GRIFFIN LEEDS AT A DISCOUNT.
I did not expect that Mr. Cornwood would come on shore after what had
passed between him and me, and I did not hurry on board when I left the
house of Colonel Shepard. I passed from St. James Square down Laura
Street, into Forsyth, on which the St. Johns House was situated. I
passed the house several times, looking for Washburn, for I desired to
know what success he had had in looking up Mr. Cobbington. I saw
nothing of the mate, and I went into Bay Street, only a square from
Forsyth.
I looked in every direction for Washburn, but I could not find him, and
I was obliged to give up the search. I found my boat's crew on the
wharf, watching some negroes opening oysters. It was done in a very
clumsy manner, compared with the work of a Providence opener I had seen
in New York; and my men were not at all satisfied with the manner it
was done, though they had no interest in the job.
"Have you seen Mr. Washburn, Ben?" I asked, as we walked down the
wharf.
"Yes, sir; we put him on board half an hour ago," replied the assistant
engineer, who preferred to pull a boat rather than be idle.
"That was why I could not find him in the streets of Jacksonville," I
added. "Has any one come off from the steamer since I came ashore?"
"No, sir, not a soul," answered Ben, decidedly.
I was glad to hear this, for it assured me that Cornwood had not left
the steamer. The Sylvania was anchored on the other side of the main
channel, which was near the line of wharves, but not more than a
quarter of a mile distant. In a few minutes I was on board. The mate
was at supper; and as I had dined within a couple of hours, I did not
disturb him. I went to the steward, and gave him directions in regard
to the lunch and dinner for the next day. Cornwood was smoking his
cigar on the forecastle. I took the precaution to tell him that I
wanted to see him in about half an hour or less, that he might not come
into my room while I was engaged with Washburn.
I had done some thinking over the matter of eavesdroppers on board. I
came to the conclusion that I would have nothing of the kind on board.
I had entire confidence in the two engineers, one of whom was the son
of my guardian in Montomercy, and the other had sailed with me since
the Sylvania had come into my possession. Moses Brickland, the chief,
was lying on a sofa in the engine-room. I called Ben, and told them
both enough to enable them to understand the situation, and that some
of the later additions to our ship's company might be eavesdroppers. I
asked them to keep an eye on the open windows of my state-room, and let
me know if there were any skulking or loitering near them. Moses seated
himself at one door of the engine-room, and Ben at the other. They were
on deck, next to the rail, where they could see the windows of my room.
There was a skylight in the hurricane-deck overhead, which was always
open in this climate when it did not rain. I said nothing about this
opening, because I could hear any person's footsteps on the deck over
me.
Washburn came on deck soon after I had made this little arrangement. We
went into our room by mutual consent, for one had something to say, and
the other wanted to hear it. I explained to him what I had done to trap
any listener who might want to know what we said. He replied that he
had thought of doing something of the kind himself; but he did not care
to throw suspicion even upon Griffin Leeds by telling others the true
story.
"Well, Washburn, did you find your man?" I asked.
"I am sorry to say I did not," he replied. "But I found where he
boarded; and was told he was out, and would not return before nine or
ten in the evening. I shall try again early in the morning, before he
goes out for the day, for he takes only his breakfast at the house
where he lodges."
"Where does he lodge?" I inquired.
Washburn gave me the street and number. It was not in the best part of
the city by any means; and the mate inferred that he was not connected
with the "first families." But he was none the worse for this. His
landlord knew nothing about him, and had made him pay a week's board in
advance.
We continued to talk about Cobbington for some time; but we were none
the wiser when we got through than when we began. Suddenly we heard a
tremendous scuffling overhead. It sounded as though two men or more
were engaged in a severe conflict. After the first onslaught was over,
the voices of two angry men were heard; and one of them was that of Ben
Bowman. Both Washburn and I rushed out of the state-room, he at one
door, and I at the other.
When we were able to see the combatants, they were found to be Ben
Bowman and Griffin Leeds. Ben had by this time proved that he was the
more powerful and efficient of the two, for the octoroon had been
pinned, as it were, to the deck, so that he was unable to do anything
but kick. The assistant engineer had him by the throat, and the
listener's attempts to speak resulted in nothing but a hoarse, choking
sound, which it was painful to hear. Griffin's strength was rapidly
failing him under the severe treatment of the engineer.
[Illustration: GRIFFIN LEEDS AT A DISCOUNT. Page 167.]
In another minute, all hands were climbing the ladder to the
hurricane-deck. I noticed that Cornwood came up from the forecastle
over the top of the pilot-house, which I had forbidden any one on board
to do, at the beginning of the voyage, to prevent injury to the paint.
