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Rob Aley

Pro Functional PHP Programming

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Testability, and Code Brevity
Rob Aley
Oxford, UK

Any source code or other supplementary material referenced by the

author in this book is available to readers on GitHub via the book's
product page, located at www.apress.com/9781484229576 . For
more detailed information, please visit www.apress.com/source-
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ISBN 978-1-4842-2957-6 e-ISBN 978-1-4842-2958-3

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-2958-3

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017954985

© Rob Aley 2017

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the

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Rather than use a trademark symbol with every occurrence of a
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Acknowledgments
Isaac Newton said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the
shoulders of giants.” This book builds on, and I hope adds to, the
work of many others, the most notable of whom I would like to
acknowledge here.
The authors of, and contributors to, the official PHP Manual :
This is an invaluable reference for PHP functions and syntax, to
which I referred frequently during writing this book, both for
fact checking and as an aide-mémoir. Thanks!
The collective PHP and functional programming wisdom of the
Internet : For more than 17 years I’ve used you for learning,
research, play, and profit. There are too many sites and too
many people to list here; if you’ve written about PHP on the
Web, then you may well be one of them. Thanks!
My family : Thanks for allowing me a modicum of time to write
this book and supporting me unconditionally in everything I do.
Usually. If I ask first. And there’s not something more important
going on. And usually with conditions. Thanks!
Contents
Part I: Functional Programming in PHP 7

Chapter 1:​Introduction

Who Is This Book For?​

What Is Functional Programming?​

Functional Programming Is SOLID

What Are the Benefits of Functional Programming?​

Who Uses Functional Programming, and Why?​

Is Functional Programming “All or Nothing”?​

Further Reading

Why Use PHP for Functional Programming?​

Why Not to Use PHP for Functional Programming

PHP Versions

Conclusion

Chapter 2:​Functional Programming:​Key Concepts

Examining State

Mutability and Immutability

Further Reading

What Is a Function?​
 Named Functions

Variable Functions

Language Constructs

Return Values

Lambda/​Anonymous Functions

Higher-Order Functions

Scope

Further Reading

State

Parameters/​Arguments/​Operands, Arity, and Variadic

Functions

Further Reading

Closures

Side Effects

Referential Transparency

Pure Functions

Lists and Collections

Further Reading

Conclusion

Chapter 3:​Getting Started with Functional Patterns

 Map, Filter, and Reduce

Recursive Functions

Basic Recursion

Implementing a Recursive Function

Partial Functions

Functional Expressions

Functional Composition

Conclusion

Chapter 4:​Advanced Functional Techniques

Currying Functions

The Mysterious Monad

What Is a Monad?​

The Maybe Monad

Monad Axioms

Monad Axiom 1

Monad Axiom 2

Monad Axiom 3

Testing the Monad Axioms

Other Useful Monads

The IO Monad
 Learn More About Monads

Further Reading

Recursion with Trampolines

Recursive Lambdas

The PHP Type System

Type Declarations

Further Reading

Summary

Part II: Application Development Strategies

Chapter 5:​Strategies for High-Performance Applications

Understanding and Measuring Performance

Measuring Performance:​Profiling

Manual Profiling

Profiling Tools

Further Reading and Tools

Low-Level Profiling

Further Reading

Memoization

Further Reading

The Downsides of Memoization

 Lazy Evaluation

Further Reading

Generators

Further Reading

The Downsides of Lazy Evaluation

Parallel Programming

Multithreaded Programming

Further Reading

The Standard PHP Library (SPL)

Further Reading

Conclusion

Chapter 6:​Managing Business Logic with Functions

Managing Business Logic

Event-Based Programming

Further Reading

Asynchronous PHP

Further Reading

Chapter 7:​Using Functional Programming in Objected-

Oriented and Procedural Applications

History of PHP Paradigms

 Further Reading

PHP Is Not a Functional Language

Objects and Mutability

Further Reading

Immutable Data with Objects

Object Properties As External State

Inline Impurities

Procedural Programming Considerations

Summary

Chapter 8:​Using Helper Libraries in Your Application

How to Choose a Library

Pick Libraries Apart

Libraries Based on Ramda

Pramda

Phamda

Libraries Based on Underscore

Underscore.​php (1)

Underscore

Underscore.​php (2)

Miscellaneous Libraries
 Saber

Functional PHP

Other Libraries

Chapter 9:​Processing Big Data with Functional PHP

What Is Big Data?​

Introducing Hadoop

About MapReduce

Installing Hadoop

Tools

Creating Hadoop Jobs in PHP

Further Reading

Chapter 10:​Afterword

Where to Now?​

Giving Feedback and Getting Help and Support

Appendix A: Installing PHP and Libraries

Compiling and Installing PHP

Microsoft Windows

macOS/OS X

Linux/Unix

Compiling and Installing (Extra) Core Extensions

Installing Multiple Versions of PHP

Further Reading

Tools

PEAR and PECL

Composer

Symfony2 Bundles

Getting Help

The PHP Manual

Official Mailing Lists

Stack Overflow

Other Books

Newsgroups

PHP Subredit

PHP on GitHub

File and Data Format Libraries for PHP

Office Documents

Compression, Archiving, and Encryption

Graphics

Audio

Multimedia and Video

Programming, Technical, and Data Interchange

Miscellaneous

Appendix B: Command-Line PHP

PHP Without a Web Server

What’s Different About the CLI SAPI?

Further Reading

CLI SAPI Installation

PHP Command-Line Options

Further Reading

Command-Line Arguments for Your Script

Different Ways to Call PHP Scripts

From a File

From a String

From STDIN

As a Self-Executing Script: Unix/Linux

Further Reading

As a Self-Executing Script: Windows

Windows php-win.exe

“Click to Run” Your PHP

Clickable Icons: Linux

Further Reading

Clickable Icons: Windows

Clickable Icons: Ubuntu Unity

Further Reading

Quitting Your Script from Within

Further Reading

Thinking About Security

Further Reading

CLI-Specific Code Frameworks

Further Reading

PHP REPLs

PsySH

Boris

phpa

PHP Interactive

Sublime-worksheet

phpsh

iPHP

Appendix C: Functional Programming Resources

Other Programming Languages

Functional Programming and Other Paradigms

Articles

Online Books

Videos

Online Courses

Functional Programming Design Patterns

PHP Functional Basics

Data Structures

Mutability in PHP

Map, Filter, Reduce and Other Array Functions

Recursion and Trampolines

Partial Functions and Currying

Functional Composition

Monads

Types

Profiling

Memoization

Lazy Evaluation

Relevant PHP Manual Sections

Parallel Programming
Testing

Event-Based Programming

Asynchronous PHP

Big Data/Hadoop

General-Purpose Libraries

Functional Framework

Lisp in PHP

Other Miscellaneous Topics

PHP RFCs: The Future

The Wikipedia Glossary

Index
Contents at a Glance
About the Author

About the Technical Reviewer

Acknowledgments

Part I: Functional Programming in PHP 7

Chapter 1:​Introduction

Chapter 2:​Functional Programming:​Key Concepts

Chapter 3:​Getting Started with Functional Patterns

Chapter 4:​Advanced Functional Techniques

Part II: Application Development Strategies

Chapter 5:​Strategies for High-Performance Applications

Chapter 6:​Managing Business Logic with Functions

Chapter 7:​Using Functional Programming in Objected-Oriented and
Procedural Applications

