Bevis of Hampton

“ His will drove him onward, while his emotions flayed him without mercy. The adventurer and lover in him was crying out for Beverly, thirsting for that brig bound south to Chagres, and now more than ever in this terrible moment when he knew definitely that Nelly Barnes would be aboard her. Hampton knew only too well to what a hell the Beverly Panama Gold Company was departing, and in James Day he had singularly little faith—for some very obscure reason. It meant nothing to Hampton that the stooped man on the wagon hated him; he felt curiously above Jed Barnes. ”

“ When the tumult had quieted a little, and Marie had partially recovered, Hugh managed to escape from the crush of excited people, and drove rapidly homeward.
The crowd, now thoroughly good-natured, drifted back into the streets of Meade, and then celebrated, in various ways, the noted event. Every man in the vast throng inquired of his neighbor, over and over, where he supposed Major Hampton was. ”

“ A last kiss, and Hampton sprang to his place. The crown of rocks was surrounded by rough and cactus-covered ground, but had the advantage of dominating position; from it, Hampton could see far over the desert on all three sides. Behind was the gulf of the arroyo. Eli pointed to a dark crowd of men, beyond rifle-shot, off to the right.
“Now they're splitting up,” he said. “Working out around us, eh? And look yonder, toward the sea—ain't that another gang?”
Hampton looked down the trail toward the harbor and thought that he made out shadowy moving objects. ”

“ All men do.”
“I told ye I had interests down below. I know a number of men there—not good or godly men, mark you! If you and I go together and seek this man Winslow or Dias, if we combine against him, it's fight fire with fire. Are ye willing to join with these other friends o' mine, let me give you letters to them? There's little law down in Mexico, you understand. In a year you can make your fortune, gain your revenge, and all's clear.”
Hampton, astonished as he was, did not miss the dark hint. ”

“ Though he saw her down the deck once or twice, Hampton had no further speech with Nelly Barnes all day; at the same time, he began to realize that the gossip must be hard for her to bear, since it filled all the ship and was swift to create dissension. His brother officers and many of the Beverly men who knew him, were warm to back his love-match; but the older men among the gold seekers, all of them hard-headed New Englanders of some position and means, were as swift to back up harsh Jed Barnes. ”

“ Hampton jingled the gold in his pocket, then thoughtfully got out his pipe and lighted it. He was quite aware of the high compliment that had been paid him, and found it puzzling. Any company could open its books, and have every berth, every bit of stock, subscribed in a day's time. There was no trouble about men wanting to go—the difficulty lay in getting passage. If, as men did, a man were to lay the keel of a schooner or brig on the ocean-side of his farm land, he could have an entire company formed and paid up before the ship's timbers were in place. ”

“ Stout old Job had foreseen hell in prospect for the friend he loved. No wonder poor Eli had fled from this to the lure of golden California, as Dick himself had fled from it years before.
Hampton looked at his father, met those icy eyes, a colder gray than his own, and wondered. No pity lay in him for this man deserted in old age by both sons, for the man needed none. No emotions appeared to lie within that heart of granite—only stern duty. Ephraim Hampton was fiercely sufficient unto himself ”

“ Hampton attempted to expostulate, but was reduced to silence by the grave manner of El Hambre; he was brought to the realization that they had gained for their quest an ally, not a mere obeyer of orders, and he accepted the situation.
“This is as it should be,” he said quietly, motioning Warlock to put away the gold. “You saw these men give me a rifle, El Hambre,” and he touched the silver-mounted weapon. “Now, I am not a hunter, but a sailor; to me, one gun is as good as another. With you it is different. Therefore I'll turn over to you this rifle and its accoutrements. ”

“ Obediently, Bobo doffed his wide hat and bowed in mocking welcome. A shiver passed over Hampton, and his eyes widened at sight of the hatless man. Despite the beard, despite the long hair, the haggard features, that face struck into him with frightful recognition; he stood paralyzed, speechless, incredulous, in the grasp of a stiffling horror that mounted and mounted as the fool gibbered at him. Hampton put a hand to his eyes as though to wipe away the vision—looked again, was conscious of the laughter of Dias and the men around, but heeded it not. ”

