Officer And Man

“Don’t you be such a fool, Tom,” said the coxswain to one of the men. “You’re always a-jumpin’ at conclusions too rapid. Just you wait a bit and see. It’s my belief that this chap has been up to something, and the marines have gone with Carteret to scruff him and bring him aboard. I saw the sergeant had a pair of darbies, and what do you suppose that Carteret’s come ashore with a regular escort for?”

A ten minutes’ walk and Lieutenant Carteret and his men, guided by a number of natives, reached the white man’s thatched dwelling, which stood amid a grove of banana and bread-fruit trees. When within a few yards, the lieutenant saw a tall, graceful young native girl, clad in semi-European style, advance to the open door, and then with a terrified exclamation withdraw again.

“That is Tui,² Joajai’s wife,” said one of the natives, pointing to the girl, who now again appeared, and, with her full dark eyes dilated with alarm, timidly held out her hand to the officer and murmured something in the native tongue.

“She speaks English, but she is afraid of the men with the guns,” explained the native guide.

“Where is your husband?” said Lieutenant Carteret, motioning to the girl to seat herself, and the marines to stand back.

She only shook her head, and turned inquiringly to the natives who accompanied the officer.

“The white man is away on the other side of the island, sir. He be here in ‘bout one half-hour,” said the English-speaking native. “Suppose you like, sir, I send some one go tell him come quick?”

Carteret hesitated a moment, then answered “No.” Then turning to the sergeant of marines, he said, “Let your men fall still further back, sergeant This is a delicate matter, and I don’t want this confounded crowd of natives, many of whom understand English, to hear what I have to say to this woman. Send a man down to the boat, and tell the coxswain that I shall have to wait for some time. If the ship makes a signal, the boat can go off and tell the captain that I shall have to wait; then she can come back for me.”

All this time the trader’s young wife sat trembling upon a rude couch that stretched across one side of the room; and her eyes never left the officer’s face for an instant, save when for a moment she gave a terrified glance at the rifles and bayonets of the marine escort.

The moment that the marines had fallen back the lieutenant stepped forward and took the young woman by the hand.

“Tui,” he said hurriedly, drawing her to the further end of the room with firm but gentle hand, and speaking so low and without motion of his lips that none but she knew that he 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.”