Chapter 8:​Using Helper Libraries in Your Application

Chapter 9:​Processing Big Data with Functional PHP

Chapter 10:​Afterword

Appendix A: Installing PHP and Libraries

Appendix B: Command-Line PHP

Appendix C: Functional Programming Resources

Index
About the Author and About the
Technical Reviewer
About the Author
Rob Aley
I’ve been programming in PHP since late
2000. Initially it wasn’t by choice because my
preferred languages at the time were Perl
and Delphi (also known as Object Pascal).
Things began to change after I graduated
from the University of Leeds with a degree in
computer science in 1999 and started out in
a career as a freelance web developer. After
only a couple of months I was offered the
opportunity to take over a (relatively
speaking) substantial government web site
contract from a friend who was exiting the
freelance world for the safer and saner world of full-time
employment. The only catch was that several thousand lines of code
had already been written, and they were written in a relatively new
language called PHP. Oh, and the only other catch was that I had
about a week to learn it before taking over the site. So, as was the
way at the time, I popped down to the local Waterstones bookshop.
(For the younger among you that’s where we used to get books. And
we had to go out and get them. Or order online and wait many days
for them to be delivered.) With my paper copies of The Generic
Beginner’s Complete Guide to PHP and MySQL for Dummies
Compendium (I may not have recalled the titles completely
correctly), I settled down with a pint of ale (I’m in Yorkshire at this
point, remember) and set about reading them. A few days later I
was coding like a pro (well, stuff was working), and 17 years later I
haven’t looked back. Over those 17 years PHP has changed vastly
(the source code for the government web site I mentioned was
littered with comments like “# Would have used a foreach here, if
PHP had one…”) and so have I. I like to think that both I and PHP
have only improved and matured over the years.
After a varied career as a freelancer and starting up a couple of,
er, startups (IT related and not) with varying (usually dismal)
success, I spent the past ten years as a programmer at the
University of Oxford. My day job involved performing medium-scale
data acquisition and management, doing statistical analysis, and
providing user interfaces for researchers and the public. The
majority of my development work was done in PHP, either
developing new projects or gluing together other people’s software,
systems, and databases. I’ve recently left the university to
concentrate on writing books like this and providing consulting and
training (in PHP, information governance, and related areas). But I’m
still programming in PHP!
Throughout my career I’ve always used PHP for web
development, but for desktop GUI work I initially used Delphi (and
then Free-Pascal/Lazarus), complemented with Bash shell scripting
for CLI-based tasks. This was mainly because I learned them while
at university. However, as PHP has matured, I’ve increasingly used it
beyond the Web, and now I rarely use anything else for any
programming or scripting task I encounter. Having been immersed in
other languages such as C++, JavaScript, Fortran, and Lisp (and
probably others that my brain has chosen deliberately not to
remember) by necessity during university and in some of my
freelance jobs, I can honestly say that PHP is now my language of
choice, rather than of necessity. At university (in the late 1990s) I
took a couple of classes that involved functional programming, but
at the time I really didn’t “get the point.” It’s only in recent years
that I’ve picked up functional-style programming again, partly
because of the “buzz” that’s developed around it and partly because
as my programming styles have “matured,” I’ve seen the advantages
to functional coding.
When I’m not tied to a computer, I would like to say I have lots
of varied and interesting hobbies. I used to have. I could write a
whole book (which wouldn’t sell well) about where I’ve been and
what I’ve done, and I’d like to think it’s made me a well-rounded
person. But these days I don’t have any. In large part, this is
because of the demands of my three gorgeous young daughters,
Ellie, Izzy, and Indy; my gorgeous wife, Parv; and my even more
gorgeous cat, Mia. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s what
I tell myself, anyway….
—Rob Aley

About the Technical Reviewer

Christopher Pitt
is a developer and writer, working at SilverStripe. He usually works
on application architecture, though sometimes you’ll find him
building compilers or robots. He is also the author of several web
development books and is a contributor on various open source
projects like AdonisJs.
Part I
Functional Programming in PHP 7
© Rob Aley 2017
Rob Aley, Pro Functional PHP Programming, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-
2958-3_1

1. Introduction
Rob Aley1
(1) Oxford, UK

Functional programming isn’t something that is often associated with

PHP. Yet for quite a while PHP has had all the features necessary to
create software using the functional paradigm. In this book, you’ll
take a look at what functional programming is, how to do it in PHP,
and the different ways in which you can use it to improve your PHP
software.
Who Is This Book For?
This book isn’t an introduction to PHP itself; it assumes you have
some basic (or, indeed, advanced) experience in PHP scripting. You
don’t need to be an expert to follow along; I’ll cover all the key
concepts in PHP you’ll need to know to be able to implement
functional designs in your code and point you in the direction of
resources such as web sites and other books that you can use to
learn or investigate any related concepts that I don’t cover directly.
Absolute PHP beginners aside, this book is suitable for all
programmers. Whether you have a pressing need to learn functional
programming (perhaps you’ve taken over a functional PHP code
base) or you are just interested in finding out what the “buzz”
around functional programming is all about, there is something in
this book for you. There’s even likely to be something for those
skeptical about creating software using the functional programming
paradigm. I think that most programmers will find useful lessons and
code patterns to take away from the functional programming style
that will enhance their object-oriented or procedural programming
work. If all else fails, knowledge of functional programming looks
good on your résumé!

What Is Functional Programming ?

Functional programming is a declarative programming paradigm
that abstracts code into pure, immutable, side-effect-free
functions, allowing the programmer to compose such functions
together to make programs that are easy to reason about.

That is my definition of functional programming. Ask five other

functional programmers to define functional programming and you’ll
get four more answers (two just copied the same answer from
Wikipedia). There’s no “standard” definition; different people and
different programming languages implement functional programming
elements differently. These differences are partly because of the
practicalities of the language in question and sometimes because of
the target platforms, data, and usage scenarios, but often they come
down to what I call “programming religion”: a fixed, sometimes
irrational, but often deeply held belief of how a particular paradigm
should be. Even within the small community of PHP functional
programmers, you won’t find an exact consensus. In PHP, functional
programming is not a core concept, but even in languages where it
is (e.g., Lisp, Scala, etc.), there are many “related” understandings
of what constitutes true functional programming. While that may
sound problematic, you’ll still “know it when you see it,” and when it
gets woolly around the edges, you can choose to define it in any
way you see fit!
PHP isn’t a pure functional programming language, but you can
still use it for functional programming (which is good; otherwise this
book wouldn’t be very long). A few elements of what some purists
consider to be essential functional programming concepts are harder
to implement with PHP’s standard syntax, so it’s perhaps slightly
more accurate to say that you can program in a functional
programming “style” in PHP.
Let’s now look a little more in depth at what functional
programming actually is in practice. Functional programming is a
“declarative” style of programming, which means you specify what
you want it to do rather than how you want to do it. It’s a higher
level of abstraction than you may be used to with OO or procedural
programming. However, you almost certainly use declarative
programming on a day-to-day basis when using SQL, HTML, regular
expressions, and similar languages. Consider the SQL snippet shown
in Listing 1-1.

SELECT forename,

Surname

FROM users

WHERE username = 'rob'

 AND password = 'password1';

Listing 1-1. declarative.sql

This is telling your database server what you want it to do (select
the real name based on super-secret security credentials), but you
don’t tell it how to do it. You don’t tell it the following:
Where to look on disk for the data
How to parse or search the data for matching records
How to determine whether a record matches your criteria
How to extract the relevant fields from the record
And so on. You simply tell it what you want it to achieve for you.
Now obviously, at some point, you need to tell the computer how
to do something. With the SQL example in Listing 1-1, you do that
by getting some rather clever people to write database management
software (DBMS) for you. In functional programming, you’ll tend to
need to write the implementation code yourself, but to make it a
manageable task, you break that down into the smallest possible
chunks and then use a hierarchical chain of declarative function calls
to tell the computer what to do with that code. If you use the
Composer dependency management system, you will already be
using a similar paradigm: there are many libraries of code available
that abstract away the tasks that you need to do; you simply
“compose” a list of libraries together to do what you want. In
functional programming, you do exactly the same; you take
functions that do something (like the libraries Composer provides)
and compose them together into a program.
Having a program that is essentially a list of what you want to
achieve sounds very good on paper, and indeed it makes it easy to
understand and reason about your program. To make the idea a little
more concrete, let’s take a look at a small functional-style program
(Listing 1-2).

