I WAS about at daybreak next morning. The man who predicted the first
eclipse of the sun and was waiting for it had nothing on me in the way
of a case of nerves. I kept away from the captain’s state-room. I had
plenty on my mind without loading up with any more trouble.
The first thing I saw when I came on deck was a little schooner which
was lying-to a few cable-lengths from us. She looked familiar. A boat
was slid over her rail. Through the telescope I saw two men in uniform
take seats in the stem-sheets. They were those customs chaps who had
visited us before and they rowed past us toward Keedy’s schooner.
I turned the telescope and saw that somebody in Keedy’s crowd was
wigwagging a flag furiously.
I saw something else through the glass. Keedy’s divers were going down
and I could imagine with what kind of tongue-lashing he had been urging
them to “follow their hand.”
For an instant I had a wild notion of calling for my boat crew and
beating them to it. Then I looked out over that quieter sea, and felt
sure that the freakish undertow had gone off to play elsewhere.
“Let ’em go down and learn a thing or two,” I said to Romeo Shank,
“and then come up and tell Keedy that the Pacific Ocean is something, of
a gambler itself when it comes to ‘following your hand.’”
I knew well enough that I’d better stick around pretty close aboard
the old _Zizania_, for I was sure we would be receiving a call from the
customs men. They would find our treasury bare, and they would find
the captain of the expedition trussed up in his state-room. They would
probably come with another “hot rock” which had been dropped in their
hat by the prospering Keedy.
Yes, there was only one station for me that morning!
The visitors arrived in less than an hour. They tried to smile when they
came over the rail, but it was a mighty sick smile.
I led them into my state-room, and did not pay any attention to their
questions about the captain. They talked broken English, and little of
it, and so there were no words wasted. In a few minutes I knew what was
wanted. We must up killick and get out. We were there without authority;
we were breaking laws; we were stealing other men’s property.
I tried to talk about Keedy and his gang. How about them? The
officers shrugged their shoulders and scowled at me. Ah, that was the
Government’s business, not mine, they told me. They were attending to
that case. Had I not seen them going over there also? Yes, all should
be used alike--but we must go or else they would report, and a gunboat
would be sent to drive us away--yes, to confiscate our ship. So!
Captain Holstrom had been right in regard to them--I found that they
were blood-suckers, looking for the juiciest proposition, and Keedy had
got next by some plan--perhaps by being a better liar.
I stared at those knaves for a few moments, and did some tall thinking
quickly. I was really getting used to quick thinking by that time.
When I jumped up and asked to be excused for a moment they smiled and
settled back on the transom. Perhaps they thought that I proposed to
raise Keedy out of the game.