Señorita Montenar

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Chapter I

There were at least two occasions in my early life when I, John Wildash, was on the point of putting a pistol to my head and blowing out my brains. The first time was at the conclusion of the court-martial held upon me when, as a sub-lieutenant at the age of twenty-five, I was dismissed the service. My crime was striking the first lieutenant on board His Majesty's frigate Thunderer.

For the offence itself I experienced no compunction. Indeed, supposing it had been condoned, I doubt not that, given equal provocation, I should have done the same again. The first lieutenant owed me a grudge because I had once disregarded his recall, when we were sent in boats to recover the brig Annie Bell from the Spaniards, who had captured it. It was in the Bay of Biscay in 1812, and I boarded and took possession of her with a single boat's crew. A year later he had his revenge. For some trifling remission of duty he rated me so roundly in the guard-room in the presence of other officers that my temper, always a quick one, passed beyond my control, and I struck him to the ground with my clinched fist.

I realized at once the consequences of such an indis- . A 1 cretioti. At a time when the very existence of England depended on the efficiency of her navy, and the country was gathering herself up for the final struggle with the Corsican usurper, discipline was of the first importance on English ships, and breaches of it were punished with extreme severity. Many an officer, for even the semblance of disregard for superior authority, had forfeited his chances of promotion, and my offence would, I knew, put an end to my career.

Still, in spite of this conviction, and with the sanguine temperament of youth, I had hoped against hope, and the sentence of the court-martial found me unprepared for it. At one blow it swept away all that made life worth living. I was passionately devoted to the sea, being proud of my profession, and longing to make my name illustrious, like Nelson, CoUingwood, and Cochrane. All such aspirations were now abruptly dashed to the ground, and no hope remained of gaining the glory which I coveted. Well do I remember the mental torture I endured, when, at the conclusion of the trial, I took a solitary walk along the beach, and the chance meeting with a brother officer, which alone foiled my resolve to take my life.

Of the next few months I retain but a confused remembrance. For some little time, I believe, I clung to the. hope of getting my sentence revoked, and myself reinstated in the navy ; but being at length convinced of the futility of such a dream, I shipped one night at Southampton as second mate on board a merchantman bound for the west coast of South America. At times the thought had come to me — so attached was I to the naval profession — of offering my services to the government of France or Spain. But I was strong enough, thank God, to withstand a temptation which would entail the misfortune of having to fight against my own country, and the only alternative left me was the merchant service.

The ship. in which I sailed from England was wrecked by the carelessness of the first mate, just as we were entering the Bay of Valparaiso, and I found myself in a foreign port with no money in my pocket, and with only the clothes in which I swam ashore. I might have joined a ship which was homeward bound, but I could not endure the thought of returning to England, and ultimately succeeded in obtaining the berth of chief mate on a barque belonging to a Chilian merchant of Valparaiso. She was only a coasting vessel, trading no farther than Callao to the north and Valdivia to the south, but the business increased so rapidly that a second ship was soon bought, and I was made the captain of her.

I found more interest in the work than I expected, and the outbreak of the Chilian war of independence afforded me the additional excitement of having to evade the Spanish cruisers. At the beginning of the war the Chilians possessed no navy, and, though they soon acquired a few ships, they were so badly commanded that I could not bring myself to volunteer for the service. Besides, I was doing well in the post I occupied, being allowed to trade to a certain extent on my own account, in addition to receiving a fixed salary and commission on the cargo I obtained for my employer.

Such was the state of my affairs when, one afternoon in November of the year 1818, 1 anchored under the fort guns in Valparaiso Bay, with a rich load of grain from Talcahnano, having successfully eluded a Spanish frigate which was on watch outside the harbor. The owner of my ship, Sefibr Jos6 Martinez, who belonged to a noble Chilian family, and who had forfeited the esteem of his relations by condescending to engage in trade, soon came on boards greatly pleased by the safe arrival of his vessel.

SESrORITA MONTENAE

Don JosS, a handsome man^ with regular features^ dark Spanish eyes, and hair just turning gray, congratulated me warmly on the favorable report which I was able to give him, and said : " This, then, must be the richest cargo, Sefior Wildash, that has entered Valparaiso for many months. The Spanish cruisers have been so active that few ships have been able to gain the bay, and the price of corn has risen considerably. Come back with me and spend the night at my house, where we will celebrate your safe return."

