Long Odds by Harold Bindloss

  CHAPTER XXIX

  DOM CLEMENTE STRIKES

  There was a chill in the air and the white mist crept in and out amongthe shadowy trunks when the foremost of the rebels went slipping andfloundering down the side of a river gorge just before the dawn.Ormsgill marching, well guarded, with his carriers and the six boys hehad liberated in the rear could just discern the dim figures flittingon in front of him, and wondered if the next hour would see themsafely across the river. He had been subjected to no ill usage thoughhe had been carefully watched, and he fancied that the rebel leaderexpected to find him useful when the time to make terms with theauthorities came, but that was a point he was never quite clear about.In the meanwhile he was worn-out and badly jaded, for his leg stillpained him, and the rebels had pushed on as fast as possible after thesacking of San Roque.

  Ormsgill fancied he understood the reasons for this. The body was nota very strong one, and though there were petty Headmen on the inlandplateau who had long cherished grievances against the white men, theywere no doubt prudently waiting to see what their friends were likelyto accomplish before they joined them. In an affair of that kind aprompt success counts for everything, since it brings the waverersflocking in, and while the seizing of San Roque was scarcelysufficient to do this in itself, the first of the white men'splantations was now not so very far away. There was another fact thatmade delay inadvisable. The river flowed rapidly between steep banksjust there, and Ormsgill felt it was just the place he would havechosen had it been his business to dispute the rebels' passage. Hefancied their leader was anxious to get across before the news of thefall of San Roque brought troops up from the coast.

  In the meanwhile he plodded onwards wearily, aching all over and wetwith the dew, while the sound of sliding water grew steadily louder.Now and then the long straggling column stopped for a minute or two,and there was a hoarse clamor which he fancied indicated that a scouthad come in, but the men promptly went on again, and his guards, whocarried flintlock guns, saw that he did not linger. The path grewsteadily steeper, and he stumbled in loose sand while the half-seentrees went by until at last a sharp crackling mingled with the patterof naked feet as the head of the column smashed through the thickundergrowth and tall reeds in the river hollow. Then his guards madeit evident that he was to stay where he was, and he sat down among hisboys in the loose sand where he could look down on the men in front ofhim. There was now a faint light, though the mist lay in thick whitebelts in the hollow, and the air was very still. He could dimly seedusky figures moving amidst the grass and reeds, and here and there afaint gleam of water in front of them, while now and then a confusedclamor rose out of the haze. The rebels, he fancied, were disputingabout their orders, or urging some course upon their leaders, and hewondered vaguely whether they were likely to do more than involvethemselves in disaster, and where Dom Clemente was.

  This was, however, as he recognized, no concern of his. He was aprisoner, and he could see only difficulties in front of him. Had hebeen free at that moment and the boys he had liberated safely sentaway, the outlook would not have been much brighter, for he wouldstill have to face a duty he shrank from. That Ada Ratcliffe had nogreat love for him he now felt reasonably sure, but it was clear thatshe and her mother expected him to marry her, and, since she had keptfaith with him, he could not break the pledge he had given her. Afterall, he reflected grimly, she would probably not expect too much fromhim, and be content with the material advantages he could offer her.Then he thought of Benicia Figuera, and set his lips tight as he oncemore strove to fix his attention on the men below.

  At last there was a soft splashing and he could dimly see them wadeinto the river. Their disputes were over, and they were going acrossin haste. Then the foremost of them plunged into a belt of mist, andfor several minutes he watched their comrades press onwards from thetall grass and reeds. The water was gleaming faintly now, and theylooked like a long black snake crawling through the midst of it untilthe filmy haze shut them in. At times a shouting came up through thesplashing and crackle of undergrowth. In the meanwhile the tail of thestraggling column still winding down the side of the gorge wassteadily growing plainer, and the haze commenced to slide and curlupwards in long filmy wisps, until at last Ormsgill scrambled to hisfeet with every nerve in him thrilling. The ringing of a bugle rosefrom beyond the river and was answered by another blast apparentlyfrom the rise behind him.

  Then the splashing ceased suddenly, and there was for a few moments atense and almost intolerable silence, during which he stood still withone hand clenched until a clamor rose from the midst of the river, andhe heard the dull thud of a flintlock gun. It was answered by a clearringing crash of riflery, and then while the flintlocks and Snidersjoined in, thin pale flashes blazed amidst the reeds and in thesliding mist. This lasted for, perhaps, a minute or two, until itbecame evident that the rebels were splashing back again. Ormsgillcould see them streaming out of the mist, and as he watched themanother patter of riflery broke out upon the higher ground behind him.A bugle rang shrilly, and he fancied he heard a white man's voicecalling in the bush. Then looking round as one of the boys touchedhim, he saw that his guards were no longer there. They had evidentlyfled and left him to shift for himself. He stood a minute considering,with the boys clamoring about him, and then made up his mind. Therebels were streaming back up the gorge, and it seemed to him justpossible that if he separated himself from them he might slip awayunobserved in the press of the pursuit. Once across the river he mightstill reach the coast.

