With Cochrane the Dauntless Part 35

"This must be taken, senor," the officer said, "to relieve you from any suspicion of having come here from the insurgent provinces. At the same time there remains the fact that you have entered Brazil without pa.s.sports or other necessary papers, a matter which will have to be considered by the authorities. At the same time, pending their decision there will be no occasion for you to confine yourself to the hotel, as the offence can hardly be considered a very serious one."

Two hours later Stephen was sent for to the governor's. Here a few more questions were put to him as to the absence of papers, and he was then asked what were his intentions as to the future.

"By your own confession", the officer who interrogated him said, "you are a fugitive from justice, and although we do not concern ourselves with crimes committed beyond our frontiers, we must concern ourselves with the movements of fugitives from justice who enter Portuguese territory without proper papers."

"I intend to take s.h.i.+p to Europe," Stephen replied. "My family have business connections there. I shall probably stay there until I hear that I can return home."

"Very well, senor. So long as you remain here you will be under surveillance, but otherwise your movements will not be interfered with."

Stephen bowed and withdrew. At the hotel that evening he learned news that surprised him and altered his plans. Some officers who had dined there were talking together, and Stephen, who was sitting near them drinking his coffee and smoking his cigarette, heard to his surprise the name of Lord Cochrane.

"There can be no doubt as to the truth of the news," one said. "Not only has this English adventurer accepted the offer of Dom Pedro to take command of his fleet, but they say he is already on his way, and is expected to arrive at Rio in a few weeks. I am afraid that he will give us some trouble."

"Not he," another said scornfully. "One of our s.h.i.+ps could dispose of the whole of the insurgent fleet. They are, as we know from our friends there, but armed merchantmen, the _Pedro Primeiro_ being the only real war-s.h.i.+p among them. Moreover, their equipments are villainously bad, and their manning worse, the only real sailors they have being our countrymen, who will bring the s.h.i.+ps over to us when the first gun is fired. Even the Englishman can do nothing with such s.h.i.+ps as these against three well-appointed fleets like ours."

"He did wonders on the other side," one of the other officers said.

"I grant you he did, but the odds were nothing like so great. The Chilians are better sailors by far than the people here, and could at least be relied upon to be faithful. I should think it likely that he will throw up his command in disgust as soon as he sees what this so-called fleet is, and how hopeless it is to struggle against such tremendous odds."

"I hope that it may be so, major. I own the force of your arguments, and the apparent hopelessness of any attempt to meet us at sea; but after what he did on the other side I cannot but think that he will at least give us some trouble, and at any rate make our conquest of the insurgent provinces less easy than we have antic.i.p.ated. The man's reputation alone will inspire even those who regard their position as most hopeless, with some sort of energy. Hitherto I have never thought that there would be any resistance whatever, but antic.i.p.ated that they would surrender as soon as our fleet appeared off their sh.o.r.es and our troops landed; but I think now that this Englishman may infuse some of his own mad spirit into these indolent Brazilians, and that they will make at least a show of resistance."

"All the worse for them," the captain laughed. "There will only be so many more confiscations and so much more plunder for the troops. I hope myself that they will resist, for otherwise we shall gain but little prize-money or plunder."

"I think we shall get plenty of both in any case," the other said.

"Two-thirds of the people down there are rebels, and whether there is resistance or not their possessions of all kinds will be justly forfeited."

"That is so; but it is the government who will forfeit them, and but a small proportion indeed will fall to the share of the army and navy."

The conversation then turning upon other subjects, Stephen rose and strolled out of the room, and going down to the wharf seated himself on a balk of timber to think the matter out. That Lord Cochrane should have been driven to resign his position in Chili he could well understand, for he had wondered many times that he put up with the treatment that he received and the utter ingrat.i.tude that had been the sole reward of his great services; but it was singular indeed that just as he himself arrived on the eastern coast of the continent he should receive the news, that Cochrane would ere long appear on the coast to take command of the Brazilian fleet. Of course, now his plans would be changed, and instead of going to England he should endeavour to make his way down to Rio, and there join the admiral.

The question was how was it to be done? The journey by land would be out of the question; the distance was almost as vast as that he had already travelled, and he would be exposed to constant questioning. Upon the other hand, it was certain that no s.h.i.+ps would be sailing from Para to Rio. He might get down to Bahia, but the same difficulty would present itself. It seemed to him that there was but one possible method of reaching Rio, namely to take pa.s.sage by s.h.i.+p to the Cape de Verde Islands, and there to take another s.h.i.+p bound for Rio. The distance was great, but under favourable circ.u.mstances the journey might be made in a few weeks.

The next morning he was early down at the wharf. There were several s.h.i.+ps lading for Europe, but one of them was English, and this he learned on going on board would, unless driven east by stress of weather, make for the Azores direct without touching at St. Vincent. There were, however, two Portuguese vessels that would touch at Cape de Verde, and would stay some days there. One of these would start the next day.

In this he secured a pa.s.sage forward for a very small sum, on his saying that he knew something of the sea, and was willing to make himself useful.

He had only now to purchase a few rough clothes suitable for the voyage, and he was ready for the start. The time the voyage would take did not much trouble him. It might be a month or six weeks yet before the admiral reached Brazil; and if what was said of the fleet were true, the work of getting it fit for sea would be a long one, as his experience in Chili had taught him. Even, then, if the voyage was much longer than he expected, he might still be in time to join the admiral before he sailed. He went on board that night, and in the morning put on his rough clothes and a.s.sisted to make sail. In a short time the vessel dropped down the river, and in a few hours was fairly out at sea.

