NEHALEM
A STORY OF THE PACIFIC
A. D. 1700
3. Don Omaniel Zong


Ben Mitch
07. 09 Law.
NEHALEN
1 h
ASTORY OF THE PACIFIC
A. D. 1700
BY
THOMAS H. ROGERS

H. L. HEATH,
MCMINNVILLE, OREGON,
PUBLISHER,
:

Hubbard.
Imag. Voy.
PS
2729
-R75
Copyright by
Thomas H. Rogers,
1898.
(All rights reserved.),
:




R. & Hitch
TO
:
MY
ESTEEMED FRIEND, CAPTAIN
WYATT HARRIS, THIS BOOK IS
INSCRIBED.
344638
INTRODUCTION.
It is a mystery of the past. Stranger and better
tales have been told, perhaps, than I am going to tel
of the rotting camphor-wood hulk, lying grim, silen
and desolate on the bottom of the Pacific in the little
cove between Necárney and False Tillamook head
Yet I am going to tell it—and in my own way. The
world has marveled much over the wreck; but as ye
no one knows from whence she came. No man has
trod her silent decks, if decks there be, for these tw
hundred years. She lies a hundred fathoms deep.
How do I know her scarred and teredo-eaten tim-
bers are of camphor-wood? The little pięce cast up
by the sea is conclusive evidence. It and the legends
reaching far back into the past, told me by the camp
fire's fitful glow in the heart of the great silent woods
where fantastic shadows dance, make it so. True, úc
one saw this unknown vessel come sailing up out of the
West, her every spar and sail cut clear against the sun-
set, but the forefathers of old Nehalem Jim. Yet the
existence of her strange cargo of hieroglyphic-covered
cakes and tapers, found today in a thousand homes
bears them out. Scientists call it mineral wax: I cal
it beeswax. They have the right to their opinions; ]
have the right to mine.
But whence came this unknown ship? you will
ask. That is what 1 shall endeavor to tell. Then
there's the buried treasure on Necarney's side. It, too,
so they say, came from off the wreck. Mankind loves
to hear of buried treasures; mankind loves to search for
them. Just so with the character in the opening chap
J
ters of Nehalem. He is a real live character, too; and I
wish it were granted me to dedicate this little volume
to his memory. I think I understand his character as
no other man; I think I know his inmost heart.
Many and many a meal we took at the same table:
many and many a day we tramped it together over the
fern-clad hills; many and many a night we shared the
same bed in the little wickiup under the stars; many and
many a drink of pure, sparkling mountain water did we
imbibe from the same old, rusty tin cup at his belt.
No wonder our parting was sad; no wonder our hand-
shake was long, silent and hearty. It expressed more
than words. Standing thus, with clasped hands, as
the great cloudbank came creeping, creeping, creeping
in from the Pacific-a veil of white-shutting out the
great mountain, the rocky crags and cliff-bound cove
wherein the mystery lies, we said farewell. He went
his way; I went mine. Far down the beach I turned
me about; a lonely, solitary figure stood looking after
me.
T. H. R.
NEHALEM
i
CHAPTER I.
THE LEGEND OF THE LOST SHIP.
Doctor Thomas Moore, the so-called Hermit of
Nehalem, sat in the chimney corner of Drybark, his
little cabin by the sea, with pipe alight, his homely,
careworn face wreathed in tobacco smoke and
smiles.
There was cause for such content.
It was seldom, very seldom indeed, that Dry ark was
favored with company, being a lonely spot uder the
shadow of "Carney mountain," against whose seamed
and weather-beaten side the breakers beat and dash
with untold fury.
Consequently it was not to be wondered at that on
this particular wild October night in question, as the
wind ripped, tore and wailed at the clapboard roof,
sounding above the rush and roar of the surf, the
face of the man of whom I write, and have a kindly
regard, should wear a happy expression. The con-
summation of several years of patient waiting, fraught
with many disappointments, was at last a realization.
In the opposite corner was his dearest of boyhood
friends, Marcus Talmage, a big, strapping, handsome
fellow, whose heavy tread would echo no more
Fifth Avenue for many a day to come.
on
How Tom's heart had beat with anxiety all the
•
*
8
NEHALEM
00
។
morning lest the traveler might not be aboard the little
ccaster which he had sighted at an early hour that
morning, as she, five hours out from the Columbia
river bar, bucked the heavy swell off False Tillamook
head. Then, as he stood there on his crazy perch, in
the sweep of the wind on Dead Man's cliff, his heart.
was made glad by seeing two tiny clouds of steam shoot
up from the steamer's deck, followed by two faint blasts
of her whistle-the signal agreed upon that the New
Yorker was aboard.
Then, as the steamer procceded on down the coast,
prior to her roundabout course into Nehalem bay, Tom
hastened down the mountain, and by cutting across
lots, so to speak, headed fast for the little town. But,
hasten as he would, he was none too soon; for even
as he crossed the swaying footlog.spanning the rush-
ing waters of Trout creek, the harsh blast of the
steamer's whistle disturbed the quiet of the October
afternoon, and by the time he had entered the main -
street of the little town the Harrison was moored along
side the cannery pier.
It was on the wharf that the two friends of boy-
hood met, after years of separation. The one that came
down the gangplank, grip in hand, was tall and hand-
some, and stylishly dressed, as are the men of the
world; the one who met him with outstretched hand
was short, and stout, and grizzled, and his clothing car-
ried the odor of the sea. But, for all that, the soft
white hand closed kindly over the rough, calloused one;
then, when they had gotten through hugging each
other, Tom swung Marcus' grip over his shoulder,
and, side by side, they wended, their way over the
spruce-covered sand-dunes until they came out to the
sea. Then Tom shifted the heavy grip to the other
shoulder, and, telling Marcus to follow, led the way
down the jagged trail to Drybark's friendly door.
All too quickly had the afternoon slipped away, and
now, as the storm, which has sprung up since sundown,
moans and shrieks without, we find the friends seated
before a roaring fire in the wide-mouthed fireplace,
which casts, many a grotesque silhouette upon the cabin

"DRYBARK" AND DOCTOR THOMAS MOORE.
NEILALEM
walls.
"And now, Tom," the big fellow was saying, as he
lighted his pipe and shied a match stub into the fire-
place, "I have a question to ask that I've been putting
off all the afternoon.'
3
म
""
"Blaze away," said Tom; "blaze away.
"Well, how is it that you, a man of means and edu-
cation, chose this out-of-the-way place for a home?
Your friends certainly thought it strange when you
hied yourself hither."
"There's nothing at all strange about it. An Indian
legend, heard while on a hunting trip some ten years
ago, or immediately following my trip West, coupled
with the wreck of an unknown ship whose cargo is a
puzzler to the scientific world, brought it about."
“And what may her strange cargo have been? It
must be a case out of the ordinary, far out of the ordi-
nary indeed, that would cause you, Tom, to forego the
comforts of a civilized life. If I remember rightly,
there never was a more particular fellow at home than
you.”
Tom smiled.
"Yes," he said, "I'll have to admit that I was a
little light-headed in those days; but I am happy to say
that I've gotten bravely over all such foolishness; my
present, life has been the means of making a better
man of me. But in reply to your question: The thing
that interests me, Marcus, is nothing more nor less.
than a cargo of beeswax, the remnants of which are to
be found to this day, for miles both up and down the
beach, to which the legend is closely allied."
"You interest me, Tom. By the way, have you any
of the wax on hand? I would like to take a look at it.
"Well, I should say," was the reply; "I should say."
And, rising to his feet, Tom opened the door of the old
eight-day clock, taking therefrom a tissue-paper cov-
ered package. "To preserve it," he said, by way of ex-
planation, dropping the package into Marcus' out-'
stretched hand.
"Surely, Tom," was Marcus' words, as he removed
the covering from a highly polished taper, the length
1
}
NEHALEM
10
{
of an ordinary candle, "you do not mean to say that
her cargo was made up of such articles as these?"
"Most assuredly, most assuredly. They have been
found by the hundred."
"Strange, strange," muttered Marcus. "Don't you
know," he said at length, as if struck with a sudden idea,
"that this taper resembles for all the world those used
in the Catholic missions of olden times?"
"Yes," was the reply, "the resemblance is striking:
and that these were so intended I haven't the least
doubt. But that was a long time ago, Marcus, for if
you will notice, the wick has entirely disappeared."
"How far back do you place the wreck-fifty or
sixty years, Tom?"
"Fifty or sixty years! Why, man, it was all of two
hundred years ago."
"How do you make that out?" asked the other, a
skeptical smile on his face.
"For the simple reason that the dates, or Roman
numerals indented thereon, say so. Here!" and Tom
took a small magnifying glass from his pocket and held
it over a certain spot on the taper; "take a squint
through this, and see for yourself.
Marcus applied his eye to the glass.
"Heavens!" he exclaimed, his eyes resting on the
letters "MDCXCIV"; "it don't seem possible, Tom.
that this bit of wax was molded two hundred years
ago."
"But it was," said Tom. "Don't the letters prove it?"
"Likely enough," said Marcus. "But the lost
ship," he asked, impatiently; "what of her?”
"Well," and Tom paused to relight his pipe, "as
I have once before intimated, this part of the coast is
replete with Indian lore, and it is said that at the break
of a stormy day, years and years ago, a great white-
winged ship sailed into this very bay; then, after a few
days' sojourn, she sailed out again, only to encounter a
terrific storm that dashed her to pieces on the reefs
down yonder, until not one of her crew was left to tell
the tale."
"Go on," said Marcus, as Tom paused: "go on.
NEHALEN
II
What are you stopping for? That isn't all of the yarn,
is it?"
"By no means," was the reply; "I've scarcely begun.
Besides, while I'm about it, I want to show you another
relic or so from that ill-fated ship:" and, lamp in hand,
Tom led the way through the kitchen to the wood-
shed.
"Those chunks over there," pointing out three
square-shaped blocks in the corner, "were cast up by
the tide one stormy night several years ago. They and
the tapers are the articles of which I spoke awhile ago,
that have puzzled the scientific world. It is said by
some-the Smithsonian Institution, for instance that
in place of beeswax, as most people pronounce it, it is
nothing more nor less than ozokerite (earth wax). I,
however, cannot agree with them. Ozokerite, accord-
ing to the United States Dispensatory, is to be found in
the three following places only: Utah, the Caspian,
and on the slopes of the Carpathian mountains, in
Galicia. Therefore, I would ask: Is it possible for
ozokerite to form in the shape of cakes and tapers?
True, Nature ofttimes does form and fashion many
queer-shaped things, but when it comes down to form-
ing Roman numerals, that is, I might, say, an impossi-
bility."
"Yes," said Marcus, stepping over to where the
cakes avere lying, and slicing off a piece and holding it
to his nose, "as you say, an impossibility. It has the
beeswax odor, too; consequently it must be genuine.“
"Thought you would agree with me," said Tom, as
they again entered the cabin; "most people do.”
"But what could have been the skipper's object,
Tom, in visiting this part of the world two hundred
years ago?"
"Ah, that is where the mystery comes in-no man
can tell."
"But you have formed some theory, have you not?“
"Yes; and I think a very plausible one. In think-
ing it over, and after talking with my friend Joe Whit-
ing, down Tillamook way, I have come to the conclu-
sion that she was a Spanish galleon, bound for Aca-
毒
​12
>
1
+
NEHALEM..
pulco, Central America-her cargo destined for the
kingdom of Mexico. Mission supplies were not so
plentiful then as at the present time, hence they relied.
on Manila to furnish the necessary wherewithal. Such
being the case, and Acapulco the key to the western
coast, we will take it for granted that I am correct.
The galleon was loaded and dispatched, and, as was
the custom at that early day, she took advantage of the
trade winds, by sailing up the Asiatic coast as far north
as the fortieth or forty-fifth degree, before crossing
over. Now, as this part of the coast is situate forty-
five degrees and forty minutes north latitude, it is
quite likely that, upon her passage over, she put into the
bay to renew her fresh-water supply."
"Is that the general belief?"
"No; I can't say that it is. Like all mysterious
ships, there are more or less legends connected with
her, such as buried pots of gold, Captain Kidd treas-
ures, etc."
"Is there anything to bear them out?" Marcus was
becoming deeply interested.
"There is; if it were not so, I would not be here
today."
"Ah, that explains your hermit-like life; you have
degenerated into a treasure-hunter. But the legends,
Tom: what of them?"
"It is said," Tom began, "that when the ship put
into the bay that day, her crew took a great iron chest
filled with gold ashore and buried it hereabout. Then
the legend goes on to say that the treasure is cursed by
the spirit of a negro, whom the ship's crew put to
death over the chest, and to whose bony ankle was
fastened an iron chain. After the deed was done the
pirates fell to fighting among themselves, and so long
did the battle rage and so much blood did flow, that it
dyed the water of a near-by brook a bloody red; that
ever since then, at the same time of the year, the spirit
of the negro returns and dances over the spot; the,
sunken cyes in the grinning skull protrude, the brook
runs red again, there is a clank of a chain and a weird ·
laugh, and the spook goes dancing down the mountain
1
NEHALEN
上
​&
side, to vanish in the 'skookum-chuck' (the sea).
"So superstitious are the Indians," Tom went on,
"that the spot where the treasure lies has never been
{located, for you couldn't hire them with all the money
that's stacked up in Wall street to venture anywhere
near the vicinity. So strong is the belief, though, that
the treasure really exists, that it is no uncommon thing
to see all kinds of men nosing around in the brush on
the lookout for it. If it were daylight, I could point-
~ out to you the exact spot where three men were drowned
in the bay, who came all the way from the Atlantic
seaboard for such a purpose. Such is the first part of
the legend."
I
"And the other?" questioned Marcus, who sat a rap-
turous listener.
3
"What I am about to tell." said Tom, in a low tone
of voice, as he stepped to the window to make sure
that no prying eyes or ears might see or overhear, "is ·
known to no other living man; being told me by 'Neha-
lem Jim,' an aged Indian, on the night of his death.
Poor old Jim," he mused; "my companion and guide;
my friend in sunshine and in storm; my friend whose
bones lie buried under the shadow of Onion Peak;
whose 'canim,' with the well-worn paddle in the stern,
was sent out, with the tide to greet the ‘tenas sun
(sunrise), may the Great Spirit in the happy hunting-
grounds, Jim, point out to you the trails that are nar-
row and dim, and may your spirit wander happily on
forever through the mystic forests of the great beyond.
+
"But to resume: Three days had Jim lain in the
wigwam, burning up with fever. The buckshot
wound, the result of an accident, was doing its deadly
work-blood poisoning had set in. On the third night
the fever left him. Then, painfully and slowly, he
crawled out of the wigwam, where for an hour, as the
shadows lengthened and the wind soughed lonesomely
through the treetops, he crouched, with true Indian
stoicism, over the sinoldering fire.
"'White man,' said he at last, pointing upward with
a once brawny arm, me see Great Spirit up,there. He
say come. Long time now you been Jim's good friend;
14
NEHALE
•
before me go happy hunting-ground, me show you
something that all white man love'; and he took from
his neck a buckskin cord, to which was swung a well-
worn Spanish doubloon.
"Until that moment, Marcus, the legend of the lost
ship and its reported treasure had interested me but
little, for I considered it a hoax; but when the ancient
coin was placed in my hand I was consumed with curi-
osity.
"And where did you get this, Jim?" I asked.
"Yowa' (yonder), pointing over the treetops to
where Necarney's hoary head pierced the moonlit sky.
Many time you hear Injun story, white man; but you
think Jim tell lie. Him true story-hyu white man's
gold up there in box. When boy, me not like other
Injun; me heap brave; me go up on mountain one day
and find medal.'
"Then he went on and gave, word for word, the old.
old story, as handed down, and more. A sequel he
did tell of how one man, at least, escaped from off the
wreck, living for years in his lonely abode-a cave in
the cliffs; of the broken spar on the mountain side, to
which was nailed a bit of sail that fluttered in the wind
for many, many moons; of how the castaway would
stand for hours at a time, gazing over the great water.
on the lookout for the succor that never came; of how
one day a great sail came in sight, passing close in to
shore, and to attract the attention of those on board the
cave-dweller had made much smoke and thunder with
his poo-stick' (gun), but in vain-the ship passed on
and was seen no more.
"Then did my old guide, to put the finishing touch
to his weird tale, tell of how, long years afterward, his
forefathers waylaid and captured the stranger, with the
intention of burning him at the stake. But at this
procedure, so Jim said, the Great Spirit became angry.
He caused a storm to rise, and above the howling of
the tempest his voice rolled over the wilderness in
mighty volume, reverberating among the lofty peaks.
and thundering down the rock-ribbed canyons, while
flames of fire shot forth from His angry eye. All night
NEHALEM.
13
!
did the storm rage, and when morning was come, lo!
and behold! the captive was gone! And to this day,
should you ask Jim's tribe what became of the cast-
away, they will shake their heads and answer in Chi-
nook, 'Klonas kakwa' (don't know that).
"Such is the legend, Marcus, that has caused me
to live the life of a recluse all these years."
"But you got the bearings from Jim where the
chest was buried, did you not?" Marcus asked, in great
excitement, as Tom finished.
"I did not," was the response. "After telling the
story, Jim was taken suddenly with a severe coughing
spell, and by the time I had stepped into the wigwam
for my medicine case and back to his side, his spirit had
winged its way to the happy hunting-grounds."
“Then the clue is lost?"
"By no means. On the strength of Jim's story I
concluded to do a little searching on my own account.
Accordingly, I purchased Drybark and its contents,
with one hundred and sixty acres of land thrown in, and
got down to business. Heavens, how I have worked!
But not in vain, I trust. On the whole, I think I am
now on the right track. As I have said, all sorts of
people have dabbled in the search for the treasure:
such as spiritualists, dreamers, divining-rod enthu-
siasts, and all such clap-traps. Well, I began in a
quiet way and kept steadily at it. Two years of fruit-
less search went by; then I found a clue.
"It happened one day that one of my favorite Jer-
seys fell over the face of Dead Man's cliff. To put the
poor brute, which kept up a fearful bellowing for a
night and a day, out of its misery, I put up a windlass
on the point, and with the assistance of neighbor Lovell
I was lowered over the cliff. One shot from my Win-
chester did the job. As the old gentleman was winding
me up, I made a discovery-a discovery that set my
heart to thumping. Carved deep in the stone on the
face of the cliff were three arrow-heads; under them
were the figures '1' ‘6' '9' ‘4,' which, you see, are identi-
cal in date with the Roman numerals on the taper.
Those arrow-heads indicated something; but what? It
2
16'
NEHALEM.
t
·
was not until a year and a half later, and then through
an accident, that I fathomed their true meaning.
"Just one mile this side of Dead Man's cliff neigh-
bor Lovell decided to break a piece of meadow to the
plow. Twice had his team made the circuit of the field;
no one man could hold the plow and control the steers
at the same time, so I volunteered my services, and
while the old gentleman 'whoa-haw-geed' at the oxen, I
swung onto the plow-handles. The old plow was
´
doing nobly; she was just ripping up the earth, when
all at once we met an obstacle-an obstacle which, as
the plow-point struck, came near pitching me over the
head of the nigh ox.
"That stone, Marcus, which the plow-point came in
contact with, never fell there accidentally; it is another
clew; it was placed there by human hands. Those
arrows were carved on the face of the cliff to indicate it,
too. It must have been a tremendous job to carry it
from the quarry, a mile above; for it weighs, I should
judge, in the neighborhood of a thousand pounds. On
the face is carved the letter 'W,' with a cross on either
side; underneath are the letters 'D,' 'E,' followed by
eight well-defined dots, and beneath the whole is traced
the rude picture of an arrow, pointing eastward.
"The locating of the treasure, Marcus, depends on
the eight dots; rest assured of that. But whether it is
eight feet, eight rods, eight miles or eight leagues dis-
tant, I cannot tell. At any rate, I have several times.
taken a compass and a line and measured off several of
these distances; but so far without success. I may
have varied in my calculations, you know."
"Have you other theories that will help to bear out
Indian Jim's assertions?" Marcus asked, as Tom threw
a stick of wood, on the fire.
"To be sure," was the reply. "There's Cannon
beach, situated between Necarney and False Tillamook
head. It derives its name from two cannon in the
sands of the beach that have been there from a time
beyond the memory of the oldest inhabitant. These
ancient pieces are closely associated with the beeswax
ship-that is, to my way of thinking. In fact, I think
1
A
4
NEHALEM.
17
y
-
سیک
them à part of the wreckage."
For some little time did Marcus sit as if in a deep
study, gazing straight into the fire, as if to find a solu-
tion there to the question he was about to put.
"Tom," he suddenly asked, "did not the Spaniards
lay claim to all the western coast in early days?"
"It is said so, at least," was Tom's reply.
"Then why isn't it reasonable to suppose," was
the rejoinder, "that at some past time they desired to
establish a colony in these parts, and, failing, this store
you plowed up was left to mark the spot? Another
thing the doubloon that Jim found may have been lost
by some careless Spaniard."
"There's nothing in your supposition," said Tom,
decidedly; "absolutely nothing. It is a well-known fact
that as far back in the past as 1543, or subsequent to
Bartolome Ferrelo's wild-goose chase in his search for
the fabulous Straits of Anian, the Spaniards let all
thoughts of colonizing their possessions farther north
than San Francisco bay go by the board.”
"Possibly the work of Sir Francis Drake, then?"
"Hardly," said Tom, bending forward and tap-
ping the bowl of his pipe on the chimney-jamb. “Tak-
ing history for it, that famous pirate never cruised far-
ther north than the forty-second parallel. Were it
not for Mexican records telling of Drake's cruelty in
setting his Spanish pilot ashore near Cape Mendocino,
thirty-five hundred miles from civilization, I would
doubt very much whether he sailed as far north as that;
even."
“And did the pilot perish, Tom?"
"Hardly; for, strange to tell, Morea-such was his
name-after months of hardships accomplished the
journey across that then unknown land, to—after he
had told the story of his wanderings-fall dead at the
viceroy's feet.”
“An interesting incident, Tom; but, let me ask, have
you ever searched for the cave in which the castaway
held forth?”
"I have," was Tom's reply. "And found it, too-
that is, I presume it to be the same which Lovell and
18
NEHALEM.
+
{
myself found last summer while deep-sea fishing off the
coast. But you are to understand, Marcus, that
Father Time has wrought many changes in the geog-
raphy of the coast since the castaway's time, hence the
mouth of the cave is inaccessible."
·
For an hour or so longer did the two men sit before
the fireplace, smoking and talking, alternately; then,
as the great logs dwindled into a heap of glowing
embers, Marcus was shown to Drybark's spare room,
where he tumbled into bed and fell asleep with the
music of the breakers in his ears, to dream of a name-
less ship whose cargo was a thousand beeswax cakes
and heaps of shining gold.
}
+
7
CHAPTER II.
The finding of the CANISTER.
"In the West there's life;
In the West there's joy;
O-ho, O-ho, to the western boy."
The dreamer awoke with a start. His first night
under Drybark's roof was a thing of the past; another
day was born. Over Necarney's fog-crowned crest the
fiery eye of the great king of day was peeping in
through the small window, flooding the uncarpeted
floor with bars of gold.
"That's a mighty familiar voice," yawned Marcus;
"must be Tom's. Yes," bolting out of bed in time to
catch a glimpse of the latter on his way to the cow-
shed, visible through the grove in the rear of the
house, "it's him. Poor fellow! I don't half like it the
way he is wrapped up in that confounded Indian legend.
The idea," he went on, "of Dr. Thomas Moore, a man
blest with more of the good things of life than usually
falls to the lot of most men, wasting his time and energy,
in such a cause! Still," he admitted, "it's a mighty
fascinating way to pass the time, this searching for
buried treasure, so I don't know but what I'll take a
hand in it myself."
From cliff-perched Drybark the sea view was
+
NEHALEN
10
superb, especially so after the recent storm, and upon
stepping out on the porch the New Yorker stopped a
moment to admire the scene. Far below was the yet
tempestuous sea, upon whose bosom two white-winged
schooners were beating up the coast. To the south,
twenty or more miles away, Cape Mears reared its head,
standing out in bold relief against the blue horizon
beyond; while back of the cape, stretching away and
upward into the cloudless sky, was a portion of Ore-
gon's heavily timbered mountains.
Leaving Marcus admiring the grand marine view,
we will take a glimpse of another picture. From child-
hood up, Tom Moore had a hobby for pets-the sure
sign of a good man. In the days of his youth the little
back yard was all "cluttered" up, as Bridget expressed
it, with a dozen varieties of bird cages, in which were
confined different varieties of birds. At thirty years
of age the passion still clung to him, even more so if
anything, in the wild, free life that he led. Birds and
animals were almost his only friends.
A little after daybreak, winter and summer, spring
and autumn, he would be awakened by two bright-eyed
squirrels, whose nest was in the loft, where they came
and went at will through a chink in the logs, oft-
times leading each other a merry race up and down
the roof, round the house and back again, until the
smoke fogging upward through the kitchen stovepipe
told them that Drybark's owner was up for the day.
Then there was Doikel, the pet gull, minus a wing,
who shared Tom's hospitality by waddling up to the
door every morning, year in and year out, for the scraps
and ends from the table. Tom had two other pets in the
back yard that is to say he had hopes of yet making
pets of them-being two half-grown bald eagles, which
he kept confined in a wire pen. To keep them from
scaring out of the inclosure, their wings were clipped
regularly every other week.
"Beats the world," said Marcus, as he entered the
grove, his eye lighting on the pen, “what queer tastes
some men have."
"That's once you hit the nail on the head, old
20
NEHALEM.
Ya
}
man."
Marcus turned. Tom stood before him, a pail of
milk in either hand.
“Oh, you needn't color up," he went on; "I heard
you going on over my shortcomings. But wait a
moment," he added, “until I put this milk away, and
I'll tell you how I caught them; it might interest you."
And, opening the kitchen door, Tom placed the
pails on the milk rack; then, taking up, a pole resting
against the woodshed eaves, he stepped over to where
Marcus was standing, saying:
L
具
​"That old fellow over there," punching the larger of
the two birds with the end of the pole, "is Julius
Caesar, whom I caught-"
Just then Tom was interrupted by an unexpected
incident not down on the bills. The eagle pen con-
sisted of two wings and an end, the back part being
the chicken-house-a low, flat-roofed affair. Resting
against the eaves was a twelve-inch board, or chicken-
ladder, which Tom had removed from the roosts the
previous day and had neglected to return. While the
men were talking, Tiger, an unsophisticated, half-grown
pup, gave chase to a squirrel, which took refuge in a
treetop directly over the pen. Nothing would satisfy
Tiger but to continué the chase by scrambling up the
board, and thence out on the slippery roof.
It was
in vain that he dug his nails into the treacherous boards;
it was in vain that he whimpered and howled-nothi-
ing would stop his downward progress. So, slipping.
scratching and whining, and with a final blood-curdling
"Ki-yi," he measured his length on the ground before
the dignified Julius Caesar.
It was hard telling which was the most surprised.
the two men, eagle or pup. At any rate, Julius Caesar
was the first to recover his composure; he didn't want
any pups in his. Quick as a flash, a great claw shot
out, and the next instant the muddy talons closed with a
grip of iron in the hair and flesh of Tiger's rear end.
Tiger didn't want any eagle in his, either, and it was
pretty much as Tom said afterward: "The whole hemi-
sphere seemed full of dogs and eagles."
NEHALEM.
21
Round and round the pen, keeping Cleopatra, the
female bird, jumping sideways, a trail of feathers and
dog hair in their wake, accompanied by a prolonged
"Ki-yi, ki-yi," sailed dog and cagle. Every now and
then Tiger would let up in his undignified flight to
glance into the gleaming eyes of the bird that trailed
astern; whereupon, Julius Caesar's yellow beak would
whack into his ribs, making hair and fur fly, and on
he would go again.
Marcus did what you or I or any other man would
have done under the same circumstances. He simply
laughed laughed until the tears ran down his cheeks:
and so, laughing, he at last, through sheer exhaus-
tion, collapsed between the sideboards of Tom's anti-
quated wheelbarrow. Not so with Tom. In the ex-
citement he pranced around like a wild man, striking
here and there with the pole and shouting at the top of
his voice. Then, seeing the futility of such a course.
as the pup only ran the harder, he sprang into the pen,
and, after a lively scrimmage. finally succeeded in
releasing Julius Caesar's tenacious grip.
"There, you measly, dum-gasted cur." were his
wrathy words, as he flung the object of his solicitude
out of the pen, "you just hike it out of here, and if I
catch you round this part of the ranch again today, I'll
kick a lung out of you! Understand?"
Tiger evidently understood, for, with tail between
his legs, he slunk out of sight by crawling under the
smokehouse, to give vent to his wounded feelings
by an occasional muffled "Wu-u-ff!"
"Your pets are somewhat pugnaciously inclined, are
they not?" Marcus asked, as he rose from the wheel-
barrow and began brushing the spruce needles from
his clothing.
"Yep," was the short response; "pretty huffy."
Now, Tom was bent on revenge for Marcus' laugh-
ing fit—that is, in a good-natured way-and his fertile
brain was at once set to work concocting a scheme to
bring about the desired end. "I have it," were his
thoughts, after thinking a minute. "I'll play rooks by
setting the fine-haired gentleman to digging clams-
22
NEHALEN
where there aren't any."
“Marcus," said he, aloud, "I generally feed the birds
.about this time of day, and the feed's out.
ever dig any clams?"
Did you
"Never, to my knowledge," was the reply.
"Well," meaningly, "you are not too old to learn.“
"I'm agreeable," said Marcus.
"Then I'll tell you what to do," said Tom, as he
stepped into the woodshed for a long-handled shovel:
"while I get breakfast going, you may step down to the
beach and try your luck. If you don't strike any at first.
don't get discouraged, but keep on digging-just get
in and paw out the sand like you meant it—and by
and by you'll get there. When breakfast's ready I'll
iet you know by a blast on my hunting-horn, and you
may come up. Here," he said, "is an empty coal-oil
can to bring them up in. Now, mind you," he added,
“that you fill it, for anything less than that amount don't
go."
With this parting injunction, and a smile on his
face that Marcus did not see, Tom stepped into the
woodshed and began to split some kindling off a cedar
block for the kitchen stove.
Ten minutes later, his feet encased in a pair of rub-
ber hunting boots, Marcus, shovel in hand, made his
way down the trail to the uncovered beach, which a
few hours before was a mass of foam-crested breakers.
Now, Marcus was, as Tom was well aware, a tender-
foot on clam-digging. True, he had seen them exposed
for sale in divers places, but of their habits he was as
ignorant as the remotest landsman. Had his shovel
struck anywhere than in the place it did-a place in
the dry sand where the tide did not reach-this story
would in all probability have never been written.
well-posted clam-digger first looks for air-holes in the
sand. He will then, if not successful in removing his
clamship after a few minutes' shoveling, move on to
pastures new. Not so with Marcus. He adhered
strictly "to get in and paw out the sand," by keeping
everlastingly at it until the cavity was waist deep.
F
"Whew!" he exclaimed. "This clam-digging busi-
1
1
NEHALEM.
23
ness isn't the fun it's cracked up to be. If I don't strike
one pretty soon, the birds will go hungry— But,
hello!" he said, as the shovel point came in contact with
some solid substance; "what's this?"
Upon inspection the find proved to be nothing more
nor less than a piece of beeswax, larger, if anything,
than those shown him the night previous.
"Well," said Marcus, after satisfying his curiosity,
"the thing to do now is to get the cake out; it will swell
Tom's collection."
But just then Tom appeared on the little porch far
above and gave the agreed-upon signal that breakfast
was ready; so, leaving the shovel standing in the hole.
Marcus made his way up to the house, little thinking
how his strange find was to affect his visit to Drybark-
by-the-sea.
"Well, Marcus, old boy," was Tom's remark, as the
two drew up at the breakfast table, "what do you know
about clam-digging, anyway?"
"Not very much, I must say."
"No, I should say not;" and there and then Tom
proceeded to give a lecture on shellfish and other things
in general, and by the time breakfast was over Marcus
was a fairly enlightened man on clamology a West-
ern ways.
1
"But my work panned out pretty well, after all."
said he, as he drew back from the table. "Your bees-
wax cakes in the woodshed are not in it, Tom, with the
one I found down yonder."
“So?” said Tomi.
Marcus explained.
"What's she like?"
"If that is the case," said Tom, "we'll go down in an
hour or so and take her out.”
But it was destined that a goodly number of hours
were to pass before the cake was to leave its sandy bed.
Just at that moment there came a knock on the door.
On the threshold stood neighbor Lovell.
"Mr. Moore,” he drawled, “seein' as I've built me a
new sailboat, an' seein' as I helped to build that ar wind-
lass on the p'int that ar day the Jersey calf busted her
hin' laig, I make bold to ask if you'll help to hist her
મ્
24
NEHALEM.
riggin'-the boat riggin'," he hastened to add, noticing
the smile on Tom's face.
"Certainly," Tom answered; "with pleasure."
So that day was lost, as well as the next-in fact, ‹
week went by so agreeably, with frequent gunning trips
visiting the great hole far up in the clouds on Necar
ney's side made by a divining-rod enthusiast for the los
treasure, etc., that the newly found beeswax cake was
forgotten.
"Marcus," said Tom one morning, a week or sc
later, as he opened a letter deposited in the letter-box
that morning by the mail-carrier, "I'm going to start a
wax factory."
"What do you mean by that?" was Marcus' sur-
prised question.
"By melting over and running into salable shape
those big cakes in the woodshed. I have a letter here."
Tom went on, "from a Portland drug house, calling for
a thousand pounds. Owing to the wreck I was telling
about the other night, it has been the habit of my neigh-
bors below here to gather up a wagon-load or so of wax
every year, which they ship to the markets, deriving
therefrom quite a handsome revenue. Now, since the
supply has about run out, the drug firm writes me for
the above amount, stating that they are willing to pay
thirty-five cents per pound for the whole or part
thereof."
"Whew!" said Marcus; "that is a speculation, sure
enough. How many pounds do you expect to realize
from the three cakes?”
"Somewhere in the neighborhood of six hun-
dred-
55
"Which will,” interrupted Marcus, "net quite a neat
little sum; or, in other words, be the same as finding
two hundred odd dollars. By the way, when do you
propose beginning operations, Tom?"
"As soon as we can walk over to town and, back.
You see, the order calls for the wax in five-pound lots.
and as I haven't the suitable pans for molds, it will be
necessary to call on Jones, the storekeeper, for the
desired articles."
NEHALEM.
25
*
The old eight-day clock was chiming twelve as Tom
unlocked the kitchen door upon their return from the
little town. The tramp up the trail and thence through
the three-mile stretch of sand and back was trying to
wind and muscle; hence, the two men were not as
enthusiastic over the project in view as might be
expected. But after partaking of a hearty dinner their
spirits rose.
"There," said Tom, as he hung the dishpan on a nail
behind the stove: "I feel like buckling into the job.
How do you feel about it, Marcus?"
In the back yard was a forty-gallon brass kettle,
probably from some wreck, which Tom had found and
appropriated for his laundry purposes: so, upon Marcus
saying that he was agreeable, the former said:
"Very well; while I start a fire under the old soap
kettle, you may roll the cakes out of the woodshed.
Then, when that is done, you may get a bucket of water
and the broom and put in the time scrubbing off the
sand; we cannot afford to have any dirt in it, you know.”
The cakes were washed and scrubbed and the fire
built. Then with a few blows of the ax one of the cakes
was reduced to fragments and placed in the smoking
kettle. No sooner had it reached the melting point
than Tom ladled it into the cake-pans procured that
morning. In this manner the work went briskly on all
that day, and half of the next, until the entire lot was
remelted and run into cakes.
"There." said Tom as he dumped the last of the
newly molded cakes out of the pans and topped off the
conical pile before him, "we're through, and, as you
have said, all of two hundred dollars ahead. My only
regret is that we haven't more to work up; helps to pass
away the time, you know."
"Hold, Tom," Marcus cried, as the former was in
the act of dashing a pail of water on the fire, "I have it.
What's the matter with the cake I found on the beach the
morning you initiated me into clam-digging?"
"That's so." admitted Tom: "I had forgotten it.
But it's all the same anyway," he added, after a
26
NEHALEM.
moment's thought, "for it would be a 'klonas' case to try
and find it now. You see," at Marcus' look of wonder-
ment, not so much at his English as at the jargon, “we
have been having extraordinarily high tide for the past.
week, and the 'skookum-chuck' is bank full. To try
and find the spot now would be preposterous. Well.
that beats me, were his words upon being informed
that the shovel had been left standing in the hole. "No
wonder I couldn't find that shovel the other day, though
I searched the ranch over. But I must say, old man.
that was a lucky piece of carelessness, after all. The
chances are ten to one we'll find the handle sticking
out. It is now low tide," consulting his watch; "so
let's go down and roll her out."
With these words he procured an extra shovel and
a light handspike, and a few minutes afterward the two
men were to be seen wending their way down the cliffs
to the beach, with Doikel bringing up the rear.
Notwithstanding the heavy breakers that chased
each other over the beach six out of every twelve hours.
Tom was right. The shovel was there, the handle pro-
truding some eighteen inches above the surface.
Twenty minutes' brisk shoveling, and the cake was
again brought to light; but to remove it from its sandy
bed was a horse of another color.
“Well,” said Tom, after five minutes' ineffectual tug-
ging and twisting, "this gets me. She's anchored good
and hard. Now, I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I
have a litttle Jersey bull up in the barn pasture that's
harnesswise; so, in place of sweltering in this con-
founded hole like two played-out coal-heavers, why not
rig up a pulling apparatus and see what we can do in
that line?" And without waiting for an answer Tom
sprang out of the pit and went striding toward the house
at a swinging pace.
