Now the bishop had awoke, and turned himself over uneasily; for the wine was dying out within him, and his shoulders had slipped down, and his heels up, and his head ached! so he sat upright in his hammock, looked out upon the bay, and called Tita.
"Put another pillow under my head, child! What is that? a fish?"Tita looked.She did not think it was a fish: but she did not choose to say so; for it might have produced an argument, and she had her reasons for not keeping his holiness awake.
The bishop looked again; settled that it must be a white whale, or shark, or other monster of the deep; crossed himself, prayed for a safe voyage, and snored once more.
Presently the cabin-door opened gently, and the head of the senor intendant appeared.
Tita sat up; and then began crawling like a snake along the floor, among the chairs and tables, by the light of the cabin lamp.
"Is he asleep?"
"Yes: but the casket is under his head."
"Curse him! How shall we take it?"
"I brought him a fresh pillow half-an-hour ago; I hung his hammock wrong on purpose that he might want one.I thought to slip the box away as I did it; but the old ox nursed it in both hands all the while.""What shall we do, in the name of all the fiends? She sails to-morrow morning, and then all is lost."
Tita showed her white teeth, and touched the dagger which hung by the intendant's side.
"I dare not!" said the rascal, with a shudder.
"I dare!" said she."He whipt my mother, because she would not give me up to him to be taught in his schools, when she went to the mines.And she went to the mines, and died there in three months.
I saw her go, with a chain round her neck; but she never came back again.Yes; I dare kill him! I will kill him! I will!"The senor felt his mind much relieved.He had no wish, of course, to commit the murder himself; for he was a good Catholic, and feared the devil.But Tita was an Indian, and her being lost did not matter so much.Indians' souls were cheap, like their bodies.
So he answered, "But we shall be discovered!""I will leap out of the window with the casket, and swim ashore.
They will never suspect you, and they will fancy I am drowned.""The sharks may seize you, Tita.You had better give me the casket."Tita smiled."You would not like to lose that, eh? though you care little about losing me.And yet you told me that you loved me!""And I do love you, Tita! light of my eyes! life of my heart! Iswear, by all the saints, I love you.I will marry you, I swear Iwill--I will swear on the crucifix, if you like!""Swear, then, or I do not give you the casket," said she, holding out the little crucifix round her neck, and devouring him with the wild eyes of passionate unreasoning tropic love.
He swore, trembling, and deadly pale.
"Give me your dagger."
"No, not mine.It may be found.I shall be suspected.What if my sheath were seen to be empty?""Your knife will do.His throat is soft enough."And she glided stealthily as a cat toward the hammock, while her cowardly companion stood shivering at the other end of the cabin, and turned his back to her, that he might not see the deed.
He stood waiting, one minute--two--five? Was it an hour, rather?
A cold sweat bathed his limbs; the blood beat so fiercely within his temples, that his head rang again.Was that a death-bell tolling? No; it was the pulses of his brain.Impossible, surely, a death-bell.Whence could it come?
There was a struggle--ah! she was about it now; a stifled cry--Ah!
he had dreaded that most of all, to hear the old man cry.Would there be much blood? He hoped not.Another struggle, and Tita's voice, apparently muffled, called for help.
"I cannot help you.Mother of Mercies! I dare not help you!"hissed he."She-devil! you have begun it, and you must finish it yourself!"A heavy arm from behind clasped his throat.The bishop had broken loose from her and seized him! Or was it his ghost? or a fiend come to drag him down to the pit? And forgetting all but mere wild terror, he opened his lips for a scream, which would have wakened every soul on board.But a handkerchief was thrust into his mouth and in another minute he found himself bound hand and foot, and laid upon the table by a gigantic enemy.The cabin was full of armed men, two of whom were lashing up the bishop in his hammock;two more had seized Tita; and more were clambering up into the stern-gallery beyond, wild figures, with bright blades and armor gleaming in the starlight.
"Now, Will," whispered the giant who had seized him, "forward and clap the fore-hatches on; and shout Fire! with all your might.
Girl! murderess! your life is in my hands.Tell me where the commander sleeps, and I pardon you."Tita looked up at the huge speaker, and obeyed in silence.The intendant heard him enter the colonel's cabin, and then a short scuffle, and silence for a moment.
But only for a moment; for already the alarm had been given, and mad confusion reigned through every deck.Amyas (for it was none other) had already gained the poop; the sentinels were gagged and bound; and every half-naked wretch who came trembling up on deck in his shirt by the main hatchway, calling one, "Fire! another, "Wreck!" and another, "Treason!" was hurled into the scuppers, and there secured.
"Lower away that boat!" shouted Amyas in Spanish to his first batch of prisoners.
The men, unarmed and naked, could but obey.
"Now then, jump in.Here, hand them to the gangway as they come up.
It was done; and as each appeared he was kicked to the scuppers, and bundled down over the side.
"She's full.Cast loose now and off with you.If you try to board again we'll sink you.""Fire! fire!" shouted Cary, forward."Up the main hatchway for your lives!"The ruse succeeded utterly; and before half-an-hour was over, all the ship's boats which could be lowered were filled with Spaniards in their shirts, getting ashore as best they could.