I concluded that Griffin had come up in the same way. The occasion of
the strife was plain enough to me as soon as I discovered who were
engaged in it. I felt a little cheap after all the precautions I had
taken to prevent being overheard.
"Let him up, Ben," I said, when I thought he had done enough.
The engineer at once relinquished his hold on the octoroon, and stood
up. But Griffin did not appear to be able to get up yet. Both of the
men were gasping for breath, and neither of them was able to speak for
some minutes. As the waiter lay on the deck, I noticed that he wore no
shoes, though he had on a pair of woollen socks. I looked about for his
shoes. I had not seen Griffin before since I came on board.
"It is plain enough what this affair means," I said to the mate, while
we were waiting for Ben to get his breath, and to be able to explain
what the occasion of the conflict was.
"It don't need a very long-headed man to explain it," replied the mate.
"Griffin has been at the old trick again."
"What is the old trick, Mr. Mate?" demanded Cornwood, rather
offensively.
"If you are a sailor, you will call me by my name," replied Washburn,
with dignity.
"Excuse me, Mr. Washburn; but I am somewhat interested in one of the
parties to this row," added Cornwood, as he glanced at me. "I meant no
offence, but I was a little excited by the circumstances. I brought
this man on board, and I am anxious to have him do his duty
faithfully," answered Cornwood, with what seemed to me to be affected
humility, for his eye still flashed, and he was evidently struggling to
be calm. "Will you be kind enough to tell me, Mr. Washburn, what the
old trick was?"
"Eavesdropping; listening to conversation not intended for him, which
was going on in the captain's room," replied the mate, rather warmly.
"It is very strange to me, for I have known the boy for years, and I
never heard any of his employers find fault with him before," added
Cornwood. "I don't believe there is a better behaved boy in the State
than Griffin Leeds. Excuse me for saying so much, which I should not
have said if I had not brought the boy on board and recommended him to
you."
I had no fault to find with his statement, as long as it was
respectful. By this time Ben had got his wind again, and appeared to be
ready to explain the reason for the conflict which had created such a
sensation on board. All hands were on deck, gathered around the
combatants. I was satisfied from the beginning that Ben had not begun
the fight, for this was the first time I had ever known him to resort
to violence, except when he had been ordered to do so by the mate in
two instances, both of them being the expulsion from the vessel of
Captain Boomsby.
"Well, how was it, Mr. Bowman?" I asked, calling him by his last name
with a handle to it, as I always did in the presence of the ship's
company.
"A few minutes before I came upon the hurricane-deck, sir, I thought
there was something like motion forward of the foremast. I stood up,
but I could not see anything or anybody. But I could not get it out of
my head that something was going on there. I spoke to Mr. Brickland
about it, and he told me to go up and see what it was."
"Where was Mr. Brickland at that time?" demanded Cornwood.
"Mr. Bowman is answering my question, Mr. Cornwood, and you will not
interfere," I interposed, for the Floridian appeared to have taken upon
himself the duty of counsel for the octoroon.
"I beg your pardon, captain," replied Cornwood with a deferential bow.
"I went to the ladder on the starboard side, and mounted to this deck.
As soon as I got up here, I saw Griffin lying flat on his face, with
his right ear at the opening under the sash of the skylight. I slipped
off my shoes, and crept as lightly as I could to the place where
Griffin lay. I had no idea of attacking him, and only intended to see
what he was doing there. As soon as I was satisfied that he was
listening to the conversation between you and Mr. Washburn, which I
could hear, though I could not tell what you said, I just touched him
on the shoulder. I meant to beckon him to come away from the skylight,
but he did not give me time to do that. He sprang to his feet, and we
all know he is a spry fellow, and pitched into me as though I had tried
to murder him."
"You lie!" yelled the octoroon, with a savage oath. "You did try to
murder me!"
Griffin leaped from his recumbent position, and, foaming with rage,
drew a bowie-knife from his pocket, the long blade of which he threw
open with a jerk of his hand. With the knife gleaming in the air, he
rushed upon Ben Bowman. He would surely have plunged the blade into his
intended victim, if Buck Lingley had not darted upon him as soon as he
saw the knife. The deckhand was the stoutest person on board, and he
bore the octoroon to the deck in an instant, and wrenched the knife
from his grasp.
"Hold on to him a moment, Buck!" I called to him. "Get some line, and
tie him hand and foot!"
Hop Tossford sprang to obey my order. He seized the end of a
heave-line, and while Buck drew the arms of the waiter behind him, he
secured them in this position with the assistance of the mate. This
line was only for temporary use; and Hop soon brought a handful of
pieces of whale-line from the store-room, and the prisoner was
carefully secured. The octoroon struggled to escape, but the mate and
Buck held him tight.
"Drop the starboard boat into the water," I continued. "Mr. Washburn,
you will deliver him to the police of the city."