Thus left to himself, and as the wind was blowing a
gale, Marcus seated himself on the cake, where he
unconsciously drifted off into the land of Nod. Like
Jacob of old, he dreamed-dreamed a sort of kalcido-
scopic dream, in which he beheld an odd-looking cratt.
with gleaming silvery sails spread to the wind, passing
NEHALEM
27
up the coast, until presently across her bow there
appeared a great cape, reaching out for many a league
into the sea. Now, as he stood gazing on the scene a
tiny beacon flared up for a moment on the farther
extremity of the point. Then, as the light died away,
the dreamer heard a voice, and, lifting up his eyes,
beheld, far up on the mountain side, an aged white man.
whose flowing locks were the color of the sands.
Surely those on board the ship would hearken to that
appeal for help put forth by the stranger as he ran
frantically back and forth on the point. Surely they
would hearken; they must. O God! And the
dreamer's breathing came in short, spasmodic gasps.
They would surely now take notice; for, see! on the rin
of a projecting ledge, directly over the gesticulating
man, there suddenly appeared, one, two, three-yes, a
dozen-specter-like forms. Now the edge was reached:
a dozen athletic forms straightened up; a dozen hide-
ously painted faces peered over; a dozen gleaming bows
flashed in the sunlight. Once more the dreamer
glanced at the ship. Would they see in time? No:
the odd-looking craft kept on her way, and was soon a
mere spot on the horizon. The stranger-what of him?
The dreamer again turned his eyes mountainward.
Horrors! The man was———
Wake up! You are a pretty fellow to leave on
guard."
Marcus awoke. Near by was Tom with the bull,
which was harnessed pretty much as a horse. To one
hame dangled a whiffle-tree; on the other rested a pair
of ice-hooks, the two being connected by a twenty-foot
rope which passed through the hame rings in front.
and thence out on top where it was coiled between the
hames.
"I've had a dream," said Marcus, as he shook him-
self together, "and a mighty queer one at that, Tom."
"Yes, no doubt you have," was the rejoinder,
"from the way you were squirming around in your
sleep and
32
Just then Tom was interrupted by the bull pulling
backward. Evidently the animal was taken by sur-
28
NEHALEM.
t
t
1
prise by seeing Marcus come crawling out of the pit on
all fours like a great sea-crab. It may have been that
the undigested turnips in his stomach worked upon his
nerves; it may have been that he had seen sea-serpents
before. At any rate, he wheeled suddenly, and with
such force as to pitch the ice-hooks high in the air.
Then, as the open hooks came down a-straddle his
flanks, the brute all at once took it into his head to
"light out," so to speak. Giving a frightful bellow, it
sprang forward, jerking the rope from Tom's hand.
Then with tail high in the air, the ice-hooks across his
flanks like an old-fashioned stake-and-rider fence, his
hoofs beating a rat-a-ta-tat on the beach, little Buck
headed for the barnyard pasture.
It was in vain that Tom ran after him; it was in vain
that he called coaxingly, "Co-bos, co-bos"; and by the
time Marcus had gotten over his fit of laughter the
litttle bull and uplifted tail had vanished from sight on
the bench above.
It was perhaps a half hour before Tom put in his
appearance, with his blown and steaming charge in tow.
There were several suspicious welts on little Buck's
well-rounded anatomy.
"Yes, sir," Tom voluntarily explained, as Marcus'
eyes rested on the contusions, "I'm the one that did it;
I´everlastingly walloped him with a shake-just to let
him know I was around, you know. The damage he
did down here, Marcus, isn't a comparison to what he
did up yonder. When he ran into the barnyard the
dod-gasted hooks fell off, and before I could stop him
he had ripped a section of the picket fence into kindling
wood. Then, as he shot through the gap, the hooks
caught on the ash-hopper and overturned that, and the
back yard looks like a snow storm had struck it. Well,
I should say I did tan him. Then, to cap the climax,
the little upstart took it into his head to gore me, and.
you may believe me or not, but it was fully fifteen
minutes before I dared to come out of the cabin. Oh,
laugh!" he glowered, as Marcus gave vent to his feelings
with a hearty peal of laughter; "just get in and laugh!
For my part, I can't see where the fun comes in."
↑
NEHALEM.
-
29
'
$
All this time the speaker had been busily engaged
in fastening the hooks into the wax cake. Having
anchored them to his satisfaction, he jumped out of
the pit and hitched on to the whiffle-tree. Then, with
his old wool hat going slap-i-ty-slap-slap on the little
bull's back, Tom started the procession by shouting,
"Get in there, you black rascal; get in and dig!"
The "pulling apparatus" was not in vain; neither
were little Buck's efforts. At the end of two minutes'
heaving and pulling, twisting and prying, the 200-pound
weight, at the end of the line, gave up the ghost by
sliding like a water-logged derelict up the side of the
pit to the surface, and the job was done.
Half an hour later, two begrimed and perspiring
men, and an exhausted, knock-kneed bull, drew up in
the grove in the rear of the cabin.
"There, thank goodness!" Tom exclaimed as he
turned little Buck into the barnyard pasture; "the job is
clone; and," mopping his lobster-colored face, "I'm not
sorry of it, either."
After a brief breathing spell, the fire was rekindled
under the kettle. "Now," said Tom, placing the cake
on the splitting-block, "we'll split her open, Marcus:
then dump her in the kettle and call the job done." So
saying, he took up the axe, and, after giving it a lusty
swing, brought it down on the cake, burying the blade
to the helve. Again Tom raised the axe; but the
second blow was never given, for just then he uttered
a cry of amazement.
"Look, Marcus!" he shouted, as the cake, already
weakened by the first blow, fell apart on either side of
the block; "there's something sealed inside." And
Marcus had no more than done so, than lo, a tin canister
bounded from between the severed halves, and rolled-
rolled like a thing imbued with life-rolled for a good
twenty feet away.
A
3
NEHALEM
30
7
CHAPTER III.
THE ANNALS OF A CASTAWAY,
Should you visit Drybark and enter the woodshed,
the first thing your eye wil! rest upon is a conical pile
of beeswax cakes. Near them are the severed halves
of the great cake in which the canister was sealed con-
taining the records of a castaway, written years and
years ago, the author of which has long since passed
away. The beeswax is sacred property.
"Part with them ar cakes!" exclaimed neighbor
Lovell, the present owner; "no, sir-ee! You mout ask
fur a steer 'r a heifer 'r one uv my gals, stranger, and it
I felt right peart you mout get 'em; but then ar cakes,
never! Tom Moore put 'em thar, so he did, and thar
they stay."
Several years have passed since that memorable
October morning, yet to this day Marcus can close his
eyes and in imagination see the raised axe fall; can see
the canister come bounding out, as if glad to be released
from its pent-up resting-place. Never again, perhaps,
will he experience such a feeling of awe, or, as he
expressed it, "feel such a curiously expectant feeling."
as when he took the canister in hand to find written on
its surface, in crimson letters, the Spanish words: “"El
Ilave al escondrijo um tesauro;" the interpretation of
which reads, “The key to the hiding-place of a treasure.”
Some men would have gone wild. Not so with
Tom Moore: the time was not yet. He simply stared.
Intuitively he knew that the one remaining clue, for
which he had searched these many years, had at last
been found-years in which he was laughed at by nis
neighbors as "Crazy Moore, the treasure-hunter";
years in which he stood for hours at a time gazing up at
the great mountain whose very existence seemed a part
of his life; years in which he hunted high and low for
"marked" stones; years in which his heart vainly craved
for sympathy that it never got. True, he could have at
any time gone back to his home in the great city in
the East, where he would have been as warmly wel-
comed as the Prodigal Son. But that morbid curiosity
P
NEHALEM
31.
-it held him as with an iron grip. And so he had
kept on and on, drifting, drifting, drifting, ever on
toward old age in the search of his life which dated
back to the night, ten years before, when old Jim's
spirit had gone out into the great beyond, whose story
had awakened in him, the living, a morbid desire to
solve the mystery for which many a man has forfeited
his life, while others stare and gape behind the asylum
bars, brought about in the search for the pirate's gold.
Then, if Tom did after awhile come to himself and
whoop and shout to the extent of his lusty lungs, he
was, I think, truly excusable. You would have done the
same; so would I. Could the would-be-funny Dutch-
man who made the boast, "I places dose marked sthones
on de hills aroundt, yust to fool dot chrazy Moore,"
have been there and seen the conclusive evidence of the
treasure's existence, it would, no doubt, have caused
him to remark, as did Tom's neighbors: “Dot Tom
Moore vas vone mighdy shmardt man. He vust luke
and luke, and by an' by he finds 'im." Such is human.
nature.
I don't suppose Tom was aware that half the stones
he found were "marked" for his benefit; even so, I
don't suppose he cared. At any rate, with the canister
in his hand he hastened into the cabin. Then with
trembling fingers he removed the rounded top, which
exposed a tightly rolled, silk-tied bundle of parchments
-parchments yellow with age, but upon whose pages
the writing was wonderfully distinct. Then, with the
ticking of the clock sounding like a drum in his ears,
did Marcus, who was well versed in Spanish, read-
read until twelve o'clock midnight; read until the first
grey dawn of day came creeping in through the little
cabin windows; read and translate until the sun was high
in the heavens; read the annals of a castaway, verifying
Indian tradition handed down. And what Marcus
read is hereby appended and made a part thereof.
32
NEHALEM.
CHAPTER IV.
THE TRANSLATION OF THE PARCHMENTS.,
*
Al que encuentra este perganimo (to him that finds this
parchment):
う
​I, Don Emanuel Zapata, a castaway, do write. Not
only am I a castaway, but an exile as well, which posi-
tion I am forced to endure because of one who has long
since gone to everlasting dust, and to the mystic reward
of them who willfully follow sinful paths. I must also
confess my own sin, for had I not hastily given way to
what now seemes a foolish desire, to quit the country
of my birth (it was through love of country and better-
ment of mankind), and that in direct opposition to my
literary and classic training, I now would at least be
enjoying the associations of respectable civilization.
True to the demands of my early training, I now record
the adventures of my life, which, if ever found, will be
of value to the finder in the realms of literature, and also
in the disclosure of a treasure vast in extent.
Let the finder of these parchments read them care-
fully. As I write, the rude calendar on the wall of my
abiding-place records the year 1735. As I begin my
life's history, the rains of an autumn are falling, and my
age, which is now about sixty years, foretells that I have
passed that period of hope in again finding the abode of
civilized man, and my life of obscurity would render
me but a menace to its progress should I succeed.
Hence, I will abandon all desire, if possible, and
endeavor to contribute that which, in whatever stage
of advancement the world may attain, is always sought
after by the adventurous. It may be the means of caus-
ing some, of like inclinations, to hesitate ere taking a
step so reckless as that which cost me my happiness.
Will it ever be found? Will my last long effort be
in vain? Will the treasure of the Spanish pirate ever
be exhumed to make a slight recompense for the acts
perpetrated for the love of its contents-gold?
I was born in the city of Manila, on the island of
Luzon, east of the empire of Japan, in the year 1675.
My environments were moral, and the one creed of my
2
NEHALEM.
33
t
life was justice. I was inherent to that condition of life
between riches and poverty which is calculated to bring
out the very best traits of character and develop them to
their fullest extent. I early learned to hold mental
reservation from the stern requisites of the Catholic
church, of which my parents were liberal members; and
it was almost as soon as my tenth year that I was
denominated a visionist, a prophet and an adventurer,
because of my wild theories and the extent I was influ-
enced by my profound reveries. My desires invariably
became satisfied in expression, which fact I had dem-
onstrated so often that my father rightly determined.
that my path of life lay along literary and perhaps
philosophic lines; hence he directed my instruction
thither, to my profound delight.
Theme and theory were my food and raiment, my
existence, my life. Often in my silent hours of medita-
tion I would suddenly cry out in some fit of ecstasy, or
hastily assume some realistic pose, so utterly lost would
I become to my surroundings. My thoughts ran to
adventure, and that on the sea; and invariably my
unguarded exclamations were those of a victorious
struggle with a foe, through which, my mind descried
every movement of my opponent and myself, while the
sudden poises of my body would be to strike the enemy
to the ground or ward off a vicious thrust.
Ere I had reached my sixteenth year I was much
concerned over governmental and political affairs in
general; but what set my blood to coursing through my
veins in righteous indignation was the regular account
of piratical misdemeanor, brought in by the ships every
year. Eagerly I would listen to the rehearsal of the
crimes perpetrated by the robbers of the world's high-
ways. My emphatic declarations of means to suppress
piratic inclinations bore little weight with those who
made laws or commanded vessels, however, and my
disgust at the stupidity of those in authority was not a
little amusing to my associates. My visionary plans.
as often poured out to my father, were equally as often
exploded by his convincing argument and broad and
just judgment, to be replaced by a compromise of his
3-4`
NEHALEM.
1
experience and my speculation. By this means, and
largely owing to my regard for my father's judgment
and its broad associations, was the foundation of my
life laid-broad, just and active.
Manila during my early years was an extensive
trading port, and the happiest days of my life were
spent in wandering up and down the quays, watching
with interest the various craft, and in listening to strange
tales from far-off lands. Of the craft that interested me
mostly in those days, however, were the yearly visits of
the king's treasure-ships, which, upon entering the bay,
would drop anchor abreast the arsenal at Cavite, three
leagues distant southeast of the city. At the sight of
them my heart would' beat more rapidly than was its
wont, and it was, often my youthful boast that when I
reached man's estate I would ship as a gunner in behalf
of the king and his gold.
One afternoon near the close of the heated term, a
treasure-laden galleon plying between Manila and
Acapulco arrived in harbor. This was an opportunity
not to be missed, so, with the assistance of Jose, my
father's man-of-all-work, we launched the household
proa and were soon flying toward the galleon. Once
under her lee I hastily boarded her, and was soon lost
to all, save to satisfy my eager curiosity over the many
curios brought across the sea from the strange land in
the Fast. Another interesting feature that day was in
listening to the fragmentary conversation regarding the
voyage, in which an exciting chase had taken place
between the treasure-ship and a pirate craft; but the
galleon had shown her fleetness and had come out of
the encounter unscathed.
What was of more interest to me on this occasion,
however, was one of the crew-at least he took the part
of a seaman, though in age and complexion he looked
out of place, being a tall, athletic African, near my own
age, of wonderful physique and endurance. He was
curiously dressed, I noticed, that is, if one could say
dressed at all, his sole raiment consisting of a curiously
wrought breech-clout, which was held in place by a
broad crimson belt, to which was attached a row of
NEHALE
35
tinkling silver bells girded tightly about his loins. I
liked the looks of him on first sight, and ere long found
myself gazing out at him from under the shadow of the
poop, as he moved deftly here and there, putting the
deck to rights, wondering the while from whence he
hailed.
Later on I was told by a sailor that the fellow had a
remarkable history. It seemed that, years before, a
slaver hailing from far-off Africa had gone ashore off
the Mexican coast, all hands being lost but the lad, he
being rescued by a wandering tribe of the Aztec nation.
Later on he was taken into the far interior and adopted
by a childless cacique (chief), who, despite the onward
march of civilization, still adhered to the customs of
his forefathers. Now, the aged cacique was of a pro-
gressive turn, and, although his subjects were skilled
workmen in wood, gold and silver, yet was he not sat-
isfied, being envious of the white man's superior
knowledge; inasmuch, his heart was in sore distress.
A hundred moons, more or less, went by in this
manner, in which time the little African grew strong
and lusty and good to look upon, and the people loved
him for his kindly ways. At last his foster-father con-
ceived a brilliant thought. "My son," said he, one day
to the lad, "the mother of the Sun-god appeared to me
in a vision last night when all the world was dark, and.
out of her mouth did come these words of wisdom:
"Of oxen and sheep, and workers in metal, you
have many, O chief; and of women fair to see, in num-
bers like the locusts of the plain; yet is your heart
heavy with sorrow that thou mayst not, as your white
brothers of the West, be skilled in all things. Though
your hair is of the color of the maize at plucking time,
and the time nigh at hand to cross the spider-web
bridge, yet is there a way. Listen, O chief; it is this:
You have a son; let him cross the sea to the white man's
land, that he may there be taught their ways of wisdom,
and upon his return your people will flourish as never
before-flourish as did thy great ancestor, Montezuma,
out of whose heart kindness did flow.""
Now, of this was the lad agreed.
Then twice,
36
NEHALEN
Y
thrice, from the temple-top did the high priest blow a
blast on the great conch-shell. Then, after the people
had gathered from round about, followed by his
adopted son, the aged cacique climbed the temple stairs
and proclaimed the glad news, and as the good chief
called down the blessing of the Sun-god, kneeling the
while beside the holy fire, the lad descended the stairs
and turned his face to the west.
Over hill and dale, through swamp and forest, for
many days, subsisting on what wild game fell before
his good and trusty yew-wood bow, did the lad push on:
and on the tenth day of his travels he stepped out of
the cactus forest into a great road made with hands,
being the king's highway between Acapulco and the'
City of Mexico, and the people of wisdom whom he
sought were at last before him. Then it was that the
lad set to work giving muscular aid to the king's work-
men, and after his desires were made known it was
through their influence with the viceroy that he was
sent across the sea, that he might partake of greater
knowledge.
Now, as the sailor finished his tale and moved away,
and having the love of mankind at large in my heart, a
sudden desire, one of the strange things man cannot
fathom, came over me to be the one to aid the stranger.
"Why not?" I argued. I was now in my eighteenth
year, and had acquired the confidence of my parents to
such an extent that they seldom objected to my whims
and purchases, so long as they involved my own earn-
ings and none but myself suffered thereby. Then, too,
such a course would be broadening, and if no objection
was raised I would gladly assume the responsibility.
With this resolve in mind I hailed the sleeping Jose
from his slumbers in the proa, which lay idly tossing on
the water on the shady side of the galleon, and hastened
ashore, where I sought my father's counsel.
"Senor Don," said he, "I admire your philanthropic
spirit, but you realize not the enormity of such an under-
taking; the African will cause you a world of trouble.
Even the task of teaching him the language will be no
easy task, I assure you."
+
}
NEHALEM.
37
t
"But he speaks it to quite a degree already," I said.
"Yes? How do the sailors account for that? Per-
haps he is the offspring of some Spanish parent, and
his possession by these men may be the result of some
vile conspiracy."
"All the more reason he should fall into good hands.
We may be able to restore him to his people if such
should be the case;" and then I gave him the sailor's
account of the lad and his purpose in crossing the sea.
"Beware of those crafty sailors, Senor Don," cau-
tioned my father as he moved farther under the shade
of the lemon tree. "They will be away soon on another
voyage, little caring who suffers at what may be a case
of misplaced confidence."
"But their story may be true; we have no good
cause as yet to doubt it. As for his being vicious or
langerous, I would not hesitate to go on a three-league
jaunt with him tomorrow. Moreover, I would esteem
a companion, one whose mind I knew would welcome
instruction and provide something to draw me from my
present routine which you have lately cautioned me was
obstructing my physical growth; and, on the whole, I
think I shall take the lad."
My father laughed good-naturedly: I then knew I
had gained my end. He also realized the truth of my
assertions, and, in reality, was much more interested in
that regard than myself. "Very well," said he at length,
as he rolled and lighted a cigarette; "have your own
way."
Delighted not a little, though grumbled at by the
sleepy Jose, I returned to the galleon and sought out
the officer in charge.
"I am told that you desire a place for the dark-
skinned young man where he may be educated. I have
come, sir, not only as a preceptor, but to offer him a
home in our household as well."
"Such an arrangement is according to my instruc-
tions, senor. But," said the officer as he eyed me
closely, "they also include a thorough knowledge of the
personal character of his tutors, and their ability to
support and care for him; which would," he added,
38
'
NEHALEM.
pitching his cigarette overboard, "be most easily
adjusted by a word of recommendation from a local
official of the place."
This last demand of Captain Jarjaez did more to
calm the apprehensions of my parents than all the argu-
ment I had presented. I was soon dispatched to the
governor's quarters bearing a written missive from my
father, which was nothing more or less than a request.
for a letter of assurance to Captain Jarjaez, of the
galleon.
It was but a short time until I was presented with a
small roll of parchment in return for the letter I had
sent in. Hastily returning to my home, it was unrolled
and contained these words:
"To Whomsoever Concerned:
"I, Galco Vajero, by his Majesty appointed Gov-
ernor of Manila, cheerfully vouch for the honesty and
fidelity of Camero Lajarez Zapata, and all his estimable
family, as faithful subjects of the King and church.
"GALCO VAJERO."
(Signed)
It was now evening, and I soon retired to dream of
coming pleasures in the many places of association with
my charge. In my dreams I could see the stalwart
African, the champion in every sport and the hero of
many a trying ordeal; and in this instance it was
ordained that my dreams should be realized.
"The letter is good," said Captain Jarjaez next morn-
ing, as he read the governor's missive. "What may I
call you, sir?"
"My name is Don Emanuel. I am the first born of
the family of Camero Lajarez Zapata, mentioned in the
governor's recommendation, sir."
"Since you are the only representative of the family
I have yet met, I presume it is owing largely to your
instrumentality that the young fellow I brought across
is to be domiciled in your father's habitation. There-
fore, it is with extreme satisfaction that I shall turn him
over to you."
"His name, captain?"
"He has been called Zemwa, which is as near the
pronunciation of the first utterance he ever made to a
NEHALEM.
39
3
white man as can be remembered," was the reply.
The African approached as we were talking.
"Senor Zemwa," said the captain, calling him by
name, “you are to leave us soon. This young man has
come with good letters from the governor; he will
take you to his home. He is not your equal in strength,
Zemwa," which was true, for my would-be charge
towered full two heads above me, "but his mind con-
tains much that will be of benefit to you. I trust you
will be the best of friends."
Long and earnestly, as though to read my inmost
thoughts, did the African's liquid eyes burn into mine.
"Aye, senor," said he at last; "the best of friends.
Zemwa likes the sunbeams on his little master's face;
his voice is like the tinkling brook. But there's
The
trouble, senor, for the little master-and for me.
Sun-god over there," pointing toward the eastern sky
aglow with a mass of fire and gold-tipped clouds, “has
cast his spell-I see it in the little master's cycs. What
it is, I know not; yet it is there. Ah, woe is me!
Markala, the witch doctor of my father's tribe, prophe-
sied rightly; her words are written in the sky. any
years will the little master and I live as brothc¨, senor,
and then- Well, so be it; I am content."
Ah, those strange words. Little did I dream then
what spirit could have dictated them, nor the meaning
they conveyed.
"Bestir yourself, Senor Zemwa," said the officer.
"Go below, gather together your belongings and make
ready to carry- The young man must be anxious to
return to his home."
Now for a little time were we left alone; then as
Jose brought the proa alongside did Zemwa appear.
He was a child of nature no longer. His supple limbs
were encased in baggy silk trousers; his feet with san-
dals. The bell-studded belt adorned his loins no
longer; a gaudy sash was there instead, while a high-
crowned sombrero hid his kinky locks. In his hand
he carried his native weapon, his good and trusty bow,
while across his broad, bare and swarthy shoulders was
swung a quiver filled with two-score or more tapering
49
NEHALEM.
stone-pointed arrows.
Then, as the little four-pounder in the top-deck
belched forth a stream of fire and smoke in honor of
his leave-taking, Zemwa and myself stepped over the
galleon's side into the proa, where the skillful José soon
set us ashore. As the vesper bells began their ringing,
Zemwa stepped through the city gate in the great wall,
to find himself for the first time in his life, a stranger
in a strange land, gazing with open-eyed astonishment
on the City of Wisdom for which he had, crossed the
sea.
Now, as we passed up the avenue Zemwa's great
form attracted much attention, and it was but a short
time until we were surrounded by an idle crowd of spec-
tators, and it was, owing to their instrumentality, far
past high noon ere we drew up before the gateway, in
the hacienda wall surrounding my home. In response
to the deep tones of the alarm bell which I set a-going
for admittance, the criado (maid-servant) threw open
the gate; then, followed by Zemwa, I entered and
crossed the court to the doorway, where a cordial wel-
come was extended him by the several members of the
family there assembled.
Now, as the siesta hour was at hand, I was bade by
my mother to show the African his sleeping quarters,
for by common consent it had been agreed upon that
he, though of another color, should be rated during his
stay in the Ilas Filipinas as one of us. This proposi-
tion I accordingly made known to him. It was then,
and for the second time that day, I listened to another
of his queer superstitions, and nothing I could say or do
was of avail in rooting out the deep-seated belief in his
high-strung imagination.
"Nay, senor," said he, "it is not good that my
shadow should darken your doorway. Though I have
crossed the sea that I may of the white man's wisdom be
taught, yet I wouldst not as the cricket enter therein to
chirp and make merry by your hearthstone-no, not
I. Did not Markala me a warning give? Did she not
say that on a summer's day, long, long ago, when the
moon and stars and world were young, that a great
}
>
NEHALEM
41
*
black cloud did drift across the Sun-god's face, and
there remain, yea, for many days, in which time two
great races, such as thyself and myself represent, were
set apart from the father race? Of a surety she did,
senor. Now, of this cloud, so saith Markala, was the
Sun-god sore displeased, and to be rid of the curse he
loosened the silver buckle from the great iron ring in
his girdle that held him on the edge of the sky, and
then, on wide-spread fiery wings, with gleaming shield
on high, dropped as a swift-falling star to the abode
of man far below. Yet, swift as was his flight, senor,
the cloud was even faster, covering his good right eye
as with a spider-web.
"Now it came about," Zemwa went on, "that the spot
the Sun-god chanced to light upon was a mighty stone,
in the center of a broad, swift-running river, that rose
with the sunrise and ended with the sunset. Now, this
river was the dividing line between the Sun-god's sub-
jects. On the right bank dwelt one-half the people:
on the left bank dwelt the other half. Now it came to
pass, senor, as the Sun-god sat on the stone, which faced
the east, fanning his heated cheek with a water-lily
leaf, the cloud about his eye did grow, inasmuch the
people on the right bank of the river were swallowed up
in a sea of fog and mist. Then out of the fog-bank
came a mighty voice that shook the earth, saying:
"Hearken, O Sun-god! I am thy father, the Sun!
Many ages hast thou ruled the earth; thy people have
flourished as the sands of the sea, bringing forth their
kind. Yet am I weary, O Son of Lightness; it is not
good that thy women, upon conceiving, should bring
forth an offspring always of a color. Therefore, callest
thou them together, and, that thou mayst not behold
the change, bind well thine eyes.'
"Then did the Sun-god blow a blast on his golden
calling horn, and straightway, from far and near, did
his subjects hasten to the riverside by the thousands-
yea, by the tens of thousands-to hear his say. Then,
as the blast died away, the people gazing meanwhile
wonderingly upon him, the Sun-god reached far down
in the water's depth until his hand was heavy with
*
42
}
NEHALEM.
↓
watercress, which he bound about his eyes.
"Now, senor, as the 'morning-time was come, did
the Sun peep over the rim of the earth. In his hand
he held a proa whose sail was the silver lining of a
cloud. Then did the Wind-god, who was present, blow
his breath; so, seating himself in his craft, which is
called the Boat of Life, the father of the Sun-god
passed swiftly down the stream. Now, in the cloud
the people on the right bank of the river were lost to
view, but those on the left bank stood out like yonder
palm tree; and as the Boat of Life swept by, its daz-
zling light, so sayeth Markala, did bleach the blood and
flesh of those congregated there until it was the color
of the desert sands. Then, as the great white proa
slipped off the earth at the sunset place, the Sun-god
unbound his eyes, and lo! and behold! the cloud was
gone! Up one side of the river and down the other did
he gaze, and in place of one race of people there were
two, which you and I represent, senor-the black and
white.
"Thus was the white man brought into the world:
thus is the privilege denied me to eat of meat under a
white man's roof. Therefore, senor, of the warning, I
wouldst build me a habitation as my people in the land
of the rising sun;" and straightway Zemwa fell to work,
and ere the evening vesper bells began their ringing
he had builded himself a hut of palm-tree bark, such as
was never before seen in all the island of Luzon.
ي
CHAPTER V.
DECEPTION.
Days merged into weeks, weeks into months, in
which time Zemwa made wonderful progress in his
wisdom-seeking search, retaining to a remarkable de-
gree that which was taught him. He proved the best
of company, too, in his somewhat strange way, which,
however, I relished the better for its strangeness.
Now the legends of his people of which he had a
NEHALEM.
43
goodly stock in store, and his fascinating way of tell-
ing them, held me captive; consequently, not a few of
my leisure hours were passed in his company, while
sitting in the shadow of his palm-bark hut listening to
the strange sayings of Markala, the strange woman of
the East.
Zemwa was, like his people, of an inquisitive turn.
"Why the tinkling pots?" he asked one evening, as
the vesper bells set up their clanging.
I explained.
"Then, if what you say is true--that your God in
the sky is all-powerful-why the great wall around the
City of Wisdom? Are the hearts of the white men that
weak, senor, that they fear the wild men of the Ilas
Filipinas?"
"No, indeed. It is for purposes far different than
that, Zemwa."
“Zemwa looks at the casas (houses) and sees that
they are much strong built, not up high, and with thick
walls. Of a truth, senor, the spirit of the War-god
must hover over the City of Wisdom?"
"No, Zemwa,” I made answer; "you are mistaken.
You are an inquisitive fellow and all that, but our hab-
itations, which are enclosed by the great wall, are built
for purposes vastly different than you imagine. I will
not explain it now; mayhap the day will come when
their true nature will be laid before you."
I had my own reason for so speaking. Being an
ardent as well as a reckless sportsman, I had long since,
as the wet season came on, rendering life irksome,
resolved upon a bold and somewhat foolish undertak-
ing, that of a hunting expedition in the mountainous
districts of the north. For fear that my plans would
meet with disapproval in his eyes, I was-in nowise desir-
ous of informing Zemwa just then of the true nature of
the city wall. To have informed him that it was a pro-
tection against the fierce attacks of numerous piratical
expeditions, whose rendezvous were here and there and
everywhere, would have done away with my plans.
"Mayhap," were his words. "Senor has spoken:
Zemwa will wait."
44
NEHALEM
So saying, he began raking together the died-out
firebrands that he might prepare his evening meal.
An opportunity to broach the subject which was
nearest my heart came rather unexpectedly, and in an
unlooked-for way.
"Zemwa," said I one morning, as I crossed the court
and pushed in the hut door, to find him busily polish-
ing his great bow, "the shooting season is nigh at hand.
With the coming of good weather, shall we go?"
The sight of the bow had suggested the idea.
"Si, senor," was his reply. "When the father of the
Sun-god shows his eye again, will we make ready. But
the game," and he paused as if in doubt. "Is it worth
our while?"
"The forest abounds with the roe-buck and the
jungle fowl; and, if you prefer dangerous game, we can
give chase to the wild boar," I made answer.
At the mention of the wild boar did my companion.
show the native in his make-up.
"Zemwa can bring low the antlers of the roe-buck;
he has done battle with the squawling cat, or jaguar, in
his lair, and fears nothing that lives. Therefore, of the
grunting pig would I give chase. This," said he, dis-
carding his civilian dress and buckling on his bell-
fringed belt and beaded clout, "will bring the charm.
Aye, senor," his eyes fairly dancing at the prospect, "I
would soon away that these," and his great chest rose
and fell, "again be filled with life. I grow weary," he
added; "the air of the City of Wisdom stinketh in my
nostrils."
Thus it was settled. We would go with the sub-
siding of the floods and the coming of the cool season.
Meanwhile nothing had been said of the weapons to be
used, it being conceded by myself, at least, that the
fusee guns, of which two excellent ones were possessed
by the household, would be used. Not so with Zemwa.
"Nay, senor, no bellowing guns for me. With this,”
and he drew taut the line across the bow at his knee,
"I will show my skill as my people taught me. Follow
me;" and, swinging the arrow quiver over his shoulder,
he stepped out into the court. Then, taking one of the
NEHALEM.
45
bells from his girdle, he said:
"Thirty paces distant will my little master stand and
hold thus the bell;" and, suiting the action to his words,
he held the ornament at arm's length by clasping the
cord loop between his thumb and forefinger. “Let fear
come not into senor's heart," he said at my look of con-
cern; "I will do thee no harm."
It was a foolish thing to do, perhaps, yet I took the
chances and, stepping forward, held the bell as directed.
'Twas then I witnessed a bit of marksmanship seldom
witnessed. Placing the great bow in an upright posi-
tion, one end between his toes, the other on a level with
the crown of his head, Zemwa made ready. Then as
the buckskin thong drew well the ends together, until
it assumed a rainbow shape, did the great bow become
a vibrant, quivering thing.
Twang!
A streak of wood and feathers shot through space on
lightning wings and the bell was sent spinning high in
the air, to at last fall in the middle of the avenue on the
far side of the hacienda wall. So great was the momen-
tum of the flying arrow that the lowering of the hand
the fractional part of an inch and that member would
have been rendered useless for all time to come.
Neither did the arrow stop there. On and on it flew,
to at last bury its stone head in a palm-tree at the lower
end of the court.
Having shown his skill as a bowman, Zemwa
unstrung his bow and entered his hut. "You have
scen, senor. When the time is at hand let us go forth
to hunt of the roe-buck and the grunting pig."
At last, to our profound satisfaction, the time came;
the rains grew lighter and finally ceased. With Novem-
ber,, the eleventh month of the calendar, came blue sky
and cool, invigorating weather. It was then, and for
the first time, that I practiced deception. I wandered
away from justice-the creed of my life. Through my
instrumentality (Zemwa knew nothing of it, and would
have despised me for the act), my parents were led to
believe that the vacation I asked for, and was granted,
was for a day's sail upon the bay. The intimation that
+
46.
NEHALE.
►
we were off on a cruise longer than that proposed would
have met with a firm and decided no. Well I knew,
too, that to provision the proa would be to excite sus-
picion; hence I determined on secrecy.
At a late hour on the night prior to our sailing,
while the household were sleeping, I secretly got to-
gether the necessary articles, which I made up into a
bundle. Once outside the hacienda wall, on the avenue,
where my heart ceased its wild gallop-I had expected
any moment for my father's hand to fall on my guilty
shoulders—an unthought-for complication presented
itself. How was I to get the bundle outside the wall,
and into the proa lying in the stream just outside the
cast gate? To approach this gate, where I was well
known by the keeper, and that, too, in the dead of
night, would not only excite suspicion, but would
leave a clue to our whereabouts on the morrow.
Long I pondered. Then to my troubled thoughts
came an inspiration. I would go to the second gate
in the northwest quarter of the city, bribe the keeper,
who bore an unsavory reputation, then follow down
the wall on the outside to the proa, secrete the bundle
and return by the way I had made egress.
To think was to act. I first removed my sandals
and pitched them over the wall into the court. No
ringing footsteps should betray me. Then, swinging
the bundle across my shoulder, I threaded the intricate,
moonless, silent streets with fast-beating heart until the
northwest gate loomed up before me against the starlitⓇ
sky. Then as I stopped and gazed up at the ponderous,
heavy and sullen gate through which thugs and thieves
made egress to and fro, a figure rose out of the
shadow.
"Who comes there?" hailed a voice, accompanied
by the ominous click of a musket.
"A friend," I answered, with quaking knees.
"An honest man traveleth not at this hour. What
would you?" said the voice.
"To pass without," I replied.
f
The man evidently took me for one of the disrep-
utable class, for he asked:
'
NEHALEM
= 47
"The password for such as thou?"
"Gold," I answered at random.
"The King of the Night has spoken truthfully. It
is gold, and no questions asked. Pass without."
With that the key grated in the padlock, the bar
fell, the hinges creaked, the great gate swung open.
"At what hour will the King of the Night return?"
asked the keeper, as his fingers closed over my piece of
gold.
"In the half," I answered.
"It is well, senor. Pass on."
Once through the gate I skirted the wall until I
came out to where the proa was lying motionless on
the water. There I secreted the bundle in some bushes
on the river bank and hastened back to the gate. The
keeper was expecting me; the gate swung in. I has-
tened homeward through the silent night.
CHAPTER VI.
THE SIGN.
The sun was tinting hill and dale and mountain
peaks a golden brown when I awoke next morning.
How little did I then think that fate was weaving its
web around me! Along in the night, just before the
coming of the day, I was awakened-by what? Con-
science was gnawing at my heart, as it does to all tràns-
gressors in the silent hours of meditation. But, upon
stepping out into the waking, cheerful world, all
thoughts and qualms of conscience disappeared with
the sunshine.
The morning meal was hurriedly dispatched. Then
Ihastened into the court, to find Zemwa already up
awaiting me, with my fusee in one hand and his great
bow in the other. "I long to be away," were his words:
"let us hasten." So saying, he removed the bar and
threw wide the hacienda gate.
What my mother must have thought that night,
when we failed to put in our appearance, I know not.
48
NEHALEM
At any rate, her dear voice comes back to me as she
stood that morning in the casa doorway wishing us
God-speed-comes back as an avenging voice of the
past. "The dear God, with whom I communed at
early mass, will look after my boy today. Farewell.
Senor Don; farewell, Senor Zemwa-farewell." And
she turned and entered the casa.
Once through our own city gate, we made for the
river. Then, as Zemwa made ready the proa, I brought
forward the bundle from its hiding-place and placed it
in the stern.
My companion at once showed his surprise.
"What-as much as this?" he asked. "Of a truth,
senor, we have here enough for a dozen hungry men.
Are we that famished that we would devour all of this.
and that in a day's time?"
"You forget," said I, giving him the lie, "that my
parents have granted us, at the last hour, a longer leave
than that. They wished to surprise you."
"Then why the hiding of the bundle?" he asked,
suspiciously.
"That, too, was to go with the surprise," I answered.
"That you might not guess my errand, I carried the
bundle hither last night."
"So be it, then," said he joyfully; "so be it."
With that we shoved out into the stream and
dropped silently down the Pasig to the blue waters of
Manila bay. Then the rice-grass sail was raised to
the wind, and like a fast-flying bird we sped away before
the crisp morning breeze for the open sea.
Out past
Luzon Point, for a league or more, sailed the proa;
then the course was changed, and, keeping well in view
the rugged coast line, we at last, as sunset came on
apace, rounded the promontory and sailed into Subig
bay, a good twenty leagues from the City of Wisdom.
