Part 81 (1/2)

”Well, you see, master, we'd been journeying, as I've said already, to Savanna. We saw the horse tied outside this little rancho, and thought we would go in and see who was inside. _Carrambo_! what should we see but the body of a dead man lying stretched out on the bamboos!

_Santissima! Senores_, we were as much startled as you!”

”Terribly surprised, I suppose?” sarcastically spoke Cubina.

”Nearly out of our senses, I a.s.sure you, senor.”

”Go on, you wretch!” commanded Herbert. ”Let us hear what tale you have to tell.”

”Well!” said the _cacadore_, resuming his narration, ”after a while we got a little over our fright--as one naturally does, you know--and then Manuel says to me, 'Andres!' 'What is it, Manuel?' said I. 'Do you think,' said he, 'that blood would run out of a dead body?' 'Certainly not,' said I; 'not a drop.' 'I'll bet you five pesos it will,'

challenged my _camarado_. 'Done!' said I; and then, to settle the thing, we--I acknowledge it--did run our _machetes_ through the body of the Custos--of course, we could do him no harm then.”

”Monsters!” exclaimed Herbert; ”it was almost as bad as killing him!

What a horrid tale! Ha! you wretches, notwithstanding its ingenuity, it'll not save your necks from a halter!”

”Oh, senorito,” said Andres, appealingly, ”we've done nothing to deserve that. I can a.s.sure you we are both right sorry for what we've done.

Ain't you sorry, Manuel?”

”_Carrai_! that I am,” earnestly answered Manuel.

”We both regretted it afterwards,” continued Andres, ”and to make up for what we had done, we took the cloak and spread it decently over the body--in order that the poor alcalde should rest in peace.”

”Liar!” cried Quaco, throwing the light of his _cocuyo_ on the corpse.

”You did no such thing; you stabbed him _through_ the cloak. Look there!”

And as Quaco gave this indignant denial, he pointed to the cuts in the cloth to prove the falsehood of the Spaniard's statement.

”_Carrai-ai-i_!” stammered out the confounded Andres. ”Sure enough there's a cut or two. Oh, now I recollect: we first covered him up. It was after we did that, we then made the bet--didn't we, Manuel?”

Manuel's reply was not heard: for at that instant the hoof-strokes of horses were heard in front of the hut; and the shadowy forms of two hors.e.m.e.n could be distinguished just outside the doorway.

It was the black groom, who had returned from Content, accompanied by the overseer of the estate.

Shortly after a number of negroes appeared on foot, carrying a stretcher.

Their purpose was to convey the sick man to Content.

Circ.u.mstances had occurred to make a change in the character of their duty.

Volume Three, Chapter XXIII.

CHAKRA ON THE BACK TRACK.

Of the three magistrates who condemned the Coromantee, one had been slumbering in his grave for six months; the second, about that number of days; and the third--the great Custos himself--was now a corpse!

Of all three had the myal-man been the murderer; though in the case of the first two there had been no suspicion of foul play, or, at least, not enough to challenge inquest or investigation. Both had died of lingering diseases, bearing a certain resemblance to each other; and though partaking very much of the nature of a wasting, intermittent fever, yet exhibiting symptoms that were new and strange--so strange as to baffle the skill of the Jamaican disciples of Aesculapius.

About the death of either one Chakra had not felt the slightest apprehension--nor would he even had an investigation arisen. In neither murder had his hand appeared. Both had been accomplished by the invisible agency of Obi, that at this period held mysterious existence on every plantation in the Island.