登陆注册
34555800000115

第115章

Awhile yet it continued, to be concluded at last by an ungracious undertaking from M. de Rivarol to submit to the demands of the buccaneers. He gave it with an extreme ill-grace, and only because Blood made him realize at last that to withhold it longer would be dangerous. In an engagement, he might conceivably defeat Blood's followers. But conceivably he might not. And even if he succeeded, the effort would be so costly to him in men that he might not thereafter find himself in sufficient strength to maintain his hold of what he had seized.

The end of it all was that he gave a promise at once to make the necessary preparations, and if Captain Blood and his officers would wait upon him on board the Victorieuse to-morrow morning, the treasure should be produced, weighed in their presence, and their fifth share surrendered there and then into their own keeping.

Among the buccaneers that night there was hilarity over the sudden abatement of M. de Rivarol's monstrous pride. But when the next dawn broke over Cartagena, they had the explanation of it. The only ships to be seen in the harbour were the Arabella and the Elizabeth riding at anchor, and the Atropos and the Lachesis careened on the beach for repair of the damage sustained in the bombardment. The French ships were gone. They had been quietly and secretly warped out of the harbour under cover of night, and three sails, faint and small, on the horizon to westward was all that remained to be seen of them. The absconding M. de Rivarol had gone off with the treasure, taking with him the troops and mariners he had brought from France. He had left behind him at Cartagena not only the empty-handed buccaneers, whom he had swindled, but also M. de Cussy and the volunteers and negroes from Hispaniola, whom he had swindled no less.

The two parties were fused into one by their common fury, and before the exhibition of it the inhabitants of that ill-fated town were stricken with deeper terror than they had yet known since the coming of this expedition.

Captain Blood alone kept his head, setting a curb upon his deep chagrin. He had promised himself that before parting from M. de Rivarol he would present a reckoning for all the petty affronts and insults to which that unspeakable fellow - now proved a scoundrel - had subjected him.

"We must follow," he declared. "Follow and punish."At first that was the general cry. Then came the consideration that only two of the buccaneer ships were seaworthy - and these could not accommodate the whole force, particularly being at the moment indifferently victualled for a long voyage. The crews of the Lachesis and Atropos and with them their captains, Wolverstone and Yberville, renounced the intention. After all, there would be a deal of treasure still hidden in Cartagena. They would remain behind to extort it whilst fitting their ships for sea. Let Blood and Hagthorpe and those who sailed with them do as they pleased.

Then only did Blood realize the rashness of his proposal, and in attempting to draw back he almost precipitated a battle between the two parties into which that same proposal had now divided the buccaneers. And meanwhile those French sails on the horizon were growing less and less. Blood was reduced to despair. If he went off now, Heaven knew what would happen to the town, the temper of those whom he was leaving being what it was. Yet if he remained, it would simply mean that his own and Hagthorpe's crews would join in the saturnalia and increase the hideousness of events now inevitable. Unable to reach a decision, his own men and Hagthorpe's took the matter off his hands, eager to give chase to Rivarol. Not only was a dastardly cheat to be punished but an enormous treasure to be won by treating as an enemy this French commander who, himself, had so villainously broken the alliance.

When Blood, torn as he was between conflicting considerations, still hesitated, they bore him almost by main force aboard the Arabella.

Within an hour, the water-casks at least replenished and stowed aboard, the Arabella and the Elizabeth put to sea upon that angry chase.

"When we were well at sea, and the Arabella's course was laid,"writes Pitt, in his log, "I went to seek the Captain, knowing him to be in great trouble of mind over these events. I found him sitting alone in his cabin, his head in his hands, torment in the eyes that stared straight before him, seeing nothing.""What now, Peter?" cried the young Somerset mariner. "Lord, man, what is there here to fret you? Surely 't isn't the thought of Rivarol!""No, " said Blood thickly. And for once he was communicative. It may well be that he must vent the thing that oppressed him or be driven mad by it. And Pitt, after all, was his friend and loved him, and, so, a proper man for confidences. "But if she knew! If she knew! 0 God! I had thought to have done with piracy; thought to have done with it for ever. Yet here have I been committed by this scoundrel to the worst piracy that ever I was guilty of.

