Golden Age and Other Stories Read online

  Thedragonlookedpuzzledoverathisownhandiwork.“Doyoumean,thoseships?Buttheyareonly madeofwood;theyarenottreasure.”

  “I do not suppose that the smallest ship wrecked on your shore was floated for less than three thousandofthosegoldcoinsyouhavepiledtheresountidily,”Laurencesaidflatly.

  “What?”thedragoncried,andreeledbacksoaghastitseemedLaurencemightaswellhaveordered thegunsfireduponhim;heseemedtrulyovercome,andflewatoncetothenearestheapofwreckedships andfromthereinanarrowinglinetothesecondgraveyardattheotherendofthebeach,andbackagain twice;ateachhalthewentcirclingroundandroundoverthemasthoughcompletelyoutofhishead,and atlastcamedartingbacktothe Relianttodemand,“Cantheybefixed?Surelytheyarenot whollyruined.

  Oh!Ifonlythosemenhadsaidanything!Iwouldneverhavedoneit,never,never.”

  Laurencehadtobegladtohavemadesoprofoundanimpression,althoughhewouldhavepreferred a different foundation for the dragon’s regrets. Even the smaller beasts, when the black dragon had explainedmatterstothem,grewastonishinglydistraught;aftertheytoohadproceededtovisitthewrecks, they flung themselves upon the bobbing hulls very much as might a man upon the ruined stones of his house, brought low by fire, or sat upon the sand of the beach gazing at them with dull blank eyes and wingsdroopinglimp,apictureofdespair.

  “Wewillneverhurtanothership,”theblackdragondesolatelypromised,andwhileLaurencewould scarcely have trusted the word of any other pirate, he found himself inclined to believe it despite the promptingofhisbetterjudgement.Heconsultedprivatelywithhimselfthateveningasthe Reliant rodeat anchoroutfromthebay,waitingforthemorning’stide;hefearedthatherather wishedtobelieve,thandid soonsensiblegrounds.Butatlengthhemadehimselfsatisfied:theblackdragonhadgivennoproofsof dishonesty, in any of his actions, and indeed any rational consideration should have made lying quite unnecessarytosodreadfulabeast,whomightfarmoreeasilydisregardanycomplaintthanthusseekto evadeit.

  “Idonot,however,”hetoldhislieutenantsthenextmorning,“meantosetupmyjudgementoverthat ofTheirLordships.WewillreturnfirsttoBermuda,andfromthereIshallsendthemmyreport;untilwe have word that they are satisfied, we shall remain near and continue to patrol the seas, and escort any Britishshipsthroughthedragons’flying-range.”

  His officers were disappointed, he knew; they had naturally hoped to find some French privateer loaded down with treasure, a lawful prize, and at worst to return home and be set loose upon enemy shipping again. The Reliant was a splendid sailor, fast and graceful and well-armed, and fought well couldreasonablyhopetotakemostenemiesinherclass,andoutdistanceanybeyondit.Fortunately,asa counterbalancetotheseregrets,nosensibleofficercouldhavelookedupontheblackdragonandwished verymuchtoengageitwithnoaerialsupport.ButLaurencesteeledhimselftobeinstructedtodojustthat, whendispatchescame:theAdmiraltyhadnotsenthimtopreach,buttopunish.

  The Reliant passedthreemonthssailingtheCaribbeanwithoutseriousincident:hislogheldinita dozen meetings with merchantmen, none of them molested by the dragons, who were their only other encounter,andfrequentenoughtomakeamendsfortheabsenceofanyother.Hewasatfirstwary,whena wing appeared off the ship’s bow in a clear morning, but it was only the black dragon, alone, and he haltedwelloffandcalled,“PraymayIcomeincloser?Idonotmeantofrightenyou,atall.”

  “Youmay,”Laurencesaid,afterabriefhesitation;thegunswereloaded,andthedangertothebeast greaterthantheirown,ifheweretrustingfoolishly.

  Butthedragonindeedofferednoattack.Heonlywingedinquitenear—hisenormousscaleallthe moredismayingwhenhecamesoclosetothe Reliant,anditwasevidentthathewaslonger,nosetotail, thantheentireship.Thenhoveringthereheputouthisheadandanxiouslypeeredatthemainmast,tilting his head one way and another, much to the frozen alarm of the boy in the crow’s nest, until Laurence asked,“Whatareyoudoing?”

  “Iamtryingtoseehowitoughttobearranged,”thedragonanswered.“Wemeantofixtheships,of course,onlyitisquitedifficultwhenonedoesnotknowhowitistobedone.Praywillyoutellme,what arealltheseropesfor?”

