"Well, sink me, my boy, that's just what I am aboard here, and they'll be
looking for another to match me. I saw what ye were when I first raised
ye coming along the dock, and sez I, ye're just my size, my bully."
As he could have walked under my arm when extended horizontally, I
saw he had no poor opinion of himself. However, his words conveyed a
ray of hope.
"Is the mate with the skipper?" I asked.
"The second mate is, yep; but he won't raise bail. The old man might
though, _quien sabe_? The agents will hail us to-night and settle
matters, for we're on the load line and nigh steved. We can't wait."
I reflected a moment. Here was a possible chance for a mate's berth, and
perhaps the skipper would not get bail, after all. In that case I thought
I could hardly manage better, for my fear of the little mate was not
overpowering. I was not exactly of a timid nature,--a man seldom rises to
be mate of a deep-water ship who is,--but I always dreaded a brutal
skipper on account of his absolute authority at sea, where there is no
redress. I had once been mixed up in an affair concerning the
disappearance of one, on a China trader--but no matter. The affair in
hand was tempting and I waited developments.
The little mate saw my course and laid his accordingly.
"S'pose you come around about knock-off time. The agents will be
along about then--Sauers and Co.; you know them; and I'll fix the
thing for you."
"All right," I said, and after a little conversation relating to the
merits of various ships, the _Pirate_ in particular, I left and made my
way back to my lodgings.
I notified my landlord of my proposed voyage, and he was as gracious as
could be expected, at the same time expressing some wonderment at the
suddenness of my good fortune.
The more I thought of the matter, the more I felt like trying elsewhere
for a berth; but the time flew so rapidly that I found myself on the way
to the ship before my misgivings took too strong hold of me.
As I turned down the principal thoroughfare, feeling in a more humorous
frame of mind at the many possibilities open to me, I heard a shout. The
sound came from a side street, and I looked to see what it meant.
Through the door of a saloon a man shot head-long as if fired from a
gun. He struck in the gutter and staggered to his feet, where he was
immediately surrounded by the crowd of men that had followed him. This
promised much in the way of diversion, and I stopped to see what hidden
force lurked behind the door of the saloon. As I did so, a short fellow
with a great bushy head emerged, struggling with half a dozen men who
bore down upon him and tried to surround and seize him. The little man's
face was red from exertion and liquor, but when I caught a glimpse of
his great squat nose and huge mouth I had no difficulty in recognizing
my acquaintance on the _Pirate_. He backed rapidly away from his
antagonists, swinging a pair of arms each of which seemed to be fully
half a fathom long while every instant he let out a yell that sounded
like the bellow of a mad bull. Suddenly he turned and made off down the
street at an astonishing pace for one with such short legs, still
letting out a yell at every jump.
The men who had set upon him hesitated an instant before they realized he
was getting away; then they started after him, shouting and swearing at a
great rate. He was up to me in an instant, and as he dashed by I narrowly
missed a clip from his hand, which he swung viciously at me as he passed.
I saw in a moment he couldn't escape at the rate he was moving, in spite
of his tremendous exertions, so I stepped aside to watch him as the crowd
rushed past in pursuit.
The little mate's legs were working like the flying pistons of a
locomotive, and his bush hair and beard were streaming aft in the breeze
as he neared the corner. Suddenly he stopped, turned about, and dashed
right into the foremost of the crowd, letting out a screech and swinging
his long arms.
"Git out th' way! Th' devil's broke loose an's comin' for ye," he
howled as he sent the foremost man to the pavement. "Don't stop me. I
ain't got no time to stop. Don't stop a little bumpkin buster what's
got business in both hands. Stand away, or I'll run ye down and sink
ye," and he tore through the men, who grabbed him and grappled to get
him down. In a second he was going up the street again in exactly the
opposite direction, having hurled over or dashed aside the fellows who
had seized him.
