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Pieces of Eight, a novel by Richard Le Gallienne |
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Book 3 - Chapter 11 |
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_ BOOK III CHAPTER XI An Old Enemy.
"Your friend writes like a true man of action," he added, "like Caesar--and also the electric telegraph. We must send word to Sweeney to be on the look-out for him. I will send Samson the Redoubtable with a message to him this morning. Meanwhile, we will smoke and think." Then for the next hour the "King" thought--aloud; while Calypso and I sat and listened, occasionally throwing in a parenthesis of comment or suggestion. It was evident, we all agreed, that Calypso had been right. It had been Tobias and none other whose evil eye had sent her so breathless back to me, waiting in the shadow of the woods; and it was the same evil eye that had fallen vulture-like on her golden doubloon exposed on Sweeney's counter. Now what were we to think of Tobias?--what really were his notions about this supposititious treasure?--and what was likely to be his plan of action? Had he really any private knowledge of the whereabouts of his alleged ancestral treasure?--or was his first authentic hint of its whereabouts derived from the manuscript--first overheard while eavesdropping at John Saunders's office, and afterward purloined from John Saunders's verandah? There seemed little doubt that this second surmise was correct; for, if he had had any previous knowledge, he would have had no need of the manuscript and long ago he would have gone after the treasure for himself, and found it or not, as the case might be. Probably there was a tradition in his family of the existence somewhere of his grandfather's treasure; but that tradition was very likely the sum of his inheritance; and doubtless it was the mere accident of his dropping into Saunders's office that morning which had set him on the track. It was also likely, indeed practically certain, that he had been able to make no more out of the manuscript than I had; that he had concluded that I had somehow or other unearthed more about it than he; and that, therefore, his most promising clue to its discovery would be my actions. To keep me in sight was the first step. So far so good. But thus far, it would appear to him, I had had no very positive success. Otherwise, I would not still be on the quest. He had probably been aware of my movements, and may have been lying hidden on the island longer than we suspected. From some of his spies he had heard of my presence in the settlement, and, chance having directed him to Sweeney's store at the moment of Calypso's ringing down that Spanish gold on the counter, he had somehow connected Calypso's doubloon with me. At all events, it was clear that there were such coins on the island in somebody's possession. Then, when he had watched Calypso on her way home--and, without any doubt, been the spectator of our meeting at the edge of the wood though we had been unable to catch sight of him--there would, of course, be a suspicion in his mind that my quest might at last be approaching success, and that his ancestral millions might be almost in my hands. That there might be some other treasure on the island with which neither he nor his grandfather had any concern would not occur to him, nor would it be likely to trouble him if it did. My presence was enough to prove that the treasure was his--for was it not his treasure that I was after? Logic irrefutable! How was he to know that all the treasure so far discovered was that modest hoard--unearthed, as I had heard, in the garden--the present whereabouts of which was known only to Calypso. The "King" had interrupted himself at this point of argument. "By the way, Calypso, where is it?" he asked unexpectedly, to the sudden confusion of both of us. "Isn't it time you revealed your mysterious Aladdin's cave?" At the word "cave" the submerged rose in Calypso's cheeks almost came to the surface of their beautiful olive. "Cave!" she countered manfully, "who said it was a cave?" "It was merely a figure of speech, which--if I may say so, my dear--might apply with equal fitness, say--to a silk stocking." And Calypso laughed through another tide of rose-colour. "No, Dad, not that either. Never mind where it is. It is perfectly safe, I assure you." "But _are_ you sure, my dear? Wouldn't it be safer, after all, here in the house? How can you be certain that no one but yourself will accidentally discover it?" "I am absolutely certain that _no one will,_" she answered, with an emphasis on the last three words which sent a thrill through me, for I knew that it was meant for me. Indeed, as she spoke, she furtively gave me one of those glances of soft fire which had burnt straight through to my heart in Sweeney's store--a sort of blended challenge and appeal. "Of course, Dad," she added, "if you insist--you shall have it. But seriously I think it is safer where it is, and if I were to fetch it, how can I be sure that no one"--she paused, with a meaning which I, of course, understood--"Tobias, for instance, would see me going--and follow me." "To be sure--to be sure," said the "King." "What do you think, friend Ulysses?" "I think it more than likely that she might be followed," I answered, "and I quite agree with Miss Calypso. I certainly wouldn't advise her to visit her treasure just now--with the woods probably full of eyes. In fact," I added, smiling frankly at her, "I could scarcely answer for myself even--for I confess that she has filled me with an overpowering curiosity." And in my heart I stood once more amid the watery gleams and echoes of that moonlit cavern, struck dumb before that shining princess from whose mouth and hands had fallen those strange streams of gold. "So be it then," said the "King"; "and now to consider what our friend here graphically speaks of as those eyes in the woods. 'The woods were full of eyes.' Ah! friend Ulysses, you evidently share my taste for the romantic phrase. Who cares how often it has been used? It is all the better for that. Like old wine, it has gained with age. One's whole boyhood seems to be in a phrase like that--Dumas, Scott, Fenimore Cooper. How often, I wonder, has that divine phrase been written--'the woods were full of eyes.' And now to think that we are actually living it--an old boy like myself even. 'The woods were full of eyes.' Bravo! Ulysses, for it is still a brave and gallant world!" The "King" then made a determined descent into the practical. The woods, most probably, _were_ full of eyes. In plain prose, we were almost certainly being watched. Unless--unless, indeed, my bogus departure for Nassau had fooled Tobias as we had hoped. But, even so, with that lure of Calypso's doubloon ever before him, it was too probable that he would not leave the neighbourhood without some further investigation--"an investigation," the "King" explained, "which might well take the form of a midnight raid; murdered in our beds, and so forth." That being so, being in fact almost a certainty--the "King" spoke as though he would be a much disappointed man otherwise--we must look to our garrison. After all, besides ourselves, we had but Samson and Erebus, and their dark brethren of doubtful courage, while Tobias probably had command of a round dozen of doughty desperadoes. On the whole, perhaps, he said, it might be best to avail ourselves of the crew of the _Flamingo_--"under cover of the dark," he repeated with a smile. Yes! that must be the first step. We must get them up there that night, under cover of the dark; keep them well hidden, and--well! await developments. Charlie Webster might be expected any moment with his reinforcements, and then!--"Lay on, Macduff!" While we had been talking, Samson had long since been on his way with the word to Sweeney to look out for Webster, and, as he had been admonished to hurry back, it was scarcely noon when he returned, bringing in exchange a verbal message from Sweeney. "The pock-marked party," ran the message as delivered by Samson, "had left the harbour in his sloop that morning. Yes, sar!" "Ha! ha!" laughed the "King," turning to me. "So two can play at that game, says Henry P. Tobias, Jr. But if we haven't fooled him, let's make sure that he hasn't fooled us. We'll bring up your crew all the same--what do you think?" "Under cover of the dark," I assented. _ |
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