i'm not sure," o'rielly said, "what you mean by, 'that's all.'" "anybody ever seen anybody but a venus guy come built with ear beards? course not." "but i thought our boy was wearing the best fakes ever." "ain't nothing can match the natural growed-on variety, no, ma'am. venus guy kisses a venus dame, his beards grabs her roundst the ears." "so what?" "tickles 'em, boy, tickles 'em!" venus is a man's world by william tenn illustrated by gene fawcette [transcriber's note: this etext was produced from galaxy science fiction july 1951. extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the u.s. copyright on this publication was renewed.] actually, there wouldn't be too much difference if women took over the earth altogether. but not for some men and most boys! i've always said that even if sis is seven years older than me--and a girl besides--she don't always know what's best. put me on a spaceship jam-packed with three hundred females just aching to get themselves husbands in the one place they're still to be had--the planet venus--and you know i'll be in trouble. bad trouble. with the law, which is the worst a boy can get into. twenty minutes after we lifted from the sahara spaceport, i wriggled out of my acceleration hammock and started for the door of our cabin. "now you be careful, ferdinand," sis called after me as she opened a book called _family problems of the frontier woman_. "remember you're a nice boy. don't make me ashamed of you." i tore down the corridor. most of the cabins had purple lights on in front of the doors, showing that the girls were still inside their hammocks. that meant only the ship's crew was up and about. ship's crews are men; women are too busy with important things like government to run ships. i felt free all over--and happy. now was my chance to really see the _eleanor roosevelt_! * * * * * it was hard to believe i was traveling in space at last. ahead and behind me, all the way up to where the companionway curved in out of sight, there was nothing but smooth black wall and smooth white doors--on and on and on. _gee_, i thought excitedly, this is _one big ship_! of course, every once in a while i would run across a big scene of stars in the void set in the wall; but they were only pictures. nothing that gave the feel of great empty space like i'd read about in _the boy rocketeers_, no portholes, no visiplates, nothing. so when i came to the crossway, i stopped for a second, then turned left. to the right, see, there was deck four, then deck three, leading inward past the engine fo'c'sle to the main jets and the grav helix going _purr-purr-purrty-purr_ in the comforting way big machinery has when it's happy and oiled. but to the left, the crossway led all the way to the outside level which ran just under the hull. there were portholes on the hull. i'd studied all that out in our cabin, long before we'd lifted, on the transparent model of the ship hanging like a big cigar from the ceiling. sis had studied it too, but she was looking for places like the dining salon and the library and lifeboat 68 where we should go in case of emergency. i looked for the _important_ things. as i trotted along the crossway, i sort of wished that sis hadn't decided to go after a husband on a luxury liner. on a cargo ship, now, i'd be climbing from deck to deck on a ladder instead of having gravity underfoot all the time just like i was home on the bottom of the gulf of mexico. but women always know what's right, and a boy can only make faces and do what they say, same as the men have to do. still, it was pretty exciting to press my nose against the slots in the wall and see the sliding panels that could come charging out and block the crossway into an airtight fit in case a meteor or something smashed into the ship. and all along there were glass cases with spacesuits standing in them, like those knights they used to have back in the middle ages. "in the event of disaster affecting the oxygen content of companionway," they had the words etched into the glass, "break glass with hammer upon wall, remove spacesuit and proceed to don it in the following fashion." i read the "following fashion" until i knew it by heart. _boy_, i said to myself, _i hope we have that kind of disaster. i'd sure like to get into one of those! bet it would be more fun than those diving suits back in undersea!_ and all the time i was alone. that was the best part. * * * * * then i passed deck twelve and there was a big sign. "notice! passengers not permitted past this point!" a big sign in red. i peeked around the corner. i knew it--the next deck was the hull. i could see the portholes. every twelve feet, they were, filled with the velvet of space and the dancing of more stars than i'd ever dreamed existed in the universe. there wasn't anyone on the deck, as far as i could see. and this distance from the grav helix, the ship seemed mighty quiet and lonely. if i just took one quick look.... but i thought of what sis would say and i turned around obediently. then i saw the big red sign again. "passengers not permitted--" well! didn't i know from my civics class that only women could be earth citizens these days? sure, ever since the male desuffrage act. and didn't i know that you had to be a citizen of a planet in order to get an interplanetary passport? sis had explained it all to me in the careful, patient way she always talks politics and things like that to men. "technically, ferdinand, i'm the only passenger in our family. you can't be one, because, not being a citizen, you can't acquire an earth passport. however, you'll be going to venus on the strength of this clause--'miss evelyn sparling and all dependent male members of family, this number not to exceed the registered quota of sub-regulations pertaining'--and so on. i want you to understand these matters, so that you will grow into a man who takes an active interest in world affairs. no matter what you hear, women really like and appreciate such men." of course, i never pay much attention to sis when she says such dumb things. i'm old enough, i guess, to know that it isn't what _women_ like and appreciate that counts when it comes to people getting married. if it were, sis and three hundred other pretty girls like her wouldn't be on their way to venus to hook husbands. still, if i wasn't a passenger, the sign didn't have anything to do with me. i knew what sis could say to _that_, but at least it was an argument i could use if it ever came up. so i broke the law. i was glad i did. the stars were exciting enough, but away off to the left, about five times as big as i'd ever seen it, except in the movies, was the moon, a great blob of gray and white pockmarks holding off the black of space. i was hoping to see the earth, but i figured it must be on the other side of the ship or behind us. i pressed my nose against the port and saw the tiny flicker of a spaceliner taking off, marsbound. i wished i was on that one! then i noticed, a little farther down the companionway, a stretch of blank wall where there should have been portholes. high up on the wall in glowing red letters were the words, "lifeboat 47. passengers: thirty-two. crew: eleven. unauthorized personnel keep away!" another one of those signs. * * * * * i crept up to the porthole nearest it and could just barely make out the stern jets where it was plastered against the hull. then i walked under the sign and tried to figure the way you were supposed to get into it. there was a very thin line going around in a big circle that i knew must be the door. but i couldn't see any knobs or switches to open it with. not even a button you could press. that meant it was a sonic lock like the kind we had on the outer keeps back home in undersea. but knock or voice? i tried the two knock combinations i knew, and nothing happened. i only remembered one voice key--might as well see if that's it, i figured. "twenty, twenty-three. open sesame." for a second, i thought i'd hit it just right out of all the million possible combinations--the door clicked inward toward a black hole, and a hairy hand as broad as my shoulders shot out of the hole. it closed around my throat and plucked me inside as if i'd been a baby sardine. i bounced once on the hard lifeboat floor. before i got my breath and sat up, the door had been shut again. when the light came on, i found myself staring up the muzzle of a highly polished blaster and into the cold blue eyes of the biggest man i'd ever seen. he was wearing a one-piece suit made of some scaly green stuff that looked hard and soft at the same time. his boots were made of it too, and so was the hood hanging down his back. and his face was brown. not just ordinary tan, you understand, but the deep, dark, burned-all-the-way-in brown i'd seen on the lifeguards in new orleans whenever we took a surface vacation--the kind of tan that comes from day after broiling day under a really hot sun. his hair looked as if it had once been blond, but now there were just long combed-out waves with a yellowish tinge that boiled all the way down to his shoulders. i hadn't seen hair like that on a man except maybe in history books; every man i'd ever known had his hair cropped in the fashionable soup-bowl style. i was staring at his hair, almost forgetting about the blaster which i knew it was against the law for him to have at all, when i suddenly got scared right through. his eyes. they didn't blink and there seemed to be no expression around them. just coldness. maybe it was the kind of clothes he was wearing that did it, but all of a sudden i was reminded of a crocodile i'd seen in a surface zoo that had stared quietly at me for twenty minutes until it opened two long tooth-studded jaws. "green shatas!" he said suddenly. "only a tadpole. i must be getting jumpy enough to splash." then he shoved the blaster away in a holster made of the same scaly leather, crossed his arms on his chest and began to study me. i grunted to my feet, feeling a lot better. the coldness had gone out of his eyes. i held out my hand the way sis had taught me. "my name is ferdinand sparling. i'm very pleased to meet you, mr.--mr.--" "hope for your sake," he said to me, "that you aren't what you seem--tadpole brother to one of them husbandless anura." "_what?_" "a 'nuran is a female looking to nest. anura is a herd of same. come from flatfolk ways." "flatfolk are the venusian natives, aren't they? are you a venusian? what part of venus do you come from? why did you say you hope--" he chuckled and swung me up into one of the bunks that lined the lifeboat. "questions you ask," he said in his soft voice. "venus is a sharp enough place for a dryhorn, let alone a tadpole dryhorn with a boss-minded sister." "i'm not a dryleg," i told him proudly. "_we're_ from undersea." "_dryhorn_, i said, not dryleg. and what's undersea?" "well, in undersea we called foreigners and newcomers drylegs. just like on venus, i guess, you call them dryhorns." and then i told him how undersea had been built on the bottom of the gulf of mexico, when the mineral resources of the land began to give out and engineers figured that a lot could still be reached from the sea bottoms. * * * * * he nodded. he'd heard about the sea-bottom mining cities that were bubbling under protective domes in every one of the earth's oceans just about the same time settlements were springing up on the planets. he looked impressed when i told him about mom and pop being one of the first couples to get married in undersea. he looked thoughtful when i told him how sis and i had been born there and spent half our childhood listening to the pressure pumps. he raised his eyebrows and looked disgusted when i told how mom, as undersea representative on the world council, had been one of the framers of the male desuffrage act after the third atomic war had resulted in the maternal revolution. * * * * * he almost squeezed my arm when i got to the time mom and pop were blown up in a surfacing boat. "well, after the funeral, there was a little money, so sis decided we might as well use it to migrate. there was no future for her on earth, she figured. you know, the three-out-of-four." "how's that?" "the three-out-of-four. no more than three women out of every four on earth can expect to find husbands. not enough men to go around. way back in the twentieth century, it began to be felt, sis says, what with the wars and all. then the wars went on and a lot more men began to die or get no good from the radioactivity. then the best men went to the planets, sis says, until by now even if a woman can scrounge a personal husband, he's not much to boast about." the stranger nodded violently. "not on earth, he isn't. those busybody anura make sure of that. what a place! suffering gridniks, i had a bellyful!" he told me about it. women were scarce on venus, and he hadn't been able to find any who were willing to come out to his lonely little islands; he had decided to go to earth where there was supposed to be a surplus. naturally, having been born and brought up on a very primitive planet, he didn't know "it's a woman's world," like the older boys in school used to say. the moment he landed on earth he was in trouble. he didn't know he had to register at a government-operated hotel for transient males; he threw a bartender through a thick plastic window for saying something nasty about the length of his hair; and _imagine_!--he not only resisted arrest, resulting in three hospitalized policemen, but he sassed the judge in open court! "told me a man wasn't supposed to say anything except through female attorneys. told _her_ that where _i_ came from, a man spoke his piece when he'd a mind to, and his woman walked by his side." "what happened?" i asked breathlessly. "oh, guilty of this and contempt of that. that blown-up brinosaur took my last munit for fines, then explained that she was remitting the rest because i was a foreigner and uneducated." his eyes grew dark for a moment. he chuckled again. "but i wasn't going to serve all those fancy little prison sentences. forcible citizenship indoctrination, they call it? shook the dead-dry dust of the misbegotten, god forsaken mother world from my feet forever. the women on it deserve their men. my pockets were folded from the fines, and the paddlefeet were looking for me so close i didn't dare radio for more munit. so i stowed away." * * * * * for a moment, i didn't understand him. when i did, i was almost ill. "y-you mean," i choked, "th-that you're b-breaking the law right now? and i'm with you while you're doing it?" he leaned over the edge of the bunk and stared at me very seriously. "what breed of tadpole are they turning out these days? besides, what business do _you_ have this close to the hull?" after a moment of sober reflection, i nodded. "you're right. i've also become a male outside the law. we're in this together." he guffawed. then he sat up and began cleaning his blaster. i found myself drawn to the bright killer-tube with exactly the fascination sis insists such things have always had for men. "ferdinand your label? that's not right for a sprouting tadpole. i'll call you ford. my name's butt. butt lee brown." i liked the sound of ford. "is butt a nickname, too?" "yeah. short for alberta, but i haven't found a man who can draw a blaster fast enough to call me that. you see, pop came over in the eighties--the big wave of immigrants when they evacuated ontario. named all us boys after canadian provinces. i was the youngest, so i got the name they were saving for a girl." "you had a lot of brothers, mr. butt?" he grinned with a mighty set of teeth. "oh, a nestful. of course, they were all killed in the blue chicago rising by the macgregor boys--all except me and saskatchewan. then sas and me hunted the macgregors down. took a heap of time; we didn't float jock macgregor's ugly face down the tuscany till both of us were pretty near grown up." i walked up close to where i could see the tiny bright copper coils of the blaster above the firing button. "have you killed a lot of men with that, mr. butt?" "butt. just plain butt to you, ford." he frowned and sighted at the light globe. "no more'n twelve--not counting five government paddlefeet, of course. i'm a peaceable planter. way i figure it, violence never accomplishes much that's important. my brother sas, now--" * * * * * he had just begun to work into a wonderful anecdote about his brother when the dinner gong rang. butt told me to scat. he said i was a growing tadpole and needed my vitamins. and he mentioned, very off-hand, that he wouldn't at all object if i brought him some fresh fruit. it seemed there was nothing but processed foods in the lifeboat and butt was used to a farmer's diet. trouble was, he was a special kind of farmer. ordinary fruit would have been pretty easy to sneak into my pockets at meals. i even found a way to handle the kelp and giant watercress mr. brown liked, but things like seaweed salt and venusian mud-grapes just had too strong a smell. twice, the mechanical hamper refused to accept my jacket for laundering and i had to wash it myself. but i learned so many wonderful things about venus every time i visited that stowaway.... i learned three wild-wave songs of the flatfolk and what it is that the native venusians hate so much; i learned how you tell the difference between a lousy government paddlefoot from new kalamazoo and the slaptoe slinker who is the planter's friend. after a lot of begging, butt lee brown explained the workings of his blaster, explained it so carefully that i could name every part and tell what it did from the tiny round electrodes to the long spirals of transformer. but no matter what, he would never let me hold it. "sorry, ford, old tad," he would drawl, spinning around and around in the control swivel-chair at the nose of the lifeboat. "but way i look at it, a man who lets somebody else handle his blaster is like the giant whose heart was in an egg that an enemy found. when you've grown enough so's your pop feels you ought to have a weapon, why, then's the time to learn it and you might's well learn fast. before then, you're plain too young to be even near it." "i don't have a father to give me one when i come of age. i don't even have an older brother as head of my family like your brother labrador. all i have is sis. and _she_--" "she'll marry some fancy dryhorn who's never been farther south than the polar coast. and she'll stay head of the family, if i know her breed of green shata. _bossy, opinionated._ by the way, fordie," he said, rising and stretching so the fish-leather bounced and rippled off his biceps, "that sister. she ever...." and he'd be off again, cross-examining me about evelyn. i sat in the swivel chair he'd vacated and tried to answer his questions. but there was a lot of stuff i didn't know. evelyn was a healthy girl, for instance; how healthy, exactly, i had no way of finding out. yes, i'd tell him, my aunts on both sides of my family each had had more than the average number of children. no, we'd never done any farming to speak of, back in undersea, but--yes, i'd guess evelyn knew about as much as any girl there when it came to diving equipment and pressure pump regulation. how would i know that stuff would lead to trouble for me? * * * * * sis had insisted i come along to the geography lecture. most of the other girls who were going to venus for husbands talked to each other during the lecture, but not _my_ sister! she hung on every word, took notes even, and asked enough questions to make the perspiring purser really work in those orientation periods. "i am very sorry, miss sparling," he said with pretty heavy sarcasm, "but i cannot remember any of the agricultural products of the macro continent. since the human population is well below one per thousand square miles, it can readily be understood that the quantity of tilled soil, land or sub-surface, is so small that--wait, i remember something. the macro continent exports a fruit though not exactly an edible one. the wild _dunging_ drug is harvested there by criminal speculators. contrary to belief on earth, the traffic has been growing in recent years. in fact--" "pardon me, sir," i broke in, "but doesn't _dunging_ come only from leif erickson island off the moscow peninsula of the macro continent? you remember, purser--wang li's third exploration, where he proved the island and the peninsula didn't meet for most of the year?" the purser nodded slowly. "i forgot," he admitted. "sorry, ladies, but the boy's right. please make the correction in your notes." but sis was the only one who took notes, and she didn't take that one. she stared at me for a moment, biting her lower lip thoughtfully, while i got sicker and sicker. then she shut her pad with the final gesture of the right hand that mom used to use just before challenging the opposition to come right down on the council floor and debate it out with her. "ferdinand," sis said, "let's go back to our cabin." the moment she sat me down and walked slowly around me, i knew i was in for it. "i've been reading up on venusian geography in the ship's library," i told her in a hurry. "no doubt," she said drily. she shook her night-black hair out. "but you aren't going to tell me that you read about _dunging_ in the ship's library. the books there have been censored by a government agent of earth against the possibility that they might be read by susceptible young male minds like yours. she would not have allowed--this terran agent--" "paddlefoot," i sneered. sis sat down hard in our zoom-air chair. "now that's a term," she said carefully, "that is used only by venusian riffraff." "they're not!" "not what?" "riffraff," i had to answer, knowing i was getting in deeper all the time and not being able to help it. i mustn't give mr. brown away! "they're trappers and farmers, pioneers and explorers, who're building venus. and it takes a real man to build on a hot, hungry hell like venus." "does it, now?" she said, looking at me as if i were beginning to grow a second pair of ears. "tell me more." "you can't have meek, law-abiding, women-ruled men when you start civilization on a new planet. you've got to have men who aren't afraid to make their own law if necessary--with their own guns. that's where law begins; the books get written up later." "you're going to _tell_, ferdinand, what evil, criminal male is speaking through your mouth!" "nobody!" i insisted. "they're my own ideas!" "they are remarkably well-organized for a young boy's ideas. a boy who, i might add, has previously shown a ridiculous but nonetheless entirely masculine boredom with political philosophy. i plan to have a government career on that new planet you talk about, ferdinand--after i have found a good, steady husband, of course--and i don't look forward to a masculinist radical in the family. now, who has been filling your head with all this nonsense?" * * * * * i was sweating. sis has that deadly bulldog approach when she feels someone is lying. i pulled my pulpast handkerchief from my pocket to wipe my face. something rattled to the floor. "what is this picture of me doing in your pocket, ferdinand?" a trap seemed to be hinging noisily into place. "one of the passengers wanted to see how you looked in a bathing suit." "the passengers on this ship are all female. i can't imagine any of them that curious about my appearance. ferdinand, it's a man who has been giving you these anti-social ideas, isn't it? a war-mongering masculinist like all the frustrated men who want to engage in government and don't have the vaguest idea how to. except, of course, in their ancient, bloody ways. ferdinand, who has been perverting that sunny and carefree soul of yours?" "nobody! _nobody!_" "ferdinand, there's no point in lying! i demand--" "i told you, sis. i told you! and don't call me ferdinand. call me ford." "ford? _ford?_ now, you listen to me, ferdinand...." after that it was all over but the confession. that came in a few moments. i couldn't fool sis. she just knew me too well, i decided miserably. besides, she was a girl. all the same, i wouldn't get mr. butt lee brown into trouble if i could help it. i made sis promise she wouldn't turn him in if i took her to him. and the quick, nodding way she said she would made me feel just a little better. the door opened on the signal, "sesame." when butt saw somebody was with me, he jumped and the ten-inch blaster barrel grew out of his fingers. then he recognized sis from the pictures. he stepped to one side and, with the same sweeping gesture, holstered his blaster and pushed his green hood off. it was sis's turn to jump when she saw the wild mass of hair rolling down his back. "an honor, miss sparling," he said in that rumbly voice. "please come right in. there's a hurry-up draft." so sis went in and i followed right after her. mr. brown closed the door. i tried to catch his eye so i could give him some kind of hint or explanation, but he had taken a couple of his big strides and was in the control section with sis. she didn't give ground, though; i'll say that for her. she only came to his chest, but she had her arms crossed sternly. "first, mr. brown," she began, like talking to a cluck of a kid in class, "you realize that you are not only committing the political crime of traveling without a visa, and the criminal one of stowing away without paying your fare, but the moral delinquency of consuming stores intended for the personnel of this ship solely in emergency?" * * * * * he opened his mouth to its maximum width and raised an enormous hand. then he let the air out and dropped his arm. "i take it you either have no defense or care to make none," sis added caustically. butt laughed slowly and carefully as if he were going over each word. "wonder if all the anura talk like that. and _you_ want to foul up venus." "we haven't done so badly on earth, after the mess you men made of politics. it needed a revolution of the mothers before--" "needed nothing. everyone wanted peace. earth is a weary old world." "it's a world of strong moral fiber compared to yours, mr. alberta lee brown." hearing his rightful name made him move suddenly and tower over her. sis said with a certain amount of hurry and change of tone, "what _do_ you have to say about stowing away and using up lifeboat stores?" * * * * * he cocked his head and considered a moment. "look," he said finally, "i have more than enough munit to pay for round trip tickets, but i couldn't get a return visa because of that brinosaur judge and all the charges she hung on me. had to stow away. picked the _eleanor roosevelt_ because a couple of the boys in the crew are friends of mine and they were willing to help. but this lifeboat--don't you know that every passenger ship carries four times as many lifeboats as it needs? not to mention the food i didn't eat because it stuck in my throat?" "yes," she said bitterly. "you had this boy steal fresh fruit for you. i suppose you didn't know that under space regulations that makes him equally guilty?" "no, sis, he didn't," i was beginning to argue. "all he wanted--" "sure i knew. also know that if i'm picked up as a stowaway, i'll be sent back to earth to serve out those fancy little sentences." "well, you're guilty of them, aren't you?" he waved his hands at her impatiently. "i'm not talking law, female; i'm talking sense. listen! i'm in trouble because i went to earth to look for a wife. you're standing here right now because you're on your way to venus for a husband. so let's." sis actually staggered back. "let's? let's _what_? are--are you daring to suggest that--that--" "now, miss sparling, no hoopla. i'm saying let's get married, and you know it. you figured out from what the boy told you that i was chewing on you for a wife. you're healthy and strong, got good heredity, you know how to operate sub-surface machinery, you've lived underwater, and your disposition's no worse than most of the anura i've seen. prolific stock, too." i was so excited i just had to yell: "gee, sis, say _yes_!" * * * * * my sister's voice was steaming with scorn. "and what makes you think that i'd consider you a desirable husband?" he spread his hands genially. "figure if you wanted a poodle, you're pretty enough to pick one up on earth. figure if you charge off to venus, you don't want a poodle, you want a man. i'm one. i own three islands in the galertan archipelago that'll be good oozing mudgrape land when they're cleared. not to mention the rich berzeliot beds offshore. i got no bad habits outside of having my own way. i'm also passable good-looking for a slaptoe planter. besides, if you marry me you'll be the first mated on this ship--and that's a splash most nesting females like to make." there was a longish stretch of quiet. sis stepped back and measured him slowly with her eyes; there was a lot to look at. he waited patiently while she covered the distance from his peculiar green boots to that head of hair. i was so excited i was gulping instead of breathing. imagine having butt for a brother-in-law and living on a wet-plantation in flatfolk country! but then i remembered sis's level head and i didn't have much hope any more. "you know," she began, "there's more to marriage than just--" "so there is," he cut in. "well, we can try each other for taste." and he pulled her in, both of his great hands practically covering her slim, straight back. neither of them said anything for a bit after he let go. butt spoke up first. "now, me," he said, "i'd vote yes." sis ran the tip of her tongue kind of delicately from side to side of her mouth. then she stepped back slowly and looked at him as if she were figuring out how many feet high he was. she kept on moving backward, tapping her chin, while butt and i got more and more impatient. when she touched the lifeboat door, she pushed it open and jumped out. * * * * * butt ran over and looked down the crossway. after a while, he shut the door and came back beside me. "well," he said, swinging to a bunk, "that's sort of it." "you're better off, butt," i burst out. "you shouldn't have a woman like sis for a wife. she looks small and helpless, but don't forget she was trained to run an underwater city!" "wasn't worrying about that," he grinned. "_i_ grew up in the fifteen long years of the blue chicago rising. nope." he turned over on his back and clicked his teeth at the ceiling. "think we'd have nested out nicely." i hitched myself up to him and we sat on the bunk, glooming away at each other. then we heard the tramp of feet in the crossway. butt swung down and headed for the control compartment in the nose of the lifeboat. he had his blaster out and was cursing very interestingly. i started after him, but he picked me up by the seat of my jumper and tossed me toward the door. the captain came in and tripped over me. i got all tangled up in his gold braid and million-mile space buttons. when we finally got to our feet and sorted out right, he was breathing very hard. the captain was a round little man with a plump, golden face and a very scared look on it. he _humphed_ at me, just the way sis does, and lifted me by the scruff of my neck. the chief mate picked me up and passed me to the second assistant engineer. sis was there, being held by the purser on one side and the chief computer's mate on the other. behind them, i could see a flock of wide-eyed female passengers. "you cowards!" sis was raging. "letting your captain face a dangerous outlaw all by himself!" "i dunno, miss sparling," the computer's mate said, scratching the miniature slide-rule insignia on his visor with his free hand. "the old man would've been willing to let it go with a log entry, figuring the spaceport paddlefeet could pry out the stowaway when we landed. but you had to quote the mother anita law at him, and he's in there doing his duty. he figures the rest of us are family men, too, and there's no sense making orphans." "you promised, sis," i told her through my teeth. "you promised you wouldn't get butt into trouble!" she tossed her spiral curls at me and ground a heel into the purser's instep. he screwed up his face and howled, but he didn't let go of her arm. "_shush_, ferdinand, this is serious!" it was. i heard the captain say, "i'm not carrying a weapon, brown." "then _get_ one," butt's low, lazy voice floated out. "no, thanks. you're as handy with that thing as i am with a rocketboard." the captain's words got a little fainter as he walked forward. butt growled like a gusher about to blow. "i'm counting on your being a good guy, brown." the captain's voice quavered just a bit. "i'm banking on what i heard about the blast-happy browns every time i lifted gravs in new kalamazoo; they have a code, they don't burn unarmed men." * * * * * just about this time, events in the lifeboat went down to a mumble. the top of my head got wet and i looked up. there was sweat rolling down the second assistant's forehead; it converged at his nose and bounced off the tip in a sizable stream. i twisted out of the way. "what's happening?" sis gritted, straining toward the lock. "butt's trying to decide whether he wants him fried or scrambled," the computer's mate said, pulling her back. "hey, purse, remember when the whole family with their pop at the head went into heatwave to argue with colonel leclerc?" "eleven dead, sixty-four injured," the purser answered mechanically. "and no more army stationed south of icebox." his right ear twitched irritably. "but what're they saying?" suddenly we heard. "by authority vested in me under the pomona college treaty," the captain was saying very loudly, "i arrest you for violation of articles sixteen to twenty-one inclusive of the space transport code, and order your person and belongings impounded for the duration of this voyage as set forth in sections forty-one and forty-five--" "forty-three and forty-five," sis groaned. "sections forty-three and forty-five, i told him. i even made him repeat it after me!" "--of the mother anita law, sc 2136, emergency interplanetary directives." * * * * * we all waited breathlessly for butt's reply. the seconds ambled on and there was no clatter of electrostatic discharge, no smell of burning flesh. then we heard some feet walking. a big man in a green suit swung out into the crossway. that was butt. behind him came the captain, holding the blaster gingerly with both hands. butt had a funny, thoughtful look on his face. the girls surged forward when they saw him, scattering the crew to one side. they were like a school of sharks that had just caught sight of a dying whale. "m-m-m-m! are all venusians built like that?" "men like that are worth the mileage!" "_i want him!" "i want him!" "i want him!_" sis had been let go. she grabbed my free hand and pulled me away. she was trying to look only annoyed, but her eyes had bright little bubbles of fury popping in them. "the cheap extroverts! and they call themselves responsible women!" i was angry, too. and i let her know, once we were in our cabin. "what about that promise, sis? you said you wouldn't turn him in. you _promised_!" she stopped walking around the room as if she had been expecting to get to venus on foot. "i know i did, ferdinand, but he forced me." "my name is ford and i don't understand." "your name is ferdinand and stop trying to act forcefully like a girl. it doesn't become you. in just a few days, you'll forget all this and be your simple, carefree self again. i really truly meant to keep my word. from what you'd told me, mr. brown seemed to be a fundamentally decent chap despite his barbaric notions on equality between the sexes--or worse. i was positive i could shame him into a more rational social behavior and make him give himself up. then he--he--" she pressed her fingernails into her palms and let out a long, glaring sigh at the door. "then he kissed me! oh, it was a good enough kiss--mr. brown has evidently had a varied and colorful background--but the galling idiocy of the man, trying that! i was just getting over the colossal impudence involved in _his_ proposing marriage--as if _he_ had to bear the children!--and was considering the offer seriously, on its merits, as one should consider _all_ suggestions, when he deliberately dropped the pretense of reason. he appealed to me as most of the savage ancients appealed to their women, as an emotional machine. throw the correct sexual switches, says this theory, and the female surrenders herself ecstatically to the doubtful and bloody murk of masculine plans." * * * * * there was a double knock on the door and the captain walked in without waiting for an invitation. he was still holding butt's blaster. he pointed it at me. "get your hands up, ferdinand sparling," he said. i did. "i hereby order your detention for the duration of this voyage, for aiding and abetting a stowaway, as set forth in sections forty-one and forty-five--" "forty-three and forty-five," sis interrupted him, her eyes getting larger and rounder. "but you gave me your word of honor that no charges would be lodged against the boy!" "forty-one and forty-five," he corrected her courteously, still staring fiercely at me. "i looked it up. of the anita mason law, emergency interplanetary directives. that was the usual promise one makes to an informer, but i made it before i knew it was butt lee brown you were talking about. i didn't want to arrest butt lee brown. you forced me. so i'm breaking my promise to you, just as, i understand, you broke your promise to your brother. they'll both be picked up at new kalamazoo spaceport and sent terraward for trial." "but i used all of our money to buy passage," sis wailed. "and now you'll have to return with the boy. i'm sorry, miss sparling. but as you explained to me, a man who has been honored with an important official position should stay close to the letter of the law for the sake of other men who are trying to break down terrestrial anti-male prejudice. of course, there's a way out." "there is? tell me, please!" "can i lower my hands a minute?" i asked. "no, you can't, son--not according to the armed surveillance provisions of the mother anita law. miss sparling, if you'd marry brown--now, now, don't look at me like that!--we could let the whole matter drop. a shipboard wedding and he goes on your passport as a 'dependent male member of family,' which means, so far as the law is concerned, that he had a regulation passport from the beginning of this voyage. and once we touch venusian soil he can contact his bank and pay for passage. on the record, no crime was ever committed. he's free, the boy's free, and you--" "--are married to an uncombed desperado who doesn't know enough to sit back and let a woman run things. oh, you should be ashamed!" * * * * * the captain shrugged and spread his arms wide. "perhaps i should be, but that's what comes of putting men into responsible positions, as you would say. see here, miss sparling, _i_ didn't want to arrest brown, and, if it's at all possible, i'd still prefer not to. the crew, officers and men, all go along with me. we may be legal residents of earth, but our work requires us to be on venus several times a year. we don't want to be disliked by any members of the highly irritable brown clan or its collateral branches. butt lee brown himself, for all of his savage appearance in your civilized eyes, is a man of much influence on the polar continent. in his own bailiwick, the galertan archipelago, he makes, breaks and occasionally readjusts officials. then there's his brother saskatchewan who considers butt a helpless, put-upon youngster--" "much influence, you say? mr. brown has?" sis was suddenly thoughtful. "_power_, actually. the kind a strong man usually wields in a newly settled community. besides, miss sparling, you're going to venus for a husband because the male-female ratio on earth is reversed. well, not only is butt lee brown a first class catch, but you can't afford to be too particular in any case. while you're fairly pretty, you won't bring any wealth into a marriage and your high degree of opinionation is not likely to be well-received on a backward, masculinist world. then, too, the woman-hunger is not so great any more, what with the _marie curie_ and the _fatima_ having already deposited their cargoes, the _mme. sun yat sen_ due to arrive next month...." * * * * * sis nodded to herself, waved the door open, and walked out. "let's hope," the captain said. "like any father used to say, a man who knows how to handle women, how to get around them without their knowing it, doesn't need to know anything else in this life. i'm plain wasted in space. you can lower your hands now, son." we sat down and i explained the blaster to him. he was very interested. he said all butt had told him--in the lifeboat when they decided to use my arrest as a club over sis--was to keep the safety catch all the way up against his thumb. i could see he really had been excited about carrying a lethal weapon around. he told me that back in the old days, captains--sea captains, that is--actually had the right to keep guns in their cabins all the time to put down mutinies and other things our ancestors did. the telewall flickered, and we turned it on. sis smiled down. "everything's all right, captain. come up and marry us, please." "what did you stick him for?" he asked. "what was the price?" sis's full lips went thin and hard, the way mom's used to. then she thought better of it and laughed. "mr. brown is going to see that i'm elected sheriff of the galertan archipelago." "and i thought she'd settle for a county clerkship!" the captain muttered as we spun up to the brig. the doors were open and girls were chattering in every corner. sis came up to the captain to discuss arrangements. i slipped away and found butt sitting with folded arms in a corner of the brig. he grinned at me. "hi, tadpole. like the splash?" i shook my head unhappily. "butt, why did you do it? i'd sure love to be your brother-in-law, but, gosh, you didn't have to marry sis." i pointed at some of the bustling females. sis was going to have three hundred bridesmaids. "any one of them would have jumped at the chance to be your wife. and once on any woman's passport, you'd be free. why sis?" "that's what the captain said in the lifeboat. told him same thing i'm telling you. i'm stubborn. what i like at first, i keep on liking. what i want at first, i keep on wanting until i get." "yes, but making sis sheriff! and you'll have to back her up with your blaster. what'll happen to that man's world?" "wait'll after we nest and go out to my islands." he produced a hard-lipped, smug grin, sighting it at sis's slender back. "she'll find herself sheriff over a bunch of natives and exactly two earth males--you and me. i got a hunch that'll keep her pretty busy, though." one against the stars by vaseleos garson earth's last hope against the vicious radio-plague. a gleaming ship racing to bring salvation back from venus. and hidden on the ship a thirteenth man--a plague carrier whose touch brought screaming death. [transcriber's note: this etext was produced from planet stories summer 1944. extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the u.s. copyright on this publication was renewed.] this was it. its slim bright shape was earth's last hope. what matter the sweat, the blood and the tears that had gone into each rivet, every plate? what matter the eyes blurred and dulled with plans, blueprints? what matter the cost. this was it. it was done. they stood there--the riveters, the welders; the draughtsmen, the engineers; the mathematicians, the technicians--and there glowed in their eyes a living flame. this was the ship of hope. its rockets flickered into blue flames. their soft purr of power deepened. abruptly, the earth was trembling to the throaty roar of rockets. in its long steel-rollered cradle, the ship trembled. one of the workers, his denim trousers grease-stained, bending down, scooped up a handful of the dust at his feet, flung it at the shining ship. "just for luck," he said. in the glass bulge atop the shining ship, john bairn, the pilot, licked feverish lips. he brushed the black hair away from his gray eyes. his stubby fingers raced over the keys of the control panel before him. his right hand touched--almost reverently--the scarlet handle of the firing lever. he pushed the lever forward one notch ... two ... three.... he braced himself in the hydraulic-cushioned pilot's chair. "venus, here we come!" the rockets roared faintly even in this sound-proofed cubicle. then the pounding blood in his ears washed out all other sound. the pounding in his ears grew throatier, louder. the 9g acceleration blacked him out. that dive was a little too steep, he was thinking, first time i ever blacked out with somebody on my tail. he jerked his head around to see where the butcher was. and then he remembered. he looked ahead. the stars were steady white flames in the black pool of space. ah, there it was! the pale green flame that was venus. somewhere, there, lay earth's salvation. arlington arden, the metal expert, came into the cubicle then, his blond face pale. "some shove, huh?" he opined. bairn nodded, his gray eyes watched the orientation chart whose red and green and yellow lights were flickering in the rhythm that showed they were on the mathematically-charted course. "think the stuff is really there, arlie?" bairn questioned. "we're staking our lives on it, john." "yeah, and the lives of a billion like us. what if it isn't?" "venus' spectrum shows its presence. it's not an emanation that is easily duplicated. if it isn't, it's too much of a grim joke--because the money in this ship could have paid for a thousand experiments. my mary's got a touch of blue coloring in her skin--the first symptom, y'know." "sorry," bairn said, and his voice was soft. "beautiful," arden said. "i hope mary can see it sometime." he was looking out at space, his arms clasped behind him. "it's not like i thought, though--this being the first humans to see the stars away from earth." he stopped. "it's so damn big and beautiful it hurts," he said at last. "yeah, i know," bairn put in. "it makes guys like us feel cheap and small." "no!" the word was explosive. bairn jerked around in the pilot's cradle and stared. arden had a frown on his forehead. "and who in blue blazes are you?" bairn snapped. "joe," the big blocky youngster said, as if that explained everything. "joe, huh?" bairn grunted. "how did you get on this ship?" * * * * * joe's brown eyes stared steadily at bairn, and his big shoulders shrugged. "i stowed away." and then as the two stared blankly at him, he hurried on: "i had to. really. there's a legend in our family that a man named joe will be the first to reach the stars. it was promised way back when. so i had to come. i had to!" bairn grunted again. "isn't much we can do about it now, i guess. but you'll have to earn your way. what can you do?" joe grinned--a big grin that made bairn and arden smile. he shrugged and grinned again. "i don't know. but i'll be good for something. you'll see." "all right. arlie, will you take him down to the rocket room? maybe the gang can find something for him to do." "come on, joe," arden said. joe shook his head. "not just yet," he answered. "i'd like to tell you something first." he pointed out toward the stars. "a minute ago, you said"--he nodded at bairn--"this makes us feel cheap and small. "you're wrong. you're just afraid. all this is man's--yours, mine, ours. it's just so darn big, we don't realize it. but this is our destiny--that's what the prophet said a long time ago. it took a disease like that sweeping the earth now to get us here. but we're here. the stars are our destiny. no sense in being otherwise. no sense in feeling cheap and small." he stopped, looked at bairn and arden. "don't you feel it?" joe asked. "this first time the earth shackles are loosed? don't you feel the power and understanding and strength the stars give you out here? "this is where i belong," joe said. "out here where you can see what you're reaching for. that's why i had to come." he stopped and a slow embarrassed flush crept over his face. "see what i mean?" surprisingly, it was bairn who answered: "thanks, kid, you're good for something all right. i don't know what it is about you, but you give a guy a sense of--peace, i guess you'd say." "belonging?" arden put in. "that it, johnny?" "yeah, that's it," bairn said, and turned back to his orientation board. "so run along, kid." arlie arden, leading the way down the circular staircase that went to the power room, said abruptly: "you're no city man, are you, joe? i've never seen cloth like that made in the cities. that tunic you're wearing looks like it's made up for the north forests." "no," joe answered shortly, "i'm not a city man. i'm a wooder." they left the stairway, moved along a tube passage. "not a member of that crazy cult that wants a back-to-the-forests movement?" joe's denial was quick, and arden looked at him sharply. the stowaway was looking down at his toes as he walked on. arden shrugged. "here," arden said at last, stopping before a huge oval door that jutted from the tube. he twisted a wheel on the door, pushed the heavy portal open. arden watched the stowaway as he stepped into the power room. joe stopped and his brown eyes lifted first, then dropped down to rest on the huge generators that were making the air pulse with vibration. then his eyes moved to the huge dull-metal bulk that occupied the whole far end of the power room. his gaze took in the feeder pipe that evenly cleaved the huge bulk of the machine in half; the long neat rows of switches and valves that broke the austere front of the power plant. joe breathed deep once then turned questioningly to arden who was watching him. * * * * * "that's what drives the ship, joe," arden said. "reduced to its simple terms it's an atom smasher. hidden deep within that bulky outfit lies a block of uranium, constantly bombarded with electrons made a trifle heavier by running up against a magnetic current operating at right angles to them. the resultant disturbance of the uranium is harnessed and fed into the rocket tubes." arden glanced at joe whose eyes were fixed on the feeder pipe. "that's a funny thing, joe, that pipe you're looking at." "why?" "through that pipe comes water." "water?" arden nodded. "for some reason that not even the technicians who worked on that plant know, microscopic jets of water have to be hurled into the chamber with the bombarding particles to cause proper power." "water?" joe asked. "you drive this ship with water?" arden smiled. "yes, water and the help--not negligible either--of uranium. it'll take exactly two hundred and twelve gallons of water to drive to venus, and the same amount back--at least that's what black tom figures." arden nodded to the huge dark-skinned, black-haired man in white coveralls who stood by an instrument panel, checking figures off on a clip board he held. "come on, joe," arden said, heading for a ladder that was bolted to the wall at one side of the huge power room. joe followed up the ladder, was on the heels of arden as the metal expert crawled through a cubbyhole at the top. "see?" arden said straightening up. "water." joe looked at the row of horizontal metal cylinders that stretched before him. the tops of them were a foot taller than his head, and he moved to the side, and counted aloud to eleven before arden said: "we might starve and go naked, but we'll never run out of catalyst or get thirsty," arden opined. "each of those tanks holds six hundred gallons and there're twenty-four of them." joe moved to the nearest of the tanks, rubbed his hands on the moist surfacing and commented absently: "it feels like velvet." arden laughed a little. "come on, joe, i'll turn you over to black tom and he'll put you to work doing something. he never likes to see anyone idle." they crawled out of the wall cubby and down the ladder. a second white-garbed man had joined the power room head and they were talking together as arden and joe approached. "that's whitey burnet," arden said, and started, for joe had halted dead in his tracks. black tom morrissey and burnet turned then. morrissey said, "hello, arlie," briefly and turned back to his gauge panel. burnet stood rigid for a moment at the sight of joe. then with three quick strides burnet was at joe. he said softly: "damn you, joe." and lashed out with a hard fist. the blow caught joe on the cheek, cutting the skin, and staggering him momentarily. joe started to swing his browned fist up, then slowly he lowered it. he looked at burnet with quiet brown eyes. "i can't hit you, paul. you know that." paul's face was white. "no," he said, and he was almost bitter. "i know that." then he turned his back on joe and walked away. arden's blue eyes watched the by-play, observed: "whitey doesn't like you very much, huh?" joe's brown eyes were dull looking as he pulled his gaze from burnet's retreating back and looked at arden. "no," he said, and his voice was flat. "paul doesn't like me much." with an effort he smiled, added: "shall we find out what i can do?" arden nodded.... joe wilding met the rest of the crew at the arbitrary meal that was termed supper. * * * * * joe came in behind arden, and unobtrusively slid to one side of the door, and watched the men around the table laughing and joking. arden said: "fellas, i'd like you to meet a new crew member." the laughing and joking stopped, and the eyes of eleven men measured joe wilding. black tom winked at joe and went back to his eating. whitey burnet, after a brief angry glance, turned back to his plate. arden added: "his name is joe wilding." the others at the table smiled, nodded or spoke according to their habits--except one, a nervous redhead, who stared at joe. then he looked around at the others at the table. he was a little apologetic. the redhead said: "i know this guy. i piloted the ship that took him to the rock for sedition. i don't think we want him on the ship. he's one of those wild ones who tried to kidnap the president." arden grunted: "i thought so." burnet, his normally ruddy face white, reared to his feet: "no!" he shouted. "you're wrong, herd. he was pardoned. i know. they found he had nothing to do with the kidnaping." "maybe so," charlie herd, assistant pilot said, still apologetically. "but i know i took him to the rock--and i didn't hear anything after that about him. but he's the same guy. "he was a wild one," herd said almost dreamily. "he knocked out two of the guards, grabbed one of the chutes and was almost out of the ship before i rolled the crate over and bashed him against the cabin wall." whitey burnet's face was still white. "look," he said. "i don't like joe, but it's something personal. the tribunal found him innocent, so why not give him a chance?" arden turned to joe who still stood by the side of the door, his handsome bronzed face stiff. "well?" arden asked. joe smiled. he said, looking at the red-headed herd: "you're right as far as you went. i was taken to the rock. i did try to break loose. the tribunal found me not guilty and apologized. i was released. and here i am." herd looked back at joe, and then he smiled, half-apologetically: "i'll take you at face value. you look all right." "thanks," joe said. bob and ronnie guetschow, the bulky professor twins, broke the ensuing silence with: "come on and eat." the ice broke silently. arden motioned joe toward an empty chair at the table. joe moved forward, then stopped as his eyes counted the men at the table. "sit down, joe," arden grunted, picking himself a convenient, padded chair. surprisingly, joe shook his head. "no," he said, and for the first time he looked embarrassed. there was a slight flush under his tan. the table talk stopped again. george keating, the thin, wiry electrical engineer, said half-jokingly: "afraid you'll get contaminated?" joe's tan skin lost its red of embarrassment, twisted strangely. "sorry," put in keating hastily. "only joking." joe swallowed. then: "i'm just superstitious, i guess." the words rushed out. "if i sit down, that'll make thirteen." * * * * * ed parman, black-haired assistant to black tom, jumped hastily to his feet. "good gravy, he's right. you sit down, joe, i'll finish my pudding in the corner." joe said: "sit down. i'm used to discomfort. i'm a wooder." he grinned. parman grinned back, started in on his pudding. joe, the men were to notice in the coming days, seemed to make a point of never eating with the bunch after that. but he did it so smoothly, it wasn't offensive.... venus, in the days that followed, grew from a tiny yellow-green flame, that bairn, the pilot, had noticed in the first hours of the flight, to a white globe, just hinting a tint of blue, that began to fill the heavens before him. joe, on an off hour from the power room, sat quietly in the co-pilot's chair, drinking in the planet. he and bairn, usually so taciturn, had talked much in the days of the flight. this day, when joe came in, bairn looked at him with a strange twist to his mouth. he said nothing for quite a while, the two just sitting there, joe looking up and ahead, bairn, apparently preoccupied with figures on his charts. finally bairn said: "has arden said anything to you?" joe shook his head. "no," he said. "why?" bairn, apparently speaking absentmindedly, said: "arlie's wife, mary, has the radio disease. she's in the first stage. has the blue coloring. it means everything to arlie that this ship gets to venus and back. venus has the only radio-active static compound that matches the stuff from the meteorite." "yes," joe said. "i know. it was only luck that scientist, struthers, had that meteorite in the room with him when he had the disease. it cured him. and then scientists and astronomers searched star spectrums to find a match for the color scheme that they found in the meteorite metal." "this ship," bairn put in, "cost billions; it meant the first real cooperative program the world's nations ever had. it would be ghastly if one man caused the destruction of earth's last hope from doom. wouldn't it, joe?" joe's face was grim as he nodded. "how would you feel if you were to blame for drowning out humanity, joe?" joe stood up, and his body was shaking. "tell me, joe," bairn said quietly. "why have you kept yourself from eating with the rest of the guys? why is it when you come here you're always smelling of antiseptic?" there were tears in joe's brown eyes when he faced bairn. "okay, john, what shall i do?" "there's not much harm done yet? arlie says that in the first stages, it's only communicable by contact. but once it gets past that first stage, it goes hog wild. "tell me, joe, when did the nauseous attacks first come?" joe's brown eyes were dead. "two days before the ship left." "you were willing to sacrifice mankind just to see the stars yourself, joe?" it was arlie arden who came in quietly, then. "no," said joe, and then he looked at the two of them. "believe me," he said, and his voice was deep, vibrant. "i was drawn to the ship by a power greater than any of us. i knew the terrible gamble. for if this ship crashes before it gets back to earth with that venus ore, it means the end of man. "i knew that. everything my mind said pointed out the consequences. my mind said no in every possible way. but ... my mind had no chance against the impulse that drove me aboard ship. "somehow i know that my presence on board this ship means the salvation of mankind...." he shook his head at arden whose lips were pursed to speak. "it's not egotism or some crack-brained idea. i couldn't rest until i was aboard ship. i'm chosen to do something to preserve mankind, not destroy it. it's just as if something bigger than me or you or the universe had taken hold of me, placed me here." arden said: "do you know what we're going to do to you, joe?" joe looked at him steadily as arden drew a gun from his pocket. "we're going to kill you and throw you out in space. it's the only way to keep you from contaminating the rest of us." joe said: "you can't." simply, he said it. bairn said quietly. "we will, joe." arden lipped: "do you think we can value one life against earth's billions? this is the ship of hope, joe. this is earth's last chance. if we fail, it's the end. for once the disease starts, there is no stopping it." he leveled the automatic "good-bye, joe." * * * * * joe's body slumped, almost in weakness. then he galvanized into a human whirlwind. the gun cracked but joe was not there. he'd spun quickly, diving for the cubicle door, flinging a chart as he fled. the flying chart disturbed arden's aim. the gun blasted, and joe felt the wind of the bullet fanning his cheek. then joe was in the sloping passageway, sliding down the ramp. he heard the crack and the banshee wail as another bullet struck the duralloy wall and ricocheted. he hurled his body toward the branch passage that led toward the power room, and then a communications speaker ahead of him cried out, bringing arden's voice from the pilot's cubicle: "kill joe wilding--but for your life don't touch him!" joe stopped running abruptly then. he was trapped, for that communications system had outlets all over the ship, and it wouldn't do to advertise his presence by running. only the stealth he'd learned in his years of wooding could help him now. but what good was all his wood training in this huge hulk of shining metal? no chance for camouflage, no chance to dive into a creek and swim away so that your spoor could be lost in the swirling water. and then joe smiled and began to run softly. he had a place to hide if he could make it. the quick pat of hurrying steps stopped him short and his quick mind hurled his body to the side of the passage and asprawl on the floor where the lights cast a shadow. it was paul burnet hurrying up the passage, the light glinting on the butt of the automatic belted at his waist. only for an instant did burnet hesitate, then he ran on. his voice drifted back softly: "i'm giving _you_ another chance. we're even now, joe." joe rose to his feet and hurried on to the power room. joe halted, breathing deeply. black tom would be too interested in his charts to hear what little sound he might make. at the huge oval door leading into the power room, joe halted, breathing deeply. then, quietly, easily, he swung open the heavy door, stepped inside, his eyes searching for black tom. softly, he pulled the portal closed, stood there breathing in long, quiet breaths. then he moved across the huge power room, feet moving as cautiously as if he were stalking a deer in the autumn woods. black tom's head was bent over a report sheet, his fingers were busy with a pencil. he shook his head, and joe was motionless. then a chuckle came from black tom's lips, and under cover of the sound, joe made for the ladder leading to the water compartment. black tom's head lifted as if startled; his head began to turn toward the exit door. joe went up the ladder like a frightened monkey, fairly blasted himself through the cubbyhole at the top and then rolled quietly inside. he lay there, his heart pounding with the quick exertion as he heard black tom's footsteps moving across the floor. he held his breath; black tom's grunt of puzzlement came muted to his ears. the footsteps returned to the chart table, and joe risked a look to see black tom's head once more bent in study. joe lifted himself to his feet, went over and touched the wet surface of the first of the water cylinders reverently. he walked on down the line, patting each of the huge tanks till he had reached the last. his arms reached up, his hands gripped the top of the cylinder and the sinewy muscles in his back and arms lifted himself to the top of it. then he slid down from the top into the wedge shaped space between the circumference of the tank and the bulwark of the wall. this was sanctuary, joe thought. like a cave in the forest when the wolf-pack keened out their howls for your blood. only different. for it was your friends who wanted to kill you. in the darkness, joe's teeth gleamed in a quick smile. then joe fell asleep. * * * * * arden was weary when he met john bairn coming down from his time of duty in the pilot cubicle. "he's gone," arden said. "just as if he had stepped out into space. now we're worse off than ever." bairn nodded, said: "i get it. if he's on this ship, he'll have to come in for food; we won't know what he's touched. maybe one of the more susceptible among us with a scratch may touch something he had and won't know. the infected one will pass like the touch of death among us." arden said: "everything we know he might have touched has been destroyed or disinfected, but there may have been something we missed. damn him!" arden's voice was flat, hopeless. "it's hard to imagine joe as the destroyer he is. i talked to him by the hour. i liked him; and even now, when i know what a potential of death he is--that's what makes me so damn mad." "tomorrow," arden said abruptly. "tomorrow we'll know if this cruise is in vain." bairn amended it: "tomorrow, we land on venus; if the stuff's there, okay. if it isn't, we won't have to worry about joe wilding any more." * * * * * joe didn't know what time it was when it happened. but he knew the first leg of the journey was over. that steady thrumming of the motors that had worked its way into his body so that it had become a part of him drew away gradually and left a sense of emptiness behind. joe climbed down from his hiding place, flexed his cramped muscles and stood erect. he faced the wall, the blank duralloy steel wall and stared as if his eyes could pierce the opaqueness and look out upon venus. he stood there a long time, his hands clenched into hard fists at his side, bright-eyed and staring. "god!" he whispered. how did it look out there on venus--on that planet when this first earth ship landed? was it like earth--friendly, familiar? or inimical, alien? if he came out now, he could see it with his own wondering eyes--and die. if he stayed here, he might never see it. but his mission was not fulfilled. somehow, quite clearly, he realized that. so joe crawled back into his metal cave, into the darkness. the only sound in the quiet water compartment was a muffled sobbing. * * * * * arden it was who closed the heavy door to the chamber. "that's it," he said, and his voice was a caress. "there's enough of it in that lead-lined vault to rid the world. it's up to you, john, to take us safely home." some one of the men said: "how about wilding?" a hush came to the room, a silence tight and somehow menacing. arden's voice was harsh: "he can't hurt us now. we have the metal to cure us if he should contaminate us." whitey burnet said: "why not cure him?" "no," said arden. "i have the key to the vault. if one of us is infected, i'll open it and treat him. but joe wilding deserves to die. it wasn't his fault that we are still uninfected. he was willing to destroy the earth in order to be here. that threat is gone now, but he must suffer." "arlie," bairn said softly. "would mary want you to let joe wilding die?" arden spoke coldly: "did wilding care about mary when he stowed away on this ship?" bairn had no answer. * * * * * joe wilding was restless. even the fiery fever that racked him could not quiet him. he paced the long water compartment, legs weary but restless. he couldn't stand it here much longer; he had to get out into the light, out where he could move and see and feel something besides the dampness dripping upon him, the quick mutter of the pumps as they drove the catalyst to the firing chambers. he walked to the cubbyhole, looked down into the power room. whitey burnet was there, alone. impulsively, joe wilding climbed out of the cubbyhole and down the ladder. "paul," he said softly. "i'm hungry." paul burnet turned slowly. "hello, joe." they stood there, the two of them. whitey burnet, immaculate in his white work clothes; joe wilding, a heavy growth of beard on his face, his tunic dirtied, his hair mussed. "i gave you your chance, joe. just as you gave me mine. we're even." burnet turned to the communications phone, then turned back suddenly. "now you know, joe. now you know how i felt. you know how it is to be hunted, to be afraid of your own shadow, to know what a despicable creature you are. to be followed by a fear that freezes your guts--" "but i'm not afraid, paul. i'm just hungry, and tired of being alone." "i was alone, joe." "no, paul, you weren't alone, ever. carol's thoughts were ever of you. i hunted you the world over; but you always ran away. you never would give me a chance. and carol's letters always came back marked: 'no such person at this address'." paul's voice was almost mocking: "even now you act the gentleman, pretending. i hate your guts, joe wilding. but for you, carol and i would have been married long ago. i liked you once, joe wilding, i even thought what a wonderful brother-in-law you'd make. even now, i find myself liking you a little bit--but god knows i don't know why." "you'd better call them, whitey," joe said. "no, not yet. you saved my life when you dragged me away that day my kidnap plan failed. you carried me, fractured skull and all, away from the greatest chance a man ever had to make this a real world. if we had got the president we could have forced the wildwood doctrine down the people's throats." joe shook his head. "the people won't take forced medicine. they must have sugar-coated pills to cure them and lead them right." whitey cut in: "then you made me promise i'd quit. and you told carol of my plot, and she wouldn't look me in the face when i came." "she cried her eyes out when you left. she asked me to find you and bring you back. but you wouldn't listen." then, softly, "she's still waiting, paul. waiting for you." paul stood tensely, his eyes searching joe's bearded face. the atomic motor thrummed quietly. "you'd better call them, paul." whitey jumped unexpectedly, as the shrill keening of the danger siren suddenly keened into the power room. bairn's voice cracked through the speaker: "grab something, guys. a meteor, and we can't dodge!" like an exclamation point to his words came the heeling crash. * * * * * joe and paul were flung to the floor as the ship rocked and heaved. the lights went out, the motors suddenly cut off. there was a shuddering scream as metal tore; the air turned hot and dry. [illustration: _hell burst in the engine room._] the ship kept rocking as if caught in a great stormy sea. rolling on the floor, joe heard a deep roar that was beginning to grow shrill. a warning bell was ringing in his head; then he realized it was the bell signaling escaping air. then he was on his feet, holding himself against the heeling motion of the ship, crying out: "paul, where are you? paul, paul, paul...." "here," whitey's voice was weak, but joe followed it. he found paul, heaved him to his shoulders and staggered away toward a wall. it was the wall to the passageway he decided dully and felt along it until he found the door. it opened easily as if pushed by a giant hand. he struggled hard to get across the threshold against the pushing air. he made it, dropped paul to the passageway. then he tugged desperately against the pull of the air against the door as he dragged it shut. somehow, he got it closed, twisted the locking lever. he sat down against the wall of the passage and breathed in long, shallow breaths. in the darkness, he heard paul's voice: "did you mean that about carol," paul asked, and his heart was in it. "yes," said joe. "she's still waiting for you to come back to her." it was quiet there for a moment, with only the muted ringing of the bell from the power room seeping through the wall. joe said: "did i hurt you when i dropped you, paul?" "not much," burnet answered. "my head's a little dizzy, but it takes more than an easy jar like that to make it dangerous. forget it." "but how did you get through the physical for the trip? the metal plate in your skull should have barred you." "i'm one of the few who know what the power plant here is like, remember? besides, the physical wasn't too steep. and joe, i'm sorry i was such a heel to sock you when you couldn't hit me back. you'd have killed with the blow." "i know," said joe. he heard paul breathing in harsh gasps. "paul," he said anxiously. "it's all right." "but it isn't! here, i'll carry you to the first aid room." joe got up, lifted paul to his shoulders. joe had carried paul perhaps a hundred feet when lights flickering on the walls and the sound of footsteps signaled the advance of the others. "so," came arden's voice as the beam from a flashlight centered on joe's face, "the rat came out of his hole." after the blackness, the light hurt joe's eyes and he lowered his head. arden came forward quickly, slapped joe openhanded across the mouth. "i've waited a long time for this!" he slapped him again, and joe felt the blood trickling from his lips. joe lowered paul burnet easily to the floor. he wiped his lips with the back of his hand, said: "you don't understand. i'm bringing paul, he's hurt. his skull was fractured a long time ago, and it's reacting." he knelt beside burnet, took the hurt man's wrist. "how are you now, paul?" burnet smiled weakly: "a little better." arden kicked joe aside: "keep your diseased hands off him, traitor." joe got wearily to his feet. "arden," he said, "bairn told me how upset you are about your wife. that's why i excused those slaps. but this--" joe's right arm drew back swiftly, drove his doubled fist to arden's jaw. arden dropped as if the floor had fallen from under him. "that tears it, joe," bairn said. "i'm sorry, joe. but we have no recourse but to lock you up. you're a walking plague, and socking arden was the last straw." from the floor, burnet said weakly: "but arden had it coming...." "we can't be the judge of that. joe is worth no consideration now. don, lock joe up in one of the empty storage rooms, but don't get near him." "right," said timnson, the mathematician. "come on, wilding." joe started to move away, stopped and said: "see that one of the twins looks after paul, will you?" "go on," said bairn. joe went ahead of timnson. * * * * * the heavy door clanged shut behind joe, and he was alone in the darkness. the motors were still silent, and he wondered how much damage the meteorite had done to the ship. he felt his way to the communications phone, unhooked it. but the steady hum that signified that it was alive was absent. even the call speaker gave no sound. wearied, joe sat down against the wall, and despite the hunger feeling throbbing in his stomach fell asleep. it was the overhead light shining into his eyes that awakened him. his ears sought for the sound of the motors, no familiar thrum. the wandering meteor must have done quite a bit of damage. the communications phone buzzed. joe answered. "hello, joe," it was burnet's voice. "how are you, paul? the dizziness gone?" "right, but i guess it doesn't do any good. we're not going anywhere." burnet's voice was a little strained. "why?" put in joe. "that damn meteor knocked hell out of the rear blasting tubes, and some of the fellows are outside trying to replace the busted ones. but even if they get it fixed we're still derelict. that meteor took all of our water, and i guess you know what that means." joe was silent. then: "no catalyst, no move, is that it, paul?" "uh huh," paul answered, "no h-2-o, no go." "the cans," joe said, abruptly. "cans?" paul questioned over the wire. "cans?" "sure," said joe, and he was breathless as he hurried on. "paul, all that canned food. there's water in them. and there must be some water left in the pipes to the kitchen and the lav? have they thought of that?" "yes," said paul. "the pipes, i mean, not the cans. arden and bairn are having the pipes pumped out now, doc guetschow tells me. but i'll pass along the can suggestion." "was it really bad?" joe asked. "sure, they got the power room sealed again. but that water compartment was mashed to junk, and the water just went pftt! it's a good thing you got out there when you did, or you'd have been pftt! too. i'll ring you back with any later developments." joe pronged the receiver. he began to pace the room. he couldn't stay in here. there must be something he could do out there. but this room was better than any prison. his eyes searched the room. joe's eyes were sparkling all of a sudden. bless the planners who laid out this ship! he broke the heavy crowbar from the emergency wall chest. he twisted the heavy steel in the locking mechanism on the inner panel of the door. bracing his feet against the door and drawing the heavy bar toward him, he strained desperately. he knew from his meandering around the ship that the locking device was only to insure the doors would not open accidentally. the muscles in his back and shoulders bulged so that the tunic he wore split down the back. he tugged until his muscles quivered with the strain. he should break loose now so he could open the door from the inside. but nothing happened. * * * * * joe relaxed, stood back and wiped the sweat from his brow; the lack of food had weakened him. the locking mechanism should have given way. once more he inserted the bar in the device. once more he called on his wood-trained muscles. he tried desperately this time, exerting all the strength he could summon. blackness threatened to engulf. then as if in a dream, he heard the muffled cling! that meant the device had snapped. he fell to the floor, his breath coming in sobs. then he quieted, lifted his body up, and twisted the wheel. it turned easily, and the door pulled open at his tug. he came out into the passageway to face arden, gun drawn. arden cursed softly: "won't you stay put, joe?" joe shrugged. "you need me," he said. "need you?" repeated arden. "need you to infect us so we can't get the ship going again." joe watched arden, then he said: "arden, why not cure me; then i won't be dangerous and i can help?" "no." arden's voice was flat. "i'm the only man on ship who knows how to give the treatment, and you're not getting any. your life is forfeit for what you almost managed to do." "you won't stop me, now, arden," joe said. "you can barely see me now, and you're trying so hard to keep from vomiting out your guts. you've got the radio disease; why don't you cure yourself?" joe moved back slowly; arden's gun followed him hesitantly. "you," arden said. "you did it. you gave it to me." the gun steadied. "no," joe said. "you had it before i ever came aboard ship. but you didn't know it, did you, arden? you're a carrier, and you came to the ship straight from your wife." arden shook his head weakly. "i took the usual tests; it showed me free of it." "but you know the usual tests, arden; you know you can't tell for sure until you get the nausea. and it acts at varying speeds with different people, doesn't it?" arden's fingers whitened on the gun; and joe leapt aside suddenly. the shot blasted out. then the gun dropped from arden's fingers and he fell forward on his face, retching. joe lifted the fallen metal expert almost tenderly, and carried him toward the hospital room. when he brought his burden in, joe saw burnet sitting on the edge of the bed, slipping on his sandals. doc guetschow, one of the professor twins, was remonstrating with him, trying to keep him in bed. burnet shook himself free and stood up. then he saw joe placing arden's body on the bed. "well!" joe turned and smiled. then he was serious: "arden's got the radio disease." "your fault, joe," burnet said. "he was right." "no," joe said doggedly. "he had it when he came aboard, too. he's got it bad, too. see what you can do for him, doc." then joe trotted out of the hospital room, and headed for the kitchen storerooms. wick wilson, who doubled as cook and metallurgist, was opening cans and draining off the liquid into a tub. "help?" asked joe. wick wilson looked at joe briefly, said: "i thought you were in the brig." then, "sure, lug the tub down to the power room. we're trying to get enough water out of the juice to make catalyst." joe hoisted the tub to one shoulder. "how about something to eat?" wick went into the kitchen, pulled a half chicken out of the refrigerator, brought back. "southern fried," he said. "it'll hold you together." joe bit off a chunk and carried the rest in one hand as he balanced the tub of fruit and vegetable juices on one shoulder and strode from the room. * * * * * black tom was putting the finishing touches on a metal cylinder he had salvaged from some of the shattered tanks. as joe came in the power room door, black tom asked: "how does it look? been a long time since i did any welding, but it'll hold water." black tom and herd, the assistant pilot, had bolted the jury rigged tank to the floor, and had, through some amateur plumbing work, hooked up a pipe system to the atomic motor. joe jerked his chicken-filled hand at the tub on his shoulder. "where does this juice go?" morrissey apparently had just realized that joe was free. he looked at him blankly for a moment. "dump it in the tank," he said, pointing to the metal ladder leaning against the tank. "but keep your distance," he added. "we don't want to catch the plague." joe grinned, stuffed the remainder of the chicken in his mouth, carried the tub up the ladder, and dumped the conglomerated juices into the circular opening at the top of the tank. joe came down the ladder. "got enough yet?" he questioned. "hell, no," exploded black tom. "look at the gauge we rigged up. here." joe looked at the gauge affixed to the side of the tank. it was about two inches below a chalk line black tom had drawn. "the white line marks the absolute minimum of water we need to get the ship within gravitational pull of the earth; from there in it's up to our extensor vanes." "how much do you need yet?" joe asked. black tom grunted. "about twelve gallons--and if those juices run out, we'll have to do some wholesale lemon and orange squeezing." joe started to turn. black tom said: "thanks, joe, for the can suggestion. it may pull us through." joe nodded, went up with his tub for another load of juice. when he had dumped the second load in, he said: "wick's got whitey, ronnie guetschow and keating squeezing lemons. this is the last of the loose juice." he shook his head to clear his mind, said briefly, "excuse me," and hurriedly left the power room. when he came back, his face pale, his limbs shaking from the retching stomach, bairn and ed parman were talking to black tom. * * * * * bairn looked serious. "hell," he said. "it would boil down to that. the motor's okay, ed says. but i don't know where in blue blazes we're going to get enough water. timnson's got the hydraulic press from the workroom rigged up squeezing out the garbage we didn't dump." he turned to black tom: "you're sure your sand filter will take all the solids out, so it won't plug up the water jets?" black tom nodded. it was then bairn noticed joe. bairn said wearily: "haven't you caused enough grief, joe? arden's sick with the disease because of you. you've been a jinx ever since the trip started. why don't you crawl in a hole and die?" "i'm trying to help," joe said. "nuts," said bairn tiredly. then he turned to black tom. "we've got gasoline galore for operating the electrical units. think gas'll work?" "no," tom said briefly. joe's stomach was beginning to quiver again, and the figures of tom, bairn and parman were weaving. he could feel his pulses pounding raggedly, as if a million drummers were anxious to keep out of tempo. he forced himself to walk slowly from the room, but the dizziness caught him at the door and he had to hang on to the lever to keep from keeling over. his thoughts were kaleidoscoping, but one finally broke through clearly. it was the answer. he pulled himself erect, said through feverish lips: "bairn...." bairn said, without turning his head: "beat it, joe!" "please, john," joe said, "i know where to get more water." he staggered toward the three men, the floor rocking under him. he felt his mind shouting the words, but his desperate mind couldn't make his lips move. his eyes wouldn't focus; his legs wouldn't work. he only half-felt the hurt as his head struck the power room floor. "good," said bairn, almost pleased. "that's taking care of him. parman, shove him over in the corner. better put these rubber gloves on." it was a good three hours later when bairn and black tom stood at the gauge measuring the height of the water in the tank. "not good enough," black tom said. "if we don't crash on the moon, we'll end up as a satellite. that's all the water we can squeeze out of it." "damn," breathed bairn, "another gallon would take us home. but there isn't another lick of water on the ship." he checked off on his fingers: "the lav, the connecting pipes, the canned food, the garbage, the storage batteries, that does it, guys, i guess." the others stood quietly. bairn went on: "we might as well get going. maybe, the fruit juice has got more umph to it than the water, and we might coast in. but black tom says we've got enough to reach the moon's orbit track, but not enough to reach the gravity pull of the earth. "we've done all we can," he said. "now it's up to whatever providence watches over people like us." he licked dry lips and smiled. * * * * * the muted thrumming of the atomic motor gradually worked its way into joe's consciousness. he moved wearily, and then his mind, short-circuited by the ravages of the fever, cleared itself and he became aware of his surroundings. how long he'd lain there, joe couldn't tell as he staggered to his feet and toward the door. he had the answer, if he could make bairn listen. his glazed eyes stared around the power room. there was no one there. he weaved toward the water gauge, stared at it for a long time before it registered. why, his mind said dully, the tank's almost empty. joe staggered for the door. the door was a ton weight that fought against him to open it. when it finally opened, he left it that way. he got outside in the passageway, and his stomach rebelled. he was very sick for many moments. he crawled and staggered up the circular stairway toward the pilot's cubicle. his body was bruised and hurting from the many times his weak legs had betrayed him before he reached the door to the cubicle. he couldn't move the lever to the door. he tried to shout, but his voice was hoarse, weak. he pounded with both hands against the thick metal. but there was no answer. once again, he was sick. then wearily he retraced his footsteps, pounded lengthily on each door with his weakened muscles. they couldn't hear him, a bitter voice nagged at him. he had the answer, and they wouldn't listen. he didn't feel the pain as he rolled down the circular steps and lay at the bottom in a heap. somehow he moved on, crawling. if they couldn't listen, he'd have to do it. he reached the door to the power room, lifted his body across the threshold, and then weakness held him motionless. was this it, his heart questioned. this was what he had to do before the radio disease got him, wasn't it. he couldn't see, he couldn't hear, he couldn't feel. oh, god, he couldn't even think. was this it? his heart asked again. whatever the answer, it was somehow adequate ... for joe's body, weakened by the life-sucking plague moved slowly ... so very slowly.... * * * * * "we've nearly reached the last of the catalyst, if black tom's figures are right," bairn said to the men crowded into the pilot's cubby. "there's earth," parman said, and his voice was a caress. the whole crew was there in the cubby, save for arden and burnet and the medical guetschow twin. doc guetschow was down in sick bay with the other two, burnet's head having started to act up again after three days without water. "tom, you're sure your figures are right?" the other guetschow twin asked. "much as i hate to say it, yes. only a few hundred miles and we're finished." tom licked his puffed lips. it was quiet there in the cubby as the atomic motor drove the ship at tremendous speed through the void. "can't we coast in?" parman asked. "we've got tremendous acceleration." "but not enough," bairn said, "with the moon's gravitation field to reckon with." all their hearts must have stopped then, when the steady thrum became a staccato beat. "this is it," bairn said. the staccato turned to a broken rhythm, hesitated, and finally halted. "god," said herd, the co-pilot apologetically, "if the moon weren't around to hold us back." but it was there, looming huge and ugly off the starboard side. parman said: "i can feel it pulling." the strain made two or three of them giggle. bairn said as if to a naughty child: "it isn't that strong, ed." bairn's hand moved to click off the firing lever when the motors suddenly broke into thrumming life. the inertia of new flight came to the ship again. * * * * * they made a frozen tableau, those men standing in the pilot's cubby. ed parman was the first to break the tableau. he slumped to the floor, and lay there, his shoulders shaking convulsively. "herd," bairn said suddenly, "take over. come on, tom. whatever did this is in the power room." "joe?" herd asked. "i don't know." the two of them fled, leaving behind them, parman on his knees staring at the void, the others half-crying, half-laughing. bairn and black tom morrissey came into the power room. they stood awed at what they saw. joe was there. bairn said finally, voice as soft as the night wind over earth: "joe was right. he was good for something after all." tenderly, he and black tom lifted joe's dead body down from the tank, laid him gently on the floor. "the only thing we forgot, tom," bairn said. "_blood._" crimson still oozed slowly from joe wilding's cut wrists. there was a smile on his dead lips. for it was a man named joe who was the first to reach the stars--and the roaring rockets had scattered his eternal life across the star trails. passage to planet x by henry hasse they trailed a legend through the void, seeking a world of freedom, adventure and wealth. they reached their goal, a planet beyond all planets, a weird land of the lost--where silent death prepared to strike. [transcriber's note: this etext was produced from planet stories winter 1945. extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the u.s. copyright on this publication was renewed.] mark travers hoisted himself up from the floor. he leaned against the supply locker, rubbed his aching jaw where the big man's fist had just landed, and grinned ruefully. the big spaceman didn't grin. he faced mark straddle-legged and snapped, "who are you?" "mark travers." his smooth gray eyes surveyed the man's bulk. he thought he could handle him, but filed it for future reference when he saw the neutro-gun in the other's fist. "travers, eh. a blasted stowaway! you come aboard at marsport?" "obviously." "how?" "it was easy," mark shrugged. "your ship was small, dark, and carried no insignia. i watched your men loading supplies secretly. furthermore, you hadn't filed your destination with central bureau. just the kind of set-up i wanted." "you know a lot," the big spaceman's eyes went hard. "are you a sneaking i-s-p? never mind. i'll see for myself!" he came a step forward, and his gun got playful with the third button on mark's plasticoid shirt. expertly the man's fingers went over him. "careful, there, i'm ticklish!" "so's the release on this trigger, so just stand still." mark stood still. the search revealed no papers or identification of any kind. "i'm not i-s-p," mark told him sincerely. "if i were, do you think you'd ever have lifted gravs from marsport?" "okay, fella. i'm mal driscoll. sorry i had to clip you so hard, but you never should have pointed that contraption at me when i stepped in here. so help me, i thought it was some new kind of weapon." his eyes narrowed. "what is it?" for a mere second mark hesitated. he glanced down at the small, stub-lensed box which he had clung to. "why, it's--only a camera. new type, invention of my own." driscoll nodded. "come on, stowaway. we'll go up and see janus. no skin off my teeth, if he wants to keep you aboard." they stepped out of the room and along a corridor, bracing themselves against the forward thrust of the rocket engines. "who's janus?" "our commander." "and what if he doesn't want me aboard?" unobserved, mark pressed a hidden stud in the black box. tiny but powerful coils hummed to life, quickly ascended the scale to the inaudible. camera? mark smiled to himself and hoped none of the men here knew anything about cameras! "you know the space-code on that," driscoll answered his question. "if it is so desired, stowaways are tossed into space." mark racked his brain. "i don't remember that in the interplanetary code!" driscoll turned, grinned at him. "who's talking about interplanetary code? we make our own!" * * * * * janus was in a forward cabin poring over charts on a glass-topped table. three other men were lounging there. janus was six-feet-four, with bulk to match. he had flaming red hair and an outlandish full beard that made a vivid splash against the drab gray of his insulated tunic. he scowled fiercely as the two men entered. driscoll pushed mark forward. "found this stowaway in the supply room. says his name is mark travers. i don't think he's i-s-p, though." janus' deep-set gray eyes seemed to bore through mark, then they flashed to the black box. "what's that?" "new-design projection camera. it--" "put it here," janus indicated the corner of his desk. mark did so with some reluctance. this man was no fool! the other three men had come down off their bunks and stood there watching. one of them, mark noticed, was a martian. "now. why are you here?" "you seemed to be the sort of men i wanted to join up with." "i said why?" mark wondered if this man would believe him. he didn't think so. nevertheless, he'd already made up his story so he drew a long breath and told it: "i was with tri-planet news service working out of chicago. i happened to uncover a huge spacer contract graft. i got the names of the higher ups, photostatic copies of incriminating documents--everything. but the men involved happened to be _too_ high up; my story was squashed before it ever reached the wires. i would have been, too, permanently, but i escaped to mars--" janus was laughing at him behind that red beard. mark was sure of it. he shrugged and didn't attempt to go on with the fabrication. it had been a good try, anyway. janus said dryly: "now tell me the real story. or shall i tell you? you received one of the typical binwi offers. you're running away to cool off, or maybe to keep your invention out of their hands. is it this--ah--camera?" janus glanced at the compact box lying there. "that's right," mark admitted, marvelling at this man. "they made me several offers but i wouldn't come through. the last one was 'typical', all right--backed up by some of their hired thugs." "why didn't you tell me this in the first place?" "i wasn't sure how you felt about the binwi." mark was still wary. "the same as you do, although i've never had any contact with them personally. my special peeve is the tri-planet council, and the binwi is a subsidiary. bureau for the investigation of new and worthy inventions. a laugh, ain't it?" mark didn't think so. "that bureau," he said, "is an octopus preying on the inventive genius of three planets! their spies are everywhere, moving unseen, biding their time. you know the new anti-grav deflectors the patrollers are using? a man named anton kramer worked that out. he had it near perfection when he suddenly disappeared. a month later the deflectors came on the market." mark's voice was bitter. "there've been dozens of other cases. the binwi usually gets what it wants, even if it means murder." janus nodded. "there's a man aboard who'll agree with you on that! professor brownell. perhaps you shall meet him--later." he turned his gaze to the four crew members. "all right, men, how about mark travers? do we accept him as one of us? a vote is in order." "how do we know he's not a binwi spy himself?" asked a small man with piercing black eyes. "he seems to know a lot about 'em!" "i'm convinced he's not, ferris. we covered brownell's trail too well for that. let's have the vote." the "ayes" were unanimous and suddenly these men were friendly, smiling, as they stepped forward to shake mark's hand. they were good handshakes, firm and calloused. only ferris' was reluctant. "there's one thing more," janus said quietly. "we'll need your picture for our--shall we say--rogue's gallery? i insist on that. perhaps i can take it now--with your camera." he reached to the black box on his desk, lifted it carelessly up. * * * * * mark found himself staring full into the stub-nosed lenses. sudden sweat broke on his brow. his gaze lifted and met janus' gray eyes, straight and steady upon him. "wait!" "what? not camera shy, are you?" janus' fingers seemed to fumble, but his gaze never left mark's face. "the lens isn't set! it--it's special, you know." mark stepped forward. his limbs seemed wooden. he took the box from janus' hands, and pretending to adjust the lens, his thumb found the hidden stud and released it. the hum of the inner coils descended the scale again, became audible for a split second but only to mark's ears; then they were dead. he let out a slow breath, handed the box back. "okay now. shoot." janus waved it away. "oh, well, it can wait. we'll get it later." he came around the desk, thrust out his hand. "welcome aboard, travers! you're one of us." mark suddenly knew that janus knew his secret ... but somehow he wasn't worried. he wondered if any of the others had noticed the by-play; moreover, he wondered what being "one of them" meant.... he was soon to know. at that moment a voice sliced through the radio. "callisto calling! earth-station six on callisto! we have had you in our beam for the past twenty minutes. you are out of bounds and you display no insignia. as this is a violation of the space-code, you will go into a drift immediately and await the patrollers who will escort you to callisto for investigation! refusal to obey constitutes outlawry against the federation, and the patrol will act accordingly!" the men weren't startled. if anything they were amused. the one named dethman simply straightened away from the radio and his hard, square face broke into a grin. "think of it, men, we're being outlawed! now ain't that one for the books?" the face of ral kaarj, the martian, was blank and leathery. his heavy-lidded eyes blinked once or twice, but only his incongruously high-pitched voice revealed his emotions. "tri-planet federation!" he shrilled. "out of bounds! by the red tails of all the oogs on venus, ain't anyone supposed to venture beyond the asteroids?" "not without sanction of those gray-beards in the council," janus said, "and the earth corporations who are the real power. you know how they try to squelch men like us, free-footers who won't play ball with 'em." he flicked open the communicator to brownell in the control room. "how about it, prof? get that message?" "yes," mark heard a voice reply. "all right, we'll go into a drift. let the patrollers come, we'll give 'em a show!" "right! need any help?" "no, but keep the communicator open. and take a look in the v-panel if you want." brownell actually seemed pleased! janus clicked on the visipanel, turned the magnifying dials. callisto was seen in the swimming blackness of space with the huge bulk of jupiter as a backdrop. under janus' sure fingers the scene expanded, came nearer. minutes passed; then they saw six patrollers speeding out to meet them. brownell had cut rockets and they were in a drift now, waiting. waiting for what, mark wondered. these patrollers were speedy ships and deadly, equipped with atomo-bombs, dis-rays and magnetic beams! he shifted nervously. the patrollers came very near. then they broke formation, arraying themselves three on each side of the outlaw ship. magnetic beams, pale green and swirling, reached out to touch the hull. they fastened there tenaciously. in this manner they began the route back to callisto. even janus seemed a little worried now. he turned to the communicator. "how about it, professor? those beams are powerful? think you can slip out?" "wait and see; i promised a show, didn't i? tell you what, though, better break out the acceleration harness!" * * * * * these were suits within suits, double layers of tough plasticoid. mark stepped into his, opened the pressure valve that forced air between the two thicknesses. the outer one ballooned, giving a grotesque, roly-poly appearance. he bounced hard against the wall to test it. "better open them full," janus advised. they were ready. they stood against the far wall and watched the screen across the room. callisto was looming. they'd soon be within its gravity. ferris, standing beside mark, said in a low voice: "what kind of a news-man are you, travers? y'oughta be getting pictures of this. make swell release stuff when you get back to earth." his tone was mocking. mark felt a growing dislike of this man. he suppressed a retort, said curtly instead: "too late now." he had placed his "camera" safely in an inside pocket. the patrollers' magnetic beams still towed them along at terrific speed, setting up a slight vibration in the walls. suddenly there was a new kind of vibration. mark didn't know what it was. certainly not rocket tubes. "get set!" janus warned. someone muttered: "if he slips out of six magnetic beams--" but that was all. a fierce surge came beneath their feet, and callisto seemed to leap at them. within seconds a ghastly nausea gripped their insides. the ballooning suits were pressed so flat against the wall it became impossible to breathe! their hearts pumped sluggishly, and a gray veil began to form before their eyes.... these were men so accustomed to hardships that space-acceleration meant nothing, but now they were experiencing something new in acceleration. they felt as if their entrails were being compressed into atoms! mark could barely see the screen now. the way callisto was rushing at them he felt sure the planet was going to blank them out. he tried to shut his eyes, but even his eyelids wouldn't move! then callisto slipped off the screen, and mark knew they must have made a sharp parabola. two of the patrollers were glimpsed far behind, reaching out futilely with dis-rays. even as he struggled for breath, mark wanted to laugh; but the desire left him suddenly as the tremendous bulk of jupiter loomed. if they escaped that gravity-and they did. they came close, but their parabola tightened, then they were pulling away. speed remained constant as jupiter faded. mark could breathe again but he ached through every inch of his body. he could only think wearily. this, he thought--this meant they must have accelerated to the sixth, seventh or even eighth magnitude! ii phillias brownell was a tough little character. he still breathed with difficulty as janus unstrapped him from the pneumatic seat, and his face was ashen; but he hoisted himself up to his full stature of five feet five and his gray hair bristled. he went to work over the control console, jabbing hard at gleaming buttons and adjusting the complex set-up. by now jupiter was fast fading in the darkness behind them. "all right," he announced finally, "we're on robot control. we can rest easy for a while." he sneered in the direction of jupiter. "we showed 'em some speed, eh? so they want my frequency tuner, do they? let them come and get it! the dolts, the moronic interfering meddlers!" janus plainly showed his relief, as he winked at mark, who said, "that was some chance you took. suppose it hadn't worked?" "but it did work! that was the final test, and it was necessary. i had to know how it would react against the beams." mark ventured a question. "frequency tuner? is that what gave you the acceleration? i knew it wasn't rocket power!" brownell turned piercing black eyes upon him. "eh? janus, who is this?" janus vouched for mark, explained his presence aboard. he added: "the bureau's after an invention of his, too. a camera." the professor was startled. "did you say a camera? since when do they--" "ah, but mark's is a very special camera." janus smiled maddeningly, but in the next instant was clapping a friendly hand on mark's shoulder. "don't worry, travers, your secret's safe with us. we don't ask questions. you've a right to know our destination, though; come on, i'll show you." they repaired to the chart room, where janus indicated a moving red line on a glass-encased chart of the solar system. other lines were being traced, too, at various angles to their trajectory. "the red line is our present trajectory. the others are the orbits of the planets. see, there's jupiter behind us; notice how close we came." mark nodded. already in his mind's eye he was extending their present parabola. distances between these outer planets were vast beyond imagining! saturn was just in sight, but at their present speed they would probably cross its orbit far in advance of the planet. then came uranus, and next neptune. the space between neptune and pluto was vaster than all. mark felt just a little staggered. there was no known record of men having come this far! not beyond jupiter, in fact. he turned to janus. "how far do we go?" "all the way." "pluto?" "beyond." mark thought that over. "there's no planet in our system beyond pluto!" "but there is. planet x. an eccentricity in the orbit of pluto indicates there must be a planet beyond. for years astronomers have known this, but no telescope has been able to pick it out." mark grinned weakly. "so that's where we're headed. i guess you know it'd be awfully easy to overshoot a mark like that!" "not with the frequency tuner. i understand very little of it, but the professor assures me it's a directional finder as well as a power unit." "sure, sure. and assuming we locate planet x and manage to land--what do you expect to find there?" * * * * * janus' eyes were flecked with dancing lights. "what do we hope to find? george ketrik! and if you know the man at all, you know that means adventure and riches." ketrik! mark's mind went back. he began piecing together things he had heard, fragments and rumors. the man ketrik and his amazing exploits had become almost a legend! "but i have heard," mark voiced slowly, "that ketrik died! plunged into the sun while trying to negotiate a landing on vulcan." "you don't really believe that? sure, every few years you hear those stories, but ketrik always shows up again." janus sighed. "you know, i've almost come to believe that he's not human. where other men go--men like us--they find that ketrik has been there first. i've personally made two fortunes, and lost them, in following his trail!" mark was skeptical. "but even he wouldn't dare try for planet x! he hasn't the speed that we have. it would take him--" "ketrik would dare anything! why, six months ago i heard that he was planning this venture; that's why we're here. we five men pooled our savings to finance brownell's frequency tuner and build this spacer, in secret, of course. sure--it would take ketrik maybe three months to reach planet x in some dilapidated little rocket-powered craft. we'll make it in three days--but i'll wager he's already there!" "with the whole populace kow-towing at his feet, most likely." it was driscoll who spoke as he entered the room, followed by the other men. "sure, i'll back the luck of ketrik every time!" dethman shook his head. "planet x is probably uninhabitable. but i'll bet my last pair of socks ketrik's located a cave of diamonds, or maybe a platinum vein. toss him in a venusian sink-hole, he'd come up wreathed in swamp pearls!" "he's that sort," janus agreed. "it was platinum on mars, cinnabar on mercury, plumes on venus. by the way, i got in on the plumes--made a fortune. and the other time i saw ketrik--" "i recall the time he showed up at the venusian prison swamp," driscoll put in. "one day he wasn't there, the next day he was--just like that. inside a week he had organized a group of us for a getaway attempt. hundreds of others had tried it and failed. well, he led us safely across two hundred miles of swamp, supposed to be impassable. know what was on the other side? a spaceship, all waiting and ready. he just wanted to prove it could be done, i guess." "i only saw him once," kaarj shrilled eagerly. "that was on deimos. he had discovered the secret shrine of the deimian ancients. he came out of that shrine decked from head to foot with blazing jewels--but the deimians were waiting for him. they're a blood-thirsty tribe, and they were plenty angry...." "i never heard this story before," janus said. "what happened?" "i stayed a safe distance away in my spaceship, watching and this is what happened. ketrik made them a speech! i swear it! he climbed up on a block of stone in full range of their weapons--and do you know what his speech consisted of? the entire first chapter of the 'advanced principles of space navigation'. he quoted it most violently. those deimians didn't understand a word of it, but i swear to you, when ketrik had finished they weren't angry any more! they cheered him! he walked calmly over to his space-cruiser and blasted away, jewels and all!" "i came across him once on mercury," dethman contributed. "the barbarians from the dark side were warring on the race inhabiting the twilight strip. well, if it hadn't been for ketrik, the whole colony would've been wiped out. they almost made a superman out of him, wanted him to marry a thousand wives to make sure he'd leave plenty of his descendants there. and by jupiter, he almost did! when i left he was still there, married to ten wives--or was it twelve?" mark was enjoying all this. he looked to ferris, who seemed to be the only one without a story to tell. ferris lit a venomous venusian cigar, and sneered: "i don't hold with all this hero-worship, and i don't believe more'n a tenth of it. don't think we'll find ketrik out here either. i've sunk a year's takin's from my placer on mars into this venture--" "and afraid you won't get it back, is that it?" driscoll snapped. "why, that placer you're yapping about was ketrik's in the first place, and you know it! sure, you'd rather hide out some place and manufacture more frequency tuners." "we'll do that, too, once we make a strike," janus said thoughtfully. "we'll equip a whole fleet with 'em, and really exploit the outer planets. that should give that addle-brained earth council something to really think about!" * * * * * on the third day they crossed the orbit of pluto. mark was in the control room with janus and the professor. the latter pointed to a thin thread of liquid helium in the directional-finder, surging slightly off center. "pluto's the nearest body now. it must be heavy, to drag us that way." he gave a touch to the tuner's impellator, and the helium line came back to center as their acceleration increased. the sun had long since been a pin-point of light. the darkness ahead was no different from the darkness behind, but the men felt infinitely more alone. behind were the known planets. ahead was x--the unknown. it might be days more, or merely hours. no one slept now. it was only hours later when the finder began acting erratically again. brownell, who seemed indefatigable, took over the controls from janus. but he didn't try to adjust direction now. "it's planet x," he said. "has to be! we'll let the finder take us right there!" he switched on the visipanel and adjusted the lens to fullest power. "it must be a dark planet," mark pointed out. "certainly the sun's light doesn't reach it. how do you hope to see it in the panel?" "ordinarily i'd say you were right," brownell nodded. "but look! there it is!" barely discernible on the screen, they saw a vague pin-point of light. brownell glanced at the proximity indicator and gasped. "over three million miles--it can't be! not the way it's pulling us now. unless," he added thoughtfully, "it has a gravity grab equal to that of jupiter at half the distance! good lord!" he tested instruments, gave experimental side thrusts with the tuner, but they came back irresistably into the pull of the planet ahead. hour after hour they came nearer. the planet resolved into a dark disc with a peculiar surrounding halo. "i don't like it," janus reflected the thoughts of them all. "that light--where does it come from? not the sun! the sun doesn't even touch pluto!" "maybe it has a sun of its own," ventured kaarj. "on the other side." "if it does, the sun moves right along with it in it's orbit!" "you can tell from here that the planet has no axial rotation," brownell announced. he looked a little worried. "this gravity drag is getting worse. we're accelerating. better get into your harness." he set the example, and the men followed. "i think i can control it with the tuner in reverse, but it pays to be safe. you never can tell, out here; these are strange conditions." the planet was looming fast. the professor's hand on the deceleration lever revealed the strain he was under. below them now they glimpsed vast dark plains, and as they came nearer, huge stretches of forest. mountains loomed. far ahead was faint light, a few miles of "twilight strip" much as that on the planet mercury. the professor was heading for this strip but mark didn't think they'd make it. they were losing altitude with sickening speed. mark had a final vision of the little professor tugging desperately on the deceleration lever, of huge greenish-gray plants coming up beneath them. then a rending crash, a confusion of flying legs and arms. just before mark blanked out he knew their ship was still ploughing forward. iii he came back to consciousness with a feeling of intolerable weight pressing him down. it was his own weight, he discovered as he tried lifting his head to look around. it was a terrific strain and he let his head fall back. none of the men were seriously injured. the bulging harness had saved them. they called out to each other, but couldn't move except to roll their heads from side to side. "professor, did you say a gravity equal to that of jupiter?" dethman called out. "that, or more. and yet this planet has a diameter of scarcely a few hundred miles! strange!" "strange, he says," came from driscoll. "what do we do now, just lay here for the rest of our lives?" "let's see you do anything else," kaarj said drolly. "not me," janus spoke. "you think i'll let this pee-wee world get me down? if i can only get to that tuner control." "i'm afraid this is one kind of gravity it won't counteract," brownell admitted ruefully. "this world must be condensed as tightly as a white dwarf star! a cubic inch of matter weighing hundreds of pounds!" mark twisted his head around, saw janus' huge frame struggling to move. he was a powerfully-built man, he'd be the one to do it if anyone did. slowly, minutes at a time, he managed to drag one leg under him and then the other. he brought his hands into position. sweat broke on his brow as he rolled himself over on all fours. then with a terrific effort he hoisted himself erect! he stood there, a straddle-legged, red-bearded giant. but only for a second. his legs buckled. he managed to hurl himself toward the starboard port, as he slid downward. "at least i can see out now," he gasped. "we just did reach the twilight strip. there's a whole forest of great big green things, thirty feet high. sort of like cactus, flat and spiny." "they must have helped break our fall!" "you said it! i can see a strip for over a mile, where we mowed 'em down. hey! look! for the love of--" janus' voice dwindled off in amazement. "damn it, man, how can we look? what is it? what's out there?" "people! dozens of 'em! they're coming out of the forest. oh--oh, they've spotted us. but they're not coming over. they just stand there jabbering and pointing." "people on this world," brownell muttered his amazement. "what are they like, janus? describe them!" "they look kind of savage to me. squat and furry, but they stand erect. their legs are thick and heavy like an elephant's." "yes, that would be natural on this world. the terrific gravity." "gravity doesn't seem to bother them," janus went on. "let's see, now. yes, in all other ways they seem to be low-evolutionary humans, except ... good lord!" "except what? damn it, janus, go on!" "they have knobs!" "what?" "knobs! growing right out of their foreheads. and they're lit up--the knobs, i mean. sort of a soft white light." "another logical development of nature," said the professor. "they live on the dark side, so their bodies manufacture the necessary light. are they armed?" "they are. just crude spears and clubs, though, so i guess we're safe enough in here. oh, oh, here they come. i think they see me!" twisting his head around, mark could barely see a corner of the window where janus lay. in the twilight gray beyond he glimpsed the horde of barbarians rushing at the ship. it seemed fantastic that they could move in such gravity, fantastic that any creature could walk. one of them hurled a spear with deadly accuracy. it struck the window and glanced away. others crowded around, pounding at the glass with clubs, clamoring to get at janus who lay just beyond. "professor," janus said wryly, "this isn't very pleasant. are you sure that glass will hold?" "don't worry. it will take more than their pounding to crack four inches of crystyte." "hope you're right." a moment later janus exclaimed, "hey, some of these babies have electric rifles! good lord, i see--one, two, three--at least half a dozen of 'em! wait a minute, though--they're only using them as clubs. the metal parts are corroded. why, those are the old-type electric rifles popular on earth two hundred years ago!" "you must be having delusions," came from ferris. "no, i'm not. i've seen that type of rifle in the museums. now how do you suppose they got 'way out here?" for a few minutes there was silence, broken only by a faint ringing sound as the clubs beat against the thick crystyte. then janus announced: "here come more of 'em out of the forest. they're bringing up the reserves. hey, this might be serious! they have a new kind of weapon." he peered for a moment into the grayness. "it's a huge thing, seems to be a sort of combination catapult and cross-bow. i don't like the looks of it." a minute later the first shot came. it struck the spaceship very close to the window. there was a muffled explosion, and a flashing blue flame. "by all that's holy--explosives! powerful stuff, too. these babies aren't as barbarian as they look!" "we've got to get away from here some way." brownell was really worried now. "janus, do you think you could make it to the controls? perhaps by dragging yourself--" "i'm sure gonna try it! wait a minute, though--they're not going to bother us any more. they're scared!" "scared of what?" "damned if i know. they're staring off to the right, jabbering and pointing. hah! there they go, they're running away!" driscoll said, "what did you do, janus, make a face at 'em? that red beard of yours is enough to scare anybody!" "something's coming." janus was straining his neck now, his face flat against the glass. "i think i can make it out ... yes ... holy blazing comets! what kind of a world is this? get away from there, you! hey--cut that out!" janus' voice had risen to an excited pitch. "get set, men--i think we're leaving here!" the ship gave a sudden lurch and janus rolled backward. his head hit the floor hard--enough to stun him a little. and now their ship was moving! not upward. it seemed to be dragging forward over rough terrain. in this tremendous gravity, every slightest jolt bruised them horribly. they could only lie there and take it. after five minutes of this their muscles seemed pounded to a pulp, despite the inflated suits still encasing them. then as suddenly as it had begun, the movement stopped. there was ominous quiet. mark, on the brink of unconsciousness, thought he was dreaming when he saw professor brownell leap to his feet! now the other men were stirring. they rose dazedly. gravity was normal! they crowded excitedly around the windows. outside was bright daylight, no longer the twilight haze. the barbarian horde wasn't to be seen, nor was--that _other_. whatever it was janus had glimpsed. janus groaned a little and sat up, rubbing his head. they questioned him eagerly. "maybe i didn't see it," he muttered. "you wouldn't believe me anyway. gravity's normal, so let's get out of here." and when they pressed their questions, he only shook his head stubbornly. heedless of their aching muscles, they zipped out of the bulging suits. mark's hand went instantly to an inside pocket near his heart, where he'd placed his secret flat box with the lenses. he was relieved to find that it, at least, was undamaged. * * * * * janus was breaking out the weapons. he handed each of them an atomic rifle and neutro pistol. brownell had taken a sample of the atmosphere and announced it was fit for them. they debarked onto a plain where lush yellow grass sprang waist high. "strange," brownell was muttering. he stared back the way they had come. only a few yards behind them was the twilight zone! it was sharply defined, gray and misty, reaching sheerly up. yet they stood in bluish daylight which extended ahead of them to the sharp, downward curve of the horizon. brownell walked slowly back to the twilight zone, gingerly testing the gravity. he entered the zone--and fell flat to the ground! janus leaped to him, dragged him back. "did you ever see such a thing?" brownell exclaimed as he rose. "not only is there a sharp division of light and dark, but half the planet is terrifically heavy while the other half is normal. it defies all laws as we have known them." janus was peering intently into that grayness--toward the edge of the forest a hundred yards away. suddenly he gripped the professor's arm. his voice came a little hysterically. "i wasn't dreaming, then. i see it! there it is--the thing that grabbed our ship! don't move, you men, because i swear--it's watching us!" gradually they made it out, as they stared in the direction of janus' gaze. it was a huge bulking shape that towered above the tallest trees. a roughly round, metallic body that rested on four jointed metal legs. metal arms, too, dangled at its side. "a robot!" came in a whisper from dethman's lips. "a metal robot, but good lord--look at the size of it!" they were looking. fifty feet above the ground they could make out its head, semi-spherical--and there were two eyes glowing with a greenish light, eyes that must have been large as dinner plates! it stood quite motionless in the gloom near the forest, watching them. "that's the thing that towed us here?" brownell whispered. "yes! i just got a bare glimpse of it." "must be friendly, then. but i wouldn't want to shake hands with it! the thing does seem to be watching us, doesn't it?" "i'll fix it!" ferris suddenly brought his rifle up, took aim at the glowing eyes. janus whirled, knocked the rifle aside. "you fool! that's an intelligent entity, i tell you! want to get us killed?" as though it had seen and comprehended the action, the robot's eyes blinked once or twice. it was eerie. then it raised one of its arms and seemed to gesture--not at them, but beyond them. with that, it turned and stalked away, crashing through the forest. "i get it," mark said thoughtfully. "it was warning us to stay on our side of the fence!" "and that's just what we will do. it's the only place where we can stand up, much less move about." they walked back to the prow of the ship. "where does this daylight come from?" brownell was still puzzled. "there's no sun. seems to me this gravity has something to do with it, too. say! do you suppose this light--" he never finished, for at that moment they heard a shout ahead of them, and saw a group of men approaching. they were tall and straight, clean shaven, and dressed in trousers and tunics of rough texture but undoubtedly of earth pattern--the pattern which had been popular hundreds of years ago! they carried weapons too, the old-type electric rifles which were so devastating at close range but not very effective at longer distances. they came warily at first, but smiled when they saw the newcomers were not going to cause trouble. "greetings!" their leader said in perfect english. "you're from earth? we thought we saw your ship crash, and came over to investigate." janus stepped forward and introduced himself, shook hands. "my name is donli," the other said. he pronounced it that way, crisply, running the syllables together. mark suddenly wondered if this could be a contraction of "donnolly". * * * * * donli and his men were speechless for a moment, staring in turn at the spaceship, the new-type weapons, and ral kaarj. "you have never seen a martian before?" kaarj grinned at them in a friendly manner. "pardon our staring," donli replied. "we have never seen a martian, nor such a spaceship as this, nor any other world. we have waited long for this! long!" "you've seen no other world. but you are earthmen." "we have been here always." "i begin to understand," brownell said. "there are others of you here? where do you stay?" "our city is only fifty miles from here. we shall be happy if you accompany us there. we have good roads, and surface cars. our leader, mari, will explain everything to you." donli paused, glancing nervously into the twilight strip. "you should be of great help to us against the perlacs, with your new weapons." "perlacs? are those the furry creatures with the lights on their heads?" "yes. we call them that because perlac is the name they give to the world. they have warred on us for generations. we number a mere five hundred, and they are thousands." donli looked worried. "and now that the robots are active again, we are in even more danger." "we saw one of those metal giants," janus exclaimed, "just a few minutes ago!" "yes, we saw it too. we came up just as it was stalking away. it's the first we've ever seen, but we have heard much about them; the stories have been handed down. there is supposed to be a great temple on the dark side, where the robots are housed." "more of them?" mark exclaimed. "i hope they stay over there, then!" donli shook his head. "this i know: if the robots are roaming again, as they did many years ago, none of us will be safe." "then let us go to your city," brownell put in. "we should be able to lift gravs now, if the tuner hasn't been damaged." it hadn't been. in a few minutes they were winging low across the plains to the horizon. the city bore the unusual name of "frell", and lay semi-circularly at the foot of a sharply rising hill. people were seen, men and women alike, working in the surrounding fields. donli led them through the main street. the buildings were of a dark substance that might have been earth compressed to concrete hardness. they entered the most imposing of these buildings, and thence to a huge room which was almost the size of a theater on earth. "make yourselves at ease," donli said, "while i summon mari. she will probably be at the laboratories now." "mari," driscoll said, when donli had gone. "so their leader is a woman! and they have laboratories!" they gazed about them. the curious daylight came through windows of glass or similar material. there were chairs and tables of finely-wrought metal. along one wall were bookcases filled with charts and uniquely-bound volumes. there were other volumes too, which seemed vaguely familiar. brownell walked over there. "look at this! a whole case full of books from earth--scientific, technical books, all of them!" he read a few of the titles on the faded bindings. "these were all popular hundreds of years ago. and these others," he waved, "are probably the entire recorded history of these people. i'd give anything to look into them." he didn't touch the volumes, but remained thoughtful. mark too was thoughtful. "frell," he mused. "a strange name for this city. seems as though it ought to mean something, but i can't quite place it." * * * * * donli returned soon, accompanied by mari. she was tall, lithesome, her features classical and still beautiful despite smudges of sweat and grime from the laboratory. her golden hair was braided into a halo which gave a queenly appearance, and her eyes were bluer than the strange daylight of this world. skirt and tight-fitting bodice were of rough texture but dyed a rich golden color. involuntarily the men gasped, but mari did not mind that or their stares. she seated herself and bade them be seated opposite her. then she leaned forward, searching their faces. not until then did they notice that her eyes were cold, suspicious. "you have come from earth, of course. and donli tells me this strange one is martian. who is leader among you?" "why, i suppose i am," janus said. "either me or professor brownell, here." "professor?" her mind seemed to grope for the meaning. "ah! that word means a man of scientific learning, does it not?" "in this case, yes," he answered. brownell spoke softly. "madam, we come in peace. we want to be friends and we want to help you, if we may. you need have no suspicion of us." "no suspicion? you come from the dark side! from the perlacs!" she spat the last word venomously. donli, standing there, seemed troubled. he said: "we only found them near the twilight zone. they were most friendly in manner and speech! they seem--" man waved a hand, and he was silent. she said: "men of earth, you wonder why i am suspicious? know, then, that we observed your ship five days ago, crossing our land with tremendous speed and heading for the dark side! why have you waited until now to come here? it could be that you have allied yourselves with the perlacs! have they sent you here?" there was a moment of stupefied silence. they could scarcely believe that she was serious, but her cold manner assured them of it. then the answer must have dawned on all of them at once. "ketrik!" janus boomed, hoisting his big frame from the chair. "by all that's holy, he did reach here! she must have seen ketrik's ship!" then he sobered. "but--if it was streaking for the dark side, it was surely out of control. ketrik must be dead by now. to think i'd live to see the day when that man blanked out." mari had drawn a strange looking pistol from a belt at her waist. she gestured with it now and said: "be seated, please. we will talk yet a while. this ketrik--he is another one from earth?" "yes, he came before us. came alone. we only landed here today, a few hours ago! believe me, we want no part of those perlacs. we had a little trouble with them." she seemed relieved, and satisfied at last. "forgive my suspicion of you. but where the safety of my people is concerned, i cannot be too careful. we have had trouble with the perlacs, always. the greatest trouble is yet to come and it is brewing fast." she appeared to be marshalling her thoughts, then she went on: "we are the seventh generation of a party of earth people who arrived here hundreds of years ago. my direct ancestor, wilm frell, was leader of that expedition. our city is named in his honor!" "i've got it!" mark exclaimed. "she means william farrell! the farrell expedition was one of the earliest and most ambitious interstellar attempts. men had already reached the moon and were trying for mars. farrell set out with a hundred men and women aboard--" "a hundred and forty," mari corrected. "we have his log here. they missed mars, their compasses were wrecked in the asteroids and they continued outward for months, finally crashing here. we still do not know what planet this is!" "you're beyond pluto!" brownell told her. "but how could they have survived a crash on this heavy world?" "it is one of the miracles. the records tell of it. they landed near the light! the light at that time encompassed a very small area, only a few miles. gravity there was normal, but beyond, it was very heavy. they investigated the center of light and found the stone." * * * * * brownell was excited. "i suspected something like this! the stone? what is it?" "we still do not know, except that it supplies us with light and normal gravity and a temperate zone very favorable to our crops. it defies our science, and it certainly must have come from somewhere far beyond our solar system! our ancestors found it deeply buried and dug it out. the moment they did--" "yes?" "the light from it spread slowly, very slowly. in about ten years' time it had encompassed this entire hemisphere, stopped only by the sharp curvature of the planet." "and as the light spread outward, the heavy gravity vanished?" "that is true. we have the stone now atop our hill, which is the highest spot. our ancestors, however, had to fight for it time and again. the perlacs at that time were really savages. they had known of the buried light but were afraid to approach it. later they tried to get the stone, but were always driven back into the darkness. they have warred on us ever since--for generations! "in the last few years they have become very strong. they are using explosives now. i believe that ages ago, long before the first earthmen came, a civilization existed and died here. the present perlacs must have discovered remnants of an ancient science, and are slowly reviving it!" there was a moment of silence. janus took advantage of it to hand his atomic rifle to the girl, and his neutro-pistol as well. "have you ever seen weapons like these?" she examined them excitedly, especially the neutro-pistol. "donli, look at this!" she pointed at the firing coils. "it seems to be the same principle we're working on!" "do you mean to say you're trying to invent a neutro gun?" janus was amazed. "yes," donli answered. "we've been working on it for the past several years, but it's been slow and hard. sometimes disastrous." he stepped to a bookcase, brought out one of the ancient volumes. it was spurlin's _evolution and control of the free electron_. "we've worked from the principles set forth here," donli explained, "and with some slight measure of success. but we feel that we're treading on dangerous ground. only a few months ago one of our laboratories was blown up and four men killed." brownell nodded. "even when spurlin wrote that book there was no real control of the electron. it came later. anyway, we can help you now! we have the real models here to work from. would you like to see these guns in operation?" it was a needless question. they repaired outside, where janus demonstrated the atomic rifle first, aiming at a harmless clump of bushes some fifty yards away. the atomic pellet struck and exploded, leaving a miniature crater. "that," brownell said, "is an example of uncontrolled atomic explosion. rather crude, but it serves its purpose. now let us observe a refinement of it. _controlled, electronic action._" janus aimed the pistol. a bluish, pencil-thin ray leaped forth. where it touched, substance vanished into a froth of flame. the ground itself became incandescent glass. the ray remained constant so long as his finger touched the firing stud. mari was excited. "then you will help us perfect ours? the perlacs are becoming stronger than we have ever known them, and whenever they start scouting the twilight zone, it means trouble. donli tells me the robots are active again, too!" "we can and will help you," brownell assured her. "i doubt if those overgrown robots will stand up long under an electronic ray!" the professor was eager to see the stone, and mari graciously accompanied him to the crest of the hill where it was housed. the others, meanwhile, went with donli on a tour of the shops and laboratories. iv brownell told them later, in great excitement: "i swear to you, it defies all physical laws as we know them! it's merely a shiny chunk of rock, a few yards in diameter--but do you know, i believe it actually feeds upon gravity! i have always believed that gravity, magnetism, and other such universal forces are all a part of the electrical spectrum. some peculiarity in the atomic structure of this stone draws the straight-line force of gravity to it, and that force is then oscillated, transmitted into light! the process is unending!" "that's all very well," mark told him, "but i believe the greatest miracle is right here in the laboratories. these people have had to utilize the barest elements of this world, but they've done wonders. they have plastiglass, and farm implements, and electrical power--even crude atomic furnaces." "they'd have their neutro-pistols right now," janus agreed, "but they hit the same stumbling block that baffled our scientists for so long." for days they worked ceaselessly on the neutro-pistols. mark and the professor together laid out the blueprints, devising a radical and more potent design for the firing coils. the latter was surprised at mark's knowledge of electronic principles. "i may surprise you even further, one of these days," mark promised. and now the urgency of their work was really impressed upon them. scouts returning each day from the twilight zone reported that the perlacs were gathering. thousands of them swarmed the forests on the dark side, apparently massing for an all-out attack. there had been a few preliminary skirmishes but nothing serious as yet. donli undertook the task of setting up barricades at the twilight border. these were huge shields of light but durable metal, arranged in strategic positions, easily movable. and the work at the city went on apace. janus and the others directed work at the forges and metal shops. everyone, men and women alike, who could be spared from the border defenses, were given assignments. mari was a surprise to the new men. already she knew the ancient science textbooks by heart, and she thirsted for more knowledge. she was everywhere, directing, helping, learning. she grasped the principle almost at once when brownell explained: "briefly, the atom itself must not be shattered. that has been your mistake. successive sheathes of electrons must be stripped without disruption of the ultimate atomic structure. that means swift transmutations, not disintegration. most important of all, the electrons must be propelled along a controlled, directional beam." only ferris was dissatisfied at the hard work. in their quarters, at the end of the first week, he complained: "what's all this getting us? i thought we came out here to make a fortune! that's the story you gave me, janus, when you rooked me into this deal." janus looked at him distastefully. "haven't you ever wanted to do a decent act in your life? lord knows i've done some scandalous things, but these people need our help now and they deserve it!" "that's not getting back the fortune i sunk into this venture," ferris grumbled. "we'll think of that later." the work was slower than they wished, for it became apparent the perlac attack was going to materialize any day, any hour. as leader of the defense, the all-out call was left to donli, who, with his select group, remained at the border constantly now. and on the tenth day, even before the new pistols had been assembled or tested--the call came. one of the scouts raced into the city with the signal. * * * * * everyone, men and women alike, left their work instantly. dozens of the electrically-motored surface cars were waiting, and soon they were racing along the road. within the hour they had reached the twilight zone to reinforce donli's group. each person was equipped with an electric rifle which, at the longer distances, stunned but was not fatal. and there were quantities of atomic grenades. the new earthmen retained their atomic rifles and neutro-pistols, as they better understood the operation of these weapons and could use them to more advantage. the attack had not yet come but donli was expecting it at any minute. each group took up its assigned position behind a barrier. mark found himself beside janus and was glad, for he liked that blustering, red-bearded giant. "it's going to be hell," janus promised, peering into the twilight gloom. "we have to wait for them. the perlacs can come over into our lighter gravity, but their gravity'd be fatal to us!" mark nodded. "it means we'll be fighting a strictly defensive battle." the twilight beyond faded into the darkness of the huge forest, and not a perlac was to be seen. not so much as a moving shadow. but they were there, mark knew, thousands of them; and when they came it would be silently. and silently they came. mark's first intimation was the explosion of grenades far down the line, and then he saw them--hordes of perlacs, heavy of limb, but coming with amazing speed. most of them were using cross-bows, and mark realized that some of the shafts were equipped with metal-tipped explosives. then he was too busy for further observation, as he brought his atomic rifle to bear. the old style electrics were at work too, all along the line; and the grenades blasted huge gaps in the advancing tide. but still they came, moving now across the lighter zone. thousands hadn't been an overstatement! the dark tide came rushing over their stunned and dead. and now those explosive tipped shafts were having effect. several of them struck a barricade next to mark, and tore the metal from the foundations. now janus, beside him, was bringing the neutro-pistol into play. savagely mark swung his beam in a never-ceasing arc, exulting at the swath it cut before him. further down, driscoll, kaarj and the others were doing the same. together with the grenades it seemed to stem the tide, but only for a moment. "keep it going! keep it going!" janus was yelling. "these beams are good for hours!" the very silence of the attack made it the more terrible. no yells, no screams of fury came from the heavy-furred perlacs as they littered the terrain by the score. then, as suddenly as they had come, they retreated. the seven sweeping beams had done the work well, but in an unexpected manner. flames were leaping in the lush grass between the defenders and the forest! "respite!" janus yelled. "ten minutes, maybe. they'll be back when that grass is burned down!" but there was no resting now. a score of men were dead and twice that many wounded, who had to be carried back from the battle line. three of the barricades were wrecked, and they strove to get these into place again. mark noticed mari, sweat-grimed and weary, her golden hair streaming down. but she was magnificent still, a tower of strength as she hurried along the line giving aid and encouragement to her people. "i wonder where the robots are?" mark suddenly remembered as he worked beside janus. "if the perlacs have learned to reactivate those monsters, as donli thinks--" "encouraging, ain't you? as if we're not having a hard enough time as it is!" and then mark remembered something else. remembered so suddenly that he began laughing, a little wildly, and janus slipped him a light one on the jaw. "come out of it, lad! none of that, now--we're not licked yet!" but mark had reached to his inner pocket, and brought out his secret flat box. "remember this, janus? good lord, but i ought to be blasted for forgetting it! you always knew it wasn't a camera--well, now you're going to see it in action!" "good, lad! i hope you've got something there. here they come again!" * * * * * this time the perlacs had massed their forces, and they came in two wide flanking movements aimed at the ends of the barricades. "let them get close," janus passed the word to the men, as they hurried down to the left. "then give them your grenades--all you've got!" grim-faced they waited. mark once more touched the release stud on his box, exulted as the coils hummed into power. "now!" janus yelled at last, and swept his beam into play. simultaneously the grenades rained outward. the terrain erupted in geysers of blackened grass and fleshy fragments. but determinedly the perlacs came, and their cross-bow shafts filled the air. despair began to touch the earthmen now. it was obvious the fanatical perlacs were going to make this a war to extinction, and there could be but one final result. the perlacs outnumbered them a hundred to one. if only they could have gotten the new electronic weapons ready in time! even their grenades were running low now. grim-lipped, mark waited for the next onrush. he passed his neutro to a neighbor and concentrated on his box. its power had been proven in minor tests, but this would be the maximum! the wave came. more of them now than before. mark stepped for a moment into the open, heedless of the shafts. the box, held waist high, looked for all the world like a camera.... but the result was devastatingly different! the men felt a violent holocaust of air around them, rushing away from all sides. for seconds they couldn't breathe or move! the temperature dropped so suddenly that they were literally frozen where they stood! then warmer air came pressing in again but still they didn't move, because now they were staring--staring at the miracle. in a hundred-yard area before their barricade the mass of perlacs were motionless, many of them arrested in grotesque postures! others had literally burst outward. but all were dead, and now they began to topple over, like frozen statutes! another wave was coming behind, just beyond the area. now they wheeled and fled for the forest. quickly mark adjusted the sights and gave them another burst. the same thing happened. the rush of air, the sudden drop in temperature--and the horde was a mass of frozen corpses. but this time, the box became hot in mark's hands, burning them severely, and he quickly dropped it. at the other end of the line the defenders weren't doing so well. the perlacs had gained that end of the barricade, and the battle was furious and to the death. "come on!" mark raced for that end, followed by the others. but now mark couldn't use his weapon, for it would mean blasting earthmen and perlacs alike! and then, fantastically, the battle seemed to hang poised. there came a grinding, shuddering sound. a series of these sounds. the ground seemed to vibrate, and then along the twilight strip came a towering, stalking, fifty-foot shape. one of the robots! it came swiftly, purposefully, huge eyes glaring down--straight for the battle line! v "this does it," janus groaned. "that thing looks mad!" but no other robots came, and he raised his beam-pistol in readiness as the great monster came bearing down. "hold it," mark caught his wrist. "hold your fire, men!" for the perlacs were fleeing! forgotten now was the fury of battle as they raced _en masse_ back to the darkness of their forest! and abruptly the robot swerved in its course, went after them with purposeful strides. it bent down a little and swept huge, claw-like hands close to the ground. a few of the perlacs were caught, dashed to the ground, never to rise. almost gleefully the metal monster trampled down the edges of the forest. the earth people could only watch wearily, numbly. it was over. unbelievably, the battle was over. tiring at last of its mad sport, the robot turned and came striding back. heedless of mark's warning, mari stepped forth and faced it defiantly, rifle held in readiness. tall and straight, her golden hair tumbling down, she was a defender of her people to the last. and the robot paused! only for a second, during which it seemed to be surveying her. then it came on, but stopped some twenty yards away. then it spoke! the voice was rasping, metallic, but the words were unmistakable: "hi-ya, bud. what's cookin'?" janus' voice was a ridiculous gurgle in his throat. he took a step backward and his eyes bulged. for the thing had seemed to be addressing _him_! at last he got the words out: "ketrik! by all the red-tailed zigs on venus, it's ketrik! only he could use an archaic expression like that--what's cookin', indeed!" there came a rumble of metallic laughter. "hi-ya, janus! haven't seen you in years. and kaarj! last time i saw you was on deimos, when i robbed the temple of ancients. how are you, kid?" the robot went down, extended a long metal finger as big around as a man's arm. kaarj retreated hastily! "well, ain't any of you glad to see me?" the voice came mockingly. "and after i saved your battle, too!" "sure, we're glad to see you," janus replied shakily. "but good lord, man, come down out of that thing so we can get a look at you!" "hell, no. i'm havin' fun! anyway, i'm not up here. not the real ketrik. my body's lying in an alcove back there at the temple of robots." mari had come to stand beside janus. her face was flushed from the recent battle, but some of her defiance had fled. the robot bent closer still, seemed to be peering. then came a long whistle, metallic but shrill, and one of the huge eyes winked! the girl seemed to recognize that primitive sound and her face turned a deeper red. but she stepped a pace forward. "mister--ah--ketrik, you have saved my people and have earned our undying thanks! but what about the perlacs--do you think they'll be coming back again?" the robot chuckled. "not for a long time! certainly not when they know i'm around. those babies have given me a wide berth so far." he added: "i've been intending to pay a visit to your side of the world, but i could tell those dark-skinned brutes were up to something. i decided to hang around and await developments." "but ketrik"--janus hesitated--"what's this about your body?" "don't worry, it's safe. this is only the mental part of me. sure, there's a huge temple about ten miles back, with dozens more of these robots standing around idle." a sudden thought occurred. "want to take a look? i could carry you across the heavy gravity." "no thanks!" janus declined. "my scientific interest doesn't go that far. maybe the professor, here--" "sure!" brownell came forward, eager. "i'll go too," mark said. "i'd like to see how those robots work." ketrik extended a huge hand. brownell and mark clung tightly as it swung them up. with the two men perched on its shoulders, the robot went striding back through the forest. the temple, massive and pillared, rested in a wide clearing. they saw the robots, dozens of them lining the walls. the quartz discs of their eyes were now dull and lifeless. and near each robot, fifty feet high in the wall, were alcoves. "gravity here is normal!" mark noticed suddenly. "yes," ketrik replied. "that's probably what saved my life. i crashed right through the roof!" they saw ketrik's spacer on the floor below them, its nose and forward tubes crumpled beyond recognition. "i'll show you my body." he strode to one of the alcoves, and the men stepped from his shoulders onto a stone ledge. before them was a thick glass coffin. resting in it was the material ketrik! * * * * * it was a large body, as large as janus, but clean shaven. the blue eyes were open and staring, and even in this suspended state there seemed to be a quality of recklessness, even amusement, about them. "how do you get the mental self into the robot?" brownell asked. "damned if i know how it works," there was almost a shrug in ketrik's robot voice. "i just experimented with the thing." he just experimented! mark marvelled at this man. "don't touch it," ketrik warned, "but you'll notice there are two cathodes attached to the temples of my earth body. see how the wires lead out, and up to that panelled board on the wall? there are all kinds of coils and things behind that board. those other cathodes, that you see dangling, were attached to the brain plate of the robot. i suppose the molecules of your mental self flow through the wires. when the transference is complete, you merely detach the cathodes and start walking about, a full-fledged robot! i tell you it's wonderful!" "ketrik," brownell said, as they went back through the forest, "we should be returning to earth as soon as we complete the new weapon for man's people. don't you want to return with us?" "no, i think i'll stay. i want to be sure those perlacs don't cause any more trouble for a while." "there wouldn't be any other reason?" mark grinned. "there would and is." the smile was in ketrik's voice, if not on his metal lips. "i like that golden-haired amazon--what's her name--mari?" "but why return at all?" mari wanted to know, when the professor announced the plans. "you have said you wanted a base for the manufacture of your frequency tuners. what better place than here?" "thank you, my dear. i had thought of that, but after all this is your world, and we are intruders." mari was hurt. "after all that you've done for us? and you can do so much more!" "then rest assured we'll be back, possibly within a month. true, there is much to be done here but we need new supplies, tools, equipment of every sort." janus said: "and with your permission, we'll want to bring back some new men. not rogues and adventurers like me, but scientific men who can come here and work out their ideas without fear of that stupid earth bureau. men like mark, here, and the professor." brownell nodded agreement. "i see a new regime. the tri-planet council will have to cooperate with expanding endeavors, or take a back seat. already i know two men on earth, and four on mars, who'll be delighted to come here to carry on their work. and mark, that reminds me. that new weapon of yours. i think we can ask about it now?" "oh, it's nothing much, but i wasn't going to let the bureau have it on their terms! it's merely an advanced frigidation idea. works along an extended magnetic beam, absorbing all heat in a given area, almost to absolute zero." "and he says it's nothing much!" came from janus. "it still needs some working out. the coils didn't stand up, the last time i applied it out there." in two more days they were turning out the neutro weapons in quantity. during that time nothing more was seen of the perlacs, as the robot-ketrik maintained a vigilance. brownell made a last check-up of the spaceship, and more important still, he strengthened the frequency tuner to counteract the gravity. * * * * * on the last night, mark tossed restlessly in his bed. he could not sleep, and he didn't know why. was it something they had forgotten? he didn't think so. nevertheless he had a preternatural awareness of something wrong.... he arose, dressed quickly. there was never "night" on this side of the little world, but the rooms were automatically dimmed. silently he tip-toed through the rooms. brownell was there, sleeping peacefully. and janus, and all the others. no! ferris was gone. mark's heart leaped. he had never liked that man, never quite trusted him. now it came back. ferris' eternal harping about the fortune he had put into this expedition. if that little rat was planning--mark hurried outside. the city was deathly quiet, immersed in sleep. the eternal light struck his eyes and brought him fully alert. he hurried along the street toward the outskirts, toward the base of the hill where the spaceship waited. as he neared the hill, he spied ferris. the man was coming down the slope. ferris saw him, and waved a hand in greeting. "hi! is it you, travers? what's the matter, can't you sleep either?" mark's steps slowed, and he breathed in relief. he'd been wrong. after all, the man had a right to be up. they met near the spaceship, and ferris waved a hand toward the crest of the hill. "i was just looking at the stone. it's the damnedest thing!" "yes. brownell tells me--" ferris' hand moved like lightning. mark found himself staring into the stub end of a neutro-gun. ferris was no longer smiling and casual. "in!" he snarled. "get in there--quick!" he gestured toward the ship, and mark noticed the door was open. he moved toward it slowly, then paused, started to turn. "i'll blast you, travers!" mark shrugged, entered. ferris came quickly behind him. "that's better. i don't want to rouse any of the others. sounds carry far on this world." he paused and grinned, with all but his eyes. "sure, travers, i was looking at the stone. i'd like to get it back to earth, but it's too much for me. guess i'll just have to be satisfied with the frequency tuner. the bureau of inventions will pay me a handsome price for it, no questions asked." "you sneaking, double-crossing rat," mark said slowly. "you'll never get away with this!" "_this_ says i will," ferris sneered, gesturing with the neutro. "and since you came snooping out here, i'll just take that new weapon of yours." "it doesn't work any more." "i'll take it anyway. hand it over. careful!" mark shrugged, tossed the box-like weapon to him. but his mind was racing. ferris had the upper hand, all right, and he _would_ get away with this if mark didn't do something quick. mark glanced around. they were in the control room, and he knew the frequency tuner was ready. he said: "what about brownell--janus--the others?" "what about 'em? they wanted to come out here, so let 'em stay. yeah--for the next hundred years!" "what about me?" "you know, i think i'll just take you along--for a short distance, anyway." mark's voice was taunting. "because you're not quite sure how to handle this frequency control. you'll need me." "and that's where you're wrong. i've studied it plenty. it's easy!" mark dropped suddenly to his knees, and with the same movement his body lashed forward--low and hard. he heard the neutro sing, and felt the swirling heat of it over his shoulder. but ferris was quick. he danced lithely back. his right hand with the gun in it came swinging up. the heavy gun caught mark squarely under the chin. * * * * * he came struggling back to consciousness, aware that he was still lying prone. he allowed his brain to clear before opening his eyes, but already he could tell they were in space. he thought of his friends on perlac--stranded! it would be a miracle if they ever succeeded in building another spaceship there, with their limited equipment. "hi, travers. we're on our way. so i can't handle the tuner, eh?" mark groaned, rolled his head a little, feigning grogginess. but he was alert now, and he cursed himself for a fool for underestimating ferris. he heard the man's voice go on: "and to show how much i need you, i'll just toss you out somewhere between perlac and pluto. or maybe between pluto and neptune. which would you prefer?" mark's heart leaped. they couldn't have come far, then! he was lying near the control-console and he knew they were on robot control. ferris must have set the course already. he was confident now, watching mark, for he knew it took minutes to adjust that complex set-up. mark stirred, grasped a metal stanchion to help hoist himself erect. his plan was made. to the right of the console was an auxiliary unit, feeding emergency power to the tuner. he wondered if ferris knew of it. he glimpsed ferris coming toward him. mark surged erect, his right hand darted out. it came down in a full sweep against the auxiliary impellator. the spacer leaped ahead, sickeningly, as acceleration multiplied in a split second. mark glimpsed ferris flying backward. he hadn't time to see more. both hands gripped the stanchion now as intolerable pressure built up. his arms seemed to be wrenching from their sockets. slowly, agonizingly, he managed to encircle the stanchion with his left arm. his right hand seemed to weigh a ton as it reached out. it touched the impellator stud ... reversed it. mark sagged limply forward as acceleration lowered. he hadn't the strength left to turn his head, see what had happened to ferris. when he did, minutes later, he saw a limp figure against the far wall. the limbs were twisted beyond recognition. the head was crushed. it wasn't a pretty sight. mark changed direction, headed in a sweeping parabola back toward perlac. he avoided brownell's previous mistake and swung wide of the planet, approaching it from the light side. he landed safely near the city. the others had already missed the ship, and they received him joyously. they left the next day, after a final check-up. mari had prepared long lists of items for them to bring back to her people. the robot-ketrik was there too, to bid them bon voyage. brownell said: "ketrik, you can reclaim that body of yours. sure you won't change your mind and go back with us?" again ketrik resorted to archaic expression: "are you kidding?" and he glanced at mari with his huge robot eyes. they lifted gravs, and not until they were crossing the orbit of pluto did brownell remember something. he chuckled, said to mark: "suppose ketrik does transfer again to his body, as he probably will. how's he going to transport it across that heavy gravity?" for a moment mark was startled. then he grinned and replied, "well, don't worry your mind over that. i'll bet you a thousand to one he'll do it! positively. that man will find a way!" proofreading team. [illustration: they found tom at the lake-side, standing over a huge dead bear.] the crusoes of the frozen north from the well-known story by dr. gordon stables chapter i "i'm sure of one thing," said aralia to her little sister pansy, as they sat together one lovely summer afternoon on the garden seat, and gazed away and away far over the north sea. "i'm quite sure of one thing. nobody ever could have so good an uncle as our uncle. now, could anybody, pansy?" "oh no!" answered pansy, shaking her pretty head. pansy was hardly eight years old, and always agreed with her older sister, who was nearly eleven. "how i wish he were home again from his old ship," sighed aralia, "and tom with him!" "well, ara, we can sit here hours and hours every day and watch the sea, can't we?" "yes, and we shall easily know the ship. as she goes by, shell set all her flags a-flying, and, if father isn't at home, mother will send up our great red flag on the garden pole. oh dear! i could nearly cry for joy to think of it!" "and me too!" said pansy. "and me too!" veevee seemed to say, as he gave a short bark, and, jumping down from the seat, ran round the garden, looking like a fluffy white ball. the sea was very blue, only patched with green wherever a cloud-shadow fell on it. down beneath the cliff on which the cottage stood, the waves broke lazily in long white lines of foam. on the sea itself were vessels of almost every kind, from the little fishing craft with brown sails to great ships sailing away to distant lands. aralia knew what class of vessel each was by its rig; her best of uncles had taught her. and well could she use the spy-glass too, which she now held to her right eye. it had been hard at first to keep the left closed, but she could manage it now quite easily without asking pansy to clap a hand over it. soon she began to talk in little gasps: "oh, pansy--i think--oh, i'm nearly sure--yes--yes--it must be! it _is_ uncle's ship! i can see the flags all a-flying--hurrah! come and look!" [illustration] pansy sat on her sister's knee and peeped through the glass. then both the children started up and waved their arms in the air at the far-off ship. they were just about to rush off to tell mother, when their cousin frank came up. he was a lad of about thirteen or fourteen, but he was so tall and manly that he looked older. frank came into the garden with a rush and a run when he heard the girls call out. a fishing basket was slung over his back, from which the tails of fish stuck out, showing what good sport he had had. "hillo, ara! hillo, pansy! what are you dancing and 'hoo-laying' about? been stung by a wasp, my little pansy blossom?" "oh, frank," cried the elder girl, "look through the glass! uncle's coming! look at the ship, and all the flags." the boy was almost as excited now as the girls themselves, and presently they were all running in a string through the pretty garden towards the cottage with the news, veevee bringing up the rear and barking bravely. * * * * * rat-tat-tat at the door next afternoon, and little pansy ran to open it, expecting to see the postman, but the knocking was only a bit of tom's fun. frank had left for hull the evening before to meet him, and here was tom the sailor, tall and bonny and dark. pansy jumped into his arms like a baby, aralia rushed to meet him, and his mother came out, though a little more slowly. when the bustle was all over, and tom had answered nearly a hundred questions, they all went in to tea. "yes, aralia, uncle is coming up from hull with father and cousin frank, and we shall stop here three whole days before we go back to clear ship and pay off" "and," added tom, "uncle has something so strange and nice to tell you!" "what is it, tom?" said his two sisters, both in a breath as it were. "i can't, won't, and sha'n't tell you, girls," cried tom, laughing, "because that would spoil the fun when uncle comes." so all, even veevee, who would not get off tom's knees for a minute, had to be as patient as they could. but the time passed so quickly, listening to all this hearty young sailor had to tell of his voyage to the far north, that before anyone was aware it was nearly seven o'clock. and now down jumps veevee and runs towards the door, barking aloud as if he were a very big dog. "they're coming! they're coming! veevee knows!" and coming they were indeed. tom had had a hearty welcome when he arrived, but when this best of uncles at last managed to sit down on the sofa: "shiver my timbers, sister," he said to mrs. dunlop, "if it isn't worth while going all the way to the back of the north pole just to get such a welcome home as this." jack staysail was a sailor every inch of him. he had roughed it so much in the greenland seas, and been out in so many storms, that his face was as red as a boiled beet; but his eyes were as full of fun and merriment as a boy's. "we're not all here yet," he said. "i have asked my friend, professor peterkin, the swede, to come in to-night with his mastiff." when their uncle mentioned the mastiff, aralia and pansy began to tremble for veevee, but tom only laughed. "why," he said, "although briton--that's his name--is big enough to tackle a bear, he wouldn't injure a mouse." it was nearly nine o'clock when the professor arrived. briton marched in first, and a bigger and more noble-looking fellow was never seen. veevee said he couldn't stand another dog in the place. so he started up, barking loudly, and offering to fight the mastiff to the death on the spot. but briton stepped gingerly over the little dog, and went and lay quietly down on the rug. then in bustled the professor himself, very droll, very small, clean-shaven, merry-eyed, and with as much hair on his great head as would have stuffed a cushion. he bowed and smiled to all, patted the children, and at last sat down to supper. all made a very hearty supper, though it was long past the children's bed-time. only uncle didn't come home every night, you know. when they had finished, briton had a huge dish of scraps; veevee sat watching him eat, and the children were very much surprised to see briton shove one of the biggest and best morsels towards him. the tiny dog picked up the titbit and wagged his tail. after he had eaten it, he went and lay down beside briton on the hearth-rug. the "something nice" that uncle had to tell was soon told now. captain staysail cleared his throat before he began: "ahem! oh, you're all waiting, are you, to hear what i've got to say? well, then--ahem!--professor peterkin--" "pete--pete--pete--pete!" cried the droll, wee man, stopping him, and one would have thought he was calling a dog. "i'm not going to be called professor, and i won't peterkin. just pete, as i was on board ship, as i am to everybody, and must be to you. "but just look here, staysail, you're a sailor, and you can't make a speech. let me speak." and speak he did without waiting for a reply. "it's all in a nutshell, dear mr. and mrs. dunlop, and i'll tell you in two or three sentences what your worthy sailor-brother would have kept you up all night to hear. now listen! briton, you lie down! good again! now i, dan peterkin, am a man who has been used to study hard, and think hard. you follow me so far? good again! "well, there is one thing has taken me years to work out, and that is, where in this world gold and coal are to be found. and i've done it. i can go right to the spots. one of them lies on an island right away up in the frozen north. and we're going there. your brother, mrs. dunlop, is going to take me. "well, we may have some hardships. paff! what do we care? we shall win such wealth as has never been seen before. you follow still? good again! well, i go to a town in the north last spring, when the seal ships are all there, and i look for an honest face. i find staysail. i say to him: 'you give me a passage to greenland, my friend.' he say: 'what for i give you passage?' i smile. i take him by one button, and pull him all the way into a private room of the hotel. briton follows. we all dine well--we all come out smiling--briton too. and now, my friends, all is arranged. we sail away and away and away next spring for the seas of ice and the islands of gold. "that is all. you have followed me? good again!" and once more the professor sat down, and the big arm-chair seemed to swallow him up. * * * * * ara and pansy lay awake a long time that night thinking of what pete had said. but the next day they went about their duties as usual. they did not go to school, as they had a governess, of whom they were both very fond. nearly half their day would be spent out-of-doors with her and veevee. in spring and summer they would gather flowers inland, but what they liked best was to play about on the sands, to go out boating with an old seaman they knew, or climb the rocks and get into very steep and giddy places. [illustration] poor frank dunlop was an orphan, and was now the adopted son of ara's father. as for tom, who was a year or two older, his father had wanted him to go into business at home in england, but nothing would satisfy the lad but going to sea, so he had been sent to rough it with his uncle in the stormy seas of the frozen north. the cruise now ended was his second, and tom wasn't tired of the sea yet. frank went back to school, and appeared no more at the cottage until christmas came round. then not only uncle, but pete and briton came to spend a whole fortnight with the dunlop family, and to make their final plans for the spring. and i should say that no fortnight seemed to pass so quickly to the children as did the two weeks when their visitors stayed with them. at last, one day in early spring, there left hull on a trial trip one of the handsomest little steamers, and, for her size, one of the strongest that ever put to sea from that port. she was captain staysail's new ship, the _valhalla_. everything on board, both on deck and between decks, and in the saloon, was as clean and beautiful as if she had been a royal yacht. the decks were as white as ivory, the polished wood shone in the sun, and the brass-work looked like gold. the saloon itself, with its curtains, its mirrors, tables pillars, and piano, was really fit for a fairy princess to live in. everything had been prepared under the eye of professor peterkin himself, so everything was perfect in its way. pansy, who was on board, and had been peeping in some of the rooms, said to aralia at last: "oh, aralia, what a dear little doll's house of a cabin; i should like to live in it always!" neither of the children was sea-sick when the _valhalla_ went out under steam, and they had such fun with the sailors and the two dogs that they were quite sorry when the ship once more steamed into port. and didn't everybody sleep soundly that night in the hotel! i should say so! chapter ii the merry month of may had hardly begun when the brave _valhalla_ steamed away on her perilous cruise to the far and icy north. frank, with his two little cousins, had begged leave to go to hull in order to see the very, very last of the beautiful ship and that best of uncles, captain staysail. leave had been given by their parents, because "wherever frank is," said mr. dunlop, "the children are sure to be safe." there had been a good deal of stir and bustle on the very last evening, and many visitors had been to the _valhalla_, for somehow word had gone out that professor peterkin, the great swedish traveller, was off to find the north pole! and all believed that he would find it. some of the sailors even went so far as to say that he would bring it back with him rigged up as a mast of his ship! but by the time eight bells had rung out all was quiet. the hands had turned in, and only tom and two men were left on watch. "go forward," said tom, "and have a cup of coffee and a smoke, and i'll see to the safety of the ship here at the gangway." the men took the young officer at his word, and it was not very long ere their smoke was finished, and they, too, were fast asleep. had any other eyes than tom's been watching the shore, about half an hour afterwards, they must have noticed that something very strange was taking place. dark figures could be seen drawing near with stealthy footsteps to the farther end of the gangway. then they stopped as if in fear and dread. but tom whistled a long, low whistle, and three figures, muffled in oil-skins, stole along the gangway and stepped silently on deck. then tom sprang a small bull's-eye lantern, and let its light shine right in front of him, so that no one meeting him could have told who or what was stealing up behind. in the same quiet way he led the little party down a ladder to the deck below, and then beneath hammocks filled with sleeping sailors, and along a passage, until he came to a door, which he carefully unlocked, and soon afterwards locked again. [illustration] * * * * * by midnight next night the _valhalla_ was far out at sea, bearing to the north, for captain staysail did not mean to touch at any of the english or scotch ports on this voyage. the weather at first was very beautiful, and so it remained, with a calm sea and hardly a breath of wind, until nearly sunset of the second day. then clouds began to bank up, dark and threatening, and the glass--so webb, the first mate, reported to the captain--was going tumbling down. "we are going to have a blow, sir," he said, "and it's coming up sharp behind us. i reckon, sir, we'll have a ten-knotter afore the middle watch is called!" "well, then, have the fires banked, mr. webb, as soon as the wind is strong enough to get way on her. i wouldn't set too much sail, and if it does come a gale, i'd ease her right away. you know what she can do, mate." "ay, ay, sir!" "well, i think that's all." but the mate didn't move. "anything else, mr. webb?" "there is something else, sir," said the mate rather sheepishly. "well, out with it. why, you look as if you'd seen a ghost!" "well, sir, there is a ghost, or demon, or something aboard of this very ship, and some of the crew are in a state next door to mutiny about it." "what on earth do you mean, mr. webb?" the tall, handsome, fair-haired webb leaned over the table and spoke to staysail almost in a whisper. "it's the little professor they all blame, sir; and there are four of them who swear the ship is haunted--that he keeps evil spirits under lock and key for'ard--" "but--but--mr. webb--evil spirits under lock and key! do you mean bad rum? and who is he?" "hush, sir! don't talk so loud. he's walking the deck now. it's the professor i mean, sir. as to the evil spirits, i've heard them myself--mutter, mutter, squeak, squeak, squeak! ugh! it is awful, sir--awful!" and the mate shuddered as he spoke. now, staysail was always a good laugher, but at this tale he fairly yelled with laughter until everything jingled in the cabin, and the tears ran down his cheeks. the mate never moved a muscle. "that awful fore-cabin, sir!" he said. "it's in there, and broomberg, the finlander, declares that if you don't land him and his mates at bergen they'll seize the ship and sail for aberdeen." "but why on earth don't you open the fore-cabin?" "oh, that's where it is, sir! the key is lost, or else the professor has it." "hark!" a squall at that moment struck the ship and heeled her over. it blew with tremendous force for a time, and at last settled down to a steady gale. but in less than an hour the captain's orders were carried out, and the good ship _valhalla_ was speeding before the wind at a good rate with very little sail on her. the storm increased towards midnight, and at that dark hour the _valhalla_ had to lie to under almost bare poles. so busy had all hands been kept that there was very little time to think of ghosts or evil spirits, and now that the crew had a chance of turning in, it is needless to say that sleep was the first thing to be considered. but fresh trouble came with the new day. the wind had gone down, and the sea as well, and the _valhalla_ was now bowling along on a pretty even keel, for the breeze was well astern. webb, the mate, and tom both slept in bunks in the same cabin. just as the steward was laying breakfast, webb popped his head out from his cabin curtains. "hillo, steward!" "good-morning, sah!" said jake brown, who, strange as it may seem, was a tall and important-looking black man, with hair as white as snow. "have you seen master tom? he hasn't been here all night. i slept too sound to take much notice." "sakes alive, no!" cried burly jake. "i run and search de ship plenty quick." and away he went. webb was dressed and leaving his cabin when jake returned. but neither high nor low, fore nor aft, could tom be found, nor had he been seen since the main-topsail had carried away just before midnight. the captain was now roused and the terrible news reported. "poor tom! poor tom! washed overboard without a doubt!" he said. tom had been a great favourite on board, and the news caused a general gloom all over the ship. but broomberg and his mates received the news in another way. "it is von unlucky ship," cried the former, "and did not those below hear the shrieking of the ghosts when the waves and wind were highest? come we to the captain at once, men. i will not sail in a haunted ship. no, no." some minutes before eight bells rang out in the morning air, the captain on the quarter-deck, with mr. webb and the professor, were engaged in angry talk with broomberg and his fellows. "return to your duty, men," the captain said. "i will make enquiries into the matter. as for you, broomberg, hand over that knife you are fingering, and consider yourself under arrest." "i will not," shouted the fellow. "see!" he made a wild rush aft, holding the glittering blade high in air, and seized the professor by the neck. but help from an unexpected quarter was at hand, and next moment broomberg was sprawling on his back with briton's great paws on his chest. mutiny and ghosts and storm were at once forgotten. the men cheered wildly, broomberg's knife was snatched from his hand, and he himself bound hand and foot, while everybody crowded round to shake hands with the little professor, or to pat the noble dog who had saved his life. but suddenly joy was changed to terror, for shriek after shriek could be heard forward, and in a few seconds' time the cook rushed helter-skelter up on deck, almost pale with fright, followed by the men of the watch below. "the ghosts!" somebody shouted. the captain stood as if stupefied, the little professor's eyes were as big as watch-glasses, and the mate had to catch hold of a back-stay to prevent himself from falling. the whole crew now took to the rigging, and the only marvel is that some of them did not slip overboard and make food for the sharks. "look, look!--oh, look, sir!" shouted the mate with a cry like one in a nightmare; and the next moment he fainted and fell on the top of broomberg the mutineer. chapter iii two little girls, one little boy, and one little dog, all as black as chimney-sweeps, the girls with their arms in the air, now came wildly racing aft. tom himself, come back to life, was standing on the capstan waving his cap in the air, and cheering and laughing like a mad thing. aralia and pansy reached the quarter-deck before anyone could say "knife", and, black as they were, sprang right into captain staysail's arms, hugging him and kissing him. "what!--what!--what!