CHAPTER VIII
A MORAL CONSPIRACY ON BOARD THE SALIHÉ
Louis Belgrave had a constitutional dislike for evil-doers, for he inherited an utter condemnation of all wrong as a part of his being; and he could no more help this feeling than he could help breathing. Like his mother, he was disposed to "love the sinner while he hated the sin." He had just passed through an exciting experience, and he was grateful to Heaven that he and his friends had come out of the conflict unharmed.
Still he was not at all satisfied with the situation. His party had been beaten in the conflict with the smugglers, who were lawless reprobates, with whom he could not have the remotest sympathy. He had not the slightest fellow-feeling for those who believed it was quite proper to cheat the government out of the duties levied on goods coming into the country.
He was even so old-fashioned as to wonder how men and women who had the reputation of being honest and upright members of society, and sometimes in good standing in the church, could conceal dutiable goods when they had come home from abroad, and give evasive if not lying answers to the questions of custom-house officials.
Gray, Diego, Velazquez, and their associates, were violating the laws of Spain. If the duties on the merchandise on board of the Golondrina, as their schooner was called, amounted to a thousand pounds, Louis regarded their operation as precisely the same thing as stealing this amount of money from the Spanish government. He viewed the transaction in exactly the same light as he would have looked upon the deed of a bandit who robbed the passing traveller on the road of the sum named.
Louis expressed his views on this subject as a prelude to the consideration of the question which Scott had brought up for discussion. It seemed to him, though he had not reasoned himself into this belief, that he and his companions were to some extent guilty if they permitted these law-breakers, without an attempt to bring them to justice, to go their way with their ill-gotten booty, or, as he put it, to steal the money from the government of Spain.
It is hardly probable that all his friends took his high-toned moral view of the subject; but without exception they were in favor of recapturing the steamer, and making prisoners of the smugglers. Undoubtedly such an attempt would involve an adventure; but there was a flavor of doing one's duty connected with it which satisfied Louis that "it was the right thing to do," if it was practicable, for even Louis did not believe that his party were called upon to perish by the stilettos of the ruffians for the benefit of the Spanish treasury.
"Hold on a minute," said Scott, as the gong in the engine-room sounded to stop the boat. "They have come to the Golondrina. We had better find out if we can how the pirates arrange their affairs on board when they take the schooner in tow."
"That is a good idea," replied Louis, as he went to one of the cabin windows, and raised the curtain a little so that he could see out on the deck. "The steamer has come about, and her stern is under the bowsprit of the schooner."
"Look out, Louis!" called Scott, as he heard voices on the deck. "They will see that the window is open if you are not careful."
The cabin had been lighted by Chickworth when he brought the steamer to the gangway of the Guardian-Mother. A lamp was suspended from a deck-beam overhead; it had three brackets, and the little apartment was illuminated like a ballroom. Louis dropped the curtain at this warning, but he could still hear all that was said on the deck.
Captain Velazquez ordered Lucio on board of the schooner, directing him to pass the tow-line to the steamer; and it had evidently been made ready before the smugglers left the vessel to procure the services of the Salihé. Louis interpreted the command of the captain to his companions in a low tone so that he could not be heard by those on deck.
"That settles one thing," said Scott, who was proving himself to be one of the most useful and determined of the party.
"What does it settle?" asked Louis, who had taken no particular notice of the meaning of the order.
"It settles that no men were left in the schooner; for that reason Lucio had to be sent on board of her to pass the tow-line on board," replied Scott.
"That is important," added Louis. "Possibly it proves another thing: that the smugglers intended to take the steamer by force if necessary, or they would have sent only two or three after her. They are hauling the line on board."
Louis listened again, and Diego's orders indicated that the line was made fast at the stern of the Salihé. The only names he heard used were those of Gray, the captain, and Francisco, for Pedro appeared to be still in charge of the engine, or rather of the engineer. Only four of the ruffians remained on board of the steamer.
"Todo esta pronto" (All is ready), said Gray, who seemed to be more impatient than his companions.
"Todavia no" (Not yet), added the captain.
"What are we waiting for now?" demanded Gray, vexed at any delay, and still speaking Spanish of course.
"I have to place my men," replied Diego petulantly.
At this point of the conversation on the deck Louis was intensely interested, for he was as desirous of knowing where each man was placed as the captain himself. In the beginning of the discussion he had simply hoped that something might be done to recover the steamer; but now Scott's proposition began to look more practicable.
"I thought you had placed them," said Gray. "Francisco, who knows more about a steamer than any of the rest of your crew, is to be at the helm, and Pedro is to look out for the Spanish engineer, who is not likely to give us any trouble."
