Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 1900)
30 THE' SUNDAY -OHEGONIAN, PORTLAND, MARCH 25, 1900. Ih eiSLE ofm winds By shcopckptt . Pictures by G.A.SHSPLEY Snyopwls of Previous Chapters. Sir James Stansfield. of New Milns, with his grandaon. young: Philip, meets la an lnnhouee his eon, Philip, and his son's paramour, Janet Mark. They quarrel; Sir James goes home, taking- his grandson. That night he la mur dered by his dissolute son and Janet Mark. They lay the body outside on an Ice floe, in the effort to lay the crime to others. But the boy, Philip, has witnessed the crime. He tells his grandfather's chief tenant, Humphrey Spurway, who succeeds in having the real' murderers brought to Justice. Philip is sentenced to b hanged, and his woman accomplice to be trans ported. Mysteriously he escapes the gallows, seeks out his wife, finds her In the company of Spurway, and tries to murder her, but does not quite succeed. She is taken away to Abercalrn for cure, leaving her son In charge of Spurway, and. with little Anna Mark, who teaches him that In some ways girls are worth quite as much as boys. Still they are excel lent friends, even though she beats him at her studies in the school, to which they go together. John Stansfield, 'Philip's lawyer uncle, brings in a new teacher. Dominie Ring rose, a small man, with wonderful eyes. Short ly after his coming the countryside Is shocked and thrilled by a number of bloody and mys terious murders, evidently for the sake of rob bery. Business calls Humphrey Spurway from home. In his aboancc a big packing-case, pur porting to be full of One Spanish wool, is de livered to "Will Bowman, Humphrey's clerk, who puts it in the weaving shed. That night Philip, playing about It, sees shining through the gauze of the packing case a pair of eyes. He calls Will Bowman, who counts three, then stabs the case with a small sword. Blood flows; they open the case and And Dominie RIngrose inside, apparently dead. Shortly after the house Is attacked by robbers, whom Rlngroce had meant to let in. They are beaten off; but afterward Philip's mother refuses to let him spend the holidays at New Mllns. Returning from a day's visit to New Mllns, Philip falls In with Saul Mark, Anna's gypsy father, who. under pretense of showing him. Sir Harry Morgan's treasure, makes him a prisoner. Anna finds out his plight, and leads Humphrey Spurway on his track. By the help of his silent partner. Provost Gregory Partan, Saul Mark, supercargo of tho ship Corramantee, im prisons both Anna and Spurway, robbing Spur way of much money and a portrait of Philip's mother. Philip, the elder, who Is In league with Saul Mark, takes tne portrait and sends young Philip away. leaving Spurway -Imprisoned, Philip Stansfield, the elder, goes out In Spurways cloak to his wife's house, and by threats Induces her to go aboard the Corra mantee. Anna and Philip make friends with Eborra. He shows them the secrets of the Island, and where Sir Harry Morgan's treasure is guarded by Fer-de-lance, and his hosts. Eborra has scented a loat in which he plans to escape with Anna, Philip, Mrs. Stansfield and his mother; also "Will Bowman, who Is in the clutches of the pirates. The pirates sail away with two or three ships. The boat starts, encounters other pirates, but is towed safely away by a monster devil-fish. The boat reaches Puerto Rico In safety, and Its Inmates approach a convent, asking help. The convent takes in the women. The men go into a cbuln gang. (Copyright, 1E9S, under the name of "Little Anna Mark." by S. R. Crockett.) (Copyright. 1S99. by S. R. Crockett.) CHAPTER XXXVin-CContlnued.) . '"Very "well," he muttered (I need not follow his Jargon, -which Is as tiresome to write as to read), "very well. Pompey Smith will remember. You shall have one most comfortable pair of bracelets. Nice short chains, so that you rest easy Hero, here! You Salazar, Pedro, Do mingo!" He called his other three companions to him, and they seized "Will, while tho two guards pointed their guns point blank at me, lest I should attempt to escape Then Pompey Smith, with a sharp knife, cut Will's hose around below the knees, pulled off his buckled shoes, muttering, "These jus' 'bout Pompey's size. You better learn to go barefoot now, you Eng lish heretics. You go to hell plenty soon and then you glad, because you get out of Pompey's gang." Whereupon, summoning his assistants, he blew up the charcoals with the bellows, and in a short spare he had riveted a pair of stout rings about Will's naked ankles. To these heavy chains were at tached at back and front. A belt of iron was fastened in like manner about his waist, with smaller rings let in upon either side, to which again chains were fastened. Then it came my turn. CHAPTER XXXIX. The Lnily Jnanltn. The chain gang In which we presently found ourselves was made up chiefly of men from those northern provinces of Old Spain which lie nearest to France. From the man to whom I was chained I learned much. He was a Frenchman named Jean Carrel, born at Mlllan in the Cevennes. At the outbreak of the later religious wars he had sold his vineyard near Carcassonne and crossed the moun tains into Spain. Settling at Bilbao, he had become very successwul In trade with England. All too successful, Indeed, for his growing wealth attracted the notice of the Inquisition, and he was seized and cast into the dungeons of the Holy Office. He spoke very excellent English, and be ing a good and kindly man, though with no great profession of religion about him, at least from my Scots point of view, he told me many things which were very useful to me as how to He in chains most comfortably, how to pad the waist belt and ankle rings to keep them from chafing, how to fasten up the connecting links In a festoon to keep the weight from trailing, with other matters of great as