Jim** — the name James went by — did well to go
away.
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THS 8T0RT OV JAMES BABKEB. 185
• "Why t** asked Jamea.
Joei Bhrngged his shouldeiSi and a light came into
Iiis black eyes, bnt he only gnunbled, '^Despacha,
deapacha, Senhor." And with this answer James,
though puzzled, had to be content It was so far
lucky that the men were willing to go.
All the following day M'Gibbon did not stir out of
the &ctory, much to James's dieonay, who apprehended
a visit from the Portuguese and what his sharp eyes
might discover. But as the hours wore on nobody
came^ and after his dinner the trader drew his chair
close up to a table, put thereon spirits and water, and
then proceeded to smoke in silence. He had not seen
Margaret that day, nor had he once asked for her.
In this way he sat for some hours by himself, dur-
ing which James kept a discreet watch upon him from
outside the door of the room, turning in his walk
along the verandah so as to be able to eye him through
the trelli»-work of the upper part of the room with-
out exciting his suspicion.
But M'Gibbon had none, and towards midnight his
bushy red beard sank on his breast, the pipe he had
been smoking dropped from his hand, and he sank
backward in his chair asleep. After gazing at him
for some minutes to make sure of him, James judged
that now the time for flight had arrived. Before
another sun had set it might be too late. Therefore
he went softly along to Margaret's room and tapped
gantly at her dooCi She was ready, and opened it at
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186 TALKS FROK ''BIAGEWOOa"
once ; and tbongli ahe was pale and di o tg oaoe d wiUi
waitings James was glad to feel that there was that in
her manner, as she pnt her hand in his, which be-
tokened her resolution. He took the pillows and
blankets from her bed and then hurried her down to
the beach. Josi and his crew at a signal followed
swiftly from the hut in which they lived, the impas-
sive negroes luckily not taking any particular notice
of the white woman, to whose presence they had
become accustomed. Indeed they were too eager to
be oS.
.Of late the trader had sent away most of the factory
servants, so there was no watch kept, and no onlooker
saw the boat launched into the water that lapped
upon the beacL James wished the moonlight had
not been so brilliant, but the late storm had cleared
the sky.
He arranged the pillows in the narrow stem of the
boat^ and then, taking Margaret in his arms, carried
her through the water. The boys then put their
shoulder to the craft, and in a few seconds she floated,
and jumping into her they gave way, silently at
James's warning, but with a will, stimulated by his
encouraging promisee.
Indeed, so smartly did the heavy boat start forward
under their strokes, that in a quarter of an hour she
was well into the neck of water that formed the open-
ing into the sea, and James, looking back, could see
no sign of life or movement upon the beach. So far
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THE 8T0RT OF JAMES BARKEB. 187
he had heen lucky, and had no need of the rifle con-
cealed heneath the blanket& Lifting the latter, he
folded them tenderly round his companion, and she
looked up into his face and thanked him sweetly — ^by
which he was more than satisfied. And now the boat,
leaving the shelter of the bay, began to feel the huge
masses of sea as they passed beneath her, and shortly
the roaring of the surf along the open shore of the
coast was heard, and the white-crested waves were
seen tumbling and bursting on the beacL But the
boat's head was turned seawards, and having gained
a sufficient offing, the lugnsail was set to a favourable
breeze, as against a strong current running to the
north. For the rest of the night the boat made fair
way, rolling to the send of the waves; but just at
the first break of day, without the slightest warning,
the mast snapped by the thwart James roused the
sleeping boys, cleared the wreck, and did his best to
splice the mast, but it had broken too short off to
admit of a repair that would stand the pressure of the
sail, so the boys unshipped it^ and took to their oars^
pulling a long slow stroke hour after hour until well
towards noon, when, the sun being most powerful,
they laid in their oars and ate greedily of the cassada
meal and ground-nuts with which they had furnished
themselves, washed down with a little water. James
would fain have seen them eat something more sub-
stantial, for with the fall of the mast he had to de-
pend entirely upon them for the further progress of
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188 TALES fBOK ** BLAOKWOOD."
the boat He served them out a capM of ram apieoo^
and they f eU to work again, singing cheerily, as thaj
rowed, a song led by Josi.
Bat as the afternoon drew to a dose, the vigonr of
their strokes, instead of increasing with the cooler air,
died away, and James, distressed hiynself, could not
help them. For the heat out on the smooth rollers^
at first without shade, and latterly without a breath
of wind, had been almost unendurable; and even
Margaret, though she had been sheltered by the sail,
which James had spread over the stem of the boat^
lay pale and exhausted. Suddenly Josi cried, ** 01h%
Senhorf and pointed to the north-west, where^
far away in the sky, and just above the horizon as
yet, stretched a long line of dense black clouds.
It was a tornado, or rain-storm, coming towards
them, and at any rate would give them relief ; so they
waited for it^ the boat dipping its bows to the loud
swell of the sea. On it came, increasing in sise and
obscuring the half of the heavens with an inky linings
and dotting the surface of the sea with little splashes
of white foam, which were instantly beaten down by
sheets of hissing rain. Eapidly it caught up to the
boat, and for nearly half an hour nothing could be
seen overhead and all around but tiie great black
cloud and the white tops of the waves breaking be-
fore its steady rushing wind. Then the storm passed
over to the south-east, having cooled tiie air and re*
freshed the crew, who resumed their oank
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THB 8T0BT OF JAMKS BABKEB. 189
Towards the nigbt^ whicK was cloudy, they edged
the boat near the low barren shore of the part of the
coast they were off, until the sandy beach, with the
great rolling breakers, could again be seen. Then
they cast a large stone, fastened to a rope, into the
sea, which brought the boat's head to the rollers, and
she rode at ease. James did not hinder them, for he
thought the position of the boat secure enough, and
the men were so utterly done up that they could row
no more.
Indeed, once anchored, they stretched themselves
along the bottom of the boat and along the thwarts,
and became oblivious, wrapped in that deep sleep
common to negroes. Towards midnight James,
wearied, also fell asleep. How long he slept he
knew not; but he suddenly became conscious that
he heard Maigaret's voice, which made him broad
awake at once. He looked over the side of the boat,
and his eyes encountered a sight that made his heart
stand stilL By the light allowed by the clouds he
saw that they were surrounded on both sides by
breakers — great curling masses of water, whose crests
shone phosphorescent and pale, and whose sides were
moving searcavems, until they suddenly toppled over
and dissolved in long lines of white surf. A kalemma^
or sudden rise of the sur^ had taken place with the
wind, and the boat had drifted into too shallow
water. It was a mere chance that right ahead of it
there was more depth than on both sides ; so that^
\
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190 TALKS ROM ^BLACKWOOD."
while all aiomid was white watei^ ahead the lollen
as yet passed by it nnbtoken.
James perceived that the safety of the boat was ft
matter of moments, and holding on to the gnnwale
of the pitching crafty crept forward and roused the
crew, who leisurely took up the stone and pulled
ahead; and so somid asleep had they been, tiiat it
was not untQ a line of foam rose high right before
them, and a roller trembled for a moment, and then
bmnt, nearly swamping the boat, that they seemed to
realise their danger, and gave way witii all their
strength.
But so soon as they were out of the peril, and into
deeper water, they shipped their oars, and prepared
to let down the stone again. He was powerless to
prevent them, but he resolved that the boat should
not be allowed to drift again for want of watching^
and when she was baled dry he sat up in the stem-
sheets with one arm supporting Margaret She had
borne up bravely so far, but the last shock had been
sudden ; and when she chanced to look back at the
wild seething sea behind her, which she had just
escaped from, her heart failed her.
So the second night passed, and dayUght^ most
welcome, broke again, when James set the crew to
work, which warmed their stiffened limbsi He had
hoped to make Cobra Orande, the point of the coast
for which he aimed, and where he trusted to procure
hammocks and bearers for the land journey before
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THS 8MBT Of JAXEB BAUEB. 191
tii6 tabOA 6f the thiid day ; but in spite of all the
vigour the boys could put forth — and to the poor
felloW credit they rowed most etanchly — hour after
hour dragged away, and night had ahnost come again
before the boat^ after a brief struggle with the sea,
buried its nose in the sand of the beach at the base
of a great bluf^ shaped in the fancied resemblance
to the head of a snake. James left the boys by
their craft, which they drew up on the beach, and
gave them the remainder of the spirits in the keg;
and so pleased were they with the present, that they
immediately forgot all their past troubles, and set
themselves down in a circle on the sand to finish it^
oblivious of him and his companion.
Owing to the increasing darkness, the arrival of
the boat had not been noticed by any one on shoie^
and when James entered the factory, which was
situated round a comer of the great cliff that rose
out of the sea, he found it tenanted by a single
snuff-coloured half-bred, with unmistakable wool on
his little round head, which he scratched sleepily,
as he welcomed James in Portuguese, evidently
not exactly understanding where he had come
from.
But when this youth perceived Margaret^ who had
lit first remained outside the door, his surprise knew
no bounds. He leaped clear into the air with aston-
ishment^ and with difficulty recovering, stood gazing
«t faefr open-mouthed.
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193 TALIS FROM "BIAGKWOOD"
So fair a cxeature^ this poor half negro, half Porto-
gaese, had never seen or dreamt of.
And she uHia different from the brown-e3^ed, woolly-
headed mulatto girls he had known, in his rare visits
to the town of St Paul de Loanda, or even to the
ivorj-tinted, black-eyed Portuguese ladies he had
seen in that city, as, lying back in their nuxxiUaSf
they passed him by in the streets. And, in truth,
the three, as they stood in the lamplight of the rough
wooden bungalow, made sufficiently distinct pictnre&
James, tall, brown-haired, and resolute; Margaret,
pale and frightened; and in the background the
short squat figure and dun-coloured face of the half-
bred. Never had he heard of the presence of the
Englishwoman on the coast^ and now she stood be-
fore him.
James took him by the arm and shook him out
of his trance, and then he became at once all hos-
pitality. He bustled about and roused out all his
servants, and quickly had the remainder of his late
dinner put on the table — oily fried fish, oily fowl
soup, and stewed fowls smothered in little round
beans drenched in oiL He got out a jar of his
favourite olives, and slipped them into a little
basin of water, and with his own hands drew a
large goblet of '' vinho tinto," the best wine he had,
from a cask that stood in a comer.
As for the Senhora proceeding on her journey that
night, he could not hear of it He should feel too
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THX 8T0BT OV JAIOES BABKIB. 19S
much responsibility if he peimiited it^ — ^he should
indeed And he placed a plnmp^ brown, and dirty
hand in the boeom of his cdonied shirty and bowed
to the ground.
But James gave him to understand that it was im-
perative that the Senhora should go on, and that
she would be much beholden to him if he would
procure bearers for her ; and Margaret looking acqui-
escence in this, Senho Pepe at once hurried outside,
and after a while came back with the information
that he had, much against his will, sent messengers
to the native village for the bearers.
Then he returned to the duties of tiie table, and,
waiting on Margaret himsftlf, pressed her vigorously
to eat of all the oily little dishes, only pausing to
gaze at her with such serious admiration, that she
could not help smiling at him, when he would nod
and laugh in reply, and drink glass after ^^ass of
the '* vinho tinto'^ to her healtL But James was all
impatience, and now the shuffling of bare feet was
heard on the soil outside the factory, and stopped
suddenly at the door, and guttural voices rose on the
night air. Then torn cloths were tightened as rations
were distributed by the Senhor Pepe, who disputed,
argued with, and abused the bearers at one and the
same time at the top of his shrill voice. At last,
all preparations being completed to his satisfaction,
Margaret lay in her hammock, her head pillowed on
one of the little man's own greasy pillowa
T.a — ^v. IT
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194 TALES WmU "BLAOKWOOa*
There were aix men to cany her, two at a tiWb
and James waa glad to see by the torchlight that
they were all strong full-grown bearers, fit for the
long journey before them. Thanking the little half-
bred for his kindness, and shaking him heartily by
the hand, he swung himself into his hammock, and
gave the order to start As Margaret was carried
past the Senhor, she put out her hand, which he
seized, and conveyed to his thick lips, bending low
over it, and running beside her hammock as long
as he could. When at last he relinquished it, he
stood for a long while gazing at the lessening lights
as they flickered through the brushwood, and then
he returned slowly to his soUtaiy house in a state of
profound dejection.
As yet all had gone passably well with the fugitives,
and James congratulated himself as tiie oool night
air swept against his face, and the tall grass rustled
swiftly past the sides of his hammock, while it was
borne along the narrow bush path, the bearers run-
ning fresh and strong under his weight
In this way the flight was continued for some hours^
sometimes within sound of tiie sea, and sometimea
diverging into the bush, until at last the party, after
passiag quickly through a native village, came to a
halt on the bank of a broad stream, which flowed
silent^ dark, and treacherous between sHmy mangrove-
covered bankfi^ and met the white surf about half a
mile below where the panting bearers stood. On a
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TBM 8X0BT 09 JAMBS BAEKXB. 196
deaied space a canoe holloired oat of a great tree
trunk was drawn up, and a HtUe inshore of it was the
hut of the ferryman, who, awakened by the shouts of
the bearers, came crawling out of his grass-thatched
dwelling rubbing his eyes and quite stupid from sleep,
until shown some cloth James had brought from
Senhor Fepe, when he brightened up and consented
to launch his craft without delay. Into it four of
the bearers and James and Margaret got, and were
slowly punted ovei^ the current carrying the heavy
and narrow canoe down the stream and quite near to
the breakers before the opposite shore was reached.
Then the ferryman returned for the rest of the men,
who embarked in safety ; but as they were in mid-
stream the pole with which the man punted snapped,
and the canoe at once swung round with the stream.
Then there was a wild shout for help from the men
in the canoe to the men on shore; but the latter
could do nothing. Nor could the men in peril aid
themselves, for the hammocks with their poles had
been taken over on the first voyage. The canoe
drifted swiftly down towards the mouth of the river,
and was almost at once lost to sight, and the cries
of the men after a while were not heard. Though it
was probable that they all swam ashore, yet not
one of them was seen again on either bank of the
river.
By this disaster, then, at one stroke James lost
two-thirds of the bearers, and had not any way by
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196 TALKS FBOM ''BLACKWOOD.''
which he might replace them, for he could not cross
to the village, and he dared not stay until daylight
to be seen from the opposite bank. So he set out
again with the remaining four men, but with a sink-
ing heart And soon he felt that they were not
able for the task before them. The two who canied
Maigaret went lightly enough for a while, but his
own boys almost at once began to lag wearily behind,
and went slower and slower through the tiring long
grass, studded with spiky palms and cactus-bush,
until just before daybreak they came to a halt on
rising ground, beneath a huge stout-limbed tree, and
cried for help to those in front But this James
would not allow, and jumped from the hammock,
when the poor sweat - soaked, sore -footed creatures
threw themselves on the ground at the foot of the
tree, and lay there as if they never meant to rise.
It was only the urgent necessity of the case — ^how
urgent he did not then know — that made James
threaten to use blows to them to get them on their
feet
The men who carried Margaret, easily disheartened
by this state of their comrades, now pretended to
show distress, and it was with many protestations
and much unwillingness that they took the hammock-
pole upon their shoulders, and again went forward
with her. James half yralked, half ran, by her side,
encouraging them, while his own men brought up the
rear with his empty hammock. In this way another
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THS BTOBT Of JAIOS BABXIB. 197
start was made, and the men kept going through the
early morning honis.
They had now got npon a long curve of aandy
beach, and James calculated that there were not more
than a dozen miles between them and Kabooka, and
by-and-by he fancied he could see in the distance the
nearest headland of it standing ont above the slight
mist But after some time, happening to look be-
hind him over the long stretch of glistening sand,
with its tracery of snr^ over which they had come,
he thought he saw certain black specks a great way
off moving along. He clutched the arm of the bearer
nearest to him, and bade him look also as he ran ;
and the long-sighted negro at once said the black
specks were men, and that they earned a hammock.
James said nothing, except to urge his men to go
faster. He knew them too well to use violence to
them at this critical moment^ for with their friends
in sight they would simply have stopped short ; so
he cheered them by voice and gesture, even joking
with them. Tet the black specks grew steadily, and
within two hours could be made out quite distinctly.
There were eight of them carrying one white man.
