Officer And Man by George Lewis Becke (best summer books TXT) 📕

spoke at all, "for God's sake and for mine and your husband's, do not be frightened, but listen to me and do exactly as I tell you."

Still trembling like a startled fawn, the girl raised her lustrous eyes to the young officer's face. His earnest, sincere manner and expression of deep concern seemed to reassure her, and though her bosom heaved and her breath came in quick, short gasps, she turned her face to him in the confidence of dawning hope.

"Who are you, sir, and what do you wan' my husban' for?"

"Tell these natives to go," said the lieutenant "Have no fear. I am your husband's friend; but, _be quick_!"

Still, with a wondering look upon her beautiful face, the girl advanced to the door, said something in the island tongue to the crowd of curious natives, and then gently closed the door.

"This is a rum go!" said the sergeant of marines to himself, as he saw the door shut to. "What the devil has the girl been doing? Are the bracelets for her, I wonder?"

"Tui," said Lieutenant Carteret, the moment they were alone, "time presses. You speak English so well as to thoroughly understand that which I am now about to tell you?"

"Yes, sir," she answered, standing before him with clasped hands, "I think so. A white woman who is dead now taught me to read and write English, and my husban' always talk English to me."

"Good. Then listen to me, my girl. I am Lieutenant Carteret, of H.M.S. _Spitfire_--that ship out there--sent here with the ship's police to arrest a deserter from the _Flycatcher_ on this station five years ago. This is the man's photograph. He is said to be your husband, and calls himself George Barcom. Now, when I was an officer of the _Flycatcher_, I knew a man named Charles Parker"--her face went a deadly pallor--"who deserted the ship at the Yasawa Group in Fiji. I can, without doubt, identify this man. But, Tui, I have looked at this photograph when it was held in the hand of my captain, and said that this is _not_ the man whom I knew as Charles Parker. But look at it yourself and tell me--is this the photograph of your husband, and is this man on this island?"

With shaking fingers she took it from him, looked at it, and then raised her face to the officer.

"Is this the doin' of a man called Obadiah Howlman?"

"Yes," answered the lieutenant, "it _is_ the work of Obadiah Howlman. He brought this photograph to the Admiral only a few days ago."

A savage gleam came into her eyes. "The brute! I kill him for _this_ some day!"

"That will not save your husband, my girl," said Carteret; then he waited a moment and added, "whatever it might do later on."

Suddenly the girl's dark eyes filled with tears, and she laid her hand on the officer's sleeve.

"What is to be done, sir? For God's sake don' you take my husband from me, sir."

"_This_ can be done. You have seen this photograph. You say that it is not that of your husband, don't you? But, Tui, I must do my duty, do you understand? I must see your husband."

"And you are the man whose life he saved--for now I 'member your name and the story he told me long ago--you who say you are his friend, you would do this thing, you who in the ship gave him money so that he might----"

"Wait, my girl, till I have finished; then you will understand. Listen now. I will remain here, and you will yourself find your husband and bring him here to this house so that I may see him. Bring him here quickly, and by some way that my men cannot see his face. And then, Tui, when I have spoken to him, then for your sake and for his sake I will lie, and swear he is not the man I have been sent to take. Then, when my ship has gone, you--you and he--you must promise me this, Tui--must leave this island as quickly as possible; so that when Obadiah Howlman sends another warship here--as he will do--they may not discover that I am a liar and have been false to my duty."

"Oh, sir, is this true? Surely you would not tell a lie to a poor native girl like me?"

"Go, my girl"--and Carteret placed a kindly hand on her shoulder--"go quickly to Parker--I know very well that he is not far off. _He_ will believe what I say."

For a moment she gazed intently into his face, as if she would read his soul; and then seizing his hand pressed it to her lips, and went out by the door that opened at the rear of the house.

Then the lieutenant opened the front door and walked slowly across to where the marines were standing.

"Take your men out of sight, sergeant. I don't want this fellow frightened until I know who he is. If he's the man we want, we'll have no trouble in getting him. I've induced his wife to go and bring him."

Whistling softly in an unconcerned manner, he turned back and stood at the door of the house and waited there for perhaps ten minutes, until he saw the girl returning with a white man, who appeared to be ill and weak, for he had on a heavy top-coat, and a shawl wrapped round his neck in such a way that his features were almost entirely hidden.

*****


Lieutenant Carteret allowed the man and woman to enter, and then followed, closing the door after him.

As soon as he was inside, the white man threw off his muffler and turned towards the officer.

