■' y"-'^'-i''ri.r^[Kij'"'.% " : ",^''>.". (V., . « : ■ ■ - i*' ^IIIBRARYQ^ '^;M-IIBRARYQa ^ so '%OJI1V3JO^ ^M^OFCAIIFO/?^ ■^AaaAiNd'^uv ^(?Aiiva8ii# Co V)riAL xsVTI' ^:' /W|« ^/. ? 1 AV\EUNIVER% o ^lOSAI Qe O = ^ or /-» iiri"i dir ^//.T _— t — : v^ ^WFUNIVERjy/, ^ ,^MEUNIVER5-/A i^ o e S Vj /i'ii^AlNi .^WEUNIVERy//, ~ <: AWEUf- s'lUVW" ^ avnuibr , ^ tWii <«rm: DAVID LIVINGSTONE. DICK SAND; OB, A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. A NOVEL. By JULES VERNE. NEW YORK: GEORGE MT^NRO, Publisher, 17 to 27 Vandcwater Street. 18:8. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1878, by GEORGE MUNRO. In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. CUE Jules Verne's Complete Works, PUBLISHED IX THE SEASIDE LIBEARY. NO. CTB- 5 The Black Indies 10 16 The English at the North Pole, and The Field of Ice 10 43 Hector Servadac 10 57 A Voyage Round the World— South America 10 60 A Vo3-age Round the World— Australia 10 64 A Voyage Round tlie World — New Zealand 10 68 Five Weeks in a Balloon 10 72 Meridiana, and The Blockade Runners 10 7."5 The Fur Country 10 84 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas 10 87 A Journey to the Center of the Earth 1!) 90 The Mysterious Island — Dropped from the Clouds 10 9:3 The Mysterious Island— The Abandoned 10 97 The Mysterious Island— The Secret of the Island 10 99 From the Eartli to the Moon and Around the Moon 10 111 A Tour of the World in Eighty Days 10 131 Michael Strogoll 10 665909 CONTENTS. PART I. CHAPTER I. Page. The Brig-Schooner " Pilgrim. " 9 CHAPTEPv IT. Dick Saxd 17 CHAPTER III. Tub Wreck 23 CHAPTER IV. The Survitors of the " Waldeck. " 29 CHAPTER V. "S. y." 34 CHAPTER VI. A "Whale in Sight 45 CHAPTER VII. PllEPARATIOKS 53 CHAPTER Vni. The JruARTE 59 CHAPTER IX. Captain Sand 67 CHAPTER X. The Four Days -wnicn Follow 74 CHAPTER XL Tempest 83 CHAPTER XII. On tjie Horizon 93 CHAPTER XIII. liANDl Land , 101 CHAPTER XIV. The Best to Do 110 CHAPTER XV. Harrir 121 CHAPTER XVI. On the Wat , 182 CHAPTER XVII. A HrNDRED Miles in Tkn Days 141 CHAPTER XVIII. Thi: Ti:Riur>LE Word I'l'S VI. CONTEKTS. PART IL CHAPTER I. The Slave Trade 163 CHAPTER n. Hakkis and Nkgouo 172 CHAPTER III. On the March 181 CHAPTER IV. The Bad Roads op Angola 190 CHAPTER V. Ants ajsd their Dwelling 197 CHAPTER YI. The Diving-Bell 306 CHAPTER Vn. In Camp on the Banks of the Coanza 215 CHAPTER VIII. Some of Dick Sand's Notes 223 CHAPTER IX. Kazoundp: 233 CHAPTER X. The Great ]\Iarket-day 241 CHAPTER XI. The King of Kazohndb is Offered a Punch 248 CHAPTER XIT. A Royal Btjrial 255 CHAPTER XIII. The Interior op a Factory 264 CHAPTER XIV. Some News of Dr. Livxngstone 271 CHAPTER XV. "Where a ^Manticore may Lead 281 CHAPTER XVI. A Magician 291 CHAPTER XVII. Drifting 298 CHAPTER XVIII. Various Incidents 305 CHAPTER XIX. " S. V. " 314 CHAPTER XX. Conclusion 321 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. PART L CHAPTER I. THE BRIG-SCHOONER "PILGRIM." Ok February 2, 1873, the schooner " Pilgrim " was in lati- tude 43° 57' south, and in longitude 165° 19' west of the meridian of Greenwich. Tliis vessel, of four hundred tons, fitted out at San Fran- cisco for whale-fishing in the southern seas, belonged to James W. Weldon, a rich Californian ship-owner, who had for several years entrusted the command of it to Captain Hull. The " Pilgrim " was one of the smallest, but one of the best of that flotilla, Avhich James W. Weldon sent each sea- son, not only beyond Behring Strait, as far as the northern seas, but also in the quarters of Tasmania or of Cape Horn, as far as the Antarctic Ocean. She sailed in a superior man- ner. Her very easily managed rigging permitted lier to vent- ure, with few men, in sight of the impenetrable fields of ice of the southern hemisi)here. Captain Hull knew how to dis- entangle himself, as the sailors say, from among those ice- l^ergs whicli, during the summer, drift by the way of New Zealand or the Cape of Good Hope, under a much lower lati- tude than that wliich they reach in the nortlicrn seas of the globe. It is true that only icebergs of small dimensions were found there; they were already worn by collisions, eaten away by the warm waters, and the grcafcr number of them were going to melt in the Pacific or the Atlantic. 10 A CAPTAIX AT TIFTEEK. Under the command of Captain Hull, a good seaman, and also ono t>f tlio most skilful harpooners of the flotilla, was a crow composed of five sailors and a novice. It was a small imiubor for this whalo-flshinp, which requires a good many jHTsous. Men arc necessary as well for the management of the boats for the attack, as for the cutting up of the captured animals. T^ut, following the example of certain ship-owners, James W. Weldon found it much more economical to embark at San Francisco only the number of sailors necessary for the management of the vessel. !New Zealand did not lack har- ])0(iners, sailors of all nationalities, deserters or others, who sought to be hired for the season, and who followed skilfully the trade of iishermen. The busy period once over, they were paid, they were i)ut on shore, and tney Avaited till the whalers of the following year should come to claim their services again. There was obtained by this method better work from the dis])osal)le sailors, and a much larger profit derived by their co-ojieration. They had worked in this way on board the "Pilgrim." The schooner had just finished her season on the limit of the Antarctic Circle. But she had not her full number of barrels of oil, of coarse whalebones nor of fine. Even at that period, fishing was becoming difficult. The whales, pursued to excess, were becoming rare. The "right " whale, which l)ears the name of " Korth Caper" in the Northern Ocean, and that of '* Sulphur Bottom '' in the South Sea, was likely to disappear. The whalers had been obliged to fall back on t!ic finiiack or jiibarte, a gigantic mammifer, Avhose attacks are not without danger. This is what Captain Hull had done during this cruise; but on his next voyage lie calculated en reaching a higher lati- tude, and, if necessary, going in sight of Clarie and Adelie I^inds, whose discovery, contested by the American Wilkes, certainly belongs to the illustrious commander of the "Astro- labe '' and the Zelcc, to the Frenchman, Dumont d' Urville. In fact, the season had not been favorable for the " Pil- grim.*' In the beginning of January, that is to say, toward the middle of the Southern summer, and even when the time for the whalers to return had not yet arrived, Captain Hull had been obliged to abandon the fishing places. His addi- tional crew — a collection of jiretty sad subjects — gave him an excuse, as they sav, and he determined to separate from them. The "Pilgrim'' then steered to the northwest, for Kew JL CAPTAIIS" AT riFTEEX. 11 Zealand, which she sighted on the loth of January. She arrived at Waiteniata, port of Auckland, situated at the low- est end of the Gulf of Chouraki, on the east coast of the northern island, and landed the fishermen who had been en- gaged for the season. The crew was not satisfied. The cargo of the " Pilgrim " was at least two hundred barrels of oil short. There had never been worse fishing. Captain Hull felt the disappoint- ment of a hunter who, for the first time, returns as he went away — or nearly so. His self-love, greatly excited, was at stake, and he did not pardon those scoundrels whose insub- ordination had compromised the results of his cruise. It was in vain that he endeavored to recruit a new fishing crew at Auckland. All the disposable seamen were embarked on the other whaling vessels. He was thus obliged to give up the hope of completing the " Pilgrim's " cargo, and Captain Hull was preparing to leave Auckland definitely, when a re- quest for a passage was made which he could not refuse. Mrs. Weldon, wife of the " Pilgrim's " owner, was then at Auckland with her young son Jack, aged about five 3'ears, and one of her relatives, her Cousin Benedict. James W. Weldon, whom his business operations sometimes obliged to visit New Zealand, had brought the three there, and intended to bring them back to San Francisco. But, just as the whole family was going to depart, little Jack became seriously ill, and his father, imperatively recalled by his business, was obliged to leave Auckland, leaving his wife, his son, and Cousin Benedict there. Three months had passed away — three long months of sep- aration, which were extremely painful to Mrs. AVeldon.' Meanwhile her young child was restored to health, and she was at liberty to depart, when she was informed of the arrival of the ''Pilgrim." Now, at that period, in order to return to San Francisco, Mrs. Weldon found herself under the necessity of going to Australia by one of the vessels of the Golden Age Trans- oceanic (,'onipany, which ply between I^Ielbourne and the Isth- mus of I'aiiania by Pa})eiti. ^Then, once arrived at Panama, it would be necessary for her to await the departure of the American steamer, which establishes a regular coniniunicaf ion between the Isthmus and California. Thence, delays, trans- shipments, always disagreeable for a woman and a cliild. It was just at this time that the "Pilgrim" came into port 12 A CAITAIN AT FIFTEEN'. at Anokland, ^fvs. Woldon did not hesitate, but asked Cap- tain Hull to take her on l)oai-d to l)ring her back to San Francisco — she, her son, Consin Benedict, and Nan, an old no^rress who had served her since her infancy. Three thou- sand marine leagues to travel on a sailing vessel! But Cap- tain Hull's ship was so well nijinaged, and the season still so line on both sides of the Equator! Captain Hull consented, and immediately ])ut his own cabin at the disposal of his pas- senger. He Avished that, during a voyage which might last forty or fifty days, Mrs. Weldon should be installed as well as possible on board the whaler. There were then certain advantages for Mrs. Weldon in making the voyage under these conditions. The only disad- vantage was that this voyage would be necessarily prolonged inconsequence of this circumstance — the *' Pilgrim" would go to Valparaiso, in Chili, to effect her unloading. That done, there would be nothing but to ascend the American coast, with land breezes, which make these parts very agreeable. Besides, Mrs. Weldon was a courageous woman, whom the sea did not frighten. Then thirty years of age, she was of robust health, being accustomed to long voyages, for, having shared witli her husband the fatigues of several passages, she did not fear the chances more or less contingent, of shipping on board a ship of moderate tonnage. She knew Captain Hull to be an excellent seaman, in whom James W. Weldon had every confidence. The "Pilgrim" was a strong vessel, capital sailer, well quoted in the flotilla of American whalers. The opportunity presented itself. It was necessary to profit by it. Mrs. Weldon did profit by it. Cousin Benedict — it need not be said — w^ould accompany her. This cousin was a worthy man, about fifty years of age. But, notwithstanding his fifty years, it would not have been prudent to let him go out alone. Long, rather than tall, narrow, rather than thin, his figure bony, his skull enor- mous and very liairy, one recognized in his whole inter- minable person one of those worthy savants, with gold spec- tacles, good and inoffensive beings, destined to remain great children all their lives, and to finish very old, like centenaries wiio would die at nurse. " Cousin Benedict " — he was called so invariably, even out- side of the family, and, in truth, he was indeed one of those good men who seem to be the born cousins of all the world — Cousin Benedict, always impeded by his long arms and his A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 13 long limbs, would be absolutely incapable of attending to matters alone, even in the most ordinary circumstances of life. He was not troublesome, oh; no, but rather embarrassing for others, and embarrassed for himself. Easily satisfied, be- sides being very accommodating, forgetting to eat or drink, if some one did not bring him something to eat or drink, insensible to the cold as to the heat, he seemed to belong less to the animal kingdom than to the vegetable kingdom. One must conceive a very useless tree, without fruit and almost without leaves, incapable of giving nourishment or shelter, but with a good heart. Such was Cousin Benedict. He would very willingly ren- der service to people if, as Mr. Prudhomme would say, he were capable of rendering it. Finally, his friends loved him for his very feebleness. Mrs. TTeldon regarded him as her child — a large elder brother of her little Jack. It is proper to add here that Cousin Benedict was, mean- while, neither idle nor unoccupied. On the contrary, he was a worker. His only passion — natural history — absorbed him entirely. To say ''Xatural History" is to say a great deal. "We know that the different parts of which this science is composed are zoology, botany, mineralogy, and geology. Now Cousin Benedict was, in no sense, a botanist, nor a mineralogist, nor a geologist. Was ho, then, a zoologist in the entire acceptation of the word, a kind of Cuvier of the Xcw World, decomposing an animal by analysis, or putting it together again by synthesis, one of those profound connoisseurs, versed in the study of the four tyi)es to whicli modern science refers all animal existence, vertebrates, mollusks, articulates, and radiates? Of these four divisions, had the artless but studious savant observed the different classes, and sought the orders, the families, the tribes, the genera, the species, aud the varieties which dis- tinguish them? No. Had Cousin Benedict devoted himself to the study of the vertebrates, mammals, birds, reptiles, and fishes? No. Was it to ihe molhisks, from the cephalopodos to the bryo- zoans, that he had given his preference, and had malacology IK) more secrets for him? 14 A CAPTAIN" AT FIFTEEN. Not at all. Then it "vvas on the radiates, echinoderms, acalephes, poly- pes, entozoons, sponges, and infusoria, that he had for such a long time burned the midnight oil? It must, indeed, be confessed that it was not on the radi- ates. Now, in zoology there only remains to be mentioned the division of the articulates, so it must be that it was on this division that Cousin Benedict's only passion was expended. Yes, and still it is necessary to select. This branch of the articulates counts six classes: insects, myriapodes, arachnides, crustaceans, cirrhopodes, and anne- lides. Now, Cousin Benedict, scientifically speaking, would not know how to distinguish an earth-worm from a medicinal leech, a sand-fly from a glans-marinus, a common spider from a false scorpion, a shrimp from a frog, a gally-worm from a scolopendra. But, then, what was Cousin Benedict? Simply an ento- mologist — nothing more. To that, doubtless, it may be said that in its etymological acceptation, entomology is that part of the natural sciences which includes all the articulates. That is true, in a general way; but it is the custom to give this word a more restricted sense. It is then only applied, properly speaking, to the study of insects, that is to say: " All the articulate animals of which the body, composed of rings placed end to end, forms tliree distinct segments, and Avhich possesses three pairs of logs, which have given them the name of hexapodes." Now, as Cousin Benedict had confined himself to the study of the articulates of this class, he was only an entomologist. But, let us not be mistaken about it. In this class of the insects are counted not less than ten orders: 1. Orthopterans as grasshoppers, crickets, etc. 2. Neuropters as ant-eaters, dragon-Hies or libcllula. 3. Hymenopters as bees, wasps, auts. 4. Lepidopters as butterflies, etc. 5. Hemipters as cicada, plant-lice, fleas, etc. 6. Coleopters as cockchafers, fire flies, etc. 7. Dipters as gnats, musquitoes, flies. 8. Rhipipters as stylops. 9. Parasites as acara, etc. 10. Thysanurans as lepidotus, flying-lice, etc. A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN. 15 Now, in certain of these orders, the coleopters, for exam- ple, there are recognized thirty thousand species, and sixty thousand in the dipters; so subjects for study are not want- ing, and it "will be conceded that there is suflQcient in this class alone to occupy a man ! Thus, Cousin Benedict's life "was entirely and solely conse- crated to entomology. To this science he gave all his hours — all, "without excep- tion, even the hours of sleep, because he invariably dreamt " hexapodes. ■ ' That he carried pins stuck in his sleeves and in the collar of his coat, in the bottom of his hat, and in the facings of his vest, need not be mentioned. "V\'hen Cousin Benedict returned from some scientific prom- enade his precious head-covering in particular was no more than a box of natural history, being bristling inside and out- side "with pierced insects. And no"w all "will be told abont this original "when it is Btated that it "was on account of his passion for entomology that he had accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Weldon to Xcw Zealand. There his collection "vvas enriched by some rare sub- jects, and it -nill be readily understood that he "was in haste to return to classify them in the cases of his cabinet in San Francisco. So, as Mrs. "Weldon and her child "were returning to America by the " Pilgrim," nothing more natural than for Cousin Benedict to accompany them during that passage. But it was not on him that Mrs. AVcldon could rely, if she should ever find herself in any critical situation. Very fortu- nately, the prospect was only that of a voyage easily made during the fine season, and on board of a ship whose captain merited all her confidence. During the three days that the " Pilgrim " was in port at Waitemata, Mrs. Weldon made her preparations in great haste, for she did not wish to delay the departure of the schooner. The native servants whom she employed in her dwelling in Auckland wore dismissed, and, on the 22nd January, she em- barked on board the " Pilgrim," bringing only her son Jack, Cousin Benedict, and Xan, her old negress. Cousin lienedict carried all his curious collection of insects in a special box. In this collection figured, among others, some specimens of those new Ktaj)liylins, species of carnivorous coleopters, whose eyes arc placed above the head, and which, till then, seemed to be peculiar to New Caledonia. A certain IG A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. venomous spider, the "katipo," of the Maoris, whose bite is often fatal to tlie natives, liad been very higlily recommonded to him. But. a s])idor does not belong to the order of insects }M-o])orly so called; it is ])laccd in that of the arachnida, and, consequently was valueless in Cousin Benedict's eyes. Thus he scorned it, and the most beautiful jewel of his collection was a remarkable stai)hylin from JS'ew Zealand. It is needless to say that Cousin Benedict, by paying a lieavy premium, had insured liis cargo, which to liim seemed much more precious than all the freight of oil and bones stowed aAvay in the hold of the " Pilgrim." Just as the *' Pilgrim" was getting under sail, when Mrs. Weldon and her companion for the voyage found themselves on the deck of the schooner, Captain Hull approached his passenger : ''It is understood, Mrs. Weldon," he said to her, ''that, if you take passage on board the ' Pilgrim,' it is on your own responsibility." "Why do' you make that observation to me, Mr. Hull?" asked Mrs. Weldon. " Because I have not received an order from your husband in regard to it, and, all things considered, a schooner cannot offer you the guarantees of a good passage, like a j^acket-boat specially intended to carry travelers." " If iny husband were here," replied Mrs. Weldon, " do you think, Mr. Hull, that he would hesitate to embark on the ' Pilgrim,' in company with his wife and child?" " Xo, Mrs. Weldon, he would not hesitate," said Captain Hull; "no, indeedl no more than I should hesitate myself! The ' Pilgrim ' is a good ship, after all, even though she has made but a sad cruise, and I am sure of her, as much so as a seaman can be of the ship which he has commanded for several years. The reason I speak, Mrs. Weldon, is to get rid of per- sonal responsibility, and to repeat that you will not find on board the comfort to which you have been accustomed." "As it is only a question of comfort, Mr. Hull," replied Mrs. AVeldon, " that should not stop mo. I am not one of those troublesome passengers who complain incessantly of the narrowness of the cabins, and the insufficiency of the table." Then, after looking for a few momenis at her little Jack, whom she held bv the hand, Mrs. Weldon said: "Let us go, Mr. Hull!" A CAITAII^ AT FIFTEEIT. 17 The orders were given to get under way at once, the sails ■were set, and the " Pilgrim,*' working to get out to sea in the shortest time possible, steered for the American coast. But, three days after her departure, the schooner, thwarted by strong breezes from the east, was obliged to tack to lar- board to make headway against the wind. So, at the date of February 2nd, Captain Hull still found himself in a higher latitude than he would have wished, and in the situation of a sailor who wanted to double Cape Horn rather than reach the New Continent by the shortest course. CHAPTER II. DICK SAND, Meaitwhile the sea was favorable, and, except the delays, navigation would be accomplished under very supportable conditions. Mrs. AVeldon had been installed on board the " Pilgrim " as comfortably as possible. Neither poop nor " roufle " was at the end of the deck. There was no stern cabin, then, to receive the passengers. She was obliged to be contented with Captain Hull's cabin, situated aft, which constituted his modest sea lodging. And still it had been necessary for the captain to insist, in order to make her accept it. There, in that narrow lodging, was installed Mrs. Weldon, with her child and old Kan. She took her meals there, in company with the caj)tain and Cousin Benedict, for whom they had fitted up a kind of cabin on board. As to the commander of the "Pilgrim," he had settled himself in a cabin belonging to the ship's crew — a cabin which would be occupied by the second officer, if there were a second one on board. But the In-ig-schooner was navigated, we know, under conditions which enabled her to disjiense with the services of a second officer. 'J'he men of the " Pilgrim." cood and strong seamen, Avere very much united by common ideas and habits. This fishing season Avas the fourth which they had passed together. All American'^ of the West, they were ac(|uainted for a long ])vr\- od, and belonged to the same coast of the State of California. These brave men showed tliemselvcs very thoughtful towards Mrs. Weldon, the wife of the owner of their ship, for whom 18 A CAPTAIN" AT FIFTEEJST. tlicy professed boundless devotion. It must be said that, largely interested in the profits of the ship, they had navigated till then with great gain. If, by reason of their small num- ber, they did not sjjarc Ihem^elves, it "svas because every labor increased their earnings in the seltling of accounts at the end of each season. 1'his time, it is true, the jjrofit would be almost nothing, and that gave them just cause to curse and swear against those New Zealand scoundrels. One man on board, alone among all, was not of American origin. Portuguese by birth, but speaking English fluently, he was called Negoro, and filled the humble position of cook on the schooner. The ''Pilgrim's" cook having deserted at Auckland, this Negoro, then out of employment, offered himself for the place. He was a taciturn man, not at all communicative, who kept to himself, but did his work satisfactorily. In engaging him. Captain Hull seemed to be rather fortunate, and since em- barking, the master cook had merited no reproach. Meanwhile, Captain Hull regretted not having had the time to inform himself sufiRciently about Negoro's antecedents. His face, or rather his look, was only half in his favor, and when it is necessary to bring an unknown into the life on board, so confined, so mtimate, his antecedents should be carefully inquired into. Kegoro might be forty years old. Thin, nervous, of medi- i;m bight, with very brown hair, skin somewhat swarthy, he ought to be strong. Had he received any instruction? Yes; that appeared in certain observations w^hich escaped him sometimes. Besides, he never spoke of his past life, he said not a word about his family. Whence he came, where he had lived, no one could tell. What would his future be? No one knew any more about that. He only announced his intention of going on shore at Valparaiso. He was certainly a singular man. At all events, lie did not seem to be a sailor. He seemed to be even more strange to marine things than is usual with a master cook, part of whose existence is passed at sea. Meanwhile, as to being incommoded })y the rolling and pitching of the ship, like men who have never navigated, he was not in the least, and that is something for a cook on board a vessel. Finally, he was little seen. During the day, he most gen- erally remained confined in his narrow kitchen, before the stove for melting, which occupied the greater part of it. A CAPTAIIT AT FIFTEEN?-. 19 "When night came and the fire in the stove -was out, Negoro went to the cabin which was assigned to him at the end of the crew's quarters. Then he went to bed at once and went to sleep. It has been already said that the " Pilgrim's " crew was composed of five sailors and a novice. This young novice, aged fifteen, was the child of an un- known father and mother. This poor being, abandoned from his birth, had been received and brought up 'by public charity. Dick Sand — that was his name — must have been originally from the State of New York, and doubtless from the capital of that State. If the name of Dick — an abbreviation of Richard — had been given to the little orphan, it w^as because it was the name of the charitable passer-by who had picked him up two or three hours after his birth. As to the name of Sand, it was attributed to him in remembrance of the place where he had been found; that is to say, on that point of land called Sandy Hook, which forms the entrance of the port of Xew York, at the mouth of the Hudson. Dick Sand, when he should reach his full growfti, would not exceed middle height, but he was well built. One could not doubt that he was of Anglo-Saxon origin. He was brown, liowever, with blue eyes, in which the crystaline eparklcd with ardent fire. His seaman's craft had already prepared him well for the conflicts of life. His intelligent physiognomy breathed forth energy. It was not that of an audacious person, it was that of a darer. These three words from an unfinished verse of Virgil are often cited: " Audaces fortuna juvat" .... but they arc quoted incorrectly. The poet said: " Audentes fortuna juvat " .... It is on the darcrs, not on the audacious, that Fortune almost alwavs smilod. The audacious may be unguarded. The darer thinks first, acts afterwards. There is the difference! Dick Sand was mi dens. At fifteen lie already knew how to take a part, and to carry out to the end whatever liis resolute spirit had decided u])on. His manner, at once spirited and serious, attracted attention. He did not squander himself in words and gestures, as boys 20 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". of his age generally do. Early, at a period of life when they seldom discuss the j)roblems oi existence, he had looked his miserablo condition in the face, and he had promised "to make " himself. And he had made himself — being already almost a man at an age when others are still only children. At the same time, very nimble, very skillful in all physical exercises, Dick Sand was one of those privileged beintrs, of whom it may be said that they were born with two left feet and two right hands. In that way, they do everything with the right hand, and always set out with tlie left foot Public charity, it has been said, had brought up the little orphan. He had been put first in one of those houses for children, where there is always, in America, a place for the little waifs. Then at four, Dick learned to read, write, and count in one of those State of New York schools, which charitable subscriptions maintain so generously. At eight, the taste for the sea, which Dick had from birth, caused him to embark as cabin-boy on a packet-ship of the South Sea. There he learned the seaman's trade, and as one ought to learn it, from the earliest age. Little by little he instructed himself under the direction of officers who were interested in this little old man. So the cabin-boy soon be- came the novice, expecting something better, of course. The child who understands, from the beginning, that work is the law of life, the one who knows, from an early age, that he will gain his bread only by the sweat of his brow — a Bible precept which is the rule of humanity — that one is probably intended for great things; for some day he will have, withrthe will, the strength to accomjilish them. It was, when he was a cabin-boy on board a merchant ves- sel, that Dick Sand was remarked by Captain Hull. This honest seaman immediately formed a friendship with this honest young boy, and later he made him known to the ship- owner, James AV. Weldon. The latter felt a lively interest in this orphan, whose education he completed at San Francisco, and he had him brought up in the Catholic religion, to which his family adhered. During the course of his studies, Dick Sand showed a par- ticular liking for geography, for voyages, while waiting till he was old enough to learn that branch of mathematics which relates to na\agation. Then to this theoretical portion of his instruction, he did not neglect to join the practical. It was A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN". 21 as noyice that he was able to embark for the first time on the *' Pilgrim." A good seaman ought to understand fishing as well as navigation. It is a good preparation for all the con- tingencies which the maritime career admits of. Besides, Dick Sand set out on a vessel of James ^\. Weldon's, his ben- efactor, commanded by his protector, Captain Hull. Thus he found himself in the most favorable circumstances. To speak of the extent of his devotion to the Weldon fam- ily, to whom he owed everything, would be superfluous. Bet- ter let the facts speak for themselves. But it will be under- stood how happy the young novice was when he learned that Mrs. Weldon was going to take passage on board the " Pil- grim." Mrs. Weldon for several years had been a mother to him, and in Jack he saw a little brother, all the time keeping in remembrance his position in respect to the son of the rich ship-owner. But — his protectors knew it well — this good seed which they had sown had fallen on good soil. The orphan's heart was filled with gratitude, and some day, if it should be necessary to give his life for those who had taught him to in- struct himself and to love God, the young novice would not hesitate to give it. Finally, to be only fifteen, but to act and think as if he were thirty, that was Dick Sand. Mrs. Weldon knew what her jjrotege was worth. She could trust little Jack with him without any anxiety. Dick Sand cherished this child, who, feeling himself loved by this "large })rother," sought his company. During those long leisure hours, which are frequent in a voyage, when the sea is smooth, when the well set up sails require no management, Dick and Jack were almost always together. The young novice showed tlie little boy everything in his craft which seemed amusing. Without fear Mrs. Weldon saw Jack, in company Avith Dick Sand, spring out on the shrouds, climb to the top of the mizzon-mast, or to the booms of the mizzcn-topmast, and come down again like an arrow the whole length of the back- Btavs. Dick Sand went before or followed him, always ready to hold him up or keep him back, if his six-year-ohl arms grew feeble during those exercises. All that benefited little Jack, Avhoin sickness had made somewhat ])ale; but his color soon came back on l)oard tlie "Pilgrim," tlianks to this gym- nastic, and to the bracing sea-l>reezes. So passed the time. Under these conditions the passage was being accomplished, and only the weather was not very oo A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. favorahlo. neither the passenirers nor crew of the "Pilgrim " Avuuld liave liail cause to complain. Meanwhile this continuance of east winds made Captain Hull anxious. He did not succeed in getting the vessel into the right course. I^atcr, near the Tropic of Capricorn, he feaiT'd tinding calms which would delay him again, without speaking of the equatorial current, which would irresistibly throw him hack to the west. He was troubled then, above all, for ;Mrs. Weldon, by the delays for which, meanwhile, he was not responsible. So, if he should meet, on his course, some trans-atlantic steamers on the way toward America, he already thought of advising his passenger to embark on it. Unfortunately, he was detamed in latitudes too high to cross a steamer running to Panama; and besides, at that period communication across the Pacific, between Australia and the Xew World, Avas not as frequent as it has since become. It then was necessary to leave everything to the gi-ace of God, and it seemed as if nothing would trouble this monoto- nous passage, when the first incident occurred precisely on that day, February 2nd, in the latitude and longitude indi- cated at the beginning of this history. Dick Sand and Jack, toward nine o'clock in the morning, in ver}' clear weather, were installed on the booms of the miz- zen-topmast. Thence they looked down on the whole ship and a portion of the ocean in a large circumference. Behind, the perimeter of the horizon Avas bi-oken to their eyes, only by the main-mast, carrying brigantine and fore-staff. That beacon hid from them a part of the sea and the sky. In front, they saw the bowsprit stretching over the waves, with its three jibs, which were hauled tightly, spread out like three great unequal wings. Underneath' rounded the fore- mast, and above, the little top-sail and the little gallant-sail, whose bolt-rope quivered with the pranks of the breeze. The schooner was then running on the larboard tack, and hugging the wind as much as possible. Dick Sand explained to Jack how the " Pilgrim," ballasted properly, well balanced in all her parts, could not capsize, even if she gave a pretty strong heel to starboard, when the little boy interrupted him. " What do I see there?" said he. "You see something, Jack?" demanded Dick Sand, who stood up straight on the Vjooms. "Yes — there I" replied little Jack, showing a point of the A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEX. 23 sea, left open by the interval between the stays of the stand- ing-jib and the flying-jib. Dick Sand looked at the point indicated attentively, and forthwith, with a lond voice, he cried: " A wreck to windward, over against starboard!" CHAPTER III. THE WEECK. Dick Sard's cry brought all the crew to their feet. The men who were not on watch came on deck. Captain Hull, leaving his cabin, went toward the bow. Mrs. Weldon, Xan, even the indifferent Cousin Benedict himself, came to lean over the starboard rail, so as to see the wreck signaled by the young novice. Negoro, alone, did not leave the cabin, which served him for a kitchen; and as usual, of all the crew, he was the only one whom the encounter with a wreck did not appear to interest. Then all regarded attentively the floating object which the waves were rocking, three miles from the "Pilgrim." " Ah! what can that be?" said a sailor. " Some abandoned raft," replied another. " Perhaps there are some unhappy shipwrecked ones on that raft," said Mrs. Weldon. "We shall find out," replied Captain Hull. "But that wreck is not a raft. It is a hull thrown over on the side." "Ah! is it not more likely to be some marine animal — some mammifer of great size?" observed Cousin Benedict. " I do not think so," replied the novice. " Then what is your idea, Dick?" asked Mrs. Weldon. " An overturned hull, as the captain has said, Mrs. Weldon. It even seems to mo that I see its copper keel glistening in the sun." Yes — indeed," replied Captain Hull. Then addressing the helmsman: " Steer to the windward, Bolton. Let her go a quarter, so as to come alongside the wreck." " Yes, sir," replied the liclmsman. " But," continued Cousin Benedict, " I keep to what I have said. Positively it is an animal." ** Then this would be a whale in coy)per," replied Captain Hull, "for, positively, also, I sec it shine in the sun!" 24 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTKEN. *'Afc all events. Cousin ]>enedict," added Mrs. Wcldon, *'you will agree "with us that this whale must be dead, for it is certain that it docs not make the least movement." " Ah! Cousin Weldon," rcjilied Cousin Benedict, who was obstinate, *Uhis would not be the first time that one has met a whale sleeping on the surface of the waves." ''That is a fact," replied Captain Hull; "but to-day, the thing is not a whale, but a ship." '' We shall soon see," replied Cousin Benedict, who, after all, would give all the mammifers of the Arctic or Antarctic seas for an insect of a rare sjiecies. " Steer, Bolton, steer!" cried Captain Hall again, "and do not board the wreck. Keep a cable's length. If we cannot do much harm to this hull, it might cause us some damage, and I do not care to hurt the sides of the * Pilgrim ' with it. Tack a little, Bolton, tack!" The " Pilgrim's " prow, which had been directed toward the wreck, was turned aside by a slight movement of the helm. The schooner was still a mile from the capsized hull. The sailors were eagerly looking at it. Perhaps it held a valuable cargo, which it would bo possible to transfer to the " Pil- grim." We know that, in these salvages, the third of the value belongs to the rescuers, and, in this case, if the cargo w^as not damaged, the crew, as they say, would make " a good luuil." This would be a fish of consolation for their incom- plete fishing. A quarter of an hour later the wreck was less than a mile from the "Pilgrim." It was indeed a ship, which presented itself on its side, to the starboard. Capsized as far as the nettings, she heeled so much that it would be almost impossible to stand upon her deck. Nothing could be seen beyond her masts. From the port-shrouds were hanging only some ends of broken rope, and the chains broken by the cloaks of white-crested waves. On the starboard side ojjcned a large hole between the tim- bers of the frame-work and the damaged planks. "This ship has been run into," cried Dick Sand. "There is no doubt of that," replied Captain Hull; "and it is a miracle that she did not sink immediately." " If there has been a collision," observed Mrs. Weldon, " we must hope that the crew of this ship has been picked up by those who struck her." A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN. 25 *'It is to be hoped so, Mrs. Weldon," replied Captain Hull, " unless this crew sought refuge in their own boats after the collision, in case the colliding vessel should sail right on — which, alas! sometimes happens." "Is it possible? That would be a proof of very great in- humanity, Mr. Hull I" "Yes, Mrs. Weldon. Yes! and instances are not wanting. As to the crew of this ship, what makes me believe that it is more likely they have left it, is that I do not see a single boat: and, unless the men on board have been picked up, I should be more inclined to think that they have tried to reach the land. But, at this distance from the American conti- nent, or from the islands of Oceanica, it is to be feared that they have not succeeded." ''Perhaps," said Mrs. Weldon, "we shall never know the secret of this catastrophe. Meanwhile, it might be possible that some man of the crew is still on board." " That is not probable, Mrs. Weldon," replied Captain Hull. "Our approach would be already known, and they would make some signals to us. But we shall make sure of it. — Luff a little, Bolton, luff," cried Captain Hull, while indicating with his hand what course to take. The " Pilgrim " was now only three cables' length from the wreck, and they could no longer doubt that this hull had been completely abandoned by all its crew. But, at that moment, Dick Sand made a gesture which im- periously demanded silence. " Listen, listen!" said he. Each listened. " I hear something like a bark!" cried Dick Rand. In fact, a distant barking resounded from the interior of the hull. Certainly there was a living dog there, imprisoned perhaps, for it was possible that the hatches were hermetically closed. But thoy could not see it, the deck of the capsized vessel being still invisible. " If there })e only a dog there, Mr. Hull," said Mrs. Wel- don. " we shall save it." "Yes, yes!" cried little Jack, " we shall save it! I shall give it something to eat! It will love us well! Mamma, I am going to bring it a piece of sugar!" " Stay still, my child," replied Mrs. Weldon, smiling. "I ]>elieve that the poor animal is dying of hunger, and it will prefer a good mess to your morsel of sugar." 36 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". *' Well, then, let it have my soup," cried little Jack. " I can do without it very well." At that moment the harking was more distinctly heard. Three hundred feet, at the most, separated the two ships. Almost immediately a dog of great height appeared on the starboard netting, and clung there, barking more despairingly than ever. ''Howick," said Captain Hull, turning toward the master of the "Pilgrim's" crew, "heave to, and lower the small boat." " Hold on, my dog, hold on!" cried little Jack to the ani- mal, which seemed to answer him with a half-stifled bark. The " Pilgrim's " sails were rapidly furled, so that the ship should remain almost motionless, less than half a cable's length from the wreck. The boat was brought alongside. Captain Hull, Dick Sand and two sailors got into it at once. The dog barked all the time. It tried to hold on to the netting, but every moment it fell back on the deck. One wouldsay that its barks were no longer addressed to those who were coming to him. Were they, then, addressed to Bome sailors or passengers imprisoned in this ship? " Is there, then, on board, some shipwrecked one who has survived?" Mrs. Weldon asked herself . A few strokes of the oars and the "Pilgrim's" boat would reach the capsized hull. But, suddenly, the dog's manner changed. Furious barks succeeded its first barks inviting the rescuers to come. The- most violent anger excited the singular animal. " What can bo the matter with that dog?" said Captain Hull, while the boat was turning the stern of the vessel, so as to come alongside of the part of the deck lying under the water. What Captain Hull could not then observe, what could not be noticed even on board the " Pilgrim," was that the dog's fury manifested itself just at the moment when Negoro, leav- ing his kitchen, had just come toward the forecastle. Did the dog then know and recognize the master cook? It was very improbable. However that may be, after looking at the dog, without showing any surprise, Xegoro, who, however, frowned for an instant, returned to the crew's quarters. C0C8IN UBNEUICT WAS UTEllALLV FUKIOUB.— 6*6 J)(tye 111*. A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEJs'. 27 Meanwhile the boat had rounded the stern of the ship. Her aftboard carried this single name: " "Waldeck." " Waldeck," and no designation of the port attached. But, by the form of the hull, by certain details which a sailor seizes at the first glance. Captain Hull had, indeed, discovered that this ship was of American construction. Besides, her name confirmed it. And, now, this hull, it was all that re- mained of a large brig of five hundred tons. At the " "Waldeck's " prow a large opening indicated the ])lace where the collision had occurred. In consequence of rhe capsizing of the hull, this opening was then five or six feet above the water — which explained why the brig had not yet foundered. On the deck, which Captain Hull saw in its whole extent, there was nobody. The dog, having left the netting, had just let itself slip as far as the central hatch, which was open; and it barked joartly toward the interior, partly toward the exterior. " It is very certain that this animal is not alone on board!" obseiwed Dick Sand. "No, in truth I" replied Captain Hull. The boat then skirted the larboard netting, which was half under water. A somewhat strong swell of the sea would certainly submerge the "Waldeck " in a few moments. The brig's deck had been swept from one end to the other. There was nothing left except the stumps of the main-mast and of the mizzen-mast, both broken off two feet above the scuttles, and which had fallen in the collision, carrying away shrouds, back-stays, and rigging. Meanwhile, as far as the eye could see, no wreck was visiljle around the " AValdeck " — which seemed to indicate that the catastrophe was already several days old. " If some unhappy creatures have survived the collision," said Captain Hull, "it is probable that either hunger or thirst has finished them, for the water must have gained the store- room. There arc only dead bodies on board I" "No," cried Dick !>and, "no! IMie dog would not bark that way! There are living beings on board!" At that moment the animal, responding to the call of the novice, slid to the sea, and swam painfully toward the boat, for it seemed to be exhausted. They took it in, and it rushed eagerly, not for a piece of ••^8 A CAI'TAIN AT FH-TEEN. Invad that Dick Sand olTerod it lirst, l)ut to a half-tub which ooiitainocl a little fresh water. ''This j)()()r animal is dyiii^ of thirst!" cried Pick Rand. The boat then sought a favorable jilace to board the " Wal- deck '' more easily, and for that pRr]iose it drew awav a feAV strokes. The dog evidently tiiought ti)at its rescuers did not wish to go on board, for he seized Dick Sand by his jacket, and his lamentable barks commenced again with a new strength. They understood it. Its pantomime and its language were as clear as a man's language could be. The boat was brought immediately as far as the larboard cat-head. '^Fhcro the two sailors moored ir firmly, while Ca])tain Hull and Dick Sand, setting foot on the deck at the same time as the dog, raised themselves, not without difiiculty, to the hatch which oixjned between the stumps of the two masts. By this hatch the two made their way into the hold. The "Waldcck's" hold, half full of water, contained no goods. The brig sailed with ballast — a ballast of sand which had slid to larboard and which helped to keep the ship on her side. On that head, then, there was no salvage to effect. "Nobody here," said Captain Hull. "Nobody," replied the novice, after having gone to the foremost part of the hold. But the dog, whicli was on the deck, kept on barking and seemed to call the captain's attention more imperatively. "Let us go up again," said Captain Hull to the novice. Both appeared again on the deck. The dog, running to them, sought to draw them to the ])00p. They followed it. There, in the squ.ire, five bodies — undoubtedly five corpses — were lying on the iloor. By the daylight which entered in waves by the opening, Captain Hull discovered the bodies of five negi'oes. Dick Sand, going from one to the other, thought he felt that the unfortunates were still breathing. " On board! on board!" cried Captain Hull. The two sailors who took care of the boat were called, and helped to carry the shipwrecked men out of the poop. This was not without difficulty, but two minutes after, the five blacks were laid in the boat, without being at all con- scious that any one was trying to save them. A few drops of A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 29 cordial, then a little fresh water prudently administered, might, perhaps, recall them to life. The "Pilgrim" remained a half cable's length from the wreck, and the boat would soon reach her. A girt-line was let down from the main-yard, and each of the blacks drawn up separately, rei:)osed at last on the "Pilgrim's" deck. The dog had accompanied them. " The unhappy creatures!" cried Mrs. Weldon, on perceiv- ing those poor men, who were only inert liodies. '* They are alive, Mrs. Weldon. We shall save them. Yes, we shall save them," cried Dick Sand. " What has happened to them?" demanded Cousin Bene- dict. "Wait till they can speak," replied Captain Hull, "and they will tell us their history. But, first of all, let lis make them drink a little water, in which we shall mix a few drops of rum." Then, turning round: "Negorol" he called. At that name the dog stood up as if it knew the sound, its hair bristling, its mouth open. Meanwhile, the cook did not appear. "Xegorol" repeated Captain IIull. The dog again gave signs of extreme fury. Xegoro left the kitchen. Hardly had he shown himself on the deck, than the dog sprang on him and wanted to Jum]) at his throat. With a blow from the poker with which he was armed, the cook drove away the animal, which some of the sailors suc- ceeded in holding. " Do you know this dog?" Captain Hull asked the master cook. " I?" replied Negoro. "T have never seen it." "That is singular," murmured Dick Sand. CHAPTER IV. THE SURVlV()i;s OV THE "WALDECK." The slave trade was frtill carried ou. on :i large scale, in all oquiiioctial Africa. Notwithsfandiiig tlic JMiglish ami I'rcncli crui.-crs, ships loaded with slaves leave th(! coasts of Aiignhi and Moz!aml)ique every year to transport negroes to various 30 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTKEN. l^arls of the world, and, it must be said, of the civilized world. Captain Hull was not ignorant of it. Though these parts were not ordinarily frcfiucnted by slave-ships, lie asked him- self if those blacks, whose salvage he had just effected, were not the survivors of a cargo of slaves that the " Waldeck " was going to sell to some Pacific colony. At all events, if that was "so, the blacks became free again by the sole act of setting foot on his deck, and he longed to tell it to them. ^[canwhile the most earnest care had been lavished on the ship- wrecked men from the " "Waldeck." Mrs. Wcldon, aided by ]S'an and Dick Hand, had administered to them a little of that good fresh water of which they must have been deprived for several days, and that, with some nourishment, suflllccd to re- store them to life. The eldest of these blacks— he might be about sixty years old — was soon able to speak, and he could answer in English the questions which were addressed to him. **The ship which carried you was run into?" asked Cap- tain Hull, first of all. " Yes,'' replied the old black. "Ten days ago our ship was struck, during a very dark night. "We were asleep " "But the men of the ' Waldeck ' — what has become of them?" *• They were no longer there, sir, when my companions and I reached the deck." "Then, was the crew able to jump on board the ship which struck the Waldcck?" demanded Captain Hull. " Perhaps, and we must indeed hope so for their sakes." "And that ship, after the collision, did it not return to pick you up?" "No." "Did she then go down herself?" " She did not founder," replied the old black, shaking his head, "for we could sec her running away in the night." This fact, which was attested by all tlie survivors of the "Waldeck," may appear incredible. It is onlj^ too true, however, that captains, after some terrible collision, due to their imprudence, have often taken flight without troubling themselves about the unfortunate ones whom they had jmt in danger, and Avithout endeavoring to carry assistance to them. That drivers do as much and leave to others, on the public way, the trouble of repairing the misfortune which they have A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEK. 31 caused, that is indeed to be condemned. Still, their victims are assured of findin£f immediate help. But, that men to men, abandon each other thus at sea, it is not to be believed, it is a shame I Meanwhile, Captain Hull knew several examples of such inhumanity, and he was oblig-ed to tell Mrs. AVeldon that such facts, monstrous as they might be, were unhappily not rare. Then, continuing: "Whence came the ' Waldeck?'" he asked. "From Melbourne.'"' "Then you are not slaves?" "Xo, sir!" the old black answered quickly, as he stood up straight. "We are subjects of the State of Pennsylvania, and citizens of free Americal" "My friends," replied Captain Hull, "believe me that you have not compromised your liberty in coming on board of the American brig, the 'Pilgrim.'" In fact, the five blacks which the " Waldeck " carried be- longed to the State of Pennsylvania. The oldest, sold in Africa as a slave at the age of six years, then brought to the United States, had been freed already many years ago by the Emancipation Proclamation. As to his companions, much younger than he, sons of slaves liberated before their birth, they were born free; no white had ever had the right of prop- erty over them. They did not even speak that " negro" lan- guage, which does not use the article, and only knows the in- finitive of the verbs — a language which has disappeared little by little, indeed, since the anti-slavery war. These blacks had, then, freely left the United States, and they were re- turning to it freely. As they told Captain Hull, they were engaged as laborers at an Englishman's whu owned a vast mine near Mell)Ourne, in Southern Australia. There they had passed three years, with great profit to tliemselves; their engagement ended, they had wished to return to America. They then had embarked on the "Waldeck." paying their passage like ordinary passengers. On the 5tli of December thov lett Mf'lbniiriio, and seventeen davs after, during a very black nigiit, the "Waldeck" had been struck by a large steamer. The blacks were in bed. A few seconds after the collision, which was terrible, they rushed on tlic deck. 32 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. Already ilio slii])'s lunsts hiid fallon, and the "Waldcck" was Iviiiii oil tlio side; but she would not sink, the ^viliel• not having invaded the hokl sufficiently to cause it. As to the ea})tain and crew of the "AValdeek," all had dis- a]iiieared, whether some luul been precipitated into tiie seu, whether others were caught on the rigging of the colliding ship, which, after the collision, had iled to return no more. Tlie live blacks were left alone on board, on a half-capsized liuU, twelve hundred miles from any land. The oldest of the negroes was named Tom. His age, as well as his energetic cliaracter, and his experience, often put to the ]iroof during a long life of labor, made him tlie natu- ral head of the companions who were engaged with hirn. The other blacks were young men from twenty-five to thirty years old, whose names were, Bat (abbreviation of Bar- tholoniew), son of old Tom, Austin, Acteon, and Hercules, all four Avell made and vigorous, and who would bring a high price in the markets of Central Africa. Even though they had suffered terribly, one could easily recognize in them mag- nificent specimens of that strong race, on wliich a liberal education, drawn from the numerous schools of North America, had already impressed its seal. Tom and his comi)anions tlien found themselves alone on tne " Waldeck" after the collision, having no means of rais- ing that inert hull, without even power to leave it, because the two boats on board luul been shattered in the boarding. They were reduced to waiting for the passage of a ship, while the wreck drifted little by little under the action of the cur- rents. This action explained why she had been encountered so far out of her course, for the " Waldeck," having left Mel- bourne, ought to be found in much lower latitude. During the ten days which elapsed between the collision and the moment w^hcn' the "Pilgrim" arrived in sight of the shipwrecked vessel, the five blacks were sustained by some food which they had found in the office of the landing-place. But, not being able to penetrate into the steward's room, which the water entirely covered, they had had no spirits to quench their thirst, and they had suffered cruelly, the water casks fastened to the deck having been stove in by the col- lision. Since the night before, Tom and his companions, tortured by thir':t, had become unconscious. Such was the recital which Tom gave, in a few^ words, to Captain Hull. There was no reason to doubt the veracity of A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEIs". 33 the old black. Ilis comi^anions confirmed all that he had said; besides, the facts pleaded for the poor men. Another living beii>g, saved on the wreck, would doubtless have spoken with the same sincerity if it had been gifted with speech. It was that dog, that the sight of Negoro seemed to affect in such a disagreeable manner. There was in that some truly inexplicable antipathy. Dingo — that was the name of the dog — belonged to that race of mastiffs which is peculiar to Xew Holland. It was not in Australia, however, that the captain of the "Waldeck" had found it. Two years before Dingo, wandering half dead of hunger, had l)een met on the western coast of Africa, near the mouth of the Congo. The captain of the "Waldeck" had picked up this fine animal, who, being not very sociable, seemed to be always regretting some old master, from whom he had been violently separated, and wJiom it would be im- possible to find again in that desert countr\'. S. V. — those two letters engraved on his collar — Avere all that linked this animal to a past, whoso mystery one would seek in vain to solve. Dingo, a magnificent and robust beast, larger than the dogs of the Pyrenees, was then a superlj specimen of the New Hol- land variety of mastiffs. AVhen it stood up, throwing its head hack, it equalled the height of a man. Its agility — its muscular strengtli, would be sufficient for one of those ani- mals which Avithout hesitation attack jaguars and panthers, anect me to look for, if not insects?" " Insects! Faith, I must agree with you; but it is not at sea that you will enrich your collection." " And why not, sir? It is not impossible to find on board some specimen of " "Cousin Benedict," said Mrs. Weldon, "do you then slander Captain Hull? His ship is so well kept, that you will return enii)ty-huiided from your lumt." Captain llull began to laugh. "Mrs. Weldon exaggerates," replied he. "However, Mr. Benedict, I believe you will lose your time rummaging in our cabins." "Ah I I know it well," cried Cousin lienedict, shrugging his shoulders. " I have had a good search " " I'.iit, in tlie 'I'ilgrim's' hold," continued Captain Hull, 38 A CAITAIX AT I'lFTEEN. " porhn]>>; you will find somo cockroaches — subjects of little interest, however." "Of little interest, those nocturnal orthopters which have incMirnnl the maledictions of Virgil and Horace!" retorted Cousin Benedict, standing up straight. "Of little interest, those near relations of the ' jieriplaneta orientalis' and of the American kakerlac, which inhalVit " " Which infest!" said Captain Hull. "Which reign on board!" retorted Cousin Benedict, fiercely. " Amiable sovereignty!" "Ah! you are not an entomologist, sir?" "Never at my own expense." " Now, Cousin Benedict," said Mrs. Weldon, smiling, " do not wish us to be devoured for love of science." " I Avish nothing. Cousin Weldon," replied the fiery en- tomologist, " except to be able to add to my collection some rare subject which might do it honor." " Are you not satisfied, then, with the conquests that you have made in Ncav Zealand?" "Yes, truly, Cousin Weldon. I have been rather fortu- nate in conquering one of those new staphylins which till now had only been found some hundreds of miles further, in New Caledonia." At that moment Dingo, who was playing with Jack, ap- proached Cousin Benedict, gamboling. "Go away! go away!" said the latter, pirshing off the animal. " To love cockroaches and detest dogs!" cried Captain Hull. "Oh! Mr. Benedict!" " A good dog, notwithstanding," said little Jack, taking Dingo's great head in his snuxll hands. "Yes. I do not say no," replied Cousin Benedict. "But what do you want? This devil of an animal has not realized the lio])es I conceived on meeting it." "Ah! my goodness!" cried Mrs. Weldon, "did you, then, hope to be able to classify it in the order of the dijjters or the hymenopters?" "No," replied Cousin Benedict, seriously. "But is it not true that this Dingo, though it be of the New Zealand race, was picked up on the western coast of Africa?" "Nothing is more true," replied ^Irs. Weldon, "and Tom hiid often heard tlie cai)tain of the ' Waldeck ' say so." A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN". 39 " Well, I had thought — I had hoped — that this dog would have brought away some specimens of hemipteres peculiar to the African fauna." "Merciful heavensi'' cried Mrs. Weldon. "And that perhaps," added Cousin Benedict, "some pene- trating or irritating flea — of a ncAV species " "Do A'ou understand, Dingo?" said Captain Hull. "Do you understand, my dog? You have failed in all your duties!" "But I have examined it well," added the entomologist, with an accent of deep regret. " I have not been able to find a single insect." "Which you would have immediately and mercilessly put to death, I hope!" cried Captain Hull. " Sir," replied Cousin Benedict, dryly, " learn that Sir John Franklin made a scruple of killing the smallest insect, be it a mosquito, whose attacks are otherwise formidable as those of a flea; and meanwhile you will not hesitate to allow, that Sir John Franklin was a seaman who was as good as the next." " Surely," said Captain Hull, bowing. " And one day, after being frightfully devoured by a dipter. he blew and sent it away, saying to it, without even using thou or thee: ' Go! the world is large enough for you and for me!'" "Ah!" ejaculated Captain HulL "Yes sir." "AVell, Mr. Benedict," retorted Captain Hull, "another had said that long before Sir John Franklin." "Another?" " Yes; and that other was Uncle Toby." "An entomologist!''" asked Cousin Benedict, quickly. "No! Sterne's Uncle Toby, and that worthy uncle pro- nounced ])recise]y the same words, while setting free a mos- quito that annoyed him, but which he thought himself at liberty to thee and ihon : ' Go, poor devil,' he said to it, ' the world is large enough to contain us, thee and me!' " "An honest man, that Uncle Toby!" replied Cousin Bene- dict. " Is he dead?" " I believe so, indeed," retorted Captain Hull, gravely, "us he has never existed!" And each began to laugh, looking at Cousin Benedict. "J'hus, then, in these conversations, and many others, which 40 A CAl^AIN AT FlliTEEN. invariably horo on ponie })()in( of oniomolofjical science, when- ever CVnusin Jienedict took ])art, ])a.s8ed away long honrs of tliis navigtition against contrary winds. The sea always fine, but winds which obliged tlie schooner to tack often. The " IMlgriin " made very little headway toward tlie east — the breeze was so feeble; and they longed to reach those parts w'here the pi'cvailing winds would be more favorable. It mnst be stated here that Cousin Benedict liad endeavored lo initiate the young novice into the mysteries of entomology. But Dick Sand had shown himself ratlier refractory to these advances. For want of better comjiany the savant had fallen back on the negroes, who comprehended nothing about it. Tom, Acteon, Bat, and Austin had even finished by deserting the class, and the professor found himself reduced to Hercules alone, wlio seemed to bim to have some natural disposition to distinguish a i)arasite from a thysanuran. So the gigantic black lived in the world of coleopters, car- nivorous insects, hunters, gunners, ditchers, cicindelles, carabes, syli)hides. moles, cockshafers, horn-beetles, tene- brions, mites, lad3'-birds, studying all Cousin Benedict's col- lection, not but the latter trembled on seeing his frail speci- mens in Hercules' great hands, which were hard and strong as a vise. But the colossal pupil listened so (piietly to the ])rofessor's lessons that it was worth risking something to give them. AVliile Cousin Benedict worked in that manner, Mrs. Wel- don did not leave little Jack eiitirely unoccupied. She taught him to read and to write. As to arithmetic, it was liis friend Dick Sand who inculcated the first elements. At the age of five, one is still only a little child, and is per- . haps better instructed by ])ractical games than by theoretical lessons necessarily a little arduous. Jack learned to read, not in a prime, but by means of movable letters, printed in red on cubes of wood. He amused himself by arranging the blocks so as to form words. Some- times ^[rs. Weldon took these cul)es and comi)osed a word; then she disarranged them, and it was for Jack to replace them in the oider required. The little boy liked this manner of learning to read very much. Each da}^ he passed some hours, sometimes in the cabin, sometimes on the deck, in arranging and disarranging the letters of liis alphabet. A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 41 Now, one day this led to an incident so extraordinary, so unexpected, that it is necessary to relate with some detail. It was on the mornincr of February 9th, Jack, half-lyinp; on the deck, was amusing himself forming a word which old Tom was to put together again, after the letters had been mixed. Tom, with his hand over his eyes so as not to cheat, as he agreed, would see nothing, and did see nothing of the work of the little boy. Of these different letters, about fifty in number, some were large, others small. Besides, some of these cubes carried a figure, which taught the child to form numbers as well as to form words. These cubes were arranged on the deck, and little Jack was taking sometimes one, sometimes another, to make a word — a truly great labor. Xow, for some moments. Dingo was moving round the young child, when suddenly it stopped. Its eyes became fixed, its right paw was raised, its tail wagged convulsively. Then, suddenly throwing itself on one of the cubes, it seized it in its mouth and laid it on the dock a fev/ steps from Jack. Tliis cube bore a large letter — tlie letter S. "Dingo, well Dingol" cried the little boy, who at first was afraid that his S was swallowed by the dog. But Dingo had returned, and. beginning the same i)erform- ance again, it seized another cube, and went to lay it near the first. This second cube was a large Y. This time Jack gave a cry. At this cry, Mrs. "Weldon, Captain Hull, and the young novice, who were walking on the deck, assembled. Little Jack then told them what had just passed. Dingo knew its letters; Dingo knew how to read! That was very certain, tliat! Jack had seen it! Dick Sand wanted to go and take the two cubes, to restore them to his friend Jack, but Dingo shoAved him its teeth. However, tlie novice succeeded in gaining possession of the two cul)es, and he re])laced them in the set. Dingo advanced again, seized again the same two letters, and carried them to a distance. 'J'his time its two ])aws lay on them; it seemed decided to guard them at all hazards. As to the other letters of the al])hahet, it did not seem as if it had any knowledge of them. " That is a curiou.s thing," said Mrs. Weldon. 43 A CAITAIN AT FIFTEEN. " Tt is, in fact", very siiiaulnr,"' ro])li(Ml Captain Hull, avLo was looking attentively at the two letters. "S. v.," said .Alrs.'Weldon. "8. v.," rei)eated (Captain Hull. " Pnit those are pre- cisely the letters which are on Dingo's collar!'' Then, all at once, tnrning to the old black: "Tom," he asked, " have you not told me that this dog only belonged to the captain of the ' Waldeek' for a short time?" "In fact, sir," replied Tom, "Dingo was only on board two years at the most." " And have yon not added that the captain of the ' Wal- deek ' had picked up this dog on the western coast of Africa?" " Yes, sir, in the neighborhood of the mouth of the Congo. I have often heard the captain say so." " So," asked Captain Hull, " it has never been known to whom this dog had belonged, nor whence it came?" "Never, sir. A dog found is worse than a child! That has no papers, and, more, it cannot ex])lain." Caj)tain Hull was silent, and reflected. "Do those two letters, then, awake some remembrance?" Mrs. Weldon asked Captain Hull, after leaving him to his reflections for some moments. " Yes, Mrs. AVeldon, a remembrance, or rather a coinci- dence at least singular." "What?" " Those two letters might well have a meaning, and fix for us the fate of an intrepid traveler." "What do you mean?" demanded Mrs. Weldon. "Here is Avhat I mean, Mrs. AVeldon. In 1871 — conse- quently two years ago — a French traveler set out, under the auspices of the Paris Geographical Society, with the inten- tion of crossing Africa from the west to the east. His point of departure was precisely the mouth of the Congo. His point of arrival would be as near as possible to Cape Deldago, at the mouths of the Rovuma, whose course he would de- scend. Kow, this French traveler was named Samuel Ver- non." " Samuel Yernon !" repeated Mrs. Weldon. "Yes, Mrs. Weldon; and those two names begin precisely by those two letters whicli Dingo has chosen among all the others, and which are engraved (m its collar." "Exactly," replied Mrs. Weldon. "And that trav- eler " THK ORACEKfl, tlAZKI.I.EH. WITH HMAI.I.. HIIAKP HKIISS. PASHKI) Wmi Tllli HAi'iiiiTY OK A WATEB-BPOL'T.