  Laurencedidnotintheleastobjecttothedragonsoccupyingthemselvesinsuchaproject,however unlikelytosucceed,nortofurtheringthatend,buthewaspuzzledtoexplainaship’srigginginFrench.He wasforcedtomakehisapologiesafterahaltingattempt,andthenthedragonastonishedhimbysaying,

  “Youmayaswellteachmeyourlanguage,then;IsupposeitcannotbemuchharderthantheoneMikliand theothersspeak.”

  Laurence supposed otherwise, but that struck him as a still better method of occupying the beast’s time;hethereforearrangedovertheobjectionsofhisofficerstogoashoreinaboatonceaday,whenthe Reliantwasnearenoughsomeislet,andgivethedragonlessons.Heprivatelylikedthearrangementfor entailingariskonlytohimself,commensuratehefeltwiththedegreetowhichhewaswillfullyindulging hisownjudgement.Butbeforeamonthhadpassed,hewasforcedtoconfess,astonishedbytheprogress andthewitofhisstudent,thathelikeditforitsownsake,andindeedhadbeguntoforgetthattherewas anyriskatallinthecompanyofadragonnearlyeighteentons.Célestewastooinnocentofmaliceand fearaliketobeatrueobjectofdreadwhenoneknewhim,Laurencefelt;hesufferedadailyincreasing dismayovertheprospectthattheAdmiraltymightorderhimtomakeanattempttobringthedragondown.

  Evenhiscrewhadbeguntogrowfondofwhattheynowcalled“thecaptain’sdragon”withahilarity that Laurence deliberately did not notice; he preferred them to be amused at his expense rather than frightened.IfCélesteshouldcomebeforehewasondeck,someofthemenwouldevenspeakwithhim, andthedragonwasveryreadytoanswerashisEnglishimproved;hewasespeciallyfondofpoetryand recitations, when he could persuade any of the men to favor him, and the crew were at the same time engaged in putting on a performance of Macbeth, which aroused his interest so greatly that he began to comewheneverhehopedarehearsalmightbeintrain,andlistenraptly.

  AnanxiousmerchantmanhavingdemandedtheirescortsomedistanceintotheAtlantic,Laurencehad not seen Céleste for three days; they were sailing west once more when a sloop hailing them in the distance proved to be just out of Nassau, and her captain informed him they had left his long-awaited dispatcheswiththegovernor.“Ithankyou,”Laurencesaidheavily,andfounditagreatefforttomaintain theconversationathistable,havinginvitedthecaptaintojoinhimandhisofficersfordinner.

  “Have you had any luck chasing down those Frenchmen with their dragons?” Captain Archbold asked,innocentlyheapingcoalsuponLaurence’sconscience.“Itellyou,IdonotsupposeIammoreofa coward than any man, and I have never met a storm yet to frighten me, but I saw a sea-serpent in the Pacificonce,glidingpastmyship,andifIneverseeanotheritwillbetoosoon.Itmakesaman’sblood runcoldtothinkofgoingdownthegulletofoneofthosebeasts.Ishallbeverygladtoknowtheyareno more.”

  “Wehavefoundthem,”Laurencesaid,“andtherearenoFrenchmen:itwasapackofdragons,alone; aFrenchshipwrecklefttheeggofalargefighting-dragonupontheshore,andhispresenceemboldened them.”

  “Good God!” Archbold cried. “A heavy-weight? —How did you manage it, with no cover yourselves?Ishouldnothavesupposedashipcouldcomeawaysounscathedasyouare.”

  “Wehavenotfounditnecessaryyettofigh
tthebeast,”Laurencesaid,andoneofhisyoungermids pipedup,withagiggle—hehaddrunktwoglassesofwine—“Thecaptainhastamedhiminstead!”

  He was at once frowned into silence by the company and shushed by his neighbors, but Archbold lookedquiteastonished,aswellhemight.Laurencesawhimoffandstoodonthequarterdeckalonefor sometimeinthenightair,silentanddistressed;hefeltabruptlyhowwronghehadbeen,tomakeapetof the dragon he had been ordered to slay—and yet even this was false; it was impossible to describe Célesteso,asthoughhewereadogorafavoritehorse.Thedragonwashis friend.NorcouldLaurence merely reproach himself with self-indulgence, and feel that his pain was his own fault. Céleste had repentedofhiscrimes,andceasedtocommitthem,assoonashehadknownbetter.Therewasnojustice inputtinghimtodeath,andlesshonorthanthatinbetrayinghimandtakinghimbysurprise,whichwas certainlytheonlywayinwhichanattackcouldsucceed.