--" he tried to get out a sentence, but failed. "oh, i was so frightened, unky dear, but i is so happy now!" cried pansy. "bless my soul and body," cried staysail at last, "how did all this happen?" [illustration] then he went forward a few paces, the little ones clinging to him all the time, and veevee racing round the deck like a live muff. "tom, you young rascal, jump down here at once. this is all your work. now, give a full account of it, sir." "oh, i do hope, uncle, you'll forgive me, but frank and little pansy and aralia did want to come with us so much, that--that--!" "that you took them as stowaways, eh?" "i'm afraid that's it, sir." the captain pretended to be awfully angry, and said he would put about and land the lot at aberdeen. "in the meantime, go below, children, and get yourselves washed; the steward will see to you. steward!" "ay, ay, sir, i'se heah, sah." "let miss aralia and pansy have that spare cabin near mine. i'll talk to you afterwards, tom." tom hung his head in sorrow--so it seemed,--but it really was to hide a smile. he got near enough to his sisters to say: "keep up your pecker, pansy, for there won't be any aberdeen about it." in the spare cabin stood a big box that nobody had noticed before. tom had smuggled it on board, and it contained his sisters' best things, and a full rig-out for them for the arctic regions. sly old tom! he now stole into their cabin and gave them their clothes, and when staysail came down to dinner at twelve, with his spy-glass under his arm, no wonder he cried: "hillo! hillo!" for here were the three children, all mirth and smiles, seated beside pete, and tom, with head bowed down, waiting to take his seat. "hillo! hillo! but what will your father and mother think, my dears?" "oh," cried tom, "we made that all right! father gave his consent, and he'll easily manage mother." "steward!" shouted the captain, and jake came running. "put the other half-leaf in the table to-night, and lay covers for three more, for these young ragamuffins must mess with us in future." there was no more word about ghosts now, and the kind professor forgave the finlander. he was set free and sent to duty, and now for weeks and weeks there wasn't a much happier vessel afloat than the brave ship _valhalla_ bound for the frozen north. the two dogs became great friends, but, strangely enough, both disliked broomberg, and kept out of his way whenever they could. once, indeed, when the man bent down to stroke veevee, briton stood guard over his little friend and growled. "hands off!" the mastiff seemed to say, "hands off till we know more about you!" * * * * * of course uncle was chief favourite with the children, but all the three of them came to like the little professor very much indeed. he was with them nearly all day long. tom was usually very busy; so, too, was uncle staysail; and though it must not be thought that pete was an idle man, for he had much to study, still he always found time to romp and play with aralia, pansy, and the two dogs. though the weather grew colder for a time, it was all one long, long summer's day. for in the arctic regions the sun never sets for at least three months, but just goes round and round, blazing high in the south at mid-day, and lower in the north at midnight. indeed, in these seas, if you were not to look at the clock, you could not really tell whether it was night or day. every evening now the little party gathered round the large stove, on which a copper urn of coffee was always gently simmering. then the professor told his strangest stories, with perhaps pansy on his knee, and aralia lying on the hearth-rug with the dogs. most of his yarns were about the frozen north, its dangers and perils, its joys and pleasures. "and shall we see all these strange sights?" pansy used to ask. "yes, dear, and many more than these, because i mean to give you a treat if you are good and don't get your fingers frozen." one day great lumps of white snow-clad ice came floating by, and that same evening the crow's-nest was hoisted high, high up at the very top of the main-mast. the crow's-nest was like a big barrel with a lid at the bottom, pansy said, and tom, or the mate, used to climb and crawl through the bottom, and stand, spy-glass in hand, and look all about them. "oh," cried pansy one day, "shouldn't i like to get up just once! wouldn't you, ara?" "but we could never climb up," sighed her sister. the clever professor heard them, and lo and behold! the very next day he had a kind of easy-chair ready for them to go up in. he himself sat down in it with the children, and up they were hoisted, up and up. it was so fearsome that the girls shut their eyes and clung to pete, but when they did open them what a sight they saw! they were not far off the main pack, and as far as the eye could see was one vast field of snow-covered ice. their eyes were dazzled in looking at it. they were not in the crow's-nest, but close beside it, and pete made them look through the spy-glass. this was wonderful, for away yonder to the north, and near to the edge of the pack, where the sea looked as black as ink, they could see four great ships, with their crews on the ice, shooting seals and dragging skins. but in two hours' time the _valhalla_ herself got north as far as these ships, and was stopped. neither of the girls felt cold, for they wore great mits and hoods, and were altogether as snug as mice. then a boat was lowered, and when they looked down they could see tom himself get in with shooting-clothes on and a great rifle in his hand. he waved his cap to them, and pansy cried: "hoo-lay!" the boat pulled away and soon touched the ice; tom sprang nimbly on shore, and before long he could be seen only as a little black dot on that dazzling plain of snow. then he was observed to stop and kneel down while some huge monster, yellowish-white in colour, came rushing towards him. aralia must have the glass now. "oh, the bear! the bear!" she cried in grief. "it is going to kill tom. oh! oh! oh! my brother tom!" "let me see! let me see!" screamed pansy. "look now!" said aralia with a smile. "isn't tom brave?" tom was indeed. for pansy could now see the monster lying dead, and tom leaning on his gun, and once more waving his cap. then men came up and skinned the bear, and dragged the head and hide and paws to the ship. [illustration] tom was a splendid shot, and this was his first bear. when he came aboard, his sisters met him with pleasure, although with tears in their eyes, for he had run a great risk. a day or two after this, when still farther north, the children had had their first run upon the ice. it was all so strange, and the ice was so white, that they felt very giddy for a time. but the professor held pansy, and tom walked by aralia. the whole ice-pack seemed one vast plain, like a bleak moorland in winter, only with little hillocks of ice here and there called hummocks, for the flat pieces of ice were all frozen hard together, and ara wondered where "greenland's icy mountains" had all got to. there were no bears about to-day, and no seals, only the sea-birds that went wheeling and screaming about them in thousands. when they got back to the ship it was dinner-time, and both were snow-blind. the black steward carried them down and seated them at table, but it was quite half an hour before they could see. although the ship was now kept well away from the ice-pack, they could often see vessels far in through frozen ice, but busy, busy at their terrible work. sometimes tom and the mate would have a boat lowered, and would set off bear-hunting. one day tom brought home a young seal. it was such a beauty, with soft eyes and long, warm, fluffy hair. it was so small that even pansy could carry it a little way in her arms. "oh, do let us have it for a pet!" cried aralia, and her uncle consented. so they called the seal "flossy", and warmed frozen milk for it--great stores of which had been taken on board,--and fed it with a spoon, and soon the wee thing knew pansy, and used to crawl and waddle after her. the dogs didn't know what to make of flossy at first, and briton used to roll it all round the deck with his big nose; but flossy rather liked this. but one day, when briton tried to lift it up by the tail, it struck him a slap with its flipper that could be heard from stem to stern. "take that," flossy seemed to say, "and leave my tail alone!" the vessel was now kept farther to the east, and every day they passed between great patches of ice, big pieces of which kept striking the ship with such a noise that when anyone wanted to be heard he had to shout aloud. the professor was very busy now, taking soundings almost every day, and doing all kinds of clever work that even tom, smart as he was, couldn't understand. but in the evenings he still played with the children, or amused them by showing them, through magnifying-glasses, some of the wonderful things he had brought up from the bottom of the ocean. it was all very strange and beautiful, and the children were enchanted. but their greatest treat was when he brought some little glass tanks containing forms of animal life they had never seen before, and were never tired of watching. only professor pete didn't--because he said he couldn't--bring them out every night. chapter iv on and on sailed the beautiful _valhalla_. east and west, but always north, went she. peterkin was on a voyage of discovery, and one of his chief objects seemed to be to keep clear of the ice, which had grown very heavy indeed. it was a delightful holiday for the children as yet, but for the professor a time of harder work than many know anything about at all. it was really wonderful how this busy little man found time to play with the children, with flossy and with the dogs, or even to play his fiddle. but this, he would have told you, was his way of taking exercise; and he told pansy that if it were not for her he didn't think he should ever be able to find the island of gold he was in search of. do not think, though, it was all and always plain sailing. there were dangers of many kinds. sometimes storms would suddenly rise and blow for a day or two at a stretch. at such times the sun was hidden, and the cold became intense. the waves that broke on board were turned into ice, covering the decks and bows, and giving to the ship a wondrous appearance. one evening, after a gale like this had blown over, the stowaways, who had not dared to show face all day, were told to come up on deck. what a sight! why, the _valhalla_ was like a ghost-ship. the decks were white, and the bulwarks too. every rope and stay seemed made of frosted silver, while great icicles hung everywhere around. it was very dark this evening, so that the children at first could hardly see anything. but pete soon had them all hoisted up on to the bridge. and now he turned on the electric and coloured lights--crimson, blue, and orange. then, what a sight was there! it was one that caused pansy and aralia quite to forget the beauty of a pantomime they had seen the winter before. they stood spell-bound, and would not have been a bit surprised if all the deck had suddenly been crowded with fairies, with silver wands, garlands of flowers, and wings of pearly gauze. but the only fairies were the sailors, and every one of these looked like a very old man, because heads and beards were white with frost and snow, and little icicles hung round their hats. the children dreamt of it all again that night; but lo! when they went on deck next morning, before breakfast, to have a romp and a run with the dogs and flossy, everything was changed. and what a change! the sun was now shining brightly, with not a cloud in the blue sky. icebergs lay far astern; all around was a calm blue sea, with one great whale half-asleep on its surface, wild birds more beautiful than any they had ever seen before sailing around, and, more wonderful than anything else, the _valhalla_ was safe at anchor in front of a pretty island, patched with the greens, reds, and browns of lovely flowers. "behold!" cried peterkin, as he lifted pansy up. "behold, my child, the land of gold and coals!" pansy's reply was to the point. "very pretty, very pretty," she said; "but, 'fessor pete, i wants to see the gold--not the nasty coals." this very forenoon peterkin started off in the biggest boat to "spy out the land", as he called it tom and the three little stowaways were allowed to come too. to them it was going to be a kind of picnic, and the steward sent with them a huge basket, filled with enough good things to last the whole crew for a week. as there was no wind, the men had to row all the way. "oh," cried pansy, "i hope dear flossy won't swim away!" yes, they had taken flossy with them as well as the dogs. the water was deep and dark quite close to the beautiful shore, and the girls could not help marvelling at the monsters of jelly-fish they saw far down in its depths. their bodies were as great as sunshades, and of the same shape, and the legs they jerked out from under were spangled with stars of blue and red. once a huge shark swam up to the boat, leered at them with his sly and evil eyes, then, turning on his back, showed a mouth that could have swallowed them all. poor pansy drew nearer to the professor with a cry of horror. they found a little bay at last, and landed for a meal. "i don't think there is anything that can hurt you here," said peterkin, "and, if you like, you can run about and gather flowers while i cruise round the coast for an hour. there, i will leave you all the rugs, the bear-skin, and the basket too." they were delighted. so off they set, veevee and briton bounding and barking in front, and flossy waddling behind. tom had his rifle and plenty of cartridges, but there was really nothing to shoot but the lovely gulls, and the boy was not so cruel as to touch one of these. so they wandered on and on and upwards, until they came to a level spot all one lovely carpet of small wild flowers. poppies of many colours grew here, mosses, yellow stone-crop, and grasses of every hue, but they agreed not to pick any until they should be returning. still higher they went up the mountain-side, when suddenly little pansy exclaimed: "look, tom! look, ara! the sea is all flied away!" [illustration] tom stared behind him and stood aghast. a huge wall of fog or white mist had quite covered the ocean and even the shore, shutting them out from view, and was now slowly advancing towards them. but that was not the worst, for a low, moaning wind came on before it, and flakes of snow began to fall. it was easy for tom to say: "let us get back at once to the beach, the boat must be there already." they had come miles from the bay. before they could walk half the distance back, the snow-fog had swallowed them, and it was no wonder that they lost their way, and became cold and faint and dizzy. both aralia and pansy began to cry now, and at last sank down among the dry snow, unable to move another yard. tom was a boy of great courage. he thought for a little, and then he said: "frank, if you can carry pansy i'm sure i can manage ara; and we will try to find shelter somewhere till the storm is blown over." so on again in this way they struggled, till, more dead than alive, they found, by good luck, the welcome shelter of a cave. the cave was by no means large, but they were surprised to find it so warm. the first thing, however, that tom did was to walk all round the inside, rifle in hand. tom had not been two years at sea for nothing. meanwhile, where was flossy, and where was briton? tom whistled again and again, till he said he had nearly whistled the whites of his eyes out, but never a dog replied. something else had begun to whistle also, and that was the wind, and although tom made several attempts to leave the cave, to have a look at the weather as he called it, he found it impossible to stand. hours and hours passed away like this, and the tempest seemed only to increase in force. they were all very hungry now, and so tom shared out some biscuits he had brought with him, and after they had swallowed a little snow they all sat down to talk. "i fear," said tom, "we'll have to stay here all night. it will be good fun, won't it, girls?" he knew it was anything but fun himself, but he spoke in that way to keep up the children's courage. when aralia said, "yes," so did pansy, but both looked very quiet. soon after this, to their great joy, in bounded briton himself, and close behind him waddled floss. it was clear to all that he had been helping flossy along, for flossy was still little more than a puppy; but, poor wee beauty, how glad she was to see them all again! she crawled up to pansy, and lay down on her back to be scratched, which was always flossy's way of showing she was pleased. well, after they had all talked till they were tired, tom said: "now, girls, just you lie down to sleep. frank, here is my ticker." he gave his cousin his watch as he spoke. "you have to do sentry for three hours. then wake me up and i'll let you lie down. see, i'll put my rifle and belt, with fifty cartridges in it, beside you. mind, that is only for show, because you're too little a boy to touch guns. anybody want a little more snow? no? very well." so the girls curled up with veevee and floss, and tom lay near. but briton seemed to say: "no, i won't sleep; i'll lie and watch with frank." frank was not sorry to have the dog beside him for it was terrible to feel all alone in such a dismal place. well, the night wore slowly on--one, two, three, four hours--and frank was just looking at the rifle, and pretending to aim at something in the falling snow, when, all at once, briton uttered a low warning growl and sprang to his feet. next moment a great shambling bear was right in the mouth of the cave. he gave a roar that seemed to shake the whole island. whether the boy took aim or not, i never could tell, but he certainly fired the rifle, and down dropped bruin dead, and lay in the snow with his great tongue hanging out, a marvellous sight to see. the noise in the cave was fearful, but as soon as the girls had stopped screaming, frank told what had happened. "i tell you what it is, girls," he said more than once, "there wasn't the least bit of bravery about it. i just held out the gun, and off it went." "oh, but you were brave!" said aralia; "and if you hadn't killed the awful monster, we should all be dead now. "no, no," cried tom, "it was only flossy that the bear wanted! he just wanted a bit of seal for supper." "wowff!" barked briton. "wiff!" barked veevee, as much as to say: "no bear shall touch flossy while we are alive." but nobody thought of sleeping any more, and as they were all very hungry, tom served out more snow. chapter v the tempest howled for many hours more. then at last it grew almost calm, and the sun shone out on the pure white snow. "i know what to do now," said tom. "let us find our way to the beach. the boat may be there, you know." but long before they reached the shore they beheld a wondrous sight, for as far as the eye could reach there was no water to be seen, only huge icebergs covered with dazzling snow, all gently moving up and down with the swelling waves beneath. the noise made by these great bergs as they ground their sides together was deafening. but there were no signs of the boat, and no ship was to be seen. the _valhalla_ had either been crushed to atoms or been driven out to sea. tom clung to the last hope, and even told his sisters that she was sure to return for them soon. he would not get downhearted. "this is a queer business, frank," he said with a light laugh, which had no sound of fun in it however; "but we must do the best we can till they come back. eh, frank?" "yes, of course." but pansy was clinging to aralia, quietly crying. "well, frank, we must live in the cave for a little, and so we had better get everything in, and be as jolly as we can." [illustration] when they had got everything up to the cave, which took a long time, everybody had a good breakfast. there was really enough food to last a week, and it was lucky there were several boxes of sardines, for floss would take nothing else. "it's going to be a big, big picnic," said frank, and the girls began to laugh. "we're going to have lots of fun." frank and tom could climb like monkeys, and in about an hour's time they had put all the food high up in a hole in the rock out of the reach of bears or foxes. by twelve o'clock, when the sun was as high as it could get, the snow had disappeared, and once more there was a soft, warm breeze blowing, and beauty everywhere. two days flew by and nothing happened, only at night they could hear foxes barking in the distance. they never attack people singly, as bears do, but they are dangerous in packs, as tom one day found out to his cost. the food was getting low, and tom thought it was time to do something. they had found strange fruits like strawberries growing, and also some sort of roots that tasted like nuts; but unless they could get some fish poor flossy would die. so tom started off all alone on a voyage of discovery. frank stayed in the cave with the girls, and they promised to be very good. the morning was very calm, and so still that tom could hear pansy calling to him "not to be long" when he was quite a mile up the mountain-side. why he took this course he could never tell, but, when he crossed the top, marvellous indeed was the view that lay before his eyes. uncle staysail used to tell him that the natives of the north say there is an open sea somewhere near the pole, with many islands in it, and trees, and flowers, and birds. and now, behold! such a sea lay right down in the round valley yonder at his feet. it was not really a sea, but a lovely round lake, and right in the middle was a large green island. tom rubbed his eyes and gazed and gazed, and then rubbed his eyes and gazed again. "was it all a dream?" he wondered. no, there was no dream about it. it took tom some hours to explore this lake. he walked round it and found that at the far side a ridge of rocks, very narrow, led right out to the island. he crossed this natural bridge and found himself in a perfect paradise. flowers and fruit everywhere, and beautiful wild birds the like of which he had never seen before. there were rabbits, too, and very tame they were, for they followed him about, and seemed to wonder what he was and where on earth he came from. tom knocked one on the head, though he was not cruel, and with this slung over his shoulder, and his pockets full of nuts, he started to walk back. but i suppose that walking round in a circle had confused him. anyhow he walked miles out of his way, and lost himself. he sat down on a big stone at last, and wondered what he should do. he was tired and hungry, so he ate a handful of nuts. and then he began to nod. "i'll just have five minutes of a nap," he said, "and then get on again." so down he lay. but his five minutes lasted for an hour, and still the lad lay fast asleep. a large gray fox stole up and smelt the rabbit. "that'll just suit me," said he to himself. "i'll go and call my brothers and sisters, and we'll kill this two-legged creature and steal his rabbit." "yap-yap-yap!" barked the fox, and soon he had a whole pack round him. but just as they were getting near to tom, he awoke and sat up. bang went his rifle at once, as he saw his danger. one fox fell dead, but the others came on with a rush, and there was soon a lively fight. tom laid about him with the butt end of his rifle, and, being a strong young fellow, dead and dying foxes were soon lying all round him. the rest of the pack drew back a little way, only to come on again, yelping and yelling more than ever. poor tom's wrists were dripping with blood, for he had been bitten in many places. he thought it was all over now, yet he meant to fight to the last. but help was at hand, for the next moment briton bounded into the centre of the spiteful pack, and the savage beasts fled in every direction. what a happy meeting that was! the mastiff led tom back over the hills, and in an hour's time he was safe and sound at the cave. pansy wept with delight, and aralia bound up tom's wrists. he made very light of the bites, however. there were many pieces of old black wood in the cave, so frank collected them and lit a fire; and when it was quite clear, the rabbit was roasted, and everybody made a splendid dinner. then tom told them all he had seen; and, after a night's rest, they all started off the next morning for the lake and the island, taking the skins and rugs with them. they reached the long ridge of rocks and crossed over. then, indeed, were the girls surprised and delighted. what a lot they would have to tell father and mother when they got home again! tom sighed. he feared in his own mind that they would never, never see their home any more. when flossie saw the lake she made a spring towards it and dived below the surface. they could see her darting about beneath, and soon up she came, looking as pleased as punch, with a fine, great fish in her mouth. she laid it gently at pansy's feet, and dived in again. "i'll be happy here," she seemed to say, as she brought another fish, "and we need never be hungry any more." after tom had well explored the island, he told frank they must build a fort. he had found the very spot for it, too, on a little hill. this was about a hundred feet high, and the top was hollow, like a cup, with only one opening into it. in fact, the top of the hill was part of the crater of an extinct volcano, and was shaped like the letter g, the doorway being only a gap in the rocks, through which no bear could squeeze. inside, the walls were twenty feet high all round, all bare rock; but the floor was covered with grass, and moss, and wild flowers. aralia and pansy were wild with delight, and pansy said she would now be able to sleep without ugly dreams. veevee would be her bed-fellow, and floss would curl up with sissie, and big briton could sleep at the entrance. so it was all arranged. but as there could be no telling how long they might have to remain here, and as rain would be sure to fall, even if snow did not, tom and frank began to build a hut inside fort fairyland, as they called their strange abode. [illustration] now each boy had--like all greenland sailors--not only a large, many-bladed knife, with a saw in it, but a huge broad dagger in a leathern belt round his waist. so they did not want for tools. they found the best wood for what they wanted growing close by the lake, in the shape of straight and strong willows. there were plenty of leaves, and grasses, and heath also. it would be rather a long job, but they set to work with a will, and in three days' time they had dragged everything they wanted up to fort fairyland. the building of the hut was fine fun. at first it was only meant to be a kind of shelter on poles, but, as they had so much time upon their hands, they agreed to build real walls, and leave space for a door and a window. in little more than a week they had the framework all up, and the roof all made. it was thatched first with broad leaves, and then with grass. and, mind you a short ladder had to be made first to permit them to do the thatching. when this was finished, all the sides were filled in with willow branches, except door and window. never a hole was left in it, for aralia and pansy collected heaps and heaps of dried moss, and the boys worked this in to fill up the gaps. and when all was finished, and wicker seats made, it did look a cosy little hut indeed. but all the cooking was done out-of-doors. there were no sauce-pans to clean, nor knives nor forks. the plates were broad leaves, and for knives and forks the castaways used pointed sticks. it really wasn't bad fun at all being crusoes in such a place as this. but--dear me! there is always a "but" about everything--how was it all to end? and where was the _valhalla_? except for these two questions, which would keep on running through tom's and frank's minds, they could have been quite contented--well, for a time at all events. chapter vi in their rambles through this little arctic fairy land, tom noticed that the squirrels were now busy every day running away to their holes with nuts and leaves. of course they might have young ones to feed, he thought; but surely it was something more than this which made them act thus. creeping all alone one morning through the bushes, as quietly as a mouse, tom came upon a sight which taught him a useful lesson. for high up in the trunk of an old tree was a big round hole with a squirrel's tail hanging out. presently up ran another squirrel, carrying a great mouthful of leaves and clay. the new-comer made a slight noise, when out came no. 1 and took the bundle from no. 2, which then darted off for more. "ho! ho!" said tom to himself, "they seem to be storing up food for winter. heigho! i thought it would always be summer in this fairyland. but thank you, master squirrel, i shall go and do the same." so off went tom to tell frank and the girls what he had seen the squirrels doing. "as there is no sign of the ship coming back for us, children," he said somewhat seriously, "and we may have to spend the winter here, i think, you know, we ought to be making ready for it." "so do i," said pansy, looking very wise. "we want food, and we want wood and all, doesn't we, tom?" "it won't be very, very cold in this island," said her brother, "because we have the warm-water lake all round us. but perhaps the squirrels know best." so now began a very busy season indeed, for everybody went nut-gathering. tom opened up a squirrel's store, and a pretty noise the little creature made about it. but he did not rob it; he only wanted to learn a lesson. he noticed that the nuts it had collected were a little green on one side, so these must be the best. then he looked at the leaves and clay that were packed over them, and thought he would get some just the same. this going a-nutting in fairyland was real fine fun, and to have heard their merry voices, talking and laughing and singing, with every now and then briton's great bass "wowff!" and veevee's shrill "wiff!" no one would have taken them for castaways and crusoes. nutting made everyone so hungry too! rabbits were very plentiful on the island. the boys caught them by means of snares made of a kind of tough creeper. and bonny flossy caught as many fish as would have kept a large family alive. tom seldom used his rifle, though he always carried it. the cartridges were too precious to waste. another thing which these crusoes had to be very careful to do was never to let the fire go out. it was easily kept in by placing a kind of mossy peat among the hot ashes and covering it quite over. * * * * * so they collected an immense quantity of nuts, and these were placed in holes found in the rocks, and covered right up with the same sort of cement as the squirrels used. the roots that served them instead of bread every day, and which were cooked by placing them for a short time in the hot ashes, they also collected and stored. so when the harvest was all over, tom told frank and his sisters that they needn't be afraid to spend their christmas in this beautiful island. "oh, but, tom," said pansy, "we'll all be home long, long before christmas, won't we?" poor child! she was beginning to long for her mother's cosy cottage on the cliff, and for the fires that in the long winter evenings always burned so brightly in the parlour grate. "now, about light for the long arctic winter night, which will soon be here?" this was the question that tom put to frank just after sunset one beautiful evening as the snow on the tops of the highest mountains was changed to a rose tint in the sun's parting rays. "it is a very serious question, you know," he added. "very serious," said pansy, who heard him, shaking her wise, wee head. sitting by the camp fire there, with its lights and shadows chasing each other over her face and through her sunny hair, pansy looked a very beautiful child indeed. for some time they had all been sitting round the fire, watching the curling smoke and the dancing flames, everyone intent on his or her own thoughts. aralia had been wondering what they were all doing at home, and if her father and mother were anxious about her and pansy. it was such a long, long time--hundreds of years it seemed--since they had sailed away; so many strange things had happened since that day. pansy was a little maiden who took the world very easily, and enjoyed each day and hour as it passed. her thoughts were hardly worth a penny. frank was not unlike pansy, and took things as they came, and if they were not nice, just let them slide. the mastiff was asleep, so was veevee, and both seemed to be dreaming, and talking in their dreams. but flossy's eyes were very wide open now. she was really wondering if she could catch another fish to-night. flossy had lately taken to waddling away towards evening for a swim in the warm lake, and never came back without something in her mouth. so nobody was surprised when they missed her from the fire, only, as she stayed rather longer to-night than usual, and as the long twilight would soon end, tom took up his rifle and went off all by himself to look for her. "oh, dear!" cried pansy, as the sound of a shot startled everyone in the fort. "tom's gone and killed something!" "let's run and see," said frank. veevee and briton had already rushed off. they found tom at the lake-side, standing over a huge dead bear, with flossy near him. "that bear," said tom, laughing, "was keeping poor floss in the lake; but he won't do so again. isn't he a fine one?" "yes," cried frank; "he is indeed." "and now, children," said tom, when he was once more seated in front of the camp fire, "the question of lights is settled for good. frank and i are going to make candles out of that bear's tallow." "yes, pansy, we are. oh, we shouldn't be half crusoes if we couldn't make candles!" so the boys arranged to start work the very next morning at sunrise. "but first let us have a look through this beautiful isle of the sea, while the girls are asleep. there may be more bears. briton, you must stay and watch. veevee, you may come." though veevee searched every bush and grove, no bear was found. the one tom had so cleverly killed must have crossed to the island alone by the bridge of rocks. so, after breakfast, the boys built their fire. with big blocks of lava they made a sort of stove, and on top of this was placed a large cup-like stone, which they had chanced to find. into this they put the tallow to melt. in the meantime tom pulled a quantity of thick rushes, and set frank and the girls to peel them, while the dogs looked on as if wondering what it was all about. [illustration] "it's something to eat, i suppose," said briton, looking very wise. "a sort of soup of some kind from the smell of it, i should think," was veevee's remark. the long threads of white pith were about as thick as a penholder, and these were to form the wicks. when dried they were tied two and two by one end. then between two uprights tom placed a long willow rod, with three dozen strong thorns stuck in it about two inches apart, to serve as hooks. by this time the tallow was melted and all was ready. "now, ladies and gentlemen," said tom, "you shall see how candles were built in the royal navy when uncle was a boy." he rolled up his sleeves, and, picking up a double wick, dipped it in the pan, and then hung it on the first peg for the tallow to set. he did the same with all the rest, and by the time he had the thirty-sixth wick hung up, no. 1 was ready to be taken down and dipped again. so on he went all along the row, till he had dipped them a dozen times at least, when, lo! and behold! they were thick and beautiful candles, each one strong enough to give the light of half a dozen ordinary ship's candles. he worked for two days, and made about a hundred in all, so there was no fear of their having to sit in the dark. next night, while the moon was shining low over the snow-clad hills, the whole camp was alarmed by the fierce barking of briton. the mastiff was "wowffing", veevee was "wiffing", and flossy was moaning and wagging her tail in the air. though it was long past midnight, briton wanted to be off out and kill something or somebody he had heard, and veevee would also go on the war-path for fear briton might get hurt. almost immediately after came the most tremendous yelling the crusoes had ever heard, and it was clear that a whole pack of foxes had invaded the island, and if briton and veevee had been allowed to go out, they would both have been torn to pieces. the awful din lasted for hours, with a sound now and then of fighting. then it stopped, and all was still. everybody went quietly off to sleep again, but next day, when they went to the lake-side, behold not a trace of the bear was to be seen. the beasts had eaten all the flesh, and carried away the bones and skin. "now, what if these wild dogs return some night," said tom to frank, "and attack the camp. although no bear could squeeze in here, these half-bred wolves might, and tear us all in pieces. "don't frighten a fellow, tom," said frank. "but i say, old man, we must puzzle our heads once again and make a gate." "well, that's good!" cried tom, laughing; "why, there is only one head between the two of us, and that belongs to me, master frank; and don't you forget it." "well, well, you may have it, only for goodness' sake make good use of it!" the cup-like top of the hill in which our crusoes were living had but one entrance, as i have before told you, and the path leading to it was very steep, and made up of large stones and lumps of lava. "it would be a good thing," tom said, "to get a lot of these inside. they would come in very handy to throw at an enemy, eh?" "that they would," said frank. well, it took them three whole days to make and fix up a gate, which they could raise or lower before the entrance by means of ropes made out of long trailing weeds, or creepers. then, after they had carried about a hundred big stones inside, they began to feel happier and safer. chapter vii one morning, a month or two after this, the crusoes awoke to find that the sun rose that day for the last time, and, until spring should return, they would see his golden beams no more. but there was a bright and beautiful twilight every mid-day for two weeks longer. then they knew that the long, dreary arctic night had come in earnest. for about a month the crusoes had been eating very heartily every day and were getting quite fat. it was the same with the animals. flossy had long ago lost her puppy coat, and was now a bonny whitish-yellow seal, not very large, and with a black saddle on her back. but flossy got drowsy too, and if the boys had not stirred her up every day, and sent her off to catch fish, i believe she would have slept nearly all the time. even the boys felt sleepy, though they could not tell why. said tom one day to frank as they sat playing draughts on a rough board, with nuts for men: "frank, old man, by this time all the bears will have gone into winter quarters. they won't come out much until the sun returns." "fancy," cried aralia, clapping her hands, "fancy all of us sleeping all night long--three months, didn't you say, tom? wouldn't it be nice? and if uncle staysail should come in to wake us in the morning! 'get up,' he would say, 'are you going to sleep all day?'" they all laughed at the idea, but it was not carried out. besides the candles, which they only burned at supper and after, they had torches made of wood which they could burn at any time. moreover, there was the light of the camp fire, which they kept always burning, for they had laid in a vast store of peat and wood. * * * * * tom was time-keeper. he had a little log-book in which he had been careful to note down day and date every morning, and, like a good lad, he never forgot to wind his watch. he made a really first-class crusoe. but they were all good. and what a grand guard briton was! if ever he heard the slightest sound of bird or rabbit down amongst the trees or bushes beneath them, he gave a low growl. one night he sprang to his feet and barked very loudly and angrily. the crusoes were awake at once. and no wonder, for terrible noises, like distant thunder, were heard just beneath their feet. they were startled still more when explosion after explosion took place, both in the air and in the earth, while the ground was shaken under them. it was a curious, giddy movement, and made them all feel rather sick. then the thunder-storm burst in earnest, with rain and hail in torrents, and the whole island seemed to be on fire with the lightning. tom had to take pansy in his arms to soothe her, for she shook and trembled like a little bird. but in two hours it was all over, and the stars were shining as bright and large and near as before. * * * * * sometimes the moon shone with a stronger light than it ever does in this country. it seemed so close to them, too, that pansy used to say it was only just resting on the snowy hill-top. on moonlit days the children were always abroad in the forest or by the lake-side watching flossy catching fish. she dived and swam far more quickly than an eel. it is terribly dreary to want the sun, but after a month one gets used to it. besides, one knows that bright and beautiful days are on ahead. older people might have felt very weary, but none of our crusoes lost heart. i have not told you yet of the aurora borealis, which was best seen on dark, starry nights. it was not in the north only, but all around them, great bright fringes of coloured lights--chiefly green, crimson, or pink. how they danced and flickered, to be sure! such dazzling beauty no pen could describe, and i will not attempt it. well, christmas-day came at last, and how glad they all were to be still spared alive and in comfort! tom meant to make the most of it. but, of course, there was no turkey or goose to roast. instead, they had a splendid great rabbit stuffed with nuts, and roasted roots to eat with it. they had no crackers either, but tom and frank got an immense pile of dry wood, and heaped it in the middle of the rocky bridge that led to the mainland, and early in the day or night--whichever you like to call it--they set it alight. [illustration] now, probably this pile saved some of their lives. it had been placed there about five days before christmas, and a huge bear, who had the nightmare i suppose, came yawning out of his cave and down the mountain-side. he had shambled along to about the centre of the bridge, then lain down among the wood and gone off to sleep. he slept so soundly that he did not hear the boys crossing over to set the bonfire ablaze. but when the smoke and crackling flames got towards him he started up and began to trot off, coughing and roaring till all the hills sent back the sound. so awful was the echo that the boys were for a time almost terror-stricken. they thought that about a score of bears had left their snow-caves and were swarming down the hill. tom fired his rifle, but missed. veevee wanted to follow up. "only just let me get at him," cried the little rascal, "and i'll tear him limb from limb!" anyhow that was a fine fire, and it lit up the lake and the woods all about, while the numerous sparks that rose and fell in the air were like golden rain. after the fire began to fade and to die they all returned to their christmas dinner in the hut. no fewer than four candles were lighted to-night, one in each corner of the room. oh, tom meant to do everything in first-class form, i can tell you! and i feel pretty certain that even at home in merrie england no one that evening ate more heartily or made a better dinner than our crusoes, all alone though they were in the far-off frozen north. after supper they all came round the fire, and the dogs went off to sleep, perchance to dream; but the children kept very wide awake indeed. and tom told lots of droll, funny stories, and everybody sang songs. after this, all the talk was about home and the delightful time they were sure to have in one year's time, when christmas came round again once more. then came sleep, and when tom looked at his watch--next morning let me call it--it was very nearly twelve o'clock! * * * * * although it now wanted but a fortnight, according to tom's reckoning, of the first sunrise, it was still as dark as ever, and but for the moon and stars and glorious aurora, life about this time would have been very tame and dreary indeed. yet, owing to the clearness of the air and the purity of everything around them, the children never once lost heart. in fact they were as merry as sky-larks, and often made the island resound with song and mirth and laughter. and the dogs, as well as flossy, were merrier still. they barked and laughed as only dogs can, and chased each other round and round in great circles, often disappearing for ten minutes at a time, and springing out and rolling flossy over and over when she least expected them. flossy was gay enough, although she couldn't run, and often leapt fully six feet high, turning over and over in the air before she came down again. and when she did manage to entice the dogs into the water, it was her turn to show them her skill; and indeed her feats in the water were marvellous. anyhow, she used quite to astonish the dogs. they were all very well in the woods, but couldn't match flossy in the water, and there was no use trying it. chapter viii the long mid-day twilights came first, uncertain and gray to begin with, but getting brighter and more lovely as time went on. it was as if nature were trying her hand in painting the sky to give the great king of day a glorious welcome. but one day the snow on the mountain peaks changed to a bright red, while above floated just one streak of crimson cloud; higher up, the stars shone in a strange, green light, and all the horizon was of the richest orange colour. "oh, surely," cried pansy, "the sun will rise to-day!" but the red faded from the mountain-top, the little cloud turned brown, then gray, then black, and it was night once more. "no, little sister," said tom kindly; "but the sun will rise to-morrow." all went to bed early that night, and were up very early in the morning. in fact, breakfast was finished before the stars had begun to pale in the west. then came twilight itself, and, long though it was, its intense beauty was the best reward for the waiting, watching little crusoes. every heart was beating quickly, and pansy was standing on brave tom's shoulder, just to be "nearer the sky", she said. all were silent. the sun came at last, and with such a silvery sheen, too, that the children were dazzled. this was best, for they could not thus see the tears that slowly trickled down each other's faces. "look! look! look!" was all pansy could say. "oh, isn't it splendid!" said tom, as soon as he could speak. "uncle is sure to come now," said aralia firmly. "i'll go and fish," flossy seemed to say as she sprang three times her length in the air, and turned head over heels like the clown in a circus. "come on, veevee," cried the mastiff, "come for a run in the sunshine." and off they set. but the day soon ended, for the sun quickly disappeared. yet the crusoes had seen it, and that was joy enough for once. and now the days began to lengthen out, but at the same time earthquakes and thunder-storms became more and more frequent. the lake felt hot again, and the water tossed about so much at times, that even flossy was afraid to venture in to catch the fish she could not live without. there was a most terrible earthquake-storm about two weeks after the first sunrise. even tom himself was frightened this time, for the thunderings and lightnings and explosions were awful, and lasted for three long days. it was pitch dark all the time, and the rain came down in sheets. to make matters worse, smoke of a strange red colour was seen on the hills. it looked as if it came from rents in the mountain-sides, and there was a smell like burning sulphur in the air. but this season of terror ended at last; the stars shone out, there was a fine display of northern lights, and, soon after, the sun rose. a stiff breeze sprang up, and all the clouds and vapours were blown away, the last thing seen being a rainbow in the east. the joy of the crusoes now knew no bounds. the dogs dashed about, veevee barked "wiff!" briton barked "wowff!" and flossy frisked her tail and went off to fish. the children now set out for a stroll, and saw many curious sights. close to the lake, in several places, the earth seemed to have been ripped open, and, looking down as they stood hand in hand on the edge, they seemed to be gazing right into the world's dark depths. next day tom took a long walk alone. he went to the top of one of the highest hills, having left his sisters in charge of frank and briton, but taking veevee and his rifle with him. pansy watched him go up and up the mountain, until he was lost to sight. "oh," she cried, as she clapped her hands, "i know where tom has gone! he has just gone away to bring uncle and 'fessor pete back again." well, anyhow, tom had a look at the sea. it spread out as far as the eye could reach, and was covered everywhere with great snow-clad bergs of ice, except just close to the island, where it was clear, but black as ink. it was nothing more than he expected, but somehow he wished it had been otherwise. he marched down the other side of the hill for quite a mile, keeping a good look-out, however, lest some huge ice-bear should catch him unawares. by and by he missed his little four-footed friend, and traced him by his footprints into a cave. he called aloud, but received no answer. the cave seemed to be a vast one, and he had to feel his way in the dark with his rifle, for fear of falling down some hole. as he could hear nothing, he thought poor veevee must be dead, and slowly and sadly turned back. his foot kicked against something hard when he was near to the entrance, and, stooping down, he picked up what seemed to be a piece of white stone, and put it into the pocket of his jacket. when he got back home at last, poor pansy cried very much indeed at the loss of her pet. but when, next morning, she found him curled up at her feet, she thought it must have been all a dream. how the dog got back was never known, but it is possible he had been wandering all night in that cavern, deep down in the earth, and come out at the lake side of the range of hills. * * * * * it was quite a month before tom crossed the hills again. by this time spring had already come back to fairy island. the buds were all out on the trees, and the green leaves on a thousand bushes. wild flowers were everywhere. the birds, too, had returned, and the sea-gulls had taken up their abode on a great patch of level ground just on the other side of the lake. when anyone went near to their nests, which were in thousands, and so close together that it was difficult to thread one's way through them, the noise and screaming they made was deafening. now i don't think that tom and frank were cruel, but they had to live, and those great green-speckled eggs made a splendid addition to the larder, so that, what with sunshine and better food, the girls soon got back all the colour they had lost during the long, long night of winter. but where was the _valhalla_ and her crew all this time? would they never, never come? the crusoes lived in hope. now in spring-time the foxes and bears of the north, that have slept or starved for months, become bold and dangerous through hunger. bears are always to be feared, but more so at this time of the year than any other. [illustration] one day the prisoners of fairy island had been gayer than usual, but at last, tired and happy, they had lain down to rest. it might have been about midnight when they were awakened by a warning growl from briton. then, with veevee, he sprang up and rushed to the gate barking furiously. tom sprang to his feet, and snatched up his rifle. he was not left long in doubt as to who the enemy was. the wild wolf-foxes were in force, and the yelping and howling outside was terrible to listen to. he fired his rifle several times right into the centre of the pack, killing many and wounding more. this only made matters worse. the fierce and hungry beasts dashed themselves at the gate and tried to tear it in pieces. stones were hurled at them, but all in vain. poor briton was as anxious to get out as they were to get in, and had to be kept back by force. "go, quick, frank," shouted tom, "and stir up the fire; heap more peats and wood on, and bring lighted torches as soon as you can. i will guard the gate till you come." so there tom stood opposed to the whole awful crowd, with their glaring eyes, red tongues, and white-flashing teeth, with only a slight gateway between him and death. when he thrust his rifle between the willow bars to take a shot, the beasts bit and tore at it, as if they would have dragged it from his grasp. aralia was busy helping frank, and presently both came running up with lighted fir-torches, which tom at once flung over the gate, together with pieces of burning peat and wood. these did splendid work, and after a time the terrible pack drew off. there was no more sleep that night, however, and towards morning the attack began again. the foxes had dragged off their dead and wounded and devoured them. in the gray light of morning they rushed to the gate once more, and the battle raged again in all its fury. poor little pansy was trembling and shaking with fear as she looked up and saw that high up on the walls of the fort those savage, wild animals had taken their stand. it was a terrible morning, and hope seemed at last to fade, for even brave tom had grown faint and weary, and could fight but little longer. chapter ix "come along, professor! come along, mate! the children are there somewhere, over in that strange island. ha! here is a bridge of rocks! thank goodness for that! and look! here, too, are tracks!" it was uncle staysail who spoke, and behind him was 'fessor pete himself, and at least a dozen well-armed sailors. "listen!" cried the captain. "what is that?" "wolves, i think," said the professor. "and hark! surely that was a rifle-shot. pray heaven we may be in time, staysail!" "hurry up, men! hurry up!" cried the captain; and the men dashed onwards. * * * * * tom had revived a little, and he and frank were fighting harder than ever to hold the gate, as bold "horatius kept the bridge in the brave days of old". but it was already giving way, and the beasts without seemed to know it. briton was on his legs ready, and all seemed to be lost, when suddenly a rattling volley of rifle fire was heard from beneath, with shouts of men. volley followed volley, and in less time than it takes me to tell it, the wild wolf-foxes were seeking safety in flight. * * * * * "tell us all your story again," said tom to his uncle, as the children sat round the stove that same evening in the cosy cabin of the _valhalla_. they were all washed and clean by this time, and the girls were beautifully dressed. [illustration] "ah! well, you see," said uncle as he relit his pipe, "the professor here made a dart for the vessel when the storm came on. he wanted a stronger crew. "he caught us just in time, for though the gale was a furious one we could steam up to it, and were doing so, when suddenly there was a loud explosion; one of the boilers had burst, and the engines were smashed and useless. "we were now at the mercy of the sea, the waves, and the icebergs too, and before another day we were blown far away to sea. "even then we had hope. but in a week's time we were frozen into the main pack, and there we have had to winter, and it is hardly a week since we got clear by cutting a canal with our great ice-saws. oh! it has been a dreary time for us, but must have been more so to you, poor darlings! and well and bravely you have borne it all! "i am sure," he added, "that even pansy has grown, and her mother will hardly know her again when we all get home." "we are going now, aren't we, 'fessor pete?" said pansy, who was sitting on his knee. "yes, my dear, yes. it is no use staying here when we have no steam, so the ship is now making for england's sunny shores. and we'll get there in the rosy month of june. won't it be nice?" pansy was jumping with joy. aralia clapped her hands and cried: "just too jolly for anything!" by and by aralia sat down to the piano, and pete brought out his fiddle, and a very happy evening indeed was spent in the _valhalla_. the men were keeping it up forward too, around the galley fire, singing songs and spinning yarns, for the ship was "homeward bound". * * * * * "oh, by the by," said tom one day to the professor, "i forgot to tell you that in the cave where poor veevee got lost i picked up this curious stone!" the professor put his spectacles on his nose and gazed at it for a moment. "why, my dear tom, this is solid gold, in the centre of a coating of quartz! you're in luck, lad; and it is just as i said; that is the island of gold. we shall return another year, and you will be one of the richest men in the kingdom." * * * * * my story is finished, or almost. 'fessor pete and tom, with uncle staysail, to say nothing of the mastiff briton, are out there in the frozen north this very summer, and i do hope they will have luck. but aralia and pansy, with sometimes frank and always veevee, may be seen any day playing on the sands not far from their mother's home, and flossy too. flossy is wondrously tame, and spends an hour or two almost every day in the sea, or on the beach, to the great delight of all who see her. but aralia has a whistle, and no matter how far away in the water this strange pet may be, whenever the call is sounded she comes ploughing back to the beach, and after she has shaken her bonny coat in the sunshine, goes waddling home with her little friend veevee and the crusoes of the frozen north. transcriber's note: inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved. obvious typographical errors have been corrected. italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=. off santiago with sampson the "stories of american history" series. by james otis, author of "toby tyler," "jenny wren's boarding house," etc. each story complete in one volume; with 17 original illustrations by l. j. bridgman. small 12mo, neatly bound in extra cloth, 75 cents each. =1. when dewey came to manila.= =2. off santiago with sampson.= two new volumes on the recent spanish-american war, in the author's deservedly popular "stories of american history" series. =3. when israel putnam served the king.= =4. the signal boys of '75=: a tale of the siege of boston. =5. under the liberty tree=: a story of the boston massacre. =6. the boys of 1745= at the capture of louisburg. =7. an island refuge=: casco bay in 1676. =8. neal the miller=: a son of liberty. =9. ezra jordan's escape= from the massacre at fort loyall. dana estes & co., publishers, boston. [illustration] off santiago with sampson by james otis author of "jenny wren's boarding-house," "jerry's family," "the boys' revolt," "the boys of 1745," etc. illustrated boston dana estes & company 1899 copyright, 1899 by dana estes & company colonial press: electrotyped and printed by c. h. simonds & co. boston, u. s. a. contents. chapter page i. "keep out" 11 ii. keep in 31 iii. off santiago 48 iv. the merrimac 66 v. the chase 86 vi. teddy's daddy 103 list of illustrations page the maria teresa in flames _frontispiece_ at the gateway 12 talking with the longshoreman 17 the merrimac 22 teddy comes on board the merrimac 27 setting the hiding-place in order 34 teddy discloses himself 41 the fleet 51 "'this 'ere steamer is goin' to be sunk'" 57 the texas 63 sailors from the texas 68 keeping watch of the brooklyn 73 the sinking of the merrimac 79 the sunken merrimac 83 teddy tries to assist the wounded sailor 90 the texas in the fight 99 off santiago with sampson. chapter i. "keep out." it was a small but by no means feeble-looking boy who stood in front of a driveway disclosed by the opening of huge gates which, until they had been swung inward, appeared to have been a portion of the high fence of boards. there was seemingly no inducement for a boy to linger in this vicinity, unless, indeed, it might have been the sign posted either side the gate, on which was painted in letters rendered conspicuous because of the vivid colouring, the forbidding words, "keep out." "i'll not keep out 'less i'm minded to, an' him as can hold me this side the fence needs to be spry on his feet," the small boy said, half to himself, and with a gesture of defiance which told he had not been accustomed to obeying commands that might be evaded. through the gateway nothing could be seen save enormous heaps of coal, some enclosed in pens formed of planks as if to prevent them from mingling with the others, and between all a path or road of no more than sufficient width to permit the passage of a cart. in the distance, a rough building abruptly closed the view, and beyond it the puffing of steam and rattle of iron implements told of life and activity. [illustration] outside the fence, it was as if this certain portion of the city had been temporarily deserted; but one could hear the rumble of wheels over the pavements on either hand, giving token that the coalyard was situated just beyond the line of city traffic. the boy gazed into the uninviting-looking place as if fascinated, only glancing up now and then at the signs which mutely forbade his entrance, and, as if unconscious of his movements, stole slowly nearer and nearer the gateway until he stood directly on the line that separated the yard from the sidewalk. "if i wanted to go in, it's more'n a couple of signs that could keep me out," he muttered, threateningly, and then, with one backward glance to assure himself that no unfriendly policeman was watching from the distance, the boy darted forward, taking refuge behind the nearest heap of coal, lest an enemy should be lurking near at hand. save for the hum of labour everywhere around, he heard nothing. no guardian of the smutty premises appeared to forbid his entrance, and after waiting a full minute to make certain it was safe to advance yet farther, he left one place of partial concealment for the next in his proposed line of march. so far as he could see, there was no other guardian of the yard save the two signs at the entrance, and the only purpose they served was to challenge him. grown bolder as the moments passed without bringing to light an enemy, the lad advanced more rapidly until he stood, partially concealed by one of the pens, where it was possible to have a full view of all that was being done in this place to which the public were not supposed to be admitted. if the intruder had braved the unknown dangers of the yard simply in order to gratify his curiosity, then had he paid a higher price than the view warranted. the building, which from the street appeared to mark the end of the enclosure, was a structure wherein puffing engines, grimy men, long lengths of moving chains, and enormous iron cars or boxes were sheltered from the sun or rain. in front of it a wooden wall extended down into the water,--a pier perhaps it might be called,--and at this pier, held fast by hemp and iron cables, lay a gigantic steamer built of iron. the intruder gave no heed to the busy men and machinery within the building. the vessel, so powerful, but lying there apparently helpless, enchained his attention until he had made mental note of every spar, or boat, or cable within his range of vision. then, suddenly, from somewhere amid the chains, and cars, and puffing steam, came the shrill blast of a whistle, and as if by magic all activity ceased. the engines no longer breathed with a heavy clank; cars and chains came to a standstill, and men moved quietly away here or there as if having no more interest in the hurly-burly. one of the weary labourers, his face begrimed with coal-dust until it was not possible to distinguish the colour of his skin, took from its near-by hiding-place a dinner-pail, and came directly toward where the small boy was overlooking the scene. within two yards of the lad the dusty man sat down, brushed the ends of his fingers on his trousers, rather from force of habit than with any idea of cleansing them, and without further delay began to eat his dinner. the boy eyed him hungrily, looked around quickly to make certain that there were no others dangerously near, and stepped out from behind his screen of coal. "you'd better keep an eye out for the watchman," the man said, speaking indistinctly because of the bread in his mouth, and the boy replied, defiantly: "i'd like to see the watchman 'round here that i'm 'fraid of, an' besides, he couldn't catch me." "what'er you doin' here?" "nothin'." "a boy of your size has got no business to be loafin' 'round doin' nothin'." "i might be eatin' if i had a chance; but there hasn't been much of an openin' for me in that line this quite a spell." "hungry?" "give me a piece of that bread an' i'll show yer." "don't you do anything for a livin'?" the man asked passing the lad a generous slice from the loaf. "course i do." "what?" "anything that pays. i've sold papers some since the spaniards got so funny; but it ain't any great snap, only once in awhile when the news is humpin' itself. a feller gets stuck mighty often, an' i'm thinkin' of tryin' somethin' else." "where's your folks?" "i ain't got any to speak of now, since my father got giddy an' went off to war." "out for a soldier, eh?" "not a bit of it! he shovels coal aboard one of them big steamers that's down smashin' the life out'er cuby, that's what he does, an' he's nobody's slouch, dad ain't!" "what's your name?" "teddy dunlap." "want more bread?" the boy leaned over in order to look into the dinner-pail, and then said, promptly: "i've had enough." "don't think you're robbin' me, 'cause you ain't. i believe in feedin' well, an' this is only my first pail. there's another over there that i'll tackle later." teddy glanced in the direction pointed out by his new acquaintance, and, seeing a pail half concealed by some loose boards, at once stretched out his hand, as he said: "if you've got plenty, i don't care if i do have another piece of that bread." "can't you earn enough to keep you in food?" and the man gave to the boy a most appetising sandwich. "say, that's a dandy! it's half meat, too! them you get down-town don't have more'n the shadow of a ham bone inside the bread! course i make enough to buy food; but you don't think i'm blowin' it all in jest for a spread, eh?" "runnin' a bank?" "well, it's kind'er like that; i'm puttin' it all away, so's to go down to cuby an' look after the old man. he allers did need me, an' i can't see how he's been gettin' along alone." "where's your mother?" "died when i was a kid. dad an' me boomed things in great shape till he got set on goin' to war, an' that broke it all up." "did he leave you behind to run wild?" [illustration] "not much he didn't, 'cause he knows i can take care of myself; but he allowed to make money enough so's we could buy a place out in the country, where we'd have an imitation farm, an' live high. oh, i'm all right, an' every time i catch a sucker like you there's jest so much more saved toward goin' down to cuby. you see i never did take much stock in dad's kitin' 'round fightin' spaniards, an' since he left it seems as if i was mighty foolish to let him go, so i'm bound to be where he is, when things come my way." "look here, teddy," and the dust-begrimed man spoke in a more kindly tone to the boy, "if your father is a coal-passer in the navy, an' that's what he seems to be, 'cordin' to your story, you couldn't see very much of him, even though you was on board his vessel all the time." "don't yer s'pose i know that? i ain't sich a baby that i count on bein' right under his nose; but i'm goin' to be somewhere near the old man in case he needs me." "it seems as if you might get down to cuba easier than earnin' the money to pay your passage." "how?" and teddy ceased eating for the instant to look at this new friend who had made a suggestion which interested him more than anything else could have done. "why don't you try to work your passage? now, here's this 'ere steamer, loadin' with coal for the navy--perhaps goin' to the very ship your father is on. if you could jolly the captain into takin' you to do odd jobs, it would be a snap, alongside of payin' for a ticket an' trustin' to luck after gettin' there." "well, say! that would be a great racket if it could be worked! is it a dead sure thing that the steamer's bound for our war-vessels?" "that's what, though it ain't to be said that she'll be goin' to the very craft your father's on. all i know is uncle sam has bought this coal, an' it's bein' taken out to our navy somewhere 'round cuba." "i don't reckon any but them what enlists can go aboard the steamer, an' the snap can't be worked, for i've tried four times to get taken on as a sailor." "but bless your heart, this 'ere craft is only a chartered collier." "a what?" "i mean she's only a freighter that uncle sam has hired to carry coal. you won't find enlisted men aboard of her." "an' do you really think there's a chance for me?" "i can't say as to that, lad; but i'd make a try for a berth aboard if my mind was set on goin' into that part of the world, which it ain't. the captain went below not ten minutes before the noon-whistle sounded, an' he's likely there this minute." teddy gazed inquiringly at this new acquaintance for an instant, as if suspicious that the man might be making sport of him, and then marched resolutely toward the end of the pier, with the half-eaten sandwich almost forgotten in his hand. after perhaps five minutes had passed, he returned, looking disappointed, but not disheartened, and seating himself by the side of the owner of the two dinner-pails, resumed operations upon the sandwich. "see the captain?" "yep." "didn't want a boy, eh?" "guess not; he said he'd give me two minutes to get out of the cabin, an' i thought perhaps i'd better go." "quite natural, lad, quite natural; i'd done the same thing myself. there couldn't have been any very great harm worked, though, in askin' the question." "it stirred him up considerable; but i guess he'll get over it without any very bad spell," teddy said, grimly, and after a brief pause, added, reflectively, "it seems as though some men hated boys; i've seen them as would take a good deal of trouble to kick a feller if he stood the least little bit in the way, an' i never could understand it." "perhaps there's more'n you in the same box; a brute's a brute whether he be old or young, an' age always makes 'em worse. it's a pity, though, that you didn't strike one of the right kind, because if you're set on gettin' down where the fightin' is goin' on, this 'ere steamer would have been the safest way." "do you know when she's likely to leave?" teddy asked, after a long pause, during which he had been gazing intently at the gilt letters, _merrimac_, on the vessel's rail. "some time to-night, i reckon. we've been workin' night an' day at the loadin', an' it's said that she'll leave the dock within an hour after the last scoopful has been put aboard." "how long will it take her to get there?" "i can't say, lad, seein's i don't rightly know where she's bound; but it shouldn't be a long voyage at the worst, for such as her." [illustration] again teddy gazed at the gilt letters on the rail, as if in them he saw something strange or wonderful, and when the owner of the dinner-pails had come to an end of his meal, the boy said, abruptly: "do you know the watchman here?" "watchman! i haven't seen any yet, though i reckon likely there is one around somewhere; but he ain't agitatin' himself with doin' much watchin'." "is the yard open all the time?" "i haven't seen the gates closed yet; but most likely that's because the work has been pushed on so fast, there hasn't been time to shut 'em. look here, lad!" and now the man sat bolt upright, staring as intently at the boy as the latter had at the gilt letters, "is it in your head to stow away on that steamer?" "sim donovan did it aboard a english steamer, an' i've heard it said he had a great time." "yes, i reckon he did, if the captain was the usual sort," the dust-begrimed man replied, grimly. "i could keep out of sight a whole week, if it was for the sake of comin' across dad," the boy added, half to himself. "that's what you think now, lad; but it ain't the easy work you're countin' on. as a general rule, stowaways get it mighty tough, an' i'd sooner take my chances of swimmin', than to try any such plan." "if a feller kept under cover he couldn't get into much trouble." "but you can't stay in hidin' any great length of time, lad. you'd have to come out for food or water after a spell." "not if i took plenty with me," teddy replied, in the tone of one who has already arrived at a conclusion. "it looks easy enough while you're outside; but once shut in between decks, or cooped up in some small hole, an' you'd sing a different tune." "i wouldn't if it was a case of seein' dad when we got there." "but that's the trouble, my boy. you don't know where the steamer is bound. she might be runnin' straight away from him, an' then what would you do?" "you said she was goin' to carry the coal to our vessels, didn't you?" "yes; but that don't mean she'll strike the very one your father is workin' on." "i'll take the chances," and now teddy spoke very decidedly. for an instant it was as if the owner of the two dinner-pails would attempt to dissuade him from the hastily formed determination, and then the man checked himself suddenly. "i like to see a boy show that he's got some backbone to him, an' it may be you'll pull out all right. it'll be an experience you'll never forget, though, an' perhaps it won't do any harm." "how can it?" teddy asked, sharply. "them as have tried it might be able to explain more'n i can; there's no call for me to spend wind tryin' to tell what you won't listen to, so i'll hold my tongue. i'm bound to say this much, though, which is that you're certain to catch it rough when the time comes for showin' yourself." "that'll be all right; i can stand a good deal for the sake of seein' the old man once more." having said this, teddy turned his head away as if no longer inclined for conversation, whereupon the owner of the two dinner-pails surveyed him admiringly. "i wouldn't wonder if you had considerable sand in you, teddy dunlap," he said, musingly. "an' even though it seems a queer thing for a grown man to do, i'm minded to give you a lift along what's goin' to prove a mighty hard road." "meanin' that you're willin' to help me?" the lad asked, his face brightening wonderfully. "it's little i can do, an' while i ought'er turn you over to the police in order to prevent your makin' a fool of yourself, i'll see the game out so far as i can. what have you got by way of an outfit?" "i don't need any." "you must have food and water." "i ain't broke, an' it won't be any great job to buy as much grub as will keep me goin' for a spell." "that's the same as all stowaways figger, an' the consequence is that they have to show themselves mighty soon after the ship sails. i ain't advisin' you to try the game; but if you're set on it, i says, says i, take all you'll need for a week, an' then perhaps there'll be a turn in affairs that'll help you out of a bad hole. here are my pails; they're yours an' welcome. fill 'em both with water, or perhaps cold tea would be best; buy whatever will be most fillin', an' walk aboard as bold as a lion within the next hour. them as see you are bound to think you're waitin' upon some of the workmen, an' not a word will be said. the hidin' of yourself is easy enough; it's the comin' out that'll be rough." "say, you're what i call a dandy!" and teddy laid his hand on the man's knee approvingly. "i was mighty lucky to come across one of your kind." "i ain't so certain about that. before twenty-four hours have gone by you may be wishin' you'd never seen me." "i'll risk that part of it, an' if you really mean for me to have the pails, you'll see me go aboard the steamer mighty soon." "they're yours, my boy, an' i only hope you'll come out of the scrape all right." "don't worry 'bout that; it'll be a terrible spry captain that can make me cry baby when i'm headin' toward where dad is. be good to yourself!" teddy took up the pails, and as he turned to go out of the yard his new acquaintance asked, solicitously: "got money enough to buy what'll be needed? if you haven't there's some odd change about my clothes that--" "i'm well fixed, an' that's a fact. ever since the idea came to me of huntin' dad up, i've kept myself in shape to leave town on a hustle. you're mighty good, just the same." "i'm makin' an old fool of myself, that's what i'm doin'," the man replied, angrily, and then turned resolutely away, muttering to himself, "it's little less than sheer cruelty to let a lad like him stow away on a collier. there ain't one chance in a thousand of his findin' the father he's after, an' the odds are in favour of his havin' a precious hard time before gettin' back to this town." [illustration] then a whistle sounded as a warning that the labourers must return to their tasks, and a moment later the building was alive once more with the hum and whir of machinery, the clanking of great chains, and the voices of men. one of the steamer's hatches was already on and battened down. a second was being fastened in place, and the final preparations being made told that the enormous hold had been nearly filled with the black fuel needed by the war-ships. every man, whether a member of the vessel's crew, or one of the labourers employed for the lading, was intent only on his own business, and among all that throng it is probable that but one gave any heed to a small boy who came rapidly down through the yard carrying two tin pails in his hands, and a large paper parcel under his arm. that single workman, who was giving heed to other than his own special work, nodded in the most friendly fashion as the lad passed near where he was standing, and whispered, gruffly: "god love you, lad!" the boy winked gravely, and then, setting his face seaward, marched boldly up on the steamer's deck, glancing neither to the right nor the left, lest it should be observed that he was not familiar with his surroundings. the man, who a few moments previous had been the possessor of two dinner-pails, watched carefully as the small lad walked rapidly forward, and only when the latter was lost to view did he give heed to his own work, saying half to himself as he took up the task once more: "i've half a mind to blow on the boy even now, for it's a cruel shame to let him take the chances of stowin' away with but little hope of ever findin' his father." as if in pursuance of this thought he took a step forward, and then checked himself, adding, thoughtfully: "it would be more cruel to stop the little shaver just when he believes he's workin' his plan so smooth. better let him go his own course, an' trust that them he comes across will remember the time when they were lads." chapter ii. keep in. teddy dunlap's father was formerly a coal-passer on a steam-tug, and many times had the lad, while spending the day with his parent, seen an ocean-going steamer at close range, while the small craft went alongside the larger one for business purposes. at such times the boy seldom lost an opportunity of boarding the big vessel, and thus it was that he had a general idea of where he might the most readily find a hiding-place this day when he was venturing so much in the hope of meeting his only relative. the dinner-pails and the parcel under his arm would have done much toward warding off suspicion as to his purpose, had any one observed him; but every person on deck, whether member of the crew or temporarily employed to make the ship ready for sea, was so intent on his duties as to have no thought for a lad who appeared to be attending strictly to his own business. even if any one aboard had observed teddy particularly, the natural thought would have been that he had come to deliver the parcel and pails to one of the workmen, and so long as the boy had been permitted to come over the rail, it was reasonable to suppose he had due authority for being there. teddy knew full well that his chances for successfully stowing away in the vicinity of the main cabin, the engine-room, or the deck-houses, were exceedingly slight, for such places were visited by many; but down in the very eyes of the ship, where were located the quarters for the seamen, was more than one dark, out-of-the-way hole into which he could creep with but little fear of being discovered. turning his head neither to the right nor the left, and moving rapidly as if it was his desire to be ashore again as soon as possible, the boy went into the forecastle--the sailors' parlour. the dark, ill-ventilated place, filled with noisome odours, had at that moment no living occupants save the rats who had grown bold through long tenancy. the crew were all on deck, for at this time, when quick despatch was necessary, no skulking would be allowed, and had teddy's friend with the dinner-pails attended to the arrangements, the boy could not have had a better opportunity. he might be even boisterously noisy, and there was little likelihood any would come to learn the cause of the uproar until after the steamer had left the coal-sheds to begin her long voyage straight toward the enemy's islands. being in a certain degree aware of this last fact, teddy set about making his arrangements for the ticketless voyage in a methodical fashion, there being no reason why he should allow himself to be hurried. the crew on board the good steamer _merrimac_ had neither better nor worse quarters than those to be found on any other craft of her class; but to a lad whose experiences of seafaring life had been confined to short excursions around the harbour, this "sea parlour" was by no means inviting, and save for the incentive which urged him forward, teddy dunlap might have allowed himself to become disheartened even before it had been proven that he could take passage secretly. "it ain't so _awful_ tough," he said to himself, "an' daddy will be all the more glad to see me after knowin' i've had a hard time gettin' to him." this last thought was sufficient to strengthen his failing courage, and straightway he set about searching for a hiding-place where he might remain concealed until the steamer should come alongside commodore schley's flag-ship, the _brooklyn_, whereon was his father. then--but there would be time enough to form plans for showing himself when he had nothing better with which to occupy his attention. the forecastle was well filled with sea-chests, bedding, which as yet had not been put in place, and such like goods as seamen would naturally bring with them on a reasonably long voyage, therefore teddy found it difficult to judge as to what might be the general arrangements for stowage after the steamer should be under way; but he had good reason to believe it was necessary to find some place so small that it could not well be utilised by the men. when, after some search, he came upon a narrow, dark, doorless closet, partially filled with coils of rope, bolts of canvas, and what appeared to be a general assortment of odds and ends, it seemed as if he had indeed found that for which he was looking. there was little chance this small den would be required for other than what it was then used, and he had only to fear that some of the articles it contained might suddenly be needed, when he must of a necessity be discovered by whosoever should be sent to overhaul the goods. [illustration] "i'll have to take the chances," teddy said to himself, having considered well this possibility of discovery. "it ain't likely they'll want anything out of here till after the steamer is at sea, an' then it'll be too late to send me ashore." once having decided that this was to be his abiding-place during the time he could remain in hiding on board the _merrimac_, teddy set about making such bestowal of the goods as would best serve to his comfort, arguing with himself that he might not have another opportunity for putting the new quarters into decent shape. understanding that once the steamer was at sea she would be tossed about by the waves until it might be difficult for him to remain in whatever place he pleased, the boy's first care was to make of the rope and canvas a barricade to hold the remainder of the goods in proper position, and, this done, there was little else possible, save to unroll a bolt of the sail-cloth that it should serve as a bed. "it's a good deal snugger than i expected, an' the dark part of it don't count," he said to himself, contentedly, as he wedged the two tin pails filled with water, and his store of provisions, inside the largest coil of rope. "when there ain't too much noise i can hear the crew talkin', and that'll help out big if a feller happens to get lonesome. them signs on the coal-yard said 'keep out,' an' i come in; now i ought'er put up one that says 'keep in,' an' perhaps i'll go out quicker'n i'm countin' on. anyhow it's a case of keepin' in mighty snug, 'less i want to run up against that captain once more, an' i'm thinkin' he'd be an ugly customer." teddy dunlap was well content. he believed his store of provisions and water was sufficient to keep both hunger and thirst at a distance during such time as it might be necessary for him to remain there in hiding, and when the short term of imprisonment should come to an end, he would be with his father. what more could any twelve-year-old boy ask for? it was while counting up his reasons for being thankful that the stowaway fell asleep, the heat, the darkness, and the comparative quiet all contributing to make his eyelids heavy, and he was yet unconscious when two noisy, bustling little tugs, one either side of the big vessel, towed her down the harbour. the voyage had begun, and, apparently, there was no suspicion in the minds of the officers that the _merrimac_ had on board other than her regularly shipped crew. when teddy awakened he felt comfortable both in mind and body; the steamer was rising and falling on the ocean swell, but not to such a degree as inconvenienced him in the slightest, and the many odours with which his nostrils were assailed passed almost entirely unnoticed. he believed, because of the pounding of the waves, that the _merrimac_ was rushing through the waters at a sharp pace, and this supposed fact was in itself sufficient to counterbalance any defects he may have discovered in his hiding-place, for the greater the speed the sooner he might see his father. not until after he had been awake several moments was it possible to distinguish, amid the varied noises, the sound of human voices; but he was finally able to do so, and became greatly cheered thereby. "now, this ain't goin' to be so bad," he said to himself, contentedly. "i'll know everything that's goin' on, 'cause it won't be a big job to crawl out far enough to hear the men talk, an' a feller couldn't be better fixed, not if he'd paid two prices for a ticket." then the idea came to teddy dunlap that he was hungry, and he laughed gently at the thought that it was only necessary to stretch out his hand in order to satisfy the desire. "talk 'bout your palace-cars! they ain't a marker 'longside this way of travellin'. i don't have to wait for any tousled-headed nigger to bring my order, 'cause here it is!" straightway the boy began to satisfy his hunger, doing it in an economical fashion, for he was not minded to exhaust his supply on the first day of leaving port. he drank sparingly of the water, but yet taking sufficient to quench his thirst, and when the meal was come to an end lay back on the canvas bed luxuriously, congratulating himself again and again, upon his determination to go in search of his father. the motion of the steamer grew more violent; but teddy was proof against such rolling as the _merrimac_ was indulging in then. there remained the same buffeting of the waves which told of progress; told that the distance between himself and his father was rapidly being lessened, and this was sufficient for the stowaway. the plunging of the steamer was to teddy dunlap no more than the violent rocking of a cradle would be to an infant; it prevented him from remaining quiet as would have been pleasant, but did not drive slumber from his eyelids. in less than ten minutes after having partaken of the meal he was again wrapped in slumber, and during a full twenty-four hours he alternately slept and ate; but at the end of that time was more than ready for a change of programme. then it was that his eyes refused to close; the folds of canvas, which at first had seemed as soft as any fellow could have asked for, became hard as iron, and he suddenly discovered that he was sore and lame from having been flung about when the vessel rolled. the hardships of a stowaway's life suddenly became a reality, and instead of congratulating himself upon being on board the _merrimac_, he began to speculate upon the probable length of the voyage. he hungered to hear the voices of the men more distinctly, and spent full two hours gently moving the dunnage around so that he might crawl out near the entrance to this seeming cave. when he had gotten so far into the forecastle that no more than two coils of rope hid him from view of the watch below, and understood it would be dangerous to advance any farther, he learned that it was impossible to hear any more than such words as were spoken in the loudest tone. there was little hope of being able to realise what might be going on around him by such means. then came a most dismal twenty-four hours, when the _merrimac_, met full in the teeth by a gale of wind, staggered, plunged, and rolled her way along, every wave striking the iron hull with a force that caused teddy to wince, and then came that deathly sickness which those who sail upon the sea are sometimes forced to endure. there were many hours when the stowaway believed the steamer was about to go to the bottom, and he fancied death was the only relief from his agony. he even ceased to think of his father, and considered no person save himself, wondering why he had been so foolish as to believe it might be wise to search for commodore schley's flag-ship. more than once while the malady had a firm hold upon him, did he decide to throw himself upon the mercy of whosoever might chance to be in view when he emerged from the hiding-place, and perhaps if the sickness had been less severe, his adventures would have ended as do the greater number of such exploits. once having recovered, however, his heart became braver, even though he learned that nearly all the water had been spilled while the steamer was tossing about so wildly, and his store of provisions, which had seemed so large when he came on board, was nearly exhausted. after this the hours passed more slowly, and each moment the imprisonment seemed more irksome. it was only with difficulty he could force himself to remain screened from view, and more than once did he venture dangerously near the entrance to his floating cave in the hope of seeing a human face, but yet he kept his secret forty-eight hours longer, when the provisions, as well as the water, had come to an end. he had ceased to speculate upon the meeting with his father, but thought only of how long he could endure the pangs of hunger and thirst, and even the fear of the commander's possible brutality faded away as he dwelt upon the pleasure of having sufficient to eat and drink. and finally, as might have been expected, the moment arrived when he could no longer hold his courage against the suffering, and he made preparations to discover himself. how long he had been cooped up in that narrow place it was impossible for him to so much as guess; he did not try to compute the number of hours that had elapsed since he last tasted food or water; there was only in his mind an intense desire to receive the punishment for having stowed away, in order that he might the sooner satisfy the cravings of his stomach. "it's no use to hold on any longer; the voyage ain't comin' to an end for weeks an' weeks, an' i'll be dead in another day if i don't have somethin' to eat. i'll go out this minute, an' take whatever they give me in the way of a floggin', for waitin' won't make things any better." having arrived at this decision, teddy dunlap began to attack the cordage which screened the entrance to his retreat as if each strand of rope was a deadly enemy to be overcome without loss of time, and when he had thrown down the last obstacle he stood blinking and winking in the not overly strong light of the forecastle, confronted by a short, round-faced sailor, who surveyed him in mingled fear and astonishment. "where--who--what--oh, a stowaway, eh?" the little man cried, after having expressed on his glistening face, in rapid succession, fear, astonishment, and bewilderment. "well, i'll eat my hat if i ever heard of a lad stowin' away on a collier what's out on an errand like ours!" [illustration] "yes, i'm a stowaway, an' i don't care who knows it!" teddy cried, in a tone of desperation. "i held in just as long as any feller could, an' it seems as if i was next door to bein' dead, i'm so thirsty an' hungry!" "you won't count triflin' things like that after you've come face to face with the captain, lad," and the little man appeared as truly sorrowful as any one of a like jolly countenance ever can, however saddening the situation. "will he let in to me pretty tough?" "i'm thinkin' that anything else you've had in that line will seem a good deal like a joke, alongside of what he'll deal out, an' that ain't the worst of it." "what else can he do?" and teddy looked up timidly, absolutely frightened out of his hunger. "this 'ere is the next thing to a government steamer, seein's we're on naval service, an' the captain is like to turn you over to the first cruiser we meet, for extra punishment. i don't know how uncle sam treats them as stows away on his vessels, but i'll go bail it ain't with any very tender hand." teddy dunlap looked around the forecastle, searching for some one to whom he could appeal, for he believed this jolly-looking little sailor was trying to play upon his fears; but the sea-parlour was empty. if he had waited forty-eight hours for an opportune time in which to make his appearance, he could not have come at a better moment. "what's the use tryin' to scare a feller almost to death?" he asked, piteously. "i've got to take the dose, of course; but there's no need of your rubbin' it in." "i ain't comin' any game on you, lad, an' that's the solemn truth. while i never saw the captain of this 'ere steamer till i came aboard, i'll eat my hat if he ain't a tartar when you rub his fur the wrong way, an' i'm tryin' to think if there ain't some way of gettin' you out of the scrape." "i'd go back into my hole if i had somethin' to eat an' drink." "where'd you come from?" teddy pointed to his late place of concealment, and the jolly little man said, quite cheerfully: "that's the very thing for you to do, my son. i don't want to see you abused, an' it'll be hard lines if between us you can't be got off this bloomin' steamer without everybody's knowin' that you've cheated uncle sam out of a passage." "can you get me somethin' to eat?" teddy asked, imploringly. "i will if it takes every cent that's comin' to me in the way of wages, to square the cook. tell me what brought you here, sonny? you can stand jest behind this dunnage, an' we'll be able to talk quite comfortable." that the little man would be a real friend there could be no doubt, and without hesitation teddy told him the whole story, neither adding to nor taking therefrom, and saying, by way of conclusion: "of course it'll be all right when i come across daddy, for there ain't no captain of a coal-steamer who'd dare give it to me very rough while he was around." "an' your father is aboard the _brooklyn_, eh?" "yes; he shipped as coal-passer." "well, i don't rightly know what he'll be able to do for you in case we come across him, which is doubtful; but from what i've seen of skippers since this war begun, i'm thinkin' our captain will swing a pretty heavy hand, unless he meets some other feller who holds a bigger commission." "you talk as if i couldn't find daddy," teddy interrupted. "he's aboard the flag-ship." "that's what i heard you say; but it ain't any proof we'll come across him. this 'ere cargo of coal is goin' where it's most needed, an' we may never find any of schley's fleet." "but we're goin' right where the war-vessels are." "see here, my son, commodore schley's fleet ain't the only squadron in this war by a long chalk, an' we might work at coalin' the navy from now till we're gray-headed without comin' across him. i'm afraid the chances of findin' your father are slim; but i'm bound to help you out'er the snarl that bloomin' longshoreman got you into, if it so be i can. get back into the hole, an' i'll see what can be found in the way of grub." teddy, more disheartened because of the doubt expressed as to the possibility of finding his father, obeyed the little man's order without remonstrance, and once alone again, gave himself up to the most disagreeable thoughts, absolutely forgetting for the moment that he had supposed himself on the verge of starvation a short time previous. as yet he had not absolutely divulged his secret, save to the little sailor who had promised to be his friend, and it might be possible that at some port he could slip on shore without the knowledge of any save this one man. but all such counted for nothing at the moment, in view of the possibility that he had, perhaps, made the venture in vain. there was another and yet more alarming view to be taken of the situation. he might be forced to go ashore in a strange harbour, for it was hardly within the range of probability that he could return in the _merrimac_ to the home port, and then there was the ugly chance that possibly there would be great difficulty in finding his way back. "i've made the biggest kind of a fool of myself!" he wailed, very softly; "but i won't let anybody know that i'm willin' to agree to it. when a feller gets into a muss he's bound to crawl out of it an' keep his upper lip stiff, else folks will have the laugh on him. it ain't so certain but i'd better go straight on deck an' take my dose; the captain won't be likely to kill me, an' the sooner it's over the easier i'll feel." it is not certain but that teddy dunlap might have put this new proposition into execution at once, had it not been for the coming of the little sailor, who said, in a cheery tone: "here you are, my hearty, salt horse an' tea! i reckon you can worry along on that for a spell, an' meanwhile i'll keep my weather eye liftin' for you. things may not be more'n half as bad as they look, an' even that'll be tough enough." "i've been thinkin' i'd better have it out with the captain now, an' then i wouldn't be dreadin' it." "what's the sense of picklin' a rod for your own back when you may run away from it? hold on here for a spell, an' i'll get the lay of the land before anything foolish is done." "you're mighty good to me," teddy murmured, softly, as he took the hook-pot of tea and strip of cold meat from the sailor's hands. "what's your name?" "bill jones--snippey, some of the hands call me when they want to be funny. i reckon we'd best not do any more chinnin', for the port watch will be in here precious soon, an' there's more'n one man who'd make life hot for you if he had the chance. i know what sailors are, lad, seein's i've been one myself, man an' boy, these thirty years, an' their foolin' is pretty tough play for one like you. lay low till i give the word, an' if there don't seem to be any way out of this snarl within the week, then it'll be time enough to let the old man have a whack at your hide." chapter iii. off santiago. it was really wonderful how changed everything appeared to teddy dunlap after his interview with bill jones. as a matter of course there had been no enlargement of his hiding-place, and yet it seemed as if he could move about more freely than before. he was forced to remain in quite as cramped a position, but it no longer seemed painful. although the sailor had given him no encouragement that he might succeed in the task he had set himself, but, on the contrary, appeared to think it a hopeless one, teddy felt positive that the moment was very near at hand when he would be clasped once more in his father's arms. he had come out from his hiding-place weak and despairing, choosing the most severe punishment that could be inflicted rather than longer endure the misery which had been his constant companion during so many days, and now, even before partaking of the meat and tea, all was forgotten in the belief that he would soon be with his father. it was as if some other boy had taken teddy dunlap's place, and this second lad was strong where the other had been weak. he made a hearty meal, rearranged his bed so that he might be nearer the entrance to the hiding-place in case the sailor found it necessary to communicate with him hurriedly, and then indulged in more refreshing sleep than had visited his eyelids during the past forty-eight hours. when teddy awakened, however, much of this new courage had vanished, and again he allowed himself to look forward into the future, searching for trouble. he had no means of knowing whether it was day or night, for the sunlight never came into this hole; but, because of the silence in the forecastle, it seemed probable the crew were on deck. the steamer rode on an even keel, save for a sluggish roll which told she was sailing over calm seas, and the air had suddenly grown stifling hot. creeping so near the entrance that there was great danger of being discovered by such of the men as might come that way, teddy waited with feverish impatience for some word from bill jones, and it seemed as if a full day must have passed before the voice of the jolly little sailor was heard. "well, my hearty, you're in great luck, an' no mistake. i wouldn't have believed things could have gone so nearly your way, if i hadn't seen 'em with my own eyes." before the sailor ceased speaking, teddy had come out from his hiding-place regardless of possible discovery, and appeared to be on the point of rushing up the narrow companionway. "hold on, you young rascal! do you count on jumpin' right into the captain's arms?" and bill jones seized the lad by the shirt collar, pulling him backward with no gentle force. "where was you headin' for?" "ain't it time for me to go on deck?" teddy asked, speaking with difficulty because of the sailor's firm clutch. "time? i reckon not, unless you're achin' for a taste of the rope's end. our skipper ain't any very mild tempered man at the best of times, an' this is one of his worst days, for everything has been goin' wrong end foremost jest when he wants to see the ship in apple-pie order." "i thought you said somethin' about my bein' in luck, an' the only thing of the kind that could come to me, would be to know father was on deck." "i don't reckon you'll see him aboard the _merrimac_ for some time to come, though you're nearer to him this minute than i ever allowed you'd be in this part of the world." "what do you mean?" and teddy literally trembled with the impatience of anticipation. "sampson's fleet is dead ahead. his vessels are the very ones we've come to coal, an' if that ain't luck enough for a stowaway, i'd like to know what you could call it?" "is the _brooklyn_ anywhere near?" and teddy did his best to speak calmly. "dead ahead, i tell you." "will we run right alongside of her?" "i don't allow you've any claim to count on luck like that; but we're hard by sampson's fleet, and it'll be strange if we can't find a chance of lettin' your father know where you are." "find a chance? why, i'll go right on deck an' yell to him. he's bound to come out when he hears me." [illustration] there was in this remark something which struck bill jones as being so comical that he burst into a hearty laugh, and then, realising that his messmates on deck might come down to learn the cause of such unusual mirth, he partially checked himself, gurgling and choking in the efforts to suppress his merriment, until it appeared that he was on the point of being strangled. "go on deck an' yell to him," he muttered in the intervals between what appeared to be spasms. "say, lad, it's precious lucky the weather is so hot that the crew have been driven out, else we'd had 'em all down on us, for i can't hold in, no matter how hard i try. so you think it's only a case of goin' on deck an' yellin', to bring your father right over the rail!" "he'd come if he heard me," teddy replied, sharply. "i ain't so certain 'bout that, for coal-passers don't have the choice of promenading a battle-ship's deck. the officers generally have somethin' to say about capers of that kind. besides, you might yell yourself black in the face, even if the _merrimac_ was layin' close alongside the _brooklyn_, an' he'd never be any the wiser. you seem to have the idee that one of uncle sam's vessels is built something after the pattern of a tugboat." "but i've got to get at him somehow," teddy said, in perplexity, the new and great joy which had sprung up in his heart dying away very suddenly. "true for you, lad; but it ain't to be done in the way you're figgerin' on, an', besides, havin' come along so smooth this far, i'm not countin' on lettin' you run your nose against such a thistle as the captain is like to be. it ought'er be enough that we've struck into the very fleet you wanted to find, an' a boy what can't wait a spell after all the good fortune you've had, ain't fit to be scurryin' 'round here huntin' for his father." "i'll go right back into the hole, an' wait till you tell me to come out," teddy said, meekly, understanding full well what his plight would be should this friendly sailor turn against him. "now you're talkin' sense," bill jones said, approvingly. "i was countin' on cheerin' you up a bit, by tellin' of where the _merrimac_ had fetched up, an' didn't allow to set you off like a wild injun. hot down here, eh?" "it's kind'er warm, an' that's a fact." "so much the better, because the crew will stay on deck, an' you'll have more of a chance to move around. it's only a case of layin' low for three or four days, an' then we'll see what your father can do toward gettin' you out." "how will you let him know where i am?" "there'll be plenty of show for that if we come alongside the _brooklyn_; i can manage to send him word, i reckon." the conversation was brought to an abrupt close by the appearance of a sailor's feet as he descended from the deck, and bill jones turned quickly away, pretending to be overhauling his sea-chest, while teddy made all haste to regain his "hole." now it was that the stowaway had every reason to congratulate himself upon the fair prospects which were his, when it had seemed positive that much trouble would come before the venture was ended, and yet the moments passed more slowly than at any time since he had voluntarily become a prisoner. with each hour his impatience increased, until it was with difficulty he could force himself to remain in hiding. while he believed his father was very far away, there appeared good reason for remaining hidden; but now, with the _brooklyn_ close at hand, it seemed as if he must make his whereabouts known without loss of time. fear as to what terrible punishment the captain of the _merrimac_ might inflict, however, kept him in his proper place, and before many hours passed bill jones brought him further intelligence. "the _new york_ is to take on the first of the coal," he said, leaning over the barricade of rope, and whispering to the impatient prisoner. "i'm thinkin' we'll get around to the _brooklyn_ before all the cargo is gone, an' then this game of hide will come to an end--if your father is a smarter man than the average of us." the jolly little sailor had no time to say more, for one of the petty officers interrupted the stolen interview by calling loudly for "bill jones," and while obeying the summons the sailor muttered to himself, "i wish the boy was well clear of this steamer; it seems as if he was under my wing, so to speak, an' i can't make out how any man, lower in rank than a full-fledged captain, can take him aboard one of uncle sam's ships." fortunately teddy had no misgivings as to the future, after his father had been made aware of his whereabouts. he believed it would be the most natural thing in the world for him to step on board the _brooklyn_ as a guest, and the possibility that a coal-passer might not be allowed to invite his friends to visit him never entered the lad's mind. bill jones, however, was seriously troubled as to the outcome of the affair, as has been seen. he had promised to aid the stowaway, as he would have promised to aid any other lad in trouble, for the jolly little sailor was one ever ready to relieve the distress of others, no matter how great might be the cost to himself; and now, having taken the case in hand, his anxiety of mind was great, because he was by no means as certain of his ability to carry it through successfully as he would have teddy believe. within four hours after the sailor reported that the _merrimac_ would speedily begin to take out her cargo, the prisoner in the forecastle became aware that the steamer was at a standstill. for the first time since leaving port the screw was motionless, and the absence of that pounding which marked the revolutions of the shaft caused a silence that for a few moments seemed almost painful. shortly afterward, when bill jones came to bring a fresh supply of provisions and water, he reported that the _new york_ was taking on coal. "the other ships are certain to need a supply, an' we're bound to come alongside the _brooklyn_ sooner or later," he said, cheerily, and teddy replied, with a sigh: "it seems like a terribly long while to wait; but i s'pose i can stand it." "i reckon it's a case of havin' to, lad, unless you're willin' to take the captain's medicine, an' that's what i wouldn't like to tackle." "it's as if i'd been here a full month, an' accordin' to what you say i'm mighty lucky if i have to stay only two or three days more." "you're lucky if you get out in a week, so don't go to countin' the minutes, or time will be long in passin'." twice during the next twenty-four hours did teddy have an opportunity of speaking with his friend, and then he knew that the _merrimac_ was alongside the _massachusetts_. "you see we're goin' the rounds of the fleet, an' it's only a question of the coal holdin' out, to finally bring us to the _brooklyn_," bill jones said, hurriedly, for there was no opportunity of lengthy conversations while the crew were engaged in transferring the fuel. another long time of waiting, and bill jones appeared at the entrance to the hiding-place in a state of the greatest excitement. "somethin's got to be done right away, lad, an' i'm clean beat as to how we'll figger it out. this 'ere steamer is goin' to be sunk!" "sunk!" teddy cried in alarm, clutching bill frantically by the arm, as if believing the _merrimac_ was even then on the point of going down. "that's jest it, an' we're to be shifted to the other vessels, gettin' a berth wherever one can be found." "what will make her sink?" "she's to be blowed up! wrecked in the harbour of santiago de cuba, so the spaniards who are inside can't get out!" teddy looked around him in bewilderment and alarm, understanding not one word of the brief explanation. [illustration] "you see the spanish fleet is inside the harbour, and the mouth of it ain't more'n three hundred feet wide. this steamer will be blowed up right across the channel, an' there the spaniards are, bottled up tight till our fleet gets ready to knock 'em into splinters." "but what'll become of me? i'll have to face the captain after all!" "i reckon there's no help for it, lad, because it don't stand to reason that you want to go down with the ship." "how long before you'll sink her?" "_we_ sha'n't have anything to do with it, lad. it's what you might call a precious fine job, an' 'cordin' to the way everybody looks at it, them who do the work ain't likely to come back again." "why not?" "look here, lad, if you was goin' on deck an' set off three or four torpedoes under your very feet, what do you think would be the show of gettin' ashore alive?" teddy made no effort to weigh the chances; his own affairs were in such a precarious condition that there was no room in his mind for anything else. "i'd better have gone to the captain when i first made up my mind that it had to be done, an' it would be over by this time," he said, with a long-drawn sigh. "it wouldn't have been over till you got ashore, because pretty nigh every sailor thinks it his bounden duty to make things lively for a stowaway. you've saved yourself from bein' kicked an' thumped jest so many days as i've been coddlin' you up, an' there's a good deal in that." "are we anywhere near the _brooklyn_?" "she was five or six miles away when i saw her last--" "five or six miles!" "yes; did you allow she laid within hail?" "i thought from what you said that we was right among the fleet." "so we are, lad; but these big ships don't huddle very close together, an' ten miles off is called bein' mighty near at hand. i can't stop here chinnin' much longer, so listen sharp. when the time comes, an' it's precious near at hand now, you'll have walk up to the medicine-box like a little man, so kind'er be bracin' yourself for what's sure to happen. i'll watch till the captain appears to be in good humour, an' out you pop." teddy nodded his head; there was too much sorrow and disappointment in his heart to permit of speech, and bill jones was so pressed for time that he failed to give due heed to the boy's mental condition. "be ready when i come back next time!" the sailor whispered, warningly, and then ran on deck, leaving the stowaway in a most unenviable frame of mind. when teddy's mouth was parched with thirst, and his stomach craving for food, he had brought himself to believe that he could submit without a murmur to whatever punishment the captain might see fit to inflict; but now it seemed different. during a very long time he had been cheering himself with the belief that before the close of this hour or the next he would be with his father, and such a sudden and startling change in affairs caused him deepest despair. crawling into the narrow hiding-place, he gave full sway to the grief which had come upon him like a torrent, for once captain miller knew of his having stowed away, so he argued to himself, there would no longer be any hope of communicating with his father. to his mind he had not only failed in the purpose set himself, but would be more widely separated from his father than ever before, and it is little wonder, with such belief in his heart, that the boy ceased longer to battle against his sorrow. he was lying face downward upon the canvas when bill jones came to announce that the moment had arrived when he should brave the ordeal of facing captain miller, and the sailor was forced to speak several times in a loud tone before the lad realised that his friend was near at hand. "come, teddy," the little sailor said, soothingly, "it'll be over after awhile, an' perhaps won't be so bad as we've figgered, for the old man ain't tearin' 'round dreadful mad. let's get on deck in a hurry, so's not to think about it too long, an' i'll stand right by your side till matters are settled one way or the other." "i might as well stay right here, an' be sunk when the steamer goes down," the boy wailed. "nonsense, lad; after havin' the pluck to come thus far in search of your father, you mustn't lose heart now. be a man, teddy, an' count on me for a friend so long as the trouble lasts." it was not possible for bill jones to arouse the boy to a proper show of courage until after fully half an hour had passed, and then the two came out into the sunlight, both looking much as if having just been detected in the most heinous of crimes. the dazzling sunlight nearly blinded the boy, who had been shrouded in darkness so many days, and forced him to cover his eyes; therefore he failed to see the look of surprise and bewilderment on bill jones's face immediately they came on deck. during several moments he was in such a daze as to be virtually unconscious, and then he heard his companion ask: "where is the _merrimac's_ crew?" "they've been set aboard the _new york_ for a spell, seein's how this ain't likely to be a very pleasant craft to sail in after we get through with her," a strange voice replied, and teddy opened his eyes. the deck of the collier appeared to be thronged with sailors in naval costume, all of whom were apparently bent on doing the greatest amount of destruction in the shortest possible space of time. not far away to windward was a huge war-vessel, looking more like some submarine monster than anything built by man, and in the distance others of the same kind, cruising to and fro, or lying quietly upon the ocean, rising and falling with the heavy swell. all this picture teddy took in with a single glance, and then his attention was diverted by bill jones, who said to the sailor with whom he had first spoken: "ain't we to take our dunnage out?" "i reckon that'll be done after a spell; but just now it's a case of hurry, an' what a few old shellbacks like you may consider dunnage, ain't taken into account." "where is captain miller?" "i saw him goin' toward the flag-ship. it seems he's got the biggest kind of a bee in his bonnet because lieutenant hobson is to be given the chance of killin' himself an' his crew, when he claims the right because of havin' been in command of this 'ere collier." [illustration] teddy was wholly at a loss to understand the meaning of the conversation, and he looked at the little sailor, who now appeared perplexed rather than jolly, until the latter said, speaking slowly, as if in a maze of bewilderment and doubt: "i'm all at sea, lad, about this 'ere business; but it begins to look as if you wouldn't have any very hard time with the old man to-day. he's got somethin' else on his mind that's of more importance than a worthless little stowaway like you." "he'll come back, won't he?" teddy asked, yet unable to gather any clear idea of the situation. "unless he comes soon, there won't be anything left of the _merrimac_, an' that's a fact," bill jones replied, pointing here and there to where a hundred men or more were busily at work, seemingly trying to make a wreck of the collier. "i s'pose they're bent on gettin' out of the old hooker all that's of any value, before sinkin' her, an' it looks as if they'd finish the job in a jiffy." "where's the _brooklyn_?" "see here, my son, we've no time to bother our heads about her just now. it's enough for you that we can't get speech with your father, an' unless i'm way off my reckonin', here's the chance to pull out of what promised to be a bad scrape for you." teddy remained silent, for the very good reason that he was at a loss for words, and after a short pause, bill jones exclaimed, as if a happy thought had at that instant come into his mind: "hark you, lad, our men have gone over to the _new york_, an' so long as we don't follow them it'll be plain sailin'. we'll watch our chance, go aboard the nearest ship, so it ain't the admiral's flag-ship, as bold as lions, an' it'll be believed that you belong to our crew. unless captain miller shows himself, you'll be livin' on the fat of the land." "but when he comes?" "we won't bother our heads about anything of the kind. it's enough for us to know you've slipped out of the smallest kind of a hole without a scratch, and we'll take all the enjoyment that comes our way, at uncle sam's expense." chapter iv. the merrimac. there was no good reason why, as bill jones had suggested, teddy could not successfully pose as one of the _merrimac's_ crew. the undertaking in hand was so important, with such great advantages to be derived from its accomplishment, that for the time being it was as if every officer and man in the american squadron had no thought save concerning the work upon the steamer to be sunk. that the situation may be made more plain, as it was to teddy before he had been on board the _texas_ two hours, the following description of the daring venture is quoted from an article written the very day bill jones and his protã©gã© sought shelter on the battle-ship:[1] "the mines in the narrow, tortuous channel, and the elevation of the forts and batteries, which must increase the effectiveness of the enemy's fire, and at the same time decrease that of our own, reinforced by the guns of the spanish fleet inside, make the harbour, as it now appears, almost impregnable. unless the entrance is countermined it would be folly to attempt to force its passage with our ships. "but the spanish fleet is bottled up, and a plan is being considered to drive in the cork. if that is done, the next news may be a thrilling story of closing the harbour. it would release a part of our fleet, and leave the spaniards to starve and rot until they were ready to hoist the white flag. "'to drive in the cork,' was the subject nearest rear-admiral sampson's heart, and he at once went into consultation with his officers as to how it could best be done. one plan after another was discussed and rejected, and then assistant naval constructor richmond pearson hobson proposed that the big collier _merrimac_, which then had on board about six hundred tons of coal, be sunk across the channel in such a manner as to completely block it. "the plan was a good one; but yet it seemed certain death for those who should attempt to carry it out as proposed. lieutenant hobson, however, claimed that, if the scheme was accepted, he should by right be allowed to take command of the enterprise. "the end to be attained was so great that admiral sampson decided that the lives of six or seven men could not be allowed to outweigh the advantage to be gained, and lieutenant hobson was notified that his services were accepted; the big steamer was at his disposal to do with as he saw fit." this was the work which had been begun when bill jones brought teddy dunlap on deck that he might confess to being a stowaway, and it is little wonder that matters on board the collier were in seeming confusion. on the night previous lieutenant hobson had received the notification that his services were accepted, and at an early hour next morning the work of making the _merrimac_ ready for destruction had begun. a dozen boys would have attracted no attention just then, and the lad, who had mentally nerved himself to meet the captain of the steamer, failed in finding any one to hear his confession. bill jones, however, was quick to see the possible advantage to be gained, and teddy had not fully recovered from his bewilderment before the little sailor was forcing him over the rail into one of the _texas's_ boats, which had just come alongside. [illustration] "turned out of house an' home, eh?" one of the sailors asked, with a laugh, and there was no question but that the boy, as well as the man, had a right to be taken aboard the battle-ship. the officers had all left the boat, therefore the two were not subjected to any searching examination, and once on board the big vessel, it was supposed, as a matter of course, that they had been regularly detailed to that ship. strange as it may seem, these two who had but just come from the _merrimac_ knew less regarding her proposed ending than any other, and, therefore, were most deeply interested in such information as was to be picked up from the crew. before having been on board an hour they knew as much as has been set down at the beginning of this chapter, and, for the time being at least, they, like all around them, had little thought save for the daring adventure which was to be made by lieutenant hobson and six men. "it's a mighty brave thing to do," bill jones said confidentially to teddy as the two were on the gun-deck, having concluded a most satisfactory repast; "but i wouldn't want a hand in it." "why not?" teddy asked, in surprise, for he had been turning the matter over in his mind until having come almost to envy those who were to brave death in the service of their country. "because i ain't what might rightly be called a fightin' man; owin' to my bein' undersized, most likely. i take real pride in the deeds of others, but can't seem to get my own courage where it belongs. i'm only what you might call a plain, every-day sailor, with no fightin' timber in me, else i'd been in the navy long before this." "do you think they will live to sink the _merrimac_?" teddy asked, thoughtfully. "there's no doubt in my mind but that they'll hold on to life long enough to do the work, but it's afterward that the trouble will begin. every spanish gun within range will open fire on 'em, an' what chance have they got of comin' out alive?" "when will they start?" "it'll be quite a spell before they get the steamer ready to make the dive, 'cordin' to my way of thinkin'. in the first place, as i'm told, there are to be plenty of torpedoes put in position inside the old hooker, an' it'll take some time to made them ready. anyway, you're snug as a bug in a rug now--" "until captain miller comes aboard," teddy interrupted. "have no fear of him," the little sailor said, as if the subject was not worthy of consideration. "when he comes, if he ever does, it isn't to this part of the ship that he'll pay a visit. officers spend their time aft, an' small blame to 'em. it may be, teddy dunlap, that he'll see you; but the chances are dead against it, so take all the comfort you can--" "i ought to be huntin' for daddy." "well, you can't, leastways, not while we're aboard this craft, but you can count on comin' across him before this little scrimmage is ended off santiago, an' then i warrant there'll be all the chance you need." "but what am i to do on board here?" teddy asked, anxiously. "it don't stand to reason that we'll be allowed to loaf around as if we owned the whole vessel." "that's the way you look at it; but my idees are different. uncle sam will keep us for a spell, that's certain, an' until he gets tired of the job we needn't worry our heads. you might live to be a thousand years old without strikin' another job as soft as the one we've got on our hands this blessed minute, so i say, make the most of it." "it's different with you; but i'm only a stowaway, an' stand a good show of gettin' into a heap of trouble when the officers of this ship find out that i've no business to be here." "i don't figger that way," bill jones replied, with a light and airy manner. "it doesn't stand to reason you should have been left aboard to go down with the steamer, eh?" "they might have set me ashore." "an' had a precious good job doin' it. look ye, teddy dunlap, are you countin' yourself of so much importance that a battle-ship is to leave her station for no other reason than to put you ashore?" "i didn't mean it that way. you see they ought to do somethin' with me--" "then wait till they get ready, an' don't borrow trouble. this crossin' of bridges before you come to 'em is likely to make life mighty hard for a young chap like yourself, an' considerin' all you've told me, i wonder at it." teddy could say nothing more. it surely seemed reasonable bill jones knew what it was proper he should do, and from that moment he resolved to "take things easy," as his friend advised, rather than fret over what couldn't be mended. therefore it was he ceased to worry, although at the same time keeping a sharp watch over the _brooklyn_, and by such a course saw very much of what happened off santiago during those months of june and july, in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight. surely the stowaway had no cause to complain of his treatment by the crew of the _texas_. every man did his best to make these waifs from the doomed steamer feel perfectly at home, and when bill jones brought his sea-chest aboard, as he did the day following their abandonment of the _merrimac_, there was not a man on the battle-ship who did not suppose teddy's dunnage was in the same capacious receptacle. rations were served to the stowaway the same as to any member of the crew, and then he and bill jones were called upon for some trifling duty, but as the latter said, there was no more work than was good for them by way of exercise. in the most pleasant fashion possible the time passed until the _merrimac_ was made ready for her doom, and these two comrades, for it can well be supposed they were become fast friends, saw all the preparations without being obliged to do any of the disagreeable work. there was hardly an hour during these days of labour when the two did not hear lieutenant hobson's plans discussed, and they knew to the slightest detail all he proposed to do. [illustration] "here is the way he'll sink our craft, 'cordin' to all i've heard," bill jones said to teddy when the two were alone for a short time on the afternoon after it had been reported on board the _texas_ that everything was ready for the desperate venture. "he'll run at about ten-knot speed until four hundred yards or less past the estrella battery, or, in other words, till he's in the narrowest part of the channel. then he'll put the helm hard aport, stop the engines, drop the anchors, open the sea connections, touch off the torpedoes, an' leave the old hooker blockin' up the entrance to santiago harbour." "he can't do all that alone," teddy suggested. "of course he can't, else why is he takin' a crew with him? i'm told that this is the exact way he counts on workin' it. there'll be four men on deck besides himself, an' two in the engine-room; all of 'em will be stripped down to their underclothes, an' with revolvers an' ammunition strapped in water-tight packin' to their waists. one will be forward with an axe to cut the lashings of the anchor when the word is given. of course hobson signals the engineers to stop the engines, then the fellow forward cuts the anchor loose; some one below smashes the sea connections with a sledge-hammer when the machinery stops, and all hands jump overboard, countin' on swimmin' to the boat that's bein' towed astern. the lieutenant himself touches the button that explodes the torpedoes, an' then over he goes; it's a case of every man for himself once the work is begun. the steamer is bound to go down athwart the channel, an' there you have the entrance to santiago bay shut up as tight as admiral sampson can wish." teddy did not venture any criticism. he had heard the subject discussed so often that there was nothing new he could suggest, and it seemed wisest to hold his tongue. on the close of this day word was passed among the crew of the _texas_ that the venture would be made during the coming night, and the two visitors from the _merrimac_ were on deck from sunset until sunrise. the work of preparing the big collier was continued throughout the entire night, and just at daybreak she got under way, as if to begin the voyage which it seemed certain could end only with the death of all; but before the men on the battle-ship had time to give her a parting cheer, she put back to her station, because, as some of the men declared, the admiral had given positive orders for her to wait until another night. twenty-four hours of additional preparation; as many of speculation and discussion among those who were refused an opportunity to offer their lives as a sacrifice, and then came the moment when teddy was awakened from his sleep by bill jones, who said, as he shook the lad roughly: "get on deck, my hearty, get on deck! this time there'll be no mistake as to the sailin', an' if you want to see the last of the _merrimac_, now's your chance!" the stowaway did not wait for a second invitation, and a moment later he formed a small portion of the human fringe which overhung the _texas's_ rail, peering out across the waters where, by the pale light of the moon, could be seen the doomed steamer. it was even possible to distinguish the forms of her crew as they stood well forward, much as though taking a last look at the fleet, and, near at hand, the tiny launch from the _new york_, which was to follow the collier in with the hope of picking up some of her brave crew when they leaped into the water. among all that throng of men on the _texas_ hardly a word was spoken as the _merrimac_ slowly got under way. every one remained silent as if under the spell cast by the bravery of those who were literally taking their lives in their hands that the starry flag might wave triumphant. boldly the collier steamed in toward the coast, being lost to view immediately she got under the shadow of the high hills at the entrance of the bay, and a mile or more astern the tiny launch puffed her way along as if conscious that this morning's work was of extreme importance. then both craft were swallowed up by the gloom, and yet that throng of men overhanging the _texas's_ rail remained motionless, waiting with an anxiety that was most intense for some sign which would give token of their shipmates' fate. during half an hour every man waited in keenest suspense, never one venturing to so much as speak, and then from the heights at the entrance of the harbour the flash of a gun streamed out. it came almost in the nature of a relief, for every one knew that the _merrimac_ was nearing her destination at last. the suspense was at an end, whatever might be the result, and even teddy dunlap believed he could predict the close of that most desperate venture. within ten seconds after the first flash, another was seen, then a third, and a fourth, until it was no longer possible to count them. the heights guarding the channel appeared to be ablaze; but yet not a sound could be heard. the blockading squadron were so far away that the reports were lost in the distance. then the eager men found tongue, and it was as if each spoke at the same instant, giving no heed as to whether his neighbour replied. during full twenty minutes these silent flashes could be seen in the distance, and then they died away just as the gray light of the coming dawn appeared in the eastern sky. "it's all over!" bill jones said, as he laid his hand on teddy's shoulder. "i reckon the old _merrimac_ is layin' in the channel to keep the spaniards from sneakin' out; but them as carried her in so bravely are past all troubles of this world's makin'. it's great to be a hero; but the glory of it is soon over!" "do you suppose they've all been killed?" teddy asked in a whisper, for it was much like speaking in the presence of the dead. "there's little doubt of it, lad. think you a craft like the _merrimac_ could stand the storm of shot and shell that was poured on her from the time we saw the first flash? just bear in mind that every puff of flame betokened a chunk of iron large enough to sink this 'ere battle-ship, if it struck her fairly, an' you can have a fair idee of how much chance those poor fellows stood." [illustration] among all the crew there was hardly one who did not share this opinion with bill jones. to them, the heroes who went smilingly to their death had left this world for ever, and yet the men continued to overhang the rail, awaiting the return of the launch, with the idea that when she arrived they might hear something of importance. not until three hours later did the little craft show herself, and then she came out from under the shadow of the land followed by a shower of missiles from the big guns ashore. the men on the _texas_ were forced to wait some time before learning what information she brought, for the launch went directly to the _new york_, as a matter of course, and several hours elapsed before the crew heard all that could then be told. this was to the effect that the tiny boat followed the collier until fire was opened upon the doomed steamer, and she was so enshrouded by smoke as to be lost from view. then the launch was headed in under the batteries, where she remained until daylight on the lookout for a swimmer. at five o'clock in the morning no sign of life had been seen, and the little craft made for the fleet, followed by a rain of shot from the shore batteries. while crossing the harbour entrance one spar of the _merrimac_ was seen sticking out of the water, and thus it was known that the little band of braves had done their work faithfully, at whatever cost to themselves. there was neither jest nor careless word among the crew of the battle-ship during this forenoon; even bill jones remained almost absolutely silent. it seemed that they stood in the presence of death, and more than one acted as if believing he was taking part in the funeral services of those who had so lately been among them. teddy had seen every man who went to make up that devoted crew, and to him it was as if his personal friends had met their death; but in such a brave fashion that it would have been almost a crime to mourn their taking off. then, like a flash of lightning from a clear sky, came the joyful news that every man among that band who had devoted themselves to death, was yet among the living, and comparatively uninjured. it was almost incredible information, and yet, because of its source, no one could doubt it. at two hours past noon, while the men of the _texas_ were sheltering themselves from the burning rays of the sun and discussing for the hundredth time the last probable moments of their shipmates, a steam-launch, carrying a white flag, put out from the harbour, making directly for the flag-ship _new york_. at the time no one fancied for a single moment that the coming of this craft could have any connection with those who had left the station to wreck the _merrimac_, but there were some who suggested that the spaniards were ready to surrender, and, in support of this theory, cited the fact that the royal squadron was bottled up so tightly it could never be used against the united states. others declared that the spanish admiral was about to make an offer of compromise, and not a few believed the flag of truce had to do with the capitulation of the city of santiago de cuba. not a man was prepared for the news which floated from ship to ship, no one could say exactly how; but in less than an hour from the time the launch made fast alongside the _new york_, it was known that she brought a message from admiral cervera, commander of the spanish fleet, to the effect that the crew of the _merrimac_ had been captured, and were held as prisoners of war. [illustration] lieutenant hobson was uninjured, and only two of the party had been wounded slightly. it seemed too good to be true, but when the men realised that this information must be correct, that it had been sent by a generous enemy, they spent a good five minutes cheering alternately for those who had escaped after having gone down into the very jaws of death, and for that gallant spaniard who, recognising bravery even in his foe, had taken the trouble to announce the safety of those who were battling against him. "it's what i call a mighty fine thing for the old admiral to do," bill jones said, as he held forth to a gun's crew with whom he and teddy messed. "it ain't every officer as would go out of his way to send such news as that, an' if admiral cervera should ever fall into my hands as a prisoner of war, he can count on bein' treated like a white man." there was a roar from bill's auditors at the intimation that the commander of the spanish fleet might ever be captured by that sailor, for by this time all had come to know him as a "plain, every-day sailor, with not a fightin' timber in him;" but not a man within sound of his voice cared to contradict him. on that night, after the subject of the venture and its sequel had been discussed until worn threadbare, the little sailor said to teddy, as if telling him some important truth: "you'll see great doin's now, lad, an' it wouldn't give me such a terrible surprise to know that the war was ended within the next twenty-four hours, for them bloomin' spaniards in santiago must understand by this time that the sooner they give in whipped, the less of a lickin' they're like to get." and teddy, thinking more of his own condition than the glory of the country, asked, with no slight distress of mind: "if it should come to a stop as soon as that, how could i ever get word to father? of course the _brooklyn_ would go right home, an' i'd be left here." "i'll take care of that, lad," bill jones replied, in a tone of assurance. "never you have a fear but that i'll see she don't leave this station till you've had a chance to go on board long enough to sort out the coal-passers." footnote: [footnote 1: "the boys of '98."] chapter v. the chase. bill jones found time to change his opinion as to the speedy termination of the war after the _merrimac_ had been sunk at the entrance of santiago bay. instead of displaying any anxiety to surrender, the spaniards on the island appeared to be making every preparation for a stubborn defence, and the fleet of war-vessels had little opportunity to do much more than blockade duty. teddy dunlap, looked upon by the crew of the _texas_ as a lad who had every right to be among them, might have enjoyed this cruising to and fro, keeping watch over the entrance to the harbour, now and then overhauling a suspicious-looking vessel that ventured too near, and at times throwing shells ashore from the big guns, but for the fact that he burned with impatience to be with his father. the _brooklyn_ remained in view nearly all the time, now so close at hand that it seemed as if the two ships must immediately come within hailing distance, and again so far away that she appeared only as a tiny speck against the white sky, yet the stowaway was as completely separated from his father as if they were thousands of miles apart. "if only the captains couldn't talk with those little flags, it might be that the ships would come side by side!" he said, with a long-drawn sigh, to bill jones. "there'll never be any need for them to sail nearer than within sight, an' i won't get a chance to speak to father,--perhaps not this year." "the prospect don't look very encouragin' just at the present time, an' that's a fact," bill said, thoughtfully, filling his pipe with unusual care. "two or three days ago it seemed as if the war was mighty nigh at an end; but now there 'pears to be a good deal of fight left in the dagoes." "an' while we're loafin' 'round here, captain miller will come aboard some fine day. then where'll i be?" "right here, my lad, an' there's no use lookin' ahead. he won't come the sooner, or stay away any longer, no matter how much you fuss, so why not save the wear an' tear of thinkin'?" "see here," and teddy leaned forward to look the little sailor full in the eyes, "do you believe i'll ever have a chance of lettin' daddy know where i am?" "it stands to reason there must be a show for it in course of time." "when?" "now you're askin' me a question i ain't in condition to answer. it may be two or three weeks, or, then again, the show might come sudden, within an hour. at sea you can't ever tell what's goin' to happen, teddy dunlap, an' there's nothin' for it but to keep your ears an' eyes open all the time, ready to jump on the first promisin' chance that comes your way." there is no good reason why such a conversation as this should be set down, save that it is similar to a hundred others which were held between the two comrades during the weeks which followed the sinking of the _merrimac_, when teddy dunlap, without effort on his part, was transformed from a stowaway to a lad apparently in the employ of uncle sam. never for a single moment did he lose sight of the possible fact that either the _brooklyn_ or the _texas_ might be ordered away from this particular station, in which case it was reasonable to suppose that many months must elapse before he could inform his father of his whereabouts. there was grave danger the two might be separated so widely that months, perhaps years, would elapse before they could meet again, and teddy was never comfortable in mind, but, despite all the good advice given by bill jones, continued to look out into the future, searching for trouble. meanwhile both he and the little sailor were kept at work on board the _texas_ exactly as if they had been regularly enlisted; but the duties were so light among such a large number, that he who complained of the work must indeed have been an indolent fellow. and while teddy worried over his own seeming troubles, the two nations continued at war, killing and wounding men at every opportunity, and ever striving to strike some decisive blow. as a matter of course teddy and bill jones took their small part in the bombardment of the batteries at the entrance to santiago harbour two days after the _merrimac_ had been sunk. the _texas_ was the third vessel in the first column, headed by the _brooklyn_, when, shortly after sunrise, the fleet steamed inshore and opened fire with the heavy guns. it was to the boy as if he went into action almost by the side of his father, and he worked with a will at whatsoever was set him to do, although at times the terrific roar literally stunned him, while the heat was so great that it seemed as if he was on the verge of suffocation during every moment of the four hours the bombardment continued. then the squadron steamed back to its blockading station, and at no time had the _brooklyn_ and _texas_ been so near each other as to have rendered it possible for teddy to see his father, even though the latter had stood on the battle-ship's deck every moment. again and again, as the days passed, did the _texas_ go into action, and at no time were the little stowaway and his small comrade remiss in their duties. they did their full share of the work, despite bill jones's assertion that he was only a "plain, every-day sailor with no fightin' timber about him," and as the weeks wore on these two became more and more closely identified with the battle-ship to which chance had sent them. when the ship was sent to bombard the works at matamoras, and a spanish shell struck near the stern on the port side, passing through the hull three feet below the main-deck line, and exploding on the berth-deck, killing one man and wounding eight, teddy's search for his father nearly came to an end. a fragment of the shell passed within ten inches of the boy's head, striking down a sailor just beyond him, and teddy won the admiration of every man on board by springing to the relief of the poor fellow whose leg had been shattered, instead of taking flight, as might quite naturally have been expected. [illustration] later, when the _texas_ had withdrawn from the action, man after man congratulated the lad upon his behaviour, predicting that he would in time prove himself worthy of serving under such a commander as captain philip, and otherwise bestowing so much praise that at the first opportunity he said confidentially to bill jones: "it makes me ashamed to have them say so much about how i acted. it wasn't different from what any other feller would have done, because i forgot all about the danger when baker fell." "i'm thinkin' you're out of your reckonin' there, lad, for accordin' to my idee, there ain't a boy in a thousand who'd handled himself as well as you did. now i'm no fightin' man, as i've said before, but your keepin' such a stiff upper lip, when there was precious good chance of bein' killed, did me solid good. i knew you had sand, from the first minute of settin' eyes on you, but never suspected there was so much of it." "you're talkin' worse than the others, even when i'm tellin' the truth about not knowin' there was any danger. i only saw poor baker, an' thought i might help him." "it ain't what you thought, lad, but what you did, that counts, an' now if captain miller comes aboard i'm willin' to guarantee he won't be allowed to kick up any row because of your stowin' away on the _merrimac_. the crew wouldn't allow any funny business with you, after this day's work. don't you see how much nearer your father we are than we were this mornin'?" "what do you mean?" "just what i say, lad. you've made for yourself a standin' on board this ship, an' now when the time comes right i'm goin' to tell your story to one of the petty officers, askin' him to see it reaches captain philip's ears. once that's been done, teddy dunlap, we'll be hailin' the _brooklyn_ with signals flyin' to tell the coal-passers that one of 'em has got a son on board this craft." "do you suppose any such plan might work?" teddy asked, breathlessly. "there ain't a shadow of doubt about it in my mind." "why don't you do it now? i've given up hopin' this war is pretty near at an end, an' am hungry to see daddy." "better wait awhile longer, my boy. it's a little too soon to show ourselves very big, 'cause it ain't no ways certain the captain has had time to hear of what you did. we'll hold off a spell, an' then, when the signs come right, you'll see me put this business along in great shape." because of this promise, and also owing to the many words of praise which were showered upon him by the men, teddy dunlap believed, as he had several times before, that the hour was very near at hand when he would be with his father once more; but, as in the past, he was doomed to disappointment during more days than he cared to count. the "signs" never came so nearly right as to give bill jones courage to take the responsibility of telling teddy's story to those who would repeat it to captain philip, and these two refugees from the _merrimac_ remained aboard the _texas_, much to the satisfaction of the crew. it was known to them, as to every one on the warships, that hot fighting was going on ashore in the vicinity of santiago, and at frequent intervals the big vessels steamed toward the land, in this direction or that, to shell the spanish camps; but they were at such a distance from the scene of action that such work had little the appearance of warfare. in fact, the air of plain, every-day business about the operations rendered it difficult to believe the huge shot and shell which were hurled landward carried in their wake death and destruction to many. when one of the _texas's_ big guns was discharged, teddy could hear the roar, and feel the concussion, as a matter of course; he could also see the missile as it sped through the air; but he had no means of knowing where it struck, neither did he have a view of the desolation and ruin it caused, therefore, like many another man aboard the battle-ship, he came to look upon this work of war as nothing more than harmless practice. the day was near at hand, however, when the stowaway and his little comrade were to have all too good a view of the butchery and inhumanity of war. it was on sunday morning, the third day of july. the crew of the _texas_ had been mustered for religious services, and while bill jones and teddy waited in their proper places for the coming of the chaplain, the sailor whispered: "to-morrow mornin' i'm goin' to start in on your business, lad. so far as i can see, the fleet is likely to be here a year or more before the spaniards are ready to surrender santiago, and if i don't bring you to the captain's notice soon, all your good behaviour when the shot came aboard will have been forgotten." "i'm afraid we've waited too long already," the lad replied, with a sigh, for the hope had been so long deferred that his "heart was sick" indeed for a sight of his father. "i reckon not, teddy; but if i've made a mistake in holdin' off, it was done through fear i might speak too soon." "don't think i'm blamin' you," the boy replied, quickly, pressing his comrade's arm in a friendly fashion. "if you never did anything more, i'd feel as if you'd been mighty good to me, for i couldn't have run across many sailors who'd lay themselves out to help a stowaway." "that part of it is--" bill jones was interrupted by a shout,--teddy will never know who uttered it, or what the words were,--and instantly, without the slightest apparent cause, all was seeming confusion on board the ship. it was to the lad as if the very air bristled with excitement; he saw men darting here and there, heard sharp, quick words of command, and as if at the very same instant, the _texas_ seemed to leap forward with a bound, huge clouds of black smoke suddenly pouring out of her stacks. "the spaniards! the spaniards!" bill jones yelled in the lad's ear, at the same time pointing toward the entrance to the harbour, from out of which could be seen the dark hull of an enemy's ship. it was as if in that small fraction of time very much took place. teddy saw long lines of signal-flags run up to the _brooklyn's_ masthead; he heard the roar of a 6-pounder as the _iowa_ fired the first shot at the foe, and understood, rather than saw, that every vessel in the squadron was under a full head of steam almost immediately. at one instant the blockading squadron lay motionless and apparently lifeless off the harbour, rocking lazily on the long swell, and then, before one could speak, as it were, every listless hull was a war machine, quivering with life, and pouring forth deadly shot and shell. the transformation was so sudden and complete that it is little wonder teddy and bill jones stood transfixed with astonishment until the chase was well under way. one after another of the spanish cruisers came at full speed out of the harbour which it had been believed was closed by the hull of the _merrimac_, and as each ship rounded the point her guns were discharged at the yankee squadron. the dense smoke pouring out of their stacks; the clouds of spray from their bows, glistening like diamonds in the sunlight of that sabbath morning as it was thrown aft by the fierce impetus of the huge vessels to mingle with the smoke that came from every gun; the roar and thunder of the discharges; the shrieking of the missiles, and the spouting of water as the metal fell short, made up a scene of war in its most terrific phase. on the other side, three battle-ships and an armoured cruiser dashing forward at the full speed of their engines; the heavy reverberations of guns; black clouds and white of smoke from coal and from burning powder; men stripped to the waist and working at the pieces with a fury, haste, and energy that could not have been increased had each individual member of the crew been fighting against a personal foe, and words of command, encouragement, or hope, which were heard on every hand, thrilled the boy who had trembled before the supposed wrath of a collier's captain, until each nerve was tingling with excitement,--each pulse bounding with the hot blood that leaped in feverish throbs from artery to artery. teddy dunlap was in the very midst of what but few had ever seen,--a sea-battle with the mightiest ships in the world as combatants. it was while the lad and his elderly comrade stood like statues, gazing at the wondrous, terrible sight around them, that the former saw a huge shell leave the turret of the _iowa_, rise on the arc of a circle in the air, cleaving its way directly toward the _teresa_, the foremost of the fleeing ships. teddy was still following the missile with his eyes when it struck the spaniard's hull, cutting its way through as if no resistance was offered, and it seemed that the huge mass had but just disappeared when great volumes of smoke and flame burst from the aperture made by the shell, telling that the first of the enemy's fleet was already vanquished. then came a mighty yell from every man aboard the _texas_ as well as the _iowa_, for the gun had been aimed with a precision worthy a yankee gunner whose forefathers, perhaps, had been forced to shoot accurately in order to save their scalps from the lurking indian. this cry of satisfaction had not yet died away when the _maria teresa_ was headed for the beach, with smoke and flame enveloping all her after part,--a wreck before she had more than cleared the harbour's mouth. "there's one of 'em done for, an' in short order!" bill jones screamed, dancing to and fro like a crazy person, and if he made any further remark teddy failed to hear it, because of the cheers of triumph which came from every vessel in the american fleet. the enemy had counted on cutting his way through the blockading squadron, but the first of his vessels had come to grief before the chase was fairly begun. as the _teresa_ swung round in order to gain shoal water before the fire should completely envelop her, teddy saw two small, swift, low-lying steamers come out from behind her with a speed which seemed like that of the wind, and the little sailor cried, in tones nearly resembling fear: "there are the destroyers! the _pluton_ and _furor_! our ships are not speedy enough to keep out of their way! now is the spaniard's chance to pay for the loss of the _teresa_!" teddy had heard of these torpedo-boats, and knew what it was possible for them to do unless, perchance, they might be checked at long range, and yet the commanders of the yankee battle-ships apparently gave no heed to the dangerous enemies which had been designed for the sole purpose of destroying such as they. straight toward the _brooklyn_ these formidable craft were headed, and the stowaway involuntarily cried aloud in terror, for was not his father on board that vessel which appeared to be in such peril? then, coming up swiftly, as a hawk darts out upon its prey, the lad saw the little yacht _gloucester_ swim directly inshore to meet these mighty engines of destruction, when one well-directed shot from their guns would have sent her to the bottom, crushed out of all semblance of a vessel. at that moment teddy and bill jones saw what much resembled the attack of a fly upon two huge spiders. the tiny _gloucester_ steamed straight down upon the destroyers, cutting them off from their intended prey, and pelting them with shells from her small 6-pounders, but doing the work with such accuracy and precision of aim that it seemed as if the battle was no more than begun before these two mighty machines turned toward the shore to follow the _teresa_, but sinking even while one could say they were beaten. "hurrah for wainwright! bully little _gloucester_!" two hundred voices rose high with shouts of triumph and exultation that the yankee gunners had not only done their work well, but with bravery such as could not be excelled, and meanwhile the big ships went tearing madly on lest the _vizcaya_, the _cristobal colon_, and the _almirante oquendo_, all that were left of the spanish fleet, should escape them. the _iowa_ and the _texas_ had selected the _vizcaya_ as their prey, and while the remainder of the fleet stretched away in pursuit of the other ships, these two cut off the big spaniard, forcing her to fight whether she liked or not. [illustration] teddy and bill jones stood on the port side of the _texas_, all unconscious that they were exposed to any chance shot the spaniard might send aboard, and realising nothing save the fever of battle. the odour of burning powder was in their nostrils, and life or death, danger or safety were alike the same. the _texas_ literally reeled under their feet as her big guns were discharged full at the _vizcaya_, which ship was hurling shot and shell with reckless rapidity and inaccuracy of aim. the roar of the pieces was like the crashing of thunder; the vibrations of the air smote one like veritable blows, and enormous smoke clouds rolled here and there, now shutting off all view, and again lifting to reveal the enemy in his desperate but ill-directed flight. "can we sink her?" teddy asked once, when the two comrades were so closely enveloped by the pungent vapour that it was impossible to distinguish objects five feet away, and the little sailor cried, in a delirium of excitement: "sink her, lad? that's what we're bound to do!" "she is workin' her guns for all they are worth, an' i've heard it said that even a ship like this would go down if a big shell struck fairly." "ay, lad, an' so she would, i reckon; but we'll have yonder spaniard under the water before her gunners can get the range. every shot of ours is hittin' its mark, an' they're not comin' within half a mile of us! sink her! we'll--" even as bill jones spoke, the 12-inch gun in the _texas's_ forward turret was discharged. the smoke rolled aside at the same instant, and the two watchers saw a huge shell dart forth, speeding directly toward the ship that had so lately been a friendly visitor in the harbour of new york. it struck its mark fairly, crashed through the iron plating as if through paper, and then teddy saw the mighty vessel reel under her death-stroke when the shell exploded. another howl of triumph; half naked men danced to and fro in their excitement; the gunners rushed out from the turrets gasping for breath, but yelling with savage joy, and the _vizcaya's_ bow was headed toward the shore! the fourth vessel of the enemy's fleet had been disabled, and there only remained the two mighty ships in the distance, from the smoke-stacks of which poured forth long rolls of black smoke, flecked with sparks and burning brands, that told of the desperate efforts being made to escape. chapter vi. teddy's daddy. the _maria teresa_ and the _vizcaya_ were in flames, heading for shoal water that they might not carry down with their blackened hulks the men who had defended them, although feebly, and there was no longer any reason why the _texas_ should remain in that vicinity. the _iowa_ swung inshore to make certain the ruin was as complete as it appeared from the distance, and when the royal ensign was hauled down that a white flag might be hoisted on the _vizcaya_, captain philip gave the word which sent the _texas_ ahead in chase after the survivors of what had, less than half an hour previous, been a mighty fleet. as one who witnessed the battle has already written concerning this particular time and the wonderfully one-sided engagement, his words had best be quoted: "huge volumes of black smoke, edged with red flame, rolled from every port and shot-hole of the _vizcaya_, as from the _teresa_. they were both furnaces of glowing fire. though they had come from the harbour to certain battle, not a wooden bulkhead, not a partition in the quarters either of officers or men had been taken out, nor had trunks and chests been sent ashore. neither had the wooden decks or any other wooden fixtures been prepared to resist fire. apparently the crew had not even wet down the decks." it was the experience of a full lifetime, to witness the destruction of these four fighting-machines, and yet teddy dunlap and his little comrade almost forgot what they had seen in the excitement of the race, as their ship leaped forward in that mad chase which was to end only with the wrecking of all those vessels that had sailed out of the harbour to make their way past the yankee fleet. the two comrades were conscious of nothing save the throbbing and quivering of their own ship, as, under press of every ounce of steam that could be raised, the _texas_ dashed onward, overhauling first this yankee vessel and then that, flinging the spray in showers over her deck, and rolling from side to side in the heavy swell as she tore onward at a rate of speed that probably she had never before equalled. it was a race to the death; now and then the hatches were opened that some one of the engineer's crew, exhausted by almost superhuman efforts and the excessive heat, might be brought up from those fiery depths below, while others took the place of him who had fallen at the post of duty, and the speed was never slackened. on, on, over the long swell, every man aboard in the highest possible state of excitement, eager that the _texas_ should be in at the death, and ahead, straining every nerve as it were, fled the spaniards, knowing full well that there could be but one ending to such a race. "it's yankee grit an' yankee skill that's winnin' this fight!" bill jones cried, excitedly, forgetting that he was only a "plain, every-day sailor, with no fightin' timber about him," and at every onward leap of the ship his body swayed forward as if he was eager for a fray. but neither bill jones nor any man aboard the _texas_, save those brave souls in the very bowels of the gallant ship, had any opportunity to display personal bravery. the fight ended when the chase did, for then nothing was left of those mighty spanish ships save blackened hulks. the _oregon_ was sending 13-inch projectiles after the _oquendo_ at every fair opportunity, and the _texas_, more than holding her own with the other vessels, was coming up astern with a speed that threatened to bring the long race to a speedy conclusion. then, suddenly, although all had been expecting it, the _almirante oquendo's_ bow was headed toward the shore,--she saw the uselessness of further flight,--and all the pursuers, save the _texas_, hauled off in pursuit of the _cristobal colon_. standing with a group of _texas_ men, teddy and bill jones saw the spaniard near the line of surf, and as their vessel's speed was checked there came a roar mightier than when the battle was first opened; the doomed ship rocked to and fro as if she had struck a sunken reef, there was an uprending of the iron decks, and then came a shower of fragments that told of the tremendous explosion within the hull of the _oquendo_. now it was the yankee crew burst once more into shouts of triumph; but before the first cheer arose on the morning air captain philip cried: "don't cheer; the poor devils are dying!" then it was that every man realised what had, until this moment, been absolutely forgotten: the game in which they were such decided victors was one of death! while they were triumphantly happy, scores upon scores of the enemy were dying,--mangled, scalded, drowning,--and on the instant, like a flash of light, came the terrible fact that while they rejoiced, others were suffering a last agony. "don't cheer; the poor devils are dying!" at that instant teddy dunlap understood what might be the horror of war, and forgetting the joy and exultation which had been his an instant previous, the lad covered his eyes with his hand,--sick at heart that he should have taken even a passive part in that game which could be ended only by suffering and death. later, after the men were sufficiently calm to be able to discuss intelligently the doings of that day when the full spanish fleet was destroyed by yankee vessels who throughout all the action and chase sustained no injury whatsoever, it was learned that more than six hundred human beings had been sent out of the world in less than four hours, and nearly eighteen hundred men were taken prisoners by the american vessels. teddy dunlap was like one in a daze from the instant he realised what all this thrilling excitement meant, until bill jones, who had been ordered to some duty below, came to his side in the greatest excitement. "what do you think of that, lad?" he cried, shaking the boy vigorously as he pointed seaward, and teddy, looking in the direction indicated by his outstretched finger, but without seeing anything, asked, hesitatingly: "is it the _cristobal colon_?" "of course it isn't, my lad! that vessel is a wreck off tarquino point, so we heard half an hour ago. don't you see the ship here almost alongside?" "oh, yes, i see her," teddy replied, with a sigh of relief. "there's been so much that is terrible goin' on around us that it's like as if i was dazed." "an' that's what you must be, lad, not to see that here's the _brooklyn_ nearer alongside than she's like to come again for a year or more." "the _brooklyn_!" teddy cried, now aroused from the stupefaction of horror which had come upon him with the knowledge of all the suffering caused that day. "the _brooklyn_!" "ay, lad, an' her launch is alongside makin' ready to transfer some of the prisoners. now's our chance, when such as we don't amount to a straw in view of the great things that have been done this day, to slip over on a little visit to your daddy!" probably at no other time could such a thing have been done by two members of the crew; but just now, when every man and officer was overwhelmed by the fever of victory, little heed was given to the movements of any particular person. therefore it was that teddy dunlap and the little sailor had no difficulty in gaining the _brooklyn's_ deck without question or check, and the first person they saw on clambering aboard was a coal-passer, stripped to the waist and grimy with dust and perspiration, who stared with bulging eyes at the boy who followed close behind bill jones. "teddy!" "daddy!" "i reckon this is no place for me," bill jones muttered as he made his way forward, and if the "plain, every-day sailor with no fightin' timber about him" had sufficient delicacy to leave father and son alone at such a time, surely we should show ourselves equally considerate. * * * * * it is enough to say that teddy's troubles were at an end after a short visit with his father, and that he did not leave the _texas_ immediately. captain philip came to hear the boy's story, and an opportunity was given him to enlist for so long a term as his father was bound to the _brooklyn_. since the purpose of this little story was only to tell how the stowaway found his father, there is no excuse for continuing an account of teddy's experience off santiago with sampson; but at some future time, if the reader so chooses, all that befell him before returning home shall be set down with careful fidelity to every detail. the end. one against the moon donald a. wollheim the world publishing company cleveland and new york library of congress catalog card number: 56-9261 first edition hc856 copyright 1956 by donald a. wollheim. all rights reserved. no part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher, except for brief passages included in a review appearing in a newspaper or magazine. manufactured in the united states of america. [transcriber's note: extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the u.s. copyright on this publication was renewed.] to william balter a fixed star in a fickle sky donald a. wollheim has written the secret of saturn's rings the secret of the martian moons has edited terror in the modern vein every boy's book of science-fiction the portable novels of science flight into space adventures on other planets the pocket book of science-fiction contents 1. dream of stars 13 2. white sands or red? 23 3. up the space ladder 33 4. riding the atoms 51 5. fall without end 61 6. target: luna 71 7. the honeycomb place 81 8. robinson crusoe carew 92 9. from stone age to iron age 102 10. the incredible footprints 111 11. the glass man 121 12. the long trek 131 13. the sun and the trap 147 14. the man from lake baikal 157 15. getaway bomb 165 16. on the crater floor 175 17. moon calling earth 187 18. madman's battle 198 19. riding the tornado 208 one against the moon _1. to dream of stars_ that morning began like all the preceding mornings of the past two years with the tinny jangling of the little alarm clock on robin carew's bureau. opening his black eyes, he struggled into a sitting position on the narrow bed, reached out his hand and turned off the alarm. he yawned, swung his feet to the floor, rubbed his eyes. it was half past seven again of another workday morning. there was no inkling that this day would be any different from others. it was monday again, which meant the start of the next five and a half days' stretch of work. sunday had come and gone, now just a memory of a walk in the city's small park and sitting on a bench under the afternoon sun reading a library book on astronomy. well, there was no getting around it, robin thought. the stars, the glory of the heavens--for him perhaps they would always be just a daydream of his idle hours, never to be more than a vision of the imagination, a thrill to be shared only by the printed words of other men's observations and doings. he got up, yawned his entire five foot three, stared in the tarnished mirror over the worn bureau. he looked blankly at himself, then suddenly winked. ah, he thought, while there's life there's hope--and besides, he had to get to work. he ran a brush through his tousled brown hair, took off his pajamas, and climbed into his work clothes. grabbing his towel and his toothbrush, he opened the door and went out into the hall toward the washroom. the facilities at the y were always clean at least, and maybe in a few more months he would be promoted out of the apprentice class at the factory. then he could afford to get a bigger room on the floor above with his own washstand and shower. after he had returned and finished dressing, he glanced out the narrow window. he could just make out a slit of sky and spot the sidewalk below. it was a sunny day, he saw, and a warm one. putting on his jacket, he left his cap behind and went out, locking the door of his little room behind him. not waiting for the creaky elevator, he skipped down the iron stairs to the lobby. waving hello to a couple of his fellow boarders, he made his way over to the newsstand. there he paused to glance at the headlines, to scan the racks of magazines to see if there were any he might think of buying that he hadn't seen before. he didn't notice any. his eye, rapidly discarding the featured stories in the papers about the usual crimes and politics, was caught by a small heading: rocket program ahead of schedule--project chief reports tests are many months advanced! robin stopped, rapidly glanced over the story. he wished he had the time to read the whole story, but he knew he hadn't. anyway, he could probably borrow a copy during lunch hour from one of the fellows. but it was stories like that which fascinated him. as he went into the cafeteria at the y and sat eating a quick breakfast, he thought about the story. he'd always been fascinated by rockets and the stars. even when still a kid at the orphanage, he'd read everything he could get on the subject. he'd never stopped doing so. now that he was out of the school, out on his own the past three years, he still had the bug. the white sands and redstone rocket experiments were making headlines more and more. the first dozen little satellites had been thrilling reading--the discussions of the permanent artificial satellite program, now under way, was even more so, for it promised to be the beginning of the long-projected space platform, from which in turn would come the first real space flight. robin wished he knew more of the things that were going on. somewhere out there in the west, on the deserts and sands of new mexico a couple of thousand miles away, history was being made. many of the fellows working there couldn't be much older than he. but fate was a grim and arbitrary thing. for others, a college education could bring to a fine point the talent for mathematics and chemistry and physics that was needed for this work. for an orphan boy, however, the world reserved less glamorous and more immediately practical objectives. oh, sure, he'd had a chance at a scholarship, but somehow he just hadn't made it. the manual training programs stressed at the state home had just not allowed him the extra time to study for a scholarship. even though his instructors had given him the chance, he simply hadn't been able to make it. for him, the study of abstract science was to be a matter of home reading. he'd devoured all the books in the library on the stars. and he still dreamed, even while working in the carpentry shop of the factory here, of flying through space on wings of flame. perhaps, if he'd had a mother and father like most fellows, he'd have gone to college, might even now be on his way to help the rocket men conquer the universe. but his folks had died somewhere in the holocaust of war, back during the fall of hitler's germany, back when he was just a frightened and helpless kid of seven. as he had agreed a thousand times since then, robin reflected, as he spooned cereal to his mouth, he was lucky even so. for somehow the gi's had found a battered, dirty envelope sewn into his worn internment-camp jacket with identification that proved him the american-born son of american parents, who had been interned in the enemy country. but where his parents were ... well, there had been some terrible bombing in those days. there was never any trace of the carews. robin had only a vague memory of his people, somewhere lost amid a nightmare of terror. as most of the kids in the orphanage had, robin dreamed of someday finding his folks, of finding them rich. but it was, as always, a dream. the american army had brought him home, had sought to trace his folks, and had failed. well, robin still was lucky. it was no shame to be a workingman in a democratic country. time was passing. robin hastily gulped down the glass of milk he knew he needed for his daily labors, and, paying his check, dashed out. he caught the bus at the corner, crowding in with others on their way, and rode it for fifteen minutes out to the edge of town where the big plant stood. he jumped off and headed for the main gates. he noticed a large crowd of men standing in front of them. why were they standing, he thought, why didn't they go on in, punch their cards? he came up to them, saw them standing around talking uneasily, some milling around, holding their lunch pails idly in their hands. robin pushed through to the main gate. he saw a knot of men staring at a sign tacked on the post. he got closer and read it. it was a statement from the management. it seemed that the plant was closed for six weeks, due to a combination of circumstances. there was a shortage in the raw materials because of the heavy floods in the mining areas that spring, and so the management had decided to take advantage of that shortage to retool and recondition the works. men in several departments would be called in during the next few days, the rest would be laid off temporarily. another notice tacked below that stated that the company had arranged with the union for compensation during the period. robin stared at the notice numbly for a minute. he himself had not yet been admitted to the union, for he was only a learning apprentice. for him there would possibly be only a period of six barren, workless weeks. he wandered away from the gates, drifted around idly, listening to the groups of men talking. most of them seemed to be taking it calmly enough. several of them were talking with growing enthusiasm of organizing a hunting-and-fishing trip upstate for the next week or so. one was talking of going home to visit the old folks back at the farm. most of them seemed to be looking forward more or less to a period of loafing around at home with their families. suddenly robin felt more alone than usual. for him, there was no family. even at its best an orphanage has a certain coldness, a certain impersonal precision that can never make up for the warmth of family life. he had friends there, but surely by this time they, too, had left, having gone into business or into the armed forces. the cold halls of the y offered no particular relaxation. even utilizing the city library to burrow deep into his favorite imaginative studies of science seemed a barren prospect for six whole weeks. he wandered away from the men, walked along the great factory wall, hands in his pockets, strolling slowly away from the city, along the road to the open country, beyond the end of the bus lines. he thought about himself. he took stock of himself. nearly twenty now, he was a good mechanic, a pretty good carpenter, handy. he'd always be able to get a job somewhere in which he could work with his hands. he'd never thought too much though about the future. he would be taken sooner or later by the armed forces. they hadn't needed him and he hadn't thought about volunteering first. he was always a little sensitive about his height, for he was short for his age. this had probably operated subconsciously to keep him from joining up. i could sign up now, he thought. this might be the time. besides, he went on in his reasoning, if i volunteered i could pick my own branch of the service. i could pick the air force and maybe get to see some rockets and jets in action. i couldn't rate a pilot's commission because i'm no college man, but i bet i could qualify as a mechanic, get to work on the rocket planes. why, maybe i could even manage to get sent to white sands, work on the space platform and the artificial satellites. maybe someday i'll be one of the guys who help tool up the first rocket to the moon! he found himself growing excited at the thought. but, he reminded himself, my chances are slim of getting what i want. there are so many good guys in the air force, my own chance of being sent to one particular place is small, really small. somehow, he knew if he couldn't be around the rockets, he wouldn't be happy under discipline. he'd had enough barracks life in the orphanage, more didn't appeal to him without some special compensation--something like white sands. so--he had six weeks with nothing to do. he walked on, beyond the town now, alongside the highway, the morning sun shining down, the blue sky beaming overhead, and he began to feel himself swelling with energy, glowing with ambition. six weeks ... six weeks. he was young, he had no ties. maybe he could hitchhike to white sands in time to look around, maybe spot a rocket go winging off into the sky, then hitchhike back in time for the factory's reopening. the idea blazed into his mind, he felt his pulse beating uncontrollably. maybe, maybe, his mind added to the picture, maybe you could get a job in white sands, near the field. maybe they hire civilian workers? or--maybe if you enlist there they'll let you serve there? abruptly he turned around, started walking rapidly back to the city. he'd do it, he told himself excitedly. he'd do it. he'd go back to the y now, today, collect what he needed, take the few dollars he'd saved up, and go. his mind repeated a rhythm as he walked. do it now, if you don't do it now, you'll never do it. this is your chance. go. the west is calling. the rockets are calling. make a break for yourself. go! he reached the end of the bus line, hopped on the bus, vibrated in tune to his racing thoughts all the way back. but an hour and a half later, when he was standing in the bus terminal, the first flush of excitement had drained away. now he felt a cold chill running through him. he had made the break, packed a few necessities, drew his small reserve of cash from the bank, paid his room rent six weeks in advance, and bought a ticket on the bus going westward. he couldn't afford the entire trip to new mexico, so he bought passage for a few hundred miles. after that he'd hike and thumb rides the rest of the way. he didn't want to resort to charity so he had kept enough funds to keep him in food and lodgings if necessary and maybe take him part way home again. for a moment before boarding the bus, robin hesitated. was it after all but a daydream that he was pursuing? was the cold reality to prove too indifferent to the hopes of just an ordinary young fellow? would white sands prove a disappointment? was this a mistake he would regret? for just a second he hesitated and then, shaking his head angrily as if to drive out such thoughts, he stepped aboard the bus, slung his lightly packed valise onto the rack over an empty seat, and sat down. he would refuse to give up his vision. he would see this through. the horn honked, two or three more passengers swung aboard, the driver threw in the clutch, and the bus drove out of the terminal, along the long, dusty road west. _2. white sands or red?