The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-04-01
CHAPTER XIV.
The San Esteban.

| Veda, be declared IhaL scotland was q
| small country, the shank bone of the
larger and richer England. His com
! paniOn and he had heard Of the digni-
| fed and distinguished family TO which
the lady Juanita belonged and Of their
| sorrow at her disappearance while on a
| voyage to claim an estate in the west
ern plantations.
But the donna had seemed overcome?
| Well. so much was to be expected,
hearing for the first time for years
news Of her family.
Thus Saul told his tale, and ever as
he did SO he turned to his companion
| as if to receive his confederation, and
it was somewhat weariedly and with
certain naughty pride that Captain
| Stansfield assented.
It was about this time that the rival
~ which had long existed between the
| ecclesiastical settlement Of San Juan
| de BrOzas and the town and military
| post Of Porto Rico began TO resolve it
| self into mutual COurteSieS and most
punctiliOus amity. In order to appease
! the mind of the cOmmandante, stlll
! seething and working after storm, in
/ the matter of the reliquary. a suit OF
marvelously chased and damascened
/ armor was sent him with the cOmph-
ments of the grand inquisitOr and the
hone that it might fit the body Of the
| brave and worthy representative Of the
/ king of the SPANS in these islands 1t
had belonged TO a knight waOse body,
| when last seen, had been wrapped
| about in a Violating sheet of flame,
provided for the purpose by the holy
! office of mother church. He had there
fore no further use for aTmOr, having,
as a hereto. presumably gone where
| plate mail can afford little protection.
| But this in mis- note of benefactiOn
the grand inquisitOr did not mention.
| 1t was not pertinent to the giving ana
receiving of a present between digni-
fled churchman and loyal soldier OF
holy church in parlibuS. Anon $50 ran
the accompanying missive) the abbot
| would ride over on his mule with u
train Of monks or the grand inquisitOr
require the pleasure Of the company OF
| Commandante Nicholas and his noble
lady at his next fiesta in the grand
square. For now by great efforts the
road was finished so that the Donna
Juanita could the more easily drive
thither.
After a day or two Eborra brought US
word that Saul Mark and Captain
Stansfeld with him were allowed their
full liberty in the monastery of San
| Juan de Brozas. They. occupied one
room. and some of the negro guards
had heard the man with the silver ear
rings laughing during the night, like
the bird which laughs in the woods,
| where no man is $50 they expressed it,.
And they were afraid, for it sounded
like the devil triumphing.
During the day Captain Stansfeld
walked silently up and down the quad
rangle of the monastery or read books
from the library. He spoke little and
ate sparingly. A sentinel with d loaded
musket continually followed him. Saul
Mark ON the other hand, did not ap-
pear to be watched at all. He went
everywhere about the settlement, and a
table was kept for his use near the
apartments of the grand inquisitor
Here, under the shade of a vine-clad
arbOr, with papers, ink horns and
charts scattered about him, Saul sat
drawing many days and often all day
long.
As for Anna, saw little of her dur
ing these days. But by means Of
Eborra and his witch mother We man
aged to exchange greetings every
morning. She was well. So came the
news. She had found my mother busy
with her bordering among the kind sis
ters, when last the Lady Juanita haE
driven over to the nunnery. The donntI
was kinder to her than ever. but for
fear of Saul Mark, never allowed her
out Of her sight for a moment during
the day. Even at night she would come
to the door Of her chamber half a dozen
timeS-SO that she was compelled to
write US on scraps of paper and hide
them under her pillow when she heard
her mother coming.
l could well understand Janet Marks
reason for keeping her child in sight
while so dangerous a man as Saul Mark
was close at hand. and with sGlies so
powerful as the abbot and the grand
inquisitOr. But because of these precau-
7
nicate TO Anna, which was a grief
to me-
Meanwhile VIII and I labOred in our
moist-hot weaving shed, having mat
ters pretty much our own way, so that
we turned out enough cloth for the
soldiers and also for the galIeOn. which
was to stop here on its way to Port of
Spain, bringing wool and taking webs
of cloth, as well as forming the main
channel Of communication between our
commandante and his superiors.
But we soon became aware that great
preparations were being made for some
distant expedition. The San Esteban.
the single ship of any size in the DO =
was being scraped and cleaned down
without and within. VIII and I used Ia
slip down at nights when the moon was
at full to see her masts stand up tall
and sharp against the sky. All was
still and beautiful, the moon hardly
shining so much as glowing with
whitish green illumination I'D in the
black sky. The firefies glinted blue
among the branches of the orange
trees, and the glow worms ietted FIRE
at our feet We watched the darling
lamps alighting near their mates ma
tiny fires first Frightening then dull
ing, last Of all being obscured as the in
sects cOnsummated their love affairs
all Of which interested us much.
On board the San Esteban we couId
hear sound of hammering, and some
times figures moved up the STAYS and
about the rigging, all black as ebony.
save Tor silver edging to each spar.
mast, cord and moving shadow. Rut
/ Lord, how the mosquitoes bit down nv
the fat mud banks of the shore-ereat
I speckled fellows they were. and with
! the appetites of unfed tigers for good
/ fresh Scottish blood
On these nights it was hot with
/ kind OF lukewarm heat, and Will and 7 !
would gladly have cast off our light
/ clothes and plunged into the heaving
4 waters. We RETAINED, however, owing
/ to the presence of certain curious oh
/ JectS out in the bay. These were most
/ like black bottles set asleep upon the
! sea, save that they passed and repassed
/ swiftly and noiselessly across the shin
ing wake Of the moon, glistening like