The Fatal Cord Part 33

At the time when she is introduced to my readers, she was dressed in a loose white muslin morning robe, slightly confined at the waist by a white silken cord; and from beneath the folds of this garment peeped out now and then two beautifully-shaped little feet clad in a delicate pair of white satin slippers. The band round her hair was also white. A dress of this description does not generally comport with beauty of the style of Louise's; but in the case of loveliness so exceeding as hers, it absolutely added to the effect. The pure, innocent, and elevated expression of her face, haloed by her l.u.s.trous wealth of golden hair, the beholder might be said to realise the ideal of the old masters.

The cabin of the _d.u.c.h.ess_ occupied, as usual, the after-part of the s.h.i.+p. Directly at the stern, and dividing the width of the vessel between them, were two handsome and elegantly-furnished state-rooms--the one a.s.signed to Mr Durocher, and the other to his daughter. Each of these state-rooms opened into the saloon, which, occupying the breadth of the s.h.i.+p, was very nearly square. Forward of this saloon, a narrow pa.s.sage leading from it divided a double row of state-rooms--two upon each side--which were used by the officers of the s.h.i.+p.

At the time when these new characters are introduced to the reader, the _d.u.c.h.ess_ had been some days out of port. She had gone through what is called the Windward Pa.s.sage--between the islands of Cuba and Hayti--had pa.s.sed through the channel crowded with many islets, which lies between Caycos and Turks islands and had fairly entered upon the broad Atlantic.

The invigorating air of the open sea had so improved the health of Mr Durocher that he had been brought from the bed in his state-room to a sofa in the saloon. Here he was attended by his daughter and a young quadroon slave girl, who waited upon the young lady.

Louise, who was skilled in music, and performed upon several instruments, had just finished singing, to an accompaniment on the harp, the beautiful old song ent.i.tled "My Normandy"--a genuine relic of the age of chivalry, of the days of the trouviers and troubadours--when her father's emotion caused her to put aside the instrument. That touching song, applying fully to the case of the returning exile himself, with its tender refrain--

"I long again the land to see, Which gave me birth--my Normandy,"

recalled the past vividly, with many a hope then entertained of a happy return to his native land--many a hope which the untimely death of his wife had destroyed for ever.

"Dear Louise," said Mr Durocher, "how feelingly you sing that charming song of my native land! What happiness I used to antic.i.p.ate in pointing out to your now sainted mother--when wealth, achieved through a long and tedious exile, should enable me to resume, in my Normandy, the station from which losses had reduced my family--all the beautiful scenes so familiar to my childhood. G.o.d destroys such hopes to draw our affections away from the things of earth. 'Tis now for you only, my beloved child, that I at all consider a worldly future. You will have wealth; few of the daughters of France born upon the soil will be heirs to such a fortune. But there are cares also belonging to the possession of riches; and how will an inexperienced young girl like you know how to meet these?"

"Do not trouble yourself about me, my dear father," said the affectionate daughter. "Is not your health improving? Every day since we left Kingston you have gained strength. You will live yourself to see your money safely invested and your daughter's future secured. Let us hope that many, many happy years on earth await us."

"If future years are in store for me, Louise," replied Mr Durocher, "they may be cheerful when blessed by your presence, but I cannot be happy where your mother is not. I feel convinced, however, that I shall soon meet her again; I am impressed with a feeling--though I know not why--that I shall never more see France."

The young lady left her seat beside the harp and sat upon a chair near to the sofa on which her father was reclining. She placed her arm round his neck, and took in her disengaged hand one of his.

"Dearest father," she said, in a tender and soothing tone of voice, "these low spirits are but the lingering effects of your illness. Life must still have much happiness in store for you. The grand and beautiful scenes of day and night, upon land and water, exhibiting, as they ever do, a proof of the power and goodness and love of G.o.d towards His creatures, must have an influence leading to happiness upon every human soul. I am sure that one so good as you must feel this blessed influence."

