"I wonder how many of them'll live in a foreign country, sir, when you gets 'em there," said Oak.u.m.

"Well, not all," said Mr Wilson; "but many of them. Mind the paint on that cage, Mr Oak.u.m. I'm so much obliged. Er--you won't take any notice about that cage and the birds? Not that it matters, only Mr Meldon or Mr Parkley might laugh, perhaps."

"Not I, sir. You may trust me," growled Sam.

"Some people have a habit of laughing at natural history, you know, er-- er--because they don't understand."

"You may trust me, sir," exclaimed the old fellow, as he went up the steps; and then to himself, "Yes, some folks has a habit of laughing at that kind o' nat'ral history when they see it. For only to think of a thin, wobbling chap fancying as our Miss Bessy would take up with the likes o' he. Hah! its a curus thing this love, and them as has got spliced don't allus seem to fit."

He went on deck to find Bessy Studwick still reading to her brother; and her voice sounded so hoa.r.s.e that the old fellow trotted to the steward's pantry for a gla.s.s of water and a couple of lumps of sugar, squeezing in afterwards the two halves of a lemon, bearing the drink himself to where John Studwick lay back gazing at the setting sun, his face lit up with a calm, placid smile; and, though his sister read on, he evidently hardly heard a word that was read.

He started slightly as Oak.u.m came up with the tumbler.

"What is it?" he said, harshly. "Has that Mr Meldon sent me more medicine? I will not take it."

Bessy Studwick must have turned her face more to the setting sun, for her cheeks grew crimson at her brother's words; and, seeing this, he looked at her angrily.

"Lor' bless your 'art, no, sir," said Oak.u.m. "I thought you and our young lady here might be a bit thirsty after so much book, so I brought you some lemonade."

They gave him a grateful look, each thanking him for the attention to the other, and as he walked back with the empty gla.s.s Mr Meldon, who was standing talking to Hester Pugh and Mr Parkley, turned, sighed to himself, and looked after the old man with a feeling of envy.

"If I had paid that little attention," he thought, "it would have been refused with some harsh remark. Poor fellow! even though he's her brother, I do not wonder at his feeling jealous of every look."

Days of sailing over bright, sun-flecked seas, evenings of gorgeous sunsets, and nights of black violet skies, with the great stars sparkling overhead, and reflected in myriads on the smooth surface of the wondrous phosph.o.r.escent water, all aglow with pale fire wherever fish darted, while the schooner's bows seemed plunging through foaming, liquid moonbeams. Mornings with such wondrous tints of orange and scarlet, crimson and gold, that those who gazed upon them did so in awe of the mighty works of the grand world. Then came heat so intense that the bra.s.s rails burned the hand, the pitch oozed from the seams, and the pa.s.sengers lay panting beneath the awning spread aft, and longing for the evening breeze.

Now and then the cocoanut-fringed islands were seen, but no stoppage was made; for, on consideration, it was decided that such a step might afford the Cuban a clue to their whereabouts, while now both Captain Studwick and Dutch felt satisfied that their suspicions had been without foundation--that they had indeed eluded him, and all they had to do now was to make the best of their way to the treasure, and secure their prizes.

So southward and westward went the schooner, past reef, key, and island towards the El Dorado of their hopes; the two invalids much better; in fact, Hester's colour had been pretty well restored, and all she waited for was the day when her golden hopes would be realised--not those of finding ingot or bar long buried in the sea, but the restoration, complete and full, of her husband's love and trust.

The Caribbean Sea had long been entered, and its sheltering chain of islands left behind; and now, with Oak.u.m in consultation with the captain, the vessel's course was altered to due south, with the result that one evening, after gradually creeping along the forest-clad coast of Venezuela, and land that seemed almost weird in its silence and wild grandeur, anchor was cast for the night, for the voyage was almost at an end.

A long debate took place that night, in which Oak.u.m and the black took part, the result being eminently satisfactory to Mr Parkley and Dutch, for both the above spoke positively as to their being now within certainly a mile east or west of the spot where one of the wrecks could be found.

"I don't say, you know, as I've put the schooner right on the spot; but she's here close, and we must out boats and cruise about, looking down through the water, which is as clear as gla.s.s, till we get right, and then we can sail or tow her up."

As the stars came out, and the adventurers stood by the bulwarks, gazing at the thick black wall of forest beyond the rocks and snowy sand, where the waves broke in lines of phosph.o.r.escent gold, they could easily understand how it was that these treasures had lain untouched so long.

For here the beasts of the forest had sole dominion; and even the Indians of the country showed no sign of ever visiting the grand solitudes. All seemed as nature had left it when her handiwork was at an end; and, driven by some furious hurricane upon one or other of the rocks that abounded, a ship would fill and sink, and be forgotten.

