The Buccaneer Chief: A Romance of the Spanish Main

"And you authorize me to give them to him?"

"Certainly."

"Good; in that case he shall have them." Then, turning to the Major – "You have scrupulously kept your promises, and we will keep ours as loyally. Here, in the first place, is your diamond, which I give you back: I will hand you over the money in a moment. I suppose you no more wish to remain in France than we do – eh?"

"I do not wish it the least in the world," the Major replied, delighted at having regained possession of his diamond.

"Where would you like to be landed? Will England suit you, or do you prefer Italy?"

"Well, I do not exactly know."

"Do you like Spain better? 'Tis all the same to me."

"Why not Portugal?"

"Done for Portugal. We will drop you there in passing."

The Count had listened with growing surprise to this conversation, which was incomprehensible to him.

"What is the meaning of all this?" he at length asked.

"It means, Captain," Michael distinctly answered, "that the King has not signed the pardon – that you are a prisoner, and would probably have remained so all your life had not this gentleman, luckily for you, consented to open the door."

"Sir!" the Count exclaimed, making a movement toward the Major.

Michael stopped him.

"Do not be in a hurry to thank him," he said – "wait till he has told you what has occurred, and in what way he found himself obliged to set you at liberty, when he would probably have preferred not to do so."

"Come, come!" said the Count, stamping his foot passionately – "Explain yourself! I understand nothing of all this. I wish to know everything – everything, I tell you!"

"This man will tell you it, Captain; but he is afraid at present of the consequences of his confession, and that is why he hesitates to make it."

M. de Barmont smiled disdainfully.

"This man is beneath my contempt," he said; "whatever he may say I will not take the slightest vengeance on him – he is pardoned beforehand, I pledge him my word as a gentleman."

"Now speak, Major," said Michael; "during that time I will go on deck again with Skipper Nicaud, or, if you prefer it, Bowline, who has played his part remarkably well throughout the affair."

Michael left the cabin, and the two men remained alone.

The Major understood that it was better to make a clean breast of it: hence he told the Count, without any equivocation, the full details of his treachery, and in what manner Michael had compelled him to save him, when, on the contrary, he was paid to ruin him.

Although the name of the Duc de Peñaflor had not once been mentioned during the Major's narration, the Count divined that it was he alone who had dealt him all the blows he had felt so severely during the last eighteen months; however great his resolution might be, this depth of hatred, this Machiavellian vengeance terrified him; but in this extremely detailed narrative one point seemed to him obscure, and that was, how Michael had discovered the final machinations of his enemies, and done so opportunely enough to be able to foil them.

All the questions the Count asked on this head the Major was unable to answer, for he was ignorant.

"Well," asked the sailor, suddenly entering the cabin, "are you now informed, Captain?"

"Yes," the latter replied, with a certain tinge of sadness, "except on one point."

"What is it, Captain?"

"I should like to know in what manner you detected this cleverly contrived plot."

"Very simply, Captain, and I will tell you the whole affair in a couple of words. Bowline and I, without the Major suspecting it, followed him carefully into the ruins, while cautiously avoiding being seen; in this way no part of his conversation with the stranger escaped us. When the Major handed him the papers, and the stranger retired, I jumped at his throat, and, with Bowline's help, took the papers from him – "

"Where are these papers?" the Count interrupted him eagerly.

"I will give them to you, Captain."

"Thanks, Michael; now go on."

"Well, my story's finished; I gagged him to prevent him calling out, and after tying him up like a plug of tobacco to stop him running after us, I left him there and went away."

"What, you went away, Michael, leaving the man thus gagged and bound on a desert isle?"

"What would you have had me do with him, Captain?"

"Oh, perhaps it would have been better to kill him, than leave him exposed to such a horrible punishment."

"He had been so precious tender to you, hadn't he, Captain? Stuff! Pity for such a ferocious brute would be madness on your part; besides, the fiend always protects his creatures, you may be sure, and I am certain that he has escaped."

"How so?"

"Hang it, he didn't swim off to Saint Honorat; his people were probably concealed somewhere: tired of not seeing him return, they will have set out to seek him, and picked him up where I put him to bed; he will probably have got off with gnawing the bit for two or three hours."

"Well, that is possible, Michael, and even probable. Where are you taking us?"

"Zounds, you are the commander here, Captain; we will go wherever you please."

"I will tell you, but first let us land the Major, for I fancy he wishes to be free of our company as much as we do of his."

At this moment Bowline's voice was heard.

"Hilloh, Michael," he shouted, "we have a large vessel to windward."

"Confusion!" said the sailor, "Has she hoisted her colours?"

"Yes; she is a Norwegian."

"That will be a good opportunity for you, Major," said the Count.

"Eh, helmsman," Michael shouted, without awaiting the Major's answer, "steer down to the Norwegian."

The Major considered it useless to protest.

Two hours later the vessels were within speaking distance: the stranger was bound for Helsingfors, and the captain consented to take the passenger offered him.