"I do feel it, my dear child," said the invalid; "but that feeling cannot remove the uneasiness which I experience at the conviction that I must soon leave you alone in the world. I have a number of relations in France; but you are unknown to all of them; even I, so long has it been since I have met any of them, must be nearly, if not quite forgotten."

The speaker paused awhile in reflection. Louise was also silent; she could make no reply to her father's last observation; its probable truth admitted of no just objection. Mr Durocher at length spoke again--

"Louise," he said, taking a pocket-book from an inside breast-pocket of his coat, "in this pocket-book are bills of exchange on different bankers in France to the amount of twelve hundred thousand francs. Even if these be lost, the money will still be safe; the bills are executed in triplicate; one copy of each has been left by me in the hands of a friend at Kingston, and the third copy of each has been sent to a gentleman in Havre. These bills can only be paid on my endors.e.m.e.nt, or on that of my legal representative, in case of my death. There is a note of the names of these gentlemen and of a list of the drafts in my trunk; here is a copy of the same note which I wish you to take possession of. In the strong-box in my state-room are fifty thousand francs in gold; and the cargo of this s.h.i.+p should sell at Havre for at least a hundred and fifty thousand francs. In the event of my death, this property is yours. I should have mentioned to you these particulars before; I feel urged now to postpone no longer giving you this information."

At this instant, and before Louise could make a reply, a loud voice giving orders and the noise of hurrying feet were heard upon deck.

"Celeste," said Mr Durocher, addressing the quadroon girl, "go upon deck and see if you can learn what is the matter."

The girl hurried up the cabin steps, as ordered, and soon returned accompanied by the captain.

"What is the cause of the disturbance overhead, Captain Johnson?" asked the invalid.

"We have been apparently pursued for some hours," was the answer, "by a rather suspicious-looking vessel. Pirates are by no means uncommon in these waters, and it is not improbable that this is one. As the wind is light, we have crowded on every yard of canvas. The stranger, nevertheless, is evidently gaining upon us. I have, therefore, ordered our two twelve-pounders to be made ready for service, and have directed the men also to look to their small-arms. If it were late in the day we might indulge a hope of keeping at a sufficient distance from the suspicious craft to make our escape in the night."

The time was between nine and ten o'clock in the morning.

The face of Louise became white with alarm. The poor girl seemed to be terribly frightened.

"There is no need of feeling alarmed, Miss Durocher," said the captain, in a cheerful voice. "We are not by any means certain the stranger is a pirate. Should he prove to be such, the probabilities are in our favour that he will not molest us, when he finds, on nearer approach, that we are so strong; these sea-robbers are not apt to a.s.sault any vessel which they cannot capture without fighting. We are well manned, having sixteen officers and seamen, all able men. We have two cannons and plenty of muskets and cutla.s.ses, besides a full supply of ammunition.

Even if he should attack us, I think that we can easily beat him off.

My vessel is larger than his, and manoeuvres well; and fully one-half of us are man-of-war's men."

"Why do you suppose," asked Mr Durocher, "that the stranger is in pursuit of you?"

"Because," replied Captain Johnson, "when we first saw him, the course which he was steering was due south-east as ours is north-east, and he is now directly astern of us. If Miss Durocher will come with me upon deck, she can see our pursuer very plainly by aid of the telescope. You are too weak, I suppose, to get upon deck yourself, Mr Durocher?"

"I will try to do so, if you will give me your aid," answered the invalid.

"You had better not undertake so much," said Louise. "I am afraid that the fatigue will do you harm."

"It will not hurt him at all, miss," said Captain Johnson, cheerily.

"He need not suffer from fatigue at all. If you will let that yellow girl of yours bring up an easy-chair, I will carry your father up in my arms."

Captain Johnson was, indeed, a powerfully-made man; he was fully six feet in height, and stout in proportion. Constant exercise in the open air had given to him the full vigour to which his herculean frame seemed to ent.i.tle him.