— .See y«/'as not dangerous for his men and for him to at- tack a whale under those circumstances. "Xo, Mrs. Weldon," replied Captain Hull. "More than once it has been my lot to hunt the whale with a single boat, and I have always finished by taking possession of it. I re- peat it, there is no danger for us, nor, consequently, for your- self." Mrs Welo know, ;in additional crew, hired at the sta- tions of ^'ew Zealand, came to the assistance of the "Pil- grim's " sailors. Now, in the present circumstances, the "Pilgrim" could only furnish the live sailors on board — that is, enough to arm a single wliale-boat. To utilize the group of Tom and his friends, who had olTcrcd themselves at once, was impossible. In fact, the working of a fishing pirogue requires very well trained seamen. A false move of the helm, or a false stroke of an oar, would be enough to conii)romise the safety of the whale-boat during an attack. On the other hand. Captain Hull did not wish to leave his ship without leaving on board at least one man from the crew, in wliom he had confidence. It was necessary to })rovide for all eventualities. Xow C'ajjtain Hull, obliged to choose strong seamen to man the wliale-boat, was forced to put on Dick Sand the care of guarding the *' Pilgrim." ** I)ick," said he to him. "I shall charge you to remain on board during my absence, which I lu)i)e Avill be short." " Well, sir," rej)lied the young novice. Dick Sand would have wished to take part in tliis fishing, which had a gi-eat attraction for him, })ut he understood that, for one reason, a man's arms were worth more than his for service in a whale-boat, and that for another, he alone could replace Captain Hull. So he was satisfied. The Avh ale-boat's crew must be composed of the five men, including the master, Ilowik, wiiich formed the whole crew of the "Pilgrim." The four sailors were going to take their places at the oars, and llowik Avould hold the stern oar, which serves to guide a boat of this kind. A simple rudder, in fact, would not have a prompt enough action, and in case the side oars should be disabled, the stern oar, well handled, could put the whale- boat beyond the reach of the monster's blows. There was only Cajitain Hull besides. He had reserved to himself the post of harpooner, and, as he had said, this would not be his first attempt. It was he who must first throw the harpoon, then watch the unrolling of the long line fastened at its end; then, finally finish the animal with spears, when it should return to the surface of the ocean. Whalers sometimes employ firearms for this kind of fishing. By means of a special instrument, a sort of small cannon, stationed cither on board the ship or at the front of the boat, A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". 55 they throw either a harpoon, which draws with it the rope fastened to its end, or explosive balls, which produce great ravages in the body of the animal. But the "Pilgrim" was not furnished with apparatus of this kind. This was, besides, an instrument of high price, rather difficult to manage, and fishermen, but little friendly to innovations, seem to prefer the employment of primitive weapons, which they use skilfully — that is to say, the har- poon and spear. It was then by the usual method, attacking the whale with the sword, that Captain Hull was going to attempt to cap- ture the jubarte signaled five miles from his ship. Besides, the weather would favor this expedition. The sea, being very calm, was propitious for the working of a whale- boat. The wind was going down, and the " Pilgrim " would only drift in an insensible manner while her crew were occu- pied in the offing. So the starboard whale-boat was immediately lowered, and the four sailors went into it. llowik passed them two of those long spears which serve as harpoons, then two long lances with sharp points. To those offensive arms he added five coils of those strong flexi- ]>le ropes that the whalers call "lines," and Avhich measure six hundred feet in length. Less would not do, for it some- times happens that these cords, fastened end to end, are not enough for the " demand," the whale plunges down so deep. Such were the different weapons which were carefully dis- posed in the front of the boat. Ilowick and the four sailors only waited for the order to let go the rope. A single place was vacant in the prow of the whale-boat — that wjiicli Captain Hull would occuj)y. It is needless to say that the "Pilgrim's" crew, before qnitting her, liad brought the shi])'s sails aback. In other words, the yards were braced in such a manner that the sails, counteructing their action, kept the vessel almost stationary. Just as lie Avas about to embark. Captain Hull gave a last glance at his ship. He was sure that all was in order, the lialliards wt'll turned, the sails suitably trinimcd. As he was leaving i\w young novice on board during an absence which niiL'ht last several hours, he wished, with a good reason, that unless for s(»ni(! urgent cause, Dick Sand would not have to execute a single nianuuvre. 56 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. At tlic moment of departing lie gave the young man some last words of advice. " Dick," said he, " I leave you alone. Watch over every- thing. If, as is possible, it should become necessary to get the slii}) under way, in case we should be led too far in pur- suit of this jubarte, Tom and his companions could come to your aid perfectly well. After telling them clearly what they would have to do, I am assured that they would do it." "Yes, Captain Hull," replied old Tom, "and Mr. Dick can count on us." "Command! command!" cried Bat. " AYe have such a strong desire to make ourselves useful." " On what must we pull?" asked Hercules, turning up the large sleeves of his jacket. "On nothing just now," replied Dick Sand, smiling. "At your service," continued the colossus. " Dick," continued Captain Hull, " the weather is beauti- ful. The wind has gone down. There is no indication that it will freshen again. Above all, whatever nuiy happen, do not put a boat to sea, and do not leave the ship." "Thatistinderstood." " If it should become necessary for the ' Pilgrim ' to come to us, I shall make a signal to you, by hoisting a flag at the end of a boat-hook." "licst assured, captain, I shall not lose sight of the whale- boat," replied Dick Sand. " Good, my boy," replied Captain Hull. " Courage and cool- ness. Behold yourself assistant captain. Do honor to your grade. Xo one has been such at your age!" Dick Sand did not reply, but he blushed while smiling. Captain Hull understood that blush and that smile. " The honest boy!" he said to himself; " modesty and good humor, in truth, it is just like him!" Meanwhile, by these urgent recommendations, it was plain that, even though there would be no danger in doing it, Cap- tain Hull did not leave his ship willingly, even for a few hours. But an irresistible fisherman's instinct, above all, the strong desire to complete his cargo of oil, and not fall short of the engagements made by James W. Weldon in Yaljiaraiso, all that told him to attempt the adventure. Besides, that sea, so fine, was marvelously conducive to the pursuit of a cetacean. Neither his crew nor he could resist such a tempta- tion. The fishing cruise would be finally complete, and this A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 57 last consideration touched Captain Hull's heart above every- thing. Captain Hull went toward the ladder. "I wish you success," said Mrs. Weldon to him. ''Thank vou, Mrs.- Weldon."' "I beg you, do not do too much harm to the poor whale," cried little Jack. "No, my boy," replied Captain Hull. ''Take it very gently, sir." " Yes — with gloves, little Jack." "Sometimes," observed Cousin Benedict, "we find rather curious insects on the back of these large mammals." "Well, Mr. Benedict," replied Captain Hull, laughing, " you shall have the right to ' entomologize ' when our jubarte will be alongside of the 'Pilgrim.'" Then turning to Tom: " Tom, I count on your companions and you," said he, " to assist us in cutting up the wliale, when it is lashed to the ship's hull — wliich will not be long." " At vour disposal, sir," replied the old black. "Good!" replied Captain Hull. " Dick, these lionest men will aid you in preparing the empty barrels. During our absence they will bring them on deck, and by this means the work will go fast on our return." , " That shall ])e done, captain." For the benefit of those who do not know, it is necessary to say tbat the jubarte, once dead, must be towed as far as (he " Pilgrim." and firmly lashed to her starboard side. Then the sailors, shod in boots, with cramp-hooks would take their places on the back of the enormous cetacean, and cut it up melbodically in parallel bands marked off from the head to the tail. These bands would be then cut across in slices of a foot and a half, then divided into pieces, which, after being stowed in the barrels, would be sent to the bottom of the hold. Generally the whaling ship, when the fishing is over, man- ages to land as soon as possible, so as to finish her manipula- tions. The crow lands, and then proceeds to molt the lard, which, uiuler tho a<-ti()n of the heat, gives up all its useful jiart — that is, the oil. In tl)is operation, the whale's lard weighs abont a third of its weight. liut, undor )u-osent f;ircumstancerf, Cajitain Hull could not dream of i)utting back to finish that operation. He only 58 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEJnT. counted on meltinf]; this (inuntity of lard at Valparaiso. Be- sides, with Avinds wliicli could not fail to hail from tlic west, he hoped to nuike the American coast before twenty days, and that lapse of time could not compromise the results of his fishing. The moment for setting out had come. Before the " Pil- grim's " sails had been brought aback, she had drawn a little nearer to the ]ilace where the jubarte continued to signal its presence by jets of vapor and water. The jubarte was all this time swimming in the middle of the vast red field of crustaceans, opening its large mouth automatically, and absorbing at each draught myriads of ani- malcules. According to the experienced ones on board, there was no fear that the whale dreamt of escaping. It was, doubtless, what the whalers call a "fighting" whale. Captain Hull strode over the netting, and, descending the rope ladder, he reached the prow of the whale-boat. Mrs. Weidon, Jack, Cousin Benedict, Tom, and his com- panions, for a last time wished the captain success. Dingo itself, rising on its paws and passing its head above the railing, seemed to wish to say good-bye to the crew. Then all returned to the i)row, so as to lose none of the very attractive movements of such a fishing. The whale-boat put off, and, under the impetus of its four oars, vigorously handled, it began to distance itself from the "Pilgrim." "AVatch well, Dick, watch well!" cried Captain Hull to the young novice for the last time. "Count on me, sir." " One eye for the ship, one eye for the whale-boat, my boy. Do not forget it." "That shall be done, captain," replied Dick Sand, who went to take his place near the helm. Already tlie light boat was several hundred feet from the ship. Captain Hull, standing at the prow, no longer able to make himself heard, renewed his injunctions by the most ex- pressive gestures. It was then that Dingo, its paws still resting on the railing, gave a sort of lamentable bark, which would have an unfavor- aljlc efTect upon men somewhat given to superstition. That bark even made Mrs. Weidon shudder. " TIIEKK— THEnK:" CKIKD TOM, " ON THOME TKEES -HLOOD-8TAINS I— AND— ON TiiE oiiouND— MUTILATED LIMBS !"—5ee puge 157. A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". 59 ''Dingo," said she, "Dingo, is that the way you encourage your friends? Come, now, a fine bark, very clear, very sonor- ous, very joyful." But the dog barked no more, and, letting itself fall back on its paws, it came slowly to Mrs.Weldon, whose hand it licked affectionately. " It does not wag its tail," murmured Tom in a low tone. "Bad sign — bad sign." But almost at once Dingo stood up, and a howl of anger escaped it. Mrs. Weldon turned round. Xegoro had just left his quarters, and was going toward the forecastle, with the intention, no doubt, of looking for him- Belf at the movements of the whale-boat. Dingo rnshed at the head cook, a prey to the strongest as well as to the most inexplicable fury. Negoro seized a hand-spike and took an attitude of defence. The dog was going to spring at his throat. "Here, Dingo, here!" cried Dick Sand, who, leaving his post of observation for an instant, ran to the prow of the ship. Mrs. Weldon, on her side, sought to calm the dog. Dingo obeyed, not without repugnance, and returned to the young novice growling secretly. Xegoro had not pronounced a smgle word, but his face had grown pale for a moment. Letting go of his hand-spike, he regained his cabin. " Hercules," then said Dick Sand, "I charge you especially to watch over that man," " I shall watch," simply replied Hercules, clenching his two enormous fists in sign of assent. Mrs. Weldon and Dick Sand then turned their eyes again on the whale-boat, which the four oarsmen bore rapitlly away. It was nothing but a sj)eck on the sea. CHAPTER VIII. T II E J U B A K T K , Caitaix Ilii-L, an cxijcrienced whaler, would leave noth- ing to chance. The cajjlurc of a jubartc is a diflicult thing. Ko j)recaiition ought to be ncghcted. None was in this case. And, first of all. C;i])taiii Hull sailed so as to come uj) lo GO A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. tlio wliale on the leeward, so that no noise might disclose the boat's a]>proac']i. llowik tlion stcorod the whalo-hout, following the rather elongated eiirve of that reddish shoal, in the midst of which floated the jubarte. They would thus turn the curve. The boatswain, set over this Avork, was a seaman of great coohicss, who ins])ired Captain Hull with every confidence. He had not to fear either hesitation or distraction from llowik. '•■ Attention to the steering, llowik," said Captain Hull. *'We are going to try to surprise the jubarte. We will only show ourselves when we are near enough to harpoon it." ''That is understood, sir," replied the boatswain. ''I am going to follow the contour of these reddish waters, so as to keep to the leeward." "Good I" said Captain Hull. " Boys, as little noise as possible in rowing." The oars, carefully muffled with straw, worked silently. The boat, skilfully steered by the boatswain, had reached the large shoal of crustaceans. The starboard oars still sank in the green and limpid water, while those to larboard, raising the reddish liquid, seemed to rain drops of blood. "Wine and water!" said one of the sailors. " Yes," replied Captain Hull, " but water that we cannot drink, and wine that we cannot swallow. Come, boys, let us not speak any more, and heave closer!" The whale-boat, steered by the boatswain, glided noise- lessly on the surface of those half -greased waters, as if it were floating on a bed of oil. The jubarte did not budge, and did not seem to have yet perceived the boat, which described a circle around it. Captain Hull, in making the circuit, necessarily went far- ther from the "Pilgrim," which gradually grew smaller in the distance. This rapidity with which objects diminish at sea has always an odd etfect. It seems as if we look at them shortened through the large end of a telescope. This optical illusion evidently takes place because there are no points of comparison on these large spaces. It was thus with the " Pilgrim," which decreased to the eye and seemed already much more distant than she really was. Half an hour after leaving her, Caj)tain Hull and his com- l)anioiis found themselves exactly to the leeward of the whale, A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 61 SO that tlie latter occupied an intermediate point between the ship and the boat. So the moment had come to approach, while making as lit- tle noise as possible. It was not impossible for tliem to get beside the animal and harpoon it at good range, before its at- tention would be attracted. "Row more slowly, boys," said Captain Hull, in a low voice. "It seems to me," replied Howik, " that the gudgeon sus- pects something. It breathes less violently than it did just now!'' "Silencel silence!" repeated Captain HuH. Five minutes later the whale-boat was at a cable's length from the jubarte. A cable's length, a measui-e peculiar to the sea, comprises a length of one hundred and twenty fath- oms, that is to say, two hundred meters. The boatswain, standing aft, steered in such a manner as to approach the left side of the mammal, but avoiding, with the gi-eatest care, passing within reach of the formidable tail, a single blow of which would be enough to crush the boat. At the prow Captain Hull, his legs a little apart to main- tain his equilibrium, held the weapon with which he was go- ing to give the first blow. They could count on his skill to fix that harpoon in the thick mass which emerged from the waters. Near the captain, in a pail, was coiled the first of the five lines, firmly fastened to the harpoon, and to Avhich they would successively join the other four if the whale plunged to great depths. "Are we ready, boys?" murmured Captain Hull. " Yes," replied Howik, grasping his oar firmly in his large hand;:. "Alongside! alongside!" The boatswain obeyed the order, and the whale-boat came witliin less than ton feet of the animal. The latter no longer moved, and seemed asleep. Whales thus surprised while asleep offer an easier prize, and it r^ften happens that the first blow whicli is given wounds them mortally. "1'his immovableness is quite astonishing!" thought Cap- tain Hull. '* The rascal ought not to be asleep, and never- theless 'J'lierc is something there!" 62 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. Tlio boatswain Ihouglit llic same, and he tried to see the op])osite side of tlie animal. But it was not the moment to reflect, but to attack. Cajitain Hull, holding his har})Oon by the middle of the handlo, balanced it several times, to make sure of good aim, while he examined the jubartc's side. Then he threw it with all the strength of his arm. " Back, back I"' cried he at once. And the sailors, i)xilling together, made the boat recoil rap- idly, with the intention of prudently putting it in safety from the blows of the cetacean's tail. But at that moment a cry from the boatswain made them understand why the whale was so extraordinarily motionless for so long a time on the surface of the sea. •* A young whalel"' said he. In fact, the jubarte, after having been struck by the har- poon, was almost entirely overturned on the side, thus dis- covering a young wliale, which she was in process of suckling. This circumstance, as Captain Hull Avell knew, would ren- der the capture of the jubarte much more difficult. The mother was evidently going to defend herself with gi-eater fury, as much for herself as to protect her "little one" — if, indeed, we can apply that epithet to an animal which did not measure less than twentv feet. jMeanwhile, the jubarte did not rush at the boat, as there was reason to fear, and there was no necessity, before taking flight, to quickly cut the line which connected tlie boat with the harpoon. On the contrary, and as generally happens, the whale, folloAved by the young one, dived, at first in a very cblique line; then, rising again with an immense bound, she commenced to cleave the waters with extreme rapidity. But, before she had made her first plunge. Captain Hull and the boatswain, both standing, had had time to see her, and consequently to estimate her at her true value. This jubarte was, in reality, a whale of the largest size. From the head to the tail, she measured at least eighty feet. Her skin, of a vellowish brown, was much varied Avith numer- ous spots of a darker brown. It would indeed be a pity, after an attack so happily begun, to be under the necessity of abandoning so rich a prey. The pursuit, or rather the towing, liad commenced. The whale-boat, whose oars had been raised, darted like an arrow Avhile swinging on the tops of the waves. A CAPTAI2f AT FIFTEEN. 63 Howik kept it steady, notwithstanding those rapid and frightful oscillations. Captain Hull, his eye on his prey, did not cease making his eternal refrain : "Be -watchful. Howik, be watchful!" And they could be sure that the boatswain's vigilance would not be at fault for an instant. Meanwhile, as the whale-boat did not fly nearly as fast as the whale, the line of the harpoon spun owi with such rapidity that it Avas to be feared that it would take fire in rubbing against the edge of the whale-boat. So Captain Hull took care to keep it damp, by filling with water the pail at the bottom of which the line was coiled. All this time the jubarte did not seem inclined to stop her flight, nor willing to moderate it. The second line was then lashed to the end of the first, and it was not long before it was played out with the same velocity. At the end of five minutes it was necessary to join on the third line, which ran off under the water. The jubarte did not stop. The harpoon had evidently not penetrated into any vital jiart of the body. They could even observe, by the increased obliquity of the line, that the ani- mal, instead of returning to the surface, was sinking into lower depths. "The devil!" cried Captain Hull, "but that rascal will use up our five lines!" " And lead us'to a good distance from the ' Pilgrim,' " re- plied the boatswain. " Nevertheless, she must return to the surface to breathe," replied Captain Hull. " She is not a fish, and she must have the provision of air like a common individual." "She has held her breath to run better," said one of the sailors, laughing. In fact, the line was unrolling all the time with equal rapidity. To the third line, it was soon necessary to join the fourth, and that was not done without making the sailors somewhat anxious touching their future ])art of tlio ])rize. "The devil! the devil!" murmured Captain Hull. "I have never seen anything like that! Devilish jubarte!" Finally, the fifth line had to be let out, and it was already half unrolled when it seemed to slnckeu. "(iood! good!" cried Captain Hull. "The line is less stiff! "^rhe jubai-to is getting tired." C4: A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". At tliat moinent, the " F''ilfrrim " was more than five miles to tlie leeward of the whale-boat. Captain Hull, hoisting a Hag at the end of a boat-hook, gave the signal to come nearer. And almost at once, he could see that Dick Sand, aided by Tom and his companions, commenced to brace the yards in such a manner as to trim them close to the wind. But the breeze was feeble and irregular. It only came in short puffs. Most certainly, the "Pilgrim" would have some trouble in joining the wliale-boat, if indeed she could reach it. Meanwhile, as they had foreseen, the jubarte had returned to the surface of the water to breathe, with the har- poon iixed in her side all the time. She then remained almost motionless, seeming to wait for her young whale, which this furious course must have left behind. Captain Hull made use of the oars so as to join her again, and soon he was only a short distance from her. Two oars were laid down and two sailors armed themselves, as the captain had done, with long lances, intended to strike the animal. HoAvik worked skilfully then, and held himself ready to make the boat turn rapidly, in case the whale should turn suddenly on it. "Attention!" cried Captain Hull. "Do not lose a blow! Aim well, boys! Are we ready, llowik?" "I am prepared, sir," replied the boatswain, "but one thing troubles me. It is that the beast, after having fled so rapidly, is very quiet now." "In fact, Howik, that seems to me suspicious. Let us be carcfull" " Yes, but let us go forward." Captain Hull grew more and more animated. The boat drew still nearer. The jubarte only turned in her place. Her young one was no longer near her; perhaps she was trying to find it again. Suddenly she made a movement with her tail, which took her thirty feet away. AVas she then going to take flight again, and must they take up this interminable pursuit again on the surface of the waters? "Attention!" cried Captain Hull. "The beast is going to take a spring and throw herself on us. Steer, Howik, steer!" A CAPTAI^r AT FIFTEEN. G5 The jubarte, in fact, had tiwned in such a manner as to present herself in front of the whale-boat. Then, beating the sea violently with her enormous fins, she rushed for- Avard. The boatswain, who expected this direct blow, turned in such a fashion that the jubarte passed by the boat, but with- out reaching it. Captain Hull and the two sailors gave her three vigorous thrusts on the passage, seeking to strike some vital organ. The jubarte stopped, and, throwing to a great height two columns of Avater mingled with blood, she turned anew on the boat, bounding, so to say, in a manner frightful to wit- ness. These seamen must have been expert fishermen, not to lose their presence of mind on this occasion. Howik again skilfully avoided the jubarte's attack, by dart- ing the boat aside. Three new blows, well aimed, again gave the animal three new wounds. But, in passing, she struck the water so roughly with her formidable tail, that an enormous wave arose, as if the sea were suddenly opened. The whale-boat almost capsized, and, the water rushing in over the side, it was half filled. " The bucket, the bucket I" cried Captain Hull. The two sailors, letting go their oars, began to bale out the boat rapidly, while the captain cut the line, now become use- less. Xol the animal, rendered furious by grief, no longer dreamt of flight. It was her turn to attack, and her agony threatfued to be terrible. A third time she turned round, " head to head," a seaman would say, and threw herself anew on the boat. lint the whale-boat, half full of water, could no longer move witli llic same facility. In this condition, how could it avoid the shock which threatened it? If it could be no longer steered, there was still less power to escape. And besides, no matter Ihjw (piickly the boat might ])e pro- pelled, the swift jubarte would have always overtaken it with a few bounds. It was no longer a question of attack, but of defense. Captain Hull understood it all. The third attack of the animal could not l)e entirely kept ofT. In passing she grazed the whale-boat with her enormous 66 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". dorsal fin, but with so imicli force that Howik was thrown clown from his bench. The three lances, unfortunately affected by the oscillation, this time missed their aim. "llowik! Howik!" cried C!ai)tain Hull, who himself had been hardly able to kccj) his place. "Present!" replied the boatswain, as he got up. But he then i)erceivcd that in his fall his stern oar had broken in the miildle. *' Another oar!*' said Captain Hull. *' I have one," replied HoAvik. At that moment, a bubbling took place under the waters only a few fathoms from the boat. Ihe young whale had just reappeared. The jubarte saw it, and rushed towards it. This circumstance could only give a more terrible character to the contest. The whale was going to fight for two. Captain Hull looked toward the " Pilgrim." His hand shook the boat-hook, which bore the flag, frantically. What could Dick Sand do that had not been already done at the first signal from the captain? The "Pilgrim's" sails were trimmed, and the wind commenced to fill them. Un- happily the schooner did not possess a helix, by which the action could be increased to sail faster. To lower one of the boats, and, with the aid of the blacks, row to the assistance of Hie captain, would be a considerable loss of time; besides, the novice had orders not to quit the ship, no matter what ha])pened. However, he had the stern- boat lowered from its pegs, and towed it along, so that the captain and his companions might take refuge in it, in case of need. At that moment the jubarte, covering the young whale ■with her body, had returned to the charge. This time she turned in sucl'i a manner as to reach the boat exactly. ''Attention, Howik!" cried Captain Hull, for the last time. But the boatsAvain was. so to speak, disarmed. Instead of a lever, whose length gave force, he only held in his hand an oar relatively short. He tried to put about; it was impossi- ble. The sailors knew that they were lost. All rose, giving a terrible cry, which was perhaps iieard on the "Pilgrim." A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN. 67 A terrible blow from the monster's tail had jnst struck the whale-boat underneath. The boat, thrown into the air with irresistible yiolence, fell back, broken in three pieces, in the midst of waves furiously lashed by the Avhale's bounds. The unfortunate sailors, although grievously wounded, would have had, perhaps, the strength to keep up still, either by swimming or by hanging on to some of the floating wreck. That is what Captain Hull did, for he was seen for a moment hoisting the boatswain on a wreck. But the jubarte, in the last degree of fury, turned round, sprang up, perhaps in the last pangs of a terrible agony, and with her tail she beat the ti-oul)led waters frightfully, where the unfortunate sailors were still swimming. For some minutes one saw nothing but a liquid water- spout scattering itself in sheafs on all sides. A quarter of an hour after, when Uick Sand, who, followed by the blacks, had rushed into the boat, had reached the scene of the catastrophe, every living creature had disap- peared. There was nothing left but some pieces of the whale-boat on the surface of the waters, red with blood. CHAPTER IX. CAPTAIN" SAND. The first impression felt by the passengers of the " Pil- grim " in presence of this terri])le catastrophe, Avas a com- bination of pity and horror. They only thought of this frightful death of Captain Hull and the five sailors. This fearful scene had Just taken place almost under their eyes, while they could do nothing to save the poor men. They luid not even been able to arrive in time to pick up the whale- ])oat'8 crew, their unfortunate companions, wounded, but still living, and to opT)osc the " Pilgi-ini'.s " hull to the ju- barte's f(;rn;idable blows. Captain Hull and his men had fur- ever disappeared. "Wheu the schooner arrived at the fatal place, Mrs. Weldon fell on her knees, her hands raised toward Heaven. " Tjct us prayl" said the pious Avoinan, She was joined by her little Jack, who threw himself on his knees, weeping, near his mother. The poor child under- stood it all. Dick Sand, Nan, Tom, and llic other l)Iacks re- mained standing, their heads bowed. All repeated the prayer G8 A CAPTAIN A% FIFTEEN. that Mrs. AVi'ldon iulilrosscd to God, recommoiiding to His iuliiiite goodiKvss tliose who liud just appeared before llim. Then Mrs. AV'eldon, turning to her companions, "And now, my friends,'' said she, "let us ask Heaven for strength and courage for ourselves." Yes! Thoj could not too earnestly implore the aid of Ilim who can do all things, for their situation was one of the gravest ! Thissliip wliich carried them had no longer a captain to command her, no longer a crew to work her. She was in the middle of that immense Pacific Ocean, hundreds of miles from any land, at the mercy of the winds and waves. What fatality then had brought that whale in the "Pil- grim's " course? What still greater fatality had urged the un- fortunate Captain Hull, generally so wise, to risk everything in order to complete his cargo? And what a catastrophe to count among the rarest of the annals of whale-fishing was this one, which did not allow of the saving of one of the whale-boat's sailors! Yes, it was a terrible fatality! In fact, there was no longer a seaman on board the "Pilgrim." Yes, one— Dick Sand— and he was only a beginner, a young man of fifteen. Cap- tain, boatswain, sailors, it may be said that the whole crew was now concentrated in him. On board there Avas one lady passenger, a mother and her son, whose ])resence would render the situation much more difficult. Then there were also some blacks, honest men, courageous and zealous without a doubt, ready to obey who- ever should undertake to command them, but ignorant of the 6imi)lest notions of the sailor's craft. Dick Sand stood motionless, his arms crossed, looking at the place where Captain Hull had just been swallowed up— Captain Hull, his protector, for whom he felt a filial affec- tion. Then his eyes searched the horizon, seeking to dis- cover some sliip, from Avliich he would demand aid and as- sistance, to which he might be aljlo at least to confide Mrs. Weldon. He would not abandon the " Pilgrim," no, indeed, without having tried his best to bring her into port. But Mrs. Weldon and her little boy Avould be in safety. He would have had nothing more to fear for those two beings, to whom ho was devoted body and soul. The ocean was deserted. Since the disappearance of the jubarte, not a speck came to alter tlie surface. All was sky A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN". G9 and water around the ** Pilgrim." Tlie young novice knew only too well that he was beyond the routes followed by the ships of commerce, and that the other whalers were cruising still farther away at the fishing-grounds. However, the question was, to look the situation in the .face, to see things as they were. That is what Dick Sand did, asking God, from the depths of his heart, for aid and succor. AVhat resolution was he going to take? At that moment Xegoro appeared on the deck, which he had left after the catastrophe. What had been felt in the presence of this irreparable misfortune by a being so enig- matical, no one could tell. He had contemplated the disaster without making a gesture, without departing from his speech- lessness. His eye had evidently seized all the details of it. But if at such a moment one could think of observing him, he would be astonished at least, because not a muscle of his impassable face had moved. At any rate, and as if he had not heard it, he had not responded to the pious appeal of Mrs. TVeldon, praying for the engulfed crew. Xegoro walked aft, there even where Dick Sand was standing motionless. He stopped three steps from the novice. "You wish to speak to me?" asked Dick Sand. "I wish to speak to Captain Hull," replied Negoro, coolly, "or, in his absence, to boatswain Howik." *' You know well that both have perished!" cried the novice. '' Then who commands on board now?" asked Xcgoro, very insolently. "I," replied Dick Sand, without hesitation. *' You I" said Xegoro, shrugging his shoulders. "A cap- tain of fifteen years?" "A captain of fifteen years!" replied the novice, advancing toward the cook. The latter drew back. ''Do not forget it," then said Mrs. Wcldon. ''There is but one captain here — Captain Sand, and it is Avell for all to remember that he will know how to make himself obeyed." Xogoro bowed, niiunuriiig in an ironical tone a few words that they could not understand, and he returned to his post. We see, Dick's resolution was iakcn. ^feanwbile the scliooner, under the action of tlie breeze, which commenced to freshen, had already passed beyond the vast slioal of crustaceuus. 70 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. Dick 8;in(l cxaniiTUHl tlie condition of the sails; then his evos were cast on the deck. He had then tliis sentiment, that, if a frijjhtfnl responsibility fell upon him in the future, it -was for him to have the strengtii to accept it. He dared to look at the survivors of the " Pilgrim," whose eyes -were now fixed on him. And, reading in their faces that he could count on them, he said to them in two words, that they could in their turn count on him. Dick Sand had, in all sincerity, examined his conscience. If he was capable of taking in or setting the sails of the schooner, according to circumstances, by employing the arms of Tom and his companions, he evidentlv did not yet possess all the knowledge necessary to determine his position by calculation. In four or five years more, Dick Sand would know thor- oughly that beautiful and difhcult sailor's craft. He would know how to use the sextant— that instrument which Captain Hull's hand had held every day, and which gave him the height of the stars. He would read on the chronometer the hour of the meridian of Green Avich, and from it would be able to deduce the longitude by the hour angle. The sun would be made his counsellor each day. The moon— the planets would say to him, '' I'here, on that point of the ocean, is thy ship!" That firmament, on which the stars move like the hands of a perfect clock, which nothing shakes nor can de- range, and whose accuracy is absolute— that firmament would tell him the hours and the distances. By astronomical obser- vations he would know, as his captain had known every day, nearly to a mile, the place occui)ied by the " Pilgrim," and the course followed as well as the course to follow. And now, by reckoning, that is by the progress measured on the log, pomted out by the compass, and corrected by the drift, he must alone ask his way. However, he did not falter. Mrs. Weldon understood all that was passing in the young novice's resolute heart. "Thank you. Dick," she said to liim, in a voice which did not tremble. " Captain Hull is no more. All his crew have ])erished with him. The fate of the ship is in your hands! Dick, you will save the ship and those on board !'^ *' Yes, Mrs. AVeldon," replied Dick Sand, "yes! I shall attempt it, with the aid of God!" A. CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 71 "Tom and his companions are honest men, on whom you can depend entirely." " I know it, and I shall make sailors of them, and we shall work together. With fine weather, that will be easy. With bad weather — well, Avith bad weather, we shall strive, and we shall save you vet, Mrs. Weldon — you and your little Jack, both! Yes, I feel that I shall do it." And he repeated: ''With the aid of God!" "Xow, Dick, can you tell where the ' Pilgrim' is?" asked Mrs, Weldon. " Easily," replied the novice. " I have only to consult the chart on board, on which her position was marked yesterday bv Captain Hull." " *• And will vou be able to put the ship in the right direc- tion?" "Yes, I shall be a1)le to put her prow to the east, nearly at the point of the American coast that we must reach." " But, Dick," returned Mrs. Weldon, "you Avell under- stand, do you not, that this catastrophe may, and indeed must, modifv our first projects? It is no longer a question of taking the ' Pilgrim ' to Valparaiso. The nearest port of the Amer- ican coast is now her port of destination." " Certainly, Mrs. Weldon," replied the novice. "So, fear nothing! AVe cannot fail to reach that American coast, which stretches so far to the south." "AVhcre is it situated?" asked Mrs. Weldon. "There, in tliat direction," replied Dick fTAIN AT FIFTEEN. CHAPTER X. THE FOUR DAYS WHICH FOLLOW. Dick Sand was then cajitain of the "Pilgrim," and with- out losing un instant, he took the necessary measures for putting the ship under full sail. It was well understood that the passengers could liave only one hope— that of reaching some part of the American coast, if not Valparaiso. AVhat Dick Sand counted on doing was to ascertain the direction and speed of the "Pilgrim," so as to get an average. For that, it was sufficient to make each day on the chart the way made, as it has heen said, by tlie log and the compass. There Avas then on board one of those "patent logs," with an index and helix, which give the speed very exactly for a fixed time. This useful instrument, very easily handled, could render the most useful services, and the blacks were perfectly adapted to work it. A single cause of error would interfere — the currents. To combat it, reckoning would be insufficient; astronomical ob- servations alone would enable one to render an exact calcula- tion from it. Now, those observations the young novice was still unable to make. For an instant Dick Band had thought of bringing the " Pilgrim " back to IS'cw Zealand. The passage would be shorter, and he would certainly have done it if the wind, Avhich, till then, had been contrary, had not become favora- ble. Better worth while then to steer for America. In fact, the wind had changed almost to the contrary direc- tion, and now it blew from the northwest with a tendency to freshen. It was then necessary to profit by it and make all the headway possible. 80 Dick Sand prepared to j)ut the " Pilgrim " under full sail. In a schooner brig-rigged, the foremast carries four square sails; the fore-sail, on the lower mast; above, the top-sail, on the topmast; then, on the top-gallant mast, a top-sail and a royal. The mainmast, on the contrary, has fewer sails. It only carries a brigantine below, and a fore-staffsail above. Be- tween these two masts, on the stays which support them at the prow, a triple row of triangular sails may be set. A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 75 Finally, at the prow, on the bowsprit, and its extreme end, were hauled the three Jibs. The jibs, the brigantine, the fore-staff, and the stay-sails are easily managed. They can be hoisted from the deck without tlie necessity of climbing the masts, because they are not fastened on the yards by means of rope-bands, Avliich must be previously loosened. On the contrary, the working of the foremast sails de- mands much greater proficiency in seamanship. In fact, when it is necessary to set them,"the sailors must chmb by the rigging — it may be in the fore-top, it may be on the spars of the top-gallant mast, it may be to the top 'of the said mast — and that, as well in letting them fly as in drawing them in to diminish their surface in reefing them. Thence the neces- sity of running out on foot-ropes — movable ropes stretched below the yards — of working with one hand while holding on by the other — perilous work for anyone who is not used to it. The oscillation from the rolling and pitching of the ship, very much increased by the length of the lever, the flapping of the sails under a stiff breeze, have often sent a man over- board. It was then a truly dangerous operation for Tom and his companions. Very fortunately, tlie wind was moderate. The sea had not yet had time to become rough. The rolling and pitching kept within bounds. AVhen Dick Sand, at Captain Hull's signal, had steered toward the scene of the catastrophe, the " Pilgrim " only car- ried her jibs, her brigantine, her fore-sail, and her top-sail. To get the ship under way as quickly as possible, the novice had only to make use of, that is, to counter-brace the fore- sail. T^he blacks had easily helped him in that manoeuvre. The question now was to get under full sail, and, to com- plete the sails, to hoist the top-sails, the royal, the fore-staff, and the stay-sails. •'My friends," said the novice to the five blacks, ''do as I tell you, and all will go right." Dick Sand was standing at the v/heel of the helm. " Go!" cried he. " Tom, let go that ro))e quicklvl" "Ix't go?" said Tom, who did not understand that expres- sion. "Yes, loosen it! Now you, ]'>at— the same thing! Good! 1 leave— haul taut. Lei us see, pull it in!" "Like that?" said Bat. 76 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEK. " Yes, like that. A'ery good. Come, Hercules — strong! A good pull there!'' To say "strong'' to Hercules was, perhaps, imprudent. The giant of course gave a pull that ))rought down the rope: *' Oh! not so strong, my honest fellow!'' cried Dick Sand, smiling. "You are going to bring dowji the masts!" "I have hardly pulled," replied Hercules. "Well, only make believe! You will see that that will be enough! Well, slacken — cast off! Make fast — make fast — like that! Good! All together! Heave — pull on the braces." And the Avhole breadth of the foremast, whose larboard braces had been loosened, turned slowly. The wind then swelling the sails imparted a certain speed to the ship. Dick Sand then liad the jib sheet-ropes loosened. Then he called the blacks aft: " Behold what is done, my friends, and well done. Now let us attend to the mainmast. But break nothing, Her- cules." "I shall try," replied the colossus, without being willing to promise more. This second operation was quite easy. The main-boom sheet-rope having been let go gently, the brigantine took the wind more regularly, and added its powerful action to that of the forward sails. The fore-statf was then set above the brigantine, and, as it is simply brailed up, there was nothing to do but bear on the rope, to haul aboard, then to secure it. But Hercules pulled Fo hard, along with his friend Acteon, without counting little Jack, who had joined them, that the rope broke olf. All three fell backwards — happily, without hurting them- selves. Jack was enchanted. "That's nothing! that's nothing!" cried the novice. "Fasten the two ends together for this time and hoist softly!" That was done under Dick Sand's eyes, while he had not yet left the helm. The " Pilgrim " was already sailing rap- idlv, headed to the east, and there was nothing more to be done but keep it in that direction. Nothing easier, because the wind was favorable, and Ini'ches were not to be feared. "Good, my friends!" said the novice. "You will be good sailors before the end of the voyage!" " We shall do our best, Captain Sand," replied Tom. Mrs. Weldon also complimented those honest men. A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEIsr. 77 Little Jack himself received his share of praise, for he had "Rorked bravely. "Indeed, I believe, Mr. Jack," said Hercules, smiling, ''that it was yon who broke the rope. What a good little fist you have. Without vou we should have done nothing right." __And little Jack, very proud of himself, shook his friend liercules's hand vigorously. The setting of the '" Pilgrim's" sails was not yet complete. She still lacked those top sails whose action is not to be de- spised under this full-sail movement. Top-sail, royal, stay- sails, would add sensibly to the schooner's speed, and Dick Sand resolved to set them. This operation would be more difficult than the others, not for the stay-sails, which could be hoisted, hauled aboard and fastened from below, but for the cross-Jacks of the foremast. It was necessary to climb to the spars to let them out, and Dick Sand, not wishing to expose any one of his improvised crew, undertook to do it himself. He then called Tom, and put him at the wheel, showing him how he should keep the ship. Then Hercules, Bat, Ac- teou and Austin being placed, some at the royal halyards, others at those of the top-sail, he proceeded up the mast. To climb the rattlings of the fore-shrouds, then the rattlings of the topmast-shrouds, to gain the spars, that was only play for the young novice. In a minute he was on the foot-rope of the top-sail yard, and he let go the rope-bands which kc})t the sail bound. Then he stood on the spars again, and climbed on the royal yard, where he let out the sail rajjidly. Dick Sand had finished his task, and, seizing one of the starboard back-stays, lie slid to the deck. There, under his directions, the two sails were vigorously liauled and fastened, then the two yards hoisted to the block. Tl)e stay-sails being set next between the mainmast and the foremast, the work was linished. Hercules had broken noth- ing this time. The " rilgrini " then curried all the sails lh;it e()m])()sed her rigging. Doubtless Dick Sand could still add the fore- mast studding-sails to larboard, but it was dinicull woi-k under the jmisent circumstances, and should it be necessary to take ihem in, in case (»f a sijuall. it could not be done fast enough. So tiie novice stojtjied there. 78 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. Tom was relieved from his post at tlie wheel, which Dick 8aml took charpo of af;:ain. The breeze freshened. The " Pilgrim," making a slight turn to starboard, glided rapidly over the surface of the sea, leaving behind her a very flat track, which bore witness to the ])urity of her water-line. " \\'e are w-ell under way, Mrs. Weldon," then said Dick Sand, *'and, now, may God preserve this favorable wind!" Mrs. Weldon ■|)ressed the young man's hand. Then, fatigued with all the emotions of that last hour, she sought her cabin, and fell into a sort of painful drowsiness, which was not sleej). The new crew remained on the schooner's deck, watching on the forecastle, and ready to obey Dick Sand's orders — that is to say, to change the set of the sails according to the varia- tions of the wind; but so long as the breeze kept both that force and that direction, there would be positively nothing to do. During all this time what had become of Cousin Benedict? Cousin Benedict was occupied in studying with a magnify- ing glass an articulate which he had at last found on board — a simple orthoptcr, wliose head disappeared under the pro- thorax; an insect Avith flat elytrums, with round abdomen, with rather long Avings, which belonged to the family of the roaches, and to the species of American cockroaches. It Avas exactly Avhile ferreting in Kegoro's kitchen, that he had made that precious discovery, and at the moment Avhen the cook was going to crush the said insect pitilessly. Thence anger, which, indeed, Negoro took no notice of. But this Cousin Benedict, did he knoAV Avhat change had taken place on board since the moment when Ca])tain Hull and his companions had commenced that fatal Avhale-fishing? Yes, certainly. He was even on the deck when the 'Til- grim " arrived in sight of the remains of the Avhale-boat. The schooner's crcAvhad then perished before his eyes. To pretend that this raiastrophe had not affected him, would be to accuse his heart. Titat ])ity for others that all people feel, he had certainly experienced it. He was equally moved bv his cousin's situation, lie had come to press Mrs. AVeldon's hand, as if to say to her: " Do not be afraid. I am here. I am left to you." Then Cou.sin lienedict had turned toAvard his cabin, doubt- less so as to reflect on tlie consequences of this disastrous A CAPTAIN" AT FIFTEEN". 79 event, and on the energetic measures that he must take. But on his way he had met the cockroach in question, and liis desire was — held, however, against certain entomologists — to prove the cockroaches of the phoraspe species, remark- able for tlieir colors, have very diii'erent habits from cock- roaches properly so called; he had given himself up to the study, forgetting both that there had beeii a Captain Hull in command of the " Pilgrim," and that that unfortunate had just perished with his crew. The cockroach absorbed him entirely. He did not admire it less, and he made as much time over it as if that horrible insect had been a golden beetle. The life on board had then returned to its usual course, though every one would remain for a long time yet under the effects of such a keen and unforeseen catastrophe. During this day Dick Sand wqs everywhere, so that every- thing should be in its place, and that he could be pre]»ared for the smallest contingency. The blacks obeyed him with zeal. The most perfect order reigned on board the " Pil- grim," It might then be hoped that all would go well. On his side, Kegoro made no other attempt to resist Dick Sand's authority. He appeared to have tacitly recognized him. Occupied as usual in his narrow kitchen, he was not seen more than before. Besides, at the least infraction — at the first symptom of insubordination, Dick Sand was deter- mined to send Inm to the hold for the rest of the passage. At a sign from him, Hercules would take the head cook by the skin of the neck; that would not have taken long. In that case, Nan, who knew how to cook, would replace the cook in his functions. Negoro then could say to himself that he was indispensable, and, as he was closely watched, he seemed unwilling to give any cause of coni])laint. The wind, though growing stronger till evening, did not necessitate any (;hange in the " Pilgrim's" sails. Her solid masting, her iron rigging, which was in good condition, would enable her to bear in this condition even a stronger breeze. During the night it is often the custom to lessen the sails, and fiarticularly to take in tlie high sails, fore-staif, to])-sail, royal, etc. That is jinident, in case some squall of wind should come up siuhhnlv. But Dick Sand liclievcd he could dispense witii tliis prccaiilion. 'I'lie slate of (he atniosj)h('rc indicated notliing of the kind, and besides, the young novice 80 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. dotormincd to pass tlio first iiiirht on tlie deck, intend inc^ to have an eye to every tliiu<^'. 'riien the progress was more rajiid, and he longed to be in less desolate parts. It has been said that the log and the compass were the only instruments which Dick Sand could use, so as to estimate ap- lu-oxiniately the way made by the '' Pilgrim." During this day the novice threw the log every half-hour, and he noted the indications furnished by the instrument. As to the instrument which bears the name of compass, there were two on board. One was placed in the binnacle, under the eyes of the man at the helm. Its dial, lighted by day l)y the diurnal light, by night by two side-lamps, indi- cated at every moment which way the ship headed — that is, the direction she followed. The other compass was an in- verted one, fixed to the bars of tlie cabin which Ca])tain Hull formerly occupied. By that means, without leaving his chamber, he could always know if the route given Avas exactly followed, if the man at the helm, from ignorance or neg- ligence, allowed the ship to make too great lurches. Besides, there is no ship employed in long voyages which does not possess at least two compasses, as she has two chro- nometers. It is necessary to compare these instruments with each other, and, consequently, control their indications. The '' Pilgrim " was then sufficiently provided for in that respect, and Dick Sand charged his men to take the greatest cai-e of the two compasses, which were so necessary to him_. Now, unfortunately, during the night of the 12th to the 13th of February, while the novice was on watch, and hold- ing the wheel of the helm, a sad accident took place. The inverted compass, which was fastened by a copjjcr ferule to the woodwork of the cabin, broke off and fell on the floor. It was not seen till the next day. How had that ferule come to break. It was inexplicable enough. It was possible, however, that ii, was oxydized, and that the pitching and rolling had broken it from the wood- Avo)-k, Now, indeed, the sea had been rougher during the night. However it was, the compass was broken in such a manner that it could not be repaired. Dick Sand was much thwarted. Henceforth he was re- duced to trust solely to the compass in the binnacle. Very evidently no one was responsible for the breaking of the second compass, but it might have sad consequences. The A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEX. 81 novice then took every precaution to keep the other compass beyond the reach of every accident. Till then, with that exception, all went well on board the ** Pilgrim." Mrs. Weldon, seeing Dick Sand's calmness, had regained confidence. It was not that she hud ever yielded to despair. Above all, she counted on the goodness of God. Also, as a sincere and pious Catholic, she comforted herself by prayer. Dick Sand had arranged so as to remain at the helm during the night. He slept five or six hours in the day, and that seemed enough for him, as he did not feel too much fatigued. During this time Tom or his son Bat took his place at the wheel of the helm, and, thanks to his counsels, they were gradually becoming passable steersmen. Often 'Mrs. "Weldou and the novice tiilked to each other. Dick Sand willingly took advice from this intelligent and courageous woman. Each day he showed her on the ship's chart the course run, which he took by reckoning, taking into account only the direction and the speed of the ship. *' See, Mrs. Weldon," he often repeated to her, "with these winds blowmg, we canuot fail to reach the coast of South America. I sliould not like to affirm it, but I verily believe that when our vessel shall arrive in sight of land, it will not be far from Valparaiso." Mrs. AVcldou could not doubt the direction of the A^essel was right, favored above all by those winds from the north- west. But how far the " Pilgrim " still seemed to be from the American coast I IIow many dangers between her and the firm laud, only counting those which might come from a change in the state of the sea and the sky! Jack, indifferent like children of his age, had returned to his usual games, running on the deck, amusing liimself with Dingo. He found, of course, tliat liis friend Dick was less with him tban formerly; but his mother had made him un- derstand tbat tliey must leave the young novice entirely to his occupations, liittle Jack had given up to these reasons, and no longer distiirb('<] "('ai)(ain Sand." So passed life on board. Tiie bhu-ks did their work intelli- gently, and each day became more skillful in the sailor's craft. Tom was naturally the boatswain, and it was he. indeed, whom his companions would have clioscn for tbat office. He commanded the watch wliile the novice rested, and he liad with Jiini his son Bat and Austin. Acteon and Hercules 82 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEIT. formed the otlier Avatcli, under Dick Sand's direction. By this means, while one steered, tlie others watched at the prow. Even IhoujTh these parts were deserted, and no collision was really to be feared, the novice exacted a ris^orons watch durini; tlie night, lie never sailed without having his lights in ])osition — a green light on the starboard, a red light on the larboard — and in that he acted wisely. All the time, during those niirhts which Dick Sand passed entirely at the helm, he occasionally felt an irresistible heavi- ness over him. His hand then steered by pure instinct. It was the effect of a fatigue of which he did not wish to take aci'ount. Now, it happened that during the night of the 13th to the 14th of February, that Dick Sand was very tired, and was obliged to take a few hours rest. He was replaced at the helm by old Tom. The sky was covered with thick clouds, wliich had gathered with the evening, under the inllueiice of the cold air. It was then very dark, and it Avas impossible to distinguish the high sails lost in the darkness. Hercules and Acteon were on w. I toll on the forecastle. Ait, the light from the binnacle only gave a faint gleam, which the metallic apparatus of the wheel reflected softly. The ship's lanterns throwing their lights laterally, left the deck of the vessel in profound darkness. Toward three o'clock in the morning, a kind of hypnotic phenomenon took place, of which old Tom was not even con- scious. His eyes, which were fixed too long on a luminous point of the binnacle, suddenly lost tiie i)Ower of vision, and he fell into a true anasthetic sleep. Not only was he incapable of seeing, but if one had touched or pinched him hard he would probably have felt nothing. So he did not see a shadow which glided over the deck. It was Negoro. Arrived aft, the head cook placed under the binnacle a pretty heavy object which he held in his hand. Then, after observing for an instant the luminous index of the compass, he retired without having been seen. If, the next day, Dick Sand had jjcrceived that object ])laced by Negoro under the binnacle, he might have hastened to take it away. In fact, it was a piece of iron, whose influence had just altered the indications of the compass. The magnetic needle A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 83 had been deviated, and instead of marking the magnetic north, which differs a httle from the north of the world, it marked the northeast. It was, then, a deviation of four points; in other words, of lialf a right angle. Tom soon recovered from his drowsiness. His eyes were fixed on the compass. He believed, he had reason to believe, that the "Pilgrim"' was not in the right direction. He then moved the helm so as to head the ship to the east — at least, he thought so. But, with the deviation of the needle, which he could not suspect, that point, changed by four points, Avas the south- east. And thus, while under the action of a favorable wind, the •'Pilgi'im" was supposed to follow the direction wished for, she sailed with an error of forty-five degrees in her route! CHAPTER XL TEMPEST. During the week which followed that event, from the 14th of February to the 21st, no incident took place on board. The wind from the northwest freshened gradually, and the " Pilgrim " sailed rapidly, making on an average one hundred and sixty miles in twenty-four hours. It was nearly all that could be asked of a vessel of that size. Dick Sand thought the schooner must be approaching those parts more freciuented by the merchant vessels which seek to pass from one hemisphere to the other. The novice was al- ways hoping to encounter one of those ships, and he clearly intended cither to transfer his passengers, or to borrow some additional sailors, and perhaps an ofliccr. Put, though he watched vigilantly, no ship could be signaled, and the sea was always deserted. Dick Sand continued to be somewhat astonished at that. Tie had crossed this part of the Pacific several times during his three fishing voyages to the Southern Seas. Kow, in the latitude and longitude where his reckoning ])ut him, it was seldom that some English or American shij) did not appear, ascending from (,'a])e Horn toward the equator, or coming to- ward the extreme point of South America. But what Dick Sand was ignorant of, what he could not oven discover, was that the " I'ilgrim " was already in higher 84 A CAFfAIN AT FIFTEEN. latitmlo — that is to say, more to the south than he supposed. Tluit was so for two reasons: Tlie first was, that the currents of these parts, whose swift- ness the novice could only imperfectly estimate, had contrib- uted — wliile lie could not possibly keep account of them — to throw tlic shi}) out of her route. The second was, that the compass, made inaccurate by Ne- fjoro's guilty hand, henceforth only gave incorrect bearings — l)oarings that, since the loss of the second comjiass, Dick Hand could not control. So that, believing and having reason to believe that he was sailing eastward, in reality, he was sailing southeast, ''.rhe compass, it was always before his eyes. The log. it Avas thrown regularly. His two instruments permit- ted him, in a certain measure, to direct the " Pilgrim," and to estimate the number of miles sailed. But, then,, was that sufficient? However, the novice always did his best to reassure Mrs. AVeldou, whom the incidents of this voyage must at times render anxious. "We shall arrive, we shall arrive!" he repeated. **We shall reach the American coast, here or there; it matters little, on the whole, but we cannot fail to land there!" "I do not doubt it, Dick." " Of course, Mrs. Weldon, I should be more at ease if you were not on board — if we had only ourselves to answer for; but " "P>ut if I were not on board," Replied Mrs. AYeldon; "if Cousin Benedict, Jack, Nan and I, had not taken passage on the 'Pilgrim,' and if, on the other hand, Tom and his com- })anions had not been picked up at sea, Dick, there would be only two men here, you and Negoro! What would have be- come of you, alone with that wicked man, in whom you can- not have confidence? Yes, my child, what would have become of you ?" " I should have begun," replied Dick >Sand, resolutely, "by putting Xegoro where he could not injure me." "And you would have worked alone?" "Yes — alone — with the aid of God!" The firmness of these words was well calculated to en- courage Mrs, Weldon, But, nevertheless, while thinking of IwcT little Jack, she often felt uneasy. If the woman would not show what she experienced as a mother, she did not A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEX. 85 always succeed in preventing some secret anguish for him to rend her heart. Meanwhile, if the voung novice was not sufficientlv ad- vanced in his hydrographic studies to make his point, he possessed a true sailor's scent, when the question was " to tell the weather." The appearance of the sky, for one thing; on the other hand, the indications of the barometer, enabled him to be on his guard. Captain Hull, a good meteorologist, had taught him to consult this instrument, whose prognostica- tions are remarkably sure. Here is, in a few words, what the notices relative to the observation of the barometer contain: 1. When, after a rather long continuance of fine weather, the barometer begins to fall in a sudden and continuous man- ner, rain will certainly fall; but, if the fine weather has had a long duration, the mercury may fall two or three days in the tube of the barometer before any change in the state of the atmosphere may be perceived. Then, the longer the time between the falling of the mercury and the arrival of the rain, the longer will be the duration of rainy weather. 2. If, on the contrary, during a rainy jieriod which has already had a long duration, the barometer commences to rise slowly and regularly, very certainly fine weather will come, and it will last much longer if a long interval elapses between its arrival and the rising of the barometer. 3. In the two cases given, if the change of weather follows immediately the movement of the barometrical column, that change will last only a very short time. 4. If the barometer rises with slowness and in a continu- ous manner ftn* tw, T\a])i(l opoillations of tlic l)aromotci* sliould never be iii- tovi)rote(l as j)resagiiig dry or rainy Aveatlier of any duration. Thoso indications are given exclusively by the rising or the falling which takes place in a slow and continuous manner. 7. Toward the end of autumn, if after jjrolonged rainy and windy weather, the barometer begins to rise, that rising an- nouiu'cs the passage of the "wind to the north and the ap- jiroach of the frost. Such are the general cortsequences to draw from the indi- cations of this ])rcciou8 instrument. Dick vSand knew all that perfectly well, as he had ascer- tained for himself in different circumstances of his sailor's life, which made him very skill'ful in jmtting himself on his guard against all contingencies, Kow, just toward the ZOth of February, the oscillations of the barometrical column began to preoccupy the young novice, who noted them several times a day with much care. In fact, tlie l)arometer began to fall in a slow and continuous manner, which presages rain; but, this rain being delayed, Dick Sand concluded from that, that the bad weather would last. That is what must happen. But the rain, was the wind, and in fact, at that date, the breeze freshened so much that the air was displaced with a velocity of sixty feet a second, say thirty-one miles an hour. Dick Sand was obliged to take some precautions so as not to risk the " Pilgrim's" masting and sails. Already lie had the royal, the fore-staff, and the flying-Jib taken in, and he resolved to do the same with the top-sail, then take in two reefs in the top-sail. This last operation must present certain difficulties with a crew of little experience. Ilesitation would not do, however, and no one hesitated. Dick Sand, accom]»anied by Bat and Austin, climbed into the rigging of the foremast, and suc- ceeded, not without trouble, in taking in the top-sail. In less threatening weather he would have left the two yards on the mast, but, foreseeing that he would probably be obliged to level that mast, and jjcrhaps even to lay it down upon the deck, he unrigged the two yards and sent them to the deck. In fact, it is understood that v/hen the wind becomes too strong, not only must the sails be diminished, but also the masting. That is a great relief to the shi]\ which, carrying less weight above, is no longer so much strained with the rolling and pitch irig. A CAPTAIN AT FIPTEEX. 