The invitation placed me in an awkward position. Much as I esteemed Sefior Martinez himself, there was an inmate of bis house who was extremely distasteful to me. Young Don Luis Martinez, his son, seemed in my eyes to typify all that was most contemptible in the Chilian character. In the earlier days of my employment with the firm I had seen little of him, for he devoted himself to thefrivolous occupations of the emptyheaded youths who were his boon companions. Of late, however, he had manifested a disposition to take part in the conduct of his father's business, and in this capacity he had once or twice crossed my path in a way which I resented keenly. In answer, then, to Don Jos6's invitation, I replied: "I am much indebted to you, Sefior Martinez, for your kind offer, but I have some friends ashore who will be expecting me. To-morrow morning, perhaps — " I paused, and a cloud flitted over Don Josh's face. I felt that he was conscious of the reason which prompted my refusal, and was on the point of referring to it. If such had been his intention, he speedily abandoned it, and saying, *' Till to-morrow, then, Sefior Wildash \" he bade me good-day and returned to his boat.

I deviated somewhat from the truth when 1 said that

there were friends of mine expecting me on shore. The

fact was that I did not possess a friend in Valparaiso.

I

No tie of sympathy united me to the small band of English traders in the town, who seemed bent on plundering the Chilians as rapidly as possible^ so that they might have all the more time in England to spend the proceeds of their dishonest practices. To the Chilians themselves I was not sufficiently attracted to make among them an intimate friend. The members of the noble families were as proud as any Spaniard, while the merchant classes, though more easily approached, had few tastes in common with an Englishman as confirmed in his national prejudices as myself.

But although I had no friends, there was a very pleasant acquaintance of mine on shore, Antonio Valdez by name, proprietor of the "Fonda del H6spero," or **Inn of the Evening Star.'' He it was who gave me shelter when I walked into Valparaiso from the point where my ship was wrecked on the dark night on which I first set foot in Chile. From his wardrobe my drenched and tattered garments were replaced, and after a good supper a small but comfortable bedroom was put at my disposal. Antonio knew from the first that I had not saved any money from the wreck, and at that time there was no English consul in the town from whom he could claim to be refunded. Yet he took me in as readily as if I were a rich and honored guest, and kept me at his own expense for several weeks, refusing to discuss the question of the bill till I obtained my berth on board the Chilian trader.

To this friendly innkeeper my thoughts now returned, for I always spent a night or two at the "Fonda" when lying in Valparaiso Bay. As it was too late to commence unloading that evening, I put a few things together, and decided to go ashore at once.

On reaching deck again, I found that the sun had sunk beneath the horizon out to sea, leaving a fiery glow in the western sky which tinged the waves with blood and threw a purple hue upon the dull-red sandstone hills behind the town. I am not^ as a rule^ affected by what poets call the voice of Nature, being a man of action, and paying more attention to the voice of man. Neither have I any tendency towards the superstitious, but I must confess that, as I viewed the scene before me, I experienced a strange depression, which filled me with a vague foreboding of disaster.

At the gangway Rodrigo, the boatswain, approached me and asked leave to go ashore that night. Rodrigo was a model sailor on board, thoroughly up to his work, and keeping his men well in hand. But as soon as he set foot on land his character seemed to undergo a complete transformation. Obedient to the slightest word on quarter-deck, he rebelled against all alien authority on land, and, after a glass or two of Pisco, or Chilian brandy, at some sailors' tavern, the mere sight of a uniformed representative of the law would rouse the devil in him. To look at him now as he stood before me with his keen, well-cut features and his deferential air, he was the last man to suspect of riot and disorder.

" There is plenty of work for you to do on board this evening, Rodrigo," I answered — ** derricks to be rigged up and hatches opened, ready for beginning work at daylight to-morrow morning.^'

"I have everything prepared, sefior,'* he said. *'It will not take my mate a quarter of an hour to finish what still remains.''

He had sufficiently disposed of my first objection. I was obliged to think of some other reason for refusal.

"Why do you want to go ashore?" I asked. "You

always get into trouble when you do. It is not as if you

were a married man."

I smiled at his exclamation. Rodrigo would have nothing to do with women, and seemed actually to go in fear of them, though in a fight or a storm few men showed cooler courage. In spite of the popular conviction to the contrary, Venus and Mars do not always go hand in hand throughout the world.

"What, then, is your reason ?" I inquired.

"1 should like to pay a visit to my brother, seflor.'*

I could hardly refuse a request which was based on this ground. His brother had been on board on several occasions, and as he was a steady fellow, who would be likely to see that Rodrigo did not get into trouble, I at length gave my consent.