_ from missouri where the bus ride had ended, the time had passed with difficulty. there had been two hot days through kansas, standing by lonely roadsides while cars whizzed by without stopping, the strong sun beating down over the flat green plains, the insects alive with the fever of the endless wheat. robin had to keep heading south, south and west always, driving down when cars were going that way. down through oklahoma, thumbing his way, sometimes with an eastern tourist on his way to california, sometimes with a tired rancher or oil worker on a short haul to his home or town, sometimes with a bored truck driver anxious to have someone to talk to on the long trip. the closer he drew to his objective, the more excited he became. when the oil fields and gray lands of oklahoma began to turn to the green flatness of the texas panhandle he grew silent, more intense. and finally, one morning when he sped out of amarillo sharing the high front seat of a giant trailer truck bound for el paso, he was almost speechless for miles and miles. then, suddenly, as the road clicked across the invisible border of new mexico, he began to talk. a sudden calm invaded his nerves. he talked with the driver about things back home, exchanged comments on the affairs in the news, his eyes taking stock of this land all the time. it was barren--for vast stretches dry desert and flat rock with only sparse clumps of desert green--now and then a stretch of good grasslands where cattle could be seen grazing. in the distance, gaunt mountain chains rose and fell; and the air was getting clear and thin as the road gradually rose in altitude. after a bite in roswell, when he piled back into the truck, robin knew he was on his last stretch. after the next stop, alamogordo, he would reach his destination, las cruces. mention of alamogordo, though, set the driver talking about the atom bomb, for that had been the town that had first seen the birth of that eerie fire which seemed so destined to transform the world. "did you ever see one of those blasts?" asked robin quietly. "yeah," said the driver slowly. "guess you could say so. didn't actually see the thing itself, but i seen the glare one morning while putting over in alamogordo. quite a sight. you know the blast was plenty far away too; they don't fire them things off anywhere near where they can hurt anybody. wisht i'd get to see one of them rockets go up they're always firing off at white sands too. but i guess you gotta be on the grounds for that, and they don't let visitors hang around." "no visitors?" asked robin, a little uneasily. "nope. that's all top-secret stuff out there. now that they got those man-made satellite projects in operation, it's even more so. maybe they let a few reporters in on special occasions, or some high brass with clearance from washington, but nobody else can get in. can't even get the gi's who are out there to talk much about it. you'll see a lot of them around las cruces saturday nights on furlough but they just don't discuss it." "how far is white sands from las cruces?" asked robin. "oh, not too far, maybe thirty miles. the proving grounds are out on the desert though, part of the holloman air development center that is taking up a lot of this here tularosa basin these years. without a pass, you can't even get in sight of it. but, heck, you wouldn't want to, i hope. might get conked when one of those whacking big rockets come down. they're always shooting 'em up on tests, making them bigger and bigger. you can't tell me they always know where they're going to come down!" they passed alamogordo, drove an hour more through the stillness of the desert, and suddenly they were in las cruces. the truck drew to a halt, and robin dropped off, his valise in his hand. the city didn't seem aware of its unique position on the map of world history. robin trudged along the main street until he found a small hotel within his means. he got a room, washed from the trip, brushed his clothes. he had not taken any pants to spare, having put on a strong pair of khaki work trousers, figuring correctly that they were more the thing for hitchhiking than his one good sunday suit. by the time he went downstairs night had fallen. he got a bite to eat, walked around the town a bit, went back and to bed. he was dog-tired from the long day's ride. next day he walked the town, looking it over, asking questions about how to get to white sands. he found that the truck driver's advice had been right. there simply was no way a visitor could just go and watch. it was all top-secret stuff, barred to any but legitimate personnel. he found an air force recruiting office, went in, and talked with the sergeant in charge. robin had begun to dread the thought that in the end he might have to go back to his home city and back to work in the factory. he had so fixed his mind on the rockets, he couldn't bring himself to admit defeat now. the air force man confirmed the usual information. robin pressed him to say whether if he signed up for the service in las cruces he wouldn't stand a good chance of being assigned there. the sergeant laughed. "well, it's possible, but it might take a little doing. you get in the air force, let us train you for a good job, say you work to be a mechanic for jets and rockets, then maybe you might be assigned here. but there are lots of stations for men, and you might not. still, if you were to work for it, say after a year in service, you might apply for a transfer to white sands; it could be that you could get it. but there's no guarantee, none at all. if the force needs you more somewhere else, that'll have to be it. why not sign up and try for it?" but robin shook his head. "not yet. i want to see if maybe i can get a civilian job there first, or maybe just visit it once." the sergeant nodded. "you can try. after that, come around and see me again." robin nodded, and left. he thought about that as he walked the streets. it might be a good alternative. it did offer at least a chance at the work he dreamed of, at being near the rockets. yet--to be so near _now_ and be stopped. a year, even in the air force, still seemed a mighty long time to wait. he found the civilian employment office for the white sands proving grounds, but it was not only closed, it being saturday afternoon, but there was a sign saying, _no help wanted_. that night he began to notice men in air force dress blues, others in gi khaki, and even some in ordinary olive-drab fatigues appearing in the streets. he realized it was saturday night and the streets were beginning to show the signs of life for the men's one night a week in town. ranchers were driving in, their cars lining the curbs. buses bearing the name of white sands would come in, unload their pleasure-hungry men, and park somewhere or else go back. white-capped mp's were appearing at corners to augment the local police. nevertheless, there was mighty little disturbance. there weren't the noisy carryings-on that usually marked towns near army bases when soldiers had a night off. these were picked men, and they behaved themselves. robin was not a drinker and not a roisterer, yet that evening he wondered if he oughtn't to have been. for if he could have learned to hang around some of the livelier bars, he might have been able to strike up conversations with the men of white sands. after a while, he did indeed enter one, sat nursing a lone beer while listening to the men. but they did not talk business. they talked the talk that soldiers on leave talk everywhere. their girl friends, their pals, their latest jokes, gossip, but never a word about rockets, never a word about satellites, never a whisper about their work. robin drifted with the crowd in the streets for several hours, finally again found another corner in a dim tavern where he sat, by this time a little tired, a little confused, wondering whether he had not made a mistake in coming here at all. the whole day had been frustration and his spirits were at low ebb. two men in fatigue denims were seated near him, arguing. one was plainly far gone under the influence of liquor. he was bleary-eyed, nodding and mumbling. the other, trying to hold him, shaking him, was actually almost as far gone. he was mumbling something about getting up and going; they had to make the last truck to camp. finally the two got up, staggered to the men's room, and disappeared inside. robin resumed his meditations, noting that the place was nearly empty now, that the streets were silent. obviously time had run out for the men, and they were on their way back to camp. suddenly it occurred to him that the two soldiers had failed to come out of the lavatory. robin slipped out of his seat, opened the door of the washroom, and went in. the two men were there, together on the floor, sound asleep. hastily robin knelt down, shook them. "wake up, you got to go back to camp!" he called. but he couldn't budge them. one mumbled something without opening his eyes, slumped back, and began to snore. the other didn't even respond that much. for a moment robin stood beside them, thinking that he ought to go and tell the proprietor. then he heard a voice call loudly outside in the bar: "any of youse guys going back tonight better step on it! bus's leaving in two minutes!" an mp rounding up the stragglers, robin thought. and in that moment, a sudden chill ran through him, a sudden wild thought leaped into his head. he stood transfixed for an instant. for an instant which seemed to last an eternity, an instant in which all his training, all his instincts and ambitions fought and struggled together in a mad hysteria. here was an opportunity, here was a chance--yet a trickery, an illegality. if he borrowed one of the unconscious men's jackets, borrowed his pass, he could ride back to white sands that very night, and in the dark and confusion, who would know? nobody, he felt sure. the next day--well, he'd be surely found, arrested. but--in the meantime, for a blessed hour or so, he would see the rockets in their gaunt glory, in their towering eminences, see an assault against the skies, watch the hissing blue flame ascend to the heavens, see a sight he would remember with joy the rest of his life. what then if he spent some bad hours under arrest? what even if he went to jail? actually what could they do to him? he was no spy, he was no saboteur. no matter how exhaustive the investigation, it would prove nothing evil against him. he remembered a sermon that had once been given at the orphanage. he remembered the minister dwelling on the opportunities of life. he remembered that which had sparked his imagination then, the minister's depiction of the various roads each man must choose. "there comes a time," the speaker had said, "in every man's life when various roads open out before him, each leading in a different direction. if, at that moment, he makes his choice, then his entire life may be forever set upon a channel, and the other possible lives will vanish." was not this then such a crossroads? robin could go back, be a factory hand, be a contented mechanic or carpenter, marry, settle down, and live his life without ever seeing rockets. or he could take the road that now, for a brief flicker, seemed open to him. he bent down, removed the khaki work jacket the smaller of the two men was wearing, shrugged his own shoulders into it, felt in its pocket, pulled out a folded piece of paper, glanced at it. _pass_, it read. _seven hours. red sands station._ he shoved it into his pocket, pushed open the washroom door, and walked rapidly to the street, his head down. as he emerged onto the street, he was grabbed roughly by an mp. "hurry, feller," the man said. "what station?" "red sands," muttered robin in a low voice, and was instantly whirled around bodily and given a push. "up the street and around the corner. the second bus. run!" robin broke into a run, dashed around the corner. in the darkened side street, three buses were warming up, the first already beginning to roll. robin ran for the second, and just as it was pulling away from the curb, several hands reached out of the door, took hold of robin's hands, and heaved him aboard. he found a seat in the back of the crowded bus, kept his head down to avoid having anybody realize he was a stranger, and caught his breath. the bus gathered speed, roared down the quiet side streets, and turned onto the highway beyond the town. robin was on his way to the rockets, to the famous white sands proving grounds ... or was he? what was the red sands station anyway? _red_ sands? why had he never heard of it? _3. up the space ladder_ the bus roared on through the night, its cargo of men now mainly silent, dozing as their vehicle jolted along. the moon, which was full, shed a pale glow over the desolate landscape through which the road ran straight as an arrow. the vehicle had departed from the main highway fairly soon after leaving town, and had gone along another leading out into the wastes which was the government reserve. robin had caught a momentary glimpse of floodlighted signs warning casual motorists against the use of the road, warning all that it was u.s. property. the men in the bus talked little. most of them tired, and some a little the worse for a night's revels, were sleeping. two or three snored away, unmindful of the hard seats and the jolting along the road. seated in the back, shoulder to shoulder with several others, robin kept quiet, watching the scene through the open windows and seeing what could be seen of the terrain without making his observations too obvious. thus far the landscape was the familiar desert of new mexico, desolate and arid flatland with which robin had become familiar on the trip down. on the horizon he could see the humps of mountains, the peaks that bordered the vast proving grounds. near him, a couple of soldiers were conversing in low tones and robin caught snatches of their conversation. at first it was mainly talk of what they had seen and done that night, their girl friends, and so on. by and by they began to talk a bit about their work. robin strained his ears. "i was thinking of asking for a transfer back to white sands," said one of the men slowly. "some of that new fuel they're bringing in makes me real uneasy." "ahh," said the other, "you're just letting that extra security talk give you nerves. sure, it's supposed to be atomic stuff, new, maybe even untested as far as i know, but, nuts, you can't get blown up any worse than you can handling that liquid oxygen and peroxide they got at white sands. in fact, i understand that this stuff isn't half as tricky to pour as the old stuff." "yeah, i know. i seen some of it being poured yesterday into that new big fellow they're lining up for tomorrow. but the point is that even if it's easier to pour--none of that fizzing and spitting you get when you leak a drop or two--it's atomic. that's the thing, atomic. what would happen if a white sands rocket blew ... it'd be a big bang, sure enough, but it wouldn't blow the whole countryside to bits. but take this new stuff ... whew ... we'd all be one bikini if it went off all at once." the other soldier was silent a moment. "well," he said finally, "could be. on the other hand, i heard them say that it is really not half as explosive as the old stuff. that loxygen they use in the original vikings is really dangerous, will go off quick at any spark. but this new stuff, it won't actually go off until it's touched off after the rocket has gone up a few miles. it's actually hard to blast--and then i understand they ain't sure it'll work." the other one nodded. "uh uh, so they say, but you notice where they moved our outfit, didn't you? they don't want to blow the main fields out of existence by accident, just in case they might be a little wrong. so they invented this red sands layout. i don't even like the name." the soldiers fell silent awhile. robin turned these words over carefully. he had read nothing of any red sands operation, and he remembered nothing of any talk about atomic fuels. in fact he'd understood that the problem was still one they had failed to solve--though the idea was intriguing. chemical fuels, he knew, had definitely limited drive capacities. the most powerful chemical fuels possible even theoretically were those already in use, and were basically merely liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. and he knew that the main obstacle that always had to be faced by rocket engineers was the tremendous quantities and weights of the fuels to be burned in order to lift even a single pound of cargo. atomic power, if liberated, had on the other hand almost unlimited possibilities as fuel. a mere pound or so of atomically liberated material could probably drive a spaceship a million miles with a full pay load too. but how to combine atomic explosions with controlled rocket fire? the problem had never been answered--at least not in the magazine and newspaper stories he had ever read. he thought about it awhile. then the bus honked its horn. robin craned his neck, looked forward. he saw they were paralleling a high wire fence and coming to a lighted area. a large sign on a wide road entrance branching off caught his eye and he read the magic words, _white sands_. for a moment he thought the bus was going to enter as the driver slowed down. they came abreast of the gateway but the driver merely honked and waved and passed it by, robin catching a glimpse of whitewashed barracks and low hangarlike structures beyond the gate. then they roared on into the moonlit night, on toward the empty reaches of the desert where the mountains loomed dark in the horizon. where was red sands? how far? robin speculated on it. he had evidently hit on something more than he'd reckoned. this was a development unknown to the public. this was something that must have combined the special nature of the los alamos atomic testing grounds with the rocket grounds. and it was obviously tucked far away from them all. suppose they caught him there, would he get off as lightly as he might at white sands? where atomics was concerned, secrecy was still enforced, despite the release of much information due to the installation of peaceful atomic plants in various parts of the world. but everyone knew that the world was still merely at the threshold of atomic glories and the nations were still anxiously vying with each other for leadership. he supposed that perhaps he might be sent to jail. he might perhaps be confined to the red sands grounds until such time as what he was to learn had become public property. that might take years! robin squirmed a little as he thought over this possibility. it didn't appeal to him. yet, the die was cast and there was now little he could do about it. he could, he thought, surrender now to the men in the bus. in that way, he'd be stopped from entering the forbidden area at all and might then merely get a bawling out and be released. but something in him absolutely rebelled at the thought. this far he had gone, this far he had moved toward the realization of a dream that had held him from childhood. he would go on, and if he were to pay the penalties for trespassing, he would at least see what he was paying for. maybe, maybe, he would yet see a rocket go off. what was it the soldier had said, "that big fellow ... for tomorrow." then robin would be in time. the bus roared on for what seemed at least another hour. finally it approached another fenced-in area, slowed down, and came to a halt briefly before a guarded gateway. the men stirred in their seats, the sleepers were nudged awake, everyone started to squirm around. the driver exchanged a few words with the guards, the bus shifted gears, rolled slowly through the gate, and came to a stop. stiffly the men began to climb out. robin waited until about half the men had preceded him, then, keeping his head low, followed. as the men jumped down from the bus, they stepped up to an mp standing by and showed him their passes. he examined each with a flashlight, took it, and waved the men on. robin's feet hit the ground. carefully keeping close to the man in front of him, he dug for the pass he'd found in his borrowed jacket. holding it out, he stepped up to the guard. the pass was seized, scrutinized, and with a tap of the hand, robin was waved on. the men were striding off in the direction of a group of low, long buildings of the standard army barracks type. robin took the same general direction, casting his eyes about trying to estimate where he was and what was around. the moon was high and its light was strong in the clear desert air. a few dim bulbs showed on posts and one or two lights were flashed in the windows of the barracks. the men were heading directly for their beds--and robin knew he had to head in the same direction if he did not wish to incur suspicion. it was a ticklish moment, for he did not dare do anything to arouse the suspicion that he was a stranger here. it was a long walk across the parade grounds and he allowed as much space as possible to drag out between himself and the other men. he came closer to the dark barracks buildings, walked along toward a dark doorway through which another man had gone. turning his head he saw no one near him who might be watching, and robin stepped into the dark doorway, then quickly side-stepped, slipped around the side of the building, and walked silently down the dark space between the two adjoining barracks. at the far end of the structures, remaining hidden in the shadow cast by the moon, he looked outward. he could see, stretching out beyond, the level ground of the desert. he could make out the structures of what looked like hangars and machine shops, and he could see a number of vehicles, trucks, and odd cranes parked around. far away he caught a glimpse of something white. was it a rocket? he crouched in the shadow and waited. after a while he heard no more footsteps, he saw the last lights in the barracks flicker out and silence descend on the station. he glanced at his watch. it was about two in the morning. silently he moved out of the barracks' shadow, walked fast and softly to the shadow of the nearest truck. reaching it, he paused, looked back. nothing stirred. proceeding in that fashion, robin moved from shadow to shadow, keeping as little in the bright moonlight as he could. he reached a building, clearly a tool house. he walked along it, went on beyond, passed through the shadowed side of a long hangar, found a narrow roadway leading out to where the mysterious white object rested. he walked alongside it, half stooping, but feeling sure that no one had seen him. the red sands station was silent. the white object proved to be a good deal farther away than he'd thought. he knew that distances in the desert were very deceptive, felt himself growing tired. why, this objective might be two or three miles away, he realized now, but only increased his pace as if in answer to his tiring frame. the cold, dry desert air was bracing, and nothing moved save the occasional scurry of some tiny rat or lizard. what he had seen was indeed a rocket. it was at first a dot of white. then it grew into a line of white like a snowy tree. as he neared it he realized its true dimensions. it was a tall giant rocket, as tall as an eight-story building, long and slim, towering in the desert like an obelisk left by some aztec ruler. it was held by a framework of metal girders, like that of a newly completed building whose outer skeleton had not yet been dismantled. near it stood a truck on high, thick wheels which bore a long, cranelike apparatus resembling the tentacles of some weird monster-insect. the rocket stood with its four wide-flanged fins jutting out near the base. robin stopped at its base and stared up. he studied it, saw that it was apparently segmented, having lines of cleavage that divided it into four parts, the one at the pointed top being the shortest. this was a four-step rocket, he recognized, and knew at that moment that here also was a step beyond what the public knew. he walked slowly around it, awed and silent. he noticed now that there was a thin metal ladder running up the standing framework. the crane in the truck was for loading the top, he knew, but he could use this ladder himself to climb up without trying to start the truck-driven lift. he reached the bottom rung of the skeleton ladder, saw a sign attached to the framework. he looked at it, saw a number, apparently the code designation of this rocket. glancing over it, the moonlight was not strong enough to allow him to read the words. he looked at the parked truck with the crane, walked over to it, looked inside. he found a flashlight in the dashboard compartment, took it. lying over the seat was a pea jacket. the air was cold and would become colder. robin borrowed it, shrugged into it. he saw a package lying beneath it, lifted it. a couple of candy bars it was. the driver must have had a sweet tooth. robin stuffed the candy into the pocket of the jacket, which had other things in it as well. he returned to the rocket, read the work sheet by his flashlight. most of it was incomprehensible. he saw that the sheet referred only to the fueling. steps two, three, and four were fueled. step one, the big one at the base was still empty and he saw that it was marked for fueling by five that morning. firing time, he noted, was set for six. robin glanced up. here was a chance to examine the rocket completely. glancing around again, he swung up the ladder, started the climb. the rocket's sides were welded metal, shiny and painted white. the various fuel sections were numbered in large black letters and the contents listed. he saw that the first and main fuel chamber occupied half of the length. the three upper sections, already loaded, he remembered, were marked in liters. the name of the fuel was meaningless to him. it must be, he thought, the atomic stuff the soldier had mentioned. this rocket could be a huge atomic bomb, he thought, chilled for a moment. but he continued climbing. at the very tip, he saw that two small, circular doors, like the escape hatches of submarines, were set flush in the side. one was closed, the upper and larger one was slightly ajar. he reached it, looked in. he flashed his light, peered around. it was a narrow, closetlike space, filling a section of the uppermost tip, just beneath the point of the top. it was padded and empty. robin looked out from his perch at the top of the ladder. he looked away across the desert to the distant buildings of the red sands station. he started suddenly. something was blinking in the distance. he strained his eyes. two tiny white lights were moving toward him from far away. he heard the distant purr of a motor. a jeep was coming to the rocket from the red sands station. had they seen his flashlight? were they coming to investigate? he glanced desperately downward. the ground seemed so far away. he could never climb down the ladder in time to escape detection. the jeep was approaching swiftly. what could he do? in a flash of inspiration, he saw the open port of the dark closet-space at the rocket's tip. he climbed into it, swinging out from the ladder, hovering over the abyss, swinging his legs into the dark, padded interior. he crammed himself into it, found he fitted it neatly with very little room to spare and, grasping the circular door, pulled it toward him. it swung shut on its oiled hinges, clicked tightly into place. robin crouched down, silent. for a while there was dead silence. robin wondered if he would be able to hear anything that went on outside, considering the padding of the little space. for once he was thankful for being so short. if he'd been a few inches taller, he'd have found his position very uncomfortable. it was cramped, but not unbearable. he strained his ears, finally heard the vibrations of the jeep draw up to the base of the rocket and stop. he heard faint sounds which must have been the muffled voices of the jeep's riders. he lay quietly, hoping he would not be discovered. outside, the jeep had come to a stop and the two men in the front seat stared around suspiciously. "i'd have sworn i saw a light for a moment out here," said the driver. the other scratched his head, looked around. "i'd better get out and look around, just to be certain." they both descended from the jeep. one went over and looked into the trucks and carriers, peering under them for possible hideaways. the other poked around the scaffolding at the base of the rocket. "this is the one they're firing off tomorrow, isn't it?" he asked when the other joined him after a moment. "yeah," answered his companion, "or rather this morning. in fact in only a few hours. they've only got to load the main fuel chambers and they're ready." he shined his flashlight on the operations chart, the same one that robin had examined earlier. "i wonder how come they loaded the other three earlier. that's odd. i thought that stuff couldn't hang around too long." "don't you know," said the other, "this is that big top-secret experimental job they were working so fast on this week? something to do with a new kind of fuel, fairly stable but loaded with radioactive elements. some type of new compound which is supposed to add an atomic disintegration impetus when it goes off. heard one of the engineers explain it as something like plutonium particles in suspension which get touched off atomically as they emerge in the rocket blast. they don't know for sure it will work." the other looked up at the towering structure. "i guess that's how come they're sending it up first with the regular loxygen fuel--so if the whole thing goes bang at once, it'll be high enough up not to blow the rest of us to kingdom come." he walked around the base a bit, stopped, flashed his light down, and picked up something. it was a cardboard sign that had been lying on the ground. he looked at it a moment. "hey, this must have fallen from the cargo chamber," he said, showing his comrade the sign. it read: _instruments in place. do not disturb._ he turned it over. on the back it read: _ready for loading._ "i better put this back where it fell from," he said, adding, "but which side is correct? did you say they were firing it at six?" at his companion's assent, he said, "well, i guess maybe they must have loaded the cameras and radio equipment this afternoon. i'll go up, put this back, and check it." the man started up the ladder, the same one that robin had climbed a short while before. when he had arrived before the section where robin lay hidden, he tried the circular door of that section. it was tightly shut. this signified to him that it was already loaded and without further thought he carefully attached the little sign reading _do not disturb_ to the door. after a few more minutes' search, the two men climbed back in their jeep and drove back to the barracks-grounds. inside the rocket, robin had been unable to hear what they had been saying. their voices came to him heavily muffled and distorted and he could not recognize the words. he heard the man come up the scaffolding ladder and try the door. but it had been tight and it had not budged. then he'd gone down and a little later robin had heard the jeep drive away. robin lay there quietly on the soft padding and wondered how long he should stay in hiding. they might have left a man on guard or they might be keeping an eye on the rocket. if he came out right away, they might spot him. better wait here a half hour, he said to himself, and then tried to make himself more comfortable. the day had been a long one and a tense one. he was more tired than he'd thought. the tiny, cramped cubby-hole in the nose of the rocket was pitch-dark, cushioned, and utterly quiet. robin rested his eyes. before he knew it, he was sound asleep. the air was close and became stale; robin's slumber slowly became deep and drugged. * * * * * the sun rose at five and with it there arrived the men who would load and launch the rocket--several truckloads in fact, with a couple of tanks of fuel. the volatile liquids were readied for pouring into the tanks and chambers of the first and main firing section. the engineers arrived. they began to check the loads and the preparations. "the instruments in place?" asked major bronck, who was in charge of this operation. his assistant, a civilian engineer, glanced up the ladder. "according to the notice up there, they are. i don't remember seeing them installed myself, though. may have been done after we left yesterday." "who was in charge of them?" the major asked. "jackson, sir," the answer came, "but he hasn't been in camp today. must have been left overnight in town." the major frowned. "well, i don't see the instruments around so i guess he loaded them all right. sloppy way of doing things, though. i don't like it. in fact, i don't particularly like this whole job. it's too hasty, too irregular." the other smiled, shrugged. "can't help it. big rush orders from washington. they wouldn't even let us put this shot off till monday. had to get a fast test on this atomic fuel. i guess it's another of those things they think the russians are up to." "ahh, that's always an excuse for rushing. but i still say haste makes waste. well, anyway we've got our orders so off it goes this morning. trackers on the job?" "sure, they're right on it. but we've still got to load the animals. this is going to be a high flier and the space-medicine people want in on it. here's their stuff now." a light truck rolled up and two men came out carrying a crate. one of the automatic rolling cranes lifted them all up to the nose of the rocket. there, just below the instrument compartment, they opened another port and installed their burden, shutting the compartment again and sealing it. the major glanced at his watch, looked around. the main chamber was loaded, the tank had departed. at his order, the rolling scaffolding was swiftly detached and driven away. now the rocket stood alone on its own fins, pointing skyward into the pink and orange dawn, its side a dazzling white, its nose a bright red, each section banded in green. "how far do you think it will go?" the major asked his assistant. "anybody's guess," was the reply. "the fuel is untested and unpredictable. if this trick fuel fails to work, the whole thing will go up maybe six miles and then drop. if the atomic stuff turns into a bomb they'll hear the bang in las vegas. if it works as they expect, it might go up several hundred miles, maybe even more. it could make a better satellite rocket than the ones we've got up already. in fact that's what they're hoping. they think they may be able to make this the start of a real space-platform program--for once carrying a pay load up worth the carrying. but who knows?" the two climbed into a car and drove to where the concrete dugout was located. entering it they nodded to the communications men and other engineers already gathered. the major took his place at the firing panel. he looked at his timer, waited a few minutes. gradually the small talk ceased and a hush fell over the little guiding post. the major reached for the firing button. * * * * * back in the rocket, robin opened his eyes. the first thing he noticed when his head cleared from the grogginess of his deep sleep was a slight hissing noise somewhere below him. the air felt different in his little compartment. somewhere a thin stream of oxygen was escaping into the chamber. he twisted around, felt about with his hands, located it. there was a thin line of holes along the seam of the padding underneath him. now he heard other noises. below him, a faint chattering, a scolding, the sound of something scratching. he put his ear down near the hole from where the air was issuing and listened. yes, he thought to himself, animals. somebody put some animals in the space just below me. sounds like monkeys' chattering. must be where the air is coming from. he had a headache. bad air in here, he thought, and realized that had it not been for the animals being placed below him, he might have suffocated in that space. it was then that he fully realized what had happened--that he'd fallen asleep. the animals hadn't been there when he had first climbed in. so he must have slept for several hours at least. he squirmed around, reflecting on it, still not quite gathering his drugged wits together. that meant that the men must have arrived and started work on this rocket again. he thought this over, and a great uneasiness came over him. he strove to remember something urgent, something he knew he had to bring back to mind. something about five o'clock and six o'clock. loading time, launching time. yes! they were firing this rocket at six! but what time was it now? how long had he slept? he looked at the luminous dial of his watch but was chagrined to find it had run down and he'd forgotten to wind it. he glanced rapidly around his little space, wondering how he could find out whether it was already day. several glimpses of light hit his eyes. he saw that in three or four places there were tiny glass openings no larger than would admit a thick wire. he tried to look through one, but all he could see was blue sky. it was morning then. he strained his ears for outside noises, truck engines, men talking. but there was not a sound from outside. only the faint squeakings of the animals below him. he twisted around again to face the little round door. it was padded on the inside, it had no handle there, nothing to get a grip on. he scrabbled in the padding with his fingers, reached the rim, and tried to push. there was no give. it was airtight, automatically sealed. he pushed against it, wondered what to do. he squirmed around against the padding, lay back with his head against the cushioning on the opposite side, his back resting on the floor padding, and put his feet against the side of the little door. thus braced he was all set to shove the strength of his legs against the door in an effort to push it outward. he was about to do so when the rocket went off. _4. riding the atoms_ suddenly it felt as if a giant had placed his huge palm squarely on robin's chest and was pushing him down. as he tried to exert pressure against the door, the counter pressure of the invisible hand increased. for an instant robin was thunderstruck. had he suddenly become weak? what was this? his first emotion, that of amazement, changed in a split second to one of terror at his newly discovered weakness, and again from that to a feeling of stunned shock. there was no invisible hand! it was the rocket itself moving! without thinking, robin struggled to rise, but his muscles could not obey him. in the first seconds the pressure on him was mild, he might have been able to move if he'd given some extra effort. but by the time his astonishment had worn off, the pressure had climbed beyond the limitations of the cramped space and his young muscles. the rocket had started slowly as these great towering constructions do. the first blasts barely served to push it away from its launching guides. it seemed to tremble in every plate as if precariously perched upon the short, furious blast of yellow. then the fiery tail lengthened as the tall, thin metal body rose slowly, lifted like a thin white pencil on the roaring cataract of burning gases. now it was its own length from the ground, now pushing up faster, giving in split seconds the curious impression that it might topple over at any instant. but the steady rise gained in speed, the rocket pushed away from its burning tail ever faster, the fire turned from yellow to blue, and within a few more blinks of the eye it was hurtling into the sky, vanishing into a dot, and then was beyond sight. to robin it seemed again as if a giant hand were pressing down. he felt it spreading over his body, felt himself being pushed relentlessly by superior weight against the matting of the compartment floor. his head was thrust down as if by a giant forefinger of this invisible monster leaning over him. now it seemed as if the giant, in maniacal malice, was leaning his weight on his hand, pressing on robin, trying to shove him through the floor if possible. he gasped for breath, could barely catch it against the growing pressure on his chest. his eyes sank into their sockets and he tried to close them but found the effort too much. all about him there was a roaring sound, a humming and thrumming, and now began a thin, piercing whistling, which was the air outside rushing past. the whistle rapidly increased to an ear-splitting shriek, then vanished, leaving eddies of unheard auditory vibrations. robin tried to close his mouth, which had been forced open by the prying finger of pressure. he felt as if in another moment he must cave in, be squashed flat. his brain reeled dizzily, then suddenly a merciful blackness fell over him and he knew no more. at that very moment, though he could no longer sense it, there was a click, audible through the length of the vibrating column of metal, and the first section snapped off. its great fuel tanks, so full of volatile gases an instant before, had emptied themselves in a fury of chemical combustion. the automatic releases had loosened the whole bottom half, the main fuel section, thrust it into space to fall and shatter upon the desert miles below. at that same split second, another series of relays touched off the second firing section. the new firing tubes blasted into action. of a design different from those that preceded it, of a design new to the world of man, the experimental jet burst forth. for an instant it seemed as if the pressure had vanished in the rocket, for a split second the rocket stopped accelerating as it waited for the new impact. then like a blast of lightning newly released from a storm, a shot of energy flashed through the racing metal body. the giant hand came down on everything within it with a firmness and power not sensed before. there was a blast now emerging from the tail of the flying rocket something like that of an atomic bomb, but not quite. it was not an explosion, but an atomic reaction. it was a rocket flare of an intensity and heat beyond all the potential of mere chemical reactions. it was atomic fire, chained and harnessed to the tail of a rocket. the thin white pencil, reduced in length, raced on into the dark stratospheric sky. * * * * * back at red sands there was intense excitement in the control dugout. major bronck was racing around, anxiously yelling into telephones, watching the checkers, trying to keep track of everything happening at once. at first the ascent had been neat and according to routine. the crew in the dugout, the radar crew at the main camp, and the one co-operating with them from white sands itself were checking all right. then in an instant all three almost lost touch as their objective nearly swooped out of range. the trackers fought to get it back in focus, and one by one finally caught it again, farther and faster than they had planned for. "it's running wild!" was the way one startled crew chief told the major. "going up and out like crazy!" the crew on the tracking telescopes racing around the desert were calling in their story. visually they had lost it completely. they had gotten a nice set of telescopic photos of the first phase, then they had failed to adjust quickly enough to the unexpected second phase. now they were sweeping the sky desperately hoping to pick it up again, but without success. major bronck called for a check on the last and surest guide. among the instruments loaded in the nose of the rocket was a radio tone-signal sender. as a last resort, they should be able to pick up that signal from the rocket itself, confirm the story they were getting from their radar men. but the men at the radio listening posts reported no sound. and when the major asked if they had had it in the first place, the men admitted that they had not. there had never been any buzz on the ether from the rocket at all! at that moment, the main red sands camp got on the phone. a voice from the commander's office wanted to know why the instruments had not been loaded. it seems that the man responsible for them had just turned up at camp. jackson had reported his jacket stolen, his pass along with it. therefore the instruments for whose installation he had been charged with were still reposing in the camp! there had been a series of bungles, the major thought, as he tried to explain the situation. obviously the rocket had not been checked as it should have been. obviously whoever had calculated the course and power of the new fuels had erred very considerably. "but we've still got it on radar. yes, sir. we'll hold it. we'll definitely see where it comes down, sir." the major listened, white-faced, to the commander's angry spluttering. "yes, i know, sir. top-secret stuff. but even if it lands a thousand miles away, we'll know, we'll spot it. even if it managed to assume a satellite orbit, we could keep track of it. it's still going straight up. it might make an orbit. if it did, there'd be no chance of it coming down intact for foreign examination. it would probably circle the earth a few times in a wild ellipse and then burn up in the atmosphere. we won't lose it." but lose it they did. the radars held it for two hours more, until finally it was beyond even the limits of their extended capacities. it was going up, up, and out, and even at the last there was no sign of it slowing down enough to form an orbit. when they finally checked it off as permanently lost, they knew they had witnessed the dawn of a new era. this rocket had assumed and passed the escape velocity. it was headed out into the trackless bounds of outer space. it would never return to earth. there was even speculation that its last known course might intersect the moon's orbit. opinion in washington, after all the reports were in, was divided on that. but, in spite of the bungling, the rocket had proved a valuable point. from that day onward, rocketry in the united states took a new tack. robin carew was dreaming. he was falling down an elevator shaft, falling swiftly floor after floor. looking down at him from the space at the top of the high shaft was a gigantic face, leering at him while stretching a giant arm down the shaft trying to reach him. in his dream he had the curious mixed-up feeling of wishing the giant could catch him and stop his fall and at the same time being afraid that the giant might be successful and crush him in his huge fingers. he was falling, falling, and squirm as he might, the bottom of this terrible shaft was nowhere in sight. robin thrashed around, trying to grab a cable, trying to catch one of the innumerable doors as they rushed past. he banged his hand against one, grabbed tight, jerked. his eyes snapped open, his mind struggled to gain a grasp of where he was. nothing seemed to make sense. it was dark and he was bumping around in a tiny, tight space. yet somehow he couldn't get his feet down, he still was falling. suddenly he felt dizzy and then became aware of the aches all over his body. he stopped thrashing, let himself rest. he bumped against the tight side again, took the opportunity to stretch his body out straight and found he could not. he was touching both sides of the narrow space. his eyes found the space not entirely dark. a faint trace of light showed from a couple of spots somewhere in the dark enclosure. he realized where he was. he remembered now the take-off, the pressure. why, he thought with a shock, the rocket went off. and i'm in it! we must be falling back to the sands now. in a few minutes we'll crash and that will be the end. he waited awhile, expecting to be snuffed out at any instant. but there was nothing. just silence. and now a faint rustling sound where something was stirring and squeaking below him. the animals, he thought, are alive in the space below me. then it occurred to him that he was not falling back, but perhaps falling away. his mind, which had been numbed from the pain and pressure, began to reassemble what he knew about rockets. and consciously the thought formed--the sensation of free fall is the same as the sensation of weightlessness found in space rockets. he thought he was falling, but was it not just as likely that instead he was simply beyond gravity? he felt himself over for broken spots, but somehow miraculously he had not been damaged. his eyes burned and he supposed they were bloodshot. a smear of stickiness around his face convinced him he'd suffered a nosebleed. but otherwise he was sound. he patted the jacket he wore and his hand encountered the cylindrical hardness of the flashlight he'd borrowed from the supply truck. he took it out, snapped it on. the little padded compartment was the same, the door still tightly wedged. he turned the light carefully around it, saw that the faint break in the total darkness before had come from two tiny openings--glass insets. probably, he thought, the openings for the instruments, possibly the lens spots for cameras. he switched off his flashlight, put an eye to an opening. the spot of glass was thick but amazingly clear. he caught a glimpse of blue-black sky and a jagged line of misty gray and white, beneath which stretched the edge of a great brown-and-green bowl. he stared at it in puzzlement, watching it as it swung slowly away. he realized that the rocket had developed a slow spin, that his viewing spot would gradually circle the region around him. and he realized that the great brownish bowl was the earth. from the darkness of the sky he realized that he must already be high in the stratosphere, possibly well beyond it. from the curvature of the horizon, he must be far up, several hundred miles, he guessed. and he could see that the curvature was increasing as he watched. the rocket was still traveling upward, traveling at an immense rate of speed. its last rockets had blasted away and had left it with a heritage of unparalleled speed. robin screwed up his eyes again, mentally calculated. he revised his estimate of his height, doubled it, redoubled it. why, he might be a thousand miles up, two thousand, perhaps many times that! how fast was he traveling? he didn't know. he couldn't tell. he remembered the talk about atomic fuels he had overheard. could it be that the inventors had miscalculated? could it be that he was already in outer space, heading for the void, never to return to earth? he screwed his eye again to the outlet. in the short time since he'd first looked the sky had darkened. it was black, jet-black, and the stars were fiery points of white. the earth now seemed like a ball, a vast ball whose fringes glowed with the pale mistiness of a sun-lit blanket of air. but where he was there was no air. he was beyond any atmosphere. no whistling of atmospheric friction was present in the length of the silent rocket. and then a blinding white glow poked a piercing beam through the tiny eye-spot. it was the sun, unshielded, brilliant. in a moment the tiny ray vanished as the rocket continued its slow turning, but robin in that instant had come to realize what had happened. he was in outer space, beyond earth, never to return. he was the first man to reach that untracked void that bounded on all the stars and suns of a universe. he was the first--but who would ever know? who could ever hear of him, whose helpless body, imprisoned in its shining airtight shell, now seemed doomed to float unsuspected forever on the cosmic tides of interplanetary space? _5. fall without end_ for a moment robin felt dizzy again, and the falling sensation wracked him. it was the weightlessness, he knew. the sensation of being without weight was the same as that of being in free fall. and he was operating beyond the effects of gravity. somehow the atomic rocket fuels had been far greater or far more effective than the inventors had calculated. he knew that they had never intended this rocket to be shot beyond earth's grip--for if they had, they would not have loaded it with the test animals and they would not have placed a parachute-release arrangement in the nose. however, it now occurred to him he might be wrong about this. he had seen the reference to the parachute on the loading chart, and he now remembered lettering indicating parachute on the body of the rocket just above the little entryway to the topmost cargo compartment. still, perhaps there was no parachute there. he squirmed around again, trying to get used to the nauseating sensation of free fall. he felt as if he had to exert conscious effort to keep his stomach from turning inside out. he felt an impulse to scream, to thrash his hands, and he had to remind himself that it was an illusion. for a while he just rested, floating in the little space, bumping steadily against one wall or another, with barely inches to spare. the tiny burning sunbeam pierced through again and vanished. robin looked through the peephole. it was the dead black of outer space now, a black beyond conception, black with nothing in it to reflect. and against it an inconceivable array of brilliant points of light--the stars in numbers beyond any seen through the blanket of atmosphere. white, with some yellows and reds, and a few bluish ones here and there. the earth moved again into sight and it was distinctly smaller--though still an impressively vast bowl--but beginning distinctly to resemble a monstrous globe in bas-relief, breathtakingly impressive with its living face, its shifting misty veil of air and water vapor. robin became aware that he was thirsty. yes, and hungry too. he took stock of his situation. he felt through his pockets, came up with one of the candy bars he had taken. he hefted it thoughtfully. should he eat it now or save it? that raised the question he had been unconsciously avoiding. save it for what? if he was indeed heading for the boundless regions of space, then he was a doomed man. if he ate now, it would mean that starvation would come sooner. if he delayed, doled it to himself in small bits, it could only prolong the agony awhile, but would not the result still be the same? there was the chance, the odd chance, that the rocket somehow might yet return to earth. it might describe a circle, an arc, finally begin to fall back. if it did so, the parachute would operate and perhaps land robin in safety. somehow it didn't seem likely to robin, yet that chance existed. if so, it would have to return to earth before a full starvation period could result in death. robin had read somewhere that one could go without food for as much as thirty days, but without water for not more than seven or eight. if the rocket were describing an arc or a parabola, then it would surely start its return within less than that week's leeway. with this in mind, robin unwrapped the candy bar and ate it. the second one he would save as long as possible. but what about water? the squeaking of the test animals broke in on his thoughts. surely they must have been supplied with some sort of food for their flight? robin switched himself around to face the floor and began to dig at the padding there. he managed to loosen it, pull it to one side, revealing the floor of the compartment. as he had hoped, it was not a metal plate. his own chamber, the one for the instruments, was not a section in itself but only part of a section paneled off by braced plasterboard. and what was more there were already holes drilled through it so that the air in both sections would be equalized. this answered another question robin had been trying to avoid. how was it the air was remaining fresh now, though it had gone stale while he was hiding? apparently there was a small supply of oxygen operating automatically in the animal section that seeped through into the upper compartment too. evidently once the rocket went into flight this started to work and would continue for the originally calculated period. robin dug his fingers into the openings and pulled. gradually the plasterboard bent away and opened a space into the section below. he looked down, using his flashlight. there were two cages below, well padded. in one, two little brown monkeys clung together floating just above the floor and looking terrified. they chattered when they saw him, but remained tightly locked in each other's arms. in the other, four small rabbits were placidly nibbling bits of lettuce, although one rabbit was upside down, another sideways on the side of the cage. there were a couple of small boxes set in each cage, and robin could see that they dispensed food and water to the animals at presumably regular intervals. robin reached down next to the monkeys' cage and started to work loose the small water holder there. he found it slid out of place once he turned the holding bolt. as he drew the little flask upward, one of the monkeys made an effort to nip his finger, but he withdrew it in time. the water flask drawn up into robin's compartment made him feel better. this would make his stay a little more comfortable for a while. he felt sorry for the monkeys, who might go thirsty now, but he had a suspicion that the two little beasts were probably too hysterically frightened to eat or drink anyway. robin wet his throat a little. he looked back down, reached out, and investigated the food compartment. sure enough, there were several bananas in the monkeys' food container. they would do also. he glanced around the space below again. there were the oxygen tanks, set up with a timer, one gently hissing away. there also was a small heating unit with a thermostat that evidently kept the temperature in the animal division at a level--and almost certainly was doing the same for the whole section. robin grimaced to himself as he worked the padding back into place on the floor. he might manage to be quite comfortable for a while longer--a day or so more. while there's life, there's hope, he said to himself. better check the parachute question, too, while i'm at it. he reversed himself in a neatly executed weightless somersault and making what had once been his roof the floor, worked the padding out there. but here he was thwarted, for he found the rounded metal side of the section's nose. if there were a parachute, it obviously occupied its own compartment at the very tip of the rocket's nose. he looked out the peephole from his upside-down perch, stared musingly at the panoply of the stars. he wondered if he could recognize a planet should one swing across his narrow field of vision, decided that perhaps he might not be able to do so, so vast were the number of stars present. he looked again at earth, noticing that it had visibly rotated on its axis. that meant that time had passed, a good deal of it. mentally he tried to calculate just how much. he was looking at the eastern hemisphere now, or a corner of it. at least half a day, or maybe a day and a half, or more. how could he tell how long he had been asleep, how long unconscious? he realized that he was tired, that his body still ached from the painful take-off. he closed his eyes, and without actually wanting to, fell asleep. his sleeping body swung slowly to and fro in the tiny space, bumping gently from one side to the other. as he slept he dreamed of falling, dreamed of falling over huge endless cliffs, of dropping down strange chasms, of being carried by huge birds and suddenly being dropped. his subconscious mind would never give up the insistent awareness that his body was falling. it was a certain thing that such would be the dreams of anyone in space flight. the built-in machinery of self-protection identifies a sense of loss of weight with the automatic warning of a fall. ten thousand thousand generations of climb from primeval arboreal ancestry found the warning valid--no conscious knowledge otherwise would ever shut off this instinctive alarm. he awoke again with a start and a convulsive grasp for a tree branch. but he shook off the sensation and rubbed his eyes. he took another sip from the water flask, reached into the compartment below and took one of the bananas. the monkeys were still in each other's arms, but now asleep. the rabbits were nosing the corners of their cage as if everything were perfectly normal. he looked through his peephole and saw the moon. it was large, it was vast, it took up most of the view in his range. it looked as close as the earth had looked before. he looked upon the stupendous moonscape with awe. it was the vision one strains to see through a telescope. he had often paid a dime to look at it through the six-inch telescope at the city science museum. this was the same vision, but bigger and clearer, so very, very clear. he could see only a small section of the moon, but that was impressive. a particularly rugged area of jagged mountains, huge craters, high walled and wide bottomed, with long rills and ridges running across the surfaces. it shone white under the sun, with immensely black shadows breaking it where the sun failed to penetrate. yet there were more than whites and grays and blacks here. he saw that without the atmosphere of earth there were other more delicate shadings. the sides of some mountains had bluish and greenish tinges, and more than one crater bottom showed a distinct faint tinge of pale green, or in other spots yellowish blotches. and in one small spot he distinctly saw a mistiness of the surface, saw that a faint fuzziness barred the clear sight of the crater bottom. he stared with wonder at the sight and the moon slowly turned out of his vision as the rocket turned. he looked away, deep in thought. he had read enough about the moon in his astronomical readings. he knew the various theories, the latest conjectures. he knew that mistiness, that evidences of clouding had been seen often by astronomers, but the sight was nevertheless rare. no two astronomers ever happened to be looking at the same place at the same time. it was always one man's word, and it was never possible to predict such a thing, nor to photograph it. he knew that those men who made a special study of the moon recognized these things and had come to accept them as evidence that what was once regarded as a dead world was not entirely dead. they had charted these color shifts in certain spots, one or two areas could be predicted well enough to occasionally be provable to others. pickering had seen many such color changes, had even attributed it to some sort of fast-growing vegetation. robin remembered that it was now largely believed that the moon had not quite ceased its volcanic internal action. he recalled that astronomers had begun to admit that the evidence of these bits of mist and the further evidence of actual mapped changes in the lunar topography had proved that something was still warm and boiling within the crust of old luna. then it occurred to robin that if the moon were that close to him, he might really be falling upon it! he peered out, saw again a section of luna in view. it was close. evidently the nose of the rocket had indeed been propelled far beyond earth's atmosphere, beyond its gravitational grip. if the moon had been elsewhere, perhaps the rocket nose would have swung about and eventually returned to fall upon the earth, as robin had originally surmised. but by chance his orbit, that of the rocket nose in free space, had cut too close to the body of the moon. the rocket was dangerously near to being seized in the grip of the moon's gravity and pulled down to it. robin mulled this thought over and realized that it was possibly the truth. he glued his eye to the peephole and tried to determine where he was. after a while, he saw that the moon was gradually increasing in size. the rocket nose was definitely approaching the lunar sphere. because the earth no longer swung into view, robin also realized that the rocket nose must have reversed itself, must be heading moonward, must be falling to the moon! it would fall faster and faster now, as its trip through space was ending. it was held in the grip of a new world and would speed to its final destruction like a meteoric bullet. it would be another meteor blasting into the surface to flash instantly into powder! _6. target: luna_ now that robin recognized the certainty that he would never return, that he was a doomed man, a curious sort of change came over him. up to this time, he had been carefully suppressing his inner thoughts, comforting himself with the hope that the trip would somehow end up safely. yet while his mind was dwelling on that thought to the exclusion of others, his nerves had been under tension. he had felt himself continually on the edge of breakdown, in proximity to screaming. but robin had been trained well. his life had never been a particularly easy one and the crying had almost certainly got out of his system during the days when as a little boy he had wandered through a war-torn land hungry and homeless. life in an orphanage, at best, lacks much of the careful comforts of parents' hands, and those who had come out of such upbringing learn strong self-control early, learn to hold their jumping nerves in check at moments of tension and crisis. now that the conscious realization that a crash into the moon was inevitable had forced itself into acceptance, robin felt a slipping away of this tension. the die had been cast, the doubt had been removed. he actually felt an easing of his mind, felt himself able to take cooler estimate of his situation. he curled himself up in his narrow, closetlike space as comfortably as possible and thought the matter over. he was hungry again and still thirsty and this time he ate the second candy bar without saving any. at the rate of speed he was traveling, it could not be many hours more before he flashed to a sudden, fiery, meteoric death. he turned that thought over in his mind, while he drank some more water. a meteoric end, he thought, to flash like a blazing firebolt, to crash with the violence of an explosion against the dry, dusty surface of the moon. it might have been spectacular to observe, but he would never know. he wondered if it would be seen from the earth. suddenly, like an automatic switch being thrown on an electronic relay, a memory shot into his thoughts. he was well-read in astronomy, particularly on the subject of the moon, and the thought that struck him was this: _astronomers did not see meteors crash into the moon!_ they just didn't! and moon observation under powerful telescopes was most exact; if even fair-sized meteors hit the moon with the same explosive impact that they hit earth, they would be seen beyond question. further, since the moon was a companion of the earth, and our home planet was bombarded with countless meteors daily, the moon must be a target of a like number. of course, the meteors that hit earth were almost entirely burned up by atmospheric friction long before reaching the surface. but the moon apparently had no atmosphere ... there should have been nothing to prevent them from constantly battering the face of the moon in a continuous, heavy rain of iron and rock. lunar meteors should be visible all the time. but they were not! so ... what would really happen when his rocket hit the moon? robin was tingling with strange excitement. facing death as he was, he knew that even at the moment of dying he would be rewarded with at least one secret of the universe now unknown to men. what was the secret? he wracked his brain trying to bring back to memory all that he had read on that problem. and he brought back the memory that during the past few years a growing number of astronomers had begun to believe that the moon was not entirely without an atmosphere. it wasn't believed to have much of one, but it had been pointed out that most meteors to hit earth burn up at least thirty miles high. and the atmosphere at that height on earth was very, very thin. so thin indeed that if the moon had a belt of air only that dense, it might not be particularly detectable from earth, might not make much difference from the surface--it was almost a vacuum so far as living matter would be concerned--but it would suffice to burn up meteors! so it seemed likely that his rocket nose would be heated to incandescence by the tenuous lunar atmosphere and burn to ash long before it touched the surface.... it wasn't a comforting thought--he rather preferred the original conception of crashing. robin smiled grimly to himself. a dismal prospect, indeed. he had somehow cherished the hope that at least some wreckage of his rocket would be scattered about the surface, to be discovered some day by the explorers of the future, perhaps hundreds of years later. they would speculate upon it, perhaps trace it and in that way know that one robin carew had, in death, been the first to reach the moon. but to burn up on high, even that faint honor would be denied him! he looked again through the peephole. the moon was close now, very close. he looked down upon a heaving and fearful view--a vast sea of glistening white, with streaks and patches of gray, and here and there great gaping clefts of black. huge ringed craters, their saw-toothed mountain walls soaring into the sky--and craters upon craters, big ones and little ones, broken ones, craters breaking into the boundaries of others, little ones dotting the bottom of big ones, cracks and clefts shooting from their bases; a ring of jagged mountains running across the moonscape; areas of apparently flat plains. the sun was directly overhead, for it was still full moon and the glare was great, the shadows that mark the setting or rising of a lunar day not too obvious, stunted patches of jet blackness. but the moon was not entirely whites and grays, for indeed it was gently tinted in spots with other colorations. he could see for himself that there were greenish tints in some flat spots, yellowish and purpling areas. and yes, there was even in one tiny patch in a crater floor a faint cloudy mass, a mere haziness that indicated some sort of gaseous mist. robin drank in the scene, the view of another world, that world which has dazzled the dreamers of earth for thousands of years. these might be his last moments, but he could not be denied the saturation of his senses. the rocket was fast heading down toward a point near the center. the moon was spreading out, filling the view, and the rocket's slow rotation no longer brought anything into view but moonscape, a constant shifting view, with wonders upon wonders moving into his eye's scope. robin drew back a moment, rubbed his arms, scratched his legs. he felt himself tingling, wondered if it were his nerves. he felt itchy, hoped his nerves would not give way. he thought to himself, i may have only minutes now. i shall watch till the end. then he heard a faint, faint noise. from somewhere there was a humming. the merest shadow of a hum, and robin listened to it, startled. the humming rose in pitch, it was no dream, and as he sat, mouth open, amazed, there was a thin, high-pitched screaming outside the rocket and he suddenly began to feel hot. robin had but a second in which to think to himself, there's an atmosphere and we're burning up, when there came a new sound. a sort of _bloop_ from over his head, a snapping noise, and something seemed to grab the rocket and jerk it upside down violently. robin was tossed in a sharp somersault, banging against the original floor of his compartment in a jumble of arms and legs. he sat up and realized that he was sitting--not floating--but actually sitting _against gravity's pull_! he scrambled onto his knees, peeped through his peephole. the sky was back in view, the moon was below the falling ship and he could see the edge of a huge, circular orange mass above him, straining and pulling. it was the parachute from the nose of the rocket. it was the orange parachute designed to land the instrument nose and the test animals safely in the new mexico desert. and it had been set to open automatically upon the pressure of air when falling. there was an atmosphere around the moon then ... a thin, thin one, but the delicate detonator of the chute had functioned. the great hemispheric mass of delicate nylon had opened, had found a purchase, and was dragging the rocket back from a disastrous burn-out. robin breathed a sigh of relief, strained his eyes to see the moonscape again. the rocket was still falling, mighty fast it seemed. he could see the moonscape rise out, expand to fill the view. the rocket was warm now, definitely still heating from the thin friction. it vibrated and whistled but it swung in no breeze. it was moving too fast. in that almost unnoticeable belt of tenuous air there would be no winds that could deflect it. the parachute was open, but the air was not thick enough to do more than slow it down too gradually for it to be saved. it would, he realized, still crash into the surface with a deadly force. it would hit like a shell from a cannon, and the explorers of the far future would have their mysterious fragments of tooled metal to speculate on. below him robin saw the jagged mountain peaks reaching up for him into the dark black sky. he scanned it, remembering his moon books, remembering the cold photos taken by distant terrestrial cameras and the careful diagrams and names given by men long dead. he was hitting near the center of the moon, a little above it, and the crater whose walls were reaching up ... why he could even name it. he grinned wryly. it would be theophilus, and it seemed he would miss it, hit somewhere near it in a bay of the so-called sea of tranquillity. rushing up toward him, theophilus was no peaceful greek ancient. it was a barren, toothed, rocky edge, miles up, without the snow that makes our mountains majestic, without a trace of the forests that conceal a mountain's jagged sides, without even the gentle weathering of rain and water. and the sea of tranquillity--a dark, wrinkled plain that looked as if it had gone through the agonies of torture ages past. the marks of almost-vanished volcanoes on it, pale circular rings like pocks of burst bubbles, rambling ridges, and ugly cracks, and here and there domes rising gray out of the surface, like the tops of giant bubbles working their way out of the dry and flaky crust. robin watched in dread fascination. he heard the whistling and shrieking of the rocket like a demon in torment. he himself was burning and itching as he was being baked, although he felt no fever. the rocket was warm but getting no warmer. the topmost peak of theophilus was rushing up into his sky like a fast-growing stone geyser. he watched it shoot up, saw it grow, saw the ground become clearer and clearer, each ghastly detail spreading out, assuming three-dimension reality. now the peak was on a level with his eyes, now it was beyond him, and he was in the last few seconds of his fall. the rocket seemed to be slowing slightly. the atmosphere was possibly getting a trifle thicker at the surface, enough to prolong the agony a minute or two or three longer. above him the parachute strained and twisted. but still the rocket was falling too fast. it rushed down, straining to complete its act of affinity with a new gravity, as if tired of its brief period of interplanetary freedom, and anxious to pledge allegiance to a new gravitational master. below, the moonscape was coming up fast. robin could see well enough to begin to speculate where exactly he would hit. there was a small circle that must have been a crater scar. there were several dark lines that might be a network of cracks. and there was a dome. he remembered those domes. they had been quite a recent discovery too. not easily seen until latter-day instruments showed the surface of the moon dotted with these odd bumps. their nature was still a mystery. it looked as if robin would find out the hard way what their construction was. for now he was clearly heading directly for the center of the one below him. a bubble-top pushing out from the plain, hard and shiny like lava, glistening in the sun against the gray and dusty surface of the plain around it. theophilus's wall was already on the horizon, high and towering. and now robin realized how terribly fast the rocket was still falling. the mountain was a measuring stick and it was fearful. there was a moment of dreadful suspense as the rocket raced to a bull's eye on the upthrust center of the dome. the rounded surface rushed up. robin flattened himself against the padding, clutched his head in his hands, and stiffened himself. the rocket hummed against the thin air, it vibrated against the parachute, there was a terrible split second of shock when the bullet-shaped structure of the rocket's cargo nose made its contact with its lunar target, and then a clap of sound in robin's ear like a blockbuster going off. _7. the honeycomb place_ robin had no time to wonder why he had not been instantly killed by the crash, because the explosion on hitting the surface of the dome was followed instantly by a tremendous roaring sound that surrounded the entire rocket nose. this was in turn accompanied by a powerful pressure on the rocket, which threw robin against the nose-end cushioning and held him there. the pressure was not steady, changing as the roaring itself changed, with sudden bursts of sound, convulsive shoves, and changes in pitch. the rocket was being slowed by a terrific outward burst of gases, gases that must have been imprisoned in a huge volcanic bubble whose outermost surface was the dome, so mysterious to terrestrial observers. by bursting through the thin lava shell, robin's rocket had released these pent-up gases and was boring its way down on its still rapid momentum against the pressure of this column of gas. robin did not know this at the time, though he figured it out later. at the time, he had all he could do to keep himself from being battered black-and-blue by the jolting rocket. he kept his head clutched tightly in his arms, rode with the bumps and roars, and tried to keep his breath from being knocked out of his lungs. there was another violent shock and crack and again the rocket bounced to a new flow of gases. it had slammed through one huge bubble, breaking through the bottom shell only to burst into a lower pocket of gas. the roaring subsided to a lower pitch as the new gases did not find the near-vacuum of the surface that the first gas bubble had opened upon. the rocket fell steadily, bursting through a third, and then a fourth such bubble. it was clear that the surface of the moon, at least in that area, was a mass of congealed gas pockets, a honeycomb of thin-walled lava bubbles, perhaps quite deep. the rocket was almost entirely devoid of its original space momentum by the time it hit the bottom of the last bubble, snapped the thin crust, and fell through it. this time there was a sudden hissing around the battered nose and a warmth began to flow through the body of the rocket. it was enveloped in a belt of hot steam through which it fell several hundred feet and then hit something with a loud splashing noise. the sound vanished as the rocket sank deep into the new substance, came to a halt, and bobbed back upward. robin had gotten hold of himself after the third bubble and was hanging on, mentally trying to estimate what had happened. this last sound had been familiar. it must have been water, and the bobbing back of the rocket to the surface confirmed his views. he felt the rocket bounce a couple of times and then subside to a gentle rocking and rolling. robin held on for a moment, getting his balance. in some ways the new motion was more disturbing than all that had gone before--the cylindrical body of the rocket, with its blunt end and its rounded nose, was twisting and turning as only can be done by a bottle tossed in a flowing stream. robin tried to get hold of himself, orient himself to the odd seasick motion, then managed to work his way to the peephole. he could see nothing. whatever was outside was without light. but it sounded like water lapping against the sides, it felt like water's forces, and the rocket seemed definitely to be afloat. robin used his flashlight, tried to direct its beam through the tiny camera outlet. after a little manipulation he succeeded in getting some reflection from outside. it was water, and the rocket seemed to be floating rapidly along on some sort of dark subterraneous tide. robin sat back, puzzled. water--under the moon? he held on, still feeling a little dizzy, feeling dirty and itchy, but suddenly beneath it all a little thrilled and pleased. he had survived the crash by some miracle--he was on the moon and alive! what next? next was quick to come. there was a sudden dip in the current and the rocket tilted forward as it shot down a spillway, down a violent decline on a raging torrent, sliding down an unseen waterfall for a surprisingly long time, leveling out at a fast clip, sliding down new tunnels through which the water raced, hitting the side of sharp turns with occasional glancing blows, down more dips and falls, spinning violently around in unseen whirlpools, and finally racing out on a fast stream to gradually slow down and finally come to rest, gently bobbing. robin had been knocked around during this breathless ride and only gradually did he realize it was over. warily he raised his head from where he was sprawled in his tiny closet-compartment and waited. but the gentle bobbing continued. he put his eye to the peephole and looked. there was a glow outside, a grayish, pale glow, but he could see that the nose of the rocket was somehow grounded on something dry while the tail was still in the water rocking to the current. he considered his next course of action for a few seconds. it seemed as if he had a chance to escape from his vehicle at last. but escape to what? was there air outside, wherever it was that he found himself? if there were air, was it enough to sustain him? might it not be poisonous or utterly lacking in oxygen? well, robin thought to himself, there isn't really any choice. if i stay here, i'll starve to death or suffocate. if i go out, i may die even sooner. but now or later, if it has to be, it won't make any difference. whatever the odds in favor of my being able to breathe here, i've got to take them. he twisted around, found the circular port through which he had originally entered the rocket. he worked at it with his fingers, realizing that it might be quite difficult to open. he worked away the padding that lined the interior, found that it had an arrangement that had automatically sealed it when closed. there was no handle on the inside, for it had never been planned to be opened from that side. however, there were several screws over a small plate, and robin set to work to unscrew them. he had a boy scout knife in his pants pocket--the kind with several blades--and with the back of the biggest blade he worked out the screws. the panel off, he saw how the sealed gimbals worked, clicked them open and pushed open the door. it held tight for a moment, then popped open. there was a sudden drop in the pressure, robin's ears popped, and he gasped for breath. the air outside was lower in pressure than that inside the cargo nose of the rocket, which had been sealed at earth level. but it was air and it was breathable. robin drew in several deep lungfuls, savoring it. it was oddly exhilarating, as if highly charged with oxygen. at the same time there was a smell of mold and dampness and a definite taste of sulfur and phosphorus like that just after a kitchen match has been lighted. even so, the air was breathable. robin worked his head and shoulders through the narrow opening, slid forward and landed on hands and knees on the rocky surface. he got to his feet, looked around. he was standing on the bank of a rushing stream of water, which was pouring out of a large gap in the side of a cliff. the cliff ran straight up, gently curving to form part of the ceiling several hundred feet overhead. the extent of this ceiling was impossible to determine--it was dark and obscure--but it seemed to robin almost at once that he was in some sort of gigantic enclosed space--a vast cavern beneath the surface of the moon, probably several miles beneath it. the water coming from the underground falls rushed out to form a wide, shallow river which flowed along one side of the cavern and widened out to a few hundred feet clear across to the farther wall. on robin's side the floor of the cavern rose in a slow slope until it reached its wall perhaps three hundred feet away. robin could not estimate the length of the cavern. looking along the river bank, the cave seemed to become veiled in a general mistiness and gathering darkness. the light itself came from no definite source, but seemed to emanate from the rocky walls and ceiling, from the clayey ground, and from the general atmosphere. robin supposed that the source was a natural phosphorescence which he knew was not too uncommon even in terrestrial caverns. all around on the soil bordering the flowing water was a forest, a forest with the weirdest vegetation robin had ever seen. plants growing in clumps and clusters, plants whose large treelike stalks resembled a whitish-blue bamboo, and which burst into globular blue bulbs which seemed to serve as leaves. among these tree-sized growths was a rich undergrowth of tight balls of varying yellow and green and purple, growing like thick, squat mushrooms. and everywhere else a thick, lush carpet of green, not grasslike but rather like some oversize moss. in this forest there were no sounds of birds or animals, but only that of plants swaying in the river breeze, the rushing of the waters, and from somewhere distant in the unseen end of the cavern a strange, steady hissing sound. the rocket, or what was left of it, lay wedged against a section of the bank, its nose up and its tail swaying in the current. robin looked at it, amazed to find it so small. all that was left of the rocket was the cargo nose, which was the only part sent off after the last of the rocket sections had discharged their forces and been dropped off. the whole affair was not more than about ten feet long, from the battered, blunted red nose, from which several long, straggling orange cords hung--all that was left of the parachute and its attachments--down to the scraped and battered white cylinder that was the cargo compartment. the compartment ended in a flat plate which bore only a few wires that had once connected it with the break-away mechanism of the last of the atomic blasting chambers. this alone was the load of the eight-story tower of energy which had been the red sands experimental rocket. robin, without further delay, bent down to the cylinder and began to haul and push it entirely out of the water to the dry ground. he knew he could not afford to risk its loss. to his surprise, moving the rocket head was an easy task. it was extremely light and he found himself possessed of tremendous strength, tired and bruised and sore as he was. it was, he thought, as he pulled the rocket along, the moon and its weak gravity. he would only weigh a sixth of his earth weight here, so would the cargo head, yet he would have the muscles necessary for much more than that weight. he would literally be a superman here--if he could survive. survival, he knew, would be the question. he didn't know whether even now he might be inhaling poison from the strange, thin sublunar air. he didn't know what mysterious radioactive rays might be bathing him with their baleful influence. he didn't know whether any of the vegetation in this cavern world would be edible. having brought the cargo cylinder to a safe spot many feet from the water, robin looked for the door that would open the animal compartment. he found it, forced it open. inside were the two cages. gently he reached in, unscrewed them from their holdings, and lifted them out. one of the monkeys was dead, probably killed by some of the jouncing the rocket had taken. the other, looking miserable, was clinging to the bars chattering. robin looked at it, and the monkey looked back. the young man unlatched the cage, reached in, and took the little brown animal by the back of the neck. but the monkey made no effort to bite. instead, it twisted around, grabbed robin's arm, and hung tight. when his grip was released, the monkey scurried up robin's arm and clung to his shoulder, recognizing the need for companionship after its frightening experiences. the rabbits had fared slightly better. one of them was dead, but the other three, while somewhat beaten around, were alive and sniffling their pink noses. robin saw that there was very little food or water left for the animals. here then was the means to test the moon's capacity to produce food and drink. first, however, robin decided he would build a pen for the rabbits. if he were lucky, he could breed them and have at least one source of food suited to his system. he went over to the nearest clump of ball-trees, looked them over, tested his strength on them. they broke easily and quickly when he grasped one by the trunk and pulled. he found that it could be splintered into shreds fairly rapidly and that inside the shell of the stalk was a mass of cottony matter. he shredded a number of the stalks, and then staked them out in the ground to make a small fenced pen, tying the whole together with one of the long cords hanging from the parachute nose. into this makeshift pen, he released the three rabbits. he filled the cup from their cage with water from the river, placed it in the pen. the rabbits hopped over, sniffed, and drank. they seemed to suffer no ill effects. robin broke open one of the ball-like growths from the tree, found it contained a substance resembling a combination of melon and potato. he offered some of this to the rabbits and after an interval they ate it and seemed to like it. the monkey was chattering away as robin did this and suddenly scampered down and snatched a piece of the ball-food, stuffing it into its mouth. robin had not wanted to use the little creature for a test but the damage was done. however, the monkey seemed to enjoy it. robin sat down on the ground and watched. he felt tired, now realized just how tired he was, how sorely he ached from his experience. he felt warm and headachy now that the strain was over. he knew he still had things to do. he wanted to try to make a fire and cook the rabbit that had been killed. he was thirsty as well. he wanted to tie a cord to the monkey so that the animal would not run away into the unknown and possibly dangerous regions of the cavern. he wanted to find a safe place to sleep and hide should there be some sort of animal life around. but he was growing terribly sleepy and feeling quite sick. he curled up, and before he could stop himself, he was asleep. the rabbits nibbled on. the monkey sat on a ball in one of the strange trees and watched in silence. far off, somewhere in the cavern, the mysterious hissing continued. _8. robinson crusoe carew_ when robin carew opened his eyes, he knew he was a very sick man. he felt warm, sticky, and he hurt all over. he tried to sit up, but everything spun dizzily around him. his arms, legs, and body were burning intolerably and there was an itch throughout him that he could do nothing about. he lay back, trying to gain strength. a little later he managed to crawl to the water's edge, fill the container he had used in the trip from earth, drag himself back. for a period whose length he could not determine he lay helpless in fever and pain, arousing himself only long enough to drink to soothe his tortured body. finally, the fever broke. he sat up, feeling weak but with his mind clear at long last. he dragged himself to his feet, blessing the light gravity, aware that if he were back home his body would not have responded. he felt that he was gaunt, he knew he had been through a terrible siege, and he could only guess at the time he had lain there, tossing about on the strange lunar ground, unprotected in the queer climate of this unknown cavern. it must, he felt, have been days--earth days, of course--that his attack had lasted. later on he decided that he had suffered from a severe case of space burn. having traveled through the emptiness of the void between the planets, the vessel had been nearly unprotected from the cosmic rays and the more penetrating of the sun's invisible rays. he considered himself lucky to have survived at all. he desperately needed food now to rebuild his body. he looked at the rabbit pen. the little animals were there and evidently prospering on the ball-food he had prepared for them before his sickness. it was almost all gone and he broke open and pared more at once. he wondered how long it would be before the animals bred--he knew that rabbits bred fast and abundantly, and hoped it would hold true on the moon. there was a sudden chattering in one of the strange trees and he looked up to see a little brown face peering at him. in a moment, the monkey leaped to the ground, then leaped in one tremendous jump to robin's shoulder and perched there happy at finding companionship again. the monkey looked none the worse for its experience and evidently was getting along nicely on the lunar vegetation. thus encouraged, robin fed himself, first carefully testing everything on the monkey, who objected to nothing. but somehow the food was not entirely satisfying to the man, who felt that he needed more than that to recover his full energy. he looked again at the rabbits, looked also for the carcass of the dead one. but he found that part of it had rotted and part had been consumed. he looked closely and saw his first glimpse of a lunar counterpart to animal life. there were many tiny creatures, a half inch to an inch in length, looking at first like ants but on closer inspection appearing more like three-segmented worms, for they lacked legs and moved in an inchworm's fashion. instead of antennae, each little worm-ant had on its front segment a single upstanding stalk ending in a little yellow ball. robin touched one of these and it glowed momentarily. an organ of light, he thought, something like the ones carried by deep-sea fishes. the tiny things were eating the dead rabbit. robbin went back and examined the three remaining rabbits. two were males and the female was evidently heavy with young. well, he could afford to dispense with one of the males, then, for he knew his body needed meat. he put the rabbit back though, realizing that first he must make a fire and determine how to cook his meal. he searched his pockets. he was wearing the gi jacket he'd taken from the soldier in las cruces. as he had hoped, he dug up a pack of matches in one pocket. he turned it over in thought. when this pack was used up, how could he make fire? he piled some trunks of dead tree stalks in a cleared spot; he lit them with one of his matches. they caught fire rapidly and soon he had a nice blaze going. he watched the smoke rise and saw that it drifted rapidly away in the same direction the current was flowing--evidence of more caverns somewhere beyond. he opened his scout knife, hesitated. he'd never cooked a rabbit before. in fact, he'd never had occasion to cook anything for himself. it was meat, he thought, and even if it were eaten raw--well, savages did, so he, too, could manage. he thought about boiling it in water, then realized that the light air pressure might allow water to boil without getting the necessary cooking effects. the best method therefore was to fry it where he could observe the progress. steeling himself, he seized the rabbit, killed and skinned it, the latter a process which he found thoroughly unpleasant. cleaning it of its entrails, another unpleasant task, he cut the meat up into sizable chunks, skewered a couple of pieces on a metal rod which had been part of one of the cages from the rocket, and sat down to cook it over the open fire. it turned out to be a longer job than he'd thought, and he burned the meat quite thoroughly in the process, but finally he made it edible and chewed it slowly. he needed salt, he realized, and wondered if he could find any. this would have priority when he began his explorations. he hung the balance of the meat on a ball-tree with a piece of cord. he had seen no evidence of flying insects or creatures, and hoped thereby to be able to preserve the rest of the meat. thus fed, he sat down and began to map out his course. i must do things systematically, he told himself. i must keep track of time, set up a regular pattern of living, find a permanent base of operations. i shall have to explore this cavern and those beyond it, find all possible enemies and invent ways and means of defending myself. i shall have to breed my rabbits in quantity, find a way of using their pelts and fur. i shall have to determine a use for everything left from the rocket's material--metals and the like. for, he continued telling himself, my one aim shall be to stay alive long enough to be found some day by exploring rockets from earth. i am a robinson crusoe of a new world. crusoe waited twenty-eight years for rescue, i must be as courageous. in his case, he had no evidence that any ship would ever bother to call on him. in my case i know that rockets are being made that will eventually lead to further moon trips. i know that men are planning to come here. i must wait it out, even for twenty-eight years. but it was not that simple and he knew it. but first things first, and the first task was to survive. with the monkey scampering on ahead, he set out to walk to the cavern wall. he found it to be dark and glistening, a lavalike sheet resembling the bubble it was. leaning against it and looking upward, he saw that it curved gradually up, and that indeed he was in a flaw within a very porous world. like the inside of a clark candy bar, he thought, with a wry smile. astronomers on earth had always been puzzled by the lightness of the moon. they had speculated on it as being mainly pumice. lately there had been much speculation and opinion holding forth the theory that the moon was porous, had these bubbles and air pockets all through it, that the moon's water and atmosphere had all gone underground to be sealed off in these hollow spaces. he now knew they were right. most of these moon bubbles, large enough to hold cities, must be entirely sealed off. but others were linked, sometimes broken into by quakes or the volcanic action which was still going on in the depths of what had once been considered a dead world. this particular cavern was such a bubble. robin walked along the outer wall and saw a dark black spot in it, and then others. he came to them, found they were breaks in the surface, pocks caused by smaller bubbles. he looked into one that opened at the base. using his flashlight, he could see that it was a small, almost entirely spherical cave. he found others pocking the walls of the cavern bubble. this then was the ideal spot for a permanent home. not that he needed shielding from the elements, for obviously there were no elements here--no rain, snow, clouds, or weather oddities. neither was there night or day. robin would move his possessions into this cave, simply to have them located and safe. besides, there might be some larger form of life, some carnivores around--he could not tell. better to be safe than sorry, he said to himself. he acted at once, carrying the rocket nose and its stuff to the cave, transferring his rabbits and their pen to a spot just outside the cave door. he would need a bowl for water and, using his screwdriver blade, he finally managed to detach the curved rocket nose and found himself in possession of a deep bowl. he took this down to the water, filled it and carried it back to his cave. already he began to feel cheerier. nothing like work, he thought, to take your mind off your other problems. suddenly he realized he was tired. how long had he been at this? he did not know. now he realized that with no sunrise or sunset visible in his underground world, he could not tell time. he looked at his wrist watch, but it had stopped running, of course. he decided to take a nap; he lay down and fell asleep. when he woke up, he set his watch at eight o'clock, decided to consider this the beginning of a day. he found the notebook he'd carried in his back pocket, opened it, and set up his new calendar. using the date of the rocket's take-off, he allowed five days as a probable estimate of the time passed since. he had no means of knowing how long he had been ill, he suspected it had been longer, but decided to let it stand. after arriving at the date, he made the time eight in the morning, laid out the times he expected to eat, to work, to sleep. he would try to live according to a full terrestrial day, checking the passage of time by his watch. he then listed all the things he expected would have to be done, and decided to check them off as he completed them. next he ate breakfast from the fruit of the ball-tree. he spent the rest of that morning trying to find a means of making fire. he had some bits of steel from the rocket, and he tried to strike sparks on everything that resembled rock. after a search, he found some fragments of rock near the water that gave off a spark. whether these were flints or not, he did not care, so long as they worked for him. with this discovery he knew he would be free from worry about the problem of matches. his next problem was to secure a weapon. this solved itself rather fast with a bow and arrow. a long, flexible metal tube from the rear connections of the rocket, bent to make a bow when tied with a string of nylon cord, made a satisfactory _twang_ when pulled. he made arrows out of the fibers of the moontree stalks, and practiced shooting. the next few days followed the same pattern. robin enlarged his area of exploration, finding several other kinds of lunar vegetation and a number of other insect-worms. he found several that were quite large, one as large as a squirrel. it was an odd thing, humping itself along in little bounds--a creature of a dozen ball-like segments, two of which had toothed mouths, although only the ball in front had an eye, a lidless orb set in the center of this ball. but the creature was fringed with the light-rod organs as the tiny worm-ants had been. robin tried to cook part of this creature but the monkey refused to touch it and he found it entirely unpalatable. on the other hand, he found that when he removed the little yellow balls from the top of the light stalks on the creature, they remained glowing--even as do the abdomens of fireflies. he therefore diligently set about catching a number of these moonrats, as he named them, and making a lantern for himself by filling a glass tube with the glow organs. this worked out quite nicely when he experimented in his dark cave-home, emitting a clear, though pale, yellow light. his rabbit had a nice litter at last, and robin carefully saw that they were kept well supplied with food and drink. he would eat no more meat until there were several dozen adults, all breeding. but he felt that now he was assured of a source of clothing when his own would give out. he knew that eventually he would have to dress himself entirely in the products of his own ingenuity. his earth clothes could last no more than a few years. he had already devised for himself an experimental pair of sandals from the rinds of the ball-tree fruit and the stalks of the moontrees. they would do, and he carefully removed his shoes and put them away. when he had heavy exploring to do, or if and when he might try to reach the surface, he would need his good heavy leather shoes. until then, the makeshift sandals would do. for he knew that someday he would have to reach the surface. if and when the first astronauts arrived, they would not go below. they would probably never suspect the presence of these unseen areas beneath the crust, possibly not for many dozens of years. it would be on the surface that robin would have to go to find rescue. that was the greatest problem he would have to solve. against that terrible trip, he would have to conserve and plan. meanwhile, he had a toehold on life here, if conditions within his sublunar cavern did not change. but they were changing ... and not for the better. _9. from stone age to iron age_ when he woke up one morning robin was vaguely aware of something different. he opened his eyes to the dark interior of his cave-home and lay there on his bed of padding from the cargo chamber. for a while he rested quietly in that pleasant half-sleep of awakening after a good rest. unconsciously his hand moved down searching for a blanket, but of course there was none. he'd never needed one before. he unconsciously groped again for the blanket, then opened his eyes wide and sat up. there was a slight chill in the air at that! now he noticed the monkey, asleep, curled up tightly against his leg. that was odd because previously the little fellow had slept outside. what had brought him in? robin got up and cheeky, as robin had named his friend, woke up instantly and leaped to his shoulder. "what's the trouble, fellow?" asked robin, patting him on the head. then the young man left the cave and looked around. at first nothing seemed greatly changed. the temperature had dropped a few degrees, no doubt about it. yet there was no special draft, no break in the bubble walls to account for it. he looked at the plants and then realized that some of them were beginning to change color. a grayness was creeping in subtly. the balls of moontree fruit, which had been his chief sustenance, were showing signs of wrinkling and had either already shriveled or were beginning to. robin glanced around sharply, looked into his notebook calendar. he calculated the days that had passed. when his rocket had crashed the moon had been full. this meant it was high noon of a lunar day on the surface above. but a lunar day lasted about a terrestrial month--twenty-eight days to be exact. when the sun was at its height, the temperature of the surface crust was to be measured as high as 240 degrees fahrenheit. by sunset it might be down to 160 degrees, but immediately after sunset it would drop with great speed and shortly begin to go as low as a hundred below zero and continue to drop for yet another hundred degrees. and robin had perhaps been in his sublunar cavern for ten or maybe twelve days. the sun had set above, the lunar night was there. though the cavern was insulated by the best sort of insulation in the universe--a honeycomb of several miles between the surface and itself--a honeycomb in many cases consisting of sealed bubbles, some near vacuums--there was bound to be a gradual loss of the stored-up heat from the long lunar day. it might take a while for this to become noticeable, especially in view of the obviously warm volcanic action from the unseen areas near the core of the moon below, yet there it was. so now robin knew that the lunar day did have a counterpart here, that there would be monthly seasons in his cavern and that he was facing a winter that might last ten days more. he looked around, pondering this. could he survive? he had probably only a short time to work this out. obviously he had to work fast and make good. "come, cheeky," he said, "no time for foolishness. no daily swim in the river this morning. harvest time is here." he glanced at his rabbits, but they did not seem to mind the temperature drop. he went into the clumps of moontrees and began to gather their fruit--the big balls--as fast as possible. they were still plump enough to hold food-pulp. he realized that if he waited, they would probably dry up on their trees, shrivel to seed as the increasing cold drew the moisture from them. he spent that day in gathering a harvest, in piling great masses of the fruit in a small cavern-wall bubble near his sleeping chamber. when he had amassed enough to see him through at least two weeks, he gathered the fallen trunks and dried-up old stalks and piled them in the narrow entrance to this storage cave. he built a fire there, paced it out, and spread it out to burn slowly. he would have to keep this fire going and another like it in front of his own sleeping cavern. he transferred the rabbits to his bubble-home also, rebuilding their pen. as he had expected, the temperature in his hidden world continued its fall. a few days later it was quite chilly and the moontrees had acted as he surmised. their fruits had withered quite rapidly, finally dropping off as small hard seeds. the tree stalks dried out, turned hard, and fell. robin gathered them as fuel for his fires, found that they were quite excellent, and also that the fresh-fallen ones could be woven into basketry. the river continued to flow, but was more sluggish, and its waters began to grow cold. on the other hand, the moonworms and other little creatures seemed to be having their heyday. they were out in quantities greater than he had ever seen and were busily gathering the fallen seeds, carrying them away, evidently preferring them to the fruit. robin made himself a jacket from an extra part of the padding, stitching it together with cord and thongs made from shell fibers. with a fire going at the door of his cave, he found he still wouldn't need blankets. during the balance of the lunar night robin was forced to remain close to his caves, tending his fires, conserving all his energies. outside, the temperature never actually reached freezing, or at least not that robin could estimate. but at its worst, it was definitely chilly and the river fairly cold. the view within the cavern cleared somewhat of its usual mugginess and he could see much more. he could now make out the walls on all sides, and discovered that the farthest distance, in the direction in which the river ran, was perhaps several miles off. the vegetation had mainly flattened, was drying up, and he could see everywhere the little ball-segmented insects humping and squirming about. he saw a number of varieties he had not noticed before. one day venturing out with his bow and arrow, he disturbed something working amid a pile of broken stalks. the thing rushed out, directly at him. it was large, as large as a dog, and it ran straight for him silently, its wide mouth gaping. he shot it, saw it fall over as it was about to leap at him. when he dug his arrow out, he saw that it was no wormlike insect, no segmented creature. it was a recognizable animal, a creature with two short stubby feet, two small extensions that were like hands on each side of an oval body. a definite head surmounted this, with one eerie eye set in the middle over its wide mouth. two little breathing holes in the side attested to its possession of lungs. a long, curving rod grew out of the top of its skull and held a large yellow light-ball over it. there was yet another peculiarity about this moonhound, as robin called it. it had no definite color. its skin was faintly transparent, and he could see its inner organs shadowy within. all this reminded robin that there must be vast cavern worlds totally without light, yet having flora and fauna. when there is no light, there is no need for pigmentation. hence, this creature had none. robin also surmised that it was probably the cold that drove this beast into the lighted cavern in search of food, for he had never seen evidence of anything that large during the warm period. robin brought the carcass back to his cave and went to work to skin and cook it. at first he was not going to, for the hairless, colorless nature of it was rather repellent. but one thing robin had learned long ago was not to let his emotions dictate to his needs. like it or not, he was going to make use of everything here he could. he had a task, and that was to survive. as a matter of fact, the meat cooked very nicely, turned brown in the fire, and tasted good. further, it had a bone structure, which the moonworms hadn't, and robin saved these bones, knowing that there were many things that they could be used for. he remembered museum exhibits of bone needles, bone knives, and bone implements, including arrowheads and buttons that the indians had made use of. after that, robin deliberately hunted for these moonhounds and caught several others before the winter was over. the warmth returned about when robin had figured, starting a day or so after the surface sunrise. it rose rapidly, faster than it had fallen, and just as fast, new moontrees were shooting up, new moonmushrooms were growing, and the river was becoming warmer. as time went on and month followed month, robin found himself working into a comfortable, if primitive, routine. he charted exactly what to do on what days. he could tell in advance what he would be eating, what he would be harvesting. his rabbits had become sufficient in number to permit slaughtering, and he began to acquire a pile of rabbit furs. he found it no longer possible to keep all his rabbits in one pen, and finally liberated the majority of them and left them to shift for themselves. this worked out fine, and he never lacked the sight of at least one or two bunnies anywhere he looked. during the two weeks of winter each month they simply holed up as they might have done on earth. it was an odd sight seeing the rabbits run wild, for their powerful leg muscles were many times stronger than was required by the weak gravity and, when they ran in a hurry, they would bounce many feet high in fantastic leaps. robin was now wearing a rabbit-fur outfit of coat, pants, and hat during the winter periods, equipped with bone buttons he'd carved from the moonhound skeletons. he was, if anything, beginning to gain weight, but he was also aware of the paleness of his skin. he wondered whether staying in this sunless world a sufficient number of years would not make him as palely transparent as the moonhounds. but all this time robin had not forgotten his ultimate mission--to reach the surface and signal for help. he had worked out the problem in his own mind. he had to make some sort of space suit, something that would permit him to venture out on the nearly airless surface long enough to set up a signal that astronomers might see. he knew he had the materials for part of this suit in the metal salvaged from the rocket nose. he could polish a section sufficiently to make a heliograph with which he could flash a code message to any high-powered telescope that might be pointed his way. but he had also to fashion the metal into an airtight space helmet, and that he did not know how to do. the suit itself he could probably fashion from cloth and tanned skins, sew and seal it tight enough with animal fats and bone glue to be airtight for a short period, but he needed the helmet. he had the glass for it too, the little peepholes for the camera outlets and a large circular plate that had been set in the very base of the cargo nose and evidently intended for a wide-vision camera shot of the earth. this plate would be his face plate. robin was aware of the hissing noise that he had first noticed on his arrival, but he had never investigated it. it was far off, somewhere along the wall of the cavern. one work period, when he found himself ahead of schedule, he set out to find the source of the noise. following the wall, with cheeky running ahead chattering, the hiss gradually grew in volume. robin made his way over a sharp cleft, skirted a large bubble-cave in the wall, and after about two miles of walking, came upon the source. issuing from a break in the outer cavern wall was a stream of blue flame. for several hundred feet around it no vegetation grew, the ground being covered with thin gray ash. robin looked at the loudly hissing lance of blue fire. it probably was a breakthrough from some adjoining bubble, one filled with a gas of some inflammable sort. somehow in the course of the breakthrough, this leakage had been set aflame. and there it was now, a burning gas jet, sharp and hot. at that moment, robin knew he had the answer to his metalworking problem. he'd tried to melt the metal of the rocket over his fires but he had been totally unsuccessful. but this jet, this hot blue flame, this surely would do the trick! for him the space helmet was now a certainty. it might take time, but now it could be done. that and more was possible, for he had enough metal to make a few necessities like a decent frying pan and a pot to use for boiling and perhaps a water container for a really long exploration trip. that was the end of robin's first "stone age" period and the beginning of his "iron age." _10. the incredible footprints_ using the gas jet proved to be considerably more difficult than might have been supposed. it was hard to approach too closely to the thing without running the danger of getting scorched. also, to hold metal in it long enough to allow it to melt or become pliable it was necessary to find a way of holding the object without getting burned. robin did get several blisters before he finally worked out a system. making himself a pair of thick rabbit-skin gloves lined with a thin coating of the ash from the area around the flame proved to be part of the solution. a pair of bone pliers proved to be another part, though the necessity of replacing these was continuous. working patiently then, robin managed to cut and work some of the sheets of metal from the rocket nose. he made himself a hammer of hard stone with which to pound some shape into his pieces and finally had fashioned for himself a serviceable, though crude, frying pan and other implements he needed. his next project was to be the space helmet, the first essential part of any space suit. he considered this a long time, planning just how to make it. he had a good sheet of metal for the job, but he didn't want to make any errors in working it, and he wanted to have as few seams as possible. welding had thus far proved a task he had not mastered. he considered making the joints airtight by means of some sort of vegetableor animal-fat product. robin sat in his cave watching the rebirth of life in the bubble-world after one of the winter half-months and thinking. he watched his monkey, cheeky, turning over rocks for moonworms--although the little brown pet had never been able to eat them, he seemed to enjoy the hunting of these odd creatures. he watched the rabbits bounding around, listened to those he kept penned up in the next cave. "what am i waiting for?" he asked himself, half aloud. the monkey stopped at the sound of his voice, looked at him. robin had developed the habit of talking to himself. he was aware of the danger that years of this hermit's life might well cause him to forget how to talk, and he did not want that. "i can't use a space suit until i can find a way to the surface--a safe way. and i've never even really explored this cavern itself. maybe there's a simpler way of communication with the surface." he sat and thought. the monkey dashed over to him, jumped on his knee, chattering. "i really ought to get about exploring this place," robin went on. "you know, cheeky, there might be some more things we can use. what do you say, shall we spend this next week playing columbus, looking for more bubble worlds to conquer?" the monkey chattered happily, jumped off his knee, and ran around. "guess you like the idea," said robin. "let's get about it, then." he got up and made his preparations. he filled a sack with enough food for several days. he took his homemade canteen, made from a hollowed-out moontree fruit rind, filled it with water and hung it around his neck. he took his flashlight and knife, his bow and arrow, and his lantern of light organs. he had discovered that the little light-giving bulbs the animals carried would glow for about two days after their removal, and therefore he constantly kept this lantern refilled with his latest catches. he looked to see whether his special lot of penned rabbits had enough food and water for the period and then, whistling to cheeky, robin set out. he went down to the bank of the flowing stream on which he had been originally carried and then set out to follow this rivulet its length into the distances of the bubble-world. he followed the flowing stream for about twelve miles. the bubble widened out and the water, which had originally brushed the other side of the cavern where robin had lived, had now narrowed as a bank of dry ground formed on the opposite side. robin found himself walking through an ever deepening thicket of growing moontrees which went on for many miles. the stream twisted and moved off at right angles finally rushing into a deep pool. robin went over and gazed into it. plainly the pool had some sort of underground opening, for the water was swirling around with no visible surface outlet. so this was where the stream ran to! doubtless it emptied into another bubble somewhere below, probably to fall like a waterfall into that space, there to become another stream and empty still again farther down until it ended in some vast reservoir of sublunar seas. but robin was not interested in going farther down, he sought a way upward toward the surface, toward the sight of earth. he turned away from the whirlpool, walked boundingly on to the farther wall of his home-bubble. he reached it in time for his sleep period. it seemed as solid and impregnable as the wall around his home region. robin and cheeky slept next to the wall and after their sleep resumed their search. robin walked along the wall, looking again for some break. he saw in the distance a jagged line of black against the shining brown-gray of the cliff. when he reached it, it was a crack, a break in the surface of the bubble, reaching up several hundred feet. he came up to it. it was wide, about ten feet wide, and dark. robin shone his flashlight in, but as far as its rays could reach it was a dark tunnel. "maybe this is what we're looking for," robin said to cheeky. "it seems to slant slightly upward. maybe it will take us to the next bubble." cheeky peered in, walked in slowly and out of sight. "hey," called robin, "wait for me!" he followed the scampering monkey. now his lantern proved handy. the glow it shed could barely be noticed in the light of the great bubble, but here in the darkness of the cleft, the pale glow was distinct and definitely illuminated the ground a few feet in front of him. on he walked, holding the lantern ahead of him, watching cheeky's long tail flick in and out of its circle of dim light, as the monkey would dash ahead and dash back. soon robin found himself walking in almost total darkness, save for the limited glow of his lantern. the floor of the cleft occasionally slanted sharply, sometimes breaking steeply downward, sometimes necessitating jumps upward into the darkness. in the moon's light gravity, robin was a fantastic jumper, but the darkness made the problem very disconcerting. it was a strange thing to have to leap upward into a black void in hopes that what seemed like a wall in front of you would turn out to have a top and be but a giant step upward. he soared in the darkness, not knowing how near or how far the roof of the tunnel was, feeling strangely disembodied, the monkey clinging to his neck in transit. he missed several such jumps, managed to avoid being bruised severely only by the feathery softness with which he fell afterward. when the going was straight, cheeky would leap down and go ahead. suddenly he heard a screeching from the monkey. he stopped, flashed his flashlight. the monkey was clutching the edge of a deep break, a pit cut sharply across the floor of the tunnel. robin quickly reached the spot, scooped up cheeky. his flashlight revealed the other side of the pit several yards away. turning its rays downward, he could see no bottom to this crack within the tunnel. he shuddered, thinking what might have happened had he gone into it. then, gathering cheeky, robin leaped. he soared lightly across the abyss and landed safely on the other side. he went on, slowly, carefully. a spot of light appeared before him. he stared at it and continued moving forward. the light widened, became the end of the tunnel, became the entrance to something new. he hastened on and burst at last into a new cavern-world, the world of the next bubble. it looked much like his old one, but it was definitely smaller. the rounded ceiling could be made out quite clearly and he estimated its diameter as not more than a half mile. the far side of the bubble could be seen clearly and this one, he noticed, even from where he stood, had many such clefts and cracks in the wall. it was, he supposed, either an older bubble, more cracked in the course of eons of moonquakes and heat changes, or else it was more tightly knitted in a close mass of such bubbles. a thick jungle of giant moontrees was growing here, stalklike plants resembling those he knew, but seemingly larger and more profuse. robin started to walk through it toward the farther wall of the bubble. cheeky had leaped into the stalks and was swinging through them ahead of him, when suddenly the monkey uttered a terrified shriek and there arose a strange high-pitched barking sound. robin pushed through and saw the monkey, high in the top of a moontree and a strange sort of moonhound leaping for him. this kind of moonhound was considerably bigger than the ones he had seen in his original bubble. it was uttering the eager bark of a hungry beast sighting its prey. robin unlimbered his bow and fitting an arrow into it, let fly. the sharp missile skewered the moonbeast and the animal twisted in mid-air and fell thrashing to the ground. robin dashed in and finished it off with a blow from the stone club he carried. cheeky came down from the tree cautiously, advanced to the dead animal, and prodded it. then the monkey uttered a shriek, bared its teeth, and began to pommel the dead body as if he had been the one to bring it down. robin examined the animal. it was similar in many ways to the moonhounds, yet different, and robin's private theory that the moonhound represented the equivalent of a mammal type seemed verified. whereas the moonhound was a wolf or dog, this creature corresponded more closely to a leopard or tiger. the flesh of this creature seemed as if it might possibly make a substitute for leather--although it, too, was eerily transparent and it, too, possessed but one central eye and a large light organ. robin trekked on through this jungle until at last he reached the opposite wall. he was aware as he walked that there was a good deal of native life here, much more than had been evident in his own cavern. evidently the first bubble was pretty much cut off from the general labyrinth of sublunar caverns. for as robin walked, he caught glimpses of other moonbeasts, slipping in and out, sometimes surprised and scurrying away. moonworms, the equivalent of earth's insect life, were here in plenty too, and there were many giant growths which were different from those in his own cave, and some fruits of considerable promise were growing on them. "we could do some farming now," said robin to cheeky. "i'll bring back some of the seeds from these bigger trees and plant them back home. it'll give us some variety." the monkey merely chattered and pushed on ahead. at the farther wall, the original observation of many cracks was confirmed. the wall was broken like an eggshell and robin could see that dozens of tunnels went out, probably leading to several other bubbles. he decided that the following day he would look for the ones that seemed to lead upward. but it was the time for sleep again. he found a little cave, similar to the ones in which he had made his home, and there he and cheeky ate their meal, cooking some of the meat from the moontiger over a small open fire. the meat looked strange in its almost glassy appearance, yet it browned and tasted very good. a thin stream of water meandered out of one of the cracks and from this robin drank and refilled his canteen. he and the monkey curled up, now fed and contented, and went to sleep. robin awoke suddenly. he opened his eyes, puzzled. the monkey was screeching somewhere. he sat up, called, "cheeky!" the little creature dashed back to him. it had been outside the cave and it was excited. it was chattering and complaining as never before. the monkey jumped up and down in a perfect ecstasy of fury. robin looked at it in wonder. he'd never seen cheeky so excited. he sat up, looked around. at first he saw nothing unusual. outside the cave all was quiet. then he noticed that his food pack had been moved. it had been dragged outside the cave, and its contents pulled out. robin got to his feet, went to it. something had come into the cave silently, had taken the sack, and had examined its contents. he looked about, amazed and wondering. now he saw that other things had been touched. his canteen had been rolled over and the stopper unplugged. the water that had been inside was a little puddle on the cave floor. alarmed, robin strung his bow, notched an arrow, and looked carefully around at the surrounding vegetation. something was there, something big and cunning. his eyes searched the ground and then he saw an outline in water from the canteen. whatever it was had stepped into the puddle and then walked out of the cave. robin saw a series of footprints. something that walked on two legs, something that took steps with a man-sized stride, something with three toes on each foot, that walked upright, was able to open bottles, look into sacks, and spy on sleeping strangers. something that might well be to the moontiger and the moonhound what earth man was to the earth tiger and the earth hound. moonman! _11. the glass man_ the situation was so astonishing that for a while robin did not do anything but sit down inside his cave and catch his breath. somehow he had assumed all along that he would not find anything on a human scale on the moon. his life had been mainly confined to the first cavern-bubble he'd arrived at and this, as he now realized, had been a rather isolated one. unconsciously, he had assumed that life in other protected airtight sublunar areas would be on a similarly low and limited level. now he realized that he had had no right to make such an assumption. the moon might harbor thousands and tens of thousands of bubbles; some might be hundreds of miles in scale; some, lower down, nearer the still-warm volcanic heart of the satellite, might even approach tropical climates and show little of the semi-monthly seasonal changes. in such places life might grow in profusion, might compel the kind of battle for existence as would bring out the evolution of a brain-carrying creature living on its wits. and, although he was probably a little farther away from the central caverns at this moment, he was actually on the outskirts of the linked bubbles. in such border regions he might indeed encounter rovers and wanderers from the more prolific areas. but the problem was now how to find this prowler. there was, he hoped, only one of them. the creature was probably hanging around somewhere, even now, keeping an eye on robin's doings. robin got to his feet, looked through his provisions. he found a bit of rabbit meat, took it out, and skewered it on a cooking stick. he then knelt inside his cave-refuge and built a fire, using his flint and steel. over this fire he hung the bit of meat and set it to roasting. he carefully began to fan the smoke out of the cave, knowing that it would carry the new and tongue-tempting odor of cooked meat to everything in the vicinity. robin slipped out of the cave and hid himself in a thick clump of growth nearby. cheeky clung to his shoulder, hushed to silence. they waited. after a few minutes robin saw a slight motion in the vegetation at the other side of the cave entrance. he watched, and a moment later saw a head thrust itself out, and then a figure emerge and silently stalk to the cave and look in. it was manlike, walking on two feet and it had two arms. it was oddly misty, seeming naked and semi-transparent like the other animal life. in one hand the creature carried a long stick to which something sharp and glassy was attached--clearly a type of spear. the creature paused at the cave mouth, then seeing no one within and unable to resist the tantalizing curiosity of cooking meat and a small fire, it went inside. immediately robin dashed out of hiding, ran across the small space and blocked the entrance of the cave with his body. the creature within was bending over the meat, but on hearing robin, it turned, and made a wild dash for the cave mouth. it collided with robin. for a moment there was a wild scramble of arms and legs and then robin's greatly superior earth muscles overpowered the other's and the creature was caught. robin held it tightly in his arms, carried it into the cave, and sat it down. the spear had been knocked aside in the tussle and robin looked at it with a glance. one glance was enough to make the young man realize that he had had a narrow escape. its tip was bright and as sharp as a piece of broken glass. if the creature had thought to jab that spear, it might have been deadly. but now the captured being was sitting quietly in a sort of resignation, merely looking at robin with the same curiosity that robin bestowed upon it. it was very much like a human being, perhaps some four feet tall. but its head was somewhat triangular in shape, having only one eye (robin never found any moon creatures with two), and was topped with a large yellow light bulb that extended a foot above. robin took the bit of meat, cut off a piece and held it out to the creature. the moonman looked at it, then reached out a hand and took it. it smelled it, then tasted it, and, finding the taste to its liking, swiftly gobbled it down. robin ate some too, and this gesture seemed to reconcile the other. a fairly universal gesture, robin thought. only friends would share a meal. probably would hold true anywhere in the universe. now robin picked up the other's spear and examined it. seeing this, the creature picked up one of robin's sacks and also looked at it. the sharp point of the spear was something that looked like glass but glistened far more, seemed sharper, harder, and heavier. robin turned it over, and the realization struck him that this spearhead was a diamond, a single six-inch-long shard of diamond! after the first shock of this discovery, robin realized that he should have expected it. on such a volcanic world as the moon had once been, there might well be lots of diamond in great masses. what could be easier to use for weapons and cutting edges than chunks broken from such masses. such a chunk brought back to earth might be worth an emperor's ransom--but who could think of such values here? getting the friendship of the moonman proved to be easy after that first effort. for the creature made no further effort to escape, seemed itself to desire robin's companionship. in fact, as it turned out, robin would have had a hard time getting rid of it. it seemed anxious now to stay close to the earthling, to share him with cheeky. the glass-skinned being had a language, for it soon began to jabber away at robin in a high-pitched squeaky tongue. after a little experimentation, robin was able to get it to repeat the name robin, and in turn, he found out that the glassie's own name was something nearly like korree. korree was evidently a very primitive sort of savage in spite of his ability to speak. as robin set out to re-cross this bubble and return to his own holdings, the creature wound in and out ahead of him, returning steadily to see if all was well. korree had no clothes and no understanding of them. he had only his spear, which robin had returned to him and he had apparently lost faith in that, the first time robin used his bow and arrow on a yapping moontiger. the trip through the dark tunnels back to robin's original bubble was comparatively easy, for no sooner did they get into the darkness than korree's light organ began to glow brightly enough to render robin's lantern dim. when they came to the cleft, robin had to pick the moonman up and jump with him, for korree's muscles were built only for moon gravity and that leap was beyond his normal ability. once back in what robin now thought of as the safety of his original bubble, the two settled down to work together. korree soon got the hang of the simple duties robin gave him--feeding the rabbits, slaughtering, skinning, and tanning. they spent the time trying to learn each other's languages. robin carefully jotted down each new sound or word he could identify in the glassie's speech and korree in turn seemed anxious to imitate the english. it took about four months before they had a working interchange of ideas. robin found that the glassie's language was quite limited in many ways, though having a great many variations of verb form--a typical characteristic of primitive tongues. finally, however, robin heard korree's story. his people lived many bubbles away, possibly many months of travel, though the glassie idea of time was very vague and seemed hedged around by all sorts of untranslatable mystic conditions. there were maybe several hundred of them and they formed one big tribe or family. there were many such tribes, usually one to a bubble-cavern. korree indicated that somewhere--he pointed downward--were greater caverns where many tribes lived, tribes of great strength or magic or knowledge. robin could not decide which was meant--probably all three. but korree had never been there. these downward regions were taboo to his people. robin's suspicion was that the glassies from korree's group had been forced to live in the less desirable outer areas by the stronger and more advanced races who had seized the better regions. korree indicated that there were many bubbles that were not inhabited because of great terrors, either by heat or cold. robin assumed he meant caverns of jungle and caverns more exposed to the surface temperatures. korree himself had broken some sort of tribal rule or magic and had been chased out of his home. he was a lonely outcast. that was why he had gone with robin when robin had given him food. this symbolized acceptance into robin's tribe. and though robin looked to him like a very strange sort of man indeed--a solid man, a "rock" man was the way korree explained robin's nontransparent flesh and his tremendous strength--korree had been glad to find acceptance anywhere. carefully questioning korree about the surface, robin found that the glassie had apparently no conception of what sort of a world the moon really was. to him it was a place of many enclosed spaces. the surface he had neither seen nor even dreamed of. that there could be a place where the enclosures ended and the world "dropped off" into nothing, this was something he could not imagine. robin then asked questions about the upward regions. korree indicated that these were less and less habitable, that his people strove always to go down, never up. robin twisted his questions around, trying to determine if the glassies had ever seen anything that might signify the surface. he described the sun and the earth to korree but the glassie seemed unable to understand. but when he spoke of the sun as being a bright glowing thing so bright that it hurt the eyes to look at it, korree seemed to remember something. carefully the glassie told robin that he had heard of a tribe that lived somewhere in the upper regions, where in one part of their bubble there sometimes came a terrible white-hot light that hurt when one looked upon it. this light was not always there, but shone through the top of the cavern, which korree explained was like the substance of his arm--that is, semi-transparent. robin became very excited when he heard this. it sounded to him as if somewhere up near the surface there must be an airtight cleft or bubble whose outer crust might be natural volcanic glass. through this the sun might sometimes penetrate to produce the phenomenon korree described. plainly then, this was the place robin must find. it looked like the ideal place to begin his projected signaling to earth. but whether it was or not, robin would have to make a visit there to see. korree did not like the idea, but indicated he would be willing to go along. "could you lead me there?" robin asked. "much hard," korree replied. "can make do. you-me not like. many-winter trip, many bubbles." but robin was determined. "we will go. first i must make a space suit. i may need it." korree spread out a hand in acceptance. it took about two months more to finish what robin hoped would be a workable space suit. the helmet he finally managed to weld into something like a practical shape. it fitted over his head snugly, the little glass plate in front of his eyes. its seams were closed as best as could be managed and sealed with melted animal fat. the bottom of the helmet fitted snugly over robin's shoulders and would be attached to baggy leather arm-and-hand coverings. the bottom of robin's body would be simply encased in several layers of clothing made as airtight as possible. to carry a supply of air, robin fashioned a large sack of moonhound skins, which, when filled with air and brought to the surface of the moon, would swell up like a huge balloon. he hoped that by breathing from this reserve he might be able to survive on the surface for perhaps twenty or thirty minutes. this would be all he would need, he estimated, to rush out, set up some sort of reflector or flare if he could contrive such, and dash back to safety. "safety" would, of course, be some previously sealed dome extending to the surface, through which he could cut a space narrow enough to leave, and yet, one which would not be entirely exhausted of its inner gases by the time robin got back to reseal it. this was a long-chance project, yet it was the only hope robin could think of. the matter could at least be examined at closer range if he could but find the cavern with the translucent roof. this would be an ideal base for his project. robin packed his equipment, liberated the last of his penned rabbits, and loaded as much food as he could in big sacks which he and korree carried. then, preceded again by cheeky's monkey bounds, robin turned his back on his "home" and headed back to the tunnel and the caverns beyond. it had been over a year and a half since he had been cast away on the moon, perhaps nearer two years. and now he was ready at long last to begin the long trek home. _12. the long trek_ as they progressed, robin queried korree as best he could as to the exact location of this fabled place from which the sun could be seen. "i not know from here," the glassie replied. "go from home place, yes. we go korree home place first." robin thought about that as they trudged along. he went easily and lightly in spite of his huge load--a collection of sacks and equipment tied together to make a bundle more than his own height. but bundle and all, robin was lighter and stronger by far than he would be on earth. "won't they kill you if you go back?" he asked the moonman. korree turned his head and robin almost imagined he could see his brains whirl. through the glassy skin, he could see the shadows of his skull structure and the pulsing of veins and arteries. "with robin they not do so. you make them give us free way." obviously he regarded the earthling as an all-powerful being to whom things like tribal death sentences would be mere nothings. robin smiled uneasily. without firearms and modern weapons he could still be overpowered if enough of the moonmen attacked him at once. he would have to think about his approach to the tribe before he got there. they reached the tunnel and made their way once more through its dark recesses to the jungle-bubble where he had encountered korree. they passed through this without incident. the glassie led the way to one of several cracks and tunnels at the far end. with robin following and the monkey cheeky perched on the huge pack, korree entered this tunnel. as before, it was dark and narrow and seemed to wind ahead. several times they stepped around breaks in the floor, or ducked under low passages where the ceiling had dipped. they walked on, korree's bobbing headlight casting a pale-yellowish glow a few feet ahead. robin was watching the floor carefully, straining his attention to keep his footing safe. his ears registered the echo of their motions and the changing pitch as the tunnel widened or receded, but he paid less and less attention to this. suddenly he looked up. and saw not the one glow of korree's light but a number of smaller ones around them, distant ones, bobbing slightly, one or two yellow, one small white one, and three verging on red. he started and stared but korree had said nothing. finally he reached out and tapped the glassie and whispered, "what are those lights?" korree said back in a normal tone, "animals. white light is hunting eater. i watch it." "here? in this tunnel?" asked robin, startled. "not in tunnel," said the glassie. "in new bubble-place." robin looked around. sure enough he had not noticed the echo of their feet in the last few minutes. the floor had changed from rock to sandy dirt and he realized that he had lost some of the enclosed-air feeling. it was indeed a new bubble-cavern--but a lightless one! now, as he looked carefully, he realized that there were many lights around. there were tiny ones bobbing on the ground that were probably moonworms. the others were almost certainly those of various animals. he took his flashlight out, suddenly clicked it on, and swung it around. they were in an open area, sandy with sparse clumps of mushroomlike vegetation growing here and there. he caught the scurrying flash of several translucent animal bodies dodging out of sight from the unexpected light of his flash. and when the beam was off, he noticed the headlights returning, augmented in number. "there are many bubble-places without light?" asked robin. "many," said korree. "glassies not live there, but many animals hunt there." robin wondered whether there might in fact be more bubbles without light than with. he realized that that was probably the case; it very likely explained the nearly complete lack of pigment in the flesh of the native animals, the presence of the light stalks on all of them. it had probably evolved originally in lightlessness, and the glassies had moved into the caverns fortunate enough to have natural phosphorescence only after they had discovered them much later in their history. this possibly also accounted for the single eye of moon creatures--the conditions for the use of two eyes to develop perspective and delicate differentiations of shading and coloring simply never existed. "are there animals here without eye or light?" asked robin thoughtfully. "yes," korree answered softly. "big eaters, they--" there was a sudden rush of sound ahead, a crashing of plants nearby, an instant winking out of all headlights, including korree's, and then robin felt himself thrown to the ground as something vast and huge and heavy seemed to envelop him. he felt himself being smothered under a pulsing blanket of warm flesh, a veritable wall that covered him from head to foot, crushing out his strength. robin recovered, ripped out with his hands, kicked with his feet. he felt his strong terrestrial muscles tearing into the tissue of the creature, and swinging wildly, he got to his knees and then to his feet, veritably lifting the entire bulk of the creature. he reached for his knife and as he got it open he felt the sharp edge of a jaw and the hot breath of a large mouth near his ear. he thrust out with the knife hard and furiously, cutting the mass to bits. there was a sharp screech and he felt the blanket of flesh pull away and struggle to withdraw. he got his flashlight with his other hand, flicked it on to see his opponent better. he saw a wall of gelatinous flesh rolling back before him. it rolled off the prostrate but unharmed body of korree, gathered itself in a mass and rolled rapidly away, uttering loud screeches. the thing was a ball of flesh, several yards across. it had a wide, many-toothed mouth. it had several flat flanged spots which were probably ears, and it was lacking an eye, lacking any light organ. it hardly needed them. obviously the thing simply rolled around in the darkness of the cavern, guided by the sounds of moving animals, rolling over them, flattening out, and devouring them. korree got to his feet. he said nothing, seemed to take it for granted that the great earthling would have bested this thing, of course, and started off again. robin frowned, decided he'd have to watch himself lest the glassie sometime really overestimate his capacities. they traversed the rest of the lightless cavern without incident, this time robin keeping his flashlight switching on and off regularly, long enough to sweep the moonscape sufficiently to gain warnings of future assaults. once they saw the ball-like bulk of a moonbowler, as robin mentally named it, in the distance, and they both carefully stopped and held their breath until it rolled away. at the far wall, korree searched the various breaks until he found the one through which he had originally come. they passed through another lightless cavern, this one less of a desert than the other, where giant mushrooms towered like great trees in the darkness and where little chittering moonmice ran about their feet, tiny green lights sparkling. the next cavern was a lighted one and this was now almost familiar to them. beyond that was another lighted one through which a channel of water flowed only to disappear into a tiny crack in the far wall. this water, however, was yellowish and evil-smelling and made the entire cavern malodorous. yet it too had its quota of strange vegetation. a series of rather small bubbles, not more than a couple of dozen yards across, came next, and then they arrived at a wide, deep one. the spot in the wall which let out on it was near the roof of this bubble, and they made their way delicately along a series of faults and ledges. looking down, robin could see that a lake of some bubbling oily substance filled the lower level of the bubble. along one side, tucked in a corner near a tunnel opening, many hundreds of feet down, he spotted something odd. he stopped. korree turned back, made his way along the narrow ledge and looked down to where he pointed. there was a small cleared space just before the opening, and there were several objects too far away to be seen clearly, but they looked for all the world like some sort of eggs. as they watched, robin saw what seemed a shadowy figure move near one. because of the curious glassy skins, that was probably an animal. robin softly asked korree what it was. "is glassie like korree," answered korree quietly. "a friend? one of your people? and what are they doing there?" asked robin. korree shook his head violently. "not korree people. that one is from down place. is mighty people from...." he pointed downward to the moon's core. "they come here to take...." he pointed now at the curious chemical lake. "they bring back down with them," he finished. robin gasped. here was evidence of his reasoning. the glassies that lived near the core of the moon were higher in civilization. here evidently was a place where something usable could be gathered--the fluid of that lake. possibly it might be fuel for burning, or substance usable as tar or cement. the beings down below came up for it, put it in tanks--the egg-shaped objects--and brought it back to their greater caverns. someday this would have to be investigated. if he ever returned to earth, this would have to be explored. but now--were these unknowns dangerous to him? he asked korree, who shrugged. in his halting fashion he conveyed to the earthling that if the glassies of the upper crust left those lower down alone, they were not bothered. the implication however was that korree's people were only too willing to stay out of the way of the powerful underlords. after several more caverns--the trip had already taken over a week--including one marvelous one in which several flaming gas jets made amazing patterns in an otherwise lightless world, korree finally led the way into a large lighted cavern many miles wide, stopped and announced, "korree home." robin looked around, adjusted his pack and called to cheeky to return. the monkey, which had scampered on ahead, obediently dashed back and to safety on the pack. this was an important moment to robin. he mustered his plans, and stepped out after korree who had started out again holding his spear high in the air in some sort of native signal. for a short while they walked without seeing anyone. they were in a forest of ball-trees when suddenly they found themselves quietly surrounded by glassies. evidently they had been trailed since entering the cavern and at a sufficient distance from the tunnel mouth the glassies had popped out of concealment. there were about twenty or so, all armed with the diamond spears and they effectively encircled the travelers. korree had apparently expected this, for he showed no surprise, but robin stopped short and cheeky started jumping up and down on the huge pack and shrieking at the pack of beings. it was odd seeing a mass of glassies. robin could see that they differed from each other as individuals. some were larger, some smaller, and the shadings within their bodies gave rather clear evidence of fatness, of recent eating, and such. like korree they wore no garments at all. one of the glassies said something sharply to korree, who answered promptly. the spokesman had a black circle painted on his chest--this was obviously a symbol of some sort of tribal authority. robin stepped forward, walked up to this glassie, who promptly withdrew, uneasy in the presence of this unknown. from his pocket robin took his pack of matches, the one that had been with him all the way from earth. there were still three matches left, saved for just some occasion as this, carefully conserved by the use of robin's flint and steel. robin walked up to a small ball-tree nearby, held the match aloft, then struck it, and rapidly held it to the stalklike trunk. after a second the plant caught fire and was a blazing mass. while the glassies were gazing in amazement at this unexpected display, robin drew in his breath, set his pack down, and gave a leap straight upward with all his strength. he soared some thirty feet high and then gently floated down to the ground again. this was a feat that anyone with earth muscles could do, but it was something that lunar muscles had never been developed for. when the glassies tore their eyes away from the burning tree it was to find robin apparently vanished. looking around, one of them discovered him in the air, floating gently back to the ground. with one accord the glassies shrieked and ran away. when robin hit the ground, he was alone with korree--who looked as nearly smug as it was possible for his unearthly features to look. the earthling picked up his sack, whistled to cheeky to come to him, and started off again. in a few minutes, korree led him to the tribal center, the "village" of his people. there were no houses or tents or any structures with roofs. each family group apparently fenced off their section of ground with a barrier of low, pointed sticks, their points diagonally outward. within this barrier, the family squatted with their few possessions. there was no such thing as privacy among this primitive group. the females of the tribe apparently stayed within their family plots, with the young, the extra spears and hunting sticks, the leftover supplies of food, and a pile in the center of each circle of what must have been some sort of blankets, apparently woven crudely from vegetable fibers. robin assumed that during the cold periods, these were used. the males of the tribe were gathered before a central circle, watching their visitors approach. korree went to them, stopped, and spoke at length. robin could not understand him, but he knew what he must be saying. his glassie friend was obviously first boasting of his friendship with the magical stranger, then warning them of terrible consequences if they failed to obey and honor the stranger, doubtless inserting a demand for his own full pardon of whatever tribal offense had brought about his own banishment, and demanding the aid of the tribal leaders in assisting them on their way. when he had finished, robin walked straight up to the glassie with the chest marking, reached out and extracted from the tip of his quivering light-organ stalk a copper cent which robin had first palmed in his hand. to the astonished native, he presented this token--one of the coins robin had had in his pocket on his unexpected trip from new mexico. the glassie took it, stared at it. the face on the coppery-yellow coin seemed to hypnotize him. no one had ever seen such a thing--a bit of bright rock with a face on it! but this additional evidence of robin's magic clinched the argument. robin and korree stayed in that cavern for about three days. in that time korree managed to obtain fairly specific directions from one old-timer as to the cavern they sought. he had also evidently repaired his tribal fences, for robin could not fail to notice that korree was always accompanied by a group of anxious and placating glassies. he imagined that when korree returned to stay, it would be as a chieftain. the nature of the tribe's culture remained much of a mystery. they were very primitive, yet they seemed to have a complicated series of taboos and ceremonies. there was clearly a very definite code of marriage and family relations, though its limitations were puzzling. robin discovered something about them, however. one of the circular enclosures was apparently a tribal storehouse, or temple, or arsenal, or magic circle--exactly what he could not tell--save that no family lived within and there were little piles of oddities carefully placed inside its magic circle. the penny robin had "pulled from the chief's head" reposed therein on a raised mound. the burnt match stick lay beside it. the rest of the contents seemed to be curiously shaped stones, odd bits of animal skin, a skeleton of something big and round which might perhaps have been that of a moonbowler slain by the hero of the tribe. several diamond spearheads were there, including some that had fractured in use. and something that glistened like metal. robin saw this latter, and, stepping boldly inside the magic circle, picked this object up and examined it. it was a knife blade! it was nothing of terrestrial manufacture. it was about nine inches long and a couple of inches wide at the hilt, tapering down to a point. it was edged on one side, and bore the marks of having been hammered down and shaped by a hand mallet rather than ever having felt the heat of a forge. engraved in its rather soft white metal were a series of odd hooks and lines that looked like writing of a sort. the hilt end was jagged as if the blade had been snapped off in careless usage. robin called to korree and asked him about the object. korree consulted with the chief and returned. "sharp thing, it come from down-there people," he said, pointing to the regions below. "glassie of those die in break of tunnel. we find, take this." well, robin thought, this adds to the evidence. there is some sort of higher civilization below. not yet at the fire-building stage, but advancing at the dawn of the iron age. i wonder if this is really writing or just a design? and i wonder what metal this is? not iron surely. he thought a while, then deciding that as a creature of magic he could get away with it, informed korree that he would take the knife blade away with him. the glassies seemed unconcerned. it was evident that robin was far outside their taboos. the question of time among the glassies was an odd one. the earthling had surmised as much in his observations of korree. there seemed to be no effort to divide the periods into rest and work. some hunted and worked when they felt like it, others slept at the same time. when the time came, robin and korree made their way out of the cavern upward along a ledge on one side of the bubble wall, through a fault higher up and began to climb a sloping tunnel. for several more days they traveled, always working upward, passing through bubbles of gradually diminishing diameter and sparser vegetation. at one point they waded through a shallow pond, at another they choked in a sulfury cloud of gas that hung about. they squeezed through ever tighter cracks, and the air began to get distinctly thinner and harder to breathe. they were both getting exhausted quite easily; robin knew they were nearing the surface and the spongy mass of the moon's interior was tightening. then at last they stood in a tiny spherical bubble and gazed at a pool of brackish water at one end. there were no cracks in this little cave, no further tunnel or means of progress. "what now?" asked robin, turning to his companion. had they taken the wrong turn and come to a dead end? korree went over to the water pool. he gestured at it, made motions of holding his breath. "we go down in here, move under and come up ... out." he waved a hand in a down-and-under gesture. robin looked into the water. maybe the glassie was right. it was possible that the water at the bottom passed into a fault and led into another cavern. but could he risk it? korree nodded and without another word, suddenly jumped into the water, spear and all, and vanished. robin waited. in a little while korree's head appeared again and the glassie climbed out. "tunnel over there," he said, waving beyond the wall of the bubble. "go up sharp." well, there was nothing to do but to try it. robin set down his pack and thought a moment. cheeky the monkey was scampering around the floor of the small bubble. robin took off his jacket and shoes, took out of his pocket anything that might be damaged by water, and leaped into the pool. it was an eerie sensation. the water was as dense as on earth but its weight was so much less. it seemed almost to lack substance as robin pushed through it, dived deep, and let himself come up again as far as possible. he broke water in total darkness. he was outside the cavern, but exactly where he could not tell. korree with his light organ had known and that was sufficient. robin reached for a bank, felt a sloping wall. he grabbed it, pulled himself up in the darkness. that much was right. there was a tunnel here running steeply upward. he sniffed the air. it was strange--breathable, but strange. this part of the moon enclosure was certainly cut off from the other sections, that was certain. robin let himself back into the water, swam for the cavern, and came up in it. he got hold of cheeky, opened his pack, and extracted his homemade space helmet. he stuffed the monkey into it, closed end upward, and got into the water again. moving swiftly under water, the terrified animal clutching the inside of the helmet, robin transferred him to the other side, found a small level section by probing around, and deposited the helmet. he returned for the rest of his pack by this method, and finally everything was complete again in the new passage. by the light of korree's head, he saw that they were in a narrow tunnel angling steeply upward. robin's clothes and the pack had dried with great speed in the thin air and the low gravity. they made their way up this passage with difficulty and at last found themselves facing a lighted opening. they emerged into a new cavern, but one quite different from those that had gone before. it was long, perhaps two or three miles long, but narrow, not more than a hundred feet or so at the widest. looking upward, the steep perpendicular walls seemed to come together and closed up tightly about a quarter of a mile high. a faint phosphorescence dimly lighted the new area. as they walked on, robin became aware that there was no vegetation here, that his feet were moving through light dust. he let it run through his fingers. it felt chalky as pumice. he looked around them again and then he realized that he had at last reached the surface of the moon. he was walking through the bottom of a long crack in the surface, a cleft that had somehow closed up again to preserve a cache of air. but this dust, this was the surface dust of luna, fallen to the bottom of the cleft! as they walked, the dimness seemed to diminish. a whitish glow began to envelop them. robin blinked at the strange light. things began to take on strange colorations that he had not noticed before. he looked upward and saw that the ceiling of the cleft no longer was bathed in blackness. instead there seemed a break there, a glassy glimmer through which poured a dazzling white light. somewhere up there the crack had been sealed by volcanic action into grayish natural glass. somewhere outside the sun was shining down upon the moon. its rays were bathing the surface above the concealed cleft and some were finding their way down. for the first time in many long and difficult months robin felt warmth and light together. he had reached the sunlight! _13. the sun and the trap_ there had been a distinct chill in the strange surface canyon, but from the moment that the white sunlight began to stream in, there was a definite warming effect. the rays were diffused by the substance above which sealed the cleft, yet the sun was strong while it lasted. robin felt good as he bathed in its rays. he looked at himself, at korree, in wonder. for the clear white light was the first normal lighting he had seen in all the time he had been marooned below. now he received the first true color visualization of himself and his companion. he saw from his hands that he had become very pale-skinned; all his normal tan had been lost in the cavern worlds. he unpacked the bright, gleaming space helmet and used it as a makeshift mirror. his hair had faded to a light blond, and there were several white hairs now visible, the result presumably of his period of exposure to the unshielded rays of the sun during his passage through space. in the clear light korree seemed even more transparent than ever, and indeed robin could make out the shadowy, pulsating shapes of his internal organs quite clearly--his skeleton standing out sharply. he realized how dim and abnormal the phosphorescence of the caverns had really been. reshouldering his pack, they continued up the deep canyon. in a little while, the gray ashy surface gave way to sandy soil and there was a dampness in the air that indicated the presence of one of the deposits of water. now the familiar lunar vegetation was making its presence known and before long they were wandering through a very dense thicket of huge ball-trees and plants. robin had never seen such a dense jungle growth on the moon before and he attributed it to the occasional bath of sunlight this one cavern received. it was like a hothouse, a natural one, more or less sealed with a high dampness, natural warmth augmented by screened sunlight. soon the two found themselves forcing their way single file through the growth, while cheeky swung into the tops and made his own way, happy in the sort of thick, warm forest his monkey nature demanded. robin pushed his way through first, with korree following in the path the earthling cleared. robin went on through the jungle, struggling in spite of his powerful earth muscles to push his pack along. after a while he stopped to rest, looked back. he saw behind him only the bruised and broken stalks of the ball-trees he'd passed through. there was no sign of korree. robin stared, but the forest was too thick to allow much vision. he set the pack down, called, "korree!" there was no answer. somewhere in the distance a stalk snapped. robin called again. still no answer. he started back a few steps, retracing his path, but there was still no sign of his glassie friend. he suddenly felt uneasy. what was going on here? how had his companion vanished? he went back to where he had left his pack, waited, again calling his friend's name. but still there was no answer. there were more crackling noises somewhere in the thick vegetation. perhaps korree was in trouble there? robin turned in that direction, started to push through the barrier of tree stalks. suddenly there was a rushing noise, a chorus of shrieks all around, and something heavy fell around him. he whirled, but something sticky and tight was encircling his body. he caught glimpses of glasslike, one-eyed faces jumping around him, hiding in the branches, shrieking. he struggled again to free himself but the encircling glassies threw more of the sticky ropes around him, more things like barrel staves that fell and tied him up. he struggled to use his full strength against them but his arms were pinned to his sides, he was tight amid the stalks and he could not brace himself. fight as he might, he was caught, and he saw that there were stalk-ropes attached to those that had trapped him and these were being further secured by the creatures around him. he stopped struggling, quieted. it was obviously no use to waste his strength. let's see what they intend to do next, he thought. for a while they did nothing. then his glassie captors--he still could see little of them so thick was the jungle--seemed to be working their way together so that all their attached ropes were soon leading off in the same direction. then they started to pull. had robin chosen to resist it might have become a fruitless tug of war, but he did not. he had decided that his best course was to go along with them. doubtless they would lead him to their village or at least to an open space where his great earth strength might then come into better play. for a while, therefore, he allowed himself to be led through the moontree forest, dragging himself enough to give his captors a workout. robin had cagily decided that the more tired they were when they finally arrived, the better for him. after a time the thicket of plants came to an end and robin found himself, as he had presumed, at the native settlement. unlike the ones he had seen in korree's home cavern, these glassies were cavemen. they evidently made their homes in a section of this narrow surface-cleft where one of the walls was greatly pocked with holes and openings. the cliff walls were apparently quite like pumice here. under the circumstances and because of the limited width of the area, it was quite logical that the inhabitants should have made use of these holes. there were several dozen such cave entrances and robin could see a fair number of glassies around them, including women and young ones. his captors, he now saw, numbered about fifteen, all male hunters like korree. they hustled him along to a central cave, whose entrance was decorated with blue circles, clearly the designation of their chief. korree was already there, tied, as was robin. he looked relieved to see the earthling, and also a little puzzled at seeing that robin too was a prisoner. "they catch me when robin not looking," he said, explaining the obvious. "i not like these glassies' ways. i think they mean kill." robin looked around at them. "we'll see. back in my land, we have a saying, 'there's many a slip between the cup and the lip.' i think we will get away. wait and watch." korree immediately showed relief. he had a profound faith in robin's magical abilities. to him, therefore, robin's lack of fright was enough evidence that all was really well. the band gathered before the chief's cave was waiting. presently a voice came from the cave darkness. it questioned one of the captors, who turned and repeated the query to korree. korree answered at length, and his answer in turn was repeated into the cave. at robin's query, korree said that he had just informed the hidden chief that robin was a great man-beast who would destroy them all if he was not immediately released and placated. more cave talk and interchange. there was a delay for a while and robin could faintly hear voices within the cave, as if the chief were discussing the matter with someone else. then a command was issued. the captors pulled on the ropes and urged korree and robin to the door of another cave. they pushed them into this and rolled a large boulder in front of the cave mouth to block their exit. it was dark inside the cave but not so dark that they could not see that it was about twenty feet long and that there were a number of piles of stuff around, food possibly, or remnants of things. korree and robin eased themselves down on the hard floor. robin studied the vegetable cords that bound him. he twisted his hands and pulled until he got his elbow up where he could exert pressure. then he strained against one of the bonds. in a few seconds it parted and broke. in this way he snapped bond after bond until he was free. he was sticky from them, for the stalks had been soaked in some sort of adhesive substance which had made them so effective. but the strength of earth muscles was more than they had ever held before. next robin went to work on korree's bonds and broke them off one by one. the two silently stretched their cramped bodies. korree glanced back at the dark end of the cave and his headlight organ glowed brightly for a moment. something among the bundles was stirring slightly. korree said quietly, "another prisoner or a listener?" robin looked. yes, there was something over there, apparently tied up also. it might be a glassie prisoner, or it might be some one of his captors trying to spy on them. he shrugged. let them try. they couldn't understand english. the two sat down near the entrance, conversed quietly. korree was of the opinion that the glassies would eventually kill them in some sort of ceremony. robin never had found out how different tribes of glassies acted toward each other. evidently they did not make war, but neither did they have much contact or exchange. in general, they treated each other like suspicious strangers, avoiding contact whenever possible. but it seemed now that when strangers did force their way into unwelcome tribal caverns, death was the result. this was fairly typical of the most primitive savages on earth and it was evidently a rule for that level of culture anywhere in the universe. for a while then they sat silently, thinking about their plight. robin, somehow, was not too worried. he had become so used to the superiority of his muscles that he felt that he could eventually manage his escape when the time came. the question was, where could he escape to? this particular region was not actually a part of the honeycomb of luna's interior--it was a cleft sealed in by a trick of volcanic fate on the very surface. probably it had no other exit than the one which led into it. again, escape though he might, could he save korree too? he thought about it in silence. korree broke the meditations. "have hunger. is food here?" "there must be some around," said robin, glancing back at the things in the rear of their prison-cave. the figure back there stirred a bit. and then there was a mumbling sound and a voice said something. the voice was deep and strong, unlike the sound of a glassie's tongue. but robin could not understand it. korree too looked and listened. "did you understand him?" robin asked his companion. korree shook his head. now at the sound of robin's words occurred the most astonishing surprise that robin had yet encountered. the unseen speaker spoke again: "who is that? is there someone here who speaks english?" it was a human voice! it spoke robin's language, though the intonation and accent were not quite right. robin and korree hastened back to the rear of their cave to the reclining figure of the speaker. in the light of korree's head-stalk, it was indeed a man, an earth man! he was lying, tied hand and foot, on a pile of scraps, but he was raising his head, staring at them eagerly. he was a young man, evidently not much older than robin. his blue eyes looked at them with relief and he smiled widely. "you are a human! i thought i was dreaming when i heard a voice i could understand. you must be an american ... then the americans must have beaten us here after all!" robin knelt down by the man, worked at his bonds. they were tight, real cord of nylon or some earth-made substance. it took the combined strength of the two of them to finally open the knots and free the man. "who are you?" robin asked, as he worked. "do you have a rocket on the surface?" the man got to his feet, rubbed his muscles. he was dressed in a simple blue one-piece flyer's coverall. he was taller and slimmer than robin, and his hair was tousled and reddish. "my name is piotr ivanovitch kareff," he said, bowing with a european gracefulness. "i regret to tell you that my rocket is indeed on the surface--but there it will stay forever. we crashed. but i am so glad to see you. you do not know how glad." robin shook hands. "i hate to disappoint you, but i must tell you that we are in the same predicament. i have no rocket here. i was hoping when i heard your voice that you might have one we could go back in." the other looked confused, shook his head. "no rocket? oh, that is too bad. very bad." the glassie, who had been watching them without understanding too much of the rapid-fire quality of normal speech, suddenly said, "have hunger much. is food here." he turned his back on the two men, pawed through the scraps on the cave floor, coming up with some of the provisions that robin had packed with him. "i'm hungry, also," said the russian. "they have not fed me since they threw me in here. is this stuff good to eat?" "try it," said robin and the three sat down and ate. robin sat munching and stared at the other man. the first human he had seen in almost two years. a real live man! but where did he come from? how did he get here? and how was it he was a prisoner? for a while after they had finished, they looked at each other. the russian spoke. "you must have a story to tell me, robin carew. how did you say you got here?" robin briefly outlined what had happened to him, the other listening attentively. when robin had finished, he asked, "now i want to know about you? it's your turn." "yes," said piotr, "i shall tell you." _14. the man from lake baikal_ "i was an orphan of world war ii," said piotr ivanovitch kareff in a quiet voice, speaking precise english with a fair fluency. "my family were all vanished, i know not what happened to them. i was brought back to russia by our soldiers and sent to a state school in the urals set up to take care of such as myself. "there i was a good scholar and i made myself good marks. when i was old enough, i qualified for study at a higher institute and was sent to a college for engineers. i was always interested in astronomy and rocket aviation and i was therefore trained along those lines. "when i was eighteen, i was allowed to continue my engineering education as a part of my military duty. i was in the army, yet still studying, only this time i was stationed at one of the big experimental centers we have deep in siberia. you probably do not know about them. they are very secret. "the one i was at was located near the shores of lake baikal, the big inland sea in central asia near mongolia. this was the biggest center for the study of liquid-fuel rockets. while i learned the theory, i also worked on the actual projects and helped fire many of our big rockets. these were designed after the german v-_2, the same designs you americans are also building on. we, too, had captured german scientists who had worked on these. they had much to show us, and one of the smartest of these men was the captain von borck who even became a member of the party or so he said. "i am not a political man, i am really interested in rockets, so i did not pay too much attention to these things. von borck may be truly believing what he desires, i do not know, but i think he is just what you call an opportunity seeker. "after my army service, i chose to remain at the lake baikal station as a regular engineer. i worked on the thousand-mile rockets, and finally on the satellite rockets, and i helped get them up there. it was a nice race with you americans. we knew a little of your plans--those you publish in the papers--and we always were urged to beat you. sometimes we did. sometimes you beat us. "at our centers we made a game of this. it was serious to our country, but to us, men of science, all discoveries by human beings are great things. we liked to think of our work as a great game of mental chess with you americans--with the pieces on the board carefully hidden from sight and reported only through guesswork and bad witnesses. "when the satellites were up and flying their orbits around the earth, yours and ours, the next game was obviously to race for the moon. should we plant the red flag there, or you the stars and stripes? so we worked at that. we did not this time know what you were doing. maybe you had different ideas. "so van borck discovered a means of using atomic explosions in a steady rocket stream and explained the principle. we worked on this motor a while and finally the ministry ordered the building of one rocket which could fly to the moon with this super-powerful engine. at first our commander at the base said it should be a robot-piloted model, but moscow did not want that. they wanted that men should go on that first trip. they wanted that a soviet man should be first to reach the moon. "they did not know about you, robin, and your stowaway trip! ha! but even the americans do not apparently know about you, alas for both of us!" piotr stopped a moment, got to his feet, went to the door of the cave and listened. he came back. "no one there watching us. i go on," he said. "so finally was built a big rocket with the first atomic explosive engine. von borck himself was going to go in it as its engineer. but von borck was not really a soviet man, and i do not think moscow was happy about it. so they allowed for the ship to have a three-man crew. i was selected, because i am young and quick and have a good record, and also maybe because i have no family to be sorry i not come back maybe. arkady pavlovitch zverin was the third, who was also an orphan. "came a day when the big rocket was complete and ready. we said good-by to our friends and at the right time we went up the ladder and into our big rocket. that day, which seems to me so long ago, must have been not even a week ago yet! "we took off perfectly, we blasted for ten minutes--i thought my head would burst--and we were on our way. von borck piloted it, but there was really little to do. when it came time to reverse the rockets and make our landing, we had trouble. our gyroscope control was stuck and we had to fight with it by hand to move it. this made a delay and when we did get our jets reversed and working, our timing was off. von borck struggled to slow us up and come to a real stop, but we were a little too fast. we came down blasting away, and we hit very hard. "the rocket was partly smashed. the engines and tubes all crushed. the nose was badly jarred and poor arkady was killed by the impact. von borck, too, was thrown from his seat, knocked unconscious on the floor of our little cabin. i was badly bruised, but i remained conscious. "fortunately for us, the little cabin remained airtight. when all was still, i looked over what happened. i looked outside. we were in a large crater, whose bottom was crisscrossed with cracks. one of these, running into the distance, was quite glassy and i saw that something like steam was issuing from a point near it. this meant to me that somewhere underneath the surface there might be a place with air and water. "i had at first thought all was lost and i would remain in the little cabin until the air was used up or the food gave out. this would be only a few days. but i thought that any chance, however little, was better than no chance. so i managed to get to the locker and get out two space suits. one i put on von borck who was still unconscious, but whom i could not leave behind. the other i got into myself. "i took the german over my shoulder and managed to get out of the ship through the lock which was still intact. carrying my companion--it was easy, he was so light on the moon--i explored the cracks near where the ship fell. i found a way leading down and even a series of very natural air locks--a most unusual development. "passing through many caves and tunnels i made my way and finally got to this one. von borck had regained consciousness but he was not in his right senses. he was talking nonsense. he believed--i do not know how to put it--he was the king of the trolls. he thought he was somewhere in--fairyland or hell or some supernatural place. he did not remember the trip. "when we first met these moon people--you call them glassies--von borck said they were his trolls. he killed four of them with his own hands and the rest became afraid of him, thought him a god or demon come to rule them. he let me alone a little while, then he seized me, tied me up himself, and put me here. "i am afraid that he plans to sacrifice us. he is completely crazy and he has these glassies obeying him. i am sorry for us." piotr stopped talking. he looked at korree appraisingly. robin understood his intention. "i'm afraid that korree won't have any influence with these glassies. they are a different tribe." robin rubbed his hands a bit. "i really think we should be able to escape, even so. we now outnumber von borck two to one and i think if we pick our time we could manage to make a getaway. we'll have to be careful. do you think you could get back to your rocket on the surface?" the russian nodded. "i guess we could. i was planning to go back from the start." "is there anything there we could use to signal the earth with?" asked robin. "a radio, flares, mirrors?" piotr nodded. "we had speaker-radio equipment, but it was smashed in the landing. it was the first thing i tried after we hit. but we do have flares. we could signal with them." "i imagine," said robin, "that both the americans and russians must be working on moon rockets now. if we can signal back there, the next rocket along might come to this crater and find us." "good," said the russian rocketeer. "only how do we get to the surface? i have a space suit, which is probably in von borck's cave. von borck must have a suit too, if we can find it, though i think it will be much too big for you." robin explained about his homemade space suit. piotr was quite impressed. the suit which was packed in robin's big sack was in the prison cave where it had been thrown and they unpacked it. piotr examined the helmet with interest. "very good. it might work. it seems airtight." "i tested it under water," said robin. "it didn't leak any bubbles." the russian nodded. "but i don't believe your big bag of air would work. how would you blow it up in the first place? i think you would have had a hard time anyway. but fortunately there are three oxygen tanks on my own suit. i can detach one for your use." he nodded, looking over the homemade helmet. in the half light of the cave robin looked at his new friend with interest. there was something about his face which struck an odd chord in robin's mind. something about him brought back faint, almost forgotten memories, dim frightening memories of bombs exploding, of falling buildings, of a frightened child, and great loss. robin suddenly asked, "how did you learn to speak english so well?" piotr looked up. "i was wondering when you would ask that. i always knew english, i spoke it as a little child. when i was found by the soldiers in dresden, i was but a little boy, maybe six or seven. i spoke some german, but mostly i spoke english. they could find no sign of my parents, my family, so they took me back to russia with them. i studied english too in school, but i always knew it." robin started, his heart pounding very strangely. "where did you get your name? that's russian." the other stared at him hard. "no, it's not. my name--piotr ivanovitch kareff--means peter the son of john kareff." robin was sure he knew now, but he doggedly insisted on his next question. "my father's name was also john. john carew. and how do you spell your last name?" "why," said peter, a curious smile beginning to force its way to his lips, "just like it's pronounced in russia--kareff--c-a-r-e-w--kareff." and at the same instant, tears of joy sprang uncontrollably to their eyes and the two brothers grabbed each other, laughing and pounding one another's back in wild reunion. korree stared uncomprehendingly at the curious sight of two earth men apparently taken leave of their senses. _15. getaway bomb_ after they had recovered from their outburst of enthusiasm the two let go of each other and sat down out of breath. "well, this is really amazing," said robin finally. "here i have to go to the moon to find my brother. you know i really do not remember very much." "of course not. you could not have been more than four years old when we parted. i was about three years older, i guess. perhaps we can put what we do know together and find out what did happen. i know that father and mother were interned in germany by the nazis. that when the war was nearing its end, the germans started to move them and other prisoners around. in the confusion, we were stranded somewhere and there was heavy bombardment going on. i lost you and mom and dad somewhere, wandered by myself for many days. i was with a band of russian people who had been taken to germany by the nazis to do slave labor. they were making their way back to their homes and i clung to them. so the soviet army simply counted me among its own orphans and took me back. but maybe you know more about our family?" peter looked expectantly at his younger brother. robin nodded. "i don't remember what happened. i was too young. i only remember being terribly frightened and alone and things going bang. when i was older i looked up the orphanage records. it seems that dad had been some sort of business agent in germany and when the u.s. got into the war he was interned along with mom and the two of us. evidently they were killed in some sort of bombardment at the war's end and i was the only one who survived. you are listed as having been killed with them, according to the american army report." korree was moving restlessly during this conversation, not understanding very much of it. now he pulled at robin's sleeve, pointed. "look. cheeky come." sure enough robin's simian pet had finally found them. evidently having easily avoided capture by the glassies, the little animal had been searching for his master. now his little head appeared around the edge of the big rock that sealed their cave. at a whistle from robin, cheeky pushed his way through the narrow gap and scampered to his friend. peter watched the monkey with interest. "i wonder if we can't make use of your pet to help us get out of here," he said. "we really ought to start thinking of escape. i don't know when von borck will take the notion to start something bad." "well, let's start planning it out," said robin. "first, we ought to see what we have to work with. i think that the glassies simply threw everything i had with me in here too. that should make things fairly simple. what did they have of yours?" they went over to the pile of things, with korree along to light the way, and examined it. everything was present. of peter's property, his space suit was there, intact, with its three shoulder oxygen tanks. robin picked up a gun belt that had evidently been part of the outfit, but the holster was empty. peter commented, "von borck took it when he turned on me. he is armed also." but robin noticed that the german rocket pilot had evidently not thought to take the pack of additional pistol ammunition that was clipped to the belt. he withdrew a clip and turned it over, then said: "we should be able to use these to start a diversion of some sort. if we can get their attention elsewhere, we can easily push aside the rock that seals our cave and make a run for it. we ought not to wait for von borck to make up his mind." "ah yes," said his brother. "there is good gunpowder in those bullets. we could make a small bomb for a fuse or a display." "i think a bomb will do the trick. let's get at it." robin suited his action to the words. he sat down, spread a clean piece of cloth he found among peter's property on the floor and began to pull the cartridges apart and gently shake out the powder. back on earth, such a job would have been hard without instruments and great force. here on the moon, it was not easy but their strength enabled them to twist off the metal rims. soon they had a neat little pile of explosive powder gathered together. this they packed into a small glass tube among peter's explorational equipment until it was tight and filled the space. they twisted a dry fiber until it was cordlike and rolled it in a little remaining powder till it was thoroughly blackened. this they inserted in the end of the tube as a fuse. "now we should get our stuff together and get ready," said robin. "i don't think it would be a good idea to go back the way i came in; we'd just be cutting ourselves off. the idea is to reach your rocket on the surface. which way did you come?" peter indicated the opposite direction. "i came in through a hole rather high in the wall, came down here along a narrow ledge. i can find it again, i think." "then let's get into our equipment and get ready," said robin. he began to load his huge pack again, but peter intervened. "you really can leave some of that behind now," he said. "make it easier to move fast. besides we've got some narrow places to squeeze through on our way to the surface. i'd suggest leaving most of the food behind. take enough for a couple of meals more. you'll only need your space helmet and space clothes." peter was climbing into his space suit, an airtight rubberized affair with electric heating grids. this on, he put on his space helmet for the sake of convenience, though he left the little panel of the face window open. robin slung his own helmet from his shoulder--its vision plate, being homemade, was fixed in place. when they were ready, they went over to the entrance and peeked through the narrow, open space. "why, it's dark outside!" said robin. where before the deep cleft had been lighted by the white light of the outside sun, now it was dark. it was not as dark as the bubble-caverns below had been, for a faint light still penetrated down from the ceiling. they could make out the darker shadows of the surrounding growth, and the glassies outside were moving figures each illuminated by a small circle of light from their head stalks. "evidently the sun is going down on the moon's surface," said peter. "it was low on the horizon when my rocket arrived. i wonder how cold it will get in this place?" "it seems to be a little colder already," said robin. "this may bring von borck out of his cave to see what's happening." robin called to korree, explained what they were about to do. then while korree kept a hand on cheeky, the two earthlings leaned their shoulders against the big boulder and pushed it aside easily--an effort which would have blocked moon muscles. korree had dimmed his headlight and the two men kneeled down and carefully lighted the fuse of their bomb with robin's flint and steel. the end of the fiber sputtering, robin took cheeky and pressed the glass vial into the monkey's paws. "over there," he whispered to the monkey urgently, and pointed a finger to the darkness opposite the direction in which they would be heading. "take it over there and leave it," he whispered. he'd often taught cheeky to fetch and carry, and he hoped the animal would obey. it did. grabbing the glass tube with its smoking fuse, the monkey dashed off into the darkness. "i hope he remembers to drop it and come back," said robin. peter nodded. "let's get started." the men and korree started slowly out of the cave. there was a very faint dimness about them, a starlight glow that was just enough to distinguish the presence of objects. they moved slowly, avoiding the telltale lights of passing glassies. korree kept his own stalklight dark. suddenly the peace and darkness were split by a sharp, violent explosion somewhere behind them. immediately following was a screeching, recognizable as the sound of an angry monkey and almost as frightening. for an instant there was stunned silence and then pandemonium broke loose. glassies came running in all directions, slamming into each other, not knowing what had happened. some were running away from the noise, some were running to investigate the terrible bang, and others were simply running for cover in the caves. in the mad helter-skelter, robin and peter and korree ran as fast as they could to the far end of the cleft. they dodged tree stalks, pushed through other patches, stumbled occasionally over obstacles, but carried on. robin noticed even as he ran that the vegetation was already drying up and dying rapidly. the cessation of sunlight had probably been quite abrupt as the sun had sunk behind whatever crater walls made up the horizon above them. evidently the growth here was geared to a short, heavy life and sudden death. over the frightened, high-pitched voices of the glassies, robin now heard another sound, the roaring voice of a man. von borck had been brought out. he was yelling something, shouting angrily. peter called to robin as they dashed along. "he's trying to get them to order. he knows we did it. but they don't understand him." on they ran. now behind them they heard some signs of pursuit. evidently peter was overoptimistic. somehow von borck must have managed to get the glassies to realize his meaning. hitting some and shoving others, he had clearly gotten a few, who were still in awe of his "magic," to follow him. they could hear the sounds of stalks cracking far behind them as they ran. but they had a good head start. robin had been hanging on to korree's arm, dragging him with him in huge, leaping steps. but as they dashed on, he realized that peter was slowing his own steps to accommodate and that the sounds of von borck's rush behind them were beginning to be louder. korree evidently realized this too. "leave me," he gasped. "i make out." with a twist he slipped out of robin's hand and ran into the darkness. "wait!" yelled robin after him, stopping. but peter turned back, grabbed his brother. "he's right. he'll be better off here. we couldn't get him to the surface anyway. come on! quick!" with a sudden lurch of his heart and lump in his throat robin recognized the truth of this. he grabbed peter's hand and the two of them started off faster than ever, heading for the far wall in huge earthborn leaps. it was an eerie experience dashing madly along in the near blackness of the cleft. the faint glow which came from above, probably only the light of a million million faraway stars, filtered through the curious translucent material of the cleft top, serving only to make patches of blackness against patches of even greater blackness. far behind them a faint flickering indicated the movements of the natives. now and then a startling flicker would prove the presence of some startled moonworm, uncovered as a stalk was thrown over in the rush. behind them they could hear a crashing and every now and then a shouted word. robin wondered what was being said, but peter, sensing his wonder, gasped out, "he's shouting ... the word for devils! when ... he came to ... he believed himself ... in some sort ... of troll kingdom ... with me ... as a ... devil." "crazy! stark raving mad!" shouted robin back. on they went. the helmet banging against robin's back made him feel clumsy and odd, yet he moved through the air with the agility of a phantom. now, suddenly, there loomed a dark wall before them and they caught themselves back just in time to keep from smashing headlong into it. "the wall!" shouted robin. peter pulled his arm, started hurrying along to one side. he gave a sharp cry of relief, pulled robin to him. "here we are, the ledge. go on up!" peter started off. robin followed as fast as was possible. there was evidently a thin ledge running up the side of the cave. in places it was a gentle slope angling upward, in other parts there was a sudden step. in their haste there was no time to pick and choose their steps. several times robin tripped, almost falling, but he had built up such a momentum that he simply slammed and banged over the obstacles, charging up the ledge with a luck and agility that would have made a mountain goat jealous. behind them, at the base of the cliff, they now heard von borck's roaring. "_teufel!