  Laurence realized to his increasing horror that indeed, he could not stomach the act at all. He envisioned Céleste winging over the ocean to join them at midmorning, as was his wont, fearless and unwary—imaginedhisownvoicegivingtheordertofire—thedragonfallingbrokentothewaves—

  Itwasimpossible.Hecouldnotdoit.HewouldhavetoreturntoEnglandhavingfailedinhisduty, andsubmittocourt-martial;someothermanwouldbesenttodestroythedragoninstead.Andhewould succeed, surely, for Céleste no longer thought to fear a British ship—unless Laurence warned him. His stomachclenchedonthethought,stillmoreadereliction.Buthecouldnotpersuadehimselfitwaswrong.

  HewouldhavetotellCélestetohideforever,fromallmenofwar,andneverapproachthemagain;and thenhewouldhavetosubmithimselftothejusticeoftheNavy.

  He could hardly claim to be indifferent to the prospect of ruin and disgrace, but a grateful calm descended,assoonashehadreachedthisconclusion,whichassuredhimhehadfoundthemosthonorable courseamidsttheshoals.Hestraightenedhisshouldersandwentintohiscabin,andatlastwasableto sleep; until just before morning a tremendous lurch heaved him out of his cot and onto the floor of his cabinwiththelamprollingby.Heautomaticallyputoutahandandcaughtit,blowingouttheflame,and inthedimgreylightheardthecriesofhismenmingledwithamorehideousgroaningofwood.

  Hewaitedonlylongenoughtoputonhisboots;hethrustopenhisdooronlytofinditpartlybarred bysomeheavyweight,asthoughamassofcablehadbeenflungacrossthethreshold.Heseizedhissword and hacked at it, meeting only the resistance of flesh, and abruptly the shadowy mass moved away. He was able to push the door open far enough to emerge onto the deck, to find more long lumpy shadows strewnacrosshisdeck,andthelookoutabovecryingout,“Kraken,sir!Kraken!”

  The sun was coming up behind an overcast sky, lightening at great speed, and the dreadful beast’s headwasrisingtomeetitontheothersideoftheship,vastnacreouseyestallerthantheship’sanchor bulgingfromeithersideofagaping,toothedmaw.Laurencehackedgrimlyawayatthemassivetentacles as they swarmed among them, men tripping. The kraken certainly had mistaken them for a whale; the creature was so large nothing else could have made the bulk of its diet. It pressed its enormous mouth againstthesideoftheshiprepeatedly,evidentlytryingtobite.Findingnothingtosatisfy,itpulledaway andanenormousmassofsmallertentaclesburstlashingfrombeneaththerowofteethandbegangroping over the deck and into the gun ports, curling around men and dragging them down into the monstrous gullet.

  “Totheguns!”Laurenceroaredagaintoanymanwhomighthearhim,carvingawayashedidaslab of another tentacle, trying to make his way towards the nearest gun. The kraken’s shorter limbs were a writhingthicketinhisway,andhehadnowtoregretthegunshehadmovedtotheupperdeck;thegunson thelowerdeckmighthavemoreeasilybeenfiredagainstthebeast.Buthecouldnotreachtheladderway, either;oneenormoustentaclealmosttheheightofhiswaistlayathwartthecover,thetranslucentgreenish-blackfleshpulsatingwiththebloodvesselswithin.

  A shadow moved across the deck, drawing Laurence’s eyes upwards, as another monstrous limb rosefromthedepthsandwasflungovertheship.Itlandedwithaterribleshudderingthumpthatnearly threwhimoffhisfeet,bearingawaytwoofthespars.The Reliantgroanedpitiablybeneaththeweightas thekrakenheaveditselfstillfurtherfromthedepthsandupthesideofthevessel,bearingherover.Under such a pressure the ballast would soon begin to shift, and the vessel be dragged beneath the waves as muchbyherownweightasbythemonster.

  Laurence snatched a second blade, slicked with blood and the monster’s fluid, from the deck, and threw himself at the nest of tentacles, hacking away furiously. If no one could reach one of the guns, in moments more they would have tipped too far, and the guns would be firing against their own weight.

  Three crewmen fell in beside him, and they carved a path towards one of the guns half buried beneath investigating tentacles. He crushed smaller ones beneath his feet as they chopped away the larger, and reachedthegun:hedroppedhisswords,andlashedhimselftothecarriagewithoneoftheropeswound halfadozentimesaroundhisbodyandpassedittothenextman.

