HF - 01 - Caribee (58 page)

Or was this but the emotion of a tired victor, which would very rapidly pass?

'You leave it to us, Ned,' Hilton said. 'My sailors will soon enough fashion ropes from the vines that grow around here.'

They are prisoners of war,' Edward said. 'And as such are subject to the jurisdiction of the Governor of the Caribee Isles. I
’
ll speak with my father.' He stared into the thronging mass of white men, for the main body had now come up. The main body, but no Father, and no Yarico?

'Where is Sir Thomas?" he demanded. 'Where is the Governor?"

They scratched their heads. ‘H
e was with us, Captain Warner,' they assured him. 'When we began the assault.'

'Brian,' Edward said. 'You'll hold Mistress Warner. Do not let her go for an instant. Give her some water to drink, and see to her. Do not fail me in this.'

‘I’
ll not, Ted. I have too much respect for the li
tt
le lady. Come ye here, lass. Well soon have ye safe home again.'

Edward hurried away from the glare and the noise and the stench, of blood and sweat and fear, and reached the edge of the forest, and Yarico. She knelt on the ground, next to Tom Warner.

'What in the name of God....' Edward also dropped to his knees.

Tom sighed, and tried to smile.
‘I
am too old to run thr
ough forests, boy. I am afraid I have sorely disappointed the name of Warner.' His voice was faint, his breathing uneven.

"What nonsense,' Edward declared, but he looked across the gasping man to Yarico, and her eyes were solemn. 'We have gained a victory.'

‘I
never doubted that. You hold the reins of gr
eatness, of unending success, in
your hands, Ned. Would you but believe
that
, and dismiss forever the fears and uncertainties which haunt you, you need envy no man on earth. And now it is more than ever neces
sary that you do so. Yarico. Fin
d me Tony Hilton. And Monsieur Solange. And some other men of probity. Hurry, girl.'

Yarico rose, gazed at Edward for a moment, and then ran into the night.

'By God, but this breastplate weighs as much as a cannon,' Tom grumbled.
‘I
swear I am being pressed to death like any stubborn rogue.'

'Let me untie it for you, Father.'

'Leave it be. I'm a soldier, Edward, and if I could not even see action in my final ba
ttl
e, at least let me the dressed like one.'

'For God's sake, Father, what nonsense you do talk. You, die? Why....'

But now every word was interspersed with a gasp. "Where is that girl? By God, but they are a feeble sex, to be sure. Edward. Is your wife safe?
’
'Aye.'

'But distressed? That is natural. Edward, remember our conversation on the ship. Men have died here this day. I command you, as your governor and your father, do not make their deaths vain. Hilton. Tony, lad, kneel here and give me your hand.'

'By God, Tom,' Tony said. 'Here is a sorry sight. You are hurt?'

'Aye. But you will not find a wound. Now listen to me. And you, Solange, because you will testify to this later on. I confirm Edward Warner in his appointment as Governor of Antigua, and I remove all jurisdiction of the Governor of St Ki
tt
s over him. Mark th
ese words well,
gentle
men. You are my witnesses.'

Then write it out when we regain the ship,' Hilton said. 'And we will append our signatures.'

'You'll bear witness to my words, Tony Hilton, and God damn you for an interfering whippersnapper. You'll acknowledge naught but the authority of His Majesty and his commissioners, Edward, bu
t be sure you remember that auth
ority at all times. My son, Philip Warner, will be Governor of St Ki
tt
s. You'll see to Yarico and li
tt
le Tom, Edward. As you have always done.'

'You may be sure of
that
, Father.'

There is a weight from my mind. And you'll endeavour not to find fault with your stepmother, lad. She is ambitious, and now she will have no children to support her hopes. Be gentle
with
her. And you'll plant cane, Edward. There is my last command. Philip will supply you with slaves. Cane, Edward. Tis the crop of the future. Promise me that'

'You have my word. Now you have talked too well, Father. You must rest, and Tony will have his men prepare a li
tt
er to carry you back through the forest. It were best we start soon, for with daylight the Caribs may regain some of
their
courage, or even a
tt
ract support from their neighbours.'