<?php
 require_once('image_functions.php');

require_once('stats_functions.php');

require_once('data_functions.php');

$csv_data = file_get_contents('my_data.csv');

$chart = make_chart_image (

generate_stats
(

data_to
_array (

$csv_data

);

file_put_contents('my_chart.png', $chart);

Listing 1-2. example.php

This is clearly some code that has been abstracted into a set of
functions that set out what it does (draw a chart based on some
stats prepared from some data that is read in). You can also
probably see that the how is hidden away in the required files at the
top, but it is still clear as to what the program does. Should your
requirements change and instead of drawing a chart you want to
print a table, you can simply swap out draw_chart() for
print_table() and it is clear what will happen. This is a (very
loose) example of a functional program.
 That all sounds great. But without even considering the code
hidden away in the required files, your programmer instincts are
probably telling you that chaining random functions together, and
swapping out one for another, is a risky proposition particularly when
you can’t see how they’re implemented. For instance, how do you
know that read_data() will return data in the correct format for
prepare_stats() to work on? And how can you be sure that you
can swap out draw_chart() for prepare_stats() and it will all
still work as you expect? Clearly, functional programming involves a
little more than “chuck it all in a function with a descriptive name,”
and as you go through the book, you’ll look at the various ways to
structure functions so that you can use them as “little black boxes”
of code that can be easily and reliably strung together.
Functional programming revolves around functions, as the name
implies. However, functions in the functional programming sense
aren’t quite the same as functions in the PHP syntax sense, although
you will use PHP’s implementation of functions to implement FP
functions. A functional programming function is often referred to as
a pure function and has several important characteristics that can be
mimicked with, but aren’t enforced by, PHP’s syntax. A pure function
has the following traits:
Is referentially transparent
Is devoid of side effects
Has no external dependencies
I’ll talk more in detail about what these features mean in the
next couple of chapters, but they boil down to a function being a
small self-contained “black box” that takes well-defined inputs,
produces well-defined outputs, and given the same inputs always
produces the same outputs. In particular, the function only acts on
the inputs it is given (it doesn’t take into account any external state
or data and relies only on the parameters it is called with), and the
only effect it has is to return some output (which will be the same
each time you give it the same input); thus, it doesn’t alter the state
of the program or system outside of itself.
Another Random Scribd Document
with Unrelated Content
la Ronda, thus found himself, by the greatest accident, just as he
was reaching his destination, and when he least expected it, face to
face with Fray Arsenio Mendoza; that is to say, with the only man
capable of proving to him peremptorily the truth or falsehood of the
assertions of the spy, who had denounced Doña Clara to her
husband.
Fray Arsenio's reputation for poltroonery had long been current
among his countrymen, and hence nothing seemed more easy than
to obtain from him the truth in its fullest details.
The Count believed himself almost certain, by employing
intimidation, to make Fray Arsenio confess what he knew: hence, so
soon as the latter had mentioned his name, Don Stenio, warned by
the spy, who rode at his side, resolved to terrify the monk, and thus
render it impossible for him to resist the orders he might intimate to
him.
We take pleasure in believing that in acting thus, the Count had not
the slightest intention of treating the monk with a violence, which in
any case would be deplorable, but dishonourable on the part of a
man in his position. Unfortunately, through the unforeseen and
incomprehensible resistance which, contrary to all probability, the
monk offered him, the Count was led away by his passion, and gave
orders against his better judgment, when harshness and even
cruelty could in no case be justified.
After a silence of some seconds, Don Stenio fixed a piercing glance
on the monk, as if he wished to read his very soul, and then seized
him brutally by the arm.
"Where have you come from?" he asked him, in a rough voice. "Is it
the custom for monks of your order to ramble about the country at
this hour of the night?"
"My lord!" Fray Arsenio stammered, thrown off his guard by this
question, which he was far from expecting.
"Come, come!" the Count continued; "Answer at once, and let us
have no subterfuge or tergiversation."
"But, my lord, I do not at all understand this great anger which you
appear to have with me. I am innocent, I vow!"
"Ah! ah!" he said, with an ironical laugh; "You are innocent! ¡Viva
Dios! you make haste to defend yourself before you are accused;
hence you feel yourself guilty."
Fray Arsenio was aware of the Count's jealousy, which he concealed
so poorly, that, in spite of all his efforts, it was visible to everybody.
Hence he understood that Doña Clara's secret had been revealed to
her husband; and he foresaw the peril that menaced him for having
acted as her accomplice. Still, he hoped that the Count had only
learnt certain facts, while remaining ignorant of the details of the
Countess' voyage; and hence, though he trembled at heart at the
thought of the dangers to which he was doubtless exposed, alone
and defenceless, in the hands of a man blinded by passion and the
desire of avenging what he regarded as a stain on his honour, he
resolved, whatever might happen, not to betray the confidence
which a woman had unhappily placed in him.
He raised his head and replied with a firm voice, and with an accent
at which he was himself astonished—
"My lord, you are governor of Saint Domingo; you have a right to
exercise justice over those placed under your rule. You possess
almost sovereign power, but you have no right, as far as I know, to
ill treat me, either by word or deed, or to make me undergo an
examination at your caprice. I have superiors on whom I am
dependant; have me taken before them; hand me over to their
justice, if I have committed any fault they will punish me, for they
alone have the right of condemning or acquitting me."
The Count had listened to the monk's long answer, while biting his
lips savagely and stamping his foot with passion. He had not thought
to find such resistance in this man.
"So, then," he exclaimed, when Fray Arsenio at length ceased
speaking, "you refuse to answer me?"
"I refuse, my lord," he coldly replied, "because you have no right to
question me."
"You forget, however, Señor Padre, that if I have not the right, I
have the might, at least, at this moment."
"You are at liberty, my lord, to abuse that might, by applying it to an
unhappy and defenceless man. I am no soldier, and physical
suffering frightens me. I do not know how I shall endure the
tortures you will perhaps inflict on me, but there is one thing of
which I am certain."
"What is it, may I ask, Señor Padre?"
"That I will die, my lord, before answering any of your questions."
"We shall see that," he said, sarcastically, "if you compel me to have
recourse to violence."
"You will see," he replied, in a gentle but firm voice, which denoted
an irrevocable determination.
"For the last time, I deign to warn you: take care—reflect."
"All my reflections are made, my lord; I am in your power. Abuse my
weakness as you may think proper, I shall not even attempt a
useless defence. I shall not be the first monk of my order who has
fallen a martyr to duty: others have preceded me, and others will
doubtless follow me in this painful track."
The Count stamped his foot savagely; the spectators, dumb and
motionless, exchanged terrified glances, for they foresaw that this
scene would soon have a terrible denouement, between two men,
neither of whom would make concessions; while the first of them,
blinded by rage, would soon not be in a condition to listen to the
salutary counsels of reason.
"My lord," Don Antonio de la Ronda murmured, "the stars are
beginning to turn pale, and the day will soon dawn; we are still far
from the hatto, would it not be better to set out without further
delay?"
"Silence!" the Count answered, with a smile of contempt. "Pedro,"
he added, addressing one of his domestics, "a match."
The valet dismounted and advanced with a long sulphured match in
his hand.
"The two thumbs," the Count said, laconically.
The domestic approached the monk; the latter offered his hands
without hesitation, although his face was fearfully pale, and his
whole body trembled.
Pedro coolly rolled the match between his two thumbs, passing it
several times under his nails, and then turned to the Count.
"For the last time, monk," the latter said, "will you speak?"
"I have nothing to say to you, my lord," Fray Arsenio replied, in a
soft voice.
"Light it," the Count commanded, biting his lips till they bled.
The valet, with the passive obedience distinguishing men of this
class, set fire to the match.
The monk fell on his knees and raised his eyes to Heaven. His face
had assumed an earthy tint, a cold perspiration beaded on his
temples, and his hair stood on end. The suffering he experienced
must be horrible, for his chest heaved violently, although his parched
lips remained dumb.
The Count watched him anxiously.
"Will you speak now, monk?" he said to him in a hollow voice.
Fray Arsenio turned toward him a face whose features were
distorted by pain, and gave him a look full of ineffable gentleness.
"I thank you, my lord," he said, "for having taught me that pain does
not exist for a man whose faith is lively."
"My curses on you, wretch!" the Count exclaimed, as he hurled him
down with a blow on the chest. "To horse, señores, to horse, so that
we may reach the hatto before sunrise."
The cavaliers remounted, and went off at full speed, leaving, without
a glance of compassion, the poor monk, who, vanquished by pain,
had rolled fainting on the ground.

CHAPTER XXVII.

THE ORGANIZATION OF THE COLONY.