Though leagues from home, and in a part of the
island as yet uninhabited by man, as we thought, our
first night out, owing to its pleasant associations, is yet.
a bright spot, as it were, in my lonely life. No guilty
qualms of conscience disturbed my happiness. I can
yet see Zemwa's figure reclining on the ground before
3
VEHALE.
49
the great brush-heap fire; I can yet see the flames as
they shot high, in which the tropical foliage shone
ruddy red in the glare. It was a perfect night-the
milky way overhead resplendent with a million scin-
tillating stars. Long did Zemwa talk. He was in his
element—a child of nature again. Midnight came, yet
as he reclined before the now dying fire he talked on
and on.
At last the radiant moon paled, then dipped
behind the distant mountain peaks and died, and dark-
ness, thick as the river Styx, settled over the land.
Then did' my companion's talk become a repetition of
broken sentences. His head rested on his breast-we
slept.
The castern sky was a flame of fire-tipped clouds
on our awaking next morning. Hurriedly was the
morning meal prepared, and the proa beached: we must
scon away. Some two gunshots to the right of the
camp rose the densely wooded base of a mountain
whose summit, though not at a great height, described
an amphitheater. On the top the outer edges encircled
a depression in the center. This depression was the
area of four gunshots in either direction, and was cov-
ered with brushy patches, interspersed with timber and
fine grazing spots.
The peculiar formation of the mountain was similar
to many others to be found throughout the islands. It
dcubtless was at one time a living volcano, though
many centuries had elapsed since its imposing figure
had emitted smoke and flame from the regions of eter-
nal fire. Numerous earthquakes had served to bring
it low, and caused the immense vacuum to be filled with
rock and earth from above. Thus the depression was
accounted for. Whatever had been the cause, however,
a more natural abode for all manner of game could not'
be imagined.
No sooner had we clambered up the mountain side
and entered the depression than the snapping of a twig
broke the morning stillness, and a moment later a pair
of magnificent antlers appeared above the top of a
small clump of underbrush, some forty paces distant.
Then did Zemwa gather up a handful of leaves and toss
50
NEHALEM.
them in the air.
"Look, senior," said he in a low tone, as the breeze
carried the leaves gameward. "Yonder roc-buck will
soon away as the humming-bird, for to its nostrils will
come the odor as riseth from the City of Wisdom."
His surmise proved, correct. Ere he had done.
speaking there emerged from the underbrush, in sin-
gle file, a dozen or more roe-buck. Upon stepping out
into the opening, the leader raised its head suspiciously;
then, getting the scent, the band whirled quickly about.
and were away like chaff before the wind. To throw
the fusee in place and draw a bead on the leader took
but a moment's time. As the powder flashed in the
pan, and ere the deafening report made by the fusee
had died away, the fleeing animal bounded high in the
air and fell prone upon the earth.
fell.
"Senor's aim is good," said Zemwa, as the quarry
But our victory for the time was short-lived. As
the smoke lifted, the animal regained its feet, and, after
a staggering effort or two, was away in the wake of its
fellows, which were making off to our right.
Then did Zemwa bring his great bow into position
and let fly an arrow. Vell had his practiced eye
gauged the distance. Upward sailed the missile of
death, and ere the flock had dispersed into the jungle
the swift-speeding arrow plunged downward, much as
a lightning bolt, and, striking the wounded animal at
the base of the brain, ploughed through bone, flesh
and muscle, felling the proud leader again and for the
last time.
Hastily reloading the fusee, we crossed the open:
then Zemwa disemboweled the buck, and, throwing the
carcass over his shoulders, we began to retrace our
footsteps to camp. So far all had gone well. As we
emerged from the depression at a point overlooking
the bay, however, a dull, booming sound was wafted
across the water, and a moment later there rounded
the promontory at the bay's entrance a low, rakish-.
looking craft. Near, yet nearer, she came, until well
abreast the camp; then a small anchor went sliding
γ
51
NEHALEM.
overboard, there was a rattling of tackling blocks as the
láteen sails dropped to the deck, and a Malay junk had
come to anchor.
No sooner had the junk's nose swung round into
the wind than a small boat, in which were seated four
persons, put off for shore, and upon reaching the beach
two of the occupants disembarked. From our elevated
position we could observe all that took place below
without ourselves being seen; hence, we watched the
actions of the two men with interest. Of the junk's
mission in the bay we could only guess. We were not
kept long in suspense, however.
As the paddleman put off for the junk the two men
made direct to where the proa was lying, and, to our
utter amazement, deliberately kindled a fire. Then, as
the blaze flared up, our camp equipage was placed in
the flames, to be reduced to ashes in short order. The
next to go was the proa. Turning her bottom-side up,
she was soon reduced to splinters by the heavy stones
sent crashing through her hull.
I stood aghast at the outrage. My sin had found
me out. Unconsciously, it seemed, we had entered
upon forbidden ground. Too late I realized that the
junk was one of the terrors of the islands-a pirate
craft. Subig bay, it seemed, was a piratical rendezvous.
No doubt we had been sighted the day previous, and,
that they might not be spied upon and the news car-
ried to Manila, the junk had moved into the neighbor-
hood, that we might be done away with ere too late.
But why the firing of the gun? Ah, I have it. The
shot was evidently intended as a signal. This surmise
was borne out from the fact that far down the bay were
a dozen or more proas, headed for the junk. Not
content with destroying our belongings, leaving us in
a deplorable condition, we were to be hunted down.
Only too well I realized what would be our fate, should
we fall into the bandits' hands. I turned toward
Zemwa. His great hands were working convulsively,
his eyes gleaming with hate, his face distorted with
rage.
"Hearken, senor," he muttered. “If it should come
52
NEHALEM.
to pass that we die while doing battle, let it be said
that we died side by side, like men. Moreover, let
my master's ears be open that he may hear the call:"
and before I could put forth a restraining hand he had
the carcass of the buck on the ground and his great
bow drawn. Then did he step far out on the rim of the
ledge, so that those below might see, and with head
thrown proudly back give the ancient war-cry of the
Aztecs, as taught him when a little child.
As his heavy voice rose on the air, the two men
below glanced upward. Ere the weird "Lia-loo-yia-
loo" had died away, two musket shots rang out and
two leaden messengers came singing upward at the
stalwart figure silhouetted against the sky. Then was
Zemwa's opportunity come. Taking advantage of the
smoke that hovered for an instant over his would-be
murderers, he let fly an arrow. Down plunged the
stone-tipped shaft, and as the smoke lifted we beheld
the sombrero worn by the larger of the two men.
pierced as if by a musket-ball, while the owner fell prone
upon the beach.
Now, those below were not the only ones that had
seen Zemwa step to the rim of the ledge. While we
stood watching the actions of the fallen man, there
came a deafening report from the junk, which was fol-
lowed by the scream of a shell, and a four-pound ball
went singing overhead.
Then was Zemwa beside himself with anger., Arrow
after arrow did he let fly at the distant junk, until the
quiver was empty-all but three. Then did he cast his
great bow to one side and with blazing eyes look long
and earnestly, straight into the sun's great fiery eyc.
"O Sun-god," he murmured, "let thy wrath be
known; let thy spell be cast! Hear me, O guide of
my father's ancestor, Montezuma. May the blood of
them that seeketh my little master's life wither away
as the watercress when the Wind-god blows his breath
and dryeth up the brooks. I would for the sign-I
wait."
Now, as if in answer to his supplication, a far-away
rumbling sound fell upon our ears, seemingly coming
NEHALEM.
53
5
nearer, while out of the clear sky there appeared a
cloud as black as a raven's wing.
"The sign, senor-the sign!" shouted Zemwa, as the
cloud spread rapidly over the southern horizon. "Aye,
senor, in a little while we will feel the Sun-god's hand,
and hear his voice, and then—”
The sentence went unfinished. Suddenly the earth
beneath our feet heaved and shook as though being
shaken by some mighty power; then it rose, trembled
like a monster beast in the throes of mortal agony, and
a sound as of a thousand thunder peals rent the air.
Then, as if in sympathy with the disturbance going
on below, the wind arose, and from the south was
there borne on the breeze, in suffocating clouds, great
quantities of ashes and flesh-cutting particles which fell
thickly about us. Now, as we warded off the stinging
blast from face and neck with our sombreros, the
ground seemed to rise and move away, and a sound
reached us as of the rending asunder of the very foun-
dlations of the earth. Looking downward an awful sight
met our gaze. The earth had indeed separated-the
vacuum extending north and south for many a league.
Fully half a gunshot intervened in the awful gulf. As
the vacuum opened, the water rushed in with a fright-
ful roar as of a thousand cataracts, in which dense
clouds of scalding steam arose to follow in the wake
of the ashy stormi. Intuitively we glanced toward the
junk. It and the dozen proas were no more—they
had plunged headlong, possibly into a fiery furnace in
the bowels of the earth!
It
Spellbound, we continued to look out over the
waters of the bay, which seethed and boiled like a
caldron. Presently the earth was again agitated.
rose, trembled and moved, as if to gain its former posi-
tion. The vacuum was closing. The water rushed in
a huge wave high up on the side of the cliff, then
receded, and the bay gradually resumed its wonted
calmness.
Now, as we stood on the edge of the cliff, gazing
with consternation into each other's countenances,
there came a succession of light shocks; the already
54
NEHALE.
weakened wall of the cliff separated from the mainland:
there was a crashing of timber, and in the wake of the
debris-strewn avalanche Zemwa and myself went plung-
ing down the abyss, to be rendered unconscious by
the fall.
f
فر
}
CHAPTER VII.
THE RETURN.
"Yes, Jaques, that was a severe shaking up-in
fact, the worst I ever experienced. But now, thanks
to the Holy Mother's care, the worst is over."
Such were the words that fell upon my ears upon
regaining consciousness. How long I had lain in an
insensible condition I knew not. But a short time.
perhaps, as the great cloud of dust caused by the ava-
lanche yet hovered over the bay, while a strong sul-
phurous odor permeated the air. Not far distant, an
ugly gash in his forehead, Zemwa lay, silent and still.
as though death had claimed his great frame. How
we had escaped instant death was a mystery. Great
palms, twisted and broken, huge stones, tons upon
tons of loose earth, intermingled with underbrush,'
formed one confused mass.
Now, as I crawled slowly forward and took Zemwa's
head on my knee, the voice again reached me. Owing
to our position-it was a bowl-shaped depression into
which we had fallen-we were hidden from the speaker.
The voice came from my right.
Placing Zemwa's head on the ground, I crept noise-
lessly under the fallen trees and parted the branches.
What I saw was by no means reassuring. I gave a
start of alarm. In the confusion that had taken place.
I had forgotten our would-be murderers. Then I re-
membered seeing them, as the tidal wave swept in,
running for life up the mountain side.
Breathlessly I observed them.
One was of stalwart stature, near a size with
Zemwa. His massive face, strong and powerful, was
鲁
​NEHALEM.
55
adorned with a heavy beard, black and glossy, out of
which shone two dark and piercing eyes. The other
was of an entirely different make-up, being of small
stature, and his back was disfigured by a curvature of
the spine. His eyes were quick and snake-like, his nose
hooked-in other words, a dwarf. Now, without my
knowing it, it was destined that these two men were tɔ
play a prominent part in the drama of Zemwa's life.
and that of my own. Both wore scarlet sashes about
their loins, with trailing streamers at the sides. Though
from off a Malay junk, both were of Spanish descent,
and were, as their conversation soon showed; the lead-
ers of a piratical expedition.
"Yes," continued the same voice, "it was a lucky
day for us when we quit the junk, otherwise we would
now be with the crew-may the saints help them-in'
the region of eternal fire. By the way, Jaques, what
of the devil on the cliff? We yet have our muskets.
and as we have started in on a man-hunting expedi-
tion we may as well finish the undertaking. Nothing
would please me better," he went on, "than to try my
machete on the black devil who pierced my sombrera
with his dastardly arrow."
"Only a fool would talk as you do," re led the
other, crustily. "They are gone with the rest. Gone.
gone, gone! If you had been less hasty, Lareguie, in
smashing the proa we could now-
"Come, you hump-backed specimen of humanity,"
said the large man, flying into a passion, "none of your
canting! I am not in the best of spirits this morning,
and your jabbering might tempt me to wring that val-
uable neck of yours."
"Oh, no, Lareguie," replied the dwarf, "you would
not do anything as rash as that; you don't dare, you
know. But, as I was going to say, had you been less
hasty in smashing the proa, we could now put off for
civilization. As the case now stands, we have a tramp
before us—a long one at that. Luckily for us I hap-
pen to know the mountain pass, and by traveling hard
we can make Manila within three days. That is why
you will stick by me closer than a brother. Another
56
NEHALE.
L
t
thing, Lareguic: This place will serve as a rendezvous
no longer. Out of the entire band we are the only
ones left. We must hunt for pastures new. Gone,
gone, gone," he repeated sadly, looking out over the
waters of the bay where the junk had lately rested.
"Gone forevermore! So come, Lareguie, take a fare-
well look, then we will away. But first gird well your
loins-a tightly bound stomach keepeth out hunger."
As the two men departed, making off in a south-
casterly direction, I realized for the first time the pre-
carious position in which we were placed. Food, proa,
fusee and bow, all were gone; the two latter articles
buried under tons of loose earth. If something was
not done, and that soon, too, the reward of the falsifier
whọ had brought all this about meant a slow and lin-
gering death in the wilderness from starvation. To
keep the facts of the part I had played longer from the
friend whom I had wronged would be as a millstone
about my neck. I resolved to unburden my heart.
Then we would trust to being piloted back to Manila
by following cautiously in the wake of the two bandits.
After many repeated trials, I at last succeeded in rous-
ing the almost inanimate form at my feet. I then made
the confession. The pardon I asked for was almost
instantly granted.
Yet was Zemwa not satisfied; he longed to vent his
spite on the bandits. Long and earnestly, or until the
two forms were lost to view, did he stand gazing out
at them, a malignant scowl on his usually pleasant face; `
then, with many mutterings on his part, we quit the
depression, and after cleaning his gory face in the
waters of the bay we began the long homeward journey.
Without Zemwa's assistance my bones would have
been left to bleach in the Luzon forests. Eyes less
keen than his would have missed seeing each broken
twig, each overturned pebble; as it was, we experienced
no difficulty, though keeping well in the rear, in fol-
lowing our bandit guides. As we followed on, hour
after hour, passing over great scams in the earth-the
work of the earthquake-I realized only too well
Jaques' meaning in admonishing his companion to
*
NEHALEM.
57
'
gird well his loins. We were fast leaving the game
country behind, and the question arose as to whether
we could weather it into Manila on our already empty,
gnawing stomachs.
It was not destined, however, that our fast should
be of many hours' duration. With the setting of the
sun, we drew nigh a high mountain overlooking a ver-
dant valley. After a half hour's climb up the moun-
tain side, and as night spread his sable mantle over
the wilderness, in, which the great, beautiful, perfume-
less flowers closed their petals and the wonderful song-
less birds sought their rest, we emerged on the summit.
Far below, beside a small stream that meandered
through the valley, a campfire was burning.
"Of a truth, senor," said Zemwa, his nose in the air,
"an empty stomach maketh keen the nostrils. I smell
roasting flesh. But for the bellowing musket we heard
a while since, senor, our stomachs would be, for another
day, like an empty cocoanut shell. But now," and he
smacked his lips in anticipation of the treat to follow.
"this night will our bellies be filled with meat. Ah."
in answer to my query as to how we were to obtain it.
"I have a way; let your footsteps be as the squawling
cat, senor, and you will see. Come," and with these
words he noiselessly led the way down the mountain
side.
Now, upon reaching level ground we crossed the
valley; then, foot by foot, like crawling reptiles, we
cautiously approached the bandits' camp. Seated be-
fore the fire were the two men of the morning, busily
engaged in broiling meat. Back of them, well up in
the forks of a small tree, was the victim of the musket
-the carcass of a freshly slain boar.
Now was Zemwa's ruse of obtaining meat made
plain. Stepping into the fire-lit space, he cautiously
approached the tree and lowered the body of the boar
to the ground. Then, inch by inch, he dragged it
gently into the cover of the darkness. The two men
were to be made believe that some prowling animal
had made off with it. So far all had gone well, but as
Zemwa emerged from the fire-lit circle, stepping back-
58
3
NEHALEN.
}
wards the while, his body camé in contact with a small,
partially decayed tree, and the moment following the
stillness of the night was broken by a resounding crash.
"Hist! Jaques," exclaimed the larger of the two
bandits, starting up at the sound. "What was that?"
"A sneaking cat of the woods, most likely," was the
reply. "You remember, Lareguie, of my telling you
some beast of prey would make away with our food
before morning? Well, we will investigate and see if
I am not right."
And with muskets in hand thẻ two men stepped
over to the tree where lately hung the boar.
“Yes,” said the dwarf, "it is as I thought. Here is
the print where the cat has dragged the borly through
the grass."
Now did the two men, in following the trail, ap-
proach dangerously near to where we lay cowering on
the ground. With the falling of the tree. Zemwa had
dropped beside me. "It is best, senor," whispered he,
"to lie still until the scare is over; then we will make
off." But as the bandits continued to approach, he
again whispered, "Fly, senor, fly! or we shall be discov-
ered;" and, throwing the boar over his shoulder, we
nade off into the darkness.
"There goes the sneaking cat now." shouted one
of the bandits. "so let fly;" and with the word there
came two blinding flashes, followed by the roar of the
muskets.
"Had my eyes not been blinded from gazing into
the fire," we heard one of them shout, "I might have
done some deadly execution. As it is, though, we
have given the beast a scare."
Random as were the shots, they came near costing
us dear. On gaining a secluded spot in a deep gully
some distance from the bandits' camp, our flint and
tinder boxes were brought into use, and in a short
time we had a fire going. Then it was, as Zemwa
fanned the flickering flame into life with his sombrero,
that he noticed a hole in the crown made by a musket
hall.
Having satisfied our hunger and roasted enough of
NEHALEN
59
the boar's flesh to last us into Manila, Zemwa rebuilt
the fire to keep off prowling animals. We then
stretched ourselves out before its warmth, and, being
fatigued from the long tramp of the day, and bruised
from falling down the mountain side, dropped off into
a deep slumber which lasted for several hours.
With the coming of the morning we started on
again, and in a short time came up with the bandits'
camp. They had evidently departed at an early hour,
for the campfire had long since died out.
“Look, senor," said Zemwa, pointing to a spot near
where the fire had been. "When next we see these
men they will look like different people."
A mass of black hair lay on the ground, where it
had fallen from the face of the burly bandit when ser-
ered by the keen edge of a machete.
"Yes," I replied, "one of them will be changed. He
has evidently taken this means to disguise himself."
"If he is a robber of the sea, many of my little mas-
ter's brothers may have seen him in the City of Wis-
dom. Others come in on the galleon might know him.
Truly, senor, he is a cunning dog."
"Yes, he seems to be taking every precaution to
keep from being recognized, and so long as he obeys
the law we must not molest him. We can be watch-
ful, however, and may learn more of his past record.
There is also a chance that we might gain valuable
information as to the methods of other pirates, which
would be of value to the king's seamen in putting an
end to their nefarious work.”
"Of a truth, senor, thou art wise. Though my heart
is yet sore, yet will I wait. The day will come-it was
so told me in a dream last night when you lay sleeping
by my side-that I and the man who would do you
harm will one day do battle-aye, a battle which is a
battle, in which I will wipe out the score. I have
spoken, senor."
"What of the dwarf?" I asked, as we crossed the
stream and pulled ourselves up the opposite bank.
“Do you think he, too, will be changed?”
“Senor can best speak of the ways of the white
Co
#
NEHALEM
men; Zemwa can only tell what his eyes can see.”
There was no way of knowing what to expect of
the dwarf. Zemwa's keen reasoning was most likely
correct regarding the object of the larger in cutting
away his beard. There might be those even now in
Manila who had encountered him on the sea. If the
same was true of the dwarf, we might expect to find
him also in disguise, but if not, we might find no great
change in his appearance.
The work of the earthquake was everywhere appar-
ent, and our interest in the two bandits would not
compare to our anxious wonderings as to the fate of
those near and dear to us at home!
1
}
Another day's weary travel took us across the great
volcanic range to the foothills, where far away in the
distance we caught our first glimpse of Manila. Even
from that distance we, could discern many changes in
the position of familiar objects about the city, while
others were entirely missing. The sight of home
spurred us on, and by the time the sun was well up next
morning we reached the Laguana de Bayo, which feeds
the Pasig, and, footsore and weary and nigh unto death,
as it were, as night fell over the land, preceded by the
two bandits, we stumbled rather than walked into the
streets of the capital.
}
1
CHAPTER VIII.
THE SECRET TUNNEL.
The carthquake had wrought havoc indeed, but if
possible it had been less violent in the vicinity of the
capital than farther up the coast. Much damage had
been the result, and many lives lost, it is true; but, to
my great joy, owing to the preserving care of the Holy
Mary, grim death had stalked not into the midst of
the Zapata household. There had been much specula-
tion as to our fate, the general supposition being that
we had been swallowed up by the late disaster.
Through one portion of the city which we passed
NEHALEM.
G1
•
- our coming created the greatest consternation. There
was, at the time of which I write, a certain class of peo-
ple much given to idle fancies. To go and come from
mass, our route lay through this portion of the city,
hence we were well known. These people, too, were
well aware of our disappearance, my father, in his grief,
having approached many of them in his fruitless searchi
for his lost and wayward son. Consequently, as we
entered "The Street of Foolishness," a cry of amaze-
ment went up:
"Senor Don and his slave have risen, like Christ,
from the dead!"
Then the cry was taken up and heralded far and
near, and by the time the moon came sailing up the
entire city was aware of our deliverance. The two
bandits may have thought the cry was in reference to
themselves, for they hastened, we noticed, down a by-
street, in the direction of the disreputable portion of
the city.
+
Never shall I forget the look on my dear old moth-
er's face as I darkened the hacienda doorway. With a
bound and a glad cry she was at my side, and a moment
later her dear arms were about my neck. Now as I
looked down into the upturned face my conscience
smote me. Was I not the author of the newly made
crow's-feet depicted there? My father, too, I noticed,
as he came slowly forward, leaning heavily on his staff,
seemed more old, and gray, and bent. That night I
confessed my sin for the second time, not to Zemwa,
but to the sweet face bending over me, and, as I did
so and was forgiven, the burden on my heart rolled
away, and I fell asleep-the sleep of exhaustion.
*
Having relieved my guilty heart, I arose next morn-
ing much refreshed and passed out into the court.
Zemwa's hut was a shapeless mass, but in a short time
he had it rebuilt as good as ever. The staunch walls of
my father's casa had withstood the strain, and, but for
the rending asunder of the groundwork and injury
to things on the inside, the domicile was as good as
ever. Noticing Zemwa's bewilderment over the re-
markable manner in which several of the abodes had
62
}
NEHALEM.
withstood the Sun-god's fury, as he called the earth-
quake, I said:
“Zemwa, you can now see what you long ago wished
to know."
"Aye, senor," was his reply: "the spider-web is now
gone from before mine eyes. The meaning of the low-
built casas, as well as the great wall around the City
of Wisdom, is now made plain to me."
The work of repairing the damage done was soon
in progress. The injury to the governor's palace and
numerous portions of the city wall had been great, and
the work of rebuilding was long and tedious and re-
quired many laborers. Zemwa distinguished himself
early in the work as an apt and able workman, being
of great strength and endurance. Early in the rebuild-
ing of the wall his keen eye discerned among the
helpers the form of the burly bandit. His beard was
gone, as we had expected, and in place of sea-going*
apparel he was now in ordinary dress. No inquiry of
his coming was made because of the general excitement
which prevailed, and when this subsided his presence.
and usefulness were matters of fact, for he proved a
good worker and was strong and able. The dwarf,
too, had been seen frequently.
Now, Zemwa and myself in talking it over resolved
to watch these men more closely than we first
intended. They were learning every nook and cor-
ner of the city, and should they return to their ne-
farious calling such knowledge would stand them well
in hand.
One day it was noised about that a secret brother-
hood was being formed for the purpose of imparting
knowledge and training in the use of arms and military
tactics, the ultimate object being to build and equip
several corvettes against piratical raids. The move-
ment was indeed commendable, and, though not openly
aided by the governor on account of its secrecy and
rigid choice of its members, nothing was done to check
it. Indeed, it seemed that those who desired to become
members were intimidated by being told of the fright-
ful obligations and heavy tributes to which they were
NEHALEM.
63
4
subjected. Very few of its members were known-in
fact, none were known to a certainty-and all who in-
dulged in talking about it assumed the position of out-
siders. The secrecy was praised because of the uncer-
tainty of the whereabouts of bandits and their abettors,
and the severe oaths, heavy tribute and other rigid pro-
ceedings enforced, so that all who did succeed in join-
ing would be men who could be trusted. Means of
getting in were extremely difficult, but it was said that
when a really fit person desired to become a member
he would be informed in a secret and mysterious man-
ner how to proceed.
Meetings were held at irregular intervals in a
deserted adobe casa near the bay's edge, just inside the
great wall. In fact, this was the home of the brother-
hood. It had undergone a period of repair and exten-
sion for the convenience of the members in their secret
work. It had been formerly erected as a powder mag-
azine for the esplanade near by. A portion of the
improvements had been to strengthen the walls, to add
a wing, to heavily bar the windows and arrange dense.
strong shutters for every opening. Outsiders soon lost.
interest in trying to get a glimpse at its interior, for this
they could not do.
My interest in the brotherhood did not subside as
easily as that of the average easy-going townsman. I
took in with keen attention every rumor that passed
concerning it. Zemwa also listened with deep interest.
Despite my inclinations to join the brotherhood-its
purpose I thought grand-the mysterious call was never
given me. Finally I resolved to solve for myself its
true motives and intentions, or spend the remaining
portion of my life in the attempt. I made this resolve
known to Zemwa. Now was his heart yet sore-the
insult done us still rankled in his breast.
"Aye, senor," said he, "it is well. The ways of these
men are strange. Their acts are dark as the moonless
night, and betoken evil rather than good. It is well,
senor, that we watch them; it is well.”
Our curiosity was now active instead of passive.
Many days we watched and listened. One day it
64
2
NEHALEM.
1
occurred to me to watch the beach in the vicinity of the
casa of the brotherhood. Accordingly we launched
the remaining proa and dropped down the river to the
bay. Then, that none should suspicion our motive,
we cautiously drifted about till 'twilight, and when the
shadows grew dense we warily approached the shore
and cruised slowly eastward, so as to bring us on a line
with the casa on the opposite side of the wall. Now, as
we rounded a small peninsula, the sound of a breaking
twig and the ripple of the water disturbed by the light
fall of Zemwa's paddle seemed to echo faintly as though
from a cavity in the bank.
Zemwa stopped his paddling, his head bent forward.
"Of a truth, senor." he whispered, picking up a stone
from the bottom of the proa, "my eyes may deceive me,
but my ears never-there is a hole leading under the
wall."
So saying, he cast the stone in the direction from
whence came the echo. It fell with a splash on the far
side of some underbrush bordering the wall. That he
had thrown squarely into some large opening at the
base of the stone structure was not to be doubted. The
opening, whatever it might be, contained water.
The paddle blade again struck the water; the little
craft swung round, her bow pointed shorewards.
Then, without considering what danger might befall
us, Zemwa headed the proa into what proved to be a
narrow canal with perpendicular banks, artfully con-
cealed by overhanging branches. These by his instruc-
tions I lifted, and a moment later, as the bougus
dropped into place, we glided for a short distance along
the canal, and thence through a tunnel under the great
wall into a rank-smelling hole of inky darkness.
That we had entered a vault or cellar of some sort
was evident from the fact that the air was close and
stifling, while numerous, bat-like squeaks broke the
stillness.
"Senor," whispered Zemwa, as the proa bumped
against the wall, "we are under the adobe casa.”
Hardly had the words left his lips than there came
an uncanny gibbering whisper, which owing to the
+
NEHALEM
65
gloom seemed intensified a hundred-fold:
"We are under the adobe casa.”
Now, as Zemwa's words were whispered back-
words that set our blood to curdling-I took up a pad-
dle for the purpose of ascertaining what manner of
place we had entered. Then was his assertion made
true; the blade came in contact with a stone wall. I
then raised the paddle. It struck a wooden joist over-
head.
As I dropped beside Zemwa and made known my
discoveries, which luckily we carried on in whispers,
there came the sound of footsteps overhead as if a num-
ber of men were dragging a heavy body across the
floor. The moment following a heavy voice rang out:
"You are a government spy, d-n you, and by all
the fiends of hell you shall die!”
This was followed by several rapid, muffled blows
as if with some heavy instrument. Then the same voice
again spoke up:
"Raise the trap, Jaques, that the traitor's body may
follow those that went the water route this night a
week ago!"
Now, as a man stepped across the floor did Zemwa
back the proa noiselessly out of sight under the arch-
way in the wall. He was none too soon, for a second
later a trap-door in the floor was raised, letting in a
stream of light, and the dead body of a man came plung-
ing, head first, through the opening into the water.
Horror-struck, with fast-beating hearts, with fear-
blanched faces, deluged with water made by the falling
body, we continued to gaze up at the trap-door. Soon
there appeared at the opening, peering down into the
water, two faces which we knew only too well-that of
Lareguie, the bandit, and Jaques, the dwarf.
"Čurse you!" muttered Lareguie, shaking his
clenched fist in the direction where the body had disap--
peared. "May your spirit be forever damned into the
regions of eternal fire!"
Then was the cap replaced and we were left in
darkness.
"Of a truth, senor," whispered Zemwa, "it is well
65
+
X
NEHALEM.
that we quit the place where dead men lie."
And, as well as his trembling arms would allow, he
backed the proa slowly, noiselessly, toward the opening.
and a few minutes later we were again under the star-lit
sky, breathing God's pure and blessed air.
CHAPTER IX.
THE AFTERMATH.
"In the king's name."
Ah, well do I remember these words; how vividly
the scenes of that eventful day come back to memory.
Manila's main avenue is a sea of scowling faces; shops
are closed and pandemonium reigns. Down in the
harbor, shorn of sail, rests a warship of the king. Her
presence is ominous; she is to replenish her crew.
While loyal to the government of Espana, the subjects
of the king had long since grown to detest the vile man-
ner of pressing men into the service without warning—
often to satisfy a whim of some despotic commander,
who simply desired more slaves to curse. But, of a
truth, piracy was increasing, reaching even across the
sea to the shores of the New World, rapine and blood-
shed being the predominating feature. No vessel fly--
ing the colors of Espana was safe, and of the unnum-
bered wrecks that lined the bottom of the Pacific no
man could tell. In some mysterious manner, one after
the other of the three corvettes sent out by the broth-
erhood to look after the interests of the islands had met
a watery grave on Santa Rosa reef, far eastward.
Hence the warship's visit; she was to act as the coast's
defender.
In the meantime, another twelvemonth had been
added to Father Time's great calendar. Not once dur-
ing this period had Zemwa and myself ventured near
the scene of horror enacted that night in the gloomy
cellar. Days afterward, a swollen, mutilated body was
+
NEHALEM.
67
cast by the tide far up on the steps of the quay stairway..
A day or so later another body, more loathsome than
the first, found a similar resting-place: then another,
and another, until five, all told, were taken up and
buried in the field of the dead. An air of gloom settled
over the city. Amongst the bodies found, one or two
were recognized as prominent, well-known people, and
it was only a matter of conjecture who would be the
next to go. The city officials, as well as the general
public, were mystified at the secret work. Yet two
there were amongst the idle crowd that congregated
daily at the quay, as the sea continued to give up its
dead, that knew the author of the awful deeds-Zemwa
and myself.
Now, as we hastened away that night from the
vicinity of the tunnel under the wall, we were rendered
speechless from fright. Not until we had left the hor-
rid, accursed spot far astern, did the power of speech
come back. Then Zemwa broke the silence.
"It is well, senor," said he, as the keeper swung
open the city gate in the wall for our admittance, "that
we hold our peace-a wagging tongue ofttimes bringeth
evil. Nay, senor," as I was about to reply, "the time is
not yet at hand for us to speak. It will come," and he
paused and looked far away into the star-lit sky as if to
read coming events, "by the time the new maize crop
ripens and dies. Mark you, senor, these men will cross
our path—aye, many, many times."
Now, little did I dream that on this particular morn-
ing a part of his prophecy was about to come true-
that before the day was done Lareguie was to cross our
path. As I remember it, we were seated in the shadow
of Zemwa's hut playing at chess. Too intent were we
to hearken to the tramp of feet on the outside of the
city wall. True, we heard the creaking of the great
gate as it swung to and fro, but such events were of
frequent occurrence, so we played on, oblivious to what
was taking place. Not until there sounded the loud
report of a musket, the scurry of flying feet, the shriek
of a senora and the sharp command, "In the king's
name,” did we turn our attention from the game.
68
NEHALEM.
}
"Come, senor," said Zemwa, starting up, "there is
trouble."
The chess-board was cast to the ground, with his
great foot Zemwa sent the wall gate flying open, and a
moment later we were out on the avenue.
Without knowing it, we had stepped into a trap.
At full speed a figure flitted by, then another, then,
another. Too late we ascertained the cause.
Down the avenue a block away was the dread of
the islands a press gang!
Only too well thus far had their mission proved suc-
cessful. Chained arm to arm were a score or more of
young men, headed plaza-ward for safe keeping, fol-
lowed by a mob of excited people, their cries and curses
filling the air.
As the surging crowd pressed too closely, the officer
in command would wave them back with his sword.
"God save the king," he would cry. "In his name I
demand order and quietness. Away! Disperse! or I
will give my men orders to fire on you."
For the moment his words would have the intended
effect; but no sooner was his back turned than the mob
would break out afresh. "The cowardly dogs don't
dare to shoot," they would cry. "Give it to them!"
and the stones would fly, while louder and fiercer, a
hundred-fold, grew the turmoil.
"Thou shalt not touch my little master."
So intensely interested was I in the turbulent scene
before me that I had noted not the approach of a second
press gang. I turned me about at the sound of the
familiar voice of Zemwa, to behold in him a great
change. Three paces away he stood, a towering giant.
facing with flashing eyes the sergeant, in command,
who was none other than Senor Lareguie, the burly
bandit of the recent past. For some reason or other
he had been placed in command of one of the detach-
ments to press recruits.
Well might the little company halt. In his hand
Zemwa flourished a formidable weapon that com-
manded respect-a heavy, gnarled and twisted teak-
wood stick that chanced to lie on the outside of the
NEHALEM,
69
wall.
For the moment Lareguie stood amazed. Perhaps.
in all his career he had never witnessed such a spirit of
bold determination as that presented by the stalwart
African.
"Black man," said he at length, as one of his men
closed the gate, shutting off our escape in that direction,
"this is treason to the king. It is the young man at
your side, true enough, whom we want, and him we
must and will have. Move to one side."
If I ever doubted Zemwa's affection for me, my
doubts were now forever gone.
"Never!" he shouted. "Again do I say it as long
as the great spirit of the Sun-god shall give me breath
you shall not touch my little master. A pretty dog
would I be to let such a thing occur. Senor Lareguie,
listen: You are now a great man of the law. Not
always have you been so. Once on a time the black
man and his little master witnessed the fate of the
friends of Senor Lareguie, when the fury of the Sun-god
shook the earth. You escaped his vengeance-you
and one friend. Senor," turning to me, "did I not proph-
esy that before the maize crop ripened and died the day
would be at hand to speak? The time is now come.
Senor," again addressing Lareguie, "a pretty man you
are to represent the king! What of the dead men found
on the quay stairway? What of the tunnel under the
adobe casa? Whose voice was it," he went on, his
accusing eyes burning into those of Lareguie, “that said
these words-words that pierced my heart like a ser-
pent's tooth: 'You are a government spy, d—n you,
and by all the fiends of hell you shall die.' Answer
me," and Zemwa let the bar fall with a mighty thump
on the pavement under his feet.
Lareguie's countenance was a study. He stood as
though a statue of stone, the color coming and going
from his face in rapid succession as he listened to what
he believed to be known by no living man save himself
and Jaques, the dwarf.
"Before the Sun-god caused the earth to tremble,”
continued the man before him, "you burned my mas-
70
NEHALEM.
::
ter's belongings, and then did Zemwa let fly an arrow
from his bow which pierced the sombrero of Senor
Lareguie, and which might have pierced his head.
Since then have Zemwa's eyes been upon you. He
would now say nothing to cause evil to befall his white
brother. Let the white man of the law take heed and
no longer give trouble to my master."
A look of determination akin to fury came over the
face of Lareguie. He' thought we, too, had been swal-
lowed up by the earthquake, but now realized that his,
life secret was in danger. We read his intentions ere
he uttered a sentence.
"The black man raves; he is without a mind,” said
he. Then, addressing a man at his right, he said:
"Senor, you will do your duty. But stay," said he, as
the musket came to a level, “I will give the black dog a
chance for his life. Five will I count, and then, if he
barreth longer the way, one less traitor shall there be
in the islands."
Scornfully did Zemwa gaze into the leveled musket.
The look of gentleness his face was wont to wear was
now gone; the blood of the African in his veins, dor-
mant for a score of years, surged upward; he was a
primitive child of nature again, endowed with the
strength of his forefathers.
"One!" counted Lareguie.
"Two!"
There was a dangerous, lurking light in Zemwa's
gleaming eyes.
"Three!"
*
The hand of my companion went out, pushing me
to one side.
"Four!"
→
His great chest rose and fell; there was a quick for-
ward step, an underhanded "swish" of the bar, a clash as
wood and steel met, and the leveled musket was sent
spinning away to the ground.
Before the command to fire could be given, Zemwa
was in the midst of the surprised marines, striking right
and left. Twice, thrice, did his teak-wood bar cleave
the air, and men went down before its sweep like grain
J
NEHALEI
71
› >
before a reaper's scythe.
