"Who is at the steerage, Ned?"
"Si and his comrade Nick, sir, able men and trusty both."
"You warned 'em to stand by for my word?"
"Ay, I did, sir, and they'm both a tip-toe wi' years on the stretch at this moment, I warrant me."
"Our sea-anchor serves us well, Ned."
"Ay, sir," he answered, fidgeting with the ponderous boarding axe he bore, "but don't ye think 'tis about time 't was cast adrift and we bore up to give they rogues a broadside, they'm getting pretty close."
"Another ten minutes or so."
"Ten minutes?" exclaimed Ned, peering over the bulwark. "Why ... Lord love us I can see 'em plain as may be."
"But I would see them plainer yet, Ned."
"Sir, if you wait much longer you'll be too dead to see 'em at all."
"That's as may be, Ned, but when we do fire it shall be point blank to do their business perfectly."
Thus Adam paced and talked, with death whizzing about him, and Ned crouched and argued, fidgeting with his axe, while the Santissima Trinidad rolled sluggish upon her course with no answering sound or sign to the fierce clamour that came down wind from her pursuer,—the jubilant shouts and cheers of a crew exulting in their strength and used to victory.
The musketry fire grew hotter; a bullet clipped a feather from Adam's burgonet, a second grazed the mast beside him, a third smote and whined from his armour, staggering him; then cried Ned:
"Oh, Cap'n, will ye die afore you order we set about 'em? Will ye suffer they run us aboard?"
"Not so, Ned, for—now is the moment, these your orders: Let slip the sea anchor! Down helm! Lee tacks and braces hale aft! See to it!"
So away hurried Ned, shouting ... whereupon the great yards creaked round and as the mighty galleon bore up, thus turning her broadside to the foe, Adam stepped to the quarterdeck railing and lifted his sword; at which expected signal so long and eagerly awaited, the Bo'sun's pipe twittered and Matthew Appleby passed the word to fire. Then from the Santissima Trinidad's towering side John Fenn's heaviest guns roared, gushing flame and smoke and slaughter.... And in this awful moment came little Smidge, from some corner where he had lain hid, to slip his hand into Adam's firm clasp until, remembering, he saluted smartly instead and drew his sword.
Now presently, the smoke clearing, they saw the battle was won, for the Joyous Lark, smitten and raked fore and aft at this close and deadly range, lay a shattered ruin her fore and mainmasts gone, her once crowded decks a red horror direly confused. Yet to make all sure, Adam bade them bear up, and the galleon fetching about, let fly her larboard guns....
And so was an end of this ship Joyous Lark, for presently down she plunged, stem foremost, to hide her evil in the blue deeps of ocean; only where she had been was drift of floating wreckage crowded with miserable wretches who wailed in the face of Death, imploring mercy,—and all in vain.
But as Adam commanded the galleon's yards to be braced to the wind, Sir Benjamin bellowed from the quarterdeck, and up the poop ladder came Sir George, stumbling with haste.
"Oh, Adam, wait—wait!" cried he, breathlessly. "The survivors, Adam,—what o' them?"
"There are none," answered Adam, watching where the sails were being trimmed.
"But there are, Adam, there are! Men are drowning yonder ... can't ye see, don't ye hear?"
"Ay, I do, George. But I remember also those dead women aboard the San Cristobal ... their shame and agony! I think of ...of another woman who may have been so abused! As for their murderers yonder, these beastly rogues, I give them the clean sea and sailorly death here, rather than strangling noose ashore where they would rot and foul the air on gibbets."
Then going aft he hailed the steersmen.
"Helm a-starboard! Keep her north-westerly." And so the Santissima Trinidad bore away on her old course for the Barbados and Jamaica, soon to leave behind her no more than floating wreckage.
Then, with Smidge trotting at his heels, Adam went down to his cabin and there rid of his cumbrous armour, wrote down a brief account of this action for witness his vow had been fulfilled.
CHAPTER XXXI
WHICH IS OF NO PARTICULAR IMPORT
Within a week they came to the Barbados, where Don Luiz and the heartbroken Spanish lady made their grateful farewell; and here, while Sir Benjamin (who showed as prime man of business) made some traffic of their cargo and Ned saw to the ship's overhaul and plenishing of her stores, especially fruits and fresh water, Adam took the pinnace and with Sir George D'Arcy and chosen crew all 'very well armed', went seeking news concerning the survivors, if any, of the Bold Adventuress. Which is best and shortest told in Adam's own words, thus:
Buoyed up by that desperate hope which has lived within me despite many fearful doubts, we sailed and rowed and marched to and fro and about these islands until, our laborious days running to weeks and no word to comfort or encourage us, I at last determined to go back aboardship and sail for Jamaica there to assure myself, once and for all, if Antonia lived or was dead. Much discouraged and greatly deject I, with Smidge, Jimbo and seventeen of our men, chief of whom were Giles Tregenza and Tobias Drew, that are become my staunch allies these days,—we were, I say, marching seawards to rejoin Sir G. D'Arcy and others in the pinnace, when we were arrested by that (to me) most terrible of all sounds—the agonized screaming of a woman. These piteous cries coming from beyond a high wall that bordered our going, I beckoned Jimbo, who took me standing upon his shoulders and thus hoisted me so that looking over this wall I saw a woeful yet too frequent sight in these plantations, viz: An Indian girl rove to a post bleeding 'neath the whip of a negro, an Indian youth writhing in bonds and a stoutish white man richly habited, sprawling in cushioned chair to watch this torment and a pistol in his fist. As I looked, he cried (and in English) "Enough!" The negro stepped aside whereupon his white master (and an Englishman alas!) levelled and shot this poor, screaming creature, ending her miseries instantly; then he gestures with smoking pistol toward the Indian youth. The negro raised his blood-stained whip, but I shot it out of his hand then, tossing the discharged weapon to Smidge, got me over the wall and coming to this white man, enquired very civilly his name and condition.
"Why," says he, "I am Philip Dalton and master here, so who the devil are you?" "Adam Penfeather," says I, and catching up a gold-knobbed cane from table whereon stood bottles and glasses, I struck him smartly across his plump visage therewith, naming him a fool disgrace to our England, then, seeing he wore rapier, drew my own and bade him defend himself. At this, his negro raises great haloo, and comes at me and others also, but him I disabled with my second pistol, whereat over the wall leaps Jimbo and the rest of my men, eager for strife. Then, while Mr. Dalton's servants, black and white, stood cowering, we fought. But this man, being of gross habit and marvellous inapt with his weapon, was instantly at my mercy and I greatly minded to end him, but instead was content to let him blood in several places and finally transfixed his sword-arm from elbow to shoulder and holding him thus painfully helpless, forced him to kneel. And when he had sworne thus to show more kindness on his slaves thereafter or God smite him dead, I left him alive, a very sore and sorry man. So back to our pinnace, and this Indian youth now following me like my shadow and with most fervent and lively marks of loving gratitude for his deliverance. Reaching the seaside, he makes such urgent appeal to be taken with us that I could not well refuse. Towards evening we came aboard the galleon, and myself now so intent for Jamaica (there being Absalom's rendezvous and my last hope for news of Antonia) that despite Sir Benj. his reproaches and pleas of "much present good business," we hove anchor this same night and bore away for Port Royal.