'But before we go, there is the ma
tt
er of our prisoners,'

Hilton said.
‘Including the devil himself. Wapi
siane. Should we not hoist th
em high, Tom, as a warning to th
ese people?
’
Tom
Warner
gazed at him.

‘I
would give my vote to that, Sir Thomas,' Solange said. 'As you have yourself
said, th
ese people understand only force, and we would do best by leaving a reminder of our victory, and of our power to repeat it'

Tom Warner gazed at him
.

'
He dead,' Yarico said, very softl
y.

'Dead?' Edward leaned forward, over the short, heavy body, the bluff features, the grey-black beard, the staring eyes. 'By God.'

A hand rested for a moment on his shoulder, and then was withdrawn. He would not look at them. He knelt beside his father, hardly hearing the noise which came from behind him, the cries of the wounded and the triumphant whoops of the victors. Pie was aware of Yarico, but it was some minutes before he could raise his head.

‘I
love him too,' she said.

‘I
think we all did that, even when we went against him,' Edward said. 'We must leave this place, Yarico. He will be buried in St Ki
tt
s. It will be what he wished.'

She remained crouching by the body. Edward walked back towards the village, checked in dismay. As Hilton had said, his men were sailors, used to creating ropes out of string; the jungle vines had provided them with an easy task. Now the twelve
Indian
s dangled from the branches of trees; three of them were women. They had been stripped of even the scanty clothing they wore into ba
tt
le, and their wounds had not been tended—most still dripped blood, which ran down
their
legs and hung from
their
toes. And they had been hoisted slowly. Several still kicked feebly, and strained their weakening muscles against the thongs which bound their wrists.

'You have done the future of our colonies in the Caribee no good here, Tony,' Edward said

Hilton grinned.
‘I
'd argue that point, Ned, seeing that we've ended the lives of a dozen more of these red devils. Your colony, and mine, will only be secure when the last redskin is ro
tt
ed. You'd do well to bear that in mind. As to any feelings you may have that we owed them some debt because of Blood River, you'd best ask your wife about that.'

Edward turned to Aline, who had once again sunk to the ground. She knelt, his shirt pulled into a ball on her lap by her clutching fingers, staling at the flu
tt
ering men and women. Her face was hard, but it was too dark to read the expression in her eyes.

The Plymouth Belle beat north, the Caribee Queen wide on her beam. Each ship flew all the flags and pennants she possessed, and most of the crews remained on deck to shout congratulations at each other and to be sure they were amongst the first to give the great news to the people of St Ki
tt
s. On deck, too, were the seven white men, wrapped in canvas but exposed to every poss
ible gust of wind, for the weath
er was warm, and the journey north had already taken a whole night. Tom Warner lay by himself.

Thi
s, then, was the end of a man, who dreamed, and who had made so many of his dreams come true. He had been a soldier, and so had died, on a campaign. He had been surrounded, not by his wife and children and his grandchildren, but by his comrades, and that mast have been comforting enough. And he had died in the moment of victory, and with a great many other victories to look back upon. He could have had no doubts about the future of St Ki
tt
s, Edward thought. Now it but remained necessary to make sure that Antigua was protected from the possibility of another Carib raid. Not the possibility, the certainty. They had, indeed, fired the first shots of an
Indian
war. But had not Tom Warner himself done that, ten years before? They could but carry on his dream, and be prepared to resist the occasional nightmare.

He could but do that, and carry on his father's instructions and admonitions, as well. If he were man enough.

He left the poop and went down the ladder and through the companion doorway into the great cabin. For so short a journey it had been cleared of all gear, and all occupants as well, save two. Aline lay on the starboard bunk, covered by a blanket Yarico had washed her, and brushed her
hair, and now sat by her, watch
ing her, looking up anxiously as Edward entered. 'She ask for you,'

'And I am here. Leave us for a spell.'

Yarico got up, and hesitated. 'Ed-ward... .
’

‘I’l
l not be preached at, Yarico.'

She closed the door behind her, softly.

Edward sat down, and Aline's head turned. For a few moments
they
looked at each other. 'You must be very tired,' she said.

‘I
have gone three nights without sleep.'

