and now, once again, we find ourselves in the palm-grove of ratinga island. it is a fine autumn afternoon. the air is still as regards motion, but thrilling with the melody of merry human voices as the natives labour in the fields, and alive with the twittering of birds as they make love, quarrel, and make it up again in the bushes. now and then a hilarious laugh bursts from a group of children, or a hymn rises from some grateful heart, for as yet there is no secular music in ratinga!
in the lagoon lies a man-of-war, its sails neatly furled, and its trim rigging, dark hull, and taper spars, perfectly reproduced in the clear water.
as the sun sank lower towards the west, our friend ebony might have been seen slowly climbing the side of one of the neighbouring hills with richard rosco, the ex-pirate, on his back.
“set me down now, my friend,” said rosco, “you are far too good to me; and let me know what it is you have to say to me. you have quite roused my curiosity by your nods and mysterious manner. out with it now, whatever it is.”
the negro had placed rosco in such a position on a ledge of rock that he could see the lagoon and the ship at anchor.
the ex-pirate had by that time recovered some of his former strength, and, although there rested on his countenance an air of profound sadness, there mingled with it a hue of returning health, which none who saw him land had expected to see again. but the care of gentle hands and the power of gladsome emotions had wrought miraculously on the man, body and soul.
“i’s heerd massa an’ cappin fizzroy talkin’ about you,” said the negro, crossing his arms on his chest and regarding his questioner with a somewhat quizzical expression.
“ha! i thought so. i am wanted, eh?”
“well, yis, you’s wanted, but you’s not getted yet—so far as i knows.”
“ah! ebony,” returned rosco, shaking his head, “i have long expected it, and now i am prepared to meet my deserved fate like a man—i may humbly say, a christian man, thanks to god the saviour and zeppa the instrument. but, tell me, what did the commander of the man-of-war say?”
“what did he say? well, i’s tell you. fust he hoed into massa’s house an’ shook hands with missis, also wid missis waroonga wot happined to be wid her, an’ hims so frindly dat he nigh shookt de bonnit off her head. den dey talk ’bout good many t’ings, an’ after a while de cappin turn full on massa, an say,—
“‘i’s told missr zeppa dat you’s got dat willain rosco de pirit here.’
“ho! you should hab see poor massa’s face how it grow long, i most t’ink it also grow a leetil pale, an’ missis she give a squeak what she couldn’t help, an’ betsy she giv’ a groan an’ jump up, slap on hers bonnit, back to de front, an’ begin to clar out, but de cappin jump up an’ stop her. ‘many apologies,’ ses de hipperkrit ‘for stoppin’ a lady, but i don’t want any alarm given. you know dat de pirit’s life am forfitid to his country, so ob course you’ll gib him up.’”
“and what said zeppa to that?” asked rosco eagerly.
“i’s just a-goin’ to tell you, massa. you see i’s in de back kishen at de time an’ hear ebery word. ‘well,’ ses massa, awful slow an’ unwillin’ like, ‘i cannot deny that rosco is in the island, but i do assure you, sir, that he is quite unable to do any furder mischief to any one, for—an massa stop all of a suddint.’
“‘well,’ ses de cappin, ‘why you not go on?’
“‘has you a description of him?’ he asked.
“‘oh! yes,’ ses de cappin, drawin’ out a paper an’ readin’ it. de bery ting, as like you it was as two pease, even to de small mole on side ob you’s nose, but it say not’ing ’bout you’s feet. clarly he nebber heerd ob dat an’ massa he notice dat, seems to me, for he ses, ‘well, cappin fizzerald, it may be your duty to seize dis pirit and deliber him up to justice, but it’s no duty ob mine to help you.’
“‘oh! as to dat,’ ses de cappin, ‘i’ll easily find him widout your assistance. i have a party of men with me, and no one knows or even suspects de reason ob my visit. but all of you who now hear me mus’ promise not to say a word about this matter till my search is over. i believe you to be an honourable christian man, zeppa, who cannot break his word; may these ladies be relied on?’
“‘dey may,’ ses massa, in a voice ob woe dat a’most made me cry. so w’en i hear dat i tink’s to myself, ‘oh! you british hipperkrit, you’s not so clebber as you t’inks, for ebony’s got to wind’ard ob you,’ an’ wid dat i slips out ob do back winder an’ run to you’s cottage, an’ ask if you’d like to have a ride on my back as usual, an’ you say yis, an’—now you’s here, an’ i dessay de cappin’s lookin’ for you.”