A triple expedition, so serious as that conceived by Montbarts,

demanded, for its success, extreme care and precautions.
The few points occupied by the buccaneers on the Spanish isles, did
not at all resemble towns; they were agglomerations of houses built
without order, according to the liking or caprice of the owner, and
occupying a space twenty-fold larger than they should have taken in
accordance with the population. Hence, these points were spots
almost impossible to defend against a well-combined attack of the
Spaniards, if the thought occurred to the latter of finishing once for
all with their formidable neighbours.
Port Margot, for instance, the most important point in the French
possessions as a strategic position, was only a miserable hamlet,
open to all comers, without police or organization, where every
language was spoken, and which Spanish spies entered with the
greatest facility without incurring a risk of discovery, and thus
scented the plans of the filibusters.
Montbarts, before advancing and attacking the Spaniards, whom he
correctly suspected of being already acquainted with the motive of
his presence on the island, either through Don Antonio de la Ronda,
or other spies, and not wishing, when he was preparing to surprise
the enemy, to be himself surprised and see his retreat cut off by an
unforeseen attack, resolved to shelter Port Margot from a coup de
main.
The grand council of the filibusters was convened on board the
admiral's lugger. In this way the resolutions formed by the council
would not transpire outside, and not reach hostile ears, ever open to
hear them.
Two days after the departure of Lepoletais, the council therefore
assembled on the deck of the vessel, which had been prepared for
the purpose, as the admiral's cabin had been judged too small to
contain all those whom their wealth or their reputation authorized in
being present at the meeting.
At ten in the morning, numerous skiffs left the shore and pulled
alongside the lugger, boarding it on all sides simultaneously.
Montbarts received the delegates as they presented themselves, and
led them beneath the awning prepared for them.
Ere long, all the delegates were assembled on board: they were
forty in number; filibusters, buccaneers, and habitants, all
adventurers who had lived for several years on the isles, and
desperate enemies of the Spaniards. Their complexion, bronzed by
the tropical sun, their energetic features, and flashing glances, made
them resemble bandits rather than peaceful colonists; but their frank
and decided manners allowed a guess at the prodigies of incredible
daring which they had already accomplished, and were ready to
accomplish again, when the moment for action arrived.
When all the members of the council were on board, Michael the
Basque gave the skiffs orders to return ashore, and to come
alongside again when they saw a large black and red flag hoisted at
the mainmast of the lugger. A splendid lunch preceded the council,
which, was held at table and during the dessert, so as to foil any
indiscreet glances, which were doubtless watching what was going
on aboard from the top of the cliffs.
When the repast was ended, and spirits, pipes, and tobacco had
been laid on the table by the engagés, an order was given to
remove the awning; the whole of the lugger's crew retired to the
bows, and Montbarts, without leaving his seat, struck the table with
his knife to request silence.
The delegates vaguely knew that grave interests were about to be
discussed, hence they had only eaten and drunk for form's sake, and
though the table offered all the appearances of a true filibustering
orgy, their brains were perfectly clear, and their heads cool.
The road of Port Margot offered at this moment a strange spectacle,
which was not deficient, however, in a certain picturesque and wild
grandeur.
Thousands of canoes were lying on their oars, forming an immense
circle, of which the filibustering squadron was the centre.
On shore, the cliffs and rocks were literally hidden by the confused
and dense mass of spectators who had flocked from all the houses
to watch, at a distance, this gigantic and Homeric feast, whose
serious motive they were far from suspecting, beneath its frivolous
appearance.
Montbarts, after calling his friends' attention in a few words, to the
enormous crowd of spectators who surrounded them, and showing
how correct he had been in taking his precautions in consequence,
filled his glass, and rose, shouting in a sonorous voice—
"Brethren, the health of the king!"
"The health of the king!" the filibusters responded, as they rose, and
clinked their glasses together.
At the same moment, all the guns of the lugger were discharged
with a formidable noise; a loud clamour that rose from the beach
proved that the spectators heartily joined in this patriotic toast.
"Now," the admiral continued, as he sat down, which movement was
imitated by his companions, "let us talk of our business, and be
careful in doing so, that our gestures may not allow a suspicion of
what is occupying us, since our words cannot be overheard."
The council commenced its session. Montbarts, with the lofty views
and clearness of expression he possessed, explained, in a few
words, the critical position in which the colony would find it, unless
energetic measures were taken, not only to place it in a position to
defend itself, but also to hold out during the absence of the
expedition.
"I can understand," he said in conclusion, "that so long as we merely
purposed to hunt wild bulls, such precautions were unnecessary, for
our breasts were a sure rampart for our habitations; but from today
the position is changed, we wish to create for ourselves an
impregnable refuge; we are going to attack the Spaniards in their
homes, and must consequently expect terrible reprisals from
enemies, who, from the way in which we act towards them, will
soon comprehend that we wish to remain the sole possessors of this
land, which they have accustomed themselves to regard as
belonging to them legitimately; we must, therefore, be in a position,
not alone to resist them, but to inflict on them such a chastisement
for their audacity, that they will be for ever disgusted with any fresh
attempts to regain the territory we have conquered. To effect this,
we must build a real town, in the place of the temporary camp which
has, up to the present, sufficed us; and, with the exception of the
members of our association, no stranger must be allowed to
introduce himself among us, for the sake of spying us, and repeating
to our enemies our secrets, whatever their nature may be."
The filibusters warmly applauded these remarks, whose truth they
recognized. They at length saw the necessity of setting order in their
disorder, and entering the great human family, by themselves
accepting some of those laws, from which they fancied they had
enfranchised themselves for ever, and which are the sole condition
of the vitality of society.
Under the omnipotent influence of Montbarts and the members of
the association of the Twelve, who were scattered about the
meeting, the urgent measures were immediately discussed and
settled; but when everything was arranged, the council suddenly
found itself stopped short by a difficulty of which it had not thought
at all—who was to be entrusted with the duty of carrying out the
measures, as no buccaneer had a recognized authority over the
rest?
The difficulty was great; almost insurmountable. Still it was
Montbarts who again smoothed down the difficulty to the general
satisfaction.
"Nothing is more easy," he said, "than to find the man we want; this
is an exceptional case, and we must act according to circumstances.
Let us elect a chief, as for a dangerous expedition, let us choose one
who is energetic and intelligent, which will be a trifle, as the only
difficulty will be the choice among so many equally good. This chief
will be elected by us, the first for a year, his successor for only six
months, in order to guard against any abuse of power they might
eventually be attempted to try. This chief will assume the title of
governor, and in reality govern all civil matters, assisted by a council
of seven members, chosen by the habitants, as well as by subaltern
agents, nominated by himself. The laws he will employ exist, for
they are those of our association; it is understood that the governor
will watch, like a captain aboard his ship, over the safety of the
colony, and, in the event of treachery, will be punishable with death.
This proposition is, I believe, the only one that we can take into
consideration; does it suit you, brothers? Do you accept it?"
The delegates replied by a universal affirmation,
"In that case let us at once proceed to the election."
"Pardon me, brothers," Belle Tête said, "with your permission, I have
a few remarks to submit to the council."
"Speak, brother, we will hear you," Montbarts answered him.
"I offer myself," Belle Tête said frankly, "as governor, not through
ambition, for that would be absurd, but because I believe that I am
at this moment the best man for the place; you all know me, and
hence I will not put forward my qualifications. Certain reasons urge
me to try, if possible, to withdraw my promise, and not follow the
expedition; to which, however, I feel convinced that I shall render
great services, if you choose me as governor."
"You have heard, brethren," Montbarts said, "consult together, but
fill your glasses first, you have ten minutes to reflect; at the end of
that time all the glasses that have not been emptied will be
considered as adverse votes."
"Ah, traitor," Michael the Basque said, leaning over to Belle Tête's
ear, by whose side he was seated, "I know why you want to stop at
Port Margot."
"You? Stuff," he answered with embarrassment.
"Zounds, it is not difficult to guess, you are caught, mate."
"Well, it is true, and you are right, that little devil of a woman I
bought at St. Kitts has turned my head; she turns me round her little
finger."
"Ah! love!" Michael said ironically.