_" he was calling. then suddenly from where the madman stood, there beamed out a flash of yellow light. a flashlight, thought robin, he had a flash. the beam passed rapidly over the cave wall seeking the escapers. once or twice they froze against the side as it passed over them, dashing on as soon as it was gone. then von borck's light caught them, held them. "keep running," yelled peter, "it's not far now!" the two kept up. then there was a sharp report below them and something went _spang_ on the rock wall near robin. a bullet ... the mad rocket pilot was firing at them. now they simply raced on, ignoring the german's wild shots. "here we are!" gasped peter and seemed to melt right into the cliff face. robin saw the black opening in the next second and tumbled into it, to be caught by his brother's arms. for an instant they stood there in the darkness, catching their breath. then a light appeared in peter's hand, and robin saw that he held an electric torch there, part of his space-suit equipment. the beam illuminated a narrow, dark tunnel leading steeply upward apparently through the solid rock. "this way!" said peter and started off. robin followed him on into the narrow path that would lead him at long last to the surface of the moon. _16. on the crater floor_ the tunnel was very narrow, a mere crack in the wall, and robin was hard put to squeeze through in a couple of spots. but it was not too long and, in a few minutes, robin felt from the change in air and echo that it had opened out into a wider area. peter's flash confirmed this. they were in a small air-pocket bubble several yards wide. they crossed this while peter searched along the floor. he stopped, pointed down. "we go down again, through this hole in the floor. there's a short drop of only a few feet, but be careful." peter stepped over to the hole, sat down, and eased himself out of sight. robin looked down, could see the floor of another cave just below. he dropped his pack through and squeezed down. here they were in a sort of shallow flaw running lengthwise, and they had to walk in a crouched position to keep their heads from bumping the low ceiling. robin wondered how peter knew which way to go, but looking carefully, he realized that his brother was only following the trail of his footsteps made on arriving--for there was a thin coating of dust on this floor that showed the trail. "how did you ever find this passage?" asked robin, his voice echoing flat and high in the passage. "saw the sealed cleft top running across the bottom of this crater. found a spot near it where some sort of gas was hissing out. went down it, and simply followed every lead that pointed in the direction of the cleft." robin knew that behind this reply undoubtedly lay a lot of sweat and agony. peter had made the trip carrying an unconscious body with him! the low passage ended in a small cave-bubble. a break at the top of this was the next line of direction. peter had simply dropped down on his arrival, but they waited to catch their breath. they would have to jump for it. "do you suppose von borck is following us?" asked robin while waiting. peter shook his head. "i doubt it. first, we'd probably have been able to hear him coming. second, he'd still know enough to go get his space suit before following us. third, he won't remember anything of this trip and will have to find his way." rested, robin gave peter a boost, hoisting him as high as he could to the top of the cave-bubble. peter jumped the short distance remaining, catching a grip on the edge of the hole in the cave ceiling. he pulled himself up, then dropped his nylon cord down for robin to grasp and help himself up. up above there was still another small bubble, broken on one side. a whole series of broken bubbles lay revealed, and they walked along this section gingerly. this area was greatly cracked and seamed. it was clear to them that there was a possibility of a fall-in. beyond that group they came to another break leading upward, and again they moved on. now robin found himself breathing very heavily. "i'm getting very tired," he gasped at last. peter stopped. they were still in the break and a severe slope was rising before them. "it's the air pressure. it's getting quite low already. you've been used to the low pressure of the bubbles below, as you tell me, but we are close to the surface and the limited amount of air sealed in this particular bubble-system is thinning beyond the safety point. we'll have to go slow and rest often. i don't want to have to use our oxygen supplies until we are at the limit of our natural abilities." robin finally caught his breath, felt power returning. now the two pushed on, going very carefully and slowly, with rests every few steps. the steep rise ended at a narrow opening. peter paused here, motioned to robin to join him. "this is the crisis point," he said. "listen." robin strained his ears. he was aware of the pounding of his heart struggling for oxygen. he was aware of a ringing in his ears from the low pressure. but now he heard over that a thin whistling, a high, steady rustling whistle coming from somewhere across the narrow, long cave he was looking in upon. "what is it?" he whispered. "a most unusual phenomenon," whispered peter back. "the only thing that keeps the air in all this subterranean region from being sucked away to the surface. it's a volcanic current of hot gas, racing through this long channel at tremendous speed. it must come up from somewhere in the still-warm interior; it must be rushing to some vast cold spot below. but it serves as an effective curtain cutting off the stale air on this side from the near-vacuum of the surface. its density, velocity, and heat perform the miracle." peter shone the lamp across and down the cave. the passage cleared a long, tunnellike channel which ran down into darkness on one side and away into equal darkness on the other. only a few yards across from them he could see the gray surface of the wall. there seemed to be nothing else except the whistling noise. "edge along the wall here carefully," said peter, and started off. he kept one shoulder rubbing the wall near them and walked carefully down the passage. robin edged out, following him closely. he felt no movement of air, yet he detected a faint trace of warmth on his outer side. somewhere, invisible to him, that cataract of volcanic air was flowing. was it a few feet or a fraction of an inch? he could not tell. the wall bellied wider a little, allowing a chance to get farther away from the unseen wind. peter was waiting here. "i think we'd better adjust our space equipment now. we have a short way to go, then we'll have to fight our way across that air blast. there's an opening to the surface at one point nearby. once we cross the wind and get to it, we'll be outside." robin let down his pack. peter examined robin's equipment again, looking worried. he shook his head once or twice. "i hope it works out all right, but some changes will have to be made." he took the big bladder robin had constructed as an air bag. "this won't work, but it will come in handy in a different way." he took robin's pocket knife and began to cut the big sack apart to make thin long strips of leather. when he had finished with that, he looked over at robin and said: "now you'll have to wind these strips around you as tight as you can. begin as high up on your chest as possible, and go on down. wind them around your arms and legs, around your fingers, if possible. don't undress, but wind the strips over your clothes. make them tight. i'll help you." as they worked to do so, peter explained further. "having an air helmet is not enough for space. the pressure of your blood and the gases in your system will make it impossible for you to breathe or move, if your body is not tightly encased. a real space suit like mine is pressurized, built with a layer of air pockets all over, which increase their pressure in proportion to the decrease outside. but if you don't have this pressure, even having air around your head will not help. so make those bandages tight, as tight as you can without stopping your breathing completely." they worked on, winding the leather around and around, until robin felt as if he were being encased in a strait jacket, felt like a living mummy. strips were wrapped around his fingers under his gloves, his gloves fitting over them and further strapped. next peter strapped one of his three oxygen tanks to robin's back. "i hope this will work well enough to keep you breathing until we reach the rocket. fortunately you made your helmet deep enough to come down far over your shoulders. i can work this air tube up high enough for you to grasp the end in your mouth. the air will force its way into your lungs. you'll have to struggle to force your exhalation out of your nose. it's difficult, especially the first time, but you'll have to cope with it." as he held the helmet preparatory to putting it over robin's head, he gave him some last-minute instructions. "we won't be able to communicate once i get this on you. you've no radio and your mouth will be full anyway. so listen carefully. "the rocket is about a hundred yards away. i'll lead the way, and i'll tie this cord around your waist so you won't lose me. follow me as close as you can. there's a possibility that your glass plate may fog up or ice over from the water vapor inside your helmet. if it does, hang on to the cord and keep moving after me! but don't stop ... and don't give up! all set?" robin's heart was beating fast, he felt strange and stifled in his bindings. this was the zero instant. he nodded, held out his hand. peter grasped it, shook it. "when you're all set, follow me across the wind stream. it's powerful--don't let it throw you." robin put the end of the air tube in his mouth. peter pushed the homemade helmet down over his head, secured it tightly, almost painfully, until no space was left for air to escape. then peter reached behind robin to the small tank strapped there and turned a petcock. instantly robin started to choke as he felt something being rammed down his lungs. he caught himself, recognizing that his lungs were being forcibly inflated. he struggled to get control of his diaphragm to expel the excess air pressure. he managed finally to do so, feeling a whiff of air rush through his nostrils. he fought a bit more with the unpleasant current, felt himself getting a grip on it. through the plate of his helmet he saw peter watching him anxiously. then peter rapidly tied the nylon cord around his own waist, let it out a few feet, and tied the other end around robin's. peter snapped shut the visor of his own helmet, touched the air controls of his own suit, and nodding to robin, stepped out into the tunnel. robin followed closely, conscious of the tight, restricting bands, still fighting the unpleasant pressure of the air tube blowing down his lungs. peter walked a few steps, pointed a gloved hand across the passage, shone his light. there was a narrow black gap across there. through it robin caught a glimpse of bright white specks--the stars! then peter made a dash, seemed to be picked up by a giant hand and whirled wildly across the passage. the cord tightened and robin jumped into the space to avoid being pulled off his feet. he was struck at once by a terrific onrush. a hot, violent blast slammed into him. he lost his footing, felt himself being hurled headlong into a furious tornado. the cord leaped out, and peter pulled on it hard. robin swung about, fetched up against the other side of the wall of the cave with a bang, was pulled to his feet before he had even started to fall, and was propelled right through the gap in the wall. suddenly all was still. the whistling of the wind, the roar of the current as it struck him, had vanished. only the sucking and rushing of the oxygen in his own helmet could be heard. he was outside, on the surface of the moon at last! the gap opened from the wall of a cliff. above him, the cliff soared to become a mountainous edge of a deep, wide crater. he turned his head, but peter was impatient. he felt the pull of the cord, turned and followed peter, who was moving away from the crater wall in long, low strides, strides that ate up distance like an earthly giant in seven-league boots. robin adjusted his pace, followed closely. for a while he forgot his personal danger and simply gazed around at the fabulous moonscape. the crater's other wall was maybe a dozen miles away, but the thin air--the almost indetectably tenuous air that clustered at the bottom of this crater made the distance seem nothing. he could even make out details of the far edge. and yet this section of the moon was in the night-time. the sun had passed it by. it should have been dark, pitch-dark, by the logic of the interplanetary space. yet it wasn't. everything instead was bathed in a cold greenish-blue light that covered the surface like the glow of a half-dozen full moons. he looked up. directly in the center of the sky overhead was the source of the radiation. a great glowing ball of green and blue and white, a ball with a misty aura surrounding it, a globe that struck robin instantly as familiar. it was the earth. the home world, seen in all its glory, a giant full-moon earth, continents and islands clearly outlined, a glory of pale colors, poles agleam with dazzling white ... it was a sight that momentarily stopped robin in his tracks, hypnotized with wonder. the cord pulled him out of it, and on he dashed, looking about him in the pale earthlight. the surface was thick with cosmic dust, here and there the rounded domelike surface of a congealed volcanic bubble. cracks crossed and crisscrossed the surface, and peter and he had to bound across many of them. he saw rising slightly above the surface a long rill of whitish substance, racing across the crater bottom. with a start he realized that that must be the glasslike roof of the great cleft he had so recently escaped from. above, the sky was nearly black and myriad stars shone bright from the distance. the outlines of the surrounding mountains walled in the two boys as if they were pygmy boxers in a gargantuan ring. robin was forcing the air from his nostrils, allowing the oxygen to rush into his lungs. he began now to feel the first faint chill of surrounding space. he realized that it must already be nearly a hundred and fifty below zero on the surface, probably even much more than that. he had to keep moving, keep moving. but it was getting colder. he felt the cold penetrate him as his suit radiated the warmth that was in it. now he wondered what was happening outside. something was obscuring his view. was it mist he was passing through? he had heard of mist on the moon's surface, but he had seen none when he had first emerged. yet his vision was being obscured more and more by a cloudiness. he strained his eyes, suddenly realized that the mist was not outside, it was inside! the slight amount of vapor inside his helmet was beginning to frost up on the inside of his face plate. what peter had feared was beginning to happen. robin missed his footing, stumbled, not having seen the little ridge they had passed. peter, now barely visible ahead of him, had not stopped. robin felt the cord tighten as he slowed down, uncertain of where his feet were landing. he began to feel groggy, realized that he was becoming frightened. he gritted his teeth on the unpleasant air tube, said to himself, _get a hold on, stay firm. only a few more steps to go. hang on! hang on!_ he conquered his panic. blind or not, he would keep on until he passed out. the face plate was now solid white, completely opaque. he stumbled on, allowing the tight cord to direct him, pull him. on and on, the journey seemed endless. running, jumping, and bouncing, his feet banging against unseen rocks, hitting into cracks, kicking out, flying through space in bounds of blind horror. it was a nightmare such as he'd never dreamed. then, as he came down hard and banged into something, he felt his helmet slip a little, jog slightly. there was a _whish_ and suddenly his face plate cleared completely. at the same instant he felt as if his eyes would pop, while something snatched at his nose and sucked the breath from him. through the clear plate he caught a wild glimpse of a large metallic structure sticking up out of the ground. the russian rocket, he thought wildly. it was big like a huge bullet, gleaming brightly and polished. he saw it nearing him, realized he was being dragged along by peter. he realized also that his helmet had slipped a gap, that the air within had been sucked out, that the water vapor clogging his face plate had been snatched out with it, and that his face was exposed. but the oxygen tube was still in his mouth, still forcing air into him, and his nostrils were having it sucked out almost as fast. somehow the thin stream of air rushing from the helmet kept his face from all the rigors of vacuum. his eyes were bulging and paining, he felt his nose spraying blood and a red film kept clogging the face plate and being snatched away by the escaping air. then as he realized he could no longer stand the agony, he felt himself grabbed under the shoulders, hoisted up, shoved into a small dark space and felt through his fingers the clang of a metal door. there came a hissing noise, and as consciousness at last oozed away from him, he knew that they had reached the air lock of the soviet rocket and that his ordeal was over. _17. moon calling earth_ the impression of a damp cloth moving gently over his face was robin's first sensation on recovering his senses. he opened his eyes to find peter leaning over him, carefully mopping away the soreness from his nose and face. robin's eyes hurt and he blinked several times, each time feeling their rawness. "easy does it," said peter, smiling. "your eyes are very bloodshot, but fortunately there's no real damage. you couldn't have been exposed to the outside for more than a few seconds. nosebleed's stopped, too." robin raised his head, feeling a little dizzy and weak at first. he was lying in a hammock slung across the narrow space of the rocket's tiny cabin. he took in the limited quarters slowly, while flexing his muscles to discover other points of sensitivity. his clothing had been removed, the tight bandaging unwrapped. he was wearing some sort of loose aviation coverall that his brother had dressed him in. "have i been out long?" robin asked, rising to a sitting position. "maybe a half-hour," said his brother. "mostly shock and overexertion, i guess. you've got some bruises on your shins and feet, but nothing that should stop you. feel like some hot food? real earth food?" robin was suddenly hungry and the memories of a hundred forgotten foods flooded his senses. he nodded, and greedily attacked the full mess kit that his brother had been heating. it contained merely some sort of frankfurter, some canned potato, a chunk of black bread, and a cup of something that must have been condensed cabbage soup ... but to robin it was the best banquet he'd had in many months. for the first time he ate meat that wasn't rabbit or a moon creature, vegetable that wasn't moontree fruit. his tongue reveled in the flavors. a glass of hot tea was the final sensation. refreshed, he looked around. the little cabin, occupying the entire nose of the rocket, must have been a tight squeeze indeed for a three-man crew. the controls and the pilot's seat occupied a good section of it. there was space for only two hammocks, which were obviously not to be spread out except when taking off or sleeping, and peter was rolling up the one in which robin had been resting. there was a built-in electric grid, a nozzle from which water was piped, a large number of observational and recording instruments, a couple of folding seats, nothing much else. several thick glass bull's-eye windows were set in a circle around the nose, at a level with the pilot's eyes. light came from one large electric bulb hanging in the nose of the ship. the whole cabin was tilted over at an angle, the result of the crash. "i'm surprised that everything is in such good condition," said robin. "i had expected to see a complete ruin." "well," said peter, "i've got to admit that von borck was definitely a good pilot. the crash was probably not his fault. we were actually not supposed to land. our orders were to try to circle the moon in a narrow orbit, then return. we were to land only if von borck was sure he could do it and get away again. "what happened though was that after we had crossed the dividing line in space where the moon's pull equaled the earth's pull, our gyroscopic controls jammed. von borck couldn't turn the rockets in our rear to the indicated direction. we struggled with the gyro for about forty minutes, even going outside to get at the airless tube section beneath this sealed cabin. when we finally got the controls operating, it was far too late to attempt to establish an orbit. instead, von borck did the next best thing--he decided to attempt a direct landing. he reversed the rocket entirely, slowed us down and came down in an effort to land on his jets. it's a very difficult balancing trick, especially on an unknown landing field with uncertain distances. "actually he almost succeeded. he came down just a little too fast, smashed up our tubes, rammed the whole rear down into the pumice-and-dust surface, leaving our nose cabin sticking out unharmed. von borck slammed his head against the metal paneling. i took a spill, and arkady who had volunteered to stand at the opposite observation port from the pilot in order to inform him of any dangers from that side was thrown across the room and killed." robin nodded slowly. "but why didn't you just stay here instead of going out?" peter went to a wall cabin, opened it. inside there were about a half-dozen small containers and cans. "that's the whole stock of food we have left," was the reply. "we couldn't have stayed here too long. when i looked around outside i saw mist issuing from that spot in the cliff we came through. obviously we'd die if we didn't find some place to stay. i went outside, buried arkady, explored a little, realized that that rill out there was a sealed cleft which probably held air. so i loaded von borck, who had been unconscious for hours, and set out to go underground." robin got up, walked around. he was already in better shape. he looked at the panels, found them complex and with the markings in russian. "what's the source of the electricity?" he asked. "there's an atomic pile somewhere in the rear of the rocket," peter replied. "that's something you don't smash easily. it's still operating." "can we send a message back to earth then?" asked robin. "if we've the power, and this ship must have a radio...." "we tried that, but the radio was smashed in the landing. however, there is an emergency wave sender which was designed for just such a thing. i don't know if that's working. let's see." peter opened a door set in the floor of the rocket which opened on an area jammed with equipment, wiring, and extra supplies. he reached around, extracted a small black box. he held it up, shook it gently. handing it to robin, he took out a roll of wire, and seating himself at the pilot's seat began to connect the box to the rocket. when it was plugged in to the electric system of the cabin, peter flicked a switch and turned a knob. a thin humming came from the box. "it works," he said. "this gives off a steady signal wave going on the general air-travel band. the radio buzz can be heard from earth if it's being sought. by following it, astronomers can trace exactly where this rocket is. all we have to do is leave this on--it will run for years on our atomic power source. eventually, rockets will locate us." "but surely there must be some way of calling their attention even sooner?" said robin. "do you have flares?" "you're right," peter said excitedly. "we've got them. and it is night outside. if we use our flares, they could be seen on any decent-sized telescope. shall we set them off?" robin nodded. "no time like now." peter reached again into the floor storages, opening another section, and began to pull out another space suit. "this was arkady's," he said. "it should fit you." it did. this time, robin felt none of the uneasiness that had assailed him on his previous experience on the outside. in a few minutes, he and peter were standing a short distance away from the rocket and setting out the flares. although the suit was cumbersome, it was not too uncomfortable. instead of tight bandaging, the fabric of the suit consisted of some sort of self-inflating air sacs, which maintained an equal and natural pressure on the surface of robin's body. the helmet, which was really airtight and warmed, was entirely comfortable, although again the breathing was a matter of a forced intake and a willful exhalation. they set up the flares, which were magnesium-burning giant candles, a safe distance from the rocket, wired them to a detonator powered from the ship. then, before going back, robin and peter simply stood and looked around. all about, the giant bare mountains ringed the crater. their gaunt, jagged outlines were a black ring against which was set the star-strewn wonder of the sky, in whose exact center slowly rotated the marvelous globe of mother earth. the eerie earthlight threw odd shadows and dark spots across the grayness of the plain. here and there the mysterious-looking domes rose, the tops of bubbles as robin had reason to know. in other places smaller craters and ringed ridges broke the surface. "it looks desolate and barren," commented peter on the helmet-radio. "yet, you know, when we landed in the sunlight of the moon's day, it wasn't all like this. there were patches of low scrubby plants growing in the lowest sections near spots where some air must have been seeping out. this crater is considerably lower than much of the surrounding areas on this central part of the moon. the air here may be almost unnoticeable, but it is still just a bit denser even than it must be on the 'seas' beyond these crater walls." "how did you spot that break in the wall we came through?" asked robin, turning to search for it. "as a matter of fact, it was quite obvious," said his brother. "in the sunlight, there's a distinct stream of vapor coming out of it and a lot of frozen water vapor all around. further, it was just there that the green vegetation was growing thickest. it was quite inviting to a man looking for refuge ... otherwise i'd probably never have thought of it." they trudged back to the rocket, climbed through the lock into the safety of the tiny cabin. robin set the firing pin of the detonator switch, looked out. "it's the western hemisphere that's facing the moon now," he said. "just coming into view. must be early morning around the new mexico belt. you know, your russian friends won't see this flare." peter looked up, shrugged. "we can fire another flare twelve hours later," he said. "i am not particular who rescues us. i am an american, you know. i owe something to the soviets too. when you look at the world from here, from another planet, these distinctions of nationality seem so--somehow--unimportant. we are all humans, all from the same ancestors. even if we were not brothers, we would feel ourselves such. our roots go to all parts of the world. if you add up all people's ancestors a hundred generations back, you will realize that there can't be anyone who is not distantly related to everyone else--that we all share somebody in our ancestry who lived in every country of the world, shared all the histories of the past and all the different politics and opinions." peter grew quiet, as if a little amazed at his own outburst. robin drew close to him, threw an arm around him. "i think when more men get out among the stars, people are going to realize that we can't afford to think of ourselves as anything other than citizens of mother earth. in the face of the universe, of moonmen, of the inhabitants of the millions of other planets that must exist, our national differences seem so small, so much a private family matter as not to be thrashed out in the public of our interstellar neighbors. i think it's good we are brothers. all men are brothers." robin threw the switch. outside, the crater suddenly lighted up in a blinding white glare, a blaze that threw wild, dancing black shadows several miles across the floor, that momentarily lighted the great crags and precipices of the mountains, that made an outburst of grandeur in a moonscape of unearthly terror and beauty. five minutes later, when the flares had died down, robin again threw the switch. the second set of magnesium bombs went off and again the crater was brilliantly lighted. "on earth that should stand out very sharply. it is nearly a new moon for them. this spot of light will be like a blinding diamond on a black velvet setting," said peter poetically. they rested now, taking their space suits off, lolling around on two hammocks, just talking, renewing acquaintance, exchanging experiences. they ate another meal, slept, finally donned their outfits again and set off the next set of flares a half earth-day later, when the massive area of eurasia was on the face of the globe in the lunar sky. "now the russian observers have had a chance to see us," said peter. "we ought to go back to the underground world again. our supplies here are not enough. in order to eat and breathe the next few months, we will have to live among the glassies. we have to go back to the great cleft again." "yes," said robin. "and that brings up the question of von borck. he'll be waiting for us, you know." his brother nodded. "ah, but this time we will be the ones who are armed and ready." he reached down, took out a second gun belt, handed it to robin. "use this. strap it around your space suit." robin looked at it, lifted the pistol in its holster. "it's an army automatic," said peter. "a tokarev .30, built much the same as an american colt. here, i'll show you how it works." he cautioned about the lack of a safety catch, showed how to load the clip of bullets. "be careful of it, though. it has a strong kickback on earth--here on the moon, it may be quite tricky to fire a gun." they dressed again in their outfits, loaded on other supplies that might come in handy, including a light carbine, hunting knife and axe, and waterproof pack of matches. they slung the gun belts around their waists, tied the nylon cord to each other as an added precaution, and made a last check of the rocket cabin. the little radio signal was still humming. some day it would bring a rescue ship. whether that would be a matter of months or a matter of years was the only question. robin gulped a bit at the prospect of spending more years away from his own world. sight of earth, the taste of real food had made him quite homesick. he thrust such thoughts away, snapped tight his helmet plate, and nodded to peter. they climbed out of the rocket, sealing the air-lock door. they stood for a moment outside the wreck, taking their bearings. they turned to head for the cliff wall, when something went _ping_ off a metal fixture on robin's helmet. he started, pulled back and something seemed to flick past his eyes and pop against the side of the rocket. he yelled and ducked for cover. "look out, peter! get down!" standing on the surface, just outside the narrow crack that led underground, was the figure of a man--a man wearing a space suit similar to theirs, with a small dark object in his hand which issued a little flash of red fire. "it's von borck," gasped robin, "and he's shooting at us!" _18. madman's battle_ robin lay flat against the ground, holding himself motionless. peter's voice came over his helmet-radio. "did you get hit?" "no," said robin. "something may have chipped my helmet but there's no leak, so i guess it wasn't a direct shot. how about you? where are you?" from his position he couldn't see his brother, who had obviously fallen somewhere near. "i'm down just behind you," came peter's voice. "we'll have to find better cover than this. there's a slight ridge about a foot high a couple of yards to your left. crawl over to it and get behind it." robin cautiously raised his head. it drew no fire and he realized that lying down in the darkness of the gray surface, the greenish earthlight was not sufficient to outline him to von borck's eyes. he eased up on his arms and crawled slowly to the ridge. behind this was a measure of protection. he was now free to twist his body around to look for peter. in the cumbersome helmet and suit, the only way he could look around was to move his whole body. peter was crawling after him slowly. there was a sudden spurt of dust from the ground just behind him, like a tiny geyser. "von's still shooting at you," said robin. "hurry!" peter slid quickly into refuge behind the ridge at robin's side. twisting his body, he unstrapped the light carbine rifle from his back, brought it around in front of him. "have you ever fired a rifle or a pistol, robin?" he asked. "i learned some target shooting at school," said robin. "i was a pretty fair shot. but i never handled a revolver." peter slid the rifle over to him. "then you use this. i'll use my pistol. we'll have to get him before he gets us." robin held the rifle awkwardly. he glanced at it, saw that it was loaded, slid the bolt action. "i don't like this," he said. "if there was only some way we could capture him and hold him until we're rescued. you said he's a good man with rockets. maybe he can be straightened out mentally if we can get him back to earth." peter shrugged, grunted. "don't waste time dreaming. sure he was a good engineer. but right now it's him or us. if he has his way, none of us will ever return to earth alive. just remember he's doing his very best to kill us--we cannot dare do any less. sure, if we get a break, we'll capture him. right now, though, we'd better shoot him or we'll never get out of this alive." peter suited his action to his words. he clumsily forced his thickly gloved finger through the trigger guard and grasped the pistol. he swiftly raised up, aimed, and pulled the trigger. there was a flash of red and simultaneously peter fell over backward and rolled over once with a yell of pain. robin turned, stricken with horror. "what happened! are you hit?" peter's voice came back. "no, i'm not hit, but i almost wrenched my arm off! it was the gun's recoil, the kick! i completely forgot what a terribly strong recoil a pistol would have on the moon. it was like holding a rocket engine in my hand for a split second. it simply hurled me right over." peter rolled himself over on his chest, resuming his position next to robin. "we'll have to be careful when we fire. remember the kick will be many times stronger than back on earth." there was another spurt of dust to one side of them. another evidence of von borck's shooting. possibly he had caught a glimpse of peter's scramble. robin slid the rifle out in front of him, cocked it for firing. he crawled to a break in the ridge, propped the butt of the gun against a small outcropping of rock along the surface, rolled himself clumsily into position. raising his head, he saw the figure of von borck still standing against the narrow entrance to the wall. he aimed the rifle as well as he was able under the handicaps, pressed it hard, and pulled the trigger. he felt a sharp shock as the rifle tried to kick out of his hands, but he had bolstered it well. he saw a chunk of rock split from the cliffside just over the german's head. von borck ducked as the dust began to fall upon him in its slow lunar fashion, then the german moved back into the break. robin again aimed the rifle, this time directly at the dark center of the break in the cliff. again he fired. this time the figure of the space-suited man backed out of sight entirely. "what now?" asked robin. "shall we wait for him to come back or shall we try to follow him?" "better take the chance and go after him," said his brother's voice. "must follow up every advantage." "then let's go," said robin and leaped to his feet. peter jumped up with him and they both started to sprint for the entrance in the cliff. they ran for it in low, swift leaps, and this time robin saw what ease and fun running on the moon's surface could be if you had the proper outfit for it. it was so light and easy, like running in a dream, gliding rapidly over the faintly lighted eerie moonscape in a world of absolute silence and motionlessness. for an instant, as they closed in on the cliff, robin saw von borck's figure appear, there was another flash of red and then the man vanished again. but the boys did not halt. together they charged the entrance. in a matter of seconds, they reached it, blocked it. there was no sign of the german. they shone their flashlamps into the channel behind the opening. there was nothing. robin could feel the faint rustling movement of the rushing air current, but he could see nothing in motion. again he was struck by the weirdness of the phenomenon. "where'd he go?" he whispered, even though his voice could not be heard outside of their helmets. "he's probably hiding somewhere. we'll have to follow him. get ready and then remember to throw yourself hard across that air blast. it's strong." peter checked the nylon that tied them together. "shall i untie this or shall we jump together?" "let's go together," said robin. they held hands, and, backing up, took a running start and threw themselves into the darkness of the break. there was again the buffeting of a powerful wind, and robin felt himself being caught off his feet by the force of a hurricane. before he could be swept away, a jerk at the cord around his waist threw him down, and he rolled over on the windless far side of the tunnel, safe with peter. he became aware of outside noises. he followed peter's example and opened the plate of his helmet. for an instant he gasped for air, then adjusted to the thin atmosphere. both brothers listened. but they heard nothing. "he must have headed back for the cleft," said peter. "we'll have to follow him." they started to retrace their tracks. partly down the wind tunnel they found the downward slope on which they had traveled before. robin flashed his lamp down its steep pitch. he saw nothing. gingerly he began to work his way cautiously down the sharp slope. peter followed behind. halfway down, robin stopped for breath. when he caught it, he whispered, "i just thought of something. how do we know von went down here? maybe he's gone farther up the tunnel, waiting to slip back and get behind us." "i don't think so," said peter. "i looked in the dust up along the tunnel for his footprints and saw none. he must be ahead of us." they slid on down the slope, found themselves at the beginning of the upper series of connected broken bubbles. along this they trekked, passing along the debris-strewn floor, picking their way carefully. shining their lamps ahead as they went, they saw no sign of motion. finally they came to the hole in the floor, through which they would have to drop several feet into the cave below. robin switched off his light as they approached it, whispered to peter to do the same. they stood silently in the pitch darkness. then robin nudged peter, pointed with his hand against peter's. the hole in the floor was faintly visible. there was a dim flickering coming from it. robin whispered, "it must be von's flashlamp. he's down there, waiting for us." peter nodded in the darkness. "it was the logical spot. he probably hopes to shoot us as we drop through the hole." the two stepped carefully up to the hole, not yet using their lights. they kneeled down, looked. the cave below was almost dark. but from just outside it, from the tunnel that led into it, was a flickering light. their crazed enemy was lurking there, waiting. "what do we do now?" muttered peter. robin looked carefully. "i think i have it. untie the cord and give it to me." peter untied his end of the nylon rope that linked them. robin undid his end, took his flashlamp, tied it to the cord. he whispered his plan to peter. robin lit the flash, backed away from the hole several feet, and then kicked some rocks and began to make a clattering noise. at the same time he began to talk loudly, as if conversing with peter. meanwhile, peter was crouched at the edge of the hole, his tokarev automatic firmly wedged against one side of the hole while it was pointing directly at the faint spot of light below which von borck was hiding. robin reached the hole, making sure he was creating enough noise for the rocket pilot to hear him. then he waved his lamp a few times, flickering it around the cave below, and kneeling down, began to lower it on the cord, trying to keep its beam pointed at the tunnel in which their foe waited. this was the bait on their trap. just as he had expected, as the swinging lamp was about halfway down, dangling presumably in the helpless hand of a man being lowered to the floor--as von borck was supposed to think--the figure of the german appeared in the cave, uttering a wild yell of triumph and aiming a big pistol at the moving light. two guns went off at the same instant. there were two flashes of fire, two deafening blasts of sound. von borck's bullet shattered the swinging flashlamp, blew it into a dozen fragments. peter's bullet struck von borck in the chest, hurling him against the wall to fall in a heap on the floor. without wasting time, peter simply stepped into the hole and drifted downward in the low force of moon gravity. robin followed suit. they leaned over the german's body. robin looked at the pale, mustached face, the staring eyes. "i think he's dead," he said. "though he could be only unconscious." he reached over, started to feel the man's face to find out whether he still breathed. "look out!" shouted peter suddenly and grabbed robin, pulling him to one side. robin looked up and back. above him, with maddening leisureliness, the entire ceiling of the underground bubble was dropping down, dropping in several giant chunks, several earth tons of rock falling toward them. with a mad scramble the two leaped to safety in the tunnel leading downward. there was a slow grinding crash as the shattered roof of the cave settled to the floor, crushing the body beneath it, blocking and sealing the tunnel. "come on!" peter grabbed robin's arm. "the rest of it is caving in! we'd better run!" they dashed down the tunnel, as it crashed behind them. on they ran, following the twisted trail through fault and cleft and bubble, with disaster following their steps. finally the ruin and destruction came to an end as they reached the last steep slope downward to the great sealed cleft. "what happened?" asked robin, as they paused at last to catch their breath. "the explosions!" gasped peter. "the concussions of our pistols shattered the delicate balance of the honeycomb undersurface here. we're lucky it didn't all come down at once, rather than in the form of a chain reaction. we're lucky to be alive, believe me!" "yes," said robin, beginning to make his way down the last tunnel that led to the open ledge of the great bubble-world where the glassies lived. "yes, we're lucky to be alive, but how will we ever get back to the surface now? we're sealed in. maybe forever." peter was silent as they reached the ledge, looked into the vastness of the cleft-world, saw the faint flickering lights of moonworm and moonman. "maybe we'll never get out. robinson crusoe lived twenty-eight years on his island before he was rescued. it may be fifty before they find us in here." robin shrugged. "when i first landed here, i said to myself that while there's life there's hope. now there are two of us. and that's an advance...." _19. riding the tornado_ they looked down from their point on the high ledge into the length of the cleft-world. a very faint light streak could be seen looking upward--this was the curious volcanic glass of the surface roof. through it penetrated just a hint of the full earthlight that bathed the outer moonscape. down were shadows and darkness, in the distance little bits of moving lights, flickering sparks, that may have been the glassies' head-stalks. the two men used their remaining flashlamp to light up the narrow ledge. carefully they made their way down the steep side of the cavern wall, their light swinging slowly back and forth. "suppose the glassies see the light?" said peter. "we may be in for trouble." "maybe," said robin, "but this time we'll be alert for it. we'll have to steer clear of overhanging spots, keep our light swinging about, but i have an idea we'll have no trouble. that bomb and the shooting will probably make them keep their distance." down they went until they reached the level surface. then they started off across the space to the faraway place where the lights could be seen. it was the winter half-month now for the sublunar world. the moon growths had fallen, shriveled, died. their seeds lay dormant for the next sun period. it was fairly chilly in the cavern, yet not as cold as it might have been. somewhere, thought robin, there is a warm volcanic current keeping this cavern from freezing over. they kept a good distance between each other, the long, thin, strong cord linking them being kept almost taut. the reasoning behind this was that if another lassoing attempt were made, it would be almost impossible to get both at once. as long as one were free to get at his firearms, they could overcome such an attack. on they went, with still no sign of meeting any opposition. then robin saw a sudden faint flicker in a clump of darkness to one side. he stopped, whispered into his helmet-radio what he had seen. rapidly his eyes swept the scene, and, yes, there was another suddenly doused flicker on the other side. the glassies must be watching them, waiting. now the two proceeded at a slow pace, widely swinging their light from side to side to prevent ambush. "somehow," said robin, "we are going to have to prove we're friendly. we may have to live here a long time." "yes," said peter, "but how?" they walked only a few steps farther before the answer was given them. something was standing directly in their path. as their light swung near it, this figure raised two hands high and its head-stalk light flashed into brilliant prominence. it was a glassie standing there, a transparent-bodied moonman whose odd face bore the equivalent of a broad smile and whose chest was decorated with a painted black circle. robin stared at the figure of this chief a moment. he saw something move on the glassie's shoulder--a tiny, dark, manlike creature no bigger than a doll. this creature opened its mouth, uttered a sharp shriek. "cheeky!" gasped robin. and at the sound of his voice the little monkey leaped from the glassie's shoulder in one monstrous lunar bound and arrived at robin's foot. another jump and it was in robin's arms, screeching with joy. the glassie chief came forward. it spoke, "robin! good see you. good see you." it was korree! now he too moved forward to grasp robin awkwardly but happily ... korree wearing the marking of the tribal head! now other glassies appeared around them, but they held no weapons in their hands, no sticky hoops or bindings. they stood around the newcomers with awe and uncertainty--willing to be guided by korree's actions but aware of the possible results of an encounter with space-suited earthlings. korree turned a moment, waved them on, speaking in their tongue. peter came up, nodding, shoving his pistol back into its holster. "i see your two friends have won the day while we were up above," he said. "they were indeed friends." the two brothers were escorted back to the site of the native settlement in a crowd of bobbing head-stalk lights and jabbering glassies. korree explained as they walked. it seemed that the explosion of the homemade bomb had completely disrupted the fear in which von borck had held the glassies. this was greater magic to them, and it was the mysterious little being--cheeky--who had accomplished it. in the first excitement, the glassies had fled and hid. that was when the german had come after peter and robin, leaving the glassies behind. this, too, was an indication that even the powerful stranger who had usurped the role of chief by the expedient of his mere existence and strength had bowed to the power of the little monkey. in moonman tribes, the chief never fled the scene of his authority. to do so was to abdicate it. von borck had unknowingly destroyed his authority by his abrupt chase after robin and peter. when korree made his way back to the cave-village after giving up his attempt to follow his earthling friends, he had arrived to find the glassies cowering in fear of the capering cheeky, who was unhurt by the blast. korree had gathered up cheeky in his arms and by so doing had made himself the master of the situation. that was how it came about that the two brothers had been met by a friendly admiring reception rather than a hostile one. "but what happened when von borck returned here to get his space suit?" asked robin. korree waved a hand as if the answer was obvious. "glassies hide," he said simply. "korree hide. cheeky hide. everyone hide." and so von borck arrived to find himself deserted and unwelcome. and he had promptly left to follow the trail to the surface. once back at the site of the caves, they found themselves honored guests. in the days that followed, they set up a cave for themselves, organized a home. cheeky seemed to have now attached himself to korree and went everywhere with the glassie. robin and peter rested, set up a regimen of native food, observed the glassies' way of life. the sun came up again on the surface and flooded the cleft with its light. the moontrees grew rapidly in dense profusion. the two brothers gradually explored the length and breadth of the little world, systematically working around it in search of some new path upward. but their search seemed fruitless. there were a number of holes and breaks in the walls and caves, but none promised a place of exit to the surface. they went back to the original ledge and tunnel, tried to work their way in, but it was blocked with fallen stone and jammed too tightly for passage. they discussed the possibility of making explosives, blasting through, but discarded this as they realized the basic fragility of the whole cleft setup. such blastings might do worse damage, might even crack a direct opening to the surface through which the air within the cleft-bubble would rush out, leaving it a sterile, cold, and dead region. finally after another lunar night and another lunar day, exhausting still one more earth month, they settled down to a slow steady picking and shoveling. they worked in the blocked tunnel in all their spare time, carefully picking away chips of rock, pushing others aside, burrowing around fallen slabs, slowly, gradually, painfully working their way along the old path. but it was hard and unrewarding work. it went slowly and they were always afraid of a cave-in. two or three times such an event did occur, and had it not been for the slowness with which things fell on the moon, one or the other brother would surely have been pinned down. on the third such disaster, the two quit the task, returned to their home in the glassie village discouraged. "this will not work," said robin. "we'll have to give up this entire approach. it would be months or even years before we could make our entire way and by that time one of us would surely be killed in the tunnels. they are still highly unsettled, still shifting." they sat down, looked at each other. "there must still be a way," said peter. "we must find a way to reach the surface. otherwise we will remain here forever." robin nodded, deep in thought. another night was coming over the cleft. the sun was passing swiftly from overhead. a chill began to touch the air, as darkness blacked out the cavern. it would be another two weeks before they could resume any work on their problem. robin started to build a fire in their cave, one they burned every moon winter's night. as he did so a thought struck him. he turned. "when we were first returning from the surface it occurred to me as we came out that there had to be some sort of volcanic current warming this cavern, sun or no sun. now it seems to me that if we could find that current, we would find some sort of air stream or water stream, that must go upward. we ought to look for the warmest spot in the cavern, trace it." peter turned, a sharp light in his eye. "and now that you say it, do you know what that current is? it's the one that passes the break in the crater wall--the constant hurricane that we broke through to get in here, which rushes by the break so hard and so fast that it seals this cavern's quiet inner air as perfectly as if it were an air lock. it has to be that very current which passes somewhere lower down and warms this cleft!" robin nodded, a sharp excitement stirring him. "i think we have hit on it. the night time is the time to hunt for it. find the spot or places in this cleft that stay warmest and they must be nearest the underground wind tunnel." so they set out on a new course of exploration, this time scouting the bubble in the dark of the night. it grew chillier, but in their space suits, which they had resumed for this expedition, they could keep warm. they found several areas along the ground where it seemed a bit warmer than in the cave generally, but after several days of search, this clue also seemed fruitless. the areas were such that no amount of digging short of high explosives would suffice. finally when the long lunar night was almost over, they awakened from sleep in the cave to face the thought that this too was a blind alley. korree entered, the monkey on his shoulder. he made his way to them, noticed their air of sadness, asked them why. tired, robin explained to him what they were looking for. his glassie friend cocked his head. "you come my home. i show you hot spot," he said. the two men looked up. "what?" asked peter. korree repeated his statement. peter looked at robin quizzically. without another word the two got up and followed the glassie. the deep cave where the chief made his home was only a short distance from their own. here, at the very back of the chief's home, they found what they sought. there was a thin, sharp crack in the rear wall. the stone around it was definitely warmer than that in the rest of the cave. putting their ears to the crack, they could hear the faint high whistling of the air current that must be roaring past only a foot or two beyond. "this is why it was picked as the chief's cave," said robin. "it's practically air-conditioned!" the next day, after the sun had finally made its appearance, the two started to work in the back of korree's cave. they worked carefully with axe and pick, enlarging the crack, chipping away at it. finally, they dislodged a sizable segment of rock, enough to allow one man to squeeze through. sure enough, there was a dark underground channel through whose center rushed the eternal current of hot volcanic air. this channel probably had its source somewhere in the still-mysterious depths of the moon's core. it wound and forced its way upward doubtless to dissipate somewhere, as the cold of the surface bore away its warmth, probably to wind up downward again as a mass of cold gas. there was barely enough room at the side of the tunnel for a man to stand flat against the wall, without touching the blast. robin, who had gone through to examine it, came back out into the light of korree's cave. "well," he asked peter, "what do we do now?" his brother nodded. "i think we can get to the surface all right. just get in the blast and let ourselves be blown along upward. when we find that break, we'll get out of the current and we'll be able to reach our rocket." "uh huh," said robin, "and then how do we get back down here again?" peter shrugged. "i don't know. there must be a way." the two returned to their own place and talked it over. but the opportunity was too good to pass up. "sooner or later," said robin, "we're going to do it. so we may as well face that. as for getting back, perhaps we could simply walk all the way down the channel, keeping carefully to the side of dead air just beyond the blast." peter frowned. "i don't think you'll find much of that. there can't be many places where such a dead air channel exists. on the other hand, if we attack the problem of returning by the old route, we may be able to find a way through it from that end--or make a new one. back at the rocket there are explosives, better tools than those we have. i think we should risk it." "yes," robin added, "i think so too. besides, we ought to fire off some more flares. our signals may never have been seen." that being settled, the two earthlings again donned their space suits, equipped themselves, tied themselves together with a length of cord. they returned to korree's cave, explained their project and gravely shook hands with their glassie friend. then robin carefully eased himself through the break into the dark channel. peter squeezed through after him, as robin flattened himself along the wall and moved aside. their helmets sealed, robin counted to three, and then both leaped forward. instantly the racing wind current caught them up, snatched them off their feet. they found themselves being blown madly along the darkness like leaves before a gale. the air was hot and robin felt himself almost scorched as he was hurled along, his elbows and legs occasionally scraping the wall, once feeling himself somersaulting upward, twisting and turning in the horrible blast. for a dreadful moment he felt panicky, out of control, utterly helpless in the grip of the underground tornado. he lighted the flash, saw it wildly flickering. he drew his legs up, ducked his head, and found he could get his equilibrium. ahead of him the tunnel was ascending. he felt himself rising, felt the slight drag occasionally at his belt as peter's bouncing body followed his. now the air began to cool and seemed to slow down slightly. the passage leveled off, he was whirling down a straight passage, and suddenly, in a split second of awareness, he saw a faint spot of bright light ahead of him. he rushed toward it, like a ball buoyed on a stream from a fire hose. it must be the exit to the surface, he thought, and in a second held out the axe he gripped in his hand. the handle caught at the opening as he went sailing by, jammed, swung his body against the wall with a smack. peter's body flashed past, caught up short by the cord, and also hit the body of airless space on the outer side of the channel. they climbed dazedly to their feet and struggled to the narrow break. they staggered out onto the surface, now bathed in the blindingly brilliant light of the sun rising over the peaks of the farther mountains ringing the crater. around them were the first shoots of the stubborn and hardy surface vegetation in this crater, dwarfed cousins of the plants below. they caught their breath. "better get moving," said peter finally. "this sun is dangerous." they started across the floor of the crater, the several hundred feet to where the nose of the wrecked russian rocket rested. both men knew they were bruised from the short, mad trip. there would be scraped shins and knees and elbows. but they had made it, that was the thing. they were about a hundred feet out, when suddenly robin stopped, stared into the sky. peter followed his glance. there was something up there. when they had first glanced up, there was the earth still in its place, though now but a crescent. there were the myriad stars, and the corona-encircled sun. and now there was another celestial object. a tiny spot of reddish orange was growing in the sky, growing as they watched it. "what is it?" asked robin in a half whisper, afraid to venture the thought that was rioting around in his head. peter simply stared, transfixed. the moving spot of fire grew rapidly, enlarged, took shape. it was a tiny stream of energy, like the tail of a tiny comet. it came still closer. now they could see a flash of white and silver at its core, and still it drew closer. now it took definite shape, a tiny body of metal and paint riding down on a long stream of atomic fire! then in mere seconds it hung over them, no longer tiny but a giant tower of polished metal hanging over the crater floor, falling ever more slowly, its great column of rocket fire reaching and scorching the surface of the rock. and suddenly, the fire was gone, there was a faint thud felt through the ground, and the two brothers stood staring. out there, not very distant, was standing a glorious, tall, slender rocket ship, fresh with paint, beautifully and delicately balanced on finely tapered fins, graceful as only a space craft can be. on its side, clearly visible in the sunlight, was a large blue circle on which was superimposed the white star of the united states air force. there were numbers and things and a small, black air lock now opening near the nose of the rocket, but robin and peter hardly noticed these through the tears of joy that sprang to their eyes as they ran and bounded over the moon's surface to greet their rescuers. waving their hands, shouting, heedless of whether they were being heard, they were robinson crusoes no longer. they were on their way home. _about the author_ donald a. wollheim, born in 1914, has lived in new york city all his life. at first a free-lance writer of stories and articles mainly for science-fiction magazines, he began his career as editor in 1940. he has edited all kinds of magazines, including detective, sports, and western periodicals. in 1952, mr. wollheim was invited to launch ace books and has since held the position of editor of these paperbacks. science fiction is mr. wollheim's chief interest and hobby. his collection of science-fiction books and magazines is one of the largest and his list of published books is a long one. many distinguished anthologies of fantasy and science fiction bear his name as editor. among his most recent books of original fiction are _the secret of saturn's rings_ and _the secret of the martian moons_. the narrative of arthur gordon pym. of nantucket. comprising the details of a mutiny and atrocious butchery on board the american brig grampus, on her way to the south seas, in the month of june, 1827. with an account of the recapture of the vessel by the survivers; their shipwreck and subsequent horrible sufferings from famine; their deliverance by means of the british schooner jane guy; the brief cruise of this latter vessel in the antarctic ocean; her capture, and the massacre of her crew among a group of islands in the eighty-fourth parallel of southern latitude; together with the incredible adventures and discoveries still farther south to which that distressing calamity gave rise. new-york: harper & brothers, 82 cliff-st. 1838. entered, according to act of congress, in the year 1838, by harper & brothers, in the clerk's office of the southern district of new-york. preface. upon my return to the united states a few months ago, after the extraordinary series of adventure in the south seas and elsewhere, of which an account is given in the following pages, accident threw me into the society of several gentlemen in richmond, va., who felt deep interest in all matters relating to the regions i had visited, and who were constantly urging it upon me, as a duty, to give my narrative to the public. i had several reasons, however, for declining to do so, some of which were of a nature altogether private, and concern no person but myself; others not so much so. one consideration which deterred me was, that, having kept no journal during a greater portion of the time in which i was absent, i feared i should not be able to write, from mere memory, a statement so minute and connected as to have the _appearance_ of that truth it would really possess, barring only the natural and unavoidable exaggeration to which all of us are prone when detailing events which have had powerful influence in exciting the imaginative faculties. another reason was, that the incidents to be narrated were of a nature so positively marvellous, that, unsupported as my assertions must necessarily be (except by the evidence of a single individual, and he a half-breed indian), i could only hope for belief among my family, and those of my friends who have had reason, through life, to put faith in my veracity--the probability being that the public at large would regard what i should put forth as merely an impudent and ingenious fiction. a distrust in my own abilities as a writer was, nevertheless, one of the principal causes which prevented me from complying with the suggestions of my advisers. among those gentlemen in virginia who expressed the greatest interest in my statement, more particularly in regard to that portion of it which related to the antarctic ocean, was mr. poe, lately editor of the southern literary messenger, a monthly magazine, published by mr. thomas w. white, in the city of richmond. he strongly advised me, among others, to prepare at once a full account of what i had seen and undergone, and trust to the shrewdness and common sense of the public--insisting, with great plausibility, that however roughly, as regards mere authorship, my book should be got up, its very uncouthness, if there were any, would give it all the better chance of being received as truth. notwithstanding this representation, i did not make up my mind to do as he suggested. he afterward proposed (finding that i would not stir in the matter) that i should allow him to draw up, in his own words, a narrative of the earlier portion of my adventures, from facts afforded by myself, publishing it in the southern messenger _under the garb of fiction_. to this, perceiving no objection, i consented, stipulating only that my real name should be retained. two numbers of the pretended fiction appeared, consequently, in the messenger for january and february (1837), and, in order that it might certainly be regarded as fiction, the name of mr. poe was affixed to the articles in the table of contents of the magazine. the manner in which this _ruse_ was received has induced me at length to undertake a regular compilation and publication of the adventures in question; for i found that, in spite of the air of fable which had been so ingeniously thrown around that portion of my statement which appeared in the messenger (without altering or distorting a single fact), the public were still not at all disposed to receive it as fable, and several letters were sent to mr. p.'s address distinctly expressing a conviction to the contrary. i thence concluded that the facts of my narrative would prove of such a nature as to carry with them sufficient evidence of their own authenticity, and that i had consequently little to fear on the score of popular incredulity. this _exposé_ being made, it will be seen at once how much of what follows i claim to be my own writing; and it will also be understood that no fact is misrepresented in the first few pages which were written by mr. poe. even to those readers who have not seen the messenger, it will be unnecessary to point out where his portion ends and my own commences; the difference in point of style will be readily perceived. a. g. pym. new-york, july, 1838. narrative of a. gordon pym. my name is arthur gordon pym. my father was a respectable trader in sea-stores at nantucket, where i was born. my maternal grandfather was an attorney in good practice. he was fortunate in everything, and had speculated very successfully in stocks of the edgarton new-bank, as it was formerly called. by these and other means he had managed to lay by a tolerable sum of money. he was more attached to myself, i believe, than to any other person in the world, and i expected to inherit the most of his property at his death. he sent me, at six years of age, to the school of old mr. ricketts, a gentleman with only one arm, and of eccentric manners--he is well known to almost every person who has visited new bedford. i stayed at his school until i was sixteen, when i left him for mr. e. ronald's academy on the hill. here i became intimate with the son of mr. barnard, a sea captain, who generally sailed in the employ of lloyd and vredenburgh--mr. barnard is also very well known in new bedford, and has many relations, i am certain, in edgarton. his son was named augustus, and he was nearly two years older than myself. he had been on a whaling voyage with his father in the john donaldson, and was always talking to me of his adventures in the south pacific ocean. i used frequently to go home with him, and remain all day, and sometimes all night. we occupied the same bed, and he would be sure to keep me awake until almost light, telling me stories of the natives of the island of tinian, and other places he had visited in his travels. at last i could not help being interested in what he said, and by degrees i felt the greatest desire to go to sea. i owned a sail-boat called the ariel, and worth about seventy-five dollars. she had a half-deck or cuddy, and was rigged sloop-fashion--i forget her tonnage, but she would hold ten persons without much crowding. in this boat we were in the habit of going on some of the maddest freaks in the world; and, when i now think of them, it appears to me a thousand wonders that i am alive to-day. i will relate one of these adventures by way of introduction to a longer and more momentous narrative. one night there was a party at mr. barnard's, and both augustus and myself were not a little intoxicated towards the close of it. as usual, in such cases, i took part of his bed in preference to going home. he went to sleep, as i thought, very quietly (it being near one when the party broke up), and without saying a word on his favourite topic. it might have been half an hour from the time of our getting in bed, and i was just about falling into a doze, when he suddenly started up, and swore with a terrible oath that he would not go to sleep for any arthur pym in christendom, when there was so glorious a breeze from the southwest. i never was so astonished in my life, not knowing what he intended, and thinking that the wines and liquors he had drunk had set him entirely beside himself. he proceeded to talk very coolly, however, saying he knew that i supposed him intoxicated, but that he was never more sober in his life. he was only tired, he added, of lying in bed on such a fine night like a dog, and was determined to get up and dress, and go out on a frolic with the boat. i can hardly tell what possessed me, but the words were no sooner out of his mouth than i felt a thrill of the greatest excitement and pleasure, and thought his mad idea one of the most delightful and most reasonable things in the world. it was blowing almost a gale, and the weather was very cold--it being late in october. i sprang out of bed, nevertheless, in a kind of ecstasy, and told him i was quite as brave as himself, and quite as tired as he was of lying in bed like a dog, and quite as ready for any fun or frolic as any augustus barnard in nantucket. we lost no time in getting on our clothes and hurrying down to the boat. she was lying at the old decayed wharf by the lumber-yard of pankey & co., and almost thumping her sides out against the rough logs. augustus got into her and bailed her, for she was nearly half full of water. this being done, we hoisted jib and mainsail, kept full, and started boldly out to sea. the wind, as i before said, blew freshly from the southwest. the night was very clear and cold. augustus had taken the helm, and i stationed myself by the mast, on the deck of the cuddy. we flew along at a great rate--neither of us having said a word since casting loose from the wharf. i now asked my companion what course he intended to steer, and what time he thought it probable we should get back. he whistled for a few minutes, and then said crustily, "_i_ am going to sea--_you_ may go home if you think proper." turning my eyes upon him, i perceived at once that, in spite of his assumed _nonchalance_, he was greatly agitated. i could see him distinctly by the light of the moon--his face was paler than any marble, and his hand shook so excessively that he could scarcely retain hold of the tiller. i found that something had gone wrong, and became seriously alarmed. at this period i knew little about the management of a boat, and was now depending entirely upon the nautical skill of my friend. the wind, too, had suddenly increased, as we were fast getting out of the lee of the land--still i was ashamed to betray any trepidation, and for almost half an hour maintained a resolute silence. i could stand it no longer, however, and spoke to augustus about the propriety of turning back. as before, it was nearly a minute before he made answer, or took any notice of my suggestion. "by-and-by," said he at length--"time enough--home by-and-by." i had expected a similar reply, but there was something in the tone of these words which filled me with an indescribable feeling of dread. i again looked at the speaker attentively. his lips were perfectly livid, and his knees shook so violently together that he seemed scarcely able to stand. "for god's sake, augustus," i screamed, now heartily frightened, "what ails you?--what is the matter?--what _are_ you going to do?" "matter!" he stammered, in the greatest apparent surprise, letting go the tiller at the same moment, and falling forward into the bottom of the boat--"matter!--why, nothing is the--matter--going home--d--d--don't you see?" the whole truth now flashed upon me. i flew to him and raised him up. he was drunk--beastly drunk--he could no longer either stand, speak, or see. his eyes were perfectly glazed; and as i let him go in the extremity of my despair, he rolled like a mere log into the bilge-water from which i had lifted him. it was evident that, during the evening, he had drunk far more than i suspected, and that his conduct in bed had been the result of a highly-concentrated state of intoxication--a state which, like madness, frequently enables the victim to imitate the outward demeanour of one in perfect possession of his senses. the coolness of the night air, however, had had its usual effect--the mental energy began to yield before its influence--and the confused perception which he no doubt then had of his perilous situation had assisted in hastening the catastrophe. he was now thoroughly insensible, and there was no probability that he would be otherwise for many hours. it is hardly possible to conceive the extremity of my terror. the fumes of the wine lately taken had evaporated, leaving me doubly timid and irresolute. i knew that i was altogether incapable of managing the boat, and that a fierce wind and strong ebb tide were hurrying us to destruction. a storm was evidently gathering behind us; we had neither compass nor provisions; and it was clear that, if we held our present course, we should be out of sight of land before daybreak. these thoughts, with a crowd of others equally fearful, flashed through my mind with a bewildering rapidity, and for some moments paralyzed me beyond the possibility of making any exertion. the boat was going through the water at a terrible rate--full before the wind--no reef in either jib or mainsail--running her bows completely under the foam. it was a thousand wonders she did not broach to--augustus having let go the tiller, as i said before, and i being too much agitated to think of taking it myself. by good luck, however, she kept steady, and gradually i recovered some degree of presence of mind. still the wind was increasing fearfully; and whenever we rose from a plunge forward, the sea behind fell combing over our counter, and deluged us with water. i was so utterly benumbed, too, in every limb, as to be nearly unconscious of sensation. at length i summoned up the resolution of despair, and rushing to the mainsail, let it go by the run. as might have been expected, it flew over the bows, and, getting drenched with water, carried away the mast short off by the board. this latter accident alone saved me from instant destruction. under the jib only, i now boomed along before the wind, shipping heavy seas occasionally over the counter, but relieved from the terror of immediate death. i took the helm, and breathed with greater freedom as i found that there yet remained to us a chance of ultimate escape. augustus still lay senseless in the bottom of the boat; and as there was imminent danger of his drowning (the water being nearly a foot deep just where he fell), i contrived to raise him partially up, and keep him in a sitting position, by passing a rope round his waist, and lashing it to a ringbolt in the deck of the cuddy. having thus arranged everything as well as i could in my chilled and agitated condition, i recommended myself to god, and made up my mind to bear whatever might happen with all the fortitude in my power. hardly had i come to this resolution, when, suddenly, a loud and long scream or yell, as if from the throats of a thousand demons, seemed to pervade the whole atmosphere around and above the boat. never while i live shall i forget the intense agony of terror i experienced at that moment. my hair stood erect on my head--i felt the blood congealing in my veins--my heart ceased utterly to beat, and without having once raised my eyes to learn the source of my alarm, i tumbled headlong and insensible upon the body of my fallen companion. i found myself, upon reviving, in the cabin of a large whaling-ship (the penguin) bound to nantucket. several persons were standing over me, and augustus, paler than death, was busily occupied in chafing my hands. upon seeing me open my eyes, his exclamations of gratitude and joy excited alternate laughter and tears from the rough-looking personages who were present. the mystery of our being in existence was now soon explained. we had been run down by the whaling-ship, which was close hauled, beating up to nantucket with every sail she could venture to set, and consequently running almost at right angles to our own course. several men were on the look-out forward, but did not perceive our boat until it was an impossibility to avoid coming in contact--their shouts of warning upon seeing us were what so terribly alarmed me. the huge ship, i was told, rode immediately over us with as much ease as our own little vessel would have passed over a feather, and without the least perceptible impediment to her progress. not a scream arose from the deck of the victim--there was a slight grating sound to be heard mingling with the roar of wind and water, as the frail bark which was swallowed up rubbed for a moment along the keel of her destroyer--but this was all. thinking our boat (which it will be remembered was dismasted) some mere shell cut adrift as useless, the captain (captain e. t. v. block of new london) was for proceeding on his course without troubling himself further about the matter. luckily, there were two of the look-out who swore positively to having seen some person at our helm, and represented the possibility of yet saving him. a discussion ensued, when block grew angry, and, after a while, said that "it was no business of his to be eternally watching for egg-shells; that the ship should _not_ put about for any such nonsense; and if there was a man run down, it was nobody's fault but his own--he might drown and be d----d," or some language to that effect. henderson, the first mate, now took the matter up, being justly indignant, as well as the whole ship's crew, at a speech evincing so base a degree of heartless atrocity. he spoke plainly, seeing himself upheld by the men, told the captain he considered him a fit subject for the gallows, and that he would disobey his orders if he were hanged for it the moment he set his foot on shore. he strode aft, jostling block (who turned very pale and made no answer) on one side, and seizing the helm, gave the word, in a firm voice, _hard-a-lee!_ the men flew to their posts, and the ship went cleverly about. all this had occupied nearly five minutes, and it was supposed to be hardly within the bounds of possibility that any individual could be saved--allowing any to have been on board the boat. yet, as the reader has seen, both augustus and myself were rescued; and our deliverance seemed to have been brought about by two of those almost inconceivable pieces of good fortune which are attributed by the wise and pious to the special interference of providence. while the ship was yet in stays, the mate lowered the jolly-boat and jumped into her with the very two men, i believe, who spoke up as having seen me at the helm. they had just left the lee of the vessel (the moon still shining brightly) when she made a long and heavy roll to windward, and henderson, at the same moment, starting up in his seat, bawled out to his crew to _back water_. he would say nothing else--repeating his cry impatiently, _back water! back water!_ the men put back as speedily as possible; but by this time the ship had gone round, and gotten fully under headway, although all hands on board were making great exertions to take in sail. in despite of the danger of the attempt, the mate clung to the main-chains as soon as they came within his reach. another huge lurch now brought the starboard side of the vessel out of water nearly as far as her keel, when the cause of his anxiety was rendered obvious enough. the body of a man was seen to be affixed in the most singular manner to the smooth and shining bottom (the penguin was coppered and copper-fastened), and beating violently against it with every movement of the hull. after several ineffectual efforts, made during the lurches of the ship, and at the imminent risk of swamping the boat, i was finally disengaged from my perilous situation and taken on board--for the body proved to be my own. it appeared that one of the timber-bolts having started and broken a passage through the copper, it had arrested my progress as i passed under the ship, and fastened me in so extraordinary a manner to her bottom. the head of the bolt had made its way through the collar of the green baize jacket i had on, and through the back part of my neck, forcing itself out between two sinews and just below the right ear. i was immediately put to bed--although life seemed to be totally extinct. there was no surgeon on board. the captain, however, treated me with every attention--to make amends, i presume, in the eyes of his crew, for his atrocious behaviour in the previous portion of the adventure. in the meantime, henderson had again put off from the ship, although the wind was now blowing almost a hurricane. he had not been gone many minutes when he fell in with some fragments of our boat, and shortly afterward one of the men with him asserted that he could distinguish a cry for help at intervals amid the roaring of the tempest. this induced the hardy seamen to persevere in their search for more than half an hour, although repeated signals to return were made them by captain block, and although every moment on the water in so frail a boat was fraught to them with the most imminent and deadly peril. indeed, it is nearly impossible to conceive how the small jolly they were in could have escaped destruction for a single instant. she was built, however, for the whaling service, and was fitted, as i have since had reason to believe, with air-boxes, in the manner of some life-boats used on the coast of wales. after searching in vain for about the period of time just mentioned, it was determined to get back to the ship. they had scarcely made this resolve when a feeble cry arose from a dark object which floated rapidly by. they pursued and soon overtook it. it proved to be the entire deck of the ariel's cuddy. augustus was struggling near it, apparently in the last agonies. upon getting hold of him it was found that he was attached by a rope to the floating timber. this rope, it will be remembered, i had myself tied round his waist, and made fast to a ringbolt, for the purpose of keeping him in an upright position, and my so doing, it appeared, had been ultimately the means of preserving his life. the ariel was slightly put together, and in going down her frame naturally went to pieces; the deck of the cuddy, as might be expected, was lifted, by the force of the water rushing in, entirely from the main timbers, and floated (with other fragments, no doubt) to the surface--augustus was buoyed up with it, and thus escaped a terrible death. it was more than an hour after being taken on board the penguin before he could give any account of himself, or be made to comprehend the nature of the accident which had befallen our boat. at length he became thoroughly aroused, and spoke much of his sensations while in the water. upon his first attaining any degree of consciousness, he found himself beneath the surface, whirling round and round with inconceivable rapidity, and with a rope wrapped in three or four folds tightly about his neck. in an instant afterward he felt himself going rapidly upward, when, his head striking violently against a hard substance, he again relapsed into insensibility. upon once more reviving he was in fuller possession of his reason--this was still, however, in the greatest degree clouded and confused. he now knew that some accident had occurred, and that he was in the water, although his mouth was above the surface, and he could breathe with some freedom. possibly, at this period, the deck was drifting rapidly before the wind, and drawing him after it, as he floated upon his back. of course, as long as he could have retained this position, it would have been nearly impossible that he should be drowned. presently a surge threw him directly athwart the deck; and this post he endeavoured to maintain, screaming at intervals for help. just before he was discovered by mr. henderson, he had been obliged to relax his hold through exhaustion, and, falling into the sea, had given himself up for lost. during the whole period of his struggles he had not the faintest recollection of the ariel, nor of any matters in connexion with the source of his disaster. a vague feeling of terror and despair had taken entire possession of his faculties. when he was finally picked up, every power of his mind had failed him; and, as before said, it was nearly an hour after getting on board the penguin before he became fully aware of his condition. in regard to myself--i was resuscitated from a state bordering very nearly upon death (and after every other means had been tried in vain for three hours and a half) by vigorous friction with flannels bathed in hot oil--a proceeding suggested by augustus. the wound in my neck, although of an ugly appearance, proved of little real consequence, and i soon recovered from its effects. the penguin got into port about nine o'clock in the morning, after encountering one of the severest gales ever experienced off nantucket. both augustus and myself managed to appear at mr. barnard's in time for breakfast--which, luckily, was somewhat late, owing to the party over night. i suppose all at the table were too much fatigued themselves to notice our jaded appearance--of course, it would not have borne a very rigid scrutiny. schoolboys, however, can accomplish wonders in the way of deception, and i verily believe not one of our friends in nantucket had the slightest suspicion that the terrible story told by some sailors in town of their having run down a vessel at sea and drowned some thirty or forty poor devils, had reference either to the ariel, my companion, or myself. we two have since very frequently talked the matter over--but never without a shudder. in one of our conversations augustus frankly confessed to me, that in his whole life he had at no time experienced so excruciating a sense of dismay, as when on board our little boat he first discovered the extent of his intoxication, and felt himself sinking beneath its influence. chapter ii. in no affairs of mere prejudice, pro or con, do we deduce inferences with entire certainty even from the most simple data. it might be supposed that a catastrophe such as i have just related would have effectually cooled my incipient passion for the sea. on the contrary, i never experienced a more ardent longing for the wild adventures incident to the life of a navigator than within a week after our miraculous deliverance. this short period proved amply long enough to erase from my memory the shadows, and bring out in vivid light all the pleasurably exciting points of colour, all the picturesqueness of the late perilous accident. my conversations with augustus grew daily more frequent and more intensely full of interest. he had a manner of relating his stories of the ocean (more than one half of which i now suspect to have been sheer fabrications) well adapted to have weight with one of my enthusiastic temperament, and somewhat gloomy, although glowing imagination. it is strange, too, that he most strongly enlisted my feelings in behalf of the life of a seaman, when he depicted his more terrible moments of suffering and despair. for the bright side of the painting i had a limited sympathy. my visions were of shipwreck and famine; of death or captivity among barbarian hordes; of a lifetime dragged out in sorrow and tears, upon some gray and desolate rock, in an ocean unapproachable and unknown. such visions or desires--for they amounted to desires--are common, i have since been assured, to the whole numerous race of the melancholy among men--at the time of which i speak i regarded them only as prophetic glimpses of a destiny which i felt myself in a measure bound to fulfil. augustus thoroughly entered into my state of mind. it is probable, indeed, that our intimate communion had resulted in a partial interchange of character. about eighteen months after the period of the ariel's disaster, the firm of lloyd and vredenburgh (a house connected in some manner with the messieurs enderby, i believe, of liverpool) were engaged in repairing and fitting out the brig grampus for a whaling voyage. she was an old hulk, and scarcely seaworthy when all was done to her that could be done. i hardly know why she was chosen in preference to other good vessels belonging to the same owners--but so it was. mr. barnard was appointed to command her, and augustus was going with him. while the brig was getting ready, he frequently urged upon me the excellency of the opportunity now offered for indulging my desire of travel. he found me by no means an unwilling listener--yet the matter could not be so easily arranged. my father made no direct opposition; but my mother went into hysterics at the bare mention of the design; and, more than all, my grandfather, from whom i expected much, vowed to cut me off with a shilling if i should ever broach the subject to him again. these difficulties, however, so far from abating my desire, only added fuel to the flame. i determined to go at all hazards; and, having made known my intention to augustus, we set about arranging a plan by which it might be accomplished. in the meantime i forbore speaking to any of my relations in regard to the voyage, and, as i busied myself ostensibly with my usual studies, it was supposed that i had abandoned the design. i have since frequently examined my conduct on this occasion with sentiments of displeasure as well as of surprise. the intense hypocrisy i made use of for the furtherance of my project--an hypocrisy pervading every word and action of my life for so long a period of time--could only have been rendered tolerable to myself by the wild and burning expectation with which i looked forward to the fulfilment of my long-cherished visions of travel. in pursuance of my scheme of deception, i was necessarily obliged to leave much to the management of augustus, who was employed for the greater part of every day on board the grampus, attending to some arrangements for his father in the cabin and cabin hold. at night, however, we were sure to have a conference, and talk over our hopes. after nearly a month passed in this manner, without our hitting upon any plan we thought likely to succeed, he told me at last that he had determined upon everything necessary. i had a relation living in new bedford, a mr. ross, at whose house i was in the habit of spending occasionally two or three weeks at a time. the brig was to sail about the middle of june (june, 1827), and it was agreed that, a day or two before her putting to sea, my father was to receive a note, as usual, from mr. ross, asking me to come over and spend a fortnight with robert and emmet (his sons). augustus charged himself with the enditing of this note and getting it delivered. having set out, as supposed, for new bedford, i was then to report myself to my companion, who would contrive a hiding-place for me in the grampus. this hiding-place, he assured me, would be rendered sufficiently comfortable for a residence of many days, during which i was not to make my appearance. when the brig had proceeded so far on her course as to make any turning back a matter out of question, i should then, he said, be formally installed in all the comforts of the cabin; and as to his father, he would only laugh heartily at the joke. vessels enough would be met with by which a letter might be sent home explaining the adventure to my parents. the middle of june at length arrived, and everything had been matured. the note was written and delivered, and on a monday morning i left the house for the new bedford packet, as supposed. i went, however, straight to augustus, who was waiting for me at the corner of a street. it had been our original plan that i should keep out of the way until dark, and then slip on board the brig; but, as there was now a thick fog in our favour, it was agreed to lose no time in secreting me. augustus led the way to the wharf, and i followed at a little distance, enveloped in a thick seaman's cloak, which he had brought with him, so that my person might not be easily recognised. just as we turned the second corner, after passing mr. edmund's well, who should appear, standing right in front of me, and looking me full in the face, but old mr. peterson, my grandfather. "why, bless my soul, gordon," said he, after a long pause, "why, why--_whose_ dirty cloak is that you have on?" "sir!" i replied, assuming, as well as i could, in the exigency of the moment, an air of offended surprise, and talking in the gruffest of all imaginable tones--"sir! you are a sum'mat mistaken--my name, in the first place, bee'nt nothing at all like goddin, and i'd want you for to know better, you blackguard, than to call my new obercoat a darty one!" for my life i could hardly refrain from screaming with laughter at the odd manner in which the old gentleman received this handsome rebuke. he started back two or three steps, turned first pale and then excessively red, threw up his spectacles, then, putting them down, ran full tilt at me, with his umbrella uplifted. he stopped short, however, in his career, as if struck with a sudden recollection; and presently, turning round, hobbled off down the street, shaking all the while with rage, and muttering between his teeth, "won't do--new glasses--thought it was gordon--d----d good-for-nothing salt water long tom." after this narrow escape we proceeded with greater caution, and arrived at our point of destination in safety. there were only one or two of the hands on board, and these were busy forward, doing something to the forecastle combings. captain barnard, we knew very well, was engaged at lloyd and vredenburgh's, and would remain there until late in the evening, so we had little to apprehend on his account. augustus went first up the vessel's side, and in a short while i followed him, without being noticed by the men at work. we proceeded at once into the cabin, and found no person there. it was fitted up in the most comfortable style--a thing somewhat unusual in a whaling-vessel. there were four very excellent staterooms, with wide and convenient berths. there was also a large stove, i took notice, and a remarkably thick and valuable carpet covering the floor of both the cabin and staterooms. the ceiling was full seven feet high, and, in short, everything appeared of a more roomy and agreeable nature than i had anticipated. augustus, however, would allow me but little time for observation, insisting upon the necessity of my concealing myself as soon as possible. he led the way into his own stateroom, which was on the starboard side of the brig, and next to the bulkheads. upon entering, he closed the door and bolted it. i thought i had never seen a nicer little room than the one in which i now found myself. it was about ten feet long, and had only one berth, which, as i said before, was wide and convenient. in that portion of the closet nearest the bulkheads there was a space of four feet square, containing a table, a chair, and a set of hanging shelves full of books, chiefly books of voyages and travels. there were many other little comforts in the room, among which i ought not to forget a kind of safe or refrigerator, in which augustus pointed out to me a host of delicacies, both in the eating and drinking department. he now pressed with his knuckles upon a certain spot of the carpet in one corner of the space just mentioned, letting me know that a portion of the flooring, about sixteen inches square, had been neatly cut out and again adjusted. as he pressed, this portion rose up at one end sufficiently to allow the passage of his finger beneath. in this manner he raised the mouth of the trap (to which the carpet was still fastened by tacks), and i found that it led into the after hold. he next lit a small taper by means of a phosphorus match, and, placing the light in a dark lantern, descended with it through the opening, bidding me follow. i did so, and he then pulled the cover upon the hole, by means of a nail driven into the under side--the carpet, of course, resuming its original position on the floor of the stateroom, and all traces of the aperture being concealed. the taper gave out so feeble a ray, that it was with the greatest difficulty i could grope my way through the confused mass of lumber among which i now found myself. by degrees, however, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom, and i proceeded with less trouble, holding on to the skirts of my friend's coat. he brought me, at length, after creeping and winding through innumerable narrow passages, to an iron-bound box, such as is used sometimes for packing fine earthenware. it was nearly four feet high, and full six long, but very narrow. two large empty oil-casks lay on the top of it, and above these, again, a vast quantity of straw matting, piled up as high as the floor of the cabin. in every other direction around was wedged as closely as possible, even up to the ceiling, a complete chaos of almost every species of ship-furniture, together with a heterogeneous medley of crates, hampers, barrels, and bales, so that it seemed a matter no less than miraculous that we had discovered any passage at all to the box. i afterward found that augustus had purposely arranged the stowage in this hold with a view to affording me a thorough concealment, having had only one assistant in the labour, a man not going out in the brig. my companion now showed me that one of the ends of the box could be removed at pleasure. he slipped it aside and displayed the interior, at which i was excessively amused. a mattress from one of the cabin berths covered the whole of its bottom, and it contained almost every article of mere comfort which could be crowded into so small a space, allowing me, at the same time, sufficient room for my accommodation, either in a sitting position or lying at full length. among other things, there were some books, pen, ink, and paper, three blankets, a large jug full of water, a keg of sea-biscuit, three or four immense bologna sausages, an enormous ham, a cold leg of roast mutton, and half a dozen bottles of cordials and liqueurs. i proceeded immediately to take possession of my little apartment, and this with feelings of higher satisfaction, i am sure, than any monarch ever experienced upon entering a new palace. augustus now pointed out to me the method of fastening the open end of the box, and then, holding the taper close to the deck, showed me a piece of dark whipcord lying along it. this, he said, extended from my hiding-place throughout all the necessary windings among the lumber, to a nail which was driven into the deck of the hold, immediately beneath the trapdoor leading into his stateroom. by means of this cord i should be enabled readily to trace my way out without his guidance, provided any unlooked-for accident should render such a step necessary. he now took his departure, leaving with me the lantern, together with a copious supply of tapers and phosphorus, and promising to pay me a visit as often as he could contrive to do so without observation. this was on the seventeenth of june. i remained three days and nights (as nearly as i could guess) in my hiding-place without getting out of it at all, except twice for the purpose of stretching my limbs by standing erect between two crates just opposite the opening. during the whole period i saw nothing of augustus; but this occasioned me little uneasiness, as i knew the brig was expected to put to sea every hour, and in the bustle he would not easily find opportunities of coming down to me. at length i heard the trap open and shut, and presently he called in a low voice, asking if all was well, and if there was anything i wanted. "nothing," i replied; "i am as comfortable as can be; when will the brig sail?" "she will be under weigh in less than half an hour," he answered. "i came to let you know, and for fear you should be uneasy at my absence. i shall not have a chance of coming down again for some time--perhaps for three or four days more. all is going on right aboveboard. after i go up and close the trap, do you creep along by the whipcord to where the nail is driven in. you will find my watch there--it may be useful to you, as you have no daylight to keep time by. i suppose you can't tell how long you have been buried--only three days--this is the twentieth. i would bring the watch to your box, but am afraid of being missed." with this he went up. in about an hour after he had gone i distinctly felt the brig in motion, and congratulated myself upon having at length fairly commenced a voyage. satisfied with this idea, i determined to make my mind as easy as possible, and await the course of events until i should be permitted to exchange the box for the more roomy, although hardly more comfortable, accommodations of the cabin. my first care was to get the watch. leaving the taper burning, i groped along in the dark, following the cord through windings innumerable, in some of which i discovered that, after toiling a long distance, i was brought back within a foot or two of a former position. at length i reached the nail, and, securing the object of my journey, returned with it in safety. i now looked over the books which had been so thoughtfully provided, and selected the expedition of lewis and clarke to the mouth of the columbia. with this i amused myself for some time, when, growing sleepy, i extinguished the light with great care, and soon fell into a sound slumber. upon awaking i felt strangely confused in mind, and some time elapsed before i could bring to recollection all the various circumstances of my situation. by degrees, however, i remembered all. striking a light, i looked at the watch; but it was run down, and there were, consequently, no means of determining how long i had slept. my limbs were greatly cramped, and i was forced to relieve them by standing between the crates. presently, feeling an almost ravenous appetite, i bethought myself of the cold mutton, some of which i had eaten just before going to sleep, and found excellent. what was my astonishment at discovering it to be in a state of absolute putrefaction! this circumstance occasioned me great disquietude; for, connecting it with the disorder of mind i experienced upon awaking, i began to suppose that i must have slept for an inordinately long period of time. the close atmosphere of the hold might have had something to do with this, and might, in the end, be productive of the most serious results. my head ached excessively; i fancied that i drew every breath with difficulty; and, in short, i was oppressed with a multitude of gloomy feelings. still i could not venture to make any disturbance by opening the trap or otherwise, and, having wound up the watch, contented myself as well as possible. throughout the whole of the next tedious twenty-four hours no person came to my relief, and i could not help accusing augustus of the grossest inattention. what alarmed me chiefly was, that the water in my jug was reduced to about half a pint, and i was suffering much from thirst, having eaten freely of the bologna sausages after the loss of my mutton. i became very uneasy, and could no longer take any interest in my books. i was overpowered, too, with a desire to sleep, yet trembled at the thought of indulging it, lest there might exist some pernicious influence, like that of burning charcoal, in the confined air of the hold. in the mean time the roll of the brig told me that we were far in the main ocean, and a dull humming sound, which reached my ears as if from an immense distance, convinced me no ordinary gale was blowing. i could not imagine a reason for the absence of augustus. we were surely far enough advanced on our voyage to allow of my going up. some accident might have happened to him--but i could think of none which would account for his suffering me to remain so long a prisoner, except, indeed, his having suddenly died or fallen overboard, and upon this idea i could not dwell with any degree of patience. it was possible that we had been baffled by head winds, and were still in the near vicinity of nantucket. this notion, however, i was forced to abandon; for, such being the case, the brig must have frequently gone about; and i was entirely satisfied, from her continual inclination to the larboard, that she had been sailing all along with a steady breeze on her starboard quarter. besides, granting that we were still in the neighbourhood of the island, why should not augustus have visited me and informed me of the circumstance? pondering in this manner upon the difficulties of my solitary and cheerless condition, i resolved to wait yet another twenty-four hours, when, if no relief were obtained, i would make my way to the trap, and endeavour either to hold a parley with my friend, or get at least a little fresh air through the opening, and a further supply of water from his stateroom. while occupied with this thought, however, i fell, in spite of every exertion to the contrary, into a state of profound sleep, or rather stupor. my dreams were of the most terrific description. every species of calamity and horror befell me. among other miseries, i was smothered to death between huge pillows, by demons of the most ghastly and ferocious aspect. immense serpents held me in their embrace, and looked earnestly in my face with their fearfully shining eyes. then deserts, limitless, and of the most forlorn and awe-inspiring character, spread themselves out before me. immensely tall trunks of trees, gray and leafless, rose up in endless succession as far as the eye could reach. their roots were concealed in wide-spreading morasses, whose dreary water lay intensely black, still, and altogether terrible, beneath. and the strange trees seemed endowed with a human vitality, and, waving to and fro their skeleton arms, were crying to the silent waters for mercy, in the shrill and piercing accents of the most acute agony and despair. the scene changed; and i stood, naked and alone, amid the burning sand-plains of zahara. at my feet lay crouched a fierce lion of the tropics. suddenly his wild eyes opened and fell upon me. with a convulsive bound he sprang to his feet, and laid bare his horrible teeth. in another instant there burst from his red throat a roar like the thunder of the firmament, and i fell impetuously to the earth. stifling in a paroxysm of terror, i at last found myself partially awake. my dream, then, was not all a dream. now, at least, i was in possession of my senses. the paws of some huge and real monster were pressing heavily upon my bosom--his hot breath was in my ear--and his white and ghastly fangs were gleaming upon me through the gloom. had a thousand lives hung upon the movement of a limb or the utterance of a syllable, i could have neither stirred nor spoken. the beast, whatever it was, retained his position without attempting any immediate violence, while i lay in an utterly helpless, and, i fancied, a dying condition beneath him. i felt that my powers of body and mind were fast leaving me--in a word, that i was perishing, and perishing of sheer fright. my brain swam--i grew deadly sick--my vision failed--even the glaring eyeballs above me grew dim. making a last strong effort, i at length breathed a faint ejaculation to god, and resigned myself to die. the sound of my voice seemed to arouse all the latent fury of the animal. he precipitated himself at full length upon my body; but what was my astonishment, when, with a long and low whine, he commenced licking my face and hands with the greatest eagerness, and with the most extravagant demonstrations of affection and joy! i was bewildered, utterly lost in amazement--but i could not forget the peculiar whine of my newfoundland dog tiger, and the odd manner of his caresses i well knew. it was he. i experienced a sudden rush of blood to my temples--a giddy and overpowering sense of deliverance and reanimation. i rose hurriedly from the mattress upon which i had been lying, and, throwing myself upon the neck of my faithful follower and friend, relieved the long oppression of my bosom in a flood of the most passionate tears. as upon a former occasion, my conceptions were in a state of the greatest indistinctness and confusion after leaving the mattress. for a long time i found it nearly impossible to connect any ideas--but, by very slow degrees, my thinking faculties returned, and i again called to memory the several incidents of my condition. for the presence of tiger i tried in vain to account; and after busying myself with a thousand different conjectures respecting him, was forced to content myself with rejoicing that he was with me to share my dreary solitude, and render me comfort by his caresses. most people love their dogs--but for tiger i had an affection far more ardent than common; and never, certainly, did any creature more truly deserve it. for seven years he had been my inseparable companion, and in a multitude of instances had given evidence of all the noble qualities for which we value the animal. i had rescued him, when a puppy, from the clutches of a malignant little villain in nantucket, who was leading him, with a rope around his neck, to the water; and the grown dog repaid the obligation, about three years afterward, by saving me from the bludgeon of a street-robber. getting now hold of the watch, i found, upon applying it to my ear, that it had again run down; but at this i was not at all surprised, being convinced, from the peculiar state of my feelings, that i had slept, as before, for a very long period of time; how long, it was of course impossible to say. i was burning up with fever, and my thirst was almost intolerable. i felt about the box for my little remaining supply of water; for i had no light, the taper having burnt to the socket of the lantern, and the phosphorus-box not coming readily to hand. upon finding the jug, however, i discovered it to be empty--tiger, no doubt, having been tempted to drink it, as well as to devour the remnant of mutton, the bone of which lay, well picked, by the opening of the box. the spoiled meat i could well spare, but my heart sank as i thought of the water. i was feeble in the extreme--so much so that i shook all over, as with an ague, at the slightest movement or exertion. to add to my troubles, the brig was pitching and rolling with great violence, and the oil-casks which lay upon my box were in momentary danger of falling down, so as to block up the only way of ingress or egress. i felt, also, terrible sufferings from sea-sickness. these considerations determined me to make my way, at all hazards, to the trap, and obtain immediate relief, before i should be incapacitated from doing so altogether. having come to this resolve, i again felt about for the phosphorus-box and tapers. the former i found after some little trouble; but, not discovering the tapers as soon as i had expected (for i remembered very nearly the spot in which i had placed them), i gave up the search for the present, and bidding tiger lie quiet, began at once my journey towards the trap. in this attempt my great feebleness became more than ever apparent. it was with the utmost difficulty i could crawl along at all, and very frequently my limbs sank suddenly from beneath me; when, falling prostrate on my face, i would remain for some minutes in a state bordering on insensibility. still i struggled forward by slow degrees, dreading every moment that i should swoon amid the narrow and intricate windings of the lumber, in which event i had nothing but death to expect as the result. at length, upon making a push forward with all the energy i could command, i struck my forehead violently against the sharp corner of an iron-bound crate. the accident only stunned me for a few moments; but i found, to my inexpressible grief, that the quick and violent roll of the vessel had thrown the crate entirely across my path, so as effectually to block up the passage. with my utmost exertions i could not move it a single inch from its position, it being closely wedged in among the surrounding boxes and ship-furniture. it became necessary, therefore, enfeebled as i was, either to leave the guidance of the whipcord and seek out a new passage, or to climb over the obstacle, and resume the path on the other side. the former alternative presented too many difficulties and dangers to be thought of without a shudder. in my present weak state of both mind and body, i should infallibly lose my way if i attempted it, and perish miserably amid the dismal and disgusting labyrinths of the hold. i proceeded, therefore, without hesitation, to summon up all my remaining strength and fortitude, and endeavour, as i best might, to clamber over the crate. upon standing erect, with this end in view, i found the undertaking even a more serious task than my fears had led me to imagine. on each side of the narrow passage arose a complete wall of various heavy lumber, which the least blunder on my part might be the means of bringing down upon my head; or, if this accident did not occur, the path might be effectually blocked up against my return by the descending mass, as it was in front by the obstacle there. the crate itself was a long and unwieldy box, upon which no foothold could be obtained. in vain i attempted, by every means in my power, to reach the top, with the hope of being thus enabled to draw myself up. had i succeeded in reaching it, it is certain that my strength would have proved utterly inadequate to the task of getting over, and it was better in every respect that i failed. at length, in a desperate effort to force the crate from its ground, i felt a strong vibration in the side next me. i thrust my hand eagerly to the edge of the planks, and found that a very large one was loose. with my pocket-knife, which luckily i had with me, i succeeded, after great labour, in prying it entirely off; and, getting through the aperture, discovered, to my exceeding joy, that there were no boards on the opposite side--in other words, that the top was wanting, it being the bottom through which i had forced my way. i now met with no important difficulty in proceeding along the line until i finally reached the nail. with a beating heart i stood erect, and with a gentle touch pressed against the cover of the trap. it did not rise as soon as i had expected, and i pressed it with somewhat more determination, still dreading lest some other person than augustus might be in his stateroom. the door, however, to my astonishment, remained steady, and i became somewhat uneasy, for i knew that it had formerly required little or no effort to remove it. i pushed it strongly--it was nevertheless firm: with all my strength--it still did not give way: with rage, with fury, with despair--it set at defiance my utmost efforts; and it was evident, from the unyielding nature of the resistance, that the hole had either been discovered and effectually nailed up, or that some immense weight had been placed upon it, which it was useless to think of removing. my sensations were those of extreme horror and dismay. in vain i attempted to reason on the probable cause of my being thus entombed. i could summon up no connected chain of reflection, and, sinking on the floor, gave way, unresistingly, to the most gloomy imaginings, in which the dreadful deaths of thirst, famine, suffocation, and premature interment, crowded upon me as the prominent disasters to be encountered. at length there returned to me some portion of presence of mind. i arose, and felt with my fingers for the seams or cracks of the aperture. having found them, i examined them closely to ascertain if they emitted any light from the stateroom; but none was visible. i then forced the penblade of my knife through them, until i met with some hard obstacle. scraping against it, i discovered it to be a solid mass of iron, which, from its peculiar wavy feel as i passed the blade along it, i concluded to be a chain-cable. the only course now left me was to retrace my way to the box, and there either yield to my sad fate, or try so to tranquillize my mind as to admit of my arranging some plan of escape. i immediately set about the attempt, and succeeded, after innumerable difficulties, in getting back. as i sank, utterly exhausted, upon the mattress, tiger threw himself at full length by my side, and seemed as if desirous, by his caresses, of consoling me in my troubles, and urging me to bear them with fortitude. the singularity of his behaviour at length forcibly arrested my attention. after licking my face and hands for some minutes, he would suddenly cease doing so, and utter a low whine. upon reaching out my hand towards him, i then invariably found him lying on his back, with his paws uplifted. this conduct, so frequently repeated, appeared strange, and i could in no manner account for it. as the dog seemed distressed, i concluded that he had received some injury; and, taking his paws in my hands, i examined them one by one, but found no sign of any hurt. i then supposed him hungry, and gave him a large piece of ham, which he devoured with avidity--afterward, however, resuming his extraordinary manoeuvres. i now imagined that he was suffering, like myself, the torments of thirst, and was about adopting this conclusion as the true one, when the idea occurred to me that i had as yet only examined his paws, and that there might possibly be a wound upon some portion of his body or head. the latter i felt carefully over, but found nothing. on passing my hand, however, along his back, i perceived a slight erection of the hair extending completely across it. probing this with my finger, i discovered a string, and, tracing it up, found that it encircled the whole body. upon a closer scrutiny, i came across a small slip of what had the feeling of letter paper, through which the string had been fastened in such a manner as to bring it immediately beneath the left shoulder of the animal. chapter iii. the thought instantly occurred to me that the paper was a note from augustus, and that some unaccountable accident having happened to prevent his relieving me from my dungeon, he had devised this method of acquainting me with the true state of affairs. trembling with eagerness, i now commenced another search for my phosphorus matches and tapers. i had a confused recollection of having put them carefully away just before falling asleep; and, indeed, previously to my last journey to the trap, i had been able to remember the exact spot where i had deposited them. but now i endeavoured in vain to call it to mind, and busied myself for a full hour in a fruitless and vexatious search for the missing articles; never, surely, was there a more tantalizing state of anxiety and suspense. at length, while groping about, with my head close to the ballast, near the opening of the box, and outside of it, i perceived a faint glimmering of light in the direction of the steerage. greatly surprised, i endeavoured to make my way towards it, as it appeared to be but a few feet from my position. scarcely had i moved with this intention, when i lost sight of the glimmer entirely, and, before i could bring it into view again, was obliged to feel along by the box until i had exactly resumed my original situation. now, moving my head with caution to and fro, i found that, by proceeding slowly, with great care, in an opposite direction to that in which i had at first started, i was enabled to draw near the light, still keeping it in view. presently i came directly upon it (having squeezed my way through innumerable narrow windings), and found that it proceeded from some fragments of my matches lying in an empty barrel turned upon its side. i was wondering how they came in such a place, when my hand fell upon two or three pieces of taper-wax, which had been evidently mumbled by the dog. i concluded at once that he had devoured the whole of my supply of candles, and i felt hopeless of being ever able to read the note of augustus. the small remnants of the wax were so mashed up among other rubbish in the barrel, that i despaired of deriving any service from them, and left them as they were. the phosphorus, of which there was only a speck or two, i gathered up as well as i could, and returned with it, after much difficulty, to my box, where tiger had all the while remained. what to do next i could not tell. the hold was so intensely dark that i could not see my hand, however close i would hold it to my face. the white slip of paper could barely be discerned, and not even that when i looked at it directly; by turning the exterior portions of the retina towards it, that is to say, by surveying it slightly askance, i found that it became in some measure perceptible. thus the gloom of my prison may be imagined, and the note of my friend, if indeed it were a note from him, seemed only likely to throw me into further trouble, by disquieting to no purpose my already enfeebled and agitated mind. in vain i revolved in my brain a multitude of absurd expedients for procuring light--such expedients precisely as a man in the perturbed sleep occasioned by opium would be apt to fall upon for a similar purpose--each and all of which appear by turns to the dreamer the most reasonable and the most preposterous of conceptions, just as the reasoning or imaginative faculties flicker, alternately, one above the other. at last an idea occurred to me which seemed rational, and which gave me cause to wonder, very justly, that i had not entertained it before. i placed the slip of paper on the back of a book, and, collecting the fragments of the phosphorus matches which i had brought from the barrel, laid them together upon the paper. i then, with the palm of my hand, rubbed the whole over quickly yet steadily. a clear light diffused itself immediately throughout the whole surface; and had there been any writing upon it, i should not have experienced the least difficulty, i am sure, in reading it. not a syllable was there, however--nothing but a dreary and unsatisfactory blank; the illumination died away in a few seconds, and my heart died away within me as it went. i have before stated more than once that my intellect, for some period prior to this, had been in a condition nearly bordering on idiocy. there were, to be sure, momentary intervals of perfect sanity, and, now and then, even of energy; but these were few. it must be remembered that i had been, for many days certainly, inhaling the almost pestilential atmosphere of a close hold in a whaling vessel, and a long portion of that time but scantily supplied with water. for the last fourteen or fifteen hours i had none--nor had i slept during that time. salt provisions of the most exciting kind had been my chief, and, indeed, since the loss of the mutton, my only supply of food, with the exception of the sea-biscuit; and these latter were utterly useless to me, as they were too dry and hard to be swallowed in the swollen and parched condition of my throat. i was now in a high state of fever, and in every respect exceedingly ill. this will account for the fact that many miserable hours of despondency elapsed after my last adventure with the phosphorus, before the thought suggested itself that i had examined only one side of the paper. i shall not attempt to describe my feelings of rage (for i believe i was more angry than anything else) when the egregious oversight i had committed flashed suddenly upon my perception. the blunder itself would have been unimportant, had not my own folly and impetuosity rendered it otherwise--in my disappointment at not finding some words upon the slip, i had childishly torn it in pieces and thrown it away, it was impossible to say where. from the worst part of this dilemma i was relieved by the sagacity of tiger. having got, after a long search, a small piece of the note, i put it to the dog's nose, and endeavoured to make him understand that he must bring me the rest of it. to my astonishment (for i had taught him none of the usual tricks for which his breed are famous), he seemed to enter at once into my meaning, and, rummaging about for a few moments, soon found another considerable portion. bringing me this, he paused a while, and, rubbing his nose against my hand, appeared to be waiting for my approval of what he had done. i patted him on the head, when he immediately made off again. it was now some minutes before he came back--but when he did come, he brought with him a large slip, which proved to be all the paper missing--it having been torn, it seems, only into three pieces. luckily, i had no trouble in finding what few fragments of the phosphorus were left--being guided by the indistinct glow one or two of the particles still emitted. my difficulties had taught me the necessity of caution, and i now took time to reflect upon what i was about to do. it was very probable, i considered, that some words were written upon that side of the paper which had not been examined--but which side was that? fitting the pieces together gave me no clew in this respect, although it assured me that the words (if there were any) would be found all on one side, and connected in a proper manner, as written. there was the greater necessity of ascertaining the point in question beyond a doubt, as the phosphorus remaining would be altogether insufficient for a third attempt, should i fail in the one i was now about to make. i placed the paper on a book as before, and sat for some minutes thoughtfully revolving the matter over in my mind. at last i thought it barely possible that the written side might have some unevenness on its surface, which a delicate sense of feeling might enable me to detect. i determined to make the experiment, and passed my finger very carefully over the side which first presented itself--nothing, however, was perceptible, and i turned the paper, adjusting it on the book. i now again carried my forefinger cautiously along, when i was aware of an exceedingly slight, but still discernible glow, which followed as it proceeded. this, i knew, must arise from some very minute remaining particles of the phosphorus with which i had covered the paper in my previous attempt. the other, or under side, then, was that on which lay the writing, if writing there should finally prove to be. again i turned the note, and went to work as i had previously done. having rubbed in the phosphorus, a brilliancy ensued as before--but this time several lines of ms. in a large hand, and apparently in red ink, became distinctly visible. the glimmer, although sufficiently bright, was but momentary. still, had i not been too greatly excited, there would have been ample time enough for me to peruse the whole three sentences before me--for i saw there were three. in my anxiety, however, to read all at once, i succeeded only in reading the seven concluding words, which thus appeared: _"blood--your life depends upon lying close."_ had i been able to ascertain the entire contents of the note--the full meaning of the admonition which my friend had thus attempted to convey, that admonition, even although it should have revealed a story of disaster the most unspeakable, could not, i am firmly convinced, have imbued my mind with one tithe of the harrowing and yet indefinable horror with which i was inspired by the fragmentary warning thus received. and _"blood"_ too, that word of all words--so rife at all times with mystery, and suffering, and terror--how trebly full of import did it now appear--how chillily and heavily (disjointed, as it thus was, from any foregoing words to qualify or render it distinct) did its vague syllables fall, amid the deep gloom of my prison, into the innermost recesses of my soul! augustus had, undoubtedly, good reasons for wishing me to remain concealed, and i formed a thousand surmises as to what they could be--but i could think of nothing affording a satisfactory solution of the mystery. just after returning from my last journey to the trap, and before my attention had been otherwise directed by the singular conduct of tiger, i had come to the resolution of making myself heard at all events by those on board, or, if i could not succeed in this directly, of trying to cut my way through the orlop deck. the half certainty which i felt of being able to accomplish one of these two purposes in the last emergency, had given me courage (which i should not otherwise have had) to endure the evils of my situation. the few words i had been able to read, however, had cut me off from these final resources, and i now, for the first time, felt all the misery of my fate. in a paroxysm of despair i threw myself again upon the mattress, where, for about the period of a day and night, i lay in a kind of stupor, relieved only by momentary intervals of reason and recollection. at length i once more arose, and busied myself in reflection upon the horrors which encompassed me. for another twenty-four hours it was barely possible that i might exist without water--for a longer time i could not do so. during the first portion of my imprisonment i had made free use of the cordials with which augustus had supplied me, but they only served to excite fever, without in the least degree assuaging my thirst. i had now only about a gill left, and this was of a species of strong peach liqueur at which my stomach revolted. the sausages were entirely consumed; of the ham nothing remained but a small piece of the skin; and all the biscuit, except a few fragments of one, had been eaten by tiger. to add to my troubles, i found that my headache was increasing momentarily, and with it the species of delirium which had distressed me more or less since my first falling asleep. for some hours past it had been with the greatest difficulty i could breathe at all, and now each attempt at so doing was attended with the most distressing spasmodic action of the chest. but there was still another and very different source of disquietude, and one, indeed, whose harassing terrors had been the chief means of arousing me to exertion from my stupor on the mattress. it arose from the demeanour of the dog. i first observed an alteration in his conduct while rubbing in the phosphorus on the paper in my last attempt. as i rubbed, he ran his nose against my hand with a slight snarl; but i was too greatly excited at the time to pay much attention to the circumstance. soon afterward, it will be remembered, i threw myself on the mattress, and fell into a species of lethargy. presently i became aware of a singular hissing sound close at my ears, and discovered it to proceed from tiger, who was panting and wheezing in a state of the greatest apparent excitement, his eyeballs flashing fiercely through the gloom. i spoke to him, when he replied with a low growl, and then remained quiet. presently i relapsed into my stupor, from which i was again awakened in a similar manner. this was repeated three or four times, until finally his behaviour inspired me with so great a degree of fear that i became fully aroused. he was now lying close by the door of the box, snarling fearfully, although in a kind of under tone, and grinding his teeth as if strongly convulsed. i had no doubt whatever that the want of water or the confined atmosphere of the hold had driven him mad, and i was at a loss what course to pursue. i could not endure the thought of killing him, yet it seemed absolutely necessary for my own safety. i could distinctly perceive his eyes fastened upon me with an expression of the most deadly animosity, and i expected every instant that he would attack me. at last i could endure my terrible situation no longer, and determined to make my way from the box at all hazards, and despatch him, if his opposition should render it necessary for me to do so. to get out, i had to pass directly over his body, and he already seemed to anticipate my design--raising himself upon his fore legs (as i perceived by the altered position of his eyes), and displaying the whole of his white fangs, which were easily discernible. i took the remains of the ham-skin, and the bottle containing the liqueur, and secured them about my person, together with a large carving-knife which augustus had left me--then, folding my cloak as closely around me as possible, i made a movement towards the mouth of the box. no sooner did i do this than the dog sprang with a loud growl towards my throat. the whole weight of his body struck me on the right shoulder, and i fell violently to the left, while the enraged animal passed entirely over me. i had fallen upon my knees, with my head buried among the blankets, and these protected me from a second furious assault, during which i felt the sharp teeth pressing vigorously upon the woollen which enveloped my neck--yet, luckily, without being able to penetrate all the folds. i was now beneath the dog, and a few moments would place me completely in his power. despair gave me strength, and i rose bodily up, shaking him from me by main force, and dragging with me the blankets from the mattress. these i now threw over him, and before he could extricate himself i had got through the door and closed it effectually against his pursuit. in this struggle, however, i had been forced to drop the morsel of ham-skin, and i now found my whole stock of provisions reduced to a single gill of liqueur. as this reflection crossed my mind, i felt myself actuated by one of those fits of perverseness which might be supposed to influence a spoiled child in similar circumstances, and, raising the bottle to my lips, i drained it to the last drop, and dashed it furiously upon the floor. scarcely had the echo of the crash died away, when i heard my name pronounced in an eager but subdued voice, issuing from the direction of the steerage. so unexpected was anything of the kind, and so intense was the emotion excited within me by the sound, that i endeavoured in vain to reply. my powers of speech totally failed, and, in an agony of terror lest my friend should conclude me dead, and return without attempting to reach me, i stood up between the crates near the door of the box, trembling convulsively, and gasping and struggling for utterance. had a thousand worlds depended upon a syllable, i could not have spoken it. there was a slight movement now audible among the lumber somewhere forward of my station. the sound presently grew less distinct, then again less so, and still less. shall i ever forget my feelings at this moment? he was going--my friend--my companion, from whom i had a right to expect so much--he was going--he would abandon me--he was gone! he would leave me to perish miserably, to expire in the most horrible and loathsome of dungeons--and one word--one little syllable would save me--yet that single syllable i could not utter! i felt, i am sure, more than ten thousand times the agonies of death itself. my brain reeled, and i fell, deadly sick, against the end of the box. as i fell, the carving-knife was shaken out from the waistband of my pantaloons, and dropped with a rattling sound to the floor. never did any strain of the richest melody come so sweetly to my ears! with the intensest anxiety i listened to ascertain the effect of the noise upon augustus--for i knew that the person who called my name could be no one but himself. all was silent for some moments. at length i again heard the word _arthur!_ repeated in a low tone, and one full of hesitation. reviving hope loosened at once my powers of speech, and i now screamed, at the top of my voice, _"augustus! oh augustus!"_ "hush--for god's sake be silent!" he replied, in a voice trembling with agitation; "i will be with you immediately--as soon as i can make my way through the hold." for a long time i heard him moving among the lumber, and every moment seemed to me an age. at length i felt his hand upon my shoulder, and he placed at the same moment a bottle of water to my lips. those only who have been suddenly redeemed from the jaws of the tomb, or who have known the insufferable torments of thirst under circumstances as aggravated as those which encompassed me in my dreary prison, can form any idea of the unutterable transports which that one long draught of the richest of all physical luxuries afforded. when i had in some degree satisfied my thirst, augustus produced from his pocket three or four cold boiled potatoes, which i devoured with the greatest avidity. he had brought with him a light in a dark lantern, and the grateful rays afforded me scarcely less comfort than the food and drink. but i was impatient to learn the cause of his protracted absence, and he proceeded to recount what had happened on board during my incarceration. chapter iv. the brig put to sea, as i had supposed, in about an hour after he had left the watch. this was on the twentieth of june. it will be remembered that i had then been in the hold for three days; and, during this period, there was so constant a bustle on board, and so much running to and fro, especially in the cabin and staterooms, that he had had no chance of visiting me without the risk of having the secret of the trap discovered. when at length he did come, i had assured him that i was doing as well as possible; and, therefore, for the two next days he felt but little uneasiness on my account--still, however, watching an opportunity of going down. it was not _until the fourth day_ that he found one. several times during this interval he had made up his mind to let his father know of the adventure, and have me come up at once; but we were still within reaching distance of nantucket, and it was doubtful, from some expressions which had escaped captain barnard, whether he would not immediately put back if he discovered me to be on board. besides, upon thinking the matter over, augustus, so he told me, could not imagine that i was in immediate want, or that i would hesitate, in such case, to make myself heard at the trap. when, therefore, he considered everything, he concluded to let me stay until he could meet with an opportunity of visiting me unobserved. this, as i said before, did not occur until the fourth day after his bringing me the watch, and the seventh since i had first entered the hold. he then went down without taking with him any water or provisions, intending in the first place merely to call my attention, and get me to come from the box to the trap--when he would go up to the stateroom and thence hand me down a supply. when he descended for this purpose he found that i was asleep, for it seems that i was snoring very loudly. from all the calculations i can make on the subject, this must have been the slumber into which i fell just after my return from the trap with the watch, and which, consequently, must have lasted _for more than three entire days and nights_ at the very least. latterly, i have had reason, both from my own experience and the assurance of others, to be acquainted with the strong soporific effects of the stench arising from old fish-oil when closely confined; and when i think of the condition of the hold in which i was imprisoned, and the long period during which the brig had been used as a whaling vessel, i am more inclined to wonder that i awoke at all, after once falling asleep, than that i should have slept uninterruptedly for the period specified above. augustus called to me at first in a low voice and without closing the trap--but i made him no reply. he then shut the trap, and spoke to me in a louder, and finally in a very loud tone--still i continued to snore. he was now at a loss what to do. it would take him some time to make his way through the lumber to my box, and in the mean while his absence would be noticed by captain barnard, who had occasion for his services every minute, in arranging and copying papers connected with the business of the voyage. he determined, therefore, upon reflection, to ascend, and await another opportunity of visiting me. he was the more easily induced to this resolve, as my slumber appeared to be of the most tranquil nature, and he could not suppose that i had undergone any inconvenience from my incarceration. he had just made up his mind on these points when his attention was arrested by an unusual bustle, the sound of which proceeded apparently from the cabin. he sprang through the trap as quickly as possible, closed it, and threw open the door of his stateroom. no sooner had he put his foot over the threshold than a pistol flashed in his face, and he was knocked down, at the same moment, by a blow from a handspike. a strong hand held him on the cabin floor, with a tight grasp upon his throat--still he was able to see what was going on around him. his father was tied hand and foot, and lying along the steps of the companion-way with his head down, and a deep wound in the forehead, from which the blood was flowing in a continued stream. he spoke not a word, and was apparently dying. over him stood the first mate, eying him with an expression of fiendish derision, and deliberately searching his pockets, from which he presently drew forth a large wallet and a chronometer. seven of the crew (among whom was the cook, a negro) were rummaging the staterooms on the larboard for arms, where they soon equipped themselves with muskets and ammunition. besides augustus and captain barnard, there were nine men altogether in the cabin, and these among the most ruffianly of the brig's company. the villains now went upon deck, taking my friend with them, after having secured his arms behind his back. they proceeded straight to the forecastle, which was fastened down--two of the mutineers standing by it with axes--two also at the main hatch. the mate called out in a loud voice, "do you hear there below? tumble up with you--one by one, now, mark that--and no grumbling." it was some minutes before any one appeared: at last an englishman, who had shipped as a raw hand, came up, weeping piteously, and entreating the mate in the most humble manner to spare his life. the only reply was a blow on the forehead from an axe. the poor fellow fell to the deck without a groan, and the black cook lifted him up in his arms as he would a child, and tossed him deliberately into the sea. hearing the blow and the plunge of the body, the men below could now be induced to venture on deck neither by threats nor promises, until a proposition was made to smoke them out. a general rush then ensued, and for a moment it seemed possible that the brig might be retaken. the mutineers, however, succeeded at last in closing the forecastle effectually before more than six of their opponents could get up. these six, finding themselves so greatly outnumbered and without arms, submitted after a brief struggle. the mate gave them fair words--no doubt with a view of inducing those below to yield, for they had no difficulty in hearing all that was said on deck. the result proved his sagacity, no less than his diabolical villany. all in the forecastle presently signified their intention of submitting, and, ascending one by one, were pinioned and thrown on their backs together with the first six--there being in all, of the crew who were not concerned in the mutiny, twenty-seven. a scene of the most horrible butchery ensued. the bound seamen were dragged to the gangway. here the cook stood with an axe, striking each victim on the head as he was forced over the side of the vessel by the other mutineers. in this manner twenty-two perished, and augustus had given himself up for lost, expecting every moment his own turn to come next. but it seemed that the villains were now either weary, or in some measure disgusted with their bloody labour; for the four remaining prisoners, together with my friend, who had been thrown on the deck with the rest, were respited while the mate sent below for rum, and the whole murderous party held a drunken carouse, which lasted until sunset. they now fell to disputing in regard to the fate of the survivers, who lay not more than four paces off, and could distinguish every word said. upon some of the mutineers the liquor appeared to have a softening effect, for several voices were heard in favour of releasing the captives altogether, on condition of joining the mutiny and sharing the profits. the black cook, however (who in all respects was a perfect demon, and who seemed to exert as much influence, if not more, than the mate himself), would listen to no proposition of the kind, and rose repeatedly for the purpose of resuming his work at the gangway. fortunately, he was so far overcome by intoxication as to be easily restrained by the less bloodthirsty of the party, among whom was a line-manager, who went by the name of dirk peters. this man was the son of an indian squaw of the tribe of upsarokas, who live among the fastnesses of the black hills near the source of the missouri. his father was a fur-trader, i believe, or at least connected in some manner with the indian trading-posts on lewis river. peters himself was one of the most purely ferocious-looking men i ever beheld. he was short in stature--not more than four feet eight inches high--but his limbs were of the most herculean mould. his hands, especially, were so enormously thick and broad as hardly to retain a human shape. his arms, as well as legs, were _bowed_ in the most singular manner, and appeared to possess no flexibility whatever. his head was equally deformed, being of immense size, with an indentation on the crown (like that on the head of most negroes), and entirely bald. to conceal this latter deficiency, which did not proceed from old age, he usually wore a wig formed of any hair-like material which presented itself--occasionally the skin of a spanish dog or american grizzly bear. at the time spoken of he had on a portion of one of these bearskins; and it added no little to the natural ferocity of his countenance, which betook of the upsaroka character. the mouth extended nearly from ear to ear; the lips were thin, and seemed, like some other portions of his frame, to be devoid of natural pliancy, so that the ruling expression never varied under the influence of any emotion whatever. this ruling expression may be conceived when it is considered that the teeth were exceedingly long and protruding, and never even partially covered, in any instance, by the lips. to pass this man with a casual glance, one might imagine him to be convulsed with laughter--but a second look would induce a shuddering acknowledgment, that if such an expression were indicative of merriment, the merriment must be that of a demon. of this singular being many anecdotes were prevalent among the seafaring men of nantucket. these anecdotes went to prove his prodigious strength when under excitement, and some of them had given rise to a doubt of his sanity. but on board the grampus, it seems, he was regarded at the time of the mutiny with feelings more of derision than of anything else. i have been thus particular in speaking of dirk peters, because, ferocious as he appeared, he proved the main instrument in preserving the life of augustus, and because i shall have frequent occasion to mention him hereafter in the course of my narrative--a narrative, let me here say, which, in its latter portions, will be found to include incidents of a nature so entirely out of the range of human experience, and for this reason so far beyond the limits of human credulity, that i proceed in utter hopelessness of obtaining credence for all that i shall tell, yet confidently trusting in time and progressing science to verify some of the most important and most improbable of my statements. after much indecision and two or three violent quarrels, it was determined at last that all the prisoners (with the exception of augustus, whom peters insisted in a jocular manner upon keeping as his clerk) should be set adrift in one of the smallest whaleboats. the mate went down into the cabin to see if captain barnard was still living--for, it will be remembered, he was left below when the mutineers came up. presently the two made their appearance, the captain pale as death, but somewhat recovered from the effects of his wound. he spoke to the men in a voice hardly articulate, entreated them not to set him adrift, but to return to their duty, and promising to land them wherever they chose, and to take no steps for bringing them to justice. he might as well have spoken to the winds. two of the ruffians seized him by the arms and hurled him over the brig's side into the boat, which had been lowered while the mate went below. the four men who were lying on the deck were then untied and ordered to follow, which they did without attempting any resistance--augustus being still left in his painful position, although he struggled and prayed only for the poor satisfaction of being permitted to bid his father farewell. a handful of sea-biscuit and a jug of water were now handed down; but neither mast, sail, oar, nor compass. the boat was towed astern for a few minutes, during which the mutineers held another consultation--it was then finally cut adrift. by this time night had come on--there were neither moon nor stars visible--and a short and ugly sea was running, although there was no great deal of wind. the boat was instantly out of sight, and little hope could be entertained for the unfortunate sufferers who were in it. this event happened, however, in latitude 35° 30' north, longitude 61° 20' west, and consequently at no very great distance from the bermuda islands. augustus therefore endeavoured to console himself with the idea that the boat might either succeed in reaching the land, or come sufficiently near to be fallen in with by vessels off the coast. all sail was now put upon the brig, and she continued her original course to the southwest--the mutineers being bent upon some piratical expedition, in which, from all that could be understood, a ship was to be intercepted on her way from the cape verd islands to porto rico. no attention was paid to augustus, who was untied and suffered to go about anywhere forward of the cabin companion-way. dirk peters treated him with some degree of kindness, and on one occasion saved him from the brutality of the cook. his situation was still one of the most precarious, as the men were continually intoxicated, and there was no relying upon their continued good-humour or carelessness in regard to himself. his anxiety on my account he represented, however, as the most distressing result of his condition; and, indeed, i had never reason to doubt the sincerity of his friendship. more than once he had resolved to acquaint the mutineers with the secret of my being on board, but was restrained from so doing, partly through recollection of the atrocities he had already beheld, and partly through a hope of being able soon to bring me relief. for the latter purpose he was constantly on the watch; but, in spite of the most constant vigilance, three days elapsed after the boat was cut adrift before any chance occurred. at length, on the night of the third day, there came on a heavy blow from the eastward, and all hands were called up to take in sail. during the confusion which ensued, he made his way below unobserved, and into the stateroom. what was his grief and horror in discovering that the latter had been rendered a place of deposite for a variety of sea-stores and ship-furniture, and that several fathoms of old chain-cable, which had been stowed away beneath the companion-ladder, had been dragged thence to make room for a chest, and were now lying immediately upon the trap! to remove it without discovery was impossible, and he returned on deck as quickly as he could. as he came up the mate seized him by the throat, and demanding what he had been doing in the cabin, was about flinging him over the larboard bulwark, when his life was again preserved through the interference of dirk peters. augustus was now put in handcuffs (of which there were several pairs on board), and his feet lashed tightly together. he was then taken into the steerage, and thrown into a lower berth next to the forecastle bulkheads, with the assurance that he should never put his foot on deck again "until the brig was no longer a brig." this was the expression of the cook, who threw him into the berth--it is hardly possible to say what precise meaning was intended by the phrase. the whole affair, however, proved the ultimate means of my relief, as will presently appear. chapter v. for some minutes after the cook had left the forecastle, augustus abandoned himself to despair, never hoping to leave the berth alive. he now came to the resolution of acquainting the first of the men who should come down with my situation, thinking it better to let me take my chance with the mutineers than perish of thirst in the hold--for it had been ten days since i was first imprisoned, and my jug of water was not a plentiful supply even for four. as he was thinking on this subject, the idea came all at once into his head that it might be possible to communicate with me by the way of the main hold. in any other circumstances, the difficulty and hazard of the undertaking would have prevented him from attempting it; but now he had, at all events, little prospect of life, and consequently little to lose--he bent his whole mind, therefore, upon the task. his handcuffs were the first consideration. at first he saw no method of removing them, and feared that he should thus be baffled in the very outset; but, upon a closer scrutiny, he discovered that the irons could be slipped off and on at pleasure with very little effort or inconvenience, merely by squeezing his hands through them--this species of manacle being altogether ineffectual in confining young persons, in whom the smaller bones readily yield to pressure. he now untied his feet, and, leaving the cord in such a manner that it could easily be readjusted in the event of any person's coming down, proceeded to examine the bulkhead where it joined the berth. the partition here was of soft pine board, an inch thick, and he saw that he should have little trouble in cutting his way through. a voice was now heard at the forecastle companion-way, and he had just time to put his right hand into its handcuff (the left had not been removed), and to draw the rope in a slipknot around his ankle, when dirk peters came below, followed by tiger, who immediately leaped into the berth and lay down. the dog had been brought on board by augustus, who knew my attachment to the animal, and thought it would give me pleasure to have him with me during the voyage. he went up to our house for him immediately after first taking me into the hold, but did not think of mentioning the circumstance upon his bringing the watch. since the mutiny, augustus had not seen him before his appearance with dirk peters, and had given him up for lost, supposing him to have been thrown overboard by some of the malignant villains belonging to the mate's gang. it appeared afterward that he had crawled into a hole beneath a whaleboat, from which, not having room to turn round, he could not extricate himself. peters at last let him out, and with a species of good feeling which my friend knew well how to appreciate, had now brought him to him in the forecastle as a companion, leaving at the same time some salt junk and potatoes, with a can of water; he then went on deck, promising to come down with something more to eat on the next day. when he had gone, augustus freed both hands from the manacles and unfastened his feet. he then turned down the head of the mattress on which he had been lying, and with his penknife (for the ruffians had not thought it worth while to search him) commenced cutting vigorously across one of the partition planks, as closely as possible to the floor of the berth. he chose to cut here, because, if suddenly interrupted, he would be able to conceal what had been done by letting the head of the mattress fall into its proper position. for the remainder of the day, however, no disturbance occurred, and by night he had completely divided the plank. it should here be observed, that none of the crew occupied the forecastle as a sleeping-place, living altogether in the cabin since the mutiny, drinking the wines, and feasting on the sea stores of captain barnard, and giving no more heed than was absolutely necessary to the navigation of the brig. these circumstances proved fortunate both for myself and augustus; for, had matters been otherwise, he would have found it impossible to reach me. as it was, he proceeded with confidence in his design. it was near daybreak, however, before he completed the second division of the board (which was about a foot above the first cut), thus making an aperture quite large enough to admit his passage through with facility to the main orlop deck. having got here, he made his way with but little trouble to the lower main hatch, although in so doing he had to scramble over tiers of oil-casks piled nearly as high as the upper deck, there being barely room enough left for his body. upon reaching the hatch, he found that tiger had followed him below, squeezing between two rows of the casks. it was now too late, however, to attempt getting to me before dawn, as the chief difficulty lay in passing through the close stowage in the lower hold. he therefore resolved to return, and wait till the next night. with this design he proceeded to loosen the hatch, so that he might have as little detention as possible when he should come again. no sooner had he loosened it than tiger sprang eagerly to the small opening produced, snuffed for a moment, and then uttered a long whine, scratching at the same time, as if anxious to remove the covering with his paws. there could be no doubt, from his behaviour, that he was aware of my being in the hold, and augustus thought it possible that he would be able to get to me if he put him down. he now hit upon the expedient of sending the note, as it was especially desirable that i should make no attempt at forcing my way out, at least under existing circumstances, and there could be no certainty of his getting to me himself on the morrow as he intended. after events proved how fortunate it was that the idea occurred to him as it did: for, had it not been for the receipt of the note, i should undoubtedly have fallen upon some plan, however desperate, of alarming the crew, and both our lives would most probably have been sacrificed in consequence. having concluded to write, the difficulty was now to procure the materials for so doing. an old toothpick was soon made into a pen; and this by means of feeling altogether, for the between-decks were as dark as pitch. paper enough was obtained from the back of a letter--a duplicate of the forged letter from mr. ross. this had been the original draught; but the handwriting not being sufficiently well imitated, augustus had written another, thrusting the first, by good fortune, into his coat-pocket, where it was now most opportunely discovered. ink alone was thus wanting, and a substitute was immediately found for this by means of a slight incision with the penknife on the back of a finger just above the nail--a copious flow of blood ensuing, as usual from wounds in that vicinity. the note was now written, as well as it could be in the dark and under the circumstances. it briefly explained that a mutiny had taken place; that captain barnard was set adrift; and that i might expect immediate relief as far as provisions were concerned, but must not venture upon making any disturbance. it concluded with these words, _"i have scrawled this with blood--your life depends upon lying close."