sistance, to me at this time. Apart from this his discourse was mostly of wine growing and vintages and by no means so much of religion as I had anticipated, which relieved me much. I had hoped to have Will with me as my companion, but it was better for us both that at the first this was not so. For Will also chanced upon a mate who was able to Instruct him on these points. "Have you yet seen the commandante?" said Jean Carrel as we rested on our straw at noon that day. I told him "No," adding that I did not know there were any other authorities upon the Island be sides the abbot and the Grand Inquisitor. The Frenchman whistled low. "Alas," he said, "the abbot whom you fear, is our only friend here The Grand Inquisitor is an evil beast, and does what harm he can to poor men, 'but as for the commandante " Words seemed to fall him to describe the 'peculiarities of this man, and even while he paused we were again summoned to our feet by a sharp command in Spanish, of which I knew not the purport. How ever, by watching carefully what my com panion did and moving rapidly, I managed pretty well. Yet not so well but that as I passed a huge grinning black who stood at the door of the long wooden shed, where we had our midday meals, he lifted his whip and smote me across the shoul .ders. "How yon d English like that?" he cried; "you flog me in Jamaica very much heap whip how you like it your self?" And he followed along after us, cursing me and all English at the top of his voice. Jean Carrel whispered to m not to an swer back or show that the man. an noyed me, and then he would most likely In time tire of his amusement. "If you speak back to him he will send you to the floggine post, and If you sur vive, to the log gang In the stone, quar ries. That is worse than, death." "Great God most merciful!" cried I In voluntarily, "is there yet worse' torture than this?" "Yos, truly," he said; "this Is but a preparation for the auto-dafe, the burn ing alive by Are. We are all only wait ing our turn. But the most unhappy men are those who have to drag a great log after them wherever they are called upon to go and whatever duty they performl" "You are all tinder sentence of death by fire!" I gasped. He nodded, smiling at my ignorance. "Each day of high festival there la a burning in the great square," he explain ed, and if there be not enough of hapless Indians from the interior or maroon ne groes recaptured by the commandante's forces some are chosen from among ua to afford sport to the faithful of Porto Rico!" He shrugged his shoulders. "After all, it is best so," he said. " 'Tis a fiery gate to a fair heaven. But at least those that enter in are not long in passing through. They generally pour oil upon us!" Then was my heart sick and sore In deednot, I think, so much on account ol myself as because I thought of my mother and Anna. I asked the French Huguenot if they treated women no better. He shook his head. "The Grand Inquisitor would burn them all and rub his hands to see the youngest and fairest of them writhe If so be they would not receive the faith. Yet even that is better than that they should find favor in the eyes of the commandante and his officers!" Then he told mo that the chief of the Spanish troops on the island, Don Nicho las Silveda, was under the sole govern ment of his wife, a foreigner ("I think of your nation," said my Frenchman), whom he had carried off from one of the Eng lish plantations, or, as some said, cap tured on an English ship. This woman, the Senora Juanita, was so jealous of every other woman who came near the commandante that she would inevitably compass their destruction. "If the ladies" (he gave his national bow, courteous even in his fetters) "in whom you are Interested are beautiful well, there Is the worst to fear. All the world knew what the Se nora Juanita Silveda was. There was a story that she was of very low origin, and even" But I need not repeat what Jean Carrel toldme, which, after all, was probably no more than the gossip of the chain-gang or some ribaldry overheard from the black overseers. All this time we had no news of Eborra. I feared that they had put him to death or done him some Injury for his defense of us. Judge of my surprise, then, when, upon marching out to work In the patio, I found him busily employed superintend ing the digging operations, clad In a white suit like theyother negro overseers, and like them wielding a whip. Immediately upon seeing me, he came along and began to revile me, calling me pirate and assassin. Then he changed his speech and shouted oppro brious words in Spanish, so that I was dumfounded, and, indeed, knew not what to say or do. Then all at once he laid hia whip with apparent force across my back. Again and again ho struck me, hia eyes fairly starting out of his head with fury. Yet for all the energy of his anger, strangely enough, tho blows did me no hurt. At sight of his fury all the blacks gath ered together and encouraged him with shouts and laughter. At which he waxed very furious, and, coming closer to me, he struck me on the face with his hand, yet also without doing me any Injury. Then ho thrust his hook almost Into my eyes, all the while crying out in Span ish, stamping his feet and spitting upon the ground, which last these black men do to express the height of their anger. And it cut me to the heart to see -him and to harken. For I remembered all hia former kindnesses to Anna and all of ua. But I said to myself that there is a great difference between a man who is & slave and who expects favors and one In a po sition of power and authority over his former masters. Yet, withal, I was full of heartsickness and distress; for. Indeed, I had thought infinitely better of Eborra after his goodness to us on the Isle of the Winds. "But," said I to myself, after he had flourished about and