By the time I set foot on the slippery wooden s^eps of the small landing-stage ashore, the last faint glow from the departed sun had faded away, and the lofty hills overshadowing the town stood out in dark relief against a star-lit sky. Walking along the poorly illuminated quay, I turned up one of the narrow streets leading to the main thoroughfare of the town. In this street stood the "Fonda del Hespero." It was a small, unpretentious inn, with the dining-saloon on the groundfloor, and as I entered the first person whom I saw was my good host, Antonio Valdez. He recognized me at once, and greeted me in demonstrative Chilian fashion.

"So you have come back again at last, Seflor Wildash !" he exclaimed. "I was beginning to fear your ship had been captured, or sent to the bottom with a round ball through her side. But you must want some dinner, sellor. Your favorite place is vacant, and you shall be served without delay," he added, leading the way to a corner of the room shut off by a high screen from the rest.

I was gratified by my host's warm welcome, and followed him to the table where I always sat when staying at the "Fonda." The fare on board had been very indifferent, owing to the difficulty of obtaining provisions during the war. Besides, a meal on shore is always welcome after a long time spent at sea, and I looked forward with a relish to the dinner in store for me.

Antonio himself superintended the serving of it, and when I had done ample justice to the dishes set before me I called for a bottle of choice Urmeneta, and invited him to share it with me. My host, with his twinkling black eyes, his merry face, and his portly figure, seemed quite like an old friend when he sat down and raised his glass to drink my health. As the bottle passed between us the gloomy feelings I had experienced upon the ship were chased away, and the inn appeared to welcome me back, as though it were my home.

"And how have you been doing in my absence, Antonio ?" I asked.

"I have not made my fortune, sefior," he answered, with a laugh. " The war has raised the price of everything, and the patriots have no money to spend in the 'Fonda del H6spero.' "

"Perhaps the Royalists have fuller pockets?" I observed.

Antonio made a gesture significant of silence, and glanced round the screen to see what guests still remained in the saloon. Apparently his inspection satisfied him, for his round face broke into a smile, and, bending forward, he said: "A poor innkeeper, Sefior Wildash, cannot afford to pick his guests. If the Royalists choose to come here, it is no fault of mine. I do not inquire who they are, as long as they pay their bills. Were I to refuse all but patriots, I should soon be starving."

** Have you many guests staying in the house ?" I asked.

"Only one lady from Santiago, with her daughter and a maid. But perhaps you know her, for she is the widow of Seflor Montenar, who was a cousin of Seflor Martinez/'

I had heard of Seflor Montenar, as being a connection of my employer's on his mother's side. The Montenars were descended from a Spanish nobleman of that name, and were exceedingly proud of the blood which ran in their veins. The family had been resident in Chile for several generations, having held high posts in the Spanish administration of the country, and taken full advantage of the opportunities thus afforded for acquiring a considerable fortune. The late representative of the line, Don Nicolas Montenar, had died just before the outbreak of the revolution, but his sympathies were, of course, all in favor of the Spanish regime. In answer to Antonio's question, I accordingly replied :

" I do not know the lady, but I have heard of her. She doubtless pays you well."

Antonio looked at me, and th«n raised his glass to his lips with a thoughtful air. As he put it down again he said, "Yes, seflor, she pays me well, very well. But — you understand — the risk of incurring a visit from the patriot police — "

Here his sentence ended abruptly, for cries of "Antonio !" arose from the other end of the saloon, from a party of young men whose tongues had been loosed by the circulating wine. My host rose without delay, and I, after waiting in vain for his return, decided to take a breath of fresh air before retiring to my room.

On my way to the entrance I had to pass the table to which Antonio had been summoned, and I was surprised to find that one of the party was my employer's son, Don Luis Martinez. The young fellow had risen to his feet, and, already flushed with wine, was giving Antonio still further orders, in a manner which excited the mirth of his companions. As I approached he caught sight of me, and I raised my hat with a formal bow, intending to pass out. I never sought a conversation with Don Luis, much less so. now, when he was in such a foolish humor. But he would not allow me to evade him.

'* Seflor Wildash !" he cried, turning from Antonio and stepping in front of me.

" At your service, seflor !" I replied, halting and facing him.

*' I was not aware that you had returned V he continued, in tones which seemed to infer that I should have reported myself to him.

"Indeed, seflor !" I answered, quietly. "Your father is better informed, for he has been on board !"

At this his companions, with one exception, broke into a laugh. The exception, a man of medium height and some thirty years of age, whose dark eyes and Spanish cast of features were set off with a well-trimmed black beard, regarded me with silent scrutiny.