87 This first work accomplished — and it took two hours — Dick Sand and his companions were busy reducing the surface of the top-sail, by taking in two reefs. The "Pilgrim" did not carry, like the majority of modern ships, a double top-sail, which facilitates the operation. It was necessary, then, to work as formerly — that is to say, to run out on the foot-ropes, pull toward you a sail beaten by the wind, and lash it firmly with its reef-lmes. It was difficult, long, perilous; but, finally, the diminished top-sail gave less surface to the wind, and the schooner was much relieved. Dick Sand came down again with Bat and Austin. The ''Pilgrim ■' was then in the sailing condition demanded by that state of the atmosphere which has been qualified as " very stiff." During the three days which followed, 20th, 21st and 22nd of Februaiy, the force and direction of the wind were not per- ceptibly changed. All the time the mercury continued to fall in the barometrical tube, and, on this last day, the novice noted that it kept continually below twenty-eight and seven- tentlis inches. Besides, there was no appearance that the barometer would rise for some time. I'he aspect of the sky was bad, and ex- tremely windy. Besides, thick fogs covered it constantly. Their stratum was even so deep that the sun was no longer seen, and it would have been difficult to indicate precisely the place of his setting and rising. Dick Sand began to be anxious, lie no longer left the deck; he hardly slept. HoAvever, his moral energy enabled him to drive back his fears to the bottom of his heart. The next day, February 23rd, tlie breeze appeared to de- crease a little in the morning, but Dick Sand did not trust in it. He was right, for in the afternoon the wind freshened again, and the sea became rougher. Toward four o'clock, Negoro, who was rarely seen, left his post and came up on the forecastle. Dingo, doubtless, was 8k'C])ing in some corner, for it did not bark as usual. Xegoro, always silent, remained for half an hour oljserving the horizon. Long surges succeeded each other Avithout, as yet, being dashed togff her. However, tlioy were higher lliaii the force of the wind accounted for. One must conclude fnuu that, that there was very bad weather in the west, perhaps at a 8S A TAl'TAIN AT FIFTEEN. ratlior short distance, ami that it would not be long in reach- ing those i>arts. IS'oEforo Matched that vast extent of sea, ■\vlnch was greatly troubled, around the " Pilgrim." Then his eyes, always cold and dry, turned toward the sky. The as]HH't of the sky was disturbing. The vapors moved with very diU'erent velocities. The clouds of the up})er zone traveled more rapidly than those of the low strata of the at- nuis])here. The case then must be foreseen, in which those licavy masses would fall, and might change into a tempest, perhaps a hui-ricane, what was yet only a very stiff breeze — that is to say, a displacement of the air at the rate of forty-three miles an hour. "Whether Xegoro was not a man to be frightened, or whether lie understood nothing of the threats of the weather, he did not ajijiear to be aftected. However, an evil smile glided over his lips. One would say, at the end of his observations, that this state of things was I'ather calculated to please him than to displease him. One moment he mounted on the bowsprit and crawled as far as the rojies, so as to extend his range of vision, as if he were seeking some indication on the liorizon. Then he descended again, and tranquilly, without having pronounced a single word, without having made a gesture, he regained the crcAv's quarters. Meanwhile, in the midst of all these fearful conjunctions, there remained, one happy circumstance which each one on board ought to remember; it was that this wind, violent as it was or might become, was favorable, and that the " Pil- grim " seemed to be rapidly making the American coast. If, indeed, the Aveather did not turn to tempest, this navigation Avould continue to be accomjilishcd without great danger, and the veritable jierils Avould only spring uj) when the question would be to land on some badly ascertained point of the coast. That was indeed what Dick Sand was already asking him- self. "When lie should once make the land, how should he act, if lie did not encounter some pilot, some one who knew the coast? In case the bad weather should oblige him to seek a port of refuge, what should he do, Ijecause that coast was to him absolutely unknown? Indeed, he liad not yet to trouble liimself with that contingency. However, when tlie hour should come, he would be obliged to adopt some plan. Well, iJick Sand adopted one. A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN, 89 During the thirteen davs which elapsed, from the 24th of February to the 9th of March, the state of the atmosphere did not change in any perceptible manner. The sky was al- ways loaded with heavy fogs. For a few hours the wind went down, then it began to blow again with the same force. Two or three times the baropieter rose again, but its oscillation, comprising a dozen lines, was too sudden to announce a change of weather and a return of more manageable winds. Besides, the barometrical column fell again almost immedi- ately, and nothing could inspire any hope of the end of that bad weather within a short ])criod. Terrible storms burst forth also, which very seriously dis- turbed Dick Sand. Two or three times the lightning struck the waves only a few cable-lengths from the ship. Then the rain fell in torrents, and made those whirlpools of half con- densed vapors, which surrounded the "Pilgrim " Avith a thick mist. For entire hours the man at the lookout saw nothing, and the ship sailed at random. Even though the ship, although resting firmly on the waves, was horribly shaken. ]\lrs. Wcldon. fortunately, sup- ported this rolling and pitching without being incommoded. But her little boy was very much tried, and she was obliged to give him all her care. As to Cousin Benedict, he was no more sick than the American cockroaches which he made his society, and he passed his time in studying, as if he were cpiietly settled in his study in San Francisco. Very 'fortunately, also, Tom and his companions found themselves little sensitive to sea-sickness, and they could con- tinue to come to the young novice's aid — Avell accustomed, liimsclf, to all those excessive movements of a ship which flics before tlic weather. The " Pilgrim " ran rapidly under this reduced sail, and already Dick Sand foresaw that he would be obliged to reduce it again. But he wished to hold out as long as it would be possible to do so without danger. According to his reckon- ing, the coast ought to lie lut longer distant. Sd they Avatchcd with care. All tiie time the novice could hardly trust bis companions' eyes to discover the first indications of land. In fact, no matter wliat gf)od sight lie may liuve, he who is not accustomed to interrogating tlie sea horizons is not skilful in distinguisliijig tlio first contours of a coast, above all in the 90 A rA?TAT>r AT FIFTEEN. middle of foijs. So Dick Sand must watch liimsclf, and he often climltfd as far as the t^pars to see bettor. But no sigii yet of (lie American coast. This astonislied liini, and i^Irs. Weldon, by some words wliich escaped him, UTiderstood that astonisliment. It. was tlie !)th of ^larch. Tiie ijovice kejjt at the proA\% sometimes observing the sea and tlie sky, sometimes k>oking at the •' Pilgrim's " masting, which began to strain under the force of the wind. " You see nothing yet, Dick?" she asked him, at a moment when he had just left the long lookout. " Nothing, ]\trs. "Weldon, nothing," replied the novice; "and, meanwhile, the horizon seems to clear a little under this violent wind, which is going to blow still harder." " And, according to you, Dick, the American coast ought not to 1)0 distant now." "It cannot be, Mrs. Weldon, and if anything astonishes me, it is not having made it yet." "Meanwhile," continued Mrs. "Weldon, "the ship has alwavs followed the right course." "Always, since the wind settled in the nortliAvest," replied Dick Sand; " that is to say, since the day when we lost our unfortunate captain and his crew. That was the 10th of February. "We are now on the 9th of March. There have been, then, twenty-seven days since that." " But at that period what distance were we from the coast?" asked Mrs. AVcldon. " About four thousand, five hundred miles, Mrs. "Weldon. If there are things about which I have more than a doubt, I can at least guarantee this figure within about twenty miles. " "And what has been the ship's speed?" " On an average, a hundred and eighty miles a day since the wind freshened," replied the novice. " So, I am sur- ])rised at not being in sight of land. And, what is still more extraordinary, is that we do not moot even a single one of those vessels which generally frequent these parts!" "' Could you not be deceived, Dick," returned Mrs. "Wel- don, " in estimating the ' Pilgrim's ' speed?" "No, Mrs. Weldon. On that point I could not be mis- taken. The log has been thrown every half hour, and I have taken its indications very accuratelv. "Wait, I am going to have it thrown anew, aud you Avill see that we are sailing at ■ WKIJ., THEN," UICIM.IKI) NKODi.d, '• I,KT U* (JO. 1 KNOW r)|l K SAM). IlIC Wll.l, NOT UEIMV AN llOfli:" — Ve y/(((/« 180. A CAPTAI]Sr AT FIFTEEN". 91 this moment at the rate of ten miles an hour, which would give us more than two hundred miles a day." Dick Sand called Tom, and gave him the order to throw the log, an operation to which the old black was now quite accustomed. The log, firmly fastened to the end of the line, v.-as brought and sent out. Twenty-five fathoms were hardly unrolled, when the rope suddenly slackened between Tom's hands. "Ah! Mr. Dick!" cried he. "Well, Tom?" " The rope has broken!" "Broken!" cried Dick Sand. "And the log is lost!" Old Tom showed the end of the rope which remained in his hand. It was only too true. It was not the fastening which had failed. The rope had broken in the middle, And, neverthe- less, that ro])C was of the first quality. It must have been, then, that the strands of the rope at the point of rupture were singularly worn! They were, in fact, and Dick Sand could tell that when he had the end of the rope in his hands! But had they become so by use? was what the novice, be- come suspicious, asked himself. Ilijwever that was, the log was now lost, and Dick Sand hud no longer any means of telling exactly the speed of his ship. In the way of instruments, he only possessed one compass, and he did not know that its indications were false. Mrs. "Weldon saw him so saddened by this accident, that she did not wish to insist, and, with a very heavy heart, she retired into her ca1)in. Jiut if the " Pilgrim's" speed and consequently the way sailed over could no longer be estimated, it was easy to tell that the ship's headway was not diminishing. In fact, the next day, ^farch 10th, the barometer foil to twenty-eight and two-tenths inches. It was the announce- ment of one of those blasts of wind which travel as much as sixty miles an hour. It became urgent to change once more the state of the sails, so as not to risk tlie security of the vessel. Dick Sand r('Sf)lved to bring df)wn his top-gallant mast and his fore-statT, and to furl his low sails, so as to sail under his foretop-miust stay-sail and the low reef of his top-sail. 92 A CAl'TAlX AT ] 1 1'TEEX. lie called Tom and liis C(nn])Mui()!is to help him in iliat dinicull oiKM-ation, which, unioitiinatoly, could not be exe- cuted with raj>idity. And meanwhile time pressed, for the temjiest already de- clared itseli' with violence. Dick Sands, Austin, Acteon, and Bat climbed into tlie mastintT, while Tom remained at the wheel, and Hercules on the deck, so as to slacken the ropes, as soon as he was com- manded. After numerous etforts, the fore-staff and the top-gallant mast were gotten down upon tlie deck, not without these honest men having a hundred times risked being precii)itated into the sea, the rolling t-hook the masting to such an extent. Tlien, the top-.^ail having l)ceu lessened and tjie foresail furled, the schooner carried only her foretop-mast stay-sail and the low reef of the top-sail. Even though her sails were then extremely reduced, the " Pilgrim " continued, none the less, to sail with excessive ve- locity. The 12th the weather took a still worse appearance. On that day, at dawn, 1 )ick Sand saAV, not without terror, the barometer fall to twenty-seven and nine-tenths inches. It was a real tempest which was raging, and such that the "Pilgrim" could not carry even the little sail she had left. Dick Sand, seeing that his top-sail was going to be torn, gave the order to furl. But it was in vain. A more violent gust struck tlie ship at that moment, and tore off the sail. Austin, who was on the yard of the foretop-sail, was struck by the larboard sheet-rope, "\^'ounded, but rather slightly, lie could climb down again to the deck. Dick Sand, extremely anxious, had but one thought. It was that the ship, urged with such fury, was going to be dashed to pieces every moment; for, according to his calcu- lation, the rocks of the coa«t could not be distant. He then returned to the prow, but he saw nothing which had the ap- pearance of land, and then came back to the wheel. A moment after Xegoro came on deck. There, euddenl}', as if in spite of himself, his arm was extended toward a point of the horizon. One would say that he recognized some high land in the fogsl btill, once more he smiled wickedly, and without f^ayij-.g A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEX. 93 mivtliino: of what he had been able to see, he returned to his post. CHAPTER XII. ox THE HORIZOX. At that date the tempest took its most terrible form, that of the hurricane. The wind had set in from the southwest. The air moved with a velocity of ninety miles an hour. It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible wind- storms whicli wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist. Such was the one which, on the 2oth of July, 1825, devastated Guadaloupe. When heavy cannons, carrying balls of twenty- four pounds, are raised from their carriages, one may imagine what would become of a ship which has no other point of support than an unsteady sea? And meanwhile, it is to its mobility alone that she may owe her salvation. She yields to the wind, and, provided she is strongly built, she is in a condition to brave the most violent surges. That was the case with the '"Pilgrim." A few minutes after the top-sail had been torn in pieces, tlie forotop-mast stay-sail was in its turn torn off. Dick Sand must then give up the idea of setting even a storm-jib — a small sail of strong linen, which would make the ship easier to govern. The ''Pilgrim" then ran without canvas, but the wind took effect on her liull, her masts, her rigging, and nothing more was needed to impart to her an excessive velocity. Sometimes even she seemed to emerge from the waves, and it was to be believed that she hardly grazed them. Under these circumstances, the rolling of the sliip, tossed about on the enormouH Ijillows raised by the tempest, was frightful. There was danger of receiving some monstroiis surge aft. I'liose mountains of water ran faster than the schooner, threatening to strike lier stern if slie did not rise jji'etty fast. That is ex- treme danger for every sliij) which scuds before the tempest. ]>ut what could 1)0 done to ward off tliat ronlingeiicv? (Greater speed could not l)e imparted to the *' ]*i!grim,"' be- cause she would i.ot have kcjit the smallest ])iece of canvas. She must then be maiuigcd as much as possible by means of tlie l)clm, whose action was often powerless. 9-t A CAPTAIN" AT FIFTEEN". Dick Saiul no loiifi^cr left the helm. lie -was lashed by the waist, so as not to be carried away ])y some snrge. Tom and Bat, fastened also, stood near to help him. Hercules and Acteon, bound to tlie l)itts, watched forward. As to Mrs. Weldon, to little Jack, to Cousin Benedict, to Nan, they re- mained, by order of the novice, in the aft cabins. Mrs. Weldon would have preferred to have remained on deck, but Dick Sand was strongly opposed to it; it would be exposing herself uselessly. All the scuttles had been hermetically nailed np. It was hoped that they would resist if some formidable billow should fall on the ship. If, by any mischance, they should yield under the weight of these avahmches, the ship might 1111 and sink. Very fortunately, also, the stowage had been well at- tended to, so that, notwithstanding the terrible tossing of the vessel, her cargo was not moved about. Dick Sand had again reduced the number of hours which he gave to sleep. 80 Mrs. Weldon began to fear that he would take sick. She made him consent to take some repose. Xow, it was while he was still lying down, during the night of the i:jth to the 14:tli of March, that anew incident took })lace, Tom and Bat were aft, Avhen Negoro, who rarely appeared on that part of the deck, drew near, and even seemed to wish to enter into conversation with them; but Tom and his son did not reply to him. Suddenly, in a violent rolling of the ship, Negoro fell, and he would, doubtless, have been thrown into the sea if he had not held on to the binnacle. Tom gave a cry, fearing the compass would be broken. Dick Sand, in a moment of wakefulness, heard that cry, and rushing out of his ({uarters, ho ran aft. Negoro had already risen, but he held in his hand the piece of iron which he had just taken from under the binnacle, and he hid it before Dick Sand could see it. Was it, then, Xegoro's interest for the magnetic needle to return to its true direction? Yes, for these southwest winds served him now! " What's the matter?" asked the novice. "It's that cook of misfortune, who has just fallen on the compass I" re})lied Tom. At those words Dick Sand, in the greatest anxiety, leaned over the binnacle. It was in good condition; the comjmss. A CAPTAIK AT FIFTEEN". 95 lighted by two lamps, rested as usual on its two concentric circles. The young novice was greatly affected. The breaking of the only compass on board would be an irreparable mis- fortune. But what Dick Sand could not observe was that, since the taking away of the piece of iron, the needle had returned to its normal position, and indicated exactly the magnetic north as it ought to be under that meridian. Meanwhile, if Xegoro could not be made responsible for a fall which seemed to be involuntary, Dick 8and had reason to be astonished that he was, at that hour, aft in the ship. '• What are you doing there?" he asked him. "What I please," replied Ncgoro. "You say "cried Dick Sand, who could not restrain his anger. "I say," replied the head cook, "that there is no rule which forbids walking aft." " Well, I make that the rule," replied Dick Sand, "and I forbid you. remember, to come aft." "Indeed I" replied Ncgoro. That man. so entirely under self-control, then made a men- acing gesture. The novice drew a revolver from his pocket, and pointed it at the head cook. " Xegoro," said he, " recollect that I am never without tliis revolver, and that on the first act of insubordination I sliall blow out your brains I" At that moment Kegoro felt himself irresistibly bent to the deck. It was Hercules, who had just simply laid his heavy hand on Negoro's shoulder. "Captain Sand," said the giant, "do you want mc to throw this rascal overboard? lie Avill regale the fishes, who are not hard to i)l('asel" " Not yet," replied Dick Sand. Negoro rose as soon as llie l)hick's hand no longer weighed upon him. IJut, in ))assing Hercules: " Accursed negro," murmured he, " I'll })ay you back!" Meanwhile, the wind had jiisl ehanged; at least, it seemed to have veered round forty-live degrees. And, notwithstand- ing, asingiilar thing, which struck the novice, nothing in the condition of the sea indicated that change. The ship headed 96 A CAITAIN AT TIFTEEN. the panic Avav all Hie iinie, but llic Aviiid and the waves, in- stead uf taking her directly aft, now struck her by the lar- board quarter — ii very dangerous situation, whicli exjioses a shi}) to receive bad surges. Sol^ick Sand was obliged to veer round four jioints to continue to scud before the tenijiest. But. on the other hand, his attention was awakened more than ever, lie asked himself if there was not some connec- tion between Negoro's full and the breaking of the first com- pass. M'hat did the head cook intend to do there? Had he some interest in putting the second compass out of service also? "What could that interest be? There was no ex])lana- tion of that, ^lust not iS'egoro desire, as they all desired, to land on the American coast as soon as possible? "When Dick Sand spoke of this incident to Mrs. "Wcldon, the latter, though she shared his distrust in a certain measure, could iiiul no plausible motive for Avhat would be criminal premeditation on the part of the head cook. However, as a matter of ])rudence, Negoro Avas well watched. Thereafter he attended to the novice's orders, and he did not risk coming aft in the ship, where his duties never called him. Besides, Dingo having been installed there jier- nianently, the cook took care to keep away. During all that week the tcmjtest did not abate. The barometer fell again. From the 14th to the 26th of March it was impossible to profit by a single calm to set a few sails. The " Pilgrim " scudded to the northeast with a speed which could not be less than two hundred miles in twenty-four hours, and still the land did notappcarl — that land, America, which is thrown like an immense barrier between the Atlantic and the Pacific, over an extent of more than a hundred and twenty degrees! Dick Sand asked himself if he was not a fool, if ho was still in his right mind, if, for so many days, unknown to him, he was not sailing in a false direction. " No, he could not find fault with himself on that point. The sun, even though he could not ])crecive it in the fogs, ahvays rose before him to set behind him. But, then, that land, had it disappeared? That America, on which his vessel Avould go to pieces, ]ier- liaps, Avhcrc was it, if it was'not there? Be it the Southern Continent or the Xorthern Continent — for anything was pos- sible in that chaos — the " Pilgrim " could not miss either one or the other. "What had hajipened since the beginning of this frightful tempest? What was still going on, as that A CAPTAIN AT FTFTEEX. 97 coast, whether it should prove salvation or destrnction, did not appear? Must Dick Sand suppose, then, that he was de- ceived by his compass, whose indications he could no longer control, because the second compass was lacking to make that control? Truly, he had that fear which the absence of all land might justify. So, when he was at the helm, Dick Sand did not cease to devour the chart with his eyes. But he interrogated it in vain; it could not give him the solution of an enigma which, in the situation in which Xegoro had placed him, was incom- prehensible for him, as it would have been for any one else. On this dav, however, the 26th of March, towards eight o'clock in the morning, an incident of the greatest importance took place. Hercules, on watch forward, gave this cry: "Land! land!" Dick Sand sprang to the forecastle. Hercules could not have eves like a seaman. Was he not mistaken? " Land?" cried Dick Sand. " There," replied Hercules, showing an almost impercepti- ble point on the horizon in the northeast. They hardly heard each other speak in the midst of the roaring of the sea and the sky. " You have seen the land?" said the novice. " Yes," replied Hercules. And his hand was still stretched out to larboard forward. The novice looked. He saw nothing. At that moment, Mrs. Weldon, who had heard the cry given by Hercules, came up on deck, notwithstanding her j)romise not to come there. •* Madam!" cried Dick Sand. Mrs. Weldon, unable to make herself heard, tried, for her- self, to perceive that land signaled by the black, and she seemed to have concentrated all her life in her eyes. It must be believed that Hcrcules's hand indicated badly tbe point of the horizon whicli he wished to show: neither Mrs. Weldon ncir tlie novice could see anything. liut, suddenly, Dick Sand in turn stretched out his hand. "Yes! ves! land!" said he. A kind of summit had just appeared in an opening in the fog. His sailor's eyes could not deceive him. "At last!" cried 'he; "at last!" 98 A CArXAIN AT l-'IFTEEN. ITe clung fovcrislily to llic netling. Mrs. Weldon, sustained bv ilorcuit's, Lontiiiuc'd to watch that land almost de- spaired of. The coast, formed by that high summit, rose at a distance of ten miles to leeward. The opening being com})letely made in ? breaking of the clouds, they saw it again more distinctly. Doubtless it was some promontory of the American continent. The '' Pil- grim," without sails, was not in a condition to head toward it, but it could not fail to make the land there. That could be only a question of a few hours. Now, it was eight o'clock in the morning. Then, very certainly, be- fore noon the " Pilgrim" would be near the land. At a sign from Dick Sand, Hercules led Mrs. Weldon aft again, for she could not bear up against the violence of the pitching. The novice remained forward for another instant, then he returned to the helm, near old Tom. At last, then, he saw that coast, so slowly made, so ardently desired! but it was now with a feeling of terror. In fact, in the "Pilgrinrs" present condition, that is to say, scudding before the tempest, land to leeward, was ship- wreck with all its terrible contingenciec. Two hours passed away. The promontory was then seen off from the ship. At that moment they saw Kegoro come on deck. This time he regarded the coast with extreme attention, shook his head like a man who would know what to believe, and went down again, after pronouncing a name that nobody could hear. Dick Sand himself sought to perceive the coast, which ought to round off behind the promontory. Two hours rolled by. The promontory was standing on the larboard stern, but the coast was not yet to be traced. Meanwhile the sky cleared at the horizon, and a high coast, like the American land, bordered by the immense chain of the Andes, should be visible for more than twenty miles. Dick Sand took his telescope and moved it slowly over the ■whole eastern horizon. NothingI lie could see nothingi At two o'clock in the afternoon every trace of land had dis- appeared behind the '* Pilgrim." Forv.ard, the telescope could not seize any outline whatsoever of a coast, high or low. A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". 99 Then a cry escaped Dick Sand. Immediately leaving the deck, he rushed into the cabin, where Mrs. Weldon was with little Jack, Nan, and Coi'isin Benedict. "An island! That was only an island!*' said he. "An island, Dick! but what?"' asked Mrs. Weldon. "The chart will tell us," replied the novice. And running to his berth, he brought the ship's chart. " There, Mrs. Weldon, there!" said he. " That land which we have seen, it can only be this point, lost in the middle of the Pacific! It can only be the Isle of Paques; there is no other in these parts." "And Ave have already left it behind?" asked Mrs. "Weldon. "Yes, well to the windward of us." Mrs. Weldon looked attentively at the Isle of Paques, which only formed an imperceptible point on the chart. "And at what distance is it from the American coast?" "Thirty-five degrees." 'Which makes- " About two thousand miles." " But then the ' Pilgrim ' has not sailed, if we are still so far from the continent?'' "Mrs. Weldon," replied Dick .Sand, who passed his hand over his forehead for a moment, as if to concentrate his ideas, " I do not know — I cannot explain this incredible delay! No! I cannot — unless the indications of the compass have been false! But that island can only be the Isle of Paques, because we have been obliged to scud before the wind to the northeast, and we must thank Heaven, which has permitted me to mark our position! Yes, it is still two thousand miles from the coast! I know, at last, where the tempest has blown us, and, if it abates, we shall be able to land on the American continent with some chance of. safety. Now, at least, our ship is no longer lost on the immensity of the Pacific!" This confidence, shown by the young novice, was shared by all those who heard him speak. ^Mrs. Weldon, herself, gave way to it. It seemed, indeed, that these poor people were at the end of their troubles, and that the " Pilgrim," being to the windwiird of her port, hiid only to wait for the open sea to enter it! The Isle of Paques — by its true name Vai-IIon — discovered by David in 1080, visited by Cook and Laperouse, is situated 2T' south latitude and 112'^ east longitude. If the schooner had been thus led more than fifteen degrees to the 100 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. north, that -was evidoiitly due to tliat tempest from the south- ■\\ost, before which it liad been obiip-ed to send. Then the " riltiiini " was still hvo thousand miles from the coast, llowever, under the impetus of that wind whicli blew like tliunder, it must, in less than ten days, reach some point of the coast of South America. But could they not hope, as the novice had said, that the weather Avould become more manageable, and that it would be possible to set some sail, Avhen they should nuike the land? It was still Dick Sand's hope. He said to himself that this hurricane, which had lasted so many days, would end per- haps by "killing itself." And now that, thanks to the appearance of the Isle of Paques, he knew exactly his po- sition, he had reason to believe that, once master of his vessel again, he would know liow to lead her to a safe place. Yes! to have had knowledge of that isolated point in the middle of the sea, as by a providential favor, that had restored confidence to Dick Sand; if he was going all the time at the caprice of a hurricane, w'hich he could not subdue, at least, he was no longer going quite blindfold. Besides, the "^Pilgrim," well-built and rigged, had suffered little during those rude attacks of the tempest. Her damages reduced themselves to the loss of the top-sail and the foretop- mast stay-sail — a loss which it would be easy to repair. Not a drop of water had penetrated through the well-stanched seams of the hull and the deck. The pumps w^ere perfectly free. In this respect there was nothing to fear. There was, then, this interminable hurricane, whose fury nothing seemed able to moderate. If, in a certain measure, Dick Sand could put his ship in a condition to struggle against the violent storm, he could not order that wind to moderate, those waves to be still, that sky to become serene again. On board, if he was " master after God," outside the siiip, God alone commanded the winds and the waves. A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 101 CHAPTER XIII. land! land! Meanwhile, that confidence with which Dick Sand's heart filled instinctively, was going to be i)avtly justified. The next day, 'March 2Tth, the column of mercury rose in the barometrical tube. The oscillation was neither sudden nor considerable — a few lines only — but the progression seemed likely to contiaue. The tempest was evidently going to enter its decreasing period, and, if the sea did remain ex- cessively rough, they could tell that the wind was going down, veering slightly to the west. Dick Sand "could not yet think of using any sail. The smallest sail would bo carried away. However, he hoped that twenty-four hours would not elapse before it would be possi- ble for him to rig a storm-jib. During the night, in fact, the wind Avent down quite noticeably, if they compared it to what it had been till then. and the ship was'less tossed by those violent rollings which liad threatened to break her in pieces. The ]iassengers began to appear on deck again. They no lonjrer ran the risk of being carried away bv some surge from the sea. Mrs. Weldon was the first to leave the hatchway where Dick Sand, from prudent motives, had obliged tbem to shut themselves up during the whole duration of that long tem- pest. She came to talk with tlie novice, whom a truly super- liuman will luid rendered capable of resisting so much fatigue. Thin, pale under his sunburnt complexion, he might well be Aveakened by the loss of that sleep so necessary at his age. Xo, his valiant nature resisted everything. Perha})s he would ])ay dearly some day for that period of trial. But that was not the moment to allow himself to be cast doAvn. Dick Sand liad said all that to himself. Mrs. AVeldon found him us energeJc as he had ever been. And then he had confidence, that brave Sand, and if con- fide nee does not ccminiand itself, at least it commands. " Dick, mv dear child, my captain." said Mrs. AVcldon, holding out lier hand to the young novice. "Ah! Mrs. Weldon," exclaimed Dick Sand, smiling, "you 103 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. disobirv' 3'our captnin. You return on deck, you leave your cabin in si)itc of liis — lu'aycrs." *• Yes, 1 disobey you,"' rei)lied Mrs. Weldon; "^but I have, as it More, a ])rcsentinicnt that the tempest is going down or is going to become calm." "It is becoming calm, in fact, Mrs. Weldon," replied the novice. *' You are not mistaken. The barometer has not fallen since yesterday. The wind has moderated, and I have reason to believe that oiir hardest trials are over." " Heaven hears you, Dick. Ah! you have suffered much, mv poor child! You have done there " ""Only my duty, :Mrs. Weldon." " But at iast will you be able to take some rest?" *' Rest!" replied the novice; "I have no need of rest, Mrs. Weldon. I am well, thank God, and it is necessary for me to keep up to the end. You have called me captain, and I shall remain captain till the moment whon all the ' Pilgrim's ' pas- sengers shall be in safety." "Dick," returned Mrs. Weldon, **my husband and I, we shall never forget what you have just done." " God has done all," replied Dick Sand ; '' all!" ** My child, I repeat it, that by your moral and physical energy, you have shown yourself a man — a man fit to com- mand, and before long, as soon as your studies are finished — my husband Avill not contradict me — you will command for the house of James W. Weldon!" " I — I " exclaimed Dick Sand, whose eyes filled with tears. "Dick," replied Mrs. Weldon, "you are already our child by adoption, and now, you are our son, the deliverer of your mother, and of your little brother Jack. My dear Dick, I embrace you for my husband and for myself!" The courageous woman did not wish to give way while clasping the young novice in her arms, but her heart over- flowed. As to Dick Sand's feelings, what pen could do them justice? He asked himself if he could not do more than give his life for his benefactors, and he accepted in advance all the trials which might come upon him in the future. After this conversation Dick Sand felt stronger. If the wind should become so moderate that he should be able to hoist some canvas, he did not doubt being able to steer his ship to a port where all those which it carried would at last be in safety. A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 103 On the 29th, the wind having moderated a little, Dick Sand thought of setting the foresail and the top-sail, consequently to increase the speed of the "Pilgrim" while directing her course. " Come, Tom; come, my friends!" cried he, when he went on deck at daybreak; "come, I need your arms!" " We are ready. Captain Sand," replied old Tom. "Eeady for eVerything," added Hercules. "There was nothing to do during that tempest, and I begin to grow rusty." " You should have blown with your big mouth," said little Jack; " I bet you would have been as strong as the wind!" " That is an idea. Jack," replied Dick Sand, laughing. *' "When there is a calm we shall make Hercules blow on the sails." " At your service, Mister Dick!" replied the brave black, inflating his cheeks like a gigantic Boreas. "Xow, my friends," continued the novice, "we are to be- gin by binding a Fpare sail to the yard, because our top-sail was carried away in the hurricane. It will be difficult, per- haps, but it must be done." "It shall be done!" replied Acteon. " Can I help you?" asked little Jack, always ready to work. " Yes, my Jack," replied the novice. " You will take vour place at the wheel, with our friend Bat, and you will lielp him to steer." If little Jack was proud of being assistant helmsman on the " Pilgrim," it is superfluous to say so. "Xow to work," continued Dick Sand, "and we must ex- pose ourselves as httle as ])ossible." The blacks, guided by the novice, went to work at once. To fasten a top-sail to its 3-ard presented some diflfieulties for Tom and his companions. ' First the rolled up sail must be hoisted, then fastened to the yard. However, Dick Sand commanded so well, and was so well obeyed, that after an liour's work the sail was fastened to its yard, the yard hoisted, and the top-sail properly set with two reefs. As to the foresail and the secojid jib, which had been furled before the tempest, those sails went set without a great deal of trouble, in spite of the force of the wind. At last, on that day, at ten o'clock in the morning, th(i ** Pilgrim " was sailing under her foresail, her to])-sail, and her jib. 104 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". Dick Sand had not judj^ed it prudent to set more sail. Tlio canvas Avliicli he carried ouglit to assure liini, as long as the wind did not moderate, a speed of at least two hundred miles in twenty-four hours, and he did not need any greater to reach the American coast before ten days. Tlie novice was indeed satisfied when, returning to the wheel, he again took his post, after thanking Master Jack, assistant liclmsman of the "Pilgrim." He was no longer at the mercy of the Avaves. He was making headway. His joy will he understood by all those who are somewhat familiar with the things of the sea. The next day the clouds still ran with the same velocity, but they left large o})enings between them, through which the rays of the sun made their way to the surface of the Avaters. The " Pilgrim " was at times overspread with them. A good thing is that vivifying light! Sometimes it was ex- tinguished behind a large mass of vapors which came up in the east, then it reappeared, to disappear again, but the Aveather AA'as becoming fine again. The scuttles had been opened to ventilate the interior of the ship. A salubrious air penetrated the hold, the rear liatchAvay, the crew's quarters. They put the wet sails to dry, stretching them out in the sun. The dock Avas also cleaned. Dick Sand did not wish his ship to arrive in port without having made a bit of toilet. AVithout overAvorking the ercAv, a fcAV hours spent each day at that work would bring it to a good end. Though the novice could no longer throw the log, he was so accustomed to estimating the headAvay of a ship that he could take a close account of her speed. He had then no doubt of reaching land before scA'cn days, and he gave that opinion to Mrs. Weldon, after showing her, on the chart, the ])rob:ible position of the ship. "■ Weil, at Avhat point of the coast chall we arrive, my dear Dick?" she asked him. ''Here, ^Irs. AVcldon," replied the novice, indicating that long coast line Avhich extends from Peru to Chili. '' I do not knoAv how to be more exact. Hero is the Isle of Paques, that Ave have left behind in the Avest, and, by the direction of the Avind, Avhich has been constant, I conclude that we shall reach land in the east. Ports are quite numerous on that coast, but to name the one we shall have in vicAV when avo make the land, is impossible at this moment." A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN". 105 ** Well, Dick, wliicliever it may be, that port will be wel- come." "Yes, Mrs. Wcldon, and yon Avill certainly find there the means to return promptly to San Francisco. The Pacific Navigation Comjxmy has a very well organized service on this coast. Its steamers touch at the principal points of the coast; nothing will be easier than to take passage for Cali- forma. " Then you do not count on bringing the ' Pilgrim ' to San Francisco?" asked Mrs. Weldon. "Yes, after leaving put you on shore, Mrs. Weldon. If we can procure an officer and a crew, we are going to dis- charge our cargo at Valparaiso, as Captain Hull would have done. Then we shall return to our own port. But that would delay you too much, and, though very sorry to be separated from you " "'Well, Dick," replied Mrs. Weldon, "we shall see later what must be done. Tell me, you seem to fear the dangers which the land presents." "In fact, they are to be feared," replied the novice, "but I am always lioping to meet some ship in these parts, and I am even very much surprised at not seeing any. If only one should pass, we would enter into communication with her; she would give us our exact situation, which would greatly facilitate our arrival in sight of land." " Are there not pilots who do service along this coast?" asked Mrs. Weldon. "There ought to be," replied Dick Sand, "but much nearer land. We must then continue to approach it." " And if we do not meet a pilot?" asked Airs. Weldon, wlio kei)t on questioning him in order to know how the young- novice would prepare for all contingencies. "In that case, Mrs. Weldon, cither the weather will be clear, the wind moderate, and I shall endeavor to sail uj) the coast sufficiently near to find a refuge, or the Avind will be stronger, and then- li 'V\ Then what will you do, Dick?" "Then, in tlic present condition of the ' Pilgrim,' " re- plied Dick Sand, "once near the land, it will be very difficult to set off again." " What will you do?" rciieated Mrs. Weldon. "I shall be forced to run my ship aground," r('])licd the novice, whose bj-ow darkened for a nKniictit. "vMiI it is a lOG A CAITAIN AT FIFTEEN". hard extroniily. God grant that wo may not bo reduced io that. But, I rej^cat it, Mrs. \\ eldon, the appearance of thu sky is reassuring, and it is impossible for a vessel or a pilot- boat not to meet us. Then, good liope. We are headed for the land, avo sludl see it before long." Yes, to run a ship aground is a last extremity, to which the most energetic sailor does not resort without fear! Thus, Dick Sand did not wish to foresee it, Avhile lie had some chances of escaping it. For several days there were, in the state of the atmosphere, alternatives which, anew, made the novice very uneasy. The Avind kept in the condition of a stiff breeze all the time, and certain oscillations of the barometrical column indicated that it tended to freshen. Dick Sand then asked himself, not without apprehension, if he would be again forced to scud without sails, lie had so much interest in keeping at least his top-sail, that he resolved to do so so long as it Avas not likely to be carried away. But, to secure the solidity of the masts, he had the slirouds and backstays hauled taut. Above all, all unnecessary risk must be avoided, as the situa- tion would become one of the gravest, if the " Pilgrim " should be disabled by losing her masts. Once or twice, also, the barometer rising, gave reason to fear that the Avind might change point for point; that is to say, that it might pass to the east. It would then be neces- sary to sail close to the Avind! A ncAv anxiety for Dick Sand. AVhat should he do with a contrary Avind? Tack about? But if he was obliged to come to that, what new delays and what risks of being thrown into the ofUng. IIa])pily those fears Avore not realized. The Avind, after shifting for several days, bloAving sometimes from the north, sometimes from the south, settled definitely in the west. But it Avas ahvays a strong breeze, almost a gale, Avhich strained the masting. It was the 5th of April. So, then, more than tAvo months had already elapsed since the " Pilgrim " had left Kcav Zea- land. For twenty days a contrary Avind and long calms had retarded her course. Then she Avas in a favorable condition to reach land rapidly. Her speed must even have been very considerable during tho tempest. Dick Sand estimated its average at not less than tAvo hundred miles a day! Hoav, UTTLE JACK AWOKK AM) ITT IIIH AIIMH AllOUNU HIS MOTHER'S ttECK.—See pOye 190. A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEX. 107 then, had he not vet made the coast? Did it flee before the " Pilgi-im?-' It was absohitely inexplicable. And, nevertheless, no land was signaled, though one of the blacks kept watch constantly in the cross-bars. Dick Sand often ascended there himself. There, with a telescope to his eyes, he sought to discover some appearance of mountains. The Andes chain is very high. It was there in the zone of the clouds that he must seek some peak, emerging from the vapors of the horizon. Several times Tom and his companions were deceived by false indications of land. They were only vapors of an odd form, which rose in the background. It happened sometimes that these honest men were obstinate in their belief; but, after a certain time, they were forced to acknowledge that they had been dupes of an optical illusion. The pretended land, moved away, changed form and finished by disappear- ing completely. On the Gth of April there was no longer any doubt possible. It was eight o'clock in the morning. Dick Sand had just ascended into the bars. At that moment the fogs were con- densed under the first rays of the sun, and the horizon was pretty clearly defined. From Dick Sand's lips escaped at last the so long expected cry: "Land! land before us!" At that crv cverv one ran on deck, little Jack, curious as folks are at that age, Mrs. AVeldon, whose trials were going tc cease with the landing, Tom and his companions, who were at last going to set foot again on the American conti- nent. Cousin Benedict himself, who had great hope of pick- ing up quite a rich collection of new insects for himself. Negoro, alone, did not appear. Each tlien saw Avhat Dick Sand had seen, some very dis- tinctly, others with the eyes of faith. But on the part of the novice, so accustomed to observe sea horizons, there was no error possil^le, and an hour after, it niui^t be allowed he was not deceived. At a distance of about four miles to tlie east stretched a rather low coa.-^t, or at least what apjieared such. It must bo commanded behind by the high chain of the Andes, but the last zono of clouds did not allow the summits to be ]ierceived. The " Pilgrim ■' sailed directly and ra]»idly to this coast, which grew larger to the eye. 108 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. Two lionrs after it was only tliree miles away. This part of the coast ended in tlie northeast by a pretty liiiih cape, wliicli covered a sort of roadstead protected from lainl winds. On tlie contrary, in the southeast, it lengthened out like a thin peninsula. A few trees crowned a succession of low cliffs, which were tlien clearly defined under the sky. But it Avas evident, the sieoixraphical character of the country being given, that the higii mountain chain of the Andes formed their background. .Moreover, no liabitation in sight, no jmrt, no river mouth, whicli iniiflit serve as a harbor for a vessel. At that moment the "Pilgrim" was running right on the land. With the reduced sail which she carried, the winds drivinjr her to the coast, Dick Sand would not be able to set off from it. In front lay a long band of reefs, on which the sea was foaming all white. They saw the waves unfurl half way up the cliffs. There must be a monstrous surf there. Dick Sand, after remaining on the forecastle to observe the coast, returned aft, and, without saying a word, he took the helm. The wind was freshening all the time. The schooner was soon only a mile from the shore. Dick Sand then perceived a sort of little cove, into which he resolved to steer; but, before reaching it, he must cross a line of reefs, among which it would be difficult to follow a channel. The surf indicated that the water was shallow everywhere. At that moment Dingo, who was going backwards and for- wards on the deck, dashed forward, and, looking at the land, gave some lamentable barks. One would say that the dog recognized the coast, and that its instinct recalled some sad rememljrance. Nejroro must have heard it, for an irresistible sentiment led him out of his cabin; and although he had reason to fear the dog. he came almf)st immediately to lean on tlie netting. Verv fortunately for him Dingo, whose sad barks were all the time being addressed to that land, did not perceive him. Xegoro looked at that furious surf, and that did not ap- ])ear to frighten him. Mrs. Weldon, who was looking at him, thouglit she saw his face redden a little, and that for an in- stant his features were contracted. A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 109 Then, did Xegoro know this point of the continent where the winds were driving the "Pilgrim?" At that moment Dick Sand left the wheel, which he gave back to old Tom. For a last time he came to look at the cove, which gradually opened. Then: ''Mrs. Weldon," said he, in a firm voice, "I have no longer any hope of finding a harbor! Before half an hour, in spite of all my efforts, the " Pilgrim " Avill be on the reefs! We must run aground! I shall not bring the ship into port! I am forced to lose her to save you ! But, between your safety and hers, I do not hesitate!" ''You have done all that depended on j-ou, Dick.^" asked Mrs. Weldon. " All," replied the young novice. And at once he made his jjreparations for stranding the ship. First of all, Mrs. "Weldon, Jack, Cousin Benedict and ISTan, must put on life-preservers. Dick Sand, Tom and the blacks, good swimmers, also took measures to gain the coast, in case they should be precipitated into the sea. Hercules would take charge of Mrs. Weldon. The novice took little Jack under his care. Cousin Benedict, very tranquil, however, reappeared on the deck with his entomologist box strapped to his shoulder. The novice commended him to Bat and Austin. As to Negoro, his singular calmness said plainly enough that he had no need of anybody's aid. Dick Sand, by a supreme precaution, had also brought on the forecastle ten barrels of the cargo containing whale's oil. That oil, projjcrly ])ourcd the moment the '' Pilgrim " would be in the surf, ought to calm the sea for an instant, in lubricating, so to say, the molecules of water, and that opera- tion would perhaps facilitate the ship's passage between the reefs. Dick Sand did not wish to neglect anything which might secure the common safety. All those ])recautions taken, the novice returned to take his place at the wheel. The " Pilgrim " was only two cables' length from the coast, that is, almost touc-hing the reefs, her starboard side already bathed iti the white foam of (ho surf. Each monienl the novice tliought that the vessel's keel was going to strike some rocky bottom. Ill) A CAPTAIN AT FITTEKN. Siuldonly, Dick Sand knew, by a, change in the color of the water, that a clianncl lengthened out among the reefs. lie must enter it bravely Avitliout hesitating, so as to make the coast as near as ])oysible to the shore. The novice did not hesitate. A movement of the helm thrust the ship into the narrow and sinuous channel. In this place the sea was still more furious, and the waves dashed on the deck. The blacks were posted forward, near the barrels, waiting for the novice's orders. *' Pour the oil — pour!" exclaimed Dick Sand. Under this oil, which was poured on it in quantities, the sea grew calm, as by enchantment, only to become more terri- ble again a moment after. The " Pilgrim " glided rapidly over those lubricated waters and headed straight for the shore. Suddenly a shock took place. The ship, lifted by a for- midable wave, had just stranded, and her masting had fallen without wounding anybody. The "Pilgrim's" hull, damaged by the collision, was invaded by the water with extrcnie violence. But the shore was onlv half a cable's length off, and a chain of small black- ish rocks enabled it to be reached quite easily. So, ten minutes after, all those carried by the " Pilgrim " had landed at the foot of the cliff. CHAPTER XIV. THE BEST TO DO. So then, after a voyage long delayed by calms, then favored by winds from the nortliwestand from the southwest — a voy- age which had not lasted less than seventy-four days — the " Pilgrim " had just run aground! However, ^Irs. Weldon and her companions thanked Provi- dence, because they were in safety. In fact, it was on a con- tinent, and not on one of the fatal isles of Polynesia, that the tempest had thrown them. Their return to their country, from, any jujint of South America on which they should land, ought not, it seemed, to present serious difficulties. As to the " Pilgrim," sbo Avas lost. She was only a carcass v.Mthout value, of which the surf was going to disperse the A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN-. Ill dehris in a few hours. It tvoixIcI be impossible to save any- thing. But if Dick Sand liad not that joy of bringing back a vessel intact to his ship-owner, at least, thanks to him, those who sailed in her were safe and sound on some hospitable coast, and, among them, the wife and child of James AV. Weldon. As to the question of knowing on what part of the Amei'i- can coast the schooner had been wrecked, they might dispute it for a long time. Was it, as Dick 8and must suppose, on the shore of Peru? Perhaps, for he knew, even by the bear- ings of the Isle of Paques, that the " Pilgrim " had been thrown to the northeast under the action of the winds; and also, without doubt, under the influence of the currents of the equatorial zone. From the forty-third degree of latitude, it had, indeed, been possible to drift to the fifteenth. It was then important to determine, as soon as possible, the precise point of the coast where the schooner had just been lost. Granted that this coast was that of Peru, ports, towns and villages were not lacking, and consequently it would be easy to gain some inhabited jilace. As to this part of the coast, it seemed deserted. It was a narrow beach, strewed with black rocks, shut off by a cliff of medium height, verry irregularly cut up Ijy large funnels, due to the rupture of the rock. Here and there a few gentle declivities gave access to its crest. In the north, at a quarter of a mile from the stranding place, was the mouth of a little river, which could not have been perceived from the offing. On its banks hung numerous rhizomns, sorts of mangroves, essentially distinct from their congeners of India. The crest of the cliff — that was soon discovered — was over- hung by a thick forest, whose verdant masses undulated be- fore the eyes, and extended as far as the mountains in the background. There, if Cousin Benedict had been a botanist, how many trees, new to him, Avould not have failed to jn'ovoke his admiration. 'J'hore were high baobubs — to which, hf)wever, an extraor- dinary longevity has been falsely attributed — the baik of which resembles Egyptian syenite, Bourbon jjalms, white jiines, tamarind-trees, pej)per-))lants of a ])eculiar sjiccies, and a hundred other ]ilantH that an American is not accustomed to see in tlie northern region of the New Continent. 113 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. But. a circumstance rather curious, among those forest productions one Avould not meet a single specimen of that numerous family of jialni-trces which counts more tlian a thousand sju'cies, spread in profusion over almost the whole surface of the glohe. Above the sea-shore a great number of very noisy birds were flying, wliich belonged for the greater part to different varieties of swallows, of black plumage, with a steel-blue shade, but of a light chestnut color on the upper part of the liead. Here and there also rose some partridges, with necks entirely white, and of a gray color. Mrs. Weldon and Dick Sand observed that these different birds did not ai)pear to be at all wild. They approached without fearing anything. Then, had they not yet learned to fear the presence of man, and was this coast so deserted that the detonation of a fire-arm had never beenlieard there? At the edge of the rocks were walking some ])elicans of the species of " pelican minor," occupied in filling with little fish the sack which they carry between the branches of their lower jaw. Some gulls, coming from the offing, commenced to fly about around the '* Pilgrim." Those birds were the only living creatures that seemed to frequent this part of the coast, without counting, indeed, numbers of interesting insects that Cousin Benedict would well know how to discover. But, however little Jack would have it, one could not ask them the name of the country; in order to learn it, it Avould be necessary to address some native. There were none there, or, at least, there was not one to be seen. No habitation, hut, or cabin, neither in the north, beyond the little river, nor in the south, nor finally on the upper part of the clitT, in the midst of the trees of the thick forest. No smoke ascended into the air, no indication, mark, or imprint indicated that this portion of the contment was visited by human beings. Dick Sand continued to be very much sur])rised. " Where are we? Where can we be?" he asked himself. "What! nobody to speak to?" Xobody, in truth, and surely, if any native b.ad approached, Dingo would have scented him, and announced him by a bark. The dog went ])ackward and forward on the strand, his nose to the ground, his tail down, growling secretly — cer- tainly very singular behavior — but neither betraying the ap- proach of man nor of any animal whatsoever. A CAPTAIlSr AT FIFTEEN-. 113 "Dick, look at Dingo!'' said Mrs. Weldon. *'Yes, that is very strange," replied the novice. "It seems as if he were trying to recover a scent. " ''Very strange, indeed," murmured Mrs. Weldon; then, continuing, "what is Xegoro doing?" she asked. " He is doing what Dingo is doing," replied Dick Sand. "He goes, he comes! After all, he is free here. I have no lonofer the right to control him. His service ended with the stranding of the 'Pilgrim.' In fact, Xegoro surveyed the strand, turned back, and looked at the shore and the clifE like a man trying to recall recollections and to fix them. Did he, then, know this country? He would probably have refused to reply to that question if it had been asked. The best thing was still to have nothing to do with that very unsocuible personage. Dick Sand soon saw him walk from the side of the little river, and when Xegoro had disappeared on the other side of the cliff, he ceased to think of him. Dingo had indeed barked when the cook had arrived on the steep bank, but became silent almost immediately. It was necessary, now, to consider the most pressing wants. Now, the most pressing was to find a refuge, a shelter of some kind, Avhere they could install themselves for the time, and partake of some nourishment. Then they would take counsel, and they would decide what it would be convenient to do. As to food, they had not to trouble themselves. Without F])caking of the resources which the country must offer, the ship's store-room had emptied itself for the benefit of the survivors of the shipwreck. The surf had throAvn here and there among the rocks, then uncovered by the ebb-tide, a great quantity of objects. Tom and his companions had already picked uji some barrels of biscuit, l)Oxes of alimentary preserves, cases of dried meat. The water not having yet damaged them, food for the little troop was secured for more time, doubtless, than they would re(|uire to reach a town or a village. In that respect there was nothing to fear. These different waifs, already put in a safe place, could no longer be taken liack by a rising sea. Neither was sweet water lacking. First of all, Dick Sand had taken care to send Hercules to tiie little river for a few pints. But it was a cask which the vigorous negro brought back on his shoulder, after liaviiig filled it with water fresh 114 A PAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". and pure, which tlie ebb of tlio tide loft perfectly drinkable. As io .1 fire, if it were necessary to light one, dead wood was not lacking in the neighborhood, and the roots of the old mangroves ought to furnish all the fuel of which they would have need. Old Tom, an ardent smoker, was provided with a certain fjuantity of German tinder, well preserved in a box liernR'tically closed, and when they wanted it, he would only have to strike the tinder-box with the flint of the strand. It remained, then, to discover the hole in which the little troop would lie down, in case they must take one night's rest before setting out. And, indeed, it was little Jack who found the bedroom in question. While trotting about at the foot of the cliff, he dis- covered, behind a turn of the rock, one of those grottoes well polished, well hollowed out, which the sea herself digs, when the waves, enlarged by the tempest, beat the coast. The young child was delighted. He called his mother with cries of joy, and triumphantly shoAvcd her his discovery. "Good, my Jack I" re])lic'd Mrs. "Weldon. "If we were Eobinson Crusoes, destined to live a long time on this shore, we should not forget to give your name to that grotto!" The grotto was only from ten to twelve feet long, and as many wide; but, in little Jack's eyes, it was an enormous cavern. At all events, it must suffice to contain the ship- wrecked ones; and, as Mrs. \\'eldon and Nan noted with sat- isfaction, it was very dry. The moon being then in her first quarter, they need not fear that those neap-tides would reach the foot of the cliff, and the grotto in consequence. Then, nothing more was needed for a few hours' rest. Ten minutes after evcry})ody was stretched out on a carpet of sea-weed, Negoro himself thought he must rejoin the lit- tle troop and take his part of the repast, which was going to be made in common. Doubtless he had not judged it proper to venture alone under the thick forest, through which the winding river made its way. It was one o'clock in the afternoon. The preserved meat, the biscuit, the sweet water, with the addition of a few drops of rum, of Avhich Bat had saved a quarter cask, made the re- quisites for this repast. But if Kegoro took part in it, he did not at all mingle m the conversation, in wdiich were discussed the measures demanded by the situation of the shipwrecked. All the time, without appearing to do so, he listened to it, and doubtless profited by what he heard. A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEX. 115 During tliis time Dingo, who had not been forgotten, watched outside the grotto. They could be at ease. Xo liv- ing being would show himself on the strand without the faith- ful animal giving the alarm. Mrs. Weldon, liolding her little Jack, half lying and almost asleep on her lap, began to speak. **Dick, my friend," said she, " in the name of all, I thank you for the devotion that you have shown us till now; but we do not consider you free yet. Yon will be our guide on land, as you were our captain at sea. We place every confidence in you. Speak, then! What must we do?" Mrs. Weldon, old Xan, Tom and his companions, all had their eyes fixed on the young novice. Xegoro himself looked at him with a singular persistance. Evidently, what Dick Sand was going to reply interested him very particularly. Dick Sand reflected for a few moments. Then: "Mrs. Weldon," said he, ''the important thing is to know, first, where we are. I believe that our ship can only have made the land on that jiortion of the American sea-coast which forms the Peruvian shore. The winds and currents must liave carried her as far as that latitude. But are we here in some southern province of Peru, that is to say on the least in- habited part which borders upon the pampas? Maybe so. I would even willingly believe it, seeing this beach so desolate, and, it must be, but little frequented. In that case, we might be very far from the nearest town, which would be unfortu- nate." ''Well, what is to be done?" repeated Mrs. Weldon. "My advice," replied Dick Sand, "would be not to leave this shelter till we know our situation. To-morrow, after a night's rest, two of us could go to discover it. They would endeavor, without going too far, to meet some natives, to in- form themselves from tliem, and return to the grotto. It is not possible that, in a radius of ten or twelve miles, we find nobody. " "To separate!" said Mrs. Weldon. " That seems necessary to me," re])lied the novice. "If no information can lie jticked up, if, as is not im])Ossil)le, the country is aljsolutely tlesolate, well, we shall consider some otiier way of extricating ourselves." "And which of us .sliall go to explore?" asked Mrs. AVel- don, after a nionicut's reflection. IIG A CAPTAIN" AT FIFTEEN. *•' That is yet to be decided," replied Dick Stind. " At all events, I think that you, Mrs. Weldon, Jack, Mr, Benedict, and Nail, oupht iiot to quit this grotto. Bat, Hercules, Ac- teon, and Austin should remain near you, while Tom and I should go forward. Negora, doubtless, will prefer to remain here?" added Dick 8and, looking at the head-cook. '' Probably." replied Kegoro, who was not a man to com- mit himself any more than that. '' We should take Dingo with us," continued the novice. *' He would be useful to us during our exploration." Dingo, hearing his name pronounced, reappeared at the en- trance of the grotto, and seemed to approve of Dick Sand's projects by a little bark. kSince the novice had made this proposition, Mrs. Weldon remained pensive. Her re})ugnance to the idea of a separa- tion, even short, was very serious. j\Iight it not happen that the shi])wreck of the " Pilgrim" would soon be known to the Indian tribes who frequented the sea-shore, either to the north or to the south, and in case some })lunderers of the wrecks thrown on the shore should present themselves, was it not better for all to be united to repulse them? That objection, made to the novice's proposition, truly mer- ited a discussion. It fell, however, before Dick Sand's arguments, who ob- served that the Indians ought not to be confounded with the savages of Africa or Polynesia, and any aggression on their part was probably not to be feared, 13ut to entangle them- selves in this country without even knowing to what province of South America it belonsred, nor at what distance the near- est town of that province w^is situated, was to expose them- selves to many fatigues. Doubtless separation might liave its inconveniences, but far less than marching blindly into the midst of a forest which appeared to stretch as far as the base of the mountains. ''Besides," repeated Dick Sand, ];)crsistently, ''I cannot admit that this separation will be of long duration, and I even affirm that it will not be so. After two days, at the most, if Tom and I have come across neither habitation nor inhab- itant, we shall return to the grotto. But that is too improb- able, and we nhall not have advanced twenty miles into the interior of the country before we shall evidently be satisfied about its geographical situation, I may be mistaken in my, calculation, after all, because the means of fixing it astro- A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN". 117 nomically have failed me, aud it is not impossible for us to be in a higher or lower latitude.*' ''Yes— you are certainly right, my child/' replied Mrs. Weldon, in great anxiety. "And you, Mr. Benedict," asked Dick Sand, "what do you think of this project?" "I?" replied Cousin Benedict. "Yes; what is your advice?" " I have no advice," replied Cousin Benedict. " I find everything proposed, good, and I shall do everything that you wish. Do you wish to remain here one day or two? that suits me, and I shall employ my time in studpng this shore from a purely entomological pomt of view." " Do, then, according to your wish," said Mrs. Weldon to Dick Sand. " We shall remain here, and you shall depart with old Tom." "That is agreed upon," said Cousin Benedict, in the most tranquil manner in the world. "As for me, I am going to pay a visit to the insects of the country." '"Do not go far away, Mr. Benedict," said the novice. " TVe urge you strongly not to do it." " Do not be uneasy, my boy." " And above all, do not bring back too many musquitocs," added old Tom, A few moments after, the entomologist, his precious tin box strapped to his shoulders, left the grotto. Almost at the same time Xegoro abandoned it also. It ap- peared quite natural to that man to be always occupied witli himself. But, while Cousin Benedict clambered up tlie slopes of the cliff to go to explore the border of the forest, he, turn- ing round toward the river, went away with slow steps and disappeared, a second time ascending the steep bank. Jack slept all the time, Mrs, Weldon, leaving him on Nan's knees, then descended toward the strand, Dick Sand and his companions followed her. The question Avas, to see if the state of tlic sea then wouhl permit them to go as far as the "Pilgrim's" hull, where there were still many objects whir-h might l)e useful to the little troo)>. 'J'JK! rocks on which the schooner had been wrecked were now dry. In the midst of the debris of all kinds stood the ship's carcass, whicli Ihc high sea had parlly covered again. That astonished Dick Sand, for lie knew that tlie tides are only very moderate on tlic American sea-shore of the racilic. 118 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". But, iiUer all, this phenomenon might be explained by the fiirv of the wind which beat the coast. On seeing their ship again, Mrs. Weldon and her compan- ions experienced a painful impression. It Avas there that they had lived for long days, there that they had suffered. The aspect of that poor ship, half l)roken, having neither mast nor sails, lying on her side like a being deprived of life, sadly grieved their hearts. But they innst visit this hull, be- fore the sea should come to finish demolishing it. Dick Sand and the blacks could easily make their way into the interior, after having hoisted themselves on deck by means of the ropes which hung over the '* Pilgrim's " side. While Tom, Hercules, Bat, and Austin employed themselves in taking from the store-room all that might be useful, as much eatables as liquids, the novice made his way into the arsenal. Thanks to God, the water had not invaded this part of the ship, whose rear had remained out of the water after the stranding. There Dick Sand found four guns in good condition, ex- cellent Remingtons from Purdy"& Co.'s factory, as well as a hundred cartridges, carefully shut up in their cartridge- boxes. There was material to arm his little band, and put it in a state of defence, if, contrary to all expectation, the In- dians attacked him on the way. The novice did not neglect to take a pocket-lantern; but the ship's charts, laid in a forward quarter and damaged by the water, were beyond use. There were also in the " Pilgrim's " arsenal some of those solid cutlasses which serve to cut up Avhales. Dick Sand chose six, destined to complete the arming of his companions, and he did not forget to bring an inoffensive child's gun, which belonged to little Jack. As to the other objects still held by the ship, they had cither been dispersed, or they could no longer be used. Be- sides, it was useless to overburden themselves for the fcAV days the journey would last. In food, in arms, in munitions, they were more than provided for. Meanwhile, Dick Sand, by Mrs. AVeldon's advice, did not neglect to take all the money which he found on board — about five hundred dollars. That was a small sum, indeed ! jMrs. "Weldon had carried a a larger amount herself and she did not find it again. Who, then, except Kegoro, had been able to visit the shi]) before them and to lay hands on Captain Hull's and Mrs. A CAFTAIX AT FIFTEEN. 