"All right so far," replied the captain. "Lucio will remain on board of the Golondrina with me."
"With you?" interrogated the Scotchman.
"Of course I shall stay on board of thegoleta," returned Diego, as though he had been asked a foolish question.
"I supposed you would remain on board of the steamer," added Gray.
"Have you lost your wits?" demanded Captain Velazquez, as nearly as Louis could render his remark into English. "Our valuable cargo is on board of the Golondrina, and do you expect me to leave it to take care of itself?"
"But if you stay on board of the steamer you will not be far away from it," suggested Gray, who was clearly dissatisfied with the arrangement.
"Suppose the tow-line should part and set thegoletaadrift: what would become of her with no one but Lucio on board of her?"
"I have no idea that the tow-line will part."
"But it may. Suppose we are chased by a cutter from Algeciras; she might run between the two vessels in order to break the line," argued Diego.
"Then you would be taken by the officers, and I should be safe," added Gray with a chuckle. "But I happen to know that they have nothing just now but a sailing-vessel for a cutter, and there is not a breath of air to-night."
"But there will be wind enough as soon as we get out from under the lee of these mountains to the north of us," the captain insisted. "I never leave my vessel when she is under way."
Louis thought the captain had the best of the argument; and whether the Scotchman thought so or not, he made no further objection to the plan; and a few minutes later the listener heard the voice of Diego from a distance, which assured him that he had gone on board of the Golondrina. This word means a swallow, not an unusual name for a fast yacht in France and the United States; and Louis concluded that she must be a rapid-sailing craft, built for the smuggling business.
The attentive listener next heard the footsteps of Gray, and it must have been he, since the captain had left him alone in the standing-room. Doubtless he was going to the pilot-house, where Francisco had been sent before him, to get the steamer under way as soon as Diego gave the command. Louis drew aside the curtain and looked out; but no one was to be seen on the deck.
"There is no one near the cabin now," said he as he seated himself on the divan, with his hands behind him, a position which circumstances compelled all the party to assume.
"But what have you heard, Captain Belgrave?" demanded Scott. "None of us but you know any Spanish, and we are as much in the dark as ever."
"Quite right; and I forgot to mention what I have heard;" and he proceeded to report the conversation to which he had listened, omitting the arguments used by Gray and the captain.
"That makes the situation look a little more jolly," said Scott. "There goes the gong, and we are going ahead now. We had better hurry up our cakes, or we shall be too late to do anything, for the steamer has only five or six miles to make before the smugglers will discharge her, her occupation gone, if they only get a breeze."
"Captain Velazquez is confident that the schooner will get a breeze as soon as she gets out from under the lee of the hills."
"Then we had better lose no time," said Scott.
"Faix, I belayve ye's can't do much wid yo'r arrums toied behoind ye's," interposed Felix, as he rose from his seat, and began to strain on his bonds. "Where are ye's now, Morris, moi darlint? Sure it was you that set us loose in the felucky out from Teneriffe."
"But my hands are tied behind me as well as yours this time," replied Morris, as he made an attempt to draw his wrists through the line that secured his arms behind him.
"Never mind your arms just yet," interposed Scott. "We shall have the use of them when we have business for them. Let us look over the situation a little before we try to do anything. I understand from what Captain Belgrave has told us that Diego Valequizco, the captain, and Lucio are on board of the schooner, which we are dragging very slowly after us out of the river."
"Quite correct, Captain Scott," added Louis.
"Don't call me captain, Louis, for you are the commander in this excursion," replied Scott, shaking his head.
"But you are five times the sailor that I am, Scott, and so is Morris; and one of you ought to be captain if any one."
"No! no!" protested Felix. "Captain Belgrave is the proper laygind."
"But we cannot stay to haggle over such a question," added Louis very decidedly. "You have placed two of the smugglers, Scott—Gray is walking about the deck or in the pilot-house; Francisco is at the wheel, and Pedro is looking after Felipe."
"Then we know where they all are, and we are ready for business," continued Scott. "What shall we do next, Captain Belgrave?"
"I have a sharp knife in my vest pocket, and we will use that next," replied Louis.
"Faix, we can't do that same very well wid our hahnds toied behoind us," interposed Flix.
"Talk English or Spanish, Felix," said Louis rather sharply.
"I can talk English and walk Spanish. What shall I do now?"
"Back up in front of me," continued Louis, resuming his seat on the divan. "Now put your hand into my vest pocket and take out my knife."
Felix obeyed the order, and with his fingers, for he could not move his wrists, he extracted the knife from the pocket. Then the leader placed himself back to back with the Milesian, and instructed him to cut his fastenings, but not to cut him. He used great care, and the operation required some time; but it was safely accomplished.