"But ... oh, Antonia, this expedition may be hazardous!"
"Dearest," she murmured, "I am bold for any peril by reason of your own brave words—'if Death come he shall be God's angel to unite us for ever'—so how should I fear to die?" Now at this he would have kissed her—then started with sense of guilt as steps approached, a hand knocked, and in came Sir Benjamin like blusterous sea breeze.
"Ha, your gracious pardons! But, Adam, there's a ship calling us, a great, black ship making wafts and signals repeated."
"Then this should be Bartlemy's ship."
"Well, as I say, she is flaunting divers flags and wafting signals very persistently."
"She'll doubtless weary anon."
"How? Will ye make no answer then?"
"Not I, Ben."
"But Lord smite——" He strangled the oath, coughed and bowed to Antonia, "but Adam, if it be indeed Bartlemy signals, he will be wanting you in conference and council o' war ... to shape plans and so forth."
"Well, he shall find me here with plan ready for him if——" A stumbling clatter heralded the entrance of Smidge somewhat encumbered by the great sword he wore, though he contrived to salute the company smartly enough.
"If you please, sir," he began.
"Wait," said Adam, "why so heavily armed, shipmate?"
"Acting service, sir, ships in the offing ... your specialest bodyguards, sir, me and Moa. And now Mr. Bowser begs leave to report as how a boat, a eight-oared galley, bearing down on us."
"Ay," nodded Adam, "and in it doubtless the person I am expecting."
"Then," said Antonia, rising, "you will wish to be alone," and giving Sir Benjamin her hand, away she went with him.
Adam sat conning his map and adding certain other details until the cabin door swung wide to admit Black Bartlemy, a sombrely splendid, though peevish, magnificence, whose bow was stiff and tone arrogant as he demanded:
"Captain Penfeather, how is this, sir, how the devil is this? I have been signalling you aboard me this hour and more—and no least notice taken!"
"And I," retorted Adam, "have been expecting you ever since I anchored and no sign of you until now."
"Expecting me? Ha, the devil you have!"
"As I say, sir. And now, since you are here at last, pray trouble to seat yourself and let us to business,—nay, first I have wines and cordials which, I dare to think, you may pronounce worthy and precious as your own."
"I am here for other than drinking."
"So I suppose."
"And why a plague are you not anchored yonder with the rest o' my ships?"
"You may call it a whim, sir. Also I am expecting to bear away for Santo Domingo to-night."
"To-night, d'ye say? Then I am to inform you such expectation is wide o' the mark. We shall not sail until to-morrow noon at earliest."
"You have doubtless some good reason for such delay?" demanded Adam, pinching his chin.
"Most virtuous buccaneer," drawled Bartlemy, "you, to use your own words, may call it—a whim."
"Why then," said Adam, smiling, "be pleased to sit and explain this whimsicality, also your plan against San' Domingo—if you chance to have one."
So they bowed and sat down together; then, lolling back in his chair, Bartlemy stretched his shapely legs, sighed and answered:
"We should be off the town about noon two days hence. Then in line ahead we shall affront their coastwise batteries and the castle. Under cover of our broadsides I shall land three companies to assail the town from land, sea and river. Three thousand men and over ... very sufficing to the business. So, good Captain Adam, there's my plan, simple and forthright."
"Indeed!" nodded Adam. "And a very haphazard, piratical, bloody botch you'll make on't!" He said this with such biting contempt that Bartlemy, forgetting to lounge, sat up to scowl.
"Captain Penfeather," he demanded, with show of strong, white teeth, "you become offensive."
"Ay, faith, Black Bartlemy, I do my best that way—because your lubberly, bungling methods offend my better judgment and make your superb incompetence all too manifest."
Bartlemy made as if to leap from his chair, but leaned back instead, and, becoming more languid than ever, fanned himself gently with laced and perfumed handkerchief.
"Pray speak on, sir," he murmured, "proceed, I beg. Your portrait of our famous Bartlemy interests me profoundly. A 'lubberly bungler and superb incompetent', say you. And yet he is truly a man so famous, say I, and therefore humbly beg the reason for your censure and lofty reprobation."
"Fame?" said Adam. "A bag o' wind! Howbeit, should you attempt storming the seaward parapet, much less the castle and river defences, you will certainly lose the greater part of your men to no——"
"Ha!" exclaimed Bartlemy. "What matter so I win the city? Shall a little necessary bloodshed so shock thee, most tender buccaneer?"
"Ay, truly, sir, if wasted and shed so wantonly to no purpose. 'Twould seem you abide by the pirate maxim, to wit—'the fewer to share, the greater the sharing'. Well now, I'll waste none o' my company by such contemptible ineptitude and brutish foolery. Black Bartlemy, I'm done with you."
"Sir ... now by Satan this is defiance."
"Nay, call it the commonsense of one who will not share the certain disasters of mere incapacity."
"Now curse you, Penfeather, I've sacked many a town ere this!"
"I know, ay and know," sighed Adam, wearily, "little peddling towns, never a one so strong as Santo Domingo. Truly I find your method so inadequate, indeed so fatuous that I prefer to dispense with your company. So soon as you are off my ship, I bear away to do this business without your aid and therefore with more certain hope of success. I now take pleasure to bid you Good-day!" So saying, Adam rose and bowed.
Now Black Bartlemy, being endowed with that intuitive judgment of men that had gone far to make him the formidable power he was, checked the furious retort upon his lip, mastered his fierce anger and, lolling back in his chair again, surveyed the speaker very heedfully,—his lean, resolute face framed in its strangely white hair,—his look of indomitable power, of serene and absolute confidence.
"You think to succeed alone?"
"Ay, I do indeed!"
"Sir," said Bartlemy, in greatly altered tone, "there are but two sorts of men would make such vaunt,—braggart fool or man sufficiently assured. So, believing you no fool, I would beg to learn what gives you such confident assurance."
"Here," said Adam, pointing to a great volume on the table, "in this book, taken in the ship, are many maps with plans of divers towns and cities o' the Main, and among these, one of Santo Domingo, very fairly drawn, its every street, wall and gate aptly set forth. Also in my company are two men were prisoned there yet escaped by a certain breach i' the defences. Now, where two came forth, two hundred may steal in, and more especially at dead o' night, and the city suddenly alarmed by gunfire against the castle and all men thither running in panic disorder, what time I and my company enter unseen and fire the city behind them. Thereafter I force the prison, free and arm the prisoners and set wide the gates to the main body of my landing-party. Such is my design,—belief in my men, and myself, is my assurance."
"Quod erat demonstrandum!" exclaimed Bartlemy, leaning forward with the alert look and gesture that proved him man of action. "Pray show me this map, Captain Adam, and let me hear more of your scheme."
So, while Bartlemy conned the map and listened, Adam explained by word and pointing finger. This done, Black Bartlemy looked up and—smiled; but now, seeing the sharp, white teeth behind these curling lips, Adam felt a sudden qualm, and folding the map, scowled down at it, while his visitor laughed softly: