of the cause of her flight, of the pursuit^ and of
James's peril away beyond the clifis ; and Monke, at
the bare mention of the lad's name, urged the men
who carried him, forward, leaving his two companions
to look to Margaret One of them did so, while the
other followed the trader.
On they went past the headland and along the
shore ; but much time had been lost^ and when they
saw the men they sought, the latter were already far
ahead. With a feeling of disappointment Monke
acknowledged to himself that^ with the number of
men he had, he could not overtake them. But what
had become of James f Was the lad with the men
away in the distance there f Then a native, who
had been standing t^bftiliTig his eyes with his hand,
sprang forward and pointed again, this time to some-
thing nearer, — something lying on the sand, — and
they all saw it> and went towards it.
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202 TALES FROM ''BLACKWOOD.
n
Ab they approached, they knew that it #as the
body of a white man, and a thrill of dismay ran
through them as the face became visible. With one
loud shout they all rushed forward, Monke leading.
He recognised it; he threw himself on his knees
beside it; he clasped it in his arms ; he tried to raise
it; he supported its head on his breast; he called
wildly for water! brandy! he chafed its palms
between Ids own; and then, when he became ccm-
scious the life was out of it, he threw up his arms
with one loud cry of "James, James, my sonl^
He remained by the body, and would not allow any
one to touch it — ^motioning all away ; and, in truth.
Lis companion was too much astoimded by llie utterly
unexpected discovery, and the vehemence of the grief
displayed, to intrude upon him. Even the natives^
stoical and indifferent to the sight of death, were
struck by the sorrow of the white man for his brother,
as they thought, and stood apart At last his friend
ventured to approach him and to take the body from
him, when the grief natricken man rose and followed
the party back to the factory. After a while he spoke,
and told his friend how he had discovered, when in
England, that the lad whom he had known on the
coast had been indeed his own illegitimate son ; and
turning, he halted, and in a sudden accessioh of grief,
made him promise to give him his help and arms to
pursue the Portuguese.
Margaret's grief was not less intense than that of
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THI 8T0RT Of JAMS BABKSB. 20S
Monke. She knew now that the poor lad who had
died to preserve her had done so out of his affection
towards her, and she threw herself beside the oonch
on which they had laid him. There Monke found
her, and gently raising her, looked into her f aoe» and
thenceforth the new love that both had began to
bear towards him formed a bond of nnion between
tneoL
On the next morning James was laid to rest with
the ensign over him. He was binied on the sea-elope
oi the soathemmost blnff of the bay fronting the great
ocean. AH the head-men of the factory attended in
solemn silence, and with a twinge here and there
among them of regret ; but death to them was simply
4he inevitable, and to be as qnickly and easily foi^
gotten as possible. Therefore, when Monke and his
friend swept out of the f actoiy gates with a strong
body of bearers, they only stopped the games of chance
they were playing with small enbes of wood on a
square board for a moment to look after the depart-
ing party, and then with a shnig of the shonlders they
resomed their play — ^the white men's quarrels were
not theira
AH that day Monke and his comrade travelled
along ttie aearshore, and through the gras^ plains,
and over the dark river, and arrived at Benhor Pope's
house. The little man was astounded to leain for the
first time what had happened^ and wrung his Uttle
harids in gne^ only brighteniBg up when he foimd
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204 TALES FBOM ''BLACKWOOD.'*
that the SeDhora was safe. To his credit he wOlingly
told the Englishmen that Chaves had been at the
factory, and the hour of his departure, and he placed
his boats and boats' crews at their disposal, though
he knew he ran the risk of incurring the anger and
revenge of his countryman by doing sa
Thus enabled to proceed without delay, and having
the current in their &vour, the pursuers entered the
bay of Donde by the night of the second day, Monke's
heart thirsting for revenge. It was just such a night
as that on which James and Margaret had left it, and
apparently all was as tranquil on shore. But suddenly,
as the boat passed on, a glare of light shone for a mo-
ment on a hill-top, and then shot up a steady stream
into the still night air.
" What does that mean f " ejaculated Monke.
*^ The factory of the Portuguese is on fire," returned
Ids companion, excitedly. *' That is his ; MKjribbon's
is to the right" '
** Pull, boys, pull 1 " cried Monke, fevered by the
sight ** And God grant that I may not be too late to
punish him ! " he exclaimed to himself, gripping his
gun nervously.