The press gang was fast becoming demoralized, for
fully half their number lay stiff from the effect of
Zemwa's well-directed blows, and others had already.
taken to their heels. Lareguie, upon seeing his men
deserting him, was not the man to stay and face the
righteous wrath of the African, and he likewise turned
and fied. Soon Zemwa was again at my side, and we
held a short consultation as to the best course to pur-
sue, for well did we know that in a short time the united
forces of three press gangs would be in pursuit.
Now, in a distant part of the city, adjoining the
great wall, was a deserted casa similar in many respects
to that occupied by the brotherhood, gone partially to
decay. The story went out that in times long past a
crime had been committed there, and that the spirit of
the murdered man stalked about during the dead hours
of the night; consequently, being a haunted place, it
was held in great dread by the people. Being adven-
turously inclined, Zemwa and myself had many times
visited it, and had thereby grown to hold the wild
stories of little account. Indeed, it was from a knowl-
edge of those old walls and the cellar underth that
the idea of searching for an underground lead rom the
building occupied by the mysterious brotherlod first
entered my mind, for, curiously enough, a similar
passage had one day led from under the haunted casa
and thence out under the great wall to the brink of the
bay. Long ago the passage had caved in and become
filled with debris, but in his scrutinizing observation
Zemwa had detected the passage of air into the cellar
from without. Tugging the remains of an old mold-
covered shutter to one side, a stream of light shot in. In
a short time we had the passage again made large
enough for egress. The matter was a secret which we
had good reason to think was known to none but our-
selves. The outer opening was covered with rubbish
which effectually hid it from the gaze of prying eyes.
We had never had occasion to think of using the casa
to advantage further than hunting out its history from
the tattered records within its walls. It was at one time
72.
NEHALEM.
used without doubt for unlawful smuggling of ill-gained
goods to and from vessels.
"Come, senor," said Zemwa, as a sudden thought
flashed across his mind. "To the deserted casa let us
run. Once there we can skirt the bay and escape to
the mountains and be welcome to the cover of the trees
and hills."
Then, up the broad avenue which led through the
heart of the city, with the teak-wood stick in one hand
and mine in the other, did the African lead the race,
making the pavement ring with his bounding tread.
The cathedral, as we flitted past, seemed a maze of
swaying spires, the plaza a whirling mass of trees; yet
on and on, with the bar swinging high to clear the way,
with the air full of whistling lead, we sped, or rather
flew, for the haunted casa.
Once only in our flight did we pause. It was far up
the avenue at a cross street within gunshot of our des-
tination. There it was my strength failed me I could
go no farther.
"Only a short distance now, senor," cried Zemwa.
"and you are safe.”
Unselfish heroism! It was for my welfare he
thought, never for himself. It was ever thus.
"Hark!" he exclaimed, as a distant sound reached
LIS. "What is that?"
Again the sound floated over the city, only nearer.
Now did my companion turn about, and, shading
his eyes with his hand, look long and earnestly down the
avenue.
"Hounds!" he exclaimed between his clenched teeth.
"Look, senor; there they come."
Only too true! Far down the street were two
fast-moving objects, with muzzles near the ground,
coming toward us at a rapid rate. Though we held the
secret of Lareguie's life, which. if disclosed would cost
him his head, yet were we to be taken dead or alive,
and where men could not follow bloodhounds could.
Owing to Zemwa's losing his sombrero during the
altercation, it had been an easy matter for Lareguie to
put the hounds on a man-hunting expedition, and it
NEHALEM.
73
seemed but a matter of time when we should be run to
earth. Zemwa surmised as much.
"So be it," said he. "If we die it shall be together.
We must reach the outside of the wall and block the
entrance. While the hounds are breaking down the
door we may gain a place of safety. Yes, senor, I know
your strength is gone, but mine is not.”
And, grasping me about the middle, he placed me
on his great shoulder, then off again with flying feet
he started down the side street.
Though Zemwa was fleet of foot, yet much more so
were the fast-approaching hounds. Two-thirds of that
seemingly never-ending byway lay behind us when
there galloped around the corner, their tawny coats
glistening in the sunlight, those hideous hunters of
men. Then did Zemwa, goaded on by the harsh bay-
ing, put forth his last remaining strength. The tendons
on neck and shoulders stood out like the cords of a
scourger's lash, his great chest rose and fell, yet, though
his breath was coming in short, spasmodic gasps, he
staggered on. Thirty paces ahead was the casa, the
dilapidated door standing ajar. Could he reach it in
time? Behind those blessed crumbling walls our sal-
vation lay, for a time at least.
"O God!" he gasped, "that I may reach it-for my
little master's sake."
His short prayer was answered. Reeling like a
drunken man, he at last dashed through the doorway
into the lowly ceiled room; then, telling me to bar the
'door, he fell in a faint at my feet. I hastily complied,
using the teak-wood bar as a prop, and did so just in
time as a cry of rage went up from the baffled hounds.
Zemwa's swoon was a protracted one; in fact, as he
lay on the floor, his lower jaw dropped forward, his lips
flecked with blood, I thought him dead. Not until I
raised his head did I ascertain the real cause-it was
from the loss of blood. Uncomplainingly, he had run
almost the entire distance, a musket ball imbedded in
his shoulder.
Now, as I sat in the darkened chamber, well-nigh
overcome with anxiety for the welfare of my faith-
74
NEHALEN.
}
ful friend, with the hounds biting and scratching at the
tottering door, did I hear a sound that filled me with
terror:
“Batter down the door; we have run the law-break-
ers to earth!"
To place Zemwa's head on the floor and peer
through one of the numerous chinks in the wall took
but a moment. It was. as I thought-the press gang
had come up; they were already halted before the door-
way. In place of one officer there were now two, the
new arrival being a youngish-looking man, whose uni-
form went to show that he was of higher rank than
Lareguie.. Later events proved my surmise correct.
"Hold!" said he, authoritatively, as two marines.
came up, bearing a heavy beam between them.
"Before you batter down the door an explanation I
must have. It's coming to a pretty pass," he added,
scornfully, "when we must take to hounding men!
Lareguie," looking our pursuer squarely in the eye,
"you may explain-and mind you," he added, "that you
tell, a truthful tale."
"The runaways," Lareguie replied, "have disobeyed
the king, especially the black devil; he has brained half
my men.
"
$
"And because he stood up and fought like a man,
single-handed at that, was it necessary, after he had
felled a lot of arrant cowards, that you disobey orders?"
"Who has been disobeying orders, sir?" Lareguie
asked, his face flaming red.
"Yourself, sir. As it happened, Lareguie, I saw and
overheard what took place down there on the avenue.
Had you been less hasty, using discretion as an officer
should, this trouble would have been averted. Captain´›
Moreno, of the warship, stated explicitly this morning
that such disgraceful methods as you have resorted to
were hereafter done away with. I propose to see that
his instructions are carried out to the letter. Call off
the hounds."
The admonition of the great Jehovah at the last day,
speaking, eternal peace to my soul, cannot afford nie
more real comfort than did the words of that young
NEHALEM.
73
officer, but to Lareguie the effect was different. He
was aflame with rage, but gave vent to it only in mut-
terings of English which he knew none present could
understand. Ah! but not so. It chanced that my pre-
ceptor had taught me, as the rudiments of a thorough
education, the English language: therefore, I under-
stood the angry man's every word. He had taken an
oath before God and his own soul to bury his life's
secret in a grave with the bodies of the African and
myself, and that, too, before a week should pass.
CHAPTER X.
THE SIXTH VICTIM.
As Lareguie continued to mutter out his curses in
a foreign tongue, the young officer, sword in hand,
stepped forward, and, giving several smart raps on the
rickety door, cried out:
"Hearken, there, on the inside! As a representa-
tive of his majesty the king, I command you to open.
Protection awaits you."
I removed the prop and threw wide the door. Then,
as the men filed in, our benefactor stepped forward,
and, taking Zemwa's head on his knee, soon succeeded
in restoring the wounded man to consciousness by
pouring between his lips a liquid of some sort which he
carried in a canteen at his side.
"Is it well, senor," Zemwa asked of me, as he sur-
veyed the little crowd in a sullen manner, "that we thus
submit?"
"Yes," I replied, "it is well; we are now in the hands
of a friend."
"Then woe is me." said he, his eyes beginning to
gleam. "O senor, my heart is heavy with sorrow for
this. Though yonder murderer has sapped my
strength," and he pointed an accusing finger at Lare-
NEHALEM
}
guie, who stood scowling in the doorway, "I can yet
give battle;" and quickly he took up the teak-wood bar
and shook it savagely at Lareguie's tall form. "Aye,"
he added, "I would that I might crack his head as I
would an empty cocoanut-shell. Do you but say it,
senor?"
}
"Luckily," said the young officer to me as I bade
Zemwa hold his temper, "while I am not an Escu-
lapius of medico, yet I have had some experience as a
surgeon's assistant. You will oblige me, senor," turn-
ing to Zemwa, "by removing the cloak about your
shoulders, that I may ascertain the extent of your
injuries."
Upon investigation it was found that the wound,
though painful, was not necessarily fatal, the ball hav-
ing passed through the soft parts of the shoulder, cut-
ting several small arteries in its route, and with the point
of a poniard and an improvised probe the officer had
no difficulty in removing it.
"Now, senor," turning to me, "it is necessary that
you accompany us to the plaza. Not that you will be
pressed into service, I trust," he hastened to add, "but
as a mere matter of form only. The noble manner in
which your friend fought for you has enlisted my sym-
pathy in your behalf, and I shall endeavor to secure
your release as quickly as possible."
Then, giving the command to march, with six
marines three paces ahead, and six more four paces in
the rear, we began to retrace our footsteps plaza-ward.
Now, as we walked along in silence, Lareguie, who
was in front with the officer, all at once dropped to the
rear and made his way to Zemwa's side.
"Black man," he hissed into the African's ears, "your
day will come-you and the sniveling at your side. By
the gods of the inferno, I swear it! Yes, and you, too,”
he muttered in English, as our benefactor reprimanded
him sharply for dropping back.
see."
"Mayhap," was Zemwa's scornful reply; "we shall
Now, as we drew nigh the plaza some cried: "They
have got the poor devils at last. To the rescue; waste
NEHALE.
77
no time!"
Then the shout was taken up by hundreds of throats,
and with a mighty rush the mob closed in around us.
This move was not only dangerous to the members of
the press gang, but to Zemwa and myself as well, for the
sight of us lashed their rage into a fury, and what had
taken place was but play to what soon followed.
Stones, bricks, and every available article at hand was
hurled, regardless of friend or foe, viciously into the
ranks of the marines. A huge piece of timber thrown
endwise passed by, barely missing me, and striking one
of the marines felled him to the earth, and as he fell
his musket was discharged, the ball taking effect in the
breast of a senora who stood in an adjacent doorway,
with a babe in her arms, and, with a scream of agony,
she, too, fell dead. Then the already frenzied people
went mad; they screamed at the sight; they heaped
burning epithets on Lareguie's head that were awiul to
hear.
"Two dogs and a dozen men to take two! A brave
set you are! The king would be proud of you! You
would rob us of our young men, you devils from
Espana! Curse you! Over them; stamp them in the
earth like a patch of weeds!"
With that the mob charged, and despite the fixed
bayonets our little party was swept away like a bubble
on the water. Twice I went down in the mass of limbs
and trampling feet; then strong arms grasped me and
I was lifted high onto Zemwa's broad shoulders and
borne away.
But for a short distance only. Suddenly
a flying figure dashed up the avenue, giving the alarm
that the militia was coming. It was true--the com-
mander at Cavite had been called upon to quell the riot.
With a crash the great gate of the city wall flew open,
and several hundred marines marched through the
opening and charged upon the mob. As the people.
saw them coming, and knowing that the power of the
king was back of it all, they became terror-stricken and
dispersed up the alleys and side streets like chaff before
the wind.
Twenty minutes later the city was under control and
78
NEHALEN.
1
the avenue deserted. Once more Zemwa and myself
were taken in charge and marched to the plaza, to find
twenty-score or more young men assembled there,
Then a strong guard was posted around the inclosure
and all communications with 'friends and relatives shut
off. Amongst the crowd was the young officer, our
benefactor, and another taking the age and birthplace
of those selected to do ship duty. In this manner the
afternoon wore away. Darkness, fell over the city.
There was no sleep for us that long-remembered night.
The heavens became overcast and storm-laden, and
frowned down upon us as if in anger. Hour after hour
wore away. Had the young officer forgotten his prom-
ise? It seemed so. To add to our cup of woe
Zemwa's wound developed into a fever in which he fast
grew delirious, and in a short time his heavy mutter-
ings, and bits of his native war-chants, were added to
the babel of sounds. In this manner the night wore
on. Midnight came; the storm broke; it' poured over
our unprotected heads in all its fury, drenching us to the
skin. The wind blew a gale; great trees were uprooted
in its path. Shivering and wet, we prayed for day that
seemed endless in coming. But at last the sun arose
and cast its rays over the outraged city, and the work
of embarkation to the warship was begun.
The reflections of the populace during the night had
the effect of considerably lessening the bitter feeling of
the previous day, for, rapid as had been the work of the
press gang, they, with the exception of Lareguie, were
working under strict instructions to search out those
in particular who constituted the class of loungers
who, year by year, evaded the tribute levied upon all
just subjects of Espana's crown. True to his promise,
the young officer secured our release, and, with the
hand of my fever-stricken companion in my own, we
hastily departed from the vicinity of the plaza. All day,
after supplying Zemwa with a sedative and seeing him
drop off into a deep slumber, I watched, from the top
of the hacienda wall, the embarkation of the recruits;
then, as night came on, I saw the warship's sails go up,
and a little while afterward she quit the harbor and
NEHALEM
79
sailed away, and the event gradually faded into the past.
Now for a time there was peace in the city; then
there came a change. One morning, perhaps a week
from the time the warship set sail, while returning from
an apothecary's shop in a near-by street, where I had
gone to procure an emollient for Zemwa's wound, I
heard an excited rabble of men talking and gesticu-
lating in a way that I knew the peace and quiet of the
city was again disturbed, and I wondered if another war-
ship was come for a crew.
I drew near and soon ascertained the cause. The
flowing tide of the night had added its sixth victim by
casting a ghastly human form high on the stone steps
in the great wall at the quay.
Was it fate that the victims of the brotherhood be
cast always thus, and that, too, in the same place?
The conversation was exciting and speculative.
Not a shadow of a clue was found as from whence the
body came, nor who committed the deed. By the
clothing the body was identified as that of a Spaniard,
and various stories were soon afloat that the remains
were those of a certain government official. A new
story was told by each who repeated the news, and the
longer the matter was talked of the greater was the
variety of tales told.
Surmising what was to come, I pushed myseli
through the throng and gazed into the upturned face
of the dead. It was my benefactor-the young officer!
Like a flash Lareguie's threat flashed into mind—
he had made good his word. On but one occason
since the altercation in the streets of the week before
had I seen him. At the sight of me he slunk away.
Long did I ponder over the matter. I had thought
the murdered man far away with the warship. It
seemed in place of belonging to the vessel he was from
the esplanade at Cavite, and, from his knowledge of
the city, he had been appointed a special in helping to
gather up a crew.
Little did the excited throng know of what I was
thinking. Held in silent wonderment, they thought as
to the awful tragedy. With quaking knees I withdrew
80
NEHALE.
from the crowd and hastened homeward. In the
privacy of Zemwa's hut I told him of what I had seen
and heard.
"The ways of the evil are surely dark," said he, as I
finished. "Ah, senor," he continued, "I long to cross.
the sea again where all is peace, and where the stench
of human carrion filleth not the air. It lies with you,
senor, when I am to go
""
"Which will not be granted," I interrupted, "until
we have laid bare the workings of the brotherhood.
Zemwa, for the sake of the man that died for us, and
for the sake of humanity, we can no longer afford to
hold our peace. The secret work has gone a step too
far. When we have accomplished our end you may
depart."
1
"Of that I am agreed," said he. "But, senor, I
think it well that we know whereof we speak. So that
you may understand me, a fable I will tell: Once upon
a time, so sayeth Markala, an aged cacique, that he
might outdo his ancestors, decided upon a great harvest
feast, the like of which was never seen before in all
Montezuma's land. Now, that his people might not feast
upon common flesh, the cacique dispatched his hunters.
into the buffalo country far to the north. Now, the
hunters were lazy with fat and went neareth not the
buffalo country, but idled away the days on the bank of
a river, a day's journey from the city.
"At last the feast day came, and with it the hunters
bearing the carcass of a freshly skinned ox. Though
of great age and childish heart, yet were the cacique's
eyes much as the mouse-hawk's, keen and penetrating.
It may be that of a buffalo,' said he, pretendingly,
when the body of the ox was laid before him, 'yet I
doubt it—the hump on the shoulder is not right. To
make good your word, O mighty hunters, three things
will I require of you-the heart, the head, and the skin.
Without these three things your hearts shall be given
to the War-god, where have been offered up the hearts
of ten thousand liars before you.'
"Now, this the hunters could not do, senor, whereas
they met a liar's fate by having their yet beating hearts.
ང
NEIALEM.
Si.
thrown at the War-god's feet and their bodies cast from
the temple top. Thus would it be with us, I fear,
should we appear before the wise men of the law by
making known the secret of the brotherhood. They
might say, as did the cacique in the fable, ‘Bring us
the proof and we will hearken; otherwise your senseless
jabbering will be considered that of knaves and fools.
When my strength comes back we will explore the
casa. Something tells me that within its walls the
proof we shall find. Of one thing I would caution
you, senor: The cunning of this man Lareguie is
great; therefore it behooves us that cunning meet cun-
ning-dog meet dog. You remember his threat?"
Only too well I remembered it. Death was his
vengeance upon an enemy; and though the twelve-foot
hacienda wall separated us; yet I shuddered, so vividly
did his words come back to memory.
--Now, for a while longer did we talk together, and
when I emerged from the hut we had taken upon our-
selves a solemn vow to explore the rendezvous. We
clid it, too, though the manner in which it was done, as
the reader of the parchments will see, was not our
choice, though it served to render our vow a truthful
one.
•
CHAPTER XI.
THE ABDUCTION.
The wound in Zemwa's shoulder healed rapidly, and
in the course of twenty days he was able to give it no
more notice. As a matter of course, up to this time..
or until he was able to be about, we never ventured far-
away from the casa, during which time I had well-nigh:
forgotten the awful threat of the bandit. But I was:
soon to remember it, so nearly did the assassin carry it
out, though hardly in his appointed time.
For some weeks it had been heralded far and wide
that on a certain "fiesta" (holiday) the first of a series of
83
NEIALEM.
grand bull-fights would take place at the Plaza de
Torres. They were extremely exciting affairs, and,
being young and adventurous, our inclinations natu-
rally were for witnessing them. What gave the affair
additional interest on this occasion, however, was that
one of the toreadors, a next-door neighbor, was to make.
his first appearance in the arena. The fiesta came at
last; the whole city was thrown into a fever of excite-
ment, and long before the noon hour, though the enter-
tainment would not begin until after midday, a steady
stream of town folk were to be seen wending their way
arena-ward. Pedro, our young bull-fighter friend, had
secured seats for Zemwa and myself in advance, there-
fore no haste was required on our part. As the palm-
tree on the outside of the hacienda wall was beginning
to throw its shadow across the court, we made ready to
start; and as the governor and cortege passed up the
avenue, we, too, began to wend our way arena-ward,
by falling in behind the gay procession.
Now, as we passed up the avenue, Zemwa, stalking
ahead in grim silence (a wonderful change had come
over him since the day that the body of the young officer
was discovered, in which time he was sad for hours at
a time), we espied Lareguie some paces ahead, earnestly
talking to a number of persons. The subject under
discussion was the recent discovery of the body found
on the steps. The burly bandit was asserting in over-
bearing accents a theory of the source of the recent
crime, and those, also, of a twelvemonth before.
"One of the men cast up a year ago," he was say-
ing, "I have seen before. I knew him by his apparel
and a peculiarity about his footwear that no other man
possessed. As to the body found this day two weeks
ago being a government official, why, it's preposterous.
My idea of the crime is that the man was cast from some
passing vessel, and it so chanced that the body was
swept in by the tide. The fellow I have reference to
was a pirate, as were also the others."
At this juncture I spoke. The remembrance of the
young officer's kind act so prompted me.
7
"Senor Lareguie, what you speak is a malicious
NEHALEM.
$3
falsehood____}”
"Aye," interrupted Zemwa, his hand upon my
shoulder, "a lie that is a lie!"
"As this seems to be a free discussion," I continued,
"it is well that I say a few words.”
Lareguie's countenance fell. He was quick to rec-
ognize us, and the demon in his nature was visible as
he stood scowling down at me.
"It may be," I went on, "that none of you would say
a word in condemnation of the secret brotherhood-
All eyes were wide with astonishment.
"But I am aware of a few facts and do not falter to
say that I most implicitly believe it to be a bandit den
and from its confines the dead men came. Time will
bring more, unless I am mistaken.“
Now, before I had finished several of those present
walked rapidly away. This made it clear to us that
they were members of the brotherhood. Lareguie
remained, however, and when I finished he thundered
out:
"How dare you accuse so strongly, you young strip-
ling? You seem to know something of this brother-
hood, and may speak from the standpoint of a member.
If your statement has any weight to these men, it must
implicate you quite strongly as being in league with
the affair."
"Senor Lareguie, listen to me. I speak from the
standpoint of a keen observer. I am not a government
spy, nor do I yet lie at the bottom of the tunnel under
the casa to be cast up by the tide, but enough do I know
of this secret brotherhood that its leader has threatened
my life, and mine may be the next body to be cast up
on the stone steps."
The onlookers stood in open-mouthed astonish-
ment, while Lareguie changed color much as would a
chameleon, though on his part there was no help for it.
He was beside himself with rage. Well I knew that
once in his power no mercy would be shown me. With
many muttered curses he at last turned on his heel, and
a moment later disappeared down a side street.
"Curse you," he muttered, shaking his fist at me just
84
NEHALEM.
before turning the corner, "I have not done with you
yet. We shall meet again, senor."
Once more we continued our way, and soon after-
wards entered the arena, where we were seated on the -'
lower tier of seats overlooking the ring. The huge
amphitheater was a sea of faces-a mass of perspiring
humanity. For some little time we sat in silence listen-
ing to the droning voices, with now and then a shout of
laughter from some bright-eyed senorita; then all at
once Zemwa leaned over and whispered in my ear:
"Senor Lareguie."
I glanced upward. Ascending the stairway to the
left of the royal box, far away on the opposite side of
the amphitheater, far up in the maze of faces, was Lare-
guie's burly form, followed by, Jaques, the dwarf, and
several more disreputable-looking characters.
Now, upon being seated did Lareguie's keen eyes
sweep the multitude before him, as if in search of some
particular person; then, as if his search had met with
reward, I saw him settle back in his seat, at the same
time pointing Zemwa and myself out to his villainous
companions.
The bull-fights commenced: the afternoon waned.
Not once during the entire time did Lareguie's eyes
lcave our corner, but burnt themselves steadily upon us.
much as a steady-burning taper. Was the man a mes-
merist? What secret power did he exert over us to
draw our attention away from the hitherto exciting
arena fights? As it was, we sat as if in a spell, oblivi-
ous for what we came, to what was going on.
The ring
swam before my eyes, the hoarse bellowing of infuriated
bulls, the shouts of the banderillos, the huzzas of the
assembly, were lost to me in that burning gaze.
Not until there sounded a shriek of pain was the
spell broken. Just below us in the ring, goaded to the
fury of a thousand devils by a dozen stinging banneret
shafts, a great bull had come to a stóp. Under the
infuriated animal's feet was a human body. Being
directly under us, we had no difficulty in recognizing the
bespangled gold and silvered man. It was Pedro!
Through some ill-luck he had been impaled on the
1
NEHALEM.
85
beast's great horns and thence dashed to the ground,
where his body was being reduced to a shapeless mass
by the ponderous head.
The arena ring was the scene of the wildest confu-
sion, toreadors, banderillos and attendants rushing
frantically about, calling on the saints to spare the
unfortunate young man. Only one man in that vast
assemblage kept his head-that man was Zemwa. As
the bull's great head came down with crushing force for
the third time on the shrieking man, the African started
up; the next moment he was in the arena ring, tall,
lithe and handsome, facing with fearless eyes the infu-
riated bull.
A hush like the quiet in the city of the dead fell over
the spectators at the act. Then, as the bull raised its
head and charged, a low rumbling note of warning in
its brawny throat, the six-foot iron bar which Zemwa
had wrenched from the barricade as he vaulted into the
ring fell with a crash between the wide-spreading
horns, felling the great beast stone dead. Then a great
shout that was deafening went up from a thousand
throats:
"Bravo! bravo! It's the black man from over the
sea!"
Ere the shout had died away, in which time I had
gained his side, Zemwa bore Pedro's insensible body
across the ring, and thence through the narrow gate-
way to the outside of the arena. A venerable, white-
haired, Esculapius of medico was hastily summoned.
After an examination of Pedro's injuries, the physician
turned to the quickly gathering throng that poured
through the gate and asked:
"Who among you knows the toreador?"
I stepped forward.
"Senor," said he, gravely, "this is, in my opinion, a
very serious case; the end inay come within an hour,
maybe sooner, and, as the young man's parents are not
present. I think it prudent that they be summoned.
In what portion of the city to they reside, senor?
Good! By taking the short cut through the town you
can quickly bear them the news, and they may, per-
85
NEHALEM
1
haps, reach his side in time. You will go by the way
of the long alley.":
The "long alley" was a place to be avoided, as it
led through the disreputable portion of the city where
roughs and thieves held forth, hence I was loth to go
that way. Seeing that I hesitated, the physician asked:
"Have you not a friend that will accompany you
thither?"
[
"Yes, senor, one, that will stand by him," said
Zemwa, stepping to my side. "Hurrying feet will soon
take us through the alley, but Zemwa dislikes it; its
way is dismal and dark, but it saves many steps and
methinks Senor Esculapius is right in bidding us to
take of it."
is
Now, while Zemwa was yet speaking, Lareguie's
tall form edged its way through the throng, where he
stood just back of the African. His object in mov-
ing near was no doubt for the purpose of overhearing
what was said. For a moment he stood thus; then, as
the throng made way that we might depart, he slunk
away.
Had our faculties been fully alive to the incident
of the early afternoon, we might have hesitated ere
taking any route save one most public, regardless of
the fact that a friend lay dying: Had we done this,
another exciting incident could not have been here
recorded. With my hand in that of Zemwa's, as
though a child being hurried along by a parent or
older brother, we hastened, almost ran, through the
gloomy confines where thieves and murderers held
their sway.
Suddenly our progress was barred by three burly
figures stepping out of a side street into the alley. It
was Lareguie and two assistants. All were armed with
both muskets and machetes. Simultaneously as many
more closed in behind. Farther down the alley, in
the shadow of the building, was Jaques, the dwarf.
Now, as I looked, I recognized in the 'trio ahead two
of the figures I had seen ascending the arena stairs in
company with Lareguie early in the afternoon. The
bandit had taken advantage of what he had overheard
"
NEHALEM.
87
and had dogged our footsteps.
"Halt!" came his gruff command, accompanied by
the click of the muskets.
Now, Zemwa was quick of tongue. His natural
bravery, commandable at all times and places, under
any and all circumstances, at once showed itself. He
was quick to perceive that a bold front meant much to
us-most likely our lives-so he said fearlessly:
"What means this detention, O man of the law?
Knowest thou not that we are bearers of a message
from his excellency the governor, and thy head may
be the price in thus detaining us?"
Though he had uttered a falsehood, which, by the
way, was the first, though I heard him utter one
other, the last I ever heard pass his lips, his words
were of no avail, for no sooner had he finished than
Lareguie turned and addressed him furiously:
"Enough of your mouthings, you black devil!
Down and be bound, or I will give orders for my men
to puncture your sable-colored frame with musket
balls. You are at last in my power, and unless you
submit quietly your miserable lives will be cut short
at once. Down, I say!" and with poised musket he
advanced threateningly, as if to brain the denseless
man before him.
At Lareguie's words Zemwa's eyes flashed fire.
The lessons of forbearance taught him were now lost
in the flame of rage that burnt within his breast. He
had nothing with which to defend himself, however,
and 'fully realized how futile would be an encounter
with six burly ruffians, three of whom had come up
in the meantime.
"Senor Lareguie, hear me," he said. "Once you
were as much at my mercy as I now am at yours; yea,
twice could I have ended your life, had I desired it.
A man whose head is empty of brains could easily see
that I am no match for your armed mob, but lay down
your weapons, and one at a time will I give battle.
Give me a chance for my life.”
"You black devil," said Lareguie, lowering his
musket, "if you at all value your life you will do well to
88
NEHALEM.
put a stopper to that wagging tongue. You ask that
a chance be granted you for your life. A pretty fool
would I be to grant it-ayė, a pretty fool, indeed! I
know too well your ability as a battelist. Besides, you
know too much, and for that knowledge you possess
you shall no longer harass my path. Down with them,
men, and bind them well!”,
Two burly ruffians advanced on the African. Fool-
hardy act! Like a flash his arm flew out and the
leader was sent sprawling on the pavement, two lengths
away. Then, with a rush, the mob closed in and
Zemwa went down.
I might have fled, and by a chance escaped, but
not while my faithful companion remained would I go.
My limbs were also bound, and together we were hur-
ried away into a denser, gloomier locality. Then, at,
Lareguie's orders, the men, save the one whom
Zemwa had felled at his feet, dispersed.
It was in one of the narrowest of alleys that we were
halted—a stench-reeking alley of the vilest description.
That we might not call out and attract the attention of
passers-by in the avenue we had just quitted, we were
stood up at the point of the bayonet, against the stone
wall of a building. The least outcry on our part would
have resuled, no doubt, in having the wall behind us
bespattered with our brains.
In this manner an hour passed away; then, as the
shades of night began to settle over the city, we were
hurried away from the locality by the repeated thrusts
of Lareguie's bayonet. We soon saw our destination.
It was the rendezvous of the brotherhood, and the
thoughts of the fate of the poor wretch whom we had
witnessed thrown into the tunnel through the trap-
door began to cross my mind. Would ours be the
same? Time would tell. Arriving at the building,
Lareguie advanced, and, taking a huge bunch of keys
from his girdle, unlocked the heavy doors. Then,
wincing under his final thrust, we crossed the thresh-
old, the door swung to, there was a click of a rusty
lock, and we were in the domain of the brotherhood,
from whence went out the spark of life of the young
officer who died for us.
NEHALEM.
80
***
CHAPTER XII.
BEFORE THE COUNCIL OF THE BROTHERHOOD,
Once inside the room, I began to gaze about me.
As well as I could make out by the uncertain light, we
had entered a great storeroom, for cases and casks of
all varieties and shapes were to be seen in profusion.
It was a startling revelation, and was, as Zemwa and
myself had rightly conjectured months before, the
hot-bed of a pirate den. Only too well did we know
that the plunder, piled ceiling high in places, was
pirate booty taken from various merchant vessels
reported to have gone down on the reefs outside the
harbor.
We were not permitted to remain any great length
of time in the plunder room. Presently the door
opened and Lareguie and his companion entered. In
grim silence they crossed the room to where a small
side door was set in the thick partition. This they
opened, disclosing a small apartment with rough, unfin-
ished stone walls. High up near the ceiling in the
north wall was a tiny opening, heavily barred, through
which a bar of light, made by the rising moon, shone in.
"Now, you black dog." shouted Lareguie into
Zemwa's ear, as we entered the latter room, "I have
you where I want you; your day of doom has come.
Yes, and you, too, you sniveling brat." giving me a
slap in the face with his heavy hand. "Do you know,
my pampered pet of aristocracy," pushing me violently
away, "that I have had an eye on you for some time?
Well, I have, and had you not this day set your clip-
per-clapper tongue to going over a matter that does
not concern you-of which in some strange manner
you have gained an inkling-all would have gone well;
as the case now stands, you have gained a just reward.
Temescal," turning to the man at his side. "is it not
time that the death knell be sounded?”
"It is time," was Temescal's reply.
"Then sound the tocsin."
90
NEHALEN
Now, at the word there came the tinkle of a far-
away sounding bell, followed by a hair-raising,
voluminous din. Subsequently we ascertained that
Temescal had caused it by pressing a hidden spring in
the floor which set a hammer to pounding against a
huge piece of steel on the ceiling.
With the ceasing of the hammer taps, Lareguie
produced two bandages which he bound tightly
across our eyes.
"Now," said he, in an awful whisper, "we will take
the march to the room of the dead."
Three times we made the circuit of the room to the
measured taps of the tocsin, to at last come to a halt in
the center of the room. Then, striding forward, Lare-
guie gave a series of peculiar taps on the wall with a
heavy bludgeon which he carried in his hand. Imme-
diately three answering taps were heard, followed by
a noise as if made by a sliding door. Later events
proved this surmise correct, but so artfully concealed
was the door that but for knowledge of its presence.
the keenest eye would never discern it. As the door
moved out, a heavy voice broke the stillness:
"Who comes there?"
"Two pilgrims who have journeyed far, and are now
desirous of taking the Water Route," answered Lare-
guie.
"Are they worthy," said the first voice, in a mock-
ing tone, "of the honor about to be given to them?"
"They are," was Lareguie's reply.
"For what were they brought to the judgment
hall?"
"For knowing too much."
}
"A grievous crime is that, of knowing too much.
Let them enter into the presence of the Sacred Circle
and there explain to the master of this, our holy
brotherhood, where they gained such knowledge."
"Let them enter," echoed Lareguie.
With that we were ushered unceremoniously, or as
fast as our trembling knees would allow, into the adja-
cent room, and a moment later felt the jar of the
heavy door as it swung noiselessly into place.
NEHALEM.
91
す
​"Take the prisoners to the pit-hole, and there their
eyes unbind that they may gaze on the crimson cur-
tain."
That voice! Surely I had heard it on a former
occasion. But where? It was not that of the sentry.
Now, as we stepped forward, our footsteps giving
back a hollow sound, a startling revelation dawned
upon us. We were directly over the tunnel!. The
thoughts of it started cold beads of perspiration cours-
ing down my cheeks. How many minutes would
elapse before our dead bodies would be hurled head-
long through the trap-door, as that of the government
spy of a twelvemonth before? Time would tell.
In response to the order given by the owner of the
unknown voice, the bandages were slipped from our
eyes. It was fully a minute, however, owing to the
powerful light made by a hundred gleaming tapers,
before our range of vision became accustomed to our
whereabouts. Then we saw what manner of place
we had entered, it being that of a long, narrow room
or hall, with a very low ceiling. Suspended from the
inner roof, set out some three feet from the wall,
reaching to within twenty inches of the floor and
extending thence around the room, was a heavy cur-
tain of the deepest crimson hue. Traced thereon,
about the height of a man's eyes, in sitting posture, was
a row of hideously painted faces of hob-goblin-like
proportions and expressions. Projecting from
beneath the curtain were a hundred pairs of human
knees; through the gaping, staring eye-holes, or slits in
the vermilion-painted faces, a hundred pairs of human
eyes watched our every movement. At our feet
yawned the open trap-dark, foul-smelling and forbid-
ding.
Presently, as we stood there quaking with fear, the
curtain at the farther end of the apartment was drawn
quickly to one side, revealing a raised dais, surmounted
by a grinning, ghastly human skeleton. On the dais.
was a chair of state. Seated thereon, a smile of satis-
faction on his leering, treacherous, cadaverous, yellow
face, was the owner of the unknown voice-Jaques, the
92
NEHALEM.
dwarf.
Not a sound save the steady drip, drip of falling
water, dropping into the tunnel from some far-away
quarter, broke the stillness. Though Lareguie had dis-
missed his companions prior to entering the casa for
the purpose that a full attendance of the brotherhood
might be assembled, the place might have been the field
of the dead, and Jaques a leering statue of stone, so
quiet was it. But presently the quiet was disturbed
by the unearthly racket of the tocsin, and, to add to the
horrors of the place, the lights suddenly went out, leav-
ing us in darkness. Then we witnessed a sight that
caused our blood to run chill.
Far down the room, coming toward us with a sway-
ing, swinging motion, with outstretched arms, its bony
frame lit up by a phosphorescent glow, its bony knees
clanking together, its sightless eye-sockets lit up by
two living balls of fire, was the skeleton! On, slowly
on, it came, until but the yawning pit hole lay between
us. Then, with one bony hand pointing down into the
inky hole, the horrid face bent forward and peering into
ours, the lipless mouth seemed to give forth a fiendish
laugh, which had no more than died away than the
skeleton bounded high into the air, and, with many a
clank of bone, sailed away to the far end of the room
and resumed its place on the wall above the chair of
state, and, as suddenly as they had gone out, the lights
came on again.
With the relighting of the room, Jaques rosc.
"Companions of the brotherhood, we have here two
unhappy mortals charged with the grave crime of
'knowing too much.' What is your pleasure in regard
to them?"
Came the answer from behind the curtain:
"Let them go the Water Route, where went the spies
and traitors before them!"
"Shall it be at once, O brothers of the Holy Broth-
erhood?"
"At once," came the answer.
"No!" thundered Lareguie, striding forward and
addressing Jaques, "it shall not be at once! Let us
NEHALEM.
93
་
question them, and ascertain, if possible, what they
know, and where and in what manner the information
they possess was obtained. Our future success-yea,
even the safety of our lives-depends upon our having
this knowledge. If not for this, thinkest thou I would
have called you together? Two men can do a killing
as well as a hundred."
His words had the intended effect..
"Our brother speaks with wisdom," said a deep
voice far down the hall. "Let the prisoners be ques-
tioned."
"So mote it be," echoed a hundred voices.
We were then hastened toward the dais.
"Senor," whispered Zemwa, and his voice was won-
derfully, calm for a man who already stood under the
shadow of death, "the veil of everlasting night is near
at hand. The place that knows us now may, perhaps,
soon know us no more forever. Such being the case,
no good would there come of it were we to tell what
we know I think it best to hold our peace. Dost not
thou agree with me?”
Jaques' eyes were upon me. I could only bow my
head. Zemia understood. "It is well, senor, that
thou hast so decided; it is well."