"The deuce take love, and the woman too; a girl no bigger than
that, whom I could smash with one blow."
"She is very pretty, you showed good taste; her name is Louise, is it
not?"
"Yes, Louise; it was a bad bargain I made."
"Nonsense!" Michael said, with the utmost seriousness, "well, there
is a way of arranging the matter."
"Do you think so?"
"Zounds, I am sure of it."
"I should like to know it, for I confess to you that she has completely
upset my ideas; the confounded girl, with her bird's voice, and sly
smile, turns me about like a whirligig: by Heaven, I am the most
unfortunate of men—tell me your plan, brother."
"Why, sell her to me."
Belle Tête suddenly turned pale at this blunt offer, which, indeed,
settled everything; but which, though he did not suspect it, Michael
only made in a joke, and to try him; he frowned, and angrily replied
in a voice trembling with emotion, and striking the table with his fist
—
"Zounds, mate, that is a magnificent way you have found, but the
fiend take me if I accept it; no, no, whatever sorrow the little witch
causes me—have I not told you that she has bewitched me?—I love
her! Blood and thunder, do you understand that?"
"Of course I understand it; but come, reassure yourself, I have not
the slightest intention of depriving you of your Louise; what should I
do with a wife? Besides, what I have seen of other men's love
affairs, does not offer me the slightest inducement to try it on my
own account."
"All right," Belle Tête replied, reassured by this frank declaration,
"that is speaking like a man; and, after all, you are right, brother;
although I would not consent for anything in the world to part with
my Louise, still, after the experience I have of her, if the bargain was
to be made again, hang me if I would purchase her."
"Stuff!" said Michael, with a shrug of his shoulders, "Men always say
that, and when the moment arrives, they never fail to begin the
same folly over again."
Belle Tête reflected for a moment, and then tapped Michael amicably
on the shoulder, at the same time saying with a laugh—
"On my word that is true, brother; you are right, I believe that I
should really behave as you say."
"I am certain of it," Michael replied, with another shrug of his
shoulders.
During this aside, between the two adventurers, the ten minutes had
elapsed.
"Brethren," said Montbarts, "we are about to proceed to an
examination of the votes."
He looked: all the glasses were empty.
"You are unanimous," he said, "and that is well. Brother Belle Tête,
you are elected governor of Port Margot."
"Brethren," the latter said, bowing all round, "I thank you for having
given me your votes. I shall not deceive your expectations; our
colony, even though I was obliged to bury myself beneath its ruins,
shall never fall into the hands of the Spaniards, and you know me
well enough not to doubt my oath. I intend to set to work this very
day; for, as our admiral has very justly said, we have not a moment
to lose. Confide the duty of guarding your interests to me."
"Before we separate," said Montbarts, "it would be as well, I fancy,
to agree to keep our deliberations secret for a few days."
"You may divulge them tomorrow without danger," Belle Tête
continued; "but allow me, brethren, to choose from among you the
few assistants I shall require."
"Do so," the filibusters answered.
Belle Tête named eight adventurers, whose blind bravery he knew,
and then addressed the delegates for the last time, who were
already rising and preparing to leave the ship.
"You remember, I trust that I am considered by you the leader of an
expedition."
"Yes," they replied.
"Consequently you owe me the most perfect obedience to all the
orders I shall give you in the common interest."
"Yes," they repeated.
"You swear, then, to obey me without any hesitation or murmuring?"
"We do."
"Very good; now farewell for the present, brothers."
The boats had been recalled by a flag hoisted at the main yard, and
a few minutes after all the delegates had left the ship, except Belle
Tête and the eight officers chosen by him.
Montbarts and Belle Tête remained shut up for some hours,
doubtless settling the measures which must be adopted in order to
obtain the desired result as soon as possible; then, a little before
sunset, the new Governor took leave of the Admiral, entered a boat
prepared expressly for him, and returned ashore, followed by his
officers.
About eleven o'clock in the evening, when the town appeared
completely asleep, when all doors were shut, and lights
extinguished, an observer in a position to see what was going on,
would have noticed a strange spectacle.
Armed men glided gently out of the houses, casting inquiring
glances to the right and left, that seemed trying to pierce the
profound darkness by which they were surrounded. They proceeded
separately on tiptoe to the principal square, where they joined other
men armed like themselves, who, having arrived first, were waiting.
Ere long the number of these men, which was augmented every
moment, became considerable; at an order, given in a low voice,
they broke up into several parties, left the square by different
outlets, went out of the town, and formed a wide circle all round it.
One last band of about forty men had remained in the square,
however; this party was broken up in its turn, but, instead of also
leaving the town, platoons, composed of ten men each, went from
the square in four different directions, and entered the streets.
The latter were proceeding to pay domiciliary visits; no house
escaped their vigilance, they entered all, searching them with the
most scrupulous exactness, sounding the walls and flooring, and
even opening cupboards and chests.
Such minute researches necessarily occupied a long time, and did
not terminate till sunrise.
Eight Spanish spies had been discovered in the houses, and three
arrested by the sentries at the moment when they attempted flight,
or eleven in all.
The Governor had them temporarily put in irons aboard the lugger,
so that they could not escape.
At sunrise, buccaneers, habitants, engagés, and filibusters, all armed
with spades, pickaxes, and hatchets, set about digging a trench
round the town.
This job, which was performed with extraordinary ardor, lasted three
days; the trench was twelve feet wide, by fifteen deep, and the
earth was thrown up on the side of the town; on this talus stakes
were planted, bound together with strong iron bands, embrasures
being left to place guns, and for loopholes.
While the entire population thus laboured with the feverish ardor
that accomplishes prodigies, large clearings had been effected in the
woods surrounding the port; then the forest was fired, care being
taken that the fire should not extend beyond a demi-league in all
directions.
These gigantic works, which, in ordinary times, would demand a
lengthened period, were finished at the end of ten days, which
would seem incredible were not the fact stated in several records
worthy of belief.
Port Margot was thus, thanks to the energy of its Governor, and the
passive obedience with which the filibusters executed his orders, not
only protected against a coup de main, but also rendered capable of
resisting a regular siege. And this had been effected with such
secrecy, that nothing had transpired abroad; and owing to the
precautions taken at the outset, the Spaniards had no suspicion of
the change so menacing to them, and which presaged an
internecine war.
When the fortifications were finished, the Governor had eleven
gallows erected, at a certain distance from each other, on the glacis.
The unhappy Spanish spies were suspended from them, and their
bodies were fastened to the gallows by iron chains, so that, as Belle
Tête said, with an ill-omened smile, the sight of the corpses might
terrify those of their compatriots, who might be tempted to follow
their example, and introduce themselves into the town.
All the habitants were then convoked in the chief square, and Belle
Tête mounted a platform erected for the purpose, and announced to
them the determinations formed aboard the lugger, his nomination
to the post of Governor, the measures he had thought it his duty to
take for the general welfare, and ended by asking their approbation.
This approbation the inhabitants most willingly granted, because
they found themselves in presence of accomplished facts, which did
not in any way injure them.
The Governor, thus finding his undertakings sanctioned, invited the
inhabitants to nominate a council of seven members chosen from
among themselves; and this proposition they joyfully accepted,
because they justly anticipated that these councillors would defend
their interests.
The seven municipal councillors were therefore elected at once, and,
by the Governor's invitation, took their seat by his side on the
platform.
Then the Governor informed his audience that nothing was changed
in the colony, which would continue to be governed by the laws in
force among the filibusters, that everyone would live in the same
liberty as in the past, and that the measures taken were solely
intended to protect the interests of all, and in no way to annoy the
colonists, or subject them to a humiliating yoke.
This final assurance produced the best effect on the crowd, and the
Governor retired, amid shouts and the warmest protestations of
devotion.
Although Montbarts had chosen to remain obstinately in the
background, all these ameliorations were solely due to him; Belle
Tête had merely been a passive and submissive agent in his hands.
When the Admiral, saw matters in the state he desired, he resolved
to depart, and after a final interview with the Governor, he placed
himself at the head of his filibusters, and left the town.
Michael the Basque had departed several hours previously, entrusted
with a secret mission, and accompanied by ninety resolute men.
From this moment the expedition commenced; but what its result
would be no one could as yet foretell.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE FLIGHT FROM THE HATTO.