STORY ONE, CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

OAk.u.m AT FAULT.

There was a silence almost awful, affecting those on board so that they spoke in whispers; but every now and then some strange howl or wild cry made sailors and pa.s.sengers start, and listen again for the weird whispers and noises that arose.

The solemnity of the scene had its effect on the men, who gathered together talking of supernatural visitations, haunted ships, and the ghosts of the old buccaneers who watched over their buried treasure, till they were all more or less infected with fear; and the squinting sailor expressed his opinion that no good would come of meddling with what was evidently meant to lie buried, he was sure--a declaration that excited the laughter of Tonio, who ended by calling him a cowardly fool.

Meanwhile, on deck the excitement of being at last so near the goal of their hopes kept the leaders of the expedition from seeking their cots, and Dutch was gazing thoughtfully at the breaking sea falling back in a murmur in golden foam, when he started, for a little cold hand was laid upon his, and he found that Hester was by his side.

"What do you want?" he said, coldly; but his voice had lost its former harshness.

"My husband to tell me that he believes and trusts me once again," she said, piteously. And she sank on the deck to embrace his knees.

Dutch Pugh was a stern man, but he could not long resist this appeal.

He had fought against the piteous glances now for many days. He had turned a deaf ear to Bessy Studwick's rebukes and insistance upon Hester's innocence; but now, in the soft darkness of that tropic night, in the silent grandeur of that mysterious sea, he felt his heart beat wildly with its old love. But there was that d.a.m.ning scene that he had witnessed from the garden seeming to rise up like a grim shadow between them, and, with a sigh, he raised her and led her weeping to the cabin stairs.

"Good-night, Dutch, dear Dutch," she filtered, clinging to his arm.

"Good-night, Hester," he said, coldly.

"Pray, pray do not let us part like that," she whispered. "Dutch, dear Dutch, if you could only read my heart, you would know how unkind are your suspicions, how cruel to me. Let me explain. Question me-- anything."

"Good-night," he said. "Go down below. I will not have a scene here."

"I will obey you, Dutch," she said, quietly, as by a great effort she mastered her emotion. "Some day, dear, you will find out the truth.

Till then I will wait patiently and unchanging. Don't be angry with me for coming. I should have died if you had left me behind."

She spoke with so sweet a pathos in her voice that Dutch's heart beat painfully, and the words were on his lips to say, "Come to me, darling, I do believe you;" but they were not spoken, for she slowly descended the stairs to the cabin, leaving him gazing wistfully after her. Then, walking to the side, he leaned his head upon his hands, praying in the bitterness of his heart that this painful time might end, and listening, as it were, to adverse promptings of his spirit, seeming to hear the sweet innocency of her life proclaimed to him on the one side, while on the other, in hateful repet.i.tion, came the scenes he had witnessed, the dreamy vision, the strange alteration in her manner, Laure's triumphant sneers, and the shadow on the blind.

"If heaven had but given me the strength of mind that has been given to my outward frame, I could have been happy," he groaned.

"If you lean there and doze, so close to these forests, friend Pugh, we shall have you down with fever," said the captain, laying his hand upon his shoulder.

Dutch started up, for he had not heard him approach.

"I was only thinking," he said, hastily.

"I know what about, Pugh; and, from what my girl Bessy has said to me, I should like to talk to you. But I can't help feeling that matters are coming right without my interfering. There, I'll say no more. I only wanted to have a chat with you quietly. I've been talking to Parkley, and I wanted to tell you that I have made the strictest arrangements for guarding against surprise. Regular watch will be kept, just as if we were at sea; for, of course, before long it is probable that we may have many thousand pounds' worth of metal on board. But at the same time I think we have circ.u.mvented the enemy."

"You have seen nothing to excite your suspicions, then," said Dutch.

"No. Nor you?"

"Nothing whatever."

"That's well; but, all the same, we will not relax our watchfulness.

Parkley and the doctor have both promised, and you must do the same."

"What is that?"

"Whenever you wake in the night, get up and come and have a turn round the deck. It will keep the men well to their work if they feel that at any time they may be overhauled."

"What was that?" said Dutch, softly; and he laid his hand upon the captain's arm.

They both stood listening intently, and gazing in the direction whence the sound had come.

The night was now intense in its darkness, and for reasons of their own--being, of course, far out of the track of ships--no lights whatever were shown; even those in the cabins were out, or so arranged that they would not attract attention if a wandering savage should have drawn up his canoe on the beach. The stars glittered overhead, but the greater part of the sky was overcast, and the heat seemed to portend a storm; but all was perfectly still, except the low, soft wash of the water as it broke upon the sands, and bathed them with the pale gold phosph.o.r.escence.