Prisoners of Chance Page 9

  CHAPTER VIII

  FAVORED OF THE GODS

  It seemed as if my heart must choke me at sound of those steadyfootsteps approaching down the passageway. I heard the sharp click ofa gun-barrel in the sentry's hand as he presented arms, then the noiseof the uplifting latch, yet remained so paralyzed by the suddenness ofit as to be fairly helpless, unable to move from my position. De Noyanmerely smiled lazily, as though this new act formed part of the play,beginning calmly to roll another cigarette.

  "The devil came likewise," he murmured lightly, sinking back upon hisstool. "Begin your paternosters, friend Benteen, or he will fly awaywith both of us."

  Fortunately these mocking words brought me to my senses quickly enoughto permit dropping upon my knees with back to the door before it swungwide open. Nor did I trust myself to do aught save mumble inarticulateand mongrel Latin, until it had been safely closed again. Had I soughtto exercise my wits on this occasion, my companion permitted smallopportunity for words.

  "Ah! so it is you, you black-faced Arab?" he exclaimed sneeringly, asthe Commandant of the guard peered curiously in. "Not content to waitthe striking of the ship's bell, you must even interrupt my prayers.Nice treatment of a gentleman his last night on earth, to push yourselfin between him and the consolations of the holy father. _Sacre_! had Ionly a small sword at my side I would write a message across your blackSpanish heart which would teach your master how to guard a Frenchcavalier safely, and still be decent about it."

  It is doubtful whether the officer comprehended this tirade. It wasvoiced in French, yet tone and manner must have conveyed much of itsimport, for I distinguished a muttered word or so regarding theunpleasant duty of a soldier, and the length of time the priest hadretained the key, ere the intruder finally backed out closing the doorbehind him. I clung to my knees, however, until his retreatingfootsteps had died entirely away in the distance; even until De Noyanaddressed me again in his exasperating drawl.

  "So, Father, you must now realize, if never before, how highly I valueyour ministrations. Faith! never until this hour have I truly enjoyedthe prayers of any _padre_; I knew not what I missed. Still there islimit even to such pleasure, and it is time now to conclude; I haveheard better Latin in my day, while your provincial accent raspspainfully upon the ears."

  "You made your play quite well, Monsieur," I said shortly, somewhatmortified he should thus take the leadership out of my hands at thefirst symptom of danger. "But there must be something besidesplay-acting for us to-night if we get free of this ship. So come now;do you get into the box?"

  He looked down at it doubtfully, with a shrug of the shoulders.

  "_Pardieu_! I would ask certain questions first," he said with greatershow of seriousness. "For how long a time? for what sort of a passage?It will prove somewhat cramped, I take it, for a man of my length oflimb."

  "I hope both may prove short," I returned, continuing to hold up thelid for him to enter. "Yet I know of no other possible means wherebyyou can leave this room without being halted by the guard at the door.There is no certainty in this, yet there is a chance, Chevalier, andthat ought always to be invitation to a brave man. Beyond this it isGod's affair."

  The soldier twisted his long moustaches reflectively, a new lightgleaming in the eyes that fronted me.

  "_Sacre_, man!" he said at last stepping forward in sudden resolution."As you say it may be worth trying, but it's not unlike climbing into acoffin three sizes too small for the deceased. Still I 'll bidetherein for a while, only, I warn you, you better be easy when you putme down, or the corpse may furnish a sudden resurrection."

  It proved truly no easy task to stow him safely in that contractedspace. At any other time I should have laughed outright, marking thefinal result of our combined efforts, especially at the expression,half ludicrous, half pathetic, upon his face as he gazed up at me justbefore the lid was closed.

  "Now mind, Chevalier," I said gravely, for had I ventured upon a smileat his predicament he would have popped instantly forth again, "you areto make no movement of any kind until left alone. When certain of thatyou may venture out of the chest, but remain quiet until you hear fromme again."

  Had I ventured upon a smile at his predicament he wouldhave popped instantly forth again.]

  "You believe you know a way?"

  "Under God's guidance yes, if you will only bear your part."

  Without pausing for his answer I dropped the heavy cover over him, andgave vent to a sigh of relief.

  So far, at least I had won; thus far the gods had favored me. In spiteof the obstacle of temperament I had found means to attain my end, towork my will, yet I realized well De Noyan would never bear suchuncomfortable posture long; whatever was to be accomplished must bedone quickly. Fortunately my plan, dim and doubtful as it was, hadalready taken outline. I had determined what to endeavor; it must beattempted at once, with bold heart, or the opportunity would be goneforever. Pulling the hood across my face, I partially opened the door,glancing out upon the curious sentry. To my relief he was alone.

  "I suppose the Commandant told you to give me a lift out with thisbox?" I asked in Spanish.

  "No, senor _padre_."

  The man was exceedingly good-natured, evidently one who had profoundrespect for the cloth.

  "_Caramba_!" I growled angrily, using the Spanish tongue so he mightnot miss my meaning. "He promised it only a moment ago, when he lookedin. He must have forgotten. There is no sense in having such a greatchest lumbering up the entire room. Know you how it ever came there?"

  "It was the senor Lieutenant's state-room, _padre_, before theprisoners were brought aboard. I think it might be his sea-chest."

  "Well, the Commandant said it could be removed, so out it goes. Itleaves no space for us to kneel in prayer."

  I bent down as I spoke, exerting all my strength, and succeeded indragging the heavy, iron-bound chest forward, across the threshold. Myheart beat fiercely in misgiving lest the guard might feel moved tointerfere, but he never stirred; merely gazed at my movements in stolidwonder. Concealing from him all the interior possible with my body, Ispoke a brief word of farewell to the prisoner, supposed to be safelywithin, then closed and locked the door.

