My brother stood untouched; but the Quartermaster gave a great, snarling, stricken cry; and, pitching forward upon the board, he lay there silent and still. The ball had pierced his breast in the upper parts, and he never spoke more. Only he fixed his eyes upon my brother full of hate and of mystery, and he took from the pocket of his coat a leathern case and thrust it forth before us. Then the hand of death closed upon Ouvery; and, in a throe and convulsion terrible to behold, his spirit passed.
But I took mechanically the leathern case, and opened it. There was a strip of parchment sewn between. ’Twas a seaman’s chart.
I turned to my brother, who stood holding the smoking pistol. His face was deadly pale; and, when I spoke to him, calling him by his name, he laughed high and shrill, like a woman. Hereupon Surgeon Burke gave him to drink a dram of brandy from his flask, which steadied him. When he was recovered, my brother took the chart; and, having observed it awhile, he returned it to its case, which he put within the pocket of his coat, saying:
“This is what I wanted. ’Tis the chart of the island, Burke. But what made him deliver it to me so? For revenge? But how can that be?”
CHAPTER X.
WE FALL IN WITH THE FLEET OF CAPTAIN MORGAN. THE BUCCANEER’S HUT.
About midday the wind shifted into the north; and, continuing very high, it blew us from our course.
And, as we designed to touch at the Isle of Porto Rico, so we could not make it, but must go away under the great Island of Hispaniola. Hereupon the wind chopped back again, so that we sailed along the south side of the island. Soon after doubling the Cape of Lobos on the south western corner of Hispaniola, we descried at sea a fleet of full fifteen sail, that came towards us.
We misliked the appearance of them, yet held our course—albeit the Captain caused cutlashes and pistols to be served out, and had our ports opened and our guns run out. When we were come to about a quarter of a mile from those ships, the biggest of them fired a gun, and made a wiff to us to stand in the wind, or lay to, as mariners call it. This was very uneasy to my brother, and now he was sorry he had not borne up his helm and scampered away while there was yet time. Yea, it put him in so ill a temper, that I, who stood near him on the quarter-deck, was fain to remove to more peaceful ground. For, after he had ordered to obey the summons, he fell to pacing quickly up and down; and, as I stood a little in his path (or rather he pretended I did), he shoved me roughly to one side, as well as giving me a whirret on the ear for having, as he said, obstructed him.
The ships came a little nearer, and then brought to. Whereupon a dozen men put themselves into a big canoe, or periagua, which was towing astern of the Admiral, and pulled towards us. They came on but slowly, for the sea was heavy; but at length they laid aboard of us in the waist. They were all huge brawny seamen, sunburnt like red tiles, and very villainous.
When they had made fast their boat, the coxswain hallooed to my brother, and inquired of him whence we came. Being answered, “From England,” he said he was come from Captain Morgan, who desired some provisions of bread, pork and cheese; in recompense whereof he had sent us some jars of excellent Peru wine.