“Go ahead; but I don’t believe you’ll have much luck, for most likely it’s in French or Spanish, an’ we ain’t very well posted in those languages, although we might have been by studying a little harder.”
“It’s English!” Gil exclaimed, in a tone of satisfaction, as he drew the stained documents from their long resting-place, and forced to use the greatest caution in opening them lest the paper, brittle with age, should be destroyed.
“If you read it, go on, an’ I’ll keep my eyes on this crowd of very interesting young gentlemen,” Nelse said, as he settled himself into a more comfortable position for listening, and displayed his revolver ostentatiously.
“The writing is plain enough, except in places where the ink has faded, and I reckon I can get through with it, so here goes for the first sheet.”
“How many are there?”
“Seven or eight; but the most of them appear to be memoranda of business transactions, for all except the first are covered with figures. It starts off like a will:
“I, Nissage Boyer, native of France, and adopted citizen of the United States, owner of the finest plantation on the island of Hayti, and lessee of the government forest containing the most valuable dye-wood, deposit here a memoranda of my possessions in case I should never succeed in leaving this place alive, hoping it may fall into the hands of my family, who, fortunately, are now safe in New York.
“During the past year I have done my best to keep out of political entanglements; but Soulouque, who capers like a crowned monkey under his borrowed name of Faustin I., has laid many traps, some of which I have fallen into, and, in order to retain possession of my property, and at the same time send my family to a place of safety, I bound myself to his falling fortunes. Now, in the year 1857 I find myself threatened both by the emperor and insurgents. Trying to serve two masters, I have fallen to the ground, and am a fugitive, trusting to the fidelity of my slaves, and seeking an opportunity to set sail for the United States.
“Condemned to death by both parties, I should have been executed several days ago but for some of my negroes, who aided me to reach this island, where I fitted up a place of refuge in the year Soulouque declared himself emperor, knowing full well that the evil times would soon come, and hoping this might serve as a hiding-place for my dear ones. The shaft, the tunnel and the main cave were probably built by the buccaneers who settled here in 1702; but the voudoo worshipers have made the island their abiding-place so long that none of the negroes and few white men care to visit it.
“Protected by these same voudoo priests, who have always done all in their power to frighten their countrymen away from this place, I am awaiting the arrival of a fisherman’s vessel which should be here in a week at the outside, unless the situation at the capital becomes so grave that all the sailing crafts will be seized by the alleged emperor or the so-called insurgents. I have succeeded in bringing away the most valuable of my personal property, and, in addition, a necklace of diamonds for which I sold the contents of a warehouse, taking them in exchange, since gold is not readily gotten hold of without exciting suspicion that the owner wishes to leave the island.