threatened to tear the eyes out of my head with his hook, "none knoweth the heart of another till he be tried by prosperity, which is a test more difficult and trying than any depth of misery." Presently Eborra left me and betook him to Will Bowman, to whom, he be haved in like manner, but, if possible, yet more cruelly, declaring all the while that Will had been his "overseer" among the English, and that now he would show him how it tasted to be a slave. But, after all, Eborra, mayhap remem-. berlng some of our former kindnesses, gave each of us a hat made of a broad leaf, and cast about our shoulders a short striped cloak made like a blanket, with a hole cut near one end of it the which is called in this country a poncho, and Is very suitable either for heat or cold. We were in the greater need of some such covering, for without It wo should have gone entirely naked, ex posed alike to the rigors of the sun and the biting of the buzzing gnats which abounded there, called musklttoes. For one of the negroes who conducted us to the gang had taken a fancy to our up per clothes, which, though frayed with our adventures, were of Umphray Spur way's own good cloth. He made us shift them, giving us no more than a lash of his whip over our naked shoulders in ex change. "Dere, massas, both," he said, for, like many of his kindred, the brute spoke a little broken English, a sort of lingua franca they all use In these parts. "Dere, you dam skin lily white now soon grow black like poor Quascee!" Moreover, at this, Eborra, for all his seeming cruelty and furious anger against us, did us one great kindness. He laid a spell upon us which made us sacred to his own peculiar Obeah. We became his "meat," as they expressed it not to be abused or molested by any of the other overseers, on pain of the curse of Ebor- ra'a devil, of which they were prodigiously afraid. Every day we were marched out of our cells in the monastery squara through the booths of the free workmen to a road which was being made In the direction of the civil settlement. It had been recently commenced by the mili tary Governor whose lady-desired great ly to ride In her carriage (so Jean Car rel told me), even if it were only the mile or two between the town of Porto Rico end the rollgious settlement of St. John of Brozas. So a carriage like (hat of a full-blooded grandee had been brought all the way from old Spain, the wheels being taken from the body and both lashed on the deck of tho ship. The prisoners had helped to unload these on the molo at Porto Rico. Mules of a noble white color had come from, the town of Vera Cruz, and now the chain-gang was busied mak ing tho road upon which this equipage was to be exercised. Every day, said Camel, Donna Juan ita Silveda rode out to observe what progress had been made, and If the work did not proceed fast enough to please her, she would strike the over seers with her riding-whip over the face and hands a thing which at first the prisoners had been glad of, but changed their minds when they found, as soon as she was gone, that for every blow the negroes had taken from her, they be stowed a dozen on those under their au thority. So the -visits of the Lady Juan ita -were no longer welcome, though in her way she was a not unkindly woman, and given to freaks of favor as strange and furious as her dislikes. It chanced that one day we were awakened early and our lighter irons put upon us. This made us afraid that we were to go out to labor In the swamp, which. In such a country of Insects, Is no easy task, even for Indians and ne groes. It was almost death to white men, and there was scarcely a day that some one did not fall out of the ranks. In spite of all the scourglngs of the blacks. These, when they could no longer keep In place, were abandoned by the side ol the road, together with their chained com panion, who must, perforce, remain with him till the smith should come and re lease him. So It happened not unf requent ly that the quick and the dead were chained together for a long time some even died of exhaustion and hunger be side their dead companions. This morning, however, Eborra led his gang by the back of the nunnery. In ordet to bring up from the beach where we had first landed stones and gravel for the more firm bottoming of the Senora Command ante's road. Will and I were now chained together, a favor which, like much else, we owed to Eborra, who now began (but secretly) to show us some part of his fprmer favor. And this made me think that his severity had only been a blind. I was glad In deed to have Will beside me once more. For we could talk together in the hot night watches, and hearten each other up with hopes of rescue and escape. Not but what I was sorry enough to lose Jean Carrol, the Frenchman from the Cevennes. who was now chained to Will's some-time companion. But in trouble such as we were experiencing there Is none like one from the same countryside. Eborra marched us all around the wom en's monastery, and you may be well as sured that we kept our eyes about us to see If we could spy out any of our late companions, my mother, little Anna Mark or even the black witch wife, Ebor ra's dam. . As we went through a narrow lane, where we were marcmng some distance apart, in order that the couples might Jump the -pools together, each making a little race before leaping, Eborra came up to us as if to give an order. "At the corner of the enclosure de mand of me leave to halt a little. Do not answer now, but wait." And this thing we did upon a pretext We were immediately allowed to leave the ranks, and at the angle of the wall, where there was a broken place, rudely block aded, as Is the Spanish custom, with boards and paling slabs (for these people can nevermend anything till It falls wholly to pieces), we saw a face that sent my heart forward with a great