Without taking the time to peruse the letters that were handed him,
Don Sancho concealed them in his doublet, and proceeded hastily to
his sister's apartment.
She was anxiously awaiting him.
"Here you are at last, brother," she exclaimed on perceiving him.
"What," the young man replied, as he kissed her hand, "were you
expecting me?"
"Oh, yes, that I was; but you are very late—what has kept you so
long?" she asked, in agitation.
"Where have I been? Why, s'death! I have been hunting, the only
pleasure allowed a gentleman in this horrible country."
"What, at this hour?"
"Zounds, my dear Clara, a man gets home when he can, especially
in this country, where we ought to feel very happy at reaching home
again at all."
"You are speaking in enigmas, brother, and I do not at all
understand you; be kind enough, therefore, to explain yourself
clearly—have you fallen into bad company?"
"Yes, and very bad, too; but forgive me, my dear Clara, if you have
no objection, let us proceed regularly. You desired to see me
immediately on my return, and here I am at your orders; be kind
enough, therefore, to tell me how I can possibly be of service to
you, and then I will narrate the series of singular events with which
my today's sport has been diversified. I will not hide from you that I
have certain questions to ask of you, and certain explanations, which
I feel sure you will not refuse to give me."
"What do you mean, Sancho?"
"Nothing at present; do you speak first, sister."
"Well, if you insist on it—"
"I do not insist at all, sister—I only request it."
"Very good, I yield to your request; I have received several letters."
"So I have; but I confess that I have not read them yet, and do not
think they are of any great importance."
"I have read mine, and do you know what they tell me beside other
news?"
"Indeed, no, unless it be my appointment to the post of Alcade
Mayor of Hispaniola, which, I allow, would greatly surprise me," he
said, laughingly.
"Do not jest so, Sancho; the matter is very serious."
"Really? In that case speak, little sister. You see I have as solemn a
face as your dear husband."
"It is exactly to him I refer."
"Stuff! My brother-in-law? Has any accident happened to him in the
performance of his noble and wearisome duties?"
"No, on the contrary, he is in better health than usual."
"In that case, all the better for him; I wish him no harm, though he
is the most fastidious gentleman of my acquaintance."
"Will you listen to me—yes or no?" she asked, impatiently.
"Why, I am doing so, dear sister."
"You are really insupportable."
"Come, do not be angry—I have done; I will not laugh anymore."
"Have you seen the two Fifties encamped in front of the hatto?"
"Yes, and I must allow that I was greatly surprised to see them."
"You will be much more surprised on hearing that my husband is
coming here."
"He? Impossible, sister! He did not say a word to me about the
journey."
"Because it is secret."
"Ah, ah!" the young man remarked, with a frown; "And are you sure
that he is coming?"
"Certain. The person who writes me so was present at his departure,
which no one suspects; the courier who brought me the news, and
to whom the greatest diligence was recommended, is only a few
hours ahead of him."
"This is, indeed, serious," the young man muttered.
"What is to be done?"
"S'death!" the young man replied, carelessly, but gazing fixedly at
Doña Clara—"Welcome him."
"Oh!" the lady exclaimed, twisting her hands despairingly, "I have
been betrayed—he is coming to avenge himself!"
"Avenge himself? For what, sister?"
She gave him a look of strange significance, and then bent over him.
"I am ruined, brother," she said, in a hollow voice, "for this man
knows everything, and will kill me."
Don Sancho, in spite of himself, was affected by this sorrow; he
adored his sister, and felt ashamed of the part he was playing at this
moment before her.
"And I, too, Clara," he said to her, "know everything."
"You! Oh, you are jesting, brother."
"No, I am not; I love you, and wish to save you, even if I gave my
life to do so: hence, reassure yourself, and do not fix upon me eyes
haggard with grief."
"What do you know, in heaven's name?"
"I know that which probably a traitor, as you called him, has sold to
your husband, that is to say, that you left the hatto, went aboard a
vessel, which conveyed you to Nevis, and there—"
"Oh! Not a word more, brother," she exclaimed as she fell into his
arms; "you are really well informed, but I swear to you, brother, in
the name of what is most sacred in the world, that, although
appearances condemn me, I am innocent."
"I know it, sister, and never doubted it; what is your intention, will
you await your husband here?"
"Never, never! Did I not tell you he would kill me?"
"What is to be done then?"
"Fly, fly without delay; at once."
"But where shall we go?"
"How do I know? To the cliff or the forest, live among the wild
beasts sooner than remain any longer here."
"Very good, we will go, I know where to take you."
"You?"
"Yes, did I not tell you that sundry accidents happened to me today
while hunting?"
"So you did; but what has that to do with it?"
"A great deal," he interrupted; "the Major-domo, who accompanied
me, and I tumbled over an encampment of filibusters."
"Ah," she said, turning paler than she had been before.
"Yes, and I intend to conduct you to that encampment; besides, one
of the buccaneers entrusted me with a message for you."
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I am saying, sister."
She appeared to reflect for an instant, and then turned resolutely to
the young man.
"Well, be it so, brother, let us go to those men, though they are
represented as so cruel; perhaps every human feeling has not been
extinguished in their hearts, and they will take pity on me."
"When shall we go?"
"As speedily as possible."
"That is true, but the hatto is probably watched and the soldiers
have doubtless secret orders, you may be a prisoner without
suspecting it, my poor sister; for what other reason would the two
Fifties be here?"
"Oh! In that case I am lost."
"Perhaps there is one way, and the orders given doubtless only
affect you; but unfortunately the journey will be long, fatiguing, and
beset with numberless perils."
"What matter, brother? I am strong, do not be anxious about me."
"Very good, we will try; you are absolutely determined on flight?"
"Yes, whatever may befall me."
"Well then, we will put our trust in heaven, wait for me a moment."
The young man left the room and returned a few minutes later,
bearing a rather large bundle under his arm.
"Here are my page's clothes, I do not know how they happen to be
in my possession, but my valet probably placed them in my
portmanteau by mistake, for they are new, and I remember that the
tailor brought them home a few minutes before my departure from
Saint Domingo, but I thank accident for causing it to be so. Dress
yourself, wrap yourself up in a cloak, put this hat on your head, I will
answer for everything. Besides, this costume is preferable to your
woman's clothes for crossing the savannah; mind and not forget to
place these pistols and this dagger in your belt, for there is no
knowing what may happen."
"Thanks brother! I shall be ready in a quarter of an hour."
"Good; during that time I will go and reconnoitre; do not open the
door to anyone but me."
"You may depend upon me."
The young man lit a cigarette and left the apartment with the most
careless air he could assume.
On entering the zaguán, the Count found himself face to face with
the Major-domo. Señor Birbomono had such an anxious look that it
did not escape Don Sancho; still he continued to advance,
pretending not to notice it.
But the Major-domo came straight up to him.
"I am glad to meet you, Excellency," he said, "if you had not come
within ten minutes, I should have knocked at the door of your
apartment."
"Ah!" Don Sancho observed, "What pressing motive was there to
urge you to such a step?"
"Is your Excellency aware of what is taking place?" the Major-domo
continued, without appearing to notice the young man's ironical
tone.
"What! Is there really anything happening?"
"Does not your Excellency know it?"
"Probably not, as I ask you; after all, as the news, I am sure,
interests me but very slightly, you are quite at liberty not to tell it to
me."
"On the contrary, Excellency, it interests you as well as all the
inhabitants of the hatto."
"Oh! oh! What is it then?"
"It appears that the commander of the two Fifties, has placed
sentries all round the hatto."
"Very good, in that case, we need not fear being attacked by the
buccaneers, of whom you are so afraid, and I will thank the
commandant for it."
"You are at liberty to do so, Excellency, but I fancy you will find it
difficult."
"Why so?"
"Because orders are given to let anyone enter the hatto but nobody
leave it."
A shudder ran through the young man's veins on hearing this; he
turned frightfully pale, but recovering himself almost immediately,
remarked carelessly,
"Stuff! that order cannot affect me."
"Pardon me, Excellency, it is general."
"In that case, you think that, if I tried to go out—"
"You would be stopped."
