Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-23
CHAPTER VII.

brown hills dropping sheer down to a strip
of fiat land and belt of dark-green scrub
at the waters edge little pink squares OF
house-walls dropped here and there, mount
ing the hillside among palms, like men
standing in tall grass running back, hiding
in a steep valley; silverCray huts with
ragged dun roofs, like disheveled shocks
OF hair; a great pink church-face. very tall
and narrow. pyramidal toward the top. and
pierced for seven bells but having only
three 1t looked as If it had been hidden
for centuries in the folds of an ancient land,
as it lay there asleep in the blighting sun
light
When we anchored. Tomas, beside me in
a sIturine silence, grunted and spat into the
water.
Look here. / said. What is the mean
ing of it all? What is ii? What is at the
bottom"
he shrugged his shoulders gloomily. IF
your worship does not know, who shouldg'
he said. 1T is not for me to say why peo-
pie should wish to come here"
Then take me to Carlos 1 said. II
must get this settled"
Castro looked at me suspiciously. You
will not excite him." he said. II have
known people die right out when they were
like that"
'Oh, won't excite him." l said
As We were rowed ashore. he began to
point out the houses of the notables. Rio
Medic had been one of the principal ports
of the Antilles in the seventeenth century,
but ii had allied before the rivalry of Ha-
vana because its harbor would not take
the large vessels of modern draft. Now it
had no trade no life, no anything except
bishop and a great monastery few re-
tired officials from Havana. A large set
t-ement of ragged matched huts and clay
novels lay TO the west of the cathedral. The
Casa Riego was enormous palace, with
windows like loopholes facing the shore.
Don Balthasar practically owned the whole
town and all the surrounding country, and,
except for his age and feebleness, might
have been an absolute monarch.
He had lived in Havana with great splen-
dor, but now, in his failing years, had re-
tired 10 lis palace, from which he had since
only. twice set foot This had only been
when official ceremonies of extreme i'm
portance, such as the international execu-
ton of pirates that l had witnessed, de-
manded the presence of some one of his
eminence and luster. Otherwise he had
lived shut up i'm his palace. There was no.
where in Rio Medic for him to go to.
He was said to regard his intendente
OBrien as the apple of his eye, and had
used his influence to get him made one of
the judges of the marine court. The old
don himself probably knew nothing about
the pirates The inlet had been used by
buccaneers ever since the days of Column
bus; but they were below his serious con-
sideration, even If he had ever seen them,
which Tomas Castro doubted
There was no doubling the sincerity Of
his tone.
oh, you thought I was a pirate!" he
muttered. For a day-yes-to oblige a
Riego, my friend-yes! Moreover, / hate
that soft-spoken Juez, intendente in
triguer-that O'Brien. 1 am the trusted,
humble friend of the Riegos. But perhaps
YOU think Don Balthasar Is himself pi-
rate. He who has in his veins the blood
of the Cid Campeador; whose ancestors
have owned half this island since the days
of Christopher himself
Has he nothing whatever to do with it?'
l asked After all, 1t goes on in his own
town"
"Oh. YOU English" he muttered; "you
are all mad! Would one OF your great no.
bles be a pirate? Perhaps they would
God knows Alas. alasi" he suddenly broke
on when l think that my Carlos shall
leave his bones in this ungodly placer
gave up questioning Tomas Castro; he
was TOO much for me-
We entered the grim palace by the shore
through an imposing archway. and mount
ed broad staircase. In a lofty room CIV
ing on the upper gallery round the central
court or the Casa Riego. Carlos lay in
great bed. l stood before him. having
pushed aside Tomas Castro, VINO had been
cautiously scratching the great brilliant
mahogany panels with dirty finger nall
"Damnation, Carlos,' / said. ''This ia
the third Of your treacheries. What do YOU
want with me?''
1ou might well have ins gined he was n
descendant of the Cid Campeador onlv tn
iook az MN lying there without CULVER
OF feature, his face stainlessly white q
nltle blush In extreme lack of blood with
an the nobility of death upon It, like an
alabaster efigy of an old knight in a cathe-
oral. On the red velvet hangings of the
bed was immense coat-of-arms worl,ad
In SILK and surrounded by a collar with
the golden sheep hanging from the ring
Inc shield was patched in with an i'm
mense number of quarterings-lions ram
pant, leopards courant feurs de lis cas-
ties. eagles, hands and arms His eyes
opened slowly, and his face assumed an
easy, languorous smile of immense pleas
ure
All, Juan he said. "se blenvienido. be
welcome. be welcome"
His air was SO gay. so accomplishing.
that II was hard to believe 1t came from
You could not have acted worse IL YOU
owed me a grudge, Carlos" / said ~
war, want an explanation. But l don't want to
oh; no: oh. no." he said; ''in minute
l will tell
He dropped gold ball into a silver basin
Inat was Dy the bedside. and it sounded
IKE great bell. nun in sort of Golf
that took the lines of a buffaIos horns
Shded TO him with gold cup, from which
he drank. raising himself a little. Then
she went out with Tomas Castro who gave
me last ferOc!ous glover from his yellow
eyes. Carlos smiled.
They try To make my going easy" he
seAS' amos. Inc pillow is smooth for
him who is well loved He shut his ewes
Suddenly he said. why do YOU alone
hate me, John Kemp? What have / done?'
God knows / don't hate you. Carlos" I
answered.
GU have always mistrusted me-" he
halu' ana yet l am, perhaps nearer to
you than many of your countrymen and
l nave always wished you we'll and Won
nave always hated and mistrusted me
FROM the very first you mistrusted me
1t was useless denying II; he had the ex
traordinary !Ecredulity OF his kind | re-
nembered how had idolized him as a boy
at home
Your brother-in-Iaw, my cousin Rooksby
was the very first to believe that 1 was a
pirate. |. vulgar piratei i, Carlos Riego,
Did he not believe it-and you? He
glanced little ironically, and lifted a thin
white finger toward the great coat-of-arms
THAT sort OF thing" he said, amigo milo
does not allow one to pick pockets" He
suddenly turned little to one side. and
fixed me with his clear eyes. MY friend
he said. If l told you that Rooksby and
your greatest Kent earls carried SNUG
glers' tubs, you would say I was an igno-
rant fool Yet they. too are magistrates
The only use | have ever made of these
rvfiians was today. to bring you here IL
was a necessity. O'Brien had gone on to
take you when you arrived You would
never have come alive out of Havana. l