“ So tremendous was the revulsion that Hampton lay for a long while unable to speak, unable to trust himself; until at length he put lips to ear and broke silence with shaken accents. So in the darkness of the slave-pen came to be delivered the message from father to son. Then, after a little, Hampton mentioned that hole in the wall.
“A night's work will finish it,” said Eli, little more than forming the words with his lips. “But it's no good, Dick. Can't get away. No hope on earth. Pap Hoskins is in the game with me, and so is that big Frenchman with the blue-black beard. ”

“ Hampton, slender yet firmly knit, his movements quick like those of a watchful tiger, his shoulders set square, his body held erect as though trained to the profession of arms, his gray eyes marking every movement about him with a suspicion born of continual exposure to peril, his features finely chiselled, with threads of gray hair beginning to show conspicuously about the temples. One would glance twice at him anywhere, for in chin, mouth, and eyes were plainly pictured the signs of strength, evidences that he had fought stern battles, and was no craven. ”

“ Hampton caught the eye of James Day, who stood at the side of old Nickerson, and Day made an almost imperceptible gesture of assurance.
When it came the turn of the crew, and man after man swore that the knife was unknown to him, dismay came upon Hampton. It seemed impossible, for once seen that knife could not easily be forgotten. Vainly he searched among crew and passengers for any man who might betray signs of guilt or fear; vainly he tried to fasten on any man who might have been an enemy to Jed Barnes. Job Warlock came and stood beside him stoutly enough. ”

“ There seemed to be only a sprinkling of little brown men, most of them barefoot, and native women cloaked in rebosos; everywhere were foreigners, with Americans predominating. The majority of these were swaggering about, enjoying themselves and spending money in great style; but from comments he caught in passing, and a few emaciated skeletons whom he observed, Hampton concluded that the camp on the beach would tell a different story. Neither he nor Warlock saw any one whom they knew, and having first to find the Inn of the Golden Pomegranates, directed their inquiries to this end. ”

“ He knelt down beside Murphy, unbuckled the leather despatch-bag, and rebuckled it across his own shoulder. Then he set to work to revive the prostrate man. The eyes, when opened, stared up at him, wild and glaring; the ugly face bore the expression of abject fear. The man was no longer violent; he had become a child, frightened at the dark. His ceaseless babbling, his incessant cries of terror, only rendered more precarious any attempt at pressing forward through a region overrun with hostiles. But Hampton had resolved. ”

“ There was no room for Eli to crawl over his brother, so when the bunk was clear, Hampton sat up and swung his feet to the floor, while Eli crept in past him. Much to his own surprize, Hampton found himself in much better condition than he had anticipated. Every movement cost its share of pain, naturally, yet his freedom of movement in general was not restricted; and on that unhappy traverse up from Panama, Hampton had learned anew the admirable results of muscular pain coupled with necessary exertion. ”

“ What could he do, even if he should find this man Dias—kill him? That would not help Eli. Ransom the boy? No such luck. Men forced into slavery would not be let free at any price. The sending of this letter itself was a miracle. The name of that Indian—El Hambre, or “Hunger”—looked very singular. The whole thing left Dick Hampton feeling helpless. Then, as he thought back to what must have happened in the beginning, he lifted bitter eyes to his father.
“Your fault,” he said, with intent to make his words bite. “You always loved Eli a little bit—and kept him here in your private hell. ”

“ The Yaqui struck a large bell, and the door was opened by a silk-clad Chinaman.
“Follow,” said Ramon, and stalked in.
Hampton obeyed, keenly alert and noting every detail. Since the previous day he had become a new man—himself again, the seaman, the man of action. Outwardly he was the same sullen, silent person beaten down by the whips of misfortune; inwardly, the deathly despair was gone. He could have laughed aloud as he entered the house of Dias. True, there was no escape in sight, but there was at least the prospect of striking a blow and going down like a man instead of as a beast. ”