119 Weldon's reserve? Xo one but he, surely, could be suspected. However, Dick Sand hesitated a moment. All that he knew and all that he saw of him was that everything was to be feared from that concentrated nature, from whom the mis- fortunes of others could snatch a smile. Yes, Kegoro was an evil being, but must they conclude from that that he was a criminal? It was painful to Dick Sand's character to go as far as that. And, meanwhile, could suspicion rest on any other? Xo, those honest negroes had not left the grotto for an instant, while Xegoro had wandered over the beach. He alone must be guilty. Dick Sand then resolved to question Kegoro, and, if necessary, have him searched when he re- turned. He wished to know decidedly what to believe. The sun was then going down to the horizon. At that date he had not yet crossed the equator to carry heat and light into the northern hemisphere, but he was approaching it. He fell, then, almost perpendicularly to that circula; line where the sea and the sky meet. Twilight was short darkness fell promptly — which confirmed the novice in the thought that he had landed on a point of the coast situated between the tropic of Capricorn and the equator. Mrs. AVeldon, Dick Sand, and the blacks then returned to the grotto, where they must take some hours' rest. ''The night will still be stormy," observed Tom, pointing to the horizon laden with heavy clouds. " Yes," replied Dick Sand, " there is a strong breeze blow- ing up. But what matter, at present? Our poor ship is lost, and the tempest can no longer reach us!" " God's will be done!" said Mrs. Weldon. It was agreed that during that night, which would be very dark, each of the blacks would watch tnrn about at the entrance to the grotto. They could, besides, count uiKm Dingo to keep a careful watch. They then perceived that Cousin Benedict had not re- turned. Hercules called him with all the strength of his powerful lungs, and almost immediately they saw the entomologist coming down the slo])es of the clifl", at the risk of breaking Ids neck. Cousin Benedict was literally furious. He had not found a single new insect in the forest — no, not one — which was lit to figure in hi.s collccticni. Scorpions, scolojjcndras, and otlicr myriapodcs, as many as he could wish, and even more, were 120 A CAFTAIN AT FIFTEEliT. discovered. And we know that Cousin Benedict did not in- terest himself in nivriapodes. "■ It was not wortli the trouble," added he, " to travel five or six thousand miles, to liave braved the tempest, to be wrecked on the coast, and not meet one of those American hexapodes, which do honor to an entomological museum! No; the game was not worth the candle!" As a conclusion, Cousin Benedict asked to go away. He did not wish to remain another hour on that detested shore. Mrs. Weldon calmed her large child. They made him hope that he would be more fortunate the next day, and all Avent to lie down in the grotto, to sleep there till sunrise, when Tom observed that Negoro had not yet returned, though night had arrived. '•Where can he be?" asked Mrs. Weldon. ''What matter!" said liat. " On the contrary, it does matter," replied Mrs. Weldon. "I should prefer having that man still near us." " Doubtless, Mrs. Weldon," replied Dick Sand; "but if he has forsaken our company voluntarily, I do not see how we could oblige him to rejoin us. Who knows but he has his reasons for avoiding us forever?" And taking Mrs. Weldon aside, Dick Sand confided to her his suspicions. He was not astonished to find that she had them also. Only they differed on one ]X)int. "If Isegoro reappears," said Mrs. Weldon, "he will have put the product of his theft in a safe place. Take my advice. What we had better do, not being able to convict him, will be to hide our suspicions from him, and let him believe that we are his dupes." Mrs. Weldon was right. Dick Sand took her advice. However, Negoro was called several times. He did not reply. Either he was still too far away to hear, or he did not wish to return. Tlic blacks did not regret being rid of his presence; but, as Mrs. Weldon had just said, perhaps he w^as still more to be feared afar than near. And, moreover, how explain that Ne- goro would venture alone into that unknown country? Had he then lost his way, and on this dark night was he vainly seeking the way to the grotto? Mrs. Weldon and Dick Sand did not know what to think. However it was, they could not, in order to wait for Negoro, deprive themselves of a repose so necessary to all. A CAPTAI2^ AT FIFTEEN". 121 At that moment the dog, wliicli was running on the strand, barked aloud. "What is the matter with Dingo?'' asked Mrs. Weldon. "We must, indeed, find out," re^^lied the novice. "Per- haps it is Xegoro conung back. " At once Hercules, Bat, Austin, and Dick Sand took their way to the mouth of the river. But, arrived at the bank, the}- neither saw nor heard any- thing. Dmgo now was silent. Dick Sand and the blacks returned to the grotto. The going to sleep was organized as well as possible. Each of the blacks prepared himself to watch in turn outside. But Mrs. Weldon, uneasy, could not sleep. It seemed to her that this land so ardently desired did not give her Avhat she had been led to hope for, security for hers, and rest for her- self. CHAPTEE XV. HAERIS. The next day, April 7th, Austin, who was on guard at sunrise, saw Dingo run barking to the little river. Almost immediatcdy Mrs. Weldon, Dick Sand and the blacks came out of the grotto. Decidedly there was something there. "Dingo has scented a living creature, man or beast," said the novice. "At all events it was not Negoro," observed Tom, "for Dingo would bark with fury." " If it is not Xegoro, where can he be?" asked Mrs, Wel- don, giving Dick Sand a look which Avas only understood i)y him; "and if it is not he, who, then, is it?" " We arc going to sec, Mrs. Weldon," replied the novice. Then, addressing Bat, Austin, and Hercules, "Arm yourselves, my friends, and come!" Each of tlio blacks took a gun and a cutlass, as Dick Sand had done. A cartridge was slip])ed into tbe breech of the iLoniiiigtons, and, thus armed, all four went to the bank of the river. Mrs. Weldon, "^rom, aixl Actcon i-emaincd at the cut ranee of the grotto, where little Jack and Nan still rested by them- selves. 123 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. "^riie sun was then rising. Ilis rays, intercepted by the hiuli mountiiins in ilio cast, did not reach the clilT directly; but as far as tlie western horizon, the sea sparkled under the first fires of day. Dick Sand and his companious followed the strand of the shore, the curve of which joined the mouth of the river. There Dingo, motionless, and us if on guard, was continu- ally barking. It was evident that it saw or scented some native. And, iiv fact, it was no longer against Negoro, against its enemy on board the ship, that the dog had a grudge this time. At that moment a man turned the last plane of the cliff. He advanced prudently to the strand, and, by his familiar gestures, he sought to calm Dingo. They saw that he did not care to face the anger of the vigorous animal. "It is not Ncgoro!" said Hercules. " We cannot lose by the change," replied Bat. "No," paid the novice. "It is probably some native, who will spare us the ennui of a separation. We are at last going to know exactly where we are." And all four, putting their guns back on their shoulders, went rapidly toward the unknown. The latter, on seeing them approach, at first gave signs of the greatest surprise. Very certainly, he did not exi^ect to meet strangers on that part of the coast. Evidently, also, he had not yet perceived the reiuainsof the "Pilgrim," other- wise the presence of the shipwrecked would very naturally be explained to him. ]5esidcs, during the night the surf had finished demolishing the ship's hull; there was nothing left but the wrecks that floated in the offing. At the first moment the unknown, seeing four armed men marching toward him, made a movement as if he would re- trace his steps. He carried a gun in a shoulder-belt, which passed rapidly into his hand, and from his hand to his shoul- der. They felt that he was not reassured. Dick Sand made a gesture of salutation, which doubtless the unknown understood, for, after some hesitation, he con- tinued to advance. Dick Sand could then examine him with attention. He was a vigorous man, forty years old at the most, his eyes bright, his hair and beard gray, his skin sun-burnt like that of a nomad who has always lived in the open air, in the ' IT IB KOT A camp; IT IH NOT A Vll.l.Aur service, I believed " ••'riiey are not, and have never been, in my service, sir," replied Mrs. "Weldon, gravely. " We should be honored in serving you, Mrs. Weldon," then said old Tom. '" But, as Mr. Harris knows, we do not Ix'long to anybody. I have been a slave myself, it is true, and st>ld as such in Africa, Avhcn 1 was only six years old; but my son Bat, here, was born of an enfranchised father, and, as to our companions, they were born of free parents." " I can only congratulate you al)out it," replied Harris, in a tune which Mrs. Weldon did not lind sufficiently serious. " In this land of Bolivia, also, we have no slaves. Then you have nothing to fear, and you can go about as freely here as in the New England States." At that moment little Jack, followed by Nan, came out of the grotto, rubbing his eyes. Then, perceiving his mother, he ran to her. ^Mrs. AVeldon embraced him tenderly. "The charming little boy!" said the American, ajiproach- ing Jack. "It is my son," replied Mrs. Weldon. " Oh, ;Mrs. Weldon, you must have been doubly tried, be- cause your child has been exposed to so many dangers." " God has brought him out of them safe and sound, as He has us. Mr. Harris," replied lyirs. Weldon. " Will you permit me to kiss him on his jiretty cheeks?" asked Harris. "Willingly," replied Mrs. Weldon. But Mr. Harris's face, it appeared, did not please little Jack, for he clung more closely to his mother. "Hold!" said Harris, "you do not want me to embrace you? You are afraid of me, my good little man?" " Excuse him, sir," Mrs. Weldon hastened to say. "It is timidity on his part." "Good! We shall become better acquainted," replied Harris. " Once at the Farm, he will amuse himself mount- ing a gentle ]>ony, which will tell him good things of me." But the offer of the gentle pony did not succeed in cajoling Jack any more than the proposition to embrace Mr. Harris. Mrs. Weldon. thus o]>]io.ied. hastened to change the conver- sation. They must not oll'end a man who had so obligingly olfei'cd his services. A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEE^r. 127 During this time Dick Sand was reflecting on the propo- sition which had been made to them so opportunely, to gain the Farm of San Felice. It was, as Harris had said, a journey of over two hundred miles, sometimes through forests, some- times through plains — a very fatiguing Journey, certainl}', be- cause there were absolutely no means of transport. The young novice then presented some observations to that effect, and waited for the reply the American was going to make. "The journey is a little long, indeed," replied Harris, "but I have there, a few hundred feet behind the steep bank, a horse which I count on offering to Mrs. Weldon and her son. For us, there is nothing difficult, nor even very fatiguing in making the journey on foot. Besides, when I spoke of two hundred miles, it was by following, as I have already done, the course of this river. But if we go through the forest, our distance will be shortened by at least eighty miles. Xow, at the rate of ten miles a day, it seems to me that we shall arrive at the Farm without too much distress." Mrs. AVeldon thanked the American. " You cannot thank me better than by accepting," replied Harris. " Though I have never crossed this forest, I do not believe I shall be embarrassed in finding the way, being suffi- ciently accustomed to the pampas. But there is a graver question — that of food. I have only what is barely enough for myself while on the way to the Farm of San Felice." " Mr. Harris," replied ^frs. Weldon, " fortunately we have food in more than sufficient quantity, and we shall be happy to share with you." "Well, Mrs. Weldon, it seems to me that all is arranged for the best, and that we have only to set out." Harris went toAvard the steep bank, Avith the intention of going to take his horse from the place whore he had loft it, when Dick Sand stopped him again, by asking him a question. To abandon the Hoa-coast, to foroo fiis way info the interior of the country, under that interminable forest, did not please the young novice. The sailor rcajjpcared in him, and either to ascend or descend the coast wouhl bo more to his mind. "Mr. Harris," said he, "instead of travoljing for one hiHulred and twenty miles in tlie Desert of Atacaina, why not follow the coast? Distance for distance, would it not be bettor wortli while to seek to reach the nearest town, cither north or 6011111?" 128 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. " But my younc: friend," repliod Harris, frowninj^sliglitly, "it soonis to'mo thai on this coast, which 1 know very im- perfectly, there is no town nearer than three or four luindred miles." "To the north, yes," replied Dick Sand; "but to the south " "To the south," replied the American, "we must descend as far as Chili. Now, the distance is almost as long, and, in your })lace, I should not like to pass near the pampas of the Argentine Eepublic. As to me, to my great regret, I could not accompany you there." " The ships which go from Chili to Peru, do they not pass, then, in sight of this coast?" asked Mrs. Weldon. '■ iso," replied Harris. " They keep much more out at sea, and vou ought not to meet anv of them." "Truly," replied Mrs. AVeldon. "Well, Dick, have you still sonie question to ask Mr. Harris?" "A single one, Mrs. Weldon," replied the novice, who ex- perienced some difficulty in giving up. " I shall ask Mr. Harris in what port he thinks we shall be able to find a ship to bring us back to San Francisco?" " Faith, my young friend, I could not tell you," replied the American. " All that I know is, that at the farm of San Felice we will furnish you with the means of gaining the town of Atucama, and from there " " Mr. Harris," then said Mrs. Weldon, " do not believe that Dick Sand hesitates to accept your oilers." " Xo, Mrs. Yv'eldon, no; surely 1 do not hesitate," replied the young novice; " but I cannot help regretting not being stranded a few degrees farther north or farther south. We should have been in proximity to a port, and that circum^ stance, in facilitating our return to our country, would pre- vent us from taxing Mr. Harris's good will." " Do not fear imposing upon me, Mrs. Weldon," returned Harris. "I repeat to you that too rarely have I occasion to find myself again in the presence of my compatriots. For me it is a real pleasure to oblige you." "We accept your offer, Mr. Harris," replied Mrs. Weldon; "but I should not wish, however, to deprive you of your horse. I am a good walker " "And I am a very good walker," replied Harris, bow'ing. "Accustomed to long journeys across the i)ampas, it is not I who will keep back our caravan. No, Mrs. Weldon, you A CAPTAIN" AT FIFTEEN". 129 and your little Jack will use this horse. Besides, it is pos- sible' that -we may meet some of the farm servants on the way, and, as they will be mounted — well, they will yield their horses to us." Dick Sand saAv Avell that in making new objections he would oppose Mrs. Weldon. "Mr. Harris," said he, "when do we set out?" "Even to-day, my young friend," rephed Harris. "The bad season commences with the month of April, and it is of the utmost importance for you to reach the farm of San Fe- lice first. Finally, the way across the forest is the shortest, and perhaps the safest. It is less exposed than the coast to the incursions of wandering Indians, who are indefatigable robbers." *' Tom, my friends," replied Dick Sand, turning to the blacks, "it only remains for us to make preparations for de- parture. Let us select, then, from among the provisions on hand, those which can be most easily transported, and let us make packs, of which each will take his share." " Mr. Dick," said Hercules, "if you wish, I shall carry the whole load very well." " No, my brave Hercules," replied the novice; "it will be better for us all to share the burden." " You are a strong companion, Hercules," then said Harris, who looked at the negro as if the latter were for sale. " In the markets of Africa you would be worth a good price." " I am worth what I am worth," replied Hercules, laugh- ing, " and the buyers will only have to run well, if they wish to catch me." All was agreed upon, and to hasten the departure, each went to work. However, they had only to think of feeding the little troop for the journey from the sea-coast to the farm, that is to say, for a march of ten days. " But, before setting out, Mr. Harris," said Mrs. Weldon, "before accepting your hospitality, I beg you to accept ours. We offer it to you with our best wishes." " I accept, Mrs. Wcldon; I accept with eagerness," replied Harris, gayly. " In a few minutes our breakfast v.-ill be ready." "Good, Mrs. Wcldon. lam going to profit by those ten minutes to go and get my horse and bring it here. He will liave breakfasted, he will." " Do you want me to go with yon. sir?" asked Difk Sand. 130 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. "As you i>lc!ise, my young friend," replied Harris. " Come; I sliall make you acquainted with the lower course of this river." lioth set out. During this time, Hercules was sent in search of the ento- mologist. Faith, Cousin Benedict was very uneasy indeed about what was passing around him. lie was then Avandering on the summit of the cliflF in quest of an " unlindable" insect, which, however, he did not tind. Hercules brought him back against his will. Mrs. Weldon informed him that departure was decided upon, and that, for ten days, they must travel to the interior of the country. Cousin Benedict re^jlied that he was ready to set out, and that he would not ask better than to cross America entirely, provided they would let him "collect" on the Avay, Mrs. Weldon then occupied herself, with Nan's assistance, in preparing a comfortable repast — a good precaution before setting out. During this time, Harris, accompanied by Dick Sand, had turned tlie angle of the cliff. Both followed the high bank, over a space of three hundred steps. There, a horse, tied to a tree, gave joyous neighings at the approach of his master. It was a vigorous beast, of a species that Dick Sand could not recognize. Neck and shoulders long, loins short, and hindquarters stretched out, shoulders flat, forehead almost pointed. This horse offered, however, distinctive signs of those races to which we attribute an Arabian origin. "You see, my young friend," said Harris, "that it is a strong animal, and you may count on it not failing you on the route." Harris detached his horse, took it by the bridle, and de- Bcended the steep bank again, preceding Dick Sand. The latter had thrown a rapid glance, as Avell over the river as to- ward the forest which shut up its two banks. But he saw nothing of a nature to make him uneasy. However, when he had rejoined the American, he suddenly gave him the following question, which the latter could little expect: " Mr. Harris," he asked, "you have not met a Portuguese, named Negoro, in the night?" "Negoro?" replied Harris, in the tone of a man who does not understand what is said. " AVho is this Negoro?" A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 131 "He "was the cook on board," replied Dick Sand, " and he has disappeared." "Drowned, perhaps,*' said Harris. "Xo, no," replied Dick Sand. "Yesterday evening ho Avas still with us, but duriug the night ho has left us, and he has probably ascended the steep bank of this river. So I asked you, who have come from that side, if you had not met him." " I have met nobody," replied the American; "and if your cook has ventured alone into the forest, he runs a great risk of going astray. Perhaps "we shall overtake him on the way." "Yes; perhaps I" replied Dick Sand. "When the two returned to the grotto, breakfast was ready. It was composed, like the supper of the evening before, of alimentary conserves, of corned beef and of biscuit. Harris did honor to it, like a man whom nature had endowed with a great appetite. " Let us go," said he; "I see that we shall not die of hun- ger on the way I I shall not say as much for that poor devil of a Portuguese, of whom our voung friend has spoken." "Ah!" said Mrs. Weldon, "Dick Sand has told you that we have not seen Negoro again?" "Yes, Mrs. Weldon," rei)lied the novice. "I desired to know if Mr, Harris had not met him." "Xo," replied Harris: "so let us leave that deserter where he is, and think of our departure — Avhenever you are ready, Mrs. Weldon." Each took the pack which was intended for him. Mrs. Weldon, assisted by Hercules, jjlaced herself on the horse, and the ungi'flteful little Jack, with bis gun strapped on his back, straddled the animal without even thinking of thank- ing him who had put that excellent beast at his dis])osal. Jack, ])laced before his mother, then said to her that he would know how to lead the gentleman's horse very well. They then gave him the bridle to hold, and lie did not doubL that he was the veritable head of the caravan. 133 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. CHAPTEE XVI. ON THE WAY. It was not without a certain apprehension — nothing seemed to justify it, hoAvever — that Dick Sand, three hundred stej)S from the steep bank of the river, penetrated into tlie thick forest, the difficult paths of wliich he and his companions were going to follow for ten days. On the contrary, Mrs. "Weldon licrself, a woman and a mother, whom the perils would make doubly anxious, had every confidence. Two very serious motives had contributed to reassure her; first, because this region of the })ampas was neither very formidable on ac- count of the natives, nor on account of the animals which were found there; next, because, under the direction of Har- ris, of a guide so sure of himself as the American aj^peared to be, they could not be afraid of going astray. Here is the order of proceeding, which, as far as possible, would be observed during the journey: Dick Sand and Harris, both armed, one with his long gun, the other with a Kemington, kept at the head of the little troop. Then came Bat and Austin, also armed, each with a gun and a cutlass. Behind them followed Mrs. Weldon and little Jack, on horseback; then Nan and Tom. In the rear, Acteon, armed with the fourth Remington, and Hercules, with a hatchet in his belt, closed the march. Dingo went backwards and forwards, and, as Dick Sand remarked, always like an uneasy dog seeking a scent. The dog's ways had visibly changed since the '' Pilgrim's " ship- wreck had cast it on this sea-coast. It seemed agitated, and almost incessantly it kept up a dull grumbling, rather la- mentable than furious. That was remarked by all, though no one could exjjlain it. As to Cousin Benedict, it had been as impossible to assign him an order of marching as Dingo. Unless he had been held by a string, he would not have ke])t it. His tin box 8tra])ped to his shoulder, his net in his hand, his large mag- nifying glass suspended to his neck, sometimes behind, some times in front, he scampered away among the high herbs^ A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". 133 watching for orthopters or any other insect in "pter," at the risk of being bit by some venomous serpent. During the first hour Mrs. Weldon, uneasy, called him back twenty times. It was no use. ** Cousin Benedict," she finished by saying to him, ''I beg you very seriously not to go far away, and I urge you for the last time to pay attention to ray entreaties." ^' Meanwhile, cousin," replied the intractable entomologist, ''when I perceive an insect?" " "When you perceive an insect," replied Mrs. Weldon, ''you would do well to let it go in peace, or you will put me under the necessity of taking your box away from you." " Take away my box!" cried Cousin Benedict, as if it were a question of snatching away his heart. '• Your box and your net," added Mrs. Weldon, pitilessly. " My net, cousin! And why not my glasses? You will not dare! No; you will not dare!" " Even your glasses, which I forgot. I thank you. Cousin Benedict, for reminding me that I have that means of making you blind, and, in that way, forcing you to be wise." This triple menace had the effect of making him keep quiet — this unsubmissive cousin — for about an hour. Then he be- gan to go away again, and, as he would do the same, even Avithout net, without box, and without glasses, they were obliged to let him do as he pleased. But Hercules undertook to watch him closely — which quite naturally became one of his duties — and it was agreed that he would act with Cousin Benedict as the latter would Avith an insect; that is, that he would catch him, if necessary, and bring him back as delicately as tlie other would with the rarest of the lepidopters. That rule made, they troubled themselves no more about Cousin Benedict. The little troop, it has been scon, was well armed, and guarded itself carefully. But, as Harris repeated, there Avas no encounter to fear except with wandering Indians, and they would ])rol>ably see none. At all events, the precautions taken would suffice to keep them respectful. 'Vho paths which wound across the thick forest did not merit that name. Tliey were rather the tracks of animals than the tracks of men. They could only be followed with difticulty. So, in fixing the average ilistancc that the little 1?4 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTI.EK. troop wouUl make in ;i iikhtIi of iwelve hours at only five or six miles, Harris had calculated wisely. Tlie weather, however, was very fine. The sun mounted toAvard the zenith, spreading in waves his almost pej-pendicii- lar rays. On the i)lain this heat wouUl he unhcarahle, Harris took care to remark; hut, under those impcnetrahlc branches, thev bore it easilv and with impunity. Tlie greater part of the trees of this forest were unknown, as well to Mrs. Weklon as to her companion, black or white. However, an expert would remark that they were more remarkable for their quality than for their height. Here, it was the " banhinia,"' or iron wood; there, the *'molompi," identical with the "pterocarpe," a solid and light wood, fit for making the spoons used in sugar manufactories or oars, from the trunk of which exuded an abundant resin; further on, "fusticks," or yellow wood, well supplied with coloring materials, and lig-num-vitfees, measuring as much as twelve feet in diameter, but inferior in quality to the ordinary lignum-vita?s. While walking, Dick Sand asked Harris the name of these different trees. " Then you have never been on the coast of South Ameri- ca?" Harris asked him before replying to his question. "Never," replied the novice; "never, during my voyages, have 1 had occasion to visit these coasts, and to say the truth, I do not believe that anybody who knew about them has ever spoken to me of them." " But, have you at least exi)lored the coasts of Columbia, those of Chili, or of Patagonia?" " No, never." " But perhaps Mrs. AVeldon has visited this part of the new continent?" asked Harris. "Americans do not fear voyages, and doubtless " "No, Mr. Harris," replied Mrs. Weldon. "The commer- cial interests of my husband have never called him except to New Zealand, and I have not had to accomjjany him else- where. Not one of us, l])en, knows this portion of lower Bo- livia." ""Well. Mrs. "Weklon. you and your companions will see a singular countrv. which contrasta "'strangely with the regions of Peru, of Brazil, or of the Argentine Pepublic. Its flora and fanna v/ould astonish a natuialist. Ah! we may say that A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 135 you have been shipwrecked at a good place, and if we may ever thank chance " " I wish to believe that it is not chance which has led ns here, but God, Mr. Harris." "God! Yes! God!" replied Harris, in the tone of a man who takes little account of providential intervention in the things of this world. Then, since nobody in the little troop knew either the country or its productions, Harris took a pleasure in naming pleasantly the most curious trees of the forest. In truth, it was a pity that, in Cousin Benedict's case, the entomologist was not supplemented by the botanist! If, up to this time, he had hardly found insects either rare or new, -he might have made fine discoveries in botanv. There was, ]n profusion, vegetation of all heights, the existence of which in the tropical forests of the Xew AVorld had not been yet ascertained. Cousin Benedict would certainly have attached his name to some discovery of this kind. But he did not like botany — he knew nothing about it. He even, quite naturally, held flowers in aversion, under the pretext that some of them permit themselves to imprison the insects in their corollas, and poison them with their venomous juices. At times, the forest became marshy. They felt under foot quite a network of liquid threads, which would feed the affluents of the little river. Some of the rills, somewhat large, could only be crossed by choosing fordable places. On their banks grew tufts of reeds, to which Harris gave the name of papyrus. He was not mistaken, and those herb- aceous plants gi-ew abundantly below the damp banks. Then, the marsh passed, thickets of trees again covered the narrow routes of the forest. Harris made Mrs. "Weldon and Dick Sand remark some very fine ebony-trees, much larger than the common ebony- tree, which fnrnish a wood much blacker and much stronger than that of commerce. Then there were mango-trees, still numerous, though they were rather far from the sea. A kind of fur of white moss clin)bed them as far as the branches. Tlieir thick shade and their delicious fruit made them ])rccious trees, and meanwhile, according to Harris, not a native would dare to ])roj)agate tiie species. ''"Whoever plants ii mango- tree dies!" Such is the superstitious maxim of the country. During the second half of this first day of the journey, the little troop, after the mid-day halt, began to a.-cciid land 136 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. sliglitly inclined. Thoy were not as 3'et the slopes of the chain of \.he 'first plane, but a sort of undulating plateau which con- nected the }>lain with the mountain. There tlie trees, a little less compact, sometimes clustered in groups, would have rendered the march easier, if the soil had not been invaded by herbaceous plants. One might be- lieve himself in the jungles of Oriental India. Vegetation ap])eare(l to be less luxuriant than in the lower valley of the little river, but it was still superior to that of the temperate recfions of the Old or of the I^ew World. Indigo Avas growing there in profusion, and, according to Harris^ this leguminous jjlant passed with reason for the most usurping plant of the country. If a field came to be aban- doned, this parasite, as mudi despised as the thistle or the nettle, took possession of it immediately. One tree seemed lacking in this forest, which ought to be very common in this part of the new continent; it was the caoutchouc-tree. In fact, the " ficus primoides," the "cas- tilloa elastica," the "cecropia peltats," the "collophora utilis," the "cameraria lotifolia," and above all, the ''sypho- nia elastica," which belong to different families, abound in the provinces of South America. And meanwhile, a rather singular thing, there was not a single one to be seen. Now, Dick Sand had particularly promised his friend Jack to show him some caoutchouc trees. So a great deception for the little boy, who figured to himself that gourds, speak- ing babies, articulate punchinellos, and elastic balloons grew quite naturally on those trees. He complained. " Patience," my good little man," replied Harris. "We shall find some of those caoutchoucs, and by hundreds, in the neighborhood of the farm. " " Handsome ones, very elastic?" asked little Jack. "The most elastic there are. Hold! Avhilc waiting, do you want a good fruit to take away your thirst?" And, while s])caking, Harris went to gather from a tree some fruits, which seemed to be as pleasant to the taste as those from the peach-tree. "Are vou very sure, Mr. Harris," asked Mrs. Weldon, " that this fruit can do no harm?" " Mrs. Weldon, I am going to convince you," replied the American, who took a large mouthful of one of those fruits. " It is a mango." A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEX. 137 And little Jack, without any more pressing, folloTred Har- ries example. He declared that it was very good, " those pears," and the tree was at once put under contribution. Those mango's belonged to a species whose fruit is ripe in March and April, others being so only in September, and, consequently, their mangos were just in'time. "Yes, it is good, good, good I" said little Jack, wdth his mouth full. " But my friend Dick has promised me caoutch- oucs, if I was very good, and I want caoutchoucs I" "You will have them. Jack," replied Mrs. Weldon, "be- cause Mr. Harris assures you of it." "But that is riot all," went on Jack. "My friend Dick has promised me some other thing!" " What, then, has friend Dick promised ?" asked Harris, smiling. "Some humming-birds, sir." "And you shall have some humming-birds, my good little man, but farther on — farther on," replied Harris. The fact is that little Jack had a right to claim some of these charming creatures, for he was now in a country where they should abound. The Indians, who know how to weave their feathers artistically, have lavished the most poetical names on those jewels of the flying race. They call them either the "rays" or the "hairs of the sun." Here, it is "the little king of the flowers;" there, "the celestial flower that comes in its flight to caress the terrestrial flower." It is again "the bouquet of jewels, which sparkles in the fire of tlie dav." It can be believed that their imagination would know how to furnish a new poetical appellation for each of tlic one hundred and fifty species which constitute this mar- vellous tribe of humming-birds. Meanwhile, however numerous these humming-birds might be in the forests of Bolivia, little Jack was obliged to still content himself with Harris's promise. According to the American, they were still too close to the coast, and the hum- ming-birds did not like these deserts so near the ocean. The presence of man did not frighten them at the "hacienda;" they heard nothing all day but their cry of " teretere " and the murmur of their wings, similar to that of a spinning- wheel. " Ahl how I should like to be there!" cried little Jack. The surest method of getting there — to the " hncicTula" of San Felice — was not to stoj) on the road. Mrs. W'eldon and 138 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". her companions only took the time absolutely ncccssai-y for repose. 'J'he as]ioct of the forest already cliunpjed. lietwcen the less croNvded trees large clearings opened here and there. The sun, jiiercing the green carpet, then showed its structure of rod, syenite granite, similar to slal)s of lapis-lazuli. On some heights the sarsajjarilhi abounded, a plant with ileshy tu- bercles, which formed an inextricable tangle. The forest, with the narrow paths, was better for Ihem. Before sunset the little troo]) were about eight miles from the point of departure. This journey had been made with- out accident, and even without great fatigue. It is true, it T\as the first journey on the march, and no doubt the follow- ing halting places would be rougher. By a common consent they decided to make a halt at this place. The question then was, not to establish a real camp, but to simply organize a resting-place. One man on guard, relieved every two hours, would sufiice to Avatch during the night, neither the natives nor the deer being truly formidable. They found nothing better for shelter than an enormous mango-tree, Avhose large branches, very bushy, formed a kind, of natural verandah. If necessary, they could nestle in the branches. Only, on the arrival of the little troop, a deafening concert arose from the top of the tree. The mango served as a i)erch for a colony of gray parrots, prattling, quarrelsome, ferocious birds, which set upon living birds, and those who would judge them from their congeners which Europe keeps in cages, would be singularly mistaken. These parrots jabbered with such a noise, that Dick >Sand thought of firing at them to oblige them to be silent, or to put them to flight. But Harris dissuaded him, nnder the pretext that in these solitudes it was better not to disclose his presence by the detonation of a fire-arm. " Let us pass along Avithout noise," he said, " and we shall pass along without danger." SujiiJcr was i)repared at once, Avithout any need of proceed- ing to cook food. It was composed of conserves and biscuit. A little rill, Avhich Avound nnder the ])lants, furnished drink- able Avater, Avhich they did not drink Avithout improving it Avith a few drops of rum. As (o dessert, ihe mango was there Avith its juicy fruit, Avhich the parrots did not allow to be picked without protesting with their abominable cries. COUSIN BENLUKI (,IV1N(. AN AK..IM i.f lllh A.NTIMM. S TO DICK SA.Ml AM) A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN". 139 At the end of the snpper it began to be dark. The sliade rose slowly from the gi-oimd to the tops of the trees, from which the foliage soon stood out like a fine tracery on the more luminons backgronnd of the sky. The first stars seemed to be shining flowers, which twinkled at the end of the last branches. The Avind went down with the night, and no longer trembled in tlie branches of the trees. The parrots themselves had become mute. Nature was going to rest, and inviting every hving being to follow her in this deep sleep. Preparations for retiring had to be of a very primitive char- acter. "Shall we not light a large fire for the night?" Dick Sand asked the American. "What's the good?" replied Harris. "Fortunately the nights are not cold, and this enormous mango will preserve the soil from all evaporation. We have neither cold nor dampness to fear. I repeat, my young friend, what I told you just now. Let us move along incognito. No more fire than gunshots, if possible." "I believe, indeed," then said Mrs. Weldon, "that we have nothing to fear from the Indians — even from those wanderers of the woods, of whom you have spoken, Mr. Harris. Ikit, are there not other four-footed wanderers, that the sight of a fire would help to keep at a distance?" " ]\rr3. Weldon," replied the American, "you do too much honor to the deer of this country. Indeed, they fear man more tlian he fears them." "We are in a wood," said Jack, "and there is always beasts in the woods." " There are woods and woods, my good little man, as there are beasts and beasts," replied Harris, laughing. "Imag- ine tiiat you are in the middle of a large park. 'I'ruly, it is not without reason that the Indians say of this country, ' £3 como el pariso!' It is like an earthly jiaradise!" " Then there are serpents?" said .Jack. "No, my Jack," replied Mrs. Weldon, "there are no ser- pents, and you may sleep tranriuiljy." "And lions?" asked Jack. " Not the ghost of a lion, my good little man," rejjlicd Harris. "Tigers, then?" UO A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN-. " Ask your mamma if she has ever heard tell of tigers on this coiitinont?" "Kevor,'- rojilied INFrs. Woldon. "CJood!" said Cousin Benedict, who, by chance, was listen- ing to the conversation; "if there are neither lions nor tigers in the New World, Avhich is perfectly true, we at least encounter couc:ars and jaguars." *' Are they bad?" asked little Jack. "Phew!"Veplied Harris; "a native has little fear of at- tacking those animals, and we are strong. Stay! Hercules would be strong enough to crush two jaguars at once, one in each hand!" ''You will Avatch well, Hercules," then said little Jack, *'and if a beast comes to bite us " '•'It is I who will bite it, Mr. Jack!" replied Hercules, showing his mouth, armed with superb teeth. " Yes, you will watch, Hercules," said the novice, " but your companions and 1 will relieve you, turn about.' ' "No, Mr. Dick," replied Acteon, " Hercules, Bat, Austin, and I, we four will be enough for this labor. You must rest the whole night." "Thank you, Acteon," replied Dick Sand, "but I ought to " "No! let those brave men do it, my dear Dick!" then said Mrs. Weldon. "I, also; I shall watch!" added little Jack, whose eyelids were already closing. " Y'"es, niy Jack, yes, you will watch!" replied his mother, who did not wish to contradict him. "But," the little boy said again, " if there are no lions, if there are no tigers in the forest, there are Avolves!" " Oh! wolves in jest!" replied the American. " They are not even wolves, but kinds of foxes, or rather of those dogs of the woods which they call 'guaras.'" " And those r/uarns, they bite?" asked little Jack. "Bah! Dingo would make only one mouthful of those beasts!" "Never mind," replied Jack, with a last yawn; "guaras are wolves, because they are called wolves!" And with that Jack fell asleep peacealjly in Nan's arms, beside the trunk of the mango. Mrs. Weldon, lying near her, gave a last kiss to her little boy, and her tired eyes quickly closed for the night. A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN. 141 A few moments later Hercules brought back to the camp Cousin Benedict, who had just gone off to commence a chase for pyropliores. The}' are ''cocuvos," or luminous flies, which the stylish put in their hair, like so many living gems. These insects, which throw a bright and bluish light from two spots situated at the base of their corselet, are very numerous in South America. Cousin Benedict then counted on making a large collection, but Hercules did not leave him time, and, in spite of his recriminations, the negro brought him to the halting-place. That was because, when Hercules had orders, he executed them with military preciseness, which, no doubt, prevented the incarceration of a notable quantity of luminous flies in the entomologist's tin box. A few moments after, with the exception of the giant, who was watching, all were reposing in a profound sleep. CHAPTER XVII. A HUXDEED MILES IX TWO DAYS. Generally, travelers or raml)lers in the woods, who have e]e\)t in the forests under the lovely stars, are awakened by bowlings as fantastic as disagreeable. There is everything in this morning concert: clucking, grunting, croaking, sneering, barking, and almost "speaking," if one may make use of this word, whicli completes the series of different noises. There are the monkeys who thus salute the daybreak. There we meet the little ''marikina," the marmoset with a speckled mask; the "mono gris," the skin of which the Indians use to recover the batteries of their guns; the "sagous," recognizable from their long bunches of hair, and many others, specimens of this numerous family. Of these various four-handed animals, the most remarkable are decidedly the "gueribas," with curling tails and a face like Beelzebub. When tbe sun rises, the oldest of tlie liand, witb an imposing and mysterious voice, sings a m<))iot()nous jKsahn. It is tbe baritone of the troop. The young tenors repeat after him the morning sym])h()ny. Tlie Indians say then that the "gueribas" recite 'their jxi/er-nos/rrs. But, on this day, it seemed that the monkeys did not offer their prayer, for no one heard them; and, meanwhile, their voice 13 loud, for it is produced by the rapid vibrati(jn of a 143 A CAPTAIN" AT FIFTEEJST. kind of bony drnm, formed by a swelling of the hj^oides bone in the nock. In short, for one reason or for another, noitlior tlie "\\i these jakos were not new to him. They have transported them into all parts of the world. On the two continents they fill the houses with their insupportable chattering, and, of all the family of the " psittacius," they are the ones Avhich learn to speak most easily. It must be said, besides, that if Jack was not contented, Cousin Benedict was no more so. He had been allowed to wander a little to the right or to the left during the march. However, he had iiot found any iusect which was fit to cniicli bis collection. Even the "' pyrophores " obstinately refused to show themselves to him, and attract him by the phos- phorescences of their corselet. Xature seemed truly to mock the unhappy entomologist, whose temper was becoming cross. For four davs more the march toward the northeast Avas continued in tlie same Avay. On the IGth of April the dis- tance traversed from the coast could not be estimated at less than one hundred miles. If Harris had not gone astray — and he alTiriiied it without hosifalion — the Farm of San-Felice Avas no more than twenty miles from tlie halting i)liice of that day. Before forty-eight hours the little troo]) then Avould have a comfortable shelter Avhere its members could at last repose from their fatigues. 146 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. ^Icanwliilo, Ihouirli ilio platcjui l>;ul been almost entirely crossed in its niidille ]):irt, not a native, not a wanderer liad been encountered under the immense forest. More tlian once, Avitliout saying anything about it, Dick Sand regretted being unable to go ashore on some other point of the coast, ^lore to the soulli, or more to the north, vil- higes, luunlets, or plantations would not luxvc been lacking, and long before this Mrs. Weldon and her companions would have found an asylum. But, if the country seemed to be abandoned by man, ani- mals showed themseives more frequently during these last days. At times was heard a kind of long, plaintive cry, that Harris attributed to some of those large tardi-grades, habitual denizens of those vast wooded regions, named "ais." On that day, also, during the mid-day halt, a hissing ])assed through the air, which nuide Mrs. AVeldon very uneasy, be- cause it was' so strange. '• What is that?*- she asked, rising hastily. "A serpent!" cried Dick Sand, who, gun in hand, threw liimself before Mrs. Weldon. They might fear, in fact, that some reptile woidd glide among the plants to the halting ])lace. It would be nothing astonishing if it were one of those enormous "sucurus," kinds of boas, which sometimes measure forty feet in length. But Harris reminded Dick Sand that the blacks were al- ready following, and he reassured Mrs. "W^eldon. According to him, that hissing could not be produced by a "sucuru," because that ser])ent does not hiss; but he indi- cated the presence of several inoffensive quadrupeds, rather numerous in that country. " ]ie reassured, then," said he, ''and make no movement which may frighten those animals." "But what are they?" asked Dick Sand, who made it like a law of conscience to interrogate and make the American speak — who, ho\vever, never required pressing before re})lying. " They are antelojies, my young friend," replied Harris. " Oh! liow I should like to see them!" cried Jack. " 1'hat is very difHcult, my good little man," replied the American, "very ditJicult." '' Perhaps we may try to approach them — those hissing an- telopes?" returned Dick Sand. " Oh! you will not take three steps," replied the American, A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEiT. 147 shaking his head, " before the whole band will take flight. 1 beg of you, then, not to trouble yourself. "' But Dick Sand had his reasons for being curious. He wished to see, and, gun in hand, be glided anVong the herbs. Immediately a dozen graceful gazelles, with small,"sharp horns, passed with the rapidity of a water-spout, Their bair, bright red, looked like a cloud of fire under the tall underwood of the forest. " I had Avamed you," said Harris, when the novice returned to take his place. Those antelopes were so light of foot, that it had been truly impossible to distinguish them; but it was not so with an- other troop of animals wbich was signaled the same day. Those could be seen — imperfectly, it is true — but their ap- parition led to a rather singular discussion between Harris and some of his comjoanions. The little troop, about four o'clock in the afternoon, had stopped for a moment near an oj^ening in the woods, when three or four animals of gTcat height went out of a thicket a hundred steps off, and scampered aAvay at once with remark- able speed. In spite of the American's recommendations, this time the novice, having quickly shouldered his gun, fired at one of these animals. But at the moment when the charge was going off, the wea])on had been rapidly turned aside by Har- ris, and Dick Sand, skilful as he was,"had missed his aim. *'No firing; no firingi" said the American. "Ah, now, but those are giraffes I" cried Dick Sand, with- out otherwise replying to Harris's observation. " Giraffes!" repeated Jack, standing up on the horse's sad- dle. " Where are they, the large beasts?" "Giraffes!" replied" Mrs. AVeldon. "You are mistaken,, my dear Dick. 1'here are no giraffes in America." " Indeed," said Harris, who appeared rather surprised, "there cannot be anv Lnraffes in this country." "What, then:"" said' Dick Sand. "I really do not know what to think," replied Harris. " Have not your eyes deceived you, my young friend, and are not those animals more likely to be ostriches!-'" "Ostriches!" r(].cated Dick Sand and Mrs. Weldon, look- ing at each other in great surprise. " Yea, only ostriches," repeated Harris. 148 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". "■ T?ut ostviclics are ])ir(ls," returned Dick Sand, ''iindeon- soqiuMitly tlu'v Ikivc only two feet.*' "Well,'' rei)lied lltirris, "I indeed thought I saw that those animals, which have just made oil so rapidly, were hipods." •• Bipeds!'' replied the novice. " Indeed it seemed to me that I saw animals with four legs," then said Mrs. Weldon. " I also,'' added old Tom; then Bat, Acteon, and Austin contirmcd those words. " Ostriches with four legs!'' cried Ilan-is, with a hurst of lausrhter. "That would be ridiculous!" •'' So," returned Dick Sand, '' we have believed they were giraffes, and not ostriches." "No, my young friend, no," said Harris. "You have certainly seen badly. That is explained by the rapidity Avith which lliose animals have flown away. Besides, it has hap- pened more than once that hunters have been deceived like you, and in the best faith in the world." What the American said was very plausible. Between an ostrich of great height and a giraffe of medium height, seen at a certain distance, it is easy to make a mistake. If it were a question of a beak or a nose, both are none the less joined to the end of a long neck turned backward, and, strictly speaking, it may be said that an ostrich is only a half giraffe. It only needs the hind legs. Then, this biped and tliis ([uad- ruped, passing rapidly, on a sudden may, very properly, be taken one for the other. Besides, the best proof that Mrs. Weldon and the others •were mistaken was that there are no giraffes in America. Dick Sand then made this reflection: • " But I believed that ostriches were not met with in the Xew World any more than giraffes." "Yes, my young friend," replied Harris; "and, indeed, South America possesses a peculiar species. To this species belongs the 'nandon,' which you have just seen." Harris spoke the truth. The "nandon" is a long-legged bird, rather common in the plains of South America, and its flesh, when it is young, is good to eat. This strong animal, whose height sometimes exceeds two meters, has a straight beak; wings long, and formed of tutted feathers of a bluish shade; feet formed of throe claws, fur- A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN". 149 nished "with nails — "which essentially distinguishes it from the ostriches of Africa. These ver}' exact details "were given by Harris, "who appeared to be very strongly posted on the manners of the "nandons." Mrs. Weldon and her companions were obliged to acknowl- edge that they had been deceived. " Besides," added Harris, "possibly we may encounter an- other band of these ostriches. Well, next time look better, and no longer allow yourselves to take birds for quadrupeds! But above all, my young friend, do not forget my recommen- dations, and do not fire on any aninuil whatsoever. We have no need of hunting to procure food, and no detonation of a fire-arm must announce our presence in this forest." Meanwhile Dick Sand remained jiensive. Once more a doubt had just arisen on his mind. The next day, April 17th, the march was continued, and the American affirmed that twenty-four hours would not pass before the little troop should be installed at the Farm of San Felice. ''There, Mrs. Weldon," added he, "you will receive all the care necessary to your i)osition, and a few days' rest will quite restore vou. Perhaps you will not find at this farm the luxury to which you are accustomed in your residence in San Francisco, but you will see that our improved lands in the interior do not lack what is comfortable. We are not abso- lutely savages." "Mr. Harris," replied Mrs. Weldon, "if we have only thanks to offer you for your generous resort, at least we shall offer them to you with all our hearts. Yes! It is time for us to arrive there!" "Yon are very much fatigued. ^Frs. Weldon?" " I, no matterl" ie])lied Mrs. Weldon; " but I perceive that Jiiy little Jack is gradually becoming exhausted! The fever begins to affect him at certain hours!" " Yes," replied Harris, "and although the climate of this |ilatcaii is very healthful, it must be acknowledged that in March and April intermittent fevers reign." " Doubtless," then said Dick S;iiid. " but also Nature, who is alwavs and everywhere provident, has })ut the remedy near the evil!" " And how is that, my young friend?" asked Harris, who difl not .«eem t<» iinilerstand. 150 A CAITAIN AT FIFTT^EN". " Aro wo noi, tlion, in the region of tlie quinquinas?" re- }ilieil Dick .Sand. " In faet," said Harris, "you are perfectly right. Tlic trees wliich furnish the precious febrifuge bark are native here." *' I nni even astonished," added Dick Sand, "that we have not vet seen a single one." " Ah! my young friend," re])liod Harris,* "those trees are not easy to distinguish. Though they are often of great height, though their leaves are large, their flowers rosy and odoriferous, we do not discover them easily. It is rarely that they grow in groups, 'i'hey are rather scattered through the forests, and tlie Indians who collect the quinquina can only recognize them by their foliage, always green." '■ Mr. Harris," said Mrs. AVeldon, " if you see one of those trees von will show it to me." "Certainly, Mrs. Weldon, but at the farm you will find some sulphate of quinine. That is worth still more to break the fever than the simple l)urk of the tree." Formerly, this bark was only reduced to powder, which bore the name of "Jesuits' Powder," because, in ](;49, the Jesuits of Koine received a considerable quantity from their mission in America. This last day of the journey passed without other incident. Evening came and the lialt was organized for the whole night as usual. Till then it had not rained, but the weather was j)reparing to change, for a warm mist rose from the soil and soon found a thick fog. They were touching, in fact, on the rainy season. Fortu- nately, the next day, a comfortable shelter would be hos])it- ably offered to the little troop. There were only a few hours to elapse. Though, according to Harris, who could only establish hia calculation by the time which the journey had lasted, they could not be more than six miles from the farm, the ordinary ])recautions were taken for the night. Tom and his com])an- ions would watch one after the other. Dick Sand insisted that nothing should be neglected in that respect. Less than ever, would he depart from his habitual prudence, for a ter- rible suspicion was incrusted in his mind; but he did not wi.-li to say anything yet. 1"he retiring to rest had been made at the feet of a group A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN". 151 of large trees. Fatigue aiding, Mrs. Weldon and hers were already asleep, whenthey were awakened by a great cry. "' Ell! what's the matter?" asked Dick Sand, qnickly, who was on his feet first of all. "It is II it is I who have cried!" replied Cousin Benedict. "And what is the matter with you?" asked Mrs. AYeldon. " I have just been hit!" " By a serpent?" asked Mrs. "Weldon, with alarm. "Iso, no! It was not a serpent, but an insect," replied Cousin Benedict. "' Ah! I have it! I have it!" "Well, crush your insect," said Harris, "and let us sleep, Mr. Benedict!" " Crush an insect!" cried Cousin Benedict. "Not so! I must see what it is!" "Some mosquito!" said Harris, shrugging his shoulders. "No! It is a fly," replied Cousin Benedict, "and a fly which ought to be very curious!" Dick Sand luid lit' a little portable lantern, and he ap- proached Cousin Benedict. " Divine goodness!" cried the latter. " Behold what con- soles me for all my deceptions! I have, then, at last made a discover}'!" The honest man was raving. He looked at his fly in tri- umpb. He would willingly kiss it. "But what is it, tlien?"' asked Mrs. TVeldon. "Adipter, cousin, a famous dipter!" And Cousin Bene- dict sbowod a fly smaller tlian a bee. of a dull color, streaked with yellow on the lower ))art of its body. " And this fly is not venomous?" asked Mrs. Weldon. "Ko, cousin, no; at least not for man. But for animals, for antelopes, for bulTaloes, even for elephants, it is another tiling. All! adorable insect!" "At last," asked Dick Sand, "will you tell us, Mr. Bene- dict, wliat is this fly?" " This fly," replied the entomologist, " this fly that I hold between my fingers, this fly — it is a tsetse! It is that famous dipter tliat is tlic bon(»r of a country, and, till now, no one has ever found a tsetse in America!" Dick Sand did not dare to ask Cousin Benedict in what part of the worhl this redoubtable tsetse was only to 1)0 met. And whon his companions, after this incident, had returned to their interrupted sleep, Dick Sand, in spite of the i'aliguo whicli overwhehned him, did not close his eyes the whole night. 152 . A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEE2f. CHAPTER XVIII. THE TERRIBLE AVORD. It was time to arrive. Extreme lassitude made it impossi- Itlo for ]Mrs. Woldon to continue any longer a journey made under such painful conditions. Her little boy, crimson dur- ing the fits of fever, very ])ale during the intermissions, was ])i liable to see. His mother, extremely anxious, had not been willing to leave Jack even in the care of the good Nan. She held him, half-lying, in her arms. Yes, it was time to arrive. But, to trust to the American, on the very evening of this day which was breaking — the evening of the 18th of April, the little troop should finally reach the shelter of the " hacienda" of San-Felice. Twelve days' journey for a woman, twelve nights passed in the open air; it was enough to overwhelm Mrs. Weldon, ener- getic as she was. But, for a child, it was worse, and the sight of little Jack sick, and without the most ordinary cares, had suttieed to crush her. Dick Sand, Kan, Tom, and his companions had supported the fatigues of the journey better. Their provisions, although they were commencing to get exhausted, had not become injured, and their condition was satisfactory. As for Harris, he seemed made for the difficulties of these long journeys across the forests, and it did not appear that fatigue could affect him. Only, in proportion as he neared the farm, Dick Sand observed that he w'as more pre-occupied and less frank in behavior than before. The contrary would have been more natural. This was, at least, the opinion of the young novice, who had now become more than suspicious of the American. And meanwhile, what interest could Har- ris have in deceiving them? Dick Sand could not have ex- jilained it, but he watched their guide more closely. Tlie American probably felt himself suspected by Dick Sand, and, no douljt, it was this mistrust which made him still more taciturn with " his young friend." The march had been resumed. In the forest, less thick, the trees were scattered in groups, and no longer formed im])enetrable masses. "Was it, then, the true pampas of which Harris had spoken? A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEX. 153 During the first hours of the day, no accident happened to aggravate the anxieties that Dick Sand felt. Only two facts were observed by him. Perhaps they were not very impor- tant, but, in these actual junctures, no detail could be neg- lected. It was the behavior of Dingo which, above all, attracted more especially the young man's attention. In fact the dog, which, during all this journey, had seemed to be following a scent, became quite different, and that almost suddenly. Until then, his nose to the ground, gener- allv smelhng the herbs or the shrubs, he either kept quiet, or be'made a sort of sad, barking noise, like an expression of grief or of regret. Now, on this day, the barking of the singular animal be- came like bursts, sometimes furious, such as they formerly were when Negoro appeared on the deck of the " Pilgrim." A suspicion crossed suddenly Dick Sand's mind, and it was confirmed by Tom, who said to him: ** How very singular, Mr. Dick! Dingo no longer smells the ground a's he did yesterday! His nose is in the air, he is agitated, his hair stands up! One would think he scented in the distance " " Xegoro, is it not so?" replied Dick Sand, who seized the old black's arm, and signed to him to speak in a low voice. " Xegoro, Mr. Dick. May it not be that he has followed our steps?" " Yes, Tom, and that at this moment even he may not be very far from us." ''' But why?" said Tom. " Either Xegoro does not know this country," went on Dick Sand, " and then he would have every interest in not losing sight of us " *' Or?" said Tom. who anxiously regarded the novice. *' Or," replied Dick Sand, "he does know it, and then lie " " But how should Xegoro know this country? He has never conic here!" " Mas he never been liere?" murmured Dick Sand. " It is an incontestable fact that Dingo acts as if this man wliom lie detesls were near ut^V^ Tlicn, inierru])ting himself to call the dog, which, after some hesitation came to him: *' Eh!" said he; " Xegoro! Xegoro!" 151 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. A furious barking was Dingo's reply. This name had its usual effect u])on hinu ;uk1 he darted forward, as if Negoro liad been liidden behind some tliicket. Harris luul witnessed ail this scene. AVith his lips a little drawn, lie approached the novice. " What did you ask Dingo then?" said he. "Oh, not much, Mr. Harris," re])lied old Tom, jokingly. "We asked him for news of the ship-companion whom we have lost!" " Ah I" said the American, " the Portuguese, the ship's cook of Avhom you have already spoken to me?" "Yes," replied Tom. "One would say, to hear Dingo, that Xegoro is in the vicinity." " How could he get as far as this?" replied Harris. "He never was in this country that I know of; at least, he concealed it from us," rej^licd 'j'om. " It would be astonishing," said Harris. " But, if you Tvish, we will beat these thickets. It is possible that this poor devil has need of help; that he is in distress." "It is useless, Mr. Harris," replied Dick Sand. "If Ne- goro has known how to come as far as this, he will know how to go farther. He is a man to keep out of trouble." "' As you please," replied Harris. "Let us go. Dingo, be quiet," added Dick Sand, briefly, so as to end the conversation. The second observation made by the novice, was in con- nection with the American horse. He did not appear to "feel the stable," as do animals of his species. He did not suck in the air; he did not hasten his speed; he did not dilate his nostrils; he uttered none of the neigh ings that indicate the end of a Journey. To observe him well, he appeared to be as indifferent as if the farm, to which he had gone several times, however, and which he ought to know, had been several hundreds of miles away. "That is not a horse near home," thought the young novice. And, meanwhile, according to what Harris had said the evening before, there only remained six miles to go, and, of these last six miles, at five o'clock in the evening four had been certainly cleared. Xow, if the horse felt nothing of the sta})le, of which he should have great need, nothing besides announced the ap- HERCL'LEA TUK>'ED H18 GUN LIKE A CLl'B, AND THE NATIVES FEI L WITH TIIKIll BKl'LLB BROKEN.— ^'teyM/)/e 2U. A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN". 155 proaches to a great clearing, such as the Farm of San Felice must be. Mrs. Weldon, indifferent as she then was to what did not con- cern her child, was struck at seeing the countr}' still so desolate. "What! not a native, not a farm-servant, at such a short dis- tance! Harris must be wild! Ko! she repulsed this idea. A new dela}^ would have been the death of her little Jack! Meanwhile, Harris always kept in advance, but he seemed to observe the depths of the wood, and looked to the right and left, like a man who was not sure of himself — nor of his road. Mrs. "Weldon shut her eyes so as not to see him. After a plain a mile in extent, the forest, without being as dense as in the west, had reappeared, and the little troop was again lost under the great trees. At six o'clock in the evening they had reached a thicket, which appeared to have recently given passage to a band of powerful animals. Dick Sand' looked around, him very at- tentively. At a distance which far surpassed the human height, \he branches were torn off or broken. At the same time the herbs, roughly scattered, exhibited on the soil, a little marshy, prints of steps which could not be those of jaguars, or couguars. Were these, then, the **ais," or some other tardigraves, whose feet liad thus marked the soil? But how, then, ex- plain the break in the branches at such a height? Elephants might have, without doubt, left such imprints, stamped these large traces, made a similar hole in the impene- trable underwood. But clei)hants are not found in America. These enormous thick-skinned quadrupeds are not natives of the New AVorld. As yet, they have never been acclimaled there. The hypotliesis that elephants had passed there was abso- lutely inadmissible. However that might be, Dick Sand hardly knew how much this inexplicable fact gave him to tliink about. He did not even queetion the American on this point, AVhat could he expect from a man who had tried to make him take giralTcs for ostriches? Harris would liave given him some ex))lana- tion, more or less imaginative, which would not have changed the situation. At all events, Dick had formed his ()|)iniou of Harris, Ho felt in him a traitor! He only awaited an occasion to un- loG A CAl'TAIN AT FIFTEEN. ma.-5k liis (li.'slovalty, to have the right to do it, and everything told him that this opj)ortuiiity Avari near. But what could be Harris's secret end? What future, tlien, a\vait(>d tlie survivors of the " Pil,ui-ini?" J)ick Hand re- ]ioatiMl to himself that his responsibility had not ceased with the shii>\vreck. it was more than ever necessary for him to provide for the safety of those whom the waves liad thrown on this coast! This woman, this young child, these blacks — all his companions in misfortune — it was he ah)ne who must save them! But, if he could attempt anything on board ship, if he could act on the sea. liere, in the midst of the terrible trials which lie foresaw, what part could he take? Dick Sand would not shut his eyes before the frightful real- ity that each instant made more indisputable. In this junct- ure he again became the captain of fifteen years, as he had been on the ** Pilgrim." But he would not say anything which could alarm the poor mother before the moment for action had arrived. And he said nothing, not even when, arrived on the bank of a rather large stream, preceding the little troop about one hundred feet, ho perceived enormous animals, which threw themselves under the large plants on the brink. " Hippopotami! hippopotami!" he was going to exclaim. And they Avere, indeed, these thick-skinned animals, with a big head, a large, swollen snout, a mouth armed with teeth which extend a foot beyond it — animals which are squat on their short limbs, the skin of which, unprovided with hair, is of a tawny red. Hippopotami in America! They continued to march during the whole day, but pain- fully. Fatigue commenced to retard even the most robust. It was truly time to arrive, or they would be forced to stop. Mrs. Weldon, wholly occupied with her little Jack, did not perhaps feel the fatigue, but her strength was exhausted. All, more or less, were tired. Dick Sand, resisted by a supreme moral energy, caused by the sentiment of duty. Toward four o'clock in the evening, old Tom found, in the grass, an object which attracted his attention. It Avas an arm, a kind of knife, of a particular shape, formed of a large, curved blade, set in a square, ivory handle, rather roughly ornamented. Tom carried this knife to Dick Sand, who took it, examined it, and, finally, showed it to the American, saying: " No doubt, the natives are not very far off." A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 157 *' That is so," replied Harris, ''and meanwhile- Meauwhile?" repeated Dick Sand, who now steadily looked Harris in the face. " We should be very near the farm," replied Harris, hesi- tating, "and I do not recognize " "You are then astray?" quickly asked Dick Sand. "Astray! no. The farm cannot be more than three miles away, now. But, I wished to take the shortest road through the forest, and perhaps I have made a little mistake!" " Perhaps," replied Dick Sand. " I would do well, I think, to go in advance," said Harris. "Xo, Mr. Harris, we will not separate," replied Dick Sand, in a decided tone. "Asyou will," replied the American. " But, during the night, it will be ditficult for me to guide you." "Xever mind that!" replied Dick Sand. "We are going to halt. Mrs. Weldon Avill consent to pass a last night un- der the trees, and to-morrow, when it is broad daylight, we will proceed on our journey! Two or three miles still, that will be an hour's walk!" "Be it so," replied Harris. At that moment Dingo commenced to bark furiously. " Here, Dingo, here!" cried Dick Sand. "You know well that no one is there, and that we are in the desert!" This last halt was then decided upon. Mrs. Weldon let her companions work without saying a word. Her little Jack was sleeping in her arms, made drowsy by the fever. They sought the best place to pass the night. This was under a large bunch of trees, where Dick Sand thought of disposing all for their rest. But old Tom, who was helping him in those ])re[)arations, stopped suddenly, crying out: "Mr. Dick! look! look!" " What is it, old T«jm?" asked Dick Sand, in the calm tone of a man who attends to everything. " There— there!" cried Tom; " on those trees— blood stains! — and — on the ground — mutilated ]inil)s!" Dick Sand rushed toward the spot indicated by old Tom. Then, returning to him: "Silence, Tom, silence!" said he. In fact, tlicre on the ground were liands cut olT, and above these human remains were several broken forks, and a chain in pieces! 158 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN-. TTn]ipily, Mrs. WcUlon had seen nothing of this horrible spectaelo. As for Harris, he kept at a distance, and any one observing liim at this moment would have been struck at the change made in him. His face liad something ferocious in it. Dingo had rejoined Dick Sand, and before these bloody remains, he barked with rage. The novice had hard work to drive him away. ]\[canwhile, old Tom, at the sight of these forks, of this broken chain, had remained motionless, as if his feet were rooted in the soil. His ej'cs were wide open, his hands clenched; he stared, murmnring these incoherent words: "1 have seen — already seen — these forks — when little — I have seen!" And no doubt the memories of his early infancy returned to him vaguely. He tried to recall them. He was going to speak. '' Be silent, Tom!" repeated Dick Sand. " For Mrs. Wel- don's sake, for all our sakcs, be silent!" And tlie novice led the old black away. Another halting place was chosen, at some distance, and all was arranged for the night. The repast w^as prepared, but they hardly touched it. Fatigue took aw'ay their hunger. All were under an indcflna- Ijle impression of anxiety which bordered on terror. Darkness came gradually: soon it was profound. The sky was covered with great stormy clouds. Between the trees in the western horizon they saw S()me flashes of heat lightning. The wind had fallen; not a leaf moved on the trees. An ab- solute silence succeeded the noises of the day, and it might be believed that the heavy atmosphere, saturated with electricity, was becoming unfit for the transmission of sounds. 't> Dick Sand, Austin, and Bat watched together. They tried to see, to hear, during this very dark night, if any light Avhat- soever, or any susjjicious noise should sti'ike their eyes or their ears. Nothing troubled eitlier the calm or the obscurity of the forest. Tom, not sleepy, but absorbed in his remembrances, his head bent, remained quiet, as if he had been struck by some sudden blow. Mrs. Weldon rocked her child in her arms, and only thought of liim. A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN. 159 Only Cousin Benedict slept, perhaps, for lie alone did not suffer from the common impression. His faculty for looking forward did not go so far. Suddenly, about eleven o'clock, a prolonged and grave roar- ing was heard, with which was mingled a sort of sharper shuddering. Tom stood up and stretched out his hand toward a dense thicket, a mile or more distant. Dick Sand seized his arm, but he could not preyent Tom from crying in a loud voice: " The lion! the lion!" This Soaring, which he had so often heard in his infancy, the old black had just recognized it. "The lion!" he repeated. Dick Sand, incapable of controlling himself longer, rushed, cutlass in liand, to the place occupied by Harris. Harris was no longer there, and his horse had disappeared with him. A sort of revelation took place in Dick Sand's mind. He was not where he had believed he was! So it was not on the American coast that the " Pilgrim" had gone ashore! It was not the Isle of Paques, whose bear- ing the novice had taken at sea, but some other island situ- ated exactly to the west of this continent, as the Isle of Paques is situated to the west of America! The compass had deceived him during a part of the voyage, we know why! Led away by the tempest over a false route, he must have doubled Cape Horn, and from the Pacific Ocean he had passed into the Atlantic! The speed of his ship, which he could only imperfectly estimate, had been doubled, unknown to liim, by the force of the hurricane! Behold why the caoutchouc trees, tlie quinquinas, the products of South America Avcre missing in this country, which was neither the plateau of Atacama nor the Bolivian pampa! Yes, they were giraffes, not ostriches, which had fled away in the opening! They were elephants that had crossed the thick underwood! They were hijipopotami Avhose repose Dick Sand liad trouljled under Ihc large plants! It was the tsetse, that dipter picked up by Benedict, the formidable tsetse which the animals of the caravans perish under its stints! Finally, it was, iiulecd, tlie roaring of Ihc lion that had just sounded through the forest! Aiul those forks, those chains, that knife of singular form, they were the tools of tbe IGO A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. slave-trader! Those mutilated hands, they were the hands of ca))(ives! Tlio Portuguese Negoro, and the American Harris, must be in coHusionI And those terrible words, guessed by Dick Sand, finally escaped his lips: "Africa! Equatorial Africa! Africa of the slave-trade and the slaves!" [end of PART I.] A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. PART II. A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. PART II. CHAPTER I. THE SLATE TRADE. TnE slave trade I Xobody is ignorant of tlie significance of this word, which shouhl never have found a pUice in human language. This abominable traffic, for a long time practiced to the profit of the European nations which possessed colonies beyond the sea, has been already forbidden for many years. Meanwliile it is always going on on a large scale, and jirin- cipally in Central Africa. Even in this nineteenth century the signature of a few States, calling themselves Christians, are still missing from the Act for the Abolition of Slavery. We miglit believe that the trade is no longer carried on; that this buying and this selling of human creatures has ceased: it is not so, and that is what the reader must know if he wishes to become more deeply interested in tiie second })art of this history. lie must learn what these men-hunts actually are still, these hunts which threaten to depopulate a whole continent for the maintenance of a few slave colonies; where and how these barbarous captures are executed; how much blood they cost; hf)w they ])rovoke incendiarism and pillage; finally, for whose profit they are made. It 13 in the fifteenth century only that we see the trade in blacks carried on for the first time. Behold under what cir- cumstances it was established: 104 A CAPTAIX AT FIFIEP:??. The Mussiilmou, uftor being expelled from Spain, took refuge beyoml the Stniit on the coast of Africa. The Portu- guese, who then occupied that part of the coast, pursued them with fury. A certain number of those fugitives were made })risi)ners and brought back to Portugal, lieduccd to shivery, they constituted the tirst nucleus of African slaves which has been formed in Western Europe since the Christian Era. Rut those JMussulmen belonged, for the most part, to rich families, who wislved to buy them back for gold. The Portu- guese refused to accept a ransom, however large it might be. They had only to make foreign gold. What they lacked were the arms so indispensable then for the work of the growing colonies, and, to say it all, the arms of the slave. The Mussulman families, being unable to buy back their captive relatives, then oli'ercd to exchange them for a much larger number of black Africans, whom it was only too easy to carry off. The offer was accepted by the Portuguese, who found that exchange to their advantage, and thus the slave trade was founded in Europe. Toward the end of the sixteenth century this odious traffic was generally admitted, and it ^^as not repugnant to the still bar])arous manners. All the States protected it so as to colonize more rapidly and more surely the isles of the New World. In fact, the slaves of black origin could resist the clinuite, where the badly acclimated whites, still unfit to sup- ]iort the heat of intertropical climates, would have perished by thousands. The transport of negroes to the American colonies Avas then carried on regularly by special vessels, and this branch of transatlantic commerce led to the creation of important stations on different points of the African coast. The "merchandise" cost little in the country of production, and the returns were considerable. But, necessary as was the foundation of the colonies beyond the sea from all points of view, it could not justify those markets for human flesh. Generous voices soon made them- selves heard, which ])rotested against the trade in blacks, and demanded from the European governments a decree of abolition in the name of the princijilos of humanity. In 1751, the Quakers })ut themselves at the head of the abolition movement, even in the heart of that North America where, a hundred years later, the AVar of Secession was to burst forth, to which this question of slavery was not a foreign one. Different States in the North — Virginia, Con- A CAPTAI^' AT riFTEE^T. 1G5 nocticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania — decreed the aholition of the slave trade, and freed the slaves brought to their terri- tories at great expense. But the campaign commenced by the Quakers did not limit itself to the northern provinces of the Xew World. Slave- holders were warmly attacked beyond the Atlantic. France and England, more particularly, recruited partisans for this Just cause. " Let the colonies pei'ish rather than a princi- ple!" Such was the generous command which resounded through all the Old World, and, in spite of the great political and commercial interests engaged in the question, it was effectively transmitted through Europe. The impetus was given. In 1807, England abolished the slave-trade in her colonies, and France followed her example in 1814. The two powerful nations exchanged a treaty on this subject — a treaty confirmed by Xapoleon during the Uundred Days. However, that was as yet only a purely theoretical declara- tion. The slave-ships did not cease to cross the seas, and to dispose of their ""'ebony cargoes" in colonial ports. More practical measures must be taken in order to put an end to this commerce. The United States, in 1820, and Eng- land, in 1824, declared the slave trade an act of piracy, and those who practiced it pirates. As such, they drew on tliem- selves the penalty of death, and they were pursued to the end. France soon adhered to the new treaty; but the States of South America, and the Siianish and Portuguese colonies, did not join in the Act of Abolition. The exportation of blacks then continued to their profit, notwithstanding the risrht of search generally recognized, which was limited to the verification of the flag of suspicious vessels. Meanwhile, the new Law of Abolition liad not a retroactive effect. No more new slaves Avere made, but the old ones had not yet recovered their liberty. It was under those circumstances that England set an ex- ample. In May, 1833, a general declaration emancipated all the blacks in thf colonies of Great Britain, and in August, 1838, six hundred aiul seventy thousand slaves were declared free. Ten years later, in 1848, the Republic emanfijiafefl the slaves of the French colonies, say about two hundred and sixty thousand blacks. In 18G1, the war which broke out between the Federals and Confederates, of the United States, 1G6 A CAPTAIN" AT FIFTEEN". iiiiisliiiig the work of emiiucipation, extended it to all North Ainericji. Tlie three great powers had then accomplished this work of humanity. At the })rcsent hour, the trade is no longer carried on, except for tlie benclit of the Spanish and Portu- guese colonies, and to satisfy the wants of the populations of the Orient, Turks, or Arabs. Brazil, if she has not yet re- stored her old slaves to liberty, at least no longer receives new ones, and the children of the blacks arc born free there. It is in tlic interior of Africa, in the prosecution of those bloody wars, waged by the African chiefs among themselves for this man-hunt, that entire tribes are reduced to slavery. Two opposite directions are then given to the caravans: one to the west, toward the Portuguese colony of Angola; the other to the eust, on the Jlozambique. Of these unfortu- nate beings, of whom only a small portion arrive at their destination, some are exported, it may be to Cuba, it may be to Madagascar; others to the Arab or Turkish provinces of Asia, to Mecca, or to j\ruscat. The English and French cruisers can only prevent this traffic to a small extent, as it is so difficult to obtain an effective surveillance over such far- extended coasts. But the figures of these odious exportations, are they still considerable ? Yes! The number of slaves who arrive at the coast is esti- mated at not less than eighty thousand; and this number, it appears, only represents the tenth of natives massacred. After these dreadful butcheries the devastated fields are de- serted, the burnt villages are without inhabitants, the rivers carry down dead bodies, deer occupy the country, Living- stone, the day after one of these men-hunts, no longer recog- nized the provinces he had visited a few months before. All the other travelers — Grant, Spoke, Burton, Cameron, and Stanley — do not speak otherwise of this wooded plateau of Central Africa, the i)rincipal theatre of the wars between the chiefs. In the region of the great lakes, over all that vast country which feeds the market of Zanzibar, in Bornou and Fezzan, farther south, on the banks of the Nyassa and tlie Zambesi, farther west, in the districts of the upper Zaire, which the daring Stanley has just crossed, is seen the same spectacle — ruins, massacres, depopulation. Then will slavery in Africa only end with the disappearaiice of the black race; A CAPTAI^T AT FIFTEEIT. 167 and will it be witli this race as it is -with tlie Australian race, or the race in New Holland? But the market of the Spanish and Portuguese colonies •will close some day. That outlet will be wanting. Civilized nations can no longer tolerate the slave trade! Yes, without doubt; and this year even, 1878, oftght to see the enfranchisement of all the slaves still possessed by Chris- tian States. However, for long years to come the Mussul- men nations W'ill maintain this traffic, which depopulates the iVfrican continent. It is for tliem, in fact, that the most imjiortant emigration of the blacks is made, as the number of natives snatclied from their provinces and brought to the eastern coast annually exceeds forty tlionsand. Long before the expedition to Egypt the negroes of the Seunaar were sold by thousands to the negroes of tlie Darfour, and reciprocally. General Bonaparte was able to buy a pretty large number of these V)lacks, of whom he made organized soldiers, like the Mamelukes. Since then, during this century, of which four- fifths have now passed away, commerce in slaves has not diminished in xVfrica. On the contrary. And, in fact, Islamism is favorable to the slave trade. The black slave must replace the v.hite slave of former times, in Turkish provinces. So contractors of every origin pursue this execrable traffic on a large scale. They thus carry a Bupi (lenient of jtopulation to those races, which are dying out and will disajipear some day, because they do not regen- erate themselves by labor. These slaves, as in the time of Bonaparte, often become soldiers. With certain nations of the upper Niger, they compose the half of the armies of the African chiefs. Under these circumstances, their fate is not eensibly inferior to that of free men. Besides, when the slave is not a soldier, he is money which has circulation; even in Egypt and at Bornou. officers and functionaries are paid in that money. ^Villiam Lcjecn has seen it and has told of it. Such is, then, the actual state of the trade. Must it be added that a number of agents of the great Euro{>ean powers are not ashamed to show a deplorable in- dulgence for this oommercf. Nevertheless, nolhing is truer; while the crui.'-ers watch the coasts of the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans, the traffic goes on regularly in the interior, the caravans walk on under the eyes of certain functioiuiries, 108 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. and massacres, whore ten blacks perish to furnish one slave, take place at stated periods! So it will now be understood how terrible were those words just pronounced by Dick Sand. "Africa! Equatorial Africa! Africa of slave trades and slaves!" And he was not deceived; it was Africa with all its dangers, for his companions and for himself. But on what part of the African continent hud an inexpli- cable fatality landed him? Evidently on the western coast, and as an aggravating circumstance, the young novice was forced to think that the " Pilgrim " was thrown on precisely that part of the coast of Angola where the caravans, which clear all that part of Africa, arrive. In fact it was there. It was that country which Cameron on the south and Stanley on the north, Avere going to cross a few years later, and at the price of wliat efforts! Of this vast territory, which is composed of three provinces, Bengucla, Congo, and Angola, there was but little known then except the coast. It extends from the Nourso, in the south, as far as the Zaire in the north, and the two principal towns form two ports, Benguela and Saint Paul do Loanda, the ca])italof the colony which set off from the kinsdom of Portugal. In the interior this country was then almost unknown. Few travelers had dared to venture tliere. A pernicious climate, warm and damp lands, which engender fevers, bar- barous natives, some of whom are still cannibals, a permji- nent state of war between tribes, the slave trader's suspicion of every stranger who seeks to discover the secrets of their infamous commerce; such are the difRcultic3 to surmount, the dangers to overcome in this provinca of Angola, one of the most dangerous of equatorial Africa. Tuckey, in 1816, had ascended the Congo beyond the Yel- lala Falls; but over an extent of two hundred miles at tho most. This simple halting-place could not give a defiuito knowledge of the country, and nevertheless, it had caused tho death of the greater part of the savants and officers who com- posed the expedition. Thirty-seven years later, Dr. Living- stone had advanc?d from the Cape of Grood Hope as far as the upper Zambesi. Thence, in the month of November, with a hardihood which ha? never been sur})as3ed, he traversed Africa from the south to the northwest, cleared the Coango, one of the branches of tho Congo, and on the 31st of May, 1854, ar- A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEX. 1G9 rived at St. Paul do Loaiida. It was tlio first view iu the unknown of the sfreat Porta sraese Colon v. Eighteen years after, two daring discoverers crossed Africa from the east to the west, and arrived, one goutli, the other north of Angola, after unheard of diflBculties. The first, according to the date, was a lieutenant in the English navy, Verney-Howet Cameron. In 1873, there was reason to fear that the expedition of the American, Stanley, was in great danger. It had been sent to the great lake region in search of Livingstone. Lieutenant Cameron offered to go over the same road. The offer was accepted. Cameron, accompanied by Dr. Dillon, Lieutenant Cecil Murphy and Robert Moffat, a nephew of Livingstone, started from Zanzibar. After having crossed Ougogo, he met Livingstone's faithful servants carrying their masters body to the eastern coast. He continued his route to the west, with the unconquerable desire to pass from one coast to the other. He crossed Ounyauyembo, Ougounda, and Kahouele, Avhere he collected tiie great traveler's papers. Having passed over Tanganyika, and the B.imbarre mountiiins, he I'eached Loua- laba. but could not de333nd its course. After having visited all the provinces devastated by war and dciwpulated by the slave trade, Kilemmbu, Ouroua, the sources of the Loniane, Oulouda. Lovale, and having crossed the Coanza and the im- mense forests in which Harris has just entrapped Dick Sand and his companions, the energetic Cameron finally perceived the Atlantic Ocean and arrived a^ Saint Philip of Benguela. This journey of three years and four months had cost the lives of his two companions, Dr. Dillon and Kobort Moffat. Henry Moreland Stanley, tlie American, almost immedi- ately succeeded the Englishman, Cameron, on the road of discoveries. We know that this intrepid correspondent of the New York Herald, sent in search of Livingstone, had found him on October 30th, 1871, at Oiijiji, on Lake Tanganyika. Having so happily accomplished his object for the sake of hu- manity, Stanlev determined to pursue his journey in the interest of geogra|)hical science. His object ihen was to gain a complete knowledge of Loualaba, of which he had only had a ghinp^o. Cameron was then lost in tlie j)rovinces of Central Africa, when, in November, 1H74, Stanley (piitted Bagamoga. on the eastern coast. Twenty-one months after, August 24th, 1870, 170 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. lio abiindonoil Uiijiji, ■svliii-li was decimated by an epidemic of small-pox. In seventy-four days lie ellected the passage of the lake at K'yangwe, a p:reat slave market, which had been already visited by Ijivingstonc and Cameron. Here he "wit- nessed the most liorrible scenes, practiced in the ]\Iaroungou and Manyouema countries by the officers of the Hultan of Zanzibar. Stanley then took measures to explore the course of the Loualaba and to descend it as far as its mouth. One hundred and forty bearers, engaged at N'yangwe, and nineteen boats, formed the material and the force of his expedition. From the very start he had to figlit the cannibals of Ou- gouson. From the start, also, he had to attend to the carry- ing of boats, so as to pass insuperable cataracts. tinder the equator, at the point where the Loualaba makes a bend to the northeast, fifty-four boats, manned by several hundred natives, attacked Stanley's little fleet, -syhich suc- ceeded in putting them to flight. Then the courageous American, reascending as far as the second degree of northern latitude, ascertained that the Loualaba was the upper Zaire, or Congo, and that by following its course he could descend directly to the sea. This lie did, fighting nearly every day against the tribes that lived near the river. On June 3d, 1877, at. the passage of the cataracts of ]\lat>:as?a, lie lost one of his companions, Francis Pocock. July 18th he was dra^n with his boat into the falls of M'belo, and only escaped death by a miracle. Finally, August 6th, Henry Stanley arrived at the village of jS'i-Sanda, four days' journey from the coast. Two days after, at Banza-M'bouko, he found the provisions sent by two merchants from Emboma. He finally rested at this little coast town, aged at thirty- five years, by over-fatigue and privations, after an entire pas- sage of the African continent, which had taken two years and nine months of his life. However, the course of the Loualaba was explored as far as the Atlantic; and if the Nile is the great artery of the Kortli, if the Zambesi is the great artery of the East, we now know that Africa still possesses in the West the third of the largest rivers in the world — a river which, in a course of two thou- sand nine hundred miles, under the names of Loualaba, Zaire, and Congo, nnites the lake region with the Atlantic Ocean. However, between these two books of travel — Stanley's and DIfK SAND, HEAVILY CHAINED, WAH LEFT ON THE FLOOR OF A VEH.—Hee page 841 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". 171 Cameron's — the province of Angola is somewhat better known in this year than in 1873, at that period when the " Pilgrim " was lost on the African coast. It was well known that it was the seat of the western slave-trade, thanks to its important markets of Bihe, Cassange, and Kazounde. It was into this country that Dick Sand had been drawn, more than one hundred miles from the coast, with a woman exhausted by fatigue and gi'ief, a dying child, and some com- ])anions of African descent, the pre}', as everything indicated, to the rapacity of slave merchants. " Yes, it was Africa, and not that America where neither the natives, nor the deer, nor the climate are very formidable. It was not that favorable region, situated between the Cor- dilleras and the coast, where straggling villages abound, and where missions are hospitably opened to all travelers. They were far away, those provinces of Peru and Bolivia, where the tempest would have surely carried the "Pilgrim," if a criminal hand had not changed its course, where the ship- wrecked ones would have found so many facilities for return- ing to their country. It was the terrible Angola, not even that part of the coast inspected by the Portuguese authorities, but the interior of the colony, which is crossed by caravans of slaves under the whip of the driver. AVhat did Dick Sand know of this country where treason had thrown him? Very little, what the missionaries of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries had said of it; what the Portuguese merchants, who frequented the road from Saint Paul de Loanda to the Zaire, by way of San Salvador, knew of it; what Dr. Livingstone had written about it, after his journey of 1853, and that would have been suflScient to over- whelm a soul less strong than his. Truly, the situation was terrible. 172 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. CHAPTER II. HARRIS AND NEGORO. The day after that on which Dick Sand and his compan- ions had estabhshed their last lialt in the forest, two men met together about tlirce miles from there, as it liad been previously arranged between them. These two men were Harris and Negoro; and wo are going to see now what chance had brought together, on the coast of Angola, the Portuguese come from New Zealand, and the American, whom the business of trader obliged to often traverse this province of AVestern Africa. Harris and Xegoro were seated at the foot of an enormous banian, on the steep bank of an impetuous stream, which ran between a double hedge of papyrus. The conversation commenced, for the Portuguese and the American had just met, and at first they dwelt on the deeds which had been accomplished during these last hours. ''And so, Harris," said Kegoro, " you have not been able to draw this little troop of Captain Sand, as they call this novice of fifteen years, any farther into Angola?" "Iso, comrade," replied Harris; "and it is even astonish- ing that I have succeeded in leading him a hundred miles at least from the coast. Several days ago my young friend, Dick Sand, looked at me with an anxious air, his suspicions gradu- ally changed into certainties — and faith " '" Anotlier hundred miles, Harris, and those people would be still more surely in our hands! However, they must not escape us!" '•'Ah! How could they?" replied Harris, shrugging his shoulders. " I repeat it, Negoro, there was only time to part company Vvith them. Ten times have I read in my young friend's eyes that he was tempted to send a ball into my breast, and I have too bad a stomach to digest those prunes which weigh a dozen to the pound." " Good!" returned Negoro; " I also have an account to set- tle with this novice." "And you shall settle it at your ease, with interest, com- rade. As to me, during the first three days of the journey I succeeded very well in making him take this province for A CAPTAIN" AT FIFTEEN". 173 the Desert of Atacama, which I visited formerly. But the child claimed his caoutchoucs and his humming birds. The mother demanded her quinquinas. The cousin was crazy to find cocuyos. Faith. I was at the end of my imagination, and after with great difficulty making them swallow ostriches for giraffes — a god-send, indeed. Negorol —I no longer knew what to invent. Besides, I well saw that my young friend no longer accepted my explanations. Then we fell on ele- phants' prints. The hippopotami were .idded to the party. And you know, Xegoro, hippopotami and elephants in Amer- ica are like honest men in the penitentiaries of Benguela. Finally, to finish me, there was the old black, who must find forks and chains at the foot of a tree. Slaves had freed them- eelves from them to flee. At the same moment the lion roared, starting the company, and it is not easy to pass off that roaring for the mewing of an inoffensive cat. I then had only time to spring on my horse and make my way here." **I understand," replied Xegoro. "Nevertheless, I would wish to hold them a hundred miles further in the province." *' One does what he can, comrade," replied Harris. "As to you, who followed our caravan from the coast, you have done well to keep your distance. They felt you were there. There is a certain Dingo that doos not seem to love you. Wliat have you done to that animal?" ** Nothing," replied Xegoro; ''but before long it will re- ceive a ball in the head." "As you would have received one from Dick Sand, if you had shown ever so little of your ])erson within two hundred feet of his gun. Ah! how well he fires, my young friend; and, between vou and me, I am obliged to admit that he is, in his way, a fine boy." " No matter how fine he is, Harris, he will pay dear for his insolence," replied Negoro, whose countenance expressed im- l)lacable cruelty. "Good," murmured Harris, "my comrade remains just the same as I have always known him! Voyages luivo not in- jured him!" Then, after a momonCs silence: "Ah. thfTc, Xegoro." con- tinued he, "when 1 met you so fortunately there below, at the scene of the shi})wreck, at the mouth of the Longa, you only had time to recommend those honest people to me, while 174 A TAPl'AIN AT FJFTEEK. begging me to lead thcni Jis far as possible across this pre- tended Bolivia. You have not told me what you have been doing these two years! Two years, comrade, in our chance existence, is a long time. One fine day, after having taken charge of a caravan of slaves on old Alvez's account — whose very humble agents we are — you left Cassange, and have not been heard of since! I have thought that you had some disa- greement with the English cruiser, and that you were hungi" '* I came very near it, Harris." " That w'ill come, Negoro." "Thank you!" " "What would you have?" replied Harris, with an indiffer- ence quite phdosophical; "it is one of the chances of the trade! We do not carry on the slave trade on the coast of Africa wnthout running the risk of dying elsewhere than in our beds! So, you have been taken?" " Yes!" "By the English?" " No! By the Portuguese." "Before or after having delivered your cargo?" asked Harris. " After ," rejjlicd Xegoro, who had hesitated a little about replying. "These Portuguese now make difficulties. They -want no more slavery, though they have used it so long to their profit. I Avas denounced — watched. They took me " " And condemned " " Me to finish my days in the penitentiary of Saint Paul de Loanda." "A thousand devils!" exclaimed Harris. "That is an unhealthy place for men accustomed, like us, to live in the open air. As to me, perhaps 1 should prefer being hung." "One does not escape from the gallows," replied Negoro; " but from prison " "Y'ou were able to make your escape?" " Yes, Harris. Only fifteen days after being put in prison, I was able to hide myself at the bottom of the hold of an English steamer, sailing for Auckland, of Kew Zealand. A barrel of water and a case of conserves, between which I had intruded, furnished me with food and drink during the whole passage. Oh! I suffered terribly, from not being willing to £how nivsclf when wo were at sea. But, if I had been im- A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEE]Sr. 175 prudent enougli to do it, I would liave been confined again ut the bottom of the hold, and, voluntarily or not, the tort- ure Avould be the same. Besides, on my arrival at Auckland, they would have returned me again to the English authori- ties, and finally brought me back to the penitentiary of Lo- anda, or, perhaps, hung me, as you said. That was why I preferred to travel incognito." "And without paying )'our passage!" exclaimed Harris, laughing. "Ah! that is not considerate, comrade, to be fed and carried gratis!" " Yes," returned Xegoro, "but thirty days' passage at the bottom of the hold " " At last that was over, Xegoro. You set out for New Zealand, in the land of the Maoris. But you have returned. Was the return made under the same circumstances?" " Not so, Harris. Y'ou may well believe that, over there, I had only one idea — to return to Angola and take up my trade of slave-trader again." " Yes," replied Harris, " one loves his trade — from habit." " For eighteen months " Having pronounced those last words, Xegoro stopped sud- denly. He seized his companion's arm, and listened. " Harris," said he, lowering his voice, " was there not a trembling in that papyrus bush?" ''Y'es, indeed," replied Harris, seizing his gun, always ready to fire. Negoro and he stood up, looked around them, and listened with the greatest attention. " There is nothing there," said Harris. " It is this brook, swelled by the storm, which runs more noisily. For two years, comrade, you have been unaccustomed to the noises of the forest, but you will get used to them again. Continue, then, the narration of your arlvontures. When I understand the past, we shall talk «jf the future" Kegoro and Harris sat down again at the foot of the ban- yan. Tiio I'ortuguese continued, in those terms: " For eighteen months I vegetated in Auckland. AVhen the steamer arrived there I was able to leave it without being seen; but not a piastre, not a dollar in my pocket! In order to live I had to follow all trades " " Even ti)c trade of an honest man, Negoro?" "As you sav, Harris." " Poor boy I" 17G A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEX. ''Now, I was always waiting for an opportunity, -which was long coming, when the ' Pilgrim,' a wiialer, arrived at the port of Auckland. "■ "That vessel which went ashore on the coast of Angola?" "Even the same, Harris, and on whicli Mrs. Weldon, her child, and her cousin, were going to take i)assage. Now, as an old sailor, having even been second on board a slave ship, I was not out of my element in taking service on a sliip. I then presented myself to the 'Pilgrim's' captain, but the crew was made up. Very fortunately for me, tlie schooner's cook had deserted. Now, he is no sailor who does not know liow to cook. I offered myself as head cook. For want of a better, I was accepted. A few days after, the ' Pilgrim ' had lost sight of the land of New Zealand." "But," asked Harris, "according to what my young friend has told me, the * Pilgrim did not set sail at all for the coast of Africa. How then has she arrived liere?" " Dick Sand ought not to be able to understand it yet, and perhaps he will never understand it," replied Negoro; " but I am going to explain to you what has passed, Harris, and you will be able to tell it again to your young friend, if it pleases you to do so." "How, then?" replied Harris. "Speak, comrade, speak!" ''The ' Pilgrim,' " continued Negoro, " was on the way to Valparaiso. When I went on board, I only intended to go to Chili. It was always a good half of the Avay between New Zealand and Angola, and I was drawing nearer Africa's coast by several thousand miles. But it so happened that only three weeks after leaving Auckland, Captain Hull, who commanded the ' Pilgrim,' disappeared with all his crew, while chasing a whale. On that day, then, only two sailors remained on board — the novice and the cook, Negoro." " And you took command of the ship?" asked Harris. "I had that idea at first, but I saw that they distrusted me. There were five strong blacks on board, free men. I would not have been the master, and, on reflection, I re- mained what I was at the departure — tlie 'Pilgrim's' cook." " Then it was chance that led this ship to the coast of Africa?" " No, Harris," replied Negoro; " there has been no chance in all this adventure except meeting you, in one of your journeys, just on that part of the coast where the 'I'ilgrim' was wrecked. But as to coming in eight of Angola, it waa A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEX. 177 by my will, my secret will, that that was done. Your youno; friend, still much of a novice in navigation, could only tell his position by means of the log and the compass. "Well, one day, the log went to the bottom. One night the compass was made false, and the * Pilgrim,' driven by a violent tem- pest, took the wrong route. The length of the voyage, inex- plicable to Dick Sand, would be the same to the most experi- enced seaman. Without the novice knowing or even suspect- ing it, Gape Horn was doubled, but I, Harris, I recognized it in the midst of the fogs. Then, thanks to me, the needle in the compass took its true direction again, and the ship, blown to the northeast by that frightful hurricane, has just been cast on the coast of Africa, just on this land of Angola which I wished to reach." *'And even at that moment, Negoro," replied Harris, " chance had led me there to receive you, and guide those honest people to the interior. They believed themselves — they could only believe themselves in America. It was easy for me to make them take this province for lower Bolivia, to wiiicli it has really some resemblance." " Yes, they believed it, as your young friend believed they had made the Isle of Paques, when they passed in sight of Tristan d'Acunha." "Anybody would be deceived by it, Xegoro." *' I know it, Harris, and I even counted on profiting by that error. Finally, behold Mrs. Weldon and her companions one hundred miles in the interior of tliis Africa, where I wanted to bring them I" *' But," replied Harris, '' they know now where they are." ''Ah! what matter at present!" cried Xegoro. *' And what will you do with them?" asked Harris. '•What will I do with them?" replied Xegoro. "Before telling you, Harris, give me news of our master, the slave- trader, Alvez, whom I have not seen for two vears. " " Oh, tl)e old rascal is remarkably well," replied Harris, " and he will be enchanted to see you again." " Is he at the liihe market?" asked Negoro. " Xo, comrade, lie has been at his establishment at Ka- zoundc, for a year." " And business is lively?" "Yes, a tliousand devils!" exclaimed Harris, "although the slave-trade becomes more and more dillicult, at least on 178 A CAITAIN AT FIFTEEN'. this coast. The Portuguese authorities on one srdc, and the English cruisers on the other, hniit exportations. There are few })hices, except in the environs of Mossaniedes, to the soutli of Angohi, tliat the shipping of hhicks can now be made with any chance of success. So, at this time, the pens are filled with slaves, waiting for the ships Avhich ought to carry them to Spanish colonies. As to passing them by Benguela, or Saint I'aul de Loanda, that is not })ossible. The governors no longer understand reason, no more do the chiefs (title given to the Portuguese governors of secondary establishments). We must, then, return to the factories of the interior. This is what old Alvez intends to do. He will go from the "Ny- angwe and Tanganyika side to change liis stuJJ's for ivory and slaves. Business is always profitable with npper Egypt and the Mozambique coast, which furnishes all JMadagascar. But I fear the time will come when the trade can be no longer carried on. The English are making great progress in the ' interior of Africa. The missionaries advance and work against us. That Livingstone, curse him, after exploring the lake region, is going, they say, to travel toward Angola„ Then, they speak of a Lieutenant Cameron, who proposes to cross the continent from east to west. They also fear that the American, Stanley, wnshes to do as much. All these visits "will end by damaging our operations, Kegoro, and if we care for our own interests, not one of those visitors will return to relate in Europe what he has had the indiscretion to come to see in Africa." Would not one say, to hear them, the rascals, that they were speaking like honest merchants whose affairs were mo- mentarily cramped by a commercial crisis? Who would believe that, instead of sacks of coffee or casks of sugar, they were talking of human beings to export like merchandise? These traders have no other idea of right or wrong. The moral sense is entirely lacking in them, and if they had any, how quickly they would lose it among the frightful atrocities of the African slave trade. ]Jut where Harris was right, was when he said that civiliza- tion was gradually penetrating those savage countries in the wake of those hardy travelers, whose names are indissolubly linked to the discoveries of Equatorial Africa. At the head, David Livingstone, after him. Grant, Speke, Burton, Cam- eron, Stanley, those heroes will leave imperishable names as benefactors of humanity. A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN'. 179 TVhon their conversation reached that point, Harris knew ■what the last two years of Negoro's life had been. The trader Alvez's old agent, the escaped prisoner from the Loanda pen- itentiary, reappeared the same as Harris had always known him, that is, ready to do anything. But what plan Kegoro intended to take in regard to the shipwrecked from the " Pilgrim," Harris did not yet know. He asked his accom- plice about it. "And now," said he, "what are you going to do with those people!"" " I shall make two parties of them," replied Xegoro, like a man whose plan had been long formed; " those whom I shall sell as slaves, and those whom " The Portuguese did not finish, but his ferocious physiog- Domy spoke plainly enough. "Which will you sell?" asked Harris. " Those blacks who accompany Mrs. Weldon," replied Kegoro. " Old Tom is not perhaps of much value, but the others are four strong fellows, who will bring a high price in the Kazounde market." " I well believe it, Negoro," replied Harris. " Four negroes, well made, accustomed to work, have very little resemblance to those brutes which come to us from the inte- rior. Certainly, you will sell them at a high price. Slaves, bom in America, and exported to the markets of Angola; that is rare merchandise! But," added the American, "you have not told me if there was any money on board the ' Pil- grim. "Oh! a few hundred dollars only, which I have succeeded in saving. Fortunately, I count on certain returns." "Which, then, comrade?" asked Harris, with curiosity. " Nothing!" replied Negoro, whoapi)cared to regret liaving spoken more than he intended. "It now remains to take possession of all that high-priced merchandise," said Harris. "Is it, then, so difhcult?" asked Xegoro. "No, comrade. Ten miles from here, on the Coanza, a caravan of slaves is encamped, conducted by the Arab, Ibn Hamis. He only awaits my return to take the road for Ka- zounde. I'licre are more native soldiers there than arc needed to capture Dick Sand and his companions. It will be sufli- cient for my young friend to conceive the idea of going to the Coanza." 180 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. *' But will he get that idea?" asked Negoro. "Surely." replied Harris, "because he is intelligent, and cannot suspect the danger that awaits him. Dick Sand would not think of returning to the coast by the way Ave have followed together. lie would be lost among these immense forests. He will seek, then, 1 am sure, to reach one of the rivers that How toward the coast, so as to descend it on a raft. He has no other plan to take, and 1 know he will take it." " Yes — perhaps so," replied Negoro, who was reflecting. "It is not 'perhaps so,' it is 'assuredly so,' that must be said," continued Harris. " Do you see, Negoro? It is as if I had appointed a rendezvous with my young friend on the banks of the Coanza," "Well, then," replied Negoro, "let us go. I know Dick Sand. He will not delay an hour, and we must get before him." " Let us start, comrade." Harris and Negoro both stood up, when the noise that had before attracted the Portuguese's attention was renewed, it was a trembling of the stems between the high papyrus. Negoro stopped, and seized Harris's hand. Suddenly a low barking was heard. A dog appeared at the foot of the bank, with its mouth open, ready to spring. "Dingo!" cried Harris. "Ah! this time it shall not escape me!" replied Negoro. Dingo was going to jump upon him, when Negoro, seizing Harris's gun, quickly put it to his shoulder and fired. A long howl of pain replied to the detonation, and Dingo disappeared between the double row of bushes that bordered the brook. Negoro descended at once to the bottom of the bank. Drops of blood stained some of the papyrus stems, and a long red track was left on the pebbles of the brook. "At last that cursed animal is paid off !" exclaimed Ne- goro. Harris had been present at this whole scene without saying a word. " Ah now, Negoro," said he, " that dog had a particular grudge against you." "it seemed so, Harris, but it will have a gi'udge against me no longer!" "And why did it detest you so much, comrade?" A CAPTAIJT AT FIFTEEN. 181 " Oh I an old affair to settle between it and me." " An old affair?" replied Harris. Xegoro said no more about it, and Harris concluded that the Portuguese had been silent on some jiast adventure, but he did not insist on knowing it. A few moments later, both, descending the course of the brook, went toward, the Coanza, across the forest. CHArTER III. ON THE MARCH. Africa! That name so terrible under the present circum- stances, that name which he must now substitute for that of America, was not for an instant out of Dick Sand's thoughts. Wiien the young novice traced back the last weeks, it was to ask himself how the " Pilgrim" had ended by reaching this dangerous shore, how it had doubled Cape Horn, and passed from one ocean to tlie otherl He could now explain to liim- self why, in spite of the rapid motion of his vessel, land Avas 80 long coming in sigiit, because the length of the distance which he should have made to reach the American coast, had been doubled without his knowledge. " Africal Africal" Dick Sand r.-ipeated. Then, suddenly, while he called up with a tenacious mind all the incidents of this inexplicable voyage, he felt that his compass must have been injured. He remembered, too, that the first compass had ])een broken, and that the log-line liad snapped — a fact which had made it impossible for him to es- tablish tiie speed of the " Pilgrim." " Yes," thought he, " there remained but one compass on board, one only, the indications of wliich I could not control! And one night I was awiikoned by a cry from old Tom. Ne- foro was there, aft. He had just fallen on the binnacle. _ lay he not have put it out of order?" Dick Sand was growing enlightened. He had his finger on tlic truth. He now nnder.stocxl all that was anibignous in Negoro's conduct. He saw his hand in this chain of inci- dents which liad led to the loss of the " Pilgrim," and had so fearfully eiulangered those on board of her. 183 .V CAPTAIN AT Fri-TKEN. Bnt what, then, was this miserable man? Had he been a B;vil()r and known so well how to hide the fact? Was he cai)al)le of contriving this odious plot which liad thrown the ship on the coast of Africa? At any rate, if obscure points still existed in the past, the present could offer no more of them. The young novice knew only too well that he was in Africa, and very probably in the fatal province of Angola, more than a hundred miles from the coast. He also knew that Harris's treason could no longer be doubted. From this fact, the most simple logic led him to conclude that the American and the Portuguese had long known each other, that a fatal chance had united them on this coast, and that a plan had been concerted between them, the result of which would be dreadful for the survivors of the " Pilgrim." And now, why these odious actions? That Ncgoro wished, at all hazards, to seize Tom and his companions, and .sell them for slaves in this slave-trading country, might be ad- mitted. That the Portuguese, moved by a sentiment of hatred, would seek to be revenged on him, Dick Sand, who had treated him as he deserved, might also be conceived. But ;Mrs. AVeldon, this mother, and this young child — what would the wretch do Avith them? If Dick Sand could have overheard a little of the conver- sation between Harris and Negoro, he would have known Avhat to ex}>oct, and what dangers menaced Mrs. Weldon, the blacks, and himself. The situation was frightful, but the young novice did not vield under it. Captain on board, he remained captain on land. He must save Mrs. Weldon, little Jack, all those whose fate Heaven had placed in liis hands. His task was only com- mencing. He would accomplish it to the end. After two or three hours, during which the present and the future were summed up in his mind, Avith their good and their evil chances — the last, alas! the most numerous — Dick Sand rose, firm and resolved. The first giiinuier of light then touched the summits of the forest. With the exception of the novice and Tom, all 8le])t. Dick Sand ap])i-oaclied the old black. "Tom," he said to him, in a low tone, "you have recog- nized the roaring of the lion, you have remembered the instruments of the slave-traders. You know that we are in Africa!" A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN". 183 "Yes, Mr. Dick, I know it." " Well, Tom, not a word of all that, neither to Mrs. "W'el- cTon nor to your companions. "We must be the only ones to know, the only ones to have an}^ fears." "Alone — in fact. It is necessary," replied Tom. " Tom," continued the novice, "we have to watch more carefully than ever. AVe are in an enemy's country — and what enemies! what a country! To keej) our companions on their guard, it will be enough to tell them that we have been betrayed by Harris. They will think that we fear an attack from wandering Indians, and that will suffice." " You can count absolutely on their courage and devotion, Mr. Dick." " I know it, as I count on your good sense and your experi- ence. You will come to my help, old Tom?" "Always, and everywhere, Mr. Dick." Dick Sand's plan was accepted and approved by the old black. If Harris were detected in open treason before the hour for action, at least the young novice and his companions were not in fear of any immediate danger. In fact, it Avas the discovery of the irons abandoned by some slaves, and the roaring of the lion, that had caused the American's sudden disappearance. He knew that he was discovered, and he had fled probably before the little party which he guided had reached the place where an attack had been arranged. As for Negoro, whose ])resence Dingo had certainly recognized during these last days of the march, he must have rejoined Harris, so as to consult with him. At any rate, .'^everal hours would pass before Dick Sand and his friends would be assailed, and it was necessary to profit by them. The only plan was to regain the coast as quickly as possi- ble. This coast, as the young novice had every reason to l)elieve, was that of AngoUi. After having reached it, Dick Sand Avmild try to gain, either to the north or to the south, the Tortugucse settlements, where his comiianious could await in safety some oj)portunity to return to their country. But, to effect this return to the coast, should they take the road already passed over? Dick Saud did not think so, and in that he was going to agree with Harris, wIhj had clearly foreseen that circumstances would oblige the young novice to shorten the road. 184 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. Ill fact, it would have l)Oon difTicult, not to say imprudent, to rceuninience this dilHcult journey through the forest, wliicli, besides, could only tend to bring tliem out at the place they liad started from. 'J'liis would also allow Negoro's accom- plices to follow an assured track. The only thing they could do was to cross a river, without leaving any traces, and, later on, to descend its course. At the same time, there was less to fear from an attack by animals, which by a happy chance had so far kept at a good distance. Even the animosity of the natives, under these circumstances, seemed less impor- tant. Once embarked on a solid raft, Dick Sand and his comi)anions, being well armed, would be in the best condition to defend themselves. The whole thing was to find the river. It must be added that, given the actual state of Mrs. Weldon and her little Jack, this mode of traveling would be the most suitable. Arms would not fail to carry the sick child. Lacking Harris's horse, they could even make a litter of branches, on which Mrs. Weldon could be borne. But this would require two men out of five, and Dick Sand wished, with good reason, that all his companions might be free in their movements in case of a sudden attack. And then, in descending the current of a river, the young novice would find himself in his element! The question now was, whether a navigable stream of water existed in the neighborhood. Dick Sand thought it proba- ble, and for this reason: Tho river which emptied into the Atlantic at the place where the "Pilgrim" had stranded could not ascend much to the north, nor much to the east, of the province, because a chain of mountains quite close to them — those which they had mistaken for the Cordilleras — shut in the horizon on these two sides. Then, either the river descended from these heights, or it made a bend toward the south, and, in these two cases, Dick Sand could not take long to find the course. Perhaps, even before reaching the river — for it had a right to this qualification, being a direct tributary of the ocean — one of its affluents would be met with which would suffice for the transport of the little party. At any rate, a stream of some sort could not be far away. In fact, during the last miles of the journey the nature of the earth had been modified. The declivities diminisiied and became damp. Here and there ran narrow streams, which indicated that the sub-soil enclosed everywhere a watery net- work. During the last day's march the caravan had kept A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEE}^. 185 along one of these rivulets, whose waters, reddened with oxyde of iron, eat away its steep, worn banks. To find it again could not take long, or be very difficult. Evidently they could not descend its impetuous course, but it would be easy to follow it to its junction with a more considerable, possibly a navigable affluent. Such was the very simple plan which Dick Sand deter- mined upon, after having conferred with old Tom. Day came, all their companions gradually awoke. Mrs. "Weldon placed little Jack in Xan's arms. The child was drowsy and faded-looking during the intermittent periods, and was sad to see. Mrs. Weldon approached Dick Sand. "Dick," she asked, after a steady glance, "where is Har- ris? I do not perceive him." The young novice thought that, while lotting his compan- ions believe that they were treading on the soil of Bolivia, it would not do to hide from them the American's treason. So he said, without hesitation: "Harris is no longer here." "Has he, then, gone ahead?" asked Mrs, Weldon. "He has fled, Mrs. Weldon," replied Dick Sand. "This Harris is a traitor, and it is according to Ncgoro's plan that he led us this far." "For what motive?" quickly asked Mrs. Weldon. "I do not know," replied Dick Sand; "but what I dp know is, that we must return, without delay, to the coast." " That man — a traitor!" repeated Mrs. Weldon. "I had a presentiment of iti And you think, Dick, that he is in league with Negoro?" "That may be. Mrs. Weldon. The wretch is on our track. Chance has brought these two scoundrels together, and " "And I liope tluit they will not be separated when 1 iind them again!" said Hercules. "I will break the liead of one against the other's head!" added the giant, holding out his formidable fists. "But my child!" cried Mrs. Weldon. "The care that I hoped to find for him at the farm of San Felice " "Jack will get well," said old Tom, "when he api)roache8 the more healthy y)art of the coast." "Dick," rcmfirked Mrs. Weldon, "you arc sure that this Harris has betrayed us?" 18G A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". " Yes, Mr.-^. Woldon," rojiliod the younf]^ novice, who would have liked to avoid any e.\})liination on this subject. Jle also hastened to add, while looking at the old black: "Tliis very ni<,dit 'I'om and I discovered his treason, and if he had not junii)ed on his horse and lied, I would have killed him." "So this farm " ''There is neither farm, nor village, nor settlement in the neighborhood," replied Dick Sand. "Mrs. Wcldon, I re- peat to you, we must return to the coast." " By the same road, Dick?" " No, Mrs. Weldon, but by descending a river which will take us to the sea without fatigue and without danger. A few more miles on foot, and I do not doubt " " Oh, I am strong, Dick I" replied Mrs. Weldon, who strug- gled against her own weakness. "I will walk! I will carry my child!" "We are here, Mrs. Weldon," said Bat, "and we will carry you !" "les, yes," added Austin. "Two branches of a tree, foliage laid across." "Thanks, my friends," replied Mrs. Weldon; "but I want to march. I will march. Forward!" " Forward!" exclaimed the young novice. "Give me Jack," said Hercules, who took the child from Kan's arms. "When I am not carrying something, lam tired." The brave negro gently took in his strong arms the little, sleeping boy, who did not even wake. Their arms were carefully examined. What remained of the provisions was ])]aced in one package, so as to be carried by one man. Acteon threw it on his back, and his compan- ions thus became free in their movements. Cousin Benedict, whose long limbs Avere like steel and de- fied all fatigue, was ready to set out. Had he remarked Harris's disappearance? It would be imprudent to affirm it. Little disturbed him. Besides, he was under the effects of one of the most terrible catastrophes that could befall him. In fact, a grave complication, Cousin Benedict had lost his magnifying-glass and his spectacles. Very liappily, also, but without his sus])ec(ii)g it. liathad found th'e two precious arti- cles in the tall grass Avliere they had slept, but, by Dick Sand's advice, he kept them safely. By this means they DICK BMW JUMPED ITPON HARRIS, SEIZBD A DAQOER FROM THK AMERICAN'S BELT, AND PLUNGED IT INTO HIS llKXRT.—SefJMlOe'i'U. A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". 187 ■would be sure that tlie big cliilcl would keep quiet dui-ing tlie march, because he could see no farther, as they say, than the end of his nose. Thus, placed between Acteon and Austin, with the formal injunction not to leave them, the Avoeful Benedict uttered no complaint, but followed in his place, like a blind man led by a string. The little party had not gone fifty steps when old Tom suddenly stopped it with one word. " Dingo?" said he. " In fact, Dingo is not here!" replied Hercules. The black called the dog several times with his powerful voice. Xo barking replied to him. Dick Sand remained silent. The absence of the dog was to be regretted, for he had preserved the little party from all sui-jn-ise. '* Could Dingo have followed Harris?" asked Tom. "Harris? No," replied Dick Sand; "but he may have put himself on Kegoro's tcent. He felt him in our steps." "This cook of misfortune would quickly end him with a ball I" cried Herciiles. * " Provided Dingo did not first strangle him," replied Bat. " Perhaps so," replied the young novice. " But we can- not wait for Dingo's return. Besides, if he is living, the in- telligent animal will know how to find us. Forward!" The weather was vci-y warm. Since daybreak large clouds obscured the horizon. Already a storm was threatened in the air. Probably the day would not end without some thunder- claps. Happily the forest, more or less dense, retained a lit- tle freshness at the surface of the soil. Here and there great forest trees inclosed prairies covered with a tall, thick grass. In certain spots enormous trunks, already petrified, lay on the ground, indicating the presence of coal mines, which are frequently met with on the African continent. Then, in the clearings, whore the green carjict was mingled with some sprigs of roses, the flowers Avere various in color, yellow and blue ginger plants, pale lobelias, red orchids, incessantly vis- ited ijy the insects which fertilized them. The trees no longer formed impenetrable masses, but their nature was more varied. There Avere a kind of ]ialm-tree, which gives an oil ff)und oidy in Africa; cotton-trees forming thickets from eight to ten feet high, whose wood-stalks ])v6- 188 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. (Inco a cotton with lonj; hairs, almost analogous to that of ]'\>rnaniI)oue. From the copals there oozes, by the lioles Avliich certain insects make, an odorous gum, which runs along the ground and collects for the wants of the natives. Here spread the lemon- trees, the grenadiers of a savage con- dition of a country, and tAventy otiier odorous ])lants, which prove the prodigious fertility of this plateau of Central Africa. In severnl ]ilaces, also, the perfume Avas agreealdy mingled with the tine odor of vanilla, although they could notdiscover what tree exhaled it. This whole collection of trees and plants was perfectly green, although it Avas in the middle of the dry season, and only rare storms could Avater these luxuriant forests. It Avas then the time for fcA'ers; but, as Livingstone has observed, they can be cured by leaving the place Avhere they have been contracted. Dick Sand knew this remark of the great trav- eler, and he hoped that little Jack Avould not contradict it. lie told it to Mrs. AVeldon, after liaving obseiTcd that the periodical access had not returned as they feared, and that the child slept quietly in Hercules' arms. Thus they A\'ent forward carefully and ra])idly. Sometimes they discovered traces Avherc men or animals had recently passed. The tAvisted and broken branches of the brusliAvoojl and the thickets afforded an opportunity to walk with a more equal step. But the greater jiart of the time numerous ob- stacles, Avhich they had to overcome, retarded the little party, to Dick Sand's great disappointment. There Avere twisted lianes that might justly be compared with the disordered rigging of a ship, certain vines similar to bent SAA'ords, whose blades AA'ere ornamented with long thorns, vegetable serpents, fifty or sixty feet long, Avhich had the fac- ulty of turning to prick the passer-by Avith their sharp spikes. The blacks, hatohet in hand, cut them doAvn Avith vigorous blows, but the lianes reappeared eonstantly, reaching from the earth to the top of the highest trees Avhich they encircled. The animal kingdom Avas not less curious than the vegetji- ble kingdom in this part of the province. Birds flew in vast numbers under these poAverful branches: but it Avill be un- derstood that they had no gun-shot to fear from the men, Avho wished to pass as secretly as rapidly. There were Guinea- fowls in large flocks, heath-cocks of various kinds, very difficult to a))proach, and some of those birds which the Americans of the North haA'e, by onomatopasia, called A CAPTAI>7 AT FIFTEEN". 189 *' whip-poor-wills," three syllables which exactly reproduce their cries. Dick Sand and Tom might truly have believed themselves in some province of the new continent. But, alas! they knew what to expect. Until then the deer, so dangerous in Africa, had not approached the little troop. They again saw, in this first halt, some giraffes, which Harris had undoubtedly called ostriches. These swift animals passed rapidly, frightened by the apparition of a caravan in these little-frequented forests. In the distance, on the edge of the prairie, there arose at times a thick cloud of dust. It was a herd of buffaloes, which galloped with the noise of wagons heavily laden. For two miles Dick Sand thus followed the course of the rivulet which must end in a more important river. He Avas in haste to confide his companions to the rapid current of one of the coast rivers. He felt sure that the dangers and the fatigue would be much less than on the shore. Towards noon three miles had been cleared without any bad incident or meeting. There was no trace of either Harris or Xegoro. Dingo had not reapi)eared. It was necessary to lialt to take rest and nourishment. The encampment was established in a bamboo thicket, wJiich completely sheltered the little party. They talked very little during this repast. Mrs. "Weldon had taken her little boy in her arms; she could not take her eyes off of him; she could not eat. '' You must take some nourishment, Mrs. Weldon," Dick Sand repeated several times. " What will become of you if your strength gives out? Eat, eat! We will soon start again, and a good current will carry us without fatigue to the coast." Mrs. Weldon looked in Dick Sand's face while he thus talked. The young novice's burning eyes spoke of the cour- age by which he felt animated. In seeing him thus, in observing these brave, devoted ])lacks, wife and mother, she could not yet despair; and, besides, why was she abandoned? Did she not think herself on hospitable ground? Harris's treason could not, in her eyes, have any very serious conse- quences. Dick Sand read her thoughs, and he ke^it his eyes on the ground. 190 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. CHAPTER IV. THE BAD ROADS OF ANGOLA. At this moment Ijttle Jack awoke, and put his arms around his motlier's neck. His eves looked better. The fever liad not returned. "You are better, my darling," said Mrs. AYeldon, pressing the sick child to her heart. "Yes, mamma," replied Jack, "but I am a little thirsty. They could only give tha child some fresh water, of wliich he drank with ])loasure. •"And my friend Dick?" jic said. " Here I am, Jack," replied Dick Sand, coming to take the 3'oung child's hand. "And my friend Hercules?" "Hercules is here, Mr. Jack, ""replied the giant, bringing nearer his good face. ""And the horse?" demanded little Jack. "The horse? Gone, Mr. Jack," rei)lied Hercules. "I ■will carry you. ^Vill you find that I trot too hard?" "Ko," replied little Jack; "but then I shall no longer have any bridle to hold." "Oh! you AviJl put a bit in my mouth, if you wish," said Hercules, opening his large mouth, "and you may pull back so long as that will give you pleasure." "You know very well that I shall not pull back." " Good! You would be wrong! I have a hard mouth." "But Mr. Harris's farm?'* the little boy asked again. " We shan soon arrive there, my Jack," replied Mrs. Wel- don. " Yes, soon!" " Will we set out again?" then said Dick Sand, in order to cut short this conversation. "Yes, Dick, let us go," replied Mrs. Weldon. The camp was broken up, and the march continued again in the same order. It was necessary to pass through the underwood, so as not to leave the course of the jivulet. There had been some jtatlis theie, formerlv, but those jtatiis were dead, according to the native expression — that is, bram- IjIcs and brushwood had usurf)ed them. In these painful conditions they might i-])end three hours in making one mile. A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". 191 The blacks worked witliout relaxation. Hercules, after put- ting little Jack back in Xan's arms, took bis part of the "work; and what a parti He gave stout "heaves," making his axe turn round, and a hole was made before them, as if he had been a devouring fire. Fortunately, this fatiguing work would not last. This first mile cleared, they saw a large hole, opened through the under- wood, which ended obliquely at the rivulet and followed its bank. It was a passage made by elephants, and those animals, doubtless by hundreds, were in the habit of traversing this part of the forest. Great holes, made by the feet of the enormous pachyderms, riddled a soil softened during the rainy season. Its spongy nature also prepared it for those large imprints. It soon appeared that this passage did not serve for those gigantic animals alone. Human beings had more than once taken this route, but as flocks, brutally led to the slaughter- house, would have followed it. Here and there bones of dead bodies strewed the ground; remains of skeletons, half gnawed by animals, some of which still bore the slave's fetters. There are, in Central Africa, long roads thus marked out by human debris. Hundreds of miles are traversed by cara- vans, and how many unhappy wretches fall by the way, under the agents' whips, killed by fatigue or privations, decimated by sicknessi How many more massacred by the traders them- selves, when food fails! Yes, when they can no longer feed them, they kill them with the gun, with the sword, with the knifcl Tliese massacres are not rare. So, then, caravans of slaves had followed this road. For a mile Dick Sand and his companions struck against these scat- tered bones at each step, putting to flight enormous fern-owls. Those owls rose at their approach, with u heavy flight, and turned round in the air. Mrs. "Weldon looked without seeing. Dick Sand trembled lest she should question him, for he lioped to lead her back to the coast without telling her that Harris's treachery had led them astray in an African province. Fortunately, ]\Irs. "Wel- don did not explain to herself Avhat she had under her eyes. Slie had desiicd to take her child again, and little Jack, asleep, absorbed all her care. Kan walked near her, and neither of them asked the young novice the terrible questions ho dreaded. 