rooted to the spot. The droning chant went on. How far the singer was from me it was impossible to estimate; for a voice carries far at night—he might be anything from twenty to a hundred yards away. There was nothing to do but retire;—in that clammy, steamy darkness any idea of stalking a man was out of the question.
All the events of the past week came tumbling into my brain. They had tracked me down, then, and I was at grips with El Cojo's famous organization.... But this was no time for speculation or surmise. I could think matters out afterwards; for the moment I must keep my mind clear and concentrate on getting out of this dense jungle quietly and quickly.
Now the humming had ceased. Did it mean that the singer was moving forward? I strained my ears, but could catch no sound other than the rustle of the leaves as they dripped moisture. To move in silence through the clinging undergrowth was, I knew, a thing impossible. An old memory of capercailzie shooting in Russia came to my aid. One stalked the male bird perched on a tree-top as he uttered his love-call to the females at the foot. When he called, one moved; when he stopped, one halted.
The droning recommenced. Did my ears mislead me? It certainly sounded nearer now. My compass lying flat in my left palm, I moved swiftly forward, heading for the west. When the humming ceased, I stood still, and pushed on again as soon as it was resumed.
A horrid thought assailed me. Was the singer the spy whose unseen presence had impressed itself on Carstairs that evening? Had the cordon let me through only to draw in upon me as I returned? I had no weapon; for I had given Carstairs my revolver to clean and oil on our return to camp that evening after our wetting.
The crooning chant had grown much fainter. I must be drawing away from it. I paused an instant to wipe away the sweat which was pouring into my eyes. Then came a sudden crash in the undergrowth close at hand. I steeled myself to the encounter, getting my back to a tree and striving—but how vainly!—to pierce with my eyes that bewildering pall of darkness. Another heavy crash, a frightened squawk, and I breathed again. It was only one of the island pigs whose nocturnal rambles I had disturbed.
And now for full five minutes I had heard the singer no more. The forest was getting lighter and, like blissful music, there came to my ears the distant surge of the sea. Presently, without further incident, I stepped out on the beach not more than twenty paces from our cave.
A black shape rose out of the darkness at my feet. It was Carstairs. I put my hand over his mouth and drew him into the cave. The place reverberated with Garth's rhythmic snoring.
“You were quite right, Carstairs,” I whispered. “There is some one in the woods back there! Have you heard or seen anything?”
“No, sir!” the man returned. “But I was that certain sure there was somebody round the place that I nipped in and got a pistol to sit up and wait for you...”
He showed me the automatic in his hand.
“I don't like the look of things at all, Carstairs,” said I. “And that's a fact. I'm not getting the wind up over a lot of shadows; but I don't propose to risk having the cave rushed. You've got some bread-bags and the like, haven't you? Well, get one of the shovels and start filling them with sand, will you? If we can run up a bit of cover round the entrance to the cave, one man ought to be able to hold it against all comers. Meanwhile, I'll wake Sir Alexander here!...”
It is a little embarrassing to rouse a man up out of his beauty sleep and tell him you have been keeping essential facts from his knowledge. However, I could at least honestly claim that, until that moment, I had had nothing stronger than suspicions to go upon.
Propped up on his elbow, Garth heard my whole tale as I have set it down here, from the moment that John Bard identified Black Pablo with the man who had kept watch outside Adams's hut down to the strange happenings in the woods that night.
“Just what we are up against, Sir Alexander,” I concluded, “I don't know. But we're here for a specific purpose, and I feel sure that you will agree with me that we should not allow a band of filthy cut-throats to deter us from it!”
“Certainly not, my boy, certainly not!” declared the baronet. “As a matter of fact, I cannot believe that these fellows really intend us any harm. After all, we're British subjects and a little of Britain goes the deuce of a long way in these parts...”