"You must take me, sir," he said, speaking calmly. "I cannot let you do this for me. I know, sir, that you cannot help yourself."

"No, by Heavens! Parker, I cannot take you. You jumped overboard and saved my life. I tell you, man, that I _can't_ do it. Do you think I can ever forget that awful thirty minutes, nearly six years ago, when you kept me afloat off the Bampton Shoal? Now, Parker, just listen. I have a plan; the whole thing is arranged as soon as we leave here. But you and your wife _must_ get away from this island soon after the _Spitfire_ leaves. That infernal sweep, Howlman, will be sure to send another man-of-war after you----"

"Listen to me, sir. I, too, have a plan. You shall not ruin yourself for me. You are only a very young man, sir, and have the world before you. I dread nothing but the temporary separation from Tui here. To me my arrest means only dismissal from the service and a couple of years in gaol; and likely enough, I shall get back here again without much trouble."

"No, I----"

"Don't waste time, sir. Call the escort, but for God's sake, sir, do the thing quickly; look at my girl, sir, and let me get away before I break down too, and act the coward. If you don't call the escort at once, I will."

"You madman, Parker," began Carteret, and then Tui threw her arms round her husband.

"Are you tired of me?" she sobbed. "Is this how you would leave the woman who loves you, and who will be the mother of your child?"

The deserter caught her in his arms, and looking over his shoulder at the lieutenant, said, "For God's sake, sir, don't wait. Call in your men and get it over."

"Parker, for Heaven's sake take this chance. I tell you, man, that I have no fear for myself. I don't care a straw about the Service if this is discovered."

"Stand aside, sir. I'm not the man to let you sacrifice yourself for me----" And unloosing his wife's arms from his neck, he advanced to the door.

"Very well; it is your own fault."

The next instant the lieutenant threw open the door.

"Sergeant, bring your men here."

* * * * *


Half an hour later Lieutenant Carteret reported to Commander Arness.

"I have brought the prisoner on board, sir. He is a man named Charles Parker, and was sergeant of marines on the _Flycatcher?_"

"Very good, Mr. Carteret What have you done with his wife?"

"She refused to leave, sir, and when we brought the man away, went off to the other side of the island."

* * * * *


When the _Spitfire_ reached Sydney, Charles Parker was duly tried by court-martial, and in consequence of the friendly exertions of the principal witness against him, Lieutenant Neil Carteret, was let off lightly. He was dismissed from the service, and sentenced to imprisonment in a Sydney jail for eighteen months.

When his time had expired, he managed, after a few months of waiting about in Sydney, to work his way back to Anuda Island. And scarce had the boat touched the beach when he was seized by the welcoming arms of his native friends and carried ashore.

"Is it well with my wife, O friends?" he asked.

"It is well with her," they answered; "in a little while we will take you to her, but first let us tell thee of that which has befallen her on this island."

Then they told him.

*****


"One day after the warship had gone," they said, "there came here a trading schooner from Niuafou. On the ship were Tepuaka, the King of Niuafou--the father of thy wife--and many of his men. And with him there came also the little fat white man named Opataia [Obadiah]. All those men that came with Tepuaka, the King, were _lotu_ [Christians]. No sooner did they land, than Tepuaka and his friend, the fat little white man, Opataia, walked to the house of his daughter, thy wife, Tui, but all of his men he bade remain here in the village.

"'See,' said one of these men of Niuafou to us vauntingly, 'see what has come to pass! Tuilagi refused to take for her husband the good and pious man Opataia, but fled with this common white man, who is no better than a heathen. And then what comes? This bad white man is caught by his countrymen and put in a prison with chains upon his body. So now the King comes for his daughter, for even now is Opataia willing to take her, though she is but of little worth, to my mind.'

"While they spoke thus to us, Tepuaka and his white friend had gone to thy house, and there did Tui, thy wife, meet them with smiles to hide what lay in her heart.

"'Get thee ready, thou wicked woman,' said her father roughly to her; 'get thee ready quickly to leave this heathen land and return to thy own country, where thou shalt be wife to this good man, Opataia, who desires thee still.'

"'It is well, my father,' said Tui; 'but yet leave us now for a little. Surely if this man desires me for his house he can speak to me with his own mouth, and not through thine.'

"So her father went without the house, and Opataia, the white man, remained with Tui.

"Then said the evil-faced white man to Tui: 'For the wrong that thou did'st me by running away with that evil white man do I forgive thee, for I love thee well.' And then he put his arms about her, and sought