193 A OAPTATX AT FIFTEEN. Old Tom went along Avith his eyes down. ITe understood only ttto well why this opening was strewn with human hones. His companions lookeil to the right, to tlie left, with an air of surprise, as if they were crossing an interminable ceme- tery, the tombs of which had been overthrown by a cataclysm ; but they jiassed in silence. i^Ieanwliilo, the bed of the rivnlet became deeper and wider at the same time. Its current was less impetuous. Dick Sand hoped that it would soon become navigable, or that it would before long reach a more important river, tributary to the Atlantic. Cost Avhat it might, the young novice was determined to follow this stream of water. Neither did he hesitate to aban- don this opening; because, as ending by an oblique line, it led away from the rivulet. The little party a second time ventui'ed through the dense underwood. They marched, axe in hand, through leaves and bushes inextricably interlaced. ]5ut if this vegetation obstructed the ground, they were no longer in the thick forest that bordered the coast. Trees became rare. Large sheaves of bamboo alone rose above the grass, and so high that even Hercules was not a head over them. The passage of the little party was only revealed by the movement of these stalks. Toward three o'clock in the afternoon of that day, the nature of the ground totally changed. Here were long plains, which must have been entirely inundated in the rainy season. The earth, now more swampy, was carpeted by thick mosses, beneath charming fcins. Sliould it be diversified by any steep ascents, they would see brown hematites appear, the last deposits of some rich vein of mineral. Dick Sand then recalled — and very fortunately — what he had road in " Livingstone's Travels." More than once the daring doctor had nearly rested in these marshes, so treacher- ous under foot. ''Listen to me, my friends," said he, going ahead. " Try the ground before stepping on it." "In fact," replied Tom, "they say that these grounds have been softened by the rain; but, however, it has not rained during these last days." " No," replied Bat; " but the storm is not far off." "The greater reason," replied Dick Sand, "why we should hurry and get clear of this swamp before it commences. to A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN. 193 Hercules, take little Jack in yonr arms. Bat, Austin, keep near Mrs. AVeldon, so as to be"^ able to help her if necessary. Yon, Mr. Benedict Why, what are you doing, Mr. Benedict?" "lam fallingl" innocently replied Cousin Benedict, who had just disappeared, as if a trap had been suddenly opened beneath his feet. In fact, the poor man had ventured on a sort of quagmire, and had disappeared half-way in the sticky mud. They stretched out their hands, and he rose, covered with slime, but quite satisfied at not having injured his precious ento- mologist's box. Acteou went beside him, and made it his dutv to preserve the unlucky, near-sighted man from any new disasters. Besides, Cousin Benedict had made rather a bad choice of the quagmire for his plunge. When they drew him out of the sticky earth a large quantity of bubbles rose to the sur- face, and^ in bursting, they emitted some gases of a suffocat- ing odor. Livingstone, who had been sunk up to his chest in this slime, compared these grounds to a collection of enormous sponges, made of bhick, porous earth, from which numerous streams of water spouted when they were stepped upon. These places were always very dangerous. For the space of half a mile Dick Sand and his compan- ions must march over this spongy soil. It even became so Ijud that Mrs. Weldon was obliged to stop, for she sank deep in tlie mire. Hercules, Bat, and Austin, wishing to spare her the unpleasantness more tiian the fatigue of a passage across this marshy plain, made a litter of bamboos, on which she consented to sit. Iler little Jack was ])laced in her arms, luid they endeavored to cross that peslileulial marsh in the (juickest manner. The diflicnltios were great. Actcon held Cousin Benedict firmly. Tom aided Nan, who, without him, Avould have dis- appeared several times in some crevice. The tiiree other blacks carried the litter. At the head, Dick Sand sounded tlie eartli. The choice of the place to step on was not made without trouble. 'i'licy marched from preference on the edges, which were covered by a thick and tough grass. Often the sujjport failed, and they sank to the knees in the slime. At last, about five o'clock in the evening, the marsh being cleared, the soil regained sufficient firmness, thanks to its flayey nature; but they felt it damp underneath. V^ery cvi- 194 A CAITAIN AT FIFTEEN. dentlv those lands lay below the neighboring rivers, and the water ran through their pores. At that time the heat iiad become overwhelming. It would even have been unbearable, if thick storm clouds had not in- teriiosed between the burning rays and the ground. Distant ligiitnings began to rend the sky and low rollings of thunder grumbled in the de}iths of the heavens. A formidable storm was going to burst forth. Now, these cataclysms are terrible in Africa: rain in tor- rents, squalls of Avind which the strongest trees cannot resist, clap after clap of thunder, such is the contest of the elements iu that latitude. Dick Sand knew it well, and he became very uneasy. They could not pass the night without shelter. The plain was likely to be inundated, and it did not present a single eleva- tion on which it was possible to seek refuge. But refuge, where would they seek it in this low desert, without a tree, without a bush? The bowels of the earth even would not give it. Two feet below the surface they would find water. However, toward the north a series of low hills seemed to limit the marshy jtluin. It was as the border of this depres- sion of land. A few trees were ])rofiIed there on a more dis- tant, clearer belt, left by the clouds on the line of the horizon. There, if shelter were still lacking, the little band would at least no longer risk being caught in a possible inundation. There perhaps was salvation foi- all. "Forward, my friends, forward I" repeated Dick Sand. '* Three miles more and we shall be safer than in these bot- tom-lands." ''Hurry I hurry I" cried Hercules. The brave black would have wished to take that whole world in his arms and carry it alone. Those words inspired those courageous men, and in spite of the fatigue of a day's march, they advanced more quickly than they had done at the commencement from the halting- place. AVhcn the storm burst forth the end to be attained was still more than two miles off. Kow — a fact which was the moie to be feared — the rain did not accompany the first lightnings exchanged between the ground and the electrical clouds. Darkness then became almost complete, though the sun had not disappeared below the horizon. But the dome of vapors A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN. 195 gradually lowered, as if it threatened to fall in — a falling in which must result in a torrent of rain. Lightnings, red or blue, split it in a thousand places, and enveloped the plain in an inextricable network of fire. Twenty times Dick and his companions ran the risk of being struck by lightning. On this plateau, deprived of trees, they formed the only projecting points which could attract the electrical discharges. Jack, awakened by the noise of the thunder, hid himself in Hercules' arms. He Avas very much afraid, poor little boy, but he did not wish to let his mother see it, for fear of afflicting her more. Hercu- les, while taking great steps, consoled him as well as he could. "Do not be afraid, little Jack," he repeated. "If the thunder comes near us, 1 will break it in two with a single hand. I am stronger than it!" And, truly, the giant's strength reassured Jack a little. Meanwhile the rain must soon fall, and then it would in torrents, poured out by those clouds in condensing. What would become of ^Irs. Weldon and her companions, if they did not find a shelter? Dick Sand stopped a moment near old Tom. " "What must be done?" said he. "Continue our march, Mr. Dick," replied Tom. ""We cannot remain on this plain, that the rain is going to trans- form into a marsh!" "No, Tom, no! But a shelter! AVhere? What? If it were only a hut " Dick Sand had suddenly broken off his sentence. A more vivid flash of lightning had just illuminated the whole plain. " What have I seen there, a quarter of a mile off?" ex- claimed Dick Sand. " Yes, I also, I have seen " replied old Tom, shaking his head. "A camp, is it not?" " Yes, Mr. Dick, it must be a camp, but a camp of natives!" A new flash enabled them to observe this camp more closely. It occupied a part of the immense plain. There, in fact, rose a hundred conical tents, symmetrically arranged, and measuring from twelve to fifteen feet in height. Not a soldier showed himself, however. Were they then shut 196 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. lip under their tents, so as to let the storm pass, or was the camp abandoned? In the lirst cia^o, whatever Heaven should threaten, Dick Sand must llee in the quickest manner, in the second, there was. perhaps, the shelter lie asked. "I shall find out," he said to himself; then, addressing old Tom: " »Stay here. Let no one follow m«. 1 shall go to reconnoitre that camp." " Let one of us accompany yon, Mr. Dick." ** No, Torn, I shall go alone. I can approach without being seen. Stay here." The little troop, that followed Tom and Dick Sand, halted. The young novice left at once and disappeared in the dark- ness, which was profound when the lightning did not tear the sky. Some large drops of rain already began to fall. " What is the matter?" asked Mrs. Weldon, approaching the old black. " We have perceived a camp, Mrs. Weldon," replied Tom; "a camp — or, perhaps, a village, and our captain wished to reconnoitre it before leading us to it." Mrs. Weldon was satisfied with this reply. Three minutes after, Dick Sand was returning. "Come! come!" he cried, in a voice which expressed his entire satisfaction. ''The camp is abandoned?" asked Tom. " It is not a camp," replied the young novice; "it is not a village. They are ant-hills!" " Ant-hills!" exclaimed Cousin Benedict, whom that word aroused. " Yes, Mr. Benedict, but ant-hills twelve feet high, at least, and in which we shall endeavor to hide ourselves." "But then," replied Cousin Benedict, "those would be ant-hills of the warlike tei'mite or of the devouring termite. Only those ingenious insects raise such monuments, which the greatest architects would not disown." " Whether they be termites or not, Mr. Benedict," replied Dick Sand, " we must dislodge them and take their place." " They will devour us. They Avill be defending their rights." "Forward! Forward!" " But, wait now!" said Cousin Benedict again. " I thought those ant-hills only existed in Africa." A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 197 "ForwardI" exclaimed Dick Sand, for the last time, with a sort of violeuce. He was so much afraid that Mrs. Weldoii might hear the hist word pronounced by the entomologist. They followed. Dick Saud with all haste. A furious wind had sprung up. Large drops crackled on the ground. In a few moments the squalls of wind would become unbearable. Soon one of those cones which stood on the plain was reached. Xo matter how threatening the termites might be, the human beings must not hesitate. If they could not drive the insects away, they must share their abode. At the bottom of this cone, made with a kind of reddish clay, there was a very narrow hole. Hercules enlarged it with his cutlass in a few moments, so as to give a passage even to a man like himself. To Cousin Benedict's extreme surprise, not one of the thousands of termites that ought to occupy the ant-hill showed itself. Was, then, the cone abandoned? The hole enlarged, Dick and his companions glided into it. Hercules disappeared the last, Just as the rain fell with such rage that it seemed to extinguish the liglitiiings. But those wind squalls were no longer to be feared. A happy chance had furnished this little troop with a solid shel- ter, better than a tent, better than a native's liut. It was one of those termite cones that, according to Lieu- tenant Cameron's comparison, are more astonishing than the pyramids of Egypt, raised by tlie hands of men, because they have been built by such small insects, " It is," said he, *'as if a nation had built Mount Everest, the highest mountain of the Himalaya chain." CHAPTER V. ANTS AND THEIR DWELLING. At this moment the storm burst with a violence unknown in temperate lutituflos. It was proviih.'nlial that Dick Sand and liis companions had found tiiis refuge! In fact, the rain did not fall in distinct dro})s, but in streams of various thickness. Sometimes it was a c(>m]»act mass forming a sheet of water, like a cataract, a Niagara. Imagine an aerial basin, containing a whole sea, being upset. 19S A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. Uiulcv sncli showers the p-ound was holloAVcd out, the phnnfl Mcre cliiinged to lakes, the streams to torrents, tlic rivers, overflowing, inundated vast territories. In temperate zones the violence of the storms decreases according to their dura- tion; but in Africa, however heavy they are, they continue for several entire days. How can so much electricity be collected in the clouds? JIow can such quantities of vapor be accumu- lated? It is very ditficult to comprehend this. IToAvever, such are the facts, and one might suppose himself transported to the extraordinary epochs of the diluvian period. Fortunately, the ant-cone, with its thick walls, was per- fectly impervious. A beaver's hut, of well-beaten earth, could not have been more water-tight. A torrent could have passed over it without a single drop of water filtering through its pores. As soon as Dick Sand and his companions had taken pos- session of the cone they occupied themselves in examining its interior arrangement. The lantern was lighted, and the ant- hill was sulliciently illuminated. This cone, Avhich measured twelve feet in height inside, was eleven feet wide, except in its upper part, which rounded in the form of a sugar-loaf. Everywhere the walls were about one foot in thickness, and there was a distance between the stories of cells which adorned them. "We may be astonished at the construction of such monu- ments, due to these industrious swarms of insects, but it is true that they are frequently found in the interior of Africa. Smeathman, a Dutch traveler of the last century, with four of his companions, occupied the top of one of these cones. In the Lounde, Livingstone observed several of these ant- hills, built of reddish clay, and attaining a height of fifteen and twenty feet. Lieutenant Cameron has many a time mis- taken for a camp these collections of cones which dotted the plain in K'yangwe. He has even stopped at the foot of great edifices, not more than twenty feet high, but composed of forty or fifty enormous rounded cones, flanked with bell-towers like the dome of a cathedral, such as Southern Africa pos- sesses. To what species of ant was due, then, the prodigious style of architecture of these cones? "To the warlike termite," Cousin Benedict had replied, without hesitating, as soon as he had recognized the nature of the materials employed in their construction. A CAPTAIN" AT fiftee:s'. 199 And, in fact, the walls, as has been said, were made of red- dish clay. Had they been formed of a gray or black alluvian earth, they must liaVe been attributed to "the "termes mor- dax " or tlie ''termes atrox." As we see, these insects have not very cheering names — a fact which cannot but please a strong entomologist, such as Cousin Benedict. The central part of the cone, in which the little troop had first found shelter, and which formed the empty interior, would not have contained them; but large cavities, in close contact, made a number of divisions, in which a person of medium height could find refuge. Imagine a succession of open drawers, and at the bottom of these drawers millions of cells which the termites had occupied, and the interior dispo- sition of the ant-hill is easily understood. To sum up, these drawers are in tiers, like the berths in a ship's cabin. In the upper ones Mrs. Weldon, little Jack, Nan, and Cousin Bene- dict took refuge. In the lower row Austin, Bat, and Acteon liid themselves. As for Dick Sand, Tom, and Hercules, they remained in the lower part of the cone. " My friends," then said the young novice to the two blacks, ''the ground is becoming damp. We must fill it up by crumbling the red clay from the base; but take care not to obstruct the hole by which the air enters. We cannot risk being smothered in this ant-hill." "We have only one night to spend here," replied old Tom. "Well, let us try and make it recover us from our fatigue. This is the first time in ten days that we ha^-e not to sleep in the open air." " Ten daysl" repeated Tom. "Besides," abided Dick Sand, "as this cone forms a solid shelter, ]>crhaps we had better stay here twenty-four hours. During that time, I will go in search of the stream that we are in need of; it cannot be very distant. I think that until we have constructed our raft, it will be better not to quit this shelter. The storm cannot reach us here. Let us make the floor stronger and dryer." Dick Sand's onlei's were executed at once. Hercules, with his axe, crumbled the first story of cells, which was composed of crisp red clay. He thus raised, more than a foot, the in- terior part of the s\vani))y earth on which the ant-hill rested, and Dick Sand made sure that the air could freely penetrate to the interior of the cone through the orilice pierced at its base. 200 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. It was, certainly, a fortunate circumstance that tlic ant-hill liad been abandoned by the termites. With a few thousands of these ants, it would have been uninhabitable. But, had it been evacuated for sonic time, or had the voracious newroptera but just (quitted it? It was not superlluous to jwnder this question. Cousin Benedict was so much surprised at the abandon- ment, that he at once considered the reason for it, and he Avas soon convinced that the emigration had been recent. In fact, he did not wait, but, descending to the lower part of the cone, and taking the lantern, he commenced to ex- amine the most secret corners of the ant-hill. He thus dis- covered what is called the "general store-house" of the ter- mites, that is to say, the place where these industrious insects lay up the provisions of the colony. It was a cavity hollowed in the wall, not far from the royal cell, which llercules's labor had destroyed, along -with tho cells destined for the young larvse. In this store-room Cousin Benedict collected a certain quantity of particles of gum and the juices of plants, scarcely solidified, which proved that the termites had lately brought them from without. '* Well, no I" cried he. "No!" as if he were replying to some contradiction. " No, this ant-hill has not been long abandoned." "Who says to the contrary, Mr. Benedict?" said Dick Sand. " Recently or not, the important thing for us is that the termites have left it, because we have to take their place." "The important thing," replied Cousin Benedict, " will bo to know why they have left it. Yesterday — this morning, perhaps — these sagacious newroptera were still here, because, see these liquid juices; and this evening " "Well, what do you conclude, Mr. Benedict?" asked Dick Sand. " That a secret presentiment has caused them to abandon the cone. Not only have all the termites left their cells, but thcv have taken care to carry away the young larvse, of which I cannot find one. Well, I repeat that all this was not done without a motive, and that these sagacious insects foresaw Bome near danger." " They foresaw that we were going to invade their dwell- ing," replied Hercules, laughing. A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 201 ''Indeed!" replied Cousin Benedict, whom this answer sensibly shocked. ''You think yourself so strong that you would be dangerous to these courageous insects? A few thousand of these newroptera would quickly reduce you to a skeleton if they found you dead on the road." "Dead, certainly," replied Hercules, Avho would not give up; "but living, I could crush masses of them." "You might crush a hundred thousand, five hundred thousand, a million," replied Cousin Benedict, with anima- tion. " but not a thousand millions; and a thousand millions would devour you, living or dead, to the last morsel." During this discussion, which was less trifling than might be supposed, Dick Sand reflected on the observations made by Cousin Benedict. There was no doubt that the savant knew too much about the habits of the termites to be mis- taken. If he declared that a secret instinct warned them to leave the ant-hill recently, it was because there was truly peril in remaining in it. Meanwhile, as it was impossible to abandon this shelter at a moment when the storm was raging with unparalleled in- tensity, Dick Sand looked no farther for an explanation of what 'seemed to be inexplicable, and he contented himself with saying: "Well, ^Ir. Benedict, if the termites have left their pro- visions in this ant-hill, we must not forget that we have brought ours, and let us have supper. To-morrow, when the storm will be over, we will consult together on our future plans." They then occupied themselves in preparing the evening meal, for, great as their fatigue was, it had not affected tlie appetite of these vigorous walkers. On the contrary, the food, which had to last for two more days, was very welcome. The damp had not reached the biscuits, and for several min- utes it could be heard cracking under the solid teeth of Dick Sand and his companions. I'otwecn Ilercules's jaws it was like grain under ilic millers grindstone. It did not crackle, it powdered. Mrs, Weldon alone scarcely cat, and even Dick Sand's en- treaties wore vain. It seemed to him that tliis brave woman was more preoceui)ied, more sad than she had ])con liithorto. Meanwhile her little Jack suffered less; the fever had not returned, and at this time he was sleeping under his mother's 202 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. eyos, in a cell veil lined with garments. Dick Sand knew not what to think. It is useless to say that Cousin Benedict did honor to the repast, not that he ])aid any attention cither to the quality or to the quantity of the food that he devoured, but because he had found an opportunity to deliver u lecture in entomology on the termites. Ah! if he had been able to find a termite, a single one, in the deserted ant-hill! ]iut nothing. *' Tliese admirable insects," said he, without taking the trouble to find out if any one were listening — " these admir- able insects belong to the marvellous order of newroptera, whose horns are longer than the head, the jaws very distinct, and whose lower wings are generally equal to the upper ones. Five tribes constitute this order: the Panorpates (scorpion flies), the Myrniileoniens, the llemerobins, the Termitines, and the Perlides. It is useless to add that the insects which now interest us, and whose dwelling we occupy, perhaps un- duly, are the Termitines." At this moment Dick Sand listened very attentively to Cousin Benedict. Had the meeting with these termites excited in him the tliought that he was perhaps on the Afri- can continent, without knowing by Avhat chance he had arrived there? The young novice was very anxious to find out. Tlie savant, mounted on his favorite hobby, continued to ride it beautifully. *' Xow these termitines," said he, " are characterized by four joints on the instep, horned jaws, and remarkable strength. We have the tnaoiKspe species, the raphidie, and the termite species. The last is often known under the term of white ants, in which we count the deadly termite, the yel- low corslet termite, the termite that shuns the light, the biter, the destroyer " "And those that constructed this ant-liill?" asked Dick Sand. " They are the martial ants," replied Cousin Benedict, who pronounced this word as if it had been the Macedonians, or some other ancient people brave in Avar. " Yes, the war-like ants, and of all sizes. Between Hercules and a dwarf the dif- ference would be less than between th3 largest of these insects and the smallest. Among them are 'workers' of five milli- metres in length, 'soldiers' of ten, and males and females of twenty. Wo find also a kind otherwise very curious: the Cote Ouesl de lA Lac Liba L'AFRIQUE CENTRALE Wmmipmr^J^^tinrd'Att^^MH A CAPTAIJT AT FIFTEEN. 203 sirofous, half an inch in length, which have pincers for jaws, and a head larger than the body, like the sliarks. They are the sharks among insects, and in a fight betAveen some sirafous and a shark, I would bet on the sij'ofous." " And where are these sirafous commonly observed?" then asked Dick Sand. *' In Africa," replied Cousin Benedict; " in the central and southern provinces. Africa is, in fact, the country of ants. You should read what Livingstone savs of them in the last notes reported by Stanley. More fortunate than myself, the doctor has witnessed a Homeric battle, joined between an army of black ants and an army of red ants. The latter, which are called 'drivers,' and which the natives name sirafous, were victorious. " The others, the ' tchottngoiis,^ took flight, carrying their eggs and their young, not without having bravely defended themselves. Kever, according to Livingstone, never was the spirit of battle carried farther, either among men or beasts! AVith their tenacious jaws, which tear out the piece, these sirafous make the bravest man recoil. The largest animals — even lions and elephants — flee before them. ** Nothing stops them; neither trees, which they climb to the summit, nor streams, which they cross by making a suspension bridge of their own bodies, hooked together. And numerous! Another African traveler — Du Chaillu — has seen a column of these ants defile past him for twelve hours without sto])ping on the road. But why be astonished at the sight of such myriads? The fecundity of these insects is surprising; and, to return to our fighting termites, it has been proved that a female deposits as much as sixty thousand eggs in a day! Besides, these newro])tera furnish the natives with a juicy food. Bioiled ants, my friends; I know of noth- ing better in the world!" " Have you then eaten them, Mr. Benedict?" asked Her- cules. "Never," replied the wise professor; "but I shall cat Bome." " Where?" " Here." " Here; we are not in Africa!" said Torn, very (luicklv. "No, no!" replied Cousin Benedict; "and, thus far, these warlike termites, and their villages of ant-hills, have only been observed on the Afrifaii CoTitinent. Ah! such travelers 204 A CAPl'AIN AT FIFTEEN". They do not know how to see! Well! all the better, after all. 1 have discoveivd a tsetse in America. To the glory of this, I shall join that of having found the warlike termites on the same continent! "What matter for an article that will make a sensation in educated Europe, and, perhaps, appear in folio form, with prints and engravings, besides the text!" It was evident that the truth had not entered Cousin Bene- dict's brain. The poor man and all his companions, Dick Sand and Tom excepted, believed themselves, and must be- lieve themselves, where they were not! It needed other inci- dents, facts still more grave than certain scientific curiosities, to undeceive them! It was then nine o'clock in the morning. Cousin Benedict had talked for a long time. Did he perceive that his audi- tors, projiped up in their cells, had gradually fallen asleep during his entomological lecture? No; certainly not. He lectured for himself. Dick Sand no longer questioned him, and remained motionless, although he did not sleep. As for Hercules, he had resisted longer than the others; but fatigue soon finished by shutting his eyes, and, with his eyes, his ears. For some time longer Cousin Benedict continued to lecture. However, sleep finally got the best of him, and he mounted to the upper cavity of tlie cone, in which he had chosen his domicile. Deep silence fell on the interior of the cone, while the storm filled space with noise and fire. Nothing seemed to indicate that the tempest was nearly over. The lantern had been extinguished. The interior of the ant-hil! was plunged in complete darkness. No doubt all slept. However, Dick Sand, alone, did not seek in sleep the repose which was so necessary to him. Thought absorbed him. He dreamed of his companions, wliom he would save at all hazards. The Avrecking of the '•' Pilgrim " had not been the end of their cruel trials, and others, still more terrible, threatened them should they fall into the hands of these natives. And how to avoid this danger, the worst of all, during their return to the coast. Harris and Negoro had not led them a hundred miles into the interior of Angola without a secret desigu to gain possession of them. But what did this miserable Portuguese intend? Who had merited his hatred? The young novice reixjated to him- A. CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 205 self, that he alone had incurred it. Then he passed in re- view all the incidents that had taken place during the "' Pil- grim's" voyage: the meeting with the wreck and the blacks; the pursuit of the whale; the disappearance of Captain Hull and his crew. Dick Sand had found himself, at the age of fifteen, en- trusted with the command of a vessel, the compass and log of which were soon injured by I^egoro's criminal actions. He again saw himself using his authority in the presence of this insolent cook, threatening to put him in irons, or to blow out his brains with a pistol-shot. Ah, why had he hesitated to do it? Negoro's corpse would have been thrown over- board, and none of these catastrophes would have happened. Such were the young man's various thoughts. Then they dwelt a moment on the shipwreck which had ended the " Pilgrim's " voyage. The traitor Harris appeared then, and this province of South America gradually became trans- formed. Bolivia changed to the terrible Angola, with its feverish climate, its savage deer, its natives still more cruel. Could the little party escape during its return to the coast? This river which he was seeking, which he hoped to find, would it conduct them to the shore with more safety, and with less fatigue? He would not doubt it, for he knew well that a march of a hundred miles through this inhospitable country, in the midst of incessant dangers, was no longer possible. ''Happily," he said to himself, "Mrs. AVeldon and all are ignorant of the danger of the situation. Old Tom and I, we alone are to know that Negoro has thrown us on the coast of Africa; and that Harris has led me into the wilds of Angola." Dick Sand was thus sunk in overpowering thoughts, when he felt a breath on his forehead. A hand rested on his shoulder, and a trcmljling voice murmured these words in his car: " I know all, my poor Dick, but God can yet save us! His will be done!" y06 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. CHAPTER VI. THE DIVING-BELL. To this unexpected revelation Dick Sand could not reply. Besides, Mrs. Weldon had gone back at once to lier place be- side little Jack. She evidently did not wish to say any more about it, and the young novice had not the courage to detain her. Thus Mrs. Weldon knew what to believe. The various in- cidents of the way had enlightened her also, and perhaps, too, that word, '* Africa!" so unluckily pronounced the night before by Cousin Benedict. *' Mrs. "Weldon knows everything," repeated Dick Sand to himself. " Well, perhaps it is better so. The brave woman does not despair. I shall not despair either." Dick Sand noAV longed for day to retuni, that he might explore the surroundings of this termite village. He must lind a tributary of the Atlantic with a rapid course, to tran- sport all his little troop. He had a presentiment that this water-course could not be far distant. Above all, they must avoid an encounter with the natives, perha])s already sent in pursuit of them under Harris's and Kcgoro's direction. But it was not day yet. No light made its way into the cone through the lower orifice, Kuniblings, rendered low by tlie thickness of the walls, indicated that the storm still raged. Listening, Dick Sand also heard the rain falling with violence at the base of the ant-hill. As the laige drops no longer struck a hard soil, he must conclude that the whole plain was inundated. It must have been about eleven o'clock. Dick Sand then felt that a kind of torpor, if not a tiue sleep, was going to overcome him. It would, however, be rest. But, just as he was yielding to it, the thought came to him that, by the set- tling of the clay, washed in, the lower orifice was likely to be obstructed. All passage for the ovter air would be closed. A\'ithin, tlieresj)iration of ten persons would soon vitiate the air by loading it with carl)onic acid. Dick Sand then slipped to the ground, which liad been raised by the clay from the fiist fioor of cells. A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN". 207 That cushion was still perfectly dry, and the orifice entirely fiee. The air penetrated freely to the interior of the cone, and with it some flashes of lightning, and the lond noises of that storm, that a diluvian rain could not extinguish. Dick Sand saw that all Avas well. ISo immediate danger seemed to menace these human termites, substituted for the colony of newroptera. The young novice then thought of refreshing himself by a few hours' sleep, as he already felt its influence. Only with supreme precaution Dick Sand lay on that bed of clay, at the bottom of the cone, near the nar- row orifice. By this means, if any accident happened outside, he would be the first to remark it. The rising day would also awaken him, and he would be ready to begin the exploration of the plain. Dick Sand lay down then, his head against the wall, his gun under his hand, and almost immediately he was asleep. How long this drowsiness lasted he could not tell, when he was awakened by a lively sensation of coolness. He rose and recognized, not without great anxiety, that the water was invading the ant-hill, and even so rapidly that in ji few seconds it would reach the story of cells occupied by Tom and Hercules. The latter, awakened by Dick Sand, were told about this new complication. The lighted lanteni soon showed the interior of the cone. The water had stopped at a height of about five feet, and remained stationary. "What is the matter, Dick?" asked Mrs. "Weldon. "It is nothing," replied the young novice. "The lower part of the cone has been inundated. It is probable that during this storm a neighboring river has overflowed on this plain." " Good!" said Hercules; " that proves the river is there!" " Yes," replied Dick Sand, "and it will carry us to tlie coast. Be reassured, then, Mrs. Weldon ; the water cannot reach you, nor little Jack, nor Nan, nor Mr. Benedict." Mrs. "Weldon did not rejily. As to the cousin, he slept like a veritable termite. ^leanwhile tlie blacks, leaning over this slieet of water, which reflected the lantern's light, wailed for Dick Sand to indicute to them what should be done. He was measuring the height of the itiuntlittion. 208 A r.M^AIN" AT FIFTEEN". After having the provisions and arms put out of the reach of tho inundation, Dick Sand was silent. •• The Avator has penetrated by the orilicc," said Tom. "■ Yes," rei)lied ])iek Sand, " and now it prevents the in- terior air from being renewed." " CouUl we not make a liole in the wall above the level of the water?" asked the old black. ^' Doubtless, Tom; but if we have five feet of water within, there are perhaps six or seven, even piore, without." " You think, Mr. Dick ?" " I think, Tom, that the water, rising inside the ant-hill, lias compressed the air in the upper part, and that this. air now makes an obstacle to prevent the water from rising higher. But if we pierce a hole in the wall by which the air would escape, either the water would still rise till it reached the outside level, or if it passed the hole, it would rise to that point where the compressed air would again keep it back. AVe must be here like workmen in a diving-bell." *'■ What must be done?" asked Tom. *' Reflect well before acting," replied Dick Sand. "An imprudence might cost us our lives!" The young novice's observation was very true. In comparing the cone to a submerged bell, he was right. Only in that apparatus the air is constantly renewed by means of pumps. The divers breathe comfortably, and they suffer no other inconveniences than those resulting from a prolonged sojourn in a compressed atmosphere, no longer at a normal pressure. But here, beside those inconveniences, space was already reduced a third by the invasion of the water. As to the air, it would only be renewed ii they put it in communication with the outer atmosphere by means of a hole. Could they, without running the dangers spoken of by Dick Sand, pierce that hole? Would not the situation be aggravated by it? Wluit was certain was, that the water now rested at a level which only two causes could make it exceed, namely: if they pierced a hole, and the level of the rising waters was higher outside, or if the height of this rising water should still increase. In either of these cases, only a narrow space would remain inside the cone, where the air, not renewed, would bo still more compressed. A CAPTAIN" AT FIFTEEST. 209 But might not the ant-hill be torn from the ground and overthrown by the inundation, to the extreme danger of those ■within it? No, no more than a beaver's hut, so firmly did it adhere bv its base. Then, the event most to be feared was the persistence of the storm, and, consequently, the increase of the inundation. Thirty feet of water on the plain would cover the cone with eighteen feet of water, and bear on the air within with the pressure of an atmosphere. Now, after reflecting well upon it, Dick Sand was led to fear that this inundation might increase considerably. In fact, it could not be due solely to that deluge poured out by the clouds. It seemed more probable that a neighbor- ing watercourse, swelled by the storm, had burst its banks, and was spreading over this plain lying below it. What proof had they that the ant-hill was not then entirely submerged, and that it was full time to leave it by the top part, which would not be difficult to demolish? Dick Sand, now extremely anxious, asked himself what he ought to do. Must he wait or suddenly announce the proba- ble result of the situation, after ascertaining the condition of things? It was then three o'clock in the morning. All, motion- less, silent, listened. The noise from outside came very feebly through the obstructed orifice. All the time a dull sound, strong and continued, well indicated that the contest of the elements had not ceased. At that moment old Tom observed that the water level was gradually rising. "Yes," replied Dick Sand, "and if it rises, as the air can- not escape from within, it is 1)ecause the rising of the waters increases and presses it more and more." '' It is but slitrht so far," said Tom. ''Without doubt," replied Dick Sand; "but where will this level stop?" "Mr. Dick," asked Bat, "would you like me to go out of the ant-hill? By diving, I should try to pli|)outby the hole." "It will be better for me to try it," replied Dick Sand. "No, Mr. Dick, no," replied old Tom, (juickly; "let my son do it, and trust to his skill. In case he could not return, your presence is necessary here." Then, lower: "Do not forget Mrs. Weldon and little Jack." 210 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. " Be it so," replied Dick Sand. "Go, then, Bat. If tho ant-hill is submerged, do not seek to enter it again. We shall try to come out as you will have done. But if the cone stdl en'ierges, strike on its top with the axe that you will take with you. We will hear you, and it will be the signal for us to demolish the top from our side. You understand?" " Yes, Mr. Dick," replied Bat. "Go, then, hoy," added old Tom, pressing his son's hand. Bat, after laying in a good jirovision of air by a long aspi- ration, plunged under the liquid mass, whose depth then ex- ceedccV hve feet. It was a rather difficult task, because he would have to seek the lower orifice, slip through it, and then rise to the outside surface of the waters. That must be done quickly. Nearly half a minute passed away. Dick Sand then thought that Ba^ bad succeeded in passing outside when the black emerged. ''Well!" exclaimed Dick Sand. "The hole is stopped up by rubbish!" replied Bat, as soon as he could take breath. "Stopped lip!" repeated Tom. " Yes," replied Bat. " The water has probably diluted the clay, rhave felt around the walls with my hand. There is no longer any hole." Dick Sand shook his head. His companions and he were hermetically sequestred in this cone, perhaps submerged by the water. " If there is no longer any hole," then said Hercules, " we must make one." **'Wait," replied the young novice, stopping Hercules, who, hatchet in hand, was preparing to dive. Dick Sand reflected for a few moments, and then he said: " We are going to proceed in another manner. The whole question is to know whether the water covers the ant-hill or not. If we make a small opening at the summit of the cone, we shall find out which it is. But in case the ant-hill should be submerged now, the water would fill it entirely, and we would be lost. Let us feci our way." " But quickly," replied Tom. I"n fact, the level continued to rise gradually. There were then six feet of water inside the cone. With the exception of ^Irs. Weldon, her son. Cousin Benedict, and Nan, who had A CAPTAIN" AT FIFTEEN. 211 taken refuge iu the upper cavities, all "were immerged to the waist. Then there was a necessity for quick action, as Dick Sand proposed. It was one foot above the interior level, consequently seven feet from the ground, that Dick Sand resolved to pierce a hole in tlie clay wall. If, by this hole, they were in communication with the outer air, the cone emerges. If, on the contrary, this hole was pierced below the water level outside, the air would be driven inward, and m that case they must stop it up at once, or the water would rise to its oritice. Then they would commence again a foot higher, and so on. If, at last, at the top, they did not yet find the outer air, it was because there was a depth of more than fifteen feet of water in the plain, and that the whole termite village had disappeared under the inunda- tion. Then what chance had tlie prisoners in the ant-hill to escape the most terrible of deaths, death by slow asphyxia? Dick Sand knew all that, but he did not lose his presence of mind for a moment. He had closely calculated the conse- quences of the experiment he wished to try. Besides, to wait longer was not possible. Asphyxia was threatening in this narrow space, reduced every moment, in a medium already saturated with carbonic acid. Tlie best tool Dick Sand could employ to pierce a hole through the wall was a ramrod furnished with a screw, intended to draw the wadding from a gun. By making it turn raj)idly, this screw scooped out the clay like an auger, and the hole was made little by little. Then it would not have a larger diameter than that of the ramrod, but that would be sufficient. The air could come through very well. Hercules, holding up the lantern, lighted Dick Sand. They luid some wax candles to take its place, and they had not to fear lack of light from that source. A minute after the beginning of the operation, the ramrod went freely through the wall. At once a rather dull noise was j)roduf;cd, resembling that made by globules of air escap- ing through a column of water. The air escaped, and, at the same moment, the level of the water rose in the cone, and Htopjied at the height of the hole. This proved tliat they had jiierccd too low — that is to say, below the liquid mass. 212 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. "Bcf^ln again," the young novice said, coolly, after rapidly flopping tlu' liolo with a handful of clay. Tlio water was again stationary in the cone, but the re- served space had diminished more than eight inches. Eespi- ration became difliouH, for the oxygen was beginning to fail. They saw it also by tlie lantern's light, which reddened and lost a part of its briglitness. One foot above the first hole, Dick Sand began at once to pierce a second by tlie same process. If the experiment failed, the water would rise still higher inside the cone— but that risk must be run. While Dick sand was working his auger, they heard Cousin Benedict cry out, suddenly: "Mercy! look — look — look why!" Hercules raised his lantern and threw its light on Cousin Benedict, whose face expressed the most perfect satisfaction, "^ Yes," repeated he, " look why those intelligent termites have abandoned the ant-hill! They had felt the inundation beforehand. Ah! instinct, my friends, instinct. The ter- mites are wiser than we are, much wiser." And that was all the moral Cousin Benedict drew from the situation. At that moment Dick Sand drew out the ramrod, which liad penetrated the wall. A hissing was produced. The water rose another loot inside the cone — the hole had not reached the open air outside. The situation was dreadful. Mrs. Weldon, then almost reached by the water, had raised little Jack in her arms. All were stifling in this narrow space. Their ears buzzed. The lantern only threw a faint light. " Is the cone, then, entirely under water?" murmured Dick Sand. He must know; and, in order to know, he must pierce a third hole, at the very top. But it was asphyxia, it was immediate death, if the result of this last attempt should prove fruitless. The air remain- ing inside would escajie through the upper sheet of water, and the w'ater would fill the whole cone, *'Mra. Weldon," then sa'd Dick Sand, "^you know the situation. If we delay, respirable air will fail us. If the third attempt fails, water will fill all this space. Our only chance is that the summit of the cone is above the level of A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEX. 213 tlie inundation. AVe must try this last experiment. Are ^'ou willing?" ''Do it, Dick!" replied Mrs. Weldon. At that moment the lantern went out in that medium al- ready unfit for comlnistion. Mrs. Weldon and her compan- ions were plunged in the most complete darkness. Dick Sand was perched on Hercules's shoulders. The lat- ter was hanging on to one of the lateral cavities. Only his head was above the bed of water. Mrs. "Weldon, Jack, and Cousin Benedict were in the last story of cells. Dick Sand scratched the wall, and his ramrod pierced the clay rapid!}'. In this place the wall, being thicker and harder also, was more difficult to penetrate. Dick Sand hastened, not without terrible anxiety, for by this narrow opening either life was going to penetrate with the air, or with the water it was death. Suddenly a sharp hissing was heard. The compressed air escaped — but a ray of daylight filtered through the wall. The water only rose eiglit inches, and stopped, without Dick Sand being obliged to close the hole. The equilibrium was established between the level within and that outside. The summit of the cone emerged. Mrs. Weldon and her com- panions were saved. At once, after a frantic hurra, in which Ilercules's thun- dering voice prevailed, the cutlasses were put to work. The summit, quickly attacked, gradually crumbled. The hole was enlarged, the pure air entered in waves, and with it the first rays of the rising sun. The top once taken off the cone, it would be easy to hoist themselves on to its wall, and they would devise means of reaching some neighboring height, above all inundations. Dick Sand first mounted to the summit of the cone. A cry escaped him. That particular noise, too well known by African travelers, the whizzing of arrows, passed through the air. Dick Sand had had time to perceive a camp a hundred feet from the ant-bill, and ten feet from the cone, on the inun- dated ])lain, long boats, filled with natives. It was from one of those l)oats that the flight of arrows liad come the moment the young novice's liead appeared out of tlic hole. 214 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". Dit'k Saml, in a word, liad told all to his companiong. Sciziniij his gun, followed by Hercules, Acteon, and Bat, he rcai)pearcd at the summit of the cone, and all fired on one of the boats. Several nati^-es fell, and yells, accompanied by shots, replied to the detonation of the iire-arms. But what could Dick Sand and his companions do against a hundred Africans, who surrounded them on all sides? The ant-hill was assailed. Mrs. AVeldon, her child, and Cousin Benedict, all were brutally snatched from it, and without having had time to speak to each other or to shake hands for the last time, they saw themselves separated from each other, doubtless in virtue of orders previously given. A last boat took away Mrs. Weldon, little Jack and Cousin Benedict. Dick Sand saw them disappear in the middle of the camp. As to him, accompanied by Nan, old Tom, Hercules, Bat, Acteon and Austin, ho was thrown into a second boat, which went toward another point of the hill. Twenty natives entered this boat. It was followed by five others. Resistance was not possible, and nevertheless, Dick Sand and his companions attempted it. Some soldiers of the caravan were wounded by them, and certainly they would have paid for this resistance Avith their lives, if there had not been a formal order to spare them. In a few minutes, the passage was made. But just as the boat landed, Hercules, with an irresistible bound, sprang on the ground. Two natives having sprung on him, the giant turned his gun like a club, and the natives fell, with their skulls broken. A moment after, Hercules disappeared under the cover of the trees, in the midst of a shower of halls, as Dick Sand and his companions, liaving been put on land, were chained like slaves. A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN". 215 CHAPTER TIL IIT CAMP OJn" the banks OF THE COANZA. The aspect of the country was entirely changed since the inundation. It had made a lake of the plain where the termite village stood. The cones of twenty ant-hills emerged, and formed the only projecting points on this large basin. The Coanza had overflowed during the night, with the waters of its tributaries swelled by the storm. This Coanza, one of the rivers of Angola, flows into the Atlantic, a hundred miles from the cape where the " Pilgrim " "svas wrecked. It was this river that Lieutenant Cameron had to cross some years later, before reaching Benguela. The Coanza is intended to become the vehicle for the interior transit of this portion of the Portuguese colony. Already Eteamers ascend its lower course, and before ten years elapse, they will ply over its upper bed. Pick Sand had then acted wisely in seeking some navigable river toward the north. The rivulet he had followed had just been emptied into the Coanza. Only for this sudden attack, of which he had had no intimation to put him on his guard, he would have found the Coanza a mile farther on. His companions and he would liave embarked on a raft, easily constructed, and they would have had a good chance to descend the stream to the Portu- guese villages, where the steamers come into port. There, their safety would be secured. It would not be so. The camp, perceived by Dick Sand, was established on an elevation near the ant-hill, into which fate had thrown him, as in a trap. At the summit of that elevation rose an enoi'- mous sycamore fig-tree, which would easily shelter five hun- dred men under its immense branches. Those who have not seen those giant trees of Central Africa, can form no idea of them. Their branches form a forest, and one could be lost in it. Farther on, great banyans, of the kind whose seeds do not change into fruits, com])letcd the outline of this vast landscape. It was under the sycamore's shelter, hidden, as in a myste- rious asvlum, that a whole caravan — the one whose arrival Harris had announced to Negoro — had just halted. This numerous procession of natives, snatched from their villages ^1(5 A CAITAIN AT FIFTEEN. by iho trador Alvoz's agents, were going to the Kazonndo niarkel. Thence the shivcs, as needed, wonld bo sent cither to the barracks of the west coast, or to N'yangwe, toward tlic groat lake region, to be distributed either 'in upper Egypt, or in tlie factories of Zanzibar. As soon as they arrived at the camp, Dick Sand and his companions had been treated as slaves. Old Tom, his son, Austin, Acteon, poor Nan, negroes by birth, though they did not belong to the African race, were treated like captive natives. After they Avere disarmed, in spite of the strongest resistance, they Avere held by the throat, two by two, by means of a pole six or seven feet long, forked at each end, and closed by an iron rod. By this means they were forced to march in line, one behind the other, unable to get away either to the right or to the left. As an over precaution, a heavy chain was attached to their Avaists. They had their arms free, to carry burdens, their feet free to march, but they could not use them to flee. Thus they Avere going to travel hundreds of miles under an oA'erseer's lash. Placed apart, overcome by the reaction which followed the first mo- ments of their struggle against the negroes, they no longer made a movement. Why had they not been able to follow Hercules in his flight? And, meanwhile, what could they ho]ic for the fugitive? Strong as he was, what Avould become of him in that inhospitable country, where hunger, solitude, savage beasts, natives, all Avere against him? Would he not soon regret his companions' fate? They, however, had no pity to expect from the chiefs of the caravan, Arabs or Portu- guese, speaking a language they could not understand. These chiefs only entered into communication Avith their prisoners by menacing looks and gestures. Dick Sand himself was not coupled Avilh any other slave. He was a white man, and probably they had not dared to in- flict the common treatment on him. Unarmed, he had liis feet and hands free, but a driver Avatched him especially. He observed the camj), expecting each moment to see Kegoro or Harris appear. His expectation Avas in vain. He had no doubt, however, that those tAvo miserable men had directed the attack against the ant-hill. Thus the thought came to him that Mrs. Weldon, little Jack, and Cousin lienedict had been led aAvay separately by orders from the American or from the Portuguese. Seeing neither one nor the other, he said to himself that perhaps the A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEX. 217 two accomplices even accompanied their victims. Wliero were they leading them? What would they do with tliem? It was his most cruel care. Dick Sand forgot his own situa- tion to think only of Mrs. Weldon and hers. The caravan, camped under the gigantic sycamore, did not count less than eight hundred person, say five hundred slaves of both sexes, two hundred soldiers, porters, marauders, guards, drivers, agents, or chiefs. These chiefs were of Arab and Portuguese origin. It would be difficult to imagine the cruelties that these inhuman beings inflicted on their captives. They struck them with- out relaxation, and those who fell exhausted, not fit to be sold, Avere finished with gun-shots or the knife. Thus they liold them by terror. But the result of this system is, that on the arrival of the caravan, fifty out of a hundred slaves are missing from the trader's list. A few may have escaped, but the bones of those who died from torture mark out the long routes from the interior to the coast. It is supposed that the agents of European origin, Portu- guese for the most part, are only rascals Avhom their c6untry has rejected, convicts, escaped prisoners, old slave-drivers whom the authorities have been unable to hang — in a word, the refuse of humanity. Such was Negoro, such was Harris, now in the service of one of the greatest contractors of Cen- tral Africa, Jose-Antonio Alvez, Avell known by the traders of the province, about whom Lieutenant Cameron has given sonic curious information. The soldiers who escort the captives are generally natives in the pay of the traders. But the latter have not the mo- nopoly of those raids which procure the slaves for them. The negro kings also m-.ike atrocious wars with each other, and with the same object. Then the vanquished adults, the women and children, reduced to slavery, are sold by the van- fpiishers for a few yards of calico, some powder, a few fire- arms, pink or red ])earls, and often even, as Livingstone says, in periods of famine, for a few grains of maize. The soldiers who escorted old Alvcz's caravan might give a true idea of what African iirmies are. It was an assemblage nf negro bandits, hardly clothed, who l)randi3lied long flint-lock guns, the gun-barrels garnished with a great number of copper rings. With such an escort, to which are joined marauders wlio are no bettor, the agents often liave all they can do. They dispute orders, they insist 218 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. on tlicir own halting places and hours, they threaten to desert, and it is not rare for tlic agents to be forced to yield to the exactions of this soldiery. Though the slaves, men or women, are generally subjected to cany burdens while the caravan is on the march, yet a cer- tain number of porters accompany it. They are called more particularly *' Pagazis," and they carry bundles of precious objects, principally ivory. Such is the size of these elephants' teeth sometimes, of which some weigh as much as one hun- dred and sixty pounds, that it takes two of these " Pagazis" to carry them to the factories. Tlience this precious mer- chandise is exported to the markets of Khartoum, of Zanzibar and Natal. On arriving, these " Pagazis " are paid the price agreed upon. It consists in twenty yards of cotton cloth, or of that stuil which bears the name of '' Merikani," a little powder, a handful of cowry (shells very common in that country, which serve as money), a few pearls, or even those of the slaves who would be difficult lo sell. The slaves are paid, when the trader lias no other money. Among the live hundred slaves that the caravan counted, ihere were few grow^n men. That is because, the " Razzia " being finished and the village set on fire, every native above forty is unmercifully massacred and hung to a neighboring tree. Only the young adults of both sexes and the children are intended to furnish the markets. After these men-hunts, hardly a tenth of the vanquished survive. This explains the frightful dejiopulation which changes vast territories of equa- torial Africa into deserts. Here, tlie children and the adults were hardly clothed with a rag of that bark stuff, produced by certain trees, and called ''mbonzon"in the country. Thus the state of this troop of human beings, women covered with wounds from the " havildars' " whips, children ghastly and meagre, with bleeding feet, whom their mothers tried to carry in addition to their burdens, young men closely riveted to the fork, more torturing than the convict's cliain, is the most himentable that can be imagined. Yes, the sight of the miserable people, hardly living, whose voices have no sound, ebony skeletons, according to Living- stone's expression, would touch the hearts of wild beasts. But so much misery did not touch those hardened Arabs nor those Portuguese, who, according to Lieutenant Cameron, TBK KINO OK KAZOUNDK, MniNt UX-NDOA, HAD COMB TO HONOR THR ORKAT "LAKONi" WITH A vitiiT. —See pa(/e'M9. A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 219 are still more cruel. This is what Cameron says: " To obtain these fifty women, of whom Alvez called himself proprietor, ten villages had been destroyed, ten villages having each from one hundred to two hundred souls: a total of fifteen hundred inhabitants. Some had been able to escape, but the greater part — almost all — had perished in the flames, had been killed m defending their families, or had died of hunger in the jungle, unless the beasts of prey had terminated their suffer- ings more promptly. "Those crimes, perpetrated in the centre of Africa by men who boast of the name of Christians, and consider themselves Portuguese, would seem incredible to the inhab- itants of civilized countries. It is impossible that the gov- ernment of Lisbon knows the atrocities committed by people who boast of being her subjects." — Tour of the World. In Portugal there have been very warm protestations against these assertions of Cameron's, It need not be said that, during the marches, as during the lialts, the prisoners were very carefully guarded. Thus, Dick Sand soon understood that lie must not even attempt to get away. But then, how find Mrs. Weldon again? That she and'her child had been carried away by Negoro was only too certain. The Portuguese had separated her from her com- panions for reasons unknown as yet to the young novice, liut he could not doubt Negoro's intervention, and his heart was breaking at the thought of the dangers of all kinds which threatened Mrs, "Weldon. "Ah!" he said to himself, " when I think that I have held those two miserable men, both of them, at the end of my gun, and that I liavc not killed them!" This thouglit was one of those which returned most per- sistently to Dick Sand's mind, "What misfortunes the death, the just death of Harris and Negpro might have prevented! What misery, at least, for those whom these brokers in human flesh were now treating as slaves! All the horror of Mrs. Wcldon's and little Jack's situation now represented itself to Dick Sand, Neither the mother nor the child could count on Cousin Benedict. The poor man could liardly take care of himself. Doubtless they were tak- ing all three to some district remote from the province of Angola. But who was carrying the still sick child? "His mother; yes, his •niotlicr," Dick Sand repeated to liimself, "She will have recovered strength for him; sho 220 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". •will have clone wlmt these unhappy female slaves do, and she •will fall like them. Ah! may (Jod j)ut me again in front of her executioners, and I " But he "was a prisoner! He counted one head in this live- stock that the overseers Averc driving to the interior of Africa. He did not even know •whether Negoro and Harris themselves ■were directing the convoy of which their victims made a part. Diuiro "was no longer there to scent the Portuguese, to announce his approach. Hercules alone might come to the assistance of the unfortunate Mrs. Weldon. But was that miracle to be hoped for? However, Dick Sand fell back again on that idea. He said to himself that the strong black man was free. Of his devo- tion there was no doubt. All that a human being could do, Hercules Avould do in Mrs. Weldon's interest. Yes, either Hercules would try to find them and put himself in commu- nication with them; or if that failed him, he would endeavor to concert with him, Dick Sand, and perhaps carry him off, deliver him by force. During the night halts, mingling with these prisoners, black like them, could he not deceive the soldier's vigilance, reach him, break his bonds, and lead hira away into the forest? And both of them, then free, what would they not do for Mi-s. Weldon's safety. A water course would enable them to descend to the coast. Dick Sand would again take up that plan so unfortunately prevented by the natives' attack, with new chances of success and a greater knowledsfe of the difficulties. o The young novice thus alternated between fear and hope. In fact, he resisted despair, thanks to his energetic nature, and held himself in readiness to profit by the least chance that might olTer itself to him. What he most desired to know was to what market the agents were taking the convoy of slaves. Was it to one of the factories of Angola, and would it be an affair of a few halting-places only, or would this convoy travel for hundreds of miles still, across Central Africa? The principal market of the contractors is that of N'yangwe. in Manyema, on that meridian which divifJi. — Crossed, with several halt- ing places, long plains, Avhich evaporation has not been able to dry up. Water everywhere up to the waist. Myriads of leeches adhering to the skin. We must march for all that. On some elevations that emerge are lotus and ])apyrus. At the bottom, under the Avater, other plants, with large cab- bage leaves, on which the feet slip, which occasions numerous falls. In these waters, considerable quantities of little fish of tlic silurus species. The natives catch them by billions in wick- ers and sell them to the caravans. Impossible to find a place to camp for the night. We see no limit to tbe inundated plain. We must march in the dark. To-morrow many slaves will be missing from the convoy. Wliat misery I \Vbon one falls, why get up again? A few moments more under these waters, and all would be finished. Tlie overseer's stick would not reach you in the darkness. Yes, but Mrs. AVeldon and lier son! I have not the right to abandon them. I shall resist to the end. It is my duty. Dreadful cries are heard in the night. Twenty soldiers 228 A CAII^VIX AT FIFTP]EN". liavo torn some braiiHios from resinous trees Avliose branches were above Avater. Livid lights in tlie darkness. This is the cause of the cries I heard. An attack of croco- diles; twelve or fifteen of those monsters have thrown them- selves in the darkness on the flank of the caravan. Women and children have l)een seized and carried away by the crocodiles to their " pasture lands " — so Livingstone calls those deep holes where this am])hibious animal deposits its prey, after having drowned it, for it only eats it when it lias reached a certain degree of decomposition. I have been rudely grazed by the scales of one of these crocodiles. An adult slave has been seized near me and torn from the fork that held him by tlie neck. The fork was broken. What a cry of despair! What a howl of grief! I hear it still! May nth and 8th. — Tlie next day they count the victims. Twenty slaves have disappeared. At daybreak I look for Tom and his companions. God be praised! tliey are living. Alas! ought I to praise God? Is one not happier to be done with all this misery? Tom is at the head of the convoy. At a moment when his son Bat made a turn, the fork was presented obliquely, and Tom was able to sec m3. I search in vain for old Xan. Is she in the central group? or has she perished during that frightful night? The next day, passed the limit of the inundated plain, after twenty-four hours in the water. We halt on a hill. The sun dries us a little. We eat, but what miserable food! A little tapioca, a few handfuls of maize. Nothing l)ut the troubled water to drink. Prisoners extended on the ground — how many will not get up! Xol it is not possible that Mrs. Weldon and her son have passed througli so much misery! God would be so gracious to them as to have them led to Kazounde by another road. Tiic unhappy mother could not resist. New case of small-pox in the caravan; the "ndoue," as they say. The sick could not be able to go far. Will they abandon them? Ma)/ Ofh. — They have begun the march again at sunrise. No laggards. The overseer's whip has quickly raised those overcome by fatigue or sickness. Those slaves have a value: they are money. The agents will not leave them behind while th^y have strength enough to march. A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 329 I am surrounded by living skeletons. They have no longer voice enough to complain. I have seen old Nan at last. She is a sad sight. The child she was carrying is no longer in her arms. She is alone, too. That will be less painful for her; but the chain is still around her waist, and she has been obliged to throw the end over her shoulder. By hastening, I have been able to draw near her. One would say that she did not recognize me. Am I, then, changed to that extent? "iSTan," I said. The old servant looked at me a long time, and then she exclaimed: " You, Mr. Dick! I— I— before long I shall be dead!" **No, no! Courage!" I replied, while my eyes fell so as not to see what was only the unfortunate woman's bloodless spectre. "DeadI" she continued; "and I shall not see my dear mistress again, nor my little Jack. My God! my God! have pity on me!" I wished to support old Nan, whose whole body trembled under her torn clothing. It Avould have been a mercy to see myself tied to her, and to carry my part of tliat chain, whose whole weight she bore since her companion's death. A strong arm pushes me back, and the unliappy Nan is thrown back into the crowd of slaves, lashed by the whips. I wished to throw myself on that brutal The Arab chief appears, seizes my arm, and holds mc till I find myself again in the caravan's last rank. Then, in his turn, he pronounces the name, "Negoro!" Negoro! It is then by the Portuguese's orders that he acts and treats mo differently from my companions in misfortune? For wliat fate am I reserved? Mm/ 10///.. — To-day passed near two villages inflames. The stubbie burns on all sides. Dead bodies arc hung from the trees the fire has spared. Population fled. Fields devas- tated. Tiio razzie is exercised there. Two hundred mur- ders, perliaj)3, to obtain a dozen slaves. Evening has arrived. Halt for the night. Canii) made under great trees. High shrubs forming a thicket on the border of the forest. Some prisoners fled the night l)efore, after l)r('aking their forks. Thov hiive been retaken, and treated with unprcco- T^0 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. ilented cruelty. The soldiers' and overseers' watchfulness is redoubled. iS'ight has come. Ixoariiiien- tenant Cameron visited some years later. 