throb.. "Anna!" I cried, and would have leaped toward her, but that Will, being more calm, restrained me with his hand. It .was indeed Anna Mark, her hair cut short and dressed in a dark blue blouse and skirt of rough skin rough-felted, like Irish frieze. Anna put her finger to her lip and glanced once or twice over her shoulder, like one afraid of Interruption. Then she looked at our chains in "sorrowful surprise. For though she knew of It, yet to see tho glistering links about our waists and hear the woeful clanking noise at our ankles made her sick at heart for us. "How is It with you, Anna? with Mis tress Stansfield with my mother?" These were the questions which poured from us. "We aro well, Philip," answered Anna, "but, Oh. to spe you thus! What have they done to you and why?" "What. Anna, have they not fretted you on account of your religion?" I almost grasped In my eagerness "the Inquisition? What of my mother?" "Your mother is very well," said Anna, calmly, "she is, I think, practicing the chants for vespers with Sister Agatha." "How so," I cried, too much aston ished to think of safety. "Have they put you to the question as to your religion?" Anna nodded, and I think she would have smiled also, but at that moment our chains happening to give a dolorous clank, her face became suddenly pitiful again. "Yes." she said, "Sister Agatha and the prioress were instant with us. but gently and with kindness." "And what answered my mother?" "Oh, she said that as a child she used often to go to Squire Lucy's chapel, which was, Catholic Master Will being with her. Then to the vicar of the parish with her father, which was not so different That she could see. But when she came to New Milas she was obligated to go to the Scots kirk with Sir James. But for all that she liked Squire Lucy's best So they were glad and kissed her, and dressed her In a black robe with a white band about her forehead. They declare that they will make her a nun in a trice. Al ready she eats and sleeps by rule, and works at a-broldercd altar cloth" "And Is she not dressed for us?" "Of these she knows nothing." said Anna, pointing at our chains., "nor will 1 tell her. She thinks you have nil ac cepted religion and are as happy as she. She grieves for the separation. That Is all." "And you, Anna?" "Why, as for me," answered the girl. "I told them that I knew no better re ligion than to try to do good to othera J and pay to erery man wbatyou pwed him. So they set me to learn a catechism and ! to hrlng in the firewood." Then as I stood and looked at her the tears brimmed In my eyes, for the great ness of the relief.- It seemed not to mat ter any more about us who were men, now thatvl knew It was like to be well with Anna and my mother. Will had stopd gazing at us without jonlng in the con verse. For Indeed of that I gave him little chance, being so eager to know all that had befallen, that no sooner had Anna answered one question than I had another ready for her. So both of us being busied with Anna, we did not hear Eborra call to us, but stood there so intent upon the girl, look ing and listening, that we never stirred an inch till a shadow fell across the wall to our right. We looked up quickly and to! round the corner of the nunnery wall there had come a lady In magnificent attire. She sat with an air of languid ease upon the finest white Maltese mule I have ever seen. "What do you here?" she cried In Span ish with a curious twang io it, "to your places In the gang! And that youth with in the nunnery wall. I will have him beaten soundly for Idling his time. Sirrah (here she called Eborra to her), Is this the way you discharge your trust when you ought all to be working at my road? Am I to trudge all day In tho sun when I have a coach to ride in? I declare It will be all eaten Into crumblings by white ants If you do not make haste. Draw your whip across these lazy fellows backs, or I will have a good three dozen applied to your own!" Then with Infinite show of respect Ebor ra approached, and murmured something I could not hear. As the lady turned In the great richly caparisoned saddle, housed In the new Spanish fashion, I got a fair view of her for the first time. And my heart stood still within me. I had seen the woman before. For a moment my memory refused to give up the secret of when and where. But even as I stood with my mouth open devouring WHEREUFOX THE GAIAAXT SOLDIER. OP THE MOST CATHOLIC KIXG BEAT HIM OX OXE KXEB IX THE DUST. her with my eye3, it chanced that she turned her head towards me and threw up her well-rounded chin. Then the whole stood- clear before me. I saw tho low sanded'-'kltchen of the inn at New Milns, and my father standing there, tall, haugh ty and defiant, with, this woman a little behind him, bold, yet afraid, handsome of features, yet plainly of the vulgar, and brazening out her shame before us all with a kind of appealing defiance. The wife of the Commandante of the isle was Janet Mark, Little Anna's mother. CHAPTER XL. The Taming: of the Tiger. Standing thus stricken, I flashed a look at those who stood about me, Anna and Will. I scanned their faces, and It was with the utmost relief that I perceived I was the only one of the company who knew the woman's secret. What, Indeed, more Impossible than thai the child I had seen waving her little hand, as her mother went down the road among the glittering bayonets in the gray of the morning, should recognize as the same this richly attired lady upon a Spanish isle in the Carib Sea. And as for Will, ho was no wiser. For, though he was old enough at the time, he had not een much of Janet Mark. And, besides, as I have had occa sion to point out more than once. Will Bowman never had my trick of picture memory,, which all my life I was wont to cultivate by means of paling stobs and other trifles. Meanwhile Eborra continued -$m