_ the slip of paper being tied upon the dog, he was now put down the hatchway, and augustus made the best of his way back to the forecastle, where he found no reason to believe that any of the crew had been in his absence. to conceal the hole in the partition, he drove his knife in just above it, and hung up a pea-jacket which he found in the berth. his handcuffs were then replaced, and also the rope around his ankles. these arrangements were scarcely completed when dirk peters came below, very drunk, but in excellent humour, and bringing with him my friend's allowance of provision for the day. this consisted of a dozen large irish potatoes roasted, and a pitcher of water. he sat for some time on a chest by the berth, and talked freely about the mate, and the general concerns of the brig. his demeanour was exceedingly capricious and even grotesque. at one time augustus was much alarmed by his odd conduct. at last, however, he went on deck, muttering a promise to bring his prisoner a good dinner on the morrow. during the day two of the crew (harpooners) came down, accompanied by the cook, all three in nearly the last stage of intoxication. like peters, they made no scruple of talking unreservedly about their plans. it appeared that they were much divided among themselves as to their ultimate course, agreeing in no point except the attack on the ship from the cape verd islands, with which they were in hourly expectation of meeting. as far as could be ascertained, the mutiny had not been brought about altogether for the sake of booty; a private pique of the chief mate's against captain barnard having been the main instigation. there now seemed to be two principal factions among the crew--one headed by the mate, the other by the cook. the former party were for seizing the first suitable vessel which should present itself, and equipping it at some of the west india islands for a piratical cruise. the latter division, however, which was the stronger, and included dirk peters among its partisans, were bent upon pursuing the course originally laid out for the brig into the south pacific; there either to take whale, or act otherwise, as circumstances should suggest. the representations of peters, who had frequently visited these regions, had great weight, apparently, with the mutineers, wavering as they were between half-engendered notions of profit and pleasure. he dwelt on the world of novelty and amusement to be found among the innumerable islands of the pacific, on the perfect security and freedom from all restraint to be enjoyed, but, more particularly, on the deliciousness of the climate, on the abundant means of good living, and on the voluptuous beauty of the women. as yet, nothing had been absolutely determined upon; but the pictures of the hybrid line-manager were taking strong hold upon the ardent imaginations of the seamen, and there was every probability that his intentions would be finally carried into effect. the three men went away in about an hour, and no one else entered the forecastle all day. augustus lay quiet until nearly night. he then freed himself from the rope and irons, and prepared for his attempt. a bottle was found in one of the berths, and this he filled with water from the pitcher left by peters, storing his pockets at the same time with cold potatoes. to his great joy he also came across a lantern, with a small piece of tallow candle in it. this he could light at any moment, as he had in his possession a box of phosphorus matches. when it was quite dark, he got through the hole in the bulkhead, having taken the precaution to arrange the bedclothes in the berth so as to convey the idea of a person covered up. when through, he hung up the pea-jacket on his knife, as before, to conceal the aperture--this manoeuvre being easily effected, as he did not readjust the piece of plank taken out until afterward. he was now on the main orlop deck, and proceeded to make his way, as before, between the upper deck and the oil-casks to the main hatchway. having reached this, he lit the piece of candle, and descended, groping with extreme difficulty among the compact stowage of the hold. in a few moments he became alarmed at the insufferable stench and the closeness of the atmosphere. he could not think it possible that i had survived my confinement for so long a period breathing so oppressive an air. he called my name repeatedly, but i made him no reply, and his apprehensions seemed thus to be confirmed. the brig was rolling violently, and there was so much noise in consequence, that it was useless to listen for any weak sound, such as those of my breathing or snoring. he threw open the lantern, and held it as high as possible, whenever an opportunity occurred, in order that, by observing the light, i might, if alive, be aware that succour was approaching. still nothing was heard from me, and the supposition of my death began to assume the character of certainty. he determined, nevertheless, to force a passage, if possible, to the box, and at least ascertain beyond a doubt the truth of his surmises. he pushed on for some time in a most pitiable state of anxiety, until, at length, he found the pathway utterly blocked up, and that there was no possibility of making any farther way by the course in which he had set out. overcome now by his feelings, he threw himself among the lumber in despair, and wept like a child. it was at this period that he heard the crash occasioned by the bottle which i had thrown down. fortunate, indeed, was it that the incident occurred--for, upon this incident, trivial as it appears, the thread of my destiny depended. many years elapsed, however, before i was aware of this fact. a natural shame and regret for his weakness and indecision prevented augustus from confiding to me at once what a more intimate and unreserved communion afterward induced him to reveal. upon finding his further progress in the hold impeded by obstacles which he could not overcome, he had resolved to abandon his attempt at reaching me, and return at once to the forecastle. before condemning him entirely on this head, the harassing circumstances which embarrassed him should be taken into consideration. the night was fast wearing away, and his absence from the forecastle might be discovered; and, indeed, would necessarily be so, if he should fail to get back to the berth by daybreak. his candle was expiring in the socket, and there would be the greatest difficulty in retracing his way to the hatchway in the dark. it must be allowed, too, that he had every good reason to believe me dead; in which event no benefit could result to me from his reaching the box, and a world of danger would be encountered to no purpose by himself. he had repeatedly called, and i had made him no answer. i had been now eleven days and nights with no more water than that contained in the jug which he had left with me, a supply which it was not at all probable i had hoarded in the beginning of my confinement, as i had had every cause to expect a speedy release. the atmosphere of the hold, too, must have appeared to him, coming from the comparatively open air of the steerage, of a nature absolutely poisonous, and by far more intolerable than it had seemed to me upon my first taking up my quarters in the box--the hatchways at that time having been constantly open for many months previous. add to these considerations that of the scene of bloodshed and terror so lately witnessed by my friend; his confinement, privations, and narrow escapes from death; together with the frail and equivocal tenure by which he still existed--circumstances all so well calculated to prostrate every energy of mind--and the reader will be easily brought, as i have been, to regard his apparent falling off in friendship and in faith with sentiments rather of sorrow than of anger. the crash of the bottle was distinctly heard, yet augustus was not sure that it proceeded from the hold. the doubt, however, was sufficient inducement to persevere. he clambered up nearly to the orlop deck by means of the stowage, and then watching for a lull in the pitchings of the vessel, he called out to me in as loud a tone as he could command--regardless, for the moment, of the danger of being overheard by the crew. it will be remembered that on this occasion the voice reached me, but i was so entirely overcome by violent agitation as to be incapable of reply. confident, now, that his worst apprehensions were well founded, he descended, with a view of getting back to the forecastle without loss of time. in his haste some small boxes were thrown down, the noise occasioned by which i heard, as will be recollected. he had made considerable progress on his return when the fall of the knife again caused him to hesitate. he retraced his steps immediately, and, clambering up the stowage a second time, called out my name, loudly as before, having watched for a lull. this time i found voice to answer. overjoyed at discovering me to be still alive, he now resolved to brave every difficulty and danger in reaching me. having extricated himself as quickly as possible from the labyrinth of lumber by which he was hemmed in, he at length struck into an opening which promised better, and finally, after a series of struggles, arrived at the box in a state of utter exhaustion. chapter vi. the leading particulars of this narration were all that augustus communicated to me while we remained near the box. it was not until afterward that he entered fully into all the details. he was apprehensive of being missed, and i was wild with impatience to leave my detested place of confinement. we resolved to make our way at once to the hole in the bulkhead, near which i was to remain for the present, while he went through to reconnoitre. to leave tiger in the box was what neither of us could endure to think of; yet, how to act otherwise was the question. he now seemed to be perfectly quiet, and we could not even distinguish the sound of his breathing upon applying our ears closely to the box. i was convinced that he was dead, and determined to open the door. we found him lying at full length, apparently in a deep stupor, yet still alive. no time was to be lost, yet i could not bring myself to abandon an animal who had now been twice instrumental in saving my life, without some attempt at preserving him. we therefore dragged him along with us as well as we could, although with the greatest difficulty and fatigue; augustus, during part of the time, being forced to clamber over the impediments in our way with the huge dog in his arms--a feat to which the feebleness of my frame rendered me totally inadequate. at length we succeeded in reaching the hole, when augustus got through, and tiger was pushed in afterward. all was found to be safe, and we did not fail to return sincere thanks to god for our deliverance from the imminent danger we had escaped. for the present it was agreed that i should remain near the opening, through which my companion could readily supply me with a part of his daily provision, and where i could have the advantages of breathing an atmosphere comparatively pure. in explanation of some portions of this narrative wherein i have spoken of the stowage of the brig, and which may appear ambiguous to some of my readers who may have seen a proper or regular stowage, i must here state that the manner in which this most important duty had been performed on board the grampus was a most shameful piece of neglect on the part of captain barnard, who was by no means as careful or as experienced a seaman as the hazardous nature of the service on which he was employed would seem necessarily to demand. a proper stowage cannot be accomplished in a careless manner, and many most disastrous accidents, even within the limits of my own experience, have arisen from neglect or ignorance in this particular. coasting vessels, in the frequent hurry and bustle attendant upon taking in or discharging cargo, are the most liable to mishap from the want of a proper attention to stowage. the great point is to allow no possibility of the cargo or ballast's shifting position even in the most violent rollings of the vessel. with this end, great attention must be paid, not only to the bulk taken in, but to the nature of the bulk, and whether there be a full or only a partial cargo. in most kinds of freight the stowage is accomplished by means of a screw. thus, in a load of tobacco or flour, the whole is screwed so tightly into the hold of the vessel that the barrels or hogsheads upon discharging are found to be completely flattened, and take some time to regain their original shape. this screwing, however, is resorted to principally with a view of obtaining more room in the hold; for in a _full_ load of any such commodities as flour or tobacco, there can be no danger of any shifting whatever, at least none from which inconvenience can result. there have been instances, indeed, where this method of screwing has resulted in the most lamentable consequences, arising from a cause altogether distinct from the danger attendant upon a shifting of cargo. a load of cotton, for example, tightly screwed while in certain conditions, has been known, through the expansion of its bulk, to rend a vessel asunder at sea. there can be no doubt, either, that the same result would ensue in the case of tobacco, while undergoing its usual course of fermentation, were it not for the interstices consequent upon the rotundity of the hogsheads. it is when a partial cargo is received that danger is chiefly to be apprehended from shifting, and that precautions should be always taken to guard against such misfortune. only those who have encountered a violent gale of wind, or, rather, who have experienced the rolling of a vessel in a sudden calm after the gale, can form an idea of the tremendous force of the plunges, and of the consequent terrible impetus given to all loose articles in the vessel. it is then that the necessity of a cautious stowage, when there is a partial cargo, becomes obvious. when lying to (especially with a small head sail), a vessel which is not properly modelled in the bows is frequently thrown upon her beam-ends; this occurring even every fifteen or twenty minutes upon an average, yet without any serious consequences resulting, _provided there be a proper stowage_. if this, however, has not been strictly attended to, in the first of these heavy lurches the whole of the cargo tumbles over to the side of the vessel which lies upon the water, and, being thus prevented from regaining her equilibrium, as she would otherwise necessarily do, she is certain to fill in a few seconds and go down. it is not too much to say that at least one half of the instances in which vessels have foundered in heavy gales at sea may be attributed to a shifting of cargo or of ballast. when a partial cargo of any kind is taken on board, the whole, after being first stowed as compactly as may be, should be covered with a layer of stout shifting-boards, extending completely across the vessel. upon these boards strong temporary stanchions should be erected, reaching to the timbers above, and thus securing everything in its place. in cargoes consisting of grain, or any similar matter, additional precautions are requisite. a hold filled entirely with grain upon leaving port will be found not more than three fourths full upon leaching its destination--this, too, although the freight, when measured bushel by bushel by the consignee, will overrun by a vast deal (on account of the swelling of the grain) the quantity consigned. this result is occasioned by _settling_ during the voyage, and is the more perceptible in proportion to the roughness of the weather experienced. if grain loosely thrown in a vessel, then, is ever so well secured by shifting-boards and stanchions, it will be liable to shift in a long passage so greatly as to bring about the most distressing calamities. to prevent these, every method should be employed before leaving port to _settle_ the cargo as much as possible; and for this there are many contrivances, among which may be mentioned the driving of wedges into the grain. even after all this is done, and unusual pains taken to secure the shifting-boards, no seaman who knows what he is about will feel altogether secure in a gale of any violence with a cargo of grain on board, and, least of all, with a partial cargo. yet there are hundreds of our coasting vessels, and, it is likely, many more from the ports of europe, which sail daily with partial cargoes, even of the most dangerous species, and without any precautions whatever. the wonder is that no more accidents occur than do actually happen. a lamentable instance of this heedlessness occurred to my knowledge in the case of captain joel rice of the schooner firefly, which sailed from richmond, virginia, to madeira, with a cargo of corn, in the year 1825. the captain had gone many voyages without serious accident, although he was in the habit of paying no attention whatever to his stowage, more than to secure it in the ordinary manner. he had never before sailed with a cargo of grain, and on this occasion had the corn thrown on board loosely, when it did not much more than half fill the vessel. for the first portion of the voyage he met with nothing more than light breezes; but when within a day's sail of madeira there came on a strong gale from the n. n. e. which forced him to lie to. he brought the schooner to the wind under a double-reefed foresail alone, when she rode as well as any vessel could be expected to do, and shipped not a drop of water. towards night the gale somewhat abated, and she rolled with more unsteadiness than before, but still did very well, until a heavy lurch threw her upon her beam-ends to starboard. the corn was then heard to shift bodily, the force of the movement bursting open the main hatchway. the vessel went down like a shot. this happened within hail of a small sloop from madeira, which picked up one of the crew (the only person saved), and which rode out the gale in perfect security, as indeed a jollyboat might have done under proper management. the stowage on board the grampus was most clumsily done, if stowage that could be called which was little better than a promiscuous huddling together of oil-casks[1] and ship furniture. i have already spoken of the condition of articles in the hold. on the orlop deck there was space enough for my body (as i have stated) between the oil-casks and the upper deck; a space was left open around the main hatchway; and several other large spaces were left in the stowage. near the hole cut through the bulkhead by augustus there was room enough for an entire cask, and in this space i found myself comfortably situated for the present. [footnote 1: whaling vessels are usually fitted with iron oil-tanks--why the grampus was not i have never been able to ascertain.] by the time my friend had got safely into the berth, and readjusted his handcuffs and the rope, it was broad daylight. we had made a narrow escape indeed; for scarcely had he arranged all matters, when the mate came below, with dirk peters and the cook. they talked for some time about the vessel from the cape verds, and seemed to be excessively anxious for her appearance. at length the cook came to the berth in which augustus was lying, and seated himself in it near the head. i could see and hear everything from my hiding-place, for the piece cut out had not been put back, and i was in momentary expectation that the negro would fall against the pea-jacket, which was hung up to conceal the aperture, in which case all would have been discovered, and our lives would, no doubt, have been instantly sacrificed. our good fortune prevailed, however; and although he frequently touched it as the vessel rolled, he never pressed against it sufficiently to bring about a discovery. the bottom of the jacket had been carefully fastened to the bulkhead, so that the hole might not be seen by its swinging to one side. all this time tiger was lying in the foot of the berth, and appeared to have recovered in some measure his faculties, for i could see him occasionally open his eyes and draw a long breath. after a few minutes the mate and cook went above, leaving dirk peters behind, who, as soon as they were gone, came and sat himself down in the place just occupied by the mate. he began to talk very sociably with augustus, and we could now see that the greater part of his apparent intoxication, while the two others were with him, was a feint. he answered all my companion's questions with perfect freedom; told him that he had no doubt of his father's having been picked up, as there were no less than five sail in sight just before sundown on the day he was cut adrift; and used other language of a consolatory nature, which occasioned me no less surprise than pleasure. indeed, i began to entertain hopes, that through the instrumentality of peters we might be finally enabled to regain possession of the brig, and this idea i mentioned to augustus as soon as i found an opportunity. he thought the matter possible, but urged the necessity of the greatest caution in making the attempt, as the conduct of the hybrid appeared to be instigated by the most arbitrary caprice alone; and, indeed, it was difficult to say if he was at any moment of sound mind. peters went upon deck in about an hour, and did not return again until noon, when he brought augustus a plentiful supply of junk beef and pudding. of this, when we were left alone, i partook heartily, without returning through the hole. no one else came down into the forecastle during the day, and at night i got into augustus's berth, where i slept soundly and sweetly until nearly daybreak, when he awakened me upon hearing a stir upon deck, and i regained my hiding-place as quickly as possible. when the day was fully broke, we found that tiger had recovered his strength almost entirely, and gave no indications of hydrophobia, drinking a little water that was offered him with great apparent eagerness. during the day he regained all his former vigour and appetite. his strange conduct had been brought on, no doubt, by the deleterious quality of the air of the hold, and had no connexion with canine madness. i could not sufficiently rejoice that i had persisted in bringing him with me from the box. this day was the thirtieth of june, and the thirteenth since the grampus made sail from nantucket. on the second of july the mate came below, drunk as usual, and in an excessively good-humour. he came to augustus's berth, and, giving him a slap on the back, asked him if he thought he could behave himself if he let him loose, and whether he would promise not to be going into the cabin again. to this, of course, my friend answered in the affirmative, when the ruffian set him at liberty, after making him drink from a flask of rum which he drew from his coat-pocket. both now went on deck, and i did not see augustus for about three hours. he then came below with the good news that he had obtained permission to go about the brig as he pleased anywhere forward of the mainmast, and that he had been ordered to sleep, as usual, in the forecastle. he brought me, too, a good dinner, and a plentiful supply of water. the brig was still cruising for the vessel from the cape verds, and a sail was now in sight which was thought to be the one in question. as the events of the ensuing eight days were of little importance, and had no direct bearing upon the main incidents of my narrative, i will here throw them into the form of a journal, as i do not wish to omit them altogether. _july 3._ augustus furnished me with three blankets, with which i contrived a comfortable bed in my hiding-place. no one came below, except my companion, during the day. tiger took his station in the berth just by the aperture, and slept heavily, as if not yet entirely recovered from the effects of his sickness. towards night a flaw of wind struck the brig before sail could be taken in, and very nearly capsized her. the puff died away immediately, however, and no damage was done beyond the splitting of the foretopsail. dirk peters treated augustus all this day with great kindness, and entered into a long conversation with him respecting the pacific ocean, and the islands he had visited in that region. he asked him whether he would not like to go with the mutineers on a kind of exploring and pleasure voyage in those quarters, and said that the men were gradually coming over to the mate's views. to this augustus thought it best to reply that he would be glad to go on such an adventure, since nothing better could be done, and that anything was preferable to a piratical life. _july 4th._ the vessel in sight proved to be a small brig from liverpool, and was allowed to pass unmolested. augustus spent most of his time on deck, with a view of obtaining all the information in his power respecting the intentions of the mutineers. they had frequent and violent quarrels among themselves, in one of which a harpooner, jim bonner, was thrown overboard. the party of the mate was gaining ground. jim bonner belonged to the cook's gang, of which peters was a partisan. _july 5th._ about daybreak there came on a stiff breeze from the west, which at noon freshened into a gale, so that the brig could carry nothing more than her trysail and foresail. in taking in the foretopsail, simms, one of the common hands, and belonging also to the cook's gang, fell overboard, being very much in liquor, and was drowned--no attempt being made to save him. the whole number of persons on board was now thirteen, to wit: dirk peters; seymour, the black cook; ---jones; ---greely; hartman rogers; and william allen, of the cook's party; the mate, whose name i never learned; absalom hicks; ---wilson; john hunt; and richard parker, of the mate's party--besides augustus and myself. _july 6th._ the gale lasted all this day, blowing in heavy squalls, accompanied with rain. the brig took in a good deal of water through her seams, and one of the pumps was kept continually going, augustus being forced to take his turn. just at twilight a large ship passed close by us, without having been discovered until within hail. this ship was supposed to be the one for which the mutineers were on the look-out. the mate hailed her, but the reply was drowned in the roaring of the gale. at eleven, a sea was shipped amid-ships, which tore away a great portion of the larboard bulwarks, and did some other slight damage. towards morning the weather moderated, and at sunrise there was very little wind. _july 7th._ there was a heavy swell running all this day, during which the brig, being light, rolled excessively, and many articles broke loose in the hold, as i could hear distinctly from my hiding-place. i suffered a great deal from sea-sickness. peters had a long conversation this day with augustus, and told him that two of his gang, greely and allen, had gone over to the mate, and were resolved to turn pirates. he put several questions to augustus which he did not then exactly understand. during a part of this evening the leak gained upon the vessel; and little could be done to remedy it, as it was occasioned by the brig's straining, and taking in the water through her seams. a sail was thrummed, and got under the bows, which aided us in some measure, so that we began to gain upon the leak. _july 8th._ a light breeze sprung up at sunrise from the eastward, when the mate headed the brig to the southwest, with the intention of making some of the west india islands, in pursuance of his piratical designs. no opposition was made by peters or the cook; at least none in the hearing of augustus. all idea of taking the vessel from the cape verds was abandoned. the leak was now easily kept under by one pump going every three quarters of an hour. the sail was drawn from beneath the bows. spoke two small schooners during the day. _july 9th._ fine weather. all hands employed in repairing bulwarks. peters had again a long conversation with augustus, and spoke more plainly than he had done heretofore. he said nothing should induce him to come into the mate's views, and even hinted his intention of taking the brig out of his hands. he asked my friend if he could depend upon his aid in such case, to which augustus said, "yes," without hesitation. peters then said he would sound the others of his party upon the subject, and went away. during the remainder of the day augustus had no opportunity of speaking with him privately. chapter vii. _july 10._ spoke a brig from rio, bound to norfolk. weather hazy, with a light baffling wind from the eastward. to-day hartman rogers died, having been attacked on the eighth with spasms after drinking a glass of grog. this man was of the cook's party, and one upon whom peters placed his main reliance. he told augustus that he believed the mate had poisoned him, and that he expected, if he did not be on the look-out, his own turn would come shortly. there were now only himself, jones, and the cook belonging to his own gang--on the other side there were five. he had spoken to jones about taking the command from the mate; but the project having been coolly received, he had been deterred from pressing the matter any further, or from saying anything to the cook. it was well, as it happened, that he was so prudent, for in the afternoon the cook expressed his determination of siding with the mate, and went over formally to that party; while jones took an opportunity of quarrelling with peters, and hinted that he would let the mate know of the plan in agitation. there was now, evidently, no time to be lost, and peters expressed his determination of attempting to take the vessel at all hazards, provided augustus would lend him his aid. my friend at once assured him of his willingness to enter into any plan for that purpose, and, thinking the opportunity a favourable one, made known the fact of my being on board. at this the hybrid was not more astonished than delighted, as he had no reliance whatever upon jones, whom he already considered as belonging to the party of the mate. they went below immediately, when augustus called to me by name, and peters and myself were soon made acquainted. it was agreed that we should attempt to retake the vessel upon the first good opportunity, leaving jones altogether out of our councils. in the event of success we were to run the brig into the first port that offered, and deliver her up. the desertion of his party had frustrated peters's design of going into the pacific--an adventure which could not be accomplished without a crew, and he depended upon either getting acquitted upon trial on the score of insanity (which he solemnly averred had actuated him in lending his aid to the mutiny), or upon obtaining a pardon, if found guilty, through the representations of augustus and myself. our deliberations were interrupted for the present by the cry of "all hands take in sail," and peters and augustus ran up on deck. as usual, the crew were nearly all drunk; and, before sail could be properly taken in, a violent squall laid the brig on her beam-ends. by keeping her away, however, she righted, having shipped a good deal of water. scarcely was everything secure, when another squall took the vessel, and immediately afterward another--no damage being done. there was every appearance of a gale of wind, which, indeed, shortly came on, with great fury, from the northward and westward. all was made as snug as possible, and we laid to, as usual, under a close-reefed foresail. as night drew on, the wind increased in violence, with a remarkably heavy sea. peters now came into the forecastle with augustus, and we resumed our deliberations. we agreed that no opportunity could be more favourable than the present for carrying our design into effect, as an attempt at such a moment would never be anticipated. as the brig was snugly laid to, there would be no necessity of manoeuvring her until good weather, when, if we succeeded in our attempt, we might liberate one, or perhaps two of the men, to aid us in taking her into port. the main difficulty was the great disproportion in our forces. there were only three of us, and in the cabin there were nine. all the arms on board, too, were in their possession, with the exception of a pair of small pistols which peters had concealed about his person, and the large seaman's knife which he always wore in the waistband of his pantaloons. from certain indications, too, such, for example, as there being no such thing as an axe or a handspike lying in their customary places, we began to fear that the mate had his suspicions, at least in regard to peters, and that he would let slip no opportunity of getting rid of him. it was clear, indeed, that what we should determine to do could not be done too soon. still the odds were too much against us to allow of our proceeding without the greatest caution. peters proposed that he should go up on deck, and enter into conversation with the watch (allen), when he would be able to throw him into the sea without trouble, and without making any disturbance, by seizing a good opportunity; that augustus and myself should then come up, and endeavour to provide ourselves with some kind of weapons from the deck; and that we should then make a rush together, and secure the companion-way before any opposition could be offered. i objected to this, because i could not believe that the mate (who was a cunning fellow in all matters which did not affect his superstitious prejudices) would suffer himself to be so easily entrapped. the very fact of there being a watch on deck at all was sufficient proof that he was upon the alert--it not being usual, except in vessels where discipline is most rigidly enforced, to station a watch on deck when a vessel is lying to in a gale of wind. as i address myself principally, if not altogether, to persons who have never been to sea, it may be as well to state the exact condition of a vessel under such circumstances. lying to, or, in sea-parlance "laying to," is a measure resorted to for various purposes, and effected in various manners. in moderate weather, it is frequently done with a view of merely bringing the vessel to a stand-still, to wait for another vessel, or any similar object. if the vessel which lies to is under full sail, the manoeuvre is usually accomplished by throwing round some portion of her sails so as to let the wind take them aback, when she becomes stationary. but we are now speaking of lying to in a gale of wind. this is done when the wind is ahead, and too violent to admit of carrying sail without danger of capsizing; and sometimes even when the wind is fair, but the sea too heavy for the vessel to be put before it. if a vessel be suffered to scud before the wind in a very heavy sea, much damage is usually done her by the shipping of water over her stern, and sometimes by the violent plunges she makes forward. this manoeuvre, then, is seldom resorted to in such case, unless through necessity. when the vessel is in a leaky condition, she is often put before the wind even in the heaviest seas; for, when lying to, her seams are sure to be greatly opened by her violent straining, and it is not so much the case when scudding. often, too, it becomes necessary to scud a vessel, either when the blast is so exceedingly furious as to tear in pieces the sail which is employed with a view of bringing her head to the wind, or when, through the false modelling of the frame or other causes, this main object cannot be effected. vessels in a gale of wind are laid to in different manners, according to their peculiar construction. some lie to best under a foresail, and this, i believe, is the sail most usually employed. large square-rigged vessels have sails for the express purpose, called storm-staysails. but the jib is occasionally employed by itself--sometimes the jib and foresail, or a double-reefed foresail, and not unfrequently the after-sails, are made use of. foretopsails are very often found to answer the purpose better than any other species of sail. the grampus was generally laid to under a close-reefed foresail. when a vessel is to be laid to, her head is brought up to the wind just so nearly as to fill the sail under which she lies, when hauled flat aft, that is, when brought diagonally across the vessel. this being done, the bows point within a few degrees of the direction from which the wind issues, and the windward bow of course receives the shock of the waves. in this situation a good vessel will ride out a very heavy gale of wind without shipping a drop of water, and without any further attention being requisite on the part of the crew. the helm is usually lashed down, but this is altogether unnecessary (except on account of the noise it makes when loose), for the rudder has no effect upon the vessel when lying to. indeed, the helm had far better be left loose than lashed very fast, for the rudder is apt to be torn off by heavy seas if there be no room for the helm to play. as long as the sail holds, a well-modelled vessel will maintain her situation, and ride every sea, as if instinct with life and reason. if the violence of the wind, however, should tear the sail into pieces (a feat which it requires a perfect hurricane to accomplish under ordinary circumstances), there is then imminent danger. the vessel falls off from the wind, and, coming broadside to the sea, is completely at its mercy: the only resource in this case is to put her quickly before the wind, letting her scud until some other sail can be set. some vessels will lie to under no sail whatever, but such are not to be trusted at sea. but to return from this digression. it had never been customary with the mate to have any watch on deck when lying to in a gale of wind, and the fact that he had now one, coupled with the circumstance of the missing axes and handspikes, fully convinced us that the crew were too well on the watch to be taken by surprise in the manner peters had suggested. something, however, was to be done, and that with as little delay as practicable, for there could be no doubt that a suspicion having been once entertained against peters, he would be sacrificed upon the earliest occasion, and one would certainly be either found or made upon the breaking of the gale. augustus now suggested that if peters could contrive to remove, under any pretext, the piece of chain-cable which lay over the trap in the stateroom, we might possibly be able to come upon them unawares by means of the hold; but a little reflection convinced us that the vessel rolled and pitched too violently for any attempt of that nature. by good fortune i at length hit upon the idea of working upon the superstitious terrors and guilty conscience of the mate. it will be remembered that one of the crew, hartman rogers, had died during the morning, having been attacked two days before with spasms after drinking some spirits and water. peters had expressed to us his opinion that this man had been poisoned by the mate, and for this belief he had reasons, so he said, which were incontrovertible, but which he could not be prevailed upon to explain to us--this wayward refusal being only in keeping with other points of his singular character. but whether or not he had any better grounds for suspecting the mate than we had ourselves, we were easily led to fall in with his suspicion, and determined to act accordingly. rogers had died about eleven in the forenoon, in violent convulsions; and the corpse presented in a few minutes after death one of the most horrid and loathsome spectacles i ever remember to have seen. the stomach was swollen immensely, like that of a man who has been drowned and lain under water for many weeks. the hands were in the same condition, while the face was shrunken, shrivelled, and of a chalky whiteness, except where relieved by two or three glaring red splotches, like those occasioned by the erysipelas: one of these splotches extended diagonally across the face, completely covering up an eye as if with a band of red velvet. in this disgusting condition the body had been brought up from the cabin at noon to be thrown overboard, when the mate getting a glimpse of it (for he now saw it for the first time), and being either touched with remorse for his crime or struck with terror at so horrible a sight, ordered the men to sew the body up in its hammock, and allow it the usual rites of sea-burial. having given these directions he went below, as if to avoid any further sight of his victim. while preparations were making to obey his orders, the gale came on with great fury, and the design was abandoned for the present. the corpse, left to itself, was washed into the larboard scuppers, where it still lay at the time of which i speak, floundering about with the furious lurches of the brig. having arranged our plan, we set about putting it in execution as speedily as possible. peters went upon deck, and, as he had anticipated, was immediately accosted by allen, who appeared to be stationed more as a watch upon the forecastle than for any other purpose. the fate of this villain, however, was speedily and silently decided; for peters, approaching him in a careless manner, as if about to address him, seized him by the throat, and, before he could utter a single cry, tossed him over the bulwarks. he then called to us, and we came up. our first precaution was to look about for something with which to arm ourselves, and in doing this we had to proceed with great care, for it was impossible to stand on deck an instant without holding fast, and violent seas broke over the vessel at every plunge forward. it was indispensable, too, that we should be quick in our operations, for every minute we expected the mate to be up to set the pumps going, as it was evident the brig must be taking in water very fast. after searching about for some time, we could find nothing more fit for our purpose than the two pump-handles, one of which augustus took, and i the other. having secured these, we stripped off the shirt of the corpse and dropped the body overboard. peters and myself then went below, leaving augustus to watch upon deck, where he took his station just where allen had been placed, and with his back to the cabin companion-way, so that, if any one of the mate's gang should come up, he might suppose it was the watch. as soon as i got below i commenced disguising myself so as to represent the corpse of rogers. the shirt which we had taken from the body aided us very much, for it was of a singular form and character, and easily recognisable--a kind of smock, which the deceased wore over his other clothing. it was a blue stockinett, with large white stripes running across. having put this on, i proceeded to equip myself with a false stomach, in imitation of the horrible deformity of the swollen corpse. this was soon effected by means of stuffing with some bedclothes. i then gave the same appearance to my hands by drawing on a pair of white woollen mittens, and filling them in with any kind of rags that offered themselves. peters then arranged my face, first rubbing it well over with white chalk, and afterward splotching it with blood, which he took from a cut in his finger. the streak across the eye was not forgotten, and presented a most shocking appearance. chapter viii. as i viewed myself in a fragment of looking-glass which hung up in the cabin, and by the dim light of a kind of battle-lantern, i was so impressed with a sense of vague awe at my appearance, and at the recollection of the terrific reality which i was thus representing, that i was seized with a violent tremour, and could scarcely summon resolution to go on with my part. it was necessary, however, to act with decision, and peters and myself went upon deck. we there found everything safe, and, keeping close to the bulwarks, the three of us crept to the cabin companion-way. it was only partially closed, precautions having been taken to prevent its being suddenly pushed to from without, by means of placing billets of wood on the upper step so as to interfere with the shutting. we found no difficulty in getting a full view of the interior of the cabin through the cracks where the hinges were placed. it now proved to have been very fortunate for us that we had not attempted to take them by surprise, for they were evidently on the alert. only one was asleep, and he lying just at the foot of the companion-ladder, with a musket by his side. the rest were seated on several mattresses, which had been taken from the berths and thrown on the floor. they were engaged in earnest conversation; and although they had been carousing, as appeared from two empty jugs, with some tin tumblers which lay about, they were not as much intoxicated as usual. all had knives, one or two of them pistols, and a great many muskets were lying in a berth close at hand. we listened to their conversation for some time before we could make up our minds how to act, having as yet resolved on nothing determinate, except that we would attempt to paralyze their exertions, when we should attack them, by means of the apparition of rogers. they were discussing their piratical plans, in which all we could hear distinctly was, that they would unite with the crew of a schooner hornet, and, if possible, get the schooner herself into their possession preparatory to some attempt on a large scale, the particulars of which could not be made out by either of us. one of the men spoke of peters, when the mate replied to him in a low voice which could not be distinguished, and afterward added more loudly, that "he could not understand his being so much forward with the captain's brat in the forecastle, and he thought the sooner both of them were overboard the better." to this no answer was made, but we could easily perceive that the hint was well received by the whole party, and more particularly by jones. at this period i was excessively agitated, the more so as i could see that neither augustus nor peters could determine how to act. i made up my mind, however, to sell my life as dearly as possible, and not to suffer myself to be overcome by any feelings of trepidation. the tremendous noise made by the roaring of the wind in the rigging and the washing of the sea over the deck prevented us from hearing what was said except during momentary lulls. in one of these we all distinctly heard the mate tell one of the men to "go forward, and order the d----d lubbers to come into the cabin, where he could have an eye upon them, for he wanted no such secret doings on board the brig." it was well for us that the pitching of the vessel at this moment was so violent as to prevent this order from being carried into instant execution. the cook got up from his mattress to go for us, when a tremendous lurch, which i thought would carry away the masts, threw him headlong against one of the larboard stateroom doors, bursting it open, and creating a good deal of other confusion. luckily, neither of our party was thrown from his position, and we had time to make a precipitate retreat to the forecastle, and arrange a hurried plan of action before the messenger made his appearance, or rather before he put his head out of the companion-hatch, for he did not come on deck. from this station he could not notice the absence of allen, and he accordingly bawled out as if to him, repeating the orders of the mate. peters cried out, "ay, ay," in a disguised voice, and the cook immediately went below, without entertaining a suspicion that all was not right. my two companions now proceeded boldly aft and down into the cabin, peters closing the door after him in the same manner he had found it. the mate received them with feigned cordiality, and told augustus that, since he had behaved himself so well of late, he might take up his quarters in the cabin, and be one of them for the future. he then poured him out a tumbler half full of rum, and made him drink it. all this i saw and heard, for i followed my friends to the cabin as soon as the door was shut, and took up my old point of observation. i had brought with me the two pump-handles, one of which i secured near the companion-way, to be ready for use when required. i now steadied myself as well as possible so as to have a good view of all that was passing within, and endeavoured to nerve myself to the task of descending among the mutineers when peters should make a signal to me as agreed upon. presently he contrived to turn the conversation upon the bloody deeds of the mutiny, and, by degrees, led the men to talk of the thousand superstitions which are so universally current among seamen. i could not make out all that was said, but i could plainly see the effects of the conversation in the countenances of those present. the mate was evidently much agitated, and presently, when some one mentioned the terrific appearance of rogers's corpse, i thought he was upon the point of swooning. peters now asked him if he did not think it would be better to have the body thrown overboard at once, as it was too horrible a sight to see it floundering about in the scuppers. at this the villain absolutely gasped for breath, and turned his head slowly round upon his companions, as if imploring some one to go up and perform the task. no one, however, stirred, and it was quite evident that the whole party were wound up to the highest pitch of nervous excitement. peters now made me the signal. i immediately threw open the door of the companion-way, and, descending without uttering a syllable, stood erect in the midst of the party. the intense effect produced by this sudden apparition is not at all to be wondered at when the various circumstances are taken into consideration. usually, in cases of a similar nature, there is left in the mind of the spectator some glimmering of doubt as to the reality of the vision before his eyes; a degree of hope, however feeble, that he is the victim of chicanery, and that the apparition is not actually a visitant from the world of shadows. it is not too much to say that such remnants of doubt have been at the bottom of almost every such visitation, and that the appalling horror which has sometimes been brought about, is to be attributed, even in the cases most in point, and where most suffering has been experienced, more to a kind of anticipative horror, lest the apparition _might possibly be_ real, than to an unwavering belief in its reality. but, in the present instance, it will be seen immediately, that in the minds of the mutineers there was not even the shadow of a basis upon which to rest a doubt that the apparition of rogers was indeed a revivification of his disgusting corpse, or at least its spiritual image. the isolated situation of the brig, with its entire inaccessibility on account of the gale, confined the apparently possible means of deception within such narrow and definite limits, that they must have thought themselves enabled to survey them all at a glance. they had now been at sea twenty-four days, without holding more than a speaking communication with any vessel whatever. the whole of the crew, too, at least all whom they had the most remote reason for suspecting to be on board, were assembled in the cabin, with the exception of allen, the watch; and his gigantic stature (he was six feet six inches high) was too familiar in their eyes to permit the notion that he was the apparition before them to enter their minds even for an instant. add to these considerations the awe-inspiring nature of the tempest, and that of the conversation brought about by peters; the deep impression which the loathsomeness of the actual corpse had made in the morning upon the imaginations of the men; the excellence of the imitation in my person; and the uncertain and wavering light in which they beheld me, as the glare of the cabin lantern, swinging violently to and fro, fell dubiously and fitfully upon my figure, and there will be no reason to wonder that the deception had even more than the entire effect which we had anticipated. the mate sprang up from the mattress on which he was lying, and, without uttering a syllable, fell back, stone dead, upon the cabin floor, and was hurled to the leeward like a log by a heavy roll of the brig. of the remaining seven there were but three who had at first any degree of presence of mind. the four others sat for some time rooted apparently to the floor, the most pitiable objects of horror and utter despair my eyes ever encountered. the only opposition we experienced at all was from the cook, john hunt, and richard parker; but they made but a feeble and irresolute defence. the two former were shot instantly by peters, and i felled parker with a blow on the head from the pump-handle which i had brought with me. in the mean time augustus seized one of the muskets lying on the floor, and shot another mutineer (---wilson) through the breast. there were now but three remaining; but by this time they had become aroused from their lethargy, and perhaps began to see that a deception had been practised upon them, for they fought with great resolution and fury, and, but for the immense muscular strength of peters, might have ultimately got the better of us. these three men were ---jones, ---greely, and absalom hicks. jones had thrown augustus on the floor, stabbed him in several places along the right arm, and would no doubt have soon despatched him (as neither peters nor myself could immediately get rid of our own antagonists), had it not been for the timely aid of a friend upon whose assistance we surely had never depended. this friend was no other than tiger. with a low growl he bounded into the cabin, at a most critical moment for augustus, and throwing himself upon jones, pinned him to the floor in an instant. my friend, however, was now too much injured to render us any aid whatever, and i was so encumbered with my disguise that i could do but little. the dog would not leave his hold upon the throat of jones--peters, nevertheless, was far more than a match for the two men who remained, and would, no doubt, have despatched them sooner, had it not been for the narrow space in which he had to act, and the tremendous lurches of the vessel. presently he was enabled to get hold of a heavy stool, several of which lay about the floor. with this he beat out the brains of greely as he was in the act of discharging a musket at me, and immediately afterward a roll of the brig throwing him in contact with hicks, he seized him by the throat, and, by dint of sheer strength, strangled him instantaneously. thus, in far less time than i have taken to tell it, we found ourselves masters of the brig. the only person of our opponents who was left alive was richard parker. this man, it will be remembered, i had knocked down with a blow from the pump-handle at the commencement of the attack. he now lay motionless by the door of the shattered stateroom; but, upon peters touching him with his foot, he spoke, and entreated for mercy. his head was only slightly cut, and otherwise he had received no injury, having been merely stunned by the blow. he now got up, and, for the present, we secured his hands behind his back. the dog was still growling over jones; but, upon examination, we found him completely dead, the blood issuing in a stream from a deep wound in the throat, inflicted, no doubt, by the sharp teeth of the animal. it was now about one o'clock in the morning, and the wind was still blowing tremendously. the brig evidently laboured much more than usual, and it became absolutely necessary that something should be done with a view of easing her in some measure. at almost every roll to leeward she shipped a sea, several of which came partially down into the cabin during our scuffle, the hatchway having been left open by myself when i descended. the entire range of bulwarks to larboard had been swept away, as well as the caboose, together with the jollyboat from the counter. the creaking and working of the mainmast, too, gave indication that it was nearly sprung. to make room for more stowage in the after hold, the heel of this mast had been stepped between decks (a very reprehensible practice, occasionally resorted to by ignorant ship-builders), so that it was in imminent danger of working from its step. but, to crown all our difficulties, we plummed the well, and found no less than seven feet water. leaving the bodies of the crew lying in the cabin, we got to work immediately at the pumps--parker, of course, being set at liberty to assist us in the labour. augustus's arm was bound up as well as we could effect it, and he did what he could, but that was not much. however, we found that we could just manage to keep the leak from gaining upon us by having one pump constantly going. as there were only four of us, this was severe labour; but we endeavoured to keep up our spirits, and looked anxiously for daybreak, when we hoped to lighten the brig by cutting away the mainmast. in this manner we passed a night of terrible anxiety and fatigue, and, when the day at length broke, the gale had neither abated in the least, nor were there any signs of its abating. we now dragged the bodies on deck and threw them overboard. our next care was to get rid of the mainmast. the necessary preparations having been made, peters cut away at the mast (having found axes in the cabin), while the rest of us stood by the stays and lanyards. as the brig gave a tremendous lee-lurch, the word was given to cut away the weather-lanyards, which being done, the whole mass of wood and rigging plunged into the sea, clear of the brig, and without doing any material injury. we now found that the vessel did not labour quite as much as before, but our situation was still exceedingly precarious, and, in spite of the utmost exertions, we could not gain upon the leak without the aid of both pumps. the little assistance which augustus could render us was not really of any importance. to add to our distress, a heavy sea, striking the brig to windward, threw her off several points from the wind, and, before she could regain her position, another broke completely over her, and hurled her full upon her beam-ends. the ballast now shifted in a mass to leeward (the stowage had been knocking about perfectly at random for some time), and for a few moments we thought nothing could save us from capsizing. presently, however, we partially righted; but the ballast still retaining its place to larboard, we lay so much along that it was useless to think of working the pumps, which indeed we could not have done much longer in any case, as our hands were entirely raw with the excessive labour we had undergone, and were bleeding in the most horrible manner. contrary to parker's advice, we now proceeded to cut away the foremast, and at length accomplished it after much difficulty, owing to the position in which we lay. in going overboard the wreck took with it the bowsprit, and left us a complete hulk. so far we had had reason to rejoice in the escape of our longboat, which had received no damage from any of the huge seas which had come on board. but we had not long to congratulate ourselves; for the foremast having gone, and, of course, the foresail with it, by which the brig had been steadied, every sea now made a complete breach over us, and in five minutes our deck was swept from stem to stern, the longboat and starboard bulwarks torn off, and even the windlass shattered into fragments. it was, indeed, hardly possible for us to be in a more pitiable condition. at noon there seemed to be some slight appearance of the gale's abating, but in this we were sadly disappointed, for it only lulled for a few minutes to blow with redoubled fury. about four in the afternoon it was utterly impossible to stand up against the violence of the blast; and, as the night closed in upon us, i had not a shadow of hope that the vessel would hold together until morning. by midnight we had settled very deep in the water, which was now up to the orlop deck. the rudder went soon afterward, the sea which tore it away lifting the after portion of the brig entirely from the water, against which she thumped in her descent with such a concussion as would be occasioned by going ashore. we had all calculated that the rudder would hold its own to the last, as it was unusually strong, being rigged as i have never seen one rigged either before or since. down its main timber there ran a succession of stout iron hooks, and others in the same manner down the stern-post. through these hooks there extended a very thick wrought-iron rod, the rudder being thus held to the stern-post, and swinging freely on the rod. the tremendous force of the sea which tore it off may be estimated by the fact, that the hooks in the stern-post, which ran entirely through it, being clinched on the inside, were drawn every one of them completely out of the solid wood. we had scarcely time to draw breath after the violence of this shock, when one of the most tremendous waves i had then ever known broke right on board of us, sweeping the companion-way clear off, bursting in the hatchways, and filling every inch of the vessel with water. chapter ix. luckily, just before night, all four of us had lashed ourselves firmly to the fragments of the windlass, lying in this manner as flat upon the deck as possible. this precaution alone saved us from destruction. as it was, we were all more or less stunned by the immense weight of water which tumbled upon us, and which did not roll from above us until we were nearly exhausted. as soon as i could recover breath, i called aloud to my companions. augustus alone replied, saying, "it is all over with us, and may god have mercy upon our souls." by-and-by both the others were enabled to speak, when they exhorted us to take courage, as there was still hope; it being impossible, from the nature of the cargo, that the brig could go down, and there being every chance that the gale would blow over by the morning. these words inspired me with new life; for, strange as it may seem, although it was obvious that a vessel with a cargo of empty oil-casks would not sink, i had been hitherto so confused in mind as to have overlooked this consideration altogether; and the danger which i had for some time regarded as the most imminent was that of foundering. as hope revived within me, i made use of every opportunity to strengthen the lashings which held me to the remains of the windlass, and in this occupation i soon discovered that my companions were also busy. the night was as dark as it could possibly be, and the horrible shrieking din and confusion which surrounded us it is useless to attempt describing. our deck lay level with the sea, or rather we were encircled with a towering ridge of foam, a portion of which swept over us every instant. it is not too much to say that our heads were not fairly out of water more than one second in three. although we lay close together, no one of us could see the other, or, indeed, any portion of the brig itself, upon which we were so tempestuously hurled about. at intervals we called one to the other, thus endeavouring to keep alive hope, and render consolation and encouragement to such of us as stood most in need of it. the feeble condition of augustus made him an object of solicitude with us all; and as, from the lacerated condition of his right arm, it must have been impossible for him to secure his lashings with any degree of firmness, we were in momentary expectation of finding that he had gone overboard--yet to render him aid was a thing altogether out of the question. fortunately, his station was more secure than that of any of the rest of us; for the upper part of his body lying just beneath a portion of the shattered windlass, the seas, as they tumbled in upon him, were greatly broken in their violence. in any other situation than this (into which he had been accidentally thrown after having lashed himself in a very exposed spot) he must inevitably have perished before morning. owing to the brig's lying so much along, we were all less liable to be washed off than otherwise would have been the case. the heel, as i have before stated, was to larboard, about one half of the deck being constantly under water. the seas, therefore, which struck us to starboard were much broken by the vessel's side, only reaching us in fragments as we lay flat on our faces; while those which came from larboard, being what are called back-water seas, and obtaining little hold upon us on account of our posture, had not sufficient force to drag us from our fastenings. in this frightful situation we lay until the day broke so as to show us more fully the horrors which surrounded us. the brig was a mere log, rolling about at the mercy of every wave; the gale was upon the increase, if anything, blowing indeed a complete hurricane, and there appeared to us no earthly prospect of deliverance. for several hours we held on in silence, expecting every moment that our lashings would either give way, that the remains of the windlass would go by the board, or that some of the huge seas, which roared in every direction around us and above us, would drive the hulk so far beneath the water that we should be drowned before it could regain the surface. by the mercy of god, however, we were preserved from these imminent dangers, and about midday were cheered by the light of the blessed sun. shortly afterward we could perceive a sensible diminution in the force of the wind, when, now for the first time since the latter part of the evening before, augustus spoke, asking peters, who lay closest to him, if he thought there was any possibility of our being saved. as no reply was at first made to this question, we all concluded that the hybrid had been drowned where he lay; but presently, to our great joy, he spoke, although very feebly, saying that he was in great pain, being so cut by the tightness of his lashings across the stomach, that he must either find means of loosening them or perish, as it was impossible that he could endure his misery much longer. this occasioned us great distress, as it was altogether useless to think of aiding him in any manner while the sea continued washing over us as it did. we exhorted him to bear his sufferings with fortitude, and promised to seize the first opportunity which should offer itself to relieve him. he replied that it would soon be too late; that it would be all over with him before we could help him; and then, after moaning for some minutes, lay silent, when we concluded that he had perished. as the evening drew on, the sea had fallen so much that scarcely more than one wave broke over the hulk from windward in the course of five minutes, and the wind had abated a great deal, although still blowing a severe gale. i had not heard any of my companions speak for hours, and now called to augustus. he replied, although very feebly, so that i could not distinguish what he said. i then spoke to peters and to parker, neither of whom returned any answer. shortly after this period i fell into a state of partial insensibility, during which the most pleasing images floated in my imagination; such as green trees, waving meadows of ripe grain, processions of dancing girls, troops of cavalry, and other phantasies. i now remember that, in all which passed before my mind's eye, _motion_ was a predominant idea. thus, i never fancied any stationary object, such as a house, a mountain, or anything of that kind; but windmills, ships, large birds, balloons, people on horseback, carriages driving furiously, and similar moving objects, presented themselves in endless succession. when i recovered from this state, the sun was, as near as i could guess, an hour high. i had the greatest difficulty in bringing to recollection the various circumstances connected with my situation, and for some time remained firmly convinced that i was still in the hold of the brig, near the box, and that the body of parker was that of tiger. when i at length completely came to my senses, i found that the wind blew no more than a moderate breeze, and that the sea was comparatively calm; so much so that it only washed over the brig amidships. my left arm had broken loose from its lashings, and was much cut about the elbow; my right was entirely benumbed, and the hand and wrist swollen prodigiously by the pressure of the rope, which had worked from the shoulder downward. i was also in great pain from another rope which went about my waist, and had been drawn to an insufferable degree of tightness. looking round upon my companions, i saw that peters still lived, although a thick line was pulled so forcibly around his loins as to give him the appearance of being cut nearly in two; as i stirred, he made a feeble motion to me with his hand, pointing to the rope. augustus gave no indication of life whatever, and was bent nearly double across a splinter of the windlass. parker spoke to me when he saw me moving, and asked me if i had not sufficient strength to release him from his situation; saying, that if i would summon up what spirits i could, and contrive to untie him, we might yet save our lives; but that otherwise we must all perish. i told him to take courage, and i would endeavour to free him. feeling in my pantaloons' pocket, i got hold of my penknife, and, after several ineffectual attempts, at length succeeded in opening it. i then, with my left hand, managed to free my right from its fastenings, and afterward cut the other ropes which held me. upon attempting, however, to move from my position, i found that my legs failed me altogether, and that i could not get up; neither could i move my right arm in any direction. upon mentioning this to parker, he advised me to lie quiet for a few minutes, holding on to the windlass with my left hand, so as to allow time for the blood to circulate. doing this, the numbness presently began to die away, so that i could move first one of my legs, and then the other; and, shortly afterward, i regained the partial use of my right arm. i now crawled with great caution towards parker, without getting on my legs, and soon cut loose all the lashings about him, when, after a short delay, he also recovered the partial use of his limbs. we now lost no time in getting loose the rope from peters. it had cut a deep gash through the waistband of his woollen pantaloons, and through two shirts, and made its way into his groin, from which the blood flowed out copiously as we removed the cordage. no sooner had we removed it, however, than he spoke, and seemed to experience instant relief--being able to move with much greater ease than either parker or myself--this was no doubt owing to the discharge of blood. we had little hope that augustus would recover, as he evinced no signs of life; but, upon getting to him, we discovered that he had merely swooned from loss of blood, the bandages we had placed around his wounded arm having been torn off by the water; none of the ropes which held him to the windlass were drawn sufficiently tight to occasion his death. having relieved him from the fastenings, and got him clear of the broken wood about the windlass, we secured him in a dry place to windward, with his head somewhat lower than his body, and all three of us busied ourselves in chafing his limbs. in about half an hour he came to himself, although it was not until the next morning that he gave signs of recognising any of us, or had sufficient strength to speak. by the time we had thus got clear of our lashings it was quite dark, and it began to cloud up, so that we were again in the greatest agony lest it should come on to blow hard, in which event nothing could have saved us from perishing, exhausted as we were. by good fortune it continued very moderate during the night, the sea subsiding every minute, which gave us great hopes of ultimate preservation. a gentle breeze still blew from the n. w., but the weather was not at all cold. augustus was lashed carefully to windward in such a manner as to prevent him from slipping overboard with the rolls of the vessel, as he was still too weak to hold on at all. for ourselves there was no such necessity. we sat close together, supporting each other with the aid of the broken ropes about the windlass, and devising methods of escape from our frightful situation. we derived much comfort from taking off our clothes and wringing the water from them. when we put them on after this, they felt remarkably warm and pleasant, and served to invigorate us in no little degree. we helped augustus off with his, and wrung them for him, when he experienced the same comfort. our chief sufferings were now those of hunger and thirst, and, when we looked forward to the means of relief in this respect, our hearts sunk within us, and we were induced to regret that we had escaped the less dreadful perils of the sea. we endeavoured, however, to console ourselves with the hope of being speedily picked up by some vessel, and encouraged each other to bear with fortitude the evils that might happen. the morning of the fourteenth at length dawned, and the weather still continued clear and pleasant, with a steady but very light breeze from the n. w. the sea was now quite smooth, and as, from some cause which we could not determine, the brig did not lie so much along as she had done before, the deck was comparatively dry, and we could move about with freedom. we had now been better than three entire days and nights without either food or drink, and it became absolutely necessary that we should make an attempt to get up something from below. as the brig was completely full of water, we went to this work despondingly, and with but little expectation of being able to obtain anything. we made a kind of drag by driving some nails which we broke out from the remains of the companion-hatch into two pieces of wood. tying these across each other, and fastening them to the end of a rope, we threw them into the cabin, and dragged them to and fro, in the faint hope of being thus able to entangle some article which might be of use to us for food, or which might at least render us assistance in getting it. we spent the greater part of the morning in this labour without effect, fishing up nothing more than a few bedclothes, which were readily caught by the nails. indeed, our contrivance was so very clumsy, that any greater success was hardly to be anticipated. we now tried the forecastle, but equally in vain, and were upon the brink of despair, when peters proposed that we should fasten a rope to his body, and let him make an attempt to get up something by diving into the cabin. this proposition we hailed with all the delight which reviving hope could inspire. he proceeded immediately to strip off his clothes with the exception of his pantaloons; and a strong rope was then carefully fastened around his middle, being brought up over his shoulders in such a manner that there was no possibility of its slipping. the undertaking was one of great difficulty and danger; for, as we could hardly expect to find much, if any provision in the cabin itself, it was necessary that the diver, after letting himself down, should make a turn to the right, and proceed under water a distance of ten or twelve feet, in a narrow passage, to the storeroom, and return, without drawing breath. everything being ready, peters now descended into the cabin, going down the companion-ladder until the water reached his chin. he then plunged in, head first, turning to the right as he plunged, and endeavouring to make his way to the storeroom. in this first attempt, however, he was altogether unsuccessful. in less than half a minute after his going down we felt the rope jerked violently (the signal we had agreed upon when he desired to be drawn up). we accordingly drew him up instantly, but so incautiously as to bruise him badly against the ladder. he had brought nothing with him, and had been unable to penetrate more than a very little way into the passage, owing to the constant exertions he found it necessary to make in order to keep himself from floating up against the deck. upon getting out he was very much exhausted, and had to rest full fifteen minutes before he could again venture to descend. the second attempt met with even worse success; for he remained so long under water without giving the signal, that, becoming alarmed for his safety, we drew him out without it, and found that he was almost at the last gasp, having, as he said, repeatedly jerked at the rope without our feeling it. this was probably owing to a portion of it having become entangled in the balustrade at the foot of the ladder. this balustrade was, indeed, so much in the way, that we determined to remove it, if possible, before proceeding with our design. as we had no means of getting it away except by main force, we all descended into the water as far as we could on the ladder, and, giving a pull against it with our united strength, succeeded in breaking it down. the third attempt was equally unsuccessful with the two first, and it now became evident that nothing could be done in this manner without the aid of some weight with which the diver might steady himself, and keep to the floor of the cabin while making his search. for a long time we looked about in vain for something which might answer this purpose; but at length, to our great joy, we discovered one of the weather-forechains so loose that we had not the least difficulty in wrenching it off. having fastened this securely to one of his ancles, peters now made his fourth descent into the cabin, and this time succeeded in making his way to the door of the steward's room. to his inexpressible grief, however, he found it locked, and was obliged to return without effecting an entrance, as, with the greatest exertion, he could remain under water not more, at the utmost extent, than a single minute. our affairs now looked gloomy indeed, and neither augustus nor myself could refrain from bursting into tears, as we thought of the host of difficulties which encompassed us, and the slight probability which existed of our finally making an escape. but this weakness was not of long duration. throwing ourselves on our knees to god, we implored his aid in the many dangers which beset us; and arose with renewed hope and vigour to think what could yet be done by mortal means towards accomplishing our deliverance. chapter x. shortly afterward an incident occurred which i am induced to look upon as more intensely productive of emotion, as far more replete with the extremes first of delight and then of horror, than even any of the thousand chances which afterward befell me in nine long years, crowded with events of the most startling, and, in many cases, of the most unconceived and unconceivable character. we were lying on the deck near the companion-way, and debating the possibility of yet making our way into the storeroom, when, looking towards augustus, who lay fronting myself, i perceived that he had become all at once deadly pale, and that his lips were quivering in the most singular and unaccountable manner. greatly alarmed, i spoke to him, but he made me no reply, and i was beginning to think that he was suddenly taken ill, when i took notice of his eyes, which were glaring apparently at some object behind me. i turned my head, and shall never forget the ecstatic joy which thrilled through every particle of my frame, when i perceived a large brig bearing down upon us, and not more than a couple of miles off. i sprung to my feet as if a musket bullet had suddenly struck me to the heart; and, stretching out my arms in the direction of the vessel, stood in this manner, motionless, and unable to articulate a syllable. peters and parker were equally affected, although in different ways. the former danced about the deck like a madman, uttering the most extravagant rhodomontades, intermingled with howls and imprecations, while the latter burst into tears, and continued for many minutes weeping like a child. the vessel in sight was a large hermaphrodite brig, of a dutch build, and painted black, with a tawdry gilt figurehead. she had evidently seen a good deal of rough weather, and, we supposed, had suffered much in the gale which had proved so disastrous to ourselves; for her foretopmast was gone, and some of her starboard bulwarks. when we first saw her, she was, as i have already said, about two miles off and to windward, bearing down upon us. the breeze was very gentle, and what astonished us chiefly was, that she had no other sails set than her foresail and mainsail, with a flying jib--of course she came down but slowly, and our impatience amounted nearly to phrensy. the awkward manner in which she steered, too, was remarked by all of us, even excited as we were. she yawed about so considerably, that once or twice we thought it impossible she could see us, or imagined that, having seen us, and discovered no person on board, she was about to tack and make off in another direction. upon each of these occasions we screamed and shouted at the top of our voices, when the stranger would appear to change for a moment her intention, and again hold on towards us--this singular conduct being repeated two or three times, so that at last we could think of no other manner of accounting for it than by supposing the helmsman to be in liquor. no person was seen upon her decks until she arrived within about a quarter of a mile of us. we then saw three seamen, whom by their dress we took to be hollanders. two of these were lying on some old sails near the forecastle, and the third, who appeared to be looking at us with great curiosity, was leaning over the starboard bow near the bowsprit. this last was a stout and tall man, with a very dark skin. he seemed by his manner to be encouraging us to have patience, nodding to us in a cheerful although rather odd way, and smiling constantly so as to display a set of the most brilliantly white teeth. as his vessel drew nearer, we saw a red flannel cap which he had on fall from his head into the water; but of this he took little or no notice, continuing his odd smiles and gesticulations. i relate these things and circumstances minutely, and i relate them, it must be understood, precisely as they _appeared_ to us. the brig came on slowly, and now more steadily than before, and--i cannot speak calmly of this event--our hearts leaped up wildly within us, and we poured out our whole souls in shouts and thanksgiving to god for the complete, unexpected, and glorious deliverance that was so palpably at hand. of a sudden, and all at once, there came wafted over the ocean from the strange vessel (which was now close upon us) a smell, a stench, such as the whole world has no name for--no conception of--hellish--utterly suffocating--insufferable, inconceivable. i gasped for breath, and, turning to my companions, perceived that they were paler than marble. but we had now no time left for question or surmise--the brig was within fifty feet of us, and it seemed to be her intention to run under our counter, that we might board her without her putting out a boat. we rushed aft, when, suddenly, a wide yaw threw her off full five or six points from the course she had been running, and, as she passed under our stern at the distance of about twenty feet, we had a full view of her decks. shall i ever forget the triple horror of that spectacle? twenty-five or thirty human bodies, among whom were several females, lay scattered about between the counter and the galley, in the last and most loathsome state of putrefaction! we plainly saw that not a soul lived in that fated vessel! yet we could not help shouting to the dead for help! yes, long and loudly did we beg, in the agony of the moment, that those silent and disgusting images would stay for us, would not abandon us to become like them, would receive us among their goodly company! we were raving with horror and despair--thoroughly mad through the anguish of our grievous disappointment. as our first loud yell of terror broke forth, it was replied to by something, from near the bowsprit of the stranger, so closely resembling the scream of a human voice that the nicest ear might have been startled and deceived. at this instant another sudden yaw brought the region of the forecastle for a moment into view, and we beheld at once the origin of the sound. we saw the tall stout figure still leaning on the bulwark, and still nodding his head to and fro, but his face was now turned from us so that we could not behold it. his arms were extended over the rail, and the palms of his hands fell outward. his knees were lodged upon a stout rope, tightly stretched, and reaching from the heel of the bowsprit to a cathead. on his back, from which a portion of the shirt had been torn, leaving it bare, there sat a huge seagull, busily gorging itself with the horrible flesh, its bill and talons deep buried, and its white plumage spattered all over with blood. as the brig moved further round so as to bring us close in view, the bird, with much apparent difficulty, drew out its crimsoned head, and, after eying us for a moment as if stupified, arose lazily from the body upon which it had been feasting, and, flying directly above our deck, hovered there a while with a portion of clotted and liver-like substance in its beak. the horrid morsel dropped at length with a sullen splash immediately at the feet of parker. may god forgive me, but now, for the first time, there flashed through my mind a thought, a thought which i will not mention, and i felt myself making a step towards the ensanguined spot. i looked upward, and the eyes of augustus met my own with a degree of intense and eager meaning which immediately brought me to my senses. i sprang forward quickly, and, with a deep shudder, threw the frightful thing into the sea. the body from which it had been taken, resting as it did upon the rope, had been easily swayed to and fro by the exertions of the carnivorous bird, and it was this motion which had at first impressed us with the belief of its being alive. as the gull relieved it of its weight, it swung round and fell partially over, so that the face was fully discovered. never, surely, was any object so terribly full of awe! the eyes were gone, and the whole flesh around the mouth, leaving the teeth utterly naked. this, then, was the smile which had cheered us on to hope! this the--but i forbear. the brig, as i have already told, passed under our stern, and made its way slowly but steadily to leeward. with her and with her terrible crew went all our gay visions of deliverance and joy. deliberately as she went by, we might possibly have found means of boarding her, had not our sudden disappointment, and the appalling nature of the discovery which accompanied it, laid entirely prostrate every active faculty of mind and body. we had seen and felt, but we could neither think nor act, until, alas, too late. how much our intellects had been weakened by this incident may be estimated by the fact, that, when the vessel had proceeded so far that we could perceive no more than the half of her hull, the proposition was seriously entertained of attempting to overtake her by swimming! i have, since this period, vainly endeavoured to obtain some clew to the hideous uncertainty which enveloped the fate of the stranger. her build and general appearance, as i have before stated, led us to the belief that she was a dutch trader, and the dresses of the crew also sustained this opinion. we might have easily seen the name upon her stern, and, indeed, taken other observations which would have guided us in making out her character; but the intense excitement of the moment blinded us to everything of that nature. from the saffron-like hue of such of the corpses as were not entirely decayed, we concluded that the whole of her company had perished by the yellow fever, or some other virulent disease of the same fearful kind. if such were the case (and i know not what else to imagine), death, to judge from the positions of the bodies, must have come upon them in a manner awfully sudden and overwhelming, in a way totally distinct from that which generally characterizes even the most deadly pestilences with which mankind are acquainted. it is possible, indeed, that poison, accidentally introduced into some of their sea-stores, may have brought about the disaster; or that the eating some unknown venomous species of fish, or other marine animal, or oceanic bird, might have induced it--but it is utterly useless to form conjectures where all is involved, and will, no doubt, remain for ever involved, in the most appalling and unfathomable mystery. chapter xi. we spent the remainder of the day in a condition of stupid lethargy, gazing after the retreating vessel until the darkness, hiding her from our sight, recalled us in some measure to our senses. the pangs of hunger and thirst then returned, absorbing all other cares and considerations. nothing, however, could be done until the morning, and, securing ourselves as well as possible, we endeavoured to snatch a little repose. in this i succeeded beyond my expectation, sleeping until my companions, who had not been so fortunate, aroused me at daybreak to renew our attempts at getting up provision from the hull. it was now a dead calm, with the sea as smooth as i have ever known it--the weather warm and pleasant. the brig was out of sight. we commenced our operations by wrenching off, with some trouble, another of the forechains; and having fastened both to peters's feet, he again made an endeavour to reach the door of the storeroom, thinking it possible that he might be able to force it open, provided he could get at it in sufficient time; and this he hoped to do, as the hulk lay much more steadily than before. he succeeded very quickly in reaching the door, when, loosening one of the chains from his ankle, he made every exertion to force a passage with it, but in vain, the framework of the room being far stronger than was anticipated. he was quite exhausted with his long stay under water, and it became absolutely necessary that some other one of us should take his place. for this service parker immediately volunteered; but, after making three ineffectual efforts, found that he could never even succeed in getting near the door. the condition of augustus's wounded arm rendered it useless for him to attempt going down, as he would be unable to force the room open should he reach it, and it accordingly now devolved upon me to exert myself for our common deliverance. peters had left one of the chains in the passage, and i found, upon plunging in, that i had not sufficient ballast to keep me firmly down. i determined, therefore, to attempt no more, in my first effort, than merely to recover the other chain. in groping along the floor of the passage for this i felt a hard substance, which i immediately grasped, not having time to ascertain what it was, but returning and ascending instantly to the surface. the prize proved to be a bottle, and our joy may be conceived when i say that it was found to be full of port wine. giving thanks to god for this timely and cheering assistance, we immediately drew the cork with my penknife, and, each taking a moderate sup, felt the most indescribable comfort from the warmth, strength, and spirits with which it inspired us. we then carefully recorked the bottle, and, by means of a handkerchief, swung it in such a manner that there was no possibility of its getting broken. having rested a while after this fortunate discovery, i again descended, and now recovered the chain, with which i instantly came up. i then fastened it on and went down for the third time, when i became fully satisfied that no exertions whatever, in that situation, would enable me to force open the door of the storeroom. i therefore returned in despair. there seemed now to be no longer any room for hope, and i could perceive in the countenances of my companions that they had made up their minds to perish. the wine had evidently produced in them a species of delirium, which, perhaps, i had been prevented from feeling by the immersion i had undergone since drinking it. they talked incoherently, and about matters unconnected with our condition, peters repeatedly asking me questions about nantucket. augustus, too, i remember, approached me with a serious air, and requested me to lend him a pocket-comb, as his hair was full of fish scales, and he wished to get them out before going on shore. parker appeared somewhat less affected, and urged me to dive at random into the cabin, and bring up any article which might come to hand. to this i consented, and, in the first attempt, after staying under a full minute, brought up a small leather trunk belonging to captain barnard. this was immediately opened in the faint hope that it might contain something to eat or drink. we found nothing, however, except a box of razors and two linen shirts. i now went down again, and returned without any success. as my head came above water i heard a crash on deck, and, upon getting up, saw that my companions had ungratefully taken advantage of my absence to drink the remainder of the wine, having let the bottle fall in the endeavour to replace it before i saw them. i remonstrated with them on the heartlessness of their conduct, when augustus burst into tears. the other two endeavoured to laugh the matter off as a joke, but i hope never again to behold laughter of such a species: the distortion of countenance was absolutely frightful. indeed, it was apparent that the stimulus, in the empty state of their stomachs, had taken instant and violent effect, and that they were all exceedingly intoxicated. with great difficulty i prevailed upon them to lie down, when they fell very soon into a heavy slumber, accompanied with loud stertorous breathing. i now found myself, as it were, alone in the brig, and my reflections, to be sure, were of the most fearful and gloomy nature. no prospect offered itself to my view but a lingering death by famine, or, at the best, by being overwhelmed in the first gale which should spring up, for in our present exhausted condition we could have no hope of living through another. the gnawing hunger which i now experienced was nearly insupportable, and i felt myself capable of going to any lengths in order to appease it. with my knife i cut off a small portion of the leather trunk, and endeavoured to eat it, but found it utterly impossible to swallow a single morsel, although i fancied that some little alleviation of my suffering was obtained by chewing small pieces of it and spitting them out. towards night my companions awoke, one by one, each in an indescribable state of weakness and horror, brought on by the wine, whose fumes had now evaporated. they shook as if with a violent ague, and uttered the most lamentable cries for water. their condition affected me in the most lively degree, at the same time causing me to rejoice in the fortunate train of circumstances which had prevented me from indulging in the wine, and consequently from sharing their melancholy and most distressing sensations. their conduct, however, gave me great uneasiness and alarm; for it was evident that, unless some favourable change took place, they could afford me no assistance in providing for our common safety. i had not yet abandoned all idea of being able to get up something from below; but the attempt could not possibly be resumed until some one of them was sufficiently master of himself to aid me by holding the end of the rope while i went down. parker appeared to be somewhat more in possession of his senses than the others, and i endeavoured, by every means in my power, to arouse him. thinking that a plunge in the seawater might have a beneficial effect, i contrived to fasten the end of a rope around his body, and then, leading him to the companion-way (he remaining quite passive all the while), pushed him in, and immediately drew him out. i had good reason to congratulate myself upon having made this experiment; for he appeared much revived and invigorated, and, upon getting out, asked me, in a rational manner, why i had so served him. having explained my object, he expressed himself indebted to me, and said that he felt greatly better from the immersion, afterward conversing sensibly upon our situation. we then resolved to treat augustus and peters in the same way, which we immediately did, when they both experienced much benefit from the shock. this idea of sudden immersion had been suggested to me by reading in some medical work the good effect of the shower-bath in a case where the patient was suffering from _mania à potu_. finding that i could now trust my companions to hold the end of the rope, i again made three or four plunges into the cabin, although it was now quite dark, and a gentle but long swell from the northward rendered the hulk somewhat unsteady. in the course of these attempts i succeeded in bringing up two case-knives, a three-gallon jug, empty, and a blanket, but nothing which could serve us for food. i continued my efforts, after getting these articles, until i was completely exhausted, but brought up nothing else. during the night parker and peters occupied themselves by turns in the same manner; but nothing coming to hand, we now gave up this attempt in despair, concluding that we were exhausting ourselves in vain. we passed the remainder of this night in a state of the most intense mental and bodily anguish that can possibly be imagined. the morning of the sixteenth at length dawned, and we looked eagerly around the horizon for relief, but to no purpose. the sea was still smooth, with only a long swell from the northward, as on yesterday. this was the sixth day since we had tasted either food or drink, with the exception of the bottle of port wine, and it was clear that we could hold out but a very little while longer unless something could be obtained. i never saw before, nor wish to see again, human beings so utterly emaciated as peters and augustus. had i met them on shore in their present condition i should not have had the slightest suspicion that i had ever beheld them. their countenances were totally changed in character, so that i could not bring myself to believe them really the same individuals with whom i had been in company but a few days before. parker, although sadly reduced, and so feeble that he could not raise his head from his bosom, was not so far gone as the other two. he suffered with great patience, making no complaint, and endeavouring to inspire us with hope in every manner he could devise. for myself, although at the commencement of the voyage i had been in bad health, and was at all times of a delicate constitution, i suffered less than any of us, being much less reduced in frame, and retaining my powers of mind in a surprising degree, while the rest were completely prostrated in intellect, and seemed to be brought to a species of second childhood, generally simpering in their expressions, with idiotic smiles, and uttering the most absurd platitudes. at intervals, however, they would appear to revive suddenly, as if inspired all at once with a consciousness of their condition, when they would spring upon their feet in a momentary flash of vigour, and speak, for a short period, of their prospects, in a manner altogether rational, although full of the most intense despair. it is possible, however, that my companions may have entertained the same opinion of their own condition as i did of mine, and that i may have unwittingly been guilty of the same extravagances and imbecilities as themselves--this is a matter which cannot be determined. about noon parker declared that he saw land off the larboard quarter, and it was with the utmost difficulty i could restrain him from plunging into the sea with the view of swimming towards it. peters and augustus took little notice of what he said, being apparently wrapped up in moody contemplation. upon looking in the direction pointed out i could not perceive the faintest appearance of the shore--indeed, i was too well aware that we were far from any land to indulge in a hope of that nature. it was a long time, nevertheless, before i could convince parker of his mistake. he then burst into a flood of tears, weeping like a child, with loud cries and sobs, for two or three hours, when, becoming exhausted, he fell asleep. peters and augustus now made several ineffectual efforts to swallow portions of the leather. i advised them to chew it and spit it out; but they were too excessively debilitated to be able to follow my advice. i continued to chew pieces of it at intervals, and found some relief from so doing; my chief distress was for water, and i was only prevented from taking a draught from the sea by remembering the horrible consequences which thus have resulted to others who were similarly situated with ourselves. the day wore on in this manner, when i suddenly discovered a sail to the eastward, and on our larboard bow. she appeared to be a large ship, and was coming nearly athwart us, being probably twelve or fifteen miles distant. none of my companions had as yet discovered her, and i forbore to tell them of her for the present, lest we might again be disappointed of relief. at length, upon her getting nearer, i saw distinctly that she was heading immediately for us, with her light sails filled. i could now contain myself no longer, and pointed her out to my fellow-sufferers. they immediately sprang to their feet, again indulging in the most extravagant demonstrations of joy, weeping, laughing in an idiotic manner, jumping, stamping upon the deck, tearing their hair, and praying and cursing by turns. i was so affected by their conduct, as well as by what i now considered a sure prospect of deliverance, that i could not refrain from joining in with their madness, and gave way to the impulses of my gratitude and ecstasy by lying and rolling on the deck, clapping my hands, shouting, and other similar acts, until i was suddenly called to my recollection, and once more to the extreme of human misery and despair, by perceiving the ship all at once with her stern fully presented towards us, and steering in a direction nearly opposite to that in which i had at first perceived her. it was some time before i could induce my poor companions to believe that this sad reverse in our prospects had actually taken place. they replied to all my assertions with a stare and a gesture implying that they were not to be deceived by such misrepresentations. the conduct of augustus most sensibly affected me. in spite of all i could say or do to the contrary, he persisted in saying that the ship was rapidly nearing us, and in making preparations to go on board of her. some seaweed floating by the brig, he maintained that it was the ship's boat, and endeavoured to throw himself upon it, howling and shrieking in the most heartrending manner, when i forcibly restrained him from thus casting himself into the sea. having become in some degree pacified, we continued to watch the ship until we finally lost sight of her, the weather becoming hazy, with a light breeze springing up. as soon as she was entirely gone, parker turned suddenly towards me with an expression of countenance which made me shudder. there was about him an air of self-possession which i had not noticed in him until now, and before he opened his lips my heart told me what he would say. he proposed, in a few words, that one of us should die to preserve the existence of the others. chapter xii. i had, for some time past, dwelt upon the prospect of our being reduced to this last horrible extremity, and had secretly made up my mind to suffer death in any shape or under any circumstances rather than resort to such a course. nor was this resolution in any degree weakened by the present intensity of hunger under which i laboured. the proposition had not been heard by either peters or augustus. i therefore took parker aside; and mentally praying to god for power to dissuade him from the horrible purpose he entertained, i expostulated with him for a long time and in the most supplicating manner, begging him in the name of everything which he held sacred, and urging him by every species of argument which the extremity of the case suggested, to abandon the idea, and not to mention it to either of the other two. he heard all i said without attempting to controvert any of my arguments, and i had begun to hope that he would be prevailed upon to do as i desired. but when i had ceased speaking, he said that he knew very well all i had said was true, and that to resort to such a course was the most horrible alternative which could enter into the mind of man; but that he had now held out as long as human nature could be sustained; that it was unnecessary for all to perish, when, by the death of one, it was possible, and even probable, that the rest might be finally preserved; adding that i might save myself the trouble of trying to turn him from his purpose, his mind having been thoroughly made up on the subject even before the appearance of the ship, and that only her heaving in sight had prevented him from mentioning his intention at an earlier period. i now begged him, if he would not be prevailed upon to abandon his design, at least to defer it for another day, when some vessel might come to our relief; again reiterating every argument i could devise, and which i thought likely to have influence with one of his rough nature. he said, in reply, that he had not spoken until the very last possible moment; that he could exist no longer without sustenance of some kind; and that therefore in another day his suggestion would be too late, as regarded himself at least. finding that he was not to be moved by anything i could say in a mild tone, i now assumed a different demeanour, and told him that he must be aware i had suffered less than any of us from our calamities; that my health and strength, consequently, were at that moment far better than his own, or than that either of peters or augustus; in short, that i was in a condition to have my own way by force if i found it necessary; and that, if he attempted in any manner to acquaint the others with his bloody and cannibal designs, i would not hesitate to throw him into the sea. upon this he immediately seized me by the throat, and drawing a knife, made several ineffectual efforts to stab me in the stomach; an atrocity which his excessive debility alone prevented him from accomplishing. in the mean time, being roused to a high pitch of anger, i forced him to the vessel's side, with the full intention of throwing him overboard. he was saved from this fate, however, by the interference of peters, who now approached and separated us, asking the cause of the disturbance. this parker told before i could find means in any manner to prevent him. the effect of his words was even more terrible than what i had anticipated. both augustus and peters, who, it seems, had long secretly entertained the same fearful idea which parker had been merely the first to broach, joined with him in his design, and insisted upon its being immediately carried into effect. i had calculated that one at least of the two former would be found still possessed of sufficient strength of mind to side with myself in resisting any attempt to execute so dreadful a purpose; and, with the aid of either one of them, i had no fear of being able to prevent its accomplishment. being disappointed in this expectation, it became absolutely necessary that i should attend to my own safety, as a further resistance on my part might possibly be considered by men in their frightful condition a sufficient excuse for refusing me fair play in the tragedy that i knew would speedily be enacted. i now told them i was willing to submit to the proposal, merely requesting a delay of about one hour, in order that the fog which had gathered around us might have an opportunity of lifting, when it was possible that the ship we had seen might be again in sight. after great difficulty i obtained from them a promise to wait thus long; and, as i had anticipated (a breeze rapidly coming in), the fog lifted before the hour had expired, when, no vessel appearing in sight, we prepared to draw lots. it is with extreme reluctance that i dwell upon the appalling scene which ensued; a scene which, with its minutest details, no after events have been able to efface in the slightest degree from my memory, and whose stern recollection will imbitter every future moment of my existence. let me run over this portion of my narrative with as much haste as the nature of the events to be spoken of will permit. the only method we could devise for the terrific lottery, in which we were to take each a chance, was that of drawing straws. small splinters of wood were made to answer our purpose, and it was agreed that i should be the holder. i retired to one end of the hulk, while my poor companions silently took up their station in the other with their backs turned towards me. the bitterest anxiety which i endured at any period of this fearful drama was while i occupied myself in the arrangement of the lots. there are few conditions into which man can possibly fall where he will not feel a deep interest in the preservation of his existence; an interest momentarily increasing with the frailness of the tenure by which that existence may be held. but now that the silent, definite, and stern nature of the business in which i was engaged (so different from the tumultuous dangers of the storm or the gradually approaching horrors of famine) allowed me to reflect on the few chances i had of escaping the most appalling of deaths--a death for the most appalling of purposes--every particle of that energy which had so long buoyed me up departed like feathers before the wind, leaving me a helpless prey to the most abject and pitiable terror. i could not, at first, even summon up sufficient strength to tear and fit together the small splinters of wood, my fingers absolutely refusing their office, and my knees knocking violently against each other. my mind ran over rapidly a thousand absurd projects by which to avoid becoming a partner in the awful speculation. i thought of falling on my knees to my companions, and entreating them to let me escape this necessity; of suddenly rushing upon them, and, by putting one of them to death, of rendering the decision by lot useless--in short, of everything but of going through with the matter i had in hand. at last, after wasting a long time in this imbecile conduct, i was recalled to my senses by the voice of parker, who urged me to relieve them at once from the terrible anxiety they were enduring. even then i could not bring myself to arrange the splinters upon the spot, but thought over every species of finesse by which i could trick some one of my fellow-sufferers to draw the short straw, as it had been agreed that whoever drew the shortest of four splinters from my hand was to die for the preservation of the rest. before any one condemn me for this apparent heartlessness, let him be placed in a situation precisely similar to my own. at length delay was no longer possible, and, with a heart almost bursting from my bosom, i advanced to the region of the forecastle, where my companions were awaiting me. i held out my hand with the splinters, and peters immediately drew. he was free--_his_, at least, was not the shortest; and there was now another chance against my escape. i summoned up all my strength, and passed the lots to augustus. he also drew immediately, and he also was free; and now, whether i should live or die, the chances were no more than precisely even. at this moment all the fierceness of the tiger possessed my bosom, and i felt towards my poor fellow-creature, parker, the most intense, the most diabolical hatred. but the feeling did not last; and, at length, with a convulsive shudder and closed eyes, i held out the two remaining splinters towards him. it was full five minutes before he could summon resolution to draw, during which period of heartrending suspense i never once opened my eyes. presently one of the two lots was quickly drawn from my hand. the decision was then over, yet i knew not whether it was for me or against me. no one spoke, and still i dared not satisfy myself by looking at the splinter i held. peters at length took me by the hand, and i forced myself to look up, when i immediately saw by the countenance of parker that i was safe, and that he it was who had been doomed to suffer. gasping for breath, i fell senseless to the deck. i recovered from my swoon in time to behold the consummation of the tragedy in the death of him who had been chiefly instrumental in bringing it about. he made no resistance whatever, and was stabbed in the back by peters, when he fell instantly dead. i must not dwell upon the fearful repast which immediately ensued. such things may be imagined, but words have no power to impress the mind with the exquisite horror of their reality. let it suffice to say that, having in some measure appeased the raging thirst which consumed us by the blood of the victim, and having by common consent taken off the hands, feet, and head, throwing them, together with the entrails, into the sea, we devoured the rest of the body, piecemeal, during the four ever memorable days of the seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth of the month. on the nineteenth, there coming on a smart shower which lasted fifteen or twenty minutes, we contrived to catch some water by means of a sheet which had been fished up from the cabin by our drag just after the gale. the quantity we took in all did not amount to more than half a gallon; but even this scanty allowance supplied us with comparative strength and hope. on the twenty-first we were again reduced to the last necessity. the weather still remained warm and pleasant, with occasional fogs and light breezes, most usually from n. to w. on the twenty-second, as we were sitting close huddled together, gloomily revolving over our lamentable condition, there flashed through my mind all at once an idea which inspired me with a bright gleam of hope. i remembered that, when the foremast had been cut away, peters, being in the windward chains, passed one of the axes into my hand, requesting me to put it, if possible, in a place of security, and that a few minutes before the last heavy sea struck the brig and filled her i had taken this axe into the forecastle, and laid it in one of the larboard berths. i now thought it possible that, by getting at this axe, we might cut through the deck over the storeroom, and thus readily supply ourselves with provisions. when i communicated this project to my companions, they uttered a feeble shout of joy, and we all proceeded forthwith to the forecastle. the difficulty of descending here was greater than that of going down in the cabin, the opening being much smaller, for it will be remembered that the whole framework about the cabin companion-hatch had been carried away, whereas the forecastle-way, being a simple hatch of only about three feet square, had remained uninjured. i did not hesitate, however, to attempt the descent; and, a rope being fastened round my body as before, i plunged boldly in, feet foremost, made my way quickly to the berth, and, at the very first attempt, brought up the axe. it was hailed with the most ecstatic joy and triumph, and the ease with which it had been obtained was regarded as an omen of our ultimate preservation. we now commenced cutting at the deck with all the energy of rekindled hope, peters and myself taking the axe by turns, augustus's wounded arm not permitting him to aid us in any degree. as we were still so feeble as to be scarcely able to stand unsupported, and could consequently work but a minute or two without resting, it soon became evident that many long hours would be requisite to accomplish our task--that is, to cut an opening sufficiently large to admit of a free access to the storeroom. this consideration, however, did not discourage us; and, working all night by the light of the moon, we succeeded in effecting our purpose by daybreak on the morning of the twenty-third. peters now volunteered to go down; and, having made all arrangements as before, he descended, and soon returned, bringing up with him a small jar, which, to our great joy, proved to be full of olives. having shared these among us, and devoured them with the greatest avidity, we proceeded to let him down again. this time he succeeded beyond our utmost expectations, returning instantly with a large ham and a bottle of madeira wine. of the latter we each took a moderate sup, having learned by experience the pernicious consequences of indulging too freely. the ham, except about two pounds near the bone, was not in a condition to be eaten, having been entirely spoiled by the salt water. the sound part was divided among us. peters and augustus, not being able to restrain their appetite, swallowed theirs upon the instant; but i was more cautious, and ate but a small portion of mine, dreading the thirst which i knew would ensue. we now rested a while from our labours, which had been intolerably severe. by noon, feeling somewhat strengthened and refreshed, we again renewed our attempt at getting up provision, peters and myself going down alternately, and always with more or less success, until sundown. during this interval we had the good fortune to bring up, altogether, four more small jars of olives, another ham, a carboy containing nearly three gallons of excellent cape madeira wine, and, what gave us still more delight, a small tortoise of the gallipago breed, several of which had been taken on board by captain barnard, as the grampus was leaving port, from the schooner mary pitts, just returned from a sealing voyage in the pacific. in a subsequent portion of this narrative i shall have frequent occasion to mention this species of tortoise. it is found principally, as most of my readers may know, in the group of islands called the gallipagos, which, indeed, derive their name from the animal--the spanish word gallipago meaning a fresh-water terapin. from the peculiarity of their shape and action they have been sometimes called the elephant tortoise. they are frequently found of an enormous size. i have myself seen several which would weigh from twelve to fifteen hundred pounds, although i do not remember that any navigator speaks of having seen them weighing more than eight hundred. their appearance is singular, and even disgusting. their steps are very slow, measured, and heavy, their bodies being carried about a foot from the ground. their neck is long, and exceedingly slender; from eighteen inches to two feet is a very common length, and i killed one, where the distance from the shoulder to the extremity of the head was no less than three feet ten inches. the head has a striking resemblance to that of a serpent. they can exist without food for an almost incredible length of time, instances having been known where they have been thrown into the hold of a vessel and lain two years without nourishment of any kind--being as fat, and, in every respect, in as good order at the expiration of the time as when they were first put in. in one particular these extraordinary animals bear a resemblance to the dromedary, or camel of the desert. in a bag at the root of the neck they carry with them a constant supply of water. in some instances, upon killing them after a full year's deprivation of all nourishment, as much as three gallons of perfectly sweet and fresh water have been found in their bags. their food is chiefly wild parsley and celery, with purslain, sea-kelp, and prickly pears, upon which latter vegetable they thrive wonderfully, a great quantity of it being usually found on the hillsides near the shore wherever the animal itself is discovered. they are excellent and highly nutritious food, and have, no doubt, been the means of preserving the lives of thousands of seamen employed in the whale-fishery and other pursuits in the pacific. the one which we had the good fortune to bring up from the storeroom was not of a large size, weighing probably sixty-five or seventy pounds. it was a female, and in excellent condition, being exceedingly fat, and having more than a quart of limpid and sweet water in its bag. this was indeed a treasure; and, falling on our knees with one accord, we returned fervent thanks to god for so seasonable a relief. we had great difficulty in getting the animal up through the opening, as its struggles were fierce and its strength prodigious. it was upon the point of making its escape from peters's grasp, and slipping back into the water, when augustus, throwing a rope with a slip-knot around its throat, held it up in this manner until i jumped into the hole by the side of peters, and assisted him in lifting it out. the water we drew carefully from the bag into the jug, which, it will be remembered, had been brought up before from the cabin. having done this, we broke off the neck of a bottle so as to form, with the cork, a kind of glass, holding not quite half a gill. we then each drank one of these measures full, and resolved to limit ourselves to this quantity per day as long as it should hold out. during the last two or three days, the weather having been dry and pleasant, the bedding we had obtained from the cabin, as well as our clothing, had become thoroughly dry, so that we passed this night (that of the twenty-third) in comparative comfort, enjoying a tranquil repose, after having supped plentifully on olives and ham, with a small allowance of the wine. being afraid of losing some of our stores overboard during the night, in the event of a breeze springing up, we secured them as well as possible with cordage to the fragments of the windlass. our tortoise, which we were anxious to preserve alive as long as we could, we threw on his back, and otherwise carefully fastened. chapter xiii. _july 24._ this morning saw us wonderfully recruited in spirits and strength. notwithstanding the perilous situation in which we were still placed, ignorant of our position, although certainly at a great distance from land, without more food than would last us for a fortnight even with great care, almost entirely without water, and floating about at the mercy of every wind and wave, on the merest wreck in the world, still the infinitely more terrible distresses and dangers from which we had so lately and so providentially been delivered caused us to regard what we now endured as but little more than an ordinary evil--so strictly comparative is either good or ill. at sunrise we were preparing to renew our attempts at getting up something from the storeroom, when, a smart shower coming on, with some lightning, we turned our attention to the catching of water by means of the sheet we had used before for this purpose. we had no other means of collecting the rain than by holding the sheet spread out with one of the forechain-plates in the middle of it. the water, thus conducted to the centre, was drained through into our jug. we had nearly filled it in this manner, when, a heavy squall coming on from the northward, obliged us to desist, as the hulk began once more to roll so violently that we could no longer keep our feet. we now went forward, and, lashing ourselves securely to the remnant of the windlass as before, awaited the event with far more calmness than could have been anticipated, or would have been imagined possible under the circumstances. at noon the wind had freshened into a two-reef breeze, and by night into a stiff gale, accompanied with a tremendously heavy swell. experience having taught us, however, the best method of arranging our lashings, we weathered this dreary night in tolerable security, although thoroughly drenched at almost every instant by the sea, and in momentary dread of being washed off. fortunately, the weather was so warm as to render the water rather grateful than otherwise. _july 25._ this morning the gale had diminished to a mere ten-knot breeze, and the sea had gone down with it so considerably that we were able to keep ourselves dry upon the deck. to our great grief, however, we found that two jars of our olives, as well as the whole of our ham, had been washed overboard, in spite of the careful manner in which they had been fastened. we determined not to kill the tortoise as yet, and contented ourselves for the present with a breakfast on a few of the olives, and a measure of water each, which latter we mixed, half and half, with wine, finding great relief and strength from the mixture, without the distressing intoxication which had ensued upon drinking the port. the sea was still far too rough for the renewal of our efforts at getting up provision from the storeroom. several articles, of no importance to us in our present situation, floated up through the opening during the day, and were immediately washed overboard. we also now observed that the hulk lay more along than ever, so that we could not stand an instant without lashing ourselves. on this account we passed a gloomy and uncomfortable day. at noon the sun appeared to be nearly vertical, and we had no doubt that we had been driven down by the long succession of northward and northwesterly winds into the near vicinity of the equator. towards evening saw several sharks, and were somewhat alarmed by the audacious manner in which an enormously large one approached us. at one time, a lurch throwing the deck very far beneath the water, the monster actually swam in upon us, floundering for some moments just over the companion-hatch, and striking peters violently with his tail. a heavy sea at length hurled him overboard, much to our relief. in moderate weather we might have easily captured him. _july 26._ this morning, the wind having greatly abated, and the sea not being very rough, we determined to renew our exertions in the storeroom. after a great deal of hard labour during the whole day, we found that nothing further was to be expected from this quarter, the partitions of the room having been stove during the night, and its contents swept into the hold. this discovery, as may be supposed, filled us with despair. _july 27._ the sea nearly smooth, with a light wind, and still from the northward and westward. the sun coming out hotly in the afternoon, we occupied ourselves in drying our clothes. found great relief from thirst, and much comfort otherwise, by bathing in the sea; in this, however, we were forced to use great caution, being afraid of sharks, several of which were seen swimming around the brig during the day. _july 28._ good weather still. the brig now began to lie along so alarmingly that we feared she would eventually roll bottom up. prepared ourselves as well as we could for this emergency, lashing our tortoise, water-jug, and two remaining jars of olives as far as possible over to the windward, placing them outside the hull, below the main-chains. the sea very smooth all day, with little or no wind. _july 29._ a continuance of the same weather. augustus's wounded arm began to evince symptoms of mortification. he complained of drowsiness and excessive thirst, but no acute pain. nothing could be done for his relief beyond rubbing his wounds with a little of the vinegar from the olives, and from this no benefit seemed to be experienced. we did everything in our power for his comfort, and trebled his allowance of water. _july 30._ an excessively hot day, with no wind. an enormous shark kept close by the hulk during the whole of the forenoon. we made several unsuccessful attempts to capture him by means of a noose. augustus much worse, and evidently sinking as much from want of proper nourishment as from the effect of his wounds. he constantly prayed to be released from his sufferings, wishing for nothing but death. this evening we ate the last of our olives, and found the water in our jug so putrid that we could not swallow it at all without the addition of wine. determined to kill our tortoise in the morning. _july 31._ after a night of excessive anxiety and fatigue, owing to the position of the hulk, we set about killing and cutting up our tortoise. he proved to be much smaller than we had supposed, although in good condition--the whole meat about him not amounting to more than ten pounds. with a view of preserving a portion of this as long as possible, we cut it into fine pieces, and filled with them our three remaining olive-jars and the wine-bottle (all of which had been kept), pouring in afterward the vinegar from the olives. in this manner we put away about three pounds of the tortoise, intending not to touch it until we had consumed the rest. we concluded to restrict ourselves to about four ounces of the meat per day; the whole would thus last us thirteen days. a brisk shower, with severe thunder and lightning, came on about dusk, but lasted so short a time that we only succeeded in catching about half a pint of water. the whole of this, by common consent, was given to augustus, who now appeared to be in the last extremity. he drank the water from the sheet as we caught it (we holding it above him as he lay so as to let it run into his mouth), for we had now nothing left capable of holding water, unless we had chosen to empty out our wine from the carboy, or the stale water from the jug. either of these expedients would have been resorted to had the shower lasted. the sufferer seemed to derive but little benefit from the draught. his arm was completely black from the wrist to the shoulder, and his feet were like ice. we expected every moment to see him breathe his last. he was frightfully emaciated; so much so that, although he weighed a hundred and twenty-seven pounds upon his leaving nantucket, he now did not weigh more than _forty or fifty at the farthest_. his eyes were sunk far in his head, being scarcely perceptible, and the skin of his cheeks hung so loosely as to prevent his masticating any food, or even swallowing any liquid, without great difficulty. _august 1._ a continuance of the same calm weather, with an oppressively hot sun. suffered exceedingly from thirst, the water in the jug being absolutely putrid and swarming with vermin. we contrived, nevertheless, to swallow a portion of it by mixing it with wine--our thirst, however, was but little abated. we found more relief by bathing in the sea, but could not avail ourselves of this expedient except at long intervals, on account of the continual presence of sharks. we now saw clearly that augustus could not be saved; that he was evidently dying. we could do nothing to relieve his sufferings, which appeared to be great. about twelve o'clock he expired in strong convulsions, and without having spoken for several hours. his death filled us with the most gloomy forebodings, and had so great an effect upon our spirits that we sat motionless by the corpse during the whole day, and never addressed each other except in a whisper. it was not until some time after dark that we took courage to get up and throw the body overboard. it was then loathsome beyond expression, and so far decayed that, as peters attempted to lift it, an entire leg came off in his grasp. as the mass of putrefaction slipped over the vessel's side into the water, the glare of phosphoric light with which it was surrounded plainly discovered to us seven or eight large sharks, the clashing of whose horrible teeth, as their prey was torn to pieces among them, might have been heard at the distance of a mile. we shrunk within ourselves in the extremity of horror at the sound. _august 2._ the same fearfully calm and hot weather. the dawn found us in a state of pitiable dejection as well as bodily exhaustion. the water in the jug was now absolutely useless, being a thick gelatinous mass; nothing but frightful-looking worms mingled with slime. we threw it out, and washed the jug well in the sea, afterward pouring a little vinegar in it from our bottles of pickled tortoise. our thirst could now scarcely be endured, and we tried in vain to relieve it by wine, which seemed only to add fuel to the flame, and excited us to a high degree of intoxication. we afterward endeavoured to relieve our sufferings by mixing the wine with seawater; but this instantly brought about the most violent retchings, so that we never again attempted it. during the whole day we anxiously sought an opportunity of bathing, but to no purpose; for the hulk was now entirely besieged on all sides with sharks--no doubt the identical monsters who had devoured our poor companion on the evening before, and who were in momentary expectation of another similar feast. this circumstance occasioned us the most bitter regret, and filled us with the most depressing and melancholy forebodings. we had experienced indescribable relief in bathing, and to have this resource cut off in so frightful a manner was more than we could bear. nor, indeed, were we altogether free from the apprehension of immediate danger, for the least slip or false movement would have thrown us at once within reach of these voracious fish, who frequently thrust themselves directly upon us, swimming up to leeward. no shouts or exertions on our part seemed to alarm them. even when one of the largest was struck with an axe by peters, and much wounded, he persisted in his attempts to push in where we were. a cloud came up at dusk, but, to our extreme anguish, passed over without discharging itself. it is quite impossible to conceive our sufferings from thirst at this period. we passed a sleepless night, both on this account and through dread of the sharks. _august 3._ no prospect of relief, and the brig lying still more and more along, so that now we could not maintain a footing upon deck at all. busied ourselves in securing our wine and tortoise-meat, so that we might not lose them in the event of our rolling over. got out two stout spikes from the forechains, and, by means of the axe, drove them into the hull to windward within a couple of feet of the water; this not being very far from the keel, as we were nearly upon our beam-ends. to these spikes we now lashed our provisions, as being more secure than their former position beneath the chains. suffered great agony from thirst during the whole day--no chance of bathing on account of the sharks, which never left us for a moment. found it impossible to sleep. _august 4._ a little before daybreak we perceived that the hulk was heeling over, and aroused ourselves to prevent being thrown off by the movement. at first the roll was slow and gradual, and we contrived to clamber over to windward very well, having taken the precaution to leave ropes hanging from the spikes we had driven in for the provision. but we had not calculated sufficiently upon the acceleration of the impetus; for presently the heel became too violent to allow of our keeping pace with it; and, before either of us knew what was to happen, we found ourselves hurled furiously into the sea, and struggling several fathoms beneath the surface, with the huge hull immediately above us. in going under the water i had been obliged to let go my hold upon the rope; and finding that i was completely beneath the vessel, and my strength utterly exhausted, i scarcely made a struggle for life, and resigned myself, in a few seconds, to die. but here again i was deceived, not having taken into consideration the natural rebound of the hull to windward. the whirl of the water upward, which the vessel occasioned in rolling partially back, brought me to the surface still more violently than i had been plunged beneath. upon coming up, i found myself about twenty yards from the hulk, as near as i could judge. she was lying keel up, rocking furiously from side to side, and the sea in all directions around was much agitated, and full of strong whirlpools. i could see nothing of peters. an oil-cask was floating within a few feet of me, and various other articles from the brig were scattered about. my principal terror was now on account of the sharks, which i knew to be in my vicinity. in order to deter these, if possible, from approaching me, i splashed the water vigorously with both hands and feet as i swam towards the hulk, creating a body of foam. i have no doubt that to this expedient, simple as it was, i was indebted for my preservation; for the sea all around the brig, just before her rolling over, was so crowded with these monsters, that i must have been, and really was, in actual contact with some of them during my progress. by great good fortune, however, i reached the side of the vessel in safety, although so utterly weakened by the violent exertion i had used that i should never have been able to get upon it but for the timely assistance of peters, who now, to my great joy, made his appearance (having scrambled up to the keel from the opposite side of the hull), and threw me the end of a rope--one of those which had been attached to the spikes. having barely escaped this danger, our attention was now directed to the dreadful imminency of another; that of absolute starvation. our whole stock of provision had been swept overboard in spite of all our care in securing it; and seeing no longer the remotest possibility of obtaining more, we gave way both of us to despair, weeping aloud like children, and neither of us attempting to offer consolation to the other. such weakness can scarcely be conceived, and to those who have never been similarly situated will, no doubt, appear unnatural; but it must be remembered that our intellects were so entirely disordered by the long course of privation and terror to which we had been subjected, that we could not justly be considered, at that period, in the light of rational beings. in subsequent perils, nearly as great, if not greater, i bore up with fortitude against all the evils of my situation, and peters, it will be seen, evinced a stoical philosophy nearly as incredible as his present childlike supineness and imbecility--the mental condition made the difference. the overturning of the brig, even with the consequent loss of the wine and turtle, would not, in fact, have rendered our situation more deplorable than before, except for the disappearance of the bedclothes by which we had been hitherto enabled to catch rainwater, and of the jug in which we had kept it when caught; for we found the whole bottom, from within two or three feet of the bends as far as the keel, together with the keel itself, _thickly covered with large barnacles, which proved to be excellent and highly nutritious food_. thus, in two important respects, the accident we had so greatly dreaded proved a benefit rather than an injury; it had opened to us a supply of provisions, which we could not have exhausted, using it moderately, in a month; and it had greatly contributed to our comfort as regards position, we being much more at our ease, and in infinitely less danger, than before. the difficulty, however, of now obtaining water blinded us to all the benefits of the change in our condition. that we might be ready to avail ourselves, as far as possible, of any shower which might fall, we took off our shirts, to make use of them as we had of the sheets--not hoping, of course, to get more in this way, even under the most favourable circumstances, than half a gill at a time. no signs of a cloud appeared during the day, and the agonies of our thirst were nearly intolerable. at night peters obtained about an hour's disturbed sleep, but my intense sufferings would not permit me to close my eyes for a single moment. _august 5._ to-day, a gentle breeze springing up carried us through a vast quantity of seaweed, among which we were so fortunate as to find eleven small crabs, which afforded us several delicious meals. their shells being quite soft, we ate them entire, and found that they irritated our thirst far less than the barnacles. seeing no trace of sharks among the seaweed, we also ventured to bathe, and remained in the water for four or five hours, during which we experienced a very sensible diminution of our thirst. were greatly refreshed, and spent the night somewhat more comfortably than before, both of us snatching a little sleep. _august 6._ this day we were blessed by a brisk and continual rain, lasting from about noon until after dark. bitterly did we now regret the loss of our jug and carboy; for, in spite of the little means we had of catching the water, we might have filled one, if not both of them. as it was, we contrived to satisfy the cravings of thirst by suffering the shirts to become saturated, and then wringing them so as to let the grateful fluid trickle into our mouths. in this occupation we passed the entire day. _august 7._ just at daybreak we both at the same instant descried a sail to the eastward, and _evidently coming towards us!_ we hailed the glorious sight with a long, although feeble shout of rapture; and began instantly to make every signal in our power, by flaring the shirts in the air, leaping as high as our weak condition would permit, and even by hallooing with all the strength of our lungs, although the vessel could not have been less than fifteen miles distant. however, she still continued to near our hulk, and we felt that, if she but held her present course, she must eventually come so close as to perceive us. in about an hour after we first discovered her we could clearly see the people on her decks. she was a long, low, and rakish-looking topsail schooner, with a black ball in her foretopsail, and had, apparently, a full crew. we now became alarmed, for we could hardly imagine it possible that she did not observe us, and were apprehensive that she meant to leave us to perish as we were--an act of fiendish barbarity, which, however incredible it may appear, has been repeatedly perpetrated at sea, under circumstances very nearly similar, and by beings who were regarded as belonging to the human species.[2] in this instance, however, by the mercy of god, we were destined to be most happily deceived; for presently we were aware of a sudden commotion on the deck of the stranger, who immediately afterward run up a british flag, and, hauling her wind, bore up directly upon us. in half an hour more we found ourselves in her cabin. she proved to be the jane guy, of liverpool, captain guy, bound on a sealing and trading voyage to the south seas and pacific. [footnote 2: the case of the brig polly, of boston, is one so much in point, and her fate, in many respects, so remarkably similar to our own, that i cannot forbear alluding to it here. this vessel, of one hundred and thirty tons burden, sailed from boston, with a cargo of lumber and provisions, for santa croix, on the twelfth of december, 1811, under the command of captain casneau. there were eight souls on board besides the captain--the mate, four seamen, and the cook, together with a mr. hunt, and a negro girl belonging to him. on the fifteenth, having cleared the shoal of georges, she sprung a leak in a gale of wind from the southeast, and was finally capsized; but, the mast going by the board, she afterward righted. they remained in this situation, without fire, and with very little provision, for the period of _one hundred and ninety-one days_ (from december the fifteenth to june the twentieth) when captain casneau and samuel badger, the only survivers, were taken off the wreck by the fame, of hull, captain featherstone, bound home from rio janeiro. when picked up they were in latitude _28 n., longitude 13 w., having drifted above two thousand miles_. on the ninth of july the fame fell in with the brig dromeo, captain perkins, who landed the two sufferers in kennebeck. the narrative from which we gather these details ends in the following words. "it is natural to inquire how they could float such a vast distance, upon the most frequented part of the atlantic, and not be discovered all this time. _they were passed by more than a dozen sail, one of which came so nigh them that they could distinctly see the people on deck and on the rigging looking at them; but, to the inexpressible disappointment of the starving and freezing men, they stifled the dictates of compassion, hoisted sail, and cruelly abandoned them to their fate._"] chapter xiv. the jane guy was a fine-looking topsail schooner of a hundred and eighty tons burden. she was unusually sharp in the bows, and on a wind, in moderate weather, the fastest sailer i have ever seen. her qualities, however, as a rough sea-boat, were not so good, and her draught of water was by far too great for the trade to which she was destined. for this peculiar service a larger vessel, and one of a light proportionate draught, is desirable--say a vessel of from three to three hundred and fifty tons. she should be barque-rigged, and in other respects of a different construction from the usual south sea ships. it is absolutely necessary that she should be well armed. she should have, say ten or twelve twelve pound carronades, and two or three long twelves, with brass blunderbusses, and water-tight arm-chests for each top. her anchors and cables should be of far greater strength than is required for any other species of trade, and, above all, her crew should be numerous and efficient--not less, for such a vessel as i have described, than fifty or sixty able-bodied men. the jane guy had a crew of thirty-five, all able seamen, besides the captain and mate, but she was not altogether as well armed or otherwise equipped as a navigator acquainted with the difficulties and dangers of the trade could have desired. captain guy was a gentleman of great urbanity of manner, and of considerable experience in the southern traffic, to which he had devoted a great portion of his life. he was deficient, however, in energy, and, consequently, in that spirit of enterprise which is here so absolutely requisite. he was part owner of the vessel in which he sailed, and was invested with discretionary powers to cruise in the south seas for any cargo which might come most readily to hand. he had on board, as usual in such voyages, beads, looking-glasses, tinder-works, axes, hatchets, saws, adzes, planes, chisels, gouges, gimlets, files, spokeshaves, rasps, hammers, nails, knives, scissors, razors, needles, thread, crockery-ware, calico, trinkets, and other similar articles. the schooner sailed from liverpool on the tenth of july, crossed the tropic of cancer on the twenty-fifth, in longitude twenty degrees west, and reached sal, one of the cape verd islands, on the twenty-ninth, where she took in salt and other necessaries for the voyage. on the third of august she left the cape verds and steered southwest, stretching over towards the coast of brazil so as to cross the equator between the meridians of twenty-eight and thirty degrees west longitude. this is the course usually taken by vessels bound from europe to the cape of good hope, or by that route to the east indies. by proceeding thus they avoid the calms and strong contrary currents which continually prevail on the coast of guinea, while, in the end, it is found to be the shortest track, as westerly winds are never wanting afterward by which to reach the cape. it was captain guy's intention to make his first stoppage at kerguelen's land--i hardly know for what reason. on the day we were picked up the schooner was off cape st. roque, in longitude 31 w.; so that, when found, we had drifted probably, from north to south, _not less than five-and-twenty degrees_. on board the jane guy we were treated with all the kindness our distressed situation demanded. in about a fortnight, during which time we continued steering to the southeast, with gentle breezes and fine weather, both peters and myself recovered entirely from the effects of our late privation and dreadful suffering, and we began to remember what had passed rather as a frightful dream from which we had been happily awakened, than as events which had taken place in sober and naked reality. i have since found that this species of partial oblivion is usually brought about by sudden transition, whether from joy to sorrow or from sorrow to joy--the degree of forgetfulness being proportioned to the degree of difference in the exchange. thus, in my own case, i now feel it impossible to realize the full extent of the misery which i endured during the days spent upon the hulk. the incidents are remembered, but not the feelings which the incidents elicited at the time of their occurrence. i only know that, when they did occur, i _then_ thought human nature could sustain nothing more of agony. we continued our voyage for some weeks without any incidents of greater moment than the occasional meeting with whaling-ships, and more frequently with the black or right whale, so called in contradistinction to the spermaceti. these, however, were chiefly found south of the twenty-fifth parallel. on the sixteenth of september, being in the vicinity of the cape of good hope, the schooner encountered her first gale of any violence since leaving liverpool. in this neighbourhood, but more frequently to the south and east of the promontory (we were to the westward), navigators have often to contend with storms from the northward which rage with great fury. they always bring with them a heavy sea, and one of their most dangerous features is the instantaneous chopping round of the wind, an occurrence almost certain to take place during the greatest force of the gale. a perfect hurricane will be blowing at one moment from the northward or northeast, and in the next not a breath of wind will be felt in that direction, while from the southwest it will come out all at once with a violence almost inconceivable. a bright spot to the southward is the sure forerunner of the change, and vessels are thus enabled to take the proper precautions. it was about six in the morning when the blow came on with a white squall, and, as usual, from the northward. by eight it had increased very much, and brought down upon us one of the most tremendous seas i had then ever beheld. everything had been made as snug as possible, but the schooner laboured excessively, and gave evidence of her bad qualities as a seaboat, pitching her forecastle under at every plunge, and with the greatest difficulty struggling up from one wave before she was buried in another. just before sunset the bright spot for which we had been on the lookout made its appearance in the southwest, and in an hour afterward we perceived the little headsail we carried flapping listlessly against the mast. in two minutes more, in spite of every preparation, we were hurled on our beam-ends as if by magic, and a perfect wilderness of foam made a clear breach over us as we lay. the blow from the southwest, however, luckily proved to be nothing more than a squall, and we had the good fortune to right the vessel without the loss of a spar. a heavy cross sea gave us great trouble for a few hours after this, but towards morning we found ourselves in nearly as good condition as before the gale. captain guy considered that he had made an escape little less than miraculous. on the thirteenth of october we came in sight of prince edward's island, in latitude 46° 53' s., longitude 37° 46' e. two days afterward we found ourselves near possession island, and presently passed the islands of crozet, in latitude 42° 59' s., longitude 48° e. on the eighteenth we made kerguelen's or desolation island, in the southern indian ocean, and came to anchor in christmas harbour, having four fathoms of water. this island, or rather group of islands, bears southeast from the cape of good hope, and is distant therefrom nearly eight hundred leagues. it was first discovered in 1772, by the baron de kergulen, or kerguelen, a frenchman, who, thinking the land to form a portion of an extensive southern continent, carried home information to that effect, which produced much excitement at the time. the government, taking the matter up, sent the baron back in the following year for the purpose of giving his new discovery a critical examination, when the mistake was discovered. in 1777, captain cook fell in with the same group, and gave to the principal one the name of desolation island, a title which it certainly well deserves. upon approaching the land, however, the navigator might be induced to suppose otherwise, as the sides of most of the hills, from september to march, are clothed with very brilliant verdure. this deceitful appearance is caused by a small plant resembling saxifrage, which is abundant, growing in large patches on a species of crumbling moss. besides this plant there is scarcely a sign of vegetation on the island, if we except some coarse rank grass near the harbour, some lichen, and a shrub which bears resemblance to a cabbage shooting into seed, and which has a bitter and acrid taste. the face of the country is hilly, although none of the hills can be called lofty. their tops are perpetually covered with snow. there are several harbours, of which christmas harbour is the most convenient. it is the first to be met with on the northeast side of the island after passing cape françois, which forms the northern shore, and, by its peculiar shape, serves to distinguish the harbour. its projecting point terminates in a high rock, through which is a large hole, forming a natural arch. the entrance is in latitude 48° 40' s., longitude 69° 6' e. passing in here, good anchorage may be found under the shelter of several small islands, which form a sufficient protection from all easterly winds. proceeding on eastwardly from this anchorage you come to wasp bay, at the head of the harbour. this is a small basin, completely landlocked, into which you can go with four fathoms, and find anchorage in from ten to three, hard clay bottom. a ship might lie here with her best bower ahead all the year round without risk. to the westward, at the head of wasp bay, is a small stream of excellent water, easily procured. some seal of the fur and hair species are still to be found on kerguelen's island, and sea elephants abound. the feathered tribes are discovered in great numbers. penguins are very plenty, and of these there are four different kinds. the royal penguin, so called from its size and beautiful plumage, is the largest. the upper part of the body is usually gray, sometimes of a lilach tint; the under portion of the purest white imaginable. the head is of a glossy and most brilliant black, the feet also. the chief beauty of the plumage, however, consists in two broad stripes of a gold colour, which pass along from the head to the breast. the bill is long, and either pink or bright scarlet. these birds walk erect, with a stately carriage. they carry their heads high, with their wings drooping like two arms, and, as their tails project from their body in a line with the legs, the resemblance to a human figure is very striking, and would be apt to deceive the spectator at a casual glance or in the gloom of the evening. the royal penguins which we met with on kerguelen's land were rather larger than a goose. the other kinds are the macaroni, the jackass, and the rookery penguin. these are much smaller, less beautiful in plumage, and different in other respects. besides the penguin many other birds are here to be found, among which may be mentioned seahens, blue peterels, teal, ducks, port egmont hens, shags, cape pigeons, the nelly, seaswallows, terns, seagulls, mother carey's chickens, mother carey's geese, or the great peterel, and, lastly, the albatross. the great peterel is as large as the common albatross, and is carnivorous. it is frequently called the break-bones, or osprey peterel. they are not at all shy, and, when properly cooked, are palatable food. in flying they sometimes sail very close to the surface of the water, with the wings expanded, without appearing to move them in the least degree, or make any exertion with them whatever. the albatross is one of the largest and fiercest of the south sea birds. it is of the gull species, and takes its prey on the wing, never coming on land except for the purpose of breeding. between this bird and the penguin the most singular friendship exists. their nests are constructed with great uniformity, upon a plan concerted between the two species--that of the albatross being placed in the centre of a little square formed by the nests of four penguins. navigators have agreed in calling an assemblage of such encampments _a rookery_. these rookeries have been often described, but, as my readers may not all have seen these descriptions, and as i shall have occasion hereafter to speak of the penguin and albatross, it will not be amiss to say something here of their mode of building and living. when the season for incubation arrives, the birds assemble in vast numbers, and for some days appear to be deliberating upon the proper course to be pursued. at length they proceed to action. a level piece of ground is selected, of suitable extent, usually comprising three or four acres, and situated as near the sea as possible, being still beyond its reach. the spot is chosen with reference to its evenness of surface, and that is preferred which is the least encumbered with stones. this matter being arranged, the birds proceed, with one accord, and actuated apparently by one mind, to trace out, with mathematical accuracy, either a square or other parallelogram, as may best suit the nature of the ground, and of just sufficient size to accommodate easily all the birds assembled, and no more--in this particular seeming determined upon preventing the access of future stragglers who have not participated in the labour of the encampment. one side of the place thus marked out runs parallel with the water's edge, and is left open for ingress or egress. having defined the limits of the rookery, the colony now begin to clear it of every species of rubbish, picking up stone by stone, and carrying them outside of the lines, and close by them, so as to form a wall on the three inland sides. just within this wall a perfectly level and smooth walk is formed, from six to eight feet wide, and extending around the encampment--thus serving the purpose of a general promenade. the next process is to partition out the whole area into small squares exactly equal in size. this is done by forming narrow paths, very smooth, and crossing each other at right angles throughout the entire extent of the rookery. at each intersection of these paths the nest of an albatross is constructed, and a penguin's nest in the centre of each square--thus every penguin is surrounded by four albatrosses, and each albatross by a like number of penguins. the penguin's nest consists of a hole in the earth, very shallow, being only just of sufficient depth to keep her single egg from rolling. the albatross is somewhat less simple in her arrangements, erecting a hillock about a foot high and two in diameter. this is made of earth, seaweed, and shells. on its summit she builds her nest. the birds take especial care never to leave their nests unoccupied for an instant during the period of incubation, or, indeed, until the young progeny are sufficiently strong to take care of themselves. while the male is absent at sea in search of food, the female remains on duty, and it is only upon the return of her partner that she ventures abroad. the eggs are never left uncovered at all--while one bird leaves the nest, the other nestling in by its side. this precaution is rendered necessary by the thievish propensities prevalent in the rookery, the inhabitants making no scruple to purloin each other's eggs at every good opportunity. although there are some rookeries in which the penguin and albatross are the sole population, yet in most of them a variety of oceanic birds are to be met with, enjoying all the privileges of citizenship, and scattering their nests here and there, wherever they can find room, never interfering, however, with the stations of the larger species. the appearance of such encampments, when seen from a distance, is exceedingly singular. the whole atmosphere just above the settlement is darkened with the immense number of the albatross (mingled with the smaller tribes) which are continually hovering over it, either going to the ocean or returning home. at the same time a crowd of penguins are to be observed, some passing to and fro in the narrow alleys, and some marching, with the military strut so peculiar to them, around the general promenade-ground which encircles the rookery. in short, survey it as we will, nothing can be more astonishing than the spirit of reflection evinced by these feathered beings, and nothing surely can be better calculated to elicit reflection in every well-regulated human intellect. on the morning after our arrival in christmas harbour the chief mate, mr. patterson, took the boats, and (although it was somewhat early in the season) went in search of seal, leaving the captain and a young relation of his on a point of barren land to the westward, they having some business, whose nature i could not ascertain, to transact in the interior of the island. captain guy took with him a bottle, in which was a sealed letter, and made his way from the point on which he was set on shore towards one of the highest peaks in the place. it is probable that his design was to leave the letter on that height for some vessel which he expected to come after him. as soon as we lost sight of him we proceeded (peters and myself being in the mate's boat) on our cruise around the coast, looking for seal. in this business we were occupied about three weeks, examining with great care every nook and corner, not only of kerguelen's land, but of the several small islands in the vicinity. our labours, however, were not crowned with any important success. we saw a great many fur seal, but they were exceedingly shy, and, with the greatest exertions, we could only procure three hundred and fifty skins in all. sea elephants were abundant, especially on the western coast of the main island, but of these we killed only twenty, and this with great difficulty. on the smaller islands we discovered a good many of the hair seal, but did not molest them. we returned to the schooner on the eleventh, where we found captain guy and his nephew, who gave a very bad account of the interior, representing it as one of the most dreary and utterly barren countries in the world. they had remained two nights on the island, owing to some misunderstanding, on the part of the second mate, in regard to the sending a jollyboat from the schooner to take them off. chapter xv. on the twelfth we made sail from christmas harbour, retracing our way to the westward, and leaving marion's island, one of crozet's group, on the larboard. we afterward passed prince edward's island, leaving it also on our left; then, steering more to the northward, made, in fifteen days, the islands of tristan d'acunha, in latitude 37° 8' s., longitude 12° 8' w. this group, now so well known, and which consists of three circular islands, was first discovered by the portuguese, and was visited afterward by the dutch in 1643, and by the french in 1767. the three islands together form a triangle, and are distant from each other about ten miles, there being fine open passages between. the land in all of them is very high, especially in tristan d'acunha, properly so called. this is the largest of the group, being fifteen miles in circumference, and so elevated that it can be seen in clear weather at the distance of eighty or ninety miles. a part of the land towards the north rises more than a thousand feet perpendicularly from the sea. a tableland at this height extends back nearly to the centre of the island, and from this tableland arises a lofty cone like that of teneriffe. the lower half of this cone is clothed with trees of good size, but the upper region is barren rock, usually hidden among the clouds, and covered with snow during the greater part of the year. there are no shoals or other dangers about the island, the shores being remarkably bold and the water deep. on the northwestern coast is a bay, with a beach of black sand, where a landing with boats can be easily effected, provided there be a southerly wind. plenty of excellent water may here be readily procured; also cod, and other fish, may be taken with hook and line. the next island in point of size, and the most westwardly of the group, is that called the inaccessible. its precise situation is 37° 17' s. latitude, longitude 12° 24' w. it is seven or eight miles in circumference, and on all sides presents a forbidding and precipitous aspect. its top is perfectly flat, and the whole region is steril, nothing growing upon it except a few stunted shrubs. nightingale island, the smallest and most southerly, is in latitude 37° 26' s., longitude 12° 12' w. off its southern extremity is a high ledge of rocky islets; a few also of a similar appearance are seen to the northeast. the ground is irregular and steril, and a deep valley partially separates it. the shores of these islands abound, in the proper season, with sea lions, sea elephants, the hair and fur seal, together with a great variety of oceanic birds. whales are also plenty in their vicinity. owing to the ease with which these various animals were here formerly taken, the group has been much visited since its discovery. the dutch and french frequented it at a very early period. in 1790, captain patten, of the ship industry, of philadelphia, made tristan d'acunha, where he remained seven months (from august, 1790, to april, 1791) for the purpose of collecting sealskins. in this time he gathered no less than five thousand six hundred, and says that he would have had no difficulty in loading a large ship with oil in three weeks. upon his arrival he found no quadrupeds, with the exception of a few wild goats--the island now abounds with all our most valuable domestic animals, which have been introduced by subsequent navigators. i believe it was not long after captain patten's visit that captain colquhoun, of the american brig betsey, touched at the largest of the islands for the purpose of refreshment. he planted onions, potatoes, cabbages, and a great many other vegetables, an abundance of all which are now to be met with. in 1811, a captain heywood, in the nereus, visited tristan. he found there three americans, who were residing upon the islands to prepare sealskins and oil. one of these men was named jonathan lambert, and he called himself the sovereign of the country. he had cleared and cultivated about sixty acres of land, and turned his attention to raising the coffee-plant and sugar-cane, with which he had been furnished by the american minister at rio janeiro. this settlement, however, was finally abandoned, and in 1817 the islands were taken possession of by the british government, who sent a detachment for that purpose from the cape of good hope. they did not, however, retain them long; but, upon the evacuation of the country as a british possession, two or three english families took up their residence there independently of the government. on the twenty-fifth of march, 1824, the berwick, captain jeffrey, from london to van diemen's land, arrived at the place, where they found an englishman of the name of glass, formerly a corporal in the british artillery. he claimed to be supreme governor of the islands, and had under his control twenty-one men and three women. he gave a very favourable account of the salubrity of the climate and of the productiveness of the soil. the population occupied themselves chiefly in collecting sealskins and sea elephant oil, with which they traded to the cape of good hope, glass owning a small schooner. at the period of our arrival the governor was still a resident, but his little community had multiplied, there being fifty-six persons upon tristan, besides a smaller settlement of seven on nightingale island. we had no difficulty in procuring almost every kind of refreshment which we required--sheep, hogs, bullocks, rabbits, poultry, goats, fish in great variety, and vegetables were abundant. having come to anchor close in with the large island, in eighteen fathoms, we took all we wanted on board very conveniently. captain guy also purchased of glass five hundred sealskins and some ivory. we remained here a week, during which the prevailing winds were from the northward and westward, and the weather somewhat hazy. on the fifth of november we made sail to the southward and westward, with the intention of having a thorough search for a group of islands called the auroras, respecting whose existence a great diversity of opinion has existed. these islands are said to have been discovered as early as 1762, by the commander of the ship aurora. in 1790, captain manuel de oyarvido, in the ship princess, belonging to the royal philippine company, sailed, as he asserts, directly among them. in 1794, the spanish corvette atrevida went with the determination of ascertaining their precise situation, and, in a paper published by the royal hydrographical society of madrid in the year 1809, the following language is used respecting this expedition. "the corvette atrevida practised, in their immediate vicinity, from the twenty-first to the twenty-seventh of january, all the necessary observations, and measured by chronometers the difference of longitude between these islands and the port of soledad in the malninas. the islands are three; they are very nearly in the same meridian; the centre one is rather low, and the other two may be seen at nine leagues distance." the observations made on board the atrevida give the following results as the precise situation of each island. the most northern is in latitude 52° 37' 24" s., longitude 47° 43' 15" w.; the middle one in latitude 53° 2' 40" s., longitude 47° 55' 15" w.; and the most southern in latitude 53° 15' 22" s., longitude 47° 57' 15" w. on the twenty-seventh of january, 1820, captain james weddel, of the british navy, sailed from staten land also in search of the auroras. he reports that, having made the most diligent search, and passed not only immediately over the spots indicated by the commander of the atrevida, but in every direction throughout the vicinity of these spots, he could discover no indication of land. these conflicting statements have induced other navigators to look out for the islands; and, strange to say, while some have sailed through every inch of sea where they are supposed to lie without finding them, there have been not a few who declare positively that they have seen them, and even been close in with their shores. it was captain guy's intention to make every exertion within his power to settle the question so oddly in dispute.[3] [footnote 3: among the vessels which at various times have professed to meet with the auroras may be mentioned the ship san miguel, in 1769; the ship aurora, in 1774; the brig pearl, in 1779; and the ship dolores, in 1790. they all agree in giving the mean latitude fifty-three degrees south.] we kept on our course, between the south and west, with variable weather, until the twentieth of the month, when we found ourselves on the debated ground, being in latitude 53° 15' s., longitude 47° 58' w.--that is to say, very nearly upon the spot indicated as the situation of the most southern of the group. not perceiving any sign of land, we continued to the westward in the parallel of fifty-three degrees south, as far as the meridian of fifty degrees west. we then stood to the north as far as the parallel of fifty-two degrees south, when we turned to the eastward, and kept our parallel by double altitudes, morning and evening, and meridian altitudes of the planets and moon. having thus gone eastwardly to the meridian of the western coast of georgia, we kept that meridian until we were in the latitude from which we set out. we then took diagonal courses throughout the entire extent of sea circumscribed, keeping a lookout constantly at the masthead, and repeating our examination with the greatest care for a period of three weeks, during which the weather was remarkably pleasant and fair, with no haze whatsoever. of course we were thoroughly satisfied that, whatever islands might have existed in this vicinity at any former period, no vestige of them remained at the present day. since my return home i find that the same ground was traced over with equal care in 1822 by captain johnson, of the american schooner henry, and by captain morrell, in the american schooner wasp--in both cases with the same result as in our own. chapter xvi. it had been captain guy's original intention, after satisfying himself about the auroras, to proceed through the strait of magellan, and up along the western coast of patagonia; but information received at tristan d'acunha induced him to steer to the southward, in the hope of falling in with some small islands said to lie about the parallel of 60° s., longitude 41° 20' w. in the event of his not discovering these lands, he designed, should the season prove favourable, to push on towards the pole. accordingly, on the twelfth of december, we made sail in that direction. on the eighteenth we found ourselves about the station indicated by glass, and cruised for three days in that neighbourhood without finding any traces of the islands he had mentioned. on the twenty-first, the weather being unusually pleasant, we again made sail to the southward, with the resolution of penetrating in that course as far as possible. before entering upon this portion of my narrative, it may be as well, for the information of those readers who have paid little attention to the progress of discovery in these regions, to give some brief account of the very few attempts at reaching the southern pole which have hitherto been made. that of captain cook was the first of which we have any distinct account. in 1772 he sailed to the south in the resolution, accompanied by lieutenant furneaux in the adventure. in december he found himself as far as the fifty-eighth parallel of south latitude, and in longitude 26° 57' e. here he met with narrow fields of ice, about eight or ten inches thick, and running northwest and southeast. this ice was in large cakes, and usually it was packed so closely that the vessels had great difficulty in forcing a passage. at this period captain cook supposed, from the vast number of birds to be seen, and from other indications, that he was in the near vicinity of land. he kept on to the southward, the weather being exceedingly cold, until he reached the sixty-fourth parallel, in longitude 38° 14' e. here he had mild weather, with gentle breezes, for five days, the thermometer being at thirty-six. in january, 1773, the vessels crossed the antarctic circle, but did not succeed in penetrating much farther; for, upon reaching latitude 67° 15', they found all farther progress impeded by an immense body of ice, extending all along the southern horizon as far as the eye could reach. this ice was of every variety--and some large floes of it, miles in extent, formed a compact mass, rising eighteen or twenty feet above the water. it being late in the season, and no hope entertained of rounding these obstructions, captain cook now reluctantly turned to the northward. in the november following he renewed his search in the antarctic. in latitude 59° 40' he met with a strong current setting to the southward. in december, when the vessels were in latitude 67° 31', longitude 142° 54' w., the cold was excessive, with heavy gales and fog. here also birds were abundant; the albatross, the penguin, and the peterel especially. in latitude 70° 23' some large islands of ice were encountered, and shortly afterward, the clouds to the southward were observed to be of a snowy whiteness, indicating the vicinity of field ice. in latitude 71° 10', longitude 106° 54' w., the navigators were stopped, as before, by an immense frozen expanse, which filled the whole area of the southern horizon. the northern edge of this expanse was ragged and broken, so firmly wedged together as to be utterly impassable, and extending about a mile to the southward. behind it the frozen surface was comparatively smooth for some distance, until terminated in the extreme back-ground by gigantic ranges of ice mountains, the one towering above the other. captain cook concluded that this vast field reached the southern pole or was joined to a continent. mr. j. n. reynolds, whose great exertions and perseverance have at length succeeded in getting set on foot a national expedition, partly for the purpose of exploring these regions, thus speaks of the attempt of the resolution. "we are not surprised that captain cook was unable to go beyond 71° 10', but we are astonished that he did attain that point on the meridian of 106° 54' west longitude. palmer's land lies south of the shetland, latitude sixty-four degrees, and tends to the southward and westward farther than any navigator has yet penetrated. cook was standing for this land when his progress was arrested by the ice; which, we apprehend, must always be the case in that point, and so early in the season as the sixth of january--and we should not be surprised if a portion of the icy mountains described was attached to the main body of palmer's land, or to some other portions of land lying farther to the southward and westward." in 1803, captains kreutzenstern and lisiausky were despatched by alexander of russia for the purpose of circumnavigating the globe. in endeavouring to get south, they made no farther than 59° 58', in longitude 70° 15' w. they here met with strong currents setting eastwardly. whales were abundant, but they saw no ice. in regard to this voyage, mr. reynolds observes that, if kreutzenstern had arrived where he did earlier in the season, he must have encountered ice--it was march when he reached the latitude specified. the winds prevailing, as they do, from the southward and westward, had carried the floes, aided by currents, into that icy region bounded on the north by georgia, east by sandwich land and the south orkneys, and west by the south shetland islands. in 1822, captain james weddell, of the british navy, with two very small vessels, penetrated farther to the south than any previous navigator, and this too, without encountering extraordinary difficulties. he states that although he was frequently hemmed in by ice _before_ reaching the seventy-second parallel, yet, upon attaining it, not a particle was to be discovered, and that, upon arriving at the latitude of 74° 15', no fields, and only three islands of ice were visible. it is somewhat remarkable that, although vast flocks of birds were seen, and other usual indications of land, and although, south of the shetlands, unknown coasts were observed from the masthead tending southwardly, weddell discourages the idea of land existing in the polar regions of the south. on the eleventh of january, 1823, captain benjamin morrell, of the american schooner wasp, sailed from kerguelen's land with a view of penetrating as far south as possible. on the first of february he found himself in latitude 64° 52' s., longitude 118° 27' e. the following passage is extracted from his journal of that date. "the wind soon freshened to an eleven-knot breeze, and we embraced this opportunity of making to the west; being however convinced that the farther we went south beyond latitude sixty-four degrees the less ice was to be apprehended, we steered a little to the southward, until we crossed the antarctic circle, and were in latitude 69° 15' e. in this latitude there was _no field ice_, and very few ice islands in sight." under the date of march fourteenth i find also this entry. "the sea was now entirely free of field ice, and there were not more than a dozen ice islands in sight. at the same time the temperature of the air and water was at least thirteen degrees higher (more mild) than we had ever found it between the parallels of sixty and sixty-two south. we were now in latitude 70° 14' s., and the temperature of the air was forty-seven, and that of the water forty-four. in this situation i found the variation to be 14° 27' easterly, per azimuth.... i have several times passed within the antarctic circle on different meridians, and have uniformly found the temperature, both of the air and the water, to become more and more mild the farther i advanced beyond the sixty-fifth degree of south latitude, and that the variation decreases in the same proportion. while north of this latitude, say between sixty and sixty-five south, we frequently had great difficulty in finding a passage for the vessel between the immense and almost innumerable ice islands, some of which were from one to two miles in circumference, and more than five hundred feet above the surface of the water." being nearly destitute of fuel and water, and without proper instruments, it being also late in the season, captain morrell was now obliged to put back, without attempting any farther progress to the southward, although an entirely open sea lay before him. he expresses the opinion that, had not these overruling considerations obliged him to retreat, he could have penetrated, if not to the pole itself, at least to the eighty-fifth parallel. i have given his ideas respecting these matters somewhat at length, that the reader may have an opportunity of seeing how far they were borne out by my own subsequent experience. in 1831, captain briscoe, in the employ of the messieurs enderby, whale-ship owners of london, sailed in the brig lively for the south seas, accompanied by the cutter tula. on the twenty-eighth of february, being in latitude 66° 30' s., longitude 47° 31' e., he descried land, and "clearly discovered through the snow the black peaks of a range of mountains running e. s. e." he remained in this neighbourhood during the whole of the following month, but was unable to approach the coast nearer than within ten leagues, owing to the boisterous state of the weather. finding it impossible to make farther discovery during this season, he returned northward to winter in van diemen's land. in the beginning of 1832 he again proceeded southwardly, and on the fourth of february land was seen to the southeast in latitude 67° 15', longitude 69° 29' w. this was soon found to be an island near the headland of the country he had first discovered. on the twenty-first of the month he succeeded in landing on the latter, and took possession of it in the name of william iv., calling it adelaide's island, in honour of the english queen. these particulars being made known to the royal geographical society of london, the conclusion was drawn by that body "that there is a continuous tract of land extending from 47° 30' e. to 69° 29' w. longitude, running the parallel of from sixty-six to sixty-seven degrees south latitude." in respect to this conclusion mr. reynolds observes, "in the correctness of it we by no means concur; nor do the discoveries of briscoe warrant any such inference. it was within these limits that weddell proceeded south on a meridian to the east of georgia, sandwich land, and the south orkney and shetland islands." my own experience will be found to testify most directly to the falsity of the conclusion arrived at by the society. these are the principal attempts which have been made at penetrating to a high southern latitude, and it will now be seen that there remained, previous to the voyage of the jane, nearly three hundred degrees of longitude in which the antarctic circle had not been crossed at all. of course a wide field lay before us for discovery, and it was with feelings of most intense interest that i heard captain guy express his resolution of pushing boldly to the southward. chapter xvii. we kept our course southwardly for four days after giving up the search for glass's islands, without meeting with any ice at all. on the twenty-sixth, at noon, we were in latitude 63° 23' s., longitude 41° 25' w. we now saw several large ice islands, and a floe of field ice, not, however, of any great extent. the winds generally blew from the southeast, or the northeast, but were very light. whenever we had a westerly wind, which was seldom, it was invariably attended with a rain squall. every day we had more or less snow. the thermometer, on the twenty-seventh, stood at thirty-five. _january 1, 1828._ this day we found ourselves completely hemmed in by the ice, and our prospects looked cheerless indeed. a strong gale blew, during the whole forenoon, from the northeast, and drove large cakes of the drift against the rudder and counter with such violence that we all trembled for the consequences. towards evening, the gale still blowing with fury, a large field in front separated, and we were enabled, by carrying a press of sail, to force a passage through the smaller flakes into some open water beyond. as we approached this space we took in sail by degrees, and having at length got clear, lay to under a single reefed foresail. _january 2._ we had now tolerably pleasant weather. at noon we found ourselves in latitude 69° 10' s., longitude 42° 20' w., having crossed the antarctic circle. very little ice was to be seen to the southward, although large fields of it lay behind us. this day we rigged some sounding gear, using a large iron pot capable of holding twenty gallons, and a line of two hundred fathoms. we found the current setting to the north, about a quarter of a mile per hour. the temperature of the air was now about thirty-three. here we found the variation to be 14° 28' easterly, per azimuth. _january 5._ we had still held on to the southward without any very great impediments. on this morning, however, being in latitude 73° 15' e., longitude 42° 10' w., we were again brought to a stand by an immense expanse of firm ice. we saw, nevertheless, much open water to the southward, and felt no doubt of being able to reach it eventually. standing to the eastward along the edge of the floe, we at length came to a passage of about a mile in width, through which we warped our way by sundown. the sea in which we now were was thickly covered with ice islands, but had no field ice, and we pushed on boldly as before. the cold did not seem to increase, although we had snow very frequently, and now and then hail squalls of great violence. immense flocks of the albatross flew over the schooner this day, going from southeast to northwest. _january 7._ the sea still remained pretty well open, so that we had no difficulty in holding on our course. to the westward we saw some icebergs of incredible size, and in the afternoon passed very near one whose summit could not have been less than four hundred fathoms from the surface of the ocean. its girth was probably, at the base, three quarters of a league, and several streams of water were running from crevices in its sides. we remained in sight of this island two days, and then only lost it in a fog. _january 10._ early this morning we had the misfortune to lose a man overboard. he was an american, named peter vredenburgh, a native of new-york, and was one of the most valuable hands on board the schooner. in going over the bows his foot slipped, and he fell between two cakes of ice, never rising again. at noon of this day we were in latitude 78° 30', longitude 40° 15' w. the cold was now excessive, and we had hail squalls continually from the northward and eastward. in this direction also we saw several more immense icebergs, and the whole horizon to the eastward appeared to be blocked up with field ice, rising in tiers, one mass above the other. some driftwood floated by during the evening, and a great quantity of birds flew over, among which were nellies, peterels, albatrosses, and a large bird of a brilliant blue plumage. the variation here, per azimuth, was less than it had been previously to our passing the antarctic circle. _january 12._ our passage to the south again looked doubtful, as nothing was to be seen in the direction of the pole but one apparently limitless floe, backed by absolute mountains of ragged ice, one precipice of which arose frowningly above the other. we stood to the westward until the fourteenth, in the hope of finding an entrance. _january 14._ this morning we reached the western extremity of the field which had impeded us, and, weathering it, came to an open sea, without a particle of ice. upon sounding with two hundred fathoms, we here found a current setting southwardly at the rate of half a mile per hour. the temperature of the air was forty-seven, that of the water thirty-four. we now sailed to the southward, without meeting any interruption of moment until the sixteenth, when, at noon, we were in latitude 81° 21', longitude 42° w. we here again sounded, and found a current setting still southwardly, and at the rate of three quarters of a mile per hour. the variation per azimuth had diminished, and the temperature of the air was mild and pleasant, the thermometer being as high as fifty-one. at this period not a particle of ice was to be discovered. all hands on board now felt certain of attaining the pole. _january 17._ this day was full of incident. innumerable flights of birds flew over us from the southward, and several were shot from the deck; one of them, a species of pelican, proved to be excellent eating. about midday a small floe of ice was seen from the masthead off the larboard bow, and upon it there appeared to be some large animal. as the weather was good and nearly calm, captain guy ordered out two of the boats to see what it was. dirk peters and myself accompanied the mate in the larger boat. upon coming up with the floe, we perceived that it was in the possession of a gigantic creature of the race of the arctic bear, but far exceeding in size the largest of these animals. being well armed, we made no scruple of attacking it at once. several shots were fired in quick succession, the most of which took effect, apparently, in the head and body. nothing discouraged, however, the monster threw himself from the ice, and swam, with open jaws, to the boat in which were peters and myself. owing to the confusion which ensued among us at this unexpected turn of the adventure, no person was ready immediately with a second shot, and the bear had actually succeeded in getting half his vast bulk across our gunwale, and seizing one of the men by the small of his back, before any efficient means were taken to repel him. in this extremity nothing but the promptness and agility of peters saved us from destruction. leaping upon the back of the huge beast, he plunged the blade of a knife behind the neck, reaching the spinal marrow at a blow. the brute tumbled into the sea lifeless, and without a struggle, rolling over peters as he fell. the latter soon recovered himself, and a rope being thrown him, he secured the carcass before entering the boat. we then returned in triumph to the schooner, towing our trophy behind us. this bear, upon admeasurement, proved to be full fifteen feet in his greatest length. his wool was perfectly white, and very coarse, curling tightly. the eyes were of a blood red, and larger than those of the arctic bear--the snout also more rounded, rather resembling the snout of the bulldog. the meat was tender, but excessively rank and fishy, although the men devoured it with avidity, and declared it excellent eating. scarcely had we got our prize alongside, when the man at the masthead gave the joyful shout of _"land on the starboard bow!"_ all hands were now upon the alert, and, a breeze springing up very opportunely from the northward and eastward, we were soon close in with the coast. it proved to be a low rocky islet, of about a league in circumference, and altogether destitute of vegetation, if we except a species of prickly pear. in approaching it from the northward, a singular ledge of rock is seen projecting into the sea, and bearing a strong resemblance to corded bales of cotton. around this ledge to the westward is a small bay, at the bottom of which our boats effected a convenient landing. it did not take us long to explore every portion of the island, but, with one exception, we found nothing worthy of observation. in the southern extremity, we picked up near the shore, half buried in a pile of loose stones, a piece of wood, which seemed to have formed the prow of a canoe. there had been evidently some attempt at carving upon it, and captain guy fancied that he made out the figure of a tortoise, but the resemblance did not strike me very forcibly. besides this prow, if such it were, we found no other token that any living creature had ever been here before. around the coast we discovered occasional small floes of ice--but these were very few. the exact situation of this islet (to which captain guy gave the name of bennet's islet, in honour of his partner in the ownership of the schooner) is 82° 50' s. latitude, 42° 20' w. longitude. we had now advanced to the southward more than eight degrees farther than any previous navigators, and the sea still lay perfectly open before us. we found, too, that the variation uniformly decreased as we proceeded, and, what was still more surprising, that the temperature of the air, and latterly of the water, became milder. the weather might even be called pleasant, and we had a steady but very gentle breeze always from some northern point of the compass. the sky was usually clear, with now and then a slight appearance of thin vapour in the southern horizon--this, however, was invariably of brief duration. two difficulties alone presented themselves to our view; we were getting short of fuel, and symptoms of scurvy had occurred among several of the crew. these considerations began to impress upon captain guy the necessity of returning, and he spoke of it frequently. for my own part, confident as i was of soon arriving at land of some description upon the course we were pursuing, and having every reason to believe, from present appearances, that we should not find it the steril soil met with in the higher arctic latitudes, i warmly pressed upon him the expediency of persevering, at least for a few days longer, in the direction we were now holding. so tempting an opportunity of solving the great problem in regard to an antarctic continent had never yet been afforded to man, and i confess that i felt myself bursting with indignation at the timid and ill-timed suggestions of our commander. i believe, indeed, that what i could not refrain from saying to him on this head had the effect of inducing him to push on. while, therefore, i cannot but lament the most unfortunate and bloody events which immediately arose from my advice, i must still be allowed to feel some degree of gratification at having been instrumental, however remotely, in opening to the eye of science one of the most intensely exciting secrets which has ever engrossed its attention. chapter xviii. _january 18._ this morning[4] we continued to the southward, with the same pleasant weather as before. the sea was entirely smooth, the air tolerably warm and from the northeast, the temperature of the water fifty-three. we now again got our sounding-gear in order, and, with a hundred and fifty fathoms of line, found the current setting towards the pole at the rate of a mile an hour. this constant tendency to the southward, both in the wind and current, caused some degree of speculation, and even of alarm, in different quarters of the schooner, and i saw distinctly that no little impression had been made upon the mind of captain guy. he was exceedingly sensitive to ridicule, however, and i finally succeeded in laughing him out of his apprehensions. the variation was now very trivial. in the course of the day we saw several large whales of the right species, and innumerable flights of the albatross passed over the vessel. we also picked up a bush, full of red berries, like those of the hawthorn, and the carcass of a singular-looking land-animal. it was three feet in length, and but six inches in height, with four very short legs, the feet armed with long claws of a brilliant scarlet, and resembling coral in substance. the body was covered with a straight silky hair, perfectly white. the tail was peaked like that of a rat, and about a foot and a half long. the head resembled a cat's, with the exception of the ears--these were flapped like the ears of a dog. the _teeth_ were of the same brilliant scarlet as the claws. [footnote 4: the terms _morning_ and _evening_, which i have made use of to avoid confusion in my narrative, as far as possible, must not, of course, be taken in their ordinary sense. for a long time past we had had no night at all, the daylight being continual. the dates throughout are according to nautical time, and the bearings must be understood as per compass. i would also remark in this place, that i cannot, in the first portion of what is here written, pretend to strict accuracy in respect to dates, or latitudes and longitudes, having kept no regular journal until after the period of which this first portion treats. in many instances i have relied altogether upon memory.] _january 19._ to-day, being in latitude 83° 20', longitude 43° 5' w. (the sea being of an extraordinarily dark colour), we again saw land from the masthead, and, upon a closer scrutiny, found it to be one of a group of very large islands. the shore was precipitous, and the interior seemed to be well wooded, a circumstance which occasioned us great joy. in about four hours from our first discovering the land we came to anchor in ten fathoms, sandy bottom, a league from the coast, as a high surf, with strong ripples here and there, rendered a nearer approach of doubtful expediency. the two largest boats were now ordered out, and a party, well armed (among whom were peters and myself), proceeded to look for an opening in the reef which appeared to encircle the island. after searching about for some time, we discovered an inlet, which we were entering, when we saw four large canoes put off from the shore, filled with men who seemed to be well armed. we waited for them to come up, and, as they moved with great rapidity, they were soon within hail. captain guy now held up a white handkerchief on the blade of an oar, when the strangers made a full stop, and commenced a loud jabbering all at once, intermingled with occasional shouts, in which we could distinguish the words _anamoo-moo!_ and _lama-lama!_ they continued this for at least half an hour, during which we had a good opportunity of observing their appearance. in the four canoes, which might have been fifty feet long and five broad, there were a hundred and ten savages in all. they were about the ordinary stature of europeans, but of a more muscular and brawny frame. their complexion a jet black, with thick and long woolly hair. they were clothed in skins of an unknown black animal, shaggy and silky, and made to fit the body with some degree of skill, the hair being inside, except where turned out about the neck, wrists, and ankles. their arms consisted principally of clubs, of a dark, and apparently very heavy wood. some spears, however, were observed among them, headed with flint, and a few slings. the bottoms of the canoes were full of black stones about the size of a large egg. when they had concluded their harangue (for it was clear they intended their jabbering for such), one of them who seemed to be the chief stood up in the prow of his canoe, and made signs for us to bring our boats alongside of him. this hint we pretended not to understand, thinking it the wiser plan to maintain, if possible, the interval between us, as their number more than quadrupled our own. finding this to be the case, the chief ordered the three other canoes to hold back, while he advanced towards us with his own. as soon as he came up with us he leaped on board the largest of our boats, and seated himself by the side of captain guy, pointing at the same time to the schooner, and repeating the words _anamoo-moo!