  "Here," I said authoratively, my cheeks flushed with delight at sosuccessful an issue, "lay hold on one end of this, and give me a lift."

  Obligingly, and apparently without a moment's reflection as to hisduty, the soldier, young in years and doubtless a new recruit, leanedhis gun against the mast, bending down with hand upon the rope handle.

  "Where to, senor _padre_?"

  "The Commandant said it might be placed in the store-room. 'Twill stowaway safely enough there, and bother nobody. Know you where that is?"

  "Ay; only a step this way."

  "Lead on then, yet Saint Cecilia! it makes no light load. TheLieutenant must have kept his stock of wine within."

  I durst not venture bearing the thing farther, fearful lest we mightrun afoul of others of the guard who would prove more suspicious thanthis honest fellow, besides, all my hasty plan of escape hung now uponthe faith retained, that the half-open cuddy door had directcommunication with the provisions stored below. Surely they couldnever be loaded and unloaded by means of the distant hatch-ladder. Sodull and unintelligent in the dim light appeared the face of the fellowopposite, as we strained forward beneath the weight of the chest, Iventured upon a question.

  "How does the cook get out all that provender from here?"

  "I know not, senor _padre_; but I think there will be opening from thestore-room to the upper deck. They were at work there yesterday whileI was on guard."

  By good fortune the room sought was only three doors down thepassageway. As it was, my forehead was wet with perspiration for fearDe Noyan would lose what little stock of patience he possessed beforewe reached there, or that the Spaniard would begin to wonder at thesurprising weight. Dropping the chest with good will amid the rafflelittering up the floor space, we cam
e forth together, the soldier topick up his gun, while, mopping my face vigorously, I proceeded forthinto the guard-room for the purpose of delivering up the key.

  This was a task I approached with dread. Even now some slight slip oftongue, or action, could easily ruin everything accomplished, yet Idurst not omit the precaution, lest the missing key awaken suspicionand lead to immediate pursuit. Here, again, fortune played strangelyinto my hands, as I discovered the officer dozing in his chair, and,stepping softly, so as not to arouse him, I gladly handed thatimportant bit of iron over to the care of one of the guard, himself toodrowsy from potations to trouble me with questioning. Relieved of thisduty, my heart filled with gratitude for all the mercies of the night,I betook myself up the ladder unmolested, and a moment later stood incomparative freedom upon the open deck.

  I could scent the coming dawn in the fresh morning air the moment Iarose through the hatch opening, yet there was no sign of it in thesky; indeed I felt there must be fog in the atmosphere, it rendered itso thick, although not sufficiently heavy to drip in moisture. Itrequired only a moment to locate all life present along the forwarddeck, and I became convinced few wakeful eyes remained among them atthis sleepiest of all hours of the night. Trusting to this, as well asthe garb I wore for concealment, I walked boldly back as far as themainmast, meeting no one. Then, fearful of observation from theofficer still pacing the poop, I skulked stealthily along in the blackshadow of the cook's galley, until I reached the cuddy door, quakingwith fear lest it fail me. It opened instantly to the touch of thehand, and with heart throbbing wildly, for now all that had beenaccomplished hung in the balance of this last experiment, I gropedabout within seeking to solve the mystery of that gloomy interior. Theplace had the feel of a big, square box; by stretching out across theedge I could barely reach the farther side, but could touch no bottom,nor did I feel the rungs of any ladder leading down. It resembled awell, and the thought immediately took possession of me that the crewhauled up their provisions by use of ropes, yet I could discover nohoisting apparatus of any kind. With head projected far below the decklevel I ventured a soft whisper into the darkness:

  "Are you there, Chevalier?"

  There was a slight movement beneath, as if he drew closer to where Iwas.

  "Yes, it is all right," he returned, his voice so modulated as to bebarely audible. "But I discover nothing in this darkness to aid inreaching the deck. Know you where a rope can be secured?"

  "Ay; lie quiet until I return."

  It was a bit ticklish, yet required doing. A trip to the foremast putin my possession quite a section of line sliced from off the rope's endpreviously left dangling from the upper yard. Incidentally as I passedback and forth I revisited Father Cassati, still resting easily in hisbonds, but now peacefully sleeping off his earlier potationsundiscovered upon the hard deck. Returning with my treasure, I payedit out into the intense blackness of the cuddy hole, and anxiouslyawaited developments below.

  Nor had I long to wait--there came a touch on the line followed by afirmer pull, as if the party below tested its strength. For a momentthe cord wiggled about as if the man was working with his end to somepurpose, then there followed three sharp jerks which I interpreted tomean to hoist away. I promptly put my full strength to it, bracingboth feet firmly against a heavy cross-piece of timber, evidentlynailed there for that very purpose. The rope ran over a small rollerset close against the coaming, which I had failed to observe in myhasty search, so I found the strain less than expected, although aheavy weight was evidently attached to the other end. But I upliftedthis, for I was vain of my strength in those days, and the distance wasnot so great but that shortly his hands managed to grip hold upon thedeck planks, and a moment later he stood beside me, complacent anddebonair as ever, in the dense shadows of the galley.

  "_Sacre_! 'tis a most scurvy trick we are playing on the Dons, friendBenteen," he murmured smiling easily, while peering about him in thedarkness. "And now, what is the next act in this midnight melodrama,most cautious youth?"

  "The keeping of a still tongue until we are both overboard," I repliedsomewhat roughly. "Follow me closely, and keep quiet about it, if youretain the slightest care for your life."

  It was not much of a trick, the rest of it, and within five minutes wewere silently floating down the great river, through the darkness,seeking after some quiet landing-place below the fleet.