Part 10 (2/2)

For some reason those at the palace had ceased their firing. Maybe the unscathed blacks had taken their lesson of the things those two crack shots, Marat and Norris, had proven themselves able to do to every black head that showed round the edge of portal or stone wall. And perhaps those mysterious--silent--little missiles sent by Robert and Ray had also had a thing to do with it. Anyway, the old palace opposite, had become as silent as from its appearance it ought to be.

”Now, how did you get away?” demanded Robert.

”Yes, you might have stayed a while longer and let us have the credit of rescuing you,” exclaimed Ray.

And so I told my tale. And next I had a word for Carlos. I'd been spoiling for this word from the moment of our reunion.

”Who was Amos?” I asked bluntly.

Carlos jerked himself erect at the word. He was caught with surprise.

”Amos, he is my brother,” he said, still staring his wonder.

”I don't know why I never thought to mention it to you,” I said, ”but Amos was with us from New Orleans to Kingston, Jamaica.”

And we gave Carlos the whole story. And when we came to the mention of Amos' death, the poor fellow went all of a heap for a minute. Then he got a grip of himself, and his frame became rigid; and I could see his lips move as he made some silent vow.

Carlos told us how he had been awaiting the coming of his brother, whom he had sent forth to seek help for the recovery of a hidden gold mine, belonging, by right of inheritance, to the Brills.

”My father, he discover that mine somewhar in the hills,” said Carlos.

”It was when Amos, and I, and Melie ver' small. He tell us how sometime he goin' to show us the place--when we little bigger. He go 'way five--six day, and come back with plenty gold, some piece big as my thumb--Melie got one home. Father go to the city, and bring home plenty fine things, and much to eat. And one day that man Duran come with him.

They talk big things--we little, and don't understand. Then they go 'way together in the hills. We wait six day--seven day--more, two week. No use, our father he never come back.

”That Duran then, we find out, have plenty money: he buy fine schooner, wear fine clothes--diamon's, go to France, study, and everything fine he want to have. We--Amos, I, Melie--we say, 'Duran, he kill our father--he steal the gold mine.' And we know what we have to do. We try to watch Duran. We see him with the voodoo. He a _sang mele_.[1] We see him go to the old king's palace. He send warning we to keep away. One time Amos is shot in leg. But we can never find the mine. Duran never go from the palace to the mine. We think he go in the schooner when he go to the mine, so no one can follow. And then, at las' we decide we mus' have help, if we can find some that are honest. And so Amos he go.”

[Footnote 1: _Sang mele--said to be 127 parts white and one part black._]

And thus we of the _Pearl_ came to know that Amos, even despite his untimely death, had led us--or at the least he had set us on the way--to the very place he had meant to pilot us.

Norris suggested that perhaps the mine was worked out long ago. But

Carlos declared that a friend he had in the city had seen Duran convert a fresh supply of gold dust and nuggets but a few months ago.

”Well,” said Norris, ”then we're going to have a try for that gold mine, after all.”

”Yes,” said Jean Marat, ”when we have find little Marie Cambon.”

I had renewed my courage with food my friends carried; and now, with Carlos' help I conducted our party to the trail, going to the fortress on the mountain. Carlos had been many times on that trail, he said, and he led us over a number of short-cuts. Robert and I were still in our black paint; and Ray abused us shamefully--in play--at every turn, for presuming to hobn.o.b so freely with our superiors.

Half the hot afternoon was gone when we had climbed to the end of that path. It was at the bottom of a hundred-foot wall. Carlos pointed to where there was to be found a door, sheltered from view by the brush. We did not venture too close, for it was certain the door would be fast, and we planned to try for an entry by a ruse. Carlos knew a call that was much used by these blacks of Duran's, and he was confident he could make it serve our purpose.

So we laid our trap. Norris and Robert crawled cautiously into the bushes up to either side of the door, Robert armed with a strong cord, that Carlos plaited of long gra.s.ses. Carlos then sent out his call. It sounded much like the screech of a sea-gull. He repeated it three or four times, and waited. Then again he gave the call. In a minute, now, came an answer from high overhead. Another little s.p.a.ce, and that door opened, and a black came forth.

Norris pounced on him, bearing him down, one hand on the black's mouth, to prevent an outcry. Robert soon had the bonds on the fellow's wrists, and the others of us moved forward.

Captain Marat spoke to the black in French. He told him he must answer us truthfully, on pain of torture; and he had Norris give him a twist of the arm for a sample. And so we got it out of the man that Duran was not in the fortress, and that there were three children there, brought this day; one, he admitted was white. There were seven men there, two of them armed.

<script>