_ and _lama-lama!_ we now put back to the vessel, the four canoes following at a little distance. upon getting alongside the chief evinced symptoms of extreme surprise and delight, clapping his hands, slapping his thighs and breast, and laughing obstreperously. his followers behind joined in his merriment, and for some minutes the din was so excessive as to be absolutely deafening. quiet being at length restored, captain guy ordered the boats to be hoisted up, as a necessary precaution, and gave the chief (whose name we soon found to be _too-wit_) to understand that we could admit no more than twenty of his men on deck at one time. with this arrangement he appeared perfectly satisfied, and gave some directions to the canoes, when one of them approached, the rest remaining about fifty yards off. twenty of the savages now got on board, and proceeded to ramble over every part of the deck, and scramble about among the rigging, making themselves much at home, and examining every article with great inquisitiveness. it was quite evident that they had never before seen any of the white race--from whose complexion, indeed, they appeared to recoil. they believed the jane to be a living creature, and seemed to be afraid of hurting it with the points of their spears, carefully turning them up. our crew were much amused with the conduct of too-wit in one instance. the cook was splitting some wood near the galley, and, by accident, struck his axe into the deck, making a gash of considerable depth. the chief immediately ran up, and pushing the cook on one side rather roughly, commenced a half whine, half howl, strongly indicative of sympathy in what he considered the sufferings of the schooner, patting and smoothing the gash with his hand, and washing it from a bucket of seawater which stood by. this was a degree of ignorance for which we were not prepared, and for my part i could not help thinking some of it affected. when the visiters had satisfied, as well as they could, their curiosity in regard to our upper works, they were admitted below, when their amazement exceeded all bounds. their astonishment now appeared to be far too deep for words, for they roamed about in silence, broken only by low ejaculations. the arms afforded them much food for speculation, and they were suffered to handle and examine them at leisure. i do not believe that they had the least suspicion of their actual use, but rather took them for idols, seeing the care we had of them, and the attention with which we watched their movements while handling them. at the great guns their wonder was redoubled. they approached them with every mark of the profoundest reverence and awe, but forbore to examine them minutely. there were two large mirrors in the cabin, and here was the acme of their amazement. too-wit was the first to approach them, and he had got in the middle of the cabin, with his face to one and his back to the other, before he fairly perceived them. upon raising his eyes and seeing his reflected self in the glass, i thought the savage would go mad; but, upon turning short round to make a retreat, and beholding himself a second time in the opposite direction, i was afraid he would expire upon the spot. no persuasions could prevail upon him to take another look; but, throwing himself upon the floor, with his face buried in his hands, he remained thus until we were obliged to drag him upon deck. the whole of the savages were admitted on board in this manner, twenty at a time, too-wit being suffered to remain during the entire period. we saw no disposition to thievery among them, nor did we miss a single article after their departure. throughout the whole of their visit they evinced the most friendly manner. there were, however, some points in their demeanour which we found it impossible to understand: for example, we could not get them to approach several very harmless objects--such as the schooner's sails, an egg, an open book, or a pan of flour. we endeavoured to ascertain if they had among them any articles which might be turned to account in the way of traffic, but found great difficulty in being comprehended. we made out, nevertheless, what greatly astonished us, that the islands abounded in the large tortoise of the gallipagos, one of which we saw in the canoe of too-wit. we saw also some _biche de mer_ in the hands of one of the savages, who was greedily devouring it in its natural state. these anomalies, for they were such when considered in regard to the latitude, induced captain guy to wish for a thorough investigation of the country, in the hope of making a profitable speculation in his discovery. for my own part, anxious as i was to know something more of these islands, i was still more earnestly bent on prosecuting the voyage to the southward without delay. we had now fine weather, but there was no telling how long it would last; and being already in the eighty-fourth parallel, with an open sea before us, a current setting strongly to the southward, and the wind fair, i could not listen with any patience to a proposition of stopping longer than was absolutely necessary for the health of the crew and the taking on board a proper supply of fuel and fresh provisions. i represented to the captain that we might easily make this group on our return, and winter here in the event of being blocked up by the ice. he at length came into my views (for in some way, hardly known to myself, i had acquired much influence over him), and it was finally resolved that, even in the event of our finding _biche de mer_, we should only stay here a week to recruit, and then push on to the southward while we might. accordingly we made every necessary preparation, and, under the guidance of too-wit, got the jane through the reef in safety, coming to anchor about a mile from the shore, in an excellent bay, completely landlocked, on the southeastern coast of the main island, and in ten fathoms of water, black sandy bottom. at the head of this bay there were three fine springs (we were told) of good water, and we saw abundance of wood in the vicinity. the four canoes followed us in, keeping, however, at a respectful distance. too-wit himself remained on board, and, upon our dropping anchor, invited us to accompany him on shore, and visit his village in the interior. to this captain guy consented; and ten savages being left on board as hostages, a party of us, twelve in all, got in readiness to attend the chief. we took care to be well armed, yet without evincing any distrust. the schooner had her guns run out, her boarding-nettings up, and every other proper precaution was taken to guard against surprise. directions were left with the chief mate to admit no person on board during our absence, and, in the event of our not appearing in twelve hours, to send the cutter, with a swivel, round the island in search of us. at every step we took inland the conviction forced itself upon us that we were in a country differing essentially from any hitherto visited by civilized men. we saw nothing with which we had been formerly conversant. the trees resembled no growth of either the torrid, the temperate, or the northern frigid zones, and were altogether unlike those of the lower southern latitudes we had already traversed. the very rocks were novel in their mass, their colour, and their stratification; and the streams themselves, utterly incredible as it may appear, had so little in common with those of other climates, that we were scrupulous of tasting them, and, indeed, had difficulty in bringing ourselves to believe that their qualities were purely those of nature. at a small brook which crossed our path (the first we had reached) too-wit and his attendants halted to drink. on account of the singular character of the water, we refused to taste it, supposing it to be polluted; and it was not until some time afterward we came to understand that such was the appearance of the streams throughout the whole group. i am at a loss to give a distinct idea of the nature of this liquid, and cannot do so without many words. although it flowed with rapidity in all declivities where common water would do so, yet never, except when falling in a cascade, had it the customary appearance of _limpidity_. it was, nevertheless, in point of fact, as perfectly limpid as any limestone water in existence, the difference being only in appearance. at first sight, and especially in cases where little declivity was found, it bore resemblance, as regards consistency, to a thick infusion of gum arabic in common water. but this was only the least remarkable of its extraordinary qualities. it was _not_ colourless, nor was it of any one uniform colour--presenting to the eye, as it flowed, every possible shade of purple, like the hues of a changeable silk. this variation in shade was produced in a manner which excited as profound astonishment in the minds of our party as the mirror had done in the case of too-wit. upon collecting a basinful, and allowing it to settle thoroughly, we perceived that the whole mass of liquid was made up of a number of distinct veins, each of a distinct hue; that these veins did not commingle; and that their cohesion was perfect in regard to their own particles among themselves, and imperfect in regard to neighbouring veins. upon passing the blade of a knife athwart the veins, the water closed over it immediately, as with us, and also, in withdrawing it, all traces of the passage of the knife were instantly obliterated. if, however, the blade was passed down accurately between two veins, a perfect separation was effected, which the power of cohesion did not immediately rectify. the phenomena of this water formed the first definite link in that vast chain of apparent miracles with which i was destined to be at length encircled. chapter xix. we were nearly three hours in reaching the village, it being more than nine miles in the interior, and the path lying through a rugged country. as we passed along, the party of too-wit (the whole hundred and ten savages of the canoes) was momentarily strengthened by smaller detachments, of from two to six or seven, which joined us, as if by accident, at different turns in the road. there appeared so much of system in this that i could not help feeling distrust, and i spoke to captain guy of my apprehensions. it was now too late, however, to recede, and we concluded that our best security lay in evincing a perfect confidence in the good faith of too-wit. we accordingly went on, keeping a wary eye upon the manoeuvres of the savages, and not permitting them to divide our numbers by pushing in between. in this way, passing through a precipitous ravine, we at length reached what we were told was the only collection of habitations upon the island. as we came in sight of them, the chief set up a shout, and frequently repeated the word _klock-klock_; which we supposed to be the name of the village, or perhaps the generic name for villages. the dwellings were of the most miserable description imaginable, and, unlike those of even the lowest of the savage races with which mankind are acquainted, were of no uniform plan. some of them (and these we found belonged to the _wampoos_ or _yampoos_, the great men of the land) consisted of a tree cut down at about four feet from the root, with a large black skin thrown over it, and hanging in loose folds upon the ground. under this the savage nestled. others were formed by means of rough limbs of trees, with the withered foliage upon them, made to recline, at an angle of forty-five degrees, against a bank of clay, heaped up, without regular form, to the height of five or six feet. others, again, were mere holes dug in the earth perpendicularly, and covered over with similar branches, these being removed when the tenant was about to enter, and pulled on again when he had entered. a few were built among the forked limbs of trees as they stood, the upper limbs being partially cut through, so as to bend over upon the lower, thus forming thicker shelter from the weather. the greater number, however, consisted of small shallow caverns, apparently scratched in the face of a precipitous ledge of dark stone, resembling fuller's earth, with which three sides of the village was bounded. at the door of each of these primitive caverns was a small rock, which the tenant carefully placed before the entrance upon leaving his residence, for what purpose i could not ascertain, as the stone itself was never of sufficient size to close up more than a third of the opening. this village, if it were worthy of the name, lay in a valley of some depth, and could only be approached from the southward, the precipitous ledge of which i have already spoken cutting off all access in other directions. through the middle of the valley ran a brawling stream of the same magical-looking water which has been described. we saw several strange animals about the dwellings, all appearing to be thoroughly domesticated. the largest of these creatures resembled our common hog in the structure of the body and snout; the tail, however, was bushy, and the legs slender as those of the antelope. its motion was exceedingly awkward and indecisive, and we never saw it attempt to run. we noticed also several animals very similar in appearance, but of a greater length of body, and covered with a black wool. there were a great variety of tame fowls running about, and these seemed to constitute the chief food of the natives. to our astonishment we saw black albatross among these birds in a state of entire domestication, going to sea periodically for food, but always returning to the village as a home, and using the southern shore in the vicinity as a place of incubation. there they were joined by their friends the pelicans as usual, but these latter never followed them to the dwellings of the savages. among the other kinds of tame fowls were ducks, differing very little from the canvass-back of our own country, black gannets, and a large bird not unlike the buzzard in appearance, but not carnivorous. of fish there seemed to be a great abundance. we saw, during our visit, a quantity of dried salmon, rock cod, blue dolphins, mackerel, blackfish, skate, conger eels, elephant-fish, mullets, soles, parrotfish, leather-jackets, gurnards, hake, flounders, paracutas, and innumerable other varieties. we noticed, too, that most of them were similar to the fish about the group of the lord auckland islands, in a latitude as low as fifty-one degrees south. the gallipago tortoise was also very plentiful. we saw but few wild animals, and none of a large size, or of a species with which we were familiar. one or two serpents of a formidable aspect crossed our path, but the natives paid them little attention, and we concluded that they were not venomous. as we approached the village with too-wit and his party, a vast crowd of the people rushed out to meet us, with loud shouts, among which we could only distinguish the everlasting _anamoo-moo!_ and _lama-lama!_ we were much surprised at perceiving that, with one or two exceptions, these new comers were entirely naked, the skins being used only by the men of the canoes. all the weapons of the country seemed also to be in the possession of the latter, for there was no appearance of any among the villagers. there were a great many women and children, the former not altogether wanting in what might be termed personal beauty. they were straight, tall, and well formed, with a grace and freedom of carriage not to be found in civilized society. their lips, however, like those of the men, were thick and clumsy, so that, even when laughing, the teeth were never disclosed. their hair was of a finer texture than that of the males. among these naked villagers there might have been ten or twelve who were clothed, like the party of too-wit, in dresses of black skin, and armed with lances and heavy clubs. these appeared to have great influence among the rest, and were always addressed by the title _wampoo_. these, too, were the tenants of the black skin palaces. that of too-wit was situated in the centre of the village, and was much larger and somewhat better constructed than others of its kind. the tree which formed its support was cut off at a distance of twelve feet or thereabout from the root, and there were several branches left just below the cut, these serving to extend the covering, and in this way prevent its flapping about the trunk. the covering, too, which consisted of four very large skins fastened together with wooden skewers, was secured at the bottom with pegs driven through it and into the ground. the floor was strewed with a quantity of dry leaves by way of carpet. to this hut we were conducted with great solemnity, and as many of the natives crowded in after us as possible. too-wit seated himself on the leaves, and made signs that we should follow his example. this we did, and presently found ourselves in a situation peculiarly uncomfortable, if not indeed critical. we were on the ground, twelve in number, with the savages, as many as forty, sitting on their hams so closely around us that, if any disturbance had arisen, we should have found it impossible to make use of our arms, or indeed to have risen on our feet. the pressure was not only inside the tent, but outside, where probably was every individual on the whole island, the crowd being prevented from trampling us to death only by the incessant exertions and vociferations of too-wit. our chief security lay, however, in the presence of too-wit himself among us, and we resolved to stick by him closely, as the best chance of extricating ourselves from the dilemma, sacrificing him immediately upon the first appearance of hostile design. after some trouble a certain degree of quiet was restored, when the chief addressed us in a speech of great length, and very nearly resembling the one delivered in the canoes, with the exception that the _anamoo-moos!_ were now somewhat more strenuously insisted upon than the _lama-lamas!_ we listened in profound silence until the conclusion of his harangue, when captain guy replied by assuring the chief of his eternal friendship and good-will, concluding what he had to say by a present of several strings of blue beads and a knife. at the former the monarch, much to our surprise, turned up his nose with some expression of contempt; but the knife gave him the most unlimited satisfaction, and he immediately ordered dinner. this was handed into the tent over the heads of the attendants, and consisted of the palpitating entrails of a species of unknown animal, probably one of the slim-legged hogs which we had observed in our approach to the village. seeing us at a loss how to proceed, he began, by way of setting us an example, to devour yard after yard of the enticing food, until we could positively stand it no longer, and evinced such manifest symptoms of rebellion of stomach as inspired his majesty with a degree of astonishment only inferior to that brought about by the looking-glasses. we declined, however, partaking of the delicacies before us, and endeavoured to make him understand that we had no appetite whatever, having just finished a hearty _déjeuner_. when the monarch had made an end of his meal, we commenced a series of cross-questioning in every ingenious manner we could devise, with a view of discovering what were the chief productions of the country, and whether any of them might be turned to profit. at length he seemed to have some idea of our meaning, and offered to accompany us to a part of the coast where he assured us the _biche de mer_ (pointing to a specimen of that animal) was to be found in great abundance. we were glad at this early opportunity of escaping from the oppression of the crowd, and signified our eagerness to proceed. we now left the tent, and, accompanied by the whole population of the village, followed the chief to the southeastern extremity of the island, not far from the bay where our vessel lay at anchor. we waited here for about an hour, until the four canoes were brought round by some of the savages to our station. the whole of our party then getting into one of them, we were paddled along the edge of the reef before mentioned, and of another still farther out, where we saw a far greater quantity of _biche de mer_ than the oldest seaman among us had ever seen in those groups of the lower latitudes most celebrated for this article of commerce. we stayed near these reefs only long enough to satisfy ourselves that we could easily load a dozen vessels with the animal if necessary, when we were taken alongside the schooner, and parted with too-wit after obtaining from him a promise that he would bring us, in the course of twenty-four hours, as many of the canvass-back ducks and gallipago tortoises as his canoes would hold. in the whole of this adventure we saw nothing in the demeanour of the natives calculated to create suspicion, with the single exception of the systematic manner in which their party was strengthened during our route from the schooner to the village. chapter xx. the chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provision. we found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured. besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried. the celery was a treat indeed, and the scurvy grass proved of incalculable benefit in restoring those of our men who had shown symptoms of disease. in a very short time we had not a single person on the sick-list. we had also plenty of other kinds of fresh provision, among which may be mentioned a species of shellfish resembling the muscle in shape, but with the taste of an oyster. shrimps, too, and prawns were abundant, and albatross and other birds' eggs with dark shells. we took in, too, a plentiful stock of the flesh of the hog which i have mentioned before. most of the men found it a palatable food, but i thought it fishy and otherwise disagreeable. in return for these good things we presented the natives with blue beads, brass trinkets, nails, knives, and pieces of red cloth, they being fully delighted in the exchange. we established a regular market on shore, just under the guns of the schooner, where our barterings were carried on with every appearance of good faith, and a degree of order which their conduct at the village of _klock-klock_ had not led us to expect from the savages. matters went on thus very amicably for several days, during which parties of the natives were frequently on board the schooner, and parties of our men frequently on shore, making long excursions into the interior, and receiving no molestation whatever. finding the ease with which the vessel might be loaded with _biche de mer_, owing to the friendly disposition of the islanders, and the readiness with which they would render us assistance in collecting it, captain guy resolved to enter into negotiation with too-wit for the erection of suitable houses in which to cure the article, and for the services of himself and tribe in gathering as much as possible, while he himself took advantage of the fine weather to prosecute his voyage to the southward. upon mentioning this project to the chief he seemed very willing to enter into an agreement. a bargain was accordingly struck, perfectly satisfactory to both parties, by which it was arranged that, after making the necessary preparations, such as laying off the proper grounds, erecting a portion of the buildings, and doing some other work in which the whole of our crew would be required, the schooner should proceed on her route, leaving three of her men on the island to superintend the fulfilment of the project, and instruct the natives in drying the _biche de mer_. in regard to terms, these were made to depend upon the exertions of the savages in our absence. they were to receive a stipulated quantity of blue beads, knives, red cloth, and so forth, for every certain number of piculs of the _biche de mer_ which should be ready on our return. a description of the nature of this important article of commerce, and the method of preparing it, may prove of some interest to my readers, and i can find no more suitable place than this for introducing an account of it. the following comprehensive notice of the substance is taken from a modern history of a voyage to the south seas. "it is that _mollusca_ from the indian seas which is known in commerce by the french name _bouche de mer_ (a nice morsel from the sea). if i am not much mistaken, the celebrated cuvier calls it _gasteropeda pulmonifera_. it is abundantly gathered in the coasts of the pacific islands, and gathered especially for the chinese market, where it commands a great price, perhaps as much as their much-talked of edible bird's nests, which are probably made up of the gelatinous matter picked up by a species of swallow from the body of these molluscæ. they have no shell, no legs, nor any prominent part, except an _absorbing_ and an _excretory_, opposite organs; but, by their elastic wings, like caterpillars or worms, they creep in shallow waters, in which, when low, they can be seen by a kind of swallow, the sharp bill of which, inserted in the soft animal, draws a gummy and filamentous substance, which, by drying, can be wrought into the solid walls of their nest. hence the name of _gasteropeda pulmonifera_. "this mollusca is oblong, and of different sizes, from three to eighteen inches in length; and i have seen a few that were not less than two feet long. they are nearly round, a little flattish on one side, which lies next the bottom of the sea; and they are from one to eight inches thick. they crawl up into shallow water at particular seasons of the year, probably for the purpose of gendering, as we often find them in pairs. it is when the sun has the most power on the water, rendering it tepid, that they approach the shore; and they often go up into places so shallow, that, on the tide's receding, they are left dry, exposed to the heat of the sun. but they do not bring forth their young in shallow water, as we never see any of their progeny, and the full-grown ones are always observed coming in from deep water. they feed principally on that class of zoophytes which produce the coral. "the _biche de mer_ is generally taken in three or four feet water; after which they are brought on shore, and split at one end with a knife, the incision being one inch or more, according to the size of the mollusca. through this opening the entrails are forced out by pressure, and they are much like those of any other small tenant of the deep. the article is then washed, and afterward boiled to a certain degree, which must not be too much or too little. they are then buried in the ground for four hours, then boiled again for a short time, after which they are dried, either by the fire or the sun. those cured by the sun are worth the most; but where one picul (133-1/3 lbs.) can be cured that way, i can cure thirty piculs by the fire. when once properly cured, they can be kept in a dry place for two or three years without any risk; but they should be examined once in every few months, say four times a year, to see if any dampness is likely to affect them. "the chinese, as before stated, consider _biche de mer_ a very great luxury, believing that it wonderfully strengthens and nourishes the system, and renews the exhausted system of the immoderate voluptuary. the first quality commands a high price in canton, being worth ninety dollars a picul; the second quality seventy-five dollars; the third fifty dollars; the fourth thirty dollars; the fifth twenty dollars; the sixth twelve dollars; the seventh eight dollars; and the eighth four dollars; small cargoes, however, will often bring more in manilla, singapore, and batavia." an agreement having been thus entered into, we proceeded immediately to land everything necessary for preparing the buildings and clearing the ground. a large flat space near the eastern shore of the bay was selected, where there was plenty both of wood and water, and within a convenient distance of the principal reefs on which the _biche de mer_ was to be procured. we now all set to work in good earnest, and soon, to the great astonishment of the savages, had felled a sufficient number of trees for our purpose, getting them quickly in order for the framework of the houses, which in two or three days were so far under way that we could safely trust the rest of the work to the three men whom we intended to leave behind. these were john carson, alfred harris, and ---peterson (all natives of london, i believe), who volunteered their services in this respect. by the last of the month we had everything in readiness for departure. we had agreed, however, to pay a formal visit of leavestaking to the village, and too-wit insisted so pertinaciously upon our keeping the promise, that we did not think it advisable to run the risk of offending him by a final refusal. i believe that not one of us had at this time the slightest suspicion of the good faith of the savages. they had uniformly behaved with the greatest decorum, aiding us with alacrity in our work, offering us their commodities frequently without price, and never, in any instance, pilfering a single article, although the high value they set upon the goods we had with us was evident by the extravagant demonstrations of joy always manifested upon our making them a present. the women especially were most obliging in every respect, and, upon the whole, we should have been the most suspicious of human beings had we entertained a single thought of perfidy on the part of a people who treated us so well. a very short while sufficed to prove that this apparent kindness of disposition was only the result of a deeply-laid plan for our destruction, and that the islanders for whom we entertained such inordinate feelings of esteem were among the most barbarous, subtle, and bloodthirsty wretches that ever contaminated the face of the globe. it was on the first of february that we went on shore for the purpose of visiting the village. although, as said before, we entertained not the slightest suspicion, still no proper precaution was neglected. six men were left in the schooner with instructions to permit none of the savages to approach the vessel during our absence, under any pretence whatever, and to remain constantly on deck. the boarding-nettings were up, the guns double-shotted with grape and canister, and the swivels loaded with canisters of musket-balls. she lay, with her anchor apeak, about a mile from the shore, and no canoe could approach her in any direction without being distinctly seen and exposed to the full fire of our swivels immediately. the six men being left on board, our shore-party consisted of thirty-two persons in all. we were armed to the teeth, having with us muskets, pistols, and cutlasses, besides each a long kind of seaman's knife, somewhat resembling the bowie knife now so much used throughout our western and southern country. a hundred of the black skin warriors met us at the landing for the purpose of accompanying us on our way. we noticed, however, with some surprise, that they were now entirely without arms; and, upon questioning too-wit in relation to this circumstance, he merely answered that _mattee non we pa pa si_--meaning that there was no need of arms where all were brothers. we took this in good part, and proceeded. we had passed the spring and rivulet of which i before spoke, and were now entering upon a narrow gorge leading through the chain of soapstone hills among which the village was situated. this gorge was very rocky and uneven, so much so that it was with no little difficulty we scrambled through it on our first visit to klock-klock. the whole length of the ravine might have been a mile and a half, or probably two miles. it wound in every possible direction through the hills (having apparently formed, at some remote period, the bed of a torrent), in no instance proceeding more than twenty yards without an abrupt turn. the sides of this dell would have averaged, i am sure, seventy or eighty feet in perpendicular altitude throughout the whole of their extent, and in some portions they arose to an astonishing height, overshadowing the pass so completely that but little of the light of day could penetrate. the general width was about forty feet, and occasionally it diminished so as not to allow the passage of more than five or six persons abreast. in short, there could be no place in the world better adapted for the consummation of an ambuscade, and it was no more than natural that we should look carefully to our arms as we entered upon it. when i now think of our egregious folly, the chief subject of astonishment seems to be, that we should have ever ventured, under any circumstances, so completely into the power of unknown savages as to permit them to march both before and behind us in our progress through this ravine. yet such was the order we blindly took up, trusting foolishly to the force of our party, the unarmed condition of too-wit and his men, the certain efficacy of our fire-arms (whose effect was yet a secret to the natives), and, more than all, to the long-sustained pretension of friendship kept up by these infamous wretches. five or six of them went on before, as if to lead the way, ostentatiously busying themselves in removing the larger stones and rubbish from the path. next came our own party. we walked closely together, taking care only to prevent separation. behind followed the main body of the savages, observing unusual order and decorum. dirk peters, a man named wilson allen, and myself were on the right of our companions, examining, as we went along, the singular stratification of the precipice which overhung us. a fissure in the soft rock attracted our attention. it was about wide enough for one person to enter without squeezing, and extended back into the hill some eighteen or twenty feet in a straight course, sloping afterward to the left. the height of the opening, as far as we could see into it from the main gorge, was perhaps sixty or seventy feet. there were one or two stunted shrubs growing from the crevices, bearing a species of filbert, which i felt some curiosity to examine, and pushed in briskly for that purpose, gathering five or six of the nuts at a grasp, and then hastily retreating. as i turned, i found that peters and allen had followed me. i desired them to go back, as there was not room for two persons to pass, saying they should have some of my nuts. they accordingly turned, and were scrambling back, allen being close to the mouth of the fissure, when i was suddenly aware of a concussion resembling nothing i had ever before experienced, and which impressed me with a vague conception, if indeed i then thought of anything, that the whole foundations of the solid globe were suddenly rent asunder, and that the day of universal dissolution was at hand. chapter xxi. as soon as i could collect my scattered senses, i found myself nearly suffocated, and grovelling in utter darkness among a quantity of loose earth, which was also falling upon me heavily in every direction, threatening to bury me entirely. horribly alarmed at this idea, i struggled to gain my feet, and at length succeeded. i then remained motionless for some moments, endeavouring to conceive what had happened to me, and where i was. presently i heard a deep groan just at my ear, and afterward the smothered voice of peters calling to me for aid in the name of god. i scrambled one or two paces forward, when i fell directly over the head and shoulders of my companion, who, i soon discovered, was buried in a loose mass of earth as far as his middle, and struggling desperately to free himself from the pressure. i tore the dirt from around him with all the energy i could command, and at length succeeded in getting him out. as soon as we sufficiently recovered from our fright and surprise to be capable of conversing rationally, we both came to the conclusion that the walls of the fissure in which we had ventured had, by some convulsion of nature, or probably from their own weight, caved in overhead, and that we were consequently lost for ever, being thus entombed alive. for a long time we gave up supinely to the most intense agony and despair, such as cannot be adequately imagined by those who have never been in a similar situation. i firmly believe that no incident ever occurring in the course of human events is more adapted to inspire the supremeness of mental and bodily distress than a case like our own, of living inhumation. the blackness of darkness which envelops the victim, the terrific oppression of lungs, the stifling fumes from the damp earth, unite with the ghastly considerations that we are beyond the remotest confines of hope, and that such is the allotted portion of _the dead_, to carry into the human heart a degree of appalling awe and horror not to be tolerated--never to be conceived. at length peters proposed that we should endeavour to ascertain precisely the extent of our calamity, and grope about our prison; it being barely possible, he observed, that some opening might be yet left us for escape. i caught eagerly at this hope, and, arousing myself to exertion, attempted to force my way through the loose earth. hardly had i advanced a single step before a glimmer of light became perceptible, enough to convince me that, at all events, we should not immediately perish for want of air. we now took some degree of heart, and encouraged each other to hope for the best. having scrambled over a bank of rubbish which impeded our farther progress in the direction of the light, we found less difficulty in advancing, and also experienced some relief from the excessive oppression of lungs which had tormented us. presently we were enabled to obtain a glimpse of the objects around, and discovered that we were near the extremity of the straight portion of the fissure, where it made a turn to the left. a few struggles more, and we reached the bend, when, to our inexpressible joy, there appeared a long seam or crack extending upward a vast distance, generally at an angle of about forty-five degrees, although sometimes much more precipitous. we could not see through the whole extent of this opening; but, as a good deal of light came down it, we had little doubt of finding at the top of it (if we could by any means reach the top) a clear passage into the open air. i now called to mind that three of us had entered the fissure from the main gorge, and that our companion, allen, was still missing; we determined at once to retrace our steps and look for him. after a long search, and much danger from the farther caving in of the earth above us, peters at length cried out to me that he had hold of our companion's foot, and that his whole body was deeply buried beneath the rubbish, beyond a possibility of extricating him. i soon found that what he said was too true, and that, of course, life had been long extinct. with sorrowful hearts, therefore, we left the corpse to its fate, and again made our way to the bend. the breadth of the seam was barely sufficient to admit us, and, after one or two ineffectual efforts at getting up, we began once more to despair. i have before said that the chain of hills through which ran the main gorge was composed of a species of soft rock resembling soapstone. the sides of the cleft we were now attempting to ascend were of the same material, and so excessively slippery, being wet, that we could get but little foothold upon them even in their least precipitous parts; in some places, where the ascent was nearly perpendicular, the difficulty was, of course, much aggravated; and, indeed, for some time we thought it insurmountable. we took courage, however, from despair; and what, by dint of cutting steps in the soft stone with our bowie knives, and swinging, at the risk of our lives, to small projecting points of a harder species of slaty rock which now and then protruded from the general mass, we at length reached a natural platform, from which was perceptible a patch of blue sky, at the extremity of a thickly-wooded ravine. looking back now, with somewhat more leisure, at the passage through which we had thus far proceeded, we clearly saw, from the appearance of its sides, that it was of late formation, and we concluded that the concussion, whatever it was, which had so unexpectedly overwhelmed us, had also, at the same moment, laid open this path for escape. being quite exhausted with exertion, and, indeed, so weak that we were scarcely able to stand or articulate, peters now proposed that we should endeavour to bring our companions to the rescue by firing the pistols which still remained in our girdles--the muskets as well as cutlasses had been lost among the loose earth at the bottom of the chasm. subsequent events proved that, had we fired, we should have sorely repented it; but, luckily, a half suspicion of foul play had by this time arisen in my mind, and we forbore to let the savages know of our whereabouts. after having reposed for about an hour, we pushed on slowly up the ravine, and had gone no great way before we heard a succession of tremendous yells. at length we reached what might be called the surface of the ground; for our path hitherto, since leaving the platform, had lain beneath an archway of high rock and foliage, at a vast distance overhead. with great caution we stole to a narrow opening, through which we had a clear sight of the surrounding country, when the whole dreadful secret of the concussion broke upon us in one moment and at one view. the spot from which we looked was not far from the summit of the highest peak in the range of the soapstone hills. the gorge in which our party of thirty-two had entered ran within fifty feet to the left of us. but, for at least one hundred yards, the channel or bed of this gorge was entirely filled up with the chaotic ruins of more than a million tons of earth and stone that had been artificially tumbled within it. the means by which the vast mass had been precipitated were not more simple than evident, for sure traces of the murderous work were yet remaining. in several spots along the top of the eastern side of the gorge (we were now on the western) might be seen stakes of wood driven into the earth. in these spots the earth had not given way; but throughout the whole extent of the face of the precipice from which the mass _had_ fallen, it was clear, from marks left in the soil resembling those made by the drill of the rock-blaster, that stakes similar to those we saw standing had been inserted, at not more than a yard apart, for the length of perhaps three hundred feet, and ranging at about ten feet back from the edge of the gulf. strong cords of grape vine were attached to the stakes still remaining on the hill, and it was evident that such cords had also been attached to each of the other stakes. i have already spoken of the singular stratification of these soapstone hills; and the description just given of the narrow and deep fissure through which we effected our escape from inhumation will afford a further conception of its nature. this was such that almost every natural convulsion would be sure to split the soil into perpendicular layers or ridges running parallel with one another; and a very moderate exertion of art would be sufficient for effecting the same purpose. of this stratification the savages had availed themselves to accomplish their treacherous ends. there can be no doubt that, by the continuous line of stakes, a partial rupture of the soil had been brought about, probably to the depth of one or two feet, when, by means of a savage pulling at the end of each of the cords (these cords being attached to the tops of the stakes, and extending back from the edge of the cliff), a vast leverage power was obtained, capable of hurling the whole face of the hill, upon a given signal, into the bosom of the abyss below. the fate of our poor companions was no longer a matter of uncertainty. we alone had escaped from the tempest of that overwhelming destruction. we were the only living white men upon the island. chapter xxii. our situation, as it now appeared, was scarcely less dreadful than when we had conceived ourselves entombed for ever. we saw before us no prospect but that of being put to death by the savages, or of dragging out a miserable existence in captivity among them. we might, to be sure, conceal ourselves for a time from their observation among the fastnesses of the hills, and, as a final resort, in the chasm from which we had just issued; but we must either perish in the long polar winter through cold and famine, or be ultimately discovered in our efforts to obtain relief. the whole country around us seemed to be swarming with savages, crowds of whom, we now perceived, had come over from the islands to the southward on flat rafts, doubtless with a view of lending their aid in the capture and plunder of the jane. the vessel still lay calmly at anchor in the bay, those on board being apparently quite unconscious of any danger awaiting them. how we longed at that moment to be with them! either to aid in effecting their escape, or to perish with them in attempting a defence. we saw no chance even of warning them of their danger without bringing immediate destruction upon our own heads, with but a remote hope of benefit to them. a pistol fired might suffice to apprize them that something wrong had occurred; but the report could not possibly inform them that their only prospect of safety lay in getting out of the harbour forthwith--it could not tell them that no principles of honour now bound them to remain, that their companions were no longer among the living. upon hearing the discharge they could not be more thoroughly prepared to meet the foe, who were now getting ready to attack, than they already were, and always had been. no good, therefore, and infinite harm, would result from our firing, and, after mature deliberation, we forbore. our next thought was to attempt a rush towards the vessel, to seize one of the four canoes which lay at the head of the bay, and endeavour to force a passage on board. but the utter impossibility of succeeding in this desperate task soon became evident. the country, as i said before, was literally swarming with the natives, skulking among the bushes and recesses of the hills, so as not to be observed from the schooner. in our immediate vicinity especially, and blockading the sole path by which we could hope to attain the shore in the proper point, were stationed the whole party of the black skin warriors, with too-wit at their head, and apparently only waiting for some re-enforcement to commence his onset upon the jane. the canoes, too, which lay at the head of the bay were manned with savages, unarmed, it is true, but who undoubtedly had arms within reach. we were forced, therefore, however unwillingly, to remain in our place of concealment, mere spectators of the conflict which presently ensued. in about half an hour we saw some sixty or seventy rafts, or flatboats, with outriggers, filled with savages, and coming round the southern bight of the harbour. they appeared to have no arms except short clubs, and stones which lay in the bottom of the rafts. immediately afterward another detachment, still larger, approached in an opposite direction, and with similar weapons. the four canoes, too, were now quickly filled with natives, starting up from the bushes at the head of the bay, and put off swiftly to join the other parties. thus, in less time than i have taken to tell it, and as if by magic, the jane saw herself surrounded by an immense multitude of desperadoes evidently bent upon capturing her at all hazards. that they would succeed in so doing could not be doubted for an instant. the six men left in the vessel, however resolutely they might engage in her defence, were altogether unequal to the proper management of the guns, or in any manner to sustain a contest at such odds. i could hardly imagine that they would make resistance at all, but in this was deceived; for presently i saw them get springs upon the cable, and bring the vessel's starboard broadside to bear upon the canoes, which by this time were within pistol range, the rafts being nearly a quarter of a mile to windward. owing to some cause unknown, but most probably to the agitation of our poor friends at seeing themselves in so hopeless a situation, the discharge was an entire failure. not a canoe was hit or a single savage injured, the shots striking short and _ricochêting_ over their heads. the only effect produced upon them was astonishment at the unexpected report and smoke, which was so excessive that for some moments i almost thought they would abandon their design entirely, and return to the shore. and this they would most likely have done had our men followed up their broadside by a discharge of small arms, in which, as the canoes were now so near at hand, they could not have failed in doing some execution, sufficient, at least, to deter this party from a farther advance, until they could have given the rafts also a broadside. but, in place of this, they left the canoe party to recover from their panic, and, by looking about them, to see that no injury had been sustained, while they flew to the larboard to get ready for the rafts. the discharge to larboard produced the most terrible effect. the star and double-headed shot of the large guns cut seven or eight of the rafts completely asunder, and killed, perhaps, thirty or forty of the savages outright, while a hundred of them, at least, were thrown into the water, the most of them dreadfully wounded. the remainder, frightened out of their senses, commenced at once a precipitate retreat, not even waiting to pick up their maimed companions, who were swimming about in every direction, screaming and yelling for aid. this great success, however, came too late for the salvation of our devoted people. the canoe party were already on board the schooner to the number of more than a hundred and fifty, the most of them having succeeded in scrambling up the chains and over the boarding nettings even before the matches had been applied to the larboard guns. nothing could now withstand their brute rage. our men were borne down at once, overwhelmed, trodden under foot, and absolutely torn to pieces in an instant. seeing this, the savages on the rafts got the better of their fears, and came up in shoals to the plunder. in five minutes the jane was a pitiable scene indeed of havoc and tumultuous outrage. the decks were split open and ripped up; the cordage, sails, and everything moveable on deck demolished as if by magic; while, by dint of pushing at the stern, towing with the canoes, and hauling at the sides, as they swam in thousands around the vessel, the wretches finally forced her on shore (the cable having been slipped), and delivered her over to the good offices of too-wit, who, during the whole of the engagement, had maintained, like a skilful general, his post of security and reconnoissance among the hills, but, now that the victory was completed to his satisfaction, condescended to scamper down with his warriors of the black skin, and become a partaker in the spoils. too-wit's descent left us at liberty to quit our hiding-place and reconnoitre the hill in the vicinity of the chasm. at about fifty yards from the mouth of it we saw a small spring of water, at which we slaked the burning thirst that now consumed us. not far from the spring we discovered several of the filbert-bushes which i mentioned before. upon tasting the nuts we found them palatable, and very nearly resembling in flavour the common english filbert. we collected our hats full immediately, deposited them within the ravine, and returned for more. while we were busily employed in gathering these, a rustling in the bushes alarmed us, and we were upon the point of stealing back to our covert, when a large black bird of the bittern species strugglingly and slowly arose above the shrubs. i was so much startled that i could do nothing, but peters had sufficient presence of mind to run up to it before it could make its escape, and seize it by the neck. its struggles and screams were tremendous, and we had thoughts of letting it go, lest the noise should alarm some of the savages who might be still lurking in the neighbourhood. a stab with a bowie knife, however, at length brought it to the ground, and we dragged it into the ravine, congratulating ourselves that, at all events, we had thus obtained a supply of food enough to last us for a week. we now went out again to look about us, and ventured a considerable distance down the southern declivity of the hill, but met with nothing else which could serve us for food. we therefore collected a quantity of dry wood and returned, seeing one or two large parties of the natives on their way to the village, laden with the plunder of the vessel, and who, we were apprehensive, might discover us in passing beneath the hill. our next care was to render our place of concealment as secure as possible, and, with this object, we arranged some brushwood over the aperture which i have before spoken of as the one through which we saw the patch of blue sky, on reaching the platform from the interior of the chasm. we left only a very small opening, just wide enough to admit of our seeing the bay, without the risk of being discovered from below. having done this, we congratulated ourselves upon the security of the position; for we were now completely excluded from observation, as long as we chose to remain within the ravine itself, and not venture out upon the hill. we could perceive no traces of the savages having ever been within this hollow; but, indeed, when we came to reflect upon the probability that the fissure through which we attained it had been only just now created by the fall of the cliff opposite, and that no other way of attaining it could be perceived, we were not so much rejoiced at the thought of being secure from molestation as fearful lest there should be absolutely no means left us for descent. we resolved to explore the summit of the hill thoroughly, when a good opportunity should offer. in the mean time we watched the motions of the savages through our loophole. they had already made a complete wreck of the vessel, and were now preparing to set her on fire. in a little while we saw the smoke ascending in huge volumes from her main-hatchway, and, shortly afterward, a dense mass of flame burst up from the forecastle. the rigging, masts, and what remained of the sails caught immediately, and the fire spread rapidly along the decks. still a great many of the savages retained their stations about her, hammering with large stones, axes, and cannon balls at the bolts and other copper and iron work. on the beach, and in canoes and rafts, there were not less, altogether, in the immediate vicinity of the schooner, than ten thousand natives, besides the shoals of them who, laden with booty, were making their way inland and over to the neighbouring islands. we now anticipated a catastrophe, and were not disappointed. first of all there came a smart shock (which we felt distinctly where we were as if we had been slightly galvanized), but unattended with any visible signs of an explosion. the savages were evidently startled, and paused for an instant from their labours and yellings. they were upon the point of recommencing, when suddenly a mass of smoke puffed up from the decks, resembling a black and heavy thunder-cloud--then, as if from its bowels, arose a tall stream of vivid fire to the height, apparently, of a quarter of a mile--then there came a sudden circular expansion of the flame--then the whole atmosphere was magically crowded, in a single instant, with a wild chaos of wood, and metal, and human limbs--and, lastly, came the concussion in its fullest fury, which hurled us impetuously from our feet, while the hills echoed and re-echoed the tumult, and a dense shower of the minutest fragments of the ruins tumbled headlong in every direction around us. the havoc among the savages far exceeded our utmost expectation, and they had now, indeed, reaped the full and perfect fruits of their treachery. perhaps a thousand perished by the explosion, while at least an equal number were desperately mangled. the whole surface of the bay was literally strewn with the struggling and drowning wretches, and on shore matters were even worse. they seemed utterly appalled by the suddenness and completeness of their discomfiture, and made no efforts at assisting one another. at length we observed a total change in their demeanour. from absolute stupor they appeared to be, all at once, aroused to the highest pitch of excitement, and rushed wildly about, going to and from a certain point on the beach, with the strangest expressions of mingled horror, rage, and intense curiosity depicted on their countenances, and shouting, at the top of their voices, _tekeli-li! tekeli-li!_ presently we saw a large body go off into the hills, whence they returned in a short time, carrying stakes of wood. these they brought to the station where the crowd was the thickest, which now separated so as to afford us a view of the object of all this excitement. we perceived something white lying on the ground, but could not immediately make out what it was. at length we saw that it was the carcass of the strange animal with the scarlet teeth and claws which the schooner had picked up at sea on the eighteenth of january. captain guy had had the body preserved for the purpose of stuffing the skin and taking it to england. i remember he had given some directions about it just before our making the island, and it had been brought into the cabin and stowed away in one of the lockers. it had now been thrown on shore by the explosion; but why it had occasioned so much concern among the savages was more than we could comprehend. although they crowded around the carcass at a little distance, none of them seemed willing to approach it closely. by-and-by the men with the stakes drove them in a circle around it, and, no sooner was this arrangement completed, than the whole of the vast assembly rushed into the interior of the island, with loud screams of _tekeli-li! tekeli-li!_ chapter xxiii. during the six or seven days immediately following we remained in our hiding-place upon the hill, going out only occasionally, and then with the greatest precaution, for water and filberts. we had made a kind of pent-house on the platform, furnishing it with a bed of dry leaves, and placing in it three large flat stones, which served us for both fireplace and table. we kindled a fire without difficulty by rubbing two pieces of dry wood together, the one soft, the other hard. the bird we had taken in such good season proved excellent eating, although somewhat tough. it was not an oceanic fowl, but a species of bittern, with jet black and grizzly plumage, and diminutive wings in proportion to its bulk. we afterward saw three of the same kind in the vicinity of the ravine, apparently seeking for the one we had captured; but, as they never alighted, we had no opportunity of catching them. as long as this fowl lasted we suffered nothing from our situation; but it was now entirely consumed, and it became absolutely necessary that we should look out for provision. the filberts would not satisfy the cravings of hunger, afflicting us, too, with severe gripings of the bowels, and, if freely indulged in, with violent headache. we had seen several large tortoises near the seashore to the eastward of the hill, and perceived they might be easily taken, if we could get at them without the observation of the natives. it was resolved, therefore, to make an attempt at descending. we commenced by going down the southern declivity, which seemed to offer the fewest difficulties, but had not proceeded a hundred yards before (as we had anticipated from appearances on the hill-top) our progress was entirely arrested by a branch of the gorge in which our companions had perished. we now passed along the edge of this for about a quarter of a mile, when we were again stopped by a precipice of immense depth, and, not being able to make our way along the brink of it, we were forced to retrace our steps by the main ravine. we now pushed over to the eastward, but with precisely similar fortune. after an hour's scramble, at the risk of breaking our necks, we discovered that we had merely descended into a vast pit of black granite, with fine dust at the bottom, and whence the only egress was by the rugged path in which we had come down. toiling again up this path, we now tried the northern edge of the hill. here we were obliged to use the greatest possible caution in our manoeuvres, as the least indiscretion would expose us to the full view of the savages in the village. we crawled along, therefore, on our hands and knees, and, occasionally, were even forced to throw ourselves at full length, dragging our bodies along by means of the shrubbery. in this careful manner we had proceeded but a little way, when we arrived at a chasm far deeper than any we had yet seen, and leading directly into the main gorge. thus our fears were fully confirmed, and we found ourselves cut off entirely from access to the world below. thoroughly exhausted by our exertions, we made the best of our way back to the platform, and, throwing ourselves upon the bed of leaves, slept sweetly and soundly for some hours. for several days after this fruitless search we were occupied in exploring every part of the summit of the hill, in order to inform ourselves of its actual resources. we found that it would afford us no food, with the exception of the unwholesome filberts, and a rank species of scurvy grass which grew in a little patch of not more than four rods square, and would be soon exhausted. on the fifteenth of february, as near as i can remember, there was not a blade of this left, and the nuts were growing scarce; our situation, therefore, could hardly be more lamentable.[5] on the sixteenth we again went round the walls of our prison, in hope of finding some avenue of escape, but to no purpose. we also descended the chasm in which we had been overwhelmed, with the faint expectation of discovering, through this channel, some opening to the main ravine. here, too, we were disappointed, although we found and brought up with us a musket. [footnote 5: this day was rendered remarkable by our observing in the south several huge wreaths of the grayish vapour i have before spoken of.] on the seventeenth we set out with the determination of examining more thoroughly the chasm of black granite into which we had made our way in the first search. we remembered that one of the fissures in the sides of this pit had been but partially looked into, and we were anxious to explore it, although with no expectation of discovering here any opening. we found no great difficulty in reaching the bottom of the hollow as before, and were now sufficiently calm to survey it with some attention. it was, indeed, one of the most singular-looking places imaginable, and we could scarcely bring ourselves to believe it altogether the work of nature. the pit, from its eastern to its western extremity, was about five hundred yards in length, when all its windings were threaded; the distance from east to west in a straight line not being more (i should suppose, having no means of accurate examination) than forty or fifty yards. upon first descending into the chasm, that is to say, for a hundred feet downward from the summit of the hill, the sides of the abyss bore little resemblance to each other, and, apparently, had at no time been connected, the one surface being of the soapstone and the other of marl, granulated with some metallic matter. the average breadth, or interval between the two cliffs, was probably here sixty feet, but there seemed to be no regularity of formation. passing down, however, beyond the limit spoken of, the interval rapidly contracted, and the sides began to run parallel, although, for some distance farther, they were still dissimilar in their material and form of surface. upon arriving within fifty feet of the bottom, a perfect regularity commenced. the sides were now entirely uniform in substance, in colour, and in lateral direction, the material being a very black and shining granite, and the distance between the two sides, at all points facing each other, exactly twenty yards. the precise formation of the chasm will be best understood by means of a delineation taken upon the spot; for i had luckily with me a pocketbook and pencil, which i preserved with great care through a long series of subsequent adventure, and to which i am indebted for memoranda of many subjects which would otherwise have been crowded from my remembrance. [illustration: _figure 1_.] this figure (see figure 1) gives the general outlines of the chasm, without the minor cavities in the sides, of which there were several, each cavity having a corresponding protuberance opposite. the bottom of the gulf was covered to the depth of three or four inches with a powder almost impalpable, beneath which we found a continuation of the black granite. to the right, at the lower extremity, will be noticed the appearance of a small opening; this is the fissure alluded to above, and to examine which more minutely than before was the object of our second visit. we now pushed into it with vigour, cutting away a quantity of brambles which impeded us, and removing a vast heap of sharp flints somewhat resembling arrowheads in shape. we were encouraged to persevere, however, by perceiving some little light proceeding from the farther end. we at length squeezed our way for about thirty feet, and found that the aperture was a low and regularly-formed arch, having a bottom of the same impalpable powder as that in the main chasm. a strong light now broke upon us, and, turning a short bend, we found ourselves in another lofty chamber, similar to the one we had left in every respect but longitudinal form. its general figure is here given. (see figure 2.) [illustration: _figure 2_.] the total length of this chasm, commencing at the opening _a_ and proceeding round the curve _b_ to the extremity _d_, is five hundred and fifty yards. at _c_ we discovered a small aperture similar to the one through which we had issued from the other chasm, and this was choked up in the same manner with brambles and a quantity of the white arrowhead flints. we forced our way through it, finding it about forty feet long, and emerged into a third chasm. this, too, was precisely like the first, except in its longitudinal shape, which was thus. (see figure 3.) [illustration: _figure 3_.] [illustration: _figure 5_.] we found the entire length of the third chasm three hundred and twenty yards. at the point _a_ was an opening about six feet wide, and extending fifteen feet into the rock, where it terminated in a bed of marl, there being no other chasm beyond, as we had expected. we were about leaving this fissure, into which very little light was admitted, when peters called my attention to a range of singular-looking indentures in the surface of the marl forming the termination of the _cul-de-sac_. with a very slight exertion of the imagination, the left, or most northerly of these indentures might have been taken for the intentional, although rude, representation of a human figure standing erect, with outstretched arm. the rest of them bore also some little resemblance to alphabetical characters, and peters was willing, at all events, to adopt the idle opinion that they were really such. i convinced him of his error, finally, by directing his attention to the floor of the fissure, where, among the powder, we picked up, piece by piece, several large flakes of the marl, which had evidently been broken off by some convulsion from the surface where the indentures were found, and which had projecting points exactly fitting the indentures; thus proving them to have been the work of nature. figure 4. presents an accurate copy of the whole. [illustration: _figure 4_.] after satisfying ourselves that these singular caverns afforded us no means of escape from our prison, we made our way back, dejected and dispirited, to the summit of the hill. nothing worth mentioning occurred during the next twenty-four hours, except that, in examining the ground to the eastward of the third chasm, we found two triangular holes of great depth, and also with black granite sides. into these holes we did not think it worth while to attempt descending, as they had the appearance of mere natural wells, without outlet. they were each about twenty yards in circumference, and their shape, as well as relative position in regard to the third chasm, is shown in figure 5, preceding page. chapter xxiv. on the twentieth of the month, finding it altogether impossible to subsist any longer upon the filberts, the use of which occasioned us the most excruciating torment, we resolved to make a desperate attempt at descending the southern declivity of the hill. the face of the precipice was here of the softest species of soapstone, although nearly perpendicular throughout its whole extent (a depth of a hundred and fifty feet at the least), and in many places even overarching. after long search we discovered a narrow ledge about twenty feet below the brink of the gulf; upon this peters contrived to leap, with what assistance i could render him by means of our pocket-handkerchiefs tied together. with somewhat more difficulty i also got down; and we then saw the possibility of descending the whole way by the process in which we had clambered up from the chasm when we had been buried by the fall of the hill--that is, by cutting steps in the face of the soapstone with our knives. the extreme hazard of the attempt can scarcely be conceived; but, as there was no other resource, we determined to undertake it. upon the ledge where we stood there grew some filbert-bushes; and to one of these we made fast an end of our rope of handkerchiefs. the other end being tied round peters's waist, i lowered him down over the edge of the precipice until the handkerchiefs were stretched tight. he now proceeded to dig a deep hole in the soapstone (as far in as eight or ten inches), sloping away the rock above to the height of a foot, or thereabout, so as to allow of his driving, with the butt of a pistol, a tolerably strong peg into the levelled surface. i then drew him up for about four feet, when he made a hole similar to the one below, driving in a peg as before, and having thus a resting-place for both feet and hands. i now unfastened the handkerchiefs from the bush, throwing him the end, which he tied to the peg in the uppermost hole, letting himself down gently to a station about three feet lower than he had yet been, that is, to the full extent of the handkerchiefs. here he dug another hole, and drove another peg. he then drew himself up, so as to rest his feet in the hole just cut, taking hold with his hands upon the peg in the one above. it was now necessary to untie the handkerchiefs from the topmost peg, with the view of fastening them to the second; and here he found that an error had been committed in cutting the holes at so great a distance apart. however, after one or two unsuccessful and dangerous attempts at reaching the knot (having to hold on with his left hand while he laboured to undo the fastening with his right), he at length cut the string, leaving six inches of it affixed to the peg. tying the handkerchiefs now to the second peg, he descended to a station below the third, taking care not to go too far down. by these means (means which i should never have conceived of myself, and for which we were indebted altogether to peters's ingenuity and resolution) my companion finally succeeded, with the occasional aid of projections in the cliff, in reaching the bottom without accident. it was some time before i could summon sufficient resolution to follow him; but i did at length attempt it. peters had taken off his shirt before descending, and this, with my own, formed the rope necessary for the adventure. after throwing down the musket found in the chasm, i fastened this rope to the bushes, and let myself down rapidly, striving, by the vigour of my movements, to banish the trepidation which i could overcome in no other manner. this answered sufficiently well for the first four or five steps; but presently i found my imagination growing terribly excited by thoughts of the vast depth yet to be descended, and the precarious nature of the pegs and soapstone holes which were my only support. it was in vain i endeavoured to banish these reflections, and to keep my eyes steadily bent upon the flat surface of the cliff before me. the more earnestly i struggled _not to think_, the more intensely vivid became my conceptions, and the more horribly distinct. at length arrived that crisis of fancy, so fearful in all similar cases, the crisis in which we begin to anticipate the feelings with which we _shall_ fall--to picture to ourselves the sickness, and dizziness, and the last struggle, and the half swoon, and the final bitterness of the rushing and headlong descent. and now i found these fancies creating their own realities, and all imagined horrors crowding upon me in fact. i felt my knees strike violently together, while my fingers were gradually yet certainly relaxing their grasp. there was a ringing in my ears, and i said, "this is my knell of death!" and now i was consumed with the irrepressible desire of looking below. i could not, i would not, confine my glances to the cliff; and, with a wild, indefinable emotion half of horror, half of a relieved oppression, i threw my vision far down into the abyss. for one moment my fingers clutched convulsively upon their hold, while, with the movement, the faintest possible idea of ultimate escape wandered, like a shadow, through my mind--in the next my whole soul was pervaded with _a longing to fall_; a desire, a yearning, a passion utterly uncontrollable. i let go at once my grasp upon the peg, and, turning half round from the precipice, remained tottering for an instant against its naked face. but now there came a spinning of the brain; a shrill-sounding and phantom voice screamed within my ears; a dusky, fiendish, and filmy figure stood immediately beneath me; and, sighing, i sunk down with a bursting heart, and plunged within its arms. i had swooned, and peters had caught me as i fell. he had observed my proceedings from his station at the bottom of the cliff; and, perceiving my imminent danger, had endeavoured to inspire me with courage by every suggestion he could devise; although my confusion of mind had been so great as to prevent my hearing what he said, or being conscious that he had even spoken to me at all. at length, seeing me totter, he hastened to ascend to my rescue, and arrived just in time for my preservation. had i fallen with my full weight, the rope of linen would inevitably have snapped, and i should have been precipitated into the abyss; as it was, he contrived to let me down gently, so as to remain suspended without danger until animation returned. this was in about fifteen minutes. on recovery, my trepidation had entirely vanished; i felt a new being, and, with some little further aid from my companion, reached the bottom also in safety. we now found ourselves not far from the ravine which had proved the tomb of our friends, and to the southward of the spot where the hill had fallen. the place was one of singular wildness, and its aspect brought to my mind the descriptions given by travellers of those dreary regions marking the site of degraded babylon. not to speak of the ruins of the disruptured cliff, which formed a chaotic barrier in the vista to the northward, the surface of the ground in every other direction was strewn with huge tumuli, apparently the wreck of some gigantic structures of art; although, in detail, no semblance of art could be detected. scoria were abundant, and large shapeless blocks of the black granite, intermingled with others of marl,[6] and both granulated with metal. of vegetation there were no traces whatsoever throughout the whole of the desolate area within sight. several immense scorpions were seen, and various reptiles not elsewhere to be found in the high latitudes. [footnote 6: the marl was also black; indeed, we noticed no light-coloured substances of any kind upon the island.] as food was our most immediate object, we resolved to make our way to the seacoast, distant not more than half a mile, with a view of catching turtle, several of which we had observed from our place of concealment on the hill. we had proceeded some hundred yards, threading our route cautiously between the huge rocks and tumuli, when, upon turning a corner, five savages sprung upon us from a small cavern, felling peters to the ground with a blow from a club. as he fell the whole party rushed upon him to secure their victim, leaving me time to recover from my astonishment. i still had the musket, but the barrel had received so much injury in being thrown from the precipice that i cast it aside as useless, preferring to trust my pistols, which had been carefully preserved in order. with these i advanced upon the assailants, firing one after the other in quick succession. two savages fell, and one, who was in the act of thrusting a spear into peters, sprung to his feet without accomplishing his purpose. my companion being thus released, we had no further difficulty. he had his pistols also, but prudently declined using them, confiding in his great personal strength, which far exceeded that of any person i have ever known. seizing a club from one of the savages who had fallen, he dashed out the brains of the three who remained, killing each instantaneously with a single blow of the weapon, and leaving us completely masters of the field. so rapidly had these events passed, that we could scarcely believe in their reality, and were standing over the bodies of the dead in a species of stupid contemplation, when we were brought to recollection by the sound of shouts in the distance. it was clear that the savages had been alarmed by the firing, and that we had little chance of avoiding discovery. to regain the cliff, it would be necessary to proceed in the direction of the shouts; and even should we succeed in arriving at its base, we should never be able to ascend it without being seen. our situation was one of the greatest peril, and we were hesitating in which path to commence a flight, when one of the savages whom i had shot, and supposed dead, sprang briskly to his feet, and attempted to make his escape. we overtook him, however, before he had advanced many paces, and were about to put him to death, when peters suggested that we might derive some benefit from forcing him to accompany us in our attempt at escape. we therefore dragged him with us, making him understand that we would shoot him if he offered resistance. in a few minutes he was perfectly submissive, and ran by our sides as we pushed in among the rocks, making for the seashore. so far, the irregularities of the ground we had been traversing hid the sea, except at intervals, from our sight, and, when we first had it fairly in view, it was, perhaps, two hundred yards distant. as we emerged into the open beach we saw, to our great dismay, an immense crowd of the natives pouring from the village, and from all visible quarters of the island, making towards us with gesticulations of extreme fury, and howling like wild beasts. we were upon the point of turning upon our steps, and trying to secure a retreat among the fastnesses of the rougher ground, when i discovered the bows of two canoes projecting from behind a large rock which ran out into the water. towards these we now ran with all speed, and, reaching them, found them unguarded, and without any other freight than three of the large gallipago turtles and the usual supply of paddles for sixty rowers. we instantly took possession of one of them, and, forcing our captive on board, pushed out to sea with all the strength we could command. we had not made, however, more than fifty yards from the shore before we became sufficiently calm to perceive the great oversight of which we had been guilty in leaving the other canoe in the power of the savages, who, by this time, were not more than twice as far from the beach as ourselves, and were rapidly advancing to the pursuit. no time was now to be lost. our hope was, at best, a forlorn one, but we had none other. it was very doubtful whether, with the utmost exertion, we could get back in time to anticipate them in taking possession of the canoe; but yet there was a chance that we could. we might save ourselves if we succeeded, while not to make the attempt was to resign ourselves to inevitable butchery. the canoe was modelled with the bow and stern alike, and, in place of turning it round, we merely changed our position in paddling. as soon as the savages perceived this they redoubled their yells, as well as their speed, and approached with inconceivable rapidity. we pulled, however, with all the energy of desperation, and arrived at the contested point before more than one of the natives had attained it. this man paid dearly for his superior agility, peters shooting him through the head with a pistol as he approached the shore. the foremost among the rest of his party were probably some twenty or thirty paces distant as we seized upon the canoe. we at first endeavoured to pull her into the deep water, beyond the reach of the savages, but, finding her too firmly aground, and there being no time to spare, peters, with one or two heavy strokes from the butt of the musket, succeeded in dashing out a large portion of the bow and of one side. we then pushed off. two of the natives by this time had got hold of our boat, obstinately refusing to let go, until we were forced to despatch them with our knives. we were now clear off, and making great way out to sea. the main body of the savages, upon reaching the broken canoe, set up the most tremendous yell of rage and disappointment conceivable. in truth, from everything i could see of these wretches, they appeared to be the most wicked, hypocritical, vindictive, bloodthirsty, and altogether fiendish race of men upon the face of the globe. it is clear we should have had no mercy had we fallen into their hands. they made a mad attempt at following us in the fractured canoe, but, finding it useless, again vented their rage in a series of hideous vociferations, and rushed up into the hills. we were thus relieved from immediate danger, but our situation was still sufficiently gloomy. we knew that four canoes of the kind we had were at one time in the possession of the savages, and were not aware of the fact (afterward ascertained from our captive) that two of these had been blown to pieces in the explosion of the jane guy. we calculated, therefore, upon being yet pursued, as soon as our enemies could get round to the bay (distant about three miles) where the boats were usually laid up. fearing this, we made every exertion to leave the island behind us, and went rapidly through the water, forcing the prisoner to take a paddle. in about half an hour, when we had gained, probably, five or six miles to the southward, a large fleet of the flat-bottomed canoes or rafts was seen to emerge from the bay, evidently with the design of pursuit. presently they put back, despairing to overtake us. chapter xxv. we now found ourselves in the wide and desolate antarctic ocean, in a latitude exceeding eighty-four degrees, in a frail canoe, and with no provision but the three turtles. the long polar winter, too, could not be considered as far distant, and it became necessary that we should deliberate well upon the course to be pursued. there were six or seven islands in sight belonging to the same group, and distant from each other about five or six leagues; but upon neither of these had we any intention to venture. in coming from the northward in the jane guy we had been gradually leaving behind us the severest regions of ice--this, however little it may be in accordance with the generally-received notions respecting the antarctic, was a fact experience would not permit us to deny. to attempt, therefore, getting back, would be folly--especially at so late a period of the season. only one course seemed to be left open for hope. we resolved to steer boldly to the southward, where there was at least a probability of discovering other lands, and more than a probability of finding a still milder climate. so far we had found the antarctic, like the arctic ocean, peculiarly free from violent storms or immoderately rough water; but our canoe was, at best, of frail structure, although large, and we set busily to work with a view of rendering her as safe as the limited means in our possession would admit. the body of the boat was of no better material than bark--the bark of a tree unknown. the ribs were of a tough osier, well adapted to the purpose for which it was used. we had fifty feet room from stem to stern, from four to six in breadth, and in depth throughout four feet and a half--the boats thus differing vastly in shape from those of any other inhabitants of the southern ocean with whom civilized nations are acquainted. we never did believe them the workmanship of the ignorant islanders who owned them; and some days after this period discovered, by questioning our captive, that they were in fact made by the natives of a group to the southwest of the country where we found them, having fallen accidentally into the hands of our barbarians. what we could do for the security of our boat was very little indeed. several wide rents were discovered near both ends, and these we contrived to patch up with pieces of woollen jacket. with the help of the superfluous paddles, of which there were a great many, we erected a kind of framework about the bow, so as to break the force of any seas which might threaten to fill us in that quarter. we also set up two paddle-blades for masts, placing them opposite each other, one by each gunwale, thus saving the necessity of a yard. to these masts we attached a sail made of our shirts--doing this with some difficulty, as here we could get no assistance from our prisoner whatever, although he had been willing enough to labour in all the other operations. the sight of the linen seemed to affect him in a very singular manner. he could not be prevailed upon to touch it or go near it, shuddering when we attempted to force him, and shrieking out _tekeli-li!_ having completed our arrangements in regard to the security of the canoe, we now set sail to the south southeast for the present, with the view of weathering the most southerly of the group in sight. this being done, we turned the bow full to the southward. the weather could by no means be considered disagreeable. we had a prevailing and very gentle wind from the northward, a smooth sea, and continual daylight. no ice whatever was to be seen; _nor did i ever see one particle of this after leaving the parallel of bennet's islet_. indeed, the temperature of the water was here far too warm for its existence in any quantity. having killed the largest of our tortoises, and obtained from him not only food, but a copious supply of water, we continued on our course, without any incident of moment, for perhaps seven or eight days, during which period we must have proceeded a vast distance to the southward, as the wind blew constantly with us, and a very strong current set continually in the direction we were pursuing. _march 1._[7] many unusual phenomena now indicated that we were entering upon a region of novelty and wonder. a high range of light gray vapour appeared constantly in the southern horizon, flaring up occasionally in lofty streaks, now darting from east to west, now from west to east, and again presenting a level and uniform summit--in short, having all the wild variations of the aurora borealis. the average height of this vapour, as apparent from our station, was about twenty-five degrees. the temperature of the sea seemed to be increasing momentarily, and there was a very perceptible alteration in its colour. [footnote 7: for obvious reasons i cannot pretend to strict accuracy in these dates. they are given principally with a view to perspicuity of narration, and as set down in my pencil memoranda.] _march 2._ to-day, by repeated questioning of our captive, we came to the knowledge of many particulars in regard to the island of the massacre, its inhabitants, and customs--but with these how can i _now_ detain the reader? i may say, however, that we learned there were eight islands in the group--that they were governed by a common king, named _tsalemon_ or _psalemoun_, who resided in one of the smallest of the islands--that the black skins forming the dress of the warriors came from an animal of huge size to be found only in a valley near the court of the king--that the inhabitants of the group fabricated no other boats than the flat-bottomed rafts; the four canoes being all of the kind in their possession, and these having been obtained, by mere accident, from some large island to the southwest--that his own name was nu-nu--that he had no knowledge of bennet's islet--and that the appellation of the island we had left was _tsalal_. the commencement of the words _tsalemon_ and _tsalal_ was given with a prolonged hissing sound, which we found it impossible to imitate, even after repeated endeavours, and which was precisely the same with the note of the black bittern we had eaten upon the summit of the hill. _march 3._ the heat of the water was now truly remarkable, and its colour was undergoing a rapid change, being no longer transparent, but of a milky consistency and hue. in our immediate vicinity it was usually smooth, never so rough as to endanger the canoe--but we were frequently surprised at perceiving, to our right and left, at different distances, sudden and extensive agitations of the surface--these, we at length noticed, were always preceded by wild flickerings in the region of vapour to the southward. _march 4._ to-day, with the view of widening our sail, the breeze from the northward dying away perceptibly, i took from my coat-pocket a white handkerchief. nu-nu was seated at my elbow, and the linen accidentally flaring in his face, he became violently affected with convulsions. these were succeeded by drowsiness and stupor, and low murmurings of tekeli-li! tekeli-li! _march 5._ the wind had entirely ceased, but it was evident that we were still hurrying on to the southward, under the influence of a powerful current. and now, indeed, it would seem reasonable that we should experience some alarm at the turn events were taking--but we felt none. the countenance of peters indicated nothing of this nature, although it wore at times an expression i could not fathom. the polar winter appeared to be coming on--but coming without its terrors. i felt a _numbness_ of body and mind--a dreaminess of sensation--but this was all. _march 6._ the gray vapour had now arisen many more degrees above the horizon, and was gradually losing its grayness of tint. the heat of the water was extreme, even unpleasant to the touch, and its milky hue was more evident than ever. to-day a violent agitation of the water occurred very close to the canoe. it was attended, as usual, with a wild flaring up of the vapour at its summit, and a momentary division at its base. a fine white powder, resembling ashes--but certainly not such--fell over the canoe and over a large surface of the water, as the flickering died away among the vapour and the commotion subsided in the sea. nu-nu now threw himself on his face in the bottom of the boat, and no persuasions could induce him to arise. _march 7._ this day we questioned nu-nu concerning the motives of his countrymen in destroying our companions; but he appeared to be too utterly overcome by terror to afford us any rational reply. he still obstinately lay in the bottom of the boat; and, upon our reiterating the questions as to the motive, made use only of idiotic gesticulations, such as raising with his forefinger the upper lip, and displaying the teeth which lay beneath it. these were black. we had never before seen the teeth of an inhabitant of tsalal. _march 8._ to-day there floated by us one of the white animals whose appearance upon the beach at tsalal had occasioned so wild a commotion among the savages. i would have picked it up, but there came over me a sudden listlessness, and i forbore. the heat of the water still increased, and the hand could no longer be endured within it. peters spoke little, and i knew not what to think of his apathy. nu-nu breathed, and no more. _march 9._ the white ashy material fell now continually around us, and in vast quantities. the range of vapour to the southward had arisen prodigiously in the horizon, and began to assume more distinctness of form. i can liken it to nothing but a limitless cataract, rolling silently into the sea from some immense and far-distant rampart in the heaven. the gigantic curtain ranged along the whole extent of the southern horizon. it emitted no sound. _march 21._ a sullen darkness now hovered above us--but from out the milky depths of the ocean a luminous glare arose, and stole up along the bulwarks of the boat. we were nearly overwhelmed by the white ashy shower which settled upon us and upon the canoe, but melted into the water as it fell. the summit of the cataract was utterly lost in the dimness and the distance. yet we were evidently approaching it with a hideous velocity. at intervals there were visible in it wide, yawning, but momentary rents, and from out these rents, within which was a chaos of flitting and indistinct images, there came rushing and mighty, but soundless winds, tearing up the enkindled ocean in their course. _march 22._ the darkness had materially increased, relieved only by the glare of the water thrown back from the white curtain before us. many gigantic and pallidly white birds flew continuously now from beyond the veil, and their scream was the eternal _tekeli-li!_ as they retreated from our vision. hereupon nu-nu stirred in the bottom of the boat; but, upon touching him, we found his spirit departed. and now we rushed into the embraces of the cataract, where a chasm threw itself open to receive us. but there arose in our pathway a shrouded human figure, very far larger in its proportions than any dweller among men. and the hue of the skin of the figure was of the perfect whiteness of the snow. note. the circumstances connected with the late sudden and distressing death of mr. pym are already well known to the public through the medium of the daily press. it is feared that the few remaining chapters which were to have completed his narrative, and which were retained by him, while the above were in type, for the purpose of revision, have been irrecoverably lost through the accident by which he perished himself. this, however, may prove not to be the case, and the papers, if ultimately found, will be given to the public. no means have been left untried to remedy the deficiency. the gentleman whose name is mentioned in the preface, and who, from the statement there made, might be supposed able to fill the vacuum, has declined the task--this for satisfactory reasons connected with the general inaccuracy of the details afforded him, and his disbelief in the entire truth of the latter portions of the narration. peters, from whom some information might be expected, is still alive, and a resident of illinois, but cannot be met with at present. he may hereafter be found, and will, no doubt, afford material for a conclusion of mr. pym's account. the loss of the two or three final chapters (for there were but two or three) is the more deeply to be regretted, as, it cannot be doubted, they contained matter relative to the pole itself, or at least to regions in its very near proximity; and as, too, the statements of the author in relation to these regions may shortly be verified or contradicted by means of the governmental expedition now preparing for the southern ocean. on one point in the narrative some remarks may be well offered; and it would afford the writer of this appendix much pleasure if what he may here observe should have a tendency to throw credit, in any degree, upon the very singular pages now published. we allude to the chasms found in the island of tsalal, and to the whole of the figures in the latter portion of chapter xxiii. mr. pym has given the figures of the chasms without comment, and speaks decidedly of the _indentures_ found at the extremity of the most easterly of these chasms as having but a fanciful resemblance to alphabetical characters, and, in short, as being positively _not such_. this assertion is made in a manner so simple, and sustained by a species of demonstration so conclusive (viz., the fitting of the projections of the fragments found among the dust into the indentures upon the wall), that we are forced to believe the writer in earnest; and no reasonable reader should suppose otherwise. but as the facts in relation to _all_ the figures are most singular (especially when taken in connexion with statements made in the body of the narrative), it may be as well to say a word or two concerning them all--this, too, the more especially as the facts in question have, beyond doubt, escaped the attention of mr. poe. figure 1, then, figure 2, figure 3, and figure 5, when conjoined with one another in the precise order which the chasms themselves presented, and when deprived of the small lateral branches or arches (which, it will be remembered, served only as means of communication between the main chambers, and were of totally distinct character), constitute an ethiopian verbal root--the root [illustration] "to be shady"--whence all the inflections of shadow or darkness. in regard to the "left or most northwardly" of the indentures in figure 4, it is more than probable that the opinion of peters was correct, and that the hieroglyphical appearance was really the work of art, and intended as the representation of a human form. the delineation is before the reader, and he may, or may not, perceive the resemblance suggested; but the rest of the indentures afford strong confirmation of peters's idea. the upper range is evidently the arabic verbal root [illustration] "to be white," whence all the inflections of brilliancy and whiteness. the lower range is not so immediately perspicuous. the characters are somewhat broken and disjointed; nevertheless, it cannot be doubted that, in their perfect state, they formed the full egyptian word [illustration] "the region of the south." it should be observed that these interpretations confirm the opinion of peters in regard to the "most northwardly" of the figures. the arm is outstretched towards the south. conclusions such as these open a wide field for speculation and exciting conjecture. they should be regarded, perhaps, in connexion with some of the most faintly-detailed incidents of the narrative; although in no visible manner is this chain of connexion complete. tekeli-li! was the cry of the affrighted natives of tsalal upon discovering the carcass of the _white_ animal picked up at sea. this also was the shuddering exclamation of the captive tsalalian upon encountering the _white_ materials in possession of mr. pym. this also was the shriek of the swift-flying, _white_, and gigantic birds which issued from the vapoury _white_ curtain of the south. nothing _white_ was to be found at tsalal, and nothing otherwise in the subsequent voyage to the region beyond. it is not impossible that "tsalal," the appellation of the island of the chasms, may be found, upon minute philological scrutiny, to betray either some alliance with the chasms themselves, or some reference to the ethiopian characters so mysteriously written in their windings. _"i have graven it within the hills, and my vengeance upon the dust within the rock."_ the end. [transcriber's note: the last two chapters, chapters xxiv and xxv were named, respectively, xxiii and xxiv in the original publication, with, therefore, two chapters xxiii. this has been corrected in this transcription.] [frontispiece: hosier tightened a protecting arm around her waist] the stowaway girl by louis tracy author of the wings of the morning, son of the immortals, cynthia's chauffeur, the message, the silent barrier, etc. illustrations by nesbit benson new york grosset & dunlap publishers copyright, 1909, 1912, by edward j. clode contents chapter i. the "andromeda" ii. wherein the "andromeda" begins her voyage iii. wherein the "andromeda" nears the end of her voyage iv. showing what became of the "andromeda" v. the refugees vi. between the brazilian devil and the deep atlantic vii. cross purposes viii. the rigor of the game ix. wherein certain people meet unexpectedly x. on the high seas xi. a lively morning in exchange buildings xii. the lure of gold xiii. the new era xiv. carmela xv. showing how brazil chose her president xvi. wherein the president presides illustrations hosier tightened a protective arm around her waist . . . _frontispiece_ "is that the southern cross?" "how did i come here?" "well, gimme your 'and on it" a withering volley crashed through the window the stowaway chapter i the "andromeda" "marry mr. bulmer! that horrid old man! uncle, what _are_ you saying?" the girl sprang to her feet as if she were some timid creature of the wild aroused from sylvan broodings by knowledge of imminent danger. in her terror, she upset the three wineglasses that formed part of the display beside each _couvert_ on the luncheon table. one, rose-tinted and ornate, crashed to the floor, and the noise seemed to irritate the owner of linden house more than his niece's shrill terror. "no need to bust up our best set of 'ock glasses just because i 'appen to mention owd dickey bulmer," he growled. the color startled so suddenly out of the girl's face began to return. her eyes lost their dilation of fear. somehow, the comment on the broken glass seemed to deprive "owd dickey bulmer's" personality of its real menace. "i'm sorry," she said, and stooped to pick up the fragments scattered over the carpet. "leave that alone," came the sharp order. "so long as i've the brass to pay for 'em, there's plenty more where that kem from, an' in any case, it's the 'ousemaid's job. leave it alone, i tell you! an' sit down. it's 'igh time you an' me 'ad a straight talk, an' i can't do wi' folk bouncin' about like an injia-rubber ball when i've got things to say to 'em." he stretched a fat hand toward a mahogany cigar-box, affected to choose a cigar with deliberative crackling, hacked at the selection with a fruit knife, and dropped the severed end into an unused finger-bowl; then he struck a match, and puffed furiously until a rim of white ash tipped the brown. this achieved, he helped himself to the port. though he carefully avoided glancing at his companion, he knew quite well that she had drawn a chair to the opposite end of the table, and was looking at him intently; her chin was propped on her clenched hands; the skin on her white forehead was puckered into nervous lines; her lips, pressed close, had lost their cupid's bow that seemed ever ready to bend into a smile. meanwhile, the man who had caused these signs of distress gulped down some of the wine, held the glass up to the light as a tribute to the excellence of its contents, darted his tongue several times in and out between his teeth, smacked his lips, replaced the cigar in his mouth, and leaned back in his chair until it creaked. iris yorke was accustomed to this ritual; she gave it the unobservant tolerance good breeding extends to the commonplace. but to-day, for the first time during the two years that had sped so happily since she came back to linden house from a brussels _pension_, she found herself, even in her present trouble, wondering how it was possible that david verity could be her mother's brother. this coarse-mannered hog of a man, brother to the sweet-voiced, tender-hearted gentlewoman whose gracious wraith was left undimmed in the girl's memory by the lapse of years--it would be unbelievable if it were not true! he was so gross, so tubby, so manifestly over-fed, whereas her mother had ever been elegant and _bien soignée_. but he had shown kindness to her in his domineering way. he was not quite so illiterate as his accent and his general air of uncouthness seemed to imply. in his speech, the broad vowels of the lancashire dialect were grafted on to the clipped staccato of a cockney. he would scoff at anyone who told him that knives and forks had precise uses, or that table-napkins were not meant to be tucked under the chin. in england, especially in the provinces, some men of affairs cultivate these minor defects, deeming them tokens of bluff honesty, the hall-marks of the self-made; and david verity thought, perhaps, that his pretty, well-spoken niece might be trusted to maintain the social level of his household without any special effort on his part. shocked, almost, at the disloyalty of her thoughts, iris tried to close the rift that had opened so unexpectedly. "it was stupid of me to take you seriously," she said. "you cannot really mean that mr. bulmer wishes to marry me?" verity screwed up his features into an amiable grin. he pressed the tips of his fingers together until the joints bent backward. when he spoke, the cigar waggled with each syllable. "i meant it right enough, my lass," he said. "but, uncle dear----" "stop a bit. listen to me first, an' say your say when i've finished. like everybody else, you think i'm a rich man. david verity, esquire, ship-owner, of linden house an' exchange buildings--it looks all right, don't it--like one of them furrin apples with rosy peel an' a maggot inside. you're the first i've told about the maggot. fact is, i'm broke. ship-ownin' is rotten nowadays, unless you've lots of capital. i've lost mine. unless i get help, an' a thumpin' big slice of it, my name figures in the _gazette_. i want fifty thousand pounds, an' oo's goin' to give it to me? not the public. they're fed up on shippin'. they're not so silly as they used to be. i put it to owd dickey yesterday, an' 'e said you couldn't raise money in liverpool to-day to build a ferry-boat. but 'e said summat else. if you wed 'im, 'e makes you a partner in the firm of verity, bulmer an' co. see? wot's wrong with that? i've done everything for you up to date; now it's your turn. simple, isn't it? p'raps i ought to have explained things differently, but it didn't occur to me you'd hobject to bein' the wife of a millionaire, even if 'e is a doddrin' owd idiot to talk of marryin' agin." "oh, uncle!" with a wail of despair, the girl sank back and covered her face with her hands. now that she believed the incredible, she could utter no protest. the sacrifice demanded was too great. in that bitter moment she would have welcomed poverty, prayed even for death, as the alternative to marriage with the man to whom she was being sold. verity leaned over the table again and finished the glass of port. this time there was no lip-smacking, or other aping of the connoisseur. he was angry, almost alarmed. resistance, even of this passive sort, raised the savage in him. hitherto, iris had been ready to obey his slightest whim. "there's no use cryin' 'oh, uncle,' an' kicking up a fuss," he snapped viciously. "where would you 'ave bin, i'd like to know, if it wasn't for me? in the gutter--that's where your precious fool of a father left your mother an' you. you're the best dressed, an' best lookin', an' best eddicated girl i' bootle to-day--thanks to me. when your mother kem 'ere ten year ago, an' said her lit'rary gent of a 'usband was dead, neither of you 'ad 'ad a square meal for weeks--remember that, will you? it isn't my fault you've got to marry bulmer. it's just a bit of infernal bad luck--the same for both of us, if it comes to that. an' why shouldn't you 'ave some of the sours after i've given you all the sweets? you'll 'ave money to burn; i'm not axin' you to give up some nice young feller for 'im. if you play your cards well, you can 'ave all the fun you want----" the girl staggered to her feet. she could endure the man's coarseness but not his innuendoes. "i will do what you ask," she murmured, though there was a pitiful quivering at the corners of her mouth that bespoke an agony beyond the relief of tears. "but please don't say any more, and never again allude to my dear father in that way, or i may--i may forget what i owe you." she was unconscious of the contempt in her eyes, the scornful ring in her voice, and verity had the good sense to restrain the wrath that bubbled up in him until the door closed, and he was alone. he grabbed the decanter and refilled his glass. "nice thing!" he growled. "i offer 'er a fortune an' a bald-'eaded owd devil for a 'usband, 'oo ought to die in a year or two an' leave 'er everything; yet she ain't satisfied. d--n 'er eyes, if i'd keep 'er as scullery-maid she'd 'ave different notions." with the taste of the wine, however, came the consoling reflection that iris as a scullery-maid might not tickle the fancy of the dotard who had undertaken to provide fifty thousand pounds for the new partnership. and she had promised--that was everything. his lack of diplomacy was obvious even to himself, but he had won where a man of finer temperament might have failed. now, he must rush the wedding. dickey bulmer's lancashire canniness might stipulate for cash on delivery as the essence of the marriage contract. not a penny would the old miser part with until he was sure of the girl. so david verity, having much to occupy his mind, lingered over the second glass of port, for this was a sunday dinner, served at mid-day. at last he closed his eyes for his customary nap; but sleep was not to be wooed just then; instead of dozing, he felt exceedingly wide awake. indeed, certain disquieting calculations were running through his brain, and he yielded forthwith to their insistence. taking a small notebook from his pocket, he jotted down an array of figures. he was so absorbed in their analysis that he did not see iris walk listlessly across the lawn that spread its summer greenery in front of the dining-room windows. and that was an ill thing for david. the sight of the girl at that instant meant a great deal to him. he did happen to look out, a second too late. even then, he might have caught a glimpse of iris's pink muslin skirt disappearing behind a clump of rhododendrons, were not his shifty eyes screwed up in calculation--or perchance, the gods blinded him in behalf of one who was named after juno's bright messenger. "yes, that's it," he was thinking. "i must wheedle dickey into the bank to-morrow. a word from 'im, an' they'll all grovel, d--n 'em!" the door opened. "captain coke to see you, sir," said a servant. "send 'im in; bring 'im in 'ere." the memorandum book disappeared; verity's hearty greeting was that of a man who had not a care in the world. his visitor's description was writ large on him by the sea. no one could possibly mistake captain coke for any other species of captain than that of master mariner. he was built on the lines of a capstan, short and squat and powerful. though the weather was hot, he wore a suit of thick navy-blue serge that would have served his needs within the arctic circle. it clung tightly to his rounded contours; there was a purple line on his red brows that marked the exceeding tightness of the bowler hat he was carrying; and the shining protuberances on his black boots showed that they were tight, too. it was manifestly out of the question that he should be able to walk any distance. though he had driven in a cab to the shipowner's house, he was already breathless with exertion, and he rolled so heavily in his gait that his shoulders hit both sides of the doorway while entering the room. yet he was nimble withal, a man capable of swift and sure movement within a limited area, therein resembling a bull, or a hippopotamus. the hospitable verity pushed forward the mahogany box and the decanter. "glad to see you, jimmie, my boy. sit yourself down. 'ave a cigar an' a glass o' port. i didn't expect you quite so soon, but you're just as welcome now as later." captain coke placed his hat on top of a malacca cane, and balanced both against the back of a chair. "i'll take a smoke but no wine, thankee, mr. verity," said he. "i kem along now' 'coss i want to be aboard afore it's dark. we're moored in an awkward place." "poor owd _andromeeda_! just 'er usual luck, eh, jimmie?" "well, she ain't wot you might call one of fortune's fav'rits, but she's afloat, an' that's more'n you can say for a good many daisy-cutters i've known." verity chuckled. "some ships are worth less afloat than ashore, an' she's one of 'em," he grinned. "you want a match. 'ere you are!" whether coke was wishful to deny or admit the _andromeda's_ shortcomings--even the ship herself might have protested against the horror of a long "e" in the penultimate syllable of her name--the other man's rapid proffer of a light stopped him. he puffed away in silence; there was an awkward pause; for once in his career, verity regretted his cultivated trick of covering up a significant phrase by quickly adding some comment on a totally different subject. but the sailor smoked on, stolidly heedless of a sudden lapse in the conversation, and the shipowner was compelled to start afresh. he was far too shrewd to go straight back to the topic burked by his own error. his sledge-hammer methods might be crude to the verge of brutality where iris was concerned, but they were capable of nice adjustment in the case of wary old sea-dogs of the coke type. "it's stuffy in 'ere with the two of us smokin'--let's stroll into the garden," he said. coke was agreeable. he liked gardens; they were a change from the purple sea. "it's the on'y bit of green stuff you seem to be fond of, mr. verity," he went on. "you keep us crool short of vegetables." david's little eyes twinkled. here was another opening; it would not be his fault if it led again up a _cul-de-sac_. he threw wide the window, and they crossed the lawn. "vegetables!" he cried. "wish i could stock you from my place, an' i'd stuff you with 'em. i can grow 'em 'ere for next to nothing, but they cost a heap o' money in furrin ports, an' _your_ crimson wave-catcher doesn't earn money--she eats it." "even that's one better'n her skipper, 'oo doesn't do neether," commented coke gloomily. his employer seemed to find much humor in the remark. "gad, we both look starved!" he guffawed. "to 'ear us, you'd think we was booked for the workhus or till you ran a tape round the contoor, eh?" but coke was not to be cheered. "i can see as far into a stone wall as 'ere a one an' there a one," he said, "an' there's no use blinkin' the fax. the _andromeda_ was a good ship in 'er day, but that day is gone. you ought to 'ave sold 'er to the dutchmen five years ago, mr. verity. times were better then, an' now you'd 'ave a fine steel ship instead of a box of scrap iron." they were passing the rhododendrons, and verity's quick eyes noted that a summer-house beneath the shade of two venerable elms was unoccupied. the structure consisted of a rustic roof carried on half a dozen uprights; it had a wooden floor, and held a table and some basket chairs. the roof and supports were laden with climbing roses, a virginian creeper, and a passion flower. the day being sunday, there were no gardeners in the adjoining shrubbery or rose garden, and anyone seated in the summer-house could see on all sides. "drop anchor in 'ere, coke," said verity. "it's cool an' breezy, an' we can 'ave a quiet confab without bein' bothered. now, i reelly sent for you to-day to tell you i mean to better the supplies this trip--yes, honest injun!"--for the _andromeda's_ skipper had clutched the cigar out of his mouth with the expression of a man who vows to heaven that he cannot believe his ears--"i'm goin' to bung in an extry 'undred to-morrow in the way of stores. funny, isn't it?" "funny! it's a meracle!" though not altogether gratified by this whole-hearted agreement with his own views, verity was too anxious to keep his hearer on the present tack to resent any implied slur on his earlier efforts as a caterer. "it's nothing to wot i'd do if i could afford it," he added graciously. "but, as you said, let's look at the fax. wot chance 'as an iron ship, built twenty years ago, at a cost of sixteen pound a ton, ag'in a steel ship of to-day, at seven pound a ton, with twiced the cargo space, an' three feet less draught? w'y no earthly. we're dished every way. we cost more to run; we can't jump 'arf the bars; we can't carry 'arf the stuff; we pay double insurance; an' we're axed to find interest on more'n double the capital. as you say, jimmie, wot bloomin' chanst 'ave we?" coke smoked silently; he had said none of these things, but when the shipowner's glance suddenly dwelt on him, he nodded. silent acquiescence on his part, however, was not what verity wanted. he, too, knew when to hold his tongue. after a long interval, during which a robin piped a merry roundelay from the depths of a neighboring pink hawthorn, coke dug out a question. "premium gone up, then?" he inquired. "she's on a twelve-month rate. it runs out in september. if you're lucky, an' fill up with nitrate soon, you may be 'ome again. if not, i'll 'ave to whack up a special quotation. after that, there'll be no insurance. the _andromeeda_ goes for wot she'll fetch." another pause; then coke broached a new phase. "meanin' that i lose the two thousand pounds i put in 'er to get my berth?" he said huskily. "an' wot about me? _i_ lose eight times as much. just think of it! sixteen thousand pounds would give me a fair balance to go on wi' i' these hard times, an' your two thou' would make the skipper's job in my new ship a certainty." coke's brick-red face darkened. he breathed hard. "wot new ship?" he demanded. verity smiled knowingly. "it's a secret, jimmie, but i must stretch a point for a pal's sake. dickey bulmer's goin' to marry my niece, an' 'e 'as pledged himself to double the capital of the firm. now i've let the cat out of the bag. i'm sorry, ole man--pon me soul, i am--but w'en dickey's name crops up on 'change you know as well as me 'ow many captain's tickets will be backed wi' t' brass." this time, if so minded, the robin might have trilled his song _adagio con sostenuto_ without fear of interruption by those harsh voices. neither man spoke during so long a time that the break seemed to impose a test of endurance; in such a crisis, he who has all at stake will yield rather than he who only stakes a part. "s'pose we talk plainly as man to man?" said coke thickly, at last. "_i_ can't talk much plainer," said verity. "yes, you can. promise me the command of your next ship, an' the andromeda goes on the rocks this side o' monte video." verity jumped as though he had been stung by an infuriated wasp. "coke, i'm surprised at you," he grunted, not without a sharp glance around to make sure no other was near. "no, you ain't, not a bit surprised, on'y you don't like to 'ear it in cold english. that's wot you're drivin' at--the insurance." "shut up, you ijjit. never 'eard such d--d rot in all me born days." "listen to it now, then. it's good to 'ave the truth tole you some times. wot are you afraid of? i take all the risk an' precious little of the money. write me a letter----" "write! me! coke, you're loony." "not me. wait till i'm through. write a letter sayin' you're sorry the _andromeda_ must be laid up this fall, but promisin' me the next vacancy. 'ow does that 'urt _you_?" verity's cigar had gone out. he relighted it with due deliberation; it could not be denied that his nerve, at least, was superb. "i'm willin' to do anything in reason," he said slowly. "i don't see where i can lay 'ands on a better man than you, jimmie, even if you _do_ talk nonsense at times. you know the south american trade, an' you know me. by gad, i'll do that. anyhow, it's wot you deserve, but none the less, i'm actin' as a reel friend, now ain't i? many a man would just lay you up alongside the _andromeeda_." "i'll call at your office in the mornin' for the letter," said coke, whose red face shone like the setting sun seen through a haze. "yes, yes. i'll 'ave it ready." "an' you won't back out of them extry stores? i must sweeten the crew on this run." "i'll supply the best of stuff--enough to last for the round trip. but don't make any mistake. you must be back afore september 30th. that's the date of the policy. now let's trot inside, an' my gal--mrs. dickey bulmer that is to be--will give you some tea." "tea!" snorted coke. "well, there's whisky an' soda on tap if you prefer it. it _is_ rather 'ot for tea. whew! you're boilin'? w'y don't you wear looser clo'es? look at me--cool as a cucumber. by the way, 'oo's the new man you've shipped as second? watts is the chief, i know, but 'oo is mr. philip hozier?" "youngster fillin' in sea-service to get a ticket an' qualify for the cunard." "thoroughly reliable sort of chap, eh?" "the best." it was odd how these men left unsaid the really vital things. again it was coke who tried to fill in some part of the blank space. "just the right kind of second for the _andromeda's_ last cruise," he muttered. "smart as a new pin. you could trust 'im on the bridge of a battleship. now, watts is a good man, but a tot of rum makes 'im fair daft." "ah!" purred verity, "you must keep a tight 'and on watts. i like an appetizer meself w'en i'm off dooty, so to speak, but it's no joke to 'ave a boozer in charge of a fine ship an' vallyble freight. of course, you're responsible as master, but you can't be on deck mornin', noon, an' night. choke watts off the drink, an' you'll 'ave no trouble. so that's settled. my, but you're fair meltin'--wot is it they say--losin' adipose tisher. well, come along. let's lubricate." * * * * * * the _andromeda_ sailed on the tuesday afternoon's tide. she would drop the pilot off holyhead, and, with fair weather, such as cheered her departure from the mersey, daybreak on thursday would find her pounding through the cross seas where st. george's channel merges into the wide atlantic. if she followed the beaten track on her long run to the river plate--as sailors will persist in miscalling that wondrous rio de la plata--she might be signaled from madeira or the cape verde islands. but shipmasters often prefer to set a course clear of the land till they pick up the coast of south america. if she were not spoken by some passing steamer, there was every possibility that the sturdy old vessel would not be heard of again before reaching her destination. * * * * * * but david verity heard of her much sooner, and no thunderbolt that ever rent the heavens could have startled him more than the manner of that hearing. resolving to clinch matters with regard to iris and her elderly suitor, he invited "owd dickey" to supper on sunday evening. the girl endured the man's presence with a placid dignity that amazed her uncle. on the plea of a headache, she retired at an early hour, leaving bulmer to gloat over his prospective happiness, and primed to the point of dementia. he was quite willing to accompany verity to the bank next morning; a pleasant-spoken manager sighed his relief when the visitors were gone, and he was free to look at the item "bills discounted" on verity's page in the ledger. more than that, a lawyer was instructed to draw up a partnership deed, and the representatives of various ship-building firms were asked to supply estimates for two new vessels. altogether dickey was complaisant, and david enjoyed a busy and successful day. he dined in town, came home at a late hour, and merely grinned when a servant told him that mr. bulmer had called twice but miss iris happened to be out on both occasions. nevertheless, at breakfast on tuesday, he warned his niece not to keep her admirer dangling at arm's length. "e's a queer owd codger," explained the philosopher. "play up to 'im a bit, an' you'll be able to twist 'im round your little finger. i b'lieve he's goin' dotty, an' you can trust me to see that the marriage settlement is o. k." "will you be home to dinner?" was her response. "no. now that the firm is in smooth water again i must show myself a bit. it's all thanks to you, lass, an' i'll not forget it. good-by!" iris smiled, and verity was vastly pleased. "i am sure you will not forget," she said. "good-by." "there's no understandin' wimmin," mused david, as his victoria swept through the gates of linden house. "sunday afternoon dickey might ha' bin a dose of rat poison; now she's ready to swaller 'im as if 'e was a chocolate drop." again he returned some few minutes after midnight; again the servant announced mr. bulmer's visits, three of them; and again miss iris had been absent--in fact, she had not yet come home. "not 'ome!" cried david furiously. "w'y it's gone twelve. w'ere the--w'ere is she?" no one knew. she had quitted the house soon after verity himself, and had not been seen since. storm and rage as he might, and did, david could not discover his niece's whereabouts. he spent a wearying and tortured night, a harassed and miserable day, devoted to frantic inquiries in every possible direction with interludes of specious lying to the infatuated bulmer. but enlightment came on thursday morning. a letter arrived by the first post. it was from iris. "my dear uncle," she wrote: "neither you nor mr. bulmer should have any objection to my passing the few remaining weeks of my liberty in the manner best pleasing to myself. on sunday evening, in your presence, mr. bulmer urged me to fix an early date for our marriage. tell him that i shall marry him when the _andromeda_ returns to england from south america. you will remember that you promised last year to take me to rio de janeiro and buenos ayres this summer; i have been learning spanish so as to help our sight-seeing. unfortunately, business prevents you from keeping that promise, but there is no reason why i should not go. i am on board the _andromeda_, and will probably be able to explain matters satisfactorily to captain coke. the vessel is due back at the end of september, i believe, so mr. bulmer will not have long to wait. it is more than likely that captain coke will not know i am aboard until thursday, and i have arranged with a friend that this letter shall reach you about the same time. please convey my apologies to mr. bulmer, and accept my regret for any anxiety you may have felt owing to my unaccountable absence. "your affectionate niece, "iris yorke." david narrowly escaped an apoplectic seizure. when he recovered his senses he looked ten years older. the instinct of self-preservation alone saved him in his frenzy from blurting forth the tidings of the girl's flight. incoherent with fear and passion, he contrived to give orders for his carriage, and was driven to his office. thence he dispatched telegrams to every signaling station in england, ireland, and spain, at which by the remotest possibility the _andromeda_ might be intercepted. he cabled to madeira and cape verde, even to fernando noronha and pernambuco; he sent urgent instructions to the pilotage authorities of the bristol channel, the southwest ports, and lisbon; and the text of every message was: "_andromeda_ must return to liverpool instantly." but the wretched man realized that he was doomed. fate had struck at him mercilessly. he could only wait in dumb despair, and mutter prayers too long forgotten, and concoct bogus letters from a cousin's address in the south of england for the benefit of dickey bulmer. never was ship more eagerly sought than the _andromeda_, yet never was ship more completely engulfed in the mysterious silence of the great sea. the days passed, and the weeks, yet nothing was heard of her. she figured in the "overdue" list at lloyd's; sharp-eyed underwriters did "specs" in her; woe-begone women began to haunt the liverpool office for news of husbands and sons; the love-lorn dickey wore verity to a shadow of his former self by alternate pleadings and threats; but the _andromeda_ remained mute, and the fanciful letters from iris became fewer and more fragmentary as david's imagination failed, and his excuses grew thinner. and the odd thing was that if david had only known it, he could have saved himself all this heart-burning and misery by looking through the dining-room window on that sunday afternoon when his prospects seemed to be so rosy. he never thought of that. he cursed every circumstance and person impartially and fluently, but he omitted from the satanic litany the one girlish prank of tree-climbing that led iris to spring out of sight amid the sheltering arms of an elm when her uncle and captain coke deemed the summer-house a suitable place for "a plain talk as man to man." so david learnt what it meant to wait, and listen, and start expectantly when postman's knock or telegraph messenger's imperative summons sounded on door of house or office. but he waited long in vain. the _andromeda_, like her namesake of old, might have been chained to a rock on some mythical island guarded by the father of all sea serpents. as for a new perseus, well--david knew him not. chapter ii wherein the "andromeda" begins her voyage the second officer of the _andromeda_ was pacing the bridge with the slow alertness of responsibility. he would walk from port to starboard, glance forrard and aft, peer at the wide crescent of the starlit sea, stroll back to port, and again scan ship and horizon. sometimes he halted in front of the binnacle lamp to make certain that the man at the wheel was keeping the course, south 15 west, set by captain coke shortly before midnight. his ears listened mechanically to the steady pulse-beats of the propeller; his eyes swept the vague plain of the ocean for the sparkling white diamond that would betoken a mast-head light; he was watchful and prepared for any unforeseen emergency that might beset the vessel intrusted to his care. but his mind dwelt on something far removed from his duties, though, to be sure, every poet who ever scribbled four lines of verse has found rhyme and reason in comparing women with stars, and ships, and the sea. if philip hozier was no poet, he was a sailor, and sailors are notoriously susceptible to the charms of the softer sex. but the only woman he loved was his mother, the only bride he could look for during many a year was a mermaid, though these sprites of the deep waters seem to be frequenting undiscovered haunts since mariners ceased to woo the wind. for all that, if perforce he was heart-whole, there was no just cause or impediment why he should not admire a pretty girl when he saw one, and an exceedingly pretty girl had honored him with her company during a brief minute of the previous day. he was superintending the safe disposal of the last batch of cotton goods in the forward hold--and had just found it necessary to explain the correct principles of stowage with sailor-like fluency--when a young lady, accompanied by a dock laborer carrying a leather portmanteau, spoke to him from the quay. "is captain coke on board?" said she. "no, madam," said he, lifting his cap with one hand, and restraining the clanking of a steam windlass with the other. "i am mr. verity's niece, and i wish to send this parcel to monte video--may i put it in some place where it will be safe?" said she. hoping that the rattling winch had drowned his earlier remarks--which were couched in an _lingua franca_ of the high seas--he began to tell her that it would give him the utmost pleasure to take charge of it on her account, but she nodded, bade the porter follow, ran along a somewhat precarious gangway, and was on deck before he could offer any assistance. "you are mr. hozier, i suppose?" said iris, gazing with frank brown eyes into his frank blue ones. she, of course, was severely self-possessed; he, as is the way of mere man, grew more confused each instant. "well, i will just pop the bag into captain coke's stateroom, and leave this note with it. i have explained everything fully. i wrote a line in case he might be absent." all of which was so strictly accurate that it served its purpose admirably, though the said purpose, it is regrettable to state, was the misleading and utter bamboozling of philip hozier. miss iris yorke knew quite well that captain coke was then closeted with david verity in exchange buildings; she knew, because she had watched him pass through the big swing doors of her uncle's office. she also knew, having made it her business to find out, that in fifteen minutes, or less, the crew would muster in the fo'c'sle for their mid-day meal. not having heard a word of hozier's free speech to the gentlemen of various nationalities at the bottom of the hold, she wondered why he was blushing. "shall i show you the way?" asked philip, finding his tongue. "no, thank you. i have been on board the _andromeda_ many times. ah, peter, i see you. what is it to-day, scouse or lobscouse?" "scouse, miss," said the ship's cook, grinning widely at her recollection of the line drawn by both his patrons and himself between ship's biscuit stewed with fresh meat and the same article flavored with salt junk. peter's recognition placed iris's identity beyond doubt. she said nothing more to hozier, but tripped up the companionway. soon he saw her paying the man who had carried the portmanteau. she herself seemed to be in no hurry. she walked to the rails beneath the bridge, and found interest in watching the loading operations, which were resumed as soon as the second officer saw that his services were not wanted. time was pressing, and a good deal yet remained to be done. mr. watts, the chief officer, who was called ashore by urgent business five minutes after the "old man" left the vessel, chose this awkward moment to appear from behind a bonded warehouse. he was walking with unnatural steadiness, so hozier made some excuse to meet him and whisper that the owner's niece was on board. "sun's zhot," remarked mr. watts cheerfully. "go and lie down for a spell," suggested hozier, and mr. watts thought it was a "shpiffin' idee." when hozier was free to glance a second time at the cross rail, iris had vanished. he was annoyed. evidently she did not wish to encounter any more of the ship's officers that morning. the hatches were on, and everything was orderly before coke's squat figure climbed the gangway. hozier reported the young lady's visit, and the skipper was obviously surprised. as he hoisted himself up the steep ladder to the hurricane deck, the younger man heard him condemning someone under his breath as "a leery old beggar." the phrase was hardly applicable to iris, but coke came out of his cabin with an open letter in his hand, and bade a steward stow the portmeanteau in some other more hallowed and less inconvenient place. and there the incident ended. the _andromeda_ hauled down the blue peter for her long run of over 6,000 miles to monte video, and hozier had routine work in plenty to occupy his mind during the first twenty-four hours at sea without perplexing it with memories of a pretty face. soon after holyhead was passed, it is true, a sailor reported to the second officer that he had seen a ghost between decks, in the region of the lazarette. it was then near midnight, a quiet hour on board ship, and hozier told the man sharply to go to his bunk and endeavor to sleep off the effects of the bad beer imbibed earlier in the day. now, on this second night of the voyage, while the ship was plodding steadily southward with that fifteen point inclination to the west that would bring her far into the atlantic soon after daybreak, philip remembered mr. verity's niece, and felt sorry that when she paid those former visits to the _andromeda_, fate had decreed that he should be serving his time on another vessel. for there was an expression in her eyes that haunted him. though she addressed him with that absence of restraint which is a heaven-sent attribute of every young woman when circumstances compel her to speak to a strange young man--though her tone to the more favored cook was kindly, and even sprightly--though philip himself was red and inclined to stammer--despite all these hindrances to clear judgment, he felt that she was troubled in spirit. his acquaintance with women was of the slightest, since a youth who is taught his business on the _conway_, and means to attach himself to one of the great trans-atlantic shipping lines, has no time to spare for dalliance in boudoirs. but it gave him a thrill when he heard that this charming girl knew his name, and it seemed to him, for an instant, that she was looking into his very soul, analyzing him, searching for some sign that he was not as others, which meant that there were some whom she had bitter cause to distrust. of course, that was mere day-dreaming, a nebulous fantasy brought by her gracious presence into a medley of hurrying windlasses, strenuous orders, and sulky, panting men. at any rate, she had left a memento of her too brief appearance on board in the shape of the bag. he would contrive to take on his own shoulders its mission in monte video; then, on returning to liverpool, he would have an excuse for calling on her. he did not know her name yet. possibly, captain coke would mention that interesting fact when his temper lost its raw edge. as a last resource, the cook might enlighten him. it was strange that he should be thinking of iris--far stranger than he could guess--but his thoughts were sub-conscious, and he was in no wise neglecting the safety of the ship. the night was clear but dark, the stars blinked with the subdued radiance that betokens fine weather, and ever and anon their reflection glimmered from the long slope of a wave like the glint of spangles on a dress. but it was a garment of far-flung amplitude, woven on the shadowy loom of night and the sea, and from such mysterious warp and weft is often produced the sable robe of tragedy and death. it was so now, within an ace. at one instance, the restless plain of the ocean seemed to bear no other argosy than the _andromeda_; in the next, hozier's quick-moving glance had caught the pallid sheen of some small craft's starboard light. no need to tell him what might happen. a sailing vessel, probably a fishing smack, was crossing the steamer's course. he sprang to the telegraph, and signaled "slow" to the engine-room. simultaneously he shouted to the steersman to starboard the helm, and the siren trumpeted a single raucous blast into the silence. with the rattle of the chains and steering-rods in the gear-boxes came a yell from the lookout forward: "light on the port bow!" hozier repeated the hail, but promised the blear-eyed sentinels in the bows of the ship a lively five minutes when the watch was relieved. slowly the _andromeda_ swung to the west. even more slowly, or so it appeared to the anxious man on the bridge, a red eye peeped into being alongside the green one. a blacker smear showed up on the black sea, and a hoarse voice, presumably situated beneath the smear, expressed a desire for information. "arr ye all aslape on board that crimson collier?" it asked in a waterford brogue. "got the hooker's wheel tied, i suppose?" retorted hozier, for the now visible schooner had not attempted to change her course by half a point. she was now bowling along with every stitch set before a five-knot breeze from the east; the tilt of her sails was such that she practically presented only the outline of her spars when first sighted from the steamer; and her side lights probably had tallow candles in them. "bedad, it's aisier in moind we'd be if you were tied to it," shouted the voice, and hozier felt, like many another saxon, that an irishman's last word is often the best one. the engines resumed their cadence, and the _andromeda_ crept round again to south 15 west. she was back on her proper line when a heavy step sounded on the iron rungs of the bridge ladder. "wot's up?" demanded coke, who was fully dressed, though hozier thought he had retired two hours earlier. "oh, the beer is frothin' up to their eyes, is it?" went on the skipper, after listening to a brief summary of events. "i thought, mebbe, the wheel had jammed. but those lazy swabs want talkin' to. i'll just give 'em a bit of me mind," and he went forward. hozier heard him reading the riot act to the shell-backs who were supposed to keep a sharp lookout ahead. but the captain did not monopolize the conversation. his deep notes rumbled only at intervals. the men had something to say. he returned to the bridge. "one of them scallywags sez 'e 'as seen a ghost," he announced, with the calm air of a man who states that the moon will rise during the next hour. "i wish he could see less remarkable things, such as schooners, sir," said hozier. "but 'e swears 'e sawr it twiced." "oh, is he the man who reported a ghost outside the lazarette last night?" "i s'pose so. did 'e tell you about it? that's where she walks." "she!" "that's his yarn--a female ghost, a black 'un, black clo'es anyhow. he's a dashed fool, but he's no boozer, though his mate's tongue is a bit thick yet. i'll take the forenoon watch, an' you might overhaul the ship for stowaways after breakfast. never heard of one on this journey--i've routed out as many as twenty at a time w'en i was runnin' between wellington an' sydney--but you never can tell, so 'ave a squint round." "yes, sir," said hozier, and that is how it fell to his lot to discover iris yorke, looking very white and miserable, when the hatch of the lazarette was broken open at half-past eight o'clock on thursday morning! a tramp steamer is not a complex organism. she is made up of holds, bunkers, boilers and engines, with scanty accommodation for officers and crew grouped round the funnel or stuck in the bows. when the boats were stripped of their tarpaulins, and a few lockers and store-rooms examined, the only available hiding-places were the shaft tunnel, the holds, and the lazarette, a small space between decks, situated directly above the propeller, where a reserve supply of provisions is generally carried. but the door of the lazarette was locked, and the key missing, though it ought to be hanging with others, all duly labeled, on a hook in the steward's cabin. a duplicate set of keys in the captain's possession was far from complete. as the steward was certain he had fastened the lazarette himself early on tuesday morning, there was nothing for it but to force the lock. even that would not have been necessary had the carpenter slackened his efforts after the first assault. iris cried loudly enough that she would open the door, but the noise of the shaft and the flapping of the screw drowned her voice, and she was compelled to stand clear when the stout planking began to yield. it was dark in there, and hozier was undeniably startled by the spectacle of a slim figure, wrapped in a long ulster, standing among the cases and packages. "now, out you come!" he cried, with a gruffness that was intended only to cover his own amazement; but iris, despite the horrors of sea-sickness and confinement in the dark, was not minded to suffer what she considered to be impertinence on the part of a second officer. "i am miss yorke," she said, coming forward into the half light of the lower deck. "any explanation of my presence here will be given to the captain, and to no other person." that innocent word "person" is capable of many meanings. hozier felt that its application to himself was distinctly unfavorable. and iris was quite dignified and self-possessed. she had given a few deft touches to her hair. her hat was set at the right angle. her dark gray coat and brown boots looked neat and serviceable. "of course i did not know to whom i was speaking," he managed to say, for he now recognized the "ghost," and was more surprised than he had ever been in his life before. "that is matterless," said iris frigidly. "where is captain coke?" "on the bridge," said philip. "i will go to him. please don't come with me. i tried to tell you that i would unlock the door, but you refused to listen. will you let me pass?" he obeyed in silence. "well, s'help me!" muttered a sailor, "talk about suffrigettes! wot price _'er_?" iris hurried to the deck. the light seemed to dazzle her, and her steps were so uncertain that hozier sprang forward and caught her arm. "won't you sit down a moment, miss yorke?" he said. "if you searched the whole ship, you could not have chosen a worse place to travel in than the lazarette." "i was driven out twice at night by the rats," she gasped, though she strove desperately to regain control of her trembling limbs. "too bad!" he whispered. "but it was your own fault. why did you do it? at any rate, wait here a few minutes before you meet the captain." "i am not afraid of meeting him. why should i be? he knows me." "i meant only that you are hardly able to walk, but i seem to say the wrong thing every time. there is nothing really to worry about. we are not far from queenstown. we can put you ashore there by losing half a day." the girl had been ill, wracked in body and distraught in mind, with the added horror of knowing that rats were scampering over the deck close to her in the noisy darkness, but she summoned a half laugh at his words. "you are still saying the wrong thing, mr. hozier," she murmured. "the _andromeda_ will not put into queenstown. from this hour i become a passenger, not a stowaway. my uncle knows now that i am here. thank you, you need not hold me any longer. i have quite recovered. captain coke is on the bridge, you said? i can find my way; this ship is no stranger to me." and away she went, justifying her statements by tripping rapidly forward. the mere sight of her created boundless excitement among such members of the crew as were on deck, but the shock administered to mr. watts was of that intense variety often described as electric. in the matter of disposing of large quantities of ardent spirits he was a seasoned vessel, and, as a general rule, the first day at sea sufficed to clear his brain from the fumes of the last orgy on shore. but, to be effective, the cure must not be too drastic. this morning, after leaving the bridge, he had fortified his system with a liberal allowance of rum and milk. breakfast ended, he took another dose of the same mixture as a "steadier," and he was just leaving the messroom when he set eyes on iris. of course, he refused to believe his eyes. had they not deceived him many times? "ha!" said he, "a bit liverish," and he pressed a rough hand firmly downward from forehead to cheek-bones. when he looked again, the girl was much nearer. "lord luv' a duck, this time i've got 'em for sure!" he groaned. his lower jaw dropped, he stared unblinkingly, and purple veins bulged crookedly on his seamed forehead. he was bereft of the power of movement. he stood stock-still, blocking the narrow gangway. "good morning, mr. watts. you remember me, don't you?" said iris, showing by her manner that she wished to pass him. a slight roll of the ship assisted in the disintegration of watts. he collapsed sideways into the cook's galley, the door of which was hospitably open. somewhat frightened by the wildness of his looks, iris ran on, and dashed at the foot of the companion rather breathlessly. the keen air was already tingeing her cheeks with color. when she reached the bridge, where captain coke was propped against the chart-house, with a thick, black cigar sticking in his mouth and apparently trying to touch his nose, she had lost a good deal of the pallor and woe-begone semblance that had demoralized hozier. coke heard the rapid, light footsteps, and turned his head. at all times slow of thought and slower of speech, he was galvanized into a sudden rigidity that differed only in degree from the symptoms displayed by his chief officer. certainly he could not have been more stupefied had he seen the ghost reported overnight. "they told me i should find you here, captain," said she. "i must apologize for thrusting my company on you for a long voyage, but--circumstances--were--too much for me--and----" face to face with the commander of the ship, and startled anew by his expression of blank incredulity, the glib flow of words conned so often during the steadfast but dreadful hours spent in the lazarette failed her. "you know me," she faltered. "i am iris yorke." not a syllable came from the irate and astonished man gazing at her with such a bovine stolidity. his shoulders had not abated a fraction of their stubborn thrust against the frame of the chart-house. his hands were immovable in the pockets of his reefer coat. the cigar still stuck out between his lips like a miniature jib-boom. had he wished to terrify her by a hostile reception, he could not have succeeded more completely, though, to be just, he meant nothing of the sort; his wits being jumbled into chaos by the apparition of the last person then alive whom he expected or desired to see on board the _andromeda_. but iris could not interpret his mood, and she strove vainly to conquer the fear welling up in her breast because of the grim anger that seemed to blaze at her from every line of coke's brick-red countenance. in the struggle to pour forth the excuses and protestations that sounded so plausible in her own ears, while secured from observation behind the locked door of her retreat, she blundered unhappily on to the very topic that she had resolved to keep secret. "why are you so unwilling to acknowledge me?" she cried, with a nervous indignation that lent a tremor to her voice. "you have met me often enough. you saw me on sunday at my uncle's house?" "did i?" said coke, speaking at last, but really as much at a loss for something to say as the girl herself. he had recognized her instantly, just as he would recognize the moon if the luminary fell from the sky, and with as little comprehension of the cause of its falling. of course, she took the question as a forerunner of blank denial. this was not to be borne. she fired into a direct attack. "if your memory is hazy concerning the events of sunday afternoon, it may be helpful if i recall the conversation between my uncle and you in the summer-house," she snapped. some of the glow fled from coke's face. he straightened himself and glanced at the sailor inside the wheel-house, whose attention was given instantly to the fact that the vessel's head had fallen away a full point or more from south 15 west owing to the easterly set of a strong tide. vessels' heads are apt to turn when steersmen do not attend to their business. "wot's that you're sayin'?" demanded coke, coming nearer, and looking her straight in the eyes. "i heard every word of that interesting talk," she continued valiantly, though she was sensible of a numbness that seemed to envelop her in an ice-cold mist. "i know what you arranged to do--so i have promised--to marry mr. bulmer--when the _andromeda_--comes back----" a light broke on coke's intelligence that irradiated his prominent eyes. his heavy lips relaxed into a cunning grin, and he flicked the ash off the end of the cigar with a confidential nod. "oh, is _that_ it?" he said. "artful old dog, verity! but why in--why didn't 'e tell me you was comin' aboard this trip? we 'aven't the right fixin's for a lady, so you must put up with the best we can do for you, miss yorke. nat'rally, we're tickled to death to 'ave your company, an' if on'y that blessed uncle of your's 'ad told me wot to expect, i'd 'ave made things ship-shape at liverpool. but, my god-father, wot sort of ijjit axed you to stow yourself away in the lazareet? steady now; you ain't a-goin' to faint, are you?" coke's amiability came too late. his squat figure and red face suddenly loomed into a gigantic indistinctness in the girl's eyes. she would have fallen to the deck had not the captain's strong hands clutched her by the shoulders. "hi! below there!" he yelled. "tumble up, some of you!" hozier was the first to gain the bridge. he had followed the progress of events with sufficient accuracy to realize that miss iris yorke had met with a distinct rebuff by the skipper, and, judging from his own experience of her physical weakness when she emerged into daylight, he was not surprised to hear that she had fainted. "'ere, take 'old," gurgled coke, who had nearly swallowed the cigar in his surprise at iris's unforeseen collapse. "this kind of thing is more in your line than mine, young feller. just lay 'er out in the saloon, an' ax watts to 'elp. his missus goes orf regular w'en they bring 'im 'ome paralytic." philip took the girl into his arms. to carry her safely down the steep stairway he was compelled to place her head on his left shoulder and clasp her tightly round the waist with his left arm. some loosened strands of her hair touched his face; he could feel the laboring of her breast, the wild beating of her heart, and he was exceeding wroth with that unknown man or woman who had driven this insensible girl to such straits that she was ready to dare the discomforts and deprivations of a voyage as a stowaway, rather than be persecuted further. iris was laid on a couch in the messroom, and the steward summoned mr. watts. the chief officer came, looking sheepish. it was manifestly a great relief when he found that the "ghost" was unconscious. "oh, that's nothing," he cried, in response to his junior's eager demand for information as to the treatment best fitted for such emergencies. "they all drop in a heap like that w'en they're worried. fust you takes orf their gloves an' boots, then you undoes their stays an' rips open their dresses at the necks. one of you rubs their 'ands an' another their feet, an' you dabs cold water on their foreheads, an' burn brown paper under their noses. in between whiles you give 'em a drink, stiff as you can make it. it's dead easy. them stays are a bit troublesome if they run to size, but she's thin enough as it is. anyhow, i can show you a fine trick for that. just turn her over till i cast a lashin' loose with my knife." watts was elbowed aside so unceremoniously that his temper gave way. hozier lifted iris's head gently and unfastened the neck-hooks of her blouse. he began to chafe her cold hands tenderly, and pressed back the hair from her damp forehead. the "chief," not flattered by his own reflections, thought fit to sneer at these half measures. "she's on'y a woman like the rest of 'em," he growled, "even if she _is_ the owner's niece, an' a good-lookin' gal at that. i s'pose now you think----" "i think she will want some fresh air soon, so you had better clear out," said philip. his words were quiet, but he flashed a warning glance at the other man that sufficed. watts retired, muttering sarcasms under his breath. iris revived, to find philip supporting her with a degree of skill that was remarkable in one who had enjoyed so little experience in those matters. she heard his voice, coming, as it seemed, rapidly nearer, urging her to sip something very fiery and spirituous. instantly she protested. "what are you giving me?" she sobbed. "what has happened?" then the whole of her world opened up before her. her hands flew to her throat, her hair. she flushed into vivid life as the marble galatea incardinated under pygmalion's kiss. "did i faint?" she asked confusedly. "yes, but you are all right now. you did not fall. captain coke caught you and handed you over to me. i wish you would drink the remainder of this brandy, and rest for a little while." iris pushed away the glass and sat up. "you carried me?" she said. "well, i couldn't do anything else." "i suppose you don't realize what it means to a woman to feel that she has been out of her senses under such conditions?" "no, but in your case it only meant that you sighed deeply a few times and tried to bite my fingers when i wished to open your mouth." "what for? why did you want to open my mouth?" "to give you a drink--you needed a stimulant." "oh!" by this time a few dexterous twists and turns had restrained those wandering tresses within bounds. she held a hair-pin between her lips, and a woman can always say exactly what she means when a hairpin prevents discursiveness. "i am all right now," she announced. "will you please leave me, and tell the steward to bring me a cup of tea? if there is a cabin at liberty, he might put that portmanteau in it which i brought on board at liverpool." hozier fulfilled her requests, and rejoined coke on the bridge. "miss yorke is quite well again, sir," he reported. "she wants a cabin--to change her clothes, i imagine. that bag you saw----" "pretty foxy, wasn't it?" broke in coke, with a glee that was puzzling to his hearer. "the whole affair seems to have been carefully planned," agreed philip. "but, as i was saying, she asked for the use of a cabin, so i told the steward to give her mine until we put into queenstown." coke, who had lighted another black and stumpy cigar, removed it in order to speak with due emphasis. "put into h--l!" he said. "but surely you will not take this young lady to the river plate?" cried the astounded second officer. "she knew where she was bound w'en she kem aboard the _andromeda_," said the skipper, frowning now like a man who argues with himself. "there's her portmanter to prove it, with a label, an' all, in her own 'and-writin'. it's some game played on me by 'er an' 'er uncle. any'ow, the fust time she sees land again it'll be the lovely 'arbor of pernambuco--an' that's straight. 'ere she is, an' 'ere she'll stop, an' the best thing you can do is spread the notion among the crew that she's runnin' away to avoid marryin' a man she doesn't like. that sounds reasonable, an' it 'appens to be true. verity an' me talked it over last sunday, p.m." "to avoid a marriage?" repeated hozier, who discovered a bluff honesty, not to say candor, in the statement, not perceptible hitherto in his commander's utterances. "yes, that's it," said coke, waving the cigar across an arc of the horizon as he warmed to the subject. "but look 'ere, me boy, this gal sails under my flag. i'm, wot d'ye call it, in locomotive parentibus, or something of the sort, while she's on the ship's books. you keep your mouth shut, an' wink the other eye, an' leave it to me to give you the chanst of your life--eh, wot?" philip hozier did not strive to extract the precise meaning of the skipper's words. the process would have been difficult, since coke himself could not have supplied any reasonable analysis. somehow, to the commander's thinking, the presence of the girl seemed to make easier the casting away of the ship--exactly how, or what bearing her strangely-begun voyage might have on subsequent events, he was not yet in a position to say. but when the second officer left him, and he was steeped once more in the fresh breeze and the sunshine, with his shoulders braced against the chart-house, he looked at a smoke trail on the horizon far away to the west. "queenstown!" he chuckled. "not this journey--not if my name's jimmie coke, the man 'oo is stannin' on all that is left of 'is 'ard-earned savin's. no, sir, i've got me orders an' i've got me letter, an' the pore old _andromeda_ gets ripped to pieces in the recife, or i'll know the reason why. wot a card to play at the inquiry! owner's niece on board--bound to south america for the good of 'er health. 'oo even 'eard of a man sendin' 'is pretty niece on a ship 'e meant to throw away? it's providential, that's wot it is, reel providential! i do believe ole verity 'ad a 'and in it." which shows that captain coke confused providence with david verity, and goes far to prove how ill-fitted he was to theorize on the ways of providence. chapter iii wherein the "andromeda" nears the end of her voyage "five bells, miss! it'll soon be daylight. if you wants to see the cross, now's your time!" iris had been called from dreamless sleep by a thundering rat-tat on her cabin door. in reply to her half-awaked cry of "all right," the hoarse voice of a sailor told her that the southern cross had just risen above the horizon. she had a drowsy recollection of someone saying that the famous constellation would make its appearance at seven bells, not at five, and the difference of an hour, when the time happens to be 2:30 instead of 8:30 a.m. is a matter of some importance. but, perhaps that was a mistake; at any rate, here was the messenger, and she resolutely screwed her knuckles into her eyes and began to dress. in a few minutes she was on deck. a long coat, a tam o' shanter, and a pair of list slippers will go far in the way of costume at night in the tropics, and the _andromeda's_ seventeenth day at sea had brought the equator very near. at dinner on the previous evening--in honor of the owner's niece fashionable hours were observed for meals--mr. watts mentioned, by chance, that the cross had been very distinct during the middle watch, or, in other words, between midnight and 4 a.m. iris at once expressed a wish to see it, and captain coke offered a suggestion. "mr. hozier takes the middle watch to-night," said he. "we can ax 'im to send a man to pound on your door as soon as it rises. then you must run up to the bridge, an' 'e'll tell you all about it." if iris was conscious of a slight feeling of surprise, she did not show it. hitherto, the burly skipper of the _andromeda_ had made it so clearly understood that none of the ship's company save himself was to enjoy the society of miss iris yorke, that she had exchanged very few words with the one man whose manners and education obviously entitled him to meet her on an equal plane. even at meals, he was often absent, for the captain and chief officer of a tramp steamer are not altruists where eating is concerned. she often visited the bridge, her favorite perch being the shady side of the wheel-house, but talking to the officer of the watch was strictly forbidden. in everything appertaining to the vessel's navigation the discipline of a man-of-war was observed on board the _andromeda_. so coke's complacency came now quite unexpectedly, but iris was learning to school her tongue. "thank you very much," she said. "when shall i see him?" "oh, you needn't bother. i'll tell 'im meself." she was somewhat disappointed at this. hozier would be free for an hour before he turned in, and they might have enjoyed a nice chat while he smoked on the poop. in her heart of hearts, she was beginning to acknowledge that a voyage through summer seas on a cargo vessel, with no other society than that of unimaginative sailormen, savored of tedium, indeed, almost of deadly monotony. her rare meetings with hozier marked bright spots in a dull round of hours. during their small intercourse she had discovered that he was well informed. they had hit upon a few kindred tastes in books and music; they even differed sharply in their appreciation of favorite authors, and what could be more conducive to complete understanding than the attack and defense of the shrine of some tin god of literature? while, therefore, it was strange that captain coke should actually propose a visit to the bridge at an unusual time--at a time, too, when hozier would be on duty--it struck her as far more curious that he should endeavor to prevent an earlier meeting. but she had never lost her intuitive fear of coke. his many faults certainly did not include a weak will. he meant what he said--also a good deal that he left unsaid--and his word was law to everyone on board the _andromeda_. so iris contented herself with meek agreement. "i shall be delighted to come at any time. i have often read about the southern cross, yet three short weeks ago i little thought----" "you reely didn't think about it at all," broke in coke. "if you 'ad, you'd 'ave known you couldn't cross the line without seein' it." here was another perplexing element in the skipper's conduct. that iris was a stowaway was forgotten. she was treated with the attention and ceremony due to the owner's niece. coke never lost an opportunity of dinning into the ears of watts, or hozier, or the steward, or any members of the crew who were listening, that miss yorke's presence in their midst was a preordained circumstance, a thing fully discussed and agreed on as between her uncle and himself, but carried out in an irregular manner, owing to some girlish freak on her part. the portmanteau, with its change of raiment, brought convincing testimony, and iris's own words when discovered in the lazaretto supplied further proof, if that were needed. her name figured in the ship's papers, and the time of her appearance on board was recorded in the log. coke might be a man of one idea, but he held to it as though it were written in the admiralty sailing directions; not his would be the fault if david verity failed to appreciate the logic of his reasoning long before an official investigation became inevitable. a keen, invigorating breeze swept the last mirage of sleep from the girl's brain as she flitted silently along the deck. a wondrous galaxy of stars blazed in the heavens. in that pellucid air the sky was a vivid ultramarine. the ship's track was marked by a trail of phosphorescent fire. each revolution of the propeller drew from the ocean treasure-house opulent globes of golden light that danced and sparkled in the tumbling waters. it was a night that pulsated with the romance and abandon of the south, a night when the heart might throb with unutterable longings, and the blood tingle in the veins under the stress of an emotion at once passionate and mystic. iris, spurred on by no stronger impulse than that of the sight-seer, though not wholly unaware of an element of adventurous shyness in her expectation of a _tête-à-tête_ with a good-looking young man of her own status, climbed to the bridge so speedily and noiselessly that hozier did not know of her presence until he heard her dismayed cry: "is _that_ the southern cross?" [illustration: "is that the southern cross?"] he turned quickly. "you, miss yorke?" he exclaimed, and not even her wonder at the insignificance of the stellar display of which she had heard so much could cloak the fact that hozier was unprepared for her appearance. "of course, it is i--who else?" she asked. "did not captain coke tell you to expect me?" "no." "how odd! that is what he arranged. a man came and rapped at my door." "pardon me one moment." he leaned over the bridge and hailed the watch. the same hoarse voice that had roused iris answered his questions, and, in the faint light that came from the binnacle, she caught a flicker of amusement on his face. "our excellent skipper's intentions have been defeated," he said. "he told one of the men to call him at seven bells, but not to wake you until the cross was visible. his orders have been obeyed quite literally. he will be summoned in another hour, and you have been dragged from bed to gaze at the false cross, which every foremast hand persists in regarding as the real article. the true cross, of which alpha crucis is the southern pole star, comes up over the horizon an hour after the false one." "but captain coke said he would see you and warn you of my visit." "i can only assure you that he did not. perhaps he thought it unnecessary--meaning to be on deck himself." "must i wait here a whole hour, then?" hozier laughed. it was amusing to find how coke's marked effort to keep the girl and him apart had been defeated by a sailor's blunder. "i hope the waiting will not weary you," he said. "it is a beautiful night. you will not catch cold if you are well wrapped up, and, no matter what you may think of the real cross when you see it, you will never have a better chance of star-gazing. look at sirius up there, brighter than the moon; and orion, too, incomparably grander than any star in southern latitudes. our dear old bear of the north ranks far beyond the southern cross in magnificence; but mist and smoke and dust contrive to rob our home atmosphere of the clearness which adds such luster to the firmament nearer the equator." under other circumstances, iris would have reveled in just such an opportunity of acquiring knowledge easily. astronomy, despite its limitations, is one of the exact sciences; it has the charm of wonderland; it makes to awe-stricken humanity the mysterious appeal of the infinite; but to-night, when the heart fluttered, and the soul pined for sympathy, she was in a mood to regard with indifference the instant extinction of the milky way. "i am glad of the accident that brought me on deck somewhat earlier than was necessary," she said. "you and i have not said much to each other since you routed me out of the lazaretto, mr. hozier." "our friends at table are somewhat--difficult. if only you knew how i regretted----" "oh, what of that? when i became a stowaway i fully expected to be treated as one. i suppose, though, that you have often asked yourself why i was guilty of such a mad trick?" "not exactly mad, miss yorke, but needless, since captain coke partly expected to have your company." "that is absurd. he had not the remotest notion----" "forgive me, but there you are wrong. he says that your uncle and he discussed the matter on the sunday before we left liverpool. his theory is rather borne out by the present state of the ship's larder. i assure you that few tramp steamers spread a table like the _andromeda's_ mess during this voyage." iris laughed, with a spontaneous merriment that was rather astonishing in her own ears. "being the owner's niece, i am well catered for?" she cried. "something of the sort. it is only natural." "but i think i have read in the newspapers that when some unhappy creature is condemned to death by the law, he is supplied with luxuries that would certainly be denied to any ordinary criminal?" "such doubtful clemency can hardly apply to you, miss yorke." "it might apply to the ship, or to that human part of her that thinks, and remembers, and is capable of--of giving evidence." she paused, fearing lest, perhaps, she might have spoken too plainly. coke's counter-stroke in alluding to her dread of the proposed marriage was hidden from her ken; hozier, of course, was thinking of nothing else. for the moment, then, they were at cross purposes. "things are not so bad as that," he said gently. "i hope i am not trespassing on forbidden ground, but it is only fair to tell you that the skipper was quite explicit, up to a point. he said you were being forced into some matrimonial arrangement that was distasteful----" "and to escape from an undesirable suitor i ran away?" "well, the story sounded all right." "hid myself on my uncle's ship when i wished to avoid marrying the man of his choice?" hozier was not neglecting his work, but he did then take his eyes off the starlit sea for a few amazed seconds. there was no mistaking the scornful ring in the girl's words. he could see the deep color that flooded her cheeks; the glance that met his sparkled with an intensity of feeling that thrilled while it perplexed. "please pardon me if the question hurts, but if that is not your motive, and there never was any real notion of your coming with us on the this trip, why are you here?" he said. "because i am a foolish girl, i suppose; because i thought that my presence might interpose a serious obstacle between a criminal and the crime he had planned to commit. if one wants to avoid hateful people a change of climate is a most effectual means, and i had not the money for ordinary travel. believe me, mr. hozier, i am not on board the andromeda without good reason. i have often wished to have a talk with you. i think you are a man who would not betray a confidence. if you agree to help me, something may yet be done. at first, i was sure that captain coke would abandon his wicked project as soon as he discovered that i knew what was in his mind. but now, i am beginning to doubt. each day brings us nearer south america, and--and----" she was breathless with excitement. she drew nearer to the silent, and impassive man at her side; dropping her voice almost to a whisper, she caught his arm with an appealing hand. "i am afraid that my presence will offer no hindrance to his scheme," she murmured. "i am terrified to say such a thing, but i am certain, quite _certain_, that the ship will be lost within the next few days." hozier, though incredulous, could not but realize that the girl was saying that which she honestly thought to be true. "lost! do you mean that, she will be purposely thrown away?" he asked, and his own voice was not wholly under control, for he was called on to repress a sudden temptation to kiss away the tears that glistened in her brown eyes. "yes, that is what he said--on the rocks, this side of monte video." "he said--who?" "the--the captain." "to whom did he say it?" "oh, mr. hozier, do not ask that, but believe me and help me." "how?" "i do not know. i am half distracted with thinking. what can we do? captain coke simply swept aside my first attempt to speak plainly to him. but, make no mistake--he knows that i heard his very words, and there is something in his manner, a curious sort of quiet confidence, that frightens me." after that, neither spoke during many minutes. the _andromeda_ jogged along steadily south by west, and the threshing of the propeller beat time to the placid hum of her engines. the sturdy old ship could seemingly go on in that humdrum way forever, forging ahead through the living waters, marking her track with a golden furrow. "that is a very serious thing you have told me, miss yorke," muttered hozier at last, not without a backward glance at the sailor in the wheel-house to assure himself that the man could not, by any chance, overhear their conversation. "but it is true--dreadfully true," said iris, clasping her hands together and resting them on the high railing of the bridge. "it is all the more serious inasmuch as we are helpless," he went on. "don't you see how impossible it is even to hint at it in any discussion with the man principally concerned? i want to say this, though--you are in no danger. there is no ship so safe as one that is picked out for wilful destruction. men will not sacrifice their own lives even to make good an insurance policy, and i suppose that is what is intended. so you can sleep sound o' nights--at any rate until we near the coast of brazil. i can only promise you if any watchfulness on my part can stop this piece of villainy--- hello, there! what's up? why is the ship falling away from her course?" the sudden change in his voice startled the girl so greatly that she uttered a slight shriek. it took her an appreciable time to understand that he was speaking to the man at the wheel. but the sailor knew what he meant. "something's gone wrong with the wheel, sir," he bawled. "i wasn't certain at first, so i tried to put her over a bit to s'uth'ard. then she jammed for sure." hozier leaped to the telegraph and signaled "slow" to the engine-room. already the golden pathway behind the _andromeda_ had changed from a wavering yet generally straight line to a well-defined curve. there was a hiss and snort of escaping steam as the sailor inside the chart-house endeavored to force the machinery into action. "steady there!" bellowed hozier. "wait until we have examined the gear-boxes. there may be a kink in a chain." a loud order brought the watch scurrying along the deck. some of the men ran to examine the bearings of the huge fan-shaped casting that governed the movements of the rudder, while others began to tap the wooden shields which protected the steering rods and chains. in the midst of the hammering and excitement, captain coke swung himself up to the bridge. "well, i'm blowed! _you_ here?" he said, looking at iris. "wot is it now?" he asked, turning sharply to hozier. "wheel stuck again?" "yes, sir. has it happened before?" "well--er--not this trip. but it 'as 'appened. just for a minnit i was mixin' it up with the night you nearly ran down that bloomin' hooker off the irish coast. ah, there she goes! everything o.k. now. w'en daylight comes we'll overhaul the fixin's. nice thing if the wheel jammed just as we was crossin' the recife!" hozier tried to ascertain from the watch if they had found the cause of the disturbance, but the men could only guess that a chance blow with an adze had straightened a kink in one of the casings. coke treated the incident with nonchalance. "thought you was to be called w'en the cross hove in sight, miss yorke?" he said abruptly. "i am sorry to have to inform you that some people on board cannot distinguish between falsity and truth," she answered. "but please don't be angry with any of the men on my account. mr. hozier tells me they often confuse the false cross with the real one, and the mistake has been enjoyable. now i know all about it--what were those stars you were telling me the names of, mr. hozier?" philip took the cue she offered. "sirius, and orion, and ursa major. i shall write the names and particulars for you after breakfast," he said with a smile. "reg'lar 'umbug the southern cross," grunted coke; "it ain't a patch on the bear." "mr. hozier said something like that," put in iris mischievously. "did 'e? well 'e's right for once. but don't you go an' take as gospel most things 'e says. every shipmaster knows that the second officer simply can't speak the truth. it ain't natural. w'y, it 'ud bust a steam pipe if 'e tole you wot 'e really thought of the ole man." coke grinned at his own pleasantry. to one of his hearers, at least, it seemed to be passing strange that he was so ready to forget such a vital defect in the steering gear as had manifested its existence a few minutes earlier. at any rate, he remained on the bridge until long after iris had seen and admired the cluster of stars which oldtime navigators used to regard with awe. when shafts of white light began to taper, pennon-like, in the eastern sky, the girl went back to her cabin. contrary to hozier's expectation, coke did not attempt to draw from him any account of their conversation prior to the inexplicable mishap to the wheel. he examined a couple of charts, made a slight alteration in the course, and at four o'clock took charge of the bridge. "just 'ave a look round now while things is quiet," he said, nodding to hozier confidentially. "i'll tell you wot i fancy: a rat dragged a bit of bone into a gear-box. if the plankin' is badly worn anywhere, get the carpenter to see to it. i do 'ate to 'ave a feelin' that the wheel can let you down. s'pose we was makin' bahia on the homeward run, an' that 'appened! it 'ud be the end of the pore ole ship; an' oo'd credit it? not a soul. they'd all say 'jimmie threw 'er away!' oh, i know 'em, the swine--never a good word for a man while 'e keeps straight, but tar an' feathers the minnit 'e 'as a misforchun!" hozier found a gnawed piece of ham-bone lying in the exact position anticipated by coke. an elderly salt who had served with the p. & o. recalled a similar incident as having occurred on board an indian mail steamer while passing through the straits of bab-el-mandeb. he drew a lurid picture of the captain's dash across the forms of lady passengers sleeping inside a curtained space on deck, and his location of the area of disturbance with an ax just in time to prevent a disaster. the carpenter busied himself with sawing and hammering during the whole of the next two days, for the _andromeda_ revealed many gaps in her woodwork, but the escapade of an errant ham-bone was utterly eclipsed by a new sensation. at daybreak one morning every drop of water in the vessel's tanks suddenly assumed a rich, blood-red tint. this unnerving discovery was made by the cook, who was horrified to see a ruby stream pouring into the earliest kettle. thinking that an iron pipe had become oxidized with startling rapidity, he tried another tap. finally, there could be no blinking the fact that, by some uncanny means, the whole of the fresh water on board had acquired the color if not the taste of a thin burgundy. coke was summoned hastily. _noblesse oblige_; being captain, he valiantly essayed the task of sampling this strange beverage. "it ain't p'ison," he announced, gazing suspiciously at the little group of anxious-faced men who awaited his verdict. "it sartinly ain't p'ison, but it's wuss nor any teetotal brew i've tackled in all me born days. 