My Danish Sweetheart, Volume 3 of 3

eat bloodstain on the deck close against the cabin-door. Its true complexion showed in the daylight. Abraham again backed away on seeing it; but time was precious. This was an opportunity to mak

or of the bedclothes and the square of carpet on the deck a

had been tossed when he arose. There was nothing frightful here; but our business lay in t

med Abraham, looking about him in a stupefied w

your wits, for our stratagem

blood returning to his cheeks to my hurried whispering; and when I had made an end and drew back to mark his judgment in his face,

only the getting 'em together; but it

what is here. Will the poor

nt Nakier might enter, or some probing yellow face stare in upon us through the little window that overlooked t

'to own a pistol. Had he been a Nova Scotiaman there'd be

unted upon finding a revolver, scarcely doubting that a man in charge of such

ike sort, and then with sickened hearts closed the door upon that tragic interior of the Captain's berth. I looked through the contents o

I put it under my arm, and, accompanied b

ut the odious shocking blotch. But at the same instant it crossed my mind to let it be: it was a detail to fit into our stratagem, and I whispered the fancy to Abraham as we quitted the cuddy. I believed that all this while He

breakfast or keep along with you

time,' I answered, and he

ion of admiration and pleasure. It was manifest at the first glance th

words to

rs and birds and a thousand other delights must it be!' She clasped her hands as though

led admiration the girl's sweet fresh face, that was faintly flushed by her enactment; 'but if we three men should be made away with--' I choked

s a paradise, I believe! Here, Na

he skylight

s this Mossel Bay that

terest. He immediately pointed to the place wit

ng to one of those marginal illustrations I have referred to, 'here is a picture

the least hesitation-a quality of assurance that made me hopeful, for it was everything indeed that h

ot to be easily missed by you and Miss Nielsen. There are a couple of excellent sexta

bay, and no mistake

f coast with his square-cut thumb, as though calculating courses and distance

g about and sherry vines and the likes of them drinks to be had for the asting, everything A1 and up to the knocker. But see here, Nakier,' said he, in a wonderfully familiar and f

ye than ever Nakier could have brought to bear on him.

by-um-bye. We allee want money, and we get i

ugh there was nothing in thi

pose,' said Abraham. 'This here wessel is what w

et some breakfast now, Abraham. You can relieve me here when you have finished the mea

bee where Mossel Bay

chart to replace in the mate's berth, I whispered, 'Mind you tell Jacob e

a storm, as though Nature sucked in her cheeks before expelling her breath through her feverish lips. I put my head into the skylight to look at the barometer, not knowing but that there might be dirty weather at the heels of this passing spell of sultry silence; but the mercury stood high, and the lens-like sharpness of the line of the horizon along with the high fine-weather blue was as ample a confirmation of its promise as one c

u fool! Are we three Englishmen a line-of-batt

ugh the weather had raised a debate in his mind, he called out to the three o

g himself to Nakier, who was on the forecastle, and who appeared to be keeping a keen look-out upon the ship on his own account, 'There's no

ink of the fellow piling canvas at such a time! What a curse is consequentiality when out of season! Here is a poor, miserab

ouragement in the gleam of a sail or in the shadowing of a steamer's smoke. My hope lay in a very different dire

tant, sparkling with brass and details of telescope, coloured glass, and the like, and bore as little resemblance to the aged, time-eaten quadrant that had gone down with the Early Morn as to the cros

Let them believe that you

face; 'but who the blazes is agoing to bring the sun into

y meant to wreck her. Her well-fitting dress of dark serge showed no signs of wear as yet. No posture that she might have artfully adopted could so happily express the charms of her figure as this, when she turned her face sunwards, with the shining sextant raised to her eye. The delicate pale gold of her short hai

otty had been able to collect and repeat from the cabin table. But now she was justifying their expectations, and by this time the whole of the crew-ten of them, with Jacob in the wai

voice, accentuated, as it always was, with a

t might have been midnight to him, so fa

akier, like a belated echo of Helga's cry; a

may suppose, the chronometer was not a thing to be carried here and there, least of all by such hands as Abraham's. The men were now passing in and out of the galley, conveying their dinner of smoking beef and ship's 'duff' into the forecas

s. I summoned him with the motion of my foref

e's position, that you may be able to tell the rest of the men they are in fr

his hand, that was as express

e her calculations in the Captain's cabin, but--' I looked him full in the f

'dat shall be put ri

does not care to use the cuddy. She is a young lady-impressionable-you understand me, N

bringing with him the articles

he boatman carelessly. 'It is noon, and tha

. Oi allow he's waitin

ier and I stood looking on at Helga, who was seated on one side the skylight, the lid of which, being closed and lying flat, provided her with a table on which stood the chronometer, the volumes, the charts, and the other appliances she needed. She knew exactly what to do, and worked out her problems with a busy face and the blue of her eyes sweetened into violet by the shadow of her lashes. Deeply worried, miserably anxious as I was, on the eve of a project the failure of which was bound to signify an inhuman butche