‘It
must have been a horrible experience for you,'

'And for you?' he asked.

‘It
is worse for those who wait, and imagine.
’

'That is not true,' he said.
‘It
must be worse to suffer. I would know, Aline. I must know. Listen, I will tell yo
u first. You know that Joachim i
s dead?'

Her chin moved, slowly, up and down. Her eyes were filled with tears.

'But Joan survived.'

Her head turned, sharply.

‘I
do not he to you,' Edward said. 'Li
tt
l
e Tom saved her life.'

'Joan,' she whispered. 'Oh, God, there is a miracle.
’
'Hardly less than your own survival.'

'He wanted me' she said. 'He conceived
that
there could be no greater revenge than
that
.' 'And having got you?"

‘I
do not know,' she said.
‘I
do not know. I think perhaps he did mean to kill me, no doubt slowly and with as much unpleasantness as he could devise. I was tied to a stake, within feet of poor Hal
Leaming
.'

'And you laughed at him,' Edward said.

She sucked air into her lungs.

'Yarico told me. A proud deed.'

1 wanted to defy them. I wanted to defy Wapisiane.' Her tongue circled her lips. 'My laughter saved my life, Edward. But yet was I his captive, and yet did he mean to have his revenge.'

His throat was dry, and his stomach was light. 'He alone?" Her head shook, slowly, to and fro. 'How many?" he whispered.

‘I
do not know.' Her hand came out from beneath the blanket, gripped his.
‘I
closed my eyes and tried to close my mind. Or I would have gone mad.' She stared at him. 'Or would you have preferred that, Edward?"

'The
Indian
way?"

'Every way,' she said. 'And other things. There is nothing man can do to woman they omi
tt
ed. And yet
they
were careful, not to hurt me.'

'Not to hurt you,' he said. He got up, walked to the stern window, and gazed at the broad, bubbling white wake which spread behind the ship.

'Edward. They could not reach my mind.
’

He turned. She was si
tt
ing up, the blanket forgo
tt
en. Her shoulders were roughened with sunburn and bruises, and her breasts were pink. The most beautiful breasts he had ever known, breasts made to fill a man's hand, and how many men's hands had
they
filled, these past few days?

She seemed able to read his mind. She had always been able to do that. She flushed, and pulled the blanket back to her throat, and lay down. 'Had I not laughed,' she said.
‘I
dunk they would have killed me, at the stake. They were very aroused. I think
they
would have torn me to pieces. No doubt
that
would have been best, Mr Warner. I am sorry. Then I wished to survive. Then, I never doubted that I could survive, and return to you.' She watched him cross the cabin and stand over her. "Then, I not only loved, Mr Warner,
I thought I was loved, and I th
ought that our love required survival, demanded survival, for its continuance. I shall not laugh again, Mr Warner.'

How beautiful she was. Almost he stooped towards her. And then he saw the brown hands, stained with mud and filth, clawing at her body, twisting in her hair, and instead he nearly retched. But how valuable she was, in her courage and her constancy. Yet how tarnished, as every white man, every white woman, and every white child in the Caribee Isles, no, in the entire Western Hemisphere, in time, in the entire world, would know. No one would ever look at her again, without seeing her stretched on her face in the dust, her legs spread wide. No one.

He ran for the doorway, and the fresh breeze coining in from the north.

‘
He was a great man,' declared the Reverend Sweeting, and raised his head as if daring anyone in the assembly to challenge his statement.

There was no risk of that. The colonists of St Ki
tt
s, men and women, and their children, stood in a huge mass on
the slopes of the hill beneath
the grave. Only the men on duty on Brimstone Hill were not present; even the slaves had lined up below their masters and mistresses. There could be no less than four thousand people present, Edward estimated. Some distance from the four nervous men and the excited boy who had landed on these beaches a dozen years before.

And it had, undoubtedly, been Tom Warne
r's doing. Even the skies, brilliantl
y blue and cloudless, and the breeze, drifting
gently
down from the peak of old Misery, and the sea, sparkling blue beneath the glowing sun, seemed to be paying their tribute to the man who had dreamed, and acted, and accomplished.

