Commodore Junk Part 48

"Sit down and talk to me."

"Sure an' I will, wid pleasure, sor," said Dinny, eagerly. "There's so few gintlemen to talk to here."

"Tell me about your commander."

"An' what'll I tell you about him?"

"What kind of a man is he?"

"Sure, and he's as handsome as such a little chap can be."

"Has he a wife here?"

"Woife, sor? Not he!"

"A troop of mistresses, then, or a harem?"

"Divil a bit, sor. He's riddy to shoot the boys whiniver they take a new wife--Ingin or white. I belave he hates the whole s.e.x, and thinks women is divils, sor. Why, he hit Black Mazzard once, sor, for asking him why he didn't choose a pretty gyurl, and not live like a monk."

"Is he brave?"

"Yes, sor; and I wouldn't anger him if I were you."

"Not I," said Humphrey. "There, the sickness has pa.s.sed off. Now, help me out into the suns.h.i.+ne."

"Help ye out?" said Dinny, looking puzzled.

"Yes; into the bright suns.h.i.+ne. I seem to be decaying away here, man, and the warm light will give me strength."

"Shure, an' if I do, Black Mazzard will pison me wid a pishtol-ball."

"I have the captain's consent," said Humphrey.

"Sure, and ye're not deludhering a boy, are ye, sor?" said Dinny.

"No, no, my man, it is right. Help me; I did not know I was so weak."

"An' is it wake?" said Dinny, drawing the prisoner's arm well through his own. "Sure, and didn't I see gallons o' blood run out of ye? Faix, and there was quarts and quarts of it; and I belave ye'd have died if I hadn't nursed ye so tenderly as I did."

"My good fellow, you've been like a good angel to me," said Humphrey, feebly. "Hah! how glorious!" he sighed, closing his eyes as they stepped out of the long corridor into the opening cut through the forest, and then between the two piles of ruins into the glorious tropic suns.h.i.+ne.

"Will it be too warrum?" said Dinny.

"Warm! No, man, my heart has been chilled with lying there in the darkness. Take me farther out into the bright light."

"Sure, and it's the sun bating ye down ye'll be havin'," said Dinny.

"Look at that, now!"

Dinny was gazing back at the pile of ancient buildings, and caught sight of a face in the shadow.

"Yes, I am trying to look," said Humphrey, with a sigh; "but my eyes are not used to the light."

"Sure, an' it's the captin, and he's kaping his oi on us," said Dinny to himself. "Well, all right, captain, darlin'! I'm not going to run away."

"What place is this?"

"Sure, an' it's meself don't know, sor. Mebbe it's the palace that the American good payple built for Christyphy Columbus. Mebbe," continued Dinny, "it's much owlder. Sure, and it shutes the captin, and we all live here whin we don't live somewhere else."

"Somewhere else?" said Humphrey, looking at Dinny wonderingly as he grasped his arm and signed to him to wait and give him breath.

"Well, I mane at say, sor, doing a bit o' business amongst the s.h.i.+ps.

Ah, look at her, thin, the darlin'!" he muttered, as a woman appeared for a moment among the lianas, held up her hand quickly to Dinny, and turned away.

"What woman was that!" said Humphrey, hastily.

"Woman, sor!"

"Yes; that woman who kissed her hand to you."

"An' did she kiss her hand to me, sor!"

"Yes, man, you must have seen."

"Sure, an' it must have been Misthress Greenheys, sor."

"Mistress Greenheys!"

"A widow lady, sor, whose husband had an accident one day wid his s.h.i.+p and got killed."

"And you know her!"

"We've been getting a little friendly lately," said Dinny, demurely.

"There, sor, you're getting wake. Sit down on that owld stone in the shade. Bedad, it isn't illigant, the cutting upon it, for it's like a shkull, but it's moighty convanient under that three. That's better; and I'll go and ask Bart to bring ye a cigar."

"No, stop," said Humphrey. "I want to talk to you, man. That woman's husband was murdered, then?"

"Murdered! Faix, and that's thrue. Sure, an' someone hit him a bit too hard, sor, and he doied."

"Murdered by these buccaneers!" said Humphrey, excitedly, and he looked wildly around him, when his eye lighted on the trim, picturesque figure of the little woman, who was intently watching them, and he saw her exchange a sign with his companion.

"The key of life--the great motive which moves the world," said Humphrey to himself; and he turned suddenly on Dinny, who had his hand to his mouth and looked sheepish.

"You love that woman," he said, sharply.

"Whisht, captin, dear!" said Dinny, softly; and then in a whisper, with a roguish leer, "sure, it isn't me, sor; it's the darlin's took a bit of a fancy to me."

"Yes, and you love her," said Humphrey.

"Och, what a way ye have of putting it, sor! Sure, and the poor crittur lost her husband, and she's been living here iver since, and she isn't happy, and what could a boy do but thry to comfort her!"