speak rapidly to the Donna Juanita. I saw the color flash up Into her rface, a warm, rosy hue upon the whiteness of her skin. For that was her great beauty In a land ot dusky women. When I had last seen her la her own country, and much younger, she had been well-nigh peony red, a rustic Blowsllnd. But here, subdued by years and climate, the red and the white showed together on her face like York and Lan caster grafted on a s.ngle rose stem. Her tendency to plumpness had Increased greatly with ease, and tho custom of the country, but that, among the Spaniards, and especially the military caste of them, Is thought the greater beauty. Still, in any country, Janet or Juanita (as she called herself) would nave been a well looking woman, and but for the demon that upon occasion looked out of her eyes, a good-natured one to boot. "What, ye are English folk that have been among the pirates," she eald in good English, bringing her iiiule about that she might have a better look at us. "My friend Is English," I said, hastily, lest Will should claim Moreham; "from a town called Sklpton ne comes, and 1 am a poor Scottish lad, trepanned from his own country and folk. Have pity on us. great lady! We suffer for our re ligion." "I ken nothing about that," she an swered with a sudden chill; "but from what palrt of Scotland do you come?" (I noticed as she spoke, that though she managed the English not ill, she said 'ye' and 'ken' and 'palrt,' just as they did In New Mllns. And It was a mighty curi ous thing to hear the familiar accents of my native parish on the lips of this wom an, the wife of a Spanish commandante, In this far isle of the s:a.) "I come from a seafaring town called Abercalrn," I said, giving Will a look that he was not to come any nearer to the truth. But Will, though wholly without diplomacy, had an admirable gift of si lence, and simply looked at the white mule as if mentally summing up his points? "Ah, from Abercorn!" she answered, with a quick look at me. "Did ever ye hear of a man by the name of Philip Stansfield?" "Yes," I said, startled at the sound of my own name, but Instantly taking her meaning; "that have I. Hear of Philip Stansfield who that has lived in Scotland has riot heard of him? Did he not slay the father that begat him? Wag he not a murderer, a robber, an outlaw?" "That Is as may be,' she said; "there were others deeper In and blacker of hue than poor Philip. But what of him? When was he executed?" "He never was executed," I said. "He escaped on the yery day, though many in Scotland say that he died on the wlddy by the hangman's cord." "How ken ye that he escaped?" aha said, a little breathlessly. I did not reveal what excellent reasons I had to "ben" that thing. I merely told her the fact of the long and fruitless pur suit, of the attacks on many mansion houses, and how it had been more recently ascertained beyond a doubt that Philip Stansfield had departed forth of the realm of Scotland. As I spoke the ruddy color gradually left the face of the woman. The reins dropped from her fingers upon the neck of the white mule, and she clasped her hands as If praying In church. "Save me same me," she muttered. "If Philip find me here, I am a dead woman." Then after a little she commanded her self and asked another question. "There was one Saul Mark in these parts, a seafaring man. He used often to land at your town, though that was not his country. I have heard him speak of it. Ken ye him?" "What?" I cried loud enough for Anna to catch every word she had withdrawn a little from the paling, but still stood listening, a little removed from the wom an's sight. "What, not a swarthy, gypsy like, man with silver rings In his ears?" "The same God's truth; the same," she cried, yet not gladly. -What of him? Tefl me quickly. He Is dead tell me, he Is surely dead!" "He has oft been reported so," I an swered; "but ever turns up again, like a bad penny, which even a beggar will not take as alms." "Where saw or heard you of him last?"t It was a difficult question, but I turned the corner of it, as I thought, adroitly enough. "It comes to me that ere I left Aber corn I was told that he had turned pri vateersman!" "Alas, alas," she muttered; "this Is worse and worse. Every pirate and priva- teer in the world makes for the Spanish main." "And this youth" she turned about to where Anna had been standing, but seeing nothing of her Bhe continued "what does he in the nunnery? He looked somewhat overcomely to be foot page among so many granln womenfolk!" She laughed at her own conceit and I at the Moreham expression she had at the close. So from this point we were the better agreed. And I escaped for that time from answering any more questions. I fear that I should have been forced to He ere long. And that never was my desire though, God forgive me, I have been driven to It time and again. But that I count not lying, and neither I be lieve does the Almighty, who knows that sometimes a bit of which Is a work of necessity and mercy to poor, hell-deserving humanity. So the Lady Juanita Silveda rode away upon her white mule, her dainty feet en cased In a pair of silver stirrups large as salt boxes, while rings like barrel hoops jingled at the bridle bit. And faith she took the eye as a great lady and a comely! But I, alone of all on that Island, knew her for the convict murderess Janet Mark, transported beyond seas for her crimes and now, in some strange fashion, escaped from her punish ment and established in all honor on this Spanish plantation. Well, even for Anna's sake, I would be no talebearer. Yet I was glad, for the knowledge might prove use ful. Then came Eborra to us hastily and took us away to the road without giving me time to speak a word of warning to Anna. But I trusted that my loud manner of speech and meaning gestures would have put her on her guard. Yet I could