'ere, watts, you know the tang of every kind o' likker--'ave a sup?" "not me!" said watts. "i don't like the look of it. first time i've ever seen red ink on tap. for the rest of this trip i stick to bottled beer, or somethink with a label." "it smells like an infusion of permanganate of potash," volunteered hozier. "does it?" growled coke, who seemed to be greatly annoyed. "wot a pity it ain't an infusion of whisky an' potash!" and he glared vindictively at watts. "some ijjit 'as bin playin' a trick on us, that's wot it is--some blank soaker 'oo don't give a hooraw in hades for tea an' corfee an' cocoa, but wants a tonic. stooard!" "yes, sir," said the messroom attendant. "portion out all the soda water in the lockers, an' whack it on the table every meal till it gives out. see that nobody puts away more'n 'is proper allowance, too. i'm not goin' to cry hush-baby w'en the _andromeda_ gets this sort of kid's dodge worked off on 'er." "if you're alloodin' to me," put in the incensed "chief," whose temper rose on this direct provocation, "i want to tell you now----" "does the cap fit?" sneered coke. "no, it doesn't. i never 'eard of that kind of potash in me life. d'ye take me for a--chemist's shop?" "never 'eard of it!" cried the incensed skipper, who had obviously made up his mind as to the person responsible for the outrage. "there's 'arf a dozen cases of it in the after hold--or there was, w'en we put the hatches on." "even if some of the cases were broken, sir, the contents could not reach the tanks," said hozier, who fancied that coke's attack on the bibulous watts was wholly unwarranted. but the commander's wrath could not be appeased. "get this stuff pumped out, an' 'ave the tanks scoured. we'll put into fernando noronha, an' refill there. it's on'y a day lost, an' i guess the other liquor on board 'll last till we make the island. sink me, if this ain't the queerest run this crimson ship 'as ever 'ad. i'll be glad w'en it's ended." coke lurched away in the direction of the chart-room. hozier found him there later, poring over a chart of fernando noronha. iris, on hearing the steward's version of the affair, came to the bridge for further enlightenment, but coke merely told her that the island was a lloyd's signal station, so she could cable to her uncle. "can i go ashore?" she asked. "i dunno. we'll see. it's a convict settlement for the brazils, an' they're mighty partic'lar about lettin' people land, but they'll 'ardly object to a nice young lady like you 'avin' a peep at 'em." as his tone was unusually gruff, not to say jeering, she resolved to find an opportunity of seeking hozier's advice on the cablegram problem. but the portent of the blood-red water was not to be disregarded. never was delphic oracle better served by nature. the _andromeda_ began to roll ominously; masses of black cloud climbed over the southwest horizon; at midday the ship was driving through a heavy sea. as the day wore, the weather became even more threatening. a sky and ocean that had striven during three weeks to produce in splendid rivalry blends of sapphire blue and emerald green and tenderest pink, were now draped in a shroud of gray mist. with increasing frequency and venom, vaulting seas curled over the bows, and sent stinging showers of spray against the canvas shield of the bridge. instead of the natty white drill uniform and canvas shoes of the tropics, the ship's officers donned oilskins, sou'westers, and sea-boots. torrents swept the decks, and an occasional giant among waves smote the hull with a thunderous blow under which every rivet rattled and every plank creaked. despite these drawbacks, the _andromeda_ wormed her way south. she behaved like the stanch old sea-prowler that she was, and labored complainingly but with stubborn zeal in the teeth of a stiff gale. iris, of course, thought that she was experiencing the storm of a century. badly scared at first, she regained some stock of courage when hozier came twice to her cabin, pounded on the door, and shouted to her such news as he thought would take her mind off the outer furies! the first time he announced that they were just "crossing the line," and the girl smiled at the thought that neptune's chosen lair was uncommonly like the english channel at its worst. on the second occasion her visitor brought the cheering news that they would be under the lee of fernando noronha early next morning. she had sufficient sea lore to understand that this implied shelter from wind and wave, but hozier omitted to tell her that the only practicable roadstead in the island, being on the weather side, would be rendered unsafe by the present adverse combination of the elements. in fact, coke had already called both watts and hozier into council, and they had agreed with him that the wiser plan would be to bear in towards the island from the east, and anchor in smooth water as close to south point as the lead would permit. as for iris's wild foreboding that the ship was intended to be lost, philip did not give it other than a passing thought. coke was navigating the _andromeda_ with exceeding care and no little skill. he was a first-rate practical sailor, and it was an education to the younger man to watch his handling of the vessel throughout the worst part of the blow. about midnight the weather moderated. it improved steadily until a troubled dawn heralded some fitful gleams of the sun. by that time the magnificent peak of fernando noronha was plainly visible. coke came to the bridge and set a new course, almost due west. the sun struggled with increasing success against the cloud battalions, and patches of blue appeared in sky and sea. soon it was possible to distinguish the full extent of the coast line. houses appeared, and trees, and green oases of cultivation, but these were mere spots of color amid the arid blackness of a land of bleak rock and stone-strewed hills. there was a strong current setting from the southeast, and the dying gale left its aftermath in a long swell, but the _andromeda_ rolled on with ever-increasing comfort. even iris was tempted forth by the continued sunshine. coke was not on the bridge at the moment. mr. watts was taking the watch; hozier was on deck forrard, looking for gravel and shells on the instrument that picks up these valuable indications from the floor of the sea. suddenly the captain appeared. he greeted iris with a genial nod. "ah, there you are," he cried. "not seen you since this time yesterday. sorry, but there'll be no goin' ashore to-day. we're on the wrong side of the island, an' it 'ud toss you a bit if you was to try an' land in eether of the boats. take 'er in easy now, mr. watts. that's our anchorage--over there," and he pointed to the mouth of a narrow channel between south point and the ile des frégates, the latter a tiny islet that almost blocks the entrance to a shallow bay into which runs a rivulet of good but slightly brackish water. the ship slowed perceptibly, and hozier busied himself with the lead, which a sailor was swinging on the starboard side from the small platform of the accommodation ladder. iris did not know what was said, but the queer figures repeated to coke seemed to be satisfactory. headlands and hills crept nearer. the rocky arms of the island closed in on them. a faint scent as of sweet grasses reached them from the shore. iris could see several people, nearly all of them men in uniform, hurrying about with an air of excitement that betokened the unusual. perhaps a steamer's advent on the south side of the island was a novelty. now they were in a fairly smooth roadstead; the remnants of the gale were shouldered away from the ship by the towering cliff that jutted out on the left of the bay. the crew were mostly occupied in clearing blocks and tackle and swinging two life-boats outward on their davits. "all ready forrard?" roared coke. hozier ran to the forecastle. he found the carpenter there, standing by the windlass brake. "all ready, sir!" he cried. coke nodded to him. "give her thirty-five," he said, meaning thereby that the anchor should be allowed thirty-five fathoms of chain. from the bridge, where iris was standing, she could follow each movement of the commander's hands as he signaled in dumbshow to the steersman or telegraphed instructions to the engine-room. it was interesting to watch the alertness of the men on duty. they were a scratch crew, garnered from the four quarters of the globe at the liverpool shipping office, but they moved smartly under officers who knew their work, and the _andromeda_ was well equipped in that respect. the turbulent current was surging across the bows with the speed of a mill-race, so coke brought the vessel round until she lay broadside with the land and headed straight against the set of the stream. it was his intent to drop anchor while in that position, and help any undue strain on the cable by an occasional turn of the propeller. "keep her there!" he said, half turning to the man at the wheel; he changed the indicator from "full speed" to "slow ahead"; in a few seconds the anchor chain would have rattled through the hawse-hole--when something happened that was incomprehensible, stupefying--something utterly remote and strange from the ways of civilized men. the _andromeda_ quivered under a tremendous buffet. there was a crash of rending iron and an instant stoppage of the engines. almost merging into the noise of the blow came a loud report from the land, but that, in its turn, was drowned by the hiss of steam from the exhaust. coke appeared to be dumfounded for an instant. recovering himself, he ran to the starboard side, leaned over, looked down at a torn plate that showed its jagged edges just above the water-line, and then lifted a blazing face toward a point half-way up the neighboring cliff, where a haze lay like a veil of gauze on the weather-scarred rocks. "you d--d pirates!" he yelled, raising both clenched fists at the hidden battery which had fired a twelve-pound shell into the doomed ship. the _andromeda_ herself seemed to recognize that she was stricken unto death. she fell away before the current with the aimless drift of a log. "let go!" bellowed coke with frenzied pantomime of action to hozier. it was too late. before the lever controlling the steam windlass that released the anchor could be shoved over, another shell plunged through the thin iron plates in the bows, smashing a steam pipe, and jamming the hawser gear by its impact. the missile burst with a terrific report. a sailor was knocked overboard, the carpenter was killed outright, two other men were seriously wounded, and hozier received a blow on the forehead from a flying scrap of metal that stretched him on the deck. the gunners on shore had not allowed for the drifting of the ship. that second shell was meant to demolish the chart-house and clear the bridge of its occupants. striking high and forward, it had robbed the _andromeda_ of her last chance. now she was rolling in the full grip of the tidal stream. it could only be a matter of a minute or less before she struck. chapter iv showing what became of the "andromeda" the island artillery did not succeed in hitting the crippled ship again. three more shells were fired, but each projectile screamed harmlessly far out to sea. a trained gunner, noting these facts, would reason that the shore battery made good practice in the first instance solely because its ordnance was trained at a known range. indeed, he might even hazard a guess that the _andromeda's_ warm reception was arranged long before her masts and funnel rose over the horizon. that the islanders intended nothing less than her complete destruction was self-evident. without the slightest warning they had tried to sink her; and now that she was escaping the further attentions of the field pieces, a number of troops stationed on south point and the isle des frégates began to pelt her with bullets. iris, when the first paralysis of fear had passed, when her stricken senses resumed their sway and her limbs lost their palsy, flinched from this new danger, and sank sobbing to her knees behind the canvas shield of the bridge. somehow, this flimsy shelter, which sailors call the "dodger," gave some sense of safety. her throbbing brain was incapable of lucid thought, but it was borne in on her mistily that the world and its occupants had suddenly gone mad. the omen of the blood-red water had justified itself most horribly. the dead carpenter was sprawling over the forecastle windlass. his hand still clutched the brake. the sailor at the wheel had been shot through the throat, and had fallen limply through the open doorway of the chart-room; he lay there, coughing up blood and froth, and gasping his life out. the two men wounded by the second shell were creeping down the forward companion in the effort to avoid the hail of lead that was beating on the ship. hozier was raising himself on hands and knees, his attitude that of a man who is dazed, almost insensible. watts had gone from the bridge--he might have been whirled to death over the side like the unfortunate foremast hand she had seen tossed from off the forecastle; but coke, whose charmed life apparently entitled him to act like a lunatic, was actually balancing himself on top of the starboard rails of the bridge by clinging to a stay, having climbed to that exposed position in order to hurl oaths at the soldiers on shore. he had gone berserk with rage. his cap had either fallen off or been torn from his head by a bullet; his squat, powerful figure was shaking with frenzy; he emphasized each curse with a passionate gesture of the free hand and arm; he said among other things, and with no lack of forceful adjectives, that if he could only come to close quarters with some of the portygee assassins on the island he would tear their sanguinary livers out. it is an odd thing that men made animal by fury often use that trope. they do really mean it. the liver is the earliest spoil of the successful tiger. the _andromeda_, uncontrollable as destiny, and quite as heedless of her human freight, swung round with the current until her bows pointed to the islet occupied by the marksmen. all at once, coke suspended his flow of invectives and rushed into the chart-room, where iris heard him tearing lockers open and throwing their contents on the deck. to enter, he was obliged to leap over the body of the dying man. the action was grotesque, callous, almost inhuman; it jarred the girl's agonized transports back into a species of spiritual calm, a mental state akin to the fatalism often exhibited by asiatics when death is imminent and not to be denied. the apparent madness of the captain was now more distressing to her than the certain loss of the ship or the invisible missiles that clanged into white patches on the iron plates, cut sudden holes and scars in the woodwork, or whirred through the air with a buzzing whistle of singularly menacing sound. she began to be afraid of remaining on the bridge; her fear was not due to the really vital fact that it was so exposed; it arose from the purely feminine consideration that she was sure coke had become a raving maniac, and she dreaded meeting him when, if ever, he reappeared. a bullet struck the front frame of the chart-room, and several panes of glass were shattered with a fearful din. that decided her. coke, if he were not killed, would surely be driven out. she sprang to her feet, and literally ran down the steep ladder to the saloon deck. through the open door of the officers' mess she witnessed another bizarre act--an act quite as extraordinary in its way as coke's jump over the steersman's body. in the midst of this drama of death and destruction, watts was standing there, with head thrown back and uplifted arm, gulping down a tumblerful of some dark-colored liquid, draining it to the dregs, while he held a black bottle in the other hand. that a man should fly to rum for solace when existence itself might be measured by minutes or seconds, was, to iris, not the least amazing experience of an episode crammed with all that was new, and strange, and horrible in her life. she raced on, wholly unaware that the drifting ship was now presenting her port bow to the death-dealing fusillade. then, from somewhere, she heard a gruff voice: "hev' ye shut off steam, macfarlane?" "ou ay. it's a' snug below till the watter reaches the furnaces," came the answer. so some of the men were doing their duty. thank god for that! undeterred by the fact that a live shell had burst among the engines, the oil-stained, grim-looking engineers had not quitted their post until they had taken such precautions as lay in their power to insure the ship's safety. a light broke in on the fog in the girl's mind. even now, at the very gate of eternity, one might try to help others! the thought brought a ray of comfort. she was about to look for the speakers when a bullet drilled a hole in a panel close to her side. she began to run again, for a terrified glance through the forward gangway showed that the ship was quite close to the land, where men in blue uniforms, wearing curiously shaped hats and white gaiters, were scattered among the rocks, some standing, some kneeling, some prone, but all taking steady aim. but it showed something more. hozier was now lying sideways on the raised deck of the forecastle; he partly supported himself on his right arm; his left hand was pressed to his forehead; he was trying to rise. with an intuition that was phenomenal under the circumstances, iris realized that he was screened from observation for the moment by the windlass and the corpse that lay across it. but the ship's ever increasing speed, and the curving course of her drifting, would soon bring him into sight, and then those merciless riflemen would shoot him down. "oh, not that! not that!" she wailed aloud. an impulse stronger than the instinct of self-preservation caused the blood to tingle in her veins. she had waited to take that one look, and now, bent double so as to avoid being seen by the soldiers, she sped back through the gangway, gained the open deck, crouched close to the bulwarks on the port side, and thus reached unscathed the foot of the companion down which the wounded men had crawled. the zinc plates on the steps were slippery with their blood, but she did not falter at the sight. up she went, stooped over hozier, and placed her strong young arms round his body. "quick!" she panted, "let me help you! you will be killed if you remain here!" her voice seemed to rouse him as from troubled sleep. "i was hit," he muttered. "what is it? what is wrong?" "oh, come, come!" she screamed, for some unseen agency tore a transverse gash in the planking not a foot in front of them. he yielded with broken expostulations. she dragged him to the top of the stairs. clinging to him, she half walked, half fell down the few steps. but she did not quite fall; hozier's weight was almost more than she could manage, but she clung to him desperately, saved him from a headlong plunge to the deck, and literally carried him into the forecastle, where she found some of the crew who had scurried there like rabbits to their burrow when the first shell crashed into the engine-room. iris's fine eyes darted lightning at them. "you call yourselves men," she cried shrilly, "yet you leave one of your officers lying on deck to be shot at by those fiends!" "we didn't know he was there, miss," said one. "we'd ha' fetched him right enough if we did." even in her present stress of mixed emotions, the sailor's words sounded reasonable. every other person on board was just as greatly stunned by this monstrous attack as she herself, and the firing now appeared to increase in volume and accuracy. several bullets clanged against the funnel or broke huge splinters off the boats. "gord a'mighty, listen to that," growled a voice. "an' we cooped up here, blazed at by a lot of rotten dagos, with not a gun to our name!" iris was still supporting hozier, whose head and shoulders were pillowed against her breast as she knelt behind him. "can nothing be done?" she asked. "i believe captain coke has been killed. mr. hozier is badly injured, i fear. bring some water, if possible." "yes, yes, water. . . . only a knock on the head. . . . how did it happen? and what is that noise of firing?" hozier's scattered wits were returning, though neither he nor iris remembered that the _andromeda_ was waterless. he looked up at her, then at the men, and he smiled as his eyes met hers again. "funny thing!" he said, with a natural tone that was reassuring. "i thought the windlass smashed itself into smithereens. but it couldn't. what was it that banged?" "a shell, fired from the island," said the girl. hozier straightened himself a little. he was hearing marvels, though far from understanding them, as yet. "a shell!" he repeated vacantly. had she said "a comet" it could not have sounded more incredible. "yes. it might have killed you. several of the men are dead. i myself saw three of them killed outright, and two others are badly wounded." "here you are, sir--drink this," said a fireman, offering a pannikin of beer. it was unpalatable stuff, but it tasted like the nectar of the gods to one who had sustained a blow that would have felled an ox. hozier had almost emptied the tin when an exclamation from an irish stoker drew all eyes to the after part of the ship. "holy war! will ye look at that!" shouted the man. "sure the skipper isn't dead, at all, at all." iris had failed to grasp the meaning of coke's antics in the chart-room, but they were now fully explained. the bulldog breed of this self-confessed rascal had taken the upper hand of him. though he had not scrupled to plot the destruction of the ship, and thus rob a marine insurance company of a considerable sum of money--though at that very instant there was actual proof of his scheme in the preparations he had made to jam the steering-gear when the anchor was raised after the tanks were replenished--it was not in the man's nature to skulk into comparative safety because a foreigner, a pirate, a not-to-be-mentioned-in-polite-society portygee, opened fire on him in this murderous fashion. moreover, coke's villainy would have sacrificed no lives. the _andromeda_ might be converted into scrap iron, and thereby give back, by perverted arithmetic, the money invested in her. but her white decks would not be stained with blood. whatever risk was incurred would be his, the responsible captain's, his only. it was a vastly different thing that shot and shell should be rained on an unarmed ship by the troops of a civilized power when she was seeking the lowest form of hospitality. no wonder if the bull-necked skipper foamed at the mouth and used words forbidden by the catechism; no wonder if he tried to express his helpless fury in one last act of defiance. he rummaged the lockers for a union jack and the four flags that showed the ship's name in signal letters. the red ensign was already fluttering from a staff at the stern, and the house flag of david verity & co. was at the fore, but these emblems did not satisfy coke's fighting mettle. the _andromeda_ would probably crack like an eggshell the instant she touched the reef towards which she was hurrying; he determined that she would go down with colors flying if he were not put out of action by a bullet before he could reach the main halyard. the swerve in the ship's course as she passed the island gave him an opportunity. in justice to coke it should be said that he recked naught of this, but it would have been humanly impossible otherwise for the soldiers to have missed him. and now, while the vessel lay with straight keel in the set of the current, the national emblem of britain, with the _andromeda's_ code flags beneath, fluttered up the mainmast. there are many imaginable conditions under which coke's deed would be regarded as sublime; there are none which could deny his splendid audacity. the soldiers, who seemed to be actuated by the utmost malevolence, redoubled their efforts to hit the squat hercules who had bellowed at them and their fellow artillerists from the bridge. bullets struck the deck, lodged in the masts, splintered the roof and panels of the upper structure, but not one touched coke. he coolly made fast each flag in its turn, and hauled away till the union jack had reached the truck; then, drawn forrard by a hoarse cheer that came from the forecastle, he turned his back on the enemy and swung himself down to the fore-deck. he was still wearing the heavy garments demanded by the gale; his recent exertions, joined to the fact that the normal temperature of a sub-tropical island was making itself felt, had induced a violent perspiration. as he lumbered along the deck he mopped his face vigorously with a pocket handkerchief, and this homely action helped to convince iris that she was mistaken in thinking him mad. his words, too, when he caught sight of her, were not those of a maniac. "well, missy," he cried, "wot'll they say in liverpool now? i s'pose they'll 'ear of this some day," and he jerked a thumb backwards to indicate the unceasing hail of bullets that poured into the after part of the ship. the girl looked at him with an air of surprise that would have been comical under less grievous conditions. she knew, with a vague definiteness, that death was near, perhaps unavoidable, and it had never occurred to her that she or any other person on board need feel any concern about the view entertained by liverpool as to their fate. before she could frame a reply, however, hozier seemed to recover his faculties. he stood up, walked unaided to the side of the ship, and glanced ahead. "shouldn't we try to lower a boat, sir?" he asked instantly. "wot's the use?" growled coke. "oo's goin' to lower boats while them blighters on the island are pumpin' lead into us? and wot good are the boats w'en they're lowered? they've been drilled full of holes. you might as well try to float a sieve. look at that," he added sarcastically, as the side of the cutter was ripped open by a ricochetting shot, and splinters were littered on the deck, "they know wot they want an' they mean to get it. dead men tell no tales. it won't be anybody 'ere now who'll 'ave the job of lettin' the folk at 'ome know 'ow the pore ole _andromeda_ went under." "are none of the boats seaworthy?" "not one. they're knocked to pieces. sorry for you, miss yorke. but we're all booked for kingdom come. in 'arf a minnit, or less, we'll be on the reef, an' the ship must begin to break up." coke was telling the plain truth, but hozier ran aft to make sure that he was right in assuming the extent of the boats' damages. one of the men, an italian, climbed to the forecastle deck in order to see more clearly what sort of danger they were running into. he came back instantly, and his swarthy face was green with terror. though he spoke english well enough, he began to jabber wildly in his mother tongue. none paid heed to him. it was common knowledge that the vessel must be lost, and that those who still lived when she struck would have the alternatives of being drowned, or beaten to pieces against the frowning rocks, or shot from the mainland like so many stranded seals, if some alliance of luck and strength secured a momentary foothold on one of the tiny islets that barred the way. and at such moments, when the mind is driven into a swift-running channel that ends in a cataract, elemental passions are apt to strive with elemental fears. few among these rough sailors had ever given thought to the future. they had lived from hand to mouth, the demands of a hard and dangerous profession alternating with bouts of foolish revelry. most of them had looked on death in the tempest, in the swirling seas, in the uplifted knife. but then, there was always a chance of escape, an open door for the stout heart and ready hand; whereas, under present conditions, there was nothing to be done but pray, or curse, or wait in stoic silence until the first ominous quiver ran through the swift-moving ship. so, all unknowingly, they grouped themselves according to their nationalities, for the latins knelt and supplicated the saints and the virgin mother, the celts roared insensate threats at the islanders who had thrown them into the very jaws of eternity, and the saxons stood motionless, with grim jaws and frowning brows, disdaining alike both frenzied appeal and useless execration. someone threw a cork jacket over the girl's shoulders, and bade her fasten its straps around her waist. she obeyed without a word. indeed, she seemed to have lost the power of speech. everything had suddenly assumed such a crystal clear aspect that her eyes were gifted with unnatural vision though her remaining senses were benumbed. the blue and white of the sky, the emerald green of the water, the russet brown and cold gray of the land--these shone now with a beauty vivid beyond any of nature's tints she had ever before seen. she was conscious, too, of an awful aloofness. her spirit was entrenched in its own citadel. she seemed to be brooding, solitary and remote, yet shrinking ever within herself; quite unknowing, she offered a piteous example of the old hebrew's dire truism that man came naked into the world and naked shall he depart. in a curiously detached way she wondered why hozier did not return. the prayers and curses of the men surrounding her fell unheeded on her ears. where was hozier? what was he doing? why did he not come to her? she felt a strange confidence in him. if he had not been struck down by that calamitous shell he would have saved the ship--assuredly he would have devised some means of saving their lives! perhaps, even now, he was attempting some desperate expedient! . . . the thought nerved her for an instant. then a rending, grinding noise was followed by a sudden swerve and roll of the ship that sent her staggering against a bulkhead. an outburst of cries and shouting rang through her brain, and a shriek was wrung from her parched throat. but the _andromeda_ righted herself again, though there was another sound of tearing metal, and the deck heaved perceptibly under a shock. ah, kind heaven! here came hozier, running, thundering some loud order. "the port life-boat . . . seaworthy!" there was a fierce rush, in which she joined. she was knocked down. a strong hand dragged her to her feet. it was coke, swearing horribly. she saw hozier leap against the flood of men. "d--n you, the woman first!" she heard him say, and he sent the leaders of the mob sprawling over the hatches of the forehold. coke, almost carrying her in his left arm, butted in among the crew like an infuriated bull. some of the men, shamefaced, made way for them. hosier reached her. she thought he said to the captain: "there's a chance, if we can swing her clear." then the ship struck, and they were all flung to the deck. they rose, somehow, anyhow, but the _andromeda_, apparently resenting the check, lifted herself bodily, tilted bow upward, and struck again. a mass of spray dashed down upon the struggling figures who had been driven a second time to their knees. there was a terrific explosion in the after-hold, for the deck had burst under the pressure of air, and another ominous roar announced that the water had reached the furnaces. steam and smoke and dust mingled with the incessant lashing of sheets of spray, and iris was torn from coke's grip. she fancied she heard hozier cry, "too late!" and a lightning glimpse down the sloping deck showed some of the engineers and stokers crawling up toward the quivering forecastle. she felt herself clasped in hozier's arms, and knew that he was climbing. after a few breathless seconds she realized that they were standing on the forecastle, where the captain and many of the crew were clinging to the windlass, and anchor, and cable, and bulwarks, to maintain their footing. below, beyond a stretch of unbroken deck, the sea raged against all that was left of the ship. the bridge just showed above the froth and spume of sea level. the funnel still held by its stays, but the mainmast was gone, and with it the string of flags. the noise was deafening, overpowering. it sounded like the rattle of some immense factory; yet a voice was audible through the din, for hozier was telling her not to abandon hope, as the fore part of the ship was firmly wedged into a cleft in the rocks: they might still have a chance when the tide dropped. so that explained why it was so dark where a few moments ago all was light. iris pressed the salt water out of her burning eyes, and tried to look up. on both sides of the narrow triangle of the forecastle rose smooth overhanging walls, black and dripping. they were festooned with seaweed, and every wave that curled up between the ship's plates and the rocks was thrown back over the deck, while streams of water fell constantly from the masses of weed. she gasped for breath. the mere sight of this dismal cleft with its super-saturated air space made active the choking sensation of which she was just beginning to be aware. "i--cannot breathe!" she sobbed, and she would have slipped off into the welter of angry foam beneath had not hozier tightened a protecting arm round her waist. "stoop down!" he said. she had a dim knowledge that he unbuttoned his coat and drew one of its folds over her head. ah, the blessed relief of it! freed from the stifling showers of spray, she drew a deep breath or two. how good he was to her! how sure she was now that if he had been spared by that disabling shell he would have saved them all! bent and shrouded as she was, she could see quite clearly downward. the ship was breaking up with inconceivable rapidity. already there was a huge irregular vent between the fore deck and the central block of cabins topped by the bridge. and a new horror was added to all that had gone before. swarms of rats were skimming up the slippery planks. they were invading the forecastle and the forecastle deck. they came in an irresistible army, though, fortunately for iris's continued sanity, the greater number scurried into the darkness of the men's quarters. she was watching them with fascinated eyes, though not daring to withdraw her head from under the coat, when she heard a ghastly yell from beneath, and an erie face appeared above the stairway. it was watts, mad with fright and drink. "save me! save me!" he screamed, and the girl shuddered as she realized that the man did not fear death so much as he loathed the scampering rats. he had no difficulty in climbing the steep companion, though, by reason of the present position of all that was left of the _andromeda_, its pitch was thrown back to an unusual angle. he scrambled up, a pitiable object. a couple of rats ran over his body, and as each whisked across his shoulders and past his cheek he uttered a blood-curdling yell. a big wave surged up into the recesses of the cleft and was flung off in a drenching shower on to the forecastle. it nearly swept watts into the next world, and it drove every rodent in that exposed place back to the dry interior. to return, they had to use the unhappy chief officer as a causeway, and the poor wretch's despairing cries were heartrending. he was clinging for dear life to a bolt in the deck when coke joined hands with a sailor and was thus enabled to reach him. once the skipper's strong fingers had clutched his collar he was rescued--at least from the instant death that might have been the outcome of his abject terror, for there could be little doubt in the minds of those who saw his glistening eyes and drawn lips that it would have needed the passage of but one more rat and he would have relaxed his hold. coke pulled him up until he was lodged in safety in front of the windlass. the manner of the welcome given by the captain to his _aide_ need not be recorded here. it was curt and lurid; it would serve as a sorry passport if proffered on his entry to another world; but the tragi-comedy of watts's appearance among the close-packed gathering on the forecastle was forthwith blotted out of existence by a thing so amazing, so utterly unlooked for that during a couple of spellbound seconds not a man moved nor spoke. chapter v the refugees watts was whimpering some broken excuse to his angry skipper when a coil of stout rope fell on top of the windlass and rebounded to the deck. more than that, one end of it stretched into the infinity of dripping rock and flying spray overhead. and it had been thrown by friendly hands. though it dangled from some unseen ledge, its purpose seemed to be that of help rather than slaughter, whereas every other act of the inhabitants of fernando noronha had been suggestive of homicidal mania in its worst form. coke and hozier recovered the use of their faculties simultaneously. the eyes of the two men met, but coke was the first to find his voice. "salvage, by g--d!" he cried. "up you go, hozier! i'll sling the girl behind you. she can't manage it alone, an' it needs someone with brains to fix things up there for the rest of us." and he added hoarsely in philip's ear: "sharp's the word. we 'aven't many minutes!" philip made no demur. the captain's strong common sense had suggested the best step that could be taken in the interests of all. iris, who was nearer yielding now that there was a prospect of being rescued than when death was clamoring at her feet among the trembling remains of the ship, silently permitted coke and a sailor to strip off a life-belt and tie her and hozier back to back. it was wonderful, though hidden from her ken in that supreme moment, to see how they devised a double sling in order to distribute the strain. when each knot was securely fastened, coke vociferated a mighty "heave away!" but his powerful voice was drowned by the incessant roar of the breakers; not even the united clamor of every man present, fifteen all told, including the drunken chief officer, could make itself heard above the din. then hozier tugged sharply at the rope three times, and it grew taut. amid a jubilant cry from the others, he and iris were lifted clear of the deck. at once they were carried fully twenty feet to seaward. as they swung back, not quite so far, and now well above the level of the windlass from which their perilous journey had started, a ready-witted sailor seized a few coils of a thin rope that lay tucked up in the angle of the bulwarks, and flung them across hozier's arms. "take a whip with you, sir!" he yelled, and philip showed that he understood by gripping the rope between his teeth. it was obvious that the rescuers were working from a point well overhanging the recess into which the _andromeda_ had driven her bows, and there might still be the utmost difficulty in throwing a rope accurately from the rock to the wreck. as a matter of fact, no less than six previous attempts had been made, and the success of the seventh was due solely to a favorable gust of wind hurtling into the cleft at the very instant it was needed. the sailor's quick thought solved this problem for the future. by tying the small rope to the heavier one, those who remained below could haul it back when some sort of signal code was established. at present, all they could do was to pay out the whip, and take care that it did not interfere with hozier's ascent. they soon lost sight of him and the girl, for the spray and froth overhead formed an impenetrable canopy, but they reasoned that the distance to be traveled could not be great; otherwise the throwing of a rope would have been a physical impossibility in the first instance. once there was a check. they waited anxiously, but there was no sign given by the frail rope that they were to haul in again. then the upward movement continued. "chunk o' rock in the way," announced coke, glaring round at the survivors as if to challenge contradiction. no one answered. these men were beginning to measure their lives against the life of the wedge of iron and timber kept in position by the crumbling frame of the ship. it was a fast-diminishing scale. the figures painted on the _andromeda's_ bows represented minutes rather than feet. watts was lying crouched on deck, with his arms thrown round the windlass. looking ever for a fresh incursion of rats, he seemed to be cheered by the fact that his dreaded assailants preferred the interior of the forecastle to the wave-swept deck. he was the only man there who had no fear of death. suddenly he began to croon a long-forgotten sailor's chanty. perhaps, in some dim way, a notion of his true predicament had dawned on him, for there was a sinister purport to the verse. "now, me lads, sing a stave of the dead man's mass; ye'll never sail 'ome again, o. we're twelve old salts an' the skipper's lass, marooned in the spanish main, o. sing hay--- sing ho--- a nikker is davy jones, just one more plug, an' a swig at the jug, an' up with the skull an' bones." after a longer and faster haul than had been noticed previously, the rope stopped a second time. everyone, except watts, was watching the whip intently. his eyes peered around, wide-open, lusterless. the pounding of the seas, the grating of iron on rock, left him unmoved. "wy don't you jine in the chorus, you swabs?" he cried, and forthwith plunged into the second stanza. "the _alice_ brig sailed out of the pool for the other side of the world, o, an' our ole man brought 'is gal from school, with 'er 'air so brown an' curled, o. sing hum--- sing hum--- of death no man's a dodger, an' we squared our rig for a yardarm jig when we sighted the jolly roger." he grew quite uproarious because the lilting tune evoked neither applause nor vocal efforts from the others. "lord luv' a duck!" he shouted. "can't any of ye lend a hand? cheer o, maties--'ere's a bit more--- the brig was becalmed in a sea like glass, an' it gev' us all the creeps, o, wen the sun went down like a ball o' brass, an' the pirate rigged 'is sweeps----" "there she goes!" yelled the sailor in charge of the line; he began to haul in the slack like a madman; coke's fist fell heavily on the singer's right ear. "wen your turn comes, i'll tie the rope round your bloomin' neck!" he growled vindictively, though his eyes continued to search the dark shroud overhead that inclosed them as in a tomb. a dark form loomed downward through the mist. it was hozier, alone, coming back to them. a frenzied cheer broke from the lips of those overwrought men. they knew what that meant. somewhere, high above the black rocks and the flying scud, was hope throned in the blessed sunshine. they drew him in cautiously until coke was able to grasp his hand. they were quick to see that he brought a second rope and a spare whip. "two at a time on both ropes," was his inspiriting message. "they're friendly portuguese up there, but no one must be seen if a boat is sent from the island to find out what has become of the ship. so step lively! now, captain, tell 'em off in pairs." coke's method was characteristic. he literally fell on the two nearest men and began to truss them. hozier followed his example, and tied two others back to back. they vanished, and the ropes returned, much more speedily this time. four, and four again, were drawn up to safety. there were left the captain, hozier, and the unhappy watts, who was now crying because the skipper had "set about" him, just for singin' a reel ole wind-jammer song. "you must take up this swine," said coke to hozier, dragging watts to his feet with scant ceremony. "if i lay me 'ands on 'im i'll be tempted to throttle 'im." watts protested vigorously against being tied. he vowed that it was contrary to articles for a chief officer to be treated in such a fashion. he howled most dolorously during his transit through mid-air, but was happily quieted by another sharp rap on the head resulting from his inability to climb over the obstructing rock. before quitting the deck, hozier helped to adjust the remaining rope around the captain's portly person. they were lifted clear of the trembling forecastle almost simultaneously, and in the very nick of time. already the skeleton of the ship's hull was beginning to slip off into deep water. the deck was several feet lower than at the moment of the vessel's final impact against the rocks. even before the three reached the ledge from which their rescuers were working, the bridge and funnel were swept away, the foremast fell, the forehold and forecastle were riotously flooded by the sea, and watts, were he capable of using his eyes, might have seen his deadly enemies, the rats, swarming in hundreds to the tiny platform that still rose above the destroying waves. soon, even that frail ark was shattered. when keel and garboard stroke plates snapped, all that was left of the _andromeda_ toppled over, and the cavern she had invaded rang with a fierce note of triumph as the next wave thundered in without hindrance. * * * * * * it was, indeed, a new and strange world on which iris looked when able to breathe and see once more. during that terrible ascent she had retained but slight consciousness of her surroundings. she knew that hozier and herself were drawn close to a bulging rock, that her companion clutched at it with hands and knees, and thus fended her delicate limbs from off its broken surface; she felt herself half carried, half lifted, up into free air and dazzling light; she heard voices in a musical foreign tongue uttering words that had the ring of sympathy. and that was all for a little while. friendly hands placed her in a warm and sunlit cleft, and she lay there, unable to think or move. by degrees, the numbness of body and mind gave way to clearer impressions. but she took much for granted. for instance, it did not seem an unreasonable thing that the familiar faces of men from the _andromeda_ should gather near her on an uneven shelf of rock strewn with broken bolders and the litter of sea-birds. she recognized them vaguely, and their presence brought a new confidence. they increased in number; sailor-like, they began to take part instantly in the work of rescue; but she wondered dully why hozier did not come to her, nor did she understand that he had gone back to that raging inferno beneath until she saw his blood-stained face appear over the lip of the precipice. then she screamed wildly: "thank god! oh, thank god!" and staggered to her feet in the frantic desire to help in unfastening the ropes that bound him to the insensible watts. one of the men tried to persuade her to sit down again, but she would not be denied. her unaccustomed fingers strove vainly against the stiff strands, swollen as they were with wet, and drawn taut by the strain to which they had been subjected. tears gushed forth at her own helplessness. the pain in her eyes blinded her. she shrank away again. not until philip himself spoke did she dare to look at him, to find that he was bending over her, and endeavoring to allay her agitation by repeated assurance of their common well-being. but her distraught brain was not yet equal to a complexity of thought. watts was lying close to her feet, and it thrilled her with dread and contempt when coke bestowed a well-considered kick on his chief officer's prostrate form. "oh, how dare you?" she cried, indignant as an offended goddess. "sorry, miss," said coke, scowling as if he were inclined to repeat the assault, though he was not then aware of the more strenuous method adopted by the rock as a sobering agent. "i didn't know you was there. but 'e fair gev' me a turn, 'e did, singin' 'is pot-'ouse crambos w'en we was in the very jors of death, so to speak." "he must not sing," she announced gravely, "but really you should not kick him." "come, miss yorke," broke in hozier, who was choking back a laugh that was nearer hysteria than he dreamed, "our portuguese friends say we must not remain here an instant longer than is necessary." "yes," said a strange voice, "the sea is moderating. at any moment a boat may appear. follow me, all of you. the road is a rough one, but it is not far." the speaker was an elderly man, long-haired and bearded, of whose personality the girl caught no other details than the patriarchal beard, a pair of remarkably bright eyes, a long, pointed nose, and a red scar that ran diagonally across a domed forehead. he turned away without further explanation, and began to climb a natural pathway that wound itself up the side of an almost perpendicular wall of rock. hozier caught iris by the arm, and would have assisted her, but she shook herself free. she felt, and conducted herself, like a fractious child. "i can manage quite well," she said with an odd petulance. "please look after that unfortunate mr. watts. i am not surprised that he should have been frightened by the rats. they terrified me, too. oh, how awful they were--in the dark--when their eyes shone!" her mind had traveled back to the two nights and a day passed in the lazaretto. she sobbed bitterly, and stumbled over a steep ledge. she would have fallen were it not for philip's help. "watts is all right," he soothed her. "two of the men are seeing to him. and the rats are all gone now. there are none here!" "are you sure?" "quite sure." "what became of them?" "they are all--we left them behind on the ship." suddenly she clung to him. "don't let them send me back to the ship," she implored. "no, no. you are safe now." "of course i am safe, but i dread that ship. why did i ever come on board? captain coke said he would sink her. i told you----" "steady! keep a little nearer the rocks on your left. the passage is narrow here." hozier raised his voice somewhat, and purposely hurried her. but she was not to be repressed. "poor ship! what had she done that she should be battered on the rocks?" she wailed. "you must not talk," he said firmly, well knowing that if the sailors and firemen lumbering close behind had not heard her earlier comment it was due solely to the blustering wind. they were skirting the seaward face of the rocky islet on which they had found salvation. the sun was blazing at them sideways from a wide expanse of blue sky. the rear guard clouds of the gale were scurrying away over the horizon in front of their upward path. somehow, philip's sailor's brain was befogged. those clouds must have blown to the northeast. if that were so, what was the sun doing in the southeast at this time of the day? it had hardly budged a point from the quarter in which some fitful gleams shone when that mad thing happened near the windlass. thinking he was still dizzy from the effects of the blow, which the girl had ascribed to the bursting of a shell, philip glanced at his watch. it was twenty-five minutes past eight! yet he distinctly remembered eight bells being struck while coke was telling him from the bridge to give the anchor thirty-five fathoms of cable. was it possible that they had gone through so much during those few minutes? if he were really light-headed, then sun and clouds and watch were conspiring to keep him so. iris, chilled by his stern tone, nevertheless noted his action. still unable to concentrate her thoughts on more than one topic, and that to the exclusion of all else, she asked the time. he told her. he awaited some expression of surprise on her part, provided it were, indeed, true that only twenty-five minutes had sped since the _andromeda_ was quietly preparing to drop anchor off south point. but she received his news without comment. she would have been equally undisturbed if told it was midnight, and that the vessel had gone ashore on the coast of china. just then the track turned sharply away from the sea. a dry water-course cut deeply into the cliff where torrential rains had found an upright layer of soft scoria imbedded in the mass of basalt. their guide was standing on the sky-line of the cleft, some forty feet above them. "tell the others to make haste," he said. "this is the end of your journey." it did not strike either hozier or the girl as being specially remarkable that a man should meet them in this extraordinary place and address them in good english. iris, at any rate, gave no heed to this most amazing fact. she merely observed for the first time that the elderly stranger, while dressed in a beggar's rags, assumed an air of command that was almost ludicrous. "who is he?" she asked, being rather breathless now after a steep climb. "i don't know," said hozier. "how absurd!" she gasped. "i--i think i'm dreaming. why--have we--come here?" she heard a coarse chuckle from coke, not far below. "let 'im cough it up," the skipper was saying. "it'll do 'im good. i've seen 'im blind many a time, but 'ow any man could dope 'isself in that shape in less'n two minutes!--- well, it fair gives me the go-by!" two minutes! hozier listened, and he was recovering his wits far more rapidly than iris. was the skipper, then, in league with nature herself to perplex him? and watts, too? why did coke hint so coarsely that he was drunk? he was on the bridge while he, philip, was attending to the lead, and at that time the chief officer was perfectly sober. iris, once again, was deeply incensed by coke's brutality. "horrid man!" she murmured, but she had no breath left for louder protest. it was hot as a furnace in this narrow ravine; each upward step demanded an effort. she would have slipped and hurt herself many times were it not for hozier's firm grasp, nor did she realize the sheer exhaustion that forced him to seek support from the neighboring wall with his disengaged hand. the man in front, however, was alive to their dangerous plight. he said something in his own language--for his english had the precise staccato accent of the well-educated foreigner--and another man appeared. the sight of the newcomer startled iris more than any other event that had happened since the _andromeda_ reached the end of her last voyage. he wore the uniform of those dreadful beings whom she had seen on the island. she shrieked; hozier fancied she had sprained an ankle; but before she could utter any sort of explanation the apparition in uniform was by her side, and murmuring words that were evidently meant to be reassuring. seeing that he was not understood, he broke into halting french. "courage, madame!" he said. "il faut monter--encore un peu--et donc--vous êtes arrivé . . . ça y est! voilá! comptez sur moi. juste ciel, mais c'est affreux l'escalier." but he worked while he poured out this medley, and iris was standing on level ground ere he made an end. he was a handsome youngster, evidently an officer, and his eyes dwelt on the girl's face with no lack of animation as he led her into a cave which seemed to have been excavated from the inner side of a small crater. "you can rest here in absolute safety, madame," he said. "permit me to arrange a seat. then i shall bring you some wine." iris flung off the hand which held her arm so persuasively. "please do not attend to me. there are wounded men who need attention far more than i," she said, speaking in english, since it never entered her mind that the portuguese officer had been addressing her in french. he was puzzled more by her action than her words, but hozier, who had followed close behind, explained in sentences built on the ollendorffian plan that mademoiselle was disturbed, mademoiselle required rest, mademoiselle hardly understood that which had arrived, _et voilá tout_. the other man smiled comprehension, though he scanned hozier with a quick underlook. "is monsieur the captain?" he asked. "no, monsieur the captain comes now. here he is." "mademoiselle, without doubt, is the daughter of monsieur the captain?" "no," said hozier, rather curtly, turning to ascertain how iris had disposed of herself in the interior of the cavern. it was his first experience of a south american dandy's pose towards women, or, to be exact, toward women who are young and pretty, and it seemed to him not the least marvelous event of an hour crammed with marvels that any man should endeavor to begin an active flirtation under such circumstances. he saw that iris was seated on a camp stool. her face was buried in her hands. a wealth of brown hair was tumbled over her neck and shoulders; the constant showers of spray had loosened her tresses, and the unavoidable rigors of the passage from ship to ledge had shaken out every hairpin. the tam o' shanter cap she was wearing early in the day had disappeared at some unknown stage of the adventure. her attitude bespoke a mood of overwhelming dejection. like the remainder of her companions in misfortune, she was drenched to the skin. that physical drawback, however, was only a minor evil in this almost unpleasantly hot retreat; but hozier, able now to focus matters in fairly accurate proportion, felt that iris had not yet plumbed the depths of suffering. their trials were far from ended when their feet rested on the solid rock. there was every indication that their rescuers were refugees like themselves. the scanty resources visible in the cave, the intense anxiety of the elderly portuguese to avoid observation from the chief island of the group, the very nature of the apparently inaccessible crag in which he and his associates were hiding--each and all of these things spoke volumes. hozier did not attempt to disturb the girl until the dapper officer produced a goatskin, and poured a small quantity of wine into a tin cup. with a curious eagerness, he anticipated the other's obvious intent. "pardon me, monsieur," he said, seizing the vessel, and his direct anglo-saxon manner quite robbed his french of its politeness. then his vocabulary broke down, and he added more suavely in english: "i will persuade her to drink a little. she is rather hysterical, you know." the portuguese nodded as though he understood. iris looked up when hozier brought her the cup. the mere suggestion of something to drink made active the parched agony of mouth and throat, but her wry face when she found that the liquid was wine might have been amusing if the conditions of life were less desperate. "is there no water?" she asked plaintively. the officer, who was following the little by-play with his eyes, realized the meaning of her words. "we have no water, mademoiselle," he said. then he glanced at the group of bedraggled sailors. "and very little wine," he added. "please drink it," urged hozier. "you are greatly run down, you know, though you really ought to feel cheerful, since you have escaped with your life." "i feel quite brave," said iris simply. "i would never have believed that i could go through--all that," and her childish trick of listening to the booming of the distant breakers told him how vivid was her recollection of the horrors crowded into those few brief minutes. "be quick, please," put in the elderly portuguese with a tinge of impatience. "we have no second cup, and there are wounded men----" "give it to them," said iris, lifting her face again for an instant. "i do not need it. i have told you that once already. i suppose you think i should not be here." "i am sure our friend did not mean that," said hozier, looking squarely into those singularly bright eyes. he caught and held them. "i did not mean that the lady should be left to die if that is the interpretation put on my remark," came the quiet answer. "but it was an act of the utmost folly to bring a delicate girl on such an errand. i cannot imagine what your captain was thinking of when he agreed to it." "wot's that, mister?" demanded coke. now that his fit of rage had passed, the bulky skipper of the _andromeda_ was red-faced and imperturbable as usual. the manifold perils he had passed through showed no more lasting effect on him than a shower of sleet on the thick hide of the animal he so closely resembled. "are _you_ the captain?" said the other. "yes, sir. an' i'd like to 'ear w'y my ship or 'er present trip wasn't fit for enny young leddy, let alone----" "that is a matter for you to determine. i suppose you know best how to conduct your own business. my only concern is with the outcome of your rashness. why did you deliberately sacrifice your ship in that manner?" the speaker's cut-glass style of english left his hearers in no doubt as to what he had said. during the tense silence that reigned for a few seconds even some among the crew pricked their ears, while hozier and iris forgot other troubles in their new bewilderment. there were reasons why the drift of the stranger's words should be laid deeply to heart by three people present. coke, at any rate, found himself nearer a state of pallid nervousness than ever before in the course of a variegated life. it was impossible that he should actually grow pale, but his brick-red features assumed a purple tint, and his fiery little eyes glinted. "wot are you a-drivin' at, mister?" he growled at last, after trying vainly to expectorate and compromising the effort in a husky gargle. "do you deny, then, that you acted like a madman? do you say that you did not know quite well the risk you ran in bringing your vessel to the island in broad daylight?" then coke found his breath. "risk!" he roared. "risk in steamin' to an anchorage an' sendin' a boat ashore for water? there seems to be a lot of mad folk loose just now on fernando noronha, but i'm not one of 'em, an' that's as much as i can say for enny of you--damme if it ain't." evidently the portuguese was not accustomed to the direct form of conversation in vogue among british master mariners. he bent his piercing gaze on coke's angry if somewhat flustered countenance, and there was a perceptible stiffening of voice and manner when he said: "who are you, then? who sent you here?" "i'm captain james coke, of the british ship _andromeda_, that's 'oo _i_ am, an' i was sent 'ere, or leastways to the river plate, by david verity an' co., of liverpool." it must not be forgotten that coke shared with his employer a certain unclassical freedom in the pronunciation of the ship's name; the long "e" apparently puzzled the other man. "_andromeeda_?" he muttered. "spell it!" "my godfather, this is an asylum for sure," grunted coke, in a spasm of furious mirth. "a-n-d-r-o-m-e-d-a. now you've got it. ain't it up to portygee standard? a-n-d-r-o-m-e-d-a! 'ow's that for the bloomin' spellin' bee?" but coke's humor made no appeal. the staring, brilliant eyes fixed on him did not relax their vigilance, nor did any trace of emotion exhibit itself in that calm voice. "you are unlucky, captain coke, most unlucky," it said. "i regret my natural mistake, which, it seems, was shared by the authorities of fernando do noronha. you have blundered into a nest of hornets, and, as a result, you have been badly stung. let me explain matters. i am dom corria antonio de sylva, ex-president of the republic of brazil. there is, at this moment, a determined movement on foot on the mainland to replace me in power, and, with that object in view, efforts are being made to secure my escape from the convict settlement in which my enemies have imprisoned me. i and two faithful followers are here in hiding. my friend, capitano salvador de san benavides," and he bowed with much dignity toward the uniformed officer, "came here two days ago in a felucca to warn me that a steamer would lie to about a mile south of the island to-night. the steamer's name is _andros-y-mela_--it is rather like the name of your unhappy vessel--so much alike that the _andromeda_ has been sunk by mistake. that is all." coke, listening to this explanation with the virtuous wrath of a knave who discovers that he has been wrongfully suspected, bristled now with indignation. "oh, that's all, is it?" he cried sarcastically. "no, sir, it ain't all, nor 'arf, nor quarter. let me tell you that no crimson pirate on gawd's earth can blow a british ship off the 'igh seas an' then do the dancin'-master act, with 'is 'and on 'is 'eart, an' say it was just a flamin' mistake. all! says you? don't you believe it. there's a lot more to come yet, take my tip--a devil of a lot, or i'm the biggest lunatic within a ten-mile circle of w'ere i'm stannin', which is givin' long odds to any other crank in the whole creation." and coke was right, though he little guessed then why he was so thoroughly justified in assuming that he and the other survivors of the _andromeda_ had not yet gone through half, or quarter, or more than a mere curtain-raising prelude to the strange human drama in which they were destined to be the chief actors. chapter vi between the brazilian devil and the deep atlantic there was an awkward pause. coke, rascal though he was, and pot-bellied withal, was no falstaff. rather did he suggest the present-day atavism of some robber baron of the middle ages, whose hectoring speech bubbled forth from a stout heart. but the ragged ex-president heeded him not. after a moment of placid scrutiny of his enraged countenance by those bright, watchful eyes, coke might have been non-existent so far as recognition of his outburst was apparent during the sonorous discussion that ensued between dom corria antonio de sylva and the señor capitano salvador de san benavides. the latter, it is true, betrayed excitement. at first he favored iris with a deprecatingly admiring glance, as one who would say, "dear lady, accept my profound regret and respectful homage." but that phase quickly passed. his leader was not a man to waste words, and the gallant captain's expressive face soon showed that he had grasped the essential facts. they did not please him. in fact, he was distinctly cowed, almost stunned, by his companion's revelations. it fell to de sylva to explain matters to his unexpected guests. "my friend agrees with me that it is only fair that the exact position should be revealed to you," he said, addressing coke, though a dignified gesture invited the others to share his confidence. "it don't take much tellin'," began coke. de sylva silenced him with an emphatic hand. "please attend. the situation is not so simple as you seem to imagine. the loss of your ship cannot be dealt with here. it raises issues of international law which can only be settled by courts and governments. you know, i suppose, that nothing will be done until a complaint is lodged by a british minister, and that hinges upon the very doubtful fact that you will ever again see your own country." the ex-president certainly had the knack of expressing himself clearly. those concluding words rang like a knell. they even called watts back from the slumber of unconsciousness; the "chief" stirred himself where he lay on the floor of the cavern, and began to quaver. "----twelve old salts an' the skipper's lass marooned in the spanish main, o. sing hay----" coke, taken by surprise, was unable to stop this warbling earlier. but his hand clutched watts's shoulder, and his venomous whisper of "shut up, you ijjit!" was so unmistakable that the lyric ceased. de sylva seemed to be aware of some peculiarity in the symptoms of the wounded man's recovery, but he continued speaking in the same balanced tone. "it happens, by idle chance, that my enemies have become yours. the men who destroyed your ship thought they were injuring me. i have just pointed out to capitano de san benavides the precise outcome of this attack. until a few moments ago we shared the delusion that the troops on fernando de noronha believed we were now on our way to a brazilian port. we were mistaken. more than that, we know now that they have obtained news--probably through a traitor to our cause--of the _andros-y-mela's_ voyage. they were prepared for her coming. they had made arrangements to receive her--almost at the place decided on by our friends in brazil. it is more than likely that the _andros-y-mela_ is now lying under the guns of some coast fortress, since the presence of troops and cannon on this side of the island is unprecedented." "i don't see wot all this 'as to do with me," blurted out coke determinedly. "no. it would not concern you in the least if you were safe at sea. but, since you are here, it does concern you most gravely. from one point of view, you served my cause well by preparing to lower a boat. you misled my persecutors as to locality, at least. of course, i saw you, and thought you were mad, but your action did help to conceal from the soldiers the secret of my true hiding-place. i wish to be candid with you. if my friends and i had realized that you were here by accident, we ought to have taken no steps to save you." "really!" snarled coke, eying the unruffled brazilian much as an andulusian bull might glare at a picador. a buzz of angry whispering came from the crew. even iris flashed a disdainful glance at the man who uttered this atrocious sentiment. de sylva raised his hand. he permitted himself the luxury of a wintry smile. "pray, do not misunderstand me," he said. "i am humane as most others, but it is difficult to decide whether or not mere humanity, setting aside self-interest, would not rather condemn you to the speedy death of the wreck than drag you to the worse fate that awaits you here. and please remember that we did succor you, thus risking observation and a visit by the troops when the sea permits a landing. but that is not the true issue. an hour ago there were four people on this bare rock--four of us who looked for escape to-night. we were supplied with such small necessaries of existence as would enable us to live if our rescuers were delayed for a day, or even two. now, there will be no rescue. we are--" he looked slowly around--"twenty instead of four; but we have the same quantity of stores, which consist of a half-emptied skin of wine, a bunch of bananas, a few scraps of maize bread, and some strips of dried meat. do you follow me?" coke, who had been holding watts in a sitting posture by a firm grip on his collar, allowed the limp figure to sprawl headlong again. he wanted to plunge both hands deeply into his trousers pockets, because men of his type associate attitude so closely with thought that the one is apt to become almost dependent on the other. and so, for the moment, the safeguarding of watts was of no consequence. but watts had benefited much by the sousing of the spray, while his recovery was expedited by the forcible ejection of the salt water he had swallowed. he raised himself on one hand, and looked about with an inquiring eye. the brazilian officer's uniform seemed to fascinate him. "'ello!" he gurgled. "run in? well i'm----" "is not that man wounded? i thought i saw him dashed against the rocks," said de sylva. "'e ought to be," said coke, "but 'e's on'y drunk. a skin o' rum, 'arf empty, too, just like your skin o' wine, mister." "let him be taken outside and gagged if he resists." there was an uneasy movement among the men. their common impulse was to obey. coke spread his feet a little apart. "leave 'im alone. 'e'll do no 'arm now," he said. "i cannot be interrupted," cried de sylva, whose iron self-restraint seemed to be yielding before british truculence. "i'll keep 'im quiet but i can't 'ave 'im roasted afore 'is time, an' that's wot's 'ul 'appen if you tied him up in that gulley." "thanke'ee, skipper. you allus were a reel pal," murmured watts. coke bent over him. "if your tongue don't stop waggin' it'll soon be stickin' out between yer teeth," he hissed. "this ain't no fancy lock-up in the east injia dock road, arthur, me boy. they won't bring you a pint of cocoa 'ere, an' ax if you're comfortable. you 'aven't long to live accordin' to all accounts, so just close your mouth an' open your ears, an' mebbe you'll know w'y." de sylva regained his self-possession with a rapidity that was significant. he had not climbed to the presidential chair of the republic from a clerkship in the london embassy of the empire without acquiring the habit of estimating his fellow men speedily and accurately. here was one who might be led, but would never permit himself to be driven. moreover, this dethroned ruler was by way of being a philosopher. "i hate drunkards," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "you cannot trust them. if i had been surrounded by trustworthy men, i should not----" he broke off. there was a sound of hurrying footsteps on the steep pathway. a figure, clad in rags that surpassed even de sylva's, appeared in the entrance. a brief colloquy took place. de sylva's eager questions were answered in monosyllables, or the nearest approach thereto. "marcel tells me that one of your boats is drifting away with a man lying in the bottom," came the uneasy explanation. coke's face showed a degree of surprise, which, in his case, was almost invariably akin to disbelief, but an exclamation from hozier drew all eyes. "good lord!" he cried, "that must be the lifeboat i was trying to clear when the ship struck. macfarlane was helping me, but he was hit by a bullet and dropped across the thwarts. i thought he was dead!" "dead or alive, he is better off than we," said de sylva. he questioned marcel again briefly. "there can be no doubt that the man in the boat cast off the lashings when he found that the ship was sinking," he continued in english. "marcel saw him doing that, and wondered why he was alone. at any rate, if he is carried beyond the reef, he has a fighting chance. we have none." "why not? are these men on the island so deaf to human sympathies that they would murder all of us in cold blood?" the girl's sweet, low-pitched voice sounded inexpressibly sad in that vaulted place. even de sylva's studied control gave way before its music. he uttered some anguished appeal to the deity in his own tongue, and flung out his hands impulsively. "what would you have me say?" he cried, and his eyes blazed, while the scar on his forehead darkened with the gust of passion that swept over his strong features. "i might lie to you, and try to persuade you that we can exist here without food or water, whereas to-morrow, or next day at the utmost, will see most of us dead. but in a few hours you will realize what it means to be kept on this bare rock under a tropical sun. you can do one thing. your party greatly outnumbers mine. climb to the top-most pinnacle and signal to the island. you will soon be seen." he laughed with a savage irony that was not good to hear, but coke caught at the suggestion. "even that is better'n tearin' one another like mad dogs," he growled. "i know wot's comin'. i've seen it wonst." hozier made for the exit, where marcel stood, irresolute, apparently waiting for orders. "where are you going?" demanded de sylva. "to see what is becoming of the lifeboat." "better not. you cannot help your friend, and the instant it becomes known to the troops that there is a living soul on the grand-père rock they will come in a steam launch and shoot everyone at sight." "will that be the answer to our signal?" it was iris who asked the question, and the brazilian's voice softened again. "yes," he said. "why, then, do you advise us to seek our own destruction?" he bowed. his manner was almost humble. "it is the easier way," he murmured. "is there no other?" "none--unless we attack two hundred soldiers with sticks, and stones, and three revolvers, and a sword." hozier came back. he had merely stepped a pace or two into the sunlight. through the northerly dip of the gulley he had seen the ship's boat whirled past an islet by the fierce current. macfarlane was not visible. perhaps that was better so. at any rate, the sight of the small craft vanishing behind one of the island barriers brought home with telling force the predicament of those who remained. now that the sheer frenzy of the wreck had relaxed, philip's head was like to split with the throbbing anguish of the blow he had received. but his mind was clearer. de sylva's words, amplifying his own vague recollection of the scene on board the _andromeda_, enabled him to construct a picture of events as they were. and his blood boiled when he thought of iris, snatched many times from death, only to face it once more in the ravening form of starvation and thirst. "attack!" he said hoarsely. "how is that possible? a deep and wide channel separates us from the main island." the brazilian, who seemed to have argued himself into a state of stoic despair, gave a startling answer. "we have a boat, a sort of boat," he said quietly. "how many will it hold?" "three, in a smooth sea, and with skilled handling. it nearly overturned when i and two others crossed from the island, a distance of three hundred yards." "but we have ropes, clothes, perhaps some few pieces of wreckage. can nothing be done to repair it?" "meaning that we draw lots to see who shall endeavor to escape to-night?" "the men might even do that." "ah, yes--the men, of course. i think it hopeless. but, try it! yes, certainly, try it!" a pause, more eloquent than the most impassioned speech, showed how this frail straw, eddying in the vortex of their fate, might yet be clutched at. san benavides, trying vainly to guess what was being said, blurted forth an anxious inquiry. his compatriot explained briefly. somehow, the measured cadence of their talk had a less reliable sound than the vigorous anglo-saxon. they were both brave men. they had not scrupled to risk their lives in an enterprise where success beckoned even doubtingly. but they were lacking when all that remained to be settled was how best to die; in such an hour the men of an english speaking race will ever choose a fighting death. this time, it was a woman who decided. iris rose to her feet. she brushed back the strands of damp hair from her face, and with deft hands made a rough-and-ready coil of her abundant tresses. "are you planning to send me with two others adrift in a boat, while seventeen men are left here?" she asked. the brazilian ceased speaking. there was another uneasy pause. hozier felt that the question was addressed to him, but he was tongue-tied, almost shame-faced. coke, however, did not shirk the task of enlightening her. "something like that," he said. "we can't let you cut in with the rest of us, missy. that wouldn't be reasonable. but it's best to fix the business fair an' square. we ain't agoin' to try any other way, not so long as _i'm_ skipper," and he looked with brutal frankness at de sylva and the anxious but uncomprehending san benavides. the ex-president knew what he meant; even in his despondency he resented the implied slur on his good faith. "you cannot examine the boat until darkness sets in," he said. "then you will find out how frail a foundation you are building on. it is absolutely ridiculous to assume that she can be made seaworthy. her occupants would be drowned before they were clear of the islands." "in any case, i refuse to go," said iris. de sylva smiled gloomily. "you are courageous, senhora, and, in some respects, you are wise," he said. "yet . . . i must admit it . . . i would urge you to select the boat--in preference . . ." marcel, the brazilian who had come to tell them of the drifting life-boat, turned away from the mouth of the cavern, and scrambled down the ravine. "wot's 'e after?" demanded coke, suddenly suspicious. "he and domingo are keeping a lookout," said de sylva. "if the soldiers intend to visit us we should at least be warned. the boat is hidden among the rocks on the landward side," he added, not without a touch of scorn. "that man has taught us our own duty," cried iris. "the boat that brought these men to this rock can bring nineteen men and a woman to fernando noronha. we must land there to-night. with those to guide us who know the coast, surely that should be possible. we have a right to struggle for our lives. we, of the _andromeda_, at least, have done no wrong to the cruel wretches who sought to kill us without mercy to-day. why should we not endeavor to defend ourselves? there is food there, and guns in plenty. let us take them. above all, let us not dream of any such useless device as this proposal to send three to drown somewhere in the sea and leave seventeen to perish miserably here. we are in god's hands. let us trust to him, but while doing that fully and fearlessly, we must seek life, not death." "bully for you, miss!" roared a sailor, and a growl of admiration rang through the cave. instantly a hubbub of talk showed how intent the crew had been on the previous discussion, but coke shouted them into silence. "oo axed wot _you_ think, you swabs?" he bellowed. "stow your lip! sink me, if you don't all do as you're bid, an' keep still tongues in your 'eds, i'll want to know w'y--p.d.q." a big, blond norwegian, hans olsen by name, strode forward. unlike the usual self-contained norseman, he was reputed a "sea-lawyer" in the forecastle. "we haf somedings ter zay for our lifes, yez," he protested. coke bent and butted him violently in the stomach with his head. the man crashed against the rocky wall, and sat dazed where he had fallen. "you've got to obey orders--savvy?" growled coke. "yez," gasped olsen, evidently fearing a further assault. the incident ended. its outstanding feature was the amazing activity displayed by the burly skipper, who had rammed his man before the big fellow could lift a finger. it might be expected that iris would show some sign of dismay, owing to this unlooked-for violence. but she was now beyond the reach of merely feminine emotions. she had protested against the kicking of watts because it seemed to lack motive, because watts was helpless, and because she herself was half-delirious at the time. olsen's attitude, on the other hand, hinted at mutiny, and mutiny must be repressed at any cost. de sylva's incisive accents helped to bridge a moment fraught with possibilities, for it would be idle to assume that this polyglot gathering was composed of bayards. self-preservation is apt to prove stronger than chivalry under such circumstances. let it be assumed that three among the twenty could escape that night, and it was horribly true that the field of selection might be narrowed by a wild-beast struggle long before the sun went down. "the young lady has at least given us a project," he said. "it is a desperate one, heaven knows! it offers a fantastic chance, and i can see no other, but--what can we do without arms?" "use our heads," put in hozier. he had not the slightest intention of making a light-hearted joke at that crisis in their affairs, but he happened to look at coke, and an involuntary smile gleamed through the crust of clotted blood and perspiration that gave his good-looking face a most sinister aspect. the irishman cackled with laughter. "begob, that's wan for the skipper," he crowed; then some of the others grinned, and the _andromeda's_ little company stood four-square again to the winds of adversity. having blundered into prominence, the second mate was quick to see that he must hammer home the facts, though in more serious vein. "bring us to the island, senhor de sylva," he said, "and we will make a fight of it. in any case, even if we fail, they will not deliberately kill a woman. there must be other women there who will intervene in behalf of one of their own sex. but we may succeed. it is improbable that the whole of the troops will be gathered in one spot. why should we not take some small detachment by surprise and secure their weapons? if we can land unobserved, we ought to be able to drop on them apparently from the skies. i take it that the presence here of captain san benavides is unknown, and the leadership of an officer in the enemy's own uniform should turn the scale in our favor. have you no followers among the troops or islanders? suppose we make good our first attack, and seize a strong position--isn't it probable we may receive assistance from your partisans?" "perhaps--among the convicts," was de sylva's grim reply. "no officials, or soldiers?" "not one. they are chosen for this service on account of their animosity against the former government. how else could you account for their treatment of unarmed men on a ship crippled by their first shell?" "you spoke of a steam launch. where is that kept?" "at a wharf under the walls of the citadel which commands the town and anchorage." "assuming we have a stroke of luck and rush some outpost, would it be possible to cross the island before dawn and board the launch or some other craft in which we can put to sea?" "there is only the launch, and some small fishing catamarans. no other boats are allowed to exist on the island, in order to prevent the escape of convicts. the boat we possess is really a badly-constructed catamaran, without a sail, and minus the out-rigger which alone renders it safe for the shortest voyage." "wy didn't you say that sooner, mister?" put in coke. "if some of these jokers knew wot sort of craft it was, mebbe it wouldn't 'ave needed a shove in the stommick to bring hans olsen to heel." "i am sorry," said de sylva. "you see, i realized the utter folly of trying to escape in that fashion." the two men looked each other squarely in the eye. the ex-president of a great republic and the master of a worn-out tramp steamer were both born leaders of men. whatsoever prospect of a cabal existed previously, it was scotched now, beyond doubt. henceforth, no matter what ills threatened, surely the little army mustered on the grand-père rock would stand or fall together! an unerring token of unity was forthcoming at once. "please, miss, an' gents all, may we smoke?" pleaded a voice. iris was for an immediate permission, but de sylva shook his head. "not until the tide falls," he said. "there is a very real fear of a visit from the launch. it has passed this spot four times during the past two days--ever since my absence was discovered, in fact. the soldiers have searched every outlying island, but they have avoided grand-père because it is believed that a landing is highly dangerous if not quite impracticable. my friend marcel, a fisherman, discovered by accident the only safe means of reaching the path which winds round the island. happily, the wretch who betrayed the mission of the _andros-y-mela_ did not know the secret of my refuge. and i see now that the governor must be convinced that i am still hiding among the cliffs, or your vessel would not have appeared off south point this morning. no, there must be no smoking as yet. in this clear air the slightest cloud might be seen rising above the rocks from without." marcel reappeared at the entrance. with him was another man, whom hozier remembered seeing when he was hauled up from the ship with iris. "ah, i was not mistaken," went on de sylva. "here comes news of the launch! they have signaled for it across the island." marcel entered the cave with an expressive gesture, for long habit had almost robbed him of his native vivacity. his companion, domingo, climbed the opposite wall of the ravine and stretched himself at full length in a niche where there was room for a man to lie. some tufts of rough grass grew there in sufficient density to conceal his head while he peered between the stalks. they could see him quite plainly, but no one wanted to speak. though the unceasing wash of a heavy swell against the rocks would have drowned the noise had they shouted in unison, there was no need to tell anyone present that a very real and dangerous crisis had arrived. the slow change in the direction of domingo's gaze showed the approach and passing of the hostile vessel. it was evident that a long halt was made in the channel close to the wreck, of which some fragments remained above water. still, curiously enough, it was impossible for those on board the launch to read the ship's name, since the word "_andromeda_," twice embossed on the sharp cut-water, was hidden by the jutting rocks on both sides of the cleft. but it was not the fear of instant death following on the discovery that the grand-père islet was inhabited that kept tongues mute and ears on the alert during a quarter of an hour that seemed to be protracted to a quarter of a day. at present they were shut off from hostile bullets by the walls of a fortress stronger than any that could be built by men's hands. the greater danger was that the enemy's suspicions might be aroused. let those who held fernando noronha with the armed forces of brazil once come to regard the isolated rock in mid channel as providing even a possible refuge for the ex-president and his friends, and it would mean the complete overthrow of the slender chance of saving their lives that still offered itself. so they waited in silence, watching the rigid figure of the prostrate brazilian, just as those among them who were saved from the _andromeda_ had watched the arch of spray and spindrift from the slowly sinking forecastle. at last domingo turned his head slightly, and gave them a reassuring little nod. he said something, which de sylva translated. "they have a photograph of the wreck," he said, "and are now steaming through the northerly channel to the anchorage on the west side of the island. most fortunately, they do not seem to be aware of your drifting boat." then he added, with a courtliness that was so incongruous with his unkempt appearance and patched and tattered garments;--"if the senhora permits, the men may smoke now. in another hour the channel will not be navigable. we have a hot and tiring day before us, and i advise sleep for those to whom it is vouchsafed. if the weather continues to improve, the next tide will bring us a smooth sea. given that, and a dark night--well--we may make history. who knows?" chapter vii cross purposes though iris gave such warlike counsel, it would be doing her a grave injustice to assume that her gentle disposition was changed because of the day's sufferings. the erstwhile light-hearted schoolgirl and youthful mistress of her uncle's house had been subjected to dynamic influences. the ordeal through which she had passed, unscathed bodily but seared in spirit, had left her strung to a tense pitch. relaxation had not come--as yet. she only knew that she resented to the uttermost the brazilians' malevolent fury. hers was a nature that could not endure unfairness. it was unfair of david verity to seek to mend his shattered fortunes by forcing her into a hateful marriage; unfair of both verity and coke to found their new venture on a great fraud; and monstrously unfair of these island factionaries to vent their spite on an innocent ship. so, for the hour, she was inspired. it is the high-souled enthusiast who devotes life itself to a cause; those who practice oppression have ever most to beware of in the man or woman whose conscience will not condone a wrong. of course, in this present clash of emotions, iris little understood what her advice really meant. she was appealing to heaven rather than to the force of arms. to one of her temperament, it seemed incredible that a number of inoffensive strangers should be slaughtered because a south american republic could not agree in choosing a president. such a thing was unheard of in her previous experience, built on no more solid foundation than the humdrum existence of brussels and bootle. and the inhabitants of neither brussels nor bootle settle their political differences by shooting casual visitors at sight. oddly enough, the only professional soldier present condemned her project roundly when it was mooted. "in leaving the island to-night you are acting on an assumption," protested captain san benavides to his chief. "you cannot be sure that the _andros-y-mela_ will not appear. the arrangement is that she is to send a boat here soon after midnight, yet, if this mad scheme of an attack on armed troops by unarmed men is persisted in, we must begin to ferry to the island long before that hour. in all probability, we shall be discovered at once. at the very moment that our friends are eagerly awaiting us on board the ship we may be lying dead on the island. the notion is preposterous. be guided by me, dom corria, and decline to have anything to do with it. better still, let these english boors promise to forget that we are alive; then marcel can guide them to the landing-place, where they will be shot speedily and comfortably. there is no sense in sacrificing the girl. she must be kept here on some pretext." the ex-president took thought before he answered. he did not deny himself that the confident air of these hard-bitten sailors made strong appeal to his judgment. he had his own reasons for distrusting some among his professed supporters, and he did not share his military aide's opinion as to the coming of the promised vessel. "there is a good deal in what you say, senhor adjudante," he announced after his bright eyes had dwelt on san benavides' expressive face in thoughtful scrutiny. "in england they have a proverb that a man cannot both run with the hare and hunt with the hounds, but such maxims are not framed for would-be presidents. i fear we must fall in with our allies' views, _faute de mieux_. you and i have to lead a headstrong army. that little hercules of a commander is stubborn as a mule--a mule that has the strength and courage of a wild boar. the younger man thinks only of the girl's safety. he, at least, will not consent to leave her. both, backed by their crew, will not scruple to sacrifice us if their interests point that way. trust me to twist them into the course that shall best serve our own needs. i am now going to tell them that you approve of their plan." forthwith he launched out into an english version of the excellent captain's comments. his precise, well-turned periods were admirable. their marked defect was that he said the exact contrary to san benavides. iris, having a born aptitude for languages, spoke french and german with some proficiency. she had also devoted many hours to the study of spanish during the past winter, and it happens that the portuguese of brazil is less unlike spanish than the portuguese of lisbon. in europe, national antipathies serve to accentuate existing differences between the two tongues, but the peoples of the south american seaboard feel the need of a common speech, and local conditions have standardized many words. hence, the spanish language will serve all ordinary purposes among the latin races who have made their own the vast continent that stretches from panama to tierra del fuego. so the girl's super-active brain was puzzled by de sylva's rendering of his military friend's remarks. with the vaguest knowledge of what was actually said, she suspected that san benavides had opposed the very project which, according to the president, he favored. she had caught the name of the relief vessel, the words _bote_, "boat," _las doce_, "twelve o'clock," _à bordo de buque_, "on board the ship," and others which did not figure in the translation. she wondered why. the long day wore slowly. the heat was intense. even the hardened sailors soon found that if the atmosphere of the cavern were to remain endurable they might not smoke. so pipes were extinguished, and they tried to better their condition. water-soaked coats and boots placed in the sun were dry in a few minutes. iris was persuaded to allow her dress to be treated in this manner. she was still wearing the heavy ulster of the early morning--when the aftermath of the gale was chill and searching--and the possession of this outer wrap made easy the temporary discarding of a skirt and blouse. unhappily, she answered in french some simple query of the dapper officer's. thenceforth, to her great bewilderment and hozier's manifest annoyance, he pestered her with compliments and inquiries. to avoid both, she expressed a longing for sleep. it seemed to her excited imagination that she would never be able to sleep again, yet her limbs were scarcely composed in comfort on a litter of coarse grass and parched seaweed than her eyes closed in the drowsiness of sheer exhaustion. this respite was altogether helpful. she had slept but little during the gale, and its tremendous climax had surprised her vitality at a low ebb. when she awoke, the ravine was in shadow and the interior of the cave was dark. her first conscious sensation was that of almost intolerable thirst. her lips were blistered, her tongue and palate sore, and she asked herself in alarm what new evil was afflicting her, until she remembered the drenching she had received and the amount of salt-laden air that had passed into her lungs. nevertheless, she cried involuntarily for water, and again she was offered wine. she managed to smile in a strained fashion at this malicious humor of fortune. by a freak of memory she called to mind the somewhat similar predicament of the crew of a storm-tossed ship that she had once read about. they ran short of water, but the vessel carried hundreds of cases of bottled stout. during three long weeks of boating against the wind those wretched men were compelled to drink stout morning, noon, and night, and never did temperance argument apply with greater force to the seafaring community than toward the end of that enforced regimen of malt liquor. hozier, who had aroused her by touching her shoulder, fancied he saw the gleam of merriment in her face. "what is amusing you?" he asked. she told him, though she spoke with difficulty. "it is not quite so bad as that," he said. "if there is no hitch in our plans, we should be on the island within five hours. we have everything thought out as far as may be in view of the unknown. at any rate, miss yorke, if we succeed in getting you safely ashore, you personally will have but slight cause for further anxiety. the proposal is that marcel shall take you at once to the hut of an old convict whom he can trust----" "a convict!" she gasped. the word was ominous, and she was hardly awake. "the population of fernando noronha is almost entirely made of convicts and soldiers," he explained. "but am i to be left there alone?" "what else is there to be done? you cannot join in the attack on a fort--and that offers our only chance, it would seem. granted an effective surprise, we may carry it. then your guardian will bring you to us." "what if you fail?" "we must not fail," he said quietly. "please do not hide the alternative from me," she pleaded. "i have endured so much----" "well, don't you see, this man--who, by the way, is married, and has a daughter aged fourteen--will, if necessary, reveal your presence to the governor. by that time, say, in a day or two, the excitement will have died down, the news of your escape will be cabled to england, you will be sent to the coast on the government steamer, and you can travel home by the next mail." "that sounds very simple--and european," she said, and the pathetic sarcasm was not lost on him. "it is reasonable enough. unfortunately for us, all the bother centers round senhor de sylva, to whom we owe our lives. he is outside at the moment, showing our skipper the lay of the land before the light fails, so i am free to speak plainly. when he is dead there will be no further trouble, till the next revolution. but why endeavor to look ahead when seeing is impossible? at present, what really presses is the necessity that you should eat and drink. we have shared out the whole of the available food. here is your portion. we deemed it best to give the men one square meal. they know now that they must earn the next one." with each instant her perceptive powers were quickening. she was aware that he had deliberately avoided the main issue. de sylva's probable death implied a good deal, but it was the supreme test of her courage that she refrained from useless questioning. yet she thrust aside the two bananas and supply of dried meat and crusts that hozier placed before her. "i cannot eat," she murmured, striving to control her voice. "but you must. it is imperative. you would not wish to break down at the very moment your best energies will be in demand. our lives, as well as your own, may depend on your strength. come, miss yorke, no woman could have been pluckier than you. don't fail us now." the gloom was deepening momentarily. hozier's back was turned to the entrance, and, in the ever-growing darkness, she was unable to see his face; but his anxious protest in no wise deceived her; she even smiled again at the ruse that attempted to saddle her with some measure of responsibility for the success or failure of the raid. "if i promise to eat--and drink this sour wine--will you be candid?" she asked. "well----" "one must bargain. there is no other way. . . . promise!" "i suppose you mean that i must agree to please you by wild guessing about events that may turn out quite differently." "candid, i said." "yes--that most certainly." "in the first place, may we go into the fresh air? i must have slept many hours. what time is it?" "about seven o'clock." "seven! have i been lying here since goodness knows what time this morning?" "you were thoroughly used up," he said, and he added, with a laugh: "if it is any consolation, i may tell you that, to the best of my belief, you never moved nor uttered a sound." "for instance, i didn't snore," she cried, rising to her feet, and thanking the kindly night that veiled her untidiness. "i--don't--think so." "oh, please be more positive than that. you send a cold shiver down my back." "several members of the _andromeda's_ crew also indulged in a prolonged siesta," he said. "i assure you it was almost out of the question to divide the sleepers into snorers and non-snorers." a man will talk harmless nonsense of that sort when he is at his wit's end to wriggle out of a perplexing situation. hozier was deputed to obtain the girl's consent to the proposal he had already put before her. he feared that she would refuse compliance, for he understood her fine temper better than the others. he was a young man--one but little versed in the ways of women--yet some instinct warned him that there was a nobility in iris yorke's nature that might set self at naught and urge her to share her companions' lot, even though certain death were the outcome. they passed together through the cavern. watts, sound asleep, was lying there. the majority of the men were seated on the rocks without, or lounging near the entrance. they were smoking now freely, the only stipulation being that matches were not to be struck in the open. their whispered talk ceased when they saw the girl. absorbed in the prospect of a fight for life, for the moment they had forgotten her, but a murmured tribute of sympathy and recognition greeted her appearance. the irishman found his tongue first. "begorrah, miss," he said, "but it's the proud man i'll be the next time i see you smilin' from the kay side at liverpool, no matter whether i'm there meself or not." no one laughed at the absurd phrase which so clearly expressed its meaning. but the ship's cook, peter, noting the strips of dried meat in her hands, raised a grin by saying: "sorry the galley fire is out, miss, or i'd 'ave stewed 'em a bit." this kindly badinage was gratifying, though it helped to reveal the interrupted topic of their conversation. there was no hiding the desperate character of the coming adventure. the _andromeda's_ crew did not attempt to minimize it. the choice offered lay only in the manner of their death. as to the prospect of ultimate escape, they hardly gave it a thought. some among them had served in the armies of europe, and they, at least, were under no delusion concerning the issue of an attack on a fort by less than a score of unarmed men--seventeen to be exact, since two of the ship's company were so maimed by the bursting of the shell on the forecastle as to be practically helpless; it was by the rarest good fortune that they were able to walk. iris smiled at them in her frank way. "i hope you will all be spared to ship on a new _andromeda_," she said. no sooner had the words left her lips than the thought came unbidden: "if my uncle and captain coke wished the ship to be thrown away, nothing could have better suited their purposes than this tragic error." for the instant, the unforeseen outcome of that sunday afternoon's plotting in the peaceful garden of linden house held her imagination. she recalled each syllable of it, and there throbbed in her brain the hitherto undreamed of possibility that coke had brought the _andromeda_ to fernando noronha in pursuance of his thievish project. at once she whispered to hozier: "is there anyone on the path below?" "no," he said. "the brazilians are with coke at the top of the gully." "is it safe for us to go the other way." "i think so. but you must be careful not to slip." she caught his arm, little knowing the thrill her clasp sent through his frame. this simple gesture of her confidence was bitter-sweet. he resolutely closed his eyes to the knowledge that this might be their last talk. "i shall not fall," she said. "i am a good mountaineer. i learnt the trick of it in cumberland. come with me. there is a pleasant breeze blowing from the sea." they climbed down. neither spoke until they stood on the curving ledge that had proved their salvation. though the tide was rising again, the heavy sea was gone. the current still created some spume and noise as it swept past the reef, but its anger had vanished with the gale. beyond the fringe of broken water a slight swell only served to mirror in countless facets the tender light of a perfect sunset. the eastern horizon was a broad line of silver. nearer, the shadow of the island created bands of purest green and ultramarine. they reached the place from which the brazilians had thrown the rope. they could hear the quiet plash of the water in the cleft. piled against a low-lying rock were the funnel and other debris of the _andromeda_. the black hull was plainly visible beneath the surface. even while they were looking at the wreck a huge fish curled his ten feet of length with stealthy grace from out some dim recess; it might be, perhaps, from out the crushed shell of the chart-room. hozier glanced at his companion. he half expected her to shrink back appalled at this sinister sight; it was her destiny to surprise him not once but many times during that amazing period. "is that a shark?" she asked quietly. "yes. . . . you stipulated for candor, you know." "i had no notion that such a monster could move with so great elegance. i think i would rather be eaten by a shark than lie at the bottom of the sea like our poor vessel there." "even a shark would appreciate the compliment," he said. her eyes continued to watch the terrifying apparition until it prowled into hidden depths again. "i am not sorry i have seen it," she murmured. "it helps one to understand. we are glib concerning the laws of nature, and seem to regard them much as the printed regulations stuck on hackney carriages, whatsoever they may be. yet, how cruelly just they are! i suppose that the finding of the ship's booty by that huge creature has given a new span of life to some weaker fish." hozier did not know whether or not she had realized the shark's real quest. her next words enlightened him. "if we follow the others, will the soldiers throw our dead bodies into the sea?" she asked. "i want you to believe that you will be absolutely safe if we escape being discovered during the crossing of the narrow strip of water that separates this rock from the island," he hastened to say. "that is your only risk, and it is a light one. senhor de sylva is sure that the troops will not keep the keenest lookout to-night. they are still convinced that the insurgent steamer is sunk. our chief danger will date from to-morrow's dawn. marcel reports that a systematic search of the island was begun to-day. it will be continued to-morrow, but on new lines, because, by that time, they will have learnt the truth. the _andros-y-mela_ is not lying in pieces at the foot of this rock, the president has not escaped, and every practicable inch of fernando noronha and the adjacent islands will be scoured in the hope of finding him. at first sight, that looks like being in our favor; in reality, it means the end if we are discovered here. the soldiers will shoot first and inquire afterwards. i have not the slightest doubt but that plenty of evidence will be forthcoming that we were a set of desperadoes who had unlawfully interfered in the affairs of a foreign state." she appeared to be weighing this argument, sitting in judgment on de sylva and his theories. "i want to do that which is for the good of all," she said at length. "do you ask me to go to this convict's house, mr. hozier?" "i urge it on you with the utmost conviction. with you off our hands, we can act freely. we must deliver an attack to-night. god in heaven, you cannot think that we would expose you to the perils of a desperate fight!" his sudden outburst was unexpected, even by himself. he trembled in an agony of passion. iris placed a timid hand on his shoulder. "i will go," she whispered. "please do not be distressed on my account. i will go. i brought you here, not to discuss my own fate, but yours. these brazilians will not scruple to make use of you, and then throw you aside if it suits their purpose. that man, de sylva, does not care how he attains power, and i know that he and the officer entertain some plan which they have not revealed to you." "you . . . _know_." "yes. i understand a little of their language. i have a mere glimpse of its sense, as one sees a landscape through a mist. when de sylva told you to-day that san benavides was with you heart and soul, he was lying. there were things said about a ship, and midnight, and a boat. i watched the officer's face. he was wholly opposed to the landing to-night. my mind is not so vague now. i think i can grasp his meaning. was it not to-night that the _andros-y-mela_ was to appear?" "yes." "well, may they not hope secretly that she will keep to the fixed hour? once you and i and the others are on the island, and an alarm is given, the brazilians could slip away unnoticed. yes, that is it. i do not trust them any more than i trusted captain coke. don't you realize that he brought the _andromeda_ to this place in order to wreck her more easily? it was to supply a pretext for the visit that he made undrinkable the water in the ship's tanks." that appealing hand still rested on philip's shoulder. its touch affected him profoundly. with a lightning dart of memory his thoughts went back to the moment when she lay, inert and half-fainting, in his arms on the bridge, after he had taken her from the lazarette. but he controlled his voice sufficiently to say: "you may be right; indeed, i know you are right, so far as coke is concerned. when i went aft to find out if one of the boats could not be cleared, i noticed that a steering-gear box had been prised open again. i had time for only a second's glance, but i was sure the damage had not been done by a bullet. so the _andromeda_ was doomed to be lost, no matter what happened. by ----, forgive me, miss yorke, but this kind of thing makes one savage." "perhaps it is matterless now. coke will stand by the rest of us in our struggle for life, at any rate. but the brazilians----" "have no fear of them. i, too, have watched san benavides. i don't like the fellow, and wouldn't place an ounce of faith in him, but de sylva has brains, and he knows well enough that no ship from brazil will come to fernando noronha in his behalf. in fact, he dreads a visit by a government vessel, in which event our frail chance of seizing that launch----" she felt, rather than saw, that he had suddenly grown rigid. his right arm flew out and drew her to him. "sh-s-s-h!" he breathed, and pulled her behind a rock. her woman's heart yielded to dread of the unseen. it pulsed violently, and she was tempted to scream. despite his warning, she must at least have whispered a question, but her ears caught a sound to which they were now well accustomed. the light chug-chug of an engine and the flapping of a propeller came up to them from the sea. the steam launch was approaching. perhaps they had been seen already! as if to emphasize this new peril, there was an interval of silence. steam had been shut off. philip touched the girl's lips lightly with a finger. then he lay flat on the ledge and began to creep forward. it was impossible that he should run and warn the others, but it was essential, above all else, that he should ascertain what the men on the launch were doing, and the extent of their knowledge. he found a tuft of the grass that clung to a crevice where its roots drew hardy sustenance from the crumbling rock; he ventured to thrust his head through this screen, following domingo's example some hours earlier. almost directly beneath, his eager glance found the little vessel. she was floating past with the current. he peered down on to her deck as if from the top of a mast. a few cigarette-smoking officers were grouped in her bows. apparently, they were more interested in the remains of the _andromeda_ than in the natural fortress overhead. clustered round the hatch were some twenty soldiers, also smoking. one of the officers pointed to the ledge; he was excited and emphatic. philip could not imagine that they had detected him, but he feared lest iris, in her agitation, might have moved. in that clear, calm air, not even the growing dusk would hide the flutter of a skirt or the altered position of a white face. a man in charge of the wheel replied to the officer with a laugh. the first speaker turned, glanced at the brothers reef, behind which the _andromeda's_ boat had vanished that morning, and nodded dubiously. the man at the wheel growled an order, and the engine started again. though hozier knew not what was said, the significance of this pantomime was not lost on him. the local pilot was afraid of these treacherous waters in the dark, but next day frade de francez (which is the islanders' name for the grand-père rock) would surely be explored if a landing could be made. at a guess, the silent watcher took it that the steersman had declined to make a circuit of the rock until the light was good. away bustled the launch, but hozier did not move until there was no risk of his figure being silhouetted against the sky. even then, he wormed his way backward with slow caution. iris was crouched where he had left her, wide-eyed, motionless. "good job we came here," he said. "it is evident they mean to maintain a patrol until there is news of de sylva one way or the other. it will be interesting now to hear what the gallant san benavides says. if any ship comes to fernando noronha to-night she will be seen from the island long before any signal is visible at this point." "do you think the others saw the launch?" she asked. "no--not unless some of the men strayed down the gully, which they were told not to do. the breakers would drown the noise of the engines and screw." there was a slight pause. "will you tell them?" she went on. "why not?" this time the pause was more eloquent than words. quite unconsciously, iris replied to her own question. "of course, as you said a little while ago, we owe our lives to dom corria de sylva," she murmured, as if she were reasoning with herself. by chance, probably because hozier stooped to help her to her feet, his arm rested lightly across her shoulders. "i will not pretend to misunderstand you," he said. "if the brazilians do not mean to play the game, it would be a just punishment to let them rush on their own doom. but de sylva may not agree with this fop of an officer, and, in any event, we must go straight with him until he shows his teeth." "you seem to dislike captain san benavides," she said inconsequently. "i regard him as a brainless ass," he exclaimed. "somehow, that sounds like a description of a dead donkey, which one never sees." "mademoiselle!" came a voice from the lip of the ravine. "one can hear him, though," laughed hozier, with a warning pressure that suspiciously resembled a hug. these two were children, in some respects, quicker to jest than to grieve, better fitted for mirth than tragedy. they moved out from their niche, and san benavides blustered into vehement french. "we are going to the landing-place before it is too dark," he muttered angrily. "we must not show a light; in a few minutes the path will be most dangerous. please make haste, mademoiselle. we did not know where you had gone." "the men knew," suggested hozier in the girl's ear. he dared not trust either his temper or his vocabulary. "we shall lose no time, now, monsieur," said iris, hurrying on. "this way then. no, we do not pass the cave. we go right round the cliff. permit me, mademoiselle. i am acquainted with each step." he took her hand. philip followed. he was young enough to long for an opportunity to tell san benavides that he was a puppy, a mongrel puppy. just then he would have given a gun-metal case, filled with cigars--the only treasure he possessed--for a portuguese dictionary. after a really difficult and hazardous descent, they found the others awaiting them in a rock-shrouded cove. the barest standing-room was afforded by a patch of shingle and detritus. alongside a flat stone lay three broad planks tied together with cowhide. the center plank was turned up at one end. this was the catamaran, which de sylva had dignified by the name of boat. the primitive craft rested in a black pool in which the stars trembled, though they were hardly visible as yet in the brighter sky. the water murmured in response to the movement of the tide, but to the unaided eye there was no vestige of a passage through the volcanic barrier that reared itself on every hand. "were 'ave you bin?" growled coke. "we've lost a good ten minnits. you ought to 'ave known, hozier, that it's darkest just after sunset." "we could not have started sooner, sir." "w'y not? we were kep' waitin' up there, searchin' for you." "that was our best slice of luck to-day. had any of you appeared on the ledge you would have been seen from the launch." "wot launch?" "the launch that visited us this morning. ten minutes ago she was standing by at the foot of the rock." philip spoke slowly and clearly. he meant his news to strike home. as he anticipated, de sylva broke in. "you _saw_ it?" he asked, and his deep voice vibrated with dismay. "yes. i even made out, by actions rather than words, that the darkness alone prevented the soldiers from coming here to-night. the skipper would not risk it." de sylva said something under his breath. he spoke rapidly to san benavides, and the latter seemed to be cowed, for his reply was brief. then the ex-president reverted to english. "i have decided to send marcel and domingo ashore first," he said. "they will select the safest place for a landing. marcel will bring back the catamaran, and take off mr. hozier and the young lady. captain coke and i will follow, and the others in such order as senhor benavides thinks fit. the catamaran will only hold three with safety, but marcel believes he can find another for domingo. remember, all of you, silence is essential. if there is an accident, some of us may be called on to drown without a cry. we must be ready to do it for the sake of those who are left. are we all agreed?" a hum of voices answered him. de sylva was, at least, a born leader. chapter viii the rigor of the game in obedience to their leader's order, marcel, the taciturn, and domingo, from whose lips the britons had scarce heard a syllable, squatted on the catamaran. marcel wielded a short paddle, and an almost imperceptible dip of its broad blade sent the strangely-built craft across the pool. once in the shadow, it disappeared completely. there was no visible outlet. the rocks thrust their stark ridge against the sky in a seemingly impassable barrier. some of the men stared at the jagged crests as though they half expected to see the brazilians making a portage, just as travelers in the canadian northwest haul canoes up a river obstructed by rapids. "well, that gives me the go-by," growled coke, whose alert ear caught no sound save the rippling of the water. "i say, mister, 'ow is it done?" he went on. "it is a simple thing when you know the secret," said de sylva. "have you passed fernando noronha before, captain?" "many a time." "have you seen the curious natural canal which you sailors call the hole in the wall?" "yes, it's near the s'uth'ard end." "well, the sea has worn away a layer of soft rock that existed there. in the course of centuries a channel has been cut right across the two hundred yards of land. owing to the same cause the summer rains have excavated a ravine through the crater up above, and a similar passage exists here, only it happens to run parallel to the line of the cliff. it extends a good deal beyond its apparent outlet, and is defended by a dangerous reef. marcel once landed on a rock during a very calm day, and saw the opening. he investigated it, luckily for me--luckily, in fact, for all of us." watts interrupted de sylva's smooth periods by a startled ejaculation, and coke turned on him fiercely. "wot's up now?" he demanded. "ain't you sober yet?" "some dam thing jumped on me," explained watts. "probably a crab," said de sylva. "there are jumping crabs all around here. it will not hurt you. it is quite a small creature." "oh, if it's on'y a crab," muttered watts, "sorry i gev' tongue, skipper. i thought it was a rat, an' i can't abide 'em." "then you must learn to endure them while you are in fernando do noronha itself," went on the brazilian. "the island absolutely swarms with rats; some of the larger varieties are rather dangerous." "sufferin' moses!" groaned watts. "it'll be the death o' me." "wot color are they?" asked coke. de sylva's reply was given in a tone of surprise. certainly these hardy mariners had selected an unusual topic for discussion at a critical moment. "the common dark gray," he said. "that's all right, then," sneered coke. "watts don't mind 'em gray. they're old messmates of his. it's w'en they're pink or green that he fights shy of 'em." "i hate rats of any sort----" began watts hotly, spurred to anger by an audible snigger among the men, but de sylva stopped his protest peremptorily. it was idiotic, this bantering when the next half hour might be their last. "you must learn to guard your tongue," he said with harsh distinctness. "we cannot have our plans marred by a fool's outcry." nevertheless, the chief officer of the _andromeda_ was far from being a fool. he had cut an inglorious figure during the wreck, but he was sober enough now, and it hurt his pride to be jeered at by his own skipper and treated with contumely by one whom he privately classed as a dago. he had the good sense to realize that the present was no fit time for a display of temper; but he nursed his wrath. dom corria would have been well advised had he followed the counsel given so ungraciously, and guarded his own tongue. it might well be that the ex-president, whose fortunes were on the tiptoe of desperate hazard, was beginning to despair. he may have scanned the meager forces at his disposal and felt that he was asking the gods for more than they could grant. a few minutes earlier he had put forth the suave suggestion that hozier should be given the speediest chance of securing the girl's safety. that was politic; perhaps his stanch nerve was yielding to the strain, now that the two islanders were gone on their doubtful quest. be that as it may, his attitude did not encourage light conversation. even coke withheld some jibe at the unfortunate mate's expense. a chill silence fell on the little group. the more imaginative among them were calculating the exact kind of lurch taken by the unstable raft that would mean "drowning without a cry." thus the minutes sped, until a dim shape emerged from the opposite blackness. it came unheard, growing from nothing into something with ghostly subtlety. iris, a prey to many emotions, managed to stifle the exclamation of alarm that rose unbidden. but hozier read her distress in a hardly audible sob. "it is our friend, marcel," he whispered. "so domingo has made good his landing. be brave! the sea is quite calm. this man has been to the island and back in less than a quarter of an hour." his confidence gave her new courage. she even tried to turn danger itself into a jest. "we seem to be living in spasms just now," she said. "we certainly crowd a good deal of excitement into a very few minutes." the catamaran swung round and grated on the shingle. marcel was in a hurry. "are you ready?" asked de sylva, bending toward iris. "yes," she said. "then you had better kneel behind marcel, and steady yourself by placing your hands on his shoulders. yes, that is it. do not change your position until you are ashore. now you, mr. hozier." marcel murmured something. "ah, good!" cried de sylva softly. "domingo, too, has secured a catamaran. he is bringing it at once in order to save time." a second spectral figure emerged from the gloom. without waiting for further instructions, marcel swung his paddle, and the one craft passed the other in the center of the pool. iris felt hozier's hands on her waist. he obeyed orders, and uttered no sound, but the action told her that she might trust him implicitly. when the narrow cleft was traversed, and she saw the open sea on her right, there was ample need for some such assurance of guardianship. viewed from the cliff, the swell that broke on the half-submerged reef was of slight volume, but it presented a very different and most disconcerting aspect when seen in profile. it seemed to be an almost impossible feat for any man to propel three narrow planks, top-heavy with a human freight, across a wide channel through which such a sea was running. indeed, hozier himself, sailor as he was, felt more than doubtful as to the fate of their argosy. but marcel paddled ahead with unflagging energy once he was clear of the tortuous passage, and, before the catamaran had traveled many yards, even iris was able to understand that the outlying ridge of rocks both protected their present track and created much of the apparent turmoil. at last the raft, for it was little else, bore sharply out between two huge bowlders that might well have fallen from the mighty pile of grand-père itself. pointed and angular they were, and set like a gateway to an abode of giants. beyond, there was a shimmer of swift-moving water, with a silver mist on the surface, though from a height of a few feet it would have been easy to distinguish the bold contours of fernando noronha itself. marcel plied his paddle vigorously, and iris thought they were heading against the current, since there was a constant swirl of white-tipped waves on both sides of the curved plank, and her dress soon became soaked. but hozier knew that one man could not drive a craft that had no artificial buoyancy in the teeth of a four-knot tidal stream. marcel was edging across the channel, and making good use of the very force that threatened to sweep him away. indeed, in less than five minutes, a definite clearing yet darkening of the atmospheric light showed that land was near. the hiss of the ripple subsided, the tide ceased its chant, and a dark mass sprang into uncanny distinctness right ahead. the girl's first sensation on nearing the island was an unpleasant one. she was conscious of a slight but somewhat nauseating odor, quite unlike anything within her ken previously. it suffused the air, and grew more pronounced as the catamaran crept noiselessly into a tiny bay. hozier sympathized with her distress; knowing that acquaintance with an evil often helps to minimize its effect, he bent close to her ear and whispered the words: "mangrove swamp." iris had read of mangroves. in a dim way, she classed them with tamarinds, and cocoa-palms, and other sub-tropical products. at any rate, she was exceedingly anxious to tell hozier that if mangroves tasted as they smelt she would need to be very hungry before she ate one! marcel was endowed with quick ears. though hozier's whisper could hardly have reached him, he held up a warning hand, even while he brought the catamaran ashore on the shingle, so gently that not a pebble was disturbed. he rose, a gaunt scarecrow, stepped off, and drew the shallow craft somewhat further up the sloping beach. then he helped iris to her feet. she became conscious at once that his thumb-nail was of extraordinary length, and--so strangely constituted is human nature--this peculiarity made a lasting impression on her mind. hozier, thinking that he ought to remain near the catamaran, stood upright, but did not offer to follow the others. iris, filled with a sudden fear, hung back. the brazilian, aware of her resistance, sought its cause. he saw hozier, grinned, and beckoned to him. so the three went in company, and at each upward stride the disagreeable stench, ever afterwards associated with fernando noronha in the girl's memories, became less and less perceptible, until, after a short walk through a clump of banana trees, it vanished altogether. at that instant, when iris was beginning to revel in the sweet incense of a multitude of unseen flowers, marcel halted, motioned to hozier to stand fast, and indicated that iris was to come with him. at once she shrank away in terror. though in some sense prepared for this parting, she felt it now as the crudest blow that fortune had dealt her during a day crowded with misfortunes. in all likelihood, those two would never meet again. she needed no telling as to the risk he would soon be called on to face, and her anguish was made the more bitter by the necessity that they should go from each other's presence without a spoken word. nevertheless, she forced herself to extend a hand in farewell. her eyes were blinded with tears. she knew that hozier drew her nearer. with the daring of one who may well cast the world's convention to the winds, he gathered her to his heart and kissed her. then she uttered a little sob of happiness and sorrow, and fainted. it was not until she was lying helpless in his embrace, with her head pillowed on his breast, and an arm thrown limply across his shoulder, that philip understood what had happened. he loved her, and she, the promised wife of another man, had tacitly admitted that she returned his love. born for each other, heirs of all the ages, they were destined to be separated under conditions that could not have been brought about by the worst tyrant that ever oppressed his fellow creatures. small blame should be his portion if in that abysmal moment there came to philip a dire temptation. there was every reason to believe that he and iris, if they found some hiding-place on the island that night, might escape. he could send marcel crashing into the undergrowth with a blow, carry the unconscious girl somewhere, anywhere, until the darkness shrouded them, and wait for the dawn with some degree of confidence. in a red fury of thought he pictured her face when she regained possession of her senses and was told that they had no more to fear. he saw, with a species of fantastic intuition, that the island authorities would actually acclaim them for the tidings they brought. and then, he would find those grave brown eyes of hers fixed on his in agonized inquiry. what of the others? why had he betrayed his trust? dom corria de sylva had sent him ashore in advance of any among the little band of fugitives. marcel and domingo were outside the pale. their lives, at least, were surely forfeit when recaptured. it was not a prayer but a curse that hozier muttered when marcel whispered words he did not understand, but whose obvious meaning was that now the girl must be carried to the convict's hut, since they were losing time, and time was all-important. so they strode on, across ground that continued to rise in gentle undulations. even in his present frenzied mood, hozier noticed that they were following the right bank of a rivulet, the catamaran being beached on the same side of its cove-like estuary. progress was rather difficult. they were skirting a wood, and the trailers of a great scarlet-flowered bean and a climbing cucumber smothered the ground, canopied the trees, and swarmed over the rocks. he could not distinguish these hindrances in the darkness, but he soon found that he must walk warily. as for the effort entailed by his forlorn burden he did not give a thought to it until marcel indicated that he must stand fast. the brazilian went on, leaving hozier breathless. evidently he went to warn the inhabitants of a wretched hut, suddenly visible in the midst of a patch of maize and cassava, that there were those at hand who needed shelter. a dog barked--marcel whistled softly, and the animal began to whimper. the brazilian vanished. hozier still held iris in his arms; his heart was beating tumultuously; his throat ached with the labor of his lungs. his straining ears caught rustlings among the grass and roots, but otherwise a solemn peace brooded over the scene. just beyond the hut, which was shielded from the arid hill by a grove of curiously contorted trees, the inner heights of the island rose abruptly. something that resembled a column of cloud showed behind the rugged sky-line of the land. even while he waited there, he saw a glint of light on its eastern side. he fancied that under stress of emotion and physical weakness his eyes were deceiving him; but the line of golden fire grew brighter and more definite. it was broken but unwavering, and black shadows began to take form as part of this phenomenon. then he remembered the giant peak of fernando noronha, that mis-shapen mass which thrusts its amazing beacon a thousand feet into the air. the rising moon was gilding el pico long ere its rays would illumine the lower land--that was all--yet he hailed the sight as a token of deliverance. it was not by idle chance that that which he had taken for a cloud should be transmuted into a torch; there sprang into his heated brain a new trust. he recalled the unceasing vigilance of one all-powerful, who, ages ago, when his people were afflicted, "went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light." then marcel came, and aroused him from the stupor that had settled on him, and together they entered into the hovel, where a dark-skinned woman and a comely girl uttered words of sympathetic sound when iris was laid on a low trestle, and hozier took a farewell kiss from her unheeding lips. the englishman stumbled away with his guide; he fancied that marcel warned him several times to be more circumspect. he did his best, but, for the time, he was utterly spent. at last the brazilian signified that they were near a trysting place. he uttered a cry like a night-jar's, and the answer came from no great distance. soon they encountered coke and de sylva, who were awaiting them anxiously, and wondering, no doubt, why hozier was missing, since domingo and marcel had fixed on an aged fig-tree as a rendezvous, and hozier was not to be found anywhere near it. the two boatmen hurried away, and de sylva placed his lips close to philip's ear. "what went wrong?" he asked. "iris--miss yorke--fainted," was the gasping reply. "ah. you had to carry her?" "yes." de sylva fumbled in a pocket. he produced a flask. "here is some brandy. i kept it for just such an extremity. we cannot have you breaking down. drink!" two weary hours elapsed before the little army of the grand-père rock was reunited on the shore of cotton-tree bay. then there was a further delay, while their indefatigable scouts brought milk and water, some coarse bread, and a good supply of fruit from the hut. it was part of their scheme that they should give their friend's habitation a wide berth. if their plans miscarried he was instructed to say that he had found the english lady wandering on the shore soon after daybreak. in any event, there would be no evidence that he had entertained the invaders in his hovel; otherwise, he would lose the first-class badge that permitted him, a convict, to dwell apart with his wife and daughter. it was with the utmost difficulty that the men could be restrained from expressing their delight when they were given water and milk to drink. the water was poor, brackish stuff; the milk was sour and had lost every particle of cream; yet they deemed each a nectar of rank, and even the miserable watts, who had long ago ascertained that the rustlings in the herbage were caused by countless numbers of rats and mice, was ready to acclaim beverages which he was too apt to despise. about midnight there was a bright moon sailing overhead, and de sylva gave a low order that they were to form in indian file. marcel led, the ex-president himself followed, with san benavides, coke, and hozier in close proximity. domingo brought up the rear, in order to prevent straggling, and assist men who might stray from the path. avoiding the cultivated land surrounding the creek, the party struck up the hillside. a few plodding minutes sufficed to clear the trees and dense undergrowth. a rough, narrow path led to the saddle of the central ridge. they advanced warily but without any real difficulty. hozier took a listless interest in watching the furtive glances cast over his shoulder by san benavides so long as the south coast of the island was visible. at each turn in the mountain track the brazilian officer searched the moonlit sea for the agreed signal. at last, when the northern side also came in sight, and the whole island lay spread before them, san benavides resigned himself to the inevitable. for a little while, at least, he was perforce content to survey events through the eyes of his companions, and throw in his lot irrevocably with theirs. roughly speaking, fernando noronha itself, irrespective of the group of islands at its northeasterly extremity, stretches five miles from east to west, and averages a mile and a half in width. from cotton-tree bay, to which the catamarans had brought the small force, it was barely a mile to the village, convict settlement, and citadel. some few lights twinkling near the shore showed the exact whereabouts of the inhabited section. another mile away to the right lay fort san antonio, which housed the main body of troops. watch-fires burning on south point, whence came the shells that disabled the _andromeda_, revealed the presence of soldiers in that neighborhood. de sylva explained that a paved road ran straight from the town and landing-place to the hamlet of sueste and an important plantation of cocoanuts and other fruit-bearing trees that adjoined south point. it was inadvisable to strike into that road immediately. a little more to the right there was a track leading to the curral, or stockyard. if they headed for the latter place the men could obtain some stout cudgels. the convict peons in charge of the cattle should be overpowered and bound, thus preventing them from giving an alarm, and it was also possible to avoid the inhabited hillside overlooking the main anchorage until they were close to the citadel. then, crossing the fort road, they would advance boldly to the enemy's stronghold, first making sure that the launch was moored in her accustomed station in the roadstead beneath the walls. san benavides would answer the sentry's questions, there would be a combined rush for the guard-room on the right of the gate, and, if they were able to master the guard, as many of the assailants as possible would don the soldiers' coats, shakos, and accouterments. granted success thus far, there should not be much difficulty in persuading the men in charge of the launch that a cruise round the island was to be undertaken forthwith. marcel would remain with them until the citadel was carried. he would then hurry back to bring iris across the island to an unfrequented beach known as the porto do conceiçao, where he would embark her on a catamaran and row out to the steamer, which, by that time, would be lying off the harbor out of range of the troops who would surely be summoned from the distant fort. the project bristled with audacity, and that has ever been the soul of achievement. even the two wounded men from the _andromeda_ took heart when they listened to de sylva's low-toned explanation, given under the shadow of a great rock ere the final advance was made. if all went well at the beginning, the small garrison of the citadel would be astounded when they found themselves struggling against unknown adversaries. haste, silence, determination--these things were essential; each and all might be expected from men who literally carried their lives in their hands. a keen breeze was blowing up there on the ridge. a bank of cloud was rising in the southwest horizon, and, at that season, when the months of rain were normally at an end, the mere presence of clouds heralded another spell of broken weather, though the preceding gale had probably marked the worst of it. indeed, valuable auxiliary as the moon had proved during the march across rough country, it would be no ill hap if her bright face were veiled later. the mere prospect of such an occurrence was a cheering augury, and it was in the highest spirits that the little band set out resolutely for the curral. here they encountered no difficulty whatever. perhaps the prevalent excitement had drawn its custodians to the town, since they found no one in charge save a couple of barking dogs, while, if there were people in the cattle-keepers' huts, they gave no sign of their presence. a few stakes were pulled up; they even came upon a couple of axes and a heavy hammer. equipped with these weapons, eked out by three revolvers owned by the brazilians and the dapper captain's sword, they hurried on, quitting the road instantly, and following a cow-path that wound about the base of a steep hill. they met their first surprise when they tried to cross the road to the fort. quite unexpectedly, they blundered into a small picket stationed there. its object was to challenge all passers-by during the dark hours, and it formed part of the scheme already elaborated by the authorities for a complete search of every foot of ground. but brazilian soldiers are apt to be lax in such matters. these men were all lying down, and smoking. for a marvel, they happened to be silent when marcel led his cohort into the open road. they were listening, in fact, to the crackling of the undergrowth, though utterly unsuspicious of its cause, and the first intimation of danger was given by the startling challenge: "who goes there?" it was familiar enough to island ears, and the convict answered readily: "a friend!" "several friends, it would seem," laughed a voice. "let us see who these friends are." luckily, in response to de sylva's sibilant order, most of the _andromeda's_ crew were hidden by the scrub from which they were about to emerge. the soldiers rose, and strolled nearer leisurely. "now!" shouted de sylva, leaping forward. there was a wild scurry, two or three shots were fired, and hozier found himself on the ground gripping the throat of a bronzed man whom he had shoved backward with a thrust, for he had no time to swing his stake for a blow. he was aware of a pair of black eyes that glared up at him horribly in the moonlight, of white teeth that shone under long moustachios of peculiarly warlike aspect, but he felt the man was as putty in his hands, and his fingers relaxed their pressure. he looked around. the fight was ended almost as soon as it began. the soldiers, six in all, were on their backs in the roadway. two of them were dead. the italian sailor had been shot through the body, and was twisting in his last agony. the bloodshed was bad enough, but those shots were worse. they would set the island in an uproar. the reports would be heard in town, citadel, and fort, and the troops would now be on the _qui vive_. but de sylva was a man of resource. "strip the prisoners!" he cried. "take their arms and ammunition, but bind them back to back with their belts." "butt in there, me lads," vociferated coke, who had accounted for one of the brazilians with an ax. "step lively! now we've got some uniforms an' guns, we can rush that dam cittydel easy." hozier was busy relieving his man of his coat. when the prone warrior realized that he was not to be killed, he helped the operation, but philip was thinking more of iris than of deeds of derring-do. "why attempt to capture the citadel at all?" he asked. "now that we can make sufficient display, is there any reason that we should not go straight for the launch?" "hi, mister, d'ye 'ear that?" said coke to de sylva. "there's horse sense in it. the whole bally place will be buzzin' like a nest of wasps till they find out wot the shots meant." "i think it is a good suggestion," came the calm answer, "provided, that is, the launch is in the harbor." "she's just as likely to be there now as later. if she isn't, we must hark back to the first plan. now, you swabs, all aboard! see to them buckles afore you quit." a bell began to toll in the convict settlement. lights appeared in many houses scattered over the seaward slope. in truth, fernando noronha had not been so badly scared since its garrison mutinied three years earlier because arrears of pay were not forthcoming. it was impossible to determine as yet whether or not the island steamer was at her berth, so they could only push on boldly and trust to luck. hozier, never for an instant forgetting iris, saw that marcel still remained with his leader. under these new circumstances, it certainly would be a piece of folly to send back until they were sure of the launch. so he hurried after them, struggling the while into a coat far too small, though fortunate in the fact that his captive's head was big in proportion to the rest of his body. some few men were met, running from the town to the main road where they had located the shooting. each breathlessly demanded news, and was forthwith given most disconcerting information by a savage blow. the _andromeda_ had received no quarter, and her crew retaliated now. they did not deliberately murder anyone, but they took good care that none of those whom they encountered would be in a condition to work mischief until the night was ended. it was a peculiar and exasperating fact that although they were descending a steep incline to the harbor the presence of trees and houses rendered it impossible to see the actual landing-place. hence, there was no course open but to race on at the utmost speed, though de sylva was careful to keep his small force compact, and its pace was necessarily that of its slowest members. among these was coke, who had never walked so far since he was granted a captain's certificate. he swore copiously as he lumbered along, and, what between shortness of breath and his tight boots and clothing, the latter disability being added to by a ridiculously inadequate brazilian tunic, he was barely able to reach the water's edge. happily, the launch was there, moored alongside a small quay. from the nearest building it was necessary to cross a low wharf some fifty yards in width, and de sylva's whispered commands could not restrain the eager men when escape appeared no longer problematical but assured. they broke, and ran, an almost fatal thing, as it happened, since the soldiers whom philip had seen from the rock were still on board. one of them noticed the inexplicable disorder among a body of men some of whom resembled his own comrades. he had heard the firing, and was discussing it with others when this strange thing happened. he challenged. san benavides answered, but his voice was shrill and unofficer-like. the engines were started. a man leaped to the wharf. he was in the act of casting a mooring rope off a fixed capstan when de sylva shot him between the shoulder-blades. "on board, all of you!" shrieked the ex-president in a frenzy. "at 'em, boys!" gasped coke, though scarce able to stagger another foot. the men needed no bidding. sheets of flame leaped from the vessel's deck as the soldiers seized their rifles and fired point-blank at these mysterious assailants who spoke in a foreign language. but flame alone could not stop that desperate attack. some fell, but the survivors sprang at the brazilians like famished wolves on their prey. there was no more shooting. men grappled and fell, some into the water, others on deck, or they sprawled over the hatch and wrought in frantic struggle in the narrow cabin. the fight did not last many seconds. an engineer, finding a lever and throttle valve, roared to a sailor to take the wheel, and already the launch was curving seaward when hozier shouted: "where is marcel?" "lyin' dead on the wharf," said watts. "are you certain?" "he was alongside me, an' 'e threw is 'ands up, an' dropped like a shot rabbit." "then who has gone for miss yorke?" "no one. d'ye think that this d--d president cares for anybody but hisself?" philip felt the deck throbbing with the pulsations of the screw. the lights on shore were gliding by. the launch was leaving fernando noronha, and iris was waiting in that wretched hut beyond the hill, waiting for the summons that would not reach her, for marcel was dead, and domingo, the one other man who could have gone to her, was lying in the cabin with three ribs broken and a collar-bone fractured. chapter ix wherein certain people meet unexpectedly iris came back from the void to find herself lying on a truckle bed in a dimly-lighted hovel. a cotton wick flickered in a small lamp of the old roman type. it was consuming a crude variety of castor oil, and its gamboge-colored flame clothed the smoke-darkened rafters and mud walls in somber yet vivid tints that would have gladdened the heart of a rubens. this scenic effect, admirable to an artist, was lost on a girl waking in affright and startled by unfamiliar surroundings. she gazed up with uncomprehending eyes at two brown-skinned women bending over her. one, the elder, was chafing her hands; the other, a tall, graceful girl, was stirring something in an earthenware vessel. she heard the girl murmur joyfully: "graças a deus, elh' abria lhes olhas!" iris was still wandering in that strange borderland guarded by unknown forces that lies between conscious life and the sleep that is so close of kin to death. if in full possession of her senses, she might not have caught the drift of the sentence, since it was spoken in a guttural patois. but now she understood beyond cavil that because she had opened her eyes, the girl was giving thanks to the deity. the first definite though bewildering notion that perplexed her faculties, at once clouded and unnaturally clear, was an astonished acceptance of the fact that she knew what the strange girl had said, though the phrase only remotely resembled its spanish equivalent. she gathered its exact meaning, word for word, and it was all the more surprising that both women should smile and say something quite incomprehensible as soon as iris lifted herself on an elbow and asked in english: "where am i? how did i come here?" [illustration: "how did i come here?"] then she remembered, and memory brought a feeling of helplessness not wholly devoid of self-reproach. it was bad enough that her presence should add so greatly to the dangers besetting her friends; it was far worse that she should have fainted at the very moment when such weakness might well prove fatal to them. why did she faint? ah! a lively blush chased the pallor from her cheeks, and a few strenuous heartbeats restored animation to her limbs. of course, in thinking that she had yielded solely to the stress of surcharged emotions, iris was mistaken. what she really needed was food. a young woman of perfect physique, and dowered with the best of health, does not collapse into unconsciousness because a young man embraces her, and each at the same moment makes the blissful discovery that the wide world contains no other individual of supreme importance. iris's great-grandmother might have "swooned" under such circumstances--not so iris, who fainted simply because of the strain imposed by failure to eat the queer fare provided by de sylva and his associates. she hardly realized how hungry she was until the girl handed her the bowl, which contained a couple of eggs beaten up in milk, while small quantities of rum and sugar-cane juice made the compound palatable. "bom!" said the girl, "bebida, senhora!" it certainly was good, and the senhora drank it with avidity, the mixture being excellent diet for one who had eaten nothing except an over-ripe banana during thirty hours. indeed, it would be no exaggeration to extend that period considerably. iris had left practically untouched the meals brought her by the steward during the gale, and the early morning cup of coffee, which would have proved most grateful after a storm-tossed night, was an impossible achievement owing to the lack of water. so iris tackled the contents of the bowl with a vigorous appetite oddly at variance with the seeming weakness that ended in a prolonged fainting fit, and the hospitable brazilians, to whom this fair english girl was a revelation in feature and clothing, bestirred themselves to provide further dainties. but, excepting some fruit, iris had the wisdom to refuse other food just then. her thoughts were rapidly becoming coherent, and she realized that a heavy meal might be absolutely disastrous. if the men made good their project she would be called on within an hour to cross the island. it seemed reasonable that, hungry though she was, she would be better fitted to climb the island hills at a fast pace if she ate sparingly. still, she longed for a drink of water, and taxed her small stock of spanish to make known her desire. "agua, senhora," she said with a smile, and the delight of mother and daughter was great, since they thought she could speak their language. therein, of course, they were disappointed, but not more so than iris when she tasted the brackish fluid alone procurable on the south coast of fernando noronha. that was a fortunate thing in itself. only those who have endured real thirst can tell how hard it is to refrain from drinking deeply when water is ultimately obtained; but the mixture of milk and eggs had already soothed her parched mouth and palate, and she quickly detected an unpleasantly salt flavor in the beverage they gave her. then she set herself to discover her whereabouts. the women were eager to impart information, but, alas, iris's brain had regained its every-day limitations, and she could make no sense of their words. at last, seeing that the door was barred and the hut was innocent of any other opening, she stood upright, and signified by a gesture that she wished to go out. there could be no mistaking the distress, even the positive alarm, created by this demand. the girl clasped her hands in entreaty, and the older woman evidently tried most earnestly to dissuade her visitor from a proceeding fraught with utmost danger. being quite certain that they meant to be friendly, iris sat down again. she knew, of course, that marcel would come for her, if possible, and the relief displayed by her unknown entertainers was so marked that she resolved to await his appearance quietly. she would not abandon hope till daylight crept through the chinks of the hut. how soon that might be she could not tell. it seemed but a few seconds since she felt hozier's arms around her, since her lips met his in a passionate kiss. but, meanwhile, someone had brought her here. her dress, though damp, was not sopping wet. even the slight token of the beaten eggs showed how time must have sped while she was lying there oblivious of everything. she tried again to question the women, and fancied that they understood her partly, as she caught the words "meia noite," but it was beyond her powers to ascertain whether they meant that she had come there at midnight, or were actually telling her the hour. at any rate, they were most anxious for her well-being. the island housewife produced another dish, smiled reassuringly, and said, "manioc--bom," repeating the phrase several times. the compound looked appetizing, and iris ate a little. she discovered at once that it was tapioca, but her new acquaintance suggested "cassava" as an alternative. the girl, however, nodded cheerfully. she had heard the gentry at fort san antonio call it tapioca, and her convict father cultivated some of the finer variety of manioc for the officers' mess. "ah," sighed iris, smiling wistfully, "i am making progress in your language, slow but sure. but please don't give me any mangroves." the girl apparently was quite fascinated by the sound of english. she began to chatter to her mother at an amazing rate, trying repeatedly to imitate the hissing sound which the latin races always perceive in anglo-saxon speech. her mother reproved her instantly. to make amends, the girl offered iris a fine pomegranate. iris, of course, lost nothing of this bit of by-play. it was almost the first touch of nature that she had discovered among the amazing inhabitants of fernando noronha. these small amenities helped to pass the time, but iris soon noted an air of suspense in the older woman's attitude. though mindful of her guest's comfort, luisa gomez had ever a keen ear for external sounds. in all probability, she was disturbed by the distant reports of fire-arms, and it was a rare instance of innate good-breeding that she did not alarm her guest by calling attention to them. iris, amid such novel surroundings, could not distinguish one noise from another. night-birds screamed hideously in the trees without; a host of crickets kept up an incessant chorus in the undergrowth; the intermittent roaring of breakers on the rocks invaded the narrow creek. the medley puzzled iris, but the island woman well knew that stirring events were being enacted on the other side of the hill. her husband was there--he had, indeed, prepared a careful alibi since marcel visited him--and wives are apt to feel worried if husbands are abroad when bullets are flying. so, while the girl, manoela, was furtively appraising the clothing worn by iris, and wondering how it came to pass that in some parts of the world there existed grand ladies who wore real cloth dresses, and lace embroidered under-skirts, and silk stockings, and shining leather boots--wore them, too, with as much careless ease as one draped one's self in coarse hempen skirt and shawl in fernando noronha--her mother was listening ever for hasty footsteps among the trailing vines. at last, with a muttered prayer, she went to the door, and unfastened the stout wooden staple that prevented intruders from entering unbidden. it was dark without. dense black clouds veiled the moon, and a gust of wind moaned up the creek in presage of a tropical storm. someone approached. "is that you, manoel?" asked luisa gomez in a hushed voice. there was no answer. the woman drew back. she would have closed the door, but a slim, active figure sprang across the threshold. she shrieked in terror. the new-comer was a brazilian officer, one of those glittering beings whom she had seen lounging outside the prindio[1] during her rare visits to the town. she was hoping to greet her manoel, she half expected to find marcel, but to be faced by an officer was the last thing she had thought of. in abject fear, she broke into a wild appeal to the virgin; the officer merely laughed, though not loudly. "be not afraid, senhora--i am a friend," he said with quiet confidence, and the fact that he addressed her so courteously was a wondrously soothing thing in itself. but he raised a fresh wave of dread in her soul when he peered into the cabin and spoke words she did not understand. "i think you are here, mademoiselle," he said in french. "i am come to share your retreat for a little while. perchance by daybreak i may arrive at some plan. at present, you and i are in difficulties, is it not?" iris recognized the voluble, jerky speech. a wild foreboding gripped her heart until she was like to shudder under its fierce anguish. "you, captain san benavides?" she asked, and her utterance was unnaturally calm. "i, mademoiselle," he said, "and, alas! i am alone. may i come in? it is not well to show a light at this hour, seeing that the island is overrun with infuriated soldiers." the concluding sentence was addressed to luisa gomez in portuguese. realizing instinctively that the man came as a friend, she stood aside, trembling, on the verge of tears. he entered, and the door was closed behind him. the yellow gleam of the lamp fell on his smart uniform, and gilded the steel scabbard of his sword. in that dim interior the signs of his three days' sojourn on grand-père were not in evidence, and he had not been harmed during the struggle on the main road or in the rush for the launch. he doffed his rakish-looking kepi and bowed low before iris. perhaps the white misery in her face touched him more deeply than he had counted on. be that as it may, a note of genuine sympathy vibrated in his voice as he said: "i am the only man who escaped, mademoiselle. the others? well, it is war, and war is a lottery." "do you mean that they have been killed, all killed?" she murmured with a pitiful sob. "i--i think so." "you . . . think? do you not know?" he sighed. his hand sought an empty cigarette case. such was the correct military air, he fancied--to treat misfortunes rather as jests. he frowned because the case was empty, but smiled at iris. "it is so hard, mademoiselle, when one speaks these things in a strange tongue. permit me to explain that which has arrived. we encountered a picket, and surprised it. having secured some weapons and accouterments, we hastened to the quay, where was moored the little steamship. unhappily, she was crowded with soldiers. they fired, and there was a short fight. i was knocked down, and, what do you call it?--_étourdi_--while one might count ten. i rose, half blinded, and what do i see? the vessel leaving the quay--full of men engaged in combat, while, just beyond the point, a warship is signaling her arrival. it was a brazilian warship, mademoiselle. she showed two red rockets followed by a white one. it was only a matter of minutes before she met the little steamship. i tell you that it was bad luck, that--a vile blow. i was angry, yes. i stamp my foot and say foolish things. then i run!" iris made no reply. she hid her face in her hands. she could frame no more questions. san benavides was trying to tell her that hozier and the rest had been overwhelmed by fate at the very instant escape seemed to be within reach. the brazilian, probably because of difficulties that beset him in using a foreign language, did not make it clear that he had flung himself flat in the dust when he heard the order to fire given by someone on board the launch. he said nothing of a tragic incident wherein marcel, shot through the lungs, fell over him, and he, san benavides, mistaking the convict for an assailant, wrestled furiously with a dying man. he even forgot to state that had he charged home with the others, he would either have met a bullet or gained the deck of the launch, and that his failure to reach the vessel was due to his own careful self-respect. for san benavides was not a coward. he could be brave spectacularly, but he had no stomach for a fight in the dark, when stark hazard chooses some to triumph and some to die. that sort of devilish courage might be well enough for those crude sailors; a portuguese gentleman of high lineage and proved mettle demanded a worthier field for his deeds of derring-do. saperlotte! if one had a cigarette one could talk more fluently! "believe me, mademoiselle," he went on, speaking with a proud humility that was creditable to his powers as an actor, "the tears came to my eyes when i understood what had happened. for myself, what do i care? i would gladly have given my life to save my brave companions. but i thought of you, solitary, waiting here in distress, so i hurried into the village, and my uniform secured me from interruption until i was able to leave the road and cross the hills." then the lightning of a woman's intuition pierced the abyss of despair. surely there were curious blanks in this thrilling narrative. as was her way when thoroughly aroused, iris stood up and seized san benavides almost roughly by the arm. her distraught eyes searched his face with a pathetic earnestness. "why do you think that the launch did not get away?" she cried. "it was dark. the moon might have been in shadow. if the launch met the warship and was seen, there must have been firing----" "chère mademoiselle, there was much firing," he protested. "at sea?" the words came dully. she was stricken again, even more shrewdly. the gloom was closing in on her, yet she forced herself to drag the truth from his unwilling lips. "yes. of course, i could not wait there in that open place. i was compelled to seek shelter. troops were running from town and citadel. i avoided them by a miracle. and my sole concern then was your safety." "oh, my safety!" she wailed brokenly. "how does it avail me that my friends should be slain? why was i not with them? i would rather have died as they died than live in the knowledge that i was the cause of their death." san benavides essayed a confidential hand on her shoulder. she shrank from him; he was not pleased but he purred amiably: "mademoiselle is profoundly unhappy. under such circumstances one says things that are unmerited, is it not? if anyone is to blame, it is my wretched country, which cannot settle its political affairs without bloodshed. ah, mademoiselle, i weep with you, and tender you my most respectful homage." a deluge of tropical rain beat on the hut with a sudden fury. conversation at once became difficult, nearly impossible. iris threw herself back on the trestle in a passion of grief that rivaled the outer tempest. san benavides, by sheer force of habit, dusted his clothes before sitting on the chair brought by luisa gomez. the woman's frightened gaze had dwelt on iris and him alternately while they spoke. she understood no word that was said, but she gathered that the news brought by this handsome officer was tragic, woeful, something that would wring the heartstrings. "was there fighting, senhor?" she asked, close to his ear, her voice pitched in a key that conquered the storm. he nodded. he was very tired, this dandy; now that iris gave no further heed to him, he was troubled by the prospects of the coming day. "were they soldiers who fought?" he nodded again. "no islanders?" then he raised a hand in protest, though he laughed softly. "your good man is safe, senhora," he said. "marcel told him to go to sueste and tend his cattle. when he comes home it will be his duty to inform the governor that we are here. he will be rewarded, not punished. _sangue de deus_! i may be shot at dawn. i pray you, let me rest a while." the girl, manoela, weeping out of sympathy, crept to iris's side and gently stroked her hair. like her mother, she could only guess that the english lady's friends were captured, perhaps dead. even her limited experience of life's vicissitudes had taught her what short shrift was given to those who defied authority. the republic of brazil does not permit its criminals to be executed, but it shows no mercy to rebels. manoela, of course, believed that the englishmen were helping the imprisoned dom corria to regain power. she remembered how a mutiny was once crushed on the island, and her eyes streamed. meanwhile, luisa gomez was touched by the good-looking soldier's plight. never, since she came to fernando noronha to rejoin her convict husband, had she been addressed so politely by any member of the military caste. the manners of the officers of the detachment at fort san antonio were not to be compared with those of captain san benavides. her heart went out to him. "we must try to help you, senhor capitano," she said. "if the others are dead or taken, you may not be missed." he threw out his hands in an eloquent gesture. life or death was a matter of complete indifference to him, it implied. "we shall know in the morning," he said. "have you any cigarettes? a milrei[2] for a cigarette!" "but listen, senhor. why not take off your uniform and dress in my clothes? you can cut off your mustaches, and wear a mantilha over your face, and we will keep you here until there is a chance of reaching a ship. certainly that is better than being shot." he glanced at iris. vanity being his first consideration, it is probable that he would have refused to be made ridiculous in her eyes, had not a knock on the door galvanized him into a fever of fright. he sprang up and glared wildly around for some means of eluding the threatened scrutiny of a search party. luisa gomez flung him a rough skirt and a shawl. he huddled into a corner near the bed,--in such wise that the figures of iris and manoela would cloak the rays of the lamp,--placed his drawn sword across his knees, and draped the two garments over his head and limbs. then, greatly agitated, but not daring to refuse admittance to the dreaded soldiery, the woman unbarred the door. a man staggered in. he was alone, and a swirl of wind and rain caused the lamp to flicker so madly that no one could distinguish his features until the door was closed again. but iris knew him. though her eyes were dim with tears, though the new-comer carried a broken gun in his hands, and his face was blood-stained, she knew. with a shriek that dismayed the other women--who could not guess that joy is more boisterous than sorrow, she leaped up and threw her arms around him. "oh, philip, philip!" she sobbed. "he told me you were dead . . . and i believed him!" the manner of her greeting was delightful to one who had faced death for her sake many times during the past hour, yet hozier was so surprised by its warmth that he could find never a word at the moment. but he had the good sense to throw aside the shattered rifle and return her embrace with interest. long ago exhausted in body, his mind reeled now under the bewildering knowledge that this most gracious woman did truly love him. when they parted in that same squalid hut at midnight, he took with him the intoxication of her kiss. yet he scarce brought himself to believe that the night's happenings were real, or that they two would ever meet again on earth. and now, here was iris quivering against his breast. he could feel the beating of her heart. the perfume of her hair was as incense in his nostrils. she was clinging to him as if they had loved through all eternity. no wonder he could not speak. had he uttered a syllable, he must have broken down like the girl herself. san benavides supplied a timely tonic. throwing aside the rags which covered him, he tried to rise. philip caught a glimpse of the uniform, the sheen of the naked sword. he was about to tear himself from iris's clasp and spring at this new enemy when the brazilian spoke. "mil diabos!" he cried in a rage, "this cursed inglez still lives, and here am i posing before him like an old hag." his voice alone saved him from being pinned to the floor by a man who had adopted no light measures with others of his countrymen during the past half-hour, as the dented gun-barrel, minus its stock, well showed. but the captain's mortified fury helped to restore philip's sanity. lifting iris's glowing face to his own, he whispered: "tell me, sweetheart, how comes it that our brazilian friend is here?" "he ran away when some shots were fired," which was rather unfair of iris. "he said the launch had been sunk by a man-of-war----" "but he is wrong. i saw no man-of-war. we captured the launch. by this time she is well out to sea. unfortunately, marcel was killed, and domingo badly wounded. there was no one to come for you, so i jumped overboard and swam ashore. i had to fight my way here, and it will soon be known that there are some of us left on the island. i thought that perhaps i might take you back to the grand-père cavern. these people may give us food. i have some few sovereigns in my pocket. . . ." "oh, yes, yes!" she was excited now and radiantly happy. "of course, captain san benavides must accompany us. he says the soldiers will shoot him if they capture him. i, too, have money. let me ask him to explain matters to this dear woman and her daughter. they have been more than kind to me already." she turned to the sulky san benavides and told him what hozier had suggested. he brightened at that, and began a voluble speech to luisa gomez. interrupting himself, he inquired, in french, how hozier proposed to reach the rock. "on a catamaran. there are two on the beach, and i can handle one of them all right," said philip. "but what is this yarn of a warship? when last i sighted the launch she was standing out of the harbor, and the first clouds of the storm helped to screen her from the citadel." iris interpreted. san benavides repeated his story of the rockets. in her present tumult, the girl forgot the touch of realism with regard to the firing that he had heard. certainly there was a good deal of promiscuous rifle-shooting after the departure of the launch, but warships use cannon to enforce their demands, and the boom of a big gun had not woke the echoes of fernando noronha that night. philip deemed the present no time for argument; he despised san benavides, and gave no credence to him. just now the brazilian was an evil that must be endured. luisa gomez promised to help in every possible way. her eyes sparkled at the sight of gold, but the poor woman would have assisted them out of sheer pity. nevertheless, the gift of a couple of sovereigns, backed by the promise of many more if her husband devoted himself to their service, spurred her to a frenzy of activity. there was not a moment to be lost. the squall had spent itself, and a peep through the chinks of the door showed that the moon would quickly be in evidence again. it was essential that they should cross the channel while the scattering clouds still dimmed her brightness; so manoela and her mother collected such store of food, and milk, and water, as they could lay hands on. well laden, all five hastened to the creek, and hozier, iris, and san benavides, boarded the larger of the two catamarans. the strong wind had partly dissipated the noisome odor, but it was still perceptible. iris was sure she would never like mangroves. having a degree of confidence in the queer craft that was lacking during their earlier voyage, they did not hesitate to stack jars and baskets against the curved prow in such a manner that the eatables would not become soaked with salt water. then, after a hasty farewell, during which iris showed her gratitude to those kindly peasants by a hug and a kiss, hozier pushed off and tried to guide the catamaran as marcel had done. oddly enough, he and iris now saw the majestic outlines of the grand-père for the first time. the great rock rose above the water like some immense gothic cathedral. the illusion was heightened by a giant spire that towered grandly from the center of the islet. it looked a shrine built by nature in honor of its creator, a true temple of the infinite, and the semblance was no illusion to these three castaways, since they regarded it as a sanctuary to which alone, under heaven, they might owe their lives. hozier, of course, realized that there was a certain element of risk in returning there. the island authorities would surely endeavor to find out where the party of desperadoes had lain _perdu_ between the sinking of the ship and the attack on the picket. but the ill-starred marcel had been confident that none could land on the rock who was not acquainted with the intricacies of the approach, and philip was content to trust to the reef-guarded passage rather than seek shelter on the mainland. once embarked in the fairway, the management of the catamaran occupied his mind to the complete exclusion of all other problems. he was puzzled by the discovery that the awkward craft was traveling too far to the westward, until he remembered that the tide had turned, and that the current was either slack or running in the opposite direction. changing the paddle to the starboard side, he soon corrected this deviation in the route. but he had been carried already a hundred yards or more out of the straight line. to reach the two pointed rocks that marked the entrance to the secret channel, he was obliged to creep back along the whole shoreward face of the grand-père; and to this accident was due a surprise that ranked high in a day replete with marvels. when the catamaran rounded the last outlying crag, and they were all straining their eyes to find the sentinel pillars, they became aware that a small boat was being pulled cautiously toward them from the opposite side of the rock. iris gasped. she heard hozier mutter under his breath, while san benavides revealed his dismay by an oath and a convulsive tightening of the hands that rested on the girl's shoulders. hozier strove with a few desperate strokes of the paddle to reach the shadows of the passage before the catamaran was seen by the boat's occupants. he might have succeeded. many things can happen at night and on the sea--strange escapades and hair's-breadth 'scapes--thrills denied to stay-at-homes dwelling in cities, who seldom venture beyond a lighted area. but there was even a greater probability that the unwieldy catamaran might be caught by the swell and dashed side-long against one of the half-submerged rocks that thrust their black fangs above the water. happily, they were spared either alternative. at the very instant that their lot must be put to the test of chance, coke's hoarse accents came to their incredulous ears. "let her go, olsen," he was growling. "we've a clear course now, an' that dam moon will spile everything if we're spotted." in this instance hearing was believing, and philip was the first to guess what had actually occurred. "boat ahoy, skipper!" he sang out in a joyous hail. coke stood up. he glared hard at the reef. "did ye 'ear it?" he cried to de sylva, who was steering. "sink me, i 'ope i ain't a copyin' pore ole watts, but if that wasn't hozier's voice i'm goin' dotty." "it's all right, skipper," said philip, sending the catamaran ahead with a mighty sweep. "miss yorke is here--captain san benavides, too. i was sure you would look for us if you cleared the harbor safely." then coke proclaimed his sentiments in the approved ritual of the high seas, while the big norseman at the oars swung the boat's head round until both craft were traveling in company to the waiting launch. but before anything in the nature of an explanation was forthcoming from the occupants of either the boat or the catamaran, a broad beam of white light swept over the crest of the island from north to south. it disappeared, to return more slowly, until it rested on rat island, at the extreme northwest of the group. it remained steady there, showing a wild panorama of rocky heights and tumbling sea. "a search-light, by g--d!" growled coke. "then there really _was_ a warship," murmured iris. "ha!" said san benavides, and his tone was almost gratified, for he had gathered that hozier was skeptical when told of the rockets. but in that respect, at least, he was not mistaken. a man-of-war had entered the roadstead, and her powerful lamp was now scouring sea and coast for the missing launch. and in that moment of fresh peril it was forgotten by all but one of the men who had survived so many dangers since the sun last gilded the peak of fernando noronha, that were it not for iris having been left behind, and philip's mad plunge overboard to go to her, and the point-blank refusal of the _andromeda's_ captain and crew to put to sea without an effort to save the pair of them, the launch would not now be hidden behind the black mass of the grand-père rock. nevertheless, the fact was patent. had the little vessel sailed to the west, in the assumption that her only feasible course lay in that direction, she must have been discovered by the cruiser's far-seeing eye. and what that meant needed no words. the bones of the _andromeda_ supplied testimony at once silent and all-sufficing. [1] the governor's residence. [2] the brazilian milrei is worth 55 cents, or 2s. 3 1/2d. the portuguese is worth only one-tenth of a cent. chapter x on the high seas again did that awe-inspiring wand of light describe a great arc in the sky. but it was plain to be seen that it sprang from an altered base. the warship was in motion. she was about to steam around the group of islands. boat and catamaran raced at once for the launch; a babel of strange oaths jarred the brooding silence; alarm, almost panic, stirred men's hearts and bubbled forth in wild speech. under pressure of this new peril the instinct of self-preservation burst the bonds of discipline. the first law of nature may be disregarded by heroes, but the _andromeda's_ crew were just common sailormen, who did not know when they were heroic and did not care if they were deemed bestial. it may be urged that they had suffered much. out of a ship's company of twenty-two exactly one half had survived the day's rigors. domingo was lying in the cabin, too seriously injured to be concerned whether he lived or died. with him were two wounded soldiers, happily saved from the ruthless ferocity of the fight alongside the wharf, when every brazilian in uniform found on deck was flung off to sink or swim as he was best able. indeed, it was during this phase of the struggle that hozier managed to scramble on shore unnoticed. he landed at the same moment as enemies who were blind to every other consideration except their own dangerous plight. small wonder, then, if authority was cast to the winds now that capture seemed to be unavoidable. coke tried to still the tumult by thundering a command to norrie, second engineer, to throw open the throttle valve. he took the wheel in person, meaning to shape a course due east, and thus endeavor to avoid the cruiser's baleful glance. but some of the men realized instantly that this expedient would fail. they were in no mood for half measures. norrie felt a bayonet under his left shoulder-blade. coke was roared down, and a hoarse voice growled: "me for the tall timbers, maties. it's each one for hisself now." "aye, aye!" came the chorus . . . "shove her ashore! . . . give us a chanst there. . . we've none at sea." dom corria, being something of a fatalist, did not interfere. on this cockleshell of a craft, among these rude spirits of alien races, he was powerless. on land a diplomat and strategist of high order, here he was a cipher. moreover, he was beaten to his knees, and he knew it. the arrival of the warship had upset his calculations. after many months' planning of flight, he had been forced, by the events of a few hours, into an aggressive campaign. his little cohort had done wonders, it is true, but of what avail were these ill-equipped stalwarts against a fast-moving fort, armed with heavy guns and propelled by thousands of steam horses? none, absolutely none. dom corria drew san benavides aside. "all is ended!" he said quietly. "we shall never see brazil again, salvador _meu_! carmela must find another lover, it seems." salvador did not appear to be specially troubled by the new quest imposed on carmela, but he was much perturbed by an uproar betokening disunion among the men who had already saved his life twice. he was beginning to believe in them. it was night, and they possessed a vessel under steam. why did they not hurry into the obscurity of the smooth dark plain that looked so inviting? it was left to hozier to solve a problem that threatened to develop into a disastrous brawl. danger sharpens a brave man's wits, but love makes him fey. to succor iris was now his sole concern. he swung a couple of the excited sailors out of his way and managed to stem the torrent of coke's futile curses. "give in to them!" he cried eagerly. "tell them they are going ashore in the creek. that will stop the racket. if they listen to me, i can still find a means of escape." "avast yelpin', you swabs!" bellowed coke. "d'ye want to let every bally sojer on the island know where you are? we're makin' for the creek. will _that_ please you? now, mr. norrie, let her rip!" the head of the launch swung toward the protecting shadows. the men knew the bearings of cotton-tree bay, so the angry voices yielded to selfish thought. if it was to be _sauve qui peut_ when the vessel grounded, there was ample room for thought, seeing that each man's probable fate would be that of a mad dog. hozier seized the precious respite. he spoke loudly enough that all should hear, and he began with a rebuke. "i am sorry that those of us who are left should have disgraced the fine record set up by the _andromeda's_ crew since the ship struck," he said. "your messmates who fell fighting would hardly believe st. peter himself if he told them that we were on the verge of open mutiny. i am ashamed of you. let us have no more of that sort of thing. sink or swim, we must pull together." there was some discordant muttering, but he gained one outspoken adherent. "bully for you!" said the man who had suggested tree-climbing as an expedient. "shut up!" was the wrathful answer. "you've made plenty of row already. i only hope you have not attracted attention on the island. you may not have been heard, owing to the disturbance on the other side, but no thanks to any of you for that. our skipper's first notion was to put to sea. wasn't it natural? do you want to be hunted over fernando noronha at daybreak? but he would have seen the uselessness of trying to slip the cruiser before the launch had gone a cable's length. now, here is a scheme that strikes me as workable. at any rate, it offers a forlorn hope. there is a sharp bend in the creek just where the tidal water ends. i fancy the launch will float a little higher up, but we must risk it. we will take her in, unship the mast, tie a few boughs and vines on the funnel, and not twenty search-lights will find us." a rumble of approving murmurs showed that he had scotched the dragon. it was even ready to become subservient again. he continued rapidly: "no vessel of deep draught can come close in shore from the east. the cruiser will have the grand-père rock abeam within an hour, but, to make sure, two of you will climb the ridge and watch her movements. the rest will load up every available inch of space with wood and water and food. how can we win clear of fernando noronha without fuel? it is a hundred to one that the launch would not steam twenty miles on her present coal supply. such as it is, we must keep it for an emergency, even if we are compelled to tear up the deck and dismantle the cabin." "talks like a book!" snorted coke, and some of the men grinned sheepishly. hozier was coolly reminding them of those vital things which frenzy had failed wholly to take into account. confidence was reborn in them. they wanted to cheer this fearless young officer who seemed to forget nothing, but the island promontories were so close at hand that perforce they were dumb. the simplicity of the project was its best recommendation. sailors themselves, the mind of the cruiser's commander was laid bare to them. he would soon be convinced that the launch had passed him in the dark ere the search-light looked out over the sea. long before the circuit of fernando noronha was completed he would be itching to rush at top speed along the straight line to pernambuco. it was a bold thing, too, to land on the island and stock their vessel for a voyage, the end of which no man could foresee. the dare-devil notion fascinated them. in that instant, the _andromeda's_ crew returned to their allegiance, which was as well, since it was fated to be stiffly tested many times ere they were reported inside 1 degree west again. unfortunately, coke was in a raging temper. never before had his supremacy been challenged. having lost control over his men, he owed its restoration to hozier. such a fact was gall and wormwood to a man of his character, and he was mean-souled enough to be vindictive. promising himself the future joy of pounding to a jelly the features of every mother's son among the forecastle hands, he began to snarl his orders. "watts, you must leg it to the sky-line, an' pipe the cruiser. olsen, you go, too, an' see that mr. watts doesn't find a brewery. hozier, p'raps you'd like to rig the mistletoe. miss yorke 'll 'elp, i'm sure. it's up to you, mister, an' his nibs with the sword, to parly-voo to the other convicts about the grub. is there a nigger's wood-pile handy? if not, we must collar the hut. i'll take care of the stowage." he meant each jibe to hurt, and probably succeeded, but watts was too despondent, and hozier and de sylva too self-controlled, to say aught that would add to their difficulties. nevertheless, he was answered, from a quarter whence retort was least expected. "you must modify your instructions, captain coke," said iris with quiet scorn. "it would be a shameful act to destroy the house of those who befriended us. they gave freely of their stores, as you will see by the supplies lashed to the catamaran, and will assist us further if senhor de sylva appeals to them----" "you can safely leave that to me," broke in dom corria. but iris was not to be placated thus easily. "i know that," she said. "i only wished captain coke to understand that if he cannot make clear his meaning he should obey rather than command." "the lady 'as 'ad the last word. now let's get busy," sneered coke. hozier, who had not quitted his side since the incipient outbreak was quelled, gripped his shoulder. "there is a pile of wood near the cottage," he said in coke's ear. "i saw it there. it must be paid for. have you any money?" "a loose quid or two--no more." "a sovereign will be ample. miss yorke has already given the owners two pounds." "wot for?" "for their kindness. you are all there when it comes to a scrap, skipper, but at most other times you ought to be muzzled. no, don't talk now. we will discuss the point on some more suitable occasion, when we can deal with it fully, and miss yorke is not present." philip spoke in a whisper, but the low pitch of his voice did not conceal its menace. he was longing to twine his fingers round coke's thick neck, and some hint of his desire was communicated by the clutch of his hand. coke shook himself free. he feared no man born, but it would be folly to attack hozier then, and he was not a fool. "let go, you blank ijjit," he growled. "i've no grudge ag'in you. if we pull out of this mess you'll 'ave to square matters wi' david verity an' that other ole ninny, dickey bulmer. she's promised to 'im, you know. told me so 'erself, so there's no mistake. i got me rag out, i admit, an' 'oo wouldn't after bein' 'owled down by those swine forrard. my godfather! watch me put it over 'em w'en i get the chanst. stop 'er, norrie! there's plenty of way on 'er to round that bend." hozier reflected that he had chosen an odd moment to quarrel with his captain, whose mordant humor in the matter of the mistletoe was only accentuated by his reference to iris's reported engagement. the pungent smell of the mangrove swamp was wafted now to his nostrils. it brought a species of warning that the disagreeable conditions of life in fernando noronha were yet active. it was not pleasant to be thus suddenly reminded of pitfalls that might exist in england; meanwhile, here was the launch thrusting her nose into the mud and shingle of this malevolent island. to his further annoyance, san benavides, who depended on his compatriot for a summary of the latest scheme, asked iris to accompany de sylva and himself to the hut. "they are stupid creatures, these peasants," he said. "when they see you they will not be frightened." there was so much reason in the statement that iris was a ready volunteer. soon all hands were at work, and it was due to the girl's forethought that strips of linen were procured from luisa gomez, and healing herbs applied to the cuts and bruises of the injured men. sylva was all for leaving the two soldiers on the island, but coke's sailor-like acumen prevented the commission of that blunder. "no, that will never do," he said, with irritating offhandness. "these jokers will be found at daylight, an' they'll be able to say exactly wot time we quit. the wimmin can make out they was scared stiff an' darsent stir. it 'ud be different with the sojers. an' we ain't goin' to have such a 'eart-breakin' start, even if the cruiser clears away soon after two o'clock." "where do you propose to make for?" "where d'ye think, mister? nor'-east by nor', to be sure, until we sight some homeward-bound ship." there was a pause. the pair could talk unheard, since they were standing on the bank, and the men were either loading firewood and fruit and cassava, or stripping trees and vines to hide the superstructure of the launch. "you mean to abandon everything, then?" said de sylva. he seemed to be watching the onward sweep of the search-light as the warship went to the north. but coke was shrewd. he felt that there was something behind the words, and he suspected the ex-president's motives. "i don't see any 'elp for it," he answered. "gord's trewth, wot is there to abandon? i've lost me ship, an' me money, an' me papers, an' 'arf me men. unless one was lookin' for trouble, this ain't no treasure island, mister." "yet it might be made one." "as how?" "do you not realize how greatly the members of the present government fear my return to brazil? here, i am their prisoner, practically friendless, almost alone. they dare not kill me by process of law, yet they are moving heaven and earth to prevent my escape, or shoot me down in the act. why? because they know that the people are longing to hail me as president again. suppose you and your men took me to pernambuco----" "s'pose hell!" snapped coke. "please listen. you can but refuse when you look at the facts fairly. if, as i say, i were put ashore at pernambuco, or at any other of half a dozen ports i can name, i should be among my own followers. you, captain coke, and every officer and man of your ship, and her owners, and the relatives of those who have lost their lives, would not only be paid all just claims by the new government, but adequately rewarded. in your own case, the recompense would be princely. but, assuming that we board a vessel bound for europe, what certainty have you that you will ever receive a penny?" "oh, reely, that's comin' it a bit thick, mister," growled coke. "you believe i am exaggerating the difficulties of your position? pray consider. your vessel is broken up. she was fired on while at anchor on the wrong side of the island, on the very day selected for my escape. you and your men manage to dodge the bullets, and, under my leadership, assisted by captain san benavides, you overrun the place by night, kill several soldiers, seize a launch, despoil peasants of their crops and stores, and make off with a good deal of property belonging to the brazilian government, not to mention the presence in your midst of such a significant personage as myself. speaking candidly, senhor captain, what chance have you of convincing any international court of your innocence? who will believe that you were not a true filibuster? that is what brazil will say you are. how will you disprove it? in any event, who will enforce your claims against my country? english public opinion would never compel your government to take action in such an exceedingly doubtful case, now would it?" "if we was to try and land you in brazil, we'd bust up our claim for good an' all," muttered coke. though this was a powerful argument against de sylva's theory, it revealed certain qualms of perplexity. the other man's brilliant eyes gleamed for an instant, but he guarded his voice. he was in his element now. when words were weapons he could vanquish a thousand such adversaries. "i think otherwise," he said slowly. "a judge might well hold that in a small vessel like the launch you were entitled to make for the nearest land. but i grant you that point; it is really immaterial. if i fail, you lose everything. accept my offer, and you have a reasonable chance of winning a fortune." "wot exactly is your offer?" "ample compensation officially. five thousand pounds to you in person." "five thousand!" coke cleared a throat husky with doubt. he scratched his head under the absurd-looking kepi which he was still wearing; for a moment, his lips set in grim calculation. "that 'ud make things pretty easy for the missus an' the girls," he muttered. "an' there's no new ship for me w'en dickey bulmer cocks 'is eye at hozier. it's a moral there'll be a holy row between 'im an' david. . . . d'ye mean it, mister?" "even if i fail, and my life is spared, i will pay you the money out of my own private funds," was the vehement reply. "well, well, leave the job to me. you sawr 'ow them tinkers jibbed just now. i must 'umor 'em a bit, d--n 'em. but wait till the next time some of 'em ships under me. lord luv' a duck, won't i skin 'em? not 'arf!" de sylva, with all his admirable command of english, could not follow the coke variety in its careless freedom. but he knew his man. though bewildered by strange names and stranger words, he was alive to the significance of things being made easy "for the missus and the girls." so, even this gnarled sea-dog had a soft spot in his heart! on the very brink of the precipice his mind turned to his women-kind, just as de sylva himself had whispered a last memory of his daughter to san benavides when their common doom was seemingly unavoidable. he would urge no more, since coke was willing to fall in with his designs, but he could not forbear from clinching matters. "i promise on my honor----" he began. but the nearer surface of the sea flashed into a dazzling distinctness, and coke dragged him down to the launch. the cruiser had rounded rat island, and was devoting one sweeping glance eastward ere she sought her prey in creek or tortuous channel. the men were summoned hastily. watts and olsen had been warned to crouch behind the rocks on the crest, while those who remained near the launch were told to hide among the trees or crowd into the small cabin. movement of any kind was forbidden. there was no knowing who might be astir on the hills, and a sharp eye might note the presence of foreigners in cotton-tree bay. hozier had not forgotten the risk of detection from the shore, and the vessel was plentifully decorated with greenery. the long, large-leafed vines and vigorous castor-oil plants were peculiarly useful at this crisis. trailing over the low freeboard into the water, they screened the launch so completely that watts and the norwegian, perched high above the creek at a distance of three hundred yards, could only guess her whereabouts when the search-light made the gomez plantation light as day. the cruiser evidently discovered traces of the _andromeda_ on grand-pere. she stopped an appreciable time, and created a flutter in many anxious hearts by a loud hoot of her siren. it did not occur to anyone at the moment that she was signaling to the troops bivouacked on south point. de sylva was the first to read this riddle aright. he whispered his belief, and it soon won credence, since the warship continued her scrutiny of the coast-line. at last, after a wearying delay, she vanished. five minutes later, watts and olsen brought the welcome news that she was returning to the roadstead. it was then half-past two o'clock, and the sun would rise soon after five. now or never the launch must make her effort. ready hands tore away her disguise, she was tilted by crowding in the poop nearly every man on board, the engines throbbed, and she was afloat. at daybreak the thousand-foot peak of fernando noronha was a dark blur on the western horizon. no sail or smudge of smoke broke the remainder of the far-flung circle. the fugitives could breathe freely once more. they were not pursued. iris fell asleep when assured that the dreaded warship was not in sight. hozier, too, utterly exhausted by all that he had gone through, slept as if he were dead. coke, whose iron constitution defied fatigue, though it was with the utmost difficulty that he had walked across the narrow breadth of fernando noronha, took the first watch in person. he chatted with the men, surprised them by his candor on the question of compensation, and announced his resolve to make for the three-hundred-mile channel between fernando noronha and the mainland. "you see, it's this way, me lads," he explained affably. "we're short o' vittles an' bunker, an' if we kep' cruisin' east in this latitood we'd soon be drawrin' lots to see 'oo'd cut up juiciest. so we must run for the tramp's track, which is two hundred miles to the west. we'll bear north, an' that rotten cruiser will look south for sartin, seein' as 'ow they know we 'ave the next president aboard." coke paused to take breath. "wot a pity we can't give 'im a leg up," he added confidentially. "it 'ud be worth a pension to every man jack of us. 