Consequently the bearers were changed so frequently
that there was no chance of escape from them by
flighty even if James's men had not told him they
would stop. To this he responded by pointing to
the headland, now quite dear, ahead, and promised
to each man 150 yards of pcamo da eotta (cloth of
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Its lULUB naM ''BLiLGKWOQAp^
the ooasi) if he made yet another eftni la thia
offer waa aomething great in ita liberality they all
raised a ahout^ and ataiting forward did their best
to increase their pace^ and for aome short time the
sand flew beneath their feet ; but suddenly the effort
died away, and they came to a dead atop, completely
don&
By this time the piusaera had come ao near that
their shouts were heard; and Maigaret^ who had
hitherto lain quite still and silent^ raised herself in
her hammock and for the fizat time saw them. She
divined at once who it was that followed, and whis-
pering " Ghavesl" clung to James's ann. It waa the
Portuguese. There waa no mistaking his figuie and
face as triumphant he rose from his hammock and ran
forward gun in hand.
Then Jamea put into execution the plan he had
kept to the last He called the two men who had
carried him, and placing Maigaret in his own ham-
mock he set all four men to the pole. ** A casa 1 a
casal" (to the house I to the house I), he shouted;
and the men, catching something of his exdtement
and meaning, with one effort staggered away along the
beach.
The Portuguese had now come within fifty yaxds of
the lad, who waited for him, and Chaves, seeing his
advance barred, also halted, and the two men stood
oonfionting each other, the black boys standing well
to one side of their master. His irresolution was but
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THX 8T0BT OF JAMES BAREXB. 199
momeniaiy, and Bmnmoning James in a hoane Toioe
to stand aside he again advanced. To this the lad
responded by cocking his rifle and retreating slowly.
His eyes were steady and his lips firm set, and there
was not the slightest sign of flinching on his face,
which was slightly flushed. ''Onaidal goardal"
shouted the Portngaese, and brought his rifle to the
present All the natives fell flat on their faces on
the sand. Both men flred simultaneously, and James
flung up his arms, staggered convulsively for a second
or two, and fell a huddled-up heap on the sand.
'^ Ah !" shouted the Portuguese, as he ran forward.
There was neither soimd nor motion from his prostrate
foe, and stooping down he turned the body over.
Then he thrust his hand beneath the rough shirt and
withdrew it — ^it was bloody. After this he stood in
the bright sunlight dazed for a few moments. He
had not thought to kill the boy outright But a
quick revulsion of feeling seized him, and he spumed
the body with his foot Then he turned to call his
bearers, but not one was to be seen. At the dischaige
of the firearms they had all run into the bush, and the
only objects in view were the men who still carried
Maigaret Boused by the eighty the Portuguese
shouted for his slaves, and promised to cut them in
pieces if they did not come to him ; but there was no
response. Full of the fury of disappointment, he
pursued the flying hammock on foot
But the beazeis of it had by this time obtained a
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200 TALB8 FBOM "BLAGKWOOa"
good sliart^ and on aeeing him coming after them gon
in hand, incieaaed their pace through sheer fright and
desperation, and he found he could not overtake them
before they would make the headland of the bay where
they would be in full sight of the Eogliah factory.
So he was forced to turn back, and he sat down by
the side of his hammock to wait He knew his men
would not go far into the bush on this strange part of
the coasts and that they would return one by one
when they found the danger past. As he sat, his
fears for his own safety increased. Away close to
the factory of the Englishmen he was in their power ;
but once in Donde, surrounded by his slaves, he could
defy revenge, and in that No-man's-land laugh at jus-
tice, even if what he had done had not been in a fait
fight. As these thoughts coursed through his mind,
with a sense of dread creeping upon him in spite of
the fierce determination of his character, he cast a
furtive look now and again at the dead body, un-
conscious that abeady the faces of his men were
peering at him through the tall grass.
Meanwhile the hammock that contained Margaret
was carried across the bay, and drew towards the
factory, and was seen. Moreover, the burden that
it contained was noticed to be something imusual;
and after a long look through a glass, one of the men
in charge of the place cried out that it was a woman
— a white woman! Upon this a tall sallow-faced
man took the telescope, and looked eagerly through
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THE STOBT OF JAMES BABEXB. 201
it^ sapportmg it with treniblmg hands against a post
of the venmdaL AU at once Monke, for it was he,
gave a great cry, called to the servants to bring him
a hammock, and to the men beside him to follow
him, and sprang down the steps of the verandah
into the sandy yard. He had been on the coast
only a few days, and had returned before his leave
had expired, on a matter that had surprised and
pained him infinitely.
When he met the hammock, Margaret summoned
all her resolution and told him in a few brief words