  Calling to the boys he set out at a stumbling run, and for awhileskirted the ridge of bluff. The rebels were too intent on their ownaffairs to trouble about him, even if any of them noticed him, whichappeared very doubtful. He struck the river half a mile below the spotwhere the negroes had attempted the crossing, and plunged in with theboys still about him. He could see them clearly now, and the bushshowed sharp and black against the sky. There was a desultory patterof riflery behind him, but except for that he could hear very little,and he pushed on with the water rising rapidly to his waist. It was asmuch as he could do to keep his feet, for the stream ran strong. Thenone of the boys clutched him and held him up, and for the next fewminutes they struggled desperately in a swifter swirl of current untilthe water sank again suddenly, and he stood, gasping, knee-deep in theyellow stream, looking about him.

  It was broad daylight now, and he could see a steep bank clothed withthick bush and brushwood close by. There was a little hollow in it upwhich the mist that still drifted about the river was flowing, andcalling to his boys he headed for it. Nothing seemed to indicate thatthere were any troops in the vicinity. They floundered drippingthrough a belt of tall grass, and were clambering up the slope whenone of the boys laid a wet hand upon his arm and the rest stood stillsuddenly. Ormsgill felt his heart beating a good deal faster thanusual, though he could see nothing but trees in front of him. He wason the point of pushing on again when a voice came out of the slidinghaze.

  "Stand still," it said sharply in Portuguese. "We will shoot the firstwho stirs."

  Ormsgill made a sign to the boys, and in another moment several blacksoldiers appeared among the trees. A white sergeant in very soileduniform moved out from among them and stood surveying him with alittle sardonic grin.

  "There are half a dozen rifles here," he said. "You surrenderyourselves?"

  Ormsgill made a little gesture. "Senor," he said, "it is evident thatwe are in your hands."

  The man beckoned him to come forward with the boys, and a few moreblack soldiers who rose out of the undergrowth closed in on them.Ormsgill turned quietly to the sergeant.

  "You have been too much for the bushmen," he said. "Who is commandingyou?"

  "Dom Clemente," said the sergeant. "He has trapped those pigs of theforest. That is a wonderful man. You will wait here until I can sendyou to him. Whether he will have you shot I do not know."

  In spite of this observation he appeared a good-humored person, andpresently offered Ormsgill a ci
garette. The latter, who sat down nearthe sergeant and smoked it, waited until a patrol came along, when theblack soldier in command marched him and the boys through theundergrowth, and at length led him into the presence of Dom Clemente.He sat in state at a little table, immaculate in trim white uniform,with two black men with rifles standing behind him. Another whiteofficer and a dusky interpreter who stood close by had apparently beeninterrogating a couple of rebel prisoners. They squatted upon theground gazing at the white men with apprehension in their eyes. DomClemente made Ormsgill a little formal salutation, and then leanedback in his chair.

  "This meeting reminds me of another occasion when you were broughtbefore me, Senor and you were then frank with me," he said. "I mightsuggest that candor would be equally advisable just now. I hear thatSan Roque has fallen, and it appears that you were there. I must askyou to tell me in what capacity."

  "As a prisoner in the hands of the rebels," said Ormsgill.

  Dom Clemente nodded. "It is on the whole fortunate that I think onecould take your word for it," he said. "You are desired to tell uswhat happened at San Roque."

  Ormsgill did so quietly, though he said as little as possible abouthis own share in the proceedings, and afterwards answered thequestions the other officer asked him until Dom Clemente turned to himagain.

  "It seems that Dom Erminio has, at least, acquitted himself creditablyin this affair," he observed. "All things considered, I do not knowthat one has much occasion to be sorry for him. Dom Luiz, too, wentdown beside his gun. Well, that is, after all, what one would haveexpected from him."

  Then he made a little gesture. "You will understand that there arematters which demand my attention, and I may have something more tosay later. In the meanwhile you will give me your parole. The boyswill be looked after."

  Ormsgill pledged himself to make no attempt at escape, and was ledaway to a little tent where food was brought him and he was told hewas to stay. He realized that Dom Clemente had struck the rebels acrushing blow, one from which there was little probability of theirrecovering, but what was being done about the pursuit he did not know,though he fancied that a body of troops had crossed the river. Still,that did not greatly concern him, and worn-out and dejected as he washe was glad to fall asleep. It was evening when he awakened as a blacksoldier looked into the tent, and a few minutes later Dom Clementecame in and sat down in the camp chair the soldier had brought.Ormsgill sat on the ground sheet, heavy-eyed, tattered, and haggard,and waited for him to speak.

  "I shall go on to-morrow when more troops come up, and you will comewith us. There are matters that require attention yonder," he said."In the meanwhile I have had the boys you brought down interrogated,and the story they tell me is in some respects a fantastic one. It is,I fancy, fortunate for your sake that I am acquainted with severalfacts which seem to bear it out."