not think on the simplicity of my mother with out a swarf of fear coming over me. Nevertheless, I reflected that. In the habit of a nun and with the changes made by the Inevitable years. It was not likely that Janet Mark would know my mother now. Still, If any Inquired, my mother would be sure to say point blank, "I am the wife of Philip Stansfield, of North Mllns. In Scotland." For thus did my mother always, having no way about her but the stralghtfordward one a way I have found Ill-fitted enough to this present world, and which I look forward to as likely to prove anything but convenient In the next. Eborra hastened us on our way to the gang, knowing that. If the Lady Juanita were at St. Juan de Brozas, It was not likely that Don Nicholas Silveda would bo far In the rear. And so. Indeed, it proved. For no sooner had we turned the corner of the nunnery orchard than at tho further end of the Rang we beheld a man upon a great plung'ng horse, riding this way and that among the gang, swear ing, striking Indiscriminately at the pris oners and the negro overseers. From the distance only the gust of his loud-mouthing oaths came to us, but pre sently we could hear the tapping of his stick on bare backs and Iron belts. "Our turn next!" ?Kla Eborra, "take care not to answer a word!" At that moment the man on horseback caught sight of ua approaching. Instantly he set spurs to his beast, and came shouting down the wholo length of the gang to where we were beginning to work. He called out something to Eborra, and made as If he would have smitten us. Now. Spanish e an easy language to catch the drift of to any one with some smatter of Latin. Added to which, that every Spaniard, instead of clipping his words like the English, or broadening them out of recognition like tho Scots, thinks It worth while to speak as beautifully as he can which li called among them "having ths true CastUHan." So, though I could yet speak but little, I understood a good deal and guessed more. "Dogs and heretics!" he cried. "Let me come at the dogs! I ant a true Catholic I am a Christian! May God strike me dead If I am not. May I be (here followed a silly blatter of oaths) If I let one of the cursed crew escape!" And what with the trampling of his horse's hoofs and the scattering of the gravel and sand used for the embank ment, I stood dazed ard amazed right In his path. Anon, he seemed about to ride U3 down. But. swerving aside when quite near us, ho brought his stick round with a sweep and took me directly under the ear with a ding that fairly drove me stupid. I swayed and would have fallen but that Will caught me on his arm and ahlelded my head from the blows of this most Christian Commander Don Nicholas Silveda, taking them on his own shoulder without complaint. After exhausting himself on us, he turned upon Eborra to strike him also. The black balanced himself a little upon his hams like a fencer at the engage. He thrust out his hook in front of him and looked steadily at the assailant, who tow ered above him. I heard a sharp cry, and at first, being still muzzy with my clouted sconce, I thought It was the cry of Eborra. But looking again I saw that It came from a wizened little creature like a monkey, of a brown countenance, who pricked hither and thither on a lively ass much as a gadfly does about a group of cattle. "Beware beware, great Captain," ho cried; "let Iron-hand alone. He Is very great Obeah. He will bewitch you if you so much as touch him!" Instantly Don Nicholas checked his stroke, and, with his thumb thrust be tween h!s middle and fourth fingers, he made the sign for averting the evil eye. "Avaunt," he cried; "I will not touch. Get away: I will have witchcraft In my commanderie. The Grand Inquisitor shall know of this, Carrajo I will beat the white heretics Instead!" And he would have fallen again upon us, as it were for mere pleasurable ex ercise, but at the very moment when he raised his stick, Donna Juanita rode up upon her mule. She did not waste a word upon him. but took hold of the weapon by the end which he had over his shoulder In the act of bringing It down upon our heads. She wrested the cudgel from him with a quick Jerk, and, to the great amusement of all the chain-gang, laid It soundly across the shoulders of the commandante. "These are my people do not touch them, pig of Spain," he cried, "have I not warned you before? Go! You are .In dis grace. You are as a sow brought up In the Batuecas. You have no more man ners than a bull of Estramadura!" And this I learned was her ordinary manner with her husband. She was so eager to acquire the words which bite and scarify that she would go among the very trulls and morts of the soldiers' quarter that she might hear them talk. Then upon occasion she could lash Don Nicholas with words that stung worse than his own stick, so that he was cored by the mer sight of her, and even in public would beg pitifully to be taken Into favor again. Yet withal there was- a kind of curlously rcatless fondness between these twain. For Donna Juanita would oe furiously jealous of any woman to whom the poor man so much as passed a word of civility. And In such a case there were no bounds to her cruelty, nor any lengths that she would not go In order to satisfy her desire for vengeance. Don Nicholas also was re ported jealous, t and certainly whenever his wife took it into her head to visit the monastery or go among the soldiery, bo would cause Peter Acla. the wizened little half-breed betwixt negro and Carib to watch and bring him word concerning Donna Juanlta's actions. On this occasion, however, Don Nicholas took the castlgation meekly enough, and Instead of raging everywhere like a bull, the red died out of his face, and he fol lowed his wife submissively as she went hither and thither Inspecting the new road, approving of this and condemning