"Soo--oo--a-y!" he bellowed as he passed. Then he rushed to a doorway
where stood a boy's bicycle. He jumped upon the saddle with another yell
as he pushed the machine before him, and the next instant was whirling
down the thoroughfare with the rapidity of an express train, bawling for
people to "Stand clear!" In another moment he was out of sight, in a
cloud of dust, and his yells fell to a drone in the distance.
I was in no hurry to get down to the dock, so I strolled around the
streets for some time. Then, thinking that the little mate had about run
himself out, I made my way to the wharf where the _Pirate_ lay.
As I drew near the ship, I was aware of a bushy head above her port
quarter-rail, and in a moment the little mate, Trunnell, looked over and
hailed me. He was smoking so composedly and appeared so cool and
satisfied that I could hardly believe it was the same man I had seen
running amuck but an hour before.
"Have a good ride?" I asked.
"So, so; 'twas a bit of a thing to do, though I ain't never rid one of
them things afore. They wanted me to cough up stuff for the whole crowd.
But nary a cough. One or two drinks is about all I can stand; so when I
feels good ye don't want to persuade me over much. Come aboard."
He led me below, where we were joined by the "doctor," a good-looking
negro, who, having washed up his few dishes and put out the fire in his
galley, came aft and assumed an importance in keeping with a cook of an
American clipper ship.
We sat in the forward cabin and chatted for a few minutes, becoming
better acquainted, and I must say they both acquitted themselves very
creditably for members of the after guard of that notorious vessel. But I
had learned long ago that there were good men on all ships, and I was not
more than ordinarily surprised at my reception.
The forward cabin was arranged as on all American ships of large
tonnage,--that is, with the house built upon the main deck, the forward
end of which was a passage athwartships to enable one to get out from
either side when the vessel was heeled over at a sharp angle. Next came
the mates' rooms on either side of two alleyways leading into the forward
saloon, and between the alleyways were closets and lockers. The saloon
was quite large and had a table fastened to the floor in the centre,
where we now sat and awaited the appearance of the agents. Aft of this
saloon, and separated from it by a bulkhead, was the captain's cabin and
the staterooms for whatever passengers the ship might carry.
While we were talking I heard a hail. Mr. Trunnell, the mate, instantly
jumped to his feet and sprang up the companionway aft, his short, stout
legs curving well outward, and giving him the rolling motion often
noticed in short sailors. In a moment there were sounds of footsteps on
deck, and several men started down the companionway.
The first that reached the cabin deck was a large man with a flowing
beard and sharp eyes which took in every object in the cabin at a
glance. He came into the forward saloon, and the "doctor" stood up to
receive him. He took no notice of the cook, however, but looked sharply
at me. Then the mate came in with two other men who showed in a hundred
ways that they were captains of sailing ships. The large man addressed
one of these. He was a short, stout man with sandy hair; he wore thin
gold earrings, and his sun-bronzed face showed that he had but recently
come ashore.
"If you don't want to take her out, Cole," said the large man, roughly,
"say so and be done with it. I can get Thompson."
"There's nothing in it without the freight money. Halve it and
it's a go."
"Andrews has the whole of it according to contract."
"But he's jugged."
"He'll need it all the more," put in the other captain, who was one of
the agents. "Colonel Fermoy has put the rate as high as he can."
"I'm sorry, colonel," said the stout skipper, turning to the large man.
"Halve or nothing."
"All right, then, nothing. Mr. Trunnell," he continued, turning to the
mate, "Captain Cole will not take you out in the morning as he promised.
I'll send Captain Thompson along this evening, or the first thing in the
morning. I suppose you know him, so it won't be necessary for me to come
down again. Is this your mate?" And he looked at me.
"Yessir, that's him," said Mr. Trunnell.
"Got your papers with you?" asked the colonel.
I pulled them out of my pocket and laid them upon the table. He glanced
at them a moment and then returned them.
"All right; get your dunnage aboard this evening and report at the office
at nine o'clock to-night. Eight pounds, hey?"