'He followed his star,' Mr Sweeting said. 'And earned himself a fortune and a fame which will endure so long as there is an English-speaking nation left upon this earth. But more than
that
, my friends. He never forgot who and what he was, and where his d
uty lay. He was an English gentl
eman, and he sought always to act as an English gentleman. He was a loving husband and
Father
, and he sought always to act as a loving husband and father. And he was a true Christian, who was ever animated by the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, and whose dreams and actions were given power through his desire to propagate the Christian faith.'

He was a great man, Edward thought. By any standards. Why stain his memory with hypocrisy? Can greatness, in a worldly sense, ever be separated from harshness and cruelty, from faithlessness and lust? Greatness depends upon success, and success depends upon the possession of all those vices.

But no one present was inclined to dispute even these specious words. The Sieur de Poincy stood on the left of the grave, with his principal officers, amongst them the two heroes, Lafi
tt
e and Solange, veterans of the
Indian
campaign, imme
di
at
ely promoted to commands in the French militia. The Warners were gathered on the other side. A surprisingly small group, for the family and friends of such a man. Lady Warner, her face shrouded beneath a black veil which hung from her broad-brimmed hat, the back of her gown darkening with sweat, for this day she was dressed as she would for court, from gloves to heeled shoes, and no doubt even a corset to hold her straight. Philip Warner stood close, ready to provide her with comfort and support, if need be. His face was solemn. Harry Judge was at his side. Yarico had donned a gown for the occasion, and stood a few feet away,
little
Tom clutching her hand and gazing into the grave where lay his father. With them was the tall figure of Tony Hilton, in full armour, for he possessed no other clothing, and beside him Brian Connor, short and also very military, together with John Painton.

Edward Warner was by himself, the sun beating down on his bare head, his hands clasped in front. He wore no sword, and his clothes were the homespun of the farmer. The breeze ruffled his hair and plucked at his bear
d. He knew how many were surrep
titiously watching him.

For there remained two oth
er Warn
ers, also standing by themselves. Aline, in a borrowed gown and a borrowed hat, both supplied by her stepmother-in-law, clutching Joan in her arms. Joan had not left her arms since her return.

'And so he died,' Mr Sweeting said. 'As a gentleman and a Christian, but more, as the man he was, Governor of the Caribee Isles. He perceived his duty, and he went about it without a moment's hesitation, whatever his age, whatever the calls upon his nature to remain in comfort and security. By doing so he put many of us here to shame. And in doing so he died. Yet were even his last moments crowned with success. Can there ever have been a more successful venture than the expedition t
o Dominica? Have we not now settl
ed accounts with the Caribs once and for all? Is not this island, and all of these islands, now safe for us and our children, aye, and our children's children, to live in? Shall we not build a new nation here, in these tiny paradises? For
this
must be our charge, my friends, to realize Tom Warner's dream, to watch it unfold to make it come true. This was the duty he left us, and this is the duty we must perform.'

Tom could have spoken those words himself. He might even have wri
tt
en them, for his own epitaph. Because he had spoken them before, many years ago, m
id watched them turn sour. As th
ese would turn sour. These people had taken no part in the fight against the Caribs, yet they would suffer. Edward had no doubts about that. The
Indian
s were defeated, but they were far from beaten. They had tasted blood against the white men, and now they had a deal to avenge. And were they the only menaces of the Caribee colonies? Were not the Spaniards still the dominating power in tins beautiful sea, but waiting
their
moment to liquidate all intruders? Was there really any possibility of French and English sharing an island as small as St Ki
tt
s for any length
of time
with
out again coming to blows? Was their any
possibility of the English settl
e
rs, even if left strictly to th
emselves, living in complete harmony, where factions mid rivalries sprang up overnight almost like magic?

And supposing all those things were possible, had not Tom himself planted a canker in the very centre of the colony, a canker which at present gazed up the hill at the white people solemnly burying their leader, and like the Caribs, watched and listened, and remembered. And prepared to grow.

And yet, foreseeing all these insuperable problems, he must tread the path delineated for him by his father, and count himself fortunate. For Mr Sweeting was finished, and the grave was being filled, and the people were waiting for him to begin.