that with a judgment which was beyond ap peal. Presently she came to where Will and 1 were laboring side by Glde. She appeared to notice us with surprise. "Let these men be freed instantly," she said, pointing to us. "Bid the armorer re move their Irons!" Don Nicholas said something to her in a low tone, which I could not catch; but its purport was clear enough In the reply of the Lady Juanita. "I care not a sniff of tobacco for the grand inquisitor," she cried loudly. "I ask you to have the irons taken off these poor young men, who are my countryfolk." The commandante made a little grim mace with his hands, as if washing them of possible consequences. It was clear, however, that he was more In fear of his wife's anger than of all the powers, spirit ual and ecclesiastical, of the holy office. So the same great back brute who had riveted the Irons upon us was called to remove them, which he did very unwilling ly the Lady Juanita standing over him ail the time and stimulating his energies with the commandante's cudgel, as often as he paused for breath. On the whole, I began to have a better opinion of evtn the ill-set and evil of my country, find ing them of the first power and importance on Saint John of Puerto Rico, as well as on tHe Isle of the Winds. In a little we were free and followed the white mule and the black horse of the Sllvedas through the chain gang, who looked upon us (poor fellows!) with an envious eye. I saw Jean Carrel and said a word on his behalf to my lady. But she only glanced at the poor man and said: "He Is a French beast. I do not like Frenchmen. They eat frogs." So wo passed on. and the commandante followed Donna Juanita meekly on his charger, glancing at her now and then furtively, as If to make out In what favor he was. It was amusing and yet piteous to watch him. His demeanor was In so great contrast to that of the raging, tearing tiger whom wt nad seen charging cudgel in air through the shrinking ranks of the chalngang. Soon we struck the made road which had been brought thus far to connect with the portion of the highway we had been help ing to construct from the monastery of St. Juan de Brozas. to the commanderie of the Captaln-Generar of the Island. Here we saw a huse carriage, gayly painted In red and gold, with coats-of-arms quartered all over the panels. A pair of outriders In gallant liveries bestrode the foremost of the six horses. At sight of It, Donna Juanita Silveda clapped her hands, and made the mule break from Its quiet amble Into a kind of cantering pace, while It scattered its hoofs generously abroad, to the danger of everything near. It chanced that, being fleetest of foot of the company (In tho absence of Anna), I was at the carriage almost as soon aa the lady, and though, as may be under stood, my pride revolted at holding the mule of Janet Mark; yet, having no lack of the prudence of my nation, I made no difficulty, but held the mule as well as I could while the Lady Juanita dismounted. For which she thanked me with a bow that was never learned among the clay biggins of Moreham. She walked all around the carriage, ad miring the panels. She patted the horses. She laced and tied the shoe of the out rider. Anon, wishing to see her equip page move, so that she might be able to Imagine herself within Its noble cavity, she ordered the men go along the road at speed, and to turn at the corner. There was, however, some difficulty In starting, owing to the hind wheels having sunk axle deep In the light sand. Instantly Donna Juanita ordered every one to take hold and help to move them, she herself catch ing at a spoke, -and heaving manfully, heedless of the concealed smiles of her at tendants, or of the mud, which stained the fine fabric of her dress. "Lend a hand here, Nicholas," sho cried imperiously to her commandante. "My lady." he mane answer, blowing out his cheeks, "it -consorteth not with the dignity of a hidalgo and soldier of the I King of Spain that he should labor with servants.,' , . "Come thy ways," cried Juanita; "it consorteth worse with the dignity ' of a wife of an officer of the King of Spain I that her coach should stick In the mud for the want of her husband s bestirring hlm i self." And the poor, dignitary had perforce to descend from his war horse and aid wltn all his might. Whereupon, all suddenly, away went the coach, Juanita running a little after it and clapping her hands, laughing meantime with pleasure and ex citement. "Now, op with 700, Nicholas I Give mo your- foot. There!" and with a hear heave she had her husband again In th saddle, though there were 20 within' who could have rendered that service f him. An extraordinarily good-naturi woman so long as her toes were not tro den upon was my Lady Juanita Sllve some time wife of Saul Mark, privatei and common pirate. CHAPTER XLI. Perilous Favor. Yet It was curious to note how in her grandeur, and while speaking wl carelessness and unprcclsion the new la: guage she had learned, Janet Mark talned the manners-of the off-hand, ho. aenisn. nair-gypsy Scots wife. Si thought nothing of shouting the broad JestB down from her windows to the mtf ax-arum, ana as ior ner nusband. If aught he failed In his duty, all the wo knew of it by the morrow's morn. Yet spite of this, or because af It. Don Ntch ias loved h;r so greatly that he was nev happy out of her sight, and was reput 10 nave forgiven her much more than usually overlooked hy men of his natl and profession. Presently the coach-came rumbling art swaying back and Juanita Insisted u us .getting in. In order that we might t tno .luxury of the red velvet cushions a: admire the "Venetian mirrors set into t front and sides. In which she was nevi tired of regarding tho comeliness of h own buxom, countenance and wide smill: mouth with Its fine double row of tee white- as milk. Her husband made a3 he would