With Lareguie's tall form on one side, and his com-
panion on the other, we were brought to a standstill
before Jaques' throne. Then, after the question had
heen put as to where we gained the information, did
Zemwa drew himself to his full height, and, with flashing
eyes and with a tongue that cut like a lash, give back
the answer as only a brave man, under the circum-
stances, could:
"You threaten us with death, O takers of innocent
lives! What is death to those whose hearts are pure
but the passing of the spirit over the spider-web bridge
which spans the River of Life, where stalk the shadowy
forms of my ancestors, basking in the sunlight of
glorious immortality? Yes, so sayeth Markala, the
witch doctor. The eyes of the righteous are keen,
and though you cut short our earthly lives, yet will the
privilege be granted us to lift the Veil of Death to
1
94
NEHALEM.
behold your dead bodies floating with the current in the
River of Damnation, with the birds of the air making
merry over your putrid flesh, as you are borne ever on
toward the great sea of Perdition. This is not all.
The parents of my little master, as well as others
throughout the City of Wisdom, know a few things
which they keepeth to themselves, and the day is not
far distant when this brotherhood will be a thing of
the past-yea, a thing of the past. How do I know
these things? Well, it matters not; they are true.
Listen, O man of iniquity, and I am done-I will have
my say: The walls of the casa may crumble to pow-
der; the fishes of the sea may feast on my rotting ribs
until they are fleshless; the breath of life may be cut off
forever before my lips shall tell. I have spoken."
3
There was a kingly bearing in Zemwa's pose, a
touch of eloquence and determination in his mellow
voice that carried conviction with his words. Death
had no terrors for him. A shade of annoyance passed
over Lareguie's face; he was quick to discern that the
present method of gaining the desired information was
useless. Stepping forward, he conversed with Jaques
in a low tone for a moment. Then the worthy master
of the brotherhood-I say worthy, for he certainly
merited the appellation-addressed the intrepid man
before him:
"If the opportunity were granted both yourself and
the spying brat at your side to go your way in
peace, what then?"
Zemwa doggedly shook his head.
"It is better to die than to trust a serpent," was his
firm reply.
"Then we will try harsher measures," said Jaques.
"Do you know, Lareguie, I am half inclined to believe
the suspect in the dungeon is in league with the twain?
At any rate, to see him sent into the next world by the
Water Route will have its influence in loosening the
black man's stubborn tongue."
With that Jaques' hand closed over a cord sus-
pended from the ceiling; then, giving Lareguie a know-
ing look, he gave the cord a sharp pull, and, as on a
NEHALEN
95
former occasion, we were left in darkness by the tapers
dropping noiselessly through the floor.
Now for a time there was silence; so intense was it
that the suppressed breathing of the members behind
the curtain was audible, sounding not unlike the sough-
ing of the sea on a summer's day. But presently the
quiet was again broken by Lareguie's harsh voice:
"Bring forth the prisoner from the Place of Fire."
Then, to add to the horrors of the place, the grating
of iron fell on our ears, accompanied by a far-away
roaring sound as of a burning forest.
For the space of five long minutes-endless, they
seemed did the roaring sound keep up; then there
came a change, a startling one. Where Jaques had
sat, a door in the wall suddenly flew open and the
somber-hued, grewsome-faced curtain was lit up by a
brilliant, hair-scorching flame of fire.
It was a withering blast-that made by the spark-
producing furnace to be seen through the narrow-
portaled doorway-and we shrank away from its fiery
embrace.
Would the wonders of the place never cease? For
what were those long, red-hot irons used, which several
half-nude men were continually thrusting into the
flames? Alas! we were soon to know.
Presently the slamming of a door sounded above.
the rush and roar of flame, and a second later there
emerged through the portal of the doorway to the Place
of Fire a gaunt, emaciated creature, such as one would
picture in a hideous nightmare. Indeed, the skeleton
on the wall was more pleasing to the eye than this
unhappy mortal of man's brutality, and as we gazed
on the bloodless, skinny hands, white and clammy look-
ing, which went up to the pitiful face to ward off the
terrific glare of flame, we turned away, sick at heart.
To hasten his progress, two guards took fiendish glee
in pricking his bare shoulders with the red-hot irons,
fresh from the furnace, at which the tottering wretch
would cry out with pain, the sight of which would have
caused the angels in heaven to weep.
Striding quickly forward, Lareguie placed his
05
NEHALE
brawny hand on the doomed man's shoulder. From
the questions put to him it was easy to see that he was
a member of the brotherhood and had in some manner
-perhaps as we, of "knowing too much"-gained the
ill-will of his accomplices. At any rate, it was useless
to question him. The horrors to which he had no
doubt been subjected during his incarceration, and
knowing the fate in store for him, led to reason's down-
fall, and in a short time he had become a raving
maniac. Seeing the futility of further questioning.
Jaques gave the cord a pull, the furnace-room door to
the Place of Fire closed with a crash, and we were once
more in lightness.
Then, to crown the horrors of the night, we wit-
nessed the brotherhood's method, in sending a victim.
over the Water Route. The struggling, mercifully
reason-dethroned wretch was halted at the edge of the
pit-hole. Then Lareguie reached out with his left hand
and his powerful fingers closed with an iron grip
around his victim's throat; his right arm-the bludgeon
still retained in his great hand-went up, and, with a
power that would have felled an ox, the heavy instru-
ment crashed squarely between the other's eyes and the
deed was done. Ere the sigh of satisfaction that went
up from all parts of the room had died away, the dead
body was taken up and hurled headlong through the
trap-door and the cap replaced.
"Now, senor," thundered the murderer, turning,
fiercely on Zemwa, "will you or will you not unloosen
that stubborn tongue? A similar fate is in store for
you, should you still deny us.”
Before replying Zemwa drew himself to his full
stature.
"Senor Lareguie," was his fearless reply, "I have
already spoken; you have had my reply."
Twice did Lareguie raise the bludgeon, twice I
expected to hear the sickening thud and see the floor
strewn with Zemwa's brains; but, contrary to expecta-
tion, the death-dealing instrument was pitched to one
side.
"Brothers of the most high brotherhood," said the
C
NEHALEM.
97
bandit, taking his place beside Jaques on the dais, "we
are checkmated; the only alternative left us to gain what
the outside world may know is to try-
>>
"Starvation!" interrupted a hundred voices.
"Aye," echoed Lareguie, "starvation. Twenty days
and twenty nights will no doubt bring about the
desired result. But a word of caution: Henceforth
it is necessary that we use more than due caution in all
our proceedings, for a hue and cry will be raised when
the prisoners turn up missing, which will result, if the
black has told a truthful tale, in a thorough search of
the casa by the young brat's relatives. To avoid any
such unpleasantness we will do nothing further this
night, leaving the prisoners to rest best they can in the
north room, with the master of the brotherhood as
guard. Tomorrow night, however, we will meet again
at the usual hour and our inquisitive friends be spirited
away to-
"
"The secret cave in the hills," interrupted Jaques,
giving the cord a pull-the signal of dismissal.
One by one the members made exit by passing
through the doorway into the Place of Fire, and in a
short time Jaques, Lareguie, Temescal, Zemwa and
myself were the sole occupants of the room.
"Verily, Lareguie," said Jaques in English, as the
last man disappeared, "thou art cunning."
"Yes," answered Lareguie in the same tongue, as
Temescal threw open the secret door for our exit into
the north room, "the ruse worked admirably. Had the
maudlin-headed brothers surmised I was playing for a
heavy ransom from the youngster's parents, this place
would have been turned into a veritable hell, indeed
Little of the secret cave will the prisoners ever see. The-
ransom money once in our hands-you know how we-
are to get it without turning over the prize-some-
cordage and two heavy stones- Well, you know
the rest; a body with a sinker to it never floats. But,
by the way, Jaques, it is time we were beginning oper-
ations. As Temescal knows nothing of our plans, I
will place him on the outside to keep out any brothers
intrusively inclined. You are to remain in this room
98
NEHALEM.
!
1
with the prisoners. No? Then do as you like, of
course. The plunder room is the pleasanter of the two,
to be sure. At midnight I will be in the tunnel with
the plunder boat; then we will carry out our intentions
as planned this afternoon. As to our brothers, should
they become too inquisitive, just leave that to me. So
far I apprehend no danger in the scheme. The open
door, yourself bound and gagged, and Temescal lying
in a stupor in the doorway-I will present him with a
flask of drugged wine which will do the work—will
help bear out the impression that the birds have flown.
Before being off, Jaques, I will give the prisoners the
freedom of the room-too long a stoppage of circula-
tion might prove detrimental to our plans-then I will
away for the boat."
Ah! that blessed English language! To this day,
thanks be to my honored preceptor, Stanislaus Moreno,
a sense of gratitude wells up from my inmost heart to
be the possessor of such a priceless boon. The
thoughts that we were to be taken away from the hated
place; that a new lease of life was to be thus granted
us, in which time we might effect our escape (my heart
bounded at the thought), acted as a stimulant in dis-
pelling the lethargy of gloom, and, as Lareguie drew
his machete and severed the cords about my wrists, I
nearly fainted away out of sheer joy.
The bandit was quick to observe my look of elation.
"Curse you," he shouted, catching me by the neck
and swinging me across the room, where I landed in a
heap against the wall, "your face will wear a different
look before I am through with you."
}
"How is it?" Jaques asked (he now spoke in his
native tongue). "Do you think it safe to thus trust
them? They might succeed in locating the secret door;
once in the throne room their access to the outside
world would be an easy matter."
"Have no fear on that score," Lareguie replied, as
he severed Zemwa's fetters. "They might search for it
-aye, search until the black turns white, and then not
be rewarded."
With that Lareguie opened the door to the plunder
?
I
NEHALEM.
99
room; then the three men passed over the threshold, the
door closed, the key grated in the lock, and I, the chron-
icler, Don Emanuel Zapata, whose jet-black hair had
whitened through fear in a short hour's time in witness-
ing the foulest of crimes of which mankind is capable-
that of taking a human life-was left alone with my
companion whose memory is ever dear to me-Zemwa,
the African.
1
1
CHAPTER XIII.
THE BATTLE IN THE TUNNEL.
}
The ablest mind will sometimes err; the most per-
fect man will at times do that which is not in keeping
with his knowledge; the most experienced rogue will
in some unguarded act suffer capture and punishment.
Lareguie, in the excitement, had for once in his life-
time neglected an important thing. Strangely enough,
he had not so much as requested us to deliver over
what articles or weapons we might have upon our
persons.
Now, no sooner were we left alone than I explained
to Zemwa the meaning of the foreign conversation
carried on in our presence; then it was that his face lit
up with joy and he drew from his garments a metallic
spike, beveled to an edge at one end, which the captain
of the galleon that carried him across the sea had given
him two years before. One of the African's peculiari-
ties was that any article given him by one of high rank,
such as a ship's officer or a government official, was
highly prized; in fact, his cloak was the repository for
a number of gifts, hence the spike being in his posses-
sion that day.
"With this, senor, we will yet escape to the outside
world—yea, we will live to see justice do its work. If
the dog Lareguie is as slow in coming as thou hast
heard in the strange language, plenty of time is be-
100
NEHALEM.
fore us in which to reach the tunnel. From there we
will enter the bay, and
""
"But the secret door," I interposed. "To accom-
plish such a feat as thou hast mentioned, we must first
need find it."
"Nay, senor, the secret door availeth nothing. My
plan is to cheat the rogues by picking through the
wall."
"Then why not, in place of picking through the par-
tition, try yonder window?" and I pointed to the moon-
lit aperture. "Surely it would be a much less difficult
feat, Zemwa.”
"Yes," was his reply, "much easier; but there's dan-
ger in the venture. Lareguie's spies are as plentiful as
the blow-fly at a carrion pile. No, the venture is too
great to risk; therefore we will begin operations over
there where the moonlight strikes the wall. If my ears
have not played me false, it is there the secret door we
shall find.
"Once inside the room where the little man with the
evil eye holds forth," he went on, "our mode of egress
will be an easy matter; once inside the tunnel, still
easier. Senor," and Zemwa laid his swollen hand on
my shoulder, "before the great father of the Sun-god
shall show his mighty eye, before the dawn has come,
Lareguie, the murderer, and he with the evil eye, whose
back is like that of a buffalo calf, shall be turned over to
the officers of the law, or my spirit shall have been
gathered to my forefathers. You remember the fable
of the cacique's feast?
"Well," he went on, "in yonder room is the proof-
the proof to convict. This night the brotherhood shall
end forever. Nay, you judge me wrong; I do not speak
in riddles. One blow with the spike as the pirate dog
passes up the tunnel, where I shall be in hiding on the
bank much as a night owl watches for prey, and the
thing is done."
I at once divined his intentions. It was to over-
power the bandit, and then spirit him away in the boat
and turn him over to the authorities; as to how he was
to effect Jaques' capture I could only guess.
NEHALEN
101
"If it should come to pass, senor, that my blow is
heavy, or that the edge of the spike should penetrate
the vitals, it matters but little to me. True, many,
many virtues have you taught me, little master, but
from this night on, forbearance ceases to be a virtue.
If I gain my end, we will take Senor Lareguie to the
haunted casa, and there keep him until the break of
day, or until my little master returns with the officers
of the law."
Now, for a time longer did we carry on a hurried,
whispered conversation; then, as a sound reached us
from the next room which told us that the dwarf was
off his guard-his resonant breathing told us he had
dropped off into a deep slumber-Zemwa tip-toed
across the room and began operations for our liberty,
by removing the mortar from between the stones on the
moonlit wall.
Posted at the door to give the alarm in case the
sleeper should awaken, I watched with beating heart
the African's deft fingers. The scenes of that night
shall live in my memory forever. The bits of stone
and mortar that fell away from the edge of the spike
sounded to my high-wrought imaginative ears like the
falling of mighty boulders from a great height into
some deep, echoing canyon.
Faster and faster Zemwa worked. Much depended
on those great hands-it meant either life or death.
So he pushed and tore, tugged and jammed at the
masonry like some wild beast, filling the room with a
suffocating cloud of dust. Would his efforts meet
with success?
A half hour wore away. A cloud passed over the
face of the moon; the worker was left in darkness.
Then I heard a sound that near caused me to cry out
in terror. In his haste, as he pryed and twisted at
the stones in the wall, Zemwa in some manner made
a blunder and the spike fell with a crash on the floor!
Had the sleeper heard? I pressed my ear closer to the
door. My heart stood still.
The heavy breathing was no longer audible!
Now, as I stood there, my ear riveted to the panel,
102
NEHALEM.
my heart-beats sounding like muffled drum-taps,
expecting every moment to be challenged by the, as,
I thought, awakened sentry, or to have the door
thrown suddenly open and to have his hideous face
thrust into mine, a reassuring sound fell on my ear.
It was the continuation of the resonant breathing.
J
With a thankful, heart I turned me about. Just
then the cloud drifted from across the face of the
moon. Then, as the rays again fell on the rough,
uneven wall, I near shouted with joy at the sight I
beheld! In his grasp Zemwa held a great squared
stone, which he had no more than removed from the
partition than there sounded an ominous click of a
spring, and a moment later the room in which we
stood was illuminated by a blinding light, let in from'
the judgment hall through the now opened sliding
door! In their exit from the judgment hall the ban-
dits had forgotten to extinguish the tapers.
Now did the African, stone in hand, stealthily ap-
proach me, and a second later his burthen was depos-
ited between the door-jambs leading into the plunder
room. Jaques, in case an outcry was raised, was to
be shut out. The scheme was a commendable one, and
in a few minutes' time, by our united efforts, the door-
way was a solid mass of masonry. Without Zemwa's
great strength we could have never accomplished the
feat, for to lift the 200-pound stones which we took
from the now weakened partition would have been by
no means an easy task for two ordinary men, and
when the undertaking was complete, so well did the
stones fit in place that it would have taken the strength
of a half-dozen 'men to dislodge them.
The doorway being blocked, we then passed into
the judgment hall, and straightway to the dais Zemwa
strode. The horribly traced faces on the crimson
curtain seemed to stare in speechless amazement at the
unholy intrusion; the skeleton on the wall seemed to
smile, as it hung there motionless and still the smile
of a demon.
From the dais Zemwa strode to the door to the
Place of Fire. This he opened and entered.
A
NEHALEM.
103
moment later he reappeared, a rope-ladder in his hand.
"It is a horrible place to enter, where dead men
lie," said he, removing the trap to the trap-door, “yet
it is our only salvation. I will first see, however," he
said, as he fastened the ends of the ladder to two rings
in the floor, "what sort of a place it is down there. It
may be, to gain the outside world, we will be com-
pelled to do as water-dogs-swim for it. As my eyes
are not those of a cat or owl, a light we must have,"
and stepping to the dais he gave the cord a pull.
How it was the tocsin was not 'set going. I know
not; as it was, however, his quick mind had judged
well the workings of the cord, for the tapers shot
down, and with their falling the inky tunnel was lit
up as bright as day. Having the tapers so arranged
answered the brotherhood a two-fold purpose-that
of lighting both the judgment hall and the tunnel.
Upon peering down into the now lighted tunnel,
we beheld a most gratifying sight-being a wooden
footway, consisting of two heavy beams placed side by
side along the right bank of the tunnel, and reaching
thence out under the archway in the city wall. We
both breathed a sigh of relief; we would not be com-
pelled to "swim for it." With the spike be een his
teeth, Zemwa silently descended the ladder and stepped
upon the float. A moment later I followed.
It had often been a source of speculation as to what
caused the dead bodies hurled into the tunnel to be
carried out into the bay; but now, as we stepped on the
pontoon, the mystery was explained. At the upper
end of the tunnel was a solidly constructed · water-
gate. With the ebbing of the tide the tunnel was no
doubt left dry, and when a flushing was necessary to
remove the accumulations placed there the gate was
opened, letting in a great volume of water from a
near-by lagoon.
No flushing had been done lately, however, as two
or three bloated bodies were to be seen floating about.
Now, we had no more than stepped on the float
than Zemwa's keen ears detected a far-away sound,
as if some one had parted the branches at the edge
104
3/
NEHALEM.
}
of the bay and was entering the tunnel. To be dis-
covered thus with the lights burning meant danger, if
not death.
+
Hastily Zemwa bounded up the ladder and scram-
bled through the trap-door, and a moment later the
tunnel was left in darkness. He was none too soon,
either, for he had no more than again reached my
side than a faint light appeared far down the tunnel,
and a moment later the nose of the plunder boat shot
out from under the archway in the wall. It now be-
came necessary to secrete ourselves. Near where we
stood a portion of the bank had tumbled in, leaving
a place large enough for the admittance of two men,
in which he hastily entered.
}
The approaching boat was now so near we could
hear the dip of the paddle as it rose and fell. In the
prow burnt a taper. Back of the taper, his villainous
face lit up by the glare, stood Lareguie's colossal
form.
"Glory be to the great spirit of the Sun-god, who
has this night heard my prayer," whispered Zemwa.
"It is the dog of hell, who would do my little master
harm-aye," and his teeth flew together like the jaws
of a trap, “a dog of hell!"
Just then Lareguie muttered to himself:
"Holy saints, but I was sure I saw a light. Who
could be in the tunnel tonight? It could not be the
black devil and his companion. Ah! no; they are in
safe keeping, and ere long will be food for the fishes."
Then, speaking loudly, he called out:
"Jaques, Jaques, are you there?"
Receiving no answer, he came slowly on. As the
little craft continued to draw near, I could feel Zemwa's
great hand tremble as it rested on my shoulder. A.
little while longer and the tale would be told as to
whether we were to be cast up by the tide as the
other unfortunates, or, on our own accord, as free men.
On, slowly on, came the boat. So near was it
now that the feeble rays of the taper lit up the
clay at our feet, and I could have almost reached
out and touched the murderer with my hand. The
NEHALEM.
105
dip of the paddle was the only sound that broke the
stillness. The form of Zemwa, rigid and intense, glit-
tering spike in hand, stood outlined against the taper
light like an avenging spirit, awaiting the time to
strike.
Now for a second time, as the boat came abreast
us, did Lareguie call out:
"Jaques, Jaques, are you there?"
"No, dog of hell!" thundered a voice, that of
Zemwa, "Jaques is not here; but Zemwa, from Monte-
zuma's land, is!"
Seldom, if ever, have I witnessed such a look as
came over Lareguie's face as Zemwa's words rang out.
His affrighted eyes were something awful to behold.
The curdling screech that followed, as the African's
lithe body shot into the boat, echoed and re-echoed
like the laugh of a fiend in the regions of the damned.
The struggle that followed was a terrific one.
Lareguie evidently realized that it was a fight to the
death, for he fought with desperation born of a wild
beast. It is more than likely he mistook Zemwa's
glittering spike for a machete, for he caught the lat-
ter's arm, and soon they were in each other's embrace,
rolling over and over in the bottom of the craft.
One minute they were forward, the next minute
aft. Curses and snarls and splintering of wood filled
the air. The lighted taper swayed and dipped on its
crazy perch. A dozen times the boat shipped water;
a dozen times I looked for the bottom of the craft to
go out from under the combatants.
Once Lareguie had Zemwa down, his great hand
about his throat, until the African's eyes stood out
like two living balls of fire. Then, to retaliate, Zemwa
drove the spike deep into the other's face, and as the
crimson tide welled forth Lareguie loosened his hold.
In the twinkling of an eye Zemwa was the upper man;
then it was-carried away by the fury that consumed
his heart-the African came nigh doing murder; but
as the gleaming spike was about to fall, the life of
Lareguie, the murderous wretch, was mercifully spared
by the overturning of the boat.
+
106
NEHALEM.
恿
​Then, waist deep in water-the tide was ebbing fast
-did the two men struggle for the mastery. To me
it seemed an age. The light was out and I could only
hear occasional curses amid the violent combat. Each
man was breathing heavily.
"Take that, you pirate dog, and that, and that,
and that!"
It was the voice of Zemwa, followed by a sickening
thud, a groan of agony, and the battle in the tunnel
was over.
}
2
{
CHAPTER XIV.
THE DEPARTURE OF ZEMWA.
Almost immediately I was bidden by Zemwa to
hasten up the ladder into the judgment hall, that I
might set the lights a-going. As quickly as possible.
I clambered upward and pulled myself through the
trap-door into the room reeking with murder; then I
noiselessly groped my way across the floor and gave
the cord a pull. Upon my return to the taper-lighted
tunnel I was overjoyed to see the African standing
over the limp form of the bandit as it rested on the
pontoon.
Lareguie was far from being a dead man. True,
the wound caused by the spike was a ghastly one,
extending from the lower point of the left ear to the
point of the chin-a wound the marks of which he
would carry for life.
Before quitting the tunnel, Zemwa bound the ban-
dit's arms and placed a gag securely between his mass-
ive jaws; then the plunder boat was righted and Lare-
guie was placed therein, and ere he regained con-
sciousness we were out in the blue waters of Manila
bay, for the haunted casa bound.
Day was breaking ere we reached our destination.
By the time we had beached the boat and removed
NEHALEM.
107
the debris from the long-disused tunnel and had hauled
the stubborn prisoner into the moldy cellar, the sun
was well above the city.
Then, leaving Zemwa on guard, I hastened home-
ward. By his advice I told my father all that had
transpired, from beginning to end. Then, accom-
panied by him, we at once repaired to the governor's
mansion, where I made known that we had the prime
leader of the private brotherhood in charge, and that
the so-called brotherhood was nothing more nor less
than a piratical redezvous, of which we could furnish
conclusive evidence; also that from no other source
had come the bodies cast up on the quay steps.
The official scanned me closely from head to foot,
and finally asked:
"What manner of word is this brought me by a
stripling boy like you? You have made a grave
charge, and if without good evidence you may pay a
severe penalty."
་
"And if I verify every word I have rendered no
mean service to the king's officers."
"True," replied he, his voice now more modulated.
"Will you explain yourself more fully?"
"My personal experiences in reaching my present
knowledge have been long and adventurous, and to
tell them to you would appear more like a wild dream
than truth, but when I tell you that my companion,
a dark-skinned young man, and myself captured this
man Lareguie, whom we know to be the principal
man of the brotherhood, and a pirate refugee to begin
with, and that we captured him after a desperate battle
in an underground tunnel leading from the bay under
the city wall to the brotherhood's rendezvous, is it
sufficient guarantee for you to send a posse to investi-
gate the place? This done, and no further doubt will
remain as to its real designs."
"Your request is certainly not an unreasonable
one, and I will see that it be granted at once.”
A detachment was soon en route for the quarters
of the brotherhood. The news spread like wildfire,
and ere the posse reached the rendezvous the place
108
NEHALEM.
U
was deserted of guards. Even the doped Temescal
had been spirited away. Orders were for a peaceable
search of the premises, on the ground of current
reports derogatory to the institution, and if such
reports were without foundation the accusers should
be punished by a heavy penalty.
The doors were opened with little difficulty, though
with not a little damage to the fastenings. Once inside,
disclosures were made of startling importance. The
stolen casks and cases, much valuable plunder, and
multitudes of things, fixing beyond a shadow of doubt
the true nature of the institution, were found. The
underground tunnel was investigated, and among the
parchments and documents that littered the floor of
the judgment hall (Jaques had no time to secrete all)
were written letters, planning future captures.
Indignation ran riot. The casa was razed to the
ground. Lareguie was placed in confinement, to bę
speedily tried, not only for murder, but for robbery
on the high seas as well. Every person reasonably
suspicioned of being a member of the institution was
ordered taken in charge by the officials, but, strangely
enough, not another soul could be taken. Jaques and
Temescal, the only ones whom we knew positively to
be in league with the concern, had disappeared as mys-
teriously as the air. Not a doubt existed in my mind
but that many were in the city, if not directly among
those seemingly highly incensed over the discovery,
who were members of the brotherhood; but, not hav-
ing sufficient evidence, they could not be identified.
The crimson curtain had answered the purpose of a
inask too well for that.
Lareguie was taken before a tribunal of law, and
on the evidence brought was ordered imprisoned at
Cavite awaiting the apprehension of others and final
sentence. The delay of his sentencing and execution
was a bad one, as I apprehended, for on the second
night of his imprisonment an armed force of his ac-
complices overpowered the guards and secured his re-
lease, after which they embarked in proas and disap-
peared without doubt to a craft hard by, and set sail
NEHALEM.
109
for unknown parts.
With the dissolution of the brotherhood our note-
worthy experiences in Manila ended. For some time,
as the reader is aware, Zemwa had desired to return
to his old home in the far East, and it was arranged
that with the next going of the galleon he should
depart. For weeks I had looked forward with dread
to his going. Far too soon did the galleon put into
port, and after an affectionate farewell my boon com-
panion sailed away.
CHAPTER XV.
I SHIP AS A GUNNER.
Two long years had elapsed since Zemwa sailed
away to the land of the rising sun- -years that seemed
like centuries. To attempt to give the history of the
islands during that time would be futile. My interest
in them had become so commonplace that I was un-
moved by the political questions and difficulties. My
life of romance and activity had gone with the galleon
that carried away my faithful companion. My time
was mostly spent in literary and scientific research,
until I myself was seized with an uncontrollable de-
sire to go to sea.
Only once in those two years did I hear from
Zemwa, and that was a brief message brought over by
a sailor of the galleon. "He told me to give his little
master his kindest greetings," said the sailor, “and to
tell him he is happy in his life of usefulness." This
was about the extent of what I heard, nor was it un-
likely to be true. It expressed all the African could
wish to say in that manner, though if brought by him-
self would have been much more extended and deliv-
ered with more satisfaction to us both.
My opportunity to ship came at last. The gov-
ernment corvettes proving ineffectual in quelling the
I10
NEHALE.
robberies on the high seas, the King of Espana re-
solved on harsher measures. Some four years from
the day Zemwa and myself were hounded through the
streets of my native city by a despised press gang, an
immense warship, fresh from Espana, such as was
never before seen in all the islands, came to anchor in
the harbor. Like that of Captain Moreno's, she was.
to ship new men; but a more humane way of secur-
ing them was now in vogue-the press gang was a
thing of the past. Every man's sense of loyalty and
justice was to be appealed to. Two days from the
time the monster warship's anchor went sliding over-
board, the governor; in behalf of the king, issued a
call for two hundred or more recruits.'
The recruiting place was held at the esplanado.
Hundreds answered to the call. Without waiting to
ascertain the warship's destination, I hurriedly sought
an interview with the recruiting officer. "During the
conversation I was informed that the warship was un-
der the command of no less a personage than Captain
Moreno, who for his gallant services had been trans-
ferred from the old-time warship to that of the new.
I also incidentally learned that the captain was a
nephew of my preceptor, Stanislaus Moreno, of former
days. When told this, I related to the officer the man-
ner in which I was treated by the sergeant of the press
gang, and expressed my appreciation of the discipline
Captain Moreno had exercised over his men, and how
his instructions came to my relief, to be thwarted.
shortly afterward by the brutal and lawless bandit.
The officer then informed me that the treatment
to which I had been subjected was strictly forbidden
except in extreme cases, and on the shiftless, non-
tribute-paying class of idlers found in the city. Lare-
guie had been given command upon a hasty recom-
mendation from bystanders only, and his actions that
day merited a much more severe reprimand than he
received.
The officer having finished, I made known my
wishes. Three weeks later I was on board the vessel
of my choice, Acapulco-bound, a gunner in his majes-
1
{
NEHALE.
III
}
ty's service.
It was the one proud moment of my life when I
stepped aboard the Guerrero's decks, realizing that my
lot was to be cast with her. Never had I seen such
a monster of war, she being a hundred paces in
length and a three-decker. She carried one hundred
and twenty guns, which were mounted for action; be-
sides these she carried twenty-eight pedroes in her gun-
wale quarters, and in her top-deck was a four-pounder.
She was provided against boarding both by her close.
quarters and a strong network of two-inch rope, laced
over waist and defended by half-spikes. Her figure-
head (a golden dragon) loomed up prodigiously, con-
trasting strangely with her black and gun-bedecked
sides.
It was yet day, late on an April afternoon, when the
two hundred chosen recruits were mustered at the
esplanade prior to embarkation; then, surrounded by
an admiring throng of friends and relatives congre-
gated on the quay, the going on board the warship
commenced. Owing to the Guerrero's immense
draught and the shoalness of the bay, it had been im-
possible for her to approach anywhere near the city;
consequently she had dropped anchor abreast Cavite,
and it was therefore necessary that we be taken aboard
by small boat.
It fell to my lot to be a member of the first boat-
load that put off from the quay. As we drew along-
side the Guerrero, a deep voice rang out:
"Have you the required number of men, sergeant?"
I gave a start of alarm! Surely I had heard that
voice before.
"I have, sir,” was the sergeant's reply.
"Very well," said the deep voice. "See that you
keep the boats going lively tonight; time is precious."
In the shadow of the Guerrero's hull the boat came
to a stop and we were ordered on board. Now, on
my first visit to the warship, in which I experienced
a thrill of pleasure to be numbered as one of her crew,
her officers were absent, having gone ashore to inspect
the esplanade at Cavite; but now I was to meet them,
112
NEHALEM
and with it a surprise.
As I climbed the rope-ladder and stepped aboard
the polished decks, I was confronted by two uniformed
men. One was short, thick-set and dark, wearing im-
mense moustachios, and by his uniform I recognized
in him Captain Moreno; the other (ah, God, that I had
never met him!), whose deep voice I was often to hear
both on duty and in my dreams, his eyes sweeping
each new arrival with lightning rapidity, towered like
a giant beside the captain.
Picture a man of gigantic stature (the average
Spaniard would have barely reached his shoulder), with
a luxuriant black beard, which the evening breeze had
parted so that it plainly showed a deep-seated scar
extending from the ear to the lower point of the chin;
with overhanging eyebrows, broad and massive shoul-
ders, great, brawny hands, and the man I loathed and
detested is before you-none other than Senor Lare-
guie, the murderer.
I was horror-struck! Not once had I heard of him
since his disappearance two years before. I thought,
yes, wished him, dead; and now I stood once more in
his hated presence. So changed was he in dress and
appearance, that but for my hearing his voice as he
hailed the sergeant, and observing the great coral-
colored scar on his cheek, I might have passed him
by. Did he recognize me? No; there was no recog-
nizing the youth with jet-black beard and snow-white
hair who stood before him. Two years of time had
wrought too great a change in me for that, and I
breathed a sigh of relief as his cruel, searching eyes
left my face.
I realized that to act upon my first impulse (to lay
bare the murderer's identity to the captain) would
cause much trouble. Again, too, my boundless char-
ity arose, and I reasoned that he was no longer the
hated brute, but a trusty servant of Espana's king.
I held my peace and determined to let the matter re-
main a secret, and with this resolve in mind I sought
my quarters and my dreams were made hideous
throughout the livelong night, for the colossal form
NEHALEN.
113
}
of Lareguie seemed ever by my side, beckoning me on
in a way I could not fathom to my destruction.
"Boom!"
It was the report of the signal gun next morning
announcing our departure. Day was breaking when
I reached the waist, to find the upper deck a scene of
activity. The hoarse shouts of the officers, the creak-
ing of the windlass bringing up the heavy anchor, the
unfurling of the sails, the rattling of blocks, dispelled
to a certain extent the gloom that Lareguie's presence
had cast over me during the night, and by the time
the Guerrero was warped alongside the arsenal, where
her powder magazine was to be replenished, I felt quite
elated, for was I not soon to be on my way across the
sea to join my beloved Zemwa?
The last thing before quitting the harbor was to
ballast. This was made up of odds and ends. The
principal bulk, however, was an immense quantity of
beeswax for the remote missions of New Spain.
All night had the furnace fires gleamed on the
Cavite quay, and no sooner had we the powder aboard
than the Guerrero was warped from the arsenal to the
latter place, her hatches opened and her hold ďelagéd
with tons upon tons of boiling wax. Then four thou-
sand cakes and three thousand tapers were stowed
away, the hatches battened down, the sails spread to the
breeze, and the Guerrero's fateful voyage had com-
menced. As we sailed out through the gate of the
harbor, I took a farewell glance at ni natiyé city,
which I might be quitting forever, and which it seems
I am destined to never see again. £ of 1993 V
in
The run through the Ladrones as of many days'
duration, and it was not until the, thirtieth day out
from Cavite that the vessel's prow was pointed up the
Asiatic coast. No sooner had the Guerrero gotten
"
well on her new course than all hands were hiustered
in the waist, where the captain" gave a brief address.
Now, Captain Moreno, as a rule, was not much given
to speech-making, but on this particular morning he
fairly outdid himself by few well-chosen remarks in
telling what he hoped and expected of those present.

ก
114
NEHALEM.
1
Perhaps he had a presentiment of what was soon to
follow.
1
"This ship," said he, speaking from the poop, “was
sent half way around the world by his majesty to pro-
tect his interests. In other words, we are now headed
Acapulco-ward (the hot-bed of depredation) as the
coast's defender, which port I expect to reach within
the two hundred and forty days. Now, that you may
understand me, loyal sons of Espana, I will state that
our mission is a risky one. The sea abounds with
the enemy, English ones at that; but with the help of
One who is higher than I, I am hopeful of putting
down forever the now prevailing curse of the high seas
-piracy. Another fact I would impress on your
minds: We are now nearing that portion of the sea
where sails the enemy, and my instructions are to re-
gard every sail with suspicion. Therefore, in time of
action I beseech you, as loyal sons of our beloved
Espana, to be true to your flag, that the fulfillment of
our desires may accomplish the great good and glori-
ous end we have in view. My heart is in this good
work, and I want the hearty co-operation of every boy
and every man in quelling this robbery on the seas.
Will you join me in saying 'We will?"
Methinks I see him yet, as he stood that day far
above us, with drawn sword, bareheaded, and with
wind-tossed hair, under the blazing southern sun.
"Will you?" he asked for the second time.
No response.
"Will you?" and he held his sword far out over
those below, as if in supplication.
No need to ask more, for, with a shout that was
glorious in its earnestness, three hundred-odd voices
pealed forth as if with one voice:
"Aye, we will! Down with piracy forever!"
There were tears in the little captain's eyes before
the shout had died away; then with courtly grace he
thanked those present for the good-will shown, and
retired to his cabin.
Lookouts were then posted in the tops both day
and night, an air of excitement prevailed throughout
NEHALEN.
II;
he ship, and we anxiously awaited the coming of the
enemy.
"Sail ho!"
Loudly rang the summons throughout the ship
wavered for a moment and then died away. It wa
ust three weeks to a day since the captain's speech-
Jiree weeks in which we made ready for the first taste
ɔf war.
"Where away, lookout?" asked the captain, as he
merged from his cabin, glass in hand, followed by the
hulking figure of Lieutenant Lareguie.
"Off our weather beam, about three leagues away
sir," was the prompt reply.
"What do you make of her?"
"A three-master, and they are bearing down on us
sir," the lookout shouted back, making way for Lare
guie's burly forni.
The Guerrero was then put on the starboard tack
and in an hour's time we had approached to withir
half a league of the stranger, whereon she changed
her course, and in a remarkably short time bor
swiftly down on us, showing English colors.
Captain Moreno then ran up the Spanish flag
whereupon the stranger luffed close to the wind and
stood to the southeast.
"Now, Lareguie," said the captain, as the stranger
nose shot across our bow, "is the time to act; you wil
pass a shot through the rigging of yonder vessel fo
her to lie to."
By this time all was excitement. In anticipation
of an engagement, the guns were charged with roun
shot for a broadside, the men divided off into squads
and the musketeers sent into the tops.
Presently, in obeyance to the captain's orders, ther
was a puff of smoke, a bellowing report, the screan
of a shell, and the Guerrero's war-dog had been turne
loose.
Over valleys of water, over green-crested waves
through the great spread of the enemy's canvas and fa
beyond, the little four-pound ball sped on its way.
"A good shot, lieutenant-a good shot!" shoute
116
NEHALEN
*
the captain. "But see," he added; "the dogs are get-
ting saucy."
This was true, for at that moment the enemy showed
her temper by giving a return shot.
"That means fight," some one cried.
A second or so later there was the hiss of a flying
shell, the splintering of wood, the scream of a man in
mortal agony, and Captain Moreno was no more.