Don Luis had flushed angrily. "You have been long enough away, seflor !" he retorted. " It would be a valuable cargo which would repay the keep of the ship for so long an interval."

The inference was most unjust, and, quick-tempered as I am, I had the greatest difficulty in keeping my selfcontrol. Only a few hours previously his father had been congratulating me on my successful voyage. However, the speaker was young and foolish, besides being heated with wine, and I restrained myself sufficiently to answer :

"Seflor Don Luis forgets that his country is at war, and that the Chilian ports are blockaded by the enemy."

"I understand, seflor!" he answered, with a sneer.

" It is fear which has detained you !"

I know not how it happened, but a moment later Don Lnis's right cheek bore the marks of the heavy pair of leathern gloves which I carried in my hand, and then I saw before me a girl dressed in black, with a lace mantilla over her head, regarding me with dark, indignant eyes. - Sefiores r she exclaimed, imperiously, <' will you be good enough to let me pass ?*'

I stepped aside, and as Don Luis, who had his back to her, turned round, she recognized him, and went on :

"Is it you, cousin, taking part in a public brawl ? I pray that you and this gentleman*' — with a scornful glance at me — " will suspend your quarrel till my maid and I have passed through to our rooms."

The young fellow flushed a deep red, except where the fingers of my gloves had left white wales across his cheek. "Pardon me, Carit^!" he said, in evident distress at her rebuke. "I did not see you enter. I would not knowingly have made you a witness to this scene.'*

The young girl did not reply, but, followed by her maid, passed proudly on, not deigning to look again in my direction. On reaching, however, the foot of the staircase leading to the first floor, she hesitated, and finally, with a little less assurance in her carriage than before, walked back to where Don Luis stood. "Luis V she said, in a changed voice, as she laid a white hand upon his coat-sleeve, and looked at him with anxious eyes, "this is only a trifling disagreement, is it not, which will easily be set right ? It is not anything to quarrel about in earnest ? You have black looks I"

Don Luis forced a smile and replied, evasively :

" Have no fear, cousin ! The affair will doubtless soon be settled.**

" And this gentleman !** she continued, turning round and looking at me disapprovingly. " He ought surely to be satisfied, for he struck the blow. He cannot wish to fight you. He is so much — so much older than you are 1"

I bowed my head. Her eyes, though disapproving, fascinated me strangely, and my anger having passed as quickly as it came, I answered :

" I have no wish to quarrel, seflorita ! My temper is a quick one, and if I have acted without sufficient provocation, I express my sorrow for it."

A look of relief came into the young girl's eyes, and, turning to her cousin again, she said :

" There now, Luis, this gentleman has apologized, and there is no further ground for quarrel. I trust you to let this matter drop," and with a formal bow to Don Luis's companions, and a scant acknowledgment of myself, she moved away.

As soon as she was gone the trim-bearded Spaniard — for so I took him to be — raised his eyebrows and looked at Don Luis, as though to ask if he were weak enough to be guided by his cousin's words Thus incited, the young fellow turned to me and said : **Do I understand then, Sefior Wildash, that you are prepared to make your apologies to me ?"

I had no wish to fight my employer's son, and accordingly answered : *' What I said just now in the presence of a lady, I am willing to abide by."

The Spaniard shrugged his shoulders and gazed fixedly at nothing on the wall. Don Luis understood his gesture and went on : *' Nothing will satisfy me but a formal and complete apology."

" Then you will remain unsatisfied I" I answered, my anger at length getting the better of me.

There was a gleam of satisfaction in Don Luis's eye at having gained his point.

"To what address may I send a friend ?" he asked.

" Send him here V I said, as, with a formal bow, I strode out from the room.

This was not a pleasant beginning to my return to Valparaiso, and as 1 walked along the narrow, ill-paved streets of the Chilian seaport, I reflected bitterly on the ill-luck which had brought about the quarrel. My temper, in truth, was somewhat hasty, but no man who had served as an officer in the English navy could brook being called a coward. It was still more unfortunate that the blow should have been given in the presence of a lady. This lady was evidently Sefiorita Montenar, for she had addressed Don Luis as her cousin. The rebuke of her dark eyes was still upon me, and, strangely enough — for I was a rough sailor, taking little heed of women — it made me feel uncomfortable. I could only hope that young Martinez's friends, knowing his excited state, would induce him to postpone the formal challenge till he had time to consider the matter in the sober light of day.