234 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. Imagine a large central street, on each side groups of houses, " tembe's " with flat roofs, walls of baked earth, and a square court whicli served as an enclosure for cattle. At the end of the street, was the vast "tchitoka" surrounded by slave-pens. Above this collection of buildings rose some enormous banyans, whose branches swayed with graceful movements. Here and there great palms, with their lieads in the air, drove the dust on the streets like brooms. Twenty birds of prey watched over the public liealth. Such is the business quarter of Kazounde. Near by ran the Louhi, a river whose course, still undeter- mined, is an allluent, or at least a sub-affluent of the Coango, a tributary of the Zoire. The residence of the King of Kazounde, which borders on the business (juarter, is a confused collection of ill-built hovels, which spread over the space of a mile square. Of these hovels, some are open, others are enclosed by a palisade of reeds, or bordered with a hedge of fig-trees. In one particu- lar enclosure, surrounded by a fence of papyrus, thirty of these huts served as dwellings for the chiefs' slaves, in another group lived his wives, and a " tembe," still larger and higher, was half hidden in a plantation of cassada. Such was the residence of the King of Kazounde, a man of fifty — named Moini Loungga; and already almost deprived of the power of his predecessors. He had not four thousand of soldiers there, where the principal Portuguese traders could count twenty thousand, and he could no longer, as in former times, decree tlie sacrifice of twenty-live or thirty slaves a day. This king was, besides, a prematurely-aged man, exhausted by debauch, crazed by strong drink, a ferocious maniac, mu- tilating his subjects, his officers or his ministers, as the Avhim seized him, cutting the nose and ears off some, and the foot or the hand from others. His own death, not unlocked for, would be received without regret. A single man in all Kazounde, might, perhaps, lose by the death of Moini Loungga. This was tlie contractor, Jose- Antonio Alvez, who agreed very well with the drunkard, whose authority was recognized Ijy the whole province. If the accession of his first Avife, Queen Moini, should be con- tested, the States of Moini Loungga might be invaded by a neighboring competitor, one of the kings of Oukonson. The latter, being younger and more active, had already seized some villages belonging to the Kazounde government. He THE KIN(i IIAK TAKEN FIRK LIKE A PETROLEUM BON-BON.— &e pUge 255. A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEJT. 235 had in his services another trader, a rival of Alvez, Tipo-Tipo, a black Arab of a pure race, -ttiiom Cameron met at N'yaugwe. What was this Alvez, the real sovereign under the reign of an imbruted negro, whose vices he had developed and served? Jose- Antonio Alvez, already advanced in years, "was not, as one might suppose, a " msoungou,'' that is to say, a man of the white race. There was notliing Portuguese about him hut his name, borrowed, no doubt, for the needs of commerce. He was a real negro, well known among traders, and called Kenndele. He was born, in fact, at Donndo, or thehorders of the Coanza. He had commenced by being simply the agent of the slave-brokers, and would have finished as a famous trader, that is to say, in the skin of an old knave, who called himself the most honest man in the Avorld. Cameron met this Alvez in the latter part of 1874, at Kilemmba, the capital of Kassonngo, chief of Ouroua. He guided Cameron with his caravan to his own establishment at Bihe, over a route of seven hundred miles. The convoy of slaves, on arriving at Kazounde, had been conducted to the large square. It was the 26th of May. Dick Sand's calculations were then verified. The journey had lasted thirty- eight days from the departure of the army encamped on the banks of the Coanza. Five weeks of the most fearful miseries that human beings could support. It was noon when the train entered Kazounde. The drums were beaten, horns were blown in the midst of the detonations of fire-arms. The soldiers guarding the caravan discharged their guns in the air, and the men employed by Jose- Antonio Alvez replied with interest. All these bandits were happy at meeting again, after an absence which had lasted for four months. Tiiey were now going to rest and make uj) for lost time in excesses and idleness. The prisoners then formed a total of two hundred and fifty, the majority being completely exhausted. After hav- ing' been driven like cattle, tlioy were to be shut uj) in pens, wliicli American farmers would not have used for pigs. Twelve or fifteen bundled other captives awaif<^'anions. so treacherously joined to the per- sons in the convoy!'' The young man could not doubt it, when, at a gesture' from the Arab, Ibn Hamis, an overseer went toward the pen where Tom, Austin, Bat and Acteon had been shut up. A CAPTAIK Al FIFTEEX. 239 Almost immediately the four Americans were led before Alvez. Dick Sand slowly approached. He wished to lose nothing of this scene. Alvez's face lit up at the sight of these few well-made blacks, to whom rest and more abundant food had promptly restored their natural vigor. He looked with contempt at old Tom, whose age would affect his value, but the other three would sell high at the next Kazounde sale. Alvez remembered a few English words which some agents, like the American, Harris, had taught him, and the old monkey thought he would ironically welcome his new slaves. Tom understood the trader's words; he at once advanced, and, showing his companions, said: '* "We are free men — citizens of the United States." Alvez certainly understood him; he replied with a good- liumored grimace, wagging his head: "Yes, yes, Americans! "Welcome, welcome!" ""Welcome," added Coimbra. He advanced toward Austin, and like a merchant Avho ex- amines a sample, after having felt his chest and his shoul- ders, he wanted to make him open his mouth, so as to see his teeth. But at this moment Signor Coimbra received in his face the worst blow that a major's son had ever caught. Alvez's confidant staggered under it. Several soldiers threw themselves on Austin, who would perhaps pay dearly for this angry action. Alvez stopped them by a look. He laughed, indeed, at the misfortune of his friend, Coimbra, who liad lost two of the five or six teeth remaining to him. Alvez did not intend to have his merchandise injured. Then, he was of a gay disposition, and it was a long time since he had laughed so much. Meanwhile, he consoler! the much discomfited Coimbra, and the latter, helped to his feet, again took his place near the trader, while throwing a menacing look at the audacious Aus- tin. At this moment Dick Sand, driven forward by an overseer, was led before Alvez. The latter evidently knew all about the young man. whence he came, and how he had been taken to the camp on the Co- anza. 240 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. So he said, after liavinc^ given him an evil glance: '' The little Yankccl" ^ " Yes, Yankee!" replied Dick Sand. " What do they wish to do with my companions and me?" "Yankee! Y''ankoe! Yankee!" repeated Alvez. Did he not or would he not understand the question put to him? A second time Dick Sand asked the question regarding his companions and himself. He then turned to Coimbra, whose features, degraded as they were by the abuse of ulcohoHc liquors, he saw were not of native origin. Coimbra repeated the menacing gesture already made at Austin, and did not answer. During this time Alvez talked rapidly with the Arab, Ibn llamis, and evidently of things that concerned Dick Sand and his friends. No doubt they were to be again separated, and who could tell if another chance to exchange a few words would ever again be offered them. " My friends," said Dick, in a low voice, and as if he were only speaking to himself, ''just a few words! I have re- ceived, by Dingo, a letter from Hercules. He has followed the caravan. Harris and Negoro took away Mrs. Weldon, Jack and Mr. Benedict. Where? I know not, if they are not here at Kazounde. Patience! courage! Be ready at any moment. God may yet have pity on usV' " And Nan?" quiclcly asked old Tom. ''Nan is dead!" "The first!" "And the last!" replied Dick Sand, "for we know well " At this moment a hand was laid on his shoulder, and he heard tliesc words, spoken in the amiable voice which he knew only too well: " Ah, my young friend, if I am not mistaken! Enchanted to see you again!" Dick Sand turned. Harris was before him. " Where is Mrs. Weldon?" cried Dick Sand, walking toward the American. " Alas!" replied Harris, pretending a pity that he did not feel, "the poor mother! llow could she survive!" " Dead!" cried Dick Sand. "And her child?" A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 241 "The poor baby!" replied Harris, in the same tone, " how could he outlive such fatigue!" So, all -whom Dick Sand loved were dead! What passed within him? An irresistible movement of anger, a desire for vengeance, which he must satisfy at any price! Dick Sand jumped upon Harris, seized a dagger from the American's belt, and plunged it into his heart. "Curse you!" cried Harris, falling. Harris was dead. CHAPTEE X. THE GREAT MARKET DAY. Dick Sak^d's action had been so rapid that no one could stop him. A few natives threw themselves upon him, and he would have been murdered had not Negoro appeared. At a sign from the Portuguese, the natives drew back, raised Harris's corpse and carried it away. Alvez and Coimbra de- manded Dick Sand's immediate death, but Negoro said to them in a low voice that they would lose nothing by waiting. Tiie order was given to take away the young novice, with a caution not to lose sight of him for a moment. Dick Sand had seen Negoro for the fii'st time since their departure from the coast. He knew that this wretch was alone responsible for tlie loss of the " Pilgrim." He ought to hate him still more than his accomplices. And yet, after having struck the American, he scorned to address a Avord to Negoro. Harris had said that Mrs. Wcldon and her child had succumbed. Nothing interested him now, not even what they would do with him. They would send him away. AVhere? It did not matter. Dick Sand, heavily chained, was left on the floor of a pen without a window, a kind of dungeon where the trader, Alvez, shut u[)the slaves eondenmed to death for rebellion or unlaw- ful acts. There he could no longer have any communication with the exterior; he no longer dreamed of regretting it. lie had avenpf'd those whom lie loved, who no longer lived. "Whatever fate awaited him, he was ready for it. 242 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. It will ho nnclerstood tliat if Nogoro had stopped the natives who wore about to punish Harris's murderer, it was only be- cause he Avished to reserve Dick Sand for one of those terrible torments of which the natives hold the secret. The ship's cook held in his power the captain of fifteen years, lie only wanted Hercules to make his vengeance complete. Two days afterward, May 28th, the sale began, the great "lakoni," during which the traders of the iuinci])al fac- tories of the interior would meet the natives of the neigh- boring provinces. This market Avas not specially for the sale of slaves, but all the products of this fertile Africa would be gathered there with the producers. From early morning all was intense animation on the vast "tchitoka" ot Kazounde, and it is difficult to give u proper idea of the scene. It was a concourse of four or five thou- sand persons, including Alvez's slaves, among whom were Tom and his companions. These four men, for the reason that they belonged to a different race, are all the more valu- able to the brokers in human flesh. Alvez was there, the first among all. Attended by Coimbra, he offered the slaves in lots. These the traders from tlie interior would foim into caravans. Among these tiaders were certain half-breeds from Oujiji, the principal market of Lake Tanganyika, and some Arabs, who are far superior to the half-breeds in this kind of trade. The natives flocked there in great numbers. There were children, men, and women, the latter being animated trad- ders, who, as regards a genius for bargaining, could only be compared to their white sisters. In the markets of large cities, even on a great day of sale, there is never much noise or confusion. Among the civilized the need of selling exceeds the desire to buy. Among these African savages offers are made with as much eagerness as demands. The *']akoni" is a festival day for the natives of both Fexes, and if for good reasons they do not put on their best clothes, they at least wear their handsomest ornaments. Some wear the hair divided in four parts, covered with cushions, and in plaits tied like a chignon or airanged in jian-handles on the front of the head with bunches of red feathers. Others have the hair in bent horns sticky with red earth and oil, like the red lend used to close the joints of machines. In these masses of real or false hair is worn a A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEJf. 243 bristling assemblage of skewers, iron and ivory pins, often even, among elegant people, a tattooing-knife is stuck in the crisp mass, each hair of which is put tlirough a ''£ofi"or glass bead, thus forming a tapestry of different-colored grains. Such are the edifices most generally seen on the heads of the men. The women prefer to divide their hair in little tufts of the size of a cherry, in wi-eaths, in twists, the ends of which form designs in relief, and in cork-screws, worn the length of the face. A few, more simple and perhaps prettier, let their long hair hang down the back, in the English style, and others wear it cut over the forehead in a fringe, like the French. Generally they wear on these wigs a greasy putty, made of red clay or of glossy "ukola," a red substance ex- tracted from sandal-wood, so that these elegant persons look as if their heads were dressed with tiles. It must not be supposed that this luxury of ornamentation is confined to the hair of the natives. What are ears for if not to pass pins of precious wood through, also copper rings, charms of plaited maize, which draw them forward, or little gourds which do for snuff-boxes, and to such an extent that the distended lobes of these appendages fall sometimes to the shoulders of their owners? After all, the African savages have no pockets, and how could they have any? This gives rise to the necessity of placing where they can their knives, pipes, and other cus- tomary objects. As for the neck, arms, wrists, legs, and ankles, these various parts of the body are undoubtedly des- tined to carry the copjwr and brass bracelets, the horns cut off and decorated wiih bright buttons, the rows of red pearls, called same-sames or '' talakas," and which were very fash- ionable. Besides, with these jewels, worn in profusion, the wealthy people of the place looked like traveling shrines. Again, if nature gave the natives teeth, was it not that they could pull out the up})er and lower incisors, file them in points, and curve them in sharp fangs like the fangs of a rat- tle-snake? If slie has placed nails at the end of tlie fingers, is it not that they may grow so immoderately that the use of the hand is rendered almost impossible? If the skin, black or brown, covers the human frame, is it not so as to zebra it by "temmbos" or tattooings rcpresentmg trees, birds, cres- cents, full moons, or waving lines, m which Livingstone thought lie could trace the designs of ancient Kgy]»t? This 214 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEESr. tattooing, done by fatliers, is practiced by means of a blue Tiiatter introduced into the incisions, and is " slercoty]X'd " l)oint by point on the bodies of the children, thus esiablish- ins^ to what tribe or to what family they belong. The coat- of-arms must be engraved on the breast, when it cannot be l)aintcd on the panel of a carriage. Such are the native fashions in ornament. In regard to garments properly so called, they are summed up very easily; for the men, an apron of antelope leather, reaching to the knees, or perhaps a petticoat of a straw material of brilliant colors; for the women, a belt of pearls, supporting at the hips a green petticoat, embroidered in silk, ornamented Avith glass beads or coury; sometimes they wear garments made of " lambba," a straw material, blue, black, and yellow, which is much prized by the natives of Zanzibar. Tiiese, of course, are the negroes of the best families. The others, merchants and slaves, are seldom clothed. The women generally act as porters, and reach the market with enormous baskets on their back, which they hold by means of a leatliern strap passed over the forehead. Then, their ])laces being taken, and the merchandiso unpacked, they squat in their empty baskets. The astonishing fertility of the country causes the choice alimentary products to be brought to this "lakoni." There were quantities of the rice which returns a hundred percent., of the maize, which, in three crops in eight months, produces two hundred per cent., tlie sesamuni, the pepper of Ouroua, stronger than the Cayenne, allspice, tapioca, sorghum, nut- megs, salt, and palm-oil. Hundreds of goats were gathered there, hogs, sheep with- out wool, evidently of Tartar origin, quantities of poultry and fish. Specimens of pottery, very gracefully turned, attracted the eyes by their violent colors. Various drinks wdiich the little natives cried about in a squeaking voice, enticed the unwary, in the form of jilantain wine, " p()ml)e," a liquor in great demand, "malofou," sweet beer, made from the fruit of the banana-tree, and mead, a limpid mixture of honey and water fermented with malt. But what made the Kazounde market still more curious, was the commerce in stuffs and ivory. In the line of stuffs, one might count by thousands of " choukkas " or armfuls, the " Merieani " unbleached calico, come from Salem, in Massachusetts, the "kanaki,"a blue A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". 245 gingham, thirty-four inches wide, the " sohari,'* a stuff in blue and white squares, with a red border, mixed with small blue stripes. It is cheaper tlian the '* dioulis," a silk from Surat, with a green, red or yellow ground, which is worth from seventy to eighty dollars for a remnant of three yards, when woven wi*"h gold. As for ivory, it was brought from all parts of Central Africa, being destined for Khartoum, Zanzibar, or Natal. A large number of merchants are employed solely in this branch of African commerce. Imagine how many elephants are killed to furnish the five hundred thousand kilogrammes of ivory, Avhich are annually exported to European markets, and principally to the English ! The western coast of Africa alone produces one hundred and forty tons of this precious substance. The average weight is twenty-eight pounds for a pair of elephant's tusks, which, in 1874, were valued as high as fifteen hundred francs; but there are some that weigh one hundred'and seventy-five pounds, and at the Kazounde market, admirers would have found some ad- mirable ones. They were of an opaque ivory, translucid, soft under the tool, andVitha brown rind, preserving its white- ness and not growing yellow with time like the ivories of other provinces. And, now, how are tliese various business affairs regulated between buyers and sellers? What is the current coin? As we have said, for the African traders this money is the slave. The native pays in glass beads of Venetian manufacture, called "catchocolos," when they are of a lime white; '^bou- boulous," when they are black; '^sikounderetches," when they are red. These beads or pearls, strung in ten rows or '• khetes," going twice around the neck, make the " foundo," which is of great value. The usual measure of the beads is the "frasilah," which Aveighs seventy jiounds. Livingstone, Cameron, and Stanley were always careful to be abundantly provided with tiiis money. In default of glass beads, the "pice," a Zanzibar piece, worth four centinu'S, and Ihr- '' vrouiigouas," shells peculiar to tiie eastern coasts, are cuiivnt in the markets of the Afri- can continent. As for tlie cannibal tribes, they attach a cer- tain value to the teeth of the human jaw, and at the " ]akf)ni," these chaj)lets were to be seen on the necks of natives, who had no (h>ubt eaten their producers; but these teeth were ceasing to be used as money. 246 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. Such, then, was the appearance of the great market. To- ward tlie middle of the day tlic gayety reached a climax; the noise bocanio deafening. The fury of the neglected venders, and the anger of the overcharged customers, were beyond de- scription. Tiience frequent quarrels, and, as we know, few guardians of the peace to (|uell the fray in this howling crowd. Toward the middle of the day, Alvez gave orders to bring the slaves, whom he wished to sell, to the square. The crowd was thus increased by two thousand unfortunate beings of all ages, whom the trader had kept in pens for several months. This *' stock " was not in a bad condition. Long rest and suflicicnt food had improved these slaves so as to look to ad- vantage at the '* lakoni." As for the last arrivals, they could not stand any comparison with them, and, after a month in the pens, Alvez could certainly have sold them with more profit. The demands, however, from the eastern coast, were so great that he decided to expose and sell them as they were. This was a misfortune for Tom and his three companions. The drivers pushed them into the crowd that invaded the "tchitoka." They were strongly chained, and their glances told what horror, what fury and shame overwhelmed them. " Mr. Dick is not there," Bat said, after some time, during which he had searched the vast plain with his eyes. "No," replied Acteon, "they will not put him up for sale." " He will be killed, if he is not ah-cady," added the old black. " As for us, we have but one hope left, which is, that the same trader will buy us all. It would be a great consola- tion not to be separated." ** Ah! to know that you are far away from me, working like a slave, my poor, old father!" cried Bat, sobbing aloud. "No," said Tom. "No; they will not separate us, and perhaps we might " " If Hercules were here!" cried Austin. But the giant had not reappeared. Since the news sent to Dick Sand, they had heard no one mention either Hercules or Dingo. Should they envy him his fate? Why, yes; for if Hercules were dead, he was saved from the chains of slavery! Meanwhile, the sale had commenced. Alvez's agents marched the various lots of men, women and children through tlie crowd, without caring if they separated mothers from their infants. May we not call these beings " unfortunates," who were treated only as domestic animals? A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 247 Tom and his companions were thns led from buyers to buyers. An agent walked before them naming the price ad- judged to their lot. Arab or mongrel brokers, from the cen- tral provinces, came to examine them. They did not discover in them the traits peculiar to the African race, these traits being modified in America after the second generation. But these vigorous and intelligent negroes, so very different from the blacks brought from the banks of the Zambeze or the Loualaba, were all the more valuable. They felt them, turned them, and looked at their teeth. Horse-dealers thus examine the animals they wish to buy. Then they threw a stick to a distance, made them run and pick it up, and thus observed their gait. This was the method employed for all, and all were sub- mitted to these humiliating trials. Do not believe that these people are completely indifferent to this treatment! No, excepting the children, who cannot comprehend the state of degradation to which they are reduced, all, men or women, were ashamed. Besides, they were not spared injuries and blows. Coim- bra, half drunk, and Alvez's agents, treated them with extreme brutality, and from their new masters, who had just paid for them in ivory stuffs and beads, they would receive no better treatment. Violently separated, a mother from her child, a husband from his wife, a brother from a sister, they were not allowed a last caress nor a last kiss, and on the " lakoni " they saw each other for the last time. In fact, the demands of the trade exacted that the slaves should be sent in differentnlirections, according to their sex. The traders who buy the men do not buy women. The lat- ter, in virtue of polygamy, which is legal among the Mussul- men, are sent to the Arabic countries, where they are exchanged for ivory. The men, lieing destined 1o the liard- est labor, go to the factories of the (wo coast. «, and are exported either to the Spanish colonies or to the markets of Muscat and Madagascar. This sorting leads to heart-break- ing scenes between those whom the agents scj)arate, and who will die without ever seeing each other again. The four companions in turn sul)mitte(l to the common fate. But, to tell the truth, they did not fear this event. It was better for them to be ox]»ortc(i into a slave colony. Tliero, at least, tlicy might have a chance to protest. On tiic con- 248 A CAFTATN' AT FIFTEEN". trarv, if sent to ilio interior, ihcy miglit renounce all hope of ever regal nin<2: their liberty. It happened as they wished. They even had the almost niihoinni for consolation of not being separated. They were in brisk demand, being wanted by several traders. Alvez chqiped his hands. The prices rose. It was strange to see tiieso slaves of unknown value in the Kazounde market, and Alvez had taken good care to conceal where they came from. Tom and his friends, not sjieaking the language of the coun- try, could not protest. Their master was a rich Arab trader, who in a few days would send them to Lake Tanganyika, the great thoroughfare for slaves; then, from that point, toward the factories of Zanzibar. Would they ever reach there, through the most unhealthy and the most dangerous countries of Central Africa? Fifteen hundred miles to march under these conditions, in the midst of frequent wars, raised and carried on between chiefs, in a murderous climate. AVas old Tom strong enough to support such misery? Would he not fall on the road like old Nun? But the ])oor men were not separated. The chain that held them all was lighter to carry. The Arab trader would evi- dently take care of merchandise which promised him a largo profit in the Zanzibar market. Tom, Bat, Acteon and Austin then left the place. They saw and heard nothing of the scene which was to end the great **lakom" of Kazounde. CHAPTER XI. THE KING OF KAZOUNDE IS OFFERED A PUNCH. It was four o'clock in the afternoon when a loud noise of drums, cymbals and other instruments of African origin re- sounded at the end of the })rincipal street. In all corners of the market-place the animation was redoubled. Half a day of cries and wrestling had neither weakened the voices nor broken tlie limbs of these abomina])le traders. A large num- ber of slaves still remained to be sold. The traders disputed over the lots with an ardor of which the London Exchange would give but an imperfect idea, even on a day when stocks were rising. A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN. 249 All business was stoiiiied, and the oriel's took tlieir breatli as soon as the discordant concert commenced. The King of Kazounde, Moini Loungga, had come to honor the great '' lakoni " with a visit. A numerous train of women, officers, soldiers and slaves followed him. Alvez and some other traders went to meet him, and naturally exagger- ated the attention which this crowned brute particularly en- joyed. Moini Loungga was carried in an old palanquin, and de- scended, not without the aid of a dozen arms, in the center of the large square. This king was fifty years old, but he looked eighty. Imagine a frightful monkey wlio had reached extreme old age; on his head a sort of crown, ornamented with leopard's claws, dyed red, and enlarged by tufts of whitish hair; this was the crown of the sovereigns of Kazounde. From his waist hung two petticoats made of leather, embroidered with pearls, and harder than a blacksmith's apron. He had on his breast a quantity of tattooing which bore witness to the ancient nobility of the king; and, to believe him, the genealogy of Moini Loungga was lost in the night of time. On the ankles, wrists and arms of his majesty, bracelets of leather were rolled, and he wore a pair of domestic shoes with yellow tops, which Alvez had presented him with about twenty years before. His majesty carried in his left hand a large stick with a plated knob, and in his right a small broom to drive away flies, the handle of which was enriclied with pearls. Over his head was carried one of those old patched um- brellas, which seemed to have been cut out of a harlequiji's dress. On the monarch's neck and on his nose were the magnify- ing glass and the spectacles which had caused Cousin Bene- dict so much trouble. They had been hidden in Bat's pocket. Such is the portrait of his negro majesty, who made the country treml^le in a circumference of a lunidred miles. Moini Loungga, from the fact of occupying a throne, pre- tended to l)e of celestial origin, and liad any of liis suhjccls doubted tlie fact, he would have sent them into another wiuld to discover it. lie said that, being of a divine essence, he was not subject to terrestrial laws. If he ate, it was because he wished to do so; if he drank, it was l)ecause it gave Iiim pleasure. It was impossible for him to drink anymore. His 250 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. ministers and liis officers, all incurable drunkards, would have ]iasscd before him for sober men. The court was alcoholized to the last chief, and incessantly imbibed strong beer, cider, and, above all, a certain drink which Alvez furnished in profusion. Moini Loungga counted in his harem wives of all ages and of all kinds. Tlie larger part of them accompanied him in this visit to the "lakoni." Moini, the first, according to date, was a vixen of forty years, of royal blood, like her colleagues. She wore a bright tartan, a straw })etticoat embroidered with pearls, and neck- laces wherever she could put them. Her hair was dressed so as to make an enormous framework on her little head. She was, in fact, a monster. The other wives, who were either the cousins or the sisters of the king, were less richly dressed, but much younger. They walked behind her, ready to fulfil, at a sign from their master, their duties as human furniture. These unfortunate beings were really nothing else. If the king wished to sit down, two of these women bent toward the earth and served him for a chair, while his feet rested on the bodies of some others, as if on an ebony carpet. In Moini Loungga's suite came his oflficers, his captains, and his magicians. A remarkable thing about these savages, who staggered like their master, was that each lacked a part of his body — one an ear, another an eye, this one the nose, that one the hand. Kot one was whole. That is because they apply only two kinds of punishment in Kazounde — mutilation or death — all at the caprice of the king. For the least fault, some ampu- tation, and the most cruelly punished are those whose ears are cut off, because they can no longer wear rings in their cars. The captains of the Jcilolos, governors of districts, heredi- tary or named for four years, wore hats of zcl)ra skin and red vests for their whole uniform. Their hands brandished long palm canes, steeped at one end with charmed drugs. As to the soldiers, they had for offensive and defensive weapons, bows, of which the wood, twined Avith the cord, was ornamented with fringes; knives whetted with a serpent's tongue; broad and long lances; shields of palm wood, deco- rated in arabesfiue style. For what there was of uniform. "MJW. WKLLi«N, " HAII) III-;, "lOM AND lilH COMl'ANII >NH IIAVK IlEKN HOI.I) FOR THE MAKKETM l)V OlMIJI."— .SVi; Jitiye 'M'.). A CAPTAi:^^ AT ^IFTEE:^s•. 251 properly so called, it cost liis majesty's treasury absolutely nothintr. Finally, the king's cortege comprised, in the last place, the court magicians and the instrumentalists. The sorcerers, the "niganngas," arc the doctors of the country. These savafres attach an absolute faith to divinatorv services, to incantations, to the fetiches, clay figures stained with white and red, representing fantastic animals or figures of men and women cut out of whole wood. For the rest, those magicians were not less mutilated than the other court- iers, and doubtless the monarch paid them in this W'ay for the cures that did not succeed. The instrumentalists, men or women, made sharp rattles •whizz, noisy drums sound or shudder under small sticks ter- minated by a caoutchouc ball, "marimehas," kinds of dul- cimers formed of two rows of gourds of various dimensions — the whole very deafening for any one who does not possess a pair of African ears. Above this crowd, which composed the royal cortege, waved some flags and standards, then at the ends of spears the bleached skulls of the rival chiefs whom Moini Loungga had vanquished. When the king had quitted his palanquin, acclamations burst forth from all sides. The soldiers of the caravan dis- charged their old guns, the low detonations of which were but little louder than the vociferations of the crowd. The over- seers, after rubbing their black noses with cinnabar powder, which they carried in a sack, bowed to the ground, Tiien Alvez, advancing in his turn, handed the king a supply of fresh tobacco — '* sootliing herb," as they call it in the country. Moini Loungga had great need of being soothed, for he was, they did not know why, in a very bad humor. At the same time Alvez, Coimbra, Ibn Ilamis, and the Arab traders, or mongrels, came to pay their court to the powerful sovereign of Kazounde. " Marliaba," said the Arabs, which is their word of welcome in the laniruage of Central Africa. Others clapped their hands and bowed to the ground. Some daubed themselves with mud, and gave signs of the greatest servility to this hideous majesty. Moini Loungga hardly hjokcd at all these people, and walked, kee])ing his limbs a)»art, as if the ground were rolling and pitching, lie walked in this niatincr, or rather he rolled in the midst of waves of slaves, and if the traders feared that ho 2,32 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. ini2:ht take a notion to apportion some of the prisoners to liiiusolf. the latter Avould no less dread falling into the jiower of such a brute. Negoro had not left Alvez for a moment, and in his com- pauvpresonfed his homage to the king. Both conversed in the native language, if, however, that word " converse " can be used of a conversation in which Moini Loungga only took part by mono3yllaI)le.s tliat hardly found a passage through his drunken lips. ^ And still, did he not ask his friend, Alvez, to renew his supply of brandy just exhausted by large libations? " King Loungga is welcome to the market of Kazouudc," said the trader. '' I am thirsty," replied the monarch. *'He will take his part in the business of the great 'la- koni,' " added Alve^. " DrinkI" replied Moini Loungga. " ^[y friend Negoro is happy to see the King of Kazounde again, after such a long absence." " Drink!" repeated the drunkard, whose whole person gave forlh a disgusting odor of alcohol. " Well, some ' pombe!' some mead!" exclaimed .Jose- Antonio Alvez, like a man who well knew what Moini Loungga wanted. "No, no!" replied the king: '* ray friend Alvez's brandy, and for each drop of his fire-water I shall give him " •• A drop of blood from a white man!" exclaimed Negoro, after makinor a sign to Alvez, which the latter understood and approved. "A white man! Put a white man to death!" repeated Moini Loungga, whose ferocious instincts were aroused by th) Portuguese's proposition. "One of Alvez's agents has been killed by this white man," returned Negoro. "Yes, my agent, Harris," replied the trader, "and his death must be avenged!" "Send that white man to King Massongo, on the Upper Zaire, among the Assonas. They will cut him in pieces. They will eat him alive. They have not forgotten the taste of human flesii!" exclaimed Moini Loungga. He was, in fact, the king of a tribe of man-eaters, that Massongo. It is only too true that in certain provinces of Central Africa cannibalism is still openly practiced. Liv- incr^tone states it in his " Notes of Travel." On the borders A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEX. 253 of the Loualabd the Mauyemas not only eat the men killed in the wars, but they buy slaves to devour them, sa^nng that "human flesh is easily salted, and needs little seasoning." Those cannibals Cameron has found again among the Moene Bongga, where tliey only feast on dead bodies after steeping them for several davs in a running stream. Stanlev has also encountered those customs of cannibalism among the inhab- itants of the Oukonson. Cannibalism is evidently well spread among the tribes of the center. But, cruel as was the kind of death proposed by tlie king for Dick Sand, it did not suit Xegoro, who did not care to give up his victim. '• It was here," said he, " that the white man killed our comrade Harris." " It is here that he ought to die!" added Alvez. ''Where you please, Alvez," replied Moini Loungga; ''but a drop of fire-water for a drop of blood!" "Yes," replied the trader, "fire-water, and you will see that it well merits that name! We shall make it blaze, this water! Jose-Antonio Alvez will offer a launch to the King Moini Loungga." The drunkard shook his friend Alvez's hands. lie could not contain his joy. His wives, liis courtiers shared his ec- stasy. They liad never seen brandy blaze, and doubtless they counted on drinking it all blazing. Tlien, after the thirst for alcohol, the tliirst for blood, so imperious among these savages, would be satisfied also. Poor Dick Sand! What a Iiorriblo ])unishment awaited him. When wc think of the terrible or grotes(|ue effects of intoxication in civilized countries, we understand how far it can urge barbarous beings. We will readily believe that the thought of torturing a white could disi)lease none of the natives, neither Jose- An- tonio Alvez, a negro like themselves, nor Coimbra, a mongrel of black blood, nor Xegoro either, animated with a ferocious hatred against the whites. Tlic evening had come, an evening without twilight, tliat was going to make day change to night almost at once, a ])r<)pitious hour for the blazing of tlie bnindv. It was truly a triumphant idea of Alvez's, to olTer a punch to this negro majesty, and to make him love brandy under a new form, ^foini T.oungga began to find that tire-water did not sulliciently justify its name. Perhaps, blazing and burn- 254 A CA1»TAIN AT FIFTEEN. iiig, it woukl tickle more agreeably the blunted papillas of his tongue. The evening's programme then comprised a punch first, a punishment afterwards. Dick ISiUul, closely shut up in his dark prison, would only come out to go to his death. The other slaves, sold or not, had been put back in the barracks. There only remained at the "tchitoka" the traders, the overseers and the soldiers ready to take their part of the punch, if the king and his court allowed them. Jose- Antonio Alvez, advised by Ncgoro, did the thing -well. They brought a vast copper basin, capable of containing at least two hundred pints, which was i)laced in the middle of the great place. Barrels liolding alcohol of inferior quality, but well refined, were emptied into the basin. They spared neither the cinnamon, nor the allspice, nor any of the ingre- dients that might improve this punch for savages. All had made a circle around the king. Moini Loungga advanced staggering to the basin. One would say that this vat of brandy fascinated him, and that he was going to throw himself into it. Alvez generously held him back and put a lighted match into his hand. "Firel" cried he with a cunning grimace of satisfaction. *'Fire!" replied Moini Loungga lashing the liquid with the end of the match. What a flare and what an effect, when the bluish flames played on the surface of the basin. Alvez, doubtless to render that alcohol still sharper, had mingled with it a fcAV handfuls of sea salt. The assistants' faces were then given that spec- tral lividness that the imagination ascribes to phantoms. Those negroes, drunk in advance, began to cry out, to ges- ticulate, and, taking each other by the band, formed an im- mense circle around the King of Kazounde. Alvez, furnished with an enormous metal spoon, stirred the liquid, which threw a great white glare over those delirious monkeys. Moini Loungga advanced. He seized the spoon from the trader's hands, plunged it into the basin, then, drawing it out full of punch in flames, he brought it to his lips. What a cry the King of Kazounde then gave! An act of si^Mutaneous combustion had just taken place. A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". 255 Tlie king had taken fire like a petroleum bonbon. This fire developed little heat, but it devoured none the less. At this spectacle the natives' dance was suddenly stopped. One of Moini Loungga's ministers threw himself on his sov- ereign to extinguish him; but, not less alcoholized than his master, he took fire in his turn. In tliis way, Moini Loungga's whole court was in peril of burning up. Alvez and Xegoro did not know how to help his majesty. The women, frightened, had taken flight. As to Coimbra, he took his departure rapidly, well knowing his inflammable nature. The king and the minister, who had fallen on the ground, were burning up, a pre}' to frightful sufl'crings. In bodies so thoroughly alcoholized, combustion only pro- duces a light and bluish flame, that Avater cannot extinguish. Even stifled outside, it would still continue to burn inwardly. "When liquor has penetrated all the tissues, there exists no means of arresting the combustion. A few minutes after, iloini Loungga and his minister had succumbed, but they still burned. Soon, in the place where they had fallen, there was nothing left but a few light coals, one or two pieces of the vertebral column, fingers, toes, that the fire does not consume, in cases of spontaneous combus- tion, but which it covers with an infectious and penetrating Boot. It was all that was left of the King of Kazounde and of his minister. CHAPTER XII. A ROYAL BURIAL. TnE next day, May 2!nh, the city of Kazounde presented a strange a?pcct." The natives, terrified, kept themselves shut up in their huts. They had never seen a king, who said he ■was of divine essence, nor a simple minister, die of this Jiorri- hh death. They had already l)urned some of their fellow- beings, and the oMe.st couhl not forget certain culinary pre])arations relating to cannibalism. They knew then hoAv the incineration of a liunian body takes place with dilliculty, and behold their king and his 2r)6 A CA1>TAIN AT FIFTEEIT. minister had burnt all alone! Tliat seemed to them, and in- deed ou_ii;ht to seem to them, inexjilicable. Jose-Antonio Alvez ke])t still in his house. lie might fear that he would be held responsible for the accident. Negoro had informed him of Mhat had passed, warning him to take care of himself. To charge him with Moini Loungga's death might be a bad affair, from which he might not be able to extricate himself without damage. But Xegoro had a good idea. By his means Alvez spread the report that the death of Kazounde's sovereign was super- natural; that the great Manitou only reserved it for his elect. The natives, so inclined to superstition, accepted this lie. The fire that came out of the bodies of the king and his min- ister became a sacred fire. They had nothing to do but honor Moini Loungga by obsequies worthy of a man elevated to the rank of the gods. These obsequies, with all the ceremonial connected with them among the African tribes, was an occasion offered to Ncgoro to make Dick Sand play a part. What this death of Moini Loungga was going to cost in blood, would be believed with difficulty, if the Central Africa travelers, Lieutenant Cameron among others, had not related facts that cannot be doubted. The King of Kazounde's natural heir was the Queen Moini. In proceeding without delay with the funeral ceremonies she acted wit;h sovereign authority, and could thus distance the competitors, among others that King of the Oukonson, who t 'iided to encroach upon the rights of Kazounde's sovereigns. Besides, Moini, even by becoming queen, avoided the cruel fate reserved for the other wives of the deceased; at the same time she Avould get rid of the youngest ones, of Avhom she, first in date, had necessarily to complain. This result would l)articu!arly suit the ferocious temi^erament of that vixen. So she had it announced, with deer's horns and other instru- ments, that the obsequies of the defunct king would take place the next evening with all the usual ceremony. A'o protestation was made, neither at court nor from the natives. Alvez and the other traders had nothing to fear from the accession of this Queen Moini. With a few presents, a few flattering remarks, they would easily subject her to their influence. Thus the royal heritage was transmitted Avithont difficulty. There was terror only in the harem, and net without reason. A CAPTAIN" AT FIFTEEN". 257 The preparatory labors for the funeral were commenced the same day. At the end of the principal street of Ka- zounde flowed a deep and rapid stream, an affluent of the Coango, The question was to turn this stream aside, so as to leave its bed dry. It was in that bed that the royal grave must be dug. After the burial the stream would be restored to its natural channel. The natives were busily employed in constructing a dam, that forced the stream to make a provisional bed across the plain of Kazounde. At the last tableau of this funeral cere- mony the barricade would be broken, and the torrent would take its old bed again. Xegoro intended Dick Sand to complete the number of victims sacrificed on the king's tomb. He had been a witness of the young novice's irresistible movement of anger, when Harris had acquainted him with the death of Mrs. Weldon and little Jack. Xegoro, cowardly rascal, had not exposed himself to the same fate as his accomplice. But now, before a prisoner firmly fastened by the feet and hands, he supposed he had nothing to fear, and resolved to pay him a visit. Kegoro was one of those miserable wretches who are not satisfied Avitli torturing their victims; they must also enjoy their sufierings. Toward the middle of the day, then, he repaired to the barrack where Dick Sand was guarded, in sight of an over- seer. There, closely bound, was lying the young novice, al- most entirely deprived of food for twenty-four hours, weak- ened by past misery, tortured by those bands that entered into his flesh; hardly able to turn himself, he was waiting for death, no matter how cruel it might be, as a limit to so many evils. However, at the sight of Xegoro he shuddered from head to foot. He made an instinctive effort to break the bands that prevented him from throwing himself on that miserable man and having revenge. But Hercules himself would not succeed in breaking them. He understood iliat it was another kind of contest lliat was going to take place between the two, and arming himself witli calmness, Dick Sand compelled himself to look Negoro right in the far-o, and decided not to honor him with a rej)ly, no matter wliat he might say. "I beliered it to be my duty," Negoro said to him at first, "to come to salute my young captain for the hist lime, and 258 A OVPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. to let him know liow I regret, for liis sake, that he does not cominuiul here any longer, as he commanded on board the Tilgrim.'" And, seeing that Dick Sand did not reply: *' What, captain, do you no longer recognize your old cook? lie comes, however, to 'take your orders, and to ask you Avhat he ought to serve for your breakfast." At the same time IS'egoro brutally kicked the young novice, who was lying on the ground. " Besides," added he, " I should have another question to address to yon, my young captain. Could you yet explain to me, how, wishing to land on the American coast, you have ended by arriving in Angola, where you are?" Certamly, Dick Sand had no more need of the Portuguese's words to understand what he had truly divined, when he knew at last that the "Pilgrim's" conljiass must have been made false by this traitor. But NegoTo's question was an avowal. Still he only replied by a contemptuous silence. " You will acknowledge, captain," continued Negoro, " that it was iortunate for you that tliere was a seaman on board — a real one, at that. Great God, where would we be without him? Instead of perishing on some breaker, where the tempest would have thrown you, you have arrived, thanks to him, in a friendly port, and if it is to any one that you owe being at last in a safe place, 4t is to that seaman whom you have wronged in despising, my young master!" Speaking thus, Negoro, whose apparent calmness was only the result of an immense effort, had brought his form near Dick Sand. His face, suddenly become ferocious, touched him so closely that one would believe that he was going to devour him. This rascal could no longer contain his fury. "Every dog has his day!" he exclaimed, in the paroxysm of fury excited in him by his victim's calmness. " To-day I am captain, I am master! Your life is in my hands!" "Take it," Sand replied, without emotion. "But, know there is in heaven a God, avenger of all crimes, and your pun- ishment is not distant!" " If God occupies himself with human beings, there is only time for Him to take care of you!'' "I am ready to appear before the Supreme Judge," replied Dick Sand, coldly, "and death will not make me afraid." " Wo shall see about that!" howled Negoro. " You count on help of some kind, perhaps— lielp at Kazounde, where A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". 259 Alve^ and I arc all powerful! You are a fool! You say to yourself, perhaps, that your companions are still there, that old Tom and the others. Undeceive yourself. It is a long time since they were sold and sent to Zanzibar — too fortunate if they do not die of fatigue on the way I" "God has a thousand Avays of doin^ justice," re])lied Dick Sand. " The smallest instrument is sufficient for him. Hercules is free." "Hercules!" exclaimed Xegoro, striking the ground with his foot; " he perished long ago under tlie lions' and pan- thers' teeth. I regret only one thing, that is that those ferocious beasts should have forestalled my vengeance!" ''If Hercules is dead," rephed Dick Sand, "Dingo is alive. A dog like that, Xcgoro, is more than enough to take revenge on a man of your kind. I know you well, Xcgoro; you are not brave. Dingo will seek for you; it will know how to find you again. Some day you will die under his teeth!" "Miserable boy!" exclaimed the Portuguese, exasperated. "Miserable boy! Dingo died from a ball that I fired at it. It is dead, like Mrs. Weldon and her son; dead, as all the survivors of the * Pilgrim ' shall die!" " And as you yourself shall die before long," replied Dick Sand, whose tranquil look made the Portuguese grow pale. Xegoro, beside liimself, was on the point of passing from words to deeds, and strangling his unarmed prisoner with his liands. Already ho had sprung upon him, and Avas shaking him with furv, when a sudden refiection stopped him. He remembered 'that he was going to kill his victim, that all would be over, and that this would spare him the twenty-four hours of torture he intended for him. He then stood up, said a few words to the overseer, standing impassive, com- manded him to watch closely over the prisoner, and went out of tlie barrack. Instead of casting him down, this scene had restored all Dick Sand's moral force. His i)hysical energy underwent a hajjpy reaction, and at the same time regained the mastery. In bending over liim in his rage, hud Xegoro slightly loosened the bands that till then had rendered all movement impossi- ble? It was probable, for Dick Sand thought that his mem- bers had more play than before the arrival of his executioner. The young novice, feeling solaced, said to himself that per- hai)3 it would be possible to get his arms free without too 200 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. much effort. Guarded us lie was, in ;i prison firmly shut, that would doubtless be only a torture — only a suffering less; but it was such a moment in life when the smallest good is in- valuai)le. Certainly, Dick Sand hoped for nothing. No human suc- cor could come to him except from outside, and whence could it come to him? lie was then resigned. To tell the truth, he no longer cared to live. He thought of all those who had met death before him, and he only aspired to join them. Negoro had just repeated what Harris had told him: "Mrs. Weklon and little Jack had succumbed." It was, indeed, only too probable that Hercules, exposed to so many dangers, must have perished also, and from a cruel death. Tom and. his companions were at a distance, forever lost to him — Dick Sand ought to believe it. To hope for anything but the end of his troubles, by a death that could not be more terrible than his life, would be signal folly. lie then prepared to die, above all throwing himself upon God, and asking courage from him to go on to the end without giving way. But thoughts of God arc good and noble thoughts! It is not in vain that one lifts his soul to Him who can do all, and, when Dick Sand had offered his whole sacrifice, he found that, if one could penetrate to the bottom of his heart, he might per- liaps discover there a last ray of hope — that glimmer which a breath from on high can change, in sjiite of all probabilities, into dazzling light. The hours passed away. Night came. The rays of light, that penetrated through the thatch of the barrack, gradually disappeared. The last noises of the " tchitoka," which, dur- ing that day had been very silent, after the frightful uproar of the night before — those last noises died out. Darkness be- came very profound m the interior of the narrow prison. Soon all reposed in the city of Kazounde. Dick Sand fell into a restoring sleep, that lasted two hours. After that he awoke, still stronger. lie succeeded in freeing one of his arms from their bands — it was already a little re- duced — and it was a delight for him to be able to extend it and draw it back at will. The night must be half over. The overseer slept with heavy sleep, due to a bottle of brandy, the neck of which was still held in his shut hand. The savage had emptied it to the last drop. Dick Sand's first idea was to take possession of his jailer's weapons, which might be of great use to him in A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN". 261 case of escape; but at that moment he thought he heard a slight scratching at the lower part of the door of the bar- rack. Helping himself with his arms, he succeeded in crawl- ing as far as the door-sill without wakening the overseer. Dick Sand was not mistaken. The scratching continued, and in a more distinct manner. It seemed tliat from the out- side some one was digging the earth under the door. Was it an animal? "Was it a man? " Hercules! If it were Hercules!" the young novice said to himself. His eyes were fixed on his guard; he Avas motionless, and under the influence of a leaden sleep. Dick Sand, bringing his lips to the door-sill, thought he might risk murmuring Hercules's name. A moan, like a low and plaintive bark, replied to him. ''It is not Hercules," said Dick to himself, *'but it is Dingo. It has scented me as far as this barrack. Should he bring me another word from Hercules? But if Dingo is not dead, Xegoro has lied, and perhaps " At that moment a paw passed under the door. Dick Sand seized it, and recognized Dingo's paw. But, if it had a let- ter, that letter could only be attached to its neck. "What to do? "Was it possible to make that hole large enough for Dingo to put in its head? At all events, he must try it. But hardly had Dick Sand begun to dig the soil with his nails, than barks that were not Dingo's sounded over the place. Tlic faithful animal had just been scented by the native dogs, and doubtless could do nothing more than take to flight. Some detonations burst forth. The overseer half awoke. Dick Sand, no longer able to think of esea])ing, be- cause the alarm was given, must then roll himself up again in his corner, and, after a lovely hope, he saw appear that day wiiich would bo without a to-morrow for him. l)uring all that day the grave-diggers' labors Avere pushed on with briskness. A large number of natives took ]iarf« under the direction of Queen ]\Ic)iiii*s first minister. All must be ready at the hour named, under ])enalty of mutilation, for the new sovereign ])romiKed to follow the defunct king's ways, ])oint by ))oint. The waters of tlie l>rook having been tui'ued asich', it was in the dry bed that the vast ditch was dug, to a depth of teu feel, over an extent of fifty feet long l)y tun wide. 2C2 A CAPTAIN" AT FIFTEEN". Toward the end of the day they began to carpet it, at the bottom and along the walls, with living women, chosen among Moini Loungga's slaves, dencrally those unfortunates are buried alive. But, on account of this strange and perhaps miraculous death of Moini Loungga, it had been decided that they should be drowned near the body of their master. One cannot imagine what those horrible hecatombs are, when a powerful chief's memory must be fitly honored among these tribes of Central Africa. Cameron says that more than a hundred victims were thus sacrificed at the funeral ceremo- nies of the King of Kassongo's father. It is also the custom for the defunct king to be dressed in his most costly clothes before being laid in his tomb. But this fmie, as there was nothing left of the royal person except a few burnt bones, it was necessary to proceed in another manner. A willow manikin was made, representing Moini Loungga sufficiently well, perhaps advantageously, and in it they shut up the remains the combustion had spared. The manikin was then clothed with the royal vestments — we know that those clothes are not worth much — and they did not for- get to ornament it with Cousin Benedict's famous spectacles. There was something terribly comic in this masquerade. The ceremony would take place with torches and with great pomp. The whole population of Kazounde, native or not, must assist at it. When the evening had come, a long cortege descended the principal street, from the tchHoJca as far as the burial place. Cries, funeral dances, magicians' incantations, noises from instruments and detonations from old muskets from the arsenals — nothing was lacking in it. Jose-Antonio Alvcz, Coimbra, Xegoro, the Arab traders and their overseers had increased the ranks of Kazounde's people. No one had yet left the groat Jal-oni. Queen Moini would not permit it, and it would not be prudent to disobey the orders of one who was trying the trade of sovereign. The body of the king, laid in a palanquin, was carried in the last ranks of the cortege. It was surrounded by his wives of the second order, some of whom were going to accompany him beyond this life. Queen Moini, in great state, marched behind Vhat might be called the catafalque. It was positively night when all the people arrived on the banks of the brook; but the resin torches, shaken by the porters, tlircAV great bursts of light over the crowd. A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEX. 263 The ditcli was seen distinctly. It was carpeted with black, living bodies, for they moved under the cliains that bound them to the ground. Fifty slaves were waiting there till the torrent should close over them. The majority were young natives, some resigned and mute, others giving a few groans. The wives, all dressed as for Q,fete, and who must perish, had been chosen by the queen. One of these victims, she who bore the title of second wife, was bent on her hands and knees, to serve as a royal foot- stool, as she had done in the king's lifetime. The third wife came to hold up the manikin, while the fourth lay at its feet, in the guise of a cushion. Before the manikin, at the end of the ditch, a post, painted red, rose from the earth. To this post was fastened a white man, who was going to be counted also among the victims of these bloody obsequies. That white man was Dick Sand. Ilis body, half naked, bore the marks of the tortures he had already suffered by Xegoro's orders. Tied to this post, he waited for death like a man who has no hope except in another life. However, the moment had not yet arrived when the barri- cade would be broken. On a signal from the queen, the fourth wife, she who was placed at the king's feet, was beheaded by Kazoundc's exe- cutioner, and her blood flowed into the ditch. It was the beginning of a frightful scene of butchery. Fifty slaves fell under the executioner's knife. The bed of the river ran waves of blood. During half an hour the victims' cries mingled with the assistants' vociferations, and one would seek in vain in that crowd for a sentiment of repugnance or of jnty. At last, Queen Moini made a gesture, and the barricade that held back the upi)cr waters gradually opened. J5y a re- finement of cruelly, the current was allowed to filler down the river, instead of being precipitated by an instantaneous bursting o|M?n of the dam. Slow death instead of quick death ! The water first drowned the carpet of slaves which covered the bottom of the ditch. Horrible leaps were made by those living croaturos, who struggled against as))hyxia. Tiiiy saw iJick Sand, submerged lo liie knees, make a last eirort to break his bonds. Hut the water mounted. 'J'hc last heads disajtiioared under tiic torrent, that took its course again, and 26-i A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. notliing indicated that at the bottom of this river was dug a loinb. w liere oiio liundrcd victims had just perished in honor of Ka/A)iinde\s ipines6, at least, if not his fortune. In fact, he dis- d — = 1^ _J "DAVID LIVINOBTONE, I PKEHUME?" "YB8." KKPI.IED THE I^TTEK, KAISINO HIB CAV.—Set jKlf/e. 'Zi\t. A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN". 267 covered some liexapodes, aud nearly lost bis eyesight in try- ing to study them without spectacles. But, at least, he added to his precious collection, and laid the foundation of a great work on African entomology. If his lucky star would let him discover a new insect, to which he would attach his name, he would have nothing more to desire in this world! If Alvez's establishment Avas sufficiently large for Cousin Benedict's scientific promenades, it seemed immense to little Jack, who could Avalk about there without restraint. But the child took little interest in the pleasures so natural to his age. He rarely quitted his mother, who did not like to leave him alone, and always dreaded some misfortune. Little Jack often spoke of his father, whom he had not seen for so long. Heaskedtobe taken back to him. He in qui red after all, for old Xan, for his friend Hercules, for Bat, for Austin, for Acteon, and for Dingo, that appeared, indeed, to have de- serted him. He wished to see his comrade, Dick Sand, again. His young imagination was very much affected, andonl^Mived in those remembrances. To his questions Mrs. "Weldon could only reply by pressing him to her heart, while covering him with kisses. All that she could do was not to cry before him. Meanwhile, ^Mrs. Weldon had not failed to observe that, if bad treatment had been spared her during the journey from the Coanza, nothing in Alvez's establishment indicated that there would be any change of conduct in regard to her. There were in the factory only the skn-es in the trader's ser- vice. All the others, which formed the object of his trade, had been penned up in the barracks of the tchitoka, then sold to the In-okers from the interior. Now, the storehouses of the esta])lishment were overflowing with stuffs and ivory. The stuffs were intended to be ex- changed in the provinces of the center, the ivory to be ex- jjortcd from the principal markets of the continent. In fact, then, there were few people in the factory. Mrs. AVcldon and Jack occupied a hut apart; Cousin Benedict an- other. 'J'hcy did not communicate with the trader's servants. They ate together. 1'he food, consisting of goat's flesh or mutton, vog(;tabl('s. tai)ioca, sorgho, and the fruits of the country, was sufficient. Ilalima, a young nlave, was especially devoted to Mrs. "\Vcl- don's service. In her way, and as she could, she even evinced for her a kind of savage, but certainly sincere, affection. 2C)8 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. !Mi-s. Weklon liardly saw Joso-Antonio Alvcz, who occu- ]>ieil the priiu'i[);il house of the factory. She did iioi. sec Ne- fXoro jvt all, as he lodged outside; but his absence was quite inexplicable. This absence continued to astonish her, and n\ake her feel anxious at the same time. *'* What does he want? What is he waiting for?" she asked herself. ** Why has he brought us to Kazounde?" 80 had passed the eight days that preceded and followed the arrival of Ibn JLimis's caravan — that is, the two days be- fore the funeral ceremonies, and the six days that followed. In the midst of so many anxieties, Mrs. Weldon could not forget that her husband must bo a prey to the most frightful despair, on not seeing either his wife or his son return to San Francisco. Mr. Weldon could not know that liis wife had adopted that fatal idea of taking passage on board the 'Til- grim," and he would believe that she had embarked on one of the steamers of the Trans- Pacific Company. Now, these steamers arrived regularly, and neither Mrs. Weldon, nor Jack, nor Cousin Benedict were on them. Besides, the " Pil- grim" itself was already overdue at San Francisco. As she did not reappear, James W. AVeldon must now rank her in the category of ships supposed to be lost, because not heard of. What a terrible blow for him, when news of the departure of the " Pilgrim " and the embarkation of Mrs. Weldon should reach him from his correspondents in Auckland! What had he done? Had he refused to believe that his son and she had perished at sea? But then, where would he search? Evidently on the isles of the Pacific, perhaps on the Ameri- can coast. But never, no never, Avould tlie thought occur to him that she had been thrown on the coast of this fatal Africa! 80 thought Mrs. Weldon. But what could she attempt? Flee! How? She was closely watched. And then to flee was to venture into those thick forests, in the midst of a thousand dangers, to attempt a jouniey of more than two hundred miles to reach the coast. And meanwhile Mrs. Wel- don was decided to do it, if no other means offered them- selves for her to recover her lil)orty. But, first, she wished to know exactly what Negoro's designs were. At last she knew them. On the Gth of June, three days after the burial of Ka- zouude's king, Xegoro entered the factory, where he had not A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEX. 269 yet €et foot since his retum. He went right to the hut occu- pied by his prisoner. Mrs. TVeldon was alone. Cousin Benedict was taking one of his scientific walks. Little Jack, watched by the slave Halinia, was walking in the enclosure of the establishment. Xegoro pushed open the door of the hut without knocking. "Mrs. Weldon," said he, ''Tom and his companions have been sold for the markets of Oujiji!" "May God protect them!" said Mrs. Weldon, shedding tears. '• !N"an died on the way, Dick Sand has perished '' "XaiideadI and Dick I'' cried Mrs. Weldon. *' Yes, it is just for your captain of fifteen to pay for Har- ris's murder with his life," continued Xegoro. "You are alone in Kazounde, mistress; alone, in the power of the 'Pilgrim's' old cook— absolutely alone, do you understand?" What Xegoro said was only too true, even concerning Tom and his friends. The old black man, his son Bat, Acteon and Austin had departed the day before with the trader of Oujiji's caravan, without the consolation of seeing Mrs. Wel- don again, without even knowing that their companion in misery was in Kazounde, in Alvez's establishment. They had departed for the lake country, a journey figured by hundreds of miles, that very few accomplish, and from which very few return. •• Well?" murmured Mrs. Weldon, looking at Xegoro with- out answering. " Mrs. Weldon," returned the Portuguese, in an abrupt voice, "I could revenge myself on you for the bad treatment I suffered on board the '"^Pil^rim.' But Dick Sand's death will satisfy my vengeance. Xow, mistress, I become the merchant again, and beliold my ]trojects with regard to you." Mrs. Weldou looked at him without saying a word. "You," continued the Portuguese, "your child, and that imbecile who runs after the flies, vou have a commercial value which I intend to utilize. So \ am going to sell you." "I am of a free race," replied Mrs. Weldon, in a firm tone. " You are a slave, if I wish it." "And who wciuld buy a white woman?" "A man who will )»ay for her whatever T shall ask him." ATrs. Wf'Moii bent her IkjkI for a nionictit. for she knew that anything was possible in that friglitful cuuntiy. 270 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. "You liavc licard?" continued Negoro. " "Wlio is this man to wliom you will pretend to sell me?" replied Airs. Weldon. " To soil you or to re-sell you. At least, I suppose sol" added the Tortuguese, sneering. "The name of this man?" asked Mrs. Weldon. "This man — he is James W. AVeldon, your husband." "^Iv husband!" exclaimed Mrs. AVeldon, who could not ])elieve what she had just heard. '' Himself, Mrs. Weldon — your husband, to whom I do not wish simply to restore his wife, his child, and his cousin, but to sell them, and, at a high price." ^Irs. AVeldon asked herself if Kegoro was not setting a trap for hci. However, she believed he Avas speaking seriously. To a wretch to whom money is everything, it seems that we can trust, when business is in question. Now, this was busi- ness. "i^nd when do you propose to make this business opera- tion?" returned Mrs. Vveldon. " As soon as possible." "Where?" "Just here. Certainly James Weldon will not hesitate to come as far as Kazounde for his wife and son." "Ko, he will not hesitate. But who will tell him?" "I! I shall go to San Francisco to find James Weldon. I have money enough for this voyage." "The money stolen from on board the * Pilgrim?'" " Yes, that, and more besides," replied Negoro, insolently. " But, if I wish to sell you soon, I also wish to sell you at a high price. I think that James Weldon will not regard a hun- dred thousand dollars " "He will not regard them, if he can give them," replied Mrs. Weldon, coldly. " Only my husband, to whom you will say, doubtless, that I am held a prisoner at Kazounde, in Central Africa " " Precisely!" "My husband will not believe yoii without proofs, and he will not be so imprudent as to come to Kazounde on your word alone." " He will come here," returned Kegoro, "if I bring him a letter written by you, which Avill tell him your situation, which will dcscril)e me as a faithful servant, escaped from the liunds of these savages." A CAPTAIN" AT FIFTEEN. 