ore Captain Bunting's 'prickings,' as it is termed, and with rules

this moment,' she exclaim

of astonishment a

e it, miss?' c

itude-what it was ha

uted, tearing up

have done, come aft and take charge of the barque for half an hour. Miss Nielsen

ith something for us to e

th and took a tract-chart of the world from the bag and returned with it. I opened and pretended to examine it with anxious attention, speaking in an aside to Helga in a grumbling, doubting voice, and with a shake of my head, while Punmeamootty stood by waiting to learn if we had further orders. I told him we should require

nimble-heeled coloured skin had slipped into the cabin, and was hanging motionless close under us,

well as

f we f

han't

n the plot, and they will spare you the more readily, and use you

surer for my presence. And what is the danger? T

n this here job, Mr. Tregarthen

the seamen were below at their dinner. I now opened the chart; Helga came round to my side, and the pair of us fell to pointing and motioning with our hands over the chart as though we were warmly discussing a difficulty. I raised my voice and shook my head, exclaiming: 'No, no! Any sa

'longshore leisurely look at the sea from side to side. A couple of fellows followed him out of the hatch, entered the galley for a light, as I supposed, and emerge

ed long enough. Now for it, and may God shield us!

as otherwise now, and I own that my heart felt cold as stone as I advanced to the forecastle with Helga. I prayed that my cheeks would not betray my inward perturbation. I did not greatly fear for the girl. Though we should fail, I believed her life would be saved, h

hing us called down to him, and that he came up to gather what the discussion on the poop might be about. He looked astonished by o

Mossel Bay is a safe and eas

, sah,' he exc

s on the South African coast. W

l of my 'pi

ides, do not you know that there are ships of war at Simon's Bay, and that there is every chance of

ng eagerly with their necks stretched and their eyes, like blots of

is nothing to fear from our sailing round the Cape. He speaks of the heav

head; 'no easter wind dis time ob year. All fine-wed

opinion on this matter, and my contention is, that it is ridiculous to sail round to Mossel Bay,

d with irritation and mis

sideways, as much as to say, 'Go on!' 'The four of us, however, will agree to this. The chart gives you a view of South Africa. Let all hands assemble, saving those two men aft there, who are willing to

lay the char

e?' I asked, sending a look at the

ancing from Helga to the cuddy,

, and, approaching him by a stride, whispered: 'Not in the cuddy. You know

atch to look down. 'I want to see the men's quarters, Nakier. I

desire of the girl and me to enter the forecastle to excite his suspicion? The other poor dusky fools, standing by with tawny, orange, or primrose faces, wrinkled their repellent masks with

go first?

her little foot upon the first of the pieces of wood nailed against the bulkhead and serving as steps, and descended. I followed, bidding Nakier, a

on either hand, and a few hammocks dangled from the upper deck. There was a square table fixed to the stout after-bulkhead that divided this compartment from the hold. The men seemed to be without other wearing apparel than that they stood up in. I saw no sea-chests, no bags, merely here and there a shoe, a cap, a sou'-wester, an oilskin smock dangling at a nail. The murmur of the water, broken by the ste

hem all listen, looking into one face after another, and I can see them now, shouldering one another and eagerly bending forwards-a strange, gloomy huddle of discoloured countenances flashful with eyes, and of many expressions. Some of them barely understood English, apart from the plain sea-going terms, and these frowned down upon the chart, or at m

ng for St. Helena Bay, or say Saldanha Bay, instead of Mossel Bay. Here is Simon's Town, and in this bight, as all of you k

breathed hard and looked at Nakier. One

be from Saldanha

thickness of his utterance-and, having spoken, he thrust one of his mates aside to get nearer to the table, and, putting his grimy thumb on the part of the chart where Simon's Bay was marked, he st

!' crie

boss?' shouted the

forgot to bring those measuring instruments with me. I wi

ok of alarm, said: 'You must not leav

good,'

e hatch I was covering her retreat by noisily talking and demonst

p into a funnel. I perceived that my reference to the British ships of war at Simon's Bay had taken a hold upon the imagination of a few of the fellows, and while I seemed to wait f

arrival, wherever it may be, or on the high seas. Can I be sure of proving my innocence if I am charged with having had a hand in this crime?' I cried, looking defiantly at Nakier, and raising my voice. 'Would you come forward and say that you and your men were guilty, and that I and the lady and the two Englishm

, boss?' cried the man who ha

I call to Mr. Wise to bring me the box of instruments? Miss Nielsen c

word to Nakier in that wild mad spirit of defiance that will ofte

fall in with a man-of-war, every soul of them s

eck with another bound, and the next instant the slide of the hatch was swept