Part 17 (1/2)
THE ISLANDS OF ARMENIO
It was now brought home to me that Donna Isabel Barreto was henceforth to play no unie She had recovered her good looks, and although she was older than any of us on board the ”Golden Seahorse”, and probably ten years older than Hartog, she nevertheless exerted an influence over the captain which I could see he found it impossible to resist Donna Isabel had once ether for herself a wardrobe froed from me three of the rubies which I had found in the Valley of Serpents, which he presented to her, and which she wore sewn on to a black velvet cap
Donna Isabel openly expressed her desire to amass treasure in order to follow up Montbar and take her revenge upon hi marooned her and her people upon a desert island This desire for revenge obsessed her Her Spanish blood burned to repay the insults and indignities which Montbar had heaped upon her, and she looked forith pleasure to the tortures which she promised herself she would inflict upon Montbar when once she held him in her power
In order to obtain means toto embark upon a fresh adventure, which proate equal to that owned by Montbar, so that she e him upon equal terms
The story that Donna Isabel had to tell was one confided to her by her late husband, Captain Barreto, which she had kept locked in herfor some such opportunity as the present, when the inforht be turned to account The story was, briefly, as follows:
A long tio a Spanish vessel sailed from Manila for Mexico, and east of japan had by a violent stor island
When the creent ashore, the island proved to be a country, strange and unknown to anyone; the people being of handsoood proportions, very affable, and amiably disposed
On their arrival in Mexico, the sailors relatedtheir hearers to understand that, so to say, gold and silver were almost to be picked up at discretion on the shore, while the kettles and other cooking utensils of the natives were made of these metals These islands were named the Islands of Armenio, after an Armenian merchant as on board the shi+p Donna Isabel professed to have received fros of these islands, which she confided to Hartog, and a course was set accordingly
Pedro de Castro, Donna Isabel's son, had now been forgiven his treachery toward us in stealing our vessel, since Hartog considered his punish been marooned upon a desert island commensurate with his offence He was, therefore, periven employment as shi+p's purser, for which he ell suited He expressed great contrition for what he had done, and I honestly believe at the time he intended to serve us faithfully But treachery once practised is oft-times repeated, so I made up ain be caught tripping
We now proceeded northward, coasting with great care a succession of small rocky islands that appeared to be uninhabited As we proceeded, the weather becah that it soe we had not met with such a mountainous sea
At last we perceived a land to the north, trending to the north-east, of which the coast seemed to be one continuous rock, reainst which the sea broke with such fury as toimpossible, but Donna Isabel declared this rock to be one of the islands of Armenio we had come in search of
As there were no other islands to be seen, we concluded that during the ages which had passed since the white-skinned people inhabited theradually de remained but the plateau of red rock to which we had come, and over which the sea so come to the island of her dreams, Donna Isabel would not leave it until we had ascertained, beyond doubt, that a landing was impracticable It was not handsome, white-skinned natives e had coold, which neither tempests nor seas can destroy In order to satisfy her, we remained several days in the vicinity of thisthat the weather wouldupon it, and at last ere rewarded for our patience by a lull in the heavy breakers, so that the pinnace, of which I took charge, was able to approach close to the steep and jagged shore Thereupon six of the Spaniards leaped overboard, trusting to their skill as swi on shore for upward of an hour When they returned they reported the rock to be a old than they had ever thought to see in one place, but so tightly wedged was it between the crevices that they had been unable to bring any of it away except a few small specimens which they showed us With picks and crowbars, however, they declared it would be easy to obtain an unli of the gold to Donna Isabel, she vowed she would never consent to abandon the treasure ”The sea cannot always be rough,” she said ”A calm must follow Let us, therefore, wait in patience until it co, also, was in no old until every effort had been made to obtain it, so we continued to beat about in the vicinity of the island awaiting a cal which time of stress we sufferedcontinually drenched by the seas which swept us fore and aft, a calm suddenly fell, as it does in the tropics, without the least warning Fortunately ere not far from the island when the calm fell, so that we lay within easy reach of it
Without loss of ti command of one and Janstins of the other, andin my boat She had discarded her feminine apparel, and now appeared in the sailor's clothes we had given her when she first cae of the shi+p
When we ca, and were soon engaged with the picks and crow-bars we had brought with us, in the work of gold-getting We found the report given by the Spanish sailors, who had been the first to land, to be soold between the crevices of the rock, and, as more remarkable, we caold, thus proving beyond doubt that the island had for we obtained as old mixed with quartz as the boats could conveniently carry, e returned to the shi+p, intending, after our midday meal, to coetting aboard we found Hartog much perturbed by the extraordinary behaviour of the coe appearance of the sky
”I don't like the look of it, Peter,” said Hartog, e descended together to the cabin to discuss the situation ”I never knew this to happen before but once, and I areatly ”
When we returned to the deck, a lowsound came to us across the sea, but, otherwise, there see to cause anxiety Donna Isabel wished to return to the island forwould not per made that day He ordered the boats to be hoisted, and the treasure carried below Every stitch of canvas had already been taken off the shi+p by the captain's orders, androde upon a glassy sea under bare poles Then theincreased, and presently there appeared upon the horizon a black line over which lightning played, although no clouds were visible The atmosphere was at this time so oppressive that it was difficult to breathe
Hartog then ordered the helm to be lashed, the hatches to be put on, and all hands below, he and I being the last to quit the deck just as the storm broke upon us with hurricane force
For three days and nights we remained between, decks, with the hatches battened down, not knowing but that each , while the violentabout froerous Food and water we obtained with difficulty, not at regular intervals, but when opportunity offered, crawling fro those who, from exhaustion, were least able to help themselves The air became so foul in the cabin as to cause the shi+p's lanterns to burn diuished Thus we lived a eleo to pieces at anyventured to open one of the hatches, when a rush of cool air ca with it new life and vigour The hurricane had passed, and although the wind and sea still ran high, ere told wereleased from our dreadful imprisonht by the wind and the waves upon our shi+p The decks were swept clean, the one by the board, the larboard bulwarks stove in, while the cook's galley had disappeared
CHAPTER XLV
SUMATRA