“it is very kind of you, ebony,” said rosco, with a deep sigh and a shake of the head, “very kind, both of you and zeppa, but your efforts cannot now avail me. just consider. if the description of me possessed by captain fitzgerald is as faithful and minute as you say, the mere absence of my feet could not deceive him. besides, when i am found, if the commander of the man-of-war asks me my name i will not deny it, i will give myself up.”
“but if you do dey will hang you!” said ebony in a somewhat exasperated tone.
“even so. it is my fate—and deserved.”
“but it would be murder to hang a innercent man what’s bin reformed, an’ don’t mean for to do no more mischief—not on’y so, but can’t!”
“i fear you won’t get the broken law to look at it in that light, ebony.”
“broken law! what does i care for de broken law? but tell me, massa, hab you make up you’s mind to gib youself up?”
“i have,” returned rosco sadly.
“quite sure an’ sartin’?”
“quite,” returned rosco, with a faint smile at the poor negro’s persistency.
“well, den, you come an’ hab a last ride on my back. surely you no kin refuse so small a favour to dis yar black hoss w’ats carried you so of in, afore you die!”
“of course not, my poor fellow! but to what purpose—of what use will it be to delay matters? it will only prolong the captain’s search needlessly.”
“oh! nebber mind. der’s good lot o’ huts in de place to keep de hipperkrit goin’. plenty ob time for a last leetil ride. besides, i want you to see a place i diskiver not long ago—most koorious place—you nebber see.”
“come along, then,” said rosco, thinking it right to humour one who had been more like a brother than a servant to him during his long illness, “stoop down. now, then, heave!”
in a twinkling rosco was on the back of his “black horse,” which carried him a considerable distance in among the hills.
“ah! ebony,” said the rider at last, “i feel sure you are deceiving me—that you hope to conceal me here, but it is of no use, i tell you, for i won’t remain concealed.”
“no, massa, i not deceive you. i bring you here to show you de stronary place i hab diskiver, an ax you what you t’ink ob him.”
“well, show it me quickly, and then let us hasten home.”
without replying, the negro clambered up a somewhat steep and rugged path which brought them to the base of a low precipice which was partially fringed with bushes. pushing one of these aside, he entered a small cavern not much larger than a sentry-box, which seemed to have no outlet; but ebony, placing his right foot on a projection of rock just large enough to receive it, raised himself upwards so as to place his left foot on another projection, which enabled him to get on what appeared to be a shelf of rock. rising up, he entered another cavern.
“a strange place truly, but very dark,” said rosco; “does it extend far?”
“you’ll see, jus’ now,” muttered the negro, obtaining a light by means of flint and steel, with which he kindled a torch. “you see i’s bin ’splorin’ here before an’ got t’ings ready.”
so saying, he carried rosco through several winding passages until he gained a cavern so large and high, that the torch was unable to reveal either its extent or its roof.
“wonderful! why did you not tell us of this place before, ebony?”
“’cause i on’y just diskiver him, ’bout a week past. i t’ink him splendid place for hide our wimen an childers in, if we’s iver ’tacked by savages. see, i even make some few preparations—got straw in de corner for lie on—soon git meat an’ drink if him’s required.”
“very suitable indeed, but if you have brought me here to hide, as i still suspect, my poor fellow, you have troubled yourself in vain, for my mind is made up.”
“dat’s berry sad, massa, berry sad,” returned ebony, with a deep sigh, “but you no object sit on de straw for a bit an’ let me rest. dere now. you’s growin’ heavier every day, massa. i stick de torch here for light. look, here you see i hab a few t’ings. dis is one bit ob rope wid a loop on him.”
“and what may that be for?” asked rosco, with some curiosity.
“for tie up our enemies when we’s catch dem. dis way, you understan’.”
as he spoke, ebony passed the loop over rosco’s shoulders and drew it tight so as to render his arms powerless, and before the latter realised what he was about his legs were also securely bound.
“surely you do not mean to keep me here by force!” cried rosco angrily.
“i’s much afraid, massa, dat’s zactly what i mean!”
“come, come, ebony, you have carried this jest far enough. unbind me!”
“berry sorry to disoblige you, massa, but dat’s impossible just now.”
“i command you, sir, to undo this rope!” cried rosco fiercely.