'ere 'e is, special freight, so to speak. w'y _'e'd sign anythink_." once the train was laid, it was a simple matter to fire the mine. when hozier awoke, to find the launch heading west, he was vastly astonished by coke's programme. it was all cut and dried, and there was really nothing to cavil at. if they met a steamship, and she stopped in response to their signals, her captain would be asked to take care, not only of miss yorke, but of any other person who shirked further adventure. as for coke, and watts, and the majority of the men, they were pledged to de sylva. even norrie, the engineer, a hard-headed scot, meant to stick to the launch until the president that was and would be again was safely landed among his expectant people. watts let the cat out of the bag later. "those of us 'oo don't leave dom wot's-'is-name in the lurch are to get ten years' full pay, extry an' over an' above wot the court allows," he said. "just think of it! don't it make your mouth water? reminds me of a chap i wonst read about in a trac'. it tole 'ow 'e took to booze. one 'ot sunday, bein' out for a walk, 'e swiped 'arf a pint of ginger beer, the next 'e tried shandy-gaff, the third 'e went the whole hog, an' then 'e never stopped for ten years. my godfather! ten years' pay an' a ten years' drunk! it's enough to make a sinner of any man." hozier laughed. two days ago he would have asked no better luck than the helping of dom corria to regain his presidentship. now, there was iris to protect. he would not be content to leave her in charge of the first grimy collier they encountered, nor was he by any means sure that she would agree to be thus disposed of. he was puzzled by the singular unanimity of purpose displayed by his shipmates. but that was their affair. his was to insure iris's safety; the future he must leave to providence. and, indeed, providence contrived things very differently. by nightfall the launch was a hundred miles west of the island. norrie got eight knots out of her, but it needed no special calculation to discover that she would barely make the coast of brazil if she consumed every ounce of coal and wood on board. the engines were strong and in good condition, but she had no bunker space for a long voyage. were it not for hozier's foresight she would have been drifting with the gulf stream four hours after leaving the island. as it was, unless they received a fresh supply of fuel from another ship, they must unquestionably take the straightest line to the mainland. during the day they had sighted three vessels, but at such distances that signaling was useless, each being hull down on their limited horizon. moreover, they had to be cautious. the cruiser, trusting to her speed, might try a long cast north and south of the launch's supposed path. she alone, among passing ships, would be scouring the sea with incessant vigilance, and it behooved them, now as ever, not to attract her attention. they were burning wood, so there was no smoke, and the mast was unstepped. yet the hours of daylight were tortured by constant fear. even iris was glad when the darkness came and they were hidden. at midnight a curious misfortune befell them. the compass had been smashed during the fight, and not a sailor among them owned one of the tiny compasses that are often worn as a charm on the watchchain. this drawback, of little consequence when sun or stars could be seen, assumed the most serious importance when a heavy fog spread over the face of the waters. the set of the current was a guide of a sort, but, as events proved, it misled them. man is ever prone to over-estimate, and such a slight thing as the lap of water across the bows of a small craft was sure to be miscalculated; they contrived to steer west, it is true, but with a southerly inclination. at four o'clock, by general reckoning, they were mid-way between island and continent. they were all wide awake, too weary and miserable to sleep. suddenly a fog-horn smote the oppressive gloom. it drew near. a huge blotch crossed their bows. they could feel it rather than see it. they heard some order given in a foreign language, and de sylva whispered: "the _sao geronimo_!" "the wot-ah?" demanded coke, who was standing beside him. "the cruiser!" coke listened. he could distinguish the half-speed beating of twin screws. he knew at once that the ex-president must have recognized the warship as she passed the creek, but, by some accident, had failed to mention her name during the long hours that had sped in the meantime. the sinister specter passed and the launch crept on. everyone on board was breathless with suspense. faces were shrouded by night and the fog, but some gasped and others mumbled prayers. one of the wounded soldiers shouted in delirium, and a coat was thrust over his head with brutal force. the fog-horn blared again, two cables' lengths distant. they were saved, for the moment! in a little while, perhaps twenty minutes, they heard another siren. it sounded a different note, a quaintly harsh blend of discords. whatsoever ship this might be, it was not the _sao geronimo_. and in that thrilling instant there was a coldness on one side of their faces that was not on the other. moist skin is a weather-vane in its way. a breeze was springing up. soon the fog would be rolled from off the sea and the sun would peer at them in mockery. coke's gruff voice reached every ear: "this time we're nabbed for keeps unless you all do as i bid you," he said. "when the fog lifts, the cruiser will see us. there's only one thing for it. somewhere, close in, is a steamer. she's a tramp, by the wheeze of 'er horn. we've got to board 'er an' sink the launch. if she's british, or american, o.k., as 'er people will stand by us. if she's a dago, we've got to collar 'er, run every whelp into the forehold, an' answer the cruiser's signals ourselves. that's the sittiwation, accordin' to my reckonin'. now, 'oo's for it?" "butt right in, skipper," said a gentleman who claimed providence, rhode island, as the place of his nativity. hozier, who had contrived to draw near iris while coke was speaking, breathed softly, so that none other could hear: "this is rank piracy. but what else can we do?" "is it wrong?" she asked. "well--no, provided we kill no one. we are justified in saving our own lives, and the average german or italian shipmaster would hand us over to the brazilians without scruple." iris was far from bootle and its moralities. "i don't care what happens so long as you are not hurt," she whispered. "mr. hozier," said coke thickly. "yes, sir." "you've got good eyes an' quick ears. lay out as far forrard as you can, an' pass the word for steerin'." hozier obeyed. the discordant bleat of a foghorn came again, apparently right ahead. in a few seconds he caught the flapping of a propeller, and silenced the launch's engines. "we are close in now," he said to coke, after a brief and noiseless drift. "why not try a hail!" "ship ahoy!" shouted coke, with all the force of brazen lungs. the screw of the unseen ship stopped. the sigh of escaping steam reached them. "_holla_! _wer rufe_?" was the gruff answer. "sink me if it ain't a german!" growled coke, _sotto-voce_, "norrie, you must stick here till i sing out to you. then open your exhaust an' unscrew a sea-cock. . . . wot ship is that?" he vociferated aloud. some answer was forthcoming--what, it mattered not. the launch bumped into the rusty ribs of a twelve-hundred ton tramp. a rope ladder was lowered. a round-faced teuton mate--fat and placid--was vastly surprised to find a horde of nondescripts pouring up the ship's side in the wake of a short, thick, bovine-looking person who neither understood nor tried to understand a word he was saying. these extraordinary visitors from the deep brought with them a girl and three wounded men. by this time the captain was aroused; he spoke some english. "vas iss diss?" he asked, surveying the newcomers with amazement, and their bizarre costumes with growing nervousness. "vere haf you coomed vrom?" coke pushed him playfully into the cook's galley. "this is too easy," he chortled. "set about 'em, you swabs. don't hurt anybody unless they ax for it. round every son of a gun into the fo'c'sle till i come. mr. watts, the bridge for you. olsen, take the wheel. mr. hozier, see wot you can find in their flag locker. _now_, mr. norrie! sharp for it. you're wanted in the engine-room." and that is how ex-president dom corria antonio de sylva acquired the nucleus of his fleet, though, unhappily, an accident to a sea-cock forthwith deprived him of a most useful and seaworthy steam launch. chapter xi a lively morning in exchange buildings coke and his merry men became pirates during the early morning of thursday, september 2d; the curious reader can ascertain the year by looking up "brazil" in any modern encyclopedia, and turning to the sub-division "recent history." on monday, september 6th, david verity entered his office in exchange buildings, liverpool, hung his hat and overcoat on their allotted pegs, swore at the office boy because some spots of rain had come in through an open window, and ran a feverish glance through his letters to learn if any envelopes bearing the planetary devices of the chief cable companies had managed to hide themselves among the mass of correspondence. the act was perfunctory. well he knew that telephone or special messenger would speedily have advised him if news of the _andromeda_ had arrived since he left the office on saturday afternoon. but it is said that drowning men clutch at straws, and the metaphor might be applied to verity with peculiar aptness. he was sinking in a sea of troubles, sinking because the old buoyancy was gone, sinking because many hands were stretched forth to push him under, and never one to draw him forth. there was no cablegram, of course. dickey bulmer, who had become a waking nightmare to the unhappy shipowner, had said there wouldn't be--said it twelve hours ago, after wringing from verity the astounding admission that iris was on board the _andromeda_. it was not because the vessel was overdue that david confessed. bulmer, despite his sixty-eight years, was an acute man of business. moreover, he was blessed with a retentive memory, and he treasured every word of the bogus messages from iris concocted by her uncle. they were lucid at first, but under the stress of time they wore thin, grew disconnected, showed signs of the strain imposed on their author's imagination. bulmer, a typical lancashire man, blended in his disposition a genial openhandedness with a shrewd caution. he could display a princely generosity in dealing with verity as the near relative and guardian of his promised wife; to the man whom he suspected of creating the obstacles that kept her away from him he applied a pitiless logic. the storm had burst unexpectedly. bulmer came to dinner, ate and drank and smoked in quiet amity until david's laboring muse conveyed his niece's latest "kind love an' good wishes," and then---"tell you wot," said dickey, "there's another five thousand due to-morrow on the surveyor's report." "there is," said verity, knowing that his guest and prospective partner alluded to the new steamer in course of construction on the clyde. "well, it won't be paid." david lifted his glass of port to hide his face. was this the first rumbling of the tempest? though expected hourly, he was not prepared for it. his hand trembled. he dared not put the wine to his lips. "wot's up now?" he asked. "you're playin' some underhand game on me, david, an' i won't stand it," was the unhesitating reply. "you're lyin' about iris. you've bin lyin' ever since she disappeared from bootle. show me 'er letters an' their envelopes, an' i'll find the money. but, of course, you can't. they don't exist. now, own up as man to man, an' i'll see if this affair can be settled without the lawyers. you know wot it means once _they_ take hold." then david set down the untasted wine and told the truth. not all--that was not to be dreamed of. in the depths of his heart he feared bulmer. the old man's repute for honesty was widespread. he would fling his dearest friend into prison for such a swindle as that arranged between coke and the shipowner. but it was a positive relief to divulge everything that concerned iris. from his pocket-book david produced her frayed letter, and bulmer read it slowly, aloud, through eyeglasses held at a long focus. now, given certain definite circumstances, an honest man and a rogue will always view them differently. david had interpreted the girl's guarded phrases in the light of his villainous compact with coke. dickey, unaware of this disturbing element, was inwardly amazed to learn that verity had lied so outrageously with the sole object of carrying through a commercial enterprise. "'tell him i shall marry him when the _andromeda_ returns to england from south america,'" he read. and again . . . "'the vessel is due back at the end of september, i believe, so mr. bulmer will not have long to wait.'" if, in the first instance, david had not been swept off his feet by the magnitude of the catastrophe, if he had not commenced the series of prevarications before the letter reached him, he might have adopted the only sane course and taken bulmer fully into his confidence. it was too late now. explanation was useless. the only plea that occurred to him was more deadly than silence, since it was her knowledge of the contemplated crime that made iris a stowaway. he had never guessed how that knowledge was attained and the added mystery intensified his torture. dickey rose from the table. his movements showed his age that night. "i'll think it over, david," he said. "there's more in this than meets the eye. i'll just go home an' think it over. mebbe i'll call at your place in the mornin'." so here was verity, awaiting bulmer's visit as a criminal awaits a hangman. there was no shred of hope in his mind that his one-time crony would raise a finger to save him from bankruptcy. some offenses are unforgivable, and high in the list ranks the folly of separating a wealthy old man from his promised bride. now that a reprieve was seemingly impossible, he faced his misfortunes with a dour courage. it had been a difficult and thankless task during the past month to stave off pressing creditors. with iris in bootle and bulmer her devoted slave, verity would have weathered the gale with jaunty self-confidence. but that element of strength was lacking; nay, more, he felt in his heart that it could never be replaced. he was no longer the acute, blustering, effusive verity, who in one summer's afternoon had secured a rich partner and forced an impecunious sailor to throw away a worn-out ship. the insurance held good, of course, and there simply _must_ be some sort of tidings of the _andromeda_ to hand before the end of september. yet things had gone wrong, desperately wrong, and he was quaking with the belief that there was worse in store. he began to read his letters. they were mostly in the same vein, duns, more or less active. his managing clerk entered. "there's an offer of 5s. 6d. cardiff to bilbao and bilbao to the tyne for the _hellespont_. it is better than nothing. shall we take it, sir?" the _hellespont_ was the firm's other ship. she, too, was old and running at a loss. "yes. wot is it, coal or patent fuel?" "coal, with a return freight of ore." "wish it was dynamite, with fuses laid on." the clerk grinned knowingly. men grow callous when money tilts the scale against human lives. "there's no news of the _andromeda_, and _her_ rate is all right," he said. david scowled at him. "d--n the rate!" he cried. "i want to 'ear of the ship. wot the----" but his subordinate vanished. david read a few more letters. some were from the families of such of the _andromeda's_ crew as lived in south shields, the hartlepools, whitby. they asked as a great favor that a telegram might be sent when---"oh, curse my luck!" groaned the man, quivering under the conviction that the _andromeda_ was lost "by the act of god" as the charter-party puts it. the belief unnerved him. those words have an ominous ring in the ears of evil-doers. he could show a bold front to his fellowmen, but he squirmed under the dread conception of a supernatural vengeance. so, like every other malefactor, david railed against his "luck." little did he guess the extraordinary turn that his "luck" was about to take. the office boy announced a visitor, evidently not the terrible bulmer, since he said: "gennelman to see yer, sir." "oo is it?" growled the shipowner. "gennelman from the noospaper, sir." "can't be bothered." "'e sez hit's most himportant, sir." "wot is?" "i dunno, sir." "well, show 'im in. i'll soon settle 'im." a quiet-mannered young man appeared. he ignored david's sharp, "now, wot can i do for you?" and drew up a chair, on which he seated himself, uninvited. "may i ask if you have received any private news of the _andromeda_?" he began. "no." "in that case, you must prepare yourself for a statement that may give you a shock," said the journalist. david creaked round in his chair. his face, not so red as of yore, paled distinctly. "is she lost?" said he in a strangely subdued tone. "i--i fear she is. but there is much more than an ordinary shipwreck at issue. several telegrams of the gravest import have reached us this morning. perhaps, before i ask you any questions, you ought to read them. they are in type already, and i have brought you proofs. here is the first." david took from the interviewer's outstretched hand a long strip of white paper. for an appreciable time his seething brain refused to comprehend the curiously black letters that grouped themselves into words on the limp sheet. and, indeed, he was not to be blamed if he was dull of understanding, for this is what he read: "revolution in brazil. "serious position. "startling escapade of a british ship. "rio de janeiro, september 5th. a situation of exceptional gravity has evidently arisen on the island of fernando do noronha, whence, it is said, ex-president de sylva recently attempted to escape. a battleship and two cruisers have been despatched thither under forced draught. no public telegrams have been received from the island during the past week, and the authorities absolutely refuse any information as to earlier events, though the local press hints at some extraordinary developments not unconnected with the appearance off the island of a british steamship known as the _andromeda_. "_later_--de sylva landed last night at the small port of maceio in the province of alagoas, a hundred miles south of pernambuco. it is currently reported that fernando noronha was captured by a gang of british freebooters. de sylva's return is unquestionable. to-day he issued a proclamation, and his partisans have seized some portion of the railway. excitement here is at fever heat." verity glared at the journalist. he laughed, almost hysterically. "the _andromeda_!" he gasped. "wot rot! wot silly rot!" "better withhold your opinion until you have mastered the whole story," was the unemotional comment. "here is a more detailed message. it is printed exactly as cabled. we have not added a syllable except the interpolation of such words as 'that' and 'the.' you will find it somewhat convincing, i imagine." the shipowner grasped another printed slip. this time he was able to read more lucidly: "pernambuco, september 4th. public interest in the abortive attempt to reinstate dom corria de sylva as president was waning rapidly when it was fanned into fresh activity by news that reached this port to-day. it appears that on the 31st ulto. a daring effort was made to free de sylva, who, with certain other ministers expelled by the successful revolution of two years ago, is a prisoner on the island of fernando do noronha. lloyd's agent on that island reports that the british steamer _andromeda_, owned by david verity & co. of liverpool, put into south bay, on the southeast side of fernando do noronha, early on the morning of august 31st, and it is alleged that her mission was to take de sylva and his companions on board. the garrison, forewarned by the central government, and already on the _qui vive_ owing to the disappearance of their important prisoners from their usual quarters, opened fire on the _andromeda_ as soon as she revealed her purpose by lowering a boat. "the steamer, being unarmed, made no attempt to defend herself, and was speedily disabled. she sank, within five minutes, off the grand-père rock, with all on board. with reckless bravado, her commander ran up the vessel's code signals and house flag while she was actually going down, thus establishing her identity beyond a shadow of doubt. a note of pathos is added to the tragedy by the undoubted presence of a lady on board--probably de sylva's daughter, though it was believed here that the ex-president's family were in paris. telegrams from the island are strictly censored, and the foregoing statement is unofficial, but your correspondent does not question its general accuracy. indeed, he has reason to credit a widespread rumor that the island is still in a very disturbed condition. no one knows definitely whether or not de sylva has been recaptured. it is quite certain that he has not landed in brazil, but the reticence of the authorities as to the state of affairs on fernando noronha leads to the assumption that he and a few stanch adherents are still in hiding in one of the many natural fastnesses with which the island abounds. "the british community on the littoral is deeply stirred by the drastic treatment received by the _andromeda_. it is pointed out that another ship, the _andros-y-mela_, believed to have been chartered by the insurgents, is under arrest at bahia, and the similarity between the two names is regarded as singular, to say the least. were it not that lloyd's agent, whose veracity cannot be questioned, has stated explicitly that the _andromeda_ put in to south bay--a point significantly far removed from the regular track of trading vessels--it might be urged that a terrible mistake had been made. in any event, the whole matter must be strictly inquired into, and one of his majesty's ships stationed in the south atlantic should visit the island at the earliest date possible. _delayed in transmission_." something buzzed inside verity's head and stilled all sense of actuality. he was unnaturally calm. though the weather was chilly for early september, great beads of perspiration glistened on his forehead. his eyes were dull; they lacked their wonted shiftiness. he gazed at the reporter unblinkingly, as though thought itself refused to act. "is that the lot?" he inquired mechanically. "nearly all, at present. these cablegrams reached us through london, and the agency took the earliest measures to substantiate their accuracy. the brazilian embassy pooh-poohs the whole story, but embassies invariably do that until the news is stale. by their own showing, ambassadors are singularly ill-informed men, especially in matters affecting their own countries. here, however, is a short telegram from paris which is of minor interest." and verity read again: "paris, september 6th. the members of dom corria de sylva's family, seen early this morning at the hotel continental, deny that any lady connected with the cause of brazilian freedom took part in the attempted rescue of the ex-president. they are much annoyed by the unfounded report, and hold strongly to the opinion that the revolution would now have been a _fait accompli_ had not a traitor revealed the destination of the _andros-y-mela_ and thus led to that vessel's detention at bahia." the lady! iris yorke! at last david's supercharged mind was beginning to assimilate ideas. he was conscious of a fierce pain in the region of his heart. the buzzing in his head continued, and the journalist's voice came to him as through a dense screen. "you will observe that the former president's relatives tacitly admit that there was a plot on foot," the other was saying. "it is important to note, too, that the long message from pernambuco, marked 'delayed in transmission' seems to imply a prior telegram which was suppressed. it alludes to a revolt of which nothing is known here. now, mr. verity, i want to ask you----" the door was flung open. in rushed dickey bulmer with a speed strangely disproportionate to his years. in his hands he held a crumpled newspaper. "you infernal blackguard, have you seen this?" he roared, and his attitude threatened instant assault on the dazed man looking up at him. the reporter moved out of the way. here, indeed, was "copy" of the right sort. bulmer held a position of much local importance. that he should use such language to the owner of the _andromeda_ promised developments "of the utmost public interest." david stood up. his chair fell over with a crash. he held on to the table to steady himself. even bulmer, white with rage, could not fail to see that he was stunned. but dickey was not minded to spare him on that account. "answer me, you scoundrel!" he shouted, thrusting the paper almost into david's face. "you are glib enough when it suits your purpose. were _you_ in this? is this the reason you didn't tell me iris was on board till i forced the truth out of you last night?" the managing clerk came in. behind him, a couple of juniors and the office boy supplied reënforcements. they all had the settled conviction that their employer was a rogue, but he paid them in no niggardly fashion, and they would not suffer anyone to attack him. this incursion from the external world had a restorative effect on verity. being what is termed a self-made man, he had a fine sense of his own importance, and his subordinates' lack of respect forthwith overcame every other consideration. "get out!" he growled, waving a hand toward the door. "but, sir--please, gentlemen----" stuttered the senior clerk. "get out, i tell you! d--n yer eyes, 'oo sent for any of you?" undoubtedly david was recovering. the discomfited clerks retired. even dickey bulmer was quieted a little. but he still shook the newspaper under david's nose. "now!" he cried. "let's have it. no more of your flamin' made-up tales. wot took you to shove the _andromeda_ into a rat-trap of this sort?" david staggered away from the table. he seemed to be laboring for breath. "'arf a mo'. no need to yowl at me like that," he protested. he fumbled with the lock of a corner cupboard, opened it, and drew forth a decanter and some glasses. a tumbler crashed to the floor, and the slight accident was another factor in clearing his wits. he swore volubly. "same thing 'appened that sunday afternoon," he said, apparently obvious of the other men's presence. "my poor lass upset one, she did. wish she'd ha' flung it at my 'ed. . . . did it say 'went down with all 'ands,' mister?" he demanded suddenly of the reporter. "yes, mr. verity." "is it true?" "i trust not, but lloyd's agent--well, i needn't tell you that lloyd's is reliable. was your niece on board? is she the lady mentioned in the cablegram?" then bulmer woke up to the fact that there was a stranger present. "'ello!" he cried angrily. "wot are you doin' ere? 'oo are you? be off, instantly." "i am not going until mr. verity hears what i have to ask him, and answers, or not, as he feels disposed," was the firm reply. "leave 'im alone, dickey. it's all right. wot does it matter now 'oo knows all there is to know? just gimme a minnit." verity poured out some brandy. man is but a creature of habit, and the hospitable lancastrian does not drink alone when there is company. "'ave a tiddly?" he inquired blandly. both bulmer and the journalist believed that david was losing his faculties. never did shipowner behave more queerly when faced by a disaster of like magnitude, involving, as did the _andromeda's_ loss, not only political issues of prime importance, but also the death of a near relative. they refused the proffered refreshment, not without some show of indignation. verity swallowed a large dose of neat spirit. he thought it would revive him, so, of course, the effect was instantaneous. the same quantity of prussic acid could not have killed him more rapidly than the brandy rallied his scattered forces, and, not being a physiologist, he gave the brandy all the credit. "ah!" he said, smacking his lips with some of the old-time relish, "that puts new life into one. an' now, let's get on with the knittin'. i was a bit rattled when this young party steers in an' whacks 'is cock-an'-bull yarn into me 'and. 'oo ever 'eard of a respectable british ship mixin' 'erself up with a south american revolution? the story is all moonshine on the face of it." "i think otherwise, mr. verity, and mr. bulmer, i take it, agrees with me," said the reporter. "wot," blazed david, into whose mind had darted a notion that dazzled him by its daring, "d'ye mean to insiniwate that i lent my ship to this 'ere dom wot's-'is-name? d'ye sit there an' tell me that jimmie coke, a skipper who's bin in my employ for sixteen year, would carry on that sort of fool's business behind 'is owner's back? go into my clerk's office, young man, an' ax andrews to show up a copy of the ship's manifest. see w'en an 'ow she was insured. jot down the names of the freighters for this run, and skip round to their offices to verify. an' if that don't fill the bill, well, just interview yourself, an' say if you'd allow your niece, a bonnie lass like my iris, to take a trip that might end in 'er bein' blown to bits. it's crool, that's wot it is, reel crool." david was not simulating this contemptuous wrath. he actually felt it. his harsh voice cracked when he spoke of iris, and the excited words gushed out in a torrent. the reporter glanced at bulmer, who was watching verity with a tense expectancy that was not to be easily accounted for, since his manner and speech on entering the room had been so distinctly hostile. "the lady referred to was miss iris yorke, then?" "'oo else? i've on'y one niece. my trouble is that she went without my permission, in a way of speakin'. 'ere, you'd better 'ave the fax. she was engaged to my friend, mr. bulmer, but, bein' a slip of a girl, an' fond o' romancin', she just put herself aboard the andromeeda without sayin' 'with your leave' or 'by your leave.' she wrote me a letter, w'ich sort of explains the affair. d'you want to see it?" "if i may." "no," said bulmer. "yes," blustered verity, fully alive now to the immense possibilities underlying the appearance in print of iris's references to her forthcoming marriage. "an' i say 'no,' an' mean it," said the older man. "go slow, david, go slow. i was not comin 'ere as your enemy when i found this paper bein' cried in the streets. it med me mad for a while. but i believe wot you've said, an' i'm not the man to want my business, or my future wife's i 'ope, to be chewed over by every dick, tom, an' 'arry in liverpool." the reincarnation of david was a wonderful spectacle, the most impressive incident the journalist had ever witnessed, did he but know its genesis. the metamorphosis was physical as well as mental. verity burgeoned before his very eyes. "of course, that makes a h-a tremenjous difference," said the shipowner. "you 'ave my word for it, an' that is enough for most men. mr. andrews 'll give you all the information you want. i'll cable now to rio an' pernambewco, an' see if i can get any straight news from the shippin' 'ouses there. i'll let you know if i 'ear anything, an' you might do the same by me." the reporter gave this promise readily. he scented a possible scandal, and meant to keep in touch with verity. meanwhile, he was in need of the facts which the managing clerk could supply, so he took himself off. bulmer went to the window and looked out. a drizzle of sleet was falling from a gray sky. the atmosphere was heavy. it was a day singularly appropriate to the evil tidings that had shocked him into a fury against the man who had so willfully deceived him. david picked up the proof slips and reread them. he compared them with the paragraphs in the newspaper brought by bulmer, and thrown by him on the table after his first outburst of helpless wrath. they were identical in wording, of course, but, somehow, their meaning was clearer in the printed page: and david, despite his uncouth diction, was a clever man. he wrinkled his forehead now in analysis of each line. soon he hit on something that puzzled him. "dickey," he said. there was no answer. the old man peering through the window seemed to have bent and whitened even since he came into the room. "look 'ere, dickey," went on david, "this dashed fairy-tale won't hold water. _you_ know coke. is 'e the kind o' man to go bumpin' round like a stage 'ero, an' hoisting union jacks as the ship sinks? i ax you, is 'e? it's nonsense, stuff an' nonsense. an', if the andromeeda was scrapped at fernando noronha, 'oo were the freebooters that collared the island, an' 'ow did this 'ere de sylva get to maceio? are you listenin'?" "yes," said bulmer, turning at last, and devouring verity with his deep-set eyes. "well, wot d'ye think of it?" "did you send the ship to fernando noronha?" it is needless to place on record the formula of david's denial. it was forcible, and served its purpose--that should suffice. "under ordinary conditions she would 'ave passed the island about the 31st?" continued bulmer. "yes. confound it, 'aven't i bin cablin' there every two days for a fortnight or more? b'lieve me or not, dickey, it cut me to the 'eart to keep you in the dark about iris. but i begun it, like an ijjit, an' kep' on with it." "to sweeten me on account of the new ships, i s'pose?" "yes, that's it. no more lyin' for me. i'm sick of it." "for the same reason you wanted that letter published?" "well--yes. there! you see i'm talkin' straight." "so am i. if--if iris is alive, the partnership goes on. if--she's dead, it doesn't." "d'ye mean it?" "i always mean wot i say." the click of an indicator on the desk showed that verity's private telephone had been switched on from the general office. by sheer force of routine, david picked up a receiver and placed it to his ear. the sub-editor of the newspaper whose representative had not been gone five minutes asked if he was speaking to mr. verity. "yes," said david, "wot's up now?" and he motioned to bulmer to use a second receiver. "a cablegram from pernambuco states specifically that the captain and crew of the _andromeda_ fought their way across the island of fernando noronha, rescued dom de sylva, seized a steam launch, attacked and captured the german steamship _unser fritz_, and landed the insurgent leader at maceio. the message goes on to say that the captain's name is coke, and that he is accompanied by his daughter. . . . eh? what did you say? . . . are you there?" "yes, i'm 'ere, or i think i am," said david with a desperate calmness. "is that all?" "all for the present." "it doesn't say that coke is a ravin', tearin', 'owlin' lunatic, does it?" "no. is that your view?" bulmer's hand gripped david's wrist. their eyes met. "i was thinkin' that the chap who writes these penny novelette wires might 'ave rounded up his yarn in good shape," said verity aloud. "but there is not the slightest doubt that something of the kind has occurred," said the voice. "it's a put-up job!" roared david. "them bloomin' portygees 'ave sunk my ship, an' they're whackin' in their flam now so as to score first blow. a year-old baby 'ud see that if 'is father was a lawyer." the sub-editor laughed. "well, i'll ring you up again when the next message comes through," he said. but to bulmer, david said savagely: "wot's bitten coke? 'e must 'ave gone stark, starin' mad." "iris is alive!" murmured bulmer. "nice mess she med of things w'en she slung 'er 'ook from linden 'ouse," grunted her uncle. "i don't blame 'er. she meant no 'arm. she's on'y a bit of a lass, w'en all is said an' done. mebbe it's my fault, or yours, or the fault of both of us. an' now, david, i'll tell you wot i 'ad in me mind in comin' 'ere this morning. you're hard up. you don't know where to turn for a penny. if you're agreeable, i'll put a trustworthy man in this office an' give 'im full powers to pull your affairs straight. mind you, i'm doin' this for iris, not for you. an' now that we know wot's 'appening in south america, you an' i will go out there and look into things. a mail steamer will take us there in sixteen days, an' before we sail we can work the cables a bit so as to stop iris from startin' for 'ome before we arrive. the trip will do us good, an' we'll be away from the gossip of bootle. are you game? well, gimme your 'and on it." [illustration: "well, gimme your 'and on it"] chapter xii the lure of gold "philip, i want to tell you something." "something pleasant?" "no." "then why tell me?" "because, unhappily, it must be told. i hope you will forgive me, though i shall never forgive myself. oh, my dear, my dear, why did we ever meet? and what am i to say? i--well, i have promised to marry another man." "disgraceful!" said philip. though iris's faltered confession might fairly be regarded as astounding, philip was unmoved. the german captain had given him a cigar, and he was examining it with a suspicion that was pardonable after the first few whiffs. "philip dear, this is quite serious," said iris, momentarily withdrawing her wistful gaze from the far-away line where sapphire sea and amber sky met in harmony. northeastern brazil is a favored clime. bad weather is there a mere link, as it were, between unbroken weeks of brilliant sunshine, when nature lolls in the warmth and stirs herself only at night under the moon and the stars. that dingy trader, the _unser fritz_, ostensibly carrying wool and guano from the argentine to hamburg, was now swinging west at less than half speed over the long rollers which alone bore testimony to the recent gale. already a deep tint of crimson haze over the western horizon was eloquent, in nature's speech, of land ahead. at her present pace, the _unser fritz_ would enter the harbor at pernambuco on the following morning. iris, her troubled face resting on her hands, her elbows propped on the rails of the poop on the port side, looked at philip with an intense sadness that was seemingly lost on him. his doubts concerning the cigar had grown into a certainty. he cast it into the sea. "i really mean what i say," she continued in a low voice that vibrated with emotion, for her obvious distress was enhanced by his evident belief that she was jesting. "i have given my word--written it--entered into a most solemn obligation. somehow, the prospect of reaching a civilized place to-morrow induces a more ordered state of mind than has been possible since--since the _andromeda_ was lost." "who is he?" demanded hozier darkly. "coke is married. so is watts. dom corria has other fish to fry than to dream of committing bigamy. of course, i am well aware that you have been flirting outrageously with san benavides----" "please don't make my duty harder for me," pleaded iris. "before i met you, before we spoke to each other that first day at liverpool, i had promised to marry mr. bulmer, an old friend of my uncle's----" "oh,--he? . . . i am sorry for mr. bulmer, but it can't be done," interrupted hozier. "philip, you do not understand. i--i cared for nobody then . . . and my uncle said he was in danger of bankruptcy . . . and mr. bulmer undertook to help him if i would consent. . . ." "yes," agreed philip, with an air of pleasant detachment, "i see. you are in a first-rate fix. i was always prepared for that. coke told me about bulmer--warned me off, so to speak. i forgot his claims at odd times, just for a minute or so, but he is a real bugbear--a sort of matrimonial bogey-man. if all goes well, and we enter pernambuco without being fired at, you will be handed over to the british consul, and he will send a rousing telegram about you to england. bulmer, of course, will cause a rare stir at home. who wouldn't? no wonder you are scared! it seems to me that there is only one safe line of action left open." iris did not respond to his raillery. she was despondent, nervous, uncertain of her own strength, afraid of the hurricane of publicity that would shortly swoop down on her. "i wish you would realize how i feel in this matter," she said, with a persistence that was at least creditable to her honesty of purpose. "a woman's word should be held as sacred as a man's, philip." he turned and met her eyes. there was a tender smile on his lips. "so you really believe you will be compelled to marry mr. bulmer?" he cried. "oh, don't be horrid!" she almost sobbed. "i cuc--cuc--can't help it." "i have given some thought to the problem myself," he said, for, in truth, he was beginning to be alarmed by her tenacity, though determined not to let her perceive his changed mood. "curiously enough, i was thinking more of your dilemma than of the signals when we were overhauled by the _sao geronimo_ this morning. odd, isn't it, how things pop into one's mind at the most unexpected moments? while i was coding our explanation that we were putting into pernambuco for repairs, and that no steam yacht had been sighted between here and the river plate, i was really trying to imagine what the cruiser's people would have said if i had told them the actual truth." his apparent gravity drew the girl's thoughts for an instant from contemplating her own unhappiness. "how could you have done that?" she asked. "we are going there to suit senhor de sylva's ends. we have suffered so much already for his sake that we could hardly betray him now." hozier spread wide his hands with a fine affectation of amazement. "i wasn't talking about de sylva," he cried. "my remarks were strictly confined to the question of your marriage. i know you far too well, iris, to permit you to go back to bootle to be lectured and browbeaten by your uncle. i have never seen him, but, from all accounts, he is a rather remarkable person. he likes to have his own way, irrespective of other folks' feelings. i am a good guesser, iris. i have a pretty fair notion why coke meant to leave our poor ship's bones on a south american reef. i appreciate exactly how well it would serve mr. david verity's interests if his niece married a wealthy old party like bulmer. by the way how old is bulmer?" "nearly seventy." even iris herself smiled then, though her tremulous mirth threatened to dissolve in tears. "ah, that's a pity," said hozier. "it is very unkind of you to treat me in this manner," she protested. "but i am trying to help you. i say it is a pity that bulmer should be a patriarch, because his only hope of marrying you is that i shall die first. even then he must be prepared to espouse my widow. by the way, is it disrespectful to describe him as a patriarch? isn't there some proverb about three score years and ten?" "philip, if only you would appreciate my dreadful position----" "i do. it ought to be ended. the first parson we meet shall be commandeered. don't you see, dear, we really must get married at pernambuco? that is what i wanted to signal to the cruiser: 'the _unser fritz_ is taking a happy couple to church.' wouldn't that have been a surprise?" iris clenched her little hands in despair. why did he not understand her misery? though she was unwavering in her resolution to keep faith with the man who had twitted her with taking all and giving nothing in return, she could not wholly restrain the tumult in her veins. married in pernambuco! ah, if only that were possible! yet she did not flinch from the lover-like scrutiny with which philip now favored her. "i am sure we would be happy together," she said, with a pathetic confidence that tempted him strongly to take her in his arms and kiss away her fears. "but we must be brave, philip dear, brave in the peaceful hours as in those which call for another sort of courage. last night we lived in a different world. we looked at death, you and i together, not once but many times, and you, at least, kept him at bay. but that is past. to-day we are going back to the commonplace. we must forget what happened in the land of dreams. i will never love any man but you, philip; yet--i cannot marry you." "you will marry me--in pernambuco." "i will not because i may not. oh, spare me any more of this! i cannot bear it. have pity, dear!" "iris, let us at least look at the position calmly. do you really think that fate's own decree should be set aside merely to keep david verity out of the bankruptcy court?" "i have given my promise, and those two men are certain i will keep it." "ah, they shall release you. what then?" "you do not know my uncle, or mr. bulmer. money is their god. they would tell you that money can control fate. we, you and i, might despise their creed, but how am i to shirk the claims of gratitude? i owe everything to my uncle. he rescued my mother and me from dire poverty. he gave us freely of his abundance. would you have me fail him now that he seeks my aid? ah, me! if only i had never come on this mad voyage! but it is too late to think of that now. perhaps--if i had not promised--i might steel my heart against him--but, philip, you would never think highly of me again if i were so ready to rend the hand that fed me. we have had our hour, dear. its memory will never leave me. i shall think of you, dream of you, when, it may be, some other girl--oh, no, i do not mean that! philip, don't be angry with me to-day. you are wringing my heart!" it was in hozier's mind to scoff in no measured terms at the absurd theory that he should renounce his oft-won bride because a pair of elderly gentlemen in bootle had made a bargain in which she was staked against so many bags of gold. but pity for her suffering joined forces with a fine certainty that fortune would not play such a scurvy trick as to rob him of his divinity after leading him through an inferno to the very gate of paradise. for that is how he regarded the perils of fernando noronha. he was young, and the ethics of youth cling to romance. it seemed only right and just that he should have been proved worthy of iris ere he gained the heaven of her love. there might be portals yet unseen, with guardian furies waiting to entrap him, and he would brave them all for her dear sake. but his very soul rebelled against the notion that he had become her chosen knight merely to gratify the unholy ardor of some decrepit millionaire. he laughed savagely at the fantasy, and his protest burst into words strange on his lips. "i shall never give you up to any other man," he said. "i have won you by the sword, and, please god, i shall keep you against all claimants. twenty-two men sailed out of liverpool on board the andromeda, and it was given to me among the twenty-two that i should pluck you from darkness into light. i had only seen you that day on the wharf, yet i was thinking of you constantly, little dreaming that you were within a few yards of me all the time. i was planning some means of meeting you again when our surly-tempered skipper bade me burst in the door that kept you from me. and that is what i have been doing ever since, iris--breaking down barriers, smashing them, whether they were flesh and blood or nature's own obstacles, so that i might not lose you. give you up! not while i live! why, you yourself dragged me away from certain death when i was lying unconscious on the _andromeda's_ deck. a second time, you saved not me alone but the ten others who are left out of the twenty-two, by bringing us back to grand-père in the hour that our escape seemed to be assured had we put out to sea. we are more than quits, dear heart, when we strike a balance of mutual service. we are bound by a tie of comradeship that is denied to most. and who shall sever it? the man who gains three times the worth of his ship by reason of the very dangers we have shared! to state such a mad proposition is to answer it. who is he that he should sunder those whom god has joined together? and what other man and woman now breathing can lay better claim than we to have been joined by the almighty?" the strange exigencies of their lives during the past two days had ordained that this should be philip's first avowal of his feelings. under the stress of overpowering impulse he had clasped iris to his heart when they were parting on the island. in obedience to a stronger law than any hitherto revealed to her innocent consciousness the girl had flown to his arms when he came to the hut. and that was all their love-making, two blissful moments of delirium wrenched from a time of a gaunt tragedy, and followed by a few hours of self-negation. yet they sufficed--to the man--and the woman is never too ready to count the cost when her heart declares its passion. but the morrow was not to be denied. its bitter awakening had come. in the very agony of a sublime withdrawal iris realized what manner of man this was whom she had determined to thrust aside so that she might keep her troth. she dared not look at him. she could not compel her quivering lips to frame a word of excuse or reiterated resolve. with a heart-breaking cry of sheer anguish she fled from him, running away along the deck with the uncertain steps of some sorely stricken creature of the wild. he did not try to restrain her. heedless of the perplexed scowl with which coke was watching him from the bridge, he looked after her until she vanished in the cabin which had been vacated for her use by the chief engineer of the vessel. even her manifest distress gave him a sense of riotous joy that was hardly distinguishable from the keenest spiritual suffering. "give you up!" he muttered again. "no, iris, not if satan brought every dead verity to aid the living one in his demand." coke, to whom tact was anathema, chose that unhappy instant to summon him to take charge of the ship. the german master and crew had not caused trouble to their conquerors after the first short struggle. they washed their hands of responsibility, professed to be satisfied with the written indemnity and promise of reward given by de sylva, and otherwise placed the resources of the vessel entirely at his disposal. a more peaceable set of men never existed. though they numbered sixteen, three more than the usurpers, it was quite certain that the thought of further resistance never entered their minds. if anything, they hailed the adventure with decorous hilarity. it formed a welcome break in the monotony of their drab lives. of course, they were utterly incredulous as to the ability of a scarecrow like dom corria to fulfil his financial pledges. therein they erred. he was really a very rich man, having followed the illustrious example set by generations of south american presidents in accumulating a fine collection of gilt-edged scrip during his tenure of office, which said scrip was safely lodged in london, paris, and new york. but the world always refuses to associate rags with affluence, and these worthy teutons regarded de sylva and coke as the leaders of a gang of dangerous lunatics who should be humored in every possible way until a port was reached. it was precisely that question of a port which had engaged coke in earnest consultation with de sylva and san benavides on the bridge while iris and hozier were lacerating each other's feelings on the poop. apparently, the point was settled when hozier joined the triumvirate. coke glanced at the compass, and placed the engine-room telegraph at "full speed ahead," for the _unser fritz_ had once been a british ship, and still retained her english appliances. "keep 'er edgin' south a bit," said he to hozier. "there's no knowin' w'en that crimson cruiser will show up again, but we must try and steal a knot or two afore sundown." the order roused hozier from his stupor of wrathful bewilderment. "why south?" he asked. "if anything, pernambuco lies north of our present course." "we're givin' pernambuco the go-by. it's maceio for us, quick as we can get there." hozier was in no humor for conciliatory methods. he turned on his heel, and walked straight to where de sylva was leaning against the rails. "captain coke tells me that we are not making for pernambuco," he said, meeting the older man's penetrating gaze with a glance as firm and self-contained. "that is what we have arranged," said dom corria. "it does not seem to have occurred to you that there is one person on board this ship whose interests are vastly more important than yours, senhor." "meaning miss yorke?" asked the other, who did not require to look twice at this stern-visaged man to grasp the futility of any words but the plainest. "yes." "she will be safer at maceio than at pernambuco. our only danger at either place will be encountered at the actual moment of landing. at maceio there is practically no risk of finding a warship in the harbor. that is why we are going there." "and not because you are more likely to find adherents there?" "it is a much smaller town than pernambuco, and my strength lies outside the large cities, i admit. but there can be no question as to our wisdom in preferring maceio, even where the young lady's well-being is concerned." "i think differently. at maceio there are few, if any, europeans. at pernambuco the large english-speaking community will protect her, no matter what president is in power. i must ask you to reconsider your plan. land miss yorke and me at pernambuco, and then betake yourself and those who follow you where you will." coke jerked himself into the dispute. "'ere, wot's wrong now?" he demanded angrily. "since w'en 'as a second officer begun to fix the ship's course?" "i am not your second officer, nor are you my commander," said philip. "at present we are fellow-pirates, or, at best, running the gravest risk of being regarded as pirates by any court of law. i don't care a cent personally what port we make, but i do care most emphatically for miss yorke's safety." "we've argied the pros an' cons, an' it's to be maceio," growled coke. dom corria's precise tones broke in on what threatened to develop into a serious dispute. "you would have been asked to join in the discussion, if, apparently, you were not better engaged at the moment, mr. hozier," he said. "i assure you, on my honor, that there are many reasons in favor of maceio even from the exclusive point of view of miss yorke's immediate future. she will be well cared for. i promise to make that my first consideration. the army is mainly for me, and senhor san benavides's regiment is stationed at maceio. the navy, on the other hand, supports dom miguel barraca, who supplanted me, and we shall surely meet a cruiser or gunboat at pernambuco. you see, therefore, that common prudence----" "i see that, whether willing or not, we are to be made the tools of your ambition," interrupted hozier curtly. "it is also fairly evident that i am the only man of the _andromeda's_ company whom you have not bribed to obey you. well, be warned now by me. if circumstances fail to justify your change of route, i shall make it my business to settle at least one revolution in brazil by cracking your skull." san benavides, hearing the names of the two ports, understood exactly why the young englishman was making such a strenuous protest. he moved nearer, laying an ostentatious hand on the sword that clanked everlastingly at his heels. he had never been taught, it seemed, that a man who can use his fists commands a readier weapon than a sword in its scabbard. hozier eyed him. there was no love lost between them. for a fraction of a second san benavides was in a position of real peril. then dom corria said coldly: "no interference, i pray you, senhor adjudante. kindly withdraw." his tone was eminently official. san benavides saluted and stepped back. the dark scar on de sylva's forehead had grown a shade lighter, but there was no other visible sign of anger in his face, and his luminous eyes peered steadily into hozier's. "let me understand!" he said. "you hold my life as forfeit if any mischance befalls miss yorke?" "yes." "i accept that. of course, you no longer challenge my direction of affairs?" "i am no match for you in argument, senhor, but i do want you to believe that i shall keep my part of the compact." coke, familiar with de sylva's resources as a debater, and by no means unwilling to see hozier "taken down a peg," as he phrased it; eager, too, to witness the brazilian officer's discomfiture if the second mate "handed it to him," thought it was time to assert himself. "i'm goin' to 'ave a nap," he announced. "either you or watts must take 'old. w'ich is it to be?" "no need to ask mr. hozier any such question," said the suave dom corria. "you can trust him implicitly. he is with us now--to the death. captain san benavides, a word with you." "south a bit," repeated the skipper. "call me at two bells in the second dog." he was turning to leave the bridge with the brazilians when a cheery voice came from a gangway beneath. "yah, yah, mine frent--that's the proper lubricant. i wouldn't give you tuppence a dozen for your bloomin' lager. well, just a freshener. thanks. ik danky shun!" "you spik tcherman vare goot," was the reply. "talk a little of all sorts. used to sing a jarman song once. what was that you was a-hummin' in your cabin? nice chune. i've a musical ear meself." someone sang a verse in a subdued baritone, tremulous with sentiment. the melody was haunting, the words almost pathetic under the conditions of life on board the disheveled _unser fritz_. they told of vienna, the city beloved of its sons. es gibt nur eine kaiser stadt, es gibt nur eine wien. "shake, me boy!" cried the enraptured watts to the ship's captain. "i do'n' know wot it's all about, but it's reel fine. something to do with a gal, i expect. well, 'ere's one of the same kidney: i know a maiden fair to see, take care! she can both false and friendly be, beware, beware! trust her not, she is fooling thee!" mr. watts was both charmed and surprised when the friendly skipper joined in the concluding lines in his own language. but his pleasure was short-lived. coke's inflamed visage glowered into the mess room. "sink me if you ain't a daisy!" he roared, pouncing on a three-quarters filled bottle of rum. "d'you fancy we're goin' to land you at maceio cryin' drunk? no, sir, not this time. over it goes, an' if you ain't dam careful, over you go after it!" watts could have wept without the artificial stimulus of the rum. to see good liquor slung into the sea in that fashion--well, it was a sin, that's wot it was! but coke's furious eye quelled him; and revel and song ceased. above, on the bridge, hozier smiled sourly at the squall which had so suddenly beset the fair argosy of the convivial-minded watts. he tried to invest the incident with an excess of humor. any excuse would serve to still certain disquieting doubts that were springing into alarming activity. had he gone the best way to work in allaying iris's conscience-stricken qualms? was he justified in adopting such a bold line with de sylva? could it be possible--no, he refused to harbor any mean thought of iris. she loved him, he was sure; his love for her was at once a torment and an excruciating bliss, and both of these wearing sensations sadly detracted from the efficiency of the officer of the watch. so our distracted philip pulled himself up sharply, paced back and forth between port and starboard, and surveyed ship, binnacle, and horizon with alert vigilance. on the fore-deck groups of sailors and firemen belonging to both vessels were fraternizing. there could be little room for speculation as to the subject of their broken talk. it was of de sylva, of brazil's new dictator, of the gold he would control when he became president again. the slow-moving teutonic mind was beginning to assimilate the notion that there was money in this escapade. that the tatterdemalion then closeted with the _unser fritz's_ captain could obtain a certified check for a million sterling, and twenty-five times as many millions of francs, and even then remain a man of means, was unbelievable; but if he regained power, that was different. _ende gut, alles gut_. there might be pickings in it. soon after sunset iris reappeared. she walked on the after deck with san benavides, and seemed to be listening with great attention to something he was telling her. hozier was often compelled to look that way in order to make certain that the _sao geronimo_ was not overhauling the ship in one of her circling flights over the wide channel. he wondered what in the world san benavides was saying that his chatter should be so interesting, and he acknowledged with a pang that iris was deliberately avoiding his own occasional glances in her direction. there is no saying what would have happened had he known that the brazilian was relating the scene that took place on the bridge, suppressing its prime motive, and twisting it greatly to hozier's detriment, though with an adroit touch that deprived iris of any power to resent his words. indeed, she read her own meaning into philip's anxiety to reach pernambuco, whereas san benavides was striving to instill the belief that she would find excellent friends at maceio. she was far too loyal-hearted to suspect philip of a hidden purpose in urging that the voyage should end in one port rather than another. but she could not forget that he said repeatedly they would be married in pernambuco. indeed, the promise had a glamour of its own, even though it could never be fulfilled. more than once her cheeks glowed with a rush of color that san benavides attributed to his own delightful personality, and, when she paled again, his voice sank to a deeply sympathetic note. and here came watts, rejuvenated, having imbibed many pints of the despised lager, and humming gaily: beware, beware! trust her not! she is foo-oo-ooling thee! confound the fellow. why could he not chant the piratical doggerel that coke abhorred? that, at least, would have been more appropriate to present surroundings? but would it? ah, philip felt a twinge then. "touché!" chortled some unseen imp who plied a venomous rapier. thank goodness, a sailor was standing by the ship's bell, with his hand on a bit of cord tied to the clapper. it would soon be seven o'clock. even the companionship of the uncouth skipper was preferable to this brooding solitariness. when hozier was relieved, and summoned to a meal in the saloon with norrie and some of the ship's own officers, iris was nowhere visible. he went straight to her cabin, and knocked. "who is it?" she asked. "i, philip. will you be on deck in a quarter of an hour?" "no." "but this time _i_ want to tell _you_ something." "philip, dear, i am weary. i must rest--and--i dare not meet you." "dare not?" "i am afraid of myself. please leave me." he caught the sob in her voice, and it unmanned him; he stalked off, raging. he remembered how the fiend, in gounod's incomparable opera, whispered in the lover's ear: "thou fool, wait for night and the moon!" and he was wroth with himself for the memory. while off duty he kept strict watch and ward over the gangway in which iris's cabin was situated. it was useless; she remained hidden. the _unser fritz_ was now heading southwest, and "reeling off her ten knots an hour like clockwork," as norrie put it. the recife, that enormous barrier reef which blockades hundreds of miles of the brazilian coast, caused no anxiety to coke. he was well acquainted with these waters, and he held on stoutly until the occulting light of maceio showed low over the sea straight ahead. it was then after midnight, and the land was still ten miles distant, but the ship promptly resumed her role of lame duck, lest a prowling gunboat met and interrogated her. as coke had told iris she might expect to be ashore about two o'clock, she waited until half-past one ere coming on deck. despite her unalterable decision to abide by the hideous compact entered into with her uncle and bulmer, her first thought now was to find hozier. though the sky was radiant with stars, a slight haze on the surface of the sea shrouded the ship's decks and passages in an uncanny darkness. coke's orders forbade the display of any lights whatsoever, except those in the engine-room and the three essential lamps carried externally. so the _unser fritz_ was gloomy, and the plash of the sea against her worn plates had an ominous sound, while the glittering white eye of the lighthouse winked evilly across the black plain in front. in a word iris was thoroughly wretched, and not a little disturbed by the near prospect of landing in a foreign country, which would probably be plunged into civil war by the mere advent of de sylva. it need hardly be said that, under these circumstances, hozier was the one man in whose company she would feel reasonably safe. but she could not see him anywhere. coke and watts, with the brazilians and a couple of germans, were on the bridge, but hozier was not to be found. at last she hailed one of the _andromeda's_ men whom she met in a gangway. "mr. hozier, miss?" said he. "oh, he's forrard, right up in the bows, keepin' a lookout. this is a ticklish place to enter without a pilot, an' we've passed two already." this information added to her distress. she ought not to go to him. full well she knew that her presence might distract him from an all-important task. so she sat forlornly on the fore-hatch, waiting there until he might leave his post, reviewing all the bizarre procession of events since she climbed an elm-tree in the garden of linden house on a sunday afternoon now so remote that it seemed to be the very beginning of life. the adventures to which that elm-tree conducted her were oddly reminiscent of the story of jack and the beanstalk. for once, the true had outrivaled the fabulous. the steamer crept on lazily, and iris fancied the hour must be nearer five o'clock than two when she heard hozier's voice ring out clearly: "buoy on the port bow!" there was a movement among the dim figures on the bridge. a minute later hozier cried again: "buoy on the starboard bow!" she understood then that they were in a marked channel. already the road was narrowing. soon they would be ashore. at last hozier came. he saw her as he jumped down from the forecastle deck. "why are you here, iris?" was all he said. she looked so bowed, so humbled, that he could not find it in his heart to reproach her for having avoided him earlier. "i wanted to be near you," she whispered. "i--i am frightened, philip. i am terrified by the unknown. somehow, on the rock our dangers were measurable. here, we shall soon be swallowed up among a whole lot of people." they heard coke's gruff order to the watch to clear the falls of the jolly-boat. the _unser fritz_ was going dead slow. on the starboard side were the lights of a large town, but the opposite shore was somber and vague. "are we going to land at once, in a small boat?" said iris timidly. "i fancy there is a new move on foot. a gunboat is moored half a mile down stream. you missed her because your back was turned. she has steam up, and could slip her cables in a minute. they saw her from the bridge, of course, but i did not report her, as there was a chance that my hail might be heard, and we came in so confidently that we are looked on as a local trader. come, let us buy a programme." he took her by the arm with that masterful gentleness that is so comforting to a woman when danger is rife. even his jesting allusion to their theatrical arrival in port was cheering. they reached the bridge. some sailors were lowering a boat as quietly as possible. dom corria approached with outstretched hand. "good-by, miss yorke," he said. "i am leaving you for a few hours, not longer. when next we meet i ought to have a sure grip of the presidential ladder, and i shall climb quickly. won't you wish me luck?" "i wish you all good fortune, dom corria," said iris. "may your plans succeed without bloodshed!" "ah, this is south america, remember. our conflicts are usually short and fierce. _au revoir_, mr. hozier. by daybreak we shall be better friends." san benavides also bade them farewell, with an easy grace not wholly devoid of melodramatic pathos. the dandy and the man of rags climbed down a rope ladder, the boat fell away from the ship's side, and the night took them. "what did he mean by saying you would be 'better friends'?" whispered the girl. "have you quarreled?" "we had a small dispute as to the wisdom of landing you here," said philip. "perhaps i was wrong. he is a clever man, and he surely knows his own country." "mr. hozier!" cried coke. "yes, sir." "is all clear forrard to let go anchor?" "yes, sir." "give her thirty. you go and see to it, will you?" hozier made off at a run. iris recalled the last time she heard similar words. she shuddered. would that placid foreshore blaze out into a roar of artillery, and the worn-out _unser fritz_, like the worn-out _andromeda_, stagger and lurch into a watery grave. but the only noise that jarred the peaceful night was the rattle of the cable and winch. the ship fell away a few feet, and was held. there was no moving light on the river. not even a police boat or customs launch had put off. maceio was asleep; it was quite unprepared for the honor of a presidential visit. chapter xiii the new era a swaggering officer and a man habited like a beggar landed unobserved at a coal wharf, moored a ship's boat to a bolt, and passed swiftly through a silent town till they reached the closed gates of an infantry barrack perched on a hill that rose steeply above the clustering roofs of maceio. though the seeming mendicant limped slightly, his superior stature enabled him to keep pace with the officer. the pair neither lagged nor hesitated. the officer knocked loudly on a small door inset in the big gates. after some delay it was opened. a sentry challenged. "capitão san benavides," announced the officer, and the man stood to attention. "enter, my friend," said san benavides to his ragged companion. the latter stepped within; the wicket was locked, and the click of the bolt was suggestive of the rattle of the dice with which dom corria de sylva was throwing a main with fortune. perhaps some thought of the kind occurred to him, but he was calm as if he were so poor that he had naught more to lose. "who is the officer of the guard?" san benavides asked the soldier. "senhor tenente [lieutenant] regis de pereira, senhor capitão." "tell him, with my compliments, that i shall be glad to meet him at the colonel's quarters in fifteen minutes." the queerly-assorted pair moved off across the barrack square. the sentry looked after them. "my excellent captain seems to have been brawling," he grinned. "but what of the _mendigo_?" what, indeed? a most pertinent question for brazil, and one that would be loudly answered. the colonel's house was in darkness, yet san benavides rapped imperatively. an upper window was raised. a voice was heard, using profane language. a head appeared. its owner cried, "who is it?"--with additions. "san benavides." "christo! and the other?" "one whom you expect." the head popped in. soon there was a light on the ground floor. the door opened. a very stout man, barefooted, who had struggled into a pair of abnormally tight riding-breeches, faced them. "can it be possible?" he exclaimed, striking an attitude. dom corria spoke not a word. he knew the value of effect, and could bide his time. the three passed into a lighted apartment. de sylva placed himself under a chandelier, and took off a frayed straw hat which he had borrowed from someone on board the _unser fritz_. the colonel, a grotesque figure in his present _deshabillé_, bowed low before him. "my president!--i salute you," he murmured. "thank you, general," said dom corria, smiling graciously. "i knew i could depend on you. how soon can you muster the regiment?" "in half an hour, excellency." "see that there is plenty of ammunition for the machine guns. what of the artillery?" "the three batteries stationed here are with us heart and soul." "colonel san benavides, as chief of the staff, is acquainted with every detail. you, general, will assume command of the army of liberation. some trunks were sent to you from paris, i believe?" "they are in the room prepared for your excellency." "let me go there at once and change my clothing. i must appear before the troops as their president, not as a jail-bird. for the moment i leave everything to you and san benavides. let senhor pondillo be summoned. he will attend to the civil side of affairs. you have my unqualified approval of the military scheme drawn up by you and my other friends. there is one thing--a gunboat lies in the harbor. is she the _andorinha_?" the newly-promoted general smote his huge stomach with both hands--"beating the drum," he called it--and the rat-tat signified instant readiness for action. "the guns will soon scare that bird," he exclaimed. as _andorinha_ means "swallow" in english there was some point to the remark. nor was he making a vain boast. the most astounding feature of every revolution in a south american republic is the alacrity with which the army will fire on the navy, _et vice versâ_. the two services seem to be everlastingly at feud. if politicians fail to engineer a quarrel, the soldiers and sailors will indulge in one on their own account. it was so now at maceio. dawn was about to peep up over the sea when twelve guns lumbered through the narrow streets, waking many startled citizens. a few daring souls, who guessed what had happened, rushed off on horseback or bicycle to remote telegraph offices. these adventurers were too late. every railway station and post-office within twenty miles was already held by troops. revolts are conducted scientifically in that region. their stage management is perfect, and the cumbrous methods of effete civilizations might well take note of the speed, thoroughness, and efficiency with which a change of government is effected. for instance, what could be more admirable than the scaring of the bird by general russo? he drew up his three batteries on the wharf opposite the unsuspecting _andorinha_, and endeavored to plant twelve shells in the locality of her engine-room without the least hesitation. there was no thought of demanding her surrender, or any quixotic nonsense of that sort. in the first place, no man would act as herald, since he would be shot or stabbed the instant his errand became known; in the second, as hozier had explained to iris, the gunboat could slip her cable very quickly, and russo's artillerists might miss a moving object. as it was, every gun scored, though the elevation was rather high. the shells made a sad mess of the superstructure, but left the engines intact. the sailors, on their part, knew exactly what had happened. every man who escaped death or serious injury from the bursting missiles ran to his post. a wire hawser and mooring rope were severed with axes, the screw revolved, and the _andorinha_ was in motion. though winged, she still could fly. the second salvo of projectiles was less damaging; again the gunners failed to reach the warship's vitals. her commander got his own armament into action, and managed to demolish a warehouse and a grain elevator. then he made off down the coast toward rio de janeiro. the sudden uproar stirred maceio from roof to basement. its inhabitants poured into the plaza. every man vied with his neighbor in yelling: "the revolution is here! _viva dom corria_! _abajo são paulo_!" that last cry explained a good deal. the state of são paulo had long maintained a "corner" in brazilian presidents. de sylva, a native of alagoas, was the first to break down the monopoly. hence the cabal against him; hence, too, the readiness of maceio, together with many of the smaller ports and the whole of the vast interior, to espouse his cause. for the purposes of this story, which is mainly concerned with the lives and fortunes of a few insignificant people unknown to history, it is not necessary to follow in detail the trumpetings, proclamations, carousals, and arrests that followed dom corria's first success. it is a truism that in events of international importance the very names of the chief actors ofttimes go unrecorded. future generations will ask, perhaps:--who blew up the _maine_? who persuaded the tsar to break his word anent port arthur? who told paul kruger that the continent of europe would support the boers against great britain? such instances could be multiplied indefinitely, and the rule held good now in brazil. if any polite pernambucano, maceio-ite, or merchant of bahia were informed that president de sylva's raid was alone rendered possible by the help of a truculent british master-mariner and a dozen or so of his hard-bitten crew, he (the said brasileiro) might be skeptical, or, at best, indifferent. but let the name of some puppet politician hailing from são paulo be mentioned, and his eyes would flash with angry recognition; yet the _andromeda's_ small contingent achieved more than a whole army of conspirators. the one incident, then, of a political nature, in which the victors of the tussle on fernando noronha were publicly concerned, was the outcome of a message cabled by dom corria while the smoke of russo's cannon still clung about the quay. it was written in german, addressed to a hamburg shipping firm, and ran as follows: "have sold _unser fritz_ to senhor pondillo of this port as from september 1st, for 175,000 marks. if approved, cable confirmation, and draw on paris branch deutsche bank at sight. franz schmidt, care german consul, maceio." this harmless commercial item was read by many officials hostile to de sylva, yet it evoked no comment. its first real effect was observable in the counting-house of the hamburg owners. there it was believed that captain schmidt had either become a lunatic himself or was in touch with a rich one. schmidt was so well known to them that they acted on the latter hypothesis. they cabled him their hearty commendation, "drew" on the paris bank by the next post, and awaited developments. to their profound amazement, the money was paid. as they had obtained 8,750 pounds for a vessel worth about one-quarter of the sum, they had good reason to be satisfied. it mattered not a jot to them that the sale was made "as from september 1st," or any other date. they signed the desired quittance, cabled schmidt again to ask if senhor pondillo was in need of other ships of the _unser fritz_ class, and the members of the firm indulged that evening in the best dinner that the tip-top restaurant of hamburg could supply. they were puzzled next day by certain statements in the newspapers, and were called on to explain to a number of journalists that the ship had left their ownership. she was at maceio. where was maceio? somewhere in south america. "_es ist nicht von bedeutung_," said the senior partner to his associates. "schmidt will write full particulars; when all is said and done, we have the money." yet it did matter very greatly, as shall be seen. here, again, was an instance of an humble individual becoming a cog in the wheel of world politics. within less than a month schmidt was vituperated by half the chancelleries of europe. a newspaper war raged over him. he became the object of an emperor's jovian wrath. "what's the matter with schmidt? he's--all--right!" thundered the whole press of the united states. and all because he had made a good bargain at a critical moment! but no one on board the _unser fritz_ was vexed by aught save present tribulations when de sylva and his _aide_ quitted the ship. be sure that not a soul thought of sleep. every man, and the one woman whom chance had thrown in their midst, remained on deck and watched the slumbering town. it was only a small place. the _andorinha_ lay at one end of the harbor, the _unser fritz_ at the other. they were barely half a mile apart, and maceio climbed the sloping shore between the two points. hozier, of course, had forgiven iris for her aloofness, and iris, with that delightful inconsistency which ranks high among the many charms of her sex, found that "philip dear," though she might not marry him, was her only possible companion. he, having acquired an experience previously lacking, took care to fall in with her mood. she, weary of a painful self-repression, cheated the frowning gods of "just this one night." so they looked at the twinkling lights, spoke in whispers lest they should miss any tokens of disturbance on shore, elbowed each other comfortably on the rails of the bridge, and uttered no word of love or future purpose. they were discussing nothing more important than the sufferings of watts--whom coke would not allow to go out of his sight--when a lightning blaze leaped from the somber shadows of some buildings on the quay lower down the river. again, and many times again, the sudden jets of flame started out across the black water. iris, or hozier, for that matter, had never seen a field-piece fired by night, but before the girl could do other than grip philip's arm in a spasm of fear, the thunder of the artillery rolled across the harbor, and the worn plates of the _unser fritz_ quivered under the mere concussion. "by jove, they're at it!" cried philip. iris felt the thrill that shook him. she could not see his face, but she knew that his blue eyes were shining like bright steel. she was horrified at the thought of red war being so near, yet she was proud of her lover. at these mortal crises, the woman demands courage in the man. "oh!" she gasped, and clung to him more tightly. under such circumstances it was only to be expected that his arm would clasp her round the waist; disraeli's famous epigram was coined for diplomacy, not for love-making. hozier strained his eyes through the gloom to try and discover the effect of the cannonade on the gunboat. he was quickly alive to the significance of the answering broadside. then the black hull grew dim and vanished. his sailor's sympathies went with the escaping ship. "she has got away! i am jolly glad of it," he cried. "it was a dirty trick to open fire on her in that fashion. just how they served the _andromeda_, the hounds, only we had never a gun to tickle them up in return." "do you think that many of the poor creatures have been killed?" asked iris tremulously. the din of ordnance and bursting shells had ceased as suddenly as it began. lights appeared in nearly every house. shouting men were running along the neighboring wharf. maceio, never a heavy sleeper in bulk, dreamed for a second of earthquakes, leaped out of bed, and ran into the streets in the negligent costume which the italians describe by the delightful word, _confidenza_. "i don't suppose so," hozier reassured her. "if the artillery had made good practice at that short range the gunboat must have sunk at her moorings. her men naturally couldn't miss the town. there was a rare old rattle among the crockery behind the soldiers. did you hear it? i wonder what went over?" he was as excited as a schoolboy, almost jubilant. poor iris! though she was now a veteran in scenes of death and disaster, she realized that fate had erred in choosing her as a heroine. coke and watts drew near. "dom wot's-'is-name wasn't long in gettin' busy," chuckled coke. "gev' her a dose of the _andromeda's_ physic, eh? i'm sorry the blighters managed to 'ook it." though he had just uttered an opinion directly contrary to his captain's, hozier deemed it wise to be non-committal. "the guns must have been laid badly," he said. "mebbe, an' wot's more, d--n 'em, they knew there was something in front that could shoot back." so coke was at least impartial. he cared not a jot how the brazilians slaughtered each other so long as de sylva established the new regime speedily. "i never was a fightin' man meself," murmured watts weakly. "that sort of thing gives me a sinkin' sensation in me innards." "wot you want is a drink, me boy," said coke. watts brightened. he drew a deep breath. "i reelly believe that's wot's wrong with me," he said. "then i'll just ax the cook to 'urry up with the corfee," guffawed the unfeeling skipper. "we'll all be the better for a snack an' somethink 'ot." iris managed to choke down an hysterical laugh. coke was incorrigible, yet she was conscious of a growing appreciation of his crude chivalry. he boasted truly that he feared neither man nor devil. his chief defect lay in being born several centuries too late. had he flourished during the middle ages, coke would have carved out a kingdom. even while the men were thus callously discussing the tragedy that had been enacted before their eyes, the miracle of the dawn was transforming night into day. in the tropics there is no hesitancy about sunrise. the splendid imagery of genesis is literally exact. "let there be light; and there was light . . . and god divided the light from the darkness." long before the _andorinha_ had crept round the southern headland of the macayo estuary she became visible again. about six o'clock a grand review was held in the plaza, or chief square. dom corria, a resplendent personage on horseback, made a fine speech. he was vociferously applauded, by both troops and populace. general russo, also mounted, assured him that brazil was pining for him. in effect, when he was firmly established in the presidency, the people would be allowed to vote for him. "we have borne two years of misrule," vociferated the commander-in-chief, "but it has vanished before the fiery breath of our guns. we hail your excellency as our liberator. long live dom corria! down with----" the fierce "vivas" of the mob, combined with the general's weight, proved too much for his charger, which plunged violently. russo was held on accidentally by his spurs. there was a lively interlude until an orderly seized the bridle, and the general was able to disengage the rowels from the animal's ribs. when tranquillity was restored, the soldiers marched off to their quarters, and colonel san benavides boarded the _unser fritz_. he invited iris, schmidt, coke, and hozier to breakfast with the president at the principal hotel. watts was not included in the list of guests. being indignant, he expressed himself freely. "nice thing!" he said to norrie. "we're not good enough to be axed. it was a bit of all right w'en we 'elped 'im out of quod, but now 'e's a bloomin' toff we're low-down sailormen--that's wot we are." "man, ye're fair daft," growled the scot. "it's as plain as the neb on yer face that he canna dae wi' a', so he just picked the twa skippers and the lassie; he kent weel she wadna stir an inch withoot hozier." norrie was right, as it happened, but watts added another grudge to his score against de sylva. now, though dynasties totter and empires crash, the first thing a woman thinks of when bidden to a public gathering is her attire. iris declared most emphatically that to expect her to go ashore and meet certain military and civic dignitaries while she was wearing a costume originally purchased for mountaineering, which had endured the rough usage of the past two days, was "for to laugh." she was speaking french, and that was the literal phrase she used. the courteous san benavides smiled away her protest. his excellency had foreseen the difficulty. those who knew dom corria best would not credit that he should forget anything. the senhora pondillo awaited iris at the hotel with a supply of new clothing. captain schmidt, of course, could depend on his own wardrobe, but captain coke and the senhor hozier would find a tradesman in their rooms who had guaranteed to equip them suitably. moreover, the same outfitter would visit the ship during the morning and make good the lost raiment and boots of the other officers and men of the _andromeda_. san benavides spoke like the ambassador of a prince, and, in the sequel, there was no stint of deeds to give effect to his promises. on the way to the hotel iris saw a large building labeled "casa do correio e telegraphia." it was not surprising that she had not thought earlier of the necessity of cabling to liverpool. she blushed, and looked involuntarily at hozier. "i must send a message to my uncle," she said. were philip a professed spiritualist, the spectral shapes of david verity and dickey bulmer could not have been more effectually "projected" into his astral plane at maceio than they were at that instant. he had not set eyes on either of the men, but the girl's words conjured them into being, and the vision was vastly disagreeable. san benavides, of course, was anxious to oblige iris in this as in every other respect. he procured the requisite form, told her the cost, which led to a condensed version of the original draft, smoothed away the slight hindrance of foreign money tendered in payment, and arranged the due delivery of a reply. perhaps he smiled when he read what she had written. the words were comprehensible even to one who did not understand english: "_andromeda_ lost. arrived here safely. address, yorke, maceio." there was a space at the foot of the form on which it was necessary to subscribe her name and local address. so she wrote, "iris yorke, steamship _unser fritz_, maceio harbor." hozier was standing by her side as she printed the words legibly. she looked up at him with a curiously tense expression that he did not fathom immediately. they were in the busy main street again ere its meaning occurred to him. the cable committed her irrevocably. she felt that she was signing her own condemnation! among the four people, therefore, who entered the hotel grande in the rua do sul there were two whose feelings were the reverse of cheerful. but convention is stronger than the primal impulses--sometimes it triumphs over death itself--and convention was all-powerful now. it led iris away captive in the train of the smiling and voluble senhora pondillo, and it immersed hozier in a tangle of fearsome words which turned out to be the stock in trade of a clothier. the mere male of maceio decks himself with gay plumage. philip was hard put to it before he secured some garments which did not irresistibly recall the heroes of certain musical comedies popular in england. coke experienced worse vicissitudes. even the variety and richness of a master mariner's vocabulary was taxed to its utmost resources when he was coaxed into "trying on" a short jacket apparently intended for a toreador. such minor troubles, however, were overcome in time. a razor and a hot bath were by no means the least important items of the rejuvenating process, and when the two men entered the salon where dom corria was holding an impromptu reception they looked like a couple of coffee-planters from the argentine. schmidt was there already. for some reason, the new president seemed to be so fond of the _unser fritz's_ commander that he refused to be parted from him. it was not until long afterward that hozier discovered the reason of this mushroom friendship. the german consul was in the room. the appearance of iris caused something akin to a sensation. the dona pondillo could not create english clothes, nor bad copies of french, but her own daughters dressed in the height of local fashion, and dom corria's earnest request had made them generous. the dark-eyed, olive-complexioned women of alagoas are often exceedingly beautiful, but few of those present had ever seen a brown-haired, brown-eyed, fair-faced englishwoman. iris was remarkably good-looking, even among the pretty girls of her own county of lancashire. her large, limpid eyes, well-molded nose, and perfectly formed mouth were the dominant features of a face that had all the charm of youth and health. her smooth skin, brown with exposure to sun and air, glowed into a rich crimson when she found herself in the midst of so many strangers. the slightly delicate semblance induced by the hardships and loss of rest which fell to her lot since the _andromeda_ went to pieces on the grand-père rock in no wise detracted from her appearance. she wore the elegant costume of a maceio belle with ease and distinction. if she was flurried by the undisguised murmur of admiration that greeted her, she did not show it beyond the first rush of color. dom corria, dragging schmidt with him, hurried to meet her. surprise at his gala attire helped to conquer her natural timidity, for the president was gorgeous in blue and gold. "my good wishes are soon changed into congratulations, senhor," she said. "ah, my dear young lady, i am overjoyed that you should be here to witness my success," he cried. then, as if he had waited for this moment, he turned to the assembled company and delivered an eloquent panegyric of the _andromeda's_ crew and their _deusa deliciosa_--for that is what he called iris--a delightful goddess. he had made many speeches already that day, but none was more heartfelt than this. his eulogy was unstinted. luckily for iris, she was so conscious of the attention she attracted that she kept her eyes steadfastly fixed on the carpet. otherwise, having a well-developed sense of humor, she must have laughed outright had she seen coke's face. he, of course, understood no word that was said. but de sylva's animated gestures and flashing eyes were enough. ever and anon, the excitable citizens of maceio would turn and gaze at one or other of the three, while loud cries of "bravo!" punctuated the president's oratory. when coke's turn came for these demonstrations, he tried to grin, but was only able to scowl. for once in his stormy life he was nonplused. his brick-red countenance glowed with heat and embarrassment. at the close of the speech he muttered to hozier: "wish i'd ha' known wot sort of beano i was comin' to. dam if i ain't meltin'." this ordeal ended, déjeuner was served. the president took in iris and the dona pondillo. they were the only ladies present. the three sailors, some staff officers, and a few local celebrities, made up the rest of the company. hozier, though by no means indifferent to the good fare provided, was wondering how many hours would elapse before iris's cablegram reached verity's office, when some words caught his ear that drove all other considerations from his mind. "i am sorry to say that, in my opinion, there is not the slightest chance of your message reaching england to-day, miss yorke," the president was saying. "but why not?" she asked, with an astonishment that was not wholly the outcome of regret. "the cable does not land here, and the transmitting stations will be closely watched, now that my arrival in brazil is known. even the simplest form of words will be twisted into a political significance. no, i think it best to be quite candid. until i control pernambuco, which should be within a week or ten days, you may rest assured that no private cablegrams will be forwarded." "oh, dear, i fully expected a reply to-day," she said, and now that she realized the effect of a further period of anxiety on the bootle partnership she was genuinely dismayed. "you may be sure it will not come," said dom corria. "indeed i may as well take this opportunity of explaining to you--and to my other english friends"--with the interpolated sentence his glance dwelt quietly on hozier and coke--"the exact position locally. you see, maceio is a small place, and easily approached from the sea. a hostile fleet could knock it to pieces in half an hour, and it would be a poor reward for my supporters' loyalty if my presence subjected them to a bombardment. i have no strong defenses or heavy guns to defy attack, and my troops are not more than a thousand men, all told. it is obvious that i must make for the interior. there, i gather strength as i advance, the warships cannot pursue, and i can choose my own positions to meet the half-hearted forces that dom miguel will collect to oppose me. in fact, i and every armed man in maceio march up-country this afternoon." iris, by this time, was thoroughly frightened, and hozier, who read more in de sylva's words than was possible in her case, was watching the speaker's calm face with a fixity that might have disconcerted many men. dom corria seemed to be unaware of either the girl's distress or philip's white anger. "you naturally ask how i propose to safeguard the companions of my flight from fernando noronha," he went on. "i answer at once--by taking them with me. the senhora pondillo and her family will accompany her husband to my _quinta_ at las flores. a special train will take all of us to the nearest railway station this afternoon. thence my estate is but a day's march. you and my other friends from both ships will be quite safe and happy there until order is restored. you must come. the men's lives, at any rate, would not be worth an hour's purchase if my opponent's forces found them here, and i feel certain that one or more cruisers will arrive off maceio to-night. for you, this excursion will be quite a pleasant experience, and you can absolutely rely on my promise to send news of your safety to england at the very first opportunity." iris could say nothing under the shock of this intelligence. she looked at philip, and their eyes met. they both remembered the glance they had exchanged at the post-office. preoccupied by their own thoughts, neither of them had noticed the smile san benavides indulged in on that occasion, nor did they pay heed to the fact that he was smiling again now, apparently at some story told him by general russo. but san benavides was sharp-witted. he needed no interpreter to make clear the cause of the chill that had fallen on the president's end of the table. "he has told them," he thought, perhaps. and, if further surmise were hazarded as to his views, they might well prove to be concerned with the wonderful things that can happen within a week or ten days--especially when things are happening at the rate taken by events just then in brazil. of course, as a philosopher, san benavides was right; it was in the role of prophet that he came to grief, this being the pre-ordained fate of all false prophets. chapter xiv carmela among the many words borrowed by the brazilians from their spanish-speaking neighbors, that for "to-morrow" is perhaps the most popular. the spaniard's _mañana_ is so elastic that it covers any period of time between the next twenty-four hours and the indefinite future. when, therefore, dom sylva spoke of controlling pernambuco before the month of september was barely half sped, he was either too sanguine, or too literal in his translation of easy-going portuguese into vigorous english. his _quinta_, or country house, was situated on the upper watershed of the river moxoto. there he raised his standard, thither flocked rebels galore, and in that direction, with due caution, president barraca pushed columns of troops by road and rail from bahia, from pernambuco, and from maceio itself. for barraca held the sea, and the wealthy and enterprising south was strongly opposed to war, while dom corria trusted to the mountains and drew his partisans from the less energetic north. this bald statement has an unconvincing sound in the ears of races which dwell north of the equator, but it must be remembered that brazil, in more respects than one, is the land of topsy-turveydom. were it not that the mass of the people was heartily sick of a corrupt regime, de sylva would have been dead or in irons on his way back to fernando noronha well within the time allotted for the consolidation of his rule. as it was, minor insurrections were breaking out in the southern provinces, the reigning president could trust only in the navy, and the conservatism of commerce and society, as represented by the great landowners of rio de janeiro, são paulo, and minas geraes, alone stifled the upgrowth of an overwhelming national movement in dom corria's favor. in a word, de sylva commanded public sympathy but small resources; barraca was unpopular but controlled the navy and part of the army. given such conditions--with the added absurdity that the troops on both sides were most unwilling to face long-range rifle fire but would cheerfully hack each other to mince-meat with knives--and a tedious, indeterminate campaign is the certain outcome. de sylva had said that local conflicts were usually "short and fierce." applied to such upheavals as had taken place in the capital during recent years, the phrase was strictly accurate. he himself had been bundled out of office between mass and vespers on a memorable sunday. but a convict on a remote island cannot organize such a perfect example of a successful revolt. he had done much in gaining a good foothold; the rest must be left to time and chance. a few indecisive but sanguinary engagements were fought in the neighborhood of pesqueira, a town in the hills about one hundred miles from the seaboard. these proved that general russo was a valiant fighter but a poor tactician--and that was all. he was opposed by a commander of little courage but singular skill in strategy. to restore the balance, dom corria took the field in person, and dom miguel barraca hastened from rio de janeiro to witness the crushing of his arch-enemy. the position was complicated by the arrival at pernambuco of a german squadron bearing a telegraphic cartel from the emperor. a german ship had been seized on the high seas. why? and by whom? and how could anybody dare? then brazil quivered, for every south american knows in his heart that the great navy of germany is being created not so much to destroy england as to dispute the proud doctrine of the united states that no european power shall ever again be allowed to seize territory on the american continent. so there were strenuous days and anxious nights at las flores, where president de sylva sought to equip and discipline his levies, and at carugru, where president barraca called on all the gods to witness that de sylva was a double-dyed traitor. under such circumstances it is not surprising that a grand display of money and audacity, backed by sundry distant roars of the british lion, should enable two elderly britons and a young brazilian lady to pass through the lines of the exercito nacional, as barraca had christened his following, in opposition to de sylva's army of liberation. lest too many people should become interested, the adventure was essayed on the night of october 2d. early next day the travelers and their guides reached the rebel outposts. the young lady, who seemed to be at home in this wild country, at once urged her horse into a pace wholly beyond the equestrian powers of her staid companions. they protested vainly. she waved a farewell hand, cantered over several miles of a rough road, and dashed up to the liberationist headquarters about eight o'clock. there was no hesitancy about her movements. she drew rein in approved gaucho style, bringing her mount to a dead stop from a gallop. "where is the president?" she asked breathlessly. "there, senhora," said an orderly, pointing to a marquee, open on every side, wherein de sylva sat in conference with his staff. so many officers and mounted soldiers were coming and going, so great was the bustle of preparation for some important movement then in train, that no one specially noted her arrival. she dismounted, and drew the reins across the horse's head ere she tied him to a tree. she saw a tall young man emerge from the tent, jump on a charger held by a soldier, and ride off at a fast pace toward the house of las flores, which stood in a large garden on the slope of a neighboring hill. his appearance seemed to puzzle her momentarily. his attire was that of brazil, but neither his manner nor horsemanship was typical of the brasileiro. in walking, he moved with an air of purposeful concentration that differed singularly from the languorous stroll of the average brazilian officer, while his seat in the saddle, though confident enough, could not be mistaken for that of a man who never walks a yard if there is an animal to bestride. the new arrival was, however, at once too weary and too excited to give further heed to one who was an utter stranger. she pushed her way through knots of smoking loungers, entered the tent, and uttered a little scream of delight when the president, who was writing at a big table, happened to glance at her. de sylva rose hastily, with an amazed look on his usually unemotional face; forthwith the girl flung herself into his arms. "father!" "carmela!" san benavides, whose back was turned, heard the joyous cries of the reunited father and daughter. they were locked in each other's embrace, and the eyes of every man present were drawn to a pathetic and unexpected meeting. for that reason, and because none gave a thought to him, the pallor that changed the bronze of his forehead and cheeks into a particularly unhealthy-looking tint of olive green passed unnoticed. he swallowed something. it must have been a curse, for it seemed to taste bitter. but he managed to recover some shred of self-control ere the senhora de sylva was able to answer her father's first eager questions; then, with a charming timidity, she found breath to say: "and what of salvador--is he not here?" yes, salvador was there--by her side--striving most desperately to look lover-like. they clasped hands. brazilian etiquette forbade a more demonstrative greeting, and carmela attributed salvador's manifest sallowness to the hardships of campaigning no less than the shock of her sudden appearance. but the business of red war gave little scope for the many confidences that a girl who had journeyed more than four thousand miles for this reunion might naturally exchange with a father and a lover. some important move was toward, and the president and his chief-of-staff had no time to spare. "you have come to bring me luck, carmela meu," said de sylva, stroking his daughter's hair affectionately. "to-day we make our first real advance. salvador and i are going to the front now, almost this instant. but there will be no fighting--an affair of outposts at the best--and when everything is in order we shall return here to sleep. expect us, then, soon after sunset. meanwhile, at the _quinta_ you will find the young english lady of whose presence you are aware. give her your friendship. she is worthy of it." "adeos, senhora!" echoed san benavides, bringing his heels together with a click, and saluting. he gathered a number of papers from the table with nervous haste, and at once began to issue instructions to several officers. de sylva renewed the signing of documents. russo and he conversed in low tones. a buzz of talk broke out in the tent. carmela felt that she had no part in this activity, that her mere presence was a positive hindrance to the work in hand. a trifle disappointed, yet not without a thrill of high resolve to create for herself an indispensable share in the movement of which her father was the central figure, she went out, unhitched her tired horse, and walked to the house. in brazil, a _quinta_, or farm, may range from a palace to a hovel. dom corria was rich; consequently las flores attained the higher level. it was a straggling, roomy structure, planned for comfort and hospitality rather than display, and the gardens, to whose beauty and extent was due the spanish name, used to be famous throughout the province. carmela had not seen the place during five years; she expected to find changes, but was hardly prepared for the ravages made by neglect, aided by unchecked tropical growth, as the outcome of her father's two years in prison. the flowers were gone, the rarer shrubs choked by rank weeds, the trees disfigured by rampant climbers. but, in front of the long, deep veranda, even the attention of a month had restored much of its beauty to a widespread lawn. here, at that early hour, the air was cool and the shade abundant; indeed, so embossed in towering trees was the wide greensward, that it seemed to flow abruptly into the veranda without ever a path or garden gate to break the solid walls of foliage. filled with tumultuous memories, her heart all throbbing at the prospect of her father's fortunes being restored, the senhora de sylva was entering a gate that led to the left front of the house, when the young man came out whom she had seen leaving the headquarters tent. again he rode like one in a hurry, and she noted that he emerged from a side path which gave access to the lawn. he gave her a sharp glance as he passed. she received an impression of a strong face, with stern-looking, bright, steel-blue eyes, a mouth tensely set, an aspect at once confident yet self-contained. she was sure now he was not a brazilian, and he differed most materially from the mental picture of captain james coke created by the many conversations in which he had figured during her long voyage from southampton in company with david verity and dickey bulmer. so carmela wondered now who he could be, nor was her wonder lessened when she peered through the screen of trees, and saw a girl, whom she recognized instantly as iris, furtively dabbing her tear-stained face with a handkerchief. unhappily, the president's daughter was not attractive in appearance. she had fine eyes, and she moved with the natural elegance of her race, but her features were somewhat angular for one of pure-blooded portuguese descent, and a too well-defined chin was more effectual as an index of character than as an element of personal charm. close acquaintance with the cosmopolitan society of paris and london had familiarized her with many types of european and american beauty, and her surprise that such an uncommonly good-looking girl should be the niece of david verity was not unmingled with pique at finding her already installed in remote las flores. the veranda seemed to be a hive of feminine industry. the dona pondillo and her daughters, together with the female relatives of several noted men among the insurgents, were cutting and stitching most industriously. iris yorke's advice, perhaps her assistance, was evidently in demand. assuming that the young man who rode thither so rapidly had gone to see her, she could not have been absent from the sewing party more than five minutes, yet half a dozen ladies were clamoring for her already. the truth was that many of them had never plied a needle before in their lives. they had to be taught everything. one peasant woman would have accomplished more real work than any five of the librationist _grandes dames_. despite her firm chin, carmela de sylva did not contemn the meretricious aid of dress. iris looked fresh and cool in soft muslin, whereas the newcomer was travel-stained and disheveled. the pack-mules were lagging on the road, but a wash and general tidying of dust-covered garments would help the president's daughter to regain the assurance, now sadly lacking, which would be necessary ere she won her rightful place in a community largely composed of strangers. as she led her horse back into the main avenue, she was sorry that her father or salvador could not spare even the few minutes that would have sufficed for an introduction. at any rate, she would probably find an old servant at the back of the house--some family retainer whose welcome would charm away this displeasing sense of intrusion. on the way to the stables she heard a man singing. the words were in english. they were also quaint, for they dealt with life from a point of view which differed widely from that presented by dom corria's _finca_. "oh, it's fine to be a sailor" [sang watts], "an' to cross the ragin' main, from hooghly bar to new orleens to roam, but i 'ope that my old woman will put me on the chain next time i want to quit my 'umble 'ome." possibly the verse was an original effort, because there followed a marked change in tune and meter. "'mid pleasures an' palaces----'" he began, when senhora de sylva came upon him as he sat on a fence, pipe in hand, with his back braced comfortably against a magnificent rosewood tree. he stopped, grinned sheepishly, and, not recognizing the lady, tried to cover his confusion by lighting the pipe. "are you one of the _andromeda's_ men?" asked carmela, speaking in the clear and accurate english used by her father. it was well for watts that the tree prevented him from falling backwards. he was quite sober, but cheerful withal, as he had nothing to do but sleep, smoke, eat, and drink the light wine of the district, of which his only complaint was that "one might mop up a barrel of it an' get no forrarder." nevertheless, he received a positive shock when addressed in his own language by a young woman who was obviously of brazil. he stared at her so hard that he forgot the steady progress of the slow-burning tand-stikkor match recently ignited. its sulphurous flame reached his fingers and reminded him. "my godfather!" he howled, springing from the rail, and recovering his wits instantly. "beg pardon, mum, but you took me aback all standin' as the saying is. christopher, didn't that match wake me up!" "i am afraid it is my fault," said carmela, who could look sympathetic where iris would want to laugh. "i have just arrived here, and everybody seems to be so full of troubles that i am glad to hear you singing." "oh, that's just hummin', mum. if you're fond of music you ought to 'ear schmidt, captain schmidt of the _unser fritz_----" carmela struck an attitude. "wot, d'ye know 'im?" asked watts. "no, it is something--rather important. i must go back to my father. ah, i ought to explain. i am the senhora de sylva, dom corria's daughter." "are you really, mum,--miss?" exclaimed watts, highly interested. "'ow in the world did ye manage to come up from the coast? accordin' to all accounts----" "yes, what were you going to say?" for the man hesitated. "well, some of our chaps will 'ave it that we're runnin' close-hauled on a lee shore." carmela knit her brows. the watts idioms were not those of her governess. "we had no great difficulty in passing through dom barraca's lines, if that is what you mean," she said. "mr. verity and mr. bulmer had obtained special permits, but in my case----" "mr. 'oo, did you say, miss?" demanded watts, whose lower jaw actually dropped from sheer amazement. "mr. verity, the owner of the _andromeda_. you are one of the crew, i suppose?" "i'm the chief officer. watts is my name, miss. but d'you mean to tell me that ole david verity 'as come 'ere--to brazil--to this rotten . . . sorry, miss, but you gev' me a turn, you did. an' dickey bulmer--is _'e_ 'ere too?" "yes, or he soon will be here. i rode on in advance of the others." "well--there--if that don't beat cock-fightin'!" cried watts. "wot'll coke say? w'y, 'e'll 'ave a fit. an' miss iris! she's to marry ole dickey. fancy 'im turnin' up! there'll be the deuce an' all to pay, now, wot between 'im an' hozier an' the dashin' colonel." the horse, trying to nibble some grass at carmela's feet, suddenly threw his head up, for the cruel south american bit had tightened under a jerk of the reins. "who is mr. hozier?" asked the girl calmly. "he is, or was, our second mate, but since the colonel an' 'e got to loggerheads 'e took an' raised a corps of scouts. some of our fellows joined, but not me. killin' other folks don't agree with me a little bit. i don't mind a shine in a snug or a friendly scrap over an extry drink, but w'en it comes to them long knives----" "and the colonel--what is _his_ name?" broke in carmela, turning to loosen the surcingle. she could control her voice but not her eyes, and she did not wish to startle this open-mouthed gossip. "san benavides, miss. captain 'e was on fernando noronha; 'e took a mighty quick jump after we kem ashore. but i ax your pardon for ramblin' on in this silly way. won't you go inside? there's a useful ole party there, name of maria----" "ah, maria--dear, good maria--she at least will not have forgotten me," sobbed carmela in her own tongue, and watts afterwards informed coke that although the inhabitants of china were noted for their peculiar ways, when it came to a show-down in that qualification, the average woman could beat any chinky ever born. had he but known more, watts was also in a position to state that he had squared accounts with the scornful president. for the senhora de sylva might have been seized with mortal illness if judged solely by the manner in which she staggered into her father's house, threw her arms around the neck of an elderly woman whom she petrified by her appearance, and almost fainted--not quite, but on the verge, much nearer than such a strong-minded young lady would have thought possible an hour earlier. maria screamed loudly. tongue-tied at first, she was badly scared when carmela collapsed on her ample bosom. restoratives and endearments followed. carmela asked to be taken to a room where she might wash and shake the dust from her hair and clothes. maria considered ways and means. every room in the big house was crowded. "who is in my own apartment?" demanded carmela. even before the answer was forthcoming she guessed the truth. the senhora ingleza, of course. those fine eyes of hers flashed dangerously. "what, then? does this woman come here and take all?" she cried. "ah, _pequinina_, do not be angry," said maria. "who save the good god could tell that you would come from paris to-day? and the senhora ingleza will be glad to give place to you. she is so kind, so unselfish. all the men adore her." "so i hear," murmured carmela, trying to still the passion that throbbed in her heart, since she was aware that neither maria nor any other among the old domestics at las flores knew of her engagement, and pride was now coming to her aid. "she will have no word to say to any of them," gabbled maria. "there is a young englishman--well, it is no affair of mine, but i am told she loves him, yet is promised to another, an old man, too. _santa mãe_! that would not suit me if i were her age!" this home-coming of carmela was quite an important event in its way. at first sight it bore the semblance of a mere disillusionment such as any girl might experience under like circumstances. she had been taken from las flores to occupy a palace at rio de janeiro, and was driven from the palace to the hotel life of the continent. during two years she had not seen either father or lover; and lovers of the san benavides ilk are apt to console themselves during these prolonged intervals. yet carmela's shattered romance was the pivot on which rested the future of brazil. had she gone straight to iris on leaving her father, and made known the astounding tidings that verity and bulmer were riding up the moxoto valley barely three miles away, iris would surely have devised some means of acquainting philip hozier with the fact. in that event, assuming that he awaited their arrival, the first march of an extended reconnaissance which he thought desirable would necessarily be postponed. and then--well, the recent history of brazil would have to be re-written, since there cannot be the slightest doubt that dom corria de sylva would never have occupied the presidential chair a second time. it would be idle now to inquire too closely into the springs of philip's resolve to take service under a foreign flag. perhaps the irksome state of affairs at las flores, where there was no mean between loafing and soldiering, was intolerable to a spirited youngster. perhaps san benavides, constantly riding in from the front, irritated him beyond endurance by his superior airs. or it may be that a growing belief in iris's determination to sacrifice herself by redeeming her bond made him careless as to what happened in the near future. the outcome of one or all of these influences was that he sought, and was readily given, a commission in the army of liberation. like all sailors, he preferred the mounted arm, and de sylva, having the highest opinion of his thoroughness, actually appointed him to command a branch of the intelligence department. philip, trained to pin his faith in maps and charts, came to the conclusion that las flores could be attacked from the rear, which lay to the northwest. the brazilians laughed at the notion. where were the troops to come from? barraca must bring all his men by sea. there were none stationed in those wild mountains. "better go and make sure," quoth philip. he ascertained the president's intentions as to the next twenty-four hours, assembled his little body of scouts, saw to their forage and equipment, took leave of iris, and hurried off. when two stout and elderly fellow-countrymen of his climbed the last mile of the rough valley beneath the las flores slope, philip and his troop were a league or more beyond the moxoto's watershed. meanwhile, carmela de sylva proved that her resolute chin was not deceptive as a guide to temperament. the dona pondillo deemed her a spirit when she appeared on the veranda, but carmela's impetuous kiss soon disabused the worthy dame of her error. iris, wondering why the lively chatter of her brazilian friends was so suddenly stilled, to be succeeded by a hubbub of excited words as the older ladies present gathered around the new-comer, asked one of the pondillo girls what had happened. "it is carmela, the president's daughter," giggled the other. "mother says she is engaged to san benavides. what fun! but where has she come from? when last i heard of her she was in paris." a month of close companionship with people who spoke portuguese all day long, and often far into the night, had familiarized iris with many of the common phrases. thus, she gathered one fact as to carmela, and more than suspected another. for a reason that every woman will understand, she felt a subtle thrill of fear. if san benavides were really carmela's accepted lover, then, indeed, iris had good cause for foreboding. though the brazilian had never directly avowed his passion, since he knew quite well that she would refuse to listen, she could not be blind to his infatuation. only the threat of her dire displeasure had restrained hozier from an open quarrel with him. her position, difficult enough already, would become intolerable if de sylva's daughter became jealous, and she had no doubt whatsoever that san benavides would seek to propitiate the woman he loved by callously telling the woman he had promised to marry that his affections were bestowed elsewhere. her heart sank when she discovered this new maelstrom in her sea of troubles; but here was carmela herself speaking to her, and in english: "so you are iris yorke!" the girl was saying. "i have heard so much of you, yet you are so utterly different from what i imagined." "you have heard of _me_?" repeated iris, and surprise helped her to smile with something of her wonted self-possession. "yes, on board the steamer. we sailed from southampton, and had little else to talk of during the voyage. but, of course, you cannot understand. among my fellow-passengers were your uncle and mr. bulmer." iris had long relinquished any hope of communicating with bootle until the present deadlock in the operations of the two armies was a thing of the past. completely mystified now by carmela's glib reference to the two men whose names were so often in her thoughts though seldom on her lips, she could only gaze at the senhora de sylva in silent bewilderment. carmela, feeling that she was gaining ground rapidly, affected a note of polite regret. "please forgive me for being so abrupt. perhaps i ought to have prepared you. but it is quite true. mr. verity and mr. bulmer came with me from europe. we all reached pernambuco the day before yesterday. indeed, if it were not for them, and the assistance they gave me, i would not be here now. no one recognized me, fortunately, and--i hope you will not be vexed--i passed as mr. verity's niece. in fact, i took your place for the time." a notable feature of the de sylva utterance was its clearness. carmela's concluding words could not possibly be mistaken for anything else. their meaning, on the other hand, was capable of varying shades of significance; but iris was far too amazed to seek depths beneath their literalness. "if mr. verity and mr. bulmer are in brazil----" she began tremulously, but carmela broke in with a shrill laugh. "there is no 'if.' look below there, near my father's tent! they have arrived. they are asking for you. come, let us meet them! i must see my father before he departs." iris's swimming eyes could not discern the figures to which carmela was pointing. but this strange girl's triumphant tone rang like a knell in her heart. she was not thinking now of the complications that might arise between san benavides and his discarded flame. she only knew that, by some miracle, her uncle had come to bring her home, and with him was the man to whom she was plighted, while philip, only half an hour ago, had told her he would not see her again until the following evening. so this was the end of her dream. bitter-sweet it had been, and long drawn out, but forthwith she must awake to the gray actualities of life. she felt carmela dragging her onward, irresistibly, vindictively. she saw, as through a mist, david verity's fiery-hued face, and heard his harsh accents. yes, there was no mistake. here was bootle transported to brazil, linden house to las flores! "by gum, lass," he was bellowing, with a touch of real sentiment in his voice, "you've given us a rare dance afore we caught up wi' you. but 'ere you are, bright as a cherry, an' 'ere is dickey an' meself come to fetch you. dash my wig, there's life in the old dogs yet, or we'd never ha' bin able to ride forty mile through this god-forgotten country. an' damme if that isn't coke, red as a lobster. jimmie, me boy, put it there! man, but you're a dashed long way from port!" happily, iris was too stunned to betray herself. she extended a hand to the sun-browned, white-haired old man standing by her uncle's side. "i am very glad to see you, mr. bulmer," she said simply. and, in that hour of searing agony, she meant it, for it is easier to look back on suffering than to await it, and she had been living in dread of this meeting for many a weary day. chapter xv showing how brazil chose her president two thousand five hundred years ago the prophet jeremiah expressed incredulity as to the power of an ethiopian to change his skin or a leopard his spots. the march of the centuries has fully justified the seer's historic doubt, so it makes but slight demand on the critical faculties to assume that two years' residence in europe had not cooled the hot southern blood flowing in carmela's veins. she had hated iris before she set eyes on her; she hated her now that she had seen her rare beauty; she gloated on the suffering inflicted by the presence of the faded old man who claimed her as his bride. though it was of the utmost importance that she should hasten to her father, she returned to las flores in her rival's company, their arms linked in seeming friendship, and the brazilian girl's ears alert to treasure every word that told of bulmer's wooing. therein she greatly miscalculated the true gentility of one whom his cronies described as "a rough diamond." bulmer realized that iris was overwrought. vague but sensational items in newspapers had prepared him in some measure for the story of her wanderings since last they met in quiet, old-fashioned bootle. he felt that she was altered, that their ways in life had deviated with a sharpness that was not to be brought back into parallel grooves simply because he had traveled many thousands of miles to find her. so dickey contented himself by listening to coke's homeric account of the _andromeda's_ wrecking, and if he interposed an occasional question, and thus drew the girl's sweet voice into the talk, it was invariably germane to the strange history of the ship and her human freight. coke's narrative was picturesque and lurid. at times, he called himself to order; at times, both iris and carmela affected not to have heard him. but carmela's interest never flagged. nor did bulmer's. as the yarn progressed--for watts and schmidt and norrie had joined them, and the whole party was seated in an inner room where an impromptu meal was provided--both the woman of brazil and the man of lancashire seized on the same unspoken _motif_. every incident centered in the striking personality of philip hozier. from the instant the second shell struck the winch, and laid him apparently dead on the forecastle, to the very hour of this coming together at las flores, hozier held the stage. it was he who took iris on his shoulders and brought her to safety through the spume of the wrathful sea, he who carried her to the hut, he who crossed fernando noronha alone to protect her. coke was impartial. he would have minimized his own singular bravery in running up the ship's signals had not iris given him a breathing-space while she enthralled the others with her description. otherwise, coke skipped no line of his epic. "you'll rec'lect," he wheezed, in a voice that rasped like a file, "you'll rec'lect, mr. verity, as i said to you that hozier was good enough to take charge of the bridge of a battleship. by--well, any 'ow, if i'd said the channel fleet i shouldn't 'ave bin talkin' through me 'at. look at 'im now. 'e's the on'y reel live man dom wot's-'is-name 'as got. sink me! if it wasn't for the folks at 'ome, an' the fac' that the _andromeeda's_ skipper ought to keep clear of politics in this crimson country, i'd 'ave a cut in at the game meself." it might be hoped that carmela's mood would soften when she discovered her rival's hapless love, but that would be expecting something which her bursting southern heart could not give. a volcano pours forth lava, not water. it scorches, not heals. iris, willing or not, had sapped her salvador's allegiance. carmela wanted to see those curved lips writhing in pain, those brown eyes dimmed, that smooth brow wrung with the grief that knows no remedy. a fierce joy leaped up in her when verity spoke of an early departure. "you see, iris," he explained, "these brazilian bucks may be months in settlin' their differences. dickey an' me, 'elped a lot by our consul, squeezed a pass out of the president--beg pardon, miss, but 'e is president, in pernambuco, at all events," he said in an apologetic "aside" to carmela--"an' the sooner we make tracks for ole england the better it'll be for all of us. wot do you say to an early start to-morrow? we'd be off to-night, on'y i'm feared my rheumaticky bones wouldn't stand the racket." the color ebbed from iris's face, but she said at once: "i shall be ready, uncle dear. i promised dom corria to look after the hospital appliances that are so much needed by the poor soldiers, but the senhora de sylva will attend to that much more effectually than i." "good! then that's settled." david pursed out his thick lips with a sigh of relief. though he had watched the spoken record of the _andromeda_ and her company for craftier hints than was suspected by his fellow travelers, he was not deaf to coke's appreciation of hozier. the silence of his niece on that same topic was alarming, but the position could not be so bad if she was willing to leave for the coast without seeing him again. no secret was made of philip's errand into the interior. the homeward-bound cavalcade would be at pesqueira ere he returned to the _finca_. carmela, of course, did not believe in a woman's complacency in such a vital matter. she was ever prepared to spring, to strike, to wrench their plans to suit her own ends; but, contrive as she might, she could not succeed in leaving iris alone with bulmer. full of device, she was foiled at each turn. the day wore, the sun went down, the starlit sky made beautiful a parched earth, but never a word in privacy did iris exchange with her husband-to-be. carmela's malice was not hidden from her, but she despised it. there was some ease for her tortured brain in defeating it. if the senhora de sylva had only understood how thoroughly the englishwoman loathed her petty jealousy, it was possible that the few remaining hours of their enforced intimacy might have been rendered less irksome. but, by this time, fate had gathered the slackened strings of their destinies. thenceforth they became her puppets. permitted for a little while to play the tragi-comedy of life according to their own inclinations, now the stern edict had gone forth that they were to act their allotted parts in one of those fascinating if blood-stained dramas that the history of nations so often puts on the stage. the future is the most cunning of playwrights. no man may tell what the next scene shall be. and no man, nor any woman, could guess the mad revel of hate and war that would rage that night around the placid homestead of las flores. behind the veranda was a huge ballroom, converted, by the exigencies of the campaign, into a dining hall for the many inmates of the _finca_. the brazilian ladies, the sailors, some sick or wounded officers who were not confined to bed, even the household servants, took their meals there in common. supper was served soon after nine o'clock. when cigars and cigarettes were lighted, and the company broke up into laughing, gossiping, noisy groups, the place looked more like a popular continental cafe than a room in a private mansion. though de sylva, general russo, san benavides, and some score of members of the president's staff who usually dined at the _finca_, were now absent, there was no lack of lively chatter. a very babel of tongues mixed in amity. the prevalent note was one of cheery animation. carmela exerted herself to win popularity, and a president's daughter need not put forth very strenuous efforts in that direction to be acclaimed by most. iris was listening, with real interest, to verity's description of the finding of macfarlane in the _andromeda's_ boat by a cardiff-bound collier three days after he had drifted away from fernando noronha. "the yarn kem to us through the consul at pernambuco," he said. "evidently, from wot you tell me, it's all right. poor ole mac 'ad a bad time afore 'e was picked up, but 'e was alive, an' i'm jolly glad of it, for 'e'll be a first-rate witness w'en this business comes up in court." "wot court?" demanded coke sharply. "the court that settles our claim, of course," retorted verity, with a quick ferret look at his fellow-conspirator. "there'll be no claim. the president means to stump up in style. you take my tip, an' shut up about courts," said coke. "it'll cost brazil a tidy penny," remarked bulmer thoughtfully. "nobody would ever imagine wot bags of gold an' parcels of di'monds sailors an' firemen carry around in their kit-bags till a ship is lost an' a gover'ment 'as to pay." watts deemed this an exquisite joke. he laughed loudly. "that reminds me," he cried. "w'en the _gem of the sea_ turned turtle on the james an' mary----" a _criado_, a nondescript man-servant attached to the household, stooped over iris and whispered something. she gathered that she was wanted in the _patèo_, or court-yard, which, owing to the construction of the house, stood on one side instead of in front, where the lawn usurped its usual position. "who is it?" she asked. the voice sank even lower. "colonel san benavides, senhora." she had gathered sufficient of brazilian ways to understand that the man had been bribed to convey this request to her without attracting attention. "tell him to wait," she said, hoping to gain a moment wherein to decide how best to act. "it is urgent, senhora--_ao mesmo tempo_, the colonel said." "go! that is my answer." the man's unwillingness to obey showed how imperative were his instructions. she rose, and the _criado_ hurried out, satisfied that she would follow. but iris had no wish to meet san benavides. if she were seen with him in the dark _patèo_ at this late hour, fuel would be added to the fire of carmela's foolish spite. she was aware of carmela's covert glance watching her from the other end of the long room. what was to be done? why not send carmela in her stead? they were almost of the same height, and dressed somewhat alike in flowered muslin. it would be an amusing mistake, though annoying, perhaps, to san benavides; at any rate, carmela would not object, and iris was fully resolved not to keep the tryst in person. she walked straight to her enemy. "colonel san benavides awaits you in the _patèo_," she said in english. "awaits _me_!" there was no mistaking the gleam in those jet-black eyes. the smoldering fire flamed into furnace heat at the implied indignity of such a mandate being delivered by iris. "i suppose so," said iris carelessly. "a servant brought the message. he came to me in the first instance, but i am just going to my room to pack my few belongings. we leave here at daybreak, you know." carmela tried to smile. "i shall be sorry to lose you," she said, "though i admit it will be pleasant to occupy my own room again." then iris was genuinely distressed. "i had not the least notion----" she began, but carmela nodded and made off, saying as she went: "what matter--for one night?" so, at last, she would learn the truth. salvador was out there, alone. she would soon judge him. if he were innocent, she would know. if he had merely been made the sport of a designing woman, she was ready to forgive. in a more amiable mood than she had displayed at any moment since her arrival at las fiores, carmela hastened along a dark corridor, crossed a bare hall, passed through a porch, and searched the shadows of the patèo for the form of her one-time lover. a voice whispered, in french: "come quickly, senhora, i pray you!" it startled her to find san benavides talking french, until it occurred to her that iris and he must converse in that language or hardly at all. the thought was disquieting. the volcano stirred again. "senhora, je vous prie!" again pleaded the man, who was on horseback under the trees. she did not hesitate, but ran to him. without a word of explanation, he bent sideways, caught her in his arms, drew her up until she was seated on the holsters strapped to a gaucho saddle, and wheeled his horse into a gallop. filled with a grim determination, she uttered no protest. not a syllable crossed her lips lest he should strive to amend his woeful blunder. she noticed that they were not going toward the camp, but circling round the enclosed land in the direction of the hills. though the night was dark, the stars gave light enough for the horse to move freely. carmela's head was bent. a gauze-like mantilla covered her black hair, and, strange though it may seem, one woman's small waist and slim figure can be amazingly like the same physical attributes in another woman. but san benavides wondered why the cold ingleza had surrendered so silently. he expected at least a scream, a struggle, an impassioned demand to be released. he was prepared for anything save a dumb acceptance of this extraordinary raid. so he began to explain. "one word, senhora!" he muttered. "you must think me mad. i am not. all is lost! our army is defeated! in an hour las flores will be in flames!" the girl quivered in his arms. a moaning cry came from her. "it is true, i swear it!" he vowed. "i mean you no ill. i fought till the end, and my good horse alone carried me in advance of the routed troops. dom corria may reach the _finca_ alive, but, even so, he and the rest will be killed. i refused to escape without you. believe me or not, you are dearer than life itself. in the confusion we two may not be missed. trust yourself wholly to me, i beseech you!" he spoke jerkily, in the labored phrase of a man who has to pick and choose the readiest words in an unfamiliar language. carmela, with a sudden movement, raised her face to his, and threw aside her veil. "salvador!" she said. his eyes glared into hers. his frenzied clutch at the reins pulled the horse on to its haunches. "my god! . . . carmela!" he almost shrieked. "yes. so you are running away, salvador--running away with the english miss--deserting my father in the hour of his need! but she will die with the others, you say. well, then--join her!" during that quick twist on the horse's withers, she had plucked a revolver from a holster. she meant to shatter that false face of his utterly, to blast him as with lightning . . . but the lock snapped harmlessly, for san benavides had, indeed, borne himself gallantly in the fray. he struck at her now in a whirl of fury. she winced, but with catamount activity drew back her arm and hit him on the temple with the heavy weapon. he collapsed limply, reeled from off the saddle, and they fell together. the frightened horse, finding himself at liberty, galloped to the camp, where already there was an unusual commotion. carmela flung herself on the man's body. she was capable of extremes either of grief or passion. "salvador, my love! my love!" she screamed. "what have i done? speak to me, salvador! it is i, carmela! oh, mary mother, come to my aid! i have killed him, killed my salvador!" he looked very white and peaceful as he lay there in the gloom. she could not see whether his lips moved. she was too distraught to note if his heart was beating. it seemed incredible that she, a weak woman, should have crushed the life out of that lithe and active frame with one blow. then a dark stain appeared on the white skin. her hands, her lips, were covered with blood. she tasted it. the whole earth reeked of it. it scorched her as with vitriol. she rose and ran blindly. the darkness appalled her. no matter now what fate befell, she must have light, the sound of human voices. . . . and she sobbed piteously as she ran: "salvador! oh, god in heaven, my salvador!" it is not the crime, but the conscience, that scourges erring humanity. carmela needed some such flogging. it was just as well that her fright at the horrible touch of blood was not balanced by the saner knowledge that a ruptured vein was nature's own remedy for a man jarred into insensibility. long before carmela reached the _finca_, san benavides stirred, groaned, squirmed convulsively, and raised himself on hands and knees. he turned, and sat down, feeling his head. "the spit-fire!" he muttered. "the she-devil! and that other! would that i could wring _her_ neck!" a sputtering of rifles crackled in the valley. there was a blurred clamor of voices. he looked at the sky, at the black summits of the hills. he stood up, and his inseparable sword clanked on the stony ground. "ah, well," he growled, "i have done with women. they have had the best of my life. what is left i give to brazil." so he, too, made for las flores, but slowly, for he was quite exhausted, and his limbs were stiff with the rigors of a wild day in the saddle. carmela went back to a household that paid scant heed to her screaming. dom corria was there, bare-headed, his gorgeous uniform sword-slashed and blood-bespattered. general russo, too, was beating his capacious chest and shouting: "god's bones, let us make a fight of it!" a sprinkling of soldiers, all dismounted cavalry or gunners, a few disheveled officers, had accompanied de sylva in his flight. with reckless bravery, he and russo had tried to rally the troops camped at headquarters. it was a hopeless effort. half-breeds can never produce a military caste. they may fight valiantly in the line of battle--they will not face the unknown, the terrible, the harpies that come at night, borne on the hurricane wings of panic. unhappily, de sylva and his bodyguard were the messengers of their own disaster. the cowardly genius at pesqueira had planned a surprise. he would not lead it, of course, but in dom miguel barraca he found an eager substitute. it was a coup of the napoleonic order; an infantry attack along the entire front of the liberationist position cloaked the launching against the center of a formidable body of cavalry. the project was to thrust this lance into the rebel position, probe it thoroughly, as a surgeon explores a gunshot wound, and extract the offender in the guise of dom corria. the scheme had proved eminently successful. the liberationists were crumpled up, and here was dom corria making his last stand. he deserved better luck, for he was magnificent in failure. calm as ever, he tried to be shot or captured when the reserves in camp failed him. russo and the rest dragged him onward by main force. "they want me only," he urged. "my death will end a useless struggle. i shall die a little later, when many more of my friends are killed. why not die now?" they would not listen. "it is night!" they cried. "the enemy's horses are spent. a determined stand may give us another chance." but it was a forlorn hope. as san benavides lurched into the _patèo_, the horses of the first pursuing detachment strained up the slope between house and encampment. carmela, all her fire gone, the pallid ghost of the vengeful woman who would have shattered her lover's skull were the revolver loaded, was the first to see him. she actually crouched in terror. her tongue was parched. if she uttered some low cry, none heard her. dom corria, striving to dispose his meager garrison as best he could, met his trusted lieutenant. his face lit with joy. "ah, my poor salvador!" he cried. "i thought we had lost you at the ford!" "no," said san benavides. "i ran away!" even in his dire extremity, de sylva smiled. "would that others had run like you, my salvador!" he said. "then we should have been in pernambuco to-morrow." the brazilian looked around. his eye dwelt heedlessly on the cowering carmela. he was searching for iris, who had been compelled by coke and bulmer and her uncle to take shelter behind the score of sailors who still remained at las flores. "it is true, nevertheless," he said laconically. "i knew the game was lost, so i came here to try and save a lady." "ah--our carmela? you thought of her?" "no!" then the spell passed from carmela. she literally threw herself on her lover. "yes, it is true!" she shrieked. "he came to save me, but i preferred to die here--with you, father--and with him." dom corria did not understand these fire-works, but he had no time for thought. bullets were crashing through the closed venetians. light they must have, or the defense would become an orgy of self-destruction, yet light was their most dangerous foe when men were shooting from the somber depths of the trees. the assailants were steadily closing around the house. their rifles covered every door and window. each minute brought up fresh bands in tens and twenties. at last, barraca himself arrived. some members of his staff made a hasty survey of the situation. there were some three hundred men available, and, in all probability, dom corria could not muster one-sixth of that number. it was a crisis that called for vigor. the cavalry lance was twenty miles from its base, and there was no knowing what accident might reunite the scattered liberationists. one column, at least, of the nationalists had failed to keep its rendezvous, or this last desperate stand at las flores would have proved a sheer impossibility. so the house must be rushed, no matter what the cost. this was a war of leaders. let dom corria fall, and his most enthusiastic supporters would pay dom miguel's taxes without further parley. a scheme of concerted action was hastily arranged. simultaneously, five detachments swarmed against the chosen points of assault. one crossed the _patèo_ to the porch, another made for the stable entrance, a third attacked the garden door, a fourth assailed the servants' quarters, and the fifth, strongest of all, and inspired by dom miguel's presence, battered in the shutters and tore away the piled up furniture of the ballroom. the nationalist leader's final order was terse. "spare the women; shoot every rebel; do not touch the foreigners unless they resist!" with yells of "abajo de sylva!" "morto por revoltados!" the assailants closed in. neither side owned magazine rifles, so the fight was with machetes, swords, and bayonets when the first furious hail of lead had spent itself. no man thought of quarter, nor ceased to stab and thrust until he fell. not even then did some of the half-savage combatants desist, and a many a thigh was gashed and boot-protected leg cut to the bone by those murderous hatchet knives wielded by hands which would soon stiffen in death. when three hundred desperadoes meet fifty of like caliber in a hand-to-hand conflict--when the three hundred mean to end the business, and the fifty know that they must die--fighting for choice, but die in any event--the resultant encounter will surely be both fierce and brief. and never was fratricidal strife more sanguinary than during the earliest onset within the walls. each inch of corridor, each plank of the ballroom floor, was contested with insane ferocity. this was not warfare. it savored of the carnage of the jungle. its sounds were those of wild beasts. it smelled of the shambles. by one of those queer chances which sometimes decide the hazard between life and death, the window nearest that end of the room where the sailors strove to protect a few shrieking women had not been broken in. here, then, was a tiny bay of refuge; from it the men of the _andromeda_ and the _unser fritz_, bulmer, verity, iris, and such of the brazilian ladies as had not fled to the upper rooms at the initial volley, looked out on an amazing butchery. de sylva, no longer young, and never a robust man, had been dragged from mortal peril many times by his devoted adherents. carmela had snatched a machete from the fingers of a dying soldier, and was fighting like one possessed of a fiend. once, when a combined rush drove the defenders nearly on top of the non-combatants, iris would have striven to draw the half-demented girl into the little haven with the other women. but coke thrust her back, shouting: "leave 'er alone. she'll set about you if you touch her!" dickey bulmer, too, who was displaying a fortitude hardly to be expected in a man of his years and habits, thought that interference was useless. "let 'er do what she can," he said. "she doesn't know wot is 'appenin' now. if she was on'y watchin' she'd be a ravin' lunatic. god 'elp us all, we've got ourselves into a nice mess!" somehow, the old man's lancashire drawl, with its broad vowels and misplaced aspirates, exercised a singularly soothing effect on iris's tensely-strung nerves. it seemed to remove her from that murder-filled arena. it was redolent of home, of quiet streets, of orderly crowds thronging to the new brighton sands, of the sober, industrious, god-fearing folk who filled the churches and chapels at each service on a sunday. these men and women of brazil were her brothers and sisters in the great comity of nations, yet heaven knows they did not figure in such guise during that hour of intense emotions. but if dickey bulmer's simple words exalted him into the kingdom of the heroic, david verity occupied a lower plane. prayers and curses alternated on his lips. he was stupefied with fear. he had never seen the lust of slaying in men's eyes, and it mesmerized him. many of the sailors wanted to join in on behalf of their friends. it needed all coke's vehemence to restrain them. "keep out of it, you swabs," he would growl. "it's your on'y chanst. this isn't our shindy. let 'em rip an' be hanged to 'em!" yet he was manifestly uneasy, and he kept a wary eye on de sylva, whom he appraised at a personal value of five thousand pounds "an pickin's." a tall, distinguished-looking man, wearing a brilliant uniform, his breast decorated with many orders, now appeared on the scene. he shouted something, and the attacking force redoubled their efforts. he raised a revolver, and took deliberate aim at dom corria. coke saw him, and his bulldog pluck combined with avarice to overcome his common sense. without thought of the consequences, he sprang into the swaying mob and pulled de sylva aside. a bullet smashed into the wall behind them. "look out, mister!" he bellowed. "'ere's a blighter 'oo wants to finish you quick!" de sylva's glance sought his adversary. he produced a revolver which hitherto had remained hidden in a pocket. perhaps its bullets were not meant for an enemy. he fired at the tall man. a violent swerve of the two irregular ranks of soldiers screened each from the other. an opening offered, and the man who had singled out dom corria for his special vengeance fired again. the bullet struck coke in the breast. the valiant little skipper staggered, and sank to the floor. his fiery eyes gazed up into verity's. "damme if i ain't hulled!" he roared, his voice loud and harsh as if he were giving some command from the bridge in a gale of wind. david dropped to his knees. "for gawd's sake, jimmie!" he moaned. "yes, i've got it. sarve me dam well right, too! no business to go ag'in me own pore old ship. look 'ere, verity, i'm done for! if you get away from this rotten muss, see to my missus an' the girls. if you don't--d--n you----" "fire!" shouted a strong english voice from without. a withering volley crashed through the open windows. full twenty of the assailants fell, dom miguel de barraca among them. there was an instant of terrible silence, as between the shocks of an earthquake. [illustration: a withering volley crashed through the window] "now, come on!" shouted the same voice, and philip hozier rushed into the ballroom, followed by his scouts and a horde of brazilian regulars. no one not actually an eye-witness of that thrilling spectacle would believe that a fight waged with such determined malevolence could stop so suddenly as did that fray in las flores. it was true, now as ever, that men of a mixed race cannot withstand the unforeseen. dom miguel fallen, and his cohort decimated by the leaden storm that tore in at them from an unexpected quarter, the rest fled without another blow. they raced madly for their horses, to find that every tethered group was in the hands of this new contingent. then the darkness swallowed them. dom miguel's cavalry was disbanded. at once the medley within died down. men had no words as yet to meet this astounding development. dom corria went to where his rival lay. dom miguel was dying. his eyes met de sylva's in a strange look of recognition. he tried to speak, but choked and died. then the living president stooped over the dead one. he murmured something. those near thought afterward that he said: "is it worth it? who knows!" but he was surely president now; seldom have power and place been more hardly won. his quiet glance sought philip. "thank you, mr. hozier," he said. "all brazil is your debtor. as for me, i can never repay you. i owe you my life, the lives of my daughter and of many of my friends, and the success of my cause." philip heard him as in a dream. he was looking at iris. her eyes were shining, her lips parted, yet she did not come to him. by her side was standing a white-haired old man, an englishman, a stranger. bending over coke, and wringing his hands in incoherent sorrow, was another elderly briton. a fear that philip had never before known gripped his heartstrings now. he was pale and stern, and his forehead was seamed with foreboding. "who is that with miss yorke?" he said to dom corria. the president had a rare knack of answering a straight question in a straight way. "a mr. bulmer, i am told," he said. there was a pause. general russo, carved from head to foot, but so stout withal that his enemies' weapons had reached no vital part, approached. he thumped his huge stomach. "we must rally our men," he said. "if we collect even five thousand to-night----" "yes," said de sylva, "i will come. before i go, mr. hozier, let me repeat that i and brazil are grateful." "may the devil take both you and brazil!" was philip's most ungracious reply, and he turned and strode out into the night. chapter xvi wherein the president presides before the exciting story so rudely interrupted is resumed, it may be well to set down in their sequence the queer workings of fortune which led to philip's timely reappearance at las fiores. his troop of scouts consisted of twenty-eight men. five were sailors and firemen from the _andromeda_; three were germans from the _unser fritz_. but the whole eight were ex-soldiers, and one man-at-arms trained on the european model is worth ten of the brazilian product. the remaining twenty were hillmen, good riders, excellent shots, and acquainted with every yard of the wild country within a radius of a hundred miles. they would fight anybody if well led, and here it may be observed that when philip called on them to storm the ballroom, he said, "come on!"; between which curt command and its congener, "go on!" these half-breed warriors drew a fine distinction. the language difficulty was surmounted partly by an interpreter in the person of one of the germans, who spoke english and had lived in bahia, partly by signs, and largely by philip's methods as a leader. he never asked his men to do anything that he did not do himself, and they were never dubious as to his tactics, since he invariably closed with any nationalist detachment met during the day's operations. about mid-day, then, they came upon the advance guard of a column sent off a week earlier by the expert at pesqueira with instructions to arrive at las flores before sunset that very day. instantly the twenty-nine charged; with equal celerity the advance guard bolted. from the crest of a rocky pass philip looked down on a column of fully a thousand men. the situation was critical. it called for prompt handling. five men held the horses; twenty-three spread themselves among the rocks; philip unslung his carbine; and twenty-four rifles indulged in long-range practice on a narrow mountain path crowded with men and animals. nothing more was needed. it has been noted already that the brazilians disliked long-range shooting. there was a stampede. the scouts occupied the ridge until sundown, and were returning leisurely to report the presence of the column, when they fell in with the first batch of fugitives from the valley. forthwith, philip became a general and each scout an officer. they reasoned and whacked the runaways into obedience, picked up quite a number of men who were willing enough to fight if told what was expected of them--and the rest was a matter of simple strategy such as macaulay's schoolboy would exhibit in the escalade of a snow fort. but it was a near thing. five minutes later, and hozier might have seized the presidency himself. and now, as to the night, and the next day. russo and his diminished staff took philip's little army as a nucleus. brazil had duly elected dom corria, as provided by the statute, and the news spread like wild fire. before morning, the liberationists were ten thousand strong. before night closed the roads again, the pesqueira genius wrote to dom corria under a flag of truce, and pointed out that he served the _president_, not any crank who said he was president, but the honored individual in whom the people of brazil placed their trust. dom corria replied in felicitous terms, and, as the newspapers say, the incident ended. the navy sulked for a while, because they held that russo's treatment of the _andorinha_ was not cricket, or baseball, or whatsoever game appeals most to the brazilian sportsman. it was not even professional football, they said; but an acrimonious discussion was closed by a strong hint from the treasury that pay-day might be postponed indefinitely if too much were made of a regrettable accident to the guns of the maceio artillery. meanwhile, dom corria, the man who did not forget, was puzzled by two circumstances not of national importance. san benavides, never a demonstrative lover where carmela was concerned, was a changed man. he was severely wounded during the fight, and carmela nursed him assiduously, but there could be no doubt that he was under her thumb, and would remain there. the indications were subtle but unmistakable. carmela even announced the date of their marriage. dom corria remembered, of course, what san benavides and his daughter had said when they all met in the ballroom. it seemed to him that salvador was telling the truth and that carmela was fibbing on that occasion. but he let well enough alone. it was good for salvador that he should obey carmela. he blessed them, and remarked that a really "smart" wedding would be just the thing to inaugurate the new reign at rio de janeiro. he was far more perplexed by the untimely wrath of philip hozier. he thought of it for at least five minutes next morning. then he sought dickey bulmer, who had just quitted coke's bedroom, and was examining the rare shrubs that bordered the lawn. "what news of that brave man?" asked dom corria, and his deep voice vibrated with real feeling. "first-rate, sir," said dickey. "the bullet is extracted, and the doctor says 'e'll soon be all right. leastways, that's wot iris tells me. i can't talk portuguese meself, an' pore old jimmie's langwidge ain't fit to be repeated." the president laughed. "he is what you call a bundle of contradictions, eh?--a rough fellow with the heart of a bull. but he saved my life, and that naturally counts for a good deal with me. and how is your niece after last night's terrible experience?" "my niece? d'ye mean iris?" demanded bulmer, obviously somewhat annoyed. "yes." "she's not my niece; she's----" "your grand-daughter, then?" "no, sir. that young lady 'as done me the honor of promisin' to be my wife." "oh!" said dom corria, fixing his brilliant eyes on bulmer's vexed face. "there's no 'oh' about it," growled dickey. "it was all cut an' dried weeks ago, an' she 'asn't rued of 'er bargain yet, as far as i can make out." "you mean that the marriage was arranged before the _andromeda_ sailed?" said dom corria gently. "w'y, of course. it couldn't very well be fixed after, could it?" "no--not as between you and her. i can vouch for that. forgive me, mr. bulmer--i have a daughter of marriageable age, you know, and i speak as a parent--do you think that it is a wise thing for a man of your years to marry a girl of twenty?" "if i didn't, i wouldn't do it." "but may it not be selfish?" then downright lancashire took hold of the argument. "look 'ere, wot are you drivin' at?" demanded dickey, now in a white heat of anger. he had yet to learn that the president preferred a straight-forward way of talking. "i want you to forego this marriage," he said. "why?" "because that charming girl loves another man, but feels that she is bound to you. i understand the position at last. mr. bulmer, you cannot wish to break her heart and drive that fine young fellow, philip hozier, to despair. come, now! let you and me reason this thing together. possibly, when she agreed to marry you she did not know what love is. she is high-minded, an idealist, the soul of honor. what other woman would have consented to be separated from her friends on fernando noronha merely because it increased their meager chances of safety? how few women, loving a man like philip hozier, who is assured of a splendid reward for his services to this state, would resolutely deny the claims of her own heart in order to keep her word?" bulmer had never heard anyone speak with the crystal directness of dom corria. each word chipped away some part of the fence which he had deliberately erected around his own intelligence. certain facts had found crevices in the barrier already; dom corria broke down whole sections. but he was a hard man, and stubborn. throughout his long life he had not been of yielding habit, and his heart was set on iris. "you are mighty sure that she is wrapped up in this young spark," he growled. "were i not, i would not have interfered. take my advice. first, ask yourself an honest question. then ask the girl. she will answer. i promise you that." "i'm a rich man," persisted dickey. "yes." "nobody forced 'er, one way or the other." "possibly. one wonders, though, why she hid herself on the _andromeda_." "it's true, i tell you. david said----" "who is david?" "her uncle." "in england, i take it, if a man wishes to marry a girl he does not woo her uncle. of course, these customs vary. here, in brazil----" then bulmer said something about brazil that was not to be expected from one of his staid demeanor. in fact, he regarded brazil as the cause of the whole trouble, and his opinion concerning that marvelous land coincided with hozier's. he turned and walked away, looking a trifle older, a trifle more bent, perhaps, than when he came out of the house. an hour later, dom corria and carmela met in a corridor. they were discussing arrangements for a speedy move to the capital when iris ran into them. her face was flushed, and she had been crying. much to carmela's amazement, the english girl clasped her round the neck and kissed her. "tell your father, my dear, that he has been very good to me," she whispered; then her face grew scarlet again, and she hurried away. "excellent!" said the president. "that old man is a gentleman. his friend is not. yet they are very much alike in other respects. odd thing! carmela _cara_, can you spare a few minutes from your invalid?" "yes, father." "go, then, and find that young englishman, philip hozier. tell him that the engagement between miss yorke and mr. bulmer is broken off." carmela's black eyes sparkled. that wayward blood of hers surged in her veins, but dom corria's calm glance dwelt on her, and the spasm passed. "yes, father," she said dutifully. he stroked his chin as he went out to pronounce a funeral oration on those who had fallen during the fight. "i think," said he reflectively, "i think that carmela dislikes that girl. i wonder why?" philip had never, to his knowledge, seen the senhora de sylva. watts spoke of her, remarking that she was "a reel pleasant young lady, a bit flighty, p'raps, but, then, 'oo could tell wot any gal would do one minnit from the next?" and that was all. it was, therefore, something more than a surprise when the sallow-faced, willowy girl, black-haired, black-eyed, and most demure of manner, whom he remembered to have met in the gateway of las flores early on the previous day, came to his tent and asked for him. she introduced herself, and philip was most polite. "my father sent me----" she began. "i ought to have waited on the president," he said, seeing that she hesitated, "but several of my men are wounded, and we have so few doctors." she smiled, and carmela could redeem much of her plainness of feature by the singular charm of her smile. "dom corria is a good doctor himself," she said. "his skill will be much appreciated in brazil at the present moment," said he, rather bewildered. "he mends broken hearts," she persisted. "ah, a healer, indeed!" but he frowned a little. "he is in demand to-day. he asked me to tell you of one most successful operation. the--er--the engagement between miss iris yorke--is that the name?--and mr.--mr.--dear me----" "bulmer," scowled philip, a block of ice in the warm air of brazil. "yes, that is it--well--it is ended. she is free--for a little while." there was a curious bleaching of philip's weather-tanned face. it touched a chord in carmela's impulsive nature. "it is all right," she nodded. "you can go to her." she left him there, more shaken than he had ever been by thunderous sea or screaming bullet. "they are cold, these english," she communed, as she passed up the slope to the house. "it takes something to rouse them. what would he have said were he in salvador's place last night!" it did not occur to her that philip could not possibly have been in salvador's place, since god has made as many varieties of men as of berries, whereof some are wholesome and some poisonous, yet they all have their uses. and she might have modified her opinion of his coldness had she seen the manner of his meeting with iris. visiting the sick is one of the christian virtues, so philip visited coke. iris had just finished writing a letter, partly dictated, and much altered in style, to mrs. james coke, sea view, ocean road, birkenhead, when a gentle tap brought her to the door. she opened it. her wrist was seized, and she was drawn into the corridor. she had no option in the matter. the tall young man who held her wrist proceeded to squeeze the breath out of her, but she was growing so accustomed to deeds of violence that she did not even scream. "there is a british chaplain at pernambuco," was philip's incoherent remark. "i must ask my uncle," she gasped. "no. leave that to me. no man living shall say 'yes' or 'no' to me where you are concerned, iris." "do not be hard with him, philip dear. he was always good to me, and--and--i have grown a wee bit afraid of you." "afraid!" "yes. you are so much older, so much sterner, than when you and i looked at the southern cross together from the bridge of the _andromeda_." "i was a boy then, iris. i am a man now. i have fought, and loved, and suffered. and what of you, dear heart? we went through the furnace hand in hand. what of the girl who has come forth a woman?" there was an open window at the end of the passage. watts had bought, or borrowed, or looted a bottle of wine. schmidt and he were in a shaded arbor beneath, and his voice came to them: "it is always fair weather when good fellows meet together . . ." but another voice, hoarse as a foghorn, boomed through the door which iris had left ajar. "bring 'er in 'ere, you swab. d--n your eyes, if you come courtin' my nurse, you'll 'ave to do it in my room or not at all. wot the----" "come in, dear," said iris. "the doctor says he is not to excite himself. and he will be so glad to see you. he has been asking for you all day." * * * * * * at pernambuco, his excellency the president of the republic of brazil was waited on by admiral prince heinrich von schnitzenhausen, who was attended by an imposing armed guard. after compliments, the admiral stated that his imperial master wished to be informed as to the truth or otherwise of a circumstantial statement made by the german consul at maceio, and confirmed by functionaries at pernambuco, that on a certain date, to wit, september the 2d, he, dom corria de sylva, aided and abetted by a number of filibusters, did unlawfully seize and sequestrate the steamship _unser fritz_, the said steamship being the property of german subjects and flying the german flag. though the admiral's sentence was much longer than its english translation, it only contained a dozen words. its sound was fearsome in consequence, and its effect ought to have been portentous. but dom corria was unmoved. "there is some mistake," said he. "exactly," said the admiral, "an-error-the-most-serious-and-not-easily-rectifiable." "on your part," continued dom corria. "the vessel you name is the property of my friend and colleague dom alfonso pondillo, of maceio. he purchased and paid for her on september 1st. here is the receipt of the former owners, given to the deutsche bank in paris, and handed to senhor pondillo's agents. you will observe the date of the transaction." the admiral read. he read again. "ach gott!" he cried angrily. "there are some never-to-be-depended-upon fools in the world, and especially in hamburg." "everywhere," agreed dom corria blandly. carmela's memory was not quite of the hereditary order. she had forgotten, for three whole days, that the letter containing the receipt was in her pocket. * * * * * * when coke was pronounced fit for comfortable travel, david verity and dickey bulmer conveyed him home. they took with them drafts on a london bank for amounts that satisfied every sort of claim for the sinking of the _andromeda_. judged by the compensation given to the vessel's survivors, there could be no doubt that the dependants of the men who lost their lives would be well provided for. even watts vowed that the president had behaved reel 'andsome, and, as a token of regeneration, swore that never another drop o' sperrits would cross his lips. wines and beers, of course, were light refreshments of a different order. schmidt, too, sublimely heedless of the diplomatic storm he had caused, seemed to be contented. he taught watts "_es gibt nur eine kaiser stadt_," and watts taught him the famous chanty of the _alice_ brig and her marooned crew. but the latter effusion was rehearsed far from coke's deck-chair, because the captain of the mail steamer said that although he liked coke personally, some of the lady passengers might complain. at odd moments david and dickey bulmer discussed the partnership. the young people would be home in two months, and then philip was to come into the business. "we're growing old, david," said dickey. "i've got plenty of money, an' you'll 'ave a tidy bit now, but there's one thing neether of us can buy, and that's youth." "i don't want to be young again," said david, "but i'd like to go back just a year or so--no more. "why?" "well, there's bin times w'en--w'en i'd 'ave acted different. wot do you say, jimmie?" coke, thus appealed to, glowered at his employer. "say!" he growled. "i say nothink. i know you, david." philip and iris attended carmela's wedding during their honeymoon. the cathedral at rio de janeiro was packed, and iris was quite inconspicuous among the many richly-attired ladies who graced the ceremony by their presence. nevertheless, colonel salvador san benavides favored her with a peculiar smile as he led his bride down the central aisle. she laughed, blushed, and looked at her husband. "yes, i saw him," he whispered. "but i never feared him. it was you that made me sit up. by the way, old girl, let us cut out the reception. i want to call at the bank, and at a shop in the rua grande. you will be interested." well, being a good and loving wife, she was interested deeply. ten thousand pounds was dom corria's financial estimate of the services rendered by philip, and iris was absolutely dumfounded by the total in milreis. but her voice came back when philip took her to a jeweler's, and the man produced a gold cross on which blazed four glorious diamonds. dom corria had given her a necklace many times more valuable; but this---"for remembrance!" said philip. "oh, my dear, my dear!" she murmured, and her eyes grew moist. the end 