271 "My hand shall never write that letter I" Mrs. Weldon re- plied, in a still colder manner. "You refuse?" exclaimed Xegoro. "I refuse!" The thought of the dangers her husband would pass through in coming as far as Kazounde, the little dependence that could be placed on the Portuguese's promises, the facility with which the latter could retain James AVeldon, after tak- ing the ransom agreed upon, all these reasons taken together made Mrs. Weldon refuse Kegoro's proposition flatly and at once. Mrs. Weldon spoke thinking only of herself, forgetting her child for the moment. " You shall write that letter!" continued the Portuguese. "No!" replied Mrs. Weldon again. "Ah, take care!" exclaimed IS'egoro. " You are not alone here! Your child is, like you, in my power, and I well know how " Mrs. Weldon wished to reply that that would be impossi- ble. Her heart Avas beating as if it would break; she was voiceless. "Mrs. Weldon," said Xegoro, "you will reflect on the offer I have made you. In eight days you will have handed me a letter to James AVeldon"s address, or you will repent of it." That said, the Portuguese retired, without giving vent to his anger; Ijut it was easy to see that nothing would stop him from constraining Mrs. Weldou to obey him. CHAPTER XIV. SOME NEWS OF DR. LIVINGSTONE. Left alone, ^frs. Weldon at first only fixed her mind on this thought, that eight days would pass before Negoro would return for a dofinite answer. Tlicre was time to reflect and decide on a course of action. Tiicrc could be no question of the Portuguese's probity except in his own interest. The "market vahie " that he attributed to his jirisoner woultl evi- dently be a safoguard for her, and ])rofrct her for tlic time, at least, against any temptation that might put her in danger. 272 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". Perhaps she would tliink of a compromise that would restore lior to her husband without obliging Mr. Wei don to come to Kazounde. On receipt of a letter from his wife, she well know tliat James Weldon would set out. He would brave the perils of this journey into the most dangerous countries of Africa. But, once at Kazounde, when Negoro should liavo that fortune of a hundred thousand dollars in his hands, what guaranty would James W. Weldon, his wife, his son and Cousin Benedict have, that they would be allowed to depart? Could not Queen Moini's ca]>rice prevent them? Would not this "sale" of Mrs. Weldon and hers be better accomplished if it took place at the coast, at some point agreed upon, which would spare Mr. Weldon both the dangers of the journey to the interior, and the difficulties, not to say the impossibili- ties, of a return? So reflected Mrs. Weldon. That was why she had refused at once to accede to Negoro's proposition and give liim a let- ter for her husband. She also thought that, if Negoro had put off his second visit for eight days, it was because ho needed that time to prepare for his journey. If not, he would return sooner to force her consent. "Would he really separate me from my child?" murmured she. At that moment Jack entered the hut, and, by an instinct- ive movement, his mother seized him, as if Negoro were there, ready to snatch him from her. "You are in great grief, mother?" asked the little boy. "No, dear Jack," replied Mrs. Weldon; "I was thinking of your papa! You would be very glad to see him again?" "Oh! yes, mother! Is he going to come?" "No! no! He must not come!" "Then we will go to see him again?" "Yes, darling Jack!" "With my friend Dick — and Hercules — and old Tom?" "Yes! yes!" replied Mrs. Weldon, putting her head down to hide her tears. " lias papa written to you?" asked little Jack. "No, my love." " Then you are going to write to him, mother?" "Yes — yes — perhaps!" replied Mrs. Weldon. And without knowing it, little Jack entered directly into his mother's thoughts. To avoid answering him further, sho covered him with kisses. A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEX. 273 It must be stated that another motive of some value was joined to the different reasons that had urged Mrs. Weklou to resist Xegoro's injunctions. Perhaps Mrs. Weldon had a very unexj^ectcd chance of being restored to liberty without licr husband's intervention, and even against Xegoro's will. It was only a faint ray of hoj^e, very vague as yet, but it was one. In fiict, a few words of conversation overheaixl by her sev- eral days before, made her foresee a possible succor near at hand — one might say a providential succor, Alvez and a mongrel from Oujiji were talking a few steps from the hut occupied by Mrs. >\'eldon. It is not astonish- ing that the slave-trade was the subject of conversation be- tween those worthy merchants. The two brokers in human flesh were talking business. They were discussing the future of their commerce, and were worried about the efforts the English were making to destioy it — not onl}^ on the exterior, by cruisers, but in the interior, by their missionaries and their travelers. Jose-Antonio Alvez found that the explorations of these hardy pioneers could only injure commercial operations. His interlocutor shared his views, and thought that all these vis- itors, civil or religious, should be received with gun-shots. This had been done to some extent. But, to the great dis- pleasure of the traders, if they killed some of these curious ones, others escaped them. Kow, ihese latter, on returning to their country, recounted "with exaggerations," Alvez said, the horrors of the slave-trade, and that injured this com- merce immensely — it being too much diminished already. The mongrel agreed to that, and deplored it; above all, concerning the markets of N'vangwe, of Oujiji, of Zanzibar, and of all the great lake regions. There liad come succes- sively, Speke, Grant, Livingstone, Stanley, and others. It was an invasion! Soon all England and all America "vvould occujiy the country I Alvez sincerely pitied his comrade, and he declared that the jirovinces of Western Africa had been, till that time, less badly treated — that Ik to say, less visited; but the ('))ier he reached the mouth of the Leeba. This water-course was ascended as far as the territory of the Balon- das, there where it receives the Makondo, wliich comes from tlie east. It was the first time that a white man penetrated into this region. January 14th, Livingstone entered Shinte's residence. He was the most powerful sovereign of the Balondas. lie gave Livingstone a good reception, and, the 20th of the same month, after crossing the Leeba, he arrived at King Kate- ma's. 1'iiere, again, a good reception, and thence the depart- ure of the little troop that on the 20th of February encamped on the borders of Lake Dilolo. On setting out from this point, a difficult country, exigen- cies of the natives, attacks from the tribes, revolt of his com- panions, threats of death, everything conspired against Liv- ingtone, and a less energetic man would have abandoned the party. The doctor persevered, and on the 4th of April, he reached the banks of the Coango, a large water-course which forms the eastern boundary of the Portuguese possessions, and flows northward into the Zaire. Six days after, Livingstone entered Cassange, where the trader Alvcz had seen him passing through, and on the 31st of May he arrived at Saint Paul de Loanda. For the first time, and after a journey of two years, Africa had just been crossed obliquely from the south to the west. David Livingstone left Loanda, September 24th of the same year. He skirted the right bank of that Coanza that had been so fatal to Dick Sand and his party, arrived at the confluence of the Lombe, crossing numerous caravans of slaves, passed by Cassange again, left it on the 20th of Feb- ruary, crossed the Coango, and reached the Zambezi at Ka- wawa. On the 8th of June he discovered Lake Dilolo again, saw Shinte again, descended the Zambezi, and re-entered Lin- yanti, which he left on the 3d of November, 1855. This second part of the journey, which would lead the doctor toward the eastern coast, would enable him to finish completely this crossing of Africa from the west to the east. After having visited the famous Victoria Falls, the "thun- dering foam," David Livingstone abandoned the Zambezi to A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". 277 take a northeastern direction. The passage across the terri- tory of the Batokas (natives who were besotted by the inliala- tiou of hemp), the visit to Semalembone (the powerful chief of the region), the crossing of the Kafone, the tinding of the Zambezi again, the visit to King Mbourouma, the sight of the ruins of Zambo (an ancient Portuguese city), the en- counter with the Chief Mjiende on the 17th of January, 185G (then at war with the Portuguese), the final arrival at Tete, on the border of the Zambezi, on tlie 2d of March — such were the principal halting-places of this tour. The 2'2d of Ajiril Livingstone left that station, formerly a rich one, descended as far as the delta of the river, and "ar- rived at Quilimane, at its mouth, on the 20th of May, four years after leaving the cape. On the 12th of July he em- barked for Maurice, and on the 22d of December he was re- turning to England, after sixteen years' absence. The prize of the Geographical Society of Paris, the grand medal of the London Geographical Society, and brilliant re- ceptions greeted the illustrious traveler. Another would, perhaps, have thonght that repose was well earned. The doctor did not think so, and departed on the 1st of March, 1858, accompanied by his brother Charles, Captain Bedind- field, the Drs. Kirk and ^roller, and l)y Messrs. Thornton and Baines. lie arrived in May on the coast of Mozambique, having for an object the exploration of the basin of the Zam- bezi. All would not return from this voyage. A little steamer, the *' My liobert," enabled the explorers to ascend the great river by the Rongone. They arrived at Tete, September the 8th: thence reconnoissance of the lower course of the Zam- bezi and of the Chire, its left branch, in January, 1859; visit to Ljike Chirona in April; exploration of the Manganjas' ter- ritorv; discovery of Lake Nyassa on So))teniber 10th; return to the Victoria Falls, August 0th, 18G0; arrival of Bishop Mackensie and his missionaries at the mouth of the Zambezi, January 31 st, ]8r;i; the exploration of the Kovouma, on t])e " Pioneer,'' in March; the return to l^kc Nyassa in Septem- ber, 1801, ami residence there till the end of October; Janu- ary 30th, 18f)2, arrival of Mrs. Livingstone and a second steamer, the " I^idy Nyassu:" such were the events that marked the first years of this new expedition. At this lime, Bishop Mackensie and one f)f his missionaries Inul already succumbed to the unhealthfulness of the climate, and on the 278 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 27tli of April, Mrs. Livingstone died in her husband's arms. In May, the doctor atlomptcd a second reconnoissance of the Rovounia; then, at the end of November, lie entered the Zambezi again, and sailed up the Chire again. In april, 18G3, he lost his com])anion, I'liornton, sent back to Europe his brother Charles and Dr. Kirk, Avho Avere both exhausted by- sickness, and November 10th, for the third time, he saw Nyassa, of which he completed the hydrography. Three months after he was again at the mouth of the Zambezi, passed to Zanzibar, and July 20th, 18G4, after five years' ab- sence, he arrived in London, Avhere he published his work entitled: '' Exploration of the Zambezi and its Branches." January 38tli, 18G(3, Livingstouo landed again at Zanzibar. He was beginning his fourth voyage. August 8th, after Jiaving witnessed tholiorrible scenes pro- voked by the slave-trade in that conn try, the doctor, taking this time only a few dpayefi and a few negroes, found him- self again at Mokalaose, on the banks of the Nyassa. Six weeks later, the majority of the men forming the escort took flight, returned to Zanzibar, and there falsely spread the re- port of Livingstone's death. He, however, did not draw back. He wished to visit the country comprised between the Nyassa and Lake Tanganyika. December 10th, guided by some natives, he traversed the Loaii- goua river, and April 2d, 1867, he discov ered Lake Liemmba. There he remiined a month betweeen life and death. Hardly well again, August 30th he reached Lake Moero, of which he visited the northern shore, and November 21st he entered the towu of Cayemba, wliere he lived forty days, during which he twice renewed liis exploration of Lake Moero. From Cayembe Livingstone took a northern direction, with the design of reaching the important town of Oujiji, on the Tanganyika. Surprised by the rising of the waters, and abandoned by his guides, he wa^ obliged to return to Cay- embe. He re-descended to the south June Gth, and six weeks after gained the great lake Bangoneolo. He remained there till August 9tli, and then sought to re-ascend toward Lako Tanganyika. What a journey! On setting out, January 7th, 18G9, the heroic doctor's feebleness was such that he had to be carried. In February he at last readied the lake and arrived at Oujiji, where he found some articles sent to his address by the Ori- ental Company of Calcutta. A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEX. 279 Livingstone then had but one idea, to gain the sources or the valley of the Nile by ascending the Tanganyika. Sei> tember 21st he was at Bambavre, in the Manonyema, a can- nibal country, and arrived at the Loualaba — that Loualaba that Cameron was going to suspect, and Stanley to discover, to be only the upper Zaire, or Congo. At Mamohela the doctor was sick for eighty days. He had only three servants. July 21st, 1871, he departed again for the Tanganyika, and only re-entered Oujiji October 23d. He was then a mere skele- ton. Meanwhile, before this period, people had been a longtime without news of the traveler. In Europe they believed him to be dead. He himself had almost lost hope of being ever relieved. Eleven days after his entrance into Oujiji shots were heard a quarter of a mile from the lake. The docter arrives. A man, a white man, is before him. *' Doctor Livingstone, I presume?" *' Yes," replied the latter, raising his cap, with a friendly smile. Their hands were warmly clasped. '' I thank God," continued the white man, " that He has permitted me to meet you." " I am happy," said Livingstone, "to be here to receive you." The white man was the American Stanley, a reporter of the New York Herald, whom Mr. Bennett, the proprietor of that journal, had just sent to find David Livingstone. Li the month of October, 1870, this American, without hesitation, without a word, simply as a hero, had embarked at Bombay for Zanzibar, and almost following Spoke and Burton's route, after untold suiTorings, his life being menaced several times, he arrived at Oujiji. The two travelers, now become fast friends, then made an expedition to the north of Lake Tanganyika. Tlioy em- barked, pushed as far as Cape Malaya, and after a minute ex{)loration, were of the opinion that the great lake had for an outlet a branch of the Loualaba. It was what Cameron and Stanley himself were going to determine positively some years after. DufornlK'r 12Lh, Livingstone and his companion were returning to Oujiji. Stanley prepared to depart. December 27tli. aftir a naviga- 280 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. tion of eight days, tlio doctor and he arrived at Ousimha; then, February 23d, they entered Kouihara. March 1:2th was the day of parting, " You have acconi])lished," said the doctor to his com- panion, " wliat few men would have done, and done it much better tlian certain great travelers. I am very grateful to you for it. May God lead you, my friend, and 'may He bless you!'' " May He." said Stanley, taking Livingstone's hand, "bring you back to us safe and sound, dear doctor!" Stanley drew back quickly from this embrace, and turned so as to conceal his tears. " Good-bye, doctor, dear friend," he said in a stifled voice. " Good-bye," replied Livingstone, feebly. Stanley departed, and July ]2th, 1872, he landed at Mar- seilles. Livingstone was going to return to his discoveries. Au- gust 25th, after five months passed at Konihara, accompanied by his black servants, Souzi, C'houma, and Amoda, by two other servants, by Jacob Wainwright, and by fifty-six men sent by Stanley, lie wentHoward the south of the Tanganyika. A month after, the caravan arrived at M'oura, in the midst of storms, caused by an extreme drought. Then came the rains, the bad will of the natives, and the loss of the beasts of burden, from falling under the stings of the tsetse. January 24th, 1873, the little troop was at Tdiitounkone. April 27th, after having left Lake Bangoneolo to the cast, the troop was going toward the village of Tchitambo. At that place fome traders had left Livingstone. This is what Alvez and his colleague had learned from them. They had good reason to believe that the doctor, after exploring the south of the lake, would venture across the Loanda, and come to seek unknown countries in the west. Thence he was to ascend toward Angola, to visit tliose regions infested by the slave-trade, to push as far as Kazounde; the tour seemed to be all marked out, and it was very probable that Livingstone would follow it. Mrs. Weldon then could count on the aproaching arrival of the great traveler, because, in the beginning of June, it was already more than two months since he had reached the south of I^ake Bangoneolo. Kow, June 13th, the day before that on which Xegoro would come to claim from Mrs. AN'eldon the letter that would put A CAPTAI>r AT FIFTEEN. 281 one hundred thousand dollars in his hands, sad news was spread, at "which Ahez and the traders only rejoiced. May 1st, 1873. at dawn. Dr. David Livingstone died. In fact, on April 29th, the little caravan had reached the village of Tchitambo, to the south of the lake. The doctor was car- ried there on a litter. On the 30th, in the night, under the influence of excessive grief, he moaned out this complaint, that was hardly heard: '*0h, dear! dear!" and he fell back from drowsiness. At the end of an hour he called his servant, Souzi, asking for some medicine, then murmuring in a feeble voice: "It is well. Kow you can go." Toward four o'clock in the morning, Souzi and five men of the escort entered the doctor's hut. David Livingstone, kneeling near his bed, his head resting on his hands, seemed to be engaged in prayer. Souzi gently touched his cheek; it was cold. David Livingstone was no more. Kine months after, his body, carried by faithful servants at the price of unheard of fatigues, arrived at Zanzibar. On April 12th, 1874, it was buried in "Westminster Abbey, among those of her great men, whom England honors equally with her kings. CHAPTER XV. WHERE A MAXTICOKE MAY LEAD. To what plank of safety will not an unfortunate being cling? Will not the eyes of the condemned seek to seize any ray of hope, no matter how vague? So it had been with Mrs. Weldon. One can understand what she must have felt when she learned, from Alvez him- self, that Dr. Livingstone had just died in a little ]5angoueolo village. It seemed to her that she was more isolated than ever; that a sort of bond that attar-liod lirr to the traveler, and wi;li liini to the civilized world, had just been broken. The phink of safety sank under her hand, the ray of ]ioj)C went out bffore her exes. Tom and his coin})anions had left Kazoundc for the lake region. Not the leacst news of lier- 283 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. ciiles. Mrs. "Weklon was not sure of any one. She must then fall back on Xegoro's ])roposition, while trying to amend it and secure a definite result I'roni it. June 14th, the day fixed by him, Negoro presented himself at ^[rs. AVeldon's hut. The Portuguese was, as always, so he said, perfectly ]irac- tical. However, he abated notliing from the amount of the ransom, which his prisoner did not even discuss. But Mrs. "W'eldon also showed herself very practical in saying to him: " If you wish to make an agreement, do not render it im- possible by unacceptable conditions. The exchange of our liberty for the sum you exact may take place, without my husband coming into a country where you see what can be done with a white man! Now, I do not wish him to come here at any price!" After some hesitation Negoro yielded, and Mrs. "Weldon finished witii the concession that James Weldon should not venture as far as Kazounde. A ship would land him at Mossa- medes, a little port to the south "of Angola, ordinarily fre- quented by slave-ships, and well known by Negoro. It was there that the Portuguese would conduct James W. Weldon; and at a certain time Alvez's agent Avould bring thither Mrs. Weldon, Jack, and Cousin Benedict. The ransom would be given to those agents on the giving up of the prisoners, and Negoro, who Avould play the part of a perfectly honest man with .James Weldon, would disappear on the ship's arrival. Mrs. Weldon had gained a very important point. She spared her husband the dangers of a voyage to Kazounde, the risk of being kept there, after paying the exacted ransom, and the perils of the return. As to the six hundred miles that separated Kazounde from Mossamedes, by going over them as she had traveled on leaving the Coanza, Mrs. Wel- don would only have a little fatigue to fear. Besides, it would be to Alvez's interest — for he was in the affair — for the prisoners to arrive safe and sound. The conditions being thus settled, Mrs. Weldon wrote to her husband, leaving to Negoro the care of passing himself off as a devoted servant, who had escaped from the natives. Negoro took the letter, which did not allow James Weldon to hesitate about following him as far as Mossamedes, and, the next day, escorted by twenty blacks, he traveled toward the north. Why did* he take tliat direction? Was it, then, Negoro's "a hexapoue," kxclaimed cocbin DKSKDict.—See jiafff 286. A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 283 intention to embark on one of the vessels which frequent the months of the Congo, and thus avoid the Portuguese sta- tions, as well as the penitentiaries in which he had been an involuntary guest? It was probable. At least, that was the reason he gave Alvez. After his departure, Mrs. Weldon must try to arrange her existence in such a manner as to ])ass the time of her sojourn at Kazounde as happily as possible. Under the most favor- able circumstances, it would last three or four months. Xe- goro's going and returning would require at least that time. Mrs. Weldon's intention was, not to leave the factory. Her child, Cousin Benedict, and she, were comparatively safe there. Halima's good care softened the severity of this se- questration a little. Besides, it was probable that tlie trader would not permit her to leave the establishment. The great premium tliat the prisoner's ransom would procure him, made it well worth while to guard her carefully. It was even fortunate that Alvez was not obliged to leave Kazounde to visit his two other factories of Bihe and Cas- sange. Coimbra was going to take his place in the expedi- tion on new razzias or raids. Tliere was no motive for re- gretting the presence of that drunkard. A])0ve all, Xegoro. before setting out, had given Alvez tlie most urgent commands in regard to Mrs, Weldon. It was necessary to watch her closely. They did not know what had become of Hercules. If he had not perished in that dreadful province of Kazounde, perhaps lie would attempt to get near the prisoner and snatch her from Alvez's hands. The trader perfectly understood a situation Avhich ciphered itself out by a good number of dollars. He would answer for Mrs. Weldon as for his own body. So the monotonous life of the "^prisoner during the first days after her arrival at the factory, was continued. What passed in this enclosure reproduced very exactly the various acts of native existence outside. Alvez lived like tlie other natives of Kazounde. The women of the establishment worked as they would have done in the town, for the greater comfort of their liusbands or tiieir masters. Their occupa- tions included i)re|)aring rice with heavy l)lows of the ])estlc in wooden mortars, to jtcrfect decortication; cleansing and winnowing maize, and all the maniiJiilations necessary to draw from it a granulous substance which serves to compose that potage called "mtyelle" in the country; the harvesting 284 A CAITAIN AT FIFTEEN^. of tlio aorghn, a kind of large niillot, tlic ripening of which had just boeii solemnly celebrated at this time; the extrac- tion of that fnigrant oil from the "nipafon" drupes, kinds of olives, the essence of which forms a perfume sought for by the natives; spinning of the cotton, the fibres of wiiich are twisted by means of a spindle a foot and a half long, to which the spinners im])art a rajMd rotation; the fabrication of bark stuiTs with the mallet; the extraction from the tapioca roots, and the preparation of the earth for the different products of the country, cassava, flour that they make from the manioc beans, of which the pods, fifteen inches long, named " mosit- sanes," grow on trees twenty feet high; arachides intended to make oil, perennial peas of a bright blue, known under the name of "tchilobes," the flowers of which relieve the slightly insipid taste of the milk of sorgho; native coffee, sugar canes, the juice of which is reduced to a syrup; onions, Indian pears, sesamum, cucumbers, the seeds of which are roasted like chestnuts; the preparation of fermented, drinks, the "malo- fori," made Avith bananas, the " jiombe " and other liquors; the care of the domestic animals, of those cows that only allow themselves to be milked in the presence of their little one or of a stuffed calf; of those heifers of small race, with short horns, some of which have a hump; of those goats which, in the country where their flesh serves for food, arc an important object of exchange, one might say current money like the slave; finally, the feeding of the birds, swine, sheep, oxen, and so fortii. This long enumeration shows what rude labors fall on the feeble sex in those savage regions of the African continent. During this time the men smoke tobacco or hemp, chase the elephant or the bufl"alo, and hire themselves to the traders for the raids. The harvest of maize or of slaves is always a harvest that takes place in fixed seasons. Of those various occupations, Mrs. Weldon only saw in Alvez's factorj the part laid on the women. Sometimes she stopped, looking at them, while the slaves, it must be said, only replied to her by ugly grimaces. A race instinct led these unfortunates to hate a white woman, and they luid no commiseration for her in their hearts. Ilalima alone was an exception, and Mrs. Weldon, having learned certain words of the native language, was soon able to exchange a few sentences with the young slave. Little Jack often accompanied his mother when she walked A CAPTAIN" AT FIFTEEN?'. 285 in the enclosure; but he wished very much to go outside. There was, however, in an enormous baobab, marabout nests, formed of a few sticks, and ''souimangas" nests, birds with scarlet breasts and throats, which resemble those of the tissirms; then " widows," that strip the thatch for the bene- fit of their family; *'calaos," whose song was agreeable; bright gray pan'ots with red tails, which, in the Manyema, are called '' rouss," and give their name to^the chiefs of the tribes; insectivorous " drougos," similar to gray linnets, with large, red beaks. Here and there also fluttered hundreds of butterflies of different species, especially in the neighborhood of the brooks that crossed the factory; but that was rather Cousin Benedict's affair than little track's, and the latter regretted greatly not being taller, so as to look over the wallsl Alas! where was his poor friend, Dick Sand — he who had brought him so high up in the " Pilgrim's" masts? How he would have followed him on the branches of those trees, whose tops rose to more than a hundred feet! "What good times they would have had togetlier! Cousin^Bcnedict always found himself very well where he was, provided insects were not lacking. Happily, he had dis- covered in the factory — and he studied as much as he could without magnifying glass or spectacles — a small bee which forms its cells among the worm-holes of the wood, and a " sphex " that lays its eggs in cells that are not its own, as the cuckoo in the nest of other birds. Mosquitoes were not lack- ing either, on the banks of the rivulets, and they tattooed him with bites to tlie extent of making him unrecognizable. And when Mrs. Weldon reproached him with letting himself be thus devoured bv those venomous insects: 'Mt is their in- stinct, Cousin Weldon," he replied to her, scratching himself till the blood came; "it is their instinct, and we must not have a grudge against them!" At last, one day— it was the 17th of June— Cousin Bene- dict was on the point of being the happiest of entomologists. But this adventure, which had unexpected consequences, needs to Ik; related with some minuteness. It was about eleven o'clock in the morning. An overpow- ering heat hud obliged the inhabitants of the factory to keep in their huts, and ono would not even meet a single native in the streets of Ku/ounde. Mrs. Weldon was dozing near little Jack, who was slee]ting soundly. Cousin Benedict, himself, suffering from the inllu- 286 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". enco of this tropical temperature, had given np liis favorite hunts, which was a great sacritice for him, for, in those rays of the mid-day sun, lie heard the rustle of a wliole world of insects, lie was yhcltcrcd, tiion, at the end of his hut, and there, sleep began to take possession of him in this involun- tary siesta. Suddenly, as his eyes half closed, he heard a humming; this is one of tliosc insupportable buzzings of nisects, some of which can ffive fifteen or sixteen thousand beats of their wings in a second. "A hexapode!" exclaimed Cousin Benedict, awakened at once, and passing from the horizontal to the vertical position. There was no doubt that it was a hexapode that was buzz- ing in his hut. But, if Cousin Benedict was very near- sigiitcd, he had at least very acute hearing, so acute even that he could recognize one insect from another by the intensity of its buzz, and it seemed to him that this one was unknown, though it could only be produced by a giant of the species. '' What is this hexapode?" Cousin Benedict asked himself. Behold him, seeking to perceive the insect, which was very difficult to his eyes without glasses, but trying above all to recognize it by the buzzing of its wings. Ilis instinct as an entomologist warned him that he had something to accomplish, and that the insect, so providen- tially entered into his hut, ought not to be the tirst comer. Cousin Benedict no longer moved. He listened. A few rays of light reached him. His eyes then discovered a largo black point that flew about, but did not pass near enough f(n- him to recognize it. He held his breath, and if he felt him- self stung in some part of the face or hands, he was deter- mined not to make a single movement that might put his hexapode to flight. At last the buzzing insect, after turning around him for a long time, came to rest on his head. Cousin Benedict's mouth widened for an instant, as if to give a smile — and what a smile! lie felt the light animal running on his hair. An irresistible desire to put his hand there seized him for a moment; but he resisted it, and did well. " Xo, nol" thought he, '' I would miss it, or, what would be worse, I would injure it. Let it come more within my reach. See it walkingi It descends. I feel its dear little feet running on my skull! This must be a hexapode of great height. My God! only grant that it may descend on the end A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. 287 of my nose, and there, by squinting a little, I might perhaps see it, and determine to what order, genus, species, or variety it belongs." So thought Cousin Benedict. But it was a long distance from his skull, which was rather pointed, to the end of his nose, which was very long. How many other roads the ca- pricious insect might take, beside his ears, beside his fore- ]iead — roads that would take it to a distance from the savant's eves — without counting that at any moment it might retake its flight, leave the hut, and lose itself in those solar rays where, doubtless, its life was passed, and in the midst of the buzzing of its congeners that would attract it outside! Cousin Benedict said all that to himself. Xever, in all his life as an entomologist, had he passed more touching minutes. An African hexapode, of a new species, or, at least, of a new variety, or even of a new sub-variety, was there on his head, and he could not recognize it except it deigned to walk at least an inch from his CN'es. However, Cousin Benedict's prayer must be heard. The insect, after having traveled over the half-bald head, as on the summit of some wild bush, began to descend Cousin Ben- edict's forehead, and the latter might at last conceive the hope that it would venture to the top of his nose. Once ar- rived at that top, whv would it not descend to the base? "In its place, I — I would descend," thought the worthy savant. Wiiat is truer than that, in Cousin Benedict's place, any other would have struck his forehead violently, so as to crush the enticing insect, or at least to put it to flight. To feel six feet moving on his skin, without speaking of the fear of being bitten, and not make a gesture, one will agree that it was the height of heroism. The Spartan allowing his breast to be de- voured by a fox; the Roman holding l)urning coals between his fingers, were not more masters of themselves than Cousin lienedict, wlio was undoubtedly descended from those two lieroes. After twenty little circuits, the insect arrived at the top of the nose. Then there was a moment's hesitation tliat made all Cousin Benedict's blood rush (o his heart. Would the hexapode ascend again beyond the line of the eyes, or Avould it descend below? It descended. Cousin Benedict felt its caterpillar feet com- ing toward the base of his no.se. The insect turned neitlier 288 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. to the rijTjlifc nor to tlic left. It rested between its two buzzing winirs, on the slicnedict rose; he looked, he darted forward, liis two hands stretched out and open. The insect flew above his head, and he only perceived a large black point, without apprecial>]c form to him. AVoiild the mantieore come to the ground again to rest, after having traced a few capricious circles around Cousin licnedict's bald head? All the probabilities were in favor of its doing so. Unfortunately for tlie unhajipy savant, this part of Alvez's establishment, which was situated at the northern extremity of the town, linrdcred on a vast forest, which covered the ter- ritorv of Kazoiiiide for a spaee of several s(|U!ire miles. if the mantieore gained the cover of I he trees, iiiid if there, il hharts of the world. CHAPTER XVI. A MAGICIAN. Whex Mrs. "Weldon, on the 17th of the month, did not see Cousin Benedict reappear at the accustomed liour, she was seized with the greatest uneasiness. She could not imag- ine what had become of her big baby. Q'hat he had suc- ceeded in escaping from the factory, the enclosure of which was absolutely impassable, was not admissible. Besides, Mrs. Weldon knew her cousin. Had one proposed to this original to flee, abandoning his tin box and his collection of African insects, he would have refused without the shadow of hesitation. Now, the box Avas there in the hut, intact, containing all that the savant had been able to collect sinco liis arrival on the continent. To suppose that he was volun- tarily separated from his entomological treasures, was inad- missible. Nevertheless, Cousin Benedict was no longer in Jose-An- tonio Alvez's establishnipnt. During all that day Mrs. Weldon looked for him persist- ently. Little Jack and the slave Hal i ma joined her. It was useless. Mrs. Welrlon was then forced to adopt this sad hypothesis: the prisoner iiad been carried away by the trader's orders, for motives that she could not fathom. But then, what had Alvez done with him? Had he incnrrfratod him in one of the barracks of tlie large sfjuare? Why this carrying away, 203 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. coming tiftor the agreement made between Mrs. Weldon and Xegoro, an agreement wlucli included Oousin Benedict in the number of tlic prisoners wliom the trader Avould conduct to ^lossamedes, to be placed in James W. Weldon's Innids for a ransom? If Mrs. "Weldon liad been a witness of Alvez's anger, when the latter learned of the prisoner's disappearance, she would have nnderstood that this disappearance was indeed made against his will. But then, if Cousin Benedict had escaped Toluntarily, why had he not let her into the secret of his escape? However, the search of Alvez and his servants, which was made with the greatest care, led to the discovery of that mole- hill, which put the factory in direct communication with the neighboring forest. The trader no longer doubted that the "lly-huntcr" had fled by that narrow opening. One may then judge of his fury, when he said to himself that this flight would doubtless be put to account, and would di- minish the prize that the afl'air would bring him. ''That imbecile is not worth mnch," thought he, "never- theless, I shall be compelled to pay dear for him. Ah! if I take him again!" But notwithstanding the searchings that were made inside, and though the woods were beaten over a large radius, it Avas impossible to find any trace of the fugitive. ]\[rs. Weldon must resign herself to the loss of her cousin, and Alvez mourn over his prisoner. As it could not be ad- mitted that the latter had established communications with the outside, it appeared evident that chance alone had made liim discover the existence of the mole-hill, and that he had taken flight without thinking any more of those he left be- hind than if they had never existed. ]Mr,^. Weldon was forced to allow that it must be so, but she did*not dream of blaming the poor man, so jierfectly un- conscious of his actions. *'The unfortunate! what will become of him?" she asked herself. It is needless to say that the mole-hill had been closed up ihe same day, and with the greatest care, and that the watch was doul)led inside as well as ouiside the factory. The monotonous life of the prisoners then continued for Mrs. Weldon and her child. A CA^TAI^' AT riFTEEX. 293 Meanwhile, a climatic fact, ven* rare at that jicriod cf the year, "was produced iu the ijrovince. Persistent rains began about the 19th of June, though the masika period, that hn- ishes in Ai)ril, was passed. In fact, the sky was covered, and continual showers inundated the territory of Kazounde. "What was only a vexation for Mrs. AVeldon, because she must renounce her walks inside the factory, became a public misfortune for the natives. The lowlands, covered Avith har- vests already ripe, were entirely submerged. The inhabitants of the i>rovince, to Avhoni the crop suddenly failed, soon found themselves in distress. All the labors of the season wore compromised, and Queen Moini. any more than lier minis- ters, did not know how to face the catastrophe. They then had recourse to the magicians, but not to those whose profession is to heal the sick by their incantations and sorceries, or who predict success to the natives. There was a public misfortune on hand, and the best '* niganngas," who have the privilege of provoking or stojiping tlie rains, were jirayed to, to conjure away the peril. Their labor was in vain. It was in vain that they intoned their monotonous chant, rang their little bells and hand-bells, employed their most precious amulets, and more particularly, a horn full of mud and bark, the point of which Avas termi- nated by three little horns. The sjiirils were exorcised by throwing little balls of dung, or in spitting in the faces of the most august personages of the court; but they did not suc- ceed in chasing away the bad spirits that presided over the formation of the clouds. Xow, things were going from bad to worse, when Queen ^loini thought of inviting a celebrated mitgician, then in the north of Angola. He was a magician of the first order, whose power was the more marvelous because tliey liad never tested it in this country where he had never come. But there was no question of its success among the !^^asikas. It was on the Ji.lth of June, in the nioining, that the new magician suddenly announced his arrival at Kazounde witli great ringing of bells. Tliis sorcerer came straight fo the *'tchitoka," and imme- diately the crowd of natives rushed toward him. Tlic sky Avas a little less rainy, tlie wind indicated a tendency to change, and those siiruM of calm, coir.ciding with llie an-ival of the magician, predisposed tiic minds of the natives in lii.s favor. 294 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. Besides, he was a superb man — a black of the finest water. He was at least six feet high, and must be extraordinarily strong. This pj-estige already influenced tlic crowd. (Generally, the sorcerers were in bands of three, four, or five when they went through the villages, and a certain num- ber of acolytes, or companions, made their cortege. This magician was alone. His whole breast was zcbraed with Avhite marks, done with pipe clay. The lower part of his body dis- ajipcared under an ample skirt of grass stuff, the '' train" of which would not have disgraced a modern elegant. A collar of birds' skulls was around his neck; on his head was a sort of leathern helmet, with plumes ornamented with pearls; around his loins a copper belt, to which hung several hundred bells, noisier than the sonorous harness of a Spanish mule: thus this magnificent specimen of the corporation of native wizards was dressed. All the material of his art was comprised in a kind of basket, of which a calebash formed the bottom, and which was filled with shells, amulets, little wooden idols, and other fetiches, plus a notable quantity of dung balls, important ac- cessories to the incantations and divinatory practices of the centre of Africa. One peculiarity was soon discovered by the crowd. This magician was dumb. But this infirmity could only increase the consideration with which they were disposed to surround him. He only made a guttural sound, low and languid, which had no signification. The more reason for being well skilled in the mysteries of w'itchcraft. The magician first made the tour of the great place, exe- cuting a kind of dance which put in motion all his chime of bells. The crowd followed, imitating his movements — it might be said, as a troop of monkeys following a gigantic, four-handed animal. Then, suddenly, the sorcerer, treading the principal street of Kazounde, went toward the royal resi- dence. As soon as Queen Moini had been informed of the arrival of the new wizard, she appeared, followed by her courtiers. The magician bowed to the ground, and lifted up his head again, showing his superb height. His arms were then ex- tended toward the sky, which was rapidly furrowed by masses of clouds. The sorcerer pointed to those clouds with his hand; he imitated their movements in an animated panto- A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN. 295 mime. He shoAved them fleeing to tlie west, biit returning to the east by a rotary movement that no power could stop. Then, suddenly, to the great surprise of the town and the court, tills sorcerer took the redoubtable sovereign of Ka- zounde by the hand. A few courtiers wished to opjwse this act, which was contrary to all etiquette; but the strong ma- gician, seizing the nearest by the nape of the neck, sent him staggering fifteen paces off. Tiie queen did not appear to disapprove of this proud man- ner of acting. A sort of grimace, which ought to be a smile, was addressed to the wizard, who drew the queen on with rapid steps, while the crowd rushed after him. This time it was toward Alvez's establishment that the sorcerer directed his steps. He soon reached the door, which was shut. A simple blow from his shoulder threw it to the ground, and he led the conquered queen into the interior of the factory. Tiie trader, his soldiers and his slaves, ran to punish the daring being who took it upon himself to throw down doors without waiting for them to be opened to him. Suddenly, seeing that their sovereign did not protest, they stood still, in a respectful attitude. No doubt Alvez was about to ask the queen why he was honored by her visit, but the magician did not give him time. Making tlie crowd recede so as to leave a large sjiace free around him, he recommenced his pantomime with still greater animation. He pointed to the clouds, he threatened them, he exorcised them; he made a sign as if he could first stop them, and then scatter them. His enormous checks were puffed out, and he blew on this mass of heavy vapors as if he had the strength to disperse them. Then, standing upright, he seemed to intend stopping them in their course, and one would have said that, owing to his gigantic heiglit, he could have seized them. The superstitious ^loini, ''overcome" by the acting of this tall comedian, could no longer control herself. Cries escaped her. She raved in lier turn, and instinctively rc- ]»oatf'd tho magician's gestures. The courtiers and (he crowd followed her example, and the luuU^'s guttural houtids were lost amid those songs, erics, and yells which the iiali\e lan- guage furnishes with so much ])rodigalitv. I)id the clouds cease to rise on the eastern horizon and veil the tropical sun? Did they vanish before the cxorcisuia of 20G A CAPTAIN" AT FIFTEEN". this new wizard? Xo. And just at this moment, when the queen and lior ]ieo]ile imapfined that tliey had ajipeased the evil s{)irits that had watered them witli so many showers, the sky, somewhat clear since dayhreak, hecame darker than ever. Laro;e drops of rain fell pattering on the ground. Tlien a sudden change took place in the crowd. They then saw that this sorcerer was worth no more tlian the others. The queen's brows Avere frowning. They under- stood that he at least was in danger of losing his ears. The natives had contracted the circle around him; fists threatened him, and they were ahout to punish him, when an unfore- seen incident changed the object of their evil intentions. The magician, who overlooked the whole yelling croAvd, stretched his arms toward one spot in the enclosure. The gesture was so imperious that all turned to look at it. Mrs. AVeldon and little Jack, attracted by the noise and the clamor, had just left their hut. The magician, with an angry gesture, had pointed to them with his left hand, while liis right was raised toward the sky. They! it was they! It was this white woman — it was her child— they were causing all this evil. They had' brought these clouds from their lainy country, to inundate the terri- tories of Kazounde. It was at once understood. Queen Moini, pointing to Mrs. Weldon, made a threatening gesture. The natives, ut- tering still more terrible cries, rushed toward her. Mrs. AVeldon thought herself lost, and clasping her son in her arms, she stood motionless as a statue before this over- excited crowd. The magician went toward her. The natives stood aside in the presence of this wizard, who, with the cause of the evil, seemed to have found the remedy. The trader, Alvez, knowing tliat the life of the prisoner was precious, now approached, not being sure of what he ought to do. The magician had seized little Jack, and snatching him from his mother's arms, he held him toward the sky. It seemed as if ho were about to dash the child to the earth, so as to appease the gods. AVith a terrible cry, Mrs. Weldon fell to the ground in- sensible. But the magician, after having made a sign to the queen, which no doubt reassured her as to his intentions, raised the A CAPTAIK AT FIFTEEX. 297 unhappy mother, and while the crowd, completely subdued, parted to give him space, be carried her away with her child. Alvez was furious, not exiDectiug this result. After having lost one of the three prisoners, to see the prize confided to his care thus escape, and, with the prize, the large bribe promised him by Xegoro! A'ever! not if the whole territory of Ka- zounde were submerged by a new deluge I He tried to oppose this abduction. The natives now began to mutter against him. The queen had him seized bv her sfuards, and. knowing what it might cost him, the trader was forced to keep quiet, while cursing the stupid credulity of Queen Moiui's subjects. The savages, in fact, expected to see the clouds disappear with those who had brought them, and they did not doubt that the magician would destroy the scourge, from which they suffered so much, in the blood of the strangers. Meanwhile, the magician carried off his victims as a lion would a couple of kids which did not satisfy his powerful ap- petite. Little Jack was terrified, his mother was unconscious. The crowd, roused to the highest degree of fury, escorted the magician with yells; but he left the enclosure, crossed Ka- zounde, and re-entered the forest, walking nearly three miles, without resting for a moment. Finally he was alone, the natives having understood that he did not wish to be followed. He arrived at the bank of a river, whose rapid current llowed toward the north. Tliere, at the end of a large opcnhig, behind the long, drooping brandies of a thicket whicli hid the steep bank, was moored a canoe, covered by a sort of thatch. Tlie magician lowered his double burden into the boat, and following himself, shoved out from the bank, and the current rapidly carried them down the stream. The next minute he said, in a very distinct voice: "Captain, here are Mrs. Weldon and little Jack; T present them to you. Forwanl. Ami may all the clouds iu heaven fall on those idiots of Kazoundc!" 298 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. CHAPTER XVII. DKIFTING. It was Hercules, not easily recognized in his magician's at- tire, who was speaking thus, and it was Dick Sand whom lio was addressing — Dick S:md, still feeble enough to lean on Cousin Benedict, near whom Dingo was lying. Mrs. Weldon, who had regained consciousness, could only pronounce these words: **You! Dick! You!" The young novice rose, but already Mrs. Weldon waa pressing him in her arms, and Jack was lavishing caresses on nim. "My friend Dick! my friend Dick!" repeated the little boy. Then, turning to Hercules: ''And I," he added, "I did not know you I" "Hey! what a disguise!" replied Hercules, rubbing his breast to efface the variety of coloi-s that striped it. *' You were too ugly!" said little Jack. "Bless me! I was the devil, and the devil is not hand- some." "Hercules!" said Mrs. Weldon, holding out her hand to the brave black. "He has delivered you," added Dick Sand, "as he has saved me, though he will not allow it." "Saved! saved! We are not saved yet!" replied Hercules. "And besides, without Mr. Benedict, who came to tell us where you were, Mrs. Weldon, we could not have done any- thing." In fact, it was Hercules who, five days before, had jumped upon the savant at the moment when^ having been led two miles from the factory, the latter was running in pursuit of his precious manticore. Without this incident, neither Dick Sand nor the black would have known Mrs. Wcldon's retreat, and Hercules would not have ventured to Kazounde in a ma- gician's dress. While the boat drifted with rapidity in this narrow part of the river, Hercules related what had passed since his flight from the camp on the Coanza; how, without being seen, he had followed the kitanda in which Mrs. Weldon and her son THK MAfilCIAN KXECVTVA) A KINII istant uitiiiicu, anii then a bull NUIHE. AH IP UIANT PUUra WEUK WUUKINU IN TUE UAItK. — ^Veen committed. But the faithful dog had received a mortal blow, and, dragging itself to the hut, it came to die there — where Samuel Vernon had died. Hercules buried deep the traveler's remains, and Dingo, lamented by all, was put in the same grave as its master. Negoro was no more, but the natives who accompanied hira from Kazounde could not be far away. On not seeing him return, they would certainly seek him along the river. This was a very serious danger. Dick Sand and Mrs. Weldon took counsel as to wliat they should do, and do without losing an instant One fact acquired was tliat this stream was the Congo, which the natives call Kwango, or Ikoutouya Kongo, and which is the Zaire under one longitude, the I^oualaba under another. It was indeed that great artery of Central Africa, to which the heroic Stanley lias given the glorious name of " Livingstone," but which the geographers should jxjrhaps replace bv his own. But, if there was no longer any doubt that this was the Congo, the French iraveler's note indicated that its mouth was still one hundred and twenty miles from tliis jioint, and, unfortunately, at this place it was no longer navigable. High falls — very likely the lalls of Ntamo — f()rl)id the descent of any boat. Thus it was necessary to follow one or the other bank, at least to a j^oint below the cataracts, cither one or 318 A CAPTAIN" AT FIFTEEF. two miles, where they could make a raft, and trust themselves again to the current. " It remains, then," said Dick Sand, in conclusion, " to decide if we sluill descend the left bank, whei-e we are, or the riglit bank of the river. Both, Mrs. Weldon, appear dan- gerous to me, and the natives are formidable. However, it seems as if we risk more on this bank, because we have the fear of meeting Negoro's escort. " Let us pass over to the other bank," replied Mrs. Wel- don. "Is it practicable?" obsen'ed Dick Sand. "The road to the Congo's mouths is rather on the left bank, as Negoro was following it. Nevermind. We must not hesitate. But be- fore crossing the river with you, Mrs. Weldon,. I must know if we can descend it below the falls." That was prudent, and Dick Sand wished to put his pro- ject into execution on the instant. The river at this jDlace was not more than three or four hundred feet wnde, and to cross it was easy for the young novice, accustomerl to handling the oar. Mrs. Weldon, Jack, and Cousin Benedict would remain under Ilercules's care till his return. These arrangements made, Dick Sand was going to set out, when Mrs. Weldon said to him: "You do not fear being carried away by the falls, Dick?" "No, Mrs. Weldon. I shall cross four hundred feet above." " But on the other bank " "I shall not land if I see the least danger." " Take your gun." "Yes, but do not be uneasy about me." " Perhaps it would ])e better for us not to separate, Dick," added Mrs. Weldon, as if urged by some presentiment. " No — let me go alone," replied Dick Sand. "I must act for the security of all. Before one hour I shall be back. Watch well, Hercules." On this reply the boat, unfastened, carried Dick Sand to the other side of the Zaire. Mrs. Weldon and Hercules, lying in the papyrus thickets, followed him with their eyes. Dick Sand soon reached the middle of the stream. The current, without being very strong, was a little accentuated there by the attraction of the tails. Four hundred feet A CAPTAI^J" AT FIFTEEN. 319 below, the imposing roaring of the waters filled the space, and some spray, carried by the western wind, reached the young novice. lie shuddered at the thought that the boat, if it had been less carefully watched during the last night, would have been lost over those cataracts, that would only have restored dead bodies. But that was no longer to be feared, and, at that moment, the oar skilfully handled suf- ficed to maintain it in a direction a little oblique to the cur- rent. A quarter of an hour after, Dick Sand had reached the opposite shore, and was preparing to spring on the bank. At that moment cries were heard, and ten natives rushed on the mass of plants that still hid the boat. They were the cannibals from the lake village. For eight days they had followed tlie right bank of the river. Under that thatch, which was torn by the stakes of their village, they had discovered the fugitives, that is to say, a sure prey for them, because the barrier of the falls would sooner or later oblige those unfortunate ones to land on one or the other side of the river. Dick Sand saw that he was lost, but he asked himself if the sacrifice of his life mio:ht not save his companions. Mas- ter of himself, standing m the front of the boat, his gun pointed, he held the cannibals in check. Meanwhile, they snatched away the thatch, under which they expected to find other victims. When they saw that the young novice alone had fallen into their hands, they betrayed their disappointment by frightful cries. A boy of fifteen among ten! But, then, one of those natives stood up, his arm stretched toward the left bank, and pointed to Mrs. "Weldon and her companions, who, having seen all and not knowing what to do, had just climbed up the bank! Dick Sand, not even dreaming of himself, waited for an in- spiration from Heaven that might save them. The boat was going to be ])ushed out into the stream. The cannibals were going to cross the river. They did not budge ])cforc the gun aimed at them, knowing the effect of fire- arms, liut one of thorn liad seized the oar; he managed it like a man who know how to ufo it, and the boat crossed the river oldiqnoly. Soon it was not more than a hundred feet from the left bank. *' Floe!" cried Dick Sand to Mrs. Weldon. "Fled" 320 A CAPTAT^r AT FIFTKEN". Neither Mrs. Weldon nor TTcrcules stirred. One woukl pay that tlicir foct were fastened to the ground. Flee! Besides, what good Avould it do? In less than an hour they would fall into the hands of the cannibals! Dick Sand understood it. But, then, that supreme inspi- ration which he asked from Heaven was sent him. He saw the possibility of saving all tliose whom he loved by making the sacrifice of his own life! lie did not hesitate to do it. "May God protect them!" murmured he, "and in His in- finite goodness may He have pity on me!" At the same instant Dick Sand pointed his gnn at the native who was steering the boat, and the oar, broken by a ball, flew into fragments. The cannibals gave a cry of terror. In fact, the boat, no longer directed by the oar, went with the stream. The current bore it along with increasing swift- ness, and, in a few moments, it was only a hundred feet from the falls. Mrs. Weldon and Hercules understood all. Dick Sand at- tempted to save them by precipitating the cannibals, with himself, into the abyss. Little Jack and his mother, kneel- ing on the bank, sent him a last farewell. Hercules's power- less hand was stretched out to him. At that moment the natives, wishing to gain the left bank by swimming, threw themselves out of the boat, Avhich they capsized. Dick Sand had lost none of his coolness in the presence of the death which menaced him. A last thought then came to him. It was that this boat, even because it was floating keel upward, might serve to save him. In fact, two dangers were to be feared when Dick Sand should be going over the cataract: asphyxia by the water, and asphyxia by the air. Now, this overturned hull was like a box, in which he might, perhaps, keep his head out of the water, at the same time that he would be sheltered from the exterior air, which would certainlv have stifled him in the ra])idity of his fall. In these conditions, it seems that a man would have some chance of escaping the double asphyxia, even in descending the cataracts of a Niagara. Dick Sand saw all that like lightning. By a last instinct he clung to the scat which united the two sides of the boat, and, hia head out of the water, under the capsized hull, he A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN". 321 felt the irresistible current carrying him away, and the almost perpendicular fall taking place. The boat sank into the abyss hollowed out by the waters at the foot of the cataract, aud, after plunging deep, returned to tlie surface of the river. Dick Sand, a good swimmer, understood that his safety now depended on the vigor of his arms. A quarter of an liour after he reached the left bank, and there found Mrs. "Weldon, little Jack and Cousin Benedict, whom Hercules had led there in all haste. But already the cannn)als had disappeared in the tumult of the waters. They, Avhom the capsized boat had not protected, had ceased to live even before reaching the last depths of the abyss, and their bodies were going to be torn to pieces on those sharp rocks on which the under-current of the stream dashed itself. CHAPTER XX. COXCLUSIOX. Two days after, the 20th of July, Mrs. "W'eldon and her companions met a caravan going toward Emboma, at the mouth of the Congo. These were not slave merchants, but honest Portuguese traders, who dealt in ivory. They made the fugitives welcome, and the latter part of the journey was accomplished under more agreeable conditions. Tiie meeting with this caravan Avas really a blessing from Heaven. Dick Sand would never have Dcen able to descend the Zaire on a raft. From the Falls of Xtamo, a far as Ycl- lala, the stream was a succession of rapids and cataracts. Stanley counted seventy-two, and no boat could undertake to pass them. It was at the mouth of the Congo tliat the in- trepid traveler, four years later, fought the last of the thirt}'- two combats wliirh lie waged with tlie natives. Eowerdown, in the cataracts of Mbelo, he esca])ed death by a miracle. On tiic 11th of August, Mrs. Weldon, I)irk Sand, Jack, Hercules, and Cousin Benedict arrived at Emboma. Messrs. Mr^ta Vioga and Harrison received them with generous hoi;- pitality. A sleanier was about sailing ftir the Islhinus of I'anama. Mrs. Weldon and her companions took passage in it, and ha|»]»ily reaclied the American coast. A di^fpatcli sent to Sau Krancisco inforincil Mr. Weldon of the unh)oked-for return of liis wife and his child. He had 332 A CAPTAIN AT FIFTEEN. vainly searcliod for tidings of them at every place where lio thouglit tlie " Pilgrim" might have been wrecked. Finally, on the 25th of August, the survivors of the ship- wreck reached the capital of California. Ah! if old Tom and his companions had only been with them! AVhat shall we say of Dick Sand and of Ilercnles? One became the son, the other the friend of the family. James Weldon knew how much he owed to the young novice, how much to the bi-ave black. lie Avas happy; and it was fortu- nate for him that Negoro had not reached him, for he would iiave paid the ransom of his wife and child with his whole fortune. He would have started for the African coast, and, once there, who can tell to what dangers, to what treachery, he would have been exposed? A single word about Cousin Benedict. The very day of his arrival the worthy savant, after having shaken hands with Mr. Weldon, shut himself up in his study and set to work, as if finishing a sentence interrupted the day before. lie meditated an enormoiis work on the " Hexapodcs Benedictus,'' one of the desiderata of entomological science. Tiiere, in his study, lined with insects, Cousin Benedict's first action was to find a microscope and a pair of glasses. Great heaven! AVhat a cry of despair lie uttered the first time he used them to study the single specimen furnished by the African entomology! The *'Hexapodes Bencdictus" was not a hexapode! It was a common spider! And if it had but six legs, instead of eight, it was simply because the two front legs were missing! And if they were missmg, these two legs, it was because, hi taking it, Hercules had, unfortunately, broken them off! !No\v, this mutilation reduced the pretended " Hexapodes Bencdictus" to the condition of an invalid, and placed it in the most ordinary class of spiders — a fact which Cousin Ben- edict's near-sightedness had prevented him from discovering sooner. It give him a fit of sickness, from which, however, he happily recovered. Three years after, little Jack was eight years old, and Dick Sand made him repeat his lessons, while working faithfully at his own studies. In fact, hardly was he at home when, realizing how ignorant he was, he had commenced to study with a kind of remorse — like a man who, for want of knowl- edge, finds himself unequal to his task. ** Yes," he often repeated; " if, on board of the 'Pilgrim,' A CAPTAIX AT FIFTEEN. 323 I had kno\rn all that a sailor should know, what misfortunes we would have escaped I"' Thus spoke Dick Sand. At the age of eighteen he fin- ished with distinction his hydrographical studies, and, hon- ored with a brevet hy special favor, he took command of one of Mr, Weldon's vessels. See what the little orphan, rescued on the beach at Sandy Ilook, had obtained by his work and conduct, lie was, in spite of his youth, surrounded by the esteem, one might say the respect, of all who knew him; but his simplicity and modesty were so natural to him, tliat he was not aware of it. He did not even suspect — althougli no one could attribute to him what are called brilliant exploits — that the firmness, courage, and fidelity displayed in so many trials had made of him a sort of hero. Meanwhile, one thought oppressed him. In his rare leis- ure hours he always dreamed of old Tom, of Bat, of Austin, and of Acteon, and of the misfortune for whicli he held him- self responsible. It was also a subject of real grief to Mrs. Weldon, the actual situation of her former companions in misery. Mr. "Weldon, Dick Sand, and ITcrculcs moved heaven and earth to find traces of them. Finally they suc- ceeded — thanks to the correspondents which the rich ship- owner had in different parts of the world. It was at Mada- gascar — where, however, slavery was soon to be abolished — that Tom and his companions had been sold. Dick Sand wished to consecrate his little savings to ransom them, but Mr. Weldon would not hear of it. One of his correspondents arranged theafi"air, and one da}', the 15th of Xovembcr, 1877, four blacks rang the bell of his house. Tiiey were old Tom, Bat, Acteon, and Austin. The brave men, after escaping so many dangers, came near being stifled, on that day, by their delighted friends. Only poor }san was missing from those Avhom the "Pil- grim" had thrown on the fatal coast of Africa. But the old servant could not be recalled to life, and neither could Dingo bo restored lo them. Certainly it was miraculous that these two alone had Huccumbocl amid such adventures. It is unnecessary to say that on that occasion they had a festival at tlie liouso of the Californian merchant. The best toast, wh\,ch all apj^audod, was that, given by Mrs. AVeldon to Dick Sand, "To the Captain at J"'iftccul'' THE END. MUNRO'S PUBLICATIONS. I MUNRO'S Elementary School Books. GERMAN. THE GERMAN SELF-INSTRUCTOR.— No. 1. Being a method of learning German on a new and easy plan. By Edwakd Chamler, Professor of German, New York City. Price 25 cents. GERMAN SERIES No. 2. Being a continuation of llie " German Self-Instructor," intended for persons who desire to learn without a tutor, and also specially adapted for Schools. By Edward Cuamler, Professor of German, New York City. Price 25 cents. FREXCH. FRENCH SERIES No. 1. Being an Elementary Grammar of the French Language, containing the words most in use, with their pronimciation; designed expressly for Young Learners, Soldiers, Sailors, Travelers, and all persons wish- iug to learn without a tutor. By Illion Costellajso. Price 25 cents. FRENCH SERIES No. 2. Being a practical guide to the acquisition of the French Language. By LuciEN OuDix, Professor of French in the College of the City of New York. Price 25 cents. SPA NISH. SPANISH SERIES No. 1. This book is a practical guide to the acquisition of the Spanish Language. By Lucien Oidin, Professor of Languages, and Instructor in French at the College of the City of New York. Munro's Ten-Cent Letter "Writer. Giving numerous examples of Model Letters upon Love, Friend.'^hip, Business, and Lfgal AlT.-iirs; so tliat the nuist illiterate may easily learn how to compo.se an effective and correct epibtie. Price, iO cents. Any of the above books mailed to any address, on receipt of price. Postage free. Address, GEORCJE MUNRO, Prni.iKiiEU, P. O. Box 8751. 17 to 27 Vandewater Street, N. Y. MUNRO'S DOLLAR SERIES. Mary Cecil Hay's Works. THE AEUNDEL MOTTO, Handsomely Bound in Green cloth, 12mo. . . $1.00 NOKA'S LOVE TEST, Handsomely Bound in Green cloth, 12mo. . . $1.00 OLD MYDDELTON'S MONEY, Handsomely Bound in Green cloth, 12mo. . . $1.00 HIDDEN PERILS, Handsomely Bound in Green cloth, 12mo. . . $1.00 iVOTF Z.V PJiESS: THE SQUIRE'S LEGACY, Handsomely Bound in Green cloth, 12mo. . . $1.00 \^ICTOR AND VANQUISHED, ^ Handsomely Bound in Green cloth, 12mo. . . $1.00 Sold by booksellers, or sent, on receipt of price, by GEORGE MUNRO, Publisher, 17 to 27 Vande water street, P. 0. Box 3751. ^ ,,, ^ H New York. •ti. ■ so c: "i > C3 il •3WV^ im im aWFUNIVERJ//) UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles j' This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. ilfc081988 m ..-I 1 DATE SENlT OCT 51995 DUE 3 WO'N ' r-»o rriOW DATE RECEIVED DATE SEHiT JAN 2 1 wa? DUE 3 MONTHS FROliP Wf CD i.O-URL 11199? ^^UNIVERS-/^ ^lOSANCElfj-^ ^^^UIBRARYQ^ <^UIE ^^ Or O ^UIBKAKTC//^ ^OF-CAilF' oe U-l > 2? >- AWE I" 3 1158 00986 1922 AA 000 457 528 8 ^/^djAi;*.i iu> -^^ ^^/JdiAINH <■'■ ^^m'Ni\ nFrAtirnp,, '.^ '^OJUVDJO"^^ . .v!n y .vVlO^ ■l:;, (;■) ^; 'V\'t>'.*\,*-n»?\. -•.. I .. ,,, '-'-'' .V")!:;-' •, < :-^ .i';h-:..:.ir'Sti-«-: ■'tlT.-.')