As the word was passed that the captain was slain,
the Guerrero awoke to life. She bristled on every
side with frowning guns; streams of fire belched forth
from her sides; the great twenty-four-pounders spoke
with thunderous roars; hoarse shouts of men rent the
air; and within the quarter hour, by the ship's dial,
the enemy flew the white flag in token of surrender.
Then the cry of victory went up from three hundred
throats in a deafening roar:
"She is ours! She is ours!"
The morning had opened stormy, and now, as we
bore down on the vanquished foe, every face aglow
with excitement, we expected soon to have the prize
within our grasp; but on the instant the lowering sky
suddenly gave way, the breeze died down, and up in
the west sprang a fog bank that rolled quickly down
upon us, and soon both vessels alike were swallowed
up in its fleecy folds.
There was one strange thing about this unknown
ship, and but for the death of the captain I could
almost lay the incident aside as a freak of imagination:-
for, though we lay by all that day and night, she had
vanished next morning as completely as though the
sea had swallowed her up.
I have mentioned this casualty on board ship in
the calendar of my fateful life for a purpose-to show
in what manner Lieutenant Lareguie became captain
of the Guerrero, and afterwards a traitor to his country.
"Brother officers," I overheard him say to a group
gathered in the waist late that afternoon, “that was a
neat job-the taking off of Moreno; from now on we
will have things our own way."
What was the meaning of those words? I often
}
NEHALEM.
117
found myself wondering during the next seven months.
Was the villain planning more devilment?
After consigning the dead body of our late captain
to its last resting-place in the quiet waters, the Guerrero
was again put about on her course up the Asiatic coast.
Upon reaching 40 degrees north latitude, her prow
was turned eastward for America, and forty days later
we sighted the shores of the New World; then the
course was changed to the south, and some weeks
later, with the booming of guns and the dipping of
flags, we sailed into the Acapulco harbor.
CHAPTER XVI.
THE COMING OF JAQUES.
The coming of the Guerrero was hailed with joy.
Long had the people of the new possessions awaited
her coming, and the news spread like wildfire. So
fast and far did it spread that in a week's time the
little town was overrun. There were planters from
the surrounding haciendas, merchants from the far
interior, and day by day we were besieged by an ad-
miring throng.
Having once arrived in Zemwa's adopted country,
1 was naturally desirous of seeking out the object of
my boyish affections; in fact, my lonely hours during
the long ocean voyage were lightened in anticipation
of the pleasures which a meeting would bring about.
Just before quitting Manila, prior to his sailing for
the New World, Zemwa had presented me with a
somewhat rude sketch of the country in which his
foster-father resided. Now, as I glanced over the
drawing, I was made aware for the first time that the
African's home was many, many leagues distant to
the south, and to reach it would require a leave of
absence which Captain Lareguie, on account of its
prolongation, would not be inclined to grant.
118
.
NEHALEMALE:
{
The thoughts of it filled me with disappointment,
which was made all the more keen from the fact that
heretofore, owing to my surroundings, were I desirous
of holding communication with a friend, a step or so,
or a few hours' sail by proa at the farthest, would bring
about the desired consummation. But here it was
different-I was no longer my own master; and I
realized that it would be necessary, for the time being
at least, to forego the pleasure of such a meeting.
My disappointment was short-lived, however. As
I stood looking out over the land-locked bay, on the
fourth morning subsequent to our arrival, my eye
chanced to light on one of the numerous galleons at
anchor in the harbor, that bore a strangely familiar
appearance. Now, as I stood looking wonderingly
on, trying to recall where I had seen her, a boat put
off from under her stern, headed for the Guerrero. L
could scarcely refrain from shouting through pure joy
as the little craft came alongside. Seated in the stern
was one whom I knew well-Captain Jarjaez, with
whom Zemwa had crossed and re-crossed the sea,
years before.
Now, as it happened, Captain Lareguie was absent
on shore when the visitor stepped aboard the Guer-
rero. This was timely, as it gave me the opportunity
to approach and make myself known to Captain Jar-
jaez. During the conversation that followed, I was
told of the downfall of Zemwa's foster-father's king-
dom, which, like many others throughout the country.
had fallen through the instrumentality of a fierce and
warlike tribe from the north, who, after many days'
duration of bloody warfare, had come off victorious:
and where once thrived a powerful nation, desolation
now reigned supreme.
Zemwa, to his credit be it said, had displayed great
valor, and where raged the thickest of the battle there
could be seen his tall form, wielding with terrible effect
his great war-club Tampkin, which in the Aztec signi-
fies "skull-cracker," which he let fall thick and fast on
the heads of the enemy; and many were the victims
that fell before his wrath and their dead bodies left
NEHALEM
119
}
on the battle-field to bleach in the sun.
Not until all the warriors were gone but a handful
did Zemwa lose heart. Then, as the great War-god
was hurled from the temple-top to the ground, where
lay the dead body of his foster-father, his sightless
eyes staring straight into the sun, did the African flee
from the place of dire calamity, forever. A stranger in
a strange land was Zemwa. Taking Popocatapetl as
his guide, he hastened where protection awaited him-
the City of Mexico. No sooner had the viceroy heard
the story than the African was given employment as
inspector of the king's highways, with quarters a
league distant from Acapulco; which responsible posi-
tion he was yet holding with credit to both himself
and the government.
Captain Jarjaez's story threw me into a fever of
unrest to again see my boon companion of other days,
and as soon as possible I applied for and was granted
a day's leave of absence. It is needless to say that my
dreams were pleasant that night.
The sun was striking Popocatapetl's crest when,
after a sharp climb, I reached the apex of the hills
overlooking the town next morning. Once on the
king's highway, I soon reached Zemwa's abo´. Had
I been put down in the center of Mexico there would
have been no mistaking his abiding-place. No other
person was capable of constructing just such a hut
(the exact counterpart of the one yet standing in far-off
Manila), with a great yew-wood bow resting against
the thatched eaves, standing on the bank of a small
morass, a rod or so back of the highway.
Never shall I forget the look of astonishment that
came over his countenance as I threw open the hut
door and awoke him from sleeping. Surprise, delight
and joy were pictured there; and ere I could offer a
word of remonstrance or salutation he gathered me up
in his great arms, threw me over his shoulder and
ran as if wild about the grounds. Finally lifting me
down, he said:
"Hail, my little master, hail! Tell me of the friends
in the land of the setting sun," and straightway he con-
120
NEHALEM.
ducted me to a secluded spot and we were soon talk-
ing over the many things that would follow such a
meeting. Of that which relates vitally to this narra-
tive, our conversation ran much as follows:
"Zemwa would like much to know if his friends in
the far West were troubled more by the pirate rob-
bers."
"No," I answered, they have never made further
demonstration in the islands since the escape of Lare-
guie; but I have made a discovery on my voyage that
troubles me."
I then related my early recognition of Lareguie
when I came aboard, and in what manner he had come
into command of the Guerrero by the death of Cap-
tain Moreno, and that I feared the fellow meant treach-
ery. Little would it have availed one frail gunner to
breathe warning of unfaithfulness against the com-
mander. Much better let the matter remain as it was
than disclose my own identity to Lareguie.
£
As I concluded, Zemwa shook his head sadly and
said:
“Ah, this is sorrowful. Zemwa has a sad sequel
to senor's story. Many months ago the puny dog,
Jaques, sailed into the harbor on a craft that was dingy
and old. My eye is that of the raven, senor, and I
knew him from afar off-did I not see him coming up
the king's highway?—and that he might not cast his
evil eye on me I tarried like a starved wolf in the cover
of the bushes by the wayside until he passed me by.
Then, as he passed, his face toward the capital, his
buffalo-shaped back bobbing up and down against the
horizon like a melon rising and falling on the waves
of the sea, I disobeyed the king by following in his
wake-yea, followed him step by step like a sneaking
jaguar, into the very streets of the city. And now,
senor-I tell it to you true-the villain has centered
his work on gaining the confidence of the viceroy, and
I fear he has succeeded to far too great an extent.
What vile scheme the villains can be at now, time only
will tell; and for us, two comparative strangers, to
make grave charges on the evidence at hand, would
NEHALEM.
121
be worse than folly. We will hope for the best and be
silent."
Long did we meditate and discuss the matter, and
as the twilight shadows were gathering I returned to
the Guerrero.
On the tenth day a courier arrived from the City
of Mexico bearing a sealed packet for the captain,
informing him that the viceroy would visit the ship
in person. This was a great event in the history of
Acapulco; never had it occurred before. The town
put on its holiday attire. Shops, as well as the
merchantmen in the harbor, were covered with bunt-
ing, while aboard the Guerrero preparations for the
viceroy's reception were carried on to a great measure:
Her hull was repainted; her great guns and brass.
works polished until they shone like burnished gold;
her decks scrubbed and oiled; each man given a new
and tasty-appearing uniform; and within a week she
presented an imposing appearance, of which any na-
tion might feel justly proud. And now the work was
finished and we waited the great man's coming.
During this interval a change had come over the
captain. He rarely spoke; he grew pale and haggard.
During the day, when out of sight of the officers, he
was continually sweeping the surrounding hills with
the glass, as if on the lookout for some one. Of even-
ings he kept a lonely vigil, never retiring until far
into the night. Being keenly interested, I watched
all these things. What was troubling him, I ofttimes
found myself wondering; but I was soon to know, and
that, too, in a way that I did not relish.
One evening, not being in a sleepy mood, I had
remained on deck far later than usual, my thoughts
with Zemwa on the hilltop. When we parted that
night it was with the understanding that I was to pay
him another visit at my earliest opportunity, but when
I approached the captain for a leave of absence I was
flatly refused and told to go about my business. Now,
as I stood there in the quiet night, pondering as to
why the captain had become taciturn all at once, I
became aware that I was not alone. Outlined against
122
NEHALEM.
the star-lit sky was Lareguie's massive figure, as he
paced restlessly to and fro. Many minutes I must
have stood there lost to the world, for one by one the
lights on shore died away and quietness settled over
the peaceful harbor.
d
"One more cigarette," I thought to myself, "and
I will turn in."
But the cigarette was never lighted. Just as I
finished rolling it, a hand was placed on my shoulder
and a voice whispered in my ear:
'Gunner, can you pull an oar?"
For the moment I was startled; I had forgotten the
man above. Turning quickly, I found myself face to
face with Captain Lareguie, who had approached me
as a cat steals upon a mouse. The very touch of his
hand caused me, to shudder.
"Tis I, gunner, your captain; be not alarmell,”
said he, reassuringly, as I started to draw back. “I
am in need of your services."
1
Now, this was the first occasion that he had
spoken to me during the nine months aboard, that is
in a direct way, and for the moment I was dum-
founded and knew not what to say. Then, too, he
was one in whom an ordinary man would stand in
awe; therefore I was slow in replying.
"Come, man," said he at last, impatiently, "speak
up. Can you pull an oar? Good!" he exclaimed, as
I answered in the affirmative; "you are the man I
want. Follow me."
:
And, telling me to tread softly, he led the way up
the stairway to the upper deck.
"Now, my friend," was his injunction as we gained
a secluded spot out of earshot of the watch, "you are
to ask no questions. Down there," and he pointed
over the railing with a brawny arm, "a small boat is
moored. Well, to be brief, you and I are going
ashore in her. This is to be a secret mission, under-
stand, in which the officers and crew are to be none
the wiser. But let me caution you. Listen: Should
you," and his great hand fell heavily on my shoulder,
"ever breathe a word of what transpires this night, this
عمر
NEHALEM.
123
will be your doom," and the blunt edge of a knife was
drawn across my throat. "Only," he added, mean-
ingly, "the sharp part will come first!"
Then, as the knife was returned to its scabbard, he
commenced again:
At
"You may think my actions strange, but the fact
is I am expecting a guest tonight, who will announce
his presence by a preconcerted signal. Not for the
world would I miss seeing it, for on it, and it alone,
depend my future actions. The signal is this:
twelve o'clock, or thereabout, a rocket will be sent up
from yonder hill," and the captain indicated the spot
by pointing through the darkness in the direction
where stood Zemwa's domicile.
"Now," he went on, as he rolled a cigarette and lit
it, "not even the watch is to see the signal, so, to be
doubly sure that he shall not, I have thought of a plan
whereby I can accomplish my end without doing away
with him. One sup of this," he added significantly,
drawing a bottle of wine from his bosom, "and the
man will sleep till morning. It is now eleven o'clock
and time we were beginning operations; secrete your-
self behind the mast and I will call the watch. Silence
is the word."
Wonderingly I obeyed.
"Night watch, ahoy!
speak with you.”
Come forward; I would
"Aye, aye, sir," came the response.
"Well, my friend," said the captain as the man
came up, "how goes the hour?"
"All's well, sir.”
"A lonely night, this, my friend."
"A lonely night," echoed the other.
"Yes, and as the hours are many and long, I have
called you hither to share some capital wine with me."
After the dupe had drank and gone aft the captain
joined me, saying:
"The dolt drank heavily; in half an hour he will be
unconscious; and then, for better or worse, the die
will be cast."
'At the expiration of the half hour I was sent aft
124
NEHALEM.
+
to look after the watch. He lay stretched out on a
coil of rope, sleeping soundly; the deadly narcotic had -
done its work.
"It is nearing the time," said the captain as I.
returned, "and-ah, thank God," he added fervently,
"there she goes!"
!
It was true; for at that moment there arose in the
east a stream of fire. Higher and higher, with a
graceful curve, the fire ball shot upwards; then, as it
reached the apex and was on its downward flight,
there was an explosion, and myriads of brilliant-hued
stars dropped into the silent night.
For an answer the captain pitched the stub of his
yet lighted cigarette into a pan of powder. No sooner
had the flash died away than another rocket went up.
The ruse had worked..
Silently we lowered ourselves over the Guerrero's
side into the small boat and put off for the shore, no
words passing between us. As the prow of the
punt struck the beach the captain stepped out and
gave a low whistle. It was answered by a like one
from near by. The moon was now rising, and soon
there stepped into the light, from a clump of bushes
a ways back from the beach, a man of small stature, a
curiously shaped pot in his right hand. All along I
had surmised whom the captain's guest was to be. It
was his accomplice in crime-Jaques.
As the newcomer drew nigh, the captain advanced,
and, taking the latter's hand within his own, said in
English:
"Well, Jaques, you have come?"
"Aye, Lareguie, I have come; and a right smart
trip I have had of it, too," he added, placing the pot
in the bow. "The messenger was not a day too soon,
either, for I had given you up and was preparing to
start for the mines; but now, if things go right, we
will have a mine of our own and
"S-c-h-h!" said Lareguie, interrupting him. “Put
a stopper on that tongue of yours; we may be over-
heard."
"No danger of that, for the townspeople are all
NEHALEM.
125
+
abed. But by the way, Lareguie, what sort of a man
is the Guerrero's captain?"
"You are looking on him now.”
"What! You?"
But
"Yes, for fate has turned my way at last.
come, Jaques, step in the boat and we will be off. On
our way out to the ship I will tell you how it came
about."
•
And, as I headed the little craft Guerrero-ward,
Lareguie commenced and gave an accurate account of
what had taken place from the day the ship had quit
the Manila harbor.
"Well," said Jaqués, as the other finished, "that is
good news and will save a disagreeable duty. I was,
from your description of Moreno, which I received at
Vera Cruz, somewhat inclined to think it no easy
matter to put him out of the way.”
"You are right; and, as it is, I am glad that the
engagement terminated as it did, for Captain Moreno
was a good fellow and I give him credit as one of the
ablest masters it was ever my lot to sail under; but for
all that, had the accident not occurred, the undertak-
ing would have been carried out just the same."
"Then the officers entered readily into the scheme?"
"Most assuredly. But of this coming of yours,
Jaques, they are not aware. For reasons best known
to myself, which I will explain later on," a promise that
was never carried out, "I decided to keep it a secret.”
"A foolish thing to do, Lareguie-a foolish thing
to do; for when they note my presence on board
trouble that we cannot afford may grow out of it.".
"But they will not see you."
"And why, pray?"
"For the simple reason that I propose to keep you
in hiding until the right time comes, and for that very
reason I have taken all due precaution, even going so
far as to drug the watch, and when you step on board
not a soul will be the wiser."
"A queer proceeeding," mumbled Jaques, "a queer
proceeding. "But tell mic. Lareguie," and his glean-
ing eye rested full on my face, "this man at the oars-
126
NÉIIALEM.
3
is he in the secret?"
}
"He is not; but on that score, Jaques, have no fear.
Before quitting the ship I gave him to understand that
secrecy is the all-important factor."
"Perhaps you have done right, Lareguie, in taking
the course you have, but I doubt it. Then, too, the
young fellow may be as well versed in English as either
you or I, and if such should be the case he may take
it into his head to let the cat out of the bag."
"Not at all likely of his understanding the
language," replied the other. "He is from the islands,
understand, and, as you are aware, that is not an Eng-
lish-speaking port."
For an answer, Jaques shrugged his shoulders.
Now, for some little time did the two men sit in
silence, for Jaques did not seem at all pleased over
what he had heard.
Presently the silence was broken by the captain
asking:
"By the way, Jaques, have you heard of anything
during the past year that will be of benefit to us? The
South Seas are yet a long way off, and we might as
well turn our attention to this part of the coast for
awhile that is, providing there is anything in the air."
"I rather think there is something in the air," the
little man replied, lowering his voice; "a golden egg is
almost within our grasp."
"How so?",
"Well, as I was going to say a while ago when you
bade me silence, it was regarding it I was about to
speak. Through a streak of luck I have recently
ascertained that a very large shipment, consisting of
much silver and many thousand doubloons, is soon
to be sent over to Manila. Owing to the fact that the
Guerrero is intended as the coast defender, the sailing
of the treasure-ship has been postponed until her
arrival, that she may see the little craft safe on her
way. Yesterday morning I passed the viceroy and his
staff on the king's highway, and it is, I think, for the
purpose of making arrangements for the shipping of
the treasure that he is journeying hither."
NEHALE.
127
"More than likely," said Lareguie. "Somehow, I
thought it not altogether curiosity that prompted him
to make the trip."
"Then you are aware of the intended visit?"
"I am.
Ten days after my arrival I received a
packet to that effect. It looks, too, as if your surmise
is correct, for the letter intimated that it was for the
purpose of inspecing the Guerrero that he is coming.
Do you think his presence will interfere with our
plans?"
"Not in the least; it is the very best thing that could
happen us. How so? Well, for this reason: In the
first place, this is to be a secret mission; second, it will
be to our advantage to ascertain the exact amount of
the treasure; third, and last, on what vessel it will be
shipped for a certainty. Now, I have a little secret to
unfold whereby we can easily gain the desired informa-
tion. It is this: His lordship is great at wine tip-
pling; therefore, you can, for he will no doubt ask for
a private interview, escort him to your cabin and there
wine him and thus draw him out. Understand?"
"Perfectly. But how did you learn all this,
Jaques?"
"From a friend in the employ of the government.
He, too, is, or was, rather fond of wine, and one night
I plied him with it and wormed what I have told you
out of him."
Even a
"But was not your friend suspicious?
drunk man, upon regaining sobriety, can recall words
that he let pass his unguarded lips."
"Hardly, Lareguie, hardly. Were he suspicious it
does not matter now, for his spree was a protracted
one, and he died a few days afterward; so the secret
is safe."
"But the viceroy being fond of his wine: how did
you ascertain that?”
"From the same source. The way it came about
was in this wise: One morning this friend, in com-
pany with a servant, was sent out to a wine shop to pro-
cure some vintage for his excellency. Now, as it
happened, I passed into the same street a little while
128
NEHALEM.
afterward, and while passing the door of the shop my
government friend bade me enter and share a glass
with him. Even then he was in a maudlin state, and
let slip a word or two that set me to thinking, and I
decided to stay by him. It was an easy matter to get
him to drink until he would have sold the whole gov-
ernment, viceroy and all, for wine. It would not do
for him to return in this condition, so at my sugges-
tion he allowed me to be escorted by his servant to
the viceroy to make amends for him, which I did by
feigning a knowledge of medicine, and stating that the
fellow was ill. The viceroy was an exceedingly credu-
lous man, and, as my informant said, was insanely fond
of wine. In apparent appreciation of my kindness to
his officer, he invited me to drink, and as he became
more talkative I led him to believe his officer had, in
his illness, become delirious and talked idly about his
honor's intention of transporting a shipload of treas-
ure across the sea. The thought took him so by sur-
prise that, aided by the influence of the wine, he seemed
to lose the fact that he was talking to a private citizen.
and instead of denying all such intentions he at once
set to concocting a story to overthrow the officer's
tale. I fell in to assist him, not hinting but that the
whole affair was out, and in a remarkably short time I
was fully informed of what I have before told you;
also that the specie is to be transported here by mule
train; that it is to be placed secretly on board a vessel
known as the Santa, and that the captain of the Guer-
rero is to be made to believe the ship he is to protect
carries government papers of great importance."
"Good for you, Jaques!" exclaimed the captain, as
the other finished. "I have the cuc, and right well
will I use it, too. This treasure we must have at all
hazards, though I must say that, like our lamentable
brotherhood in Manila, it will be a rather risky under-
taking; but then I think I can so arrange it without
exciting suspicion. The viceroy's reception, a trip to
the north to the hidden harbor, and then- But, by
the saints of the Savior!" he exclaimed, as I ran the
boat under the shadow of the ship, "here we are."
NEHALEM
129
Then up the rope-ladder the two men made their
way, first the great hulking figure of the captain, fol-
lowed by Jaques with the curiously shaped pot, and
soon disappeared in the former's cabin.
Everything was as we had left it. The Guerrero,
with her graceful spars pointing into the starry dome,
lay motionless on the water, the moonlight flooding her
decks; the watch yet lay sleeping on the coil of rope;
but great was the change destined soon to take place,
for she, the property of the king, the coast's defender,
was soon to become a pirate craft! Could I, knowing
the intentions of the villains under her deck, let such
a disgrace occur? Her fate was in my hands. I
weighed the matter carefully, well knowing if I turned
informant my life would pay the forfeit. I was half
tempted to quit the ship then and there forever, by
desertion, and hie myself to the abode of Zemwa on
the hilltop. Cowardice conquered. I was afraid
Lareguie's keen ears would detect the sound as I
pulled shoreward, and so decided that for all of me
the conspiracy should run its course, and, weak and
trembling, I stumbled below.
CHAPTER XVII.
THE DRAWING OUT OF THE VICEROY.
Long before the noon hour next day, the lookout
posted on the hilltop for the purpose of noting the
viceroy's appearance announced by a signal that the
royal party was drawing nigh. At this news excite-
ment, both on shore and aboard ship, commenced to
run high. The extraordinary event was near at hand.
Half an hour later the great man and his retinue
came in sight, and, with "colors flying and music play-
ing," filed down the tortuous roadway into the little
town. His reception was a royal one. Cannon thun-
130
NEHALEM.
K
dered out a welcome; the merchantmen dipped their
flags; the shouts of men filled the air, and for a time the
town and harbor presented a scene of gayety long to
be remembered.
Since early dawn we on 'the ship had been astir.
The many duties had been gone through with mechan-
ically, and now the sails were neatly furled, the decks
cleared and everything in perfect order. Though
the captain and officers had entered into a conspiracy
against the government, the viceroy's visit was to be
none the less welcome.
Captain Lareguie, dressed in a splendid uniform,
with golden tasseled epaulets on his broad shoulders,
his head crowned with a high sombrero, his great
sword dangling at his side, moved about with a quick,
cat-like tread, giving an order here and an order there.
The look of despondency his face had worn for days
was now gone; a look of contentment shone there
instead. To see him looking thus gave me encour-
agement, and I was about to ask for another day's
leave of absence to make good my appointment with
Zemwa, when he approached me, saying:
"Gunner, I have need of your services again; pay
no attention to any one and follow me."
And straightway he conducted me to his cabin.
"There," said he, giving a sigh of relief as the door
swung to, "that was neatly done; I have you where I
want you. I cannot afford to take any risk on your
part, for were you to mingle with the throng today you
might take it into your head to squawk on me; but
with you here, you will have but little chance to do so.
Then, too, my friend is suspicious that you might
have understood the conversation that passed last
night. Before I go, let me admonish you: Should
you," and his hand stole involuntarily to the sword at
his side, "make an outcry before his majesty the
viceroy, whom I am going to wine this afternoon, you
will never leave this place alive. A close mouth, how-
ever, and you have nothing to fear. Jaques," speaking
in a louder tone, "you may now look after the young
man;" and a moment later Lareguie quit the cabin.
NEHALEM.
131
With the closing of the door a heavy silk portiere
was thrown back that concealed an alcove in the rear
of the cabin, and Lareguie's companion in crime,
Jaques, stood before me.
"Well," said he, impatiently, as I stood regarding
him for a full minute in silence, "are you going to
stand there all day like a gawk, or are you going to be
seated?"
Now, knowing what manner of a man I had to deal
with, I determined on a bold front. Besides, my ship
life was having a salutary effect on me. I was fast
learning the ways of every man's just rights-that of
independence.
"I will be seated, my dear sir," I said, "when I am
asked and not before. A gawk can at least show bet-
ter manners than a fool."
"Then squat yourself on this," said he, reddening,
as he pitched a stool across the cabin at my feet.
"Now," said he, as I seated myself, "as you and I
are to keep each other company in this hole during
the remainder of the day, it is well that we understand
each other. I overheard Captain Lareguie telling you
that he brought you here for fear that you might let
the cat out of the bag; but it was for altogether differ-
ent purposes, understand me, that I requested your
presence. I have a few questions to put to you and
shall commence by asking where you were born?"
To ascertain his drift, I gave a truthful answer.
"Ah,” said he, "in the islands. And did you,” he
continued, his snaky eyes meeting mine, "enter the
service voluntarily?"
"Of my own free will and accord," I answered.
"Then you are not," said he, as if relieved, "one of
the one hundred original men that shipped direct from
Espana?"
"I am not; for, as I told you, I came from the
islands."
"You are quite sure that you are telling me the
truth?"
"Quite sure of it," I replied.
"Then, that being the case," and I saw he was in a
133
NEHALEM.
}
much easier state of mind, "I suppose I will have to be
content;" and he began to roll a cigarette.
For a time we sat in silence; then, after he had
lighted the cigarette, he began to interrogate me again
in this wise:
"Have you in past years ever met Captain Lare-
guie?"
The evasive answer that I gave him was evidently
satisfactory, for he said:
"Have you, during the nine months aboard, had
any conversation with him? Strange, strange," he
muttered, as I answered in the negative, "that my old
friend should have so much confidence in you; but
what he has told me is now corroborated to a cer-
tainty. Just what his intentions are, I cannot con-
ceive; time, and time only, will disclose it. I am going
now," he said, "to lie down, for my journey here was.
a weary one. If I am not awake," he added, “when
the captain brings his lordship down, call me, for you.
and myself are not to be seen."
With these words he retired to the alcove, bring-
ing his interview to a close.
Jaques must have been weary. Five minutes later
I could hear his heavy breathing-a sure sign that his
powers of endurance had been taxed to the utmost.
Long I pondered over his words. What had he to do
with the Guerrero that Captain Lareguie should keep.
his presence from the officers? It certainly looked
like treachery on the latter's part. Even the astute
Jaques was suspicious. The more I thought of the
matter the less I knew, so after a while, becoming
weary, I began a tour of inspection.
I first tried the cabin door. It was locked! I was
caged like a rat in a trap! Then my eyes wandered
over the great cabin, which was a model of neatness.
In the center of the room was a small table covered
with a cloth of spotless white. Noiselessly I stepped
across the many-hued Oriental carpeted floor and
raised the cloth. On the table was a decanter of wine
and a half-dozen silver mugs. The viceroy was to be
wined, sure enough.
NEHALEM.
133
Hours passed. The sun, as it crossed the meridian,
threw its beams through the stern-ports on the many-
hued carpet. Would the time ever come? I was
becoming impatient. Yes; for suddenly there was a
heavy jar that shook the ship from stem to stern, the
report of a twenty-four-pounder, the huzzas of men,
and then I knew that the king's substitute had come.
What transpired on the upper deck during the
remainder of the day I know not, for, becoming weary
with waiting, I threw myself on the floor and fell asleep.
The Guerrero was throwing her shadow far out on
the water when I was awakened, hours later, by some
one kicking me in the side. It was Jaques.
"Wake up, you dog," he whispered; "wake up! The
time has come; the wineing is about to begin!" And
with that he hurried me into the alcove and drew the
curtain.
We were none too soon. Almost immediately a
key was placed in the lock, the door opened and the
captain and his distinguished visitor entered. Now,
we could not see the two men over well, but could
hear their conversation distinctly, and, as I remember
it, it went something like this:
"Very pleasant quarters you have here," the viceroy
was saying, "very pleasant quarters, indeed."
"Yes," replied the captain, “very pleasant. But be
seated, pray, that I may entertain you; it is not every
day that an humble officer like myself has the honor to
entertain such company."
"Do not flatter yourself, my friend, for it was for
other motives rather than to be entertained that I
requested a private interview."
"Ah! indeed?"
"Yes, and, to be brief, it was for the purpose of
laying before you a government undertaking that I
journeyed hither."
"You do me great honor," rejoined the suave cap-
tain; “and I am pleased, viceroy, that you deem me
worthy of your confidence. But perhaps it would be
well, before you broach the subject, to extend my hos-
pitality by offering you a glass of wine."
134
NEHALEM.
}
{
•
"With pleasure. I have not, to tell the truth, had
a decent glass since I left the city."
"Then you will not be disappointed in this," said
the host as he removed the cloth from the table; “it is
of home manufacture. So be seated, pray, and as we
drink we will think of home across the sea."
And with that the captain filled two mugs with
wine, then placed a stool on either side of the table,
taking care to seat himself alongside a cuspidor.
"Excellent, excellent," remarked the great man,
after draining the cup. "With your permission I will
try another.'
>>
Three times were the mugs filled and emptied-
not another drop remained in the decanter. Another
was brought and likewise emptied; still another was
placed on the table.
Wine was the viceroy's master!
"Now," said the man from the City of Mexico, "we
will proceed to business. One can express himself
much more clearly after partaking of such capital
vintage. Shall I proceed, captain?"
T
"Presently; I do not wish to hurry you. Permit
me to refill your mug."
By this time the viceroy was fast becoming inebri-
ated. His face was flushed, his cheeks glowing red,
and in a short time he grew loquacious and carried on
to a great extent by cracking his heels together, and
by thumping the table with the mug at a most tremen-
dous rate. Not so with the captain. Unseen by the
other, he had poured the greater portion of his drinks
into the cuspidor.
"Well, viceroy," said he at length, "it grows late:
perhaps it may be well that you explain your mission."
The bird was ready for plucking.
"Yes, yes, so it does. Really, captain, we have been
having such an agreeable time that I had forgotten.
But what I have to tell is this." And he commenced
and gave almost word for word the story told by Jaques
the previous night.
As he finished a change that was startling came
over the captain.
NEHALEM.
135
"Do you know, my friend," said he, rising to his
feet and grasping the drunken viceroy by the shoulder,
"that I can read your thoughts, and that you are telling
me an untruthful story?"
"I was not aware of it," was the husky answer.
"Well, I can. Listen and I will prove to you that
you are not telling me the truth. These papers which
you wish me to guard are not papers at all, but an
immense amount of silver ingots, and many thousand
doubloons, which are at the present time lying in the
government vaults in the City of Mexico. Another
thing: You intend to transport it to Acapulco by
burro train, and under the cover of darkness secrete
it on board a vessel known as the Santa. Am I not
correct? Then wherefore keepest thou back the
truth? Am I not one of the king's subjects, sworn by
all that is honorable to look after the welfare of his
belongings? Answer me." And his hand closed with
an iron grasp on the viceroy's shoulder.
If ever amazement was pictured on a man's face, it
was pictured on the king's drunken substitute as he
stood blinking before the captain.
•
"Why, what manner of man are you," at last
found words to utter, "that can read what i known
only to myself and cabinet? Surely you must be
endowed with supernatural foresight." And with the
moisture standing out in beads on his forehead he sank
back on the stool.
•
"Not by any means," was the reply. "Let me tell
you a little secret. Captain Moreno and myself were
notified of the shipment before we sailed out of the
Cadiz harbor, that we might sound you for the purpose
of ascertaining as to whether you were the discreet
man the government thought you."
- “Ah, that explains it, then;" and the viceroy drew
a deep sigh of relief.
"Now that we understand each other," continued
the captain, "I will ask what is the sum total of the
intended shipment?"
"Eighty thousand doubloons onza, besides fifty
burro loads of silver ingots, and many small pieces."
138
NEHALEM.
"Its destination?"
"Manila."
"The object in sending such a large sum to the
islands?"
"Pardon me, captain, that is a question I cannot
answer. It does not concern you.”
"Very well. At what date will the Santa clear?”
"Within the month," replied the now partly
sobered man, as he helped himself to another mug of
wine.
"An unwise course, viceroy, an unwise thing to do.
Listen and I will tell you why: On the day of my
arrival words reached my ears to the effect that an
English squadron is now lying off the coast watching
this port's every action, awaiting the Santa's depar-
ture."
Now, this was a lie on the latter's part, but never-
theless the viceroy at once bit at the bait.
"What!" he exclaimed, rousing up, "an English
squadron?"
"Yes, sir, a fleet of six formidable battle-ships. My
surmise is that the enemy have in some manner gained
an inkling of the shipment, and are, as I have before
said, waiting the Santa's departure. Now, good ship
as the Guerrero is, well armed and manned and all
that, I could not hope to cope with such a fleet; there-
fore, I have thought out a plan whereby we can throw
the English dogs off their guard, and in which the
treasure will be subject to but little risk. Listen."
Another lie was coming.
"In the first place, the Guerrero is ballasted with
wax for the Gautemala missions, and my orders are as
soon as we provision to proceed there and discharge.
Well, when the enemy, knowing of course that the
Guerrero is to act as convoy to the Santa, see us sail-
ing away, they will take it for granted, of course, that
the shipment has been indefinitely postponed. We
will let them labor under that impression. To go and
come from the south will take up the better part of a
hundred days. Now, my plan is this: At midnight of
the hundredth day I will be lying off the harbor, and
}
NEHALEM.
137
to inform those on shore that such is the case I will
cause a rocket to be sent up, which will also acquaint
you with the fact that the coast is clear. Then you, or
the guardians of the treasure, rather, are to answer
with a like one, signifying that the Santa will clear at
daybreak. Should the rocket I send up be a green one
in place of a red one, you are to understand that the
enemy are in the immediate neighborhood, and that I
do not deem it safe to dispatch the Santa. And now,
viceroy," he asked, as he refilled the latter's mug, “how
does the scheme suit you?"
"Perfectly," replied the now almost sobered man.
"In parting with such a master as Captain Moreno the
Guerrero sustained a great loss, but I am now fully
convinced that the present incumbent is equally as
sagacious. For your foresight, Captain Lareguie, you
shall be rewarded, and upon my return to the capital
a vote of thanks shall be sent you."
Then for some reason or other the viceroy lowered
his voice so that neither Jaques nor myself could over-
hear, talking very earnestly the while. At the expira-
tion of an hour the conversation was brought to a
close by the captain rising.
"You are sure, viceroy," he asked, "that my
arrangements suit you?"
"Perfectly. You may depend on it, Captain Lare-
guie, a hundred days hence the Santa sails; that is,"
he added, "if everything works harmoniously."
"Thanks.
And now, as we understand each other,
we will go above."
And, with his yet somewhat inebriated visitor lean-
ing heavily on his arm, the adroit captain quit the
cabin.
It is not necessary to tell how I was released many
hours later, nor of what transpired immediately after-
ward. Sufficient to say, preparations were at once
begun and carried on with the utmost haste for a voy-
age; and that on the third day we quit the Acapulco
harbor, headed southward until darkness fell, and then
the course was changed and we sailed away for the
north.
138
NEHALEN
*
t
<
CHAPTER XVIII.
DAMROCK'S HIDDEN HARBOR,
As the Guerrero slipped silently out through the
Acapulco harbor gate and braved the Pacific by buck-
ing her nose into the long, running swells, an inex-
pressible foreboding of some fearful thing about to
happen came over me. This state of affairs was
brought about, no doubt, through disappointment, for
immediately after the viceroy's visit, and until the
Guerrero cleared, every man aboard ship was under
strict surveillance, so much so that I was again
thwarted in paying Zemwa the promised visit.
"No," said Captain Lareguie, next morning when
I applied for a leave of absence, "I canot grant you the
privilege of shore-going every day. By the way, what
is the attraction ashore? If I remember rightly, this
is the third time within the last ten days that you have
approached me with a similar request. Is it. some fair
senora, gunner? Then, if not, I cannot grant it; you
know too much. Besides, idleness begets devilment,
and your tongue might be set to wagging. Don't you
know," he went on, "that there is something strangely
familiar about you? In other words, you remind me
of a certain person I once knew-an insignificant-
looking brat, from outward appearance, but withal as
shrewd as you often find them, whose companion was
a black man of great stature. Now, it might be that
you are one and the same. I have recently ascertained,
tco, that the black man is now in this immediate vicin-
ity-hence your desire for so much shore-going.
No," he added, after looking me in the eye for a long
minute, "you could not be the one, either, for the hair
of the spying whelp was as the raven's wing, black and
glossy, while yours is that of an aged person. How is
it, gunner, that you, a young man, are thus afflicted?
Was it caused from sickness, or by one of those occa-
NEHALEM
139
sional incidents we now and then hear about-a sudden
shock?"
"Through a sudden shock," I answered, with beat-
ing heart, which I was fearful he would overhear.
"Then you have my sympathy. Once upon a time
my jet-black locks came nigh taking on just such a
tint as yours through such a cause-aye, it was in your
native city, too, and this same black man was the one
that nigh caused it. It was in an underground tunnel
leading out from under a casa where the brother-
But what am I saying? My tongue runs like a fool
this morning. No, as I said before, I cannot grant
your request. We're going to provision today." he
added, as a lighter pulled out from under the Guer-
rero's stern, "so I will mitigate your disappointment.
by detailing you as head oarsman. But, mind you,"
he added, "it is my intention to superintend the loading
of the small craft in person, and the holding of con-
versation with any one ashore will be attended with a
ball from this," and his hand closed over the stock of a
musket that chanced to be standing near.