'Mr Sweeting has done my father no more than justice,' he said. 'He was a great man, and we shall surely miss his leadership and his inspiration. Yet shall we not fail
him
. St Ki
tt
s has alread
y grown to the proportions of a
nation, and I know that it will continue to prosper under the sure governorship of my brother here. My father's dying words were to charge me with the restoration of the Antigua colony. This I mean to do, and imme
di
at
ely. But I wall need volunteers, men and women who will be prepared to start
their
lives afresh, and look for new prosperity.'

'We're with you, Captain Warner,' Robert Anderson shouted. 'We'll be back to St John's as soon as it can be managed.'

'Aye, and you may count on me, Captain Warner,' Tom Doughty shouted.

They would not follow him to Dominica, but now the crisis was over they were his men again. And more. There were endless cries of support. He was the hero, now. He had fought and won. Time and again. And time and again?

He held up his hands.
‘I
thank you. Mr Anderson, you'll be in charge of recruiting. I'd ask you to set up a table on the beach. I shall join you within the hour.'

'You are to be congratulated, Ned,' Tony Hilton said. 'Susan will be proud of you.'

'And you?"

‘I
must be back to my rock. We shall never grow
rich from the soil, like the Warn
ers, but we pluck a living from the sea.'

'And it is more to your taste.'

Hilton's mouth split in that tremendous grin.
‘It
was ever s
o. But you can be sure tha
t if you ever need a stout right arm, and many more besides, you have but to send a sloop north to Tortuga.'

'And you will count on me in a similar vein, old friend."

‘I
never doubted that, Ned. God speed.'

'And I also must take my leave, Ted.' Connor took off his hat. 'But
I’ll
pay ye a visit, when ye've set yourself up again.'

'And meanwhile, Montserrat prospers. We've come a long way from that empty beach, Brian.
’

'Now there's a true word. 'Tis a shame poor Paddy O'Reilly never lived to see the day. But he's watching us, ye may be sure. I
’
ll wish ye fortune.'

‘I
, at the least, need say only a temporary farewell,' Painton said, 'as my next cargo will be bound for Antigua. This was your father's wish.'

'And I shall honour his desire, of course,' Edward said.
‘I
but wish I could convince myself
that
what we do is not condemned
by God, and does not carry with
in itself the seeds of our destruction.'

Painton laughed, and slapped him on the shoulder. "What, would He condemn us for increasing His congregation? Be sure that all those blacks down there have already been
baptized. Believe me, Ned, thi
s is but a necessity, to which you will soon become accustomed. I shall be back in six months.'

Edward watched him walking down the hill, behind the slowly dispersing crowd.

'Your day of triumph,' Anne Warner said, softly. "Well, perhaps you have earned it, Edward. If Hilton and the others are to be believed, and I am prepared to believe them, it was Sir Thomas's last wish that you plant cane in Antigua, and that we supply you with whatever finance is necessary to accomplish that. This also I am prepared to do. But there is an end to the ma
tt
er. You have chosen to oppose me in every
possible way since I came to th
ese islands, and I hold you and your lust after glory and bloodshed as directly responsible for the death of my husband and your father. Take what you wish and go, Edward. We have no wish
to see you in
St Ki
tt
s again.'

Edward b
owed.
‘I
would rather hear such a message from the Governor, if I may, Lady Warner.'

Philip licked his li
ps.
‘I
endorse Lady Warner's words, Edward. God knows, I have fought with you and for you oft enough, and I have tried to see the world with your eyes. But we are different people, you and I, and you seem to a
tt
ract at once the support and the anger of the Fa
tes. We would prefer a more settl
ed life, here in St Ki
tt
s. And if, as you claim, you possess the finest harbour in the Caribee Isles, then you should not suffer by conducting your own trade with England.'

Edward nodded. 'Be sure that the Antigua colony will prosper. Nor will I again call on you for assistance, Philip.

Yet I am proud to have been associated with you during our ba
tt
les with the Dons. Here is my hand.'

Philip hesitated, and then held out his own, and their fingers locked, for an instant.

'Now we should be obliged,' Anne Warner said.
‘If
you would leave us with our grief. And take your cha
tt
els with you.'