“dere’s a good deal ob de ole ring about dat, sar, but you’s not a pirit cappen now, an’ i ain’t one ob de pirit crew.”
rosco saw at once the absurdity of giving way to anger, and restrained himself.
“but you cannot restrain my voice, ebony,” he continued, “and i promise you that i will shout till i am heard.”
“shout away, massa, much as you please. bu’st you’s lungs if you like, for you’s in de bow’ls ob de hill here.”
rosco felt that he was in the negro’s powers and remained silent.
“i’s berry sorry to leave you tied up,” said ebony, rising to quit the place, “but when men is foolish like leetil boys, dey must be treat de same. de straw will keep you comf’rable. i daren’t leave de torch, but i’ll soon send you food by a sure messenger, and come back myself soon as iver i can.”
“stay, ebony, i’m at your mercy, and as no good can come of my remaining bound, i must give in. will you unbind me if i promise to remain quiet?”
“wid pleasure,” said the negro cheerfully, as his glistening teeth showed themselves. “you promise to wait here till i come for you?”
“i promise.”
“an’ you promise not to shout?”
“i do.”
in a moment the rope was cast off, and rosco was free. then ebony, bidding him keep up his heart, glided out of the cavern and left him in profound darkness.
captain fitzgerald searched the island high and low, far and wide, without success, being guided during the search chiefly by ebony.
that wily negro, on returning to the village, found that the search had already begun. the captain had taken care that no one, save those to whom he had already spoken, should know what or who he was searching for, so that the pirate might not be prematurely alarmed. great, therefore, was his surprise when he was accosted by the negro, and asked in a mysterious manner to step aside with him out of ear-shot of the sailors who assisted him.
“what have you got to say to me, my man?” he asked, when they had gone a few yards into the palm-grove.
“you’s lookin’ for the pirit!” said ebony in a hoarse whisper, and with a superhumanly intelligent gaze.
“why, how came you to know that?” asked the captain, somewhat perplexed and thrown off his guard.
“ho! ho!” laughed ebony in a subdued voice, “how i comes to know dat, eh? i come to knows many t’ings by putting dis an’ dat togider. you’s cappen ob man-ob-war. well, you no comes here for notting. well, rosco de pirit, de horroble scoundril, hims lib here. ob course you come for look for him. hofficers ob de brish navy got notting else to do but kotch an’ hang sitch varmints. eh? i’s right?”
“well, no,” returned captain fitzgerald, laughing, “not altogether right as to the duties of officers of the british navy. however, you’re right as to my object, and i see that this pirate is no friend of yours.”
“no friend, oh! no—not at all. him’s far more nor dat. i lub him as a brudder,” said the negro with intense energy.
captain fitzgerald laughed again, for he supposed that the negro spoke ironically, and ebony extended his thick lips from ear to ear because he foresaw and intended that the captain would fall into that mistake.
“now you lose no time in sarch for him,” said ebony, “an’ dis yar nigger will show you de way.”
“do, my fine fellow, and when we find him, i’ll not forget your services.”
“you’s berry good, a’most too good,” said ebony, with an affectionate look at his new employer.
so, as we have said, the village and island were searched high and low without success. at last, while the searching party was standing, baffled, on the shore farthest from the village, captain fitzgerald stopped abruptly, and looking zeppa in the face, exclaimed, “strange, is it not? and the island so small, comparatively.”
“quite unaccountable,” answered zeppa, who, with his son, had at last joined in the search out of sheer anxiety as to rosco’s fate.
“most perplexing!” said orlando.
“most amazin’!” murmured ebony, with a look of disappointment that baffles description.
suddenly the negro pointed to the beach, exclaiming, “oh! i knows it now! look dare. you see two small canoes? dere wor tree canoes dare yisterday. de t’ird wan am dare now. look!”
they all looked eagerly at the horizon, where a tiny speck was seen. it might have been a gull or an albatross.
“impossible,” said zeppa. “where could he hope to escape to in that direction—no island within a thousand miles?”
“a desprit man doos anyt’ing, massa.”
“well. i shall soon find out, for the wind blows in that direction,” said the captain, wheeling about and returning to his ship.
soon the sails were spread, the anchor weighed, the coral reef passed, and the good ship was leaping merrily over the sea in pursuit of the pirate, while ebony was seated on the straw beside rosco, expanding his mouth to an extent that it had never reached before, and causing the cavern to ring with uproarious laughter.