But quickly though the boat went through the
water, the flames grew and spread, almost at once
devouring the old cane -work of the house with a
rapidity that showed it must have been set on fire
in many places. Also the building was too far in-
land, and the boat too br off the shore^ to allow any
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TBM 8T0BT Of JAMI8 BABKEB. 206
sound to be heaid; and fhe fixe shone xed and sQent
ihiongh the thick fringe of the forest
Bat just aa the boat touched the beach, the powder-
honae belonging to the factory blew np with a tenific
roar. This had been situated some hundred yar4a
from the main buildings and its destruction surely
showed that it had been fiied purposely. The boat-
boys were awed and cowed by the roar of the explo-
sion and its shock; but the two white men rallied
them, and led them with a rush up the hill and
through the forest They noticed as they went that
from the spot where M^ibbon's factory stood came
neither sound nor light
As they drew near to the burning house, shouts and
yells were plainly heard above the roar and crackle of
the flames, whose light fell upon fully five hundred
natives in the cleared space, some of whom crowded
and fought round broached puncheons of rum, while
others danced or reeled about the factory yard clad in
all the fine cloths and shawl- pieces they had been
able to pillage from the bales lying about, and adorned
with strings upon strings of bright beads, which glit-
tered in the fierce light Many kept up a perpetual
fusilade, loading their muskets with handfuls of pow-
der from open kegs that lay strewed about
As a background to this stood the dark and silent
forest^ into which the more cautious and sober of the
negroes were stealing with their booty and returning
for more. So intent were all upon the spoil, that
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206 TALES FROM ^BULCEWOOD."
the approach of Monke and his band was not no-
ticed ; and not until the two white men stepped into
the circle of light made by the flames were they seen,
when there was an instant stampede on the part of
the marauders into the forest Two of them were
captured, and dragged on their knees before Monke,
who had been driven back from the building by the
intolerable heat; and on being questioned at the
muzzle of a musket, they told how the slaves and the
villagers had combined to rise against the Portuguese^
and having surprised him, had tied him to his bed and
then set fire to his house.
His cruelty had at last met with its reward Monkey
callous though he was to the severity of the fiite that
had befallen the man, could not help looking aghast
at the house where the tragedy had taken place, and
as he looked the roof fell in, and a shower of fiery par-
ticles rose up into the air, and the flames were dulled
for a few moments, but only for a few momenta.
They shot up again fiercer than before.
The revenge of the Englishman had been suddenly
snatched from him, yet it was with no feeling of dis-
appointment that the task had not been spared to him,
that he turned to the forest And now the little
band had to look quickly to their safety, for with
returning courage the pillagers b^gan firing their
muskets, charged with slugs, as they advanced to the
edge of the wood*
Kot wishing either to confront or harm the mad*
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THB 8T0ET OF JAMXS BABKER. 207
dened creatoieB, Monke withdrew his men in the
direction of M'Oibhon's factory, and sent two of
them to search the house. They reported that it
was empty, whereupon the party ran smartly along
the beach for their boat, which they reached, the
slaves following them down to the shore as if to cut
them off i but suddenly they halted and turned back
towards the Scotchman's house.
As the boat was pulled off shore, flames burst forth
trom the hitherto dark and tenantless factory. Of its
owner nothing was heard or seen. Whether he was
murdered, or whether he escaped from Donde,
remained always a mystery. It was supposed, how-
ever, that he was taken inland by the natives, and
mere put to death by them, to prevent any tales
oemg told.
^ith the destruction of the two factories, the Bay
of Donde returned to the possession of the natives ;
for the houses were never replaced upon its shores^
and the only craft to be seen on its placid waters are
the canoes of the native fishermen of the village,
dotting its expanse with tiny specks.
When Monke got back to Eabooka, he took Mar-
garet under his charge and protection; and though
at first it went hard with him to look at her without
thinking of his son's death, yet as time passed that
feeling passed away with it, and was replaced by the
recollection that she had been the lad's favourite;
and it was for her sake that before long he gave
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208 TAUB ROM ''BLiOKWOOa"
up hiB ehaxge of the fMstoiy, and icAfomfid to Eqg^
land.
Maigaiet^ on her part^ was wall awaie of the f eel-
inga with which Monke at fizat regarded her, and ahe
would fain have left him ; but since he had not per-
mitted that^ ahe^ mindful of her error, aet hesaelf to
make him love her, and with such sweetneas and
aaccessi that the two became inaepazablei and were
known in the little country village to which they
retired aa father and daughter. This village waa
dtoated inland, far away from the soimd of the aea,
which waa diatreBBfol to Monke and to the girl — ^f or
it reminded the one of his scm, and the other of the ,
days ahe had spent on the &roff lonely African
shore. Yet^ as time wore on, the memory of the
lad who had died on that coast became fainter and
fainter with both, and al last^ as at firsts he waa
forgotten.
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