I was, then, disappointed, though hardly surprised, on my return to the "Fonda del Hespero," to find the trim-bearded Spaniard awaiting me there. As I looked into his face — for I had only glanced at him before — I fancied that his features were familiar to me. I could not remember, however, where I had seen him, and my efforts to recall him to my memory were interrupted by his advancing, hat in hand, and saying with a low bow :

" Sefior Wildash, I believe ?"

" The same," I answered.

" I am deputed,'' he continued, "by Sefior Don Luis Martinez to arrange for him a meeting with you. I trust you will excuse this late hour for my call, but the gentleman whom I represent was anxious, if possible, to settle the affair to-morrow morning."

" In twenty.four hours' time," I said, glancing at my

watch.

" Pardon me ! I was not aware that midnight had Btruck. It was for this morning that he wished it to be."

The challenge, of course, must be accepted, and there was now no chance of wiser counsels prevailing.

'* May I ask your name ?" I questioned.

*' With your leave, sefior, I would prefer it to remain unknown."

I looked keenly at him. Again his features seemed familiar, but, try as I would, I could not recollect where I had seen them.

** Then, of course," I answered, " the name of my second need not be disclosed either."

The Spaniard bowed. In truth I was hard pressed to think of a second. There was no acquaintance of mine in Valparaiso whom I would care to ask to act in the capacity. After puzzling my brain without success on the subject, Rodrigo, the boatswain, came suddenly into my thoughts. He was unknown by sight to Don Luis, having joined the ship at the last moment on the previous voyage, and, as no names were to be furnished, he would serve my purpose sufficiently well. I had to find him first, however; and telling Don Luis's representative that I would go and bring my man, I once more left the inn.

I had nothing to guide me as to Rodrigo's whereabouts, but, surmising that it would be best to visit the wine-shops most frequented by sailors, I was fortunate enough to find him in the first one that I entered. I hardly recognized the respectful boatswain in the figure which stood before me. Though dressed in his best clothes, such as a middle-class Chilian might wear, he was the centre of a noisy group of revellers, whose voices were all drowned by his. Evidently the Pisco had begun its work.

As I halted in the doorway, feeling that the mission on which I had come was useless^ Rodrigo caught sight of me, and, instantly recovering himself, advanced and saluted me.

"I was in need of your services, Rodrigo,'* I said, angrily ; " but I see you are unfit to render them/'

'* Whatever you require, sefior," he replied, quietly, " I am ready to perform/'

His voice, though somewhat thick, was steady. I scanned him carefully. He returned my gaze with such composure that I could not believe him incapacitated by drink. In any case, I determined to trust him, for there was no alternative.

" Listen to me, Rodrigo," I said, as I drew him aside. *' I am to fight a duel this morning. Do you think you could second me and see fair play ?"

At the mention of a fight Rodrigo's black eyes glistened with excitement.

" Give me the chance, seflor !" he answered, eagerly.

When we reached the " Fonda del Hespero'' we found the Spaniard pacing restlessly up and down the deserted saloon, which was lighted by a single pair of candles. He turned sharply round on our approach, and looked with some surprise at my companion.

'*This is my representative, seflor, '' I said. '* He will doubtless inform me in good time of your plans for the meeting. Meanwhile I will bid you good-night," and I retired to my room to get what sleep I could before the morning.

CHAPTER 11

It was still dark when Rodrigo ronsed me some three or four hours later. I had been dreaming of my old home in Devonshire, and of the garden with its southern wall loaded with peaches, the Inscious flavor of which, as I remembered them in my youth, has never been equalled by the choicest tropic fruit that I have tasted since. In my dream I was walking in the garden with my mother, who was telling me, as she had often done before, of the brave deeds of my father — he had been killed in an engagement with the Spanish squadron off Finisterre — ^and exhorting me to grow up worthy of him. Her words still seemed to linger in my ears when Rodrigo's summons restored my consciousness.

As I had thrown myself upon my bed only partially undressed, it was not long before I was ready. So as not to disturb the other inmates of the *' Fonda," we descended with great caution, and let ourselves noiselessly out into the narrow street. Rodrigo led the way into the main thoroughfare, turning to the right in the direction of the hill on which stood the fort at the entrance to the bay. Dawn seemed to hover in the air, but the horizon where it should appear was still hidden from us by the house-tops. The streets were deserted except for the watchmen, and a mongrel here and there, which slunk away on- our approach from the garbage that attracted it.

So far we had not exchanged a word, but now I spoke : ** You have arranged everything, Rodrigo ?" I asked.