  Oneoftheyoungership’sboys,animblecreaturenamedFlynn,camesquirmingupthroughagun-

  port with a sack of powder held in his hand; Laurence seized it and thrust it into the cannon’s mouth withoutbenefitofsponging,andheavedthewaddingandtheballbehinditatonce,andrammedthemall downtogetherrecklessly.Togetherheandthemenputtheirshoulderstothegunandranheroutwitha groaningeffort.Laurenceignoredgrimlytheloomingeyethatrolledlikeadreadfulmoontowardsthem, andthetentaclesthatwrappedroundhisarmsandlegs:thekrakenbecametheirassistantalmost,dragging atthegunaswellasthem,andatlastshewasoutandaimedtowardsthemonstrousbodyofthebeast.

  Laurencebegantotryandstrikethematch.Theroperoundhisbodydrewtight,asontheotherside of the gun the gunner’s mate Groghan was seized and lifted aloft, his hands grasping vainly for the carriage—he screamed as the tentacles tugged on him, digging the rope into the flesh of his thigh and waist.Boyleseizedtheropeandpulledback,braceduponthegun,andbehindhim,O’Deahadthequill into the touch hole, and the match began to smoulder; Laurence waved the other men back and stood himselfwiththelinstockuntiltheyhadcutthemselvesloose.Theropecut,Groghanwasliftedawayinto the air crying out with the end dangling; Laurence set the match to the touch-hole. A moment went by, another—hadthepowdergotwet?—andwitharoarthegunfired,jerkingLaurenceentirelyoffhisfeet.

  The kraken made no cry itself; the Reliant cried out for it, all the great tentacles convulsing and tighteninguponher.Loosed,Groghanfellandlandedupontheship’srailandscrambledfranticallyoverit and over the deck, slipping and scuttling hands-and-feet away from the wild thrashing of the kraken’s smallerlimbs.Laurencehauledhimselfup,earsringing,throughthecloudofsmoke.Theballhadstruck the kraken’s body and gone in, a puckered mark on its side scorched black at the edges, but it looked dreadfully small against the mass of the creature, and if the wound were mortal, it would not be immediatelyso.

  Thekrakenheavedthreemoretentaclesontotheship,exertingitselftofinishoffitsrecalcitrantprey, andpulleditselfstillfurtherup:thegreatmawgapedovertherail,andthedeckbegantotiltsosteeply Laurencewashangingfromthegunropesmorethanstanding.Halfadozenofthetentacleswere
coming forhim,andtheswordshadslidaway;hehadasmallerknifeinhisboot,whichhestabbedatthemas besthecould,andbeatthemoff.

  “Laurence!”aloudringingvoicecalled,overthescreamsandgroaningofthewood,andLaurence lookedinsomeconfusiononlytorealizeitwasCélestecallingasthedragonplungedfromtheskyand struckattheheadofthekraken.Evenhewassmallerthantheleviathan,butheclaweditdreadfully,and withadartingstrikeofhisheadseizedoneofthetentaclesinhisjawsandbititthroughwithaviolent snappingshakeofhishead.

  “The one abaft the mainmast!” Laurence shouted, through cupped hands, sacrificing himself to the graspingtentaclestomakethesoundcarry.“Strikethere!”

  Célestetwistedhisheadroundandsawthetentacle,oneofthelargest,andtheonewhichLaurence judgedholdingthekrakenmostsecurelytotheship;hestruckatitwithbothforelegs,andtoreitwithhis jaws.Thekrakenflailedathim,buthepersisted,andworriedhiswaythroughtheentirelimb.Thekraken slidpartwaydownasthelooseendofthetentacleslitheredoffthefarsideoftheship,andthe Reliant straightenedalittleinthewaves,butthekraken’sweightdraggeddowntwoofthetopsails,grippedbyits longer limbs, and caught Céleste’s left wing in sailcloth and rope. He tipped over himself, and came nearlydownuponthe Reliantandthekraken,hisflappingattemptstogetlooseonlytanglinghimfurther, andthewholeentwinedmassofshipanddragonandmonsterrockedviolently,threateningtodoomallof themtogether.

  AndthenCélestespreadwidetheruffroundhisneckandroareddowndirectlyatthekraken:anoise soviolentthewholesearoundthecreaturehollowedouttoadeepconcavitythatbareditslowerbody and the seething mass of tentacles yet beneath the surface. The force of the roar traveled with visible rippling through the kraken’s flesh, bulging it out, until with a shocking eruption the entire head of the beastburstentirely.