At these words my heart bounded. I resolved then
and there, should the opportunity present itself, to quit
the Guerrero forever; then I would seek Zemwa, and
together we would hasten to the capital and lay bare
the conspirators' plot.
The time to make good this resolve came at last.
It was shortly after the noon hour of the second day.
While all hands were busy stowing away the provi-
sions, which half a hundred peons were engaged in
transporting from the little town to the lighters, my
attention was attracted by a pebble falling at my feet.
Naturally, I glanced up, to encounter Zemwa's eyes.
as he stood with head and shoulders projecting above
a good-sized boulder some little distance away. No
sooner had he caught my eye than his head disap-
peared.
There was much meaning in the look he gave me.
It said: "I must see my little master; I have news."
In that moment I resolved to make my escape.
Some distance away, his musket across his knees, sat
140
NEHALEM.
Lareguie, fast asleep. For once he was off his guard.
Once behind the shelter of the many boulders that
lined the beach I was safe. From his knowledge of
the town and country Zemwa could secrete me until
darkness fell; then we would be off for the capital.
To think was to act. With a bound I was away.
But, alas for freedom and good resolve! I did not
observe the "sink hole" some forty paces distant, and
the moment following the quiet of the afternoon was
broken by a resounding splash, and by the time I had
scrambled out, Lareguie stood before me. Only too
well I knew what to expect after looking into his
scowling face, upon which was pictured the fury of a
demon.
"Curse you," he muttered, "you will give me the
slip, will you? Then take that, and that, and that!"
and by the time he had gotten somewhat over his fit
of rage, my clothing was saturated with blood from the
repeated thrusts of his bayonet. Then, with one hand
about my neck and the other about my ankle, he
pitched me headlong into the lighter. On our arrival
at the ship he caused me to be incarcerated in the
lazaretto, where I remained for days, eking out a mis-
erable existence. Even after being liberated from the
gloomy hole I was the object of his spite, and he
seemed to derive much pleasure in administering many
an unwarranted cuff and kick.
In this manner the Guerrero kept steadily on her
northward course. Several weeks wore away; but at
break of day, forty days out from Acapulco, there was a
change. A greater portion of the night a calm had
pervaded every nook and corner of the Guerrero-a
calm that settles over a ship when waiting off a harbor
for a favorable tide. At midnight Lareguie's harsh
voice had echoed through the ship, "Put about till day-
break; we are off the hidden harbor;" and then, until
dawn, the Guerrero rose and fell, creaked, groaned
and wallowed in the trough of the sea as a cockle-shell.
The first glimpse of day was by no means reassur-
ing. It was a cold, disagreeable morning, in which
the mist fell like rain upon the Guerrero's slippery
NEHALEM.
141
decks. Far away, off the starboard bow, its top rising
like a specter in the sky, as it towered grim and silent
far, far above the dense cloud-bank hanging low over
the mainland, its hoary head gilded to a ruddy red by
the first rays of the rising sun, loomed a mass of earth
and rock, the like of which I had never seen equaled.
With the coming of the dawn, Lareguie took the
helm, and the Guerrero's prow was pointed shoreward
in a direct line with the sun-kissed mountain. Had
the captain gone mad? was the question in many an
anxious heart. It seemed so, at least; for so near were
we to the cliff-bound mainland that the thundering of
the breakers could be heard as they beat with terrific
force against the cliffs, and with hearts frozen with fear
we awaited the end that seemed inevitable. But on,
straight on, with the stillness of death throughout the
ship, we sped, and when I thought destruction would
surely come to the madman at the tiller, lo! the mist
lifted, and there, just before us, was an opening in the
cliffs not wider, it seemed to me, than the vessel we
were on an opening which I shall liken to a gateway,
jealously guarded by two towering sandstone pillars
whose tops were lost in the foggy sky.
Then, with a mighty lunge, the Guerrero and its
load of human freight, upon whose blanched faces
horror and despair were pictured, was sent head-on
into the very jaws of the gateway; and, passing on,
the cries and flapping of wings of myriads of sea-birds
filling the air, we sped, barely escaping being dashed
on huge sunken boulders, around which the water
seethed and boiled like a caldron. So narrow was the
passageway through which we were being carried, as
on the bosom of a swift-running river, that I could
have almost touched the slimy sides as we were swept
by; and to such a great height did the walls tower
above us, rising many feet higher than our top-gallant
masts, that the light of day scarcely penetrated the
gloomy depths. But presently the Guerrero shot out
of the hideous passageway, and almost at the same
moment, as if to crown our perilous undertaking with
an omen of success, the glorious sunshine burst forth,
142
#
NEHALEM
and the waters of the small bay we had entered, stretch-
ing away to the heavily wooded shores, were set to
scintillating by a gentle breeze from the north, driving
fog and mist before it, and all the waking world seemed
glad.
$
{
CHAPTER XIX.
THE RAPE OF THE GUERRERO.
Once the great wall of mist had rolled away,
behold! not only the sun-kissed mountain-top, but the
whole thereof, rising in silent grandeur sheer out of the
sea, its every bush and tree and crag-crowned crest cut
clear against the sky. Below, situated in its very
vitals, was its one great mystery, hereinafter to be
recorded.
Then it was that a cry of thankfulness went up
from three hundred throats. Had we not of late
thought Lareguie mad? Had not his brother officers
grown distrustful of him? Had not the word gone
round, as the Guerrero was headed shoreward, "We
are doomed; our captain is drunken with wine!" Aye,
indeed. Every man had reason to be distrustful.
Since leaving Acapulco, Lareguie had entered upon a
course of dissipation of great magnitude, and a dozen,
yea, a hundred, times he had gone reeling through
the ship in all the frenzy of delirium.
But now all that was changed. In the brief time
of entering into and out of the very jaws of death
every man aboard recognized that it was not only a
daring, but a thorough seaman at the tiller, and a feel-
ing akin to adoration came over the entire ship's crew
at the wonderful nerve power displayed. Hence, no
sooner had we come to anchor and the lighters
launched, in which all hands were ordered ashore,
than one and all, as if to do homage to his superiority,
hastened to obey his will.
NEHALEM.
143
The disembarkation took up the better part of an
hour, the lighters setting us ashore on the south slope
of the mountain. While this work was in progress,
Lareguie ordered the axemen to fell a monarch of the
forest, and from its heart, heavy with pitch, a hundred
or more torches were rived. Not understanding their
use, we again wondered as to his sanity.
The disembarkation having been effected, the
torches were distributed, every tenth man being a
bearer thereof. Then, bidding all hands to follow,
Lareguie began the ascent up the mountain side with
a swinging stride, by passing over an immense stretch
of sandy waste, which soon brought us into a well-
defined though somewhat overgrown underbrush-
covered trail, also leading upward, at the same time
bearing around to the westward crest.
Onward and upward we toiled, to at last come to a
halt at the base of a perpendicular cliff running sheer
upward for five hundred feet or more. The use of
the improvised torches was now made plain. In the
face of the wall was the mouth of a tunnel of stupen-
dous proportions, leading straight back into the moun-
tain side. Tunnels, whether leading out from under
casas, or into hill or mountain sides, was one of Lare-
guie's manias; hence I knew we were to enter this one.
Chiseled on the face of the wall, directly over the
aperture, was a suggestive English inscription:
: TRAITORS MAY ENTER HERE,
BUT NO TRAITOR EVER
LEAVES IT!
During the time of igniting the torches prior to our
entering the tunnel, I disobeyed the order, "Faces
straight ahead and no glancing back," by turning me
about.
Far below were the sandstone pillars, the gloomy
passageway, the little bay on whose unruffled surface
rested the Guerrero. Now, as I stood gazing down on
the vessel which had carried me safely over so many
thousands of miles, I started. What was that dark
144
NEHALEM.
object moving slowly out from under her stern?
Surely the Guerrero was as devoid of human life as if
a pestilence had swept her decks. Yet those light-
ning-like flashes certainly lent color to the illusion-
the rise and fall of paddle blades.
The torches having been set to flaring, we entered
the place of wonderment, preceded by Lareguie with
flaming torch high overhead. On and on, into the
silence of the tomb, into the very bowels of the carth
it seemed, we followed the captain's quickened pace
down the tunnel. A hundred wobblings lights, three
hundred awesome-faced men, led on, ever on, by the
intrepid Lareguie, we hastened, to at last, after many
intricate windings of the passage, emerge in the
threshold of a great dome-shaped room, whose sides.
and ceiling, white as alabaster, gave back a silvery
glow from the torches.
Upon the floor of the room, which was as smooth
as the quarter-deck of a ship, owing to a covering of
fine white sand, many inches in depth, we tread softly,
for fear of impending danger was upon one and all.
More wonders were to come directly. In the center of
the room rose a wooden pyramidal structure, perhaps
twenty feet in height, surmounted by a great chair,
accessible by a flight of stairs covered by time's
dusty layer. Fastened to the arm-rests, one to the
left and the other to the right, were two golden candle-
sticks. Built against the right-hand wall were many
bunks rising in tiers, one above the other, while against
the left wall was a stone oven with a miscellaneous
array of cooking utensils scattered about. At the
western side of the room the light of day shone in from
far away.
Not long did Lareguie keep us waiting by tarry-
ing at the foot of the throne (such it was called), for
presently he led on for the opening through which the
light shone in, and immediately we passed into a
rounded tunnel, the continuation of the one we had
first entered no doubt, whose sides were jagged and
sharp from projecting stones. This we followed until
it terminated on the brink of a precipice, and looking
9
!
NEHALEM.
145
down the dizzy height the waters of the Pacific sparkled
in the rays of the morning sunlight.
After gazing seaward for some little time, the order
was given to right about, and by twos we wended our
way to the throne room. Then Lareguie mounted
the steps to the chair and touched his torch to the
candlesticks, which immediately gave forth two bril-
liant flames, at the same time waving his hand over the
assembly, commanding silence. Then, as a hush fell
over his hearers, did a curious thing happen. Rising
to his feet, the captain removed a slab from the bot-
tom of the chair, and a moment later Jaques, the
dwarf, the curious-shaped pot in hand, stepped out
beside him!
Had the evil one appeared in person at that moment
his coming would scarcely have created greater con-
sternation, and a cry of amazement filled the room.
"Surely, the captain is a man skilled in magic," was
the word that passed from lip to lip.
But to myself Lareguie's purpose in conducting the
entire ship's crew to the mouth of the tunnel was now
plain. The little craft I had noticed awhile back was
no illusion; the man seated beside Lareguie was the
one who caused the oars to rise and fall. Ample time
had been given him in which to reach the throne room.
After the seating of the new arrival, Lareguie arose
and again commanded silence; and it was with wonder
and astonishment that the greater portion of those
present listened to his say. In the glare of light he
looked fiercer than ever, and during his somewhat
lengthy monologue not so much as a voice broke the
stillness.
"Men," he began, "a great change is at hand-an
agreeable change for some, perhaps, and a disagreea-
ble change for others. But before proceeding further
I will first tell how and in what manner I became
aware of this wonderful place; then I have a proposi-
tion to place before you-a proposition which, if on
the right side, you have nothing to lose and much to
gain.
"The greater portion of you have no doubt heard
+
NEHALEM.
1.40
}
*
!
of-well, I will call him Damrock, the great English
pirate. This place, as you now, see it, is just as he left
it years ago. How he discovered it, it matters not-
he is gone. A just man in some ways was Damrock,
and a cruel one in others; but to myself, whom he,
owing to my tender age perhaps, took from the Span-
ish bark Murie, scuttled off the Acapulco harbor forty
years ago, he was ever just and his memory I honor
and respect.
!
"Fifteen years ago to the month we sailed out of
this harbor three hundred strong, bound on an expedi-
tion to the South Seas. But the scheme never mate-
rialized. During our voyage our vessel foundered and
every soul went down but me, left to drift for days
upon the sea with a broken spar for my support, to at
last be rescued by a merchantman and landed in
Espana.
"Twenty years with such a master as Damrock
had so imbued me with the thirst for the calling to
which I had long been subject that I determined to
take advantage of what I knew, and, if ever the oppor-
tunity presented itself, to make this harbor a rendez-
vous of my own: Now, as some of you know quite
well, there is at the present time an order, known
throughout Espana as the Brotherhood, with Jaques
Morone at its head. This brotherhood also has a his-
tory, though of its object some of you are aware.
Some five years ago Jaques Morone and myself, with
as true a band as ever scoured the seas, were at anchor
in Subig bay on the coast of Luzon. Subig bay was
then our headquarters. On the evening of that
memorable day our advance proa brought word that
a strange proa was moored in the bay. This neces-
sitated our going ashore to ascertain her mission, and
Jaques and myself were soon landed, only, to ascer-
tain that the stranger was the property of two hunters.
We soon reduced it to splinters. To give here the
details of all that took place would require much val-
uable time; sufficient to say that an earthquake, to
which the Philippines are subject, occurred immedi-
ately afterward, in which the ship and entire crew
NEHALEM.
147
C
were actually swallowed up. The hand of Providence
seems to be over me. Twice have I been miraculously
saved while entire crews went down.
"Walking over miles of country, Jaques and my-
self reached Manila. Here we assisted in repairing
the great damage wrought, and here also we found,
to our chagrin, that the owners of the strange proa
also escaped the fury of the earthquake. As time
passed on we secretly sought assistance from friends
of the high and free seas, and formed the brotherhood.
So well did we lay our plans that the king's own sol-
diers would have protected our society as one of mili-
tary benefit to the government. But the owners of
the strange proa were our constant menace. Their
accursed alertness and reconnoissance constantly har-
assed us. Failing in an attempt to 'press' them for
a former vessel, commanded over by Captain Moreno,
we later took them captive, only to have them pick
through the prison wall into an underground tunnel
leading out from, under the casa of the brotherhood,
and there I came nigh losing my life in an encounter
with one of them-a black man. His master was a
stripling boy. I was bound and delivered to the gov-
ernment officials, who, after searching the quarters.
imprisoned me as a pirate. By the timely help of
friends I was rescued, and of course wanted no more
of Luzon. The brotherhood by this time existed
throughout the Spanish seas. Meanwhile Jaques
Morone, the valiant leader, was not idle. He, by care-
ful management and with the assistance of friends,
ever mindful of the order, secured for me the berth
of lieutenant on the Guerrero, knowing she would sail
for this part of the world. So well were our plans
laid, too, that every officer, with the exception of Cap-
tain Moreno, was a picked man, and they at once
entered readily into the contemplated enterprise, by
declaring the Guerrero an acquisition to the brother-
hood's already powerful fleet.
·
"Now, I will say unto you that I have carefully
mapped out a plan for our safety that any man amongst
you can understand, whereby we can, too, as the occa-
148
NEHALEM.
}
"
(
小
​sion demands it, enter Spanish ports for the necessa-
ries of life without exciting suspicion. It is this: In
build and shape, from top-gallant mast to water line,
the Guerrero resembles an English man-of-war, the
noticeable difference being the colors given her.
Theirs, so I am informed, are white, while the Guer-
rero has a black dress. You see my drift? Well,
during raids only is the Guerrero to be given the same.
To help carry out the illusion she will also fly English
colors. By adhering strictly to this method we can
carry on the work to perfection, and our countrymen
will be none the wiser.
1
"Our first move will be to sail down opposite Aca-
pulco and capture the king's treasure-ship Santa,
whose lazaretto will be filled to overflowing with ines-
timable riches, which I propose to divide equally, man
to man, according to rank and file. No sooner shall
the .treasure' be secured than the Santa-as well as
other vessels captured-is to be sent to the bottom.
You may think this cruel and inhuman, but I assure
you, as one who knows, that it is our only absolute
safety.
"Now, those who are willing to desert from his maj-
esty's service by joining in with us in this great enter-
prise will signify it by marching to the right-hand side
of the throne, where you will take upon yourselves a
solemn obligation. Unknown to my brother officers,
the prime mover of this mighty organization—the
brotherhood-has journeyed thousands of miles across
both land and sea that he may administer the sacred
oath.
And
Behold, brothe the great master!"
with that he placed his ponderous hand on Jaques'
shoulder, who sat with legs crossed, his chin resting.
in the palm of his right hand,, lost in silent meditation.
There was no alternative but to heed the invitation;
life was yet too sweet to disobey. From my previous
knowledge of Lareguie's methods, I was well aware
that a dreadful fate was in store for those that might
brook his displeasure. Nor was I mistaken. Behold!
in the mouth of the tunnel a six-pounder, its yawning
muzzle trained upon us, over which stood an officer
NEHALEM.
149
>
ร
with lighted torch! Yet, for all that, a few, a very,
very few, to their everlasting credit be it said, had the
manhood and moral courage to stand up and be count-
ed; later on to be taken out to the mouth of the tunnel
and sent headlong over the abyss into the sea.
Furtively, as the great majority passed over to his
right (I, the arrant coward, amongst them), did Lare-
guie's snaky eyes rest on the little band of martyrs at
his left. Then as the last man filed past, he drew his
gleaming sword.
"Let the Sacred Flame be lighted!" he shouted.
Now, in silence that grew oppressive, Jaques slowly
arose, and, placing the curious-shaped pot on the arm-
rest of the chair, he removed the top and dropped the
contents of a package into the receptacle. What it
was, I know not; but in the twinkling of an eye a
dazzling, blinding flame burst forth, that was like look-
ing into the sun's fiery eye. Higher and higher it
arose, lighting the great room a thousand times
brighter than day, until it was something awful to be-
hold. Then, placing his hands in the flame, he rubbed
them together, and he had no more than done so than
the flame turned from bright to red-red as blood.
Again he placed his hands in the flame, and from
red it turned to blue-blue as the sky on a summer's
day. Once more he repeated the motion, and the blue
gave way to black, and out of the mouth of the pot
there ascended a glowing star, tipped with all the hues
of the rainbow. For a moment it rested against the
arched roof, then, preceded by a popping sound, it
exploded, showering myriads of sparks in every direc-
toin, and we were left in darkness. A minute, that
seemed hours, passed, then the voice of Jaques, seem-
ingly far away, rose on the air:
"The three great lights of the brotherhood have
burned, O brothers! In them I see prosperity. Tak-
ing that for a good omen, I now and forever declare
his majesty's warship the Guerrero a buccaneer craft,
to go and come as she will, and no longer under the
jurisdiction of the King of Espana. Is it not so, my
brothers?"
150
£
NEHALEM
1:
"It is so."
f
P
1
"It is well. I will now proceed to administer the
oath."
Fitting, indeed, to the occasion was the chiseled in-
scription on the face of the cliff. After once taking
upon ourselves the sworn pledge, there was to be no
further diversity; we were to be as one man, with one
thought, one purpose!
One by one, throughout that livelong day, did we
ascend the stairs and take upon ourselves the solemn
affirmation by holding up the right hand, with the left
hand placed over the heart:
"I (name), in the presence of all the angels and.
archangels, and of the Holy Mary, mother of the
Savior, and of all the company here assembled, do
most sincerely promise and swear that I will forever
kcep secret the existence of this underground cham-
ber, and of all things said or done or seen herein, and
of all things done or seen on any cruise of the Guer-
rero. I will help, aid and assist any brother of the
order of the brotherhood in any encounter; I will
always be ready to draw my sword and endure any
personal danger or peril or bodily pain in defense of a
brother; I will, on the penalty of instant death.
promptly obey any and all orders given me by a
superior officer; I will always remember that the eye of
the brotherhood is upon me in all my actions, and
that I cannot escape the just penalty that it to be meted
out to any one who may prove recreant to his trust.
"May the great White Light, representing that free-
dom we all enjoy and which is our lifelong portion, be
eternally obscured from our eyes; may the great Red
Light, representing the heart's blood of any and all
who prove recreant to their trust, be ever a stain upon
hands and garments; may the great Blue Light, repre-
senting that haven we all desire to reach at the latter
end, be forever shut out from our vision; and may the
Blackness, that represents the eternal punishment, to
which we expect all traitors to be subject, be our ever-
lasting portion if we in the least deviate from any part
of our duties herein contained.
NEHALEM
15
سلام
इ
"Further: May my lights and liver be taken ou
and given as food to the birds of the air; may my
heart be given to the sharks of the sea; may I be dis
emboweled and my throat cut in twain, if I do not liv
fully up to this, my solemn obligation, so help nu
God!"
The pledge being administered, all hands returned
to the ship, where preparations were at once begur
for the return voyage. The trail leading up the moun
tain side was so widened that four men could walk
abreast. This was for the purpose of transporting on
of the great guns to the mouth of the tunnel overlook
ing the sea, which could, in case of a siege, be used
with effect on any and all vessels off the harbor. No
was this all. Lareguie was a prudent man; he neve
did things by halves. I had thought it strange to
re-provision at Acapulco, the larders yet being wel
filled; but I now saw the wisdom of such a course-
it was for the maintenance of the land force to be estab
lished at Danrock's harbor at some future time. Ac
cordingly, a force of two hundred men was detailed
to transport the supplies, and at the expiration ci tw
days the throne room was filled to overflowin….
+
In the meantime, the painters had not i en idle.
By the time the throne room was filled with wood
and provisions, the Guerrero was transformed. In her
dress of snowy white, the English colors at her peak
the shipwright who designed her would have stood
amazed, so great was the change wrought. On the
fourth morning we weighed anchor and drifted out tc
sea; then the sails were spread to the wind and we
scudded away for the southern latitudes.
CHAPTER XX.
THE FATE OF THE SANTA.
Captain Lareguie had reckoned well. At midnigh
of the hundredth day the Guerrero was lying off the
152
NEHALEM.
+5
*
I
Acapulco harbor, with closed ports and lights extin-
guished. Prompt at the hour the preconcerted signal
was given-the rocket was sent up. Almost imme-
diately there arose from the hilltop, back of the sleepy
town, a stream of fire. As the fireball exploded, show-
ering the earth with a thousand fiery globules, all
hands breathed a sigh of relief. The treasure-ship
would sail at daybreak.
The signal given and answered, preparations were
at once begun for the Santa's reception. Behind the
closed ports the extinguished lights blazed up anew
and a busy scene ensued. Every gun was charged,
piles of shells were brought out; the powder boys
were set to work filling the powder sacks; twelve extra
men were stationed at each great gun; tubs of water
in which the gunswabs rested were placed at the side
of each gun-carriage, and all due precautions taken,
for on the morrow it was to be decided as to whether
the treasure was to be ours.
At break of day I went on deck, which was wet
from falling dew. The sun, as he came to the horizon,
was tinting the sky the rosy blush of morn; day was
coming to take the place of night. The Guerrero,
against whose sides the water was softly lapping, lay
peacefully rocking on the long, running swells, under
close sail. Outlined against the brilliantly tinted sky
was the Acapulco harbor. Never until that moment
had I taken fully into consideration the enormity of
the crime of which I was a participant-a crime which,
like that of the murderer, would sooner or later dig
for me a grave in the realms of Pluto. True, at times
I would be overwhelmed with remorse, to be speedily
drowned, however, by copious draughts of wine with
which the adroit Lareguie kept every man's heart keyed
up to the highest pitch. But now, as I stood looking
off on the hills that sheltered Zemwa's hut, the horror
of it all at once burst upon me with almost over-
whelming force. I was shackled to a fate worse than
death! What if the African knew? I could already
picture the look of scorn his face would wear when he
heard the look that comes over the face of a brave
NEHALEM.
153
A
man when his honor is at stake, in which he laughs
death to scorn. But he must never know. It was
too late now to recant. Provided we never met again,
he would think me dead; thus our recollections of
each other would be as ever-a pleasant memory.
No ship was as yet to be seen, but soon through
the gates of the harbor away off yonder came a sail.
Faster, yet faster, as the wind filled her canvas, she
bore unsuspectingly down upon us. But, see! As
the sun cleared the distant mountain peaks, lighting
up both land and sea, she saw the trap into which she
had fallen, and the cry of alarm went up from her
decks: "The English! the English! The dogs are
upon us!" All was now excitement aboard the Guer-
rero; every heart beat with anxiety! Though small,
yet was the Santa a formidable enemy, being well
armed with a tier of ten good guns to the side, and
one bow and two stern chasers. Be as it might, how-
ever, we had set our hands to the work, and now that
the prize was in sight and the critical moment for
action had come, we were not likely to fail.
Shame, everlasting shame, is upon me! Even now,
twenty years later, as I sit writing these pages in the
mouth of the rounded tunnel overlooking the sea, as
the cry of the seabird is wafted up from far below, my
eyes are suffused with scalding tears, inasmuch I can-
not write of all that transpired. Sufficient to say that
half an hour later the Santa was a wreck. Resistance
on her part was useless. To her credit be it said, how-
ever, she was the first to open fire, only to be returned
by the Guerrero with a terrific broadside, upon which
she flew the white flag of distress. As we rounded to
on the starboard tack, bringing us alongside the
prize, the officers on shore at the fort opened fire, shell
after shell passing over and around us, but doing no
harm. To retaliate, Lareguie brought a dozen guns
to bear on the fort, but they were not up to the range,
consequently the shells fell short.
As the Santa was taken into the embrace of the
Guerrero, great gaping holes in her sides and her
decks shot to splinters, I began to realize what piracy
نا
154
NEHALEM.
'
D
1,
小
​was, and of what an awful thing we were guilty. But
it was no time for regret. Led by Lareguie, we
boarded the prize three hundred strong. With the
exception of the man at the tiller, not a soul was to.
be seen her decks were deserted. Lareguie then or-
dered the man at the tiller to notify the officers to
come forward, which they presently did, lining up
before the Guerrero's master, who' stood with drawn
sword, three paces back from the stairway.
"And where is Captain Feronimo, in whose care
this vessel was consigned?" he asked of the Santa's
lieutenant, a haughty young man.
"I decline to answer your question," was the scorn-
ful reply, looking Lareguie fearlessly in the eye. "You
are not worthy of it, sir."
}
"Very well, senor. You will at least accommodate
me with your sword. Now," he added, as the other
handed over the blade, "you may pass with the others
over to my vessel as prisoners of war."
Then down the gory decks, made slippery with
human blood, between the long avenues of marines
standing with drawn cutlasses, the officers passed over
onto the Guerrero's decks. We. then descended `the
Santa's lower deck, where the seamen (eighty men all
told) were placed in the hold and the hatches battened
down over their unhappy heads. The way being now
clear, and no chances for treachery, we began the
search for the treasure.
We first tried the door of the captain's cabin. It
was locked and barred! To gain access the Guerrero's
smith was sent for, and with a few well-directed blows
with a heavy iron bar he shattered the door to frag-
ments. We then passed into the cabin. Ah! That
I might blot out the sight that met our gaze-a sight
that caused Lareguie, steeled as he was to all sorts of
hideous things, to start and look about him. In the
center of the floor, placed one on top of the other,
were, ten iron-bound boxes containing the eighty
thousand doubloons. Against the pile of boxes, in a
standing posture, his head on his breast, rested the
dead body of Captain Feronimo. The splintered
+
•
}
A
NEHALEM.
155. *
wood-work on each side of the cabin, where a twenty-
four-pound ball had passed in and out, told the tale.
Yet, mangled as he was, the dying captain had man-
aged to pull himself forward to where he now stood—
a ghastly guardian of the king's great treasure. Be-
sides splintering up the walls of the cabin, the ball had
come in contact with one of the treasure-chests, scat-
tering the coins in every direction. In his hand the
dead man still clutched his sword.
At the captain's fect lay the body of a beautiful
senora, whose hair, black as night, had become loos-
ened, causing it to fall over the almost nude body,
enveloping it like a shroud. In the dead woman's
arms was the lifeless form of a little child, sleeping
the sleep that knows no waking, while on its cheeks
were traces of those tears which children weep. Be-
side them, moaning pitifully, was a little spaniel-the
child's playmate, mayhap, during the extended ocean
voyage. As we were crowded over the threshold by
those in the rear, gazing the while on the captain's
sacrifice rather than they fall into the dreaded English
hands, as he thought us, the little dog ran forward
and threw itself against me as if asking for protection.
How I have since thanked God that I then and there-
stooped and patted the dumb brute kindly on the head,
for it was destined to become my companion in long
after years.
How long I would have stood there in the cham-
ber of death I cannot tell. It seemed the while to my
guilty conscience that God's accusing finger was being
pointed at me as a warning to desist from the awful
course I was pursuing. But presently I was brought
to my surroundings by an order to assist in removing
the treasure chests. This I did, but in a dazed sort of
manner, followed everywhere by the little dog. From
the cabin all hands proceeded to the lazaretto, where,
after breaking in the bulkhead, we secured the silver
ingots and small pieces. Then all of the Santa's am-
munition, four of her great guns, two hundred barrels.
of ship's biscuit and thirty casks of salt beef, were
transferred to our decks and stowed away. On the
156
NEHALEM.
doomed ship's forward deck were many oil casks,
which by Lareguie's orders were burst open and the
contents let run at will. Then I knew that in place
of being scuttled the Santa was to be fired, thereby
destroying any telltale clew. The looting being com-
plete, the prisoners, led by the lieutenant, whose finely
cut face wore a look of scorn, were again marched
aboard their outraged vessel.
"You, my friend," said the captain, tapping the
young man on the shoulder with the point of his
sword, "may remain; the others may go below. Now,"
he resumed, as the last man disappeared down the
stairway, "I have something to say. A while since.
you refused to answer a civil question; before sending
you to the bottom of the sea, which thing I intend to
do, I will grant you the opportunity to explain. May-
hap you have somewhat to say; but remember," he
added, "that you do not ask for mercy, for mercy will
not be shown."
"Yes," replied the lieutenant, glancing up at the
great monster of destruction, its side black with men,
"I have somewhat to say." Then as a hush fell over
those gathered there to watch the final act, as well as
to listen to the words of a man already under the
shadow of death, the doomed man began his scathing,
farewell speech-aye, and well he spoke it, too.
"Ah, Lareguie, murderer that you are," he began,
"I know you now; that man over there," and he pointed
an avenging finger at Jaques, who stood facing him a
moment, and then turned guiltily away, "I know him
too-a man who worked upon the good graces of the
viceroy to some purpose. Do not ask for mercy, you
say? Could I expect it from such a villain as you?
You, who have this day outraged the Spanish govern-
ment; you, who this day have stained the waters with
the blood of your own countrymen, and that, too, un-
der the stolen colors of England; thou, who hast the
heart of a lion but the courage of an ass! Ask for
mercy? No, not from one wholly insensible of human
character!
"Your scheme was a good one, Lareguic, and no
NEHALEM.
157
one for the time being will be the wiser, for those on
shore will be misled as we were. They will take your
vessel for an English one, and that great nation will
receive the credit of this outrage, planned and put in
execution by you, a fiend in human form! You will
go on in this manner for some time, perhaps, Lare-
guie, but a day of reckoning will finally come, mind
you, and this great treasure for which you have bar-
tered your soul away will be your downfall. Henceforth
it will be under a curse. Hearken! I, Moriato, do
prophesy that the Great Ruler above, under whose
care I now am, and into whose care I commend the
souls of these ill-fated people below, will bring his
wrath to bear on you with a vengeance. May the
treasure curse you; may it burn you; may it blast you;
may your dreams be made hideous and your life full of
woe, and may the curse remain forever, or until the
wrong is righted. I have finished, Lareguie, all but
this!" And with the word his right hand shot out,
striking the captain squarely between the eyes, putting
him on the deck much as a butcher would fell an ox.
"Now, you coward, I am ready!"
Then did Lareguie pick himself up, at the same
time drawing his sword, his eyes black with anger.
"You dog!"
Twice, thrice, he raised the steel; then, as if struck
with some sudden impulse, returned it to its scabbard,
saying:
"Lieutenant, I commend you on the blow-it was
well directed. But for all that I shall make good my
word, but in a different manner. It was my inten-
tion," he went on, a cruel smile on his grim-visaged
face, "to confine you with the others in the cabin; but
I will be more lenient. You shall be fastened to the
mainmast, thereby giving you an opportunity to see
how cheerfully Lareguie, the traitor, can send you to
the world to come."
Then, by the captain's orders, all hands but myself
and one or two others were ordered aboard our ship
and the vessels cut apart. As the Guerrero drifted
slowly away, the pinnace was brought alongside the
158
NEHALEM.
2
}
Santa for the purpose of taking us aboard when the
latter was fired. Then the lieutenant was bound to
the mast, the captain touched off the oily decks, I took
the little spaniel in my arms and we hastily entered
the pinnace.
Then came the surprise of the day. Just as we
were pulling out from under the Santa's starboard,
there was a commotion on the deck above, and
through the flame of fire and smoke there appeared a
familiar face-a face I was in no wise desirous of see-
ing just then-that of Zemwa! With an athletic
bound he cleared the pile of oil casks, and the next
instant his lithe body shot over the Santa's side, to
fall full length in the pinnace, very nearly overturning
the little craft.
For a moment Lareguic was dumfounded. In that
brief space of time his eye swept with lightning-like
rapidity from Zemwa's face to that of my own-in
that instant we were recognized. Drawing his sword,
he said:
3
"Ah, ha! I have thought it all along! No won-
der the white-haired brat was desirous of shore-going;
it was to hatch more devilment against me, no doubt!
Since you have come amongst us, you black dog, you
may as well bide awhile; I shall have use for you later
on. So take your dose of quietness and lie still!" and
with that he struck the African a stunning blow on the
head with the butt of his sword. Then we pulled
away. We reached our ship. Then all hands turned
to watch the Santa burn. The flames of hell never
burnt higher nor fiercer, for the time being, than did
those that shot straight up from the deck of the
doomed ship, enveloping cordage, mast and spar in its
fiery fold. It was a pitiful sight to stand there and
watch her as she rose and fell in the troughs. The
great, apexed, roaring, crackling flames of fire, sway-
ing to and fro, were more than I could bear; so, tak-
ing the little dog in my arms, I staggered, unobserved,
below. Once away from Zemwa's accusing eyes, as
he lay under the bulwarks where he was pitched head-
long after being hoisted to the Guerrero's decks, my
محمد
}
~ 3
NEHALEM
150
overburdened heart found relief in a wealth of tears,
and I wept-wept bitter tears of remorse; and so
weeping I fell asleep, to dream-aye, I dreamed-
dreamed of home as I left it, dreamed over again my
innocent boyhood days, dreamed that I was back again
in the sunny islands, far across the sea.
CHAPTER XXI.
A JUST RETRIBUTION.
When I awoke, hours later, the shades of night
had fallen. During the day the breeze had veered.
and was now coming from the southeast quarter, caus-
ing a choppy sea, in which the Guerrero rolled and
tossed restlessly on her northward journey.
The thought of seeing Zemwa was now uppermost.
After this one time, provided he judged me wrong, I
would contaminate his presence no longer. Followed
by the spaniel, I crept noiselessly up the stairway to
the waist. It was a glorious night, clear as a silver
bell. Away off yonder to the right was the main- .
land, stretching away in undulating hills and dales.
and valleys to the dethroned Montezuma's land; to
the left was the vast, rolling sea, down upon which
the full moon was shedding its silvery light.
I was not alone. Fastened to the mast, a chain
around his ankle, sitting in a squatting posture, his
head upon his breast, was the African, fast asleep.
Otherwise, with the exception of the watch who was
forward, the deck was deserted. In Lareguie's cabin,
however, pandemonium reigned-the officers were cel-
ebrating the event of such a successful mission in
drunken dissipation. The cabin door opening out
onto the waist was not securely fastened; with almost
every lurch of the ship it would slam back and forth
on its hinges, and I could see within.
Seated before the table, a mug and decanter of
ןייי
}
160
ŃEHALEM:
1
spirits before them, were Lareguie's subordinates; or
part of them rather, as quite a few were already lying
beastly drunk on the floor. At the head of the table,
with disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes, sat the Guer-
rero's master; at the foot of the table sat Jaques. On
the board was a sight. Piled high, so high, in fact,
that hundreds of them would roll to the floor with
every lurch of the ship and go spinning away like so
many cartwheels, were thousands upon thousands of
glittering doubloons.
Every now and then Lareguie would rise to his
feet, and, scooping up great handfuls of coin, would
let them slip through his fingers to fall back on the
heap with a merry chink, and the pile would shimmer.
a golden glow under the rays of the great, swinging
taper; a toast would be said, after which the decanter
would make the rounds again. Many times was this
kept up until none were left at the table but Lareguie.
At last he, too, slept, his elbows on the table, his great
head pillowed in his hands.
}
Just how long I stood in the shadow of the poop.
the vision of the burning ship ever before my eyes, I
cannot tell. Suddenly the cabin door flew open, and
on the threshold, the moonbeams playing over his
terror-stricken face, stood Lareguie.
"Ha!" he exclaimed, placing his hand before his
face as if to ward off some fearful sight, "they are
after me! Keep away, senora!" he screeched, "you
and the little child. I did you no harm. Then why
do you persecute me? Is it gold you want? Sec,
it's thick on the cabin floor! Gold, gold, gold!"
Then in his delirium he imagined was again before
him he who, before his earthly life was cut short, had
called down the curse. "Yes, lieutenant, I hear you.
Your words burn into my very soul. These are your
awful words: 'May it curse you! May it burn you!
May it blast you!' Oh, why did you say it? Oh,
your eyes-they are fearful! How they burn into
mine! You, too, are after me!" And in his terror
the pitiful wretch began running around the deck,
warding off the while some imaginary foe, until at
01
w
+
161
NEHALEM
last, from sheer exhaustion, he staggered against the
mast for support.
For the second, aye, the twentieth time, I glanced
at Zemwa. He still sat in his crouching posture, but
not asleep; his eyes were partially open now, furtively
watching Lareguie's every motion. For some little
time did the reason-dethroned man thus support him-
self while reason partially returned; then the captive
chained at his feet attracted his attention, and his bru-
tality at once showed itself.
