«We must provide against it,» said Captain Blood, to reassure her.
When they got back to the fort they found that, in their absence, the remainder of the Indians, numbering rather more than a score, had broken into the shed where the Spaniards were confined. Fortunately the business had only just begun, and the Spaniards, although unarmed, were sufficiently numerous to offer a resistance, which, so far, had been effective. Nevertheless, Captain Blood came no more than in time to prevent a general massacre.
When he had driven off his savage allies, the Spanish commander desired a word with him.
«Don Pedro,» he said, «I owe you my life. It is difficult to thank you.»
«Pray don't give yourself the trouble,» said Captain Blood. «I did what I did, not for your sake, but for the sake of my pledged word, though concern for your little Indian wife may have had some part in it.»
The Spaniard smiled almost wistfully as his glance rested on her standing near him, her fond eyes devouring him.
«I was discourteous to you this morning. I beg your pardon.»
«That is an ample amend.»
The Captain was very dignified.
«You are generous. May I ask, sir, what is your intention regarding us — myself and the others?»
«Nothing against your liberty, as I promised. So soon as my men return, we shall march away and leave you.»
The Spaniard sighed.
«It is what I feared. You will leave us, weakened in strength, our defences wrecked, at the mercy of Brazo Largo and his Indians, who will butcher us the moment your backs are turned. For don't imagine that they will leave Santa Maria until that is done.»
Captain Blood considered, frowning.
«You have certainly stirred up a personal vengeance, which Brazo Largo will prosecute without pity. But what can I do?»
«You could suffer us to depart for Panama at once, whilst you are here to cover our retreat from your Indian allies.»
Captain Blood made a gesture of impatience.
«Ah, wait, Don Pedro! I would not propose it did I not deem you, from what I have seen, to be a man of heart, a gallant gentleman, pirate though you may be. Also you will observe that, since you have disavowed any intention of retaining us as prisoners, I am really not asking for anything at all.»
It was quite true, and, upon turning it over in his mind, Captain Blood came to the conclusion that they would be much better off at Santa Maria without these Spaniards, who had to be guarded on the one hand and protected on the other. Therefore he consented. Wolverstone demurred. But when Blood asked him what possible purpose could be served by keeping the Spaniards at Santa Maria, Wolverstone confessed that he did not know. All that he could say was that he trusted no living Spaniard, which did not seem to have any bearing on the question.
So Captain Blood went off to find Brazo Largo, who was sulking on the wooden jetty below the fort.
The Indian rose at his approach, an exaggerated impassivity on his countenance.
«Brazo Largo,» said the Captain, «your men have set my word at naught and put my honour in danger.»
«I not understand,» the Indian answered him. «You make friends with Spanish thieves?»
«Make friends! No. But when they surrendered to me I promised, as the condition of their surrender, that no harm should come to them. Your men would have murdered them in violation of that promise had I not prevented it.»
The Indian was contemptuous.
«Huh! Huh! You not my friend. I bring you to Spanish gold, and you turn against me.»
«There is no gold,» said Blood. «But I am not quarrelling on that. You should have told me, my friend, before we came this journey, that you were using me so that we might deliver up to you your Spanish enemy and your daughter. Then I should not have passed my word to Don Domingo that he would be safe, and you could have drunk the blood of every Spaniard in the place. But you deceived me, Brazo Largo.»
«Huh! Huh!» said Brazo Largo. «I not say anything more.»
«But I do. There are your men. After what has happened, I cannot trust them. And my pledged word compels me to defend the Spaniards so long as I am here.»
The Indian bowed.
«Perfectamente! So long as you here. What then?»
«If there is trouble again, there may be shooting, and some of your braves may be hurt. I should regret that more than the loss of the Spanish gold. It must not happen, Brazo Largo. You must summon your men, and let me consign them to one of the huts in the fort for the present — for their own sakes.»
Brazo Largo considered. Then he nodded. He was a very reasonable savage. And so the Indians were assembled, and Brazo Largo, smiling the smile of a man who knew how to wait, submitted to confinement with them in one of the pent–houses.
The assembled buccaneers murmured a little among themselves, and Wolverstone ventured to express the general disapproval.
«Ye're pushing matters rather far, Captain, to risk trouble with the Indians for the sake of those Spanish dogs!»
«Oh, not for their sake. For the sake of my pledged word, and that bit of an Indian girl with her baby. The Spanish commander has been good to her, and he's a gallant fellow.»
«God help us!» said Wolverstone, and swung away in disgust.
An hour later the Spaniards were embarking from the jetty, under the eyes of the buccaneers, who, from the mud wall of the fort, watched their departure with some misgivings. The only weapons Blood allowed the voyagers were half a dozen fowling–pieces. They took with them, however, a plentiful supply of victuals, and Don Domingo, like a prudent captain, was very particular in the matter of water. Himself he saw the casks stowed aboard the canoes. Then he took his leave of Captain Blood.
«Don Pedro,» he said, «I have no words in which to praise your generosity. I am proud to have had you for my enemy.»
«Let us say that you are fortunate.»
«Fortunate, too. I shall tell it wherever there are Spaniards to hear me that Don Pedro Sangre is a very gallant gentleman.»
«I shouldn't,» said Captain Blood. «For no one will believe you.»
Protesting still, Don Domingo stepped aboard the piragua that carried his Indian wife and their half–caste baby. His men pushed the vessel off into the current, and he started on his journey to Panama, armed with a note in Captain Blood's hand, ordering Yberville and Hagthorpe to pass him unscathed in the event of his coming up with them.
In the cool of the evening the buccaneers sat down to a feast in the open square of the fort. They had found great stores of fowls in the town, and some goats, besides several hogsheads of excellent wine in the house of the Dominican fathers. Blood, with Wolverstone and Ogle, supped in the departed commander's well–equipped quarters, and through the open windows watched with satisfaction the gaiety of his feasting followers. But his satisfaction was not shared by Wolverstone, whose humour was pessimistic.
«Stick to the sea in future, Captain, says I,» he grumbled between mouthfuls. «There's no packing off a treasure there when we come within saker–shot. Here we are, after ten days' marching, with another ten days' marching in front of us! And I'll thank God if we get back as light as we came, for as likely as not we shall have differences to sett! with old Brazo Largo, and we'll be lucky if we get back at all, ever. Ye've bungled it this time, Captain.»
«Ye're just a foolish heap of brawn, Ned,» said the Captain. «I've bungled nothing at all. And as for Brazo Largo, he's an understanding savage, so he is, who'll keep friends with us if only because he hates the Spaniards.»
«And ye behave as if ye loved 'em,» said Wolverstone. «Ye're all smirks and bows for this plaguey commander who cheated us out of the gold, and ye —»
«Sure now, he was a gallant fellow, Spaniard or no Spaniard,» said Blood. «In packing off the gold when he heard of our approach he did his duty. Had he been less gallant, he would have gone off with it himself, instead of remaining here at his post. Gallantry calls to gallantry; and that's all I have to say about it.»