"Confound it, that is very annoying, not that I have any intention of
going out, but as by my character, I am very fond of doing things
which are prohibited—"
"You would like to take a walk, I suppose, Excellency?"
Don Sancho looked at Birbomono, as if trying to read his thoughts.
"And suppose such were my intention?" he resumed presently.
"I would undertake to get you out."
"You?"
"Yes, I; am I not the Major-domo of the hatto?"
"That is true; thus, the prohibition does not extend to you?"
"To me, as to the rest, Excellency; but the soldiers do not know the
hatto as I know; I could Slip between their fingers, whenever I
liked."
"I have strong inclination to try it."
"Do so, Excellency; I have three horses at a spot where no one but
myself could find them."
"Why, three horses?" the young man asked, pricking up his ears.
"Because, doubtless, you do not wish to ride with me only, but will
take someone with you."
Don Sancho, understanding that the Major-domo had penetrated his
thoughts, made up his mind at once.
"Let us play fairly," he said, "can you be faithful."
"I am so, and devoted too, Excellency, as you have a proof."
"What assures me that you are not laying a trap for me?"
"With what object?"
"That of obtaining a reward from the Count."
"No, Excellency, no reward would induce me to betray my mistress; I
may be anything you please, but I love Doña Clara, who has always
been kind to me, and has often protected me."
"I am willing to believe you, and indeed have no time to discuss the
point, but here are my conditions: a bullet through the head if you
betray me, a thousand piastres if you are faithful; do you accept
them?"
"I do, Excellency, the thousand piastres are gained."
"You know that I do not threaten in vain."
"I know you."
"Very good, what must we do?"
"Follow me, that is all; our flight will be most easy, for I prepared
everything on my return; I had my suspicions on seeing those
demons of soldiers, suspicions which were soon changed into
certainty, after some skilful inquiries here and there; my devotion to
my mistress rendered me clear sighted, and you see that I acted
wisely in taking my precautions."
The accent with which the Major-domo pronounced these words,
had such a stamp of truth, his face was so frank and open, that the
young Count's last suspicions were dissipated.
"Wait for me," he said, "I will go and fetch my sister."
And he hurried away.
"Oh!" said Birbomono, with a grin, so soon as he was alone, "I do
not know whether Señor don Stenio de Bejar will be pleased at
seeing his wife escape in this way, when he felt so certain of holding
her; poor señora! She is so good to us all, that it would be infamous
to betray her, and then, after all, this is a good deed which brings
me one thousand piastres," he added, rubbing his hands, "that is a
very decent amount."
It was about eleven o'clock at night, all the lights in the hatto were
extinguished by orders of the Major-domo, who had provided for
everything; the slaves had been dismissed to their huts, and a
solemn silence brooded over the landscape, a silence solely
interrupted at regular intervals, by the sentries who challenged each
other in a monotonous voice.
Don Sancho soon returned, accompanied by his sister, wrapped up
like himself, in a long mantle.
Doña Clara did not speak, but on joining the Major-domo, she
gracefully held out her right hand to him, on which he respectfully
impressed his lips.
Although the officers had told the soldiers to keep a good guard, and
watch carefully, not only the hatto, but its environs, the latter,
slightly reassured by the darkness on one hand, and on the other, by
the gloomy and mysterious depths of the forests that surrounded
them, stood motionless behind the trees, contenting themselves with
responding to the challenge, every half hour, but not venturing to go
even a few yards from the shelter they had chosen.
The reasons for this apparent cowardice, were simple, and although
we have explained them, we will repeat them here, for the sake of
greater clearness.
In the early times of the buccaneers landing on Saint Domingo, the
Fifties sent by the governor in pursuit of them, were armed with
muskets; but after several encounters with the French, in which the
latter gave them an awful thrashing, their terror of the adventurers
became so great that, whenever they were sent on an expedition
against these men, whom they almost regarded as demons, no
sooner did they enter the forests, or the mountain gorges, or even
the savannahs, where they might suppose the buccaneers to be
ambushed, than they began to fire their pieces right and left, for the
purpose of warning the enemies, and inducing them to withdraw.
The result of this clever manoeuvre was that the adventurers, thus
warned, decamped in reality, and thus became intangible; the
governor noticing this result, eventually guessed its cause, and
hence, in order to avoid such a thing in future, he took the muskets
away from the soldiers and substituted lances. This change, let us
hasten to add, was not at all to the liking of these brave soldiers,
who thus saw their ingenious scheme foiled, and were even more
exposed to the blows of their formidable enemies.
It was almost without being obliged to take any other precaution
than that of walking noiselessly and not speaking, that the Major-
domo and the two persons he served as guide, succeeded in quitting
the hatto on the opposite side to that on which the Fifties had
established their bivouac.
Once the line of sentries was passed, the fugitives hurried on more
rapidly, and soon reached a thicket in the midst of which three fully
accoutred horses were so thoroughly hidden that unless known to be
there, it would have been impossible to find them; for a greater
precaution, and to prevent them from neighing, the Major-domo had
fastened a cord round their nostrils.
So soon as the three were mounted, and before starting, Birbomono
turned to Don Sancho,—
"Where are we going, Excellency?" he asked.
"Do you know the spot where the buccaneers we met today are
bivouacked?" the young man replied.
"Yes, Excellency."
"Do you think you could succeed in finding the bivouac in the midst
of the darkness?"
The Major-domo smiled.
"Nothing is more easy," he said.
"In that case lead us to those men."
"Very good; but, Excellency, be good enough not press your horse
on at present, for we are still near the house, and the slightest
imprudence would be sufficient to give an alarm."
"Do you think, then, that they would venture to pursue us?"
"Separately, certainly not; but as they are so numerous, they would
not hesitate; the less so, because from what I heard them say, they
feel certain that the buccaneers have never come into these parts.
This redoubles their bravery, and they would perhaps not be sorry to
furnish a proof of it at our expense."
"Excellent reasoning; regulate our pace, therefore, as you think
proper, and we will only act in accordance with your judgment."
They set out; with the exception of the precautions they were
obliged to take not to be discovered, the journey had nothing
disagreeable about it, on a bright and perfumed night, beneath a sky
studded with brilliant stars, and in the midst of a most delightful
scenery, whose slightest diversities the transparency of the
atmosphere allowed to be seen.
After an hour spent in a moderate trot, their pace became insensibly
more rapid, and the horses growing gradually more excited,
eventually broke into a gallop, at which their riders kept them for a
considerable period.
Doña Clara bent over her horse's neck, and with her eyes eagerly
fixed ahead, seemed to upbraid the slowness of this ride, which,
however, had assumed the headlong speed of a pursuit: at times she
leant over to her brother, who constantly kept by her side, and asked
him in a choking voice—
"Shall we soon arrive?"
"Yes, have patience, sister," the young man said, suppressing a sigh
of pity for the agony which preyed on his sister's heart.
And their pace grew more rapid than ever.
The stars were already expiring in the heavens, the atmosphere was
growing refreshed, the horizon was striped by long mother-o'-pearl
coloured bands, a light sea breeze brought up to the travellers its
alkaline odours, and the night had passed. Suddenly, at the moment
when the three riders were about to emerge from a thick wood, in
which they had been following a track made by the wild cattle for
nearly an hour, the Major-domo, who was a few yards ahead, pulled
up his horse and leant back.
"Stop, in Heaven's name!" he exclaimed, in a low voice.
The young couple obeyed, though they did not comprehend this
order.
The Major-domo went up to them.
"Look!" he muttered, and stretched out his arm toward the
savannah.
A rapid gallop, that drew nearer every second, but which the noise
of their own march had prevented them from hearing, now smote
their ears, and almost at the same moment they saw through the
screen of foliage which hid them from sight, several horsemen pass
as if borne along by a hurricane.
A branch struck off the hat of one of the riders as he passed.
"Don Stenio!" Doña Clara exclaimed in horror.
"Zounds!" Don Sancho said, "We were just in time."