“ Dick Hampton was taken back by this meeting, back across a year's time to that terrible winter's voyage from Bristol to Rio—an ice-sheeted ship, hammering through gales on gales with storm jib and to'gallant close-reefed barely keeping her but from under the roaring seas, and green water rolling waist-high across the decks. There men suffered or died, worked, sang, kept the ship going, saved each other, laughed or whimpered. Those tremendous arms of Job Warlock had saved Dick Hampton more than once, and more than once had Hampton's wide shoulders and lightning agility repaid the debt. ”

“ Satan performed his part of the contract to the letter. On the first day of every month the boots, which were hung on the crane in the fireplace the night before, were found in the morning stuffed full of guineas. It is true that Hampton had ransacked the village for the largest pair to be found, and had finally secured a brace of trooper’s boots, which came up to the wearer’s thigh; but the contract merely expressed boots, and the devil does not stand upon trifles.
Hampton rolled in wealth. Everything prospered. ”

“ Hampton rolled over and shoved his legs at the ragged hole. Movement cost him a good deal of pain, of course, though not enough to hamper him in action; he wriggled into the hole, felt his feet gripped from the outside, and presently scraped through into the open air. Eli caught and supported him, helped him find his feet. ”

“ III AFTER that first recognition, Hampton dared not look again at the white face of the girl; she took a step forward, then paused and glanced at Doña Hermana. Deadly fear lay in her eyes. She wore the same simple blue dress in which Hampton had last seen her. This vision of her, standing here in the patio, brought a swift heart-stab to him. He looked at Dias, and in those glassy, arrogant eyes he read death. ”

“ What else?"
"Only that our tempers don't exactly seem to jibe, and the two of us can't be bosses in the same ranch."
She looked at him contemptuously, swinging her body farther around on the rock, and sitting stiffly, the color on her cheeks deepening through the sunburn. "Now see here, Mister Bob Hampton, you're a fraud, and you know it! Did n't I understand exactly who you was, and what was your business? Did n't I know you was a gambler, and a 'bad man'? Didn't I tell you plain enough out yonder,"—and her voice faltered slightly,—"just what I thought about you? Good Lord! ”

“ Lured by the prospect of an assured and swift California passage under experienced auspices, they had trusted themselves to Dias—and what would be the end of this affair?
“Damnation, damnation!” cried Hampton, as the prospect burned into him, torturing him with the anguish of his own futility. “Those whom he can't rob and strip along the isthmus, he'll pack into his schooners at Panama and rob on the way north—they'll never see California at all! He'll land them somewhere in Mexico, penniless and broken—he's not a man but a devil! ”

“ He was little inclined to admit, even to himself, that he had been fairly hit, yet the truth remained that this girl was beginning to interest him oddly. He admired her sturdy independence, her audacity of speech, her unqualified frankness. Mr. Hampton was a thoroughgoing sport, and no quality was quite so apt to appeal to him as dead gameness. ”

“ Few of the older citizens of Hampton were able to explain why something rose in their gorges, why they experienced a new and clammy quality of fear and repulsion when, on the day following Antonelli's advent, these strangers arrived from nowhere to install themselves—with no baggage to speak of —in Hampton's more modest but hitherto respectable hostelries. ”

“ Looks like he's out to stick a knife in Dias, eh? Durned good thing we didn't put a bullet into him for knifing that chink! The world's a fine place, so hurray!”
Hampton made no response, devoting himself to keeping up with El Hambre, who advanced rapidly along the narrow trail that penetrated the jungle. When they had gone half a mile the trail began to mount and the trees thinned out, until at length the three men emerged upon a hill side, close to a trickling waterfall and a thatched hut. El Hambre gave a call, and from the hut emerged a wrinkled Indian woman. ”