Think of Cartagena! Think of the hell those devils will be ****** of it now! And I must have that on my soul!""Nay, Peter- 't isn't on your soul; but on Rivarol's. It is that dirty thief who has brought all this about. What could you have done to prevent it?""I would have stayed if it could have availed.""It could not, and you know it. So why repine?""There is more than that to it," groaned Blood. "What now? What remains? Loyal service with the English was made impossible for me.

Loyal service with France has led to this; and that is equally impossible hereafter. What to live clean, I believe the only thing is to go and offer my sword to the King of Spain."But something remained - the last thing that he could have expected - something towards which they were rapidly sailing over the tropical, sunlit sea. All this against which he now inveighed so bitterly was but a necessary stage in the shaping of his odd destiny.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 天行

    天行

    号称“北辰骑神”的天才玩家以自创的“牧马冲锋流”战术击败了国服第一弓手北冥雪,被誉为天纵战榜第一骑士的他,却受到小人排挤,最终离开了效力已久的银狐俱乐部。是沉沦,还是再次崛起?恰逢其时,月恒集团第四款游戏“天行”正式上线,虚拟世界再起风云!
  • 帝曜天道

    帝曜天道

    纵目天涯,浅黛春山处处纱。碧草之芬,幽兰之馨,有美一人,在异之滨。双鱼座流星雨如期而至……再现悲壮的古战场;探索神秘的古商道;重现恢弘的古文明;帝曜天道,王者独尊!
  • 如果重新来

    如果重新来

    刚结婚没多久却发现自己的丈夫出轨,出轨对象竟是自己的闺蜜,离婚吧!渣男!爸妈给自己找了个合租房,天啊,居然是……
  • 私盐密案

    私盐密案

    大学生李齐亘一次意外落水,穿越到了李氏盐业长子李承身上,更见到自己心仪的电视剧《戏说乾隆》女主,盐帮帮主程淮秀。而李氏盐业家门被害的背后真相,与一起官商勾结走私私盐有关,为调查出幕后黑手,李承与程淮秀奔波几地,私下密查,揭开这层层真相……
  • 天行

    天行

    号称“北辰骑神”的天才玩家以自创的“牧马冲锋流”战术击败了国服第一弓手北冥雪,被誉为天纵战榜第一骑士的他,却受到小人排挤,最终离开了效力已久的银狐俱乐部。是沉沦,还是再次崛起?恰逢其时,月恒集团第四款游戏“天行”正式上线,虚拟世界再起风云!
  • 穿越之独宠毒妃

    穿越之独宠毒妃

    她是全球第一的全能杀手,却因为意外而穿越到了这个陌生的大陆。她在这个大陆又会有怎样的经历…………
  • 重生之恩怨纠缠

    重生之恩怨纠缠

    一场背叛,惨烈的结局。机缘巧合,她重新获得了一次生还的机会。她想改变命运,无奈无论怎么努力,都还是上一世的经历。在要么死要么狠的抉择中,她选择了后者……
  • 三界小狱管

    三界小狱管

    外卖小哥姜小白,被太白金星选中,成为了三界之人间仙狱的狱长,面对一个个被关进来的神仙,姜小凡表示压力很大,幸好发现这些神仙对人间零食情有独钟!于是,太上老君故意犯事,只为讨一瓶二锅头;孙悟空故意犯事,只想打一把吃鸡!
  • 多么希望我的青春里有你

    多么希望我的青春里有你

    那年女孩初中一年级,男孩初中三年级可以坐你的车吗?……后来女孩和她的闺蜜吐槽说“我认识他吗?他就坐我车”女孩的闺蜜把话传给男孩,男孩却说:“他不认识我,我认识他就行了”当女孩的闺蜜把男孩的话传给女孩时,女孩心动了
  • 天行

    天行

    号称“北辰骑神”的天才玩家以自创的“牧马冲锋流”战术击败了国服第一弓手北冥雪,被誉为天纵战榜第一骑士的他,却受到小人排挤,最终离开了效力已久的银狐俱乐部。是沉沦,还是再次崛起?恰逢其时,月恒集团第四款游戏“天行”正式上线,虚拟世界再起风云!