accompany her, calling for servitor to hold his horse. But his wl shut the door upon the three of ua. wavir her hand out of the window and cryi: back' to the Senor Commandante: "Bl where you are, Nicholas once oft yo beast is enough in one day for a man your figure!" Juanita then plumped her down amo: the cushions of the back seat, rolling fri side to side in luxurious content, vani by leaning out of the window to m the outriders go faster. Wrlll and I h meekly taken the front places oppos to her, as became our position. But Jua ita would have none of that. "Here, come and sit by me, one of Am. I to be rattled about like a pea In bladder, because you are mum-mouthq You Englishman, you are ahe best-lo lng; come hither." And though that was in no ways t: yet I grudged not poor Will his hono For he had perforce to sit beside while Don Nicholas spurred his horse a cast the blackest glances upon the perilol favors to which my comrade had been suddenly advanced. And so all the way back to the town Puerto Rico the carriage swayed thundered, now swinging to one side, n lurching to the other. The stones and f. from the half-made road, desiccated j the heat of the tropics and blown to d by the trade winds, flew In clouds pf: the windows from the spurning hoofs!. the horses. Don Nicholas clapped his tighter on his head and set spurs In beast, to keep us In sight. His wife wa a hand out at the window as he dropj behind and challenged him to a race, cr lng him "Old Rum Puncheon." "Du Haunches," "Lard Barrel," together w other yet choicer names, so that the p tllllons before and men servants beh had much ado to keep their seats betwi their mistress' japes and the Instant lis of the road. For me. I declare I wished myself back In the chain gang! Will confessed me afterward that "she trod on my t looking at me the while as a dog d at a meaty bone! If this be favor fine women folk. Lord send me backj poor Jean Carrel. I had rather suffer my religion any day!" Presently we crossed a creek, the ho splashing to the hocks, the water c lng Into the carriage and Donna Ju swearing like a grenadier. In clacking flavored oaths she had learned fromi father, who on a time had seen se with Gricr of Lag. The beasts pullee up the bank In a series of standing le and at the top we found ourselves 1 pleasant country, with trees In clu and grass almost as green as Jn the cles my grandfather had been at pains to lay out about the house of Mllns. There were many trees, too, some I ed with fruit, others gay with bird red and green, that cawed and gab with hideous noise. The road Imp greatly from this point, and the captain of Spain had hard work to up with us, which from his jealousj hi"? wife he was determined to do, Then all suddenly we came out upon crest of a little hill, and, lo, there neath us showed the town and castl Puerto Rico. The castle Is very str standing with its works defensive strong buildings on a point ot land w Juts out Into the sea. The town has oral churches and many houses with 11 arbors and Inclosed gardens, all wl the wall of the city. But the larger dens for produce are.wlthout and con many good vegetables, with frultag orange trees, lemons, plantains, gri gourds and an excellent fruit called c con. because it Is or tne snape 01 a n Yet It must not be supposed that 1 gardens are fenced In or weeded a home. The Spaniards, at least in Indian colonies, have no Inclination t so particular and nice. So all lies and Is trampled over by cattle and wild things of the woods, let it Is a fKhlmr to see how many herbs, roots vegetables come to perfection In spit all, though few. Indeed, In that lusV soil and forcing climate nave tne n of a Scottish Winter apple or an ' lish peach indeed, I think none thatf I tasted. . ! At last we came to the castle, w there, at the barrier, was a military gt As the carriage entered. Donna Ju. saluted the officer at tho gate like a rade with an easy wave of her h hand. Then scarcely were we dra-fy before a large door studded withi nails than Don Nicholas galloped upj red and antrrv. vet not daring opera counter his wife in aught upon whlcij had set her mind. Yet would he not let us out of his i for. finding no groom at hand (we returned unexpectedly) he let his go where It would and ran hastily u: wooden steps after us to the upper which was used by the Lady Juanl her chamber of reception in ordi The horse, being used to be petted, straight to the low window of the ens opposite, and there the cook, a man. fed him, through the grill, wit crust and fragments of pastry. As soon as I heard the Commam mounting the stairs after U3, I behind to let him pass. This he did. lng no notice of me, as brushing me he stamped furiously upward after and the Lady Juanita. I longi enough Spanish to tell him how poor had been suffering the torments of gatory; yet perhaps as It turned was a fortunate thing that my t could form so few Snanlsh words. For when we reached the lofty chi which was mlladl's hall and sitting- In ordinary, Juanita ordered her h back for a fan she had left In th rlage. The poor man paused, choked ltated and went. As soon as he was ly gone. Donna Juanita turned her and kissed Will soundly on the mou "There," she said, "that Is proper Ing between country folk In a far I have not had an honest Scot s half a dozen years. These Spanlar men of buckram and m-unellal" She would e'en have done the' grace to me, which. Indeed, I was ing", having Indeed no liking for tin mony, but at that moment the hastjj steps of her husband were heard lng. He had indeed made good sp his message better, methinks, than, gether pleased his wife. For she fn. portentously and threw the fan do; a couch pettishly, without thankln, for his trouble, yet for all that she ed him after this fashion. Don M followed -her everywhere with hia and fawned upon her like a wnippe. , (TO bo continued