As soon as the invalid was made comfortable in his easy-chair, and was in a position from which he commanded a view of the ocean all around, the spy-gla.s.s was handed to him. Far away towards the south-west, and at first sight rather low upon the horizon, the strange sail could be seen by the una.s.sisted eye; but the telescope showed that her hull was above the horizon.

"There seem to be a number of men upon her deck," said Mr Durocher; "and she has one of those long pivot-guns amids.h.i.+ps. That is a very dangerous cannon, Captain Johnson; our pursuer may, with a gun of so long a range, do us ruinous injury without coming near enough to allow us to do him harm with our small cannon."

The telescope was pa.s.sed to the captain, and by him to Louise. It was then handed to the officers of the s.h.i.+p.

"Can you make out her hull?" asked the captain of one of these officers, who had at the moment the gla.s.s in his hand.

"Partly," was the answer. "What I can see of it is entirely black. She seems to be clipper-built."

"And these Baltimore clippers are so fleet," remarked the captain.

Things began to look dark for those on board the s.h.i.+p, it must be confessed; if the stranger's intentions were hostile, his superior speed, and the long range of his pivot-gun, made the escape of the chase very doubtful. Captain Johnson, however, like a good officer, made every preparation for defence. His self-possessed and even cheerful manner inspired those under his command with confidence. But Louise became very pale, and Mr Durocher suffered much in mind, princ.i.p.ally upon her account; but, for the sake of each other, their fears were kept to themselves. The quadroon girl s.h.i.+vered with terror, on her own account, and on account of those to whom she had been so much attached for many years.

STORY TWO, CHAPTER NINE.

THE COMBAT.

The foe, invulnerable still, Foiled his wild rage by steady skill, Till, at advantage ta'en, his brand Forced Roderick's weapon from his hand.

_Lady of the Lake_.

*Orano*. We offer you the post of captain, sir.

*Ortega*. I accept--with conditions.

_The Onslaught_.

A pirate s.h.i.+p, and a pirate crew.

_Old Song_.

The swords were brought. A clear s.p.a.ce was left upon the deck for the combatants to move in, around which the sailors--first those who had stood near to the quarter-deck, and afterwards those from the more forward parts of the vessels formed a ring; all were eager and intensely interested, but quiet spectators. Seeing the officers offering no interference, they no doubt considered that it was also their part to make no interruption. Mr Dempster acted as second to Marston; Mr Brown, better known as Bowsprit, acted as second to John Coe.

The swords were measured by the seconds and found of equal length. As both the weapons belonged to Captain Marston, the choice of them was offered to the prisoner, who took one of them at once, apparently without making any selection. The combatants were then placed in position; the salutes with the blades were given, and the fight began.

It was very soon apparent that young Coe was the more expert swordsman.

Captain Marston had, when young, as most young gentlemen of fortune were in the habit of doing, taken lessons in the small-sword exercise; but he had of late been accustomed only occasionally to combats with the cutla.s.s; and such conflicts--as even one who is not an expert at either weapon must know--must rather tend to diminish than increase one's skill with the small-sword. His antagonist, on the contrary, had been in the habit for years of practising play with foils with young gentlemen in his neighbourhood, so that he had much improved his skill of late years.

The sword-points were scarcely crossed before John was aware that his adversary's life was in his hands. This discovery was a great relief to his mind. He placed no faith in the pledges given by Captain Marston's officers; on the contrary, he felt a.s.sured that, if he should kill one who had virtually acknowledged himself to be a pirate chief, his own life would be forfeited; even if the officers should keep their pledges to the letter, the common sailors were bound by no pledge. These reflections caused him to use all his efforts to disarm his adversary; and added to these considerations, inducing him to pursue such a course, was the memory of early a.s.sociations, and also the apparent generosity of his foe in granting him a combat at all, as equal almost as it could be made under the circ.u.mstances.

Captain Marston, too, became very soon aware that he was fighting against one who was superior in the use of the weapon which he had selected. Shaken from his usual self-possession by a knowledge of this fact, and irritated by the forbearance of one whom he had considered his inferior with any weapon, and especially with the one which he had chosen, he made the mistake usual in such cases,