‘Senor,’ said the tallest of them in a soft and gentle voice, ‘suffer me to offer you our felicitations on your wonderful–‘ and he stopped suddenly.
Did I still dream, or did I know the voice? Now for the first time I could see the man’s face–it was that of JUAN DE GARCIA! But if I knew him he also knew me.
‘Caramba!’ he said, ‘whom have we here? Senor Thomas Wingfield I salute you. Look, my comrades, you see this young man whom the sea has brought to us. He is no Spaniard but an English spy. The last time that I saw him was in the streets of Seville, and there he tried to murder me because I threatened to reveal his trade to the Authorities. Now he is here, upon what errand he knows best.’
‘It is false,’ I answered; ‘I am no spy, and I am come to these seas for one purpose only–to find you.’
‘Then you have succeeded well, too well for your own comfort, perhaps. Say now, do you deny that you are Thomas Wingfield and an Englishman?’
‘I do not deny it. I–‘
‘Your pardon. How comes it then that, as your companion the priest tells me, you sailed in Las Cinque Llagas under the name of D’AILA?’
‘For my own reasons, Juan de Garcia.’
‘You are confused, senor. My name is Sarceda, as these gentlemen can bear me witness. Once I knew a cavalier of the name of de Garcia, but he is dead.’
‘You lie,’ I answered; whereon one of De Garcia’s companions struck me across the mouth.
‘Gently, friend,’ said de Garcia; ‘do not defile your hand by striking such rats as this, or if you must strike, use a stick. You have heard that he confesses to passing under a false name and to being an Englishman, and therefore one of our country’s foes. To this I add upon my word of honour that to my knowledge he is a spy and a would-be murderer. Now, gentlemen, under the commission of his majesty’s representative, we are judges here, but since you may think that, having been called a liar openly by this English dog, I might be minded to deal unjustly with him, I prefer to leave the matter in your hands.’
Now I tried to speak once more, but the Spaniard who had struck me, a ferocious-looking villain, drew his sword and swore that he would run me through if I dared to open my lips. So I thought it well to keep silent.
‘This Englishman would grace a yardarm very well,’ he said.
De Garcia, who had begun to hum a tune indifferently, smiled, looking first at the yard and then at my neck, and the hate in his eyes seemed to burn me.
‘I have a better thought than that,’ said the third officer. ‘If we hung him questions might be asked, and at the least, it would be a waste of good money. He is a finely built young man and would last some years in the mines. Let him be sold with the rest of the cargo, or I will take him myself at a valuation. I am in want of a few such on my estate.’
At these words I saw de Garcia’s face fall a little, for he wished to be rid of me for ever. Still he did not think it politic to interfere beyond saying with a slight yawn:
‘So far as I am concerned, take him, comrade, and free of cost. Only I warn you, watch him well or you will find a stiletto in your back.’
The officer laughed and said: ‘Our friend will scarcely get a chance at me, for I do not go a hundred paces underground, where he will find his quarters. And now, Englishman, there is room for you below I think;’ and he called to a sailor bidding him bring the irons of the man who had died.
This was done, and after I had been searched and a small sum in gold that I had upon my person taken from me–it was all that remained to me of my possessions–fetters were placed upon my ankles and round my neck, and I was dragged into the hold. Before I reached it I knew from various signs what was the cargo of this ship. She was laden with slaves captured in Fernandina, as the Spaniards name the island of Cuba, that were to be sold in Hispaniola. Among these slaves I was now numbered.