Stephen messed with the crew forward, and seeing his readiness to a.s.sist, and his handiness when aloft, he soon became popular with them, though they constantly expressed their surprise that a Peruvian should be so good a sailor. The wind was favourable and steady, and although the vessel was becalmed for three or four days, she dropped anchor in the port of Santiago three weeks after leaving Para. The mate of the vessel had been very friendly with Stephen during the voyage, and said to him the day before they arrived, that if he wished to go on to Europe he was sure that the captain would give him a free pa.s.sage, as he was as good a hand as the best of the crew.

"To tell you the truth, senor," Stephen said, "I don't want to get to Europe, but to Rio. I have friends there who will give me employment, but the only way that I could see to manage it was to come here and take a pa.s.sage in the first s.h.i.+p bound there."

"Very well. I will inquire directly we get in if there is a s.h.i.+p in harbour bound there, and if so you shall be rowed straight on board, which will save you the expense of living on sh.o.r.e, and perhaps a lot of bother with the authorities, who are always prying into people's business."

There were eight or ten vessels in harbour when they arrived; and the mate, after going ash.o.r.e, brought back word that one was a British s.h.i.+p bound for Rio.

"She will probably sail in the morning," the mate said; "and as the port officials have already been on board and checked off the pa.s.sengers, we can take you off after dark without risk of any bother."

Accordingly, as soon as it was dark two hands rowed Stephen across to the English barque.

"What do you want, my man?" the mate asked when he stepped on deck.

"I want a pa.s.sage to Rio," Stephen replied in English. "I am a sailor and am ready to work my way if the money I have is not sufficient to pay for a pa.s.sage. I do not look like it at present, but I am one of Lord Cochrane's officers, and as he is now either at Rio or within a short distance of it, I wish to join him there."

The mate went into the captain's cabin, and on coming out again asked Stephen to follow him. The captain looked at him attentively.

"This is rather a strange yarn of yours."

"It is a strange one, captain, but it is true."

"If you are one of Cochrane's officers what are you doing here? and why are you masquerading in that dress? Have you already served with him?"

"I was his flag-lieutenant on the Chilian coast."

The captain repeated incredulously: "Why, I should not guess you to be above twenty."

"That is about my age, sir; but what I say is nevertheless the fact. My story is too long to tell you now; but, briefly, I was wounded in the cutting out of the _Esmeralda_, and was sent back to be cured at Valparaiso. On my way up in a coasting craft to rejoin, I was wrecked on the Peruvian coast and made prisoner. I escaped by the aid of friends, and finding it impossible to make my way down to Chili, I crossed the Andes and came down by the great rivers to Para. There I heard that Lord Cochrane was about to a.s.sume the command of the Brazilian fleet. It was absolutely impossible to make my way there direct, either by land or sea, and I therefore took pa.s.sage here in that Portuguese lying a hundred yards away, and now want to be taken on to Rio. The stock of money with which I started is reduced to twenty pounds. I must have something when I land, as the admiral may not have arrived; but I am ready to pay fifteen for my pa.s.sage, and equally willing, if that is not sufficient, to work my way before the mast."

"Well, sir," the captain said, "if you are one of Cochrane's officers I shall be proud to carry you without any charge for the pa.s.sage; but you can, if you like, pay five pounds for the cost of your food, which, as it belongs to the owner, I have no right to give away. Are the clothes you stand in all your kit?"

"No; I have a bundle on deck with another and somewhat more respectable suit. I bought it at Bahia, and although it is hardly the dress one would choose on board a s.h.i.+p, it is at least respectable, being that of a Brazilian merchant."

"I will lend you some togs for the voyage," the mate said. "We have no pa.s.sengers on board, so that if they don't quite fit you it won't matter, although I think that we are pretty much of a size."

Stephen warmly thanked the captain and mate for their kindness, and then went to the gangway and told the men waiting in the boat to inform the mate that it was all right, and that he had arranged for a pa.s.sage.

The voyage was a pleasant one. The mate's clothes fitted Stephen very well, and he messed with the captain and officers, who were pleasant companions. They were five weeks on the voyage, and Stephen was delighted, on arriving at Rio, to hear that Lord Cochrane was still there, but that the fleet would put to sea in a few days. He resumed his Brazilian dress, and, after renewed thanks to the captain for his kindness, was rowed ash.o.r.e as soon as the port officials had paid their visit.

CHAPTER XX.

FRESH TRIUMPHS.

No sooner had Stephen reached the landing-place than he hired a native boat to take him off to the flag-s.h.i.+p, which, with several of her consorts, was lying some little distance off the sh.o.r.e and in front of the Naval establishment. Several others were close in by the wharfs.

"They look in a slovenly state indeed," he said to himself, "infinitely worse than the Chilian s.h.i.+ps did when we first got out there. There are two or three by the flag-s.h.i.+p that look in a fair state of order, but the rest might be a fleet of big colliers, with their yards up and down anyhow, their rigging all slack, and everything dirty and untidy."

In ten minutes they were alongside of the flag-s.h.i.+p, whose appearance presented a strong contrast to that of the others.

Telling the boatman to bring up his bundle after him, Stephen ascended the ladder. A petty officer came up to him as he stepped on to the deck.

"What is your business?" he asked him in Portuguese, which Stephen now spoke fluently.

"I wish to speak to the admiral."