  Ormsgill was a trifle astonished, but Dom Clemente smiled. "It is," hesaid, "advisable that one in authority should hear of everything, butit is not always wise that he should make that fact apparent. Onewaits until the time comes--and then, as was the case this morning,one acts."

  He spread out one slender, faintly olive-tinted hand and then broughtit down upon the table closed with an unexpected sharpness that wasvery expressive.

  "Senor," he said, "though I have heard a little from the boys, youhave not told me yet exactly how you came to fall into those bushmen'shands."

  Ormsgill, who did not think that reticence was likely to be of muchservice, briefly related what had befallen him, and his companionnodded.

  "I have the honor of your acquaintance, and it is perhaps, permissibleto point out that you have a troublesome fondness for meddling withother people's business," he said. "Further, you are a trifleimpulsive and precipitate."

  "There was nobody else who seemed anxious to undertake the affair inquestion," said Ormsgill dryly.

  Dom Clemente made a little gesture. "It is generally wiser to waituntil one is certain. Well, I think I may venture to take you into myconfidence to some extent. The doings of the trader Herrero--who haslodged complaints against you--and his friend Domingo have long beenknown to me. They were merely being permitted to involve themselves indifficulties while we waited until the time was ripe. It is now veryprobable that I shall suppress both of them."

  "One can sometimes wait longer than is advisable," said Ormsgill witha little dry laugh. "Herrero and his friend are dead."

  Then for the first time he narrated all that had been done in theinland village, and Dom Clemente, who listened carefully, smiled.

  "It only proves my point," he said. "One waits and the affairregulates itself. Well, they are dead, and I do not think there isanybody who will greatly regret them. It will clear the ground forwhat we mean to do up yonder. There is, you understand, to be a changein our native policy, and I"--he straightened himself a trifle--"havebeen entrusted with its inauguration. From now we shall, at least,endeavor to modify some of the difficulties which are, perhaps, notinseparably connected with this question of the labor supply."

  "The whole system should be done away with."

  Dom Clemente spread his hands out. "In this country one is contentwith accomplishing a little now and then. But there is another matter.Certain complaints have been made against your friend the American,and we have decided that there is nothing against him. I bring himpermission to go back to his station."

  "Nares," said Ormsgill quietly, "will not profit by it. He has beenpromoted. He was killed endeavoring to make peace at San Roque."

  "Ah," said Dom Clemente, "that is a matter of regret to me. Perhaps,he was a little imprudent. Some of these missionaries are sadlydeficient in diplomacy, and that may have been the case with him. I donot know. Still, when all is said, he was a brave man, and Ithink"--he made a little grave gesture--"what he has done for theseblack men will be remembered where he is now."

  It was not a great deal, but Ormsgill who noticed the quick change inthe little soldier's voice was satisfied with it. After all, one cannot say much more of any man than that he has done what he could forhis fellow men. Then Dom Clemente turned to him again.

  "I have not asked you yet what you did during the attack on SanRoque," he said.

  "If you fancy I have done anything for which I could be heldaccountable it is for you to establish it. It seems to me that wouldbe a little difficult since I believe every man in the fort is dead."

  "Still--if the thing appeared advisable--it might be possible."

  Ormsgill made no attempt to dispute this, but changed the subject."There is a thing I don't quite understand," he said. "I almost fancythe man who led the rebels must have known you held the bank when hepushed his men across."

  "Yes," said Dom Clemente, "I believe he did. Still, there are men whocan recognize when they must fight or fail ignominiously. One has acertain respect for them. I do not think it was that negro's faultthat he was driven back. Flintlocks and matchets are not much useagainst our rifles."

  Then he rose. "In the meanwhile you will be detained. My instructionswere to arrest you, and, as you know, I only hold subordinateauthority. Still, so far as my duty permits it, I think you canregard me as a friend."

  He went out of the tent, and an hour or two later Ormsgill contrivedto go to sleep again. He was roused by the bugles at daylight, andwent back with the rear guard into the forests he had lately left, andin due time marched with them into sight of the ruins of San Roque. Itwas early morning when they reached the fort, but before the sun washigh the three white men who had fallen there were laid to rest instate. The black troops who had with reversed rifles swung into hollowsquare stood listening vacantly round the bank of raw steaming soilwhere Father Tiebout recited words of ponderous import in the sonorousLatin tongue. Then there was a crashing volley, and as the patter ofmarching feet commenced again Ormsgill and the priest and Dom Clementestood looking on while a few black soldiers raised the three rudecrosses. On one of them a dusky armorer had under Ormsgill'ssupervision cut the words, "_In
hoc signo._"

  Father Tiebout glanced at them and nodded gravely. "It is fitting," hesaid. "He did what he could--and we others do not know how much itwas. After all, it is only a grain of understanding that is nowvouchsafed us, but"--and he once more broke into the sonorous Latin,"I look for the resurrection of the dead."

  Dom Clemente smiled. "There are men of your profession, Father, whowould not have ventured to do what you have done," he said. "Still, Ithink when that day comes some of us may, perhaps, have cause to envythis heretic."

  Then they turned away, and in another hour once more pushed on intothe forest.