CHAPTER XXIX.
 EVENTS ACCUMULATE.

The horsemen had continued their wild course without perceiving

the fugitives: one of them, indeed, at the cry uttered by Doña Clara,
had made a gesture as if to stop his steed, but doubtless supposing
that he had been mistaken, he followed his companions after a
moment's hesitation, which was very fortunate for him, as Don
Sancho had already drawn a pistol, with the resolution of blowing
out his brains.
For some minutes the fugitives remained motionless, anxiously
listening to the galloping of the horses, whose sound rapidly retired,
and was soon lost in the distance, when it became confounded with
the other noises of the night.
Then they breathed again, and Don Sancho put back in his holster
the pistol which he had held in his hand up to this moment.
"Hum!" he muttered; "Only the thickness of a bush saved us from
being discovered."
"Heaven be thanked!" Doña Clara said; "We are saved!"
"That is to say, my little sister, we are not caught," the young man
replied, incapable of maintaining his seriousness for five minutes,
however grave circumstances might be.
"They are going at a tremendous pace," the Major-domo now
remarked; "we have nothing more to fear from them."
"In that case, let us be off," Don Sancho replied.
"Yes, yes, let us go," Doña Clara murmured.
They dashed out of the thicket which had offered them so sure a
protection, and entered the plain.
The sky became lighter every moment; and although the sun was
still beneath the horizon, its influence was beginning to be felt.
Nature appeared to shake off her nocturnal sleep; some birds were
already awake under the soft leaves, and preluding, by soft
twittering, their matin chant; the dark outlines of savage animals
bounded through the tall dew-laden grass; and the birds of prey,
expanding their mighty wings, rose high in æther, as if they wished
to go and meet the sun, and salute its advent: in a word, it was no
longer night, without being fully day.
"Ah! What I do see at the foot of that mound?" Don Sancho
suddenly said.
"Where?" Birbomono asked.
"There, straight in front of us."
The Major-domo placed his hands over his eyes, and looked
attentively.
"¡Viva Dios!" he exclaimed, at the end of a moment, "It is a man!"
"A man?"
"On my word, yes, Excellency; and, as far as I can distinguish at this
distance, a Carib savage."
"Zounds! What is he doing on that mound?"
"We shall be able to assure ourselves of that more easily directly,
unless he thinks proper to keep out of our way."
"Well, let us go to him, in Heaven's name."
"Brother," Doña Clara objected, "what is the use of lengthening our
journey, when we are so hurried?"
"That is true," the young man said.
"Reassure yourself, señora," the Major-domo observed; "that hillock
is exactly on the road we must follow, and we cannot help passing
it."
Doña Clara said no more, and the trio set out again.
They soon reached the mound, which they ascended at a gallop.
The Carib had not quitted the spot, but the riders stopped in stupor
on perceiving that he was not alone.
The Indian, kneeling on the ground, appearing to be attending to a
man stretched out before him, and who was beginning to regain his
senses.
"Fray Arsenio!" Doña Clara exclaimed at the sight of this man. "Great
Heavens! He is dead!"
"No," the Indian answered in a gentle voice, as he turned to her,
"but he has been most horribly tortured."
"He! Tortured?" his hearers exclaimed, unanimously.
"Look at his hands," the Carib continued.
The Spaniards uttered a cry of horror and pity at the sight of the
poor monk's bleeding and swollen thumbs.
"Oh, it is frightful!" they murmured, sadly.
"Wretch," Don Sancho said in his indignation, "you have brought him
to this state!"
The Carib shrugged his shoulders disdainfully.
"The paleface is mad!" he replied; "My brothers do not torture the
chiefs of prayer—they respect them. White men, like himself, have
inflicted this atrocious punishment upon him."
"Explain yourself, in Heaven's name," Doña Clara continued; "how is
it that we find this worthy monk here in such a pitiable state?"
"It will be better to let him explain himself when he has regained his
senses. Omopoua knows but little."
"That is true," Doña Clara said, as she dismounted and knelt by the
side of the wounded man. "Poor fellow! What frightful suffering he
must be enduring."
"Can you not tell us anything, then?" Don Sancho asked.
"Almost nothing," the chief replied, "this is all that I know."
And he narrated in what way the monk had been confided to him,
and how he had served as his guide, till they met the white men,
when the monk discharged him for the purpose of joining them.
"But," he added, "I know not why, some secret foreboding seemed
to warn me not to leave him: hence, instead of going away I hid
myself in the shrubs, and witnessed, unseen, the tortures they had
him undergo, while insisting on his revealing to them a secret, which
he refused to divulge. Conquered by his constancy, they at length
abandoned him half dead. Then I rushed from my hiding place, and
flew to his help. That is all I know; I am a chief, I have no forked
tongue, and a falsehood has never sullied the lips of Omopoua."
"Forgive me, Chief, the improper language I used at the first
moment; I was blinded by anger and sorrow," said Don Sancho,
holding out his hand.
"The paleface is young," the chief replied with a smile; "his tongue
moves more quickly than his heart;" then he took the hand so
frankly offered him, and pressed it cordially.
"Oh, oh!" the Major-domo said, with a shake of his head, and
leaning over to Don Sancho's ear, "If I am not greatly mistaken, Don
Stenio is mixed up in this affair."
"It is not possible," Don Sancho replied, with horror.
"You do not know your brother-in-law, Excellency; his is a weak
nature, and all such are cruel; believe me, I am certain of what I
state."
"No, no, it would be too frightful."
"Good Heaven," Doña Clara said, at this moment, "we cannot remain
here any longer, and yet I should not like to abandon the poor man."
"Let us take him with us," Don Sancho quickly remarked.
"But will his wounds permit him to endure the fatigue of a long
ride?"
"We are almost at our journey's end," the Major-domo said, and
then, turning to the Carib, added—
"We are going to the bivouac of the two buccaneers, who were
hunting on the savannah yesterday."
"Very good;" said the chief, "I will lead the palefaces by a narrow
road, and they will arrive ere the sun reaches the edges of the
horizon."
Doña Clara and her brother remounted. The monk was cautiously
placed in front of the Major-domo, and the small party set out again
at a foot pace, under the guidance of the Carib chief.
Poor Fray Arsenio gave no other signs of existence but deep sighs,
which at intervals heaved his chest, and stifled groans torn from him
by suffering.
At the end of three quarters of an hour they reached the boucan, by
the near cut, which Omopoua indicated to them.
It was empty, but not deserted, as was proved by the bull hides, still
stretched out on the ground, and held down by pegs, and the
boucaned meat suspended from the forks of the branches.
The adventurers were probably away, hunting.
The travellers were considerably annoyed by this contretemps, but
Omopoua relieved them of their embarrassment.
"The palefaces need not be anxious," he said, "the chief will warn
his friends, the white franiis—in their absence the paler faces can
use, without fear, everything they find here."
And, joining example to precept, the Carib prepared a bed of dry
leaves, which he covered with skins, and, with the Major-domo's aid,
carefully laid the wounded man upon it; then he lit a fire, and after,
for the last time repeating to the fugitives the assurance that they
had nothing to fear, he went off, gliding like a snake through the tall
grass.
The Major-domo, who was tolerably well acquainted with the
manners of the adventurers, with whom he had had some relations,
though always against his will, for, brave though he was, or boasted
of being, they inspired him with a superstitious terror—reassured the
others as to their position, by declaring to them, that hospitality was
so sacred with the buccaneers, that, if they were their most
inveterate foes instead of quasi guests, as they had only come on
their formal invitation, they would have nothing to apprehend from
them.
In the meanwhile, thanks to the attention which Doña Clara had not
ceased to bestow on him, the poor monk had returned to his senses.
Although very weak at first, he gradually regained sufficient strength
to impart to Doña Clara all that happened to him since their
separation. This narration, whose conclusion coincided in the
minutest details with that previously made by the Carib, plunged
Doña Clara into a state of stupefaction, which soon changed into
horror, when she reflected on the terrible dangers that menaced her.
In truth, what help could she expect? Who would dare to protect her
against her husband, whose high position and omnipotence would
annihilate every effort she might make to escape from his
vengeance.
"Courage," the monk murmured, with a tender commiseration,
"courage, my daughter, above man there is God. Have confidence in
Him; He will not abandon you: and if everything fail you, He will
come to your assistance, and interfere in your favour."
Doña Clara, in spite of her perfect faith in the power of Providence,
only replied to this consolation by tears and sobs; she felt herself
condemned.
Don Sancho was hurriedly walking up and down in the front of the
ajoupa, twisting his moustache, stamping his foot passionately, and
revolving in his head the maddest projects.
"Bah," he muttered, at last, "if that demon will not listen to reason, I
will blow out his brains, and that will settle everything."
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