"What ho, mate," he began, scowling most vilely at me, "the sun is high in the heavens, yet we linger here. Let us up anchor, hoist the top-gallant mast and set sail for the enemy."
Jimmy's nautical terms might have been open to criticism, but there was no denying the bold and manly import of his speech. My own heart jumped well enough with it now.
"'Tis well, shipmate," said I. "Come, get ready your togs and your weapons, and let us away. As you say, the good ship tugs at her anchor chains this morning."
I managed to better the wardrobe of both boys by certain ducks and linens from my own store, albeit a world too large. Lafitte, none too happy at being thus uncongenially clean, was delight itself when set to selecting an armament from my collection. He chose three bright and clean Japanese swords, special blades of the Samurai armorers, forged long before Mutsuhito's grandfather was a boy--I had paid a rare price for them in Japan. To these he added three basket-handled cutlasses, which I had obtained in London, each almost old enough to have belonged to the crew of Drake himself. A short-barreled magazine pistol for each of us was his concession to the present unromantic age. As for Jimmy, he insisted on a small bore rifle as well as a shotgun. "We might see something," he remarked laconically.
Thus equipped, I persuaded my associates to lay aside most of their somewhat archaic artillery. Neither had taken any thought of other supplies. Hiroshimi, however, now appeared, bearing, in addition to my hand luggage, two hampers, a roll of blankets and a silk tent in its canvas wrapper.
"Honorable is embarked in those small-going boat that is made tied to the bank?" inquired Hiroshimi. He had said nothing to me about my guests, or asked how they came; but as I knew he would find out all about it, anyhow, after his own fashion, I had not mentioned anything to him, or told him what to do. I only nodded now, relying on his efficiency. He now approached my young pirates, and rather against their will, removed from them some of their burden of weapons, slinging about himself bundles, baskets, bags and cutlery, until he almost disappeared from view. He cast on me a reproachful gaze, however, as he took from Lafitte's hand the bared blade of the old Samurai sword, and noted the ancient inscription on blade and scabbard as he sheathed it reverently.
"What does it say, Hiro?" I asked of him.
"Very old talk, Honorable," answered Hiroshimi. "It say, 'Oh, Honorable Gentleman who carry me, I invite you to make high and noble adventurings.'"
"Let me carry it, Hiro," said I; and I tucked it under my own arm.
"Good!" exclaimed L'Olonnois. "Then you are going with us? And did you write the letters that you promised us?"
"I always keep my word."
"And it'll be all right back home about mother and the boat? I'll give you my six dollars!"
"There is no need. I told you, if you would make me one of the crew of the _Sea Rover_ and let me seek my fortune with you, I would gladly pay all the reckoning of our journey."
"And how long will we be gone?"
"Till after your school begins, I fear."
"And how far are you going with us?"
"Spang! to the Spanish Main!" I answered.
So then we set forth down my woodland path.
CHAPTER VI
IN WHICH I ACQUIRE A FRIEND
We proceeded, therefore, through the wood, sweet in the dew of morning, among many twittering birds, and so came, presently, to the end of my path, where the little gate shuts it off from my mowing meadow; at the upper end of which, it may be remembered, the good ship _Sea Rover_ lay anchored. The grass stood waist-high and wet in the dew as we turned along the meadow side, and L'Olonnois flinched a bit, although Lafitte waded along carelessly.
I observed that each boy had now thrust into his hat band a turkey feather, picked up, en route, along my field's edge. Jimmy was not sure of the correctness of this; and admitted that, sometimes, he had read literature having to do with Indian fighting, as well as piratical enterprises. I suggested that, to my mind, nothing quite took the place of the regulation red kerchief bound about the head; whereat, gravely, both L'Olonnois and Lafitte discarded their hats and feathers, for the bandannas which I proffered them. Having bound these about their foreheads, a great courage and confidence came to them.
L'Olonnois drew his sword, and with some care placed the blade between his teeth. "Hist!" exclaimed Lafitte, himself swept by his friend's imagination, and preparing to place his cutlass in his mouth also. "Let us approach the vessel with care, lest the enemy be about."
So saying, each pirate with a mouthful of cold steel, and a hand shading his red-kerchiefed brow, stole through my clump of birches toward the bend, where the boat had first surprised me; myself following, somewhat put to it to refrain from laughter, although one rarely laughs in the young hours of the day, and myself rarely, at all.