"Not content with hounding me while in the
islands, you black son of Ethiopia, you now sneak
aboard my ship! Had I not overlooked an important
thing that of searching you the night you escaped
from the casa by the tunnel-your bones would now
be bleaching with those who brooked my will! And,
but for the young officer from the esplanade curse
his bones, curse his liver-your white-haired, aristo-
cratic friend below would have never become what he
canted and preached against-a pirate! Ha! ha! His
proud spirit is now broken, and I am the one that
broke it. I am the one that broke it, understand, and
before I am done with you, son of Ethiopia, I will
crush yours.
Three weeks in the lazaretto did it-
three weeks in a dungeon, and a day in Damrock's
throne room, and he marched up like a man and took
the oath of allegiance. A great place is the lazaretto
-a great place indeed for curbing a refractory spirit.
I remember a remark of yours, son of darkness, that
of seeing the birds of the air feasting on my rotting
flesh as my body was borne out on the sea of perdi-
tion, or something to that effect. A great speech you
gave us that night in the casa-a great speech, indeed!
So great was it that it struck me as a forcible argu-
ment, and I have since then endeavored to live a better
life. Do you know your speech was imaginary? Do
you know the devil is in me tonight? Do you know
that I am up to my old tricks again? Well, I am; so
listen now:
"A fortnight you shall be confined in the lazaretto
on a bread-and-water diet: then, when your ribs shall
162
2
NEHALE.
7
[
show like those through the hide of a starving ox,
your heart shall be taken out and fastened to the top
of the top-gallant mast, your body thrown to the
sharks of the sea, and the birds of the air shall eat,
cat, eat! That will not be imaginary. It will con-
vince my followers that I am what I claim to be-a
strict disciplinarian. Yes." he added, as if the words.
pleased his delirious fancy, "the birds shall eat, eat,
eat! So take that, you dog. The devil is in my
cups;" and the next instant his heavy foot crushed into
Zemwa's upturned face.
+
Perhaps the African had been subjected to many
insults while I slept: perhaps the spark of revenge
for the unprovoked blow given him as he landed in
the pinnace the previous day still smoldered in his
breast. At any rate, he was quick to resent this last
insult. With rage-distorted face, his eyes flashing fire,
his body, naked from the waist up, fairly glistening in
the moonlight, he towered a full head above his tor-
mentor. Too late Lareguie realized that he had gone.
one step too far. Those long, sinewy arms, holding
him at arm's length, backed by that great, deep-
rounded chest, were something to be feared, and with
fear-blanched face, as he gazed into the other's gleam-
ing eyes, he cringed against the mast.
"Senor Lareguie," the African's words fell on the
air like the hiss of a serpent, "your words just now re-
lieved my heart of a burden-a burden heavy to bear.
I have judged my little master wrong. I thought it
for the love of the white man's gold that he betrayed
the king. The looting of the treasure-ship was no
surprise to me; in fact, of my previous knowledge of
you I expected just such a thing to happen. But
when I intimated such a thing as treachery on your
part, the government officials laughed me to scorn.
However, for this day's work there is, or soon will be,
a price upon your head. The officer whom you fas-
tened to the mast of the treasure-ship spoke truthfully
---a day of reckoning for this outrage is coming-aye,
it is now nigh at hand. To prove my assertions that
you were at the bottom of some conspiracy, I stole
'
I
NEHALE
163
aboard the treasure-ship late last night and secreted
myself. If my suspicions were not confirmed, well
and good-I would make the best of a bad bargain.
If true, I would expose you, asking but one reward
of the government-the full pardon of my little master.
Under my cloak was a trained raven, furnished me by
the government for carrying dispatches to the cap-
ital; in my hand were two small parchments, one of
which would bear good tidings and the other ill.
While the looting was in progress I set the bird at
liberty, and after circling above the ship a time or so
it rose high in the air, and is now fast winging its
way to the capital. It was the ill message I fastened
to its throat, and these are the words it bore: 'Cap-
tain Lareguie is a traitor to his king and country; he
is sailing under false colors.'
“Aye," Zemwa went on in a terrible voice, as the
other uttered a fearful imprecation, "what I have told
you is true-as true, mind you, as I have you in my
power. I shall cheat the king. This night, Senor
Lareguie, I have a score to pay-a score that I will
cancel by casting your stinking body overboard as
food for the fishes of the sea! Remember it is Zemwa
into whose face you have just placed your foot-yes,
Zemwa, the Ethiopian, of whom it was prophesied,
while he was yet a suckling babe, that he should one
day do battle with a white man whose hands were
stained with blood. That white man, senor, is your-
self, and, by the bones of my foster-father's great an-
cestor, Montezuma, you shall die!"
Then, not only once, but twice, thrice, as he pinned
the captain to the mast, did the African's great woolly
head crush with awful force into Lareguie's chest, and
a minute later he was a corpse. Then, with the chain
clanking on the deck, with the body in his arms.
Zemwa stepped quickly to the side of the vessel and
cast his victim deliberately into the sea.
}
t
L
164
NEHALEM.
L
CHAPTER XXII.
THE WRECK OF THE GUERRERO.
"
Too late I remembered the clause in the ironclad
oath, "To endure any personal danger or peril or bod-
ily pain in the defense of a brother." Could I have
predicted what was to follow, I could have easily put
forth a restraining hand; but as it was, with intellect
clouded by the incidents of the day, with remorse tug-
ging at my heart, I confess that I gloated over what
was taking place. It seemed a just retribution. Not
once did it occur to me that I was equally as guilty
as Lareguie; that it was already written in flaming
letters in the great book on high, "Thou, too, hast
sinned."
Before the cry "Man overboard!" had died away
(the watch had noted the splash), Zemwa had resumed
his old position, feigning sleep. It was useless to
question him—he knew nothing. Two pairs of eyes.
those of the spaniel and my own, were the only wit-
nesses. We would not tell; his secret was safe.
As a rule, sailors are more or less superstitious.
Thus was it with those aboard the Guerrero. Lare-
guie having been done away with in such a strange
manner, it was considered a bad omen. Then, too,
the words of Moriato were still fresh in the minds of
all, and the curse, so they reasoned, had surely fallen.
There was no sleep for those on board the remaining
portion of that long-remembered night. Silence
reigned in Lareguie's treasure-haunted cabin; the offi-
cers were duly sobered now, and passed to and fro
throughout the ship with fear-blanched faces.
At daybreak all hands were mustered in the waist
for consultation as to what was to be done. We were
like a ship without a rudder, drifting on to destruction.
Some were for casting the treasure into the sea; then
(not knowing of the telltale parchment which was fast
speeding capital-wards) all hands were to resort to the
small boats, and upon our arrival at Acapulco word
was to be given out that the Guerrero had gone up in
flames. The better judgment of Jaques (arrant cow-
NEHALEM.
165
ard that he was) prevailed, however, and it was finally
agreed upon, notwithstanding my intimation of the
iate in store at the hands of the government, to pro-
ceed northward to Damrock's harbor; thence, the
treasure secreted, and correct bearings taken as to the
locality, we would put back to within a day's sail of
Acapulco, scuttle the vessel, take to the small boats
and proceed to our destination, giving out the word
that the Guerrero had run upon a reef. Then all
hands were to proceed to Espana as best they could,
to attend the annual meet of the brotherhood, and so
let that great body determine the fate of the ill-gotten
treasure.
The cruise up the coast was long and tedious.
Heavy gales were encountered, in which the Guerrero
was tossed about on the winter storm-swept sea like a
cockle-shell. Not until the break of the seventieth day,
which was wild and stormy, were we again swept on
the ebb tide into Damrock's harbor. Great was the
change! The forests bordering the bay, cool and re-
freshing to the eye on our previous voyage, were now
white with snow, over which swept a chilling blast from
the north.
No sooner had we come to anchor than hurried
preparations for the disposal of the treasure were at
once begun. At first there was talk of secreting it in
the throne room, but this idea was finally given up,
for not one of the seamen could be induced to ap-
proach anywhere nigh the mouth of the cavern; there-
fore it was decided to adhere to the first intention-
that of burying the treasure on the mountain side. Ac-
cordingly, a squad of men, accompanied by the ship's
carpenters, were sent ashore to construct a raft, and
early in the afternoon it was completed and towed out
to the ship and moored alongside. Then the silver
ingots were lowered onto the float, and a huge iron
box, brought up from the hold, into which the doub-
loons were stacked, was likewise placed on the raft.
An hour later the Santa's ponderous treasure-box
was taken ashore. I say ponderous. for it took the
united strength of twenty men to transport it across
M
166
NEHALEM.
هم
$
the sand-dunes and thence up the mountain side. It
was at the base of one of the numerous cone-shaped
mounds, beside a swift-running brook, that the site
was chosen a lasting monument for all time to come.
Up to this time we had thought the wilderness
devoid of human life; but while the work of excavating
the pit, in which the chest was to be placed, was in
progress, several odd-looking craft were to be seen
crossing the bay from the southeast, and in a short
time we were surrounded by a strange-looking, fur-
clad, copper-colored people, armed with bow and ar-
While the natives were undemonstrative, the
chest, which was open, excited their cupidity, and they
closed in around us, delaying the workmen. At last,
to be rid of them, Jaques said:
row.
"There is a saying among the Aztecs that all na-
tives stand in awe of a black man. Now, to keep
these people from molesting the treasure, Zemwa
shall be brought hither and sacrificed, that his spirit
may guard it forever;" and, singling out a number of
men, I among them, he bade us fetch the African.
Mayhap Zemwa surmised his fate; mayhap he
could see into the future. At any rate, as he was
marched up the mountain side, dragging the chain yet
fast to his now swollen ankle over the stones, he beck-
oned me to his side.
"Senor," he whispered, "thou once didst me a good
turn-in fact, many good turns. Did I not see you
that night when your heart, as well as mine, was sore,
as you crouched in the shadow, the little dog in your
arms? Aye, I saw, and your lips have ever since been
dumb. When I was a little lad, Markala, of whom you
have often heard me speak, gave unto me a taliṣman,
having which, so they say, as long as one is upon the
water he can never perish. The saying is true, and on
the morrow it shall exemplify what I have said. Have
I not heard it planned, while they thought my eyes
were heavy with sleep, of how the king is to be de-
prived of his ship and gold; of how you will all onc
day stand before the crimson curtain in the great room
of the brotherhood in Espana? Alas! senor, it shall
NEHALEMI
167
ነ
1
}
never be. Before the sun goes down tomorrow not
one shall be left to tell the tale but you, Zemwa's only
friend. Nay, weep not for me, senor; I have been
but a mark upon the sand-my course is run. In a
short time I shall have passed over the frail bridge
that spans the River of Life, where, as I mingle with
my ancestors, my soul shall be at peace forevermore.
My pathway through life has been made pleasant
through the instrumentality of my little master. It
was destined by the Sun-god that we were to meet; it
was destined that, like all living things, we should die.
I would that it be granted me to see you safely back
to the City of Wisdom; but it is not to be. There-
- fore, take the talisman, senor; its charm for me is.
broken-nevermore will I go upon the water:" and
with these words he placed in my hand a little, blood-
red stone.
The pit was well under way as we neared the cone-
'shaped mound an hour later. In the meantime a
guard had been placed around the treasure and the
natives crowded into the background. They were not
averse to pilfering, so it seemed; by stealth they had
gained possession of several doubloons, or -- which
they were thrown into raptures. But their joyment
was changed to consternation as Zemwa's tail, naked
form pushed itself through the underbrush into the ring
before them. One glance into those large. lustrous
orbs was sufficient, and, dropping the coins, they ran
shrieking away. Far up on the mountain side they
again clustered and watched the final act-of seeing
Zemwa stood out in the open and his body riddled
with bullets; of seeing the silver ingots first placed in
the pit and the great chest lowered upon them; then
of seeing the African's lifeless body seated upon the
chest, in which manner it was sepulchred, leaving his
head protruding a good six inches above the surface.
Of the melee that followed I need not dwell, for
there were others beside myself who were averse to
doing away with the innocent man, and many a poor
fellow's blood mingled with the waters of the brook
as it ran tumbling down the mountain side into the
168
NEH
NEHALEM.
2
'sea. Then it was that the natives evacuated the prem-
ises for good, and long before we reached the ship
their strange craft had vanished in the shadow of the
forest across the bay from whence they came.
Glad enough were all hands next morning, after
an unrestful night, when the gray dawn of day came
creeping in. Long before nightfall the evening be-
fore, the bearings had been taken, consisting of a
stone so fashioned as to represent a Grecian lady's
head (hereinafter to be mentioned) and a rough chart;
and now we anxiously awaited the ebb tide to bear us
out to sea, that we might sail away forever from the
treasure-haunted harbor. But it was never to be, this
sailing away. At high noon a storm arose in the
south, and even in the bay it was far from being calm.
It was in vain that the older and experienced seamen
implored the officers to await its abatement-the wine
cup had passed once too often.
Ah, what a sight it was as we cleared the harbor-
one that might well appall the stoutest heart. Far
seaward, as the Guerrero rose and fell on the mountain-
ous swells, crashing in quick succession against the
cliffs, reverberating with thunderous intonations for
miles up and down the forest-clad shores, the bosom
of the deep was a mass of foam and flying scud. Too
late those in command realized the impending danger.
We were doomed! As the order was given to put
about for the purpose of again making the harbor, the
mainmast fell with a crash; under it, crushed into a
shapeless mass, lay Jaques. Immediately following
the mizzen fell. It was useless to try to obey the
order to clear the wreckage, for no man's life was safe
on that deluged, watery deck.
By this time the well-disciplined crew had deterio-
rated to a howling, frenzied mob, which, as a moment-
ary lull occurred, culminated in a rush for the small
boats; but no sooner were they launched than they
were dashed to pieces and the occupants left battling
with the waves. Next to give way was the tiller, and
then the once proud Guerrero was left a wreck, to
drift at the mercy of the wind; and head-on, with tons

DE
THE GLYPHIC ROCK OF NECARNEY.

MT. NECARNEY FROM FALSE TILLAMOOK HEAD.
NEHALEM.
169
upon tons of water sweeping over her, smashing her
cabins to atoms, she drifted shorewards. Then it was ·
that hope gave way to despair. Not a stone's-throw
ahead, down upon which the breakers seemed to vie
as to which could beat the harder, peeped the ragged
rim of a partially submerged reef. So nigh were we to
the mainland, having drifted northward, that one
could seemingly span the distance with the hand. It
misled those few left aboard, and, springing into the
icy water, the battle of swimming ashore commenced,
which, alas! only ended in defeat.
The inevitable soon came. As the Guerrero was
all but upon the reefs, she was struck by a billow that
buried her after parts fathoms deep. Then, as the
stern soused under and the bow shot high, there came
a deafening crash; my hold on the anchor-chain was
broken and I was pitched high in the air, to be sent
flying backwards, where I landed in a heap at the foot
of the poop stairway-and then I knew no more.
thy tha
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE CLOSING PAGES OF THE DON'S NARRA-
TIVE.
It was hours later when I regained consciousness.
In the meantime the afternoon and night had
waned, and the morning sun was now shedding its
friendly warmth down upon me. Clutched in my hand
was Zemwa's blood-red talisman. His words had been
prophetic-out of the entire crew I was the only sur-
vivor. It was not destined, however, that I be left
companionless; with her fore paws on my breast, show-
ing every demonstration of joy that a dumb brute
can, was the little spaniel. Stiff, sore, and benumbed
with cold, I at length struggled to my feet. The calm
following a storm was on-the sea had gone down.
No sound save the monotonous roar of the breakers
170
NEHALEM.
?
1
+
:
+
>
against the cliffs broke the unutterable calm. What
remained of the Guerrero lay high and dry on the now
wholly exposed recf-a ghastly relic, truly, of her once
proud self. The shock had been terrific. It had
broken her hull in twain amidships, as if cleaved and
shorn by a mighty knife. The upper decks were de-
molished; those below yet remained intact. I began
a tour of inspection.
With the exception of the floor, which was strewn
with charts, clothing, wine cups, etc., the lower deck
remained pretty much as the late occupants had left it.
Fastened to the wall were a sword, a brace of small
arms and several muskets. While not living strictly
up to their faith, the officers had made some préten-
sion, however. Over the portal of the doorway was a
cross and an image of the Savior on the cross of
crucifixion; beside it two half-burnt tapers.
$
In the cook's galley chaos reigned, the great stone
oven having been demolished, and the floor strewn
with cups, platters and rice. From the storm-soaked
compartment above, the water was yet falling with a
steady drip, drip, on the floor. For the first time I
realized that hunger was upon me. In one of the
numerous lockers I found a platter of eggs and a jar
of peppers, in another some cooked rice, while to the
joists was swung a quarter of a dried ox; to all of
which I did ample justice, the whole washed down
with copious draughts of Madeira wine.
The repast set my stagnant blood to flowing. De-
spair gave way to hope-self-preservation now held
the upper hand. Making my way back to the cabin, I
donned some dry clothing; then, ascending the stairs,
I made my way over the debris-strewn deck to the
bow. I was now able to think clearly. Damrock's
throne room flashed into memory. If I could but
once reach it, dreary as it was, there protection awaited
ine. But one glance at the mainland and my heart
sank. Even were I to make the shore, seemingly so
nigh, I could never hope to scale those inaccessible
cliffs. Not for any great length of time would the
wreck remain upon the reef. Another storm would
NEHALEM.
171
*
}
shortly follow; then I, with the remnants, would be
swept away. Overcome with grief, I made my way
back to the cabin, where I prostrated myself before
the cross of crucifixion, where I fell asleep.
•
Hours later I awoke. It was far past high noon.
The tide was now on the ebb. Through the great,
gaping hole in the Guerrero's starboard side the tow-
ering sand pillars at the mouth of the passageway
were visible. Much drift was running. First would
come great bunches of underbrush, followed every
now and then by a log, which would be sent far sea-
ward on the rapid-running tide. Now, as I stood in-
tently watching the floating debris, a dark object came
sailing out, fluttered for a moment at the mouth of
the passageway, then swung around and drifted di-
rectly toward the reef. At that I started up—I gave
a shout of joy-the floating object was the raft con-
structed the previous day. Ah! how hope at once
revived. Let come what might, I must gain posses-
sion of the float. Once aboard, with the tide and
wind in my favor, I could at last hope to reach the
haven of safety.
To think was to act. A moment later I was off the
wreck and on the far end of the reef, a coil of rope in
hand. The raft was now rapidly drifting toward ine.
Nigh, yet nigher, she came-she was all but against
the reef. Then the recoil of a breaker sent her far
past, far out of reach, and my hopes fell. All was
Icst. But no; it was not to be. She was met by a
foam-crested breaker that set her to spinning like a
top, and a minute later, helped on by the swell, she
swung under the lee of the ledge, and in less time than
it takes to tell it I was aboard and had fast the line!
•
Hours would yet elapse before the tide would turn;
therefore, I determined to take with me such necessa- .
ries of life as the wreck yet afforded. I first secured
a piece of sail cloth, a piece of timber and an auger and
constructed a sail. Then I loaded upon the raft a great
load. From the cabin I took all the bedding, a com-
pass, the small arms, three hundred pieces of parch-
ment and seven muskets; from the powder room six
172
NEHALEM.
→
barrels of powder and much lead and shot; from the
galley three half barrels of salt beef, ten of ship's bis
cuits, a flint and a roll of lint. I then descended intc
the hold and brought up three hundred of the large
tapers; from the ship carpenter's room a dozen broad
axes and three augers. By the time I had finished
·loading the raft the tide was on the turn. Another
storm was now brewing. Out in the west the sky was
overcast with threatening clouds, and soon the wind
began to rise. If I made the harbor no time was to be
lost. Placing the spaniel on the now heavily lader
float, I pushed off, the wind filling the little sail, and
my clumsy craft, under God's guiding hand, began it
slow voyage inland. That night, as the huge fire in
the stone oven cast its lurid glare over the somber
sided walls and ceiling, as the great storm raged with
out, I slept with the spaniel by my side in Damrock'
throne room.
*
*
*
*
*
Time, everlasting time, drew on apace; my whit
ened locks became even whiter as time rolled on
After a time my monotonous life became less irksom
and I became reconciled, after a fashion, to my lonel
lot. The provisions in the throne room, with wha
wild game I secured, were sufficient for a lifetime, and
I suffered not from hunger or cold. It became my
wont daily, as the years rolled by, to ascend the moun
tain side, musket in hand, to where my signal of dis
tress fluttered from the peak of the broken mast, wher
I would scan the sea for hours for the sail that cam
not. Then, as the shadows lengthened, I would wen
my way homewards, the little dog barking joyousl
by my side, and set the beacon to going at the mout
of the tunnel.
Once only did a lonely ship come sailing up th
coast, standing in close to the shore. So nigh was sh
that with a sling I could have cast a stone across he
bow. Then it was, as I noted my country's colors a
her peak, that tears, scalding tears, ran coursing dow
iny cheeks.
To attract the attention of those of
board, I fired the musket repeatedly; but, seeing tha
+
· 173
NEHALEM.
such a course was useless, I ran hurriedly down the
mountain side and thence through the throne room
to the mouth of the tunnel, and set the great gun sta-
tioned there to thundering. But in vain! The sail
passed on, and in an hour's time was a mere spot on
the far distant horizon. That same night, to add to
my cup of bitterness, my little companion sickened
and died.
*
134
*
*
By my time-keeper-the tally marks on the wall-
forty years have passed away since the day of my de-
liverance. The story of my life, written a line at a
time as the mood came over me, is now complete, with
the exception of a few paragraphs. Only once did I
visit the spot where the treasure lies. It was on the
third day succeeding the wrecking of the Guerrero.
It was a sad pilgrimage-to give my dear friend's
dead body a decent interment. And there, a rod dis-
tant from the scene of the treasure, after wrapping his
remains in one of the Guerrero's spare sails, I buried
him from my sight forever. The parchments I shall
place in a canister; the canister I shall entomb in a
wax cake which I have molded for the occasion from
the remnants out of the wreck, after first having hol-
lowed out a place for it to lie. Over the tin as it
rests in the receptacle I shall pour melted wax, thereby
sealing it, and in this manner it shall be preserved
forever, or until the hand of man doth take it from its
resting-place. When sealed I shall take the cake to
the mouth of the tunnel and cast it into the sea.
late years the once friendly natives have grown hostile
and are trying to effect my capture-which thing I
presume they will eventually accomplish. Therefore,
if such should be the case, the clue to the whereabouts
of the treasure would be forever lost-hence my inten-
tion of sealing the parchment in the wax cake, as in
the afore-mentioned manner.
Oi
Of one great change in the geography of the coast
I am certain: Before another century has come and
gone the passageway will be no more. Time's ruth-
less hand has already honeycombed the sandstone
174
>
NEHALEN.
1
1
*
+
L
>
pillars, and even now, as the tide ebbs and flows, they
tottér upon their foundations. When the change does,
take place the little pent-up bay will wither away, to be
likened, in future generations, as a river. Otherwise
the coast will remain the same. The everlasting hills,
whose foliage is resplendent this October afternoon
with Nature's glorious russet-colored garb, will stand
until Time shall be no more; the great cape, whose
every rock and tree is now familiar to me, will rear its
colossal head heavenward time without end; and the
great needle rock, four leagues to the south, whose
base is pierced by a mighty eye through which a ship
could sail, will weather the storms for another thou-
sand years.
The time is now at hand to disclose the wherea-
bouts of the treasure; therefore, readest thou carefully:
The cape I have mentioned is situated in 45 degrees
54 minutes and 4 seconds north latitude. On the
south side of the cape the finder of the parchment will
find three arrow-heads carved half way up the side of
the cliff, pointing southward. Twelve hundred paces
south, as the crow flies, a basaltic stone lies on the edge
of the cliff. On the east side of the stone is the letter
“E,” signifying east. Sixty paces cast, before coming
to the little brook, a flat stone lies buried, face down-
ward. When unearthed and placed in an upright
position (from a dead level to a perpendicular, face to
the south) the following symbols will be seen: Two
crosses, the letter "W," the word "DEOS” and a small
arrow, the whole thereof being the private mark of the
stonemason who designed them; underneath the sym-
bols are the letters "D," "E," an arrow and nine dots,
being the true guide. Nine rods distant, on the oppo-
site side of the brook, in a due line with the stone on-
the bluff, is the cone-shaped mound.
The secret is told; therefore, that the curse may not
blast the finder of the parchment, doeth thou with the
treasure as thou wouldst be done by.
Farewell. My work is done.
NEHALEÁI.
175
+
CHAPTER XXIV.
CONCLUSION.
"Can't do it. I've cruised up and down this part o'
the coast nigh onto twenty-five year, and by the jig
of the rig, fore and aft, if I can take you aboard. By
the tail o' my suspenders, if I can."
In the track of the sea where sailed ye galleons in
ye olden times, a vessel had come to a stop in mid-
occan. Her mighty engines, which had throbbed
incessantly for a night and a day, were now silent, and
as she rose and fell on the swell, her stacks belching
out great clouds of smoke that trailed far astern,
everything about her stood out clearly against the
October sunset.
On the bridge, glass in hand, was the first officer,
whose prologue opens the last chapter of Nehalem.
The starboard rail of the good ship Columbia, twenty-
four hours out from Portland, Oregon, San Francisco
bound, is black with people, every neck craned forward
to catch a glimpse of the interesting scene taking place
below. The sailboat alongside contains three occu-
pants or I might say four-namely, three men and
a dog. In the bow, dressed in Gotham's latest fash-
ion, with immaculate shirt front and patent-leather
shoes, is a tall, somewhat sunburned young man, who
is none other than Drybark's late guest. The man
occupying the second seat, whose clothing, though
neat and tasty, bears the stamp of ten years ago, is, as
the reader will readily guess, the so-called hermit of-
Nehalem-Dr. Thomas Moore. The little craft is
loaded to the guards, her gunwale being on a level
with the water line, and the swash of the sea keeps the
gray-haired man at the tiller busy shoving her off as
she bumps up against the big steamer's impenetrable
iron hull.
176
NEHALEM
1
+
"Yes, blast me," the mate' went on, as he peered
down into Marcus' upturned face, "this stopping a
vessel-a 'Frisco liner at that-with your lousy craft,
is what I call gall, double-distilled gall at that; so shake
your dishrag, for we're going to do some tall climbing
to make up for lost time."
"Come, come," pleaded Marcus, "you surely
wouldn't leave us like this; I tell you, man," he went
on, as the scowl deepened on the mate's face, "it's
imperative that we reach San Francisco this trip. So
come, lower away your accommodation ladder, then.
swing out your crane and take our luggage aboard."
The mate shook his head.
"Take 'em up; take 'em up," chimed in a dozen
sympathetic passengers.
"Can't," said the mate, decidedly; "strictly against
the rules-that is, except in case of shipwreck,
and ""
"What's against the rules, Dingman?" asked jolly
Captain Bolles, as he emerged from his cabin, having
been awakened from his afternoon nap by the stopping
of the steamer's churning.
"Why, the taking aboard of passengers outside of
port. You see, captain," the mate continued, "we
sighted the old tub alongside an hour ago, and, as she
was lying low and log-like, a distress flag at her peak,
I naturally supposed something was wrong and gave
orders for the engineers to slow down. Then, blast
me, if that young chap down there didn't have the
impudence to say he had put out from the neck of the
woods over yonder to engage passage to the Bay city.
D-n me if he didn't," growled the mate.
"A little less swearing, Mr. Dingman, if you
please," said the captain. "As you say, it's strictly
against the rules, but since the thing's done, why
"Oh, do, captain, please do," interrupted a bevy of
feminine voices, taking advantage of the captain's
pause as well as his drift.
}
Marcus lifted his hat in graceful acknowledgment.
Captain Bolles hesitated-looked first to the right
across the quiet sea, squinted meditatively at the sun
11
NEHALEM.
177
hanging low like a huge ball of fire against the western
horizon, then turned and looked landward, where ten
miles away the Nehalem coast rose grand and silent,
in places two thousand feet sheer out of the sea.
"Very well," he said at length. "Mr. Dingman,
see to the lowering of the accommodation ladder.
You will use the crane for swinging the passenger's
luggage aboard. Mind you, do it quickly, too," he
added, “so that the old man down there may put about;
we're going to have a squall before morning."
Five minutes later. Tom, Marcus and Tiger stood
on the Columbia's hurricane-deck. Then the crane
was swung round for the hoisting of the luggage
aboard, which consisted of thirty-two iron-strapped
wooden boxes weighing two hundred pounds each,
two Saratoga trunks and three Winchester rifles. As
the crane swung out over the fish-boat two sailors
shinned down the ropes, and with a few deft turns the
boxes were made up into packages of four each. Then
the lowered hooks were inserted in the fastening, a
shrill whistle sounded, there was a "chug-chug-chug-
chir-r-r-r!" from the hoisting engine at the fore hatch,
and the first load of luggage was lifted high in the air;
then the crane swung in, the bulky load was lowered
through the hatch to the second deck, and fifteen min-
utes later the fish-boat, as if relieved from the respon-
sibility of supporting three and a quarter tons of dead
weight, was bobbing merrily up and down on the sur-
face of the sea.
"Neighbor Lovell," said Tom from the railing, as
the old gentleman prepared to cast off, "we may never
meet again, but, in gratitude for the many good turns
you have done me, let me present you with a deed to
Drybark and the ranch. And." as a weighty article,
to which the big envelope was attached, crashed into
the bottom of the boat, and which looked and sounded
suspiciously like a ten-pound shot bag filled with gold,
"here's your share of the boodle-with the proviso,'
he added, "that you treat Doikel with a Christian-like
spirit for the remainder of his days."
Then the painter was cast off, the little sailboat
178
NÈHALEM.
i
drifted past, there was a tinkle of a bell deep down in
the Columbia's hold, a churning of water under her
stern, a waving of handkerchiefs, a hoarse blast from
her whistle, and the big vessel shot forward into the
fast-approaching night.
*
*
*
*
*
"Here you are, doctor, receipt No. 14682, for one
and a quarter million dollars of pirate money-the
largest sum I ever receipted for or ever expect to
again.'
It is the dead of night. The hour hand of the little
clock over the purser's desk is nearing twelve, as the
Columbia rushes on through the driving storm that
has sprung up since sundown, her reel-log clicking off
twenty-one knots to the hour. Besides the purser,
Captain Bolles and Dingman, the first officer, the
little office contains two other occupants, Tom and
Marcus.
"One and a quarter million dollars," repeated
Purser Brierwood-"one and a quarter million dollars!
I tell you what it is, gentlemen," said he, taking a coin
from the heap that littered the table, which bore the
castles and rampant lions of the Spanish royal arms of
the sixteenth century, "it's simply astounding. Really,
you don't mean to tell me," he asked for the twentieth
time, "that all of those thirty-two boxes contain
doubloons?"
"Twenty-two of them do," said Tom, "while the
other ten contain forty of these," and he placed a silver
bar on the table, three inches square by fourteen inches
in length.
"Which goes to show, captain," put in the first
officer, "that a fool siwash tells the truth once in a
while after all. You know we've talked it over a
thousand times about the legend, the beeswax and the
buried treasure; and now, hang me, if the truth hain't
come to light! Just think of it. Here I've been
bawlin' orders for twenty-five years and a-thinkin'
every time we passed by Carney mountain that I'd lay
off for a trip and do a little diggin' on my own account,
when my plans fall through with by havin' the 'Frisco
4
NEHALEM.
179
จ
liner stopped by a fish-boat loaded to the guards with
these here yellow boys and-"
"Come, come, Dingman," interrupted Captain
Bolles, "the good book says thou shalt not-
"Yes, yes, so it does," put in Purser Brierwood.
"But I'm thinking that while all hands smoke a cigar
it would be fitting to the occasion that the doctor
finish his yarn. He's told of finding the parchment.
Now I would like to hear the modern part of finding
the treasure. Is it agreeable, doctor?"
"Certainly, certainly," said Tom, readily. "As you
may readily guess," he began, helping himself to a
cigar from the proffered box, "we were wonderfully.
worked up over the finding of old Don's parchments,
and by the time my friend here had translated them we
were completely tuckered out.
"We went to bed," Tom continued, scratching a
match on his bootheel, "at two o'clock in the afternoon
for a much-needed rest. We were up again, however,
at daybreak next morning. It was precious little break-
fast we ate, let me tell you. By sun-up we were in
Lovell's pasture with pick and shovel, and had the
cryptogram set in position-face to the south, with
the indication arrow pointing due east by the compass.
Then we took a tape line and measured off nine rods,
which took us across to the right-hand bank of the
little brook. That was where I had been fooled all
along I had done most of the searching up and down
the left-hand bank. Then, too, I had been searching
a rod too far behind. You see, as there were but
eight dots on the face of the stone-one of them had
disappeared since old Don's time-it was perfectly
natural that I should measure off eight feet, or eight
rods, as the case might be, while if I had started it
right my persevering search would have been rewarded..
long ere this.
"As it was, we went to work. While I loosened
up the sod with the pick, Marcus shoveled it out; but
owing to the frequent cave-ins-you see, the treasure
was really buried where the parchments said, at the
base of the cone-shaped mound-it was some little,
។
180
NEHALEM.
time before we made much headway. The first inti-
mation that we were on the right track was when the
point of the pick struck some metal substance, sticking
good and fast. To loosen it I did some hearty yank-
ing, bringing up yes, sir, on the pick point-an old
rotten link of the very chain that the Don filed from the
negro Zemwa's ankle.
"Heavens, how we dug after that! Down, down,
down, until the hole was six, seven, eight, yes, ten
feet deep, we went-you see, so much weight would
naturally settle some-then the pick crashed through
the badly rust-eaten lid of the great iron chest. Then,
when I pulled the pick out, the yellow gleam to be seen
told us that the finding of the great Spanish treasure.
was at last a reality.
"You have heard of men going mad over gold?
Well, that was about the case with us. First Marcus
looked at me, then I looked at him. Then we ripped
the cover off that old chest, and as we wallowed
around in the gold we fairly hugged each other in the
exuberance of our feelings to be the discoverers of a
million or more of money. Then we got down on
our knees, filled our hats with doubloons, and
scrambled out of the hole, where we shouted and
laughed so hard that Lovell's old bull Rampage came
across the field with head down and tail up to take a
hand in the fracas.
“After we had driven the bull away. reason
returned, and we began to realize that we had an ele-
phant on our hands-we didn't know what to do with
our find. It would never do for the report to get out
that the treasure had been found, and we were in a
quandary what to do in the matter. Then, on Marcus'
advice. we dumped the doubloons back in the chest
and covered all tell-tale spots, and went back to the
house to talk the matter over. Well, the outcome of
it was, we hired Lovell's team, and at twelve o'clock
that night we hauled the treasure up to the ranch and
dumped it in the woodshed.
"The next day we paid a neighboring sawmill a
visit for a load of lumber, out of which we knocked
NEHALEM.
181
the thirty-two boxes together. Then, on Marcus' sug-
gestion, we hired Lovell and his fish-boat, and after
loading in the boxes we sailed out over Nehalem bar
and are now on our way to the United States mint in
San Francisco, to turn both the doubloons and silver
bars into American money. From there we shall sail
for Manila-Marcus thinks I need a rest-and, if pos-
sible, hunt up the descendants of old Don and turn
over to them, as an heirloom of the family, their ances-
tor's remarkable parchments. No, I do not intend to
follow the dictations of the narrator. I have a scheme
to put into execution, on my arrival in New York,
which the world will in the course of time hear about.”
"There's a question, doctor, that I would like to
ask," said Captain Bolles as Tom finished. "Have
you reason to believe the castaway eventually found
his way back to his native land?"
"I have not. In fact, captain, I am well aware that
such is not the case," was Tom's rejoinder. "You
see," he went on, as he began stacking the doubloons
in the box, "Marcus and myself were naturally desirous
of ascertaining his fate; so, after we had the treasure
boxed for shipment, we began to look around to that
end. We first undertook to locate the entrance to
the throne room. As a huge landslide had taken place,
we naturally failed, of course. We then decided to
explore the tunnel overlooking the sea-I think I
have already told of finding it. Well, by placing two
and two together, we came to the decision that it must
be the one mentioned in old Don's manuscript. Our
next move was to construct a windlass on the point
above. When all was ready we stepped into the
basket and Lovell lowered us over, and three minutes
later we stepped out into the mouth of the tunnel. The
first object our eyes fell upon confirmed the truthful-
ness of the narrator. In the dim, uncertain light
yawned the muzzle of an old-time brass cannon, simi-
lar in every respect to those in the sands of Cannon
beach. After we had examined the ancient piece, we
lighted our bull's-eyes and began our somewhat diffi-
cult passage up the tunnel. Heavens, how our hearts
182
NEHALEM.
L
did thump as we penetrated farther and farther into
the silent tomb! Every now and then some belated
sea-bird, blinded by the lights, would dash into our
faces. With the exception of these and our footsteps,
which sounded like the tread of elephants, the place
was as silent as the grave. On, on, ever on, we went,
the lights from the bull's-eyes falling feebly on the
jagged, circular walls of the tunnel, until we turned a
corner to find ourselves on the threshold of the great
room. Then it was that Marcus gave a cry-a cry
that echoed and re-echoed like the voices of a thou-
sand demons. What we saw was enough to cause
one's flesh to creep. Owing to the salt air blowing
into the tunnel and stopping there, everything was
coated over. In the center of the room rose a great
white throne-whiter than any alabaster you ever saw.
It was the pyramidal structure mentioned in the manu-
script, turned into a massive pyramid of salt. Salt
will not adhere to bone, you know. In the great chair,
just as he had died one hundred and eighty years ago,
his bony chin resting in his yet bonier hand, was the
grinning skeleton of old Don."
THE END.
DEC 2 4 1919

!
i



State of Oregon.
County of Yambill
To the Purchaser”
of Nehalera, do hereby verdiy
ersigned, author and publisher
which this volume le se
Beckwit
com, the
whether it
to conding
the camele at
the cover let
to an thoient decurel
avimentation with
mystery of the
voener
most excell
bured or
.
stones