We were greeted by no hostile shot, and found our vessel quite as we had left her, as I could see at a glance when we neared the bank; but, none the less, something stirred in the bushes. A growl and a sudden barking, greeted Hiroshimi as he approached the boat in advance.
"You, Tige!" called out Lafitte. The dog--a dog none too beautiful, and now just a bit forlorn--approached us, alternately wagging in friendship and retreating in alarm.
"Well, what do you think of that!" said Jimmy. "We left him back at the lake--sent him home half a dozen times. How'd he get here, and how'd he know where we was?"
"He couldn't a-swum the lake," assented John. "And it was more'n ten miles around; and how could he smell where we went, on the water? Come here, Tige, you blame fool!"
"Nay," said I, "he is no fool, this dog, but a creature of great reason, else he never could have found you. And I'll be bound he is as keen for adventure as any of us."
"He is coming here last night two ow-wore after dinner," said the omniscient Hiroshimi. "Also he bite me on leg. He, also, is malefactor."
"He has allotted to himself the duty of caring for the property of his masters, Hiro," I said, "and hence is not really a malefactor.
Besides, since he would not leave the boat and follow our trail, he is by this time hungry. Feed him, Hiro."
But Hiroshimi was not eager to approach the piratical canine again; so I, myself, fished something from a hamper and called the dog to me. He ate gladly and most gratefully.
Now, it is a strange thing to say, but it is the truth, I had never before in my life fed a dog! I had won many knotty suits at law, had solved many hard problems dealing with human nature--and had found human nature for the most part rarely glad or grateful--but I have never owned or even fed a dog. A strange new feeling came in my throat now. Suddenly I swallowed some invisible intangible thing.
"John," said I, "what breed of dog is this?" Indeed, it was hard to tell offhand, although he had the keen head of a collie.
"I guess he's just one o' them partial dogs," answered John, "mostly shepherd, maybe; I dunno."
"Very well, Partial shall be his name. And is he yours?"
"He runs round on the farm. He goes with Jimmy an' me."
"John, will you sell me Partial?" I asked this suddenly, realizing that my voice might sound odd.
"What'd ye want him fer?" he replied. "He'd be a nuisance."
"I think not. See how faithful he has been, see how grateful he is; and how wise. He reasoned where you were as well as I reasoned who you were. He knows now that we are talking about him, and knows that I am his friend--see him look at me; see him come over and stand by me.
John, do you think--do you believe a dog, this dog, would learn to like me, ever? Would he understand me?"
"Well," said John judicially, standing sword in hand, "I dunno.
Someways, maybe dogs and boys understands quicker. But you understand us. Maybe he'd understand you."
"Well reasoned, Jean Lafitte," said I, "perhaps your logic is better than you know, at least, I hope so. And now I offer you yonder magazine pistol as your own in fee, if you will sign over to me all your right, title and interest, in Partial, here. Evidently he belongs with us. He seems to care for us. And I experience some odd sort of feeling, which I can not quite describe. Perhaps it is only that I feel like a boy, and one that is going to own a dog. Is it a bargain?"
"Sure! You c'n have him for nuthin'," said Lafitte. "He ain't worth nothin'. Besides, I can't charge a brother of the flag anything; anyhow, not you." I inferred that Jean Lafitte, also, was going to grow up into one of those men like myself, cursed with a reticence and shyness in some matters, and so winning a reputation of oddness or coldness, against all the real and passionate protest of his own soul.
"No, brother," I said to him: "I'll not offer you trade, but gift. Let it be that if I can win the dog, and if he will take me as his master and friend, he shall be mine. And you take the pistol, and have a care of it."
"That's all right!" said Lafitte shyly, yet delightedly, as I could see.
"Here, Partial!" I called to the dog; and being young and friendly, and attached to neither in particular, and only in general worshiping the creature Boy, he came to me! I fed him, stroked him, looked into his eyes. And in a few moments he put his feet on my shoulders, and licked at my ear, and began to talk to me in low eager whines, and rubbed his muzzle against my cheek, and said all that a dog could say in oath of feudal service, pledging loyalty of life and limb. At which I felt very odd indeed; and began to see the world had many things in it of which I had never known; but which, now, I was resolved to know.
"Honorable is embarking those malefactor canine thing with so much impediments in this small-going boat?" inquired Hiroshimi.